CHAPTER 72: RACE WEEKEND | SUNDAY | CHAMPION

"Thank you for your time, and ladies and gentlemen, let’s welcome the race winner and the champion of this year’s championship, Fatih Yıldırım," Süleyman said, prompting the crowd to start clapping and cheering as Fatih walked to the interview section, passing by Selçuk, who didn’t look at him at all, clearly showing his dissatisfaction at not winning the race.

"How does it feel to win the championship in your first time participating in it?" Süleyman asked after shaking hands with Fatih.

"I’m very happy to win the championship. When the season started, it was just a possibility, but now that I’ve actually won it, it feels surreal, like a dream come true. Or rather, it is a dream come true for me. When I started karting, this was the goal. But I couldn’t have done it alone. I’d like to thank my mother, who worked hard to support me in doing this sport without worry; my grandmother, who sent me to the academy and helped with my practice at home when Mom was at work; and my coaches, who taught me everything I know and supported me during difficult times. They all share a portion of this championship with me, and I’d like to thank them and tell them that I love them."

"That’s a very beautiful appreciation for those who helped you. It’s a dream come true for anyone to win the championship, and I’m sure they feel the same," Süleyman said, pausing for a moment, surprised by the sincerity of Fatih’s appreciation, before continuing with another question. "What were the most difficult parts for you during the championship?"

"I can say the difficulties started in the first race for me, after being sent all the way to the back on the first lap. Other than that, it was the two crashes in the same weekend that weren’t my fault but resulted in me losing the lead. The cause of those crashes was let off nearly scot-free, so that didn’t feel good. But now, with the championship in my hands, all of that doesn’t really matter. The trophy came to me in the end, though with a slight delay and some additional difficulties. Driving under pressure is something a good driver needs to continue improving, so I welcomed it."

Mphhh. Süleyman coughed at Fatih’s blunt mention of the unfairness of the situation with Selçuk, now that the championship was over. It caught him off guard, but he immediately recollected himself and asked the next question. "What do you see for next season? Do you think you’re capable of surviving the championship and repeating your title, or is it going to be difficult?"

"There’s no such thing as certainty, but as long as a new challenger doesn’t arise, then yes. But I hope one does, as a challenge at this level is something I need for my growth. Dominating is not really something good for me at this level."

"I hope you get what you wish for, as it’s in the best interest of both drivers and the attendees to have a neck-and-neck battle," Süleyman said, knowing that the possibility of a challenger was slim. However, it wasn’t impossible, as Jackson, who had dominated the previous season, met two difficult challengers this year. It was possible, but nearly impossible, for someone of Fatih’s level to appear back-to-back, or else Turkey would already be leading in motorsports instead of being a latecomer.

"Let’s move on. What’s your outlook on the rewards you’re going to receive today? What other categories do you think you’ll go home with a medal for?" Süleyman asked.

"I don’t know about anything else, but ’Overtake of the Year’ should go to me, as I have more than a hundred for them to choose from. ’Defensive Driver of the Year’ should also go to me, as I’m sure no one defended with their life on the line like I did in the wet race before I was taken out. Other than ’Driver of the Season,’ which is already decided, those two are the ones I’m sure I have a high likelihood of receiving. But it’s really not a competition, since I have the championship in my hands. The rest are just bonuses if I receive them," Fatih said with a smile, speaking with such confidence that it removed any trace of the humility people usually had for questions like these.

"Ah, thank you. I believe the same, and the same goes for the other categories. You showed us performances capable of catapulting drivers to fame in each round of the year. I’m even wondering if there’s anyone else who could receive the rewards instead of you," Süleyman added in a mixture of serious and sarcastic tones as he realized it was true. He started wondering if TOSFED would be fair and give Fatih those rewards or exclude him from consideration to allow others an opportunity for prizes. "Congratulations on your championship, and I look forward to seeing you on the track again," Süleyman said, ending the interview after the event organizer hinted from behind that they were running out of time.

"Thank you," Fatih said, shaking his hand before walking to the side of the podium, waiting for Süleyman to start working as the MC for the podium celebration and the following Moment of Brilliance awards.

......

Burak, watching from the side, couldn’t help but shed a tear as he listened to Fatih’s answers, which included him in the list of people he thanked and appreciated.

"He said ’coaches,’ so am I included in it as well?" Adam asked Burak, who was wiping his tears before returning to clapping and shouting with the public.

"That’s just a mistake from a young child, so don’t you dare try to take a portion of it from me," Burak said, looking at Adam as if he meant every word he said.

"Jeez, you can’t even take a joke. Fine, have all of it to yourself," Adam said, making a face as if Burak’s words hurt him, before getting serious and asking, "So, what are you going to do now that he’s leaving the academy?"

"I’m still thinking of a solution, but if he’s leaving, then I won’t stop him. The academy did him pretty dirty. Even now, I’m still dissatisfied with it," Burak said after a moment of contemplation.

"Will you move to the academy he goes to? I’m sure they’ll accept you if the academy he joins asks for you to continue being his teacher," Adam said, not letting the topic end there. He knew exactly how pissed Burak was, to the point of barging into the director’s room and causing a mess when he heard about the academy’s decision.

"If possible, then yes, I’d like to continue teaching him. But what does it matter to you, when you were on the other side the whole time?" Burak asked skeptically, knowing there was a possibility Adam was acting as a spy for the academy or for Aslan.

"Looks like your connections are slow these days. Didn’t you hear that Aslan is suspecting me of snitching to his wife about how he was pressuring and treating his son? So, at the moment, I’m not on any side. Since I did something good once, it felt good, and I decided to do more of it from now on. There are no negative intentions from me," Adam explained, not wanting there to be any misunderstanding between the two of them. Their relationship was already strained from Adam siding with Selçuk and trying to downplay his behavior during the meeting that led to all of this mess.

"Doing good doesn’t erase the bad you’ve done in the past without repenting and apologizing. So you should start doing that, or all of your good deeds will be taken with a grain of salt," Burak said before turning back to the podium, clapping and cheering as Fatih was being handed the championship trophy.

...........

"Usually, you fall asleep immediately after the race, but it looks like you’re wide awake today," Rümeysa said with a smile on her face as she looked in the rearview mirror and saw Fatih examining the medals and trophies surrounding him.

TOSFED had gone ahead and included him in all of the Moment of Brilliance categories instead of excluding him from consideration. As a result, he won Driver of the Season, Overtake of the Season, Defense of the Season, Recovery of the Season, Wet Weather Drive of the Season, and Rookie of the Year, earning him a total of six of the ten awards in addition to the championship itself.

"I’m happy that I kept my promise," Fatih said with a smile, proud that his first attempt at karting had ended with such positive results. He felt he hadn’t wasted his mother’s investment, both monetary and in the time she sacrificed on weekends to support him.

"Next weekend, we’ll go shopping for your camera, so start thinking about what you’re going to do with it," Rümeysa said, glancing at Fatih’s expression. They had already received the monetary reward in an envelope along with the championship trophy. The additional earnings from the Moment of Brilliance awards were more than expected, as each award came with a small monetary prize. It was enough for them to buy a good camera and other high-quality equipment.

"Look at who’s trying to act calm now, when you were crying earlier when he mentioned and thanked you," Güldane teased, giving her daughter a side-eye for teasing Fatih when she had been just as emotional.

"Do you really have to bring that up now? And why is the pot calling the kettle black when you did the same?" Rümeysa countered.

As the banter between mother and daughter went back and forth, Fatih finally opened his system interface to see the finalization of rewards from his season, now that he was done admiring his trophies.