Customer Reviews

World Superbikes: The First Ten Years

Julian Ryder's book on the history of the World Superbike Series (WSB) is a comprehensive guide to the fastest growing world championship racing series. Key to this book is the stunning photography from world famous motorsports photographer Kel Edge. Edge, a London-based photographer, has been following WSB since day one and the book features a good mix of racing, personality shots and even a few R-rated shots of the ever-popular umbrella and trophy girls (my personal favorite of this genre is on page 156).

In the opening chapter Ryder accurately portrays the roots of Superbike racing in Southern California and the influence of Steve McLaughlin, who as a racer and promoter, was the primary driving force behind the growth of Superbike racing in the U.S. in the mid-1970s. From there the book moves to a year-by-year chronological review of the series.

The book gives great insights on the personalities and rivalries that developed between the star riders of WSB. It also delves into the technical aspects of the Superbikes. The intense rivalry between the "big four" Japanese manufacturers (Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki) and the Italian Ducati and Bimota brands on and off the track is well documented.

The back section of the book is a listing of the top-15 finishes of every World Superbike race between 1988 and 1997. It event lists past national champions of Superbike racing from the U.S., Great Britain, Germany, Australia and Japan (strangely omitted in the listings is the Canadian Superbike champions). Also missing from the records section is the pole winners. That information would have been a nice.

Overall, "World Superbikes" is a must for anyone even remotely interested in motorcycle road racing. The photography in the book is so good that it makes a great addition to the coffee table, even though the book is not sized like your typical coffee table book. -- Larry Lawrence