Neil Hodgson: Back On Track - Hardcover

Hodgson, Neil

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007126468 ISBN 13: 9780007126460

Publisher: Willow, 2001

Synopsis

An intimate diary of a year in the life of leading motorcycle rider Neil Hodgson, as he competes in the World Superbike Championship for the first time.

With Carl Fogarty's retirement and Walker's recent defection to the Grand Prix circuit, the British challenge in World Superbikes for 2001 is being spearheaded by Neil Hodgson, who will be a strong contender for the championship in his rookie season.

The book will be a diary of Neil's season from the Spanish round in Valencia on 11 March to the final round in Imola, Italy at the end of September: it will feature the highs, the lows, the crashes, the triumphs, the flashpoints – everything about the high-octane world of professional Superbikes that makes the sport such a global attraction.

How does Neil cope with the pressure-cooker atmosphere of the World Superbike circus, and the weight of expectation that accompanies stepping into Carl Fogarty's shoes? Who are his friends and enemies on the circuit? What is the nature of his relationship with his mechanics, Ducati team-mates, and the media? And can anything rival the thrill of racing and winning on high performance motorbikes?

Neil provides the answers to all these questions and more. The book is a revealing portrait of a year inside World Superbikes as well as an intriguing insight into the mind of one of the sport's brightest prospects.

About this title

About the Author

Neil Hodgson will be competing in World Superbikes for the first time in 2001 for GSE Ducati, after narrowly beating Chris Walker to the 2000 MB4U British Superbike Championship. The 27-year-old Lancashire rider has risen through the ranks of road racing and short circuits to get this chance. Unquestionably, he will be the fans’ favourite.

Neil Bramwell is a freelance sports journalist, having formerly been sports editor of the Blackburn-based Lancashire Evening Telegraph. He collaborated with Carl Fogarty in writing the Superbike legend’s bestselling autobiography.

From the Back Cover

Spearheading the British challenge in World Superbikes in 2001, Neil Hodgson is set to be one of the major stars in the high-octane world of motorcycle racing for years to come.

The charming and affable 27-year-old Lancastrian has always been talented, winning the 2000 British Championship in style as well as two world superbike races in the same year as a wild-card entrant, fittingly at Donington and Brands Hatch. Stepping up to the international arena with the GSE Racing team, Hodgson signalled his credentials for the 2001 season by posting the fastest time in the official winter test at Kyalami.

This diary of Hodgson's season features the highs of his triumphant victory as Donington and two podium finishes at Laguna Seca, the disappointments of Phillip Island, Monza and Misano, along with the crashes, flashpoints and fiery competition between the teams leading up to the climax of the season at Imola.

In the GSE garage, around the paddock and in his own motorhome, Hodgson takes the reader behind the scenes, charting the ebb and flow of a dramatic year while reflecting on the pressure-cooker atmosphere of the sport, what it is like stepping into Carl Fogarty's shoes, and his relationship with this mechanics, teammate James Toseland and fellow riders such as Troy Corser, Colin Edwards and Troy Bayliss.

The book is a fascinating expose of the drama and excitement of World Superbikes and an intriguing insight into the mind of one of the sport's brightest prospects.

Edition details

• Publisher: Willow
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0007126468
• ISBN 13: 9780007126460
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224