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Flat Out: The Race for the Motorcycle World Land Speed Record

Flat Out: The Race for the Motorcycle World Land Speed Record

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Author: Rocky Robinson
Publisher: Motorbooks
Category: Book

List Price: $25.95
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Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars 11 reviews
Sales Rank: 207357

Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Pages: 256
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.2

ISBN: 0760331634
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.75
EAN: 9780760331637
ASIN: 0760331634

Publication Date: August 15, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Absolutely Brand New & In Stock. 100% 30-Day Money Back. Direct from our warehouse. Ships by USPS. 1+ million customers served-In business since 1986. Happy Customers is Our #1 Goal. Toll Free Support

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description

Some records are made to be broken. Others stand for a lifetime. And sometimes the achievement of a lifetime is surpassed in days.

In the world of motorsports, the one record that has proven the toughest to break is the motorcycle land speed record. Don Vesco rode a streamlined motorcycle to a record-breaking speed of 318 miles per hour at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1974. It was sixteen years before Dave Campos flew past that record at a speed of 322 miles per hour. And that record had stood for another sixteen years when, on Labor Day Weekend, 2006, a motorcycle daredevil and aspiring writer named Rocky Robinson rode a Suzuki-powered streamliner at an incredible 344 mph.

How he got there--and how he faced his greatest challenge at his moment of triumph--is the story Robinson tells in Flat Out. Here is Robinson's epic decade-long quest to be the fastest motorcycle rider on earth, recounted in all its gritty detail--a compulsively readable account that captures the hard work, sacrifice, and dedication that go into being the world's best, as well as the sheer terror of riding these two-wheeled rockets nearly six miles per minute.



Book Description

This is the story of how a motorcycle daredevil and aspiring writer named Rocky Robinson broke one of the toughest records in the world, the motorcycle land speed record. In a tale that takes us from Camel Pro Series flat tracks to the salt flats of Australia and Bonneville. Robinson recounts his epic decade-long quest to be the fastest motorcycle rider on earth. His is a compulsively readable account that captures the hard work, sacrifice, and dedication that go into being the world's best, as well as the sheer terror of riding these two-wheeled rockets nearly six miles per minute.




Customer Reviews:   Read 6 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars Flat Out by Rocky Robinson   December 25, 2008
E. A. Russell (Culver City, CA)
A great book for the motorsports person, hard to find a stoping place once ypu start.


4 out of 5 stars Bonneville Scene   May 5, 2008
F. Gary Paisley (Dallas Texas)
This book covers the scene at Bonneville from the perspective of a driver involved with two teams. Not a whole lot of technical information for gear heads, but basically from the inside of the cockpit - oh my God! - and team dynamics. It was worth adding to my collection of moto-journalism, and made a good read for my light rail commute.


5 out of 5 stars He writes his book as history was in the making... while it was all fresh in his memory and all his emotions on his sleeve   April 2, 2008
Nurse Claudia (California)
Say you are born into a family in which your father had to have been the coolest dad ever being a fearless motorcycle racer. Your older brother is fearless just like dad and follows his footsteps in racing motorcycles. You have a cool mom too that rivals the Kool-Aid mom in the TV commercials. With tough acts like that to follow, there's only one thing left to do.....Break the world land speed record.

Meet Rocky Robinson. One of the fastest men on two wheels. How did he do it you ask? In his book, titled Flat Out, Rocky takes you along with him on his long journey to putting his name down in history.

Reading Rocky's book is like having him sitting in your living room talking to you one on one about how his day went in the life and times of a land speed racer. He writes his book as history was in the making, while it was all fresh in his memory and all his emotions on his sleeve. After reading this book, you really feel like you know Rocky. OK, well almost. I'm sure he left out some details. *wink*

Rocky takes you into a whole different world where there are skids instead of kickstands, parachutes instead of breaks, fire suits instead of leathers, the racetrack is in the middle of nowhere and is made entirely of salt, gas powered blenders for making margaritas (what other cocktail do you make on a salt flat???), 20 foot long motorcycles that look like Oscar Meyer Wieners going at jet speeds, oh and the cockpits to these things also double as Dutch ovens (You have to read the book to get that one). Many of Rocky's associates were some of the funniest crazy characters one could ever meet. Which is a good thing to have when the air gets thick and there's a lot of money is at stake. Rocky's life even changes and makes a turn around as he develops personal growth and success in this journey. Some heartaches, set backs and disappointments happen. Rocky probably doesn't realize this, but he does teach a valuable lesson and reveals a secret that all high achievers like Rocky know. You'll just have to read the book to find out for yourself.



5 out of 5 stars Great read from a non-racing fan   February 8, 2008
K. Lyle (El Dorado Hills, CA)
I am not a motorcycle enthusiast nor am I a race fan but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned a lot about land speed racing. Rocky is a very good writer and made me feel like I was right there in the seat experiencing the thrill of traveling 300 plus mph on two wheels. After reading Flat Out I have a great desire to make the trek to the Bonneville Salt Flats and witness first hand Rocky's next attempt to regain the title "fastest man on two wheels."


5 out of 5 stars Flat Out brings flat out speed to your heart   January 23, 2008
R. C. Jones (Seattle, WA)
After watching Rocky race speedway bikes without brakes I got a real chuckle of him describing in great detail the need for real brakes on the streamliner. His details and descriptions made me feel like I was right there in the pits with him. I really enjoyed reading his story and appreciate what he has accomplished. Little does the non racer understand the consequences of great speed and I think that Rocky has described it very eloquently.

I can hardly wait for Rocky to hit the salt, set some more records and start writing about it all over again. In the meantime, maybe he could write about his speedway days.

Cheers
RC Jones