It was race day. The atmosphere was electric. 33 cars lined up in eleven three wide rows down the front stretch in front of the fans. Sonic sat at the 33rd starting position. Silver was 32nd and 31st was a Tyrrell P34 driven by Gaelic driver Donnchadh Nevin. Tails was having a word with Sonic. Nikki and Little John were there, too.
"Be careful out there. Who knows. You know who might've put some headhunters out here to get you" he said to Sonic.
"I know that. I just need to get to the front quickly and avoid trouble" he replied.
"I can already taste that cold milk" Tails said.
"Me, too, little buddy" Sonic replied.
"Just go get them. We know you can'' Little John said. Sonic just smiled and strapped himself into the car. Being in an open cockpit featured many challenges. Last year, there was a fatality involving a young driver named Dane Locke. Before the race, they had a moment of silence in his honor. Sonic remembered Dane. He remembered the first race he ran with Dane. The Southwest Grand Prix, about 4 years ago. Sonic remembered his fire red quills like yesterday.
The command to start the engines was given. Sonic glanced at Silver. He was nervous, looking calm and ready on the surface. The engines became droning. The heat rising off the asphalt became hypnotizing. Then, the race began.
Sonic slammed the gas pedal down and raced off. He began snaking his way up through the pack towards the front. The groove was the middle to the bottom. Tails was in the pits with an earpiece in and was punching keys on his laptop. It was split into 4 screens. Top left was the live TV broadcast, top right was the onboard camera, bottom left was the fuel gauge, bottom right was tire wear. He was looking at all four screens, talking to Sonic throughout the race.
"We have 13 headhunters in this race. We think 31 laps is enough to start the mayhem" Cirrus Sky said to A. Wright Scott. They waited another few laps, until the first round of pit stops was over.
"We'll replace the water for Sonic's radiator with gasoline. His car will go boom!" A. Scott Wright told Cirrus Sky. Unbeknownst to them, they were bugged by Nikki, who posed as a security guard checking for weapons before people entered the luxury boxes. Nikki relayed the information to Tails.
"Fix it. Swap it with another driver. I think car 21 over there is a headhunter" he told Nikki.
"Sonic, you need to come in. 39 laps have been run and you need tires and wheels" he said. Sonic came in for a quick pit stop. Car 21 came in.
"Hurry up and service my car! I don't have all day!" he shouted. The crew was about to put the water in the radiator when Little John stepped in.
"That water is no good. It's been contaminated by a virus and we need to take it. The CDC needs to examine the bacteria. Here, take this water" he said, passing the gas. They put it in the impatient drivers' car, and off he went.
"We put gas in the wrong car!" one of the Monarch Racing Enterprises crew members exclaimed. Car 21 got back on the track, and promptly exploded. The first caution came out to clean the wreckage.
"Knuckles, I need your help. Take some hits for me" Sonic said over the radio. Knuckles was in his red Honda he nicknamed Big Red.
"Fend for yourself. I'm going to win the race" the muscular echidna responded. Sonic sighed. He was on his own. Green flag dropped, and the race was back on. Sonic moved past Knuckles into the 11th spot. Over the next three laps, he moved up into 4th. He was gaining on Shotgun Ziegler.
"Deploy spikes" he said over the radio to the two drivers in second and third. Spiked balls fell from the bottoms of both cars. A large crash ensued, sending a car flying over the back stretch wall. Thankfully, there are no grandstands on there. Sonic had three tires go flat, so he brought the car in. 55 laps in the books, and plenty of racing to go.
"I will win" Sonic told Tails before joining the race behind the Ford Mustang pace car. The green dropped on lap 58. Over the mountains visible from the back stretch, bare of grand stands, a storm was visible. It was coming in the general direction of the track. Sonic fought his way to second. Silver had dropped out under the caution due to electrical failures. He would be scored 22nd.
The laps wound down. 67. 88. 91. Now, the race was on lap 101 of 200. Sonic was racing Ziegler wheel to wheel. 15 drivers remained out of the 33 that started due to thwarted attempts at headhunters.
"He won't give up. What should I do?" Ziegler asked over the radio.
"Use the mods" Cirrus Sky responded. He activated the spear hook. This clamped to the undercarriage of Sonics car.
"He's using a spear hook!" Sonic yelled to Tails over the radio.
"Shake him" the young fox replied. A storm was brewing, and it could end the race. Sonic tried to move up the track, attempting to run them into a slower car. This attempt failed. Sonic then tried to break off. He did, but the hook was stuck in the bottom of his car. He felt something on his head. It was beginning to rain.
"How many laps in the books, Tails?" he asked. The young kit looked at the scoreboard.
"130 laps run. 30 to go" he said. The rain began to come down harder.
"You will never beat me Sonic! Never!" Shotgun Ziegler yelled in a rage. He then hit a wet patch from the rain and went into a skid. He overcorrected and slammed head on into the beginning of the pit road wall. The car exploded into a million pieces, scattering all over the track. Then, it began to pour. All the illegal modifications were clearly shown in the debris. Thankfully, Dirk was alive.
Sonic pulled into the garages. Tails and Silver were waiting with Nikki and Little John. He sat there in his car for a minute before Tails walked over.
"You won. They called the race short after 133 laps" he said. Sonic took his helmet and goggles off. He wept tears of joy. He went to the "winner's circle" and guzzled cold milk, cameras snapping his photo. He won at the expense of Monarch. They were shut down after the illegal mods were discovered in the debris.
Sonic hopped into his street/rally car, a brand new Ryback Cyclone, and raced off with Tails.
"Where are we going so quickly?" Tails asked.
"There's more races to be won and more adventures to be had!" Sonic exclaimed in reply. And that ends our story.
