MotoGP: The Illustrated History

by Michael Scott

Overview

The daring exploits of motorcycle race legends Valentino Rossi, Barry Sheene, Casey Stoner and John Surtees are all gloriously celebrated in MotoGP: The Illustrated History.

Updated for 2023 and packed with more than 150 stunning photographs, this authoritative and long-overdue illustrated history celebrates high performance motorbike racing since the start of the world championship in 1949.

Each racing decade is dissected and discussed, as are the big incidents, top personalities and technological innovations. To complete the book, motorcycle racing's greatest names – including John Surtees, Giacomo Agostini, Kenny Roberts, Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez – provide exclusive personal insights and accounts of what it is like to race at speeds of 200mph. MotoGP: The Illustrated History is a unique book which brilliantly conveys the exhilarating spirit of this stunning sport.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781802795578
Publisher:	Welbeck Publishing Group Limited
Publication date:	11/07/2023
Pages:	264
Sales rank:	588,148
Product dimensions:	9.06(w) x 11.02(h) x (d)

About the Author

Michael Scott has been a motoring journalist for almost 40 years, and has specialised in motorcycle grand prix racing, attending almost every GP, since 1984. As well as contributing to magazines worldwide, including Japan, the USA, Australia, India and much of Europe, Scott has edited SuperBike Magazine and Road Racer. He is the author of a several books including the critically acclaimed Wayne Rainey - His Own Story and MotoGP: The Illustrated History. He lives in Wimbledon, London.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Chapter 1: 1949-1958 Birth of the Series (Interviews with Geoff Duke and John Surtees)
• Chapter 2: 1959-1968 Japan and the First Golden Age (Interviews with Giacomo Agostini and Jim Redman)
• Chapter 3: 1969-1978 The Two-Stroke Takeover (interviews with Phil Read and Kenny Roberts)
• Chapter 4: 1979-1988 The Rooster-Tail Americans Hit Town (interviews with Wayne Gardner and Wayne Rainey)
• Chapter 5: 1989-1998 Beyond the Golden Age (interviews with Kevin Schwantz and Mick Doohan)
• Chapter 6: 1999-2008 Catharthis and Computers (interviews with Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner)
• Chapter 7: 2009-Present Youth Comes to the Fore (interviews with Marc Marquez and Cal Crutchlow)
• Chequered Flag
• MotoGP records

Editorial Reviews

DeWitt's particularly bloodless exercise sucks most all the excitement out an activity that features a lot of muscle, power, speed, grace, and damned sexy leather jackets. GP is, apparently, only done in European places with names like Hockenheim and Rijeka, and this describes the racers with something approaching fetishism. Lack of contextual information makes these droning, dreary recitations of accomplishments and awards. Apart from enthusiasts, no one has ever heard of the pioneers from the 1970s or the big American names (e.g., Kenny Roberts), and no one ever will ever mistake them for "heroes" (per the title). While I realize that high-speed motorpsychosis requires skill, practice, athleticism, and judgment, so does Pilates and yoga-and neither of those qualifies as a sport. I did learn a couple of things: that Roberts stole the idea of dragging his knee in 1972 from another racer, and that lines like, "1974 was the year of the fearsome 750ccTZ750A" (45) are pretty effing cool to say out loud at parties when some wives slide past heading for the bathroom. Douglas Lord, "Books for Dudes", Booksmack!, 11/4/10

Library Journal - BookSmack!