Wednesday, November 09, 2005

DVD reviews

OK it's been some time since the last update, so let's get cracking.

Spent the last week watching a couple of DVDs.

First up was Dust to Glory. Recommended by Mr XSVI himself, it's a film about the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. What's that? You've never heard of it? Neither have I! Heh. Apparently it's an off-road, roundtrip race that covers 1000 miles.



The film is not about the race per se, but about the atmosphere and the people behind the race. Although in the strictest sense they're all competitors, you find yourself rooting for no one in particular, and everyone, at the same time.

Oh, you do get to see all sorts of vehicles; from motocross to ATVs to pro trucks to original Beetles. Yep. Anyone who tries to cover 1000 off-road miles, in an original Beetle (the rules stipulate an unmodified engine, no less), automatically garners my respect.

But what's even more incredible is that some nut by the name of Mouse McCoy actually tries to ride all 1000 miles, offroad, solo on a bike. And is trying for the overall win. Think about this. A road trip that long, driving solo, on good roads, is already pretty hazardous. This is just beyond insane. I'm not going to spoil it for you, you just have to watch the DVD to find out if he makes it out alive.



The second DVD is the official review of Le Mans 2005 by Duke Video. This is more of a typical sports-commentary style, and it can get quite mind-numbing after a while if you're not a petrolhead. Nevertheless, it has its share of exciting moments, interspersed with interviews with team owners and drivers. Lots of onboard footage, including some video from the factory-backed Corvette and Sebastian Loeb's Pescarolo.
web statistic

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm really happy you like the film. There are so many forms of motorsport that I find absolutely fascinating and for this Dana guy to do such a great job at telling this story makes it much easier to properly share with friends.

Really only took an interest in the Baja 1000 after hearing about it from friends and mentor when I got here and later on when one of my friends got a job with one of the the teams. The engines are classified as endurance engines and the Pro and Trophy trucks along with the higher buggy classes are all technologically advanced and very expensive.

Now we want to eventually enter the race in a medium class, just for the atmoshpere and challenge.

I am hoping Dana Brown covers the 24 Hours of Le Mans, or the Nurburgring 24 somtime. Those 2 endurance races have unique enough an atmosphere to make a film about I believe.
=====

I have had no time to update my website. Soon though...

crufty said...

I think the director and production crew managed to capture the essence of racing, and also of life. From the privateer to the works teams, they are all competitors united by one goal: to put in their best effort and to live life to its fullest. It's a tribute to the indomitable human spirit. And for that I applaud them.