The thunder hill racing circuit sprawls over 372 acres in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The 10 mile track features over 130 corners with the Devil's Curve being the most dangerous one. With a 30 foot drop into the canyon below, even a minor slip up could prove to be fatal at this corner. The track also features a one mile stretch of tarmac path, the Whistling Valley, which can be advantageous for racers with the most powerful machine. For those interested in on track action, this stretch is where one will most likely witness it.

Dust storms and the scorching heat of the desert takes its toll on the vehicles making this track extremely difficult to navigate successfully. On top of that, the natural serpentine chicanes present at regular intervals makes this a nightmare for even the most experienced drivers. It is said that driving on this track for 12 hrs is more taxing than competing in the 24 hr Le Mans.

Due to the extremely dangerous and unpredictable terrain, this circuit is rarely used for motor racing and this is exactly why this was chosen as the venue for the THUMP Cup. This high stakes tournament deserved a high risk track like Thunder Hill.

Takkar walked past the grandstands, along the pit lane. At present the garages were devoid of cars and crew but in a few days this place would be bustling with activity. Near the last pit stall he found the large scoreboard, below which was a noticeboard which read:

DRIVERS APPLY HERE

Race day was fast approaching and Takkar had a million things to take care of before the tournament was underway. With the auctions completed, he had arranged for the cars to be delivered to the garage at the race track. As he made his way down to the team garage along with Karizma , he could hear engines being revved up. The mechanics were tinkering with the machines, trying to tune the vehicles to perfection for the racers.

Before entering the pit lane he passed by the VIP section meant for the elites. The local mayor as well as the police chief were invited to watch the races along with members of the Philly mafia . Takk had yet to decide on a sports commentator for the event. There was the renowned female commentator by the name of Barbara_Braganza who resided in Bella Vista but he was unsure if she would accept his invitation.

Takkar stepped into the pit lane and the first garage he passed by was the one that belonged to The Apex Predators. They had a menacing name alright but they did poorly in the auctions and were stuck with a set of second hand cars, the A-Bone. Their team consisted of intelligent drivers namely - Toaly 'Rainbow Dash', Hosico the sloth, BigBaby the gazelle, Velvet aka Crunchie and the 'Rolling Stone' Pebble.

The second garage belonged to Ferocious Fishies, a team of hardworking drivers who would be racing in the Alfa Romeo. Their members were humuhumunukunukuapua 'Ze Fishy', lazy lioness Nala, Zola the dead fish, Granite aka the 'Hard Place' and JohnnyChrist the 'Holy Roller'. He nodded at them and moved on to check on the other teams.

The middle space was occupied by PHUKED Motorsport, a team with a bunch of skilled drivers. With the Cadillac Cruiser in their possession they were a serious threat to the other teams. They were made up of Eazy the 'EazyRider', Hugh the 'Impostor', the Tigress Kates, the Princess Rosemary_Underwood and Perseus.

Next up were team Nextcar, certainly not a catchy name but they had in their midst some of the sneakiest drivers around. The Mercedes Benz W25, one of the best racing machines, was sure to give them the edge in this competition. Their team comprised of Kaya aka 'The Supreme', Tony_Alacchi known as 'Troubletime Tony', Saanvi the 'LadyDrifter, Hector_Jimenez aka 'El Quimico' and Limestone.

The final team in the THUMP cup was the TopGun. True to their name, they were a cocky bunch who announced to everyone on day one that they were going to own this tournament. Their flashy vehicle the "Christler" Imperial Roadster might just make that prophecy come true. Asher the 'Maverick', 'Number 4 news reporter in Kazakhastan' Borat, plain and simple Avocato, the 'Clown' BorisJ  and 'Little Red' Merah made up their team.

Takkar was satisfied by what he saw at the tracks. The teams were itching to get on the racetrack and the tickets to the event were sold out weeks ago. As he left the racing circuit behind him, he passed by the huge scoreboard that kept tally of the position of the racers. At present it was flashing the names of the teams.

SCOREBOARD

Asher was standing in the entrance to Top Gun's Garage, leaning against the teams newly purchased Christler that is so shiny it almost blinded Kaya as she walked past. 

"Hello Kaya how nice of you to drop in and wish us luck! Don't worry when this is all over and our team have won I may drive this over and park it in your garage for you and your team to have a closer look at this impressive roadster."

"I see you got the Mercedes Benz. That's a nice and reliable car, not too many bumps on the road, it will be a comfortable safe drive for sure! I heard Hosico fell asleep again and missed the auction and now stuck with a banged up second hand model, ouch!"

"I wish you and team Nextcar the best of luck and will keep an eye out for you at the finish line"

Johnny followed closely behind Kaya and slipped into Don Asher and Top Gun's garage, gawking at his car. Reaching out, he ran his fingers across the glossy black paint and smiled. "I wish I could have driven you for this race, but don't worry my sweet! I'll have you back afterward with that sweet, sweet purring V12 engine and smooooooth highway ride! MMM! I can't wait to drive you again!"

Looking up he noticed he'd been caught by Asher and crew, all seemingly befuddled by the no-name wiseguy's sudden appearance in their garage. Waving, Johnny chuckled and smiled. "Best of luck, Don Asher! Please take care of my car! She's a beauty and should do you well! And please, if you win, DON'T park it in Kaya's garage... She'll just wreck it!" Smirking, he waved at his boss, hoping she wouldn't be too terribly upset with his joking.

Taking her sunglasses off, she first looked at JohnnyChrist through narrowed eyes before her eyes traveled back to the car and Asher standing cockily next to it. Expressionlessly, she tilted her head to the side as she examined the admittedly impressive car. It was definitely the fastest and shiniest one in this entire track, but knowing Asher's inability to understand any machine more complicated than a typewriter, she doubted it would be of any use to him anyway. "Yes, yes, good luck and congratulations on scoring the fastest car. I'm sure you'll need all the boosts you can get." Kaya put on her most saccharine smile sarcastically. "It sure seems like a mighty fine car to cry in once we annihilate you."

"In all seriousness though, good luck and stay safe, you two." Kaya addressed both Johnny and Asher. "It shouldn't be too hard, left brakes and right gas. You'll be fine, I'll make sure to keep checking up on you via my rearview mirror from time to time." She threw them one last smirk before turning on her heel and proceeding to her team's garage, stopping by The Apex Predator's garage on the way and feeding Hosico some treats. Were they laced with tranquilizers to throw her off her game? Mayhaps. Either way, she knew the chonker needed some energy after staying up all night at the casinos so she decided she should refill her bowl before the big race.

After that pit stop, she proceeded to the Nextcar garage to go over their plans once again, feeling quite confident as she looked over at her team and their beautiful Benz.

Asher steps up on the winning podium to make an announcement

"I thought I would be standing here in a few days time to give my victory speech, but instead I stand here now to bring some tragic news. In the early hours of yesterday morning a contestant was driving their car to the starting grid and accidently run over and killed a fellow contestant. We are treating this death as accidental and reports of one team trying to get an advantage in the competition are unfounded. I also will not tolerate comments like 'typical women driver' or 'men are better at driving than women'. Sexism will not be tolerated in the Thunder Hill Cup"

"I will finish by saying our thoughts go out to our friend. Philly has lost a truly valuable member, may he rest in peace"

Eazy watches as Asher makes his speech about the events of yesterday morning and drops his head in respect of his fellow fallen racer.

The sense of sorrow could be felt across the city of Philadelphia but there was some light as his kin had come by to visit the funeral and vowed to continue his legacy in his fathers honour.

Eazy made his way over to send his condolences and offer any help he could in the future.

Tex was not very surprised when he looked into the cascet. With a terrible shock realised that it was the shop owner he saw and shivering he stood back from the cascet realising this couldnt be an accident.

Where could he go now....may be to his aunt in Manhatten, she had an old appartment.

Slowly he walked away from the funeral and stept in his old ford mustang and drove away into the mist. Realising he would never have a chance with races like this....so much money needed. But the thrill of it pumped through his vains....later........later when he had the money he would show them..

For a couple of days the racetrack was shutdown while the teams grieved the loss of BigBaby. The news of his son Harison 'BigBaby' joining the tournament brought joy and passion to the racers. That was not the only change in the tournament. Joining the PHUKED Motorsport was Karizma 'The Beauty' who was replacing Kates.

With the tournament pushed forward to the coming week, the contestants had plenty of time to prepare for the races. In fact they were doing  practice runs with new found enthusiasm after the Ford Motor Company offered to upgrade one of their vehicles. The early morning practice run tomorrow would decide the lucky racer. It was rumored that Henry Ford would be showing up for the race the coming day.

The sound of construction could be heard coming from the track side. The old scoreboard, that had fallen over during the scuffle between Avocato and Hosico was to be replaced with a new one.

NEW SCOREBOARD

BANG! 

Takkar fired the gun skyward signalling the start of the tournament and the racers whistled past him, eager to win the coveted THUMP Cup. Now that he had officiated the beginning of the race, he had other duties to take care of. Leaving the racetrack behind him, he headed towards the upper tiers of the grandstands to the commentary box.

"Goooood morning race fans,"  he began his announcement."The THUMP Cup is underway and the racers are off to a cracking start. Avocato is leading the pack in his cherry red 'Christler', closely followed by JohnnyChrist who is driving like a man possessed trying to overtake Avo. Ohhh, " Takk gasped as the Sloth banged up against the Christler and then he continued, "Not far behind we have 'BigBaby' Harison and a couple of racers from Phuked Motorsport. We also have an interesting battle going on between The Supreme and The Beauty as the race heats up."

Takkar took a sip of water as the race unfolded in the distance and he wondered if his co-commentator Barbara_Braganza was being fashionable late. Or had she forgotten about the race altogether. Picking the mic up he continued his comments. " Team Nextcar is taking a cautious approach to the race at the moment. 'LadyDrifter', 'El Quimico' and the Supreme are driving in tight formation." Takk scratched his beard in amazement as he watches them let Ferocious Fishies team pass them by without putting up a fight.

"It's almost midday and the racers are driving at a steady pace. Not much action on the field at the moment. Borat, Nala , the 'Rainbow Dash and Maverick are catching up to the rest of them," Takk looks at the clock and continues. "Folks its going to be an interesting evening. No team would enjoy coming up last on the first day of the tournament. We will keep you updated as the race progresses." Takk finished his final report before taking a break.

My god

How on earth did i miss out on this competition.

Any chance I can be the tyre guy?

or, I dunno, sell snacks or something?

Velvet looks at her team as toaly sits in the drivers seat and @hosisco is at the rear to give it a solid push as his crank stopped working..., Harison  cranks the old the old A-Bone's , the engines rattles, splutters and rolls, giving each other a firm nod with weary eyes and lack of sleep, left in the dust by the Imperial Roadster. the team cough and splutter waving their arms around. "We got this... we done it before we can do it again, let's meet at Apex HQ by 23:00, keep in touch guys."

Velvet jumps in her car and spot's @Pebbles snoozing in the car "oi! let's goooo"

The team go their own ways as fast as they can on heel of a few other team's a plan in place, a extra tank or two of fuel to push through day 2 with some Pizza pie's in their lunch box.

Johnny had his foot to the floor as he did his best to keep up with the much faster "Christler". There was no way Avocato was full throttle on that car. Team Top Gun had to be playing it easy knowing they had the fastest vehicle in the race. Johnny was right on Avocato's tail and moving up to pass just as the insane Avocado Cat swerved into a pothole while trying to bump him.

Braking quickly and cutting the wheel hard, Johnny dodged both the "Christler" and the large hole. However, as the car started to slide he corrected the wheel back the other direction, shifted down, and hammered on the throttle. The back tires spun for a moment sending a spray of sand high in the air until the vehicle caught traction and the ass-end whipped back around. Satisfied with his save, Johnny sat his eyes back on the lead car and shifted through his gears, double-clutching to keep his engine in purring in its sweet spot.

Little did he know a small, cosmetic piece of the "Christler" had snapped off in the near accident and embedded itself in his front, passenger tire. It wasn't until humuhumunukunukuapua pulled up next to him and pointed at the tire and made a hand signal did he notice the tug to the right. Nodding, Johnny quickly pulled his car off to the side and braked.

Hustling, he grabbed the spare and tools to make quick work of the tire change. A few minutes off of his time, and he was back in the driver's seat. With another spray of sand in the air Johnny's little Romeo rocketed back onto the track.

"Let's GOOOOOOO! HOOHOOHOOOOOO!" He howled and chuckled in glee!

The static ring of the PA powering on buzzed over the stand was the first day of racing wound to a close. Just as Takkar took adder breath to launch into his recap, Barb waltzed through the announcer’s booth looking like a drowned cat. Shooting him a a ‘don’t even ask’ glance, she snatched the microphone away, hip bumping him out of the way with a would-be playful (albeit exhausted) smirk. 

“Goooood evening ladies an’ gentlemen, mobsters an’ molls, an’ all yas degenerate gamblers an’ adrenaline junkies in between! The Coven an’ tha city a Philadelphia wants ta thank yas for attending (re) Opening Day here at Thunder Hill Racing Cirucuit’s THUMP Cup! In respectable fashion, why don’t we’s all take a brief moment a silence in commemoration of our Dearly Departed... and all tha money half a yas about ta lose.” 

There was a soft chuckle as the mic hum faded into silence ever so briefly. 

“ALRIGHT!” Barb’s perky voice snapped back at full volume, “Now on ta tha good stuff!” 

“At tha close a day one, it looks like Asher goin’ FULL Maverick and leanin’ hard on that sweet mystery miracle fuel as he plows ahead like a man possessed. In fact, I think I can sees tha little white smudge on his nose from here! Anybody know tha circuits views on performance enhancing chemicals?” She paused for only a brief second, “AH, who’m I kiddin’, THERE AREN’T ANY!” 

Laughing aloud, she moved on, “Not far behind, Hugh is comin’ in hot after a HARD push to make up for lost ground. He’s playin’ a little rough today, boys. Yas softies best stay outta tha way!” 

“I’m lookin’ at you, Perseus, my man! Not good, buddy. Not. Good. Butchyas in good company! Team Nextcar is looking just as sad. And, if they’s not more careful with they’s drivers, Hugh’s Motorsport is gonna be more ‘PHUCKED’ than they’s realize.” 

Chuckling, she whispered into the mic, “Maybe he really is an imposter.” 

“Movin’ on, Team Apex is makin’ surprisingly good time despite lowballin’ the bid on their hand-me-down A-bones. What they’s lack in machinery, they’s clearly make up for in pure driving skill. Not a bad show for day one. We’ll see if they’s can keep it up.” 

“And lastly, Ze Ferocious Fishies seem to have their fins full with a winning strategy. Granite has EVERYONE in a Hard Place today, pullin’ some AMAZING maneuvers outta her pet store bag a tricks. By far our best driver today. If I was Hugh, I’d set my sights on THOSE taillights, ya knows what I’m sayin’?”

”An’ that wraps up day one, ladies an’ gentlemen. Please join us again tomorrow for more heart-pounding racing. An’ remember... NO SLEEPIN’ IN THA STANDS. Philly sends her love an’ regards. SEE YAS ALL TOMORROW!” 

With a sharp ‘click’ the PA turned off, the electric buzz slowly fading into silence as the day came to a close. Setting the mic back on the desk, Barb nodded at Takk with a tired smile as she headed for the door. No explanation, no excuses, not even an assurance that she would be there tomorrow. Just an exhausted ‘Sorry’ mouthed over her shoulder as she pulled the door shut on her way out. 

Hearing the commentators drag their team name through the mud, Kaya huffed as she tried to get the hair out of her face. Not only was her hair completely ruined by the rousing wind, team Nextcar was also edging a bit behind compared to the other teams. Perhaps she shouldn't have shown up hungover for the first day or more importantly, perhaps she shouldn't have attempted to drive at all when she didn't even know the difference was between the brake and the gas. She thought she had calculated the risk factor correctly but boy, was she bad at math.

As soon as the day was adjourned, Kaya met up with her teammates who were looking worse for wear. Hector_Jimenez got himself into trouble and was handcuffed and brought to the big house while Limestone was coming down with the flu, probably because of the intense heat in the racing circuit. Spirits were down and they needed a leader to give an inspiring speech to lift up morale. Clearing her throat, she looked at her brilliant team members in the eye and with conviction, uttered two simple sentences. "Here for a good time, not a long time. Let's get drunk again and think about the repercussions tomorrow!"

Were there some regrets? Yes. Kaya woke up with a pounding headache but it was nothing more alcohol couldn't fix. This time was gonna be different though. The team arrived at the venue earlier than others and did a few test runs. Tony_Alacchi taught Kaya how to actually use the rearview mirror instead of looking at her reflection in it, while Saanvi dosed Limestone up and tried to nurse him back to health. They were still waiting on word whether or not Hector would make it back, but he made sure to send a letter saying he was okay and he'll get out of jail soon. They were a little calmer today, nerves more steeled... it probably helps that they were a lot less drunk today as well. Either way, there was a new team synergy for team Nextcar -- they were just gonna have fun today and try not to burn and crash as much as possible.

Eazy woke from his slumber after a late night at the bar after race day knowing that he could do better, with a headache like a beating drum he checks the time and jumps to his feet and prepares for day two.

Upon receiving the scoresheet he looks and can see that actually middle of the pack will do for now but there is some work to do!

He picks out a new suit and hat, grabs the keys and gets back to the races ready to rally his team for the next assault 

"get Phuked, get Phuked, GET PHUKED he chants as he drives down the road''

As Humu finally managed to arrive at the Thump Cup, god why did Takkar pick such a far out place, so far away from water??? He heard that Zola, who was a little worse swimmer due to her 'lucky' fin didn't even arrive in time for the start of the event.

But steeled with motivation and mettle Humu knew he'd have to compensate for his small stature and he followed the examples of the larger sized JohnnyChrist and Nala who were already ferociously pawing at tires and windscreens alike. He saw Nala smash a side mirror clean of with a simple swing of her mighty paws, he shuddered if he had been anywhere near that move he'd be sushi by now.

As he put on his landsuit in the backseat of the Alfa, god that was a majestic car fully underrated in Takkar's appraisals but that was to the Ferocious Fishies' benefit so he wasn't complaining. As he struggled to get into his suit that would make him able to be on land for long durations he felt something stab him in his tail. OUCH!! which idiot had dumped a bunch of spikes on the back seat. As he exclaimed that, Granite turned around from the passenger seat and gave him the most devilish grin. As Humu finished his suiting up he saw the christler was not far ahead, indeed it was driven like an old lady drives her T-Ford and he immediately saw why, Asher had taken over the controls and like expected by Kaya was way in over his head. Humu took a couple of spikes and used his tail lobbing techniques which he had shown in that basketball tournament ages ago and managed to lop over a couple of spikes in front of the Christler and with a resounding bang they actually got a puncture. A big chorus of cheers erupted from the Alfa as it sped onwards to the backside of the track.

Velvet plodding along seeing Eazy swerve all over the place trying to overtake, Kaya swigging a bottle back behind the wheel, ripping off a mirror in process, Velvet being the careful one eased up on the gas, logically thinking if they destroy their own cars surely she had a chance. @humuhumunukunukuapua was displaying signs of road rage.

People had flat tires yet no one repaired them? were the participates on coke?

Toaly was eagerly calculating movements as she rolled up next to him giving him a nod with a slight head tilt he pulled up at the local gas station, Harison was out of sight that kid was a eager beaver,Hosico waved as she took an alternative route.

A group of firetrucks scream past sirens wailing, horns exploding, she see's embers coming out from the wreckage feeling obligated to pull over Toaly sound his horn snapping her out of that mind set, she eases on the gas, opens her flask of whisker taking a solid chug she ram heavily into a participant. Flipping the bird... and there was the whiskey sweet talking.

Eazy was full of motivation first thing this morning when he got out of bed with his coffee in his hand he was cruising, it wasn't long before he could hear noises coming from the rear of the car and had to pull over in the next layby. 

Thankfully hugh was driving by and stopped to help change his tyre so they could back in action. 

Not much was getting done from him until late afternoon! 

Once back together Eazy with a nod of his head wheel span away on the hunt for the pesky stealthy drivers damaging cars he's heard so much about, time to teach them a lesson. 

Nala drove like a bat out of hell... Or more like a lioness out of scar's cave. She kept her paws pressed hard on the gas; who needed brakes? This was a race, not a stopping contest.

She could see the lead cars ahead and knew they were in a good position. But who could blame her for wanting a better position?

With a mighty "RAWR" she let her claws out and gripped the wheel. It was going to be a long race. One she didn't intend to loose.