CROZ – Larrikin Biker by Graeme Crosby |
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| Thursday, 03 November 2011 10:00 | ||||
 Kiwi racing legend Graeme Crosby has finally got round to writing his autobiography and like his career it is very different to what you might expect. Unlike other autobiographies ‘Croz’ as he became known, has not gone into any details about his upbringing, family life etc., instead this is a book purely about his racing. Even the last chapter about his current personal life is short and brief.Published in New Zealand, but available here through the VMCC, it starts in 1973, aged 17 years old with his employment in a motorcycle dealership and how he got involved in the grass roots racing in his native New Zealand, before he moved into racing in Australia and Japan. The book then moves onto to his arrival in the UK in 1979 with nothing more than his battered riding kit and a belief in his own riding talent. It then majors on his four years of racing here and across the world as he picks up the odd World Championship and numerous trophies before he quits and walks away from it all. In that short time he had achieved more than most riders could ever hope for in a lifetime of racing and he surprised many by stopping, but he had had enough and the book explains why. He details the crashes, the pain, the elation of winning and the international controversies, racing politics, boycotts and tragic fatalities. Despite some of the bad times, he always seems to have kept his sense of humour and managed to have a good time – hence the title of this 432 page soft-back. Despite sticking to the racing, Croz’s very likable personality comes across and despite mentioning some issues like the IOM win that caused Honda to protest, he remains diplomatic at all times. I have the pleasure of knowing him and found the book an excellent read, having been associated with racing and the people mentioned, but at times some readers may find there is little explanation as to who some of the key personnel are and their antecedents! However, it does not detract in any way from the story of what it is like to be a works rider riding at the highest level. If you followed racing closely at this time you will find it an absorbing and revealing read. If you just hark back to the days when people raced for fun and sport, then this is the story of one man who did just that and when these started to fade he quit - respect! A cracking read whatever your take and well worth the £24.00 cover price. ISBN 978 1 86950 857 9 Available from the Vintage Motorcycle Club www.vmcc.net Review by Ian Kerr
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