Sunday, race day, arrived. Demelza and I were sitting anxiously by the wireless, waiting for the race to begin. It was 9am, so the dormitory was nearly empty, and therefore, no silencing charms were needed. The flyers were on their formation lap.

"What's your prediction then?" Demelza asked "Is Amanda gonna do it?"

"Yes!" I said confidently, "she's won the last 3, the momentum is really in her favour, surely this has to be her time after last year's heartbreak!"

"Yes, I agree, I think she will do it, it's gonna be nerve wracking nonetheless though!"

"For the second year in a row, it's come right down to the wire, it's the title decider under the lights here in Beijing..." Davido Croffa's commentary began "The lights are out and they're underway, and it's a decent start for Jane-Cracknell and she's already ahead of Van De Horn, there's some scrapping going on behind them, Jane-Cracknell leads through the first 2 corners, Fleming goes wide, Michela Anderson gets into third position, but Jane-Cracknell has gotten the start she needed, it's a dream beginning for her!"

"Let's go Amanda!" I said, "you've got this!"

"Van De Horn draws alongside into the turn 6 hairpin oh and there he gets ahead does he, no, it was a very tight gap and Amanda has to go off the track to keep her position, the Dutchman won't like that he'll be demanding she return the place won't he Marvin?"

"Yes, of course he will but Amanda's got a big problem now here Davido, and that is not only Christian but the very fast starting Comet of Michaela Anderson, who is right on their tail!"

"Some rare race pace here for Comet as lap one is complete, and the stewards have decided that there's no investigation necessary for that turn 6 incident, what do you make of that Marvin?"

"I'm surprised by that Davido, I know she was sort of forced wide but the rules are clear, if you gain an advantage off track you must give the place back, but they feel she gained nothing from it. That or that she gave the advantage back already"

"Already the controversy starts, it's not like we've had enough of that already this year is it" said Demelza, rolling her eyes.

"I'm sure Amanda had no choice but to leave the track, there needs to be a bit of flexibility when it comes to actions with no other option" I replied

For the next 25 laps or so, the race progressed with little incident, with the top 5 remaining Amanda, Van De Horn, Anderson, Albertson and Danvid, who had made up 3 places on the first lap. On lap 27, Van De Horn made his first rest stop, where he drank some water and had some minor tweaks made to his broom's tail, before he re-joined in 8th. On the next lap, the others in the top 5 made their rest stops, coming out in the middle of the field behind those who had yet to stop. Amanda passed Van De Horn to retake the lead on lap 38, and when it got to lap 61, with 5 remaining, it looked like she was set for her first title, as she had built a 25 second gap.

"What a season it's been eh?" I said

"Yes" said Demelza, "and this year, it looks like we're getting the right outcome"

Within seconds of those words leaving Demelza's mouth though, Sandra Bullion Davies, flying a backmarker Bluebottle, crashed into one of the track's perimeter walls. She had been fighting for 15th place with another backmarker flyer, and made a rather juvenile steering error coming around a corner. She was uninjured though her broom was badly damaged, and she was out of the race. This bought out what is known as the "safety broom" which is someone flying slowly around the track in order to keep everyone else at a safe pace while the debris and damage is being repaired.

"So Marvin, do we think this one is ending behind the safety broom then?" asked Davido

"It certainly seems like it"

The reality however, was very different, as the safety broom was bought in with only one lap to go, and during it, Van De Horn had taken an extra rest break, as you're entitled to do in those situations, and he had gained some better streamlining on his broom as a result. This meant that he was right up behind Amanda when the race restarted.

"So, hold on a minute here Marvin, the safety broom is ending, and Christian is right up on Amanda's tail, and with better streamlining, oh my god, you can't write this, it's going to be a one lap shootout for the championship, Amanda is in front, Christian has a faster, fresher broom, and there's 10 corners to go, for all the glory in 1994!"

"Unprecedented scenes here" said Marvin

"This is not about to happen" I said

"Fuck, I think it is mate" Demelza replied

"The crowd roar the flyers on, to the final lap of this race, and Christian is off chasing after Amanda, will it be number 8 for Christian, will it be number one for Amanda, where can Christian make the overtake, we're coming up to turn 6, and Van De Horn makes the lunge and passes! Van De Horn has taken the lead on the final lap, it's going to be heartbreak in back to back years for Amanda Jane Cracknell, unless she can fight this back now, no she can't, Christian is too fast, he's got 2 corners left, the chequered flag falls, and in the most dramatic and unpredictable fashion, Christian Van De Horn is an 8 time champion of the world! Unbelievable Marvin!" (Davido)

"This one is going to be talked about for many many years to come! What a dramatic and fitting end to such a dramatic season! Congratulations to Christian Van De Horn, you are the greatest of all time, you have set a standard that we may never see broken for the rest of history, 8 championships, what a legend of this sport you are! The biggest and most heartfelt commiserations to Amanda Jane Cracknell, who has flown remarkably this season, just as she did last, but once again, it just wasn't quite enough. This is going to be so so difficult for her to take, she had this race and this championship in her grasp, she controlled the pace brilliantly from the start, made a pass on Christian to re-take the lead, had such a huge margin, but sometimes, sport can be extremely cruel, and that has happened to Amanda this afternoon!" (Marvin)

Demelza and I sat there in shock, unable to comprehend what had just occurred. Then, slowly, I raised my right hand, and began pummelling everything in sight!