Apex Ch 10

A/N - Hello. This is the tenth and last chapter of this story. Having won the World Championship at the end of the previous chapter, this will be by far the longest chapter of the series as I plan on focusing on a couple more seasons in detail before wrapping everything up with perhaps a longer epilogue than usual. For those who don't take notice, please check the word count as a signal of how long this chapter will be.

There is also very little sex in this chapter. The previous nine chapters have had enough sex to satisfy the cravings!

Australian / British standard English. There is a good chance of reading the following: lots of profanity, characters drinking, typos, and bad grammar at times.

Proofreading and editing suggestions provided by OhDave1. Any mistakes are still mine.

Comments are appreciated as always.

Feedback by email is always welcome. Enjoy chatting with anyone who likes my work.

*****

The years of triumph and tragedy.

*****

Does Mark triumph again?

The retirement of three drivers in top seats at the end of the previous season set off the largest game of musical chairs the Formula One grid had likely seen in decades. While the status quo remained at Minardi, with me remaining as lead driver and reigning World Champion and Luca Badoer as my teammate, the faces at nearly all our main rivals changed.

The first domino to fall was Jean Alesi, runner-up of the previous year's championship. He surprised many by leaving McLaren-Porsche, where he may have been the nominal team leader with the retirement of James Hunt, to go partner with Gilles Villeneuve at Ferrari. The biggest shock about Ferrari was their decision to abandon their venerable V12 and replace it with a V6 turbo, under the impression that they would be better served with a turbo due to the banning of ground effects at the end of the coming season.

Jean Alesi's departure for Ferrari left two empty seats at McLaren. The first seat was occupied by Alain Prost, who left the Renault team frustrated at their lack of progress and the internal politics. The second seat was occupied by Andrea de Cesaris, who had his own frustrations after a poor season with Alfa Romeo when defending his crown. Both were hoping for better reliability from a Porsche engine that had been getting better with each passing race and the designers at McLaren had regularly turned out very good chassis.

Keke Rosberg's retirement left a seat available at Williams-Honda. Alesi's arrival at Ferrari meant Nigel Mansell was left without a seat. He returned to Williams after three relatively unsuccessful years at Ferrari to partner Ayrton Senna. Many were already predicting fireworks as it was assumed this would be a volatile pairing of personalities.

Jean-Pierre Beltoise left the ailing BRM team to partner Rene Arnoux at Renault. Graham Hill remained stuck at BRM with few options available given he was now in his forties though showing little sign of wanting to retire. His new teammate was the rising Swiss star, Jo Siffert.

Riccardo Patrese replaced the retired Niki Lauda at Brabham-BMW to partner Nelson Piquet, with Marc Surer taking the Italian's place at Arrows-Ford to partner Thierry Boutsen. The departure of Andrea de Cesaris from Alfa Romeo saw Alessandro Nannini leave Benetton-BMW to partner Patrick Depailler at Alfa Romeo, his position at Benetton taken by the rapid Italian Teo Fabi, who had spent a couple of years racing with success in the IndyCar series based in the United States.

Most other teams remain unchanged. Jim Clark and Ronnie Peterson remained at Lotus though the Ford Cosworth DFV that had served the team so well would soon be gone. Colin Chapman had arranged for Renault turbo engines to be used from next season as he focused on designing a new car that didn't make use of ground effect technology. Jacques Laffite and Didier Pironi remained at Ligier-Matra, continuing the all-French feeling to the team, much like the Renault squad. There had been rumours of Pironi moving to Ferrari before the announcement of Alesi. Ken Tyrrell chose to stick with Jody Scheckter and Jean-Pierre Jarier after the tumultuous events of the previous year. Scheckter, the young South African sensation, had proven rapid and consistent. Jarier was rapid but not consistent. Other teams further down the grid remain unchanged though it was thought they would still fail to trouble those near the front. The likes of Cooper, March, Eagle, Shadow, Ensign and others would probably fail to trouble the points scorers at most races, usually relying on weather and freak circumstances to score points.

The calendar remained mostly unchanged though one or two venues had. The Spanish Grand Prix would no longer be held at Montjuic with this year's event transferring to Jarama near Madrid, and it would now share the Spanish Grand Prix with Jerez on alternating years. Mosport Park in Canada was another race coming in for criticism, and rumour was that it would soon lose the rights and it would be held continuously on the Ile de Notre Dame near Montreal. Paul Ricard in southern France was becoming the favoured venue of the French Grand Prix, while there were rumours that the German Grand Prix may stop visiting the Nurburgring, and that Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium would be entirely rebuilt to ensure it could continue hosting the Belgian Grand Prix.

But all of this was for later. I moved into my new house in early January with Sophia. We took the master bedroom, the sort of space where it was large enough that some may have never left the room except for mealtime. And the ensuite bathroom was big enough to make most people happy. Anja and my sister moved with us as our new home was more than large enough. I didn't miss the fact that Anja and my sister spent a lot of time together once we were in our new home.

"Mark, you've always known that I was partial to pussy," Anja told me, "Are you really upset that I'm keeping your sister happy?"

I met the eyes of my sister and although I could still see her desire for me, there was no doubting she was happy with our arrangement. Hell, I knew that she still had fun from time to time with Sophia whenever I was away for a long weekend when it was only me and Anja on the road. The only one still missing was Aiko as she was still organising with the company when she could move south.

The arrangement was working though. Sophia and I shared the master bedroom. Anja had her own room as did my sister though they did disappear into one or the other's bedroom quite often. Aiko would usually sleep with me whenever she did fly down to visit, while Sophia was quite happy to share a bed with one of the others. There were two spare bedrooms that we would decorate once Sophia was pregnant. And there was also a unit attached to the house, I guess what you'd call a 'granny flat', that Mum and her wife could make use of whenever they visited.

Speaking of pregnancy, Sophia wasn't with child just yet. It wasn't through lack of trying. We'd also been to the doctor upon arriving home from our honeymoon just to make sure everything was okay. We were both fertile, she was more than capable of carrying children. The doctor assured Sophia that sometimes it just took a little time for it to happen.

Since our honeymoon, Sophia kept her word about one thing. Although we were trying for a baby whenever she was capable of conceiving, her love of anal hadn't diminished nor did she put any stop to having fun with Anja, Aiko and now my sister. Given the open nature of our relationship, I had no problem if she disappeared for an evening with one of them. It just meant I would end up sleeping with someone else.

"What do you think this year will bring?" Sophia asked one evening as I was due to fly out to Estoril the next morning for testing.

"I hope that I have a better defence of my title than Andrea did last year. No wonder he joined McLaren."

"I know you said that you'd never move, but what if Ferrari did come knocking? Would you consider moving there?"

"The only way I'd even get the offer is if Gilles were to retire. Jean is similar in age to me. He'll be at Ferrari for a few years. I know Jim is thinking about it. The last time I spoke to him, Jackie retiring suddenly... All I know is that it's Minardi, Ferrari or nothing. The French teams are too political, particularly Renault, and I doubt they'd want an Australian anyway. And I'm not sure the likes of Williams or McLaren would ever be interested."

"What about Lotus if Jim was to retire?"

"I'd have to wait and see how the Lotus-Renault would look after a year or two. Chapman will have to build a new car without ground effects, and I think we're all going to struggle next year without it."

Her fingers caressed my chest before she asked, "How long do you think you'll keep racing?"

I turned my head to meet her eyes. "Are you worried?"

"I always worry, Marco. I know how good you are, but some drivers crash through no fault of their own."

"I won't be like Graham. He's forty this year and intends to keep on going. Jacques is getting on in years. So is Nigel. Keke and Niki were getting on which is why they packed up and left. What people seem to forget is that Jackie wasn't that old when he walked away. But no one blamed him either. Francois was a little brother to him in many ways. Kind of like how Jackie was that to Jim."

"When I fall pregnant, I'll probably quit my job and will be a stay-at-home mother to raise our kids. That means I can come to more races, at least."

"I'll try and keep your stress levels down when you're carrying our child."

Unlike last season, Minardi was at the three main testing sessions which saw nearly every team attend two of them. With ground effects on the verge of being banned, the Minardi that Luca and I would be driving was simply an updated and refined version of the car we'd driven last year, and it was no surprise to see most other cars were the same. With the heavy restrictions on the turbo engines at the same time, it was perhaps no surprise that the status quo from last season remained. Ferrari had the expected teething issues from their V6 turbo though the rumours were they'd had it built for a couple of years and had simply been waiting to see what would happen with ground effect rules.

By the end of testing with the South African Grand Prix only a few short weeks away, the expected teams were at the front. Minardi was in the mix though the advantage we had at the start of the previous year wasn't there. The Ferrari looked very fast though would likely suffer from unreliability at the start of the season. Senna and Mansell were pushing the Williams-Honda forward. Prost and de Cesaris at McLaren-Porsche looked very competitive. The Ligier-Matra and Lotus-Ford drivers would compete though might struggle at certain tracks. Other teams might spring the occasional surprise, particularly if it was wet. There was still simmering tension regarding the governing body, and although he'd retired, Jackie Stewart was ever present as the Chairman of the GPDA. He would be championing the cause of safety throughout the year.

Sophia was all over me the few days before I was due to fly out as it was the right time to try. There's little more exciting than my wife walking into whichever room that I'm in stark naked and she'd either drag me to the bedroom or pounce on me then and there. If I was sitting down, she'd simply pull my jeans or pants down and happily bounce on my cock until I came inside her. Or she'd lie back, spread her legs, and beg me to fill her up.

"Give me a baby," she'd moan into my ear if she was on her back, my cock pumping her faster and faster as I wanted to give her what we both wanted, "This will just be the first, Marco."

"Want to have enough children for a soccer team?"

She'd clutch me tighter though I'd hear her giggle. "Maybe a five-a-side. I'm not having eleven children, Marco." I'd feel her squeeze my cock before whispering, "And don't think the tap will turn off when we're done making babies. You think that I'd want to stop this feeling?"

I leaned back and met her eyes. "Worth the wait?"

"I'm glad we did wait. Our first night was perfect, and we're going to have so much fun together."

What many in the team had noticed while we were testing at Estoril and then Jerez was the fact I was relaxed. Giancarlo asked why and I said it was simply because I was World Champion. I'd achieved my goal. I'd like to win another one, and would always want to win more races, but there were a few drivers that won their title and were content.

With some many changes during the off-season, it took a little getting used to seeing other drivers in different uniforms. Testing never gives a true indication of what the season might bring. Sure, the teams topping the times will usually be near the front most of the time, but it's been known for a less successful team to put minimum fuel in the car and put on a set of soft, sticky tyres to set a very fast lap that simply won't be seen again all season.

Minardi proved that our results from last season were no mere flash in the pan as I was second at the end of qualifying on Friday with my teammate in sixth. After what happened with Cevert last year, and the myriad of crashes that had left drivers with significant injuries in previous years before that, all the drivers were hoping for a safe season.

In the Saturday morning practice session, nearly every driver simulates race runs. The car full of fuel. Harder tyres that will endure the conditions. And it's all about setting consistent lap times and getting the groove before we would then head out in the afternoon for the second qualifying session of the weekend.

Piercarlo Ghinzani drove one of the two cars for the tiny Osella-Alfa Romeo squad. In many ways, they were like the Minardi of a decade ago. Shoestring budget. Small operation. Not very successful. He was on his fourth lap of the morning practice session when he entered the Jukskie Sweep. In fifth gear, his car spun off the track into a solid earth bank. His car hit the bank, split in half and erupted into flames. Miraculously, he survived as the front half of the car was torn from the rear, and despite suffering injuries to his legs, he managed to deploy the extinguishers while marshals rushed to the scene with fire extinguishers. The vision on television was ghastly, but we were all quickly informed that although injured, Piercarlo hadn't been burned badly and would recover from his leg injuries in time.

But even though Piercarlo survived and would be absolutely fine within a matter of months, it still cast a shadow over the weekend as the sport had come perilously close to losing another driver. Those of us newer to the grid had been fortunate enough not to see too many fatal accidents. Cevert's during last season had been the first since my debut, at least involving a fellow driver. There had been the accident at Montjuic which had claimed the lives of several spectators, photographers and marshals before that. But as speeds increased, it seemed that safety might be taking a long time to catch up. In many ways, it was still a gladiatorial blood sport, yet with viewership rising on television, the powers that be didn't want hundreds of millions tuning in on a Sunday to potentially watch a gruesome accident and the death of a driver.

I didn't sense any nerves on the grid as we prepared for the race. In many ways, it was a freak accident. A car going off at the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps a suggestion that safety could be improved, but Piercarlo survived and would recover. Sitting in my cockpit a few minutes later as I waited for the green light, I was only focused on the race. No thoughts about Piercarlo. No thoughts about Sophia and pregnancy. No thoughts about the living situation. It was all about taking the chequered flag first.

Jean Alesi won the South African Grand Prix on his debut for Ferrari. I was in third behind him and Senna's Williams. Alesi hadn't always shown that much emotion, but he wept on the podium as the French and then Italian anthems played. Everyone knew that driving for Ferrari had always been his ambition, and for him to win his first race for the Scuderia was very special indeed.

"Despite their troubles, the Ferrari looks good," I said during the post-race debrief with Fabrizio, Gabriele, Luca and his race engineer, "They'll probably have some more issues with their new engine, but their car is fast in a straight line. And they're not bad around the corners."

"You kept up with Senna though," Fabrizio countered.

"I didn't make a mistake. He was just right on my tail and letting him past was the sensible option. I would have destroyed my tyres defending against him and would have fallen further back. Today will either be a flash in the pan for both sides or we're in for one hell of a fight. Prost and de Cesaris were both looking good for McLaren before they retired."

"Luca, what about you? Thoughts?" Fabrizio asked.

"The grid this year is already so much closer than last year. Us. Ferrari. McLaren. Williams. The Brabham's looked quick though fragile. I think Lotus won't be challenging this year."

"What about our car, Luca?"

"Good! Very good. I think better than last year regarding handling. Marco?"

"Yeah. Luca's right about that. The one thing we both mentioned during testing was how responsive it was. And it's even easier to set up. Estoril, Jerez and Kyalami are very different circuits, yet I think we both found set-ups that worked for us."

"What I can assure both of you is that the team will continue developing this car, particularly if we are again fighting for the championship. We've had promises from Lamborghini that their focus will be on reliability again as we have no issue with the power provided. Are you both happy with the tyres?"

"The real test will be in the wet, as usual," I replied, "They've been getting better each year though that doesn't mean Goodyear and Michelin are standing still."

There were two weeks between the races in South Africa and Argentina. Enough time to return to Italy and spend most of the time being intimate with my wife as she'd told me that it would be the perfect time to keep trying. Although my priority was her, Aiko flew down to visit for a couple of days and had news about her planned move, thinking it would be by April at the latest.

I made sure that I didn't ignore my sister either. Although we had resumed our intimacy, we were not together very often. She didn't want to interfere with my marriage and knew we were trying for kids. She also knew that Aiko was very close to me as well. And I assured her that I didn't miss how close she had grown to Anja. To be honest, the only time I was intimate with Anja was when we were away for a Grand Prix. When we were at home, Anja was also keeping a little distance, so my wife had the majority of my time. I knew that would change when Aiko arrived as Sophia was insistent that I split my time somewhat evenly between the pair.

"So just how close are you two now?" I asked Anja during the flight to Buenos Aires.

Anja gave me a glance while she smirked. "She loves her little brother more than anyone," she finally replied, "But she knows your heart truly belongs to Sophia and Aiko."

"I do love my sister. I hope she never forgets that." I took Anja's hand before adding, "And never doubt that I do love you too."

"I know you do. I'm just glad that we're all open-minded enough to make this work."

"If I did have to make a choice..."

"Sophia, Mark. You married her. You belong together. And I don't think Sophia would ever demand you make a choice anyway. This whole thing started with her completely on board."