[.uk] What If I Had Never Tried It: The Autobiography (ISBN 1844138801)

My Review:
This Autobiography of Valentino opens up a whole new light on how I view him. He tells of hardships and fun times throughout his life up until 2005. I understand this great racer better now and can appreciate him more thoroughly as a person.

Excellent insight into a humble kids' life:
You'd think that a guy who has constantly lived in the limelight and fame of championship motorcycle racing would have an ego a mile wide. But its interesting to read about what really drives Valentino to be the rider he is. He does it for the purity of riding. Proving he can ride the wheels off any motorcycle, regardless of manufacturer. And most importantly, he conveys the importance of the race team itself, not the enterprise funding it (though both are important). Buy this with the "Faster" DVD and you'll really get an inside glimpse of someone extremely gifted. The book is well written and really gives you a ringside seat to many parts of his life both recent and past. You want to know what drives a champion rider to defect while on top of the premier Honda racebike (while he's winning the championship)? Read on. You'll understand and you'll agree with his decision. It really lets you know the richness of his riding soul. Fame and fortune are there, sure, but unlike some of his past rivals, he's not driven by those forces. Humor is abound as well. There were parts that had me laughing uncontrollably while on a long airplane flight. Thanks, Valentino. I hope to read a sequel after another decade of life experiences.

A Mixed Bag for Rossi fans:
If you are a Vale Rossi fan you may not want to read this book as after you read it you may no longer be a fan. The book is not well written. It skips and the time and subject jumps it takes are wholly nonsensical. Some of the content is plainly repeated and some portions seem to be stuck in just to make page limits. It should make light and speedy reading but were I not stuck at LGA for six hours I might not have ever made it through the book as there is nothing compelling about it. I could almost deal with that but Rossi, who has long been one of my heros, really comes across as a jerk. He calls his dad and mom by their first names as if they really are not related to him. He regales us with his exploits terrorizing other motorists in his home city. He freely admits to grossly mistreating people - and especially the Japanese - for his own entertainment. He dotes on his tribe which seems to exist only to compensate for his own lack of social comfort. Not once does he even allude to any romantic interest which makes you wonder about some stories told. All the other riders are wrong and he is always right no matter what the topic or corner. Even the one photo he has of Jeremy Burgess his crew chief has only Rossi in focus which is but one of many very egotistical points of the book. In some respects I wish I had never read this book. I have in my son's room an autographed and framed photo of Rossi that he signed at Laguna Seca a few years ago. I loved the most recent race at Laguna Seca when he proved that he is really the world's best motorcycle racer and that he is not one to sit on his laurels. Having read this book I find it hard to reconcile the Rossi in my heart and now the Rossi I have in my mind.

Insight into the greatest rider we've ever seen:
The only downfall of this book is the language barrier. It makes for a bit of tough reading at points. But if you're a motorcycle racing fan then this is a must read. Insight into the greatest rider we've ever seen, and he's still under 30! 7 World Championships and counting. This takes you through his childhood up until his last title in 2005 with Yamaha.

Great candid autobiography...Rossi let's us in his head!:
I don't read too many autobiography's but really wanted to get an insight into the head of probably the greatest motorcycle racer of all time (and his career isn't over yet!) The book delivers and lets the reader understand a little bit of how Vale thinks, not only about racing and motorcycles, but about life in general. Excellent read!