This illustrated history jam packed with more than 150 stunning photographs celebrates high performance motorbike racing since the start of the world championship in 1949.The daring exploits of motorcycle race legends Valentino Rossi, Barry Sheene, Casey Stoner and John Surtees are all gloriously celebrated in Moto GP: The Illustrated History. 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 young phenom Marc Marquez – provide exclusive personal insights and accounts of what it is like to race at speeds of 180mph. Moto GP: The Illustrated History is a unique book which brilliantly conveys the exhilarating spirit of this popular sport.
Motorcycles connote freedom and free spirits. They have inspired songs like "Born to Be Wild" and have helped make the image of James Dean. They've come a long way from their ungainly two- and three-wheeled ancestors that first appeared in the late nineteenth-century. Packed with archival and specially commissioned photographs, this stunning volume traces the evolution of the motorcycle, documenting the major milestones in this illustrious history and spotlighting the most influential models that have emerged over the last century. Among the many manufacturers whose bikes are represented are BMW, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Moto Guzzi, Suzuki, Triumph, and Yamaha, all of which are showcased in hundreds of brilliant color photographs. Accompanying the extraordinary photographs are the stories behind the vehicles, with a wealth of technical information about each motorcycle.
Mike Hailwood has often been described as motorcycling's greatest rider. A superb all-around rider, Hailwood took eight world titles in the 250cc, 350cc and 500cc classes. This lavishly illustrated volume contains coverage of the British Championships and early Continental races in 1959 and 1960; riding for MV Agusta and Honda in 1960-61; back with Honda and four more world titles, 1966-68; BSA and the American Daytona classic, 1970-71; plus his incredible comeback in 1978 winning the Isle of Man TT on a Ducati and winning the Senior TT title on a Suzuki. Foreword by Giacomo Agostini. Hardbound, 10" x 10", 208 pages, 225 b&w illustrations, 16 color pages
This book examines the classic period of Grand Prix racing from 1960 to 1969, and the men and machines involved. Covering the emergence of the Japanese factories and the struggle for supremacy between 2- and 4-stroke technologies, it is a fascinating exploration of the last decade of 'traditional' Grand Prix racing, before significant events changed the nature of the sport forever.
This richly illustrated book is dedicated to motorbikes and how they have become a lifestyle of their own, influencing our society on many levels: literature (Jack Kerouac, Herman Hesse etc.), fashion (Perfecto jackets), movies (Easy Rider, The Wild Angels etc.), celebrities (Marlon Brando, Lee Marvin, Steve McQueen to name a few). Motorbikes are a symbol of freedom, of emancipation, of another way of living, of imagining another kind of life, close to counterculture. Discover the greatest figures of motorbikes and dive into the famous Continental Circuses with pilots such as Giacomo Agostini, Phil Read, Mike Hailwood and Bill Ivy thanks to exceptional photography from different photo archives.
Racing Line is the story of big-bike racing in Britain during the 1960s - when the British racing single reached its peak; when exciting racing unfolded at circuits across the land every summer; and when Britain took its last great generation of riding talent and engineering skill to the world.
Run over the everyday roads of the Isle of Man for over 100 years, the world-famous Tourist Trophy races have gripped the imaginations of successive generations of motorcyclists. From the earliest days of single-speed, belt-driven machines delivering 5 bhp, to the highly developed projectiles of today offering a fearsome 200 bhp, race fans have thronged the roadside banks and watched in awe as the best racing motorcyclists in the world rode the fastest machines of their day around the twists, turns and climbs of the 374 mile Mountain Course, all in pursuit of a coveted Tourist Trophy. This new updated edition covering the 2007 - 2012 races, reveals the event's colourful history through the high-speed activities of great riders such as the Collier brothers, Geoff Duke, Mike Hailwood, Giacomo Agostini, Steve Hislop, Joey Dunlop, John McGuinness and many others. It also looks at the machines and mechanical developments and race organisation, plus the financial rewards and commercial interests; setting them all in the context of the triumphs and tragedies of a great sporting event that has seen average lap speeds rise from 40 mph to over 130 mph. Written in an easy style, this book reveals the Manx TT's colourful history through its great riders, machines, mechanical developments and race organisation and is superbly illustrated with over 250 colour photographs.
Fifteen world championships in the 350 cc and 500 cc classes, 18 Italian national titles (175, 250, 350 and 500 cc), 311 victories in world championship races of which 123 were world championship counters and 10 wins in the legendary TT. That is the incredible record of Giacomo Agostini, achieved between 1962, the year in which he won his first race at Bologna-San Luca on a Morini Settebello, and 1977 when he took the win at Hockenheim on a Yamamoto in the 750 cc class. Agostini – just about everyone calls him Ago – was the greatest racing motorcyclist ever, and today he has decided to review his magnificent career again by bringing together the greatest, most significant photographs of his life in a book. The debut on the Morini, the golden years with MV and the less dazzling period with Yamaha, his experience as a team manager as well as his family, friends and his fleeting appearance on four wheels; these are the chapters that comprise this work, which has never previously been attempted.