Professor Gander, who is Professor of Mechanical Engineering in Dresden (East Germany), is blackmailed by the evil russian KGB man Pietrov Ismailovitch into building a world-class two-stroke racing motorcycle, in order to demonstrate the technological superiority of Stalin's Russia over the decadent west. Ismailovitch also blackmails our young hero, Wolfgang (a student of the professor), into riding the racer, since he has a natural riding talent anyway . . . .
Meanwhile the erstwhile english motorcycle racing sportsreporter Ernie Claggs, abetted by his local cockney newspaperman friend Spinky Adams, goes for scoop after scoop . . . .
The novel makes liberal use of literary and musical reference for puns, which the reader may enjoy tracking down. For the technical enthusiast, it provides a wealth of detail about the post-war racing scene. For the avid motorcylist, blow-by-blow accounts of the Mugallo circuit, the Nuerburgring and the Isle of Man TT circuit can provide valuable mental training. The author is an engineer himself and a keen motorcyclist, so much of the racing detail comes from indelible personal experience.
