World Grand Prix Championship Season 15: Roleplay Thread

[Mattijana]

Meanwhile, elsewhere...

Jasmin Kransjka was a little worried. Not full on panic, but the constant stab of slight anxiety that always seemed to pop up at the wrong moment. Like at parties, or in bed...
The rumours that current World Champion Terho Talvela was considering a slot at MRT were not helping, especially as the chances of Jess Franssen signing a new contract were still in the balance. The prospect of those two at the same team was frightening, and not just for the rest of the field, but for her also. Of course, Jasmin hoped to be part of the field, but all was not guaranteed.
Agents in Mattijana were a rare species. The general public weren't generally comfortable with the idea of a glorified salesperson doing the dirty work for their sportspeople and celebrities. As a result, if Jasmin wanted to get a drive, she wouldn't be able to sit by a pool with a tequila listening to someone making a few phone calls.
That was ultimately why one evening, she flipped open a laptop, opened her emails and started looking up the teams with the best chances of signing her.
Of course MRT was top of her personal list. The chance to race for a team carrying your own flag was too big a chance for her to miss and from the pr point of view, she was fairly sure that Johan Struna wouldn't let her go unless she had some serious drivers on board.
Still, that wasn't enough for her. McPahan had a driver test on, so Jasmin booked her slot.

To: Johan Johansson (johanj@mcpahanracing.co.as)
From: Jasmin Kransjka (jkransjka@mi.co.mj)

Dear Mr Johansson.

I would like to, with your clearance, book the 4pm slot at your 2nd Driver Trial.
Kind regards.
Jasmin Kransjka.

She thought about emailing a load of other teams, but then realised it would look a bit silly if she had to take everything back because MRT asked for her services. The panic sell would have to wait.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex Dimitrianov was another driver in a not-so great place. Seemingly dropped by MRT after a disappointing season, a decision that he considered to be a mistake, he realised that despite the fallacy of the decision, that outlook was not the one that would see him back winning things again.
With MRT out of the picture frame, Alex made a list of interesting teams, before rather predictably sending them all an email.

To: V&T Motorports, MSA-SinVal Racing, Telaris Racing, Scuderia Fuoco e Ghiaccio, Arada Motorports, Fireline, Vannish Motors.
From: Alex Dimitrianov (adimitrianov@mi.co.mj)

Good Evening.
I'm Alex Dimitrianov and you may remember me from the past two years of WGPC racing.
I am currently looking for a drive following the end of my contract at MRT and am interested in racing for all of your teams. I bring reliability, solidity and experience to a team and I believe I would be the perfect fit for a team looking for solid points alongside a rookie driver looking to improve their skills.
Money of course is not everything and a drive would ideally be on a team pays driver basis, however I have sponsorship from Petra, a leading tyre manufacturer in Mattijana who should offer you a satisfactory deal.

If possible, I would like to meet a representative of your team in person and/or have a test drive, however with the long distances involved, I know this is not always possible and I am grateful for any consideration your team makes towards me.

Kind regards.

Alex Dimitrianov.

That would hopefully get his presence known, but Alex knew there was still much work to do before he could yet again say he was a WGPC driver again.

[Lisander]

All drivers who received invitations (telegrams) to join in December 29 tests are being considered by Bitten Heroes GPE.

Drivers who have not received, we wish all of you better luck in your team search.

The results of December 29 are currently being analyzed and will be posted in early January.

Bitten Heroes Grand Prix Engineering wishes all WGPC teams and drivers a Happy New Year.

Natassia Maud
Team Principal

[Eastfield Lodge]

It was all quiet in the Krindle household. Probably as expected, given it was past 2 in the morning, but Louis wasn't particularly aware of the time. Nor did he care, in all honesty - he'd been struggling to get sleep for the past few weeks, at most catching a few hours before jolting awake, usually in a cold sweat, and quite often shaking as if he'd awoken from a nightmare. He looked over at the clock next to his bed. 2:24. Only 4 and a half hours until he was supposed to be getting up and getting ready for his gym sessions. This off-season hadn't been kind to him to begin with, not to mention the more recent events - he'd lost a lot of fitness over the winter break, a bout of pneumonia a week after the final race of the season wiping him out for a fortnight. Glancing over to his wife Cara, who was certainly sleeping a whole lot better now that their two year old son was sleeping all night, he got up, and went over to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, he saw a version of himself more bedraggled and worn than he would have liked - Louis wasn't one for cosmetics, and it showed with the lines now prematurely developing across his face. Of course, the stress of being an international WGPC driver didn't help, but he felt so much older than his tender age of 33. Running his hand through his hair, he managed to pick out a couple of greys. Not a good sign, he thought. Might be time to start dying his hair.

Everything seemed so great just over a month ago. It was his oldest brother's birthday, the family had gotten together and celebrated, as they liked to do every year. His parents, two brothers and a sister, their spouses and kids. Some close family friends coming along as well. It was a great couple of days with the family. Until that day. The day his dad had the accident. The family had gone out for a walk in the park, because the weather was quite warm for the time of the year, and went exploring in the outer reaches of the forest nearby. The path was a little muddy because it had been raining the previous day, but it wasn't unsafe - it was part of a well-known rambling path, and there were quite a few people out walking the same route as well. It was just a matter of bad luck in the end - Louis' dad tripped over the top of a tree root which was just poking above the mud, and he fell into the small drop alongside the path, his head bouncing off one of the rocks at the bottom. It was an unfortunate accident, but one which proved to be fatal in the end, as despite the high quality medical attention he got on the way to and inside hospital, the damage was too great and he died the following day.

That one incident rocked Louis' entire world. His dad was his biggest supporter, someone who had followed him to all his races whenever possible. He helped him get started in his karting career, rarely put up any opposition to him, and allowed him the time and the space to flourish into the champion he became. When he was called up to be the reserve driver for the Eastfield Lodge NSGP team, it was his dad that had helped him with the all the contracts and the like. And when his racing mentor, Alexander Tingis, was nearly killed at the Port Lodgertia Street Circuit, it was Louis' dad comforted him, and gave him the strength to take up the mantle of the team, and then supported him when he kept failing to finish a race. One of Louis' most vivid memories of him was in parc fermé straight after the Ipeland Grand Prix, his first ever international race victory, jumping out of the car and straight into his dad's arms. The past few weeks had been hell for Louis, trying to get to grips with the fact that he would never see his dad at another race - the podiums he had in the season just gone were great moments, but he wanted his dad to see him in his last season, and maybe see him win a WGPC race as well.

Louis snapped out of his reverie and returned to the present. Maybe it was time to call it quits. He was 33 after all, and in the racing scene, that's quite an age to be racing at the highest open-wheel level. He was getting tired of all the training he needed to do to keep his fitness up, tired of all the travelling, tired of all the somewhat unnecessary press stuff. As much as he loved racing, he was getting jaded by all of its appendages. He wanted to quit there and then, but his contract still had another season to run, and he decided that he would see out his last season with MSA.

---

Dear Mr Madison,

We at MSA-SinVal Racing would be glad to offer you a contract to race for us this season. As you may know, MSA finished third in the Constructors' Standings in the previous season, with our number one driver Louis Krindle, who will be staying on this season, finishing a place behind you in the standings, and our second driver Oliver Bliss a little further down.

We aim to improve on our standing this season, and as such feel that your performances last year fit what we are looking for, with our car this year similar to the previous year in its balance between outright power and downforce, and of course with a focus on reliability. Whilst we would prefer money to come in via a driver's sponsorships, we are willing to pay you a decent salary initially, adjusted relative to performances throughout the season - i.e. perform well early on, your salary will go up.

Yours sincerely,
Tadeo Durand
Team Principal, MSA-SinVal Racing

---

Victoria Gardner has just gotten back from her training session, when she got a message from her agent about the new WGPC season, that the driver negotiation period had opened. And that Scuderia Fuoco e Ghiaccio, the team she had more or less carried the previous season and won the Constructors' Championship with the season before that, were still interested in keeping her on. She'd heard that Mayari was sticking around, despite her ... dismal title defence the previous season, and it only took a few moments to decide that she would re-sign with SFeG.

[Mattijana]

MRT HQ, Kopylov, Centre-North Mattijana

"So how are we now...?" Asked Johan Struna to no-one in particular. In truth, everything about the visit of Terho Talvela had been meticulously planned to ensure the best possible impression would be left. However, Johan still thought it would be best to check.
"All under control." Replied Maria Jamasova, for what must have felt like more than one time too many.
"Both cars ready?"
"Yes. Matej took them out for a quick spin earlier, so they should be in full working condition for tomorrow. He even brought them back in one piece, which is a nice little bonus."

The Mattijanan's basic plan for the test was to give Terho a go at the WGPC 14 car in a fairly neutral setup in order to get a feel for the track and the Mattijanan style of car, before moving on to the now-completed MRT 15 car, which was a more accurate representation of what the MRT drivers would be driving in the upcoming season. Mechanics would be available to make any setup changes, whilst new tyres would also be present.

"What about dinner?"
"I've gone for Sankta Katarina's over in Kranjagrad. It's a nice little family run restaurant doing some fairly traditional food. A good place, but nothing too posh."

"Ah, good choice. They've got a good vibe over there. Some quality Ballajas as well."

Ballajas are the national dish of Mattijana and are essentially hollowed out loaf of bread available with a variety of different fillings and with various different forms of rustic breads. Timing is critical so both the bread and the filling are ready at the same time, so that the bread is fresh and crunchy and the filling remains warm. They must be then served quickly to avoid the juices from the filling making the bread soggy. If made well, they are lush, but that's a whole other story.

"Anything else? Asked Johan.

"I've arranged for myself and Matej to go over and pick him and his team up from Burges airport this afternoon. We've got a few cars, so we should be alright for space. The hotel in Kranjagrad's all booked and ready for this evening, so he should have a good bit of comfort for tonight ready for tomorrow."
"Excellent. There's one more thing I need to mention actually. I've made up a contract already so if we get the evidence of his quality that we're looking for, we can throw the paperwork at him. Drivers are starting to be snapped up pretty quickly now, so we're going to have to work fairly quickly and it's better if we can sort things out whilst he's still in the country."

Maria was surprised, but could see the sense in the idea. "Oh right, that's good. I suppose if he refuses we can just not let him out of the country..."

"Haha, I suppose so, although I'm not sure the government would quite let us do that."

"Dissapointing... It's good to know we've got all that sorted though. Things are sort of coming together now."

"Indeed. We'll just have to see how it goes tomorrow I guess."

"Excellent. I trust lunch is

[Aboveland]

The Arcticair behemoth slammed against the warm Mattijanan tarmac, Terho's eyes glued to the window to his right. Edvin, beside him, was just now opening his eyes following the extraordinarily rough landing. Rubbing his forehead, the world champion checked his phone. It read 3:42 PM. On the limit between feeling drowsy and feeling properly tired, it took him a moment to realize it was still set to Abovian time and manually adjusted it.

The pair of friends made their way out of their Essentials seats with a pair of carry-ons, one of each, and went straight through customs out into the meeting point of Burges airport. They were expecting to see a woman named Maria and a man named Matej standing right amongst the crowd of hopeful Mattijanans waiting to greet their friends, family or associates, holding a paper sign in bold Arial typeface reading 'Terho Talvela' or 'Edvin Pekkanen'. They all greeted each other in an extraordinarily friendly way, but Terho noticed a slight trace of confusion in the Mattijanans' gazes. Two steps outside later, he saw why.

Three pristine, feline-like luxury sedans awaited them on the kerb of the sidewalk, drivers patiently waiting inside each. As they glanced at the pair, their faces showed a look of disappointment, and Maria shooed two away. Terho put on a straight face and headed for the trunk, placing his carry-on inside and climbing into the back of the car, Maria getting shotgun and Matej sandwiched in the middle between Terho and Edvin. The two were asked if they'd rather go to their hotel before dinner. The airplane food portion had been measly, so they both agreed to get some food before crashing onto their beds for the night.

They arrived at a modest yet bustling family restaurant near but not nestled in the vibrant Kranjagrad city center. Terho had maintained a steady, friendly conversation with both Mattijanans, and while Edvin was also engaged, he regularly shot his eyes at the window for a few seconds to appreciate the cityscape, and how it differed from Vankkavalta back home. Once inside the restaurant, the Abovians were strongly recommended to order Ballajas, which they did. As they all waited patiently for their food, Terho listened to the plan for tomorrow. It all seemed to work out perfectly.

By 11 PM Terho and Edvin were already in their hotel room, fresh out of the shower and ready for a nice, long sleep for the test drive. Terho was so excited to drive last season's car that he could barely sleep or sit still, let alone without thinking about how he could tweak the setup himself. He'd been told the setup would be neutral, so under the exhilarating stream of water from the showerhead he compared the car to the V+T car. Being an aggressive driver, he reckoned taking advantage of the higher power of the car could come in handy, and the small drop in cornering performance he sought to iron out with some more careful tweaking of the setup to allow him to prioritize corner entry over exit. He nearly squealed with excitement. Before he could carry himself away, though, he brought one idea back to mind: keeping the car on the road would be good.

[Aboveland]

Terho strapped himself in the MRT machine and prepared to set off into the Internazionring, his heart racing as much as he hoped his car would. He slowly crept onto the track and, for his first outlap, got a feel of the steering, throttle response, and handling. The car was so different to Chassis Y: it was so much grittier, so much harder feeling yet somehow more nimble. It felt more raw and real, and Terho was having a blast. During his first seven laps, he was able to adapt his driving to the new car. In Chassis Y, he could easily turn into a corner and accelerate out with not much thought put into it. In this machine, however, he really had to pounce on the corners, and being gentle was a thing of the past. Medium to high speed corners were more akin to Chassis Y, as he could really power on through them with no fear of understeer or lack of grip, as he felt in slower corners.

At the end of lap 7, Matej approached him in the paddock as he pulled in: "So, how'd it feel? Nice, huh?"
"Yeah, incredible," replied an awestruck Terho.
"Come on out, we'll strap you into MRT15."
"Hold on. Can you change the setup on this guy first?"
"Sure. How do you want it?"
"This neutral setup is a bit too tame. Reduce the downforce a bit but make the car turn in more. I'm sure you catch my drift.
"Got it. Hold on a few!"

Some time later, the car was ready. Terho repeated the process of strapping into the car, and this time set out for five laps, on fresh super soft tires. His 1:39:640 time in the other setup didn't please him at all. He wanted to be great, not good enough, not "meh, he's okay". Happily, his setup gamble paid off. A time of 1:37:007 put a grin on his face, especially considering the three decimals.

Back in the paddock, Edvin was biting through all ten nails, hoping Terho would snatch an offer. In his eyes, his times were not enough. He wanted Terho to scratch the track record. Hopefully, he thought, MRT15 would allow him to do just that.

The Mattijanan mechanics prepped MRT15 in a similar fashion to how MRT14 had been modified, and Terho climbed in as soon as it was ready. The team wanted him to do 20 laps on fresh mediums, but he managed to convince them to give him two ten lap runs on softs. The team, reluctantly, let it slide.

Terho's outlap and first two laps wowed him. The new car wasn't a massive improvement on paper, but "holy hell was it fast!" Four laps into his second run, he'd managed his best time of the morning with a 1:36.451. By that point he still had enough will to celebrate with a big whoop under his helmet, but he was getting a bit peckish, and the massive g-forces of the MRT chassis filled him with so much adrenaline he was exhausted already. A timely puncture on the penultimate lap of the test brought him back to the paddock with a great excuse to call it quits for the day and grab some more Ballaja.

Matej approached Terho once more at the end of the test, Edvin sticking an ear in from behind.

"So," Matej began, "d'you like it?"
"Absolutely spectacular! I loved it too much. I'm getting a craving for Ballajas now, though, so I'd best be going and leave you to decide my fate with the rest of the team."
"Yes, no problem! Go ahead, do as you wish. I'll call a cab if you want."
"No, please, I'll get one myself with Edvin, no worries."

The two proceeded to leave the track, leaving the team to decide for themselves if they would hire Terho for the season or not. Terho left with a grin of satisfaction, and Edvin a smile of accomplishment.

[The Serbian Empire]

"I wonder what's next? I've been dangled offers in touring cars and mulling a return at some point if I don't hear within the next two weeks. Next year might have a Serbian team appearing in anthracite black cars, but Onyx Marenisko is still a year away from their bodywork package being approved for competition," Marika lamented.

"Onyx Marenisko coming to the WGPC next season? Yeah, that would bring some interesting prospects going forward. But you still want to compete this season right?" the agent asked.

"Of course I do, but the number of seats that intrigue me is in decline. If I don't hear from them, I might be back to the STCC until Onyx gets their act together," Marika said.

"Yeah, Onyx Marenisko's an odd lot who is fond of any form of racing. They'll even fund cycling teams but this might be their most ambitious plan yet. But this isn't their year to make a debut," the agent stated.

"That is correct, they're still working on getting wind tunnel time and working on scale models of their car. I've visited with them and would proudly drive in one of those cars. However, they're not going to be competing this season which has put a serious damper on my hopes of competing this season," Marika mentioned.

[Qasden]

Tuesday 15:45— Blue-Red Racing Garage— Taxson, Qasden- "So, what'd you want me for again, Rust?". Kurt seemed a bit frustrated after being hurried from his track in Marbles. Rust, wearing his signature crimson polo, looks back at Censki. "Let's see...Ah, yes! So I've got some pretty interesting news for ya.". Censki looked puzzled after his statement. "What kind of news do you mean?" Kurt asked. "You know that Lisander team, Bitten Heroes? Well, I contacted them up and they're interested in you. I've already booked your flight and hotel to Alix so you can meet up with them and take a tri—" Kurt stops him right on his tracks. "Hold on. Let's not get antsy here, Rust. Bitten Heroes is a new team to the face of the WGPC. Do you really think it's a good idea to not at least try and notice some of the more experienced teams here? Wh–what about McPahan or VMR or V+T?". Rust looked at him with a small hint of grief. "Kurt," he started, "do you even realize how much a flight to Lisander from Taxson is? Listen, just go to the trial, race their car a few times, and see if you're the right material, got it? Tell you what, I've been eyeing some of the other teams in the prix, and I'll go ahead and email a few. For McPahan, it'd probably be best if you emailed 'em personally. In the meantime, get your passport ready.". Kurt felt rushed by Rust. "He sure ain't making this any easier." He thought to himself. After a small hesitation, Censki finally spoke again. "Alright then. I'll go check out Bitten Heroes, but don't get excited just yet. I still have to race successfully enough to grab their attention.".

Friday 16:30— Downtown— Alix, Lisander- Kurt strolled around Alix looking for a good place to eat. While checking a site on his phone, Rust's face suddenly appears the sound of race cars. "What do you need, Rust?" Censki answered. "Gees, what's up your butt. Well, I'm calling to see how you did yesterday at the trials. Good enough to qualify?". Kurt looks up for a bit while replying. "It went well." He stated, "I doubt I'd be chosen as one of the main two, though. There was quite some talent there.". Rust, gazing out his office window into the Taxson streets, attempts to be optimistic. "I'm sure you did dandy. If it makes ya feel better, I've emailed about three or four teams to see if they'd be interested in you.". Kurt's lips went bent into a makeshift smirk. "Really? Who did you email?". Rust replied, "Oh you know, VMR, Wilson GPE, Fireline, those guys.". Censki's attention increases as he steps into a diner. Rust continues, "Yeah, you might go on a few more trial runs. I've gotta go now. You enjoy your time in Lisander, Kurt. I'll see you back in Taxson.".

---

To: johanj@mcpahanracing.co.as
From: the real kcenski@qmail.co.qd

Greetings, Mr. Johansson,

My name is Kurt Censki. Despite this being my first year in WGPC, I am experienced in other racing competitions, with my most prominent achievement being 3rd overall in the xRally League. If you are ok with this, I would like to reserve the Sunday 5pm slot for driver two. Hope to see you there with your jaw dropped in amazememt!

Sincerely,
Kurt Censki

To: Vannish Motorsports Racing, Wilson Grand Prix Engineering, Fireline, Arada Motorsports, Telaris Racing
From: rustyr@brracing.co.qd

Greetings from Blue-Red Racing!

On behalf of Qasden's sole racer in the WGPC, Kurt Censki, I would like to officially confirm his interest in racing under your team name. While a rookie to the WGPC scene, Censki is notorious domestically. Under the Blue and Red, he has helped BR Racing achieve 3rd place in the xRally League of the 2nd Gemini Games, and is using the profits to help create a racetrack for Qasden itself. If you're interested in learning more about Censki, or would be interested in allowing him to run a trial or two, please feel free to reply back to me whenever relevant.

Cheers,
Rust Rockets,
Manager and Co-Founder of Blue-Red Racing

[Mattijana]

kopylov InternazionRing, Centre-North Mattijana

"Well he's certainly enjoying himself. And he seems to be enjoying himself without crashing into anything either, which is always a bonus", remarked Johan Struna, as MRT15, at the hands of Terho Talvela, whizzed past once more to start a new lap.
"A 1:36.4 as well. That's pretty good going at this time. I think it's fair to expect at least another second of performance before we get round to the race here, so that's not too far off a net lap record." Maria's analysis was very much made on the hoof, but seemed legit.
"Fair point. How were his long runs?"
"Not bad either. No spectacular laps, but some consistent and solid pace."
"Good stuff. How was dinner last night?"
"It seemed to go smoothly. They're a nice bunch, the two of them were anyway...and the restaurant certainly didn't let us down either. We just went through some of the track details and a brief overview of the car. He's pretty up with the track having raced here last year, and he seems to have taken heed anyway because he hasn't stuck it in the wall at turn 13 yet, like most people do."
"I noticed. The on board camera's giving us some good feedback as well. He seems pretty smooth, although the rear end's been a bit twitchy since he knocked a bit of downforce off."
"I see. I guess it gives us some useful information about the car though. Our overall pace seems good, but the slower corners aren't so great."
"That's very true. I guess we've got a while to work that out. I'm thinking about giving the car a run on the karting track. It's quite pokey, so it'll be a good marker for slow pace. I'll see what the engineering team think."

Terho came by again. A 1:36.47, just a smidgeon slower than the previous lap.

"Another good one" said Maria. "What do you make of him?"
"I think he's good enough for a seat. I'll let him have a rest and then we can send out an offer this evening. What do you reckon?"
"I think you're right. I mean he's the World Champion, so he's not going to be too shabby, and having someone like that on board would be good for the team staff and our status. It's the sort of move that a team that wants to win things makes."
"Well I'm glad you agree. He's got some reasonably hefty sponsorship as well, which is always useful. I'm sure the R and D team will like him anyway."

Dear Mr Talvela

Following your test drive at the Kopylov InternazionRing and your performances with V and T motorsports last season, we are pleased to offer you a season-long contract for the upcoming season of the WGPC.

After a good second-half to our first season, we feel you are the right person to continue and improve upon our previous results, as well as expanding our international reputation.

Your contract gives you a salary equivalent to $1.2million, paid in instalments after every race, with a bonus for wins, podium positions, and your final position in the driver's standings. You are currently signed as number 1 driver. However, we must make you aware that this may be changed to a neutral status depending on who is signed as our second driver. Full details of your contract terms are enclosed.
We pass on our best wishes and look forward to working with you.

Johan Struna, MRT Team Principal.

[Taeshan]

"Oliver rumors from MSA-Sinval headquarters in Eastfield Lodge have them going after Will Madison to drive with Louis Krindle this season. He finished 5th just ahead of your teammate last season. How does this make you feel."


"Well that is there prerogative. They need to do the best possibly thing for their team moving forward just like I need to do the best possible thing for my career moving forward. I'd like to drive with them but if they want to head a different direction with their team on the track that is fine. Will is a good driver and better than me the last season and even better than Louis. Heck they should probably offer him the first seat not the second."

"How do you feel about the idea that they wanted someone better than you? That they felt you really rested on your laurels halfway through the last season and could have done better, but you were ok with the mediocre heights you reached?"

"Well it may look like that looking at the last season. I definitely peaked in the middle of the year and faded later on. I'm not especially proud of what happened, I didn't do my best, but I can do better. I can win races, I can win championships and I can help my team get points. I showed that. The team finished 3rd overall, which was more than expected. I got a lot of points, we were off the pace but we both started a little bit slow and worked to get more points as the season went. I hope all the teams out there looking for drivers recognize my drive and bring me in to do better work."

"So are you prepared for the upcoming season? Are you ready to find a ride? Who do you want to drive for?"

"It doesn't matter who I drive for. I will win a race this season. I will go out there and do better than I did before and I will prove my worth to whomever I drive for. Put me in a car and I will succeed. Give me the chance and I will prove you wrong on the track, and I will go out this season and perform much better than the last. Mark my words."

[Aboveland]

Terho was having a coffee on the hotel balcony in Kranjagrad when his phone vibrated. He tapped the screen twice to reveal a message from Edvin, reading "Come up, quick!". Alarmed, Terho put the cap on his coffee and set off towards the elevators to catch up with Edvin and whatever dire matter he needed assistance with. He opened the door with a wide swing until something stopped it with a thud. An "Ow, damn it!" shot out from behind.

"Edvin? Is that you?" Terho called out into the room.
"Hell yes! Be more careful!" Edvin replied, as he sidestepped out from behind the door, hand on his forehead.
Holding back laughter, Terho began: "What did you call me up for?"
"This," Edvin handed Terho the contract. "I read through it and it looks pretty good. They didn't say "impressed", but by how they treated us I suppose they want you badly.
The words went in one ear out the other of the world champion as he glued his eyes to the sheet of thick paper. It was just as he'd hoped for.
"What do you say, then?" His agent asked. "I think you should go for it. They probably wont wait, or won't want to wait for your McPahan test, and Telaris has disappeared into thin air. We don't have word on V+T either."
"Do you really think I should sign having tested only one car?"
"If we had time and if the driver's market wasn't so saturated, I'd say no. But you had fun, my belly had fun, the team is interested and they pretty much have the best car on the grid."
Terho looked at the contract for three more long seconds, just answered with "okay", and hurried down to the hotel lobby to grab a free BIC from the main desk. He set the contract down on a coffee table and signed at the bottom in one flamboyant stroke.

Terho Talvela confirms his #1 driver status for MRT in the coming WGPC season.

[Taeshan]

"Enrique RSR is set to race in the upcoming season after the withdrawal of long time team Carvenlo-Clockwork. Is your team ready to step up and be a part of the World Grand Prix Circuit."

"Yes. We knew we were the backup team headed into this season, which looks like it could be the biggest in years with at least the most drivers entered in years with 26 cars on the track. We think we can compete and at least finish top half of the 13 teams. Especially if we can convince Taeshani Driver Oliver Bliss to join. We invited him here today to join this press conference and we hope he will drive for us. We recognize that Taeshan's last team decades ago was perhaps the most infamously bad team in those Grand Prix. This has resulted in years of tno Taeshani involveent in the circuit. Two campaigns ago Oliver tried to join, but couldn't find a team and last year Oliver became the first Taeshani driver to score more than once in a season and the first to get a podium finish. We hope we can continue the success of Taeshani driving this season."

"Oliver do you plan on joining RSR?"

"I said before the season that if they joined I would definitely consider it. That said I will still compete at the McPahan trials. I really want to drive for a Taeshani team, but at the same time I want the best for myself and if I find that elsewhere I may go elsewhere. That said this news is great for Taeshani racing and if anything will do great things for Taeshani racing it is a all Taeshani success story."

"Enrique who are you guys targeting as possible drivers?"

"Of course Oliver is our top option and we hope to seal him up for the season as our number 1 driver. We are looking at both former Carvenlo drivers Ethan Ellis and R.L Crusin and would love to get in touch with them about possibly driving for us. We have put in a call to Moises Delgado's agent. We put a flyer in on Alexander Lund to bring the team some veteran leadership. We have also sent our interested to Asao Nadakei and finally Alexandra Mayari has been notified of our intent."

"Will these drivers need to provide sponsorship."

"No we will not require drivers to come in with their own sponsorship we will be fully funding this and want to give our drivers the best we can with our own money and not require them to provide it themselves. We need to first prove we can compete, and we will compete."

[Drawkland]

Will Madison was sitting in his apartment, quite similarly to last year, when he got the call. Except this time he had the number saved into his phone, so he knew exactly what to expect when he picked it up.
"Hello? Will Madison speaking."
"Hey Will, it's Scott. You remember me, r-"
"How could I forget my agent from last season?" Will chuckled.
"Well, we haven't talked in awhile and-"
"Don't worry about it, Scott."
"Okay, so you probably know what this call is about ..."
"DISC wants me back for WGPC 15?"
"...yes. They're expecting more of you this time though. No crashing out for half the season."
"I wouldn't expect to, especially if I'm aiming for a first seat position."
"We'll see about that."
"I don't think it's DISC's decision anymore. I'm gonna do this without their help this time."
"What do you mean? You're not saying that you're cutting ties with DISC are you?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying, Scott. I don't need them breathing down my neck, nor do I need their 'support' or anything else. I'm my own man and I can make a case for myself without government intervention."
"Will ... this is a huge decision. They may not even allow you to race on Drawkland's behalf."
"Even if they don't, everybody will know where I'm from and know I'm the guy to cheer for. Just ask the Regulars last World Bowl."
"...you watch international gridiron?"
"Only because I don't want to feel awkward when my brother Daniel talks about it."
"Oh. Right."
"Okay, so pass my message along to DISC. I'm gonna go solo this time. I already have contacts with the people I need."
Will hung up then. He wasn't exactly sure what he'd just done, but he was sure that it would work out fine for him. After all, all DISC did last season was bitch at him for "embarrassing" Drawkland and give him the mediocre agent of Scott Connor. He didn't need DISC. He needed to race.

---

Will had already called up his friend Jack Nolan to be his new agent. He felt kinda bad having to replace Scott but Scott was with DISC and he knew he wouldn't want to leave his job for little pay. Jack, on the other hand, had a degree in business and minored in psychology, and already had a job which he telecommuted to. So it was a perfect fit for both. Plus, they were good friends, had met in college, so the chemistry was there. Anyway, Will had taken Scott off the Madison family website and added Jack as a semi-admin, so he began collecting WGPC information, news, and communications.

About a couple weeks after the season was officially announced, Jack rang up at Will's apartment and they sat around. First, they complained about how Drawkland had been eliminated in the World Baseball Classic and World Bowl, and how excited they were to see how the Baptism of Fire would turn out. After all, sports are awesome.
"Alright then, down to business and shit," Jack said finally.
"I hope you don't talk like that to other agents," Will chuckled slightly.
"Nahh, 'course I don't. Do I look stupid to you?"
"Yes, very much so!"
"Shut up you. Alright, so Grand Prix things."
"Gotcha. What's the deal?"
"So basically you have 3 options. Right now we have 2 outstanding offers, one from MSA-Sinval, one from Fireline, and you could try a test drive out for McPahan."
"Eastfield Lodge, Ethane, and Audioslavia, right?"
"On the money. So, here's the other thing. If you go with MSA, they may or may not give you the first driver seat. Actually, you'll be on equal footing as your fellow driver no matter what seat you're ceremoniously given."
"Hmmm, okay ... what about money?"
"They may demand a sponsor, but they will start paying you. Your income will depend on your performance, so the better you do, the more you'll get cash money, and the worse you do, the less you'll get, until you need to get a sponsor on board and start paying them. And of course, if you're garbage, they'll probably kick you to the curb."
"I'm not garbage so I won't have to worry about that. Anything about their car?"
"Of course I don't have that many details, but it appears it'll have slightly lower Cornering and Acceleration, but only because they've mainly focused on Reliability."
"That actually sounds fine with me. I feel like the problem with my Fornax car was that it played a little too well into my strengths, and actually made my weaknesses more prominent. Sure I was a god when it was clear, but the thing just gave me nothing as far as staying on the track. That's why me and Jac-Irlo crashed out so much, especially at the beginning, because the cars gave us no help with our already shaky reliability."
"Interesting thought process. What do you think?"
"Gotta hear my other options first."
"Right. Okay so the other one is Fireline, right out of Ethane."
"...right. Ethane."
"That's what I thought. The car colors look pretty good, a nice black with warm colors thrown in, much better that the green, blue, and white of MSA."
"Oh yeah, because THAT'S the most important factor," Will scoffed a little.
"You never know. Good tiebreaker in my opinion. Anyway, they're offering a first-seat drive for sure, as far as I can tell. Also, the car has better Cornering and average reliability, but the acceleration is comparative garbage."
"That won't do. I need something I can at least gun with. Of course I need to cover my weaknesses, but I also need to play a little into my strengths, or else I'll be left out to dry."
"Yeah. Also, like we've mentioned, it is Ethane."
"Roger would never forgive me if I worked for an Ethanese team, I know that for sure. Hell, I bet if I asked any of my siblings they'd advise me against it."
"You'd be kicked straight out of the family I'd bet."
"Exactly."
A brief moment of an awkward chuckle and then silence.
"So, the final option is to sign on for a test drive with McPahan and hope they or somebody else notices you."
"To hell with that. I already have 2 offers waiting."
"My exact thoughts."
Another moment of silence, only this time Will was pondering his options.
"Y'know, I'm sure the Fireline people are great people. I really am. But at this point I feel like I'll have to act like some asshole veteran and go with the older team."
"MSA-Sinval then?"
"Yep. I, Will Madison, am accepting the offer and will drive with MSA-SinVal Racing for WGPC 15."
"Wow. That was an uncharacteristically direct statement."
"I dunno. I feel like I needed to sound official."
"Don't blame you. I'll finish the paperwork and shit up."
"Good man. See you around."

[San Jose Guayabal]

www.elnacional.gu/sjg/uh/id=325484

You are in: El nacional > SJG > Sports > World Grand Prix Championship

Written by: Ernesto Monge.
Date: Wednesday, 18/12/2211, 17:09 - San Salvador time

“We shall achieve something this time, enough time to get used to the racing milieu” – Esteban Gutiérrez.

Telaris Racing, a racing project which can be called as a “100% Guayabalense engineering work” is walking slowly into the world of racing, specifically into the World Grand Prix Championship or WGPC, a third season is coming up in the horizon and Esteban Gutiérrez, the CEO of Telaris Racing, is expecting to make a positive impact in the WGPC soon, the aiming of this time? To hire the most reliable drivers, the goal? To provide those drivers a machine able to put them as potential candidates for the title, or winning the Builders Championship, that’s the aim of all the team and many inside it considers those goals as reachable. In past seasons, the results haven’t been the best but there’s a notable increase among the performance showed in each season, especially in the last season, when Telaris finished fourth in the Builders Championship, despite they were second for a big portion of the season, still, they weren’t able to put fight to the VTM machines, whose drivers basically were in podium each race, that’s why Terho Talvela and iBen Toralmintii finished first and second respectively, while the best Telaris driver was Igne Spupuo, the Deioran driver which as underestimated by some part of media due to his past as horse driver, who finished fourth with 84 points and a race won, coupled with several podium finishes. Although that was good, expectations are higher this time and that’s why Telaris is working hard in order to find the best drivers available in the market, today, we will talk with Esteban Gutiérrez in regards of what we can expect from Telaris Racing this season.

“Okay, Mr. Gutiérrez, first of all, what can you promise or tell your fans on what to expect this season in regards of Telaris Racing performance in WGPC?” Asked Monge.
“Well, the best I can say is that we will be focused in hiring the best drivers available, also, the most reliable for the team; something that I have learned this two seasons is to not throw money crazily, instead of that, to spend it wise and check the best drivers available for this, having a racing team is a complicated issue, also exciting, and that’s why we are aiming to spend wiser so the fans can see a performance that might be contending with the best.” Answered Gutiérrez.
“You have reiterated a couple of times with the difficulty of managing a racing team, could you explain us a bit further of this and the responsibilities you have to assume?”
“Being up to date in terms of technology, trying to have a well-equipped research team is important if you want to compete heavily with the big hitters of this business, that’s why every team must have the best in terms of engineers, people that know what they do and good designers, in order to meet the criteria for the vehicle and ensure that aerodynamics might be in our favour to take some extra advantage within the rules. Meeting up deadlines of car presentations, engine presentations and tests in different circuits are for sure something exhausting, but there we go, two years into the business has been enough for us and this time, we are more aware of what we need to do and seeking improvements.”
“What kind of improvements, specifically?”
“Those related to engine technology, safety requirements in order to keep safe our pilot in case of an undesirable accident, including radio communications, technology incorporated to the steering wheel and monitoring software that the crew might use in order to keep the car in constant monitoring and ensure that nothing that may harm the driver or put us in disadvantage won’t happen.”
“Was the beginning of Telaris Racing reluctant?”
“Of course! But it was in that way for a brief period of time, since we asked for cooperation of people whose knowledge of motor racing, especially WGPC was already big and had made lots of contributions to the Championships, that’s why we were sure of what we were doing and making sure that the actions were made into the rules. Doing that request for cooperation was important for us, I don’t know how we would have acted if we weren’t in disposal to make that request.”
“Basically, your knowledge or racing was null?”
“Not null, since I have been involved in Guayabalense racing scene, but WGPC’s regulations and ways to do things are completely different on what I have done before in Guayabalense Gran Turismo, for example, we worked on different engine settings there since we were competing in endurance races, so reliability of engine was important to survive 24 hours under constant acceleration and deceleration, aerodynamics were not so important like in WGPC, though, in terms of organisation, it’s similar to what I faced in Gran Turismo.”
“How Telaris started?”
“If you remember, I tried to establish a team in WGPC by myself, but that was hard without sponsoring, that’s why I asked media to show my project and plans for the future, in order to raise some awareness of what I was doing at the moment and also my previous experience in racing, I had various offers from different sponsors, coming out from Stat Oil, Telaris, Blue Bull, Xtreme Energy Drink and other companies, I accepted two, Telaris as main sponsor and Stat Oil in terms of developing engineering and oil providing for the vehicle; apart of those two sponsors, I also received offers from Carved Stone Tyres, an offer that I accepted gladly, since they specialize on racing wheels and I had some contact with them when I was involved in Gran Turismo. Money wasn’t an issue, since Stat Oil and Telaris were able to spend millions of dollars with the goal of doing decent seasons, those seasons were made and the results were the desired ones, this time, we aim for more and we are sure that we can do it.”
“The milieu of WGPC was hostile at some point with the fact that Telaris was one of the teams with the biggest budget, if not the biggest budget among teams?”
“Not that hostile, I reckon, although some people, specifically the critical media in racing glared at us, linking us as an attempt of the Guayabalense Government to get in top with the force of money, but they were wrong, since I have no relationship with members of the Guayabalense Government, despite Stat Oil is a national company, but they provide the engineering, technology and oil for the machines, we want to compete with efficient technology and proper research, not just shooting money, though I recognise that I was giving that appearance in my first season, but it’s something that I’ll change slowly, since money is a resource that should be used wisely, not for the mere sake of using the money.”
“What kind of connections they thought you had?”
“Some of they said that I was a member of the highest spheres of Government, wishing to establish a monopoly based in money wasting, but you know what? Let me laugh at them, they have a great imagination, shame that they use it to attempt to damage reputation of people that only wants to achieve great heights with their preferred hobby, racing.”
“Does Telaris Racing intervene to pick a circuit for the Gran Premio de San José Guayabal?”
“Definitely, no… The election of the circuit is made in an election among fans, racing media members, pilots and team owners among the spheres of Guayabalense Gran Turismo and Formula racing, they always elect a different circuit, although, there’s always the possibility to elect a circuit that was also elected in the previous season, nothing is written in stone in regards which circuit we present apart from the election, which is made by rules set by the Guayabalense Auto Club.”
“So, you’re also subject to auto club participation and rules?”
“Of course we do! Since they are our representatives in the Multiversal Federation of Automobiles, and they are the main entity into this, so following the rules of the Guayabalense Auto Club is important to achieve recognition as a professional racing team by the MFA.”
“Which are the developments made this year in WGPC?”
“Basically in the scale of reliability, we are now free to ensure that our machines will be as reliable as possible, although, there are still limitations in terms of power to the machine, but the liberalisation in the use of DRS will help to subsidise the limitations set by the rules, something that I’m glad of, because I like to ensure that Telaris Machines can have the best in terms of reliability and power.”
“Do you have some drivers in mind for this time?”
“I do have, and I’ll organise a test in order to elect the most reliable and best drivers we can get, that’s why I already have a list of drivers that I want to make public if you allow me.”
“Of course, you can make it public here, that’s my duty,”
“Okay, in my list, I want to invite the following drivers to a test that will be held in La Laguna Circuit, located near our Headquarters in Moncada: iBenn Toralmintii, Asao Nadakei, R.L. Cruisin for a first driver position. As second drivers, we invite to test: Bastián Alcaraz, Juliano Lemos, Ethan Ellis and Moises Delgado, in case he doesn’t finds a team.”
“What about the two drivers you had in the team the last season?”
“I haven’t had any communication with Spupuo’s agent and Vic Convarion isn’t even signed up, that’s why I will change drivers completely this time.”
“About Moises Delgado, you, as agent have received any offer”
“One offer from Taeshan and that’s all, but I have told him to apply in Audioslavia for McPahan, he might have a chance this time since both teams have competent machines, it’s a shame that he didn’t had a good season with his last team, that’s why he decided to not renovate contract with them, although, Delgado is able to participate in tests wherever they call him.”
“What about the two drivers you had in the team the last season?”
“I haven’t had any communication with Spupuo’s agent and Vic Convarion isn’t even signed up, that’s why I will change drivers completely this time.”
“About Moises Delgado, you, as agent have received any offer”
“One offer from Taeshan and that’s all, but I have told him to apply in Audioslavia for McPahan, he might have a chance this time since both teams have competent machines, it’s a shame that he didn’t had a good season with his last team, that’s why he (Delgado) decided to not renovate contract with Cygnus ATR, apart that they won’t compete this season, although, Delgado is able to participate in tests wherever they call him.” (Moisés Delgado will participate in Rumble Strip Racing test in Taeshan)
“Thanks for your time”
“You’re welcome.”

For: iBenn Toralmintii, Asao Nadakei, R.L. Cruisin, Bastián Alcaraz, Juliano Lemos, Ethan Ellis and Moises Delgado
From: Esteban Gutiérrez, head of Telaris Racing - egutierrez@telaris.co.gu

Dear drivers, all of you have been selected to be in Telaris racing trials to determine who is the best driver for our team, the test will be held at La Laguna circuit, in Moncada, San Salvador, San José Guayabal this Saturday, January 6th, before the race a medical and psychological preparedness test will be conducted, during the racing test, we will look for the best driver in a WGPC normal length race, all of you will do 48 laps on the circuit using our prototypes for this season, all the machines will have the set-up that we will use for this season, so you'll experience it from now and in case you're selected, you can give your opinions and modifications can be done to your car.

Circuit information:

CIRCUIT Description

NAME OF CIRCUIT: La Laguna
CITY/TOWN: La Laguna
COUNTRY: San José Guayabal
NAME OF GRAND PRIX: Gran Premio del Guayabal.
TRACK RATING: (5/5)
LAP RECORD: 01:46:004 - Alexandra Mayari.
LENGTH OF ONE LAP: 6.483km.
PRECIPITATION CHANCE: (0%)
TOP SPEED ON PITS: 75 km/h.
AVAILABILITY TO RACE AT NIGHT: YES
SUGGESTED START TIME: 21:00.
CAPACITY: 98,000 fans.
VIP BOXES: 1000.
PRESS HALLS: Available,  equipped with A/C, Wi-Fi, 25 computers with enough broadband to upload and download files over 200 GB's, special zones to do press conferences.

The first part of the circuit of the lake shows a slight downward slope in the first corner, which requires good braking, approximately 45-degree turn to the right after coming at a speed of 365-370 kilometers per hour required a braking at the right time and the right proportion in order not to lose pace in the field of curves, something nicknamed "slowdown" properly out of the corner one is indispensable to overcome in Turn 2, which it is an excellent sector to position itself well in the circuit just before you get to "Los Pinos" a fairly sharp curve where a good position allows accommodate and avoid being surpassed in this curve, although it is not easy to overcome by this curve less that the inner side is taken in the optimal speed between about 120-140 kph.

The arrival in "Los Pinos" marks the entrance to the track slower sector, where there are constant curves and where the probability of exceeding is in Turn 4, where there is a slight slope down which allows it to be a fairly rapid curve comparison other, go to 160-200 kilometers per hour is important if you want to exceed and do a good time in this sector of the track, of course you should get a nice boost to the Hairpin Curve 5, the second closed curve circuit where you need to go from 200 mph to 70 kph in a matter of three to four seconds and showing an upward slope, climbing the hills in the area, is not a fit curve to overcome evil but taking the curve be left at a disadvantage to the pilot when approaching the bus stop, just prior to the bus stop straight and this sector are conducive to overtaking or acquisition of advantage in the timeframe, remain at 120 kilometers per hour or less is indispensable for have a good momentum to take the bus stop.

Leaving aside the area of ​​curves, we approach the second fastest section of the track, leaving the bus stop with good momentum will be useful for finding surpass the opponent in "The Fair", located on the side of the Municipal Amusement Park, which It is relatively easy to make at a speed of 160-190 km per hour curve after a pulse exceeding the curve and accelerate quickly is the key to generate an advancement in this curve, resulting in a sector of the track where tilt up it becomes evidenciable but does not prevent the engines roar in the forest sector of the track, reaching speeds of 340 kilometers per hour, even at Turn 9, which is the fastest of the circuit and go out there 350 kph be normal during the race, reaching Turn 10, where the slope becomes more noticeable and you begin to get to "The Corkscrew" an even steeper slope to reach the highest point of the track "The Hill", this point is important to overcome, from this point to the Carved Stone overtaking is nothing fancy, it's something easy to do at that stage.

Taking "The Hill" at 200 kilometers per hour helps to take good momentum through the curve 13, which allows you to go at full speed and the width is the ideal to overcome the opponent, braking medium intensity occurs at Turn 14 and is here that the circuit zone where the most accidents occurred, the "Lake Entrace" is the most dangerous section of the track it can be taken as a fast corner but actually requires good braking to avoid going long and have a spectacular crash against the fence containment that prevents car from falling into the lake shore or within the lake, perfect starting from the turn helps to achieve an excellent acceleration in the "Lake shore", although it does not develop a high speed, this sector is critical to see who will be best placed to achieve to overtake in "the dock" in the line of the lakefront, you can witness the turquoise water of this lake and lush pines located in outline, after taking the curve of the spring, the "carved stone" is a sector where there is a downward slope and then reach "Roulette," a point which can be overcome in a futile attempt where drivers can go long and try to overcome or where they can achieve victory with a superb overtaking, so that when you leave this curve can reach the first corner again at a maximum speed of 370 kilometers per hour, because of its good quality asphalt, it is how the lap concludes in the circuit.

All your expenses in San José Guayabal such as food, lodging, etc, as your flights from where you are right now and your return flight will be paid for us, don't worry of that, we will pay all for you.

Best Regards, Esteban Gutiérrez
Telaris Racing CEO.

[The Redvale]

Roja Leo Headquarters, North Bay, Greater Maris

The staff at Roja Leo Racing were faced with a hard choice. Send their best driver abroad to do double duty and increase her worth for sponsorships and branding, or keep her home and have her full attention, but risk pissing her off and losing appeal from sponsors. The driver in question, of course, was their new signing from this offseason. Maria Cattaneo, the superstar amateur who had just signed her first professional contract for millions of drachmas to race domestically for the Marisian giants. After Jason Yamura left to race for Chang Autosports, his hometown team, they'd been left with a massive hole in their roster that they thought they had the perfect solution for. However, it turned out that the solution wasn't quite as perfect as they thought it was. Cattaneo was interested not just in racing domestically, but racing internationally, and if they told her to only race for them, there was a chance that it would upset her and ruin her performance for the upcoming domestic season.

"The question we want to ask you is," started the manager of the team, Giovani Giordano, as the two of them walked through the winding halls of headquarters and towards one of the garages. "Will you be able to handle it mentally? With the way scheduling works out, the domestic and international seasons won't clash. But will you be able to handle the stress of what would essentially be two seasons?"

"You know I don't get stressed," shrugged Maria. "I don't believe in getting stressed. I'm all about taking the good with the bad and moving on. I don't think two seasons is going to stress me out any more than signing a big contract with Bay Athletics or signing with your team would-"

"Are you just giving me what I want to hear, or are you serious? Really, can you handle it?"

"I don't know how I'm going to do, but I know that one season won't affect the other. You know me well enough to know that I keep a cool head," Maria replied. "Look, it's up to you, it's your team after all, but you already know that I really want to test myself abroad. It's not like the domestic season is super long, anyway. I'm going to be fine."

The two stopped, and exchanged a look. The 38 year old Giovani was a retired racer himself, and Maria reminded him a lot of himself when he was younger. And she was right, she always did keep a cool head. If he was going to send anyone abroad to race for another team while representing the country, it would be someone like her. "If you want to do it, do it. It'll help us by bringing us attention, and by increasing your value to sponsors. But I'm going to hold you to what you said... Make sure that the new duties don't screw anything up back here for you."

Port District, East Maris, Greater Maris

The next few months would be a make or break time for Jeremy Jensen-Fletcher. The recent Maris Tech grad had realized in the last years of college that his talent was not with engineering, or at least not in the traditional sense of engineering, but in cars. Working on them, racing them, whatever. While he was a talented mechanic, that wasn't what he was interested in now. He could work on cars, but his real interest was racing. The adrenaline rush that he got from it was unlike anything else that he'd experienced, and he wanted to feel it as much as he could. He wanted to be a professional, and because of that, he had signed for the university team, the one that had a decent level of success for a team that had by far the lowest budget in the domestic league. How he performed after signing with Maris Tech would make or break his future career.

He was at the Port District track, ready to go for another test run in the new Maris Tech car, when he stopped and stepped back into the garage because of a phone call from a name he hadn't gotten a call from in a long time: Maria Cattaneo. Maybe the new Roja Leo driver was calling to congratulate him on going pro. They'd raced each other a few times as amateurs, but they always had a respect for each other. He answered quickly, wondering what the call was about. "Hey, I'm going to make this quick. If I was going to race in the Word Grand Prix Championship in addition to racing for Roja Leo, and I didn't want to be the only Redvali on the team, would you want to come trial with me for the team I'm looking at? Roja Leo will pay your entrance fees, if that matters," she said, and then there was silence for the next few moments.

Jeremy was kind of in shock. It was a surprising and impressive offer after all. "I don't know, I'm not sure if I'm good enough for that. I think I only made it into Maris Tech because I just graduated from there-"

"Bullshit. You're fine. The only question is do you want to give up your free time to do even more races. I was hoping you would say yes, you seem like the kind of guy to take up that offer."

"Yeah. You know me well," Jeremy chuckled, breaking another awkward silence. "What team are you trying to trial with?"

"McPahan. You know them. I know it seems like they're too good for us, but they have an open trial for rookie drivers. I'm going, but I want another Redvali to come. You're up for it, right?" asked Maria, expectation in her tone.

"Of course," Jeremy said after a pause, surprised that he was actually making himself go along with it this easily. "What time? And you said that Roja Leo is paying for us to go?"

"Yes, it's something about building a brand or some shit like that. I don't know, you'll have to ask Giovani. Anyway, there's a pair of time slots open on Sunday. I'm going to take the 3PM one, there's still a 5PM one open. Are you in or are you out?"

Jeremy didn't do well under pressure like this, and he blurted out a quick reply. "I'm in. I'll take the 5PM spot. We'll have to talk about the details later, I'm in the garage and I'm about to head out for a practice run in the new Tech car. It was nice talking to you again, Ria. And thanks for the offer."

"No problem. It was nice talking to you too, JJ. Who knows? Maybe we'll be teammates soon enough. We'll see when we do the trials."

[Alinghi Federal-Democratic Republic]

Kluassermann Al-Jarish Karl, are on his hause in his hause a Boergen at the District 3 of the canton Horgen (to a year ago the canton Horgen ar in the Canton Alinghi, and Canton Alinghi Wassuddivided in 14 district, the Haupstadt and the 13 districts, after the exit of the notoruous film the Hunger games the coincidence help the tourist in the "districts", year ago for administrative reson the Federal Government decided to suddivde the Alinghi Hautstadt, and Horgern, situated in the district 12, a different cantons. But the tourism attarction remain.Also the only similtude was only the suddvistion in 13 districts, in cantoan Horgen the district not have a high differences of income, and the capital of the Canton Horgen is Horgen, with 40 000 inhabitants, and situated in district 12).

He have in the his hand the Tablet (new version of MichTech Tab Z3), and seeing the aviable Teams, and noted that where are a lot of free spaces, he raced primary in the the national competiton,, and go to his mail box (KAlKarl@sucher.ah).

And send some mail to marittjiana racing team,

From: Klassermann Al-Jarish Karl <KAlKarl@sucher.ah>
To: Mattijana Racing Team <....>

Object: 2nd driver request

Greeting.

I'm a F1 pilote, I'm from Alinghi Federal-Democratic Republic, living in Boergern (HR). I'm seeing for the Driver n. 2.
Im glad to accept the my request

Greetly

Klassermann Al-Jarish Karl

Now, he will wait the answer, and he are ready to send another mail to other's teams...

[Krytenia]

Mike Dewhurst pored over his paperwork. Finding a number one driver was top of his priorities, as of three hours ago.

It was at that point that Steb Guilhermez had walked into his office, had a sit down with the Wilson team principal, and informed him that no, he wouldn't be driving in the sky blue and white cars this season. Mike remained calm, and even said that he'd help Steb get a drive next season.

Mike, you see, had a plan. As his boss, Clara Wilson, was putting out the feelers for potential sponsors - Leopard Brewery were reportedly on board, as were JMC - the bedraggled boss had a little bit extra money to play with.

He fired up his laptop, and formulated an e-mail

FROM: michael.dewhurst@wilsongpe.kt
TO: johanj@mcpahanracing.co.as
CC: clara@wilsongpe.kt, stebieg29@cloudnet.kt
SUBJ: Season 15 Driver Deal

Good afternoon Johan,

We've heard that Alexander Lund may be looking to move on, and we have an intriguing proposition for you. We'd like to take him for next season, guaranteed contract for the full season, and #1 driver status. In exchange, we'd like to arrange for Esteban Guilhermez, ATR's number one driver last season, to drive for you. We understand that you're running trails, and if you wish to enter him in those that's fine, but we'd like to see his career move one somewhere, even though he won't be in our cars next season.

Let me know what you think.

Kind regards,
Michael Dewhurst
Team Principal
Wilson Grand Prix Engineering

[The Republic Of Arkan]

Arkan Racing Network
Your home for all Arkanian Racing

12:00 PM Block - ARN Global Tour (HOSTED BY: David Accrait and Argo Esmoto)

"Hello and welcome to ARN Global Tour, Arkan Racing Network's view into the international racing world. My name is David Accrait, joined as always by Argo Esmoto,"the dark haired male said.

"Thank you, David. Today, we're being joined by Arkanian international racing phenom and free agent in the World Grand Prix Championship, Makeo Oket. Greeting, Mr. Oket,"Argo, the blonde haired male sitting to the right side of the table, said.

"Greetings, David, Argo," Makeo said, taking the seat to the left of the table. The table, as it's referred to, is much more of a oversized desk than a table. Modelled to sit at least six, the front comes accompanied with an LED board, for that wonderful logo.

"Okay, so, Mr. Oket," Argo started, leaning into the table, placing his elbows on top of it."You seem to have been making some stirs in the racing world, from insiders saying you're being eyed by a few teams in the World Grand Prix, yet, none of them, to our knowledge, have come to you with an offer. Any statement?"

"Well, I've heard much of the same thing, yet no teams have come forward to offer the spot,"Oket started."So, today, live on ARN Global Tour, I'd like to personally implore any World Grand Prix team still looking for a driver, whether it be a primary driver or secondary, I don't care, to contact me."

"So, you're offering any team that comes after you a driver?" asked David, leaning forward a tad.

"Yes, I am, David,"Makeo responded, looking over at the man in the center of the table."They know how to contact me, they know where to find me."

"Well then," Argo looked over to the camera a second."Changing topics. Makeo, earlier this month, you somehow broke your nose in a practice. Care to inform us about that?"

"Oh! The nose! I haven't actually told anyone that story, aside from my family,"Makeo said, slightly chuckling."Well, it was early, I think a Saturday, and I was out practicing. Now, it had been raining that day, and as you two probably know, Cryslis's racing track is notorious for, when it rains, parts of the trees around the track fall onto the course. When I was turning under a tree, I somehow got hit by a piece of a branch, hitting from the bottom of my left eye to my right cheek. Somehow, in all of that, it found a way to break my nose, and that's how I broke my nose."

"Well, that is something I don't think anyone expected,"David said with a chuckle."So, any updates on how the medical process is going?"

"Well, if you couldn't tell, not wearing the face protector any more, so that's a plus,"Makeo said."The doctor said I'm pretty much fully healed, so I'll be ready to go whenever I'm needed."

"That's something good, at least,"Argo said, tapping the pile of papers down onto the desk."Well, when we come back from break, we'll talk more with Makeo, and potentially talk other sports. See you, in two."

[Ethane]

Mr. James Hartleigh,

Thank you for writing to me concerning this matter. I find your suggestion deeply intriguing, and I must admit, the WGPC is something that I have always wanted to get involve with, considering my love for motorsports.

I must say, you are doing a grand job, preparing this all yourself. I wouldn't have the ability to be able to coordinate all of this, so the fact that you are setting it up with your previous strong record on organisation and management of sports businesses makes it seem like an even more worthwile investment, as I know with you at the helm of the team, it will pay off in the long-term not only for my business, but for the competitiveness of the sport I so love to watch.

I find it really encouraging that we also have the support and funding of the government behind us, and all the power they hold. It suggests that such a move would be welcome, even encouraged by them to bring investment into the nation and our name and national anthem sent across the airwaves. With sports and the like, you just get a sense of patriotism so powerful, you fall in love with your own nation once again. It's an overwhelming love that overcomes you, falling in love with your country and all the little quaint things that come from the place you live. Its something to be proud of, and performing well in the WGPC - as Ethan Ellis did last year - just reinforces this love for your country.

I can also see the benefits which such an investment would have for my company, including increased name recognition, beneficial sponsorship positions, and advertisements for my company around the world, which will surely help me expand my business at an exponential rate.

This is why I am certainly keen to agree to join this project with you and the rest of the investors you have assembled, whom I shall have to meet at some point in the near future.

However, I do have a few matters to ask first. As a team, what would we call ourself, what sort of drivers would we be looking for in the upcoming season, and what would the teams expectations be for the new WGPC season.

Please write back soon, and I hope we have the greatest success with this project.

Yours Gratefully,
Mr. Daniel Lakes.

[Audioslavia]

"So" said Stan McPahan, in between mouthfuls of doughnut. "Terho has pulled out. That's a shame. How many veteran drivers have we got for the testing sessions?"
"Still only Oliver Bliss and Alec Lund, unless I'm very much mistaken" came Johan's reply. "Esteban Guilhermez has shown interest, though. I'm not sure of his contract situation, there's some legacy deal with Wilson, but there was talk of him coming here in exchange for Alexander Lund going to drive for Wilson next season."
"Alec isn't contracted to us, though" came Stan's puzzled reply.
"Aye, I've let them know. I forwarded the email to Alec which has pricked his ears about the offer. He'll still be doing our test, though I'm not sure if he'll be concentrating on us or on the Wilson job"
"And Bliss?" asked Stan
"Also tricky. RSR getting involved means we're very much his second choice now."
Stan McPahan offered only a simple 'hmmph' in response. The team owner ran a hand over where his hair had once been.
"Email Esteban. Tell him we'll only consider giving him a drive if he turns up to the trial. Best CC Wilson into the message as well, lest we get accused of tapping up another driver behind another team's back."
"You sure, boss?" asked Johan, "Say Oliver and Alec both decide on elsewhere and Esteban decides not to do the test, what then?"
"Well, we'll just have to hope there are two good rookies in the afternoon tests, rather than one. Speaking of which..."
"All spots taken, bar one" said Johan. "The two Redvali drivers, JJF and Cattaneo. Kransjka seems keen, we've got Tordoro and Hofferman Julius. Oh, and I almost forgot, Censki, from Qasden. That's all the spots filled.
"Right-o" came Stan's reply, nodding, and polishing off the last of a doughnut. He stood up and nodded towards Johan.
"I've got to get down to the workshop. Make sure all the drivers are up to speed on the test."
"Will do" said Johan, watching his boss depart. Johan turned his attention to his computer.

FROM: johanjj@mcpahanracing.co.as
TO: stebieg29@cloudnet.kt
CC: michael.dewhurst@wilsongpe.kt, stanmp@mcpahanracing.co.as, clara@wilsongpe.kt
SUBJ: RE: Season 15 Driver Deal

Hello Mr. Guilhermez

With regards to the deal that would bring you to our team, after consultation with Stan McPahan we've decided that any deal would be reliant upon your participation in our testing session next week. We can put you down for the 10am slot on the Sunday, just after Alec Lund's test, so the two of you can meet properly, if you'd like.

We hope to see you next week.

Regards,

Johan Johanson
Race Director
McPahan Racing

[Hodori Motorsports]

A rainy afternoon in Seokuba, team principal Nechiru Seozamo and Arada Motorsport Director of Operations Kaikato Yarasuma huddled over a folding table in a mostly sound-proofed ‘backstage’ area, poring through a selection of driver dossiers as the rest of the team worked between post-season test stints of Arada’s domestic championship cars and final pre-season shakedown runs of their new grand prix car. Most of the grand prix team’s lineup was already finalised with two of three remaining key positions filled; Asao Nadakei as Arada’s number one driver and Chiruno Reitoude filling the lead engineer slot. All that remained was the number two seat.

Seozamo sorted the four dossiers in front of her, then answered the question asked by the Director, “In order of preference; Oket, Madison, Cruisin, and Pedanovic.” She sighed and added, “Having Ashburton would be ideal.”
“But she’s run off after the Yakumicha 300k and even in a neglected car was vastly outperformed by Nadakei,” the Director replied before standing upright and critiquing Seozamo’s other choices.
“Oket, sixteenth with Archer. A good technical driver. Did what he could with a terrible car, but still towards the bottom of mid-pack.” Director Yarasuma flipped through the dossiers. “Madison, fifth with Fornax.” He checked his phone again. “But he’s already signed for another team.”
“Well then,” Seozamo said as the Director casually tossed Madison’s dossier aside, the folder landing on the concrete floor and spilling its contents.
“Cruisin,” the Director continued, “Seventh with Carvenlo. He definitely has the pace. With Madison unavailable he’s my preference.” He looked through the fourth dossier; Pedanovic’s. “This will be her WGPC debut season if she finds a seat. She seems to have good technical skill and the ability to get the car home, but whether she can do so consistently in a points-paying position is yet to be seen.”
Neatly stacking the three dossiers still on the table, Seozamo asked, “Your recommendation?”
“Extend an offer to Cruisin once we’re done here,” the Director answered as he turned to head to the main work area. “I know you want to invite them for a test session but we’re running out of open weekends. So this is an order as your direct superior, offer Cruisin the number two seat.”

---

Back at team headquarters in Dashoze that evening, Seozamo composed the offer letter.

To: R.L. Cruisin
From: Arada Motorsport
Subject: Seat Offer

We here at Arada Motorsport wish to have you as our number two driver, to be employed with equal terms as teammate Asao Nadakei for the duration of the 15th World Grand Prix Championship season.

As one of our drivers, you will be paid 26,250,000K (approximately $750,000 NSD) per race, for a total of 315,000,000K (approximately $9,000,000) over the course of the season, plus bonuses to be paid for overall performance and any additional income from sponsors.

We look forward to your response, and hope to have you on our team.

Regards,
Nechiru Seozamo
Team Principal,
Arada Motorsport

---

---

---

In a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Soeshu, as her girlfriend prepared dinner Sayono Souzare was contemplating her future in the WGPC. Life-long friend, Team TenGU coordinator, and Souzare’s WGPC agent An’ue Toudeyaku had joined the two and was seated across from Souzare at the tiny apartment’s equally tiny kitchen table.
“So, have you finished thinking about which three teams you want to apply for?” Toudeyaku asked, adjusting her glasses as she looked up from her tablet.
“SFeG, MSA, and VTM,” Souzare replied.
“SFeG and MSA are, to my knowledge, no-gos,” Toudeyaku said as she poked at her tablet. “Plus, even if MSA had an open seat, there might be a few issues given that you and Hakusa…” Her voice trailed off as she laid the tablet on the table and made scissors with her hands before bringing them together, interlacing the ‘blades’. Picking the tablet back up she continued, “Anyways, you might want to pick two more. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Hmm.” Souzare considered her options. “I think I’ll go with Wilson and…” she trailed off as she watched Hakusa add sliced carrots to a pot.
“And?”
“I’m not sure. McPahan, I guess.”
Toudeyaku made notes on her tablet as Hakusa glared at Souzare. “If you’re considering McPahan, they’re holding trials to find their drivers. I think there’s still space.”
Souzare clasped her hands. “Sure, I’ll go.”
“Okay, looks like the McPahan slots you’d be able to try for are for the first driver. The arrangements with Hieda and their sponsorship money are for the second driver position.”
“I’d really rather not have to rely on that to get anywhere.”
“Well aware of that, but unfortunately your two seasons of struggling at Archer and their terrible car have most likely limited your options.” Toudeyaku set her tablet down again. “So anywhere but McPahan and odds are you’ll need quite a bit of cash just to get them to consider you.” She slid the tablet towards Souzare, a short distance given the small table. “Pick a time slot and I’ll handle the rest.”
Souzare picked up the tablet and looked at the available times. “I think I’ll go for Saturday, 9:30.”
“Alright. I’ll get everything dealt with tomorrow,” Toudeyaku said as she took back her tablet. “Hakusa, you want to come with?”
Hakusa looked up from the soup she was making. “Sure. I suppose if something were to happen it would be better than waiting for Sayono to return or for the news to trickle back.”
“It’s only a test session.”
“Sayono, it’s the McPahan part that has me worried.”
“Well, ever since Linco’s incident at Falcania McPahans haven’t been as prone to spontaneously combusting, so Sayono should be okay.”
“But it’s still a McPahan, An’ue.”

---

The next afternoon, Souzare’s phone chimed as she cuddled on the couch with Hakusa and their cat. Unlocking it, she dismissed the email notifications and checked her inbox.

To: Johan Johansson (johanj@mcpahanracing.co.as)
From: An’ue Toudeyaku (toudeyaku.anue@team-tengu-racing.net)
CC: Sayono Souzare (souzare.sayono@team-tengu-racing.net)
Subject: McPahan Test

Mr. Johansson,

As Sayono Souzare’s representative, we wish to schedule for the Saturday morning test session at 9:30. I, An’ue Toudeyaku, and Souzare’s partner, Hakusa Kiegi, wish to attend as spectators.

Ms. Souzare has previously driven for Archer Motorsports Super-WGP with less than spectacular results, and now seeks a team with a machine capable of allowing her talents to produce more fruitful results. Additionally, she has participated in the past two seasons of the domestic ENSADRINK GT Championship and the Yemigama HPI Formula Touring Championship, respectively known internationally as the Hodori GT Championship and Formula Hodori.

Regards,
An’ue Toudeyaku

To: Vilita and Turori Motorsport, Wilson Grand Prix Engineering
From: An’ue Toudeyaku (toudeyaku.anue@team-tengu-racing.net)
CC: Sayono Souzare (souzare.sayono@team-tengu-racing.net)
Subject: Application for Second Driver

To whom it may concern,

I, An’ue Toudeyaku, am speaking on behalf of Sayono Souzare. After two seasons of struggles and poor results with Archer Motorsports Super-WGP’s machinery, she now seeks a team with a car capable of producing consistent results. To this end she wishes to sign as the team’s second driver.

Ms. Souzare brings with her sponsorship from HIEDA Audiosystems, one of Hodori’s larger manufacturers of home theatre systems and in-car audio systems. This sponsorship is worth 100,000,000K, or over $2,800,000 NSD, and is to be paid out per race.

Regards,
An’ue Toudeyaku

[Aboveland]

The neon tennis ball flew up to its apoapsis and dropped again, constantly. Up and down it went, Terho repeating his jabs every two seconds, keeping himself entertained with the mundane task. He'd succumbed to late Sunday afternoon depression and, in the midst of it, began to doubt himself. What if he had signed too soon? What if MRT15 wasn't destined for such success as Chassis Y? What if, after a disastrous season, his career was to end in a pit, no team offers in sight, no interest from old faces? What if V+T was the only shot he had at a title defense? The endless question marks began to rot his head, and the anxiety began to creep up through his lungs to choke him. Desperate, he reached for his phone, conveniently laid within an arm's reach of his position against the wall, and with the tennis ball landing on his nose with a plunk he called Edvin to cheer him up.

After a half an hour long session of an amateur psychological session, the pair decided the best remedy to Terho's sanity would be a comforting Sunday drive at over 100km/h. However, Terho insisted that circuit practice was futile; he felt he had freshened up enough over the off-season, and as soon as he settled into the MRT15 properly during the first two tests of the year he'd be all set to aim for wins in the initial races of the season.
Terho and Edvin's destination was a frigid one: the remote, mountainous, lake-laced backroads just across from Iskajärvi in Northern Aboveland, blanketed in fresh snow. After all, rallying had kept the Abovian sane through all of last season. As soon as Terho envisioned his encounter with his dear rallying machine, his gentle stroking of the chiseled bonnet and graceful grille, his anxiety got washed away; his face, evolving into a grin.

[Taeshan]

"Oliver you looked well out there. Last year in the McPahan test you were fast throughout the lap but missed a turn late and spun out which greatly affected your speed overall and put you at a time that was hardly noticeable. From all accounts you improved upon it this year and looked good out there. Given that we don't know many of the specifics of this "closed" time trial how do you feel about the events as a whole today?"

"Well it was close to wet out there so honestly I couldn't do as much as I wanted to but overall it was a success. Last year I came into the test needing to prove something and I went out with all intentions of making the best possible impression for the watching team. This year I came in having shown last year that I was a good enough driver to compete on the circuit so I was much more comfortable. Less of a hot headed attempt to be the fastest, and more of a show of what I am as a driver, what skills I have and how I can be an asset for the team if they choose to sign me. I think my fastest lap was around 2:13:67 or so. Not the fastest in the weather, but I feel it was a success. Hopefully I have made an impact on McPahan and they may give me a call."

"Rumors around RSR have them still touting you as there #1 option in the driver's seat. Any comment?"

"Yeah I know they still want me and I still think they are one of the best options out there for me, but I'm still not sure they are the best possible option. Racing is about giving your maximum effort and i'm not entirely sure that the team over at RSR is ready to do that. They are all talk so far and honestly I'm not sure they are ready. Until they have a viable second option and prove they are fast enough I'm not sure I'm willing to go to drive for them."

"Any other news on the front of options for the season? MSA-Sinval just put together their full team."

"Yes it is a shame that I won't get to drive with them this season but they have their own hopes of what to do in the year to come and I am not part of that plan. I also have hopes of driving for the Wilson team if that line opens up, but right now i'm just focusing on being ready for the season. If someone comes a calling I wil be ready, all of these teams are good looking to this season, and hopefully one of them will give me a chance to win races this season."

[Ouna]

OBC Interview with WGPC hopeful TEO BROEKHOF [text interview]

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Two days after the press conference concludes, the following message is sent out to Eaoueaiou Aeouiouie (conditional on the approval of her WGPC racing license, since her papers were submitted late), Maria Cattaneo, Esteban Guilhermez, James Lark, Trace McSorley, Julia Starker and Markus Tordoro.

Greetings and congratulations! You are among a group of drivers who have been selected for priority admission to one of Nexus Racing’s trial periods. These three-day events will have you working with the team here at Nexus Racing in which we will assess how good a fit you are for our outfit. This is your chance to drive for an innovative and exciting team that is upcoming in motorsport; do not ignore it!

Please note that due to time constraints we only have a short time to compile our schedule of trial periods; we must, therefore, ask that you reply to this invitation within three days with information of your availability up until the end of the month.

We will provide all transport, accommodation and other amenities for the trip; please inform us if you have any particular requirements.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Karl Rain, Nexus Racing Head of Communications and Public Relations

A separate message is sent to Marika Pedanovic:

Hi! This is Timothy Guard, Project Manager of Nexus Racing; I’m writing to ask you to join us for one of our trial periods over the coming fortnight.

Let’s not waste words; the rest of the team and I all think that you’d be a great fit here. You’ve been a part of more varied racing outfits than any other driver out there and driven more types of car than I can name, so you undoubtedly can adapt to whatever machinery and environment you come across; moreover, you’re bound to have a ton of great ideas for how the team and car can be improved based on that wide experience. Beyond that, you’re a consistent and talented driver. Honestly, the only reason that we’re not asking for a contract from you already is that we want to be fair to the other drivers.

The question really is what we can offer you rather than the other way around. Nexus Racing, then, is an entirely financially stable team with a car that’s completely different to anything that you will ever have driven, state-of-the-art testing facilities and a culture of flexibility, free-thinking and constant self-improvement. From a more utilitarian perspective we can also grant you a sizeable pay package, equivalent to or possibly beyond that of our competitor teams, along with extensive merchandising opportunities and a fully customised car livery to raise your profile worldwide. That’s not the important stuff, though - I know that ultimately we share an innate desire to run the best races that we possibly can and win them, something that I sincerely believe that we can make happen if we work together.

I really, really do hope, therefore, that we can see you soon; I am thoroughly looking forward to meeting you in person! Please respond as soon as you possibly can with details of your availability up to the end of the month; if there is anything in particular that you might need, just ask.

Timothy Guard, Nexus Racing Project Manager