Chapter 4

Seven Years Ago

The Vacuo 500 was something else. The car Winter was driving was not all that different from her F1 car, just a few modifications to make it more easily turn left and a larger engine, but the experience was not at all the same. She adjusted to driving the car with no issues, but things happened so fast. She had world-class reflexes but even she was surprised by just how quickly things could and did go wrong.

Winter had been given one piece of advice by another F1 driver who had raced the 500: "If you start to spin, don't try to save it. You'll just drive straight into the wall. It's better to lock it down and spin out." She took it to heart. In practice she was just putting in laps, and fast ones at that, when the rear end of her car stepped out in the middle of turn 2. In her F1 car she would turn into the spin, but the warning she had received stuck with her. Maybe it was the fear in the driver's eyes when he said it. She kept the wheel turned just as she would if the car was not about to spin, let off the gas and locked the brakes just as it got completely sideways at the exit of the corner. The car looped around and slid across the track and into the grass. She stalled it and needed a push to get started again, but there was no damage.

Winter was a little angry afterwards. She knew she could have saved it if she had tried. A lazy spin like that was just embarrassing for an F1 champion like herself. In the end it did not really matter. Come Pole Day she set the fastest time. It was strange to her that qualifying was made up of single car runs that took a four lap average, but it was not much of an issue. At least she did not have to deal with traffic. She was not the only F1 driver in the race. Yatsuhashi Daichi qualified fifth in what was also his first attempt. He had had none of the practice drama but was not as quick.

The race itself was an overwhelming spectacle. It started with pre-race ceremonies that put anything in F1 to shame. Then there was the crowd! Sitting on both sides of the front straight, packed shoulder-to-shoulder, it was the largest gathering of people she had ever seen. It was easily three or four times bigger than the largest F1 crowds. And they were loud. Even during the race she could hear their cheers over the roar of 33 engines. The rolling start was another unique experience, the first of Winter's career, and she was nervous about the fact that they cars lined up three abreast. The track was wide, but not that wide.

Winter was happy when she got away clean at the green flag. A few other cars stayed with her for a few laps but she eventually pulled away, building up a comfortable lead. Pit stops were another new experience. They were very rare in F1 and she had only done a few in her attempts at the Vytal 24 hours. The stops were so quick. In sports cars a tire and fuel stop could easily take over a minute, sometimes two. In F1 a minute was about the norm. Her crew was staffed by a stock car team from the country and they could change all four tires and fuel her car in under thirty seconds! Watching them work was like watching a ballet, with every movement carefully choreographed for maximum speed.

About halfway through the 200 lap race Winter was coming up to lap Yatsuhashi. He was running fourth at the time. Winter tucked in behind him as they ran down the back straight but was unable to get a good enough run into the third turn to pass him. She tucked in behind him and followed. At corner exit Yatsuhashi's car started to wiggle. He instinctively tried to save it and cut the steering wheel back to the right. The front wheels suddenly bit and the car slammed into the outside wall, flattening the right side. The wrecked car skidded along and burst into flames before coming to rest against the barrier in the fourth turn.

Winter had missed the accident - just - and raced back to the line where the yellow flag was displayed. Full-course yellows were another novelty. In F1 if there was a crash the part of the track where it had occurred would be yellow flagged and passing there forbidden. In the 500, as in all Champ Car oval races, a yellow applied to the entire track. Drivers had to slow down and passing was not allowed. The slow lap gave Winter time to think about Yatsuhashi's crash and worry. It was a nasty hit. Winter was suddenly grateful for her practice spin and the advice she had received. Given the part of the corner where she had lost control, her crash would likely have been even worse.

Winter made it back around to turn four and the scene of Yatsuhashi's crumpled car. To her relief he was not inside. He was standing nearby, looking a bit dazed, as track workers were just putting out the fire. Vacuo Motor Speedway was a deadly track, the deadliest statistically, but Yatsuhashi had escaped with a few bruises. A few laps later the track was clear and the race went back to green flag conditions. Winter again sprinted away from the field, on her way to an easy win.

Present Day

Having left immediately after the Mistral GP, the F1 drivers participating in the Vacuo 500 were at the track by Monday morning to start practicing. "You've run this race before, any tips you can give us?" Yang asked of Pyrrha.

"I can't really tell you anything Winter hasn't already." Pyrrha shrugged. "Everything happens so fast. It's not something I can really describe. You just have to experience it. Just never turn right."

"Never turn right on a track with all left turns." Weiss said with a hefty helping of sarcasm. "Thanks champ."

"You know what I mean." Pyrrha said.

"Yang!" Ruby exclaimed as she entered the garage. She rushed over and hugged her sister. "Did you miss me?"

"Nope." Yang groaned at the impact, her ribs still in terrible pain. "The team sure did though."

"I hear you obliterated one of my cars." Ruby said.

"And my ribs." Yang said.

"Oh, sorry." Ruby said sheepishly as she backed away. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." Yang assured her. "I've had worse." Yang was not sure she had.

"So what do you guys think of Crescent Rose V?" Ruby asked. She gestured toward the trio of cars lined up before them. Yang and Weiss had silver machines - 71 and 72 - while Pyrrha had a blue car numbered 70. Beacon Motorworks and StormFlower logos were emblazoned on the cars, along with driver names and national flags. They looked very different compared to Ruby's F1 cars. The cockpit area was still mostly the same, but the front tapered to a square wedge with a small cooling intake. Aerodynamic attachments were much more restricted by the regulations, so there were no big wings at the front, just tiny attachments that flanked the nose. The rear wing was integrated into the bodywork and wrapped around the engine. It looked like more of a ramp than a wing, with a curved lip at the back. The StormFlower engine was bolted to the back of the cockpit but it too was different. A StormFlower was Beacon GP's customer engine, fundamentally similar to the Gambol Shroud - a 3.0 Liter V8 - but slightly less powerful and more robust. It was popular in endurance racing because of its reliability, but a few F1 teams like SeaMonkeys used it. It's robustness also allowed it to be modified for use in Champ Car. It could handle the extra power provided by the attached turbo, something that would break most engines. With the addition of the turbo it was significantly more powerful than the Gambol Shroud or even the 5.0 Liter V8 the Nevermore team had used at the Vytal 24 in years past.

"They certainly look fast." Pyrrha said. "How do they handle?"

"They were a little twitchy at first." Ruby admitted. "I had a spin...or three while I was testing them. But I think I've got the kinks worked out."

"Are they fast?" Weiss asked.

"It's the fastest thing I've ever driven." Ruby said.

"That's not saying much." Weiss pointed out.

"The times looked competitive." Ruby said. "We won't really know for sure until Pole Day."

The only notable event during the week of practice was a harrowing incident involving Pyrrha. During a practice qualifying run she headed through turn 4 only to drive into a streak of oil left by one of the other cars. Before she could even react the car swapped ends and smacked the outside wall with its left side just at corner exit. It ground to a halt in the middle of the circuit. Another driver not far behind hit the same oil and managed to keep his car off the wall but spun and clipped Pyrrha's stopped car. Pyrrha's car was flung back toward the outside wall - stopping just short of it - and the other car continued its slide until it struck the inside wall just before the pit entrance. Both drivers were a little shaken up but otherwise alright. One of Beacon GP's two backup cars was rolled out and Pyrrha would be ready for qualifying.

Pole Day soon arrived. The time for practice was over. Now the drivers and teams would show their true speed. The order was selected by random draw. Yang would run early in the day, Weiss and Pyrrha later on. With 51 cars attempting to make the field of 33 it would be a long and important day. Drivers not fast enough on Pole Day could make runs on the three remaining days of qualifying, but they would have to start behind those using Pole Day times, regardless of their speed. The times set on later days would only be compared to earlier days if they were fast enough to knock someone out of the field of 33. It was confusing, but it was tradition.

Yang was up, the ninth car to roll. She had had a rather innocuous spin off of turn 2 in practice but was one of the faster runners. Blake started her car and Yang rumbled out of the pits and onto the access road on the inside apron of turn 1. She gradually accelerated around the inside of turn 2 and out onto the backstretch. On cold tires she had to be careful in those first few corners, and she took it easy, slowing much more than normal. She rounded turns three and four and rocketed down the frontstretch. Her first full lap was still considered a warm-up lap, so she again took it easy in turns 1 and 2 before blasting down the backstretch again. Since she was coming to the green, there could be no more taking it easy. She rounded turn 3 as fast as she dared, quickly traversed the short North Chute and was into turn 4. She blasted out onto the straight, flew past the grandstands and crossed the yard of bricks at the line, the only remaining remnant of the track's original surface.

Yang was going faster than she had in practice. She could feel the g-forces and really feel it in her cracked ribs. She ignored the pain and pressed on. After turn 1, the South Chute and turn 2, she had a little time to breathe down the backstretch. Then it was time for turn 3, the North Chute and turn 4 again. The tires screamed as she whipped round the corners and out onto the frontstretch to complete her first lap. Her second lap felt even faster, and more painful. In practice her ribs had not really bothered her but she had not given it everything then. By her third lap she was in agony but determined to complete her run. Finally she rounded turn 4 and raced to the line to complete her qualifying run.

Yang drove her car into the garage area. She flipped the switch to turn off the engine and just sat there. "Was it fast?" She asked, flipping up the visor on her helmet.

"Fastest so far!" Ruby exclaimed. "How did it feel?"

"I feel like someone hit me with a bat." Yang groaned.

"Sorry to hear that...but...uh...I meant the car." Ruby said.

"Oh, it was perfect." Yang sighed. She took of her helmet and balaclava, placing them on top of the car just in front of the cockpit. "I don't think I'll be getting out on my own though. I really hope I can heal up before the 500 because otherwise I don't think I'll be able to take it."

Ruby stepped up and helped Yang out of the car. Yang immediately plopped down in a nearby chair. "I don't think you'll need to do another qualifying run." Ruby said. "That should be more than fast enough to make the race."

"I hope so, because if it's not, you're going to have to do it." Yang said. She was only half-joking.

Weiss' turn came as the 33rd car to attempt to qualify. Yang was still third in the order behind May and full-time Champ Car driver Nadir Shiko, and she was effectively locked into the race. Weiss was determined to outrun her teammate. Her warm-up laps felt good and she decided to take the green. Her first lap was almost identical to Yang's and even after her second they were virtually even. Weiss' third lap was slightly quicker and she was on pace to beat both Yang and Nadir, and very close to May. Unfortunately her fourth lap was only average. She ended up slotting into second, fractions of a second ahead of Nadir. She was disappointed to have missed out on the pole, but very happy to be ahead of Yang.

Weiss drove back to the garage expecting to treat Yang to some good-natured gloating, but Yang was not present. "Where'd Yang go?" She asked.

"She went back to her hotel." Ruby replied. "Her ribs were really hurting and she wanted to rest."

"Still?" Weiss asked. She had never really known the full extent of Yang's injuries. "Is she going to be alright?"

"I hope so." Ruby said. The reply did not fill Weiss with confidence. "The 500 is only 2 weeks away. I don't know how she's going to do it. I don't know how she ran Mistral for that matter."

"I'm sure she'll be fine by then." Weiss said. It was as much a wish as a prediction. Yang and Weiss were rivals, but they were also teammates and friends. A race just was not as fun without the opportunity to beat the other.

Bolin Hori was a Vacuo 500 rookie. He had run a few years in F1 and the Nevermore team was trusting him and his Auburn Racing Team teammate Arslan with the team's two green cars. The Nevermore chassis was quick but twitchy and Bolin was not taking to it well. He had been fast in practice but involved in a number of spins and near misses, somehow not hitting anything. Come his qualifying run, the 41st of the session, he was determined to put his car at the front. His warm-up laps were smooth and his first lap was fast, but things quickly unraveled on his second lap. He entered turn 3 and the car almost immediately began to oversteer. He turned his steering wheel right, much too far right. The front wheels gripped and the car turned head-on toward the wall. Hitting the wall at around 170 mph the car disintegrated and burst into flames, sending debris - and Bolin, still strapped into his seat and shrouded in shredded metal - flying. The debris field covered most of the North Chute. The largest piece of debris - the engine with one wheel attached - landed at the entrance to turn 4. What little remained of the cockpit - more or less just scraps of metal, the driver and the left-front suspension - slid to a stop just short of it.

Track workers and an ambulance rushed to the scene. It was hopeless. The impact had shattered just about every bone in Bolin's body. There was a gaping wound in his side that would also have been enough to kill him on its own. In addition, the force of the crash had been enough to pull his helmet off, and the top of his head had been sliced away by the catch fence, leaving blood and brains smeared across the track. The mangled corpse was covered with a sheet and loaded into the ambulance. The track workers cleaned up as best they could, fixed the damaged catch fence, and Pole Day went on.

Pyrrha was had drawn spot 47. With the delay caused by Bolin's fatal crash, it was almost evening by the time she was set to run. Deaths always hit the drivers hard - reminders of their own mortality were difficult to face - but at least in this case it had been driver error. They could all tell themselves that they would never make the same mistake. So Ren started Pyrrha's engine and she went out for her run as if nothing had happened. It was the only way to do things. She was comfortable with her warm-up laps and took the green flag. Lap 1 was fast, the fastest yet. Lap 2 was even faster. Her third lap did not match her pace but she was still ahead. Her final lap certainly felt fast. She could hear over the PA as the track announcer shouted "New track record!"

The last four cars made their runs but none could match Pyrrha's speed. Pyrrha had won the Pole. Along with Ozpin, Weiss, Blake, Ren, Nora and Ruby she went to the winner's circle to be awarded her trophy. It was a prestigious achievement, and one new for Pyrrha. She had only qualified fifth in her previous 500 attempt, on her way to winning the race. The team went out to celebrate but Yang was notably absent. She was in too much pain. Pyrrha and Weiss stuck around to practice on Monday and Tuesday before heading to Vale, but Yang left immediately. Ruby could practice the car for her and rest was going to be the best medicine. She only hoped she would be healthy enough to race in two weeks' time.

Inspirations

- In 1965 Jim Clark won the Indianapolis 500 using the Wood Brothers NASCAR pit crew.

- The Crescent Rose V is based on the winning car of the 1971 Indianapolis 500, driven by Al Unser Sr. and fielded by Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing.

- The Gambol Shroud / StormFlower engine is based on the Cosworth DFV.

- Bolin's crash is based on the 1982 fatal crash of Gordon Smiley. I have not exaggerated it.

Inaccuracies and Anachronisms

- Women were not allowed on track, or in the garage or pits for that matter, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway until the 70's.

- Modified Cosworth DFV engines with turbos were used at Indianapolis, but not until years later.

- The fatal crash may have taken place in a different year, but like I said, I have not exaggerated it.