A PENSIONER who left school without any qualifications is celebrating the publication of his second book - after taking up writing in his 60s.

Retired chemical worker Ernie Crust's second book, At The Drop of The Flag, charts the history of motorsports in the North-East throughout the first half of the last century.

Mr Crust, 72, produced his first book five years ago with A Dash Between the Tides, the story of sand-racing at Saltburn and Redcar, in east Cleveland.

The follow-up has taken three years' dedicated work to put together and boasts an array of nostalgic photographs, including some from The Northern Echo archives.

A third book has not been ruled out, but Mr Crust first plans to take a rest after spending up to six hours a day on his latest publication.

The father-of-three started racing motorcycles and organising events in 1954, shortly after completing National Service in the RAF.

The fascination with motorsports has never left him, and his interest prompted Mr Crust to take a trip down memory lane for the book.

"I have always been interested in talking to the old-timers and they were always very helpful when we were younger, by keeping us right when we were racing," he said.

"Now, many of them have gone, but I still have the memories of what they told me. I only wish they had still been here to get more information.

"There has always been a lot of interest in motorsports on Teesside, but it felt like there was nobody there to tell the story.

"Everybody said the book had to be done but nobody with the enthusiasm and interest in the history was prepared to step forward.

"So I thought, 'I should do it'. I had done it before and I was going to do it again."

Mr Crust was born in Redcar and moved to Nunthorpe on the outskirts of Middlesbrough in the early 1960s.

He left school without any academic qualifications - like many youngsters going through the education system during the war years - and got a job at the steelworks.

Following his National Service, Mr Crust worked for ICI for 28 years before taking early retirement to spend more time with his family and his beloved vintage vehicles.

His book focuses on the thriving motor manufacturing industry in the North-East and the clubs throughout Teesside, Darlington and North Yorkshire.

It tells the tales of the first recorded hill climb in the region, organised by Stockton Automobile Club, in 1904, at Yearby Bank, near Redcar; and motorcycle football which spread rapidly throughout the country after its advent in the region in 1924.

The book also reveals that the first car on Teesside was a one-and-a-half horsepower Benz, owned by a 21-year-old steelworks manager in 1896.

At The Drop of The Flag is available from Ottakar's in Darlington and Guisborough Bookshop, priced £14.99