Page 6 of Retrograde

They circled the room for twenty minutes before Brett appeared with a full plate of food in one hand and a cocktail in the other.

‘That buffet is next level,’ he said, taking a bite of a samosa and chasing it down with a sip of Lucie Sunrise.

Interesting combination, but his palate wasn’t exactly known for being refined.

He was still, despite his years of fine-dining experience and love of expensive whisky, a burger and fries kinda guy.

He did love to play a self-titled foodie in new places, though.

He was always hunting for the best restaurants.

‘I think Faith is talking Danika’s ear off over there,’ Julien grimaced as they watched Faith flailing her arms around and talking animatedly with a renowned Dakar Rally driver. To give the driver credit, she was leaning in and listening intently.

All four women had been trying to keep calm, but the reality was, they couldn’t contain their excitement. Everyone in this room was here for them, for everything they were building and everything Girls Off Track stood for.

‘I think it’s time for the welcome speech!’ Faith clasped her hands together, looking ready to get up on their makeshift stage. But it was Lucie who received a shove in that direction. ‘Go on, Luce. You’ve been in the industry longest out of all of us.’

‘Me?! I don’t know what to say!’ She had assumed all four of them would go up there and it would be Faith leading them, since she’d spearheaded the whole idea. She always planned the podcast scripts and interviews.

‘Just… thanks for supporting our campaign? You’re all badass women, superheroes, all that stuff. Empower them! And then tell them if they don’t help us out with hosting workshops, they’re anti-feminist.’ Faith shrugged.

‘Jensen!’ Lucie scolded. ‘They’re incredibly busy women.’

‘Yes, but if they’re here tonight, it means they should care. This event isn’t for show, is it? We want them all to actively be involved going forward.’

‘Okay, well, I’m not going to make them feel bad if they can’t do things,’ Lucie sighed, resigning herself to the fact she was going to have to go up there with zero preparation. ‘Hold my mini charcuterie board.’

‘Go on, Lucie!’ Brett yelled loud enough for the crowd to hear, garnering her some attention as she walked up to the mic, legs shaking in her heels. She could handle public speaking, but this business was her baby. There was a lot of pressure.

‘Hi everyone, can I have your attention, please?’ She looked out at hundreds of faces staring back at her, and suddenly she felt confident.

Their guests weren’t the only ones in the room who had achieved incredible things in their sport.

Lucie herself had worked her way up to the top and made a name for herself, and now she was helping put others on that same path.

Brett led the shushing of murmurs, the music was turned down, and suddenly there was silence. The floor was hers.

‘The Girls Off Track team and I would like to thank each of you for making the time to be here. When we set out on this journey, we wanted to create a space where young women and girls could get an insight into what the motorsport industry is like. When I first started out, and when a lot of the women here tonight embarked on their own careers, our sport looked very different. You would walk through the paddock of any championship and see maybe one or two women passing you, and the rest of us were working behind closed doors. The front-facing roles weren’t there for us.

But things are changing.’ She glanced at her friends, all stood at the front of the crowd, bursting with pride.

‘We plan to transform motorsport one workshop, podcast or brand deal at a time. We want to show these girls that they belong here, too. The growth of the company has been monumental, and we’re so proud to finally have a home base and be able to provide jobs for people who are passionate about the sport.

To those who have helped us on our endeavours so far, and to those who are lined up to help.

The future women in motorsport owe it all to you. ’

The room erupted in cheers, the loudest ones by the Revolution Racing drivers, and Lucie took a step back, admiring the scene. She felt proud of her friends, and lucky to be in a position to make a difference.

‘My turn!’ Brett rushed up, shooing her back off the stage.

‘Hey, guys. Just wanted to toast Lucie, Faith, Bea and Esme, the wonderful ladies behind tonight’s set-up, and Girls Off Track.

I knew Luce was a firecracker when I met her, and watching her grow into a confident, powerful businesswoman has been an honour.

All four women have done a fucki—, oops! Language, sorry.’

‘Is he drunk?’ Julien murmured to the group.

‘He’s had a fair bit, yeah,’ Marco replied.

‘As I was saying,’ Brett continued, his drink sloshing over the side of the glass, ‘all four girls have done a stellar job at figuring out ways of getting more young women interested in the sport, giving them opportunities and ensuring the longevity of their mission. I for one am glad we’re no longer letting the sport be dictated by old dinosaurs who have a one-track mind and only care about money and power.

It’s about time we made changes, and made our industry a place of acceptance, empowerment and community.

Cheers to the girls.’ He held his glass up, a quarter of the liquid now in a puddle at his feet which would have to be blue-rolled away in a moment.

But regardless of his tipsiness, Lucie beamed up at him.

He breezed off the stage as the music continued and chatter filled the room once again, Bea being dragged away by a herd of team principals and Esme gravitating towards a rookie Formula One driver.

‘Thanks, Anderson.’ Lucie gave him a quick hug, only managing to sneak one arm around his waist before he was pulling her out to the rooftop garden.

‘I’m so proud of you, Sunny,’ he gushed, the door not even closed behind them before he let the enthusiasm take control of his body, arms flailing wildly.

‘I know. I’m feeling proud of myself, too,’ she smiled.

‘Nah, Luce. You’re fucking incredible. You’ve blossomed over the last few years, and I’m so grateful I got to witness it happen right before my eyes.’

‘Don’t make me cry, I look really good tonight.’ Her bottom lip quivered, watching her best friend gaze down at her with the London sunset behind him.

‘You do, and you feel good, and I’m so glad you do. You’re gonna have one hell of a season this year, Sunny. You know that? Girls Off Track is going to skyrocket.’

‘I hope so.’ She leaned on the railing, playing with her ring as Brett came up behind her, wrapping her up in his arms. She felt safe here, and she knew if she didn’t have people like him lifting her up all the time, reminding her what she was capable of and pushing her, she might not be where she was in her career.

Might not have had the gall to go after what she wanted.

‘Love ya, Sunny.’

‘Love you, too.’