Mick Grant, leading British motorcycle racer of the 1970s and 1980s, was a factory rider for Norton, Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki. He raced against Mike Hailwood, Barry Sheene and Giacomo Agostini, won three grands prix and seven TTs, and later worked in team management. His book, now available in paperback, is packed with frank and funny stories about the great and the dodgy.

• The ‘gritty Yorkshireman’ – actually a former art student – broke Hailwood’s 1967 TT lap record with a lap at 109.82mph.
• First victory, in 1974, on Triumph’s famous Slippery Sam production machine.
• His years on the huge-budget but ill-fated Honda NR500 project.
• Battling the awesome Kawasaki KR750 two-stroke around the Mountain Course.
• Since retiring in 1985 as British Superstock champion he has worked as a team boss, most notably of James Whitham, and as a race chief technical scrutineer.
• Ghost-written by a masterly journalist who has known Grant for 30 years.