Search results for ""Author Stuart Barker""

'AN EXCEPTIONAL READ' - Motor Cycle News'STUART BARKER IS TO WRITING WHAT VALENTINO ROSSI IS TO RIDING [...] A MUST-READ FOR ALL BIKE NUTS' - DAILY MIRROR'At high speed everything becomes more difficult and more beautiful. When you're racing at 180mph, the semi-bends become bends, the little holes become big holes, everything becomes extreme and bigger. And then it becomes beautiful.'Valentino Rossi is an icon: the most successful and most loved motorcycle racer of all time, he has transcended MotoGP to become a symbol of courage, risk and daring. To race for twenty-three years at the very highest level of the world's most dangerous sport is unprecedented. But then, there has never been a motorcycle racer like Valentino Rossi. He is a modern-day gladiator, a man who still risks his life every time he throws a leg over a motorcycle.Yet for all his two-wheel talents, it is Rossi's endearing character that has seen him transcend the sport. For Rossi, every race is a home race. He turns MotoGP grandstands across the world a sea of yellow - his traditional lucky colour. In more than two decades of Grand Prix racing, he has seen it all. The deaths of rivals and friends, the glory of unprecedented success, serious injuries, fabulous wealth, the greatest battles ever seen on two wheels, the infamous on and off-track clashes with his fiercest rivals . . .Using exclusive new interviews with those who have been part of Rossi's story from start to finish, critically-acclaimed and bestselling motorsport author Stuart Barker has produced the most in-depth book ever written about the Italian superstar - a tale of speed, love and loss, told in full for the very first time, in all its adrenalin-charged, high-octane glory.

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With a foreword by Carl FogartyJoey Dunlop's story is one of towering triumphs and desperate tragedies in almost equal measure. Born poor - dirt poor - with no running water, no electricity, he was the definition of the everyman hero, earning the title 'King of the Roads' in what must be considered one of the world's most extreme sports - motorcycle road racing. And as well as being voted Northern Ireland's greatest ever sportsman, he remains the most loved and most successful road racer of all time. Joey Dunlop won the hearts and minds of millions during his thirty-one-year career, culminating in his greatest triumph in the year 2000 at the Isle of Man TT when, grey-haired, bespectacled, and approaching fifty years of age, he reclaimed his reputation as the greatest TT rider in history by defeating a whole new generation of talent and regaining the F1 crown for the first time in twelve years.But in road racing, tragedy is never very far away. Joey lost his life in a racing accident in July of 2000. It was just weeks after his final TT victory. More than 60,000 people attended Joey's funeral. Over twenty years after his untimely death, the sport has never truly recovered from his loss. Everyone with an interest in motorcycling knows the legend of Joey Dunlop but now, for the first time, they can get to know the man himself. This definitive new biography is the most comprehensive ever written on the man. In turns hilarious, triumphant and tragic, this is Dunlop's story as it has never been told before - by those who were part of it.

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With a foreword by Carl Fogarty'A worthy and fitting tribute to the King of the Roads' - Irish News Joey Dunlop's story is one of towering triumphs and desperate tragedies in almost equal measure. Born poor - dirt poor - with no running water, no electricity, he was the definition of the everyman hero, in what must be considered one of the world's most extreme sports - motorcycle road racing. He remains the most loved and most successful road racer of all time. Joey Dunlop won the hearts and minds of millions during his thirty-one-year career, culminating in the year 2000 at the Isle of Man TT when, grey-haired and bespectacled, he cemented his reputation as the greatest TT rider in history by regaining the F1 crown for the first time in twelve years. But in road racing, tragedy is never very far away. Joey lost his life in an accident in July of 2000. It was just weeks after his final TT victory. More than 60,000 people attended Joey's funeral. Over twenty years on, the sport has never truly recovered. Every motorcycling lover knows the legend of Joey Dunlop but now, for the first time, they can get to know the man himself. This definitive new biography is by turns hilarious, triumphant and tragic; it is Dunlop's story as it has never been told before - by those who were part of it.

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One week in June. One small island. Raw speed. High risk of fatalities. The Isle of Man TT motorcycle road race. Five minutes to go. The claxon sounds, harsh as an air raid siren. Television crews attempt last-minute interviews with riders. The thousand-yard stares give it away: they're really not listening now. Three minutes to go. For the first man on the road, hidden dangers exist. And he is the hare that the greyhounds will be chasing. Some racers tell their mechanics, 'I'll see you later for a pint' - just to reinforce the belief that they will.One minutes to go. By the end of the first lap, riders will be howling past at 160pmh. And that's not even the fastest stretch. F1 drivers can crash spectacularly and walk away. Everyone knows that's not the case here.Five seconds. No more time for nerves, for doubts. The TT has begun. How it will end, no-one knows. Ragged Edge

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One week in June. One small island. 40,000 annual visitors. Raw speed. Numerous annual deaths. The Isle of Man TT motorcycle road race. Five minutes to go. The claxon sounds, harsh as an air raid siren. Television crews attempt last-minute interviews with riders. The thousand yard-stares give it away: they're really not listening now.Four minutes to go. The grandstand is packed. Some racers tell their mechanics, 'I'll see you later for a pint' - just to make themselves believe they will.Three minutes to go. For the first man on the road, hidden dangers exist. He will have no-one to follow. And he is the hare that the greyhounds will be chasing.Two minutes to go. By the end of the first lap, riders will be howling past faster than a bullet from the barrel of a gun. A full 160pmh. And that's not even the fastest part of the course.One minute to go. The atmosphere is palpably tense. It's like no other sporting event on earth. Formula 1 drivers can crash spectacularly and just walk away. Everyone knows that's not the case here.Five seconds. The starter raises the chequered flag, ready to snap down. No more time for nerves, for doubts. The race has started. How it will end, no-one knows. The TT has begun.In Ragged Edge, Stuart Barker will write the definitive story of this unique event, from the tarmac up. The history, the atmosphere, the heroes, tragedies and legends. And most importantly: our fascination with this seductive yet perilous test of skill and daring. This is the unvarnished, raw truth behind the world's most dangerous sporting event - in the words of those who ride it.

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One week in June. One small island. 40,000 annual visitors. Raw speed. Numerous annual deaths. The Isle of Man TT motorcycle road race. Five minutes to go. The claxon sounds, harsh as an air raid siren. Television crews attempt last-minute interviews with riders. The thousand yard-stares give it away: they're really not listening now. Four minutes to go. The grandstand is packed. Some racers tell their mechanics, 'I'll see you later for a pint' - just to make themselves believe they will.Three minutes to go. For the first man on the road, hidden dangers exist. He will have no-one to follow. And he is the hare that the greyhounds will be chasing. Two minutes to go. By the end of the first lap, riders will be howling past faster than a bullet from the barrel of a gun. A full 160pmh. And that's not even the fastest part of the course.One minute to go. The atmosphere is palpably tense. It's like no other sporting event on earth. Formula 1 drivers can crash spectacularly and just walk away. Everyone knows that's not the case here. Five seconds. The starter raises the chequered flag, ready to snap down. No more time for nerves, for doubts. The race has started. How it will end, no-one knows. The TT has begun. In Ragged Edge, Stuart Barker will write the definitive story of this unique event, from the tarmac up. The history, the atmosphere, the heroes, tragedies and legends. And most importantly: our fascination with this seductive yet perilous test of skill and daring. This is the unvarnished, raw truth behind the world's most dangerous sporting event - in the words of those who ride it.

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