by Axel Lewis
“And as the winner of the Arctic Adventure, Horace,” continued Lord Leadpipe, “I am particularly proud to present you with a very special prize from Leadpipe Industries.” Horace’s face lit up. Lord Leadpipe beckoned to Joshua Johnson, who climbed onto the podium holding something covered in purple cloth. Horace held out his hands in expectation.
Lord Leadpipe took hold of the cloth and whisked it away like a magician revealing a dove in a cage. But it wasn’t a dove in a cage. Joshua was holding a red velvet cushion with an object resting on it. Lord Leadpipe lifted the object from the cushion and ceremoniously handed it to Horace.
The crowd fell silent.
“This,” said Lord Leadpipe, “I am very proud to say, has been specially created to commemorate fifty years of Leadpipe Industries.” He handed it to Horace.
Horace stared at it for a moment. Then he stared at Lord Leadpipe. “What is it?” demanded Horace.
“That,” said Lord Leadpipe, “is a piece of lead pipe, taken from the very first processing plant where I began—”
“A piece of lead pipe?” repeated Horace in horror.
“Yes,” said Lord Leadpipe.
“A piece of pipe?” repeated Horace in disbelief. “Made of lead?”
“You must be very proud,” said Lord Leadpipe, grabbing Horace’s limp hand and pumping it up and down like a piston.
Horace just stared at him, his arm limp against the vigorous handshake.
Jimmy could see Missy trying to hide a smile. “It’s just a bit of old pipe,” she mouthed to the other racers, stifling a giggle. Sammy snorted with laughter, but managed to cover it up as a cough. And Chip was grinning broadly. They all knew how much Horace had wanted a fancy upgrade – and how much he would have gloated about using it in the next race. Even the quiet and usually straight-faced Kako broke into a smile.
Sensing an outburst from Horace at any moment, Joshua Johnson hurriedly hustled him and Lord Leadpipe from the podium.
As the ceremony came to a close, Jimmy spotted Grandpa. He ran to give him a hug.
“Did you see Horace, Grandpa?”
Grandpa nodded and smiled. “I did, my boy. I don’t think that Horace Pelly really understands sentimental value, does he?”
“It doesn’t look like it,” Jimmy replied with a grin.
“Anyway, I’m proud of you, boy,” said Grandpa as they headed back to Cabbie. “You didn’t win this one, but you showed enough courage for ten robot racers.”
“Thanks, Grandpa,” smiled Jimmy, glowing with happiness.
“And,” continued Grandpa, “you’re still at the top of the leaderboard with young Chip on eighteen points. It’s getting tight with that good-for-nothing Horace Pelly just behind you on sixteen points, along with Princess Kako, then it’s Missy on fourteen points and Sammy on twelve.”
That made Jimmy feel even better. He’d had his worst race yet, but he was still in with a shot.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” growled a voice.
Jimmy turned to find Pete Webber smiling at them.
“That was an incredible race,” said Pete in his deep rumbling voice. “You made a big mistake with that robo-pummeller, but – you know what? – Big Al sometimes gets carried away like that. He can’t think about anything but winning. But like you he always does the right thing in the end,” he nodded, adding “usually” under his breath.
“Thanks, Pete,” said Jimmy, his cheeks burning with pride. He loved it when Pete compared him to Big Al. “Will you be back working with us for the next race?” he asked.
“Don’t know,” growled Pete. “I’d love to, but ... I’ll have to talk to Lord Leadpipe and see what he—”
“Did I hear my name?” said a voice. Lord Leadpipe was strolling over to them, his yeti-like trousers swinging madly as he moved. He put a friendly arm round Pete’s shoulders and leaned into their conversation. “Something about Pete helping you with Cabbie?” he said. “Well,” he went on, putting his other arm round Jimmy so that he had them both in an embrace, “I can’t tell you how proud I am of you, Jimmy. You were immensely brave in helping your fellow competitors when their lives were in danger. I would never have forgiven myself if something had happened today. But thanks to you, each one of them is still in one piece.”
Lord Leadpipe looked deep into Jimmy’s eyes and Jimmy could see that the billionaire was being deadly serious.
“I can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone risk so much to protect others and sacrifice their own chances,” Lord Leadpipe went on. Then a smile crept onto his face, “And bravery of that kind certainly deserves some kind of reward. But,” he said, “much as I would like to, Jimmy, I can’t bend the rules and give you the points you deserve. So I think the least we can do is lend you Pete Webber for a couple of weeks. If that’s OK with you, Pete?”
“It sure is,” said Pete, his little black eyes crinkling with pleasure.
“And would that be agreeable with you, Wilfred?” asked Lord Leadpipe.
Grandpa, who had been quietly staring at the ground since Lord Leadpipe appeared, looked up and smiled. “Of course!” he exclaimed. “You’re welcome anytime, Pete. The kettle’s always on!”
“Great,” said Pete.
“You mean—” began Jimmy, who had finally managed to open his mouth and speak.
“— you mean Pete Webber – the Pete Webber – is going to be working with us for two whole weeks?”
“If it’s OK with you, Jimmy?” smiled Pete.
“OK?” cried Jimmy. “OK? It’s more than OK. It’s ... amaaaazing!”
Pete laughed and patted him on the back.
“Oh, and one more thing,” said Lord Leadpipe, leaning in conspiratorially. “There was a second special prize today, but seeing as my first offering was received with so little enthusiasm, I think it needs a different home. I think it should go to the hero of the race. Here you go.” And with a wink he passed a small parcel to Jimmy.
Jimmy stood rooted to the spot. What could this package be?
“Open it, my dear boy – we don’t have all day,” Lord Leadpipe encouraged him.
“Go on then, Jimmy. Open it and see what it is,” Grandpa said. Even he couldn’t hide his curiosity.
Carefully, Jimmy unwrapped the parcel to see a fat metal tube.
Pete’s mouth dropped open as he looked at it. “Is that...?” he breathed.
“A sonic-booster,” Leadpipe said proudly. “Latest Leadpipe technology. Should be even faster than those rocket-boosters you’ve got, Jimmy.”
“Cabbie’s going to love it,” Jimmy grinned. “Thank you, Lord Leadpipe. I don’t know what to say.”
“There’s nothing to say, Jimmy. You deserve it more than anybody ... as you will see from the inscription on the side.”
Jimmy turned the booster over and read the engraving out loud: “For a true racing spirit.”
Lord Leadpipe grinned at Grandpa. And for once, Grandpa smiled back at him.
“That’s quite some grandson you have, Wilfred,” Lord Leadpipe said. “He’s got a lot of fans rooting for him now, I believe. I expect a good performance when you next take to the track, Jimmy.”
“Oh, don’t you worry about that,” replied Grandpa. “My Jimmy and I will be ready to handle whatever you throw at us, won’t we, my boy?”
“Of course we will,” said Jimmy. “We’ve still got a championship to win!”
RESULTS TABLE
RACE 3: Arctic Adventure
Read on...
...for a sneak peek of the next Robot Races adventure.
Desert Disaster
“On your marks ... get set ... go!” shouted Princess Kako.
Jimmy Roberts reached for a packet of crisps from the table and popped it open with one hand. Beside him, Chip Travers did the same.
Opposite them sat Missy McGovern and Sammy Bahur, each with their hands clasped behind their backs and their mouths open wide like two seals at feeding time.
“Incoming!” Jimmy shouted to Missy as he
started throwing salty crisps at her mouth as quickly as he could, while Chip did the same to Sammy. The crisps were bouncing off noses, ears and cheeks as Missy and Sammy weaved to and fro, fighting to catch as many in their mouths as they could.
“Come on, Sammy,” yelled Chip. “We can’t afford to lose this game.”
“Iiimm-ooeein-mmiii-eeeessss!” the Egyptian boy replied, which Jimmy thought translated into, “I’m doing my best!”
“Time’s up,” said Kako suddenly. “Everybody stop what you’re doing. Close your mouths and put down the snacks!”
The room fell silent apart from the dull noise of food being chewed.
“I think we won that one, don’t you, Jimmy?” said Missy, shaking crumbs from her hair.
“Are you kidding me?” said Chip. “We caught more chips than you! Kako, who won?”
“I was too busy laughing!” the Japanese princess replied.
Jimmy smiled and shook his head as the jokey squabble carried on. Missy had come up with the game and it had had the entire group laughing the whole way through their lunch hour.
Jimmy plucked a sandwich from the table and popped it into his mouth. He was reaching for his drink when he noticed that the liquid in the glass was tilting at an unusual angle. It was the only sign that he was actually suspended thousands of metres in the air on an enormous airship owned by none other than the famous billionaire Lord Ludwick Leadpipe. The water rolled up the right side of his drinking glass ever so slightly as the giant craft moved through the air.
Jimmy loved being part of the first-ever Robot Races for kids. He loved the danger, the excitement and visiting new places. But the competition had become so popular that all the racers had turned into celebrities overnight. All of a sudden, newspaper reporters wanted to know everything about them, and had started standing on their doorsteps with camera crews day and night to catch a glimpse here and a quick word there. Grandpa had got so fed up with them turning up at his door that he’d rigged the doorbell to squirt water at whoever rang it!
Soon Lord Leadpipe had decided to take action. He converted part of his giant airship into a school, and gathered everyone on board to live there for the duration of the Races.
The luxury airliner had everything – classrooms, science labs, and a canteen that was bigger than the one at Jimmy’s school. Leadpipe had hired a tutor to teach them all the usual subjects like maths and science, but he’d also arranged for them to be taught a few special lessons. They were being taught basic mechanics, advanced driving skills and interview techniques – all things they’d need to be top robot racers.
Looking around the table at the other competitors, Jimmy still couldn’t believe he was now living aboard a giant airship that could travel at supersonic speeds, with its own luxury en-suite cabins, a fancy restaurant, cinema, and even a bowling alley. It was completely different from the run-down house in Smedingham where he had been brought up by his grandpa. The same grandpa who had also turned out to be a genius robot inventor and engineer – when he wasn’t busy being a taxi driver.
Around Jimmy were the other robot racers. They were all kids like him, taking part in the biggest, most exciting tournament the world had ever seen – each with their own robot equipped with the finest gadgets and technology. They were friends now, but on the track they’d be fighting each other for first place.
First there was Princess Kako from Japan. She and her robobike, Lightning, were serious contenders in the Robot Races championship, having already won one stage of the competition. Lightning was light and fast, usually shaped like a motorbike – although he could transform into lots of other vehicles when needed – and was propelled by two turbo jets.
Next came Chip Travers. Chip’s racer was called Dug, and he was a giant diggerbot with a large hydraulic arm that had come in handy a few times in the tournament. They’d been friends since Jimmy had rescued Chip from the Grand Canyon in their first race together.
Opposite Chip sat Samir – or Sammy, as he liked to be called – a skinny boy from Egypt who came from a long line of successful racing drivers. His father, Omar Bahur, had been a champion robot racer in his day, leaving Sammy a lot to live up to. His robot was called Maximus, and was a huge hovercraft able to glide at top speed on a cushion of air over almost any surface.
“I have never seen such arguments over a snack before,” whispered Sammy to Jimmy as Missy and Chip continued their debate. “It is almost as if this game is as important as the Robot Races, no?”
Jimmy laughed. “I think we’re all a bit competitive, Sammy.”
Missy turned to the two of them and laughed. “Crikey, Sammy, if you think this is competitive, you should see me and my bro when we have our speed shearing contests – you’ve never seen so many sheep trimmed so quickly.”
Jimmy couldn’t help liking the loud, confident tomboy. She lived in the Australian Outback and was an expert at tackling difficult terrain with her giant robotruck Monster. Jimmy liked Missy’s sense of humour and the mad games she came up with.
“That wasn’t in the rules!” Missy shouted now, a smile on her face.
“You made up the rules two minutes ago!” argued Chip. “Jimmy, whose side are you on?”
“Whoa, keep me out of it!” Jimmy laughed. “You’ll have to fight it out yourselves.”
Just then the door slid open and Horace Pelly walked in, his tray overloaded with food.
“Hey, Horace!” said Chip cheerily.
Horace ignored him, heading for a different table where he sat down with his back to the group.
Horace was the only robot racer Jimmy had known before the competition started, although he wouldn’t exactly have said they were friends. In fact, Jimmy had mixed with the school show-off about as well as cornflakes went with pickled onions ... not very well at all!
Jimmy shook his head as he thought about life back in the little town of Smedingham. He wondered what his best friend Max was doing now, and if Max missed seeing him at all. Sometimes he wished that Max could be on the airship too. It would be great to show him round the workstations, the swimming pool and the games room on board.
Jimmy popped a slice of tomato in his mouth and looked over at Horace. He sighed. “Treat others the way you’d want to be treated,” was what Grandpa always said, and Jimmy knew that sitting on your own was no fun.
“Hey, Horace,” he called over. “There’s a space at our table if you want to eat with us.”
Horace gave a snort of laughter and turned to Jimmy with a sneer on his face.
“With you? No thanks!” he said. “I don’t fraternize with the competition. And keep the noise down, will you? This place sounds like the zoo at feeding time.”
Jimmy’s face turned red. I should have known he’d throw it back in my face, he thought. He opened his mouth to talk to Princess Kako, but just at that moment a loud blare came from the other side of the room.
Horace had switched the television on, and the Robo TV theme tune sang out at full volume. Jimmy hadn’t even known there was a TV in the canteen, but when he turned to look he saw that one of the large white walls was actually a giant plasma screen. He recognized the presenter immediately – it was Bet Bristle, an elderly but lively interviewer he had first met before the Rainforest Rampage race. Up on the massive TV, her usually dainty little nostrils were the size of dinner plates.
“Welcome to another edition of Full Throttle, the Robo TV show that lifts the bonnet of the Robot Races and takes a good look inside.” Bet announced.
“I hope they don’t look under Cabbie’s bonnet,” joked Jimmy. “Grandpa left his toolkit under there last week!”
“Shhh!” said Horace.
“We’ve got a great show for you this week!” Bet continued. “So stay tuned!”
Read Desert Disaster to find out what happens next!
Other titles from the Robot Races series – Canyon Chaos
Jimmy Roberts loves watching the Robot Races, where drivers and their super-smart talking r
obots compete. When a new race for kids is announced, Jimmy is desperate to join in. There’s only one hitch – he’ll never be able to afford a robot. All Jimmy can do is watch while his worst enemy, Horace Pelly, boasts about the robot NASA are building him.
But then Jimmy’s grandpa reveals that he hasn’t always been a taxi driver. In fact, he might be the only person who can help – by turning his battered old taxicab into a real-life robot!
Will Jimmy and his robot Cabbie ever be able to keep up with the competition?
Rainforest Rampage
Jimmy and Cabbie are ready for the next race in the championship – a daring dash through the deepest, darkest, jungle. Cabbie’s new gadgets might give him an edge, but will he let his fear of snakes hold him back? Jimmy’s friend Sammy and his hovercraft robot, Maximus, are right behind them, so every second counts.
With arch-enemy Horace up to his usual tricks, will Jimmy even finish the race?
Desert Disaster
The adventure through the sweltering Sahara desert is a race with no track! Missy and her huge robot, Monster, are used to racing in the Australian outback, but even they are stumped when the robots and their racers have to solve clues to find the right direction. It will take brains as well as gadgets to reach the finish line!
Can Jimmy and Cabbie surf the sand dunes and finish first?
Curious Fox
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