World Grand Prix Championship 13: RP Thread

[The Glorious Han Chinese]

Vincent sat in his office, fuming over the fact that Moises Delgado signed for Hansa-Nyrota Racing without so much as a heads up. The team only extended test offers to 3 drivers. That leaves two drivers left, the Sunrise Islander, LaRoja, and Victoria Gardner. And Vincent was very keen to sign both of them onto the team. Having a all-female lineup would do well for the team's image. And none of them were particularly slow either. While Vincent was still waiting for LaRoja to arrive, Gardner had already completed her test. She had managed her fastest lap in her first ten laps, a time of 1:39.899. Vincent didn't know if that was good, but Maxwell Song was only capable of 1:40.153 and he is definitely becoming a test driver if LaRoja and Gardner both accept his offers. He'll take some flak from the government, probably a charge of treason and a summary execution. But that is something to worry about in the future. At the moment, there is an offer to make:

Dear Victoria Gardner,

I'm sorry we missed the opportunity to see each other, I understand that the driving must be exhausting. But, word of your driving has not escaped my ears. We at SinoMotors Racing would like to offer you a contract for the position of second driver for this season (and possibly replace Maxwell Song). Your role this season is to be a stable and reliable driver to pick up the points whenever our first driver DNFs. That might not sound to glamorous, but I promise you that it is an important job and we are all thankful for it. The pay will be 4 million, and it's non-negotiable. The decision is up to you. Of course, we hope you make the right choice and join us.

Best of luck,
Vincent Liu, Team Manager

[Taeshan]

Asked if he was excited for the upcoming season of World Grand Prix Racing Taeshani driver Oliver Bliss said he was looking forward to showing is talents on the international stage. Asked later about where he wants to drive he said it would be an honor to drive for any of the teams looking for drivers around the world. He added though with the recent news that the Salvatore F1 racing team may replace a team confirmed already for the season that he would of course race for the team who gave him the opportunity in the international world. But if their attempts to replace that team did not come to fruition that he would be honored to drive for any team that wanted him.

For it's part in the possible season ahead Salvatore's manager Everett Bentley praised what his former driver in the Grand Prix Circuit of Taeshan had been in the last few seasons and had helped his team to a place where they could take part in the international racing circuit. He said of course Bliss would be the first driver of the team, and would likely drive the teams fabled #4 into international competition. As for possible drivers that he would like to test in the car, he mentioned wanting to get into talks with Sunrisian, Crimson LaRoja, Weston Arbeid of Torisakia, Lauren Ashburton of Barunia, and Scotty Tucker of Mangolana. He noted that for the most part the team wanted to go young as a sort of branding endeavor to sell sponsorship for the younger crowd in an attempt to make the Grand Prix and open wheel circuit a bigger thing in Taeshan.

He also announced that should the team get the final position in the 12 team series that they would attempt to attain the rights to the #14 from The Glorious Han Chinese Racing team, SinoMotors Racing. The number is one of the most liked numbers throughout Taeshan, and it is an even bigger number in Taeshan racing history. It was the number that saw many a Taeshani finish in the top parts of international NASCAR racing series, and has long been a fabled number in the history of Taeshani sports of every kind. He further added that if that did not go through, they would likely consider various numbers with his favorite being his own number from his racing days in the Taeshani F1 series, #10.

[Barunia]

Henry Baltimore met the 7 drivers who had been invited to try out for Archer - Crimson LaRoja, Rudolf Ibuna, Roger Bunn, Victoria Gardner, Sayono Souzare, Ujkan Sadiraj and Scotty Tucker - at Archer's testing facility, located in the suburb of Pirrin, just outside Dropshort. Henry showed them the hill climb test, the rough road test, and the crash test locations, then moved on to the reason for them being here. The high speed test location, a four kilometre oval, with high banked sweeping turns and two 1100 metre straights. Henry took them to a garage near the start line, and introduced them to an old man with large glasses, a bald head, and a huge smile. "Guys, meet Gil Spencer, our mechanic maestro. He'll be in charge of the pit crew for the Super-WGP team."
Gil shook all their hands. "Good to meet ya. Now, would you like to see whatcha all be drivin' today?"
He led them inside the shed, where a team of mechanics and engineers were preparing the Super-WGP car. Gil cast a critical eye over their work, and nodded approvingly. "Yup she's a beauty. Got one mighty fine engine right there."
Henry said to the drivers, "Gil's been with Archer for 44 years, so if you want to know anything about racing with Archer, he's a good man to ask."
Gil nodded and said "Yessir, been trackside for every GT cup since '84. Now, I knows cars inside out and back to front, as it were, and believe me, this is one of the finest I ever saw."

Henry addressed the group. "Ok, while Gil and his team get the car ready, I'll run you through the procedure. You'll each, one at a time, drive the car around the circuit at 100km, just so you can get a feel for it. Then each of you will have a chance to do a single flying lap, as fast as possible around the circuit. We'll go through each driver, then each of you will put in another lap, and then another two. I'll be monitoring your progress in the nerve centre, From there, I'll be able to watch data from every aspect of the race as it comes in. So, who wants to go first?"

As the drivers started to leave to get changed into their racing suits, Henry called them back. "Oh, I almost forgot. We scrapped the idea of having you compete against our test drivers, but we asked the Barunian driver, Lauren Ashburton, to do the tests for us last week. So, you'll have another person to be competing against. Still, there's only eight of you, so a 25% chance of employment. Not bad, and may the best driver win. Also, don't forget, there's still testing to come tomorrow, on a circuit with proper corners. So, even if you stuff up here, you've still got a chance for redemption tomorrow."


Archer speed ring - Archer testing facility
Record: 54.109 (R.Daniels, Archer test driver)

Testing Lap 1

1 Crimson LaRoja (USI)      56.976
2 Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)        57.144
3 Roger Bunn (TCU)          57.643
4 Victoria Gardner (EFL)    57.972
5 Sayono Souzare (HDR)      58.267
6 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)    58.268
7 Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)       58.552
8 Scotty Tucker (MNG)       58.573

Testing Lap 2

1 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)    57.115
2 Crimson LaRoja (USI)      57.130
3 Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)        57.163
4 Roger Bunn (TCU)          57.696
5 Victoria Gardner (EFL)    57.731
6 Sayono Souzare (HDR)      58.127
7 Scotty Tucker (MNG)       58.584
8 Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)       58.715

Testing Lap 3

1 Crimson LaRoja (USI)      56.982
2 Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)        57.102
3 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)    57.401
4 Victoria Gardner (EFL)    57.791
5 Roger Bunn (TCU)          58.087
6 Sayono Souzare (HDR)      58.130
7 Scotty Tucker (MNG)       58.548
8 Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)       58.793

Testing Lap 4

1 Crimson LaRoja (USI)      56.971
2 Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)        57.112
3 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)    57.166
4 Roger Bunn (TCU)          57.664
5 Victoria Gardner (EFL)    57.741
6 Sayono Souzare (HDR)      58.132
7 Scotty Tucker (MNG)       58.565
8 Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)       58.578

Scores after speed testing (lowest score wins)

# Driver                Lap 1 2 3 4 T Pts
1 Crimson LaRoja (USI)      1 2 1 1  5  5
2 Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)        2 3 2 2  9  9
3 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)    6 1 3 3 13 13
4 Roger Bunn (TCU)          3 4 5 4 16 16
5 Victoria Gardner (EFL)    4 5 4 5 18 18
5 Sayono Souzare (HDR)      5 6 6 6 23 23
7 Scotty Tucker (MNG)       8 7 7 7 29 29
8 Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)       7 8 8 8 31 31

[Barunia]

Ben Cunningham slipped into the nerve centre of the Magwitch Racetrack on the fifth race of testing for the potential Archer drivers - Crimson LaRoja, Rudolf Ibuna, Victoria Gardner, Roger Bunn, Sayono Souzare, Scotty Tucker, Ujkan Sadiraj. He was greeted by Henry Baltimore, who was watching the camera feed from the various parts of the track. "How are they doing?" asked Ben.
"Pretty good." came the reply."All within 33 minutes, although no-one has broken that. Some interesting results though."
"Oh?"
"LaRoja's only completed one race so far."
"LaRoja? She was doing really well though."
"Oh, she's quick, I'll give you that. She might win this race, if she doesn't crash. The reliability is the issue."
"Any other surprises?"
"Sadiraj has come good. He's got some mean cornering skills. Could be a potential candidate."
"Sounds like it's too early to call. We'll just have to wait for the data."

Ten minutes later, Ben had the data. It looked like this.

Magwitch Racetrack
Record: 32:53:771(R. Daniels, Archer test driver)

Race 1

1 Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)         33:41.290
2 Sayono Souzare (HDR)        33:41.736
3 Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)          33:43.044
4 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)      33:46.333
5 Scotty Tucker (MNG)         33:46.585
6 Victoria Gardner (EFL)      33:50.628
— Roger Bunn (TCU)           DNF lap 16
  Crimson LaRoja (USI)        DNF lap 2

Race 2

1 Roger Bunn (TCU)            33:29.070
2 Sayono Souzare (HDR)        33:30.764
3 Crimson LaRoja (USI)        33:34.039
4 Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)         33:35.395
5 Scotty Tucker (MNG)         33:37.909
6 Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)          33:42.722
7 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)      33:47.091
— Victoria Gardner (EFL)      DNF lap 5

Race 3

1 Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)         33:32.661
2 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)      33:43.250
3 Roger Bunn (TCU)            33:44.168
4 Victoria Gardner (EFL)      33:47.155
5 Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)          33:49.026
6 Sayono Souzare (HDR)        33:50.428
7 Scotty Tucker (MNG)         33:57.136
— Crimson LaRoja (USI)       DNF lap 17

Race 4

1 Roger Bunn (TCU)            33:18.360
2 Sayono Souzare (HDR)        33:28.256
3 Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)         33:37.862
4 Victoria Gardner (EFL)      33:40.521
5 Scotty Tucker (MNG)         33:43.946
6 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)      33:51.409
— Crimson LaRoja (USI)       DNF lap 18
  Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)          DNF lap 3

Race 5

1 Crimson LaRoja (USI)        33:27.636
2 Roger Bunn (TCU)            33:39.676
3 Sayono Souzare (HDR)        33:46.408
4 Scotty Tucker (MNG)         33:50.364
5 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)      33:56.066
6 Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)          33:56.590
— Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)        DNF lap 14
  Victoria Gardner (EFL)      DNF lap 5

Overall ranking

1 Roger Bunn (TCU)            33:18.360
 2 Crimson LaRoja (USI)        33:27.636
 3 Sayono Souzare (HDR)        33:28.256
 4 Roger Bunn (TCU)            33:29.070
 5 Sayono Souzare (HDR)        33:30.764
 6 Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)         33:32.661
 7 Crimson LaRoja (USI)        33:34.039
 8 Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)         33:35.395
 9 Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)         33:37.862
10 Scotty Tucker (MNG)         33:37.909
11 Roger Bunn (TCU)            33:39.676
12 Victoria Gardner (EFL)      33:40.521
13 Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)         33:41.290
14 Sayono Souzare (HDR)        33:41.736
15 Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)          33:42.722
16 Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)          33:43.044
17 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)      33:43.250
18 Scotty Tucker (MNG)         33:43.946
19 Roger Bunn (TCU)            33:44.168
20 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)      33:46.333
21 Sayono Souzare (HDR)        33:46.408
22 Scotty Tucker (MNG)         33:46.585
23 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)      33:47.091
24 Victoria Gardner (EFL)      33:47.155
25 Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)          33:49.026
26 Scotty Tucker (MNG)         33:50.364
27 Sayono Souzare (HDR)        33:50.428
28 Victoria Gardner (EFL)      33:50.628
29 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)      33:51.409
30 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)      33:56.066
31 Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)          33:56.590
32 Scotty Tucker (MNG)         33:57.136
 — Crimson LaRoja (USI)       DNF lap 18
   Crimson LaRoja (USI)       DNF lap 17
   Roger Bunn (TCU)           DNF lap 16
   Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)        DNF lap 14
   Victoria Gardner (EFL)      DNF lap 5
   Victoria Gardner (EFL)      DNF lap 5
   Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)          DNF lap 3
   Crimson LaRoja (USI)        DNF lap 2

Scores after track testing

# Driver               Race 1 2 3 4 5 T Pts
1 Roger Bunn (TCU)          9 1 3 1 2 16 32
2 Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)       1 4 1 3 9 18 36
= Sayono Souzare (HDR)      5 2 6 2 3 18 36
4 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)    4 7 2 6 5 24 48
5 Scotty Tucker (MNG)       5 5 7 5 4 26 52
6 Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)        3 6 5 9 6 29 58
7 Crimson LaRoja (USI)      9 3 9 9 1 31 62
8 Victoria Gardner (EFL)    6 9 4 4 9 32 64

From there, Ben calculated the points that each driver had received for the race. It was a fairly simple system - 1 point for 1st, 2 for 2nd, and so on, with a DNF being equivalent to the number of entrants plus 1, so a score of 9 in this case. Because Archer considered the track more important than the speed testing, he doubled the points. Adding the scores for the speed trial and track testing together gave Ben a list.

Satisfied that he had the right names on his sheet, Ben called Marc Broznik. After a few minutes discussion, it was confirmed. Now all that remained was to invite all the drivers back to Archer HQ to thank them for their time, and offer a contract to two of them.

At Archer headquarters that evening, Marc Broznik met all the drivers in one of the boardrooms. "I'd like to thankyou for all coming this weekend," he began. "It has been a pleasure to meet so many international drivers and to have you come to try out for our company is a real honour. However, as you know, we can only offer a contract to two of you. We've been scoring you on your performance over the tests, and it all boils down to a final score. I have those numbers here."

On the projector screen, the final scores for the drivers showed:

# Driver                    Sp Tr Pts
1 Roger Bunn (TCU)          16 32 48
2 Sayono Souzare (HDR)      23 36 59
3 Lauren Ashburton (BAU)    13 48 61
4 Ujkan Sadiraj (RPX)       31 36 67
= Rudolf Ibuna (TRB)         9 58 67
= Crimson LaRoja (USI)       5 62 67
7 Scotty Tucker (MNG)       29 52 81
8 Victoria Gardner (EFL)    18 64 82

Marc smiled."Roger Bunn, Sayono Souzare, congratulations. Archer is pleased to make you a formal offer of employment as a driver for the Super-WGP team. Mr Bunn, as you came first, it's only right that we offer you the first seat, but Ms Souzare, we can promise you plenty of time behind the wheel as well."

[The Royal Barangay]

Rudolf had a bad week. After failing to impress the Ytrribian and the Nekonian teams in his test runs with the teams, he returned back home and sulked inside his house. He never responded to numerous e-mails from McPahan Racing. Days passed, and he looked like he would never get a spot in a WGPC team. Someone came into his house. It was Bryant.

"Rudolf? I heard you had a difficult time with Frontiere and Ghiaccio. How's the test with McPahan?"

"I... did not take part at their test."

"WHAT?" Bryant did not hold back and punched Rudolf. "You should at least tried to take part!"

"Well, I did not have motivation that time. I can't seem to beat the other drivers."

"Rudolf. There aren't many drivers vying for 22 to 24 spots in the grid. I believe you aren't the worst of the crop. You could still grab a seat. Trust me. You will. That's your goal, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Yeah... What are you waiting for? Pick up the scraps, you should be in a team when I come back here, OK?"

"Sure thing. Good luck on your Formula Anutin Tabu career."

"Yeah. Samson [Monghit] might want to field a WGPC team in the future."

"I believe that should happen soon. He loves running teams, though he needs to evaluate the engine program though."

"Okay. I'm leaving."

"Bye."

Rudolf, rejuvenated, packed up his stuff and booked a flight to Barunia for his next test session. His stint with the Archer Motorsports Super-WGP team was a mixed result. He was in the second spot before the race simulation tests, but faltered in the races as he failed to win a single race. His 67 points put him tied in fourth place, but he hopes that he still gets a spot in the team.

He still plan to attend the tests in Aston Tickford, Dekijika-Tarogama, and Synclair Automotive. If given a second chance, he would attend the test in the McPahan team.

OOC Note: Apologies for not posting an RP last week, had matters to attend to including graduation, and job hunting.

[Barunia]

Lauren Ashburton had dropped off the radar, disappearing after the Frontiere test and refusing to answer any of her offers. Then she had suddenly shown up at Archer a week before testing and asked to do the test. Immediately, the rumours began to spread. Some said she was scared to face the drivers she'd lost to in Yttribia, while others said it was a tactical move, keeping her distance from her opponents while securing her seat with Archer. Some said she had been arrested in Yttribia, others that she was having an affair with some celebrity in a secluded manor in Tildos. Some of the wilder rumours suggested that she'd killed herself, or run off to join a cult in shame and embarrassment. In fact, it became a talking point across the tabloids, with wilder and wilder theories being posited every week.

Then letters started appearing on the desks of the various racing teams. Telaris, Synclair, ENSADRINK Dekijika-Tarogama, all received the same note.

Dear [insert relevant name here]

Thankyou for the offer. I shall be attending your tests.

Sincerely,

Lauren Ashburton

With Lauren indicating that she was in fact alive, free, and still intent on signing a deal with a race team, the media descended on her in droves. But they got nothing, no information about where she had been or what she had been doing. She refused to talk, which only fuelled the media speculation. Lauren Ashburton's present was as full of rumour and mystery as her past, which is just how she liked it.

[Eastfield Lodge]

OOC: Haven't got proper Internet at the moment, but Victoria Gardner accepts the second driver position at Scuderia Fuoco e Ghiacci, with the number 24. I'll hopefully be able to RP this later.

[Apox]

Matt Hingis was sat in the back of one of those sleek, executive cars that only top dollar could afford, as they cruised along an Audioslavian motorway, from the airport at Cathair to the McPahan team base at Ceilerden.

Either side of him sat two similarly suited executives, both high up in the Apoxian bank, DwilseBank, which was the largest bank in Apox and was looking to build and enhance it's international coverage, in short, by throwing a lot of money at high profile sporting and cultural events. In terms of being able to throw a lot of money at events, the WGPC was a spectacularly good decision.

They weren't messing about either, with some hum-drum midtable team either, these guys meant business and they were headed straight for McPahan, the team behind the reigning drivers champion, Alexander Lund. They had a very tempting offer and they'd brought him along to try and make it look like they knew what they were doing, having an "experienced" driver along with them.

They hadn't really had a choice, Apox hadn't really got any racing heritage, and Hingis was the only guy who might be vaguely recognisable to the general public having been part of one of the works teams from the last championship. He was a fairly good driver, but he'd never really had that infrastructure behind him to excel and (prior to his partnership with Dwilsebank) he hadn't had a great amount of money either.

Since the end of the last championship, he'd basically been taking it easy, having just come back from a fantastic month long holiday in a coastal resort in The Licentian Isles. It was fair to say he was a little out of shape, nothing serious, he'd still been running and had hit the gym from time to time, but he probably wasn't at top fitness so to speak. He'd kept largely out of the championship this season, however, he'd have been mad not to accept Dwilsebank's offer. He wasn't expecting anything, but... he had heard that McPahan were still without a second driver. It was worth turning up, surely?

He was woken from his reverie by the executive saloon pulling up at a shiny new building, with a massive glass door.

"Jesus, they've done well for themselves, haven't they?" he said, quietly, almost to himself. One of the executives turned to him and brusquely replied,

"Well of course they have. As I'm sure you know, Mr. Hingis, motorsport is big business." When he'd turned away, Matt scowled at him and had to hold back retorting with, 'I'll show you where you can shove your big business'.

They climbed out of the car, with others climbing out of a second one which had pulled up, and, headed by the bank's Head of Initiative, Marsela Wernquist, they strode confidently into the building, Hingis pausing momentarily to check his reflection in the glass of the door. Ms Wernquist strode up to the receptionist, who, it had to be said, looked a little surprised (and perhaps a touch overworked), even though they'd booked this meeting two weeks in advance.

"Hello, Marsela Wernquist here, of Dwilsebank of Apox. I believe we have an appointment with Mr. McPahan regarding potential sponsorship avenues?"

[Audioslavia]

Fridays were nice. Well. Right now they were. In a few weeks, Jacky's Friday would largely consist of getting up at 6am and getting her and the team down from a hotel to a racetrack for a practice session, babying a young Rapoxian and an increasingly caddish Audioslavian before they took out both of the teams' 200mph monsters and tried not to kill themselves for half an hour.

Ah, Ujkan. He'd yet to sign, but the deal had all but been done via verbal agreement. Fresh from his spectacular performance in the Nekoni trials, and a modest one in the Barunian equivalent, Ujkan was a couple of days away from joining the McPahan team, signing away his season on the dotted line in McPahan's swanky Ceilerden headquarters.

Right now, McPahan had a policy of only working half-days on Friday, meaning her morning jog could be taken at a leisurely 10am rather than 7. After having worked up a sweat, she shook her legs off before entering a cafe, ordering a skinny cafe-latte and setting herself down in her usual seat, ignoring the television above her.

It was half-past 10. Stan would be in his office right now, smoking a cigar and reading up on the trade magazines, maybe prepping for a sponsorship meeting he'd booked for mid-day - one that Jacky didn't need to attend, what with her just looking after race strategies, equipment choice and the like. She sipped her coffee, glanced out the window, and planned out her morning in her head. Back at the flat by 11. Warmed-down and showered and changed by 12, in the car for half twelve, at the office for one o'clock. Finish off the report for Stan, quick meeting at 3, then a few odds and sods and it'd be the weekend. Easy. A lovely day. Nothing could go wrowait a minute...

Jacky craned her neck up to the TV.

...Ujkan's signature may come as a surprise to many, who had expected the young Rapoxian to sign with McPahan after extended meetings with the team, but the young driver is said to be 'thrilled' at the opportunity to move into rally-driving, and his agents are apparently more then happy - ecstatic, even - with the money being offered by Scuderia Novalavoro...

Jacky threw her money on the counter and was out the door in a flash.

The itinerary had changed. Gone was the leisurely day at the office. The meetings would be cancelled. McPahan were a driver short, and with most other options already getting themselves tied to other teams, McPahan were in serious trouble of starting the season with just one driver. One unreliable driver at that. Balls. Balls. Ujkan... why... why couldn't he at least have...

No time to think. Jacky sprinted round the corner and leapt the hedge that seperated her meagre 'front yard' (if you could call it that) from the road. She dropped her keys twice in trying to find the door key, succeeded in opening the door, grabbed her car keys, stuffed a shirt, skirt and shoes into a bag, locked the door back up - dropping the keys once more in the process and swearing at the moon as she picked them up again - and galloped towards her car.

Within ten minutes she was at the McPahan offices. Leaving everything in her car but her ID badge, she sprinted to the glass doors, swiped herself in, bounded towards the secretary and demanded to know where Stan McPahan was.

"In his..." was as far as Ms Flower got before Jacky was leaving the room, bounding up the stairs (to hell with the lift) and almost knocking Stan's door completely down as she barged through it.

"I thought we'd had the 'knock first' conversation" said Stan, frowning.
"Ujkan has signed with some f***ing Rapoxian rally team"
"No he hasn't" said Stan, narrowing his eyes.
"Look!" said Jacky, grabbing a remote control from Stan's desk, pointing it at a nearby television and pressing 'on'.
Stan's chair started vibrating.
"Wrong remote control"
"Where's the TV one?"
"I don't know"
"Well... grargh" gurgled Jacky as she flounced over to the TV and pressed the 'on' button. The TV flickered into life and showed a completely black screen.
"It'll be on the DVD channel."
"Where's the button to change it to the TV channels?"
"On the remote"
"Well... grargh" spluttered Jacky again. She forcibly threw things off Stan's desk looking for something that looked like a remote control, finally finding one between two photos of Stan's children. She held the remote up in front of Stan's face.
"In the f***ing films" she started, "the heroine does this in, like, four f***ing seconds. Why is it so f***ing difficult"
"This aint the movies, Jacky" said Stan, folding his arms and trying to ignore the fact that his so-called second-in-command had just thrown his favourite ergonomic stressballs on the floor.
Jacky pointed the remote at the TV. She pressed the biggest button she could find.
The radio in the corner of the room turned itself on.
"And that aint the TV remote"
"Oh for crying out loud..."
"I think it's here, hang on..." sighed Stan, opening a desk drawer. It was times like this he really wished he had a gun in one of these drawers too. "Here" he said. Jacky snatched it from his hand. She pressed '1'. The TV flickered to life.
It was an episode of Full Throttle. Jeremy Jaffacake was piloting some tiny, stupid little car in some part of backwoods Ibex. She pressed the number '2', and found only a gameshow, featuring a tall, attractive blonde writing numbers on a whiteboard as some tool in a stupid shirt read out a maths equation. Channel 3 was showing a re-run of 'Win, Lose or Draw'.
"God's sake" sighed Jacky, "In the films the TV is always showing the exact right thing at the exact right time, too"
"What makes you think that the argument to back up your point is going to be on TV at the exact moment you need it, anyway?"
"Look" said Jacky, finally just turning the TV off, "Ujkan is out. He's signed with some Rapoxian rally team. He's not coming to race for us. We need a new driver"
"I know" said Stan, "I looked it all up on my phone while you were channel-hopping."
"So...?"
"So, unless a fully qualified WGPC driver walks through our front door in the next four seconds, we're screwed.

bzzt - Mr. McPahan, DwilseBank's representatives are here to see you - bzzt.

Stan grimaced. Oh god. Not now. Stan couldn't bring himself to respond. Thirty seconds went by. Nothing happened. Stan pressed his fingers into his forehead while Jacky quietly began cleaning up her mess.

bzzt - Shall I accompany Mr. Wernquist and Mr. Hingis to the top floor, Mr. McPahan - bzzt.

Stan shook his head, pressed a button on the intercom, and gave Ms. Flower a 'yes'.

"I can't even remember what terms we were offering DwilseBank" said Stan. "Suppose I'll give them whatever they want if they can provide us with a driver"

Jacky nodded, disinterestedly. She frowned at Stan.

"..what now?"

"Mr... Hingis"?

Into the room stepped a Ms. Flower, a small, wiry Apoxian man, accompanied by a young, athletic, if slightly soft around the edges, man whom Jacky and Stan immediately recognised as Matt Hingis.

"...and aren't you just the sweetest flower" said Matt, to the secretary, as they all entered the room.

"Matt fucking Hingis" said Jacky. Matt was taken aback.

"We're from Dw.." began the small, older Apoxian, but he was cut short almost immediately.

"Wait" said Stan, grabbing a sheet of paper and a pen and scrawling something on it. There was an awkward silence as the other five people in the room looked at each other like all of them had, unbeknownst to each other, farted at the same time but were thinking of a way to be able to blame one of the other people. Stan rounded his desk and shoved the piece of paper into Matt Hingis's hand. Matt read it once. Read it again, and then looked up to Stan with a face betraying sixteen emotions at the same time - and therefore betraying none of them.

"Ujkan isn't coming. We need talent, and we need it now."

Matt looked down at the sheet and read Stan's biro scrawl a final time.

McPahan will sign DwilseBank as a sponsor thing if Matt Hingis loses about twelve pounds and races for McPahan as number 2 drivre"

"How the hell can you be a WGPC boss and not be able to spell 'driver'?"
"I was in a rush. Sign it anyway"
"Sign on to become a drivre?"
"We'll probably spell your name right on the car"
"Right"
"It's 'Hinges', right?"
"...no"
"We're not coming across as terrible professional, are we?"
"To be honest", said Matt, looking at the 'contract' one more time, "given your reputation I was simply impressed that you're not on fire"

[Apox]

Matt Hingis confirms that he will take up the number 2 drivre spot at McPahan.

[New Matawan]

Dirk Haymaker rapped on the door of a small flat in Mayberry. In his hand he held an envelope addressed to the owner of this flat: Riku Äijälä, the seven-time Matawanian Super Cup champion. A few seconds later, Mr. Äijälä himself opened the door, wearing his pajamas and holding the telephone, arguing with someone.

Riku wasn't exactly a sickly man, but decades of strenuous driving hadn't done his body any favors. His pepper gray hair hang low in bangs over his sweaty forehead and eyes that had seen enough for a lifetime. Smile lines creeped up the side of his face up to a crooked, large nose. His tall, burly frame, while visibly strong, was now hidden beneath a layer of pudge. He was only 36, but he looked closer to 50. Riku hung up the phone, flinging one last expletive to the person on the other end, and stared at his friend in the doorway.

"Oh. It's just you, Dirk."

"Great news, man, your license came in the mail. You're cleared to drive in the World Grand Prix Championship. Took them long enough to get back, but better late than never."

The driver invited Haymaker inside, wherein they both sat on the living room sofa. Reaching out his hand, Riku snatched the envelope from Haymaker's hand, ripped it open, and began reading quietly to himself. Haymaker hadn't actually bothered to open it before getting here; Riku couldn't tell if it was out of genuine consideration for his privacy, or a cocky assurance that there could be no way the application could be rejected. Either way, Riku couldn't tell if the action was kind or self-serving.

"So this means I can drive, right?", said Riku.

"Well, you still need to find a ride. Mayberry Motorsports isn't following you here. And you still need to find a sponsor."

Riku cocked his head to the side, clearly puzzled. "Sponsor? Why do I need a sponsor before I start racing? Isn't it the other way around?"

The young mechanic shook his head and chuckled a bit. "Maybe it was like that back home, but not in international racing. These rides are super-fast and super-expensive; our domestic open-wheelers are golf karts compared to them. Sure, performance is still important, but in order for the teams to afford putting a driver in the car at all, they need moolah up front. So that means one of three things: we either pay a team ourselves, we find a corporate sponsorship, or we walk away. We don't have the money for door number one, and we're wasting our time if we take door number three."

Riku sneered at the notion of a corporate sponsorship. He hated the press as it was; he didn't need to hock a product on the side too. But when in Rome, one had to do as the Romans do, and if that meant whoring yourself out to marketers and CEOs, so be it. Besides, Haymaker would handle the bulk of the negotiation just fine. Although he was a mechanic and co-driver by trade, Haymaker had been acting as Riku's de facto agent for the past few months now, and was used to negotiation.

"So after that," remarked Riku, "I just find a team and try out?"

"Pretty much," replied Haymaker.

"I need stationary, then."

Haymaker grabbed a sheet of paper from the top shelf. "Who do you want to write to?"

"I don't know yet. I don't know much about them. SinoMotors? Tickton Astford? Mac-howsyapellit Clockworth? I can't tell 'em apart."

Haymaker rolled his eyes. "I'll give you time to think about it. But we need a response as soon as possible, remember." The pseudo-agent pulled out an additional six sheets of paper, just in case Riku couldn't pick one. Riku eyed his pen for a minute. He picked it up, but then set it down again. He set his face on his palms, and groaned.

"Are you still sure I can find the right seat? There's a lot of drivers applying for a lot of cars. And what if-"

"Pfft, those load of young'ns beating you? They'll be eating out of your hand."

"I don't know," said the old veteran. "Young drivers don't have the kind of hesitance older ones do. They don't recognize danger when it's staring them in the face, and that's what makes them so daring. They'll wreck, surely, but the ones that don't are going to be zippy. My reflexes, frankly, suck by comparison."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Riku. You're a champion, the best in the country. You haven't slowed down a bit since your heyday."

"But what about the NRC? I went head to head against stars from throughout the region, and finished in the middle of the pack. Even Sandy Korros did better, and she's wet behind the ears when it comes to racing."

"Rallying was a different racing style, one Korros and the others grew up with. We knew there would be growing pains, pains we never got to iron out. But you know the WGPC. This is open-wheel, and open-wheel is your home turf."

"Open-wheel racing is on tarmac, Dirk, not turf. If you're in the turf, chances are you've crashed."

"Hardy-har-har," Haymaker sighed. Riku always had trouble with idioms, but taking "home turf" literally was, frankly, ridiculous. "You get the point."

Riku smiled, and crumpled up the unused sheet of paper. "You know what, I'll save it for another time. At least one's got to be interested in the 36-year-old veteran rookie, right? Maybe they'll end up e-mailing me for a spot anyway. Right now, our focus should be on finding a sponsor so we can compete at all."

"Say, this is a pretty small place for a national champion to live."

Riku laughed. "I'm just frugal like that, I guess."

[Hodori Motorsports]

Frontière wasn't one of Souzare's top three, but Duval's offer sounded good. 1.64 million dollars per race. Pecking at her tablet, An'ue Toudeyaku - one of Team TenGU's administrative employees accompanying Souzare abroad and officially serving as her agent, unofficially as a scout for Ensadrink GP - converted the pay to Hodoran Kerai; 57.4 million per round, for at least 861 million Kerai for the season. Toudeyaku's reminder to Souzare about the other tests had stopped her from taking the offer then and there.

Boarding the plane to Nekoni, Souzare recalled the email from Duval, remembering her doubts about the team as she left for Yttribia. Trying to rest, Souzare contemplated the offer. If I don't get any other offers, I'll take the seat at Frontière, she decided.

---

A somewhat respectable 1:34.238 in the trials, just over a tenth of a second off the best time. Good enough for mid-table, but on its own probably not enough for a seat.

During the break period between sessions, Toudeyaku notified Souzare of the rescheduled Yakumicha test. The other invited drivers would receive the same message; the test sessions at Yakumicha would be held at some point after the Barunian tests.
- - - - -
Souzare was hesitant to say the test race had gone well; seventh in the hot lap, falling to the bottom of the grid and clawing to eighth of ten over 32 laps at Black Diamond. As Toudeyaku compiled and organised notes, Souzare thought of home and the tropical cyclone that forced the reschedule. Checking her phone, she pulled up articles concerning the storm. Casualty and damage figures were still unreleased, but early estimates were optimistic. Yakumicha Circuit suffered superficial damage, and any necessary repairs should be complete by the time they arrived in Hodori.

Her phone chimed; she had received another email. Opening the phone’s email client, she checked the message. Hakusa's okay. Souzare typed and sent a quick reply before boarding the plane to Barunia.

---

Toudeyaku handled the flight arrangements during the testing, and the two soon found themselves back in Porthaven International Airport, waiting to board the flight back to Hodori. With the Barunian tests over, Souzare now had two offers to think about. She still wanted to try for a seat for Synclair, but of the offers she already had she was leaning towards Archer's. Thinking more about the Archer seat, she wondered what implications it would have for her Hodoran GT seat. Archer isn't competing in GT2. Souzare glanced over at Toudeyaku, sleeping in the seat next to her. After Yakumicha, she thought, turning to look out the plane's window at the distant horizon. I'll decide after the Yakumicha test. Shutting the blind, she then curled up in her seat and slept.

---

---

---

Riding in a car to a Yakumicha hotel, Nechiru Seozamo read through the reports on her laptop. Of the eleven drivers invited to the Yakumicha test, one had turned down the invitation, two had effectively fallen off the planet and not replied, and another two had signed on to other teams with a third reportedly in the process of signing a contract. With five drivers confirmed for the test and the WGPC allowing more drivers to register, she emailed a request to Dekijika Racing's Director of Operations to open up the test for new drivers.

Waiting for the reply, she checked over the notes Toudeyaku had sent. Bunn had, before the Yakumicha test had even begun, guaranteed himself an offer but was likely being pursued by other teams. Souzare was likely going to turn down Ensadrink's offer, not wanting to rely on nationalistic favour to gain her seat. As the remaining three, LaRoja, Ashburton, and Ibuna would most likely be given offers depending on their results in the upcoming test.

The laptop chirped as an alert popped up. Seozamo checked her email; the Director of Operations had replied. Asao Nadakei had sent a message, still unread, expressing intent to participate based on the subject. The Director’s message was the more immediate concern. The next three free agents to notify the team on arrival in Hodori would be allowed to participate in the test. Rereading the Director's email after looking at Nadakei's, she checked the numbers in her head. Ten chassis built, one damaged in the cyclone. Nine left. Five prepped, Nadakei would make six... That's where he got that number from.

[Vilita and Turori]

(Image)

From: Jaime Gutiérrez - telarisracingadmin@telmail.gu
To: R.L. Cruisin
RE: Really interested in you.

Hello, I read your message and that attitude and self confidence make me feel more interested to get you here at Telaris Racing, I've seen you on previous seasons and you are definitively what we need to achieve the top spot on World Racing, and of course you are interested to get it, we know that you have a lot of self confidence and the fact that you don't need test, we are sure that you are a superb driver and we really want to hire you and make you part from this big family of Telaris Racing, so you won't be required to do a test for us.

Talking about economical issues, don't worry, we have lots, lots of money and we will give you the best, definitively because you worth it, you are top notch, so we offer you the following terms:

1) Sign-on fee: $ 55 million NS
2) Wage p / race: $ 650k NSS
3) Length: 3 years
4) Bonus: NS $ 40 million to finish if you manage to get within the top 5 at the end of the season in drivers' championship, something that you have secured because it's obvious that you'll be here, knowing your high quality.

And there will be another terms like if you want to finish your contract with us earlier and also covering life costs like housing, bills, taxes, etc. Well, you'll get richer everyday here, so if you come here it's a win-win, you'll have new contacts, friends, experiences and you'll have all from us in terms of support, because we believe that you are a real champion and we know that you want to be a champion in this season.



Sincerely.
Jaime Gutierrez
President of Telaris Racing S.A.de.C.V.

R.L. Cruisin read the message with intent. Wondered how Jaime Guiterrez had gotten his e-mail address, then hit reply. Then he closed the window, and printed out the e-mail, flipped over the page, and penned his response on the back.

...............................

Jaime Gutiérrez -

I'm interested in the things you have written (Included on the reverse). But I do have some questions. Will I be the #1 seat in your stable? I'd also like car #51, and a decent spot on the car for a personal services sponsor that I may bring along.

If you can agree to these three things, I'm willing to give your team a chance.

P.S> Who are your sponsors? IE: Who do I need to represent here If I sign.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[San Jose Guayabal]

...............................

Jaime Gutiérrez -

I'm interested in the things you have written (Included on the reverse). But I do have some questions. Will I be the #1 seat in your stable? I'd also like car #51, and a decent spot on the car for a personal services sponsor that I may bring along.

If you can agree to these three things, I'm willing to give your team a chance.

P.S> Who are your sponsors? IE: Who do I need to represent here If I sign.

(Image)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

From: Jaime Gutiérrez - telarisracingadmin@telmail.gu
To: R.L. Cruisin
RE: Answering your questions.

Hello, I'm glad you have interest in us and also for the response to the previous message, let me answer your questions one by one.

1) Yes, the Driver 1 spot will be yours, for sure, considering your previous experience and your high skills in motor racing.
2) No problems with the number, we will give you the #51 for your car.
3) No problems with your request, we are open to your sponsor, considering that we have spots available you could even put one or two sponsors more if you want.

PS: Our sponsors are companies related to automotive industry, like Zoom Zoom Magazine, specialized to racing, Última, a car accesories producer and StatOil, the motor oil sponsor for our cars.

You can represent your own sponsors when you sign, the sponsors offered from us are secondary ones, they are not a key factor to sign you.

Sincerely.
Jaime Gutierrez
President of Telaris Racing S.A.de.C.V.

[Hodori Motorsports]

With the aid of a translator to clarify and compensate for how painfully clear it was that English was not a language she frequently used, Nechiru Seozamo went over the test format. Six laps for a mock qualify session, then a twenty-lap race in the afternoon. Seozamo then explained the liquid cooling vests the drivers would wear under their firesuits to help deal with the tropical heat and humidity.
- - - - -
The cooling vest was derived from the liquid cooling and ventilation garments developed for and used by the various national space programs. It was relatively simple; water would be pumped from an ice-filled heat exchanger into the suit and flow through a mesh of tubing sandwiched between the layers of a fire-resistant nomex undershirt. The warmed water would then be returned to the icebox, mounted in the driver’s left-hand sidepod, where the ice would melt and cool the water. The icebox and cooling shirt were connected through a quick-release disconnect. Normally unlocking the quick-release would prevent spillage, while pulling the disconnect from the icebox’s tubing was faster but would allow water to spill out.
- - - - -
The drivers were given the next few minutes to suit up and adjust to the cooling shirt. As 10:30 drew near, the drivers were seated and final preparations made to the cars. The session was green-flagged, and the cars were released one at a time down the pit lane, the air filling with the screams of the 2.4-litre V8s as they sped out of the pit exit, over a crest, and through the first corners.

Qualify: Maximum 6 Laps
P Driver (NAT)		 Best Lap
1 C. LaRoja (USI)	 1:29.749
2 A. Nadakei (HDR)	 1:29.929
3 R. Bunn (TCU)		 1:30.119
4 L. Ashburton (BAU)	 1:30.126
5 S. Souzare (HDR)	 1:30.621
6 R. Ibuna (TRB)	 1:30.748

Returning to the garage, Seozamo greeted and debriefed the drivers before releasing them for a ‘lunch’ break. In a back corner of the garage, Toudeyaku was focused on her tablet. The drivers had the next four hours to mingle, relax, or otherwise do as they pleased before they would be called back for the second session.
- - - - -
The cars were lined up on the grid, mechanics tending to the cars as the clock wound down to the formation lap and start of the race. A small number of spectators occupied the stands and spectator mounds, some of the more dedicated fans of the drivers present.

After the parade lap, the cars once again formed up on the grid. All eyes were on the gantry. A palpable tension in the air, mixing with the omnipresent heat and humidity and the rumbling of engines waiting to open up. The rumble rising to a purr as the starting lights lit up, the purr becoming a roar as the lights extinguished.

Race: 20 Laps (105.140km)
P Driver (NAT)		 Time/Gap
1 C. LaRoja (USI)	32:12.318
2 A. Nadakei (HDR)	 + 06.083
3 R. Ibuna (TRB)	 + 14.480
4 S. Souzare (HDR)	 + 15.856
5 R. Bunn (TCU)		 + 16.501
6 L. Ashburton (BAU)	 DNF L 18

---

---

As the cars returned to the pit for the second and final time of the day, the drivers were welcomed by a swarm of mechanics to assist them out of the cars and hand them bottles of Ensadrink. While the drivers were escorted to meet with Seozamo and the rest of the team for the post-test debrief, the cars were whisked away to be examined.

Seozamo and Toudeyaku were looking at a tablet, conversing in hushed Hodoran. A few minutes after the drivers had filed in, Seozamo and her translator addressed them. A thanks for attending the test sessions, then a speech that felt boilerplate despite the efforts of the translator. Towards the end of the debrief, Seozamo announced that Roger Bunn and Crimson LaRoja would be offered the two seats.

---

---

A few days after the tests at Yakumicha, Seozamo was back in a Dashoze conference room.
“Bunn and LaRoja as the chosen two?”
“They are our Plan A,” she answered. “They have other offers according to information we have, so we do have other options lined up.” A pause as she took a few moments to sort her files. “Nadakei is our first back-up driver, number 55, if either one takes a different seat.”
“And if neither drive for us?” the Director of Operations asked.
“If we can’t get both, I’ve sent offers to Ashburton and Ibuna. Whichever responds first will get the other seat if Plan A doesn’t work.”
“And Souzare?”
“According to Toudeyaku, Souzare’s decided to take the seat at Archer. She has also cancelled for the Mertagne test.”

[The Royal Barangay]

It could really be possible that Rudolf Ibuna will have no WGPC seat come the first race.

After finishing third after starting dead last at the Yakumicha tests, Rudolf saw his chances of driving for a WGPC team slowly and slowly dwindling. There are still other free agents who have no team yet, and their decisions will all affect where he, or should we say, whether he gets a WGPC seat.

By missing a test in McPahan, Rudolf missed a big opportunity to partner Alexander Lund at the Audioslavian team; instead, Apoxian Matt Hingis and his Dwilebank sponsorship got the second seat instead, after first choice second driver Ujkan Sadiraj decided to pursue other interests. But only 2 out of 11 teams have complete lineups.

He thought he could never end up at the Macllynlleth Clockwork, as he thought he would not be up to their standards. Archer already has Sayono Souzare, but with Roger Bunn not revealing his decision yet, Lauren Ashburton could take the second seat there if Bunn decides to go elsewhere, which is rumored to be either the lead driver role at Synclair or the second driver at Aston Tickford. Speaking of the latter, rumors say that they have a driver who agreed in principle, but no official announcement yet, so it isn't him that will take the drive. SinoMotors and Telaris seem to chase after more known drivers, and seems it is a long shot that he would be offered a seat there. His poor performance at Frontiere Racing's test mean that it would also be improbable for him to drive there.

So, that leaves ENSADRINK GP, or Synclair that Rudolf have really a chance of grabbing a seat. Rudolf has to wait if both of them accept other teams' offers. Roger Bunn would certainly go to other teams, given his popularity and the teams' willingness to sign him. Crimson LaRoja also has offers from other teams, but she could really end Rudolf's chances of landing a seat at the Hodoran team, since their compatriot Asao Nadakei would be first in line to take a spot in case either one accept offers from other teams.

So, Rudolf Ibuna will await the decisions of C. LaRoja and R. Bunn if he can take a seat at ENSADRINK GP.

[Barunia]

To: S. Souzare,
From: Henry Baltimore
Subject: Offer

Dear Ms Souzare,

Archer is delighted to confirm your signing with the Archer Motorsports Super-WGP team. Please advise as to your preferred racing number.

Welcome to the family,

Henry Baltimore

[Hodori Motorsports]

To: Henry Baltimore
From: Sayono Souzare
Subject: Re: Offer

My first choice for driver number is 52, as it is the number used by my father in SGP before it became GT680 and now GT2 class.

Sayono Souzare
白川 雨子

[Yttribia]

To: RL Cruisin
From: Gaston Duval
Re: Frontière Racing

Mr Cruisin:

You like money. I like money. I have lots of it. You will be paid lots of it. You will have a future here. I can pay you your heart's desires. Please join us as our number one. You will be able to earn enough money to retire after one race. Trust me, I'm filthy rich.

Thanks,

Gaston Duval

To: Roger Bunn
From: Gaston Duval
Re: Frontière Racing

Mr Bunn:

You like money. I like money. I have lots of it. You will be paid lots of it. You will have a future here. I can pay you your heart's desires. Please join us as our number two driver. You were pretty fast, and you will love it here. I guarantee it.

Thanks,

Gaston Duval

[Vilita and Turori]

To: Gaston Duval
From: R.L. Cruisin
Re: Frontière Racing

Mr. Duval. I think I do like money. How much do you have? I have a nice offer already from another team.

I have to say, I don't feel special right now. Rumor has it you've sent this same offer to a few drivers. I heard bunnz-o-fire got one too. Do you really think we could work together? Or is this an either or situation?

Cheers

R.L.51

[Mattijana]

Meanwhile, Alexander Dimitriov still needed a drive. A deal with Han racing didn't look like it was going to happen and the deadline was getting ever closer. Alex needed a deal and fast from a team who didn't already have two drivers. Could he pick one up before time was called and the racing began?

[Zillmerilic]

Frontière Racing
I am Zeek Altimar, and I am quite interested in racing for the Frontiere Racing Team. I know I am inexperienced, but my lack of official race experience is overshadowed by my experience at our home track. Plus I have been behind the wheel of a car for most of my life as I helped my family with their business, travelling from one area to the next making speedy deliveries. I am also well known on the streets for my illegal racing experience as well as my legal racing through the nation of Zillmerilic.
I think you would be quite pleased with the contributions I can offer the team. On the more economical side, I am just happy to be finally racing with real competition and fulfilling my dream, so I don't even ask to be paid very much or much compensation. In fact, I am more than willing to have any sponsors on my car that you want, I only ask for a small sport for my one sponsor I have from Zillmerilic, ZRT, Zombie Response Team. It is a small emblem and it wouldn't even be noticed. Past those things, I am at your disposal.
My personality is mild, but I can be hot headed in races, but that just increases my reflexes and drive to win. My employers are important and I am always willing to discuss ideas, strategies, and really any other aspect.
I look forward to hearing from you and hope that we can work together and win some races!
Zeek

[Hodori Motorsports]

The pre-season test was looming, and Ensadrink GP still did not have two drivers confirmed. Sitting at her desk, her computer’s email client patiently waiting for her to draft a message, Seozamo contemplated her options. She hadn’t heard anything from Bunn or LaRoja since the test sessions at Yakumicha. Ibuna was reportedly interested in a seat, but whether he would drive or not would depend on Plans A and B.

Plan A; Bunn and LaRoja. Plan B; either Bunn/Nadakei or Nadakei/LaRoja.

Taking a last look at her notes, she composed and sent a quick email to the Director.

To: Director of Operations
From: Nechiru Seozamo
Subject: Frenline Delpha Test Plan

Responses from Bunn and LaRoja pending. Plan C for Frenline Delpha.

Plan C; Nadakei and Ibuna would be the lineup for the preseason test.

After sending an email to Ibuna and his agent requesting his preferred driver number, she received a reply from the Director. Plan C was greenlit, with Plan A or either variation of Plan B still preferred. The lineup wasn’t final, but chances were Plan C was going to be for the duration of the season.

[The Royal Barangay]

Rudolf Ibuna will participate in the preseason testing for ENSADRINK GP Dekijika-Tarogama, with the number 99 to be used.

RP to follow

[Yttribia]

To: R.L. Cruisin
From: Gaston Duval
Re: Frontière Racing

R.L.

I have a lot of money. I'm talking about 2.5 million Periodens per race. That's around 4.1 million NS Dollars per race. Which is, as you know, a lot of money. And yes, Hot Cross Bunns did get the same offer, but keep in mind that the original drivers I had in mind have probably all but signed with other teams. So a team with you and Bunn could demolish the competition. We can work together, and might I say we will work pretty well as a team. Trust me, I know that the chemistry between you and Bunn can work. Plus: I have the money.

Thanks,

Gaston