Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128082
"Motocourse . 50Years of Moto Grand Prix" Book Review The real deal ts 208 pages are like a stroll thro ugh th e Gra n d Prix paddocks of tim e. From Les G ra ha m to Mick Doohan, from AJS Po rc upines to Honda SR500s, fro m ol d Ford Tra ns it va ns and tents to the semi-trailers an d mega_bu ck mo torhomes of the stars, the sport I of m ot orcycle Grand Pr ix ra cing has cha nged in d ra ma tic fas h io n over its first SO years, and this book - "50 Years of Moto Gran d Prix, The Official History of the FIM Roa d Racing World Championship" - takes yo u thro ugh it all. And it does so in ste llar fashion, resu lting in a coffee-table-quality book that finally does the illustrious sport of Grand Prix road racing justice. The latest offering from Hazelton Publishing, the publi s h e r s of Motocourse, is everything its title promises. It is history. Well-chronicled history by journalists who were there - not wannabe journalists who claim to be experts without ever setting foot on hallowed grounds like Le Sou rce hai rpin at SpaFrancorchamps. These are stories written by men who sh ared beers with Mike Hallwood, and Dr. Pepper with Freddie Spe ncer. From Jan Leek to current Cycle News Grand Prix corres pondent Michael Scott and long-time cont ribu tor Dennis Noyes (the edi to r of "50 Years of Moto Grand Prix" ), wi th a lot of Mick Woolett and his lar ge catalog of '40s, '50s, '60s and 70s photography th rown in, this is a book w ri tten and p hot ographed by men who have d evot ed mu ch of thei r lives to motorcycle road racing. The book is arranged ch ronologically, beginning wit h the bir th of mo torcycle racing. It proceeds through tim e by eras, for example, chapter two is titled The Dustbins of History (1949-57), and chapter five: The Eag les Have Land ed (1978-87). Included are sidebar featu res on the personalities w ho mad e up those particular eras, such as "Stanley Woods, Motorcycle Racing's First Su perstar," and "Kenny Rober ts, The Maverick." The boo k also features sidebar sto ries on significant tech nica l advances in the sport, mos t of which a re w ri tten b y Kevin Cameron, generally acce pted as the best technical writer in motorcycling. The book takes us throug h to 1998, perhaps the end of the Mick Doohan era, and then jumps to the two ap pend ices, the first featu ring a section on the history of Grand Prix sidecar racing. The second , a most valu ab le asse t to the historian , is devoted to Grand Prix resu lts from 19491998, compiled by Dr. Martin Raines. Raines' work gives u s ex ac tly ho w the top lOin each cla ss s core d their point s, round by round, from the very first World Cha mpionship in 1949, to its m o s t recent, in 1998. A n d th e b o ok doesn' t ignore classes that have been forgo tten by the FIM - SOcc, BOcc and 35Occ. Noyes and crew have covered it all: the personalit y of the sport, the technical in novations of time, statistics, even the politics of racing. "50 Years of Mot o Grand Prix" is available for 559.95 from Mo to rbooks In te rna ti o n al (715/ 294- 4448). CIII Paul Carruthers New Products ""oto ~ 2000 One trip to any major bookstore will render obvious the fact that there's no shortage of calendars for the new millennium. Cats , Italy, National Parks, supermodels - you name it, it has its own calendars for Y2K. Similarly, a single perusal of any motorcycle publication will make clear the fact that there is also no shortage of pho tographers in our sport of choice. What makes CycleNews contributor Joe Bonnello different is that he had the foresight to combine the two surpluses , resulting in a truly artistic motorcycle calendar - something you don't see every day. And at just $10.95, it's a better deal than the standard Audobon Society and Sports Illustrated fare. To get a 12-month Joey B. dose of Sebastien Tortelli, Russ Pearson, Rick Miller, Scott Summers and friends, try your local bookstore, or contact Motor Books International at 715/294-3345, or P.O. Box 1, Osceola, WI 54020. ~ C o n v e nie n c e In n a b o ttl e Th e Maxi ma Quick 2 Mix m a kes m ixin g you r twostroke fuel easy. The bo ttle is calib ra ted to help accuately mix in ratios of 24:1 o 100:1. Simp ly choose the atio you wis h to u s e, fi ll -ith gas to the corres po nd ing mark an t fi It into your gas can . The Quick 2 Mix also featu res ou nces and cc calibrations, loca ted on the opposite sid e of the ratios. Use these for you r own custom ra tios, filling tra nsmission oil and fork oil. What sets the Q uick 2 Mi x apart from oth er suc h tools is that it com es with a cap to keep the inside clean. It retails for on ly $3.75. For more information, con tact Maxima , Dept. CN , 9266 Abraham Way, Santee, CA 92071, 619 /4495000, www.maximausa.com. B e like "".ke Mike laRocco rid es fast. Mike laRocco trains hard . Mike laRocco is a champ ion. Be like Mike. Well, we kno w at least on e wa y w e can all be like Mike laRocco. Mike uses Amsoil Synthetic Lub ricant. It can be applied to any metal su rfa ce, in cluding hin ges, wire ropes, nuts, b olt s, car doors, a nd our personal favorite motorcycl e cha ins. Am soi l' s new Heavy Duty M etal Protector fig hts rust a nd ot her corrosio n in hibitors by penetrating a nd adhering to metal su rfaces, leaving a long-lastin g protective coating , sy mbolic of Mike LaRocco' s lon g-lasting car eer. To protect your precious metals, contact Ams oil Inc ., Dept. CN, Superior, WI 54880,715/392-7101. 25