"Well good morning. 'Bout time you were up. I was about ready to dump a glass of water on your head."
"What time is it?"
"Little before eight. I'm meeting with the rest of the guys in the garage in about a half hour. You're welcome to swing by with your car whenever. You drove me in so I'll share my space. Fair is fair."
"I guess we can call it even then."
"Good, then I won't owe you anything."
She winked and headed back into the bedroom. Tyler called after her.
"Wait, what other guys?"
Stephanie's reply was muted by the walls and the towel around her head.
"The crew. They came over with the car. Usually just two or three guys that analyze all the data and make some notes or adjustments as we test the car. The 'fiddlers' I like to call them."
Tyler was suitably impressed, or at least as much as he could be while half awake. 'Whoever her father is he sure takes his cars seriously. Wonder what he's like to talk to.' He pushed himself up off the couch and rummaged through his bag to find his gear. He was stacking his Nomex underwear on the arm of the couch when Stephanie came through, her hair in her trademark ponytail. She chuckled at him.
"Well at least you'll look the part. We're gonna have to see how you handle your machine though. Bathroom is all yours, see you in the garage."
Before he could respond she was already out the door and gone. He shrugged, gathered his clothes and went to the bathroom to change after a quick shower.
Down in the garage, Stephanie had already met up with the crew that came from California and was under the hood doing last minute checks. The car had already gone through the safety inspection earlier in the morning and checked out fine, but since she would be driving it on the track, Stephanie felt the need to examine it with her own eyes for peace of mind and also to see what had been done to her old car.
"Hey, Nick. Do we have any dielectric grease? The plug on number three didn't get any."
A skinny young man scrambled to the front of the car with a small tube. He had bright red hair, a face full of freckles and was looking a little pale for a resident of California.
"Yes, ma'am. Sorry ma'am."
Nick was quickly under the hood remedying the problem. Stephanie shook her head behind him as he worked.
"How many times have I told you now not to call me 'ma'am'? Just Stephanie is fine. No need to be so uptight."
"Yes, ma'am...er, Stephanie. Sorry."
She smiled and shook her head again. Nicholas Campbell was one of the newer faces around her father's garage but he was a wizard at his work. Despite his age and relative inexperience he could take apart, rebuild and put together an engine better and faster than anyone she knew, including herself, much as she hated to admit the fact. He'd had mechanical inclinations from a young age when he used to fix his family's lawn mowers, snow blowers and nearly anything else that had an engine. When he got his learners permit his father bought him an old Plymouth Barracuda that had a blown engine. By the time he had his license a few months later the car was already running as strong as it ever had, maybe better.
"Uh oh, looks like the Soup Prince has finally faltered!"
Nick looked up from his work to see Glenn Maxwell hovering over him with his customary grin his face. With his short, black, spiky hair, and wire frame glasses on his tall frame, Glenn was the shop jester; you could always count on him for a joke, a laugh or a not-too-serious prank. He'd been known to put whoopie cushions on chairs or glue on tools and keyboards and the occasional photoshopped picture in the break room. When it came to his work though, he was extremely serious and without equal. By education he was a computer programmer versed in nearly every common and even many uncommon languages. After writing some small applications on his own he grew bored with it and began to play with car electronic systems where he found great interest. Glenn was a master at reprogramming ECUs and reading data logs to find every last ounce of performance to be gained. Nick ignored his comment and finished his work.
"Lay off the kid, Glenn. He is still feelin' that bug he caught last week."
From over by the tool chests a deep voice spoke. Delmar Jefferies stood there cleaning and replacing his tools in the drawers. He was a huge beast of a man, standing nearly six and a half feet tall and nearly as wide. His broad shoulders and muscular physique gave him an intimidating aura though his personality was very gentle and understanding. While not an expert in any one field he was well versed in every aspect of automotive repair, maintenance and modification. He was one of the shop foremen and oversaw everything that went on with the cars in the garage. Carlos had been something of a mentor to him and he had taken over the chief foreman duties when Carlos left to help Stephanie get her shop started. Thankfully for him, with the size of their shop there were people hired specifically to handle all of the paperwork, which he found exceedingly tedious.
"Aw, I was just playin' around. No harm meant to our newbie."
"You should look after him and make sure he is taken care of while he is recuperating. You were in his place once if I recall correctly. And not too long ago."
"Of course, of course. But I have to keep him on his toes too. Right, Nick?"
Glenn nudged Nick with an elbow on his arm. Nick absently nodded. Stephanie was about to interject when she heard the rumble of a VR6 coming closer to the garage area. She looked over just in time to see the nose of Tyler's R32 pull up to the open garage door and stop. He stepped out of the car and Stephanie caught herself staring at his trim figure in the white, green and blue racing suit. She had been right, he certainly did look the part of a professional driver, one that she would not have minded having on a poster in her room in her teenage years. She blinked quickly to clear her head as he walked into the garage and shyly waved at the three men around the car.
"Found us okay?"
Tyler nodded.
"I got some directions from the safety inspector. No problem."
"Good, introductions then. Tall guy with the glasses is Glenn. He does the electronics and data mining. The redhead with grease on his face is Nick, our engine and mechanical specialist. And the burly guy in the back is Delmar. I'm not sure there is anything he doesn't do. He is dad's lead foreman back out west. Don't let him scare you. He hasn't eaten anyone in at least a week."
Delmar laughed.
"The joking is usually Glenn's area of expertise. Good to meet you, mister...?"
"Tyler Scott."
He shook each man's hand in turn. Glenn squinted at him as if trying to size him up and gave him a wide grin.
"Tyler Scott, hmmm? And what brings you our way, Mister Scott?"
"Stephanie did actually. She fixed up my car a little while ago and invited me along for the event here. Of course, I had to play chauffeur first but..."
"Yup, that sounds like our Stephanie."
Glenn was suddenly hit in the face with a dirty rag. Tyler looked over to see Stephanie sticking her tongue out at him.
"Anyway, back to business, boys. Let's finish up and get this heap out on the track some time today."
Tyler had barely noticed the car until now. He had been distracted by the crew and, to a greater extent, Stephanie. There was something about how she exuded confidence and the way she looked, even in the not-so-flattering coveralls she wore.
Turning his attention to the car he wondered how he had missed it with its bright green paint scheme. Clearly it was a Volkswagen, a Mark IV Golf or GTI. Save for some of the stickers it looked from the front like any Mark IV with some aftermarket body parts. Walking around the side, however, he got a better idea of the modifications that had been done. Body kit sure, but it had also been widened and the aggressive stance was clearly that of a purpose built race car. Looking through the window he could see the tubular frame of the roll cage, the lightweight racing seat and not much else that wasn't absolutely necessary for performance.
Tyler smiled as he took it all in. Then he noticed the large "GT" logo on the side of the car and his eyebrows shot up.
"GT Garage? The GT Garage?!"
Glenn grinned even wider.
"That's us! So you've heard of it then?"
"It would be hard to be a VW fan and not have heard of you."
Something in his mind clicked and he turned to Stephanie.
"Your dad is Miles Hartmann? The touring car driver?!"
Stephanie kept a blank expression.
"Didn't I mention it?"
Tyler struggled to find his words.
"I think I would have remembered if you had said something like that! I mean...wow! You didn't tell me you guys were that good."
"I did say you wouldn't be disappointed."
"Heh, that you did. That you did."
Tyler laced his fingers together behind his head as he looked over the car again. GT Garage was almost legendary among VW and Audi circles. He couldn't believe his luck that he was standing a few feet from one of their cars at a race track and not an auto show floor. His thoughts were interrupted by Stephanie tapping him on the shoulder. She spoke in a quiet voice.
"Look, I'd rather not make a big deal out of it if it's all the same to you. Yeah, my dad was a great driver and he has a really well known shop and all, but I'd like to keep that quiet. Please?"
Tyler stared at her for a moment. Her face was a bit solemn and her eyes almost pleaded with him. He nodded slowly.
"Sure, if that's what you want."
"Yes, please. I can explain later but I'd be grateful if you could keep that to yourself."
"I can do that."
She paused a moment for consideration.
"So nothing changes?"
"Nothing changes."
Her face brightened.
"Well alright then. Now, are you getting out on the track or what?"
After a half hour of lapping the track Tyler pulled his R32 into the pits and pulled up to the sixth spot. Glenn directed him into the bay since Stephanie was out on the track with the modified GTI. He stepped out of the car, took his helmet off and sucked in the cool air.
"Man, that is intense!"
Glenn smiled and handed him a bottle of water.
"So what did you think of your first run around Grand Valley?"
"Different. Very different. I'm used to parking lot auto-crosses or club events and the occasional run around the highways in the middle of the night, but this? This is something else! Low speed, high speed, uphill, downhill, light, dark...there's a little of everything out there."
He brushed a hand through his sweat-soaked hair and wiped his face on his sleeve. Nick handed him a towel, which earned the young man a grateful 'thank you'.
"How is Stephanie doing in the GTI?"
"She did a lap while you were out and came back in to have Nick check the torque on the wheels. Delmar has been on the radio with her and it sounds like she is second guessing everything. It's been a while since she's done one of these so it's probably just nerves. Orrrrr she just really hates the car."
Glenn grinned widely as the three walked toward where Delmar was standing looking out onto pit road. Tyler chuckled and shook his head. The big Caribbean man nodded as they approached and gestured toward the radio equipment. Each of them took a headset and listened in on the conversation.
"...sloppy! I'm all over the place!"
"Okay, okay. Just take it slow. Let everything warm up and just ease into it. We're in no rush so no need to get up tight."
"If I ease up I'm gonna be doing donuts out here!"
Delmar put one big hand up to his face and closed his eyes. With his arms crossed over his chest he looked every bit the disappointed father figure. Tyler thought a moment and pointed at the mic on his headset. Delmar nodded his approval. He pulled the mic down to his chin and clicked it on.
"Stephanie?"
"That you, Tyler?"
"Yep. Listen, there is some gravel on the inside of turns six and seven. I slid on it a bit when I was out earlier. Give it eight or twelve inches or so until it gets blown back off."
"I'll watch for it. Thanks."
"Any time."
Tyler clicked off the mic and moved it back over his head. He shrugged at Delmar.
"Maybe that will help."
Delmar nodded again.
"Maybe. Let's watch and find out."
And it did help. With her attention now focused more on the track, Stephanie was able to gradually get used to the way the car performed. Her laps got progressively faster until she started to get tired from the heat and stress and brought the car into the pit. She climbed out and took the water Nick offered.
"It's weird. Not sure I like this one. It has less play in it than the last one we did. Feels like it could go faster but I think I hit my limit, at least for today."
"I'll look over the logs and see what we might be able to tweak. This is still the first test so we'll see what we get."
Glenn plugged a laptop into a port under the steering column and went to work tapping the keys furiously. Meanwhile, Nick had the hood open and was checking the fluids for signs of any problems and looking for any leaks that might be present. Delmar stood to the side, his headset still on top of his head, and watched the two work. Stephanie dropped her empty bottle into a cardboard box and sat down next to Tyler.
"Wanna give it a try?"
Tyler looked at her, surprised.
"Me?"
"Yeah. It's not an all-wheel drive like your R but you might find it similar in some ways. Definitely faster but it shouldn't be night and day different."
"Sure! I'll definitely give it a spin!"
"Have at it. Once the knuckleheads are done, of course."
Stephanie got up and let Delmar know she wanted Tyler to drive the GTI. Tyler sat nervously and prepared. He had never driven a prepared race car before and wasn't sure what to expect. And this one was done by a tuning garage he felt was the best in their field. An opportunity like this was once in a lifetime and he didn't want to squander it or embarrass himself. He was filled with adrenaline and excitement when Delmar called him over. The chief went over how the car was setup and what he might expect on the track. Tyler made a mental note of every word as he refit his gloves and helmet. Stephanie approached as he climbed into the car.
"There is a short race that is going to be held soon but there's a warm up first. We can use that time since it is technically still an open track until they close it for the race."
Tyler nodded.
"Just let me know when time is up."
Nick waited for a car to pass on pit road and signaled Tyler that he was clear to head out onto the track. Tyler gunned the throttle as he came off the pit exit. He may have had a prior warning but he still wan't quite prepared for the acceleration or the deceleration as he hit the brakes into the first corner.
"Wow. No in-between with this thing is there?"
"You'll get used to it. Give it a couple laps and you'll hardly notice."
"If you say so."
Tyler concentrated on hitting his marks rather than be distracted by the car. He thought it would be best to start with the points he used in his own car and adjust them up or down as he needed. His tactic worked and he was able to gradually increase his pace over two, three, four, five laps. Mid-way through his sixth he radioed into the pit.
"I think I'm getting used to this thing now. I think I can push it a little more."
Stephanie laughed over the radio.
"Are you kidding?! You blasted my best lap two laps ago and you're still getting used to it?!"
"Want me to give it a shot?"
"Hell yeah! Lay it out for us!"
"Alright then. I'll see if I can get a good exit off the last corner and see what happens."
Tyler hit the brakes into the last tunnel and cruised through the sweeping right hand turn and got set for the slow esses before the final turn onto the long straight.
"Okay, here goes noth- shit!"
Coming out of the esses and up to the sweeping left, Tyler was hit in the rear corner by whoever was behind. The rear end slid out from under the car and Tyler was unable to gain control as the car started to spin. The front bumper narrowly missed the concrete wall as the car slid off the track and beached itself on the sand outside the last corner.
From the inside the pit garage, Stephanie and the others couldn't see anything. When they heard the screeching of tires they quickly ran out and stood in the pit box. They couldn't see the car but there was a faint plume of smoke and dust.
"Tyler? Tyler, you okay?"
"Daaaaamn! Yeah, I'm fine. Some idiot hit me from behind and put me in the sand."
"Are you hurt at all?"
"Not that I can tell. Just a little spinning and bouncing."
"Good, good. Can you get the car out?"
"Not sure. Maybe. Waiting on traffic to clear before I try."
"Bring it back in if you can and we'll take a look."
Tyler put the car in gear as the last of the cars on the track went by and eased on the gas and clutch. He was able to get it to move just enough to get the drive wheels out of the sand and grass and back on the tarmac. He babied the car into the pit lane making sure to stay out of the major driving lines as much as possible and parked in the pit box. He got out and slammed the door closed as he ripped off his helmet. Glenn was examining the exterior as Delmar crawled under the bumper.
"How does it look?"
"Just some light scratches and nicks up here. Couple small chunks of paint missing. How about underneath, D?"
"Remarkably intact. Some sand in places but otherwise fine. Not even any flat spots on the tires. Mister Scott has the uncanny ability to crash without crashing."
Stephanie handed Tyler some water, half of which he dumped over his head.
"Did you see who or what hit you?"
"Not really. All I saw was something white, big wing."
"I think I saw something like that earlier. Hang on."
Glenn walked over to his laptop and pulled up a list of cars participating in the event that day.
"Heh, you guys are never gonna believe who is driving the only white car here today."
Glenn turned the computer around for the others to see.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me! Him again?"
"Who?"
Stephanie explained.
"Alex Hamilton. We've had some...run ins with him before. Biggest turd you'll find in a racing suit. Thinks he's the greatest gift there is to racing and women. He's been trying for his break into the big leagues for years now."
"He grabbed Stephanie's butt once a while back. Got a broken nose for his trouble too. I still have the pictures somewhere if you wanna see em."
"Let's save that for later, Glenn. Anyway, he probably hit you just because our logo was on the car. Stupid prick."
"No argument from me there. Tell you what though, if you guys will let me back in the car I'm willing to drop him down a notch or two."
"There will be no wrecking of my car. Or his, I guess."
"Hey now, I'm a clean racer. Just wanna show him up a bit if I can."
"Hmmm, that might be worth it. Is the car okay to go, Delmar?"
"Checks out fine. There is still some sand and dust on the tires but that will scrub off quickly enough."
"Alright, beam him down, Scotty!"
Tyler rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, haven't heard that one before."
"Just get in the car before he comes around again. And hope he doesn't pit in."
Tyler got ready in the car while Nick put his headset back on and watched for Hamilton to come around.
"Hey Glenn, what is this guy driving anyway?"
"Amuse 380RS."
"A-who-now?"
"It's a tuned Z, and not a bad one at that. Should be a good match up between you two."
"There he is! Looks like he isn't coming in. Get ready."
Tyler put the car in gear and tightened his grip on the wheel. He looked in the rearview mirror but saw only a small white dot coming closer.
"Okay, pit clear. Aaaaannnnnnd....go go go!"
Tyler launched the car forward but made sure to keep under the pit speed limit. As he crossed the line at the end of the pit he floored the throttle and ended up right behind the Z coming into the first corner.
Tyler was sure Hamilton knew he was there; they had looked right at each other as he came onto the track. He didn't know if he was going to be able to keep up but he was going to give it everything he had.
"Careful now. He'll play dirty if he thinks he's at a disadvantage."
"Good. At least he'll be looking in the mirror for me."
As they came through the uphill esses Tyler noted the Z's erratic driving.
'No wonder this idiot hit me. He's all over the place.'
Tyler kept on the Z through every turn but gave himself some room just in case. Even so he had to slam the brakes before the first tunnel as the Z slowed more than needed to make the turn. The GTI lost some ground to the Z entering the tunnel.
Tyler growled over the radio.
"Stay calm. He is trying to force you into a mistake."
"Right. Got it."
He took a breath and continued watching the Z's movements. Entering the second tunnel the Z seemed slow. Tyler knew he could take it faster and did. He exited the tunnel just faster than the Z and made up the ground he lost and then some. He thought he had an opportunity to overtake and slid around at the end of bridge.
But he couldn't get far enough ahead and the Z cut across to block him coming into the tunnel.
"Maaaaan I really wanna get this guy!"
"So do we. Just play it safe and wait for an opportunity."
Coming into the final esses the Z was again a little slower. Tyler tried to the outside this time.
He managed to get around in the first turn but was again cutoff in the second. Another deep breath keep his head level but he didn't need to wait long for another opportunity. In the final corner, the Z cut in too soon and too far, slipping just slightly on the grass inside the turn.
It slowed just enough to allow Tyler and the GTI to pull alongside at the exit and slowly pull ahead down the straight. As they passed the start of the wall dividing the track and the pit road, the Z swerved into Tyler's GTI. This time, though, it wasn't enough to upset the car and the VW continued past.
At the line Tyler was a couple feet ahead and still pulling away.
After the second time through the initial corner Tyler was so far ahead the Z had given up.
In the grandstand skyboxes, a pair of eyes had been watching the impromptu battle intently. As they passed beyond the line of sight of the glassed, air conditioned room, the man pulled out a phone and began to dial.
Tyler returned to the garage to the smiles of the others.
"Good run. Nice to knock him down just a bit."
"Yeah. Not real satisfying though. I had a few opportunities there that I couldn't take advantage of."
"That comes with time. Some opportunities aren't there and some you don't see until they are gone. Only experience will teach you."
Glenn clapped his hands together as if praying.
"You must listen to the great and wise Delmar."
He bowed reverently toward the larger man; Delmar just shook his head.
"Come on you two, let's get the car in the garage and give it a once over."
While Delmar, Glenn and Nick tended to the car Tyler stood at the garage entrance with Stephanie.
"Nice job out there. You really gave the car a good thrashing. Glenn will be busy for days."
"Hope I didn't ruin any of his plans."
"Well you can make up for it later. I haven't spent time with these guys in a while so we're going to go out for some dinner and drinks later. Why don't you come with us?"
"Nah, I don't want to get in the way of your little reunion."
"It's okay. Besides, I don't want to leave you on your own with nothing to do."
"Hmmm...alright, fair point. I guess I'll go then."
"Great. Their hotel isn't too far from here and there is a nice place across the street we can go. Let's wrap up things here and-"
"Hey!"
A voice yelled from behind them. Both turned to see Alex Hamilton walking toward them looking rushed and irritated.
"Just what was that? What the hell were you doing out there?!"
Tyler glanced toward the track which was now silent as the officials prepared for the upcoming race. He looked back toward Alex and shrugged.
"Looked to me like I was driving."
"Psh, is that what you call that ugly display? You make me look bad just by being near me out there and now my car has a nice gash in the door. What are you gonna do about that"
"Why you arrogant, slimy-"
Tyler put up his hand to quiet Stephanie. He looked Hamilton dead in the eye.
"As I recall, it was you who hit me. Twice."
Hamilton's face flushed red and he squinted narrowly at Tyler.
"Yeah? Well maybe you deserved it. Be glad you aren't in this race coming up. I'd show you how a real man drives and leave you sucking down more sand on the side of the track!"
By this time people in the nearby garages and even a few further down pit lane were gathering and watching the hothead Hamilton arguing with another driver they had never seen. Stephanie jumped in again, calmer this time.
"I can arrange for him to join you out there if you like. So we can all see your skills."
Hamilton again flushed.
"Hmph. Whatever."
He stormed back down toward his car and the crowd began to disperse. Tyler looked toward Stephanie and the others.
"I can see why you don't like that guy."
"And you aren't the first to get under his skin nor will you likely be the last. His driving is adequate but I think it is his attitude that keeps him from getting the contract he is after. At any rate, let's get back to this so we can go relax. It is hot out today."
Delmar lead the others back into the garage to resume their shakedown of the GTI. Stephanie gave Tyler a thump on the shoulder as she walked by him.
"Glad I asked you to come out. You certainly make things interesting."
She smirked at him and walked inside to help with the car. Tyler smiled to himself and followed.
