In fact, the show is great fun. Lola and Peter are captivated by what they see on the track: it’s only the trial runs and the young drivers are just practicing to be able to do a fast lap tomorrow and memorizing the circuit for
Sunday’s race, but from their first contact with the track you can see how much each of them wants to be the best.
They are young but determined, and they are all preparing for a single result: winning.
And to reach the goal they all drive with great determination, sometimes even at the limits of the regulations.
Midori Kuma covers his eyes with his green paws whenever two karts seem to be too close.
“Look at those karfs, they’re going to crash into each other!” Lola exclaims worried, pointing to two vehicles
moving at great speed and practically glued to each other.
“Kart! It’s kart and not karf.
There are only four letters, how can you not remember them?!” Peter laughs, not realizing that Lola now enjoys twisting the term just to make her cousin laugh!
A moment later he wonders in amazement and admiration: “But how can they drive like that without colliding?”
“They scare me a little, but I’d really like to have a go!” Lola repeats, again and again.
Before the weekend is over, she absolutely has to convince her dad to let her do a few laps.
Meanwhile, she keeps a close eye on the exploits of two drivers in particular: the first is Daniel, and the second Olivia.
She had decided to cheer for her too during the race. Not only because is she the only female on the track, but she also seemed very nice.
Lola is convinced that she has met a new friend.
“Of course, if I had my own smartphone, I could take pictures and show this amazing show to my classmates,” she murmurs. “Plus, they would also see how super-cute Daniel is…”
Peter, meanwhile, does nothing but take pictures of the drivers on the track. Then, using all the different filters that his smartphone’s special camera is equipped with, he arranges the images and immediately sends them to relatives, friends and schoolmates.
The photos are accompanied by funny comments, many in the style of comics.
He can do this thanks to a fun app he downloaded just before leaving home. He almost feels like a professional photographer.
Now he is even immortalizing Midori Kuma on the track and then has fun showing the bear how he can make him appear in another color: from green he transformed him into yellow and then into blue and finally a fluorescent pink.
The bear’s eyes widen in terror and then he checks his body: for a moment he thought he really had changed color. Lola reassures him by giving him a kiss on the head and then, holding him tightly in her arms, asks her cousin if all three of them can take a selfie, so as not to forget this very special day.
As they are admiring how well the photo turned out and discussing which of their relatives they should send it to first, they hear Bob’s voice again: “Hey, guys, there’s one important thing you must remember: it’s only on the track that the winner is the one who goes fastest.
At your age, it is more important to know how to brake than to push on the accelerator!”
The three of them just stay there, silent, unable to comment and - to be honest - even to understand what the moustachioed mechanic is saying, while Midori Kuma lifts up his paw and gives a super high five to Bob, who smiles, satisfied.
“I think I’ve got it: I think he is a Martian.” Lola is convinced of it, otherwise he wouldn’t say such weird things.
But Bob is not a Martian.
At the moment he is simply a mechanic who is satisfied with his favorite driver: Olivia!
The young girl had been confirmed as the fastest in the qualifying rounds.
As soon as Steve joins his three fellow adventurers, Peter tells him about Bob’s strange phrase.
“Ah, but it’s very clear!” comments the reporter. “Bob simply means that you guys want to go fast right away,
in other words, to do too many things before the time is right, before you are old enough.
While, we must never forget to brake, that is, to think about safety.”
Peter and Lola look at each other, even more confused. But what’s happening, why does everyone in this place make such strange speeches?
The two cousins don’t really understand what sort of dangers Steve and Bob are referring to or what they have
to keep themselves safe from.
With these thoughts still in their minds, along with Midori Kuma they follow Steve towards the car.
They have to go back to the hotel so Lola’s dad can start writing his article for the newspaper.
This time, however, it is Midori Kuma who blocks the group.
He looks worried and is also scratching the back of his head. Something bad must have happened again.
So, they turn around, following the bear who is hopping as he leads them back towards the area where Daniel
and Max’s karts should be parked. Should be, because in reality Max’s kart has ended up on top of Daniel’s.
And the two boys are once again quarrelling.
“He came in out of nowhere, without braking,” a furious Daniel explains to Bob. “Luckily, I had already got off,
otherwise I could have been injured. Look at what he’s done: it looks like a double-decker kart!”
“Calm down Daniel, we’ll give you a hand to get it off from there and check if the cars are OK,” the mechanic tries to reassure him.
“I’m not calm at all! He hasn’t even apologized; he doesn’t care if it ruins my race. I don’t want a teammate like that anymore,” Daniel shouts, holding back the tears. He is furious about the battered kart, but he is even more angry about Max’s attitude, Max, who until a few weeks ago was one of his best friends.
Max’s mum is trying to get him to apologize to Daniel, but her son has an absent, distracted look on his face.
As if the fact that his kart was now parked on top of that of his teammate had nothing to do with him.
Then, instead of apologizing, Max even starts shouting in a voice so full of anger that all off his friends just can’t believe. “I don’t care where my kart is, I don’t care if Daniel can’t race, I don’t care about these circuits.
Can’t you understand?
I’m sick of all this, sick of it!”