This novel is fictional, you should not look for intersections with historical events. This is a continuation of Nikita Savelyev’s Racing Action Movie, first published on F1News.ru…
Favourite. Chapter 14 Part 2
Pierre Carbone
He remembered that the track does not forgive mistakes, calmed down the passion and waited for an opportunity to overtake the opponent with a clear confident attack.
And finally the moment has arrived. It seems that in the hairpin bend, Marcel made a mistake with the choice of gear, his rear wheels locked up and the car skidded. Elated, Pierrot rushed into the vacant hole. The cars overtook on a straight line and entered the next corner at the same time. But Reid has the best trajectory. If it vibrates…
The Brit didn’t change the course of the car a millimeter and came out of the corner perfectly, and there was simply no room for Piero, with a terrible squeal of the brakes he could barely catch the car.
How does Reid manage to corner a broken car like it’s on rails? The frustrated Pierrot, in an attempt to get closer to the opponent who had come off, made a few more mistakes and finally destroyed the already tired tyres.
Ronald Powell
The partner defiantly slowed down in a straight line and waved his hand. Satisfied, Ronald stepped on the accelerator. The team ordered them to switch positions. It’s time. Could have thought of it earlier, that’s called strategists!
Now it’s Ronald’s turn, it took him a few laps to overtake Reed. A few more to see his pace. You don’t even notice he has a problem. Yes, Neville is not fast, but very confident through the corners. How do you find a hole in his defense?
Marcel Reed
The last laps are insanely tough. The hand on the gear lever is cramped, the cockpit is as hot as in Africa, the glasses are hopelessly dirty and there is not even time to wipe them. The opponent’s red nose looms dangerously close. Ronald does not attack, but at every mistake he will devour Marcel without hesitation. Not the worst deal for the Italians, by the way. In any case, pilots Monetti retain the lead in the general classification, and the victory means that Neville can only come close. However, now it is not up to the calculations. You have to finish – and the point.
And it’s not easy. In addition to all the problems, the tires are almost on point. After an unforgettable race in January, Neville learned a lot about handling tires carefully and calculated they would hold, but he still watched the front wheels – overconfidence never brought any good. In addition, he did not forget to check the oil level and instrument readings. There is less and less fuel on the sides of the cars, there is more waste rubber on the track, the weather is getting cooler. You must be prepared for any changing circumstances.
The whole body is at work. One foot on the clutch, the other dancing between gas and brake, hands on the steering wheel and gear lever. Eyes scan the nearest turn, drop briefly to the dashboard and then back again. The brain will have time to understand and analyze the information, catch the inconsistency in the work of technology with photographic accuracy and have time to give a command if something goes wrong.
There are four laps to the finish, three, two … All movements are brought to automatism. He merged into one with the car. The last round is the hardest. No trace of emotion – he has no right to relax before the wave of the checkered flag.
After
At first he was overcome with an incredible relief that it was all over. Behind nearly three hours of the wildest, inhuman tension. It cannot be described in words. Neville received congratulations and hugged colleagues, rivals, guests, organizers and felt himself gradually let go. It feels as if he has returned from a world where other laws of nature apply.
And then came a terrible fatigue. He is terribly exhausted. The head is buzzing, there are circles before the eyes, an inexorable rumble in the ears. With clumsy fingers, Marcel laboriously pulled off his right glove, reached for his left, and immediately felt an attack of pain. The constant shifting of the tight lever turned the palm into a real heel. With a shudder, he imagined the bloody callus and what it would be like to tear the fabric from the skin. Let’s save this fun for later.
Monetti’s pilots approached Marcel, suppressed disappointment visible through the dust and dirt on their faces – both wanted to win. But then they were pushed aside by Will Thomson – who was glowing with happiness with a brand new coin. His pilot finished fourth, ahead of many strong competitors. After Neville’s victory in Africa, which many have dismissed as a coincidence, this result is a clear confirmation of the progress that rear-engined cars have been able to make.
Marcel, did you see it? Well, I said not in vain – a slow song is our strong point! Too bad you weren’t driving! Would have climbed higher!
Carbone chuckled defiantly.
“If there were five laps left, we would have overtaken you, and we would have overtaken you for sure,” Thomson threw at the Italian pilots and, without waiting for an answer, continued to run.
– How lucky you are! snapped Carbone. – The second time you win thanks to the specifics of the job.
Marcel struggled to keep from reacting rudely to his comrade. What a selective memory he has! And two meetings of Neville in France and the Netherlands?! But he said nothing and just smiled ruefully.
“So I would have caught up,” Powell suddenly came to the rescue.
‘At least I tried, unlike you,’ Piero snapped.
‘Enough,’ Neville stopped them. After the victory, he was overwhelmed with emotions and now he loved the whole world. “The result suits all of us. The fight continues, gentlemen.
Neville put his arms firmly around both opponents and pulled them towards him. And then he gave a decent expression on his face – the princely couple approached to congratulate the winners and hand over the victory cups to them. It is necessary to observe ceremonially and behave with restraint around the crowned persons. And we will soon meet rivals in the fourth stage in Portugal. And there the race in his native England is just around the corner. In addition, the official stages of the championship are diluted with the legendary Thousand Leagues race and the stage of the sports car race in Ireland. It will not work to cool down.
== To be continued…
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.