Motocourse

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'.

This official history of the FIM Grand Prix motor cycle racing World Championship, since its formation in 1949, records the action from a sport that has seen massive changes during the last 50 years with Japanese manufacturers eclipsing their European rivals, purpose-built race circuits replacing true road courses and a reduction in the number of Grand Prix classes. In other respects it has enjoyed remarkable continuity, as motor cycle racing has remained the domain of the major manufacturers anxious to promote the awareness of their road machines. Contemporary Grand Prix designs are clearly descended from the bikes raced in the 1950s. This book traces the major trends and developments during the last 50 years and it profiles the legendary riders, teams and innovators that have dominated the sport during this period. Concluding the history is a comprehensive and detailed results section which provides an invaluable source of reference for any motor cycle enthusiast.

'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.

MotoGP and Superbike seasons, it is a highly collectable resource respected by all within the industry. The annual is bought by many teams and riders and is widely recognized as the leading annual in this exciting sport. Motocourse is packed with detailed race reports, in-depth analysis, rider profiles and outstanding photography that bring to life the excitement of this massively popular sport.

The ultimate motorcycle sport yearbook covering MotoGP, World Superbikes, Moto America Superbikes, British Superbikes, World Supersport and more