A race of two worlds. Chapter 18. Part 1

      This is a fictional story, no crossovers with real events should be sought. This is a continuation of "Race of Two Worlds" by Nikita Saveliev for the readers of F1News.ru... Chapter 18. The denouement. Part 1 Norman spoiled himself the beginning of the second race - he missed not only sharp Carbone, but also two more rivals, so he was even glad of the rain - it will bring confusion in the ranks of competitors. And that Norman began to inexorably lag behind - whether the tires could not enter the necessary rhythm, or the engine is already tired. Not only the victory trophy together with Cody Ross sailed further and further away, but also Norman began to be pushed by the car, which occupied the fifth place. What good would that do? I don't care that even for such a result there is a solid prize money. For Norman, any result other than a win equated to defeat. Yeah. Rookie Tate didn't feel the best in the rain, and Norman was able to get close within a lap. Driving style also had to be reorganized - wet track is not the same as dry asphalt. Different trajectories, other braking points, conditions and humidity change by the minute. All the more interesting... Gas to the floor - and in the corner Norman made an arrogant debutant. Who's next? Barribal? And in front of him, old Cody. They didn't let the Italian get the lead, did they? The car flew up the almost sloping side of the oval, dragged mercilessly to the top of the turn, the flimsy metal guardrails were right next to it. The track is insanely slippery. One wrong move of the steering wheel and the car would rocket into the bump, hit a minor obstacle, and plummet off the ramp into the tops of the century-old trees below. The two cars in front of Norman were pincers: Cody chose the upper edge of the turn, and Barribal the lower. All he had to do was drop the throttle a little less than they did. And Norman did it. He wedged himself neatly between the two rivals. There was a straight ahead, and there was only room for one on the optimum trajectory. If the cars collided at this speed, it would be bad luck for everyone. To hold their breath... Well, they had enough prudence. Or maybe they didn't want to mess with the crazy torpedo that squeezed between them like a knife through hot oil? Ha, not long in Norman's boxes mechanics were tearing their hair and counting pennies for the fifth place - he was already second. Where is there this miracle of Italian design thought? The car was rushing, raising a cloud of splashes from under the wheels. The racer has already soaked through, but at such a speed it was not felt at all. Carbone came into view. Did not pass and three laps. Italians thoroughly approached the matter: knowing that in the race on ovals cars turn only in one direction, they in the manner of the Americans shifted the engine on the car Carbone along the longitudinal axis of the machine. The shifted center of gravity allowed even higher speeds on tight turns. They estimated that four hundred and fifty horsepower would be enough to fight the Yankees. Let's find out. We're not playing games either... A lap. Second. Norman finally hung on the tail of the Italian - no matter how he tried to shake off his annoying rival, he failed. Of course not. Who's the master of ovals?! Norman still didn't understand what had happened. Apparently, moisture had accumulated at the junction of the slabs, and when a wheel hit it, it instantly lost traction. The car spun desperately at gigantic speeds and was carried toward the concrete wall below. This is a bad situation. If you don't straighten out, you're gonna get smashed to bits. Just centimeters away, one of his rivals flew by; a moment later, they would both be scraped off the asphalt. With an incredible strain of muscle, Norman managed to steer the car as it went, and it went straight. But the opposite concrete wall - there it was, spreading its hard embrace. If you twist the steering wheel more than necessary, you're dead. The fence swept close, blowing Norman's breath of death. The spectators shouted with rapture from the stands. You wanted a spectacle, you got it. Norman had almost crashed twice in a dozen seconds before their eyes. If only they knew what happens on American ovals! This is not your fresh races, there everything is much more rapid - three changes of the leader for the race will not surprise anyone! I wanted to take a breath. A few rivals raced past. I don't care. But Norman didn't let the next competitor in - enough of the good stuff. A sign invited him into the boxes. Yeah, wait for it. He'd already lost half a lap at best, and he'd add another lap. Tires, of course, a little bit worn, but nothing to worry about, now they make rubber like a stone - it has the resource for two more such races. What place is he in? Sixth. Here we go again. At least the rain's stopped. Thank you, it's really added intrigue. A green car from a British concern was ahead, but it wasn't a competitor for Norman, a lap behind. But we had to fight with Iron Buck: the guy was not distinguished by speed, but he was so unyielding! That's what made him so good. A lot of people just didn't want to get in the way with him - he had so many collisions, you can't count. The whole lap the cars flew side by side, finally Norman squeezed his rival from the right trajectory. What the... He hardly dodged the slow car. Judging by the coloring, it's Barribal. His car is tilted oddly. Suspension? There's a reason the organizers and competitors were afraid of these potholes. It seems that not many people will make it to the finish line at this rate. For a long time, Norman desperately chewed away at the gap from his rivals, and only seven laps before the end of the race, he caught up with Piero Carbone in a battle for third place. What did he let the lead slip away? Either the Italian, unaccustomed to ovals, got tired, or the technique began to fail - not without reason his car broke down several times in training. But Norman's car is not the first freshness. He was able to show himself a couple of times in the rearview mirrors of the Italian, but no more than that. What, so and finish the race on a little honorable fourth place? Aha! Carbone slightly unsure came out of the turn, and Norman immediately rushed into the gap. On the straight, the two cars were side by side. If Norman wanted to, he could look into the Italian's eyes and drill him with a fierce look. But there was no time for trivialities. Oh, I wish I had more power! Push the gas pedal harder and get a couple of extra kilometers! But, alas, the gas pedal is already pressed to the limit. To gain the necessary speed did not work, and Norman got behind the opponent. But the next corner was just around the corner. The two cars, red and white, were moving up the curve in sync. He's going too high... Fuck! Carbone caught the guardrail, and the already out of control car went down. Norman barely had time to dodge. At breakneck speed, Carbone crossed the track at an oblique angle, but unlike Norman, he couldn't avoid hitting the guardrail, and immediately parts of the car flew sideways, a torn wheel skittering across the track. Piero was lucky he didn't go off the top of the curve. I just wish the guy wasn't seriously hurt. Dangerous all the same thing these ovals... Some of the smart journalists at home told Norman that he counted: only at the official races of the highest American series in the last eight years, ten pilots crashed to death. And how many more die in smaller caliber events? Craig McMurry's car flew into the air at the moment of the accident and, on landing, buried the pilot underneath. Chuck Boyle was pinned in the cockpit after the collision when fuel erupted and died in the hospital from horrific burns. Pat Binderman's car was blown away by a hurricane gust of wind right under the wheels of rivals, and the poor guy was cut in half. And Chris Sanders had the unenviable fate to die on the track, but not because of the accident - his body could not withstand the extreme heat during the race, he survived to the finish line and only then lost consciousness, the doctors did not arrive in time and only stated a heart attack. And about a year ago Norman learned that his hapless navigator, a partner in the Argentine rally, died in another multi-kilometer marathon. However, it is possible to indulge in sadness from memories of the dead guys for a long time. A lap before the finish Norman overtook Cody Ross in the fight for second place - it helped to distract from sad thoughts. But to the first place together with unexpectedly high Tate is already too far away. It was necessary not only to overtake the youngster, but also to win back a good twenty seconds behind - the final result was summarized by the results of all races. But the more interesting. By the way, by the finish of the two-thirds of the race, only seven participants remained on the track - the rest were ignominiously eliminated. When Norman got out of the cockpit, he first of all demanded a cigarette and asked about the health of Carbone. It turned out that the Italian got away with trifles like cuts, bruises and a slight concussion. Most importantly, his arms and legs were intact. That's when at the beginning of his career, in Detroit in fifty-three, Norman suffered a compound fracture of the tibia - then he got cold feet, that he will not sit behind the wheel, but nothing, it turned out. - You turned out to be a visionary, Norman: in the race there are no serious players from Europe, - said Stephen. - They're not our rivals. They're tough guys. I think they'll get their way in time," Norman shook his head. - They'll just have to adapt their machines to the ovals. Not in our lifetime," Stephen laughed lightly. "Oh, yes, that almost slipped my mind! I must go and see Robert - what's the troublesome inspector up to again? - I'm going to get some air, don't waste it," Norman said to the mechanics, and went out through the back of the box.