Reg Everett: From Rocker to Racer by Mick Walker |
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| Tuesday, 24 November 2009 12:29 | ||||
 I must admit that when this book arrived, my first reaction was who is Reg Everett? However, given that it had Mick Walker’s name on the cover and was laid out in the excellent Breedon format that so many of Mick’s books have been, I started reading through immediately with interest.In a nutshell, the book is about one man's motorcycling career, from a café racer and gang member in the late fifties and early sixties to a top line competitor. Now while hundreds of people of a similar age could probably write such a book, they would find it hard to come up with a story like this. Reg was racing against the world's top riders, including Mike Hailwood, Phil Read and Bill Ivy and beating them at times, by the time he retired in 1968. However, while he did get a reasonable level of sponsorship and support, unlike his contemporaries he never ended up in the limelight or got the works bikes, although he tried. As an unknown club racer with just two years experience, he marched into the Greeves factory in the early sixties and asked for works’ backing. Despite getting rebuffed he did mange to persuade them to give him a works engine. Armed with this he bought a frame and built a bike to house it and ended up with a winning racing bike. So much so that Greeves, then used it as the basis for the famed ‘Silverstone’ race machine they subsequently built. As you read through this well laid out hardback you find that Everett was racing anything he could, mainly for the love of it and as result never really capitalised on the success that he had, the Greeves chapters being a prime example. He rode BSA’s, Velocette’s, Ducati and Yamaha, the latter giving him the runner-up position in the 250cc British Championships on no less than three occasions. As you read through his account, he comes across as modest man and there is no boasting in the text, despite detailing a string of victories against the likes of Hailwood, Read and Ivy and other well known works riders. You also find out that he was something of an all-rounder like most riders at the time, riding in the Isle of Man TT, the Thruxton 500 Miler and the legendary Barcelona 24 Hours marathon, partnering none other than Paul Smart! In seven and a bit years of racing Reg achieved more than most, but due to family and works commitments he gave up and concentrated on his career. A familiar story, but in this case one definitely well-worth reading especially given that he is now doing the odd parade lap! Thanks to Mick Walker pushing him to complete his story and Breedon for publishing it in their usual well illustrated high quality format, I now know who Reg Everett is and how he fitted into history with some better known rivals and so should you! Well worth the £19.99 cover price. ISBN-13 978 1 85983 6798 Available in all good bookshops or contact Breedon Books direct in case of difficulty. Tel 01322 384235 www.breedonbooks.co.uk Review by Ian Kerr
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