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I lifted up my cracked UV visor with my thumb. 'Which way does the track go and what's the lap record?' I called out over the noise of the valve gear rattling and clanging between my legs. The flag marshal's eyebrows raised in disbelief. I could see him muttering 'And who the hell do you think you are - Mike Hailwood?' Four years later 'Croz' as he is affectionately known to millions of fans walked away from the glamour of world championship Grand Prix racing taking with him a bag full of trophies and his ever-present sense of humour. In that short time he had achieved more than most riders could ever hope for in a lifetime of racing. Become his pillion passenger as he takes you on a fast and furious journey from the grassroots of New Zealand motorcycle racing through Australia Japan the UK and Europe. Experience with him the crashes the pain the elation of winning and the international controversies. While the politics boycotts and tragic fatalities make enthralling reading the common thread is his determination to enjoy life and have fun. And win a few world championships.
About the Author
Graeme Crosby now lives at Matakana, north of Auckland, where he and his wife are establishing their own piece of paradise. This is his first book. It doesn't show.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
This autobiography is a fantastic read regardless of whether you remember Graeme Crosby when he was climbing to the dizzy heights of his motorcycle racing career.
In my view, CROZ ranks alongside other genuinely great racing books - such as THE PRIVATEER, the autobiography of the serious and intense John Ekerold - mainly because Croz has written his book honestly and dispassionately. Croz leaves you in no doubt about how the Grand Prix racing scene worked in the late 70s and early 80s period and tells it all from the perspective of a naturally funny, laid-back Kiwi who took the knocks with the accolades as he rapidly became a household name. He achieved this in record time by showing our (British) boys the way home on the famous sit-up-and-beg Kawasaki shown on the cover of his 432 page book.
In 1974, Croz started his racing career aboard a home-prepared Kawasaki 350 Avenger, sliding and wheelying his way past the lamp posts and brick walls of New Zealand's genuine street circuits - there's even one called the Cemetery Circuit. Croz was eventually sponsored astride a fire-breathing Yoshimura Kawasaki 1000 which he took to Australia for a season of racing.
This page-turning book is well-illustrated with period photographs and records all of Croz's ups and downs. From his association with Moriwaki to his arrival in the UK. He explains how his Moriwaki-tuned street-bike became his calling card to the movers and shakers as he clawed his way to being recognised as a top-ranking Grand Prix motorcycle racer. And it worked. Within a few months, Croz was picked up by Suzuki in 1980 to ride their factory F1 and Grand Prix machinery. Within a few years, Croz had developed from a top-rate Kiwi rider to a double TT Formula One World Champion (1980 and 1981). On the way he won many famous races such as the Daytona 200, Imola 200, Suzuka 8 Hours and of course many Isle of Man TT races. He also gained an unusual ability to switch and ride competitively, the best factory Grand Prix two-strokes from Suzuki and Yamaha alongside his four stroke F1 machinery.
But the innocent honesty and lack of political shenanigans that endeared Croz to his loyal fan-base became the trip-wires to a long career in Grand Prix racing. Croz finished 8th, 5th and 2nd overall in the 500cc Motorcycle World Championship in 1980, 1981 and 1982 respectively. Surely he'd be the World Champion in 1983?
But no. After a year riding for Giacomo Agostini's Yamaha GP Team, at the end of 1982 Croz confounded everybody by turning his back on GP racing and returning to New Zealand. This was Croz's mid-career crisis as his enthusiasm switched from racing motorcycles to flying aeroplanes and racing saloon cars.
By reading this frank and honest autobiography, you'll learn how Croz did it, what was really happening behind the office doors, his thoughts on his rivals and much, much more. And amongst all this, Croz was rarely ruffled; never phased. He always had (and still has) time to chat with everyone who approaches him.
That's CROZ.
In my view, CROZ ranks alongside other genuinely great racing books - such as THE PRIVATEER, the autobiography of the serious and intense John Ekerold - mainly because Croz has written his book honestly and dispassionately. Croz leaves you in no doubt about how the Grand Prix racing scene worked in the late 70s and early 80s period and tells it all from the perspective of a naturally funny, laid-back Kiwi who took the knocks with the accolades as he rapidly became a household name. He achieved this in record time by showing our (British) boys the way home on the famous sit-up-and-beg Kawasaki shown on the cover of his 432 page book.
In 1974, Croz started his racing career aboard a home-prepared Kawasaki 350 Avenger, sliding and wheelying his way past the lamp posts and brick walls of New Zealand's genuine street circuits - there's even one called the Cemetery Circuit. Croz was eventually sponsored astride a fire-breathing Yoshimura Kawasaki 1000 which he took to Australia for a season of racing.
This page-turning book is well-illustrated with period photographs and records all of Croz's ups and downs. From his association with Moriwaki to his arrival in the UK. He explains how his Moriwaki-tuned street-bike became his calling card to the movers and shakers as he clawed his way to being recognised as a top-ranking Grand Prix motorcycle racer. And it worked. Within a few months, Croz was picked up by Suzuki in 1980 to ride their factory F1 and Grand Prix machinery. Within a few years, Croz had developed from a top-rate Kiwi rider to a double TT Formula One World Champion (1980 and 1981). On the way he won many famous races such as the Daytona 200, Imola 200, Suzuka 8 Hours and of course many Isle of Man TT races. He also gained an unusual ability to switch and ride competitively, the best factory Grand Prix two-strokes from Suzuki and Yamaha alongside his four stroke F1 machinery.
But the innocent honesty and lack of political shenanigans that endeared Croz to his loyal fan-base became the trip-wires to a long career in Grand Prix racing. Croz finished 8th, 5th and 2nd overall in the 500cc Motorcycle World Championship in 1980, 1981 and 1982 respectively. Surely he'd be the World Champion in 1983?
But no. After a year riding for Giacomo Agostini's Yamaha GP Team, at the end of 1982 Croz confounded everybody by turning his back on GP racing and returning to New Zealand. This was Croz's mid-career crisis as his enthusiasm switched from racing motorcycles to flying aeroplanes and racing saloon cars.
By reading this frank and honest autobiography, you'll learn how Croz did it, what was really happening behind the office doors, his thoughts on his rivals and much, much more. And amongst all this, Croz was rarely ruffled; never phased. He always had (and still has) time to chat with everyone who approaches him.
That's CROZ.
A great read of an amazing career. I was sucked right in to this book and read the whole thing in 3 days. Very enjoyable. Was very impressed with the flaming toilet paper incident & various other larrikin exploits as he & his crew travelled the world racing bikes and risking his life.
I have a very soft spot for Croz as i saw him do a feet up burnout thru an entire series of witches hats that were set up for a "P's" test here in australia. He sure can ride.
I found the inside view of what happens in GP teams to be pretty fascinating. Much like other jobs, being on a the good side of the boss means everything. Sadly for Croz he never learned to walk the walk. But he did do it his way.
I have a very soft spot for Croz as i saw him do a feet up burnout thru an entire series of witches hats that were set up for a "P's" test here in australia. He sure can ride.
I found the inside view of what happens in GP teams to be pretty fascinating. Much like other jobs, being on a the good side of the boss means everything. Sadly for Croz he never learned to walk the walk. But he did do it his way.
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