Built for Speed, John McGuinness
Built for Speed, John McGuinness
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Built for Speed

Author: John McGuinness

Narrator: Joe McGann

Unabridged: 6 hr 8 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Ebury Digital

Published: 05/04/2017


Synopsis

Random House presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Built for Speed by John McGuinness, read by Joe McGann.

‘Then I was there myself, just another face in the crowd, watching the bikes fly by. The smells, the noise and the speed were all there for me to experience. It was like a massive injection in my head and it just blew my mind. I knew within seconds that I was going to be a TT racer. I didn’t know how or what I was going to have to do to achieve this, and my dad wasn’t going to be keen. Everyone around me was aware of the dangers, but from that moment I knew I had to do it.’

John McGuinness is one of the all-time giants of road racing, with a huge host of victories to his name. But his easy humour and down-to-earth attitude off the bike have always kept people guessing: what’s the truth about the man inside the helmet, that has kept him at the top of such a sport for over 20 years?

His autobiography tells the whole story, from his humble beginnings in Morecambe and getting his first bike at the age of 3, to working as a bricklayer and cockle fisherman before deciding to follow his dream, and finally to his many victories in the most dangerous sporting event on the planet. He tells of what it takes to be a champion in such an exacting sport, and to keep winning even though all logic tells you to stop – and when so many of your fellow racers are paying the ultimate price for doing it. This thrilling autobiography gets into the head of the man who stares death in the face, and doesn’t even flinch.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jurgita on November 10, 2024

Unfortunately, Goodreads don't allow half a star, so had to round it up. So it was a bit difficult to rate this. Very much a bloke-y bloke book. And I think couple of passages probably should have been edited out. Great insight into the begining of his career. Especially, as I just now discovered the......more

Goodreads review by Les on September 18, 2017

Another one of my motorcycle racing heroes, and second only to the late, great Joey Dunlop for Isle of Man TT wins, John McGuinness is a bloke that I very much want to learn things about. This book feels very much like it was written by John's own hand, so to speak, with only a little editing help.......more

Goodreads review by Adam Vibert on January 05, 2018

Overall a nice read. Using a similar format to most biographies, it starts with an overview of John's childhood years, family life and background. It then talks about his early history with bikes from motocross to circuit racing, and of course goes into detail about his many successes at the TT. I wo......more

Goodreads review by Kevin on February 20, 2023

A brilliant read. I have always been fascinated about how the world elite athletes become the best. Its never just about the required natural talent, but rather the dedication, perseverance, concentration and unique personal relationships that shape these remarkable human beings. Among these, John M......more

Goodreads review by Brian on October 30, 2018

Built For Speed by John McGuinnes is a great story and covers the highs and lows of his life and racing career,it is written in chronological order so is easy to follow.John strikes me as being quite a humble man and admits himself that he could have handled things differently if he’d had a manager......more