In its early days, Rye House was known as a track where riders could learn their trade under 'Queensberry' rules, but where the rigidity of the rulebook was occasionally sacrificed in the name of an enjoyable day's racing. This is the story of the first seventy years of Rye House speedway and the personalities associated with the track.

Injury. Adrenaline. Addiction. These are the things that fuelled one man's race to international stardom as he pushed boundaries and took life on and off the bike to the limits. Starting out as a talented youth riding the desert tracks of California, his reckless nature and incredible talent earned him a position in the rarefied world of professional motorcycle racing. Despite the success in his professional life, his personal life was crumbling around him - John was battling with depression and temptation, which began to threaten his career, health and marriage, ultimately bringing him to a life of alcoholism, addiction and even smuggling. In his remarkable memoir, one of the world's most renowned riders takes us on a raw and unique journey to the extremes of fast living. John 'Hopper' Hopkins is an icon for motorsport fans worldwide. He won't let anything hold him back. He has broken almost every bone in his body (twice), suffered a bleed on the brain, and had a finger amputated... yet he continued to race. Finally, at the age of 35 - with his latest crash at Brands Hatch in 2017 putting him in rehab for two years - he decided to hang up his helmet. Leathered tells the incredible story of an unparalleled career. From bone-crunching injuries and alcohol-fuelled antics to the breakdown of his marriage, it unveils the true stories behind the lurid headlines.

In June 1978, 11 years after he quit Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Mike Hailwood returned to the Isle of Man TT races, probably the most prestigious, and certainly the most demanding, road race in the world. On a privately entered V-twin Ducati he won the Formula One race, beating the works Hondas of Phil Read and the late John Williams, and breaking the lap and race records. It may have seemed a fluke; it was certainly a fairy tale that continued into 1979, when he was fifth in the Formula One race, despite losing top gear and his battery, first in the Senior, and second by only 3.4 seconds in the Classic - probably the finest and closest-fought race the Island has ever seen, Hailwood proved, if anyone doubted, that he was still the greatest motorcycle racer of all time. This book, written by his manager and friend, Ted Macauley, is the account of his dramatic comeback, from the original wild idea to his final race. More than this, though, it is a study of a remarkable man in a remarkable world, and of the races, the machines, and the men who ride them.

For over 100 years the world's best motorcycle racers have pitted themselves against the gruelling 373/4 -mile Isle of Man Mountain Course at the annual event known worldwide simply as 'the TT'. The Tourist Trophy meeting - to give its proper name - represents perhaps the greatest challenge that the sport of motorcycle racing can offer. The top names in road racing - Collier, Wood, Duke, Hailwood, Agostini, Hislop, Jefferies, McGuinness, Hutchinson and the Dunlop dynasty - have all considered the pursuit of a Tourist Trophy to be the ultimate goal. From riding the earliest single-cylinder, belt-driven machines with outputs of under 10bhp, to coping with today's sophisticated four-cylinder machines giving well over 200bhp, generations of riders have risked their lives to satisfy the desire to go faster than the next man and to win a TT. In the process they have lifted lap speeds by almost 100mph. Exactly how that huge increase has been achieved is told within these pages, set against the background of the triumphs and the tragedies of the TT history.

Go on the ride of your life with the racing legend himself **with a thrilling NEW CHAPTER on John's dramatic 2017 crash** 'Then I was there myself, just another face in the crowd, watching the bikes fly by. The smells, the noise and the speed were all there for me to experience. It was like a massive injection in my head and it just blew my mind. I knew within seconds that I was going to be a TT racer. I didn't know how or what I was going to have to do to achieve this, and my dad wasn't going to be keen. Everyone around me was aware of the dangers, but from that moment I knew I had to do it.' John McGuinness is one of the all-time giants of road racing, with a huge host of victories to his name. But his easy humour and down-to-earth attitude off the bike have always kept people guessing: what's the truth about the man inside the helmet, that has kept him at the top of such a sport for over 20 years? His autobiography tells the whole story, from his humble beginnings in Morecambe and getting his first bike at the age of 3, to working as a bricklayer and cockle fisherman before deciding to follow his dream, and finally to his many victories in the most dangerous sporting event on the planet. He tells of what it takes to be a champion in such an exacting sport, and to keep winning even though all logic tells you to stop - and when so many of your fellow racers are paying the ultimate price for doing it. This thrilling autobiography gets into the head of the man who stares death in the face, and doesn't even flinch.

Feel is the story of how a small-time boy from humble beginnings in Louisiana rose to the pantheon of greats, to win the 500cc and 250cc GP Championship in the same year - an historic achievement over three decades ago which has never been repeated. Growing up at the time of the assassination of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Freddie judged by feel, not by colour. Blind to prejudice and discrimination, he formed dynamic connections with people and events, but only years later during his racing afterlife could Freddie come to understand the true power of the things he learned. Spencer is an articulate and compassionate guide as he describes the thrill and horror of racing in an era when death was a perennial threat. He recalls in pin-sharp detail the frenetic high-octane racing duels with the 'King' Kenny Roberts, but also describes a parallel internal journey as he struggled to make sense of it all. Driven by a search for the personal fulfilment that comes through finding your purpose, Freddie's story is a universal one. In its message of hope, Feel transcends its genre to offer a story for everyone. Part thriller, part philosophical self-exploration, it is a remarkably insightful account of what it is like to have it all, but wonder why. "For the first time I will talk about the traumas of my childhood, the contrast between the leaf fire burns, the mistrust and discomfort and the peace and purpose I felt when riding my bike. I didn't tell my parents about something that happened to me. Why? I felt ashamed, but when I rode I felt connected to everything and the pain in my hand and heart would go away. It gave me the feeling of hope".

This is the remarkable story of Barry Sheene, the cheeky cockney boy who grew up to become a sporting legend. He won the British motorcycling 125cc championship aged just twenty and twice became World Champion in the 500cc class, despite two life-threatening crashes. In an era when sport and its personalities rarely made it off the back pages, Barry Sheene crossed the bridge between sport and celebrity in a style that only George Best had achieved previously. Barry is an intimate and revealing account told by three people who knew him better than most. Steve Parrish, fellow bike racer and now BBC commentator, Nick Harris, who wrote and broadcast on all Barry's major successes, and Barry's widow, Stephanie. Frank and fascinating, Barry is an exclusive look into the extraordinary life of a charming and complex man.

Published to coincide with the thirtieth anniversary of the Superbike World Championship, The World According to Foggy will delight the legions of motor sport fans in the UK and beyond, and will be lapped by those who have enjoyed books by Valentino Rossi, Guy Martin, Michael Dunlop, John McGuinness, Ian Hutchinson and Freddie Spencer. Foggy's scintillating new book takes his fans into the memory banks of this most charismatic and straight-talking of sporting icons, transporting them into the weird and wonderful world of this endearingly quirky hero of the track. The World According to Foggy contains lashings of adrenaline-fuelled bikes and electrifying bike racing, thrills and spills galore, but it will also reveal the man behind the helmet, his passions and frustrations, what makes him still leap out of bed in the morning and seize the day - ultimately, what makes this great man tick and explains his enduring popularity.

The Phenomenal Sunday Times No1 Bestseller 'It was the start of the third lap of the 2010 Senior TT, the last race of the fortnight. The last chance to get a TT win for another year, and I was pushing hard. Ballagarey. The kind of corner that makes me continue road racing. A proper man's corner. You go through the right-hander at something like 170mph, leant right over, eyes fixed as far down the road as I can see. But this time something happened. This time the front end tucked ...' Guy Martin, international road-racing legend, maverick star of the Isle of Man TT, truck mechanic and TV presenter, lives on the edge, addicted to speed, thoroughly exhilarated by danger. In this book we'll get inside his head as he stares death in the face, and risks his life in search of the next high. We'll discover what it feels like to survive a 170mph fireball at the TT in 2010, and come back to do it all again. He'll sweep us up in a gritty sort of glory as he slogs it out for a place on the podium, but we'll also see him struggle with the flipside of fame. We'll meet his friends and foes, his family, his teammates and bosses and we'll discover what motivates him, and where his strengths and weaknesses lie. For the first time, here is the full story in Guy's own words. From the boy who learned to prep bikes with his dad, to the spirited team mechanic, paying his way by collecting beer glasses in pubs, to the young racer at the start of his first race and the buzz he's been chasing ever since. This thrilling autobiography is an intense and dramatic ride.

The million-copy selling truck fitter returns ***Featured on Channel 4*** 'I can't stop biting off more than I can chew. Maybe I'm wearing everything out, but I believe the body is a fantastic thing and it will repair itself and I'll go again. If it's running too rich, I don't stop what I'm doing, just weaken the mixture and carry on.' Since we last heard from him, Guy Martin has restored a 1983 Williams F1 car then raced Jenson Button in it; helped to build a First World War tank; ridden with Putin's favourite biker gang the Night Wolves; competed on the classic endurance circuit; stood on top of one of Chernobyl's nuclear reactors and taken part in his last ever Isle of Man TT. Then there's the stuff he really can't wait to get out of bed for: 12-hour shifts for a local haulage firm and tatie farming in his new John Deere tractor. Besides all this, he's saved his local pub from closure and become a dad. But let him tell you his own stories, in his own words: 'You're getting it from the horse's mouth. No filter. I hope you enjoy it.'

A road racer to the core, Hutchy has enjoyed spectacular success at the Isle of Man TT, the North West 200 and the Ulster Grand Prix, but his own story goes far beyond even those triumphs. In the summer of 2010, Hutchy set the record for most wins in a single Isle of Man TT festival - five in all - having already won the Supersport class at the North West 200 in Northern Ireland. Then disaster struck. At a British Supersport round in September that year, he crashed heavily after being struck by another rider's machine, breaking his left leg so badly that at one stage it was feared it might have to be amputated. After many surgical operations and a long period of recovery, he fractured the same leg in 2012 while practising exhibition-riding for a motorycle show in London. Yet not even these disasters could keep the Yorkshireman from racing. After modifications to the gear levers and rear brakes on his race machines, he went out and won the 2013 Macau Grand Prix.Two years later saw an even more staggering return to form, when he secured three wins, a second and a third place at the 2015 Isle of Man TT, also winning the Joey Dunlop TT Championship Trophy for that year. Hutchy: Miracle Man is a book not only for fans of motorcycle road racing, but for anyone interested in the life and career of a brilliant rider and an extraordinarily brave and enduring man, a hugely popular figure not just for his achievements, but for his unassuming modesty, kindness and humour.

Larry Linkogle was a child-prodigy motocross racer who turned pro at age 15. A daredevil and rebel from the start, he quit the sport in spectacular fashion during a major national event and went home to create a new extreme sport,Freestyle Motocross (FMX),marked by high-flying stunts and death-defying action. From there, the ride just got wilder. On a lark, he and a friend created The Metal Mulisha,now a top brand in FMX,and he was on a fast track to the good life. But after a near-fatal accident, Link"made a series of decisions that almost finished him off for good,getting involved in prescription drugs, drug and gun running, underground fistfighting, and other behaviour that compromised his health, his relationships, and his career. After hitting rock bottom and experiencing a moment of clarity, Link began to turn things around, salvaging and strengthening the things that mattered most. Now an icon to millions of extreme sports fans, Link is well on the road to a happy ending.

From 1946 up to 1959, the 250cc class in Britain was supported almost entirely by privately built Specials and Hybrids. This book recalls the men and machines involved, and traces their history and development, in what was clearly the most technically innovative class of Road Racing in the 1950s.

Gary `Sox' Hocking raced against the likes of Geoff Duke, Mike Hailwood and John Surtees, and eventually became double world champion - yet his name remains largely forgotten. He retired at an early stage in his career, and the explanation so often given for this ultimately proved far removed from the real reason. Roger Hughes' fascinating book is a positive celebration of Hocking's life and career. Stories reveal how he went from riding a motorbike to work to becoming world champion - a riveting journey, made more so by being told by those who were close to him. Gary's decision to move to car racing because it was safer, only to then be killed in a car, makes for a tragic end to his tale. This book explores the many suggestions as to how the accident happened. With photos covering Hocking's early career racing Nortons in South Africa, through to his final motorcycle ride, at the 1962 Isle of Man TT - a win that was, in many ways, so important to him - this book is a fitting tribute to a forgotten champion. This popular book is now available in paperback.

Why would anyone want to do something as dangerous as motorcycling? For those who love to ride, no explanation is necessary. For everyone else, there’s Why We Ride. Designed as both an explanation for outsiders and an anthem for those within the fold, this new book presents the insights of Mark Barnes, PhD, a motorcycling clinical psychologist. As a popular columnist at Motorcycle Consumer News for more than 20 years, Dr. Barnes articulates the elusive physical, emotional and interpersonal elements that make the world of the motorcyclist such a rich and exciting place. His wide-ranging text covers both sports psychology and the psychoanalysis of common riding experiences, including the results of Dr. Barnes’ own empirical research. Heartfelt and thought provoking, here is a straightforward account of what makes real motorcyclists tick.

This is a paperback reprint - back due to popular demand. It includes analysis of his greatest races and the changing technology of his bikes. It is an in-depth, richly illustrated biography of one of motorcycling's best-loved characters. Fourth in a series intended to cover the careers of the world's greatest motorcycle racing champions, "Bob McIntyre - The Flying Scot" tells the story of the man who never actually won a world championship - but certainly deserved to. In many ways he was the two-wheel equivalent of car racing driver Stirling Moss, who is seen as one of the greats in his sport although he never won an official world title. Well over four decades since his untimely death, following an accident that occurred while racing his 500cc Manx Norton at Oulton Park, Cheshire in August 1962, Bob McIntyre's memory lives on. An annual Bob McIntyre Memorial race meeting held at East Fortune attracts racing enthusiasts from as far afield as Australia. Not only was 'Bob Mac' a brilliantly gifted rider and self-taught mechanic, he was also a man of the people, someone who would always help a fellow competitor or take the time to sign an autograph or chat to a fan. He was also honest, loyal and modest; his word was his bond. Unlike the three riders already covered in this series, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood and Giacomo Agostini, Bob Mac was very much a self-made man; someone who started from the very bottom and reached the very top in his chosen profession. He was the first man to lap the Isle of Man TT circuit, the most fearsome in the world, at over 100 mph; and this was just one of his great achievements. This in-depth account of his career focusses on the bikes and the races but also provides an insight in Bob's life away from the track. Lavishly illustrated with many previously unpublished photographs, it is a must-read for any motorcycling fan.

Derek Minter is one of the gretest-ever motorcycle racing stars. After becoming double British Champion in 1958, he became the first man to lap the Isle of Man TT circuit at over 100mph on a single-cylinder bike. During 1962 he not only became triple British Champion, but he also won the 250cc TT on a privately entered Honda - beating the might of the Honda works team in the process. By 1965 he held the lap record for virtually every British short circuit, and by the time he retired at the end of 1967 he had ridden for many manufacturers, including MZ, Moto Morini, Bianchi, REG, EMC, Honda and Norton. Derek Minter: King of Brands is a fitting tribute to one of racing's heroes.

It is a subject that Mick Walker had wanted to cover for many, many years, because he had always thought that the sidecar boys (and a few girls!) seemed to get a raw deal, both with the organisers and the press. In actual fact the sidecar event was often the highlight of a days racing and were generally loved by spectators. Once the motorcycle had become firmly established, the next question was how could it carry more people? The earliest examples of the 'sidecar' arrived just after the turn of the 20th century, and by 1903 a couple of firms were already offering them for sale. The first sidecar world records were established in 1922 by Cyril Pullin at Brooklands Learn all about the history of sidecars racing and its competitors from the beginning in Mick Walkers latest book.

This book covers the present-day motorcyclist subculture in America in a serious and scholarly fashion. It combines more than 45 years of the author's riding experiences with data collected over five years of systematic observation and extensive ethnographic interviews with over 200 male and female riders. Much has been written about hardcore bikers, the one-percenters, but there has been little scholarly research on the much larger segment of the population more aptly called motorcycle enthusiasts, or simply motorcyclists, than bikers. This book focuses on them--the hard working plumbers, construction workers, truck drivers, and other blue collar workers as well as the white collar executives, teachers, doctors, lawyers and other professionals who are mostly married, have mortgages, pay their bills, obey the law, and on weekends and holidays participate in a favorite pastime, riding motorcycles.

In the late 1950's John Surtees was the dominate rider in top-level British and European motorcycle racing. A precocious talent, he began riding competitively on Vincents in the early 1950's, then REGs and NSUs and Nortons A precocious talent, he began riding competitively on Vincents in the early 1950's, then REGs and NSUs and Nortons. The technical side of Surtees's career - the bikes he rode and his considerable skills as a mechanic and engineer - is covered in detail. The book gives a fascinating insight into the intense motivation that often gave Surtees the edge over his rivals and laid the foundation for the success that followed. In many ways Surtees is the precursor of later generations of fiercely dedicated, perfectionist riders like Kenny Roberts Snr and Mick Doohan, and the time is right for a reassessment of his contribution to the sport.

Bill Ivy had a steely determination to succeed, an almost fearless courage, which meant he never backed away from a challenge, and a love of fashion and fast cars. In this fascinating biography of Ivy, Mick Walker highlights that Ivy was certainly not only a great rider, but also a unique personality. Walker documents a fitting tribute to Ivy's life that will interest any motorcycle enthusiast. When Bill Ivy was fatally injured while practising for the East German Grand Prix in July 1969, motorcycle racing lost one of its greatest-ever competitors. As a tribute to Bill, leading motorcycle historian Mick Walker has written "Bill Ivy: The Will to Win". Bill Ivy was certainly not only a great rider, but also a unique personality. He had a steely determination to succeed, an almost fearless courage, which meant he never backed away from a challenge, and a love of fashion and fast cars. Although only 5ft 2in tall, he more than made up for his lack of stature by his immense upper body strength, which meant he could cope with any size of motorcycle from a 50cc Itom to a 750cc Norton-engined Matchless G15 CSR. It was as a member of the Yamaha factory team that he not only became World Champion, but also set the first 100mph TT lap record on a 125cc machine - only a decade after Bob McIntyre had first achieved this feat on a machine with an engine size four times larger! "Bill Ivy: The Will to Win" is a fitting tribute to one of the world's greatest-ever motorcycle racing stars.

In 1962 a small Morgan sports car TOK258 created history by defeating factory teams run by leading international manufacturers in the famous 24 hour race at the Le Mans circuit. The car crossed the finishing line on Sunday 24th June having completed 2256 miles in the twenty four hours from the start time on Saturday afternoon to win the 2 litre GT class. Although privately owned, the car was entered and supported by the Morgan Motor Company and driven by Chris Lawrence and Richard Shepherd-Barron. This new colour 50th anniversary edition of the original book by Ronnie Price, now with racing driver Richard Shepherd-Barron as co-author, covers the concept, preparation, and official testing at the circuit. It gives a blow-by-blow account of the race, with anecdotes, memorabilia, material and photographs only recently made available.

Speedway continues to attract larger crowds season by season and television coverage is also on the increase. This work features each team and rider in British speedway, with a statistical review and illustrations from celebrated speedway photographer Mike Patrick.