Chapter 10 Teacher Teacher.

"Rumor goin' round is the Moon Runners are going to challenge you and the kid this weekend," Ty said.

"You come all the way up here to tell me that?" Chris asked. "You could have just called."

"I know, but I need every excuse I can get to drive the Boss and these guys plan on challenging you guys like you were a team."

"Huh. You think he stands a chance against the Jennings boys?"

"Aww man I dunno," Ty said. "He'd stand a good chance, but if he doesn't get what you were talking about the other night, they could take him out."

"I don't like that," Chris said glancing over at Sung who shrugged. "I want to be the one to beat the kid, not one of the Jennings boys."

"Well you should go talk to him then," Sung offered.

"Looks like Ty's back," Matt said looking across the street at the Calypso Coral Boss Mustang. "Oh that car is so cool."

"What do you think he's here about?" Bud asked.

"I don't know probably hanging out with Chris and Sung," Matt's tone changed. "Maybe they're talking about some sort of alliance! Ty runs a team in Monroe maybe he's trying to recruit Chris! Oh that would be so cool, nobody would be able to beat them. They might even ask you to join," Matt kept talking faster and faster trying to make sure that he got everything out in one breath.

"I doubt it," Bud said. He was quiet for a moment. "Tell boss I've gone on break," Bud said suddenly and then before Matt could do anything he was on his way across the street to Chris' speed shop.

The door chime sounded when Bud walked in, Sung, Chris and Ty were there.

"'Sup, that was a good race you run the other night," Ty said.

"Thanks," Bud said as both Chris and Sung seconded Ty's statement. Bud was almost shaking he was so nervous. He hoped desperately that the other men couldn't see this, and he would be able to keep his voice under control. These were the three big time guys on the local racing scene; he didn't want to look like a fool.

"So what's up?" Chris asked.

"Actually I was wondering if I could as Ty a question."

"Go for it brother," Ty said

"I was wondering if you could help me with my car?" Bud asked quickly. "Tonight maybe?"

"Sure," Ty responded. "What time you off work?"

"Eight," Bud said. "I gotta get back, thanks," He said, and ducked back out the door.

"Wonder what he needs help with?" Ty said as the three watched the High Schooler jog back across the road.

"I don't know," Chris said, "but his car seemed to be in tip top shape when he raced. I can't imagine he needs help with it already. Maybe it's the lifters?"

"Naw, the way that thing was running the other night whoever helped him with that car knows how to adjust solid lifters," Ty said.

"It's got to be about driving then," Chris said.

"Then, why wouldn't he ask one of his friends," Sung asked.

"You saw him the other night. Grizz, and Scott are good kids, but Bud is already far better then they are behind the wheel, and he won't ask Mallory because they are dating." Chris said knowing what Sung's next question was.

"So why not you then?" Sung asked, "Or me for that matter?"

This caught Chris flatfooted; he had never considered the possibility. "Maybe because you don't race," Chris said, looking at Sung who responded with one of his trademark shrugs.

"Maybe."

"I bet it has something to do with the difference between the Galaxie and the Mustang," Ty finally said. "Why else would he ask me? You know the Shammel better then I do, Man he knows the Shammel better then me. So it's got to be something Ford related."

"Or he can't trust what I would tell him because he knows I want to race him," Chris said.

"Maybe. Guess I'll just have to find out," Ty said.

It had taken some doing but Bud had managed to get Scott, Grizz and Matt to clear out before Ty walked over from Chris' shop. He didn't want them to see what he was going to talk about with Ty.

"So what's going on?" Ty asked when he arrived.

Bud sighed. "I need your help," He said. "This car isn't as fast as my Dad's, and everybody seems to think it should be faster."

"So what do you want me to do? And why me?"

"Could you take a look at my car and maybe tell me where I could improve it? I asked you because you drive a Ford and I thought you would be able to help more then anybody else."

Ty almost started to blush. "So what's your Dad's ride?"

"It's a Galaxie; Mallory called it a something-code lightweight." Bud said trying to remember what she had said.

"An R-code?" Ty asked skeptically.

"Yeah that's it," Bud said. "She made a big deal about it. I never thought that car was anything special."

"Oh boy," Ty said, "You don't know how lucky you are. That is one rare Galaxie your ol' man has. Let me take a look at your fine piece though."

Ty was so surprise that he had to force himself to get down under the car so he could take a look at the suspension. It was all shiny new, top shelf stuff. No way he was anywhere near the cars limits the other night. It even had the good override traction bars. Ty brushed himself off before looking under the hood. When he had the prop rod in place he started to take in the details. Everything looked like it had come straight off of Laguna Seca circa 1966. It was a GT 350 in every sense. His eyes almost fell out of his head. This was probably the only person with a Mustang he had ever met that he was jealous of, he loved his Boss, but this GT 350 made him drool.

"You're shittin' me. Ain't no way a Galaxie, even an R-Code lightweight is faster than this car," Ty said. He was more aggravated at the thought that Bud was trying to pull the wool over his eyes.

"I'm not lying; my Dad's car defiantly feels faster over the Shammel Highway. Maybe I just don't know how fast I'm going in this car." Bud offered.

"Man you gotta figure this out then," Ty said. "Cuz the Jennings boys are coming an' I hear they're coming after you and Chris."

"Alright then," Bud said, "help me out that's why I asked you to take a look."

"Alright," Ty said, moving over to the passenger side door. "Let's go for a ride."

"Down the Shammel?"

"Where else would you go?" Ty asked he opened the door. He was excited, it's not everyday you get to ride in a GT 350, especially one this close to an R-model. He strapped into the old style bucket seat.

It was dark, and there were few cars around when they finally pulled up to Yates road. There wouldn't be too much of a challenge for the kid, it was late enough so that there wouldn't be too much traffic.

"Go for it," Ty urged.

"Alright," Bud answered, and revved the Ford small block up before launching hard. The force shoved Ty back in his seat. It was amazing, like his Boss, but a different flavor, the two cars were very similar, both were Mustangs at heart, both had very high revving small blocks, actually Windsor small blocks with solid lifters, but Bud's Mustang was lighter, and put out more horsepower, and the unassuming High School kid sitting in the drivers seat handled it like a pro.

His problem became apparent at the first turn, he got on the brakes very early, and slowed down more then he needed to, much more then he needed to. By the time he got back on the gas, after downshifting, the motor had dropped enough revs to be out of the most effective rev range. At the next turn Ty paid attention to the needle on the Stewart Warner Tachometer mounted in a pod at the center of the dash. It was hard to see the needle sometimes but the seat of his pants would tell him about how the cars suspension was stressed.

By the third turn Ty knew that Chris had been right, the kid was cornering well below the cars limits, and he wasn't used to the motor, which was making his exits from turns slower. Ty knew exactly why Bud was driving that way; hopefully the kid could take the advice. Three turns was all it took to figure out why Bud was slower in the Mustang, the rest of the trip down the Shammel was just for fun, when would Ty get another chance like that anyway?

"Damn son. What a nice ride," Ty said admiringly.

"Alright, so what am I doing wrong? Why does it feel so much slower then my Dad's car?" Bud asked his aggravation showing some. He wanted the car to work, he wanted to be able to get the most out of it, and to get what everybody kept telling him was there.

"Here's the deal. Your Dad's Galaxie is a 427," Ty said with a hint of question in his voice.

"If you say so," Bud shrugged

"Well that's what R-code stands for, so yeah, it is. While both motors in the Galaxie and the Mustang will rev to around seven grand because the Galaxies motors is so much larger it produces more torque at a lower RPM. It's a little more flexible then the 289. What you need to do the most is keep the Mustang in the power band. You're having trouble with this because you're braking at all the points for the Galaxie, but because this car is lighter and the suspension is better you can brake later and corner faster."

"Oh. So what you're saying is I need to brake later, and that there's nothing wrong with the car?" Bud asked skeptically.

"Man that's it exactly. You're gonna' have to work hard and practice at it."

"Alright," Bud said glancing back at his car, the gas station lights somehow making it look meaner.

"If you need anymore help, or maybe someone to practice with, give me a call," Ty said, holding out a piece of paper.

"Thanks," Bud said.

"Alright, see you later then," Ty walked back across the street towards Chris' speed shop.

"Hey where's Sung," Ty asked when he walked in.

"Said he had to go meet somebody," Chris answered.

Sung leaned against his AMX, waiting in the poorly lit parking lot of Papas Pizza. The store was still open and the smell of fresh pizza permeated the warn summer air. He waited, despite the passive expression on his face; his ears were waiting to pick out the distinctive sound that was almost never heard in that region of North Carolina. It wasn't long until he picked out the thrum of the motor from the nighttime sounds of teenagers, cars, insects and wildlife. Sung smiled, he had almost forgotten how much he enjoyed the sound of a well tuned 13B.

Just a few minutes later the familiar white FC pulled into the parking lot. If Sung hadn't been leaning on his car Ryosuke never would have guessed it was his. The white FC stopped one parking spot over from Sung's car.

"Nice of you to finally show up," Sung said with that casual nonchalance that instantly put people at ease with his laid back personality.

"Nice to see you again too," Ryosuke said extending his right hand to meet Sung's. There was a flash of something in Ryosuke's eyes, and a little something in his voice that told Sung something wasn't quite right. Nah, it's just because I haven't seen him in a long time, Sung thought.

"Are you ever going to trade that thing in?" Sung said, nodding towards the FC. "I hear the new Spirit R is going to be the best RX7."

"Says the man standing in front of a car older than either of us," Ryosuke smiled a little, it was like they had seen each other only last week instead of the two years it had really been.

"Hey, this things a classic man," Sung said in total deadpan, with a lopsided grin on his face.

"So what is it?" Ryosuke asked looking at the bright blue car, the matte black on the hood, and top edges of the door made it look very menacing.

"It's a 1970 American Motors AMX. It has a 390 cubic inch V8, with functional Ram Air hood. I put in a five speed, and tuned the motor and suspension."

"I'm a little surprised you're not driving an FD," Ryosuke offered.

"The whole idea of coming here was to disappear and blend in. FDs aren't exactly common around here."

"And AMXs are?" Ryosuke arched an eyebrow.

"Not exactly," Sung admitted. "But I gotta have a little fun don't I?" He grinned.

"So where's this course I've heard so much about?" Ryosuke asked as he lit a cigarette.

"Just a little north of town. It's Route 47; locals call it the Shammel Highway."

"What's it like?"

"It's no Akagi." Sung said. "Pretty standard, two lane blacktop minor elevation changes, but some very tricky cornering."

"Hmm," Ryosuke said and exhaled smoke out his nostrils.

"Is the talent down here as good as you say, or were you just looking for a little taste of home?"

"No, they're as good as I said. The word going around is that the Jennings boys from Monroe are going to be challenging the guys on the Shammel Highway."

"Are they any good?" Ryosuke asked.

"Yeah, although they're not as familiar with the Shammel, but they're good," Sung said.

"Alright, lets go see this course," Ryosuke said, climbing into the AMX.

Sung shrugged, climbed in his car and fired it up. The motor rumbled as he waited for it to warm up a little bit before setting out. In only a few minutes they were at Yates Road. Ryosuke looking at the empty field and thinking it was an odd place for racers to gather.

"So this is the starting line?" Ryosuke asked. Sung nodded. "Did you get this car just for show, or will it run the Shammel too?"

"What you're really asking is if I'm good enough to run the Shammel?" Sung looked over at his friend.

"Well are you?"

Sung didn't answer, a slanted smirk crossed his face and before Ryosuke could say anything the blue AMX was laying down two strips of rubber, the motor roared while the tires squealed, and the car rocketed forward. Ryosuke tried to pay attention to the road. Catching glimpses of the scenery as the headlights flashed past. At the first real challenging turn Sung heal and tow downshifted, setting the AMX into a drift that he controlled expertly.

They accelerated out of the turn; the most that Ryosuke was getting from this was rudimentary. Sung was going too fast to take note of anything other then the road surface. He couldn't see what was on the side of the road, but it didn't really matter, Nakazato and Kenta were going to video tape the course tomorrow. He would drive it too, and study the tape. Right now he was enjoying being with his old friend Sung and roaring down the rural North Carolina road. It reminded him of a time when he was younger. When it was just Sung, Fumihiro, Matsumoto and himself at the top of Mount Akagi. Every once in awhile Ryosuke saw something that he would take note of. But his ride with Sung gave him a good feeling for the course.

Sung drifted the AMX on almost every turn where it made sense, the car slid beautifully, the strong 390 V8 was easy to modulate and kept the back tires spinning. It wasn't a long ride and in no time the two men were back in the parking lot of the pizza joint, the AMX and FC parked side by side.

"It's nice to see you haven't lost your touch," Ryosuke said.

Sung shrugged. "Once you learn you never forget," He said.

"That tuning. I estimate you're making about 400 horsepower," Ryosuke said. "You've done a very good job with the suspension as well and you've made it look stock. How many people notice the wheels are 16 inches instead of 14 or 15?"

"Not many," Sung said. Most other people would be caught speechless by such an accurate analysis of their car, but Sung had known Ryosuke too long to be caught of guard. In fact, he had even expected it. Ryosuke had to prove the he hadn't lost his touch either.

Ryosuke lit a cigarette, contemplating the embers on the end for a moment before he spoke again. "So tell me about the competition," He finally said.

Sung didn't answer immediately, he lit a cigarette of his own, a move that afforded him a few moments extra thought. "Well it looks like the Mopar Moon Runners are going to challenge the locals this weekend," He started. "They're constantly going back and forth in Monroe with the F/GM Ridge Rollers. Liam Jennings is the leader, he drives a 1970 Hemi Challenger while his cousin Brian, drives a '69 Dodge Charger painted like the General Lee. Liam is a pretty cool customer, Brian's a hot head. Their cars are mainly stock with some suspension mods; it's what those Mopars need the most."

"The Ridge Rollers are pretty good, Tyrone Gibson is their leader. Drives a Mustang Boss 302, handles real well, but sometimes doesn't have the motor to catch the big block Mopars in a straight line. Jack Gavin is real hot head, he drives a 1969 Pontiac GTO, and he's got some skill but can't seem to fix the understeer of that goat," Ryosuke cut him off.

"Goat?" Ryosuke asked.

"It's a nickname for the Pontiac GTO. The third team member is Quentin Reese. He drives a 1976 Pontiac Firebird. Pretty focused behind the wheel, and pretty calm too," Sung finished.

"What about the locals?" Ryosuke asked.

"Pretty solid. The kid, Bud Moody may have just figured out what he needed to, to unlock the whole potential of his car. This kid is really good; story goes he's been delivering moonshine for his old man for five years."

"Hmm," Ryosuke said.

"Jason drives the Fiat X1/9. I told you about that a very good machine and Jason has good skill to match. And then there's Chris, who drives a Corvette, he's really good."

Ryosuke noticed how Sung glossed over the last driver pretty quickly. There was something in his voice just then too, a reluctance that betrayed more then Sung thought it could.

"So you're pretty close with the local racers?" Ryosuke asked.

"Yeah, you could say that," Sung shrugged.

"I understand," Ryosuke offered.

Sung had come to America after running afoul of the Yakuza. It was important for his survival to have the locals on his side, they would be his first warning if anybody came looking for him.

"You do what you need to do," Ryosuke offered, wanting to make sure that his old friend stayed safe.

"Let's go get a drink," Sung said.