Trapped in a dying town,
mechanic Smudge (Silas Mudge) has dreamed of racing the Bathurst 1000, but time
has dashed that dream until now. His chance comes in the form of an eleven year
old girl, Charlie and the natural skills of a drunken doped up youth, Danny
Mitchell. Smudge’s motto, opportunity comes with change is no more present than
now and together they grab this chance to live their dreams.
Behind in his lease
payments for his Grand Prix Simulation Room machines, Ronnie Makepeace also is
late with his rent and data usage to Smudge. Ronnie doesn’t answer the phone
and won’t respond to e-mails. Smudge wants his money now. So does his financier
and is prepared to break into Smudge’s premises to recover the simulators.
Ruby (Smudge’s ex wife)
beaten by the boyfriend she left him for ten years ago, lays in a coma.
Secretly Smudge visits her every Wednesday, holds her hand and talks to her for
over an hour without response. He kisses her lips, tells her he loves her and
journeys home.
Terri Western, Charlies
mother is the town tart who longs to escape the town and its bigots. Kevin Haslett
comes from Booleroo Centre, has a towing business and races Speedway cars, He promises
to take Terri with him on a National Tour, but Charlie can’t join them.
Terri is travelling to
Peterborough to put Charlie on the bus to Brisbane when the car leaves the road,
only Charlie survives and she has several injuries. Smudge decides to take care
of her and the town’s gossips start vicious rumours. Smudge shrugs it off.
Lexi Simpson tasked
with being Charlie’s case worker begins a friendship with Smudge when they work
through his application to foster the girl. She agrees to sit with Charlie
while Smudge visits Ruby. The towns people think Ruby is dead and to them she
is, she never returned and the family farm her parents left her is managed by
the executors of her estate. She never changed her will and because she is
still married to Silas, he will inherit if she dies.
A chance meeting with a
supercar team offers a challenge to race their drivers on the simulators. If
Silas wins he gets a few laps in a V8 Supercar. If The driver wins, he gets to
do the Black Rock Dirt Circuit Club Funday in Psycho and Silas will provide a couple of cars for the team to
drive. Everyone agrees. Silas gets a run in DVS car and a few Supercar teams
attend the fun day too.
A team owner suggests
that with the money and talent on show Smudge should consider finding funding
to run a Wild Card Entry at Bathurst. He will make intros to a couple of car
owners who might have a spare car.
Smudge knows Bathurst well
from the TV but takes Danny and Charlie on a holiday they meet teams and put a
deal together for next year. Now the work stats, they need to practice and find
a few roads with similar corners to learn the track. Smudge has an idea and
convinces the council to close a few roads for Danny to learn on.
