- Hardcover: 240 pages
- Publisher: J H Haynes & Co Ltd; Reprint edition (Mar 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1844256898
- ISBN-13: 978-1844256891
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16.2 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
325,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #97 in Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Motor Sports > Motorcycle Racing
- See Complete Table of Contents
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
This is the compelling story of how one of Japan's biggest motorcycle manufacturers stole a Nazi rocket scientist's engine secrets from behind the Iron Curtain to conquer the world. In 1961, with the Cold War at its height, East German motorcycle manufacturer MZ was using World War II rocket technology to win Grands Prix, only for rider Ernst Degner to defect and sell the secrets to Suzuki, while his wife and children were drugged and smuggled through the Berlin Wall. The following year Suzuki and Degner made history by winning the world title. Branded a traitor by the communists, Degner suffered horrific injuries in a fiery racing accident and died in mysterious circumstances.
About the Author
A former motorcycle racer and Isle of Man TT winner, Mat Oxley has been writing about bike racing for more than two decades and is the author of Haynes' acclaimed biographies of Valentino Rossi and Mick Doohan.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Amazing story - it'd make an awesome James Bond style movie! Like Jamie Whitham said, I could hardly put the book down. What the racers got upto back in those days was crazy - some very scary stories in here - makes modern racing all seem so tame.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Good read - great pace, exciting subject, written by someone who knows the subject and has ridden the TT (and won).
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
An excellent read it gives an insight into life under the East German regime at the time and also into Walter Kaaden. It also shows what an engineer he was to get all that performance out in the first place.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
This Book is a Steal!
Ernst Degner was reputedly a 'vain... arrogant daredevil, who looked after number one'. His motivation for defecting from East Germany and selling the secrets of a high-powered... Read more
Published 16 days ago by Cú Uladh
A Great Read
I was aware of the Degner story from a Robbie Coltrane documentary several years ago. My brother had an MZ250 when I was in my early teens, so the off beat character and exhaust... Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. C. Ansell
A riveting read from first page to last.
Most people have rated this book at 5 stars and I'm no exception. One reviewer has criticised the author for misspelling some German words. Read more
Published 5 months ago by A. Pitts
What a great story!
Not only is this a great yarn, but personally interesting to me in that I was on the editorial staff of Motor Cycle News in the mid sixties, and met and spoke to many of the... Read more
Published 13 months ago by M. S. George
Stealing Speed -- sold so cheap
-- simply do yourself a favour, buy this book and enjoy. Full of detail, well researched and brilliantly written. You will not want to put this down. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Herr Keiron Clapcott
A riveting read but...
... Mat Oxley's German is as bad as his proof-reader's. Most German words are misspelled (including some locations). Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mick Regolg
No wonder the Jap two strokes came on so quickly!
I would reccmmend this book to any motorcycle enthusiast, it reveals the secret behind the overnight Japanese two stroke success in the 60's! Read more
Published 23 months ago by Mike 54
Riveting real life story
The book is well written and contains a lot of new research.
It is amazing what has happened (and still happens) in real life - much more interesting than spy fiction.
It is amazing what has happened (and still happens) in real life - much more interesting than spy fiction.
Published on 4 April 2010 by Raimo K
Thoroughly Good Read
Read this from cover to cover with hardly a break. Written in a manner that keeps you wanting to know what's on the next page. Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2010 by Malcolm Macdonald
MZ racing history
If you are interested in RR history,this book will open your eyes how advanced the technology of MZ racing bikes was and help you understand that basics of todays racing two... Read more
Published on 5 Dec 2009 by Pepe Avanti
Listmania!
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