Motor Racing at Crystal Palace

The latest in the ‘Those were the days’ series from Veloce Publishing, this 96 page hardback is a must for anybody living in London. Now regarded as a sports centre and a park it is in fact one of the oldest venues for motorsport in this country.

While other tracks are perhaps now better known and other venues like Brooklands trade on their historic past Crystal Palace was in fact there before nay of them. It predates Brooklands for instance by eight years and trace its origins back to the end of the nineteenth century!

This book is totally absorbing as it traces the history of a track that changed regularly over the years, but has almost now disappeared. Backed up by period black and white photos from the early years and later colour plates and programme covers it makes you wonder why it is not reinstated to further boost tourism in the capital.

Much is talked about the forthcoming Olympics, but imagine holding the British F1 GP on a historic track in London without trying to go the Monaco route that some are trying to encourage.

This book is covers two and four wheels and is a must read especially if you have never heard of motorsport in London. Top value at £12.99

ISBN 1-904788-34-3 Available from Veloce Publishing on 01305 260068

Speedway in London

Some may remember the good old days when Speedway was pushing football as the number one spectator sport. To give you some idea Wembley regularly got 50,000 spectators just after the war and other London teams were not that far behind!

Now sadly Speedway does not take place in London and the numbers have dropped throughout the rest of the country. But, help is at hand if you wish to read about shale sliding in the capital, thanks to Norman Jacobs.

Published by Tempus Publishing as part of a series, he traces the history of all the London teams and some of the great rider’s who rode for them, some of whom went onto become World Champions.

The 200 plus page soft-bound volume is well laid out, easy to dip in and out of and well illustrated with period black and white photos.

It is an entertaining read as well as an excellent historic record of how the capital was also a two-wheeled capital as well! Well worth £14.99

ISBN 0-7524-2221-9 Tempus Publishing 01453 883300

World Speedway Championships

This history of one of the most exciting motorcycle sports traces the grand finale from the very first in 1936 right through to the Grand Prix which replaced it in 1995 and continues to this day. Written by Robert Bamford and Glynn Shailes as part of the Tempus Publishing series on Speedway and Grasstrack, it is an excellent and accurate tome as you might expect.

Illustrated with programme covers, (some of which never changed apart from the date!) and excellent period black and white photos it is a good read. Although all the facts and figures are contained, it is done in a way that it is not too heavy and can be picked up and dipped into as and when you get a spare moment.

Nearly four-hundred pages bring to life the great days of the sport that easily equalled football and also its spiritual home of the ‘Empire Stadium at Wembley’ Some great names and characters from the past like Barry Briggs add to the fast pace of the text.

As one who attended many of these finals I found it absorbing, but so will anybody with a passing interest in motorcycle history in general thanks to the style. Excellent Value at £14.99

ISBN 0-7524-2402-5 Tempus Publishing 01453 883300

Motorcycles Forever

This soft-bound tome is a picture rich walk through motorcycling culture over the last thirty years. It is of course made more relevant in that you are led by Ian Mutch who has been an integral part of it in his various roles in MAG.

The Motorcycle Action Group has become the leading rider’s rights organisation that has fought for rider’s freedom to enjoy motorcycling in all its various guises. During his trip through the political scene and the more enjoyable aspects of motorcycling, he has carried a camera and recorded it for posterity.

Now he has brought some of his work together in an A4 tome interspersed with witty observations for all to enjoy and in some cases relive. Cleverly he makes good use of black and white photos where appropriate as he charts the early years and the demonstrations.

Here and there tributes are paid to those who have fought on our behalf and made major contributions to motorcycling. But, while there is a serious side to the book it is also a fun read and well worth having on the coffee table for all to enjoy, especially at a modest £12.99!

Total Control

An American book aimed at improving you two wheeled riding skills written by Lee Parks. An accomplished racer he has turned his attention to riding schools aimed at improving peoples understanding of riding a motorcycle.

In this 150 page soft back, he explains machine set-up and gives various exercises aimed at improving the motor skills as well as helping you understand what you should do and the reasons for doing it. He also explains why fear is the greatest barrier to improving your advanced techniques.

For anybody looking to improve this is a useful read and should be available from all Haynes book stockists at £17.99

ISBN 0-7603-1403-9

Valentino Ross i- Portrait of a MotoGenius

This hardback is not an in-depth story of the man that is making history every time he rides a Moto GP bike, but more a photographic light hearted look at man behind the helmet. Renowned as paddock joker, his love of the good-times is as legendary as his love of speed.

Capable of banging fairings at over 200 mph in his desire to win, his relaxation antics show his lighter side, often characterised by off the wall hairstyles! Mat Oxley pens the words and captions while some the world’s best photographers provide the pictures, along with his parents.

In 150 glossy pages, mainly full of pictures, you will find an insight into the man that is currently without equal in the world of Moto GP. Published by Haynes who also published the previous Oxley work on Rossi, it is well worth £19.99

ISBN 1 84425 236 1.

The British Motorcycle Directory

This is perhaps one for the British enthusiast only as it is an alphabetical listing of over 1100 marques from 1888 that were manufactured in this country.

It is a reference work listing the important facts about companies, some of whom only survived a year or so and is illustrated by 850 period photos. Written jointly by Roy Bacon and Ken Hallworth, both of whom are extremely knowledgeable authors on the subject.

More one for the bookshelf especially if you are involved in quizzes, but not a bad coffee table tome to fill in the odd spare five minutes. However, its price of £35 reflects that it is the ultimate reference work on British Motorcycle Manufacturers!

Published by Crowood ISBN 1-86126 674-X

John Surtees – Motorcycle Maestro

This was the first in what will eventually be a series of six by Breedon Books written by Mick Walker. A prolific writer of over ninety motorcycle tomes, he concentrates on the motorcycle side of the only man to take world titles on two and four wheels.

While this is not the first book on the great man it is the only one to look at the bike side in such depth. Using period black and white photos it charts his motorcycle career until the point he left for fame and fortune with cars. It ends with information on his current career as a restorer and parader at classic meetings.

The last few pages are left to Surtees himself to sum up his life in motorsport as well as pass comment on the difference between his starting years and the scene now.

Walker has done well to condense over fifty years of top flight action into 200 pages that make fascinating reading. Surtees rightly has place in the history book and his feat in unlikely ever to be repeated. This book has the right to be on every enthusiast’s bookshelf especially at £19.99.

ISBN 1 85983 346 2

Giacomo Agostini – Champion of Champions

Fifteen world titles and twelve Isle of Man TT victories over a sparkling 17-year career make Giacomo Agostini arguably the most successful motorcycle racer ever. It is surprising therefore that Mick Walker's book is the first account of his remarkable career in English.

In this fully illustrated and in-depth study, the diminutive Italian’s record is explored and analysed along with the bikes he rode. Walker has the ability as a former racer and team manger to look objectively at the man whose name became synonymous with MV and later Yamaha.

Still a great favourite with the fans, especially the ladies thanks to his good looks, Agostini is a walking legend who still gets mobbed wherever he appears. Anybody who wants to know why just needs to read through the 200 plus pages to find out some of the lesser known facts that are covered, despite the main thrust of the text concentrating on the racing years.

In addition Walker provides technical analysis on the bikes he rode to such devastating effect. This is an excellent book on one of the true racing greats and an excellent second book in the Breedon series and well worth £19.99. ISBN 1 85983 400 0

Mike Hailwood – The Fans Favourite

Many books have been written about the man regarded by many as the greatest-ever road racer who rode bikes to rostrum places when others thought they were unrideable. This new hardback comes a quarter of a century after he was killed, not on a track, but on the public highway by another’s incompetence!

Author Mick walker is a brave man tackling a subject that has been so well covered in book form before, often by some of ‘Mike the Bikes’ closest friends and in conjunction with his family. However, he is to be congratulated on this work which manages to tell the story again without repeating previous works and put a slightly different slant on it. As one of Hailwood’s biggest fans I was not left disappointed at the end of this work which has joined the others on the bookshelf, taking pride of place!

As a totally biased reviewer on this subject I could go on for ever, so suffice to say this is an excellent third volume in the Breedon Books series, a good companion to the other two and well worth the £19.99 asking price!

ISBN 1 85983 447 7

Special Offer Breedon Books, the publishers of the above three volumes, is happy to offer readers a special price of £16.00 a copy delivered to your home free. This is a saving of £3.99 a copy and £3.00 p&p making a total of £6.99.

Send a cheque for the total amount payable to Breedon Books, 3, The Parker Centre, Mansfield Road, Derby. DE21 4SZ. Or call 01332 384235 with credit card details. Remember to include the delivery address and quote ‘MotorbikesToday’ special offer.

Alec Issigonis – The Man Who Made the Mini

It is somewhat ironic that as the collapse of MG Rover makes the news, Jonathan Wood publishes his work on the man who was responsible for some of the glory days of the British Car industry. Born in Turkey of Greek/Bavarian parentage he became the most successful and powerful engineer in Britain in the fifties and sixties.

Few people reading this will not have driven in a Morris Minor, a Mini or an 1100 at some stage in their life. His designs and influence however, go beyond these notables as a trawl through this well researched book will show.
In many ways it is a labour of love in that it has taken over thirty years of research to produce this in-depth study of the man who should according to many be ranked alongside the likes of Ferdinand Porsche!

It is though perhaps a book for the true petrol head into the history of British car engineering, but nonetheless worth the £19.99 asking price thanks to its definitive content.

ISBN 1 85983 449 3

The Paddy Hopkirk Story

It is even more ironic that this book from Haynes arrived at the same time as the Issigonis tome, Hopkirk’s name being synonymous with the Mini. The Irish rally ace took the compact motor to a well-publicised win in the 1964 Monte Carlo rally that was to prove the first in a string for the BMC factory.

But, as this excellent Haynes volume points out, there were many other cars win which he achieved considerable success. Starting from his early career in Northern Ireland, author Bill Price details his driving and business career as only an ex-competitions manger could do.

Anyone with an interest in rallying will enjoy the story of a man who was consistent and a driver capable of bringing a car home rather than wrecking it as some of his more flamboyant contempories did! The mixture of black and white and colour images will also evoke many memories, especially of the days when Britain was a dominant player in the world’s car market both in the showrooms and also in world competition!

A great read for those who like their cars sliding sideways! £18.99

ISBN 1 84425 110 1

Ian Kerr