Customer Reviews

The Driver: My Dangerous Pursuit of Speed and Truth in the Outlaw Racing World

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

There have been 3 books in my life that were so captivating that putting them down was unthinkable, The Driver just pushed that number to 4. Having been a long time fan of Alex Roy, it was intriguing to read about the details of what has only been rumored until now. Describing his early life, his reasons for following a life of driving, and documenting a truly remarkable accomplishment of the US transcontinental land speed record; this book keeps the reader engaged.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever stared at an open road and wondered what might be possible.

As much as I disapprove of what Alex Roy does (and I truly do), I couldn't help but get a guilty, vicarious thrill reading this book. Alex Roy participates in road rallies and cross-country runs for speed, often clipping along at speeds well into triple digits (how does 175 mph strike you?) on public roads. No matter how many safety precautions you take, that's putting the lives of non-participants at risk and there are plenty of legal ways to get your car onto the track if you want to drive fast safely. Lecture over, my immature half will now commence the review.

I stayed up late reading this book despite writing that is disjointed and frequently hard to follow because I just loved hearing about the antics of the guys who drive these rallies. I am always curious how these guys get away with driving the way they do, how frequently they get caught and what happens when they do. This book answers those questions.

What was unexpected for me was the level of technology and preparation that Roy and a couple other drivers put into these rallies and cross-country runs. Roy's penultimate achievement is setting the record for driving fastest from New York to LA in just 31 hours and 4 minutes. He uses police scanners programmed with the frequency of each state's highway patrol, infrared cameras for night driving, gyroscope-stabilized binoculars and a spotter plane - yep, a plane.

If you've harbored the same questions I have about how and why these guys rally, if you like technology and planning, if you have a kernel of resistance to authority in your personality, if you like cars a little too much, you too might find yourself staying awake too late into the night reading this book. Even if you do disapprove of what these guys do.

I managed to pretty much read the entire book in one sitting during a long haul flight. When I bought it I thought it was a true story, then when I started reading I was thinking 'there's no way this is true, did I grab a fiction title instead'. I was so glad when I could do some research and find that yep, it all did happen. Wow!

It reads like a Boys Own Adventure, an insight to a culture that only a few of us could ever be a part of. The term 'page turner' is something that is thrown around quite a lot, but the pace that this book sets compels you to read at the same pace as the cars. It not only looks at the technical side, but also the human element - the effect that such endeavours have on all those involved, not just the drivers and copilots.

As far as the story goes, it's 5 stars without a doubt, but I had to take one off for delivery. There were times that I wished a bit more detail was given or that the story continued a little longer - a prime example was when Alex was finally introduced to 'Torquenstein'. Other times I was left thinking 'what just happened' and found myself flicking back the pages to see if I missed anything.

So although the author isn't a professional writer, and there is some evidence of that throughout the book, he is a great story teller - and what a story. If you like a good go-fast book you can devour at maximum pace, I'd say go for it. If you are a literary pedant who likes everything just right - the story being secondary - then you may find some of the delivery distracting and might be better sticking with Jane Austen et al.

5 STARS - This is the best book I have ever read! Alex Roy uses compelling story telling ability, and colorful detail to pull the reader through the pages of his book and into the flickering cockpit of his performance BMW.

This is the "Hoosier" underdog story of this decade, and compels one to look at personal goals and the roadblocks that may stand in their way. This is NOT just a book about driving fast, rather one of self discovery and living life with purposeful determination.

Reading time start to finish was 6:42.10, and my heart rate never dropped below 140bpm. Thank you Alex for my first ever cardio read.

Once you start this book it will be extremely hard to put down. Alex Roy is an excellent storyteller, and you feel like you are part of the ride.

He sucks you in with the opening which describes why he got into rally driving in the first place and you find that you cannot wait to turn the page to see what is coming next. The story is truly personal and you will find yourself cheering him on, laughing with him and crying with him from start to finish. Reading this book makes me want to get into rally driving. If you like a fast paced book that is hard to put down, this is the book for you.I highly recommend it.

I thought this was a great read ... whenever I put the book(my Kindle actually) down, I was anxious to pick it up again and continue reading. While Alex Roy in his Team Polizei BMW M5 is engaging in activities that are illegal -- road rallies and cross-country runs for speed, often triple digit speeds on public roads -- I couldn't help but get a vicarious guilty pleasure in hearing how these guys do it, and was impressed with the detailed planning and considerable technology involved. I'm a fan of F1 and ALMS racing, and its the endurance and off-track nature of Roy's activity that adds the spice. I'm no more likely to try to drive non-stop cross-country in 31 hours than I am to get a contract with Ferrari to drive in F1, but that doesn't mean you can't get some enjoyment out of the activities of those who do.

If you're a gadget freak of any worth, you can't help but be impressed by the quantity (and high $dollar$ value)of the tech employed in evading traffic stops. I use a radar detector myself on long-distance trips, but Roy adds multiple scanners and CB radios, GPS's, cell phones, thermal and night vision imaging devices, night vision binoculars and even a spotter plane to his tech arsenal.

If you check You Tube, you can find actual video of many of the stories/events that he tells about in the book. There may be some embellishment in the book, but not as much as you might think.

The book is not Shakespeare but I think he does a good job of relating the story -- it made me feel like sort of like he was sitting across the table at the pizza joint telling me his tale. And for all those folks who are hung up on the police evading, illegal, dangerous nature of the activity ... do you watch any crime shows on TV, or any movies involving robberies? Do you condemn them because they are portraying illegal activities (often based on actual events)? If I'm passed in the middle of the night by a blue BMW driving on thermal imaging devices with no lights doing 140 mph+, I'm going to call the state police to report it -- but the book is still a great read!

A myriad of enthusiastic book reviews tout this book as "the best frickin' book ever" and, suffice it to say, I agree. Wholeheartedly. Thus, to avoid duplicity, I wanted to comment briefly on a less-reviewed aspect of "The Driver," one that seems to often take a back seat (pun intended) to the racing/high-speed/gumball-rallying/party-all-night theme that is the subject of innumerable other reviews: the author's attempt to answer some big questions in a car.

Clearly Mr. Roy can drive. Obviously he is a brilliant strategist. It is axiomatic that he is insane. But some of my favorite scenes in the book did not take place in the lovely M5.

Thus, for those who are thinking of buying this book and, also, in response to those who have taken the time to pontificate, often so carelessly, about Mr. Roy's life, and to judge, all too easily, his passion for racing and the actions he has taken in the exploration thereof, I humbly offer this.

To understand what makes this book so special, it is important to read and understand those passages that do not relate to the garmins, radar jammers and police outfits that otherwise make Team Polizei the wonderful and ridiculous phenomenon that it is.

Indeed, when read holistically, "The Driver" is a fast-paced journey through a world of insane cars, playboys and rally-racers just as much as it is a window into the driver's personal search for that which money can not buy. Meaning. Answers. Passion. "Cadillacs."

On the whole, a very good book.

The best parts are the recounts of the Gumball battles and the road racing. However, I think Alex felt the need to tie all the events in the book together with a single underlying storyline - one that I think is fictional. To me, it's too incredible to believe, and I don't think Alex would have believed it at the time either.

This book is really a must for Gumball enthusiasts. While it is accessible to those not familiar with Gumball, I would say it's most enjoyed by those in the know. An excellent accompanyment to any DVDs you have, as it gives amazing tales of antics not seen in the documentaries - both off the road and on!

Some of the stories are so enthralling I didn't want them to end, and this was one book I couldn't wait to pick up again after work.

I read this book in 2 days and it was a phenominal heart pounding story. What I liked about the book was how committed and passionate Alex Roy was to accomplishing his goal. So whether you are a rock climber, race car driver, tennis lover, etc... you will feel an affinity for what the "Driver"' strives for in his journey. It's the pursuit of excellence, to be the best at something that rang true for me. Go out, buy this book, speed through it, you won't be disappointed.

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 decided to tackle the seemingly insurmountable 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.