"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.

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.