So, the official review from Octane came out. And it was good. They liked it. Which is saying something because they usually eviscerate fiction.

BUT, man are they picky about the Brit vs. UK thing. This is a car book and they pick on what they thought was an error. I did mean 'sauce' not 'sausage'. The dish is from a high-end hotel and is a modern interpretation of a traditional breakfast. Come on guys. Comment on the cars, not the food. Which was as I wanted it anyway.

And, for any one who doubts there is a 'black pudding sauce' just google it. Or check out the menu here or the recipe here. And anyone who has been to Blumenthal's restaurant has probably had a 'black pudding sauce' as well.

AC/DC's Brian Johnson a Fan of Faston

I nearly fell out of my bed last night when I was reading through the newest issue of Octane when I came across Brian Johnson's column.

In it, he launches into a discussion of high-end automotive recreations by praising my book, Hunt for the Blower Bentley.

I am usually nonplussed about such things. I've had commercials run during prime time sports and television. Seen a billboard of mine in Times Square. Even had dozens of articles published in magazines. But something about unsolicited praise from a true automotive enthusiast was just so awesome. Don't tell my wife, but no Christmas present could top this.

Well, maybe a 993 C4 in white would.

But, if you are on the fence about picking up or downloading a copy, don't hesitate now. A man who races a Lola loves it. You will too.

Whoa, baby baby Thunderstruck...

Octane Magazine Prize. Christopher Ward Grand Prix Watch

I've just received this morning a payment rather larger than most of my other freelance writing assignments. And it wasn't even for a regular paying assignment.

It was for winning the Octane Magazine letter of the month.

To be honest, I am a huge Octane fan. It is super high quality and really broad ranging in coverage. And if you baulk at the $10.00 price, you are being cheap. For the same price as a movie ticket I get at least 6-10 hours of enjoyment out of each issue. And I can't recall the last movie I wish was longer than 2 hours.

Any who, the Christopher Ward company has created a line of watches that celebrate some of the earliest Grand Prix events. The Watch I won commemorates the 1925 Belgian Grand Prix in which the elder Ascari dominated to an extent that allowed him to have snack and drink during his pitstops.

And as the 2010 Spa Grand Prix was just this past Sunday, the timing for this edition to arrive at my door was clever. Sidebar, I must say that the very fast Spa track and the weather made for an exciting F1 race. Man would I love to blast around Les Combes. If anyone watched, that extra lap Hamilton did on his slicks as the ran came was edge of the seat stuff. And when he went off into the gravel trap, just missing the wall and returning to the track, wow. He saw his lead go from like 12 seconds which would have been unbeatable to about 2 seconds. What a race.

Now that the watch is in hand, I must say it is a very nice piece. Although I am no expert and only have a couple of other watches to compare it to. My own Porsche chronograph and my wife's automatic Hamilton.

I would say the Ward is better than both. The finish gleams. The band is with a doubt of better quality than either of the above mentioned watches. Soft leather that smells like leather, creme colored stitching and subtle red backing that appears through the perforations.

The action of the buttons and winding arm are very solid. Much more so than my Porsche watch and on par with the Hamilton.

Packing was, as you can see, beautiful and thorough.

What I like best about the watch is the clever positioning of the date in a very small circle below the 3 marker. On lots of watches, the date window is just a big square. This is well done and a testament to the design of the piece.

All in all I am thrilled. Like many luxury items, I would feel a bit guilty buying this for myself, but having won it, I love it to pieces.