I didn't quite know where to put this, since "The Driver" book tour will go through both the US and Europe over the next four months...starting just a few hours.
First Stop? Charleston, SC for a quick overnight on November 7th, then the Miami Auto Show for a one-day appearance with the Polizei M5 on November 9th...
If I make it to Charleston by 2300hr ET, I'm taking the M5 out on the town. Reply here if you're anywhere nearby and want to join up!
I didn't quite know where to put this, since "The Driver" book tour will go through both the US and Europe over the next four months...starting just a few hours.
First Stop? Charleston, SC for a quick overnight on November 7th, then the Miami Auto Show for a one-day appearance with the Polizei M5 on November 9th...
If I make it to Charleston by 2300hr ET, I'm taking the M5 out on the town. Reply here if you're anywhere nearby and want to join up!
Cheers! I read your book in 48 hours, and I hope you have an 'un-cut' version lying around too. I just posted a comment on your book in a different thread, not knowing that you started this one. Just in case you can't find this other thread, I will tell you what I said. Aside from the M5 (which I've owned as well), the police stories, and competitive/friendly rivalry, I am most impressed by the science that you created as a pioneer in modern day road rallying. Clearly, you made the event as safe as possible with your intense preparation.
Coincidentally, the Bullrun 2007 dropped by my condo in Boston. The Intercontinental was the first night. I remember browsing everyone's car in the locked garage (Lambo, CLK-DTM, H. Viper, Ferraris, etc). I was looking for your 144 M5, but now I know that you were in prep for the cross-country drive. Did you know that Tila Tequilla was a driver in the Bullrun '07? She drove into an A8 the next morning. The Bullrun really needs to screen for better drivers.
If you're ever in MA, I owe you a drink. I find myself in NYC often. If you have a free night, I'd love to hear more stories.
Great job. I hope you make a franchise of all your adventures.
I gave four of my friends their own copy of "The Driver." Simply put: It was the best damn holiday present period!
I also had an opportunity to meet Alex in person at the New England Auto Show. He is intellectual and considerate. As soon as I get my *** out of work, I'm hosting a dinner party in celebration of Alex's achievements.
The Following User Says Thank You to Nai_M5 For This Useful Post:
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske | Tribune Newspapers: Los Angeles Times
January 22, 2008
Alexander Roy was speeding onto Santa Monica Pier in his blue BMW M5 in the early hours of Oct. 9, 2006, more than 2,700 miles behind him and less than a minute short of his goal: crossing the country in fewer than 31 hours and seven minutes to break a 23-year-old record.
Then he spotted the police cruiser.
The 35-year-old cross-country racer was wanted by traffic cops nationwide. He'd racked up dozens of moving violations, jammed his cars with pricey radar detectors and even posed as a German traffic cop, all in the interest of breaking transcontinental driving records set more than 20 years ago in the underground races immortalized by the 1981 Burt Reynolds film "Cannonball Run."
But at that moment on the pier in California, Roy remembered a glitch that could foil everything: One of his headlights was out.
"Police officers waited their whole careers for traffic stops like this," Roy writes in his breathless, adrenaline rush of a memoir, "The Driver: My Dangerous Pursuit of Speed and Truth in the Outlaw Racing World" (HarperEntertainment, 336 pages, $25.95).
Nearly blind with exhaustion, Roy writes, he slowed, sweated and strained to act nonchalant, barely glancing to his side as the Santa Monica cop, a K-9 unit officer, approached and then passed him.
Go ahead -- call Alex Roy spoiled, self-centered and indulgent. Challenge his outlaw cred and titles. Then turn the page.
It's an over-the-top account. But that befits the racing world Roy inhabits, a world where the king of Morocco suspends all traffic laws for the duration of a 48-hour race, where winners risk ***** for a metal bust of Burt Reynolds and where drivers blow $20,000, as Roy did, on cross-country record attempts. He made it to the end of Santa Monica Pier with three minutes to spare, averaging 90.1 mph only by reaching 150 mph at times and risking the lives of fellow drivers, pedestrians and police.
But this is more than a testosterone cocktail of a memoir. It's a joy ride of pithy observations, as Roy opens up the shiny veneer of the outlaw racing world and probes the ethical dilemmas under the hood. He admits that his racing strained friendships, alienated girlfriends and even cost him time with his ailing father.
This raises the question that Roy, to his credit, attempts to answer: Was high-stakes racing worth it?
Roy begins by casting himself as the epic hero -- albeit a spoiled, New York City private-school-educated one with a hefty bank account and automotive prowess thanks to his father's European car dealership.
Roy admits that outlaw racing took its toll. He was shaken this year when fellow racers crashed into a non-racing car during the Gumball 2007 race in Macedonia, killing two passersby.
Last edited by Dano959; 24th January 2008 at 23:38.
Reason: Formatting
“The Driver” Book Tour Event - Daytona Beach, Florida - Friday January 25th @ Chops By Martini’s!
Chops By Martini’s Steakhouse. Daytona Beach, Florida. Friday, January 25th. "The Driver" Book Tour. Yours Truly. Polizei M5 144B. David Maher. Cory Welles. Our friends from Farnbacher-Loles Racing - 2007 Grand Am Rolex GT Champions - running in the Rolex 24 this weekend. Parking is generous. The restaurant and bar are spacious. Other race teams will be there.
This will be a totally informal gathering of friends and fans. Just look for a blue BMW, a bald guy in a police jacket…and introduce yourself!
Damn it Alex! I missed it! Believe it or not, but I was at Daytona and you drove right by me with your lights on! I walked around trying to find you because my friend James Hunt, former BMW NA M-Brand Assistant Manager, wanted to meet you as well. James competed in the ST class for the Koni Challenge at Daytona. We wanted to buy you and your team a drink. In case you don't remember me, I met you in Boston at the Auto show and you were very kind in letting me take a peak at your M5.
Congrats again, and I'll do a better job syncing up with the M5Board in case we meet again.
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