Motorcycle Drag Racing: A History

The inside cover of Motorcycle Drag Racing: A History reads as follows: “There is a line in a Lovin’ Spoonful song that says, “It’s like trying to tell a stranger about rock ‘n roll.” Motorcycle drag racing is a bit like that. To those who follow it, the sport makes perfect sense. To those who don’t, it makes none at all. This book is for both. At 244 pages, this book is quite large. With so much to explore it, had to be. Organized motorcycle drag racing began nearly 60 years ago, and an incredible amount has happened since then. While much of the change has involved the machinery—and the book discusses it in great detail—it is the people that make the sport so fascinating. And in the book, more than 500 of them are discussed.

The inside cover of Motorcycle Drag Racing: A History reads as follows: “There is a line in a Lovin’ Spoonful song that says, “It’s like trying to tell a stranger about rock ‘n roll.” Motorcycle drag racing is a bit like that. To those who follow it, the sport makes perfect sense. To those who don’t, it makes none at all. This book is for both. At 244 pages, this book is quite large. With so much to explore it, had to be. Organized motorcycle drag racing began nearly 60 years ago, and an incredible amount has happened since then. While much of the change has involved the machinery—and the book discusses it in great detail—it is the people that make the sport so fascinating. And in the book, more than 500 of them are discussed. In the words of former Cycle editor, Cook Neilson, “Stein gives dimension and warmth to the people who built and rode these bikes, some of whom are still banging their heads against the quarter-mile reality. Geniuses all, innovators all. John Stein has done them -- bikes and men -- proud.” As Terry Vance, 14-time National Drag Racing Champion, put it, “The entire drag racing community owes John a debt of gratitude. This book is the first place where our history has been gathered in one place. Great reading for anyone who loves or wants to know more about the sport of motorcycle drag racing.”