World Grand Prix Championship Season 14: Roleplay Thread

[WGPC]

Sunday's Race: The Grand Prix of Barunia

* Laps: 74
* Conditions: Wet

Pos # Driver               Team			Race Time	Behind Preceding car
 1 25 Jessica Franssen           	1:38:38.933	
 2 89 Will Madison               	1:38:47.750	+0:08.817
 3 77 iBen Toralmintii           	1:39:04.791	+0:17.041
 4 21 Alexander Kohlon           	1:39:39.890	+0:35.098
 5 42 Alex Dimitrianov           	1:39:52.104	+0:12.214
 6 99 Rudolf Ibuna               	1:39:53.070	+0:00.966
 7 10 Lauren Ashburton           	+1 Lap		+0:11.908
 8 18 Louis Krindle              	+1 Lap		+0:24.471
 9 13 Gunnar Lindstrom           	+1 Lap		+0:08.818
10 52 Sayono Souzare             	+1 Lap		+0:04.658
11 29 Esteban Guilhermez         	+1 Lap		+0:08.872
12 23 Moisés Delgado             	+2 Laps		+0:32.643
DNF 57 Galicio Palembe            	Ret. Lap 72
DNF  6 Alexander Lund             	Ret. Lap 71

DNF  3 Mateo Oket                 	Ret. Lap 18	
DNF  8 Igne Spupuo                	Ret. Lap 19
DNF  7 Ethan Ellis                	Ret. Lap 24	
DNF 51 R.L. Crusin                	Ret. Lap 25
DNF 56 Terho Talvela              	Ret. Lap 27	
DNF 55 Asao Nadakei               	Ret. Lap 31
DNF 24 Victoria Gardner           	Ret. Lap 34	
DNF 35 Jac-Irlo Val               	Ret. Lap 47
DNF 12 Vic Convarion              	Ret. Lap 55	
DNF 14 Oliver Bliss               	Ret. Lap 58

Drivers' Championship

Pos	#	Name			Team				Pts
1	77	iBen Toralmintii	VTM				94
2	56	Terho Talvela		VTM				72
3	8	Igne Spupuo		Telaris Racing			60
4	18	Louis Krindle		MSA-SinVal			49
5	14	Oliver Bliss		MSA-SinVal			48
6	24	Victoria Gardner	SFeG				42
7	7	Ethan Ellis		Carvenlo-Franklin Racing	41
8	51	R.L. Crusin		Carvenlo-Franklin Racing	37
9	6	Alexander Lund		McPahan Racing			33
10	55	Asao Nadakei		ENSADRINK GP			32
11	89	Will Madison		Fornax Racing			31
12	25	Jessica Franssen	MRT				26
13	10	Lauren Ashburton	ENSADRINK GP			25
14	3	Mateo Oket		Archer Motorsports		23
15	12	Vic Convarion		Telaris Racing			21
16	42	Alex Dimitrianov	MRT				20
17	46	Reni Sanderson		McPahan Racing			19
18	1	Alexandra Mayari	SFeG				14
19	21	Alexander Kohlon	WGPC Motorworks			13
20	13	Gunnar Lindstrom	WGPC Motorworks			8
21	99	Rudolf Ibuna		Scuderia WGPC			6
22	23	Moisés Delgado		Cygnus ATR			4
22	29	Esteban Guilhermez	Cygnus ATR			4
22	17	Oliver Bachmann		MRT				4
25	52	Sayono Souzare		Archer Motorsports		2
26	35	Jac-Irlo Val		Fornax Racing			0
26	20	Marcus Melton		WGPC Motorworks			0
26	57	Galicio Palembe		Scuderia WGPC			0

Constructors' Championship

VTM				166
MSA-Sinval			97
Telaris Racing			81
Carvenlo-Franklin Racing	78
ENSADRINK GP			57
SFeG				56
McPahan Racing			52
MRT				50
Fornax Racing			31
Archer Motorsports		25
WGPC Motorsports		21
Cygnus ATR			8
Scuderia WGPC			6

[Dunpa]

WGPC Network coverage from Dunpa, last three laps.

"And Alexander Lund is out with a problem." Dan Gurmle commentated. "I guess the McPahan team wasn't prepared for this race." His partner, Estevan Jenkins said. "Looks like Galico Palembe is also out with a problem, and he was doing very well in this race." Gurmble said comically. "Um, Dan, it's Galicio, not Galico." Estevan reminded him. "I knew that, anyway, it's only one lap away from Jessica Franssen to get her first win." Dan said with excitment.

"And Jessica Franssen wins the Grand Prix of Barunia! And coming up almost 9 seconds behind is Will Madison in the Fornax." Dan said to the TV audience. "Capping off the podium today is iBen Toralminti in the V&T car." Estevan said. "Here come Alexander Kohlon in the Motorworks car. He was so close to a podium, but I think he'll be happy with the performance nonetheless." Dan said to the audience. "Rounding out the top 5 is Alex Dimitrianov, the teammate to race winner Franssen. MRT has to be happy with a 1-5 finish." Estevan said.
"Let's get down to the podium celebration right now with Jamie Daniels." Dan said.

Interviews

"So Alex, you've been a bit of an underdog with your mid-pack finishes. How do you feel after your 4th place finish?"

"I feel great after my finish," Alexander said to the reporter, "but there was no way I was going to get iBen after being 35 seconds behind him."

"Are you happy after your top 5 finish?"

"I already answered this, but yes. I would like to thank WGPC Motorworks for giving me this car, and I'd also like to thank my sponsor Superchaps for the making this whole season possible for me. I'll be going to my home, Dunpa, for the next race in the WGPC." Alexander said to the other reporter.

Alex and Mike after the race

"I'm said that I didn't get my first podium, but I'm happy I got 4th place in a motorworks car. Anyway, I'm glad that I get to go home after traveling to many nations. And as a bonus, I could just go home after track-related activities." Alex said to Mike. "Let's all go back home to Dunpa." Mike told everyone that had an association to Alex.

[Vangaziland]

Nature would not make this an easy race. A light rain fell throughout the event, just enough to keep the track slick. Racers had to run cautiously and watch their lines. Jess got off to a decent start and kept things safe.

She ran her line behind Spupuo and Talvela. Both of them seemed lightning fast. It didn't look like Jessica would catch up to them. Luck would be on her side though. Spupuo left the race on lap 19. Talvela left the race at lap 27.

By the time Talvela left, Jessica had been passed by iBen Toralmintii. She spent some laps behind him, taking the lead for the first time on lap 38. She would be passed again later in the race and wouldn't regain the lead until lap 64.

Her team had set her up with another fast pit stop which put her a few seconds ahead. Now her car was running really well. She also made good time maneuvering around some of the lapped cars.

She was fighting just as much as she did to get to 10th place last race just to hold onto her spot. Her team was giving her updates on some of the other cars because several drivers were fighting their way up the pack. Jess knew her teammate Alex was fighting with a few other cars and had worked his way into the top 5.

Jessica found herself in the lead by several seconds as the last few laps wound down. The excitement started to build as the reality of this moment had set in. She crossed the finish line, hearing the roar of cheers from the grandstand. Her first WGPC win had come so early in her career. She let out a yell as she crossed the line, letting her excitement out before she ended up on camera.

The camera followed her car as it ran down pit lane. The shot switched to another camera that zoomed in on the car as it pulled into the parking spot. A crewmember lifted the bar that closed Jessica down into the cockpit. She quickly climbed out. She pumped her fist once before she took off her helmet, momentarily forgetting about the government minders and their celebration protocols. Her crew chief came with a bottle of champagne and sprayed her for a few awkward seconds while the camera watched.

The pit crew looked more excited about the win than Jessica. A blonde journalist came up to Jess with a microphone and started asking questions while the driver dried her face off with a towel.

"How does it feel to win your first WGPC race so early in your career?"

"First of all I want to thank MRT for giving me a chance, the pit crew for giving me a good car and quick stops, and my sponsor Van-Bands for making all this possible." Jess was a professional with her victory interview already. "Winning is a good thing. That's the goal, isn't it? I'm glad I could bring points to the team. All I tried to do this weekend was show that I can compete."

"How did you manage winning this race?"

"It started at practice", Jess said. "We tweaked a few things and set the car up for the rain. I pushed the car there and at qualifying, so when the race started, I knew how to run through the course."

"How do you feel about your teammate getting a top 5 finish?"

"It's good. I'm sure he'd rather have placed higher, but it was a solid weekend for MRT. If I finished 5th, I'd be happy." She laughed, "If I finish 5th next weekend, I'll be happy."

Of course she was most likely being a realist. Ideally she would want to win every race. But only one person can win each week. Jess knew that to be a good driver, you had to fight just as hard whether you were winning or losing. You had to stay on top of your game and keep motivated even when things look grim.

"Besides your teammate, who else did you pay attention to out there today?"

"Will Madison ran a great race", Jess said while standing next to her car. "If he had qualified a little higher, he might have pulled off the win. He came from nowhere and was eating seconds away from my lead."

"How do you feel about jumping to 12th in Drivers' standings?"

"It's not bad for joining so late in the season. This year is really a development year for me. I'm here to learn the cars and tracks, as well as earn points for the team. Chances of me pulling multiple wins while the leaders gain no points are very slim. So 12th? That's not so bad. I'm also happy I gave MRT a boost."

Jessica knew what she was doing. She kept saying MRT to advertise the team. People would be watching this all over the world. The win would no doubt bring new fans to MRT and to the green & yellow, number 25 car.

"I'm realistic about this win", Jess added. "Some of the faster drivers left early. I know I had a fair bit of luck. But hey, I'm a lucky person."

[Drawkland]

WAIT, WE HAVE A RACER?
Written By: Hack Warren and Narker Poe

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RECENT RESULTS
Grand Prix of Barunia:

1 25 Jessica Franssen  1:38:38.933 
2 89 Will Madison      1:38:47.750
3 77 iBen Toralmintii  1:39:04.791

WHAT? WHO?
Having not ever reported on this event yet, and given we generally broadcast it at 3 AM, you're likely very confused at what we're talking about. We are, of course, talking about the World Grand Prix Championships. It's an international formula racing event, which Drawkland has entered. With only a single racer to submit, the Drawkland International Sporting Council (DISC) decided on the illustrious Will Madison to represent our glorious nation (you've probably heard about his siblings). However, given the fact that you've just now heard about him here and not, say, 7 weeks ago, you can probably imagine how the season has been going for our Drawkian racer.
So, some backstory. In the beginning of the season, after a test race in Turori, Will Madison was signed to Fornax Racing, a first-year racing team based out of Ceni owned and started by Endais Chemicals CEO Owen Ketaris (whole also owns the Cenian "football" club Tir Snake Strike). His teammate was predictably a Cenian, by the name of Jac-Irlo Val. This obviously has fostered quite a relationship between Ceni and Drawkland, at least within the sporting world. In fact, one of the more talented players on Ceni's U21 football national team has a Drawkian father (which would explain why he's so good)!
Okay, fun facts aside, you're probably wondering what's going on with us reporting on this and all that. Well first, we need evidence that this thing happened in the first place. Secondly, Will Madison got a podium spot for the first time all season, this weekend at Alexwood Racing Park for the Grand Prix of Barunia. He didn't WIN, or else we would've made a bigger stink about it, but it was his first impressive showing, after a few top 10 finishes and non-finishes (almost exclusively those two). He clocked in almost 9 seconds behind Jessica Franssen, a new racer who just entered the season a week ago, and about 17 seconds ahead of iBen Toralmintii, the current points leader in the WGPC, and Turorian phenom who is essentially a WGPC legend.

WORLD GRAND PRIX CHAMPIONSHIP
So what is this event? How does it work? What are all these terms we're using? How does one Formula? Here's a quick overview:
In the WGPC, there's a certain amount of teams. Each team is allowed 2 racers to compete, generally one paid by the team to race and another who pays to race with the team with help from a sponsor. Luckily for Will Madison, Fornax doesn't require either of their racers to pay to race. Teams can ditch, hire, and otherwise move around racers at their whim throughout the season.
There's a set amount of races throughout the season, with a few intermittent practice races thrown in. For races, Friday features a practice in which racers can take a few practice laps of the course and see how their times stack up to other racers. Saturday is qualifying, in which racers have a set amount of laps, for which the best time is used to rank racers, and then place them in order on the starting grid. For some races, the Top 10 qualifiers go through a second round to try and get even better spots on the grid. The actual race happens on Sunday, anywhere from 50 to 80 laps on average. Past that, you should know how races work. After the race, racers are assigned an amount of points depending on their placements, any in the top 10 will receive points. The whole competition is based on which racers get the most points and which teams can accrue the most points with both racers' points combined.

CURRENT LEADERS
That being said, you're probably wondering how the WGPC's point rankings are currently faring. Well, currently, Vilita&Turori Motorsports (based out of ... Vilita and Turori ...) are leading the points charge, as both their racers are first and second on the Drivers' Championship point rankings, Turorian iBen Toralmintii and Abovian Terho Tavela. They're pretty far ahead, a decent 69 points ahead of the second place team at the moment, MSA-Sinval. There's kinda a cluster after that, which Fornax is mainly shaken towards the bottom of. Currently 9th with a score of 31 total points, it's unlikely they'll have a fighting chance from this point at a Top 3 finish by the end of the season.
Will Madison himself is 11th in the Driver rankings, with 31 points. Hey, that's the same amount of points Fornax Racing has, you may notice. That's because Jac-Irlo Val has unfortunately failed to score a single point, as he's crashed or otherwise failed to finish every single race up until now, meaning Will Madison is basically carrying the team. Luckily, he's in a car. So, bleak times for both Will and his team, but maybe next year things will look up, who knows?

FUTURE RACES
Only 4 races and one practice race remain in the WGPC 14 season, in Dunpa, Turori (practice), Vilita, Krytenia, and Audioslavia, in order. It's highly unlikely that Will Madison or Fornax will achieve much more in this season, but there's always room for a few magical upsets and at least a respectable finish by the end. Who knows? We may end up reporting a lot on Will Madison in the coming month, or we may not. Either way, it'll be exciting. Don't forget to tune in at the ungodly morning hours on the weekend where we feature the races! Who wouldn't want to witness a Madison not sucking, hmm?
Until next time, smaller-sport and/or racing fans!

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Starting 9th on the grid was no picnic for Will Madison. Especially since the heavens had closed and a light drizzle fell, the tight feeling in Will's gut had even more of a chokehold on his various internal organs. Ahead of Will was Alex Dimitrianov, Louis Krindle, and Ethan Ellis. Essentially, a trio of folks Will never really thought of or considered threats, even though they all had more points than he. Luckily, Jac-Irlo Val was up starting 4th on the grid, which put a bit more hope in the minds of the Fornax team. Except for the couple of interns Will had heard bitching about how they were about to witness Jac-Irlo wasting another good start by crashing.

Either way, once the flag dropped and the race began, Will didn't gun it as usual and carefully accelerated, staying steady on the wet track. He ran up quickly onto Louis Krindle's tail and then wedged himself ahead of Dimitrianov. Already gaining a place off the bat, as usual, Will felt a small pang of relief as he navigated the River Bend and negotiated with Da Vinci and Edison alongside Krindle. The next stretch of laps were rather uneventful, as Will played it safe by simply tailing Krindle. But once the clouds truly opened up their fury and hard rain fell starting around lap 17, the REAL intense stuff started going down.

Firstly, in lap 19, Igne Spupuo, who'd previously been leading the race, completely flopped on the Roundabout Turn 16, skidding off the track and getting stuck in deep mud. The top 10 had just gotten a little smaller, or so it felt. The race got a little more heated, even in the cold and biting rain. Every racer in the chase was thinking to themselves I'm not crashing. It's not gonna be me. I'm gonna slide right past these cautious joes around me. Or something like that, anyway. But 5 laps later, Ethan Ellis, who'd been in 5th, spun out going through the Edison chicane. The 10 was even smaller. Even though technically it was really 8 guys from the starting top 10, and lesser racers had filled the 2 gaps below. But that doesn't make the narrative sound intense.

3 laps later came the crowning moment, at least from Will's perspective. Terho Tavela himself, who was leading the race at that point, in his precious Chassis Y+ or whatever, suddenly went up in a cloud of mist and smoke between Einstein Corner and the Car Crusher. It was clear his day was over, but the car still being on the track caused much confusion among the racers having to go around, and Will managed to squeak around Krindle (quite literally) and cruise right into 4th after barely managing to stay stable through the Car Crusher itself. And who else was he trailing behind but his teammate Jac-Irlo Val?

iBen Toralmintii had managed his way around Jac-Irlo earlier, which Will had heard on the team radio. While the Turorian battled the newbie Jessica Franssen from Vangaziland for first, Will and Jac-Irlo spent their time gaining a lead on the 5th place racer, who was surprisingly, Alex Kohlon of Dunpa from the Works team, who'd been consistently towards the bottom. The identity of the racer proved to not really be an issue, however, as the Fornax pair zoomed along the slick track, gaining about half a minute on those trailing them. With 2 spots in the Top 5 practically guaranteed for Fornax and a likely podium spot for one or both of them seemingly looming on the rainy horizon, the feeling among the Fornax team was good-willed. Around lap 40, Jac-Irlo allowed Will a pass-around, giving Will's slightly less previously damaged and therefore faster car a chance to reach its potential a bit more.

Disaster struck in Lap 47. Going into the first 2 turns of The Cut-off, 7 and 8, Jac-Irlo's tires lost their grip (being due for a pit stop the next lap, actually), and the poor Cenian slid off the track into a side gravel pit. Will had no choice but to regretfully glance in the rearview mirror as he left the friendly fellow red-and-orange car behind. Right when the doubtful thoughts prepared to invade Will's mind, Mannar's voice came in loud and clear on the radio.
"Hey, don't worry about that. Now you don't have to worry about him. Just focus on keeping your spot and catching up to those couple of duelers up ahead. Just. Race."
Will nodded slightly to himself as he drove past The Wood no problem. His coach was right. This was the time to take Fate by the throat and throttle it. Fear of crashing himself would only psyche him out and make it more likely. He just had to do what was natural.

By this point, he was about 20 seconds behind Toralmintii, who'd lost the lead to Franssen about 10 laps earlier. So wherever he could, Will took off seconds and milliseconds of his time. Driving normally. Naturally. Even if mother nature decided she didn't want that to be the case. Slowly but surely, by Lap 55, Will was caught in the thick of Toralmintii and Franssen. Conveniently, they all 3 went in for a pit stop on the same lap, which ended up being good for everyone except Toralmintii. The usually highly-professional VTM pit crew had a small issue with their pit stop, and by the time it was resolved, Will and Franssen were long gone on the track and Toralmintii was hopelessly behind.

So then it came down to Jessica Franssen and Will Madison. Vangazi and Drawkian, battling for the first spot in Barunia. For 17 laps, the duo was neck and neck, making the (rather sparse) crowd, excited teams, and racers themselves filled with adrenaline. Would one crash? Would it be a barely-decipherable tie? Who would make a mistake first? The questions were answered Lap 72, only 2 laps left, where Will slipped a little going into Despair Corner, turn 21. Franssen had no trouble, and she gunned through home run and the straightaway, getting ahead, while Will nearly evacuated all his bowels and suffered heart palpitations as his car nearly spun out of control. But after a few tense seconds in which every Fornax member and the few fans watching on TV held their collective breaths. But Will kept his head and hands straight, and after adding some "organic" color to his right tires. Unfortunately, he was doomed to being hopelessly out of reach of Franssen now. 2 laps was enough for him to keep the gap at a meager few seconds, and he was close enough to see her celebrate as she crossed the finish line. A similar celebration was felt from Fornax 8 seconds later as Will crossed the line safely, and in second place. For the first time in its history, Fornax had gotten a podium spot, and Will had proved himself on the international scene.

Afterward, Will stood around for the media parade, and he even spotted a DNSN reported skulking around the back at one point. Hoepfully DISC would get the message that Will would be there to stay. As he looked to see if Jac-Irlo was somewhere nearby, he overheard an interview Jessica Franssen was giving.
"... Will Madison ran a great race, if he had qualified a little higher, he might've pulled off the win. He came from nowhere and was eating seconds away from my lead ..."
Will felt a bit of warmth in his heart. He'd been noticed! Well, that was probably a given, since he was practically neck-and-neck with her for the final leg of the race. But either way, it helped him to hear it from the mouth of another person, and the person who'd won, no less.
Just then, of course, he saw Jac-Irlo, and walked over to celebrate with him.

When Will went up on the podium, he held a huge smile on his face as he accepted the various rewards of champagne and medal. Having not done this for several years since he'd dropped formula racing in Drawkland, he was immensely glad to be part of it all again. There were positive thoughts bouncing through his mind as he went back to the hotel and went to sleep, perhaps for the first time in months.

In case you can't tell, the first part is a news article, but the second part is a story RP like I've been doing this whole time.

[Aboveland]

It all seemed like a godsend. Second place on the grid behind a jockey, quick performances in the dry and the wet, and a damp track for race day. There was no conceivable way Terho could make a mistake and lose the race.

But it all happened so fast.

R.L. Cruisin's Carvenlo Franklin had retired between the Edison and Car Crusher corners after a gearbox failure on lap 25, strewing shattered debris on the track which would have been too small to puncture a tire. On that same lap, Terho (in front of him by a hefty margin) made his first pit stop and took a set of soft tires, taking his chances on a slick yet increasingly stickier track.

On lap 27, after losing some time in the pits and then regaining his prior advantage to the other racers, Terho was leading by around 20 seconds when, right at Cruisin's stricken point, the back of his beloved Chassis Y' began to fishtail. A spray of mist arising from the stimulation of stagnant pools of water on the sides of the clearly marked racing lines clouded the Abovian's visor and made his heart pound. With a violent maneuver Terho snapped his wheel to the right in an attempt to save his spin caused by a slight departure from the road caused by cold tires and chunks of dull debris. As the left side wall across the green strip of grass became ever so closer by the millisecond, Terho kicked the clutch in an attempt to rotate the car sideways and not strike the imminent wall head on or too hard. The vehicle rotated right ever so slightly and sped up marginally, striking the wall with the front left wheel at a breakneck speed. The car then spun airborne once and streaked across the track towards the right side wall, hitting its rear left wheel and collapsing the wing. Fumes reached Terho's seat and escalated to his head, as he miserably came to a stop and observed the cars speeding by. He punched his steering wheel once, grunting "pahus!", and then tore out of his vehicle, ripping the wheel from its mount, throwing it into the dirt, and yelling "no voi vittu!" He yanked his helmet from his head and chucked it over the safety barrier, flopping over it into safety and laying down next to a flag waving man. Just like that, his race was over. He hopelessly stared at his raggedy Chassis Y', sitting in a mound of mud, torn apart. It hadn't been his fault, he knew it. He repeated it to himself constantly, wishing the moment away as if it were a nightmare. Slumping and limping, Terho strode to the V+T paddock, head down and steaming, to unwind in the shower and maybe, perhaps, possibly, somehow speak his issues through with Edvin.

As the warm water trickled down Terho's spine and the roar of engines increased as cars reached the start/finish line a few laps later, Edvin timidly creeped into the bathroom, looking away and awaiting an all clear to look at his friend and begin his friendly emotional support session. Terho released his thoughts and got comfortable while Edvin listened on and on and on to his best friend's exasperation. Soon enough, the pair were out of the shower halls, watching the race from the comfort of their team paddock, and committed to supporting the team in either repairing Chassis Y' up to optimum condition before the next race/event or constructing a brand new Chassis Z. One thing was sure, however: Terho's title challenge was not over, and a sub-par condition car or one freak accident was not going to ruin his chances of a championship.

[Vangaziland]

Jessica Franssen had made the news in the days after her first WGPC victory. She made a large donation to the Order of the Purple Cross. This is a humanitarian aid nongovernmental organization. The Order responds to disasters, natural and manmade, with trained personnel and funds to help rebuild.

The Order makes sure to distance itself from peacekeeping functions. Staff are usually funded by their host nation, but no military personnel are on the group's roster. Of course, nations that have an interest in the Order's safety usually deploy peacekeepers in support of the Order's staff.

"We like to make sure that a nation or individual donator knows that their funds will not be spent on military equipment", said Wendell Tromburg, Director of the Order. Officially, 22 nations have donated equipment to the Order since it's inception on Christmas Day 2014.

In the latest news, word has reached the media that the Order of the Purple Cross has deployed medical personnel to the city-state of Al-Khalifiya. Vangaziland and several allies have been involved in a campaign here in the desert. The doctors are being sent to a few hospitals in relatively safe, coalition held areas.

"The Khalifiyan Army is on our side", said Tromburg. "There is the risk of danger, but they will be protected. They will be able to do so much. We are going to rebuild their hospitals and fill them with the modern equipment that we've been given. The old regime ignored their hospitals and gave them the most minimum funding. They have hospital rooms with no lighting at night and broken windows."

But the Order is not going to stop at healthcare. They are investing and rebuilding schools across Al-Khalifiya as well as donating funds into a pot which will be used to hire teachers. There will also be investments in the Teacher's College of Al-Khalifiya.

Jessica recorded a video designed to reach prospective donors. Her family had good relations with other elite Vannish families, So they had social and economic ties. She was also building her fanbase in her home country. The last race brought a fair amount of attention to the WGPC from Vannish race fans.

"The mission in Al-Khalifiya is something I am happy I can help support", Franssen said in her recorded message.

Some of the doctors have been sent to the remote Fire Valley. Here they interact with people who may get most of their healthcare from holistic tribal medicine. News of a makeshift tent hospital being set up in one of the most remote areas made the nightly news in Vangaziland.

Of course there were critics. Some people felt it was too early to send humanitarians into Al-Khalifiya.

"The war has shown a steady decline since the termination of General Abbzan", Tromburg said in an address. "If not now, I ask the question; when?"

Interestingly enough, the unit watching over the tent hospital is a part of the Vannish Foreign Legion.

"We didn't plan to end up in the Foreign Legion's sector. But we trust them", Tromburg said. "They will be rotating out in a few months by a unit that is surely just as capable".

The money that Jessica donated was spent on technologically-connected hospital beds and exam tables, which is what individual donations are currently being funneled into. In the video, she said she was "enthusiastic" about the Order and its mission.

[Dunpa]

WGPC news article to come out about the Circuit de Dunpa

Welcome to the Circuit de Dunpa!

NAME OF CIRCUIT: Circuit de Dunpa
CITY/TOWN: Warkino Zell
COUNTRY: Dunpa
NAME OF GRAND PRIX: Grand Prix of Dunpana
TRACK RATING: (5/5)
QUALIFYING: Two-Tier
LENGTH OF ONE LAP: 4862 m (4.86 km)

Welcome to the Circuit de Dunpa! This track embodies history, as it was constructed in 1923 and finished in 1925, which was during the time automobiles were first created in Dunpa. In the 1950s, a safety change was made following the death of 2 Dunpan racers. The last major change to the circuit was in 2005 when a chicane was added after turn 19 due to a near-fatal crash by Rebecca Liander which resulted in Rebecca being comatose. The Circuit de Dunpa has hosted an event in Formula Hawk in its tenth season (1964) and from 1989 to now, has hosted Formula Hawk preseason testing/practice.

Around the Track
Around the Circuit de Dunpa is a go-kart track for young hopefuls trying to get their way into the WGPC. Also, there is a Superchaps restaurant so you can feast on subs and pizza.

A lap around the circuit

There is a long straightaway at the beginning of the circuit and everyone including Alex is calm. Most of the racers don't know the gauntlet of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd turns. Alex makes a mistake getting out of 3 but continues. After the 3rd turn, there is the 4th which does a break with the turns. Alex does this part okay. The 5th comes and is the last turn for a while. The long straightaway fools the driver into the sixth turn. Alex almost spins trying to run this turn. 7, 8, and the 9th turns don't really challenge. After the 10th turn, there are more gaps between the turns. Alex goes fast through these turns. Then comes the 2nd gauntlet of the 13th-18th turn. Unlike the other gauntlet, this one tests the aggressiveness of the drivers. Everyone calms down when the chicane comes between the 19th and 20th turns. The short straightaway proves you have mastered a lap of the track.

By Daniel Schafer, President of Dunpa

[Aboveland]

Terho took in the smell of airplane as he sat in his business class seat ready to depart to Dunpa, or at least go on the longest of three flights there. He examined the Dunpan track on his phone while Edvin got comfy next to him. The turns seemed extremely irregular, without a clear pattern; it wasn't either short and choppy or fast and flowing, it was a pile of LEGOs strewn about the floor and arranged into a shape that closed itself off. However, the track seemed just right for him. It had the perfect amount of different turns. He could push for top speeds on the quick flowing corners and adjust to the tight nooks and crannies to really pull off a splendid performance. The crash at the last race hadn't brought him down, it had made him rise higher. His title chance was still plugged in to the life support machine, and he wasn't ready to pull the plug. All he needed was another blistering victory, or at least a finish above his teammate, to pull ahead of him and take his title in his debut season. It was not impossible for sure. The crash last time had put a dent in his own bank account; together him and Edvin were able to convince the sponsors to fork out enough money to repair Chassis Y' back to its condition before the crash, so no performance was lost in the final races of the season. The truth was, he was under immense pressure, applied by himself, his sponsors, and his team. But if one thing was for sure, pressure makes things pop, and Terho was bound to pop ahead into victory.

[WGPC]

Friday Practice. Dunpa.

* Conditions: Dry
* Drivers have 90 minutes to record up to 20 flying laps.

1  89 Will Madison                 	1:25.263	0:00.000
 2 77 iBen Toralmintii             	1:25.274	0:00.010
 3 56 Terho Talvela                	1:25.320	0:00.056
 4  8 Igne Spupuo                  	1:25.336	0:00.073
 5 51 R.L. Crusin                  	1:25.386	0:00.123
 6 25 Jessica Franssen             	1:25.424	0:00.160
 7 35 Jac-Irlo Val                 	1:25.496	0:00.233
 8 21 Alexander Kohlon             	1:25.556	0:00.293
 9 42 Alex Dimitrianov             	1:25.558	0:00.294
10 57 Galicio Palembe              	1:25.559	0:00.295
11 12 Vic Convarion                	1:25.612	0:00.349
12 10 Lauren Ashburton             	1:25.619	0:00.355
13  1 Alexandra Mayari             	1:25.641	0:00.378
14 52 Sayono Souzare               	1:25.652	0:00.388
15 99 Rudolf Ibuna                 	1:25.709	0:00.445
16 13 Gunnar Lindstrom             	1:25.726	0:00.463
17 55 Asao Nadakei                 	1:25.784	0:00.520
18 18 Louis Krindle                	1:25.789	0:00.526
19  7 Ethan Ellis                  	1:25.791	0:00.527
20 24 Victoria Gardner             	1:25.824	0:00.560
21  3 Mateo Oket                   	1:25.878	0:00.615
22 23 Moisés Delgado               	1:25.888	0:00.624
23 29 Esteban Guilhermez           	1:25.996	0:00.732
24 14 Oliver Bliss                 	1:26.037	0:00.773
25  6 Alexander Lund               	1:26.278	0:01.014

[Vangaziland]

Jessica had quite a busy week. Now she was in the process of de-stressing after a fairly successful practice session. She was doing her yoga, moving from position to position while focusing on her breathing and stretching. She had quite a few things she needed to clear her mind about.

The practice session went well. Her car felt solid on the track once more. There was a small adjustment to the downforce, and a few other small tweaks. But MRT seemed to be doing a good job of making the right adjustments for each track. Now it was just up to Jessi to produce.

She leaned back, raised her knee before reaching up and pulling it in. It stretched her back, especially one side which had been sore from the driver's cabin. She put out thoughts of rumors that had been swirling around and centered her focus on her surroundings, in this case, the hotel room. She closed her eyes before switching positions and raising the other knee.

On Thursday, the CEO of Vannish Motors, stated his company's intent to build a WGPC car and run a factory team sometime within the next two seasons. The businessman hinted at pursuing Jessica by saying "We hope to bring in drivers with some WGPC experience. Of course, we would be excited at the prospect of having a citizen of the Empire drive for us."

The comment put pressure on Jessica right away since she was already in the news after her victory. Her email inbox was flooded by early Friday, before the practice session. She found herself answering a slew of questions from journalists wondering about her intent.

She was consistent in her message and replied with statements such as:
"The idea of a Vannish racing team is an exciting prospect for the WGPC and for Vangaziland. I am happy where I am though and am focused on 2016."

But the journalists would reply with more questions, asking her specific things like 'how long do you see yourself with MRT?'

Jessica replied by reminding the journalists that her WGPC career has just started and that she is lucky to be on any team. Just like many Vangazi, Jess was modest, at least in public.

While meditating, she also blanked out the pleasant thoughts. She was about a tenth of a second off the lead lap at practice. This let her know her lines, braking and gear ratio were alright. She could put up some fast laps. Now it was all about a consistent qualifying session.

She blanked out memories of her last win, focused on her breathing. She changed to another position, which an onlooker would think looked quite cramped and uncomfortable. It felt great on her spine, and stretched her sore muscles.

There were doubts that crept in her mind from time to time. She wondered how long her good run could last. She feared what would happen if she suddenly hit a cold streak and didn't produce. Would her shot at the WGPC end so suddenly?

But for now, her mind was blank. Her thoughts lay on drawing in air and breathing it out.

[Drawkland]

Will Madison sat down, alone, in some bar in Warkino Zell. It wasn't necessarily that he was ditched or stood up, or even that who he invited declined - he had invited nobody. For awhile, he just wanted to be alone. Alone with his thoughts. Also, maybe he could try picking up a date, as if THAT was happening. Hey, guess what. I'm a big time racer. I got second in a race last week, that's right. Everyone in Barunia was REALLY impressed. Pshh. Fat chance.

Will ordered a simple beer, something local, probably pretty lackluster. When the bottle was brought to him, he took a sip. His suspicions were correct, and he grimaced slightly. Not just to the lukewarm liquid sitting before him, but from the day's earlier events. Sure, he'd gotten first place in practice. Big whoop. All that really did was quell the rising suspicion within the Fornax that their cars were the problem, and also that possibly the racers were the problem, but those suspicions were already quelled, at least for Will, last weekend.

One would think that being first in practice is a harbinger of good times, boding well for the weekend ahead. Not likely, Will sighed both inwardly and outwardly. Last time he scored high in practice was in San Jose Guayabal, in which he got third in actual qualifying ... only to crash out Lap 1, with none other than the Dunpan racer, Alex Kohlon. Will hoped a repeat of that sort of scenario would not occur again, as he glanced at the flag of Dunpa hanging from a meager pole.

Well, one couldn't forget Eastfield Lodge, where Will placed 2nd in practice and then both qualified and finished 5th - his best run before Barunia. But the way it felt, it just seemed Will did best coming from behind - good starts never suited him well. At least, if his performance in the WGPC seemed to be any indicator.

I wonder how things are gonna work out for Fornax ... Will thought to himself. Not just as far as the season end, because that seemed to be pretty clearly rooted in mediocrity. Unless both Will and Jac-Irlo got exclusively podium spots these last few races, Fornax was doomed to the middle of the back. Perhaps even the back of the pack, depending on how the other teams shook out. Speaking of the Constructor's Championship, it was pretty clear Vilita and Turori were firmly seated at the top. Now it's up to the peasants to battle out for the places below.

Anyhow, it was all in question whether Fornax would still be in the WGPC next year. Will had overheard some minor pit crew members (his number one source of overheard snide comments) snickering about it didn't matter if they were a little subpar on the job, since "it's not like anyone will be here next year anyway." Not only did this piss Will off because his pit crew - his number one source of making him not suck during the race - was not working top-notch, but also because it suggested that Fornax's dissolving was imminent. Will hoped this wasn't going to be the case. Regardless of the season's performances, Will was certainly still enjoying his time with his team. There was a certain camaraderie among them, as literally everyone involved was new to the WGPC as a whole.

So if, and hopefully if Fornax drops the next season, what would become of Will? Or Jac-Irlo? It was likely that the Cenian racer would likely go out on his own to win the attention of some other well-established team, and if the current record is any indication of WGPC success, things look bleak for poor Jac. Will himself was only in slightly better footing, hopefully his various decent finishes and a half-impressive test runs would be enough to convince someone else to pick him up.

But wait! What about Drawkland? You know, my actual country? the thought came suddenly. Well, with Will's at least passable record, it's possible that DISC might at least be generous enough to let him ride again next season. Wait ... maybe DISC would even give the green light to enter the WGPC mix. Who? Would DISC submit its own team? Ha, laughable. Drawk Corps came to mind again, but considering Harvey Flantar, DISC's head, and his probably childish personal vendetta again the Corps, who knows if they'll get a chance? Owabrok Union could possibly get a leg in, but that's probably the only likely candidate off the top of Will's head. And this is all assuming DISC will even allow it.

If Fornax is still up next season, I'll try getting back with them, especially if they keep Jac-Irlo. But if not, I hope DISC allows some team to be created for Drawkland. Will shook again, probably a natural reaction to allowing whatever substance was actually in his bottle into his body. But also because of the uncertainty of the future. Only one thing was REALLY certain at this point - Will wanted to race next season.

"Uhm, hey there!" a hand was waved in front of Will's face. Someone got his attention.
"Uhh ... hey," Will replied unsteadily. Some blond girl was seated next to him at the bar, smiling at him. With a quick look up and down, Will realized she was a Drawkian. Or a really tall tourist. Something about her didn't give a 'Dunpa' vibe.
"Is your name Will Madison?" she asked playfully a moment later. Will was confused for a moment, but then he looked down and realized he was wearing his white Fornax windbreaker, with his name embroidered in red above 'Fornax' written in orange on his chest.
"Yes. I didn't steal this jacket, of course," Will chuckled.
"Are you like ... related to THE Madisons?" the girl asked next. Will fought to keep his expression the same, but inside he felt a blow. She was clearly Drawkian or at least a Drawkian follower, and this was about to go like every other exchange he'd had with a female for the past 30 years.
"Yes, ah ... yes. I am. Are you looking for the 'Get me a date with the hotter Madisons hotline'? Because it appears you've just reached it," Will replied with no light amount of self-depreciating humor.
"Well, I called the hotline, and I ended up here. Seems to me like I'm already in the right place," she replied smoothly.
Damn, Will thought, Looks like things are already going different. Then another part of his mind continued, Like hopefully this weekend ends up.
"What? Hmmm, they must have faulty information or something," said Will, grinning a bit. "Here, do you want a drink? Other than this crap. I dunno what they put in this stuff," he said, gesturing to the bottle, barely halfway finished, in front of him.
"No, I already drank tonight," the girl declined, "But maybe another time. Tomorrow maybe?"
Will was starstruck. She was GOOD.
"uhm, yeah, sure. Hold on - what was your name? I don't think you ever told me," Will said, getting his phone out, to the contact app already.
"Rachel. Rachel Jones."
"That's a decent name. Can I have-"
"-My number? Here, I'll put it in," she said, snatching the phone out of Will's hand. Will watched her fingers type into the contact entry, with shock in his mind and hopefully not on his face.
"By the way, I really liked your race last week. You went really fast."
"You're following the WGPC?" Will asked, incredulously.
"Yeah! I had nothing to do for a couple months. Figured, why sit around in my apartment all day watching the Bellator skyline?"
"I suppose that makes as much sense as everything else," Will shrugged, "So what, drinks tomorrow? My treat."
"No, how about my treat if you qualify in the top 3?"
"Absolutely not. I insist!" Will said confidently. He could feel his wallet in his pocket protesting. Hopefully not literally though, because that suggested several things about Will's psyche.
"Alright, alright, fine. Meet you ..?"
"Somewhere. I'll text you."
"Okay! I have to get back to my hotel room, before I fall asleep somewhere other than my bed."
"Yeah. Okay," Will said, "I should go to." The two got up at the same time, and Will walked Rachel to the door of the bar before they parted.

I dunno what just happened there, Will reflected, But I like it.
The weekend was started to look up. Will couldn't wait to tell Jac-Irlo (who probably went to some different bar with Vic) about what happened, tomorrow morning.

[Aboveland]

Edvin and Terho entered the hotel sauna grinning with delight after the practice session on Friday. Terho had been just behind iBen in the practice leaderboards, and not by much. After reviewing the car's data, he realized he hadn't made any clear mistakes or backed off in any clear areas, and that their difference was just random. After some small talk, the pair took in the steam and relaxed in preparation for the qualifying session the next day. In the past, sauna sessions hadn't given the best results for Terho, but this time he was not going to rest his faith on the hot steam as he'd always done. He'd push harder, mentally and physically, for the qualifying session and the race. All he needed was to be focused.

[Vilita and Turori]

Vilita & Turori Motorsports Paddock, Grand Prix of Dunpa :: iBen Toralmintii's 3rd Place Finish on the podium at the Grand Prix of Barunia allowed the Turorian driver to extend his advantage at the top of the world Grand Prix Championship drivers standings to 22 points over his teammate, the Abovian driver Terho Talvela.

Working throught the season with the inexperienced Talvela, iBen Toralmintii had attempted to take on a mentors role for the driver who many looked at as a budding young future star in the sport. However, as the seasonnhas drawn on and it has started to look more and more like it will be the two drivers piloting the midnight livery emblazened with the Tropicorp colors who would be dueling it out for the title, the two teammates have started to maintain a small amount of downtime away from each other.

For Talvela, the distractions started when Gunnar Lindstrom joined the circuit and the over confident Abovian began trying to pass on his learned knowledge to the works driver. Being a pay driver has also caused some distractions for Talvela who has been challenged by Vilita & Turori Motorsports to keep his car In one piece due to the short supply of quality backup machines in the team fleet. Just recently Terho and his friend Edvin had to sweet talk the sponsors to get Chassis Y' repaired in time for Dunpa, avoiding having to fall back on a lesser model chassis from the pool being used by the WGPC works teams.

For Toralmintii, he has found himself spending more and more time with R.L. Cruisin, the former teammte turned rival turned teammate and once again, turned rival whos Carvenlo Franklin racing machine regularly occupies a space in the paddock directly opposite Toralmintii.

Cruisin has had his share of ups and downs at Carvenlo Franklin and will likely be hacing regrets about his decision to pass up on the lead drive at the re-born Vilita & Turori Motorsports outfit that the vilitan was odfered in the offseason. Cruisin, as well as Toralmintii, likely will be looking straight through the Dunpa event on the schedule for a chance to return home to the Tropics and show their strength to the field in front of their home fans.

[

[Vangaziland]

Jessica would find not all of the media attention she garnered would be about her work on the track.

Someone had flown in from Vangaziland to see her. The man was of some fame in Vangaziland and was trying to keep things low key. He figured that once he was in Dunpa, he could keep things quiet.

He wasn't the only person who flew here to see Jessica. A flock of journalists have come from Vangaziland to cover her next race.

The pair had spent the day walking around the neighborhood and enjoyed a meal at a nice restaurant. Everything had gone according to plan. They did not appear to be recognized throughout the entire date.

However, a Vannish photographer captured private moments of the date on camera. The man leaned down to kiss the race car driver once on the lips. The pair held hands and then said their goodbyes to another. Normally this would just be fluff, two people kissing were not a big deal.

But this was not just anyone. This was Hectare Yulssen, starting point guard for the Vannish National Basketball Team and the Emeros Zap. He was a highly popular sports figure in the Empire.

The reporter had spent a few hours camped out in a van outside of Jessica's hotel. He caught the couple saying goodbye at the end of the date. These pictures were gold. He immediately sold the rights and soon celebrity watch blogs, tv shows and podcasts began to gossip about the relationship. There were so many details the gossip mags wanted to know.

The pair had been dating for a few weeks now, but had kept out of the public light. The win put the spotlight on her. Vangaziland pushed free speech, so unfortunately these sort of events happened in the media.

Jessica did not release a statement or talk about it on social media. She would wait until it came up in an interview and then talk.

It wasn't seen as anything negative, it was just a privacy concern. Hectare and Jessica wanted privacy, but at this point it wasn't hidden anymore. The two had talked about it on email and realized it was silly to keep sneaking. They joked about the quiet "good old days".

Yulssen even decided to show up to her next race. She bought tickets in advance for some of his games in the upcoming tournament. Gossip bloggers had already given the pair one of those annoying celebrity couple nicknames.... They were 'Hessica'. The name made both of them uncomfortable. It was exactly what they had been trying to avoid.

Outside of the Royal family, Hessica was set to become one of the most popular celebrity couples that was not Royal.

[WGPC]

Qualifying: Grand Prix of Dunpa

Conditions: Dry

Part One

1	56	Terho Talvela		VTM				1:25.213
2	89	Will Madison		Fornax Racing			1:25.271
3	7	Ethan Ellis		Carvenlo-Franklin Racing	1:25.391
4	8	Igne Spupuo		Telaris Racing			1:25.396
5	51	R.L. Crusin		Carvenlo-Franklin Racing	1:25.400
6	21	Alexander Kohlon	WGPC Motorworks			1:25.437
7	99	Rudolf Ibuna		Scuderia WGPC			1:25.600
8	23	Moisés Delgado		Cygnus ATR			1:25.736
9	35	Jac-Irlo Val		Fornax Racing			1:25.740
10	57	Galicio Palembe		Scuderia WGPC			1:25.742
11	14	Oliver Bliss		MSA-Sinval			1:25.774
12	12	Vic Convarion		Telaris Racing			1:25.937
13	52	Sayono Souzare		Archer Motorsports		1:25.980
14	10	Lauren Ashburton	ENSADRINK GP			1:26.076
15	18	Louis Krindle		MSA-SinVal			1:26.129
16	55	Asao Nadakei		ENSADRINK GP			1:26.265
17	1	Alexandra Mayari	SFeG				1:26.417
18	24	Victoria Gardner	SFeG				1:26.441
19	77	iBen Toralmintii	VTM				1:26.691
20	13	Gunnar Lindstrom	WGPC Motorworks			1:26.973
21	6	Alexander Lund		McPahan Racing			1:27.470
22	42	Alex Dimitrianov	MRT				1:27.507
23	25	Jessica Franssen	MRT				1:28.524
24	29	Esteban Guilhermez	Cygnus ATR			1:28.940
25	3	Mateo Oket		Archer Motorsports		1:29.209

Part Two

1	51	R.L. Crusin		Carvenlo-Franklin Racing	1:25.174
2	8	Igne Spupuo		Telaris Racing			1:25.390
3	23	Moisés Delgado		Cygnus ATR			1:25.872
4	57	Galicio Palembe		Scuderia WGPC			1:25.903
5	99	Rudolf Ibuna		Scuderia WGPC			1:25.986
6	35	Jac-Irlo Val		Fornax Racing			1:26.238
7	7	Ethan Ellis		Carvenlo-Franklin Racing	1:26.987
8	56	Terho Talvela		VTM				1:27.299
9	89	Will Madison		Fornax Racing			1:30.890
10	21	Alexander Kohlon	WGPC Motorworks			1:37.193

1 51 R.L. Crusin             
 2  8 Igne Spupuo             
 3 23 Moisés Delgado          
 4 57 Galicio Palembe         
 5 99 Rudolf Ibuna            
 6 35 Jac-Irlo Val            
 7  7 Ethan Ellis             
 8 56 Terho Talvela           
 9 89 Will Madison            
10 21 Alexander Kohlon        
11 14 Oliver Bliss            
12 12 Vic Convarion           
13 52 Sayono Souzare          
14 10 Lauren Ashburton        
15 18 Louis Krindle           
16 55 Asao Nadakei            
17  1 Alexandra Mayari        
18 24 Victoria Gardner        
19 77 iBen Toralmintii        
20 13 Gunnar Lindstrom        
21  6 Alexander Lund          
22 42 Alex Dimitrianov        
23 25 Jessica Franssen        
24 29 Esteban Guilhermez      
25  3 Mateo Oket          

OOC: Apologies for yet another delay. The race *should* be held on Monday night, to account for the late scorination of qualifying.

[Aboveland]

Terho's first place in qualifying had put a grin on his face and a resurgence of passion inside him for the next round. He wasn't in the slightest concerned about having a bad run, and was almost completely sure he would get pole position.

Enter the first lap of Q2.

Round turn 19 of his first flying lap, Terho clipped the inside barrier of the turn with his rear left rim. Sparks flew as he desperately attempted to save his car from spinning and limiting the ill effects of his contact. However, the bounce from the collision had not only lost him time, but chipped his front wing as well. After a hopeless lap of flapping carbon fiber on the front of his machine, he pulled into pits to have it replaced, only to hear the wings were delayed and supposed to arrive late at night (his car could still be fixed, but for the rest of Q2 he would have to do with a mended wing, done so with duct tape and good will). Terho sulked into a bean chair in the back of the paddock as he watched how his 1:27 time go down the standings as if it were a ball tumbling down the stairs at a steady pace. It seemed as if it even made a thunk noise with every descent. In the end, he qualified eighth, which although was not what he'd dreamed about, he was in a great place to pounce on Toralmintii, down in 19th. All he needed was concentration, hope, and wise driving, knowing his limits, to usurp the Vilitian's place in the championship and be on course for a maiden title in his maiden championship. Game on.

[The Republic Of Arkan]

Arkan News Network
Your source for all Arkan News!

After historic flooding decimated the coastal regions of Arkan, along with Mt. Venta erupting in the mountain region, the ANN has finally recuperated enough power to run a show for a short amount of time. Still under the sixth Code 6 in Arkanian history, we still would advise all Arkanian's to continue to stay inside or in the designated protection area. Now then, let's get onto the news.

Makeo Oket, Arkan's lone racer in the World Grand Prix Championship, has been left off the Dunpa race lineup as he has requested one race off to make sure his family in Arkan are still fine after these major natural events. In a press conference, Oket stated "I want to race, I really do, but other things take president to my career. My family, friends, and home are all things I care more about. I can't race with those things in danger, much less me knowing they aren't safe."

Also in Sports news, the Arkan Men's National Soccer Team arrived in Dyno today, after being tragically eliminated from the World Cup. They will travel to Arkan City, where they will stay until their home teams fields are safe. This is only precaution for the longevity of the teams.

[WGPC]

Grand Prix of Dunpa
Sunday's Race

Conditions: Changeable
Laps: 63

Pos # Driver               Team		Race Time	Behind Preceding car
 1 56 Terho Talvela              	1:34:04.397	+0:00.000
 2 55 Asao Nadakei               	1:34:52.535	+0:48.138
 3 99 Rudolf Ibuna               	1:35:08.213	+0:15.678
 4  8 Igne Spupuo                	1:35:10.140	+0:01.927
 5 51 R.L. Crusin                	1:35:13.946	+0:03.806
 6 35 Jac-Irlo Val               	1:35:17.131	+0:03.185
 7 42 Alex Dimitrianov           	1:35:24.635	+0:07.503
 8  6 Alexander Lund             	+1 Lap		
 9 10 Lauren Ashburton           	+1 Lap		+0:14.185
10 18 Louis Krindle              	+1 Lap		+0:06.232
11 52 Sayono Souzare             	+1 Lap		+0:02.996
12 13 Gunnar Lindstrom           	+1 Lap		+0:05.801
13 25 Jessica Franssen           	+1 Lap		+0:00.457
14  1 Alexandra Mayari           	+1 Lap		+0:06.555
15 14 Oliver Bliss               	+1 Lap		+0:37.890
16 24 Victoria Gardner           	+2 Laps		
17 29 Esteban Guilhermez         	+2 Laps		+0:51.972

DNF 21 Alexander Kohlon           	Ret. Lap 56
DNF  7 Ethan Ellis                	Ret. Lap 51	
DNF 89 Will Madison               	Ret. Lap 33
DNF 77 iBen Toralmintii           	Ret. Lap 23		
DNF 57 Galicio Palembe            	Ret. Lap 7	
DNF 23 Moisés Delgado             	Ret. Lap 6
DNF 12 Vic Convarion              	Ret. Lap 2

Drivers' Championship

Pos	#	Name			Team				Pts
1	56	Terho Talvela		VTM				97
2	77	iBen Toralmintii	VTM				94
3	8	Igne Spupuo		Telaris Racing			70
4	55	Asao Nadakei		ENSADRINK GP			50
4	18	Louis Krindle		MSA-SinVal			50
6	14	Oliver Bliss		MSA-SinVal			48
7	51	R.L. Crusin		Carvenlo-Franklin Racing	45
8	24	Victoria Gardner	SFeG				42
9	7	Ethan Ellis		Carvenlo-Franklin Racing	41
10	6	Alexander Lund		McPahan Racing			36
11	89	Will Madison		Fornax Racing			31
12	10	Lauren Ashburton	ENSADRINK GP			27
13	25	Jessica Franssen	MRT				26
14	42	Alex Dimitrianov	MRT				24
15	3	Mateo Oket		Archer Motorsports		23
16	12	Vic Convarion		Telaris Racing			21
17	99	Rudolf Ibuna		Scuderia WGPC			20
18	46	Reni Sanderson		McPahan Racing			19
19	1	Alexandra Mayari	SFeG				14
20	21	Alexander Kohlon	WGPC Motorworks			13
21	13	Gunnar Lindstrom	WGPC Motorworks			8
22	35	Jac-Irlo Val		Fornax Racing			6
23	23	Moisés Delgado		Cygnus ATR			4
23	29	Esteban Guilhermez	Cygnus ATR			4
23	17	Oliver Bachmann		MRT				4
26	52	Sayono Souzare		Archer Motorsports		2
27	20	Marcus Melton		WGPC Motorworks			0
27	57	Galicio Palembe		Scuderia WGPC			0

Drivers below line cannot win championship

Constructors' Championship

VTM				191
MSA-Sinval			98
Telaris Racing			91
Carvenlo-Franklin Racing	86
ENSADRINK GP			77
SFeG				56
McPahan Racing			55
MRT				54
Fornax Racing			37
Archer Motorsports		25
WGPC Motorsports		21
Scuderia WGPC			20
Cygnus ATR			8

Teams below line cannot win championship.

[Vulkanas]

Gunnar Lindström Publicly Criticises WGPC Motorworks

After yet another disappointment in Dunpa, Vulkan driver Gunnar Lindström has told the world's media exactly how he feels about his team's performance.

Gunnar Lindström put in another strong performance in Dunpa, managing to finish 12th despite starting way down the order in 20th. Lindström managed to negotiate the changeable conditions on the track, holding off hot-shot rookie Jessica Franssen in the faster MRT car. Although this good recovery was probably the best Lindström could hope for, he told Sportir Tidskrift Vulkanas of his disappointment in the team at this later stage in the season.

"It confuses me, how a big team with great funding like ours has failed to perform on so many occasions, yet the junior team can score a podium", says the disenchanted Vulkan driver. "If we keep on this path we will be below them in the constructors' championship. And that is frankly embarrassing."

When asked about his thoughts on staying with the team in future, it was clear he wasn't playing the PR game: "No driver can choose to stay at an underperforming team. I am in this championship to win, and the team can't even score points."

An uncertain time is ahead then for the WGPC Motorworks team and Gunnar Lindström, both of whom will wish to right the recent spell of bad results.

[Vangaziland]

The #25 car pulled into pit lane after the race. It coasted past several spots before turning off into the second MRT spot. The pit crew attached it to a wheeled jack that slid under the car and allowed the crew to slide it into the garage. Three Vannish journalists were waiting, one with a camera.

Jessica removed her helmet and replaced it with a cap with a sponsor's logo. Even after a tough race and a tougher qualifying session, she was all smiles. The photographer snapped a picture of the Vannish driver.

The journalists came at her right away with questions, as soon as she stepped out of her car and onto the garage floor.

"What happened at qualifying?"

"There was a problem with the engine. It was running, but the timing was off. We also made a change to the gear ratio and down force after the practice session. It felt like a different car."

Jess seemed calm. She wasn't disappointed with this loss. If anything, it took pressure off her because now this season was truly only a trial. She wasn't in the running for the Championship. So she was free to drive, learn the tracks and enjoy the car.

"And how does it feel to not score a point after winning the last race?"

"Again, we had a poor start", she said. "But considering, we moved up a few places. You'll see some big names who didn't even finish the race. Every week I fear that could happen to me. It sucks that I didn't get a point, but I learned these new settings for the car. I got good experience today and that's what this short season is for me."

Jess didn't attach her ego to the win-loss column. Although she was happy to experience the last win. She hoped to pull at least a few more top finishes. But she knew that this was only a test season.

"But I do wish I grabbed a few points for MRT", Jess added, throwing in the sponsor's name as well.

"What was your strategy for most of the race?"

"Well I spent a good deal of it drafting off of Lindstrom. He was on his line. We got past a few cars together. The team ran into a problem on our pit-stop though. There was some confusion. We stalled too many seconds. Then when we got back on the track, we lost his group. So that stop might be the reason we didn't grab at least one point. We didn't catch up to him until much later. A few more laps and we might have gotten past. He did well to stay in front of me though."

"Where do you look to go from here?"

Jess was in public relations mode. She knew her image was being built in the public eye on way or another.

"I'm trying to gain as many points as I can for MRT. I'm also looking to show that a Vannish T1 driver can compete internationally. This wasn't my best race, but that's the nature of racing. If I would have had a better qual session, we could have pushed up into the point totals. So I'm excited for the rest of the season."

Not all news dealt with Jessica's tough race.

"Jess, how do you feel about news coming from Vannish Motors that they are developing a WGPC car? Latest news says they are going to use the V-12 from the Ghost supercar. Would you want to drive for them?"

But Jess was all about the moment.

"Right now, I'm happy to be a part of the MRT family. Next season is next season, and I can't see the future. I personally drive a V.M., so I like the company. If they made an offer, I would have to consider it. But right now, my heart is with MRT."

The questions went on and on. Jess stood tall and answered them. She showed that she would always be the same person, win or lose. Her expression was confident, undaunted. It was clear that she had a vision and was standing by it.

"What was your biggest mistake?"

"I had a poor qualifying run, but I had to get used to the new settings. I just didn't run any good laps. I look to improve on consistency during qualifying. I know that if I get a good enough start, I can move up the line."

The reason Jessica probably has problems during qualifying is because she does not push the limit then. She is not very aggressive, so she can sometimes sit back when she should go for a pass. She doesn't want to wreck over a qualifying incident. But this same cautious judgement may help her avoid dangerous incidents and hopefully keep her out of the DNF column.

[Mattijana]

DimitrianovSalvages Seventh After Nightmare Qualifying

Changeable Weather helps MRT out of Dunpan hole

Alex Dimitrianov came a good seventh in the Grand Prix of Dunpa mounting an impressive comeback from 22nd on the grid.

An engine problem that needed to be hastily rectified before the qualifying session had left both cars short of power and with compromised handling and consequently dumped them in 22nd and 23rd with a major salvage operation required to give any chance of points in the race.

He got off to a good start getting past the McPahen of Lund and the WGPC works car belonging to Gunnar Lindstrom in the long run into turn one. That proved to be a particularly good move as his teammate Jess Franssen got stuck behind Lindstrom for the rest of the race. He continued past Victoria Gardner, making up some more places when Convarion, Delgado and Palembe all dropped out of the race.

Consolidating his position for the next few laps as the track began to dry out, Dimitrianov made a brave and inspired move to pit a lap earlier than everyone else. This had the effect of giving him clean air, better pace and warmer tires when everyone else emerged from the pit lane. That started a rapid progression up the leaderboard that led to the eventual taking of seventh from Lauren Ashburton with just 5 laps remaining.

The result leaves Dimitrianov 14th in the driver's championship with 24 points and a very long shot at being champion. MRT are 8th in the constructor's championship , but just 3 points away from being 6th. The next race is in Vilita after a mid-season testing session in Turori.

[WGPC]

Friday Practice: Vilita

Conditions: Dry
Drivers had 90 minutes to record up to 30 flying laps. Fastest lap is recorded.

1 56 Terho Talvela                	1:25.637	0:00.000
 2 77 iBen Toralmintii             	1:25.719	0:00.082
 3  8 Igne Spupuo                  	1:25.772	0:00.135
 4 51 R.L. Crusin                  	1:25.777	0:00.140
 5 18 Louis Krindle                	1:25.896	0:00.259
 6 25 Jessica Franssen             	1:25.923	0:00.287
 7 89 Will Madison                 	1:25.949	0:00.313
 8 12 Vic Convarion                	1:25.951	0:00.315
 9 55 Asao Nadakei                 	1:25.960	0:00.324
10 35 Jac-Irlo Val                 	1:25.968	0:00.332
11 42 Alex Dimitrianov             	1:25.992	0:00.355
12 99 Rudolf Ibuna                 	1:26.068	0:00.431
13  6 Alexander Lund               	1:26.123	0:00.486
14 14 Oliver Bliss                 	1:26.207	0:00.570
15 24 Victoria Gardner             	1:26.208	0:00.571
16 10 Lauren Ashburton             	1:26.226	0:00.589
17 23 Moisés Delgado               	1:26.266	0:00.630
18 29 Esteban Guilhermez           	1:26.301	0:00.665
19  7 Ethan Ellis                  	1:26.371	0:00.734
20 21 Alexander Kohlon             	1:26.426	0:00.790
21  1 Alexandra Mayari             	1:26.438	0:00.801
22 52 Sayono Souzare               	1:26.477	0:00.841
23 57 Galicio Palembe              	1:26.553	0:00.916
24  3 Mateo Oket                   	1:26.619	0:00.982
25 13 Gunnar Lindstrom             	1:26.721	0:01.084

OOC: Another delay. RL and NS are conspiring against me. Qualifying tonight, race on Monday.

[Vangaziland]

Jessica had ran her practice session earlier in the day. She didn't learn anything new. Her car could put up fast times. This had been established before. They made a few changes to the settings as usual and hoped to have the car tuned in. Of course, this hasn't always worked out based on qualifying times in the past.

Part of the issue was that drivers try harder and move much faster during qualifying and even more so during the race. You could only adjust based on practice times by so much. It's a bit of a gamble. One thing was clear. The V+T cars were already dialed into this track. They were clearly favored to do well here.

Soon after she left the team's garage, she had to deal with the Vannish reporters. They were waiting diligently for her while staying out of MRT's space, not wanting to get in the way... At least not over a practice run.

"Jessica, how do you feel your chances are this week?"

"It depends on qualifying. I put up decent times again today. But we know the real run starts tomorrow. Wherever I end up qualifying, I should be able to move up from there. So hopefully I can qualify in the top 10, top 5 or something like that."

"What do you think of this track?"

"It's fast.. Lot's of sweeping turns. You can hit a pretty high top speed here. It takes a lot of nerve. T1 has a few fast tracks like this. If it rains, things will get interesting."

"Jess, what do you say to critics who say you did poorly last week because you were distracted. The photo came out with you and Yulssen before your last race. Were you distracted?"

Jess cocked her hed back and turned an angry shade of red. Her expression showed she was not amused.

"I made the best of a bad situation last week. We had a mechanical issue in qualifying. I didn't get a point, but finished the race... Didn't wreck the car. Picked up some experience. I wasn't distracted. He's actually been supportive."

Franssen actually wanted to tell the journalist to mind his business. But Yulssen had convinced her to come out about the relationship. They decided to just answer whatever questions and get it over with. Hopefully it would be a 15 minutes of fame thing. The Vannish media's bloodhounds would eventually follow a new trail.

The Vangazi driver would answer a few more questions before stepping away for the night.

Vangaziland's most popular sports talk show, Last Minute ran a segment on the Franssen-Yulssen relationship. Co-hosts Chip Maydress and Deter J. Piff debated whether or not Jess was distracted during her last race.

Both hosts were rarely on the same side, but agreed on this issue. They decided she was not distracted.

"If anything, she was too cautious", said Piff in his scratchy voice. "She's too nice! She's a true Vangazi in that regard."

"May I point out, that she has not fallen back in a race yet", said Chip. "This is a trend that she has to keep up. MRT runs fast cars. I think these two can still move up a few spots in the Constructors' standings."

For all the rumors that were swirling around, Jess was actually handling it well. The other story, that was more localized to the racing world, was the Vannish Motors story.

The car company had announced plans to get into the WGPC and mentioned pursuing Franssen. At this point, the company did have plans for their first WGPC car drawn up. Talks with Jessica were only rumors. Jess hadn't even made contact with anyone at Vannish Motors.

[WGPC]

Saturday Qualifying

* Conditions: Dry
* Drivers had 90 minutes to record up to 10 flying laps. Fastest lap is recorded.

.1 56 Terho Talvela           	1:25.600
 2 77 iBen Toralmintii        	1:25.730
 3 25 Jessica Franssen        	1:25.824
 4 18 Louis Krindle           	1:25.936
 5 13 Gunnar Lindstrom        	1:25.964
 6 99 Rudolf Ibuna            	1:26.018
 7 89 Will Madison            	1:26.087
 8  1 Alexandra Mayari        	1:26.116
 9 23 Moisés Delgado          	1:26.142
10 51 R.L. Crusin             	1:26.154
11 12 Vic Convarion           	1:26.155
12 42 Alex Dimitrianov        	1:26.208
13 35 Jac-Irlo Val            	1:26.262
14 14 Oliver Bliss            	1:26.294
15 55 Asao Nadakei            	1:26.328
16 24 Victoria Gardner        	1:26.331
17  7 Ethan Ellis             	1:26.359
18  6 Alexander Lund          	1:26.374
19 29 Esteban Guilhermez      	1:26.417
20 52 Sayono Souzare          	1:26.508
21 21 Alexander Kohlon        	1:26.717
22  8 Igne Spupuo             	1:27.026
23  3 Mateo Oket              	1:27.513
24 10 Lauren Ashburton        	1:27.799
25 57 Galicio Palembe         	1:28.019

[Dunpa]

"I quit for the rest of the season!" Alexander said.