Back when I made my return to Jalopnik, I mentioned in passing that Jalop alum Alanis King and I were hard at work on a Rich Energy project. Now, I can give you a few more details: it’s going to be a book, it’s coming in 2022, and it’ll be published by McFarland & Co.
And those are all the details I can give you! Sorry! Patience is key!
Okay, I can tell you a few other things. We have a website for the book that we’ll keep up to date with all the latest info. You can peruse some of the tentative cover matter on the site, and you can also sign up for email updates. Alanis and I aren’t going to spam you; we plan on sending out updates only when we have an official release date, preorders are available, and the book is officially on sale. We’ll also keep you posted on any launch events. We have some neat stuff in mind.
If you need a little refresher on the Rich Energy fiasco, it went a little something like this: the Haas Formula One team announced a partnership with a British energy drink startup that few people had heard of before. After a lot of hilarious tweets, lawsuits, unceremonious exits, and very bad on-track performances, Rich Energy took its leave from the sport. Its CEO, William Storey, has since aimed to sponsor British Superbike teams and buy out the Sunderland Football Club—all while promising to make a return to F1.
It was an incredibly chaotic time, but we’ve done all the heavy lifting for you. We’ve done research and included never-before-seen documents and exclusive interviews in our book that’ll shed light on what, exactly, went down with Rich Energy.
And if you’re heading to Watkins Glen for any of the IMSA or vintage race weekends in June and July, come find me in The Boot. I’ll have limited edition hero cards and business cards for your pleasure.