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The Driver: My Dangerous Pursuit of Speed and Truth in the Outlaw Racing World
On his deathbed, Alex Roy's father dropped tantalizing hints about the notorious Cannonball Run of the 1970s, the utterly illegal high-speed nonstop race from New York to L.A. that was nothing at all like the one portrayed in the Burt Reynolds movie. Inspired by his father's dying words, and against the advice of his loyal, lifelong friends, Roy enters the mysterious world of road rallies and underground races—trying both to find himself and to locate The Driver, the anonymous organizer of the world's ultimate secret race—neither of which may exist. But in order to get noticed by The Driver, Roy must first become a force to be reckoned with. In this riveting memoir, Roy straps you into his highly modified BMW M5 and takes you on a terrifying 120 mph lap of Manhattan (his version of the French cult film Rendezvous ), then tackles the Gumball 3000 and the Bullrun—the two most infamous road rallies in the world. He creates a character for himself and his car, Polizei Autobahn Interceptor, and they stick out among the Lamborghinis and Ferraris driven by millionaire playboys, software moguls, Arab princes, movie stars, leggy Czech supermodels, gear-heads, and tech whizzes. Out of the hundred-plus rally drivers, a select few—Alex Roy among them—compete as if these are full-on honestto-god road races, traveling from London to Morocco, from Budapest to Rome, from San Francisco to Miami at speeds approaching 200 mph. With his M5 armed with amyriad of 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. But his rise to the top of the rally-driving world ultimately proves hollow, until he meets a young film producer documenting the obscure post–Cannonball Run races and the holy grail of cross-country racing—the N.Y.-to-L.A. speed record of thirty-two hours and seven minutes set back in 1983. Can that time even be approached today, much less beaten? As Roy reveals in The Driver , there are reasons why no one has tried in twenty-four years. But should he try? Can he do it? Full of hilarious, sexy, and shocking stories from a life lived at the right-hand edge of the speedometer, The Driver offers a never-before-told insider's account of the fast, dangerous, and unbelievable society that has long been offlimits to most of us. Filled with insane driving and Roy's quixotic quest to win both for his late father and for himself, The Driver is the tale of one man's insatiable drive beyond life in the fast lane.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2007
18 people are currently reading
337 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
January 21, 2010
Did some extra work recently, on the set of the show Heroes. There, I met a 20-year-old kid who loved cars. He told me about this book, and because I have a serendipitous relationship with books and tend to follow almost any recommendation, I read it...
Alexander Roy is a big fish in an EXTREMELY small pond: He is one of the best cross-country endurance racers in the world.
This does not mean he is skilled at navigating a car along a racetrack (which, if anything, this book convinced me is a lot harder than it looks.) No, Roy is good at starting in a city, like New York, and then driving his car very fast to another city many miles away, like Los Angeles.
No, this activity is not legal, at least the racing aspect of it. Driving cross-country is of course quite legal, and there is a group of very rich people (mostly men), who meet every year and do it caravan-style, showing off their outrageously expensive vehicles and partying every night along the way. This event is called Gumball, and it is not a race, and its participants are not interested in racing, because racing on public roads in very expensive cars is illegal, not to mention extremely dangerous. I repeat, Gumball is an opportunity for a bunch of wealthy, car-owning douchebags to get together, show off their cars, and have a little fun.
Roy, however, treats this event as a race. He tries to go faster than everyone else, hitting the checkpoints first, not getting pulled over by cops, and so on. He goes to outrageous lengths to do so, outfitting his M5 with all sorts of illegal cop-blocking radar infrared scanner bullshit. He plots out gas stops and routes using advanced satellite technology, and he disguises his car and himself (typically as a fake police officer/vehicle) to increase his ability to drive fast without detection from law enforcement.
And typically, Roy wins. He wins Gumball... which is, I repeat, not a race, though a few of its more douchebaggy participants do indulge Ray in the racing aspect... and Roy typically beats them or at least handles himself very well against them, and for this he is extremely proud of himself. Puffed up on exhaust, he can't stop delighting in his illegal racing exploits, his witty dialog with his "copilots" on the races, his crazy moves along the turnpike. Two-thirds of The Driver are filled with Roy's descriptions of different years' Gumballs, an initially interesting trickle of information drying up hard and crusty as the "races" pile up and the page count creeps up over 300.
Let's get something straight: Roy is a winner of races that hardly anybody wants to race in. He is a winner of races that endanger innocent people's lives and that offer no reward for winning outside of a possible felony charge (these morons drive in excess of 100 mph and more.) What's more he creates his "racing" out of an event that isn't even supposed to be a race, that actively promotes itself as not being a race.
He is a douchebag among douchebags, pointlessly fabricating glory and exciting competition in an arena that nobody outside of the extremely wealthy even cares about. The Driver is mildly interesting when Roy relates to us his preparations for drives. Douchebag or no, you can't deny his intelligence or focus when it comes to this giant waste of time and human life (yes, later on in the book some innocent civilians are struck and killed by one of Roy's Gumball "competitors"), and the lengths to which he prepares for the "races" are fascinating in a sad and demented kind of way. The last third of The Driver revolves around Roy's attempt to set the speed record for driving across the entire country, coast to coast. He finds a way to do it in 31 hours, a remarkable feat.
A few good moments aside, however, The Driver mostly made me angry. That Roy is intelligent enough to be aware his exploits are endangering innocents, and that he has the perspective to freely admit his obsession is pointless and his idea of "racing" mostly imaginary, only increases his douchebaggery. If you're aware you're doing something idiotic and yet you still do it... again and again and again... well, that's not very impressive to me. To make matters worse, Roy has the audacity to cast himself as this outlaw hero, this brooding figure who is aware of all the risks, aware that all his family and friends think him a fool... but he has no choice. He is a "racer," a "competitor," and the call of the open road is bigger than anything else, bigger than the lives at stake, the potential felonies awaiting him and his "crew." He is "The Driver," and when push comes to shove, nothing else matters.
He is a Douche. Bag.
Alexander Roy is a big fish in an EXTREMELY small pond: He is one of the best cross-country endurance racers in the world.
This does not mean he is skilled at navigating a car along a racetrack (which, if anything, this book convinced me is a lot harder than it looks.) No, Roy is good at starting in a city, like New York, and then driving his car very fast to another city many miles away, like Los Angeles.
No, this activity is not legal, at least the racing aspect of it. Driving cross-country is of course quite legal, and there is a group of very rich people (mostly men), who meet every year and do it caravan-style, showing off their outrageously expensive vehicles and partying every night along the way. This event is called Gumball, and it is not a race, and its participants are not interested in racing, because racing on public roads in very expensive cars is illegal, not to mention extremely dangerous. I repeat, Gumball is an opportunity for a bunch of wealthy, car-owning douchebags to get together, show off their cars, and have a little fun.
Roy, however, treats this event as a race. He tries to go faster than everyone else, hitting the checkpoints first, not getting pulled over by cops, and so on. He goes to outrageous lengths to do so, outfitting his M5 with all sorts of illegal cop-blocking radar infrared scanner bullshit. He plots out gas stops and routes using advanced satellite technology, and he disguises his car and himself (typically as a fake police officer/vehicle) to increase his ability to drive fast without detection from law enforcement.
And typically, Roy wins. He wins Gumball... which is, I repeat, not a race, though a few of its more douchebaggy participants do indulge Ray in the racing aspect... and Roy typically beats them or at least handles himself very well against them, and for this he is extremely proud of himself. Puffed up on exhaust, he can't stop delighting in his illegal racing exploits, his witty dialog with his "copilots" on the races, his crazy moves along the turnpike. Two-thirds of The Driver are filled with Roy's descriptions of different years' Gumballs, an initially interesting trickle of information drying up hard and crusty as the "races" pile up and the page count creeps up over 300.
Let's get something straight: Roy is a winner of races that hardly anybody wants to race in. He is a winner of races that endanger innocent people's lives and that offer no reward for winning outside of a possible felony charge (these morons drive in excess of 100 mph and more.) What's more he creates his "racing" out of an event that isn't even supposed to be a race, that actively promotes itself as not being a race.
He is a douchebag among douchebags, pointlessly fabricating glory and exciting competition in an arena that nobody outside of the extremely wealthy even cares about. The Driver is mildly interesting when Roy relates to us his preparations for drives. Douchebag or no, you can't deny his intelligence or focus when it comes to this giant waste of time and human life (yes, later on in the book some innocent civilians are struck and killed by one of Roy's Gumball "competitors"), and the lengths to which he prepares for the "races" are fascinating in a sad and demented kind of way. The last third of The Driver revolves around Roy's attempt to set the speed record for driving across the entire country, coast to coast. He finds a way to do it in 31 hours, a remarkable feat.
A few good moments aside, however, The Driver mostly made me angry. That Roy is intelligent enough to be aware his exploits are endangering innocents, and that he has the perspective to freely admit his obsession is pointless and his idea of "racing" mostly imaginary, only increases his douchebaggery. If you're aware you're doing something idiotic and yet you still do it... again and again and again... well, that's not very impressive to me. To make matters worse, Roy has the audacity to cast himself as this outlaw hero, this brooding figure who is aware of all the risks, aware that all his family and friends think him a fool... but he has no choice. He is a "racer," a "competitor," and the call of the open road is bigger than anything else, bigger than the lives at stake, the potential felonies awaiting him and his "crew." He is "The Driver," and when push comes to shove, nothing else matters.
He is a Douche. Bag.
September 14, 2012
Alex Roy is borderline-insane, and yet is one of the most careful, detail-obsessed people I've ever read about. He took enormous risks, but they were calculated risks, not reckless. And this story is a fantastic one—so outlandish, so over-the-top, so unlikely that I wouldn't believe it was true unless it was thoroughly documented by other sources!
I first read about Roy in a Wired article published after the statute of limitations had run out on his last big race: Setting the rally record driving from New York to Los Angeles, in a dangerous run that averaged over 90 mph (which meant doing much of it much, much faster). I was fascinated then by this crazy man and his attention to detail. I found a kindred love of spreadsheets and fancy gizmos and fast driving, and I filed it away mentally under "that's awesome" and that was it. Until recently, when I discovered he had written a book—and I had to read it. Roy writes well, and his stories are incredible, especially if you're a car nut or a driving enthusiast. He chronicles a very unique kind of driving: Endurance rally racing. Racing in traffic, on normal roads, over long distances. It requires a special kind of skill set and a different kind of vehicle than track racing. And in the specialized world of underground, illegal rally racing, it also requires equipment and talent at avoiding the law, tickets, and arrest.
After breaking the cross-country record, Roy has indicated that he won't be attempting it again. However, rumors abound that someone else—a Hollywood film writer, some suggest—has done so already and is waiting for the statute of limitations to run out before going public.
All in all, this was an enjoyable, entertaining read that I'd recommend.
I first read about Roy in a Wired article published after the statute of limitations had run out on his last big race: Setting the rally record driving from New York to Los Angeles, in a dangerous run that averaged over 90 mph (which meant doing much of it much, much faster). I was fascinated then by this crazy man and his attention to detail. I found a kindred love of spreadsheets and fancy gizmos and fast driving, and I filed it away mentally under "that's awesome" and that was it. Until recently, when I discovered he had written a book—and I had to read it. Roy writes well, and his stories are incredible, especially if you're a car nut or a driving enthusiast. He chronicles a very unique kind of driving: Endurance rally racing. Racing in traffic, on normal roads, over long distances. It requires a special kind of skill set and a different kind of vehicle than track racing. And in the specialized world of underground, illegal rally racing, it also requires equipment and talent at avoiding the law, tickets, and arrest.
After breaking the cross-country record, Roy has indicated that he won't be attempting it again. However, rumors abound that someone else—a Hollywood film writer, some suggest—has done so already and is waiting for the statute of limitations to run out before going public.
All in all, this was an enjoyable, entertaining read that I'd recommend.
March 11, 2010
I couldn't finish it, but I didn't need to read more to tell you that it is a book written by a man with an interesting story who is full of himself and who doesn't write well. Maybe I will try again, sometime.
February 6, 2010
I got sucked in because this part of the car world is fascinating to me. But the author is pretty arrogant and I feel like the book kind of goes nowhere.
January 10, 2013
I thought this was a great book that really gives a person some insight into the life of an underground rally racer. It all starts when Alex Roy's father is on his deathbed and he tells alex about some old files in his house that talk about a mysterious racer named "The Driver". He then digs up some information on a mock "race" of the old cannonball races called the gumball rally. At first he enlists an aquaintance named David Maher to participate in the rally as his "co-pilot", and he does not place very well. He then updates his police avoidance equipment and gets better at racing. He enters many more rally races in foreign countries and in the United States, and starts placing better as he goes. He has different co-pilots every time, and can not keep a relationship with a girl because he is so into the races. Racing engulfs his life. He starts to realize that he is not the same man he was before. He now knows why he does these races, and the reasoning was to get something that money can not buy. To continue, in one of his foreign rally races, he meets two drivers, Richard Rawlings and Dennis Collins, who take the rallies as seriously as he does. After gaining their friendship, Rawlings asks Alex to race with them cross country, no stops, just a race from coast to coast. He meets a cross country racing specialist named Cory Wells. Cory tells him about the most recent unknown record of 34 hours and 46 minutes, along with an even more recent record of 32 hours and 7 minutes. He declines Rawlings and decides to make a run with one of his best friends known as "Nine" and Cory. They end up breaking down half way, but will they make another run? Will he beat the cross country record? Will he find The Driver? I dont know, you must read the book to find out. Overall it is a great book that got me researching all about rally racing.
October 7, 2008
Wow! The key to this great book is that the author was a writer before his "outlaw driving" experiences. The book reads like you're in the car, and the reader experiences an adrenelin rush as you turn the pages. I would have never read a racing book, but I loved every page of this one. Definitely recommend for all adults, but a caveat: I won't let my 14-year-old son read this, because of the glorification of extreme driving. People get killed driving this way, and the author, while no doubt an excellent driver, was also very, very lucky.
August 13, 2008
I picked this book up for my husband, but I ended up reading it myself - before he did. I am not super interested in cars, but I found it fascinating anyways. The author Alex Roy is really funny, and his genuine good guy "ness" comes out in his writing and storytelling despite the illegal and dangerous world the book takes place in.
Read
January 30, 2016"The car barreled down the Champs-Elysées at over 120 mph and ran a red light.
This was Russian roulette with five out of six chambers loaded." (18)
"Not one of these people will ever hunt, cave-dive or race, or attempt anything that would endanger their purebred dog, Italian navy diving watch, or custom-ordered car, let alone their own safety, unless wwll paid, forced, or shamed into it.
This is the message of Rendezvous - it's not what you have, it's what you do with it." (19)
"To do any less is far worse than wearing $200 sneakers for a pleasant stroll, or domesticating an animal meant to roam free - it's eating McDonald's in Paris, it's watching porn instead of having sex with one's girlfriend, it's returning from war with one's gun unfired. Such second-rate decadence is worse than bad taste. It is not a victimless crime. It's an insult to everyone who can't afford the option." [emphasis added] (20)
"His [author's father] wisdom was revealed on fragmentary tablets, and only at twelve did I first realize the difference in having afather one generation older than those of my friends. Sometimes he inexplicably stopped midstory, then continued another from weeks or months earlier, and the stories would converge in an uncomfortable moment whose meaning remained unclear to me for years. Only in my twenties did I grasp that their conclusions were withheld until I'd reached the age at which he'd lived them." (33)
"If balls were cash, she'd own Wall Street." (pics)
"By the time we reached the white-shirted Ross, he was already proe int he mud under the Bentley. 'Tire puncture,' he said calmly. 'Be so kind as to bring my jack and spare, and we can sort this right away. I brought a full-size for just this eventuality.'
'Of course he did,' Nine said as we unpacked the spare. 'This guy's like James Bond.'
'We brought one, too.'
'Yeah, but you're more Austin Powers.'" (179)
"'Approaching Battaglia,' Nine said 20 minutes later. 'Schtaven confirms it is Team 35, Bourne, S., UK, Porsche 996 TT, Race Spec, X50. Codriver unlisted. He reports car still closing, but at a slower rate, and congratulates you on finding your manhood.'
'He said what?'
'Team 35, Bourne, S. -'
'Niiiine! The last part!'
'Well, he actually wrote. . . "it's nice ot see you stick your cock out."'
'Nine, write back that I expect to see him out here in his thousand-horsepower Supra lawn mower next year, or else.'
'You're doing this next year? Are you insane? Isn't this enough?'
'We'll see. ETA to intercept?'" (194)
"'Two best friends who've run out of good jokes,' said Nine, 'a hot, non-smoking, hippie black belt who's got us by the balls if we tell a bad joke on camera, and some surfer dude we don't know? it's the worst road trip of all time, only ten times longer.'" (219)
"...who spoke like he gargled with charcoal and gravel..." (220)
"I knew the value of time. It was the only currency I counted anymore." (233)
"'Ozzel Air, how far can you see out?'
'If you knew math we'd tell you, Ozzel Ground...'" (250)
"'...Before my father died, I asked him how I was going to go on. He said someday I'd wake up and wouldn't be able to remember what life was like when he was alive.'
'But you remember him, right? You always talk about him.'
'I remember everything that happened before, and everything about him, but I can't remember... what it felt like to know I could call him. Now all I know is that I can't.'" (274)
"His answer was so concise, so elegant, so subtle, so obvious, I was embarrassed to answer in kind. His answer was mine, distilled down to six words.
I want something money can't buy." (280)
"'That's what I'm afraid of. Doing well.' [Maher]" (292)
"The richest man in the world is the one who stops counting." (322)
"They, I, all of us - had changed, however unwittingly. We dream of stopping time, relish in its rare capture, lie to ourselves about it inexorable advance, but time has no mercy. Nor, in committing utterly to that for which our hearts yearn, should we. The costs of my journey were far higher and carried by many more than I could have known. But I would do it again, if I didn't now know better.
Someone, perhaps Rawlings, will inevitably make another run. Safely, I hope. And the Roy/Maher time will be broken. Someday. But if anyone suggests I venture about out in response, they have much to learn about the underrated plasure of a full night's sleep, or a good book on a rainy Sunday, or ice cream in the beach." (323)
This was Russian roulette with five out of six chambers loaded." (18)
"Not one of these people will ever hunt, cave-dive or race, or attempt anything that would endanger their purebred dog, Italian navy diving watch, or custom-ordered car, let alone their own safety, unless wwll paid, forced, or shamed into it.
This is the message of Rendezvous - it's not what you have, it's what you do with it." (19)
"To do any less is far worse than wearing $200 sneakers for a pleasant stroll, or domesticating an animal meant to roam free - it's eating McDonald's in Paris, it's watching porn instead of having sex with one's girlfriend, it's returning from war with one's gun unfired. Such second-rate decadence is worse than bad taste. It is not a victimless crime. It's an insult to everyone who can't afford the option." [emphasis added] (20)
"His [author's father] wisdom was revealed on fragmentary tablets, and only at twelve did I first realize the difference in having afather one generation older than those of my friends. Sometimes he inexplicably stopped midstory, then continued another from weeks or months earlier, and the stories would converge in an uncomfortable moment whose meaning remained unclear to me for years. Only in my twenties did I grasp that their conclusions were withheld until I'd reached the age at which he'd lived them." (33)
"If balls were cash, she'd own Wall Street." (pics)
"By the time we reached the white-shirted Ross, he was already proe int he mud under the Bentley. 'Tire puncture,' he said calmly. 'Be so kind as to bring my jack and spare, and we can sort this right away. I brought a full-size for just this eventuality.'
'Of course he did,' Nine said as we unpacked the spare. 'This guy's like James Bond.'
'We brought one, too.'
'Yeah, but you're more Austin Powers.'" (179)
"'Approaching Battaglia,' Nine said 20 minutes later. 'Schtaven confirms it is Team 35, Bourne, S., UK, Porsche 996 TT, Race Spec, X50. Codriver unlisted. He reports car still closing, but at a slower rate, and congratulates you on finding your manhood.'
'He said what?'
'Team 35, Bourne, S. -'
'Niiiine! The last part!'
'Well, he actually wrote. . . "it's nice ot see you stick your cock out."'
'Nine, write back that I expect to see him out here in his thousand-horsepower Supra lawn mower next year, or else.'
'You're doing this next year? Are you insane? Isn't this enough?'
'We'll see. ETA to intercept?'" (194)
"'Two best friends who've run out of good jokes,' said Nine, 'a hot, non-smoking, hippie black belt who's got us by the balls if we tell a bad joke on camera, and some surfer dude we don't know? it's the worst road trip of all time, only ten times longer.'" (219)
"...who spoke like he gargled with charcoal and gravel..." (220)
"I knew the value of time. It was the only currency I counted anymore." (233)
"'Ozzel Air, how far can you see out?'
'If you knew math we'd tell you, Ozzel Ground...'" (250)
"'...Before my father died, I asked him how I was going to go on. He said someday I'd wake up and wouldn't be able to remember what life was like when he was alive.'
'But you remember him, right? You always talk about him.'
'I remember everything that happened before, and everything about him, but I can't remember... what it felt like to know I could call him. Now all I know is that I can't.'" (274)
"His answer was so concise, so elegant, so subtle, so obvious, I was embarrassed to answer in kind. His answer was mine, distilled down to six words.
I want something money can't buy." (280)
"'That's what I'm afraid of. Doing well.' [Maher]" (292)
"The richest man in the world is the one who stops counting." (322)
"They, I, all of us - had changed, however unwittingly. We dream of stopping time, relish in its rare capture, lie to ourselves about it inexorable advance, but time has no mercy. Nor, in committing utterly to that for which our hearts yearn, should we. The costs of my journey were far higher and carried by many more than I could have known. But I would do it again, if I didn't now know better.
Someone, perhaps Rawlings, will inevitably make another run. Safely, I hope. And the Roy/Maher time will be broken. Someday. But if anyone suggests I venture about out in response, they have much to learn about the underrated plasure of a full night's sleep, or a good book on a rainy Sunday, or ice cream in the beach." (323)
September 16, 2013
Not one of these people will ever hunt, cave-dive or race, or attempt anything that would endanger their purebred dog, Italian navy diving watch, or custom-ordered car, let alone their own safety, unless well paid, forced, or shamed into it.
This is the message of Rendezvous - it's not what you have, it's what you do with it. (19)
To do any less is far worse than wearing $200 sneakers for a pleasant stroll, or domesticating an animal meant to roam free - it's eating McDonald's in Paris, it's watching porn instead of having sex with one's girlfriend, it's returning from war with one's gun unfired. Such second-rate decadence is worse than bad taste. It is not a victimless crime. It's an insult to everyone who can't afford the option. (20)
I rolled past the World Trade Center at 2:54am. It's left at 2:26. I lapped Manhattan in twenty-seven minutes. I beat my target by three minutes. I'd committed 109 moving violations. I'd spotted two police cars. I'd earned a theoretical 731 points against my license, sufficient for sixty-six license suspensions.
And I'd never felt better. Ever.
I felt something I hadn't felt since losing my virginity - a surreptitious, revelatory sense of awakening born of accomplishment - but this, unlike that, had been completed alone, and with skill. (32)
Calling them to ask for advice was inconceivable, so I decided to call them to ask for advice. (229)
"We're here," I said, "and they're after some idiot with expired tags." (242)
Failure is the great teacher, if one allows it to be. I'd failed, but even in failure everything was going according to plan. (256)
For the last 21 hours my oldest friends had risked their lives to support my quest. However little they believed in it, they believed in me, and would forgive any failure out of love, but Maher was here to win, and he wouldn't have come without the same faith in me that I had in him. (308)
Traffic thinned out. The desert night's stars rose, first over the distant mountains, then in a vast twinkling curtain of welcome, whatever our speed, whatever out time.
After 10 hours, the storms were over. (309)
I had to complete the definitive history, for the full story seemed far greater than my own. If anything befell me, my unborn children might yet pursue archaeology, or music, and wouldn't take foolish risks to fill holes in their hearts, or egos. (320)
The richest man in the world is one who stops counting. (321)
They, I, all of us - had changed, however unwittingly. We dream of stopping time, relish in its rare capture, lie to ourselves about it inexorable advance, but time has no mercy. Nor, in committing utterly to that for which our hearts yearn, should we. The costs of my journey were far higher and carried by many more than I could have known. But I would do it again, if I didn't now know better. (322)
If balls were cash, she'd own Wall Street. (*)
This is the message of Rendezvous - it's not what you have, it's what you do with it. (19)
To do any less is far worse than wearing $200 sneakers for a pleasant stroll, or domesticating an animal meant to roam free - it's eating McDonald's in Paris, it's watching porn instead of having sex with one's girlfriend, it's returning from war with one's gun unfired. Such second-rate decadence is worse than bad taste. It is not a victimless crime. It's an insult to everyone who can't afford the option. (20)
I rolled past the World Trade Center at 2:54am. It's left at 2:26. I lapped Manhattan in twenty-seven minutes. I beat my target by three minutes. I'd committed 109 moving violations. I'd spotted two police cars. I'd earned a theoretical 731 points against my license, sufficient for sixty-six license suspensions.
And I'd never felt better. Ever.
I felt something I hadn't felt since losing my virginity - a surreptitious, revelatory sense of awakening born of accomplishment - but this, unlike that, had been completed alone, and with skill. (32)
Calling them to ask for advice was inconceivable, so I decided to call them to ask for advice. (229)
"We're here," I said, "and they're after some idiot with expired tags." (242)
Failure is the great teacher, if one allows it to be. I'd failed, but even in failure everything was going according to plan. (256)
For the last 21 hours my oldest friends had risked their lives to support my quest. However little they believed in it, they believed in me, and would forgive any failure out of love, but Maher was here to win, and he wouldn't have come without the same faith in me that I had in him. (308)
Traffic thinned out. The desert night's stars rose, first over the distant mountains, then in a vast twinkling curtain of welcome, whatever our speed, whatever out time.
After 10 hours, the storms were over. (309)
I had to complete the definitive history, for the full story seemed far greater than my own. If anything befell me, my unborn children might yet pursue archaeology, or music, and wouldn't take foolish risks to fill holes in their hearts, or egos. (320)
The richest man in the world is one who stops counting. (321)
They, I, all of us - had changed, however unwittingly. We dream of stopping time, relish in its rare capture, lie to ourselves about it inexorable advance, but time has no mercy. Nor, in committing utterly to that for which our hearts yearn, should we. The costs of my journey were far higher and carried by many more than I could have known. But I would do it again, if I didn't now know better. (322)
If balls were cash, she'd own Wall Street. (*)
April 17, 2009
On his deathbed, Alex Roy's father dropped tantalizing hints about the notorious Cannonball Run of the 1970s, the utterly illegal high-speed nonstop race from New York to L.A. that was nothing at all like the one portrayed in the Burt Reynolds movie.
Inspired by his father's dying words, and against the advice of his loyal, lifelong friends, Roy enters the mysterious world of road rallies and underground races—trying both to find himself and to locate The Driver, the anonymous organizer of the world's ultimate secret race—neither of which may exist. But in order to get noticed by The Driver, Roy must first become a force to be reckoned with.
In this riveting memoir, Roy straps you into his highly modified BMW M5 and takes you on a terrifying 120 mph lap of Manhattan (his version of the French cult film Rendezvous), then tackles the Gumball 3000 and the Bull run—the two most infamous road rallies in the world. He creates a character for himself and his car, Polizei Autobahn Interceptor, and they stick out among the Lamborghinis and Ferraris driven by millionaire playboys, software moguls, Arab princes, movie stars, leggy Czech supermodels, gear-heads, and tech whizzes. Out of the hundred-plus rally drivers, a select few—Alex Roy among them—compete as if these are full-on honest to-god road races, traveling from London to Morocco, from Budapest to Rome, from San Francisco to Miami at speeds approaching 200 mph.
With his M5 armed with a myriad of 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.
But his rise to the top of the rally-driving world ultimately proves hollow, until he meets a young film producer documenting the obscure post–Cannonball Run races and the holy grail of cross-country racing—the N.Y.-to-L.A. speed record of thirty-two hours and seven minutes set back in 1983. Can that time even be approached today, much less beaten? As Roy reveals in The Driver, there are reasons why no one has tried in twenty-four years. But should he try? Can he do it?
Full of hilarious, sexy, and shocking stories from a life lived at the right-hand edge of the speedometer, The Driver offers a never-before-told insider's account of the fast, dangerous, and unbelievable society that has long been offlimits to most of us. Filled with insane driving and Roy's quixotic quest to win both for his late father and for himself, The Driver is the tale of one man's insatiable drive beyond life in the fast lane.
Inspired by his father's dying words, and against the advice of his loyal, lifelong friends, Roy enters the mysterious world of road rallies and underground races—trying both to find himself and to locate The Driver, the anonymous organizer of the world's ultimate secret race—neither of which may exist. But in order to get noticed by The Driver, Roy must first become a force to be reckoned with.
In this riveting memoir, Roy straps you into his highly modified BMW M5 and takes you on a terrifying 120 mph lap of Manhattan (his version of the French cult film Rendezvous), then tackles the Gumball 3000 and the Bull run—the two most infamous road rallies in the world. He creates a character for himself and his car, Polizei Autobahn Interceptor, and they stick out among the Lamborghinis and Ferraris driven by millionaire playboys, software moguls, Arab princes, movie stars, leggy Czech supermodels, gear-heads, and tech whizzes. Out of the hundred-plus rally drivers, a select few—Alex Roy among them—compete as if these are full-on honest to-god road races, traveling from London to Morocco, from Budapest to Rome, from San Francisco to Miami at speeds approaching 200 mph.
With his M5 armed with a myriad of 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.
But his rise to the top of the rally-driving world ultimately proves hollow, until he meets a young film producer documenting the obscure post–Cannonball Run races and the holy grail of cross-country racing—the N.Y.-to-L.A. speed record of thirty-two hours and seven minutes set back in 1983. Can that time even be approached today, much less beaten? As Roy reveals in The Driver, there are reasons why no one has tried in twenty-four years. But should he try? Can he do it?
Full of hilarious, sexy, and shocking stories from a life lived at the right-hand edge of the speedometer, The Driver offers a never-before-told insider's account of the fast, dangerous, and unbelievable society that has long been offlimits to most of us. Filled with insane driving and Roy's quixotic quest to win both for his late father and for himself, The Driver is the tale of one man's insatiable drive beyond life in the fast lane.
May 24, 2009
Alex Roy is a competitor like no other. His thirst for speed leads him into a world that endangers himself and those around him, but boy is it a rush. This is more than a story about a super-cool guy that drives fast though and that's the pleasant surprise that "The Driver" gives us. Like all of us he is a man seeking some sort of greater meaning in his life. The death of his Father serve as his catalyst for a career in cross country racing that takes him around the world. If life is a journey then Alex Roy is taking that journey at an excessive speed.
The great thing about this book is that Alex Roy's tale is worth reading about for various reasons. At first its a quest. But through his travels he meets a slew of colorful characters and ultimately discovers himself. Sure that sounds a bit cliche but this is still a journey like no other. Fortunately for us Roy's writing about last second finishes and being tailed by cops is heart-pounding. He captures the moments perfectly. Many times I felt like I was right there in the car with him trying to hit the brake at 150 mph. The bonus is that Roy has a great sense of humor too. Who else would enter a U.S. Gumball race as a German Police officer, uniform and all.
So if you're looking for a pure thrill ride with something extra look no further. If not, well the movie is due out very soon.
The great thing about this book is that Alex Roy's tale is worth reading about for various reasons. At first its a quest. But through his travels he meets a slew of colorful characters and ultimately discovers himself. Sure that sounds a bit cliche but this is still a journey like no other. Fortunately for us Roy's writing about last second finishes and being tailed by cops is heart-pounding. He captures the moments perfectly. Many times I felt like I was right there in the car with him trying to hit the brake at 150 mph. The bonus is that Roy has a great sense of humor too. Who else would enter a U.S. Gumball race as a German Police officer, uniform and all.
So if you're looking for a pure thrill ride with something extra look no further. If not, well the movie is due out very soon.
April 16, 2009
This book makes me want to do something really exciting and different and adventurous. My boyfriend read it in sprinting spurts over two days, practically falling over himself to find out what happened, so I knew I would have to read it. Yes, it is a little bit anti-climactic, because you know the end even before you get there, but Roy's writing is absolutely wonderful and kept me glued to the page for long stretches of time. Yes, he did things that I disagree with in theory, but I was willing to forgive him pretty much instantly, as sad as that is. And Cory .... she was such a cool character, I want to be her.
If anyone has any suggestions for other books like this one, please give me a poke. Both my boyfriend and I are DYING to get reading again.
If anyone has any suggestions for other books like this one, please give me a poke. Both my boyfriend and I are DYING to get reading again.
December 30, 2010
This book will be appealing to a very limited audience. Alexander Roy, a well known driver in the semi-legal cross country rally race, includes a lot of detail about his car, and his strategies while driving. While that information may not be interesting to some, it isn't overwhelming in the book. He also offers history, and personal experiences with his father and friends that motivated him to challenge the standing record for driving from New York to Los Angeles.
I loved the sense of urgency, and intensity his writing provided. Being that racing is a passion of mine, I really enjoyed the book.
I loved the sense of urgency, and intensity his writing provided. Being that racing is a passion of mine, I really enjoyed the book.
August 20, 2008
An incredible tale of one mans quest to fulfill his fathers deathbed wish to find a mysterious character, simply named 'The Driver' who organizes underground cross-country high speed races.
Some years later after traveling the globe at high speed in his BMW on quasi-legal road rallies such as the Gumball 3000 and Bullrun, Roy decideds to tackle the seemingly insermountble cross country speed record driving from the east-coast to the west-coast of America.
It is only after that he realizes that he has in effect become 'The Driver' his father had urged him to get in touch with.
Some years later after traveling the globe at high speed in his BMW on quasi-legal road rallies such as the Gumball 3000 and Bullrun, Roy decideds to tackle the seemingly insermountble cross country speed record driving from the east-coast to the west-coast of America.
It is only after that he realizes that he has in effect become 'The Driver' his father had urged him to get in touch with.
November 12, 2007
some authors write with an eye twoards what kind of movie their book would make. alexander roy lives his life like he wants it to be an action film.
a year back he drove from new york to long beach in a little over thirty two hours. the book offer slim advice to anyone who might want to try themselves. and most of the stories feel disconnected. they could come from random people all involved in the same sport, rather than one distinct personality.
still got a kick out of it.
a year back he drove from new york to long beach in a little over thirty two hours. the book offer slim advice to anyone who might want to try themselves. and most of the stories feel disconnected. they could come from random people all involved in the same sport, rather than one distinct personality.
still got a kick out of it.
December 20, 2007
What can I say, I'm from Michigan. I have a not-so-secret love of cars (and an equal admiration for public transportation), and, I'm the first to admit, would prefer to get someplace "quickly" (made it from NYC to MI in just over 8 hours). The writing is, well....there's this part in the first chapter where he talks about getting a journalism degree from NYU. Really? Really??? It's a good thing you've got good stories Alex....
June 23, 2012
This was an amazing book for those who are interested in the Gumball 3000 Rally and endurance driving across the USA and Europe. Reading about one man's insanity to fulfill the quest given to him by his dad right before he died, is a very entertaining ride. The extent of the willpower to push the limits of sanity and the law by Alex is remarkable, regardless of how you feel about his fast driving speeds.
April 15, 2008
I read this book in under a week, which says a lot I think. This is a fantastic book about a man on a mission. A mission so daring, so illegal, yet so tantalizing, that the book is hard to put down until you know how it ends.
I'm a fan of Alex Roy, and all he represents - saying 'fuck you' to the speed limit and driving quickly, but safely, across entire continents.
I'm a fan of Alex Roy, and all he represents - saying 'fuck you' to the speed limit and driving quickly, but safely, across entire continents.
May 19, 2009
I drive faster since I read this book.
I used to be a car guy, but traded my BMW for an SUV a decade ago. This book reminded me that I love cars and driving.
The author is arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, and not a little crazy. If he magically called me tomorrow and asked if I want to co-pilot the M5 with him, I’d quit my job and go. Just for a year or two.
I used to be a car guy, but traded my BMW for an SUV a decade ago. This book reminded me that I love cars and driving.
The author is arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, and not a little crazy. If he magically called me tomorrow and asked if I want to co-pilot the M5 with him, I’d quit my job and go. Just for a year or two.
January 7, 2010
Alex Roy's entire life is given over to the pursuit of one insane goal after his dying father leaves his last instruction... (find) "The Driver." And then he's off transforming himself from a lazy child of modest wealth into a driven (pun intended) speed demon. Relationships are both severed and enforced along the pursuit to cross the US in under 32 hours.
June 7, 2011
Best. Read. Ever.
This ranks as the literature equivalent to the short film; C'était un Rendezvous (well, for me anyway). Probably the most fun book I've read in years. I've been tempted to buy several copies and give out as presents this holiday. Hopefully none of the recipients are reading this review and ruin the surprise ... oh well. Still worth it.
This ranks as the literature equivalent to the short film; C'était un Rendezvous (well, for me anyway). Probably the most fun book I've read in years. I've been tempted to buy several copies and give out as presents this holiday. Hopefully none of the recipients are reading this review and ruin the surprise ... oh well. Still worth it.
July 17, 2012
Dad recommended this book describing the races inspired by the Gumball Rally movie. The book was entertaining, written in the first person by the man who drove his M5 NYC to LA with his partner in 32 hours. He was obsessed with this drive and the book tells of how this obsession began and was ended.
January 28, 2008
In the world of illegal street racing Alexander Roy is king. This book covers the better part of his rally experiences as well as his most recent record breaking cannonball run from NY to LA.
If I had the time and the money I would be out there doing exactly what this guy did!
If I had the time and the money I would be out there doing exactly what this guy did!
March 15, 2008
I really enjoyed this book but we really love cars so it was cool to read about all the exotic cars and the techy stuff that was done so he could make his driving goals. Very interesting and a fun read but not for anyone who isn't into cars and racing.
January 21, 2009
epic story about an amazing journey across country in an amazing car...the language is amazingly vivid and allows you to really picture what it would be like...took an interesting twist with some psychological/emotional stuff thrown in there at times
September 16, 2011
Would you believe me if I said this is one of the greatest sports books I've ever read? I've read some great sports books. It's not technically about sports. But outlaw cross-country racing is a competition, among drivers and the law. Right? Read it. My dad loved it, too.
March 19, 2013
Alex Roy has stainless steel nads. That's all you need to know about this book. Friggin' awesome and, for all intense and purposes, completely true. If you're at all a car guy and look at traffic cops as the mortal enemy, get this book and read it cover-to-cover.
April 6, 2015
One of the best books I've ever put my hands on. Roy's describing of the split second decisions and emotions that come with high speed pursuits is breathtaking. Took me two full afternoons to read it and I do regret not taking my time. Great read!
October 7, 2008
Lots of detail about Roy's awesome racing experiences, but some of it's a little over-dramatic.
June 23, 2009
Some good stories by a not so good writer
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