World Grand Prix Championship Season 14: Roleplay Thread

[Cre Drago]

April was browsing the web and researching potential teams and came across McPahan'so testingredients day. She scribbled it down into her calender and ran into the garage.

"Josh, chief I found a great opportunity to test at McPahan. I think we should take it."
They both nodded and with that The Dragoian's schedule was becoming fuller.

"Oh don't forget tomorow you have a broadcast interview with The Early Show at 5:00 am"
"Damn I'll be up. But why does the early show have to be so early."

[OIsINiSTAn]

Scene: Oliver Bachmann's house in Ballyacklee, Oisinistan. Oliver, having just got up, is making himself breakfast, when his phone begins to ring.

Oliver: Oh, it's Anton (Anton Clayton, Oliver's manager). Wonder what he wants me to promote now? (Picks up phone) Hello?
Anton: Good news. I've received an email from MRT.
Oliver: Who?
Anton: That team you were trialling for the other day.
Oliver: Oh yeah, what did this email say?
Anton: They want you, Oliver. You performed best out of all the drivers, and they're offering you a contract.
Oliver: Well, what did you say?
Anton: Yes, of course. You haven't received a single alternative offer, so I had to say yes.
Oliver: Good, I'm under contract now, so I don't have to race as an independent again. *Shudders*
Anton: Well, that's all really. So good luck!

OOC: Oliver Bachmann has signed for MRT.

[Mattijana]

Dear Mr Bachmann.

Following your positive test results at the Kopylov InternazionRing, we would like to give you the opportunity to be our second driver this year.

Aside from your bonus sponsorship, no payment is required, although a few rolls of strong adhesive tape always goes down well.
We would like to remind you that should you accept, we reserve the right to sack or demote you if results are not fulfilling your and the teams potential.

We look forward to working with you and hope to hear from you soon.

Johann Struna, MRT team manager.

Johann Struna sat at his desk in Petrovijanka, anticipating a reply from the Oisinistani management. As soon as he saw the acceptance, he sent word to the team members and then to his deputy, Maria Jamasova to see what she thought.

"Good news, Maria, we've got our man from Oisinistan pegged down."

"Nice. It's good to know we won't have to dig around for anyone half-witted at the last minute."

"Exactly. He seems to be a hard-worker, which is what we need to go with Alex's natural talent... He was consistently good over all 3 tests, especially the long runs where Alex wasn't so good last year and he bought me 5 rolls of duct tape, which convinced me even more."

"I guess if you can drive well round Kopylov, you can drive well anywhere..."

"Yes, well, if it goes a bit pear shaped, we can always ummm... Make some room..."

"Indeed. Anyway, I've got a particularly delicious Koulibiac to finish, so I'll see you tomorrow."

"You go for it! Enjoy you're evening."

"See you tomorrow Johann."

Oliver Bachmann is confirmed as MRT's second driver.

[Eastfield Lodge]

Tadeo Durand was standing over what remained of the front wing of the car, wondering what the hell he should say to his driver now. Recently promoted to team principal of this joint WGPC venture, and team principal of the domestic SinVal racing team, his job was to make sure the team had a better showing than they did around 3-4 years ago, where the MSA-SinVal team had propped up the Constructors' leaderboard for nearly the entire season (ignoring works teams). A combination of a low car that was massively down on power compared to the rest of the field and a driver in Lukas Forbes who became more and more dysfunctional as the season went on meant that it was very much a season to forget for Matthew Tyrtin and his team. Tyrtin had been kept on as race director, as his perception of strategy was pretty well-tuned, even if his team management skills weren't.

The old car was extremely reliable, after months of getting that formula right, but that meant they had to make some drastic cutbacks to the car's performance, especially it's straight-line speed. This time around however, the main focus was on improving the engine, but still keeping it within the government's regulations regarding clean fuels and car emissions. It did mean the car was slightly worse at getting around corners than before, and that it was a little less reliable, but all-in-all, lap times were noticeably faster, even if Louis Krindle had become a bit less aggressive on the throttle in the past few years - however, the 31 year old still had a serious problem with self-preservation, often throwing it to the wind to win, and often throwing the car into various barriers and other cars.

And back to the present, where Louis Krindle was in the background, looking ever so sheepish at the third car he'd written off in as many weeks. Tadeo was just staring at him, evidently not pleased, and turned to Matthew and remarked, "Why on earth did we sign Louis Krindle up for this MSA-SinVal team?" Matthew looked at Krindle and then back, saying, "Two reasons: firstly, a ton of sponsor money, and secondly, pressure from MSA."

"But why the hell are we stuck with him when we could have had Vicky [Victoria Gardner]? I mean, she was a test driver at this team last time, surely we could have got her back?"

Matthew sighed, "I've asked that question so many times to myself. The WGPC super-license was only available for one person initially, and the only obvious choice for that was Vicky, and she decided to stick with the World Champions. Sort of a no-brainer really. We could have got her last year if we'd entered a team, but you know perfectly well that we were still developing the car; we wouldn't have got it ready for the start of the season."

Silence ensued for a moment, as Krindle got up and walked over. Completely oblivious to the angry discussions being held, he piped up, "Any progress on the search for my team-mate?"

Tadeo thought for a moment, before replying, "No, we haven't really made any contact with anybody. We haven't really got a car to test anyone in, not to mention the fact that we're small-fry, and drivers will be hoping to strike lucky at that McPahan test that's happening soon. Pretty sure we have somebody there watching, ready to make contact with any good, but unlucky drivers who fit what we need. Which, at the moment, is somebody who won't flippin' crash the car every other flippin' week."

That last sentence seemed to pass right through Louis' head, given that he didn't react to it at all. "Well, you should get on with it, season's not too far away and I'm itching to get out there and beat that idiot Victoria."

[Mattijana]

Dear McPahan.

If possible, I would love to attend your coming test in an attempt to secure a drive.

I thank you for the opportunity to test with you.

Jasmin Kranška.

--------------------------------------------------------

MRT Ready To Rumble

Mattijana Racing Team this morning anounced the appointment of Oisinistani, Oliver Bachmann, as their number two driver for this season of the World Grand Prix Championship. He will join Alex Dimitrianov, the first signing of the negotiation period and the team's targeted number 1 man.
MRT constructed a reliable package in preparation for the Kopylov driver trials and have reportably revised the engine, energy recovery system, gearbox and aerodynamics of the car for their private tests and will bring in more upgrades in time for the pre-season test. We grabbed a word with team boss Johann Struna after the announcement this morning.

"Johann, congratulations on the new addition, what do you think Oliver Bachmann brings to the team?"

"He's a hard worker, which goes a long way when coupled with natural talent, which he clearly also has. He drove very well during the trials, especially over the long runs which is where we needed a boost, and anyone who can drive the Kopylov Ring like he did is clearly a capable addition to the team and the Championship field, so I think we've made a shrewd signing and a very good signing."

"You signed Alex Dimitrianov of course. How's he doing at the moment?"

"He's looking promising at the moment, he's someone we've had our eye on for a while and now he's had his first season of experience and notched up a few really good results, we can turn him into something really special for both the team and the country."

"That's the two drivers taken care of, what about the car?"

"It's looking good at the moment. I'm really happy about our reliability. So now it's working on pace and I think now we've got the teething problems out of the way, we can really focus on those kind of improvements."

With such a diverse set of circuits on the calander this year, what areas can you see being a difficulty this year?"

"We've got a really good set of testing facilities here, but the Mattijanan circuits don't take slower sections into account as much, so that's certainly an area to work on when we take the car abroad. The Slithereen Circuit in Frenline Delpha is somewhere we can have a really good look at that. We always want to get faster, so we'll be working constantly to make sure the car's in good shape for the first race."

"Thanks for talking to us Johann. Good luck for testing."

[Vilita and Turori]

Eelandii Simulation Event Schedule
08:00: Drivers Meet & Greet
09:30: Warmup Session #1
11:00: Warmup Session #2
12:15: Lunch
13:30: Shotgun Time Trial Session
15:15: Open Race Event with 2 planned intermissions
19:00: Vehicle Inspection & Session Complete

CITY/TOWN: Eelandii
COUNTRY: Turori
EVENT: Eelandii Simulation Event
TRACK RATING: (5/5)
QUALIFYING TYPE: Two-Tier
LAP RECORD: 1:22.409 (Jai Kardaeri, WGPC 12)
LENGTH OF ONE LAP: 5.19km

---

Drivers Hit the Track in Warmup #1

Eelandii Grand Prix Course, Eelandii, Turori :: All the Drivers had found their way to their rides and things were going smoothly from iBen Toralmintii's perspective. The cars were lining up in the pitlane for the start of the first warmup session. Toralmintii decided it would be a good time to grab a representative from McPahan Racing to discuss their open 2nd driver seat situation. He found a fellow wheel man, Roger Bunn, and began talking shop. Toralmintii was disappointed to find out it was purely a pay-for-drive situation, knowing that he didn't really have big money sponsors lined up beside him. Its not that he couldn't get them, he just didn't have their blank checks ready to pass over the table. He had a strong relationship with Tropicorp Racing Supply, his sponsor during the famous NSFC2 Championship Season, among other prominent regional corporations. Heck, he could even probably squeeze some money out of Vilaye if R.L. Cruisin landed himself a primary drive.

While McPahan didn't shut the door on Toralmintii, they didn't leave him with a warm-fuzzy that he was on their short list. There was an olive branch, however. Roger Bunn let on that a few of the drivers were going to be invited to a 10-lap test at Crossport sometime after the Eelandii session was over. "If you're there, you'll get your shot" Bunn said to Toralmintii as the two shook hands and went their separate ways.

Bunn hurried to join his colleagues in the pit area so they could start clocking laps once the drivers got on the course. Toralmintii headed back to the garage area. 3 cars remained, all Pre WGPC-12 era chassis. There were rumors that Marcus Melton of The Sword Bloke and Ulrik Fjorissen of San Jose Guayabal were going to be at the test, but they had not yet arrived. Even if they did show, there was one additional chassis that remained unclaimed. He considered hopping in one of the cars to get in on the first warmup but decided against it, and got on the phone to the two missing competitors to see if he should reserve their car for them or if they had decided not to attend.

While Toralmintii worked on logistics, the Warmup Session had started. The session would last one full hour and drivers were not permitted to change tyres or re-fuel. If the red-light on the fuel guage flashed they were instructed to end their lap and return to the garage where they would be re-fueled ahead of Warmup #2.

The drivers could otherwise return to the pits for any reason - minor setup adjustments, a drink of water - time to think. Track officials would be keeping time based on 5-lap averages as well as noting the fastest single lap of the session.

After one hour, the drivers had all found their way back to the garage and waited patiently for the official times to be posted by the track.

EELANDI SIMULATION EVENT - WARMUP #1
Fastest 5-Lap Average

 01 :: 01:23.62 [VIL] R.L. Cruisin
 02 :: 01:24.01 [CRE] April Crawford
 03 :: 01:24.64 [TUR] Juracai Klianiota
 04 :: 01:24.91 [BAU] Lauren Ashburton
 05 :: 01:24.95 [ARK] Makeo Oket
 06 :: 01:25.10 [DRK] Will Madison
 07 :: 01:25.27 [USI] Crimson LaRoja
 08 :: 01:25.34 [DIO] Igne Spupuo
 09 :: 01:25.56 [ETN] Ethan Ellis
 10 :: 01:25.70 [NUD] Alexander Kohlon
 11 :: 01:25.89 [MTJ] Jasmin Kranška
 12 :: 01:27.04 [TAE] Oliver Bliss
 13 :: 01:27.33 [SCV] Reni Sanderson

 Fastest Lap: :: 01:23.02 [CRE] April Crawford

With the first Warmup Session in the books, the drivers had 30 minutes before the second warmup session would begin. All the cars would be re-fueled but Tyres would not be changed, so it was widely expected that lap speeds would go down slightly in the second session.

For iBen Toralmintii, it was finally time to get in his car. His former NSFC teammate Juracai Klianiota had given it a shake down during the first Warmup Session but relinquished control to his more accomplished colleague for the rest of the day.

---

FRESH TYRES STILL AVAILABLE

Tropicorp Racing Supply wants to remind competitors if they would like a fresh set (or 2) of tyres for the Race Simulation they must request and pay for the Tyres by the end of the time trial session. Tyre requests may be made using the Tyre Request Form or by informing a Tropicorp representative with the # of sets you would like along with your form of payment.

A reminder on the Tyre Scenario is below:

"The VTF1 crew on site will re-fuel your assigned vehicle free of charge after each on-track session. You will receive three total sets of tyres through the course of the day. The Tropicorp Sifaka X14 is the latest racing tyre from Tropicorp Racing Supply. It is a hard construction which should last for even the longest stints, however it will slow over time. The Tropicorp team will be on hand to equip your assigned vehicle with a new set of Tyres ahead of the First Warmup session, the Time Trial Session, and the Race Session.

If you so choose, you may optionally purchase up to 3 additional sets of tyres. At any point, you may opt to request a new set of Tyres for the second warmup session. If you desire a fresh set of Tyres for the second warmup session, please notify the Tropicorp Racing Supply representative immediately and have a form of payment ready.

If you would like to purchase up to 2 additional sets of tyres for use during the race, you must inform Tropicorp Racing Supply by the end of the Time Trial session. If you opt to purchase additional sets of Tyres for the Race Simulation event, your tyres will be replaced by Tropicorp Racing Supply crew during either the first or second intermission (or both) of the Simulation. All Tyre order forms must be received by TRS by the conclusion of Time Trials and must include full payment for the additional sets of rubber."

---

[Cre Drago]

April was frustrated with herself her chief kept saying she should be glad she did so well on the first part of the competition. However she knew she needs to figure out turns 5 and 6 to become the fastest on the track. She's going to spend the next several hours walking that part of the course

[Schiavonia]

Things hadn't gone particularly well for Reni Sanderson so far. After showing next to no ability in the test for MRT, the Turori test day had gotten off to a spectacularly poor start, picking up a vehicle which seemed to be more of an antique than a modern racing machine, then coming in a convincing last place in the first warm up session. To say it hadn't gone particularly well was an understatement.

And now, this. Considering he had struggled to claim a vehicle for himself, he now had to complete the forms in order to claim extra pairs of tyres. And whilst Horatio Rodrigues had supplied the money for them, doing all he could to get his man onto the grid, a complete incapability to make any kind of meaningful mark on paper was holding him back.

"What am I doing here?" he thought to himself, "All of these confident, capable drivers, here, ready to tear up the circuit. And here am I - slowest of the lot, and we're not even on the track yet! Mattijana proved that - I scored the most points by miles! And that first session proved it again. I'm in a car that isn't up to scratch on the others and I struggled to even get onto the track because... well, because I can't write. I'm not a writer! I'm a racing driver!" Then the doubts hit harder, "Am I a racing driver? It was good fun driving around in AA1, but this... is this fun? I can't even get tyres for the car! Just because... I can't... write..."

With a million different disasters rushing around his head, there was only one thing for it. Calling Mr Rodrigues back in Schiavonia.

"Mr Rodrigues?"

"Reni. How are you? Are you not at that thing in Vilita today? How is it going?"

"Not great. I came last in my first warm-up session and I'm not sure I want to be here."

"What?! Why not?"

"I'm not sure I fit in."

"Is the session in Mattijana still playing on your mind?"

"A little..."

"Look, you need to be strong. That's the first time you've ever been in a car of such a high specification. It's bound to take a little bit of getting used to, and you did pick up a little in the final session."

"It's not just that, though."

"No?"

"No. There's something else."

"Oh. Care to tell me about it?"

"Well, I seem to have a car that isn't as good as everyone else's."

"What? That's a little unfair, isn't it? I thought I told you to get there early to make sure you get a good one."

"I did. But there was a problem with the way they got me to claim it. And now I can't get the extra tyres, either."

"What?! That sounds totally unfair!"

"Well, I'm glad you agree."

"Absolutely! So... are you listening, Reni... Take this in, because this is a bigger chance than you think it is."

"Really?"

"Totally! This is an amazing chance! Just remember, anyone watching will know that you are under-equipped. So if you can put in an amazing performance with what you have, you could still impress them, right?"

"I guess..."

"Now come on, Reni! These are the chances you have been waiting for! You have wanted to be a Grand Prix driver for almost half of your life. Why is it suddenly any different today?"

"Because... because they all take it so seriously!"

"Well, then... Just chill out a little. That's what Schiavones do, right? We're chilled people."

"I guess we are, yes."

"So try and chill. Try and be yourself."

"But how can I be myself when none of these people are remotely like me?"

"It will get you noticed."

"I guess it will..."

"So take this little break to stop your tears, because I can hear them coming through, just stop, think of all the belief we're showing in you back home, and just do what you do. Don't worry about how the others are. Just do what you need to do."

"OK."

"Are you with me?"

"Yeah."

"Don't sigh it, don't force it out. Say it like you mean it! Are you with me?"

"I'm with you."

"Better, but not quite there..."

"I'm with you! Let's do this!"

"That's more like it! Now, you did fill in the form for the tyres, didn't you?"

"Well, I tried."

"What do you mean, you tried?"

"Because... Well..."

"Because what?"

"Because I don't know how to write properly."

"Ah. Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well I'm glad you can have a little chuckle to yourself about it. You wouldn't have managed that five minutes ago, would you?"

"No. I guess not."

"So have you tried to ask?"

"Ask?"

"For the tyres."

"I guess I could try. Hey, they could even help me fill in the form, maybe."

"You never know. Just explain your situation, OK?"

"OK! Let's do this!"

"That's the spirit! And remember, get as many sets of tyres as you can! They're on me. I want you to do this!"

"Thanks, Mr Rodrigues!"

And off he went, to try and get those tyres for his car...

[Taeshan]

Oliver had seen the Taeshani reporters coming his way after the first practice rounds of testing and he really didn't want to talk to them. The car wasn't exactly driving like he wanted it to. His speed was below what he wanted it to be, and overall the test had not been going as well as he thought it could. Overall he was coming in second slowest on speed based on five lap runs and that wasn't good enough. He needed to be faster. Sure many of the drivers he was facing were going to be getting the big rides in the upcoming season and that meant they had speed, but with only 16 spots available, and without a real backing behind his name historically, even with the money he brought race teams wouldn't be willing to put out a sub par driver even if they didn't think they would win.

Eventually the reporters caught up to him, and to his dismay he would have to answer the questions.

"How do you feel 2 seconds out of the top 10 drivers at this test after practice?"

"It doesn't exactly give off the first impression i would like. I have dreams of driving for McPahan racing or the like, but right now i'll be lucky to get seat time testing in this series. I think i'm going to put in a real flyer to MSA-SinVal, and some other teams but this honestly is not good enough. I need to be faster. I want to be faster."

"Will Fadron Pizza be paying for more tires?"

"OF course they want me to be at the top level as much as i do. Me succeeding will lead to their name reaching farther out in the world than ever before, and with them backing me it is all i can do to give them more of their place in the sun. New tires can help me get faster, and that is necessary as you have seen."

"Do you think you can be faster?"

"Of course i can be faster. This may not be the best equipment out there, but i can be faster. I want to race this season, i want to compete. The thing about this sport is you have to slowly push open the door and make a big enough hole so you can spring in. Once you open that hole you never let it close. The thing is being able to actually get the hole to get large enough for you to make your mark. I want to make my mark on the sport in a larger arena then just Taeshan. I want to, and now i have to follow through."

"How do you like meeting all the drivers?"

"I think an important part of becoming a driver at this level is racing against the best, and the drivers out here are the best. They have competed at this level, and they will continue to do so. Some of them are veterans of the international series, some are like me in their second year or so trying, and some like me are also really green. I want to get out there and become a part of the canon of international WGP racing, and the only way to do that is to start at phase one and push into the top level.

[The Republic Of Arkan]

"Hell yeah!"shouted Oket, looking at the first run's time."5th out of 13th! That gives us a good name this early!"

"Cool your jets, Oko, you still got another trial and a run,"retorted Setoto, looking at the schedule."Should I go get new tires?"

"Oh come on Seto, we were a second and a little behind first,"responded Makeo, taking a bottle of water, downing it."And sure, two sets. Need to get those before the race."

"Noted, I'll go tell the reps,"Jamie Setoto said, searching to find a rep. And so, Makeo Oket started to run over all the facts, sliding into his car.

"One and a bit off first, two and a bit behind the record. Maybe if I do swimmingly on the next trial and the race, teams will come to me,"he says, running over his dials with his fingers."The League must be flippin' out about that one."

He wasn't wrong. Moments later, he got a message from his home. Turns out The League was flipping out, hoping he could do better next.

[Deiorus]

After the most excruciating 30 minutes of his life that was called the “Warmup session”, Spupuo was still the shock after dealing with so many Gs, something that the racing theory books he crammed didn't tell much about or something that he forgot to notice while reading, It seems like his coach and representative from Ministry of Sports might have bent the truth on the similarities between the two sports but he was simply too far in to quit the sport now.

While being behind a driver who was using older equipment, Spupuo was pleasantly pleased and surprised that he wasn't last but was actually ahead of 5 other drivers besides, this was only a warm-up session and there was another one after it, maybe that fear of death would disappear in the second warm-up and he' would hopefully do better in the showcase that is the race event but even without the fear of death, to guarantee he would do better in race event in this cash intensive sport, he would have to cut some checks and dip-into his personal account, luckily the family trading company was doing well with the recent successful potato harvest, so it'd be a smaller dip in the pool at least.

Spupuo walked to crew member and asked “I would like to order the extra tyres for the race event, how can I do that?”, after being given some order forms and filling them out and giving payment information, he asked the crew member a different question of almost equal importance "What will the lunch arrangement be like?"

[Drawkland]

Will Madison had just finished getting out of his car and checking with his crew when the scores to the warmup session were posted. After the crowd mostly dissipated, Will got up to the front and looked for his name.

EELANDI SIMULATION EVENT - WARMUP #1
Fastest 5-Lap Average

 06 :: 01:25.10 [DRK] Will Madison

6th place? he thought to himself, ... that's actually kind of good. I'm definitely not driving in one of the better cars. Carefully, he eyed the other scores on the page.

EELANDI SIMULATION EVENT - WARMUP #1
Fastest 5-Lap Average

 01 :: 01:23.62 [VIL] R.L. Cruisin
 02 :: 01:24.01 [CRE] April Crawford
 03 :: 01:24.64 [TUR] Juracai Klianiota
 04 :: 01:24.91 [BAU] Lauren Ashburton
 05 :: 01:24.95 [ARK] Makeo Oket
 06 :: 01:25.10 [DRK] Will Madison
 07 :: 01:25.27 [USI] Crimson LaRoja

 Fastest Lap: :: 01:23.02 [CRE] April Crawford

Let's see, I'm in 6th. I'm closer to the person in front of me than the person behind me. If I can just better at Turns 11 and 12, I can shave off those extra tenths of a second and get in the top 5. That, coupled by the fact I'm in a lower quality car anyway, should be enough to prove I'm worth my salt. Hopefully, he pondered in his head.

Just then, he felt his phone buzz. He was getting a call from Scott. Reluctantly, he picked up the phone, expecting another crisis at his manager's hands.
"Hello?" Will huffed with no small twinge of annoyance.
"Hey, Will, go by the your garage real quick, there's someone who wants to meet you," Scott replied, oblivious to Will's tone.
"Who?"
"That's for you to find out," Scott answered.
"Okay ... anything else?" Will asked, leaning against the wall he was next to.
"Yes, I ordered 2 extra sets of tires for you, and arranged for them to give you a fresh set for the second warmup."
"Who paid for that?" Will queried as he started to his garage.
"DISC set aside a bit of cash to make sure you don't get shorted from getting a team. We're still working on getting you a sponsor. Your suggestion seems most promising of all of them."
"Again, my family's been a longtime member. I'm not sure what part of that DISC doesn't understand."
"That whole sect of the administration is trying to prevent ties with them, they're already supporting most of our endeavors, and they don't want the operation to basically become theirs," Scott explained.
"So I might get left out to dry because some assholes don't like Corps?"
"It's a possibility. Just bide time for us to get it finished," Scott promised. By now, Will was at his garage.
"Okay. See you later," Will said as he hung up.

He walked into his garage, and there, surveying his car, was an older Drawkian, wearing a green sport coat and sweats. His hair was grey and had receded a bit. As soon as Will saw him, he gasped.
"Mannar?" he asked after a moment.
"Who else?" the man asked, looking up. The man was Jerry Mannar, who'd been Will's racing coach when he'd started professional racing. He was a good friend of Will's father, and was an experienced racer from back in the day. Will hadn't seen him in, damn, 15 years.
This is what Will said in response, "Wow, how long has it been?"
"15 years. Figured you'd never call."
"Well, hell, you're old, I'd assume you'd have something better to do than stupid little me," Will shrugged.
"Still don't have a girlfriend I see," Mannar smiled knowingly.
Will groaned, "You didn't come here to harp on my life, did you?"
"Absolutely not. DISC hired me to make sure you don't suck out here where everyone can see you," he laughed.
"Thank god. I was beginning to think I was just left out to die by myself on some foreign circuit," Will laughed in response.
"Anyway. How was that first run? I was watching from the crowd."
"It was ... alright. That nasty 10-13 really screwed with me," Will replied.
"I could tell you were quaking a bit. Or maybe it was your car. What junkyard did you pull this out of?" Mannar said, flicking the chassis with his finger.
"Scott didn't sign me up for this deal in time, so I got screwed big time. I had to use some of the cars this racing team used a few seasons ago," he explained.
"He your manager? What a joke."
"I know, right? He's younger than me. I think he's fresh out of college too, this may be his first big job," Will posited.
"Well hopefully we can drag him along. Let's catch up, eh?" Mannar smiled and motioned for the door.

[Vilita and Turori]

ooc note: I expect to post Time Trial and Simulation event results at intervals between 8-15 hours to give folks some time to RP but not full days so as not to take up the whole offseason period. Feel free to make whatever assumptions you wish about what occurred during the session, what food is being served... etc

Eelandii Simulation Event Schedule
08:00: Drivers Meet & Greet
09:30: Warmup Session #1
11:00: Warmup Session #2
12:15: Lunch
13:30: Shotgun Time Trial Session
15:15: Open Race Event with 2 planned intermissions
19:00: Vehicle Inspection & Session Complete

CITY/TOWN: Eelandii
COUNTRY: Turori
EVENT: Eelandii Simulation Event
TRACK RATING: (5/5)
QUALIFYING TYPE: Two-Tier
LAP RECORD: 1:22.409 (Jai Kardaeri, WGPC 12)
LENGTH OF ONE LAP: 5.19km

---

Drivers Return to the Track in Warmup #2

Eelandii Grand Prix Course, Eelandii, Turori :: After a thirty minute break, the drivers returned to their cars and headed back onto the track. Their tyres - with an hour of wear on them already, were getting older and, naturally, slower. It was unlikely that anyone would challenge April Crawford's 1:23.02 lap from the first Warmup - Perhaps with the exception of Schiavonia's Reni Sanderson, Drawkland's Will Madison and Taeshan's Oliver Bliss who had managed to secure a fresh set of Tyres for his cars from Tropicorp Racing Supply. In addition to those three, there were also 3 new competitors on the track who had not put an hour's wear into their rubber.

Guayabalense driver Ulrik Fjorissen took to the track after arriving late, picking up Chassis #15 and Marcus Melton of the Sword Bloke took Chassis #14, also turning his first laps of the day. Because Chassis #14 and Chassis #15 had not been driven in the first Warmup session, the Tyres were still new on those rides - although the drivers would be turning their first laps on the track.

Turorian native and simulation event organizer iBen Toralmintii also hopped in his car for the first time as countryman Juracai Klianiota made way. Expecting to watch from the sidelines, Klianiata instead stayed suited up in order to do a checkout and run a few hot laps in the unclaimed Chassis #11 during the second warm-up session, just in case one final driver showed up and claimed the car in time to take Time Trials.

Once again, the session would last one full hour as timed on the clock; any stoppages or yellow flag situations would not extend the warmup session timeline. Drivers were not permitted to change tyres or re-fuel. If the red-light on the fuel gauge flashed they were instructed to end their lap and return to the garage where the chassis would begin its pre-Time Trial servicing

The drivers could otherwise return to the pits for any reason - minor setup adjustments, a drink of water, use the bathroom etc... Track officials would again be keeping time based on 5-lap averages as well as noting the fastest single lap of the session.

One hour after the session began, it ended. Practice time was over and it was time for Lunch.

EELANDI SIMULATION EVENT - WARMUP #2
Fastest 5-Lap Average

 01 :: 01:24.15 [TUR] iBen Toralmintii
 02 :: 01:25.45 [DRK] Will Madison
 03 :: 01:26.03 [TAE] Oliver Bliss
 04 :: 01:26.49 [VIL] R.L. Cruisin
 05 :: 01:26.72 [SCV] Reni Sanderson
 06 :: 01:26.79 [DIO] Igne Spupuo
 07 :: 01:26.98 [SJG] Ulrik Fjorissen
 08 :: 01:27.02 [ARK] Makeo Oket
 -- :: 01:27.02 [USI] Crimson LaRoja
 10 :: 01:27.07 [BAU] Lauren Ashburton
 11 :: 01:27.29 [CRE] April Crawford
 12 :: 01:27.49 [ETN] Ethan Ellis
 13 :: 01:27.92 [TUR] Juracai Klianiota
 14 :: 01:28.59 [TSB] Marcus Melton
 15 :: 01:29.75 [MTJ] Jasmin Kranška
 16 :: 01:31.02 [NUD] Alexander Kohlon

 Fastest Lap: :: 01:23.56 [TUR] iBen Toralmintii

After getting out of his own car, Toralmintii instructed drivers and crew members back into the media center. Times from the most recent session were posted. Drivers were instructed to make a plate from the buffet and begin their one-hour working lunch. Drivers were invited to consult with their personal crew and recommend setup, air pressure or gearing modifications to the locally based Vilita & Turori crew members who would apply the requested alterations ahead of the Time Trial session. Any modifications would also remain for the Race Simulation session later in the day. Tropicorp Racing Supply crew members would put a special set of Tropicorp Sifaka Q14 medium tyres on each chassis for the qualifying session. The compound differed from the harder material used during the first two warm-up sessions.

Some drivers questioned what the change in group would do to their feel but others were excited at the prospect of using the faster tyre to take a shot at Jai Kardieri's track record.

FRESH TYRES STILL AVAILABLE

Tropicorp Racing Supply wants to remind competitors if they would like a fresh set (or 2) of tyres for the Race Simulation they must request and pay for the Tyres by the end of the time trial session. Tyre requests may be made using the Tyre Request Form or by informing a Tropicorp representative with the # of sets you would like along with your form of payment.

A quick glance behind the ropes shows that Tropicorp Racing Supply currently has additional Simulation Event Tyres set aside for the following competitors:

• (2) April Crawford
• (2) R.L. Cruisin
• (2) iBen Toralmintii
• (2) Reni Sanderson
• (2) Oliver Bliss
• (2) Makeo Oket
• (2) Igne Spupuo
• (1) Will Madison

A reminder on the Tyre Scenario is below:

"The VTF1 crew on site will re-fuel your assigned vehicle free of charge after each on-track session. You will receive three total sets of tyres through the course of the day. The Tropicorp Sifaka X14 is the latest racing tyre from Tropicorp Racing Supply. It is a hard construction which should last for even the longest stints, however it will slow over time. The Tropicorp team will be on hand to equip your assigned vehicle with a new set of Tyres ahead of the First Warmup session, the Time Trial Session, and the Race Session.

If you so choose, you may optionally purchase up to 2 additional sets of tyres for use during the race simulation, you must inform Tropicorp Racing Supply by the end of the Time Trial session. If you opt to purchase additional sets of Tyres for the Race Simulation event, your tyres will be replaced by Tropicorp Racing Supply crew during either the first or second intermission (or both) of the Simulation. All Tyre order forms must be received by TRS by the conclusion of Time Trials and must include full payment for the additional sets of rubber."

---

[Dunpa]

"I just hope i can do better."

"Well Alex, buy some new tires."

"Ok, then."

To: Tropicorp representative
I would like to buy two extra sets of tires. I will pay with my VIKA credit card.

Sincerely,
Alexander Kohlon

[Drawkland]

Will was sitting in a lounge chair in the media center, waiting for the results next to Mannar. They'd sufficiently caught up and discussed course tactics in the time between the warmups, and now was the time to see the results. As soon as they were posted, Will sat up and briskly walked to the wall to read them.

EELANDI SIMULATION EVENT - WARMUP #2
Fastest 5-Lap Average

 01 :: 01:24.15 [TUR] iBen Toralmintii
 02 :: 01:25.45 [DRK] Will Madison
 03 :: 01:26.03 [TAE] Oliver Bliss
 04 :: 01:26.49 [VIL] R.L. Cruisin
 05 :: 01:26.72 [SCV] Reni Sanderson

 Fastest Lap: :: 01:23.56 [TUR] iBen Toralmintii

"Holy shit!" Will cried out. He knew he hadn't sucked any more than he had last time, but this came as a shock to him.
"What is it, kid?" Mannar asked, and Will took a copy of the posted results to the man.
"Damn. That's impressive," he conceded after a moment.
"The only one ahead of me is that Toralmintii guy, and he lives here. I guess that extra set of tires did me good?" Will guessed.
"Perhaps. Hey, I'll get you the one extra set of tires that DISC shorted you on. You should be good to go for the Trials and race by then, ya think?" the old man asked.
"Hopefully it was more than the tires. But we'll worry about that later, I guess," Will shrugged, and he walked down to where they were serving food.

Will was rather a picky eater, and he just had a plate of a few fruits and spaghetti when he sat down. Mannar, of course, had a plate filled with a large assortment of food.
"Trying to gobble the pyramid I see?" Will joked when he eyed his coach's plate.
"You kidding? I forgot how little you eat. It's no wonder you chose driving as your sport. You oughta fill up before the race so you don't get distracted in the race."
"That's a good point," Will replied, turning to look at the buffet, "I guess I could stomach a sandwich," he decided. He went up and got a warm sub-like sandwich from the buffet and returned to his seat. He ate the fruit first, as he always did.
Mannar was laughing as he swallowed a bite of meat, "You're the weirdest kid I've ever met, you know that?"
"It's a wonder you're friends with my father," Will rolled his eyed sarcastically. They were quite alike, although Mannar was a lot less formal with Will. Will's dad had always been distant, maybe because he had so many siblings, or maybe just because that was the way he was. Will couldn't remember the first or last time he referred to him as just "dad." It had always been "father."
"Hey, quit staring at your food and eat," Mannar suggested as he went up to fill his plate, which he'd already finished, "You wouldn't want to be finishing that sandwich in the car, would you?"

[Dunpa]

Alex and Mike are still in Turori

"Anyway, you just got another sponsor!"

"Who is it?"

"Olive Network."

"As me and all the agents say, "More sponsorship, more money."

"Anyway Mike, I need to get to lunch."

[Cre Drago]

"11th! What the hell!! I can't belive I fell that far in half an hour what happened?"
"Well you were on slower tyres and you weren't taking any risks on the track you were being very consistent but didn't have anything new to show and the older tyres favor the aggressive drivers. But for the race we can get you into new tyres at every opportunity." Replied the chief.

April sat down and began watching the race forage her tea, had recorded for her.

this is harder than I thought

[Ceni]

Endais Chemicals CEO Owen Keteris sat in his office overlooking one of his chemical plants in City Centre, one of the most industrialized cities in the nation. His father - once a chemist with a PhD - had invested all of his life savings to start the company and named it after an Ancient Greek word meaning "Lighted torch". It served the company well; the chemical complexes lit up the night sky and turned oil into chemicals twenty-four seven. After Nick Keteris's hard work had paid off when the company grew and grew and grew, he had left the company to his son, Owen, making Owen a billionaire. But Owen Keteris wasn't one of those stereotypical billionaires who made the workers suffer in order to grow the business. No, Owen Keteris was very egalitarian, and he worked with the unions to make Endais a better company for everyone involved. It was a win-win system - especially when Keteris agreed to increase pay for his workers, both skilled and unskilled. It improved productivity, and profits, by almost 10%. So a lot of people were happy with the way Endais was run.

But Keteris had a slight problem: he had more money than he knew what to do with. So he bought a football club, Tir Snake Strike, and turned it into a force in the Cenian Premier League (after helping to start the league, of course); it has won all three national championships so far. That project was a success, and it tied in with his interest in club football. He also was interested in racing, and he was an avid follower of the WGPC in its 13th season. He still had plenty of money, though, so he decided to get into the racing game, agreeing to sponsor two of Ceni's best racing prospects, Jac-Irlo Val and Vic Convarion. And when he noticed there was a spot available for a new team - he took the plunge to start it. Fornax Racing was born, and it was ready to rumble. There was one hitch, though: he had to find drivers for his team. He knew he could rely on the two Cenian drivers to fill his two spots - but there were so many other drivers out there, it wouldn't hurt to start looking around.

To be continued...

[Audioslavia]

With the mornings' warmups finished, Jacky and Johan Johanson, the daughter and father duo who worked as race strategists during the season, and apparently talent scouts in the off-season, were at lunch. Whereas most of the drivers had taken to one of the rather swish looking cafes and resturants that dotted the Eelandii circuit, the Johansons had decided a greasy burger with a view of the circuit was their desired location. It was something of a tradition in the Johanson household, only usually at least one of the pair would be eating with oil-stained fingers. The Johansons were a motor-racing family. They had engine oil in their blood. Figuratively.

"Unless I'm mistaken, we've a few drivers confirmed for the McPahan test" said Jacky, "iBen Toralmintii, Jasmin Kranška, Laura Ashburton, April Crawford, Reni Sanderson, Alexander Kohlon, Ethan Ellis, Igne Spupuo and Will Madison. There may be a couple more."
"I think that's the lot of them, so far" said Johan, through a mouthful of fried onions and beef, "who do you fancy right now? After the mornings' events?"

"We're being pushed towards getting Sanderson, right?" said Jacky, after a few seconds of pondering.
"Mmhmm"
"He's not going to be the fastest out there, based on both this morning's runs and that debacle in Mattijana"
"There's still something to him" said Johan, "he's got the line down. Can't say his choice of car is particularly good, though"
"That's just it" said Jacky, "we'll be needing his feedback on the car. If he doesn't know how to tell us what's wrong with the car then, well, it doesn't matter how fast he is. Or, in this case, isn't"
"Juries still out on him, that's for sure. We'll see how he fares in Crossport. Are you not swayed by those times in warmup two?" asked Johan.
"Tyres. He went out in softs. If he hadn't have moved up the pecking order after that then, well, he'd just be a non-starter."
"Mmhmm" said Johan, nodding, shovelling the last bit of burger in his mouth and wiping his hands on jeans.
"Bliss?" asked Jacky.
"Not quite. I've had better race circuit burgers."
"No, I mean Oliver Bliss. The Taeshani"
"Oh, right. Erm. Well he was guff last year, hence the lack of a drive. Quick so far. We'll see. I don't think he's confirmed for the Crossport tests, though we'd certainly have him there based on today's performance so far. You still haven't answered the question, by the way. Which one. Which one is your pick so far?"
Jacky shrugged.
"iBen is the quickest. He's the most experienced, he's the best driver. Can't really say anything more."
"Madison?"
"Yeah, quick, but not the quickest. We should be getting the best, surely?"
"Toralmintii won't pay" said Johan, shrugging, "can you imagine us demanding money from him? From his sponsors? He'd laugh and walk into a million-a-year deal somewhere else. What about Spupuo? He was quick"
"I'm surprised he hasn't got a concussion, dad" said Jacky, "look at how his head was bouncing around in that cockpit. Kid can drive, sure, but he's just so green."
"He's quicker than both Ashburton and LaRoja" said Johan, "and that's saying something"
"Yeah. Tyres"
"Maybe"
"I'm certain. Let's see how it goes in the race"

[Taeshan]

Oliver was happy as he made his way to the Buffet. With lots of quality food put out by the caterers he could binge on some food, but also eat healthy. As he piled up his first plate (always a salad) he reflected on the session that just occurred from bad, to pretty good in the second warmups. With new tires, and certainly new tires each session, as paid for by Fadron Pizza. The new tires had done wonders for him in the second test helping him speed to third place on the ticker, but in the end still slower than some with much room for improvement.

After finishing his salad Oliver returned to get some more pleasuring foods. Getting a slice of pizza, some fries, and other such food. And then out of the corner of his eye he saw the hounds. Once again the reporters were back. Like always they new when a fresh kill was out and they were heading his way. Was their no rest for weary heads. Apparently not as they joined him at his table.

"Oliver how do you feel about your second session out there?"

"It was a solid run, i was the third fastest and that is good. It would help me get a ride, and hopefully it was not a fluke. I want to run for the championship and hopefully this will open some eyes to the possibilities i present."

"How do you feel about the sessions coming up?"

"I think it will be decided on the track. The drivers will fight to the end, and i feel like i can put my best foot forward and strive to get a ride as i put fast lap times up. I want a ride, and i have both the financial backing from Fadron Pizza, and the drive to get to a position that puts me into a car."

"Will you go all out to get that ride?"

"Come on seriously. Yes. I will do anything. I'd sell my own mother to race in the WGPC. Every sportsman dreams of becoming one of the top people in their sport. In GP racing this how i do it. I can go out there and make a name for myself, and bring my country to the limelight. There is no greater thing than doing that. I can bring Taeshan back into this sport, and i want to. I will fight for every single last inch."

"Oliver we have also just heard some late news out of Audioslavia. You haven't yet stated intention of driving at the Crossport test, and rumor has it, they want you to try. Any comment?"

"Wow. I had indeed not heard that yet, it is almost as if i'm suddenly getting recognized for my work. Of course we will find a way to be there. Fadron Pizza has enough money that i'm sure we can commandeer a plane and get there. My one dream is to one day drive for a team as glorious as MCPahan. That or driving for a Taeshani team were my two favorite time lines coming into this season. I won't let up until i get to do one of those things. I may end up driving for another team, but i want that in the end. Of course i'll go out there and give it everything i have. A fair shake."

[Vilita and Turori]

Eelandii Simulation Event Schedule
08:00: Drivers Meet & Greet
09:30: Warmup Session #1
11:00: Warmup Session #2
12:15: Lunch
13:30: Time Trial Session
15:15: Open Race Event with 2 planned intermissions
19:00: Vehicle Inspection & Session Complete

CITY/TOWN: Eelandii
COUNTRY: Turori
EVENT: Eelandii Simulation Event
TRACK RATING: (5/5)
QUALIFYING TYPE: Two-Tier
LAP RECORD: 1:22.409 (Jai Kardaeri, WGPC 12)
LENGTH OF ONE LAP: 5.19km

---

Trialists Get Eye Course Record
Eelandii Grand Prix Course, Eelandii, Turori :: If there was one resounding theme that iBen Toralmintii heard over lunch, it was that many of the drivers felt pretty confident they were going to break the track record in the Time Trial session.

Despite the fact that not a single driver had recorded a flying lap in the 1-minute; 22 second bracket yet on the day, some drivers were still talking about how they were going to blow the track record out of the water. Toralmintii knew it was a bit warm to be thinking track record, but he didn't want to rain on their hopes and dreams. Perhaps, Perhaps if it were a longer session. But with each driver just going out and recording a single flying lap time, he knew the odds would be low.

R.L. Cruisin wasn't particularly a big fan of the idea - he was prone to mistakes on one off laps and petitioned Toralmintii to convert to a more traditional 30 minute session. While his petition fell on deaf ears, his Turorian counterpart did tweak the qualifying format just a little bit as a result of the drivers concerns. So before the drivers broke to go to their cars, he clarified what the deal would be.

Each driver may take up to TWO flying laps. The Fastest of the two will count. Unless you make a mistake on the first lap, it is likely the first will be quicker and you won't have a need for the second.

Drivers will go out on the track in reverse order of the speeds posted in the second Warmup sesson. So Alexander Kohlon will be the first on the track, and I will be the last. Upon exiting the pit lane drivers may take the warmup lap at whatever pace they wished. As they approached the start/finish line they would take the green flag, make a lap to the best of their ability and take the white flag. If they opt to run a second lap they will continue at full speed, other wise they would run a cool down and return to the pits, Time Trial over. If the driver opts to run a second lap, they may choose to do so and will be shown the Checkered flag at the conclusion of the next lap before returning to the pits. The next driver will be sent out on the track at the moment the previous driver takes the checkered flag.

EELANDI SIMULATION EVENT - Time Trial
Up-to 2 Flying Laps. Fastest Single Lap

 01 :: 01:22.89 [TAE] Oliver Bliss
 02 :: 01:22.99 [CRE] April Crawford
 03 :: 01:23.13 [DIO] Igne Spupuo
 04 :: 01:23.18 [TUR] iBen Toralmintii
 05 :: 01:23.31 [SCV] Reni Sanderson
 06 :: 01:23.44 [BAU] Lauren Ashburton
 07 :: 01:23.58 [VIL] R.L. Cruisin
 08 :: 01:23.63 [NUD] Alexander Kohlon
 09 :: 01:23.84 [DRK] Will Madison
 10 :: 01:23.93 [USI] Crimson LaRoja
 -- :: 01:23.93 [ARK] Makeo Oket
 12 :: 01:24.19 [MTJ] Jasmin Kranška
 13 :: 01:24.70 [SJG] Ulrik Fjorissen
 14 :: 01:24.80 [TSB] Marcus Melton
 15 :: 01:24.91 [ETN] Ethan Ellis

Only 15 drivers took time trial session and there remained one chassis in the garage area, it was the Chassis #11 that Turorian driver Juracai Klianiota had shaken down during the Second Warmup session. It had remained un-claimed though Chassis #11 would still be available for any over-confident driver that might show up prior to the start of the race simulation event

TROPICORP RACING SUPPLY PREPARING TYRES

Prior to the start of the Time Trial session, Tropicorp Racing Supply received 10 separate orders for new Tyres for a total of 9 unique competitors which will be held at Tropicorp Racing Supply until they are put on the requesting driver's chassis during the first and second intermission sessions of the Race Simulation Event. Drivers may request the Tyres be pre-set to a certain air-pressure, or they may clarify their desired air pressure during the intermission when the Tyres are applied. The Intermission events will be 10-minute red-flag scenarios where all drivers will return to the pits for service including fuel (complimentary) and tyres (Only if purchased). After each intermission, the Simulation Event will resume with a rolling start behind a caution car, with drivers ordered in the positions they concluded the prior segment.

Tropicorp Racing Supply will remain open to accept payment for additional Tyres for 10 minutes following the pre-simulation drivers meeting. At that point, the TRS storefront will shut down to prepare all sets in the appropriate staging area for use.

A quick glance behind the ropes shows that Tropicorp Racing Supply currently has additional Simulation Event Tyres set aside for the following competitors:

(2) April Crawford
(2) R.L. Cruisin
(2) iBen Toralmintii
(2) Reni Sanderson
(2) Oliver Bliss
(2) Makeo Oket
(2) Igne Spupuo
(2) Will Madison
(2) Alexander Kohlon

The VTF1 crew on site will re-fuel each assigned vehicle free of charge during each Simulation Event intermission. Tropicorp Racing Supply will also provide free of charge the first set of Tyres on the chassis at the start of the simulation. The Tyre used in the simulation is a hard construction which should last for even the longest stints, however it will slow over time.

If a driver would like to purchase up to 2 additional sets of tyres for use during the simulation event, they must inform Tropicorp Racing Supply by the end of the pre-simulation drivers meeting. If a driver or their sponsor opt to purchase additional sets of Tyres for the Race Simulation event, the tyres will be replaced by Tropicorp Racing Supply crew during either the first or second intermission (or both) of the Simulation. All Tyre order forms must be received by TRS and must include full payment for the additional sets of rubber."

---

[Drawkland]

EELANDI SIMULATION EVENT - Time Trial
Up-to 2 Flying Laps. Fastest Single Lap

 01 :: 01:22.89 [TAE] Oliver Bliss

 07 :: 01:23.58 [VIL] R.L. Cruisin
 08 :: 01:23.63 [NUD] Alexander Kohlon
 09 :: 01:23.84 [DRK] Will Madison
 10 :: 01:23.93 [USI] Crimson LaRoja
 -- :: 01:23.93 [ARK] Makeo Oket

"Balls," Will muttered as he stared at the results of the time trials, "Absolute balls."
Mannar was standing next to him, regarding the sheet.
"What we have here is some suckage," he said.
"You got that right," Will dejectedly responded, "What good was that practice session if I just flop when it matters here?"
"Hey, it ain't the race yet. Plus, you beat your old record by almost 2 seconds."
"So did everyone else ..." Will pointed out glumly.
"To hell with it. You can recover from this. You have 2 sets of fresh tires for the race, and you've still been only second to iBen Tortellini over there in the warmup. Still impressive. Not many will pass that up. AND you're in an old car."
"I doubt anyone would be thinking that in-depth about it ... I feel like if I don't get the best in the race I'm done for," Will retorted.
"Hey, you're still signed up for the Crossport test or whatever for McPahan," Mannar reminded him.
"Yeah, McPahan racing? Doubt they'd choose me. I'm a rookie here, and there's plenty of experienced racers they'd rather choose over me. Plus, I hear their driver Lund is a total dickhole."
"Mm, wouldn't want that would you? If nobody signs you here you should still go to the test. McPahan won't be the only ones watching."
"I guess so- wait, did you just call him iBen Tortellini?"
"That's his name, isn't it?"
"It's Toralmintii, Jerry."
"Don't call me that. Now get ready for the race. I'll look more into those teams Flantar pinged last week. Good luck," Mannar said.
"Thanks," Will said simply, and he headed to the garage.

[Deiorus]

Spupuo was blankly staring while trying to clean his mind after the his time-trial run, while he was pleasantly surprised that he managed to improved on his performance compared to the previous runs and achieving 3rd place in the time trial, beating out veterans like iBen Toralmintii. He still had to focus for the main event, the race event. If he could continue the trend of improvement he has, then signing a contract right on the podium wouldn't be a vision out of sight for him.

He believed that having “a clear mind” was his key to success, as it seemed to work in Eelandii as it did at home with horses. He had various methods of trying to achieving clarity, ranging from praying to the wyvern gods extensively, “meal” of milk and honey before the event and to counting prime numbers in his head.

Sadly for Spupuo, his tradition of having milk and honey both for lunch and breakfast was failing him, as he seemed to left him fatigued by the end of the time trial yet, as he was still stubborn with his traditions, refused to get an energy bar in the minutes he was given to breathe before the race event and tried to use his other clarity techniques to get his mind off hunger as well of the fear of dying on asphalt.

[Taeshan]

Oliver was on top of the world. The fastest flying lap in the last round of pre-race simulation and he was definitely getting his name out there. With a few more runs like that he could definitely get a ride, and definitely be a big part of the upcoming season. Everything was coming up Bliss at the moment, but he knew one slip-up in the simulation and he could kiss the season goodbye. He needed to continue to push forward and do his best. Of course as he showed more and more that he could race, more and more of the vultures came to roost waiting for him to make a mistake and to show the world he was a phony.

"Oliver you did well out there today topping the leaderboard, do you think this is a sign to come?"

"I don't want to get cocky. I came in here humble and i want to leave here humble. Not getting a ride last year was probably the greatest thing for me and I feel that I need to continue where i came from. I want to be fast, and I want to go out there and win races, but I still don't have a ride. I need to get a ride, and I need to stay in that ride. The best part of this test is I get seat time in close to top of the line cars, and with that I can gain even more experience and get ready to battle for every inch. I think the most important thing is we will also get a race simulation, and if I want to get a ride I not only need to show that I can drive in trials, but that I can race."

"Are you ready to go out there and beat these guys for a spot on a team?"

"Yes. I want to get a position. If I don't sign here during these trials then I will try to sign with someone at Crossport. The thing about this season is it will be a long campaign, and not just a one off race. I need to show I can do this day in and out. If I can show that, if I can break down the front door of WGPC. I will never let that door close, and I will take no prisoners."

[Barunia]

Ben Cunningham arrived at the track at Eelandii just in time for the second warm-up race. The manager of Archer's Professional Race Team Division, he was looking for the next driving sensation. Having already locked Sayono Souzare in as Archer's first driver, Ben had come to Eelandii with a shortlist of candidates for the team's second seat. Topping that list was local hero iBen Toralmintii, whose technical ability had caught the eye of Ben. He was the type of racer that was in keeping with Archer's preferred style, and Ben knew he'd fit right in.

Crimson LaRoja and R.L.Cruisin didn't fit so well into the Archer mould, but their talent alone made them worth an offer.Their were a couple of outsiders too, further down the list but still worthy candidates: Mateo Oket, Ethan Ellis, Reni Sanderson.

After the first two warm-ups,Ben had a ranked list. It looked something like this:
1. iBen Toralmintii
2. R. L. Cruisin
3. Mateo Oket
4. Crimson LaRoja
5. Reni Sanderson
6. Ethan Ellis
He'd wait to the trial was over before offering anyone a contract. In the meantime, he wanted a quiet word with his preferred candidate, iBen Toralmintii.

------

Lauren Ashburton pulled up in the garage and climbed out, tossing the wheel and her helmet in the cab as she strode off. She was not happy. From 4th place she'd dropped to 10th in the warmups, then back up to 6th. She'd hoped for top 3 at least once, and her consistency was bugging her. To top it all off, their was a rumour going around that McPahan were looking at signing Reni Sanderson. She knew she was down the pecking order, and the number of spots were rapidly diminishing. The fact that teams like McPahan were looking at fresh rookies rather than experience was worrying. They brought money in, of course, paying for their seats.
Lauren wondered if she should get a sponsor. There was a law surrounding that wasn't there? She needed a lawyer. Thankfully, she knew exactly who to call.

An hour later, Lauren had her answer, and a lot more questions. She'd called James, one of Archer's lawyers. He'd bee most helpful, and clarified the Barunian laws surrounding corporate sponsorship of athletes and sports teams.
Lauren had taken a few notes. They looked like this.

> Businesses cannot sponsor a team or athlete who competes in a Barunian domestic league or national team.
> That includes foreign players who compete in those leagues.
> Maker's marks on kits and the like are acceptable advertising, within guidelines
> Barunians playing in foreign teams are under the laws of the country the team is located in
> Archer can use the Archer name for their team because there is a constructor's championship, making it technically a tournament between corporations.
> As a Barunian driver in a Barunian team, Lauren couldn't get sponsorship last year.
> Foreign drivers for Archer might be able to get away with sponsorship. It was a grey area that James was still exploring.

Now she knew that she could get sponsorship, she just needed to know how to get it, and who to get it from.

Before she did all of that though, she needed to win the race at Eelandii. To do that, she was taking no chances. She'd need new tyres. They looked expensive though, nd without a sponsor, she'd foot the bill. Oh well, she could hopefully get it back when she did find a sponsor.

Lauren purchases two sets of tyres for the simulation event