Motorcycle Racing

Twenty-two individuals split by technique, guile, millions of euros of technical development and only slivers of a second on the racetrack. Welcome to the sensational world of MotoGP and the highly pressurized environment of personal risk at 225mph. In The Best Fuel, journalist Adam Wheeler takes readers inside the 75-year-old FIM world championship, with all the electric stories, sights and personalities that feature in this annual gauntlet of twenty rounds and seventeen countries across eleven months.

As 'The Voice' of motorcycle racing for 40 years, commentator Nick Harris became the biggest star not on two wheels in the paddock, and this is his mostly eyewitness, white-knuckle account of MotoGP's scorching 70-year history. The story starts on the Isle of Man in 1949, when Geoff Duke, with his slicked-back hair and one-piece black leathers, became the nation's hero, defying the odds and winning the most dangerous race in the world on a British-built Norton.

Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne knows what it is like to live on the edge. The most successful rider in British Superbike history, he is the only person to have won the championship six times. Shakey is a living motorbike legend, with legions of fans across the country. For the first time Shakey tells his life story, from being abandoned as a newborn baby in a London hospital, to multiple brushes with the law and working night shifts on the London Underground to fund his early racing career.

They say I'm hell on wheels. The fastest, hardest, most successful motorcycle racer alive. They say I don't know how to lose - that I always get what I'm after. And I always do, except for her - my illicit obsession. Years ago, I chose fame over forbidden temptation. Back then, she was way too young. Too off-limits. My best friend's little sister and way too good for a rough, dirty street racer like me. Now I'm back - rich, hardened, and fallen from grace after getting kicked off the racing circuit. But Hailey Prescot might just be my saving grace.

Charley Boorman is back on his bike exploring the world's second-largest country - home to some of the most stunning and challenging terrain known to man. Canada is a country of extremes, and Charley knows all about pushing the limits. He goes dirt biking in New Brunswick, dives through old shipwrecks in Tobermory and rides along Butch Cassidy's old Outlaw Trail. He also meets a fascinating mix of people on his journey.

Watching a motorcycle race is exciting, but have you ever wondered about the science behind the speed? From before riders reach the track until they blaze across the finish line, science plays a key role. Find out about the concepts behind motorcycle design, track surfaces, drafting, protective clothing, and much more!

Told with humor and wit, Scraping Pegs is a bold narrative; including “rules” to help you survive the art of riding and life. Press an experienced rider beyond their glory stories, and they’ll tell you about the miles of nothingness. While showing off their road rash, they may share special moments, cruising down the road to joy, accelerating out of a corner, riding across desert sand, or up a mountain trail.

Graham Jarvis has been at the top of off-road motorcycling for the best part of 25 years and has competed in hundreds of competitions and races all over the world, from TV's Junior Kick Start in the early 1990s to the fabled and ridiculously perilous two-day Italian event Hell's Gate, which he has dominated in recent years and which is one of motorsport's most feared events. Having excelled at trials and enduro, Graham moved into the high-octane world of extreme enduro, one of the most exhilarating sports on two wheels, in 2011.

Dirt bike racers don't let anything stand in their way as they blaze to the finish line. Tight turns, steep hills, or huge jumps - these riders brave them all. Take a look at dirt bikes, how they work, and the races they compete in.