Voc-Tech Airfield, Las Vegas, Navada.
The first stage of Ultimate Street was about to begin.
Here at the abandoned Voc-Tech Airfield, a former private airfield hosting aeronautics programs which was abandoned now sits in the edge of Las Vegas, was alive not with the sound of planes but of cars with really big engines and even bigger sound systems. Parked across the open fields of the airfield were all the teams competing that particular night, accompanied by hundreds of spectators.
A couple of cars were already showboating around, particularly, inside the unused hanger in the northeast end of the airfield. On the cemented floor there was a tricked-out Lancer Evo VIII doing donuts using dyed wheels to produced colored smoke which entertained the crowd. Around the show-boating Evo was a bunch of young men and women whooping and hollering at the driver, typical youth culture crowed being hyper and energetic.
However, at the other end of the hanger there was different crowd.
At the west end of the hanger, blocked off by red velvet rope and a couple of burly looking bouncers, was converted into what looked like a semi-fancy restaurant with high-class looking tables, chairs and people in expensive diner dresses sipping wine from crystal glasses and dining on fine meals on expensive looking plates and utensils. Professional looking waiters tended t the guest serving a choice of red or white wine and delivering food from the caterer's booths. The high-end didn't seem at all to mind the noisy crowd just a stone's throw away.
After all they were here for the cars as well.
Seated at the farthest end of the hanger, in a large table, was a well dressed, large, middle aged man dinning on a whole roasted chicken, two bowls of mashed potatoes, and a big bowl of soup. The man was rather plump, enough that he had a noticeable double chin and a waistline exceeding his shoulders by a good margin. Surrounding him were other well dressed men and women eating considerably smaller servings.
A waiter walked up to the center of the long table right in front of the large man offering a bottle of wine. "Another glass, Mr. Sinclair?"
The large man, Mr. Sinclair apparently, looked up to the waiter and replied "No, thank you my good man. I'm afraid I don't hold my alcohol too well and I hope not to miss the night's excitement."
"Can I offer you something from the café then?"
"Espresso. Mocha Latte."
"Right away sir."
As the waiter moved away, Sinclair turned his attention to the crowd of youths in the other side of the hanger. The Lan Evo had gone and was now replaced by two guys, each riding his own custom-painted Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14, doing tricks like wheelies, stoppies, and donuts.
"You sure do know how to put on a show, Sinclair," said a woman seated next to him.
Sinclair turned to her. She was a middles-aged Hispanic woman wearing in a red cocktail dress. "My dear, this is just the start of the festivities. The main event is yet to happen."
"Yes. And I hope the turnout is better this year. I heard we feature some rare talents in the rosters this year."
"Indeed," Sincalir turned to the man sitting next to him. "Isn't that right, sir?"
Virgil looked up from his drink and turned to Sinclair, only with a hint of detest in his eyes. "Indeed."
"You surprise me. I wouldn't think for you to show up in Vegas, let alone bring your own team to Ultimate Street."
"Well, I have been given that sort of reputation to surprise people, Mr. Sinclair. Though I wouldn't have expected you'd make me a guest of honor at your table."
"We go way back, my friend. It's a the least I can do after such a long time."
He was lying through his teeth and Virgil knew it. He tried to look like he was buying that lie.
"This team you assembled," continued Sinclair. "Are they any good?"
Virgil grinned. "You have no idea."
Just then another waiter walked up to the table while carrying a cup of hot coffee on a tray and faced Sinclair. The waiter set the coffee down politely. "Here's your espresso sir. And I'm here to report that the live feed over the internet is up. We have half-a-million hits already and still increasing."
"Fantastic," said Sinclair as he took a sip of his espresso.
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Across the information superhighway.
A live stream was feeding Ultimate Street to thousands of receiving computers, laptops and cell phones across the country as the show was about to begin. Those with access to the feed got an almost road-side seat of the action as cameras captured the action from all the closest angles. The live video feed was currently showing an over head view of the track to be used in the first stage of the race, showing the crowds and the cars. In the background was heavy with hip-hop tunes and the voices of two unseen commentators.
"Yo, yo, yo!! What is up, all you petrol-heads?! Yeah! This is your main man, DJ D-rail, in the house! And sitting right wit' me here is my main man, Jarod Hindhaugh. What's happenin' Jar?"
"Thanks D, and welcome all you racing enthusiast out there to Ultimate Street. I'm Jarod Hindhaugh and we'll be bringing you the action as it happens on the surface. Our cameras will make sure all you who are watching right now the best seat in the house."
"That's right, ya'll. And wit' this year's turn out of racers, I can tell, man, it's gonna be a hot, hot night here in Vegas, baby. Whoo!!"
"Alright, if you're on with us, I don't think we need to tell you what's gonna happen next but since we're getting paid to do so, we're gonna do it anyway."
"Alright, listen up, boys and girls. This is gonna be a tournament style competition divided into five stages, as I'm sure ya'll are already informed about. And if you ain't, what the hell do we have that website for?! Just click something, I'm sure you'll find whatever you need to know, dawg! We're here now at the old Voc-Tec Airfield were the fist stage is about to go down. Yo, Jar, break it down for the home audience."
"Sure thing, D."
The video switched from a shot of the crowd to an overhead shot of the airfield's old runway. The old runway was completely made out of nothing but soil and gravel, completely unpaved.
"Alright, alright, here's how it's gonna happen," said Jarod. "The course will consist of the airfield's 2 mile long runway. Both teams start at the east end of the runway. Each member of the team will drive down all the way to the west end and once they cross the west end line, they must turn around and drive all the way back to the east end line. Once the car has crossed the east end line, the next team member will start their run. First team to have all four members complete their runs wins the race. It's that simple, people."
"Oh, yeah! Whoo! Let's get this thing started already!"
And as D-rail said, the action started. The first teams to participate were already on the start/finish line at the runway's east end accompanied by the cheers of the excited crowd. The first two cars to start were a third generation Toyota MR2 and a VW Golf GTi. It was only a moment before a beautiful young woman in skimpy attire stepped onto the middle of the runway between the two cars and stood there like a runway model would.
She pointed to the MR2 who revved his engine in response signaling his readiness. She then pointed to the Golf who did the same thing. She raised her arms up in the air, waited for exactly three seconds then brought them down. Both cars were off in a cloud of dust.
The MR2, with its light weight and mid-engine layout, took an early lead due to superior balance. The Golf GTi lagged bay about half a second as both cars thundered down to the first half-mile mark The MR2 kept its lead all the way up to the half-way point of the track but that's when the Golf driver made his move. A switch was thrown somewhere inside the Golf which in turn activated VF-Engineering Stage 2 Supercharger under the hood which practically doubled the power and torque instantly.
The Golf driver almost had his wrists twisted badly from the sudden torque steer, a major performance concern with front-wheel drive cars.
Most modern FWD cars are built well enough that torque steer is no longer an issue. It usually only becomes an issue when a FWD car is heavily tuned for power (usually when the engine reaches an output above 250 bhp). The phenomenon occurs when during sudden acceleration the torque from the engine transfers to the steering mechanism causing the car to suddenly pull to one side. Many drivers do their best to control torque steer through steady acceleration, reinforcing the drive shafts, or simply using their own arm muscle.
The Golf driver knew how close a call it was when he flipped that switch. His car was actually very close to flipping at that point. However the risk was worth it as his sudden addition of power was clearly showing as he slow gained ground on the MR2 and eventually passed the car as they reached the last half-mile marker before the west end line. The golf driver too the time to look down on his speedometer and saw that he was doing 155 mph, his car's top speed.
Approaching the west end line the Golf was ahead of the MR2 by about a 2 car lengths. In the middle of the line was a large painted barrel to indicate where the cars were supposed to turn. The Golf went for a tight turn and braked hard at the same time turning off his supercharger.
The MR2 was having none of that. The driver of the MR2 made a bold move and swerved in front of the Golf's path as the European hatchback was just completing its turn. The Golf driver reacted by turning the car too far inwards to avoid a collision and ended up having to brake even harder. The MR2 in the meantime did a Scandinavian flick with the help of his handbrake and made a wide drifting slide around the barrel.
By the time both cars were facing the right direction, the MR2 was about to retake its lead over the Golf. The Golf driver was starting to see that the MR2 was coming closer and would soon pass his own car. That's when he activated his supercharger again.
The moment he did, that torque steer kicked in again and the Golf driver struggled to maintain control. The MR2 driver was waiting for just this opportunity. The MR2 driver steered his car towards the Golf and purposely bumped the Golf just behind the rear wheel.
The result was that the Golf driver suddenly found himself struggling to maintain control of his ride and had to slow down to avoid a major disaster. In the meantime, the MR2 was leaving his opponent in the dust.
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Some time passed since the start of Stage 1.
Since then, six teams have already completed. That meant six happy teams that were moving on to the next stage and six teams that were going home with their wallets a little thinner. The audience, both at home and at the spot, were none short of a good show and they showed their enthusiasm throughout each race that occurred.
At least the majority of the audience.
The other bit of the audience, that is to say, the teams who have yet to compete, were short on enthusiasm as they concentrated more on their opponents who could very well by their greatest obstacles to a really, really bit pile of cash. Among them was team Wyldcadrz.
"So, what do you think?" asked Alex towards Suki.
Suki was replaying a bunch of recorded video files on Kate's laptop. The videos showed the scenes from the six previous races, highlights showing off the skills of the best drivers of the winning and even some of the loosing teams.
Suki looked towards Alex. "Looks like tough competition, as you said."
"Hey, it wouldn't be fun if it was easy, right?"
Rome walked in on the two. "Yeah, but does it have to be this much fun?"
Kate walked into the conversation. "Bring 'em on! I love a challenge."
"That's just so you, Kate," said Alex.
"Hell, no way we'd be as good as we are if we only raced push-overs all our lives, right?"
"I guess…"
Suki grinned in amusement at the confidence those two always seemed to have. "Well, just because their tough doesn't mean we can't beat them."
"Can't beat them? What would ever give you that idea?" Kate flashed Suki a cat-like smirk.
"You never feel nervous, do you?"
"Can never afford to be. No matter what the odds, it's always best to take them on with your game face. Otherwise it's just pointless to even try. That's what being a true competitor is like."
"Well, I see you're up to it, but what about your car? Not just you, Kate, but all our cars. From what I'm seeing this stage is all about straight line speed."
"Don't worry about that. Jimmy and Ashley already set up your car for high-speed, right?"
"My car isn't exactly a dragster."
"Oh, don't worry about that too much, Suki," said Jimmy as walked into the conversation. "I've remapped the engine management system on the S2000 to provide peak power at the high revs so all you have to do, Suki, is to keep that needle in the red. I've also reworked your nitrous kit a bit for a long duration burst. With that setup the S2000 should reach a top speed of about 170 and it'll do it in less than ten seconds."
"Hmm, maybe I could increase that with a bit of weight shaving."
"Uh, Suki you already removed the stereo system in the trunk, I don't think you can get any lighter than that."
"How about if I remove the passenger seat first?"
"Don't think that would make much of a difference, girl."
Kate smiled mischievously. "Why don't you drive naked? That should save a couple ounces of weight."
Suki turned her head and stared at Kate. "This is serious! I need to find a way to get some more speed out of my ride." She turned her head back to the guys who were actually seriously contemplating what Kate said and Suki noticed. "You guys!"
"We're kidding!" said Alex. "Though, honestly babe I don't think we can get anything much out of the motor at this point. But a street race is not nearly as straight forward as it looks."
"What's that supposed to mean, brah?" asked Rome as he gave him an inquisitive look.
Alex simply flashed back a knowing smile. Suki immediately picked up on this. He had a plan.
"I'm listening, stud. Whatcha got in mind?"
Alex made sure everybody was listening before he started. "Ok, here's what I'm thinking. The S2000 may not have a big engine and that much power but the thing is…that car is really low…and pretty narrow. Also, I noticed that the track actually gets pretty dusty."
There was a bit of silence as Alex let that statement sink into the rest of the group. Suki was the first one to get it, being the most familiar with the car.
Indeed, the S2000 was very low and very narrow. Honda designed it to be a proper sports car, a rival to popular pickings such as the BMW Z4, Porsche Boxster, and the ever popular Mazda Miata. It had to be low to the ground to give it a nice firm handling and feel of the road on the driver's back to give that sporty experience. The stock car was only 50 inches tall. Suki's car, with is lowered high performance suspension and low profile tires, was 47 inches tall making it the shortest car in the whole tournament. Suki figured it out then and there. Alex knew his stuff. Speed wasn't just determined by the power of an engine.
The key to Alex's plan was aerodynamics.
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On another side of the crowds.
Team Thunder Hall gathered in front of their cars, which were getting more than the fair share of onlookers and admirers, particularly the Leader's classic '64 GTO.
Derek Lynn had been a fan of muscle cars since before he could learn to talk. He saw his very first street race at the age of three. He was probably way too young to have remembered it clearly but somehow, that night when his mom had to visit grandma at the hospital living him in the care of his dragster crazy father who decided to take him to a local street race two miles from their house.
At that moment, his life's path was decided. By the time he was in high school he spent nearly every single bit of cash he had on those rent-a-racer Ford Mustangs and went out to the local drag strip whenever possible. By the time he could afford his own car, he wouldn't accept anything with less than eight cylinders and wasn't American.
A trip to a secondhand car dealer was all that his family could afford at the time. But among those heaps and wrecks of all Toyotas and Hyundais, he saw it. A rusting old '64 Pontiac GTO. He went to it like a moth to the flame, he touched and caressed that car like it was a delicate woman. He opened the door, got inside, and, even though at that moment his nose was invaded by the smell of mildew and moss, he knew he didn't want to drive any other car.
He spent his whole life around that car. It was what inspired him to take up mechanical engineering. What time he didn't spend on school, sleep, food, and his current job, he spent on that car. And the devotion shows in his machine.
The fully restored '64 GTO, tuned with custom-made 4 inch aluminum cylinder head and combustion chambers, Performer 4-bbl 800 cfm carburetor with electric choke, Victor aluminum intake manifold, dual inlet fuel lines, fuel filters, and supercharger from Edelbrock, has taken Derek to whole new heights of street racing.
This passion seemed to have rubbed off on his younger brother, Carl.
Carl Lynn shared his brother's passion for muscle cars and racing in almost all the same ways. Though unlike his brother, he didn't obsess over the classics and preferred the modern age of muscle. His tricked out 2004 Pontiac GTO was a testament to that.
Unlike Derek, Carl was born, after the start of the space race. And just like everybody from his generation, they all wanted a little thing called modern technology. And unlike his brother who wasn't that active in the street racing world, he was very active, looking for races at for most of the weeknights. While his older brother liked to only compete in high stakes racing, Carl started out small and gradually built up his skill and confidence as well as his knowledge of cars.
It was through this constant racing that he met Victor Marquez in his 2008 Dodge Challenger and Alexia Manson in her Corvette Z06. Like Carl, they both shared a passion for modern muscle cars. It wasn't long before a friendship developed and a little later the three had formed a team that dominated the local drag strip.
As their street racing careers progressed further, their ambitions got higher, culminating here in their appearance in Ultimate Street. Carl had asked his big brother to join them knowing he needed the best team he could build with the best drivers he knew. He also knew that Derek would not pass up such an opportunity. It was time to prove then and there that muscle triumphs over all in the realm of petrolheads.
Alexia appeared from out of the crowed and approached her teammates. "Guys, looks like were' up next."
"'Bout time," said Derek. "Let's just get this over with."
"We're up against this team called Wyldcadrz. Yo, Vic, can you check 'em out for us?"
Victor had a laptop sitting on the hood of his Challenger. Loaded onto it was the Ultimate Street application. "Got it," he said to Alexia and typed in the search query.
Through this software, which was connected to a network running the whole tournament, teams can check out all the relevant information they need. Firstly was the standings. Teams can see immediately which teams are moving on to the next stage and which teams have lost and are eliminated. That was the default setting.
Next to that, teams can request information about other teams although this information was limited. The information given will only show the team's name, home state, members' general bio data (name, age, gender, etc.) and the members' cars. However it won't show the modifications made to the cars, their performance data, as well as the drivers' own racing history. Just enough to give the team who was enquiring a little something to think about their opponents.
Victor started chuckling as he read the results. "Aw, man. This is too easy."
Carl knew that reaction well. "Imports?"
"Yeah. However they do have one muscle car in the group. One of them is driving a '72 Plymouth 'Cuda."
"Man's got good taste in cars," commented Derek offhandedly.
"But the rest of them are imports. We got a Nissan Silvia, Honda S2k, and a Subaru Impreza."
"Small pickings," said Derek with a malicious smirk. "Just another bunch of wannabes driving their mommies' rice rockets."
"This race is hours," said Carl. "Practically gift wrapped."
Alexia made to move to her car. "Let's get to the line. I can't wait to dust these clowns."
"Yeah, let's."
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Meanwhile.
"Great. Muscle heads," said Kate as she was looking at the info for Thunder Hall on her laptop computer. This little offhand comment got her a look from Rome.
She noticed. "Not that there's anything wrong with muscle cars."
"Relax, I get it," said Rome in a bemused tone. "I know the debate."
"Muscle vs. Imports," said Jimmy. "When will the madness stop? Anyway, you think these guys are like that?"
"I'd rather they did," said Alex.
"Why?"
"They'd underestimate us that way. Makes winning a bit easier."
"Anyway, if it's a contest of power, we can match them, whatever they got," said Rome. "The 'Cuda and the Silvia can trump anything with power."
"But what about the Impreza and the S2000?" asked Suki.
"Don't worry about that," said Alex. "Just follow the plan I told you about and the S2000 will be fine. And don't worry the Impreza either. That four wheel drive should make up for the power gap. We'll finish this easily."
"Yeah, don't worry about me," said Kate beaming with confidence. "I've put more mods in that car than I can care to remember. I'll be able to beat anything this tournament throws at me."
Suki looked at her two teammates, Alex and Kate. She hadn't know them for too long and she was often amazed at their overconfidence. Those two never seemed to be unnerved by anything.
"Do you guys ever get nervous?" she asked.
"Yeah, all the time," they both answered blatantly.
Suki was silent with a raised eyebrow.
Kate smirked. "We just hide it really well. In the circles we grew up in, you cannot show weakness…ever. I'm an LA chick remember. And I don't care what you've heard of New Yorkers."
Suki looked bemused. "Let's just get to the start line."
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Minutes later.
"Alright D, looks like we're getting back to the action," said Jarod. "Up next is team Thunder Hall and Team Wyldcardz already up on the starting line."
"Alright! Kepin' the show rollin'," said D-rail. "Looks like we got a lotta muscle with this race. I mean, we got five muscle cars on that track right now. You know if it's a V8 it's gonna make some noise. And Looks like we got some imports down there as well. This is gonna rock, Jar."
"Right you are, D. With one team consisting completely of V8 muscle cars, this ought to be an interesting battle of power and torque. Rest assured ladies and gents D and I will be right here bringng the action to you as it happens by the second."
"Yeeha! Lets it get this thing started!"
On the starting line, Rome's Cuda was the first to go for Wyldcardz. Next to him was Alexia's Corvette. The two drivers briefly exchanged looks through their windows, neither one showing a hint of nervousness or a plan to lose. Both were in it to win it. They revved their engines loudly to entertain the crowed and give the other person something to think about before the start of the race.
The same young woman who started the first race stepped out onto the track, in-between the two cars. Just like last time she pointed to Rome and he responded by revving his engine. She pointed to Alexia who replied in the same fashion. She raised her arms up in the air, waited exactly three seconds, then dropped her arms down.
In an explosive cloud of dust and engine noise, the race began.
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Author's note: Hope you guys don't think this story is dead just yet. Sorry if the update is a bit late, kinda lost track of time for a bit. Anyway, here's the official start of Ultimate Street and the first race of the Wyldcardz. Lots more racing to come next chapter. In the meantime pls. R&R.