Hover Car Racer is a Sci-fi/sports/action story written by Australian author Matthew Reilly, originally released as a free fortnightly online serial, and later published by Pan MacMillan in 2004. The novel, as the book title suggests, is about hover car racing, a sport developed in the early 21st century. The fictional technology of the Magneto drive uses the Earth's magnetic field to counteract gravity. The Magneto drive is used in all forms of modern transport, from cars and buses to cruise liners—and a new breed of racing vehicles, which have evolved from Formula 1 racing cars. Plot Jason Chaser is an independent hover car racer, who along with his autistic adoptive little brother—known only as the Bug—are competing in regional races, with hopes of reaching the Pro circuits, but in reality have little chance of doing so. During a local derby, Scott Syracuse (representing the International Race School) is impressed with Jason's skill, and despite damage to the "Argonaut" placing them last, offers him a position at the IRC for the next season. Jason accepts, and he and the Bug find themselves in Tasmania (now a privately owned training school) along with some of the best student hover car racers in the world. Jason is paired with independent Mech Chief Sally McDuff, who will look after their equipment and pit crew, including a robot named "Tarantula" which will perform most of the actual pit work—changing the magneto drives which enable the hover cars to function, the compressed gas for steering, and the coolant to prevent the magneto drives from melting. During the first few races, Jason is outclassed and bullied—both on and off the track—by the other racers who all consider him inferior—the perfect Xavier Xonora, his own teammates Washington and Wong, and Barnaby Becker, who Jason already knew from earlier races. Even the equipment seems to be against them as they—and the only female racer Ariel Piper—suffer more than their fair share of faulty mag drives, substandard coolant, and failures on the part of Tarantula. Despite this, and due to their natural talent they begin to rise in the rankings, until it becomes apparent that they both have a chance of becoming two of the top four rated racers who will be invited to take part in the New York Masters. Ariel and Jason have forged a friendly relationship which becomes soured when Jason is critical of Ariel's decision