Steve Hislop is one of the most famous motorcycle racers in the world. He has always been outspoken and controversial, having had many famous clashes and splits with teams and riders over the years, not always to his advantage. Here he gets his chance to tell his story. Hislop made his debut in 1979 on a bike paid for by his father, but when the latter died of a heart-attack, he embarked on a self-destructive quest that resulted in more crashed bikes and cars than he can remember. Three years later his brother Garry was killed racing at Silloth. It looked as if he would never race again but while on holiday at the Isle of Man TT races in 1983, he was mesmerised by the sight of Joey Dunlop and he knew he had to try it. He took to the roads immediately, amassing an amazing career record of 11 wins and was the first rider in history to lap the course at an average speed of over 120mph. Hizzy's TT victories over big name rivals like Joey Dunlop and Carl Fogarty made him a living legend the world over. He turned his back on the Isle of Man in 1994, claiming it was too fast and dangerous for modern superbikes. However, he had already proved he was just as fast on purpose-built short circuits having won the British 250cc championship in 1990 and then went on to win the British superbike title in 1995.

Hizzy: The Autobiography of Steve Hislop

Barker, Stuart

Hislop, Steve

Biographies & Memoirs

Harper Uk

This is the life story of the former world 500cc motorcycle champion, Barry Sheene - the Brit whose death-defying crashes and playboy lifestyle made him famous. It is written by the only journalist to have ridden on the roads with him, and features interviews with closest friends, teammates and former rivals. Born in London's East End in 1950, Sheene was introduced to motorsport at the age of five, with his father Frank building him his first ever motorbike. His story traces his humble beginnings as a maverick opposed to every educational influence, through an apprenticeship as a part-time rider and full-time mechanic, to a works team racer, with a host of diversions in pursuit of the opposite sex. It charts his success between 1975 and 1982, a golden period during which Sheene won more international 500cc and 750cc grand prix titles than anyone, including the world 500cc title in 1976 and 1977. He achieved all this despite the horrendous carnage from a series of near-fatal crashes from which Sheene miraculously survived and overcame, against all odds. Outside the sport, Sheene discovered an acting talent in Covent Garden opera, the ITV show "Just Amazing" and in numerous TV commercials, making him a household name. On his retirement, he found fulfilment in Brisbane as an expert motorsport commentator and an accomplished businessman, despite the shock of being diagnosed with cancer in 2002.

Barry Sheene, 1950-2003: The Biography

The definitive life story of the seventies world 500cc motorcycle champion Barry Sheene – the Brit whose death-defying crashes and playboy lifestyle made him the most famous bike racer on the planet. Written by the only journalist to have ridden on the roads with him, and featuring interviews with closest friends, team mates and former rivals.
Born in London's East End in 1950, Sheene was introduced to motor sport at the age of five, with his father Frank building him his first ever motorbike.
His story traces his humble beginnings as a maverick opposed to every educational influence, through an apprenticeship as a part-time rider and full-time mechanic, to a works team racer, with a host of diversions in pursuit of the opposite sex.
It charts his success between 1975 and 1982, a golden period during which Sheene won more international 500cc and 750cc Grand Prix titles than anyone, including the world 500cc title in 1976 and 1977. This despite the horrendous carnage from a series of near-fatal crashes from which Sheene miraculously survived and overcame, against all odds.
Outside the sport, Sheene discovered an acting talent, appearing in the ITV show Just Amazing and in numerous TV commercials, making him a household name. On his retirement, he found fulfilment (and a friendlier climate for his battered body) in Brisbane as an expert motor sport commentator and an accomplished businessman. After being diagnosed with cancer in 2002 he shunned conventional treatments, preferring natural remedies, but died early in 2003.
This is the complete portrait of perhaps the greatest circuit racer of them all.

Barry Sheene 1950–2003: The Biography

Sports & Outdoors

Biographies

Willow

A searching and at times harrowing re-appraisal of the life of Evel Knievel, the seventies American icon and the greatest daredevil motorcyclist that ever lived. Born in the town of Butte, Montana in 1938, Robert Craig Knievel was an outstanding athlete, ski jumper and ice hockey player at school. His early jobs included working in the copper mines and driving a bus as well as a stint in the US Army, but he always subsidised his income through crime ('I could crack a safe with one hand tied behind my back quicker than you could eat a hamburger with two.') He used bikes to escape from the police and eventually hit upon the idea of jumping them after seeing a stunt driver jump cars at a state fair. His first jump took place over two mountain lions and a box of rattlesnakes, and he soon developed his act into the 'Evel Knievel Motorcycle Daredevils' before embarking on a solo career. Knievel suffered 37 breaks and fractures during his daredevil career. In 1967 he spent 29 days in a coma after an attempt to jump over the fountains outside Caesar's Palace casino in Las Vegas. While recovering, he decided to make his goal to jump the Grand Canyon, an attempt he was forced to abort by the US Government; and later was paid USD1 million for jumping over 13 double-decker buses at Wembley Stadium. Now in his mid-sixties, he remains partially crippled from his injuries, which include breaks in both legs and a crushed pelvis. The gambling, alcoholism and womanising have also taken their toll. Meanwhile, his son Robbie has become a record-breaking stunt rider. Stuart Barker's definitive biography captures the super-star status of Knievel, even to this day, and also examines the marketing phenomenon of a man who once boasted he 'made USD60 million and blew USD61 million'.

Life of Evel : Evel Knievel

HarperCollins, UK

Life of Evel: Evel Knievel

Harpercollins Pub, Ltd.

He's in the Guinness Book of Records for the most broken bones in a single year. He claimed to have slept with more than 2,000 women. He battled alcoholism and gambling addictions, was jailed for attacking a colleague with a baseball bat, and blew an estimated $60 million fortune. And he became a superstar for repeatedly staring death in the face with his headline-grabbing stunts on his flying motorbike. Evel Knievel was the last great gladiator, an extraordinary thrill-seeker with an even more extraordinary life that endeared him to millions.A searching and at times harrowing re-appraisal of the life of Evel Knievel, Stuart Barker's definitive biography captures the superstar status that Knievel held and also examines the originator of Xtreme sports--a man whose love of gambling, women and drinking, ensure his legend will live forever. Through meticulous reporting and interviews, Barker penetrates the legends to divulge the complete story of one of the most compell

St.Martin's Press

David Jefferies: The Official Biography

Inscribed on the gravestone of David Jefferies is: 'Those who risk nothing do nothing, achieve nothing, become nothing'. As the undisputed master of the most dangerous race track in the world, the Isle of Man TT course, the affable Yorkshireman risked so much and achieved such legendary status before losing his life in practice for the 2003 TT. John McGuinness rated him as 'probably the most naturally talented rider in the British paddock'. This is his story.

Haynes Publishing, UK

'AN EXCEPTIONAL READ' - Motor Cycle News\n'STUART BARKER IS TO WRITING WHAT VALENTINO ROSSI IS TO RIDING [...] A MUST-READ FOR ALL BIKE NUTS' - DAILY MIRROR\n'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.'\nValentino 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.\nYet 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.\nIn 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 . . .\nUsing 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.

Valentino Rossi: The Definitive Biography

John Blake

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. 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, he has seen it all. The deaths of rivals and friends, the glory of 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.

Historical

Joey Dunlop: The Definitive Biography

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Books by Barker, Stuart

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Barker, Stuart. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Hizzy: The Autobiography of Steve Hislop

Barry Sheene, 1950-2003: The Biography

Barry Sheene 1950–2003: The Biography

Life of Evel : Evel Knievel

Life of Evel: Evel Knievel

Life of Evel: Evel Knievel

David Jefferies: The Official Biography

Valentino Rossi: The Definitive Biography

Valentino Rossi: The Definitive Biography

Joey Dunlop: The Definitive Biography