WGP2 Season One - RP Thread (IC)

[Eastfield Lodge]

Race 3: Grand Prix of Lisander East
Race Day

In a Collapsing Universe, who will be the first to get out?

Conditions:DRY
Laps: 39
Tyres:

• Ultra Soft (+0.0s, 8 laps)
• Super Soft (+0.5s, 17 laps)
• Soft (+1.2s, 25 laps)

P    # Driver              Team	                  Race Time	Time Behind	Pts
1   66 Jack Kelly          Katara Racing   	  0:54:19.602	+0:00.000	25
2   89 Marcus Schwarz      Junixwagen   	  0:54:45.230	+0:25.627	18
3   33 Jenna Vandersen     Vannish Motors Racing  0:54:58.442	+0:13.213	14
4   18 Gorria Bildostegi   Yogutz Lantzia   	  0:55:06.089	+0:07.646	10
5    9 Jannik Markner      Academy Racing   	  0:55:06.278	+0:00.189	8
6   17 Lourdina Westgrens  Team Ignis   	  0:55:07.904	+0:01.627	6
7   11 Luna Estrella       Novikov Racing   	  0:55:10.815	+0:02.911	4
8   23 Cocoabo #23         Tropicorp Engineering  0:55:17.642	+0:06.827	3
9   94 Alyn Terfel         Team Ignis   	  0:55:17.942	+0:00.300	2
10  15 Rebecca Darlington  Nexus Racing   	  0:55:21.690	+0:03.748	1
11   3 Armo Lehto          Academy Racing   	  0:55:27.219	+0:05.529	
12  30 Saya Kaseo          Nadakei Sport AYDP     0:55:37.653	+0:10.434	
13  13 Jang Xiaopeng       Vannish Motors Racing       LAPS-1	+0:08.413	
14  19 Dom Falepeau        Junixwagen   	       LAPS-1	+0:01.090	
15  31 Cesaro Whittaker    Tropicorp Engineering       LAPS-1	+0:04.185	
16  61 Renho Virzi         Obey Sport GP   	       LAPS-1	+0:02.048	
17  27 Lukar Urdaneta      Nexus Racing   	       LAPS-1	+0:15.851	
18  29 Nikolai Niskanen    Yogutz Lantzia   	       LAPS-1	+0:38.925	
DNF 63 Dalia Dahl          MSA-SinVal   	  Ret. Lap 37
DNF 26 Shinno Soukuba      MSA-SinVal   	  Ret. Lap 33
DNF  5 Timo Jänkirinää     Katara Racing   	  Ret. Lap 28
DNF 74 Lera Kozel          Obey Sport GP   	  Ret. Lap 10
DNF  7 Juracai Klianiota   Novikov Racing   	   Ret. Lap 8

Drivers' Championship Standings
Pos	#	Name	            Team	           Pts	Wins
1	33	Jenna Vandersen	    Vannish Motors Racing  39	1
2	66	Jack Kelly	    Katara Racing	   35	1
3	26	Shinno Soukuba	    MSA-SinVal	           32	0
4	63	Dalia Dahl	    MSA-SinVal	           25	1
5	89	Marcus Schwarz	    Junixwagen		   24	0
6	11	Luna Estrella	    Novikov Racing	   18	0
6	61	Renho Virzi	    Obey Sport GP	   18	0
8	31	Cesaro Whittaker    Tropicorp Engineering  14	0
9	17	Lourdina Westgrens  Team Ignis		   10	0
9	18	Gorria Bildostegi   Yogutz Lantzia	   10	0
11	23	Cocoabo #23	    Tropicorp Engineering  9	0
12	9	Jannik Markner	    Academy Racing	   8	0
12	30	Saya Kaseo	    Nadakei Sport AYDP	   8	0
12	13	Jang Xiaopeng	    Vannish Motors Racing  8	0
15	94	Alyn Terfel	    Team Ignis		   6	0
16	27	Lukar Urdaneta	    Nexus Racing	   4	0
17	5	Timo Jänkirinää	    Katara Racing	   3	0
18	74	Lera Kozel	    Obey Sport GP	   1	0
18	15	Rebecca Darlington  Nexus Racing	   1	0
20	7	Juracai Klianiota   Novikov Racing	   0	0
20	3	Armo Lehto	    Academy Racing	   0	0
20	19	Dom Falepeau	    Junixwagen		   0	0
20	29	Nikolai Niskanen    Yogutz Lantzia	   0	0

Constructors' Championship Standings
Pos	Team                    Pts
1	MSA-SinVal	        57
2	Vannish Motors Racing	47
3	Katara Racing	        38
4	Junixwagen	        24
5	Tropicorp Engineering	23
6	Obey Sport GP	        19
7	Novikov Racing	        18
8	Team Ignis	        16
9	Yogutz Lantzia	        10
10	Academy Racing	        8
10	Nadakei Sport AYDP	8
12	Nexus Racing	        5

[Vangaziland]

Before the race, the network televising the event in Vangaziland scheduled an interview with Jessica Franssen from the VMR paddock in Lisander.

"What do you think of this course and your team's chances here?"

"It's a well-designed track. The line really flows and is pretty dynamic. This course is going to challenge Jen and Jang.", said Jess. "Braking at the right distance will make a difference."

"Where do you think they'll finish?"

"The VMR cars can make up a lot of time. It's going to be a run of catch up. We'll have to use the sort of pit strategy that worked in the first race. A few cars are looking fast here though. I think we might get one car in the top 5 and one in the top 10."

"What have VMR's WGPC scouts said about Xiaopeng and Vandersen?"

"They both put up decent times. So far they've been running together. The cars are also similar, as you can see by the practice and qual times", Franssen told the journalist. "I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up in Formula Hodori or something like that. If one of them break away, they'll probably make the WGPC. They'll be competing for a job with the GT2 drivers."

Just then, Jessica's phone rang. "Sorry I have to take this. Thanks for the interview."

With that, she walked away quite rapidly.

[Krossa]

Pre-race

It had been self explanatory to Niskanen, yet it was still depressing. The young racer felt his stomach twist as he thought about losing another race. He had failed to muster a good performance in even the placement laps in his last race, and he bit his lip as he thought about doing the same this race. He had fear about Yogutz Lantzia's thoughts on him, as he wasn't performing as good as they probably would of thought when the signed him. Still, there was room for improvement. Right? Niskanen thought. It was only the third race.

Post race

Dammit!

Nikolai was furious after the race. He left shortly after finishing the race in an attempt to avoid any talk with his team up front. He had his left hand on his forehead, which was developing a headache. He wanted to do more, perform like the racer he was in Krossa. Niskanen wondered what the Krossan media was thinking about him. He had received multiple texts, two from his team and one 'encouraging' text from his agent. The racer sighed, keeping a lukewarm expression. He glanced back down at his phone. There's always room for improvement. Keep your eyes open.

[Tenburg]

Jack revved the car to what he felt to be a good launch rpm and held it there, looking up at the red lights in the distance as they illuminated, one by one. There was something in his mind today, something he couldn't put into words. Something pushing him forward.

Lights out.

Jack got the best launch of anyone off the grid, blitzing past Schwarz and Cocoabo #23 before they even made it halfway down the beginning straight. Approaching the corner, he was carrying too much speed to move to the inside of Estralla, so he took the outside route, balancing a sharp turn while not bleeding off too much speed, and managed his way around her as the exited turn 1. Looking back behind him, he noticed Schwarz following him around Luna, but he didn't seem to have the speed to keep up with Jack. He looked back ahead towards the next target.

Lap 28

"Jack, Timo's gone off."

"Don't tell me it's another overheating engine."

"No, no. He was trying to get past the 94 car and lost it into Six."

"He alright?"

"Yea, he's fine. Wants you to keep building that lead for him. 89 car is twelve seconds back."

"Roger that."

Double it, he thought to himself, you've got the car for it.

Lap 39

"Too good, fellas, this car is too good."

"I'd say it's the driver more than the car today, Jack. Bring 'er home!"

Jack closed his eyes as he entered the final straight. He was never one to weave about in victory or wave to the crows before he crossed the line; as a TT racer, he'd seen too many times that a guy could wreck doing something like that--indeed, he'd once inherited a win from an unfortunate learner of that lesson. He kept his foot buried in the pedal, almost through the floor, as he opened his eyes to see the flag pass over him. A big grin rolled across his face. Finally!

"Awesome job, my boy, just dominant!"

"Couldn't do it without you guys! Awesome car today, I'll see you in a bit."

As he passed the crowds, he offered a few waves, whereas the Jack Kelly of F10 would have stopped the car and tried to climb the fence. But he felt different here. This was his first internationally sanctioned win. And it came on his third start. He shook his head. "Ridiculous. What is my life?"



Jack brought the car to the staging area, where his team, looking like a bunch of giddy schoolboys, was waiting. He tore off his harnesses, leapt out of the car and ran over to them. They surrounded him, all jumping around like fools.

"Can we just keep running this car?" he asked to a horde of laughter. And it was real, true laughter. Hardy laughter.

He reached out to Timo, who was on the edge of the mob, shaking his hand. "Timo! Next race let's make it a 1-2, eh?"



The sun beat warmly down on Jack was he stood on top of the podium, the sparkling, non-alcoholic whatever-it-was feeling oh-so-good on his sweaty face. He doused himself briefly before taking a long, healthy swig. Nice and cold. He took another swig before stepping off the podium and spraying the crowd gathered below.

He hadn't even looked at the trophy yet. He'd do that later, after he answered all the messages on his phone, which he assumed was blowing up; it was still in the paddock.

[Esmerel]

???
Kings Beach, Vespucci, Esmerel
Monday, 24th of July, 15:00

Nothing better than relaxing on one of the most pristine beaches in all of Esmerel. And without everyone else on the beach mobbing him for his popularity.

Considering that he had just been ranked as the most popular person in Esmerel, that was a huge benefit. After he rose to stardom with enduring a rocky start before blitzing the competition by making history, he wanted a bit of a break from all of it. After he did a couple of press conferences and et cetera, he told the world he'd like a bit of alone time. He kept a low profile wherever he went, making sure he wasn't followed, mobbed, or crowded. Only his closest friends were the ones he kept in touch with.

He wouldn't be coming out of hiding until December.

But most plans never go right. He checked his phone for the latest stuff, when he noticed he had a text. From someone important.

Come on. I thought you weren't supposed to contact me, you jerk.

He looked at the text anyways.

Hey. I know you're keeping a low profile. But we need you for your skills. You're the only one that has them, after all.

Raleigh Hill. 26th of July. Meet us at 0600. Maximum priority.

We're going in to the belly of the beast and you'll be our guide.

Cheers, Talia

Hmm... My skills, huh?

Well, most plans go awry. I think I can do that.

[West-East Timor]

Timo watched the red lights go on. One... Two... Why was he counting them? Was there any point in that? Anyways they all were on... And went out.

Timo had a normal start, but Luna Estrella right in front seemed to have a terrible start, and he got past her before they even reached the first corner. He now was in second, behind Alyn Terfel. He tried to overtake him several times, but never succeeded.

Lap 16

"Guys, should we try an undercut? I can't get past him on track."

"Alright, let's try it. Box Box Box."

Timo stopped and got his tires changed. Terfel stopped one lap later, but when he exited the pit lane, he still was in front of Timo.

In lap 28, Timo had lots of speed coming out of the long turn, and got on the outside of Terfel. Getting out of turn six, Terfel went on driving on the ideal line, drifting towards the outside. The cars collided, and while Terfel could keep it on track, Timo was pushed into the gravel, and found himself in a wall a few seconds later.

"Oh fuck!"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm OK. I'm sorry guys."

When Timo got back to the garage, he looked at the race standings.

"Why has Terfel fallen back?"

"It seems like he had damage from your crash. He's still in, but had to stop to get his car repaired."

"So, in the lead is now..."

"Jack! Jack is in the lead! Jack is first now!"

"Yeah... Yeah, righ! Well, then. Tell him to bring it home!"

And so he did. After the race, Timo went to the staging area with the rest of the team, and watched Jack getting out of his car. He came towards him, shook his hand, and said next race they'd make a 1 - 2.

"Shure thing, mate!"

He watched Jack getting on the podium, getting his trophy, spraying none-alcoholic stuff... He felt a bit jealous, when he thought that he could have been that. But just a little bit.

"We have some actual Champagne in the garage, haven't we?"

"Yeah, I think we have..."

After the podium ceremony, they went back to the garage, and some time later, Jack got there too.

"Hey, Jack! Just sayin', but, your phone is going crazy over there. Also, wanna drink something not non-alcoholic?"

---

Like Jack Kelly in front of him, Jannik had quite a good start, and overtook his team mate in the first lap.

A few laps later, he managed to get past Lourdina Westgrens and Luna Estrella. In lap 15, he saw a car in his rear view mirror getting closer and closer to him.

"Jannik, Jenna Vandersen and Gorria Bildostegi are getting closer and closer to you. Extend that gap, or they might undercut you.

"I can't. The car... Isn't fast enough?"

"That can't be. We are clearly faster than a Yogutz Lantzia..."

"I know, but... They are tol fast, somehow!"

Jannik gave his best to pull away from them, but he couldn't make it.

"Bildostegi and Vandersen have stopped, you gotta do that too! Box Box Box!"

Jannik stopped, when he got back on the track, Vandersen and Bildostegi were in front of him.

"Damnit!", was all he said about that.

In lap 28, he heard:

"Jänkirinää and Terfel have collided. Jänkirinää is out, Terfel has damage. Two positions for you."

The rest of the race, nothing interesting really happened. The crew found out that indeed something was wrong with his car. This was why he couldn't keep up with a Yogutz Lantzia. He was to happy to finally have finished a race, but after the pre-season tests, this was not what he had expected. He wanted to win races, not be happy about finishing fifth...

[Esmerel]

Raleigh Hill Circuit
Wednesday, 26th of July, 06:00

For Rebecca, life was going great. But it was too early in the morning to be up and about.

Talia had requested that they head back home for the next week or so to... just chill and stuff. Little did Rebecca know that Talia had a surprise...

"Talia, I'll ask you again: Why are we at Raleigh Hill? Why at 6AM? And just... why? It's too strange."

"Calm down. The reason should be arriving in just a moment."

Indeed it was. Raleigh Hill was, of course, on a hill, and you could see for kilometers across the land and the nearby sea. It was one of the reasons the track was a fan favorite.

But down at the bottom of the hill, a car was fast approaching. Hard to make out at this distance.

Within the next 2 minutes, it had arrived in the parking lot. Now she knew what car it was. It was a turquoise Obey 9F Cabrio- and she knew a specific person who drove one of those. No. It can't be.

That person was the one who stepped out of the car.

OMG. It IS him.

He smiled at Rebecca. "So," he said, "are we doing this or what?"

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

"Jean!" Rebecca ran over to him and the two had a hug. "What are YOU doing here? I thought you'd be off the radar for another 5 months."

"Well, screw that. We're back to racing. And you could use a little more experience."

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I think I can hold myself in WGP2. Besides, I got a point last race in Lisander-"

"Yes, it's a good idea. We'll make sure you get MORE points."

"But the Chase Cutter handles differently than you might ever expect. It's not the same as the Red Lion you drove in the WGPC."

"Yeah, well, these tips are more generalized. I know you can take them and apply them better to your vehicle."

"If you say so. You're the one who won three races in a row."

Twelve hours passed. Jean taught Rebecca everything he knew about racing and how to generally go faster, be better on the tyres and fuel, and overtake with ease. And it worked, overall. Rebecca felt a lot better about pretty much everything.

"It's like I'm a driver twice as good. Thanks, Jean."

"I'll be watching over you. Come to me if you need more tips. And, Talia, keep me connected with Nexus. Best chance for getting a drive next season."

"These tips were great. Had to say it again. You both know what's next?"

"No. What?"

"The field test."

[Vilita and Turori]

Grand Prix of Lisander East, Alix, Lisander :: It was less than 10 laps into the Grand Prix of Lisander East. Juracai Klianiota sat in his Novikov Racing machine. He had no power. He had pulled behind a barrier out of way of the racing surface. He looked around him. Fans along the walls were taking pictures. They would end up on social media within moments. Klianiota knew he had better stay composed. He decided to just sit in his cockpit for a few moments longer.

He had entered the season with such high hopes. If he could claim the WGP2 championship, surely he would be picked up to run the next WGPC season. Instead, here he was. Three races into the season. He couldn't even finish a race. Was it him? Was he driving the car wrong?

It couldn't be. The detailed analysis showed that he and teammate Luna Estrella had almost identical driving styles. They were the perfect match, engineering wise, to ensure both could learn from each other and have the same setup in both Novikov Racing machines.

Yet Estrella was picking up points week after week. Not good points, mind you, but points. Meanwhile, Klianiota had nothing. zero points. Last place in Vilita. Last place in Lisander. The Atlantian Oceania tour was coming to a close with the Cocoabo Forest Grand Prix. If Klianiota couldn't crack the podium there, the season would basically be over.

He refused to let himself think that far ahead. Composed himself and got out of his car, prepared for the long walk back to the paddock where he would have some unkind words for his Novikov Team.

Out on the track, Cocoabo #23 was mired after losing the top spot and falling back in the pack. Both Tropicorp cars were free falling through the field and neither looked as competitive as they were the day before. In 5th place with 4 laps to go, Cocoabo #23 was passed by Jannik Markner and then hung out to dry as Lourdina Westgrens and Luna Estrella slipped through relegated Fast Cocoabo to a not-so-fast 8th place showing. But two points were better than none, and with 9 points total on the season, a string of podium finishes could put Cocoabo #23 right back in the Championship battle.

If there was one track that Cocoabo #23 should be able to gain back points it would be the Cocoabo Forest course. No driver in the world had put more laps in at Cocoabo Park than Fast Cocoabo. It was do or be done for Cocoabo #23 and likewise for Tropicorp Engineering who had slipped to a disappointing 5th in the Constructors Standings after Lisander. It would be the last chance to take advantage of a home field advantage for the team before heading out on long extra-regional road trips for the remainder of the schedule. The team was highly motivated to make it count.

[Vangaziland]

A quick set of images flash on a screen. We see various exotic cars dating back to 1968, mostly Vannish but from other places you'd recognize. There are also images of several characters; the stars of this reality drama. Generic rock strings strummed in the background.

A deep voice called out, "Auction Brothers."

Another gruff voice spoke, finishing the transition from the commercial break. It was the voice of Roy Anglerssen. "Earlier this month, Vanessa Hattieson stopped by to enter a Ghost GT-10 race car into our auction. Today we've got a few big names looking to take this car home."



The voice of the narrator said, "Vangaziland does not discriminate against the race car community in the name of safety. Prospective race car drivers need a class R license, earned through a weekly track course lasting three months. Highway limits routinely exceed 100 MPH between cities. Retired race cars are in high demand, with fuel mileage being the main limiting factor. A fee many are all too happy to oblige."

Two burly attendants pushed the car onto the stage in neutral. Lights shone down from the rafters in neon colors around the white spotlight centered on the GT2 car. It stopped in the center of the stage.

The narrator went over the three celebrity bidders. There were various other enthusiasts in the crowd, not well known or relevant to pop culture. They were just here to shop and get on TV. Constant views of the bidders in a small room meant anybody who came to an auction would be filmed. With ratings growing, shopping on TV shows became a fad with affluent Vangazi. Auction Brothers was actually a spin-off of a spin-off.

Vannish comedian Rik Jettsen was one bidder. One question is always asked to each guest. The camera zoomed in on the comedian's bug-eyed face, smirk and all.

"Why do you want this car?" A computerized monotone voice asked the question.

"I'm trying to find my next ex.... wife." The camera quickly switched away from the comedian and talked about his background and past roles.

Next was a singer, Janie Reesedottir. Her style was pop mixed with R&B.

"What makes you think you can handle this car?"

"I'm like so good with road stuff", said the singer in a mellow voice. "I'm like, totally legitimate. I'm not going to speed or anything." She seemed a bit naïve about the fact that this was actually a track car. "I want to take it downtown and make a little noise."

She was actually thinking about taking a trailer into town, rolling the car out and streaking along some of the parkways. Those roads would be smooth enough, for the most part. Janie figured she might as well show up and see if she could get a deal.

The third contestant spoke through a contact over the phone. His voice came through muffled, almost disguised. It sounded like a fake Northton accent.

"What makes you think you'll win this car?" Each question ended the same way. This was a part of the show, with the gaudy voice and cheesy fog/light combo. Some have criticized this show as 'Nickelodeon Meets A&E'. Of course, the producer was outraged by that review. Still, the talking head kept asking questions each week.

Next the three bidders had the chance to cross talk.

The comedian took aim at the phone bidder. "Mr. Telephone Man, did you stay home to save your money for the bid?"

The anonymous bidder laughed, seeming to change his voice. It went gruff again before he spoke. "I'll call a cab to take you back to your hotel after you don't get this car. And I'll fly you back to the west, top coach class."

"Point. Anonymous caller." The talking head spoke as the camera rapidly changed angles and zoomed in on it and it's smoking, flashing mouth.

"The guy on the phone sounds like he has a cold", said Janie demurely. "I'll give him a cough drop to comfort his voice box. Because I can tell, after I win this, he's going to yell."

"Point. Janie."

The bizarre, dark-room sequence came to an end and they were back in the auction hall. There were about ten other bidders alongside the three celebrities.

The auctioneer finished describing the car and began taking bids. It started at 47.5k and quickly rose. The celebrities held back at first, letting the others place the early bids. Things started slowing down around 160k. Janie was stalling.

"I think it's worth it, but that car isn't going to gain any value. It's going to need tires and all sorts of stuff. Hmm."

The phone bidder cut in and pushed it up to 168k. He seemed casual about it.

Jettsen had to respond, saying, "Oh it's like that, Smooth Criminal? You're just going to call up and take away my racecar? Man... 175K."

Janie dropped out. The car was extremely rare. It was two seasons old, the first GT-10 VDM road car. There was only one other and it would remain in the company's hands. The market for old GT2 cars in general was only so high. The true value would fall somewhere between those two markets. Here, it would depend who wanted it more.

In comparison, a stock Ghost GT-10 was selling at between 185k to 250k for the most limited editions. Since much of the development was done with existing research, on the computer and at company facilities, that was even enough of a price to pay for a chunk of the car's development costs. The original Ghost supercar was designed with GT racing in mind and needed minor adjustment to a well supported platform.

The anonymous bidder eventually took the car at G274,000 gazis. Now it was time for the reveal.

The talking head spoke. "Tonight's caller is, Fritjof Vang... Prince of Vangaziland."

The crowd groaned. "That's rigged!" Jettsen looked genuinely upset. This made the host chuckle. He'd successfully avoided laughing at any of the comedian's jokes, first laughing at him.

"Well, you were the one who egged him on about the flight."

Fritz spoke over the phone, "I'm at the Olympics now, getting ready to compete in the individual sailing competition. I'm probably going to auction the car off again for charity. And we won't let Jettsen in." Fritz now spoke naturally, no longer hiding his identity.

Fritz was known for being a jokester. Jettsen was suddenly quiet, wanting to avoid becoming a news soundbite. Fritz teased him for a bit before saying a few words on the car. He was a fan of Vannish Motors and the GT2 team sponsored by Vannish Domestic Motorsports. VDM sold aftermarket parts for cars including the VM Ghost and Roland. The front aero kit and exhaust were their top two products.

"Now Jenna Vandersen isn't the only Royal riding around in a racecar", said Vang in a shout to the WGP2.

The GT-10 has a high-pitched exhaust whine just slightly less pronounced than the WGP2 cars. One analyst called the melodic roar of a Vannish Motors engine the "New Vangazi National Anthem." The WGP2 car is tuned to more horsepower. The WGPC car may move to a V12. Sources have not confirmed. A twin turbo may also be an option, but would complicate maintenance.

Car drawing by Hodori based on Ghost 3D Model

[Aboveland]

Axel sat in the Lintulahti paddock, both index and middle fingers pressed on his temples, waiting for Luna and Axel to walk into his office, the high pitched wail of the AGP prototype echoing through the bay. The pressure he felt was incredible. He'd completely underestimated the difficulty of running a racing team. Admittedly, his expectations had been far too high. Jumping into the season as last minute way of gaining some management experience before the real deal with an underdeveloped chassis was definitely risky, and betting on two young, quick, inconsistent drivers had been a gamble. Judging by race day, the season so far had been a disaster.

Why was the team so inconsistent?

How did the car, usually at the hands of Luna (and once at the hands of Juracai), scramble near the top three in practice and score a pole position if it couldn't make it past seventh place in a race?

It was clear that both the drivers and the car were competitive, in the right conditions. In terms of raw speed, the car was... okay. Good. It was good. As for the drivers, Luna in particular had made Axel very happy. She'd been reasonably consistent and quite quick, giving him a silver lining to cling onto.

Unfortunately, Juracai was falling flat. Axel really wanted him to do well, to fight Luna, and to set leading times, especially as he'd been given an important role in the AGP testing thanks to his ties with V&T Motorworks from season 14. But time and time again Juracai just couldn't deliver. It must be frustrating for him, and it sure as hell was frustrating for Axel.

Axel though knew he couldn't only blame the drivers. In a prime example of his biggest fear, the car had broken down in the last race, twice in fact. In Juracai's case, it came to a complete stop, its engine completely dead. As for Luna, the engine had let her down as it gradually lost power after halfway point in the race. In fact, save for the race where Juracai had collided with Arno Lehto, the car had suffered some sort of mechanical gremlin before the checkered flag. Be it missing or grinding gears, stuck pistons or loss of power steering, the Novikov Racing machine just couldn't handle the stress of a full race. It wasn't reliable enough, and Axel was utterly stumped. He'd no clue how to remedy that. It was especially baffling, as the latest AGP prototype's engine could drone on and on and on for hours on end in testing conditions, and after over 300 laps around the circuit it didn't even break a sweat.

It was worth mentioning though that the engine was an early AGP prototype, tuned down in horsepower output to meet WGP2 specifications but retaining its high speed transmission and unrestricted double turbos. Something in there, something hidden within the mass of metal, motor oil and spark plugs, was going haywire. It was clear as day that the team's struggles stemmed from reliability issues: in short stints the car landed in the top three, whilst in races it could barely crack the points scoring positions.

He quickly jotted down a sketch of the engine in his notebook to discuss with Karl later. Suddenly, his hair fluttered backwards and his office door swooshed open, spewing a tame Luna and a frowning Juracai. Axel, the veins on his forehead now invisible, greeted them and invited them to sit. He had planned a long, inspirational, cheesy pep talk, but he scrapped all that in an instant.

"Get ready for the most intense tests of your lives," he said, looking them both in the eye.

He made a mental note to remember to compliment the drivers' performances so far. If he forgot, he'd surely be able to smell the pressure emanating from their sweat glands at the next race.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Nexus Racing HQ, ???
27th of July

“Rebecca, that was sublime - awesome job! Let’s bring the car in and go over the telemetry.” Though I’m honestly not sure to focus on next; that really was utterly brilliant…

Talia had told Valen two days ago that she wanted to take Rebecca out to Esmerel to get some coaching from Jean Mercer-Daly, an idea to which he had had no objections. He had thought about doing something similar with Ryker earlier but, well, he was currently over at Crossbay Circuit and, while he’d have loved to send Rebecca over there, the organisers wouldn’t let him out of a (perhaps somewhat overbearing) sense of fair play, given that she would be racing at the track in only a few weeks’ time. Still, he had reasoned, Jean was actually a very similar driver to Ryker in a lot of ways and likely to show Rebecca a lot of the same things - and perhaps, though Esmerelian culture was more akin to Nimban culture than most others, being back at home would do her good.

He had been right in at least one aspect: something had certainly done her good.

From the moment that she had returned, Rebecca seemed infused with a new sense of energy and purpose. She carried herself more assuredly and talked more brightly and animatedly even before getting into her Rapier for more training on the test track; once she was out there, she drove - by Imagination, she drove - with a passion and an easy fluidity that surprised everyone. This was, in fact, a lot of what Guard had wanted her to develop as part of her work with him; if a short (if intensive) training session with Mercer-Daly was what it took to bring Rebecca's potential out and that potential could still be harnessed in the heat of the race, though, then so much the better.

Didn’t Jean say that he would test with us for a week or so over the WGPC off-season?

I need Karl on that.

Now.

[Tenburg]

Timo watched the red lights go on. One... Two... Why was he counting them? Was there any point in that? Anyways they all were on... And went out.

Timo had a normal start, but Luna Estrella right in front seemed to have a terrible start, and he got past her before they even reached the first corner. He now was in second, behind Alyn Terfel. He tried to overtake him several times, but never succeeded.

Lap 16

"Guys, should we try an undercut? I can't get past him on track."

"Alright, let's try it. Box Box Box."

Timo stopped and got his tires changed. Terfel stopped one lap later, but when he exited the pit lane, he still was in front of Timo.

In lap 28, Timo had lots of speed coming out of the long turn, and got on the outside of Terfel. Getting out of turn six, Terfel went on driving on the ideal line, drifting towards the outside. The cars collided, and while Terfel could keep it on track, Timo was pushed into the gravel, and found himself in a wall a few seconds later.

"Oh fuck!"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm OK. I'm sorry guys."

When Timo got back to the garage, he looked at the race standings.

"Why has Terfel fallen back?"

"It seems like he had damage from your crash. He's still in, but had to stop to get his car repaired."

"So, in the lead is now..."

"Jack! Jack is in the lead! Jack is first now!"

"Yeah... Yeah, righ! Well, then. Tell him to bring it home!"

And so he did. After the race, Timo went to the staging area with the rest of the team, and watched Jack getting out of his car. He came towards him, shook his hand, and said next race they'd make a 1 - 2.

"Shure thing, mate!"

He watched Jack getting on the podium, getting his trophy, spraying none-alcoholic stuff... He felt a bit jealous, when he thought that he could have been that. But just a little bit.

"We have some actual Champagne in the garage, haven't we?"

"Yeah, I think we have..."

After the podium ceremony, they went back to the garage, and some time later, Jack got there too.

"Hey, Jack! Just sayin', but, your phone is going crazy over there. Also, wanna drink something not non-alcoholic?"

"Uh... yea." Jack caught a bottle of wine that Marcus had hidden--which would have been drank regardless or the result. "My plan isn't to remember anything until next practice."


And as it turns out, he wouldn't remember much. Good times with his teams, a few bad hangovers... but the victory wore off eventually.

They all do.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Cocoabo Preservation Grand Prix
Pre-Practice

Gertrude Thompson nervously drums her fingers on the table in front of the computer screens of the Nexus Racing garage in the Cocoabo Forest, checking over the masses upon masses of data that the sensors on her Chase Cutters have been collecting on the test track. Everything seems to be in order but semblance just isn’t good enough for this brave new world where skilled engineering and skilled drivers alone will not win races.

Thompson and her design engineering department’s work over the past week has consisted of reworking the bodywork around the UHSGV-2 prototype’s wheels, augmenting the front wheel’s frontal fairings with rear fairings, stretching the definition of ‘open wheel car’ since now only the top of the front wheels were exposed to the elements but significantly improving the airflow to the car’s back, and extending the rear wing over the top of the rear wheels to significantly increase downforce and thereby improve the efficiency of the car’s Imagielectric power. Overall, this dramatically-altered aero package should improve the Chase Cutter’s speed overall but particularly through the corners - crucially important on a circuit like this.

All through her days in Nexus Racing, Gertrude had been accustomed to making grand strides in technology - downsizing the Imagikinetic convertors for the UHSGV-1 in her earliest days, constructing a new compressed Imagination tank, creating a comprehensive information system for that did away with steering wheel interfaces and wing mirrors alike - for significant and near-instant gains on the track, a trusty team of engineers and designers of all breeds working alongside her. Hopefully, this, along with Darlington’s sudden turn of form, will do the same.

She doesn’t know if she can handle much else.

[The Iron Syndicate]

Luna Estrella

For the first time in awhile, Luna was finally letting herself breathe for a bit when she arrived in the city for the latest race weekend. Practice would be later, but the exhausting testing for Project AGP had left her drained leading into it. The team had told her to sit down and relax for a bit. She would need the energy when it came time to collect as much data as possible for the next two days during practice.

She was talking on the phone with her best friend, Miya Prince, who was currently racing in Hodori, but the conversation wasn’t as relaxing as she thought it would be.

“You have to come back, Miya. Please. I feel so lost. I’m not coming through for the team when it matters, and I need someone to talk to. I need to have my friends in my corner again.”

“I can’t do it, Luna. I have my own career to focus on. I know we aren’t doing great, but I can’t just get up and leave during the season to come help you out-”

“I’ll pay you and make it worth it! How much is Ella giving you as a number two driver? I’ll… I’ll find a way to match it-”

“Look, Luna, I’ve had my own dream for a long time and I finally have the chance to chase it. I really want to travel with you and the team, but it’s just not possible. I have to grind to make sure that I still have a seat next season in Hodori.”

Luna sighed, gripped her phone until her knuckles were white, and nodded. “Fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.”

“Yeah, because I’m not. Everybody that understands me is oceans away. You would rather race with a losing team than hang out with me again and travel around the world. Don’t worry, though, I’m used to it. I just don’t have to like it.”

She hung up, and she knew she was either going to get very angry or very sad by her circumstance. So she reacted in anger, and threw her phone against the wall, smashing it into two pieces. She was going to get it all out now. When they needed her for practice, she promised herself that she would be normal again.

[Eastfield Lodge]

Race 4: Cocoabo Preservation Grand Prix
Friday Practice

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
Tyres:

• Soft (+0.0s, 4 laps)
• Medium (+0.8s, 9 laps)
• Hard (+1.7s, 13 laps)

P   # Driver              Team                   Lap Time	Gap to Best
1  23 Cocoabo #23         Tropicorp Engineering  0:01:52.216	0:00:00.000
2   9 Jannik Markner      Academy Racing     	 0:01:52.294	0:00:00.078
3  11 Luna Estrella       Novikov Racing     	 0:01:52.297	0:00:00.082
4  17 Lourdina Westgrens  Team Ignis     	 0:01:52.301	0:00:00.086
5   5 Timo Jänkirinää     Katara Racing     	 0:01:52.320	0:00:00.104
6  31 Cesaro Whittaker    Tropicorp Engineering  0:01:52.333	0:00:00.118
7   3 Armo Lehto          Academy Racing     	 0:01:52.339	0:00:00.123
8  33 Jenna Vandersen     Vannish Motors Racing  0:01:52.345	0:00:00.130
9   7 Juracai Klianiota   Novikov Racing     	 0:01:52.352	0:00:00.137
10 18 Gorria Bildostegi   Yogutz Lantzia     	 0:01:52.381	0:00:00.166
11 66 Jack Kelly          Katara Racing     	 0:01:52.399	0:00:00.183
12 19 Dom Falepeau        Junixwagen     	 0:01:52.436	0:00:00.221
13 29 Nikolai Niskanen    Yogutz Lantzia     	 0:01:52.437	0:00:00.221
14 15 Rebecca Darlington  Nexus Racing     	 0:01:52.448	0:00:00.233
15 30 Saya Kaseo          Nadakei Sport AYDP     0:01:52.459	0:00:00.244
16 26 Shinno Soukuba      MSA-SinVal     	 0:01:52.486	0:00:00.271
17 27 Lukar Urdaneta      Nexus Racing     	 0:01:52.495	0:00:00.279
18 89 Marcus Schwarz      Junixwagen     	 0:01:52.517	0:00:00.301
19 63 Dalia Dahl          MSA-SinVal     	 0:01:52.519	0:00:00.304
20 74 Lera Kozel          Obey Sport GP     	 0:01:52.521	0:00:00.306
21 61 Renho Virzi         Obey Sport GP     	 0:01:52.538	0:00:00.323
22 13 Jang Xiaopeng       Vannish Motors Racing  0:01:52.835	0:00:00.620
23 94 Alyn Terfel         Team Ignis     	 0:01:54.458	0:00:02.243

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Cocoabo Preservation Grand Prix
Pre-Qualifying

As the team prepares for qualifying, Timothy Guard thinks. No plan that he can come up with seems to make sense. Nothing, it seems, is a quick fix, which is in part by design: Nexus Racing entered WGP2 to prepare both itself and new drivers for the WGPC.

Unfortunately, that design seems to have been Typhonic.

There is no hiding from the fact that the Nimban team is now ranked last in the Constructors’ Championship, a mere five points to its name, while neither Chase Cutter has once placed in the top ten on the grid. All of Guard’s instincts scream out to him that that is utterly unacceptable, that they can achieve so much more if they work hard to forge a solution. Unfortunately, despite all that he made last season of needing results in tandem with development, he is being forced to play the long game exclusively - and that chafes.

It’s not all bad, though, the Project Manager forces himself to think. The Nimban public, who, to be fair, are understanding in even the worst of circumstances but in large part thanks to Rain’s efforts, have been remarkably understanding and are basically still behind the team. Gertrude’s new bodywork, to his mind at least, looks beautiful and reportedly has done wonders for the car’s handling. While Lukar hasn’t exactly got to quicksicle-level Imagination control in their joint sessions by now, he has progressed past tiddlywink telekinesis; as for Rebecca, by all accounts, not to mention her best practice run yet, she has returned from her homeland with a reinvigorated spirit and, crucially, the indescribable spark that so many great drivers possess, that he had seen in Ryker and that was previously missing from the Esmerelian’s driving.

Speaking of which, he’d be seeing Ryker again in a couple of weeks when they finally got flew out to Crossbay Circuit for the Nimban Grand Prix. That will be for me, I would think. Hopefully, it will remind me of… Easier times.

I’m reminiscing about events that happened two months ago. Heh.

…

He still can’t come up with a plan.

[Vangaziland]

The scene around the VMR paddock was full of the typical buzz and hustle that one would expect before a qualifying session. The familiar voice of the pit chief could be heard half-yelling out orders and half making sarcastic quips. For some reason, he was on about puns today. He picked up a tattoo over the week, somewhere locally. It was the side profile of a bear's head made into a two-dimensional shadow.

As Jenna Vandersen walked through the lane between the cars, a smiling Tim-Rob Kelders waved, showing his tattooed forearm.

"Ms. Vandersen.. Do you think the car will be able to... bear... the stress of the track today?"

Jenna barely fought back a smirk, but her eyelids stayed low. "Nice tattoo, Tim-Rob." She knew he was trying to make a pun. Royals were not much for puns, she was more of a fan of dramatic comedy.

Despite all the excitement, one Vangazi was feeling blue. Xiaopeng leaned on a railing across from his hood. He waved to Jenna sullenly. "Hey, Baroness."

"Don't 'hey Baroness' me", she commanded. "Get pumped up! The cars are about to start rolling out. Where is your helmet?"

"It's in the locker", Xiaopeng said in defeat.

"Get it, like seriously. Like three cars are about ready to roll for the first sessions. What's the matter?"

"I just. I don't know." Xiaopeng knelt to pick up a dropped coin. "I don't think Vannish Motors is going to give me a contract."

"Don't worry about that. I mean.." Jenna paused. "Look, if you want to make VMR, then fight for it. Right now. Get out there and qualify."

"But, but.. I don"

"Ah, hey.." Jenna cut the somber Tainese-Vangazi out of his malaise. "Nothing is a given. I'm not even thinking about a contract. Let's forget we had this talk. Get your mind in the series. The team comes number one. Besides! There is still tons of time. You had a bad practice session. They've tuned the car based on that, right? So get out there and drive."

"Thanks, Jen."

"Don't thank me.. Thank Vannish Motors."

"Say, you did your time in the Air Force, right? What did you do?"

"I worked with a refueling wing, even got out there on the tarmac a few times. Talk about a gas station." She sat against the railing with him. Did you do your conscript time?"

"Yeah. I did infantry. You know that's a whole world of training on the conscript level."

"I'm glad Prince Fritz put a hold on that policy. We really don't need the Conscript Corps. I don't think the military mindset of the Vangazi will go away. A few hundred years of that conscript policy has probably had it's effect already. No wonder we're all nuts."

Tim-Rob seemed to leap up from behind the hood of the racecar, although neither Vandersen nor Xiaopeng were sure. "Some would say we're even... Un-BEAR-able."

"Tim-Rob, we get it about that tattoo", yelled Jessica Franssen from a desk in the paddock's corner between cubicle walls and an open-air viewport.

[The Iron Syndicate]

Armo Lehto

While the rest of the team was heading to the track to get ready for qualifying, Armo was still back at the hotel and was talking with the press about his recent struggles.

“I think if you were in my position, you would have struggles too. All you lot know is that I’m related to Carsen Bold… That I’m his son. You always leave out the part about my mother driving him away. I didn’t grow up around him, I didn’t get influenced by him. I had to get here the hard way. With all due respect to Luna, I didn’t get here by being with one of the top racing families in the country.”

“I got here through hard work, but that doesn’t mean I’m not at a disadvantage. That doesn’t mean that the others haven’t had many other things that I never could have dreamed of. I can still remember when I was racing karts and I had to use worn tires and a worn engine, because I couldn’t buy upgrades.”

“Some of the others have had the best help that money could buy, for a long time. And what have I had? Until right now, I’ve only been able to rely on myself and my instincts. I’d like to see how any of you would do in my position,” he continued. “I didn’t have my father, a real mother, the money that everyone else had, or the cars that they did. So why the fuck are you surprised that I’m racing like this is all new to me?”

He gave one closing statement before leaving the lobby. “You wouldn’t ask why a rose that grew from concrete had damaged petals. You’d celebrate it being here…”

[Esmerel]

Cocoabo Park, Cocoabo Forest, Atlantian Oceania
Saturday, 2017/29/07, 12:00

There were always these five words: It could have been worse.

Rebecca had entered the Grand Prix feeling reinvigorated from Jean's training, making sure her speed was uninterrupted and precise. Only 14th fastest but still better than some. It could have been a massive complaint but as long as she had people who had her back, it'd be okay. Plus she was outperforming Lukar. Always lovely to see that.

Meanwhile, the Obey Sport garage felt like they were getting somewhere despite being near the bottom. Sure, it was 20th and 21st, but only three tenths off. If that pace could continue and they could hold on to their cars whilst snatching up position other drivers lost from mistakes, there were plenty of opportunities that were there.

Qualifying was soon. They'd all have to have another look at the situation after that.

-------

Qualifying

The end result of qualifying was fairly good for all Esmerelians involved. Rebecca was 17th, still not good but an improvement and considering it was wet it was OK. Meanwhile, Obey had managed a car in P8. Always a good thing to find themselves in for a struggling team. The fact that Obey was P6 in the constructors was an utter fluke, but still hope that they could make improvements.

It was race time. And time to push.

[Eastfield Lodge]

Race 4: Cocoabo Preservation Grand Prix
Saturday Qualifying

Drivers had fifty minutes to record up to six flying laps of the circuit. The slowest drivers will occupy spots 11-through-24 on the grid. The ten fastest drivers are then entered into a fifteen-minute qualifying session to decide the order of the top ten for Sunday's race
Conditions: WET
Tyres: Intermediates, Full Wets (variable lap time and wear depending on track wetness)

First Session
P   # Driver              Team                   Lap Time
1  13 Jang Xiaopeng       Vannish Motors Racing	 2:05.660
2   5 Timo Jänkirinää     Katara Racing	         2:05.830
3   9 Jannik Markner      Academy Racing	 2:05.894
4  31 Cesaro Whittaker    Tropicorp Engineering	 2:05.902
5  23 Cocoabo #23         Tropicorp Engineering	 2:05.957
6  17 Lourdina Westgrens  Team Ignis	         2:06.143
7   7 Juracai Klianiota   Novikov Racing	 2:06.286
8  61 Renho Virzi         Obey Sport GP		 2:06.299
9  33 Jenna Vandersen     Vannish Motors Racing	 2:06.311
10 18 Gorria Bildostegi   Yogutz Lantzia	 2:06.332
11 29 Nikolai Niskanen    Yogutz Lantzia	 2:06.794
12 94 Alyn Terfel         Team Ignis		 2:06.813
13 27 Lukar Urdaneta      Nexus Racing		 2:07.049
14 11 Luna Estrella       Novikov Racing	 2:07.056
15 26 Shinno Soukuba      MSA-SinVal		 2:07.116
16  3 Armo Lehto          Academy Racing	 2:07.530
17 15 Rebecca Darlington  Nexus Racing		 2:07.605
18 63 Dalia Dahl          MSA-SinVal		 2:08.005
19 74 Lera Kozel          Obey Sport GP		 2:08.452
20 89 Marcus Schwarz      Junixwagen		 2:08.660
21 30 Saya Kaseo          Nadakei Sport AYDP	 2:09.057
22 19 Dom Falepeau        Junixwagen		 2:09.467
23 66 Jack Kelly          Katara Racing		 2:18.253

Second Session
P   # Driver              Team                   Lap Time
1   9 Jannik Markner      Academy Racing	 2:05.411
2  13 Jang Xiaopeng       Vannish Motors Racing	 2:05.429
3  23 Cocoabo #23         Tropicorp Engineering	 2:05.597
4  31 Cesaro Whittaker    Tropicorp Engineering	 2:05.611
5   7 Juracai Klianiota   Novikov Racing	 2:06.523
6  61 Renho Virzi         Obey Sport GP		 2:06.527
7  17 Lourdina Westgrens  Team Ignis		 2:06.772
8  18 Gorria Bildostegi   Yogutz Lantzia	 2:11.057
9   5 Timo Jänkirinää     Katara Racing		 2:32.819
10 33 Jenna Vandersen     Vannish Motors Racing	 3:01.206

Final Qualifying Grid
 P  # Driver              Team                 
 1  9 Jannik Markner      Academy Racing
 2 13 Jang Xiaopeng       Vannish Motors Racing
 3 23 Cocoabo #23         Tropicorp Engineering
 4 31 Cesaro Whittaker    Tropicorp Engineering
 5  7 Juracai Klianiota   Novikov Racing
 6 61 Renho Virzi         Obey Sport GP
 7 17 Lourdina Westgrens  Team Ignis
 8 18 Gorria Bildostegi   Yogutz Lantzia
 9  5 Timo Jänkirinää     Katara Racing
10 33 Jenna Vandersen     Vannish Motors Racing
11 29 Nikolai Niskanen    Yogutz Lantzia
12 94 Alyn Terfel         Team Ignis
13 27 Lukar Urdaneta      Nexus Racing
14 11 Luna Estrella       Novikov Racing
15 26 Shinno Soukuba      MSA-SinVal
16  3 Armo Lehto          Academy Racing
17 15 Rebecca Darlington  Nexus Racing
18 63 Dalia Dahl          MSA-SinVal
19 74 Lera Kozel          Obey Sport GP
20 89 Marcus Schwarz      Junixwagen
21 30 Saya Kaseo          Nadakei Sport AYDP
22 19 Dom Falepeau        Junixwagen
23 66 Jack Kelly          Katara Racing

[Tenburg]

Anyone who blames a performance like this on a hangover isn't going to stick around long. But up to practice day, Jack had been drinking basically every day from his victory on.
Was he hungover? Yea.

Did he puke a few times after driving the car? Yea.

Was it an excuse for starting dead last in round four? Certainly not.

"Just need some tea," he mumbled to himself, head in his hands as the kettle boiled on the stove in the RV.

His phone vibrated. Looking at it, he saw it was from Myra. His hand was shaking to much to swipe the lock screen, and he eventually just gave up and tossed it on the table. "Fuck."

He'd have to get over it. He may end up puking in the car, but fuck it.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Nexus Racing HQ, ???
Post-Qualifying

I’ve failed. Again. My work wasn’t up to the task, simple as.

…

Why did they just fail like that? They’re Imagikinetic convertors! There’s been an Imagikinetic convertor of my design in the car from almost the very beginning that hasn’t failed once - and it drives the thing! Why did these ones just break? In the same qualifying session, too!

Curse all of this! Curse it all! All of it!

“Go to the Maelstrom! All of it, just go to the Maelstrom!”

…

‘Success is a process’, huh?

I am such a hypocrite.

[Vangaziland]

"Pass it here, pass it here!"

Twenty Vangazi from the U15 Track Athletics program won tickets to watch Vangaziland compete at Olympiad XII. They would be watching Sunday's events in Kelssek at the track. The group stuck together, but had a weekend pass. This meant they had seen a great deal of track over the past two and a half days.

The youngsters got to see Ed Labradorite win the gold in the 400m hurdle. They saw Karla Asi take the silver on the heels of a new Olympic record holder. They saw Exan Trevimbo, just a contender of average skill, find enough heart to snag an unexpected silver.

But now, a bunch of the kids were focused on the WGP2 race about to take place a world away.

"Hey man, pass it here", said a ruddy-haired Vangazi kid.

"Karleson, buy your own magazine", a dark-skinned Vangazi with golden-framed glasses handed over a rather chunky-looking magazine.



"Thanks, Adi. Man! Check out these cars."

Adi thought, I would, but you just took my magazine.

The two were rivals on the track but somehow worked out a friendship. Novan Karleson was always mooching off of Adi Jinn though. They ended up going to the same high school, where Jinn had to deal with Novan tagging along. His red-headed friend was a little too brash and loud at times when Adi just wanted to blend in. It just forced them both to find a middle ground and actually, was beneficial to both of their growth.

They didn't realize any of that. They just had a lot of laughs. Both were top ranked freshmen future "track stars".

"Those are Baroness Jenna's cars", said Novan.

Adi pointed his finger, "Those are the cars she bought this year. But she sold a bunch."

"What, she just buys three cars every year?"

"No", Adi replied. "She just liked the new paint jobs, I guess. They're coming out with a bunch of bright stuff. She said it's 'in style'."

"Who just trades in cars because of the color?"

"Well, Vannish Motors tuned the cars based on their GT2 runs. Check out the new times... 0-60... Quarter-mile..... Skidpad."

Novan scratched his curly, red afro. "Is that really that much of a difference though?"

"Yeah dude, for her. She's like a real race car driver now.. New gear ratios and downforce are like... Relevant. That orange Ghost is just being used for the track." He paused. "Well, Lunar Melon... Not orange. Sorry."

"That's right, and my hair's not orange either. It's Lava Sunblast."

Adi chuckled. The two sat in a cafeteria somewhere in the belly of the Olympic Village. They were eating with the group before the day's first event. Other kids were nearby and in the middle of their own conversations.

"Yo, Novan.. Show me the centerfold."

The ruddy haired kid flipped through the magazine until he found the middle page.



"Sick!"

"That Roland though!"

"If those cars were candy, I'd give myself a stomachache..."

The centerfold was causing a ruckus.

"That's a lineup", Novak said as he carefully folded the poster back into the magazine. "Did you see, Xiaopeng ran some good times in Qualifying yesterday."

"I think Tropicorp is going to get two in the top three today. I can see other teams getting two other drivers in the top 5. So it might be a weighted field at the end." Addi spoke as he checked updates on the WGP2 race taking place that same day.

"It's going to be an open field. All sorts of stuff can happen. I bet that track is going to be challenging as all get out. I just hope VMR doesn't botch it up."

"Dude! Don't mention them before the race!"

"Who, VMR?"

"Novan!" Adi, took his magazine away from his friend. "If you jinx Jang and Jenna, I'm going to tell them on V-Page."

Another kid saw the cover. "What? Talvela-Franssen? That's not going to happen."

Adi smirked. "I know, that's what the article said."

"That would be a scary combo though", Novan Karleson added.

"Ah, there are contracts and politics in the way... Who knows?"

[The Iron Syndicate]

Luna Estrella

She was heading into the next turn to start off the lap, determined to improve her time and make it into the next round. She had one, maybe two more chances to pull it off. Her chances weren’t looking good, but that had never discouraged her from putting it all on the line and chasing a top ten time.

She was flying when she went into turn one, and it felt like she was stressing the engine and the car in general with her style of driving. Still, it was worth the risk. Going out in Q1 was unacceptable, at least by her own competitive standards, and she had switched the engine mode up and decided to brake later while coming into corners.

“May want to slow down there, Luna,” her race engineer told her, but she gave a slight shake of the head and continued at her current pace.

“It’s either this or going out in Q1, and I don’t intend on the latter.”

Going into the next turn, she was way late on the brakes and she lost control when she pulled hard on the steering wheel. She tried to yank it back the other way and get herself straight, but she couldn’t keep the car steady going into turn three and she was headed straight towards the wall. “Fuck…”

The impact probably gave her a concussion, and the whiplash disoriented her enough that she couldn’t tell what was happening around her. The car had taken some damage, she realized. There was a fire, but she wasn’t sure how long it had taken to start. The thing that jolted her was the burning she could feel.

She was trying to get out of the car, but her shoe seemed to have gotten trapped on something. The smoke was making it impossible to see and the heat was making her sweat, but she tried to reach through the grey plume and free her foot. Realizing that taking the shoe off was the only way to get out of this, she started to undo it. That was when the pain started. “Make it stop, make it stop,” she muttered to nobody in particular, fully removing the shoe and quickly lifting herself out of the car before the burns on her foot could get worse.

She’d escaped with her life, at least, but this wasn’t how this was supposed to go. This wasn’t how her season was supposed to go, and she wasn’t supposed to get injured like this. But she didn’t know why she had expected things to go well this season. Nothing else recently had, from her family to her friendships.

It had only been a minute or so ago that she was chasing a spot in the next qualifying session. Now, they were putting her on a stretcher and taking her off of the track, while firefighters extinguished the burning car. She had always known that her risky style was going to come back to bite her later.

But why did that have to happen now, and like this?

[Eastfield Lodge]

[quote="Eastfield Lodge";p="32239065"]

Race 4: Cocoabo Preservation Grand Prix
Race Day

The Cocoabos of the Preservation are surprising everyone in the sporting world. Are we entering a new paradigm?

Conditions: DRY
Laps: 31
Tyres:

• Soft (+0.0s, 5 laps)
• Medium (+0.7s, 10 laps)
• Hard (+1.5s, 16 laps)

Pos  # Driver              Team			  Race Time    Behind Next Car  Pts
1   13 Jang Xiaopeng       Vannish Motors Racing  1:05:46.734	+0:00.000	25
2   23 Cocoabo #23         Tropicorp Engineering  1:06:17.567	+0:30.833	18
3    5 Timo Jänkirinää     Katara Racing   	  1:06:38.850	+0:21.283	14
4   33 Jenna Vandersen     Vannish Motors Racing  1:06:39.530	+0:00.680	10
5   31 Cesaro Whittaker    Tropicorp Engineering  1:06:50.231	+0:10.701	8
6   29 Nikolai Niskanen    Yogutz Lantzia   	  1:07:00.537	+0:10.306	6
7   94 Alyn Terfel         Team Ignis   	  1:07:08.269	+0:07.732	4
8   61 Renho Virzi         Obey Sport GP   	  1:07:50.285	+0:42.015	3
9    3 Armo Lehto          Academy Racing   	  1:07:51.091	+0:00.806	2
10  15 Rebecca Darlington  Nexus Racing   		LAP-1	+0:17.668	1
11  74 Lera Kozel          Obey Sport GP   		LAP-1	+0:19.650	
12  63 Dalia Dahl          MSA-SinVal   		LAP-1	+0:05.078	
13  89 Marcus Schwarz      Junixwagen   		LAP-1	+0:31.538	
14  27 Lukar Urdaneta      Nexus Racing   		LAP-1	+0:23.116	
15   9 Jannik Markner      Academy Racing   		LAP-1	+0:07.563	
16  26 Shinno Soukuba      MSA-SinVal   		LAP-2	+0:32.987	
17  66 Jack Kelly          Katara Racing   		LAP-2	+0:24.667	
18  18 Gorria Bildostegi   Yogutz Lantzia   		LAP-3	+1:57.693	
DNF  7 Juracai Klianiota   Novikov Racing   	  Ret. Lap 14
DNF 17 Lourdina Westgrens  Team Ignis   	  Ret. Lap 2
DNF 30 Saya Kaseo          Nadakei Sport AYDP     Ret. Lap 2
DNF 19 Dom Falepeau        Junixwagen   	  Ret. Lap 1
DNS 11 Luna Estrella       Novikov Racing

Drivers' Championship Standings
Pos	#	Name		    Team			Pts	Wins
1	33	Jenna Vandersen	    Vannish Motors Racing	49	1
2	66	Jack Kelly	    Katara Racing		35	1
3	13	Jang Xiaopeng	    Vannish Motors Racing	33	1
4	26	Shinno Soukuba	    MSA-SinVal			32	0
5	23	Cocoabo #23	    Tropicorp Engineering	27	0
6	63	Dalia Dahl	    MSA-SinVal			25	1
7	89	Marcus Schwarz	    Junixwagen			24	0
8	31	Cesaro Whittaker    Tropicorp Engineering	22	0
9	61	Renho Virzi	    Obey Sport GP		21	0
10	11	Luna Estrella	    Novikov Racing		18	0
11	5	Timo Jänkirinää	    Katara Racing		17	0
12	17	Lourdina Westgrens  Team Ignis			10	0
12	18	Gorria Bildostegi   Yogutz Lantzia		10	0
12	94	Alyn Terfel	    Team Ignis			10	0
15	9	Jannik Markner	    Academy Racing		8	0
15	30	Saya Kaseo	    Nadakei Sport AYDP		8	0
17	29	Nikolai Niskanen    Yogutz Lantzia		6	0
18	27	Lukar Urdaneta	    Nexus Racing		4	0
19	3	Armo Lehto	    Academy Racing		2	0
19	15	Rebecca Darlington  Nexus Racing		2	0
21	74	Lera Kozel	    Obey Sport GP		1	0
22	7	Juracai Klianiota   Novikov Racing		0	0
22	19	Dom Falepeau	    Junixwagen			0	0

Constructors' Championship Standings
Pos	Team			Points
1	Vannish Motors Racing	82
2	MSA-SinVal		57
3	Katara Racing		52
4	Tropicorp Engineering	49
5	Junixwagen		24
6	Obey Sport GP		22
7	Team Ignis		20
8	Novikov Racing		18
9	Yogutz Lantzia		16
10	Academy Racing		10
11	Nadakei Sport AYDP	8
12	Nexus Racing		6