Against Gravity: From Paris to Dakar in the World's Most Dangerous Race

Rating:
Summary: "Do the Dream!"
Review: As an owner of a 1986 280 GE Mercedes-Benz Gelandewagen, I had heard of this book by Ed McCabe. The pitfalls and the struggle just to run a race are tremendous----much less a race across two continents! The author spends quite a lot of the book telling you of his preparation and the red tape just to enter the race. The final third of the book details the actual race from the start in Paris to the finish in the deserts of Africa. To anyone who knows the capabilities of this vehicle, the book is an interesting account of the ruggedness and durability of the machine. The human wear and tear was also a good read! This vehicle is not nearly as refined as some of the others in the race, and yet the brute strength saw it through. An enjoyable book for the Mercedes-Benz enthusiast.

Rating:
Summary: An flawed writer but an excellent read
Review: I am a huge fan of the P-D race and there is little written on it in the English language. Therefore this book is most welcome. The author/racer is not a fine human being but he is honest. I highly recommend this book to any motorsports or adventure fan.

Rating:
Summary: The good, bad and ugly
Review: The good part is Ed McCabe gives a fascinating view into what has to be the most masochistic race on earth. While the author spends too much time describing his preparation, he also does a masterful job of detailing the amount of work required to even attempt this endeavor. The bad part is McCabe's personality - angry, arrogant, obsessive, perfectionistic. The ugly is the writing - there are some glaring errors and it looks like McCabe decided he could be his own editor. Wrong! A good editor could have made this a much better read - nonetheless it's still a fascinating first-hand description of a race only a maniac would enter. Most pathetic -- after a nearly a year of preparation and a penchant for obsession over details, McCabe blew it by running out of gas. Since his car eventually made it to Dakar it seems he could actually have run the course if only he'd topped off that morning.