WGP2 Season III [Roleplay Thread]

[Diarcesia]

Sara Luna, the Luna Wolf
There were a lot of great drivers in Diarcesia in the more than twelve years of WGP3 seasons. Among them was Sara Luna, who put up remarkable numbers in that time. Many would argue that only Aldauren Ginintella had a better season than Luna's, and Ginintella also won more championships.

The two had a close race going into the Elbej Historic Site. The area was quite rugged, with rocky outcrops and a rare alpine tectonic plate. The combination of factors had produced an interesting result. According to the WGP3's calculated stats, Ginintella was just ahead of Luna by ten thousandths of a second. The two were closer together than at any other point in the season before Sara's WGP2 debut.

Aldauren Ginintella

It's getting clear that Sara's performance was not an anomaly. Fan-based computer simulations predicted a win for her and also had high hopes for Cocoabo #23. Unfortunately, it didn't come to pass.

In the aftermath of a race where Sara maintained P6 but couldn't get past it, Adelphia-VMR found themselves in sixth place in the Constructor's battle.

"Now we just have to crunch the data on how the new tires actually performed in the rain," said Silver Chariot. "It will be interesting to see how this season shapes up in the second half."

Carmichael Fire, the team's number one driver, finished without points once again, much to his consternation. His race was much less exciting, but his effort was more consistent. He found himself in the right place at the right time, but even then, there is just something, some sort of hill, that he couldn't drive past on. Sara thought about reaching out to him during the week, but decided against it. She was not sure if her opinion is warranted at the time. After deliberating, she came to the conclusion that doing so would just reinforce what she already knew.

---

"Yes this is Sara." It is her free time, and her phone rang while she was flipping through the book she's reading.

"Hello? Carmi speaking. You know, I’m sorry for what happened last week. I hope you would forgive me..."

Sara thought about it for a moment. That incident from last week did cut a wound of sorts inside her and mentioning it made her recall the pain within. But her almost four decades of life taught her that holding onto grudges is no way to live.

It'll take some time for their relationship to heal, but at least they can start repairing it and prevent this from impeding their professional arrangement. Her next choice was simple: "Apology accepted."

[438 words]

[Trans-Dniesters]

Raleigh Hill Circuit
Park City, Rainier, Esmerel
Week 5 of WGP2 Season III

"William, we have bad news for you. Lourdina has just been forced to retire. All eyes are on you now."

"Oh, great. Fantastic," William Archer said bitterly. "All right, I'll do what I can," he said on the radio, but privately he thought, If I can grab any points out of this piece of shit car then it will really be a miracle.

William's struggles with the Bitten Heroes Academy KS-03 were well known, but not his personal feelings about the car; those he kept close to his chest. It helped that there was other drama going on to keep the spotlight away from him; notably the struggles of Hapilopper's Drake Stevenson and his eight wheeler machine. William had talked about the issue with his father Guillermo, and the gist of their conversation was: if it had the same number of wheels as a truck and drove like a truck, was it still a racecar?

William still had problems with the KS-03's engine stemming back from the previous race, but so far it was behaving. He still felt that the engine and the car as a whole was not performing to its full potential, but just the mere fact that it had managed to go the distance was great in and of itself.

And then, the inevitable cough from the engine. "Yes, yes, LP 20, LP 20," William called out even before his engineer could tell him what mode to use. And it had all been going so well. Too well, in fact. So perhaps it was the right time for his engine to fail.

"Looks like another oil leak again, William," his engineer said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't just be sorry, man," William blurted out. "Do something to make sure that this doesn't happen again! Just because I literally signed on at the last minute doesn't mean that you can treat me like a fucking second class driver!"

---

Cocoabo Park Circuit
One week later

William's radio outburst had given him the attention that he desperately wanted to avoid. Now there were at least two drivers whom everyone knew to have issues with their drives. William had just sat through the pre-race conference and answered questions that he preferred not to answer. But now he had to forget all of that and focus on the race itself. Another poor quali session would see him start from the second to the last row on the grid.

"I'm not asking for much, guys," William told his crew through the radio. "I just want a car that can keep up with the rest of the grid. Is that too much to ask?"

"I can't promise you anything, William," his engineer replied. "But we've gone over the engine, the gearbox, the wings, the camber, and we've done everything we can to give you as much improvement as possible. Now this course doesn't have a lot of tight turns so there's no need to be quite aggressive with the steering. Let everyone else bump elbows through the first straight and then take advantage."

"Copy," William muttered as he flexed his hands in his gloves. He really did hope that his luck would finally turn in this race.

The five red lights vanished, and soon the only thing in William Archer's mind was "Drive."

---

The race in Esmerel was one that Taras Matviyenko would rather forget. Never before in his racing career had he ever been lapped. At least, not before Esmerel. Even during the days that UrGa had become the laughingstock of the CGPRA, this had not happened. It was yet more proof that WGP2 was a completely different animal from CGPRA. Being lapped was a blemish on an otherwise good career.

The mere fact that he got lapped was still sitting in the back of Taras' head because he found himself not really concentrating on the course. Good thing that there weren't a lot of low speed corners on this track. Taras hated low speed corners. He never could get the hang of them. He ended up P15. And then the rain came.

"Let's start on inters first," Taras told his crew. "And let's see how the weather is later."

"Are you sure about this, Taras?" his engineer asked.

"Da, I'm sure. I have a good feeling about this."

And what a good feeling it turned out to be. Just one lap around the track and Taras was already P12, taking the place away from his teammate Lane Carter. Carter wasn't having the best of times either, but at this point Taras could hardly care. He saw a chance to make something out of his situation and he was damned if he wasn't going to take it.

P12 became P9 after seven laps, and seven laps after that Taras was now P4. On lap 15 he came in for fresh tyres. "Good job, Taras," Vasily Gatutin told him. "Now get on that podium!"

Everything went by so fast after that. Taras couldn't even remember passing by the other cars, just that by lap 20 he was P1. Four more laps to go, he told himself.

And then the hairpin. Taras could never hit the apex of the hairpin or get either a good entry or exit. He was losing time on Olivia Stone because of that one turn. Everywhere else he had the advantage on the Schkeska driver, but his hairpin struggles were more than evening the field for his competitor.

Finally, the inevitable. Stone flew past Taras without a backward glance. Taras wished he could reclaim P1 but the Schkeska was a much better machine than the UrGa. At least he had P2 and the team's first podium.

And after all his struggles, William Archer finally got on the podium. In a way, steering one of the worse cars on the grid all the way to P3 was an achievement, and it definitely made William cherish the moment more.

[Aboveland]

Cocoabo Park Circuit, Cocoabo Forest
Race Day

Deep breath.

Snap your thumbs, right, left, now index fingers, now roll your wrists.

"Power off, Janne."

The Chase Cutter whirrs down in the same descending tone as his race engineer. The last of the runners, Drake Stevenson, zooms past before the rooster tail his car creates, and then there's silence.

The blame could be directed at Pegasii, but that would be unfair and not very reasonable anyway. He'd gotten a mega start, thanks to the Chase Cutter's incredible advantage and his own love for wet conditions and standing water, while Pegasii had fallen back from pole as he fishtailed over his staring slot and lost ground to his rivals. It hadn't taken him more than three laps to catch up to the Vilitan, and down into turn eight on the fourth lap Janne tucked well inside the corner to power out towards the twisty turns nine through eleven, Nexus' ethereal technology beating out the similarly absurd magical steampunk machine of the US Navy.

Alas, after all, the Chase Cutter was still a Chase Cutter, and his extra pace wasn't enough to pull ahead. By turn 12 Pegasii had already closed well in on Janne to reclaim his fourth place, though he still needed an extra tenth to really strike. It didn't matter in the slightest, however, as Pegassi dove down the inside of turn 14 from half a meter behind. Janne's quick reactions saved the two from colliding in a spectacular shower of sparks and electrical fires, but the overly ambitious move had, indeed, been overly ambitious. Pegasii's front right collided with Janne's front front left; not too hard, about as hard as a usual, expected wheel tap in an open wheel race, but enough to knock the hubcap-clad tyre out of alignment. For a moment, Janne paused, confused, before slamming the throttle--Nexus' incredible Imagination suite should have prevented any damage to the car, or even averted the accident as a whole, but there was no time to think--which effectively fulminated his vehicle. The rubber rubbed against the rubber behind it, ricocheting the front front left forwards into the front aerdynamic device. The front left rear, consequently, shot itself in the opposite direction, carrying its spinning momentum backwards into the wheel covers with such force that the front control arms sheared themselves off of the body, held together only by the power of wheel tethers, the last remaining whiffs of Imagination keeping the car intact, and the Holy Spirit.

Conveniently, his final resting place happened to be the pit entry. Gloves off, jump off the car, detach the HANS, a crack of the neck, and a steady stride to the paddock.

He's a young, foreign, barely graduated rookie, so he knows to keep his composure. Sven approaches him, pulling his headphones to his shoulders, his lips curled inwards, and nods understandingly. There's work to do, and fast, if Nexus and himself are to turn their seasons around. As Janne walks to his duffel bag with his clothes, he glances at the TV screen in the garage, showing his lifeless Chase Cutter being craned away from the asphalt. The eight wheels still look kinda cool.

[Recuecn]

“Bon les mecs, here we are with another episode of Notions Nulles, the podcast where Tanguy and I sit around in my mom’s basement sharing our dumb opinions with each other, since no one else will listen to us. Say hi Tanguy.”

“Tranquille.”

“Cool. And today we actually have—I don’t know if you’ll believe this—we’ve got a guest on the podcast. Usually no one ever does this with us, but my pal Malick owed me a favor, so I made him promise he’d send his little brother over for an episode if he was ever around. 'Cause get this, his brother’s like a professional racer. He drives in the… I mean, I have no idea. It’s kind of like the grand prix, but not?”

“Jérome, why don’t you let him actually introduce himself instead of embarrassing yourself?”

“I guess that’s a good idea.”

“Salut, c’est Abdoulaye.”

“Abs, right?”

“Uh… sure, that’s what my brother calls me.”

“So you’re just back to visit?”

“Yeah, I’m living in Savojarna now, but it’s testing this week, so I had a couple days off and I thought I’d come see my family for a bit.”

“So what’s the competition you’re in called?”

“The WGP2. I drive for SVJ Racing.”

“What’s SVJ mean?”

“God, Jérome, did you do any research?”

“I watched the last race.”

“You better let me do this interview so we don’t lose the listeners we do have. Tell me about your last race, Abs. I know a lot of people around here don’t watch racing. What went down for you?”

“Well, I started off with a great position in third place, but there was a lot of chaos the first few laps and I was sort of a victim of that and fell back a bunch of places. But then fortunately there was a safety car, and my car’s really great at climbing through a tight pack like you get in that situation. So I made up the places and finished just two spots off the podium.”

“Didn’t someone sneak in to drive the safety car or something? The announcers kept talking about it after.”

“Yeah, actually, pretty crazy stuff; a driver named Kitti Armbruster. I’m not sure if that level of desperation is a good sign or a bad one.”

“Do you really think she can get a ride halfway through the season?”

“Maybe. There’s some teams who could use a better driver, and this is the perfect chance to let someone else have a turn in the seat. It’d be pretty dumb not to give her a shot. This week's just testing. It’s literally the perfect opportunity to test someone new. I sympathize with her; I was in the same situation last year. I even got a test drive and it still all came to nothing.”

“Wasn’t that the same test drive that won Drake Stevenson his contract?”

“Yeah. We both drove a single test for Eelandii VTGP. I bombed it pretty hard, but he did really well and wound up eventually signing with them for the rest of the season, and pretty much made himself a career right there.”

“That’s gotta be weird that you were in the same place, your paths diverged so sharply, and now you’re in the same competition again.”

“It really is.”

“How come he’s in the second tier with you anyway? Isn’t he risking his WGPC career?”

“What’s WGPC?”

“Are you for real.”

“Yeah…”

“It’s like the next tier up. Think of it like le championnat and le deuxième championnat.

“Ok, gotcha.”

“Anyway, I was saying, Stevenson’s not doing too hot lately, is he? How do you explain that you’re outperforming a WGPC driver?”

“I don’t think it’s his fault. Look at his teammate. He’s got the same problems, the same DNFs… There’s no way it’s not the car. It’s definitely not Stevenson’s fault at all.”

“I thought the car looked pretty sick.”

“It looks amazing. But from what I've seen it's constantly having issues.”

"Yeah I guess you must be right. The big story coming out of the WGP2 this season is Nexus Racing's performance—or really, their lack of performance.”

“We’re all surprised. I remember in team meetings with SVJ at the beginning of the season we were saying ‘Nexus is the team to beat.’ It was all these big names coming together. But the season’s halfway over and they’ve only had a single finish in the points. Since then they’ve only finished the races half the time, and when they have, they’ve always been lapped. You can’t blame something like that on a quality WGPC driver like Stevenson, or even a good rookie like Laukkanen.”

“Yeah, not with such consistently garbage results.”

“You’re exaggerating, right? They’re that bad?”

“I’m not exaggerating.”

“I don’t believe it. I'll google it.”

“Why do you think they’re having so much trouble with their car? Isn’t Nexus supposed to be one of the most advanced teams, technologically?”

“That doesn’t really count for anything in the WGP2. It’s not like the WGPC. For one thing, in both series you’ve got a power limit on the cars. So that equalizes things. But now in the WGP2 they’ve added a budget cap. It’s a great system to help out smaller teams: each team can only spend so many million guilders, so that means limited development and less testing time. Nexus could probably be doing fine if they could just outspend everyone to figure out their problems. But they can’t.

“The other thing about the budget cap is that because you have this very attainable ceiling, some of the teams max that out. Which means if you’re not spending all the way up to the cap, you’re really getting penalized. Whether your car’s not as fine-tuned, or your driver didn’t have as much track time to practice, that difference really gets emphasized when the competition’s so tight.”

“Putain, you weren’t joking! Nexus’ results are shit!”

“Yeah. Maybe they should give Armbruster a test-drive. But she probably wants a better car.”

[Eastfield Lodge]

Cocoabo Preservation Grand Prix
Race Day
SinVal Garage

There was an upbeat mood in the garage, as the drivers had gone off on their parade lap. Navarro was settling into the seat on the pit wall, watching the footage of the drivers going around whilst keeping one eye on the weather radar. It was pretty wet out there; there were even some grumblings about starting the race under safety car just because of how wet it may have been. But no, the rain had let up a little - not enough for intermediates to start with, but it looked likely inters would be the call later on. It was a good qualifying session yesterday, with Lynds somehow battling through the conditions and finishing fifth in Saturday's two-tier qualifying session. Baker hadn't fared as well, the team's sole point scorer struggling with the technical circuit all weekend and only starting in 16th. But they had plans for him involving keeping him out as long as possible on the wets before pitting. 3 minutes later, the drivers pulled up, placing themselves in their allocated spaces on the rain-soaked tarmac, and Navarro stared up into the sky, praying that Lynds wouldn't mess this up. The team were rock bottom of the championship, and desperately needed these points.

On Track
Car #33

Lynds was weirdly calm, which was quite unusual for her in the wet. Sure, she tended to drive on instinct, but something about the rain and the unpredictability tended to throw her off her senses. Not here today, the first wet race of the season. Maybe it was the track, one that she seemed to enjoy driving. Or maybe it was that she'd done so poorly up till now that she had nothing to lose, and she was at peace with herself. Whatever it was, she hoped to cling on to it, as the lights above her third row starting position started shining red. 3. 4. 5. A pause, engines revving up around her. Green. A good start, wheels spinning a they seek out traction on the wet surface. First, second, third, fourth gear before the first corner. Cars bunching up around her, but she's still fifth. Stone's Viska in front, Caulfield's VTM behind through the first few corners. Aurora aquaplaning off in her mirrors through turn 6. A few corners later, a stricken car on the outside of turn 8, its driver out of the cockpit - Lynds was fourth. She was holding the racing line well, not letting the VTM have any sniff of an opportunity.

And that's how it was through the next few laps, trying to attack the Viska in front, defending from the VTM behind. Lap 6 now, she tried switching back through turns 5 and 6, Stone just about shutting the door on her as they approached turn 8, forcing Laurencia to go around the outside, and Caulfield now had a shot up the inside out of 8 and through the Esses. But Lynds held her nerve, and just shut the door going into turn 12, keeping fourth. Mistake on the exit though - her back end snapped out and she counter-steered to keep the car on track - only for the VTM to run straight into the left rear tyre. Carbon fiber everywhere as the VTM front wing came off.

"Left rear puncture, we need to come in. Safety car as well," her race engineer Rameel Cowley squawked over the radio.

Laurencia cursed to herself, dragging the car around the outside of the hairpin as half the field passed both her and the limping VTM, a lot of them heading into the pits with the two. Driving into the pit box, Lynds punched the steering wheel as the car was raised onto its jacks, the team quickly looking over the assess for damage.

"Looks good, we'll let you out on the inters," Cowley said. "Fine," came the short, angry reply.

SinVal Pit Wall

Navarro had her head in her hands. Nothing was going right, it seemed. Just as Lynds was finally looking good for a mid-table points finish, she got taken out through little fault of her own. At least the car was driveable, but on subsequent drivebys it looked like the rear wing and the diffuser was a little bent out of shape, and Lynds was reporting a lot of understeer through the corners now, going wide on a lot of corners as the inters just struggled for grip - that really wasn't the right call. At least Ed Baker was managing to stick it out on the wets, running up in 7th after the safety car went in.

Until he binned it on lap 13, going wide and then aquaplaning at turn 6 much like Aurora, clipping the barrier and damaging his own front wing. It wasn't fully destroyed, and he managed to get back around for a replacement, as the team doubled stacked the pit stop for some wet tires again. That put both cars out of the points, at which point Navarro just gave up, took off her headset, and headed into the garage.

Nobody saw her again until the end of the race. 12th and 13th on the grid, just not good enough. Some say they heard a lot of banging and screaming from the back rooms, rumours that it was an under pressure team principal losing her temper being, of course, true.

[Filindostan]

Cocoabo Park Circuit, Cocoabo Forest
Cocoabo Preservation Grand Prix

The lights went off at the rainy Cocoabo Park Circuit, where Rod was able to pull his TT02 ahead of the US Navy car of Jama'obo Pegasii, who managed to flop his start by some wheel spinning at the start line. The WGP3 Filindostan champion was very confident that he would be able to lead the opening sequence of the race after the mishap of the Vilitan driver. WIth an irresistable urge to fully close down the inside lane on the first corner of the lap, he steered on the left too early, making his car touch the white line in the inside corner, losing control of the car, and spun out of the first corner into the barriers. In a matter of a single corner, optimism turned to disappointment and rage for the young Filindo who registered his first DNF of his WGP2 career. He proceeded to throw his steering wheel in frustration after the early mistake.

Meanwhile, Barney had a very quiet race, despite being encouraged after seeing his rival KOed early at the first corner. He thought with the four retirements early, he could climb several spots into the points. However, near the end of the race, he spun in Turn 14, and blew his rear left tyre trying to spin his car back on track. This dropped him out of the points, another frustrating weekend for the Gergarian which he failed to take advantage of Gozum's misfortunes to pull ahead in the hunt for the championship.

The other IGR car of Dom Falepeau would have desired to finish 8th, however in the closing moments of the final lap, TJUN-ia driver Lane Carter was able to overtake the Togoni driver, relegating the latter to a ninth place finish. It would be back to square one for both Barney and Rod as the teams go to Aboveland for the midseason test.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
25th of March

A blue glow swerves its way through the stadium hairpin of Crossbay Circuit, slashing onto the downward straight and ploughing onwards as its driver brakes, then wrestles it through the esses as it streaks into daylight once more. Ryker Lane grits his teeth, pushing his foot down on the accelerator; the car responds, then twitches as its cambered wheels lean up onto the hardened rims just a touch too fast – a twist of the steering wheel to correct, the wheels leaning down again to provide grip, stability returning – then pushes forward again.

Gah. This is distinctly not Coalescence yet; the thought is shoved aside in Ryker’s mind as he pushes the Chase Cutter around the kink of Turn 8, then holds it firm into the long, banked 9, hands tight on the steering wheel as it threatens to shudder, the wheels continually calibrating and re-calibrating their angle, the grip changing from moment to moment. The car is almost bestial, threatening to break from his control at any moment and dive into the barriers; he barely misses 10’s, then swings far too wide at 11, leaving him flatfooted as he approaches 12…

And then, within the primal savagery… Ryker’s eyes widen, he takes a breath, a laugh rapidly becomes a grin as suddenly there is equilibrium.

And they accelerate as a bullet from a gun.

The tyres wrench the car from the turn and up into the tunnel, then slowly lean up as the grip becomes unnecessary and minimising friction is prioritised; the dual Imagikinetic convertors push the car faster and faster as Ryker is pressed back into his seat, elation coursing through his veins as he feels the potential of the UHSGV-4, accessed for a brief moment as everything goes right. The speed climbs higher, higher, accelerating faster than it has ever felt before…

And, through Turn 13, the tyres respond a touch too late, there isn’t enough grip and Ryker has to thrash the wheel, right, then left, to keep the car on the road.

No, not just yet.

---

Nexus Racing HQ, Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
“So, what’ja have for me?” Victoria stands, one hand on her hip, before the array of screens that makes up Nexus Racing’s mid-race tactical control room – finally free from the curse of getting rid of artefacts in the ISISU code from a time when Chase Cutters had four wheels.

“I think it might be a problem of feedback loops…” Ryker touches his forefingers together, looking into the middle distance; nodding, he turns back to his partner. “Everything’s there mechanically; when it all lines up, the cornering speeds and traction are like nothing I’ve ever felt before. Thing is, you need to be able to get a sense of the limit of the car’s grip to push it to that limit; you can’t really do that when the limit keeps changing, so you keep trying to adjust with the steering wheel – which then starts the wheels leaning up and down more…” He searches for the right word. “Jerkily.”

Victoria smiles at the choice, then nods in turn, narrowing her eyes and biting her upper lip. “That makes sense…” She sits, tapping out the beginnings of an email to Tiffany on her trusty laptop. “We could probably make the leaning a touch less responsive – smoother, not jumping up and down at any given moment, so it’s more consistent lap to lap in the same places and hopefully feels more intuitive. Slight cost in raw pace but worth it, I’d think.” She frowns, one end of her lips quirking up as she looks up at Ryker, fingers still tapping against the keyboard. “Maybe some machine learning elements too? Take speed, position on the track, turn-in angle – but how to measure stability…”

“Didn’t Gertrude put a moratorium on putting AI into the car?”

“I can convince her, I’m sure!”

“Certainly.”

“Mhm! Just watch me!”

“Of course.” Ryker leans down to kiss her on the forehead, pulling back with a slight blush on his face. “You’re good at that.”

“I… Pfft. Tease.” Victoria, blushing herself, shakes her head a touch before resolutely tapping the ‘Enter’ key, sending the message off, and folding the laptop. “Alright! Probably going to go and help Tiff out with that code, after a bite to eat. It’ll be good to work on something new. You?”

“I… Hmm.” Ryker frowns. “I’m a little worried about Janne. All of these failures can’t be playing well on his mind… I’ve been absorbed with testing up to now but if we’re turning the corner on that, maybe I’ll go chat with him for a bit, if he isn’t busy.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Victoria grins wolfishly, extending an arm. “Care to join me for lunch?”

Ryker chuckles, accepting it. “But of course.”

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

---

WEEK 7
Fjellutfordring, Aboveland

---

Conditions:		Dry
Predicted Optimal Time:	00:01:23.901
Session Length:		75 minutes

Drivers have 75 minutes to complete as many laps of the track as they like.

POS #   DRIVER                                  FASTEST LAP     GAP TO LEADER		
 1  3 ▍Olivia Stone                          	00:01:28.142	00:00:00.000
 2 17 ▍Janne Laukkanen                       	00:01:28.162	00:00:00.020
 3 44 ▍Rod Gozum                             	00:01:28.166	00:00:00.023
 4 21 ▍Taras Matviyenko                      	00:01:28.186	00:00:00.044
 5 50 ▍Sara Luna                             	00:01:28.285	00:00:00.143
 6 69 ▍Carmichael Fire                       	00:01:28.324	00:00:00.182
 7 18 ▍Isaia Fanene                          	00:01:28.369	00:00:00.227
 8 19 ▍Dom Falepeau                          	00:01:28.396	00:00:00.254
 9 40 ▍Jolyn Caulfield                       	00:01:28.428	00:00:00.286
10 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                           	00:01:28.479	00:00:00.337
11 11 ▍Lane Carter                           	00:01:28.524	00:00:00.381
12 73 ▍Lorcan Greanaya-Matthewson            	00:01:28.544	00:00:00.402
13 75 ▍Roman Arjenko                         	00:01:28.556	00:00:00.414
14 37 ▍Jama'obo Pegasii                      	00:01:28.698	00:00:00.556
15 72 ▍Barnabas Mate                         	00:01:28.814	00:00:00.672
16 33 ▍Laurencia Lynds                       	00:01:28.965	00:00:00.823
17 49 ▍Mika Neretti                          	00:01:29.009	00:00:00.866
18 81 ▍Drake Stevenson                       	00:01:29.096	00:00:00.954
19 97 ▍Edward Baker                          	00:01:29.152	00:00:01.010
20 85 ▍Baxen Aurora                          	00:01:29.580	00:00:01.438
21 76 ▍Adriana Kowalski                      	00:01:29.916	00:00:01.774
22  8 ▍William Archer                        	00:01:29.921	00:00:01.778
23 77 ▍Abdoulaye Goita                       	00:01:32.134	00:00:03.992
24  7 ▍Lourdina Westgrens                    	00:01:38.605	00:00:10.463

[TJUN-ia]

Mid-Season Test
Fjellutfordring, Aboveland

The mid-season test is unusual to some. "Why would they do a test in the middle of the season, when we already had testing in the preseason?" they would ask. The answer is simple: it never hurts to have more data, especially going into the 2nd half of this tight season. All but 2 drivers (Laurencia Lynds of SinVal and Drake Stevenson of Nexus) have scored at least 1 point. 18 of them have at least 10. This championship isn't over yet, so any advantage going into the run-in will be critical in deciding the champion.

The current leader is Olivia Stone of Schkeska-VSK Viska, the team who also lead in the constructors. The partnership of her and Baxen Aurora has worked wonders so far, and that has helped but them at an advantage over rivals SVJ Racing (Abdoulaye Goita and Roman Arjenko). It appears that it will be these two fighting it out for all the glory, but other may enter this picture as well.

UrGa has had an interesting season so far. Some bad, a race we should have won, and some good. UrGa currently lie in 7th, 1 point ahead of the Bitten Heroes Academy but 6 points back of both Adelphia-VMR and Kaylan Racing Team.

Taras is currently the best of the 2, helped by his 2nd place finish in Cocoabo Forest. Put put the car into 4th in testing, looking to assume dominance over his team-mate.

Lane Carter has had an OK season. Some points finishes here and there (though he should have won round 2) had led him to 14 points and tied-13th in the standings (with William Archer and Isaia Fanene), only 5 points back off of Taras. 11th during testing might not be the best, but is shows that his pace is quite good overall.

Part 2 of this crazy season of WGP2 kicks off next week with The Hapilopper International Trophy at Surrey International Raceway, a track described as one of the toughest in all of the Dominion. The WGPC runs here a lot, so nothing short of class is required.

[Valentine Z]

Jolyn and Adriana – Week 5 – Qualifications and Actual Race @ Raleigh Hill Circuit, Esmerel

JHC: 18 / 16 / DF / DF / DF (Standings)
AKS: 01 / 02 / 03 / 02 / 01 (Standings)

Never has the tale of two drivers be a very, very contrasting one, Adriana and Jolyn thought to themselves. Adriana managed to maintain the Top 3 position throughout the entire race, though she would admit that the vehicle was giving her a bit of trouble in terms of physical performance, as well as the readings. They are not exactly the most reliable and she had to constantly switch between her two minds – one to gather the data and process it through, and another to make sure that she is follow her human instincts. After all, the perfectly-replicated mind of a human can also work wonders. She did just that, which in turn enabled her to win the race with relative ease and a gap between her and the other trailing behind her.

To say that she was ecstatic, would be an understatement for the Valentian. She was standing proudly on the winner’s podium with a trophy in her hands. There was also champagne involved, and the tall robot simply took a huge gulp of it while spraying it at everyone, as per the tradition of celebrations.

Jolyn and Adriana would meet again on that day. The former was obviously extremely angry, while the latter could not simply contain her happiness. The result?

Adriana, however, could not be as naive as everyone thought; she was fully aware of the DNFs and blunders that Jolyn has been going through, and she wanted to make sure that she was there for her friend in her time of needs.

Jolyn went on and on about her life and basically this entire race career being the lowest point of her life. To an outside, it was like a small little girl ranting on at her mother. For the Valentians, it was a 8 feet tall woman ranting out at an 11 feet tall android.

“… This race, I swear. You know, I don’t even know why I signed up!” Jolyn continued on with the rant, “Seriously, I am getting sick of just losing out over and over. Was it because of the car? Was it because of the people around me? I don’t know! I think it is just me, do you see, Adriana?”

“Yeah, I kinda do… I mean, you said that you can’t really handle road courses, am I right?”

“Exactly! So why did I sign up for this again when I could have been in NSSCRA 9? Sigh, this is not working too well, but that’s not just for me,” Jolyn took a deep breath and leaned towards Adriana. The other, however, took it up as a sign of affection and friendship, and gave her a hug. It was both touching and absurd, so to speak.

In her muffled voice, Jolyn would thank Adriana before asking her to let go of her a little.

“Ahh, thanks,” Jolyn replied back. She was still mad, but not as mad anymore. It was like a volcano that went dormant; somewhere in there, she is going to explode if she went through another blunder. “I am worried and felt guilty for the sponsors that I am racing for. It’s… I wish I can do better, I really do.”

Adriana gave Jolyn a pat on the back and simply told her to keep on going, “You can do it, my friend. Don’t worry about it!”

In the meantime, their conversation got interrupted by a phone call. It was Jared from NSSCRA 9. Apparently, Clarissa had a nasty accident that shook a lot of people… at least the people outside of Valentine Z. The Valentians were impartial to death, which became unintentionally impolite when Jolyn pulled off that stunt.

“Ohh, right… that,” she remarked, “Yeah, looking back, that was a little over the top. I thought it would be fun, you know? To celebrate the end of the season as well.”

“So… new policy for NSSCRA!” Jared continued, “You now have to shrink to 6.75 feet… or 209 cm, give or take. No exceptions, I’m afraid.”

“Duly noted, thanks!” the two women replied before hanging up the phone. Given the rigid nature of themselves, they could not simply get out of the bodies. Both Jolyn and Adriana needed new shells – the former needs a smaller synthetic body, Adriana needs a smaller robot shell. To which both of them got it just in time before the next Practice and Qualification starts.

“I’m hoping that this shorter height at least will help me out,” Jolyn remarks.

[746 words]

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

---

WEEK ♕
Rainbow Road, Space

---

Conditions:			Void
Laps:				97
Event:				Special Cup WGP2 Race
Safety Car Deployed on Laps:	5, 6, 7
Cars on Grid:			24

Start  		After 24 Laps  		After 48 Laps  		After 72 Laps
 1 ▍STO		 1 ▍STO +0     		 1 ▍NER +0       
 2 ▍GTA		 2 ▍NER +Laps: 7 	                                        
 3 ▍LNA		 3 ▍LGM +Laps: 7 	                                        
 4 ▍AKS	                                        	                                        
 5 ▍AUR	                                        	                                        
 6 ▍GOZ	                                        	                                        
 7 ▍MAT	                                        	                                        
 8 ▍ARJ	                                        	                                        
 9 ▍FAL	                                        	                                        
10 ▍MTV	                                        	                                        
11 ▍WES	                                        	                                        
12 ▍LAU	                                        	                                        
13 ▍ARC	                                        	                                        
14 ▍CRT	                                        	                                        
15 ▍FAN	                                        	                                        
16 ▍C23	                                        	                                        
17 ▍PEG	                                        	                                        
18 ▍BAK	                                        	                                        
19 ▍LGM	                                        	                                        
20 ▍FIR	                                        	                                        
21 ▍JHC	                                        	                                        
22 ▍NER	                                        	                                        
23 ▍STE	                                        	                                        
24 ▍LYN

Pos  # DRV Name				Team				Time		Pts
DNF 49 NER Mika Neretti 		▍Polestar Racing  		Ret. lap 69
DNF  3 STO Olivia Stone 		▍Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing	Ret. lap 42	Fastest Lap Bonus Point! (31.941)
DNF 73 LGM Lorcan Greanaya-Matthewson	▍Polestar Racing  		Ret. lap 40
DNF 72 MAT Barnabas Mate		▍Kaylan Racing Team		Ret. lap 24
DNF 21 MTV Taras Matviyenko		▍UrGa Motorsports Division	Ret. lap 19
DNF 77 GTA Abdoulaye Goita		▍SVJ Racing			Ret. lap 15
DNF 69 FIR Carmichael Fire		▍Adelphia-VMR			Ret. lap 10
DNF 97 BAK Edward Baker 		▍SinVal Racing			Ret. lap 9
DNF 50 LNA Sara Luna			▍Adelphia-VMR			Ret. lap 8
DNF 37 PEG Jama'obo Pegasii		▍US Navy  			Ret. lap 7
DNF  7 WES Lourdina Westgrens		▍Bitten Heroes Academy		Ret. lap 6
DNF 18 FAN Isaia Fanene 		▍Kaylan Racing Team		Ret. lap 6
DNF 11 CRT Lane Carter			▍UrGa Motorsports Division	Ret. lap 4
DNF 76 AKS Adriana Kowalski		▍US Navy  			Ret. lap 4
DNF  8 ARC William Archer		▍Bitten Heroes Academy		Ret. lap 3
DNF 81 STE Drake Stevenson		▍Nexus Racing			Ret. lap 3
DNF 33 LYN Laurencia Lynds		▍SinVal Racing			Ret. lap 2
DNF 17 LAU Janne Laukkanen		▍Nexus Racing			Ret. lap 1
DNF 19 FAL Dom Falepeau 		▍Badai Angin-IGR  		Ret. lap 1
DNF 23 C23 Cocoabo #23			▍VTM Tropicorp Engineering	Ret. lap 1
DNF 40 JHC Jolyn Caulfield		▍VTM Tropicorp Engineering	Ret. lap 1
DNF 44 GOZ Rod Gozum			▍Badai Angin-IGR  		Ret. lap 1
DNF 75 ARJ Roman Arjenko		▍SVJ Racing			Ret. lap 1
DNF 85 AUR Baxen Aurora 		▍Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing	Ret. lap 1

---

Pos # DRV Name				 Team                          Tyres           Pts
 1  3 STO Olivia Stone                   Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing     In Motion       64
 2 77 GTA Abdoulaye Goita                SVJ Racing                    Solymok         51
 3 50 LNA Sara Luna                      Adelphia-VMR                  Phoenician      37
 4 76 AKS Adriana Kowalski               US Navy                       Tropicorp       35
 5 85 AUR Baxen Aurora                   Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing     In Motion       30
 6 44 GOZ Rod Gozum                      Badai Angin-IGR               Solymok         28
 7 72 MAT Barnabas Mate                  Kaylan Racing Team            Solymok         25
 8 75 ARJ Roman Arjenko                  SVJ Racing                    Solymok         24
 9 19 FAL Dom Falepeau                   Badai Angin-IGR               Solymok         23
10 21 MTV Taras Matviyenko               UrGa Motorsports Division     Tropicorp       19
11  7 WES Lourdina Westgrens             Bitten Heroes Academy         Stellenbosch    18
11 17 LAU Janne Laukkanen                Nexus Racing                  In Motion       18
13  8 ARC William Archer                 Bitten Heroes Academy         Stellenbosch    14
13 11 CRT Lane Carter                    UrGa Motorsports Division     Tropicorp       14
13 18 FAN Isaia Fanene                   Kaylan Racing Team            Solymok         14
16 23 C23 Cocoabo #23                    VTM Tropicorp Engineering     Tropicorp       12
17 37 PEG Jama'obo Pegasii               US Navy                       Tropicorp       11
18 97 BAK Edward Baker                   SinVal Racing                 Tropicorp       10
18 73 LGM Lorcan Greanaya-Matthewson     Polestar Racing               Cypress G2      10
20 69 FIR Carmichael Fire                Adelphia-VMR                  Phoenician      2
21 40 JHC Jolyn Caulfield                VTM Tropicorp Engineering     Tropicorp       1
21 49 NER Mika Neretti                   Polestar Racing               Cypress G2      1
23 33 LYN Laurencia Lynds                SinVal Racing                 Tropicorp       0
23 81 STE Drake Stevenson                Nexus Racing                  In Motion       0

Pos NAT Team				Tyres          Pts
  1 AUR ▍Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing	In Motion      93
  2 SVJ ▍SVJ Racing			Solymok        75
  3 FID ▍Badai Angin-IGR  		Solymok        51
  4 SHW ▍US Navy  			Tropicorp      46
  5 TGN ▍Kaylan Racing Team		Solymok        39
  6 STW ▍Adelphia-VMR			Phoenician     39
  7 PDN ▍UrGa Motorsports Division	Tropicorp      33
  8 LIS ▍Bitten Heroes Academy		Stellenbosch   32
  9 NIM ▍Nexus Racing			In Motion      18
 10 V&T ▍VTM Tropicorp Engineering	Tropicorp      13
 11 NEK ▍Polestar Racing  		Cypress G2     10
 12 EFL ▍SinVal Racing			Tropicorp      10

[Hapilopper]

STEVENSON TO GO BACK TO STOCK CAR RACING AT YEAR’S END

By Doug Goodman, the Hapilopper Television Network

HAPILOPPER CITY – The dream won’t come true. Drake Stevenson has announced that he is pulling the plug on his grand prix career after one disastrous season with Nexus Racing.

The move came after an inspired drive at the Super Skychief 500 NSSCRA race, where Stevenson moved from a top-10 starting spot to the lead in the first 15 laps of the race. While Stevenson’s day was ruined when hitting debris from another accident, the former HASCAR Challenge Cup champion said he felt he belonged in stock car racing instead of in grand prix racing.

“I’ve had some real difficulties in the past couple of years, trying to make something work when it very clearly wasn’t,” Stevenson said after this past Sunday’s NSSCRA race. “I’ve tried to force something to work for the past several months, and it’s been one of the most disheartening periods of my life.”

Stevenson told reporters post-race that he had mentally checked out and was merely “going through the motions” driving for Nexus Racing.

“Nothing against any of the crew at Nexus Racing, but this just isn’t for me,” Stevenson said. “I got into that car today and it just felt right. You know the deal when you meet up with an old lover and that old flame just lights back up without even trying? That’s what I feel like. I got back in my old car and it just felt like I belonged. It just felt right. Sometimes it just takes something like that to realize you’re doing the wrong thing.”

Stevenson is expected to compete in the remaining HASCAR races after this year’s WGP2 season ends, and is a candidate for a Team Blue seat for NSSCRA X next season. Who, however, Stevenson replaces, is another question entirely.

Chris Holmes is a popular driver both in Hapilopper and abroad, but is going through a slump. Frank Bronson is having his best season in 20 years, and is not expected to go anywhere, and thoughts of removing Taylor Henderson from her seat turned radioactive following backlash earlier this season.

Still, one has to wonder what could have happened had Stevenson stayed the course. Two years ago, Stevenson barged into the paddock of the World Grand Prix Championship, somehow got a test seat with Eelandii VTGP, which led to a four-race deal, coming agonizingly close to victory in Vilita last season.

A move to Nexus Racing has proven disastrous, as Stevenson has struggled mightily with the unconventional Imagination-powered eight-wheeled “Chase Cutter.” Currently, he is one of two drivers to not score a point this season.

[Valentine Z]

Jolyn and Adriana – Week ??? – Qualifications and Actual Race @ Rainbow Road, Space

JHC: 00 / 00 / 00 / 00 / 00 / 00 (Standings)
AKS: 01 / -0 / -6 / -4 / XD / DF (Standings)

It felt like something out a fantasy world. No one told Jolyn and Adriana, and perhaps the rest of the drivers, about this particular race. One moment, they were enjoying their meals and practicing on the simulation, and the next, they were told that they will be launched into space in the span of a few minutes.

“Ooh, interdimensional travelling!” Adriana gave her first impression to Jolyn, “I can’t believe they are finally going to use that to travel between nations.”

“Err… I don’t think that’s what they are using it for!” and with Jolyn’s last word of that sentence, they were launched into space. At first, it all seems normal; stars, the Sun, the planets, Earth getting smaller as they left… the standard stuff. Then it hits them: They are going to race on that track, it seems. The vehicles were already there, but they looked rather odd. Adriana and Jolyn looked at each other puzzlingly, unsure of what is in store for them.

They approached their cars and sat inside them. It was… it was a lot smaller than they originally remembered. They were still F2 cars, but somehow, they are much, much smaller in size and by some miracle, every single racer was able to fit in there.

-----

“On your marks, get set… go!” the announcer sitting on a cloud blared out, with the traffic light floating away with him. Jolyn felt that something was definitely off. Everyone she looked around at also gave her some sort of a shrug, as if they too have no clue of what the flipping hell is going on. All that said, they proceeded with the race anyway and on their way on this rainbow road with little to no safety barriers. Falling off would mean disaster.

Adriana’s sensors were going haywire, unsure of how to take in the situation. She didn’t calibrate it for space and as a result, was getting anomalous readings. What is even stranger was the fact that there actually seems to be air in this place. None of the other drivers are wearing anything else other than their firesuits, and those firesuits didn’t have air tanks or nozzles.

In the meantime, Jolyn picked up a block with a “?” on it. It plays this slot machine like thing on her steering wheel’s screen for a short while before it stops.

“A… banana? The hell does it do?” as she pressed the button, which in turn dropped a banana peel behind her car. That in turn spelt doom for a certain Roman Arjenko, who slipped and fell off into the void.

“OH WHAT-“ Jolyn wanted to scream out; she just caused someone slip around the road and careen off of the map. However… she wasn’t the only one doing it. Looking around quickly, other racers were getting in on the action and started throwing various things at each other – ink, bombs, turbos for themselves, and shells, it seems.

“Please let this be a dream, please let this be a dream,” she repeatedly stammered to herself, unsure of what was in store for her. Was she going to be knocked off by another driver? Electrocuted? Bombed? Doesn’t seem that way.

Her team and crew chief told her to start drifting, to which Jolyn was bewildered and protested, “How do I drift a F2?!”

Before she could finish her sentence, the car flew off and plop it went off the road, along with Jolyn who managed to bail out in time and gripped onto the corner of the road.

Adriana would move on for 3 more laps, given her rather adaptive nature. Her systems are running at 100% to ensure that she is getting the best possible route, and more importantly, to ensure that she did not fall off. Suffice to say that she managed to drift the car, and was in fact in the first place for the time being, before it was all over.

She heard the sound of a thunder in the distance, and in the rearview mirror, saw a fast-travelling blue missile heading towards her. It was hard to tell what it was given the speed, but it was definitely blue, and it was coming straight at Adriana.

“CREW, WHAT IS THIS-“ she shouted for help before she too get slammed by the missile, sending her and the car flying off into space. For them, however, they dropped onto the road below them, with the F2 car dropping nicely on one side while Adriana faceplanted on the road and cracked it in return. She, however, was more or less fine.

“Ow…” she whimpered, before limping slowly and joining back Jolyn.

[776 words]

[Diarcesia]

Sara Luna
Fjellutfordring, Aboveland
The first thing that jumps out at me upon opening the package is the fact that this is the second pack of iced tea sets I've ordered from Tea For Two. The first was pretty clunky. This time around, they were pretty comfortable with the size of the order. I have to say, the quality of this second set is beyond my expectations. They nailed the details on this particular set, from the colors to the design.

I've been meaning to give these a go for a while. For the first set I ordered, I gave a bad rating on Amazon because of the high price. I know a lot of people complain about their high price of tea, but I feel like I'm being forced to pay it because I can't resist its taste. Tea For Two really outsourced the production to a third country where the company has a fairly large presence. The third country also produces a decent amount of their teas. I can't see how that would impact their costs adversely; it's something that will probably be a relatively minor item in the long run.

On the other hand, what's new In Adelphia-VMR?

I think we have grown quite used to dealing with delays and other mishaps we had in the past races. Winter seems to be on top of things. Earlier this week, Silver Chariot confirmed that a new chassis would be used today for testing. Its spec would remain secret, to keep the team from too much hype and giving the wrong impression about the new chassis.

Post-Testing
"This is a great result for us", said Carmi after learning of his P6 finish at Fjellutfordring. "And I thought top 5 or better finish is highly unlikely. I'd need to see more results to make a serious statement. Overall consistency is key though. We'll have to see how my next race works before we can confidently make any bold claims."

Sara had one more chance to top 5 before she runs out of the allotted 75 mins, and she made it, just enough to slightly beat Carmi's time. She'll be hoping for a better result in Hapilopper and Pryfurium, especially when he thought of Olivia Stone's performance.

She looked at Carmi, "If anything, this will strengthen our resolve to push for a top 5 or better season. The team will be more than happy to find itself in a competitive spot, regardless of what happens in the remainder of the season."

[420 Words]

[Auruna]

Fjellutfordring, Aboveland
Mid-Season Test

It's time for the mid-season test, and while they are leading the championship, Viska has no plans on relaxing yet. Their improved double-diffuser and other aerodynamic upgrades are seen on both cars. For one whole week, the team is working on upgrades to try out in this mid-season test. The team is busy the whole day, testing every upgrade and setup, so they can be able to keep the top spot in the championship.

The cars' performance are promising, while it still struggles at the straights, they can still keep up. At the end of the test, Olivia set the fastest time. Meanwhile, Baxen encountered some difficulties with the new VL-01's handling, but he managed to get used to it by the end of the test. With a lot more data, the can probably win the upcoming races. They can only hope for the best.

After the test, the whole team has plans on relaxing for just a few days. It has been a stressful first-half, they need to relax for now and prepare for the latter half of the season. The fight is not over and they have a lot to worry about in the weekend.

[Recuecn]

Abdoulaye tossed and turned. His dreams had been feverish all night. Suddenly, he woke with a start. Something seemed off, somehow… everything too colorful, shaped more roundly than it should have been… Abdoulaye shook it off. Time to get on with his day. He needed an early start; it was race day after all… although that didn’t feel right either. Anyway.

Abdoulaye rolled out of bed to find himself already standing in the SVJ racing garage. Maybe that was why he’d had trouble sleeping. Clearly his decision-making had gone down the tubes last night. He looked down to find that he had slept in his firesuit. Oh well.

“Good morning Abs, ready to race?” Markko stood before him, as if he’d appeared out of nowhere. He smiled and handed Abdoulaye his helmet.

“Uh yeah, I guess,” said Abdoulaye. He took the helmet and looked around. “Where—where’s the car?”

Markko pointed at the only vehicle in the garage.

“The quacker!?” Abdoulaye couldn’t believe it. “This is what I get to drive!? I’ll be toast! Anyone who brushes me will send me flying!”

“But the acceleration,” said Markko. “It’s the best there is.”

“How will I need acceleration!? It’s freaking Rainbow Road! There’s nothing to hit!” Markko just shrugged. “Oh my God,” grumbled Abdoulaye as he squeezed into the diminutive bike. He hardly fit. His knees practically touched his chin. “This is ridiculous,” he groaned, as Markko pushed him out onto the track.

It was Rainbow Road, which Abdoulaye was somehow realizing now for the first time, despite having mentioned it earlier. But it wasn’t the rainbow road Abdoulaye knew: no, this was the old Super Mario Kart version, from before Abdoulaye was even born. Abdoulaye had spent hours playing Rainbow Road on Mario Kart, but not this version, so he’d have to be careful to learn the track and not go off the edge.

Lined up on the grid, Abdoulaye couldn’t find the starting lights at first, but soon found them held aloft by a strange anthropomorphic bumblebee, about as large as he was, sitting on a cloud right over his head. In a moment the race had started, and the quacker was as good as promised—the acceleration launched him to the front of the field. Somehow the large duck head on the front of the bike seemed to have no negative effect on its aero capabilities.

However, Abdoulaye couldn’t keep it up forever. He was still learning the track, and the quacker wasn’t quite as fast as some of the others, even if it was the best from a stop. Abdoulaye was so focused on just staying on the track that he couldn’t really pay attention to everything else going on—who was passing him, and what the heck these big translucent floating boxes were. He drove through one on accident, and a squid flew out, flinging ink across the track in front of him. Drivers, suddenly blind, swerved menacingly, and Barnabas Mate swerved in front of him in the Piranha Prowler.

That was it. That was the race. Abdoulaye in his quacker was sent spinning what surely would have been fifty meters or so, but the edge of the track was right there. Down he went, and as he fell, he accelerated toward the earth below. Flames started shooting out from the quacker as he began to burn up upon hitting the atmosphere. This was it, this was how he died—and then he woke up again, back in bed.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Somewhere in the sky above Auruna
2nd of April

Olivia Stone sits back in her seat in Viska’s chartered aeroplane as it powers its way towards Hapilopper. She glances out of the window, letting her mind wander for a moment – and then settle back onto the upcoming Hapilopper International Trophy. Olivia imagines the feeling of the banked turns, the simulacrum of weight pressing her down into the seat and making the steering wheel heavy, the car’s suspension compressed and the floor riding low on the track.

The steady hum of turbofans cuts through her thoughts.

She sighs, gazing out of the window. Nimban aeroplanes, powered by electricity stored in nanocapacitors of Novan origin, were near-silent; the more regional Nimban dynastats, which she’d ridden to many of her quad bike competitions, were never quite as quiet but at least always smooth. These planes, though…

Olivia frowns, pursing her lips. At the beginning, her first time on a plane such as this plane, she’d been distracted beyond sense, unable to even think. Now? Her mind has been wrenched from calm consideration, yes, but wrenched towards activity, energy, focus, thought. Almost as if she’s…

Oh, no.

As if she’s in her rumbling, squealing WGP2 car.

I’ve got used to it.

Imagination.

With a muffled groan, Olivia places her head in her hands, rocking backwards and forwards in her seat.

“Liv?”

“I’m fine, Baxen. Just annoyed at myself.” Olivia sighs, then stretches up again. Well, there you go. Just another thing to change. Coming to rest, she inclines her head downwards, towards his phone. “Any more progress?”

“Just finishing off the draft now to send once we touch down. Hopefully the increased speeds of the WGPC will be enough to convince of the need for the DIADEM.” Baxen is, as ever, focussed.

And, as ever, on what I want. Not on himself.

Olivia frowns again, more deeply – and then grasps at his hands, pulling them away from the screen. She smiles. “Come on, enough of that. Let’s think about the race.”

Baxen rejoins her smile. “Alright – I’ll be more than pleased to suppo-“

“Baxen, come on – we’re both racers, so let’s plan for us both to race! This is what we do!”

“What you do,” he corrects. “You’ve always been the more talented of both of us.”

Olivia slumps, letting go of his hands. Her chest aches. “We’ve been over this, Baxen. I’ve got instincts, you’ve got thought. We do things differently.”

“We have.” Baxen glances down, face firm – though something pained sparkles in his eyes. “And my talents lend themselves best to support. You have the capability to go far beyond –”

“Stop.” Olivia screws her eyes shut. “You’re wrong. We go together, Baxen.”

“I… Yes, of course.”

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

---

WEEK 8
Surrey International Raceway, Hapilopper

---

Conditions:		Dry
Predicted Optimal Time:	00:01:35.261
Session Length:		75 minutes

Drivers have 75 minutes to complete as many laps of the track as they like.

POS #   DRIVER                                  FASTEST LAP     GAP TO LEADER		
 1 76 ▍Adriana Kowalski                      	00:01:40.084	00:00:00.000
 2 44 ▍Rod Gozum                             	00:01:40.144	00:00:00.059
 3 37 ▍Jama'obo Pegasii                      	00:01:40.183	00:00:00.098
 4 40 ▍Jolyn Caulfield                       	00:01:40.185	00:00:00.100
 5 19 ▍Dom Falepeau                          	00:01:40.393	00:00:00.308
 6 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                           	00:01:40.694	00:00:00.610
 7 81 ▍Drake Stevenson                       	00:01:40.700	00:00:00.616
 8 85 ▍Baxen Aurora                          	00:01:40.850	00:00:00.766
 9 77 ▍Abdoulaye Goita                       	00:01:40.970	00:00:00.886
10 21 ▍Taras Matviyenko                      	00:01:41.170	00:00:01.086
11 73 ▍Lorcan Greanaya-Matthewson            	00:01:41.186	00:00:01.102
12 75 ▍Roman Arjenko                         	00:01:41.253	00:00:01.168
13 11 ▍Lane Carter                           	00:01:41.268	00:00:01.184
14 33 ▍Laurencia Lynds                       	00:01:41.296	00:00:01.212
15 17 ▍Janne Laukkanen                       	00:01:41.375	00:00:01.291
16 72 ▍Barnabas Mate                         	00:01:41.407	00:00:01.323
17 49 ▍Mika Neretti                          	00:01:41.531	00:00:01.446
18  7 ▍Lourdina Westgrens                    	00:01:41.869	00:00:01.785
19  3 ▍Olivia Stone                          	00:01:42.240	00:00:02.156
20 69 ▍Carmichael Fire                       	00:01:43.036	00:00:02.951
21 50 ▍Sara Luna                             	00:01:43.379	00:00:03.294
22 18 ▍Isaia Fanene                          	00:01:43.766	00:00:03.682
23  8 ▍William Archer                        	00:01:44.765	00:00:04.681
24 97 ▍Edward Baker                          	00:01:45.402	00:00:05.318

---

Conditions:		Dry
Predicted Optimal Time:	00:01:35.261
Qualifying Type:	Traditional

POS #   DRIVER                                   FASTEST LAP     GAP TO LEADER
 1 77 ▍Abdoulaye Goita                       	00:01:35.301	00:00:00.000
 2 81 ▍Drake Stevenson                       	00:01:35.311	00:00:00.010
 3 18 ▍Isaia Fanene                          	00:01:35.500	00:00:00.198
 4 50 ▍Sara Luna                             	00:01:35.589	00:00:00.287
 5  8 ▍William Archer                        	00:01:35.600	00:00:00.298
 6 19 ▍Dom Falepeau                          	00:01:35.608	00:00:00.307
 7 72 ▍Barnabas Mate                         	00:01:35.679	00:00:00.378
 8 33 ▍Laurencia Lynds                       	00:01:35.684	00:00:00.382
 9 69 ▍Carmichael Fire                       	00:01:35.760	00:00:00.458
10 17 ▍Janne Laukkanen                       	00:01:35.809	00:00:00.508
11 11 ▍Lane Carter                           	00:01:35.825	00:00:00.524
12  3 ▍Olivia Stone                          	00:01:35.977	00:00:00.676
13 44 ▍Rod Gozum                             	00:01:36.002	00:00:00.701
14 21 ▍Taras Matviyenko                      	00:01:36.059	00:00:00.758
15 49 ▍Mika Neretti                          	00:01:36.117	00:00:00.816
16 73 ▍Lorcan Greanaya-Matthewson            	00:01:36.136	00:00:00.835
17 85 ▍Baxen Aurora                          	00:01:36.404	00:00:01.102
18 37 ▍Jama'obo Pegasii                      	00:01:36.845	00:00:01.544
19 40 ▍Jolyn Caulfield                       	00:01:36.940	00:00:01.639
20 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                           	00:01:37.069	00:00:01.768
21  7 ▍Lourdina Westgrens                    	00:01:37.537	00:00:02.236
22 75 ▍Roman Arjenko                         	00:01:38.449	00:00:03.148
23 76 ▍Adriana Kowalski                      	00:01:39.201	00:00:03.900
24 97 ▍Edward Baker                          	00:01:39.461	00:00:04.160

[Togonistan]

The last few weeks had been both calm as well as hectic for Kaylan's WGP2 team. Before the mid-season testing, Tanielu had given both Isaia as well as Barnabas very strict orders to take some days off and go home to visit their families. He believed a short change of environment would be good for his drivers, allowing them to blow off some steam and take a break from the usual routine. Same had applied for Jared, despite his sidekick trying to argue. ''Look, both you and your boys need some rest. We're moving on to mid-season testing, and there is no need to keep the pit crew at their feet 24/7. They need some time to slack.''

Meanwhile, the design department was still working full throttle throughout the mid-season window. The team was currently comfortably mid-table, meeting expectations of the board. However, they had to keep improving the car if they wanted to stay there. Gaps between the teams were small, and Tanielu himself actually saw the potential to climb even further in the table and challenge the top pack. Therefore, the design department had been working on a new design for the car's front wing. Something which they believed would help them to gain an upper hand in the championship.

The first time the wing was displayed to the public was mid-season testing at Fjellutfordring. Both of the team's drivers had come back from their break and managed to put down some solid lap times. Feedback from the improvements was overall positive, but the nature of the track meant the new wing's true potential couldn't be properly tested until the next race. Main focus had been on improving the smoothness in the tricky corners, something which Fjellutfordring was somewhat lacking.

Surrey International Raceway was where the true test was going to take place. The team decided to put their focus on fine-tuning in the practice, to have the best possible setup for the qualifying. It did seem like the cars were lacking in pace, however, this was largely due to the fact that Tanielu had given out orders to not push the car to it's limits. They had to spare the cars for qualifying, focusing on learning the track specifics in practice instead.

Qualifying turned out to be overall positive for the team, with Fanene in P3 and Mate in P7. Very solid run by both of the drivers, which brought joy to everyone in the team. So far, qualifying had been where the team had been struggling pretty much every weekend, and everyone was happy to finally see a solid qualifying run by both of the team's drivers. It all became even more positive after the feedback Fanene passed to his race engineer at the end of the quali: ''Guys... I don't know what sort of magic you have done, but the car was silky smooth in the corners. It felt absolutely brilliant.'' After this qualifying run, the team was hoping for a great result in the race.

---

Dom Falepeau had also taken some time off from his activities and had visited his home in Tushlark, met some friends at a bar and done some modelling work for Elegamment. This little side-job for his sponsor was something he really enjoyed, as fashion was another passion of his, besides racing. Maybe he would design his own line of clothing in the future, who knows?

Coming back from his break, Dom took part in the mid-season testing and was overall happy about it. The team had done some nice improvements on the car and day by day, he started to find working with Badai Angin-IGR more and more pleasing. The atmosphere in the team was overall pleasant, he had made some friends in the pit crew with whom he would sit down after the testing for a few beers and general chit-chat. Of course, Dom was not sure if the team chief would approve of this kind of behaviour, but he had always been trying to find the balance between work and fun. As they say, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

In Hapilopper, Dom was happy about his performance during the weekend so far. 5th best time in practice, 6th in qualifying. The work he and the team had done during the mid-season testing had been positive, and the start of the 2nd half of the season seemed promising so far. P6 would give him a good shot for another finish in the points. The car was handling great on the track, Dom hoped he would manage to get a solid result and not let the team down in the race.

[TJUN-ia]

The Hapilopper International Trophy
Surrey International Raceway, Jenkinsburg, Hapilopper

The time for games is over. WGP2 is about to enter its 2nd act, and the quest to become champion has no clear winner as yet. We come to Surrey, a land of history in many forms, for a race that could set the tone for the 4 to come.

Lane Carter was pretty chill heading into Hapilopper. He didn't really consider himself in contention for the title anyway, so the focus was now on being the best he can be. That is important now, as questions over what happens after the season are starting to show themselves in TJUN-ian media.
Will he try and go to WGPC? Will he remain here? Or will he decide to switch over to stock-cars, presumably with Jaguar Racing?
These questions need answering at some point, but not now. Now, the focus is on completing the season.

PRACTICE
Friday was quite normal at the former-Oval. P13 may not be the best, but it was certainly a start. Taras has pace in 10th and might be someone to try and beat come Sunday.

QUALIFYING
WGP2 Qualifying is always known for being as tight as anything in motorsport, and it showed today once again. 16th place Lorcan Greanaya-Matthewson was only 8-tenths off the pole time, set by Abdoulaye Goita. Drake Stevenson, who announced his intention to return to stock-car racing during the break, qualified a close 2nd for his home race. Lane will start 11th in car #11, Taras in 14th.

[Diarcesia]

Sara Luna
Surrey, Hapilopper
Before the Practice
The last time I flew to Surrey, I spent a few days by one of its lakes. The area was known for its scenic views and great variety of wildlife. I was captivated by the sheer diversity of the place.

Today, I return and see for myself just how different the world can be. What a change! I am back in what would technically be a business trip. I am thinking of ways to make a quick race by bringing back some of the same ideas I brought to the table while strategizing with my team.

The first idea is to organize a stop in the pits in the most efficient manner. I have a few tire decisions I'd have to make in advance. Would I burn more rubber for grip, or opt to conserve them? Interesting choices that are all worth a look. I was not a stranger to the former because of a prior stint on drifting cars.

The second idea is more of a personal philosophy than a specific strategy. I've seen other teams hammer out similar ideas. I would need to watch my driving as I enter this particular race. I may have to sacrifice a little risk-aversion in the process.

The third and final idea is quite simple. I need to re-evaluate my approach to the season. I need to re-evaluate my style. What have I learned here that may be helpful in the future? What have I done that may hurt my chances?

I desire to find out what my weaknesses are and to improve them. I've learned that strength comes from familiarity, not from trying to reinvent the wheel. This means no matter what happens, I know what I have to do to stay in the lead.

Indeed, I've already learned that I have to tread carefully around the braking zones. No matter how experienced one may seem, this is not a race for the weak of heart. I've been in this position before and I know how difficult it can be to get into the lead. There is also a chance that if I do well here I may have a shot at moving up when the season goes to Diarcesia, my homeland. I wish to see my family again...

I've made a new friend though. I'm excited to introduce Silver Chariot to my country.

I'm thankful that Winter and Adelphia-VMR agreed to take me as one of their drivers. I've gotten to know him more and he's become sort of like a father figure to the team, ponies and humans alike. I'm excited to work with him and the other members of the organization. Over the season, Carmi for the most part has been a good influence on my racing career. His knowledge of the automobile has been invaluable as well.

[420 + 477 words]

[Savojarna]

Hapilopper, Krister Arlund’s trailer, Thursday evening

“FUCK!”, Krister shouted as soon as he had closed the laptop. His first instinct was to blame Suvchenko for the mess, but he realised quickly that was idiotic. The engineer had only been the messenger; and while his team did take too long for the development of the new aero package, it wasn’t for laziness or incompetence, they simply had wanted to take new data into account that the team gathered over the season with Abdoulaye Goita’s driving style changing some of the parameters. It turned out that the SVJ-02 was actually better at some things than they thought, and worse at others, and then they had some trouble with the wind channel, and now with the factory… the bottom line of the call was, Krister would only have one new aero kit for the Hapilopper race weekend, and the promised delivery from Sjoedrhavn International would not be on the next IAS plane as Suvchenko had said it would.

The upcoming races would be quite important for them, and the test had shown that the aero kit was quite crucial, as it seemed to have seriously contributed to the gap between the two drivers. It was time for a team meeting, as soon as possible. He called up his engineers, deciding what to do. There wasn’t strictly an issue with having two different kits on the car, although it would make the whole software setup a bit less intuitive - but again, they had run it this way in Aboveland, and it would be fine. But it pained Krister to punish his drivers for someone else’s mistake, and he feared for bad blood in the team. He also wasn’t sure what the best way to proceed would be, really.

As he expected, the engineering team wasn’t too happy about the situation either. Markko was surprisingly resolute, in fact. “So, where is the kit we have? We need to get installing”, he said, taking it apparently for granted that his driver would get it. The thought had barely crossed Krister’s mind - he was a neutral principal, but he was a Savojar, and the team was a vehicle for Savojar racing to develop, and he had a mentor relationship with Roman. “It’s on Arjenko’s car”, he responded a bit dumbfoundedly. “We’ve been testing it with him in Aboveland, remember? He’s been driving with it ever since”. “Yeah, but that was because we had more data. Abs is better in the standings. I know Roman is our number one, and the SARA probably would want him to do well, but… I wanna win titles. And Abs is higher in that race”, Markko said. Krister took a deep breath, knowing that the Finn was right. He looked at Juri Sandrajev, Roman’s race engineer, vaguely hoping for some help. But Juri just nodded. “Roman won’t be happy, but it’s what is best for SVJ, I think. And in the end, you may drive alone, but it’s a team game”. Krister suddenly felt relieved by the support of Roman’s side. “Okay, that’s a good reason. I’ll tell the crew to switch out the kits as fast as possible”, he said to close the meeting out. Now, all he could do was hope that with the new kit, Abdoulaye would be able to make a splash to placate his SARA superiors.

---

Hapilopper, SVJ paddock, Saturday afternoon after Qualifying

Krister took a deep breath at the pit wall, the sound of a thousand boulders falling off his chest rumbling in his ears. The tactic had worked perfectly. Savojarna could celebrate a pole position. He grabbed the radio from an amused Markko’s hands and shouted with relief and enthusiasm “P1, Abdoulaye, well done, P1! I repeat P1, pole position!”. The SARA could not possibly have a complaint about this result. Like many principals, he had the relevant parts of the rankings in his mind by heart: Abdoulaye was twelve points behind Stone, and safely ahead of the pack as long as he would come in somewhere near the top, meaning that the chances for an attack on the leader were quite good. What he worries about was Roman Arjenko, down in eighth place of the ranking and starting to be increasingly eaten up by doubt. As he strolled into the garage to welcome the returning cars, his heart sunk as he saw his drivers.

Arjenko climbed out of the SVJ, handing it off to his crew, and immediately slumped in a chair. “You don’t want me around anymore, do you? I’ve fucked up. Now you’re giving him the good car too. Why don’t you get that Nepharim girl to drive, won’t you?”, he said, his voice full of something between contempt and self-loathing, with a healthy dash of sadness and desperation in it. “I work off my ass day for day, and you give me hope at testing, but he gets to win, or what?”, he continued his tirade, only to be interrupted by a snide “Roman” from Juri Sandrajev. It seemed to snap Arjenko out of it, and Krister was glad he didn’t have to do that part himself. “Roman, you know it as well as me and Krister. You didn’t drive well today. Nobody lost their trust in you. We have seriously considered this, and you and I have talked about it last night. Abdoulaye is ahead of you in standings. I know you have talent and drive, but you need to learn that this is a team sport, okay?”, Juri said. The driver fell together even more and nodded. “Now, I wanna see that anger in you on the track tomorrow. Strike back. The race is where it counts. We believe in you, but we’d still be happy about a good performance tomorrow”, Krister added, hoping he’d strike a cord. Indeed, the words got Arjenko to sit up, and his eyes showed a hungry glistening. Krister took a deep breath. Crisis averted - for now.

[Vilita and Turori]

VTM Tropicorp Struggles continue in Hapilopper

After a week of testing out at the Fjellutfordring in Avsidesliggendevuoret, Aboveland where both VTM Tropicorp Engineering cars found there way inside the Top 10 of the standings, it was back to mediocracy or worse for the team. After posting strong times in practice at the Surrey International Raceway in Hapilopper, it was back to the rear of the field for VTM Tropicorp drivers as Jolyn Caulfield, rumored to be on her way out the door at the end of the season after failing to accrue any points finishes in the first half of the season, over a second and a half off the pace in 19th position. Caulfield would be in a Vilita and Turori sandwich on the grid with teammate Cocoabo #23 right alongside of her and one spot in front would be Jama'obo Pegasii for Naval Corps Motorsports.

While the mediocrity continued for VTM Tropicorp on the track, there is one driver who might have a chance to turn their season around at their home track, Hapiloppers Drake Stevenson. After announcing his intentions to hit the 'reset' button on his career and return to his roots back home in HASCAR next season, Stevenson has put in the best performance of the season qualifying on the outside of the front row as they look to claim a first career checkered flag in the open wheel World Grand Prix circuit in front of the home fans. It would be a storybook conclusion to an open wheel career for Stevenson but one would have to ask the question, would a victory on Sunday for Stevenson result in the Hapilopper driver reconsidering their plans to return to Stock Cars next season? Or could it hasten the drivers departure from the starting grid with a desire to go out on top before changing directions in their career.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Surrey International Raceway, Jenkinsburg, Hapilopper
The Hapilopper International Trophy; Post-Qualifying

For the third time this season, Nexus Racing have put a driver on the front row of the grid. Celebrations are muted – none of those times have been converted to success for the driver in question, and it is overwhelmingly races where they have fallen down – but they are celebrations nonetheless. Many move to congratulate Drake when he returns to the garage after Qualifying.

Gertrude Thompson is one of them but hers are brief, if still carrying enthusiasm. Her mind is largely focussed elsewhere.

What Ryker told me was right. He makes the decision to leave and then he does that in the next qualifying session…

I need to talk to Timothy.

Nexus Racing HQ, Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System

“It’s just too much for them, Tim. We take drivers without experience and then throw them into our most intense, experimental prototyping phase, subjecting them to race losses that aren’t any fault of their own… Is it any wonder they burn out?”

Timothy clasps his hands together, expression grim but still somehow serene. “You suggest that we need an entirely new approach to the WGP2.”

“Not sure what it could be, but… Lukar, Rebecca, now Drake, all of them left and, if today says anything, they could all have been underperforming. Even Janne’s been falling behind…” Gertrude sighs, then places her hands on her superior’s desk. “We need a better system.”

There is silence.

“I assume you don’t want to lose the prototyping phase.”

Gertrude smirks. “I’d prefer we keep something, sure. If we didn’t have our current cycle we’d be working out the UHSGV-4’s problems during the WGPC season. No, this isn’t utterly irredeemable, it’s just… Imperfect. Could always be more perfect.”

She taps at the table for a moment, staring down towards it. “If our drivers could be more resilient going into WGP2, if we could prepare them… That would mean getting them in early. The WGP3… We scout promising drivers there, bring them into the fold to show them how everything works and give them a long-term perspective. Maybe some psychological support too. It couldn’t be implemented this season, but…” She glances up again, looking for feedback.

Timothy Guard is gazing at her, fondness in his eyes. “Superb.”

“Hmm?”

“The way you dissect and reassemble ideas so quickly.” He reaches over the desk, taking her hand in his. “Be in no doubt, Gertrude: you are entirely capable of leading this team.” He taps at his computer. “That is a brilliant start. I’ll set up a meeting with the Office to discuss the problem further; we can begin with this.”

“I…” Huh. Somewhere between shock, astonishment and pride and, between them all, feeling more than a little overwhelmed, Gertrude nods, mouth formed into a half-open smile. “Thanks. That’s… Thanks.” She stands, motions a touch erratic. “Send me the time. I’ll, ah, I’ll go and get on.”

Then she leaves, quickly and with much to consider.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

---

WEEK 8
Surrey International Raceway, Hapilopper

---

Conditions:			Dry
Laps:				40
Event:				The Hapilopper International Trophy
Safety Car Deployed on Laps:	10
Cars on Grid:			24

Start  		After 10 Laps  		After 20 Laps  		After 30 Laps
 1 ▍GTA		 1 ▍GTA +0     		 1 ▍LGM +0     		 1 ▍BAK +0
 2 ▍STE		 2 ▍LGM +3.799 		 2 ▍BAK +1.602  		 2 ▍LNA +23.899
 3 ▍FAN		 3 ▍MTV +5.066 		 3 ▍C23 +19.104		 3 ▍LGM +32.278
 4 ▍LNA		 4 ▍BAK +6.333 		 4 ▍JHC +22.451		 4 ▍PEG +32.868
 5 ▍ARC		 5 ▍AKS +7.599 		 5 ▍STO +27.661		 5 ▍JHC +39.427
 6 ▍FAL		 6 ▍PEG +8.866 		 6 ▍ARC +27.757		 6 ▍STE +40.189
 7 ▍MAT		 7 ▍CRT +10.133		 7 ▍GTA +35.47  		 7 ▍LYN +45.649
 8 ▍LYN		 8 ▍C23 +11.4   		 8 ▍PEG +36.255		 8 ▍WES +53.641
 9 ▍FIR		 9 ▍NER +12.666		 9 ▍STE +36.994		 9 ▍FIR +54.658
10 ▍LAU		10 ▍ARC +13.933		10 ▍WES +37.09  		10 ▍ARC +55.869
11 ▍CRT		11 ▍JHC +15.199		11 ▍LNA +37.777		11 ▍FAN +56.666
12 ▍STO		12 ▍STO +16.466		12 ▍FAN +38.113		12 ▍FAL +60.188
13 ▍GOZ		13 ▍LYN +17.733		13 ▍NER +41.615		13 ▍GTA +60.781
14 ▍MTV		14 ▍LAU +19     		14 ▍LYN +46.08  		14 ▍C23 +61.029
15 ▍NER		15 ▍GOZ +20.266		15 ▍FIR +47.21  		15 ▍AKS +69.945
16 ▍LGM		16 ▍FAL +21.533		16 ▍GOZ +48.34  		16 ▍STO +72.82
17 ▍AUR		17 ▍WES +22.8   		17 ▍LAU +68.916		17 ▍CRT +74.809
18 ▍PEG		18 ▍FIR +24.066		18 ▍AKS +71.118		18 ▍LAU +74.849
19 ▍JHC		19 ▍FAN +25.333		19 ▍CRT +72.452		19 ▍GOZ +80.915
20 ▍C23		20 ▍MAT +26.599		20 ▍FAL +74.21  		20 ▍MAT +Laps: 1
21 ▍WES		21 ▍STE +27.866		21 ▍MAT +83.976		21 ▍NER +Laps: 1
22 ▍ARJ		22 ▍LNA +29.133		22 ▍MTV +Laps: 1		22 ▍MTV +Laps: 1
23 ▍AKS	                                        	                                        	
24 ▍BAK

Pos  # DRV Name				Team				Time		Pts
  1 97 BAK Edward Baker			▍SinVal Racing			01:14:01.099	25
  2 37 PEG Jama'obo Pegasii		▍US Navy  			00:00:11.200	18
  3 50 LNA Sara Luna			▍Adelphia-VMR			00:00:16.430	14
  4 19 FAL Dom Falepeau			▍Badai Angin-IGR  		00:00:19.430	10
  5 81 STE Drake Stevenson		▍Nexus Racing			00:00:30.514	8
  6  3 STO Olivia Stone			▍Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing	00:00:30.597	6	Fastest Lap Bonus Point! (1.40.044)
  7 18 FAN Isaia Fanene			▍Kaylan Racing Team        	00:00:39.325	4
  8 69 FIR Carmichael Fire		▍Adelphia-VMR			00:00:41.103	3
  9 23 C23 Cocoabo #23			▍VTM Tropicorp Engineering	00:00:46.196	2
 10 77 GTA Abdoulaye Goita		▍SVJ Racing			00:00:49.590	1
 11 73 LGM Lorcan Greanaya-Matthewson	▍Polestar Racing  		00:00:55.662	
 12 76 AKS Adriana Kowalski		▍US Navy  			00:01:05.018	
 13  7 WES Lourdina Westgrens		▍Bitten Heroes Academy		00:01:15.396	
 14 44 GOZ Rod Gozum			▍Badai Angin-IGR  		00:01:17.574	
 15 72 MAT Barnabas Mate		▍Kaylan Racing Team        	00:01:36.749	
 16 33 LYN Laurencia Lynds		▍SinVal Racing			00:01:39.987	
 17 11 CRT Lane Carter			▍UrGa Motorsports Division	00:01:49.042	
 18 49 NER Mika Neretti			▍Polestar Racing  		00:01:53.070	
 19 17 LAU Janne Laukkanen		▍Nexus Racing			Laps Down: 1	
 20 21 MTV Taras Matviyenko		▍UrGa Motorsports Division	Laps Down: 1	
DNF 85 AUR Baxen Aurora			▍Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing	Ret. lap 4	
DNF 40 JHC Jolyn Caulfield		▍VTM Tropicorp Engineering	Ret. lap 33	
DNF 75 ARJ Roman Arjenko		▍SVJ Racing			Ret. lap 9	
DNF  8 ARC William Archer		▍Bitten Heroes Academy		Ret. lap 40

---

Pos # DRV Name				 Team                          Tyres           Pts
 1  3 STO Olivia Stone                   Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing     In Motion       70
 2 77 GTA Abdoulaye Goita                SVJ Racing                    Solymok         52
 3 50 LNA Sara Luna                      Adelphia-VMR                  Phoenician      51
 4 76 AKS Adriana Kowalski               US Navy                       Tropicorp       35
 4 97 BAK Edward Baker                   SinVal Racing                 Tropicorp       35
 6 19 FAL Dom Falepeau                   Badai Angin-IGR               Solymok         33
 7 85 AUR Baxen Aurora                   Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing     In Motion       30
 8 37 PEG Jama'obo Pegasii               US Navy                       Tropicorp       29
 9 44 GOZ Rod Gozum                      Badai Angin-IGR               Solymok         28
10 72 MAT Barnabas Mate                  Kaylan Racing Team            Solymok         25
11 75 ARJ Roman Arjenko                  SVJ Racing                    Solymok         24
12 21 MTV Taras Matviyenko               UrGa Motorsports Division     Tropicorp       19
13  7 WES Lourdina Westgrens             Bitten Heroes Academy         Stellenbosch    18
13 17 LAU Janne Laukkanen                Nexus Racing                  In Motion       18
13 18 FAN Isaia Fanene                   Kaylan Racing Team            Solymok         18
16  8 ARC William Archer                 Bitten Heroes Academy         Stellenbosch    14
16 11 CRT Lane Carter                    UrGa Motorsports Division     Tropicorp       14
16 23 C23 Cocoabo #23                    VTM Tropicorp Engineering     Tropicorp       14
19 73 LGM Lorcan Greanaya-Matthewson     Polestar Racing               Cypress G2      10
20 81 STE Drake Stevenson                Nexus Racing                  In Motion       8
21 69 FIR Carmichael Fire                Adelphia-VMR                  Phoenician      5
22 40 JHC Jolyn Caulfield                VTM Tropicorp Engineering     Tropicorp       1
22 49 NER Mika Neretti                   Polestar Racing               Cypress G2      1
24 33 LYN Laurencia Lynds                SinVal Racing                 Tropicorp       0

Pos NAT Team				Tyres          Pts
  1 AUR ▍Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing	In Motion      100
  2 SVJ ▍SVJ Racing			Solymok        76
  3 SHW ▍US Navy  			Tropicorp      64
  4 FID ▍Badai Angin-IGR  		Solymok        61
  5 STW ▍Adelphia-VMR			Phoenician     56
  6 TGN ▍Kaylan Racing Team		Solymok        43
  7 EFL ▍SinVal Racing			Tropicorp      35
  8 PDN ▍UrGa Motorsports Division	Tropicorp      33
  9 LIS ▍Bitten Heroes Academy		Stellenbosch   32
 10 NIM ▍Nexus Racing			In Motion      26
 11 V&T ▍VTM Tropicorp Engineering	Tropicorp      15
 12 NEK ▍Polestar Racing  		Cypress G2     11