Challenge of the Masked Racer

by Chase Wheeler

  “I’ve come across them before. They’ll stop at nothing to win,” the Masked Racer told them.

  Trixie felt angry. Those men had done more than try to fix a race—they’d almost killed Speed and Spritle!

  “They’re a bunch of criminals,” she said firmly. “We should tell the police about them.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be able to handle them,” Racer X replied. “But I don’t think you can, Speed. This race is going to be dangerous. I want you to keep out of it.”

  The Masked Racer began to walk away.

  A mix of emotions flooded through Speed. The Masked Racer had saved his life twice already. But that didn’t give him any right to tell Speed not to race!

  “I’ve got to be in the race!” Speed protested.

  The Masked Racer stopped. “Take my advice, Speed. You’d be foolish to enter this race.”

  He climbed into his race car without another word. Speed and Trixie watched him drive off.

  “What are you going to do, Speed?” Trixie asked.

  Speed got to his feet. He felt a little shaky, but not hurt. He knew what he had to do.

  “My mind’s made up, Trixie,” he said. “I don’t care what Pops says. Or Racer X. I’m going to race!”

  10

  AND THY’RE OFF!

  Crowds of racing fans filled the stands at the racetrack. The smell of peanuts and popcorn filled the air, as well as an electric current of excitement. The Trans-Country Race was about to begin!

  Trixie stood on the side of the track, along with Speed’s friend and mechanic, Sparky. Some not-so-friendly people were in the crowd, too—Mr. Wiley and his henchman, Mr. Fixer.

  Four trumpeters in red uniforms stood on the track. They played a lively fanfare announcing the start of the race. The tune blared from the stadium’s loudspeakers.

  High above the stadium, a television announcer watched the scene from a clear booth. Cameras stationed along the track would capture the race from every angle for fans watching at home.

  “The great Trans-Country Race is about to get underway, with racers competing from almost every country,” the announcer said. “Thirty six of the fastest cars in the world are competing. They’re lined up and ready to go. There are over one hundred thousand fans here, tensely waiting for the start of the most important race of the year.”

  Pops and Mom Racer were in their living room, watching the cars line up on their TV screen.

  “I know Speed wanted to see the race,” Mom said. “I wonder where he is. Do you know?”

  “I’m afraid to find out,” Pops grumbled. “You know Speed. He’s always up to something.”

  They settled down to watch the race.

  “The Masked Racer is nowhere in sight. This race may start without him,” the announcer continued. “That means that the number one contender in this race is newcomer Speed Racer, driving the Mach 5!”

  “Did I hear right?” Mom asked. “Did that announcer just say that Speed’s going to be in the race?”

  “You heard right,” Pops replied. He held his breath, trying not to explode. How dare Speed disobey him!

  “Aren’t you angry?” Mom asked.

  “Who, me? Angry?” Pops said innocently. He didn’t want to give his feelings away. He had to find some way to stop Speed—and he didn’t want Mrs. Racer to talk him out of it.

  A red race car with a number 2 on it drove up to the starting line.

  “Driving for the Alpha Team in car number 2 is Mr. Zoomer Slick,” the announcer said.

  Mr. Fixer walked up to Slick.

  “Now remember, no matter what, you’ve got to win,” he warned menacingly.

  Slick looked confident. “I’ll beat ‘em all!”

  Speed drove up to the starting line in the Mach 5. Mr. Wiley watched him from the stands, fuming.

  “Speed Racer!” he said. “I thought that fire took care of him.”

  Mr. Fixer casually leaned on Wiley’s seat. He didn’t look worried at all.

  “We’ll take care of Speed yet,” Fixer promised. “Just watch.”

  Speed hunched over the steering wheel of the Mach 5, fiercely concentrating.

  “The race begins in three minutes!” the announcer cried. “Start your engines!”

  Speed revved the engine of the Mach 5. The sound of the rumbling motor was his favorite sound in the world. It was the only sound he heard. Everything else—the screaming fans, the music, the other cars—faded into the background.

  “There’s one good thing,” Fixer told Mr. Wiley. “It looks like the Masked Racer is too chicken to be in the race. We must have scared him off.”

  Back at the Racer house, Pops tiptoed to the front door.

  “Where are you going?” Mom asked.

  Pops stopped. “For a walk around the block,” he said innocently.

  “Well, I’d like to go out, too,” Moms said. “So I guess you won’t mind taking me—to the track!” She laughed.

  Pops and Mom Racer headed to the track. In the meantime, the race was about to start. A small, plump man in a blue suit stood on a platform next to the starting line. He had a small yellow flag in his hand.

  “The head of the racetrack association will signal the start of the Trans-Country Race by lowering the flag,” the announcer said.

  As soon as the little man lowered the yellow flag, all thirty-six cars tore down the track at lightning speed.

  Speed started off at the head of the pack. He could see Zoomer Slick not far behind him. The rest of the Alpha Team drove red race cars like Zoomer’s. He knew he’d have to watch out for them, too. He had to win this. He had to prove to Pops and Racer X that he could really race!

  The race announcer’s voice came over Speed’s radio. He sounded excited.

  “Hey! What’s this? One more car is entering. I’m unable to make out its number yet.”

  The crowd gasped. Thousands of heads turned to the startling line to see the mysterious late entry. As the car sped closer, everyone could see it was bright yellow, with a number 9 on the side.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the Masked Racer!”

  The crowd turned ugly. Instead of cheering, they booed.

  “We don’t want him!”

  “He’ll cause too many crashes!”

  Mr. Wiley was unhappiest of all. “I don’t want the Masked Racer winning this race! ” he fumed.

  “Don’t worry,” Fixer assured him. “I have the perfect plan to take care of him.”

  Mr. Wiley grinned. “Excellent!”

  The Masked Racer may have had a late start, but he sped to the head of the pack quickly. Soon he was just yards behind Speed.

  “Look, Sparky, the Masked Racer is going to catch up to Speed!” Trixie cried.

  “Speed’ll keep his lead,” Sparky said.

  Speed drove the Mach 5 past Trixie and Sparky. Sparky held up a sign with a number 4 on it.

  “It’s the fourth lap, Speed!” Sparky called out.

  Speed looked in the rearview mirror and saw the Masked Racer gaining on him. Speed tried to go faster, but the Masked Racer caught up, like a sleek jungle cat closing in on its prey.

  “Speed, I warned you!” Racer X called out. “Get out of the race while you still can! There’s going to be a lot of trouble here.”

  Speed just ignored him. He had come too far. He wasn’t going to give up now.

  Each time the cars zoomed around the track, Speed grew more confident. Everything was going smoothly. He was staying in the lead—but he had competition.

  “We’re now in the twentieth lap of the great Trans-Country Race, and the leading cars are still the Mach 5, driven by Speed Racer, the Masked Racer’s car, and the Alpha Team’s car,” the announcer reported. “The rest are following close behind. All cars will be pulling into the pit soon for refueling and quick repairs.”

  Mr. Fixer nudged Mr. Wiley. “That’s what I’ve been waiting for. When the Masked Racer comes in for refueling, the pit crew will fill up his radiator with ga
soline instead of water!”

  “The radiator?” Wiley asked.

  Mr. Fixer nodded. “Just wait till he starts up ... ”

  “He’ll go bang!” Wiley said, understanding. “Brilliant! ” He looked through a pair of binoculars at the pit crew. “Good job. I see our boys waiting.”

  Two men in yellow jumpsuits waited in the pit for the Masked Racer. They looked like normal mechanics, but they were really Wiley’s thugs.

  Things looked grim for the Masked Racer. Luckily, two tiny heroes were hiding nearby. They’d heard every word of the evil plan.

  Spritle turned to Chim Chim. “Did you hear that? We’ve got to go. We’ve got to save the Masked Racer!”

  11

  DIRTY TRICKS ON THE TRACK

  Spritle and Chim Chim ran off through the crowd. They had to get to the pit stop before the Masked Racer got there! Spritle darted between the legs of the race fans in the crowd. Chim Chim jumped on their heads. They jumped over the wall separating the fans from the track and ran to the pit stop.

  The two goons stood next to a tank marked “F” for fuel. They were watching the track, waiting for Racer X to pull up.

  Spritle and Chim Chim worked fast. They wheeled the tank away and replaced it with a water tank. Wiley’s thugs didn’t even notice.

  The Masked Racer squealed into the pit stop. The thugs ran over, wheeling the tank.

  “We got the water for your radiator,” one of the thugs said.

  They opened the hood and began to fill the radiator with a hose. Wiley watched the scene through his binoculars, laughing. He had no idea he’d been tricked.

  The men finished the job. Racer X zoomed back onto the track. Wiley and the thugs watched, waiting for the Masked Racer’s car to explode.

  It didn’t. Racer X sped safely down the track. Spritle and Chim Chim cheered from the stands.

  Wiley and Fixer exchanged confused glances.

  “Go to plan B,” Wiley ordered.

  Fixer waved his hat in the air, sending a signal to Zoomer Slick.

  Slam! Just as planned, Slick crashed into the car on purpose. The force of the crash loosened Racer X’s left rear tire. The Masked Racer spun out of control, nearly crashing into the guardrail. But he quickly regained control and avoided the crash.

  The tire went spiraling down the track just as one of the other members of the Alpha Team approached. Driver 3 yelled out as the rolling tire came toward him. The driver sharply spun his steering wheel to avoid the tire, but he lost control of the car.

  Wham! He collided into the guardrail, crushing the front of his car like an accordion. The driver wailed and shook his fist. He was out of the race!

  But Fixer’s tricks weren’t done yet. One of the thugs sat in the stands. He used a mirror to reflect the bright rays of sunlight right into the Masked Racer’s eyes!

  When the Masked Racer turned his head to avoid the glare, it gave another one of the Alpha Team’s drivers the chance to sneak up on the Masked Racer’s right.

  Slam! The driver crashed into the Masked Racer. Racer X spun out, struggling to gain control of the car.

  Then the mirror trick backfired. The glare blinded the Alpha Team driver. He lost control of his car and plowed into the guardrail. Just as the car burst into flames, the frightened driver ran to safety.

  Now Racer X’s car was skidding down the track on its two right wheels. It was headed right for Alpha Team car 1. The driver couldn’t steer out of the way in time, and flew over Racer X’s car. It landed with a sickening crash. All four wheels exploded from the impact.

  Back in the mechanics’ pit, Spritle and Chim Chim watched the race with Pops and Mom Racer. Spritle watched through binoculars. The track was a mess of twisted metal, but Speed was way ahead of all the trouble. Most of his competition had been wiped out.

  “Yay, Speed!” Spritle cheered.

  Pops grabbed the binoculars from Spritle.

  “Come on, Speed!” he yelled. “You can win this!”

  Speed raced past Sparky. This time, instead of a lap number, Sparky had drawn a picture of Pops on the card. Speed got the message—Pops was at the track.

  But nothing, not even Pops, could break Speed’s concentration now. There were only a few more laps to go, and he still had the lead. Zoomer Slick was behind him on the left, and the Masked Racer was trailing behind, doing his best with only three tires.

  Suddenly, the picture changed. Two more members of the Alpha Team seemed to come out of nowhere. Cars 4 and 5 crept up on either side of Speed and then quickly moved in front of him. They weaved back and forth, making it impossible for Speed to get ahead.

  Without warning, car 4 pulled back.

  Bam! Car 4 slammed Speed from behind.

  Bam! At the same time, car 5 backed up, slamming the Mach 5 in the nose.

  The double blow sent the Mach 5 spinning out of control. Speed steered hard, trying to get the car back on track.

  There was nothing he could do. The Mach 5 was about to crash into the guardrail!

  12

  RACE TO THE FINISH

  Racer X zoomed in between Speed and the guardrail. His car prevented the Mach 5 from crashing, but the Masked Racer wasn’t so lucky. He skidded along the curved guardrail like a skateboarder on a half-pipe. Then his car flipped over, landing in the middle of the track. Another race car steered to avoid the Masked Racer and collided right into Alpha Team car 4. The red car flew up in the air and slammed back down onto the track, bursting into flames.

  Racer X banged into the flaming car, and his own race car went spinning out of control again. The yellow car stopped against the concrete wall.

  Speed saw the crash in his rearview mirror. He quickly stepped on the brakes and turned, whipping into a 180.

  Racer X had saved him three times now. It was time for him to help Racer X.

  “It’s the last lap of the race but Speed is going back to the scene of the accident! ” the announcer cried in disbelief.

  The brakes squealed as Speed stopped the Mach 5. He jumped out and ran to the Masked Racer. Racer X climbed out of the car, groaning and clutching his arm.

  “You shouldn’t have stopped racing because of me,” he told Speed. “I’ll be all right. Go on. Get back into your car.”

  “You saved my life! Speed said. ”I’m not going to leave you. You need my help!“

  “We’re in the middle of a big race,” Racer X reminded him. “This isn’t the time for personal feelings, Speed. Get back into your car. I’m going to get back into mine. It can still run, and I’ll do my best to win.”

  With a pained look on his face, Racer X pulled himself onto his feet, clutching the side of his race car.

  “I’m going to beat you, Speed,” he promised.

  Speed knew there was nothing he could do. He climbed back into the Mach 5. He stepped on the gas.

  If Masked Racer wanted to race, then he would race!

  The crowd of fans could barely wait to see what happened next.

  “This is the last lap,” the announcer said. “Alpha Team car 2 has a huge lead, thanks to all the accidents we’ve seen today. The Masked Racer is pushing his car to the side, where he’ll try to make some repairs. It looks like Zoomer Slick is going to win this race!”

  Racer X quickly worked to repair his car. Speed focused on the red car ahead of him.

  Zoomer Slick had been playing dirty all day. Now it was time to teach him a lesson, fair and square.

  The crowd roared with excitement as they watched Speed come up from behind.

  “Here comes Speed Racer!” the announcer cried. “He’s back at the wheel of the Mach 5. He’s coming up fast.”

  “Go, Speed, go, go!” Trixie cheered, jumping up and down.

  The announcer looked amazed. “And now the Masked Racer is back in the race! ”

  Speed and Slick were racing side by side. Racer X came up right between them, catching up with amazing speed. The racing official stood at the finish line, holding the black-and-whit
e checkered flag. From his point of view, all three cars were neck and neck.

  Speed braced himself for the final push of the race. He had to win. He had something to prove—to Pops, to the Masked Racer, and to himself.

  Speed stepped on the gas.

  13

  A BITTERSWEET VICTORY

  The last seconds of the race were super fast, but they felt like slow motion to Speed.

  He surged forward, willing the Mach 5 to move ahead with every cell in his body. The push was just what he needed. He roared past the finish line, and the checkered flag dropped.

  “Speed Racer is the winner!” the announcer yelled. “The Masked Racer takes second place!”

  Speed couldn’t believe it. He slowed the Mach 5 to a stop. He had done it!

  “Yay, Speed!” Trixie, Sparky, and Spritle cheered and waved. Chim Chim did a victory somersault.

  In the stands, Mr. Wiley growled and waved his cane. It accidentally bonked Mr. Fixer on the head.

  Speed waved to the cheering crowd. Confetti rained down on his head. Winning was a really amazing feeling!

  Pops cheered from the sidelines. “Hooray! I always knew you’d be able to do it, Speed.”

  Mom Racer gave him a questioning look. Pops remembered he was supposed to be angry at Speed. He frowned and shook his fist in the air.

  “You disobeyed my orders!”

  Mom Racer laughed. “Speed did a wonderful job and we’re both very proud of him, right?”

  Pops sighed. He hated to admit it, but Mom Racer was right. He was proud of Speed. He and Mrs. Racer walked up to Speed’s car. Trixie, Sparky, Spritle, and Chim Chim were gathered around Speed.

  “Wasn’t he just great?” Sparky asked Pops. “Wasn’t he just great? Why don’t you let him be a racer and drive the Mach 5 all of the time? You know he’ll have a good chance of winning. He’ll take good care of the Mach 5, too.”