Just arrived today, my signed copy of the new graphic novel
version of ‘Stealing Speed’ by Mat Oxley.
The original book is no longer available new except as an
e-book, and second-hand versions change hands for silly amounts of money on
eBay and Amazon. I was lucky enough to get a copy a few years ago and it’s an
enthralling read. Part Cold-War thriller, part motorcycle history.
For
those who don’t know the story, MZ works rider Ernst Degner defected to the
West at the height of his battle for the 1961 world championship and sold MZ’s
winning two-stroke engine secrets to Suzuki, while his wife and children were
smuggled through the newly built Berlin Wall.
The
following year Suzuki and Degner made history by winning the two-stroke’s first
world championship and Japan was on its way to conquering the world of
motorcycling.
It’s strange, I am a big fan of
MZ motorcycles and the UK riders club continues to play a large part of my
social life and the reaction of most of the club members I’ve spoken to is less
cheering Degner for his escape from under communism and the subsequent thumbing
of the nose by the Japanese, and more one of annoyance that he could do that to
Walter Kaaden and the rest of his team mates and deprive MZ of their world
championship. Not sure I can really blame the man for taking his opportunity
for himself and his family, though.
Sadly, in the end it didn’t
quite work out for him personally, and MZ as a racing power never quite
recovered.
 |
| Original book cover |
I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in that late
60s period and in motorcycles generally.
Mat Oxley's website can be found here
Mat Oxley's books can be bought from here
No comments:
Post a Comment