Being There

Motorcycle racers aren't like other sports people. When they enter the arena they are taking their lives in their hands. When they are on the racetrack, if they are not there in every sense of the word they are more likely to be at risk of serious injury or death. Very few champions can explain exactly what it takes to compete at the highest level. What makes them tick, how they cope with the challenge and what the science is that makes them so dominant in their chosen sport. Hugh Anderson is one who can. From humble origins as a lonely teenager on the family farm in New Zealand, to the heights of world domination, he explains in his own words the motivation, racing strategies, psychology of winning, heartache and triumph that helped him deliver Suzuki its first major Grand Prix successes in the 1960s. This was a golden age, when Japanese and European factories battled for supremacy on the world's most dangerous circuits. When technological changes saw two-stroke and four-stroke motorcycles compete in 50cc, 125cc, 250cc, 350cc, and 500cc classes. Hugh Anderson's career continued for decades after winning four World Championships, with motocross and then classic racing affording him two more showcases for the talent that has made New Zealand's most successful racer.