Previously...
Braedey gets himself settled into the seat, him looking about as he does so. He grips the steering wheel and looks on ahead. "Wow... feels like I'm launching at speed even if I'm standing still."
Rex looks on at Braedey. "How does it feel?" He asked.
"Like I'm ready to race." Braedey answered.
"Turn it over." Rex asked.
"Uh... I don't have a key." Braedey pointed out.
"It's on your wrist." Rex stated casually.
Braedey looked at the Transformatrix, then he realised what Rex meant. He held the watch up to the steering wheel, and with three beeps coming from the watch, the dashboard lights up and the engine roars to life, the ground literally shaking under the car's wheels, Braedey being rather startled by the roar before he settled down.
Rex couldn't help but laugh and smile. "Talk about a roar." He commented. "See you down at the track."
Braedey nodded before he got strapped in and secured himself. He closes up the cockpit before he got the car into gear, driving carefully out of the garage before making his way down to the track.
The track behind the school looks like that of the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway track. The track is a 2.500 mile (4.023km) narrow rectangular oval. It has two 0.625 mile straightaways, with two identical turns. The turns have banking, the banked turns look to be reach around 35 or 45 in arcing curves, the grandstands located on the exterior lining of the track, the pit lane and station located on the inside by the start-and-finish line.
Down at the startline, Braedey parked his car on the grid alongside the other racers who are qualifying at the time. He also took notice of a sleek black car with a white X on the hood, as well as a yellow 9 on the doors, with a silvery white car with a coupé design with a front-mounted engine, a turbine on the front with a red M on the hood, and a red 6 on the doors. He took note of a one-seater red sportscar alongside them as well, one sporting the number 12 in blue on the doors.
"Talk about some impressive cars." Braedey said to himself then he adjusted himself in his seat. "Time to get this race underway."
Not far from the track, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Rex were watching the race from a vantage point so they could see the whole track. Rex sat up on Bulkhead's hood with a set of binoculars so he could see.
"There he is." Rex said to himself.
"This will be interesting to see." Bulkhead added.
"I may not be one to appreciate Motorsport, I do have to admit that this is rather exciting." Optimus admitted.
"Drivers, get ready to race." Headmaster Spritle's voice spoke out on the loudspeakers. "The countdown has begun."
Up above the track, a holographic countdown of lights flash up and begin to countdown. The drivers rev their engines, the ground shaking under their wheels. Inside his car, Braedey rolled his shoulders and grips the wheel. Sure enough, an horn sounds off as the lights go green, and all the cars launch off the line with the roar of their engines echoing out. The number 6 and 9 cars now take the lead ahead, with the red number 12 car struggling to find a path around. The rest of the pack bunch themselves around the track. Braedey turns hard, his car now sliding its back end out while driving along at speed, all four wheels rotating in the process, spinning without total loss of control. Braedey definitely did not expect this, but he smiled, punching the accelerator down with force as his car rockets along.
Rex, watching this happening, smiled. "Yes. The T-180 wheel design is working."
The T-180 feature is a joint system that enables the wheels to rotate independently at 180 degrees, allowing them to spin and allowing the driver to perform very skillful drifts. He even added a Dragster Drive Computer within, so the car doesn't waste time distributing full power to all four wheels, meaning the system is at full raw power at all times during the race.
"Wicked cool." Bumblebee commented on his radio.
"So far, he's doing pretty well." Bulkhead added. "Moved from the back of the pack up to 5th position."
"The race has only just begun, Bulkhead." Optimus pointed out. "This qualifying race is six laps long. This is just the beginning of everything."
Braedey couldn't help but laugh as he raced along at speed to chase after the lead. He jostled left and right, learning what his new wheels can and can't do. He can't help but smile to himself as he shoots left, rolls right, shoots past other cars, sliding around banked turns, and rockets along at speeds of up to 130 miles an hour, maybe even more. Though during the race, one or two of the drivers had ended up crashing and being given DNF flags.
Sure enough, the final lap came into view, all the cars jostling for the position. Braedey drives at speed to catch up with the number 12 car, the number 6 and 9 cars taking the lead ahead. The racer in the red 12 Sportscar looks back at the white sleek racer as he drives up alongside, Braedey smiling to himself as he guns the engine. But as he did so, the driver of the red 12 racer bumped the rear of Braedey's car, making him spin out behind with screeching tyres. The red racer smirked under their helmet at what they've done. But then, Braedey now drove past the red racecar... going backwards!!
"Whoa! Where's he learn that?" Bulkhead asked in surprise.
"Boo-yah." Braedey winked back at the red racer, then he spun around to face forward, and he raced after the two lead cars, him taking third position.
"Now THAT was cool." Rex commented with a smile appearing on his face. "Definitely did not expect him to do a move like that, but I am impressed."
Sure enough, the chequered flag waved as both the number 6 and 9 cars cross the finish line in first and second place, with Braedey's car crossing the line in third place. The crowd cheers aloud for the two leading drivers and for the upcoming rookie driver in third place as they stop by pit lane. Inside his car, Braedey cannot help but smile to himself and chuckle at taking third. He opens the glass canopy cockpit, it opening up like a jet fighter's canopy cockpit, and he climbs out.
"Wow! Great driving out there, dude!" Braedey turned to see a dark skinned girl run up. She has short brown hair with brown eyes, while she is wearing blue overalls with a white shirt on underneath, and black boots.
"Uh, thanks so much." Braedey thanked.
"You keep this up, you'll be able to knock Annalise right off of the leader board." The overalls girl replied back, looking over to a redhead girl in a red/pink racing suit that's complaining about her loss, a tall muscular boy with short brown hair and brown eyes with an X on his racing suit trying to calm her down.
'That must be Annalise.' Braedey took a guess to himself. 'Wonder who's that with her?'
"Well, you take care now." The girl said to Braedey, then she heads off over to the driver of the number 6 racecar, who is a tall boy with short brown hair, as well as some boy with red hair and a blue shirt and white undershirt and white pants, and a robotic monkey?
Braedey looks on before he shook his head. He then stopped and looked over to see the three Autobots and his buddy Rex either waving his hand or flashing their headlights at them. Braedey waved out at them before he gets into the car, driving off back to the garage.
Back at the Grand Prix Building, Braedey had parked up his racecar in the garage. The car is currently sitting up on four legs jutting out from below the car, so he could take a look underneath the bodywork.
"Have to admit, you did pretty well out there." Rex spoke up as he walked over. "Nice driving."
"Thanks. Have to admit, definitely did not expect that." Braedey commented back to his friend. "You have put some serious horsepower under the hood of this car."
"Speaking of which, you thought of a name for your new wheels?" Rex asked.
"Maybe something simple, like Transformer." Braedey shrugged back, then he and Rex step out from under the car. A moment later, the car lowers itself back down onto its wheels, the legs now retracting into the body.
"Well, once you get to grips behind the car's features, it'll make sense to go with that name." Rex patted Braedey on the back. "You take care now, you hear?"
"You have to go back now?" Braedey took a guess.
"Can't leave Jessie alone now, you know." Rex shrugged.
"Just don't hurt her or you know what I'll do." Braedey warned. "She is my cousin, but she's also like a sister to me."
"And messing with family is not something to do." Rex replied back. "I gotcha."
"Just take care of yourself, okay?" Braedey advised, just as the Autobots drive up nearby.
"I will." Rex nodded, then walked off over to Bulkhead and climbs into his alt-mode. "Enjoy your time out on the track."
"I will." Braedey waved, the Autobots honking their horns as they drive away from the campus.
As Braedey goes to check on his car again, he gets some kind of message from the Transformatrix. He was surprised and curious about this, so he checks it out. Turns out it was a text message that reads;
'Saw your qualifier. Nice work with the backwards drive on the final lap. Definitely put Annalise in her place. Hope to talk to you soon.'
'Blaze.'
"Blaze..." Braedey wonders to himself. "Who is Blaze?"
Braedey shrugged to himself as he dropped down the garage door and goes to work on his car. Unbeknownst to him, a black car is parked nearby, watching on at the garage.
This sports car, painted in black with red and gold decals, looks to resemble a canine, likely a wolf. Its front grille is comprised of sharp chrome-coloured 'teeth' along with protruding 'fangs', the teeth all continuing on either side of the car to give it a snarling and menacing appearance on it. Its windows look to resemble that of eyes, with 'ears' on the back of the car resembling tailfins.
The driver inside the car, who had been watching on, has a soft friendly smile on their face. The figure at the wheel now shifted their car into reverse, and began to drive off to somewhere…