Part 34 (1/2)

5th: Jason.

And suddenly Jason was again in last place - only now his situation was especially dire: Barnaby was way out in front and the racer directly in front of him was Xavier, the best racer in the School and Barnaby's team-mate.

Thus they began Lap 43 and, with a gulp, Jason saw what he had to do: he had exactly three laps to get past the best racer at Race School - perhaps the best racer to have ever come to Race School - or else he'd be eliminated.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

RACE 50.

LAP: 43 OF 51.

RACERS LEFT ON TRACK: 5.

The Speed Razor and the Argonaut.

Going at it hammer and tong.

Jason threw everything he had at the Black Prince, but try as he might, he just couldn't get past the Speed Razor. Xavier was simply too good.

He just wouldn't let Jason by.

On Lap 43, Jason even tried another daring dash through the first pair of Clas.h.i.+ng Bergs - just as he had done with Wong - but to his total horror, Xavier outran him by going around on the standard route!

That's impossible! Jason thought. If he can outrun me going around the Clas.h.i.+ng Bergs, there's no way I can take him...

For the rest of that lap, Xavier held him off easily, antic.i.p.ating every one of Jason's overtaking manoeuvres through the tight land-bound section of the course.

Lap 44: still no luck. Xavier seemed to be enjoying this, blocking Jason, ruining his chances of beating Barnaby.

And then they hit Lap 45.

Jason's last chance.

The Speed Razor and the Argonaut shot down the Southern Ocean Straight, zig-zagged through the Chicane - and suddenly the Bug made a suggestion.

'You've got to be kidding...' Sally said over the radio.

The Bug said he wasn't kidding.

'That's totally crazy, Bug! Even by your standards!' Sally said. 'You'll be killed for sure!'

But Jason liked the plan. 'Nice thinking, Bug. You always were a daredevil at heart. Hang on to your hat, little brother, because this is gonna get hairy...'

They came to the iceberg section -

And true to form, Xavier kept to the standard track - While Jason took the Clas.h.i.+ng Bergs track - And, as before, Xavier beat them to the other side, even though he'd stayed on the regulation track. But Jason had gained a whole car-length on him.

Then they came to the second fork in the track - leading to the second set of Clas.h.i.+ng Bergs - and again Xavier took the safe option, but not Jason.

To everyone's surprise, including Xavier's, he took the Clas.h.i.+ng Bergs track again - And this time, he came out the other end alongside Xavier - They hit the third and last fork together...and again Jason took the Clas.h.i.+ng Bergs option!

Xavier went the long way - Jason shot through a quickly-narrowing chasm of two gargantuan icebergs - and blasted out the other end just as they clashed, only this time when he emerged, he came out exactly one car-length ahead of Xavier!

It had taken not one, not two, but three short cuts to do the impossible: they had overtaken Xavier!

Xavier charged, threw all he had at Jason, trying to retake him. But now that he was in front, Jason wasn't going to let go of his lead.

He and Xavier fought all the way around the track, but when they hit the Start-Finish Line seven minutes later, it was Jason in the lead.

The 16th and last elimination of the race would be Xavier Xonora.

Now there were only four racers left, and with six laps to go, they alone would fight it out to the finish.

But not before one last pit stop at the end of Lap 48.

Jason knew this pit stop would be his last chance to catch up to Barnaby - who by this time was now almost 40 seconds ahead of him.

'Sally!' he called over the radio. 'This is your moment!'

'I'll be waiting,' came the reply.

Jason wound through the land-bound section of the course, until finally he beheld Hobart.

He swept into the city and dived into the pits - - saw the usual buzz of activity, Mech Chiefs running every which way, pit machines rising and falling, electric lights everywhere blazing.

He saw the other three racers still in their pit bays, their Mech Chiefs working away already, halfway through their stops: Barnaby.

Krishna.

Ariel.