The Great Plan Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Title Page

  Chapter 1 - MEET THE MACH 5

  Chapter 2 - POPS LOSES HIS COOL

  Chapter 3 - CATCH THAT BIKER!

  Chapter 4 - A SINISTER OFFER

  Chapter 5 - A TIMELY RACE

  Chapter 6 - ACE DUCEY STRIKES

  Chapter 7 - CRASH TEST!

  Chapter 8 - SPRITLE’S FIX

  Chapter 9 - SWORD MOUNTAIN

  Chapter 10 - TRIXIE’S WARNING

  Chapter 11 - A FLARE FOR DANGER

  Chapter 12 - INTO THE VOLCANO

  Chapter 13 - RACE CAR RUMBLE

  Chapter 14 - FIGHT FOR THE MACH 5

  Chapter 15 - RACE TO THE FINISH

  Chapter 16 - WINNING ISN’T EVERYTHING

  Teaser chapter

  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. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark

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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 wooded 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 weird and 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

  MEET THE MACH 5

  Speed Racer gripped the wheel as he raced around the track. A pack of cars led the race up ahead, but Speed wasn’t worried.

  He was driving the Mach 5. His dad, Pops Racer, had designed the Mach 5 to be the ultimate racing machine. The sleek white car could accelerate in the blink of an eye. It could handle sharp curves with ease. In the Mach 5, Speed felt like he could take on any course and win every race.

  This was only a practice race. Pops Racer was an engineer for SRE Industries, one of the top race car companies in the world. It was his job to design faster, safer race cars. The race around the company track was one way the engineers tested the cars.

  Speed didn’t care if it was just practice. He wanted to win.

  Speed stepped on the gas. He swerved in and out of the lanes, passing cars as he zipped by. The Mach 5’s powerful engine buzzed in his ears as he roared down the track.

  Now only a bright yellow car stood between Speed and victory. The track took a tight turn to the left. Speed zoomed even faster. He made the difficult turn, easily passing the yellow car. A cloud of dust kicked up behind his wheels. The finish line was in his sight ...

  “The Mach 5 wins! ”

  The guys in the SRE pit crew cheered and waved their arms. They all wore yellow uniforms and yellow caps with red brims. Speed slowed the Mach 5 to a stop as the pit crew gathered around him.

  “What a race, Speed!” said Slim, a tall, thin mechanic wearing glasses. “You were fantastic! ”

  “Someday you’ll be champion of the world,” said Hank, a short mechanic with a friendly face.

  “Nobody can beat you!” added a chubby mechanic named Mac.

  Speed took off his racing helmet and goggles. His blue eyes were shining with excitement. Two cars from the race pulled up alongside Speed, their tires screeching.

  “That was a good race, Speed,” said a driver in a blue car.

  “You’re the best driver I’ve ever seen, Speed, ” said the driver of the yellow car.

  Speed ran a hand through his dark brown hair. “Thanks!” he replied, smiling.

  Otto, the pit crew boss, walked up. He wore a red and white jacket. He was in charge of all the drivers who worked for SRE. “How’d you like to join my team as a professional racer?” he asked.

  Speed’s grin faded. “Uh, I don’t know.”

  Slim put an arm around Speed’s shoulder. “Speed, you can race with all of us in the Grand Prix!”

  “I wish I could,” Speed said sadly. He hopped out of the car and rested his arms on the hood. “But Pops doesn’t want me to become a professional racer.”

  Speed sighed. He didn’t think he would ever understand Pops. His dad lived and breathed race cars. Speed was practically born with racing fuel in his veins. So why wouldn’t Pops let him become a pro?

  “Your father’s a top engineer working for this company,” Otto pointed out. “Maybe he’ll change his mind if we ask him.”

  “I doubt it,” Speed said. He knew Pops. His dad could be really stubborn when he wanted to.

  Speed tucked his hands in his pockets
and started to walk off the track, his shoulders slumped. Slim, Otto, and Hank followed him, grabbing his arms.

  “Don’t give up, Speed!” Hank said.

  “I want to be a professional racer,” Speed replied. “I want to be the top champion. I want that more than anything in the world!”

  Otto nodded. “You’re a fast and skillful driver, Speed. I think you have a good chance of realizing your ambition. Just stick to it.”

  “Thanks,” Speed said, smiling again. “Don’t worry about that.”

  Slim patted the Mach 5. “You can’t lose with this amazing car,” he said. “It can do everything.”

  “It’s your father’s masterpiece,” Hank added. “You should be proud of him!”

  “Oh, I am!” Speed replied. “And right now he’s working on making it better with an even faster engine.”

  There was only one thing to do. Speed would have to convince Pops. He couldn’t give up—no matter what.

  2

  POPS LOSES HIS COOL

  Pops Racer stood in front of his board members at SRE Industries. The board members sat around a long table, staring at Pops. Pops Racer didn’t look anything like the other men in the room. They were all small, thin, and wore expensive suits. Pops was a big, burly man with a thick brown mustache. Instead of a suit, he wore a red work shirt.

  Pops was presenting the plans for the Mach 5’s new engine. Sure, the Mach 5 was a great car, but Pops wanted to make it even better. To do that, he had to impress the big boss, Mr. Wiggins. If Wiggins liked it, Pops could go ahead and build the engine. But if the big boss didn’t like it, Pops’s dream of improving the Mach 5 would be dashed.

  Another man might have been nervous. Not Pops. He had faced tougher guys than Mr. Wiggins in the ring, back when he was a professional wrestler. Besides, Pops was talking about the Mach 5, the greatest race car in the world. Anyone could see that his plans for the car were brilliant.

  “This is a model of the latest engine I have designed,” Pops explained. He pointed to a steel mock-up of the engine behind him. It wasn’t a working engine, but it would give the board members a picture of what he was doing.

  “It will have more horsepower than any other car engine of its size,” Pops continued. “Using the latest metals, fuels, and ignition systems, I can succeed in boosting the rpm to thirty thousand.”

  Pops grinned. With wheels that moved that fast, the Mach 5 would be unbeatable!

  The board members couldn’t believe what they were hearing.

  “Thirty thousand?” one of the men asked. “If I didn’t believe you, I’d say it was unbelievable!”

  “I’ve worked on it for over a year,” Pops said proudly. He held up his blueprints. “I hope you’ll give me the go-ahead to actually build an engine according to this plan here.”

  Mr. Wiggins looked impressed. But not Mr. Van Ruffle, the chief engineer. His face turned red and he thumped his fist on the table.

  “Don’t waste time rebuilding it!” he bellowed.

  Pops looked confused. “What? You haven’t heard the rest of my plans for the Mach 5.”

  Mr. Van Ruffle stood up. “I’ve heard enough, Mr. Racer!” he said angrily. “I don’t believe your plan can work!”

  Pops was furious. “What do you know, Van Ruffle? Nothing! That’s what.”

  Pops turned to Mr. Wiggins. “Mr. President, all I ask is that you develop my plans and give the car a try,” he pleaded.

  Mr. Wiggins looked at Pops through his wire-rimmed glasses. “I can’t do that without the unanimous agreement of this board,” he said. Pops groaned. The board included Mr. Van Ruffle.

  “If the car turns out to be a failure, do you think this company should have to pay for your incompetence?” Van Ruffle asked Pops.

  Pops couldn’t take it anymore. The plans for the new engine were pure genius. He wasn’t going to beg a bunch of businessmen who cared more about money than genius. They should be begging him.

  “All right. You’ve had your chance,” Pops said. He rolled up his blueprints and put them in his briefcase. “I’m not going to ask you for another. I quit!”

  “I’m glad to see you leave, Mr. Racer,” Van Ruffle called after him. “Good riddance!”

  Pops stomped toward the door. “I’ll rebuild the Mach 5 myself and prove my design will work!” he huffed.

  “We’ll see! We’ll see!” Mr. Van Ruffle called after him. Pops heard his sinister chuckle as he slammed the door behind him.

  Speed picked up Pops in the Mach 5. Pops sat in the passenger seat, clutching his briefcase on his lap. The sky overhead was clear and blue as they drove through the mountain pass. But the nice weather was no match for Pops’s mood. He was still pretty steamed about what had happened in the boardroom.

  “Gee, Pops, maybe you shouldn’t have quit your job,” Speed said when he heard the story.

  “I wouldn’t have if they had let me rebuild the car,” Pops grumbled.

  “Why wouldn’t they give you the go-ahead?” Speed asked. “After all the work you put into the plan?”

  “One of the board members was jealous and didn’t even want to look at my designs,” Pops explained. “The board wouldn’t give me the go-ahead. So I blew up.”

  Speed frowned. Pops was mad at the whole racing world. This was definitely not a good time to ask him about going pro.

  “I’m going to forget about driving on a team,” Speed muttered.

  “What?” Pops asked.

  “Nothing, Pops,” Speed sighed.

  “Maybe I’m wrong about rebuilding the Mach 5,” Pops went on. “Maybe Van Ruffle is right. Maybe it would be a failure.”

  “It also might turn out to be the best racing car in the world,” Speed pointed out.

  That got Pops thinking, just like Speed knew it would. One good thing about Pops being stubborn was that he never gave up, even when things got tough.

  The Mach 5 rounded a bend. Speed didn’t notice, but a group of men on motorcycles sat on a hill, watching them pass. They revved their engines.

  The bikers zoomed down the hill in hot pursuit of the Mach 5. Their red motorcycles gleamed in the sunlight. Now Speed saw them approach in his rearview mirror. Each bike had silver lightning bolts painted on the side. They quickly surrounded the Mach 5.

  Pops shook his briefcase at them. “Are you boys trying to take up the whole road?” he complained.

  Then one of the bikers grabbed the briefcase right out of Pops’s hand!

  “Come back here! Come back!” Pops yelled.

  Speed tried to catch up to the biker, but the other bikers zoomed in front of him, blocking his way. The biker with the briefcase turned his head.

  “Thanks for the plans, Pops! ” he cried.

  Then he sped ahead.

  3

  CATCH THAT BIKER!

  “Give those plans back!” Pops yelled.

  “You won’t get away with them!” shouted Speed.

  Pops turned to Speed. “How can we stop them?”

  Speed thought quickly. He didn’t want to slam the Mach 5 into the bikers. There had to be another way.

  Speed stepped on the gas. He pulled the Mach 5 right up next to the biker with the briefcase.

  “Pops, take the wheel!” Speed said. He stood up in the seat.

  “No, Speed!” Pops cried. But it was too late to try and stop his son.

  Speed jumped out of the Mach 5. He landed on the seat behind the biker. He grabbed the biker around the neck.

  “Now give me those plans! ” Speed said.

  The bike began to swerve crazily along the road.

  “Let me go! We’ll crash! What are you doing?” shrieked the biker.

  Speed didn’t loosen his grip. “I want those plans back! ”

  The biker threw the briefcase to another member of the gang riding next to him.

  “You take them!” he said.

  The other biker laughed. “Bye-bye and thanks! ”

  “Come back here! ” Speed yelled. “Tho
se plans don’t belong to you. Stop—or I’ll stop you!”

  The biker looked nervously over his shoulder. Speed jumped through the air and landed on the back of the second bike. He wrapped his arms around the biker’s helmet.

  “Hey, I can’t see! Let go!” the biker yelled. Another biker rode up next to him. “Take it! ”

  The third biker zoomed ahead into a tunnel. Speed hung on to the second biker’s back. The biker could barely keep the motorcycle under control.

  When they came through the tunnel, the road took a sharp curve. The biker careened toward a metal guardrail. Speed jumped off the bike just in time.

  Crash! The bike slammed into the metal rail. Speed was glad he wasn’t on it. But he was frustrated, too. The biker with the plans was escaping.

  Then Speed heard a sound overhead. He ran out of the tunnel and saw a small gray helicopter in the sky.

  “It’s Trixie! ” Speed cried.

  Speed’s girlfriend, Trixie, was full of surprises. Some people might see her pretty face and stylish clothes and think she was a fashion model. But Trixie had more skills than a secret agent, and flying a helicopter was one of them.

  Another one of her skills was being able to sense when Speed needed help. He was glad to see her now. He waved his arms in the air. Then he remembered his radio. He and Trixie were always tuned to the same frequency so they could contact each other in emergencies.

  “Hey, Trixie! I’m down here!” he yelled into the radio transceiver he held in his hand. “Some motorcycles are driving down the road. See if you can catch them. They stole Pops’s plans for the Mach 5!”