Page 82 of Rush
Savi made herself comfortable and let Bea, one of the original podcasters forAcross The Linebefore it becameGirls Off Track, mic her up. She’d dressed comfortably for this, as suggested by the girls. A pair of yoga pants and one of Marco’s hoodies that was the perfect amount of oversized on her. ‘So… are you all doing this episode? Is Esme joining us, too?’
‘Oh!’ Bea exclaimed. ‘Sorry! No, it’s just Faith and I. Lucie is disappearing in a second. We thought that, you know, given my previous reputation as a bit of a paddock groupie, I might have some valuable insight. I have beenon the receiving end of inappropriate conduct a few too many times, and… you know what? We’ll save that for the podcast!’
And that was exactly what she did. Faith had long since sat down next to her co-host, and they were already over an hour in. They’d started out with an intro to who Savi was and how she’d started out, refamiliarising the podcast fans with Revolution Racing’s new addition. Now, Bea was on a rant, and Savi was disgusted at what she was hearing.
‘I have no shame in my sexual activities, only in the way I treated these men before and after. I was a gold-digger, I will admit that,’ Bea shrugged nonchalantly. ‘But what I will never be okay with is the way some drivers and engineers I didnotwish to entertain made it sickeningly obvious that they were ready and willing, I mean, the comments I got when I walked down the pit lane… the wolf whistles, the cat calls. The way I was cornered in garages and hospitality tents. That’s not acceptable. They were taking the freedom to choose away from me.’
‘Oh, it was awful up until a year or so ago,’ Faith added. ‘Savi, you really came in at the right time. I don’t know if they’ve all had an attitude change, or if they’re just scared now there are more women coming into the industry. And I love that we’re loud about it. We’ll call them out, and I think your exposé made that abundantly clear. We’re not going to sit by and let men get away with sexual harassment disguised as light-hearted humour.’
‘They love to say they didn’t mean offence, or they didn’t realise something would be taken the wrong way,’ Savi scoffed.
‘Then they tell you to lighten up!’ Faith yelled out, exasperated.
The three of them had spent most of this podcast session gossiping about the antics of the people they worked with, and finding themselves in constant states of disbelief at the stories they heard. If you asked Savi, none of it should be cut.
‘So, Savi, how have you found it being a female racing driver?’ Bea asked. ‘It can’t have been an easy journey to embark on. I know that all of us here at the podcast and the academy have struggled in our fields, but getting behind the wheel opens you up to a lot more scrutiny.’
Savi sat back in her chair again, relaxing into it. ‘It’s been a nightmare in some respects. The constant onslaught of sexist comments on social media, in my inbox. Especially after my exposé. Are we really still slating female drivers in this day and age? I honed my skill just the same as any male racing driver, and I’ve trained hard. Worked hard. I haven’t just fallen into it without showcasing my talent and proving my capabilities. Why is my biology still a discussion?’
‘Exactly! That’s why these conversations are so important,’ Faith nodded. ‘And precisely why we wanted you on with us today.’
‘Yes, thank you again, Savi,’ Bea added. ‘Our platform wouldn’t be what it is without women like you sharing their stories with our listeners. You’re the future of our industry, and it was our honour to provide another platform for your voice to reach people.’
She breathed a sigh of relief as the recording stopped, and both girls squealed with excitement. ‘Savi Hart, you’rea star! That was by far one of our best episodes yet. Esme is going to love editing it, too. So much content, so many important topics covered.’ Bea stood up and hugged her.
Faith did the same, leading her back out. They had back-to-back meetings all day, which meant they really had fought to get this in. ‘Is Mars meeting you here or are you heading back to the hotel solo?’
‘He’s waiting downstairs. Didn’t want to come up and detract from my big moment.’
‘Oh, bless his heart,’ Faith laughed. ‘Are you okay to head down without me? I need to make a quick call before our next client shows up.’
‘Sure.’ Savi nodded, calling out as she headed to the elevators. ‘Can’t wait to listen to the ep! And I will see you ladies in a few weeks at the next race!’
She buzzed herself down, and was greeted by a nervous-looking Marco. He’d been so worried about her doing this, but she knew herself, and she also knew she was in good hands. It was the safest way to continue taking control of the conversation.
‘How was it?’ he asked, taking her hand in his.
She sighed as they headed out into the street. ‘It was good…’
‘But?’ He squeezed her hand.
‘It was behind closed doors. How am I supposed to walk down the paddock like nothing ever happened, Mars?’ she questioned. He pulled her to a stop in front of a coffee shop, neither of them caring that they were in the way. Marco was great at working out the exact moments Savi needed a pep talk and some words of encouragement.
‘You don’t. You own it. But if you need him to, Jasper can temporarily take you off press duties. Just say the word and he’ll do it in a heartbeat. You haven’t got to do anything you’re not ready for.’
‘Except show up.’
‘Yes, but that’s the first step.’
‘It’s a pretty big fucking step, Monaco. It’s a mountain.’ She let out a sarcastic laugh, and he silenced her with a quick kiss. She loved it when he did that.
‘Then climb the mountain, Cowgirl. Think of it like the ones you grew up around. You were born and raised to climb them, so don’t for one second think you’re not capable of conquering this. This is your paddock. Your home. Revolution Racing and all the teams on the grid are your family, and if you want me to hold your hand physically and figuratively then that’s what I’ll do.’
‘Please,’ she nodded, and then stepped closer to whisper in his ear. ‘But before I go climbing any mountains, take me back to our hotel so I can climbyou.’
‘You keeping those on?’ Savi grinned at Marco’s cowboy boots as he lifted his leg.
‘Don’t you like them?’ He laughed, shuffling closer to her across the king-sized mattress.
