- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: Century; First Edition Third Impression edition (29 Aug 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1844138801
- ISBN-13: 978-1844138807
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 16 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
93,090 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #85 in Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Motor Sports > Formula One
| ||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in What If I Had Never Tried It for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Book Description
The massive no. 1 bestseller - the life story of the world's greatest motorcycle rider
--This text refers to the
Mass Market Paperback
edition.
Product Description
Valentino Rossi is the greatest living motorcyclist. His legions of fans adore him (over 4,000 turned up to see him in Leicester Square last March). He has fought through the 125 and 250 class groups to win the World Championships five times and has been ranked in the top three places at the World Championships for the last nine years. He is currently the MotoGP World Champion, and has won on a Honda bike - considered the best, and most recently on a Yamaha - considered the worst. He is arguably the greatest racer ever - and certainly the most entertaining - his post race antics, and cheeky personality have won him as many fans as his on-track prowess. He is the kind of star who only comes along once in a while - a Muhammad Ali or Pele - hugely talented, massively driven, yet also scorching charismatic, unnervingly rebellious and totally endearing - a twentieth-century version of the hell-raisers of old. All who know Rossi say he is a consummate professional, that he works harder than anyone could ever realise, but that most of all, he still loves what he does. He just seems to win, more because he's still enjoying himself so much. He is infamous for his on the edge riding, pushing himself and his bike to the very limits of what they can do, and screaming around racecourses in record times. But he is also well known for his good looks, his techni-coloured hair and cheeky humour - and for his sheer youthful exuberance in victory - his post-match victory laps have become a thing of legend. Previously he has driven victory laps in full beach gear, including flip-flops, with a man sized chicken riding pillion (and also, in a jibe to Max Biaggi who had an unceremonious break-up with the model Naomi Campbell, with a life size doll of Claudia Schiffer strapped on behind him.) His warmth of character coupled with his amazing career statistics to date - his first GP win aged 17, his first world title at 18, his first 500 class win at 21 and his first MotoGP win at 22 - mean that this young man has the motorcycle racing world at his feet. His raw talent coupled with his firm belief in the 'entertainment' aspect of his sport and the importance of his fans, means that he really is the David Beckham of bikes - he has done the near impossible and transcended his own territory. His appeal - being at the top of his game without being a purist, still being seen to be young and excited by the game, and being a perfectionist on and off the track when it comes to his driving - means that he really is one of the superstars of the sporting world.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I speak as a huge fan of Valentino Rossi when i say that this book is overall a disappointing read.
The problem with the book is that Vale hasn't lived enough of his life yet, and by his own admission failed to complete a full school education, and it shows with the construction and content of the book. The whole book has the feel of a long homework essay written by a teenager, although perhaps the translation into english might be to blame for this. Again due to his young age, Vale has little to fill the book with apart from drawn out repetitive anecdotes about his childhood and trackside pranks, and his limited outlook on life. His ability on a motorcycle and to surround himself with the best pit garage talent throughout his career, is beyond question, however his ranting about Honda for the 1st three chapters became a bore. I had the feeling throughout the book that Vale either isn't as interesting as we would like him to be, or isn't able to express his feelings articulately enough to make this book an interesting read.
It is easy to fall into the trap of saying that a product about something or someone is great simply by association with an individual or event that people hold in high regard, but in my view Valentino for the time being should have let his motorsport do the talking, and perhaps waited until he had completed his career in motorsport a decade or so from now, before writing a autobiography about his life.
If you want to read a better motorcycle racers auto\biography, try the Barry Sheene or Steve Hislop books both of which are a far more interesting and engrossing read.
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is one of the best books i've read this year. Gives a great insight into Rossi himself and into the world of MotoGP. A must read for any Rossi fan! Very funny in parts!
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have to agree with the last reviewer, why are people knocking this book?
I thought it was great, and yes some things are lost in translation, but if the whole book was written in Vale's charming broken english, people would soon be complaining about that!
I thought it still showed what a cheeky spirited person he is, as we all can tell whenever he's interviewed.I laughed at the little escapades he tells of what he and his mates got up to back home, and his meticulous planning of his on-track pranks to entertain the crowd. A lot of sports personalities autobiographies can become weighed down with technical jargon and statistics, but this one for me, especially as i'm not an expert on motorbikes or racing, was very enjoyable.
I first became a fan of Valentino because i was forced to watch motoGP by my boyfriend, and being half-italian i would instantly pick the italian in any sport to cheer for, but at the end of the race when he'd won and was interviewed i LOVED HIM!
Vale is such a big character, and an even bigger natural talent, anyone who has not finished reading this book, please give it another go, it really is an entertaining read!
Thanks Vale, When's the next instalment??!
I thought it was great, and yes some things are lost in translation, but if the whole book was written in Vale's charming broken english, people would soon be complaining about that!
I thought it still showed what a cheeky spirited person he is, as we all can tell whenever he's interviewed.I laughed at the little escapades he tells of what he and his mates got up to back home, and his meticulous planning of his on-track pranks to entertain the crowd. A lot of sports personalities autobiographies can become weighed down with technical jargon and statistics, but this one for me, especially as i'm not an expert on motorbikes or racing, was very enjoyable.
I first became a fan of Valentino because i was forced to watch motoGP by my boyfriend, and being half-italian i would instantly pick the italian in any sport to cheer for, but at the end of the race when he'd won and was interviewed i LOVED HIM!
Vale is such a big character, and an even bigger natural talent, anyone who has not finished reading this book, please give it another go, it really is an entertaining read!
Thanks Vale, When's the next instalment??!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Surprisingly boring and poorly written/translated
I am a biker and a big fan of all forms of motorcycle road racing. I have followed Rossi for a number of years and I am a huge fan of his ability and personality and I want... Read more
Published 4 months ago by pclarke0046@hotmail.com
A lover of life, with his own tribe
I found this book interesting in that I rarely watch any motor sport in general or MotoGP in particular - yet, was able to glean some great insights into what it takes to become a... Read more
Published 4 months ago by L. Dann
Slightly jumbled, but compelling
The only sporting autobiography that I had ever read at the time of reading, I originally bought this as a present for someone else. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Andrew Ives
Good Present
I bought this book for a birthday present. My dad enjoyed it and it was such a cheap buy. The product arrived quickly. Would definatley recommend.
Published 10 months ago by tinkerbell
ROSSI
Bought it to take away on holiday.Started reading it the first day and really enjoyed it.I can't wait for the next book of his later life to come out
Published 11 months ago by GED
Great biography
I have bought it because it is (unfortunatelly) the only biography of VR whitten by himself. Although it is dominated by the story of transfer to Yamaha (the book describes his... Read more
Published 18 months ago by oscar
Fab book for a Moto GP fan
Bought this for my husband whom is a Moto GP fan especially Rossi, well it had to be good because he didn't speak to me the entire time!!!! I t is actually a fab book. Read more
Published on 22 April 2010 by BREWER
In good shape
I was very happy with the condition of this book. There were no trouble at all, and it took only a few days to get the book to Norway. I can recommend to buy from this seller.
Published on 11 July 2009 by Fredrik Nielsen
Rossi the Goat
This was a really good read. I found it entertaining and amusing. Rossi comes across well and you feel he is actually telling you all of this stuff. Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2009 by L. J. Hunt
What if I had never tried it is an excellent book
This book was an excellent over view of Valentino Rossi's career. It is most useful for fans new to the sport.
Published on 5 Jun 2009 by Kevin Smith
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
