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Motorcycle Book Store > Motorcycle books beginning with C
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Charley Boorman-Race to Dakar |
Author:
Published: 2006-11-07 |
List price: $38.99
Our price: $79.99
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As of: November 22nd, 2008 06:27:57 AM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 Great DVD!
This is a very good DVD set that I really enjoyed! It is at least as good as the Long Way Round or Long Way Down series. Charley give the Dakar Rally his best shot...you'll have to watch it to see how he does. This is worth every penny...pure enjoyment!
 good but not great
the pari-dakar is better covered by speed tv, when it happens...although that could be because it doesnt focus only on one team. but on the flipside, it does give one a better opportunity to see the behind-the-scenes moments, and how truly grueling a race this is
Not Long Way 'Round, yet Awesome
After having seen both Long Way Round and Long Way Down, I was a little concerned that this would be another rushed trip that could have been a little better. It is not. Dakar is a great film about the race. It's not just poorly planned travel, but an exciting look at a big race the US doesn't see much of.
 Long Way Around part II, but with higher stakes
If you saw Long Way Around (LWA), you could consider Race to Dakar (RTD) to simply be Part II. (Long Way Down being Part III). If you didn't see LWA, you should read those reviews to familiarize yourself, since RTD constantly references it.
The mostly-same crew is back, with some differences. Ewan is not riding this time, but he shows up anyway about a hundred times. Russ is the coolly efficient manager and producer, and still a bit of a wanker. He doesn't like people disagreeing with him. Claudio is the cameraman again, though he's totally backgrounded this time. Other people fade in an out, including other riders and the support team.
RTD follows a three-man team of motorcycle riders on the Dakar Rally (better known as the Paris-Dakar Rally, though it doesn't start in Paris anymore). While it's another motorcycle trip like LRW, the two are not so easily compared. The big difference is that on LWR, you knew they were going to make it, even if they had to cheat a bit by riding trains or getting carried on trucks. But RTD has rules. You can't break down and spend a few days fixing your bike, or take a rest day. One good breakdown or spill, and you're out. More than half the riders who start the race don't complete it, and so the question in RTD becomes whether our heroes can make it or not. The drama level is much higher, because we know the odds are against them.
I had the series a bit spoiled for me by knowing in advance whether Charlie would make it, but it didn't ruin things; the series is still well worth watching even if you know the ending.
Charlie is not only the star of the series, but one of the surprising bright spots. In LRW, he was a bit hard to watch, and didn't benefit from the comparison of being paired with Ewan McGregor. Alone, he shines much more. He seems to have gained some maturity along with his new haircut. As for the other two riders, Simon is a bit of an enigma and not a terribly interesting person, seemingly having only one emotion, and Matt is all but invisible much of the time, only becoming poignant while having quite the adventure after getting stuck in the sand.
RTD is much grittier than LWA, as befits such a rally. You get a sense of the dangers and the vulnerability that change or a small lack of logistics can bring. One well-known rider died after a crash, as did two children, spectators who just happened to be too close to the road. Four-letter word echo constantly. As with LRA, Charlie is fairly naive about what he's gotten himself into, but when he and the other riders complain about the horrid conditions of the race, you believe them. One rider looks right at the camera and says "I'll tell you what--I won't be doing this again." For our sake, I'm glad they did it once.
Good Attempt
Pretty good overall, although when Charlie is forced out of the competition due to injury, it seems like they were trying to keep the DVD process going, filming him helping out and showing concern for fellow riders. Personally it seemed very false to me.(sorry Charlie)
If you're into the Dakar, its a good DVD to watch.
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