Champion motorcyclist and truck racer, television presenter, practical joker or just plain survivor - Steve Parrish has been called them all. Parrish Times tracks his amazing journey over the last four decades, through a rollercoaster ride of emotions in surely the most dangerous and exhilarating sporting arena there is. In the 1970s Steve was competing for the world motorcycle championship with legendary team mate Barry Sheene on a Suzuki. After retiring in 1986, Steve managed a successful Yamaha factory team to three British Superbike Championship titles and started a truck-racing career, becoming the most successful truck racer ever. He also proved to be a natural commentator, first for BBC radio, then transferring to television with Sky, ITV and Eurosport. Against this backdrop are Steve's notorious pranks: posing as a medical doctor to allow John Hopkins to fly from Japan to the Australian GP; impersonating Barry Sheene in a qualifying session; owning a fire engine, a hearse, and an ambulance - parking it on double yellow lines with the doors open in visits to his local bank.

Michael Schumacher: the greatest of all time. A champion with a reputation founded on records, the man who has brought most glory to Ferrari in the modern era. With a dramatic coda to the story that we like to think of as a pit stop before a return to the race, to normality. Michael Schumacher enthralled a generation of fans, but not all the episode in his remarkable career are widely known. While it is true that it is in the nooks and crannies of life great novels are born, in this book there is a search for that which in the emphasis on celebration and success has gone unnoticed, painting a picture of a Schumacher full of enthusiasm but with a degree of fragility. The man behind the driver, with his loves, his manias, his passion concealed behind a veil of stubborn reserve that is by no means violated but rather observed from a certain distance, over time, in all its guises and nuances.

As with previous years, 2015 was one in which Mercedes-Benz dominated both the drivers' and constructors- championships. The German manufacturer confirmed the technical advantage it had derived from the introduction of the revolutionary power unit, which first appeared in 2014. In place of Red Bull, which fell into disgrace after a media conflict with engine supplier Renault, it was Ferrari that attempted to stand up to the Silver Arrows. Side issues were the stories of a Williams wanting to come back and battle for the title; McLaren with a new but not very effective Honda engine, which touched the lowest point in the Japanese manufacturer's long history in F1; and the other leading teams of a season that ended with the official announcement of Renault's return, having acquired Lotus. Offering a precise analysis of this latest F1 championship, especially from the technical point of view, there is once again Giorgio Piola. A hundred or so all-colour illustrations document the development of the various cars throughout the Formula 1 World Championship, and offer - as always - a wealth of information anticipating the 2016 season.

Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins is the first biography of this legendary country music artist and NASCAR driver who scored sixteen number-one hits and two Grammy awards. Yet even with fame and fortune, Marty Robbins always yearned for more. Drawing from personal interviews and in-depth research, biographer Diane Diekman explains how Robbins saw himself as a drifter, a man always searching for self-fulfillment and inner peace. Born Martin David Robinson to a hardworking mother and an abusive alcoholic father, he never fully escaped the insecurities burned into him by a poverty-stricken nomadic childhood in the Arizona desert. In 1947 he got his first gig as a singer and guitar player. Too nervous to talk, the shy young man walked onstage singing. Soon he changed his name to Marty Robbins, cultivated his magnetic stage presence, and established himself as an entertainer, songwriter, and successful NASCAR driver. For fans of Robbins, NASCAR, and classic country music, Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins is a revealing portrait of this well-loved, restless entertainer, a private man who kept those who loved him at a distance.

"Ivan Mauger "is the first book to detail the complete career of one of Speedway's greatest legends. With wide appeal in both Europe and worldwide, this book contains a wealth of images of his magnificent career. John Chaplin reveals the complex personality that is Ivan Mauger, the dedicated and often ruthlessly efficient ambition that made him a virtual sporting automaton. His achievements in motorcycle track racing (nine individual world titles on long track and speedway) are legendary, but here Chaplin exposes the magic behind the myth, the soft center concealed by the steely resolve that enabled Mauger to emerge from the obscurity of his small-town New Zealand origins to earn a worldwide acclaim which he continues to enjoy. He elevated a minority sport to a new dimension with a unique professionalism that made him at once feared, hated, envied and admired. In the words of opponents, friends, enemies, business associates, employers and colleagues, this is uniquely Ivan Mauger, the man behind the myth.

NASCAR held its first Strictly Stock race in Charlotte on June 19, 1949, and, in the following decades, dozens of large and small tracks throughout the Carolinas were home to a major NASCAR event. Called Grand National from 1950-1970, NASCAR's top circuit became the Winston Cup in 1971, and most of the dirt and small tracks were subsequently gutted from the schedule. Although a handful of those speedways tenuously held on through exploding popularity, and an influx of big corporate dollars, the transition to metropolitan markets and super speedways was inevitable. Some of the original tracks, like the North Wilkesboro Motor Speedway, still stand testament to the sport's not-too-distant past. Others, like the Charlotte Speedway, are long gone, leaving only memories and photographs. This is the story of every racetrack in North and South Carolina that held at least one big time race through 1971, but is no longer used for auto racing. Seven are one-race wonders, while others are as much racing legends as the sport's past champions. Chapters cover each track's big time history, from early background through its racing years to its current status. Included are the thrilling tales of the personalities and machines that shaped NASCAR's early days. Statistics chart every track's past winners, records, and wins by make. Nearly 150 photographs give the reader a virtual tour of speedways that are often inaccessible or nonexistent.

The illustrated biography of the former Speedway World Champion Bruce Penhall, who not only won everything individually in a career that established him as one of the all-time great riders, but also turned Cradley Heath into League Champions. Speedway is resurgent at present with high attendances and television coverage. Cradley Heath have a large fan base and previous Heathens titles have sold extremely well.

This book is part of the 50 Greats series, which collects short biographies and statistics of the 50 greatest players on various sporting teams or clubs throughout their histories.

The Southampton Speedway team was one of the founder members of the first speedway league in 1929. Indeed, it was the Southampton promoter at the time, George 'Jimmy' Baxter, who had the idea that dirt-track racing - as it was then called - needed competitive league racing, consisting of teams with which fans could identify, to remain popular. This collection of team groups, action photographs, portraits and other memorabilia compiled by Paul Eustace, charts the history of speedway at Banister Court Stadium from the pioneer days of 1928 to its sad demise in 1963. Special mention is made of Charlie Knott, the 'Guv'nor' as he was fondly known, who was the man behind Southampton Speedway. With his fellow directors and loyal workforce, he brought the best of speedway entertainment to the Hampshire Public. Many of speedway's biggest names wore the Saints' race jacket and are included in the book. Rider such as 'Sprouts' Elder, Jack and Norman Parker, Phil Bishop, Alec Stratham, Cordy Milne, Gus Kuhn, Dicky Smythe, Les Wotton, Dick Bradley, Brian Crutcher, 'Split' Waterman, Geoff Mardon, Bjorn Knutsson, Olle Nygren, Cyril Roger and Barry Briggs brought the thrills to thousands at Banister Court, as did many local favourites who are also featured. This book, with over two hundred illustrations and accompanying text, is sure to revive memories for Saints fans and will also be of great interest to all speedway enthusiasts.

In this unique book the reader will have his armchair converted to the laid-down cockpit of a Formula One car and be swept around the world's classic motor racing circuits. He will experience the extraordinary sensations, the adrenaline and the atmosphere as told by the sport's best analyst. Together with F1's respected journalist, Maurice Hamilton, Brundle brings his infallible humour and insight, his experiences and opinion, to each of the circuits and its classic races. From the camber at Monaco, which will leave your wheels hanging in the air, to Melbourne and the dynamics behind the most dramatic crash of the decade. Encompassing such essential details as neck-snapping acceleration, smashing cars worth a quarter of a million, and the amount of sweat a driver will lose in a race, this is a rare F1 book - funny, opinionated, evocative and dramatic.

No other team in history has come close to matching the record of Roger Penske s team at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Team Penske has won seventeen times in its forty-four Indianapolis 500 races at the Brickyard. Penske first attended the Indy 500 with his father in 1951. He became a champion sports-car driver in the 1950s and 60s before forming his own team, which debuted at Indianapolis in 1969 and earned its first victory in 1972 with legendary driver Mark Donohue. Celebrating Team Penske s fiftieth anniversary of competing at the Indy 500, this volume captures all the highlights from each year s journey at Indianapolis, including individual driver s details, exciting race photography, and team statistics, and features legendary racers like Rick Mears, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, and Helio Castroneves. A tribute to the spectacle and prestige of auto racing s most historic event, this is a must-have book for aficionados of the Indy 500, motor sports, and automotive innovation.

This is the definitive portrait of a small-town man who became an American icon. Evel Knievel may have jumped the Snake River Canyon and posed on every kid's lunchbox in the 70s, but few know the story of this kid from a small, lawless mining town who invented a persona that would captivate, and embody, the 1970s and beyond.

MotoGP is enjoying a period of unprecedented popularity and Ring of Fire details the acclaim, the heroism and the pressures of riding motorbikes at speeds of more than 200mph. This is a world where manufacturers invest millions and the world champion celebrates by staging mock jail breaks and giving pillion rides to a blow-up doll. One rider warms up for major races by singing Hank Marvin songs on his karaoke machine and a rising Italian star sees the world in terms of black and white energy tubes. Another sees nothing strange in racing with two broken ankles. Ring of Fire covers the recent history of MotoGP, from American Nicky Hayden spectacularly overturning established champion Valentino Rossi in 2006, through the emergence of wild young Australian Casey Stoner as the new champion in 2007, to the fierce rivalry between them and Spaniards Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo in what would prove to be one of the most closely-contested years of racing in 2008. It gives a behind the scenes look at World Superbike Champion James Toseland's attempts to break into this elite, and looks back at the tradition of reprobates, romance and debauchery in the paddock dating back to the 60s and stars like Mike Hailwood and Giacomo Agostino. Rick Broadbent introduces us not just to the stars and the multi-million pound contracts, but also to the officals, mechanics, doctors, team owners and fans who make up this white-knuckle ride of a sport. By turns funny, sad, shocking and uplifting, Ring of Fire brings us face to face with those who battle to emerge unscathed, or who just ignore the pain and ride to win against all odds.

The story of speedway's premier event. This annual competition pits the biggest riding stars against each other to decide who is the best. The most widely anticipated competition in the sport, it is this event that confirms reputations and showcases the greatest riders. The book covers from the early World Championships in the 1930s to the modern Grand Prix of the twenty-first century.

Jamie Dobb is this country's most successful Motocross racer of recent times after becoming Britain's first ever 125cc World Champion at the age of twenty-nine. This action-packed book recounts the twists and turns of his 2002 250cc World Championship campaign as a factory rider with KTM. The story includes flashbacks to his season of glory in 2001 and the rest of his sixteen-year career, working and often fighting to reach the pinnacle of the sport. Offering a fascinating glimpse into the life of a Motocross World Champion with all that it entails - fear, crashes, broken bones, excitement, training and gritty determination - this book also explores what it is like to be a professional athlete and experience the spectrum of emotions that only the thrilling world of motorsport can deliver.

The images in this volume represent the work of one of North East motorsport's best-loved characters, photographer Spencer Oliver, who is recognised as one of the finest motorsport photographers Britain has ever produced.

Tom Farndon, a shy young man from Coventry, set out on the road to speedway stardom in 1929. Within five years he had reached celebrity status matched only by today's sporting idols. His skill, daring and remarkable ability had seen him achieve a fame and fortune unsurpassed on the speedway track. His good looks and sheer charisma brought him a huge fan following, particularly among young women, and his incredible talent for speedway racing brought him not only the admiration of his peers but the solid achievement of winning every dirt-track championship there was to be won. In 1935, just as he had reached the height of his fame, tragedy struck; he was killed in a track accident at the age of just twenty-four. To this day, Farndon is still revered throughout the speedway world as arguably the greatest rider of all time. Written by respected speedway historians Norman Jacobs and John Chaplin, and with the support and aid of his family, this is the story of Tom Farndon's remarkable life and his unquenchable spirit of adventurous youth; a must-have for any fan of speedway and its heroes.

Sam Ermolenko has been at the forefront of speedway for the last two decades. He has won four world team gold medals with the USA side and has Best Pairs champion and British League Riders champion. A biography.

A history of speedway in the North West

The Wembley Lions enjoyed early success, and then became even stronger after the Second World War to win seven out of eight league titles between 1946 and 1953. This book tells the story of the pre-war years when the foundations for this success was laid and when tens of thousands of supporters would turn out for meetings.