Chasing Daisy by Paige Toon Page A

probably suit both of us quite nicely . . .’
    He grins and stands up. ‘Nah, I’ll be able to knock him off the top of the championship without resorting to that.’ He’s already kitted out in his racing overalls, minus his helmet, which is resting on the low table. I pick it up and hand it to him.
    ‘Cheers.’ He goes to the door and opens it for me to go through. ‘You coming to watch the race?’
    ‘If Frederick will let me, definitely,’ I tell him over my shoulder as he follows me back into the hospitality area.
    ‘See you later, then,’ he says, tailing off in the direction of the pits.
    ‘Bye! Good luck!’
    I’m in charge of the catering in the garages, but Holly joins me in time to watch the race. Yesterday’s dust haze has cleared, so the driving conditions are much safer, although we’re still not expecting big things for the team today.
    All that changes when both Will and Luis manage to climb a place each during the start. Luis takes another position during a pit stop when a mechanic for Emilio Rizzo in third place has a problem with the refuelling rig. By the time Holly and I reluctantly return to the hospitality area, Will and Luis are running second and third. There’s a real buzz amongst the team and its guests, and Holly and I keep stopping to watch the action on the big screen. At one point, Luis is hot on Will’s tail – they’re only a second apart according to the commentators.
    ‘Whoa!’ one of the commentators says suddenly as Luis attempts an overtaking manoeuvre. Luis pulls back into line behind Will, but a moment later, he’s at it again. This time he outbreaks Will into a corner and swipes second place from under his wheels. There’s a collective gasp around me.
    ‘And he’s done it!’ I hear one of the commentators cry. ‘That was spectacular, wasn’t it?’
    ‘Indeed it was. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone attempt an overtaking manoeuvre on that corner before, much less succeeded.’
    ‘Trust won’t be happy about that,’ he says of Will.
    ‘Oh, no, he most definitely won’t. Luis Castro is shaping up to be quite some driver, wouldn’t you say?’
    ‘Absolutely. If he— OH MY GOD, HE’S AT IT AGAIN!’
    Luis is right behind Kit Bryson in the lead and I watch as he zips out from behind him and once again, outbreaks him into a corner.
    ‘Incredible!’ one of the commentators cries as the guests in the hospitality area break into applause and some leap out of their seats in astonishment. Amongst the mayhem, I try to zone in on what the commentators are saying.
    ‘Absolutely! As I was about to say, if Castro manages to keep his second position, he’ll be leading the championship by quite some distance.’
    ‘This is looking like his first victory, at this rate. There was something quite “Ayrton Senna” about that move, wasn’t there?’
    ‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves . . .’
    Ayrton Senna was one of the greatest drivers of his time before he was killed during a race. He crashed when he was leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix in Italy and I still remember it well, because I was staying with my grandparents at the time. I wasn’t big into racing, but my grandfather was, and the news of Senna’s death was everywhere. He was Brazilian, like Luis, and it’s not the first time I’ve heard them being compared.
    Standing there, seeing the looks of admiration on people’s faces, I can’t help but feel a strange sense of respect for Luis. I don’t know why, but it makes me feel oddly uneasy. Perhaps it’s because I’m disappointed for Will, but I can’t dwell on that now because it’s time to return to work. I glance back at the television screen one more time to see the camera following Luis as he speeds off into the Sakhir desert.

 
Chapter 9
     
    My mobile rings and I snatch it up. ‘Yes?’
    ‘Your taxi’s here.’
    Cazzo ! Is it that time already?
    ‘Okay, I’ll be down in a few minutes,’ I tell the woman on the other