The Most Dangerous Race

Part 1

At the Stunts Car Spectacular (something like a demonstration of car stunt driving), Guts Wheeler tries and fails to jump a high stack of cars. Driver High Octane has the same problem. Speed is then approached by Snake Oiler and taunted by him for not not trying to jump the stack of cars. Snake has the stack made higher and then jumps it successfully. Snake, it turns out, is part of the Car Acrobatic Team. Trixie tells Speed not to try to outdo Oiler, risking himeself and the Mach Five, since he'll be in the upcoming Alpine Race. At this point, the entire Car Acrobatic Team comes driving---or flying---in, sailing over the heads of Speed, Trixie and the crowd.

In the Alps, Sparky tells Speed not to enter the Alpine Race because the Car Acrobatic Team will be using dirty tricks. Speed gets a wee tad huffy and yells at Sparky, who sulks away, his feelings hurt. Speed begins practicing on a special track, after which Pops says it time to try jumping the first chasm in the Mach Five. They watch as the Acrobatic Car Team all have no trouble, with the help of little wings on their cars, sailing across the chasm. As Speed accelerates, Racer X catches up and gives some hints on how to survive the course.

That might, Pops is redesigning the Mach Five while nearby Spritle and Chim Chim try their hands at building a car. They take it out for a test drive---enterprising tykes, aren't they?---and find the Car Acrobatic Team at some sort of midnight ritual. They're standing in rows and columns by their cars holding torches. Seven have entered the Alpine Race. A racer, Cobra, reads the entrants: Tiger, Knuckles, Brawn, Ugly, Poison, Ender (?), and Snake. He finishes by commanding, ``Do what it takes to win.''

During this little ritual, Spritle took photos that showing that the Car Acrobatic Team cars have little wings. Pops will again redesign the Mach Five. Pops, overworked, has a fever and collapses. Trixie takes him to the hospital, and Speed works alone to finish the Mach Five. Sparky's pride still wounded from Speed's remarks, won't shown up. At 4:30am, the race is set to begin with an expected audience of a million people. Eight-six cars have entered the race which is expected to last 3 days. The race starts at 5am but while Speed is still at home working on the car. He finishes and speeds to the race with only 15 seconds to spare. Sparky wishes Speed luck from the stands.

As the race begins, Speed notices the Mach Five isn't working well.

Part 2

At the first checkpoint, Speed is warned about bad weather ahead. The brakes are still not working well, and Speed wishes Sparky hadn't left. Sparky, Spritle, and Chim Chim are racing along the road to catch up with and help Speed. Trixie is flying in her chopper to warn Speed about the Mach Five's brakes herself. On the way she spots Sparky, Spritle and Chim Chim stopped and out of gas! They all hop in the chopper and continue on their way.

In an ice cave, the Car Acrobatic Team hit stalactites to hamper Speed, but some them end up crashing as a result. Meanwhile, the Mach Five's brakes are not working at all. Speed goes off the road and down a mountainside at Skull Chasm. He is doing his best to control the car, but having trouble without brakes or a smooth driving surface. As Trixie flies near, Sparky lassos the car and save Speed and the Mach Five. Speed and Sparky make up, and Sparky fixes the breaks. Before Speed starts off again, Spritle gives him his good luck charm (some sort of doll with a straw hat).

The bad weather finally makes its appearance. The Car Acrobatic Team and Speed are stopped at the Yawning Chasm Pass because part of the course was washed out. Racer X pulls up this point and joins the others. Since each car will cause more of the course to crumble away and widen the chasm still more, they draw lots to see who goes first. Three Car Acrobatic Team members draw, then Speed, and finally Racer X. The order is: Ender first in his car #19, Tiger third in #14, Brawn second in #18, Speed is sixth, Racer X is fifth, and Snake in #12 is fourth. Only Snake and X make it. Speed almost does, but falls.

Part 3

In the morning the weather has cleared, and Speed regains consciousness. He's on the valley floor where he came to rest after the accident. Though he's unhurt, he can't see. Snake is ok, and drives by abandoning Speed. Racer X spots Speed, and pretends to crash and that his legs are broken. Speed finds X by following the noise of X's car crash. In the Mach Five (where the odometer reads 7410 km), they catch up to oiler. Speed is the driver, X tells him how to steer. At a broken bridge, Racer X tells Speed to stop, but Speed hits the gas and goes. Racer X says, ``I don't think you would've been able to do that with your eyes open.'' Captain Terror and the Car Acrobatic Team are waiting at the finish line. Oiler's car is leaking oil. Speed warns him, but Snake doesn't believe him. His car blows up - musta been some oil leak. The Mach Five is the only car to finish. At the finish, Speed realizes Racer X has been ok the whole time, and feigned injury so that he could help Speed.