The Most Dangerous Race

by Chase Wheeler

  “What’s the big idea?” Speed shouted out the window at Racer X.

  “I came to warn you,” Racer X told Speed. “It’s too dangerous.”

  And as soon as Racer X said these words, rocks tumbled down the side of a nearby cliff. As the rocks fell, they picked up speed, destroying everything in their path. It was an avalanche! Speed watched in amazement as the rocks fell.

  “Be careful of falling rocks like those,” Racer X cautioned calmly. “Last year, they wiped out a dozen drivers who could have crossed easily.”

  “How could they have done that?” Speed wanted to know.

  Racer X went on to tell Speed that most drivers only worried about the cars ahead of them and how to catch up and pass them. So they sometimes forgot to concentrate on the course itself.

  “The plateau areas around here are very tricky,” Racer X said. “The ground is hard. But when it rains heavily, the ground loosens and can cause tires to skid treacherously. Take my advice, Speed. Otherwise, this will be your last race. Very few cars ever reach the finish line—it’s just too dangerous.”

  Speed listened carefully to what Racer X told him. Racer X was an experienced driver, and Speed knew that his advice was good. But what was Racer X really saying? Was he just telling Speed to be careful, or was he warning him not to race?

  “Do you think I can’t win, Racer X?” Speed wanted to know.

  “You can, but only if you keep your mind strictly on the hazards of the course,” Racer X said.

  Speed was relieved that Racer X thought he had a chance after all.

  “But there’s one more thing,” Racer X added. “And listen carefully-as you race down toward the big jump, don’t go too fast. Because if you do, you’ll cause another landslide and crash down into the river.”

  Speed nodded.

  Then Racer X told Speed that when he reached the other side and started to climb again, he shouldn’t try to go up toward the top. Instead, he should zigzag along the slope. Racer X said that might take longer, but it was safer, and in the long run he would pick up some time.

  “Remember, throughout the race there are patches of ice. One strong twist of your steering wheel and that will be the end of you,” Racer X said. “This is the toughest course you’ve ever raced. You’ll need every ounce of experience and skill, Speed.”

  “Thanks for the advice,” Speed said. “I’ll try to follow all of it, Racer X.”

  Racer X laughed and said, “Well, if you don’t run a good race, I won’t enjoy winning!” He adjusted his purple driving gloves.

  “You’ll be in the Alpine Race?” Speed asked. He couldn’t believe his ears. Why did Racer X give him all that advice if he was racing, too?

  Racer X jumped into his car. “I’m going to win the Alpine Race,” he told Speed with a smile. “And I’m not going to give you a break! ”

  Then, Racer X sped off, leaving Speed behind in his dust.

  3

  WHAT HAPPENED TO POPS?

  Pops Racer knew that the Mach 5 needed work. He had to improve the car in some way so Speed could win the race. But what could he do to the car? The supercharged Mach 5 was already the best car on the racing circuit. Its unique aerodynamic design and special added devices made the Mach 5 the leader of the pack. Still, the Car Acrobatic Team was a stiff competitor. Pops had seen the team perform some fantastic tricks-and the race hadn’t even begun.

  Pops stared at the plans he had placed on his worktable. They were good, but not good enough. Frustrated, he crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the garbage. But he wasn’t about to give up. He knew he’d come up with a way to redesign the Mach 5. Then Speed would leave the Car Acrobatic Team in his dust!

  That night, after dinner, Speed, Pops, and Spritle sat around the table and talked.

  “The Car Acrobatic Team has some amazing drivers! ” Pops said. “They’re tricky, experienced, and fast. They’ve got some other tricks, too. But I can’t figure out what they are.”

  “If I can find out, I might be able to beat them,” Speed said.

  “Right,” Pops agreed. “To win, one should know the strengths and weaknesses of the competition.”

  Pops and Speed continued their conversation, but Spritle was bored. He had heard enough talk about the Alpine Race. As he thought about what he could do to have some fun, Chim Chim tried to swipe a cookie off his plate.

  “Not so fast,” Spritle told his pet chimpanzee.

  But Chim Chim wanted a cookie. So when Spritle wasn’t looking, he tried to steal one again.

  Spritle, figuring out what Chim Chim was up to, raised his hand to knock the chimp’s hand away. But when Spritle’s hand came down, it landed in a can of red paint! Clever Chim Chim had pulled a fast one on Spritle! He had switched the cookie plate with the paint. The paint can flew in the air and landed right on top of Spritle’s head!

  But Spritle didn’t have time to get angry at Chim Chim. He was listening to what Speed was saying: “Gee, Pops, it won’t be so easy to find out because that team comes and goes so fast.”

  This gave Spritle an idea.

  Later that night, when everyone was asleep, Spritle and Chim Chim sneaked out of the house. Chim Chim followed Spritle through the woods until they came to an old beat-up car. The pair jumped in the car—their secret mission had begun!

  And, of course, since this was a secret mission, they had to wear disguises. They both had on top hats. Spritle was also wearing a monocle over one eye and a cape around his shoulders.

  They drove through the woods, past busy woodpeckers and hooting owls. The sky was dark, and the wind howled. A chill ran down Spritle’s spine—the woods were sure creepy at night!

  They came to a rope bridge that hung high over a river. Spritle steered the car over the bridge to the other side. Suddenly, a huge bear appeared in front of the car. Baring its teeth, the creature headed straight toward them! Thinking quickly, Spritle threw the car into reverse. They sped backward over the rope bridge with the bear in pursuit. Just as they made it to the other side, the bridge snapped in two. Had the bear fallen into the river below?

  No! The bear climbed up the side of the cliff and continued its chase. Down, down a snowy mountainside they sped. Oh, no! The road was about to end. A few feet farther and they would plummet off the edge of a cliff! Spritle shifted the car again, and they turned completely around, racing past the bear, which was running in the opposite direction. It finally looked as if they were safe!

  As Spritle and Chim Chim continued to race away, they came to another end of a road. There was no time to turn back! Spritle knew he had two choices—either jump off the cliff to the other side, or plummet far, far below. Closing his eyes,

  Spritle urged the car to fly across the chasm. Boom! As the car hit the ground on the other side, it exploded. Luckily, Spritle and Chim Chim were not hurt. But the car was destroyed. At least they had gotten away from that bear.

  Spritle kicked a burned tire in frustration. Chim Chim was upset, too. He was jumping up and down next to the cliff’s edge.

  Spritle walked over to comfort his pet. But as he got closer to Chim Chim, Spritle saw that he was not upset. In fact, he seemed excited as he pointed to something below. Spritle raced over to see what Chim Chim had found.

  It was the Car Acrobatic Team! All the drivers were standing at attention on the roofs of their cars, which were neatly lined up in two rows. They were carrying torches and listening to their leader, Captain Terror.

  Spritle shuddered with fear as he looked at the man. He wore a long, flowing black robe, and he had goggles on his skull-like face.

  It seemed as though the other racers feared Captain Terror as well. Silently, they listened to his warning: “Members of the Car Acrobatic Team,” he began, “tomorrow, the great Alpine Race begins—a race which we must not lose!”

  “We will not lose! We will win!” the team responded, sounding like robots.

  Captain Terror seemed pleased. “Good. Now, let us gather our strength from
the violence of the elements.”

  And with that, a cold wind whipped through the air.

  “I have decided to enter seven of you in the Alpine Race,” Captain Terror informed the group. “The fastest, trickiest, and most ruthless seven! Cobra will read off the names.” Captain Terror handed his henchman a few sheets of paper.

  As Cobra called out the names, the drivers stepped forward. “Tiger. Knuckles. Brawn. Ugly. Poison. Ender. Snake. You must observe Captain Terror’s first and most important racing rule: Do anything to win, stop at nothing, and if you have to break the law ... break it! ”

  Upon hearing this, Spritle was terrified. But he knew that this was his chance to help Speed. So he pulled out his camera and started snapping pictures of the team and their cars. Spritle’s secret mission was a success!

  Back home, Spritle showed his pictures to Pops, Speed, and Trixie. “And there’s my best shot. You can see the whole bottom of the car. Chim Chim and I did a great job of spying.”

  “But the cars don’t seem to have anything unusual on them,” Trixie said, looking closely at the photos.

  “Look carefully, Trixie,” Pops said. “You’ll see that every one of them has a special device to help them jump. You can see it’s located right here.” He pointed to a spot in one of the photos. “This particular part acts like a wing when the car’s in the air.”

  Trixie nodded. She could see what Pops was talking about.

  “They must have a clever designer, eh, Pops?” Speed said.

  “The cleverest man in the entire racing world,” Pops replied.

  Spritle looked worried. “Then the Mach 5 has no chance of winning,” he said.

  “I’m afraid the other cars are much better than the Mach 5,” Pops agreed.

  Now Spritle looked angry. “Oh, please, you’ve got to do something!” He pounded on Pops’s arms with his fists.

  Pops smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Spritle. I built the Mach 5, so now I’m rebuilding it.”

  “That’s what I like to hear!” Spritle said, relieved. “Get to work!”

  Pops turned to Speed. “Speed, don’t forget: Driver and car have to be equally good to win, so do your best job,” he said in a serious tone.

  “I’ll do the best job I can!” Speed said confidently.

  “Hurry, Pops! Start rebuilding the Mach 5!” Spritle shouted. And with that, he and Chim Chim pushed Pops toward the car.

  “I’ll help, too! ” Trixie said, flexing her muscles.

  The group headed to the garage to get to work. Pops put on his welding gear and held a torch to the car. Speed stood at a workbench and adjusted some machinery. Each time Pops or Speed needed a part, Trixie, Spritle, and Chim Chim were ready to help out.

  The work was exhausting. So exhausting, in fact, that eventually Trixie, Spritle, and Chim Chim fell asleep.

  Pops looked over at the sleeping group and smiled. “You should get some rest, too, Speed. I’ll finish up.”

  “I’m all right, Pops. You better get some rest yourself,” Speed insisted.

  “You have a big race tomorrow and you have to be in top condition for it!” Pops shot back. “Now don’t argue with me! When I tell you to do something, you’d better do it!”

  Speed knew that it was no use arguing with Pops. After all, he was right, Speed needed his rest. And so, while everyone slept, Pops worked on the Mach 5.

  In the morning, Trixie went into the garage to bring Pops some coffee. But as soon as she went inside, she saw that Pops was lying on the floor. And it didn’t look like he was just sleeping-something was desperately wrong!

  “Speed! Come here quickly!” Trixie shouted, dropping the coffee and rushing to Pops’s side.

  Hearing Trixie’s voice, Speed rushed into the garage to see what had happened.

  “He has a bad fever,” Trixie said, feeling Pops’s forehead.

  “Oh, no!” Speed cried. He lifted Pops up on his back and carried him out of the garage.

  “Where are you taking him, Speed?” Trixie asked.

  “To the nearest hospital,” Speed replied, putting Pops into the car.

  “Let me take him,” Trixie insisted. “You’ve only got a few more hours before the race starts. You’ve got to finish the Mach 5.”

  “But Pops is more important,” Speed said.

  “Pops wants you to be in the race, Speed. And if he were able to, he’d tell you that himself,” Trixie reasoned. “Now you get back to work on the Mach 5 while I take him to the hospital. Go ahead!”

  And with that, Trixie sped off. Speed watched the car disappear and then headed back to the garage. He had a car to fix-and a race to win.

  4

  THE RACE BEGINS

  Speed knew he had to work fast. The Alpine Race was starting in a half hour, and there was still a lot to do. Speed thought about Sparky. Not only was he a good friend, but he was a great mechanic. I only wish Sparky was here to help, Speed thought. Then Speed remembered their argument. He knew that it was his fault that Sparky had left. But there was no time to think about that now-Speed had a race to get to.

  The sun was starting to come up over the snowcapped mountains. A helicopter hovered over the starting line of the Alpine Race. Eighty-five cars were gathered there, most getting last-minute adjustments before the starting gun went off.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer, who was in the helicopter, said to the crowd gathered in the stadium to watch the start of the race, “I’m flying above the Alpine Race course. As you may know, this is the most grueling race in the world. The drivers must race for three days and nights, facing all kinds of dangers. Already, more than one million spectators have gathered to witness this spectacular car classic. And we can promise them and you people watching your television sets more thrills, more chills than you have ever seen before!”

  As the announcer spoke, Speed was still working on the Mach 5. There were only twenty minutes left until the start!

  “Here comes the Car Acrobatic Team,” the announcer said. “Seven of the fastest and trickiest drivers anyone has ever seen anywhere.”

  Snake Oiler peered out of his car’s window to check out the competition. “I knew Speed Racer would be too yellow to turn up! ”

  “And driving car number nine,” the announcer continued, “is the mysterious Racer X. Nobody knows who he is or where he comes from.”

  “All entries, take your starting position! ” the announcer called. “It’s fifteen minutes until race time.”

  Back at the garage, Speed was lowering the chassis down onto the Mach 5’s body frame. Now he only had a few final adjustments to make. “I’ll see if the wings work,” Speed said, pressing a button.

  “They do!” he exclaimed as a pair of white wings shot out from under the car doors.

  Now Speed knew he had a chance of winning the race. Wiping the sweat from his face, he hopped into the Mach 5, snapped on his helmet, and revved the engine. He had three minutes to make it to the starting line.

  As Speed entered the stadium, the countdown had already begun. Five, four, three, two ... Speed made it just in time!

  “Here comes a last-minute entry. It’s the Mach 5 driven by Speed Racer!” the announcer shouted as Speed zoomed to the starting line.

  In a flash, the cars took off, speeding furiously down the track. The crowd roared, cheering on their favorite drivers.

  From behind a column, a lone fan stepped out—it was Sparky! But he was not cheering with the rest of the crowd. In fact, he had a worried look on his face.

  “Try to win, Speed,” Sparky whispered as the cars left the stadium. “But most of all—be careful!”

  5

  BROKEN BRAKES?

  The cars noisily whizzed through the opening stretch of the Alpine Race, against a backdrop of snowcapped mountains. Speed gripped the Mach 5’s steering wheel, urging the car to stay on course and go faster. Dangerous curves hugged the sides of the hills, and Speed witnessed many cars spinning out of control, bursting through t
he guardrails, and ending in fiery crashes. Speed had to use all the concentration he could muster to stay on the course.

  Although Speed was a fierce competitor, he knew that the tricky Car Acrobatic Team was favored to win the race. But what the Car Acrobatic Team didn’t know was that Speed was driving a car designed with wings, too. As Speed drove, he felt grateful that Pops had redesigned the Mach 5. Now he had a chance to win!

  Yet Speed wasn’t completely happy. He was still worried about Pops. “I’m glad Trixie got him to the hospital, and I hope he’s all right,” Speed said to himself.

  The cars climbed higher and higher into the Alps. Out of the corner of his eye, Speed spied huge icicles dangling from the cliffs’ edges. He shuddered to think about what would happen if one of those icicles were to come loose and fall! He gripped the steering wheel harder and pressed on.

  Just then, a tight curve sprung up from out of nowhere. Speed pumped the brakes a bit, but something was wrong. The brakes didn’t feel right. Luckily, Speed cleared the curve. But, he couldn’t understand what could be wrong with his brakes. After all, both he and Pops had given the Mach 5 a thorough once-over.

  As Speed raced on, he saw the first checkpoint up ahead. Two men in light blue jumpsuits and caps ran out to meet him. Speed handed one of the men a document.

  “The Mach 5 driven by Speed Racer, heh?” one of the men said after reading the paper. “Well, you’re running ninth. You better hurry up!”

  So Speed wasn’t in such a great position after all. “I’ll try,” Speed told the man.

  “There’ll be bad weather ahead, so take extra precaution,” the man warned as he serviced the Mach 5.