Frosty: The autobiography of one of the most beloved drivers in modern Australian motorsport history

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Mark Winterbottom James Phelps

Frosty

The autobiography of one of the most beloved drivers in modern Australian motorsport history...

Mark Winterbottom, James Phelps

$45

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

HARPER360
01 September 2025

Autobiography: sport; Memoirs; Motor cars: general interest; Sports & outdoor recreation; Sports teams & clubs; Car racing

The incredible true story of the boy from Blacktown who became a Bathurst king.

Mark Winterbottom's story is unlike any other in motorsport. It's not about privilege or million-dollar sponsors - it's the tale of a working-class kid with a dream so big it defied the odds.

Mark's family couldn't afford to buy him the motorcycle he needed to kick-start his career, so they purchased a raffle ticket instead. The chances of winning that shiny, new Pee Wee 50 were as slim as a boy from Blacktown one day winning the Bathurst 1000. He would win both. Mark would also become Ford's most famous driver when he broke through to beat Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup by winning the 2015 Supercars championship in his flying Falcon. 

He might have won the bike that secured his start, but there was nothing lucky about Winterbottom's career, including stints at Ford Performance Racing (Tickford Racing) and Team 18. His stunning success can be put down to grit and relentless determination. Mark and his family poured everything into his unlikely dream, even spending the $250 they'd saved to buy a family couch on kart tyres. While other kart drivers raced with high-end equipment, Mark made the most of what little he had. His kart might not have been the best, but he certainly was.

Mark went on to win 10 Australian national kart titles and 25 state championships before transitioning into Formula Ford in 2001. His meteoric rise continued in 2003 when he clinched the Konica V8 Supercar Series Championship and was honoured with the Mike Kable Young Gun Award.

Frosty isn't just a story about fast cars, chequered flags and brushes with some of motorsport's greats, including Lewis Hamilton, Peter Brock and Dick Johnson. It's about resilience, family and overcoming life's biggest challenges. Mark shares the raw truth of his hardest battles: the irreparable fallout with his father, supporting his mother through cancer, and pushing forward when most would have given up.

Written with bestselling author and biographer James Phelps - who as a sports reporter became close friends with Mark while covering his remarkable career - this is more than a motorsport memoir. It's proof that with heart, hustle and an unyielding will to succeed, you can rise above your circumstances and achieve greatness. From the streets of western Sydney to the summit of Mount Panorama, Mark Winterbottom's story is a powerful reminder that impossible dreams can be chased - and won.

By: Mark Winterbottom
With: James Phelps
Imprint: HARPER360
Country of Publication: Australia
ISBN: 9781460762264
ISBN 10: 1460762266
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 01 September 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Mark Winterbottom, known affectionately as 'Frosty', is an Australian motor-racing driver best known for his achievements in the V8 Supercars Championship. Encompassing over 35 race wins, 120 podium finishes, a Bathurst 1000 victory and the 2015 Supercars Championship, Winterbottom's career is a testament to grit, determination and perseverance. James Phelps is an award-winning journalist and acclaimed author known for his bestselling true-crime prison series, which delves into the gritty and captivating lives of Australia's most notorious inmates and the histories of the nation's most infamous prisons. He is the author of eleven books, including Australian Heist, Australian Code Breakers, and the Riley Jax crime thriller, Inside Man. Phelps is also an award-nominated biographer, having worked with Dick Johnson, Johnathan Thurston and Curtis McGrath on their memoirs. With a background in sports and crime reporting for major publications, his Phelps's meticulous research and vivid storytelling have cemented his reputation as one of Australia's most compelling contemporary writers and its most popular true crime author.