World Grand Prix Championship 20 [RP/Results Thread]

[Hapilopper]

Mount Fesmos Circuit, Tumbra
Following practice for the Tumbran Grand Prix

Marty Lewis looked at a screen and saw something that did not look right in the slightest. Rudy Edwards was about a half second behind one of the Nexus Racing cars during practice, and for whatever reason, there appeared to be a giant red target superimposed on the back of the leading car. It was a target that was most certainly not there in real life, so Marty was curious how it got there. He figured it had to be some experimental graphic gone wrong. He hadn’t paid that much attention to the shenanigans going on with the Hapilopper Television Network and the vandalism of the wall at “Oh Crap There’s A Wall”, instead spending his entire attention on how his team was doing.

So after practice, when Rudy Edwards and William Archer rolled their cars into the pit garages, his attention was piqued when a HTN engineer came over to the cars to check on the onboard cameras. This didn’t normally happen after a practice session, but rather after the day’s activities were entirely complete.

“What are you checking?” a Preston mechanic asked.

“Wanted to make sure the target appeared properly on the Nexus cars,” the HTN engineer responded.

The mechanic looked over at Marty and shrugged. Marty looked over and walked towards the engineer and the mechanic to figure out what exactly was going on, and why the HTN engineer was with one of the cars.

“What’s going on?” Marty asked.

“We’ve modified the onboard cameras,” the engineer said. “Orders from the head of HTN Sports. So any time a Nexus car is nearby or in sight of the onboard camera, we have a big red target superimposed on it and the words ‘WRECK A NEXUS’.”

“Excuse me?” Marty asked. “First off, you guys don’t make any changes on my cars without me signing off on it, and second of all, that’s getting removed from those cameras NOW or I’m going to take a fucking hacksaw to those cameras myself! I want nothing to do with whatever little vendetta you’ve got with Nexus Racing, and I don’t even want the implication that we do!”

“You’re going to have to take it up with my boss, Mr. Lewis, this isn’t my decision,” the engineer said.

“Well, put him on the phone!” Marty snapped. “We’re clearing this up right now.”

After several attempts, Marty got the head of HTN Sports on the phone, who explained that they felt Nexus Racing was directly responsible for the vandalism at the barrier at “Oh Crap There’s A Wall”.

“You have any proof of that?” Marty asked.

“Well, the way the wall transformed during the formation lap, that was some extraterrestrial Imagination shit,” explained Duke Postlehwaite, head of HTN Sports. “Come on, who has the most advanced technology in the series?”

“Do you have concrete proof of that?” Marty asked.

“Well, no… but…”

“Then don’t put a fucking target on their cars!” Marty snapped. “And leave us out of it! We don’t want to take the Nexus cars out. We just want to beat them. I want that target off our cameras or I’m having the cameras removed, you hear me?”

“Mr. Lewis, don’t be unreasonable, we’re doing this to promote a contest…”

“God damn it, Duke, you’re the one being unreasonable!” Marty snapped. “You’re the one being unreasonable by pointing the finger at Nexus when you can’t prove they’ve done jack shit! Let law enforcement handle it, and don’t try to get us involved when we want nothing to do with it! You’re hurting us by putting us in with your little bullshit vendetta with them! And if you don’t do anything, we’re going to put out a statement saying we’re not involved!”

---

OFFICIAL STATEMENT
From Marty Lewis, Team Principal, Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing
First of all, let us express our disappointment at the act of juvenile vandalism that occurred recently at the Preston Autos Hapiloppian Grand Prix. We hope the appropriate authorities find those culpable and bring them to justice. And unfortunately, that act of juvenile vandalism has done more to bring attention to the Hapilopper Television Network’s misguided “They Crash, You Win” contest that appears to occur at every international Hapiloppian motor race.

Today, during the last free practice session for the Tumbran Grand Prix, it was brought to my attention that the onboard cameras of both Rudy Edwards’ and Will Archer’s cars displayed a target on the back of the Nexus Racing Chase Cutter vehicles. It was also brought to my attention that the Hapilopper Television Network ordered these targets to be superimposed on the Nexus cars as part of a “Wreck a Nexus” contest. This was done without our knowledge or consent, and for that, I have ordered the cameras be removed from our cars for this race.

Let the record show that any vendetta or any issue that the Hapilopper Television Network may have with Nexus Racing has nothing to do with Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing. We do not wish to be lumped into HTN’s vendetta with Nexus for the act of juvenile vandalism. And on top of that, there is no evidence, as of now, that proves that Nexus Racing was even involved in the act at all. Moving forward, we would like to ask that HTN not involve us in any of their stunts they pull during a race weekend. We are here to race, not to involve ourselves in any unnecessary drama.

We are not asking HTN to cease the “They Crash, You Win” contest. To protest it only brings more attention to it. We are simply asking that HTN not include us in any sort of stunt they pull off without consulting us first.

-Martin Lewis
Team Principal
Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing

[Lisander]

<< Previously | Next >>

XXIV. Don't wanna

"Anneliese, just a word for..."

"Don't wanna." - overwhelmed by a sudden attack by flashes, she lowered her cap brim, leaving the reporters in the lurch, and entered the car. She wanted to cry but the tears didn't come. She wasn't exactly sad. It was more like pissed off. That was so frustrating. Three weeks in the bottom of the grid. It would need a miracle at that point.

"Where to go?" - the man at the wheel of her transport car asked. Daniel was a forty-something man, part of the most important team of drivers in that team. Without his team work, no one would ever reach the circuits. Calm as he was, a bastion of impassibility, he was also a great therapist.

"Don't know. Don't wanna know. Just pick up the road, and drive around for one hour or so. Take a back road, I need to relax a bit, watch the forest and forget all this crap. Here's a prepaid card, use it to fill up at the first petrol station. Buy some crisps for me too, if it's not too much to ask." - she felt so uncertain of anything, so devoid of confidence, that anything that wasn't the circuit would be nice.

"Sure." - Monotonic as usual, Daniel answered her.

Anneliese threw her cap aside and let her hair down. Laying on the back seat, or better said, sitting with her feet across the seats, she allowed herself to watch the neverending trees of Caduke forests. For a moment she wanted to be back in mid-north Lisander, driving that truck filled with cellulose they gave her to drive for TV. That would be easier to cope, probably. "I mean, if it was a truck, I'd at least have some say in how it would be tuned." - she thought, closing her eyes for a second.

A petrol station appeared at a distance. She closed the windows and spent some time on her phone, while the driver would fill the tank and return with her crisps.

"Go some 100 km ahead then go back to the hotel. I really don't want to be seen by the media for the next few hours. Just put something on the radio that doesn't kill my vibes and that's okay. Maybe some old rock ballads or such."

[Diarcesia]

TT's Peculiar Experience: Theotratiger

Aphrodite's hand-made card flies across the table, landing right in front of Théotime. The latter smiles as she looks at it: "Oh? I've got a winner." She picks up the card and puts it on top of her stack. Everyone else has already finished their hands; yet another close victory for Aphrodite the mistress of the traditional Ikuyoite game of karutago.

"Karutago wa deren da desu."

Théotime grins at Aphrodite as he shuffles his cards around in preparation for another game with her, Theodora, and some Nimban friends from In Motion he made. He nods towards Theodora who is sitting next to him; "Hey," he says, "you're not going anywhere are you?" Theodora shakes her head while looking back at him with a half-smile: she seems preoccupied by the rules of the game. "Good," he continues, "you're my partner for this round."

He glances over to Theodora's right where the Nimban mechanic sits. He turns to Théotime and replies; "I'm sorry, but I still don't get the hang of this game, but it's fun."

Theodora interjected. "It's okay," she says, "I'll teach you next match." Facing Aphrodite: "Let's go!" she exclaims. The two of them shuffle the cards around again as they prepare for a new round. It is an unspoken rule that the player who wins the previous game get to choose which direction the game will flow from in the next round: Théotime and Theodora have won previously but deferred it until now because of other things going on during play. As such, Aphrodite chooses East first...

"Oh dear," Théotime whispers loudly as he picked up a card during one of his turns in the seeding phase. "The Seventeen."

"You're not getting any more cards this round," Aphrodite says. "It's Theodora's to pick up a card now!" She smiles in anticipation.

Theodora picks up a card, but it is not the Tsubakuro. Aphrodite and Theodora look at each other, the latter showing a disappointed face. The seeding phase is finished now that everyone has twelve cards. Aphrodite starts to lay out her cards. "I have the Hachi," she says quietly, looking at Théotime and Theodora for reactions. They both nod approvingly as they look at their own hands: Theodora has it too, while Théotime does not. "I'll start, then," Aphrodite continues, and lays down her first card face up on the table.

"Mizuho," says Theodora as she looks at it from the side of the table and memorizes the Serene Lotus card and its value for later use—one of the Nimbans will be taking over after Aphrodite's turn is done. Théotime glances at his cards: two Verdant Growths, the Hachi and a Seventeen is what he plans to put into play in order.

The next few turns had Aphrodite play a Verdant Growth, followed by the Hachi and another Mizuho.

Théotime grins as his strategy continues to be viable—two copies of the Verdant Growth currently populating the field of play that represents his garden. The stacking effects of this oft-underestimated card ensures his Hachi will bring a better harvest later on than Aphrodite's. He begins put down his Hachi in the middle of his field. "Grow!" he says as he places it down.

"What?!" Aphrodite exclaims, visibly shocked at Théotime's move. "How did you—?" She looks at her hand: no copies of Growths or Tens remaining. A quick scan around their table reveals that Theodora has one copy of Verdant Growth and a Mizuho.

"Didn't see that coming, ha!" Theodora says. "I forgot!" she replies, somewhat embarrassed at her oversight. "Don't worry," Théotime reassures them both, "that's not the end of it."

Aphrodite is still trying to process what just happened as the turns continued: Théotime's strategy was simple and easy to counter actually. As a result, it was used sparingly. But from time to time, the stars aligned especially with the correct festivals and droughts that adjust the later Harvest Value. Then, he put in play the card that all but guarantees his victory in the following harvest phase.

Tsubakuro, the Sacred Round Phoenix.

Stares of the Distant Stars

At Caduke, Tumbra, where Mount Fesmos circuit is located, Aldauren and Sara met in person in their spare time. Sara's boyfriend Tom, Laura and Sam were also part of the group in one of the local restaurants. It was a clear afternoon. The track was built up near hills, and the design of it gave off an atmosphere that brought out Sara's appetite.

"How are things going with you?" Aldauren asked Sara as they sat on their seats at the restaurant. "Your team is doing really well!" Tom smiled to both of them: "Yeah, I heard Sara got her groove in Viska, she's liking it a lot. Nice to meet you, Aldauren. You got a talented pair of drivers as well."

"Yes, thank you. I think it's the first time we see Sara Luna and you in person in quite a while." Aldauren looked at the two. "You guys are a cute couple!" Tom was flattered: "Thanks! We've been through some rough patches but it's nice to be here today."

"Have you guys gotten engaged yet?" Sam asked. She was not shy about such things, and she was quite interested in Tom and Sara's love life. "Not yet," Tom replied. "Maybe someday soon though."

Sara blushed.

Laura interjected to divert from the topic of engagement to share her thoughts of the circuit.

Aldauren nodded. "I agree, but the circuit is very challenging. The long straights meant we're at a slight top speed disadvantage, and there are a few corners that demand precision."

"Sounds like I'd fit right in," Sam said. "I'm great at being precise!" Laura smirked at the irony. Aldauren shook his head: "No, it's too soon for that!" He turned to Sara as she asked him if he was sure about this statement: "Sam is definitely lively." Sara smiled and turned to Tom: "When will you be back after this race?"

"I'm booked in for a business flight on Wednesday," he replied. Sara turned to Aldauren: "We might be a little bit busy, but I'll need your help with something."

"Anything!" he replied, as Tom, Laura, and Sam's curiosities were raised. "I have to buy a gift for someone!"

"A gift?" Tom asked. "For who?" Sara refused to give a direct answer: "It's a secret!" Aldauren smirked: 'You're such an enigma sometimes."

Later...

"Sara, what are you looking at?" Tom asked.

"The stars. It's so beautiful..." she trailed off as she pondered on hundreds of trillions of stars, quadrillions upon quadrillions upon quintillions more planets, dwarf-stars and black holes; each unique in their own way.

Sara was at a loss for words.

"You seem like you're in another world," Tom said as he put his arm around Sara's shoulder. "I can take you back to our room if that's what you want." She looked up and smiled at him, before turning her head back towards the sky: "No, let's stay here a little bit longer..." He held her hand. Marriage, huh? She briefly thought of her deceased former husband, the father of her children. It's been a while since she last thought of him. And a fellow Diarcesian racer reminded her again. If she settles down to a married life, would that mean retiring from the racing life?

---

MOUNT FESMOS CIRCUIT | Tumbra

After a disappointing weekend in Hapilopper where she finished 18th, Sara Luna is looking forward to enforce her claim to the world championship on the Tumbran Grand Prix this time around! With her team currently occupying the 4th spot of Team Standings after 7 rounds with 8 points behind 1st placed Cocoabo #23, can Sara overcome the uphill battle after yet lackluster qualifying? Or even better - win? Be sure not to miss out on it! #WGPC20

[Deiorus]

Spupuo's Diary, dated July 1X, 202X

---

Dear Diary,

I am filled with a sense of elation and gratitude as I pen down these words. Today, I received an offer that has ignited a spark of excitement within me. Tropicorp-Colourworks, a renowned team in the racing realm, has extended an invitation for me to drive in an exhibition event at Aboveland. It is a chance to showcase my prowess once more and, with the heavens as my witness, prove my worth to them. Oh how wonderful would it be to secure a rank among their organisation. But what makes this opportunity all the more remarkable is the role played by none other than my old rival, Terho Tavlela. Oh, Terho, the memories we share, intertwined like the fates of two celestial bodies destined to dance across the heavens. Nearly eight years ago, at the Grand Prix of Aels, a fateful collision occurred, an incident that altered the course of our lives forever. I, in my youthful vigor and misguided audacity, caused a crash that prematurely ended Terho's race, robbing him of his chance at victory. The remorse that pierced my heart in those moments still echoes within me to this day.

And yet, in an act of benevolence and forgiveness, Terho has extended his hand, paving the way for my redemption. He, the three-time champion driver, who retired in glory to embrace an off-track role at Tropicorp, now extends his support to help me reclaim my rightful place in the racing fraternity. His magnanimity humbles me, for he could have harbored resentment and spite towards me, nursing the scars of that fateful day. Instead, he extends his hand in friendship, offering an opportunity for me to rewrite our shared history. Terho and I, once comrades who embarked on this sport together, have taken divergent paths. While he soared to the zenith of success, securing championship titles like gleaming jewels adorning his illustrious career, I was thrust into the crucible of war, fighting a battle not for trophies, but for survival. The passing years, shrouded in the horrors of conflict, have etched lines upon my countenance and instilled within me a resolute determination to rise once more to the task. As such, it was fitting that I accepted his offer, in-order to prove that I can still perform on a championship-winning motor.

However, amidst my excitement, another opportunity has emerged, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky. One from HMG, an upstart team seeking to make its mark on the racing landscape of open-wheel motors, has approached me with a proposition. They seek my assistance in the development of their inaugural racing car, an endeavor that requires meticulous attention and expertise. It is an invitation to immerse myself in the realm of cutting-edge technology and contribute to the birth of a new racing legacy. Yet, I cannot help but harbor a twinge of apprehension. HMG's intentions appear to be shrouded in doubt, for they wish to employ me primarily in simulator testing, where I am shielded from the perils of the physical track. It is evident that they view me as a crash-prone liability, an unfortunate reputation earned during my debut season, marred by six untimely encounters with the barriers and competitors. They seek to assess my abilities within the confines of virtual reality, cautiously gauging my suitability before venturing into the realm of true competition. I have enformed them that I will consider their offer, and respond before the end of the season.

While simulations were never my preferred avenue, I have to note, As I find myself re-exposed to the technological marvels beyond the borders of Deiorus after many years after, I cannot help but marvel at the stark contrast that unfolds before my eyes. I stand in awe of the boundless possibilities they present. The notion of a virtual realm, capable of replicating reality itself, astounds me. To think that one can push the limits of a machine and refine its performance without risking life and limb is a concept that both astounds and intrigues me.

Last of which of the propositions, dear Diary, put myself into a moral quandary that weighs heavily upon my conscience. During my stay in Tumbra, I encountered a gentleman named Ivan Radchenko, an emissary from the Zimmer Group. In our conversation, he made an audacious proposition that stirred a disquiet within me. Ivan, with a cunning gleam in his eyes, offered to utilize his connections at Urotovsky-Gatutin to secure me a coveted seat for the upcoming season. But the price of this arrangement is steep, for he desires a favor that rests far outside the realm of racing. He wishes for me to persuade the government of Deiorus to employ the services of his mercenary company to train our nation's army. The implications of such an act are grave, as it would involve utilizing my influence for purposes that reek of corruption and personal gain.

Oh, Diary, you know my heart, my unwavering commitment to honor, and the preservation of justice. To engage in such dealings, veiled in shadows and hidden agendas, would be to tarnish my noble ideals and subject myself to the ruthless consequences that Deiorus imposes upon those who partake in acts deemed treasonous. The penalty for such transgressions is nothing short of death, a fate I cannot bear to face. Furthermore, I cannot help but consider the broader ramifications of Ivan's proposal. While the training and rebuilding of our army may seem a noble cause on the surface, it carries the potential to rekindle the Jacobinite influence that we have strived so valiantly to quell. The soldiers provided by Ivan's mercenaries would undoubtedly bring with them a fervent allegiance to Napoleonic ideals, ideals that would reignite the smoldering embers of civil unrest. A return to chaos is the last thing Deiorus needs, as we strive to rebuild our fractured nation.

In my conversation with Ivan, I remained cautious and noncommittal. I promised him that I would mention his services to the relevant Minister upon my return to Deiorus, but I could not offer any guarantees. I hope my words conveyed a sense of diplomatic decorum, masking my internal resistance against such actions. I fervently pray that he finds understanding in my hesitation, for I fear the consequences of unyielding pursuit in these treacherous affairs. Curiously, Ivan ventured to extend similar assistance to my son. I graciously informed him that my son, at present, finds himself captivated by the equestrian arts and the pursuit of archery. This revelation, however innocent, stirred within me a disquieting realization – the knowledge possessed by Ivan regarding my private life. I had endeavored tirelessly to veil my familial affairs, weaving a tapestry of secrecy to guard those nearest and dearest to me. Alas, it appears that Ivan, with his vast resources, commands a cadre of skilled investigators who can penetrate even the most impenetrable of veils.

Yet, in the midst of this storm, another task looms over me like a dark cloud. The upcoming AOGP event at Drummond Vale demands my undivided attention and preparation. Though it may not possess the grandeur of driving the motor that won Terho many accolades, it is a pivotal moment that shall shape my trajectory. The weight of expectations, both from my loyal fans and the racing community, bears down upon my shoulders. I must ensure that my performance is nothing short of exceptional, for the world is watching, eagerly awaiting my return.

As I stand at this precipice of opportunity and uncertainty, I implore the heavens to guide my hand and grant me the strength to surmount the challenges that lie ahead. With every fiber of my being, I shall channel the noble ideals of honor, valor, and unyielding determination. May my performance ignite the flame of possibility, instilling within the hearts of motorsport community, the conviction that I am worthy of a return in the illustrious ranks of WGPC. Oh, Diary, the days ahead are filled with trepidation and anticipation. The path I tread is fraught with perils and triumphs alike, as I navigate the winding roads of destiny. But fear not, for I shall face these challenges with unwavering resolve, my spirit aflame with the desire to prove my worth to the world.

Until we meet again, dear companion of my thoughts and confidant of my dreams.

Yours faithfully,
Igne Spupuo

[Abanhfleft]

WILLIAM JESSPER ARCHER ✓

@OffishWillArch8

Every passing day just keeps reminding me how much I'm getting more and more embarrassed to be where I am right now. The insanity just doesn't end. People are either stupid or just plain malicious, but we don't go bumping into other cars just because of trivial shit like this. Just don't do it.


#WGPC20 : #HapiloppianGP : PrestonAutosGP : #OhCrapTheresAWall

WILLIAM JESSPER ARCHER ✓

@OffishWillArch8

However, if the rumors are true and the Nimbans are actually behind that shit, at least now I'm gonna die knowing that Nimbans aren't all stuck-up snobs and pricks who think using their Imagination will solve all the problems in the world.


#WGPC20 : #HapiloppianGP : #OhCrapTheresAWall : UseYourImagination

WILLIAM JESSPER ARCHER ✓

@OffishWillArch8

I asked a question to Preston Autos and I got my answer in Hap City. But what I'm going to do with that information, I guess you'll just have to find out on Monday.


#WGPC20 : #TumbranGP : #TheDecision

DARREN ADONIS FITZPATRICK ✓

@donnyfitz74

- -@OffishWillArch8

I'm almost afraid to find out exactly what you mean, but I know that what you're doing is for your own good so you know I'm gonna be with you no matter what bro


#WGPC20 : #TumbranGP : #TheDecision : #RideOrDie

[Trans-Dniesters]

“Good morning, or good evening or whatever the time of day is over there, Doctor. Have you had any luck getting in touch with the White Witch?”

“What do you think, my friend? I haven’t heard even a single word from her ever since I tried to reach out to her. And before you say anything, I’m doing all I can to make sure that something happens sooner or later. But I can’t really do anything if the other party isn’t even responding to me now, can I?”

“Oh, well, that’s a shame, honestly. I thought you were supposed to be good at this, Doctor? I thought you had the charm to seal the deals that we need to do.”

“Like I already told you, my friend, my skills are of no use if there is no one to hear me talk. There’s probably all sorts of reasons why she hasn’t responded back to me yet. I do know for a fact that she does not like people in our particular… line of business, shall we say.”

“I don't really give a rat's ass about how she feels about us. I could care less about what she thinks of our country whenever she sees our flag. All I really care about is finding a new playground for my boys. They've been getting restless, Doctor. They need to get out there and play. And the White Witch has a playground where my boys could really have fun.”

“You don't have to remind me. But like I already told you, my friend, I can't negotiate anything if I don't have anybody to negotiate with. And I can't negotiate with you because I already know what you want, and that's exactly what I'm trying to get.”

“Well, Doctor, if the White Witch won't talk to you then I guess we'll just have to look somewhere else.”

“I'm telling you, my friend, I will get your boys to her place. I just need to talk to her!”

“None of this is going to mean anything if she won't talk to you for ideological reasons or whatever. I know you can get my boys to the White Witch's place, Doctor, but we can't just sit on our asses waiting for her to accept the offer to talk. Besides, I've gotten wind of another opportunity for the both of us.”

“Oh, my friend, aren't you always on the lookout for opportunities? What have you got your eyes on this time?”

“My boys have been making some new friends lately, remember that? They might be old fashioned, but as long as they understand my boys' business, they're welcome to do whatever they want. Now, there's a new guy in town, let's call him the Kaiju. His place just got fixed after getting trashed, but something tells me that the repair job isn't as complete as I would want it to be.”

“That's one way to say it, I guess.”

“Anyway, as I was saying, my boys' friends might be old fashioned, but that's exactly what makes them the best pick to finish the repair job on the Kaiju's place. They have a particular set of skills that makes them uniquely qualified for this job.”

“Now what is it that you want me to do, my friend?”

“I just want you to talk to the Kaiju, Doctor. Introduce yourself, let him know what you do and what you're offering, and then see if he bites.”

“I'd rather not be anywhere near his mouth if he bites on your offer, my friend. Anyway, what makes you so sure he's going to be interested in a repair job from your boys or their smelly friends? From what I've heard of him, he's even more old fashioned than your boys' new friends.”

“Which is exactly what makes the new guys perfect for the repair job, Doctor. Word on the street is that the Kaiju is not really a fan of my boys' toys. Too state of the art, from what I heard. But the new guys, they're state of the art enough for the Kaiju's place. The Kaiju is in the same line of work as I am. He will understand what you're offering to him.”

“So does that mean that we're moving on from the White Witch then?”

“That depends on what you mean by moving on. Do I still want my boys to play in her playground? Of course I do. There's too much fun to be had there to just ignore it. All I'm saying is that we don't have to focus on just one thing at a time. Just because we're working on the White Witch doesn't mean that we can't work on the Kaiju as well.”

“But what's in it for me, friend? The Kaiju has just come back from the depths. He's not exactly what I'm looking for. I honestly prefer the White Witch. What can I hope to get from the Kaiju with this deal?”

“Take this with a grain of salt, but there might be a Kaiju Junior. There might be one, and he might be interested in following his father's path, but I might also be wrong on both counts as well. If there is a Kaiju Junior and he does want to follow in his father's footsteps, then I'm sure you can talk him into joining that school of yours.”

“That sounds like a deal that's more suited for my boss, not me. He's the one who likes to get students for his schools. Me? I want deals that will benefit both sides, as long as I understand the logic behind it all.”

“There's a hefty commission for getting the Kaiju repair job, if that's what you want to hear.”

“That's not what I wanted to hear, no. I've earned so much from commissions from you that I could have already retired from doing all of this ten years ago. But if we're talking about commissions, I know for a fact that there's a massive one for me if I land the deal with the White Witch. When I land the deal with the White Witch.”

“You know what? Forget I asked. I've got a better idea. Why don't I come down there to wherever you are right now and make the pitch to the Kaiju himself. You can come along with me if you like to help grease the wheels, or you can keep looking at your phone waiting for a response from the White Witch. What's it going to be, Doctor?”

“Well, if you're coming over here, my friend, you might as well try your luck at solving a certain problem up north. There might be an authority or a clan that's willing to pay to solve a certain problem or two.”

“I'll keep that in mind. So it's settled then. I'll take care of the Kaiju, and you continue working on the White Witch.”

“I'll see you in a few days then, friend.”

---

TO: Lillý Náttmörðsdóttir
FROM: Yurievsky Yakov Leonidovich
SUBJECT: RE: Apologies

Dear Miss Náttmörðsdóttir,

Please do not be alarmed when you see this email in your inbox once again. I did not receive a response from you two weeks ago regarding my request for a personal meeting at the Akresna Circuit in Auruna. I am operating under the assumption that you must have failed to see my email in time as the reason why you were unable to tell me your acceptance or rejection of my invitation, which is why I am sending you a second email to follow up.

However, during the time that I have spent waiting for your reply, I have done some more research into your background and I have come to the conclusion that there might be more than just one reason why you have declined to respond to my invitation. It has come to my attention that you may have a bit of an aversion to the ideology of communism, as do the vast majority of your fellow White Kijanis, which perhaps explains why you might find it difficult to even entertain the thought of talking to me. First of all, let me assure you that Pridnestrovia, despite our official name and the hammer and sickle on our flag, is no longer a communist state. We have long ago realized that capitalism is much better for our country than the planned economy that our former communist ideology had told us to do. The only reason why Pridnestrovia has retained these old communist symbols is because of our glacial bureaucracy, and because we have developed a new identity around “communist tourism,” where Western college liberals come to us and we pretend that we have made communism work while selling them all sorts of communist merchandise and memorabilia. If they gladly give us their parents’ money then we will take them with a smile.

If you are worried about a potential return of communism into your country’s shores then please do not be worried at all. Pridnestrovia is no longer in the business of spreading communism to other countries. We’ve already experienced it for ourselves; there’s no need for us to spread that misery to other nations anymore. You can rest assured that I will not try to enlighten you on the positives of communism because I have long ago abandoned that way of thinking, and I will most definitely not try to spread any communism to Mlima Kijani. We all know which is the better economic system, and we are all participating in it.

Of course, I may just be getting too far ahead of myself, and the only reason why you have not responded to me so far is because you have not yet seen my first email. In any case, I am still awaiting a reply with your confirmation or rejection of a personal meeting with me. If you would like to meet with me, I will be waiting for you at the paddock area of the Mount Fesmos Circuit in Tumbra. If there is another place in which you would like to meet with me then feel free to inform me in your reply email. If you do not wish to engage with me any further then feel free to inform me of that at the very least so that I will not continue to pester you with any more emails.

Most humbly yours,
Yurievsky Yakov Leonidovich

[TJUN-ia]

WGPC20
Round 8
Tumbran Grand Prix
Mount Fesmos Circuit, Caduke, Tumbra

Round 8 already? Yes, you hear that correctly - this Tumbran Grand Prix is the 3rd-from-last event of this WGPC campaign - one that has certainly seen great highs and lows for both of TJUN-ia's T1 Drivers. Lane Carter entered this weekend seemingly becoming at peace with the prospect of being the #2 driver of VTGP for the rest of the year while Batu Tüvshinbayar was looking for better luck while also hoping that teammate Jordan Crowe, the last driver standing with nil-point, would finally break his duck. Those were the immediate concerns of both men...so how would they fare in the lead-up to this 8th throwdown?

Practice on Friday would show off this circuit to the world, a place which the locals described as a "threatening and menacing rollercoaster", and that assessment was indeed correct. This track did feel like a rollercoaster, one that would be unforgiving if you were complacent about its tricks, and so it was unsurprising when local Ted Pressley ended up fastest in the session over Skiia Vialiv and Laura Haukanna. Cocoabo #23 focused on qualifying runs and ended up in P9, 0.415 down on Ted, while Lane focused on race pace and ended up in P21, 1.8 seconds down. Over at SOC, Jordan Crowe would end up fastest of the two in P16 (1.2 down) while Batu ended up in P19 (1.599 down). All in all, a good session of data collection and one both drivers knew they would need for tomorrow.

Qualifying would be through the Elimination format, something not employed since before the summer break, so things would certainly be interesting overall. Q1 would be taken Janne Laukkanen in the end but while both the Orange Cow cars would end up sailing through, the Race Eelandii cars would not with Carter qualifying in P23 and Fast Coacobo down in P26. That certainly wasn't in the plan but with all the points being available on Sunday, there was still time for the Galarian to help his teammate get back into the points and retain the Championship lead. But the real interesting bit involved the press interviews that followed, and one question in particular. You see, the words and actions of one William Archer during the Hap City weekend had caused a bit of a stir back in TJUN-ia, with some saying he was justified in being annoyed of being "Felipe Massa'd" while other saying he was being "too childish" and especially in the face of a 2-3 finish and his best overall weekend of the season. A TJUN-ian reporter managed to ask the Galarian about this matter, asking if he had an opinion on this matter...and while he did struggle for a little while to come up with an answer, he did give one...one that may be regretted later.

"I know he is my friend...but maybe...for the sake of improving his position...he should focus on bettering himself and not on potential "sabotage". Less toys out of pram, more being the brilliant driver I know he can be. That's all, really."

Q2 would also end up being won by Laukkanen and while Batu did indeed make it through, Crowe would fall out of the running in P15 - though still in a great place overall. The ensuing battle for pole would be won by Ji So-Yeong, who pipped Laukkanen to the post while Brendan Faloe rounded out the Top 3. Batu would end up 0.394 down in P10, directly behind Adonis Fitzpatrick and his rear end (of the car, that is), which was certainly a job well done and a position he hoped to do well from in the race tomorrow. Also on his mind was the hunt for Batu's first ever agent and that battle had run down to two candidates - Maureen Akihoshi of Hodori and Sylvian Tousignant from Quebec. There were qualities he liked from both of these two, with Akihoshi providing that calming nature while Tousignant inexperience was balanced out by the general vibe he gave off, so he knew that it was going to be a difficult choice to pick between this selection. But it is one he will have to make...one that he meditated with in mind, alongside the usual things.

Tonight was a quiet one...let's hope for good times tomorrow.

[Esmerel]

CHAPTER 13
Order

Lianna Alphonse

Subject no. 1 was nearly beside herself with glee.

Little as she had said it before, the Cygnus C101 had always been her pride and joy. Its construction was far from immaculate, and yet its achievements were second to few: phenomenal speed, acceptable cornering, beautiful new takes on old concepts, and a solid capability to shut out its detractors. About the only thing lacking was its reliability, but that could be made up for with a skilled driver, which both Brendan Faloe and Angela Stella were.

The intent of her design was to both provide a competitive car for Cygnus, and field test important ideas for other teams to witness, and that was going well: simple aerodynamics that minimized dirty air, a compact fit on the track allowing for close battles and side-by-side action, so light as to require extra ballast to meet the 600kg minimum weight; these were new ideas that were supposed to catch on and become a new “normal” for WGPC cars. Granted, the changes could in no way be forced through, what with the open format for designing and supplying a car, but enough success would be able to persuade all the competitors falling behind. And as the season had continued, that was happening. Sure, the start was rough, but that was behind the team now.

Once Lianna had gotten started on the upgrades, the car would go from a plucky if quick contender to something ready to punch above its weight. That was her dream, and the (intended) dream of Cygnus as a whole: to push further and further forward, whilst not forgetting what they started with and how it could be carried on.

The latest round of upgrades was the finishing touches on an already solid base (and its prior improvements)- a tweak of the wings here, a smoothing of the airbox there, and then the pièce de résistance- increasing the capacity of the hybrid boost, to allow for a longer use of the system when full. The car had enough room in it to fit the system without losing performance; if only it had been there from the start.

She supposed beggars couldn’t be choosers. And this round of upgrades was the last. There was enough theoretical time to develop something new for the next two races, but according to the team principal, the funds were running short. Still, she was proud of all the work she had already done. That was the point, really, of why she had even agreed to do any of this. She was interested in the field (why else would she have majored in Engineering?), and found it a good opportunity to make an impact. She didn’t need her name out in the world like it was going out of fashion- but she did want to prove that she could do as good a job as others right out of the gate. She wanted to do something good- if only for the results, not the glory that would likely come with them.

In that sense, she was more than happy with what she had gotten.

- - - - -

Dr. William Emerson

Subject no. 2 was equally excited and worried.

It was more than good to see the CMT project, which he had tried to champion for so long, finally get off the ground and- to the surprise of most- be a success. With another closing performance by the team’s star driver, the rookie team had pulled off a race win, something that few others could claim to have accomplished. (And to those that had, he was more than fine in saluting their own achievement.)

Maybe with such progress, the team’s investors- which numbered few, but each gave plenty- would finally get off his case. He and the rest of the team under his guidance had finally proven that the effort put into running a motorsport team through a university course of all things was worth the wait. They had long since known that their money wasn’t going to come back for a long time- and now, at least, they had seen what value their investments had given to everyone involved. There was a very good chance now that the team wouldn’t have any major issues competing in future WGPC seasons.

Except all that success meant more than just the good things. Now that the project had achieved its initial goals and then some, it wasn’t just going to stay in place. The investors, as well as the fans, were going to be more willing to put their faith behind Cygnus- but they would also expect more. Regular points performances. Regular end-session qualy appearances (for weekends that had them). Regular battles for the championship (which, while it was really a longer shot than most believed, was possible with Brendan at the moment). Competing the same way a traditional, full-effort WGPC team would. Not that Cygnus wasn’t full-effort. They just didn’t expect to get this far this quickly, despite what others had wanted and how good it felt.

And in that, Dr. Emerson grew worried. The biggest question on his mind? Whether or not he was the right person to lead the team. It was absolutely his passion, and he cared about it- enough to pull double duty running both his Emergent Engineering course at Cygnus and the racing team he was raising. Yet, as had been criticized by some in the media, he was trying to do a lot of things alone. General team principal duties. Sponsor relations. Media relations. Telemetry reading. Indubitable finances. He was lucky he wasn’t also assembling and driving the car himself. And, granted, he had slowly hired a few other crew members to handle some of those tasks in the short term, but there was no guarantee that’d last, given the already short budget wasn’t built around that.

What he feared was that Cygnus would have to evolve to stay competitive- and he would be left behind in some way, unable to handle everything that was his job to handle. He felt he needed more time. More help. And sure, the off-season was enough time to find that, but there were never any guarantees in this field of work.

For the sake of the team he had built from the ground up, and who all depended on his work to keep going, he had to find a solution to that biggest problem. Most everyone’s tasks were clear. Design the car. Build the car. Drive the car. Interpret the car. Win the points, the races, and the championships.

So what, really, was his task?

- - - - -

Brendan Faloe

Subject no. 3 wasn’t feeling strongly about anything.

But it was impossible to ignore the grin he sometimes let slip over his face. He had followed a strange path towards this point in the Verse, absolutely. But it mattered little. A boy who had grown up being second best had just finished first best, if only just. He was the talk of the worlds, each discussing his meteorite rise, his skill in closing the gap, and how he was the dark horse if there were any to take the WGPC World Drivers’ Championship this year.

He’d’ve never thought of it the slightest mere months ago. And so, now he had plenty more on his mind. New questions needing to be answered, and old questions disappearing into the void.

So, was a career as a WGPC driver for him? Well, after now, he had proven he had the skills, despite his unusual way of acquiring them, and his passion was seldom matched. So the answer was probably a yes- but even then there was more to it. How did he explain to everyone that he had spent his entire 22 years of living to this point thinking he would do something else, and then it had all changed on a whim and a will?

Equally, he knew that his success hadn’t been shared by everyone in the team. He cared enough to help those that needed it- just ask any of his countless project partners and peer reviewees in university- but at this point, what else could he even do? He had shared his setup data, his ideas and methods of tackling the track, his philosophical beliefs (to a lesser extent than the other points), and he had demonstrated it all for the world to see if they so wished. So, his teammate, Angela- could he still help her? Had he helped her at all?

It all went by him like a blur. Eventually, he knew that maybe those answers would have to wait- if not for the end of the season, at least for the end of his current tasks. He had more testing to do with the last set of upgrades, more practice with the final three circuits on the calendar via the sims, and less time to be thinking about open-ended questions alone.

Maybe he could at least answer one, just to get that affair in order before the next set of tasks inevitably came- and before the final three races of the season challenged him to keep the car on the track just a few times more and bring home the best he could for the team. So, once more, he asked himself. Could he still help Angela Stella? Could he give her the best chances available to score at least a few more points?

His answer was that he could at least try.

- - - - -

Carol Schmied

Subject no. 4 felt the same way as the previous, though it wasn’t as if he knew that.

His stake in everything was perhaps less than others at Cygnus. He had joined on to guide his chosen driver to what the team hoped they were capable of. He had few affairs to get in order.

But one always reared its head, no matter how he tried to address it. He certainly had experience with patience, and watching as his team showed up and got the winner’s praise for just that. He knew what it was like to struggle, and that wasn’t what was bothering him. His biggest problem was that he couldn’t seem to match what his fellow teammates were accomplishing with the same equipment. Regular points- and now a race win- none of them had come his way, but for one miracle at Crossbay.

What was the difference? If everything else was equal in practice, what could be isolated? Was he himself the problem? Perhaps he wasn’t suited for the team as he had hoped? It was true that they hadn’t met his expectations- he had joined both to work alongside his brother and to help do his best at a cheery backmarker hoping to score just a bit bigger. So when most of the rest of the team wanted to push, push, and push some more, he didn’t keep up. He had just been a part of something bigger (which wasn’t an issue).

And some people would be content with that. Carol, from a few years ago, probably would have. If the situation now was different, he probably still would have. But not when his closest associate was suffering. He thought he had done his job, but he hadn’t. Not this time.

At least there was still time to turn it all around. Three races remained- including the team’s home race- for fortune to find its footing. So he didn’t give up yet.

How could he try to make things better?

- - - - -

Cole Schmied

Subject no. 5 was stuck in the same feeling as Cygnus had suffered: mixed fortune.

He was connecting better and better with his driver. He was getting good results out of it. He was finding some kind of footing in his career, even- having carried forth his concepts a second time to help a struggling team find pace and work their way forward.

So why did he still feel empty? Why was he, in a few certain respects, dissatisfied with all the progress he had, in fact, been making? In part, he realized, it was the fact that he had been challenged as equally as he had been accepted. His will to move forward fit the team, and they fit him, but doing so endlessly might not have been the right call after all. And it was hard for him to accept it, even if he had done so fairly seamlessly. It felt too quick. He had expected to hold onto his ideals, even if it meant conflict- not let them meld with new ones mere weeks into finding out they existed.

But perhaps that was just the way the world worked. Not in absolutes, but in formulas. There were parts of a larger whole that needed to all come together, and in Cole’s case, they had. He was stepping away from being the distant, if sometimes effective, race engineer. Now, he was less distant, and effective in different ways.

He wondered openly what it would mean for him in the coming weeks, months and even years. He was alright with change as a concept, but he didn’t like how it had happened. Somehow, in some way, it wasn’t supposed to go like this. There was supposed to be more… Well, more problems to overcome. And it still fed into his worry that if Cygnus didn’t lock down this high of victory, they might slip and never recover. If anything, he wasn’t going to go down with the ship if that’s what it was going to do. Not that he had no faith, but it would hurt.

But in the end, he decided he would wait, and maybe he would end up regretting such. But he was still determined to see things through, after all he had done for the team and after all they had done for him.

Truth be told… it was nice being a bit warmer.

- - - - -

Maximillian Rykinsvik

Subject no. 6 couldn’t be found in the same camp as the others (aside from one more). But he, too, had feelings.

His feelings were of confusion. A sense of failing to belong, in partiality. He had gone this far in his career because he was willing to stick it out with someone who needed it. Someone he was more than willing to consider a close friend, if he was unsure how that someone felt in return.

But now things had changed, and once they had he was starting to see the truth. Was this really what he was supposed to do? Well… that was a rough question; a rough way to say he was lacking confidence. Nexus was still putting their confidence in him, and Janne Laukkanen was a driving prodigy the likes of which he had seldom seen before (and he had seen a lot of drivers). But despite their success- Janne’s first race win included- and their definite recovery from the team’s issues prior to this season, it was no lie or façade to say that they were struggling. Outside of that win and a solid 4th, there was no further success, and the chances of more seemed slim with only three rounds to go.

But moreso, he didn’t know if he was the right person for someone like Janne. He felt inadequate; he had merely done his job and little else. Janne was supposed to be able to rely on him, and all he had given in return was the minimum. Despite the struggle. And maybe that was why. He didn’t know why- why it wasn’t working, but he knew that was the case.

He assured himself that there had to be some other way out. Some way to get back into things and do more than just his job.

But if so, time was running out to find it.

- - - - -

Jean Mercer-Daly

Time wasn’t actually running out for Subject no. 7, and yet it felt like it did.

He knew not where to go from here. Little might have been asked of him, and he appreciated it at times, but at others he felt equally inadequate as the previous subject. Only a certain amount of success seemed possible from the team at any one time, and that usually meant struggle from the parts of the team that couldn’t manage it. Which, seemingly more often than not, included him.

And after it was said and done- what would be his fate? He had spent so long searching for the answer- so much that he had tried to buy more time with this role at Nexus- and he still hadn’t found it. It was out there, somewhere, but it absolutely wasn’t easy to find. It was quaint, and yet concerning- that a concept, a mere question, would be possibly the biggest challenge he had ever faced in his life. And this was coming from a man with two amputations.

He always tried to think of it more. Because if he did, then he would find it, or so he hoped. But now, it seemed not the time. He still had a role to play, and that role was quickly coming up- to continue giving his team, the one who had cared for him for so long, back everything he could.

His future would have to wait for now. And he had been the one who decided that.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Hapilopper City Grand Prix Circuit, Paulson, Hapilopper City, Hapilopper
Preston Autos Hapiloppian Grand Prix; Post-Race

“No, I have no idea,” Gertrude says. This is about the fourth instance she’s had to say so. “I didn’t like it – never have, it’s actively incentivising the most dangerous part of this sport, and I’ve brought it up with the other team principals before. But we’re a racing team – everyone back in our garage and at the HQ has something more important to be focused on than a Typhonic scheme like this, especially this late on in the season.”

“Gertrude, thank you for your time.” They’re the… Tumbran news contingent, right? First Builders, it’s all blurring together.

She offers a nod with a tight smile behind it, then begins the long walk back toward her team’s lodgings for the weekend. Hopefully Karl Rain, Nexus Racing’s representative and communications specialist, has had a better time of diffusing the rumours that are now circling through the paddock. He should do; it is, after all, part of his profession.

I mean, it could be us, looking from the outside. Those looking being people who don’t know how we operate and think we have a public outreach team so big it could have the budget and personnel for massive stunts, which happens to have hired enough people from the Imageneration or otherwise very good Imaginationeers for there to be one who’s a really capable artist, except OH WAIT, even if we were willing to put our good standing in the WGPC at risk we DON’T have that, OUR ACCOUNTS ARE PUBLIC FOR THE MYTHRAN’S SAKE –

Breathe, Gertrude. You’re not going to convince them, least of all right now. Success is a process.

Imagination, I need to lie down. Preferably with Verti. Maybe to talk to Thomas.

Imagination.

Gertrude sighs. Then she jolts, narrowly dodging an apologetic Benedi pulling a wheeled set of drawers. She shakes some of the tiredness born of stress from her form – she needs, after all, to be alert for the debrief.

“…if we’re too slow to sustain both cars then we need to work now.”

And, apparently, this.

She finds the voice’s source without great difficulty, even through the chaos of the garage. Janne is agitated and animated in his conversation with his race engineer – reasonably so, after today – if his body language is anything to go by.

For just a moment, his eyes twitch slightly away from Max, slightly towards hers.

And, well. Gertrude Thompson has been working with racing drivers for several years now. She knows just how good their peripheral vision tends to be.

She fortifies herself, steps forward through the garage. She sees Janne flinch, just for a moment… Then, as she gets closer, he draws himself back up, fixing a determined expression on his face. For a moment, Gertrude has to remember to compel herself towards relaxation, but she also feels the deep surge of pride that she usually feels when it comes to Janne well up within her.

That suffusing warmth, joyful and light, makes relaxing much easier.

Finally reaching speaking distance, she gives a nod of affirmation to Max, then turns to Janne – who’s already taken the opportunity to speak. “Gertrude, I don’t know how much you heard, but… We can’t keep going like we are, if we want a shot at – at both championships. We need to be more consistent – we should be more consistent than we are. I know everyone’s trying, I know everyone wants this, but…” His teeth begin worrying his lip, his eyes glancing anywhere but her own, the confidence beginning to fall away.

“You’re right, Janne,” Gertrude answers – the warmth returns when she sees his gaze straighten again. “I appreciate your candour. I heard some of what you said, but not everything.” She shakes her head to forestall him. “We’ll get to the specifics at the debriefing in a few minutes –”

That was clearly not the right thing to say. Even holding himself back, the surge of irritation is clear, Janne’s whole body tensing.

We can spare a moment. “– but if you’ve got anything you really want discussed or to raise with me first, I can listen.”

A little of the tension fades. Janne takes a few moments to pause and think. “I… I just want to know that we’ll have the pace to finish off the season strong – both me and Ryker in the points, without us needing to start siphoning Imagination between us for half the race.”

That’s it. Gertrude nods. “We can definitely talk about ICAST deployment and work out whether our current protocols need updating.” She’d always been much less active than Timothy had been in monitoring that, preferring to leave it to Max and Martin as race engineers, her being much less of a tactician than he had been. Gertrude made another mental note to continue putting out feelers for a proper, full-time strategist to support the two of them – that void had become positively gaping during the Daze, it seemed. “And I’ll sort out a time tomorrow for you to meet with Lucia if you want, so you can give her some feedback and be forewarned of any developments coming down the track. I’ll do the same for Ryker, while I’m at it.”

“Honestly, I need to take a lot of the responsibility on myself here.” ‘Honestly’ – not a word used a lot in the Wardship. Cultural openness means it’s usually assumed; drawing attention to it is usually saved for especial emphasis. She takes a short breath. “I think everyone here thought this was going to be a rebuilding year for next season, given… Well, that most of us haven’t been properly experiencing the world until a few months ago. We didn’t predict just how volatile the field was going to be, and we still haven’t switched fully into competition mode to compensate. As Project Manager, that was my job to see. I didn’t. You have my full apologies for that. I’ll learn from it.”

Gertrude closes her eyes. When she opens them, fire burns behind them and a focused smile is on her lips. “What that also means, though, is that I can switch our focus now. We’ve got a whole development loop to prepare for WGPC 21. If it so happens that an opportunity worthy of the First Builders themselves has fallen into our laps… Well, we’d be fools not to take it, wouldn’t we?”

Huh. Really, really not all that tired anymore. You did always believe in the power of a good speech, didn’t you, Tim?

She sets her shoulders – looks about. “Let that carry on, didn’t I? Sorry again. Let’s go collect the others – meet in three.” And she places her gaze on Janne. “And then we’ll see about making certain we maximise that chance – for both of you.”

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Jill Franklin, Orange Cow Racing's Commercial Director, had skipped the Tumbran GP so that she could focus on helping the Drummond Vale folks and the CMF market the two day event with the AOGP Championship Round 7 as the main event; as the supporting race for the WGP2 series in the previous campaign--the first time the regional championship had come to the Commonwealth--it had been a nearly perfect result for the Orange Cow team and the promoters. Nick Unger took pole and Sammi Carter earned fourth in AOGP qualifying that preceded the Feature WGP2 event, which turned out to be the perfect end to Saturday with a Scuderia Orange Cow 1-2 sweep that looked visually stunning on the world feed with much of the crowd covered in orange rain ponchos (Franklin had ordered 15,000 of the cheap vinyl coverings as a precaution, and they sold like hotcakes on the marquee Saturday session).

The late addition of a round of the iROS series as the primary support meant that a late push for casual fans could include the fact that Batu Tüvshinbayar would be participating, in hopes of drawing an additional 4-6,000 walk up sales over the weekend.

[Aboveland]

CUTOFF

for the Tumbran Grand Prix at Mount Fesmos Circuit

[Aboveland]

Week 11: Race

Conditions:      	Dry	
Laps:              	53	
Nation:         	TMB	
Circuit:        	Mount Fesmos Circuit	
Event:	Tumbran Grand Prix	
Safety Car Deployed on Laps:		
Cars on Grid:	28

POS  # ▍DRV Name                     Team                     	Time      	Pts		
  1 74 ▍FTZ Adonis Fitzpatrick       Urotovsky-Gatutin        	01:27:31.735	25		
  2 71 ▍FAE Brendan Faloe            Cygnus Motorsports Team  	00:00:11.101	18		
  3 42 ▍MCR Sophie McCreary          Pressley Racing          	00:00:25.113	14		
  4 88 ▍PRE Ted Pressley             Kaylan Racing Team       	00:00:43.099	10		
  5 23 ▍C23 Cocoabo #23              Race Eelandii VTGP       	00:00:53.398	8		
  6 96 ▍ARC William Archer           Preston Autos            	00:01:00.164	6		
  7 14 ▍VIA Skiia Vialiv             Urotovsky-Gatutin        	00:01:05.214	4		
  8  5 ▍EDW Rudy Edwards             Preston Autos            	00:01:05.353	3		
  9 33 ▍BLA Sam Blaatschappen        GPA Pryfors Bilar        	00:01:17.986	2		
 10 87 ▍YAN Bryce Yannec             Pressley Racing          	00:01:37.322	1		
 11  9 ▍TUV Batu Tüvshinbayar        Scuderia Orange Cow      	Laps Down: 1			
 12 40 ▍AKS Adriana Kowalski Lilian  Eminent                  	Laps Down: 1			
 13 10 ▍NAT Lillý Náttmörðsdóttir    Sivaleinen               	Laps Down: 1			
 14 84 ▍ANG Angela Tan Fang Ling     Cygnus Motorsports Team  	Laps Down: 1			
 15  1 ▍TII iBen Toralmintii         Tropicorp-Colourworks    	Laps Down: 1			
 16 11 ▍CRT Lane Carter              Race Eelandii VTGP       	Laps Down: 1			
 17 94 ▍LAN Ryker Lane               Nexus Racing             	Laps Down: 1			
 18 13 ▍JSY Ji So-Yeong              Tropicorp-Colourworks    	Laps Down: 1			
 19 91 ▍WAL Kingston Walcott         Sivaleinen               	Laps Down: 1			
 20 50 ▍LUN Sara Luna                Viska Racing             	Laps Down: 1			
 21 51 ▍CRU R.L. Cruisin             Portland-Carvenlo        	Laps Down: 1			
 22  7 ▍DEV Anneliese Devereux       Eminent                  	Laps Down: 2			
DNF 28 ▍DEE Aaron Deering            Viska Racing             	Ret. lap 32			
DNF 12 ▍VIL Darian Vilau             Kaylan Racing Team       	Ret. lap 2			
DNF 19 ▍FAL Dom Falepeau             Portland-Carvenlo        	Ret. lap 4			
DNF 17 ▍LAU Janne Laukkanen          Nexus Racing             	Ret. lap 1			
DNF 24 ▍JCR Jordan Crowe             Scuderia Orange Cow      	Ret. lap 33			
DNF 37 ▍HAU Laura Haukanna           GPA Pryfors Bilar        	Ret. lap 36

Drivers' Championship

Pos # ▍DRV Name                      Team [Engine]                                        Tyres                    Pts
 1 71 ▍FAE Brendan Faloe             Cygnus Motorsports Team [Tropicorp]                  Tropicorp                65
 2 74 ▍FTZ Adonis Fitzpatrick        Urotovsky-Gatutin [Preston]                          Tropicorp                61
 3 23 ▍C23 Cocoabo #23               Race Eelandii VTGP [Tropicorp]                       Tropicorp                59
 4 42 ▍MCR Sophie McCreary           Pressley Racing [Kaylan]                             Brústeinn                46
 5 50 ▍LUN Sara Luna                 Viska Racing [Viska]                                 Phoenician-In Motion     43
 6  7 ▍DEV Anneliese Devereux        Eminent [Sidus]                                      Phoenician-In Motion     42
 7  5 ▍EDW Rudy Edwards              Preston Autos [Preston]                              Tropicorp                41
 8 14 ▍VIA Skiia Vialiv              Urotovsky-Gatutin [Preston]                          Tropicorp                39
 9 94 ▍LAN Ryker Lane                Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                          Phoenician-In Motion     36
10 17 ▍LAU Janne Laukkanen           Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                          Phoenician-In Motion     35
11 96 ▍ARC William Archer            Preston Autos [Preston]                              Tropicorp                30
12 37 ▍HAU Laura Haukanna            GPA Pryfors Bilar [Sidus]                            Phoenician-In Motion     28
12 11 ▍CRT Lane Carter               Race Eelandii VTGP [Tropicorp]                       Tropicorp                28
14 88 ▍PRE Ted Pressley              Kaylan Racing Team [Kaylan]                          Phoenician-In Motion     24
15 13 ▍JSY Ji So-Yeong               Tropicorp-Colourworks [Tropicorp]                    Tropicorp                23
16  9 ▍TUV Batu Tüvshinbayar         Scuderia Orange Cow [Tropicorp]                      Tropicorp                22
16 28 ▍DEE Aaron Deering             Viska Racing [Viska]                                 Phoenician-In Motion     22
16 40 ▍AKS Adriana Kowalski Lilian   Eminent [Sidus]                                      Phoenician-In Motion     22
19 51 ▍CRU R.L. Cruisin              Portland-Carvenlo [Carvenlo]                         Tabtac                   13
20 33 ▍BLA Sam Blaatschappen         GPA Pryfors Bilar [Sidus]                            Phoenician-In Motion     12
21  1 ▍TII iBen Toralmintii          Tropicorp-Colourworks [Tropicorp]                    Tropicorp                10
22 19 ▍FAL Dom Falepeau              Portland-Carvenlo [Carvenlo]                         Tabtac                   8
23 87 ▍YAN Bryce Yannec              Pressley Racing [Kaylan]                             Brústeinn                7
23 91 ▍WAL Kingston Walcott          Sivaleinen [Preston]                                 Tropicorp                7
25 10 ▍NAT Lillý Náttmörðsdóttir     Sivaleinen [Preston]                                 Tropicorp                3
26 84 ▍ANG Angela Tan Fang Ling      Cygnus Motorsports Team [Tropicorp]                  Tropicorp                1
26 12 ▍VIL Darian Vilau              Kaylan Racing Team [Kaylan]                          Phoenician-In Motion     1
28 24 ▍JCR Jordan Crowe              Scuderia Orange Cow [Tropicorp]                      Tropicorp                0

Teams' Championship

Pos NAT ▍Team [Engine]                                        Tyres                    Pts
  1 PDN ▍Urotovsky-Gatutin [Preston]                          Tropicorp                100
  2 V&T ▍Race Eelandii VTGP [Tropicorp]                       Tropicorp                87
  3 HAP ▍Preston Autos [Preston]                              Tropicorp                71
  4 NIM ▍Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                          Phoenician-In Motion     71
  5 ESM ▍Cygnus Motorsports Team [Tropicorp]                  Tropicorp                66
  6 AUR ▍Viska Racing [Viska]                                 Phoenician-In Motion     65
  7 ETL ▍Eminent [Sidus]                                      Phoenician-In Motion     64
  8 TMB ▍Pressley Racing [Kaylan]                             Brústeinn                53
  9 DCS ▍GPA Pryfors Bilar [Sidus]                            Phoenician-In Motion     40
 10 ABL ▍Tropicorp-Colourworks [Tropicorp]                    Tropicorp                33
 11 TGN ▍Kaylan Racing Team [Kaylan]                          Phoenician-In Motion     25
 12 CBP ▍Scuderia Orange Cow [Tropicorp]                      Tropicorp                22
 13 LEN ▍Portland-Carvenlo [Carvenlo]                         Tabtac                   21
 14 MRT ▍Sivaleinen [Preston]                                 Tropicorp                10

[Chromatika]

The Story of Ji and Melani – Part 4

The following article was published in the Chromia Central Courier during the mid-season break of WGPC 20, a brief amount of time before the mid-season test.

Attacked! Bombing Shakes Supreme Court as “The Truth” take Responsibility
Ji So-Yeong’s testimony pivotal as truth behind Melanis’ death is revealed
Shadow Hand reveals themselves as manhunt for “The Truth” begins

CHROMIA, CAPITAL DISTRICT – Three days ago, in the middle of a pivotal testimony that revealed the truth behind the murder of Anola, Beatrice, and Niles Melani, the Chromatik Supreme Court was attacked by what was revealed to be a series of bombs set underground in the boiler room of the structure. The resulting explosion killed twenty, including one of the judges of the Chromatik Supreme Court, and injured twenty-four, putting a stop to the testimony while confirming what Ji had put forth – that the Shadow Hand, the quasi-governmental black ops organization that had a thorough hand in Chromatik history through the Rainbow Revolution, had a rogue group in its hands – calling itself “The Truth”.

Having been heavily veiled since the incident, Ji So-Yeong spoke under oath regarding what she saw at the Melani household. She mentioned in detail the state in which she found the three Melanis, and then spoke about the box that had been planted there. She explained how the police that had been called were able to confirm that some contents of the box were meant to be burned away by the fire, while others had been packaged to try to frame the Melanis as responsible for some of the dubious goings-on in the recent years, tracing back to the murder of Ga-yeong Han. Apparently, not all of the Shadow Hand had been complicit in the ex-Anomalies player’s murder, and the majority of those that had called for her head had been from this group known as The Truth.

Jericho A. Samuelson, the defense attorney that had been assigned to the case, was in the process of trying to delay the court from naming the defendant – the one who was the head of The Truth – when two loud explosions were heard from below. They were followed by three others, and the impact was enough to cause the foundation to crumble and the building to cave in entirely. Mr. Samuelson was one of the ones killed in the explosion, along with Supreme Court Justice Anne Hillerman of Lanar, Rainbow District.

Five minutes later, The Truth issued an ultimatum online, posting on multiple social media platforms and hacking the homepage of the Chromatik Judicial System. The manifesto, which can be read in its entirety online, decried the Chromatik Government, revealed that Premier Hélène Embroise was actually in the clutches of the Shadow Hand, and took responsibility for the murder of Ga-yeong Han, the different government officials around the same time, the Melani family, and those that were killed in the explosion.

“More drastic measures may be needed if Chromatika is to shed the yoke of a society that is forgetting its roots,” the latter parts of the manifesto read, “We ask those who are of the same mind to join us. Look in the shadows, and we will be there. To those that seek to do us harm, be careful what you wish for – if you take us down, we will take you down with us.”

That evening, Premier Embroise admitted to the involvement of the Shadow Hand in the last Chromatik election, but stated that the Hand had not rigged the election in any way – nobody had seen the defection of Finnja Kornhäusel coming, as the wildcat had acted entirely on her own. The Shadow Hand had, admitted Hélène, influenced her to make certain decisions their way (because of the sway they had over her family’s safety), but were on the right side of history now since her winning the election.

Understandably, there has been public outcry at Embroise’s admission of outside interference into Chromatik politics. She now faces deterrents both within her own Party and those outside it, while the New Light Party has to deal with the biggest pressure on their power structure to date. Her admittance of the truth, however, has made Embroise a key witness against the Shadow Hand, leading to she and her family being protected by the Secret Service.

Just yesterday, two days after the bombing, a Myaner Businesswoman by the name of Karla Samantha Jin came forward stating that she was the leader of the Shadow Hand. Ms. Jin submitted the names of twenty individuals that were admitting to be members of the Shadow Hand, the eternal watchers of the Chromatik government to make sure that the tenets of the Rainbow Revolution that the country had been founded upon will not be lost in the generations to come.

Ms. Jin has admitted that the Shadow Hand has used espionage and coercion alongside blackmail to get some of the things that it wanted done, but has decried the use of murder, stating that it is because of the blood being spilled of the innocents that she and some of the Shadow Hand was coming out into the public. They then, as a sign of trust and of peace, presented the list of twelve members of the Shadow Hand that they have been able to identify.

The leader of this rogue group is a figure of note – retired Chromatik Army Colonel Kanjin Park-Tashimara, who was dishonorably discharged for his conduct against prisoners of war during the Rainbow Revolution. Having lost his wife and three kids to the Chromatik Party, Park-Tashimara summarily executed a hundred prisoners under his care during the latter days of the Rainbow Revolution – the only prisoners that were killed by the rebels. After serving ten years in military jail, he was let go on good behavior – only to show up now as the one behind the extreme elements of the Shadow Hand.

To this day, Park-Tashimara and his eleven other defectors, along with whatever support they have, remain at large as the Chromatik government goes after them. The government’s focus is split, however, with the continuing yearlong occupation of the eastern half of Myana Island of the forces of the Abyss from Yesopalitha. It is because of this dual crisis that the Rainbow Party, the Red Party, and the Spade Party have, at least for now, not called for Embroise’s immediate resignation at being influenced by the Shadow Hand. Embroise, to her credit, has promised to face the music once the dual crises at hand have passed.

As for Ji So-Yeong, the Chromatik driver, the truth behind her ex-girlfriend’s murder has been revealed, and she’s been named a national hero for being the lynchpin in revealing the truth behind the recent political events to light. She’s declined all interviews and returned to her racing life, fully devoted to her career, having fulfilled the promise that she made when she chose to save the evidence and not Anola Melani’s body – that she would see justice done. Her part was done; now, she could return to racing in Anola’s memory, trusting that the due process of Chromatik justice would do the rest.

FIN

[Abanhfleft]

WILLIAM JESSPER ARCHER ✓

@OffishWillArch8

An open letter to Preston Autos GP yb.ook/8uHJ773qAc


#WGPC20 : #TumbranGP : TheDecision : #OpenLetter

---

OFFICIAL STATEMENT (AND OPEN LETTER TO PRESTON AUTOS)

It is with great sadness that I am announcing that I will no longer be driving for Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing effective at the end of World Grand Prix Championship Season 20. This was not an easy decision for me to make considering the deep history that I have with Preston Autos, starting from the moment when they decided to sign me as a rookie driver fresh from a poor debut season in WGP2. However, there are a lot of things that have happened throughout the course of the current season which has made me come to the realization that, at the moment at least, my goals and the goals of Preston Autos are not currently in alignment.

I will forever be grateful to Preston Autos for giving me the opportunity to become part of the World Grand Prix Championship and show the entire multiverse that I wasn’t just the son of a stock car driver, that I was my own man and a good racing driver at the very least. Which is why the decision I made not to remain with the team for a fourth consecutive season was a hard one for me to make, but in the end, it was the decision that I felt would be the best for my own sake. There have been disagreements between me and the team, but disagreements are just a part of racing life, and I would not say that they were a major factor in my decision to leave the team. However, certain things have come up this season, certain things which I did not like, and I am not afraid to admit that they factored into my decision as well, perhaps more than they should have.

Maybe I am just overthinking things. Or maybe I didn’t actually put enough thought in making the decision to join Preston for a third season. But I asked for a guarantee of support at the start of the season, and recent events seem to suggest that that guarantee has been withdrawn. Some events couldn’t be helped, like two consecutive engine failures, as well as poor tire strategies. But to be in the lead, with a chance to fight for the win, and be asked to swap positions, it makes a man think. Did I really have the support that I was guaranteed to have in the first place, or was it just words? Some might call me petulant, childish even. Some might say I should have gotten everything down in writing in a contract before going on my merry way. And they might be right. However, these are issues that can be talked about and ironed out between two adults in an open conversation. But that isn’t really the main issue I have with the team anymore. In fact, the problem I really have is not really with the team anymore.

It’s no secret that the “Oh Crap, There’s A Wall” campaign has not been the most popular campaign in WGPC ever since it was introduced. I still remember the time when I was the first or maybe the second driver to fall victim to the wall, and I still remember the controversy that arose because of my father Guillermo leveling accusations against a Hodoran blogger due to a certain interpretation of certain words. One could say that this blogger (someone called Blue Flags or 48 Pigeons, whatever it actually was) wished a Preston Autos driver to crash into OCTAW to prove a point to the Hapilopper Television Network, and my father Guillermo chose to interpret it as said blogger wishing I would crash into the wall. Which is exactly what happened, but that is only part of my point. “Oh Crap, There’s A Wall” has always been a tasteless campaign in my personal opinion. We racers put our bodies, our lives on the line for the entertainment of the rest of the world, and HTN has decided to turn it into a betting contest, just like which horse crosses the finish line first. And while I don’t condone vandalism as well, it’s perhaps no surprise that someone would take action on their own to get rid of that massive bullseye, no matter if it was the work of other Hapiloppians or the Nimbans of Nexus Racing or anyone else.

It has become increasingly clear to me in recent days that I might not be compatible with Hapiloppian racing culture anymore. “Oh Crap, There’s A Wall” has always been something I didn’t approve of, but recent news coming out of Hapilopper City has firmly cemented this for me. OCTAW was already in poor taste in and of itself, but HTN’s new campaign putting targets on Nexus Racing’s Chase Cutters is, to put it lightly, way out of line. My own personal opinions on the Nexus Wardship and the Chase Cutter aside, nothing has been proven and accusations of vandalism is simply no reason to even tell someone to crash into another car, a fellow racer. And I won’t point to the stock car racing culture of Hapilopper as a reason for this because I was raised by a stock car driver who taught me that “bumping is racing.” But there has to be a good reason to bump someone in a race, like if you’re fighting for the win or if they bumped you first. Add to that Marty Lewis’s “breakdown” during the post-race press conference in Hap City, and it has become clear to me that Preston Autos and Hapilopper is no longer a place in which I feel I can thrive or even just survive as a racing driver.

I still have massive respect for Marty and the work that he put in to make Preston a relevant player in the WGPC stage. He was also the man who gave me my first and biggest break in WGPC so I will always have love for the man. But it has become clear in recent weeks that I have simply grown too different from the rest of the team to be able to keep working with them for the time being. I would still like to win a World Drivers’ Championship with Preston Autos. That desire of mine hasn’t changed a bit. However, until such time that the team finally gets its act together, I will have to pursue my dream in another place, with another team.

This isn’t goodbye, Preston Autos and Hapilopper. This is only so long for now. I am confident that our paths will cross each other once again, and I hope for a happy reunion and happier times in our futures.

William J. S. Archer

[Hapilopper]

OFFICIAL STATEMENT
From Marty Lewis, Team Principal, Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing
We would like to wish Will Archer all the best as he moves on in his next chapter of his racing career. This news is not a shock to us, nor has it blindsided us. Recently, we have told him that if he wanted to seek other opportunities of employment, he has our full blessing, as we want to see him thrive and succeed as a racing driver, with us or not. And the offer remains on the table if he would like to receive any financial assistance to help secure a ride with a WGPC team of his choosing next season. We understand the steep financial requirements exist to make a successful auto racing campaign work, so we are willing to help.

However, there are several things in Mr. Archer’s letter that we would like to address, because we share a lot of those same concerns he has.

The first concerns the Hapilopper Television Network’s “They Crash, You Win” contest, which has taken place in virtually every international motorsport event held in Hapilopper, as well as a recent vendetta the network appears to hold against Nexus Racing, a vendetta I find to be completely misguided. Perhaps HTN is taking advantage of a certain bit of the racing culture in Hapilopper, but to exploit it in such a manner – where fans can guess who crashes at “Oh Crap, There’s A Wall” – is enormously tasteless. I have been opposed to the program from the start, HTN has heard my complaints on the manner and my desire for the program to be discontinued.

Which, I imagine, would explain the act of vandalism that occurred at “Oh Crap, There’s A Wall” during the Hapiloppian Grand Prix weekend. I don’t condone the act. But I understand it.

The reaction from HTN, however, I don’t understand. During practice for the Tumbran Grand Prix, I noticed a target superimposed on the back of a Nexus Racing Chase Cutter. When an HTN engineer stopped by to see if the superimposition worked, I ordered the cameras shut off and removed from both of our cars. I agree with Mr. Archer that HTN’s “Wreck a Nexus” campaign was way out of line and wildly insensitive to the dangers of this sport. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Ryker Lane, Janne Laukkanen and the staff at Nexus Racing, who have sought to hit what I call “the moving target” in a manner completely different from what we do. Our desire is to beat them on the race track in a straight fight, fair and square. If they crash, that’s no fun. We cheer and pray for the safety of Ryker, Janne and everyone else on the race track.

A campaign openly cheering for another driver’s accident is wildly incorrect for an official host broadcaster of any racing series. I’ve been around the sport of racing long enough to see the risks involved with this sport, and what could happen if something goes wrong. I’ve been at race tracks when a driver lost his life on the track, and I saw the anguish that resulted. I’ve had to make public the sad news of a driver’s passing to the media, and it’s something I hope I never have to do again. So for HTN to lampoon a crash on a race track is more vulgar and more incorrect than any sort of vandalism or any sort of complaints that may come our way.

Consequently, I have ordered both our drivers and our crew to not take any questions or interviews from HTN until further notice, and I would ask that every team in the WGPC paddock follow suit. Further, I would ask that the WGPO consider moving their race broadcasts in Hapilopper to another network, one that won’t put on ridiculous contests like “They Crash, You Win.”

Concerning Mr. Archer, though, we wish him nothing but the best. Our view of him – the man that saved Preston Grand Prix – still holds, and we know that he is a man capable of winning the World Grand Prix Championship. We hope it happens – either with us, or with another team. And when he does win that title – and the key term is “when”, we’ll celebrate it with him.

-Martin Lewis
Team Principal
Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing

OFFICIAL STATEMENT
From Drake Stevenson, Chairman, the Hapiloppian Racers' Alliance

I am writing this statement not in my own capacity, but rather in a capacity representing 33,500 individuals in Hapilopper that compete in the sport of auto racing – either as a driver, mechanic, crew member, or otherwise, in all levels of racing, from the NSSCRA all the way down to club levels of racing. And I am writing this statement in extreme dissatisfaction of recent actions taken by the Hapilopper Television Network in recent weeks, especially as it pertains to Nexus Racing.

The “They Crash, You Win” contest is, to put it mildly, tasteless. The contest displays a willful and blatant disregard for the thousands of hours of work that race crews put on putting out the best race car they can, and a blatant disregard for the safety of those of us that drive the cars and for the marshals that put themselves in harm’s way to help us in the event of an accident. It is our desire that HTN either cease the contest, or that the major international motorsport sanctioning bodies – both the World Grand Prix Organization and the NationStates Stock Car Racing Association – cease doing business with HTN in the future.

The straw that has broken the camel’s back, in our view, is HTN’s “Wreck a Nexus” campaign that has started up in the aftermath of a vandalism incident at the Hapiloppian Grand Prix. As far as we are aware, Nexus Racing was not involved in the vandalism, and as far as I am aware, this vandalism was due to HTN’s “They Crash, You Win” contest that has raised the ire of the WGPC paddock. Essentially, HTN is cheering for the Nexus Racing drivers to have a devastating accident because of something that may or may not have involved them, and even then, had nothing to do with an on-track accident. This sort of action by HTN is inexcusable and action must be taken.

With that in mind, I have requested that every member of our organization not take interviews or speak to HTN in any capacity until these actions are reversed, and I would ask that Hapiloppian and international motorsport organizations do business with other Hapiloppian television broadcasters. HTN owes the Hapiloppian motorsport community, and the international motorsport community as a whole, an apology for their actions.

-Drake C. Stevenson II
Chairman
The Hapiloppian Racers’ Alliance

[Deiorus]

Igne Spupuo Triumphs at Drummond Vale Racing Circuit

In a mesmerising display of racing prowess and chivalrous determination, Igne Spupuo, the esteemed Deiorian motorpilot, emerged victorious at the hallowed Drummond Vale Racing Circuit in the AOGP series. The triumphant win showcased his indomitable spirit and silenced any lingering doubts cast by his critics. Gentlemanly in demeanour and formidable on the track, Spupuo basked in the glow of victory as he eloquently shared his thoughts following the race. "I am exceedingly joyous with this triumph at Drummond Vale," he stated with an air of dignified humility. "This win stands as a testament to my unwavering dedication to the sport, and I hope it serves to dispel any reservations held against myself."

Igne Spupuo, wearing his Order of Deiorus
medal over his racing suit, illustrated.

The race unfolded with both brilliance and poignancy, as Spupuo demonstrated his unyielding sportsmanship by expressing genuine regret for his fellow racer, el-Rafiq, who suffered an engine failure halfway through the contest. "It is indeed a pity when misfortune befalls a competitor on the track," he lamented. "I do not take pleasure in celebrating another's adversity. In truth, I owe part of my victory to the timely intervention of the safety car, which undoubtedly played a pivotal role in the outcome of the race."

Ever the gracious ambassador of the sport, Spupuo expressed his profound gratitude to the AOGP organisation for granting him the opportunity to race on short notice. "I am deeply appreciative of the trust placed in me by the AOGP organisers," he remarked. "It was an honour to represent the esteemed Motorworks team and compete alongside their formidable roster of motorpilots, especially the ever so mysterious TEST DRIVER. Winning this race was my way of showing my appreciation to the team, and I hope to repay the faith shown in me by contributing to the team's championship aspirations."

As the celebration ensued, Spupuo candidly addressed a moment of fervent enthusiasm during his victory lap, where he breathed fire in revelry. "I must apologise for any discomfort my exuberance may have caused to those around me," he said with genuine contrition. "It is not in my intent to appear brutish or beast-like in any manner, nor represent to Deorii to be as such. The rush of emotions, euphoria and elation, after such a long time, overcame me in that moment. I promise to hold myself with greater composure in future celebrations."


The win holds special significance for the Deiorian knight, who views his victories as a means of spreading the rich culture and heritage of his homeland beyond its borders. "It is my sincerest belief that, through the international platform of motorsport, I serve as an emissary for my cherished Deiorus," Spupuo explained with a spark of patriotic pride. "When I stand upon the podium, the anthem of our proud nation, 'Spirit of Deiorus', resonates through the hearts of global spectators. It is a privilege and responsibility I do not take lightly."

Buoyed by his recent success, Spupuo expressed his aspirations to continue his stellar performance in the upcoming AOGP races in Aboveland. "To achieve back-to-back victories would be an incredible accomplishment," he mused. "I was most heartened to learn that I am still in contention for the AOGP motorpilot championship. With every ounce of determination, I shall fight tooth and claw to seize that title."

The excitement surrounding Spupuo's journey does not end with AOGP, as he revealed a captivating upcoming double feature for his devoted fans at Aboveland GP. "In a delightful twist, I shall be driving my old rival Terho's former championship-winning motor before the start of the practice session in Aboveland," he revealed with a glint in his eye. "The opportunity to reconnect with people such as Terho and iBen, as well as, to get behind the wheel of a WGPC car after so long, fills me with genuine excitement."

As the racing world eagerly anticipates his next move, Spupuo confirmed that he has received offers for the upcoming season. Yet, he remained discreet regarding specific details. "While I wish to preserve a sense of intrigue and suspense, I can attest to the presence of possibilities," he coyly hinted. "There are discussions with teams currently in the Top 3 of the constructors championship." As he added an extra layer of intrigue to the ongoing negotiations.

With his customary candour, Spupuo asserted his stance on fair compensation, a matter close to his noble heart. "It is my unequivocal stance that I shall not engage in any arrangement where I am expected to pay for my drive," he declared resolutely. "I have proven my worth time, time and again, with points before and a victory today. I believe my talent deserves to be justly rewarded. I will stand firm in this belief, and I shall not waver."

When asked about the ongoing scandal surrounding the Hapilopper City Grand Prix and HTN's coverage of the event, Spupuo addressing it in a striking tone "There seems to be an intriguing development about the Hapilopper event, with reports of a media mogul's alleged attempt to assassinate fellow motorpilots," he remarked with a discerning tone. "Though Deiorii is my first tongue and English my second. From what I have gathered from the arisen events, the drivers want retribution from the media. Should the drivers seek to resolve this matter through a gentlemanly duel, I humbly offer my services as a nominated champion."

Drawing from his strong desires to keep chivalry alive, Spupuo shared his expertise in jousting and sabre duelling, should the need arise for his involvement. "In the days of old, before the war, I honed my skills in the art of jousting until King Len II's ban," he elaborated. "Moreover, I possess considerable proficiency in sabre duelling, which could prove invaluable in settling such disputes with honour and grace." With duelling bans across the world, it is unlikely Spupuo's offer will be taken. However, he once again demonstrates how committed to he is to his values.

As the sun sets on the triumphant day at Drummond Vale, Igne Spupuo, the motorpilot in shining armour, stands resolute in his pursuit of glory and honour. The fervent cheers of his fans and the admiring gazes of motorsport enthusiasts across the realm bear testament to the indomitable spirit that fuels his racing odyssey. One cannot help but be captivated by this chivalrous knight of the racing realm, whose every stride upon the track reverberates with the echoes of a storied past and a glorious future. With every race, Spupuo pens another chapter to his legend, leaving an indelible mark upon the annals of motorsport history. As we watch in awe, one thing is certain - Igne Spupuo's journey is far from over, and the legacy he leaves will endure for generations to come, both at home and at overseas.

[TJUN-ia]

The 8th race was upon everyone WGPC and for both TJUN-ian drivers, two ideas were firmly in their minds: getting points and helping the teammate out. Of course, the main ambition for all drivers entering this Tumbran Grand Prix was to score points and improve their championship position heading into the final 2 rounds of the season, but both Lane Carter and Batu Tüvshinbayar also entered this race looking to try and see if they could do anything to help their teammates - with Coacobo #23 looking to keep hold of their championship lead and Jordan Crowe looking to get on the board for the first time. Both drivers obviously were looking out for themselves, but they also understood that the team is also important in this sport and benefiting the team would certainly look great on their conscious and in their minds. Two different goals...but how would they go once the five lights went out again?

Well this race would receive no safety cars at all but it did receive two periods of chaos that certainly did shake things up. The 1st was right at the fucking start as Janne Laukkanen, Darian Vilau and Dom Falepeau all retired in the first 4 laps - after which we managed a significant period of calm before the 2nd act arrived with Aaron Deering, Jordan Crowe and Laura Haukanna all biting the dust in a 6 lap span. It really was a bit of a chaotic time but one that both TJUN-ian drivers managed to navigate...but at the end of the day, both of them ended up a lap down and outside the points - Lane in P16 and Batu in P11.

Lane wasn't too happy to be, once again, out of the points, but at least VTGP made the most of a bad qualifying draw in the end. He helped Cocoabo #23 up the field and that would push the bird up into P5 come the end - and while Brendan Faloe did finish 2nd to take the Championship lead, things could've been a lot worse and so this effort would certainly be appreciated by the team.

Batu, on the other hand, got lapped and missed out on points by one place in the same race...which wasn't too bad at all, but he did hope for a lot better from P10 on the grid. He gave Crowe a hug, he felt like he needed that, and tried to reassure him that things would get better from here...but that argument was getting harder and harder to make. He would then prepare for the flight back to Baker Park for the 4th iROS event, one in which he was actually leading the championship at the moment, and it would be after that event where his promised the boss that a decision on his representative would be made.

But all of that would come after the podium...and after the realisation was made. Adonis Fitzpatrick had won this race, over Faloe and Sophie McCreary. Donny, in contrast to the struggles of Will Archer, was a WGPC Race Winner. That distinction is a thing not even God can remove from a driver...and so when the news was passed down to the drivers that Donny had indeed won, they were certainly happy for their friend. Batu the first of the lapped cars, would give a thumbs up to Donny as he passed on the cooldown lap while both of them rushed into parc ferme to be with their mate. Batu would get there first, shaking his hand and saying "Well done, хамтрагч (khamtragch/companion)! That was totally wicked!" while Lane would welcome Donny to the winner's club by simply saying "Trust me: once you realise that anthem is playing for you, it hits different. Well done!" - while also shaking hands with his former UrGa teammates. Seeing him up there was simply wonderful, both drivers could agree with that, and that spark maybe could bring inspiration into their end games as well.

Round 9 is over at the infamous Fjellutfordring in Aboveland, a track that certainly can make or break seasons over a weekend. Both drivers still have points to claim and things to fight for...but not before Batu sent one final text down that old line. One he certainly was excited to send.

You fucking earned that one, dude! Absolutely brilliant!
I'm so fucking proud of you and I know Lane and Will are as well...so congratulations!

[Diarcesia]

Clicked Link

Laps Down: 1

To conclude at the 20th position in a race in the latter stages of WGPC 20 is, to say the least, concerning for Viska as a team and Sara as a driver. While the team had shown a lot of progress in their understanding of the nuances of their post-midseason upgrades, Sara's performance has been on a steady decline since late spring.

With her decision to stay with Viska for another season if offered a contract and start off with them again in WGPC 21 having been made public already at that point, the team had even taken the step of bringing her in for some extra one-on-one training sessions with their test driver and data expert to help Sara get a better grip on the current state of VK-03H. However, despite all that effort, it seemed like she was still struggling to adapt to whatever change happened within her psyche over those past few months.

While analysts agreed that what might be causing Sara's performance drop is quite likely some sort of mental blockage due to the pressure being put on her by both herself and others around, Viska management chose not make any further conclusions until after the Abovian Grand Prix as well as having spoken with both Sara herself as well as other people close to her.

Once the race was over, the team's head of PR had this to say: Sara has been a very valuable member of Viska Racing for quite some time now and we are fully aware that her performances have always been based on how well she is feeling. While there might be further complications behind what has happened recently, I am sure that with some rest as well as proper communication between all parties involved, Sara will get back on track soon enough. We are looking forward to having her back in the car in top shape for the upcoming Grand Prix, where we will surely give it our all.

As for what was possibly bothering Sara, perhaps it was actually on her personal life than in her racing form. Some sources say that she might have been either having some doubts about the future of her relationship with Tom or, even worse, it could be the case of her partner caught in his profession and deciding to follow his dreams at his family's own expense. While there is no way to know for sure until Sara decides to come out with it herself or others decide to let slip a little secret from behind closed doors, one thing's for certain: the Abovian Grand Prix will be another important milestone in Viska's season as well as Sara's career.

As the Abovian Grand Prix approaches, Sara recognized the crucial inflection point this race would be. Success here is a requirement if she still wants the Driver's Championship. She came to terms with it that no matter how much she worked on herself, there will always be a factor beyond her control. However, the simple fact that she had been able to win the Aurun Grand Prix and fight to a points finish in several races in a row is testament enough of just how great an asset she can be for any team out there if only they have the courage and determination to believe in their own capability as well as take risks when needed. And through all these years spent behind the wheel, what Sara knew is perhaps this: talent alone cannot get you anywhere without a plan and hard work by yourself first. For some reason or another yet unknown even to herself at this point of time, maybe it was because of Tom's issues or something else altogether... but one thing was certain - if Viska were ever going have things go back into their usual state after their high water mark point of the season while being under immense pressure from both outside sources as well as from within themselves... then now would be the perfect time for both parties involved come together once more.

Drawing from experience, Sara attempted to apply the advice she received throughout her career. The chief of which is: "Do not overthink. Just focus on the task at hand." With that said, she was ready to do her best for the race in Aboveland.

After a decent start in her one-shot qualifying lap there, Sara put herself in the zone. Make or break.

Ranking of Stings

Ret. lap 36

After the team meeting before the weekend, in which Haukanna and Blaatschapen had been promoted to the media as hyped for the Tumbran Grand Prix, both were ready for their new task of keeping the Tumbran fans entertained.

Haukanna had spent some time to look into her family history, which racing pedigree can be readily identified. The team even has merchandise featuring Laura's car, named after the Aurun motorsports legend Aina Haukanna.

Blaatschapen, on the other hand, had gone all in with her fans, at least through a manager in which almost all racing distractions would be filtered out while at the same time giving her the ability to fulfill her media obligations. Being part of a tech-savvy generation, she had taken some time to set up a Discord server for fans and start answering questions from them when her schedule allows for it. This was done after requests coming from different sources, including both the Odrioyan Grand Prix Association and Pryfors Bilar themselves: it would be nice if fans could have direct access to one of their favourite drivers!

For the race weekend itself however... well... things did not go so well for Laura. The practice sessions suggested that Haukanna still is in top form; though her qualifying performance was not where she would like it to be, her lap times were more than one second from Pole Position. On the other hand, Blaatschapen was humming along nicely with her team's equipment and could easily get accustomed to how her unnamed #33 car handled.

Come race day, Laura had made full use of her experience to turn around her unremarkable starting position in front of cheering Tumbran fans: finally! She could do this! However... one lap 36... something just did not click well together between Laura's head and GPA Pryfors Bilar engineers: no matter what they tried after the pitlane procedures or even on-track jury-rigging... it simply went wrong. She was forced to pit early due to flat tyre problems (which may have been caused by some debris stuck into the suspension), things got worse as one after another issue culminating on being instructed by Erik to pit once again and retire the car: fuel pressure malfunction here, electrical issues there etc. After the race, despite her best attempts to hold back the tears and be a good sport about it all, Laura could not stop herself from crying.

Meanwhile... after qualifying in P6 (ahead of Ted Pressley), Sam Blaatschapen was ready for her points finish. She knew she had it in her: ballsy overtakes on track combined with well timed pitstops can get you far if you have enough balls to keep pushing until your car's fuel tank is dry! Despite some minor issues here and there throughout the race and a slow pitstop that cost her a bunch of track position, she did just that: capitalised on other drivers' mistakes as they tried their luck at overtaking where they should not have done so while avoiding making any errors of herself. The crowd went wild when lap 53 started and saw that Blaatschapen won a wheel-to-wheel battle against Bryce Yannec! His eventual 20-second gap was due to a car failure that significantly slowed his car after seemily overstepping its limits. Her team celebrated along with their home fans as chants started coming out louder than before at Mount Fesmos circuit: "Blaatschapen! Blaatschapen!"

Sam was now out of championship contention, but she did not care.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

The fact that he didn't see the checkered flag in Tumbra was just another frustration that Jordan Crowe was left to deal with in this season that was shaping up to be the worst driving experience in his professional career.

He'd agreed to do a meet & greet on the first day at Drummond Vale, which wasn't a big sacrifice since he'd already planned to be there to support Nick Unger and Sammi Carter at the AOGP race, and the late addition of the iROS event meant that he'd be able to give support to Batu as well.

The fans he signed autographs for and posed for selfies with were universally supportive in regards to his ongoing struggle in the main series; the positivity did a lot to take his mind off the results from the previous round, where he and Aaron Deering had a coming together that eventually put both drivers out just shy of the two-thirds point. In his thinking during the immediate aftermath he assigned blame to himself but Deering wouldn't hear of it, saying it was just a racing accident and that Jordan shouldn't dwell on the outcome.

Watching Batu maintain his lead in the iROS drivers standings, and Nick closing the gap in the AO Drivers Championship to just five points with two round left also lightened his mood; Sammi had done OK in her guest driver stint in the All-Star race, setting the fastest lap then repeating the feat in the AO race the following day.

Steph prepared a special dinner the next evening to celebrate their 6 month Anniversary as well as the four year anniversary of their first date, which cheered Jordan up a bit more.
He had two more rounds to break through for a finish in the points and the previous few days had given him a confidence boost that anything was still possible.

[Aboveland]

Tervelkommen til Fjellutfordring!

---

The Fjellutfordring circuit is finally slated to make its long-awaited return to the World Grand Prix Championship, sporting a brand-new layout designed for all of close racing, high speeds, and ambitious overtakes. Compared to the old layout, the new track offers a shorter distance, far higher average speed, and a more flowing, traditional road character, with only one slow-speed chicane to break up the high-adrenaline sweeping corners.

Fjellutfordring has featured only once before on the WGPC calendar, as host to the inaugural sprint-feature race weekend in WGPC18. Then-reigning and eventual world champion Terho Talvela wowed home crowds in his WGPC14-throwback liveried Tropicorp Racing Ælund machine, storming to pole position in the weekend's one-shot qualifying session — the first and only time the drivers took to the tarmac before the race. Talvela would go on to swap places with an inspired iBen Toralmintii in the feature race, trailing the Turorian in a 1-2 finish for the Abovian outfit, while Nimban Ryker Lane took top honors in the subsequent sprint, becoming the first back-to-back winner of the Abovian Grand Prix since his maiden victory in Lintulahti the year prior.

The circuit's central location in Aboveland means that it's straightforward to reach via air or road from either Vankkavalta or Iskajärvi, even though the closure of the Avsidesliggendevuoret airport has made travel to the circuit less direct than before. The city is smaller than other urban centers in Aboveland, but larger than the large town of Lintulahti, previously host to the grand prix. Visitors will find a city sprawled across the rolling hills and rocky outcroppings of the Abovian taiga, with an ample selection of central and off-the-beaten-path accomodations.

---

Special Event: Igne Spupo Demo Run

As part of a shock return to the world of open-wheel motorsport, former Deiorii World Grand Prix driver Igne Spupo will tackle the treacherous tarmac of Fjellutfordring to kick off the Abovian Grand Prix weekend, driving a race-spec AGP004 around the circuit for a series of trial laps before the start of Friday’s Free Practice session. Though WGPC20 sporting regulations prohibit substitute drivers in official, timed sessions, Spupo will set a series of timed laps around the track to commemorate the 6th anniversary of his debut WGPC season, WGPC14. “It’s a tremendous honor for us to host Spupo this weekend,” Tropicorp-Colourworks sporting director, and former rival to the Deiorii, Terho Talvela said. “Igne [Spupo] was an extremely talented driver back when we had our on-track battles; his career ended because of things outside of his control, and he’s been to hell and back ever since his departure from the championship. We are brimming with joy to welcome him back to the WGPC, even if it’s in the form of a trial run, as a testament to our love for the sport and to Igne’s incredible resilience.” Since the Deiorii's return to the spotlight, he has made headlines with a sensational comeback win at Baker Park, dragging the AOGP Motorworks chassis from sixth to the top step of the podium and landing himself ninth overall in the championship after just two races. In WGPC14, his only season to date, Spupo scored two wins to finish best of the rest in the drivers' championship, finishing third overall behind the dominant Talvela-Toralmintii duo. The Deiorii scored 80% of the points of his team, Guayabalense outfit Telaris Racing, during the season, although a late-season slump, together with the stratospheric rise of Vangazi legend Jessica Franssen, poured cold water on the hopes of an eventual title bid.

---

A lap of Fjellutfordring

The circuit widens as the start/finish straight leads into turn one, a prime overtaking spot now with a wide gravel runoff at the end, making sure that first-corner heroics turn costly for the over-ambitious. The track opens up again towards turn two, then begins to rise over bumpy asphalt into the left-right three-four sequence and towards the chicane at turn 5. The chicane sees drivers brake while turning as they attempt to maximize the overtaking opportunity, and the circuit rises again more sharply towards the medium-speed turn six and onwards to the rising, sweeping crest of turn 7. The surface undulates between turns 7 and 8, an off-camber right-hander at the highest part of the circuit, where drivers will need to lift to avoid running onto the grass outside, before descending more sharply again towards the smooth turn 9 hairpin. The lap ends at the base of the turn 8 hill, with a rapid run-up to the tight, walled hairpin at 10 slingshotting drivers out onto the main straight through the rising turn 11.

---

---

Fjellutfordring
Avsidesliggendevuoret, Aboveland

Terho meanders around the garage, vigilant but tender like a caring parent. He exchanges warm grins and timid waves with the handful of mechanics who have arrived the earliest. The crisp early-morning sun hangs low over the horizon, where it's been for the greater part of last night, the last of the morning haze vanishing over the rolling hills in the distance beyond the track limits. There's something in the air in Aboveland that's just different from everywhere else: it's not precisely the intoxicating smell of race fuel like in Hodori, or the salty scent of the dense coastal winds of Cocoabo Forest — it's something refreshing, rejuvenating, cleansing, and completely enthralling. It's, perhaps, the smell of hope. The season so far had been nothing short of a disaster for Colourworks — if the latest appeal could get off the ground, soon to be righteously Tropicorp Racing Ælund once again — but Terho had always felt a sense of refuge when the WGPC rolled into Aboveland: the site of his only win in WGPC16, the silver lining in what had been his least competitive season overall, and though winless in WGPC18, it had been home to another historic one-two for TRÆ. When all else failed, he felt — or rather, knew — that he could count on his home race to bring him some peace.

The fans, always bursting with excitement, were another factor in the Abovian Grand Prix' emotional safety net, even after Terho had retired; now, despite their home team languishing in the lower echelons of the teams' standings, their love for racing was unmatched. For the first time in years, though, the grandstands were awash in a color other than navy: swaths of gray and cyan battled Ælund blue and Colourworks colorvomit for supremacy; Terho watched as the spectators gradually filled in their seats far earlier than they needed to. It was clear where the fans' allegiance lay: Janne Laukkanen's emotional performances thus far — either scoring points or finishing fantastically away from the excitement — proved endearing to the Abovian fan.

Today, it was him again taking center stage around the garage. Throughout the season, he'd been relegated primarily to media duties, reassuring the WGPC world that his bet on Ji So-Yeong would eventually bear fruit — which it did! Ji was not particularly gregarious or open; it made Terho's life easier from a sporting director's point of view, not having to be constantly on top of his rookie driver and her misadventures. He realized it'd be better off to just silently support the Chromatik until the results finally came, and to cede to her as many comforts — and legal needs — she required. It was a very Abovian working relationship: coexisting in silence worked perfectly. Now, however, he'd been the man in charge of Igne Spupo's magical return to the WGPC circus. Even though it was only an exhibition run, it was a significant part of the Colourworks home race promotion agenda —and he had to make sure everything was just right.

As the clock ticks towards 9AM, Terho's meandering slowly becomes obsessive double-checking that things are in their place, a task hampered by the increasing amount of people doing the same as him all over the garage. All three AGP004s — including the one for Igne — rest quietly under the floodlights, the chassis destined for the show run given the least amount of attention. All three race suits still hang at the back of the garage, slowly rocking as gusts of wind punch the still air inside the paddock. Below them, iBen's Colourworks cap is gone — maybe the Turorian has already arrived.

Almost entranced by the gradual increase in activity in the garage, Terho has also failed to notice the arrival of Edvin, who's taken up the same redundant task as him to make sure Igne's trial run doesn't end in yet another embarrassing disaster for the team. Their erratic paths around the cars and tool trolleys don't ever cross, their heads too far down in the details to notice the other's presence, and it's only when Edvin finally takes a step outside that they interact for the first time in the day. A harsh whistle echoes into the paddock from the pit lane. "Terho!" Edvin exclaims, shocking the Abovian into reality. "Come for a second?"

The look of concern on Edvin's face worries Terho, although his head is tilted upwards in such a way that, whatever the issue is, it's at least not car-related. He walks briskly towards the garage opening; the mid-morning sun now warmly tingling his skin. "You're supposed to say hi first," Terho replies, once he's within hugging distance of his friend. The two give each other a brief pat on the back, but Edvin's gaze upwards is fixed and unwavering. His hand points to the garage sign above the third opening reserved for Colourworks, before it drops towards his face to nervously rub every single rubbable body part on it. Terho, frowning in confusion, turns his back towards the grandstands opposite the garage and stands facing the offending sign Edvin is staring at.

"What?" Terho asks, his eyebrows raising sharply, his shoulders hopping out of frustration. He turns to look at Edvin, who's almost hypnotized by the sign. He shakes his head.

"Don't you..." the team principal begins, quietly. "Don't you... see it?" He nibbles at his quivering lower lip.

The insinuation that something is off prompts Terho to stare harder at the sign, his frown so strained it hoods his eyes, and the peaks of his eyebrows invade his peripheral vision. "I... I don't see it?" he shrugs.

Frustrated, Edvin points with an outstretched hand, clicking his tongue. He aims for the center of the sign, below 'Igne' and to the left of 'SPUPO'. "Did... Deiorus change its flag?" he blurts nervously.

Terho sighs with relief. "Jesus Edvin," he moans, his tense shoulders relaxing as he turns towards him. "I thought you were gonna tell me we spelled something wrong or got the wrong number!" He jokingly pushes the team principal's shoulder, just hard enough to make him stumble. "It's the correct flag, I double-checked this morning." Edvin's lips curl inwards as he processes the information. "Ease up! We're at home!" Terho chuckles.

[Tumbra]

Tumbra

The hotel was spartan; but considering that there was always nearly nothing near the circuit itself, the 3-star facilities would have to do. At least it was comfortable; and at least it was Tumbra. There had been a spring in his step from the moment Ted Pressley stepped onto Tumbran soil in Straton; it was home. The air felt crisper here; or at least it did until he stepped out of Terminal 4 and was hit with, well, Straton air. There were some things he didn't miss.

But once the team had made its way to Fontwell — there hadn't been enough money for flights direct to Fontwell, so it was a train trip instead — the air did indeed become crisper. The west of Tumbra was renowned for its natural beauty and landscape; autumnal forests, soaring peaks, flowing rivers and the like — and when the doors finally did open in Fesmos Station, after a long trip on a slow local train, the air was fresh.

Okay, it had also been raining, meaning that the air was mostly damp with humidity. But it was still fresh!

Ted himself had pulled strings to ensure that the hotel — the best in the surrounding area — had been booked for Kaylan. They'd deserved this much, at least; Ted felt at times like he was practically dragging the T190 along. The sixth place in Auruna and ninth in Hapilopper had led to somewhat of a narrative that Ted was outdriving the car; and he privately hoped he'd held water, considering he was intending to jump ship next year. Carvenlo had been on his shopping list, but the team had suddenly been hit by two noncompetitive seasons in a row; their future in the series was now up in the air. Viska was an option — word in the paddock was that Aaron Deering had been considered for a premature axe from the team after his impressive junior career had given way to a much less impressive senior career, with the solitary podium in Auruna being down to the car more than raw driver talent. There was also Preston, a team undergoing sharp upheaval amongst rumours that both their current drivers were intending to depart the team...and so on.

Maybe, with WGPC having as much upheaval teams-wise as it did from season to season, his ideal ride hadn't even appeared yet.

At the end of the day, the hotel had only half filled up; and while he'd expected the Pressley team to occupy the other half of the hotel, he was surprised when he saw the light blue uniforms of Nexus Racing at breakfast. This meant...well...it also meant Janne Laukkanen was here. While the racing had occupied his mind for the last few weeks, Janne was, too; the adorable Aboveian had been on his thoughts more often than not. He didn't know what they were, or what he wanted them to be; but he did know that Janne was a bit annoyed at how he wanted their thing to remain under cover. Soon, he located the Abovian; and with his plate of scrambled eggs (the house special — whenever he came round to Caduke, the scrambled eggs from this particular hotel were his favourite), sourdough bread, bacon, sausage patties, and hashbrowns, sat down opposite his situation-friend.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"How've you been?"

"Bad." Janne hadn't scored points since his win in the Wardship, and it was clearly weighing on him.

"I'm sorry. Recent results not good, huh..."

"Don't remind me." Janne sulked, as if he was expecting Ted to draw the lines as to why he was still moody. "And then there's us."

"Us?"

"Yeah, well, I don't know what you want out of us."

"Well, I was thinking we'd take things slowly."

"Too slowly."

"What, you're...unhappy with how I'm taking things?"

"You take charge, say all those loving things, then when we go out in public, you dress us up in hoodies and sunglasses, almost as if you're scared of us being out in public."

Ted sipped his coffee. "It was Hapilopper."

"And then what? Who cares?"

"I didn't want our cafe date being interrupted by those yobbos who seem to go crazy at any sight of a racing driver! Plus, I'd rather...we were kept secret..."

"You take charge, but you're scared."

"And so what if I am?"

"Then you're not fully committed, are you?"

Ted, incensed by Janne's comment, decided to take charge again. "Come by my room tonight, then. I'll show you about commitment and taking charge."

---

As planned, Janne showed up at the appointed time; both men were now in their boxers and fooling around in a hotel room. The night was young; they were so close, yet so far from their teams and being found out. They were moving closer, and closer, and closer together to being joined as one; but as their hands explored each other, they were rudely interrupted by a knock on the door. With almost superhuman speed, Ted threw a blanket over Janne, jumped out of the door, put on a shirt, and then opened the door.

"Yeah?"

"Eight-thirty tomorrow, don't forget," said a voice at the door.

"Yeah, yeah," said Ted, somewhat irritated. Somehow, the Kaylan team member kept going for a few more minutes. When he finally left, Ted unfurled the blanket to see a nonplussed Janne lying there, like a prince roused early from his sleep.

"Sorry," Ted said sheepishly, as he lay down next to Janne again. They continued for a few minutes, but it was clear the moment had passed. Once again, Ted had...hidden what the two of them shared. After a few more minutes of trying to get the mood higher again, Janne sighed, gave up, put his clothes back on and gave Ted a kiss on the forehead, but it was clear that this had been a missed opportunity.

And Ted said nothing as Janne left the room.

[Trans-Dniesters]

NEPÖ KINDER FANCLUB—PRIDNESTROVIA

@KinderFans_PDN

Вітаємо Непо Кіндер з четвертим місцем на автодромі Драммонд Веил, яке дозволило їй зберегти лідерство в турнірній таблиці AOGP!

Congratulations to Nepo Kinder on her fourth place finish at the Drummond Vale Racing Circuit to retain her lead at the top of the AOGP standings!

#AOGP : #AOGPBakerPark : #Вітаємо : #ФанКлубНепоКіндер : #НепоКіндерДляЧемпіона

#AOGP : #AOGPBakerPark : #Congratulations : #NepoKinderFanClub : #NepoKinderForChampion

PRIDNESTROVIAN MINISTRY OF MEMES

@PDNMemeMinistry

- -@KinderFans_PDN

Чесно кажучи, я віддаю перевагу Ніні Джонсілватурр. І я кажу це не тому, що обрав її для своєї фентезі-команди. Заради Бога, мені потрібно, щоб ця інвестиція окупилася.

I prefer Nini Johnsilvaturr to be honest. And I'm not saying that because I picked her for my fantasy team. Please God, I need this investment to pay off.

#AOGP : #AOGPBakerPark : #ФентезіAOGP : #АрміяНініДжонсілватурр : #ЯЗробивВеличезнуПомилку

#AOGP : #AOGPBakerPark : #FantasyAOGP : #NiniJohnsilvaturrArmy : #IHaveMadeAHugeMistake

[Auruna]

Haukanna Residence
Karalinne, Auruna

Sometimes, your failures will come and haunt you and especially so if you have a reputation that you want to maintain, a prestigious name you want to protect, it will only feel like you've been letting everyone down. It will only put you down and it will feel heavy to the point of being an extreme burden that you couldn't do something about it. It was something Laura has felt every now and then after a streak of misfortune but this time, being an established professional driver, revered as one of the few top Aurun drivers, it became worse.

Waking up late in one of her free days of the week, with the noon sun beaming through the gaps in the curtains of her room, Laura remained lying on her bed. Tossing, turning, and groaning, trying to shake off whatever feeling that infects her mind at the time. She didn't feel sick yet she wanted to remain in bed. She didn't feel like doing something but she didn't want to just laze around. Laura's mind and body were both heavy as she just blankly stares at a certain point in her room and if she had to do something then she had to force herself. Maybe this is what Haru felt before... I think I finally get it.

After a slight struggle, Laura manages to force herself to get up but she still remained on her bed, hugging her pillow tight while contemplating on what to do. During this, she realises the silence of the house. It was so quiet that it bothers her. She wasn't used to something like this but now, she had to endure a single day alone with Kata being at school and Juno finding a new thing to do that got her out of the house. For normal days, Laura always had something to do at home but she can't get that feeling of not wanting to do anything off of her mind. It was there to say and weigh her down. And she couldn't complain and run away from it knowing that she just couldn't do anything about it.

A few minutes passed and there was no progress.

Then a few more.

It was until a sudden ding from her phone brought her back to her senses when Laura decided to finally force herself out of bed. Moving sluggishly, she manages to do so before grabbing her phone and making it out of her room. After a few steps, she was overwhelmed with exhaustion even though she slept for a long time. It was odd but she just shrugs it off for now as she makes her way down the stairs, into the living room. Laura first ended up at the sofa, sitting down on it before a quick transition to lying down and not even bothering with checking her phone that is in her hand. Another ding from her phone shook her back to "normal" which just caused her to toss her phone aside on the sofa and get up which was followed by a groan and a sigh before she went to get some coffee in the kitchen to hopefully cheer her up.

A quick brew later and after a sip, it was indeed refreshing but it didn't help to lift her spirits up. It's all hopeless. She thought to herself as she makes her way back to the living room sofa. After setting her coffee on the table, as she reaches for her phone, another ding rang out to which she replied a soft and annoyed "shut up" before grabbing the device. She wasted a few minutes just blankly staring at the black screen of the phone, not knowing what to do and just simply losing all motivation to do anything. This continued on for a few more minutes before she eventually decided to return to her room bringing along her cup of coffee and her phone.

And upon entering her room and sitting down on the edge of the bed, it was just a repeat of earlier. At least the coffee soothed her for a bit until it was all gone. She then lies down on her bed, holding out her phone as she stares at it, waiting for it to do something. As her arm ached, she rolls to her side when she was greeted by another ding from her phone which turned the screen on to reveal a ton of notifications and missed messages. Laura promptly ignored most of them but the endless messages from Haru caught her eye. While she read through most of them, she didn't feel like responding, she didn't want to do anything substantial for the day but Haru's messages continued. It was a relentless barrage of messages and while it was nice of him to think about her, Laura wanted it to stop for a while. Noticing a pause after an invitation, she went on to send a single but brief message.

"Can you leave me alone for now. I just need some time off." It read, knowing that it was unlike her to reject an invitation from a friend and hoping that Haru would understand. Then after a few seconds, Haru replied with an "okay" followed by another wishing her a good rest and so the messages stopped. Afterwards, she turns her phone off and sets it beside the now empty coffee cup on her desk. Then lying back down on the bed, letting the soft comfort of the mattress and pillows take her in, leading her back to sleep as her eyes struggle to stay open.

Hugging her pillow tightly, Laura reminds herself. "I have to make it through to the end..."

"...Somehow."

Before finally closing her eyes, falling asleep once again.

[Lisander]

<< Previously | Next >>

XXV. A bowl of soup for a truck driver

"Marry me. I can't spend one more rainy night without your creamy chicken soup." - A dark-haired, young, handsome man, looking tired and covered in blankets, says to a woman that hands him a bowl of soup. He looks delighted.

The woman sits by his side at the bed, handing the bowl of soup, Then the camera reaches her face and we confirm her to be Irina Oxburg-Monlevade. She says in a calm and confident tone:

"That's Myne."

"Yes, your soup is the best, love..." - He continues in a passionate tone.

As he starts to eat, she winks at the camera.

Then, the camera moves from the scene to the back of the woman, showing some small packets of "Myne", a common soup, and a kettle fuming.

Myne. The taste of love, hi hi hi - her voice says, with a small giggle at the end, as the scene fades into a blur and the brand appears in the center of the screen.

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TAG Centre, National Road 14, outside Asti, Lisander
Wednesday after, around 3AM

(03:08) Irina: So, what do you think?
(03:08) Irina: Do you like it?
(03:11) Irina: Seems they want me to do more and more TV commercials...
(03:12) Irina: So...
(03:15) Irina: DAMN LMAO forgot the time zone... sorry babe

Anneliese rubbed her eyes to wake up, in the back of the lorry. Brushing her blonde hair out of her face, she reached for her bottle of water. Pouring some into her left hand, she used it to moisten her face. She reached for her tracksuit and checked everything inside with he hands. Keys, the case of contact lenses, a smartphone, her wallet with the LSiD card, as well as her toiletries bag. With everything at hand, she slid out of bed, returning to the driver's seat. That was a pretty reasonable sleeper cab, she had a pretty decent sleep, no matter if it was only from 22 to 3 am.

*"So... let's check what this Centre has."* - she talked to herself, opening the door of the truck. The night around her was calm and the weather was nice. The thermometer in the panel was showing 19ºC, which was pretty decent for late summer. Slowly, the autumn was reaching, and with it, the end of the WGPC season. She thought about it for a second while breathing the air of the night. Then she shook off the laziness, stretching and zipping up her tracksuit. That was the one thought she promised herself to forget for some days. After all, Carolina Lasseps and Callum Ascander had said she should take some days of rest and focus herself on anything else because the results of the last races were not her fault. Since then, she had take the road again. It was time to live a little more like her other persona.

She walked to the ladies' room. At that time, the place was empty and pristinely clean. "That's the TAG Centre for you", she thought. Tourism Assistance Group, the biggest company of vehicle services in Lisander, have nearly 100 centres offering a myriad of services to affiliate drivers, from refuelling and tyre repair to manicures and hairdressing. Each TAG Centre is practically a mini-mall on the road. The favourite and most useful service is probably the driver rest areas. Anneliese herself wasn't an affiliate, however, her persona, Laura Werner, was. And after washing her hands and putting on the blue contact lenses, there she was.

"So, hello, Laura. How are we today?" - she looked at the mirror and smiled. After that, she picked up the toiletries bag, taking her toothbrush and toothpaste. While brushing her teeth, she watched the video Irina sent her. Soon, leaving the bathroom, she started to answer the messages:

(03:29) Liese: Cool. Who's the good-looking guy? I'm a little bit jealous.
(03:31) Liese:BTW, Is the soup good? I'll see if I can find a pack.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

In Motion Workshop, Celina Community, the First City, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
19th of July

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BLOG
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COMPETITION VS. CORPORATION – A CRITIQUE OF THE HAPILOPPER TELEVISION NETWORK’S VIEW OF THE WGPC, AND A SPARK OF HOPE IN THE QUANDARY OF INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT IN MOTORSPORTS?

This entry of the blog will, unfortunately, not tread unfamiliar ground. The issue of corporate ownership and marketing in WGP racing is not new, not to the motorsports world, to us or, indeed, to this blog specifically. Most recently, I covered it in my piece on the Preston Automobile Company and its racing team, and the conflicting impulses between its corporate marketing team and its racing project.

I am confident that this blog’s regular readership already know why this issue is currently especially pertinent. For those who missed the last WGPC race: despite last season’s outcry from teams, drivers and a large number of fans, somehow the ‘They Crash You Win’ campaign returned at the most recent Preston Autos Grand Prix of Hapilopper. The sweepstake, run by the Hapilopper Television Network, offered a prize to a fan randomly chosen from those who correctly selected the first driver to crash into a concrete wall at a particularly dangerous part of the Grand Prix’s circuit. Seemingly in protest – a response which, I must stress, was inevitable given HTN’s failure to even acknowledge the prior backlash beyond an oblique reference in this year’s programme to the contest being ‘controversial’ – the target graphic painted onto the wall was suddenly, seemingly extra-naturally, reworked to take the form of an entirely different mural, depicting two drivers and their cars.

This action, being highly visible for the whole race, has triggered a substantial response throughout the WGPC community, mostly supportive of the protest’s apparent aims if more mixed on the protest itself. Analysis of the collective reaction could likely fill a dissertation; fortunately, it is HTN’s own actions that I am concerned with here. Said actions have been at once confusing and revealing.

Worth noting first is the grudge that they seem to have gained against Nexus Racing. While I cannot say I am sufficiently familiar with HTN’s past programming to be aware of their historical stance towards the team – nor, of course, am I an unbiased observer – the network’s attitude towards them seems to have become deeply vitriolic. This is despite there being no evidence whatsoever in favour of any member of Nexus Racing being involved with the protest, barring that Imagination could have been used to effect the change visible on the wall, a fact that is also true of Valentian reality shaping, Sherpa magic and no doubt many other extra-natural systems of matter and energy manipulation. Even if Imagination was the means chosen, Nexus Racing are hardly the only ones with access to it; Imagination is broadly distributed among the Nimban population and even beyond. It would thus not be implausible to speculate that those responsible for the protest might be elsewhere in the paddock or in the grandstands. Either HTN are unaware of this broad range of possibilities – this seems highly unlikely – or they are practising wilful ignorance to create a scapegoat for their own purposes. In any case, I am reassured by the team that there was indeed nobody among their number involved in this protest – and why would they be? A banner displayed above their garages or something similar would have made the point just as visibly and effectively.

It is also valuable to consider the precise form that this grudge has taken. Instead of reconsidering in the face of very public criticism, HTN have seen fit to double down and target a new competition at Nexus Racing specifically – in this case, by literally superimposing targets on their footage of their cars. This indicates that they may be actively seeking to generate the outrage, perceiving that no publicity is bad publicity. Leaving ethics and good taste aside for a moment, it is also a distraction from the racing itself, portraying drivers and cars less as pinnacles of mortal achievement striving against one another and more as toys to be thrown against one another until something breaks.

But what arguably allows the most piercing insight is a series of comments made by a spokesperson for HTN to an interviewer the Hapilopper City Herald. When asked to comment on the mural, they replied that they might present a ‘‘Hit the Dipshits and Win a Prize’ award’. This is a curious choice of words, not least from somebody representing an institution – if sanctioned to speak on their behalf, and presumably prepared with the interests and positions of the company on the issue, one can only conclude that the HTN holds active disdain for the drivers depicted in the mural. This is astonishing, considering that that one of them was very obviously Jean Mercer-Daly, who was a prominent competitor in WGPC racing until only last season. This comment indicates an alarming disinterest in the fundamental personalities of the sport that HTN are covering.

It is clear from all of the above that HTN must view the WGPC as two things: mindless entertainment and manufactured, destructive controversy. After you strip away everything else that they evidently cannot see it as, this is all that is left. There is nothing wrong, to be clear, with mindless entertainment. As somebody privileged with the opportunity to attend races in person, the viscerality of the competition is something to behold – the raw noise, the speed, the fury of it all is overwhelming. Even, yes, a crash can meaningfully elevate one’s emotions – the tension and astonishment of a moment of tiniest misjudgement exploding into devastation, followed, one always hopes, by the cathartic release of the driver walking unharmed from their sundered chariot.

But mindless entertainment is a fraction of all that top-level motorsports are. The countless hours of preparation by the people behind the wheel, in the garages, in the factories and design labs and every other part of a WGPC team; the masterful design of each and every piece of the cars that they build; the strategy and thought that goes into ensuring that they make their requisite laps of a track as quickly as possible – all of these are deep wells of interest that enhance and complete the entertainment on offer. In rejecting all of this, those in HTN who have made this decision belittle their audience, assuming that they will settle for spectacle alone and ignore the rest. More than this, they have distorted that spectacle, relying on arguably its most captivating but also its most dangerous manifestation to generate interest because they have nothing else to fall back on. As the protest highlighted, a crash can sideline, scar, and at its worst kill. We can acknowledge that a crash is investing while also seeking to reduce the likelihood and severity of one towards 0.

HTN’s views and actions thus fundamentally misunderstand, mishandle and misappropriate the WGPC – and it appears that I am not the only one to recognise it. Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing have been quick to distance themselves from HTN over the past week and a half and their team principal, Martin Lewis, has placed a moratorium on interviews with the HTN and requested that the WGPO replace them as their Hapiloppian broadcasting partner. Drake Stevenson, ex-WGP2 driver for Nexus Racing and NSSCRA champion, has gone a step further in requesting the same of the entire Hapiloppian motorsport community in his capacity as chair of the Hapiloppian Racers’ Alliance.

When I last wrote on the issue of corporate interests in motorsport conflicting with the interests of the sport and its participants, I concluded that life was easier for us at In Motion than for many – that we have not had to compromise our ideals in the face of pressure from investors with desires outside the sport imposing their own, and that those who feel that pressure will have a far greater struggle to make their desired impact upon the world. What I forgot in that moment, however, is that those interests need the sport as much as the sport needs them. The degree to which this is true remains to be seen and is about to be tested, but these last few days have reminded me that there is a great strength and purpose in this community of ours when we see what we care about threatened.

My wife and I are not Hapiloppian; there is only so much that we can do to lend the support I promised then. But we can certainly follow the march that the Hapiloppians have taken; I doubt we will be taking interviews from HTN soon. And, of course, we can make our voices heard – by way, for instance, of a blog post. If you have borne with me thus far, I encourage you to do the same.

Best of luck to all of our drivers, and to everybody else, at the Grand Prix in Aboveland this weekend.

Grace Speck, Co-Founder

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