Smoke, Noise, and 500cc Glory

Before MotoGP became the modern four-stroke spectacle known around the world, the premier class of motorcycle racing belonged to a very different kind of machine: the 500cc two-stroke Grand Prix bike. Light, violent, smoky, brutally fast and famously unforgiving, these motorcycles shaped one of the most dramatic eras in racing history.

Smoke, Noise, and 500cc Glory tells the fact-based story of the 500cc two-stroke Grand Prix era, from the postwar foundations of the World Motorcycle Championship to the final 500cc season before MotoGP changed the sport forever. It follows the rise of Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda, the engineering battle behind machines such as the RG500, YZR500, NS500 and NSR500, and the riders who mastered them: Barry Sheene, Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Gardner, Wayne Rainey, Kevin Schwantz, Mick Doohan, Alex Crivillé and Valentino Rossi.

Written in a flowing narrative style, this book explores the sound, danger, technology, circuits, rivalries and human cost of the two-stroke age without exaggeration or speculation. It is a story of factory wars, fearless riders, brutal powerbands, highside crashes, technical breakthroughs and the final handover from the old 500cc world to the modern MotoGP era.

For readers who love motorcycle racing history, classic Grand Prix machines, racing technology and the raw drama of motorsport's most dangerous years, this is the story of the era before the smoke cleared.

Trademark Disclaimer

This book is an independent, unofficial historical work. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or approved by MotoGP, Dorna Sports, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Cagiva, Aprilia, Ducati, Michelin, Dunlop, Bridgestone, or any other manufacturer, racing organisation, team, sponsor, trademark owner, rider estate, or rights holder mentioned within the text. All trademarks, logos, brand names, motorcycle model names, event names and organisation names are the property of their respective owners and are used only for factual, historical and descriptive purposes.