BMW Racing Motorcycles: The Mastery of Speed

Here is the intriguing story of one of the world's most admired and enduring motorcycle companies, and how their fortunes were molded by a determination to win races. Early in the last century, the fledgling company decided to test its products, demonstrate the quality of its designs, and showcase German technology by winning competitions. That determination has lasted to this day, as BMW has remained a formidable competitor in various venues of motorcycle racing. The book covers the company's early mutation from aircraft engine builder to producer of reliable, high-quality motorcycles. Its development of supercharged engines, advanced suspension systems, and many other innovations led to its dominance of various race competitions at different times, with many of those technologies making their way into production motorcycles. BMWs have long been known for reliability and endurance; it is precisely those characteristics which gave the company the deciding advantage in sidecar racing, endurance competitions, and Superbike racing.

Mark Gardiner was an ad agency creative director and amateur motorcycle racer for 15 years. In 2002, he quit his job, sold all his possessions, and moved to the Isle of Man to race in the TT. Since then, as a motojournalist, his work has appeared in Bike, Classic Bike, Performance Bikes, Cycle Canada, Road Racer X, Cycle World, and a Swedish magazine with a name that simply cannot be pronounced at all in English. He is the author of the memoir Riding Man.

Laurel C. Allen grew up in the road race paddocks of North America, the daughter of a two-time Canadian national champion and twenty-five-year fixture on the AMA road race scene. Raised in the shadow of road race legends and alongside many of the fastest competitors racing today, it's no surprise Allen eventually sought her own place in the industry, starting out at Cycle News and ending up -- thirteen years later -- Senior Editor of Road Racer X magazine. She is currently at work on a second racing-related Whitehorse Press project.Mark Gardiner was an ad agency creative director and amateur motorcycle racer for 15 years. In 2002, he quit his job, sold all his possessions, and moved to the Isle of Man to race in the TT. Since then, as a motojournalist, his work has appeared in Bike, Classic Bike, Performance Bikes, Cycle Canada, Road Racer X, Cycle World, and a Swedish magazine with a name that simply cannot be pronounced at all in English. He is the author of the memoir Riding Man.