World Grand Prix Championship Season 15: Roleplay Thread

[Aboveland]

Recent 22-year-old Axel Novikov was lounging in his cozy living room, overlooking the icy, treacherous Skarpkantie across the ravine from his small yet picturesque modern mountain home nestled in the snowy peaks just outside of Avsidesliggendevuoret, with his laptop next to him, resting beside a warm cup of coffee with a swirly pattern drawn on its surface. Tapping his fingers on his chair's armrest, listening to an instrumental music playlist droning on in the background, he waited for his sponsors to reply with their deals. He hadn't heard anything from them in days.

Suddenly, a drop in the volume of the atmospheric music, with an interjecting boop confirming an e-mail notification. Two more soon followed.

His inbox had only three emails, each one in bold, starting in "Re:". Eagerly, he opened each to spy on the contents and reveal to himself his new sponsorship deals.

Raskettu Racing Systems and flyHej! had agreed to extend their sponsorship contracts for another year, each offering 600,000 N$D for the year, while Nortec had jumped aboard his WGPC project too, offering 1.3M N$D for the year and, if everything worked out well, smugly sponsoring both Abovian drivers in the WGPC.

Axel cracked but a smile. He took one long sip from his coffee, thumbed away the foam from his upper lip, and switched desktops to where his WGPC team offer browser window was. Once he'd taken note of all the teams he was interested in, he proceeded to type out another email.

To: Telaris Racing, Vannish Motors Racing, Bitten Heroes Grand Prix Engineering
From: Axel Novikov
Subject: Team Interest

To whomever it may concern,

I, Axel Novikov, in my bid to contest the entire WGPC season number 15, am interested in forming part of your teams. My extensive racing history, with numerous victories and podiums, can be found at novikovracing.co.ab/about/axel. I would prefer to test your vehicles before committing to the season with you, but if an arrangement is unable to materialize I will understand. I count with hefty amounts of funding from sponsors should it be required. It would be my honor to receive an answer from you, and an even higher one to receive a positive reply.

Regards,
Axel Novikov

He pressed send with satisfaction. Short and concise, just how he liked it. Serenely, he took another sip of his coffee and picked up his phone to video call the three Novikov Racing executives he picked to accompany him on his endeavor. Although, in hindsight, he probably should have called them before emailing teams. "Fuck it," he mumbled to himself, as he directed his thumb to the Hangin' conference call app.

[Krytenia]

(OOC: Consider the offer of a test confirmed, Audio.)

Esteban Guilhermez checked his watch as he arrived at the Silverspasecarthe paddock. It was barely ten past nine; plenty of time to familiarise himself with the car and conditions before getting in. A face, one he had seen many times before but never really spoken to, greeted him as he arrived at the complex.

"Mr. Johansson. A pleasure."

"Please, call me Johan. And follow me." Steb followed behind, noticing the pronounced gait of the McPahan man, a legacy of a crash long cast into memory, and a former boss now long cast into the stuff of nightmares. A small pang of fear crept into Steb's insides as he considered his own mortality, then passed as the pair turned into the pit garage. In front of him was the Audioslavian team's car, ready for the new season. The car that, in forty minutes or so, he would be stepping into the cockpit of. Though painted in a fashion clearly designed to at least partially disguise its aerodynamic features, it was clear to Steb that this was a thing of beauty. Somewhere behind, an engine growled its way down the pit straight as Alec Lund completed a lap. I will never tire of that sound, Steb thought, and smiled as he wandered around the car, taking in every detail of the beast he was to tame. He talked to Johan about brake balances and weight distribution, and went off to change into his racing overalls.

* * * * * * * * *

Steb looked up at the clock again. 09:36. He'd already sat in the car once - the pit crew adjusting the seat and belts to ensure he'd be positioned correctly - and nwo it was simply a case of waiting. Johan had, by now, joined the rest of the McPahan boys on the pit wall, examining a bank of screens. Lap and section deltas, all variety of telemetry, and a few static cameras showing key corners on the track. Steb tapped Johan on the shoulders, causing the older man to almost topple out of his seat in surprise.

"You mind if I take a look? Maybe I can pick up some pointers."

"You know, son, I think you might be the first test driver to ask me that," Johan chuckled, "sure."

* * * * * * * * * *

09:46. Steb's turn would come soon, but for now, he was looking intently at the bank of screens, and one in particular. It showed the 75R corner, mounted on a crane to show the driver's line as they passed through. Alec passed through the corner, and Steb rubbed his chin as the Audioslavian did so.

"Interesting."

"You look like you're trying to stare the phosphorous off that screen there, Esteban."

"Sorry, it's this corner. Alejandro, he takes a line through there...is strange. He almost dives in, and it's not that tight. I'd take it a different way."

"And you think your way is faster?"

"The way I drive, si. But Alejandro...he drives more on the edge. I think, maybe, why he didn't do so well last year."

"Because of his driving style?"

"Because he had nobody to compare to. The man he drove with last year? No style, no substance. No comparison for him. The year before, he had Roger Bunn, a clinical driver. They mesh well, I think."

Johan smiled. "You remind me of me, Esteban. Just remember, gut instinct is not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe I should have listened to my gut about Linco..."

Johan stared off into the middle distance for a moment, and Steb took that as his cue to leave. It was time to see if he had what it takes to drive this car for a job.

[San Jose Guayabal]

Moisés Delgado House - El Boquerón, San Salvador. - 3:39 PM -December 23rd, 2211.

Moisés Delgado was walking a bit anxious at his house, he had received only one offer from Rumble Strip Racing, a second-timer team coming from Taeshan, with a decent performance the last season, they trust in Delgado skills in order to take the team to the top, since Delgado has the potential to do it, the matter is, he needs a good machine to perform better and better and be an actual contender for the trophy, something that he didn’t had the last season on Krytenia, the company didn’t renewed their contract and weren’t able to be in WGPC once again, if they would be back, Delgado would likely reject their offer, since he is seeking for new airs, a new machine that may give him the needed impulse to be a real contender in this season… He continued to walk slowly and talked with his spouse: “Well, dear, as things goes now, I only have one offer to compete this season, with Rumble Strip in Taeshan” His spouse looked him and tried to animate him saying “Well, have patience, I guess you’ll receive a good offer or proposal for testing sooner than later, God knows from where, but you’ll receive one.” She continued saying “What about Telaris? Isn’t their owner your agent? Haven’t you talked with him?” Moises was a bit surprised by that last statement and answered “Oh shit, you’re right, I haven’t called Gutiérrez in order to see how things are going for me, nor I have requested something to him.” Moises walked a bit and the spouse followed here.

Once they reached the patio, which had a good amount of pines, surrounded by a heavy fog, an environment that Delgado like, and complemented with chickens and dogs on the patio, that made Delgado love it more, hence he turned the patio as a place to make reflections and take decisions in a serene way, his spouse said “You should call Gutiérrez pronto, since he will have time to do research and offer you a good thing”, “Well, I might do it now” said Delgado when he took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialled Gutiérrez immediately… “Hey Moisés, I have been trying to get in touch with you, you haven’t answered your phone” said Gutiérrez and he was right, Moisés checked the callhistory and had four missed calls from Gutiérrez “Uh..oh… Excuse me for it, I’m on El Boquerón, so signal isn’t the best, you know, since is a volcano and the Environmental Ministry doesn’t allows new antennas here” said Delgado as an excuse, but Gutiérrez answered jokingly “Pfft, even yourself know that’s a lie, you bastard” Delgado laughed wildly, his spouse watched him with attention and surprise while slapping him and saying “Go straight to the point, idiot” Delgado touched his cheek and kneading it, he came back to the phone and said “Okay, Gutiérrez, why I called you is to see if you have anything for me in this WGPC” Gutiérrez said somewhat annoyed “That’s why I was calling you, to ask you what do you pretend in this season.”

Delgado remained calm and thought on what he pretended this season, a fast thought while looking the fog hugging the pines and a dog peeing him on his left foot, he kicked the dog and proceeded “Well, I want to be a contender, I want to have a great machine this time, not as bad as the ending-half one in Krytenia, so applying to a big hitter might be good” Gutiérrez said “Before continuing, if you don’t like Taeshan for X or Y reasons, you have a seat in Telaris, we will hold a test and see if you’re suitable, although, you’d be top choice since I know you and pretty much you suit on the profile” Delgado felt flattered and said “Oh, thanks for the kind words, I’ll have the Telaris seat and Taeshan as back-up, though, you know, I’ll go to Telaris for sure” Gutiérrez answered “Good to hear, you’d do one of the best decisions, although, I’ll seek for you what the big hitters have to offer this time, let me call you in an hour and I’ll give you an answer, if affirmative, I might be in your house around two or three hours, before the rush hour…” Delgado said “Hurry, since it’s Friday and people comes to the lodges as crazy, in fact, I’ll be busy with my lodge since all the rooms are booked already, I guess is because the comet that might be spotted tonight and the Aurora Australis too, spotting that and a lovely landscape of San Salvador and surroundings at night is lovely, if you come here, feel free to lodge here, the house pays.” Gutiérrez answered happily “Okay, I’ll be there then.”

Moisés walked to his house together with his spouse, both were going to get everything ready at their business, a lodge located in the hotel zone, near the summit of the volcano, which is accessible by car and it’s one of the preferred landscapes and places to be in San Salvador on weekends, this time, with the bonus of having Aurora Australis and a comet on night, around midnight, so people would star to arrive in huge amounts, leaving Delgado without a chance to attend anybody else, unless he does it before the night, he walked in the lodge and make sure that everything was going OK, clean rooms, lobby with everything equipped, terrace and balconies clean, with some telescopes installed on the lookouts, the night was going to be spectacular, but he was internally worried by how Gutiérrez research would end. There was an hour after the phone call, he was busy and awaiting the call when the cell phone rang immediately, Delgado took the phone fast and said “Yes?” Gutiérrez replied “Well, I have an exciting test offer to share with you, you might like it.” Spit it up.” Said Delgado and Gutiérrez said “McPahan has testing available, you might want to try yourself there.” Delgado jumped in happiness, his spouse came to him and asked “What happens?” Delgado said “There’s a testing chance in McPahan, I will try myself there in order to run with them.” “So, you accept or not, bro.” said Gutiérrez, Delgado didn’t hesitated and said “Of course!” (Moisés Delgado will take part of McPahan tests).

An hour later, Gutiérrez arrived to the lodge and Delgado received him together with his spouse, both sat on the bar with a great landscape of San Salvador and the Metropolitan Lake, even Yucuaiquín, located at roughly 440 kms was observable in that precious night, then, Delgado took out a laptop, Gutiérrez told him “Ok, what you’ll do is to send a message at: johanj@mcpahanracing.co.as and also make sure to send a copy of said E-Mail to me, clarify that I’m your agent. Then, clarify which slot you’ll take from the list I’ll give you.” Delgado read and said “Um… Sunday at 11:00 AM with car one sounds great for me.” Okay, now proceed.

From: Moisés Delgado - moidelgado23@turbomail.gu
To: Johan Johansson - johanj@mcpahanracing.co.as / Esteban Gutiérrez - egutierrez@telaris.co.gu

Hello dear Johan Johansson, representative of McPahan Racing. I E-mail you in order to express my interest to take part of McPahan Racing tests, below this, you'll find a brief resume of me:

Moisés is a balanced driver (Age: 24) in the sense of the word, competed in the Formula Guayabalense since he was sixteen years old, definitively he has some experience despite his youngness, in his second season (Year 2193) won the title of "Rookie of the Year" after finishing fifth in the general classification, after that finished second in three times in a row just to win it in the 2198 Season by a narrow margin, with a promising future he decided to adventure into the WGPC and did a quite decent season finishing 7th in the drivers leaderboard after leading for a good part of the season. In the previous season, Delgado aimed higher after a decent performance but things went horrible, although, it's sure that if Delgado is given of a good machine such as McPahan ones, he might aim higher and try to be a contender or even win the WGPC, he has potential and he can do it.

In regards of the selected slot, I confirm that I'll be able to run Sunday at 11:00 AM with car one.

Salutations.

Moisés Delgado

“That’s it, sent already Gutiérrez” said Delgado, then he asked to Gutiérrez how Telaris slots were going “Well, things are going fantastic, I’ll invite Alex Lund to take part of our tests (Telaris Racing invites Alexander Lund, Axel Novikov and Eaoueaiou Aeouiouie to take part of the tests)” “I want to make sure that Telaris will compete this time for real” Delgado said “Good luck… Oh, take the keys of your habitation, enjoy the night and the phenomena, feel free to consume what you want, house pays.” Gutiérrez said “Cool” and then he slipped and fell downstairs, he was ok but people laughed on how he suddenly fall when there was an announcement saying “wet floor.” Moisés came back and said laughing “Go back to kindergarten” while pointing the announcement, Gutiérrez laughed and said “Night, you bastard.”

EDIT: Accepting Axel Novikov offer to test in Telaris test and inviting Eaoueaiou Aeouiouie to the tests. - Check OOC in order to see a basic guideline of Telaris Racing tests.

[Chromatika]

Eaoueaiou Aeouiouie accepts the invite to test race for Telaris Racing

"About damned time, E.A.! This your ticket to the big leagues!" screamed out M.K., or Markus Kristopher, taking a whiff of his Cinna. Cinnas were like cigarettes but mostly filled with cinnamon, and only mildly addicting. It was his only vice, and something that he just couldn't live without.

Eaoueaiou Aeouiouie, or E.A., frowned at him taking the whiff. "That's gonna kill you someday, MK, and I'm gonna have no friend and sort-of-manager to help me out no more," she said curtly.

"Ah, quit the long face! I'm down to just one pack a day!" he deadpanned. "All 'cause of you too, 'cause I gotta see you race in the big leagues! You're a natural out there, but you got absolutely no brains when it comes to business! So I gotta stick around for that, like I promised!"

"It's just a test, MK. Who knows if they're really interested. They're probably just staring at my name going wtf is the jumble of vowels like everyone else. Go figure," she replied.

"C'mon, get a bit excited, E.A.! This could be it! You can finally put Chromatik racing on the map, and you're not even a bit stoked?! I know I am!" he said enthusiastically.

"Eh, we'll see," she said, "We'll have to see how the run goes. I've only had limited experience with the big cars, I better go read up on that some more."

She ran her left hand down her right arm subconsciously. her fingers lingering over the red dragon that adorned her right elbow. Clad in a tank top and jeans, no less than twelve different tattoos were visible - when meeting her, it was hard to know where to keep one's eyes.

"Just don't forget to be at the airport tomorrow morn, right?" shouted MK after her as she left the room that they were talking in.

She gave him a thumbs up on her way out into the Eyrodi evening. She had her gypsy parents to thank for her name without a consonant. She had perhaps MK to thank for the opportunity to race. He had suggested registering for the WGPC, and to put herself out there. But when it came to the track, to the car, to the roar and hum of the engines, she knew that she would have just herself to thank for whatever came next.

And she aimed to succeed.

[Audioslavia]

In the McPahan garage, the adverb pants-shittingly has two meanings.

One can use the term in the more traditional way, meaning really quite veryscarily. "This car is pants-shittingly fast", "I was pants-shittingly close to crashing there", and so on.

The alternative meaning has a slightly different significance, and describes verbs rather than adjectives. "He lapped the track pants-shittingly" is one example. "The car corners pants-shittingly". It is, unbelievably, a positive thing.

The phrase comes from a misunderstanding between Alexander Lund, long time driver at McPahan, and an Apoxian member of the pit crew. During a conversation in the McPahan garage, Lund had tried to explain to the Apoxian how it felt to take a corner in a racing car when the tyres are fresh and warm, the tarmac is dry and the car is doing exactly what you tell it, how you tell it, when you tell it. "You know how, in a regular car, you feed the steering wheel through your hands, so as not to cross them? Well, when the car responds and takes the corner, it sometimes feels like it's the road you're feeding through your hands, pulling it towards you like you're pulling on a rope. It's a bit like laying a large cable."

Of course, 'laying a cable' is Apoxian slang for 'having a shit'. Something the Apoxian was quick to point out. Exhasperated, Alec agreed. "Yes. Yeah it's a lot like having a shit. Yeah".

Well, out on the track in the morning fog, Alec was having a very regular bowel movement of a drive. He was pants-shitting every corner in between pants-shittingly fast stretches of road. A day at the office. Two-thirteen point six, two-thirteen point five, two thirteen point five, two-thirteen point five, two-thirteen point six, two-thirteen point five. When given the order to push by Stan McPahan, Alec just about got a time of 2:12.953 from the car, followed by a 2:12.972 before the order was given to ease off. The next lap, as usual, was an even 2:13.500.

"Faster than Bliss yesterday" noted Roger Bunn, McPahan's race-strategist and former driver for the team. "Not the fastest of the weekend mind"
"Aye" said Alec, taking off his helmet. "But the tyres are still round, still good for another stint. I'd rather go steady for seventy laps than go all out for seventeen and a half."
"I rather think that's why you're so suited to McPahan. Getting the best out of these upmarket dodgems that the team bizarrely calls WGPC cars" replied Roger, smiling, but the smile seemed a little forced. Alec nodded.
"I would miss it."
"Yeah" came Roger's reply. "But you have to do what you think's best. I wouldn't begrudge you if you left. Nobody here would"
"Aye" said Alec, "though they don't *want* me here, else they'd have given me a contract straight off". Alec could see Roger was about to protest.
"Aye, aye, I know, I don't mean it like that. It's a business decision, they've got the team's interests at heart, if I was 20 and not 30 they'd be throwing money at me, I get it. There's teams out there after my signature and, well, it might do me good to get out of the same routine. We haven't found the same rhythm as we did when we were winning the World Championship, and we might never unless I get a change of scenery and the team gets some fresh blood behind the wheel."
"Fresh blood at the wheel" repeated Roger. "Sounds like something Linco would say"
"Aye" said Alec.

The silence was broken by the sound of a Link V6 engine gunning past. Esteban Guilhermez, the Krytenian was out and flying round the circuit. As the car disappeared over the horizon, Johan Johansson appeared.

"He's taking 75r a few hundredths quicker than you. Says you're not taking the right line" said Johan. Alec frowned and nodded.
"Aye, there's milliseconds to be had, sure, if you don't dive in. You can get out quicker if you delay the turn in and ease through to the far rumble strip, aye"
"Any reason why you didn't do that?" asked Roger. Alec nodded to Johan. Johan spoke.
"In this weather, getting tyres on the paint at the road's edge makes you lose all grip" said Johan.
"9 times out of 10 you're fine" said Alec, "once every ten times you'll find yourselves doing a neat little pirouette and flat-spotting both your rears. Doesn't happen if you dive up the inside."
"That's the thing about that corner" said Johan. "If you pants-shit it, then you pants-shit it".
"Right" said Roger. "And it's phrases like that which make me wonder if we could ever introduce a stranger to this team"

[Aboveland]

The four Novikov Racing members sat together in the airport lounge at gate D12, waiting for their flight to San Jose Guayabal. In between mouthfuls of muffin and espresso they discussed what Axel's strategy would be in the Telaris test. Axel was the first to speak up, giving his opinion in less than five words: "I will go fast."

Frida Smeets, Novikov Racing's PR manager, quickly shot him down. "Axel, you have to get the car to the finish in one piece.

Mechanics Karl and Sven Ruuhmaki echoed Frida's concerns, but leaned more towards Axel's side. "Listen," began Karl, "you have a lot to prove. Nobody outside of the Nordic Lands has ever heard of you. I'd say you should push as hard as you would in a race, set a couple of incredible times, and then back off and show some consistency, at least."

Axel didn't look too convinced. He felt that backing off wouldn't be truly representative of his driving style. He took a sip of his black coffee, grimaced, and said, "I could try to drive at maximum attack for the whole test and maybe pull it off."

Sven disagreed, and Frida frowned.

"Fine," said Axel, "maybe I will back off. But I will get the fastest time, for sure. I will get the fastest time, and then back off."

Seemingly content with his answer, everyone nodded and continued consuming their airport munchies. As a final question, however, Karl added: "What if, when you're done, somebody sets a faster time?"

"They won't," Axel replied with a smirk.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Hours after sending their messages, the Nexus Racing team receives their first response. Hearteningly, the message is from Pedanovic's agent:

Marika Pedanovic is interested in taking the test session offer and will accept at once.

Predrag Saric, Sports Agent

The reply from Guard arrives back about thirty seconds later:

Fantastic! We will fly out to meet her tomorrow; please be at Niš Constantine the Great Airport by noon local time. I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to this!

Timothy Guard, Nexus Racing Project Manager

A while later...

A Nexus Force Venture League 'Praetorian' blended wing aircraft, one of a type commonly used to transport high-ranking Nimbans across the world on various international assignments, touches down on Serbian tarmac for the first time ever. It comes to a halt and a ramp lowers from the underbelly, onto which Guard steps; he scans the area for any sign of the driver whom he is supposed to be meeting as he begins to descend.

[The Serbian Empire]

A woman with curly long hair is accompanied by a man in a suit. The man being Marika Pedanovic's agent, and the young woman is no other than Marika Pedanovic herself. "What is that plane, I've never seen one like that before at our airport?" Marika asked her agent

"I think that's the man from Nexus Racing himself. I don't think that racing teams do this very often to recruit a racing driver as I don't even think McLaren F1 back when they pried Michael Andretti from Newman-Haas went to these measures," Predrag told the driver.

"That would explain the unique looking plane. If their planes are this advanced, then I presume the cars are as well," Marika responded.

"Let's find Timothy Guard, the man from Nexus Racing," Predrag said as he went towards the arrivals gate.

"I agree on this," as Marika rushed to follow him.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

A woman with curly long hair is accompanied by a man in a suit. The man being Marika Pedanovic's agent, and the young woman is no other than Marika Pedanovic herself. "What is that plane, I've never seen one like that before at our airport?" Marika asked her agent

"I think that's the man from Nexus Racing himself. I don't think that racing teams do this very often to recruit a racing driver as I don't even think McLaren F1 back when they pried Michael Andretti from Newman-Haas went to these measures," Predrag told the driver.

"That would explain the unique looking plane. If their planes are this advanced, then I presume the cars are as well," Marika responded.

"Let's find Timothy Guard, the man from Nexus Racing," Predrag said as he went towards the arrivals gate.

"I agree on this," as Marika rushed to follow him.

By this point, Timothy Guard has made his way off the plane's ramp and is walking the short distance over the concourse to Arrivals himself, followed by two other individuals and, somewhat alarmingly, what looks like five military personnel. All are wearing exo-suits; four carry assault rifles and have what look like medium-sized shields strapped to their left forearms, while the last one holds what looks like a pistol with a syringe attached in her right hand and a remote control in her left, has some sort of cannon mounted on her shoulder and is accompanied by a quadcopter drone to which is attached a mid-sized Gatling gun.

Seemingly either unaware of or not concerned by the presence of this extremely heavy guard, Guard spots Marika and Predrag, successfully recognises the former and gives a broad smile and wave. As the two groups get closer to one another it is possible to see that Timothy is wearing the light blue attire of his team, complete with logo on the breast, Nimban flag on the arm and dark blue and grey trim.

"Здраво!" he calls out, continuing to wave. As the two groups get closer he stops, then extends his hand for shaking.

[Lisander]

BITTEN HEROES GRAND PRIX ENGINEERING - FIRST TEST - ALIXRING

Timekeeping (Short Circuit) 
Lap 1
1 Kurt Censki                    1:12.214
2 Bastian Alcaraz                1:12.292
3 Shizuko Mikado (TEST ONLY)     1:12.320
4 Mick Scrhamm                   1:12.376
5 Juliano Lemos                  1:12.527

  Lap 2
1 Mick Scrhamm                   1:12.168
2 Shizuko Mikado (TEST ONLY)     1:12.321
3 Bastian Alcaraz                1:12.386
4 Kurt Censki                    1:12.431
5 Juliano Lemos                  1:12.743

  Lap 3
1 Mick Scrhamm                   1:12.164
2 Juliano Lemos                  1:12.202
3 Kurt Censki                    1:12.536
4 Shizuko Mikado (TEST ONLY)     1:12.830
5 Bastian Alcaraz                1:13.139

  Lap 4
1 Mick Scrhamm                   1:12.301
2 Kurt Censki                    1:12.304
3 Bastian Alcaraz                1:12.314
4 Shizuko Mikado (TEST ONLY)     1:12.387
5 Juliano Lemos                  1:13.259


Timekeeping (Long Circuit) 
Lap 1
1 Juliano Lemos                  1:35.181
2 Kurt Censki                    1:40.672
3 Mick Scrhamm                   1:42.626
4 Bastian Alcaraz                1:43.375
5 Shizuko Mikado (TEST ONLY)     1:49.781

  Lap 2
1 Mick Scrhamm                   1:37.354
2 Kurt Censki                    1:41.073
3 Shizuko Mikado (TEST ONLY)     1:44.951
4 Bastian Alcaraz                1:54.479
5 Juliano Lemos                  1:54.621

  Lap 3
1 Bastian Alcaraz                1:35.976
2 Mick Scrhamm                   1:38.607
3 Juliano Lemos                  1:39.703
4 Shizuko Mikado (TEST ONLY)     1:40.669
5 Kurt Censki                    1:52.788

  Lap 4
1 Juliano Lemos                  1:36.810
2 Mick Scrhamm                   1:38.774
3 Bastian Alcaraz                1:44.213
4 Kurt Censki                    1:45.177
5 Shizuko Mikado (TEST ONLY)     1:55.385


Info: Each pilot had 8 laps. 4 in the short configuration (emphasis on acceleration) and 4
in long configuration (emphasis in cornering). They used the five of the 6 cars Bitten Heroes have
built for the season. Shizuko Mikado is an Alpha League Driver. Her driving style is similar to a
driver currently in BH interest list. Unfortunately, the driver had not yet answered, then a
substitution was asked.

[San Jose Guayabal]

La Laguna International Circuit - December 26th - 17:15

The time has come, the Telaris test time was forty-five minutes away from starting, there was easy to spot a lot of curious people entering for free in the stands or gathering near the lagoon straight of the 14th turn, things were looking good for Telaris Racing manager Esteban Gutiérrez, he decided to talk with the drivers before going to the racetrack, a soft pat on his shoulder made him turn back, it was Josimar Salgado, owner of Telaris Communications, the provider of a good part of the finance that Telaris Racing uses each season, Salgado asked: “Is everything ready, Esteban?” Gutiérrez scratched his head and nodded to say “We are ready, a few more minutes and we will talk with the drivers and explain the terms of the test and other relevant conditions.” Salgado asked “Which conditions?” Gutiérrez thought for some seconds, awaiting to articulate his thoughts, then said “Well, we aren’t necessarily searching for the fastest drivers out there, we are seeking for reliable drivers, with a particular driving style, a driver that gives us the confidence to accept him and be sure that he will perform well.” Salgado pointed it into a little sticky note, then nodded “Good idea, keep in that way.” Said while going to take a soda in the fridge of the circuit lounge bar. The environment was loaded with expectative by the fans and media, they were expecting how the test would go, which drivers would be elected… Rumours were strong when talking about Alexander Lund and his theoretical incorporation to Telaris.

Gutiérrez walked to the conference hall, a nicely equipped hall rooming media, the crew, Telaris owner, the team representatives and of course, the drivers, he went slowly to the podium, took a microphone and started to talk “Welcome to San José Guayabal, welcome to Telaris Racing test”, the room was silent and listening comprehensively to Gutiérrez words, so silent that a needle falling would have been heard, he continued saying “The test will feature 48 laps in the circuit, that’s basically WGPC mandatory distance, and cars are equipped like if this is a real race, modifications were done with cooperation of your assistants, so, everything is ready for you all, to prove why we should hire you.” The words said by Gutiérrez prolonged for a while, some of his important words were “We could not hire the fastest, it’s a necessary condition but not enough for us, we are seeking for reliability and a defined style of driving, a fast, aggressive and mixing up some reliability, that’s why I ask you all to give your best in this test.” Media asked some questions prior test to Gutiérrez, asking about salary or contracts to be offered for the drivers, he simply said “Depending on what they want and seek for, we should give bonuses for performance, that’s sure, but I will reserve more detailed information.

The drivers got on their cars and started giving some warming laps before the beginning of the test, Gutiérrez was on the VIP zone but had a computer with views from all the cars in a programme, as well all the crew members, even the Telaris owner, Gutiérrez eye was alone a good eye for racing due to his past experience in this aspect, having more people with different thoughts was going to be useful for him, although, he has a very educated racing-eye. The engines roared on the start line, Delgado was on pole while Kurt Censki as second, the placement was randomised before the event, exactly on the press conference before the warm-up, the last one to get started, Axel Novikov, was analysing how to get into the lead, in effect, he did get in second place with a really aggressive start that made Gutiérrez say “This guy is aggressive and smart, let’s see how he goes…” The test started and at least 5,000 people were on the stands watching the race for free, also, Telaris Sports broadcasted it on TV in their paid cable system. The first laps were something really analytical, no one was displaying something in particular, they were analysing and being conservative when trying to overtake another driver, E.A. got rid of Delgado at the 5th lap with a nice pass on “Lake Entrance, turn 14th” Delgado seemed from that moment a bit surprised and lost some terrain at that moment… The race continued to be narrow and having a little margin of success and mistake, something that happened with Ethan Ellis at the 26th lap, who crashed on turn one, Gutiérrez took a pencil and decided to erase Ellis name of his list, he said “Oh man, what a mistake, this guy is not capable at first glance.”

Last five laps and Juliano Lemos passed Lund and then Novikov at “Los Pinos”, a nice overtake that made Gutiérrez say “Hmm, I’ll consider this guy, seems like a good driver.” But then Novikov passed Lund at “Sacacorchos” but didn’t last enough, since Lund’s experience imposed over Novikov and passed him on “Lake Shore”, Lemos got a good gap and made him win the test, then Kurt Censki, Lund, Novikov, E.A., Delgado and Ellis (DNF). Although it was sure that Gutiérrez had four drivers on mind, but two were main options, he pointed it out on a stick note, then called the four specific drivers to the hall and talked with them alone… those four were Novikov, Lund, Lemos and E.A.

Gutiérrez said to them “All of you have done it wonderfully, I like your styles and I’m sure that Telaris will work fine with any of you, but first I want to say that Telaris Racing makes a formal offer to: Axel Novikov (2nd seat) and Alexander Lund (1st seat). While, verbal agreements with E.A. and Lemos are made as back-up in case one of you two decide for other team, although, we will make sure to pay you better than anybody else” said laughing at the end, Gutiérrez handed a contract to Lund and Novikov and had a verbal agreement with Lemos and E.A. as back-up.

Telaris Test - La Laguna

 1 Juliano Lemos (LIS)             1:34:58.970
 2 Kurt Censki (QAD)          1:35:01.511
 3 Alexander Lund (AUD)            1:35:05.226
 4 Axel Novikov (ABL)              1:35:09.560
 5 Bastián Alcaraz (LIS)           1:35:36.596
 6 Eaoueaiou Aeouiouie (CMT)       1:35:40.714
 7 Moisés Delgado (SJG)            1:35:41.345
 — Ethan Ellis (ETN)                DNF lap 26

[Aboveland]

Axel's heart was pounding. He'd been third most of the race, and comfortably so, behind the immensely experienced Lund. However, out of the corner of his eye, like a mosquito buzzing in his ear at night, he could see Juliano Lemos fighting tooth and nail to get third place. While not being the most expressive of people, the roar and rumble of the massive engine behind him that shook his back and rattled his eyeballs, combined with the sheer steering accuracy of the Telaris chassis, produced an insurmountable amount of joy in him. Notwithstanding, not a single exhibit of happiness would form onto his face, locked in an eagle-like gaze.

Suddenly, Axel felt the back end give way. The rear wheels of the car began to slide, intensifying the pins and needles in his chest. He ceded some throttle power to the beast and flailed his arms in desperation, managing to get back in control. By now, unfortunately, it was too late to maintain third, and Lemos had overtaken him and Lund.

A sudden surge of energy blasted through Novikov's hands and feet, and he was back in full attack mode. At this moment, he was ready to prove he was good, even if it meant throwing it all away. Tailgating Lund into the corkscrew turn and making himself visible in his rear view mirrors, he attacked on the inside and narrowly avoided contact with an aggressive overtake. Cutting back in front of Lund to claim third as his own, he felt back in control. But, right at the next turn, as he took it too stuck to the inside, he clipped the grass and lost traction on his front wheels, nearly understeering into a charging Lund. He'd lost third, and at this stage, he decided to call his podium charge off. These guys were in another league, and he'd come too far to show he wasn't capable of fitting in.

Axel crossed the line with a bittersweet smile, hearing over the intercom how his crew cheered and whooped for him. He pulled into the paddock, shook every driver's hand with an uncharacteristic grin (shaking Lund's especially meaningfully, appreciating their kerfuffle), and headed to Gutierrez, who'd offered him a position in the team. Elated inside but stone cold outside, Axel requested to see the contract and asked for a pen. He was sure that Bitten Heroes was going nowhere with him, and Vannish Motors seemed to be unresponsive. Seeing as this number two position was possibly his only opportunity, and understanding how he'd loved the car, he signed the rough textured paper, much to the disdain of his crew who would have wanted him to tell them the offer first. They all knew very well though that that was nearly impossible.

Axel Novikov signs as Telaris Racing's second driver.

[Vilita and Turori]

...Earlier in the WGPC 15 Pre-Pre Season Timeline...

Vilita & Turori Motorsports, Rockii Coast, Vilita ::

Team members began to file into the room for the first meeting of the pre-season. There was a spread of food outside the room - the situation was much different than just one season prior. Vilita & Turori Motorsports wasn't even planning to compete in the WGPC's 14th Season. They were always aiming to return in the 15th season - this season. But there plans were accelerated and not only that, they won the whole damn thing. Constructors Title. Check. Drivers Championship. Check. They were on top of the world.

"At least we don't have to do another one of those stupid driver tests this season!" one team member quipped to another entering the room. "What a logistical nightmare that was!"

As they continued to discuss, the time of the start of the meeting came, and went.

There was an empty seat in the room, and it was right at the head of the table. iBen Toralmintii left the room, took out his electronic device and typed a message.

"T- did you make it in town alright? We are just getting ready to have our first meeting here and was wondering if we should start without you?

-iBen"

After hitting send, Toralmintii went back into the room and lightened things up a bit, asking team members to tell their best memories of their time off during the break between the seasons.

Some of the stories were great. One guy went on a backpacking trip through the Xilean forest and got lost. He destroyed his electronic device when he slipped crossing a river and was chased down a hill by - what he claimed - was a 'mutant dragon'. Suspicion quickly began to fly around the room that it was probably just a stray jungle cat and that the tire specialist should stop trying to exaggerated his tales. One of the over-the wall pit crew guys talked about how he went diving for treasure in the Vilitan Cove - but didn't find anything - no surprise.

The momentum created by the back and forth story telling engulfed the room. iBen took the opportunity to step out and check his electronic device. As he approached, the device began to undulate. iBen grabbed the device and accepted the incoming communication request. It was Terho.

"Hey iBen. I didn't make it to Vilita."

iBen started to respond but Terho interrupted.

"No, wait, theres something you need to know. I was offered a drive at MRT. It was a really good contract, and while I wasn't really considering anything other than V&T, it sounded like a fun challenge. I hope you understand."

iBen was stunned. Just moments prior he was expecting his new friend to walk into the room so they could start discussing how they were going to dominate the World Grand Prix Championship tour one more time. Now, his teammate had become a rival.

"Good Luck this season" iBen responded and ended the communication somewhat tersely, needing time to process the news.

To some extent it made sense. Terho was always looking for a challenge. As Constructors Champions, V&T had the best equipment. Winning in the best Equipment isn't as impressive as winning in anything other than the best Equipment. Maybe thats the angle Terho was going for. Maybe he was signing for MRT in order to prove to himself that he was the difference - not the car. Regardless, there was no good way to break this to the team. They hadn't prepared for an open driver challenge. They hadn't prepared for anything. It was just going to be WGPC14 continued for VTM. Now it was all changed.

iBen broke the news to the team. Naturally, they were stunned. At least at first. Then they just got mad.

"Fuck 'em" one crew member piped up. "We don't need no stinkin Abovian! We got you, iBen. And Juracai too!" the crew member started patting Juracai Klianiota on the back. Toralmintii's long-time teammate had informally served as test driver for the team in private development sessions. However, Toralmintii reminded the team that Vilita only had one liscensed WGPC driver, and that was R.L. Cruisin who was almost certainly committed for a return to Carvenlo-Frankling for WGPC 15.

Most of the crew took the news as a motivator - taking the chance to prove that it was the car that won the WGPC 14 Championship, not the driver.

There was one who was very much deflated, however. iBen Toralmintii. After sailing through WGPC 14 riding the momentum of success, the team had not planned to start over for WGPC 15. With the defending driver's champion, the sponsorship dollars should have been pouring in by the truckload at the front door. But there was no driver. There would be no trucks.

iBen started to worry about the teams ability even to compete during WGPC 15. They had spent forward a large portion of their Tropicorp allocation to accelerate their readiness and maintain their edge during WGPC 14. Did they have the funds to host another driver trial? Did they have the funds to keep pace with the engineering advances that would sweep through the sport?

...Did they have the funds available just to make it to the opening race in Aels? iBen Toralmintii didn't have any concerns before, but now he had real work to do. Instead of focusing on preparing as a driver for the new season, he had to focus on rebuilding his team. iBen Toralmintii began the process of re-evaluating the future - both for his team and for his own career.

[The Serbian Empire]

"I am eager to meet you," Marika said as she shook his hand.

"I am Predrag Saric, her agent. Marika's got several lower tier offers and is a versatile driver capable of running almost every kind of car imaginable. A talent like her is usually a once in every 10-20 year thing seeing the likes of A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, and Robby Gordon in the past. Gordon's the only driver to have won a Baja 1000, a NASCAR event, and an IndyCar race. Mears was quite possibly the best driver to never compete in WGPC racing. Foyt's an immortal who even transcends technology and car construction from front engine to rear engine open wheelers. Marika's the next in that line and at worse is Robby Gordon's second coming, a strong driver capable of winning but may never be a champion. At best, she may reach the vaulted terms of Foyt, Mears, and Mario Andretti," Predrag stated.

"Settle down, Predrag... I know you know a lot about my abilities, but I want to let my driving do the talking instead. So when will we be testing and where?" Marika asked Mr. Guard.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

"I am eager to meet you," Marika said as she shook his hand.

"I am Predrag Saric, her agent. Marika's got several lower tier offers and is a versatile driver capable of running almost every kind of car imaginable. A talent like her is usually a once in every 10-20 year thing seeing the likes of A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, and Robby Gordon in the past. Gordon's the only driver to have won a Baja 1000, a NASCAR event, and an IndyCar race. Mears was quite possibly the best driver to never compete in WGPC racing. Foyt's an immortal who even transcends technology and car construction from front engine to rear engine open wheelers. Marika's the next in that line and at worst is Robby Gordon's second coming, a strong driver capable of winning but may never be a champion. At best, she may reach the vaulted terms of Foyt, Mears, and Mario Andretti," Predrag stated.

"Settle down, Predrag... I know you know a lot about my abilities, but I want to let my driving do the talking instead. So when will we be testing and where?" Marika asked Mr. Guard.

The translator throughout this has been repeating their words to Guard in Nimban; at 'I want to let my driving do the talking' he smiles and nods. He begins speaking; the translator turns to the two, repeating in Serbian: "The idea is that you'll fly back to Nexus Racing's headquarters with us for three days and work with the team during that time so that we can assess how good a fit you'll be for our car on our test track and for the team as a whole. Oh and don't worry, Mr Saric, we know all about Marika's skill as a driver; we've been considering her for a seat in our team for the past three years."

[The Redvale]

Maria Cattaneo
Silverspasecasarthe

It was finally time for the two Redvalis to see what they could do internationally. They had no doubts about their skills; Maria Cattaneo had signed a big name contract already to race domestically for the new money team of her nation, Roja Leo Racing. Jeremy Jensen-Fletcher hadn't commanded as much cash, but had an undeniable technical knowledge that often gave him an edge over drivers who only drove cars and didn't work on them. Now, the atmosphere between them was a bit strange. They were likely competing for one spot, unless Maria got the second driver job and Jeremy got a test spot. "Wish me luck?" said Maria, as she was getting ready for her trial. His would be a couple of hours later, after Jasmin Kranskja took her turn.

"Well, you're kind of my competition, so..." Jeremy said, his eyes still darting around with uncertainty as Maria started towards the garage door and towards the car that was waiting for her on the track.

"So?"

"Don't know if it's a good idea to wish you luck. You don't need it, anyway," Jeremy replied in a sort of backhanded compliment, bumping fists with her before she put her helmet on and stepped out of the garage. They'd both learned the specifics of driving the car earlier, when they were instructed by former driver Roger Bunn. But the instruction had been more for him than for Maria; Jeremy took more time to learn how to drive a new car, while Maria was one of those people who had a natural talent for driving. She was more of a virtuoso, whereas Jeremy had gotten to his current position through hours upon hours of refining his style through practice and film study of better drivers.

Jeremy watched as Maria got inside the car, and the crew went through some final checks to make sure that everything was right for the trial. As her friend, he hoped she did well. As her competitor, he was hoping that she'd crash and disqualify herself. She was his main competition, after all, being from the same country and all. McPahan probably wasn't going to sign two Redvali drivers, and if they didn't, he wanted to be the one that got the deal. Though, Maria's team would be the one paying the million dollar fee to join, so he wasn't quite sure what they'd think about him getting in over her.

---

Maria wasn't always the fastest starter, prioritizing consistency and technical skill over aggression, but this start hadn't been that great even for her. Earlier, she'd expected the weather to be good for the trial, and now that it wasn't, she was having a hard time adjusting her mental idea of what she had prepared for to what was actually in front of her; a track that was misty, with some rain coming down. It wasn't heavy rain, but it was enough to definitely throw her off. She'd started slow, her first ten laps not coming in as fast as she'd like. And she was expected to get through the whole trial on one set of tires, so she had to be careful about pushing for a faster time.

Stay calm. Don't panic. It's not all about time, it's about showing that you can manage the fuel levels and tire ware. Just don't finish with a terrible time and you'll be alright.

She hoped that was the truth, at least. She quickly shifted her mind from reassuring herself to the road in front of her, and accelerated while heading into the Wester Chicane. The straight line ahead of her would be a spot where she could pick up some speed and cut down on her time while using her tires efficiently, and she pushed her speed up a bit and accelerated through the straight line before somewhat riskily taking the turn at speed and then accelerating again. When she got to the Easter Chicane, she slowed down and then applied the gas as soon as she was back at the straight part of the track.

If you're going to go for a good time, now is when you have to do it... I'll risk going into the turn a bit faster than I want if it gives me a better time than the last laps.

Maria kept up her speed until she reached Turn One, and while she applied the brakes, she was heading into it fast enough that it was a very risky move. But she was going all in, and she didn't care about the risks. She had to get her time to something respectable, after all. Instead of speeding through the next section until the chicanes, she kept her speed lower to avoid wearing our her tires and running out of fuel. The plan was to wait until she got past the Stang Turn to go all out for a good time once again.

That plan worked out almost according to plan, though she was coming in a bit slower than she wanted and her tires were more worn than she'd initially thought. "Shit," she muttered, feeling the wear from the way the car was handling. It was at times like this that she was thankful for her natural talent at maneuvering. She was about to have to go up an incline with poor tires, but she decided to keep pushing it because she needed to trim off more seconds from her time, which was already behind what it should be. She sped through 75r, and then opted to preserve her tires and fuel by slowing more than usual for the upwards incline of the Aquaroja chicane.

After that, Maria pushed the car as hard as it would go. Picking up speed through the straightaway, she had her fastest run of the trials in that section and only slowed for El Tirabuzon, the hard to navigate chicane that she found herself sliding through and trying not to crash. It was rare that she didn't have control of her car, but this was one of those times. "Shit..." she muttered again, under her breath, as she finally exited the chicane after spending far too many precious seconds on it. After nearly losing control, she picked the pace back up and went as fast as she could through the last section of the track, finally stopping her car at the finish line after her eleventh and final lap.

She climbed out of the car angrily, after recording a lap time of 2:14.800, and ripped her helmet off and spiked it against the ground. "Damn it!" she shouted, after seeing her exact time. It was below average, definitely not what she had been planning for, and proof that she had taken too many risks. Those risks had resulted in her barely being able to finish her laps with the same set of tires, even though she'd comfortably had enough fuel to finish. But it was too late to change things; she'd just have to hope that someone else would mess up and that her potential would be noticed despite her poor performance.

Jeremy Jensen-Fletcher
Two(ish) hours later

After Maria hadn't put on her best performance in her trial, Jeremy had his chance to shine. The lesser known Redvali was feeling confident, confident that he could handle his car better than she had and confident that his aggressive driving style would pay off better than the risks than she'd taken had. But like Maria, his start was slower too. He blamed it on the conditions, because he didn't have as much experience as she did in driving in wet conditions. After all, he was from sunny Maris, and she often raced in the cold and windy Southern Coast. They'd gotten their starts in opposite ends of Redvale, and that was reflected in their skill at driving in different conditions.

It wasn't that Jeremy had been bad, but his first four laps had been completely average, with the last one having a time of 2:14.000. Average wasn't what he wanted. He was already not very notable, he didn't want to have an average finish because that could result in him getting forgotten completely when the team looked back at the different drivers and how they'd done on their trials. On the coming laps, he decided, he would up his aggression and drive more like he usually did, regardless of the weather.

He was doing well on lap six until he reached El Tirabuzon, and he opted not to slow down as much as Maria had to make sure that she made it through the hard section. He tried to keep his speed up and not brake hard while going through it, and that caused him to have to overcompensate in his steering. When he came out of the turn, the car was still fishtailing, and instead of keeping straight and letting it even out, he panicked and moved the steering wheel hard to the left, causing it to come back the other way and spin out, crashing into the wall and getting damaged in the process. There was no way he could continue after that.

"Fucking hell," he muttered, pounding the steering wheel in frustration as he sat there in the damaged car, not even finishing half of the trial. He'd had his chance after Maria slipped up, but he'd blown his completely. It wasn't such a good day for both Redvali drivers after all...

[San Jose Guayabal]

Moisés Delgado Lodge - El Boquerón, San Salvador - December 26th 2210 - 11:30 PM

It was close to midnight, half an hour to be precise, Moisés Delgado honked and a security guard at his lodge opened the gate, but checked with his flashlight who was on the wheel “Ahh, my eyes.” Said Delgado. The guard immediately recognised his voice and told him “Excuse me señor Delgado” Delgado still shocked by the flashlight managed to said “No problems, you just did your duty.” He entered to the lodge, locked his car and went to the reception, where his spouse was awaiting for him, Delgado put a jacket since it was a pretty cold night at the place, going down to 9°C in a summer night might be cold enough for Guayabalense standards, the sun was setting down as usual in that part of the year, where pretty much every corner of San José Guayabal experienced midnight sun. Delgado went to her and said “Ooof, not a good drive in Telaris, at least, it was a good time to get warm-up prior my trip to Audioslavia for the McPahan tests at Silverspasecarthe.” His spouse, Marina, said “Silver-que?” Delgado gasped and said “Well, it’s a large name, I shall refer to those as only ‘The test’ for simplicity sake” Marina was curious at Delgado, she wondered what happened at his performance in Moncada, she suddenly asked “Let me guess, power steering issues?” Delgado sighed as accepting it, he was decided to call his crew since pretty much anybody was awake at 11:30 PM, you might ask why? Well, weird Guayabalense mores, since people gets out of work at 8:00 PM and reach house two hours later, some more activities and pretty much anybody went to sleep at around 1:00 AM, but entered to work at noon and having a lunch break at 3:30 PM.

Delgado called everybody on the crew in order to notify them of a driving opportunity in Audioslavia, Marcelo Garrido, his crew chief answered the call and said “Hey Moi, what’s up?” Moisés said “We have an interesting opportunity at Audioslavia, a McPahan test drive and it’d be interesting to go there and do our best, I’m contacting everybody in order to get ourselves ready to go at January 3rd, we will have the test the 5th, a Sunday at 11:00 AM.” Garrido answered happily and said “Well done, well done, we will be there and we will give it all, for sure. Have you heard about the conditions in Silverspasecarthe?” Delgado opened his laptop and told him the forecast of nearby Oljestaden for those days “It’ll be misty in Olljestaden, which has the closest meteorological station to the circuit.” Garrido interrupted suddenly “You said Oljestaden?” Delgado said “Yes” then Garrido continued “I know that circuit, and city, it’s a quite demanding circuit, an almost 9 KM one, has some demanding uphill and artificial chicanes that might pose some resistance, still, it’s a circuit where you can drive fast but not under those conditions.” Delgado said “Interesting…” Garrido was quite excited by the opportunity and continued saying “I’ll tell all the other members of the crew, we will meet on the airport the 3rd, what if we meet in Juan’s Café?” Delgado answered affirmatively “We will, but we shall drink some coffee before leaving, hahaha” Garrido laughed “We will, of course hahahaha” Delgado said bye and resumed to manage the lodge, it was only five minutes away from midnight, the sun was setting down and the people started to come to the lodge in big numbers, time to get into hotel duties.

---

Silverspasecarthe Circuit, Oljestaden, Audioslavia - Sunday, January 3rd 2211 - 10:00 AM


Moisés Delgado geared up at Silverspasecarthe, he enjoyed the misty and quite windy climate, basically, he felt inspired at that moment because he loves those weather conditions, that’s why he has a lodge and a house at the top of San Salvador’s Volcano, to enjoy the climate, Delgado hugged his spouse and said “I feel so inspired today, Marina” She asked while adjusting his helmet “Why, do you feel something special in the air?” Delgado laughed and hugged her more “You silly, it’s the weather… Duh… It’s misty and windy, like I precisely love it, this reminds me of the calmness and freedom at home, enjoying the pines being hugged by mist while feeding the chickens and the dogs, pretty much our quite bucolic life at home” Marina was quite nervous, but somewhat satisfied on what Moisés thought, something that had his confidence on a high, higher than the usual Delgado’s self-confidence, she blessed him while making the signal of the Holy Cross, Delgado hugged her and said “You’ll see me giving my best, pray for me” Marina gave him a photography of the family, featuring Javier, Delgado’s son, he took the photo of the family with him as a good luck amulet, he went into the office located in the garage to talk with the crew, especially with Garrido in order to let everything in order as Delgado liked and of course, adapting to the weather and circuit exigencies.

Garrido started to talk with Delgado and told him details about the circuit and climate predictions for the moment when Delgado would do his practice “Well, things are that the circuit may be hard in some zones, specifically at Aquaroja and El Tirabuzón, Aquaroja is a upwards chicane while El Tirabuzón is at the top of a hill, you might face wind resistance there, so we have taken care of aerodynamic drag, in order to make sure that wind against you might not be prejudicial for you at that turn, since it’s one of the fastest zones of the track and taking advantage will be important… Regarding weather, it’ll be misty and winds coming from the east with a speed of 10 kms/h will be at the time, it’ll rain during your test time, so we will have to use intermediate tyres at the beginning, but if rain gets worse, don’t hesitate to call us, we will change from intermediate to wet tyres” Delgado nodded as acceptance, but also made a question in regards of some technical issues “Well, what about DRS? Can I use it? “ One of the crew members, David Galindo answered by nodding his head while sipping soda, another techie geek, Ricardo Alonso, nodded while saying “It’ll activate in three tenths of second, it’s the fastest we can do to activate it, I could have changed the programming of the algorithm but there’s no way we could have a faster reaction time.” Delgado, who was some sort of a geek asked to Alonso in order to see how fast-responding the steering wheel commands are, Alonso responded “They have an ultra-low latency, which means, they will activate faster, it’s on the minimum allowed, which is 15ms, a really fast response, if you ask me, the controls are working fine and everything should be OK for you in the ride” said Alonso while adjusting his glasses with the index finger.

Garrido gave a motivational talk to Delgado and told him “This is your real chance, maybe your only chance to prove what you are and what you have, the road and the car is waiting for you, go and give your best in it, give your best arguments to fill the implicit question of ‘Why Moisés Delgado should be hired?’ You can do it, feel like you are having fun, you’re on your backyard enjoying the climate, but be focused on the responses of your car, connect with him in a sole unity, be accurate to identify which changes are needed to do- Up yours Moi, get into the car and we will make the last preparations prior the beginning.” Delgado walked to the car, adjusted his seatbelt while Alonso was running a computer scan of the car in order to check if everything was okay, and it was ok, Garrido checked everything, from tires to fuel, everything was sorted, Marina went to the crew spot and all the team did the same thing, Delgado was minutes away from starting the test, a McPahan representative asked Delgado if he was OK, Delgado said “I was born ready, Mister.” The representative wished good luck to Delgado and then asked to start the engine, Moisés clicked the button on the steering wheel and saw the panel appearing with several instructions and a digital map of the circuit on the centre of the steering wheel, Moisés proceeded to go out of the pits and making contact with the asphalt, Garrido communicated with him on radio and instructed Moisés “Do two warm-up laps in order to recognise the circuit and identify something that needs to be corrected, be sure to notify us what happens before arriving to pits in the second lap, so we can work faster and correct the issue, if there’s nothing, do a flying lap after the second one.”

Delgado accelerated slowly and get past the Turn One, then he accelerated to the top on the next straight, got past Larvae and Samuels at a decent speed of 280 km/h but decided to not throttle the car more in order to avoid committing a mistake, got over Kjell and Harbour View, then accelerated to the top, reaching almost 330 km/h and got past 75 R fast, he preferred to take enough impulse in order to have a good momentum at Aquaroja uphill chicane, the strategy worked fine but almost got out of the racetrack due to a steering issue, he called Garrido and said “I’m noticing understeering issues, the steering wheel is not reacting as good as I would like it to react, I almost got out of the chicane but corrected it well…” then he passed El Tirabuzón and again experienced steering issues, he corrected it well but noticed that mist was hard at that zone, so he needed to have more caution when passing there, while using some DRS will be beneficial for him to lower the times, then he accelerated on the straight and had an issue while braking, the brake was blocked and needed some repair, but could resist a lap more, he continued and made sure to avoid braking aggressively, so he would take care of the brakes before the technical revision at the end of the second lap, the first lap wasn’t that bad, a 2:20:453 said Garrido while Delgado passed the finish line, Garrido told Delgado “Speed it up a bit more in this one, I want to see how good you have recognised the track” Delgado said “I have an issue with the brakes too, they blocked too hard on the Wester Chicane, so I’ll need to be cautious when braking” Garrido answered “If you’re in problems, try to do compression” Delgado replied “I can’t control yaw from here, I’ll need the help of Ricardo perhaps, since he is good controlling that kind of things, torque distribution needs to be made harmonically to reduce the understeer I have.” Garrido answered “Okay, okay, don’t worry, Ricardo will take control of it.” Ricardo Alonso was called by Garrido, the chief said “We need to create some jaw to reduce the understeering, torque needs to be more balanced on both wheels.” Ricardo answered nodding while taking a laptop with him “Okay, let me get the program ready.” Garrido also called the crew in order to notify them on what Moisés required “We will need to adjust brakes, those are blocking a lot, if we don’t fix that, Delgado will have problems, so move now and be ready, we need to be efficient in this work.” Delgado was accelerating and managed to take a good momentum on the turns he had problems before, but made sure to avoid forcing the brakes more than it could have been potentially forced, since damages could have been noticeable and badly-timed for him.

Moisés arrived to the pits and Garrido asked him “Everything is OK?” Apart from what I told you, everything is right, I haven’t developed at all the power this machine has, but I’m quite surprised on how strong is, let’s see if it’s reliable when “squeezing the juice” of the engine.” Alonso made the modifications on his software, the crew was unlocking the brakes and fixing any potential mistake, while Moisés was testing the DRS flap, it worked fine and it was determined that the DRS was ready to act when needed, the modifications were made after three minutes, Garrido checked the tires and oil, everything was OK and then he proceeded to instruct Moisés. “Do six flying laps, then we will check how the car is going” Delgado raised his thumb and went out of the pit box, and incorporated to the racetrack, Garrido called once again to notify Moisés about DRS usage “You should use DRS after Tirabuzón, there is where you’ll have the wind in your favour, so if you want to have a fast lap, you might need to use it there, don’t hesitate to use it.”

Moisés accelerated and got into the first turn, passed it and accelerated, managing to reach 300 km/h on Samuels but braking with enough anticipation on Kjell, a somewhat dangerous turn, as it was Harbour View too, two turns that may serve to see how drivers manage to scape with enough speed and see how quick they react to brake and recover once again, Delgado passed through Stang and decided to accelerate the car, but, having in considerations of how the climate was on the zone, including the need to gain enough momentum in order to not suffer any problem in the uphill chicane, then going down through Tirabuzón, Moisés had enough to determine if the car was suited enough to speed up and do the flying laps. Delgado crossed the line while Garrido screamed “Go for it now!” Delgado went quite fast on the exit of the first turn, he kept a reasonable speed on Larvae and Samuels, then recovered decently on Kjell and Harbour View in his way to Stang, in the favourable zone of the uphill, he seemed to enjoy that zone, since allowed Moisés to demonstrate confidence while braking and getting into the chicanes, then he was accelerating down to Tirabuzón and braking with fast response from the wheels, there was no more licking issues, then he accelerated on the long straight and activated DRS between both chikanes, wind was in his favour, so reducing down force won’t be prejudicial for Delgado in that zone, since conditions were unlikely to change, he decided to set DRS in that zone, which was beneficial at first sight, Delgado passed through the finish line and Garrido said “2:16:633, nice for a first lap, though you can do it better and better.” Delgado didn’t announced anything new on his car, there were no issues on the mechanical aspect, nor in the aerodynamics one, Delgado had everything in his favour in order to do a good display, since the track allowed him to react well, plus having a nice feeling with weather, because misty climate was something that he really enjoyed.

There were no more traces of understeering nor over-steering problems that jaw could potentially cause, Delgado was running without issues through the large and densely foggy stretches between Stang and Aquaroja, Garrido announced times and Delgado was glad of running well, somewhat inspired. Garrido announced a 2:13:470 before the fifth flying lap, and a fast checking by the crew, Delgado stopped and hydrated while the check was being performed, some signs related to drag well fixed, since those may potentially made the McPahan single-seater, Delgado resumed the race, there wasn’t need to change tires since rain was little and it literally stopped during the checking. Delgado continued performing well but had a quite bad lap, a 2:17:450 which made Garrido to talk him somewhat aggressively “Hey, what do you fucking think! For fuck sake, focus yourself on what you do!” And Moisés triggered, since he is quite trigger-happy, he took that as a challenge and he went for everything, he managed to say on radio “The one who doesn’t risks, doesn’t wins!” he had some successful flying laps prior to the last one, which registered the best, when he crossed the finish line Garrido said “2:12:104, you flied on that one, despite the weather conditions, well done.” Delgado returned and went out of the cock pit, now it was matter to wait and see what will happen, to wait if his participation was good and if the crew was accurate on the changes made.

[The Serbian Empire]

"Let's get going then, I am itching to prove myself," Marika stated.

"Settle down you little spitfire," Predrag said.

"But there's racing to be done. I have my things packed and ready to go no less. The luggage is in the FIAT 500L and includes my firesuit, helmet, and the rest of my gear along with a week's supply of clothing. Predrag, you should help me with all this luggage," Marika spoke.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

"Let's get going then, I am itching to prove myself," Marika stated.

"Settle down you little spitfire," Predrag said.

"But there's racing to be done. I have my things packed and ready to go no less. The luggage is in the FIAT 500L and includes my firesuit, helmet, and the rest of my gear along with a week's supply of clothing. Predrag, you should help me with all this luggage," Marika spoke.

The translator does as before and repeats their speech in Nimban to Guard. As soon as they have finished, however, the soldiers accompanying the group hold a very brief conversation before one of them walks up to Marika and, grinning behind her visored helmet and crossing her arms, says something to her. When it becomes clear that the driver has not understood, expressions of confusion, epiphany and finally embarrasment cross her face. She speaks again, except this time a synthesised voice talks over it in Serbian: "Here, let me help; I've got a Juggernaut suit and your manager hasn't."

[The Serbian Empire]

"I'm sorry for my exuberance and over eagerness. Anyways I wonder about the Juggernaut suit and it's properties. Is it lighter and more pleasant than the old Nomex and Proban combo that has been the standard since back before I was born?" Marika inquired.

Predrag went to the car and discovered something in the racing gear luggage. Marika's hasty packing of the gear had resulted in the gloves being missing. "How am I going to explain this to Marika that she's a bit overeager for her own good?" Predrag asked himself as he continued to bring the luggage in.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

"I'm sorry for my exuberance and over eagerness. Anyways I wonder about the Juggernaut suit and it's properties. Is it lighter and more pleasant than the old Nomex and Proban combo that has been the standard since back before I was born?" Marika inquired.

Predrag went to the car and discovered something in the racing gear luggage. Marika's hasty packing of the gear had resulted in the gloves being missing. "How am I going to explain this to Marika that she's a bit overeager for her own good?" Predrag asked himself as he continued to bring the luggage in.

The woman chuckles and begins to talk again; the synthesised voice intones: "Lighter, no. Pleasant, not really. But -" she crouches and then launches herself a good three metres into the air, at which point Marika probably realises that 'Juggernaut' refers to the military exosuit which she is wearing rather than a racing suit - "it certainly has its advantages! Now, I'm going to go and chase down your manager to see if I can take some of your luggage off his hands." She takes off at a superhuman speed in the direction of the airport car park, hoping to intercept Predrag who, if he were looking ahead of him on his way back to the group, would soon see a blue streak charging in his general direction...

[Qasden]

Monday— 11:20— Blue-Red Racing Garage— Rust was greeted by Kurt during one of his zone-out moments. "Rust?", Rockets snapped back into reality to be startled by Censki's presence. "Gees Censki, you almost gave me a heart attack!". There was a slight moment of awkward silence before Kurt intervened. "Didn't you text me earlier? What do you need?". Rust goes back into a trance of thought and quickly restarted the conversation. "What? Oh! Yes, I did need you! I've got some good news and some bad news for ya. Which one do you want first?". "I guess bad first." replied Censki. "Ok, so I've been looking at the latest reports and such from the teams I emailed. Unfortunately, Arada didn't shortlist you into potential contenders for their brands, and VMR's been having some major difficulties happening, which basically crosses them off the list as well.". Kurt now seemed slightly, yet not completely, disappointed. "I see. And the good news?". "Right. So the good news is that Fireline was very intrigued by your resume, and wants you to run a few test drives in Ethane.". Censki looked at Rust with a bit of shock. "Could this be my break finally?" thought Kurt to himself. Rockets glared one more time at some of the reports before stopping on one slathered in blue, white, and lime green. "Oh! I almost forgot. Telaris had also invited you to partake in their driver tryouts, too. Perhaps that could be something of your interest alongside Fireline and McPahan?". Kurt eyes nearly busted out of their sockets. Rust continued, "Anyways, I've booked your flight to Lowes so you can get a few good laps in for Fireline. You'll have a stop in Moaria, but otherwise it should be smooth sailing.". Censki seemed a bit overwhelmed. "Can I get back to you on these?" asked the dazed racer. Rust looked at him unimpressed. "You do realize the majority of these trials are happening next week, right?". Kurt internally panicked before he hesitantly spat out "Of course!". "Ok then, here's your ticket to Lowes, I'll get started with booking your flights and hotels to San Jose Guayabal and Audioslavia as well. Now shoo, go on, we're done here for now.

Monday— 14:55— Feasties' Headquarters, T.V. City— "For you, Ms. Kriswell." said Lyons politely as he handed her a letter. It was from the Turkmen Mellon Company of Turkmenbasyn, a potentially ambitious partner to work with. Kayla pulled out her letter opener from her desk and ripped off the top of the envelope. Carefully, she pulled out the note and read it. "Dear Kayla, yada yada yada, YES!" Kriswell blurted out, spooking Lyons a bit in the process. She peered at the awakened messenger and gave him the usual hearing of a request. "Lyons, could you please bring David and Chaneel into my office?". "Certainly, miss. I will bring them here as quickly as possible.". Lyons walked out of the room and down the hall in search for the wanted duo. Kayla glared back at the note, thinking ambitiously with herself. "All the potentialities with these melons are endless! Those Turkmen will give this company the wow factor we really need!". Suddenly, a knock on the door sounded. It was David and Chaneel, accompanied by Lyons, of course. "Ah! Just who I wanted to see. Come, pull up a chair or two.". The two looked at each other slightly frightened and proceeded to fill her request. Kayla continued, "Don't worry, fellas. You're not in trouble. Quite the opposite really.". David let out a small relief of breath from the words. "Anyways, I recently got in touch with this company in Turkmenbasyn that sells and distributes these interesting melons multiversally. I was able to secure a contract with them, and I'd like you two to handle the operations of creating some traditional recipes with the fruit, got it?". She pulled out a wad of sticky notes and began writing on them. "David, you'll be in charge of checking our first batch's quality and quantity. I want this start to be good. Chaneel, since you're the innovation around here, I'll need your opinion on the raw taste of it. Both of you will need to travel to Turkmenbasyn, though. Are y'all ok with this?". They looked at each other again and nodded. "Of course, Kayla. We'll get right on that." David added. The trio shook hands and the two left the office.

[West-East Timor]

Isnalkorvburg, Isnalkorvburg Island District, West-East Timor

Mick Schram has just come home from the first Bitten Heroes GPE test on the Alixring in Lisander. He was thinking about how good his chances are getting the Bitten Heroes drive. In total, he had definetly been fastest of all drivers, but he didn't know how Bitten Heroes choose their drivers. Personally, he would love to drive for Bitten Heroes, he felt quite comfortable there, but in case they want another driver, he would have to look out for another team. They'd probably take one driver from Lisander. He wasn't shure about that, but if they do, they would take him or Kurt Censki as their other driver. Kurt Censki isn't a bad driver. Mick was faster at the test though. But still, it's Bitten Heroes decision who drives for them.

The phone rang. It was Nick Newman, West-East Timors most important businessmen, who owns a lot of companies sponsoring Mick, and one of West-East Timors two elected leaders.

"You want to sponsor me with something else again?", asked Mick.

"What? No, no", answered Newman, "I just wanted to ask how your test in Lisander was."

"It was good."

"That's all?"

"You just wanted to know how it was."

"Are you kidding me? A bit more info! How is the car, how are your chances to drive for them, things like that!"

"I didn't know annoying you is that easy. I would have expected some bad joke. Anyway. The car. The car really feels good. I can get along with it. It is a bit faster than a Formula WET1 car, but not too different. It's more challenging though, but I really like that. It was a great experience finally driving a WGPC car. I feel good at the Bitten Heroes team too. I'd say I get along with them as good as I get along with their car. I have no idea what they think of me though."

"Do you think you'll get to drive at Bitten Heroes the upcoming season?"

"I can't tell. I was fastest in total, but I don't know what is most important for them. If they think I don't fit in the team it's their decision. But I'd really like to drive for them. Maybe they'll take a driver from Lisander, so either Lemos or Alcaraz, and Censki or me. But here too, I don't know. I think I'll just have to wait. Maybe they'll do some more tests, I don't know. But I don't want to speculate too much. We will see."

"Hmmm... What if they don't want you?"

"Then I'll have to look for another team, what else? The McPahan test slots are full, so I don't think I'll have a chance there. I don't think any top team is interested in me, and Nexus isn't either. So there are Fireline, Vannish Motors, Rumble Strip Racing and Wilson Grand Prix Engineering left. But for now, I'll hope to get the Bitten Heroes drive. I hope they'll tell me soon enough whether they want me or not."

"Alright then. I have some business to do now. Goodbye, and good luck getting a seat."

"Thank you. Bye."

[The Serbian Empire]

"Marika, I think you forgot the gloves for your fire suit," Predrag said.

"It's alright, I'm eager to test this Juggernaut suit anyways. It offers some advantages that the old standbys do not. I wonder what they are so I'm eager to find out," Marika admitted.

"Alright, let's get going on this," Predrag stated.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

"Marika, I think you forgot the gloves for your fire suit," Predrag said.

"It's alright, I'm eager to test this Juggernaut suit anyways. It offers some advantages that the old standbys do not. I wonder what they are so I'm eager to find out," Marika admitted.

"Alright, let's get going on this," Predrag stated.

Predrag is followed by the female soldier who chased after him; she is carrying Marika's luggage quite easily, as if it weighed nothing at all, due to the extra strength provided to her by her exosuit. Everyone now on the Nimban side is standing rather awkwardly, trying to determine a way to inform Marika that 'Juggernaut' does not, in fact, refer to a racing suit but instead to the exosuits used by Sentinel soldiers in the Nimban military.

Timothy breaks the tension, clapping his hands and rubbing them together in anticipation. He speaks; the translator translates: "Right! I suggest that we get aboard the plane and set off as soon as possible; there's no point in waiting around! Shall we get going?"