Watch Born to Race

Born to Race is an action-packed 1988 race-car film starring Joseph Bottoms and Marla Heasley. Heasley plays Andrea Lombardo, a beautiful Italian engineer who has designed a revolutionary new engine that promises to change the face of racing forever. Joseph Bottoms plays Al Pagura, a young, up-and-coming race-car driver looking for his big break at the corrupt Charlotte Motor Speedway, where young drivers are kept down by powerful, more experienced drivers.

Just when it seems that Lombardo’s innovative new engine will provide Al with the edge he needs to establish himself in the racing world, Andrea is kidnapped by the evil Vincent Duplain (George Kennedy) who wishes to use Andrea’s brilliant work for his own race car. If Al and his pit crew have any chance of saving the day and bringing Andrea back home, they will not only have to outsmart Duplain and his goons, but also pull off some pretty amazing driving that proves that Al has the right stuff to make it in the racing world after all.

Of course, Al’s bravery cannot be completely explained away by his determination to succeed on the race track. Al is also enchanted by Andrea’s beauty and genius. Accompanied by a classic late-80s soundtrack featuring Tom Waits and Richard Marx, the love story between Al and Andrea actually manages to outshine all of the breathtaking race scenes.

Although primarily an action movie with a romantic subplot, the guys in Al’s pit crew are a motley bunch and provide a great deal of comedic relief throughout the film. Frequently funny and always empathetic, the viewing audience will find themselves rooting for Al’s pit crew just as much as the stars of the film.

Released in November 1988, Born to Race was considered a modest box office success. Rated R for adult language and some love scenes, the film is best suited for audiences over 17.

Born to Race is a 1988 action movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 38 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 3.9.