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The document provides a summary of Sean Benét and his father Michael preparing their race cars for the upcoming season after a long winter. It describes them refueling, changing tires, and starting the engines of the cars in their garage. It then follows Sean as he takes his father's hand-me-down Mazda out for a test session, where he initially leads his class but has a spin-out on the track, embarrassed. His father consoles him that it will take time to get used to the new car, and Sean is optimistic about the season.

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154 views

Webimbenet

The document provides a summary of Sean Benét and his father Michael preparing their race cars for the upcoming season after a long winter. It describes them refueling, changing tires, and starting the engines of the cars in their garage. It then follows Sean as he takes his father's hand-me-down Mazda out for a test session, where he initially leads his class but has a spin-out on the track, embarrassed. His father consoles him that it will take time to get used to the new car, and Sean is optimistic about the season.

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api-126229565
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Bent 1

Sean Bent
Ms. Aeschliman
Creative Writing
25 February 2015

When the Winter Season Ends


For many cold and snowy months, the massive room with the thirty foot tall walls
stretching to the metal ceiling sits mute and has very little movement. In this room, you can find
the racecars stored away by the Green Racing team. These high performance cars come from
elite manufacturers like Ferrari, Mazda, Radical, and Chevrolet. Racecars like these make an
immense amount of noise that is sure to grab the attention of everyone near it. But for so many
cold months in snowy Chicago, Illinois, these cars sit static.
Its been since October when the cars last got to cruise out of the large storm doors. Each
day the racecars hope that they will see the bright lights (Personification) shine through followed
by their drivers. That day is approaching soon. Throughout last year, these cars provided their
drivers with awards like Rookie of the Year and several podium finishes in their classes. With
statistics like this, the drivers and the cars anxiously await the start of the 2015 season. From
outside the garage you can hear the harmonious sound of a finely-tuned engine heading towards
the secluded garage. Light begins to illuminate the large room as the doors creep open
(personification). Two men exit the vehicle and walk into the garage now fully lit by natural
light. One by one, each cars fabric covers are removed exposing the aerodynamic curves of the
automobile.
Sean and Michael have their work cut out for them. They prepared the vehicles in the end
of the last season for the long period of winter chill, but waking a car from hibernation is not for

Bent 2

the lazy. High-octane racing fuel is pumped into canisters and then into the filler neck of the car.
Each car requires a different amount of the fuel and some of them are purposely not filled to the
brim. The thin, yellow liquid slowly drips down the side of the charcoal colored fender and
evaporates into the air. The driver is careful not to spill too much, as this is a serious fire hazard.
Once the refueling process is completed, the tires and brakes are inspected. The flat Chicago
track does not cause for much uneven tire wear, but some of the tires are ready to replace. The
new soft-compound Hoosier tires are removed from the storage rack. With the factory stickers
still remaining on the tire, they are mounted onto the lightweight wheels and are ready to go on a
car. While changing the old tires, the smell of last years rubber floats through the air. Once the
cars are sitting on their fresh tires, the engine is then kicked over. Some of them start happily
and easily, but others are as difficult as trying to teach Mandarin to a monkey (simile).
Eventually, all of them are prepared and soon the fun can begin.
Sean, 2014s rookie of the year, excitedly climbs into his dark-blue Mazda. This year he
will be competing as a semi-pro licensed driver in his fathers hand-me-down racecar. This is a
car that has had quite an impressive history on the track. Last year alone, this racecar gave
Michael Bent ten podium finishes and a second place trophy in the championship. It is by far a
huge step up in the racing world for Sean, and he is super pumped for it. Like clockwork, the car
fires up, and with a gentle chirp of the tires Sean is away in his shining blue car.
In less than two weeks, the car must be as ready to race as Sean is. With the tires set just
right, and the warm air and clear weather conditions in his favor, Sean throws the car into third
gear and accelerates hard through the trees on the outside of the track. His wristwatch reads
11:56 A.M. It is nearly time for the test session to start. Shifting hard and apexing through the
paddock, Sean steers into the pitlane eager to begin his practice session.

Bent 3

The air is calm with very little wind at a comfortable 63 degrees. The few leaves budding
on the trees are hardly moved by the air, and the exhaust smoke from the snarling racecar lingers
close by. Sounds of competitor cars approaching grow closer to the track. By noon, more than
ten cars are lined and ready to take off in a fury to start this years racing season. Leisurely, the
flagman marches over to the row of intimidating racing machines. He points to the first car in
line and directs him into starting position. Sean impatiently revs the engine of his Mazda. Other
drivers join in and soon the pits are buzzing with sounds of pure automotive bliss. At this point,
the pitlane is a beehive (metaphor). The green flag is pointed in the air and then waved intensely.
All at once, the cars zip out of the pits and head for the first turn.
Normally cars would be split up into groups of evenly powered and sometimes identical
cars. For preseason testing however, all types of vehicles compete at once for the top spot on the
leaderboard. Sean makes moves on the inside of turn one. He sees an opening between a
Mustang and another Mazda and he seizes the chance to make his move. After the first lap, cars
begin to gain some ground on Sean. He moves left and allows for the more powerful cars to pass,
while still overtaking cars in the meantime. The large LED lapboard shows that Sean is the
fastest in his class for the time being, but to keep this locked in he must push harder and improve
on his own time. Five laps in, his lap time is beaten by another young driver in a Mazda. This
makes Sean push himself further. At a higher rate a speed than hes accustomed to, Sean enters
turn four and the car wobbles a bit from side to side on the sizzling pavement. On the exit of the
turn, he mashes the throttle and the rear of the car gets loose causing for Sean to make a quick
steering correction. He turns the wheel too far to the right and the car spins wildly out of control.
The fresh rubber on the tires caused a deafening squeal and the rigid debris from the hot
pavement clangs against the cars paint. The blind curve of turn four makes Sean worried of the

Bent 4

chance of another driver not being able to avoid him. Nervously, he puts the car in first gear to
take off again, but stalls it. The car rolls back a bit on the steep hill of turn four and this causes
for Sean to think again of the possibility of a wreck. Sounds of cars grow closer. Sean refires the
cars engine and increases the revs. As uncoordinated as an ox (simile), the car shrieks away
from a stop and Sean takes the car back to the pits. He solemnly climbs from the car thinking of
his embarrassment of letting himself down by losing the top spot and spinning in his new car.
His father comes over to him and explains to him that the car is new to Sean, and itll take time
to get used to. They review his laps and think about how to improve upon the next time Sean will
be in the car. Now cheered up, Sean taps the car on the hood and smiles. Its going to be another
good season he proclaimed.
To some, racing is simply just for entertainment. For others like Sean and his father,
racing is in their blood. Making racing part of their livelihood has opened their world to new
friendships and have allowed them to learn the ins and outs of the automobile. Everyone has a
passion and a calling. This is theirs.

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