Monday 9th April
With a two week break before the next round in Wisconsin, the drivers took the opportunity to recuperate from the previous day's racing. Around mid-morning, Charlie Brown and Linus met up at a nearby local Café.
"How are you, Linus?
"I'm good thanks, Charlie Brown. I suppose we should become rivals soon?" Linus replied.
"I don't like the sound of that, rivalries don't tend to end well. I like us being friends, especially when we don't know what the people running the show are up to." Charlie Brown answered.
"I see your point. Have you heard any news from Pig-Pen?" Linus asked.
"I rang his Mom, she said he'd been moved to a hospital close to home." Charlie Brown answered.
"I'll try and see if we can speak to him on the phone." Linus promised. "Knowing the doctors, it'll probably be during visiting hours. I'll let you know when I pick up, if you're around to hear it."
At that moment, Morag also entered the café.
"Oh, Hi there Charlie Brown, Linus." She smiled. "You keeping Linus in the loop, I see?"
"Is that okay with you?" Charlie Brown asked.
"Oh yes. It's better for everyone that we know what the organisers are up to. It keeps us safe." Morag replied.
"Is there anything new we should know?" Charlie Brown added.
"I'm going to do some more research this week. You'll hear from me when we get to Road America."
"Okay. If I hear anything, I'll let you know too." Charlie Brown replied. Morag left the conversation and went to the counter to order food.
That evening, the Phone in Linus' hotel room rang, and Linus picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hi Linus, its Pig Pen. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing fine. More importantly, how are you doing?" Linus asked.
"I'm doing better. I'm on crutches at the moment." Pig Pen replied. "I'll be checked out of the hospital tomorrow, and recovering at home."
"That's nice to know." Linus replied, tapping on the wall so that Charlie Brown could hear it from the room across from him. Charlie Brown got the message, and walked over from his room and into Linus' room. "I have Charlie Brown here if you want to speak with him."
"Ok." Pig Pen replied.
"Hi Pig Pen." Charlie Brown spoke into the telephone. "I'm sorry we couldn't visit you in person, but you know we aren't really able to suddenly leave without the organisers getting panicked.
"I know, I know. I watched the race on the TV yesterday. You and Linus did very well. I hear you're leading the championship now."
"It's still close. You're only 13 points behind me." Charlie Brown replied.
"Can I tell you something interesting?" Pig Pen asked.
"Sure." Charlie Brown listened.
"This morning, there was a reporter who wanted to do an interview with me. You know Roy? Pig Pen explained.
"Roy? As in Roy from Peppermint Patty's neighbourhood? He's not a reporter is he?" Charlie Brown asked.
"No, but his dad works for Minneapolis Sports Weekly." Pig Pen clarified.
"I see. Does his dad go to the races?"
"Apparently. Roy said to me his dad would let him tag along to the race at Road America."
"Oh, cool. What about you?" Charlie Brown replied.
"I should be there too. I won't be fit to race, but I'll be in the paddock. Franklin's team are nice people." Pig Pen promised.
"Okay. See you soon." Charlie Brown replied.
"Will do. Bye for now." Pig Pen hung up.
Charlie Brown and Linus sat for a moment as Charlie Brown put the phone down.
"What's up?" Linus asked.
"Oh, it's nothing." Charlie Brown got up and left, returning to his room.
Linus sat and wondered what Charlie Brown was thinking of. He'd heard the conversation about Roy, and thought it might have something to do with him. That night, the drivers returned to their hotel and slept for the night.
Wednesday 11th April
With an extra week until the next race in Wisconsin, the drivers took the opportunity to get some extra training in. Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Marcie and Franklin all went for a run, whilst Morag, Harold, Rerun and Sally hit the gym. Linus and Lucy swam some lengths at a local community pool, and Pig Pen was recovering at home, adapting to walking on crutches, while Mimi, Frieda, Schroeder and Violet were playing tennis. José, Cormac, Patty, Shermy and Pierre were playing baseball. Thibault and Joe continued to run the same marbles ring they had before, whilst Violette, Five, Harold Angel, and Eudora did some martial arts.
Sunday 15th April
Charlie Brown and Morag sat next to each other in a church in Brooklyn, Michigan. The rest of the drivers there occupied two pews, as they watched and listened to the sermon. They kept quiet, only exchanging the occasional glance now and then, and when the time came for prayer, Charlie Brown, Morag and a number of others prayed, both for Pig Pen's continued recovery, and their own safety. After the service was over, they had refreshments and then left to go about their day.
Monday 16th April
Those who didn't score points last time around wanted to get to Road America ahead of the party bus. At around 10am, Frieda, Schroeder, and Cormac left in the Opel Astra, while Thibault sat alone in the Volkswagen Touareg. Lucy, Mimi, Franklin and Pierre took the Honda Civic, Sally, Violette and Harold went in Volvo XC90, whilst Marcie, Five and Violet left in the Jeep Cherokee.
The Party bus left at 11am that morning, with all of the point scorers on board. Charlie Brown, Morag and Linus all sat at the front of the bus as it trundled down the highway.
"So, any developments?" Morag asked.
"Yes, actually." Charlie Brown smiled. "So, we have a friend, called Roy, and his father is a reporter for Minneapolis Sports Weekly. They're both going to be here this week. Roy's dad is letting him tag along."
"If we can get Roy paddock access, maybe we can get some info on what his dad knows." Morag paralleled Charlie Brown's thought process.
"That's what I was thinking." Charlie Brown replied. "Have you found anything new?"
"Not really. It's hard to pinpoint who's funding it when they don't show their faces. They'll turn up at the weekend, at whatever VIP seats they sit in, so until then we'll have to sit tight." Morag replied.
"Okay. I'll let you know if I find any leads." Charlie Brown replied. The party bus continued until it reached Road America at around 5pm.
On Tuesday 17th, the press, the teams, the cars, the crew and the motorhomes with them, arrived at the track.
Thursday 19th April
Another 5 random drivers were picked for the morning's press conference. These 5 drivers were: Frieda, Sally Brown, Harold Angel, Lucy Van Pelt, and Linus Van Pelt.
I: Frieda, you've made quite a name for yourself with your safe and skilful driving. How far do you think the car can take you this weekend?
Frieda: I'm hoping I can get in the top 10, I want to be at the front scoring points in the championship.
I: Sally, Eudora managed to get the car in the points last time around, why not you?
Sally: Eudora managed to get a good time in. I wasn't very far behind her, but the margins at Michigan were tiny, so it ended up a lot worse than it actually was.
I: Harold Angel, the difference between you and Morag was clear as day at Michigan, how do you plan to assert your value to the team?
Harold Angel: All I can do is to qualify well, and hopefully ahead of my teammate.
I: Lucy, your teammate managed to break the deadlock your team has been suffering as of late, when will you break yours?
Lucy: Hopefully this weekend. I want to win, I'm not here just to make up the numbers.
I: Linus, you fought your way to a podium last time around, what do you think of your current championship prospects?
Linus: I'm only 6 points behind Charlie Brown, and we have plenty of races to go, I think I'm in with a good shot of winning.
I: Thank You.
After the round of interviews was over, Linus walked over to the reporters, stopping at a reporter sliding papers into his bag, with Roy standing behind him.
"I'm looking for a Frank Tripps?" Linus spoke.
"Yes, that's me. What do you need? I have work to do." The reporter replied without batting an eye.
"Dad, stop what you're doing and look for one moment." Roy tapped him lightly on the arm. Frank looked over.
"Oh, Linus. Roy here says you and Charlie Brown are friends of his. I didn't believe it, given the spotlight.
"We are friends." Linus affirmed. "There's a couple of people who want to meet you downstairs."
"Lead the way." Frank replied. Frank and Roy followed Linus downstairs and into the paddock, where Charlie Brown and Morag were waiting patiently outside.
"Hi Charlie Brown." Roy greeted.
"Hello, Roy, Mr Tripps." Morag replied.
"You wanted to speak to me?" Frank asked.
"Yes, well, what we wanted to say was…" Charlie Brown began, before turning to look at Morag.
"We don't really trust the people at the top running the sport, nor do we really trust most of the reporters."
"Myself included?" Frank asked.
"Maybe, but we do trust Roy." Charlie Brown. "We'd like some help."
"What have you got in mind?" Roy wondered aloud.
"I can engineer a way for Roy to get a season paddock pass, and basically, we give Roy access, Roy can show you what he's seen, and in return, you can find out for us who's running the show, why are they running it, and why won't they tell us anything?" Morag laid out the deal.
"The organisers were oddly antsy when Pig Pen got hurt, we think they have something to hide." Charlie Brown added urgently.
"It's in the interest of our own safety to know what's going on." Linus circled round to join Charlie Brown and Morag.
"I understand. Are you up for this sort of thing, Roy?" Frank asked.
"Absolutely." Roy nodded enthusiastically.
"Then it's a deal." Frank and Morag shook hands, before everyone walked away, back to their respective quarters.
Saturday 21st April
After final practice was over, everyone wanted to get onto the track for qualifying, and eventually, it started. Thibault was the first to go out, setting a time of 2:04.713, which Franklin then beat with a time of 1:56.151, and Five then set a 2:01.097. Sally then bested that with a 1:54.421, swiftly followed by Patty Swanson, who set a 1:54.554. Lucy Van Pelt then set a time of 1:55.453, before Joe Agate disappointed himself with a time of 2:04.380. Schroeder set a time of 1:54.849, before Pierre surprised everyone, again, with a 1:53.899, using the same calm and relaxed driving style that worked wonders in Connecticut to put himself on provisional pole for the time being.
Peppermint Patty followed with a time of 1:54.335 and Cormac posted a time of 1:58.921. Eudora beat her teammate with a time of 1:54.156, before Morag set a time of 1:55.941. José Peterson squeaked ahead of her with a 1:55.861, before Charlie Brown set a time of 1:56.307. Frieda then shocked everyone, by sneaking ahead of Pierre with a time of 1:53.880, this despite the fact she went wide onto the grass on her pole lap.
After that, it was Violette's turn, she set a lap time of 1:55.734, before Shermy improved on that with a time of 1:55.234. Rerun qualified just behind him, with a time of 1:55.333, before Marcie went 3rd with a 1:53.975. Violet Gray set a 1:57.227, which Mimi beat with a 1:56.574. Linus then set a 1:55.717, before Harold Angel closed off the session with a 1:56.415.
At the end of the session, the grid order was as follows…
1st Frieda Rich [Bonn] 1:53.880 2nd Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 1:53.899
3rd Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 1:53.975 4th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 1:54.156
5th Sally Brown [Polestar] 1:54.241 6th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 1:54.335
7th Patricia Swanson [ACE] 1:54.554 8th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 1:54.849
9th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 1:55.234 10th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 1:55.333
11th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 1:55.453 12th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 1:55.717
13th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 1:55.734 14th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 1:55.861
15th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 1:55.941 16th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 1:56.151
17th Charlie Brown [Renault] 1:56.307 18th Harold Angel [Isdera] 1:56.415
19th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong] 1:56.574 20th Violet Gray [Zontec] 1:57.227
21st Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 1:58.921 22nd 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2:01.097
23rd Joe Agate [Sky] 2:04.380 24th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 2:04.713
After Qualifying had ended, the top three qualifiers were interviewed.
I: Frieda, we spoke to you on Thursday about your driving style and your prospects for today, how do you think your driving style contributed to your second pole of the season?
Frieda: I think it mattered a lot here. Pierre has a similar style to me, and he's not far back. I'm very comfortable with the track.
I: Pierre, you've surprised us again, do you think you can take a second win?
Pierre: Frieda seems very confident, but I will be fighting hard for a win, and if not, a podium.
I: Marcie, with your main championship rivals far behind you, your prospects of taking the championship lead seem likely. Do you have any strategies to win here?
Marcie: I can't say. That would be spoiling it. (She gives a coy smile)
I: Thank you.
Championship leader Charlie Brown was also interviewed.
I: 17th place really wasn't what you were hoping for this morning was it? What happened out there?
Charlie Brown: I'm not really sure. I'll just have to do my best tomorrow and hope Marcie doesn't win the race from, I think, 3rd.
I: Thank you.
At the end of the day, the drivers went to their hotels and slept, ready for race day.
Sunday 22nd April – Race Day in Wisconsin
As the cars waited on the grid, Frieda was calm and cool as she sat in her car, on pole, waiting for the announcer to get on with the starting procedure. Eventually after what felt like an age, the announcer finally began to speak.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!" Frieda did so, as did the other drivers. Not long later the cars were led around the track by the pace car.
Announcer: as the cars are led around the track, the drivers will have 25 laps to battle it out here at Road America. And as the cars approach the starting line, the Wisconsin Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!
Frieda led as the cars hurried into the first corner, Pierre getting leapfrogged at the start by Marcie and Eudora. Frieda had the measure of the track, and she quickly began to pull a tangible lead from the rest of the field. Rerun overtook Shermy at the final turn to take 9th place by the end of lap 1. By the end of lap 3, Charlie Brown had got past Franklin, and Violette had dropped behind both of them, seemingly having a problem with the car, which was then proven right on lap 4, when she retired with an alternator failure parking safely away from the track. Joe Agate had moved into 20th by the end of that lap.
Marcie and Eudora battled for second place on lap 5, with Eudora trying to make room for a pass. Meanwhile Sally waited behind Pierre, eventually overtaking him on lap 8. Shermy continued to hold back a train of cars behind him, his lack of race pace evidently on show, but it wasn't until lap 11 before he was passed by Lucy Van Pelt at turn 5, before being passed again by Linus and José at turn 6. Morag and Charlie Brown also overtook Shermy, when they rounded the final corner. On lap 15, Peppermint Patty also made her way past Pierre, and Schroeder got past Patty Swanson.
On lap 18, José broke incredibly early on the approach to turn 6, which caught out Morag, and she wasn't able to avoid him in time. José got spun out, and retired with damage to the rear wheel, whilst Morag had front damage to her wheel and wing. Both drivers exited their cars and walked away unharmed, and the safety car was brought out whilst the stricken cars were cleared.
Racing got back underway on lap 22, and Frieda began to pull away again. Eudora finally pulled Marcie into her slipstream and overtook her in a brave move through the kink. Elsewhere, Rerun chased after Patty, and Schroder was right behind Pierre's gearbox, but neither of them could make a pass before the end of the race.
"And Frieda Rich wins in Wisconsin! Eudora finishes 4 seconds behind in 2nd, and Marcie takes 3rd! Sally Brown is 4th, Patricia Reichardt 5th, Pierre Fermier 6th, Schroeder 7th, Patty Swanson 8th, Rerun Van Pelt is 9th, and Lucy Van Pelt rounds out the top 10!"
"Linus Van Pelt was 11th, Charlie Brown 12th, Shermy was 13th, Franklin 14th, Harold Angel 15th, Mimi 16th, Violet 17th, Joe Agate 18th, Cormac 19th, Five 20th and Thibault was 21st.
In the Championship, the standings are as follows…
1st Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 55pts 2nd Charlie Brown [Renault] 48pts
3rd Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 47pts 4th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 45pts
5th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 44pts 6th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 42pts
7th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 41pts 8th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 37pts
9thEudora Elm [Polestar] 36pts 10th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 35pts
11th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 33pts 12th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 30pts
13th Patty Swanson [ACE] 20pts 14th Sally Brown [Polestar] 18pts
15thJosé Peterson [Daihatsu] 16pts 16th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 13pts
17th Harold Angel [Isdera] 12pts 18th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 11pts
19th Violet Gray [Zontec] 10pts 20th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 6pts
21st Joe Agate [Sky] 4pts 22nd 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2pts
23rd Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 1pt 24th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0pts
25th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong] 0pts
Frieda parked her car on victory road and got out of her car, receiving bountiful cheers and applause from the fans, as well as her team, who congratulated her, before walking up to the podium. In the waiting room, Marcie and Eudora complimented Frieda on her speed as well as each other for their good racing. Once they were up on the podium proper, the three of them stood silently as the American anthem played, and the three American flags unfurled. The German anthem played after the American anthem finished. After that, the podium finishers drank their milk and celebrated with their trophies, before heading off towards the pressroom.
In the pressroom, the interviewers had questions for them.
I: Frieda, a dominant victory, unlike any we've seen this season. What are your thoughts on mounting a championship challenge?
Frieda: well, obviously it's still early on, but the championship is a lot closer today.
I: Eudora, you fought your way up from 4th, how proud do you feel to take your team's first podium?
Eudora: For sure, me and Sally had a great race, and we scored a lot of points for our team. I'd like to thank the team for getting the car setup and also Marcie for a fair and honest battle.
I: Marcie, you lead the championship now, 7 points ahead of your nearest rival. How do you plan to keep it?
Marcie: I want to have a win next time out, I don't have any yet, and that would be the next logical step.
I: Thank you.
The 2nd place driver in the Championship, Charlie Brown, was also interviewed.
I: Not the best race for you, was it?
Charlie Brown: You could say that. At least I'm not too far behind in the championship. I'm sure I can make up the difference next race.
I: Thank you.
The drivers all went to their hotel and went to bed, ready for the next morning.
