Waking up early, I slid quietly out of bed, got dressed, and made my way out to the parking area.

The two crews were setting things up for the day, and thankfully Reggie already had the coffee maker going. Gratefully, I accepted a cup of the nectar of the bean.

“The weather report says a high in the low seventies today,” Reggie said. “Some wind, but not too bad, no moisture. Still, I talked to the guys running the place and they said that nobody has run here since the last rain, so expect the track’ll be really green until you guys lay some rubber down.”

“Good to know,” I said. “Think I’ll walk the track.”

Handing him the now empty cup, I made my way out the hot pit lane and onto the track itself. The surface seemed to be in good, but maybe not great, shape. There were a few seams and the occasional tar snake, but no big ugly patches or crumbling bits, so I wasn’t about to complain.

James was talking with Reggie when I got back to the pits forty-five minutes later. The Track Club guys had Godzilla and the 918 out and were going over them one last time.

“I like the new color,” I said to James, indicating the Nissan. He’d had it re-wrapped, so now instead of the iridescent Japanese Beetle green I’d had, it was a vivid poison green with black accents.

“Thanks,” James said. “It was Imogen’s idea, after the second or third time somebody asked me why I was driving your car.”

Laughing, I fist-bumped him, then went to check on my BMWs.

“The track goes hot at nine,” Joachim said as I walked up. “We’ll throw the warmers on a little bit after eight, so the tires’ll be nice and toasty right out of the gate.”

“You know I’ve never driven this track before, right? Did you hear what Reggie said about the track being really green? I’m not gonna set any lap records at the drop of the green flag.”

“A slippery track is all the more reason to have the tires up to temp to start with,” Joachim said with a smile. "Oh, and we brought plenty of tires, so go ahead and burn ‘em off as fast as you want.”

“You know the way to a girl’s heart,” I replied with a laugh.

Seeing Lainey and Maddie standing a bit off to one side and looking nervous, I waved them over. “Guys, you’ve met Lainey and her daughter Maddie, but I don’t know if I ever made proper introductions. Maddie, Lainey, this is my crew chief Joachim. That’s Manny, over there is Rob, and somewhere around here is Jase. These guys are great- if you’re having any sort of car issue, let them take a look.”

“Leah’s cars are pretty well dialed in, so we mostly just sit around and wait for something to do, anyhow,” Joachim joked.

Emmy had been waiting to tell me something, so I excused myself to see what it was she wanted.

“Imogen, Angela and I are going in to Tucson to a day spa while you and James play with your cars,” she announced.

“You don’t mind, do you?” Angela asked.

“Why would I mind?”

“Well, because we’re, I mean, just leaving you here, while we go off and do something without you,” Angela said, a bit hesitantly.

“No, Ange, I don’t mind. In fact, I’m glad you guys are doing it. Much better than being stuck out here in the middle of nowhere.”

Smiling, she leaned in for a quick kiss. “Thanks,” she said. I gave Emmy a kiss also, and the two of them grabbed Imogen and headed back to the casitas, presumably to get whatever they needed.

“Can I ride with you?” Tiffany asked when I returned to where everybody else was hanging out.

“Joachim over there is my crew chief, and that means that as far as things like that are concerned, you have to talk to him,” I said, pointing at the Brazilian mechanic. “Go ask him, and see what he says.”

“Can you ask him for me?” Tiffany pleaded, being bashful.

“One,” I said, holding up my index finger. “Racing isn’t for people who are shy. It’s all about making your way, and not just meekly going along. Two,” I continued, lifting up my second finger. “The crew chief is the most important guy in the racer’s world. Seriously, he’s the guy you need to be on good terms with. If you don’t get along with your crew chief, you aren’t going anywhere. And three,” I added, extending my thumb. “He’s a really nice guy. There’s no need to be shy with him.”

I gave her a little nudge, propelling her towards where Joachim was looking at the laptop he had sitting on the fender of the GT3, checking whatever it was he was checking.

Tentatively, but then with more determination after a quick look back in my direction, she walked over and stood by the guy until he noticed her. I couldn’t hear the conversation over the sound of the GT3 warming up, but I could see they had a bit of a back and forth for a couple of minutes. He gave her a sign to wait there, and went into the toter for something. A moment later he emerged with two boxes. He indicated she should follow him into the canopy enclosure and to the camp chairs set up there.

She sat down as he suggested, and he handed her the first box. She opened it up, puzzled, then her face lit up when she pulled out a BWM of Temecula racing suit in her size. Also in the box were a pair of racing shoes and some driver’s gloves to match. Excited, she opened the second box and pulled out the white, red and blue helmet that she found inside.

She looked up at me, having realized that I’d set it all up, her smile so wide I thought the top of her head would fall off. She set the helmet down gently, then came racing over to give me a big hug.

“Thank you thank you thank you thank you!” she said.

“So here’s the deal,” I said. “I can’t take you out in my race car, since it only has one seat. I’ve signed the waivers and you can ride in the orange car with me, but the track boss has to inspect your safety gear and approve it.”

“Joachim?”

“No, he’s the crew chief. I mean the track marshall, the guy who actually runs the track while we’re out there. He’s the boss of the track, and what he says, goes as far as the track is concerned. We’ll see him in a bit when he comes over at eight thirty or so to explain the track rules.”

“O.K., so he gets to say who can go out on the track and who can’t? I thought you said the crew chief does that,” Tiffany protested.

“No, the crew chief is in charge of the race team. The track marshall is in charge of the track. Either one can say no at any time for any number of reasons, and both have to say yes for you to go out,” I explained.

“Let me get this straight,” Tiffany said, sounding very much like our mom. “Joachim has the O.K. on whether or not anybody on our race team gets to go out-”

“Well, even whether we can get in the car or not,” I interrupted.

“And the track marshall gets to say whether we can get on the track,” she finished.

“Exactly.”

“And I can go out with you when you’re driving the orange car, since it has two seats, but not in the race car, since it only has one.”

“Right.”

“So what do I do when you’re out on the track in the race car?” Tiffany asked.

“You can talk to Joachim and the guys about how they set the cars up, or you could watch from the stands over there- you remembered to put on sun block, right?” I asked, suddenly remembering.

When she rolled her eyes and nodded yes, I continued. “You can play on your phone, take a nap in the casita, whatever.”

“So, basically, just sit around and wait for you to give me a ride,” she said.

“Yeah, more or less,” I admitted.

“Can I ride with Maddie?”

“Her mom is her crew chief,” I said.

“So I need to ask her?”

“Exactly. I’ll talk to her about it, but you need to directly ask her and get her permission straight from her mouth. No asking me, or asking Maddie. Also, not until after lunch today, even if she says yes. This is a new track for all of us, and the marshall said it’s really slippery right now, so until we’ve gotten a feel for it and the track has warmed up, no riding with Maddie.”

“But I can ride with you?” Tiffany asked.

“Not right from the start. I need to get a feel for conditions before then. And also, you need to make sure your race suit and gear all fits right.”

“That’ll take five minutes,” Tiffany said, rolling her eyes the way only a pre-teen girl can.

“There’s more adjustability than you might think,” I said. “It all needs to fit just right- especially the helmet.”

“O.K., I get it,” Tiffany said, turning to go back to the canopy to grab her new racing gear.

I grabbed my own gear from the M6’s trunk and went into the toter to change. I wanted to be out and rolling the moment the green flag waved, after all. Suited up, my gloves stuffed into my helmet (a habit that both Reggie and Joachim had given me hell for, but hey- I saw Alain do it, too, and he’s a freaking legend of the sport, right?), I made my way back out to the canopy.

James, Reggie and Joachim were all there, talking with a middle-aged guy I didn’t recognize. As I walked up, I saw Tiffany showing off her new racing gear to Maddie. I waved them both over, and soon everybody was there for the marshall’s instructions.

It was the same as always, a rundown of the various flags and what they mean, track entry and exit rules, so on. It was old news for most of us, but Tiffany was laser-focused and taking it all in. She looked adorable in her little Nomex suit and racing shoes, holding her helmet under her arm. It had taken a lot of money to get them all overnighted from Germany, and I was never going to tell Mom just how much it all cost. In any case, it was worth it, seeing Tiffany in the outfit. I surreptitiously took a few photos and sent them to Emmy and Angela so they could see how cute she was.

After the marshall (whose name I can’t remember) finished and told us we had ten minutes until the track went hot, Tiffany went right up to him without prompting. She held her helmet out to the guy and spun slowly around so he could see that her suit fit her well and was properly done up.

“Looks like you’re good to go, little lady. Which car will you be driving?” he asked, smiling.

“I can’t drive a car yet,” she said, completely seriously. “I can’t reach the pedals.”

“Maybe not yet, but I’m sure you’ll be driving soon. In any case, you look ready to go. Don’t forget to fasten your helmet before getting out on the track.”

When he turned to leave, Tiffany rushed over. “Did you hear? He said I was ready to go!”

“I heard, I heard,” I said. “But remember what I said about having to wait a little bit until I get a feel for the track, alright?”

“O.K.,” she said with surprisingly good grace. “I’m gonna go see what Joachim is doing to get your car ready.”

“You’re going to take her out?” Lainey asked as soon as Tiffany had bolted.

“Yeah, I am,” I replied. “She’s been playing these racing games and is really into it, you know? I took her to one of those indoor kart places and she loved it. She did really well, actually, so I figure that she should get a feel for what it’s really like out on a track.”

“She’s what? Twelve?”

“Still eleven for a few more months. She’s just tall, like I was at that age.”

“Maddie was nine when she got her first kart. It was something her dad loved to do with her, you know?” Lainey said.

“Maybe karting would be good for Tiffany,” I said with a shrug. “But I know nothing about it.”

“There are a few tracks here in the region,” Lainey said. “And it’s way cheaper and easier than full-sized cars, let me tell you.”

Laughing, I said, “I bet. Hey, Tiffany asked me if she could go out for a few laps with Maddie. I told her that she had to ask you, because you’re Maddie’s crew chief.”

“You’re O.K. with your sister riding with Maddie?” Lainey asked, surprised, but rolling with the ‘crew chief’ designation.

“Hey, I’ve ridden with Maddie, remember? She’s a good driver, and the car is sound. There’s only the three of us out here, and I guarantee neither James or I are going to run into Maddie, so it should be pretty safe. But if you’re not sure, just tell her no. Tell her that you don’t want her distracting Maddie, or the car won’t handle right with the extra weight, or whatever. Heck, you don’t even need to make anything up. If you say no, she’ll accept it,” I said.

Lainey sighed, and said, “Let me think about it.”

“I told her that even if you do say yes, not until after lunch today. Maddie needs time to learn the track with no distractions,” I said. “In fact, I told her that I’m not comfortable taking her out until I’m satisfied that I have a feel for the track.”

Nodding, Lainey said, “Makes sense. Like I said, I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I ask,” I replied, and we parted to get ready.

“Your car is all ready!” Tiffany announced as I walked up. Joachim nodded in agreement, so I put on my HANS device and then my helmet.

“Ready to rock!” I said to Tiffany as I climbed into the car and settled into the seat.

“Go out there and haul ass!” Tiffany shouted over the engine noise, making me laugh.

I rolled up to the marshall, waiting to be waved onto the track. James was right behind me in the now wickedly green Nissan, and Maddie’s meek-looking little Mitsubishi pulled in behind. After a few seconds of talking on his radio, the marshall waved me on, stopping James at the line to give me time to open a gap.

Just cruising, I rolled through the initial double-apex right-hander just fine, giving it a goose on exit to get a feel for grip. As predicted, it didn’t take much to break loose, but when it did, it was nice and controlled. The long straight led into a right-handed sweeper, then a short little straight. Alain’s description of a straight being any place you can put your foot flat to the floor came to mind as I ran over the curbing entering the second big sweeping right. ‘So far, so good,’ I thought, but I knew the tricky part was coming up. The track rose midway through the sweeper, hiding the braking zone and entry into the tight right that followed. The next part of the track snaked back and forth, with a few rises to limit visibility. The right-hander in the middle of that section was particularly tough, since the hard braking zone came immediately after a small crest, unweighting the car, especially at the low speeds I was going. Paradoxically, I could tell that going faster and braking harder and later was going to solve the lift problem. Thanks, aero package!

I picked up the speed a few percentage points on my second lap, confident that I had enough grip to play with the gas a bit. I got a little sideways a couple of times, but nothing too exciting. Turn twelve was better a little bit faster, but knowing there was a hard braking zone you can’t see until almost too late was a bit stressful.

Every successive lap I picked up the speed, and as I did, my lines naturally changed. It was nice, being all alone out there. The other two drivers popped into view off in the distance every now and then, but otherwise I might have had the whole place to myself.

After about twenty laps or so I was feeling pretty smooth and fast. I had my braking markers sorted out and felt my lines were nice and solid, so I pulled into the pit to change cars (and pick up a passenger).

“How was it out there?” Joachim asked after I climbed out of the GT3.

“It’s good,” I said. “Not as slippery as promised, but good.”

“Well, a certain somebody has been dying to get out there, so take a quick drink of water and head back out,” he said with a chuckle.

“Let’s gooooo!” Tiffany said as I opened the driver’s side door of the M6. She was already buckled in, the racing harness snugged up properly for her small frame. Mentally thanking Joachim, I slid into my seat and buckled up.

“Alright,” I said. “Where do we enter the track?”

“Over there,” Tiffany said, taking the question seriously. She pointed to the entry onto the hot pit lane, so I rolled the car over where she pointed.

“Now what?”

“Wait for the marshall to wave you onto the track,” she replied, confident in her answer.

I did as she said, and we waited while Maddie zoomed by. Another thirty seconds or so later, the marshal gave us a wave and onto the track we went. The M6’s tires hadn’t been on warmers, so I knew I needed at least a lap (or maybe two) before I got the grip I could count on. Add to that the significantly smaller aero package, and there was no way I was going to match the speeds I’d been doing minutes before in the GT3.

Still, even a warm-up pace was enough to keep Tiffany excited. She squealed with delight when I ran over the curb on turn four and squeaked with surprise when we topped the hump after eleven and I slammed on the brakes for twelve.

Happy with the way the street car was responding, I felt good about taking lap two a fair bit faster, and judging by Tiffany’s reactions, she was O.K. with the idea.

Accelerating hard out of two onto the front straight, I let the rear step out a bit before snapping it back into line. I kept my foot flat as long as possible, amused by the maniacal laughter coming from the passenger seat. I slammed the brakes and threw the car into the first sweeper, letting it rotate into a late apex exit.

“Awesome!” Tiffany shouted above the roar of the nearly six hundred horses running wild in the engine bay.

Pleased that Tiffany was taking the experience so well, I let that lava orange car fly around the track. Sure, it wasn’t nearly as fast as the race car, but skating around and letting it slide through the turns was its own kind of fun.