Speed Racer: The Stunt Car Grand Prix (Part 2)
[Intro Music]
Chapter I: Anxiety
The side-exhausts of the Mach 5-X crackled and echoed, flames shooting out of the pipes, and exploding with malice. Speed's mouth was dry, sweat dripping down his face, his hands tightening around the wheel as the powerful car rattled his bones. His mouth was motionless, his blue eyes laser-focused on the road ahead. Despite his stoic outward appearance, his core tightened as it filled with butterflies and his heart pounded so hard, he could feel it throughout his chest. He looked up at the lights, 1 red light, 2, 3, 4, 5, he matched his revs just right as the 5 lights went out and he grit his teeth, mashing the gas. The car accelerated with such force that he was jarred awake in bed! His sweat was cold, his breath heavy as he looked next to him and saw Trixie who was fast asleep.
"I can't shake that bad feeling." Speed thought as he looked at the clock, "Almost 5 am… might as well get up now." Speed sighed, slowly getting out of bed. He grabbed the hotel's robes and went into the shower, "Do I not speak up enough? Do I just let myself get carried into these things?" Speed has been troubled since the other day when he, Pops, and Sparky sat around the table in their garage. The way Pops thrust the Mach 5-X upon him left a bad taste in his mouth, perhaps he just wasn't assertive enough. Was he assertive at all? Speed sighed to himself as he turned off the shower, getting ready for the big day.
"Couldn't sleep, Speed?" Trixie asked, still lying in bed.
Speed sat on the edge of the expensive mattress, resting his forearms on his knees, "I dunno, Trixie."
"Hmmm, but you're always so sure about things. Is something the matter?"
"Yeah. I don't think I speak my mind enough."
"Huh?" Trixie asked, confused.
"Well, the Mach 5-X was just shoved on me, really. I didn't have a choice but to enter this race."
"Surely you would've entered anyway, you always jump at the chance at a new kind of racing."
"I do. But in this case, I was skeptical. I still am. I hate to say it, Trixie but my heart isn't in this one. I just didn't want to do it."
"Did you tell Pops?"
"I did, he didn't expect my answer either. The problem isn't the danger, Trixie. It's the cost of all of this. The Mach 5-X put Pops in the red, he's literally banking on me to win this race. A race on a track that has never been tested, and with cars that have never raced. This is… this is just too much pressure and if I had the choice, I would've declined Mr. Diamond's invitation."
"I'm very surprised, Speed. I didn't know you felt that way."
"It's okay, I don't expect you to be a mind reader. There's just something… off about this, it's fishy. I don't trust Mr. Diamond or his company. Maybe that's Rex rubbing off on me, but it's true."
"I'm sure Rex will have your back. You won't have to worry."
"I hope so." Speed sighed.
Meanwhile, outside of the track, sat Racer X in an inconspicuous car, "Racer X to Inspector Detector, come in."
"You're coming in loud and clear, Racer X. What've you found?"
"After walking around the building yesterday, the only thing I have to say is that I'm very suspicious."
"That's not enough to investigate, Rex."
"I know, I can't put my finger on it. There are cameras everywhere, and Mr. Diamond's PA looks very familiar, I just can't put my finger on where I've seen her before. The most suspicious thing was that there's a lower level to the building that I can't access with my CIB card."
"The Omni-scanner might not work if it's new tech that Mr. Diamond's got in there and he most likely does."
I-I know." Racer X sighed.
"Rex, I get that you're worried about Speed and through our experiences the rich haven't been good to your family. But I'm sorry to say that you don't have enough evidence to push for a full investigation of Mr. Diamond or the race. I'd suggest you just go to the race tomorrow and enjoy it, support Speed and Pops."
Racer X placed his index finger and thumb on the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes, "I… understand, Inspector."
"Good. Now return the undercover car so you can pick up the Shooting Star and go to the race."
"Yes, Inspector. Talk to you later."
"Stay well, Rex." Inspector Detector said as he hung up.
"Maybe I am a little too overbearing…" Racer X thought, turning the key in the car's ignition, "...guess the best I can do now is support Speed. I've got to." Racer X then pressed on the gas and sped to the local CIB office to pick up his signature yellow car as dawn broke, the sun cresting over the horizon.
At the entrance, an army of press and racing fans gathered around as the drivers who were involved in the race were arriving, and stars and other famous drivers came to watch, "Look! It's Gray Ghost!" one child pointed out as a gray and white trailer passed by them.
"Amazing! Sonic Renaldi is here, too!" another fan shouted as a green and white trailer entered the garage.
"Denise Mobile!" a third, magenta and white trailer passed through the gates before they were closed. The trucks made their way underground before emerging on the other side, on their ways to the garage where they stopped to unload as Speed, Lovelace, Wendy, Silver, and Bronze already being there.
"Alright, looks like all 9 racers are here, Speed!" Sparky said.
"I'll be right back, Sparky."
"Okay." Sparky waved as Sped got up and walked down to the other haulers as they unloaded their cars.
"Well, look who it is!" Gray Ghost walked up to Speed and shook his hand, "How're you doin', Speed?"
"I'm fine, Ghost. I'm glad to see you're in the race!" Speed said. He and the Gray Ghost have raced each other before on the open-wheel circuit as Denise walked up to him.
"Well, well, Speed Racer… I think you owe me a car?" Denise walked around him, checking out his new fire suit.
"Huh? Since when do I owe you a car?"
"The last time I was in a rally was the No Limit World Race this year… people trying to kill you put me out of contention."
"Oh… sorry but that's not my fault." Speed rubbed the back of his head.
"I'm sure she's just givin' you a hard time, Speedy." Ghost patted him on the back.
"Am I?" Denise grinned before returning to her hauler to prepare.
"Ahhh, it's gonna be fine." Ghost said as Speed focused on Sonic Renaldi coming out of his hauler.
"Sonic Renaldi, huh?"
"Yeah. What about him?"
"We've never raced before."
"Never?"
"No, he's always dropped out of every open-wheel race I've ever entered."
Gray Ghost put a hand on his chin, "Come to think of it, you're right. I race against him every week except for races you enter… I wonder why."
"I'm gonna find out." Speed started making his way to Sonic Renaldi who was talking with his team boss as Gray Ghost tagged along, perhaps to ease the situation.
"Well, look who it is, Speed Racer." Renaldi greeted. His posture was extreme, he stood up extremely straight with his hands clasped behind his back as he looking down his nose at everyone. Sonic was taller than an average racing driver so his presence was looming in more ways than one.
"I have a question for you, Renaldi."
"By all means, ask away."
"How come you've been avoiding me at every race?"
"That's simple. Because the odds of winning are almost impossible when you're around."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Look around, will you? Every time you're in a race there's trouble. Over half of the field crashes, just like when the Masked Racer is around!"
"Hey, it's not my or Racer X's fault those things happen! Do you think I want someone trying to kill me all the time?" Speed's attention was taken as Renaldi's dark green car was unloaded.
"What? Do you like it, I call her 'Chalk-Head' because, as you can see, all the equations used to create my, Gray, and Denice's specialty wheels are written on it."
"Specialty wheels?" Speed then looked at Gray Ghost and Denice's cars, noticing the strange frames that were covering their tires, "What are those?"
"These, Speed… are what we call the T-180. The wheels can turn 180-degrees to optimize maneuverability around this incredibly dangerous circuit. I don't expect you to understand the concept."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, Speed… let's just say you're not your father. You, Speed, are a driver and that's all you are. A part of the car. Me? I'm my own race boss. You're nothing more than a tool to push Pops' brilliance, really."
Speed tightened his fist, "I've had enough of your slights, Renaldi." but that's when Ghost put his hand on Speed's shoulder.
"Calm down, let's leave the fighting on the track." Gray Ghost then looked up at the Italian, "Watch your mouth, Renaldi. Our teams may have been partners in making the T-180, but we're far from teammates."
"Indeed, Ghost. I suppose I'll see you on the track, I can't wait to beat you again." Renaldi said as Gray Ghost and Speed walked away.
"That went really well." Speed huffed.
"Sonic Renaldi is full of himself. Smart. But full of himself. Anyway, that's enough drama for me before the race, I'm gonna go to my hauler and I suggest you do the same. Good luck, Speed."
"Good luck, Ghost." Speed said, shaking hands and walking back to the garage with his hands in his fire suit pockets.
"So, you talk to everyone?" Sparky said, coming out from under the car.
"Yeah, Sonic Renaldi is a jerk."
"Uh-oh. That doesn't sound good."
"It wasn't. But I did learn that they're running new tech today. It's why those three didn't show up yesterday."
"What is it, Speed?"
"They're all new models called 'T-180'. The wheels spin 180 degrees so they can take turns as fast as possible."
"Oh wow… I hope my new upgrade can help that."
"New upgrade?"
"Yep." Sparky turned the steering wheel and all 4 wheels turned, "I gave the Mach 5-X 4-Wheel Steering!"
"Wow, that's brilliant, Sparky!"
"Thanks! The computer told me yesterday after your lap that there was too much understeer, so I did my best to fix the problem. Should turn on a dime now."
The door opened as Pops walked through, "Ready, Sparky? They're about to have the cars line up."
"Yep, it works!"
"Very good." Pops walked up to Speed and put his hands on his son's shoulders, "You ready, Speed?"
"As ready as I could be, Pops."
"I heard about the T-180 technology from the other team bosses. Don't worry yourself with that, just drive to the best of your ability, you still have the Safety 7 features that their cars will never have."
"Don't worry, Pops… I'll win."
"That's my boy. Now get strapped in." Pops patted Speed on the back. Speed held onto the smooth carbon fiber as he hopped into his red seat.
Trixie walked up and helped with Speed's elaborate harness, kissing his cheek when he was all strapped in, "You'd better win."
"I will." Speed smiled.
"All drivers, please line up side-by-side at the starting line for the inaugural Diamond Super Prix!" the announcer's voice rang out as all 9 cars started. Speed's being the loudest of them all.
He looked over at the T-180's barely making a sound, "They have more going on than just the wheels." Speed thought as the 9 cars drove up to the line.
Chapter II: The Diamond Super Prix
"Welcome racing fans to the first-ever Super Prix, presented by the race's namesake himself, Sal Diamond! In today's race, from left to right on the starting line we have the #1 driven by the Trans-Africa Grand Prix Winner, Lovelace Goldminter!"
"Thank you! Let's win this race, okay guys?" Lovelace said, waving from her cockpit.
"The two cars next to her are part of Sal Diamond's own privateer racing team, they are the #20 of Mr. Delaware Silver and the #30 of Mr. Oliver Bronze!"
Mr. Diamond's two crime partners smiled and waved as Sal came over their radios, "Remember, you two aren't here to win. You're here to help me take Racer out for good."
"Next up is a member of Trick Idler's Three Roses club, a girl only known as Wendy and ss far as we know this is her first race… ever!"
Wendy sat starkly in her seat as Mr. Diamond then spoke to her, "You know what to do, Wendy. I can't trust those dolts to out-drive him."
"Now, the man most came to see. This year's No Limit World Race Winner, Prague Grand Prix Winner, and Yas Island Enduro Winner, the reigning WRL World Driver's Champion… Speed Racer in his all-new Mach 5-X!"
The crowd erupted in cheers as Speed waved, "Alright! Let's go!" he shouted, getting pumped up for the race.
"Next to him are three special cars, all developed by Godelian Autonomics called the T-180! And if you know Godelian Autonomics, you know that's Sonic 'Boom Boom' Renaldi's team, he drives the #43!"
"Is there any doubt who the victor will be?" Sonic announced.
"Next to Sonic is the eldest driver on the grid, open-wheel racing legend, the #2, the Gray Ghost!"
"I'm gonna give everyone a real race here, don't you worry!" Gray Ghost promised as the crowd erupted yet again for the longtime racer, a section of the stands wearing shirts emblazoned with his #2 and sporting the dark gray with the light gray smoke that wrapped around his car.
"And finally all the way to the right side of the line… racing for Iodyne Industries in the #34, Denise Mobile!"
"For sure, you know who's gonna make this T-180 really sing as no one else could!" she shouted boisterously. The crowd was set and so were the drivers.
"The race will begin soon. But before we do, this race doesn't have set laps, it is a timed race. There will be 1 hour on the clock and the clock will be stopped for accidents, there will also be one mandatory pit stop. Once the clock runs out, the drivers do one last lap and then the race will be completed once the leader takes the checkered flag. Are you ready racing fans?" The massive stadium crowd cheered, the airwaves cluttered with teams chatting over the radio to their respective drivers as 5 red lights above the start/finish line lit up. 5 lights, then 4, then 3, then 2, then 1… waiting for the last light felt like an eternity… but as soon as it went out, Speed let go of the dual clutch which automatically put the Mach 5-X into 1st gear, and he mashed the throttle!
"Holy cow! Speed's reaction time was .018 seconds off the line!" Sparky yelled in disbelief as the Mach 5-X charged ahead of the other cars.
"That was… impressive." Renaldi thought as the 5-X left the entire line in the dust.
"Huge sticky tires and lots of power, that's what I'm talkin' about!" Speed grinned as he reached the corner turn loop! All 9 cars reaching the corner loop had well broken the 300 mph barrier, going at 350-370 going into the loop! Speed turned the wheel, the Mach 5-X's new 4-Wheel Steering complied as Speed turned the wheel ever so slightly to the left, the front wheels faced outward and the rear faced inward but as he was gaining confidence, Sonic Renaldi passed him!
"See, Speed? Pops can't beat my new technology! Never!" Renaldi said as all 4 wheels turned completely to one side, swiveling to compensate for the difference stunts.
"Sonic Renaldi passed Speed Racer as they were on the apex of the loop! Completely upside down!"
The cars went down low, and into the straightaway that led to the slalom section of the track, which is where the Mach 5-X caught back up and passed Chalk-Head, the 4-Wheel Steering being better than the T-180 on flat curves. They got to a straightaway that led up to the jump, "Alright, Speed… come on!" Renaldi jammed his right foot down and pressed two buttons on the steering column with his thumbs as an afterburner lit up on his car, sending him off the ramp!
"I should be able to make this without using the aero-jacks." Speed thought and he was right, using his car's natural momentum to launch him off of the ramp without needing help from the jacks. He landed just behind Renaldi as they were nose to tail, going into a huge banked superspeedway turn where the Mach 5-X's superior ability to corner normally gained it the lead again as Speed skated his car under Sonic's, the other drivers watched the battle up front in awe.
"Hey, you three! Why isn't Speed Racer out of the race by now?" Mr. Diamond radioed to his three drivers.
"He got off the line too fast, boss!" Silver replied.
"He's really good, I don't think our cars stand up." Bronze said.
"I'm just watching for now. When are you gonna do your part and help us?" Wendy said.
"I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to need help right away. I expected some semblance of competence. But sure, I'll help you all right." Mr. Diamond thrust his headset into the chest of his new PA and stormed off.
Meanwhile, in the grandstands, Rex Racer watched Mr. Diamond's outburst from a pair of binoculars, "I knew it! There's going to be trouble!" Rex made his way to the main building as he was approached by a couple of armed guards.
"Sir, you're not supposed to be here right now." One guard said, his hand resting on his gun.
"Oh, I'm sorry boys, I just forgot to get something from my room." Rex fibbed.
"You have a room card with you?" The guard asked.
"Yes, let me get it for you…" Rex searched for his wallet seeing the guard with hand on his gun, "...hey pal, there's no need for that."
"Sorry, sir." The guard looked embarrassed by basically threatening a guest, putting his hands behind his back instead.
"Oh jeez. Sorry, deep pockets…must be in my jacket." Rex took his jacket off and threw it at the front guard. The second guard was too surprised to reach for his gun and Rex knocked him out with one punch, as the second guard fell, he took his gun and smacked the other guard on the back of the neck, knocking him out right away. "Sorry guys, I know you're just doing your jobs." Rex said, taking their zip-cuffs, and tying the guards together. Rex then threw on his jacket and dragged them off and sat them down on folding chairs at the back of the building. Rex took the clip and ID card from the first guard so he could carry as much ammunition as possible. He actually reached into his jacket pocket and pulled his Racer X mask out, having it ready as he stuffed the pistol in the back of his pants. As he entered the building, he quickly had to hide behind a pillar, hearing Mr. Diamond rant.
"Darn them! I gave them some of the most powerful cars in the world and they can't even take out Speed Racer! I hoped I wouldn't have to step in, but I must if I'm to save racing once and for all." Mr. Diamond entered the elevator and went down to the sub-basement.
"Take out Speed? Save racing? What is this…? I have to call Inspector Detector right away."
On the track, it was Renaldi who was in the lead again, going full speed up the 20-story-high corkscrew. Unfortunately for Speed, he had fallen behind, the T-180s were just too good on this portion of the track as he battled it out in the mid-field with Lovelace, and Silver as Bronze and Wendy were the back markers. "Come on, Racer!" Silver shouted, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he slammed into the side of the Mach 5-X!
"I'm warning you, Silver. You don't want to race me like that!" Speed replied, the sideswipe allowing Lovelace to get ahead of Speed into 4th.
"Haha! It's over now, Speed!" Silver threatened as Bronze took to Speed's flank.
"Yes… yes! Come on and get him!" Mr. Diamond shouted from his basement.
They reached the crest of the corkscrew as it went to the massive drop, the cars went straight down as Speed's better straight line power rocketed him past Silver and Bronze, causing them to collide into one another, "Hey, what's the big idea?" Speed thought aloud as they went into a vertical inversion loop where Speed caught up to Lovelace, passing her on the way down.
"Wow…" Lovelace gasped as Speed made his way right by her as they made their way to the last jump of the lap.
"Alright, this should be interesting." Speed said, catching up to Denise as they hit the jump. The Mach 5-X soared by her as Speed landed right next to Gray Ghost, passing him, and back into second place. Rinaldi led the first lap, but Speed was hot on his tail again with Gray Ghost not far behind.
"Fools had him right there! Fine then, time for the first trap." Mr. Diamond hissed, pressing a button marked, "Slalom Spikes".
After the corner loop had been taken, Speed and Ghost were side by side contending for the second position as visible tire spikes jutted at the very edges of the slalom, "Speed, look out!" Pops radioed.
"Huh? How come?"
"Spikes have mysteriously appeared at the edge of the slalom."
Speed looked over and there were, indeed spikes flanking him and Ghost, "What is this, Pops?"
"I'm guessing Sal Diamond had some surprises he told no one about. Remember your Safety 7 settings, Speed."
"I will, Pops." Speed acknowledged.
In the back of the field, Mr. Diamond's crew sailed into the slalom with Lovelace in front of them, "This was a genius idea." Silver said as they went through.
"This is bad." Mr. Bronze said shakily.
"What're you talking about you big baby? You're afraid of some spikes?"
"My car is too tight, it's not handling correctly!"
"Hang on then you sissy."
"I-I can't!" Mr. Bronze's tire got nearer to the spike trap.
"What'd I say? I swear, I never considered you a chicken until now!"
"I-I…. AHHHHHIIIEEEEEE!" The #30's tire got caught on one of the spikes and instantly punctured, catching the rubber, it flung the vehicle into the remaining spikes tearing at the carbon fiber violently as the car flipped and ripped going from 300 mph to 0 in seconds!
"The track is under full course caution! The cars will slow down and line up double-file at the start/finish line!"
The track cleaners looked on in horror as they walked up to the horrid mess they had to clean, noticing that the spikes had mysteriously disappeared.
Chapter III: Expect the Unexpected, Resume Racing!
"Speed, this is Pops, come in please."
"I'm here, what is it?" Speed replied, parking at Renaldi's left rear in 2nd place.
"We've gotta talk about pit strategy."
"I'm all ears."
"Okay, so in these cars refueling isn't an issue, so you'll just have to come in for your last set of tires. Most everyone is going to come in when the clock hits 30 minutes, but I have a plan."
"Oh yeah?"
"We're gonna come in a lap after due to our advantage."
"Advantage, huh?"
"Yes. The T-180s are going to have a long time in the pits because they have to disconnect the tires from the 180 degree pivot and replace it since their tires are practically in cages. All we have to do is replace the tires like a normal car, just the one large lug in the middle. So we can do at least half a lap, if not more before they're done and we'll only spend 1 minute in the pits by comparison."
"That's a great idea, Pops. We'll do that."
"Roger that, Speed." Pops said as he put his headset down and looked behind him where Sparky and Trixie were huffing and puffing, getting the Mach 5-X's heavy and massive new tires ready, "Oh come now, it can't be that horrible." Pops said.
"I'll help, Pops." a voice came from outside.
"Huh?" The group went from confusion to surprise, "It's Hank!" Sparky and Trixie said simultaneously.
It was Hank Racer, Speed's cousin and the driver of the Mach 4! "That's right, it's me." Hank smiled.
Pops was beaming, "I'm glad to see you're alright, boy!"
"Thanks to you all and… definitely thanks to Rex. I was waiting until after the race, maybe show up to Speed's victory celebration to let you guys know I'm fully released from physical rehabilitation. But then Aunty and Spritle told me it was only you 3 in the pits and I came right away."
"But you just got out of the hospital, this pit work is very demanding, even if it's just one stop."
"I can handle it, Pops. I promise... I even have a plan to do it faster. It should take us no longer than 30 seconds let alone 1 minute."
Pops thought for a moment, mulling over the strategies in his head... Hank was right and Pops sighed, "Okay. What's your plan?"
"Yay!" Cheered the others as Hank let them in on his big plan.
Meanwhile, at the security desk in the lobby, Racer X was on the phone, "Inspector Detector, its Rex."
"Racer X? What's going on? What's the matter?"
"Did you see what just happened to Oliver Bronze?"
"Yes...what is this about, Rex?"
"What if I told you I followed Mr. Diamond into the lobby and heard him talking about taking out Speed?"
"Rex, you were told not to…"
"Wait, just hear me out for a moment. Those were spikes that deployed from the track without warning as soon as Speed entered the sector."
"That is true… hmmm…"
"Inspector, please. I need clearance to arrest Sal Diamond on conspiracy to murder."
"Do you know where he may be, Racer X?"
"I do. There's a sub-basement here, I saw the strange button when I went in the elevator, I even saw Mr. Diamond go into it and press the button in question."
"Then go. We'll talk about the disregard for orders later, X." Inspector Detector said as he hung up and got ready to go to the track. Racer X hung up and made his way over to the elevators, he managed to grip them a pry them open. He went to the stairway and started to make his way down.
"Hmmm, Racer X is here." Mr. Diamond said as he pressed a button on his console, "Security groups 1 through 4 get to the staircase, there's an intruder in the building. 5 and 6, get to the sub-basement, I can't have the CIB ruining my plans!"
Racer X ran down the winding stairs as he heard a ton of footsteps from above and below him, "Stop right there, Racer X!" a man yelled from atop the stairs. Racer X looked down and saw 8 men coming up and 8 coming down.
"You're making a mistake!"
"Sixteen of us and one of you? I don't think so."
"Oh yeah?" Racer X drew his gun and jumped over the end of the stair, shooting at the group, tagging at least 3 of them.
"Men down! Men down! Get the ropes!" Security repelled down to where Racer X was slow to get up after landing on the hard concrete, "Got you!"
"Not so fast!" Racer X fired three more shots and grabbed the rope, trying to drop the others repelling down. But one of the men swung down fast and kicked him! Racer X hit the wall as he threw the gun at the guy, punching him, then sending him over the edge with a shoulder tackle! Another man tried to push Racer X over with his own comrade, but Racer X was quick to respond to a shoulder throw as he turned around. He got close, making it hard for the henchmen to shoot and punched and kicked with all of his might. It got very difficult to fight on the stairs as he grabbed another gun and launched himself backwards, firing into the group until he hit has back against another wall almost knocking the breath out of him. "Had enough yet?" Racer X shouted.
"It looks like you have, Racer X!" a henchman that was part of the last 4-man team alive, shot at Racer X who rolled to the side, causing himself to fall down another flight of stairs. Racer X spit out blood, rubbing it off his lip as he aimed up the stairs and shot 2 of the 4 remaining men.
"I would get away, do what's smart!" Racer X said as bullets almost hit him, lodging themselves into the wall, "Fine then, be stupid!" the henchman came down and Racer X shot them right away. "Damn idiots." he muttered as he began walking down the remainder of stairs he had left.
Moments before Racer X's harrowing decent, on the Super Prix circuit, "The caution has been lifted, and… green flag! The race resumes!" The announcer shouted as the cars started off again with Speed taking the lead immediately, going into the corner-loop of turn 1 where he was taken over by Renaldi and Gray Ghost. But not Denise, as she was locked in a battle with Lovelace and Silver, Speed was the lone midfielder as he tried to catch the leaders on the jump but to his surprise, everyone bunched up all perfectly timing it as they went into the banked turn as a pack!
"Silver. Speed. Soon. Please. Racer X is here so the CIB cannot be close behind."
"Use my security detail if you want, obviously Bronze's is all yours." Silver said.
"Mourn him later, we have to save motorsport now."
"You got it, Sal. As soon as I'm within reach." Silver said as they entered the corkscrew, but then racing drama ensued, saving Speed's hide inadvertently.
"Oh no! Drama in the corkscrew! Gray Ghost overcooks it and his T-180 spins, his nose facing the wrong end of the circuit! He tested the car's limit and he surely found it!"
"Gah, darn it!" Ghost shouted as the pack swerved around him.
"Not a chance here, the corkscrew is the only chance I got to catch Racer!" Silver thought as Speed made up tons of time on the big drop, into the loop and jump onto the front-straight, getting right next to Renaldi!
"I can't get rid of you!" Sonic shouted.
"Nope!" Speed replied with a big grin as the Mach 5-X got ahead leading the lap. To Sonic's surprise, as they got into turn 1, the Mach 5-X held on.
"What? But I thought…" Renaldi looked on in shock.
"Time to test these limits." Speed thought as he gave it all he could in the Mach 5-X.
"WOW! Speed and Sonic Renaldi are side-by-side in T1! Unbelievable, where'd Speed get all that performance from?! You'd think he was on the final lap!"
"Don't go too hard, Speed. We need to keep the tires for a few more laps." Pops radioed.
"You got it, Pops. I was just testing how much I could push."
"Understood. Keep going, son." Pops said.
Hank stood in the garage looking at the screens with a serious expression, his arms folded, "I something wrong, Hank?" Trixie asked.
"Nothing at all, Trixie…" Hank looked at her and smiled, "...but I was his racing coach after all."
"Oh, I get it, you're just in that mentality."
"That's right. Sorry if I made you worried." Hank chuckled.
"I understand, it's like the master watching the student."
"More than that. It's being the master watching the student surpass him… by a lot." Hank turned his attention to the front straight, the two watching Speed lead another lap, battling Sonic for position.
Mr. Diamond slammed his fist on the console, sweat beading off his face as gunshots could be heard through his reinforced doors, "Okay, the new obstacle… make the back straightaway not so straight anymore." he pressed a button as the racers entered the banked corner after the big jump.
"Speed! Hit the brakes!" Pops shouted loudly over the radio as segments of the back straight leading to the corkscrew dropped, "Parts of the back straight have just broken off for no reason! Stop the car!" Speed pulled to the bottom of the banked turn and stopped, the other cars passing him.
"Ha! He's most definitely done for!" Silver said over the radio as he used his afterburners to leapfrog, but the other cars were using… mechanic auto jacks!
"What on Earth happened, Pops?"
"I don't know, but I need you to quickly look at your steering wheel. One of the dials, the one on the top-left is aero-jack power. I need you to set that to 10%, you can hop the segments that way without burning too much fuel."
"Pops, I noticed the others have mechanical jacks like on the Mach 5!"
"I noticed that too, Speed. There's going to be lawsuits in order, you can bet. But right now, you need to rejoin because you're way behind and they're halfway up the corkscrew!"
Speed set the aero jack power dial to 10%, "Alright, here goes nothing!" Speed floored the Mach 5-X and pressed the A-Button. The side-mounted exhausts of the Mach 5-X exploded with a thrust enough to jump the Mach 5-X from platform to platform until Speed got to the corkscrew.
"Are you serious?!" Mr. Diamond screamed, watching Speed succeed yet again at defeating his traps.
The cars were crossing the start/finish as Speed reached the corkscrew, but he made up a ton of time going downhill, it took a full lap for Speed to catch Wendy, who was still hanging at the back of the field, who mysteriously let him pass her. Speed got next to Lovelace and drove side-by-side up the corkscrew, passing her as they went back down. Up ahead was Sonic in first, Silver in second after using his afterburner, Denise in third, and Gray Ghost in fourth, with Speed close behind.
"The barricade! The spikes!" Mr. Diamond was getting hysterical, pressing the spike button and pulling the barricade lever as Racer X was pounding at his door.
"Mr. Diamond, I know exactly what you're doing! Open up! The CIB have locked your elevator externally, you're trapped!" Racer X yelled.
"Get by the door, guards!" Mr. Diamond said as hot sweat streamed down his face.
"What the?!" Speed shouted as a huge wall popped up in front of the turn after the vertical loop! Speed cranked the aero jack to 100% and pressed the A-Button, the Mach 5-X shot into the air, deploying its gliders! The entire crowd gasped in wide-eyed amazement as the Mach 5-X gently landed, retracting the wings.
"Incredible! I've never seen anything like this in my entire life! Whatever strange thing is happening to the track, the Mach 5-X seems to have an answer for it!" The announcer said as sections of the crowd began chanting "Go Speed Go! Go Speed Go!" The Mach 5-X roaring by them at an amazing velocity!
"Sparky!" Pops shouted.
"Huh?! What?" Sparky jumped.
"Get the fuel tank ready, we're not gonna make it on fuel like this." Pops ordered.
"Yes, sir!" Sparky said, taking the tank they had placed in the corner and rolling it up to the garage door.
"Trixie, I'm going to need you to fill the car and give Speed his new water bottle. The fueling port is under the main air intake that sits above Speed, got it? Make sure to take the fire-proof smock, it's the reflective thing on the nozzle." Pops said.
"I can do that, easy." Trixie confirmed, putting the reflective smock on.
"Good. This is becoming harder and harder every lap." Pops grunted, rubbing the sweat from his face as the front pack passed by them, with Speed following close behind. He started to catch even more as he went around the corner loop but the spikes took him off-guard! He swerved to avoid them but his right-rear tire grazed one of the spikes!
"The on-board computer is reading a puncture on the right-rear!" Sparky shouted to Pops.
"Speed, you have a puncture on the right-rear!" Pops relayed.
"It's a slow leak whatever it is! I just grazed the tire spikes!"
"Press the B-Button anyway! It'll slow you down considerably, but it'll slow the leakage down!"
"Okay!" Speed pressed the B and A Buttons at once, sending the Mach 5-X into the air and deploying the tank-tread-like casing on the tires. "Fuel is low, I forgot to turn the aero-jacks back to 10%!" Speed said.
"It's okay, Speed. Lucky for you the others are pitting now, do another lap and pit-in. I repeat, another lap and pit-in."
"Roger that!" Speed said as he pushed it harder, the grip-tires being able to take the punishment, he made his way to the top, dropping down into the loop and the barricade had left so he didn't have to use any more fuel! The Mach 5-X leapt to the front straight and blasted by the cars in the pits.
"Smart strategy, Pops Racer. Smart strategy indeed." Renaldi muttered, watching Speed take the lead as his crew had to take all 4 of this 180 degree pivoting wheels off.
"Nothing's working, Boss!" Silver said as the non-T-180's like him returned to the track.
"Well, it had better start, Silver! It had better start soon!" Mr. Diamond roared over the radio.
"I'm glad we're coming in, the car's getting shaky." Speed said, his lead having grown to a lap as he pulled into the pits as Denise pulled out. Speed stopped the Mach 5-X and Trixie hooked in the fuel nozzle, then handing Speed a water bottle that Speed drank until he saw Sparky and Hank coming out of the garage! He almost spit his water out, "Hank!" He said.
"We're here, Speedy." Hank said as Pops lifted the left side of the car with a dolly, allowing Sparky and Hank to change the left tires. They then ran to the other side, Pops lifting the right side, and they changed that pair of tires.
"Hank… how…" Speed tried to mutter as they waited for the car to finish fueling.
Hank laughed, "I was gonna wait until the race was won before coming to show you how well my physical rehabilitation went. But when I saw the family needed help in the pits right away, I came here ASAP."
"Thanks, Hank. This is for you."
"Nah, Speed. This is for every Racer." Hank replied as the nozzle made a *clunk* signaling the car was full. Trixie pulled the nozzle out and Hank shouted, waving forward, "Now go Speed go!"
Speed smirked and slammed the gas, the fire roaring out of its pit box and down pit lane, rejoining the race still in 1st! "It worked! The strategy worked!" Speed thought as he entered Turn 1 with the rest of the pack closing in. It was a masterful move until the racing gods reared their ugly heads, the struggle was far from over.
As Speed was going around the banked turn, the announcer's voice boomed over the stadium, "There's a slow car on the exit of the Turn 1 loop… it's Denise Mobile! Oh no! The pivot of one of her front wheels was loose and the wheel came off! That's a full-course caution! Drama for Denise Mobile, she's out of the race! Disaster for Speed Racer! The leader's strategy is now nullified by the caution as the pack comes to the start/finish line!"
"No! You're kidding!" Speed shouted.
"Calm down, Speed. Look at the bright-side, there's one less T-180 out of your hair; we're gonna figure out a new plan and put it into action soon." Pop replied as the pack lined back up.
"A Chinook helicopter has been deployed with hooks to hoist Denise's car in the air and lift it out of the stadium. He missing wheel fell below the track. Lucky for her, she's okay." the announcer said as the track was cleaned and reset.
Meanwhile again, Racer X took painful breaths as he got himself mentally ready to knock Sal Diamond's door down, he took two guns off of the henchman he fought and put them in his belt, he took the two guns he already had and pointed them at the door's bolt. He took a deep breath and fired! The bullets hit the door, but that's when the door pushed outward with a force as the henchman that were with Mr. Diamond knocked him over and were able to disarm him!
"Don't kill him!" Mr. Diamond ordered, "Bring him here and tie him up. I want him to watch."
Racer X scowled, "I don't get it Diamond. Why? Why are you trying to kill Speed Racer?"
Mr. Diamond sighed, "It's rather simple, honestly. I want to kill him to save all of motorsports." he said as the race resumed on the screen. Mr. Diamond stood to the side so Racer X could see the race was back on, "Look at him, Racer X. Look at how he gets in front like that, look at how he pushes more distinguished drivers like Sonic Renaldi and Gray Ghost, even though he's just a second year driver."
"I don't get it. You hate Speed so much you want him killed?"
"It's not just that I hate him. It's that I love racing and I want to save it."
"I'm afraid that I don't follow."
"When someone wins too often, it ruins everything. Because eventually, it become obvious that the winners are just cheating. I used to pull for Racer Motors and the GO Team when Hank Racer was racing with the Mach 4, they used to be underdogs. But then Speed got old enough to race and just had to enter his first professional race in the Mach 5. I was happy his first handful of wins… but I soon got enraged at his winning…"
As Mr. Diamond prattled on, Racer X twisted his wrists to weaken the plastic of his zip tie restraints, "Speed… be careful…" Racer X thought before cutting off Mr. Diamond's monologue, "Why don't you use all your traps then? They just go away after a while? What kind of design is that?"
"Ah yes, my beautiful traps. It's simple, Racer X. The barrier was a single use because the power it takes to make an obstacle that big is staggering, the backstretch was rigged to blow so there's no way it can build itself and then break apart again, and my spikes… well… they've killed one of my colleagues and now I've learned Speed has a defense for that so I can't use them. But there is… one more trap." Mr. Diamond pointed at a red lever, "Use your imagination to figure out what this does, Racer X. But don't use too much energy, I'm sure you'll see soon enough."
"Oh no… my brother's in danger and for once… for once I can't save him!" Racer X thought as Mr. Diamond went to his console and took a microphone between his thumb and index.
He looked at Racer X devilishly, "Mr. Silver. The time is now." he said into the mic as Racer X looked on in horror.
Chapter IV: The Final Leg
"You got it, boss." Silver said as he gave his car everything it had as he passed Gray Ghost on the banked corner, catching up with Speed. As they hopped across the platforms, he jump over Speed, the mechanical jack just missing Speed's face.
"Whoa! What's the big idea, Silver?" He shouted. Silver tried the move again, Speed pressed the D Button, deploying the protective canopy, the mechanical jack scraped across it and snapped in two as they landed at the entrance to the corkscrew.
"What in the world is Silver doing?!" Gray Ghost shouted.
"Do not engage, Gray. Hang back and do not engage." Gray's team boss said.
"No way, I'm not letting Speed get beheaded by that maniac! I'm arming my quick release!" Gray said.
"Gray do not throw this race away!" His team boss warned.
"Shut up, Jeff!" Gray Ghost shouted as he turned his radio off, his wheels turning to optimize his ascent on the corkscrew, he quickly made his way up to Speed and Silver who were clashing side-by-side, "I got you, Speed!" Gray Ghost said as he slammed his car into the rear of Silver's car.
"Ghost!" Speed said in surprise, lowering his canopy by pressing the D Button again.
"I got him, Speed! There's something fishy going on here, I think Silver has something to do with it, Bronze definitely did."
"You don't have to do this for me...ah!" Speed grunted as the downhill portion began.
"Don't worry about it, but you definitely owe me a race when this is all over!"
Silver screamed, "No way! Ahhhhhhh!"
"Deploy quick release!" Ghost said as they hit the jump. Ghost's seat ejected as his car smacked Silver's car sideways in mid-air. Gray Ghost's seat became encased in an airbag as he rolled to the track.
Speed put the canopy back up as the two cars exploded in-front of him! Debris bounced off of the Mach 5-X as it blew through the explosion with scorch and scuff marks adorning the once pearly white car.
"An incredible crash brings out the 3rd caution of the race! Only Sonic, Lovelace, Speed, and Wendy remain in the race!"
"No! What the hell happened?!" Mr. Diamond screamed.
"That's the effect Speed has on people, Diamond. You wouldn't understand such-a-thing." Racer X replied.
"Shut up!" A henchman yelled, punching Racer X in the stomach, Racer X groaned in pain.
"Fine, if that's how we're gonna play this game!" Racer X broke free of his restraints and punched the henchman in the gut before hitting him with an uppercut to the chin! The other seven surrounded him, guns drawn as Racer X stood and looked for cover. He acted fast and grabbed the knocked out henchman's gun as he rolled away behind a metal box.
"No matter… the race is definitely afoot now." Mr. Diamond said as shots were exchanged behind him, "Wendy, you're our last hope to take out Speed Racer, you know what to do!"
"Is that a firefight in the background? What's going on over there?" She asked as the race resumed and she continued to hang back in last.
"Never mind that, Wendy! Never mind that! Just end him, end Speed Racer! Get into the fight now! Now! Now!" Mr. Diamond said as he went radio silent.
Wendy then gave her car more power, she had to first contend with Lovelace as Speed and Sonic began battling again, "Gotta get this little girl outta my way." she said to herself.
Lovelace looked in her mirror and saw the distinct brushed steel look of Wendy's Three Roses Club car, "I remember the Three Roses from the No Limit World Race and they caused me and Speed lots of trouble. I can't let them win today." Lovelace thought as she blocked off Wendy from being able to pass as they entered the multiple platforms. The two women drivers in a battle where, were there a mistake, they'd most surely crash and burn below as they hopped the platforms and got to the 20-story corkscrew. Wendy pulled alongside as Lovelace moved too late and ended up bashing into her rival. Wendy retaliated with a sideswipe of her own.
"Look at this! Wendy and Lovelace Goldminter, battling in the corkscrew ascent! This is real racing here at the Diamond Super Prix!"
"Try this out, little girl." Wendy said as she spun Lovelace out at the big drop. The Three Roses Member sped ahead to the loop as Lovelace was spinning out of control down a skyscraper sized drop!
"Oh no! Oh no!" She said over and over as she turned the wheel in various directions, trying to stabilize her car as much as she possibly could. Her top-like vehicle entered the loop backwards and she just closed her eyes and screamed! But luckily for her, her car had decelerated enough going up the loop that she could correct it! She realized if she just sat there and screamed, she'd fall flat upside down, still whimpering, trying to hold her fear in, she spun her car back around and mashed the gas as her car nearly came to a stop at the apex of the loop. But she was able to fix it in the nick-of-time as she decelerated back down the loop and into the jump.
"A harrowing situation for Lovelace Goldminter there! But unless there's a caution, she's out of contention for this race, she's just too far back to get to the main group in time! With the time we have let, plus the final lap, we have maybe 5 laps to go!"
Mr. Diamond sighed in relief, as his last henchman fell to Racer X's smoking gun, Racer X threw the gun aside and grabbed Diamond by his shirt, slamming him against the console! "You seem oddly relieved. Is Lovelace part of all this?! It'd make sense with the names you people have!"
"N-No! No her father, Johan Goldminter! He's a friend, he's Mr. Gold!"
"Oh yeah? Why wasn't he in the race?"
"He was supposed to be the tenth entrant, he was! But then when he found out about my traps, h-he-he quit!"
"He knew all this time and didn't tell the police, the CIB, or Speed? Why?"
"He i-is m-my close friend after all! Who do you think helped fund the buzz saw-drones and car-zilla in the Trans-Africa Race? He wanted Speed out of Lovelace's way without her knowing!"
"So the truth comes out about you. You accuse the Racer family of cheating but you helped fix the Trans-Africa Grand Prix. A man obsessed with hating fixed races is a fixer himself." Racer X growled but noticed Mr. Diamond looking at the screen.
"This is what Wendy was waiting for, folks! A late charge in the race as she and Speed enter the corkscrew side-by-side as they nibble at Sonic Renaldi's heels!"
"What? What are you looking at, Diamond?" Racer X barked.
"My chance." Mr. Diamond flailed his arm, knocking down his final trap!
Wendy pushed her car onto Speed's forcing him near the outside wall of the Corkscrew, but as they came to the top, the wall of the corkscrew opened! "OH!" Speed exclaimed as Wendy swerved and bashed Speed, knocking him out of the corkscrew, into a 20-story free fall! But she hit him with such power that she also launched herself off of the edge of the corkscrews summit!
"SPEED!" Racer X shrieked.
"NO!" Trixie held her hands in front of her eyes as she cried out in horror!
"I'VE FINALLY GOT HIM!"
"What is that? The Corkscrew opened and Speed Racer and Wendy have fallen out, this is horrible!"
Speed forced his eyes open, they tried to close because of how much utter fear he was experiencing. But he was able to press the G Button on his steering column, the back of his car was so heavy that the Mach 5-X's nose faced the sky… two flaps opened above the left and right prongs and out shot two ultra-strong grappling hooks! The two only life lines that Speed had rushed upwards, until they lodged themselves into the bottom of one of the levels of the corkscrew turn; Wendy's Three Roses Club car fell past Speed smashing into fiery bits below. Speed laid his head back on the seat and closed his eyes, breathing heavily as the grapples automatically pulled him upwards.
"Folks, I sadly can't say the same for Wendy… but Speed Racer and the Mach 5-X have been saved by some extremely clever engineering."
"What?! NO! NOOOO!" Mr. Diamond yelled as Racer X clocked him as hard as he could across the jaw as Inspector Detector ran in with a slew of armed CIB agent.
"My god… Racer X, did you do all this?"
"I did what I had to, Inspector."
Inspector Detector looked down at the incapacitated Mr. Diamond, "Sal Diamond… did you?"
"No, he's regrettably alive. He's just gonna sleep for the rest of his race."
"So… this was the big secret huh?" The Inspector looked at the screen.
"Yes, he was using this to control traps around the track and almost killed Speed with them on numerous occasions. His drivers were also dirty."
"What about Lovelace Goldminter? There is a pattern with the names here." Inspector Detector asked, stroking his beard watching Speed's car hoist itself back over the edge of the track.
"Lovelace isn't involved, but her father surely is. Diamond sung like a canary, he's got cameras everywhere, and you can check them."
Inspector Detector put his hand on X's shoulder, "As much as I hate the amount of death here, you've done a fine job, Racer X. Now go rest, you deserve to see how this race is going to play out."
Racer X gave a sigh of relief, "Yes sir." he complied, taking off his mask and being escorted upstairs by his fellow CIB agents and brought to the seat he paid for in the grandstands.
Chapter V: The REAL Final Leg of the Race
At the starting line remained 3 cars, with 3 laps to go. Sonic Renaldi, Speed Racer, and Lovelace Goldminter, the stage was set for a complete mad dash. "How good are we on fuel and tires? Can I go all out?" Speed asked.
"You're going to have to, Speed. You're definitely going to have to. Show them why the papers called you a 'Demon on Wheels', son."
"Roger that." Speed said as the flag person held the green flag all furled up, telling the drivers to get ready for this final sprint. The three cars revved hard until the flag unfurled and waved freely!
The drivers all got off the line rather quickly, but it was Renaldi who took advantage this time, as he and Lovelace passed Speed up. They entered the corner loop and into the slalom, Trixie came on the radio, "You have to loosen up, Speed. I know what almost happened, but you have to win this race."
"I know, Trixie. I know. I'm just a little apprehensive right now." Speed's voice shook as he landed the first jump.
"Remember, your whole family is really counting on you to win. You can't have doubts now, you have to race with all your might!" she cheered as the three entered the corkscrew.
"They're all bunched up as they go into the corkscrew, Renaldi pulling out a bit of a lead because of his abilities, but it's seriously close!"
"Hey, Speed."
"Yeah, Trixie?"
"Remember how confident you were when you did your first handbrake turn with me in the car just to show off?"
"Girls love a good handbrake turn." Speed grinned.
Trixie laughed, "Well, I was scared out of my wits, Speed Racer." she playfully scolded.
"Two laps to go! The order is Sonic Renaldi, Lovelace Goldminter, and Speed Racer!"
Trixie continued as she, Hank and Pops watched the three cars pass by, "The point is, that confidence… you've gotta channel it somehow. Just, whatever you were feeling back then… you have to find it."
"I guess I get what you're saying." Speed got near Lovelace's rear, going high on the banked turn into the platforms, "You want me to impress you?"
"No… I want you to show the world what happens when you try to beat Speed Racer and no matter what any villain tries they just can't do it."
"Ohhh, you want me to flaunt how good I am, is that it?" Speed maneuvered the Mach 5-X down the big drop.
"Bingo."
"One ass-whooping coming right up." Speed grinned.
"Language!" Pops called through the headset.
"Speed, the Mach 5-X has one last trick, you have just enough fuel to pull this off for one lap going all out." Sparky said, grabbing the headset from Pops.
"What is it, Sparky, quickly!"
"Speed, I need you to overclock the Mach 5-X!"
"Huh?"
"I need you to put every dial on 100%, it'll load the overclock program."
"But won't that break the car?"
"It'll put it to its breaking point, yes. But I trust you'll know how to handle her. After all, she is a 'Mach' series car… you know how Pops and I build em' Speed. Go for it!"
"Speed Racer is a little behind having lost time fiddling with his dials as the three cross the line to take the white flag! Final lap!"
The Mach 5-X had unleashed so much power it pushed Speed back in the seat as it hurled down the straightaway leading to the turn 1 corner loop, "I've already hit 400 mph!" Speed thought, as he entered the loop, catching up to Lovelace into the entrance of the slalom.
"What the?!" Lovelace got out of the way as Speed passed her without any problems as Speed deployed his 100% power aero-jacks on the first jump, the wings deploying as he glided to the ground, landing right beside Sonic Renaldi!
"450 miles per hour!" Speed continued as he entered the banked turn, going next to Sonic Renaldi.
"No way…. No way am I letting you beat me Speed!" Both cars smashed into each other as they leapt over the platforms at full power, upon the entrance to the corkscrew, "Here is where I beat you, Speed Racer!"
"Not today, Renaldi! You're not getting rid of me that easily this time!" Speed pressed the B Button, deploying the grip tires so he didn't fall too far behind!
"Sonic, you need to fix your pace, you're overloading the battery." Renaldi's team boss radioed in.
"I can't let him beat me! I won't!" Renaldi answered.
"Sonic, if you keep going like this, you will deplete your battery at the summit and the T-180 system will stop working."
"To Hell with it, then! I can take the loss, it's just a straight shot to the finish after this!"
"Sonic…" Renaldi had turned his radio off, pushing his T-180 as hard as it could go, unable to shake Speed Racer.
"Impossible! This is impossible!" he panicked as they reached the summit, predictably, his dashboard was all red, telling him that his battery was depleted. As he looked over to Speed, he noticed him smiling and waving. This immediately infuriated Renaldi, who smashed into Speed, sending them spinning downhill, but in his rage, Renaldi had already forgotten that his T-180 wheels were no there to save him and he was out of control as he fell.
Speed, on the other hand had closed his eyes and was smiling as he spun, opening his eyes, seeing the loop up ahead, where he shifted down to get the RPM's up as he smashed the pedal, Lovelace passed him by on the loop, but it didn't last long as the Mach 5-X's overclock mode was just too powerful as he re-overtook her while they were upside down at "555 miles per hour!" Speed yelled.
"Speed and Lovelace are coming out of the loop into the big jump! The checkered flag it waiting for the victor!" Speed pressed the A Button, flying over the jump, gently landing on the other side, "Speed lands it safely! Here he comes to the flag!"
"YEAH! WE WIN!" Speed roared over his engine as he crossed the line with Lovelace following over 1 second behind him.
"Speed Racer you are the champion of the Super Prix!"
"Yes! Yes!" Pops yelled as the entire GO Team cheered, running onto the track after Renaldi limped his T-180 across the finish line as Rex smiled from the grandstands before he got up and left the track.
"Hey, everything okay, Speed?" Hank asked, as Speed only undid his harness.
"I maxed it out a 555 miles per hour on that last lap. All in all, it was like being on a rollercoaster for over an hour… I think I'm gonna sit here for a little while." Speed laughed.
"Hey, great race, Speed!" Lovelace congratulated, coming to Speed's cockpit.
"Thank you, Lovelace! You drove a very smart race yourself." Speed replied, the two competitors shaking hands.
Until a security officer whispered something to Lovelace, her smile faded for just a moment before she said, "Sorry I can't stick around, I have to go. Congratulations, Speed!" she waved as she left with a group of personal escorts.
"I wonder what that was all about." Hank said.
"Mmmhmm, same here. I hope she's okay." Speed added as a ton of confetti launchers erupted over the start/finish.
"Look at it all, Speed!" Trixie cheered as the rainbow of confetti fell to the track.
Speed grabbed the sides of the cockpit as he shakily stood back up, "Whoa there, buddy." Hank said, stepping up to help Speed stand tall and look upon all of his fans that came to see the ceremony.
"Alright, yeah!" Speed cheered, making the crowd erupt in cheers with him as Hank helped him to the ground.
The race officials walked up to Speed with the winning trophy, the base of it was white and the sculpture was a golden vertical loop like the one at the end of the track, 'Diamond Super Prix' was etched on glass situated within the loop, "Speed Racer, on behalf of Mr. Sal Diamond I present you with this trophy."
"Thank you very much. Say, where is Mr. Diamond?"
"He sadly couldn't be here, he had some personal business to attend to."
Speed shrugged, "Well, I hope I can shake his hand soon." as he turned and raised the trophy over his head in victory as the crowd continued to cheer.
"We'll meet again, Speed Racer… and when I do… I'll beat you and I'll outsmart Pops." Renaldi thought to himself as he looked out from his hauler at the celebration in defeat.
Speed has just won the fastest race of his life, did he usher in a new era of racing? Or has Mr. Diamond's arrest by Racer X ended the idea of the Super Prix before it had a chance to begin? Sadly, we'll never know. But, if you stay tuned, we will know what happens in the next exciting episode of… Speed Racer!
[Outro Music]
WRITER'S NOTE: Thanks for reading this absolutely massive episode of Speed Racer, everyone! I'm going back to take a little break on this to work on my second novel, "Special Defense Unit Volume II: Fray". If you like my writing with Speed Racer, which is 3 drafts of work, then you might be interested in checking out my professional original stories which are up to 8 drafts. You can buy "Special Defense Unit Volume I: UNITE!" on Amazon both in digital and in paperback formats right now! I hope you pick up my novel and I hope you stick around for more Speed Racer, too! Thanks for enjoying my stories!