the right thing, Aidy. People are trying to make this all go away for some reason. That’s not right. Someone needs to speak up. It looks like it’s going to be you.’
‘So what do I do; call Derek out?’
‘No. Talk to the cops.’
‘They’ve closed the case.’
‘Because they don’t know any better most likely. They aren’t motorsport people. They need to be educated. Find the cop in charge and tell him what you know. It’ll turn things around.’
I nodded. It seemed like a smart plan.
‘Just know though, if you talk, it won’t win you many friends.’
It wouldn’t, but I didn’t see what choice I had. Alex’s death couldn’t go unpunished. Someone had to stand up for him. I just wished it didn’t have to be me.
‘Yeah, I know, but it has to be done.’
Steve smiled. His pale grey eyes sparkled under the ceiling light. ‘Good, lad. Call them tomorrow.’
‘I won’t have to. I’ll be able to do it in person on Tuesday after I finish the press conference.’ There’d been a message from Myles on the answering machine telling me to be at Stowe Park Tuesday morning for a press conference about the Alex Fanning appeal. He’d gotten the motorsport press and TV to turn out.
I arrived at the track Tuesday morning. Myles had set the press conference for ten thirty and I arrived just in time. A bunch of cars and a BBC news van were clustered around the race control tower. I parked next to the BBC Bristol news van. It didn’t appear there’d be any national coverage for this story and my hope that Redline would attend went unanswered too. As I got out of my car, two other vehicles stood out for me. Mr Fanning’s Range Rover and Derek’s aged Ford Granada.
Whose idea had it been to include Derek; Myles or Derek himself? I could see either being responsible for this move. Neither of them wanted me airing dirty laundry. They had nothing to fear. I wasn’t going to say anything. Steve was right. I didn’t have enough. Yet. I was biding my time.
It was a beautiful day. Bright, clear skies, but bitterly cold. A biting wind sliced across the track. I hurried inside the building and everyone looked my way. Mr Fanning and Alison were among them.
‘Now that Aidy’s here,’ Myles said, ‘I think we’re ready to start.’
Myles led everyone upstairs into the control tower. Once there, the BBC cameraman ordered us around. He put Myles in the middle with Mr Fanning, Alison and Vic Hancock on Myles’s right and Derek and me on his left. We were positioned with our backs to the track in order to have a panoramic view of the circuit in the background.
While the BBC set up, we ran through the interview with Pit Lane magazine and Motorsport News . These two publications accounted for everything motorsport related in the UK. I didn’t recognize Andrew Marsh from Motorsport News , but I knew Fergus Kane from Pit Lane . He raced VW Beetles and worked in the ad sales department at the magazine. He’d been hustling for a reporter gig and it looked as if he’d gotten his wish. He smiled at me.
Marsh got things rolling. ‘You want to tell us what’s going on here today?’
‘As you all know, we lost a promising competitor in Alex Fanning,’ Myles said. ‘It’s a loss we all share and one we’re not willing to forget. That’s why I’ve been collecting donations all weekend from drivers in the Clark Paints Formula Ford Championship in Alex’s honour. The money will be going towards safety improvements for our paramedic crews here at the track. The initiative was spearheaded by Aidy Westlake.’
‘What made you do this, Aidy?’ Fergus asked. ‘Does it have anything to do with your father’s untimely death?’
The second part of Fergus’s question stung for a second. ‘I know what effect a racing death has on a family and the racing community. We live in times where safety measures make driver deaths rare, but when they happen, we can’t ignore them. Raising funds to improve safety seems
‘So what do I do; call Derek out?’
‘No. Talk to the cops.’
‘They’ve closed the case.’
‘Because they don’t know any better most likely. They aren’t motorsport people. They need to be educated. Find the cop in charge and tell him what you know. It’ll turn things around.’
I nodded. It seemed like a smart plan.
‘Just know though, if you talk, it won’t win you many friends.’
It wouldn’t, but I didn’t see what choice I had. Alex’s death couldn’t go unpunished. Someone had to stand up for him. I just wished it didn’t have to be me.
‘Yeah, I know, but it has to be done.’
Steve smiled. His pale grey eyes sparkled under the ceiling light. ‘Good, lad. Call them tomorrow.’
‘I won’t have to. I’ll be able to do it in person on Tuesday after I finish the press conference.’ There’d been a message from Myles on the answering machine telling me to be at Stowe Park Tuesday morning for a press conference about the Alex Fanning appeal. He’d gotten the motorsport press and TV to turn out.
I arrived at the track Tuesday morning. Myles had set the press conference for ten thirty and I arrived just in time. A bunch of cars and a BBC news van were clustered around the race control tower. I parked next to the BBC Bristol news van. It didn’t appear there’d be any national coverage for this story and my hope that Redline would attend went unanswered too. As I got out of my car, two other vehicles stood out for me. Mr Fanning’s Range Rover and Derek’s aged Ford Granada.
Whose idea had it been to include Derek; Myles or Derek himself? I could see either being responsible for this move. Neither of them wanted me airing dirty laundry. They had nothing to fear. I wasn’t going to say anything. Steve was right. I didn’t have enough. Yet. I was biding my time.
It was a beautiful day. Bright, clear skies, but bitterly cold. A biting wind sliced across the track. I hurried inside the building and everyone looked my way. Mr Fanning and Alison were among them.
‘Now that Aidy’s here,’ Myles said, ‘I think we’re ready to start.’
Myles led everyone upstairs into the control tower. Once there, the BBC cameraman ordered us around. He put Myles in the middle with Mr Fanning, Alison and Vic Hancock on Myles’s right and Derek and me on his left. We were positioned with our backs to the track in order to have a panoramic view of the circuit in the background.
While the BBC set up, we ran through the interview with Pit Lane magazine and Motorsport News . These two publications accounted for everything motorsport related in the UK. I didn’t recognize Andrew Marsh from Motorsport News , but I knew Fergus Kane from Pit Lane . He raced VW Beetles and worked in the ad sales department at the magazine. He’d been hustling for a reporter gig and it looked as if he’d gotten his wish. He smiled at me.
Marsh got things rolling. ‘You want to tell us what’s going on here today?’
‘As you all know, we lost a promising competitor in Alex Fanning,’ Myles said. ‘It’s a loss we all share and one we’re not willing to forget. That’s why I’ve been collecting donations all weekend from drivers in the Clark Paints Formula Ford Championship in Alex’s honour. The money will be going towards safety improvements for our paramedic crews here at the track. The initiative was spearheaded by Aidy Westlake.’
‘What made you do this, Aidy?’ Fergus asked. ‘Does it have anything to do with your father’s untimely death?’
The second part of Fergus’s question stung for a second. ‘I know what effect a racing death has on a family and the racing community. We live in times where safety measures make driver deaths rare, but when they happen, we can’t ignore them. Raising funds to improve safety seems
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