Favourite. Chapter 16 Part 1

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 16 Part 1

Martin Carragher

Martin regretted remembering the cherished bottle of brandy – it was in a box in one of the team’s trailers. It would be too much to drink cognac in front of all the staff. Yes, and damn doctors in a categorical form advised to refrain from alcohol. We assume that he adheres sacredly to the precepts of the Aesculapius. Did he miss the Portuguese podium and pass the exam in vain?

And then there’s Eve. While she was a baby and Martin was torn between home and work, he believed that one day she would grow up and be much easier. Naive madman. Another gentleman in her cage. Fortunately, nice people were there and whispered to him about his daughter’s suspicious conversation. How to calculate the bastard? And rip off his ears.

Yes, in addition, the English stage is a continuous source of concern. Halfway through the season Monetti, annoyed by the loss of speed, managed to add quite well, and for the second race in a row it was their driver who started first. Fortunately, on Carnall’s home track, practice did not work out, and the fastest of the English drivers, Reed, only started fifth, and after the first lap he turned out to be seventh anyway.

The race didn’t go well either. On the ultra-fast track, the two red Monettis were pushing further and further thanks to the most powerful engines and it took Neville time to cope with the unexpectedly tall BGS and Thomson cars. Finally, in the first quarter of the distance, Reed stepped out into the open and gradually began to overtake Powell, who was in second place. If only the erratic machine didn’t fail again. If it weren’t for the constant equipment failures that plagued the team all season, Neville would have quietly led the overall standings, and so you have to play the role of overtaking.

Halfway through the race, the worried expression on Martin’s face was replaced by a vengeful smile. Leaving a smoky plume, the leader’s car, Piero Carbone, turned helplessly into the pits. Monetti’s reliability also has its limits. Only for some reason most of the trouble falls on the Italian and the British are bypassed, it would be better if their failures were evenly distributed. One less competitor.

Let’s see if Neville has the strength to catch up to Powell. There is still plenty of time to finish. There’s no doubt about Reed’s talent, but as far as technique goes… You have to take risks, another defeat isn’t a disaster, but it does get you closer. In this case, it will be very problematic to get Powell on points. And Martin ordered Marcel to show the “increase speed” sign. Whatever happens.

And how is the rest? Derek fights valiantly for third, while Leslie is fifth so far. Not bad. Of course, all the attention is always first and foremost on Neville, but Martin never forgot about other pilots. Reed is a world famous racer that has been around for a long time, he just needs a fast car, he will do the rest himself. In the last year and a half, Neville took the team to a radically different level, they finally started beating the damn Italians and people believed in success. And now Martin noted with displeasure that he was not at all the most important person in the team. At the same time, Marcel did not make any attempts to do this, it was just that the staff obeyed him more than a noisy, strict boss. And you will not even be angry with your first pilot, because it was he who brought hope and confidence to the team, which they so often lacked before.

Be it his partners, support is much more important to them. Derek is an undeniable talent, but he’s only just started racing, his gift needs to be polished and only time will tell if he becomes a top star or briefly shines in the racing sky. As for Leslie, he’s not as fast as his partners, and too soft for a racer, but incredibly hardworking and a real team player. Martin has become genuinely attached to this man over the years. It turns out that Leslie was seriously ill a few years ago, doctors predicted that he would take pills and go to doctors all his life, give up another, and the man found himself in racing and was able to fight the disease only by willpower defeat .

Martin was under no illusion that if Neville couldn’t win the Carnall title he wouldn’t have a problem finding a place in another stable, but Leslie would be much harder if something happened. It’s like with children. With a paternal instinct, you understand: one has a great future, and he will flutter out of the family nest to conquer the big world, and for someone, on the contrary, it is better to always stay with his parents.

Behind three quarters of the race. Desperate for the already utterly shattered nerves, Martin smoked one cigarette after another. Let doctors roll to hell with their recommendations. Neville literally gnawed at Powell’s hole. But we must pay tribute, Monetti’s pilot is not easy – he has won two of the last three races and is eager to continue the successful streak.

There are still fifteen laps to go. Fifteen laps before they fail. Neville managed to reduce the gap on Powell to two seconds. Britain has a lot to be proud of. In just a few short years, Neville and Ronald emerged as promising pilots, and all the former heroes ended their careers or died on the track. Of the five races this season, Reed and Powell gave Carbone only one win, with the rest split between them. Surely one of them will win the sixth race. Oh how I wish it was the pilot Carnall.

Seven laps to finish. Only seven. At the cost of incredible effort, Marcel threw away another second, now just short of attack distance. The race lasts over two hours. Technology works to the extreme. Just like human bodies. Both have enormous pressure and responsibility. The cost of an error is incredibly high. Who can’t stand the nerves? Which is easier? To overtake, to make the opponent constantly nervous, or to defend?

Martin was right at the edge of the track. Here the pilots fly past, a red silhouette, followed by a green. Stopwatch buttons click in the hands of mechanics. The gap is less than a second. The pilots leave for the next circle. There’s an annoying wait – Martin won’t see them again for another minute and a half. It would be nice to install a cameraman at every turn and immediately transfer the image from their cameras to one screen, then I don’t have to torment myself in the unknown. Oh, dreams, dreams.

Two more laps – along the starting line, both cars run in the same order, and what happens on other parts of the track, one can only guess. It seems that Powell also feels the closeness to the finish and does not make any mistakes. Why doesn’t Marcel try to attack? Waiting for the right moment? So you can’t wait for it. Somehow a journalist in a similar situation tried to pin Marcel, they say, why didn’t he catch up, was he scared? To which Neville sharply replied: only comrades can condemn him, only pilots know what is happening at a speed of less than three hundred kilometers per hour, the rider must first of all evaluate the safety of the maneuver, and recklessness sometimes leads to the saddest consequences . And it is difficult to argue with him how many daredevils lost their lives on the track due to ill-considered actions, but on the other hand, luck does not favor overly cautious pilots.

Last round. Neville shadows Ronald. On the start straight the cars are level, before the first corner Monetti has the best trajectory and he comes out first, but Carnall is behind him like he’s stuck. Then Martin clearly understood that Marcel would attack. Take advantage of the only chance, too much is at stake. Yes, that’s exactly what a real racer is supposed to do! Everybody. The countdown has begun. In a minute and a half the result will be clear. Martin developed a fever, his heart was pounding like a madman, it felt like he was driving himself. How do you survive these endless seconds?!

Spectators in the stands stand up. The announcer shouts excitedly, but the noise of the crowd drowns out the words. All members of Monetti and Carnall’s teams flocked to the edge of the track. Time is running out! We will?! Come on?! Very fast!

There they are! A sigh of disappointment escapes from tens of thousands of British fans’ throats at the same time. The red car conquers the last corners alone. Only? Where’s Neville? Did you fall behind? But in the foreseeable space it is not visible at all. Where is he?

Powell flies past the checkered flag and throws his hands in the air in triumph. The race is over. Tired but satisfied, Ronald takes off his helmet, his face is black with dirt and soot, only the strip around the eyes turns white – a trace of the goggles. The cheering audience rushes to congratulate the winner.

Martin caught the solemn look of the Italian manager, Bernardo Argilli. Well, today yours took, but you have not yet put us on the shoulder blades, a lost battle does not mean a loss in the war. But where is Marcel? How could he be so far behind?! One consolation, if there had been an accident, they would already know. The circle is quite short, so the track warning system is well established.

Marcel appeared at the finish after a few tens of seconds, when Martin started to get seriously worried. Even from afar you can see how gray the pilot’s face is with anger. But he always remained even-tempered, even in the face of failure.

“He got up to attack, he hadn’t calculated his strength,” Neville said hoarsely, stepping out of the cockpit.

“Sorry,” Martin bit his lips. – But it doesn’t matter, at least you’re second.

He patted Marcel on the shoulder. It’s a shame to tears, but nothing fatal. It’s just that Powell was stronger today. This is racing. No need to kill yourself like that, but Neville didn’t even bring a bottle of water, and this is the first thing riders demand after the finish.

– Why so long? Martin asked.

‘Run to the side of the road,’ Neville snapped, ‘a waste of time getting back.’

– The most important thing is that you’re okay. Go to the prizes, – Martin pushed the pilot a little.

“Great fight,” Ronald, beaming with happiness, leaned in with hugs.

“Congratulations, you defended well,” Neville said calmly.

Where did you disappear to? I’m already worried. Ronald asked.

– exaggerate.

A crowd of excited people gathered around them, many of them trying to touch the pilots, officials walking around with the victory cups in their hands. And then Martin noticed a certain inconsistency in what was happening. For some reason, the procedure for congratulating the riders has not yet started. Usually there are only a few minutes between the finish line and the finish line. And then he saw a representative of the judiciary desperately trying to get through the crowd to them. Yeah, what’s going on, really?!

The ruthless verdict came minutes later, when the poor fellow judge managed to squeeze through the riders. The Carnall team pilot, Neville Reed, was disqualified for driving 20 yards against traffic while attempting to return to the track, which is prohibited by the rules. And now, three races before the end of the season, Neville has almost half as many points as Ronald. Failure, you can’t say anything else.

== To be continued…