In turn, Sophia helps her ex's rival in order to stay on the racing circuit and win Beau back. 'I like Sophia because she's smart and strong and she knows exactly what she wants and how to get it," Estella Warren says of her character. "She's always very straight up with Jimmy that she's still in love with Beau and not over him yet."
Meanwhile, off the track, Jimmy's brother, DeMille Bly (ROBERT SEAN LEONARD), a racing promoter driven by his own agenda. has put into motion his own plan for furthering Jimmy's success. "My character has a great love of racing, but he doesn't have the talent for it, so he lives to a large extent through his younger brother," Leonard says. "DeMille understands that it takes more than talent to succeed. You need sponsors. fans, the media. You need ambition. A love of driving is not enough."
To become a 'corporation,' as DeMille puts it, a champion driver must handle the off-track pressures as well as he maneuvers though intense competition on the track. As DeMille tries to manipulate his stumbling rookie brother, Jimmy cracks under the relentless pressure and bright spotlight DeMille creates. At the same time. Jimmy's scheme with Sophia stalls, and soon his manipulations backfire on him.
Meanwhile, Joe's return to racing bumps another driver, Memo Moreno (CRISTIAN DE LA FUENTE), off the circuit, angering Joe's ex-wife Cathy (GINA GERSHON), who is now married to Memo. While Memo takes his demotion to test driver in stride, Cathy views it as another example of how Joe still manages to hurt her. When Joe becomes involved with female journalist Luc Jones (STACY EDWARDS), Cathy seizes the chance to get back at him.
"Cathy is as driven as any of the drivers, but her ambition — and fate is all tied up with the love and manipulation of these men," Gina Gershon says of her duplicitous character. "Even though she's married to Memo, you can tell she's still in love with Joe. Memo's a good man, and he's good to her in a way Joe wasn't, but she still can't get over Joe. You can see their dynamic, their attraction.. .and you can also see why these people aren't together anymore.
But Cathy Moreno pays a steep price for her game playing. Angry at Joe and ambitious for Memo, she instigates a chain of events that culminate with tragic consequences. "Cathy is one of those people you don't want to become," Gershon says. "She's an example of what happens when someone's ego and dark side gets in the way of their relationships."
Cristian de la Fuente believes his character is not completely blind to Cathy's ambition. "Memo really loves his wife," de la Fuente says. "Cathy is the love of his life. And although he's not completely sure if she loves him the same way, he would do anything to make her happy and proud of him."
Memo's strong sense of loyalty is a quality that de la Fuente admires. "Memo Moreno is a very beautiful character," notes de la Fuente. "He wants to be the best driver on the team, but he also wants to be the best husband and the best friend. When he has to choose between being a driver or a friend, he wants to be a better friend, a better human being."
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