Racing with Hidalgo

I leave the confines of the winners' circle and head for the perimeter of the camp. Several two-foot concrete blocks act as a safety barrier around the grounds, so I pick a long white slab and use it as a bench. Then, looking out onto the wide-open plane, I find myself looking up at giant soft mountainous clouds. They're rolling across the sky, powered by an unseen gale that must be stronger up there than down here because I'm only aware of a slight breeze. I smile at this – partly because the sky contrasts the long gray and browns of the earth and symbolizes where I am in this life, but mainly because I wish I were like Hidalgo and his sister, more ready to love - than take revenge or be self-aggrandizing. Yeah, how I'd love to rise above the weighted ground of daily concerns and float weightlessly above the whole, who did what to me, and how am I perceived ... kind of thing.

Hidalgo calls me on my phone.

"What up, Hill Dog," I say to Noeh.

"You're up – If I may steal your turn of phrase."

"You may. So you're saying, I'm next."

"Correct."

"Then Victors' been at it again; moved the short event up to suit himself."

"Well, no, this time it's the sporting community."

"Oh," I say, with a bit of dissatisfaction.

"I thought you wanted to face those two." Says Hidalgo.

"Yeh, I know, but it just feels like old times."

"What does?"

"Forget it. So when do I start?

"We're sending the car now."

"Alright - so, let's get it on!"

"Yes. But before you do, I've got a bit more information to share."

"Nice! I knew you'd have a counter for Victors' Nuclear rocket thing."

"Actually - I don't."

"Whaaa?"

"I know, it's shocking, but 'I ain't got nothin in the toolbox for that.'"

"Indeed."

"Yes, but all is not lost."

"Ok, what we got."

"Darren Lee."

"Uh-oh!"

"Not really; Darren got the officials to side with him to make Nuclear Rockets illegal."

"NICE!"

"Yes, it would appear that - not only are NR's potentially bad for the environment – there also bad for the track. The extra heat damages the healing process of the cement."

"Not good."

"And there easily detected from space. We can't have the grown up's discovering our antics, you know."

"No! That would be catastrophic!"

"Precisely."

"Do you think we could have won even with Victor's Nuclear Rockets in place?"

"I'm not sure. NR's are formidable, and they give you a distinct power to weight ratio. But if used incompetently, they can be outclassed by a smart driver." Says Hidalgo.

"That's what I thought. So, when do we start?"

"The race is scheduled to begin in an hour and a half. That will give us time to get there and reconfigure the car. You'll want to study the course, no doubt. It's twice as long as your initial event and runs beyond the previous finishing line."