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Valentino Rossi: Motogenius by Mat Oxley - Bob Pickett learns more about the most talented and charismatic biker of his generation

Click here for more info or to order this book If you have any interest in bike racing, then it is fair to say you'll want to know about Valentino Rossi. It is no exaggeration to say that he has done more than any rider since the days of Sheene and Roberts to bring MotoGP to the attention of the non-biking public, not just for his sheer talent aboard a race bike, but the celebrations of (yet) another victory. And the best way to do that (legally) is to read 'Valentino Rossi: Motogenius' by Mat Oxley.

Oxley understands racing, having been a top racer and TT winner in his time. He can also convert this knowledge into words - a lot of the Rossi books out there are full of great photos (and so is this one, by the way), but precious little content.

'Valentino Rossi: Motogenius', on the other hand has all the content you need. In an admittedly short book (just over 200 pages, including details of his career history and bikes), Oxley combines a review of Rossi's life, from his early days at trackside with his father Graziano (no mean rider himself), to his first outings in karts through to domestic 125s to Grand Prix 125, 250, 500 and MotoGP dominance, with comments and viewpoints from other riders and people important to Vale's life along with the kind of commentary only an ex-racer could really relate.

This is Oxley on riding in a MotoGP:

"Let's say that you're in the closing stage of the British GP and you're rocketing into the first turn at 155mph, there's someone to the left of you and someone to the right, the guy on the right has just barged past and nicked your line, brakes squealing, suspension juddering, tyres clattering as he ricochets off your bike and nearly rips your hand off the 'bars."

He goes on:

"You feel the revs rise and the tyre getting all greasy like a bastard on the outside footpeg until the rubber regains some traction, which you immediately eat up by getting back on the throttle, which pushes the bike wide until you're on the rumble strip, so you ease off again as the tyre jumps, spins and kicks back across the kerb."

Ending with:

"Your hands, feet backside and brain perform some kind of St Vitus Dance of a balancing act as you lean hard right at 130mph, all of three feet behind the guy who's just overtaken you. And that's just five seconds in a GP that lasts 45 minutes."

Sheer literary genius.

But back to Rossi. Yes, he is extremely talented, but there is a lot more to him than that. He is a student of racing; when Oxley was interviewing him, he grabbed Oxleys crash helmet, announcing he knew the design and talked about the race when he (Oxley) went under a truck!

And those celebrations - not left to chance, but meticulously planned … again the action of someone far more intelligent and calculating than people perhaps understand.

On a more serious note - again like Barry Sheene before him - Rossi's input is vitally important in the ongoing quest for increased safety at circuits.

Oh, and let's not forget his ability to develop a motorcycle. A lot of people can ride fast, but ask them to tell you what needs doing to improve a bike and they haven't a clue. But Vale is reported to be "like a computer", being able to come in and discuss maybe eight different items that need looking at, coherently and intelligently.

Discussing all of the above is a hell of a lot to squeeze into a couple of hundred pages - but Oxley pulls this off, putting it all together in such a way that it informs, entertains and educates, all at the same time. And he has a wonderful nack of dropping in a comment or an incident, seemingly in totally the wrong place, only for it to crop up later and you find yourself thinking "Ah, NOW that makes sense".

And once you've read this book, a lot of what Valentino Rossi is about will make sense as well.

Verdict: A book about a genius on a motorcycle, by another genius with the written word.

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