Late afternoon, somewhere in Miami.

Behind some old and disused warehouses, Jimmy's Golf R32 was screaming down the pavement. He went down one stretch in between two large warehouses and made a sharp left as he came out. He then drove down the back of the warehouse and made another sharp left as he reached the corner and drove back down the length of the warehouse as fast as he could.

When he reached the end he made right, drove down the front of the warehouse, made another right to drive down its length, and started the same process all over again.

What Jimmy was doing was essentially using a row of three warehouses as a very big slalom course where he would drive around the warehouses by driving in and out between the large structures. Upon reaching the last warehouse he would simply go back in the reverse direction.

By the time he finished one lap he would hit the stopwatch that's been hanging from his rearview mirror. He looked at the time. It read 1:15:49.

"Dammit!" he cursed in apparent disappointment.

Jimmy repositioned his car at his designated starting position which was basically a huge oil stain on the ground left by some truck in the past. He restarted the stopwatch and tried again, going from 0 to 60 in about 4.5 seconds. He had to get better.

It has been a couple of weeks since the incident of Jimmy's crash at his failed race at the docks. In that time Alex has gotten used to doing some work at Tej's garage for those few days a week he has of free time. In that time span, Alex had gotten in good relations with most of the Racers in the scene and he himself has been receiving some attention, developing a reputation with a few wins under his belt. Tej and he got along well despite Tej's early reservations about him. Suki and Alex were getting along the most. Jimmy on the other hand was having a lousy time coping with Alex's presence.

Alex could understand this. He knew Jimmy was extremely eager to prove himself as a top level street racer while everybody else knew otherwise. Alex could relate. He's been down that road before and he knew from his own experience that Jimmy was still a long ways away from being recognized.

Jimmy didn't like the fact that Alex was his assigned tutor. He knew how to drive and didn't need a pizza boy to show him how. Alex's response to that was typical dismissal of the notion. Alex told Jimmy he wanted him to prove he was the better driver on the road.

And so followed several days of Jimmy giving challenge after challenge to best Alex in a race and Alex always accepted, whether it be a straight up drag race or a more complicated circuit race. And every single time, Alex won the challenges. It was soon clear that Jimmy and his car was nowhere near the level Alex was and to much of Tej's frustrated insisting Jimmy resigned himself to be under Alex's tutelage.

Speaking of which, Jimmy's car was fixed and as good as new. Also, at Alex's suggestion they adjusted the suspension a bit because according to him, Jimmy's aggressive driving style wasn't matched for soft springs. Jimmy was none too pleased about this but they did it nonetheless and Jimmy's performance has in fact improved slightly.

But this was less than what Jimmy wanted. As he finished what would be his third lap around this course he looked at the stopwatch that was still running. He was two corners away from finishing the lap but by then the timer was already at 1 minute and ten seconds. He wasn't gonna beat his time.

"Dammit!" he cursed again.

As he stopped at his oil stain starting point, he slapped his wheel in frustration. He stepped out of his car to try and get some air and after a few breaths he was a little bit calmer but not by much. However he was calm enough to finally notice he wasn't alone. Standing a short distance away from his were Alex and Suki and behind them were their respective cars. Jimmy was not pleased.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked.

"Well I am supposed to be the guy helping you get better at racing, aren't I?" replied Alex.

"I don't need your help."

"That's not what we think," said Suki holding up a stopwatch. "Not from where we're standing."

"You timed me?!"

"Well, just that last run. I mean we did just get here. By the way, that was 1 minute 17 seconds on my time."

Jimmy turned his head away and gave a curse under his breath. He was cursing a lot today, he thought.

"Was that better than your last run?" asked Suki.

Jimmy didn't answer.

Alex sighed. "I'll take that as a 'no'."

Alex then walked towards Jimmy's Golf and moved around to the passenger side and opened the door. Jimmy raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Dude, what are you doing?" asked Jimmy.

"You're going for another run and I'll be there the whole way. I wanna see how you handle this ride. Then after that maybe we can help you out a bit with your driving."

"I said I don't need your--"

"Prove it, then. You keep telling me that but you never show an ounce of progress. Show me right here and now that you really don't need my help or is all that just hot air?"

With that Alex climbed into the passenger seat and closed his door. Jimmy stood a little dumbfounded for a moment before frustratingly climbing into the driver seat. Inside, they both buckled up and Jimmy restarted the engine.

Alex took this time to explore the interior of the Golf. Aside from the two bucket seats, sports steering wheel and sports gauges bolted to the center of the dashboard, the interior pretty much looked stock.

"You should think about removing that back seat," said Alex.

"Huh? Why?" asked Jimmy.

"The advantages of a hatchback are its low profile, compact size, and light weight. What hatchbacks lack in power they make up for in maneuverability. That back seat is costing you about 45 pounds of weight handicap. Something you can do without."

"I put enough mods under the hood to compensate for that."

"Okay, now it's things like that that make me think you're not a real racer yet."

Jimmy sharply turned his head. "What?!"

"If you want to reach for the top you have to be willing to make all the compromises necessary. You have to go all the way otherwise there will always be a limit to how fast you can go. And the only one setting that limit is you yourself."

There was a moment of silent as Alex let Jimmy digest those words. Jimmy thought about it deeply. Alex eventually took the stopwatch that was hanging off the rearview mirror and reset it. "Okay, now show me what you've got," said Alex.

Jimmy gave Alex one last look before turning his eyes dead ahead. He revved his engine once, twice, then with practiced speed, kicked the clutch, shifted to first gear and shot off. Alex started the time at the exact moment the Golf started moving.

With Alex in the passenger seat, Jimmy seemed to have been motivated a bit more than his previous runs His turns were a little faster, a little more aggressive. His shifting became quicker and there was already an obvious improvement over his previous three runs. Alex watched closely as Jimmy drove with all he had. Alex noted Jimmy's body language, the way he shifted gears, the way he looked at the road ahead, and the way his moves were linked. And then that's when he clearly saw the kid's weakness.

Alex had seen this type of thing before. This was common among rookie racers, professional or otherwise and it is often overlooked. Alex himself went through a similar period in his younger days but unlike Jimmy he knew enough to spend enough time ironing out that little bad habit of his before attempting to race with anyone. But al least now, he knew what to deal with in Jimmy's case.

By time the stopwatch reached the one minute mark, Jimmy was already in the last two turns. When he reached the designated starting point and Alex stopped the stopwatch, the time read 1:10:58. Considering his past times this was a considerable improvement.

Both Jimmy and Alex stepped out of the car. Jimmy was visibly pleased as he could tell that his run was better than all the previous ones. Alex kept a straight face not indicating whether he was impressed or disappointed though the latter case is unlikely. Suki walked up to them.

"How was it?" she asked.

"Perfect!" said Jimmy then he turned to Alex. "So what you gotta say now, dude?"

Alex looked up with a slightly humored smirk. "Perfect? Please. If you knew what you were doing this time would be way less than this. Well at least I figured out what your problem is."

Jimmy lost his pleased look. "Problem? What problem, man?"

"You think too much."

There was another short silence. Jimmy looked at Alex like he was looking a mental patient. Suki herself looked a bit confused.

"You want me to explain?" asked Alex.

"Yes," said both Jimmy and Suki at the same time.

"When you see a corner what do you do? You step on the brake, you kick the clutch, shift down a gear or two, turn the wheel, apply a little power at the apex, straighten out the wheel, counter-steer if you have to, and power over as you go out, and shift back up a gear."

"Are you telling me all that's not supposed to happen?

"No, that's supposed to happen alright. But you're not supposed to be thinking about them as you make the turn. When you see a corner, you turn around that corner. Period."

"You're not making sense, dude."

"No, Jimmy, he is," said Suki, grabbing their attention. "I think I know what Alex is getting at."

"What is it then?"

"Forgive me this is gonna sound a little feng shui-ish but the thing is Jimmy you're not…one with your car."

"…Huh?"

"You know that saying," continued Alex, "it takes 43 muscles to frown but only 17 to smile? But when you smile or frown do you actually think about moving every single one of those muscles, Jimmy? No. They just happen. When you want to smile or frown you just do it. The same thing should applied to your car. In a race, the driver and the car are one entity, each one useless without the other. The car acts as an extension of the driver and the driver makes the car a whole. That means when you make a turn, it just happens. All that braking, shifting, turning of the wheel, all of that just happens when the driver and the car turn. You don't have to think about it."

"And when that happens, Jimmy," said Suki, "you'll be much faster than you are now."

Jimmy didn't reply immediately. He contemplated what he was told and Alex let him. This is something he definitely needed to learn.

"How am I gonna fix that?" Jimmy finally asked.

"Usually, it's just through strict training. You have to get used to the way you drive and the way your car runs."

"Wait. Get used to the way I drive?"

"Every driver has their own unique way of driving. Some like to punch the gas a lot. Some like smooth turning instead of those crazy powerslides. It's like the way you walk. No two people are ever completely alike. Same with your car. You tuned it so you know her capabilities. You need to adapt your ride to your technique so that you can be in perfect harmony. That's the essence of a real race car driver."

"How long is that gonna take."

"Most professionals go through months, even a year or so, of training before they ever see a professional race. We don't really have that much time but with you it might not be that big a problem. You're already pretty proficient in the fundamentals and as I've said before you really have a knack for this."

"I see…"

Alex smirked a bit. "Relax, dude. We'll make a real racer out of you soon enough."

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Tej's garage.

Various mechanics were working on various cars for various reasons. Some were there for the simple regular check-ups and tune-ups while some were being modified. Tej was among the many mechanics who were working on stuff. He was busy tuning-up one of his own trucks by changing the oil.

Tej has always been the mechanic at heart. He tried racing but that didn't go so well and he simply retired to doing the backstage work. His smarts and management skills make him the perfect organizer for any event and that is what truly makes the man to know in Miami. But when he wasn't at an event he was here in the shop, going back to his roots.

At some point during his work he heard the noises of familiar engines. Regular customers of his whom he identified the moment he saw their cars. That bright tan Toyota Supra that belonged to Slap Jack and that bright red Mazda RX-7 which belonged to Orange Julius or OJ for short. Both cars rolled in though the big front entrance which was left wide open. Both cars found some ample parking space on the middle of the floor. Tej stopped working and moved over to meet his friends as they got out of their cars.

As usual Slap Jack had his girlfriend with him. Even from a distance, Tej could easily tell that Slap Jack was irked by something.

"Yo, Slap, OJ. What's up?" greeted Tej.

"Not my bank account, that's for damn sure!" replied Slap Jack, before slamming his door shut in frustration. His girlfriend was nice enough to move over to him and provide some comfort.

"What's your deal, man?"

OJ walked up to them. "Don't worry about him esse. He's just upset some vato broke his recent winning streak. And he broke it in a bad way."

"Really?"

"Some fool in a mustang pulled a fast one on my ass," said Slap Jack.

"Mustang?"

"We think it's someone you know, so we wanna ask you about him."

"Actually, more like it someone who is known by someone you know, esse," added OJ. "It's that vato in the red Supra that beat your boy, Jimmy, some time ago."

Tej didn't anymore description other than that. He knew who they were talking about. "Wait a minute. "Bull? He's back?"

"And he's been taking out any fool who's challenged him."

"I thought he quit after what Alex did to him."

"Quit? No way. More like he's looking for payback. He's been hunting down that boy all this time now tellin' everybody that he'll leave him in the dust the next time he races."

"In that crappy-ass Supra of his?"

"No. Like we said, esse, he's whellin' a mustang now."

"And that car means business, man," said Slap Jack. "I mean when he and I went against each other, I thought it was gonna be crappy too. Just another ricer. But, man, he's got serious power under that hood. He must've done a quarter mile in like nine, maybe eight seconds, man."

"That thing can handle too," said OJ. "Just last night he beat Joaquin on a lot somewhere."

"He beat Joaquin?" asked Tej, clearly unbelieving.

"Yeah. Looks like that graveyard shift fell on the wrong day of the week."

"And now he's gunning for Alex."

"That's what we wanted to talk about. Where is he anyway? He's usually here, ain't he?"

"He's out with Jimmy and Suki right now. I asked him to teach Jimmy some skills in racing. I got worried for the boy."

"Hmph, thought so. Yeah, that boy does need improvement."

"So, whatcha gonna do about this, brah?" asked Slap Jack.

Tej didn't answer immediately. He thought about it for a moment. Bull was back and he was going for a major comeback. If these two were telling the truth then Bull can shape up to be a real threat. He's got a new car now as well and Tej can only assume that after the debacle at the docks he would put some serious time into a ride which he knows he can invest in. Looks he did just that.

He'll be most likely gunning for Alex, the person who soiled him and left him just a little humiliated. While Alex's skill was not in question, Tej was worried about Bull. He had shown some skill back then and it was only his temper and nerves that got the better of him during their last encounter. What now? Nobody walks away from an ordeal like that without getting a little smarter. He won't be caught with his pants down again that's for sure.

"I'll have to talk to Alex about this," said Tej.

Tej fished a cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Alex's number. His personal number not the Pizza place's. Alex answered after a few rings.

"Hey, man," greeted Tej. "There's something we need to discuss."

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Somewhere else in Miami.

In along and nearly abandoned stretch of road right alongside the coast, there were a few passersby on the sidewalk enjoying the afternoon breeze For the moment the lone car on the road was very indiscreet dark blue Ferrari F355 F1 Spyder. It had the top down and inside was a cocky looking rich boy and his prissy girlfriend in designer clothing. Hip-hop music was blaring from the inside.

As the F355 stopped at a stop light that just switched to red, an old passerby, looked towards the car and showed disapproval at the loud music that was obviously ruining his day. However that F355 would soon be beat.

A few seconds later, another car appeared from out of nowhere and the only indication that it was coming was a loud engine tone and even louder heavy metal music that was coming from its open windows. The F355 driver and his girlfriend turned to see the car as it pulled up alongside them at the stop light.

Alongside the Ferrari pulled up a dark, gun metal gray, '06 Ford Mustang GT sporting a ROUSH body kit complete with a front bumper, rear bumper, side skirt, rear wing and a hood scoop feeding air into a highly tuned ROUSH 511SRFE engine.

The engine was a heavily tuned Shelby aluminum block that received the full treatment in performance enhancements and parts that turned into a 600 hp monster of an engine. The wheels were 18" chromed out GT4 wheels covered in performance Falken tires. The car had high-performance dampers, springs, struts, and sway bars courtesy of Ford Racing and the high-performance brakes were from Brembo.

The gun metal gray paint was accented by matte black graphics which were further accented with bright red pinstripes outlining the graphics. Long racing strips that ran down the front bumper, the hood, the roof, the trunk and the rear bumper. On the side looked like traditional racing stripes but were broken in the middle where the doors were by a large silhouette of a flaming skull was drawn.

Inside, sitting in a Recaro racing seat was Bull who was bobbing his head to his music. He looked mildly annoyed when the Ferrari revved its engines and disturbed his rhythm. He looked to the side and saw the rich boy driver grinning at him. His girlfriend didn't look to pleased however.

"Hey buddy," said the Ferrari guy. "What's the retail on one of those?"

Bull remained silent. The Ferrari guy continued to simply rev his engine even more. When the light turned green the Ferrari took off at full speed leaving the Mustang behind at the stop light. The Ferrari guy watched as the Mustang got smaller and smaller on his rearview mirror and felt proud about himself.

He looked towards his girlfriend which didn't seem as thrilled. He then looked back at the mirror and was caught off-guard when the Mustang was suddenly on top of him, its engine roaring like a wild beast. He was similarly caught off-guard when the Mustang quickly switched lanes and passed his Ferrari. When the Mustang swerved back to the same lane, the Ferrari guy had to slam on the brakes.

The Ferrari's tires smoked and the whole car spun out. The Mustang continued on and disappeared in the road ahead leaving the spun out F355 with its passengers breathing heavily.

"Okay, first it was those two guys back in LA," said the girlfriend, "then there was that kid in a hatch just over a month ago and now this. Are we gonna do this every time you meet one of those tuner folks?!"

Meanwhile, cruising at over 140 miles per hour, Bull was grinning in his seat.

"Yeah, you see that? He said to himself. "That's what you gonna get for messing with me, pizza boy. Just you wait."

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Author's note: Some minor racing action here and more to come in future chapters. In case you haven't figured it out yet, the Ferrari guy is supposed to be the same guy from the first movie who Brian smoked in the newly tuned Supra. I might keep him around just for the occasional comic relief.