Motorcycle Racing Books

Trever Arnason
Wide Open: A Life in Supercross
Jeremy McGrath
HarperCollins
© 2004
Pages 320


Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a professional motocross rider, or what it feels like? This book is an autobiography about Jeremy McGrath's life. It starts off when he is young and is first racing BMX bikes. He races in the local races in California, but these become too easy. As he gets older he gets better at racing and moves on to riding motocross. As the book goes on it goes through his adult life as a motocross racer.
My favorite part of this book was when he was telling about the parties that he would have at his lake house. The house would be crammed full of people and outside would be more people. He wouldn't even know half the people because they would just show up on their boats and get off at his house. His parties sounded like a lot of fun. The theme of this book was to not give up. McGrath had many struggles, which made it hard for him to go pro. Such as people telling him that he wasn't good enough, and not being able to get sponsors. But he never gave up and he was very successful.
I think that this book was really good. It had a lot of interesting stuff about the industry. Even though it was an autobiography and I thought that it would be boring, I really liked this book.

this book is great. this book will give you some helpfull tips in between the chapters. they've got some of his worst injeries ever. this book is great i think everybodey to read this book

Jeremy McGrath has been my favorite rider for a long time, and I was pretty excited to find out that he had put out an autobiography.

I thought the narration and sequencing of the book were solid. They covered all the major events of Jeremy's life and career. It is a very simple book, seemingly targeted for a young audience.

I had issues with the placement of some of the pictures, as well as a couple of typos. For example, a picture of McGrath with the caption identifying it from 2001, while the chapter the picture is located in talks about the 1999 season. Seems like the could have made room for that picture somewhere in the chapter that talks about 2001.

One picture was identified as Jeremy after winning the 1993 championship, when it was actually a picture from the 1998 championship, which was described on that page.

I really enjoyed the writing style and the pace of the book. I read it cover to cover in about 4 hours. I didn't really find any of it boring. The way the book is written makes it feel very down to earth and easy to relate to.

The book seems to be geared towards a younger audience, which is why I found it curious that there were a few swear words included. Not alot, maybe 4-5 in the entire book, but when I read those parts, the wording seemed very unnecessary.

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I didn't find McGrath to be bitter or morally bankrupt. He worked hard for what he has achieved.

Seeing as how the book came out at the beginning of 2004, only shortly after his retirement from competition, it would have been rather difficult to include things that he has done since retiring.

One thing I know he did after retirement was to write a book... and it was a pretty good read. At least for somebody who has followed Jeremy relatively closely for his entire career...

Jermey Mcgrath grew up in southern Califorina. When he was 4 years old he started racing bicycles. He was very good and competitive. he moved up to 80 cc mini bikes when he was 8. He made his way up to the 125 cc. For a while he didn't have a factory ride, which is when you have a dirt bike company supporting you. Then, Kawasake signed him. Win he moved up to the 250 class, he went to Honda. He won 4 titles with Honda. Then, he went to Suzuki for a year and did really bad with them. He went to Yamaha and got 2 titles with them. He created a team called Team McGrath/Mazda/Yamaha when he was 30 years old.

It was a very interesting book. I could never guess what was going to happen next. I would have never guessed that he won as many titles as he did. I didn't know if he was going to get the win or not ot get the lead by the first turn. The races thatthey had in the book were exciting. Thje races were exciting because he won most of them. They were close, and i didn't know who would win untill the end of the race.

It was boring at times, like when he talked about his parents. It was also boring at the end because there was no activity. It would of been better if there would have been more ezcitment like races at the end of the book.

Over all , it was a pretty good book despite of all of the boring partsand the injuries. I learned several things that I didn't know about Jermey McGrath and about supercross and motocross. A lot of them were interesting to me.

Genre: Biograph
Three sentece sumary : The king of super cross tells the story of how he started as a privater with nothing; and endend up as a legend.
What i liked most about this book: the book told the story of a profesinall supercross racer.
What i didnt like and why:The book didnt say much about what happend after his mx carrer ended.
My fariot charecter and why: Well jeremy mcgrath of coarse.
My favriot line or scene: when MC was battiling for fist with RC.
What would i say about this book to some one else: Its a great book to see how mc followed his dream and became a legend.
One question i have after reading this book: What did he do after he retiered.
My strongest resone for rerading this book : Its about the king of super cross and how he started out with nothing and got every thing.

This book covers the scene at Bonneville from the perspective of a driver involved with two teams. Not a whole lot of technical information for gear heads, but basically from the inside of the cockpit - oh my God! - and team dynamics. It was worth adding to my collection of moto-journalism, and made a good read for my light rail commute.

Say you are born into a family in which your father had to have been the coolest dad ever being a fearless motorcycle racer. Your older brother is fearless just like dad and follows his footsteps in racing motorcycles. You have a cool mom too that rivals the Kool-Aid mom in the TV commercials. With tough acts like that to follow, there's only one thing left to do.....Break the world land speed record.

Meet Rocky Robinson. One of the fastest men on two wheels. How did he do it you ask? In his book, titled Flat Out, Rocky takes you along with him on his long journey to putting his name down in history.

Reading Rocky's book is like having him sitting in your living room talking to you one on one about how his day went in the life and times of a land speed racer. He writes his book as history was in the making, while it was all fresh in his memory and all his emotions on his sleeve. After reading this book, you really feel like you know Rocky. OK, well almost. I'm sure he left out some details. *wink*

Rocky takes you into a whole different world where there are skids instead of kickstands, parachutes instead of breaks, fire suits instead of leathers, the racetrack is in the middle of nowhere and is made entirely of salt, gas powered blenders for making margaritas (what other cocktail do you make on a salt flat???), 20 foot long motorcycles that look like Oscar Meyer Wieners going at jet speeds, oh and the cockpits to these things also double as Dutch ovens (You have to read the book to get that one). Many of Rocky's associates were some of the funniest crazy characters one could ever meet. Which is a good thing to have when the air gets thick and there's a lot of money is at stake. Rocky's life even changes and makes a turn around as he develops personal growth and success in this journey. Some heartaches, set backs and disappointments happen. Rocky probably doesn't realize this, but he does teach a valuable lesson and reveals a secret that all high achievers like Rocky know. You'll just have to read the book to find out for yourself.

I am not a motorcycle enthusiast nor am I a race fan but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned a lot about land speed racing. Rocky is a very good writer and made me feel like I was right there in the seat experiencing the thrill of traveling 300 plus mph on two wheels. After reading Flat Out I have a great desire to make the trek to the Bonneville Salt Flats and witness first hand Rocky's next attempt to regain the title "fastest man on two wheels."

After watching Rocky race speedway bikes without brakes I got a real chuckle of him describing in great detail the need for real brakes on the streamliner. His details and descriptions made me feel like I was right there in the pits with him. I really enjoyed reading his story and appreciate what he has accomplished. Little does the non racer understand the consequences of great speed and I think that Rocky has described it very eloquently.

I can hardly wait for Rocky to hit the salt, set some more records and start writing about it all over again. In the meantime, maybe he could write about his speedway days.

Cheers
RC Jones

Although I must say that I know the writer from a close and mutual friend, I am an avid reader and although I do not have much knowledge in the field of racing, even I get it! The detail of events that he gives in the book of his very personal experience puts the reader in the driver seat as if you are really sitting beside him on his journey, if not behind the wheel yourself!

Enjoy this great read!

Diane

I've never been a Rossi fan; although a very committed MotoGP fan. After reading this book, I've come to understand the sport and it clarified my unclear situations that I have come across in the current years of MotoGP. I think it is a must read for all the Sport fans.

I enjoyed reading this book tremendously. The writing style was surprisingly good, though I'm not entirely sure if it was more representative of the author or the translator. The reader is taken through his childhood, decision to commit to racing motorcycles, evolution through the European classes to MotoGP, many bad-boy exploits and finally some of the most challenging experiences Rossi has participated in as a MotoGP rider. It was fascinating to compare his perspective from inside the helmet with my perspective as an observer. It reads much like the script to Sundance film, starting in the present, digressing into history, and progressing back to present. I found it a bit difficult to follow at times but in the end was satisfied. If you follow MotoGP at all this book tells you what you already know, Rossi is a bad a-- on and off the track, yet warm, thoughtful, personable most of all simply human.

If you are a fan of Rossi or MotoGP this is a must read.

This is a neat book that dives into the life of one of the most accomplished racers to ever live. Lots of pictures, but haven't read entire book yet.

Definitely another good V. Rossi book which contains so much images within his life and two wheels.

What a great book. I bought this book as a present for my husband and being a fan of motogp myself we both really loved this book. A must for all Valentino Rossi fans to add to the collection. A great insight into the man and what drives his talent.Great photos.An inexpensive purchase but worth it's weight in gold.Very colourful and detail is excellent.

This is an excellent book for improving your skills and preventing the spills. The pictures and instructions are so well written that anybody can understand and apply the techniques. A huge variety of topics for both trail riders and motocross racers, this book has plenty to offer all riders at any experience level. The chapters and subjects are well organized and easy to read. You will not be disappointed..

My husband and I both ride... but he's the one who rides on the dirt as well as the road. He's been looking for a book like this for ages, and was elated when I presented it to him as a birthday gift. It's packed with information and pictures on off-road riding, which requires techinques that no-one seems to write about - but it's all here in this book. A must buy.

This proved to be a very useful book to me. The authors of this book broke down the various aspects that are required to ride a dirtbike efficiently and safely. After I read through this book, I could critique my riding technique and make corrections. I immediately noticed results the first weekend out in the woods. My speed was increase and my comfort levels went up. At the conclusion of that ride, I noticed that I was less tired than usual and could have went back out for more. I've become a better rider as result of reading this book. I would recommend it to anybody wanting to become a better rider.

This is just a gorgeous book, I had the old Gary Semics manual, it was black and white photocopy stuff, this new book has all the Gary Semics stuff with updates and many sections covering different terrains, bikes and setups. The pictures are outstanding, I showed it to my dirtbike buddies and everyone wanted to buy their own copy. They usually copy the stuff so that says a lot about the quality. The information is of the highest quality, Gary Semics is maybe the top motocross teacher in the world, and his "47 absolute techniques of motocross" WILL make you a better rider even if you just ride for fun with your friends. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

I'm having a hard time reading this book. I think the gems of information are in there, but I'm having work pretty hard to get them out. Why? Formatting: low contrast color choices. In some places, dark text on a dark background makes for difficult reading in low light. Clarity: the author(s) repeatedly fail to define terms precisely. I'm left to guess what they mean. A how-to book shouldn't leave the reader wondering. Ego: they seem to worship Jeremy McGrath. Call him infallible. It feels like a primary school clique to me. Bad science: For example, pg.41, tip #5: "Carry most of your weight on the footpegs to lower your center of gravity." Based on my understanding of basic physics, changing the position of where the rider's weight is supported has nothing to do with where the rider's center of gravity is. Sure it's good advice, carrying the rider's weight on the footpegs drastically improves the bike's handling, but the authors' explanation of the physics is complete nonsense. It leads me to question all other explanations. I imagine the authors know their stuff, but they've got a lot of room for improvement to communicate their ideas in print.

As a MX and Offroad rider for over 2 decades, I thought I had a pretty good grasp of my riding ability....and my weaknesses....until I read this book. After applying the techniques and practicing them on the track, it was easy to feel the difference in how I handle difficult situations....easy to see where I fall into the most common, simple to cure, mistakes that make the race a battle with myself more than the guy ahead of me....and it was obvious how much faster my laptimes were. On my website at MotoxMadness, I only recommend one book that every rider should read...this one. Use it and it will change your life. See ya' on the track!

This book is written in an easy to read fashion. Clear and concise, with illustrations that show exactly what you need to know. You can read it from cover to cover or start any chapter you want. Covers all aspects of motocross. I loved it.

This book is a great resource for fundamental motocross riding skills. After reading the book I've attempted many of the techniques described and with excellent results. As in any industry skill is attained through practice. The book does a good job of providing what should be practiced while continuously referring to motivational type phrases to assist in the understand of nothing happens without effort and persistence.

After reading the book, you can easily watch a motocross race and see the pros apply these very same techniques.

I recommend this book for the novice through advanced rider. All skill levels can gain something of value from this book.

I just started racing and this book is very helpful. It practicly tells all the Pro riders secrets and tips. Also, it has sections where Gary Semic (A professonal teacher who teaches Jeremey McGrath)gives inside information on just about everything. If you like to ride Dirt Bikes and possibly thinking of racing, or just tooling around, THIS is THE book to own!

Really helpful for all riders. No matter if you are a beginner or pro, motocrosser or off-road, this book will help improve your skills. Uses lots of cool photos.

Great insight, untold stories, and unseen photographs about an extremely private man. It was quite refreshing from the self-serving tomes that celebrities have put out and continue to put out about themselves. The one thing I've always admired about McQueen (besides his obvious acting talent) was his disdain for celebrity and the fact that he remained true to himself. This book drives that home.
Excellent.

Wow, the photographs are beautiful and highly personal. It's like seeing a private photo album from this marriage. Plus the text is informative and revealing. I'm so glad this part of Steve's life is now so well documented.

It goes perfectly on my coffee table.

A fantastic book on the last years of legend Steve McQueen! Great job by Barbara McQueen and Marshall Terrill! Touching moments! Great photos!

This book takes you into the very intimate and private world of Steve McQueen between 1977 and 1980.

Consisting of approximately 150 color photos (most of which were taken by his wife Barbara McQueen) and accompanied by Barbara's recollections of their time together.

Unlike some other photobooks where you sense you are watching the star pose, this book shows you the absolutely unguarded and relaxed side of the man as he goes about his daily life, talking to friends, tinkering on his bikes, dozing in an armchair or washing down the pavement outside his airplane hanger.

These are the sort of photos you would usually never see of a movie star - Steve in the morning before he has showered, looking drowsily over a hot mug of coffee, househunting in Montana with Barbara, or lying asleep on the living room floor with his pet dog lying on top of him.

You really feel like you have stepped into Steve and Barbara's house, it is that personal.

The text accompaniment is also very entertaining and educational as Barbara shares her memories of how Steve wooed her, the initial problems he had to overcome in winning her parents approval of the relationship, his personal lessons to her on how to dismantle and rebuild a motorcycle (sadly unsuccessful) or a gun (successful), how he came to propose, and many other intimate and fun moments. Overall it takes you through their entire relationship and serves as something of an autobiography in itself.

All these photos are beautifully presented in a high gloss large coffee table book format.

Released with the first limited edition run of the book is a 45 minute audio CD of Steve verbally working through the script of the film "Tom Horn". It is fascinating to hear him talk about his vision of the film, rework the script and plan his character. You get a real sense of the epic film he wanted Tom Horn to be (but was denied due to the studio slashing the budget), and you realise just how insightful he was with film and acting. The amount of thought he puts into his role should forever dispel the notion that he just played himself on film.

Steve McQueen - The Last Mile is a very special book and no fans collection will be complete without it.

Intimate, touching, insightful, sometimes hilarious passages into the life of The King of Cool, Steve McQueen. We live in such a visual, media oriented world that we tend to get preconceived notions of who movie stars are, based on what we see. The world saw Steve McQueen as the ultimate man- handsome, macho, cool, someone they could spend their hard-earned bucks on back in the day and get their money's worth at the theater. Barbara McQueen, his widow, saw the real Steve McQueen. She got to know Steve, the family man; Steve, the man who loved the great outdoors and his morning constitutional; Steve, the great mashed potato guru, airplane and motorcycle enthusiast. "The Last Mile" shows how little we all knew of his kindness and philanthropy; how little we knew of his yearning for happiness and how he ultimately found it. The photos in this book will enchant you, leave you wanting more. One of my favorites is one where Barbara embraces Steve from behind. That photo alone is worth the book to me. Beautiful model, handsome superstar, real people worn out from what life has dealt them. You can see it in their faces. It makes me sigh everytime I see it because there's not one person I know who hasn't been to that point and had nothing left but an embrace. You will love this book and you will want more. I guarantee you.

Wayne Rainey is my favorite Road Racer. This book really let's you know what it takes to be a World Champion and the struggle when its taking away. For any race fan this book is a must have!

This is a must for every motorcycle racing fan. I am a GP fan but unfortunately Wayne's career ended a couple of years before I started getting into bike racing. This book is an amazing tale of courage. I could not imagine going through what he had to go through. One of the best biographies I have ever read.

I met wayne as a fan in 1987 at Road Atlanta when he rode for Honda after having read so many magazines about him.I never Heard of Kevin Schwantz until that weekend and Wayne despite being very busy, courteously found time to have Shay take a photo of both of us and give me an autograph.He was so receptive and pleasant.That weekend I watched in awe his amazing battle against Kevin's Suzuki and would never forget that day for the rest of my life.Then I continued to watch him on TV from 1988 to that fateful day.The book brought tears and lumps in my throat.This book tells it all and is a must buy.I am also a racer a know the will and the determination to win at all costs.This book also helps us analyze ourselves and our personal relationship with GOD.A precious collector's item to have.

It's been some time since I last read this biography of Wayne Rainey, but I certainly remember the emotions, and especially the growing pride, I felt with each turned page. The writing was very easy to read, and the content flowed well from Wayne's childhood and foundation of a Champion in the making, through his personal relationships, and to the present (time of writing). I recommend this book to all that loved to watch his battles with Eddie Lawson, Kevin Schwantz, Freddie Spencer, and Mick Doohan, and wish to simply know more about the Champion. And I recommend it to anyone that thinks the world and life aren't fair. Perservere!

Wayne Rainey was certainly one of the greatest GP Racers to hit the scene in the late 80's-early 90's. With 3 consecutive world championships under his belt he had his 4th wrapped up when tragedy struck. Rainey's career was cut short and thus began a new chapter in this champion's life. The book deals with his youth, and his early racing years on the dirt tracks of Southern California and later, the dirt tracks throughouit the US. His entry into GP racing makes for some of the most intriging and blatantly honest reading you will find. With Kenny Roberts as team manager, Wayne Rainey's career began to open up and the more you read the better this book gets. This is simply the best book on the "inside" of a GP racer and the entire lifestyle that goes with it. (Ever wonder how "team-mates" get along when they BOTH want to win? ) Don't pass this one up. It deserves to be read.

I would recommend the bood Land Speed Racing to any young child who is infatuated with high speed racing. The purpose of the book is to inform people on facts and statistics about the book. Inside it also tells broken speed records, but at the same time it tries to send a message that no matter how fast you are going, you should always take safety precautions.
Kody C.

Land speed racing is a race that sees whos motorcycle or strem liner car can go the fastest. There has been several records set for the fastes times and the cleanest bikes etc. There are also different clases depinding on the size of the motor and durability of the frame of the bike. The engine sizes range from 50cc to 3000cc!
Lance M.

The purpose of this book is land racing. I would recomend this book to any body who likes racing motorcycle's, and landliners. This book is good for all ages to read or even have someone read it to you. They travel up to 200(MPH). When traveling at high rates of spee you have to waer special gear.

John M

I would recomend this book to all who like to race, especially motorcycles. It is meant to inform you about racing motorcycles. I tells you all of the places to race like "el mirage." It tells you the records of the fastest speeds. It tells you about the kinds of bikes and the types of engines there are that you can use. It is a great book to read if you want to learn about racing with motorcycles for top speeds. It is very informative.
Michael L

The book explains the rules to land speed racing, to make it safer.It also list the types of engins the bikes use. The book also tells where they race. Also how the trackes were established. It also tells about the saftey procaution to racing.
Seth C

This is not a review

I have sent previous e-mails and I think your responses have been blocked.

The package arrived last week but the sleeve was torn and the cover damaged. What can I do?

Please respond to

nlbeddington@webmail.co.za

If you need to know what happened in GP Bike racing each year and from only one source this is it. The photos alone are worth the price of the book. My only wish is that I had found out about this series sooner so I could read the earier one too!!

Yet another excellent annual by Motocourse. Primarily covers the MotoGP tour but also includes SBK and some national racing.

This edition is particular important as Americans topped the 500cc Championship and the Superbike Championship which probably hasn't happend since the late 80s.

Excellent recap and photographs

I've read these books for years. Each and every year I get the whole picture of what has happened on the World Gran Prix Motorcycle scene. The pictures are beyond words, and give a clear shot of what it's like to ride one of these bikes at speed. The technical information is very good, considering that all the major manufacturers take secrecy to the extreme making it hard for outsiders whom are interested in the technical aspects kind of shut outs. Overall, though....I can't wait to get my hands on the next edition.

Execellent and comprehensive study of the Grand Prix motorcycle scene, with lots on insider stuff besides just the statistics. I especially enjoyed the vignette on the role and influence that "King Kenny" Roberts had on the Euro-centric organizational power structure.

The one short-coming which perhaps Dennis Noyes will address for his NEXT book would be maps for all the circuits where GP motorcycle races have been run.

This one belongs in every two-wheel enthusiast's library

For anyone who needs to know anything about grand prix racing, this book tells it all. The great English and Italian bikes, the coming of the Japanese and so on, it's all here. Fantastic photos and priceless words. Worth every penny.

Anyone with serious interest in motocycle racing needs a reference work of impeccable quality and accuracy, and this is it. There is no point in going on at length about the excellence of this magnificent book, because it delivers satisfaction at every level, from the quality of its contributors (Dennis Noyes, Michael Scott, et al), the brilliance of its photography (Malcolm Bryan, Gold & Goose, etc.) and the completeness of its historical record, not only in describing the technical trajectory of race-bike development and rider accomplishment in all relevant classes, including sidercar, but in the vital statistics that record the results. It's all here, rendered at the highest levels of journalism and publishing.
Hazelton's annual Motocourse journals on motoGP racing are terrific, but somewhat costly, but this wrapup of the entire post-WWII record of GP motorcycle racing does it all. No enthusiast should be without it.

Even if you're not one of the die-hards who regularly buys the Motocourse annual this is the book you cannot live without. Five chapters deal with the different epoques in Motorcycle GP Racing - especially the chapter covering the years 78-87, written by Dennis Noyes is captivating, but even the chapter covering 88-98 by Michael Scott brings tears to your eyes.

The book is deliberately sprinkled with excellent photos, and for the anoraks among us, there is a complete statistic appendix covering results and records.

If this book is not enough for you, another book is available on the same topic. It's french, written by Didier Ganneau and is called - surprise - 50 ans de Grands Prix Moto. (1999 Editions SOLAR, ISBN 2-363-02877-3)