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they’d try a safer route,” he added.
    Jimmy turned back to see Missy do the right thing and hook a winch round Lightning’s exposed wheel. She whistled to Monster, who slowly pulled the superbike from the desert.
    “Sorry about that!” said Missy. “I guess Monster doesn’t know her own weight!”
    Missy and Jimmy stayed with Kako until she was safely back on Lightning. But once she had started her robobike up again, they all threw their racers into gear.
    “You gonna be all right going up the dune?” asked Missy out of the high window of her monster truck.
    “No, I think I will go around the hill this time. I will be faster on the flat ground,” said Kako.
    “Fair enough.” Missy replied. “Happy travelling!”
    “What do you think, Jimmy?” asked Cabbie. “Stay on the flat, or give the dune another go?”
    Jimmy weighed up his options, staring up at the dune. “Let’s go for it again. It should still be quicker this way.”
    Cabbie and Jimmy climbed carefully up the dune. Halfway up he glanced over to see Monster trundling alongside, so he hit the Cabcom.
    “G’day, Jimmy! Glad to see you’re taking the riskier route,” said Missy, once the screen had cleared.
    “I’m just keen to get ahead,” replied Jimmy.
    “Don’t worry, I’ll keep my distance this time.” Missy grinned. “I’ll try not to drag you down with me if Monster here causes another sandslide!”
    They concentrated on speeding up the slope, but kept the com link open. Jimmy liked Missy, and she was always cheery and easy to talk to.
    They reached the top of the dune, and Jimmy saw how high he was. He could see the desert spreading out below him, with Dug, Maximus and Zoom making their way toward the next checkpoint. If Jimmy squinted, he could just make out the revolving ‘L’ of the Leadpipe Industries logo, gleaming in the sunshine.
    Monster appeared on the top of the dune, and Missy peered into the Cabcom’s tiny camera. “What are ya waiting for, Jimmy? Last one to the bottom is a soppy koala!” She whooped with joy as she pushed Monster over the edge and began to streak down the dune.
    Jimmy laughed. “You’re on!” he shouted. “Hold onto your bonnet, Cabbie!”
    “Okay-dokay!” said the robot. Jimmy edged them over the top of the dune and felt his stomach lurch as they skidded down the sand. “Geronimo!”
    Jimmy turned out to be the soppy koala. As soon as they hit the bottom Missy fired her engine and they swept away in a cloud of sand. Jimmy sped along after her, trying to avoid the dust cloud she was leaving in her wake. He kept his foot hard to the floor as they both skidded up to the checkpoint.
    Missy ground to a stop just centimetres from the checkpoint marker, her tyres sending a puff of sand high into the air. Jimmy hopped out to see what clues Lord Leadpipe had set for them. He removed his helmet just in time to see Sammy and Chip jogging back to their robots.
    “See you at the overnight stop!” shouted Sammy.
    Jimmy found four envelopes attached to the pole, each one with the name of a racer on it. He snatched up the one with jimmy written on it and headed back towards Cabbie. As he climbed into the cockpit he ran a finger under the seal of the envelope and tore it open, eager to take a look inside. He pulled out another piece of ancient-looking papyrus. It was from Lord Leadpipe!
    Dear Racers,
    Congratulations on making it to the second checkpoint. You have done well to make it this far, but the hardest part still lies ahead. So here’s a thought to help you on your way:
    Chinese prophecy says that humans have been given two ears and one mouth for a very important reason, so that one can listen twice as much as one speaks. If you have been listening carefully to those wiser than you, perhaps you’ll find these questions a doddle.
    Yours,
    Ludwick
    Under the message were two multiple choice questions.
    The largest desert on earth is...
    a) the Sahara
    b) the Kalahari
    c) Antarctica
    But as