..every now and again the video market throws up a genuine classic - one to be treasured and watched again and again. Such an offering is the latest DVD issued by bikesport specialists Duke entitled Great Italian GP Racers...for those who lived through it, it is a magnificent reconstruction of what many still see as the true golden age of the sport - the 50s, 60s and early 70s. This was a time when the worlds first superbikes, exotic and complex multi-cylindered handbuilt machines from Italy, emerged to do titanic battle with the last competitive offerings from British factories and the embryonic challengers from the Orient.. Archive film and new interviews are superbly married together to give the modern viewer a marvellous overview of the Italian phenomenon. Revel in the sights and sounds of Guzzis, Gileras, Benellis and MVs battling first with Nortons and Ajays and later with Hondas and Yamahas. Thrill to the skills, not only of Italian-born stars like Agostini and Pasollini, but also of the foreign legion of British and Antipodean riders recruited by the Italian factories as their machines eclipsed the best of British. Among others, Duke, Surtees and Read all give their first hand recollections of riding the Italian jobs, all illustrated by moving pictures to treasure - including several minutes of blood-stirring action on the original Nurburgring, andfilm of many stars of yesterday who are no longer with us. Add to this the reminiscences of the men who created the machines, the factory owners and engineers and you have a stunning package of sight and sound.. exceptional value for money... its a real must for enthusiasts of this era, old or new.
