Page 47 of Rush
It ricocheted, and the marshals jumped out of the way as debris flew up in the air, their orange hi-vis jackets the only thing providing comfort as that moment of fear overpowered everything else. The front wing was gone, her front left tyre was rolling away from her into the gravel, and her ears were ringing as her brain processed what the hell had just happened. But as Savi grounded herself, taking a moment to adjust to reality, she realised she was fine. A concussion was likely, and she might not be one hundredper cent okay mentally after such a shunt, but the car? It was destroyed. The race was done.
She could hear it now, the uproar from the commentators as they debated what was wrong and analysed her every move on the replays. They could be so brutal at times, she wished she could have a flashing neon sign above the car that read ‘Not my fault!’. Why did the blame so often fall on the one operating the car, and never on the car itself? Every vehicle was full of technology, but race cars were on a whole other level. Everyone knew technology failed.
The team were going to be mad, too, but not as mad as her. Her engineer should have listened to her intuition, as should Jasper. Most drivers wouldn’t stand up for themselves against their bosses, but Savi wasn’t most drivers. She knew she put her life at risk every time she got in that car, but she would also do whatever it took to win. Except risk the lives of every other driver around her, and that was what she had just been asked to do.
She wasn’t having it. And if Jasper wanted to argue with her and berate her for calling him out, she would leave. It was her dealbreaker. A lack of concern for safety had almost killed her brother, and now he was in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. She would not reach the same fate, not if she could help it.
The marshals leapt into action, and she put her thumb up, indicating she was okay. Stepping out of the car, all she could offer the crowd was a wave. It was followed by a round of cheers and applause; fans always feared the worst. How could they not when a car crashed right in front of them at two hundred miles per hour? Most seasonedrace-attendees had witnessed far worse than this and she genuinely wondered how they could keep showing up race after race, season after season, knowing a driver could lose their life right in front of them. It was probably the same reason the drivers were in the car in the first place: passion.
Savi trudged her way over to the medical car, letting them check her over. Her wrist was sore, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle. She had spent years falling off horses on the ranch while she was trying to wrangle the rescues. Of course, she wasn’t allowed to do that now she’d signed with Revolution Racing. She only saddled up Mocha, Java and maybe Cappuccino if he was having a good day. It wasn’t worth the risk of injury.
‘You’re all set. You can go back to your team.’ The medic sent her on her way.
Sitting in the back of the medical car, waiting to be taken back to the paddock, she watched her beloved race car get strapped up and lifted on to the back of the recovery truck. It was one of the worst feelings in the world, knowing she had been behind the wheel when the fate of the race was decided. At least Brett was still in it and there were no signs of anything being wrong with the guys’ car. Not yet, anyway.
What she wanted to do was hide out in the trailer and lock the door behind her, but that wasn’t what they did. Revolution Racing was one big team, consisting of both cars, and that meant until Marco or Julien took the second car across the finish, she would stay in that garage and offer her support. No matter how downtrodden she was, or how anxious she felt about her teammates’ feelings towards her.
The medical car drove through the paddock at a painfully slow pace, passing lingering fans who were exploring the fan zones and all-access areas instead of sitting in the grandstands. They all stared, trying to get a glimpse through the tinted back windows. ‘Can you park by the team trailers, please? I’d like to get into the garage without being spotted.’
‘Of course,’ the medic answered, swerving the car round the guys’ trailer and getting her as close to the garage entrance as possible. ‘Take care, Miss Hart.’
‘Thanks for rescuing me.’ Savi always liked being nice to the circuit staff and treating them as equals, especially the medics and track marshals.
She had been watching motorsport on television her whole childhood, and she hated seeing the way some drivers acted when they got out of the car. It was widely known in the motorsport world that drivers should be given space when they crashed, because they were so in the zone that they could act out. She’d witnessed a few punches. Yes, it was devastating. Yes, for some there were higher stakes than others. But the throwing of helmets and blatant disrespect towards people who were just there to help had never sat right with her, and she had vowed to never be that person.
‘What the fuck happened out there?’ Kodie pounced on her as soon as she walked into the garage, refusing to give her any personal space. ‘You didn’t even make it an hour!’
‘Excuse me?’ Savi snapped. ‘Weren’t you listening to the team radio? I very clearly said there was something wrong with the steering.’
‘You could have driven more carefully, Savi.’ She rolled her eyes.
‘Kodie,’ Miko followed along behind them with a disappointed frown, ‘Savi is a fantastic driver, she was obviously being careful but if there was something wrong with the car then there was always going to be potential that something like this could happen. Just admit this is personal and you’re being unfair.’
‘Thanks, Meeks. I’m sorry, Kodie, but you’re acting like Iwantedus to lose out on the race. Why would I want that when it directly impacts me, too? We’re a team, and I know you’re upset with me as it is, but I would never be selfish when I’m behind the wheel of our car.’
‘Ladies!’ Jasper appeared, looking as stressed as Savi felt. ‘Can I ask that you take this disagreement into your trailer or simply let it be.’
‘Oh, I’m done here.’ Kodie didn’t quite have the audacity to snap at their boss, but she wasn’t exactly friendly. ‘I will be back at the hotel if anyone needs me.’
‘Savi, can we have a quick chat?’ Jasper pulled her into a room at the back of the garage, the roar of engines drowning them out and providing them with a privacy that was hard to find in this environment. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Bit bruised, but it’s not a big deal,’ she shrugged.
‘It is.’ Jasper’s brow creased. ‘I would like to hold my hands up and apologise to you. We should have asked you to stop the car as soon as you realised there might be a problem. I’m sorry that we put your safety at risk like that, I can assure you it will not happen again.’
She accepted the brisk hug he offered, and they walkedout together, all eyes on them. The entire team would know by now that they had collectively made the wrong call. The thing was, Jasper couldn’t possibly promise something like that wouldn’t happen again. It was the nature of the sport; even those with as much knowledge and experience as Jasper and the engineers were not immune to human error and misguided decisions.
She was waiting for Brett’s pit stop for fuel when an arm slunk around her waist. ‘Good to see you alive, Cowgirl,’ Marco whispered into her hair.
‘Is there a reason you’re touching me, right now?’ She sighed, but leaned back into him, nonetheless. ‘You are providing some comfort, however. So don’t go.’
‘I saw the camera crew making their way down the pits and I would be a very bad fake boyfriend if I didn’t come and check on you after your crash. That being said, I was also worried as a friend, and this is making me feel better.’
Just like he’d said, the cameraman walked in and immediately aimed the lens their way. For the first time, this interaction wasn’t entirely fake. Not like their fake kisses and hand holds. She had a feeling Marco would still be standing behind her like this even if the cameras weren’t hanging around, but he was using them as an excuse. She didn’t mind. After surrendering the race finish and being yelled at by Kodie, she’d take all the comfort she could get.
‘Jasper insisted I keep driving.’ She crossed her arms over her chest, still angry and ignoring Marco’s hands splayed across her waist and abdomen. ‘I’m pissed.’
‘I heard it on the team radio. We all did, and we all agree it was the wrong call.’ He placed a gentle kiss on her headand then the cameras left them alone, but Marco made no effort to move. She had to admit the crash had rattled her, so she wasn’t in a rush to send him on his way.
