Chapter 6

Big Dreams, Little Sleep

Wednesday : March 5th 2025

Ruby was shaking. Laying on the couch in the living room of this beachfront resort. As penguins joyously invaded the beach and played in the moonlight, Ruby couldn't help herself but to stare up at her hands as they shook uncontrollably. She could stare down a crowd of hundreds on stage, make a fool of herself on video, and bend over provocatively for the camera's lens without skipping a beat. Yet the question “do you want to drive a race car” turned her into a stuttering, shivering wreck.

The answer was unequivocally yes. Yet in that moment, under the cabana with McClaire, Ruby couldn't force the words out of her throat. Was it the shock of the opportunity presenting itself so blatantly? The fear of failure, and crashing a priceless artifact? The mystery of Stephanie McClaire herself? Something in the back of Ruby’s mind stole her voice away in that critical moment. Instead of screaming “Yes, yes! I would do anything for an opportunity like that!” she stared at McClaire awkwardly, jaw agape like a total moron allowing the opportunity to slip away.

“Hehehe, oh yeah, sorry. Most of my friends are experienced racers, I didn't mean to just throw that on you!” McClaire had said, slamming the door back shut as fast as it had cracked open, and in a flash, Ruby was heart broken.

“You stupid idiot Ruby… why didn't you just say yes! Even if she backed out later, at least you took the chance!” Ruby mumbled to herself angrily. She hated it, hated herself, hated the universe would be so cruel as to tease her with such a remarkable opportunity. But at the same time, taking a chance is one thing, backing it up is another.

“My whole life is an improv. You’re just living in it!” 

Had she not been blindsided, Ruby might have been able to give off the vibes of an experienced racer, or at least some sort of amateur. With a little studying for the role, some practice in the mirror, and lots of YouTube videos she could have probably talked her way into driving a car pretty easily. Lying after all, is the sharpest tool in an idol's toolbox, followed closely by the self confidence to back up. But in something as specialized as race car driving, something so dangerous, her ruse would have been discovered as soon as she sat in the car. Something as basic as starting a racing car was probably a complex procedure she did not know or understand, and maybe it was that understanding of herself that forced her not to answer. Ruby simply wasn't ready, and that fact was killing her.

Worse, this now two day long excursion had taken away one of the largest gaps she had work wise to study the script of Steel Princess. Tomorrow, or more appropriately later today, she would be babysitting for a photography friend who helped land her first modeling gig with Roo Riders. The kid was a boy named David, about ten or eleven in age, and it was basically easy money for Ruby. Cook him dinner, make sure he does his homework, make sure he goes to bed on time, easy! But… watching a kid and studying a screenplay at the same time would be nearly impossible. The two personas could intertwine in Ruby's mind, and that could create embarrassing problems 

So all Ruby could do is lay there, thinking about what to do. Wednesday evening, babysitting. Thursday and Friday evening she would be working at an indoor Go Kart track back in Melbourne called AusKarts. Her studies would have to be on the weekend, cramming before the first light rehearsal on Monday next week. And then of course, next weekend was the Grand Prix…

“Busy, busy, busy…” Ruby sighed to herself. She tried to lay back one final time to fall asleep, when the footsteps of a figure in the darkness stirred her awake again. Sitting up, she found Revz quietly as he could, trying to sneak past in the smaller living room.

“Crap, sorry Ruby, I didn't mean to wake you up…” Revz said, his voice a hushed whisper. 

“It's fine, I wasn't sleeping that well anyway. Where are you going?” Ruby asked, keeping her voice down as well. In the other surrounding bed rooms, lots of McClaire’s team were fast asleep, some on air mattresses or folding army bunks they had brought.

“Over to the track, I got to start preparing the cars where they just came off the plane.” Revz explained. 

“Can… I tag along? Since I'm not sleeping?” Ruby asked and Revz nodded. 

“Sure, as long as you give me a ride.” 

“Deal!” quietly, Ruby grabbed her boots and tip-toed out the door with Revz, not wanting the clip and clonk of her heels waking everyone up. Once outside, she quickly tugged them on, and found where she had parked her car, thankfully a fair distance away from the houses.

“I'm really sorry if I woke you up Ruby, it's just where I'm… you know… fat, my footsteps are heavy.” Revz again apologized. 

“Don't worry about it Revzy! Thanks for letting me tag along, I've never been to Phillip Island's track before!” Ruby replied as cheerfully as she could muster on low energy. 

“Me neither, if I'm honest.” With that, Ruby started the Maloo's V8, thankful she had resisted many urges to put a louder aftermarket exhaust on. Slowly, as to keep the noise at bay, she motored into the road and headed towards the track. It was 5:37am, and yet the island was a wash with activity. A small horde of trucks and trailers and camping caravans of all shapes and sizes were slowly filling into the circuit a few days before the races were even to be held. This festival would turn Phillip Island into its own little city, and an industrial one at that! If something broke, someone had the tools and knowledge to fix it, let alone beer on tap, barbeque that was all you can eat. 

Finally, after a short stint of stop and go traffic, Ruby finally crossed over the circuit gate. Crossing the racing surface, she was let into the infield and the paddock area. One by one, the larger teams with the massive car haulers were taking their spots. Plenty of open spaces were left to be filled as new competitors joined, but it was clear each and every one would be filled come race day. A small army of mechanics from Brabham, or at least whatever was left of them, were busy offloading their latest weapon, the BT62. Dressed in blue with a red stripe, the super high tech racing super car was a modern oddity compared to the rest of the cars parked around the place. 

Formula 1 cars of multiple eras stripped bare, 1990's touring classics like Godzilla and Holden Torana sitting cold and dark awaiting the spark of life. A hodgepodge of door wedge shaped prototype machines and their only slightly more civilized cousins equipped with such luxuries as a roof sat idling, as oil pulsed in their blocks like blood in the veins. These were just a few of the machines parked around the haulers of these early bird teams. But none of them had anything quite as extraordinary as the collection of McClaire’s team. Parked neatly, like mechanical soldiers ready for orders, a small cluster of four classic race cars sat covered and ready to be brought out of hibernation. 

“Looks like McClaire did bring her F40. Figures…” 

“F40? A Ferrari F40?” Ruby looked on at the trio of distinctively wedge shaped machines parked on the end. One was clearly a Formula car, likely the F5000 Revz mentioned last night. One was clearly the GT40, its swooping aerodynamic shape showing through like Ruby’s hips through her jeans. The last one though, was undoubtedly the F40 despite its shape being hidden under the tarp by the massive rear wing. It had Ruby’s full attention, a memory unlocked in the back of her mind.

“Check out this car we flew in from America sweetie, it’s a Ferrari!” 

Ruby could remember the picture vividly in her father’s hand. A Polaroid taken from the cockpit of a Jumbo Jet as this priceless machine was wheeled out of the cargo hold. It’s paint, a striking matte red, its shape seemingly simple from afar. Yet this car had lived rent free in Ruby’s Father’s head until the day he disappeared, always taking that polaroid with him along with an ever growing picture of Ruby. Now standing there in stunned silence as Revz took the cover off, the car that had once looked simple in a photograph was now a complex work of high speed art. Through the thin crimson red paint, the weave of its carbon fiber body could be seen. The wing now sported adjustable rear set up, and the nose a splitter to cut through the air. The wheels were black five spokes with a single lug nut and Goodyear tires. It wasn’t the same sleek car her dad had seen, but a battle ready version. One proudly wearing the small scrapes and knocks of high speed competition.

“It’s a F40 Competizione, the first of its kind, and one of eleven built and the only one never sold. Basically, they took the racing version of the F40, delimited it, and made it street legal again.” Revz explained, clearly being extremely careful around the machine. He hooked an air line from the garage into the back of the F40 and it gracefully lifted itself into the air.

“Delimited it?” Ruby repeated, somewhat stunned.

“Yeah, it’s pushing over 700 horsepower… Also, no touchy at least with this car. This and that Maserati over there are her pride and joy, and she’s very protective of them off the track.” Revz warned and Ruby nodded, quickly stepping back. Meanwhile Revz slid some trolleys under the car’s massive tires so it could be safely moved without getting in.

“Is there anything I can do to help otherwise?” Ruby offered. 

“Just hang tight…” With a few moans and groans, and some great effort, the F40 rolled into the garage silently where a couple of other mechanics were waiting. However, as soon as Revz returned, he indeed had a job for Ruby. 

“Hop in the GT40 and steer while I push. The seat is set up for Star and you’re about the same size, and these doors make it a pain to steer from the outside.” He said, taking the cover off of a white, purple and orange GT40 numbered 39. 

“Uh, okay. Where are we going?” 

“The Garage right in front of us. Just watch the shifter getting in, it’s on the same side as the door, and you have to sort of launch yourself over it into the seat and then slide your legs in.” Ruby could see what he meant as soon as she opened the door. The GT40’s interior was all business and very cramped. Oddly, a chunk of the roof came with the door too, preventing someone from just stepping inside like a go kart. With a little fiddling and a couple of attempts, Ruby folded herself down into the tight confines of the Ford’s cockpit, sitting snugly into Star’s seat.

“Yuck.” Ruby muttered to herself, seeing the blue oval on the steering wheel in front of her. Yet even with her biases, this was pretty damn cool! It was like sitting in a flying saucer, the windshield as aerodynamically shaped as every other millimeter of the car. 

“Man, you’re basically sitting on the ground with this thing?!”

“Wait until you sit in the F5000, at least we can take the steering wheel off for that one! Anyway, step on the clutch, pop it in neutral and show me your muscles Ruby!” 

Revz wasn’t kidding about that last part. As Ruby took hold of the unassisted steering wheel, she was afraid it was going to spin her around. As the car started to roll, it became slightly easier, but not much. 

“Come on you big Detroit bastard, turn!” Ruby yelled as she cranked on the wheel, putting all her muscle and body weight behind the effort. The GT40 reluctantly obeyed and changed course. As Revz pushed, it rolled without incident into its spot.

“You okay in there Ruby?” Revz asked. He was winded, but poor Ruby looked like she had just escaped a wrestling match with a bear. Running on little to no sleep and the adrenaline and the euphoria of once again being behind the scenes of the racing world wearing off, Ruby realized she was very much running on empty. Just one little bit of physical effort, and she was already exhausted.

“Huh? Uh, yeah… Fucking Ford…” Ruby muttered as she tried and failed to unfold herself from the cramped cockpit. Plopping back down into the seat, she found herself looking in the Ford’s tiny mirrors. Revz and another volunteer from the team had already started moving one of the other cars without her, and so a devious thought came to her mind. Maybe I can get away with a quick cat nap…

Sleep, or the lack thereof, was the greatest enemy to an idol. It’s almost impossible to hide the dark rings around your eyes, and the amount your brain starts to wander. Easy answers stall in your mind, words turn into unintended slurs, and generally it’s all too easy to make yourself look like an bitch. Once you realize you are indeed tired, and your brain finally leaves behind whatever was keeping you going, the only true solution is sleep, even if it’s brief and fleeting. So, with the lullaby of the Industrial revolution in the background, Ruby nestled herself into the seat and shut her eyes for what she expected to be a ten minute nap.