Dodgy Footrests
It was the weekend of the 2005 United States Broomula One Grand Prix. The usual crowd had assembled in the stands: the broom experts and their families, fans of broom racing, and then another group.
The muggleborn who enjoyed watching wizards and witches emulate the muggle Formula One.
And then in the paddock there was the broom racers and their teams.
But there was a problem. During Free Flying the previous day, where the racers flew round the course to get used to it, there was a problem.
It turned out that on one of the turns, some of the footrests failed.
Ones made by Nimbus Brooms.
Nimbus Brooms were one of two footrest manufacturers that Broomula One teams used, the other being the Broomstone Footrest Company, but Nimbus had always been the more popular choice among the teams.
In fact, only 3 teams used Broomstone.
The Nimbus Brooms representatives were quick to try and calm the situation, promising that they would work to fix the issue and provide replacement parts as soon as possible.
But the Fédération Internationale de Balais refused to allow them to do that.
The teams demanded that the turn be changed to allow for the Nimbus users to be able to race safely, or even a speed limit decrease on that corner.
But the Fédération Internationale de Balais told them that if they did, then the FIB would not allow them to race as a sanctioned event.
The tension in the paddock was palpable. The Nimbus teams were furious and felt that they were being unfairly treated. They argued that the FIB should prioritize the safety of the racers over their strict rules.
The Broomstone teams, on the other hand, were thrilled at the prospect of gaining an advantage. They saw it as an opportunity to showcase their product and possibly even win the race.
As the day of the race dawned, the situation had still not been resolved. The Nimbus teams were considering pulling out of the race altogether, while the Broomstone teams were strategizing how to use the turn to their advantage.
Harry Potter was one of those who was affected. He was a racer for the Renault Brooms team, and they had been using Nimbus footrests throughout the season. He knew that he and his team would be at a disadvantage if they had to race on that turn without the proper footrests.
And he was annoyed. He was on a Championship run, and he didn't want this issue to ruin his chances of winning.
Eventually race time came, and he was due to go off on a formation lap, a parade lap.
But he had been instructed to return to the Renault broom shed as soon as that lap completed. To be one of 14 racers to DNS. Do Not Start.
The Nimbus teams had made the difficult decision to boycott the race, putting their safety above their desire to compete. But as the race progressed, something unexpected happened. The Broomstone teams were struggling on the turn that had caused so much controversy.
Their footrests weren't performing as well as they had hoped, and many of them were losing time as they struggled to navigate the corner.
As the race reached its halfway point, Harry watched from the sidelines, frustrated but also relieved that he and his team had not risked their safety. Suddenly, he heard a commotion from the stands. A group of muggleborn fans had started a chant, calling for the FIB to prioritize safety over rules.
He had heard about the controversy in the Formula One race that had happened the previous day, where drivers had refused to race due to safety concerns, and the race had ultimately been cancelled. It seemed like the muggleborn fans were trying to do the same thing here.
The FIB officials could not ignore the message that was being sent. The fans wanted racing. Not this excuse for a farce.
They finally agreed to change the turn, and even lowered the speed limit on that corner to ensure the safety of the racers.
But they still wouldn't allow the racers who had Nimbus footrests compete.
Harry watched as the Broomstone teams continued to struggle on the new turn, their strategy backfiring as they lost precious time and positions. He knew that if he had been racing, he would have been able to navigate the turn safely with his Nimbus footrests, but he also knew that his safety was more important.
In the end, a Broomstone team won the race, but the controversy had left a sour taste in everyone's mouth. The Nimbus teams were still frustrated at being excluded from the race, but they were also grateful for the muggleborn fans who had spoken up for their safety.
As Harry and the other racers packed up to leave, he couldn't help but wonder if things would have been different if the FIB had prioritized safety from the start. But he also knew that sometimes, it takes a group of passionate fans to make a change. And he was glad to see that change had finally come.