Motorsport: Bike star's quick rise to the top

Graeme Crosby's new book is a colourful memoir. Photo / Supplied

I lifted up my UV cracked visor with my thumb. "Which way does the track go and what's the lap record?" I called out over the noise of the valve gear rattling and clanging between my legs.

The flag marshal's eyebrows raised in disbelief. I could see him muttering, "And who the hell do you think you are - Mike Hailwood?" I laughed and roared off down the track.

The above extract from Graeme Crosby's book sums up the Kiwi motorcycle racer extraordinaire, who set the world of two-wheel motor racing alight in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Croz, as he is known to his legions of fans, tells his story of rising to the top of the motorcycle racing world in a new book - Croz, Larrikin Biker.

The book charts his racing career on the evil-handling H2 - although Croz reckons the "H2 750 was my favourite bike, with an amazing amount of power and a very light frame it weaved and wobbled but not enough to throw you off but it did look spectacular". Power wheel stands became the norm as he started to make a name for himself in New Zealand, and when he moved to Europe to beat some of the world's best.

Along the way, Croz won the Isle of Man Senior TT, the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race, the TT Formula One World Champion for Suzuki, the British TT F1 championship, the prestigious Daytona 200 and the Imola 200.

He raced for the Agostini Yamaha factory 500cc Grand Prix world championship racing team and despite a number of injuries still managed a second-place finish.

Frustrated by the internal politics of his team, Croz left the Grand Prix circuit after the 1982 season - and some say he quit too soon.

I have to admit, I have a vested interest in this book as I have known Croz on and off for many years. More off than on, though, until I returned to New Zealand after many years abroad. You see, I bought Croz's old Yoshimura 900 Kawasaki from Ross Hannan and raced it in Australia after he had left for Europe.

Although I followed Croz's racing career, I never really got to know how he went about his business. His book fills in all the blanks with behind-the-scenes stories.

In only four years of international racing, Croz has achieved more than most racers would hope to achieve in a lifetime.

For him, racing was showbusiness - while racing against the legendary Mike Hailwood, he found time to stand on his bike's footpegs and bow to Hailwood's fans as flew past on the outside of the great man.

She's a big book, and although Croz left the racing scene after only a few years, it had to be because Croz was bigger than life.

The book details his reasons for quitting, the crashes, the pain, the elation of winning and the international controversies.

It also chronicles the politics, boycotts and tragic deaths that go hand-in-hand with winning world championships. An all-round good read; there aren't many Kiwi riders who can claim they've held off Freddie Spencer and Barry Sheene in a world 500cc Grand Prix race.

Check in Superwheels next week for a chance to win a copy.