Challenge of the Masked Racer Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Title Page

  Chapter 1 - RACER X ARRIVES

  Chapter 2 - NO RACE FOR SPEED

  Chapter 3 - THE STORY OF REX RACER

  Chapter 4 - SECRET PLANS

  Chapter 5 - DANGEROUS PRACTICE

  Chapter 6 - THE MASKED RACER’S SECRET

  Chapter 7 - THE WRONG MAN

  Chapter 8 - CAUGHT!

  Chapter 9 - FIRE!

  Chapter 10 - AND THY’RE OFF!

  Chapter 11 - DIRTY TRICKS ON THE TRACK

  Chapter 12 - RACE TO THE FINISH

  Chapter 13 - A BITTERSWEET VICTORY

  SPEED’S BONUS RACE

  GROSSET & DUNLAP

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  Copyright © 2008 Speed Racer Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Speed Racer is a trademark of Speed Racer Enterprises, Inc. and is used under license. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. S.A.

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  The marvels of the Mach 5

  The mach 5 is one of the most

  powerful and amazing racing cars in

  the world. Pops Racer designed the mach 5

  with features you won’t see on any other car.

  All of the features can be controlled by

  buttons on the steering wheel.

  This button releases powerful jacks to boost the car so Sparky. the mechanic. can quickly make any necessary repairs or adjustments.

  Press this button and the mach 5 sprouts special grip tires for traction over any terrain. At the same time, an incredible 5.000 torque of horsepower is distributed equally to each wheel by auxiliary engines.

  For use when Speed Racer has to race over heavily mooded terrain, powerful rotary saws protrude from the front of the mach 5 to slash and cut any and all obstacles.

  Pressing the D button releases a powerful deflector that seals the cockpit into an air-conditioned. crash and bulletproof. watertight chamber. Inside it. Speed Racer is completely isolated and shielded.

  The button for special illumination allows Speed Racer to see much farther and more clearly than with ordinary headlights. It’s invaluable in some of the weirdand dangerous places he races the mach 5.

  Press this button when the mach 5 is underwater. First the cockpit is supplied with oxygen, then a periscope is raised to scan the surface of the water. Everything that is seen is relayed down to the cockpit by television.

  This releases a homing robot from the front of the car. The homing robot can carry pictures or tape-recorded messages to anyone or anywhere Speed Racer wants.

  1

  RACER X ARRIVES

  Speed Racer stepped on the gas of the Mach 5. The sleek white race car expertly handled the curves of the winding road.

  Speed wasn’t in a race. It was a bright, sunny day, and he and his girlfriend, Trixie, were headed for the beach. A mermaid doll dangled from the Mach 5’s rearview mirror. A flock of seagulls cried out as they flew overhead. A salty breeze rippled through Trixie’s bouncy brown hair.

  “There’s the ocean up ahead, Speed,” Trixie remarked. The bright blue water came into view over the railing.

  Speed handled another curve in the road. Now they were driving alongside the ocean. Waves lapped up against the cliff that separated the ocean from the road. The seagulls flew alongside Speed as he sped down the road, almost as though they were racing the Mach 5.

  Suddenly, a black-and-white dog appeared on the road in front of the car. Speed and Trixie gasped.

  Speed reacted quickly. He pressed the A button on the Mach 5’s steering wheel. Hydraulic jacks emerged from under the body of the car. They propelled the Mach 5 straight up into the air. The race car hopped over the little dog.

  Speed and Trixie smiled at each other. Speed’s dad, Pops Racer, had engineered the Mach 5. Pops had outfitted the car with extra features to help the Mach 5 on the world’s most dangerous racecourses. But the features came in handy off the racetrack, too.

  They left the dog safely behind them and continued on down the road. But as they neared the docks, something made Speed slow down.

  A huge steamer ship was anchored at one of the docks. A crowd was gathered in front of the ship. They were looking at a race car being lowered from the ship with chains.

  The yellow car had a black number 9 on the side. Two yellow fins stuck out of the car’s rear body. A black stripe ran from the windshield down to the front of the car, ending in a wicked-looking sharp nose.

  A man in a white racing suit waited on the dock for the car to be lowered. He wore a black mask over his head that covered his eyes and chin. Only his nose and mouth were exposed. This was the infamous Racer X.

  Speed parked the Mach 5 and he and Trixie got out to watch. The people in the crowd wore suits. They carried microphones, cameras, and notebooks. Speed guessed they were news reporters.

  “Racer X’s car is being unloaded from the ship!” one reporter cried out. He wore glasses, and a pink suit with a blue tie.

  Next to him, a photographer holding a camera nodded. “This means there will be trouble in the race.”

  “Every time that masked racer has been in a race, there have been mysterious crashes,” the reporter said.

  “Rumor has it that Racer X is causing the cars to crash,” the photographer added.

  A woman reporter frowned behind them. “Nobody’s been able to prove that,” she pointed out.

  The reporter grinned. “Why do you think I’m here? I want to catch him in the act! I’m going to keep a close eye on Racer X.”

  The yellow race car safely landed on the dock. Racer X unhooked the chains that had lowered the car from the boat. He began to check the car’s tires. He kept his back to the re
porters, ignoring them.

  Speed and Trixie watched. Racer X was famous in the racing world. They had never been so close to a celebrity before!

  Trixie had a dreamy look in her dark eyes. “He looks mysterious in that mask,” she said. “Handsome, too.”

  Speed admired the masked racer for another reason. “He drives faster than a rocket, and he won the Grand Prix at Le Mans four years in a row,” he told Trixie. “He’s won just about every race he’s ever entered.”

  “No kidding!” Trixie remarked.

  “He’s raced against some of the top racers in the world, and he’s beaten all of them,” Speed said. His blue eyes shone with admiration as he talked about Racer X.

  Trixie sighed. “I hope I get to see what he really looks like.”

  Speed chuckled. “Sorry, but nobody’s ever seen him. They don’t even know his real name, or where he’s from. That’s why they call him Racer X.”

  “Masked Racer, who do you think will win the Trans-Country Race?” one reporter asked as he approached Racer X.

  Racer X didn’t answer. He kept working on his car.

  “Do you think any cars will crash in the race?” another reporter asked.

  Racer X turned and silently scowled at the reporter. The man grinned. “Aha! So you’re keeping that a secret.”

  Racer X ignored the question. He jumped into the driver’s seat of his car. Photographers began snapping pictures like crazy.

  “Hold it, Masked Racer! Let me get another shot,” a photographer called out.

  But Racer X just revved the engine. A short man with a bow tie, mustache, and balding head pushed his way through the crowd.

  “Racer X, my name is Mr. Wiley,” he said. “I’m on the committee of the Trans-Country Race. I’d like to talk to you for a few minutes.”

  Racer X drove off without a word. Mr. Wiley’s face turned red with anger as he watched the Masked Racer go.

  “Hey, don’t go! We’ve got more questions!” a reporter cried.

  The Masked Racer drove past Speed and Trixie. His race car screeched to a halt. He looked at the two of them in his rearview mirror. Then he drove off once again.

  “Oooh!” Trixie swooned. They’d almost had a close encounter with Racer X!

  But Speed frowned.

  That Masked Racer sure is strange, he thought.

  Then he smiled at Trixie.

  “Come on,” he said. “We’ve got to catch some waves!”

  2

  NO RACE FOR SPEED

  Back at Speed’s house, Pops Racer sat behind his desk. Speed’s little brother, Spritle, sat at a nearby table. His pet chimpanzee, Chim Chim, sat next to him. They were happily eating oranges.

  Pops didn’t look happy at all. He frowned under his black mustache as he looked at the two men in front of him.

  One man was tall and thin, with a small mustache under his long nose. He wore a green suit, a matching hat, and glasses. The other man was short and round with slicked-back black hair. He wore a maroon suit and a green bow tie.

  The thin man slapped a pile of money on the desk.

  “A thousand bucks. What do you say?” he asked.

  Pops folded his muscular arms across his desk. “Hmmm,” he replied as he closed his eyes.

  Spritle’s brown eyes grew wide. He looked at Chim Chim. “A thousand bucks! We could buy a lot of candy with that! ”

  Chim Chim jumped up and down in his seat. “Eek! Eek!” he agreed.

  Pops still didn’t answer.

  “My Alpha Team has got to win the great Trans-Country Race,” the thin man explained. “With the Masked Racer in the race, my team won’t have a chance. You’ve got to let your son Speed Racer join my boys. With him on our side, we’ll be able to beat that Racer X.”

  “Hmmm,” Pops said again. He didn’t seem to be impressed.

  The thin man slapped another pile of money on the table. “I’ll increase my offer. How does two thousand bucks sound?”

  Spritle’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Wow!” he cried.

  Chim Chim tried to count to two thousand on his fingers. He didn’t get very far. He took off his red shoes and tried counting on his toes. That didn’t work, either.

  “Eek!” Chim Chim cried. Then he fainted. The thought of all that money was too much for him.

  It still didn’t impress Pops. He kept his eyes closed and his arms folded.

  The thin man was starting to sweat. “How about it? Will you let Speed Racer join the Alpha Team for two thousand?”

  Pops still didn’t answer.

  The fat man in the maroon suit started laughing. The thin man stomped up to him.

  “What’s so funny?” he demanded.

  “I’m laughing because you’re offering a measly two thousand bucks to Mr. Racer,” he explained. “But I’ll pay three thousand for Speed to be on my team!”

  Pops thoughtfully stroked his chin. Things were starting to get interesting now.

  “How about it, Mr. Racer?” the fat man asked. He opened a briefcase and took out a big pile of money. He put it on the table next to the pile that was already there. “Here’s the money. I’ll even throw in an extra fifty cents.”

  The coins clattered on the table. Pops opened his eyes.

  Now it was the thin man’s turn to laugh. “Only three thousand? I’ll make it four.” He smacked more money down. “How about it, Mr. Racer?”

  Pops shook his head no.

  Sprite and Chim Chim watched with glee.

  “Oh boy, the price is getting better and better!” Spritle said. “I hope it keeps going up.”

  The fat man looked serious now. “I’m willing to make it five thousand dollars and fifty cents.”

  “Keep holding out, Pops! Spritle cheered. ”Maybe they’ll go up to a million!“

  But Pops had had enough.

  “Keep the money!” Pops barked. “Speed won’t be on either one of your teams!”

  Pops was a big man with a barrel chest and arms muscled from his years working as a pro wrestler. When Pops was angry, he could frighten a bear. The two moneymen were no different. The frightened men grabbed their cash and ran out. Spritle frowned.

  “Too bad. Now we won’t be able to buy any candy!” he complained.

  Pops let out a sigh. Speed was a good driver. But he wasn’t ready to go pro yet. And no amount of money was going to change Pops’s mind!

  The sun set over the harbor, casting shades of gold and red over the water. Speed and Trixie sat on the hood of the Mach 5 and watched the beautiful sight. They’d had a great day at the beach, but meeting Racer X had definitely been the most exciting part of their day.

  “Racer X will probably win the Trans-Country Race, won’t he, Speed?” Trixie asked.

  “I guess so,” Speed answered.

  Trixie glanced at Speed. “But he doesn’t have to win, does he?”

  “What are you hinting at?” Speed asked.

  “You should enter the race! ” Trixie urged. “I’m sure you’re the only one who can beat Racer X.”

  Speed sighed. “Maybe I am, but maybe I’m not.” He looked out at the waves, and a sad look crossed his face. “We’ll never know because I’m not racing.”

  “Oh, come on, Speed,” Trixie teased. “Won’t you do it for me?”

  “You know I can‘t, Trixie,” Speed replied. “It’ll make Pops super angry.”

  Trixie grinned. “If I know him, he’ll calm down once he sees you’re going to win.”

  Speed and Trixie laughed. That sounded like Pops, all right.

  A red race car pulled up next to the Mach 5. The driver wore a red racing suit and a red helmet with a white arrow on it. Speed recognized Zoomer Slick, a young driver on the racing circuit.

  “Hey, Speed,” Slick greeted him. “Guess who you’re looking at? The winner of the Trans-Country Race, that’s who! ”

  Trixie looked at Speed and rolled her eyes.

  “I just signed up with Mr. Fixer for the Alpha Team,” Slick
went on. “Our team’s got lots of spirit. One of us is going to beat the Masked Racer, and that’s going to be me! Too bad your father didn’t take all that money Mr. Fixer offered him. Otherwise you’d be driving for the Alpha Team instead of me.”

  Speed and Trixie looked at each other. Had Pops really turned down a chance for Speed to enter the race?

  Slick grinned. He wanted to get under Speed’s skin, and he’d succeeded. “See you after I win!” he called out. Then he waved and zoomed away.

  “Good luck, Slick!” Speed called after him, and he meant it. Slick might not be the nicest guy, but he was a fellow driver, and Speed was a good sport.

  Trixie scowled. “He’s so conceited! Now you have to enter that race, Speed. You have to beat Slick and the Masked Racer! ”

  Speed watched Slick drive off down the road. Trixie was making sense. Speed knew he was a better racer than Slick. So why did Slick get to race, while Speed sat on the sidelines? It wasn’t fair.

  “Let’s go, Trixie,” Speed said, jumping into the Mach 5.

  “Where are we going?” Trixie asked.

  Speed grinned. “You’ll see.”

  3

  THE STORY OF REX RACER

  The Racer family gathered around the television that night. Pops wore a bathrobe and sat in his favorite armchair. Speed and his mom sat in chairs on either side of Pops. Mom Racer was a pretty woman with brown hair and a friendly smile. Her hands moved quickly as she knitted a blanket. Spritle and Chim Chim sat at a table, snacking on donuts.