The Secret Engine Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Title Page

  Chapter 1 - TEST DRIVE

  Chapter 2 - A RUNNING START

  Chapter 3 - STOLEN!

  Chapter 4 - SPEED’S ALLIES

  Chapter 5 - ENGINE TROUBLE

  Chapter 6 - CODE TO THE LOOT

  Chapter 7 - BAIT

  Chapter 8 - A TINY OBSTACLE

  Chapter 9 - DISTRESS CALL

  Chapter 10 - HE $650 GLUE

  Chapter 11 - MISTY VALLEY

  Chapter 12 - MONKEYS TO THE RESCUE

  Chapter 13 - BILLIONS TO THE WIND

  Chapter 14 - A REWARD

  Teaser chapter

  GROSSET & DUNLAP

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  www.speedracer.com

  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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  eISBN : 978-1-101-17530-9

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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

  TEST DRIVE

  The Mach 5 hugged the tight curves of the mountain, whipping fast around the roadway that lined the cliff. Speed Racer was behind the wheel, loving every second of the wild ride.

  Speed’s goal in life was to become a professional race car driver, and right now he was in training for the Multipeak Race. It cost a lot of money to enter the Multipeak Race, but Speed wasn’t worried about getting the money—he’d find a way. Speed’s dad, Pops Racer, was the automobile engineer who had designed this sleek white race car called the Mach 5. It was like no other race car ever built. Not only could the car take these swift mountain turns with ease, it was also made with special gadgets so it could withstand any obstacle thrown at it.

  Just that morning Pops had given the Mach 5 a tune-up. Now Speed was taking it for a high-powered test drive with the radio on and the convertible top down.

  In the passenger seat were Speed’s little brother, Spritle, and his pet chimpanzee, Chim Chim. They had begged to come along for the ride, but now they were fighting over a banana. Spritle refused to share.

  Just then, it began to rain. Speed pushed a button on the steering wheel, and the cockpit slid shut. The music stopped with a breaking news bulletin. A prisoner had escaped from Songalong Prison!

  “The fugitive is the notorious Tongue Blaggard,” the radio announcer said. “He is said to be hiding in or around Hightaxtown.”

  “Eeee! ” shrieked Spritle.

  Chim Chim hooted with worry.

  Hightaxtown was close by.

  “Be careful,” the radio announcer continued. “This man is dangerous.”

  Speed was about to say not to worry when he noticed another car coming around the bend. It was an antique Model T. Speed couldn’t remember the last time he saw one of those old cars on the road. He didn’t even know people drove them anymore!

  Just as they came close, the Model T pulled to a stop. The top was down, and rain poured into the car.

  Speed stopped the Mach 5 beside it.

  “Some car,” said Spritle. “Who’d want to drive an old piece of junk like that?”

  But Spritle had said that too loudly. The driver of the Model T, a cranky old man, had heard him.

  “This car is not junk!” the old man shouted into the rain.

  Sitting in the Model T beside the old man was a teenage girl. “You tell him, Grandpa!” she yelled.

  Speed leaned out the window so the old man could hear him through the rain. “Keep your eyes on the road ahead,” Speed called. He pointed at the twisting road that led farther up the mountain. “With this rain, it could be dangerous.”

  “Young man,” the old man snapped, “how am I supposed to keep my eyes on the road? I can’t even see the road with this rain.”

  “Why not roll the top closed?” Speed suggested.

  “Why don’t you mind your own business?” the old man said.

  The rain was coming down in sheets. With the top of the Model T down, the old man and his granddaughter were drenched.

  The old man got out of the Model T He slammed the door and started closing the rolltop.

  “Can I help?” Speed offe
red.

  “Do I look like I need help?” the old man shouted.

  Speed did think the old man looked like he needed help—but he didn’t want to be rude. Still, he couldn’t help but admire the old man’s antique car. “What a car!” he said. “A hand crank . . . wooden spoke wheels... a vertical windshield ...”

  The old man got angry. He pointed at the Mach 5. “Just take that junk heap of yours and drive away.”

  The Mach 5 was definitely no junk heap. And besides, Speed would not just drive away. He couldn’t leave them alone in the rain. Since the old man didn’t want his help, Speed waited patiently until the old man was done closing the top.

  Many minutes later, the top of the Model T was finally closed. The stubborn old man had done the work himself. “There,” he said, panting. “I did it.” He wiped sweat from his brow.

  “But now it’s stopped raining,” Spritle called out.

  That was true: The sky had cleared, and now the sun was coming out.

  The old man looked up at the sky. “But I spent all that time putting that top up! I wish it would keep raining.”

  “I’m sorry,” Speed said.

  Then Speed turned and chuckled to himself.

  Seeing that, Spritle started to laugh. Chim Chimjoined in. Even the old man’s granddaughter, sitting inside the Model T, started to laugh. She tried to cover her mouth so her grandfather wouldn’t see.

  The old man was not amused.

  “Stop laughing!” he demanded. “I’m an old man! It’s not funny!”

  “It’s not very polite to laugh at my grandfather,” his granddaughter added. “Shame on you.”

  “She was laughing,” Spritle protested to Speed, pointing at the granddaughter. “Come on, Speed. Let’s get out of here.”

  Speed hopped back in the Mach 5.

  Before he left, he called out to the old man, “We heard a report on the radio. An escaped convict is in the area. You’d better be careful.”

  The old man made a face. “Thanks for the warning, but an escaped convict doesn’t scare me.”

  Speed shrugged. The old man just wasn’t very friendly. He hit the gas, and the Mach 5 sped away.

  Spritle peeked out the window at the old man and his granddaughter in the distance. “I hope they’ll be okay,” he said.

  2

  A RUNNING START

  Later, Speed—along with other drivers looking to compete in the Multipeak Race—was at the racetrack. He was in his car practicing the finer points of driving under the instruction of Fireball Rust, one of the greatest racers of all time.

  “Good work, Speed. You took advantage of that straightaway,” Fireball announced over the racetrack’s loudspeaker. “Now get ready for that curve up ahead. Be sure to shift down, and then when you pull out of it, open wide! ”

  Speed did exactly what Fireball told him to do, and the Mach 5 made it around the curve perfectly.

  “Go, Speed, go!” Spritle cheered from beside the track.

  Chim Chim cheered for Speed, too. He jumped up and down, clapping and hooting.

  After the initial laps, Fireball joined Speed in the Mach 5 for some one-on-one instruction.

  “From now on, I want you to only use your heel and toe on the pedals,” Fireball instructed.

  “Okay,” Speed replied.

  “Now, Speed, give it the gun!” Fireball said.

  “Here goes... ,” said Speed.

  Speed stepped down hard on the accelerator and launched the Mach 5 forward. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Speed raced the Mach 5 along the straightaway.

  “You’re coming to a curve. Now get ready to use the brake,” Fireball said.

  Reacting too quickly, Speed immediately pressed his toe down onto the brake. The Mach 5 skidded toward the wall.

  “You hit the brake too soon!” Fireball shouted.

  “Sorry,” Speed mumbled.

  “Now use the clutch. Okay, release the clutch and give it gas. More gas! The engine’s not running fast enough! Check the tachometer! Don’t use the brake so much! For curves like this, shift to second and let the engine do some of the slowing down!” Fireball barked out the instructions without taking a breath.

  Speed glanced at the tachometer, the instrument that kept track of how fast his engine was running. If the number got too high, it meant his engine was going too fast and heating up!

  Quickly reacting to each one of Fireball’s orders, Speed maneuvered the Mach 5 around the curve, skidding a little, but getting past the turn safely even at such a high speed.

  Beads of sweat ran down Speed’s forehead. That was a close one!

  After the individual instruction, Fireball had the drivers stand far away from their cars in a line at the edge of the track. It was time to move on to the next lesson of the day.

  “All right. Now we’re going to practice doing a running start to your cars,” Fireball announced. “Speed, you’re first. Show us how fast you can get your car started.”

  “Yes, sir,” said Speed. He lowered the visor on his racing helmet, shook out his legs, and got into position.

  “Go!” Fireball barked.

  Speed took off running toward the Mach 5.

  “Faster, Speed! Pick it up!” Fireball shouted.

  Speed was running as fast as he could, but he tried to go even faster. That’s when he tripped and fell face-first onto the track.

  “Ugh!” exclaimed Speed as his chest hit the asphalt.

  The other drivers laughed.

  “On your feet!” Fireball shouted.

  Speed stood up, took a breath, and then continued his sprint toward the Mach 5.

  When he reached the Mach 5, Speed pressed his hands onto the door and vaulted himself into the air, hoping to land directly in the driver’s seat. Unfortunately, he overshot his mark and flew past the car entirely! He landed with a thud outside the car.

  “Oof!” Speed groaned.

  The other drivers were laughing even louder than before.

  “Do it over!” shouted Fireball.

  As Speed got back to his feet, he noticed a masked man standing high atop the racetrack’s wall. On closer inspection Speed recognized that the man was Racer X, the best racer on the circuit!

  Unknown to Speed, Racer X was his older brother, Rex, who had run away from home years ago to pursue his dream of becoming a professional race car driver.

  Like an expert acrobat, Racer X flipped down from the high wall and landed on both feet. Then he sprinted toward the Mach 5 at incredible speed.

  “Whoa! Look at him go!” one of the other drivers gasped.

  “Nobody’s as fast as Racer X,” another driver added.

  Racer X quickly reached the Mach 5, vaulted over the door right into the driver’s seat, instantly started the engine, and took off!

  Racer X sped down the track in the Mach 5 at top speed. His expert driving skills wowed everyone, and he completed a lap around the entire track in record time.

  “That’s the way it should be done,” Fireball said. “Nobody can get off to a faster start and maintain top speed as well as Racer X.”

  Racer X pulled the Mach 5 to a stop alongside his own yellow racing car. It had the number 9 on the doors.

  Racer X hopped out of the Mach 5, did a forward flip into his own car, and sped away as quickly as he’d appeared.

  “Wow! That’s fast!” said Speed.

  “Nobody in the world can beat Racer X,” said one of the other drivers.

  “Well, I’m going to try my best to be the fastest,” vowed Speed. “Maybe I’ll have the chance to race against Racer X in the Multipeak Race. Then we’ll see.”

  3

  STOLEN!

  After practice, Speed, Spritle, and Chim Chim drove in the Mach 5 along the same mountain road they’d traveled earlier that day. They saw a shape in the distance.

  “Look who’s up ahead,” Speed observed.

  Stopped in the road was the Model T. The old man and his granddaughter were kneeling down by one
of the tires.

  Speed slowed the Mach 5 to a stop beside the Model T.

  “You must have a flat tire,” Speed said. “Don’t worry, I’ll change it for you.” He hopped out of his car, ready to help.

  “Here comes that nosy boy again to bother us,” the old man muttered.

  Speed tried to ignore him.

  “Go away! ” the old man shouted. “I don’t like anybody who drives those newfangled automatic cars like yours, young man! You don’t appreciate the pleasure of driving with a stick shift and a real honest-to-goodness clutch!”

  “But my car does have a stick shift, sir,” Speed said.

  “Huh?!” the old man exclaimed. He approached the Mach 5 to see for himself. “Hmm. Not bad,” he admitted.

  “After I help fix your tire, sir, would you like a ride in the Mach 5?” Speed asked.

  The old man smiled for the first time. “Why, thank you, young man. I’d love to,” he replied.

  Soon after, the Model T’s flat tire was fixed, and everyone was out for a ride. Speed and the old man were in the Mach 5, and the old man’s granddaughter, Spritle, and Chim Chim followed in the Model T.

  “So . . . what do you think of the Mach 5?” Speed asked the old man as they whipped around a turn.

  The old man inspected the car’s interior. “I’d like you to explain what these buttons are on the steering column,” he said.

  “Well, each one controls a special feature. Anything from jumping over obstacles to driving underwater,” Speed explained. “They were designed and built by my father,” he added proudly.