Debutant. Chapter 6. Test of the pen. Part 2

This novel is fictional; there is no need to look for intersections with historical events. This is a continuation of “Debutant” by Nikita Savelyev, the first readers of which were readers of F1News.ru…

Chapter 6. Test of the pen. Part two

– Friends, meet, this is Henry. Just a racer from the United States,” Georges interjected. – We are now exhibiting a second car.

It must be said that his friends looked at him without much interest and limited themselves to nodding. Only Michael Stanton chuckled:

– I forgot. Is it okay that we walked through your country like that?

“No problem,” Henry said bravely, “for me, champion status is much more important than some money.”

Everyone started to smile at this, and Dubois patted Henry on the shoulder happily:

– This is our way!

Murphy asked:

– From America? Have you raced on “Kirpichnitsa”?

“Once,” Henry replied curtly. Don’t really tell them how this attempt ended. There will be no shame.

Murphy clearly wanted to ask something else, but Rinaldo suddenly interrupted him:

“Didn’t you interrupt me during a fast lap?” Open your eyes, how many seconds have I lost?! Georges, would teach his chicks. And you, friend, don’t stick your nose over me on the highway.

“Can you keep an eye on everyone?” Georges spread his hands, a little embarrassed.
Henry glared at his partner; he could not get any support from him.

“These are not ovals, you have to think about this,” Rinaldo became furious.

“They attacked the man,” Stanton said conciliatoryly. – These are your first races? Think about yourself.

“Elder comrades must always be respected,” Rinaldo said.

Oh, here comes Peter, there were voices. A lanky man strode toward them. Peter Bridge. Countryman. The idol of American boys. A man who achieved considerable success in Europe, but did not forget his homeland and raced with equal success on both sides of the ocean. The most famous American racer outside the United States.

“The asphalt has heated up, stop cooling it, boys,” Peter shouted in a loud voice. – It’s a bit boring just from a distance. The speed is increasing, now I’m about to lower your times. Only one more hour.

Someone happily started putting on his helmet, Spencer immediately rushed into the garage (he and Peter raced for the same team). Rinaldo growled dissatisfied:

– You need it, you can go, your time is not the limit.

Henry thought it was best to get away before anyone thought of introducing him to Bridge. How will he come to remember mutual acquaintances? I don’t really want to look like an untested young man in front of these brave, confident men. And he managed to get a beating from a recognized leader. It worked. But who else received such an honor after the first rounds? Now we have to not lose face for the rest of the training and set a decent time.

– How many? – Henry asked eagerly, just turning off the engine and not even having time to get out of the car.

“I’m sorry,” Mr. Baker shook his head. – Two minutes and twenty-three seconds.

– I can’t get through? – Henry sighed with hidden hope.

– Unfortunately not.

Henry ignored the neighbor’s presence and cursed profusely with every expression he could muster. Nineteen pilots took part in the race and according to the rules, eighteen were allowed to start; the one who showed the worst result in one lap during two days of training races did not start. Guess who this lucky guy is?

Georges, who had set a perfectly acceptable fifteenth time, looked complacent, patting Henry kindly on the shoulder and telling stories, as even many great champions of the past and triumphs of the present did not start on the best of terms. Or was he just being subtle about it?

Roy simply advised us to see the positive side in everything: you don’t have to shake for tomorrow’s race, you can relax and enjoy a good glass of whiskey at the bar.

Teddy muttered, “It happens,” and went to push the car into the trailer.

Edward was as cheerful as usual; he was now more interested in Georges’ results. Once again he started an endless list: the main thing is reliability, suddenly all the leaders will leave and luck will descend on our team.

In Sandra’s eyes you could read: what a miracle, compassion. She tried her hardest to find out if Henry had ever missed the starting line before. He quickly dismissed it, citing more advanced U.S. rules under which no one is allowed to initiate.

Adam lit another terrifying cigarette and struck all living things with its pungent smell and calmly said:

– This is only the first test of a new design; for the next phase we will play with the weight and layout of the engine. We will study. Hendrik is going to study. Everything will be fine.

From a letter from the manager of the Monetti racing team, Cesare Basile, to the head of the company, Mario Monetti:

“Dear Señor Mario, once again I bow to your tactical genius, which has allowed us to bring two types of motorcycles to the French stage. You are, as always, right: the high speed and the long route, despite the apparent simplicity, became a difficult test for the engines. Carlo Rinaldo tested both the standard eight-cylinder engine and the new-fangled twelve-cylinder engine during training. As a result, after hours of doubt and heated discussions, with your permission, we opted for a proven option and Dubois was offered a more powerful, but less reliable and tested twelve-cylinder.

But fear settled in our hearts as the starting line-up became clear and Monetti’s main hope, Rinaldo, remained only fifth. Jean-Luc fought like a lion for the first position and only gave it to Murphy in the last minutes of the race. Anticipating your outrage at the way we managed to give in, with a powerful engine, I hasten to note: the secret of the Crocus speed is in the combination of the latest technologies with the extraordinary talent of their first pilot . Only Murphy can tame the troubled green filly. But innovative ideas also come with many risks, while our traditional approaches to creating chassis, approved by you, have been repeatedly tested by time.

I will not burden the newspaper with a long description of the stage, especially since its course is well known to you. I will only touch on a few important points. Over a long distance, Jean-Luc could not maintain the high pace of the leaders, rolled back, but regained positions again due to the withdrawal of his opponents. The reasons for the slow speed have yet to be determined – whether due to an untested engine or the qualities of the pilot himself. For my part, I would like to note that, like you, I highly appreciate this young man for his exceptional dedication to our brand, but so far it is difficult for him to compete for the top places. But not to overshadow team leader Carlo, this might be exactly the kind of pilot we need.

Rinaldo started the race very bravely and made up for it right at the start. Noticing that Carlo was going faster, I wisely ordered Dubois to let his partner pass, I would like to note that we did not lose a second in this exchange.

After two-thirds of the distance, Rinaldo was in second, after which we had to solve a difficult dilemma: whether to increase the pace, as our temperamental leader wanted, or maintain our position. Like every Italian, I sincerely wish that Monetti would fight with all his might for victory in every race, but would you forgive me if Carlo, in a frenzied pursuit of leader Murphy, burned every drop of precious fuel or revved the engine? But on this day, luck was on Monetti’s side. Let me make a reservation, it’s not just her, but the subtle calculation of management combined with Carlo’s talent.

Murphy’s erratic technology failed him, his car gradually began to lose oil and he began to lose ground. We must pay tribute to the Briton, he minimized losses, did not completely lose speed and finished in fifth place. Nothing could shake Carlo’s pace; he showed real caution by slowing down on my instructions in the closing laps, when his first place was no longer in danger. Dubois completed Monetti’s triumph with a third place. And now we’re just a fraction behind Murphy in the battle for first place in the overall championship.

Our brilliant victory, Signor Mario, was the result of the united efforts of all employees, under your strict leadership. I am very grateful for your sincere congratulations on the phone. I’m not sure my excessive busyness will allow me to get to the team factory this week – kind regards to your esteemed wife. I humbly hope to see you in the next phase. I know how much you can’t stand traveling to races lately, but every member of the team, down to the last mechanic, will be incredibly happy to see you at the most prestigious event of the season.

Kind regards, Cesare.”

== To be continued…