THE SPEED KINGS

The speed kings: the rise and fall of motordrome racing reveals how bicycle racing on wooden velodromes in the late 1890s gave birth to a whole new sport that one magazine said "made hearts flutter." The story follows the first generation of motorcycle racing in America, when thousands of addicted fans jammed motordromes around the country, sometimes at their own peril.

Don Emde presents the birth, evolution and eventual demise of motordrome racing with amazing illustrations and rare historical materials. The Speed Kings: The Rise and Fall of Motordrome Racing, by Don Emde includes 600 illustrations and 40 chapters over 372 pages. Four-color sepia tone throughout, and printed in the United States of America! Foreword by Kenny Roberts. Emde Books is an imprint of Don Emde Inc.

Don Emde has a long history in the motorcycle industry and sport. His family has been involved in motorcycling since 1914 and the tradition continues today, not only by him, but by his daughter Jennifer, the Editor of Parts Magazine, Drag Specialties Magazine and Parts Europe Magazine; son Jeff is the webmaster and Don's wife Tracy serves as Copy Editor on all publishing projects. As a former professional motorcycle racer, Don and his late father Floyd Emde hold the distinction of being the only father and son to have both won the prestigious Daytona 200-Mile Road Race. Since retiring from racing, Don has been involved at virtually all levels of the motorcycle industry and sport, including retailing, distributing, product development, marketing and publishing. Current projects include Parts Magazine, Drag Specialties Magazine, Parts Europe Magazine and Friends of Riders For Health, a charitable organization.

The Speed Kings: The Rise & Fall of Motordrome Racing, by Don Emde, was awarded the Motor Press Guild (MPG) Best Book of the Year honour for 2019. Winners were announced at the Motor Press Guild's annual awards ceremony, held February 23rd 2019 at The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, CA.

Founded in 1984, the Motor Press Guild is the largest automotive media association in North America. Held each February, the Motor Press Guild's annual Dean Batchelor Excellence in Automotive Journalism Awards recognize the best of the best in a number of different categories. This year marked the first time in the award’s history that the MPG Best Book of the Year honour was awarded to a book on motorcycling.