Motocourse 2019 2020

MOTOCOURSE celebrates its 44th year of publication – and yet again what a year it was for motorcycle racing! In a thrilling MotoGP season, Marc Marquez and Honda were again the dominant force, with customary brilliance, he romped to his sixth MotoGP title. Other riders occasionally denied the Spanish tyro. The Ducati pair of Andrea Dovizioso, and Danilo Petrucci, along with Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales and Suzuki’s Alex Rins all took to the top step of the podium in a close fought battle for supremecy throughout the whole of the MotoGP field. Once again, Valentino Rossi defied the years to remain at the sharp end of the field, whilst the future for Yamaha may have emerged in the shape of the 20-year old French sensation Fabio Quartararo, eagerly seeking his first MotoGP win. Editor Michael Scott provides a no-holds-barred assessment of all the aspects of a compelling season’s action. MOTOCOURSE alone has full coverage of the support classes, Moto2 and Moto3, where Alex Marquez was looking to clinch the Moto2 crown at his fifth attempt, whilst Lorenzo Dalla Porta, Aaron Canet and Tony Arbolino hotly disputed the Moto3 title. In World Superbikes, Kawasaki’s dominance was challenged by Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista, with Jonathan Rea eventually managing to retain his championship title for the fifth successive year, ahead of the chasing pack including British favourites Leon Haslam, Chaz Davies and Yamaha’s Michael van der Mark. No book covers the motorcycle racing world in as much detail as MOTOCOURSE, which, in addition to the two major world series, reviews the unique challenge of Isle of Man TT races, The World Supersport Championship, The British Superbike Championship and the AMA USA Superbike series. Incredible value for money, with 328 large-format pages, bursting with over 450 stunning colour photographs from the world’s finest photographers, MOTOCOURSE covers it all. No wonder MOTOCOURSE is regarded worldwide as ‘The Bible of Motorcycle Racing’.

MOTOCOURSE 2020-2021 celebrates its 45th year of publication - and despite the World pandemic throwing the sport into chaos, what a year it was for motorcycle racing! In a thrilling MotoGP season, Marc Marquez and Honda were expected to be the dominant force once more, but an accident in the opening round saw him side-lined for much of the season and left him with but a slim chance of retaining his MotoGP crown. Other riders stepped up in his absence and shared out victories. Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso, and Yamaha's trio of Maverick Vinales, Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli all took to the top step of the podium. The emergence of KTM as a race winning machine saw both Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira join the list of first time winners, in a close fought battle for supremecy throughout the whole of the MotoGP field. Once again, Valentino Rossi defied the years to remain at the sharp end of the grid, whilst the Suzuki pair of Alex Rins and Joan Mir both looked equally capable of adding to the list of winners in an enthralling contest for the title. Editor Michael Scott provides a no-holds-barred assessment of all the aspects of a compelling season's action. MOTOCOURSE alone has full coverage of the support classes, Moto2 and Moto3, where Italian riders Luca Marini, Estea Bastinanini, Marco Bezzecchi were contenders to clinch the Moto2 crown, whilst Albert Arenas, Ai Ogura and John McPhee hotly disputed the Moto3 title. In World Superbikes, Kawasaki's dominance was challenged by Ducati's Scott Redding, with Jonathan Rea looking to retain his championship title for the sixth successive year, ahead of the chasing pack including Alavaro Bautista, Chaz Davies and Yamaha's Michael van der Mark. No book covers the motorcycle racing world in as much detail as MOTOCOURSE, which, in addition to the two major world series covers The World Supersport Championship, The British Superbike Championship and the AMA USA Superbike series. Incredible value for money, with 304 large-format pages, bursting with over 450 stunning colour photographs from the world's finest photographers, MOTOCOURSE covers it all. No wonder MOTOCOURSE is regarded worldwide as 'The Bible of Motorcycle Racing'.

'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. His popularity is phenomenal. 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, Rossi has seen it all. The deaths of rivals and friends, the glory of his 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.

An intimate portrait of the life of one of the most successful and enigmatic legends in the history of motorsports.

Aimed at the enthusiast who would like to gain a greater understanding of technical and design issues facing MotoGP constructors, this fascinating book provides detailed analysis of the cutting-edge technology used in the sport’s premier class today. Each area of a racing motorcycle’s design is explained and separate chapters for each manufacturer trace the development of each machine over the years through to the detailed specification of the current version.

This illustrated official biography explores the life of the most successful racing motorcyclist in the 107-year history of the Isle of Man TT races. In this classic book, written in association with the Dunlop family and originally published a year after Joey's death, Mac McDiarmid charts the life of the passionate motorcycle road racer who competed for the love of the sport, whether at high-profile races or to promote humbler events such as the Estonian one that claimed his life in July 2000. His achievements included three hat tricks at the Isle of Man TT races (1985, 1988 and 2000), where he won a record 26 races in total, as well as 24 wins in the Ulster Grand Prix and 13 in the North West 200 in his native Northern Ireland. For motorcycle fans, Joey Dunlop is still akin to royalty.

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.