The success of a drama based around a somewhat niche subject matter hinges entirely on its ability to suck the layman into its world. Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia focuses on one year in the World Rally Championship, which should promise high-octane thrills and the obsessive personalities driving the narrative as much as the racers behind the wheels. Unfortunately, the format of rallying negates the possibility of wheel-to-wheel action that set Rush and Ford v Ferrari on fire. There is also little to entice the viewer into either the boardroom or the literal mechanics of the sport, despite a brooding, obsessive performance from Riccardo Scamarcio as the Machiavellian boss of the Lancia team.

It’s 1983 and Lancia’s rally programme is in jeopardy after poor performances. Their great rivals Audi have vastly more resources and are bringing four wheel drive technology and a stereotypical German perfectionist team principal in Roland Gumpert (Daniel Brühl, stepping out from behind the wheel after playing Niki Lauda in Rush). Lancia team head Cesare Fiorio (Scamarcio) must deal with a less versatile car, the dwindling support of the Lancia bigwigs, and an eccentric, mercurial talent behind the wheel. What he has is the drive to succeed and a box of tricks that lie just within the letter of the regulations, if not the spirit of the sport.

There are so many ways in which Race for Glory fails to run like a standard sports drama. The narrative balance is tipped vastly towards Fiorio, leaving the central rivalry feel peripheral. With Scamracio also acting as co-writer and producer, it gives the proceedings the whiff of a vanity project. Neither is there any sense of how the structure of the season work. The narrative lurches in fits and starts, lingering on certain races and skipping others entirely. This all adds a certain unpredictability compared to other racing dramas, but those not immersed in the minutiae of rallying may be cast adrift. And once that connection’s gone, there wil be no coming back.

Race for Glory does at least have a compelling protagonist in Fiorio, with Scamarcio’s intensity sprinkled with some appealing mischief as he indulges in some amusing underhand antics. Volker Bruch is also good value as the enigmatic Walter Röhrl, who thinks nothing of stopping mid-rally to chat with a Greek beekeeper, or insisting that he only turn up for half the races. There is simply too little of the clash of personalities. To its credit, the narrative also incorporates a major female character, in the shape of team nutritionist Jane McCoy (Katie Clarkson-Hill), who is not cast as a love interest. On the down side, there is little reason for the character to actually exist, other than to prevent the movie from being entirely male-dominated.

Strangely paced and structured in a way that alienates potential converts, Race for Glory: Audi vs, Lancia isn’t entirely without its thrills and some offbeat characterisation, but falls flat both as an engaging human drama and as a depiction of intense sporting competition. It’s too lackadaisical in its approach, and too sparing with the actual racing action. The likes of Rush may be familiar in terms of their approach, but they are a lot more exciting.

Available on streaming services from Mon 5 Feb 2024