Showing results by publisher "John Blake" in Motor Sports

Valentino Rossi is an icon: the most successful and most loved motorcycle racer of all time, he has transcended MotoGP to become a symbol of courage, risk and daring. To race for 23 years at the very highest level of the world's most dangerous sport is unprecedented. But then, there has never been a motorcycle racer like Valentino Rossi. He is a modern-day gladiator, a man who still risks his life every time he throws a leg over a motorcycle.

Following in his late father's footsteps, Tai Woffinden made his name as a notable Speedway rider. Known for his speed on the tracks and his quirky tattoos, Woffinden is a popular figure within the sport. He has over 55,000 followers on Twitter, where he posts frequent pictures of himself and wife Faye, whom he married in late 2016. With a vast array of titles to his name, including youngest ever World Champion, achieved at the age of 23, Woffinden has come a long way from his Scunthorpe roots. However, he has not been without his share of struggles.

Five minutes to go. The claxon sounds, harsh as an air raid siren. Television crews attempt last-minute interviews with riders. The thousand yard-stares give it away: they're really not listening now. Four minutes to go. The grandstand is packed. Some racers tell their mechanics, 'I'll see you later for a pint' - just to make themselves believe they will. Three minutes to go. For the first man on the road, hidden dangers exist. He will have no-one to follow. And he is the hare that the greyhounds will be chasing.

Joey Dunlop's story is one of towering triumphs and desperate tragedies in almost equal measure. Born poor—dirt poor—with no running water, no electricity, he was the definition of the everyman hero, earning the title 'King of the Roads' in what must be considered one of the world's most extreme sports—motorcycle road racing. And as well as being voted Northern Ireland's greatest ever sportsman, he remains the most loved and most successful road racer of all time.