pit entry and zoomed off down the track, trying to put as much distance between it and its rivals before they came out of the pits, hungry to chase him down.
* * *
Jason hit the short-cut tunnel on the fly and, guided by the Bug’s photographic memory of their previous trip through the labyrinth, took the same route they’d taken before.
They emerged from the other side, banking wildly, and Jason touched the demag strips on the outside of the track there and his magneto drive levels dropped 3%.
‘ The others are out of the pits now, Jason! ‘ Sally’s voice warned in his ear. ‘ They’re hunting you down! ’
The Argonaut swept round the course.
Jason concentrated intensely.
His magneto counter ticked steadily downwards.
The other three cars gained on him, rocketing round the course on fresh mags. But Washington and Krishna didn’t have the nerve to follow Xavier through the short-cut tunnel and they fell behind, taking the long way round, and in doing so, effectively put themselves out of the running.
The Black Prince, however, took the tunnel fearlessly, and as such, he kept gaining on the Argonaut .
Then, on the other side of the course, Jason hit the demag strips bounding the Cradle Mountain hairpin, just a glancing blow, but enough to send his mag meter whizzing down another 3%.
The Speed Razor kept coming. On the long straights, Jason could see it looming in the distance in his mirrors.
Mag levels: 18%.
The Argonaut came to the sharp hairpins near the pits. Despite the fact that he took them extra carefully, to Jason’s horror, he clipped the ripple strip on the super sharp right-hand hairpin just before the Start-Finish Line and suddenly his mag levels were at a bare 15%. Jason knew what that meant.
With only one lap to go, on ever-declining mags, and with a ruthless competitor looming up behind him on a fresh set of magneto drives, he had to do a perfect lap.
CHAPTER NINE
LAP: 20 [OF 20]
The Argonaut cut left, banking toward the short-cut isthmus, commencing the final lap.
The crowds in the stands were on the edge of their seats. Among them, Henry Chaser sat with his hand held to his mouth. Martha Chaser seemed quite content beside him, head bowed, doing some knitting.
The Argonaut raced into the short-cut tunnel for the last time. The Speed Razor also banked left, heading for the isthmus, starting the final lap.
The Argonaut zoomed up the coast.
The Speed Razor entered the short-cut mine.
The Argonaut zig-zagged between the upper islands. The Speed Razor roared up the coast.
At Cradle Mountain, Jason slowed dramatically to take the turn that had cost him some magnetism on the previous lap. The Argonaut was sliding all over the place now, handling like someone trying to walk on an ice skating rink, going at a torturously slow 450 km/h. The Speed Razor was doing 600 km/h and accelerating. Halfway round and Jason’s mag levels were down to 7.5%. Just enough to get home - if he didn’t touch any ripple strips.
Down the wild western coast of Tasmania - with the Speed Razor now looming large in his mirrors.
Xavier’s car moved surely and securely, always gaining. The Argonaut slipped and slid, limping home.
Everyone could see where this was heading.
At their current speeds, the Speed Razor was going to catch the Argonaut right at the death.
Mag levels: 3%
Jason floored it down the last long sweeper, bracing himself for the series of dreadfully tight hairpins guarding the Finish Line - hairpins that he was going to have to negotiate perfectly. One touch on the ripple strips now would end his race.
Mag levels: 2%
‘Come on…’ he willed himself. ‘Come on …’
Prince Xavier’s black Lockheed now filled his mirrors. The Argonaut took the left-hander into Storm Bay at a pathetic 325 km/h. Glowing red demag lights whizzed by it on either side.
The Speed Razor took the same turn a split-second later, doing 450.
The Argonaut shot past the pits, slowed to a crawl to take the
* * *
Jason hit the short-cut tunnel on the fly and, guided by the Bug’s photographic memory of their previous trip through the labyrinth, took the same route they’d taken before.
They emerged from the other side, banking wildly, and Jason touched the demag strips on the outside of the track there and his magneto drive levels dropped 3%.
‘ The others are out of the pits now, Jason! ‘ Sally’s voice warned in his ear. ‘ They’re hunting you down! ’
The Argonaut swept round the course.
Jason concentrated intensely.
His magneto counter ticked steadily downwards.
The other three cars gained on him, rocketing round the course on fresh mags. But Washington and Krishna didn’t have the nerve to follow Xavier through the short-cut tunnel and they fell behind, taking the long way round, and in doing so, effectively put themselves out of the running.
The Black Prince, however, took the tunnel fearlessly, and as such, he kept gaining on the Argonaut .
Then, on the other side of the course, Jason hit the demag strips bounding the Cradle Mountain hairpin, just a glancing blow, but enough to send his mag meter whizzing down another 3%.
The Speed Razor kept coming. On the long straights, Jason could see it looming in the distance in his mirrors.
Mag levels: 18%.
The Argonaut came to the sharp hairpins near the pits. Despite the fact that he took them extra carefully, to Jason’s horror, he clipped the ripple strip on the super sharp right-hand hairpin just before the Start-Finish Line and suddenly his mag levels were at a bare 15%. Jason knew what that meant.
With only one lap to go, on ever-declining mags, and with a ruthless competitor looming up behind him on a fresh set of magneto drives, he had to do a perfect lap.
CHAPTER NINE
LAP: 20 [OF 20]
The Argonaut cut left, banking toward the short-cut isthmus, commencing the final lap.
The crowds in the stands were on the edge of their seats. Among them, Henry Chaser sat with his hand held to his mouth. Martha Chaser seemed quite content beside him, head bowed, doing some knitting.
The Argonaut raced into the short-cut tunnel for the last time. The Speed Razor also banked left, heading for the isthmus, starting the final lap.
The Argonaut zoomed up the coast.
The Speed Razor entered the short-cut mine.
The Argonaut zig-zagged between the upper islands. The Speed Razor roared up the coast.
At Cradle Mountain, Jason slowed dramatically to take the turn that had cost him some magnetism on the previous lap. The Argonaut was sliding all over the place now, handling like someone trying to walk on an ice skating rink, going at a torturously slow 450 km/h. The Speed Razor was doing 600 km/h and accelerating. Halfway round and Jason’s mag levels were down to 7.5%. Just enough to get home - if he didn’t touch any ripple strips.
Down the wild western coast of Tasmania - with the Speed Razor now looming large in his mirrors.
Xavier’s car moved surely and securely, always gaining. The Argonaut slipped and slid, limping home.
Everyone could see where this was heading.
At their current speeds, the Speed Razor was going to catch the Argonaut right at the death.
Mag levels: 3%
Jason floored it down the last long sweeper, bracing himself for the series of dreadfully tight hairpins guarding the Finish Line - hairpins that he was going to have to negotiate perfectly. One touch on the ripple strips now would end his race.
Mag levels: 2%
‘Come on…’ he willed himself. ‘Come on …’
Prince Xavier’s black Lockheed now filled his mirrors. The Argonaut took the left-hander into Storm Bay at a pathetic 325 km/h. Glowing red demag lights whizzed by it on either side.
The Speed Razor took the same turn a split-second later, doing 450.
The Argonaut shot past the pits, slowed to a crawl to take the
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