Chapter 1
The beginning
When I turned 16 my parents gave me a second hand car, which was really badly damaged, for the next few months I was in my garage fixing it up. When I was out on the home track I found out that I could drift the car in the corners and I was doing it a lot more I told my friend and he said.
"By the sound of it you have a natural talent for drifting this type of car which is very impressive"
My brother had a car which he got second hand as well and I helped him fix it he has a Mazda RX7 (FD3S) which was yellow and he started to do this downhill and uphill racing. I was his helper doing his car before a race. Now I have my car and it has been 9 months since I got it, it was ready to start racing downhill because Chris my brother was better at uphill racing, My brother had set up his own web page to keep records of the wins and losses, he also had track times that I have started to beat over the last few months and he posted challenges on it to tell people where and when they can meet him. He would then get an evening to practice on the track. When I had my car sorted, which is a Toyota Trueno (AE86) I put on a challenge for a downhill and uphill race, these people said that they wanted to race us.
When we went to the location the challengers saw us in our Mazda and Toyota and they laughed at me because of my car looking so old and not very fast, that didn't bother me because I can see what they do wrong on the road when it comes down to it, and my cousin is part of this group called Project T (Turbo) this is for the drivers who are the best in the area. Our only cousin taught us both how to race on the small mountain roads at night and during the day. He also showed us how to pass a car with our headlights off to scare the hell out of the other driver.
Me and Chris both had a night to practise on the track before we had to race. I was getting use to the new track all night by myself so I new it well enough, to over take the other driver, Chris stopped and went to get some sleep while I was tuning my car so I had the best chance, my first opponent was a driver in a Nissan skyline GTR which Is a fast car for this track which is very bendy the only chance I would have to pass him in the corners. The track although thin it was in the straights was wider in the corners. So there is room to drift on the inside of him and pass him. I was sleeping during the day, while Chris was looking at the track to see what we could do to take shortcuts, like I have a talent to grind with the gutter on some of the tracks and I call it the "gutter run" I get my front tyre into the gutter and go as fast as my car will go so I can slingshot past my opponent in the corners and win the downhill race because that is all you have to is pass them if you are following them and I always pass them now matter what.
When it was dark Chris and me went to the track and the other team was waiting for us, the one that I was going up against was sat in his Nissan waiting for me to start he rolled down his window and shouted over to me.
"I hope you are ready to lose because you won't beat me in that old banged up car," said the guy in the Nissan and all of his team mates just laughed and pointed at my car, but all I did was get into my car and got behind him waiting to get the race over and done with.
One of the people watching set us off by shouting
"GO"
And the race was on. During the first few corners I was right on his tail but that is the same for each race. After I was about half way round the track I was still right behind the guy in the Nissan, by the way he was driving I was disturbing him because I was still behind him, and he was taking the corners a bit wide and I could see a opening on the next corner on the inside of him. I hit the accelerate and got next to him so we were neck and neck going into the corner, But he got in front of me and cut me off I didn't slow down because I new there was a gutter on this corner so I braked attached my front tyre into the gutter and then hit accelerate and I slowly passed him, the look in the guys face was like he had seen a ghost, I was now ahead of him and in the next corner I did the same again but this time he tried to do it as well but he messed up, him and his car went flying into the air and hit the concrete hard and it was to damaged to carry on. I got out of my car and ran over to his side and said.
"Are you ok?"
He replies.
"Yes thank you but how did you do that??"
"I call that my gutter run my cousin showed me it."
"It is very impressive that technique."
He then fell onto the floor in a heap and I picked him up and got him into my car and raced down the rest of the track, and took him to his friends and they took him away, Chris looked at me and smiled because he would have done the same thing if it was him. They said thank you for doing this, they said could we do the uphill race tomorrow so they can get their friend to hospital. I walked over to my car to drive off when Chris came over to me and said.
"You did the right thing helping them out."
All I did was smile and I climbed into my car then drove off down the rest of the hill and got some sleep. I woke up and I went to find Chris but he had already left to do some more practise on the road so I got into my car and drove up there to see him.
When it was night again on the second night we were there, they were waiting again and the guy that was in the race last night came over to me and said.
"Thank you for doing that"
All I could do was smile and I said
"You would have done the same for me."
We were all at the bottom of the hill awaiting for the uphill race to begin Chris was already in his car behind the other driver who was also in a Nissan skyline GTR the same as the other guy, he was starting up his engine and Chris did the same and then the same person as before stood in the middle of the road put his hand up and then slammed has hand down and shouted
"GO"
And the second race was on, and they both went racing up the mountain road as fast as they could the guy in the Nissan was taking the corners wide and Chris saw that so he over took him and won before they even got half way round which is a new record for him.
After we got back to our house in the area that we race for I got onto our web page and put the stats of the last few nights on it saying we won both of the races Chris got a new record beating the opponent before getting half way round the track. The next day we looked at our web page again to see if we got any challenges and we had one saying.
"You to are nothing up fakes come here and we will show you what a real driver can do"
I called Chris over and he read the letter as well and all he said was.
"Lets show what we can do!!"
I got up and grabbed my blades to go and relax doing something I love, but as always someone has to challenge me at some street blading, which I am good at they tried to copy me as most people do and he fell over and I looked at him and just went off by grinding down a rail onto the pavement and went back home. When I got home Chris was packing his bag and he said.
"Get your things ready they want to race us tomorrow night in there area they have a Toyota supra and Mitsubishi evolution 8 which are both fast cars so lets not underestimate them"
I just looked at him and I said.
"I always win no matter what brother"
He just laughed at me and he said.
"Yeah u do and I will never now how you can do it that old car or what you did with it"
I rang our cousin because he was in the area with his wife, which has told him that he couldn't race anymore because she was going to have a baby, so he said.
"I will come and watch you, seen as though I haven't seen you two in ages or your cars."
I laughed at him and I said.
"You haven't seen my car since I got it and it looked like crap, but now it is really fast I can give Chris a run for his money ha ha" me laughing down the phone. So I had a long conversation about my car and how it was doing I said.
"Well it is doing better on the home track then Chris's car I am beating some of the track records which other people have set, and I have also beaten some of the track records set by the people from the project T"
My cousin sounded very surprised by that and he said.
"That is very impressive cousin not very many people are that good so quickly it took me ages before I started to beat the projects time."
I told him where our race will be at so he can get down there and watch use and have a chat later on in the evening.
Chris and me set off that night to go and meet the people from that area so we could get some practice in before the race, when we got there the people were and they had a BMW m series and a Honda civic type-R and they both looked very fast. We were all at the bottom of the hill and I saw them looking and saying stuff to each other then they came over and said.
"Do you wish to have a night of practise before we race?" said a voice nicely
"Yes please if you don't mind." I said
"You have tonight to get ready for the race and tomorrow during the daytime" said the same voice
They all got into there cars and drove off, then coming out of the darkness was our cousin and he walked over, gave me a hug and said.
"Now then little cousin how's it going." Said my cousin with a smile on his face
We were talking for a while then he said.
"So where is this car which so good then little cousin?"
So we both walked over to my Trueno he looked at it and laughed.
"So this is the car then and how in the hell you keep winning I don't now you must be very good if you have this car"
I looked at him and said.
"Well come and watch me do my practise and I will show you how good I am, or better yet come in my car with me"
"Ok cousin tell me when you're ready and I will get into your car with you" said me cousin scared look on his face.
After I got ready on the track and use to it, I got ready to take my cousin on a drive down the track and see what he acts like. We got in the car and started going down the hill I was hitting 9000 rpms and I was scaring him enough by the look on his face when I was taking the corners at 90-100 mph at one point my cousin shouted at me.
"SLOW DOWN YOU WILL CRASH!!"
I didn't listen I was concentrating really hard and thinking about the upcoming race because I was up against a BMW m series, and that is a fast car and I wasn't sure that I could be able to defeat him. After we got back and my cousin had calmed down he asked me something.
"Why didn't you give it your all you were only going at 9000 rpms when you could have gone faster?"
I looked at him and I said.
"Knowing my opponent he will chase first so he can find out my speed and what I do."
"I get it you're going to fool him into thinking that he is faster than you until you chase then you are going to pressure him, when he finds out that you are still right behind him."
"Yes that is what I am going to cousin so that is why I was only going around the track at 9000 rpms when you were in the car."
"That is very smart little cousin I wouldn't have even have thought of it."
That night the three of us got talking, we ended up talking about the project that he was in and how much fun it was. The next day I walked down the road which I would be racing down that night to see if I could find anything that I could use to my advantage, I found that part way down the hill there was a gutter on the inside which I could use, but if I didn't time it right my car would fall into the open gutter right next to so I would have to get out of the gutter half way round a bend which I have never done before. While I was still walking down the road I found my brother walking the road as well probably doing the as me thinking of things that he could use to his advantage I shouted over to him.
"HEY BROTHER YOU FOUND OUT YOU COULD USE?"
"No not yet but I saw a gutter you could use though"
"Yeah I saw it to but there is an open gutter right next to it so it will be really tricky to do I might not use It." I said
"Ok then brother let's just show these people what we can do." He said this with a big smile on his face.
This night seems to take ages to get here; my opponent was in his silver BMW M series sat waiting for me and just as I thought he said.
"I would like to chase if that is ok with you" said a man.
"Yes that is fine with me."
As I walked away I was right to do some practising only at 9000 rpms to fool him into thinking that I am slow. I got into my Trueno and started up the engine and got into position in front of the BMW then a guy on the side of the road put this hand up shouting.
"GET READY…GO"
He throws his arm down and I am off going as fast as I can into the first corner not letting the BMW past me no matter what. The BMW is right on my tail the only time I am getting away from him is in the corners, but on the straights he right behind me and there is no gap between us it is like this the whole way down the road. Next turn I am the one that is doing the chasing and it is time to release the full power of my car and push him into making a mistake so I can pass him. The same guy is stood waiting at the side of the road.
"GET READY…GO"
And he throws his arm down again and the race is on and the BMW is going at full speed into the first corner with me right behind after a few turns he looks back into his rear-view mirror and he sees me right behind him.
"THERE IS NOW WAY HE IS STILL BEHIND ME I AM GOING MUCH FASTER HAN HE WAS ON THE FIRST RUN!!"
He then starts to make stupid mistakes and taking some of the corners I noticed this and said to myself.
"I have noticed that he is going wide in some of the corners the next time he does this I will move."
We go around a few more corners and I was getting closer and closer to him we went into a corner and he went wide.
"I WILL GO NOW."
And I went to the outside and moved into the inside and before he could do anything I was next to him going around the corner at 90 mph drifting next to him and then I put my foot down and pulled in front of him and drove off very fast.
"HOW THE HELL DID HE DO THAT!! I LEFT NO SPACE TO GET PAST!"
He was catching up again but I wasn't going to let him past me, but he got me in the corner and we were neck and neck, but…since I was only using 9000 rpms before to fool him I put my foot down, I slowly started to pull in front of him and I got into the next corner, I hit the brakes as hard as I could then accelerated and drifted the last corner and I won the race. After he came over to me and asked how old I was and I said.
"I am only 17 years old."
"NO WAY."
We had a chat for a while my brother was racing while I was talking to him. He couldn't believe that I was only 17 he was in his late 20's and he was a rally driver doing this for a living, I was only doing this for fun getting to now my car that I built up. We had a long chat about all the techniques that we can do. He was amazed that I could make my car disappear so-called all I said was.
"All you need to learn is the prime time to turn off your lights, it's like the vanishing line technique."
He was looking at me amazed by what I was saying. He was just taking it all in, he didn't believe that I new all this after only doing this for 1 year but I had my first battle after only driving for a couple of weeks. Chris came back down the hill and by the look of it he had won the race.