In the lead position, John Milk of Britain shifts down hard into 4th Gear to set up for the curve, only to see Megane Omalie of Norway and Tavho Myrsky of Finland coming from far behind. They flash past into the curve ahead at Hôtel Negresco. Wisely, Megane cuts to the outside lane, shutting down options for the daring Fin, who presses into the debris-filled curve hoping to command the lead once again! Yet he is too fast to avoid the pieces left on the track from the damaging collisions of the last lap!! He catches first one, then another piece of another car -- a shower of sparks!! The front axle! Myrsky skids, there is no way to hold the car! For an instant, he has it, but then the front right wheel tears off! Out of control, he slides toward the bales and wattle! He is out! The ice racer is out!!!There is no time to think as the other drivers press forward toward the hairpin curve at Hôtel Negresco. The Belgian, Victor Hugo Stéphane, advances from behind as Sebi Orsi comes on strong, shifting up perfectly into high gear. The Italian’s red Maserati surges forward! Incroyable! Orsi sets yet a new record for speed, surpassing even the amazing Englishman’s run down the Promenade! France rejoins the race, coming out of the pits into 6th place, but cannot possibly keep pace with the red Maserati, which flies past at extraordinary speed! Yet Orsi presses his machine too hard, past the limit of his RPM! The sound of tearing metal is heard! His engine suddenly kicks out a ragged stream of white smoke! He is done for!! Ah terrible! Mais… mais non! Non, non!! Orsi presses on -- even at this speed, the little Maserati is holding together! He closes in on the yellow Bugatti just ahead! Deftly, he pulls in behind, slipstreaming for a moment…. Then, ignoring the shrill note of his engine, he cuts hard left and around; his red scarf snaps wildly behind him! This is amazing driving!
Behind, Vitez Rychly of Czechoslovakia comes through the smoke and accelerates onto the Promenade des Anglais. To his right, the Czech glances over to see the German Bugatti coming out of the pits. Hegkman presses hard on the gas, hoping to rejoin at the middle of the pack. Clearly, the German car remains in some disrepair, yet now he stands a reasonable chance of finishing. Behind, the Spanish driver cuts right and dives into his pit area, disappearing from sight as he hopes for a quick change of tires and more. Yet he is completely shrouded by the chokingly vile, black smoke of the pit fire! Coming onto the Quai des États-Unis, the Swiss driver shifts up, but cannot find his gear. It is yet another mistake and he loses even more ground against the leaders ahead -- clearly the luck is not with the canton flag.
The field is still very spread out, and the deadly hairpin curve at Hôtel Negresco looms ahead. It is one of the most menacing challenges on the circuit and with the wreck of the Finnish Chrysler…. Littered with debris and bits of tire from the previous lap, it seems to await the onslaught of the remaining drivers in La Grande Épreuve -- almost as if welcoming them with a sinister grin.
No comments:
Post a Comment