Pirelli World Rallying 2008/2009: No. 31

Packed with information on what rally fans love best--the thrills and spills of racing around dirt tracks, on the edges of sheer cliffs and even in thick snow--this book is a must for anyone seriously into the sport. Well-written and informative articles on subjects such as the complicated set-up of the cars, a breakdown of each Rally by driver Carlos Sainz, interviews with the stars, plus a bumper stage-by-stage review of the 1998 season and all the stats to go with it, make this book an essential addition to the collection.

The only drawback is the fact that the book is peppered with advertisements. The pictures are clear, if a little tedious--once you've seen one car three feet off the ground after coming up over a hill, you've seen them all. Even so, small criticisms of a well- presented and enjoyable book.

Think of any major sporting event involving rally cars and there's a 95% chance it'll be included here in this book, whether you be a fan of the mainstream World Championship, the British championship, Asia-Pacific, Middle East... Every stage victory from every category in every rally in every championship, looked at in scrutinising detail. Which as you may have guessed, makes Pirelli World Rallying a real rallying dictionary.

The WRC is covered event-by-event (around four pages for each event I recall) while many interesting features include articles on the Super 1600 (yes, with results for the 2001 season dominated by Sebastien Loeb), 100 years of Skoda Motorsport and so on. For the price, though, I don't think the articles in question are quite detailed enough to justify the high price of this book.

In fact, whole pages can be taken up by photos or advertisements which seem to render the whole thing shorter than it initially appears to be. But oh, what photos... this is genuine, high quality stuff, and it's not copyrighted imagery from a magazine either -- it's all exclusive to this one little publication. It's also worth noting that despite what the name suggests, there is no biased opinions in favour of Pirelli over Michelin. It's an honest account which sums the rest of the package well.

Overall, I'd question how it was worth buying the book, but I'm not disappointed. Even some of the most hardcore commercial websites don't get close to the enthusiasm reflected by this.


As usual, an authoritative guide to world rallying in 1999   February 1, 2000
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is again a superb study of rallying in 1999. As well as the results and comment on all major rallies and rally championshipd (great for an anorak like me) there are some very interesting articles on items such as the future of rallying through the eyes of David Lapworth from Subaru and the past heroes such as the first win for the Lancia Stratos in San Remo, 1974. The pictures are often stunning and also give an appreciation for some of the wonderful areas that rallies take place in.