Chapter 2. The racing Tracys

A few minutes later Jeff was holding a scrapbook open at a page showing an article from the Australian Times dated 12th September, 2064. Headlined 'The Racing Tracys', it showed a photograph of a grinning Gordon holding up his gold medal and surrounded by his four brothers. The reporter's name was Drew Meredith.

Jeff read on-

"This has been a good year for the Tracy family. Last month Alan Tracy become the youngest driver ever to win the World Racing Car Championship, and yesterday his older brother Gordon won a gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in the 400m butterfly, setting new World and Olympic records in the process. But Gordon (21) and Alan (20) are only the youngest of five Tracy brothers the others being Scott (24) John (23) and Virgil (22).

All the Tracy boys are handsome, athletic, and outgoing, with the sort of exuberant vigour that makes any room seem small, even a room the size of the lounge of the Grand Hotel where I spoke to them the morning after Gordon's victory. Interviewing the Tracy brothers is both a reporter's dream and nightmare. They interrupt, finish off one another's sentences and tease each other incessantly.

A sample of the conversation comes from when I asked about Gordon's nickname 'Coppertop'. "Well it's partly to do with this," said Virgil, ruffling Gordon's auburn-coloured hair. (This is unique among the Tracy boys, the others all being either blond or dark-haired). "Just call me a throwback," said Gordon, laughing. "But it's also," chipped in Alan, "because he's like one of those battery powered toys that children play with - the sort you put in the water and they zooom away," making frantic paddling motions with his arms.

I started by asking Gordon about his Olympic victory. How did it feel - was it the 'proudest moment of your life' as some athletes say? "Not quite," he replied, considering. "I think the proudest moment was when I received the letter asking me to be a member of the American team. Yesterday was more of a relief that I had achieved what had been expected of me and not let anyone down. Still the atmosphere in the arena yesterday was amazing - I could really feel the crowd cheering me on. I knew I'd made good time but it wasn't until I'd finished and looked at the clock that I realised I had broken the record as well."

Will you be defending your title at the next Olympics in four years time? "In four years time I hope to be involved in the family business, and training for an Olympics takes up so much time that I doubt I would have time for it." You don't feel this is letting your country down? "No, we have a really strong team this year, but there are also some more good athletes coming up so I'm sure there will be someone to replace me." How would you feel about someone beating your record? He shrugs "Records are made to be broken - that's what they're there for."

Is this your first visit to Australia? "I've been diving on the Great Barrier Reef several times ("He's always happiest when he's getting his feet wet," chips in one of the others) but this is my first visit to the mainland."

Will you have chance to do any sightseeing while you're here? "Oh dear, now I'm going to upset some of your readers. The swimming part of the Games will be over in a few days, but I want to stay in Sydney to support my team-mates, so though I hope to see a bit of the city I won't get chance to see the rest of the country on this visit. Once the Games are over I have a few more days leave which I intend to spend at home, and then it's back to work." Home is the Pacific island where all the Tracy boys live with their father, ex-astronaut and millionaire recluse Jefferson Tracy, when they are not working or studying. All the brothers are training in some aspect of engineering. Their ultimate goal is to join their father's business, the multi-million dollar Tracy Transport Corporation, where they will help test and evaluate new designs. Scott is currently serving a term of duty with the USAF, John is at NASA, Virgil has just finished an engineering degree, Alan is still at college and Gordon is with the WASPs. "They have been very good at letting me have time off for training, but now that is over I am due to start a six month tour of duty in the undersea laboratory in the Azores. I'm really looking forward to it."

How do you feel about brother Alan's achievements? "I was really thrilled when Alan won the championship. I wasn't able to be there to watch, as we were in the final stages of training with the team, but I watched the telecast and cheered him on." Gordon has had his own brush with speed eighteen months ago when a powerboat accident put him in hospital for four months. "Please don't make too big a thing of it in your article," he says, modestly, "but if you can name it, I probably broke it. Having the Olympics as a goal gave me something to work for to regain my health. So I'm quite happy to let Alan be the fastest thing on land, if he lets me be the fastest in the water."

I next talked to Alan. How do you feel about Gordon's success? "I think it's great. We all shouted ourselves hoarse yesterday at the pool. But I couldn't do what Gordon does. A racing driver is only one of a team - there are others who design, build and maintain the car, and once they've done that right anyone can sit in it and steer it round a track. An athlete like Gordon starts off with the same basic body as the rest of us, but with training and practice hones that body to the equivalent of a racing car. All of us," he indicates his brothers, "like to keep ourselves fit, but people like Gordon have to be super-fit."

I then turned to the other Tracy boys. How did they feel about their younger brothers achievements? "We're thrilled" "We're really proud of both of them" "They've both had to work really hard," says Scott, "Gordon to recover from his accident, and Alan to fit his racing in round his college studies, so yes, they both deserve their successes."

There is a theory among sociologists that younger children often over-achieve in an attempt to get out from the shadow of their older siblings. Do you think that is the case here? "I've heard that theory," replies John, thoughtfully, "but no I don't think it's true here. All of us have always been encouraged to explore our full potential, in whatever area - and of course we've been lucky enough to have the opportunity to do so. It's just that Gordon and Alan's achievements have been in fields that get public recognition, unlike the rest of us. Virgil for instance, is a very talented musician, but he'd rather pursue his engineering career, and Scott is an ace pilot."

"And John," cut in Scott, "is the intellectual one of the family – when he hasn't got his head in the stars, he's got his nose in a book."

Earlier, when I had been talking to Gordon about breaking records, he had turned to John and asked to be reminded of a quotation that John had mentioned a few days before. John quoted Robert Browning, 'A man's reach must exceed his grasp, or what's a Heaven for?'

As they left to accompany Gordon to his next practice I couldn't help thinking that the collective reach of these Tracy boys - the pilot, the scholar, the musician, the athlete and the sportsman - would be long indeed. Whatever the future held for them, I am sure it would be something momentous.

Oh, and the room seemed to get much larger once they'd gone."

Author's note: the Browning quotation is from Andrea del Sarto – the faultless painter