Colin Seeley Racer ….and the rest

These days, somebody gets to twenty years old with a bit of fame behind them and writes a book about their life, totally ridiculous! To write a book you need to have been there done it, got the T-shirt, the trophy’s, the accolades and still be doing it at seventy plus! 

Colin Seeley has done it all and is still active in the world of motorcycling and still more than capable of pulling the throttle cable taught to beat riders half his age. He has been (and still is a rider) at the very top of his game, a manufacturer, a team manager and a lot more as well as being generally a nice guy.

Three hundred pages just begin to tell the story, which is why there is a similar length (Volume Two) to come about the life and times of Colin Seeley. But, it is not just about him, it is about the whole motorcycle scene in the UK and racing on the continent from the fifties onwards told by a man who was very much part of it.

Reading the well illustrated pages of this lavish Redline publication, you get an insight into everything two and three wheels. The pages are awash with pictures of the stars and people who made up the life that Seeley led. Reading through the well laid out text you just have to marvel at the man’s memory as well as his many achievements.

This is definitely one of the best books about motorcycling from this era for years and should be high on your list of books to read before you die! At the end of volume one at least you just have to agree with his headmasters recommendation “a reliable lad”.

Available from Redline Books (www.redlinebooks.co.uk) priced at £29.95 and worth every penny! ISBN 0 9544357 1 0

Review by Ian Kerr