World Grand Prix Championship Season 15: Roleplay Thread

[The Serbian Empire]

"Tyres? Tigar is a major producer of tyres but I think you'd be looking for their majority owner who has made tyres in auto racing. The plant in Pirot is fully owned by a French tyre manufacturer of high regard, but they still sell tires in the Balkans under the Tigar name despite the French owners. They're willing to make a special labeled version of the Tigar tyres for competitive usage as to increase market recognition of the Tigar brand outside of the Balkans. Predrag has more details on the matter," Marika said.

"The tyre will be a performance version of the Tigar Syneris. The street version of the Syneris is known for strong cornering ability and has many design aspects approved by the French tyre manufacturer Michelin who owns the plant. The tyre is a defacto Serbian product given where it is manufactured on Serbian soil. Tigar has been kept as a brand under their umbrella as a profitable and competitive division which has significant market share in the Balkans," Predrag stated.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

"Tyres? Tigar is a major producer of tyres but I think you'd be looking for their majority owner who has made tyres in auto racing. The plant in Pirot is fully owned by a French tyre manufacturer of high regard, but they still sell tires in the Balkans under the Tigar name despite the French owners. They're willing to make a special labeled version of the Tigar tyres for competitive usage as to increase market recognition of the Tigar brand outside of the Balkans. Predrag has more details on the matter," Marika said.

"The tyre will be a performance version of the Tigar Syneris. The street version of the Syneris is known for strong cornering ability and has many design aspects approved by the French tyre manufacturer Michelin who owns the plant. The tyre is a defacto Serbian product given where it is manufactured on Serbian soil. Tigar has been kept as a brand under their umbrella as a profitable and competitive division which has significant market share in the Balkans," Predrag stated.

Gertrude is nodding earnestly by Marika's third sentence and looks like she's trying to dislodge her head by Predrag's last. Halfway through the latter's speech, she pulls a tablet-like device from her hip and begins tapping away at it furiously, muttering, "Oh, thankgoodnessthankgoodnessthankgoodnessthankgoodness," as she does so. She briefly remembers that she's still in a conversation when Predrag stops speaking and looks up with a brief, "Thank you so, so much - that will be all from me, I'll see you both when you arrive, thank you," then begins tapping again before the hologram cuts off.

"Well, that was certainly not atypical." Guard chuckles. "In all seriousness, though, Gertrude Thompson is fantastic at what she does; I would not have anybody else leading our design team." He gets up, stretching. "That is all we have for you for now; I'm going to retire to my own cabin. Get some rest, Marika; I believe that you'll be the first of the drivers onto the track after we land and none of us want you to perform at any worse than your best." He holds up his hand in farewell, then turns and walks through the door to the next room.

[The Redvale]

"Oh, I see. So you guys are kind of what Chang is to our nation. Half the country hates em because our tax dollars go into R&D for their latest cars," Maria chuckled, referring to how the Chang Motorsports team was heavily tied to the government owned National Automotive company. She signed the forms, remaining awkwardly silent afterwards. Her signature calm just wasn't there today, even though she tried to hide that fact. Get your head straight... Today is not the time to feel sorry for yourself, she thought, brushing her hair out of her face.

Edwin nods appreciatively, picking up the forms. "I don't think that we've managed to make a big enough dent in our government's budget to provoke that sort of reaction back at home yet; still, I'll be sure to let the team boss know to avoid that particular fate." He chuckles, then begins to walk away. He turns back, however. "We've still got the rest of the journey ahead of us, so tell me or a member of the crew if you need anything - though you might just want to relax and get some rest at this stage. If that's your plan, I'll alert you when we're about to touch down." Edwin smiles at Maria, then swivels his head to face forward again and walks back through the door to the part of the cabin whence he came.

"Uh, I think I'll just get some sleep. It's been a pretty long week," Maria said, slumping back in the seat and closing her eyes. Though, even with her eyes closed, she was having a hard time getting any sleep. It was still impossible to tell that from a distance. For anyone else, it would look like she was sleeping peacefully.

[Mattijana]

Kopylov InternazionRing, Mattijana

The arrival of Moisés Delgado was a potentially exciting one for the MRT team. With the necessary accommodational and food-based arrangements taken care of, the focus was now very much on the driving. Delgado seemed to appreciate the more technical nature of the circuit, having participated in the previous season as well as taking in all information given to him in the brief over dinner the night before.

Moisés made a solid start to the test, producing some smooth, but understandably slower laps before turning on the heat and firing in some times around the low 1:36s. Promising, particularly the peak at a 1:36.0, but the main question was whether he would be able to adapt to the slightly punchier MRT 15 car. Some oversteer on exit was a concern, particularly with the accelerative power offered by the new power unit.

A wobble at the tricky turn three had the onlooking team staff slightly worried, but Delgado managed to make a nice recovery correcting the drift and powering on up to the highest point of the circuit at turn 4. Some consistent times followed, hovering around the mid 1:36s. Some peaks at laps 17 and 19, including a very quick 1:35.99, caught the eye, but Johan and Maria were more concerned about stability and consistency over the long run. The car remaining in one piece was a good bonus as well.

"He's quick." Affirmed Johan Struna, the team principal. "The car seemed to suit his driving style, round here anyway. I just wonder how he would cope with the extra acceleration on a more point-and-squirt circuit."

"I think that's the biggest concern, but he looked sharp out there, definitely quicker than Terho on the day, although some warm-up tests for McPahen and Telaris may well have helped." Replied Maria. "You'd have to say they're pretty evenly matched."

"He was consistent too. Hardly any wobbles, which is impressive round here."

"Indeed it is. How do you think he would fit in?"

"Well I don't think he's an option anymore. He has to be a big possibility. Jess has messed us around a bit, so unless we hear anything in the very near future, I think he coukd be the man to lead us forward."

"What about Jasmina?" Said Maria

"She's capable, but inexperienced. If we want to win this competitition, the time it takes her to bed in may cost us. I'll see if I can find her a drive somewhere. Fireline, VMR and a few others are still looking for drivers, so we may be in luck. She certainly deserves something."

"Alright."

With the shortlist seemingly down to two. MRT knew that a decision would be made very shortly.

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

To: Scott Miles
From: Alex Dimitrianov

Greetings

Thank you for your offer. I look forward to linking uo with you soon.

Alex

[The Serbian Empire]

"I will not disappoint, you'll see me give it my all on the track. That is for sure," Marika proclaimed.

"You should rest for the testing. It's been a long voyage," Predrag said.

"Yes, I think that's a good idea," Marika said.

As Marika drifted asleep, visions of driving the UHSGV-1 on the test track and running fast laps kept running through her head. Make sure that you don't spin out. Hit every apex. Slow in, fast out and be sure to use the whole track. And don't bin it into the wall if there are walls near the racing surface.

[Vangaziland]

Comments reached Jessica Franssen on why Terho Talvela refused to join VMR. He tried convincing her to sign to MRT. But seemed a little too critical of the company she had worked with since the Cross Rally Championships. Not to mention questioning the stability of the Vannish government.

On social media, she said the following. "The government selling its shares to private citizens is a great thing for Vangaziland. The government will make more money, which they plan to put into education. And private citizens will gain ownership into an integral company to the Vannish economy.

She didn't mention the topic of Royalty, that it may be disbanded, or that some of the "private citizen" investors were, Royal family members.

"I can understand why he signed elsewhere. It looked like VMR wasn't making the season. That's acceptable. But Vangaziland will be just fine. So to stand with my people, I have no choice but to (Jessica Franssen) sign with Vannish Motors Racing."

Scott Miles added his thoughts. "I think Mr. Talvela automatically associated social unrest as a bad thing. Not here. There are no riot police or broken windows. The people are simply pushing for change. And the government is finally listening."

He also talked on the popularity of racing in Vangaziland. "Remember once, the Vangazi people rallied around the hashtag #WeWantVMR. Racing is one of the most popular events in Vangaziland. With Jessica Franssen aboard, this is a team the Vangazi can rally around.

Alex Dimitrianov also has a fanbase in Vangaziland that was only set to grow exponentially. A random fan explained it best in an interview. "Alex. He was a big part of MRT last year. He ran a few good races with Jess. We noticed."

Franssen helped put MRT in the spotlight last season by scoring more points in her stretch than any other driver in the WGPC. "I was actually about to sign with MRT. Like, literally I was about to make the call. But I can't leave Vangaziland now."

Either way, this season was set to be different than last season. It was a wide open field.

"Our only goal is to push the G-10 and stay competitive. I'm not trying to duplicate last season. I'm not trying to win half of every race again. This season is all different. So good luck to everyone. Lets race."

James Lark, a driver for Vannish Motors Racing's GT2 car in the Hodori league, sent a memo out to the major WGPC race teams.

To: WGPC Owners Mailing List
From: James Lark, Prospective Driver

The negotiation phase is drawing to an end. If you are looking for a late signing, consider me. I won the Soumaku 300 and finished in the top 10 in Hodori GT-2 racing. I have been working with Jessica Franssen during the offseason. Some would call me her protégé. My sponsor is Orange Head Cola, which will buy into any team I sign to.

I look forward to driving for your team.

[Mattijana]

MRT HQ, Kopylov

Johan Struna was sitting at his desk, casually browsing the latest WGPC news and data for anything interesting about rival teams and drivers when he saw the news.

"Oh. That's umm...interesting." He said, trying not to convey too much surprise."

His deputy Maria Jamasova was more entrenched in admin than her boss, but still found the time to utter a "what's that?" from behind her computer screen.

"We've got news about Jess. Turns out she's signed for the Vannish team."

"Well that is umm...interesting. What was her motivation to switch from arguably the best team on the grid to a bunch of locals who barely managed to scramble a team together?"

"It's political stuff I think Maria. There's been some sort of unrest. Some pretty major financial shake up. I don't know if she wanted to stand by her people, if she was made to stand by her people or if she just fancied something a bit different. She may well have an awkward crush on Terho for all I know."

"I see... Does that make Moisés our main man now?"

"I think it probably does. He has experience, seems prepared to work hard for us, and looked pretty good the other day, so a quick contract for him may be our best option now. There's still teams looking for drivers, so I'll see if I can help Jasmina on to one of them."

"I agree. I'll see what I can come up with."

To: Moisés Delgado
From: Johan Struna, head of MRT

Subject to your recent testing performance, we are pleased to offer you a season-long contract as our number two driver for the upcoming WGPC season. Full details of your pay and contract conditions are enclosed, and we will gladly accept any accompanying sponsorship that you bring with you.

We look forward to working with you.

Johan Struna, head of MRT.

"All done." Said Maria. "I'll get that sent off to him right now."

"Excellent. Oh and by the way, who have the Vannish got as their number 2?"

"Oh you're going to love this. it's only Alex Dimitrianov."

Subject to driver confirmation, MRT have signed Moisés Delgado
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, in Taeshan

Whilst the number 2 MRT 15 chassis remained in Kopylov for Delgado's test, the number 1, designated for Terho Talvela, as well as the reserve chassis, was packed off to Taeshan for the first pre-season testing session at the Fadron Raceway.

Terho Talvela would be driving the car present, in his first official outing for the team, and he seemed pretty up for it. He certainly seemed to appreciate the paint job anyway.

The first priority for the team was some consistent and reliable running. Terho took the first six laps to get used to the track, but still managed to gradually work up to some good pace. Then he turned on the style.

"How does it feel?" Asked Terho's race engineer.

"The acceleration's awesome. Car seems pretty responsive around the fast corners too. It's good to be back."

As testing circuits go, the Fadron was almost perfect. Some fast, sweeping corners at the beginning to test the aerodynamics, a few massive straights to test power, and some nice boxy corners mixed in to test the lower-speed handling of the car. The only scary part was the Tunnel section, with an awkward breaking zone and a 270 degree Kreisel following it.

Lap 19 was a good one for Terho, going into the lead momentarily. Yet in trying to beat a near-flawless lap, he found himself on the edge, which is simultaneously an awesome and horrible place to be.

A massive lock-up on lap 26 into said scary section prompted the garage-based crew to do something.

"Are the breaks playing up?"

"There's definitely some instability. I think it's just the high speeds though."

"Alright Terho, box now and we'll see what we can do."

The further discovery that there was in fact nothing wrong with the brakes resulted in the final decision that they should probably stop. Terho ended up with the 4th fastest time overall, albeit only 23 hundredths of a second off the eventual leader Oliver Bliss.

"Good job Terho. That's P4, some good feedback. We wouldn't normally be happy with fourth, but to be honest, any one of that top 5 could have come top on the day, it's just good to know that we're right up at the sharp end of things."

"That's cool. Who else was up there?"

"Well Oliver Bliss was the eventual leader by time, but of course he may well benefit from some home advantage, even with a capable car. The two McPahens were ahead of us too, but not by that much. But it'll make for an interesting season if they can get back to their best. Your friend in the Telaris wasn't too far behind us either, so it's looking pretty even at the moment, although of course it's still very early days, so the next test in Liventia should give us a better idea of who's going to really get going when the new season starts."

[Vangaziland]

Lark Withdraws From The Field, Hired As Reserve

Vannish Motors Racing took a step to safeguard its chances in the Constrictors Cup by signing James Lark as a backup driver.

"We don't know how things will shape up", said Scott Miles. "But we do know one thing. We are taking our push for the Cup seriously. if any driver, including Jessica, should happen to slip up or appear to be mailing in an effort, we will replace them with Lark in a hot second."

The move came amid questions thrown around by the sports media. Namely, 'would Dimitrianov throw a season to help MRT'? Many thought this was a foolish question. Jessica is also a former MRT member. But Alex has ties to Mattijana. What if it came down to the last few races?

"It's a shame that something like that would even come up", said Miles in an interview. "It is a possibility they could be sore over the Franssen deal. But we would expect more from a WGPC driver. Having said that, Lark will be standing by in case of emergency."

There were rumors that another driver was contacted. "Well, the negotiation phase isn't over. Vannish Motors will ultimately choose the driver we feel will put forth the most effort for our team."

Franssen spoke on the debacle between VMR and MRT. "Some of these racers are so fast, they've gotten cocky before the first checkered flag has even waved."

[The Serbian Empire]

Marika just woke up from her rest and noticed that the aircraft had lowered altitude and speed. Must be getting closer to Nexus Racing HQ.

"Wow, I think I can see the race track from this craft. Looks like a few high speed straightaways and a lot of low speed corners that would reflect wonderfully on my skill. At las, this might not be fully representative of the WGPC schedule, right?" Marika asked Predrag.

"According to what I know of the circuits on the schedule, this would be fairly similar to what you'd see in most Grand Prix events. Maybe not quite as severe in the terms of tight radius turns but definitely more technical tracks than high speed circuits," Predrag responded.

"This should be my ride to lose!" Marika proclaimed.

"If this spirit could run fast laps, she's gonna be a pole sitter in most GPs and will likely be a rookie champion," Predrag admitted.

[Mattijana]

Fadron Raceway Park, Taeshan

Alex Dimitrianov was back. Back in the car, back in the zone and back in the spotlight.

It was the latter part of his return that had been the biggest shock to his previously relaxed, but bored system. Almost as soon as he put pen to paper on his move to Vannish Motors Racing, questions were asked.

Some of the Vannish fans were sceptical of him. He had, by his own admittance, been torn apart by his new teammate Jessica Franssen in the MRT last season, and many not only questioned why he would move to the team in which he would have the biggest chance of being shown up, but whether he would be shown up again.

Alex answered those questions with typical defiance.

"I enjoyed working with Jess last season. She's obviously a very good driver and she brought out some better form in me towards the end of the season. Having said that, I was disappointed with my own performance last season, and I'll do everything possible to beat her this season. Hopefully we can push each other and develop a good healthy rivalry with each other."

Alex thought that those questioning his form were probably justified. He had been far off the pace of his teammate last season and it was natural to reason that he would be off it again. However, it was those questioning his integrity that annoyed him.

"Do you think you ties with MRT could jeopardise your relationship with Vannish Motors Racing?"

"I don't understand your reasoning for that at all. I was dropped by MRT, pretty unceremoniously in truth, so I don't have any sympathy with them. I've signed for VMR, so I will do everything I can to take wins and good results for myself and the team. The Mattijanan fans are happy to see anyone do well, whether it's the team or a driver, so If it came down to the last few races like you suggest, than I'd rather I took the win than MRT. We play hard in Mattijana, but we play fair and we play for the love of sport. There's no love in corruption."

"Do you plan to make a return to MRT?"

"Look, I'm committed to VMR. My bridges with MRT are burnt, so they could win the constructors championship, I could win the driver's and it would still take some serious convincing for me to sign with them. My ties are here and I'm just looking forward to present myself positively to the Vannish fans and to present the team positively to the Mattijanan fans. It's a long way off anyway, and I want to focus on doing well this year before thinking about my future, because at the moment, my future is here."

Testing had gone as expected for the team, arguably better. They were currently playing catch-up to some of the other teams due to the halt in research and development for the team during the Vannish unrest. To come only 2 tenths of a second behind the leaders and in particular the more prepared McPahens and the only MRT car was an unexpected bonus. A hot lap of a 1:32.562 had been preceded by some consistent and more importantly reliable running for the car, and with Jess in the car for the next test, things were on the up for VMR. The next test would be the better marker of form ahead of the start of the season. The car worked, it went reasonably quickly and they could go from there.

[West-East Timor]

Still nothing from Bitten Heroes. There are not that many other spots left. Mick might get no drive at all, if he waits too long. But, Kurt Censki had signed at McPahan. And all the other drivers at the test at Alixring were from Lisander. They wouldn't take two drivers from Lisander. No, they wouldn't. Was that even allowed? Anyways, they wouldn't. Or would they? Or are they in negotiations with another driver? He had no idea. But he needed to know whether he had to look for another team, otherwise he'll get no seat. So what could he do? Suddenly, he had an idea. He would simply contact Bitten Heroes! First he thought that idea was brilliant and felt really, really intelligent. Then he realized it was the most obvious idea one could probably have, and felt unbelievably stupid. But he would contact them. And then he would eat something. Or maybe not. He wasn't shure. Not being shure was very omnidirectional. Or maybe not. He wasn't shure.

[San Jose Guayabal]

Moisés Delgado House - El Boquerón, San Salvador, SJG. - January 10th, Noon.

Moisés was on the house’s kitchen in order to prepare the lunch for him, his spouse and parents of both of them, it was a weekend and they wanted to do a big meal in order to share some time together, Moisés had bought the meat already and was putting some barbeque while his spouse called him. “Moisés, you have an incoming fax, apparently is from MRT” Moisés asked his father “Dad, can you cook while I go the living room, I have received a fax from MRT?” His father asked “What’s that? Don’t tell me that you’ll go to WGPC again.” Moisés scratched his head and answered “Well, yes, I’ll go to WGPC maybe, depending if this is a contract offer or not, though, I’ll take you two with me to the races, I promise…” Carlos, his dad asked again “Okay, but what’s MRT?” Moisés said “It’s Mattijana Racing Team” His father said “I have heard that’s a good team, they have Terho Talvela, so, if you get hired there, it’ll be nice to be with the defending champion” Moisés said “Yes, it’ll be a nice experience, though, I want to win this time, so, I’ll focus on myself and try to win” Once again, his father said “But you should hang up with Terho a bit” Delgado said “Of course, we will, hopefully, though I need to focus on myself and achieve something, at tarmac, things will be different.” “I see” said Carlos when Moisés left, he decided to keep cooking the meat.

“Well done, Moi, take a pen and get ready to read this” said Marina while Moisés was taking a pen from his studio, he sat and asked Marina to do the same, then he proceeded to read the short contract loud to her, Marina analysed “Seems like a legit contract, you have the sponsors, so no problem at that” “Indeed” said Moisés while playing with his pen… “Hmm, okay, this is it, I’ll (Moisés Delgado) sign with MRT as a second driver.” Marina was happy and then Moisés called some representative at Stat Oil, his main sponsor in order to ask for sponsorship in MRT, his friend, Rubén, the manager of public relations of Stat Oil answered the call “Hey Moi, what do you need?” “Can I have Stat Oil sponsorship for the WGPC? I’ll run in a MRT machine” Rubén answered without hesitation “Let me ask the owner” At the background, Rubén called the owner and he let the call going so Moisés can listen to what the owner says, Teymuraz Samedov, the owner said “Of course, we will sponsor him, the more we get our products on marketing, the best will be our profile and of course, your salary, Rubén” Delgado listened and Rubén told him “You listened the boss, he accepts, so, count with Stat Oil as your main sponsor on MRT.” Delgado called Gutiérrez in order to notify his contract signing, he said to Gutiérrez “I have signed a contract with MRT, so I won’t be able to be on Telaris” Gutiérrez said “Well, no problems, good luck at it” Delgado asked “Do you have a driver on sight?” Gutiérrez said “Yes, I’ll sign E.A. from Chromatika” (Telaris signs Eaoueaiou Aeouiouie as first driver) Delgado said “Good luck with Telaris, hope we get the top spots on WGPC.”

[Chromatika]

(Eaoueaiou Aeouiouie confirms signing with Telaris Racing)

"How the hell did this happen?!" Eaoueaiou Aeouiouie was screaming, excitedly. Her test run hadn't been the best, and she had been a bit disappointed by the offer to be honest, though she had deserved it. Now, Telaris was asking her to be their first driver.

"Told'ya your time would come!" said MK, "And ya know what, since you're in the big leagues now, I'll even quit Cinnas!"

E.A. went over and hugged him. They'd have to move to San José Guayabal and start a life there, but it'd be all right.

E.A. didn't have any family. For means and purposes, MK was her only family. And it was awesome that they would be going on this journey together.

[Aboveland]

Terho was walking back to his brand new shared loft in Kranjagrad when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of his new team's colors in a local newspaper set nicely on display at a newsstand. The picture was definitely of him in Taeshan, a fact he could only pick out due to context clues in the background, the tip of the number one creeping out from behind an intake, and the sparks flying out of the rear diffuser. Only after close inspection did he realize his helmet was the most revealing feature in the picture, leaving him feeling dim.

Even though he couldn't make out any words in the article, he put his little knowledge of Mattijanan into practice with the headline. It read "something something Guayabalese something Moises Delgado something something MRT". Terho's eyes widened. From the looks of it, his new teammate seemed to be... Moises Delgado? He wasn't critical of him at all, but he honestly hadn't paid much attention to him. Maybe he'd actually been a frontrunner last year. No worries, he thought. A quick online search would yield his answers.

As the eWGPC results appeared (painstakingly slowly, due to the shoddy wifi he'd managed to pick up from somebody's apartment a few feet from him), he began to get increasingly worried. The image kept on revealing downwards, yet there was no sign of Delgado. Finally, in 24th place, he appeared. Before freaking out though, he told himself, it would be wise to check what team he was in. Cygnus ATR, it seemed. How had they done in the standings?

Last.

"Voi paska..." whispered Terho. Poor guy. He must've gotten seriously bottlenecked by that car, he thought. It was a shame for everyone, because aside from his test at the InternazionRing nobody really knew how good he was in the course of a full season. He did, however, beat him in the same conditions at the MRT test, and he managed a few okay results with Cygnus, all things considered. Maybe, he should stop being so skeptical. Maybe he should focus less on everyone else and focus on himself, like he used to. He should probably keep his opinions more to himself, too. When he called out VMR as not being ready for the season, he was met with unprecedented backlash. He obviously meant no harm nor tried to impose his opinions on anyone, but apparently social unrest isn't so bad in Vangaziland. His personal experience with it was extremely violent. Nevertheless, the thought that, perhaps, he'd hurt MRT's chance to sign Jessica Franssen as his teammate was guilt inducing.

***

"Axel!" called Frida, from the living room.

Axel was just about to perform an overtake on his racing simulator, which he'd set up in a completely pitch black room, with the air conditioning set to a precise 21 degrees Celsius. He had been gaining valuable experience in the course of the 40 laps he'd done so far, but the shrill of his PR manager's yell penetrated into his head like an ever wider needle piercing skin. It caused him to blink right at the most decisive moment of the overtake, causing him to tap the leader's rear right wheel, launching his car into the air. He helplessly let go of the wheel, which was turning left and right violently, and stared at the screen as his car fell down to the track again, inverted, nose first. Both of their races were over.

He got up from his racing seat, turned on the lights, switched off the A/C, and opened the door furiously. "What?!" he answered, as a wave of slightly warmer air smacked him in the face.

"I have news on your new teammate."

"Who is it?" said Axel, making his way to the couch.

"Its E.A."

"Who?"

"Eaoueaiou Aeouiouie, the Chromatikan?"

"What's her name?"

"For fuck's sake, Axel. Eaoueaiou Aeouiouie."

"Yoyo Ayuweeowee?"

"Sure. Just call her E.A,"

"Okay then. Is she good?"

"Apparently. She's a rookie like you, so that's a conversation starter."

"Yes."

The brief exchange of information was enough for Axel. He nodded once, grabbed a can of cola from the fridge, and took it with him to his simulator room to continue practicing for the next test session. He had no idea how he would introduce himself to E.A., so his provisional strategy would be to wing it, like he does with so many things.

[Qasden]

18:05— Wednesday— FP International Airport, T.V. City—
Censki had hopped off the plane with as much energy as he could wound up in such short notice. It had barely been a few days, a week maybe, since he began working with McPahan. Having returned home to Marbles only three days prior, he was thrown a magnificent party right on the green belt of his soon to be domestic race track.

20:45— Sunday— Censki Raceway, Marbles—
Rust blurted out at him in a slightly buzzed slur, "Congratulations, Censki! You finally put this darn principality on the map!". The two then split to have a variety of small conversations amongst other partygoers. The next time Censki and Rockets met that night, Rust introduced a very important guest to him. "Kurt," he started, evading anymore hints of his increasing drunkenness, "This is Kayla Kriswell. She's one of your main contributors towards signing with the Audios over there!". He points and walks slowly towards the McPahan guests, ditching Kayla and Kurt in the process. There was a slight awkward silence between the duo before it being broken quietly by the guest. "So..." Kayla starts, "you're the Kurt Censki, correct?". "In the flesh." Censki chuckles under his breath. "Thanks for, you know, sponsoring my drive and all.". Kayla smiles. "No problem. Gotta get this catering company out there somehow, right?". Kurt's slight chuckle grows into a feint laugh. "I guess that's one way." He manages to reply. The two carried on their conversation for nearly the remaining entirety of the night. Their chat ranged to a large variety of topics, from serious business between Feasties' and McPahan, to the weird theories of a Qasden with anthropomorphic cats instead of humans. It was only Rockets who stopped the talk by giving a toast to the man himself.

19:25— Wednesday— FP International Airport, T.V. City—
Kurt snapped out of his flashback and attempts to regain his thoughts. "Why am I in T.V. City again?" Censki thought to himself before immediately answering his own question. Censki, accompanied by Myles and Rockets, had flown from Taxson to the capital on layover to the site of the first test race. Myles was probably the most excited of the bunch, having always been obsessed with traveling and the "big 3" since before he even thought about professional racing. "Wow! It says here that one of Taeshan's many islands has been dubbed "X Island" due to its abnormally odd shape resembling the letter X!" He said as if he were a guide while reading the online brochure. "Gees My, you're sure into Taeshan tourism." Kurt joked. "You do realize we're heading to Fadron, not X Island, right?". "Oh...Yeah, I guess you're right.". Myles had a bit of a disappointed appearance on his face."Oh come on backup," Rockets intervenes, "I'm sure you'll be able to take a day-trip out there at some point. First, we gotta head to Electrum for a four hour layover. If the flight itself wasn't long enough.". The trio arrived at their respective gate and waited patiently for about 45 minutes. That moment, a voice came over the airport speakers. "Attention passengers, the flight from T.V. City, Qasden, to Centralis, Electrum, will now begin boarding at gate A5.". "Well," Kurt sighs excitedly, "here we go.".

[Vangaziland]

Retconned. VMR never entered.

[Ethane]

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEES!"

Clara Wilson felt like celebrating. Her and Mike Dewhurst had just spent a fair time negotiating, but eventually managed to snag the signature of Alexander Lund as lead driver. Enu Noel he wasn't; this was a man who'd won a World Championship, after all. She reached into the drinks cabinet, and opened a bottle of Potazzi Blue Label, pouring out two measures of the clear, crisp vodka over ice into each of two glasses. She placed them on the desk, and both took a sip.

"So, next step, second driver."

"Indeed, Mike. I've put together a few names I think would complement Lund well. Let's see what you think."

Mike looked at the first name on the list. "Oliver Bliss," he said, brow furrowed, "solid choice, but isn't he hard-welded to RSR for this season?"

Clara smiled. "Nothing's set in stone, but the question with Bliss is whether he's willing to come on board as a second driver. I'm sure Rumble Strip would give him a number one place, what with the whole hometown hero thing and all."

"Hmm...I wouldn't say no. Have a feeling he will though. Next...Ethan Ellis. Untested, but I hear he's very...Bunnesque."

"And who better to partner Lund than someone with a style who complements him, right?"

"Maybe. Who else have we got here? Dimitrianov...nope."

"Just...nope?"

"Too volatile. I prefer my cars to arrive back at the pits with all the parts in the same postcode, thanks."

Clara chuckled. "Fair play."

"Toralmintii. Good head for the sport, but lacks the raw speed. Cattaneo? Has potential, but I'm saying no for obvious reasons."

"Not that obvious, Mike. Humour me."

"Female driver." Mike saw Clara's look, and quickley embellished. "Nothing wrong with them, but Alec has a reputation with the women, and either it's going to be a distraction for him or her handing in her resignation within days."

"I'm desperately trying to find a flaw in that logic there. I really am."

"Failing?"

"Hrmph." Clara crossed her arms, defeated.

"Last name, then...oh, you have got to be kidding me. STEB?!? He already turned us down for the number one seat!"

Clara smirked. "Ah, but here's the kicker. McPahan test aside, apparently he's heard zilch. No offers. Nada. We could get him crawling back if there's a seat available. At the very least, it's a solid Plan B."

"She said." Mike chuckled. "I'd say Bliss or Ellis myself for plan A."

Clara nodded. "OK, i'll draw up some paperwork. We'll offer contracts to Oliver Bliss and Ethan Ellis, see where the chips fall."

Ethan was in his office at home, tidying up his desk. He had pretty much given up on getting an offer from any team now - although there was rumour Fireline was in the market for an Ethanese driver - and had lost all hope; he felt no one wanted him to drive for them. The feeling of inadequacy, or rejection and denial is painful, and Ethan was running through all these motions as he began to clear the WGPC paperwork off the desk. A second season wasn't going to be a reality for him.

Then he saw an envelope, sitting on the desk untouched, buried under a folder of administration for the WGPC. He didn't remember seeing the letter, but maybe he put it there and forgot about it. He grabbed the letter. It was addressed to him. He tore open the top and read the letter.

Dear Mr. Ellis,

I am pleased to announce that we have decided to offer you a drive in our team for the upcoming season as the second driver, along with Alexander Lund. We really hope that you will consider driving for us in this upcoming season.

Yours gratefully,
Clara Wilson.

Ethan was ecstatic. He had almost lost the chance to drive for a team, as he had almost thrown the letter in the rubbish assuming it was read and un-needed, but now he was glad that he had decided to sort through the items on his desk properly. He thought it was over - especially after Fireline signed Benjamin Talison as their second driver - but the discovery of this letter had saved his WGPC career. Of course he would accept the offer with Wilson Grand Prix Engineering. There was no refusing. This was his one and only opportunity. And he had to make his best out of it.

[WGPC]

Second Pre-Season Testing

Gold Park Circuit, Liventia

Drivers had ninety minutes to record up to thirty laps of the track (including in and out laps to and from the pits). Only each driver's fastest time is shown in the table below.
Conditions: DRY

# Pos Driver		Team				Fastest Lap	Behind Leader
 1  1 Terho Talvela                	0:01:38.364*	0:00:00.000
 2 23 Moisés Delgado               	0:01:38.428	0:00:00.064
 3 37 Axel Novikov                 	0:01:38.457	0:00:00.093
 4 63 Kurt Censki                  	0:01:38.486	0:00:00.122
 5 16 Alexander Lund               	0:01:38.577	0:00:00.213
 6 25 Jessica Franssen             	0:01:38.577	0:00:00.213
 7 18 Louis Krindle                	0:01:38.589	0:00:00.225
 8 17 Eaoueaiou Aeouiouie          	0:01:38.665	0:00:00.301
 9  7 Ethan Ellis                  	0:01:38.700	0:00:00.336
10 80 J. Jensen-Fletcher           	0:01:38.707	0:00:00.343
11 55 Asao Nadakei                 	0:01:38.741	0:00:00.377
12 52 Sayono Souzare               	0:01:38.757	0:00:00.393
13 42 Alex Dimitrianov             	0:01:38.771	0:00:00.407
14 29 Ryker Lane                   	0:01:38.800	0:00:00.436
15 51 Benjamin Talison             	0:01:38.876	0:00:00.512
16 89 Will Madison                 	0:01:38.933	0:00:00.569
17 74 Alexander Mayari             	0:01:38.960	0:00:00.596
18 24 Victoria Gardner             	0:01:38.985	0:00:00.621
19 14 Oliver Bliss         RSR	         	0:01:39.277	0:00:00.913

* New Lap Record

Due to Aels having CTE'd, the next event will be the Grand Prix of the Imperial Commonwealth in Eastfield Lodge.

Pre-qualifying practice will be scorinated on Friday night at around 10pm UTC.
Qualifying will be scorinated on Saturday night at around 10pm UTC
The Race will be scorinated on Sunday night at around 10pm UTC.

Scorination delays are commonplace. If one event is pushed back by 12 hours or more, then each of the subsequent events for the weekend will be pushed back 24 hours.

If Bitten Heroes do not secure the services of at least one racing driver by Friday's pre-qualifying practice, they may forfeit their status as a WGPC team for the coming season.

If Vilita & Turori Motorworks do not secure the services of at least one racing driver by Friday's pre-qualifying practice, they may forfeit their status as a WGPC team for the coming season.

Should either be expelled from the championship, the WGPC Motorworks team (the official backup team) will be entered into the World Championship and will look to secure the services of two racing drivers by Saturday's qualifying event.

[Isiasovoria]

The Isiasovorian Times (Sports Edition)
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4TH
BREAKING NEWS
Jack Glenfidle, a 22 year old from Denue, has announced his late intentions to race in the WGPC15 season. He is open to any team.

Jack Glenfidle - The backstory

Jack Glenfidle was born on October 16, 1994, in the capital city of Isiasovoria, Denue. Jack was a star in racing, winning multiple championships. Jack recently won his first national competition, the Isiasovorian Racing Series, with Samus Racing. Jack now wants to go worldwide with a seat in the World Grand Prix Championship.

[West-East Timor]

"You wanted to see me?", asked Mick.

"Yeah", replied Andy Kashnan, who had invited Mick to his house. "It's about racing of course."

"You don't say"

"I do. Did you get any reply from Bitten Heroes yet?"

"No, I haven't. Nothing."

"Well, they'll have to do something till Friday, otherwise their out. And you would have to look for another team..."

"I know. When I have no answer from Bitten Heroes tomorrow, I will contact all other team which still have a spot. Maybe I'll even have a chance at Vilita & Turori, don't you think? When they need a driver immediately, and I'm the best driver that's left..."

"If I'm honest, I don't think so. It's unlikely they'll sign a rookie."

"Yeah, you're right... Well, Rumble Strip Racing still have an open spot, like Arada. This and Vilita & Turoria is all that's left. As I've said, I'll contact them when I get no reply from Bitten Heroes soon. Else I can only hope for WGPC Motorworks."

"Yes. Or, I've got another option for you..." Andy took some papers out of his desk "This is an offer to drive for WET Cheese Racing in Formula WET1 for another year."

"Hmmm... Would I have to sign that until a certain date?"

"No. No, you don't. They'll always take you, no matter how late you sign."

"Ok, then I'll wait. I really want to drive WGPC, you know?"

"Mmmhh. I can understand that."

[Taeshan]

Enrique Vildemar was pacing throughout the headquarters of his team in a hotel in Neverend, Liventia as he continued to stare intently at the screen he had paused on his television. The results from the second testing of the season at the Gold Park Circuit were terrible to say the least. Oliver Bliss had went from top of the first session at his home track, which can be expected, to absolute bottom in the second test on foreign soil. While yes only off the pace by less than a full second that amount of time was almost an eternity in a sport where speed was king. The Taeshani outfit had had huge hopes for the whole season but this failure to be fast had put a damper on the proceedings.

"Enrique, what can you say about today's test and what it means moving forward for your team?"

Enrique had left his room for the Taeshani press conference and was ready to answer what he was sure would be questions he did not wish to answer. "I'd say it's not that much of a problem moving forward. We tested the car differently here than at home. We wanted to rally support in our home nation by being as fast as possible. We came into this practice looking to test some things out about the car rather than just be fast. We have come away from this test knowing more about our car and fully ready to compete in this season of the WGPC."

Of course Enrique was lying out of his teeth throughout that answer. The team had not been trying anything, they just lacked speed. They wanted to be the fastest team out there every race, but apparently Oliver wasn't able to keep his wheel and pedals hot in the second test, and now things were worrying going forward.

"With two weeks to go before the first race of the season in Eastfield Lodge how are preparations for a second driver going? Are you sure you will start the season with a full stable?"

Enrique was not in fact sure. And he was also very alarmed about his various refusals to drive this season, but again he couldn't let them see any weakness. Reporters were after all the rebirth of vultures. "We have offered the 2nd seat to Esteban Guilhermez of Krytenia and are hoping to hear back from him soon. He's a driver we have had our eyes on for the last few seasons and we think that if he joins us we can definitely have a lot to say about the championship moving forward?"

"With the cancellation of the Aels race, are you prepared to skip ahead to Eastfield Lodge?"

"The cancellation of the opener is not ideal, but we are definitely prepared to move forward to Eastfield Lodge. Oliver drove for MSA-Sinval last season and feels that it will almost be a home court advantage for him much like there team. It is a good track for us to start the season with and i'm really excited to start the season there. We think we can use the track as a launch pad for our season, and we definitely hope that as a team, and as singular drivers we can compete this season."

[Isiasovoria]

Come on, Alex! You still haven't got an offer? said Jack

Sorry, but no. Our best hope is to wait to see if Bitten and Vitero will participate. If not, we have a chance at the backup team. replied Alex Smith, his agent.

Interesting. Suprised teams didn't bite at the offer. I can't wait for this week to progress.

[Aboveland]

Terho and Edvin arrived in Neverend with their chins up and their heads clear. The butt clenching end to the first test in Taeshan, while exhausting, was an appropriate way to conclude his first public performance in the MRT car. It had gone exceptionally well, and any traces of fear and uncertainty regarding his team jump had been washed away. Even though Liventia was yet another testing event, he was confident that with what he learnt of the car in Taeshan and in all the other tests he'd done he could surely round about the top five again.

The Liventian paddock area was extremely well maintained and very spacious. In the MRT garage, the ultimate iterations of the MRT15 machines lay upon a carefully spread green tarp. It was orderly, as it was to be expected from such a team, and had clearly designated areas for both his and Delgado's car. Delgado was nowhere to be seen, but Terho could probably figure he was getting ready to set off on his laps.

His engineers were huddled around the screens next to the number one car, setting it up and running diagnostic tests on it to ensure it was in top condition. Edvin rushed excitedly to join in the fun. Terho greeted every single one and took his now commonplace "visual appreciation period" of his car. The nose's glossy paint shone in the bluish light up top as faint rays of sunlight flared off of the vents. He was monumentally excited to get behind the wheel of the car once again, and couldn't wait for the chance to properly drive it in a race.

Suddenly, Moises Delgado appeared squinting at the car next to him, apparently also checking everything was a-OK. He was fully dressed for the occasion in the striking green, blue and red MRT overalls. Before he himself went to get ready, he decided this moment was a great opportunity to introduce himself to Moises and try to start forming a sort of teammate bond. With great confidence, he strolled towards him and stuck his hand out. "Hey," he said. "It's Terho. We're in for a treat, aren't we?"

---

Axel had arrived earlier than everyone else to Liventia. He was content with his fifth place in Taeshan last time around, and he'd gained a hefty amount of familiarity with the Telaris car, but he wasn't feeling 100% sure he was ready to attack come the first race of the year. He arrived at the Telaris paddock flanked by Frida, Karl and Sven, his icy gaze telling whoever dared stare into his eyes he meant business. It wasn't a stern, angry look, but it was definitely serious and determined. The first thing he did was get changed into his overalls, leaving the Ruuhmaki brothers to get to work with the engineers and Frida to manage boring sponsorship business Axel couldn't care less about.

It was slightly unusual for Axel to be this focused. Even though he was infamous for his self imposed zero distraction policy around the track, the lack of any interaction with anybody whatsoever was slightly alarming. After tiresome nodding and frowning answers to the engineers' yes or no questions and a solid handshake, followed by a "Nice to meet you. Hope we can work together well." with E.A., Axel was on the track.

He gave himself the leisure of taking ten practice laps. Even though the circuit suited his driving style perfectly, he wanted to make sure he knew roughly the location of each crack and every pebble to optimize his times. Sure enough, a good seventy laps on a good day were needed for him to make a picture perfect mental image of the circuit in his head, but this would do. He'd at least given himself time to pick a favorite set of corners on the track, those being 13-16, in which the Telaris car's immense torque really flexed its muscles.

He set his fastest lap on lap 20 with the help of a hefty slipstream behind Terho. The fact he could keep up with the so far dominant MRT cars on the track was reasurring, and allowed him to clearly spot the winning potential the Telaris car had. On that very lap, in fact, he was ahead of his compatriot, albeit by a mere two tenths of a second. Damn, he thought, he's good.

When Axel's thirty laps were over, he cheerfully pulled into the Telaris paddock alongside E.A. This time, with a grin, he approached her and congratulated her on her performance. He repeated his wishes of good teamwork he'd said earlier, but this time they felt more authentic both to him and to his teammate.

---

Terho emerged from the dressing rooms with his helmet firmly resting on his right forearm. He was one of the last people to get ready, due to his small talk situation with Moises evolving into an all out pep talk. The two were extremely motivated, Terho leeching off Moises' calm, easy way of speaking and Moises gaining Terho's extremely elevated confidence. The two stuffed their emotions into a melting pot and took a large spoonful of the mix, somehow reassuring them that the season ahead could possibly witness one of the best team driver relationships ever heard of.

As soon as Terho got the all clear from the engineers, he strapped himself into his number 1 car, which he decided to affectionately call Anni, and revved out of the garage with a graceful grumble and a hair raising roar.

The pep talk had done wonders to lower the devouring feeling of nervousness within him, and he took just five familiarization laps around the track. He was feeling exorbitantly confident in Anni as the graceful machine glistened in the sun, corner after corner, with unrivaled precision and smoothness. His favorite section was turns 4-11, where he could slam the throttle out of the corners and feel the rear of the car plant itself against the ground, the diffuser millimeters away from the asphalt.

On lap 17, at a moment in the test when many drivers had retreated to the paddock to make setup changes or tire swaps, Terho set his fastest lap. The LCD on his wheel flashed his time five times instead of the usual three, which he found peculiar. He knew it had been a hell of a lap and that he'd likely not surpass it, but he wasn't prepared for the announcement that was about to penetrate his eardrums.

"TERHO!" yelled Edvin.

"What do you fucking want?!" answered Terho, startled.

"You just set a new lap record!"

"What? Really?!"

"Yes! Previous lap record was 1:38:411, and your time was 1:38.364. Spectacular job, Terho. Just spectacular."

"That's nice to hear, hah!"

Terho focused his remaining laps more on endurance, to see how he'd fare on longer runs with harder tire compounds, akin but not entirely similar to what he'd done in his first MRT test, and he set some impressive laps according to Edvin. He pulled into the paddock at the end of his 30 lap run with a dumb grin on his face, which he'd held since Edvin's announcement. He hopped out of the car, which he would now refer to as Anni, and gave Edvin a high five. When he turned around, he saw Moises looking up at the timing board. He approached him cheerfully and they both congratulated each other. There was something strangely comforting between the two, like the spark of a teammate relationship unlike any other. Terho made his way back to Anni, stroked its nose, and went off to change out of his overalls. What a test he'd had.

[Krytenia]

Esteban Guilhermez sat in the departure lounge at Bromham Airport, looking wistfully at his laptop.

In front of him, on the screen, were highlights of the Neverend testing session. He screwed up his face at the sight of former team-mate Moisés Delgado hitting the burners in his green MRT car - clearly, here was the team to beat this season. He scowled, too, as he watched Souzare's struggles in the McPahan. He would have done better that her in that car and he knew it.

Most of all, though, he was frustrated at the white and sky blue cars of the Wilson team. He cast his mind back to that meeting in the Tickford Technology Centre three weeks ago, when he'd severed ties with the Krytenian team. Now here they were, Tickford V8 engines growling down the straights, proving the competitiveness that had been so lacking last season. Had he made a terrible mistake? Certainly, his replacement was looking comfortable - or at least as comfortable as an Audioslavian could be surrounded by the colours of their West Calanian rivals.

Over the tannoy, a pleasing feminine voice spoke.

"This is a priority boarding call for Krytenian Airways flight two-zero-one-five to Atlantea. Passengers with priority boarding passes, please proceed to Gate Twelve."

Guilhermez was sat mere feet from the gate, so afforded himself one more clip. Having agreed to join Rumble Strip Racing for the season, he looked at Oliver Bliss' lap one more time. The car reminded him of something, and not something good. There seemed to be a lack of connection between the engine noise and the power of the car, as if something fundamental within the vehicle was holding it back. He recognised the feeling as that which he felt inside the cockpit of his dog of a Cygnus last season.

It's just teething problems, he repeated to himself as he shut down his laptop and headed for the gate. Madre de dios, let it be teething problems...

[-Anthor-]

Waiting Lobby near Gate 4A
City of Presington, Lox International Airport

---

---

The tap on his shoulder at first went unregistered; or that is to say, un-acknowledged, mostly because this was the fifth time he was watching this replay of the race with McLeod and Martell battling it out until McLeod's green vehicle slipped right in with 200 hundreths of a second better time; Denholm just couldn't believe that was being produced by some of the best drivers in the tier he was about to step into it, and he knew had to consistently study film like this and sharpen his technique even more if he wanted to continue his success; Lord knows he didn't get his accolades in Oulden, Blackworth and Hopley all off of just his natural talent, despite what Terry his manager thought.

The tap on his shoulder was repeated, a little harder this time and he quickly tapped the space bar on his laptop to pause the full screen video and he pulled his silver headphones off of his ears, letting them slide down to hang from his neck and looked right, into the face of a burly man in a brightly colored suit with white glasses, and gesturing to the seat that Denholm had his messenger bag resting on "Excuse me, can I have that seat?"

Denholm flashed a quick smile and quickly grabbed his bag and put it on his lap "Yes of course, I'm about to leave anyways."

The man said a quick thanks and Denholm set the brown and white messenger bag on the floor and undid the straps to open it up, and closed his laptop and set it into the main slot inside his bag and then closed his bag up once more and shouldered it, taking one brief moment to plug his headphone's jack into the input on his cell phone and select one of the rock stations on his music app, the light tunes and story-like lyrics began flowing in through his ears as his eyes briefly confirmed his Gate from the text on his ticket, and he smiled as he walked under the sign blazoned "Gate 4A - Now Boarding for Lox to Lackcroft, Falconis 2391"

3 hours later
Lackcroft Regional Airport, 12 km outside of the City of Chester, Anthor

As Denholm noticed he was nearing the end of the arrival tunnel, he turned his music off and let his headphones hang from his neck and as he rounded the corner that opened the tunnel up into the rest of the airport building, his eyes began scanning the crowd gathered before the mouth of the tunnel, looking for their expected ones. He knew Terry said he would be here, but he also knew trying to find that short man in this crowd would be interesting.

He slowed his pace down as he scanned the crowd until he caught the sight of his old friend waving his hands off to the left, Denholm snorting at the man's striped brown suit. He began walking over to Terry with a broad smile on his face, entering into the offered embrace and hugged the man tightly and then stepped back to greet him "Terry, I swear, I'm buying you a less ugly suit with my upcoming prize money."

Terry chuckled and wagged his finger at Denholm "Now, now Denholm, don't get over-confident on me, it's so unlike you. I have to help you find out how to win in this Tier first."

Denholm chuckled as well and began walking with Terry as he began to lead Denholm towards the south entrance of the airport, where he had a car waiting "So how was your flight m'lad, sleep through it?"

Denholm shrugged his shoulders and Terry made a crisp laugh "Ha, yeah right! I've known you for how long Denholm, you were watching the Gadlow race weren't you."

Denholm nodded "Yeah, specifically Peregine Martell and Lindon McLeod. That was an insane finish, McLeod was totally the superior driver for most of the match, he's incredibly aggressive on the inside with cornering, but Martell, jeesh. That was a hell of a fight."

They had reached the car, an typical blue sedan, that Terry had parked out front of the doors that led in and out of the airport, and Terry walked around the car to get into the driver side as Denholm got in the passengers, with Terry replying as he turned the car on "Yes, it was indeed, and you'll be seeing more and all of that in the coming weeks. I got you in for your first setup, it's at the Pran circuit in about three weeks, which will give us plenty of time to get you all cozy with Minerva's engineers and what have you, and the car of course. She's quite the beauty."

Denholm nodded, drumming his fingers on his leg "And you're going to send me all the relevant data on the circuit before tonight right?"

Terry laughed "Ha! Of course, yes, it'll be there by supper. But first, I'm taking you over to Minerva's test track, they're very eager to meet their new #2 driver, and let's be real, Bullard has maybe this season if that in the primary slot and you're his logical replacement. I mean really, Bullard is just here for the pony show while you win the real stuff at the secondary circuits. Not too glamorous, but it'll give you time to refine more, and maybe get some aggression with you..."

"No, you know that's not how I drive. Calm, cool, precise; I'm not going to be like one of those bulls that wrecks out on the fifth lap if not sooner."

Terry threw his hands up "Look, I know that's gotten you alot of success before, and yea Minerva's agent loved hearing that in your interviews, but let's get real. Until they organize a top level tier, this is as high as you go in Anthor, and they are a different breed at this level. Hot-headed works, because the money is flowing. So, I know it's something different, but just consider trying it okay?"

Denholm stared out the window for a few moments before he glanced over at Terry with his charcoal eyes and murmured "Maybe, we'll see. Change needs alot of testing, and we're short on time."