MotoGP Season Review 2006 [Hardcover]

Julian Ryder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2006

The battle for the 2006 MotoGP championship was one of the most dramatic in the history of Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Nicky Hayden of Owensboro, Kentucky, took his epic fight with Valentino Rossi all the way to the last race of the 17-round season, and withstood towering pressure at that final showdown while his veteran rival cracked botching the start and crashing after five laps as he pushed to catch Hayden. Hollywood screenwriters could not have scripted a more exciting finale. By that last race the tension had been ratcheted up to an almost unbearable level. With seemingly unstoppable late-season momentum Rossi had relentlessly chipped away at Hayden s earlier lead of 51 points. Now add to that drama the supporting plot lines of conflicts between teammates, technical problems with bikes, and controversy over how rules were applied, and you have the story of one of the most amazing seasons in motorcycle racing, told in riveting detail with spectacular photographs. Features include: Eight-page reports on each race The full story of each race weekend Comprehensive data Two pages for each race Technical review Every bike analyzed Riders Rider of the Year The riders themselves vote

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: David Bull Publishing (November 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893618803
• ISBN-13: 978-1893618800
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,802,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed review of MotoGP's premier class in 2006, August 7, 2007

By 

S. D. Johnson (La Sierra, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: MotoGP Season Review 2006 (Hardcover)

This book focuses solely on the premier 990cc class of MotoGP motorcycle road-racing and is full of beautiful color photos of bikes, riders, and paddock/umbrella girls. Many pages consist of large, full-page photos and the emphasis is as much on the artistic quality of the sport as on the raw race data and results. There are also several full-page advertisements, and even double-page spreads, from MotoGP sponsors. Fortunately, these are done in such a way as to make them appear part of the annual, but it is dissappointing to pay so much for something with advertisements.

After a Forward by "King" Kenny Roberts, the premier class World Champion in 1978-1980, the next 10 pages (3 of them advert pages) are devoted to a text and photo overview of the 2006 season. The next 6 pages (1 being an ad for the MotoGP Xbox game) cover the Riders' Rider of the Year award and its winner.

The next 9 pages are really sweet, consisting of a detailed technical and photographic look at the Honda RC211V ridden by 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden. This is followed by 14 pages and 1 ad page covering the 7 motorcycle models, which were raced in 2006. Each bike has a 2-page annotated photo of each bike, wiith text and sub-photos, except the Ilmor, which gets only a single page.

The next 15 pages (4 of them ads) take a look at each rider during the season, including Wildcard and Replacement riders. Each rider feature includes a text bio, a photo, and a chart showing the qualifying and finishing position for each round during the 2006 season. The top riders get more space, while the replacements and wildcards get considerably less and lack the chart of the regular riders.

The heart of the book is devoted to the races and covers pages 63-200, including the index. Each round gets 8 pages, six filled with photos and a narrative of the race, and two filled with charts and stats, with only a couple small photos in one corner of the two-page spread.

The information contained on these two pages includes:

1. Race stats (date, length, distance, weather, winner, fastest lap, and previous lap record)

2. A detailed track map, including the names of significant corners and both the speed and gear used at all corners and the fastest spots on the track.

3. A color-coded "lap map" shows the position of each rider on each lap crossing at the finish line, allowing an easy way of identifying which riders DNF'd and any major position battles during the race. It also shows the rider number next to each rider name for easy reference.

4. A Qualifying chart, showing the name, nationality, team sponsor, qualifying time, and how far behind their time was from the pole and the position in front of them.

5. A Race chart, showing the rider name, bike model, full race time, amount behind the race leader, fastest lap time for each rider, and average speed of each.

6. A Championship chart showing the points standings after the race.

7. A small paragraph describing the race from the perspective of each rider, in their finish order.

The final 9 pages consist of 4 pages on the Riders for Health program, 4 pages of adverts (tho one is a full page photo of World Champ Nicky Hayden) and a page showing the final season standings for the riders, the manufactures, and the teams. It also contains two a small photo with all three MotoGP champions and the final season standings for the 125cc and 250cc classes.

Overall, this is an excellent look at the premier class of MotoGP, motorcycle racing's premier circuit. It is full of beautiful color photos and contains a nice mixture of text and stats. The layout is superb and the book can be enjoyed as a photo album, a good read, or as a reference of the 2006 MotoGP season. Highly recommended to any racing fan.