The Nazi TT by Roger Willis |
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 Every so often a book appears in the motorcycle field that is different and makes it stand out like this one. It looks behind the superficial glossy side of motorcycling, at a world we would all like to pretend does not exist when talking about bikes and in particular motorcycle racing.Every motorcycle historian will be well versed with the fact that just prior to the outbreak of World War II, that BMW took the first two places at the 1939 Isle of Man Senior TT with their Supercharged bikes. Georg ‘Schorsch’ Meir’s win was the first time a German rider on a German machine had won the TT and was the last the world was to see of supercharged bikes in racing as they were banned after the war. Meir was of course backed up by British rider Jock West on a similar machine, the only non-German in the BMW camp. But, there were many other German teams present at the TT, including NSU and DKW, as well as many so called German officials that were allegedly the equivalent of the British ACU officials running the event. Up to now that is how the story has remained, but now top motorcycle journalist Roger Willis reveals that everyone apart from West was in fact either Nazi’s or members of the German armed forces. Using extensive research conducted both locally and extensively in Europe he exposes their true identities and the units and organisations to which they were attached, backed up by period photographic evidence. It is a fascinating if not chilling read, especially when you read that the racing was actually part of Hitler’s attempt at world domination. The BBC were clearly taken in and sacked one of their commentators for suggesting that the TT was part of Germany’s war effort, although as the book points out this may have been the result of government interference. Willis style is as ever superb and guides you expertly through the complexities of the plot and goes onto to briefly mention the post-war period of German motorcycling as far as some of those involved in the 1939 TT. The 100 plus pages in this soft-bound tome are well illustrated with period black and white images backing up the text. By the end you realise that not everything is the world of motorcycle competition is as simple as which bike crosses the line first! A cracking read from cover to cover and remarkably cheap for such a well researched and written book at ££10.99. ISBN 978 0 9562457 0 0 Available direct from the publisher’s info@motobuiness.co.uk Review by Ian Kerr
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