MotoGP is the premier class in motorcycle racing and it is there that the most sophisticated and alluring technology is found. For years Grand Prix motorcycle racing had featured prototype 500cc two-strokes, but the need for manufacturers to develop four-stroke technology led to the creation of the new championship formula in 2002, based on fire-breathing, 260bhp 990cc four-strokes. Competition is keen, and factory teams guard their mechanical secrets and working practices very carefully. For these reasons, it has been nearly impossible to closely examine bikes without bodywork or understand exactly how they are engineered and developed until this book. Author Neil Spalding's ability to spot subtle detail changes and incremental developments from the restricted confines of pit lane, and then to correctly determine how these modifications affect performance earned him the grudging respect of top teams. Eventually, Neil was admitted into the inner sanctum of the elite racing departments and given unparalleled access to explore and photograph race bikes to prepare this book. The only restriction: he couldn't make public his information until the end of the 2006 season, the last year of the 990cc formula. This is the exciting story, told from the inside, of the most electrifying form of two-wheeled competition and of the highly motivated designers, engineers, and mechanics who create these remarkable motorcycles.
