Caleb bent close. The rear cradle was made from lightweight tubing attached to the cart’s wooden chassis at four points. The new assembly lowered the ride and narrowed the rear track. It was exactly the kind of design that could make a straight run fast and a corner unpredictable. What troubled him was a short slot beneath the left pivot that appeared to allow movement under sideways load.
“Can you turn the steering with your weight on the seat?” he asked.
Leo sat down and gripped the wheel. Caleb and Odessa each steadied a side. Leo turned slowly left. The cart tilted. There was a faint click from underneath, followed by a springy release. Leo looked pleased.
“That’s the new leaning setup. Like a bike. It helps on bends.”
Odessa’s eyes closed for a heartbeat. “It might,” she said. “If the movement and the brake load were designed together.”
Caleb set the parking block against the front wheel and asked Leo to press the brake. The cable pulled smoothly, yet the rear assembly shifted as the brake arm tightened. Caleb placed his finger against the frame without putting it underneath.
“That movement shouldn’t be there,” he said.
Silas approached with the consultant, a broad man named Grant Fiske whose company logo appeared on the new equipment. Grant wore safety glasses on his head and a confidence that irritated Caleb before he spoke.
“That is a self-centering rear carriage,” Grant said. “Perfectly normal in performance builds.”
“Not with that brake linkage,” Odessa replied.
Grant smiled at her. “With respect, ma’am, the system is above your pay grade.”
“I used to sign off on machines carrying eighteen people at a time,” she said. “Your title isn’t an answer.”
Grant lifted his hands. “I’m not here to be insulted.”
“Neither is Leo,” Caleb said. “I want to see a full-load demonstration around the last corner before this races.”
Silas spread his arms. “We have a schedule.”
“Then change it.”
“The sponsors are here in ten minutes.”
“That’s a business problem,” Caleb answered. “This is a child.”
Leo slipped out of the cart. His eyes moved between them, and he flushed. “You promised you wouldn’t make me look foolish,” he said to Caleb.
Caleb stared. “Who told you that?”
“Silas said some people would try to stop me because they were jealous I got special equipment.”
The words hit harder than Caleb expected. He had once promised Leo that he would never treat him like a beginner when his work had earned serious consideration. That promise had nothing to do with allowing dangerous equipment onto a course. Caleb tried to explain, but Leo had already stepped backward, protecting the cart with his body.
“You didn’t even see the testing yesterday,” Leo said.
