It was race day. I rolled out of bed and looked out the window, saw that the weather was good, then I showered and got dressed. This race held a future for me. I was racing the new Mercedes AMG GT-R around the Nurburgring with famous drivers and auto enthusiasts, such as Jeremy Clarkson, Paul Wallace, Richard Hammond, and James May. It was an honor to participate in this event, with these famous car enthusiasts, and to drive around the world-renowned Nurburgring. I was the only one in this race without a big name, being just an experienced driver trying to get into Formula 1 and test driving for Mercedes. After getting showered and ready, I made myself breakfast. I made the usual, a bowl of cereal with a bagel and fruit. I threw on my shoes, grabbed my bag, and walked out the door.
         I went to the parking garage and got in my Mercedes C63 AMG. I started the car up and pulled out of the garage in sport mode. I got on the highway and was on my way to the Nurburgring. I drove my way aggressively to the track, going a steady 115mph on the highway. As I was driving, another Mercedes came creeping up on me. The car was for sure a sports car, and he started making his way closer and closer. I looked to my right and saw that it was a CLK 65 AMG Black series, with Jeremy Clarkson in the driver seat. This made sense because Jeremy Clarkson had previously mentioned in an episode of Top Gear that his favorite car is the CLK 65 AMG Black series. Clarkson looked over at me. I then proceeded to downshift and accelerate. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Clarkson behind me. It was like the race had already begun. I kept my foot on the acceleration until we reached the track.
         Pulling into the Nurburgring was one of the most breathtaking moments of my life. I never thought that I would be driving a car on this track, let alone driving on the track in Mercedes’ new AMG GT-R with Jeremy Clarkson, Paul Wallace, Richard Hammond, and James May. Following me as I pulled in was Jeremy Clarkson and someone in a Porsche 911 GTS. The two cars pulled in and the drivers got out. The man in the other car, the Porsche, happened to be Richard Hammond. I walked up to the two of them and shook their hands. I formally introduced myself to these car legends. Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond were the previous hosts of Top Gear, and hold the spot for the best Top Gear hosts (they made Top Gear what it is today). Clarkson and I discussed the drive down to the track, and complimented my C63. I of course complimented his CLK65 and we continued our conversation as we walked over to see the new AMG GT-R.
         As we got closer, we saw a large Mercedes crate, holding the new car. The three of us walked around to the front of the crate, where we saw James May and Paul Wallace waiting and checking out the new car. The crate opened, and the car was revealed. The GT-R was absolutely jaw-dropping. The car was started up and was left out for display, while a man in a black collared shirt grabbed us 5 drivers and brought us to the back, where we would get in our GT-Rs and start racing. As we approached the back of the track, we saw the 5 cars lined up. There was a green GT-R, a yellow one, a red one, a blue one, and a white one. I ran over to the white one immediately, white being my favorite color. We all started up our cars, and pulled out of the parking area on to the track. All five of us stayed lined up at the start line, staring at the light, waiting for it to turn green. The light transitioned from red to yellow, and then the timer started counting down from three. I activated Launch Control, and floored it as soon as the light hit green. I got the lead off the start, seeming to be the best gear changer/driver. About 30 seconds later, Clarkson and May started gaining on me. The track started getting more windy, and the other drivers started gaining more and more on me. Then hit the straight away. After the straight away hit, all of us got the cars up to about 195mph, yet I stayed in the lead. As the straight away came to an end, there was a very sharp right turn, one that I wasn’t exactly expecting. I was trying my best to finish the turn, then the back wheels shot out. I kept control of the car and recovered the drift. The drift did however slow me down, as Clarkson flew past me, putting me in second place. There was about 3 miles left in the race, just about the rest of the track being windy roads. From here on out, it all came down to who was the best driver.
         I started making a gain on Clarkson, with James May following me. As I got closer and closer, the people behind me got further and further. It was basically just me vs. Clarkson at this point. Clarkson wasn’t messing up on any of his gear shifts, or any of his turns. It seemed about impossible to pass him at this point. I could see the finish line approaching. I about gave up at this point, realizing that there was no way for me to catch up to him. I remained in second place as I crossed the finish line. I thought to myself, “Wow, what if I had beaten the one and only Jeremy Clarkson.” If I had won this race, I could’ve greatly increased my chances for getting my job as test driver for performance vehicles at Mercedes.
         I got out of my car, only to see Clarkson waiting for me outside of the car. I walked up to him and shook his hand, and congratulated him on his victory. Clarkson and I socialized for a while, and got to know eachother better. We then decided that we would be going to get lunch with the rest of the crew. We all hopped in our cars, started our engines up, and pulled out of the famous Nurburgring. I couldn’t believe that I had just drove on the Nurburgring with Jeremy Clarkson, James May, Paul Wallace, and Richard Hammond, some on the most experienced drivers and car enthusiasts, and now, I was going out to lunch with them, invited. Everyone pulled in to the diner and got out of their cars, where I then started to talk about Top Gear. I thought that this would be a good opportunity to try to get a spot on the show, since new hosts were being searched for. 
         After having this conversation and lunch with the drivers, we all got ready to go back to our cars. Clarkson and I continued our talk and then exchanged phone numbers. I looked over at Clarkson, gave him a head nod, and drove away. Clarkson and I had developed a special relationship on this day at the track. Him and I drove the same direction home, racing the same highway that we did on the way to the Nurburgring. I got off the exit to go home, and saw Clarkson fly past me continuing on the highway. I smiled, knowing that I bettered my chances of getting a spot on Top Gear, made new friends, and got to have fun racing the new Mercedes Benz AMG GT-R.