Adventure Racing Books

The Last Open Road
This story starts off with a young man that is called Buddy Palumbo. He has a friend that he trusts very well and no one else would listen to him the same way. Something vey bad happens to him and he got handed some of his responsibilities at the Sinclair. He never actually got hired when he started working there. They just started to pay him. His dad did not want him to grow up and be a grease monkey he told him to work with the Union. A very rich man that owns oil rigs all over the United States. He owns some of the very nicest cars that included Cadillac's and Jaguar. No one has ever seen or heard of them. Buddy got the opportunity to work on them and soon after he figured them out he was the only mechanic allowed to work on them.
I liked this book because I am interested in driving and racing cars. It was fun to read because it was so realistic and talks about real cars and real mechanical problems they have. I can relate to the people in this book because I race and I understand their family problems. You will figure out what I am talking about when you read this book.

mid-prairie teen

B.S. Levy's The Last Open Road is a great read for anyone who is interested in wrenching on cars, particularly classics. I'm college age and I can relate to Buddy Palumbo in a lot of cases. If you're familiar with older British cars, there's some unique humor there as well. Great read.

This is a good book for the British sports car enthusiast. It brings back memories of the 1950s and racing.

This is a well-written and enjoyable book that elicits images that are very familiar to folks who were teen-agers during the wonderful 1950's. It is almost as though I know the characters and can easily apply familiar names of real people in my past to them. Highly recommended reading, especially for car enthusiasts!

If you grew up in the 50's or 60's and knew a sports car from Detroit iron, and lusted after the former...than this is your book. This is a tour de force of the origins, excitement and naivete of what the attraction was for those weekend racers. Buddy Palumbo is this loveable amateur mechanic, hang-around carguy who through luck and heft manages to have the rides of his life at one of the first sport car tracks in the US. What you will enjoy is the reality of the details of the cars, the attitudes of those in and around the machines, the helter-skelter ways you drove in those days... and that BS Levy has captured this period in his own time machine for you. If you are a carguy, you cannot put this book down, and you will laugh your head off turning some of the pages as Bert reminds you of how we were. I had just reread Kerouwac's On the Road when I picked up Bert's book at the Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca...because it had a XK120 on the cover which was my first car...and because Bert, himself, was there guaranteeing me I'd love it. He was so right! I'm now onto his next novel, Montzuma'a Ferrari, which takes place on the Carrera Panamericana (translates The Mexican Road Race). Bert is a true race car fan and driver and describes emotions and thrills like you are there with him. I passed the book onto my car club members and its still being read and recirculated. This is a read to savor...enjoy!

I loved this book! If you want a cool {get it? She lives in Alaska} author to come to your scool,get Shelley Gill! I loved Kiana's Iditarod because it told me a lot of things.

I like this book because it is funny and makes me learn about dogs and cool places and how to do it in a dog race.I did not know you had 13 dogs. How can you feed them. I wish I had won the dog race but that would not happen.

I like this book. This book reminds me of snow. This is a cool book. I like you. This is very very interesting

I liked this book because it has excitement.I also liked this book because of the colorful pictures.I liked the part when they were in the iditarod near the finish line.

This book was a good book but I think it didn't really tell that much about the Iditarod. It was about a musher and the dogs. She's doing the Iditarod and she goes around mountains and peaks. I would recommend this book because it has good illustrations and is about a lead dog.

As an adventure racer who recalls when Don Mann owned Odyssey AR, I recall his midnight encouragement at CPs. At Primal Quest in Moab in 2006 Don was just as enthusiastic. This books carries some of that sincere, enthusiastic voice. His energy kept me running for years. I recall running together on the backstretch of the JFK 50 mile ultramarathon. We talked about books. Some time later, Don shared his enthusiasm for me by writing a testimonial for my book. For anyone interested in learning about our sport I strongly encourage you to read this book. Doug Gray, PCC, and author of Passionate Action: 5 Steps to Extraordinary Success in Life and Work

I new to AR (3 races to date) and was looking for a good reference book on the subject. This book exceeded my expectations. It is well organized and filled with practical information and detail. It has section with tips and advice from experienced racers, there is also first person accounts of races and experiences. It is also a great price for all the information you get.

The adventure racing world waited a long time for a resource as comprehensive as this one. It is no surprise that we were finally provided this resource by the man who founded Odyssey Adventure Racing, a company that produces more races than any other US AR company and also offers a great racing academy.

One of the best features of The Complete Guide to Adventure Racing is that rather than giving us "the gospel according to Mann and Schaad", it provides multiple views from various experts on controversial topics such as nutrition, strategy, team dynamics, and sleep management. You may occasionally find that the contributors disagree with each other, which only serves to underscore the strategic nature of the sport.

What I didn't expect was inspirational content in addition to the detailed information of this text. By including first-person stories from other racers, race directors, and observers, the book becomes a "good read" in addition to an instructive one. It makes you want to get out there and register for the first race you can find. Buy this book and you'll see what I mean!

The adventure racing world waited a long time for a resource as comprehensive as this one. It is no surprise that we were finally provided this resource by the man who founded Odyssey Adventure Racing, a company that produces more races than any other US AR company and also offers a great racing academy.

One of the best features of The Complete Guide to Adventure Racing is that rather than giving us "the gospel according to Mann and Schaad", it provides multiple views from various experts on controversial topics such as nutrition, strategy, team dynamics, and sleep management. You may occasionally find that the contributors disagree with each other, which only serves to underscore the strategic nature of the sport.

What I didn't expect was inspirational content in addition to the detailed information of this text. By including first-person stories from other racers, race directors, and observers, the book becomes a "good read" in addition to an instructive one. It makes you want to get out there and register for the first race you can find. Buy this book and you'll see what I mean!

firstly this reviewer is a racer and has quite some experience in the various disciplines of AR (adventure racing) so bear that in mind.

The book is quite well laid out covering most things you might expect in AR. The exciting glossy cover belies the lower quality paper and pictures used within- no smart glossies inside, rather some average b/w photos.

The information inside is fine but can largely be found elsewhere with a quick google search. Still a good repository of information.

If you are looking for some guidance re AR equipment, training, techniques, tips and have not looed for the same on the web, this will be a useful book, if you have looked then it is something to have on the bookshelf. It is not of sufficient quality to have out on the coffee table as a conversation piece!
My 2cents.

James "Ty" Tyrone writes sports columns for a "rag," but his excellent salary supports the tremendous medical expense of his wife who must live in an iron lung, a victim of polio. FORFEIT is a masterful thriller from Dick Francis.
Ty meets Bert Chekov, a fellow writer, on the street. Bert is drunk, but warns Ty not to sell his column. A short time later Bert falls or is pushed to his death. Thugs demand Ty's support for their race fixing scheme and resort to intimidation through his wife's frail grip on life. A must read for Dick Francis fans.
Nash Black, author of WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

This was my first Dick Francis novel. Took a while to get into it, but it was a page turner by the end. 3 stars for those who aren't racing fans.

I've probably read all of Dick Francis' many books and always await the next one happily. In between the advent of his new books, I occasionally re-read some old ones with pleasure, which I rarely do except in the case of classics. He writes literature equaling, for example, Eric Ambler's writing in quality.

Forfeit, by Dick Francis, tells the story of sports writer James Tyrone beginning when a drunken colleague, Bert Checkov, warns him not to sell his column. Making vague allusions to blackmail and bribery, the man is so drunk that he's all but incoherent and then goes his own way. Chalking it up to the booze, Tyrone leaves his friend only to learn minutes later that the man has just fallen out of a window and died. A short while later, we learn that Checkov has been heavily touting a large number of horses that end up getting scratched from their races shortly before post time. This is the tip of the iceberg that leads Tyrone into conflict with bookmakers who will stop at nothing to continue a scheme that has already netted them a small fortune.

Tyrone is a remarkably strong character who deals with a home life that could only be called difficult, an editor who doesn't mind risking his life to get a story, and a gang of thugs that don't mind dishing out a beating or even murder to get what they want. He is not perfect, but he does have a good heart and readers can't help but root for him. Most of the characters are interesting and portrayed uniquely enough that they remain distinct and not just cardboard cutouts put in place to fill their assigned roles. The story builds momentum as it goes. In the beginning, I found it mildly interesting but as it progressed it became a real page-turner.

This is the first novel by Dick Francis that I have read but he has been one of the most respected mystery writers for many decades. His writing style is very clear and crisp, easy to read and understand. Some English novelists use language that can make it hard for Americans to follow but I didn't find that to be the case here. I am not particularly interested in horses or horse racing but I do like good stories with interesting characters and there was a healthy dose of that in Forfeit. After reading this book, I'll be ordering more Dick Francis novels soon.

I had been thinking: Do I really want to read about horse races? I only watch the Kentucky Derby and sometimes two more races, if there's hope for a Triple Crown.

My friend had been urging me to read Dick Francis, and recently recommended Forfeit, which finally I read.

In the book, Francis is always low-key and, as a former jockey, knows his stuff. Suspense is permanent, the plotting intelligent and flawless.

In Forfeit, we follow journalist James Tyrone, as he and his London newspaper colleagues investigate racetrack fraud. The highly profitable criminal organizations pressure racing writers to mislead England's legitimate bettors. The perpetrators are not hesitant to inflict serious bodily harm and worse.

Francis draws his characters carefully. We know them all, sometimes gaining our affection, identifying with their personal struggles. Tyrone cares for his mostly paralyzed wife Elizabeth, who could not survive without a breathing machine.

A major plot mover is a relationship between Tyrone and an attractive university professor, leading to extended complications and threats.

We also meet a stable owner who is dealing with his spacy wife and troublesome sons. We see the bad guys. We are introduced to the horses, especially a central one named Tiddely Pom.

We are in the British racing world. The writing is memorable.

My preschooler and I heard this book read at a library story time. We checked it out. Now I'm buying it. It's a given that he likes the subject and the song. The best part for me is that he's trying to read the book himself. He reads it to me and to his brother. He even read it to a friend of mine and her daughter.

The illustrations keep us busy too. He picks up on small details in the pictures and tells me stories about the drivers, especially the bad sport penguin.

My son first learned about this book in his Pre-Preschool class. We were at circle time and his teacher started to read it and I knew instantly he would love it. He loves Nascar to pieces and this book iced the cake. He is only 3 so he flips through the pages telling me the story. And, since some of the numbers on the cars are numbers in Nascar Nextel Series he thinks the book is about real Nascar cars and he tells me about the drivers. We spend hours with this book each week.

Great action photos on inside cover. I follow Nascar and reading the book makes me fill like I am at a race. A favorite next to wheels on the bus.

A fun variation on "wheels on the bus." We got this book from the library, and our son really liked it, so we purchased it. He loves the race cars and the animal drivers.

My 4yr old son loves this book! We've read it so many times that he's memorized it and now reads it himself. The racing animals are so fun and the illustrations have such funny parts. We've even acted out the races with my son's toy cars & animals. Since reading this book, he's become a huge race car & NASCAR fan. This is a great book!

My son would take this book out from the library every week, finally I brokedown and bought it. It is really funny. All three of my kids ages 2, 4, and 6 love this book, and I truely enjoy reading it too. It is the kind of kid book adults can find entertaining and will not get sick of having to read over and over.

Cars and Dogs -- for a boy, how can you go wrong? Very cute, clever rhymes, detailed silly illustrations with puns for the adults scattered throughout the background. Keeps me and my 5 year old son in stitches. The characters are very cute also. The race is just for fun and there is so much to look at along the way, the dogs get all distracted while they're driving. You could read this again and again!

My four year old son's favorite book. There are lots of words and many detailed pictures and phrases to keep your little one interested. I love the way it comes to a soothing ending as all the dogs go to sleep at the end...perfect for a bedtime story. You won't be dissapointed with this purchase!

I found myself a little tongue tied the first few times we read this but it is a great story and well illustrated. A favorite for any child who loves dogs or cars. (And grown ups too!) Another book we don't tire of reading.

We've had this book since it was published - it delighted my son then and he still loves it at age 7. My 4 year old daughter likes it a lot too. Great rhythm to the words. A favorite of ours and it's an often chosen bedtime book.

I have followed Ian Adamson for years, and he is the real deal. This book has proven to be an indispensable resource for my team mate and I as we prepare for our first adventure race. The information in this book was immediately useful, and it has kept me from making several crucial mistakes in gear purchases. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in adventure racing!

This book is a expert job by a man who knows his trade! Is a must to anyone interested in this subject.

Whether you're a veteran or a rookie just starting out in adventure racing, this is one book you should never miss in your collection. This is a classic reference written in clear and understandable language by adventure racing's Michael Jordan. Each page contains a veritable treasure of information, from training, to equipment selection, to navigation and sleep management, culled from years of racing across the world in diverse terrains and climates. If there was only one book you can buy to learn about the history and discipline of adventure racing ---this is it.

If you are a fan of adventure racing (AR), the author's reputation is quite familiar to you. Adamson is among the very best adventure racers in the world, with loads of big race experience.

He is also a good writer. The book is clear and readable. Most of the material will not be new to you if you have significant experience already, but there are tips and tricks and anecdotes that are both entertaining and illustrative.

The sport is so varied and demanding that no book, and certainly not one as brief as this one, can be complete in its coverage of it. However, there is a lot of good, accessible information here and you will not regret including this book in your AR library.

Note that as to gear recommendations, the equipment available is changing very quickly, and some preferences are just personal, so update your information before spending a lot on gear if your only reason for buying was because Ian likes it.

I have read two other books on Adventure Racing that were published before Ian's book came out in the market. Those two books were also good, in fact Ian wrote the foreword on both. But Ian's book came out a cut above the rest. His book offered his and his teamates "winning strategies and experiences". The book was intelligently written and commanded authority on all topics discussed such as proper training, purchasing and use of the right equipment, proper nutrition, good leadership and teamwork skills, sleep strategies etc. For sure the book will inspire and guide beginner racers to the sport, and will further provide veteran racers of new knowledge and valuable proven race strategies and techniques from Ian and his awesome NZ and OZ teamates. Ian is truly one of the best adventure racers in the world along with his mates John Howard and Steve Gurney. To sum it all up, this is an outstanding book, I can't wait to buy the second edition.

This book was more than good, it was great! It's almost time for the Belmont Stakes, the last jewel of the Triple Crown. But nobody thinks that Wonder's Star will win it. He finished last in the Kentucky Derby, came 3rd in the Preakness and has 40-1 shots of winning the Belmont Stakes. One day, Christina meets someone who says that he's ridden the ledgendary Seattle Slew! He gives Christina some advice before the Belmont.Now I won't tell the ending, you'll have to find out yourself. But if you're a fan of Wonder's Star,like me, you'll love the ending!

Being a fan of the TB series for 3 or 4 years now, I was slightly disappointed in this book. First of all, I am wondering what happens to Parker (he is becoming my fave character), and after reading this, to me, it seems like the authors made a mistake in Christina's college decision. I know her situation is fairly real, but it seems too much like they're making her all of sudden rethink her decision too much. Also, I don't think Sam should be...burden with her 'surprise', although it may introduce some new characters :) It was alright, but lately the TB books have been...different. Hopefully they'll get better from here on out.

I loved this book, though it wasn't my favorite. I don't understand why they put in the part with Legacy and why they are doing books centering on other famous thoroughbreds (Seattle Slew). But I still liked how they drew out Mel and Christinia's relationship and that they want to repair it. Also, there were parts in the book where Chris was trying to supress her feelings for Parker, but when he told her he missed her, she just sighed and didn't tell him exactly how she felt, which I think she should have done. Hopefully they will get officially back together in later books.
All in all, a good book, but I hope the next ones are better.

I loved the fact that Chris and Star won the Belmont. I was literally laughing out loud when Cristina couldn't grasp the fact that Samantha was going to have a baby. A great book with not the best cover

This was a great book!! It was mainly about Christina and Star getting ready for (and WINNING) the Belmont. But this book also talks about Chris and Mel renewing their friendship, Chris's future, Chris and Parker's relationship (I think they're getting back together and they should), and some drama at the track! I couldn't stop reading it and I finished it in 2 days! Great book, I can't wait for the next one!!

I have the listened to the BBC dramatization of Enquiry at least a dozen times and the unabridged version several additional times and it never fails to entertain me. It was the first of the Dick Francis stories I listened to or read and it is brilliant from several points of view. The development of all the characters is done so well, especially Kelly Hughes and his helper Roberta and minor characters such as the sleazy detective and the horse trainers and owners. You meet so many memorable characters as Kelly seeks to clear his name and Dexter Cranfield's as well. Kelly Hughes was the kind of hero several stories could have been done about and I wish there were more. While not all the Francis stories were written quite as well as this story, I listen to this one several times a year. I strongly recommend this book/audio to all fans of Dick Francis and the hourse racing business.

Jockey Kelly Hughes and trainer Dexter Cranfield have their licenses suspended by the Oxford stewards for supposedly throwing a race. Hughes believes that they were framed and he sets out to clear their names and get the licenses restored. Who would want to ruin their careers? As the truth is revealed we hear a story of sexual deviation, blackmail, fixed evidence and attempted murder.

"Yesterday I lost my licence."

That's how the book begins ... and indeed Kelly Hughes, a leading jump jockey , has been indefinitely suspended from racing after being found guilty of deliberately losing a race.

He knows that someone has rigged evidence against him, and rather than sit back and wait for the ban to be lifted , he sets out to find his secret enemy.

Hughes isn't a detective, and just as he doesn't really know how to carry out an investigation, the reader can't guess at how the plot will develop. My favourite highlight is when Hughes is driving home after a dance. At first it seems to be just a 'filler' scene, but it turns into something more dramatic - and the writing here is particularly well-crafted.

The two main characters are Hughes himself , a widower, and Roberta, the snooty daughter of his employer. Near the start of the book Roberta asks him:

" "That picture .. that's your wife isn't it?"
I nodded.
"I remember her". She said. "She was always so sweet to me. She seemed to know what I was feeling. I was really awfully sorry when she was killed"
I looked at her in surprise. The people Rosalind had been sweetest to had invariably been unhappy. She had had a knack of sensing it, and giving succour without being asked. "

Unfortunately Roberta has been brought up by her father to regard jockeys as an inferior social class, and it takes a long time for the two of them to kindle any real friendship, let alone romance.

Francis is particularly good in this book with the minor characters - such as the aristocratic Bobbie, who clearly is very fond of Roberta but can't help hinting that Hughes is a better match for her, or Derek the diffident mechanic who kept most of his brains in his fingertips.

The plot doesn't flag, the tale builds to a satisfactory climax and I only wish Hughes had appeared in another of Francis' books.

This was the first Dick Francis book I have read and I must say that I am impressed! I bought it because I had nothing to read one rainy afternoon and because I am interested in horseracing. I read it in one day. The characters were real and the plot was interesting. If you look at the copy I have you will see all kinds of scribbles in it where I have marked quotes and phrases that I liked. For example, Kelly describes how he feels after his accident as "Not so much as banging the head against a brick wall as being actively attacked by a cliff". Yep, I know that feeling...Francis just said it better than I could have. Just one warning...don't pick up this book unless you can afford to spend the whole afternoon reading it.

The primary reason I continue to seek out and read Dick Francis is that he continually creates heroes that are efficacious and rational. He avoids the common pitfalls of most modern writers, and instead invents characters who pass the ultimate test: "Would I like to meet and know this person?" If you can answer "yes" to that question then there is great potential for enjoyment in the fiction centered around that character. If you answer "no" to that question, why even bother reading further?

Dick Francis' characters almost always recieve an unreserved "YES!" Read "Enquiry," it's not the best from Francis but it's still furlongs beyond the rest.

This book is a great read. Full of suspense and action. A great way to put the kids to bed at night - read a chapter just before bed (just like the author did with his children). Looking forward to the next book in the series.

I was so engrossed and captivated I had to read it in one sitting. It was exciting and fun, without ever becoming dark. I can't wait for the sequal.

I read this book one chapter at a time over successive nights to my four boys, and they loved it! From John's amazing gadget-equipped race car to the cast of villains and aliens, the author's wonderful imagination was evident. Since each chapter ended with a cliff hanger, my boys could barely wait for the next night's installment. They sat enthralled at each reading. Overall it was an exciting, imaginative and engaging story that seemed tailor made for young boys. Well done!

A very well thought out, exciting, adventurous story that is fun to read to young children. You get to make a lot of car noises too!!!

I bought this book for my nephew, who is 8 yrs old, and I believe that kids of all ages will want to find out more about John Fastramp and the Dakota 3000 Challenge. I don't think that the book will stay on the shelves once kids found out how good it is!