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Driver: True Life Adventures of an Underground Road Racer
On his deathbed, Alex Roy's father dropped tantalizing hints about the notorious Cannonball Run of the 1970s, the utterly illegal high-speed non-stop races from New York to LA. Inspired by his father's dying words, and against the advice of his friends, Roy enters this mysterious world - trying both to find himself, and to locate 'The Driver' - the anonymous organizer of the world's ultimate car race. In this riveting memoir, Roy straps you into his highly modified BMW M5, takes you on a terrifying 120 mph lap of Manhattan, then tackles the Gumball 3000 and the Bullrun - the two most infamous road rallies in the world. His bogus Polizei Autobahn Interceptor sticks out among the Lamborghinis and Ferraris driven by millionaire playboys, software moguls, Arab princes, movie stars, leggy Czech supermodels, gearheads, and tech whizzes.Armed with myriad radar detectors, laser jammers and police scanners, and his trunk crammed with a variety of fake uniforms, the obsessively prepared Roy evades arrest at almost every turn, wreaking havoc on his fiercest rivals and gaining the admiration of police forces around the globe. Filled with insane driving and Roy's quixotic quest to win both for his late father and himself, "The Driver" is the tale of one man's insatiable drive beyond life in the fast lane.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 2009
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 1, 2013
PLEASE NOTE: This is the SAME BOOK as, "The Driver: My Dangerous Pursuit of Speed and Truth in the Outlaw Racing World." Immediately after I bought that book on Amazon, I saw this one for a penny, and it seemed very close to the other book, but not EXACTLY the same, which it is, word-for-word, minus the same cover and some pictures and overall size and font size. So I bought it as well, read it first, went to start the other book, and then found out how stupid I am lol. To be fair, however, I can't find a single piece of info that warns us of this anywhere online or in the book. ALSO NOTE: THERE IS NO CAMARO IN THE BOOK, DESPITE THE COVER. (At least I'm pretty sure it's a Camaro, anyway).
Now for the review:
As a guy who loves both his car and book collections more than he loves most other things, I was ecstatic when I heard about this book (these books), and although I usually tear through my books like there's no tomorrow, a starved part of me tore through this one with a very special hunger. Car guys don't get too many books outside of technical manuals, so every second reading this one was a treat.
This book is written to be read voraciously - you get the idea pretty quick that, like a BMW, to use it the way it was intended, you have to jump right in and haul ass. It's full of sumptuous, rich details that just seem better when your eyes are flying as fast as they can, as you might expect from a book of this type, however, it isn't as macho or simplistic as you might think. Of course, it's all about fast cars, pretty girls, being a badass, etc., but there is some genuinely good writing in it and some serious thought behind it. There are more evocative thoughts in this book than just "32:07 FTW!"
I recommend this book to anyone, because it is a unique and snappy story which isn't too long of a commitment to get into if you're like me and refuse to give up on a book no matter how much you don't like it. I wouldn't recommend this book to other car guys/gals - I would damn near force it into their hands (which might work because I have both copies now). One last warning, though: If you have had license-threatening speeding tickets in your life, read this AWAY from your car. It plants certain seeds, if you know what I mean.
Now for the review:
As a guy who loves both his car and book collections more than he loves most other things, I was ecstatic when I heard about this book (these books), and although I usually tear through my books like there's no tomorrow, a starved part of me tore through this one with a very special hunger. Car guys don't get too many books outside of technical manuals, so every second reading this one was a treat.
This book is written to be read voraciously - you get the idea pretty quick that, like a BMW, to use it the way it was intended, you have to jump right in and haul ass. It's full of sumptuous, rich details that just seem better when your eyes are flying as fast as they can, as you might expect from a book of this type, however, it isn't as macho or simplistic as you might think. Of course, it's all about fast cars, pretty girls, being a badass, etc., but there is some genuinely good writing in it and some serious thought behind it. There are more evocative thoughts in this book than just "32:07 FTW!"
I recommend this book to anyone, because it is a unique and snappy story which isn't too long of a commitment to get into if you're like me and refuse to give up on a book no matter how much you don't like it. I wouldn't recommend this book to other car guys/gals - I would damn near force it into their hands (which might work because I have both copies now). One last warning, though: If you have had license-threatening speeding tickets in your life, read this AWAY from your car. It plants certain seeds, if you know what I mean.
Displaying 1 of 1 review