first right-hand hairpin.
The Speed Razor launched itself into the same turn. The two cars were almost level.
Mag levels: 1%.
Jason swung left, into the second-last turn of the race - a left-hand hairpin - just as the Speed Razor came alongside his tail.
Then it was into the last corner of the race, a tight righthand hairpin, and here Xavier made his move, tried to overtake Jason on the outside!
The two cars roared round the final turn side-by-side . Henry Chaser leapt to his feet.
Sally McDuff prayed before her monitor.
The crowds in the stands rose as one.
And the two hover cars - the blue-white-and-silver Car 55 and the all-black Car 1 - whipped out of the last turn and rocketed down the home straight and in a blur of speed, crossed the Line together.
CHAPTER TEN
LAP: 20 [OF 20]
To the naked eye, it appeared as if the two cars crossed the Finish Line together, but the official laser digital photo of the finish of Race 25 would later show that after eight hours of racing, after twenty hard-fought laps, Car No.1, the Speed Razor , driven by Xonora X., and travelling at 365 kilometres an hour and accelerating, had crossed the line 4.2 cm behind Car No.55, the Argonaut , piloted by Chaser J., and travelling at 320 kilometres an hour.
After a perfect lap from its daring young driver, by the paintwork on its nosewing, the Argonaut had qualified for the Sponsors’ tournament.
PART IV: THE TOURNAMENT
CHAPTER ONE
CHOOKA’S CHARCOAL CHICKEN RESTAURANT
HOBART, TASMANIA
The Bug squealed with delight as he popped the top off his well-shaken can of Coke and sprayed it into the air like a triumphant pro racer on the winner’s podium uncorking a bottle of Moet champagne.
Beside him, Jason and Henry Chaser cheered; threw their fists into the air.
It was Thursday night and the Chaser family was celebrating Team Argonaut ‘s win in Race 25, and its subsequent qualification for the Sponsors’ Tournament on the coming Saturday.
Family tradition dictated that it was ‘winner’s choice’ - the family member (or members) being celebrated got to choose the restaurant and the Bug had quickly chosen his favourite restaurant in all the world: the chicken burger chain, Chooka’s Charcoal Chicken. As such, the entire family - plus Sally McDuff, who was by now an honorary Chaser anyway - now sat around a plain formica table surrounded by the remains of chicken burger wrappers, onion rings, French fries, and Coke cans. Everyone was laughing and smiling and recounting their favourite moments of the nail-biting race.
Well, not quite.
At one stage in the dinner, Jason noticed that his mother wasn’t joining in the festivities but was, rather, staring off into space, seemingly lost in thought.
‘Are you all right, Mum?’ he asked.
She turned abruptly, as if roused from a dream, quickly regathered her smile. ‘I’m fine, dear. Just thrilled for you boys.’
The world had been spinning for Jason since his downto-the-wire, skip-the-last-pit-stop win over Prince Xavier earlier that day. His memories of the afternoon were a blur of images:
He remembered returning to the pits after the race, being lifted out of the Argonaut by a jubilant Sally, high-fiving the Bug, and standing on the podium in his battered boots and denim overalls, and watching on the big screen as the 10 points Team Argonaut received for winning elevated the Argonaut to 12th on the Championship Ladder.
He also recalled Scott Syracuse coming over to him after the victor’s presentation, and looking at him closely.
‘You skipped your last pit stop again, Mr Chaser.’
‘Yes, sir. I did.’
‘You weren’t worried about making the same mistake twice?’
‘No, sir. I knew I could make it this time.’
‘So you decided not to take my counsel?’
‘No, sir. I just decided to follow something else you told me about mistakes, way back when we were doing pit practice and I kept creeping out of my pit bay.’
Syracuse frowned. ‘What was my advice
The Speed Razor launched itself into the same turn. The two cars were almost level.
Mag levels: 1%.
Jason swung left, into the second-last turn of the race - a left-hand hairpin - just as the Speed Razor came alongside his tail.
Then it was into the last corner of the race, a tight righthand hairpin, and here Xavier made his move, tried to overtake Jason on the outside!
The two cars roared round the final turn side-by-side . Henry Chaser leapt to his feet.
Sally McDuff prayed before her monitor.
The crowds in the stands rose as one.
And the two hover cars - the blue-white-and-silver Car 55 and the all-black Car 1 - whipped out of the last turn and rocketed down the home straight and in a blur of speed, crossed the Line together.
CHAPTER TEN
LAP: 20 [OF 20]
To the naked eye, it appeared as if the two cars crossed the Finish Line together, but the official laser digital photo of the finish of Race 25 would later show that after eight hours of racing, after twenty hard-fought laps, Car No.1, the Speed Razor , driven by Xonora X., and travelling at 365 kilometres an hour and accelerating, had crossed the line 4.2 cm behind Car No.55, the Argonaut , piloted by Chaser J., and travelling at 320 kilometres an hour.
After a perfect lap from its daring young driver, by the paintwork on its nosewing, the Argonaut had qualified for the Sponsors’ tournament.
PART IV: THE TOURNAMENT
CHAPTER ONE
CHOOKA’S CHARCOAL CHICKEN RESTAURANT
HOBART, TASMANIA
The Bug squealed with delight as he popped the top off his well-shaken can of Coke and sprayed it into the air like a triumphant pro racer on the winner’s podium uncorking a bottle of Moet champagne.
Beside him, Jason and Henry Chaser cheered; threw their fists into the air.
It was Thursday night and the Chaser family was celebrating Team Argonaut ‘s win in Race 25, and its subsequent qualification for the Sponsors’ Tournament on the coming Saturday.
Family tradition dictated that it was ‘winner’s choice’ - the family member (or members) being celebrated got to choose the restaurant and the Bug had quickly chosen his favourite restaurant in all the world: the chicken burger chain, Chooka’s Charcoal Chicken. As such, the entire family - plus Sally McDuff, who was by now an honorary Chaser anyway - now sat around a plain formica table surrounded by the remains of chicken burger wrappers, onion rings, French fries, and Coke cans. Everyone was laughing and smiling and recounting their favourite moments of the nail-biting race.
Well, not quite.
At one stage in the dinner, Jason noticed that his mother wasn’t joining in the festivities but was, rather, staring off into space, seemingly lost in thought.
‘Are you all right, Mum?’ he asked.
She turned abruptly, as if roused from a dream, quickly regathered her smile. ‘I’m fine, dear. Just thrilled for you boys.’
The world had been spinning for Jason since his downto-the-wire, skip-the-last-pit-stop win over Prince Xavier earlier that day. His memories of the afternoon were a blur of images:
He remembered returning to the pits after the race, being lifted out of the Argonaut by a jubilant Sally, high-fiving the Bug, and standing on the podium in his battered boots and denim overalls, and watching on the big screen as the 10 points Team Argonaut received for winning elevated the Argonaut to 12th on the Championship Ladder.
He also recalled Scott Syracuse coming over to him after the victor’s presentation, and looking at him closely.
‘You skipped your last pit stop again, Mr Chaser.’
‘Yes, sir. I did.’
‘You weren’t worried about making the same mistake twice?’
‘No, sir. I knew I could make it this time.’
‘So you decided not to take my counsel?’
‘No, sir. I just decided to follow something else you told me about mistakes, way back when we were doing pit practice and I kept creeping out of my pit bay.’
Syracuse frowned. ‘What was my advice
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