Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the V8 Supercars, although I have altered some of the driver's names to make them fit into the Cars world. The altered names also belong to me. Also, Leyland Dane is NOT related to Leyland Turbo. They are completely separate characters.

Chapter 1

June 2014

A deafening roar rose up from the Sonoma Raceway, California. Half of it came from the crowd in the grandstands and infield; the other half came from the V8 engines of forty-three race cars who were giving their all to race for Piston Cup points in the warm afternoon heat.

Up in the main grandstand, a red 1975 Mark 1 Vauxhall Cavalier was shown into the Dinoco private box. Turning, Tex smiled at the newcomer.

"Leyland! Come in! It's nice to see you again."

Leyland Dane rolled over to Tex, parking beside him in front of the large window overlooking the racetrack. The oil millionaire and racing team owner watched as the racers passed over the start/finish line, completing yet another lap.

"I'm glad you could make it," Tex said, smiling at his guest.

"So am I," Leyland replied. "I can't stay long though. My flight leaves at seven o'clock tonight."

"How is everythin' goin' with the Triple Eight Race Engineering team?"

"We're better known as Redbulldozer Racing Australia these days, thanks to my management team securing that sponsor a two years ago. It was huge coup for us. It's going great though. Jamie's well on track to winning another championship this year. I was hoping Craig would rise to the challenge this year, but he's just not finding the speed he needs to keep up with the youngsters. My main concern is finding him a decent co-racer for the Enduro Cup that's starting in September. His usual co-racer crashed in a race last month, putting him out of the rest of the year. I'm really starting to get desperate about finding a replacement for him. By the way, how's Jimmy going for you?"

"He's a good, consistent racer. Unfortunately, even he can't match Lightning McQueen for speed and endurance. We've done everything we can to get Jimmy as fit and agile as possible, but Lightning's obviously got something better under his hood. It's nothing illegal though, because the officials keep clearing him to race."

"How many Piston Cups has he won now?"

"Uh…six. He missed out in 2011 after the World Grand Prix controversy. It really shook him up badly. Psychologically, I mean. He finished a close second though. He's well on track to winning his seventh Piston Cup this year."

"Hmmm… Is there any chance of being able to talk to his team owners?"

"Easy. They're in the box next door. May I ask what's on your mind?"

"I think I've just found Jamie's co-racer," Leyland smiled. "Can you arrange a meeting, please?"

About ten minutes later, Rusty and Dusty entered the Dinoco box, looking somewhat confused at being asked to join Tex.

"Come in, Rusty and Dusty," Tex invited warmly. "I'd like you to meet Leyland Dane."

After pleasantries were exchanged, Leyland got straight to the point.

"I'm the owner and crew chief of Triple Eight Race Engineering Australia; better known as Redbulldozer Racing Australia. Every year, as part of the V8 Supercar races, we have a smaller championship known as the Enduro Cup. It involves three of our longest races – the Sandown five hundred, the Bathurst one thousand, and the Gold Coast six-hundred. The racer with the highest number of points after those three racers wins the Enduro Cup, and the points are also counted towards the overall championship."

"That sounds very interesting," Rusty interrupted, "but what's that got to do with us?"

"The Enduro Cup is done with co-racers," Leyland patiently explained. "I have two racers on my team. You might have heard of them? Jamie Win-Cup and Craig Louds?"

Rusty and Dusty shook their hoods.

"Well, anyway, Craig is in desperate need of a co-racer for the up-coming Enduro Cup. Normally, we'd have the co-racers sorted out at the beginning of the year, but Craig's co-racer was badly injured in a race last month. Since then, I've been struggling to find a racer who is willing to come to Australia for two months in September and October. Most don't want to give up on their chances of winning their respective championships. I'm not the kind of car who beats around the bush, so I'm just going to be straight with you. I want to hire Lightning McQueen to be Craig's co-racer in the Enduro Cup."

Rusty and Dusty exchanged uncertain glances. After a moment, Dusty asked, "What's in it for Lightning?"

"The chance to race in the hardest Touring Car championship in the world. If you think the Piston Cup and the World Grand Prix are hard, you should see the V8 Supercars. They race on some of the hardest racetracks in the world, including Mount Panorama and the Gold Coast street circuit. And the Enduro Cup is the pinnacle event. Once a racer's won the Enduro Cup, they're pretty much the best racer in the world. It isn't called the V8 Supercars for no reason."

"If the Enduro Cup is so fantastic, how come we've never heard of it?" Rusty asked.

"Because it only started last year," Leyland replied, looking a bit disappointed. He was doing his best to get international racers interested in the V8 Supercars, but most just weren't interested because it was in Australia. They seemed to think that Australian racing wasn't worth the bother. Feeling despondent, Leyland started to move towards the door. He'd never find a co-racer for Craig at this rate. "I guess I'll just have to tell Craig that he won't be able to race in the Enduro Cup this year. It's such a shame, 'cause he won it so convincingly last year. He's going to be bitterly disappointed…"

"Wait a minute," Dusty said, making Leyland turn around. "Maybe… Maybe if we discuss it more, and you explain to us exactly what's involved, we might consider letting Lightning go. Of course, will have to talk it over with Lightning too, and cost is going to be a big issue…"

"All expenses paid," Leyland told them, smiling a little. "My team is the best team in the V8 Supercars. Jamie won his third V8 Supercar championship in a row last year. He's won five in total, and he's well on his way to being one of the best racers the world has ever seen. And Craig was mentored by the late Peter Brock."

Tex's eyes grew wide when Leyland mentioned Peter Brock's name. "I've heard that name before. The Australian racer here in the Piston Cup, Marcus Ambrose, has mentioned him from time to time. One of Australia's greatest racers, wasn't he?"

Leyland nodded in affirmation. "He's was just as good, if not better than your Hudson Hornet."

That made Rusty and Dusty gulp.

"The V8 Supercars also started racing at the Texas International Speedway last year," Leyland added, hoping to throw another spanner into the works. It worked. Rusty's eyes widened.

"So that's what that event was! I remember seeing a bit of it on RSN last month, but I didn't pay much attention to it at the time. It actually looked rather exciting."

Outside, the crowd began to roar excitedly, making Tex, Leyland, Rusty and Dusty look out of the window just in time to see Lightning cross the finish line in first place. Tex groaned in disbelief.

"Great! Another Piston Cup is slipping out of Jimmy's wheels!" he muttered under his breath. Nobody else seemed to hear him.

"I hate to say it," Leyland said to Rusty and Dusty, "but your Lightning looks bored out of his body! Perhaps he'll get his zest back once he races in Australia."

"Maybe," Rusty sighed.

"Maybe he does need a change," Dusty agreed. "And a decent challenge."

"He'll get one if he races in the Enduro Cup," Leyland promised. "Trust me. He won't be left disappointed."

Please review! As an Australian author, I've been a bit tentative about writing this sequel, since most of my readers are American, so I'd greatly appreciate feedback! Thanks.