World Grand Prix Championship 18 [RP/results]

by **Valentine Z** » Fri Nov 13, 2020 2:20 pm

Post 10 – Do the Dario.

”Hello there! Ahh, I am Adriana! I hope you are, err, home, Mr. Dario! If you are free, I would just like to talk to you! You know, friendly conversation, maybe a lunch or coffee outside, and maybe tips on how to drive better. I could use a little, if you don’t mind.”

”Ah, hello Adriana! What’s up?” came the voice from the other side of the door. Maybe she just might have a chance after all, she thought to herself.

“Err, nothing really. Just wondering if you were, well, available.”

“I’m definitely available right now, what do you need?”

“Well, er, um... nice hair?” Adriana stumbled, unsure of what exactly to say. Nice hair, she thought to herself. Maybe it’s stunning, but not exactly something that Adriana would want for herself.

“Thanks! If you want hair tips, then I’m totally the right guy for you, haha!”

“Well, it’s not HAIR tips I was wanting, more, er, DRIVING tips.”

“Driving tips? From me?”

“Um, yeah.”

“Are you pulling my leg? Are there cameras behind you, like this is some practical joke show for television?”

“No, haha, not at all! I would just quite like some tips, that’s all! Would you like to chat here or elsewhere?”

“Well, I’m not exactly doing much at the moment, so if you have somewhere in mind then I’ll be happy to come along.”

“Alright, then. Let’s go!”

That was perhaps the conversation that went, Adriana explained to her friends. It could probably be a little better and less awkward, but it seems pretty much a standard affair between herself and Dario. The two struck up a conversation about the turns, the stopping distances, interspersed with the happenings in the rest of the WGPC circle. Adriana was certainly aware that she is not as big in the international community, especially in this scene of motorsports racing.

“I am guessing I will need to shake things up a little,” she thought to herself.

That unfortunately did not happen as well as she thought it would be in Akresna Circuit. Her practice went well without putting up much of the effort. Placing 15th among the racers in terms of the fastest time. However, then came the qualifications, and she was not only one of the last, but THE last.

“Just when I thought I could not hit rock bottom,” she commented on herself, “Though you know… people say that if you hit rock bottom, there is nowhere to go but up. Maybe I should count my lucky stars.”

The only thing she worried about for the day after was the matter of if she was going to get a DNF. A DNF might just be a salt to the wound seeing how she has not even gotten herself a single point till now. “Poor Dario, too,” she remarked at her friends, refencing the fact that Dario might not be around for the race.

“Well, you seem more or less prepared!” Angela cheered her friend up, “Maybe this might be something wonderful, you don’t know!”

“Yeah, and like you said, you have nowhere else to go but up!” Angeline remarked, “How was the data collection process on your side?”

“It seems to be more or less well, at least for now,” Adriana then extends a probe on her finger and stabs into the port of the computer, transferring the data into it, “So… the braking distance is something that I can’t completely rely on. Each of the race tracks are different, the conditions and tires can also play a part, and like we said, the vehicles on the race track don’t stop completely. So… less of braking distance, maybe just of the speed along the track? Does that make sense?”

“This is going to be math-intense, isn’t it?” Angela inquired before letting out an excited fanfare, “Ohh it’s going to be so fun!”

“Yeah, I will think about it for the next track. It’s… it’s too late as of now, yet again. Ugh, I do hope that I will not disappoint Fireline too much.”

“Where have they been lately? I don’t know, I’m just asking.”

Looking at her helmet, she looked around her lounge before answering, “I hope I can interact with them a bit more, and maybe a bit more support from them – anything at this point will be nice, you know? Just pep talk, or hopes and assurance that I am not embarrassing them too much. We made that mistake with WGP2, and I am not going to let this happen again.”

by **Former Citizens of the Nimbus System** » Fri Nov 13, 2020 2:52 pm

Viska Kalnatranne Test Track, Livonsk, Auruna
3rd of November

Recuecn wrote:"The HUD..." Abdoulaye trailed off. He glanced at Olivia, trying to gauge her thoughts as well. "I'm not sure if Olivia is on the same page, but the HUD was... kind of a lot. Don't get me wrong, it's intuitive and I found myself glancing at it as if it had always been there; the tire info was useful - I mean, I probably checked my tires too much, if anything - and I bet during a race the position info will be great too. But it's a lot to process. So I may need to learn to focus better? Or maybe there's a way to strip off a few of the less salient details, I'm not sure."

"Well we won't make you implement it if you don't want it. I was hoping it would integrate seamlessly with everything else you have going on in the cockpit."

"I think it does," said Abdoulaye. "To be honest, that's almost one of my concerns. I think I might become too reliant on it. I worry I already am not using my comms enough, so if it is just giving me another reason not to use my radio, it might just become a crutch. Then again, like I said, that's probably more something for me to work on than it is any sort of issue with the equipment."

"Interesting thoughts," mused Jöna.

"I do want to try it out again," Abdoulaye hastened to add. "I'm definitely not used to it yet so I'd like to keep testing it a bit more."

“Agreed on that front…” Olivia nods, folding her arms, shifting her weight slightly. She taps her fingers against her forearm. “Could be inexperience with the system. Could be the UI design… Maybe,” she adds more thoughtfully, “we could do a session with the designers with the technical people to customise it to our tastes. Everybody takes in information slightly differently, right? It might help.”

She laughs. “We customise everything else in the cockpit, don’t we? Could give us an edge.”

Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
Qualifying 4

Olivia cuts into the corner, hybrid power applied with a roar that echoes at the entrance of the second tunnel – now behind her. Her eyes widen, sweat gathering on her eyelashes, adjusting to the artificial light; the extra kick from a WGPC engine, especially the upgraded one in the back of her VK-01H after the week, is the initial vibration that sets in a familiar thrum running through her bones.

It feels corrupt, tortured, broken, imperfect. It feels like flesh and skin, antithetical and intrinsic to Nimbanism. It feels alive.

The car runs through Turn 13, Aurun eagle passing swift and sleek through tree branches; Olivia places the car perfectly, a hair’s breadth from the barrier on her left, then out again, then returning with inexorable gravity as daylight manifests once more. She squints; In Motion rubber bites into the track through Turn 14 just enough against the loss of downforce, tyres squealing against the forces. Still she presses on – towards Turn 15 now, hairpin approaching, approaching, approaching, braking NOW! The tyres cry out in anguish once again but do their duty, car slowing, turning, late apex, away.

Olivia takes a breath.

Still she presses on. Towards Turn 16; the eagle banks right, then flicks left, wingtips called wheels flaring. The dive towards the line is tension, rushing air and growling fire.

Line.

Ecstasy fades. Focus dims. Olivia walks the car to the outside of Turn 1, only a little part of her waiting for the results.

Time passes.

And then, a wonderfully familiar voice in her ear. “I did tell you. Olivia Stone for Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing: P1.”

“What?”

“Exactly as I said. P1.”

“I…” Olivia blinks. Then she bursts out laughing. “What? What? I… Hahahahaha! Yes! YES!” She laughs again, grin widening on her face. “Oh, that’s good! Not doing last time this time! Thank you, Baxen!”

Formation Lap

“Execute and you will do well, Ryker; I have certainty.”

Ryker laughs. “I appreciate your surety, Martin. Thanks.”

“You are more than welcome. Confirm it, if you would.” The slight teasing is a lilt in a familiar, calming melody. With a smile, Ryker settles in, letting his mind empty; Coalescence is quiet beneath him as he lines up on the grid, a well of potential ready to be tapped. Only need to score points today. You’ve driven this circuit dozens of times…

Still have the lap record, he notes, smiling wryly. Wonder if they’ll reinstitute Trackmasters at some point.

He shakes his head. Breathes. Recalls the moment before, within the cave, dancing with the staff – Victoria waiting at the cliff edge when he flew back, offering a kiss for luck… Ryker draws on that moment, holding it in place, letting it be the single speck of dust around which he gathers so many other memories of comfort, pride, hope, joy as motes of water from that well – his families, friends, companions – and then his understanding, his raw knowledge of how many people unknown to him have worked for this moment and so many others… In his mind the droplet hovers, catching the light, crystalline.

And then it becomes mist, suffusing his form. He feels a thrum across his skin, his hair standing on end, the sense of rightness unmistakeable.

“Well then,” he murmurs to himself, arming PAAS, focussing on the cars ahead, thoughts latching into place as his HUD displays ghostly images of the lines that his competitors may take. “Let’s run a race.”

Red lights tick on, one by one. And then, all at once, they fade – and dozens’ work and millions’ minds ignite Coalescence.

The reactions of one cannot match those dozens’, deferred and delegated. Souzare’s Polaris is first, barely accelerating as instant torque and Imagikinesis see Ryker past, diving to the track’s middle; the same sees him alongside Ibuna, lacking the daring to match his car’s impulse, and then drawing through as the field concertinas, now alongside Cruisin, now alongside Goita. He’s on the inside – the WGP2 champion does not yield, however, tyres clawing at the ground just as designed, speed greater than the UHSGV-4 could muster even with their kin’s aid.

Ryker breathes. Goita speeds away; Coalescence glides out, line astern, forcing Cruisin to the track’s edge as he tries to follow the VSK through. Leaving him to brake earlier on his unnatural line, Ryker cuts past, down, into the tunnel.

Alright. Keep going!

Lap 2

Olivia Stone fumes across the line, a storm of flesh, carbon, electricity, petrochemicals and righteous fury. “Baxen!”

“No changes to strategy just yet.” Just hearing her friend speak is a balm, transmuting anger to determination even as – brakes feather, gears down, turn in NOW. “We imagine that Talvela is on a two-stop, same as us. Just keep the pressure on.”

“Okay. Okay.” She focusses, touching the apex of 1 as she follows – follows – the AGP003 through the corner.

No. That will not do.

Olivia’s mind goes into overdrive, embracing the determination and channelling it. Talvela runs to the other side of the track, normal thus far… Then he turns into Turn 2 – just a little sharp, stunted, almost, not the sheer perfection of a World Champion…

Insight. The TRÆ – their advances have gone unsung for so long with Nexus Racing around… His car’s systems. He’s leaning on them, just that little bit.

She grins. I can exploit that.

Olivia follows him no longer; her line is art, the Aurun eagle sweeping through the turn and diving down, momentum barely lost. A gain of hundredths now but, over the course of a Grand Prix…

Her thoughts become ecstatic in an instant – and that ecstasy joins the channelling. Alright, Terho! You wanted a race? You’ll get it!

Lap 17

“That’s Jean out, Ryker. Jean out.”

Ryker winces through Turn 14. “He’s alright?”

“Mechanical failure… He is on the side of the track at –”

“I see him.” A distinctly silver, non-glowing car sits adjacent to Turn 15 – right in the braking zone. Evidently couldn’t get any further… “That’ll be a safety car.”

“That is a safety car,” Martin confirms. “In for tyres.”

“Right!”

Lap 20

Olivia sets her sights. The midnight blue of Talvela in front of her is her only obstacle now; ahead are the few still on a one-stop strategy with harder tyres to see them through to near the race’s end. Easy prey.

She watches the front of the queue. Waits…

They charge. Olivia is quick off the mark, lightning reflexes honed in years of quad-biking; she follows behind her foe, moves to dive…

Then doesn’t. Back to the racing line.

Through the first corner – relying on the tyres, leaning on them, trusting the mechanical grip, just a little slide… Fine. Into 2 – down into the tunnel, poised to attack… And withdrawing the feint, normal line, through.

Pressure. Make him think I’m reckless, desperate… Make him worry. Make him think. And force him into a mistake.

The ecstasy thrums through her. She is right and, even if not, she will adapt and win. It is who she is.

Lap 24

And it isn’t enough.

Maelstrom take this! The Aurun eagle blasts up the second tunnel; Olivia grimaces, lip curling with impotence.

Talvela, after all, is a World Champion. His defence, even when reliant on driver aids, is ironclad.

She shakes her head, then looks down the track. Right. Coming up on Krupin. Seems to be making a one-stop work; should still slow him down.

I’m the ‘Master of Offence’. No more tricks – time to put it to use!

Lap 25

They catch Krupin just before the great banked turn at 9. No place to overtake; Talvela falls back, back, back…

By Turn 10, sixth tenths separate them. By Turn 11, five.

By the end of the sector, Olivia is ready to strike. As Terho clears Krupin around the outside, she glides through the corner, leaving the apex as late as she knows she can, mining momentum from tyre, engine and physics in harmony. She powers up through the tunnel, past Krupin, then up to Terho’s back, in the slipstream… Through Turn 13, staying there, building that momentum, swinging outwards to the tunnel’s edge – and then remaining.

They approach the crest, the light, the crippling loss of downforce; Olivia remains to the inside, trusting in Aurun and Nimban grip, even as she draws alongside…

She clenches her jaw. Grips the steering wheel. Maintains her course, for it will be right.

And as they barrel through Turn 14, Olivia is still there, half a car’s width ahead, barely clinging to the track. They charge through, engines roaring… She’s on the outside now, the outside of the second hairpin of the circuit. To stay the course will demand bravery.

That, she has.

I will not be beaten here. Not again.

With a roar of her own, Olivia holds the accelerator to the floor as long as she dares, then wrenches the wheel to the left. Terho gains on the tighter line, almost drawing alongside, threatening to snatch her prize for the second time…

I refuse! I will not let that happen!

The energy, the feral purity of will within her, propels the car beneath her forward faster than it should have allowed, whirling from the corner with terrific speed. And when they reach the final chicane, it is Terho Talvela who is forced to slow.

Olivia lets out a whoop of exultation! “And that is how you do it! Yes!” She shakes her head, thrilling in the feeling. “Alright, Baxen – who’s next?”

“Sara Luna – seven point three ahead but also on a one-stop. Maintain this pace and you will pass her in the pit stop phase.” There is a smile in his tone as he adds, “Nicely done.”

“Thank you!” Olivia laughs riotously, furious grin upon her face. She calms a touch as she lines up for the first corner. “Thank you…”

Should check.

“Any threats behind us?”

“Ryker Lane is lapping quickly… If he maintains his current pace, he may be able to attack you by the race’s end. We’re looking to stretch your tyre stints so you can defend.”

With that much practice here, hardly unexpected… She lets out a puff of air. “Got it.”

Lap 56

The blue glow of Imagination heralds Ryker Lane’s Chase Cutter – new tyres equipped. Focus comes to Ryker easily; pushing on the H-2s earlier, wringing every last bit of performance had been a challenge, and an enjoyable one, but gliding into the tunnel stadium, through Turn 3, then braking into 4, with these S-2s… It is glorious.

He watches the car ahead; his fellow Nimban. Casting his mind back to watching the WGPi with Victoria, cross-referencing with his own strengths and the track… He had formed a plan. And thus, as he launches away, tyres’ superior grip and the instant pulse of Imagikinetic force behind him, he readies a dive.

---

“No, no you do not!” Olivia places her car perfectly in defence, slightly off the middle of the track, just fractionally towards the inside – denying a gap while maintaining her own line. Ryker Lane behind her remains to the outside. Nowhere to go, she thinks, running through 5, 6, 7 with as much poise as she can muster now. Not going to give you anywhere.

She focusses, working to gain as much drive as possible from the exit…

---

That’ll be enough. That’ll be enough. The line has compromised her – Coalescence’s native acceleration and his own, better angle pushes him forward, pushes him on, down to the kink at 8. Ryker widens his line, even as he closes –

---

“And not that either!” Olivia takes the corner, bringing herself wider on the exit than she might otherwise…

---

– then cuts in, up onto the banking, even as the VSK’s momentum is further sapped. Ryker holds his steering wheel, retaining as much momentum as he can, drawing alongside…

---

No, no, NO! Olivia holds her line; glancing left, seeing the glow from above her, she grimaces, trusts, pushes as much as she dares –

The tyres, punished in her earlier attempts on Terho, are no longer enough.

---

Ryker Lane barely keeps himself from wrenching the steering wheel and flying off the track as a horrible screech and plumes of smoke issue from below. He presses a button, rear view flashing up; Olivia’s somehow managed to keep her car away from the barrier, such that it now sits sideways, half across the track. “I’m… I’m past, Martin,” he says, empathy stabbing at his chest.

---

No…

---

“That you are; she likely has flatspotting, which means you only have to watch for Luna behind. Drive cleanly until the end of the race, Ryker.”

---

No, I can’t – not again, not again, I can’t…

---

“Understood.”

---

“Olivia, let’s keep going with this. We’ll need new tyres, so get to the pits. Try for fastest lap.”

With a slow nod, Olivia kicks up the wheels again.

And later, crossing the line for the last time, no longer needing her vision, she lets the tears fall from her eyes.

by **Liventia** » Fri Nov 13, 2020 3:52 pm

CUTOFF

for the Sÿrä-prii Auruna (Aurun Grand Prix) at Akresna Circuit

by **Liventia** » Fri Nov 13, 2020 4:03 pm

Week 7: Race

Conditions:      	Dry
Laps:              	49
Nation:         	AUR
Circuit:        	Akresna Circuit
Event:                	Sÿrä-prii Auruna (Aurun Grand Prix)
Safety Car on Laps:	
Cars on Grid:        	28

POS  # ▍DRV Name                               Team                               	Time      	Pts	Fastest Lap	
  1 77 ▍TII iBen Toralmintii                   Tropicorp Racing Ælund             	01:39:23.226	25		
  2 56 ▍TAL Terho Talvela                      Tropicorp Racing Ælund             	00:00:19.128	18		
  3  7 ▍GTA Abdoulaye Goita                    Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing          	00:01:09.677	14		
  4 85 ▍STO Olivia Stone                       Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing          	00:01:28.537	11		
  5 50 ▍EDW Rudy Edwards                       Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing    	00:01:29.994	8 + 2	1:49.950	
  6 71 ▍IBU Rustom Ibuna                       Badai Angin Tim Motorsport         	00:01:31.104	6		
  7 47 ▍OKU Erica Okumura                      Polaris Racing Team                	00:01:31.437	4		
  8 19 ▍FAL Dom Falepeau                       Mattijana Racing Team              	00:01:39.983	3		
  9 11 ▍CRT Lane Carter                        Race Eelandii V&T GP               	00:01:41.987	2		
 10 23 ▍C23 Cocoabo #23                        Fireline Motorsports               	Laps Down: 1	1		
 11  8 ▍ARC William Archer                     Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing    	Laps Down: 1			
 12 94 ▍LAN Ryker Lane                         Nexus Racing                       	Laps Down: 1			
 13 25 ▍KRU Gregori Krupin                     Volkov Racing                      	Laps Down: 1			
 14 28 ▍LNA Sara Luna                          Volkov Racing                      	Laps Down: 1			
 15 46 ▍ARB Kitti Armbruster                   SVJ Racing WGPC Team               	Laps Down: 1			
 16 82 ▍LMN Kinu Luminna                       WGPC Motorworks                    	Laps Down: 1			
 17 42 ▍DIM Alex Dimitrianov                   Badai Angin Tim Motorsport         	Laps Down: 1			
 18 76 ▍KOW Adriana Kowalski                   Fireline Motorsports               	Laps Down: 1			
 19 37 ▍SCH Niklas Schonbaum                   TAS Alliance Racing                	Laps Down: 1			
 20 22 ▍KRA Jasmin Kranjska                    Mattijana Racing Team              	Laps Down: 1			
 21 12 ▍DEV Anneliese Devereux                 TAS Alliance Racing                	Laps Down: 1			
 22 41 ▍JMD Jean Mercer-Daly                   Nexus Racing                       	Laps Down: 2			
 23 72 ▍VAL Charyseine Valkyria                WGPC Motorworks                    	Laps Down: 2			
 24 52 ▍SZR Sayono Souzare                     Polaris Racing Team                	Ret. lap 46 (classified finish)
DNF 14 ▍BJA Sigur Bjarnason                    SVJ Racing WGPC Team               	Ret. lap 44			
DNF 51 ▍CRU R.L. Cruisin                       Race Eelandii V&T GP               	Ret. lap 2			
DNS 27 ▍NUL Dario Nülkeschläger                WGPC Motorworks                    	DNS			
DNS 63 ▍MIZ Daryl Mizushima                    WGPC Motorworks                    	DNS

Drivers' standings

Pos # ▍DRV Name                                Team [Engine]                                                            Tyres                              Pts
 1 77 ▍TII iBen Toralmintii                    Tropicorp Racing Ælund [Tropicorp Engineering]                           Tropicorp Racing Supply            45
 2 94 ▍LAN Ryker Lane                          Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                                              In Motion                          38
 3 56 ▍TAL Terho Talvela                       Tropicorp Racing Ælund [Tropicorp Engineering]                           Tropicorp Racing Supply            37
 4 28 ▍LNA Sara Luna                           Volkov Racing [WGPC Motorworks Engineering]                              Tropicorp Racing Supply            28
 4 42 ▍DIM Alex Dimitrianov                    Badai Angin Tim Motorsport [Badai Angin]                                 Solymok                            28
 6 51 ▍CRU R.L. Cruisin                        Race Eelandii V&T GP [Tropicorp Engineering]                             Tropicorp Racing Supply            26
 7 41 ▍JMD Jean Mercer-Daly                    Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                                              In Motion                          25
 7 71 ▍IBU Rustom Ibuna                        Badai Angin Tim Motorsport [Badai Angin]                                 Solymok                            25
 9 19 ▍FAL Dom Falepeau                        Mattijana Racing Team [Nordija]                                          Tropicorp Racing Supply            15
10  7 ▍GTA Abdoulaye Goita                     Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing [Schkeska Motors]                              In Motion                          14
10 14 ▍BJA Sigur Bjarnason                     SVJ Racing WGPC Team [Johansborg Motor Collective]                       Solymok                            14
12 23 ▍C23 Cocoabo #23                         Fireline Motorsports [Tropicorp Engineering]                             Tropicorp Racing Supply            12
12 50 ▍EDW Rudy Edwards                        Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing [Preston Autos]                          Tropicorp Racing Supply            12
14 85 ▍STO Olivia Stone                        Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing [Schkeska Motors]                              In Motion                          11
15 22 ▍KRA Jasmin Kranjska                     Mattijana Racing Team [Nordija]                                          Tropicorp Racing Supply            10
15 47 ▍OKU Erica Okumura                       Polaris Racing Team [Polaris Trois]                                      Deyoze Tires                       10
17 52 ▍SZR Sayono Souzare                      Polaris Racing Team [Polaris Trois]                                      Deyoze Tires                       6
18 11 ▍CRT Lane Carter                         Race Eelandii V&T GP [Tropicorp Engineering]                             Tropicorp Racing Supply            5
18 25 ▍KRU Gregori Krupin                      Volkov Racing [WGPC Motorworks Engineering]                              Tropicorp Racing Supply            5
20 12 ▍DEV Anneliese Devereux                  TAS Alliance Racing [Harlean 1]                                          Solymok                            4
21  8 ▍ARC William Archer                      Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing [Preston Autos]                          Tropicorp Racing Supply            3
21 46 ▍ARB Kitti Armbruster                    SVJ Racing WGPC Team [Johansborg Motor Collective]                       Solymok                            3

Constructors' standings

Pos NAT ▍Team [Engine]                                                            Tyres                              Pts
  1 ABL ▍Tropicorp Racing Ælund [Tropicorp Engineering]                           Tropicorp Racing Supply            82
  2 NIM ▍Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                                              In Motion                          63
  3 FID ▍Badai Angin Tim Motorsport [Badai Angin]                                 Solymok                            53
  4 SOR ▍Volkov Racing [WGPC Motorworks Engineering]                              Tropicorp Racing Supply            33
  5 V&T ▍Race Eelandii V&T GP [Tropicorp Engineering]                             Tropicorp Racing Supply            31
  6 AUR ▍Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing [Schkeska Motors]                              In Motion                          25
  7 MTJ ▍Mattijana Racing Team [Nordija]                                          Tropicorp Racing Supply            25
  8 SVJ ▍SVJ Racing WGPC Team [Johansborg Motor Collective]                       Solymok                            17
  9 NEK ▍Polaris Racing Team [Polaris Trois]                                      Deyoze Tires                       16
 10 HAP ▍Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing [Preston Autos]                          Tropicorp Racing Supply            15
 11 ETN ▍Fireline Motorsports [Tropicorp Engineering]                             Tropicorp Racing Supply            12
 12 LIS ▍TAS Alliance Racing [Harlean 1]                                          Solymok                            4
 13 WGP ▍WGPC Motorworks [WGPC Motorworks Engineering]                            Deyoze Tires                       0

by **Aboveland** » Fri Nov 13, 2020 11:27 pm

Terho falls on his back, his head striking the pale cedar planks with a satisfying thunk, his lush, overgrown hair falling beside and behind his forehead. The g-forces pin his body against his seat as he releases the finger clutch, Resilience thrusting forwards with over half a kilonewton of torque. The track is still slippery, as it had been the day before, and despite his perfectly timed start the cars in his wing mirrors grow in size; less so Ibuna and Falpeau, but impressively Rudy Edwards as far back as fourth on the grid. He runs his hands through his hair, moistened at its roots by the dampness of the sweat which has begun to form as the atmosphere grows denser, the air thicker and more moist. He takes a deep breath; the steam flushes his sinuses and fills his lungs.

He's braked early, which sends Goita and Edwards on the attack down his inside and, briefly, knocks the wind out of his chest. He inhales again, more deeply, resting his hands on his chest and then bringing one of them to his neck. His pulse races with excitement as his fingers creep closer, but relaxes once the faint pressure is applied. Though he's planned to execute a switchback, Ibuna stands in his way; regardless, he sticks to the original plan, only carrying it out later. Once he's past the apex at turn one, the Viska and the Preston starting their run up the blind turn two, Terho swerves from behind and outside of the FIlindo across the track to take the inside line for turn two. He grunts, smiling, and as his mouth cracks open, he upsets the surface tension of the sweat collected beneath his eyes; it falls to the edges of his lips. At this instant, every single one of Resilience' factions combine in perfect harmony: the flex of the winglets, the settling of the suspension, the gripping of the Calanian rubber, and the smoothness of his right foot. He successfully pushes Ibuna out towards the outside of turn two and cements his position with a blast through turn three and a late braking maneuver into turn four.

His eyes are shut, but he shuts them harder to hear the trembling of his eyelids, then relaxes his muscles. He extends his left arm to his side and blindly ladles water onto the stones within arms' reach of his body. The sizzle comes a moment before the air thickens once more. A bird chirps distantly. He rolls his shoulders, the popping of the sinovial fluids running across his back as he twists slowly to his side to pop his vertebrae. The rhythmic rumbling of the kerbs further enforces his glare at the car in front. "Get Good", it teases. Hah. He floors Resilience out of turn thirteen; its heart thundering and sputtering with immediacy. The tyres squeal, but just for a smidgen. After sitting up to stretch, he lets his back fall against the boards again. Resilience drops from the jacks and it squeals away from the pit box. Though most of his rivals have pitted with him, or have yet to pit, it seems as iBen's more ambitious strategy has paid dividends.

He's one for the poetic, for the symbolic, for the fairytales, and though his mind and his objectives cold-bloodedly clear, his subconscious riles with excitement. With his eyes shut, his ears ignoring the continuous sizzle of the rocks and crackle of the wood fire, he emulates the undulations of Akresna with his tongue. A lunge right for a hard brake, a hold, a plummet down a slope again, the rounding of the hairpin, and once again up the hillside. Resilience dances with the delicacy and precision of a hummingbird, as Terho rounds turn seven and hammers the throttle over the kink at the Akresna Sun, dodging a slower moving Sara Luna a lap down, his eyes darting between the next corner and the gap to the car ahead. He presses his tongue against his front teeth and clenches his jaw. He exhales into the hard brake for turn thirteen, tensing his muscles for the lunge then relaxing as he's thrust again against his seat for the final run up through the two fast chicanes. The tip of his tongue meets the roof of his mouth, curling back a millimeter, then pushing forwards again. He licks the backside of his front left canine, running it back towards his incisors, before just slightly releasing the pressure on the throttle, getting the car to bite into the apex, and surging away towards turn nineteen. A gentle braking, firm enough to slow down but not so as to destroy his tyres before the final corner, and a smooth entry and exit past Entalladura. Once he's out, he turns the shower head towards his face, and opens the tap. Ecstasy, as the radio erupts in incredulous, unhinged celebration.

He giggles delightedly at the splash of cold champagne against his face; a little gets into his eyes, and it stings, but it doesn't matter. He can still make out the silhouette of his veteran teammate in amongst the blur, aiming playfully for the face. He's the one who broke the rule first, anyway--and, if he's being serious, it figuratively stings to be the right hand man of the one-two finish yet again, for the third time in history. He shuffles the towel across his back, as iBen wraps his arms around him, to his right, and Goita, to his left, giving a 'jolly good squeeze'. Usually one to stand below the winners' balcony and shy away from the honors, Edvin has joined the trio up on the stage this time, and as the press photo is taken Terho dunks the few drops he's left of champagne down the back of his shirt.

The return trip home is rather swift this time around, perhaps owing to the unassailable anticipation gripping him and the entire TRÆ team ahead of the home-race double header sprint race. As Terho rests his forehead against the tinted glass of the hire van, he sighs quietly, smiling. The Aurun hills weave in and out of the landscape beyond the highway towards the airport. Rarely has he felt so alive, so in the moment, and so utterly, completely satisfied as he does now. Though likely nobody shared in the dramatic despair echoed by the TRÆ personnel at the beginning of the weekend--personnel meaning literally every single member of the team--, for the Abovian outfit as a whole Auruna had been the ultimate zero to hero story. From the dejected depths of a double retirement after a clumsy faulty supplier issue on a track they'd expected to excel at, to the unbeatable heights of a dominant, decisive win and podium at a racetrack where not even he himself would have put money on his own odds. To think that iBen had genuinely considered whether retirement after Turori would have been a better choice than to sit out the season at TRÆ! It's the perfect result--the perfect points haul; the perfect spring board--, at the correct time. The capitalization on the faltering of their rivals means that TRÆ has leapfrogged to the top of the constructor's championship by a similar gap Nexus had held before the race at Akresna, while Terho's second podium and iBen's first win since Audioslavia last year puts both drivers firmly in contention for the drivers' title. Expectations, clearly, are beyond high for the Abovian Grand Prix, though it's now obvious that the focused, somber, head-down attitude should be the way forward. Never expect more than a little, and you'll never be disappointed. Or something like that; they were Edvin's words.

Terho's time to reflect finishes as the motorized door buzzes electrically before sliding open, initially pulling the skin on Terho's forehead back with the glass. He heads to the back of the van, hauls his carry-on bags out of the trunk, and says goodbye in Abovian to the driver, who responds in understandable Aurun. Before setting off towards the rumbly entrance mat, he takes a look back at the road leading up to the international terminal, the hills behind forming a delicate backdrop. He'll look back upon Auruna fondly, for sure. The landscape, the atmosphere, the track, and, certainly, the events which have just taken place.

Oh and, of course, the sauna. The hell of a sauna.

by **Squidroidia** » Sat Nov 14, 2020 9:32 am

"Daryl that is a 1:54.017. You are almost 7 seconds behind the polesitter and more than 5 seconds behind Valkyria. Once again, you aren't racing tomorrow.

That slip up at Turn 7. A punt right into the grass. It was the low point of the Squidroidian's career. The race weekend before the halfway point in Aboveland, down at Akresna, Daryl's doubters would be proven right. He was the biggest joke in qualifying, almost 2 and a half seconds behind Adriana Kowalski in the Fireline. Call the Motorworks car a brick all you want, but this was alarming. For the second time in a row and for the third time in 4 races, Daryl was sitting in the stands watching the cars go around in a wiggly circle. And for once he was doubting his career.

The anger that was built up when he got to the grass in qualifying was constant. Throughout the session he made mistakes that most people would learn from after 1 or 2 runs around in practice. But that was the thing. He kept making those simple mistakes. Talk about the Turn 7 thing all you want, but he kept pushing it too far. He kept doing lockups. He spun every once in a while. It was a joke. But somehow Mr. Mizushima, knowing that a huge outburst could cost him a job, a job that he very much loved, held it in. And he kept it in when talking about FunStar and his mistakes to the media and executives at the track for the weekend.

If anything Daryl was more suited for the wet than the dry. His only qualification came very tightly in Dashoze while using wet tyres, and his famed pole at the Cocoabo Expo? That came in the wet as well. Unless half the field, including 2 Motorworks cars, spins out, Daryl didn't seem like a dry qualifying type of guy. If anything he was the 4th seat at Motorworks - Luminna and Valkyria were fighting for the top 2 seats, and Nülkeschläger, even though he hasn't qualified as much, was seemed to be the 3rd seat. He was below even Dario on the food chain. Expected for a complete newbie to the WGPC, but still a shock. Laughing stock of the competition however? Halfway in, it still was up in the air.

The next race up, however, was a doubleheader. The Fjellutfordring was to host the Abovian Grand Prix, and it was the only round on the calendar to have a feature and sprint race. But of course, the caveat was that it was the only round with one shot qualifying. And you all know what happened last time Daryl went through one shot qualifying, do you? Give him some wets and one shot to make the show and he could very well place highly.

But for now, he had a cup of sick. Stuck at his hotel, he poured out a cup of coffee, drinking it as he looked through the television and watched whatever fit his fancy. Because he was going to hit the track again before mid season testing. And this was his reality check. He had to perform well, otherwise his future in racing would be in doubt. This was his last chance to not be called a joke. He was more than capable of a good drive, given his equipment.

He just has the equipment of a brick and 4 Deyoze tyres. So maybe one last run before reconsidering his options?

by **Diarcesia** » Sat Nov 14, 2020 5:36 pm

The fourth race of the season was very important for both drivers of Volkov Racing. It was clear that they have a shot at leading the constructors' standings. And things didn't go as planned... Gregori, starting at P11, had a better qualifying session than Sara. It showed that an end to their pre-race struggles is still yet to be seen.

The race started well for Gregori, but ended it with a net loss in positions at P13. Sara didn't fare better, and was only able to finish behind him. Meanwhile, the pole-sitter Terho Talvela had to concede the top spot of the podium to his teammate iBen Toralmintii in TRÆ's redemption race from their Nimban troubles last week.

Aurun Grand Prix
Post-race

"Well done, Sara," said Emil, the Volkov engineer assigned to her. "You did good, I'm sure we can do better next time."

"I'm not sure I did well today. Getting the car back in one piece was the least I could offer," Sara said. "What I need to do is to learn the lessons of this experience. I've had many years behind me, more than enough to know that it's not easy to have points race in and race out. As always, thank you, guys. There are a lot of moving parts in a team like us and it's working nicely."

"Sara, try to think of all the things that have happened so far. We are very happy that you are on the driver's seat in one of our cars," Emil said. "Sergei will try to find things that didn't work out and fail spectacularly, and then we'll move on to the next race. Setbacks are inevitable. Fail with dignity. Fail with grace."

There was something about Sara's mannerisms that made her unlike Emil. He was more formal than the Diarcesian. When they work together out of a race, in meetings and conferences, Sara talked over things with a more colloquial bent and with a tendency to speak her mind without coming as uncouth. Emil's role is to sit and stay with her to coordinate events and provide advice, and Sara made his job relatively easy. She had been the more inquisitive of the pair, more eager to look at multiple angles of each topic.

At a glance, Sara has already adjusted to the rigors of the WGPC driver's seat, as shown by the results of her first few races. She was making progress, but didn't seem to be getting much further in terms of qualifying times. The urge to get better in this aspect gnawed at her, yet her initial grasp of how the car interacted with each racetrack was proving rudimentary at first.

"Something escapes my notice," she told Emil. "Our luck ran out this race. It's more difficult to overtake in Akresna Circuit, and the hurdle gets exponentially harder the further you're behind. Theoretically, this is a track where I would be in my element. Ironically, I was doing better in the more aggressive ones. They say those races are not for the faint of heart... You know what, I think I might be focusing too much on how to drive well there. Tunnel vision."

The feeling was mutual. Emil studied Sara's previous races and came to the conclusion that Sara might be overcorrecting her mistakes made in the aggression-oriented tracks. Did Sara's rustiness in driving in a place like Akresna Circuit catch up to her? After all, it is the first race in the season designed and executed with technique in mind.

They would continue to work together despite the challenges ahead. They would arrive at mutually-agreed decisions and make numerous tests over the week. Whether or not it would result to Sara starting in the front half of the grid was another question. This time, will she be better prepared for the feature and sprint races at Fjellutfordring? Is the idea of placing a few points ahead of iBen Toralmintii just a pipe dream?

Sara resolved to work smarter than ever in her attempt for the drivers' championship. She would investigate Terho Talvela's victorious WGPC 17 run as well as iBen's as well. She hoped to compare and contrast both of their characteristics and find beneficial aspects to incorporate to her style. She would also try to identify the strengths of Abdoulaye Goita, who had run well against Sara in the WGP2. Should insights be elusive to her initially, she would persevere.

Abdoulaye and Olivia Stone drove very similarly in WGP2, with Abdoulaye posting a win in the season opener. Sara was able to get her own win in the next race at Filindostan, and the WGP2 drivers' title came down to a battle between the three of them. Abdoulaye was able to come out on top, but he fought very hard to claim the title. Sara came next, who edged out Olivia by a single point. Sara counted on the work ethic she would put into WGPC 18 to help her pull ahead to the leaders.

It was clear from the start of the Aurun Grand Prix that points for Sara were not a given. It was more difficult than she anticipated. Sara fought valiantly, but she could not even get close to Cocoabo #23, much less perform an overtake. It was a far cry from her previous starts, where she quickly arrived at a position of strength and built her momentum all the way to the finish line.

That did not stop Emil from having a little fun with Sara.

"Ground control to Sara Luna. Are you still with us?"

"Emil, you know, you can't startle me like that."

"You're dazing off in the distance. Something's wrong?"

"I don't know, I just... I can't... I need to get back to the track."

Sara's words caused Emil to pause. He could sense that she really wanted to get in her car and maybe... experiment with things? Sara had never been this serious in front of him. Maybe she was having an adrenaline rush. But for some reason this time, he felt a strange, almost aggressive tension based on Sara's facial expression.

"You alright?" he broke the silence.

"Yea, I'm fine. Why shouldn't I be? It's my son's birthday!"

Sara stood stationary in the Volkov garage. Her shoes were firmly planted on the concrete.

Gregori and one of the technicians arrived in the room.

She continued speaking. "You know, you always have done great things for me. In the future, our qualifying sessions should be better."

Turning to Gregori, she asked him for some input. "Hey Gregori, today is my son's birthday. What would you say if you were me?"

All of them continued to have a chat about the race and both drivers' qualifying sessions. Gregori seemed to be not pleased with his, either.

One of them asked Sara about the birthday boy, Zac, to break the ice.

"He helped prepare a very special breakfast for the family earlier! He might become one of the best cooks yet. Praise be to the Duke of Repaire-de-Noisettes*. Zac's going to do great things."

"Aww, that was sweet of him," said the technician who was with Gregori. "He's so selfless. He's so kind. I'm glad you have a son like him."

"He has his moments, but he's a good boy," Sara said.

"I'll be glad to have a son one day. I can't ask for better than that."

"His father must be rather proud, huh?" Emil asked.

"Step-father," Sara corrected.

"Oh." He couldn't help but apologize. "I didn't mean to intrude."

"It's nothing."

"I'm really sorry. I'll try to get back to you soon. Until then, our meeting will start in an hour."

* A noble title in the Dieresis-Kingdom of Chiyginia

by **Togonistan** » Sat Nov 14, 2020 6:25 pm

Happy Birthday Dom Falepeau! His career so far...

Falepeau at Aurun Grand Prix

Our very own WGPC driver Dom Falepeau is celebrating his birthday after turning 23 this morning. The Togonistani driver has, so far, been providing solid results during his rookie season in the top level of WGP and after finishing 8th in Auruna last weekend, is currently standing 9th in the Drivers Championship with 15 points. All things considered, there is surely enough reason to celebrate and the team behind tgsports is wishing all the best to Falepeau. To celebrate the Togonistani driver's brithday, we shall take a short look back into the past to see the journey he has gone through so far...

Born and raised in Edrana, he developed an interest in cars at young age. Rai Hanakuna, a retired car mechanic, describes Falepeau as being ''that one kid who would always poke his nose in when there was anything happening that involved cars.'' According to Hanakuna, after school day ended, Dom would often show up at the local garage park, where motor enthusiasts spent their evenings building up their machinery to do some amateur-level racing with. Hanakuna remembers how, one day, he handed a spanner to Dom and asked him to help out instead of just goofing around, after which, he slowly started to teach Dom some driving as well as the inner workings of a car. According to Hanakuna, ''Dom was a youngster with some wit. Had he come from the background of wealth, he surely would've started racing a lot sooner.''

Falepeau eventually got his first shot at competitive racing by participating in the entry-level TRCL J-Class Championship at the age of 15, driving a modified second-hand Kaylan Tygo, car which Hanakuna had lent him for the event. The old mechanic memorised how it took a lot of insisting from Falepeau for him to give the chance in the first place. ''I remember how I told him that if he'd end up wrecking the car, he would spend the rest of his life mopping my floors.'' Falepeau however ended up securing himself the title through a tight battle with his fellow young rivals.

Dom's results caught attention of Kaylan's racing division, who ended up inviting the youngster for trials to join their newly-founded young driver development program. According to Larry Karita, one of the driving coaches back then, Falepeau tested out various machinery and showed up decent results. ''There were really low hopes for him to be honest. No one would've though a driver with that little experience could show up such a performance as he did. He surely didn't strike as being a future star in the making, but with a lot of work put in, there was some potential for sure.''

Falepeau was handed a chance to show his worth in TTRL series, given on loan to Domerton team as part of a 2-season contract. He showed some average result and ended midfield during both seasons, constantly outpaced by his more experienced teammate. Yet, for the time being, Falepeau did manage to become the youngest race winner of the series for the time being after his rogue 1st-place result in Ascendia.

That however was not enough to truly convince the higher-ups in Kaylan. Falepeau's fate was left unsure for the following season, which he spent without a full-time race seat. He had a one-off appearance in TTRL, stepping in as a replacement for Kari Nikora in Kaylan, as well as driving half a season in TRCL B-Class. According to Larry Karita, ''The team was still young and green. There was a certain lack of competence running the program, as well as having multiple young drivers on board, looking for a seat to gain experience.''

Falepeau would eventually get another chance when Kaylan's main team announced him as a driver for the next season of TTRL. What turned out to be a 2-season long agreement handed Falepeau 2 wins, 5 pole positions and 7 podium finishes over the course of two seasons. Falepeau ended his final season as a runner-up behind the series veteran Timo Karauna.

It came as somewhat of a bombshell when Kaylan announced the end of their partnership with Falepeau for the following season. ''The program was in the form of a 5-year contract to begin with. For what I know, the team decided to opt for other younger talent to bring into it. I believe there was still some unofficial support and assistance for Falepeau to help make his step into WGP2, but on the official level, it was over.'' Larry Karita comments.

What came as a surprise to many was when Falepeau announced he would move into open-seaters instead, which was later confirmed as the Togonistani signed a contract with Junixwagen to drive in WGP2. Falepeau's maiden season proved to be a rough ride, struggling at the back of the grid and being largely outperformed by his teammate Marcus Schwarz. Many fans and racing journalists questioned Falepeau's sudden move to open-seaters and strongly doubted him ever being WGPC material. Hans Daschund, a team member in Junixwagen, gave us a comment via e-mail, describing Falepeau as a ''driver who was new to the discipline, yet incredibly hard-working and charismatic. WGP2 was a new concept both to him as well the team, but I personally really saw Dom evolving a lot as a driver during his time in the team, despite the results.''

Following a WGP2 season which left him bottom of the standings, many speculated where Falepeau would move on to next. Some speculations indicated there being a chance of Falepeau wearing Kaylan colours again as the Togonistani car manufacturer had fielded a WGP2 team for the upcoming season. However, according to leaks of inside information, there were some disagreements between both parties. Eventually, news arrived about Mattijanan outfit MRT2 fielding one-driver lineup in form of Falepeau for the season. What is largely considered as sort of an odd season by many saw Falepeau getting his first podium finish at the opening round in Savojarna, finishing 2nd behind Janne Laukkanen. Over the course of a 10-race season, Falepeau scored 42 points and finished 11th in the standings.

Next season ended up in the Mattijanan outfit withdrawing their WGP2 subsidiary from the grid, resulting in Falepeau being snatched up by Filindostan-based Badai Angin-IGR, partnering Rod Gozum and forming a relatively strong line-up for the season. Despite a slow start and no points finishes in the opening rounds, Falepeau improved marginally over the course of the season and eventually claimed his first ever WGP2 win in Diarcesia, as well as a podium-finish in Esmerel, helping him end up 4th in Drivers Standings. ''Dom really is a driver who brought a lot to the team. Great personality with lot of attention into detail. He always seemed to somehow balance out the hard work with some good fun.'' a member of Badai Angin's WGP2 team commented to us (Source preferred to stay anonymous).

This takes us to the current season, at the start of which Falepeau impressed the local fanbase by winning Hwoarang 24h Cup race. Rumours started circulating about Falepeau securing a seat in WGPC this season, with Badai Angin, MRT and Fireline all being rumoured to be in talks with the Togonistani driver. Eventually, the Mattijanan outfit announced Falepeau's return to the MRT family, forming a driver line-up with Jasmin Kranjska for WGPC.

Dom Falepeau's career results

That sums up Dom Falepeau's racing career so far. We are almost halfway through the ongoing season, with Abovian Grand Prix left before the mid-season test of Île Saint-Joseph. Next event will see both 50-lap feature race as well as a 30-lap sprint race being driven and will surely be interesting to watch. From the team of tgsports.tn, we once more wish Happy Birthday to The Flying Togoni!

by **Twicetagram and JYPe** » Sat Nov 14, 2020 9:50 pm

A Short: Chars and Janne's First Encounter
This took place during the Nimban Grand Prix

Whatever was happening in the race today was quite exciting indeed. Daryl and I were constantly glued to the screen. I mean, it's the Nimban Grand Prix after all. Shame that I didn't qualify. Yet, it felt like a nice break to be able to have a rest from all the driving.

Watch, I continued to. The race was tantalising enough, but it wasn't enough to distract me from some footsteps outside. I turned around to see Janne Laukkanen. It was the guy whom I met earlier during the pre-season tests. For some reason he seemed to be starstruck when he was around me. Janne was there for a while. He seemed nervous that I was around. Maybe it's because of my face. Or maybe he's an avid fan of my vlogs. I thought. Anyway, I smirked at the thought of that. Unknowingly, I was still facing the Abovian driver. Maybe Janne thought I was trying to seduce him. I wasn't exactly gay or bi though. That moment came to a sudden halt.

"And Talvela is out!" cries the television presenter. "That's the two TRÆ drivers out of the Nimban Grand Prix!"

I turned back to the screen. Damn, the car looked bad from my perspective. I could tell that Janne was horrified, with him and TRÆ both being Abovian after all. After some moments of heated radio in the TRÆ garage, the broadcast went back to showing the race. I wanted to maybe have a small talk with Janne for a while, but he left.

After the race debrief, I was walking back to the paddock where I'd be doing some boring stuff. On the way back I'd met Janne.

"Sup," I called him. Janne was shook for a second, before realising who had called him. After an awkward moment, he'd replied nervously, "Hey Chars. I like your vlogs, they're some cool stuff. I also get to learn a lot of stuff from other countries." He did my iconic hand sign, before burying his face into his hands, full of regret and embarrassment.

"Heh. Thanks for the compliment. With that being said, would you like to appear in my vlog?" I'd asked him. Janne hesitated for a while. He looked dazed, as if something had just struck him and left him in a vegetative state.

"Yeah, sure I guess. I'll consider it." Janne answered, timidly smiling.

"You're a good pal, ya know?" I'd patted his back, and then left after saying that. He's cute, I thought.

by **TJUN-ia** » Sun Nov 15, 2020 9:15 am

Sunday - Race
Lane Carter was starting in the top 10 for the first time since the opening race in Turori. That was the scenario the Galarian was in as he prepared to start P10 in Auruna. It was nice to be up here again, but he knew he couldn't just sit back and allow others to overtake him. He needed to score points to say to the multiverse that "I'm better than you think, you know!". That was the plan, at least, as the five lights went out in Akresna.

The start was OK but on lap 2, the situation changed. R.L. Cruisin, who started in P5, had to retire from the race. Lane wasn't sure if it was a mechanical fault or something else but all he did know was that he was the only Race Eelandii car out there now and he needed to keep going. The rest of his race would see two key overtakes involving the Galarian: the first was iBen Toralmintii getting past on Lap 3 and the other was Carter overtaking Cocoabo #23 on lap 23 to get himself up into 9th, where he would remain until the end. Sigur Bjarnason and Sayono Souzare both would retire before the flag came down but Carter would hold on to those 2 points and finished just behind Dom Falepeau on track. It could've been a better weekend for Race Eelandii overall, but getting 2 more points in the bank is certainly something to take from this race.

Tropicorp Racing Ælund returned to last season's form with Toralmintii leading teammate Terho Talvela to the line by 19 seconds. The home team, Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing, got their first points in a 3-4, Goita beating Stone to the podium by 19 seconds. Ruby Edwards took 5th and the fastest lap in the "Get Good" car with Ibuna, Okumura, Falepeau, Carter and Fast Cocoabo rounding out the points. With Ryker finishing down in 12th, Toralmintii now leads the standings by 7 points in this very tight campaign. Carter's 2 points mean he is now tied with Gregori Krupin in 18th with 5 points each - not where he would like to be, but it was a start. Ælund also leads the Constructors by 19 points to Nexus, who had a terrible weekend. Badai Angin remained 3rd and those 2 points Carter scored meant Race Eelandii are now only 2 points back on Volkov Racing in the battle for 4th. Schkeska-VSK's 3-4 sees them climb to 6th in one race, meaning only the WGPC Motorworks team have yet to score points after 4 races.

Carter was thinking about 2 things as he sat in the paddock post-race. The first was the next race, Abovian Grand Prix, at the infamous Fjellutfordring - a circuit he only tested at in WGP2. The event would be the only time there would be 2 races on the same weekend: Practice and one-shot Qualifying on Friday, the Feature Race on Saturday (50 laps, top 8 scoring points) and the Sprint Race on Sunday (32 laps, top 6 scoring points) with the Top 13 in the Feature Race reversed on the grid for the Sprint (i.e. P13=P1, P12=P2, etc.). It would be an interesting challenge, both one-shot qualifying and 2 races on a circuit he didn't really know that well, but he felt that he would take it on no matter how difficult it became.

The second was Daryl Mizushima. He tried to talk to the Squidroidian after qualifying yesterday but after he failed to qualify, he just ignored the Galarian as he walked by. Lane wasn't sure why he was so fixated on talking to Mizushima, but he pushed that aside. He knew that if Daryl failed to qualify in Aboveland, he would most likely have his entire world crumble around him through memes and laughter. After falling to a similar situation in his career only a few races ago and with the pain of WGP2 in is heart, Lane felt he couldn't allow the Squidroidian to crumble under the pressure. So, in what he considered a smart move, he wrote a letter to Daryl and passed it to a Motorworks engineer before the night was young. He wasn't expecting a response from the kid from the land of squids, in writing or otherwise, but he knew that if nothing was done, another career would fall to the wayside due to fan pressure...

Dear Daryl,

I know you will be weirded out at the idea that a fellow competitor would write a letter to you in this day and age, but I had no other way of getting to you. I know you are having a bad time as of late in the series, both on and off the track, and felt that I needed to tell you that you are not alone in this regard.

My homeland of Galar fell during an international tournament and TJUN-ia opened its arms to Galar's sporting talent and others who could help make the International Community a better place. One of those refugees were me and my 2 brothers, Prince Carter and Jester Carter. I had always loved motorsports, preferring this option over the physical sports my brothers played, and when I got to WGP2, I was ready to prove myself worthy of being TJUN-ia's first-ever open-wheel racing product.

But as that season progressed and even after it, two things meant I did not have a great time. The first was the rise of Jaguar Racing in NSSCRA, who ended up winning a race and nearly ended up getting a driver into the playoffs on debut. I was the engine starter at the TJUN 600 in Peninsula and that was an amazing event, showing that TJUN-ia can host motorsports events of grand scale. The story of JR showed that TJUN-ia can succeed in international motorsports, but it also led to many comparisons between my performances and JR's. I was not the best driver in WGP2 and many felt I was letting the open-wheel program down with my performances.

The 2nd was my brothers. I love my brothers very much and they have done exceptional things for TJUN-ian sports but, like JR, the fans like to use them in comparison to me. Prince is now a regular on the bench for our football (or soccer) team, plying his trade in Ko-oren and becoming a household name for the Jags. Jester is the main man in TJUN-ia's Gridiron defensive wall, helping the Jags to back-to-back 7-3 campaigns in the World Bowl. The only real thing I've done of note so far was Pole at the San Marco WGP2 race, but that led to nothing after I crashed with my teammate on the verge of a 1-2 finish.

Those 2 things were the main reason I left my former team without a trace. I felt I had let everyone down, both as a driver and as a representative to TJUN-ia, and I nearly quit the sport entirely. The only reason I am even on this grid is because my former boss made contact with me to say that he was proud to consider me a part of his team's history. If that didn't happen, I wouldn't be here. Period. I know that personally.

The reason I am telling you this is that I feel you are currently in a similar situation right now. You may feel that compared to the other 3 drivers in your team that you are the 4th wheel, worthless in all regards and a disgrace to your homeland. But I'll tell you that you need to get those thoughts out of your head if you are to succeed at this level. Doubt can grow within your mind and that will cause you to feel that you can do nothing good for your team and that is no way to think about yourself. I would know, as I felt exactly like that over the past few weeks.

Attached to this letter will be my phone number. I'm not expecting you to use it but if you want someone to talk to, then you know what to do. No one should feel they aren't doing enough in the sport they love and I hope this letter shows you that it doesn't have to be this way.

See you in Aboveland.

Kind Regards,
Lane Carter
Driver of #10 for Race Eelandii V&T GP

by **Aboveland** » Sun Nov 15, 2020 10:57 am

Tervelkommen til Fjellutfordring!

Legend: green - grass runoff | beige - gravel runoff | gray - tarmac runoff | black - wall

Fresh on the calendar for the eighteenth season of the World Grand Prix Championship, nestled between the rocky hills of the central Abovian city of Avsidesliggendevuoret, Fjellutfordring is Aboveland's newest international grade circuit. Next week's event will mark the circuit's debut in the limelight as it prepares to host the first ever sprint + feature race event of the WGPC. As a new venue without a practice session, the lap drivers put in on their one-shot qualifying session will be their very first around the circuit.

Following on from local hero Terho Talvela's dominant second drivers' title, a second, ferocious wave of motorsports mania spurred the design and development of a new race circuit away from the western districts of the Nordic nation, bringing the circuit action closer to the capital of Vankkavalta. Fjellutfordring is located just a few kilometers away from the international airport of Avsidesliggendevuoret, making for connections to and from the Abovian Grand Prix easier than ever before.

A lap of Fjellutfordring
The circuit widens as the start/finish straight leads into turn one, a prime overtaking spot with a safe tarmac runoff area to prevent first lap pileups. Drivers must get a good exit to take turn two flat, and be weary of the wall on the outside of turn three before launching off towards turn four over a wide stretch of undulating bumpy tarmac. The road narrows slightly into the tricky braking zone for turn four, then widens again over the slower turns five, six and seven--guaranteed overtaking spots. After turn seven, the track opens up again leading into an ascending, off-cambered right hander lined with grass, before tightening for turn nine and descending towards the lowest point of the circuit at turn 10, where the track widens once more and the runoff is a solid wall placed against the bedrock. Turn 11 is a flat kink which opens up once more to finish the lap.

Lovely track, thinks Janne, as he locks his screen and sets his phone aside on the table. The mid-season test at Fjellutfordring last WGP2 season had been one of the highlights of his season; one of the only times he'd set a lap worthy of the top 3, and an oasis of peace amid his horrid, mojo-crushing season. He takes a timid sip of his flat white--a drink he thinks is different from a latte, but can't really pinpoint how--, then picks his phone up again. His eyes divert from his screen for a moment as an Arcticiar plane lands at Avsidelsiggendevuoret International Airport, then he checks the arrivals board. He'd stayed in touch with Charyseine after the Nimban GP--where he'd made perhaps too much of a fool of himself (which he was still lapidating himself for)--, though speaking very sporadically about the Twicetagrian's vlog ideas and travel plans. He'd asked Janne to be in his vlog; he doesn't know whether he'd been too enthusiastic or not enthusiastic enough with his reply, but hopes it served well enough for Chars to keep his word.

In any case, he's got no idea when or how they're going to meet up again, or even if. Worse still, he's supposed to be a guest on his vlog, but he's not even a local. He knows fuck all about Avsidesliggendevuoret--even though the city is named in his predominant dialect from the Western districts, it's the first time Janne has ventured so far east in the country.He takes another sip of the coffee, this time letting the brown foam settle on his upper lip before wiping it off with his thumb. He shudders, bringing his shoulders up to his ears, then sighs. Stop it! he thinks to himself. You're being stupid! It's just a guy, who's maybe... likely not even gay. And he's too different. Just relax.

He sighs again. Relax. A taxi goes by and ruffles the napkins set on the table.

Terho sits up. "I think that was Janne," he says, turning towards Edvin beside him. As the taxi goes over a bump his head bangs against the privacy glass with a thunk. Edvin nods, raising his eyebrows indifferently. "He's supposed to stick around this weekend," he says, then smirks. "In his new gray attire."

"It's a total waste of resources," Terho replies. He pauses for a moment. "I'm actually just worried about the fact it's a one-off."

"What do you mean?"

"You know... one-off designs never do well in anything. There's always a lot of hype around that shit and it usually ends in a first lap DNF or a catastrophic failure of some sort."

As if the roles have reversed, Edvin chuckles. "You'll love it, trust me," he says. "It'll be a cute trip down memory lane."

Once they've arrived at the circuit, Edvin leads Terho into the garage, where Resilience and its sister car sit quietly covered in a black tarp. Before focusing on the silhouettes of the vehicles, Terho glances around the Fjellutfordring paddock. Having only hosted a mid-season test for WGP2, its facilities are essentially brand new, the shiny cement floors still squeaky and with the smell of freshly spread plaster still lingering in some corners. It's a compact paddock, particularly towards the pit exit, with just enough space for the championship's thirteen teams to set up shop. Today, a day from the start of the grand prix, few of the other teams have arrived yet, though the pit dividers and driver boards out on the pitlane have already been installed. TRÆ's home advantage means the cars were able to make it to the track earlier than most, but only via air.

Swiftly, Edvin diverts Terho's attention to the car-shaped figures before them, resting on the garage floor. Beside them, on a chair, is a black bag with 'WGPC14 RACE SUITS scribbled on a piece of yellow duct tape slapped onto the fabric. iBen hasn't arrived yet at the track, but the Vilitans and the Turorians of the team are all mostly present already, many of them carried over from the V+T Motorsports outfit which won the WGPC14 constructors' title and carried Terho to his very first drivers' championship. Tropicorp Racing Ælund's success, without a doubt, is greatly down to them.

Edvin heads towards the front of the tarp, which is shared between both cars, and peeks under the sheet. He shakes his hand at Terho to signal him to go around beside him, as its his own car on his side, and with a nod to the mechanic who holds the sheet opposite Edvin they start to pull back the cover. The nose, more matte than TRÆ's usual paint scheme, is black, flanked by the gunmetal gray of the surface of the front wing. As the tarp rolls back further, Terho, who'd been nervously biting his bottom lip, gleams.

He puts his mezmerised stare on hold to look up at Edvin for a moment. "Excellent," he says, beaming. Edvin smiles back, as does the rest of the plurinational outfit.

Morale, though prudent, is high once again.

by **Lisander** » Sun Nov 15, 2020 11:24 am

Not everything is that bad!
Other endeavours of Lisander Motorsport are agitating the scene, like NSSCRA and Formula Hinode
Eric Donner

TAS Alliance and Sissie Devereux are stuck in the back of the grid, but under the radar of LAB, things are going differently. We're getting used with the bad results in WGPC, but this isn't an excuse to not do our job properly. Yet, instead of bringing ominous prognostics for the next double-header in Fjellutfordring, let's talk about other motorsport championships today.

NSSCRA: Licio Granado Awarded a Charter
The LAB-independent entries to NSSCRA were announced. Once more, Lício Granado, Andrew Holden and Mor Holstein are joining the pack. For his results in NSSCRA 8, Granado was awarded a Charter and will race every race. It's a nice thing to see. He is managing his career pretty well, even after losing the Petrovas sponsorship. His primary partner, Castleford Auto Dealers, keep with him because "it's the only sponsorship contract we ever had, and the only one that we in fact needed since our sells raised in 34% since we started to support Lício". To cover for the money of the Vassiyans, another foreign company came. Horie Building Partners, a big building corporation from Kikunomi that is entering the Lisanderian Market.

Otherside from that, the veteran Andrew Holden, comes probably for his last stint in motorsport, 20 years after he started being a businessman and a "Gentleman Driver". As usual, he keeps the purple and orange Haines Racing livery, and if this continues, we could imagine that Kevin Venn, another Haines-sponsored driver, will follow his steps and pick up the #32, or try for its native #6 (that would be a difficult choice since #6 is already used by a chartered driver, Alex Knight). Thirdly and lastly, little is known about Mor Holstein future. The driver of the #26 may have little chance of showing results without a guaranteed charter, but maybe joining the second tier would be the most useful for her. With her former sponsor, "Axis Clean", not returning for her car on this season, the Bitten Heroes Academy Driver did not announce the main sponsor for her car, we don't even know if Bitten Heroes brand, currently held by Andrea Lanza, LAB President, will be used.

Formula Hodori:Who in the actual f--- is Arturia Nero?
She's precious. Nineteen years old, golden hair, eyes of a beautiful teal. She could be a model, a TV actress, a music diva, but her grimy nails, calloused hands and nonchalant stance to most of the things related to female beauty are signs of because she's nothing like that. She is a racing driver and a good one. Arturia Nero joined Saber Ironworks two years ago, as an intern in the assembling sector. Her manual abilities and perfect sense of timing were proved by helping the design sector and (unbelievably) in Sim Racing. She's aggressive and goes deep in the turns, not afraid to seek for those extra thousandths of second on the kerbs. That guaranteed her a spot in an internal championship of go-karts. From then on, she made some good money with karting events, but especially with streaming her Sim Racing events. She won alone the Virtual "Costa 12h" from last season under the nickname "QueenNero". When asked why joining on a 12h racing without a partner (something that involved too little time to drink water or even using a bathroom) she said: "I'm too jealous of my steering wheel. It was the first thing I ever designed and built, so it's mine only." That win and the finish of her internship made her leave Saber. Kimi Nasunen had different plans from Arturia Nero and contracted her to TEAM-MOON, his racing company. The transition from Karts to Open-wheel happened last year, in occasional open-formula races. Driving a heavily modified KB-01 (WGPC 15 Car spec), she got some interesting results but wasn't able to get a LAB license because lacking in the required mileage. Thus, not allowed to race in WGP3.

Everything changed when Toad Racing team was on the verge of leaving Formula Hinode in favour of a less resource-consuming Formula Hinode 2. Nasunen got them covered, transforming the operation in TEAM-MOON Toad Racing Team. Stellenbosch joined the team as tyre supplier (what relieved the financial burden of being kicked out from WGPC even before the start of the races), then Arturia got her first opportunity for a seat in a long-term championship. And she's not disappointing at all! After five races, her performance is being consistent, and she is scoring points every race: 1 in Misei, 6 in Somei-Yoshino (including 1 for fast lap), 7 in Kanteshima (could have been more, since she made the pole position there), 8 (and her first podium) in Berinii and 1 in Makatsushima. She is currently the third in the table, tied with the other driver of the team, Maresuke Sawada.

More from TURBO

LAB Virtual Costa 12h: Signups still open for qualifying races

ESRL: Lourdina Westgrens will appear in a purple sport car prepared by TEAMBH. What does that mean?

How to watch Formula Hinode?

NSSCRA: Lício Granado presents new partners!

by **Squidroidia** » Sun Nov 15, 2020 12:54 pm

Lane Carter's letter fell into the lap of the 18 year old Squidroidian when he rocked up to the city of Avsidesliggendevuoret for the Abovian Grand Prix. Daryl was at a low point in his career, having not qualified for the past 2 grand prix and doubting himself even before he got to the paddock. The Motorworks engineer putting the letter in his hands was even suspect that Daryl would like it. How would he react to a rival driver sending him a letter?

Well it wasn't bad. He arrived the day before the Grand Prix, and once he actually read the letter, Mr. Mizushima was.., Happy. Lane knew that Daryl was on the edge, one slipup away from being the biggest joke of a paydriver since, well, forever. He had this smile on his face, this big gleaming smile, and it seemed like the clouds were away. Of course, it was only temporary, he knew that the Abovian Grand Prix would be a make or break moment in his young career, and who knows where he could go?

Daryl read the letter once, then twice, before realizing that he had to confess to Lane. He remembered the time he had at the Cocoabo Expo all those weeks ago, driving V&T machinery from many seasons ago and earning himself the pole position, while Lane himself ultimately got the ride for one of the most famous brands in motorsports - And Daryl technically got the ride from another famous motorsports brand. When Daryl Mizushima was faced with his lowest point, he kept on going.

Dear Lane,

Thanks for the letter you sent to me. It has warmed my heart very much. I know that it isn't going to turn around my fortunes in an instant, but I'm glad that you wanted to extend your hand out to a driver on the edge.

You see, I had to go through a lot to get here. First of all, I wasn't a Squidroidian at first, I was a Inkhallan. A younger me roamed the city of Inkopolis with my father Yusuke right when the Apocalypse occurred, ruining many lives thanks to the Squidroids and their mindless, insanity driving song. I had to endure 5 long months living in rubble and fighting off zombie like humans and squids just to come out the other side as a Squidroidian.

After that, of course, Yusuke got rich off of FunStar, and that's when I got interested with racing. I would see highlights of past races on my phone, and seeing all of these people go around got me interested in motorsport. So my father ended up sending me karting in another land, and I didn't do so hot. I was not a good kart driver, believe me. I would often punt other drivers out of the way in frustration!

After a while, I calmed myself enough to attempt the jump to the WGPC. You know how going from a Sunday league benchwarmer to being called up to the national team for the World Cup is? It's daunting, not many people will survive or even do it, but I took the risk of my motorsport career and hopped into that Preston for the first time for tryouts. There was no looking back after I finished 11th in the Trials, not too bad for a newcomer.

Of course you know because of the Cocoabo Expo. I wasn't in your group, I know, but in Group B I had drivers which would end up in the Championship come the first round in Eelandi - Those were Volkov's Sara Luna and MRT's Dom Falepeau, not to mention all 3 of my Motorworks teammates - Dario, Kinu and Charyseine. You knew how it went - In qualifying I got 3rd in my group (Along with you), but in the wet, I would end up on pole. All that hard work paid off and the doubts I had when I strapped into the Preston all erased. And then I crashed towards the end of the race. That left you with a seat at V&T for the first round in Eelandi, while I had to strap into "The Brick" - WGPC Motorworks.

Truth be told I am a wet driver. My pole came in the rain, and my only Grand Prix start in Dashoze came when I qualified by the skin of my teeth over Dario in qualifying. And yes, I was behind R.L. Cruisin, your teammate, when the lights went out. It was a surreal experience! Unfortunately I haven't qualified in the dry yet, and I hope I do qualify in the dry for the Abovian Grand Prix - 2 races on the same track, one feature, one sprint.

Of course, missing all other races was why I was doubting myself. I was representing my country, I had the Squidroidian helmet, but at what cost? I was laughed out of forums whenever they discussed me botching my qualifying runs, and there is more pressure on this next race because it is one-shot qualifying. And what happened last time I had one-shot qualifying? I got the pole.

I couldn't write back right away in Auruna due to my sponsorship duties. Fellow countryman Shigeru Ishikawa is set to drive the FunStar #40 for Inklingcraft Singularity in NSSCRA, and that has taken a toll on my already tough schedule. Next thing you know I'll be driving a stock car around the Talbott Autodrome! Just kidding, just kidding, I won't do that. But if FunStar wants me to drive a stock car and Shigeru wants to drive my Motorworks car for a promotional stunt, I'll be on it! You can't turn down good marketing, as they say around here.

My ride has been a bunch of highs and lows, and I am in those lows. But I know I have to perform to the best of my ability once qualifying starts for the Aurun Grand Prix. I know you'll be trying to set a high position in your #10 V&T, but in my #63 Motorworks I will try to qualify. It's heads versus tails, and I have ended up with the wrong side of the coin 3 times out of 4. I hope I'll get to race this weekend, but if I don't, I won't get mad. I tried my hardest, and it'd be time to move on to mid-season testing.

Thanks for reading this letter. If you want to talk to me via email, you can always do so at dmizushima@squidmail.sqr. I can be in touch with youwhenever my sponsorship duties are fulfilled, which with the NSSCRA ambitions might take a while, but I don't mind. I am not giving up just yet. Even though I may think I'm a 4th wheel I can do much more. Whether or not you see it this weekend or next year? Wait and see.

Good luck,
Daryl Mizushima
#63 WGPC Motorworks

by **Valentine Z** » Sun Nov 15, 2020 3:15 pm

Post 11 – The Data’s Not Enough.

“I got this… I got this,” Adriana thought to herself, hoping for something either significant, or uneventful at worst. The idea of her getting a DNF is something that she did not need, and she would try to make that her objective – to make defeat an impossibility.

“Ready… Set… Go!” the announcer blared, with the vehicles roaring with energy and excitement from their respective drivers. Adriana followed suit, hoping and making sure that she was driving as cleanly as possible while gaining positions.

The first few laps would have went through with little to no difficulty. For someone like Adriana, speed is something that she was not worried too much about; after all, her computational mind can calculate way faster than a normal human driver. However, what worried her was something else that was not in her CPU mind. What worried her, was not something from a program in her many subroutines. What worried her was… human.

At every turn 5 and turn 19, instincts would kick in and she would slow down as hard as she could, often ending up so slowly that she would have a few other racers passing her. In one worst case, she was unintentionally blocking a driver behind her, #41 of Nexus Racing, it would seem. On the second lap, a DNF happened to R.L. Cruisin of Race Eelandii V&T GP, and that gave Adriana further stress on her mind, her CPU mind working as best as it can to calculate trajectories and clear paths. She was listening to the Fireline staff as much as she can, all the information and voice inputs recorded in her mind so that she can do a replay of it later.

She eventually made it to 6th, it would seem, but more trouble unfortunately soon followed the Valentian driver. Adriana went through the pit stop without any incident, but her vehicle soon afterwards suffered a minor problem – it was stuck on the 5th gear. Or rather, it would seem that the button on the steering wheel was stuck.

“Och, na miłość boską!” she exclaimed quietly, using her pinky finger to bring out a small screwdriver that would dislodge the jam and snap the button back into place. The little operation worked, but at the cost of having a bad start at the 31st lap.

“Przynajmniej nie był to problem z oponami.”

“Sorry, Adriana, say again?” the crew chief would inquire on Adriana, not catching the Polish.

“Oh, sorry! I mean that my tires are fine, yeah. They gave me trouble last time, sorry!”

“Oh, I see. Good luck, Kowalski, over!” the crew chief replied back, letting Adriana do the driving for the remainder of the race. The remainder of the race went swimmingly, as well as one could get.

“18th, not bad!” she thought to herself, looking at the scoreboard, “Mógłbym być lepszy. Tropicorp Racing, they are amazing!” while commenting on the win and the 2nd placement that came both from Tropicorp.

Exhausted, Adriana got herself a fresh change of battery – she can charge through a cable and the port on her head, but she would rather replace batteries and charge them on a stand. Either that, or she can eat human foods in order to assimilate the food stuff into total energy. Much more efficient than the humans’ energy conversion rate.

With a glass of apple juice in her hand, Adriana flipped through her tablet as she looked at the data that she got herself today:

Given her reliability and technique, she found herself performing at least 110% of a par driver. That is, the y-axis would indicate how fast or how slow she was going for those particular points of the race course, when compared to an average time that she has managed to obtain, in combination of the Practice and Qualifications.

“You know, that was not bad!” Angela cheered her up, while Angeline offered to fill up Adriana’s glass with more apple juice. Angela continued further, “I mean, if you look at it, you are performing much better than the rest of the racers! At least, on the par driver.”

“Oh yeah, that I don’t deny, hehe,” Adriana commented back, “But I always get scared about those sharp turns. See Turns 5 and 19? Yeah, those dips are not because of my circuitry. It was more… human, let’s just put it that way. My human instincts kicked in, thinking that it is way too impossible for me to make those turns at the speeds my calculations are suggesting.”

“And so you stopped more than the suggested limit, as calculated?”

“Indeed. Part of me feels that it’s foolish of me to do that, but at the same time…”

Angeline would then proceed to complete the sentence for her, “Your lack of aggression makes it more commendable. Your human mind did not want to put anyone in danger. The calculations might be right, but you might have quickly accounted for other factors in the background, not just for your own safety. Maybe the tire friction, the road slippage, the angling, all of that. You also did not want to endanger other drivers!”

“Yeah, when you put it that way, it does sound like I am doing good! Like good as in “do good”, not the “I’m doing great”, haha!”

“Yeaup, indeed! So… anything in plan for tonight, or you just want to head on to the next place already?”

“I think I want to sleep here tonight, Angeline. Maybe tomorrow, then we will go to the next destination. Any interesting night life in particular?”

“Well, the usual, it would seem. The locals definitely speak an interesting language! I unfortunately got a little stuck there, and Angeline wasn’t able to help as much. Oh, no offense.”

“None taken! Yeah, it’s difficult to learn their language. Hey, it was a bit difficult to pronounce “Ya oisi küt üka keika, ienne.” It’s a little bit of a tongue twister. They are very, very accommodating though! Thankfully, they speak English and German, too. Man, I do hope we will go to Brazil, or some place resembling that. Just anywhere that has Portuguese!”

“Or Canadian English! Or French, hm hm!” Angela commented.

“I could definitely lean their language. Well, I should have, anyway,” Adriana commented, tapping her head for a while, “But… you know, my machine translations are not very perfect. I don’t even speak perfect Polish!”

The three women laughed and had a lighthearted talk for a while, before going off to sleep and rest for the next day.

“No night life?” Angela asked, before they hop on to their beds.

“Nahhh, I’m good. I’m quite tired from today, too. That, and ordering the coffee was a bit of a chore.”

Adriana slept on the floor, her 22 feet body too big for the bed to accommodate. Angela and Angeline would sleep curled up.

by **Sorlovia** » Sun Nov 15, 2020 3:35 pm

Akresna Circuit

A thirteenth place finish wasn’t had Gregori had hoped for. If he’d been the superstitious type of he might’ve seen an omen in it but he didn’t hold to such beliefs. Sara came in close behind and he saw something somewhat satisfying about the two Volkov cars finishing together. It had never happened before and, despite his frustration, he saw something pleasant in it. It made the race team far more visible in a way having two of its cars together. There wasn’t much difference between his car and Sara’s aside from a few personal touches. Sara had put a decal of her personal logo on her car and, inspired by her, Gregori had followed suit with one of his own.

“Well,” he said quietly “that wasn’t exactly what I’d hoped for.”

“Don’t stress about it Gregori,” Viktor replied as he patted him on the back “the race is a fickle and unforgiving mistress. Sometimes you are riding high at the front of the pack and the next race you’re near the back. All you can do is do your best and train hard.”

In his youth, he was now in his early sixties, Viktor had been a racer. He hadn’t raced in the WGPC or even its industry. He’d been one of the first rally racers in Sorlovian history and had quickly made a name for himself. The two motorsports were very different but there were some basic similarities to the experience. After all, a race was a race. The pressures on the drivers were similar as were the demands of the season. Viktor had the experience that helped Gregori more than Viktor would like to admit. The older racer provided valuable input on how to best handle the car and how to view the race before him. A WGPC was wildly different to a rally car but the basic experience at the wheel of both was the same. You were at the wheel of a high performance vehicle that needed a special skill to properly use.

Gregori’s focus had already turned to the Abovian Gran Prix. Racing in Abovian, for whatever reason, had always been a particular challenge for him. Some of his team in the precious season had likened it to a kind of curse. He couldn’t dispute the fact that for some reason he always seemed to have a far harder time on Abovian soil. Fjellutfordring looked to be a challenging course. He’d spent the last hour and a half pouring over the map of the course in an effort at learning as much about it as he could ahead of actually setting foot on it. A slight spark of nerves flickered within him when he saw the Abovian name but he shook his head and cleared his mind.

“Are you nervous about Aboveland my love?” Elena said softly “I know that you worry about it. But I don’t want you stressed and worried. You train hard and put everything you’ve got into these races.”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t,” he sighed “there is just something about Abovian tracks that seems to work against me. I don’t believe in the curse but there’s something there. I don’t know what it is. But something always seems to go wrong.”

Gregori’s focus was taken off the looming race in Aboveland when his baby kicked. Elena reached to take his hand and gently laid it on her growing belly. She was just over four months pregnant and her doctors had told her that the baby would begin to kick at that stage as it tested out its little limbs in her womb. For a first time mother, Gregori imagined, that might feel strange. He’d spent the best part of ten minutes mentally picturing the situation.

by **Nekoni** » Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:30 am

It was five in the afternoon at Erica Okumura's house in the quiet, leafy suburbs of Varea, and Erica, just like at that night at Crossbay, hadn't moved from her bed all day. However, unlike Crossbay, this was for the competely opposite reason: she was relaxing. Two good race showings meant that Erica had earned a fair few points for the championship, and she could probably have a few days R&R at home in comfort without feeling like she was skimping on training too much. Besides, the next race was a double-header, at a circuit that wasn't all that tough to drive, and seemed to fit her style pretty well. Also, it was the first day back in Nekoni for strictly non-work purposes in ages.

Sat up in bed, her laptop perched on her legs on a tray, occasionally taking a quick break to drink and swirl around with a spoon an incredibly dark hot chocolate, her day was split between the Herculanean tasks of catching up on a boatload of NTR shows she had missed out on, having a browse through social media (trying, and failing to not egosearch, and then being pleasantly surprised that the fans didn't hate her...although that was probably because she was scoring points now), and her own little vice, online poker.

She was always a fan of poker, but not really growing up with a social life meant that she didn't have many people to play it with. When she was of legal age, Erica was too afraid to be out late on her own, let alone in a smoky gambling den hidden in some grotty Varea back alley. Thank God for online poker, then. It wasn't the allure of winning money, certainly not - her career meant that she was financially set for life, and she only went to the table with 5,000 gen (NS$89) at a time. It was all in the game.

Much like a WGPC race, playing poker is all about risk, and specifically how you perceive other players handle risk. To win at both, one must take risks, however, someone who plays all-in at every hand typically ends up the same way as anyone who attempts a pass at every opportunity they see: they hit a wall. The key is knowing when to take the gamble, and, although the game appears to be based on luck, through careful analysis of your rivals, you can work out exactly when to defend, and, crucially, when to strike. Case in point: the current round of play.

In the 8-player round, 5k gen buy-in, Erica had held out to the final three. Erica had big blind of 500 gen, leaving her with a solid 10,000 chips left to play. At the opposite end of the virtual desk, the two remaining players were both ahead of her, in the 15s. All are playing the hand, and the flop came. Queen of clubs. 4 of spades. 4 of clubs. Immediately, one of the players, went in hard. Ten thousand on the table. It was an attempt at goading Erica, an invitation to go all-in. The other person, surprisingly, joined in.

This was an inriguing stand-off, as Erica wryly smiled. Normally when she played poker, someone going all-in meant that the showdown would have been a 1v1 affair, and at the moment, it was. There was a dilemma here. If she took the risk and failed, she'd exit with nothing. If she DIDN'T take the risk, one of them was about to become heavily dominant, and it would be a hell of a task to overcome and win from that position. If she took a gamble, there was a chance she'd be the dominant one and show up the guy at the end of the table for his goading.

The goad didn't look like a bluff. There was an immediacy in the reaction to the raise, like he'd have just seen what he thought was his meal ticket. Erica hovered her mouse over the user profile. "Registered 5 hours ago." Was this his first time playing for money? Was he reckless...or did he have a real winner? Erica thought long about her next move, as the on-screen timer ticked down. Forty seconds to make a move. She loudly talked over her strategy.

"Surely, it's not a bluff, right? If he's gone in like that on his first go, he's either got a queen or a 4. He's definitely got at least two pair, and he's probably going for a full house." Thirty seconds. "But what about the other guy? He took the bait but he went slower. Is he hiding something?" Twenty, Erica. Make a move now. "If I play this wrong, one of those two is gonna have an unassailable lead with 30k in the pot." TEN, ERICA. MOVE. She looked down at her cards, and let out a wry smile. Yeah, she was going to chance it. 'Call'. All three were putting ten thousand on the line, ₲30,750 in the pot.

Next card. A 3 of clubs. A good card. A low card, which meant that the tide may be on her side in the event of a tie. However, if someone else had a three, that would make things a bit of a worry. The final card turned...the king of hearts. With that, everyone revealed their cards. The quiet guy first: three 4s. The goader must have been smiling like a jackal as his cards revealed. He had the other 4, and a Queen. Full house. Surely the pot was his...but it wasn't.

Erica chuckled as the screen showed what she'd been hiding all along. Her hand was a pair of Kings. Both red. Three kings. Two fours. A full house, but with a better rank. Thanks for the chips, mate. As the screen displayed all 30 thousand of those glorious chips enter her account, and the two other players dropping to four figures, she smiled with glee as she typed a condescending "Ooh, unlucky!" in the chat window. She cackled with laughter as the response from the goader was an angry capitalised invitation in French to go fuck herself. Yeah, this was a newbie alright.

In the final stages of the match, all Erica needed to do was play conservatively, only take the hands she knew she could take, let the other two destroy each other out of the game, and go all-in to eliminate the survivor. It was even sweeter that the runner-up was the goader, who had clearly lost his attempt at a poker face, and had resorted to capitalised insults whenever he lost a hand. Clearly the boy wasn't that difficult to read. "Oh well", typed Erica as the final flush came in to knock him out. "At least you came second. Shame second doesn't win shit

" She accepted her winnings and left the lobby, leaving the poor kid screaming at a screen all on his own.

So, in the space of about half an hour, she turned 5,000 gens of chips into 40k (about NS$712). Not much to her, but she still knew exactly what to do with her newly gotten winnings. She cashed out the chips digitally into her bank, then rummaged into her bedside table, retrieving her phone. Right at the top of the contacts list, she found, of course, Alexandra.

"Hey, Allie, it's Eri. You got dinner plans tonight? I'm about to go to the Brasserie Nord for the best steak dinner of my damn life, and it would be a real, real shame if I was enjoying it all alone!"

by **Auruna** » Tue Nov 17, 2020 6:36 am

Sÿrä-prii Auruna
Akresna Circuit
Race

The good results in qualifying are nice but it's at the race where everything needs to go well. Everything. Viska's time to fight back. The pressure's higher than before, it's their home race after all.

Let's fight back.

The usual routine, Jöna gets on the radio early, right before the formation lap starts. "Let me continue from what I said yesterday. They always tell me, täitä kausit mennä vöitä, kausit loppa - fight until we win, until the end. Well, it works for Viska. Each race is a battle, it is either won or lost. Each loss is something where we can improve from. It's not usually up to fate nor luck to get a win, you need to put in your effort for it, fight for it. Then it makes each win more valuable, you know, it's special. You might disagree with some stuff here, but it's alright. We will still fight. Täitä, right? Let's go, fight well and good luck."

The drivers set off for the formation lap. The whole team feels the pressure of their home race. Hopefully Jöna got the drivers and the team motivated. It's their chance to break that no-point streak and take the battle to the front. They now line up in their respective grid slots. Five lights. Then chaos starts. How about Viska? It's the start of their own beautifully orchestrated chaos. It may not make sense to you but to them, it does.

Goita and Olivia nailed their starts and they're off and away from their starting positions. They gained a lot and are now catching up to the leaders. It looks well for the team. The drivers are doing great.

Täitä!

After the first two laps, they are already running inside the Top 5. Time to push on... or rather, hold on, for now.

"Tell both of them to conserve, hold their positions, we're pitting a bit later on." Artur says, calling their strats. They absolutely trust him here. He's a respected strategist. Now, they know what to do. Laps pass, they held onto their current positions with great success, they didn't fall, they fought on. Both eagles managed to create a large gap from the cars behind them. It's still too early for rest. With the scheduled pits coming in fast, they need to keep their focus.

Jan and Baxen, the two race engineers are working in close harmony with their respective drivers and the rest of the team. look at them motivated to get lots of points, high finishes if not a win. Oh how would it feel when you managed to get a success after weeks of struggles. It would feel great.

Come lap 25. "Box next lap for mediums, box next lap for mediums. Artur called for a one-stop."

Then at the next lap, Goita was in first. His stop was around 3 seconds. It was not bad but not great as well. Anyways, with the gap he created, it should go well for him.

"Alright, get them well heated up so push, Mode 6 Type 3 for two laps, then down to Type 2 after them. Let's go."

At the next lap, it's similar with Olivia but her stop is slightly faster at around 2.6 seconds. She was also on the mediums in a similar strategy to Goita.

"Let's get these tyres to the end."

Both lost a few places, that will not do. They push to reclaim what they deserve. Currently running P7 and P11 respectively, they will fight hard for what they want. They overtake the other drivers in their relatively cold mediums but they make it stick. They work their tyres hard without overheating them and when they are at the right temperature, a call was heard.

"Type 4, hold Burst, push and overtake!"

"Well then." Inside the heads of both drivers. They start to push, hard. They are rising up the order at speed. The eagles strike their targets, claim their victims and rise back up. It's what they are doing.

Laps pass by in seconds, it feels quick. It's a matter of time before this whole thing ends but they're still climbing. Nothing's stopping them.

Jan's voice rises. "Let's get the Preston! Mode 7, Type 4, Burst on the straights, täitä!" It's unusual but it fits the mood, it's getting intense. The lap counter is getting close to 49. Goita makes his move and makes it stick right before the yellow flags come out for that sector.

"Nice job! That's P3 for us, we can try for P2. Three laps left. It's possible. It's your call. "

Goita tries anyway.

Right behind, Olivia overtakes the Preston of Rudy Edwards. She's now P4 but 20 seconds off of Goita. She couldn't get a podium for now, but it's a good thing that Goita is there.

Few laps later, the chequered flag is waved, the leaders cross the line. Then a few seconds later. Goita, P3 then Stone at P4. The garage overflows with joy. Everyone's up from their chairs, celebrating with some of the crew at the pit wall, waving to both of their drivers in celebration.

Jan goes on the radio for Goita. "That's P3! Congratulations! You fought well. See you at the podium!"

Jöna follows the messages to both drivers with a quick one. "That's what I was waiting for! Goita P3, Stone P4. Great work you two! Täitänä hevä! Täitänä hevä!"

It was a great day for the team, it's like their win at the WGP2. A wonderful one. One which the eagles would be proud of.

And they can do better.

Täitä Viska täitä!

by **Filindostan** » Tue Nov 17, 2020 10:32 am

Akresna Circui
Akresna, Auruna
Aurun Grand Prix

Rusty had a golden chance to get his second career win of his WGPC career when he qualified on the first row alongside defending champion Terho Talvela. He made a good start, enough to challenge the Abovian driver in the first few corners of the first lap, but was unable to take the lead from the TRAE driver. Instead in the next few laps, he lost key positions to other drivers, including iBen Toralmintii, and the Preston of Rudy Edwards, in which when the Hapiloppian overtook the Filindo driver on turn 12, the latter was taken a dose of the message the rear wing of the Preston car wanted to tell - "GET GOOD".

"Hey Matthias, it seems I am losing ground with this tyre."

"Rusty, just see the car in front of you. It is telling you to get good. He thinks you are not good enough."

"Shut up Matthias, I need to concentrate."

The BAP002 was kept behind the Preston for virtually the remainder of entire race, even after the pitstops that ensued. The Filindo tried everything to overtake the Hapiloppian, but the grunt and grace of the Preston chassis, albeit a glass cannon of a car with poor reliability, and the ever-present strong message the car sends through the rear wing, telling the driver of the car directly behind him, to 'get good', is making Rusty very uneasy in his car.

"Have you got good now, Rusty?"

"No, Matthias, and please stop with the 'Get Good' shtick or I'll show you what good thing you should do in next races. And your grammar is incorrect, it's getting so cringey."

"That's the message Rusty, you need to get good, you cannot beat Alex with these sorts of performances you have here."

"Shut up. Let me concentrate on this."

Despite all his efforts and prayers that somehow the Preston would encounter problems with the car, the Filindo driver was not able to overtake Edwards, and was kept behind the Preston with the words 'GET GOOD' plastered all over his helmet visor, and in his mind. He had finished in the points in 6th, but it was not the performance he had hoped for. With Alex finishing outside the points and a lap down due to his poor starting position, it was looking to be last season again, with the TRAE drivers finishing 1-2, taking both drivers and constructors' championships and Nexus Racing behind them in second.

Of course, Badai Angin was behind the two teams in third, but they would need to get good in the next round in Fjellutfordring, with the target being to finish in the top six to score good points. Not performing well in this circuit would allow the leading teams to create a bigger gap between them and Badai Angin in both championships.

This was looking to be another mid-season slump for the Filindo outfit and for Rusty too.

by **Cocoabo Forest** » Tue Nov 17, 2020 11:25 am

Fast Cocoabo Back in the points in Auruna

Aurun Grand Prix, Akresna Circuit - International Layout, Auruna :: After two consecutive finishes outside the points it was a strong weekend for Cocoabo #23 and the Fireline Motorsports team. The Fast Cocoabo was one of the most consistent performers all week long at the Akresna Circuit. After posting the 7th fastest time in the practice session, Cocoabo #23 kept the Fireline Machine inside the Top 10 with a 9th place qualifying effort that set the team up for a strong performance on race day. Cocoabo #23 battled throughout the day with MRT's Dom alepau and Race Eelandii V&T GP driver Lane Carter but saw the tires fall off more at the end having to push the slightly under-engineered Fireline machine a little harder than the two more well-funded and expertly engineered cars in front of them. Fast Cocoabo was passed by eventual winner iBen Toralmintii with 3 laps remaining around the International Layout at the Akresna Circuit but retained their spot inside the top 10 to sneak away from Auruna with the final point. The point moved Fast Cocoabo up to the 12 point mark on the season which is also the amount of points earned by the Fireline Motorsports in the Constructors Standings as Fast Cocoabo's teammate Adriana Kowalski of Valentine Z has yet to finish inside the points.

WGPC18 Supplier Performance Standings

[1] - 94 :: Tropicorp Racing Supply
[2] - 66 :: InMotion
[3] - 48 :: Solymok
[4] - 16 :: Deyoze

From that perspective, the World Grand Prix season has been a glowing success for the Cocoabo Enrichment and Enhancement Project. While no one expected Cocoabo #23 to come in and immediately challenge the established teams and drivers for a World Grand Prix Championship, many would have been concerned at the fallout if Cocoabo #23 had struggled to keep pace even with the non-Cocoabo newcomers. Instead, with two points finishes in four races thus far and having directly outscored their teammate, Cocoabo #23 has proven the ability to perform competitively on track and may now be re-calibrating their expectations for the season to target a first ever Podium Finish for the species at the World Grand Prix level.

For the third consecutive Grand Prix race weekend all four World Grand Prix Championship tyre suppliers finished inside the points showing that thus far there is no supplier that has completely missed the mark and fielded an inferior product that could result in teams abandoning a given supplier for performance reasons at some point during the season. However, while all three suppliers have finished in the points for three consecutive events there are still just two suppliers that have put their drivers atop the podium as the season approaches the final race weekend before its half-way break. After two straight races in the shadows of InMotion, Tropicorp Racing Supply have returned to the top of the podium and done so with a maximum 27-point haul thanks to Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing driver Rudy Edwards having set the fastest lap for the event. The result would also leave Tropicorp as the last supplier to have placed at least one car on the podium as each of the four Grands Prix contested during the World Grand Prix Championship's 18th season as the sixth place finisher - former Race Eelandii VTGP driver Rustom Ibuna who now competes for Badai Angin Tim Motorsport was the highest placed driver on Solymok Tyres at the Aurun Grand Prix. It ended the streak of having at least one Solymok driver on the podium which had remained through the first three events of the season. 7th Place finisher Erica Okumura of Polaris Racing Team was the highest finishing driver for Deyoze Tyres.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Tue Nov 17, 2020 11:41 am

So close. So close. He was so close to grabbing another World Grand Prix Championship point, but alas, William Archer simply ran out of laps to overtake Cocoabo #23.

After the nightmare that was qualifying where William basically found himself starting on the back row of the grid, he had opted to go for the hardest compound of tyres available for him with a mind for extending his first stint as much as he could before strapping on the softest compound near the end of the race and hopefully making a late charge through the field. He knew that he wasn't going to be making any overtakes of note, and indeed he remained stuck in P23 for the first lap, and then R.L. Cruisin went off on the next lap, causing some chaos and shuffling in the field as drivers dived into the pits on the thought that they would get a safety car or even just a virtual one. William didn't follow those drivers as he remained firm on his plan, and his engineer allowed him to stay out after a brief discussion.

The inevitable blue flag arrived for William around lap 29. By that time the Fleftic driver had managed to put himself in the high teens by then because his hard compound tyres had finally gotten warm and worn enough to give him a good amount of grip, but it had always been an exercise in futility, like Sisyphus rolling his boulder up a mountain only for it to fall down again and for the process to repeat itself ad infinitum. People were going to make a mockery of the slogan plastered on the PGP-01's rear wing again, but then again it wasn't William's job to deal with social media.

William finally boxed for his soft compound tyres on lap 38, an action he took only because he had finally built up a 21 second lead over the driver behind him. The stop also put him out into a clear patch of track, which certainly helped him in getting the tyres switched on. He found himself in P14, behind the two Volkovs and one of Nexus Racing's eight-wheelers. William got past Sara Luna on his first flying lap after the pit, an action which immediately put his nosecone just a few inches away from Gregori Krupin's gearbox. Krupin fought off William's advances with a little more determination and desire than Luna, an action that may have had something to do with Krupin being unable to get past William back in the Nexus Wardship a few weeks previous. But the Fleftic's fresher tyres eventually saw William past Krupin, leaving only Ryker Lane blocking his way into challenging for a points finish.

William blew past the eight-wheeler after only barely a lap behind it. After getting an early head start in the constructors' championship, Nexus Racing were now struggling, although whether it was just the inherent unpredictability of WGPC or if the track had something to do with it, William couldn't be sure. He might be advancing through the field quickly in the last ten laps of the race but William still didn't like the Akresna Circuit that much. And now he only had the Fireline Motorsports car of Cocoabo #23 in front of him preventing him from possibly finishing in the points for the second straight race. There was a second in between William and the cocoabo, but William's tyres were right in the window where he wanted him to be, and he was confident that he was going to get the overtake done within the last two laps.

But, as he went through the chicane at the end of the Valley Run straight, William was beginning to grow worried and frustrated. "How in the world am I still behind this fucking bird!?" he shouted, yet another communication picked up by his onboard microphone and selected by the broadcaster for play. He still had a few chances to make the overtake, but his tyres were finally beginning to go off due to the demands of the overtaking. William didn't have the grip he wanted to make the overtake on Cocoabo #23 at Kaulinta, but at least there was DRS down the back straight. Unfortunately, the cocoabo also got DRS on the car in P9, turning them into a DRS train. Once again, low grip prevented William from overtaking the cocoabo down the long left-hander of Entenalla, leaving only the main straight and its DRS as the final opportunity for him to overtake, potentially producing a photo finish for P10.

Except it didn't happen. William just couldn't get the overtake done. At the very least, he would have needed another lap to get past the cocoabo, but there was nothing that he could do now other than take the result in the chin and move on. Rudy Edwards had much more joy at Akresna, finishing in P5, but all William wanted to do was to get out of Auruna already. He didn't like Akresna before, and he wasn't likely to start liking Akresna now, not after failing to finish in the points. It was just too technical a track for him, and William Archer was not Mr. Technical.

by **Former Citizens of the Nimbus System** » Tue Nov 17, 2020 11:57 am

An Apartment, Celina Community, the First City, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
11th of October

Gertrude Thompson closes the door. She walks to the sofa. She sits. And she closes her eyes.

Ten minutes later, Vertilan Nas walks to the sofa, lays down a light blanket, sits, leans back and waits.

---

“Hrrrmmm…” Gertrude blinks blearily. Her muscles are tense; she stretches them, shuddering, then goes slack once more.

“It is good, that you are up.”

“Mmmrrmm. How long?”

“An hour, perhaps longer.” Vertilan smiles down at her. “I have been keeping little track of it.”

“Nrraaah, okay. That’s not so bad.” Gertrude stretches again, looking to sit up from her place lying down on the sofa; then she feels a gentle but firm hand upon her shoulder, slowly pushing her back down. “What…”

“Come now. I have hardly fallen in love with you to let you carry your burdens yourself.”

Gertrude stops; then she sighs. “Hard days at work. Imposter syndrome with Tim being gone, more or less. Also, Lucia might hate me now.” She closes her eyes. “Probably doesn’t. Always looked up to me too much for her own good…”

“Well, that can hardly be the case.” Gertrude feels a second hand rest upon her head, rubbing soothingly at her scalp. She shifts a little, pressing her head back into the touch. “You still need to talk with her.”

Gertrude nods slowly. A moment of silence and peace passes between them.

“Gertrude… You know you are human, yes?”

She pauses for a moment, then lets out a gentle, rumbling laugh. “We weren’t always.”

“You were.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“You act sometimes, however, as if you were not.” Vertilan looks down, not quite meeting her eyes. “All you Nimbans… You place such a weight upon yourselves. And then you carry it together. It is… Well, it is why I came here in the first place. Kelthar was… It was nothing like that.”

Gertrude nods a touch. “We… We try. It’s how we’re taught to be.”

“Mmm. It is good.” Vertilan offers a soft smile. “It is very good. Sometimes, however… Sometimes my worry is that you fear carrying the weight wrongly such that you add more. And you can, because you are you and you do so for that which you love, not for yourself.” He meets her eyes. “But you do not have to.”

Gertrude smiles wryly. “When did ‘you’ stop being everyone and start being me?”

Vertilan chuckles. “Hard to say. You are the Nimban I know best, after all.”

“I’d hope so!” Gertrude laughs, wriggling with a sudden burst of energy; Vertilan rejoins her, grinning and ruffling her hair, the two consumed by the joy of it. In the chaos Gertrude is suddenly up, embracing, kissing, wrapping herself up in him and he in her…

After a few long seconds they are face to face, taking breaths, all smiles and radiance. Vertilan fixes her with a kind gaze. “Just remember that you are human, love. It is known. You do not have to carry such weight.”

Gertrude nods. “Thanks, Verti… Thanks. I will.”

For a while they remain. Then Gertrude sits up. “Right! So! Need to talk to Lucia – could contact her –”

“At least eat first – wait until tomorrow, even!” Vertilan shakes his head, grinning with something close to disbelief. “Give your head the chance to clear a little, so you say what you mean!”

“Right! Right.” Gertrude smiles sheepishly. “Sorr…”

Vertilan gives her a look.

“Right. Yep. Okay. Gotcha.” She lets out a puff of breath, then answers him with an open, happy expression and an extended hand. “Shall we, then?”

And they go in together.

by **Vilita and Turori** » Tue Nov 17, 2020 1:30 pm

AEL - Grand Prix of Aels [Western Route Circuit]
NEK - Grand Prix of Nekoni [Nekoni International Circuit]
JNI - Joushiki Nante Iranai Grand Prix [Somos City Circuit]
NIM - Nimban Grand Prix [Crossbay Circuit]
VIL - Vilitan Grand Prix [Mountain Challenge Course]
FLC - Grand Prix of the Free Kingdom [Highpoint Raceway]
AUD - Hygolje Audioslavian Grand Prix [Crossport Raceway]
AUR - Aurun Grand Prix [Akresna Circuit]

All Time WGPC Stats: Wins: 8 :: Podium: 14 :: Top 10: 29

TORALMINTII RETURNS TO VICTORY LANE IN AURUNA

Aurun Grand Prix, Akresna Circuit, Auruna :: iBen Toralmintii was at a crossroads entering the Aurun Grand Prix. He knew that much like the World Grand Prix Championships 17th Season, the second half of the schedule would be more favorable to his driving style. However, the technically challenging Akresna Circuit in Auruna offered an opportunity for the Turorian driver to claim points in the early season that had eluded him the previous season when he missed out on the drivers title by just five points. The Tropicorp Racing Ælund machine was certainly fast as Toralmintii's teammate Terho Talvela was starting at the front of the grid. Toralmintii, however, would have to advance from outside the Top 10 in order to score a podium finish. While Toralmintii had advanced inside the Top 6 early in the event due to some effective overtaking maneuvers at the start, the team had to adapt with an off sequence pit strategy in order to progress Toralmintii through the field. Once the #77 got out of the pack and had clean air he was turning some of the fastest laps of the race and closing the virtual gap to the rest of the field. After the final pit sequence cycled through Toralmintii had inherited the race lead from teammate Terho Talvela and never looked back. Toralmintii pressed forth and stretched out his lead. The Turorian would cross the stripe 19 seconds ahead of his teammate as the two Tropicorp Racing Ælund teammates produced their third 1-2 finish of the past two seasons.

At the end of the day the Tropicorp combination was by far the class of the field as it would be another minute before the two Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing drivers crossed the line in 3rd and 4th position. The technicality of the Akresna Circuit acted as a filter amongst the points and removed some of the great equalizing effect seen in other circuits on the schedule thus far. Tropicorp Racing Ælund were the dominant team followed by Viska Racing and Preston Autos Grand Prix who was the other constructor to have two drivers place in the points as well as earning a late-race bonus through Rudy Edwards fastest lap bonus.

The Victory was the 8th all-time for iBen Toralmintii which also broke a tie with André Luís Caconde
and moves Toralmintii within 1 of teammate Terho Talvela for most Grand Prix victories in the modern era where Talvela leads the way with 9. Talvela, however, has taken ahold of a second record having surpassed Jai Kardaeri and Matthew Portland for most career Podium Finishes after entering the season level with both on 20 Podiums. Toralmintii is one of just two drivers in the modern era that has been victorious in over half of their podium results, having 14 career Podium finishes and 8 career victories. The other driver in that category is the Vannish driver Jessica Franssen who has accumulated 6 victories and just 9 total podiums.

While some drivers have shown an ability to excel on various tracks such as Vilitan driver R.L. Cruisin whose two most recent Grand Prix victories have come at Turori's Eelandii Grand Prix Course, Toralmintii has secured each of their 8 career checkered flags at 8 different circuits in 8 different nations.

Toralmintii got their first career victory during World Grand Prix Season 14 during the Grand Prix of Aels at the Western Route Circuit in Aels. Toralmintii piloted the exceptional Vilita & Turori Motorsports machine to victory in the second race of the season in Aels beating out Telaris Racing driver Vic Convarion and Scuderia Fuoco e Ghiaccio's Victoria Gardner. After an unassuming off-season, Vilita & Turori Motorsports made a splash with then unheralded debutant driver Terho Talvela and the career works driver Toralmintii. After winning the first two events of the season between Talvela and Toralmintii, however, it was apparent that the Vilita & Turori Motorsports team had stumbled upon something special and would go on to a record haul in the Constructors standings and a one-two finish in the points with Talvela the rookie champion. Despite missing out on the title, Toralmintii did manage a second victory which came in the Grand Prix of Nekoni at the Nekoni International Circuit.

Toralmintii's next two victories would come at the expense of teammate Terho Talvela with a win in the first and only JNI Grand Prix ever held at the Somos City Circuit in Joushiki Nante Iranai followed by victory in the Nimban Grand Prix at the Crossbay Circuit in the Nimbus System where the two teammates out-paced the favored local driver Jean Mercer-Daly who crossed the line third.

Perhaps Toralmintii's most memorable victory came in the following event in Rockii Coast where promising Eelandii VTGP test driver Drake Stevenson had been promoted to the drivers seat and nearly stolen a victory in front of the local fans until late race inexperience handed the win to Toralmintii with Mercer-Daly in tow once more. It would be a string of three consecutive race victories all within Atlantian Oceania for Toralmintii who would go on to win the Grand Prix of the Free Kingdom at Highpoint Raceway in Falcania and the Hygolje Audioslavian Grand Prix at the Crossport International Raceway in Audioslavia to close out the 17th World Grand Prix Championship season.

Yet with all those achievements, there was something special about the win for Toralmintii in the Aurun Grand Prix. After the stress of missing out once more on victory with an agonizing Runner-Up finish to R.L. Cruisin at the Grand Prix of Turori, it was a much more jovial mood on the podium as Toralmintii was joined by teammate Talvela as well as the Recuecn driver Abdoulaye Goita who was on the podium for the very first time in their career after having previously served as a test drive for Toralmintiis team. Without nothing left to lose, Toralmintii had somehow found their way to the top of the World Grand Prix Drivers standings and wouldd just have to survive unscathed through the doubleheader at the home course for Tropicorp Racing Ælund in order to go into the mid season break in the best possible position for a first ever World Grand Prix Drivers Championship.

by **Liventia** » Tue Nov 17, 2020 2:46 pm

CUTOFF

for Qualifying at Fjellutfordring

by **Recuecn** » Tue Nov 17, 2020 2:53 pm

Bamako, Mali, 20 years ago

Goodbyes were heartbreaking, but there was something irresistible about leaving on a journey to find something new. As he made his preparations to set out to find his new life, Moussa realized that this was something he had wanted to do for much longer than he had realized. He would be starting an adventure he'd never thought he would.

Fanta cheerfully helped with the preparations - in fact, given Moussa's still-weakened state after the accident, she did the majority of the work - but she bore much more anxiety over the imminent ordeal than any other member of the family, and she discussed it at length with her husband.

"We know what we're leaving behind, Moussa," she said. "But we have no idea where we're going, how to get there really, or what it will be like when we do."

Moussa put a comforting arm around her. "What are we leaving behind here?" he asked. "Nothing. My livelihood has been destroyed, we don't own the house, and we can't afford to live here any longer. At least we can go somewhere with hope."

"We have family here," Fanta countered. "My parents would take us in, or my brothers, or my aunts."

But Moussa was determined, and his mind was made up. "Think how happy your family will be when we can send them back money from Europe."

He paused to reflect again. He was sure of his decision. "Change will be good. And it is happening now."

Akresna, Auruna, 1 week ago

Jöna had given his traditional weekly inspirational speech over the radio. Abdoulaye took a moment to reflect as he drove his formation lap. Täitä kausit mennä vöitä, kausit loppa - fight until we win, until the end. It was a good speech, thought Abdoulaye. Täitä, fight - his new motto. Yes, it was a good speech.

And it was the same speech Jöna had given the week before, and the week before that.

Certainly not word for word. There were modifications here and there - Jöna kept it relevant. And the theme was one worth repeating - no matter what happens, continue the fight. But clearly that's not enough, thought Abdoulaye. That's what we've been doing each week, and where has it gotten us? First, repeated weeks of weak qualification, when the effort put forth during the race could not make up the deficit inherited from the starting position. Then, finally, a good qualification, only to be squandered during the race. Abdoulaye glanced amost subconsciously at his front left wing, sparkling as if it was brand new - for it was. It had been entirely shattered into millions of tiny splinters of carbon fiber last race, and now it had been replaced wholesale. It was handy to have the support of a multi-million-dollar enterprise backing you.

Yet as Abdoulaye watched the sun glint off his eagle's purple wing, he was painfully aware he couldn't rely on his team as a crutch. They couldn't spend their way out of every problem, and they couldn't keep giving the same speech about fighting week after week if they were never going to get results.

Something had to change, and it had to come from him. Abdoulaye pulled into his spot on the starting grid, unaware that when he crossed the finish line at the end, he would, for the first time, have a WGPC podium.

Heygana
I'm moving

Wallaye Heygana
Oh Lord, I'm moving

Moussa had been on his feet again only a couple days after the accident, but it had been a while before he felt ready to go back into the town. Now here he was a week later with a donkey cart borrowed from a neighbor, carrying all his old furniture to market. He exchanged salutations with all his neighbors as he passed them, standing outside their courtyards or sitting under a tree drinking tea. Each of them asked him where he was going, what he was doing with all the furniture, but by now they all knew. Many of them had come to visit him while he was ill, and the rest had all heard the news from someone else who had. Moussa had even begun to visit his friends and neighbors in their houses to say his farewells. Each time he did, and again now as he walked down the street, he soaked in all the sights and sounds, unsure if he would ever see them again.

He locked each memory away carefully. The sun that beat down at noon but smiled in the evening. The call to prayer, competing with the roosters at dawn and the traffic at noon, but echoing out over the city uncontested in the evening. The cries of the street vendors and the smell of their food. The colors of the bazin in the cloth shops and the stinging taste of the ginger in the jinjinbere. All of these had been good. But as he walked back home with donkey cart empty and his step light, Moussa knew something even better was ahead. He had made his choice, and change was coming.

Heygana
I'm moving

Wallaye Heygana
Oh Lord, I'm moving

by **Liventia** » Tue Nov 17, 2020 3:01 pm

OOC: Reminder that there was no practice session for the Abovian Grand Prix, with one-shot qualifying (that is to say, each car has one hot lap, with one car on the grid at any one time) the only running taking place before the races. This event will be scored over three days.

Week 8: Qualifying

Conditions:      	Dry
Lap Record:      	00:01:11.927
Qualifying Type:	One Shot
Nation:         	ABL
Circuit:        	Fjellutfordring

POS # ▍DRIVER                                     	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 56 ▍Terho Talvela                              	00:01:12.714	00:00:00.000
 2 77 ▍iBen Toralmintii                           	00:01:12.778	00:00:00.064
 3 41 ▍Jean Mercer-Daly                           	00:01:12.946	00:00:00.232
 4 27 ▍Dario Nülkeschläger                        	00:01:13.024	00:00:00.310
 5 52 ▍Sayono Souzare                             	00:01:13.261	00:00:00.547
 6 94 ▍Ryker Lane                                 	00:01:13.332	00:00:00.618
 7 22 ▍Jasmin Kranjska                            	00:01:13.340	00:00:00.626
 8  7 ▍Abdoulaye Goita                            	00:01:13.365	00:00:00.651
 9 71 ▍Rustom Ibuna                               	00:01:13.387	00:00:00.673
10 25 ▍Gregori Krupin                             	00:01:13.419	00:00:00.705
11 19 ▍Dom Falepeau                               	00:01:13.419	00:00:00.705
12 82 ▍Kinu Luminna                               	00:01:13.512	00:00:00.799
13 85 ▍Olivia Stone                               	00:01:13.550	00:00:00.836
 – 63 ▍Daryl Mizushima                            	00:01:13.620	00:00:00.907
14 47 ▍Erica Okumura                              	00:01:13.639	00:00:00.926
15 51 ▍R.L. Cruisin                               	00:01:13.833	00:00:01.120
16 50 ▍Rudy Edwards                               	00:01:13.989	00:00:01.275
17  8 ▍William Archer                             	00:01:14.000	00:00:01.286
18 12 ▍Anneliese Devereux                         	00:01:14.662	00:00:01.949
 – 72 ▍Charyseine Valkyria                        	00:01:14.722	00:00:02.008
19 28 ▍Sara Luna                                  	00:01:14.847	00:00:02.133
20 14 ▍Sigur Bjarnason                            	00:01:14.963	00:00:02.250
21 11 ▍Lane Carter                                	00:01:15.362	00:00:02.648
22 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                                	00:01:15.415	00:00:02.701
23 42 ▍Alex Dimitrianov                           	00:01:15.427	00:00:02.713
24 46 ▍Kitti Armbruster                           	00:01:15.439	00:00:02.725
25 76 ▍Adriana Kowalski                           	00:01:16.585	00:00:03.871
26 37 ▍Niklas Schonbaum                           	00:01:16.680	00:00:03.966

World Grand Prix Championship 18 [RP/results]

Points Are Points + A Letter

WGPC18 Rd4

WGPC18 Rd4 - iBen Victory in Auruna

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