Page 12 of Rush
‘Same as always,’ Julien stated. ‘But I guess the girls might have had a different experience. Less mundane, more exciting.’
‘They just made us talk about our feelings.’ Savi scrunched her nose up. ‘Get all sentimental on camera. Would’ve been better off showing our parents crying and calling it a day.’
‘They do like to try and tug on the heartstrings,’ Jasper grimaced. ‘You’ll probably get that kind of approach to interviews all through this first season.’
‘It’s worth it,’ Kodie shrugged.
‘Let’s crack on with the debrief, then…’ Their boss sat down at the head of the table with his notes, before tossing them to one side. ‘Who am I kidding? You guys all did a stellar job. Truly. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so relaxed during a race, but you had everything undercontrol from the moment those lights turned green. Your engineers were on the ball, each of you made strategic risks that paid off. I couldn’t be prouder. To have a brand-new team of drivers in a car we’ve never raced before do so well, it’s almost unheard of. And frankly, it’s a big screw you to anyone who thinks women don’t have a place here.’
Savi swallowed the lump in her throat, all signs of anxiety replaced by an overwhelming sense of gratitude for her younger self, her family, Gabriel Lopez for sponsoring her, her teammates and her boss and everyone who had worked to give women opportunities like this. Especially women from backgrounds such as hers, where you had to rely on being in the right place at the right time and the possibility that someone with the power to make dreams come true might see something in you.
‘He’s right, we’re all about making statements in this team,’ Marco added. ‘This is the biggest one of all, and it’s already paying off. Because of you.’
Jasper nodded along. ‘You each deserve all the success you have created for yourselves, and I am so glad the rest of this team made the active decision to dedicate our second car to the three of you, and the future of women in motorsport.’
‘So…’ Julien said. ‘Anything you want to tell anyone off for?’
His attention shot to Savi and Marco, who were sitting side by side. Sort of. Marco was leaning back in his chair, his foot hooked around the metal leg of her own. ‘Us?!’ he scowled.
‘Well, you two were playing a bit of a dangerous game atthe start of the race but I trusted that you knew what you were doing. Trust is a big thing, and I could see you pulling back when needed, Savi. You made the move when you knew it was safe to do so, and it worked out well for you.’
‘Until I got the position back from Miko!’ Julien grinned, high-fiving a startled Miko who had been keeping to herself, mid-daydream.
Miko frowned. ‘I’m not sure that warrants a high-five on my part, but sure.’
‘Now, before we all head into Malmedy for the after party, I will issue my annual reminder that there will be a lot of people there tonight. They may be drivers like you, but that doesn’t mean they have the same standards for privacy. Your behaviour offtrack is a reflection on the team, and if you take things too far… Well, please don’t make the PR team have to do any damage control tomorrow morning. That’s all I ask.’
Brett let out a snort. ‘Jasper, need we remind you of your actions last year?’
‘I am well aware of what I got up to, Anderson. I could have created the biggest scandal this team has ever faced with my naked rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” on the balcony, but thankfully we avoided the video getting out. I have since joined you in your journey of sobriety.’
‘Speaking of,’ Brett stood up, ‘if we’re all done here, I’d like to go and wash off the champers before we head to Julien’s. I think I’m going to have to peel my racing suit off like a second skin.’ He shuddered. He had decided when he first made his comeback to the sport that he could handle alcohol being sprayed on the podium, but he never likedto sit covered in it longer than a few minutes if he could help it.
‘And I,’ Marco rose from his chair, ‘am calling dibs on being second in the shower.’
The two of them left, closely followed by Julien, leaving Savi and her female teammates sitting in a room with Jasper and a few engineers. ‘Jasper, can we look into getting brand deals and sponsorship from some female-led brands and businesses next season?’ Savi asked, knowing each of them had signed a two-year contract so they would be here to see it out.
Miko sat up straight, ‘Oh, please! That’s genius!’
‘Yeah, we’ve already got a partnership with Faith and Lucie’s motorsport academy, what’s a few more?’ Kodie added.
Jasper smiled knowingly at them, shuffling his stack of notes. ‘Did you really think I’d introduce this second car to the team without having such plans up my sleeve already? I’m in talks with a few, but I’d love to get you in some meetings. Send me a list of your own recommendations, too. We’ll discuss it.’
Thatwas why she was here, with this team. It wasn’t just about status and relationships and everything Revolution Racing could give her. She wanted to give back. To all the little girls who dreamed of growing up to be just like her, and to the women who were already in this industry and tired of the sexism from the people who didn’t understand what it took to get here. It was about progress. Making history. And while she had a long way to go, she knew her future was bright.
6
The flight from Brussels to Nashville seemed to last a lifetime. It was like the Le Mans twenty-four-hour race of flights; it dragged on so long it felt like she’d been ten thousand feet in the air for a whole day. In reality, it was only around eleven hours with a stop for fuel. But still, she’d had eleven hours to sit and mull over the chaotic weekend she’d just experienced.
The post-race parties at Faith and Julien’s farmhouse were not for the faint hearted, and this one had been even wilder than the Revolution team bonding party. She was certain every driver on the grid had been in attendance, and the mechanical bull, a longtime Revolution Racing tradition, had been violated to the point where they had managed to break it before she even got a chance to show them how it was done.
Even her dad had been invited and had a go on it before waking up still drunk at three a.m. and hitching a ride back to the hotel in someone else’s cab, so he didn’t miss his flight home. Whether they let him on the plane whilst intoxicated was a different story.
She was sitting in the back of a blacked-out SUV now, racing on the back burner for at least a few days, en route to some random road amongst the trees where Jesse was waiting for her. She was nervous– not to see him, butbecause pulling over in a car like this and getting into a beefed-up pick-up truck was going to look like a drug deal or kidnapping or something, not like the reunion of two loved-up celebrities trying to hide away from the world.
Her car had barely stopped before she was jumping out of it, closing the gap and wrapping her cowboy-boot-clad calves around Jesse’s waist, nearly knocking his hat from his head.
‘Hi, baby.’ He held her tight with one arm, pushing her hair back with the other and planting a kiss on her. It was a sweet, innocent kiss but it was filled with months’ worth of affection they hadn’t been able to give, and it left her wanting more.
