every respect—something that Jason is forced to agree with. After reviewing all of Xavier's races Jason formulates a strategy based on not only Xavier's actual superiority, but how he perceives himself as well: Jason realises that Xavier celebrates victory before the race is won, and uses this to surprise him with a late charge and wins whilst Xavier is otherwise distracted already saluting the crowds whilst still on the home straight. During the rest of the New York races Jason and the Bug slowly collect points, relying on luck as much as skill, and ultimately find themselves in a last race with the world champion Alessandro Romba. After pulling a slight lead the Argonaut II suffers another bout of sabotage and literally meters from the finish line the rear stabiliser wing is destroyed by a tiny explosive charge placed by a corrupt betting agent, Ravi Gupta, who wishes to stack the odds in his favour. In a last desperate manoeuver, Jason uses his car's ejector seat to fire himself—and his steering wheel containing the Argonauts transponder—across the finish line thus winning the championship. Romba shows himself to be quite different from most of the other pro racers so far encountered, and is not only magnanimous in defeat, but genuinely pleased for Jason, and Jason himself secures a full-time racing position with Team Lombardi. Major themes The novel is aimed primarily at a teenage demographic. It bears some resemblance to Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game or Harry Potter, with each of these novels featuring harrowing situations thrust upon young protagonists in a school-like environment. The book was originally released for free online, in eight parts, before being published in hard-cover format. It was followed by a paperback edition in 2005 to appeal more to a younger market. Teaching resources A package of teaching resources was created in early 2006 by Brendan McKinnon. The resources are aimed at giving students from the age of 12 to 16 a more thorough understanding of Hover Car Racer and help them to improve their skills in the areas of English, geography and history. Film adaptation Disney bought the rights to the film when the book was still only a manuscript, and had begun the screen-writing process with Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Other writers like David DiGilio and John Sayles were also involved. Currently it is unknown when the movie will begin production, though the