Joshua L
Racing for Life
By Josh Lakkis
Prologue
It was a frigid gusty day when the Formula 1 Ferrari team started in pole position on the grid. Benny set the fastest lap of all time at Albert Park, Melbourne, beating Michael Schumacher by two tenths of a second. He also beat Lewis Hamilton by three tenths of a second and in racing that is a super long time. The race was under way but they had to do a formation lap. He was driving gradually because it was bucketing down, as the weather announcement said the rain was to end in 17 minutes. It was wet weather so Benny commanded his crew two put wet tyres on his car so he could keep control of it.
Chapter 1. A Bad Flight
He was ready to start! Everyone was revving their engines as hard as they could to keep them as hot as possible in these chilly conditions.
“Five red lights and away we go for the Australian Grand Prix!” the commentator said. Only two laps into the race Lewis Hamilton had already overtaken Kimi Raikkonen and Benny, although Benny bit right back and got in front of Hamilton.
Daniel Ricciardo came out of nowhere and got straight in front of Lewis and Valtteri Bottas. The race finished with Benny coming first and his older cousin Daniel Ricciardo in second and Kimi in third. All three racers were given a bottle of champagne which they popped, then sprayed each other.
The Ferrari was the fastest straight line car in the world. The team arrived at the airport at 7:30 in the morning so they could be the first team in China for the Chinese Grand Prix. They were half way through the 11 hour flight when they hit turbulence and were bouncing all over the place. Then one engine failed and burst into flames and then the plane turned heavily to the left. The pilot tried as hard as he could, but he couldn’t keep the plane straight. Then another engine blew up and he knew they had to crash. The plane dived right into the ocean. The plane had the whole Ferrari crew, Benny, Kimi and the race cars.
Chapter 2. Birth of a Legend
The next day on the news they had broken the story about the horrifying crash and sadly at this time, Benny’s younger brother Dimitri, was watching the news with his mum Sophie. They started crying. They couldn’t stop crying for two weeks straight. Dimitri went to uni a year later. He was looking at his phone and then accidentally walked into a girl called Rose who dropped all her books onto the ground, Dimitri said “Sorry” and picked her books off the floor and handed them calmly back to her. She said “Thank you” and gradually walked away.
Two days later they found each other in the same class. Dimitri stepped over to the desk next to her and said “Hi”. Dimitri was shy and then he said “Is anyone sitting here?”
Rose said “Nah. But you can sit here if you want.”
Dimitri liked Rose. The next month came smoothly and Dimitri said to Rose “Do you want to go out some time?”
She said “Sure”
“Cool” said Dimitri.
The next day was Saturday and they met up at a café to have breakfast and a coffee. Rose brought up Benny. Dimitri said “I’m thinking of being a racer like my brother.”
Rose thought it was a good idea she said “You should race!”
So Dimitri took it as a compliment and applied for a racing license. The license came in two days, normally it would take 5 months to get but Dimitri was the brother of Benny so he got it straight away. The next cold day came and Dimitri had to hire an agent to get him a contract. His name was John. He’s the one who got Lewis Hamilton’s job at the Mercedes team. In a week’s time John got a call from the leader of Ferrari. He said “Hi John, I heard you have a young kid to race.”
“I do” John replied.
“What’s his name?”
“His name is Dimitri, the brother of your best driver, Benny.”
“Tell him to meet me at Ferrari headquarters in Germany.”
Dimitri rocked up at 9:30 in the morning. He walked through the huge glass double doors and saw the newest Ferrari which is the F12 Berlinetta and two F1 cars. He waited calmly at the front desk for some one to tell him where to go. A lady walked out of her office to talk to Dimitri “Hi, what’s your name?” said the tall girl.
“I’m Dimitri and I’m here to talk with your boss.”
She got on her phone and called the boss. He said to come upstairs. The girl gave Dimitri directions to the office of the boss.
Chapter 3: The Big Call
Dimitri walked along the corridor to find the office. He didn’t realize that he had already past his office. The boss came out and said softly to not interrupt anyone “Are you lost?
“I’m looking for the head of Ferrari.”
“You are looking at him. So you’re the kid that is supposed to Benny’s younger brother?”
“Yes I am.”
“Well guess what kid? Your in.” Dimitri didn’t know what to say. “Meet me at the track by 7.”
Dimitri left the building with an exited face. He couldn’t wait to tell everyone about it. Later that night when Dimitri was sleeping he heard this dark voice say “If you win all your races for three years your brother will come back, if you don’t, sad to say but you will come to me.” Dimitri woke up with a weird face. Rose woke up and asked if he was ok. Dimitri replied “I’m fine.”
He got out of bed at 5:30 to get to the track by 6:45 so he could find his boss and get his racing gear. Dimitri got changed into blue jeans, a white t-shirt and a leather jacket. He got into his Aston Martin DB11 and drove off to the track. He made it to the track at the exact time he wanted. Dimitri strolled through the large cold door and walked onto the track and smelt the burnt rubber. Dimitri walked over to the pits and noticed an old guy standing by a Ferrari F1 car with a bag hanging from his hand. Dimitri went over to greet the old man because he knew it was his boss. He got into the Ferrari gear that his boss had given him and hopped into his car.
Dimitri was setting crazy fast laps around the German F1 circuit. He was two tenths of a second slower then the record time set by Daniel Ricciardo. He finished all his gas and wore out his tires. Dimitri hopped excitedly out of the car. His boss came out of the pits and said “Kid, you’re a natural. I can’t wait to get you racing.” The boss who doesn’t share his name gave the racing gear over to Dimitri “Practice starts tomorrow at 12 pm be here early.”
Dimitri nodded and got into his Aston Martin and drove off. Two seconds later his boss called and said slowly “Can you give me ride. I forgot that I got a cab here.”
Dimitri turned around and gave the engine a roar. His boss got in his car and turned the radio on and said “Thanks for coming back. My name is Gus.”
“I was just about to ask that.”
“Is it ok if stay with you the night because my mum just died and they got rid of my house because she lived with me?”
“Ok. And sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.”
They arrived at Dimitri’s house. He turned off the petrol killer and opened the door and walked into his house. Dimitri said “I have a spare car for you too.”
“What is it?” Gus said.
“A Dodge Hellcat.”
“Nice” Gus said.
Rose got home two hours before them so dinner was ready. She made penne pasta with Boscaiola sauce. Dimitri made the couch into a bed. Gus told Dimitri “Wake up at 9am. Make sure you wake me up too.”
It was 8.39 am when Dimitri woke up. Rose had already gone and Dimitri got changed into his Ferrari tracksuit and woke up Gus twenty minutes later. Gus got changed into his clothes and they both brushed their teeth. Dimitri got into his car and he turned it on and all you could hear was the sound the engine. When Gus got into his new car he fired up the V8 engine that produces 707 horse power. Gus drove off and Dimitri followed. 22 minutes later they made it to the track. The stands were full and everyone was in a Red bull shirt, Ferrari shirt and a Mercedes shirt. They had a special underground tunnel that leads to the pits. Dimitri followed Gus through the drive way and they saw other cars in front of them and behind them. Practice one just started and they heard the cars whizzing on the track above them. They entered pits and left the cars behind the pits.
“For this race you will be the second driver” Gus said. Dimitri replied with an “Ok.” He went to the change rooms and got into his racing suit. He put on his helmet, popped his shoes on and hopped into his number 7 car. Gus brought Dimitri an iPad that showed his available tyres. He had ss(super softs, s(softs), H(hard), I(Intermediate) and w(wets). He chose the softs to start qualifying 1. He chose the fastest tires so he could claim first place so he could move on to Q2. Dimitri got the best lap the German track had seen in three years. He made it to Q3 and because he made it he got a free pair of softs. He put on his super soft tiers and he came first. Now he was on the front row of the grid beside with a Mercedes driver. He had started on the tires that he had ended on. Dimitri was ready to start the race but he totally forgot that there was a formation lap. And when it started he took of and he was already at the first corner when he realized and had to stop for about two seconds and then continued driving. By the fifth turn one of the Mercedes drivers had an engine failure and was out of the race so the grid changed and every body moved up on spot except with Dimitri because he was in first. The race started and he was first off the line but was soon caught by a Red Bull car. They had completed 15 laps of the 67 lap race when he had to go into the pits to put on a pair of soft tyres. At that point of the race all the racers went into the pits except for seven people. He came out of the pits taking two seconds flat. The race was about to end when a Red Bull car took the seventh turn really badly and slammed into the side of a Maclaren-Honda car. It was a six car pileup.
Dimitri won his first race and he was supper excited and he even had a party with all of his friends. He got five bowls of chips and put them next to the drinks and he waited and waited until one person turned up. It was his friend from high school. When Dimitri strolled over to the bathroom he was the called number was 4939-581-627. He quickly walked into the bathroom and answered the phone.
“Hello, Dimitri speaking.”
“Hi Dimitri, this is the Mercedes F1 team. How would you like to come race for us?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure about it. Let me think and then I will reply.”
“Ok but you only one week. Make it fast.”
Then he hung up. Dimitri walked out of the bathroom after doing a number two. He went straight over to Gus and said “Gus the Mercedes team just called me and asked if I would race with them.”
“The question is, do you want to race with them?”
“No. That’s the point.”
“Then just say no.”
“I can’t. It’s rude.”
“Who cares? Give me your phone.”
“Fine. The pin is 5476.”
Gus called them up and he covered the situation and then put the phone into Dimitri’s hand.
Chapter 4: A Fast Season
After his race performance his boss considered to put him into the 1st team alongside Sebastian Vettle.
The next Thursday came and Dimitri’s girlfriend called and said “I’m having trouble. I need help.”
“I’ll be there soon.”
It took Dimitri thirty eight minutes to get across town.
He made it to Rose’s shop and walked through the door. He looked around the shop to find Rose but she was in the back and Dimitri didn’t know. He asked Zoe, one of the workers, who said “She’s at the back.”
Dimitri walked through the back door and said “What do you need?”
“I don’t know what dress I should wear for the wedding tonight.”
“Fine. Where are they?”
“Let me get them. Its either this one or this one.”
“Ok the white and gold.”
“Ok, but I really like the black midnight and blue crystallized dress.”
“Fine, up to you.”
“Ok, white and gold.”
Dimitri walked out of the shop and went to the tuxedo shop to get a tux for the wedding. On his way to the shop he stopped at a hotdog cart. He asked for a double dog with pickles and tomato sauce and he also wanted a coke but the stand had run out of the soft drink two hours ago.
“Do you want a sprite instead?”
“Ok.”
“That will be $7.50 please.”
“Here’s ten. And keep the change.”
“Thanks dude” the cart owner said.
Dimitri ate the soft but wet dog in three seconds for he was really hungry and chugged the Sprite like it was heaven. He opened his fast car door, turned on the loud engine of his Aston Martin and drove off. He rushed through the double glass doors and yelled I need a navy blue tux its urgent.”
“Ok what size?”
“I need a medium with a black shirt and a gold tie.”
“I’ll be right back” the shop employee exclaimed.
“Here you go. The change rooms are to the left.”
Dimitri came back and bought the suit for $340.
Dimitri and Rose had fly out to Paris for the wedding. The wedding was for his best friend from primary and high school. They had to miss out on the church ceremony because they needed to get clothes and they still had to fly. The reception started three minutes before they touched down in chilly weathered France. They caught a cab to their hotel that is only four hundred meters away from the Eiffel Tower. They had to get changed really fast because they didn’t want to get even more late. Dimitri finished and then he gelled his hair. They walked out their hotel room and went down to the lobby and Dimitri asked the lady at the reception to call a cab. The taxi came two minutes after she called it. Dimitri said “Go to the Eiffel Tower.” The taxi driver drove to the destination it cost $2.
They walked over to the tower’s elevator and pressed the button to go up. The elevator came in thirty seconds and they got into the elevator and pressed the restaurant level. They arrived at the party with five hours left, Dimitri stepped toward the groom and said “Hi dude.”
“Sa Dimitri! how you doing?”
“Im doing good. How about you?”
“Im fine.”
They left the fun but tiring wedding so they could get to Azerbaijan on time for the European Grand Prix. Dimitri and Rose called a taxi. It came as fast as lighting. They told the driver to go to the airport but he didn’t speak a word of english. Dimitri went onto Google translator English to French. He spoke into it and said airport and it responded with aéroport. The driver drove off to the airport Dimitri and Rose still had to book a flight so they booked it while they were in the back of the taxi. They found a flight to Azerbaijan in two minutes and they put down for first class seats. Dimitri and Rose made it to the airport and walked straight to the check in.
They checked in and the airport people gave them their tickets and they said “Go to the security zone.”
So they strolled through the airport to security spot so they could get access onto the plane. They had to put their bags into the xray machine. Dimitri got the bags and they had to run to the plane because the couple were going to miss their flight. They boarded the plane and they were on there way to Baku. The plane landed in the heart of Azerbaijan.
Dimitri was ready for the race and he qualified second. The race started and Dimitri pulled right into first place. The race was half way through and there was a crash at the castle part of the track. It was Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes car. It was a perfect time for Dimitri to go into the pits to fit on a new pair of wheels. Everyone in the pack pulled into the pits but Lewis he was still annoyed about his crash. It was the end of the weekend and Dimitri had won his race.
Dimitri pushed himself to the limits for the whole year and won the drivers competition and Ferrari won the team competition.
Gus called Dimitri two days after Christmas and said “Sorry about your late Christmas present.”
“What do you mean?”
“Check your bank account.”
“Ok.”
Dimitri checked his bank account and opened his bank and saw one hundred million dollars. He called Gus back straight away and said “You didn’t need to do that.”
Gus replied “Half of it was sponsorships.”
“Oh and don’t forget to look outside. It’s a present” said Gus.
Dimitri looked out his window and saw a Ferrari La Ferrari with the keys on the mirror.
Chapter 5. The Rebirth
Dimitri had one more season to bring his brother back and that season was a thriller for him. Dimitri won the first two races with ease and made himself the best racer to ever live. Dimitri upgraded his car to the max so it made him even faster on the track.
The next three races came in hot as Dimitri just won both of them. When Dimitri went to his apartment he noticed something different, the doors were open and he didn’t see his bag hanging off his chair. Rose was crying because she couldn’t find her eight thousand dollar bag on their bed. Dimitri walked in and didn’t see his car keys were he left them. Dimitri still had his phone so he called the police. They arrived as soon as possible. The police arrived and they searched their room. They found finger prints on the chair that Dimitri’s bag was on. The police looked up the print and saw it belong to a man called Jeffry. The men new exactly were he lived because he has robbed another person before.
The police arrived at Jeffry’s house and rung the door bell. They heard a door close at the back so one of the men ran to catch up to him and the other one got in his car and drove off to find him. The police man in the car finally found him in a field while the other one was getting Dimitri and Rose’s belongings back. The police man pulled two gold uzi’s out of his trunk and lit Jeffry up.
He was laying there in a pool of blood as the cop walked up to him. The police man pulled the Ferrari car keys out of his pocket ran back to his car and drove back to Dimitri. He was glad that the police man found their stuff.
Dimitri finished his season undefeated and remembered about his brother so he got into a plane and flew back to Germany. He went to his house and got into his car and drove to the cemetery and found his brother standing over his grave. Dimitri was creeped out when he walked over to him. He asked “Is it you. Benny?”
“Dimitri, is it you?”
“Benny ran over to Dimitri.” They hugged for a long time.
Dimitri and Benny got into his car and drove straight to their mum’s house. They found their mum standing at the window.
Dimitri said Look who I found?
Dimitri’s mum started crying. Benny walked over to her and started to hug and then he said “I’m home mum, I’m home.”