The Fast Stuff Paperback – 19 Jun. 2013

Matt Oxley writes for Motorsport which says a lot about him as a writer of some stature, as with that magazine's pedigree they wouldn't entertain some of the clowns who write for today's crop of motorcycle 'comics'. Oxley is a racer of some repute himself, and so he writes from an insider's perspective about the sport and its personalities over the last 20 years. The book is well written and although it dips into Matt's 'diaries' and writings and jumps from subject to subject, it is presented in chronological order and as such perhaps gives a better insight into the 'paddock' and what goes on behind the scenes than a straight forward historical 'who did what and when' would have done. Some swearing, but then its a tough sport peopled by nutters. If you like motorcycle racing, buy the book.

An anthology of Oxley's columns on Grand Prix Motorcycle racing through the "glory years" of the late 80s and early 90s two-stroke 500s.I've read some criticism of the book in that it has a sometimes odd selection of stories, but what I've found is that it does really give the flavour of the time. As it's the later part of the book is the time I really got into motorcycle racing, I remember some of the big stories, but perhaps less of the background and flavour of the paddock. This is a great wee read for that kind of flavour.Not something to sit and devour from cover to cover, but as a book to dip in and out of to remind yourself of an era, or to get a deeper understanding of what was going on behind the results, this is a quality purchase.

This is an excellent book full of top-flight motorcycle racing stories up until the mid 2000's by one of the greatest & most respected bike journalist/authors.As an ex-racer himself he not only knows what he's talking about but he has great insight and access to the real stories.I've been a big racing fan for a long time, yet this book has many stories that even I never knew about, and explains more about the ones I thought I did know.I'd recommend this book to any bike GP fan. I only hope in the near future there will be a Fast Stuff 2 book full of stories from the mid 2000's onward.

No idea why this book would receive a bad review, so don't understand some of the comments posted. I've been a fan of bike racing for thirty years, and a biker in that time too, and for me this is a great book because it gives you the inside line on the sport, which you don't get that often across other media. Despite following the sport for so long I didn't know most of the stories recanted in the book. It's also chopped up into short anecdotes/stories which makes it very readable. One of the best bike racing books I've read, if the not The best.

Great short stories about the motorbike scene. Read it on Kindle before but still produced a lot of laughs and afterthought.

My friend is really enjoying this , Matt Oxley an authority , very experienced and a class writer on this level of motorcycle racing .... I am going to get myself to read 👍

arrived quickly and although in a jiffy bag, there is a small gouge in the spine. will still keep but it's disappointing!

I love this book, it's from an era that I remember as the very best of motorcycle racing and I've always regarded Mat Oxley as a leading authority on that generation.

20 years of insightful and intriguiging stories from the world of motorcycle racing. This is a treat for racing fans and those who love to know about the history of the sport. The book goes about it in a easy way, telling stories from some of the greats on the racetrack to current day superstars (marquez aside), and the way MotoGP has come from some of it's heydays, to the 500cc class and on to the GP class until 2007. Mat Oxley's writing is sharp as ever and a joy to read.

Great read about a wonderful era (well, my era at least). A fun book to dip into and full of a mixture of technical information, rider anecdotes, race-craft and the circus that surrounds the GP world. Mat knows his stuff and has ridden in anger - there's no-one better to write about this stuff.

The book is quite entertaining it's served many hours of enjoyable reading. I would recommend this book to everyone who cares about the history of GP bike racing.

Mat loves this sport and knows his stuff. Any fan will enjoy this book. A good read.

Solid read, lots of insider info. A little too much whining on the changes MotoGP is going through. It's a very technical program it will always evolve, Marquez certainly shows it ain't all the electronics.