Monday 23rd April
That morning, at 10am, the party bus left, with all of the top 10 finishers on board. Both Marcie and Peppermint Patty were on it and sitting at the front, and inevitably, they got to talking.
"Sir? I want to ask you something." Marcie began.
"Don't call me sir, but do go on." Peppermint Patty replied gruffly.
"Do you ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes, about what the organisers do, and everything?"
"No, Marcie. I'm just here to race, and to win. If you and Charlie Brown and the others want to find out the whys and the what-fors, that's fine, but I'm not bothered about any of that stuff. I'm sure they know what they're doing." Peppermint Patty replied.
"You looking forward to the next race, sir?"
"Yep. I'm going to get some shut-eye. It'll be a long week." And Peppermint Patty leaned back and closed her eyes, while Marcie watched the view from the window.
For the others, it was another long and boring car ride, this time to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Five, Linus, Charlie Brown, Violette and Cormac all took the Jeep Cherokee, whilst Mimi, Franklin, and Pig Pen, now confidently walking with a boot, were in the Armstrong's car. Thibault and Joe Agate were in the Volkswagen Touareg, grumbling as usual, whilst Morag, Harold Angel, and Jose Peterson were in the Isdera team's Mercedes, and Violet and Shermy were driven in a Ford Ka. They arrived at 5:30, roughly ten minutes after the Party bus arrived at Sioux Falls Airport Circuit. The regional airport was closed for the week, for the race, and Schroeder studied the corners on a map, noticing the two short right hand curves, one a 110 degree turn, and a long right hand 180 degree hairpin turn. It was much like an oval, only it was flat, and clockwise.
Charlie Brown thought about speaking to Morag, but decided against it. Roy hasn't had much time to dig for clues, a meeting now would be pointless, he thought.
The drivers all went to a hotel in Sioux Falls, where they would be staying for the week, and slept, waiting for the next day.
On Tuesday 24th, the press, the teams, the cars, the crew and the motorhomes with them, arrived at the track.
Thursday 26th April
As with the previous races, 5 drivers were chosen to be interviewed for the Pre-Race press conference. These drivers were: Violette, Cormac, Lucy Van Pelt, Charlie Brown, and Schroeder.
I: Violette, you haven't had the greatest share of luck so far, do you think you could score points here, like you did in Michigan?
Violette: I hope so. The track appears to be quite simple. It shouldn't be too difficult to set a good time around here.
I: Cormac, you sit third from last in the championship. What can you do to rectify that, realistically?
Cormac: I need to qualify well in order to be in a position to score points, and also not crash.
I: Lucy, there is a large points difference between you and Peppermint Patty in the championship. Is the team considering making Patty the No.1 driver?
Lucy: as long as I can still win the championship, everyone has agreed there will be no team orders. Peppermint Patty knows it, I know it, the team knows it.
I: Charlie Brown, you're right in the thick of the championship fight. Do you see any rivalries brewing in the near future?
Charlie Brown: friendly ones, sure. We all respect each other, and we all have competitive sides. No one's going to be falling out, I don't think.
I: Schroeder, you and Frieda have one win apiece. Do you think there will be a repeat winner this time around?
Schroeder: Hopefully yes, I do still want to win, after all. Frieda's giving me a good challenge, though.
I: Thank you
Friday 27th April
Roy fetched his notepad and pen as he scoured the paddock for any important news. His first port of call was the Renault team motor home, where Charlie Brown and Rerun were studying the track layout, so they could work out optimal corner entry speeds and such. Roy knocked on the door and waited for one of the team to open the door.
"Morning!" Roy smiled cheerfully at the Renault team member.
"Oh, hello. You must be Roy. Charlie Brown told us to expect you, why don't you come on in?" the team member replied. Roy gladly obliged and saw Charlie Brown and Rerun sitting on a sofa, comparing notes. Charlie Brown looked up from his notes.
"Ah, Roy! How are you?" he asked.
"I'm fine thanks. What are you doing?" Roy replied.
"Me and Rerun are checking our notes for the session tomorrow."
"Aren't you competing against each other though?" Roy asked.
"Oh sure. But if we both have lots of points, the team will be a lot happier." Charlie Brown replied. "Does that answer your question?"
"I guess." Roy replied. "I'm a bit new to this journalism thing."
"Well, I'm sure there's plenty of other teams to find stories for." Rerun eagerly pointed out.
"Got it." Roy replied, as he got up and walked his way out of the Team Renault motor home. Next on his list was Linus's Vittoria team, but the sound of a wheelgun from one of the garages drew away his attention. As he made his way to the garage, it became clear that the Armstrong team were practicing their pit stops (not that they're that common in the Spindycar series, the tyres are designed to last a full race distance). What was more surprising was that Pig Pen was sitting in the car, and Mimi was sitting in the garage. Seeing that Pig Pen was busy, Roy walked over to Mimi, who was staring blankly at Pig Pen's car.
"You seem out of it." Roy spoke.
"Yeah. Doctor came half an hour ago. Pig Pen's been declared fit to race." Mimi replied.
"Well that's wonderful news. For him anyway." Roy replied. "I take it that means you're out of a seat."
"Uh-huh." Mimi sighed dejectedly. "As the series reserve, I don't race unless somebody else is unable to. Be it if they're injured, ill, or throwing some sort of tantrum, I'll be ready, again."
"I remember getting a letter saying I was second reserve, but that seems unlikely to happen." Roy replied.
"So, what, you're the official press boy now?" Mimi asked.
"I wouldn't say official, but essentially yes." Roy answered.
"Well, you're lucky then. I don't think we've told anyone else Pig Pen is racing. You can go now."
"Alright then. See you soon!" Roy replied, as he got up and walked away from the garage. It was nearing lunchtime, and he was due to meet with his father at a nearby food stall. On his way there, he walked past the Team Sky motorhome, where a loud argument was emanating from inside, loud enough for Roy to hear.
"She might just get lucky today." Roy chuckled to himself, deciding not to get involved. As he arrived at the food stall, his father Frank was already waiting. The two of them bought hot dogs from the stall, and then sat down.
"So, how was it? Did you find anything?" Frank asked him.
"Well, for starters, Pig Pen's fit to race." Roy began.
"Is he now? Do go on." Frank replied, as Roy regaled what he had seen and heard in the past hour.
"…anyway, there was some shouting going on at the Sky motorhome, so there clearly something wrong there."
"Team looks like a bunch of trucking bankers at the moment." Frank replied. "Thibault's wearing their patience thin, I gather."
"Is there anything you have to tell me?" Roy asked, taking a bite.
"Of course, I've been doing some digging, and…" Frank spoke in hushed whispers while Roy took detailed notes.
"Got it. I'll let them know about it when I can." Roy replied. The two of them ate their lunch, and spent the rest of the day together, taking in the sights and also pictures of the cars. Before long, the day was over, and everyone, including the drivers, returned to the hotel and went to bed, ready for qualifying the next day.
Saturday 28th April
After final practice had finished, everyone was waiting and raring to go for qualifying, especially Pig Pen, who'd missed the last 3 races after his accident.
When it eventually started, Franklin was the first to go out, setting a time of 0:57.047, before Marcie set a time of 0:57.497, subsequently spinning her car at high speed on her final lap. Harold Angel then beat her time with a 0:57.299, before Thibault Rhodes, under pressure to set a good time, went fastest with a 0:55.970. This was quickly beaten by Morag, who set a 0:55.896, before Pierre set a time of 0:56.075. Charlie Brown then went fastest with a 0:55.717, before Patty Swanson went slower with a time of 0:57.546.
Frieda, in a run of good form, posted a time of 0:55.023, almost 7 tenths quicker than Charlie Brown's time. Rerun then set a 0:57.240 before being forced to pull over after his gearbox broke on his second lap, and Cormac set a time of 0:55.419, putting him in 2nd place for the time being.
Seeing Frieda's speed and time meant quite a few of the other drivers felt brave enough to attack the corners more and (potentially) set faster lap times. Violette set a 0:55.267 before hitting the inside wall at high speed on her final lap, her car spearing off to the left as it skidded along the grass, coming to a stop a few metres from the wall, which, thanks to the airport's flatness and it's wide spaces, was a long way from the corner. Violette walked away from the car unharmed.
Next it was the long awaited return of Pig Pen, who after 4 weeks out of racing, set a blistering time of 0:54.657, putting him fastest, before Joe Agate went behind him with a 0:54.922. Violet Gray then set a 0:55.552, before Eudora posted a time of 0:56.746, and Shermy set a time of 0:55.949.
Schroeder did a perfect 360 degree spin on his outlap, keeping his car on the circuit, before setting a quick lap time of 0:55.219, putting him in 4th. Five then set a time of 0:56.097, which put him just behind Pierre, before Sally set a time of 0:55.871.
Lucy set a 0:54.996 to go third, before Linus set a 0:55.076 to go 5th. José Peterson then set a time of 0:55.445, and Peppermint Patty set the final time of 0:54.912.
At the end of the session, the grid order was as follows…
1st Pig Pen [Armstrong] 0:54.657 2nd Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 0:54.912
3rd Joe Agate [Sky] 0:54.922 4th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 0:54.996
5th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 0:55.023 6th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 0:55.076
7th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 0:55.214 8th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 0:55.267
9th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 0:55.419 10th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 0:55.445
11th Violet Gray [Zontec] 0:55.552 12th Charlie Brown [Renault] 0:55.717
13th Sally Brown [Polestar] 0:55.871 14th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 0:55.896
15th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0:55.949 16th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0:55.970
17th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 0:56.075 18th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0:56.097
19th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 0:56.746 20th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 0:57.047
21st Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 0:57.240 22nd Harold Angel [Isdera] 0:57.299
23rd Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 0:57.497 24th Patricia Swanson [ACE] 0:57.546
After Qualifying was over, the top three qualifiers were interviewed.
I: Pig Pen, welcome back, first of all. How nice is it to be back in the game, and on pole too?
Pig Pen: Well, I'm very grateful to everyone that has helped me recover from the accident, and to the team as well, for having faith in me. The car felt really good today.
I: Peppermint Patty, recently you've had an uptick in form, what chances do you think of taking the championship lead tomorrow?
Peppermint Patty: Quite high, I should imagine. Marcie struggled today, and I am the best placed of the current contenders here to score points. (Pig Pen turned towards her and grinned, a face that read 'bring it on'.)
I: Joe Agate, you and your team have struggled so far this season. Is this the week we finally see what the car is capable of?
Joe Agate: Damn right it is. We ain't no laughing stock!
I: Uh, thank you.
Championship leader Marcie Johnson was also interviewed in the paddock.
I: Marcie, 23rd place. There's no argument that this isn't where you expected to be today, am I correct?
Marcie: Of course. I'm not sure what happened really. We should have been a lot faster, even Five was faster, and he only has two points.
I: Thank you.
As night fell, the drivers returned to their hotel and slept ready for race day tomorrow.
Sunday 29th April- Race Day in South Dakota
Morning broke over the horizon in Sioux Falls, and all the drivers were raring to go. As the cars were laid out on the grid, Pig Pen sat confidently in his pole-sitting car, glad to be back after 4 weeks, while the others were also eagerly anticipating the race's beginning. Soon after, the voice of the announcer could be heard.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Start your Engines!" Pig Pen did so, as did everyone else. The pace car then began to lead everyone on the formation lap.
"As the pace car leads our competitors, the drivers will have 40 laps in which they will battle for victory. As the cars approach the starting line, the South Dakota Spindycar Supertour Open is Go! The drivers sped down the straight, waiting for a better opportunity to overtake than the fast first corner, Marcie got past Harold Angel at the first corner.
As the cars bean to approach turn 2, Five weaved outside the racing line, and on reaching the corner, locked his brakes, causing him to careen past the others and shunt into the back of Charlie Brown, who in turn was shunted into Violet. All three of the cars retired from the race, with Violet and Charlie Brown parking their damaged cars next to the barrier, and Five walking away from his broken Orange Team Cherokee car, which came to a rest on the grass. The yellow flags were brought out while the marshals retrieved the stricken cars.
By lap 3, the racing was back underway, with Pig Pen and Peppermint Patty beginning to form a gap to the rest of the pack. Marcie got past Rerun on the back straight, before overtaking Franklin the same way the following lap. On lap 5, Lucy overtook Joe Agate going into the final hairpin, putting her in third for the moment. By the end of lap 9, Rerun had also got past Franklin, whilst Pierre had dropped behind Eudora.
On lap 11, Peppermint Patty took the lead. Three laps later, Thibault cleanly overtook Shermy in a daring move at turn 2. Sally was stuck behind José for a number of laps, and this became apparent when Morag charged past her on lap 16. Pig Pen regained the lead a lap later, and Marcie Over took Pierre on the start/finish straight going into lap 18. By the end of lap 22, Joe Agate had dropped to 5th, behind Frieda, whilst both Eudora and Marcie had overtaken Shermy, and had their sights set on Thibault.
On Lap 23, Violette was overtaken by Cormac, who slotted into 8th place. By this point, Lucy had begun to catch up to Peppermint Patty, and 5 laps later, she was right on her tail. She looked like she was trying to make a pass at every turn, and Patty drove defensively to try to stop her from overtaking. On the back straight, one lap later, Lucy pulled out of the slipstream, and began to pull alongside Peppermint Patty. Lucy barked as late as she could, and Peppermint Patty did the same, but there was less grip on the outside, and Peppermint Patty went wide onto the grass, dropping to 6th by the time she had got back on the track.
By lap 32, Rerun had overtaken Pierre, and Marcie had got past both Eudora and Thibault. A lap later, Eudora retired from the race with a hydraulic issue, pulling into the pits. Shermy also dropped behind Rerun on the approach to the final corner. On lap 35, Linus pulled up alongside Joe Agate and overtook him on the back straight, and two laps later, after spending a long time behind, Morag overtook José Peterson into the final corner to move up into 10th. Harold Angel then retired one lap from the end when his car suffered an electrical failure after the final turn, forcing him to pull off into the pits. Lucy wasn't able to make a pass on Pig Pen in the final laps, so as the cars rounded the final corner for the 40th and final time…
"Pig Pen wins in South Dakota! Lucy Van Pelt is second, followed by Frieda Rich in third! Linus Van Pelt was 4th, with Joe Agate 5th, Patricia Reichardt 6th, Schroeder 7th, Cormac 8th, Violette Honfleur 9th, and Morag in 10th. José Peterson was 11th, Sally Brown 12th, Marcie 13th, Thibault 14th, Rerun 15th, Shermy 16th, Pierre 17th, Franklin 18th, and Patty Swanson 19th."
In the Championship, the standings are as follows…
1st Pig Pen [Armstrong] 60pts 2nd Frieda Rich [Bonn] 59pts
3rd Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 55pts 4th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 54pts
5th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 53pts 6th Charlie Brown [Renault] 48pts
7th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 48pts 8th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 43pts
9th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 41pts 10th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 36pts
11th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 33pts 12th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 30pts
13th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 29pts 14th Patty Swanson [ACE] 20pts
15th Sally Brown [Polestar] 18pts 16th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 16pts
17th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 15pts 18th Joe Agate [Sky] 14pts
19th Harold Angel [Isdera] 12pts 20th Violet Gray [Zontec] 10pts
21st Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 6pts 22nd Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 5pts
23rd 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2pts 24th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0pts
25th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong] 0pts
Pig Pen parked his car on victory road and revelled in the raucous applause he received from the spectators and his team. A number of the other teams clapped, as a mark of respect for Pig Pen's achievement, whilst he and the two behind him walked up to the podium. In the waiting room, Pig Pen and Frieda exchanged congratulations, whilst Lucy ignored the pair of them before they went out onto the podium. The three of them stood still and waited as the 3 American flags unfurled and the American anthem played. In addition the drivers received their trophies and drank their milk, before heading away to the pressroom.
Inside, the interviewers had questions for them.
I: Pig Pen, last time we spoke to you, you were leading the championship, and now here we are again, how does it feel to be back at the front?
Pig Pen: Today was the best day I've had in a very very long time, and I'm very happy to be here, and I can't wait for the next round. Thank you to everyone that got me here well enough to win, you've been a great help.
I: Lucy, you and your teammate had a pretty close quarters race, do you have any thoughts on that?
Lucy: I had the corner, and I think Peppermint Patty will agree, and she'll learn for next time not to play chicken with me.
I: Frieda, your second podium in a row puts you one point behind Pig Pen in the championship. Is it now time to start seriously considering a title challenge?
Frieda: You asked me this question last time, and really, I've been pushing to get the best results I can this season, whether I'm 12th in the championship or second, my mindset will still be the same, I put in 100% in every race, so basically, my answer is yes.
I: Thank you.
The third place runner in the championship, Marcie was also interviewed in the paddock.
I: 23rd to 13th, a good effort, but not enough for points today, is this a race to forget for you?
Marcie: I think that's fair. I tried my best, as you saw, but obviously I can only climb so many positions. I'm happy to still only be 5 points off the lead, so we'll hopefully iron out any problems by the next race.
I: Thank you.
That night, the drivers, and everyone else, went to their hotels and slept, ready for the next morning.
