Roar Of The V8s

Three weeks later...
Central Plateau, Tasmania

"You know, I wish I could do stuff like this more often. It’s not like we get to go on detours and road trips all that often, but with how long we have between events it really opens up opportunities to see all the great places this country has. I know a lot about America, all the places we can go to, but I’ve always wondered what it’s like here you know. Such a diverse ecosystem.” Viral was captivated by the environment around them, Tasmania was a place revered for its unique habitat, rugged terrain, and being so close to Antarctica in terms of geographical location made its climate unique compared to other regions of Australia.

While the team was packing up to head to Symmons Plains, Viral and Akula had their own business to attend to in a secluded little vacation spot known as Thousand Lakes Lodge. Repurposed from an Antarctic Training Facility, the lodge was created and owned by Marcos Ambrose, retired V8 Supercars Champion and NASCAR race winner.

Viral had wanted to reunite with the native Tasmanian after having met him when she was just a Truck Series rookie in 2014, but with Ambrose having resided in such a remote part of the country, they would need to take a trip out to the lodge to meet with him. Akula thankfully had a vehicle for the job, a rugged Mitsubishi Pajero could easily maneuver the wild Tasmanian terrain on the way there.

“We do get a lot of freedom don’t we, not just from the breaks in between events, but also since we own the team we don’t have any bosses telling us what we can and can’t do in our downtime. Honestly, it’s a major perk of the experience. Not being shackled down by the suffocating media presence in Formula One...” Akula paused mid sentence, not very fond of the memories of the sport he once held in high regard. “...tch. Great, now I’m thinking about the upcoming round at Melbourne…”

“I get what you mean.” Viral continued. “I appreciate it myself, leaving a lot of the stress behind. It was the thing I hated the most about the whole ordeal.” Akula nodded to let Viral know he heard her but didn’t respond. “Look, I think that’s the lodge just ahead.”

It was a remarkable sight, and waiting for the pair was the man himself Marcos Ambrose. He waved them down as they came to a stop, and led them inside to a fire heated room where the three of them shared greetings.

“So nice of you two to come and visit, I really appreciate having visitors come to the lodge. Viral, wow it feels like we barely know each other but it’s so good to see you. I know we kinda didn’t really have the chance to get personal when I was in America but being here with you after all you’ve done in and outside of America is a pleasure.” Marcos complimented his fellow former stock car driver. “Akula, much respect to you as well mate. Always good to see a local prodigy do his work. I’m really happy to be talking with you both.”

“Likewise Marcos…” Viral started. “Thought I’d visit you since you were one of the first people I thought of when I started working in Supercars. Two time champion in 2003 and 2004, of course I knew you better for your NASCAR success but knowing where you came from and actually doing it myself has been great.”

“That’s good to hear, I’m sure our friend has told you just how heavy the competition is around here, but given what you’ve already done I think you’ll do fine. And hey, when you get to Bathurst really take it in. You only get one first time at the Mountain, and you never forget it.”

“He makes a good point V, there’s not any experience better than truly going one hundred percent around Mount Panorama. Course that’s a long way away from now, October I believe.”

“October 9th…your birthday if I recall.” Viral confirmed.

“One hell of a birthday present huh?” Marcos exclaimed. “Yeah, Bathurst man. Loved that place. She didn’t really love me back that much but I never enjoyed racing more than when I was doing it there. Course, now I have this place. It’s all I could ever really want and need.”

While Ambrose was speaking, Akula turned his head to look over at Viral. It would only make sense if she asked him herself. After all, it was her idea. Viral nodded quickly and got Ambrose’s attention.

“Speaking of, we’re still working on our driver pairings for the Bathurst 1000. Akula and I are really the only members of the team that have any racing experience and it’s hard for us to find any that are open to the prospect of riding with us. They are either already booked elsewhere or already have a spot in the race lined up…you were one of the first people I thought of when I was going through options. I feel like having your experience in the car will be invaluable…” Ambrose cut Viral off there.

“Viral, I do really appreciate the offer, but I’ve been retired for six years. After I came back I almost immediately began working on this place.”

“Marcos, I’ve looked into your history. Don’t tell me you don’t want one more chance. One chance to at least be on the podium. The one place you didn’t scratch off, I wouldn’t think of any other drivers to have my first Bathurst 1000 with Marcos. We’ve been friends for years, just do it once.”

Ambrose bowed his head in thought for several seconds, pondering the offer to go back and finally get his revenge on Mount Panorama, His white whale which eluded him for a decade. Despite his resume, he had only finished a best of fourth at the iconic race. It would be the final accomplishment to add to his stellar career.

“Tell you what, and this is for both of you. I’m going to be at Symmons Plains for the Tasmania SuperSprint. I’m going to be taking part in a Gen3 demonstration while I’m there too. I want to see something special from you both, show me you have what it takes to conquer the mountain, and I’ll consider being your partner for the 1000. Just going back out on track is going to be a big commitment for me, I haven’t driven a race car since 2015, but I wouldn’t do this for anyone but the both of you. I know you both are passionate, competitive, you have the experience, the backing, you have just about everything, but the mountain requires something more. It doesn’t just bend to the will of anybody. If you can show me that you have that something extra to really make your mark on the mountain, I’ll be honored to go a thousand kilometers one last time.”

“I understand, thanks Marcos. It really means a lot to me that you’d come out of retirement to do this. It saves the worry of having to hunt for one later.”

“Of course, though while you are here I wouldn’t mind showing you around. We do have some time to kill after all.”

"That's an excellent idea, Marcos, you're the host here. What do you propose?" Akula inquired about the activities they could do in the downtime they had.

"Well I have a great fishing spot not too far, we could easily walk there…" Ambrose got out of his seat. "I'll go grab some gear and meet you outside, time for a hike."

The true range of the Southern Plateau was impressive, Viral hadn't done much high high elevation flying in her time compared to her peers but she got some elevation just to take a look at the scenery. Being able to experience Australia was like coming to an entire new world for her.

She returned to a low hover above the two locals, Ambrose carrying a set of fishing gear.

"Man it's so much cooler here than it is in America. You just can't find this sort of environment. I might just end up making permanent residence in Australia when this is over."

"Hey, if you ever want to, you're free to book yourself a stay. Just remember I'm technically running a business here myself so if you ever do come back…"
Viral and Akula both chuckled, but they understood. Ambrose was only in his Mid 40's, while he had made money from his racing life he had invested some portion of it into the lodge, and as such it was a sort of hotel for the adventurous.

A couple hours of hiking later and Ambrose dropped his gear at a small pond, surrounded by several other ponds in a sort of marshland.

"Have you ever caught a fighting trout before Viral?" Ambrose asked in excited curiosity.

"I'll be honest Marcos, I haven't done much fishing at all."

"Ah we'll be releasing anything we catch, come on I'll give you a hand."

While the two former stock car drivers prepared to do a little fishing, Akula finally got a message he had been waiting for. He was also looking for his co-driver. He had originally planned on picking up one of Marcos' old rivals, Greg Murphy, but not long after he learned that he had already booked a ride for Erebus alongside Richie Stanaway at the Mountain. Undeterred, he settled for the next best thing. His former co-driver and champion in his own right, Rick Kelly.

He had been waiting on Kelly's availability, and to his thankfulness it seemed Kelly had open books to the Mountain. Now it was a matter of securing Viral's pick.

Viral was sitting on Ambrose's lap like a young daughter, while both of them held onto the pole. As Akula returned, a twitch from the pole nearly pulled Viral out of Ambrose's lap and into the water, but with some guidance she managed to wrangle back some control from the fighting fish. After minutes of struggle, them began to make headway, using a slack and reel technique to keep it hooked.

Eventually the struggle concluded, a fine catch even if it was only an adolescent trout. An adult may have actually managed to bring Viral into the drink.

However it was getting quite dark, they would need to leave soon to try and make it back to Symmons Plains before it got too dark to drive without being tired. Ambrose led the group back to the lodge, putting away his gear and returning to say his goodbyes.

"I'll see you both at the track, sometime tomorrow. I hope you do well, cause you've got a lot of potential to do great things with this project." He gave the pair a handshake, and with that the two departed from the Lodge, preparing to get on with another weekend of intense racing action at a very short circuit.

On their way out they caught a glimpse of the Southern counterpart to the Northern Lights. A vibrant combo of pink and green, though only just visible in the sky. Every hour it seemed this place had more and more of its natural beauty to show Viral, something she would have never gotten back home.