Page 32 of Retrograde
‘Well, you are all official brand ambassadors. But I’m not sure the ones you’ve got on suit you. They’re much more Marco’s vibe. Try these.’ She held up a gunmetal pair which were slightly more hexagonal, and he switched them out.
‘Better?’ He checked himself out in the mirror, touching up his hair.
‘Absolutely. I think that should be the first pair you wear.’
‘I feel guilty,’ Brett sighed, removing the sunglasses and catching her gaze in the reflection.Vulnerable Brett incoming.
‘About what?’ She stepped forward, turning him round by his torso and wrapping her arms around his waist to give him a comforting hug.
‘The reserve driver not getting his big moment. I was so happy to be back, so determined, that I didn’t really think about the fact I was taking a monumental opportunity away from some kid who’s been dreaming of this moment. Of racing with a top team, or even just racing in the IEC at all. It was his time to shine.’
‘Woods will get his shot. Just like you did, just like every other driver in the history of motorsport did. Remember how many times Sarah Ridings thought she was going to get a seat and then they chose someone else over her? And now look, she’s one of the best drivers in her class. Garrett Woods will be no different to anyone else. We all know he’s talented, he just has to wait for the right time, and this wasn’t it.’
‘I just can’t help but think that he deserves to be here more than I do right now.’
‘Anderson, no. That’s just the guilt talking. You’re talented as hell, you’ve got the grit and the determination. Jasper wouldn’t let you behind the wheel if he didn’t think the same thing.’
‘I’m so scared I’m going to fuck this up.’
‘You can’t think like that. You have to learn to trust yourself more. You may not always have complete control, and that’s okay. But don’t let the fear of relapsingdictate your career. You worked hard for this, Brett. You deserve to be with your team.’
‘And what if Idofuck it all up?’
‘Then you’re honest with yourself. With your fans. You use your voice. You do something good with this, because Iknowyou’ll be okay in the long run. You’re made of strong stuff, and you’ve got the team, and me, and your family behind you. If you fall, you’ll get back up. Taking care of your mental health is a lifelong journey, and you’ve got the resilience for it.’
‘I can’t believe I let myself get to this point, Luce.’ He rested his chin on the top of her head, running his hands up and down her back. He clearly knew she was hurting, too. Even thoughhewas struggling, it was having a direct impact on Lucie. She had always been an empath, but because it was Brett who was broken, her heart was being ripped in two.
‘I’ve got you. I’ll remind you every single day if I have to, okay?’
‘I’ve got you, too. Even without Revolution, we’re a team in our own right.’ He kissed her hair and let her go, physically shaking himself off. ‘Okay, I’m over it. For now.’
‘Come on, let’s go get a shot of you in action. I can do a promo video, get a shot of the brand’s logo on the livery, some shots of you and the guys wearing different styles. I’ll edit it together quickly and post it mid-race when all the attention is on the team. Bring those ones for Mars!’ She was halfway out the door before he could even get his race suit on, afraid that if she stayedin there for a second longer, she would give in to temptation.
‘Make sure you zoom in close on the logo for Sundaize,’ Faith reminded Lucie. It was vital to meet the sponsors’ requirements. After all, they had invested a lot of money into the team’s development, the least the team could do in return was include a quick shot in a social media video.
Lucie studied the contracts closely at the start of each season so she and Faith could incorporate any social media requirements into the schedule, for the team accounts and for the drivers’ personal ones. Sometimes sponsors just required the team to attend their events and post about it, sometimes they wanted more of a feature.
Sundaize and other fashion and lifestyle brands were the easy ones. A sprinkling of driver photos where they wore the sunglasses– or watches or jewellery– was enough, but they could get creative if they wanted to. Lucie loved working with them. Loved coming up with content ideas. Energy companies, financial companies and other corporate sponsors were the boring ones. They couldn’t have any fun with that content, and frankly, the fans didn’t care. They wanted products they could buy themselves, not business opportunities.
‘Which one of you is filming the hot lap?’ Jasper asked. These were fan experiences which were usually won in competitions run by the organisation. A driver would take them around the circuit for a lap or two,hitting the high speeds. For this race, Revolution were being asked to do it with a driver of their choice behind the wheel of a Porsche 911. In an ideal world, the fan would get to go round in Revolution’s car, but it was a one-seater.
‘Luce? You want to do it? I’ll get this edited.’ Faith waved her phone.
‘Absolutely. Is the fan here yet?’ Lucie peered around the garage, then spotted Brett with his new helmet tucked under his arm, a custom black and white one with his parents’ and siblings’ zodiac constellations across the top. He was talking to a young boy, no older than eleven or twelve.
‘That’s him over there.’ Jasper pointed to where she’d been looking. ‘I thought I’d let Anderson do the driving; he’s got the personality for things like this. Plus, I figured he could use the boost,’ he added, and Lucie smiled knowingly.
Heading over to them, she noted that this kid was fully decked out in Revolution Racing merchandise. Someone at the team had clearly got to him the second he’d stepped foot in the garage, because some of it wasn’t on sale to the public. He was bouncing on his heels, and the way his eyes lit up when Lucie walked towards them with the camera told her all she needed to know. He was going to battle Brett as the star of the show and give the organisation some great content to work with. The GoPro reaction clips would be gold.
‘Hi! I’m Lucie, I’m part of the social media crew for Revolution Racing.’
‘Hey! I’m Theo. Are we ready?’ He beamed at her, cutting straight to the point.
‘Have you done all your health and safety checks, signed the consent forms?’
‘We’ve taken care of that, haven’t we, mate?’ Brett nudged him, equally as excited.
‘Yeah. Basically signed my life away to one of the best racing drivers the IEC has ever seen. No big deal. My friends are going to be so jealous.’
