Updated Stan Stephens autobiography gives two-stroke fans another chance to read about the godfather of porting

Updated: 14 May 2020

Stan Stephens has updated his autobiography

Legendary two-stroke tuner Stan Stephens has printed another run of his autobiography The Mechanic Who Got Lucky.

The new updated edition chronicles Stan’s journey through life and motorcycles, which culminated in him being one of the world’s best-known engine tuners.

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From his early days racing sidecars and speedway, right through to the heady days of building engines for racing’s big stars, Stan’s self-published book is crammed full of anecdotes and insight that fans of proddie racing and anyone who’s ever owned LCs, TZRs, RGVs and KR-1Ss will love.

While he’s been locked down like the rest of us, he’s also added an extra chapter to the tale, bringing us right up to date – and it seems he’s still building championship-winning engines now at 75 years old!

There’s a foreword from James Whitham plus contributions from Niall Mackenzie, Terry Rymer, Jim Moodie and Jeremy McWilliams, and it’s packed with over 150 black and white images from the Stephens’ archive. It’s available from www.stanstephens.com for £25.

By Emma Franklin

Editor - Resident two-stroke nut and fully trained journalist, Emma’s passion for motorcycling has seen her work across many of the UK’s best-loved motorcycling titles over the past 19 years, before becoming Deputy Editor on the world’s number one biking weekly in 2020 and then Editor in 2024. A consumer journalist at heart, she’s dedicated to cutting through marketing waffle and putting manufacturers’ claims to the test in order to get to the truth. Passionate about all levels of road racing, and a former club racer herself, she’s still very much a paddock regular through her support of partner, Bruce Dunn’s racing exploits – so if you see her at a circuit, feel free to say hello.

Stan Stephens has updated his autobiography