Ring of Fire - Softcover

Broadbent, Rick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0593062639 ISBN 13: 9780593062630

Publisher: Bantam Press, 2009

Synopsis

"Ring of Fire" is an insider's account of the acclaim, heroism and pressures of being a MotoGP racer. This is a world where manufacturers invest millions, and where a rider will emerge from a coma with shattered legs and bloody lungs to get back on his bike to save his job. This is the first book to cover the whole of the MotoGP era, at the centre of which is Valentino Rossi. "Ring of Fire" charts his rise, fall and rebirth, detailing the darker side to his rivalries with Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau and his battles with the tax man and the media. This is a warts-and-all portrait with tales of vandalised cars and the racer who wants to torch 'the whole goddamn valley'. It is a breathless behind-the-scenes look at what makes these riders tick, from double World Superbike champion James Toseland to warring Spanish starlets Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa. Rick Broadbent looks back at the sport's tradition of reprobates and debauchery. He introduces us, not just to the stars, but also to the officials, parents, doctors, team owners and fans who make up this white-knuckle sport. By turns funny, sad, shocking and uplifting, "Ring of Fire" brings us face to face with all those who are bonded by a shared love of risking it all at 200mph.

About this title

About the Author

Rick Broadbent is a sports writer for the Times, for whom he covers MotoGP, among other things. He has previously witten books on football, boxing and athletics as well as, most recently, collaborating with motorcycle legend Ron Haslam on his autobiography Rocket Men, published by Bantam Press in July 2008.

From the Back Cover

This is the fast lane and they all dance in a ring of fire...

In Ring of Fire, the first book to cover the whole of the MotoGP era, Rick Broadbent gives a breathless behind-the-scenes account of the acclaim, heroism, pressures and danger of life at 200mph. At its centre is Valentino Rossi. Brilliant, eccentric, brave and above all fast, the Italian megastar has left motorcycling records trailing in his wake. From his rivalries with Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau, through his dethroning by a farm boy named Nicky Hayden, the emergence of young Australian Casey Stoner from the back of a mangy paddock trailer, to warring Spanish starlets Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa, Rossi has risen, fallen, and been reborn.

Ring of Fire also looks back at the sport's tradition of romance, reprobates and debauchery, interweaving the story of Rossi's hero, Mike Hailwood, a legend who double-dated twin sisters with his great rival Giacomo Agostini before launching a mesmerizing comeback of his own. By turns funny, sad, shocking and uplifting, Ring of Fire brings us face to face with the extraordinary cast of characters that make up this white-knuckle sport and what makes them tick. To be faster, harder, better.

Edition details

• Publisher: Bantam Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0593062639
• ISBN 13: 9780593062630
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352