World Grand Prix Championship Season 16: RP Thread

[Kita-Hinode]

Dashoze Circuit, Hodori
Saturday Qualifying

Both Ryo and Ryu watched as Moe drove on her new car. The Hinodejin was certainly the odd one out, insisting on wearing the Oni mask she brought up to her agent previously. And the worst part? She was actually doing pretty well herself. Granted, this was only but a test but the lass and her attempt were pretty fine. Ryo, of course, kept his face covered by his hands. Not for anxiousness or anything of the like, but rather, embarrassment.

"U-Uh... Ryo..." His brother, Ryu, asked, raising an eyebrow. "Moe is doing well, you shouldn't be averting your sights like that." He dropped his hands, sighing. "Is it because of the mask? ...I think it's neat." "She looks like a villain!" He crossed his arms, staring daggers at his brother's opinion of the mask. "We want to make a star, not a criminal in the making..."

Ryu shrugged. "I'm sure our friend isn't going to kill anyone... The mask is just a mind game of sorts... I guess..."

Regardless of what her agent thought, the Oni of the Hinodejin Empire raced fast. And that's what she was mostly all about. Couldn't help but wonder if there was any chance to employ some violence during the actual race, however.

[Audioslavia]

With a quick double bonk of the helmet, Roger Bunn sent Alec Lund on his way for the Audioslavian's second qualifying stint. "More of the same!" he shouted after the white and blue McPahan car as it caterwauled into the distance.

He watched from the back of the garage as the team wheeled Alex Dimitrianov's car back into the pits. Dimitrianov had gone round just a few hundredths faster than Lund had managed in the first session to put the Mattijanan on the front row of the grid. Roger knew that, if Alec could match his time from the earlier practice he'd be right up there amongst it when it came to the beginning of the race. With clouds looming overhead all weekend it was vitally important not to get too bunched into the middle of the pack for the first few laps, where anything could go wrong.

He watched as Dimitrianov received pats on the back for his time, as Stan McPahan gave a cursory nod from his position in front of the monitor. He gave the Mattijanan a clap himself before vacating the garage for the pit wall, stopping only to let Moe Himura's Arada trundle past an into it's own garage.

Right at the side of the circuit, seemingly close enough to be able to lean out and touch the cars as they went past (something not specifically prohibited by the rules, but generall deemed a bad idea by anyone who liked having their hands attached to their wrists), Roger took in the sights, sounds and smells of the circuit up close. Was there a part of him that missed being on the track himself? Sure, but there was a greater part of him that woke up every day relieved that the pressure was all on someone else's shoulders come the weekend.

Nate Jackson's TIF 13 screamed past and across the line, clocking in at just shy of 81 seconds. Slower than in the first stint, but getting a score on the board and putting a marker down for the others. A few seconds later, the bright green MSA SinVal of Cesaro Whittaker screamed through over half a second faster, to the delight of one Tadeo Durand, who repeatedly punches the air as Whittaker disappears into the distance.

"Good lad" shouted Roger, with a nod.
"Our lad!" shouted Tadeo, beaming.
"Cruisin's due now, right?" said Bunn, moving a couple of steps closer to the Eastfielder to somehow hear him over the din.
"On his way" shouted Tadeo, with a nod. He walked over to where Bunn was standing. "Two of ours and two of yours in the top ten. What price'd you have gotten on that before the race, eh?"
"I'd sooner have bet on my gran getting pole on her pushbike" said Roger. Tadeo met the comment with a guffaw and a hand on Roger's shoulder.
"See our Cesaro? He'll make an impact this year, just you wait. Testing schmesting. We've got the most talented pilot and the most experienced one this year."
"Speaking of the experienced one" said Roger, nodding into the distance. Cruisin's car came swinging round the final corner and streamed towards them, crossing the line and stopping the clock at 1:21.344.
"That's... modest" said Roger. Tadeo smiled and shook his head.
"He's a pro. Takes no chances. Doesn't need to wreck the engine or risk a catastrophy. Got it round in one piece. Not even Terho did tha.."
"GO ON ALEC" shouted Roger as the white and blue McPahan rattled past. He turned back to Tadeo.
"What happened to Terho?"
"No idea, but he must have buggered up somewhere. Almost three seconds off the pace. He's supposed to be a veteran. Can't be making errors like that"
"Aye" said Roger.
"You given Lund orders to take it easy? Get it round, get on the grid in the top seven or so and take it from there?"
"Yeah.." said Roger "..no"
"Alec Lund is a good lad" said Tadeo, watching as his own team prepared to take one of the MSA SinVal team in. "Deserved a World Championship with the career he's had. Though..."
"Though he probably deserved the Season 13 one, not the Season 12 one"
"Yeah. Still. Even taking into account the last few seasons he's going down as one of the greats."
"I believe so" said Roger. "In terms of races he'll have driven more than any other driver bar one, assuming he finishes the season. We both know who that one is."
"Our boy Cruisin, yes" said Tadeo. "He equals the record in Eastield Lodge and he's gonna hit 64 career races the week after in Nimbus. Surpasses Kardaeri and Portland. Let's hope he celebrates by spraying champagne over a bunch of foreigners"
"We'll see" said Roger. "Best of luck to him, but I reckon my boy Alec Lund has his number. He's looking great this season. Well, his haircut not so much, but he's slimmed down to proper racing shape, he's fit, he's healthy and he's got his head sewn on straight this season. No mistakes, no errors, plane sailing all the way through, that's what he's gonna do. We've a decent car this year, from the looks of it, and I really, honestly, truly believe that Alexander Lund has what it takes to keep himself ahead of the pack, propel himself to the top and stay there while oh my god where have his wheels gone"
Tadeo turned.
Roger gawped.
Tadeo gawped.
Alexander Lund's McPahan forlornly turned into the final straight with it's front-right wheel missing. It passed the two of them at barely 40 miles an hour, spraying the two of them with sparks as pieces of shattered suspension dragged helplessly along the ground under the car. The leaderboard lit up with Lund going into tenth place. 1:34.896. Roger didn't even notice a loose tyre in the distance, at the corner, bounce gently into a wall.
"He hit something on one of the final corners, then" said Tadeo, noticing the wheel in the background.
"Balls" said Roger.

[Savojarna]

Sigur's helmet design as revealed in Yarkovo

Sigur Bjarnason had not been too happy with his training after he only came 17th in the training session. He wasn't too fussed about it - it was a training, after all - but the feeling of the test session in Mattijana just wouldn't come back. He had struggled at home, in Yarkovo, but had put it on the unfamiliar car. Since then, he and his engineer team spent most of their wake hours in Mattijana, testing different setups in the car and getting ready for the season to make sure that they would have the best setup and strategy for the race. Twenty minutes into the training session he still didn't have a good feeling for the Hodori Grand Prix. The Savojar felt like the tarmac was sticky and his car wouldn't go as easily as it used to be the case. He looked over to his race engineer as he came back from his next flying lap, shaking his head as the pit crew placed a screen on his car and showed him the time: 01:22.521, in front of only Ranveer Singh of the hastily put together TIF13 team. As Bjarnason turned his view back to the screen, the Azadeshian's time disappeared and moved up the screen as he moved past Sigur, putting him last in the training session.

"Don't worry, Sigur. We got a good setup for the race, your tyres are very good and you should be able to get some places out of good management. But we can't get the car to have the speed you need for the qualifying, it seems. We'll try out some things to give you a better shot for tomorrow, but that will cost you some downforce in the fast corners. You need more topspeed though, or we won't succeed on the long straights", the engineer told him. Bjarnason seemed to not be moved by the calming words of his crew. He nervously tapped his fingers on the car as the pit crew worked, anxiously waiting until he could get back onto the track. As he paced around the garage, he saw that Rusty Ibuna was also out of his car, and he walked over to the Filindostani to exchange their opinions about the car. Rusty was obviously calmer than Sigur, not the least because he managed to take quite some time off his teammate. Ibuna tried to calm him, but somehow it only made Sigur more nervous. As he was walking back to his car, the engineer gave him more info on the new setup. "You should now be faster on the top speed areas, but watch out in the corners. Go out and do three to five flying laps, the outlap and the first flying at ca. 80% to get used to the setup, then two to four at qualifying speed. Tell us how it feels, and if you need more downforce", he instructed Sigur.

Bjarnason took the track again, feeling less secure in corners but overall much quicker. The feeling of being stuck in the tarmac on the straights was gone, and it seemed as if the MRT car would finally come to terms with the track, a track that wasn't exactly made for it. He crossed the finish line again and shot down towards Turn 1, now at the highest speed he could get. The first sector went well, but then came the more technical turns and Sigur's MRT just slipped off the track. The lower downforce made it seem as if the car was just dragged out towards the gravel. The rallye instincts deeply rooted in Bjarnason took over, and he steered the car away from the edge, but he had lost the line and another lap was gone. After four rounds, he returned to the pit and looked at the times. In sector one, he had clearly improved, but still he had nothing on the top teams. In the technical sectors, the car just didn't give him the security he needed, and he was going slower than he needed. Only in the last few laps could they strike a balance, but as he returned to the pit, Sigur Bjarnason saw a 17 next to his name. Sure, he didn't lose much time to the leaders, but his feeling wasn't too good.

Before the qualifying, he was uneasy. It was nervousity, but also worrying about the times for the qualifying. This was supposed to be his strength, it was like rallye. He knew that he hadn't been into man-to-man races on a top level for a long time. There was some racing in the WGPC trials for the Savojar Sponsorship Program, but there wasn't too much contact and competition there. The organisers had been too worried about their precious cars and didn't want to see much direct competition, to the misfortune of Sigur Bjarnason. But what if he'd fail in the qualifying? What if he'd get stuck behind all these other racers? There was a lot of talk back home about how it was a mistake to send him to the WGPC, how they should have sent a seasoned GP driver instead, but he was determined to silence them. How would this work if he couldn't even excel at his speciality, the timed race?

These kind of thoughts seemed to have paralysed Sigur Bjarnason, who didn't manage to do a good qualifying with this stuff on mind. For the majority of the first session, he was too insecure and drove too safe, especially with this kind of setup that left him swimming in the corners, made him unsure in the technical sectors and too tense to attack the Top 10. Only in the end, Sigur Bjarnason managed to pull off a decent lap that gave him some hope for the race. When he returned with still some minutes on the clock, he was 13th - a decent result, he thought. But then his eyes remained fixed on the screen as he saw the looming disaster: one after the other they passed him. VMR's Franssen took a few hundreds off his time. Ethan Ellis - also a few tenths. Souzare moved in front of Franssen, pushing him down to 16. It went on and on, to 17 and 18. Then, Juracai Klianiota came racing down the home straight. The TRAE driver, sitting in a car which was considered for Sigur as well, took almost 0.7 seconds off him as well, with his teammate Terho Talvela of former MRT glory even a second ahead. He looked at Rustom Ibuna, who was also still on the track, and hoped that at least his teammate could avert the humiliation that was impending on MRT. But there was no luck either: Rusty made a mistake in the end, coming in 24th. Sigur may have beaten his teammate, but there was no joy in that. Starting his first race from 22nd place, he was by no means optimistic for the coming Hodori GP.

[Vilita and Turori]

Grand Prix of Hodori, Dashoze Circuit, Hodori :: While there was certainly no surprise in seeing local driver Asao Nadakei and the Arada Motorsports team atop the charts in the first practice session at the Dashoze Circuit for the opening round of the 16th World Grand Prix Championship season, there perhaps was some surprise from each of the Vilita & Turori entrants with their WGPC License for the season.

For the second consecutive season, there was no official Vilita & Turori Motorsports team on the grid. However, two teams on the grid would have significant support or influence from Vilita & Turori Motorsports personnel.

Returning for a second season would be WGPC Eelandii with former WGPC driver iBen Toralmintii taking over as Team Principle and looking to re-define the expectations of a traditional 'Works team' through hands-on management and expert insight. Naturally Toralmintii will be focused on improving the team throughout the season and developing enough to challenge for a podium position at their home course race in the penultimate Grand Prix round at the Eelandii Grand Prix course.

Perhaps a team making a biggest splash this season, however, will be Tropicorp Racing Aelund. With factory support from Tropicorp Engineering and personnel from the famed Vilita & Turori Motorsports team responsible for the Chassis X and Chassis Y machines that dominated the 14th World Grand Prix championships, Tropicorp Racing Aelund are one of the new teams on the grid that will be unlikely to settle for backmarker status. With former champion driver Terho Talvela as their lead and long-time Vilita & Turori Motorsports reserve and test driver Juracai Klianiota promoted from the World Grand Prix 2 circuit, Tropicorp Racing Aelund certainly have the driver talent to compete but the only question remains whether the car will be able to compete when put on the same course as 12 other Grand Prix Teams.

Klianiota proved in the opening practice session that the joint Abovian-Vilita & Turorian chassis could keep pace with the rest of the pack posting the 5th fastest lap just over a tenth of a second behind the leader Nadakei. In qualifying, however, Klianiota slipped up and could only post the 16th best speed failing to advance to the second round. Klianiota's Abovian teammate Terho Talvela did advance however posting the second fastest time overall despite slipping in the second round to a 9th place starting position.

There were two-other Vilita & Turori surprises in the top 10 however as R.L. Cruisin who showed up in Hodori without a drive, made a shock signing for MSA-SinVal to partner with Cesaro Whittaker and both drivers found themselves in the second round with Cruisin posting the 7th fastest time and Whittaker the 3rd, just ahead of another surprise package in Jennifer Johnson who wheeled the WGPC Eelandii Motorworks #10 to the fourth starting position much to the delight of Team Principle iBen Toralmintii - particularly to soften the blow of the last place run by Reva Izalio in the other WGPC Eelandii machine who was nearly three-and-a-half seconds off the leaders pace.

While the season has yet to get started, there appears to be much promise on top for Vilita & Turori Motorsports drivers and WGPC Eelandii throughout the opening sessions in Hodori and it certainly wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities to see one of them end up on the podium sunday.

[Karditan]

"Finally, some proper weather!" Dimitri bellowed from the bleachers, as the second stage of qualification got underway.
Reva had just plopped down next to him, already changed into a pair of sweats. "What are you on about?"
"First you drag me to San Dineigho, hottest piece of garbage city in Karditan, and then we fly right to tropical Eelandii to spend all day on steaming asphalt. It is good not feeling like I'm melting for once."
She shrugged and held back a shiver. "I've gotten too used to the heat, I guess. It's not even that cold, but the overcast put a chill in me."
"You did seem a little stiff behind the wheel," he nodded, "but hardly a time to be making excuses, always a time to look for improvement."
"At least I've got Ibuna keeping me company. Makes it a little less lonely."
"Surprising that he finished three full seconds off pace. Perhaps MRT had mechanical issues crop up after yesterday's practice?"
"Maybe. I know my performance has to be on me, though, seeing as Johnson is still on the track." She motioned at the white, brown, & blue car setting a stellar pace.
"Still time to make it up, though. Starting place is not finishing place."
"Yeah yeah yeah, we'll see about that tomorrow. Let's just kick back for a bit and lay off the narrative, okay?"
"Sure, fine... though you should really do more to work closely with that Toralmintii. A very knowledgeable man, he seems."
"...alright, I may have been a little stubborn in that last-minute training session. Trying to prove something in a place with nothing to prove."
"Identifying the problem is always the first step. On another note, should you not be dressed a little less... casually? There is press around."
"The Hinoden driver is wearing a halloween mask, nobody's going to notice me being a bum."
"You should think about hiring a proper agent if you want to be taken seriously around here. PR is an evil trade, but a necessary one."
"My dear mother made a career out of lying to everyone; I think you understand when I say I want my racing to do the talking. And right now it's accurately broadcasting 'hey, look at this dipshit being a dipshit.'"

Dimitri did not look convinced.

[Vangaziland]

Jessica Franssen, Jang Xiaopeng and fresh arrival Jenna Vandersen decided to get together early on the Saturday night before the race. They had a long day of qualifying, a session which was tough for both teams. Jang would start 14. Jessica was at 21st. Jenna had flown in from Central Vangaziland to start working with the team. They met at a noodle shop, not too far from the circuit.

Onlookers might remember Jenna from the WGP2. She got off to a red hot start and helped VMR take a lead in the Constructor's Standings that they would keep throughout the entire season while driving. Now she is here to work with team principal Vanessa Hattieson. Vanessa turned the helm over to Jessica Franssen for the WGP2.The difference between Jessica and Jenna is that Jess grew up racing, so she understands the role of a manager. There are so many decisions that have to be made, not to mention race management.

Jenna was a Baroness of the House of Vander. This meant she had a great sum of money put away, from generations far past. Vangaziland's Royal families are known for establishing new business ventures and investing. Jenna's new role shadowing the principal and studying race management seem to hint that she may buy VMR, or at least a controlling interest. She has the connections to accomplish such a deal, with ties to Prince Fritz.

Fritz has a partial investment in Vannish Motors Co., VMR's parent company.

Jenna's buy-in could happen as soon as this season. Of course if she bought in, it could affect her ability to drive down the line. That's a decision she would have to make. There are plenty of open spots for her within the team. Her WGP2 car would be waiting. She could branch out to Hodori and race in the HGTC or even the new rumored Formula Hodori team.

The truth seems to be that Vanessa is not very interested in the heat of being a team principal. She is corporate. Handling contracts and managing personalities is one thing. But making race decisions stresses her out. Vanessa shadowed the GT2 team's foreign principal during the last HGTC. She read several books on the subject. The company even gave Vanessa a temporary gig as a principal for a high speed kart team. It was a pro-spec league, a feeder system for the various racing leagues across the Vannish territories.

But Vanessa wasn't enjoying it. She also wasn't a fan out the spotlight that came with VMR. She was more than happy letting Franssen take all the press during the WGP2. Now Vanessa found herself answering tough questions about her team's mediocre qual session. Luckily, Gregori Krupin looked like a promising pick. He would be up front for VMR, starting 8th compared to Jessica's unfortunate position.

It was good for Gregori to get such a spot so early. He seemed quite surprised by the terms of his contract, being a rookie and all. But there was something in him Vanessa saw. It was a choice she hoped would pay off. Now he had the chance to be the team's top driver for a race.

Meanwhile, J-Fran is looking to make a big push up the standings. It doesn't look likely, but the Vangazi isn't known for folding. The race would be a test to see just how well the Dragon could move through the field. Jessica would also have to step up and stop letting Jang Xiaopeng outdo him. Jess had been feeling sluggish lately. She might have to talk to a trainer about it, if not a doctor. She didn't want to go overboard with the energy drinks. She just needed to think a bit more clearly.

Maybe she needed to meditate more often. On the night before the race, she sat on her bed in a yoga pose. Her legs were crossed and her arms were bent outwards at the elbow. Her eyes were closed and she focused on each breath, slowly drawing air into her lungs and puffing it out.

Her mind visually floated to the track. She could almost see the starting line in her mind. She let herself mentally float through the course. All she heard was her breathing. The stands were empty, she saw no cars. It was peaceful. The complete opposite of a race. She followed the line she would if driving, hitting the right angle for the big sweep and straightening out for a quick acceleration.

With the gearing she chose, her car fell back on the high speed portions. The team chose a new ratio and cut back a bit on the downforce. This meant the car was a little more loose than Jess normally liked. But it was time to do something a little different. If nothing else, again, this week would be a testing occasion for VMR.

[Mattijana]

Alex Dimitrianov cruised across the line in Dashoze. A small purple light flashed up on the middle of hos steering wheel. 1:20.221. The next screen would be the more important one. 1, it came up.

That would be the end of Dimitrianov's afternoon. He had got out before most of the other competitors to ensure he had a clear track to set some solid laps and didn't want to unneccessarily wear out his tyres for tomorrow by trying to go even quicker. Anyhow, based on the times from earlier, this one would put him up the sharp end of procedings.
That was especially true as the first round of qualifying had thrown up some surprises. Many of the favourites, including Terho Talvela, Ryker Lane, Jess Franssen and both the MRT cars, who had had a woeful session in 22nd and 24th. He liked this track though, it flowed seamlessly from one corner to the next and had plenty of straights where Alex could make some overtakes stick without needing to do anything that he would class as ambitious and Stan McPahan would class as pure, utter stupidity-albeit with more colourful language.

As Alex rolled his way back into the McPahan garage and switched off his engine, he could hear the distant strains of a radio from somewhere in the back of the garage. The sound grew louder as he hopped out and went for a quick sip of energy drink and to clamber out of his fireproof overalls.

"Mercer-Daly looks like he'll be next across the line. He's had an excellent pre-season the Esmerelian. Top in testing in Savojarna and he's breezed into the second round of qualifying here in Hodori. Based on that, his performances last season and the machinery he's got underneath him, you'd say he's the early favourite for the championship.
Dimitrianov might give him a run for his money though. The Mattijanan's layed down a very solid marker on his McPahan debut but he's bowled out, so he's just got the nervous wait to see how high he can punch."

Alex liked that bit.

"Mercer-Daly then. Threads it around the last few bends, all neat and tidy there and the pace is good as well. He was marginally ahead of Dimitrianov at the last split, has he managed to hold onto that advantage? Up to the line now...Oh yes he's done it comfortably. A 1:20.079. Over a tenth of a second into the lead and that will be a very tough time to topple."

He didn't like that bit so much. After a quick and quiet Mattijanan expletive, he nipped out the back of the garage to finish getting out of his sweaty and now somewhat smelly gear.

On his return to the garage, he saw one of the screens above the garage showing the session's results. Alex had managed to stay second, but Alec Lund was right down in 10th. A closer look at the timing screen had him a fair way adrift of well...everyone else.

He walked over to see Roger Bunn.

"Thanks Roger. Good session. I presume Alec just went out for a poodle round to save the tyres for tomorrow. Not a bad idea actually. This place is really hard on the boots."

No reply

"Roger?"

"Ahh...afraid not Alex. He stuffed it out of the final turn. Came across the line on his front womg rather than his tyres. Poor mechanics'll be in for a rough night, he's completely re-modelled the front-left and it's not a modification the design team particularly approve of. 3 wheels just aren't gonna cut the mustard really."

"Bum."

[Audioslavia]

"Hashtag Alexander Lund is trending" said Roger Bunn. Alec harrumphed.
"Well that's good. At least I'll be famous when Stan comes through that door and murders me"
"You might even be mourned"
"I wouldn't go that far"

The pair were sat in Alec's trailer. Typicall a post-qualifying briefing was scheduled to talk over which aspects of the car were working well or otherwise, but after Alec's incident losing a front tyre on impact with a wall at the final chicane, that meeting had been put back a few hours. All there was right now was to stew on what had happened. A great first half of qualifying, making the top ten easily, and then disaster. Preventable disaster. Alec sat slumped on the sofa, staring up at the low ceiling. Roger sat next to him, his arm round the Audioslavian's shoulders, maintaining the sort of 'it could be worse' attitude that helps in those situations.

Stan McPahan hadn't looked at Alec as he'd walked into the garage. The way in which Alec had been ignored was quite pointed. Stan had loudly issued instructions to other members of the crew and had allowed Alec to walk through to the carpark behind the McPahan garage, with only the occaional 'unlucky, Alec' from a few members of the pit crew for comfort. Alec has spoken to a couple of Stan's right hand men, who had told him of the delayed debreifing. He'd received a pat on the back from Alex Dimitrianov and he'd gone to his trailer. Roger had followed him with a cup of tea.

"Oh, oh you're definitely trending. The memes are coming now. Look at this one.

"That doesn't even make sense" complained Alec. "I wasn't hit by a tyre, my tyre hit a piece of wall. It should be 'one wally boi' or something and a picture of a wall"
"'Wally' isn't a word, Alec"
"Neither's 'boi'"
"This one's better"

"Not even my helmet" said Alec, "and do you really think this is helping?"
"This one?"

"That's still not my helmet even if they have put 'Lund' on the side. Also I had three tyres, which is plenty"
"It's not plenty. It's very much 'not quite enough'"

The door opened, slowly.

Stan McPahan entered the trailer.

He was holding a tyre. And a knife.

"This is the tyre that hit the wall, gentlemen" he said, calmly. He then dropped the tyre on the floor of the trailer. Alec and Roger watched, silently and stationary, as it wobbled to the floor. Stan gave it a couple of kicks. It didn't move.
"I am very cross with this tyre" said Stan, crouching over it, addressing the tyre. He gave it a light punch with his left hand, before holding the tyre still, producing the knife with his right hand. "Very, very cross. Angry, even."
Stan brought his right hand down and pierced the tyre with the knife before driving the knife into the tyre as far as it would go. Roger winced at the sound of steel scraping against steel as it bit through down to the wheel's frame. Alec looked on with the blankest expression imaginable as Stan twice, and three times, stabbed the tyre.
"I am furious with this tyre for making my team work so hard in repairing the car. I'm furious with that wall for costing my second driver a place in the top six. I gave that wall a kick, too" said Stan. He dug the knife into the tyre a final time and stood up.
"I'm furious with this tyre for wrecking my car. Imagine, gentlemen. Imagine how angry I am with the person who wrecked my car. Imagine how hellishly angry I am with the people who decided that the second driver of this team, the guy tasked with keeping things together and focusing on scoring points instead of going for glory, should scream round the track at a billion miles an hour and smash their million dollar vehicle into a wall on the simplest chicane in the entire fucking season. Imagine.
This here. This is an inanimate object. It can't feel pain. I can't quite feel that blissful release of revenge when I kill something that doesn't know it's being killed. Imagine my disappointment. Imagine my murderous lust for satisfaction concerning the people who have ruined my fucking day."

"I imagine you're really quite angry indeed" said Roger
"Jesus was 'really quite angry indeed' when he found loan sharks in his dad's house" said Stan. "I'd describe myself as 'very furious'" said Stan, calmly.
"Will the car be fixed?" asked Alex.
"Yes" replied Stan
"When's the meeting?"
"90 minutes or so, we think. Depends."
"Are you bringing the knife to the meeting"
"Depends. Are you going to magically transform into a worthwile WGPC pilot?"
"I could do. I left my worthwhile WGPC pilot hat in my other trousers"
"Are your other trousers here?"
"Yeah they're in that drawer"
"Then I'll put the knife away"
"That's good"
"I think so yes" said Stan.

Stan left.

Roger looked down at the stricken tyre on the floor. He got out his mobile phone, swiped through to twitter, and pushed the picture of the camera.
Alec swatted the phone out of his hands.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Nexus Racing HQ, Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
18th of January

While the crash of Alexander Lund in yesterday’s qualifying session may appear amusing from a distance, a closer examination highlights the issue of safety in WGP racing. The loosing of his tyre from his car, had other drivers been present on the circuit, would have presented a serious threat to them.

It is for this reason that we at Nexus Racing are reiterating our offers to provide both our Imagikinetic Atmospheric Shield Generator, which briefly halts the motion of air around the car relative to its own motion in the event of a collision to form a protective barrier, and Imagikinetic Remote Anti-Shrapnel Shield Unit, which diverts the course of small objects which would otherwise collide with the driver, to other teams, alongside the Imagination to fuel each and technical support from our own team’s Imagination technology experts. Each has been extensively tested and proven capable of preventing what may have otherwise been incidents causing death and/or serious injury to the driver.

With these facts in mind, the position that these devices should not be adopted across the WGPC seems untenable in our eyes and, as such, we urge once more that the community of WGPC teams does indeed do so.

Karl Rain, Nexus Racing Head of Communications and Public Relations

---

It is night when Ryker Lane strides to the top of the stark dolomite rock cliffs that surround Nimbus Bay, staff in hand, clacking against the ground. Shards of moonlight rain down on the ground from between the clouds that cloak the stars, intermittently illuminating the shattered waters below. His shirt and trousers flutter in the wind, as does the sash that he has taken to wearing on his shoulder.

He halts, gazing out at the conflict of nature: water crashing against rock, light breaking through darkness. Taking the wooden pole in his two hands, he holds it up vertically in front of him.

The shadows burn away with the blue light of Imagination as Ryker steps back, then reaches forth with his hand, concentrating.

The pole begins to spin.

Then faster.

Then faster still. The pole’s ends slice through the air rapidly, making a sound akin to that of a helicopter’s blades. The wind slowly stops, then, equally slowly, reverses.

Still Ryker stretches forth his hand. Still Imagination tears into the dark.

The wind blows harder. The first wisp of the smell of smoke appears in the air.

And then, the pole’s ends burst into a ring of glorious fire. Cinders fly from the staff, a beautiful nimbus of orange stars around a blue disk against the black and silver.

The night, for a moment, is ablaze.

And Ryker’s hand closes. And the pole stops in place with a crack of thunder and loses its glow and all but embers go out and the wind stops. And he feeds the embers into another conflagration, and the wood burns into ash.

And Ryker is focussed. And Ryker is at peace.

And he is ready.

[Vangaziland]

Army Approves New Cadence Call Based On Racing Team

Vangaziland is currently a nation at war. Although the military avoided a prolonged war in a place called Al-Khalifiya by working with the local military, the nation finds itself embroiled in a new, Asian conflict. The war in Yanjin has been costly, with Vangaziland nearing 400 casualties after a relatively short time.



That being said, the need for morale boosting is at an all time high. The nation's mandatory military policy has recently been disbanded. As the nation evolves to an all volunteer force, getting soldiers to reenlist is a priority. The Army has no plans to make training easier, but it will let soldiers know they are appreciated.

Downtime is important for soldiers to take advantage of when they can. They must train and be proficient at all times, but it is also important for soldiers to have hobbies or access to things outside of a military life. This helps soldiers get through the toughest times, in battle or in peacetime.

This can come in many ways, like the computer labs which were being built on the FOBs in Yanjin. Vannish troops were working with local rebels and militias to secure the nation, city by city. Troops back home would hear news of Pantong and know they may be headed there next.

Another way the Army tried to make things a little more exciting for their soldiers was by introducing a new marching cadence. A video of a sergeant marching his troops across a foreign base after a morning workout went viral. He called the following cadence.

I just-want to-drive for VMR, baby.
Don't want no Porsche, don't want no Mercedes.
Cuz all I wan' be is a VMR baby.
Drive that-car from Heaven to Hades!

And when I'm at the starting line,
Jessica Franssen is by my side.
And when I'm at the finish line,
Gregori Krupin is by my side.

I just-want to-drive for VMR, baby.
Don't want no Porsche, don't want no Mercedes.
Cuz all I wan' be is a VMR baby.
Drive that-car from Heaven to Hades!

And when it's time to buy a ride,
The mother effin' Ghost is mine.
And when I drive in my new ride,
Your slow car is left behind.

It followed the pace of a typical, Vannish military cadence. Each syllable would be called in step to a typical 'left, right, left' pace. Changing the pace of the syllables can also change this from a marching to a running cadence. Those who have never marched in the military may have a hard time seeing the pace. There are ways to orient the words.

For example, the first line should look like, "IIIII just wannnnt to-drive-for-VMR, baby". They also know the running version would look like "I-jus-wanna-drive-for-VMR, baby. There would still be a slight pause for baby. It also follows a cadence pattern of having a chorus of sorts, mixed with alternating verses which tell stories. You might ask, 'how is that in step?' The syllable is held for the length of two steps. Sergeants will often use this longer count when starting a new cadence, letting soldiers know a new call was coming.

The song references two obscure car brands, which most Vangazi have barely heard of. For example, some sergeants may see the word Porsche and rhyme it with horse accidentally. Wrong. A proper cadence call would reference this distant and obscure auto company as Por-schA.

The cadence call also has the teasing/joking element of being 'faster than', 'better than' or 'having more than' the other. It's all typical, by the book cadence stuff. A big part of the cadence mentions a racing team, Vannish Motors Racing. It mentions their two drivers. This cadence is not going to change the driver names every year. Most likely, out of tradition, the names Franssen and Krupin will often be used. Of course, people will probably unofficially switch up the driver names.

That's the beauty of calling cadence, that it's open for improvisation. As the song makes its way through regular army units and maybe even later stages of basic training outfits, soldiers will add their own twist to the song. Some might swap out Jessica for Jenna and talk about having the Baroness by their side.

The purpose of a cadence was to provide motivation. A soldier could be having a really rough day. Hit the right marching cadence and their motivation may activate. This is a response built up through training and the daily use of the calls at 'boot camp' or basic. The drivers have only just been told of this and haven't even put out a statement yet. They both seemed excited to hear of it though.

[WGPC]

CUT OFF

[WGPC]

Raceday
Dashoze Circuit

Conditions: CHANGING
Laps: 61

Start--|--Pos. After 15 laps--|--Pos. After 30 laps--|--Pos. After 45 laps--|
1  JMD | 1 JOH Aft. 15 laps   | 1 JOH Aft. 30 laps   | 1 HIM  Aft. 45 laps
2  DIM | 2 LUN +14.866sec     | 2 HIM +22.114sec     | 2 LUN +17.473sec
3  WTK | 3 JNG +15.115sec     | 3 WTK +31.758sec     | 3 JNG +43.358sec
4  JOH | 4 OKU +18.768sec     | 4 LUN +32.113sec     | 4 SCH +53.108sec
5  HIM | 5 TAL +20.926sec     | 5 DIM +46.406sec     | 5 FUJ +62.624sec
6  JAC | 6 HIM +22.223sec     | 6 TAL +46.602sec     | 6 SZR +72.67sec
7  CRU | 7 DIM +23.881sec     | 7 SCH +47.741sec     | 7 JAC +73.528sec
8  KRU | 8 WTK +27.392sec     | 8 JNG +49.122sec     | 8 JMD +78.492sec
9  TAL | 9 SCH +31.946sec     | 9 FUJ +56.161sec     | 9 KLI +79.793sec
10 LUN |10 ELI +32.086sec     |10 ELI +58.014sec     |10 TAL +80.216sec
11 RVR |11 RVR +36.942sec     |11 OKU +59.005sec     |11 NDK +81.531sec
12 LAN |12 FRS +37.022sec     |12 KRU +72.599sec     |12 RVR +83.023sec
13 SCH |13 JAC +42.878sec     |13 JAC +77.434sec     |13 DIM Laps Down: 1
14 JNG |14 JMD +44.078sec     |14 RVR +77.705sec     |14 IBU Laps Down: 1
15 FUJ |15 LEM +51.146sec     |15 KLI +78.729sec     |15 KRU Laps Down: 1
16 KLI |16 KLI +51.474sec     |16 FRS +80.892sec     |16 OKU Laps Down: 1
17 LEM |17 FUJ +54.926sec     |17 NDK Laps Down: 1   |17 ELI Laps Down: 1
18 NDK |18 KRU +56.187sec     |18 IBU Laps Down: 1   |18 FRS Laps Down: 1
19 ELI |19 SZR +58.811sec     |19 SZR Laps Down: 1   |19 LAN Laps Down: 1
20 SZR |20 BJA +63.211sec     |20 LEM Laps Down: 1   |20 LEM Laps Down: 1
21 FRS |21 NDK +66.122sec     |21 JMD Laps Down: 1   |21 BJA Laps Down: 1
22 BJA |22 IBU +68.84sec      |22 BJA Laps Down: 1   |22 WTK Laps Down: 2
23 OKU |23 LAN Laps Down: 1   |23 LAN Laps Down: 1   |23 JOH Ret. Lap 41
24 IBU |24 CRU Ret. Lap 12    |24 CRU Ret. Lap 12    |24 CRU Ret. Lap 12
25 IZA |25 IZA Ret. Lap 1     |25 IZA Ret. Lap 1     |25 IZA Ret. Lap 1

Pos # Driver               	Team			Race Time	Behind Prev.	Points
 1 64 Moe Himura             	1:25:35.943	+0:00.000	25
 2 20 Mick Schramm           	1:26:35.121	+0:59.178	18
 3 50 Jang Xiaopeng          	1:26:43.836	+0:08.715	14
 4 27 Gregori Krupin         	1:26:53.721	+0:09.886	10
 5 22 Kyoko Fujisaki         	Laps Down: 1	+0:11.200	8
 6  2 Jean Mercer-Daly       	Laps Down: 1	+0:04.279	6
 7 99 Nate Jackson           	Laps Down: 1	+0:15.475	4
 8 42 Alex Dimitrianov       	Laps Down: 1	+0:02.662	3
 9 77 Juracai Klianiota      	Laps Down: 1	+0:02.054	2
10 52 Sayono Souzare         	Laps Down: 1	+0:00.656	1
11 56 Terho Talvela          	Laps Down: 1	+0:00.564	
12 47 Erica Okumura          	Laps Down: 1	+0:20.258	
13  1 Ryker Lane             	Laps Down: 1	+0:03.064	
14  5 Juliano Lemos          	Laps Down: 1	+0:07.660	
15 71 Rustom Ibuna           	Laps Down: 1	+0:00.080	
16 25 Jessica Franssen       	Laps Down: 1	+0:12.426	
17 14 Sigur Bjarnason        	Laps Down: 1	+0:03.809	
18 12 Ranveer Singh          	Laps Down: 2	+0:09.280
19 16 Alexander Lund         	Ret. Lap 57		
20  7 Ethan Ellis            	Ret. Lap 57	
		
DF 55 Asao Nadakei           	Ret. Lap 54		
DF 31 Cesaro Whittaker       	Ret. Lap 45
DF 10 Jennifer Johnson       	Ret. Lap 41	
DF 51 R.L. Cruisin           	Ret. Lap 12				
DF 36 Reva Izalio            	Ret. Lap 1[/size]

Current	Standings - Drivers	
Pos	#	Name			Team			Pts	Wins
1	64	Moe Himura		Arada			25	1
2	20	Mick Schramm		Omni Racing		18	0
3	50	Jang Xiaopeng		Omni Racing		14	0
4	27	Gregori Krupin		VMR			10	0
5	22	Kyoko Fujisaki		Kissan Motorsport	8	0
6	2	Jean Mercer-Daly	Nexus Racing		6	0
7	99	Nate Jackson		TIF 13			4	0
8	42	Alex Dimitrianov	McPahan			3	0
9	77	Juracai Klianiota	TRAE			2	0
10	52	Sayono Souzare		Polaris			1	0
11	1	Ryker Lane		Nexus Racing		0	0
11	14	Sigur Bjarnason		MRT			0	0
11	71	Rustom Ibuna		MRT			0	0
11	5	Juliano Lemos		Bitten Heroes		0	0
11	55	Asao Nadakei		Arada			0	0
11	31	Cesaro Whittaker	MSA-SinVal		0	0
11	51	R.L. Cruisin		MSA-SinVal		0	0
11	16	Alexander Lund		McPahan			0	0
11	47	Erica Okumura		Polaris			0	0
11	56	Terho Talvela		TRAE			0	0
11	25	Jessica Franssen	VMR			0	0
11	7	Ethan Ellis		Kissan Motorsport	0	0
11	10	Jennifer Johnson	WGPC Eelandii		0	0
11	36	Reva Izalio		WGPC Eelandii		0	0
11	12	Ranveer Singh		TIF 13			0	0

Pos	Team			Points
1	Omni Racing		32
2	Arada			25
3	VMR			10
4	Kissan Motorsport	8
5	Nexus Racing		6
6	TIF 13			4
7	McPahan			3
8	TRAE			2
9	Polaris			1
10	MRT			0
10	Bitten Heroes		0
10	MSA-SinVal		0
10	WGPC Eelandii		0

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Grand Prix of Hodori
Pre-Race

“Today is a day of crossways. Today is the day we show our work to the world once more, knowing that, just as last year and a few months ago, nothing is certain. Today we return to the glorious heights of yesterday or plummet to the ground below.”

“That is what somebody with less confidence would say. I am not that somebody - and that somebody isn’t right, because I know that we will take the right path! Have we not proven ourselves capable? Do I not trust each and every one of you to perform his or chosen duty to the best of his or her ability - and, since each and every one of you is one of the most talented individuals to choose that duty, do I not therefore trust each and every one of you to succeed?”

“We have skill on our side, that is true, but not just that; we have synergy on our side too, because that duty is not only a duty to fill your individual place but a duty to aid your comrades and allies in theirs. The Law of Harmony states that any methodology, no matter how powerful, will always be augmented positively by a different methodology - by something that can teach it something new. The Imagination convertor itself was the product of merging the techniques of electronic engineering with an understanding of neuroscience; it would never have emerged without either behind it and Imagination would remain the preserve of the individual, not the collective. We must do the same! Trust each other! Act as many wills fighting for a single cause! Then we shall surely triumph.”

“And finally, to add to skill and synergy as our strengths, we have creativity. Be daring; do not fear the unknown, embrace it and wring out its secrets! Each of you is a pioneer, one who can use their talents to draw out new ideas. With that plethora of new ideas in hand, we can alloy them with the old and with each other! Only by reaching out into the void do we capture the stars - so reach out and capture them - or, if you find none, reach out again!”

“With these strengths to bolster us, nothing can dissuade our course! We are Nexus Racing! We will strike out! And today, as forever onward, we will win!”

Formation Lap

Ryker Lane breathes. His mind is an aura of sparks.

Then he presses the accelerator and the car lights up blue.

“As discussed, Ryker -”

“Hold on, Martin - wow, this is fast for a formation lap. Has something changed from last season?”

The World Champion hears the slight musicality that his race engineer’s tone takes on when he is feeling wry. “No; this is merely something that we have been planning ever since the Imagithermal convertor was built into the powertrain. We don’t have to do any weaving to heat the tyres and so could theoretically perform a much faster lap than the other teams. Normally we have to conform to the pace of the polesitter but today…” Martin’s tailing off leaves the meaning nonetheless obvious.

“And so all the other cars’ tyres will be cold.” Ryker shakes his head, laughing. “As if we didn’t have enough of an advantage off the line! Imagination - nice one, Jean.”

“Other than that, the strategy that we intended to follow yesterday stands: H-1 onto S-2 onto S-2. If possible without compromising his race strategy, we will time Jean’s pit stop to place him in front of any traffic that you may have ahead.”

“He doesn’t mind?”

“Not at all.”

“Awesome.” This is going well already. My word, this year is going to be good.

“Beyond that, watch the Omnis behind you. There is a high chance that they will attempt a pass with teamwork, though of course you do have the acceleration advantage.”

Ryker smiles. “Thanks, Martin; talk to you after the start.”

“Best of luck, Ryker. Show them what you’ve got.”

Ryker grins as he rounds the fifth-to-last corner. Well, if it’s going to be like that… “Actually - keep the communications open and set your end to broadcast. We’re going to do a San Jose Guayabal.”

The Nimban collects himself. Then he speaks out once more.

“Drivers of the WGPC, heed my words! I am Ryker Lane, twenty-two years old, youngest of a line of champions, driver of a car fuelled by the very substance of my nation, conqueror of the streets of the First City and now the tracks of the world! You are here to challenge me for the greatest crown in motorsport; I am here to receive those challenges and will do so with all of my skill! Now, show me yours!”

Ryker pulls into his grid spot. He closes his eyes, pressing the button to arm the PA-AS system, then opens them again to watch those five, red lights blink on.

He is focussed.

Then the lights above him go out - and the light around him ignites.

[Kita-Hinode]

Grand Prix of Hodori
Post-Race

She leaped out of the car with the finesse of a properly trained Hinodejin, raising herself high and twisting her body to land perfectly. Her hair covered her mask and as she rose her head, the cameras could take a good glimpse of the marble mask she chose to wear under the plain helmet she was handed after WGPC officials noted that her health would be in danger if she ever took part on a race without a helmet. She remembered complaining that she had managed to race before at her homeland and nothing really happened, but in the end, it was best to be safe than sorry.

The team, including the brother duo that acted as her aids, gathered around her for celebration. She simply posed to the cameras with her mask before turning to the Ashikawas. Ryo was still uneasy over the mask, but was certainly proud of her result: regardless of how... unique Moe Himura was, she was able to prove herself on her first shot at the big stage with a win. Ryu kept her in a hug for almost a minute. The usually shy boy was incredibly happy with her, maybe enough happiness for both him and the more stoic driver herself.

The mask kept on until the podium, where she would take a bow after the Hinodejin anthem, revealing her face. A devious smile, her eyes with red lenses for some reason. This was her statement. She was the Oni... and her competition would have to learn how to battle such a thing. Fast, preferably.

---

Tentai City
Western Palace, Sports Ministry

Things were just running through Prince Kyo Asakawa's mind. Queen Taki's little brother could still remember how hyped he was about moving to the capital, the former Jingshi, now under the name of Tentai. The Hinodejin administration was dead set on turning their former rival's capital into one of the many shining cities that the Empire held and by Arceus, they had done that flawlessly. No expenses were spared on turning this the jewel of Queen Taki's rule, as far as he could tell.

Additionally, the city was unique, in that it was at this time that things from out of their realm were brought in... specifically, the Sunrisian culture of a century ago, now in unadulterated form over the one that had turned into the Hinodejin culture. Kyo, ever interested in those things, oversaw the creation of a radio for the capital that would play the hits from the days of the Sunrise and bands inspired by their style, an institution now named Radio Esportiva.

Finally, Kyo had been brought in as an advisor. A mere formality, given how his sister usually didn't quite accept any of his suggestions. For one, she always pondered what would be the point of investing in a giant, robotic version of Boy George to fight any sort of extraterrestrial threat. She also shot down his suggestion of forming a Sailor Girl Squadron of teenage girls embroiled with magic powers to squabble against foreigners. Alas, he was the Sports Minister and the Hinodejin looked at sports with the idea of using it as a gateway to present themselves as the ever-so glorious empire it pretty much is and as so, it seemed fair to bring him in.

Now, however, Kyo was on boiling water with the rest of the court for his brilliant idea of going to the Madame Min brother after the Radio Esportiva inauguration party, notably visiting one Min Hou, the one prostitute that had just recently played (and performed admirably at the Street Hoops Invitational at the previous year and apparently was smitten with the woman. While Tentai was pretty acceptive of the whole ordeal and tactically, that meant something that would at least appease the still unnerve between the Hinodejin and the original people from the Tentai region; his sister was pissed.

And then, he saw him, sitting in his room, in front of his prized table. His jaw dropped.

"Say, lad." The man with a top hat, a monocle and a very old suit smiled, hitting his cane on the table. "I might be wrong... But this wouldn't happen to be mahogany, would it?"

"You." He groaned. "What do you want? Something about insects again?"

"Now, lad. That's not how it goes. It goes like this." He stepped up, looking to the skies... that weren't there, since the room was pretty much closed besides a couple of windows. "Oh, Mister Jenson McStereotaipe, what brilliant enterprise or story may I interest you this time?"

"You have a minute to explain yourself and what you want to show me before I break you into a dozen pieces. I'm a royal Hinodejin, after all." He cracked his fingers.

"Moe Himura, the Hinodejin driver. She started because I gave her a car and now we get to sow the success that she might bring. They'll be flocking to the Hinodejin Empire to see what sort of creature taught her how to be such a racer and the Hinodejin flag has been lifted for the first time ever outside of this realm. You should be joyous and I'll be glad if you bestow me with the honour of Royal Businessman of the Nation, if you don't mind."

"Ten seconds."

"I-I better be going off." He raced through the door. "See you, lad!"

[Sorlovia]

Restaurant somewhere near the Dashoze Circuit

His first raceday had come and gone. Placing fourth for VMR on his very first raceday was a very good result but he found himself hungering for even higher placings. Fourth was good but third or second would be even better. Perhaps if he honed his skills as much as he could and pushed himself and his car harder he could secure that elusive first place. His ambition drove him to seek higher placings in order to reap the benefits for his team. After all, he was the first professional paid driver to ever emerge from Sorlovia. He owed it to the Vannish Motors Racing Team to do as well as he possibly could but he also owed it to himself and his nation.

He knew that he was always being watched. By the Vangaziland populace as well as his own people back in Sorlovia. Any number of aspiring young Sorlovian drivers could be watching his performance in the hopes of finding a role model. He would give them something to aspire to. He would show all of them that a Sorlovian could make it on the international racing stage regardless of his means if he honed his skills and did the very best he could. His performance was being very closely watched back in Sorlovia and he knew that, in a way, he also represented his country.

The commencement of the formal interview interrupted his thoughts and he smiled broadly at the camera. The young presenter had coughed to get his attention and Gregori now found himself in the full sight of the Sorlovian and Vangziland public.

PRESENTER: Good evening racing fans! I'm here with VMR's new paid driver Gregori Krupin who has just secured fourth place on his first raceday for VMR. Thank you for meeting with us Gregori, can you tell us how you're feeling after the race?

*the camera quickly switches to a close up on Gregori's face and he smiles warmly*

GREGORI: It's a pleasure to be here and I'm certainly happy to answer a few questions. First off, I have to say that it is an absolute honour to race for VMR. I am forever grateful to them for taking a chance on an untested amateur racer. I'll admit that I'm still coming down from the exhilaration and energy of the race. There's nothing quite like that rush you get behind the wheel.

PRES: I'll bet, I'll bet! How do you feel about securing a fourth place standing? Our sources tell us that you placed fifth in the last practice run. Do you see this as an improvement or would you have liked to do better?

GREG: If I'm being honest with you a racer will always seek to do better. We spend so much time training and taking practice runs yet we know that we can always do better. A true racer will never be satisfied with any one placing but will always seek to do better. He will always seek to get faster lap times. It's a never ending challenge that I feel fulfilled by. We must get faster, better and more skilled at what we do. We are forever pursuing a higher placing and when we get it it is like a rush. So yes, I am very pleased with my fourth place but I do believe that I can do better. I'm not content with fourth, I'm going after first!

PRES: You are certainly an ambitious man! Tell me, how have you found racing with VMR? What are the test tracks like? What are the executives like?

GREG: I can't say much. Trade secrets and all that you understand. But racing with the VMR team has been a dream come true. They have fantastic test tracks that help me get the best out of my car and the staff are some amazingly friendly. They are good people and it is a joy to race for them.

PRES: Do you have any expectations for the next race?

GREG: At this point I'm just going into training and practice runs again. But I intend to be as fully prepared for the next race as possible. But at this point I can't say anything. I don't yet know what the conditions will be like. I can't see the future. But I assure you that I will be giving it everything I have to secure a higher placing for VMR. As far as expectations go, I expect it to be a challenging and rewarding race. Life without a good challenge is boring. A racer thrives on every challenge as it gives him an opportunity to better himself and his racing skills.

PRES: Do you think you have what it takes to win the WCPG title? Can you see yourself as the winner of it all?

GREG: I believe I do have what it takes to take out the title and I am determined to do the very best I can. As for whether I can see myself as the winner of the WGPC, I will let my skills speak for themselves. It would be foolish of me to arrogantly claim that I will be the winner only to be proven wrong. But I will just say this. I am going after the title with everything I have.

PRES: Thank you for your time Gregori, it has been an honour speaking with you.

GREG: My pleasure, if I have a moment I would like to thank VMR for giving me the opportunity to race for them. To any fans I might have out there I say this, thank you for your support. I deeply appreciate your support.

The interview team excused themselves and Gregori promptly returned to ordering himself a meal. He'd never done an interview before but he thought he'd done well. Something told him that interviews and visits by the press were about to become much more commonplace in his life from this point onwards. The more famous you became the more interested the press became in you and the more paparazzi flocked to you. But he'd known this from the beginning and had begun to prepare himself accordingly.

As he took a long sip from his glass of vodka his thoughts turned back to his car and his placing in the last race. As he sat here his car was sitting in the racing garage having work done on its engine to make it as efficient as possible. New tires with a better performance rating would be being put on his car and the entire vehicle would be receiving a service. He had taken to giving it a full service and optimization after each test practice to keep it in optimal condition. Any damaged part was replaced or repaired if possible and detailed readings taken from the car's sensors and instruments.

He then carefully studied these readings and statistics to learn how he could improve. He studied ways to reduce the drag on his car and how to increase the thrust output of the engine. Anything to give him that edge over his competitors. Anything that was except illegal parts that would give him an unfair advantage. A few shadowy individuals on the racing scene had suggested ways that he could "unofficially" boost his car's performance but he'd refused to even consider such things. He would win, and he would win fairly.

[Nekoni]

"Twentieth and twenty-third...damn, we never make it easy for ourselves, do we?" Polaris's pit boss, Alexandra Mayari, remarked as she looked at the telemetry of the qualifying laps for her two drivers, whilst sipping a ristretto coffee from a paper cup. It had been a bit of a mad month or two for her as the new pit manager; from last season, where she had remarkably failed to live up to the Top 10 target on her contract, she'd thought that her days in the WGPC circus were over. However, at the eleventh hour, and through countless hours of boardroom arguing and handshaking from the higher-ups, somehow the bigwigs believed she'd have a good role of being a manager instead of a driver. She didn't quite get how someone could get dropped into that role without any proper race experience of managing a garage, but the guys up there thought she'd get enough experience trickled-down from Patrice Minna, the old pit guy at Scuderia Fuoco e Ghaccio. Naturally, with this rebirth they wanted to keep Minna, but he retired, and rather than the pencil-pushing types with the money actually researching potential replacements, they came up with the idea of her. The Phoenix herself managing the team that rises from the ashes of SFeG, of course. Looks brilliant on a poster. Not so brilliant in reality. Not when both your drivers qualify in the twenties.

Her two drivers could still be molded, she thought. Erica Okumura, the Hodori-born native from Nekoni's capital, Varea, had been billed in the national leagues as a Mayari 2.0, a young upstart with a clinical driving style, which led her to an absolute domination of Superformula Nekoni 2016, only missing the podium once out of ten races. However, just like Mayari, her first steps in a proper WGPC car had been lacklustre. Perhaps she just wasn't used to the speed and danger that only the premier racing series could provide, yet. After all, she was only 21. However, Alex knew full well that the simulations both Erica and her used in their respective pre-seasons are all fine for learning a track, but until you've gone out and raced with other real drivers on an actual circuit with the risk of injury or worse always at arm's length, it's like you haven't raced at all.

Alex knew all about her second driver, Sayono Souzare. Despite only being 25 years old, this was her fourth year in the championship. Of course, her first year was when Mayari pulled back a huge deficit in the back half of the season and somehow managed to win it all, despite being the last to score a point. She fondly remembered the moment in the pit garage at Nekoni when Sayono spent the entire weekend blushing until her head resembled a raspberry at the realisation that she was in a country of fluffy-eared felines. As did Souzare, as she spent the entire introductory session with Mayari red-faced at the embarassment of it all! Her seasons so far had been disappointing at best, with a whole slew of retirements and sub-standard finishes littering her results, however, something was certainly different during the test day at Neocastella. Somehow she was able to string it all together on the day, and Mayari looked forward to the task of finding that little spark and making it as bright as she could.

However, she realised now that she needed more time, and a day was not going to cut it at all. She sighed, slinking into her chair, as she pondered the possibility of a first race even worse than the ones she had as a driver. "Christ. What the fuck have I let myself in for?"

---

Raceday. The real start of the journey. Dashoze Circuit, sixty-one laps of Hodori's finest tarmac. The mood in the pit garage was, as expected, a mix of excitement and nerves. A fair few staff had survived the carry-over to Polaris Team Racing, but even they were uneasy about the potential of the team. Nevertheless, it was up to Alexandra Mayari as the principal to deliver the first big team talk of the season, their mission statement.

"I know that I'm not really used to doing big talks like this. I remember the days when I was on your side of the garage and being thankful that I didn't have to do all this Braveheart crap, but God moves in mysterious ways, and now...well, I am. Damn it." Alex was worried that it may have been a bit too early to be light-hearted, but the pit crew chuckled a bit, so far, so good. "However, today isn't as much about me as it about the entire team. Every one of you in this garage is going to need to be at maximum effort today, and as a result, every one of you is going to be invaluable to the team. After all, we are only as good as our weakest member. I know that Nekoni typically doesn't do well in the first few rounds, but we're not going to be a typical team. I know there's millions out there that have written us off before the flag's even been waved, just like they did to me, but we know better. We know that we can do this, and just like Polaris itself, WE are the brightest stars in this whole damn championship." To Alex's surprise, the crew were fired up after her little speech. She thought it may be a little narmy, but no. At least one small victory for today, at least.

---

Erica Okumura was clearly up against it, starting third from the back of the pack. In between deep breaths during the formation lap, she studied the track as she warmed her tires, analysed who the rivals at the front were, tried to predict how they would start. This was possibly the most important few seconds of her life so far...yet probably not the most important today. Three...two...one...GO.

Twenty-five engines screamed simultaneously, a sound that was most wonderful to Erica's ears. Rapidly shifting through the gears, she found the inside line as quickly as she could into the first sweeping right. Riding the rumble strip, she could feel each of her individual hairs stand on end as she begun to realise what she was doing. It was the perfect start. In the opening ten seconds, she had gone from being third from bottom to having eight in her wing mirror, including Sayono. She was able to pass another six on her way around the first lap. "P11, Erica! I don't know how you did that, but keep doing it!" Mayari proudly exclaimed through the radio. "Sixty more of those, thank you!"

This was a much different Okumura from the qualifying, alright. It seemed that the game had changed. Instead of beating the clock, the opponents were all physically there for her to see. All sentient beings with thoughts, emotions, even fears. All of which Erica knew that with the right amount of pressure at the right, she could mould to her will...except for her in the demon mask. Erica was wary of her, as if Himura could hear her thoughts and snap her neck if she heard a negative one.

The laps began to fell, as Erica continued her ascent up the standings. She broke the top ten fairly easily, and now was the time to chase for the points. Ten laps down, she was staring at the engines of Himura herself. Erica stalked her through the tight and twisy second sector, trying to find an opening to squeeze past, but Himura was not budging, her defensive work making it all the more difficult, both in attempting a pass and chasing down the front few, that were appearing further and further away with every attempt.

"Be patient. You've got this one, all you have to do is allow her to make a mistake."
"She's not making a mistake, Alex. Have you bloody seen her!?"
"Yeah, but don't let her mask rattle you. You can do this."

On lap 14, just on the final turns of the lap, she made her move. Attempting to move side-by-side with the opposing car during the slow left-right-right-left complex, she used the crossover point of the track as the point to go for it. Carrying a little less speed than Himura, Erica sliced the two remaining turns into a straight-line, and through not having to decelerate thanks to the lower speed, was able to pass her during the blast down the pit straight.

"What did I tell you? You got it. Now don't look back at her, whatever you do. Chase fourth, now."

---

The first quarter ended in a fantastic position for her: with 15 laps down, somehow out of nowhere Erica turned a hopeless start into her breathing down the neck of the podium, nearly a minute ahead of her starting position, a third of that off the lead. She was in the zone...perhaps a little too much, as on lap 28, disaster. The tires were starting to become a factor, and she hadn't quite compensated for the changing weather conditions. Halfway through, she spun out, fortunately not taking anybody with her, but tearing a rather nasty little tear in her front right. "Shit. Alex, get the pit box. Now." Somehow, in the aftermath, she was able to nurse the car to the pits, where new tires were applied, but her position fell like a brick.

"P11 again, Eri. Shake it off, you can still take some points from here if you play your cards right."
"Where's Sayono?"
"Not in the points. Focus on what you're doing, she'll work it out in time."

The next stages of the race were rather crushing for Erica, as she just couldn't seem to get past the red and black KISMO of Ethan Ellis. Worse still, the weather was playing up, and even more time would eventually be wasted on a second pit stop, losing even more ground to her rivals. Considering her entire strategy was 1-stop, to be 18th with two-stops already down was very much not how she wanted her weekend to go. Fortunately, Himura overtook her when she was in the pits. That might have ended up messy should they have ended up on track next to each other again. Moe didn't look like the sort of person that would settle scores by a quick apology and a handshake.

Five laps remaining. Okumura had been able to recover well to 14th, but still over twenty seconds out of the points. Now, it seemed that she was playing for pride. With five falling, she wanted to at least finish, and with a fair gap both behind and in front, it was just her and the track. "Guide it home, Erica. Get a finish on the board, lick your wounds, come back stronger in Serizawa." However, on just the next lap, she heard a rather interesting update through the radio.

"Both of you, Ellis and Lund are both out! Sayono, you're tenth, Eri, you're twelfth. Keep it tight, it ain't over til it's over!"

The remainder of the race was a simple, uneventful drive to the finish, and although she didn't score any points, given how bad the pre-season went until today, she'd have happily taken it. Applause broke out through the radio. "Both of you, great performances today! Brilliant turn around from the qualifying! A good, solid start, we can work on qualifying better for the next race."

---

In her trailer, Erica flopped onto her bed, exhausted. It had been a long day, full of both the joy of being in the greatest racing series in the world and finishing her first race, but also the bitter taste of defeat. Yes, she finished, but if she didn't spin out...what if? She could've made the podium, or better. However, it was the past, and it wasn't worth dwelling on too much. She'd pick up where she left off in the morning, but for now, sleep called.

In the next door trailer, Alexandra Mayari lay in her bed, milky coffee in hand, watching the highlights package from the local news. She didn't really understand the Hodoran language, but it didn't matter, because what she saw on the screen was a rebirth. A rebirth of a Nekoni team doing actually not bad in the WGPC. A rebirth of the emotions of racing bubbling inside her again. Grabbing only one point was hardly the most dramatic starts, but the fact was simply this, her little team scored points. Heck, both her teammates finished, something the screaming fans on the internet were adamant wouldn't happen. She smiled, leant over into the bedside cupboard and allowed herself a cheeky shot of brandy in her coffee, an unopened birthday present. She felt she had deserved it today, but of course, the next race weekend, she wanted to do better.

[Esmerel]

Dashoze Circuit, Dashoze, Hodori
Sunday, 18 Feb 2018, Race Start

The lights went out. Jean immediately felt the car shoot forward off the front row. Now he know how Ryker had felt in every single race last year. Man, that was fast.

And the race would certainly have been wonderful for the Nexus team had it not been for the forecast. Rain was coming.

"Darrell, give me an estimated lap window for when the rain arrives."

"We don't have estimates. The rain will start exactly halfway through lap 12."

"Fine then. Prepare the inters for both of us."

"Well, the management said Ryker would get preferred pit timing to help him catch up..."

"That was the original plan, yes. But we'll have to make some snap decisions."

A few more laps went by and Jean did lose a position to the speeding car of Jennifer Johnson, who continued to build a gap. On lap 14 Jean came in and fitted the white-walled intermediates onto the car.

"Okay, I'll get my tires up to temperature. Currently sitting in 23rd but everyone else will pit too, right? And how long will this rain last?"

"Yes, everyone else will pit eventually. The rain will last for at least another 30 minutes."

"Got you."

Unfortunately for Nexus, they weren't quite perfect in the wet. Ryker had pitted a lap earlier, but it had seemed a lap too early- he was sitting in last out of everyone that was still classified on the race director. And Jean emerged in only 14th after every single car had pit- things would only get worse. The rain lasted for 20 laps, while the inters could last that long, they were still pretty worn by lap 30, where both Nexus cars were dramatically far down the order. the time Jean came in for the softs on lap 36 to make up some ground. He had to make that set work until the end of the race- it would be a risky move. Luckily, it paid off. Jean was back in the points by 75% distance.

By the end, Lund had retired, Souzare had fallen back a bit, Jean had gotten past Jackson, and Krupin was flying faster than a speeding bullet. However, the Arada of Moe Himura had pulled off a minute lead by the end- pretty impressive and pretty ridiculous.

"Alright, Jean. Chequered flag. You took P6. Not bad at all."

"Yeah, I'll take that. Not bad. The weather was shit anyways so points are more of a bonus."

"And Talvela isn't on the board."

"Nice."

[Northwest Kalactin]

Nate Jackson did a okay job that race he got team India Force 13 4 pints and put them into sixth place in the constructors cup. Speaking of the constructors cup Omni Racing is dominating the feild currentley with thirty two points compared to it fellow competitors team India force 13 is having a good start that includes finishing better than mcphan Racing- one of the best teams in WGPC ever so that is pretty impressive here is a interview from Nate Jackson after the race

Reporter: How does it feel to be signed by a team at the last second before the race

Nate Jackson: I had two feelings the first one was I’m like heck yes I’m on a team but also I’m like oh crap I have to pack up for Hodori

R: Were you feeling confident once you were signed by TIF13

N. J.: I had mixed feelings about this question I was like “man I’m facing the best F1 racers in the world” but I was also like “You can’t beat me other people”

R: do you like your racing partner Ranveer Singh

N. J.: He’s a cool guy but I also want to prove that I’m the top dog on team India Force thirteen buts he is really nice also.

R: How has the crowd back home supported you

N.J.: they’ve been great they provide so much support to me

So as you can see Nate Jackson is having a good time racing and if he can prove to the world that he is good enough the administration of WGPC will probably extend his 7 race contract to the end of the season

[Vilita and Turori]

Grand Prix of Hodori, Dashoze Circuit, Hodori :: It was certainly not a triumphant return to Hodori for R.L. Cruisin. After spending the 15th World Grand Prix Championship Seasons based out of Hodori and driving for Arada Motorsports, R.L. Cruisin returned to Hodori with a new ride - piloting the MSA-SinVal machine for the long-time Eastfield Lodge competitors. 15 minutes into the race, Cruisin likely began to have doubts as to whether or not he'd made the right call.

Thats when Cruisin brought the MSA-SinVal machine into the garage area with a mechanical issue and retired from the Grand Prix of Turori. 45 minutes later, Cruisin's MSA-SinVal teammate Cesaro Whittaker joined him in the paddock, also retiring with a mechanical issue. Not a good start for the MSA-SinVal team in this seasons World Grand Prix Championship campaign.

Those were just the wounds for Cruisin and Whittaker, however. The Salt came when the checkered flag waved and it was Moe Himura crossing the line first to take the victory in the Arada Motorsport machine - the very same drive that R.L. Cruisin had left at the end of the 15th World Grand Prix Championship season to become a free agent and pursue the high profile ride at... MSA SinVal. Granted the race was a home track event for Arada Motorsport but the fact that it took exactly one race for his former team to reach the top of the podium without him was not an encouraging fact for Cruisin to take in.

The good news, however, was that the next race would be a bit of a wild card event in Aji no Moto after the last minute cancellation of the Grand Prix of Aels. Then, following the event in Aji no Moto, the field would be headed to Eastfield Lodge, home of MSA-SinVal where Cruisin and Whittaker would be looking to gain a similar advantage to the one that Arada Motorsport and Moe Himura had gained in the opening round.

It very nearly wasn't Himura's day atop the podium, however, as Jennifer Johnson of WGPC Eelandii nearly stole the show having moved to the lead by the 30th lap and putting together a stunning debut performance for the WGPC Motorworks team led by former Turorian WGPC driver iBen Toralmintii. In the end, Toralmintii and his team will have left the Dashoze circuit disappointed as the first lap contact that sent Reva Izalio out of the race and the Lap 41 incident that took out the leader Jennifer Johnson meant that both WGPC Eelandii drivers failed to finish the event. But for a moment there was pride in Eelandii as Johnson turned circuit after circuit ahead of the pack showing that perhaps the Works team won't simply be backmarker this season afterall.

One team that never sniffed the top of the grid throughout the day in Hodori was Tropicorp Racing Aelund. In their debut event, all eyes were on Terho Talvela to see if the former World Champion could slice through the field of inexperienced drivers ahead of him to take the victory and re-ignite the sparks of the 14th World Grand Prix Championship season where Talvela shot out like a cannon ball and never looked back en route to the title.

Instead of being ignited like a cannonball in Hodori, however, Talvela's race was more akin to dropping a Cannonball into a lake and watching it sink to the sandy depths below. After a splash at the start of the event, improving 5 positions in the first turns, Talvela slowly fell back and ultimately slipped out of the points finishing in 11th place as the Weather turned and the Tyres lost grip. Even Talvela's teammate - the debutant Vilita & Turori driver Juracai Klianiota, bested the Abvoian. Klianiota was able to pass Talvela on the 43rd lap and would hang on for a 9th place finish - improving 7 spots from their 16th place starting position to claim points on their World Grand Prix Championship debut.

After some strong words from lead driver Terho Talvela the Tropicorp Racing Aelund team announced that they would be switching to Tropicorp Racing Supply's Sifaka-X Tyre in hopes of being more competitive on course for the upcoming Grands Prix.

[Vangaziland]

Jessica's race was an uneventful one. She spoke to the cameras afterwards looking exhausted, but still upbeat. The usual cavalcade of cameras was in the VMR paddock. They had gone to Gregori Krupin first. That was a new one for Jess, which came with a different feeling. Her responses to the journalists showed mixed emotions.

"Well this is what a season entails", she said at a press conference. "There will be tough weeks, from a driver's perspective. From a team perspective, I'm happy with what I saw from our new driver."

Jess was quick to bring the attention back to Gregori, also present, along with the team principal.

"He ran a really clean race", Jessica said about her teammate. "He did really well on this track. I'm not sure if he did better on the high speed segment or the switchbacks. His car is dialed in. I need to get my car there."

A reporter asked Jessica what kept her at the bottom of the pack for qualifying and the race.

"I'm still dialing the car in. These cars still have to be broken in. Gregori's 27 car has a few more miles on it, so it's running better. I wasn't happy with the downforce. We kept jumping from too much oversteer to too much understeer. I'd rather have the car run in between. Balanced and agile."

She also mentioned her drive behind the wheel. "I didn't push hard enough", she said. "I can do more. Again, it comes back down to not feeling comfortable with the setup. We'll dial it out. I'm happy with the crew. Nate Evans and the gang. They do a lot of good work."

Jessica was asked about how she felt about Gregori leading the team in points.

"It's great! This was the angle we went with. Diversity", Jess said. "He stepped up. On a week where I wasn't driving well, he excelled. I couldn't be more happier with our signing."

Vanessa was also asked about Gregori and why VMR signed him. "He's raced well in Sorlovia. We had good data on him", said Vanessa. "We know he has the chance to walk away some wins this season and push for the title. He's also a fighter. We believe he's made up of the right stuff needed to push through a full season. Now that he has a good start on his back, he's looking motivated and ready to go."

Jessica started the race near the bottom of the field at 21st. From there she couldn't make much headway. She didn't get out of 21st until after lap 17. By the halfway point, she was the last car on the lead lap. Her motivation was lacking and the 25 car seemed resigned to hang back.

Her gear choice also wasn't the greatest, causing her car to fall back on the high speed stretch. The result was a race week Franssen would have to cast off to the angels' share.

Across the field, the same could not be said for Jang Xiaopeng. He was similar to Krupin in many ways. This was his first WGPC season, but he was fresh off a WGP2 title season. He was aggressive but fairly technical in his lines, just like Gregori.

The Omni car was better suited to Dashoze, earning two podium finishes and securing 1st place for Omni. Jang could only be happy with his first top spec race. "That was a rush", Xiaopeng said. "It was surreal to be on such a small lead lap", he said. He spoke of the last few laps when all but 4 cars were lapped.

One of the first cars the team would pass would be Jessica Franssen. Jang spoke on what it was like to lap his WGP2 mentor.

"I love Jess. She molded me into this driver through a long season in the 2 league", Jang said. "It was crazy, I came around a turn and I saw a brake light flashing. Then as I got closer, it was Jess."

Franssen hit to the far right on the straight when able to let Jang go by. It was more of a 'scratch your back now' move for Jessica. Perhaps on a more technical track, the role would be reversed.

Xiaopeng started 14th in his Omni car. It took Jang awhile to crack any progress. The tight Hodori track was proving tough to advance on. He managed to jump to the top 10 before the halfway point. He was taking risks. The car was also moving and was excellently balanced. To Xiaopeng, the car felt like a more powerful version of what he was used to at VMR WGP2. He was able to play with the horsepower and grip, letting the car rip itself around the long loop.

"My wish is that I qualified a bit better", the young Tainese-Vangazi driver said. "With that kind of push, I could have taken the race."

Jang's own teammate beat him in a late push to take second. Jang finished 3rd. Right behind him was Gregori Krupin. The Sorlovian made his own late push, moving up from the bottom of the pack to a 'darn near podium' spot.

People would tune in to watch this race from the Mainlands, to the Svennish Isles, to new broadcast markets in India's Jhalpharezi. This was one of the most dynamic starts to a race season in a long time. Besides the international drivers, fans of Jang Xiaopeng, Jessica Franssen and the others had a lot of exciting things to look forward to in the near future.

[Krainin]

Dashoze Circuit, Hodori

Jennifer started the race in a good position. She started in fourth and found herself jumping to first by lap 7. After Jennifer got in the lead she pulled away. By lap 15 she nearly had a 15 second lead and by lap 30 she had a 22 second lead. She continued to pull away until an incident on lap 41.

--Lap 41--

"Alright Jennifer. Your doing great. You have about a 25 second lead over second place. Keep it up."

"Thanks, Billy." Jennifer heads down the back strech towards the final turns when suddenly: BOOM. Jennifers car starts to spew smoke.

"Jennifer. What's going on? Your car's smoking."

"I think the engine just blew."

"Damnit. Bring it in, we're done." Jennifer makes it through the final couple of corners and pulls down pit road. She pulls into her garage and gets out of her car. She takes her helment off and throws it into the car.

"FUCK! Ahhhh." she screams as she pulls her hair. Billy walks up to her.

"This sucks. You had a really good car out there."

"Yea. I just hope we do better next week and that the team isn't mad about a blown engine."

[Azadeshia]

Ranveer was infuriated after the race, he did his best but couldn't hold on.Ranveer was packing up his stuff and tickets to the Ajian Empire for his next race.Ranveer got in his car ready to go, but the Azadeshi media found him and didn't let him go by blocking him.A reporter said, "Can you tell us what happened on that track?!"."Get out of the way!" shouted Ranveer.A journaist asked him, "Will your contract live, Nate Jackson did way better than you!".The security intervened and pushed back the Azadeshi media from Ranveer's way.Ranveer started his car and way he goes.

His phone rang, it was his friend Manoj.

Ranveer: Hello

Manoj: It's me, I just watched the news.They are talking about you.

RVR: That's all the Azadeshi media does!They just have problem if you don't do well in something!

MNJ: Well, you did do bad.It's so easy and you failed.

Ranveer just paused for a minute and said.

RVR: Have you ever been behind a wheel, taking tight turns trying to keep your position!One mistake and your done.Did you see Jennifer's car?It's engine just blew off!Playing racing games won't make you racer!

Ranveer cuts the phone in an angry mood.

Bandinagar, Azadeshia
Manoj's House

Manoj was shocked and silent for a few minutes.He thought something for a few moments, remembering what Ranveer said."Have you ever been behind a wheel, taking tight turns trying to keep your position!One mistake and your done.Did you see Jennifer's car?It's engine just blew off!Playing racing games won't make you racer!".Manoj said to himself, "He's right, I know tuning and racing in Video Games, but.....not in real life".

Manoj has decided he will start his Go Karting lessons.

[Karditan]

Reva instinctively tried to pull her knees to her chest, but was quickly thwarted by the tight confines of the car. She settled for just a good old-fashioned shiver instead, the pause after the warm-up lap just enough for the chill from the downward-turning Hodori weather to seep in. It'll be fine, once we're running the engine'll keep me warm. She gave it a good rev as the grid roared to life, lights starting to wink out...

...and before she even knew it, they were whipping around the second corner. And there were cars behind her! First time for everything, I guess. Like this! A wild grin spread beneath her helm as she floored it and leaned into her first straightaway in a proper WGPC race, overtaking Bjarnason wide. There wasn't much of a way forward through the pack from there, instead settling for trying to spy a slick way to slip through in the upcoming chicane; she sidled up to edge to shoot through the inside of the turn, and--

shnk

--she swung out wider than she'd have liked, the shunt just throwing her off the intended line.

"You alright, Izalio?" A Turorian voice crackled over her radio.

"I think so," she keyed back, "minor contact."

"Be careful, these things can be fragile."

She nodded--kind of silly, considering there was nobody to see it--and made her way through the u-turn that basically divided the track into two distinct sections.

Until it felt like she'd been punched in the gut.

The car's momentum dropped like a rock, and it was all she could do to slam the wheel to the side for a muffled stop in the gravel.

"What the shit?! Did my engine just fall out?"

"Something must have gotten knocked loose," her radio chirped, "you started smoking halfway through the bend. Bad luck."

A gloved fist slamed down on the chassis, and she slumped back as far as the seat allows. What an auspicious start.

"You should probably get clear."

"Shit, yes, right," she stammered, unbuckling as fast as trembling hands can. The chills were setting back in.

---

Reva was holed up in a corner of the garage beside a fuzzy old television, while the Eelandii technicians assigned to her machine tried to make sense of things a few yards over.

Dimitri carefully set himself down on the metal bench beside her, sliding a steaming mug of hot chocolate between her hands. "Ah well. Shit happens, as we all know. At least Johnson is impressing!"

She took a deep breath, trying to capture all the steam she could. "I guess. I mean, she's definitely driving phenomenally, but... not that much of a consolation for me."

"Nonsense! A teammate is a teammate. Sure, you are new together, but she seems a nice lass and quite a talent to learn from."

"Hmm. Seems she learned something from me," using her mug hand's pinkie to point at the smoking lead car.

"Shit," the old man muttered, before spinning towards the mechanics. "Have you all found something? Johnson just went up in smoke too." He sighed as colorful obscenities bounced around the room, and turned back to see number ten putter into the pit. "...I am sure they will have everything ship-shape for Aji No Moto."

[Aji No Moto]

Welcome to Aji No Moto!
Ajinomoto e yōkoso
味の素へようこそ~

Brief History
After a time skip that ended Emperor Hirohito's reign over the then-named Ajian Empire, a newly-restored state named Aji No Moto emerged. From an ancient Edo-themed period with a psychotic emperor wanting to kill sportspeople shaming the Empire, a neo-industrial complex with the latest technology with a progressive prime minister came into the history and timebooks. Catching up with lost time, the Ajians prove to the sporting world that they have what it takes to compete with the multiverse's best in various disciplines.

Brief Geography
Aji No Moto is an island located in Southwest Atlantian Oceania, with capital being Joshuyo City. The island state is divided into four provinces: Shibara, located at the northeastern part of the country, Shintaki, located at the southwest part, Hayase, at the east to northeast of Shintaki, and the administrative city of Joshuyo, located between Hayase and Shibara provinces.

The City of Serizawa
The city of Serizawa, which is administratively part of Shibara province, is located adjacent of Joshuyo City, and due to the need to expand the metropolis area, is deemed to be part of Greater Metropolitan Joshuyo Area. Serizawa is the haven of the Ajian car industry, with most of the car manufacturers based here - Kissan (which is actually spelt Ki-san locally), Dahon, Doyota, among others, having their offices there. However, not all the manufacturers have a knack for motorsports - only Kissan, Dahon, Shigematsu, and Aisakyu have their motorsport division, and Kissan having the most prominent motorsports division - the Kissan Motorsport - simply known as KISMO.

International travelers wishing to go to Serizawa for the race weekend must go first to Joshuyo, as it is the nearest international airport to the city. At peak season, like the weekend of the WGPC race, several charter flights can be served from select Atlantian Oceania cities that do not have regular flights to the Ajian capital - courtesy of the Flag carrier, Aji Air. Daily direct flights can be served from San Marco, Filindostan, or from Ingbert-Borbély, Gergary. The airline plans to expand its destination to serve Ajian people and tourists alike. Upon arrival in Joshuyo, buses sponsored by Kissan Motors will be deployed to transit the visitors to Serizawa, usually a 40 minute to 1 hour bus ride from the airport. Only those who have tickets, VIP passes, and complimentary passes to the race weekend are permitted to ride the buses, which leaves in a two-hour interval. WGPC teams have their own vans also provided by Kissan Motors to be used as transportation to the circuit.

With regards to weather, the entire Aji No Moto usually have 25 percent chance of rain for the race weekend, regardless of the season the country is in.

Serizawa Racing Circuit

The Serizawa Racing Circuit is a permanent racing facility located in Serizawa, Aji No Moto. Owned by the local automobile giant Kissan, is more of a type that will test the cars' engine power and overtaking opportunities, which are featured in the Kissan Straight, the Serizawa Complex leading up to The Bird's Beak, and the banked curb after the Widow's Peak turn that leads to the opening part of the Kismo Complex.

The track starts on a ~300 meter straight into the 130-degree turn at Turn 1, then speeds to the Asahi Kerb, before encountering another straight line leading to the Sugiyama Corner, more of a semi-sharp kerb before slowing further down to turns 4 and 5, known as The Complex. A bend then leads into the slowest point of the circuit, The Bird's Beak. The cars then power through the bend into another semi-hairpin, the banked Turn 7, before pacing through a series of sharp kerbs, Turns 8 and 9, in which the power of the car and the speed is important as they lead into the Kissan Straight. This straight is around ~850 meters and has a slight bank leading towards the Widow's Peak, which is a banked kerb leading to the technical section, the Kismo Complex. A sharp turn at turn 15 leads the cars into the start/finish line to complete the lap.

The track is one of the most forgiving one in the WGPC calendar, with the cars' engine power being tested more than the technical skill of the driver. The track itself presents many opportunities to overtake as it is wider than normal and usually have many run-off areas and gravel traps, to decrease chances of driver injuries. It is also one of the shortest tracks of the season at 3.526 kilometers.

The Kissan Motors Ajian Grand Prix
The second round of the WGPC season goes from the Dashoze Circuit in Hodori to the Serizawa Racing Circuit in Serizawa. This grand prix was not supposed to be included in the final calendar, as the track would have hosted the second and last mid-season test. However, the Aelsh organizers decided to withdraw from hosting the second round of the WGPC season due to undisclosed reasons. The Ajian organizers received the note at a slightly short notice, but was able to cope with the pressure of taking the track into shape, because it's a new track and less maintenance work are needed. It also helped that no testing were done by KISMO and no local racing championships took place at the circuit.

Thirteen teams will take to the track to see if they can win the race, and prevent last round's winner, Arada Motorsport's Moe Himura, from running away with the championship lead.

The race will be sponsored by Kissan Motors, with Shintaro Sugiyama, the company's founder, handing the second place trophy, and Tomoru Sugiyama, CEO of Kissan Motors, handing the constructors' trophy to the team of the winning driver. Prime Minister Yoshimori Midoriyama will hand the winner's trophy to the winning driver come the end of the race, and Foreign Minister Yuuya Nishikawa will hand the third placed trophy.

[West-East Timor]

Dashoze Circuit, Hodori

"Well, I know it's not the best grid position...", Max told Mick during the warm-up lap, "but I know that you still can do well. Just give your best I guess."

"Thanks. That's very, umm, motivating. But what can I do but try?"

"Exactly!"

Mick got back to the start-finish straight and lined up on the grid. Behind him were Jang and Fujisaki. In front of him Lane and Singh. He should concentrate overtaking these two at least.

The lights went out and Mick had a solid start. He had a better start than Lane and overtook him, and got past Singh on the inside line of the first corner. He now was behind Nate Jackson, following him for a few laps before finally overtaking him in lap five.

In lap 12 Max informed him:

"Mick, R.L. Cruisin had to retire, Cruisin is out of the race. You are now on P9. Ninth position."

"It's starting to rain... should we swap to inters?"

"Not yet. We'll wait till lap 14 when the track is already a bit wet."

"Copy."

Mick had a normal pit stop in lap 14, changing to inters.

"The rain should last for about twenty minutes now, you'll just keep the inters during that period."

After he had gone to the pits as well, Jang was now right behind Mick. After Okumura's mistake Mick now was on P7.

"The rain has stopped as you can see. We should change to medium tyres now and just finish the race in one stint."

"Sounds good."

During the pit stop, Mick had past Dimitrianov and was now behind Terho Talvela. Close behind him was his team mate. In lap 35, both Mick and Jang overtook Talvela on the start-finish straight. However, Jang also was on the inside line of Mick, and managed to overtake him in turn one.

In lap 41, Mick heard:

"Johnson, who was on P1, is out of the race. Jennifer Johnson out of the race! You are now on P5."

And three laps later:

"Whittaker is out of the race as well! You are now on P4. Overtake Jang, and you're on the podium."

Mick pushed hard and got closer and closer to Jang each lap. In lap fifty he was right behind him, got on the inside line in the last corner, drove beside Jang over the start-finish line, and eventually passed him in turn one.

"Well done! Brilliant! You're now third. P3. Podium!"

Mick could keep a more or less comfortable gap to his team mate until the end of the race. He was expecting to get third now, he was way behind Lund, no chance he could overtake him.
Until lap 57.

"Mick, Alexander Lund is out of the race, Alexander Lund out of the race! You are on P2! And Jang on three."

Mick kept his position, and crossed the finish line on P2, right in front of his team mate.

"Gret race Mick, fantastic. Well done. A brilliant result for you, and for the entire team. After race one, we're leading the constructor's championship!"

"Woooooo! Yes! Great. That's... I wouldn't have expected that. Yes!"

Mick drove into the park ferme, and placed his car beside the Arada of Moe Himura. He was surprised that she had won. But mainly he was very satisfied with his result. He shook hands with his team and his team mate, and went up to the podium.

After they got their trophies and wasted some champagne, the interviewer got to the podium, to ask the same questions interviewers always ask. He first interviewed Himura, and then went on to Mick.

"Mick, what do you think of this result? Finishing second in the first race for your new team must be great?"

"It is. It really is. Especially, since I started from 13. I really would not have expected this result, so... Yeah, it's just fantastic."

"It's also a really good result for your team, isn't it?"

"We're leading the constructors championship, it couldn't be any better! I would say I also have helped to build this team up, and, it just is great to see that, apparently, things have worked out. Of course, it was only one race, and I don't think we should expect too much now. However, this certainly is motivating. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the season, and, obviously I hope it will go on like this."