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| Ryder Notes: Shelf Life
by julian ryder, back home in the uk now Monday, January 07, 2008 Watching TV is fine for live events, but when you want to learn about a subject in real depth you need a good book; one where the writer has had time to talk to and observe his subject over time, talk to the people involved and do a bit of intelligent analysis. It also helps if the author can write a bit. Many videos/DVDs are just a compilation of whatever footage was available cobbled together with a dodgy script—I know, I have been guilty of taking money for writing some of them. There are exceptions to this sweeping generalisation* but unless you have a core collection of some of these books in your house you cannot claim to be a serious student of the sport of motorcycle racing past or present. I have selected the most used reference books from my shelves as well as the ones I go back to time and time again for the sheer pleasure of the words. The only disclaimer I would add for the benefit of the Soup massive is that this is a Brit-centric selection for the simple reason that I am British. *Faster, On Any Sunday & No Limits Motocourse (Hazelton, 1976-2003) Not just a beautiful book but an essential reference book as well, covering the whole sport from Barry Sheene through to Valentino Rossi with perceptive writing and beautiful photography. Some of the Don Morley stuff in early editions includes some of the most memorable images ever taken of motorcycle racing. The rest of the contents comprehensively cover the year: every GP in depth; US racing; American racing; all the world-championship formulae, and British racing, too. I just picked the 1983 issue out of my bookcase and opened it at random to find myself reading about a young Aussie called Wayne Gardner who just missed out on a couple of championships through crashing a bit too much at the end of the season. Typically, the writer picked him out as a candidate for man of the year in British racing. You read about him first in Motocourse. Next 1996: a keenly-observed tribute to Kevin Schwantz on his retirement. I didn't start writing again until I'd read it all. Open a copy from any year and that's what happens. By the way, a complete collection of Motocourse should include the two special editions: '50 Years of Moto Grand Prix' from 1999 edited by Dennis Noyes, and Nick Harris's 'History of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Races 1907-1989'.Wayne Rainey - His own story (Haynes, 1997) by Mike Scott, OOP Sport has provided a lot of good books and a few great ones. Historically, boxing and cricket have been best served by their literature and recently there have been stunning books on sports as diverse as ice hockey and cycling. Has motorcycle sport ever produced a truly great book? If it has then this is it.It works on several levels, first as a history of one man's will to win and then as a study of an obsession. Finally, it is a heart-wrenching personal history. Scott reported on all of Rainey's GPs as well as travelling to California to spend time with Wayne during his recovery to put this book together with the help of the man himself. The chapters on his early racing years and family background are particularly revealing with a wealth of comment from his early opponents, sponsors and tuners helping paint a picture of the development of one of the best we've seen. When he gets to GPs, the way he deals with 'the team-mate thing' is fascinating in its calculated, clinical detachment. Wayne's realisation that winning titles doesn't ultimately satisfy the inner hunger is beautifully drawn and lurks in the shadows of the countdown to that crash. Joey Dunlop - His Authorised Biography (Haynes, 2001) by Mac McDiarmid This is the book the great man deserved. When someone famous passes away, we all say 'Ah, we'll never see his like again.' This book explains why in the case of Joey Dunlop this cliche was a truism. World Superbikes: the first 15 Years (Haynes, 1997) by Julian Ryder, I know it's tragic, but I'm including one of my own books. The idea is simple, an introductory chapter detailing how all the race series world wide with Superbike in their titles eventually gave rise to a single world championship, and then a chapter on each year's racing from 1988 to 2002, with an appendix detailing every points scorer in every race. I tried to write about the power shifts within the class, which ran for a couple of years without any Japanese factory participation whatsoever but eventually pulled in all the Big Four to join Ducati, Bimota and Aprilia, rather than give a list of results race-by-race. Looking back, it's the photos (all by Kel Edge, who has photographed every World Superbike race ever bar two) that tell the story as much as the words: the piratical Merkel was a charismatic first Champion on the equally significant RC30; the teak-tough Roche was Ducati's first Champion, and then in '93 came Sky's coverage and the first of the Russell/Fogarty showdowns. It's difficult to get as involved with the Superbikes nowadays, so it may be that this book chronicles the golden era of the Championship.The Privateer (Text & Technik Verlag, 2002) by Jon Ekerold If you want to know what GP racing was like before the era of corporate hospitality and motorhomes, read this. It evokes the gypsy like and often brutal existence of the privateer racers of the time beautifully, a time where you weren't guaranteed a start (and therefore wages) unless you qualified and were quite likely to be done out of your prize money. Jon Ekerold had a reputation as a hard man; it was well deserved but tended to obscure the fact that he was a calculating and talented racer as well. More importantly, he had total belief in his own abilities and a quite unbelievable desire to win. There are those in today's paddocks who where there during the events Ekerold describes and who mutter about selective memory. This may be the case, but it doesn't alter the fact that this is a stunning read and if you want convincing that you should read his opinions then use the old adage 'by their friends shall you know them'. The man who Ekerold writes about at length and touchingly is Tom Herron.Norton (Osprey, 1992) by Mick Woollett, OOP In among the grey porridge of alleged books on models and marques pumped out over the last 25 years you can find the occasional gem, and among those gems this is the koh-i-noor: all 316 definitive, large-format pages and innumerable crisp black-and-white photos of it. A painstakingly researched record of the factory's racing is backed up by original material researched for the book. Woollett interviewed the company founder's surviving daughter, Stanley Woods, Geoff Duke, designers, mechanics, the lot. All this and a foreword by Murray Walker.Equally unusually, the book is beautifully designed and the fabulous cover shot of Mike Hailwood at Aberdare on a Manx is perfect. Everything is covered; street bikes and racers, right up to the rotaries and Ron Haslam's British GP wild card in 1991. What a pity it was published too early to include Steve Hislop's TT win. Mick Doohan (Haynes, 1999) by Mat Oxley The cheesy subtitle 'Thunder from Down Under' should really read 'Diary of a Hard Bastard', Just like the Rainey book, this is another tale of obsession starting with dirt track racing at the splendidly named Nudgee Dump and ending with five world titles. Lots of insights into Mick's relationships with other riders and his attitude to winning, all covered in a very readable style that belies the depth of the story.Valentino Rossi (Haynes, 2002) by Mat Oxley Oxley brings the same light touch to this book as he did to the Doohan biography, only it seems to suit Valentino better. The third edition came out after he left Honda but before he'd ridden the Yamaha. The chapter on Valentino's dad contains the best picture caption ever written. Check out Oxley's picture-based 'Portrait of a MotoGenius' as well.No Time to Lose: The Fast Moving world of Bill Ivy (Motor Racing Publications, 1972) by Alan Peck This used to be hard to find but the book was reprinted in 1997. Author Peck was a handy racer himself and observed Ivy at close quarters on and off track. Although it is definitely a fan book, you get the feeling that you are meeting the real, complicated person, a mix of innocent abroad, party animal and monstrous talent. The chapters detailing the legendary feud with his then Yamaha team-mate Phil Read are required reading.Wheels of Fortune (Stanley Paul, 1996) by Jim Redman, OOP In many ways Redman was the first modern professional rider, he was one of the first western riders recruited by Honda and won six world titles for them. As well as chronicling his tough early years, Redman gives a rare insight into the early years of Honda's competition history.If you can't find an original copy, look for the 1998 reworking 'Jim Redman MBE - Six Times World Motorcycle Champion - The Autobiography' from Veloce Publishing plc. Kenny Roberts (Arthur Barker Ltd, 1982) by Barry Coleman, OOP The author is best known nowadays as one of the leading lights of Riders for Health, but in earlier lives he was features editor of The Guardian and editor of Motocourse. So you will not be surprised to hear that this book is beautifully written, even if the style is a little, er, elliptical at times. Absolutely as far away as you can get from the 'and then we went to Austria and finished third' school of biography. You'll have to fork out around $100 to get a decent copy.Winning Motorcycle Engines (Osprey, 1989) Vic Willoughby, OOP Since the death of John Robinson us brits have been searching for a journalist with an engineering background who can get to the heart of technical matters in a way that is accessible to those who are not technically minded (we don't have a K Cameron). Vic Willoughby was the first and greatest of writers with that rare mixture of talents as well as being, like Robbo, bloody fast in his own right.MZ - The Racers (650 Publications, 1991) by Jan Leek, OOP This is what used to be called a 'slim volume'. It came about when Swedish writer Jan Leek climbed through one of the first holes in the Berlin Wall to search out and interview the man who invented the modern two-stroke, Walter Kaaden, for Bike magazine. He came back with enough material for a book and this is it: the story of a genius. Bike titled the original feature 'An Interview with God'. The first full telling of one of the most significant stories in motorcycle history.Triumph & BSA Triples (Crowood, 1997) by Mick Duckworth About half the book is centred on racing, but make sure you read the other bit, too. This is the story of the UK's last gasp at making and racing a motorcycle at the cutting edge of technology. Lots of fascinating asides from contemporary characters and racers. Admiration for the great engineer Doug Hele shines through.Scrapbook du Bol d'Or (Moto Revue, 1976) edited by B Nardini, OOP This is simply a compilation of the French magazine's reports on the Bol d'Or from 1922 to 1976 yet it is a veritable treasure trove of information on tracks, bikes, and fashions in racing modified production bikes. Did you know one Gustave Lefevre won seven Bols—five of them single handed! Or that they used to race scooters and three-wheelers at the Bol? Neither did I.Yamaha (Crowood, 1995) & Honda GP Racers (Crowood, 1998) by Colin MacKellar The subtitle of the Yamaha book says it all: 'All factory and production road-racing two-strokes from 1955 to 1993'. Neither of these books is a literary masterpiece but they are invaluable as amazingly well-researched documents of record. The list of Japanese names in the acknowledgements for the Honda book reads like a who's who of HRC and both titles rely on short chunks of the author's unfussy narrative interspersed with long verbatim quotes from engineers or riders. Not books for the beach, but when MacKellar tells you that the first NR500 monococque was made from 3.2mm thick ally you don't argue.Ducati Racers (Haynes, 2002) & Kawasaki Racers (Haynes, 2002) by Ian Falloon What MacKellar's books do for Honda and Yamaha, Falloon's do for Kawasaki and Ducati. And like them these are not of great literary merit but have the vital ingredient of being meticulously researched and as correct as is humanly possible. The Haynes books have the advantage of a bigger format, better layout and more colour illustrations.Team Suzuki (Osprey, 1982) by Ray Battersby, OOP The mother of all the racing marque books. Battersby worked for Suzuki and was ideally placed to observe the characters as well as the machinery that first won world titles for Suzuki. Particularly strong on illustrations and specifications of all the works bikes and direct quotes from Japanese engineers and mechanics as well as the European and American managers and riders. Lots of insights into rivalries between riders and difficulties due to cultural differences between Europe and Japan.A Twist of the Wrist (Acrobat Books, 1983) by Keith Code Keith Code, founder of the California Superbike School, coached both Wayne Rainey and Eddie Lawson when Kawasaki wanted them to ride tarmac as well as dirt: the former wrote the forward for this book, the later did the margin notes. It's the only 'how to' book I have ever seen racers studying in national and international paddocks. Doug Chandler wrote the foreword to 'A Twist of the Wrist II'. 'Riding is one thing - riding plus being aware of what you are doing is quite another.'ENDS Post this story to: digg PRIVACY POLICY | HOME | RETURN TO TOP © 1997 - 2008 Hardscrabble Media LLC |
