Monday 19th November
With only a week until the race at Laguna Seca, the teams were eager to get going. The party bus left for the 10 hour journey at 9am, while behind them, the others followed, consisting of Sally, Schroeder, Shermy and Rerun in the Polestar's Volvo XC90, Lucy, Patty Swanson, Franklin and Pierre in the Honda Civic, Thibault and Joe Agate in the Team Sky Volkswagen Touareg, and Violette, Morag, Cormac and Five in the Daihatsu Terios.
The party bus was filled with conversations about the fate of the Hawaii circuit, and what that could mean for the championship. Charlie Brown and Linus had declined to talk to each other about it, preferring to discuss it with Morag, among other things at the next meeting, when they got there. The Part bus arrived there around 8pm, a little off schedule, but there was still enough time for Charlie Brown and co to rendezvous with Roy and Morag.
In the paddock, at a temporary refreshment table with plastic chairs dotted around, was sat both Roy and Morag, who had arrived earlier.
"Evening." Morag greeted, as Charlie Brown and Linus sat down.
"What's new?"
"Well, my father says that they've set a court date for the kidnappers' trial. Unfortunately it's not until January 6th next year. Beyond that, not much other than that Hawaii news." Roy answered.
"Yeah, what's up with that? Does that mean there's only one race left to go?" Linus asked.
"I don't know, but I'm sure the organisers will sort something out. I heard on the radio earlier that they were trying to get the people to agree to hold the race at Mid-Ohio instead, so we'll see how that goes." Roy replied.
"I see." Charlie Brown acknowledged.
"What's going on with the story we put out?" Morag asked.
"Oh, that's going pretty well I think. The media latched onto it like we hoped, an apparently Mandy Wilcox is going to make a statement or something this week about it. We might not get a confession, but we've definitely forced their hand on something."
"Good." Morag and Charlie Brown replied.
"Good Luck this week." Roy wished the three of them well.
"We'll need it." Linus replied, as the three of them left happily, heading to their hotel where everyone else had already gone.
On Tuesday, the teams, cars, the motorhomes, and the press all arrived, as well as an announcement, that, as Roy had predicted, the last round would indeed be held at Mid-Ohio. The announcement by Wilcox had not yet materialised though.
Thursday 22nd November
Thursday arrived, and, still waiting for the announcement by Wilcox, the press gathered in the pressroom for the pre-race press conference. On this occasion, the five drivers that were picked were: Mimi Sonatelli, Thibault, Cormac, Peppermint Patty, and Morag.
I: Mimi, ever since you started driving for Cherokee, your results have taken a significant upward trajectory, does the car really make that much of a difference?
Mimi: I'm not sure, but I feel really comfortable in the team, and the car is set up well, so it's fairly easy to drive. As you can see, we are getting results.
I: Thibault, after a stunning result in Texas, you and the team came back to earth with a thud last week in Arizona. What are your hopes for the rest of the season?
Thibault: Hopefully we can score a few more points, and overtake Daihatsu in the teams' championship.
I: Cormac, you were unlucky last time out, getting into an accident with Morag while you were in the points, do you think you will score any more this season.
Cormac: Well, I think that depends on whether we can replicate the form we had in Arizona or not. We'll have to wait and see.
I: Peppermint Patty, with two races to go, you sit 19 points behind Charlie Brown in the standings. How do you plan to ensure you are still in contention in time for the final round in Ohio?
Peppermint Patty: Well first, I need to finish ahead of Charlie Brown, and also Morag, then I can focus on getting the best result I can.
I: Morag, you were also caught up in the accident with Cormac last time, and with a one gap deficit, a good result here could put you in the hot seat next week. What are you aiming for this weekend?
Morag: Well obviously I'm aiming to win, but finishing ahead of my competitors is the main priority.
I: Thank you.
The reporters then left the pressroom, and headed for the AAMF's motorhome, where Mandy Wilcox was due to make her announcement. After about half an hour of waiting, Wilcox exited the motorhome and stood in front of the microphones that were prepped for the occasion.
"I understand many of you have been patiently waiting for news regarding the collaborative work between the AAMF and NASA, and it is with great pleasure that as part of the rewards programme for the championship, the winner will receive an access all areas tour of Cape Canaveral, thank you for your patience." She spoke, before heading back inside.
"Interesting." Roy remarked as he and Morag watched from a distance, taking down notes.
Saturday 24th November
It was a bright and sunny morning, and the morning practice session provided lots of entertainment, a lot of drivers messing up their entry into the corkscrew as well as a few other mistakes here and there, all of which would hopefully be rectified come qualifying which came as quickly as one could expect.
Harold Angel was the first to go out setting a very competitive time of 1:19.830, followed by Schroeder, who barely kept up with a time of 1:20.727, which Lucy beat with a 1:20.535. Morag then went fastest, ahead of her teammate with a time of 1:19.704.
Pierre was well off the pace, setting a time of 1:21.145, which was swiftly followed by Franklin and Linus who set even slower times of 1:21.306 and 1:21.796, respectively. Charlie Brown couldn't do much better, setting a 1:21.393, before Connor showed everyone how it was done by setting a 1:19.623 to go fastest for the time being.
Marcie set a middling 1:20.420, before Patty Swanson beat that with a time of 1:20.027. Five placed himself firmly at the back with a time of 1:22.340, whilst Sally set a better time of 1:20.160. Thibault was again competitive, qualifying just behind Morag with a 1:19.723, before Eudora beat Cormac's time with a 1:19.325.
Joe Agate could not keep up with his team mate, setting a time of 1:21.275, before Frieda set a quick time of 1:19.408. Violette set a 1:21.109, while Shermy qualified behind Linus with a time of 1:21.804. José Peterson was also off the pace with a 1:21.436, but then Pig Pen set a blistering time of 1:19.031 to take pole, while Peppermint Patty and Mimi managed to be relatively competitive, setting times of 1:19.924 and 1:19.904 respectively, before Rerun capped off the session with the slowest time, a 1:22.785.
After qualifying, this was the grid order for Sunday's race…
1st Pig Pen [Armstrong] 1:19.031 2nd Eudora Elm [Polestar] 1:19.325
3rd Frieda Rich [Bonn] 1:19.408 4th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 1:19.623
5th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 1:19.704 6th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 1:19.723
7th Harold Angel [Isdera] 1:19.830 8th Mimi Sonatelli [Cherokee] 1:19.904
9th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 1:19.924 10th Patricia Swanson [ACE] 1:20.027
11th Sally Brown [Polestar] 1:20.160 12th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 1:20.420
13th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 1:20.535 14th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 1:20.727
15th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 1:21.109 16th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 1:21.145
17th Joe Agate [Sky] 1:21.275 18th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 1:21.306
19th Charlie Brown [Renault] 1:21.393 20th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 1:21.436
21st Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 1:21.796 22nd Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 1:21.804
23rd 555 95472 [Zontec] 1:22.340 24th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 1:22.785
After Qualifying, the top three on the grid were interviewed in the pressroom.
I: Pig Pen, another pole, even though you can no longer win the championship, are you still hoping to end the year on a high?
Pig Pen: Of course. I'd like to cap this season off with a win especially with the amount of thing that have happened to me over the course of the year.
I: Eudora, another very strong session for you, do you think you can add a 3rd win to your tally?
Eudora: Well I want to, though I don't think either Pig Pen or Frieda will make it easy for me.
I: And Frieda, you need at least a podium to have any chance of winning the championship. How important is it that you get a good result tomorrow?
Frieda: Oh, it's very important, but with Morag so high up the grid, I think it will be very difficult.
I: Thank you.
Championship leader Charlie Brown was also interviewed in the paddock.
I: Charlie Brown, in 19th, you'll have an uphill battle trying to score points. Is your championship challenge under threat?
Charlie Brown: Well Morag would be in a good position to win it if she does well tomorrow. As for me I hope to at least be able to salvage something from tomorrow.
I: Thank you.
That evening, as the driver went to the hotel, Morag looked quietly confident, while Pig Pen went to bed looking happier than he'd been for several months.
Sunday 25th November- Race Day in California
Pig Pen sat on pole looking somewhat pleased about his chances. He wasn't being cocky about it, thank heavens, but he Eudora, and Frieda were keeping a keen eye on the first corner, as the announcer began to speak.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Start your Engines!"
Pig Pen did so, as did everyone else. The pace car led them around as the announcer continued.
"Here around the tight and twisty turns of Laguna Seca, the cars will duke it out for 40 laps in what is the penultimate round of the championship. As are now rounding the final corner, the California Spindycar Supertour Open is GO!"
Pig Pen and Eudora both got decent starts, but Frieda got a blistering one, diving up the inside of turn 1 to take the lead. Linus also managed to get past José Peterson into turn 3, and beyond that the field remained stable, until they reached the corkscrew for the first time.
Joe Agate was unsighted over the crest, so he couldn't see that Pierre had broken early, which despite his attempts to slow down, resulted in him ploughing into the back of him, collecting both Violette and Schroeder as they came to a halt in the gravel trap. Joe Agate appeared to have a slight limp as he got out of the car, but the others were unhurt. Linus had to cut the corner to avoid the carnage, whilst Charlie Brown was unlucky enough to hit some debris, and was forced to pit for a new front wing as the pace car came out.
The pace car trudged around the course slowly, giving the marshals plenty of time to clear up the wreckage, and on lap 7, the race got underway again. Frieda got a good restart, keeping ahead of the field, as Charlie Brown began his recovery, his teammate letting him through at turn 1, before he passed 5 going into the corkscrew. Linus made his way past Franklin at turn 3 a lap later, while Sally and Marcie both got past Patty Swanson after she made a mistake at turn 10.
By Lap 10, the front three were beginning to pull away as Morag struggled to find a way past. Thibault saw this as an opportunity, and muscled his way past her at turn 6. Charlie Brown then made his way past Shermy at turn 9. On lap 12, Linus overtook his sister, before Peppermint Patty made a move on Mimi a lap later. Charlie Brown then scythed his way past José Peterson on lap 14, while Linus passed Patty Swanson on lap 16.
Marcie overtook Sally on lap 17, before being promptly being let through by her teammate. On lap 18, Pig Pen took the lead back from Frieda going into turn 5.
By the end of lap 20, Pig Pen was still leading, and Thibault was still stuck behind Cormac, Harold Angel had been overtaken by Peppermint Patty, and Linus had found a way past Sally. Charlie Brown would have to wait until lap 21 before getting past Franklin, but getting past Lucy only took another lap.
Being stuck behind Cormac and Thibault for so long meant that the temperature of Morag's engine was running high. This led her to start backing off a bit, which left her vulnerable to attack as she started lap 23. Peppermint Patty seized the opportunity in a daring move at the corkscrew. Harold Angel was still required to play the wingman, which put him in danger of being passed by Marcie, which occurred a lap later. Linus then managed to pass Mimi on lap 25, while Charlie Brown passed Patty Swanson going into the final corner that same lap.
Ahead of them, the battle for 1st was still raging, with Frieda retaking the lead on lap 28 at turn 3. Cormac meanwhile, was struggling to keep Thibault behind, and eventually, on lap 30, he was passed. Peppermint Patty quickly followed suit, but Morag was busy trying to keep Marcie behind, until she too, was passed on lap 32. Charlie Brown managed to find a way past Sally on lap 33, and Linus overtook Harold Angel up the inside going into turn 1 on lap 34.
Marcie was next to catch up to Cormac, overtaking him on lap 36, while further behind, Linus was eyeing up a pass on Morag. He spent 3 laps catching up to her, before passing her on the final lap round the outside of turn 1. At the front, Frieda was just keeping ahead of Pig Pen, but she took the final corner slowly, leading to a mad dash to the line.
"And Frieda wins in California by a nose! Pig Pen is a very close 2nd, and Eudora is 3rd! Thibault was 4th, with Peppermint Patty 5th, Marcie 6th, Cormac 7th, Linus 8th, Morag 9th, and Harold Angel rounding out the top 10! Mimi was 11th, with Charlie Brown 12th, Sally 13th, Patty Swanson 14th, Lucy 15th, Franklin 16th, José Peterson 17th, Shermy 18th, Five 19th, and Rerun last of the finishers in 20th. Schroeder, Violette, Pierre and Joe Agate all failed to finish.
After the race, and with one race remaining, here's how the championship standings looked…
1st Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 211pts 2nd Charlie Brown [Renault] 210pts
3rd Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 203pts 4th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 203pts
5th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 201pts 6th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 196pts
7th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 189pts 8th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 172pts
9th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 168pts 10th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 91pts
11th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 87pts 12th Patty Swanson [ACE] 75pts
13th Harold Angel [Isdera] 71pts 14th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 69pts
15th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 69pts 16th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 62pts
17th Sally Brown [Polestar] 61pts 18th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 41pts
19th Roy Tripps [Zontec/Sky] 26pts 20th Mimi Sonatelli [Cherokee/Sky] 26pts
21st Violette Honfleur [ACE] 23pts 22nd Violet Gray [Zontec] 22pts
23rd Joe Agate [Sky] 15pts 24th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 14pts
25th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 13pts 26th 555 95472 [Cherokee/Zontec] 6pts
Frieda parked her car on victory road and cheered in delight as she stepped out of the car, to the adoring crowd. Pig Pen and Eudora also got out and were congratulated by their respective teams, before they headed up to the podium. In the waiting room, Frieda beamed as she was congratulated by the other two, before they both went onto the podium.
The three of them stood silently as the American national anthem played and the three American flags were unfurled. The German anthem played after the American one finished. After that, the drivers received their trophies, drank their milk, and waved to the crowd before heading into the pressroom to be interviewed.
I: Frieda, great race, and remarkably, you're still in the hunt to win the world championship. How are you feeling right now?
Frieda: I'm doing great! I also heard that our team have already won the teams' championship, so everyone in the garage has something to celebrate today.
I: Pig Pen, even though you can't win the championship any more, you're ending this campaign with a flourish. Do you feel like you are able to finish the season with a win next week in Ohio?
Pig Pen: Oh yeah, I'm feeling as confident as I ever have been, and my form is just as good, currently.
I: Eudora, another consistent finish from you, this is a far cry from some of your results near the start of the season, am I correct?
Eudora: Yes, I think that's a good thing, being a lot faster, although I think it's about time Sally managed to keep up with me.
I: Thank you.
Down in the paddock, new Championship leader Morag was also interviewed.
I: Morag, you have the lead going into the final round, however, it would have been much larger had you kept your starting position, do you regret not finishing higher.
Morag: Well it is disappointing to finish lower than where you started, but that only means I have to work harder in the final race, I'm sure the fans aren't displeased about it. It's very close between everyone.
I: Thank you.
That evening, the whole of the Bonn garage celebrated long into the night, while the others packed up and got ready to go to the next event, and the other drivers returned to their hotel to rest. Despite the fact that Joe Agate was the cause of yet another accident, the stewards felt that he was not fully to blame for the accident and would not receive any further penalties.
