Bob McIntyre – The Flying Scot

This is the fourth book in the series from Breedon books covering the world’s greatest motorcycling champions written by Mick Walker. In this, his hundredth book, he maintains the high standards we have come to expect from a man whose life has revolved around motorcycling and in particular road racing.

Once again he brings out his personal in-depth knowledge of the subject to write a book that captures the spirit of the person, rather than just writing a factual tome. 

Bob McIntyre was off course one of the greatest riders never to win a world title, despite coming close on numerous occasions. As the forward states he is probably the two wheeled equivalent to Stirling Moss, another great who was never crowned!

One of Bob’s greatest achievements was to set the first one –hundred mile an hour lap around the TT course (a fact I am reminded daily about thanks to the picture above my desk) on a Gilera four cylinder machine back in 1957.

However, reading through this latest work on the Flying Scot you realise that he achieved so much in the twelve years that he was racing, both at home an abroad. He proved he could run with the best of them and a works ride with AJS and Honda amongst others proved it.

Who knows what he may have gone onto to win had his life not have been cut short by a crash at Oulton Park on an August Bank Holiday Monday in 1962. He was riding a 500 Norton in the British Championship when he crashed, dying in hospital a few days later.

Over 500 people attended the funeral which more than sums up the calibre of the man and the esteem in which he was held by his fellow racers. The tributes from those who knew him are all included in the well laid out text.

As with the books on Hailwood, Agostini and Surtees, this is liberally interspersed by excellent period black and white pictures from the Morton’s archive bringing it all to life.

McIntyre was self made man who rose to the top of his profession by sheer ability and has every right to be included in the ‘Greats’ series despite never achieving a world crown.

I think that this series on the ‘greats’ is building into an excellent history of racing and should be read by anyone with even a passing interest on an era where man and machine were not always in perfect harmony.

Breakdowns were common and there was not the mechanical/electronic sophistication there is now and the fact that many circuits were road based added to the challenge that McIntyre easily rose to!

How he did it can be found in this excellent work on sale from all good bookshops for £19.99 or direct from Breedon books. ISBN 1 85983 500 7

Review by Ian Kerr