Customer Reviews

Race to Dakar

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I must say I really enjoyed this book. The DVD was good, but the book is great. You really get the feeling you are along with the racers. IMO I have read the LWR and feel that the Race to Daker is a better book.

Race to Dakar

I first found Charley Boorman through his trip Long Way Round. I read that book and devoured the DVD TV series. And found out Charley was going to try the Dakar rally.

I ended up reading Race To Dakar in one day. It was so engaging I could not put it down. I liked everything about it. Its shown me places I'm sure I'll never see.

Then I bought the Race To Dakar DVD through Amazon.Ca. And it was just as amazing as the book.

Race To Dakar kept me on the pegs the whole way through. Just like in a Dakar I could not go fast enough.... Great reading. All the inside scoop. All the falls and flaws that Charlie had. You wont want to put it down.

`Race to Dakar' is Charley Boorman's account of his adventures during the 2006 rally. This covers his preparations, anxieties about the race, his time during the race and the logistics of the whole event. This looks at the rally from the point of view of a privateer, rather than a factory, sponsored team, and it gives us insight into the stress and pressure of running a small team. This seemed better written than his other books and I saw inside the cover this was written in collaboration with a professional writer and I have to say it is much better for it. Don't get me wrong, Charley's other books are very good, but you are drawn into the excitement and stress from page one and I felt emotional and choked up as I read the last few pages. This has two colour plate sections with photos from the race which give some idea of what Charley experienced and after reading this I am going to buy the DVD to see it in greater detail. I am left wondering about the ethics of such a large ostentatious race held on a relatively poor continent, but if you put this to the back of your mind this book provides one view of the rally that could quite easily get you hooked!

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I bought this book for my husband after we began watching "Long Way Down" with Charley and Ewan McGregor. He thoroughy enjoyed reading this book. He owns 2 motorcycles and enjoys reading about other people's motorcycle adventures. Soft bound book but it has held up well. Pics are excellent.

Having read "A Long way round" and "A Long way down" , this book is facinating to read and just another part of the story. Charley knows what a motorcycle rider wants to hear to makes sure you get it. If you liked either of the "Long Ways" you will love this book. I rate it above long Way Down and as good as Long Way Around. Buy it, you won't be disapointed

This is a book that will hold the interest of any old time dirt bike rider---particularly those of us who have competed in cross country or enduro type racing. We have seen the Dakar race on Speed Vision over the years and we have seen the super fast factory team guys in the spotlight. Now---a chance to see the race through the eyes of the privateer--or private race teams. The book is well written---hard to put down----as we follow the effort of Boorman and his race team. The obstacles of riding the sand dunes are graphically described and the day to day logistics of the race come to life. The organization of this race stands out---nothing is left to chance and the support supplied the racers is almost beyond imagination. I wasn't all that impressed with Charles Boorman---thought he lacked the mental toughness required of the race but I commend his honesty and forthright presentation of the events involving his race team. It's a great book to curl up in front of the fireplace these cold winter days and to vicariously ride what must have been the toughest off road motorcycle race in the world. As we know--the race is no longer run in Africa---but has been moved to South America so it's doubtful that we will see "The Dakar" again anytime in the near future.

Motorcycle entertainment at it's best. Follow Charley and his mates as they prep, race, crash, race, crash, race, and then finish the Dakar. The only problem with this DVD is that it was not long enough! I was left wanting more. Great photography and video, shows all sides of the human endurance and emotions will attempting the hardest race in the world. Highly recommended.

Yet another page-turner. I couldn't put this book down. Charlie takes the reader along, on his adventure of a lifetime.

Any motorcyclist who has ever felt that the going got tough, can empathize with the writer as he tackles the toughest challenge of all. Will he be successful? Read the book and find out.

We get to hear Charley Boorman, fresh from two motorcycle adventures, decides to enter the Dakar Rally. He gets sponsors, creates a team, trains, and then finds the hard part is still ahead. Would this book excite a non-rider? Probably yes for a fan of adventure.

A central theme of the book is why people put themselves through such a thing...a race designed to have about 30% finish and a good number of the others get hurt. Each competitor keeps thinking thoughts like "this is insane, I'm not going any further, how will I ride this next year?"

He also touches on the more controversial aspects of a race where 25,000 pound sterling motorbikes pass though countries where the population earns perhaps 500 per person per year and locals being killed by race vehicles it is not unheard of.

I particularly liked his comment that only the French, with their laissez-faire attitude could put on such an event.

Downsides? I quickly grew tired of "at X:YY AM we were Z km to go but at Y:ZZ PM we were still W km" measurements. Maybe a picture of a map would be more helpful? I'm not sure the other facts were as well researched. Still, more on the human side than the technical.