HEROES OF SPEED : KYLE ‘SPEEDY’ GREGG WILL NOT BE CROWNED KING? Part 2

Kyle and Nicolas were the stars of a suspenseful drama. They thundered towards corner 1. Kyle held a narrow lead. Who knew that the plot was about to thicken? If we were told, we would grab and torture the messenger – treason! We saw, but we were obviously subjected to David Copperfield’s designs! Were we? A glitch in the Matrix? It was an impossible feat!

JAMIE JAMES

In August, at the Independence of Speed, Kyle ran unchallenged. Even at a mere crawl, victory was a foregone conclusion. Jamie James, a son of the Western soil, swallowed a brave pill and posed a challenge. Kyle toyed with the idea for a bit. Jamie’s highly-tuned, snarling and popping Evo led. Kyle stalked. After he pleased himself, Kyle dropped the hammer and executed Jamie with a cynical pass entering corner 1. It was a WOW-moment that was artfully executed by Kyle Gregg against an empty-threat-issuing Jamie James.

Kyle led. Nicolas Castillo, for the first time, in TS Race 1, was forced to access chase and kill  mode! The final lap of the race was underway. Kyle was leading. Nicolas was chasing. Dover was a buoyant sea of celebration. We had an epic battle on our hands. Texaco’s STAR-boy, Kyle ‘Speedy’ Gregg was in the lead, on his track. Carnival was in full swing. But, fate lost the ability to read and write long ago. No script applied. Fate has an uncanny way of slaying ambition and like THE HULK, it pummels everything in its path – including egos!

Our grins were still attached to our faces. High-fives were being distributed. Conversations were reduced to celebratory expletives. Kyle was in front and when Kyle leads, Kyle wins.

No one contacted Nicolas. He was ignorant of the Kyle-protocol (when Kyle leads, Kyle wins). Apparently the LueBoyz chose not to inform him during their team meeting. Both machines were under the whip and it was high stakes poker. In the laps prior, Nicolas exhibited a rock’s mentality – he was solid. How would he react? The roles were reversed. He was the hunter. Kyle was the prey.

There was no veil of deception. No magician was found at Dover. Mitsubishi left with the mirage. It happened. It was real. It was true. And it was incredible. Approaching the corner that he owned, the corner at which he extracted Jamie’s soul, Kyle’s confidence must have been at the summit of the Blue Mountains! Kyle must have been close to mid-track, mere meters from turning into the corner.

NICOLAS

Like a Honda RC213V-S (street MotoGP machine) at speed, Nicolas’ deft moves were a blur. An assassin walking in a moccasin – a silent killer. Payback is a ….. Kyle slaughtered at the scene of Jamie’s demise? Nicolas exhibited no compassion. He was devoid of emotion. He was Siberia – cold! It happened too fast for our eyes to capture and for our brains to process simultaneously. But, as they exited corner 1, fans everywhere realised and there was zero doubt – Nicolas passed Kyle ENTERING corner 1.

Our words-basket was empty. We were trapped behind a door of disbelief. Jamie James, somewhere, was a lark -  happy! We were visitors in confusion’s suite. But, what was even more alarming, was the response of the crowd. We should be cheering for Kyle. We should?

The fans who were yearning for the moments that Doug Gore’s BEAST  was assigned to deliver. The fans who were mourning the absence of The King. The fans who were present at Dover because they are purists and love circuit racing, recognised instantly, what they were watching. Nicolas Castillo was delivering a masterful stroke of competitive race-car driving. And the fans loved and appreciated him for it!

Nicolas Castillo came to Dover as a stranger, but after several laps in TS Race 1, his incorrigible tenacity behind the wheel, aided by his fearless and fierce demeanor, won him overwhelming crowd support.

Nicolas led. Both machines were screaming towards the spot where Pinky Bluffed!

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer