by Pam Harvey
But the gap that had quickly opened up vanished equally rapidly as the green bike attacked the next corner as aggressively as E.D. had the last one.
The two bikes sped away as one, careering down the final straight towards the finish line. First the green bike nosed ahead then it was E.D. edging in front.
‘It’s going to be a dead heat!’ Hannah gasped. The entire crowd were on their feet yelling and screaming as the two bikes zoomed down the final straight.
Then suddenly the green bike slowed and E.D. raced ahead, crossing the line ten metres ahead.
‘What happened?’ Gabby asked. ‘Did he run out of petrol?’
‘I knew it!’ Angus said. ‘A lime-green bike. It’s got to be Jack.’
Angus watched as the two bikes came together again. They slowed then finally came to a stop. He raised his father’s binoculars to his eyes and saw E.D. lifting his helmet from his head and extending his arm out to the other rider. It took a moment but finally a hand came out to meet E.D.’s. At the same time, the rider removed her helmet.
Angus stared hard through the binoculars.
The rider looked back at the stream of angry officials coming towards them, slammed the helmet back on, revved the bike—and was gone.
‘Wow,’ said Angus, shaking his head.
The winners’ ceremony was held straight after the last race of the day. Mario had loaded Tony’s bike on the trailer and stood with the rest of them while E.D. accepted his trophy.
‘Go, Emilio!’ yelled his brother, whistling loudly from the back.
E.D. raised the trophy and yelled, ‘This one’s for Tony!’ The crowd cheered.
On the way home, cramped together in Mario’s car, Gabby couldn’t stop talking. ‘That was great. Wow. I got it all on my camera. I’ll do a tape for you, E.D., and you can show your mum. And Tony.’
‘Yeah, great, Gab. Thanks.’ E.D. leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
Gabby looked at him huffily. ‘You don’t seem very excited, E.D. You realise you’ve just won the Inter Club race? The most important race in your career?’
‘Yeah, I realise.’
‘And that this could lead to bigger and better things? State championships? Nationals?’
‘And so what about the Proctors?’ Hannah asked, breaking the silence. ‘What’s going to happen to them?’
E.D. sighed. ‘Mr Proctor had no idea about the smuggling.’
‘But that was his brother,’ Hannah said. ‘How could he not know?’
‘No, it wasn’t,’ E.D. explained, shaking his head. ‘Just a family friend that the kids came to call Uncle. Teagan doesn’t even know why.’
‘Weird,’ Gabby muttered. ‘But isn’t he going to be bankrupt now?’
E.D. smiled. ‘Nah. That was just Peter trying to bluff Teagan. Make her feel guilty so that she wouldn’t ring the cops. Maybe give him a chance to get away.’
‘Weird,’ Gabby said again. ‘Anyway, how do you know all this?’ Everyone turned to look at E.D.
‘I didn’t really win that race today, you know,’ E.D. said, finally. ‘The green bike lost it.’
‘Green bike,’ Angus said. ‘That was Teagan.’
‘Teagan?’ Gabby cried.
‘Teagan,’ whispered Hannah, shaking her head. ‘Does her father know she did that?’
E.D. shrugged. ‘I don’t know. She just said she wanted to prove to herself that she could still win.’
‘But there was a mechanical fault,’ Angus said. ‘I saw her slow down…’
E.D. shook his head.
‘She let you win?’
E.D. slowly nodded. ‘She was way better than me.’ Suddenly he was grinning. He sat up and looked at Gabby. ‘Anyway, Gab, you’ve missed the best thing. The thing that overrides all of that.’
Gabby glanced at Hannah, who shrugged. ‘What’s the best thing, then?’
E.D. leaned over to her. ‘My time.’
‘Time for what?’
‘My time for the Graveyard run.’ He grinned and leaned back again, putting his hands behind his head. ‘I did it in 13 minutes! Twelve minutes and 27 seconds to be precise. I paused it at the lift. Do you want to know what the temperature was down there? Or what my heart rate was?’ E.D. began fiddling with Tony’s watch.
‘NO!’ the others shouted, laughing at E.D.
E.D. SPEAKS TO SUPERCROSS STAR CHAD REED!
‘Recently, I was lucky enough to get an interview with one of Australia’s highest-paid sports stars: the one and only Chad Reed, the Supercross superstar from Kurri Kurri! It was for my ‘Your Hero’ assignment at school. He was at an airport when I spoke to him (must have been between races) and it was awesome to talk to THE MAN. Here’s what he had to say…’
What got you involved in motorbike racing in the first place?
My mum and dad. They sacrificed a lot to get me where I am today. They bought a large property so they could build practice tracks for me to train on and we lived in a caravan there for a long time until they could afford to build the house.
Is it easy learning to ride a motorbike?
It’s easy to learn how to ride, but to learn how to go fast is a whole new ball game. It takes plenty of dedication, practice and fitness.
Have you had any bad accidents? What happened?
Yes, I’ve had quite a few. One of the worst was at the beginning of the 2007 season. It was during practice. Something went wrong with the bike on the up ramp to the triple jump. I was spat over the handle bars and into the next jump. The bike followed and ended up hitting me. I was unconscious with a broken shoulder, a dislocated collar bone and internal bleeding. I woke up in hospital not knowing what had happened.
I raced the first round of the 2007 AMA Supercross Championship three days later and couldn’t practise or train between the races for most of the 2007 season. Despite all that I still finished second overall in the championship that year.
What’s been your career highlight so far?
My 2003 World Championship win and winning the 2004 AMA title would be my career highlights.
How many bikes do you own and what sort are they?
I own several and they’re all Yamahas.
What do you do in your leisure time?
I enjoy all sorts of water sports, including jet skiing, wakeboarding and surfing.
Do you have to be fit to race?
Yes, extremely fit. I train at the gym and cycle every day. I also test and ride my race bikes at least twice during the week between races.
AUSTRALIA’S LATEST WORLD CHAMPION
Casey Stoner
Australian MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner started riding bikes at a very young age. His first competition was as a four year old in the Under 9 category at the Hatcher’s dirt racing track on the Gold Coast. Two years later he won his first Australian title. Over the next eight years, he toured Australia, collecting an amazing 41 Australian dirt and long track titles and over 70 state titles. At the age of 16, Casey moved to 250cc machines, managing a fifth placing in his rookie year on the Grand Prix circuit.
In 2003 he was back on the 125cc class bikes and managed four podium finishes (top three), including his first major victory at Valencia, Spain. This was Casey’s first win in a GP race. He spent the next three years enjoying success with a number of podium finishes in both the 125cc and 250cc class. Then in 2006, at the age of only 20, Casey finally achieved his dream of riding in the most prestigious and famous of the classes—the MotoGP. In his rookie year he finished eighth overall, and in 2007 he became world champion. From 18 starts, Casey won 10 races and achieved 14 podium places. He is well on the way to becoming one of Australia’s most successful riders ever.
THE DAREDEVILS
Robbie Maddison
Robbie Maddison, a freestyle motocross rider from Kiama in New South Wales, broke the world record for the longest distance ever jumped on a motorbike on New Year’s Day, 2008. Robbie performed the leap in Las Vegas, jumping an incredible 98 metres.
He had two attempts in what he described later as unfavourable conditions.
Robbie flew over a football field, landing his Honda bike perfectly on both attempts. The actual distances for the two jumps were 98.15 metres, then 97.54 metres. Robbie recorded a jump of 106.68 metres the Sunday before in Sydney, but it has not been recognised as an official jump.
Evel Knievel
Evel Knievel was perhaps the most famous of all stunt people. His daredevil feats started at the age of 27 when he organised a stunt to attract customers to his motorbike shop. He announced that he would jump 12 metres of parked cars and a box full of rattlesnakes. Unfortunately for Evel, he didn’t jump far enough, landing on the box of snakes. The crowd of a thousand people was amazed and Evel knew he could draw big crowds ‘by jumping over weird stuff’, as he described it.
In 1968 he became world famous when he attempted to jump 45 metres over the fountains at the Caesar’s Palace hotel in Las Vegas. He didn’t make it and suffered terrible injuries as a result. He was unconscious for 30 days after the crash. He did recover, though, and built his reputation by jumping from one ramp to another with rows of cars to jump over in between. He quickly became a hero for the skill and daring he showed.
During his career he underwent 15 operations to repair his broken body. He retired from stunts and jumping in 1980, telling reporters that he ‘was nothing but scar tissue and surgical steel’. Evel passed away in December 2007 at the age of 69.
DID YOU KNOW?
The first-ever motorcycle was descended from the ‘safety’ bicycle. That’s a bicycle with front and rear wheels of the same size and pedals.
Some people claim that the first motorcycle was built in 1868. It was powered by a steam engine and built by Sylvester Howard Roper.
Others claim that the first motorcycle was designed and built in Germany by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in 1885. It was powered by petrol and called the Reitwagon, which means ‘riding car’.
The largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world is Honda.
The world’s largest motorcycle wedding procession happened in Slovakia on 6 May 2000. Peter Schmidl and Anna Turcekova were married with a wedding procession of 597 motorbikes.
An average of eight motorcycles can fit into a normal car parking space.
In March 2005 an Irishman called Robbie Bolger performed the world’s fastest motorcycle handlebar wheelie. This feat took place at Temora Aerodrome in New South Wales. Robbie reached a speed of 169 kilometres per hour.
The biggest motorbike pyramid was created on 5 July 2001 at the Gowri Shankar Parade Ground in Jabalpur, India, when the Dare Devils Team of the Indian Army Signal Corps made a pyramid of 201 men balancing on 10 motorcycles. They travelled a distance of 129 metres.
The fastest speed recorded for a blindfolded rider was 265 kilometres per hour. This was achieved by blind Billy Baxter while riding a 2000cc Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle in August 2003.
On 5 September 2006, during the International Motorcycle Speed Trials at the Bonneville Salt Flats near Wendover, Utah, in the USA, a new world record speed of 564.7 kilometres per hour was achieved. The motorcycle, named ‘Seven’, looking more like a rocket on two wheels than a traditional street bike, was ridden by Chris Carr.
MORE GREAT BOOKS YOU WILL ENJOY…
Faster than Lightning
MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE AND PAM HARVEY
Thirteen-year-old Angus lives and breathes horses. His father is a horse trainer, and on most mornings before school, Angus is down at the track helping out.
One morning, when Angus is training a skittish new horse on the track, a group of erratic riders almost push Angus and the young colt into the railing. From here the mystery begins.
With the help of his friends, Angus discovers shady and possibly illegal goings-on at the local stud farm. When a horse, Lightning Strikes, appears to be the exact replica of a dead horse, Gale Force, Angus becomes suspicious.
Is the stud involved in a special breeding program, or something more sinister? Is it possible that they could be cloning famous racehorses? Angus and friends must find out before it is too late.
In the Deep End
MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE AND PAM HARVEY
Something is not right in Teasdale. First, Gabby, one of the most talented swimmers in the state, is well beaten in the swimming trials by Andrea Taylor. Second, Hannah, the brightest kid in the school, misses out on the national Whatever, Wherever competition when she loses to her classmate Dave Kelly.
Neither Andrea nor Dave has posed any threat to the girls before, so who—or what—is helping them to win?
As Gabby, Hannah and their friends investigate, the clues point towards an unexpected villain.
And when Gabby finds herself trapped and in real danger, the kids set out on an urgent mission to rescue her and finally uncover what’s been going on.
Ghost of a Chance
MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE AND PAM HARVEY
School’s finally out and Ling and her friends head for a beach holiday looking forward to fun, excitement and exploring the derelict lighthouse around the bay. They soon find out, though, that their holiday destination was the scene of a tragic boating accident years ago.
At night, Ling is haunted by the image of a girl who whispers words, then fades away. During the day, a gang of hostile local kids searches the island for lost treasure. And in the background, the story of the orphanage and the children who lived there threads its way into the mystery.
Attempting to find out the truth from the locals only leads to frustration…and raises more questions. Why is Ling the only person who can see the ghost? What really happened all those years ago on the island? And why has the man who ran the orphanage—the frightening Mr Jamison—returned to his home town?
Ling and her friends must brave stormy seas and stay one step ahead of the other kids in a daring mission to uncover the truth and help restore peace to those who have been left behind.
Toby Jones and the Magic Cricket Almanack
MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE
WITH BRETT LEE
Toby Jones and his friends are obsessed with cricket. They all play in the Under-13 school team and hang out in their own online cricket chatroom after school. Luckily, they also have a sports-mad teacher who lets them do projects on cricket.
While on a school excursion Toby visits the Melbourne Cricket Club Library, where he meets fellow cricket buff Jim Oldfield and stumbles upon the secret of the Magic Cricket Almanack. This secret, which Jim shares, is so extraordinary it could change Toby’s life forever.
Life for Toby and his friends becomes a balancing act—following their passion of playing cricket while keeping Toby’s new-found secret. But are they ready for the dangers this secret holds?
Toby Jones and the Magic Cricket Almanack is the first book in an exciting new series that combines cricket with fantasy. Featuring cricket commentary co-written with Australian fast bowler Brett Lee, this is a book guaranteed to leave you wanting more.
Toby Jones and the Secret of the Missing Scorecard
MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE WITH BRETT LEE
Toby Jones lives and breathes cricket. He plays in a local cricket competition, follows the professional players and knows all the stats. But Toby has a secret—he can travel back through time to watch famous cricket matches and players. And he can take his friends with him. But it’s not all good news…
There are dangers. Toby has seen the strange, hooded figure lurking in the background. What, or who, is this creepy character after? And how desperate is he to get what he wants?
If you love fantasy or sport, you’ll love reading the Toby Jones books.
‘Kids, cricket, fun—always the perfect combination.’ BRETT LEE
Toby Jones and the Mystery of the Time-Travel Tour
MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE WITH BRETT LEE
Toby Jones is not your average cricket fan—he can travel through time, back to the great matches of the past. When his friend and fellow time traveller Jim
Oldfield is left behind—last seen watching Bradman play at Leeds in 1930—Toby knows he’s the only one who can find Jim.
Meanwhile, Phillip Smale, ruthless team manager of the rival Scorpions, is working on a secretive scheme to lure rich cricket-lovers to his Timeless Travel Tours…but there is no guarantee of a return ticket.
Can Toby save Jim and also thwart Smale’s perilous plan? Or will the dangers of time travelling lead to disaster?
Toby Jones and the Timeless Cricket Match
MICHAEL PANCKRIDGE WITH BRETT LEE
It isn’t Toby Jones’ passion for cricket that makes him unusual—it’s his ability to travel through time, back to the great matches of the past.
Just when Toby thinks his time-travel adventures are over, he has to make another dangerous journey. He must travel to The Oval—the famous English cricket ground—to save his friend Ally, who has been ill since she broke the laws of time travel on her last trip with him.
Toby will have to face the embittered Cricket Lord, Hugo Malchev, and the ruthless Phillip Smale, who has his own agenda as far as time travel is concerned, and doesn’t want anyone getting in the way.
And if that isn’t enough, Toby is training at the cricket camp at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, hoping to be selected for Australia against England in the junior Ashes. If he doesn’t get stuck in the past during his travels. Or worse…