That Spilt Second

• Riley Williams, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2012

That Split Second
“Ring! Ring!” went my motorbike as I warmed it up for the last race of the 85cc 9-11yrs division for the young motocross season 2012. “Good luck” I said to Jayden and James as I shook their hands. I heard Jayden rev his CR150cc and then James on his CR85 the same model as mine.
We putted out slowly and selected our gates. As the thirty second board went up the whole world started to slow down. The only thing that was going at normal pace was my heart. The soft sound of it filled my whole head with the noise of a horse galloping along a paddock full of wet grass from the dew and the beads of sweat that were slowly drizzling down the side of my head sounded like a water droplet falling from a strand of grass into a small puddle that the other droplets had created on the moist dirt.
I put my bike into first gear and psyched myself into the mood by looking at my other competitors and revving my bike a couple more times and pumping the clutch. As the thirty second board was spun around and now showed a number five I leaned forward and got ready to go.
As the gates dropped I released the clutch and I took off! I accidently pulled a wheel stand all the way to the top of the start straight and only just managed to get the front wheel down in time to get around he first corner still didn’t get to the first corner in time to beat Jayden around it. But when we came around the second corner I made my move and over took him! As we went around each corner we battled to be first to the next jump or corner.
After a long three laps we came to the final corner and I was just behind Jayden. He went flat out at the jump and I slowed down for a split second hoping that I would hit the ground before him and be able to out run him down the finish straight but I was wrong he got to the finish line first and won the race!
As we slowed down to shake hands and congratulate each other I could hear Jayden saying under his breath “That was close!” “Nice race” I said to him as we shook hands he just breathed heavily because he was too puffed to talk! After the race he came up to me and said “there was only a one split second between us in that race!”