Monday 3rd September

The teams wasted no time trying to get ready for the next race in Georgia, and the drivers weren't either. The race was only a week away, and that meant the drivers would be heading there pretty much immediately. The Party Bus was back, and waiting patiently for the top ten finishers, before leaving at 11am.

As for the others, Thibault and Joe travelled in the Team Sky Volkswagen Touareg, whilst Marcie, Morag, Charlie Brown, José and Violette travelled in the Team Cherokee Jeep. Lucy, Cormac, Violet and Patty Swanson went in the Team Honda's Civic, and Sally, Pig Pen and Pierre travelled in Polestar's Volvo XC90, leaving about an hour later.

Aboard the Jeep, Charlie Brown and Morag chatted for a long time about a variety of things, including, the current situation with Roy and his dad.

"You get any news since last week?" Charlie Brown asked.

"I'll hear from Roy on Friday when he does his news rounds on Friday. Then we'll have a meeting next Monday.

"Okay." Replied Charlie Brown.

"How's your leg, by the way?" Morag asked.

"Oh it's getting better. I'll be fit in time for the race, don't you worry." Charlie Brown answered.

The Party bus arrived at the track at around 3pm, with the others arriving at around 4pm. After a few hours of waking the track and studying the corners, the drivers headed off to their hotel and slept, and overnight, the race organisers announced that both Joe Agate and Violet would have 5 place grid penalties for causing their respective accidents. On Tuesday, the teams, cars, and press, along with Roy and Frank, arrived at the circuit.

Thursday 6th September – Pre Race Press Conference

As was tradition, 5 drivers were picked at random to be interviewed before the race weekend began. These 5 were: Eudora, Thibault, Harold Angel, Violet, and Linus.

I: Eudora, you had a great race last time out, do you think you can achieve the same again?

Eudora: Well, this isn't an oval, so it's a different challenge, but I'm sure we can do anything we put our mind to here.

I: Thibault, you've seen a resurgence in form since you were reinstated into the team. Are you going to continue your run of form here?

Thibault: That's the intention.

I: Anything else?

Thibault: No.

I: Okay. (shuffles papers) Harold Angel, you also had a good race last time out. Are the team happy with your performances?

Harold Angel: They are. They see me as a team player, someone who can score valuable points when Morag isn't able to. I'm clearly the No. 2 in the team, but Morag has a championship to fight for.

I: Violet, you have a 5 place grid penalty going to this race, this already seems like a race to forget for you, doesn't it?

Violet: I'm sure I can still muster something out of this weekend. Can't have a defeatist attitude like that in our team. (she crosses her arms in frustration)

I: And Linus, in his post-race interview, Charlie Brown named you and Morag as people who would be deserving of the title were he not to win the championship? How does that make you feel?

Linus: I saw that interview, and I was pleasantly surprised. It's nice to know winning hasn't gotten to his head. We all race each other fairly, and I think that contributes to it. But hopefully I will be beating him on track on Sunday.

I: Thank you.

Friday 7th September

Roy was walking around the paddock in search of another story. Five had managed to secure his seat for another two races so Roy thought it unwise to keep pressuring him. He had heard from Linus however, that Mrs Van Pelt was trying to get in touch with his father, so maybe there was way he could facilitate that. He was on his way to the Vittoria garage when he bumped into Morag.

"Oh, Hi Morag." Roy spoke in surprise.

"Hello there. You show your dad that photo you took?"

"Oh, yes. He told me on Tuesday that he's a Republican, from I think, the Florida House of Representatives?"

"So, part of the government?" Morag asked.

"Part of the Florida government." Roy clarified. "Dad doesn't trust him. He says it's odd that a State Rep. would conduct any business outside his home state."

Morag scanned the area around them.

"Something wrong?" Roy asked.

"I just want to check. If Wilcox and co find out you're our mole, we're in big trouble." Morag murmured. Roy started to look around too. "Look! There he is again!" he whispered.

"You're right, and it looks like he's with the NASA employee." Morag whispered back.

"Person 3?"

"Yes. We should probably go. If they see us, then…"

"Yeah, I get it. Let's just stand by these bushes over there." Roy pointed. The pair of them walked to a bush on the side of the 'road' and waited for a bit. Morag scanned the area again and noticed that they were walking towards them.

"Dammit! They're coming this way!" Morag blurted in hushed whispers. A brief pause followed.

"What were you even here for, anyway?" Morag suddenly and audibly asked.

"Oh, I was going to talk to Linus' mom about something." Roy replied, cottoning on to what Morag was doing. Nevertheless they drew the attention of the two suspicious adults as they walked past.

"What are you two hiding from?" the NASA employee asked.

"Uh, Nothing?" Morag replied calmly.

"We're just having a friendly chat." Roy replied.

"If you say so." The Republican replied, straightening his tie out, before the two carried on walking. Morag waited until they were out of earshot before saying anything.

"Hooooooo boy."

"That was a close one." Roy added.

"I know. Why don't you go talk to Linus' mom, and I'll tell your dad about what just happened." Morag suggested.

Roy and Morag parted ways as he continued on to the Vittoria garage, where he was expecting Linus' mom to be. However, only Linus was there.

"Excuse me Linus, have you seen your mom?"

"She left a few minutes ago when your dad dropped by."

"Oh, right." Roy replied.

"Don't worry about it." Linus replied. "I know you're trying to get stories, but you deserve a bit of a rest."

"In that case, I'll join my dad. Don't forget there's a meeting on Monday!" Roy responded.

"I won't!" Linus replied, as Roy dashed off to find his dad.

Roy managed to catch up to his Dad, just around the same time as Morag had finished speaking to him.

"Ah, Roy. I hear you two saw the Republican and the NASA dude talking to each other?" Frank asked.

"Yeah. And they saw us too." Roy confirmed.

"I am aware. Morag told me." Frank replied.

"Did you speak with Linus' mom?" Roy asked.

"Yes, it was a very interesting conversation, actually." Frank elucidated. "I have enough to write up an article for next Tuesday, so our work for today is done. You want me to buy you a hotdog?"

"Yes please!" Roy smiled. They headed off to a nearby hotdog stand, while Morag returned to her garage.

Saturday 8th September

On an overcast, but still dry morning, Practice was the drivers' first taste of a road circuit, and of a right turn, since July. Cormac managed to spin coming out of Turn 7, but avoided the wall. The rest of practice transpired without further drama, and before long, it was time for qualifying to begin.

José Peterson was the first to set a time, with a 1:18.176, which was promptly beaten by Charlie Brown, who set a 1:15.919. Frieda was faster, setting a 1:14.563, before Franklin set an impressively fast time of 1:13.938, which Morag squeaked past with a 1:13.921. Pig Pen was a bit slower than his teammate, but still quick, setting a time of 1:14.373.

Lucy Van Pelt was much quicker than anyone expected, setting a time of 1:13.872. Five was not able to keep up, setting a 1:15.864, with Rerun only marginally improving on that with a 1:15.827. Peppermint Patty then set a 1:15.141, while Violet set a slow time of 1:16.140, before Schroeder set a competitive time of 1:13.919. Marcie then set the fastest time of 1:13.754, before Eudora continued her run of form with a 1:13.909.

Joe Agate tried to make the best of his situation, setting a 1:15.176, before Sally set a time of 1:15.746, just ahead of Rerun. Harold Angel qualified ahead of her with a 1:15.241, while Thibault sandwiched himself between them with a 1:15.684. Linus set a somewhat good time of 1:14.823, but he was beaten by Shermy, who set a 1:14.532. Patty Swanson had a terrible time, setting a 1:18.779. Cormac and Pierre were both surprisingly competitive, setting times of 1:14.384 and 1:14.513 respectively, and Violette set the final time of 1:16.357.

After qualifying, the grid order was as follows…

1st Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 1:13.754 2nd Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 1:13.872

3rd Eudora Elm [Polestar] 1:13.909 4th Schroeder E. Schroder [Bonn] 1:13.919

5th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 1:13.921 6th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 1:13.938

7th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 1:14.373 8th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 1:14.384

9th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 1:14.513 10th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 1:14.532

11th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 1:14.563 12th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 1:14.823

13th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 1:15.141 14th Harold Angel [Isdera] 1:15.241

15th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 1:15.684 16th Sally Brown [Polestar] 1:15.746

17th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 1:15.827 18th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 1:15.864

19th Joe Agate [Sky] 1:15.176 (PENALTY) 20th Charlie Brown [Renault] 1:15.919

21st Violette Honfleur [ACE] 1:16.357 22nd José Peterson [Daihatsu] 1:18.176

23rd Patricia Swanson [ACE] 1:18.779 24th Violet Gray [Zontec] 1:16.140 (PENALTY)

After the session was over, the top three qualifiers were interviewed in the pressroom.

I: Marcie, another fine performance from you. Do you think you can win your third race of the season tomorrow?

Marcie: I'm sure I can. It will be a challenge, but I look forward to being able to close in on Charlie Brown in the Championship.

I: Lucy, this is your best qualifying of the season, do you see a podium being possible tomorrow?

Lucy: Oh, I'm going to win, whether Marcie likes it or not. I promise I won't give her an easy race.

I: Eudora, following on from a 4th place last weekend, you've now qualified third here. How confident are you going to the race tomorrow?

I: I can't wait. I'm looking forward to getting a podium, or at least getting another handful of points.

I: Thank you.

Championship leader Charlie Brown was also interviewed, down in the paddock.

I: Charlie Brown, tough day today?

Charlie Brown: Yeah, We didn't set the car up right for the track, as you can see. That's why both of us are so far back. I can try and get a point possibly tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath. Something tells me I'll have to claw back my championship lead next race.

I: Thank you.

The drivers returned to their hotels as the day fell into night, retiring to their beds and sleeping, in anticipation of the race tomorrow.

Sunday 9th September – Race Day in Georgia.

Marcie sat calmly in her car, sat on pole position. This wasn't her first time on pole, and she had no intention of losing any positions. Focusing on her race, she sat and waited until the voice of the announcer was heard on the speakers.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!"

Marcie did so, as did everyone else. The cars pulled away from the grid, led by the pace car.

"As the pace car leads the field along the back straight, the drivers will have to endure 37 laps of the tough and twisty turns of Road Atlanta, and now that the pace car has pulled into the pits, the Georgia Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!"

Marcie got a good start, as did Lucy right behind her, with Frieda managing to leapfrog past Shermy going into the first corner. The other drivers held position until the end of the esses, where Lucy made a bold move on the inside, which forced Marcie wide and onto the grass, dropping to 6th as she rejoined the track. Lucy led the field as they started the second lap, during which Charlie Brown overtook Joe Agate under braking for the tight turn 6. Linus then overtook Shermy at the chicane on the same lap.

Pierre spent the next couple of laps defending his position from Frieda, allowing Linus to catch up to the back of her, before overtaking her on the exit of the turn 10 chicane on lap 6, Pierre promptly letting him through on the main straight. Peppermint Patty then passed Shermy on lap 7 before Marcie made her way back past Franklin on lap 8.

At the front, Lucy and Eudora were squabbling over first, which enabled Schroeder to close in on them, and he passed Eudora into turn 6 on lap 10, before taking the lead at the chicane on lap 11. Lucy then went straight on at the chicane on lap 12 while being hounded by Eudora, forcing her to give up the place to avoid a penalty.

Linus made a passing move on Cormac on lap 13 into turn 1, while Shermy suffered an engine failure on the same lap, parking the car at the nearest marshal's post he could get to. This was followed by a pass by Morag on Lucy into turn 6 on lap 15. Pierre had been holding back long enough when Frieda decided to pass him at the same corner a lap later, and he tried to shut the door, but he misjudged it, damaging his front wing and forcing him to pit for a new one.

Morag made a move past Eudora on lap 19 to take 2nd place, and on lap 20, Rerun tried to do the same to Eudora's teammate Sally, but the pair collided, locking wheels into the chicane and getting themselves beached in the gravel trap and out of the race. The safety car was brought out for 2 laps while the cars were retrieved.

Charlie Brown used the restart to his full advantage, overtaking Five into turn 1, while in front, Schroeder was defending against a hard charging Morag. Linus got past Pig Pen on lap 24 into turn 6, before repeating that move with Franklin 4 laps later. Schroeder tried his best to keep Morag behind, but on lap 30, Morag snuck past him on the chicane, and sped off out of his reach. Frieda managed to get past Cormac on lap 32, while Charlie Brown and Thibault were locked in a fair, clean fight for thirteenth, Charlie Brown eventually taking the position on the final lap, while the others crossed the line ahead of him.

"And Morag Wins in Georgia! Schroeder is 2nd, and Eudora is 3rd! Lucy was 4th, with Marcie 5th, Linus 6th, Franklin 7th, Pig Pen 8th, Frieda 9th and Cormac finishing in the top ten! Peppermint Patty was 11th, with Harold Angel 12th, Charlie Brown 13th, Thibault 14th, Five 15th, Joe Agate 16th, Violette 17th, José Peterson 18th, Patty Swanson 19th, Violet 20th and Pierre 21st. Sally, Rerun and Shermy all failed to finish.

After the race, the championship standings are as follows…

1st Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 159pts 2nd Charlie Brown [Renault] 155pts

3rd Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 155pts 4th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 152pts

5th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 143pts 6th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 133pts

7th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 119pts 8th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 104pts

9th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 91pts 10th Patty Swanson [ACE] 75pts

11th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 68pts 12th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 67pts

13th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 66pts 14th Harold Angel [Isdera] 63pts

15th Sally Brown [Polestar] 61pts 16th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 52pts

17th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 41pts 18th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 23pts

19th Violet Gray [Zontec] 22pts 20th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 15pts

21st Joe Agate [Sky] 15pts 22nd Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 13pts

23rd Roy Tripps [Zontec] 8pts 24th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 8pts

25th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong/Sky] 6pts 26th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 4pts

Morag parked her car on victory road and celebrated with her mechanics, raising her arms into the air, before join the other two podium finishers and heading up towards the podium. In the waiting room, the three of them congratulated each other on a great race, and commiserated Schroeder, who was ultimately disappointed that he couldn't keep Morag behind.

The three of them then headed out onto the podium, where they stood silently as the British national anthem played, and the British and American flags were raised. The German anthem played after the British one finished. The drivers then received their trophies, drank their milk, and waved to the crowd, before heading to the pressroom, where the interviewers had some questions.

I: Morag, great win today, this puts you right in the driver's seat of the championship battle, doesn't it?

Morag: Well I hear I'm 4 points ahead in the championship, so that would put me in a good position to win. Obviously it's very close, so I'll have to keep on my toes.

I: Schroeder, another brilliant result for you. You're really catching up to the front in the championship, how are you feeling?

Schroeder: I'm doing great thanks, I'm very happy for the team, we now have more points than any other team, and with a win in Florida, I think I would take the lead in the driver's Championship too.

I: Eudora, you're experiencing a solid resurgence in form, now that you have a second podium, do you think you keep this streak going?

Eudora: I hope so. I like winning.

I: Thank you.

Morag's closest challenger, Charlie Brown, was also interviewed in the paddock.

I: Charlie Brown, you spoke of today being a hard day to get points, and you appear to have proven yourself correct. What can you do to regain your championship position?

Charlie Brown: Well, I guess I'll have to look ahead to the next race and try and get a good result there.

I: Thank you.

As the dragged on into the night, some teams celebrated, others worked, but the drivers, after a long day, went back to their hotel and slept, ready for the next day.