My heart was beating very fast when I turned the steering wheel hard around the last corner. My right foot now pressed like a cold hard brick on the accelerator, I could not care less even if the whole world was behind me. In front of me was my life, my dreams, and everything that I had worked, endured, and trained for since I was a little boy; the chequered flag. With the BMW M3 supercar that I am piloting blasting towards the finish line at 250 kilometers per hour, nothing can stop me now. This is my moment; my destiny.
The moments of approaching victory conjured up the image of my father in my mind. I was very close with my father. We were the best of friends.
***
My father’s life revolved around motorsports. He was born a gifted racer. Nobody taught him proper driving techniques, but he learned from his own experience. The driving genius in him was discovered back in college, when he entered the annual inter-university go-kart competition as an inexperienced rookie. He raced around the college track, guided by pure instinct, in a tuned Ford Capri that he borrowed from his senior. Against all odds, he stormed through the competition to take first place after 50 laps. Pictures of him holding the championship trophy while raising his hand high up like a triumphant superhero were scattered across the following day’s newspapers. Everybody became a fan of ‘Super Steve’. My dad became instantly famous.
To this day, I still keep that newspaper cutting. The memory of my father’s shining moment was the best way I could remember him.
Tragic was the day of the final race in 1992, when I was only three years old. Dad was racing for Team Lotus in the Ultimate Championship Series, the pinnacle of auto racing. He was the leader in the overall standings, 23 points above his closest rival. This final race in the Nurburgring race track, Germany, will end the year’s season and produce a new world champion. The media dubbed my dad ‘the king of motorsports’, predicting him the winner of the Germany race. Victory, it seemed, was assured for him. Fate, on the other hand, was cruel. He was leading the race, when suddenly, the Lotus racer lost control, and crashed hard unto the wall at the fourth corner. Thick smoke came out of the exhaust, and the car rapidly caught fire. Nobody expected this. I was sitting at the grandstand with family and friends, watching the horror. He was three more laps to ultimate victory. Dad was trapped in the cockpit.
Steven Capri died a racing legend, and a great father.
Mum never dared to let me near a go-kart. Scared of losing her only son, she did everything in her power to hold me back from racing. Because of mum, a racing career was never to be for me, so it seemed. I understood her decision full well. After dad’s tragic death, mum kept herself and me as far away from the racing world as possible. She would not even take me to a race. “You’ll do just fine watching the race from television. It doesn’t make much difference. Besides, the engine roars will damage your ears when you get older.” Mum used to tell me that all the time.
Mum made me miss a big part of my dad’s life. By taking away the joy of racing from me, she is driving me away from dad. I don’t blame her for being overprotective, but I miss my dad so much. The racetrack reminded me of my father. I am not going to erase the legend of my father from my life by stepping away from racing.
Despite my mother’s concerns, I joined the racing club while in college. It has been fifteen years since I drove in a go-kart. Miraculously, training was a breeze for me. Instinct told me how to drive like a professional around the go-kart track. I have racing blood flowing through me. My dad was watching over me, guiding me through the steering wheel. The racing club was too generous in sponsoring me as the college’s leading driver. From here, my racing career started. I had won many of the go-kart tournaments that I entered since then. I was proud of bringing victory to my college.
Eventually, my mum approved of my racing career. There was no way she could stop me from being like my dad. It became an honour for her that I continued in the footsteps of my father by getting into motorsports. She saw me as a living memory of my father.
***
Present reality got back into me. The moment is now. Right ahead was the wavering chequered flag. I knew that my mum was watching me from the grandstand. I hope she is not in tears. I immersed myself in the current situation. The car, the crowd, the roaring engine, and sweat hanging from the tip of my nose; I took everything in. There was a moment of silence in my mind.
I saw a glimpse of the digital leader boards; big letters spelling ‘OVERALL M3 SERIES CHAMPION – JOHN CAPRI’. Victory was destined.
*Syawal, aku harap hng boleh apply contoh sebegini utk SPM. Yang penting, hng jgn teragak-agak utk berpandangan jauh dan kreatif dlm essay SPM. Baca contoh2 essay utk mantapkan grammar. Kalau ada apa2 yg hendak ditanya, aku sentiasa kat 5 Omega. Good luck.*
