Chapter 11

Here we are, Finns rally racing in France ... while France is at war ... with Germany ... and we have German cars, drivers, teams that we're racing against ... and nobody is pissed at them. It's just a war ... the sport of Kings ... and it's ok. It's been going on for two years ... millions have died ... and the race in Germany is in two weeks ... Belgium ... which is under German control is two weeks after that.

The Austro-Hungarian rally is in August and France, England and the USA are at war with the Empire ... but nobody ... and I mean nobody ... in the High Command is dumb enough to mess with the rally teams. War might be the sport of kings but Rally is the sport of everybody else.

It ranks immediately after soccer.

One Christmas the front lines stopped fighting and soccer matches were played by both sides. That pissed the generals off no end. The silence was deafening. After the hangovers, the artillery and machine-guns started up again and men that were drinking buddies yesterday were killing each other today.

In November, the whole shooting match was heading to South America for rally races in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Ecuador. The cars would be going by ship and woe betide the submarine that put a torpedo in that ship. A captain would be better off sinking a lighted hospital ship.

Then it would be on to Australia, New Zealand, Japan and China.

Unless your team was scheduled to be one of fifteen pro teams who were going to race with the locals from Panama to Baja California. Those races were something else. Two years ago, a contingent of Mexican soldiers blocked the road after the Central American teams had passed a checkpoint and the Quattros just plowed right through them ... nobody fucks with the rally.

The next rally in that division was the race to Alaska from Los Angeles. That bunch were ferried across the Bering Strait and then they race to Paris with the China crews and from Paris to Monte Carlo, where the World Rally Championship Cup from last year was awarded and the WRC started for the next year. Actually, the years WRC cup finished in Paris but the presentation was made in Monte Carlo.

It was entirely possible for a driver of one make of car win the Cup but a totally different manufacturer might win the big trophy; The Manufacturer's Cup. The Win was worth billions in car sales.

Not every country won a spot on the rally list. Six countries were always on it: Finland, Sweden, France, Germany, England and Italy. Finland didn't build in country designed cars but they had the best ... meaning the most difficult ... roads.

Finland and Sweden were on the list because the Winter Rally's on the lakes were extremely popular and a mainstay of the WRC. Millions of people came from all over the world to freeze half to death and watch cars run sideways on lake ice. Worldwide, one of every five dollars spent by fans went to support the WRC. Everything was licensed ... even the hot dogs.

Sweden, Germany, France, England and Italy were permanent because they built the most cars.

The northern boundary of the United States was 51 N and ran straight across the continent. The countries borders were not decided by obstacles like rivers and mountains but by surveyors.

Rallying in the United States and Canada for some reason wasn't popular. American cars were big, heavy, slow and comfortable and everybody over the age of 16 had one. The other reason was that American roads were every mile ... straight and ran in the compass points: NESW. Racing in the US and most of Canada was on oval tracks and turning left.

There were crazies ... like David's mother before the lightning ... who rallied in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota but they were hard pressed to field 10 or fifteen cars. American cars weren't suitable.