Rosco: The Fastest Aussie on Earth

The Amazing True Life Story of Rosco McGlashan

By: Mark J Read

Narrated by: Greg Newman

Rosco McGlashan's unbelievable true story is one of the best land speed and drag racing motorsports biographies you will ever read. This book's action-packed pages about Rosco's life, racing career, and near-death experiences will leave you speechless.

His early years were tough. He spent time in state-run facilities and eventually ran away at 12. He increases his age from 12 to 16, so he can work and fund his racing career. At 17, he ended up in prison and solitary confinement. Once released, his salvation comes through his love of speed and raw horsepower. He focused his fighting spirit and energy on racing and becoming the fastest man on the planet.

• Features 180 photos and 395 jaw-dropping pages.
• His V8 drag bike and jet dragsters take him from Australia to the USA and New Zealand.
• These races lead to amazing, funny adventures and stories that will leave you laughing out loud.
• Rosco gets kidnapped by the Russian Mafia and fights his way out.
• He crashed a car at close to 600 mph (960 km/h) and clinically died on an operating table.
• He goes on to win many motor racing titles and break land speed records.
• He meets racing legends and encounters mass murderers and world leaders.
• At 35, he turns his attention to being the fastest man on the planet.
• Rosco has just finished Aussie Invader 5R, with 200 times the power of a Formula One car.
• If you like motivational and inspiring books, this book is for you.
• Quitting is not in this man's DNA.

©2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 Mark J Read (P)2023 Mark J Read

EXCELLENT

You will not be disappointed. The story, the history, and even the narration is all excellent!

Rosco: The Fastest Aussie on Earth

This book is well worth reading or listening to if one is interested in the land speed record, or someone who has had an amazing adventurous life.

I am a life-long fan of the World Land Speed Record. While in the 5th or maybe 6th grade a friend had a record with the title I seem to remember as something like The Sounds of Speed. One track had Mickey Thompson starting up his four engine Challenger 1. For his neighbor's entertainment, my friend would put his record players speakers in the window, turn the volume all the way up, and play the track of Challenger 1 starting and warming up the engines. As I never heard of them complaining, I guess the neighbors didn't mind.

A very sad event took place when Rosco was told by the Australian Taxation Office that a near half-million-dollar grant he’d been offered and partly paid was being withdrawn and that he would have to pay back $180,000 of the grant that he’d already spent. Liquidators were hired to sell Aussie Invader 5R, but fortunately, no buyer was found. Rosco managed to make a deal with the tax office and got Aussie Invader 5R back.

It was fun to hear that the Dalai Lama visited Rosco and sat in the drivers seat of Aussie Invader 3. The Dalai Lama made engine noises while pretending to drive the car!

Hopefully, soon, Rosco and his team will have Aussie Invader 5R out on a track to run for the World Land Speed Record he so deserves.

And lastly, for pulling Rosco’s feet out of the fire from both the police and the local building inspector, my thanks goes to Sue, wherever you are!

A ripping yarn about the life and times of Rosco

I highly recommend this book. It gave me new insight into Rosco and the build of Aussie Invader 5R. I was glad to hear of the help he's had designing the car. As a STEM ambassador for the Bloodhound LSR project I've always mentioned Rosco as our main, and now only, competition. Knowing something of the difficulties had when designing Bloodhound, I was concerned with AI5R. But now I understand he's all to aware of these difficulties. I wish him every success in breaking the record. He deserves to hold it, at least for a little while. It would be great to take it back from him! Good on ya mate. Stay safe!