Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Francesca Accardi is rewriting the record books at Titans Racing. With the first female team owner in her corner and the weight of history on her shoulders, she knows the only way to silence doubters is to win. Every lap. Every race.
Ronan Barnes dominates on Sunday and dares the world to judge him on Monday. Arrogant, electric, relentless, he has no time for niceties—or for the rookie who refuses to yield. Forced together for press tours and charity laps, their sniping becomes a spark neither can shake. But rival teams don’t tolerate distractions, sponsors spook fast, and one misstep could cost Francesca her seat and Ronan his shot at the championship.
When Ronan’s private life—and his mother’s addiction—become an issue he can no longer avoid, Francesca is there as his emotional support. Compassion cracks his armor. He defends her in the paddock; she stands beside him when it matters. Enemies become allies. Allies become something no rule book can define.
With a title on the line, they must her hard-won seat, his crown, or a future together—if they dare cross the line
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
CHAPTER 1
Francesca
Suzuka City is home to the Japanese Global Prix circuit and has often been called the holy grail of motorsport. The figure-eight track was built in the early sixties as a test track for the major Japanese automotive titans and is known to be a significant test of a driver’s skill.
It’s the kind of race that reveals the drivers who truly belong in Formula International.
There are three tiers in Formula International. FI3 is where you learn how to race professionally—still brutal, still competitive, but more forgiving. FI2 is the true proving ground with heavier, faster cars and tougher competition. You either stand out or you vanish. My entire life in this sport has been a battle and I’ve clawed my way to the top by winning in wet conditions, passing veterans who thought I didn’t belong, and learning to hone my mental fortitude.
Now I’m in the top tier and the first woman in Formula International. I’ve got more to prove than I ever have.
I’ve raced Suzuka before—both times at the FI2 level—but leveling up to FI means my car is faster and stronger. That means the track is more dangerous. In FI2, the car gave me room to breathe, a steppingstone to the big leagues. Engines maxing out at 620 horsepower and top speeds of 322 kilometers per hour made for decent grip and control as you slingshot yourself around the track. You could even afford a slight misjudgment here or there and come away relatively unscathed.
FI doesn’t give second chances. These machines are heavier and hit 370 kilometers per hour on the straights. They corner with twice the downforce and pull Gs hard enough to leave bruises on your body. A millisecond of hesitation and you’re in the wall.
So while I’ve raced this before and have done sims of this track more times than I can remember, it’s a completely different beast today. One that could devour me whole.
The reality of that comes in waves. Sometimes it feels like it might drown me—the high expectations of Titans Racing pressing onto my chest like a cinder block. But there are times it sharpens and clears my focus.
Today… I’m not sure which version of the pressure I’m holding. Probably both.
The scent in the trailer is doing weird things to my nose. It’s a combination of rubber, oil and the faint trace of citrus from a diffuser someone plugged in near the engineering bay. I’m not sure I like it.
The air is electrified with excitement but tempered with tension. Calling this building a trailer is probably an understatement. It’s a custom-built, climate-controlled paddock unit that was flown here to Japan in a cargo plane. It’s one of several the Titans’ team hauls from circuit to circuit and they are plush. Inside, everything is lined in deep purple, gray and white, and there’s framed art that hangs on the walls. The team’s branding is everywhere, from the telemetry screens to the stitched Titans’ logos on every chair back.
It’s all stacked together with different areas like the garage, the briefing room, data stations, private space to suit up, and a hospitality suite that provides breakfast, lunch and dinner. It takes upward of a hundred people for every race including engineers, mechanics, electricians, pit-stop crew, caterers, waiters, chefs and medical staff.
Oh, and two drivers—me and Nash Sinclair.
When Brienne Norcross bought the Titans racing team last year, the reported figure was close to eight hundred million. And that’s just the acquisition cost. Running it? Easily another two hundred and fifty million a season once you factor in car development, travel, personnel, engineering, simulator tech, and media. The engines alone are worth several million each. The cars—built from handlaid carbon fiber, titanium and leading-edge tech—cost more than private jets and crash way more often.