The Art of Racing in the Rain

Gestures are all that I have.

I have no words I can rely on,

because my tongue was designed long and flat,

and is therefore an ineffective tool,

for making complicated polysyllabic sounds.

And that is why I'm here now...

waiting for Denny to come home...

lying in a puddle of my own making.

Yo, Enz!

Enzo?

I hear the worry in his voice.

What happened, pal?

Oh, Enz.

I can smell the day on him.

Motor oil and gasoline and roast chicken.

Can you get up, bud?

I'm here, buddy.

I'm right here.

Okay.

If only I could speak...

I would tell him not to worry.

I saw a documentary about Mongolia on TV once.

In Mongolia, they believe that when a dog,

has finished living his lifetimes as a dog,

his next incarnation will be as a man.

I'm right here, bud.

There he is.

I realize this would mean losing all my memories,

my experiences.

But I have a plan.

I will try to imprint what I know on my soul,

carry it so deeply in the pockets of my existence,

that when I open my eyes and look down at my new hands,

I will already know.

There's my Enzo.

I will be ready.

I will remember.

He picked me out of a pile of pups,

a tangled mass of paws and tails.

He'd stopped at the farm on his way home,

- from the speedway at Yakima. - Hey.

Even back then, I knew I was different than other dogs.

My soul just felt more... human.

This one.

Definitely this one.

- The pick of the litter. - She always said that.

Well, just a minute now.

We were thinking of keeping that one.

He always said that, too.

Hey.

How much?

And so, I had my first glimpse,

at the rest of my life.

Tony! Denny's here.

Hey-hey!

Just wait for it.

I didn't know you were getting a puppy.

Neither did I.

Saw a sign on the road and,

I don't know, something came over me.

Isn't that right, Enzo?

"Enzo?" You mean like Ferrari? That's rad.

You can't look after a dog. You're never home.

Oh, you're gonna ruin the moment, aren't you?

Our best friend, he's gonna ruin the moment.

I'll take him on the road with me.

He can be my good luck charm.

Hey, you coming to our show tonight?

We're opening for The Scoffs at The Dive.

Oh, no, he can't. He's got a new puppy to look after.

See, he's good luck already.

I got the call this morning, they need an extra driver.

Yeah, sure. Yeah, I'll, leave you a pass at the gate.

Okay, two passes.

Who is this guy again?

That's right.

I liked my new home.

It only lacked for grass,

but I figured I could make do.

Enzo, no!

Don, I got to call you back.

And... go ahead.

Okay, bud, fire away.

Denny seemed unusually interested,

in my bathroom habits.

Go on. Go ahead.

Oh...

Of course, you did.

Okay, pal...

it's time to turn in.

Big day tomorrow at the race.

So just be a good boy.

Get some sleep, okay?

Okay.

All right.

Okay.

Okay.

Of course. Just rub that in...

I'd later learn it was called a television.

And, in time, it would teach me much about human behavior.

But that night,

it felt like a window into a whole new world.

Oh, you like that?

Like it?

No, I loved it.

Right foot on the gas.

Ease into the turn.

And even better was,

when he took me to the race itself.

Denny!

- Oh, look! - Oh, it's a puppy.

Denny's apartment was home, but this...

this was where I truly belonged.

It was more thrilling than I could've imagined.

What do you think, Enzo?

I Thought it was heaven on earth.

What'd you say his name is again?

Denny Swift.

Number 96 car.

He teaches for me from time to time

when he needs cash, but you trust me,

this kid's a diamond in the rough.

Copy that.

The heat coming off the track,

the breathless speed and precision of the pit crew...

I was in awe of it all.

He did a year in Formula Three.

Got picked up by Zip Simone's Audi program.

Started making a name for himself,

but then Zippy went bankrupt.

Then he lost his ride.

Clear!

You really serious about starting your own team,

there's your man right there.

He's been down almost a full lap this whole stint.

It's not about who's got the heavier foot.

It's about the feel.

Denny was the first to make the call

to switch to rain tires.

Step over here.

Hey. Watch this.

In all my years of racing,

I've never seen anyone like Denny in the wet.

Reminds me what they used to say about Senna:

"When it rains, it doesn't rain on him."

- And when he won... - Enzo!,

I felt like I'd witnessed true greatness.

Yeah!

First race?

What'd you think, boy? You like it?

Did you like it?

- Hey, kid, you got a minute? - Hey.

I want you to meet Sean Wright.

Hey. Denny Swift.

He sold his tech company for some obscene amount of money

and now he's determined to waste it all racing GTs.

Yeah, I think I've read about you.

That was some win today.

You think you could drive that way for him?

Try me.

My first year went by in a blur.

Wait. Let me see.

I realize nobody has a perfect childhood,

but I'd contend that mine came fairly close.

Denny began racing for Wright full-time,

and took me with him whenever he could,

like a four-legged member of the pit crew.

Hey, Enz, you good?

I was better than good.

Go! Clear!

Call it fate, call it luck.

All I knew was I was meant to be his dog.

Denny always said,

the best drivers focus only on the present.

Never dwelling on the past,

never committing to the future.

Go get it!

Reflection must come at a later time.

Which is why drivers compulsively record,

their every move with their in-car cameras.

I got to turn earlier.

Get a better run on that corner.

I learned so much from him about balance,

anticipation, patience.

Car goes where your eyes go, Enz.

And I would fantasize that one day I, too,

might actually race.

Congratulations on a spectacular win today.

Not an easy race, by any stretch.

Well, you know, I'm a risk taker.

Man, that win was all you.

This guy hasn't even mentioned you once.

You're way too good for this guy, Denny.

You got to start getting your own sponsors.

Yeah, maybe.

My drivers look to me as their leader...

Turn this clown off. Put on the Mariners.

There's an old saying I'd often hear Denny repeat:,

"No race was ever won in the first corner,

but many have been lost there.",