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Mick Grant, leading British motorcycle racer of the 1970s and 1980s, has a deserved reputation as one of the sport's most colourful characters.
Mick Grant - Takin' the Mick tells the story of this straight-talking, hard-riding Yorkshireman whose determination and commitment earned him the label 'gritty' in the media. He was never afraid to tell people what he thought or - sometimes - to bend the rules.
Born the son of a miner near Wakefield, he entered motorcycle racing through the most unlikely of routes, from a college fine art course. His career began as 'dodgily' as it would continue, siphoning petrol out of cars to fuel his teenage exploits on a Triumph Tiger borrowed from his friend's dad, and much later on, smuggling a present of 'contraband' from the US in the rear tyre of an imported bike.
Mick Grant - Takin' the Mick is the a candid tale of a racer who recognizes that his very strengths - his honest, straightforward approach - could also work against him, such as his ability to 'put corporate noses out of joint'. It also describes, with typical lack of sentimentality, the harder moments of his career, such as the death of fellow racers and the vendetta by German fans after an accident with an inexperienced competitor.
In a racing career spanning almost 20 years, Mick Grant won three grands prix, seven TTs and was the man who finally broke Mike Hailwood's enduring lap record. He had long spells as a factory rider for Norton, Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki, raced against Mike Hailwood, Barry Sheene and Giacomo Agostini. Grant's fierce rivalry with Sheene during the mid 1970s made the headlines and drew the crowds as they battled it out on machines with engine power which far outstripped chassis design and tyre technology and when little thought was given to rider safety.
After retiring from racing as reigning British Superstock champion in 1985, he went on to manage new generations of champion riders, including James Whitham, Steve Plater, Craig Jones and Chris Vermeulen.
Co-written by renowned motocycle racing journalist Mac McDiarmid, who has been a friend of Grant's for 20 years, this autobiography is the honest account of the highs, lows and occasional scrapes of this celebrated racer.
Author
Mac McDiarmid is a freelance journalist of 30 years' experience and the author of over a dozen motocycle books, including an acclaimed biography of Joey Dunlop, James Whitham's autobiography and a history of the Isle of Man TT races, all published by Haynes. He is a former racer himself and was previously editor of Bike and Island Racer magazines. Hi lives mainly on the Isle of Man.
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Review copies available
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