So I got about six hours sleep, not a great amount considering the long haul from the start to the next overnight stop. I'd spent the short time I was asleep on one of the back seats of the GT-R, which was still in the dealership's back room. I decided it was best to head for the race's start point, The Stalliongrad Arms. It was a pub, so I was hoping they served breakfast (I'd never really been to a pub previously.) The pub was about ten minutes from the dealership, and when I arrived three of the other competitors' cars were parked outside. I parked in between a blue Viper ACR and an orangey coloured Saleen, I think it was one of those S5S Raptor things. There was a black XJ220, too, so the competition looked tough.
I wandered into the pub and looked around. The stallion at the bar called over to me. “Hey, you another one of these racers?” I nodded to him. “They're on that table there.” He motioned his hoof towards a table by the window. I recognised the ponies sat at it, a rainbow-maned pegasus, an orange-coated mare with a Stetson and a large red stallion. I'd seen them at one of Pinkie Pie's parties that I was spinning records at. In fact, they were some of Pinkie's best friends. Now, me and Pinkie go way back, we went to college together. They were some crazy times, but I think I'll save those stories for a more appropriate moment. Anyway, I sat down at the table and we got the formalities out of the way, and then we moved on to talking about the cars we'd chosen. Rainbow Dash had chosen the Viper, and Applejack and her brother, Big Macintosh, were driving the Saleen. “What about the Jag?” I asked, but before I was answered the barstallion came over and asked if there was anything he could get us. I wasn't going to pass up this opportunity, and I ordered a Full Equestrian, with toast, beans, deep-fried daisies, the lot. Oh Luna was it good. I don't care how it looked to the other ponies, but I ravaged the entire plate, I was hungry and I needed it.
At just before midday, we decided to get everything ready and depart. I trotted over to the bar to get a packet of cheese and onion Canter's and the others followed suit. “You getting on yer way?” The barstallion asked as he passed over the potato based snack. “Yep! We've gotta be in Trottingham by lunch.” I replied, passing him the bits I owed.
“Say, where's the other one of yous lot?”
The others shrugged. I could only presume they were referring to the Jag's owner.
“Well, if I see him, I'll tell him yer all on yer way to Trottingham.”
On the way out of the pub, a black unicorn galloped straight past us, heading for the Jag, and the race began. There was a mad dash to the cars, the unicorn getting in the Jag before I'd even unlocked the GT-R. The thing was, everypony else had to find where they'd put their stopwatches. Not me, the car's central command unit would time me automatically. So my start was simple.
- Get in car
- Put on seatbelt
- Press engine start button
- Activate “Launch Mode”
- Accelerate
And nothing launches as quickly as a GT-R, meaning me and the Jag driving unicorn set off at pretty much the same time, with the Viper and Saleen just behind. Very quickly though, the Jag pulled ahead, and the Viper passed me too. I'd activated the GT-R's snow mode, and the computer really didn't agree with my driving. Now it's hard to fault the AWD system, because usually the computer manages it perfectly, but on the icy roads out of Stalliongrad it sucked.
About half way into the trip I found the Viper pulled up at the side of the road, hood open. There was obviously a problem. The rest of the journey was pretty uneventful. I near-missed somepony in a Clio who decided to cut straight across me because he'd missed his exit, but that was it.
I pulled into the car park of our prearranged rest point in Trottingham, a Pizza Stable restaurant. The Jag was already there, so I parked up next to it and trotted inside. It was time I finally met the driver.
Time: 27.50.928
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