Oliver
I know all to well the feelings of racing. The excitement as you zip up your race suit. As your fingers fumble with the clip on your helmet. The nervousness as your strapped into your harness. The cold that seeps through your gloves as you grip the steering wheel. The rumble of the engine that vibrates throughout your entire body. The adrenaline that courses through your veins as you slam the car into first gear. What happens next is so fast you don't have time to think, the accelerator, clutch, gearstick, steering wheel all of them become an extension of you. It all just happens. The smell of burning rubber fills your nose as you speed down the back straight. I glance down briefly, the needle on the speedo continuing to climb. I come around the corner and suddenly it's as if the world is in slow motion or I'm watching a movie. The car in front of me spins out of control. I can't stop. I can't do anything. I watch as I get closer and closer. Impact. I feel as my car flips over and over until I can't tell the right way up. It comes to a stop. Upside down. I sit there still gripping the steering wheel, my harness digging in uncomfortably into my shoulders. I reach out with a shaky hand and flip the kill switch. "You ok". I hear on the radio inside my helmet. "Yeah I'm just a bit banged up." I reply. "Oliver are you sure you're ok." my girlfriend Lilly asks sounding worried. "Yep I'm sure." I say wincing as I laugh.
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Lilly
It's funny how 6 seconds can happen so slowly. How you can notice every small detail perfectly. I stand my hands wringing the strap of my camera bag as Oliver's car flips over and over and over. I can't breathe. Can't speak. Oliver is inside of that metal box. His car comes to a stop. Upside down. "You ok?" I hear Oliver's dad say into the radio. "Oliver are you sure you're ok?" I ask. "Yeah I'm just a bit banged up." he says laughing. I remember to breathe. He's ok. "It works." he says "what does?" I ask confused. I watch as he is pulled from the wreak that was once a car. I watch as he is put on a stretcher and carried of the track. He looks at me and grins, he gives me a thumbs up and holds up a small square of folded green paper. The lucky note I gave him at his first race I watched.
