World Grand Prix Championship 18 [RP/results]

[Sorlovia]

Crossbay Circuit
Raceday

“Keep pushing forward Sara. You’ve got this!”

Gregori turned his attention away from the track for a brief moment to send some encouragement his teammate’s way. He could afford the momentary distraction. The inter-driver radio was activated via switch on the side of his helmet that could be flicked with barely any attention. He didn’t have to take even a second of focus off the track to do so. His fingers remembered where the switch was. It was as easy as adjusting his hand on the steering wheel. He placed importance on encouraging Sara. It was a show of teamwork and was just the right thing to do. WGPC18 was looking to be her season and he wanted to support her in any way that he could.

Abdoulaye Goita had been providing a welcome challenge. The rookie racer had probed his position several times trying to find a weak point. But Gregori, with some deft handling, had been able to put a stop to his attempts at passing and had rocketed ahead of him. As he rounded yet another bend he found himself savouring the challenge provided by the rookie racers. There was a lot of talent in the rookie pool this season and he had been carefully studying them. Terho would’ve been doing it too. It was a well-known habit among the more experienced racers. The experienced racers with a few seasons under their belts closely monitored the rookies to see any fresh challenges. The veterans in turn carefully monitored the two or three season racers.

“This is getting interesting,” Gregori said as he rounded the twelfth corner “I like the ambition of the new racers.”

“They’re hungry,” Viktor replied “just like you were when you first entered in WGPC16. I remember that you sent your sights on the experienced racers too. It’s natural.”

Gregori arced around the corner into Sector Three passing Olivia and Alex in a streak of blue as he did so. He was slowly fighting his way up the pack using every bit of skill that he could muster. But no matter how hard he tried William and Dom were able to keep ahead of him. He pushed up close but William prevented him from sneaking by and streaked ahead the moment he got a chance. He made it past him once and was narrowing on Dom when William seized the advantage offered by one of the tight bends to sneak past him again. He was beginning to enjoy racing against the pair of them. He could not deny that they were highly skilled racers and thus were a worthy challenge for him. He could test his skills on them and use their performance as a learning experience.

He pressed hard into the seventeenth corner in a burst of acceleration and streaked past William for the second time. He then had Dom squarely in his sights as they flashed down the long straight to the first corner. But, looking in his mirror, Gregori could see William close on his tail and fighting for a way to pass him. It seemed that their race joust was not over as proven when William managed to push past him on the corner yet again. The young racer had skills. Gregori had to give him that. Who else could manage to so effectively push back a more experienced WGPC racer with finesse. There had to be high skill involved. After all, Gregori wasn’t an easy challenge on the track. He put up a big fight for every inch of track and fought for his position with a tenacity that had earned the immense approval of his fans. The Krupin Krew watched every one of his races with unwavering focus and an unflinching dedication.

Dom and William were gaining. But he could at least keep Cruisin and Edwards off his tail. They had been contesting their position behind him for the last few laps just as he had with Dom and William. Rudy tried to pass him on several occasions but deft use of a corner pushed him back behind R.L. to fight for his position. Gregori admired their determination. There were no veterans, rookies or experienced racers out on the track. When you were out there it was just twenty eight racers fighting for that much coveted first place.

[Mattijana]

Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay

"That's P5. P5. Great drive Jasmina! Stick it in scenario one and I'll see you later for a celebratory glass of whatever non-alcoholic beverage they've got hanging around."

"Sounds rank. Cheers though guys. Strategy worked a treat and the car was great today. Onwards and upwards from here I guess."

Dani Neumann sounded delighted over the radio at the end of the Nimban Grand Prix and with good reason. Jasmin Kranjska had just secured her first points of the WGPC season and she had done it the hard way too.
Another disappointing qualifying had left her 21st on the grid and with plenty of work to do on raceday, but unlike the last two races, she had managed to turn it around and come away with a points haul.
A clean getaway had been the most vital component of her race. She managed to avoid getting caught in the rear-end melee and managed to pick off the rookie duo of Kitti Armbruster and Niklas Schonbaum down the inside of turn 1 in the process. She didn't have to deal with Cocoabo 23 in the end as the bird retired on lap 3 after a clash with Dario Nulkeshlager, who she also managed to nip past in the process. That was p18, and from there, things were going to get harder.

Having carved a way past the two Prestons and the Eelandii of Lane Carter, as well as profiting from the retirement of Jean Mercer-Daly, she was approaching the back of the top 10 feeling like she was just getting started.

"Box this lap. Box this lap. Everything these tyres have got now."

With that announcement from Dani, she ditched the set of hard Tropicorp tyres she had started on and switched to a softer pair. A quick outlap and she could get past a few cars without needing to risk it on track. Souzare was in her sights, as was R.L Cruisin and Alex Dimitrianov, who Jasmin was somewhat surprised to see this far down the order already. Pulling round the right-hander of turn 2, she could see the dark blue livery of the Badai Angin emerging from the pit lane tunnel. It was going to be touch and go.
Jasmina had the inside line for turn 3, but the tight downhill curve was perfect understeer territory and let her more experienced compatriot cut back and take the inside for the turn 4 hairpin. Jasmina's warmer tyres played into her hands at this stage though, helping her stay alongside Dimitrianov around the outside of the corner and out-drag the Badai Angin on the run down to turn 5.

Beating the other Mattijanan was a huge confidence boost and with fresh tyres, she could really push on now. Goita was unable to cope with the pace and grip of the MRT down the pit straight, before Gregori Krupin was also passed after a tough 3-lap-long battle.

It was her own teammate Dom Falepeau that provided the toughest obstacle to the top 5 though and Jasmina knew it right from the moment she approached the rear-wing of her teammate.

"Jasmina, this is Johan here. You are racing the car in front. Don't do anything rash."

So that was what the team management had decided. It was certainly one way to cut out the speculation and controversy around team orders, but it was a risky one, especially with the team on for their best points haul of the season. Jasmina fancied her chances though. She was producing the better pace so far this race and had a good run at the Togonistani out of turn 12. Having flicked through the fast right-hander of 14, she lined up a lunge down the inside of turn 15, but thought better of it. That was more likely to end in disaster.
Instead, she stayed as close as she dared through 16 and 17 before pinging the DRS open down the pit straight. Now she had a chance and she had forced Dom to go defensive into turn one. Now he had to be careful not to understeer into her and she was able to sweep the long way round. He had a chance to have a go back down into turn 3, but this time, it was his turn to have to back out of it.
Having profited from Talvela's retirement, she managed to hold off a late charge from Erica Okumura by a few tenths to take her first points and top 5 of the season, as well as notching the fastest lap in the process. She had been on the podium before, but for her, this ranked above those drives simply because of how far back she had started.

After the race, she pulled up alongside her teammate and shared a fist-bump. "Good race mate, enjoyed that one. See you later."

She made sure to congratulate Lane, Luna and Bjarnason for their races before heading off for the standard post-race formalities. After that, it was back to Mattijana for a short while before the team would jet off to Arauna for the first ever race at the Akresna circuit. There was more testing to do, more time to be spent in the gym and more time working with the team to understand how they could improve the car in time for the next race, but things were heading in the right direction. She was looking forward to life's little pleasures too. A proper cup of Mattijanan coffee and a celebratory ethanol-based drink were on the agenda for when she arrived home.

[Siovanija and Teusland]

“Engine troubles, Niklas, you’re going to have to bring it in for today.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to box it.”

Scheisse, thought Niklas Schonbaum. It had been an overall frustrating weekend at the Nimban Grand Prix. Poor in practice, poor in qualifying, and now having to retire after just 29 laps here. Niklas was known for being a calm, collected driver, not letting his emotions get the best of him. But at this moment, he felt anything but - he wanted to scream. What did he need to do for something to go right?

He knew going into the World Grand Prix Championship season that it wasn’t going to be like the circuit back home. Back home, he was in a TMW car that was expected to win week in and week out. Here, he was competing with some of the best drivers in the world - drivers who had far more experience than he had.

Every doubt he’d ever had in his career came to mind as he finished his lap and pulled the #37 TAS Alliance car into the pits and climbed out. Should he have spent another year in Teusland? Should he have tried WGPC2? Was the pass he made on teammate Patrik Metzinger at the Stelburg Grand Prix last season the wrong call? Ok, that one was a little bit of an overreaction. But Schonbaum was really, really struggling. For the first time in his career, he’d found something that he hadn’t had instant success in.

Schonbaum wasn’t the type of person to give up, though. He knew there was a way through - a way to get better. He had no illusions that his first year was going to be successful - but he wanted it to be at least solid. And right now, he was feeling pretty far from that goal. As he stepped out of his car and pulled off his helmet, TMW engineer Johan Maltz, who was with him at TAS Alliance, sensed his tension and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“Keep your head up, son. You’ll figure it out.”

Schonbaum nodded, but he didn’t feel like it. In that moment, he’d have loved to be back home in Stelburg - it was probably raining, a perfect day to take in a movie with friends or to spend a day with family. But he knew that wasn’t the move of a competitor. And more importantly, his teammate, Anneliese Devereaux was still in the race. She was a great teammate, and he was going to give her support - even if it was from the pit wall.

Schonbaum sat watching the race alongside some of the crew members from TAS Alliance, hoping for his teammate to pull something special off. It wasn’t to be, however - Anneliese finished 20th, the last car that finished the race. A poor day weekend overall, then, for the team. Well, at least we can only go up, thought Schonbaum.

Back at his hotel, all alone, he thought back to some of his earliest days racing. And he remembered - it wasn’t true that he’d been initially successful at everything. He remembered his first-ever race in the Teusland Junior Karting Circuit, when he was just 8 years old. He’d showed up to the track in Stelburg so sure of himself, feeling that he was going to win with no doubt. From a young age, Schonbaum knew when he was good at something, which had made him cocky as a kid. As he grew, he also learned to know when he was bad at something, which had made him a better driver and person.

On that day in Stelburg, all those years ago, however, it wasn’t meant to be. He ended up coming 4th, behind two kids he knew from school - kids he’d considered himself to be better than. All the way back home in the car with his dad, he’d cried his eyes out. When they got home, his dad said only one thing to him. “Losing isn’t failure, unless you want it to be. It’s about what you learn - what you take from that experience, that makes you a winner next time. And there is always, always, a next time, if you’re tough enough to make it there.” Niklas wouldn’t win the next week, or the week after that - but he did, eventually.

That same mentality was what he needed now. He knew he wasn’t going to win the race next weekend - but he could be better. And if he got better and better every week? Maybe, at some point in the future, he would get that success he so craved. For Niklas Schonbaum, getting better next week would have to begin with the Aurun Grand Prix.

[Aboveland]

Crossbay Circuit, Nexus Wardship
Race day

Terho rounds the final corner, turn 17, at his usual warm-up lap leisurely pace before nestling AGP003--three rounds in and still Unnamed--in the second grid spot diagonally behind Olivia Stone on pole. Unusually thus far for season 18, his public persona increasingly (concerningly) aloof, he's giddy with excitement, barely able to contain his bubbly anticipation. Though only in the championship twice before, Crossbay Circuit had become something of an instant classic: its swooping, undulating esses laid out over the waters of the bay below, and the seamless synergy with which the asphalt complemented the cliffs of the Nimban coast made for a completely unique and memorable calendar fixture. His previous record, contrary to what the nature of the track may suggest, is rather great. Fifth in his first season with TRÆ came after a long arduous battle to crack the podium positions in a car not exactly up to par with its rivals, but seaosn 17 saw one of TRÆ's only one-two race finishes in history, with iBen at the forefront of the achievement, as is tradition.

So naturally, with AGP003 being an evolutionary upgrade, and the proof from the previous two races that the car was certainly competitive, if not still dominant, team morale is high. Throughout the weekend though, and particularly after Terho's second place in qualifying after posting the fastest time in Q3 (a rare occurrence, setting a fastest quali time, for the world champion), Edvin has remained skeptical. After the talk about introducing the new launch control system had started (the system confidentially revealed to be simply a brand new magnetic clutch assembly for smoother torque delivery), his gaze had turned more somber than chipper, more focused than complacent. Though its clear in his words of encouragement slipped about the paddock to the various members of the team, Terho hasn't yet confronted him about his new hands-on, worry about everything attitude. He reckons, maybe, he'll stop doing it if he brings it up, and so far, the emphasis on focus doesn't seem to be harmful.

There's not enough time to ponder the lead-up to the five red lights going out, however, and Terho soon realizes he's got a race to do as the fourth light comes on--the chime in his helmet fading out, before tingling back in again one last time, and yielding to the long buzzer sound which indicates the start of the race (the countdown chimes, another product of evolution, which harken to the rally days of a time now almost prehistoric).

Terho's off the line immediately, surprisingly quick as he had been in Hodori, as his head is thrown back against the head restraint in the cockpit. Kinu Luminna, in third, drops positions on the start in their works car, as Stone ahead of him in the Viska darts off the line even quicker than he does. For an instant, a subconscious draft of remorse trickles up the back of his neck, as the thought he'd pondered throughout the off-week--that he hadn't been aggressive enough in Hodori--comes back to haunt him for a split second. The fear, however, is well converted into energy. The Abovian slots into Stone's slipstream on entry into turn one, dipping out of the turbulent air by hugging the inside as she runs closer to the center of the track, then takes advantage of the draft again on the quick run up to turn two. He's easy on the brakes, nursing the cold ceramic discs to avoid a lockup, as the two enter single file and far from the chasing pack into the first tunnel section of the track. He follows closely through turns three and four, like an arctic fox ready to pounce on a rabbit; the twin-turbo V8 burbles, then roars, out of the cliff-face onto the first set of esses on the track. He thanks his neck routine out of turn seven, then tucks into the slipsteam again through turn eight and into the braking for nine, where despite being briefly caught out by the dirty air, the winglets on AGP003 catch the atmosphere near the outside line to bring the Tropicorp tyres back into their grip window. He's absolutely planted into ten through twelve, where overtaking becomes an order of magnitude more difficult, and holds on to the gap out of the tunnel at fourteen. There, his right foot oscillates, the drop in throttle input enough to get the car to rotate through the corner; the winglets save the rear from a spin, and as he powers out of the apex on the outside of Stone his deep, cosmic blue nosecone edges ahead of the Aurunan machine. Once more, aided by the aero, he lunges to cement the overtake at 15, keeps his line out towards 16, and ends the opening lap in first place, sighing with relief before starting the lap all over again. As he dives into the apex of turn one, a shimmering blue glow arises in his rear view mirrors.

***

Though Janne had tagged along the past few races for TRÆ, he'd called in sick for the weekend at Crossbay; in reality, he'd hung around at the Nexus paddock all weekend, clad in the team's stylish and, for him, tightly fit attire, as the Nimban's young prodigy from abroad. Certainly, he didn't consider himself a prodigy, at least not anymore. Maybe he'd believed he was "hot shit" after his first season of WGP2, where he'd done quite well and had really put himself on the map, but he couldn't shake the feeling he'd been a fluke, especially considering his transcendent Nimban WGP3, and torrid WGP2 season III, records.

It didn't matter, however--yes to him, not to anyone else--, as despite his lack of self confidence there were two teams who did see in him what he couldn't. That's why it'd been so awkward when he'd gotten the call from Nexus to tag along during their home GP, after having been tied to TRÆ since the beginning of the season (in all honesty, he'd signed with TRÆ less for the prospect of a clear path into WGPC and more out of the certain fear that Nexus were going to drop him after WGP2 season III).

To avoid being recognized by the home team, he'd dressed himself head to toe in Nexus' uniform, zipping up the spandex-like sweatshirt up to his chin, and complete with the cap worn by literally nobody else. It did a good enough job of hiding his features to make team personnel ask who we was every time they poked him in a case of mistaken identity. The frequency of said encounters made him question why he was there in the first place.

He'd gotten along well with the team during the weekend, making small talk as efficiently and politely as possible, and slightly freaking out whenever somebody called out for "Janne" from across the garage in a loud voice. Come race day, he was certainly expected to cheer for the Nimban team at their home Grand Prix, and of course he displayed a certain joy when after the first lap Ryker had caught up to the leaders. However, more than by Ryker's charge up the field, he'd been mesmerized by Terho's first lap, front and center on the pitwall screens as the most marketable battle of the opening lap. The widely publicized mentorship they had going on had certainly fallen flat and wavered quite a bit, but his relationship with Terho was by no means bad, and not nearly bad enough to warrant a dismissal of the older Abovian's driving skill. To Janne, Terho's driving was his gold standard, his benchmark, his goal to achieve.

After Niklas Schonbaum's retirement, Janne decided to have a quick explore around Crossbay's facilities. As he'd seen on the screens in the paddock, iBen had just pitted for a firmer set of tyres to undercut the front runners to great effect, managing to stroll around in fifth as the rest of the grid made their stops, and Terho was about to come in for another set of softer tyres which he'd excellently nursed through his first stint. If TRÆ could keep up their pace, a podium was certainly within the realm of possibility; more importantly for Janne, however, the team's preoccupation with the race meant he'd likely not run the risk of coming across a TRÆ team member he knew during his explore-plus-bathroom break.

As he wandered aimlessly around the facilities of Crossbay, having lost track of the time he'd spent away from the paddock, he took a right turn in one of the hallways and, following through to the end of the building, stumbled upon a room. From the outside, it seemed empty and quiet, but as he took a step inside, one of his ears picked up the sound of the race broadcast. He looked to his side, to spot Daryl Mizushima quietly glued to the screen and, beside him, Charyseine Valkyria.

Mmm. Chars. The vlogger. The hot vlogger.

Had Janne had a lighter step, nothing would have gone awry and he'd have simply glanced at the TV screen and commenced his quiet, polite small talk about the race. Clumsily though, by virtue of his awkwardness, his stumble into the room was loud and turbulent enough to alarm the Twicetagrian, with whom for a moment he made eye contact.

In the starstruck moment the instant turned into a minute Janne, suddenly forced to juggle the wobbly tingling of arousal and the chunky clump of disappointment and remorse a few centimeters up his body from the source of the first sensation, turned a rosy shade of pink. His mind, meanwhile, uncooperatively lapidated him, for being stupidly nervous at the worst time and just because of the eye contact with the stupid sexy fuckboy! Who didn't even know who he was!

As the instant began to come to an end, Chars seemingly opening his mouth with a gentle, confident but unintentionally mocking smirk, Janne's atention was suddenly diverted.

"And Talvela is out!" cries the television presenter. "That's the two TRÆ drivers out of the Nimban Grand Prix!"

Janne, shook, brings his hands to his head, his cap pulling away from his hair. The instant has turned into another one, where it didn't quite matter whether Chars was annoyed or not at his attention span. That worry was reserved for the next instant, where he'd also hope for Chars to notice him, for once.

The presenter continues his doomsday reading: "The Abovian outfit in..."

"A shambles!" exclaims Edvin, furiously fuck-smashing the table at the pit monitor. He pulls his headphones off, to rest the connecting metal band on the back of his neck, then pulls them back on after composing himself for a moment. He presses the radio button to talk to Terho.

"Sorry man," he says, dejectedly.

"Fucking shit," Terho replies, turning the car off but keeping the radio on. A thin sliver of gray smoke emanates from each of the four corners of the stricken AGP003 machine, the second one lost to brake failure in a span of just five laps. Edvin had radioed ten laps prior, both he and iBen, to warn of a potential brake temperature concern. Both cars were showing high brake temperatures, though as it hadn't ever happened before, Edvin and the rest of the team dismissed the warnings as faulty sensor readings.

Catastrophically, it was in fact a temperature issue. Without warning, iBen had gone straight on at turn 16, directly into the pits with his brakes reduced to orange, lumpy, oblong discs of carbon, forced to retire from sixth. Terho, just five laps later, and climbing from fifth, has gone off in the exact same manner.

As the car is retired in the pitlane, the recovery efforts are simple, though not without precautions. As the brakes glow from orange to yellow, the fire crews at the track surround the car armed with their fire extinguishers. Terho, calmly at first, climbs out of the car and sticks around with the reflective-clad personnel to assist in pushing the car back to the garage, but as he stands before the lifeless AGP003 his shoulders drop and his head hangs down towards his chest. He brings his hands to his hips and shakes his head at the ground. Edvin, who's staring at the Abovian from the other end of the pitlane, iBen to his right a few meters away inside the garage, closes his eyes and bites his bottom lip, clenching his fists and stuffing them in his jacket, before feigning his week-long confidence and morale at the team to signal the start of the packing up duties before the next race.

When Terho starts making his way back to the garage, Edvin walks inside and takes a coffee break, alone and far from the prying eyes of the paddock, in a secluded corner of the main lobby. As he sips the creamy concoction--remarkably, one of the best lobby coffee's he's had in a while--, he ponders the team's situation. As things stand in the race, or at least, the last he saw before retreating away from the garage, the drivers' championships looked to still be wide open. His main worry was the constructors' championship, where he believed they'd be trailing by a comfortable margin for the leaders before next race.

As Terho appears in the lobby, not so much with the same objective as Edvin as simply in an attempt to find him, he takes his own lobby coffee and stands next to the team principal, leaning against the back wall, his legs crossed neatly at the ankles, clad in his tight navy and gold overalls. After his first sip, and a satisfactory hum, he glances over at Edvin.

"Worried about Auruna too?" he says.

"Yep," responds Edvin, taking another sip as his breath fogs his glasses. He looks down at the last of his coffee as he continues, "tough technical track; I'm gonna pray for you and iBen to score at the same time for fucking once."

Terho mimics Edvin's glance at the bottom of his coffee cup, but as the other one brings his head down after trying to eke out the last drop of elixir from the styrofoam cup, he frowns. At the end of the hallway, dressed in gunmetal gray and cyan, he spots a lanky, fair haired teen having a smiling chat with the fuckboy from Twicetagria. Respectfully, yet squinting, Edvin keeps his mouth shut. Terho doesn't notice it himself.

[Auruna]

Crossbay Circuit
Race

Come on Kinu, you can do this. This is your best start, your best qualifying, don't disappoint.

His mind is saying things, most of which he couldn't understand. Maybe it's the pressure of his highest qualifying. He's starting at the second row... the highest qualifier among his teammates. The pressure is right up but he needs to keep calm, as it was part of his training before the weekend. There's a lot going on but he's focused on one.

"Alright Kinu, keep calm and you can do this. Let's go mate!" Lukas was heard on the radio during the formation lap, trying to motivate Kinu. He needs it. Lukas knows that Kinu can do it.

"Get that launch right. Hevä tuuri!"

Some of the words doesn't reach Kinu but it doesn't matter. He's too focused on the race, well, at the start for now. As he waits for the lights to go out, he's holding his revs and the clutch, hoping for a great start to catch up to the leaders.

It starts now.

The start was alright but not that great. Olivia Stone got all points right at the start, leaving them behind but she was closely followed by Terho Talvela. Meanwhile, Kinu is trying to hold P3 at the start. The car was struggling at some parts but he's still managing it well and after the first lap, he's still P3. Based on that duel with Alex Dimitrianov, Kinu was difficult to overtake, he was defending his position well. He's well on his way for a podium.

"Your pace is good, make that gap larger then stop pushing after Lap 5."

"Alright, got it." He continues to push after that call, the gap to P4 was increasing rapidly. He's extracting all of the car's performance in order to keep P3 but there's a lot of laps to go. As ordered, he stops pushing at the end of Lap 5, set on conserving his softs so that he can go for a few more laps than usual. It looks like a promising strategy and it's a long race, where he can excel.

He's not going off on others' races, he asked for information about his own. He doesn't want to lose focus on his race and radio silence for about 70% of the race.

Come on! We can do this!

His head keeps filling with random information as if he tells himself to break his concentration. "Argh, just stop for now!" Then silence followed.

He pits for mediums at the end of Lap 16. "Those softs were absolutely fucked." Kinu says, with Lukas visibly nodding in agreement at the pit wall. "Yep Kinu, we're going for meds."

"Alright."

The stop was a 2.2, it was fast anyway. Kinu exits the pit lane, then he's looking a bit confused after a few meters out. "What's with the yellow flags?"

"Kinu, Jean Mercer-Daly has retired. Safety car will be out next lap."

"Damn, which position are we holding now?"

"We're currently P3."

"Oh wow."

Time to continue, the restart is where another round of chaos occurs. Hopefully he doesn't get caught in the middle. Here we go. The safety car returns to the pit lane, commence the restart. Surprisingly, not much happened at the restart as everyone, well, almost everyone got away safely apart from a few who go into a bit of a bump. The race continues as normal.

A few laps later, Kinu is under attack from Sara Luna who managed to catch up. He's absolutely motivated to defend his position and he proved to be difficult to overtake again. A few laps go on, he's keeping P3 until one mistake later. He managed to locked up badly on entry of a corner, he goes wide then spins off the track. He lost the battle, and a lot of positions.

"What the hell!?! That was not normal. Something's wrong with the brakes, I keep locking up, was the brake pressure set too high? I need answers!"

"Kinu, head down, we'll look into it."

Kinu sighs, he's disappointed but he doesn't know who or what to blame. "Box box, flat spot. Set me on softs next. I'll try to gain as much as possible. Wish me luck... again."

He drives the rest of the race on softs, slightly demoralised by the event, he only managed to overtake Anneliese Devereux to take P20 which was eventually his finishing position.

He fell a long way.

"Sorry guys, I think it was my mistake. Don't worry, I'll try to do better next time. Wait, not try. I'm sure I'll do better next time!"

"Akresna is next, you know the track better than most of the others here. You can do it, we're starting another training this week."

"Heh, I knew I can trust you. Let's do it then."

Let's go!

[Twicetagram and JYPe]

Things Auruns Pride Themselves In!
Side note: all these descriptions were given by Auruna him/herself. I have edited some parts for convenience.

---

Chars appears in front of Akresna Circuit
Chars: Wassup peeps, and welcome back to my vlog! Today I'm at Auruna for the Aurun Grand Prix! I'll be asking random passersby on what they they take pride in most about Auruna!

Chars walks up to a random attendant
Chars: Hello sir! If you're Aurun, what do you think is the best thing about your country?
The man hesitates for a while before answering
Man: Well, to me I'd say The Aurun Trinity Circuits: Livonsk, Akresna, Veratuna.
Pictures of the circuits appear on screen
Narrator: These three circuits make up the backbone of Aurun motorsport and are the most popular circuits in Auruna. The circuits resulted in the formation of the MNA which pushed motorsport to be one of the national sports. The Livonsk Circuit in Livonsk is the oldest one in operation since 1922, it is 12.7km at its longest layout and home to the Aurun Endurance Championship.
A gallery of Livonsk Citcuit is displayed
Narrator: Veratuna Circuit is next located in the capital which it is named after. It is a fast 7.7km circuit home to the AtMA, Auruna's touring car championship and located nearby is the MNA headquarters. Akresna is the last one, gained popularity due to its recent appearance in the WGP2, one of the most difficult circuits but arguably the most picturesque of the three.
Some beautiful pictures of Veratuna and Akresna Circuits are shown, with Akresna being particularly breathtaking

Chars: Thanks for your answers! Who should we interview next...
Chars spots his next victim and hops towards her and asks the same question. The woman answers instantly.
Woman: It's got to be cars and tanks. Auruns LOVE cars and tanks and Auruns think that they have the best tanks and cars.
A montage of cars and tanks on the road is played as the narrator speaks
Narrator: You've seen it! Tanks ARE allowed on public roads, however huge of a culture shock that is. Other than certain parts, tanks are treated quite like cars. Along with that, cars in Auruna are also longlasting. As the Scheska ad goes, "Even after you die, your car still runs without much effort."

Chars: Thank you! Now...
He spots a lovely couple and quickly rushes towards them. As usual, he asks his question. The female couple answers first
Woman B: To me it's gotta be Veratuna Palace(a.k.a. Aurun Royal Palace). It;s such a beautiful and majestic landmark and I urge all travellers to Auruna to visit it!
Chars teleports to the palace
Narrator: At the center of the capital, there's the Aurun Royal Palace more commonly known as the Veratuna Palace nowadays. Built during the early years of the Aurun Kingdom ordered by Kron Kasaankov II to symbolise the nation's progress and rise from the ashes of the old Aruzhin Empire. The Palace was visually distinguishable from the nearby buildings because of its Gold, Blue, and Black color scheme. Not to mention, it's also very durable and long lasting! Despite several wars and revolutions, it still stands to this day. Today, the palace is a popular tourist attraction and it also serves as the second home of the nation's leaders. Grand, isn't it?
Chars proudly takes a selfie at the palace, before returning to the circuit. The man then answers.
Man B: To me it's Livonsk, Auruna, the home of Aurun motorsport and the automotive industry.
Viewers are taken to Livonsk, where a lot of beautiful and amazing landmarks can be found.
Narrator: Even though it is popular for its industrial works, it is still a beautiful city with forests surrounding the city and the hills to the north. Schkeska is founded here and its automotive branch shortly followed, starting the city's economic rise and it still keeps going to this day. The buildings are a beautiful mix of historical and modern features without clashing too much with each other. For nature or exercise lovers, it too has the most parks of all the cities. Located somewhere north of the city are the Lumikuran Kätänet (Fields of the Snow Flowers) where the flowers bloom and the leaves white all year round.
We move back to where we were
Chars: Thank you for your time! You both look great today!
Woman B, albeit at a distance: You look good too!

Chars never fails to shock anyone with his presence and looks. Then, he moves to an old man at the grandstand.
Chars: Hi sir! I'm Charyseine Valkyria, one of the drivers today. I'd like to ask you about what you take pride in the most as an Aurun!
The old man grins for a while, before saying:
Old man: It's obviously motorsport and Aurun drivers. You literally see them everywhere. So many ads featuring our drivers, and our motorsports are internationally recognised. It's really a pleasure to have them.
This time, pictures of Aurun motorsports and drivers are sprinkled across the screen.
Narrator: No surprise that Auruns pride themselves in motorsport. It is the most popular sport in Auruna that is helped by the recently mentioned Trinity Circuits and the MNA. Which motorsport are Auruns the best at? Endurance. They are well known in Endurance racing and it is the oldest one in the country where it started in 1922 in Livonsk and the AEC is formed much earlier than the MNA even though the AEC is currently an MNA series.
Pictures of the AEC follow
Narrator: Despite that, there are a diverse range of Aurun drivers from endurance to rally, they are pretty much one of the best especially with their endurance and their individual skills like overperforming an underpowered car and such. A few examples are Artur Iljakov, Ivan Könä, Lauri Vorlen, Jöna Ekeränna, Niko and Miko Kaukanna, and Niko Kauma.
The forementioned drivers are shown
Chars: Thanks sir!
Old man, giggling: You're welcome!
The old man hobbles away
Chars: Cute grandpa. Anyways, the Aurun Grand Prix will be this week. Stay tuned!

[Auruna]

Tarvellanet Aurunaan!
Welcome to Auruna for the Aurun Grand Prix!
In cooperation with the MNA and NDT


Akresna Circuit

Circuit Details
Location : Akresna, Auruna
Layout : International
Length : 6.244 km
Lap Record : 1:44.713 (estimated) | 1:42.211 (AtMA, 1997)

Description
Located at the Aurun hills, near the city of Akresna just north of Veratuna, is the most popular, successful, and challenging Akresna Circuit. With an altitude of about 1,350 m above sea level, the circuit is both challenging for both the drivers and cars. After the formation of the Mötoraaroitu Nazyonalla Auruna (MNA), this is one of the circuits that are now government owned and it was saved from closure by the MNA and it is one of the Viska Racing test tracks due to a partnership with Schkeska Motors. First built in 1956, the track features a wide variety of elevation changes and corners, also featuring the Akresna Tunnel that goes down though a hill (Although it is not used in the International Layout). With decent run-off areas and one of the best facilities in Auruna, the circuit is one of the best in Auruna and is a part of the Aurun Trinity Circuits.

Akresna Circuit was chosen to host a WGP2 race as it is one of the closest to the capital and the Veratuna Circuit has a busy schedule hosting AtMA, Endurance, and Time Attack events. This is the first time Auruna is hosting an international motorsport for decades. If the race is successful and proved to be popular, it may pave the way for Auruna hosting for the next season and potentially the next WGPC season.

Akresna starts off with the start/finish straight followed by a heavy braking zone to Turn 1, Valantov, then a fast Turn 2 that goes uphill. Turns 3 continues the uphill climb where Sector 2 starts at the exit of Turn 4. Sector 2, also called the "Hill Run", starts with a short straight to Turn 5 then followed by a slightly downhill straight then to a heavy braking zone to Turn 6 that goes back uphill to a kink, where an old bunker is next to, then Turn 7 which heads to the Akresna Sun section where most of the pictures of the track are taken, usually at sunset and during endurance races. At Turn 8, Politov, the Akresna Tunnel is located, it is unused in the international layout. What follows is a series of uphill-downhill corners ending with Turn 12, this is the most challenging part of the circuit where oversteer and understeer are prevalent and demands good throttle control by the drivers if they make a small mistake in this section, they will end up in the barriers. Still going downhill, a straight leads on to Turn 13, Veren Ukä, which starts Sector 3, the fastest sector. The fast corners and chicanes of Turns 15, 16, 17, and 18. Cars go though this section flat-out and at this area is where most of the grandstands are located. Drivers usually get caught out at Turns 17 and 18 where they can oversteer into the barriers and ending their race. A final heavy braking zone to the Turn 19, Kaulinta. Another fast straight followed by a fast Turn 20, Entenalla (Similar to Parabolica of Monza) that leads to the start/finish straight which then completes a lap.

After the success at the WGP2 with Viska's win here, the MNA decided to fund the circuits for the Aurun WGPC project. The MNA held a bid for the MNA International Circuit License where Akresna was chosen at the end over Livonsk and Veratuna. The MNA decided to stick with the International layout used in the WGP2 but there were rumours about using the AtMA or the K1 layouts. There were a lot of upgrades to the infrastructure of the circuit to better suit WGPC. There was a planned revision of the International layout but it was cancelled until next year due to a certain pandemic problem. The MNA hopes that this circuit would still be successful in international racing.

How to get to Akresna
A 30-minute trip north by road using the As-1 or As-4 highway from Veratuna at an average speed of 115 kph. (Note: there are no speed limits at the As-1 and As-4 but please observe road safety as the highway patrol units are strict)
As an alternative, the Gs-21 and the Körinö Pass which adds about 15 minutes to your travel time but there will be fewer traffic in both roads.

Auruna : country details
Full Name : Federal Republic of Auruna
(Aurun: Litävinnenazyonalla Auruna)
Motto : "Taita vär Maana, vär Iyudna, vär Göt!"
(English: "Fight for the Country, for the People, and for God!")
Anthem : "Menä Äinenmaana"
(English: "Our Motherland)
Capital : Veratuna
Language : Aurun
Secondary languages: English, German
Demonym : Aurun

A Quick Aurun Language Lesson
It is the language of Auruna, it's a Uralic language with a few Germanic and Slavic influences. It is an agglutinative language where it modifies a word to determine the meaning.
For speakers of Finnish, Estonian, and Karelian, it will be easy understanding Aurun as it belongs to the same family which is the Finnic branch of Uralic.
A few beginner phrases:
Hei (formal: Zdravo), ya [name] - Hello, I'm [name]
Kaku on tu? - How are you?
Oku on tu? - Who are you?
Menä tunen nimi? - What is your name?
Ya hevä, adni - I'm good, thanks
Hevänamta - Good morning
Hevänpaivu - Good day
Hevänyönnä - Good night
Hevänkesänpaivu - Good afternoon
Hevänäven - Good evening
Hej, hevänpaivu, kaku on tu? - Hello, good day, how are you?
Ya oisi küt üka keika, ienne. - I would like one cake, please.
Tu oisi küt (jok)kävhä kau? - Would you like some coffee?

Special Event : MNA Heritage - Akresna
The MNA Heritage events are usually held at big races. It showcases the history of the circuit, the cars, teams and drivers that raced there, and the notable events that took place.

The cars are usually race-winning cars that won at the circuit. They will be on display during the race weekend.
Cars on display only:
#3 Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing VL-01A - Olivia Stone
#85 Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing VL-01A - Baxen Aurora
#12 Schkeska-Viska Vezrel GTX - Mika Aurinen
#33 Schkeska Ilyana GTE - Jöna Ekeränna / Juho Karinna

The drivers of all teams are invited to drive a few of the race-winning cars around the Endurance layout of the circuit which is similar to the International layout but it uses the Akresna Tunnel at the latter half of Sector 2.

Cars available to drive:
#37 Viska DBRS9 - Miko Kaukanna / Erik Kurintenna
#22 VSK R41 - Lukas Ziuvin / Lauri Nikamok / Juuri Näitä
#72 Schkeska Kana RX - Ivan Könä
#14 Viska ES-15 "Kuu" - Artur Iljakov / Kinu Luminna / Kai Ekeränna
#19 VSK AL-2 - Raiha Mikana

Note: Context on the MNA Heritage
#[Car number] [Car] - [Notable driver/s of the car]

[Lisander]

Practice day, early morning.

It was the moment right before the last team meeting. Soon after, they would go to the circuit. After breakfast, Carolina Lasseps gone directly to the Hotel meeting room. When she started

So, how do you feel for the race, Carolina? - Kimi Nasunen, with his neverend smile, asked to the team manager.

It's a long circuit with lots of hairpins. I believe Sissie will have a nice performance, she's quite technique. She is working about three hours a day in the simulator. It was a nice gift for the team. You said it was from that company that produced the TAS banking system, Be helen... BLN... Whatever that acronym.

They were talking about state-of-art racing simulator worthy to or at least the most of it that could fit inside a team truck. A repurposed N01 cockpit with, among other technologies, exclusive Virtual Reality Helmets for the drivers but also a 270º screen, if drivers had its eyes tired from long VR Sessions, a pair of interchangeable seats made to the measurement of Sissie and Niklas, a steering column where they're able to use their own steering wheels, pneumatic pressure on the seat and in the cockpit itself to a maximum of 15 degrees across all six axis emulating the heavy gravitational forces. All of that linked and providing information to the team mechanics and to Sissie LSiD*. It was a gift from a team shareholder nicknamed cedricB. cedricB was the CEO of BLNCX, SRL, the most innovative information technology company in the country.

"BLNCX. We wouldn't be enough grateful to them. cedricB said he's not even wanting to display its logo on the livery. He said the company already have too much work to do, so they can take no more. "I can't take any more contracts. I can't advertise it, there's simply no more time available to it." Nasunen said cedricB said."

Well, if they're okay with spending this much on us, I believe our finances are safe for at least the end of the season. I'm just worried about TMW team currently. We could improve with the language. The mechanics team in special. Where we will find a translator with enough experience in motorsport? We need one to clear all questions.

"I'll put my secretary on it. Now, for something completely different. Would you like to go to Costa 12h?"

Kimi sat at her side. His glare sudden changed. Apart from work, that was personal. He was trying to get her attention now.

"Well, I'd like to have seen more of that Endurance Prototypes, but my contract with Camden was only put on hold, due to my WGPC duties, so I had very little contact with this project of the EPs. Tiago Camden-Mott sent me the blueprints, I suggested a little, but in the end it's all with Marc Heyne and the building team. I'm surprised about how quickly they managed to build the 8 new generation prototypes for this event."

Kimi felt misunderstood. He wasn't talking about the race itself.

Sorry, I must reword myself. I'm not asking about the prototypes. I'm inviting you to our Costa12h. Would you like to go with?

Yes, we'll be there. At the cabin at the Hotel de la Couronne where Athan and Sissie were interviewed in preseason. I liked that balcony.

No... no. Yes, but... Not like... - Kimi Nasunen was a 30-some trying to court his team principal. Feeling misunderstood, he looked below, trying to find other way to ask Carolina Lasseps out, but soon he felt her hand on its chin.

Kimi, look at me. Don't feel embarassed. I got what you want to say. You're a handsome, but we're working here. It's not the right time. My focus... our focus. It should be the team right now. It's strange to see you acting this way, since you have three teams to manage.

So... That's it. I have three teams to manage, and a metallurgic, and a publishing company. I feel I'm working too much. I would really like to take some time to myself. But if it's not the right time, could I ask you when the right time comes?

When it's the right time, I'll accept. - she touched his hand for a second before turning back her hands, eyes and attention to the laptop. - Not now. Now let's go back to work. I need to get that simulator data and I need a meeting with Mr Maltz, and you have a publishing company, a metallurgic and three teams to deal, starting with this one. Go and find me a translator to help me dealing with the Teus half of our team! But before that find Sissie. I believe she would like to give a ride on that endurance circuit. Would be a nice training for Costa 12h.

LSiD is the "microchip" that replaced paper documents in Lisander. Contrary to the common belief they're implanted (as the mark of the beast or any other religious stupid theory) in the head of the citizens, they're most used in an accessory, like a pendant a wristband or a ring. It's also common to have the LSiD in a card.

[Abanhfleft]

(OOC: This first part is supposed to be read like one of the team radio compilations on the F1 Youtube channel.)

"Is that the last lap, man?"

"Yes, William, can confirm, that's the last lap of the race. P8, buddy. Well done."

"Whoo! Finally! Finally, I manage to finish a race! Let this be the first of many points finishes!"

"Congratulations, man. You've certainly deserved it, especially after that rotten start you've had this season."

"Oh, certainly. Three points, man... Wish it could have been more. Maybe I could have kept fighting Falepeau. But my tyres, they weren't letting me fight..."

"We hear you, William. Now pick up rubber and come in."

---

Maybe the Crossbay Circuit was William Archer's lucky circuit after all. Things had gone swimmingly for him at that particular track throughout the whole race weekend. Nothing had gone wrong in his car; nothing had broken and nothing had come loose. In fact, for the first few laps (up to around lap 10 or so) William couldn't actually concentrate on the racing because he was just bracing himself for another parts failure or technical fault to put an end to his race at that point. That allowed a few of the drivers behind him such as Krupin, Nülkeschläger, and even his teammate Rudy Edwards to get ahead of him in the early laps. But once his engineers shouted at him to start racing because everything was in the green, and William himself was feeling no issues at all with the car (a welcome change from the last few races) he did just that. The laps he spent worrying about his engine and gearbox and everything else had allowed his harder compound of tyres to rubber in and gain the grip he needed; no, wanted for the race. Now he was right where he wanted. First Nülkeschläger, then Krupin, then Rudy, and William was right back where he had started. But he didn't want to stay there. No, he wanted to move up the grid, maybe even replicate what happened here in the Nimban Deuxieme Prix.

Up ahead was Dom Falepeau, in the green MRT car. The Togonistan driver's luck had been up and down this season, DNFing from the Grand Prix of Turori like William (although William didn't know the reason why Falepeau didn't finish) and then getting a points finish in Dashoze. Falepeau was starting this race P7, and while he surely would love to at least stay there and improve on it, William would love to give him a good battle for the position.

Well, that was what William wanted anyway. What he got was another story altogether. Falepeau was a wily and crafty driver; he wouldn't have gotten that seat in MRT or WGPC otherwise. William could appreciate that. But after a number of laps where William had been unable to pass Falepeau, he was starting to get frustrated. No matter what he did, no matter how well perfectly he got his laps, no matter how much battery he deployed or how long he stayed with the DRS open, William just couldn't get past Falepeau. At first he was just "Okay, this is happening," but as the laps ticked up and he still found himself staring up Falepeau's gearbox he was getting angry. It couldn't be that hard to get past this fucking guy, could it?

Finally, William managed to get ahead of Falepeau after fifteen or so laps of trying, but that was only because the Togonistan driver had gone into the pits. "Goddamn it," William muttered.

"Keep your head in the game, William," his engineer advised him. "Keep your strategy in mind, mate. You'll be doing the mother of all overcuts on him. You'll get another chance." William had strapped on the harder compound of tyre to allow himself to get a good long stint at the start before putting on the softer compound and making an assault on those that got ahead of him because of his pit stop. It had seemed like a good strategy at the time, a strategy that made sense for the race, but because William had been unable to get past Falepeau he had put that strategy under risk.

William finally came in to box at lap 50. As expected, the red-walled tyres were waiting for him. "Now we're in business," he said. The pit stop was decent, just 2.4 seconds spent standing still, and then he was off once again, off to chase after the drivers who had managed to get in front of him during his pit stop phase. And there were a number of them. First up was R.L. Cruisin, winner of the first race of the season. Like almost everyone else (aside from William) he was having an up and down season, winning the first race of the season and then falling out of the points in Hodori. William breezed past him without even needing his battery or the DRS.

Next was Alex Dimitrianov. This one, William needed the DRS down the main straight to get past. And even then William wasn't sure if Dimitrianov was actually trying to fight him or if he had allowed William to get past him easily for some reason or another. In any case, William wasn't going to let him get the position back that easily if that was indeed Dimitrianov's intention.

The third driver in front of him was Gregori Krupin. They were approaching turn 13, and William had the idea to slingshot himself past the Sorlovian. He positioned himself at the edge of Krupin's slipstream, used a touch of battery, and used his momentum to get himself past the Volkov Racing car. William then used up the more of his battery to extend his gap to Krupin and prevent him from getting the DRS down the main straight. At the same time, William also wanted to close up the distance to the driver in front of him... none other than Dom Falepeau once again. "Jesus Christ," he muttered to himself. "Now let's go fucking get him this time, okay, William?"

It didn't happen, wouldn't happen. Dom Falepeau remained P7 and William Archer remained P8. William couldn't put the advantage of his newer and softer tyres to good use in terms of overtaking Falepeau. But given how William's season had turned out so far, he wasn't about to complain about getting two points against his name in the drivers' championship. Sure, it wasn't the best start ever, and if this was how his form was then he probably wouldn't and shouldn't be harboring any hopes of becoming the drivers' champion, but still, it was progress. He didn't DNF this time, mechanical or otherwise. And if the rumors he'd heard that the folks were working on upgrades on the aero and downforce were true, then maybe this was truly the start of the new chapter of William Archer's WGPC career.

[Filindostan]

Commercial flight to Auruna

Rusty was in the last leg of a commercial flight to Auruna, the next race in the WGPC calendar. He struggled to finish out of the points in the second round at Hodori, but he was able to bounce back, gaining six spots from his grid position to finish just seven seconds off the podium places in fourth. He would have played into the Badai Angin team orders when he tried to hold up the field to benefit his teammate Alex, who started to plummet down the order after the safety car period brought about by the retirement of Jean Mercer-Daly, but the Mattijanan finished out of the points. He would sit in the first class and some of the people who recognized him approached him to sign autographs and take pictures while in the air. He was with Matthias, his race engineer, who was amazed with how Rusty would be calm and collected during that time when children and teenagers flocked in his seat, with the flight attendants trying to pacify the situation.

"It's tough to be well known." He shrugged at his race engineer after slouching back in his seat. "Yeah, that Togonistani magazine I think caused a spike in your popularity."

"It's better that I do the talking at the track. I'm just a few points back at Alex."

"Don't forget, Rusty, you're still the #2 driver. Rudolf will probably pour all the resources on allowing Alex to catch up to the frontrunners. You know your father better than anyone on this team."

"I know Matthias, I'm just trying to improve my career as well."

"You'd better hold off for the moment. Your time will come real soon."

Upon arriving at Auruna, the first message that came up to Rusty's phone was from Ilona.

Hey Rusty, Ilona here.

Ilona, what's the news, anything you want to share right now?

Ah, it's regarding your personal sponsor, Telebuenas.

What about them? Have they made their move already.

Not yet, not yet. Just wait. Your team is in a good position right now. Second in the championship, and trying to keep second for the rest of the season.

And then we start falling down the order again due to midseason slump...

Ha! You should do your best to avoid that. Anyway, they wanted to shoot a commercial for the MotoMo'To! brand in Filindostan and they wanted you to endorse their product. Probably in the midseason break they wanted you to do it.

That again? Oh wait, midseason. Okay, they might want to discuss something as well.

I'd bet they'll do it then. Game?

Of course.

Okay, then that's set. Looking forward to meet you again.

Rusty slid his phone into his pocket and proceeded to leave the plane which just landed. He'd thought that this would be a track where Badai Angin will struggle, but their skill can compensate for what the chassis lacks in the highly technical track.

[Nico Hulkenberg]

What’s A “Points Finish”?

Race

With Dario starting from his highest position on the grid yet, you’d sure think he’d be able to improve on it, wouldn’t you? Well, you’d be dead wrong. Despite the misfortune of his teammate and multiple other drivers, Dario stilll ended up dropping by a position over the course of the race at Crossbay Circuit. Not the best result, really.

”That’s P18, Dario. P18.”

“Argh, fuck! I definitely should have done a lot better, definitely!”

“You’ve been unlucky today, mate.”

“Luck doesn’t matter, it’s performances. I’ll make it up to you all in the next race, hopefully. Sorry guys.”

Post-Race

Back in his motorhome within the circuit, Dario was scrolling through social media to see if anyone had made some positive comments about him. To nobody’s surprise, there weren’t really any. One meme in particular summed up Dario’s race quite well, honestly.

Dario simply continued to scroll, until he heard knock at the door.

”Hello there! Ahh, I am Adriana! I hope you are, err, home, Mr. Dario! If you are free, I would just like to talk to you! You know, friendly conversation, maybe a lunch or coffee outside, and maybe tips on how to drive better. I could use a little, if you don’t mind.”

Dario wasn’t fully paying attention to what Adriana said, and considered not answering the door out of spite. However, he chose not to. After all, he couldn’t risk any more damage to his reputation. He unlocked, and then opened the door to see Adriana Kowalski looking back at him.

”Ah, hello Adriana! What’s up?”

“Err, nothing really. Just wondering if you were, well, available.”

“I’m definitely available right now, what do you need?”

“Well, er, um... nice hair?”

“Thanks! If you want hair tips, then I’m totally the right guy for you, haha!”

“Well, it’s not HAIR tips I was wanting, more, er, DRIVING tips.”

“Driving tips? From me?”

“Um, yeah.”

“Are you pulling my leg? Are there cameras behind you, like this is some practical joke show for television?”

“No, haha, not at all! I would just quite like some tips, that’s all! Would you like to chat here or elsewhere?”

“Well, I’m not exactly doing much at the moment, so if you have somewhere in mind then I’ll be happy to come along.”

“Alright, then. Let’s go!”

TO BE CONTINUED

[Liventia]

CUTOFF

for Practice and Qualifying at Akresna Circuit

[Liventia]

Week 7: Practice

Conditions:      	Dry
Lap Record:      	00:01:44.713
Session Length:	75 minutes
Nation:         	AUR
Circuit:        	Akresna Circuit

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

POS # ▍DRIVER                                     	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1  7 ▍Abdoulaye Goita                            	00:01:53.619	00:00:00.000
 2 42 ▍Alex Dimitrianov                           	00:01:53.742	00:00:00.123
 3 72 ▍Charyseine Valkyria                        	00:01:53.744	00:00:00.125
 4 77 ▍iBen Toralmintii                           	00:01:53.816	00:00:00.197
 5 12 ▍Anneliese Devereux                         	00:01:53.857	00:00:00.238
 6 22 ▍Jasmin Kranjska                            	00:01:53.880	00:00:00.261
 7 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                                	00:01:53.950	00:00:00.331
 8 25 ▍Gregori Krupin                             	00:01:54.149	00:00:00.530
 9 71 ▍Rustom Ibuna                               	00:01:54.215	00:00:00.596
10 85 ▍Olivia Stone                               	00:01:54.222	00:00:00.603
11 41 ▍Jean Mercer-Daly                           	00:01:54.237	00:00:00.618
12 27 ▍Dario Nülkeschläger                        	00:01:54.250	00:00:00.631
13 46 ▍Kitti Armbruster                           	00:01:54.265	00:00:00.647
14 94 ▍Ryker Lane                                 	00:01:54.350	00:00:00.731
15 76 ▍Adriana Kowalski                           	00:01:54.534	00:00:00.915
16 82 ▍Kinu Luminna                               	00:01:54.538	00:00:00.919
17  8 ▍William Archer                             	00:01:54.588	00:00:00.969
18 47 ▍Erica Okumura                              	00:01:54.610	00:00:00.992
19 52 ▍Sayono Souzare                             	00:01:54.629	00:00:01.010
20 56 ▍Terho Talvela                              	00:01:54.653	00:00:01.034
21 11 ▍Lane Carter                                	00:01:54.714	00:00:01.095
22 37 ▍Niklas Schonbaum                           	00:01:54.816	00:00:01.197
23 63 ▍Daryl Mizushima                            	00:01:55.130	00:00:01.511
24 14 ▍Sigur Bjarnason                            	00:01:55.216	00:00:01.597
25 51 ▍R.L. Cruisin                               	00:01:55.386	00:00:01.767
26 28 ▍Sara Luna                                  	00:01:55.957	00:00:02.338
27 19 ▍Dom Falepeau                               	00:01:56.008	00:00:02.389
28 50 ▍Rudy Edwards                               	00:01:56.317	00:00:02.698

---

Week 7: Qualifying

Conditions:      	Dry
Lap Record:      	00:01:44.713
Qualifying Type:	Traditional
Nation:         	AUR
Circuit:        	Akresna Circuit

POS # ▍DRIVER                                     	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 56 ▍Terho Talvela                              	00:01:47.112	00:00:00.000
 2 71 ▍Rustom Ibuna                               	00:01:47.204	00:00:00.093
 3 19 ▍Dom Falepeau                               	00:01:47.220	00:00:00.108
 4 50 ▍Rudy Edwards                               	00:01:47.269	00:00:00.157
 5 51 ▍R.L. Cruisin                               	00:01:47.365	00:00:00.253
 6 47 ▍Erica Okumura                              	00:01:47.425	00:00:00.314
 7 85 ▍Olivia Stone                               	00:01:47.471	00:00:00.360
 8  7 ▍Abdoulaye Goita                            	00:01:47.505	00:00:00.393
 9 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                                	00:01:47.509	00:00:00.398
10 11 ▍Lane Carter                                	00:01:47.742	00:00:00.630
11 25 ▍Gregori Krupin                             	00:01:47.799	00:00:00.687
12 77 ▍iBen Toralmintii                           	00:01:47.830	00:00:00.718
13 82 ▍Kinu Luminna                               	00:01:47.880	00:00:00.768
14 22 ▍Jasmin Kranjska                            	00:01:47.893	00:00:00.782
15 12 ▍Anneliese Devereux                         	00:01:47.900	00:00:00.788
16 37 ▍Niklas Schonbaum                           	00:01:48.031	00:00:00.919
17 52 ▍Sayono Souzare                             	00:01:48.096	00:00:00.984
18 28 ▍Sara Luna                                  	00:01:48.359	00:00:01.247
19 46 ▍Kitti Armbruster                           	00:01:48.386	00:00:01.274
20 14 ▍Sigur Bjarnason                            	00:01:48.487	00:00:01.375
21 72 ▍Charyseine Valkyria                        	00:01:48.906	00:00:01.795
22 94 ▍Ryker Lane                                 	00:01:49.515	00:00:02.403
23 42 ▍Alex Dimitrianov                           	00:01:49.834	00:00:02.722
 – 27 ▍Dario Nülkeschläger                        	00:01:49.870	00:00:02.758
24 41 ▍Jean Mercer-Daly                           	00:01:50.151	00:00:03.039
25  8 ▍William Archer                             	00:01:50.304	00:00:03.193
26 76 ▍Adriana Kowalski                           	00:01:51.573	00:00:04.462
 – 63 ▍Daryl Mizushima                            	00:01:54.017	00:00:06.905

[Togonistan]

Aurun Grand Prix
Practice Day

Dom Falepeau felt like there was a tiny dwarf mining inside his head as he opened his eyes to the sound of his alarm clock. He stood up to sit on his bed and looked around his motorhome. Yesterday, after their arrival in Auruna and once the preparations for upcoming practice were done, Dom had left the circuit along with some team members for a quick little outing at the nearby city of Akresna. To blow off some steam before the practice next day.

Having wandered around the city for some time, someone had eventually spotted a local nightclub and insisted that they should go and sit down for a round of drinks. Well, that quick round of drinks ended up in them being spotted by some locals who were more than happy to join in and provide a few extra rounds on their expense. Next thing they would see was a bottle of Aurun vodka on table and thus, downing one shot after another, the quick outing culminated in the clock showing 3 am when they would finally return to the circuit gates, to be let in by a grumpy security guard.

Dom shut off the alarm clock and reached for his phone. He checked on his socials and, to somewhat his surprise, noticed he had actually posted a picture from the last night.

Dom Falepeau
@DomFalepeauOfficial

---

It's party time @Auruna!

Dom vaguely remembered the woman on the picture, it was one of the locals that had joined them at the club. She had said her name was Krista. Yeah, Dom remembered now. What he didn't remember though was... when exactly had he removed his shirt and decided to go topless?!? He checked comments under the picture and, of course, there was a bunch of people talking about his muscles and whatnot. Dom sighed and put the phone away. He stood up and walked over to the small fridge, from where he took a bottle of cold water. He had to do something to make his hangover as unnoticeable as possible.

He spent the next 20-something minutes sitting behind a table, drinking small sips of water every now and then. He started to feel a bit better, but still... headache was far from gone. Suddenly, Dom heard a knock on the door, followed by a voice: ''Dom, you're in there?'' Dom slowly walked over to the door and opened it, to face one of MRT mechanics who, as Dom could tell immediately, wasn't in a much better condition than himself. ''Yeah...''

''Yeah... yeah indeed. Listen uh... we need to go. Now.''

Dom nod and stuttered over to his wardrobe, from where he took his racing suit, which he pulled on, leaving the top part hanging open. He also put on an undershirt and, having grabbed a few more bottles of water with him, left the motorhome, to start a stroll towards pit garages.

''I think we crossed the line.'' Dom said.

''Yah... who would've thought Aurun vodka is so strong.''

''To be honest, I'm trying to put the puzzle pieces about last night together right now.''

''Ah don't ask me, I can't remember a darn thing.''

''You think there will be a trouble because of this?''

''Who knows what happens when it reaches to Johan's ears...''

''You think he'll know?''

''He sure will when he sees that photo you posted.''

''Ah... crap.'' Dom handed a bottle of water to the mechanic accompanying him. ''Here, drink. You need to stay hydrated, it helps to drive the alcohol away from your blood quicker.''

As they made their way to the pit lane, Dom was immediately greeted by his race engineer, whose face was red like a lobster. ''Oh, so finally, you found time in your busy schedule to haul yourself over here. Please, PLEASE, tell me you are in condition by now!''

''Oh... so you already know as well.''

''Of course I know, how can you even... okay, Dom, FOCUS! Pop some AlkaSeltzers in, puke in the toilet, i don't care how, but in a hour... we need you in the car. Session is about to start. And you...'' Dom's engineer turned to the mechanic, ''Make sure the damn pipes are connected and the car runs properly.''

Dom started to get himself ready for the session. Of course he felt ashamed. He would've preferred to not look at anyone right now. However, he found a bit of comfort in the fact that he was far from the only one being oddly dim and slow that day. Luckily, no one else mentioned anything as of now. Eventually, still feeling a slightly discomforting headache, Dom took a seat in his car and head out on the track.

Regardless of his condition, Dom very much understood he had tasks to fill. Thus, he tried his best to ignore the after-effects of the night before and focus on doing his job: help the team with finding the best setup and learning the track. The nature of the circuit didn't help much either, as it was far from Dom's liking. It was far from an ideal session, which was also reflected in the fact that by the end, he had driven 27th best time on the grid, ahead of only Rudy Edwards. Still, he had taken his time to learn the circuit a bit further during the session and surely it would be better by the time for qualifying tomorrow... he hoped so.

One thing was for sure. Dom felt responsible for the incident. Even though he wasn't the one dragging them into the club, he had decided to go along, instead of being a voice of reasoning. Few quick drinks was one thing, but getting completely hammered shortly before the weekend was a whole other thing. Whatever the case, should any higher-ups start asking any questions, he would claim himself to take the full responsibility. He didn't want anyone else to be punished, let alone fired from the team.

Qualifying

Dom had decided to learn from his mistake and, for the remainder of the weekend, he would stick to beverages with... less alcoholic content. He had woken up in the morning feeling great and having done all his morning routines such as workout session, breakfast, data analysis with the team and all that, he was sitting in the car again, ready for the qualifying.

Having given the green light, Dom from the day before was barely recognisable anymore. The green MRT kept flying around the circuit, posting increasingly quicker lap times. He was back. Fully focused. Pedal to the metal. Dom's engineer was happy to see it:

''Feeling better today, eh''

''Sure do mate! Let's do this!''

Dom pulled into the pits and, having received a set of fresh softs, head out for the final lap. Starting his flying lap, he took his car through the tricky bends, played with throttle and brakes and, eventually, crossed the line.

''That's a lap! That's a lap!''

''Haha, send it!''

''01:47.220. Provisional P2, 4 cars yet to finish though.''

''Yes! Come on mate, hahah!''

''Okay, Ibuna was faster that you. Ibuna is P2, you're P3. That is final. Talvela on pole.''

''Aah! Still, top 3 heh? Did I send it?''

''Yes Dom. You sent it!''

''Did I redeem myself though?'' Dom asked, referring to yesterday's practice.

''Haha, I can't be the judge of that but, in my eyes, yes. You did.''

''Thanks mate!''

''Session over, you know what to do.''

''Scenario 1? Heheh.''

''Scenario 1 indeed.''

Dom pulled into the pitlane and raised his arms high above the head as he had gotten out of his car. He shook hands with Talvela and Ibuna, before moving on to give post-qualifying interviews. He was happy. Of course he was happy. But, there would be a lot of work yet to do. To say tomorrow's race was going to be tough would be an understatement. He would need to do some very solid driving to convert the great qualification result into a great race finish.

[Ethane]

The mountains. That is where I go to escape. Where I can find peace. Where I can find comfort. Where I can find safety.

And I needed that. I needed that right now. Peace, safety, comfort. Somewhere away from the memories. Somewhere away from the emotions, the feelings. Beyond the misty mountains. A place where I can just be. Nothing to focus on but myself. That's what I wanted, what was important to me right now. I guess it is important for me to rant right now.

I have responsibilities. I'm important at Fireline. Research and development is my forte. But I can't focus on that now. But I have to. The team have been calling. There's deadlines soon, but I can't focus on them. And it stresses me out, cause I can't do my job properly.

My life isn't a mess. I have a good life. And I'm enjoying it. And I don't really need to run to the mountains to escape my feelings, because I don't feel. What are emotions anyway; they just get in the way of living. That's how I see it, I guess. Take a step back, and look where emotions played a major role in your life. They're there in your most jubilant and joyful moments - think love, happiness, excitement. But they're also there in the worst moments of your life - think agony, fear, pain, loathing, anger. Y'know, if I had neither, then I may live a boring life but I'd live one without issue.

I can't. I just can't. Let me be lost. Let me be broken. I want to feel broken. I don't even know what it feels like to feel broken. I can't feel. I don't know. I'm supposed to be feeling something about this, but I just don't.

He died. My son died. And I can't say why. I can't control it. And it overwhelms me. I want to control it. I want to say no to this. To stop it.

No. My mind must turn to racing. I have nothing else to turn to. I must focus my mind. We've got some aerodynamic upgrades on our car that we're working on; the boss has put a deadline of the qualifying on it. And we'll get there, I think. We're just putting the final touches on the adjusted unit, which should help decrease wind resistance and allow us to pick up a marginal bit of speed on the car, especially on straights, without diminishing cornering performance. We've got a good car. And we have great drivers. But the R&D has been letting the team down a bit.

I think we should bring the two drivers in for a meeting with the team leaders within Fireline and Tropicorp - our partner for the season. They'll be helpful in guiding us for what we need to improve this season. Get the party going again and put some more decent results on the board.

Because we weren't bad first weekend. But we never advanced on that performance. And now we find ourselves drifting to the back of the pack. There's teams, that with Tropicorp power, I feel we could beat. But we need to step up. I'm going to page the manager of the team now and set this up; it's only up from here, hopefully. And if we can get the driver's feedback on where they think improvements will be best suited, then we'll be able to tailor these cars to them. That's important. And you never know, hopefully this car can form a great base for future seasons to come. There is a lot of potential and hope in the work I'm doing right now, for now and for the future of Fireline. Keep our partnerships going and in future years we might have a better chance at being competitive. You never know.

[Diarcesia]

Excerpt from Sara's Diary

From the beginning of the season, I have said that I would not only support Gregori, but also the other drivers. There might be rivalries along the way, but they're all professional ones, done in public to sate the media's appetite. For myself, I want them to race their best, because I want to earn each and every result that I receive.

Qualifying is still problematic for me. P18. A pattern is emerging. I seem to keep on repeating the same mistakes. For instance, what did Gregori do right that I didn't? After learning the final grid order, I have come to the conclusion that the only way to truly fix the problem is to break it down to smaller problems, and that is exactly what I am going to do. Here is why.

A number of factors came into play over the course of the session. Terho Talvela was clearly in the lead. He had a degree of certainty in him in the early going, despite the heartbreak their team went through in the Nimban Grand Prix. It was not unusual for a driver to start well and then fall later or crash out. Terho with his car handled this inevitability well. Look at WGPC 17, Terho had several retirements, yet he won it all. Besides intangibles like this, the way I drove should have contributed, too. The car is flawless, I was sure of it. I might be playing it too safe.

I will admit that I am not an expert on the nature of cooperation between drivers and teams. It is important to look at the entire picture, though. I know Gregori is likely to do well here, given his personality. He never failed to be polite, and getting along with everyone comes naturally to him. Despite a possibility that he could be enabling someone who could outcompete him, he didn't hesitate to be a constructive influence to his teammate—who happened to be me. I do not know if this is possible, but as a rookie and a number-two driver, I do not want to sound like an authority, because that would be rude.

The thing is, Gregori is not a bad driver. He has had a few suboptimal results out of the race, in his opinion. It is understandable, considering the circumstances, for him to be hesitating in his abilities. I know he sometimes gets stuck in this routine, where he just does what he is told (so am I, really). It is a trade-off between optimizing your pace and adapting to unexpected developments. I'll ask for him, though, to show him what he can do. They'll do the same for me, I need to get a better result next time. They would be happier if their race workload isn't as heavy as what it is now.

Regarding the drivers' standings: If Ryker Lane can put up only a few more points, I think—

The only thing missing from Sara's latest diary entry was an acknowledgement of the fact that she had slept through the night while trying to finish it.

Sara sat up and took the morning hat that Tom had left hanging on the hook, then went to the RV's kitchen to whip up a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, sunshine. You should be able to find a good spot to spend outdoors on these hills. We are behind you in this race," Tom greeted her.

"I know I can take my time on the hills, I've seen it already..."

"I'm glad the kids helped me get a better start to the day," said Tom, putting his arm around Sara's waist. He pulled her in close. "Don't worry, breakfast is ready."

Now, Tom and Sara were in a bit of a hurry, and they both had their eyes on what Violet and Zac cooked for breakfast. From the looks of it, the food was very delicious. Tom exhaled purposely to suppress a yawn.

Tom gave a light kiss to Sara and walked out of the room, leaving the kitchen for Sara's sole use. He didn't want to disturb her in her upcoming race.

So she was in the kitchen, watching the morning outside. It was such a peaceful moment, as if all is still in the world, waiting for flowers to bloom. The countdown to the race was getting close, so close.

What a rush!

Sara reminisced her night's dream: there was a blue sky, she was in a calm cabin during a bright, filling spring morning. She closed her eyes and let that dream take over her mind, immersing in the colors and sounds that she experienced there.

Auruna looks so beautiful, Sara thought. It reminded her of home in the highlands of Chiyginia. Perhaps this is a great place for her and Tom to get married...

The Race for Violet and Zacariah Luna

It was almost time for the Aurun Grand Prix to begin, and the stands were already crowded with people waiting for the cars to get off the grid. Not only did they want to see the drivers go, but also take photos and videos throughout the race as it progresses. Today was more special, for it was Zac's birthday.

In previous races, Sara's nervousness set in. She wasn't at ease with her bad qualifying positions, and doubt repeatedly beset her on how would she finish it. In this one, it was different. If she got a bad hand, she'll make the most out of it. She would reduce it to a series of puzzles to solve. She would make plans on how to tackle each one, and bank on her wealth of motorsport experience to benefit from abrupt circumstances. As Aldauren once said to her, she would not overthink it.

She was almost never seen without her helmet outside a building during a race. It was an instinctive thing to do; her sun allergy could bring great discomfort to her. Before she got in her car, she asked the team crew for some tape. Her kids, Violet and Zac, gave her new drawings that she found delightful and adorable. She decided to stick them on the walls of her car's cockpit. She dedicated this race to her kids, and resolved to do her damned best today.

Her car was stationary in the ninth row of the starting grid, her back firmly planted on the natural fiber composite seat that Volkov recently developed. She delicately slid the visor down.

"Race for the win," she whispered. "I can't verbalize how much my kids will appreciate this if it happens."

She was interrupted by an activation of her radio, grabbing her attention. It was her engineer.

"Hi Sara. You are more composed today than last week."

"It's too late to worry about yesterday's qualifying. We are at the business of making the best possible race today."

"You and Gregori have had great races so far, but it's still early to draw conclusions. There are so many unknowns. Where will this day be headed?"

"It's up to us. I hope I can pick up my pace. We are behind Cocoabo #23, and I feel the bird will be one of the more difficult drivers to overtake. I am ready. There's no holding back."

"All we need for you is to focus. It's alright if you don't get points today. I'm sure it'll not be your fault. You have proven that you can race in the WGPC."

"Yeah, why not try to score a win today?"

"That is some ambition, Sara. You have our support."

"It's for my family. It's my son's birthday."

"That is great."

Soon, the five red lights glowed brightly ahead. The imminent start of the race stirred her thoughts. What a beautiful, unique track to drive here on the hills of Auruna.

All the lights went out.

[Sorlovia]

Practice and qualifying at the Akresna Circuit went as Gregori had expected they would. He ended it with an eighth place finish in the practice session and an eleventh place finish at qualifying. It would seem that the latest WGPC season was continuing its track record of being more challenging than he had first anticipated. But, perhaps flying in the face of expectation, he was not overly concerned. He savoured the challenging that WGPC18 was offering and did not hold any concern for his finishes on the track. What would be would be. He was giving the season his all and each less than desirable end result was an opportunity to learn about himself and his skills as a racer.

Though he would’ve liked to get at least one podium finish. That coveted goal had so far eluded him in every race but he refused to let it get him down. He was an experienced racer with three seasons under his belt. This was all part of the experience and a valuable opportunity to improve. The team at Volkov knew that he had a habit of coming from behind later in the season to secure a string of far better finishes so they weren’t concerned and neither was he. The official race readouts were a subject of great interest to him. As was the race replay. He’d spent the hours after qualifying pouring over his, William’s and Dom’s replay videos along with a stack of race readouts.

“This is all part of the fun,” he said with a grin “these lower place finishes mightn’t look good at first glance but it was the same last season. I managed to pull off some better finishes in the later part of the season.”

“I love your attitude darling,” Elena said softly “some racers would see it as a loss to fail to get a spot in the leading pack. But you see it as a learning opportunity. Something to study and absorb meaning from.”

“My father used to always say that no result is a bad result. Even if it isn’t what you wished for it still gives you something to learn from. See, I came in at eleventh behind Lane Carter because I feel that I wasn’t pushing hard enough. I managed to hold of iBen and Kinu but I could’ve done better. I might be focusing too much on aggression and underperforming in technique.”

Gregori paused the replay at the moment Lane had cut off his attempt at a tight corner pass. He saw a world in that brief frame. The position of his car showed that he hadn’t properly taken advantage of the corner and as a result had misjudged his chance at a pass. The way his car sat on the track was a clear sign that too much more acceleration at that point would’ve led to a fishtail which would’ve caused damage to his car. It would’ve also greatly impacted his speed and handling giving the racers behind him a chance at slipping by. It was just as he’d thought. He was beginning to get overzealous in his pursuit of the Championships and was making rookie mistakes. The threat of a crash, like the one he’d been involved in last season, was always a very real possibility. A blown wheel from putting too much stress on the car in the corners would be all it took.

“Damn it Gregori! You’re getting sloppy!”

Gregori flipped open a new page in his notebook and jotted down the reminder. It was time that he started focusing more on his technique and handling than on sheer aggression in his efforts at taking out a higher place finish. There were times in the race where aggression was good. But too much of it meant that a racer became a liability on the track. Being too aggressive meant that a driver often lost focus and made mistakes that he normally wouldn’t have. Gregori was still a young man. He was, in fact, younger than many of the experienced racers. He still had that fire of youth and the old familiar drive to succeed. Perhaps he had fallen prey to the passionate folly that often overtook men of his age group. Men his age were, of course, instinctively and naturally primed to be competitive in regards to everything they did. Perhaps in his pursuit of first place he’d allowed himself to give into too much aggression and ambition.

“Shh my love,” Elena said kissing him softly “do not be too hard on yourself. Every racer is vulnerable to making mistakes in the height of a race.

Elena reached out a slender hand to turn Gregori’s face away from the screen. She pulled him close to her and hummed softly as she ran a hand through his hair. Elena was a woman who naturally tried to comfort whenever she could. She knew when Gregori was stressed or worried and knew just what to do to calm him. She was a loving and compassionate wife who didn’t like to see her husband in any bad frame of mind. She knew his skill as a racer and she understood his frustration when results weren’t what he would’ve wanted. But she also knew that it wasn’t good for him to stew in it. There was nothing wrong with these quiet moments of intimacy.

“It’s okay my love. You will do better in the coming races. It’s okay to feel the frustration. Just never give up. This is what you were born for. Remember that.”

[Nephara]

And so it went. And so it went. Another day, more shoots of promise drowned out by key moments going awry.
Her weakness, it was becoming clear, was qualifying. The spin team was doing what they could. "She saves her best for the day." "She's a born competitor who needs opposition on the track." "She turns it on in the decisive moments." Yeah, maybe, but even if she kept improving five places on her qualifying every time that didn't mean shit if she started at the back of the field.
It was, oddly, the opposite of the usual issue for a new driver, someone clean and technically skilled but without the nerves to keep braking later, to rise to the occasion. Armbruster was nerveless, and it seemed at times that was all she had.
And on the track... it just never quite came together. Hence her haul of a mighty three points. Great.

"Kitti."
Armbruster glanced up. They were talking about strategy or whatever. They were well behind in the points; each driver had only made it to the points once apiece, and it already looked a distant shot to try and rein in Nexus... though in fairness, Nexus had performed abysmally at Akresna. But SVJ had ranked a mighty P19 and P20 on the grid, so, you know, expectations were... realistic.
She stared up blearily at some nerd and pretended to absorb a long monologue about soft tyres, nodding on cue. Morale was low across the board of her side of the operation, and management, well, management expected.
"Thoughts? Team?"
"Sure," said Armbruster.
"... That isn't a thought."
"Look, you planned this shit out for a reason. Do I have a better idea how to beat nineteen guys in fifty-whatever laps, no. Will it happen... fuck knows. Hope so. But we're in the shit again, and I'm just--" She threw up her hands. "In need of a break that isn't coming tomorrow without a fucking miracle. And. Yes. I know it's in my hands. Just. Fucking."
Why was it so hard to put words to her doubt? How could she explain what was wrong, when she didn't quite know herself?
She made a disgusted little sound from deep in her throat. Mostly with herself. Self-pity did nobody any favours. "Fine. Keep going. Ignore... that."
How could they? She saw the looks in the hallways, after the fact.

She wasn't sure why she found herself calling Jasmine Muscadet that night.
It was a good question why she had her number at all. She'd had a guy skim it for her for the purposes of Schemes, though it had never actually been useful.
"Yes? Who's this?"
Ah, fuck. She actually picked up? "... It's Kitti."
"How did you get this number?"
"I don't remember. Look. I just--"
Muscadet wasted no time cutting across her rival. "Well, while you're here, maybe you can tell me a few things. 1) how does it feel to be so far at the back of the grid? 2) is it as strange to you as it is to me you haven't totalled a car yet? 3)--"
"Oh, fuck you. Hope you choke and die on this poisoned fucking chalice."
She hung up, shoulders trembling. Her fingers tensed - for a moment, she wanted, really wanted, to snap the damn thing in half. Why did she care so much? What more, what different, could she possibly have expected?
Fuck it. Expect nothing, and take that into the next race. Maybe it would be her only Grand Prix, but she wasn't going to go down without a fight. In the points, or a fireball trying; nothing else would do.

[Recuecn]

Täitä.

Fight.

A cloud of smoke billows up on the race track. The dark, acrid fumes swirl in a vortex, agitated by something within. The sinister beauty of the contrast between the black cloud screening the circuit and the cerulean waters of Nimbus Bay below catches your eye instantly. The watery expanse below goes out to the horizon, absolutely clear on this sunny day - what your eye mistakes for the faintest of haze is in fact the shimmering imagikinetic barrier, barely visible until the smoke begins to take its form as it fills the space.

And then the cloud is torn apart with a squeal of tires that pierces even above the roar of the engines, as out of the smoke comes a shining violet car - tail first.

---

Bamako, Mali, 20 years ago

A cloud of red dust obscured the road stretching out of the city and through the savanna. At the horizon the sky itself was tinged with ochre, but the omnipresent haze was especially strong over the city itself. Moussa's taxi bumped heavily over the potholed road, a gray smoke flowing from its exhaust pipe as if trying to do its part to keep up with the pollution. The passengers inside - strangers, carpooling - happily chatted away, ignoring all affronts to their physical or olfactory comfort, while Moussa did his best to stay awake at the wheel for yet another evening drive.

It was rush hour, and the road was clogged with all sorts of people just trying to get home. The sotramas, the ubiquitous green vans that plied the streets picking up passengers for a few francs, were all crammed full; each parantikè had ceased to even yell out his destination as he hung out the door of his van. Functionaries' cars competed for road space with delivery trucks and donkey carts, but the majority of the traffic was all motos. A veritable flood of the small bikes surged along the road, zipping along with little regard for either their own safety or anyone else's. Each moto was laden with multiple passengers, not to mention whatever goods or livestock they might be carrying home for the day.

Moussa was travelling behind a huge truck full of bales of cotton. Its huge wheels pitted the road as it rolled along, and Moussa drove a little off to the side of the road to avoid being in the cloud of dirt and debris it kicked up. His right-hand wheels were perilously close to a large drainage ditch. The ditch was lined with stone and a meter wide and deep in order to manage the torrential downpours of the rainy season, but right now it was bone dry. Every so often a wide slab of concrete was thrown across it to serve as a bridge, allowing a side-street to cut off into the labyrinth of houses to either side.

The momentary migration meant quite a hubbub, but beneath the chaos was a sense of order - each person on their way to their own home. In all of that cacophony there was still somehow just a sliver of peace to be attained, an awareness of the common purpose of the entire crowd.

But over that thought of peace hung a dark foreshadowing. It would only take an instant for that little sliver to be dashed away in tragedy.

A moto, trying to get past the cotton truck, veered in front of Moussa.

---

Jöna's pre-race speech had been as inspirational as it was every time, but the team principal was preaching to the choir. After good performances in pre-season testing, Abdoulaye had grown frustrated with his inability to perform the way he wanted to during qualifying. In both of his first two races, he had made wonderful position gains, but starting so far at the back of the grid, it meant nothing. This time, he had a chance. Fourth in practice and eighth in qualifying meant he stood as good a chance as anyone to finally get some points if he could race the way he had been doing. Täitä, Jöna had said once again. The word had become Abdoulaye's motto. It had gotten him a P8 qualifying run. It had gotten Olivia P1. And now it was time for it to get them some points.

Ten laps left to go, and the fighting had been worth it. Olivia was still in the lead, and Abdoulaye was pulling ever closer to one of the other spots on the podium. He had caught up to Luminna now - or Luminna had fallen back a few positions, perhaps, but either way - and Abdoulaye was keenly aware of the irony of what was about to happen on the overtake. A foreigner in an Aurunan car was about to take a position from the very Aurunan who had been passed over by his own nation's team. The Aurunan fans watching at home were about to see their favorite by a car blazoned with their own flag.

Jan's voice crackled in Abdoulaye's ear. "Don't be too aggressive here. It's not worth throwing the race away for a single overtake."

Abdoulaye didn't answer. He knew what he was doing, and he had everything under control. He and Kinu darted into the tunnel, struggling for position as they looped downward toward its exit. A blinding flash of light, and now they were soaring along the track over the bay, the dark of the tunnel exchanged for a bright blue sky. The chicane would have been incredibly fast were it not coming out of the corner, but both cars still floored the accelerator as they roared through the slight ess and onto the straight. Abdoulaye was still a touch behind, but he left the line as he continued down the straight to stay on the outside.

As he flew down the straight behind Kinu he was gaining quickly; the overtake would be coming soon. Now he was halfway alongside, far enough to earn his spot on the outside as they entered turn eight, which would put him inside for turn nine. Kinu had already made a mistake to let Abdoulaye get on his right side. He was unable to force as much power from the WGPC Motorworks machine, and now Abdoulaye was fully alongside, and now he was ahead. But as they came into turn 9, Abdoulaye would have to brake first. He applied pressure, but refused to brake fully until he was sure he could keep Kinu from taking the position back again on that very turn. Kinu braked as late as he could: he nosed in front again and Abdoulaye would have to drive into his line to hold him off, or turn in and let him go past again...

---

Moussa threw the wheel to the right with all his might, simultaneously slamming on the brakes as hard as he could. There was no time for anything more than a split-second decision. He had time to think 'I cannot kill someone today,' and nothing more. The taxi flopped and nose-dived into the ditch, grinding its belly on the stone on the way down and then, carried by its initiative, flipping partially over and landing on its side, windows shattering. The moto, which would have been crushed had Moussa not reacted in time, received nothing more than a love-tap that sent it fishtailing as its driver braked as well. He did not fall, but looked back, unhurt, at the taxi lying totaled in the ditch. The screeching sound of the crash hung in the air for a moment before the yells of the bystanders erupted as they ran to extricate the trapped passengers from the car.

Moussa had gone through the windshield and was hanging over the hood of the car, limp and with blood pouring from a gash in his forehead.

---

Abdoulaye grit his teeth as he continued straight into Kinu's line. He had only time to think 'He's not getting past me.' Then the instantaneous consequences of his action unfolded. As Abdoulaye's front wing touched Kinu's rear-right wheel, it exploded into a million tiny pieces of carbon fiber, flying into the air and littering the race track. Kinu drove on, but the sudden impact and change in aerodynamics immediately threw Abdoulaye into a spin. He careened toward the inside wall and was thrown forward as his already damaged front left hit the imagikinetic barrier and bounced him back onto the track rotating him even further. The burning rubber of his tires as he spun threw up a stinging cloud of dark black smoke, blocking not only his vision, but that of anyone rapidly approaching him. And then he was bursting out of the cloud back-end first and coming to a stop on the far side of the track, where he sat as car after car vroomed past him, his heart sinking.

---

When a car finally pulled up outside the courtyard, long past dark, Fanta was waiting for them, eyes puffy with tears. The car parked outside and its engine shut off, returning the night to its silence. A distant dog howled, and soft voices came from the street as Fanta heard the doors of the car open, then shut. She hurried to the courtyard gate, where she saw three men coming toward her, silhouetted in the faint moonlight. The one in the middle was limping, supported on either side by his companions. Fanta gave a yell and running forward, fell on his neck, sobbing and hugging him.

Moussa hugged her back, then, as she pulled back to get a look at his face, began to stumble. His companions, two of his fellow taxi-drivers, grabbed his armpits once more.

"I thought you were dead!" Fanta sobbed.

"Fanta, Fanta!" Moussa was crying too, whether he was in pain or moved to tears at the sight of his wife's distress. "I'm okay! I'm okay!"

Young Malick, hearing the commotion, ran out of the house. "What's happening, ba? What's happening?"

"Father's home, Malick," Fanta said, as if this made everything alright. But an infant's cry from the house revealed that the noise had awoken baby Abdoulaye as well.

The men helped Moussa into bed where he lay down, while Fanta did her best to convince them to stay and at least eat something, but neither would accept more than a cup of tea. They left, their car droning away into the distance, leaving behind a family hurt and scared, but reunited.

Moussa's last words before he fell asleep stabbed Fanta's heart with their practicality. "The taxi is totaled, furumuso," he said. "Even when I can drive again, I won't have a job."

"It's okay," said Fanta. "We will find something."

"There's nothing here anymore," said Moussa. "We will not have the rent this month. It is finally time to go."

"Where can we go?" It was a rhetorical question.

"Something must change," replied Moussa. "We will have to fight for everything."

---

Abdoulaye sat in the garage, holding his head in his hands. His first chance, and he had foolishly thrown it away. With the end of the Nimban Grand Prix, they were now the majority of the way through the first half of the season, and Viska still had nothing to show for it.

Jan strode over and sat next to Abdoulaye, putting his elbows on his knees to match his driver. Abdoulaye spoke first.

"You even warned me," he said. "I don't know what I was doing."

"You were fighting," said Jan. "That was the goal."

"The goal was points," said Abdoulaye. "Not wrecking the car and spinning out."

"It's not ideal..." Jan mulled over his words. "But you were doing what we asked of you. You can't let yourself get discouraged. You were this close this time. We just need to keep doing what we're doing."

Abdoulaye looked up at his engineer. "Keep doing what we're doing? Which has gotten us where, exactly? There's got to be something new."

"Well, we do have some new parts for you to test -"

"No, the car is great. The car is fine. The problem is the person at the wheel."

"Hey -"

"No, it's true. Something's got to change, but I don't know what."

"Täitä etteremät," said Jan.

[Nekoni]

It was always fun entering a new nation on the calendar. Nekoni motorsport had seen Auruna before, but not at this level. The most recent WGP2 season included a run around the Akresna Circuit, with Polestar's Mika Neretti (billed by NK Motorsports Journal as "half-human, half-cat, all-mobile chicane") flopping a great start to finish 15th. Hopefully, Erica thought as she sat down in a wonderfully comfy armchair in one of the many warm and inviting coffee shops around the city, she'd buck the trend.

Despite the mechanical and technical nature of her job, Erica also saw herself as a bit of a foodie, in particular coffee. She never really liked it as a child, as with most bitter things, but, probably through osmosis thanks to how much her pit boss drank the stuff, her eye was well in now, to the point that coffee had really replaced her alcohol consumption. When the season started, there was no drinking on the job until you get on the podium. And, judging by her remarkable performance at Crossbay, maybe she wouldn't have to wait much longer.

That was for Sunday, though. Today was all about learning the course, and to make her feel less tensed up, it was a grand idea of hers to do it in the warm orange hues of the coffee shop. The soundtrack of mild, friendly chatter and the occasional clink of the patron's cups over a soft bossa nova background was a much, much better proposition mentally than the relative radio silence of the trailer. On her laptop, charged into the wall, and with one earbud in, Erica attempted to absorb as much information as she could. The track maps helped visualise the braking points of the circuit, the photographs of the track put those points into a 3D space, and mercifully, someone had cheekily uploaded an illegal stream of the WGP2 race. 'Excellent', thought Erica. Due to being in the car most of the time, it was a while since she watched a full race as a spectator. Knowing that she didn't need to be anywhere for the next 90 minutes, Erica got the attention of the barista, asked for the largest latte they had, the largest slice of cake they did, and got comfortable as the familiar strains of the WGP theme played through her speakers.

The point to watch here was the gray and orange of Polestar's #49. Mika's pre-race interview was very intriguing when Erica knew how the story would end: her eyes were looking all around at every point but at the camera. Every question's answer was precluded with a five or so second break, like she was a deer caught in the headlights, and she had learnt to speak only five minutes ago. The answers were all the standard clichés of "we'll take each race as it comes", but even there...Miki clearly didn't believe what she was saying.

A few minutes later, the start came, and this was the main reason for Erica watching. As the lights dropped, all 24 of the WGP2 cars roared off the line as expected. Mika set off the line, in sync with the other cars in the pack, off towards the Valantov hairpin. However, halfway down the straight, it was clear. She was short shifting, badly. She set off the race in ninth. By the time she reached the turn, it was more like sixteenth, and the bad start wasn't lost on the commentators. "And Neretti's failed to capitalise on the qualifying, big time!"

It would be a boring race, really. Not one for the highlight reel, but for Erica, just having one and not having to do any of the groundwork was a good experience. Also, only being twenty-nine laps in length made it a bit of an easier watch. As the lap counter dropped to the single figures, Erica felt the brush of hair on her uncovered shoulders. She gasped, and instantly flicked her head up to see a familiar swish of red hair. She knew who that was. Alexandra had snuck up on her.

"God, Miki was crap, wasn't she?" she chuckled under her breath, moving to the armchair at the opposite side of the table. She perched her coffee cup on a coaster and reached into her pocket for her phone. "Ah, I'm glad I found you here. I want you to see something." As she said that, a notification appeared on Erica's laptop screen. With it, it loaded up an artice from NTR Sports, with a report of the race. In it, she found the section that Alex had highlighted:

"DRIVER OF THE DAY: #47 Erica Okumura (Polaris)
She started in 26th. Dead last. Through pure fight and a fantastically managed one-stop setup, Erica has finally pulled out a result that rewards her pure skill, perhaps not seen since her win all those races ago at the same circuit. If she can keep this up, and do something about her qualifying, Nekoni has a serious title contender on their hands again."

"Presenting, Eri, the first bit of positive news that the media has done for the Polaris team in about two years. And they ain't wrong, it's all because of you." Both smiled as they simultaneously went for a sip from their cups.
"I did need someone to pull me through it, though, Alex. This is your doing as much as mine. And besides, if we're giving backslaps for coming sixth, I'd be scared for what we'd be if I got on the podium," Erica laughed as she said the last bit.

As Erica and her manager continued talking, and joining the quiet crowd of pleasant chatter themselves, Erica packed her laptop away in her bag, knowing that they were going to be there for a while. It was a weird situation: the life of a driver can be a lonely one sometimes, and situations like these needed to be treasured. It was perhaps the first time in months that she had a light-hearted conversation that wasn't about track temperatures or racing lines. It was a chance meeting in the coffee shop, sure, but Erica really appreciated that Alex was there, even if her mind was in a better place now than it was last week.

As the day dawned into evening, and the bright Aurunan sun finally yielded into the horizon, the coffee shop music stopped, and the meeting between the two had to be capped. Somehow, they had been chatting for a solid two hours, and consumed enough caffeine that neither of them were going to be sleeping that night. As they walked to the entrance, and their seperate ways for the evening, Alex asked: "Same time next week?" Erica smiled. "You know what? I'd really like that."

[Abanhfleft]

William Archer hadn't had a lot of luck at the Akresna Circuit. And it seemed as if the circuit didn't like him back too. It seemed like the track was just straights and hairpins, and William didn't like that combination at all. He couldn't explain why; he just hated it, and that was a fact.

William had lasted only eight laps at Akresna the last time he was here. Par for the course in the KS-03. William couldn't even remember the reason why he had to bow out of this race; just that it happened, and he was pissed off about it. Really, it was the start of William's problems with Bitten Heroes, and he would have been very glad to have forgotten about the whole ordeal if he could. But no, the Akresna Circuit had been selected as a host for one of the WGPC races, and now William Archer had to go back to Auruna to conquer this monster.

A few upgrades had gone through for Preston; not all, but some, and sometimes that could make all the difference on Sunday. The wings, for one thing. The engineers had said that new wings that could produce a bit more downforce while sticking to the same settings. Normally William would have loved having more downforce, but then he remembered that this circuit was full of hairpins followed by straights, and while the downforce would be hella nice to have in the corners, they would be hell in the straights. The engine department was told that they needed to improve the engine in the PGP-01, which was just a version of the engine used in the Preston Skychief. Something about keeping costs low by taking an existing engine and boosting its output rather than starting from scratch. Like everything else this season, the fruits of that decision had been a mixed bag.

Practice saw William slot into P17, nine-tenths behind the fastest lap. Not bad, especially for a car that had only officially finished its first ever race last week, but in the grand scheme of things it wasn't good too. Rudy Edwards had a tougher time out on the track, plum last and 2.6 seconds behind Abdoulaye Goita. Goita definitely had better memories of this place than William; he took P2 here in WGP2, if William remembered correctly. As for Rudy, perhaps the downforce upgrades were not the thing he really needed; if Preston were going to fulfill their mission of making him the next WGPC champion, then they needed a helluva lot more upgrades to their current car than what they had on at the moment.

Time to translate that practice pace into qualifying. Nine tenths off was a healthy distance away from the current benchmark, but for the first time in weeks, William was quietly optimistic about his chances. And that should have been the signal to him that things would actually not work out in his favor because as soon as the light at the pit lane turned green to signal the start of the qualifying session, his engineer came onto the radio and said, "Sorry William, but we're going to have to hold you in the garage for a while. We've just detected another leak in the gearbox coolant. It's not gonna take too long to fix, but just understand that we won't get the full ninety to get those ten laps we need."

"You're kidding me," William replied. "Oh man, I thought we were through this already!"

"Sorry about that, William. Unfortunately we just can't predict when a part is going to fail."

"We're not going to get hit by parc ferme for this, are we?" William asked with more than a hint of uncertainty.

"We're already running it past the WGPC as we speak. Things are looking good on that front at the moment, but just focus on producing your best lap. We got this."

"Easy for you to say," William muttered, but while he intended to say that remark off the radio, he forgot to switch it off so it got caught on the airwaves anyway. Nevertheless, William's engineer didn't comment on it, nor did anyone else.

While his crew worked on fixing the gearbox, William sat inside his car. He went over the "perfect" lap around Akresna over and over again, until he finally felt that he had perfected the whole thing. Then when he realized that the crew was still not yet finished with the gearbox, he just sat inside the cockpit. He thought about hopping out for a moment and going browsing on his phone but there was a chance that the fix could be done at any moment. So instead William just asked if he could have a few chunks of dry ice dropped at his feet.

But even though the crew got the gearbox issue fixed, and William still had more than enough time to get a number of laps going, the mere fact that they had to fix his gearbox in the first place had shaken William's confidence in the car. William had become afraid of pushing his PGP-01 anywhere near its limit; thus his fastest lap was a full three seconds slower than the pole sitter Terho Talvela. William had had a feeling that he had seen this before, and when he looked at the results of the WGP2 Race of the Hills, he saw that he had achieved similar results back then: fair to middling in practice and woeful in qualifying. And if history was about to repeat itself, which it certainly looked like doing, William Archer was about to have a shitty race on Sunday.

[TJUN-ia]

WGPC18 - Round 4
Aurun Grand Prix (Sÿrä-prii Auruna)
Akresna Circuit, Akresna, Auruna (Enter the mind of a lonely man...)

Another WGPC Round is upon us and this time, we welcome you back to the Akresna Circuit in Auruna! This circuit, another one you may recall for the WGP2 days, is known for 2 things: being very long and very technical. The International Layout is full of tight and twisty sections while also containing flowing sections that maximise balls-to-the-wall driving above all else.

As for TJUN-ian prospects, many now know the plight of one Lane Carter. After a good points finish in Turori, things have not gone well for the Galarian as he struggled to do anything of note both in Hodori and at Crossbay. Can he improve here, I hear you ask? Well, there's always a chance but who knows at this point.

---

Friday - Practice
Entering the weekend, Lane was at his lowest point. He was driving terribly, he had no one to talk to (at least not in Race Eelandii) and he felt as if there was no end in sight. He wondered what the point was to turn up to the racetrack if the only reward was always going to be pain. But he also felt that Akresna was an opportunity to improve his fortunes, even if Crossbay didn't work as he intended.

Unfortunately, Friday running showed more of the same. He seemed to always struggle on Fridays, so no course for concern here, but it still was a bit demoralising for a driver that needs any momentum he can find. His time of 1:54.714 was only a second behind the pace, set by Abdoulaye Goita for the home team Schkeska-VSK Viska, but it was only good enough for 21st. R.L. Cruisin did worse in 25th, 7 tenths behind the Galarian. At least it just wasn't him struggling in practice anymore.

---

Saturday - Qualifying (Traditional)
More dry weather welcomed the first Traditional Qualifying session onto WGPC. It's simple: you get 1 hour to drive around the circuit and whoever gets the fastest lap will start on pole tomorrow. With so much time to waste and with everything on the line, Lane Carter went out for what would turn out to be one of the most interesting qualifying sessions thus far.

It turns out the true pace of the Race Eelandii was hidden on Friday and here, it was shown off. Both Cruisin and Carter were putting in great laps and the morale started to return to the Galarian in spades. He felt pretty good around the circuit, taking each corner with a nice style and flair rarely seen by the Galarian so far this season. He ended up in P10, Cruisin in P5, and suddenly, things were turning around quickly for Carter.

Terho Talvela will start on pole ahead of Rustom Ibuna and Dom Falepeau. Schkeska will have both drivers in the top 10 for their home race (Stone in P7, Goita P8) while Kinu Luminna starts his home race just behind iBen Toralmintii in 13th. Charyseine Valkyria will be the other Motorworks car on the grid in 21st, staring alongside Ryker Lane on Row 11. Nexus did not have a fun time at all, with Jean Mercer-Daly only managing 24th.

As he was walking out of the paddock, he spotted Squidroidia's Daryl Mizushima in the most unpleasant of moods and he sympathised with him. He'd been in that position before, miles behind everyone else with no end in sight, and he knew that it would eat at your brain until there was nothing left but despair and hopelessness. He had all of Squidroidia on his shoulders, just like Lane had TJUN-ia on his. Maybe it would be best to talk to him, as men with similar situations, in order to try and help him? He decided to put caution into the wind and walked over to the Squidroidian. "Hello," he said with a bit of nervousness. "would you like to talk about it?"

[Aboveland]

Sÿrä-prii Auruna
Akresna Circuit
Qualifying

Terho stares down at the front wing of his AGP003, gloved hands on his hips, his eyes occluded by his visor. With his boot, he taps the navy blue nose, brushing off a smidge of oil. What's in a name? he thinks. His first car had gone by its chassis codename, Chassis Y and Y'. The MRT machine of season 15, and the first TRÆ of season 16, had gone by feminine human names, and last season's dominator was simply Unnamed. He kneels down beside the wing, stroking the nose from the golden number 56 down to the wing endplates, as the sound of the sister V8 of iBen rings across the garage.

So far, the season hasn't gone all accordingly to plan. Everyone in the team had been holding their breaths before the first race; the prospect of starting all over again after an utterly dominant season was, and still is, terrifying. When one reaches such heights, it becomes easier to fall than to keep up the same momentum. Though the pre-season had been promising, the team's results so far hadn't. Two podiums in three races had been complemented by a couple points for fastest lap and a solitary tenth place after the first race; morale had been high until the absolute disaster at Crossbay.

The mood in the paddock at Akresna is a far cry from the energy the team had had a week prior. Gone are the confident strides and occasional giggles, replaced with heads pointed down and an eerie, yet somehow energizing, motivating and focused silence. Edvin in particular has has a change of direction, it seems: since Crossbay, he's been far more hands on and involved in every single little detail that needs tending to. For the first time in a while, Terho senses the team is fully focused and headed towards the same direction. For the first time since season 16, he senses the team is determined to show their resilience, rather than their prowess.

Resilience, he whispers to himself, contained within his helmet. Coalescence, a concept, can be a name. Why not Resilience?

Before he's had time to reflect on his decision, his shoulder gets given a pat by Edvin, whose figure covers the garage lights and casts a dim shadow over himself. "You're on," he says dryly. "Good luck; we've got time for three or four flying laps." Terho nods, springs to his feet, straps on his HANS and hops into his AGP003. As he burrows himself in, he strokes the metallic painted sides of his cockpit. Resilience, he mutters, grinning.

An instant later, he's thrust backwards into his seat, his head striking the headrest, and off down the pitlane to meet Akresna circuit for the first time since his race simulation in practice. Though the dejectedness in the TRÆ garage is somewhat motivating, the start of his outlap is a relief, a necessary break, as the weight of the anxiety shared by his team members falls from his shoulders. Once the pitlane comes to an end, he removes the pit limiter and floors the throttle, purposely fishtailing the back end of AGP003--Resilience--into action.

His outlap around the track is slow and collected, as Terho takes in the sights around the mountainous circuit. Auruna, with its Nordic cross flag and intelligible grand prix name, feels a lot like home, though the landscape is where the similarities end. To a point, Akresna Circuit is the philosophical opposite to Lintulahti and the Fjellutfordring, more akin yet still not close to what was Furuhoytie Virtapiiri, and in theory should be for Terho one of the toughest tracks to excel at. Worse still, the last Abovian to have competed here, Janne Laukkanen in last year's Nexus Racing WGP2 III entry (who this weekend was tagging along with TRÆ in the garage), was of no use, having qualified last and remained there for the entire race (a pitiful performance). However, despite his lowly practice position (attributed to the team taking him on for the race simulations and iBen for qualifying practice), he's grown to enjoy the undulating tarmac of the hill circuit.

As he floors the throttle halfway through Entenalla, the winglets flexing and gluing Resilience--a name that's starting to grow on him--to the somewhat slick tarmac, his worries dissipate. A few setup tweaks made after practice and taking note from iBen's results have made the car a bliss to drive; Akresna's technical nature is the ultimate test for AGP003's passive four wheel steering, auto-adjusting brake balance and active aerodynamics.

Terho catches a millimetric slide out of turn 20 and, almost instantly, brakes hard for turn one, far on the outside kerb before the turn in point and going slightly long to take more speed into the uphill kink at turn two. He climbs blindly over the flat turn onwards towards turn three; he's fully committed, and though his right foot tries to tremble he beats his instinct and keeps the pedal planted, the V8 howling and whistling across the Aurun hills. As soon as the turn ends he hugs the outside to brake hard for turn four, taking advantage of the slope before the turn in point, barreling off towards turn five on the plateau and turning in harder than he brakes before the downhill section towards turn six. For this hairpin, he brakes earlier than at the other similar corners, anticipating the extra energy he takes downhill and hugging the apex for the run-up to turn seven. Fully commited past the kink at the bunker, he downshifts, once, then twice, to keep the line at turn seven and rockets flat past the kink at the Akresna Sun, the winglets again working overtime to keep Resilience glued to the surface. He downshifts again for turn eight, where he takes more speed than he had at the other sharper corners of the track, using the kerb at the exit to take more speed into turn nine. Another hard braking ensues, then he's up blindly past turn ten and brakes level at eleven. At its apex, the rear slides slightly, but the winglets find the grip before the downhill sprint past twelve. The aero, again, play the lead to carry Resilience flat past the kink and onto turn thirteen. Yet another hard braking zone, though not the last, leads him off towards sector three--his favorite. Here, he does let his right foot waver on the turn in to fifteen, letting the rear diff lock just a tad to rotate the car into the apex, then blasts off past sixteen as he countersteers with robotic precision to keep the rear in check over the slick tarmac. Down the valley run, he dabs the brake pedal and keeps to the outside, shooting past the kerbs at turn 18 to keep the car in line for the final sharp hairpin at Kaulinta. His line is different to that of the first corner, hugging the apex to carry less speed into Entenalla, which allows him to slow down less for the final turn, and halfway through the decreasing radius turn he plants his foot down again to finish his lap.

His steering wheel flashes yellow, displaying his position in block letters.

TAL P1 1:74.112 | IBU -.093

He chuckles a sigh of relief as he reads the message, when his radio crackles into life.

"P1, provisional pole," says Edvin, still serious but letting a little bit of excitement slip. Only two minutes left in the session but the track doesn't seem to be evolving too much, I'd bring the car in."

Terho keeps off the racing line on his in-lap past turn two, letting the Preston of Rudy Edwards rocket past. "Agreed," replies Terho. "Don't think I can do better than that." He chuckles again, this time keeping his radio open. "Good God, first pole since season 16!" he exclaims.

"Yep," Edvin acknowledges. "But keep your head down, the race is what matters."

Terho replies affirmatively before bringing the car back to the garage. He parks Resilience neatly in the pit box, clambers out of the cockpit and sets his helmet aside, gloves and balaclava stuffed where his head goes. Staring at the qualifying results, he grins at the sight of the top ten. This season, it seemed as if he was the outlier among Ibuna, Falpeau, Cruisin, Stone and Goita. Looking over at Edvin, his eyes hooded with a frown, he understands the importance of his pole, and the importance of converting the result into a race win--no less--, for tomorrow. It's his, and TRÆ's, opportunity to pounce on their rivals. Even though it all seemed lost, having to make up for wasted opportunities on a track completely unsuited for both Resilience and himself, he'd just beaten the odds comfortably.

Though he can hope to upset the bookies on race day, hope can only get him so far. He must upset the bookies. Right now, he's got no other choice.

[Vilita and Turori]

Sÿrä-prii Auruna, Akresna Circuit, Akresna, Auruna:: 3 Races into the World Grand Prix Championship season and iBen Toralmintii was already starting to regret not winning the season opening Grand Prix of Turori and retiring on the spot. The two races since had not gone particularly well for the Turorian veteran and he risked getting himself dug into a hole much as had happened during World Grand Prix Championship season 17. Last season it was a slow start to the season that ultimately cost Toralmintii the World Grand Prix Drivers Championship. A record-setting four consecutive Grand Prix victories to close out the season was not enough as Toralmintii finished five points short of his Tropicorp Racing Aelund teammate and now two-time Drivers Champion Terho Talvela.

If there was one comforting factor to take away from the two consecutive finishes outside the points for iBen Toralmintii, however, was that the two races he performed the worst at were the two races that least fit his driving style.

The next event, however, would be the Aurun Grand Prix at the Akresna Circuit. This was a track that was much more suitable to Toralmintii's driving style than were the races in Hodori and then the Nimban Grand Prix that saw Toralmintii eliminated with mechanical issues along with teammate Terho Talvela. The difference was noticeable. Toralmintii was fast out of the gates turning the 4th quickest time in the opening practice session, a welcome return to the fight atop the leader board for the Tropicorp Racing Aelund veteran. A strong finish for Toralmintii in the Aurun Grand Prix would be critical to the Turorian's hopes of earning that elusive World Grand Prix Drivers Championship. Despite the early struggles, Toralmintii was still 6th in the drivers standings but more importantly just 18 points behind current leader Ryker Lane of Nexus Racing. That was just one podium finish difference between the two drivers and in one of the most competitive Grand Prix seasons in history it was entirely possible that Toralmintii could post a Top 2 finish with at least a handful of the rivals in front of them having troubles resulting in finishes outside the points.

While iBen did slip up a little in the qualifying session only able to post the 12th fastest time, Toralmintii's Tropicorp Racing Aelund teammate Terho Talvela jumped to the top of the speed charts in an encouraging sign with regards to the on-track potential of the Tropicorp-powered AGP003 machines on race day in Auruna.

While Toralmintii will sit on the grid knowing how fast their car is and feeling confident about their ability to climb through the pack for a solid points finish, they might glance up ahead of them and see a number of familiar faces. Toralmintii actually qualified behind both of the Race Eelandii! Vilita & Turori World Grand Prix Motorworks machine and will be staring directly at the rear wing of #11 Lane Carter from the grid as Race Eelandii VTGP's junior driver will be positioned ahead of Toralmintii in the 10th position when the lights go out. A few positions further up the grid will be Race Eelandii VTGP's other driver, the winner of the season-opening Grand Prix of Turori, R.L. Cruisin. After a fast start to their World Grand Prix Career, the latter portion of Cruisin's driving career had been filled almost exclusively with Cruisin arriving at a high profile team in a season where the team saw a decline in performance across the board. Having avoided competing for a team based in their home region for the bulk of that period, Cruisin teamed up with Atlantian Oceania based team Mirrors of Starblaydia during World Grand Prix Championship Season 17. While the results were not great, it was one step closer to home for Cruisin who has now landed back in the Vilitan Cove with Race Eelandii. It was a combination that many never expected to see but once it was finalized the chemistry was apparent with Cruisin claiming their second consecutive victory in the Grand Prix of Turori before a second finish in the points to sit currently 12 points behind the drivers championship lead.

While Cruisin has not been a serious competitor for the World Grand Prix drivers championship since Season 12, the Vilitan driver could keep themselves in the conversation with a podium finish in either Aurna or or at the dual-feature event in Aboveland before the season takes its half way break. Cruisin will roll off the grid from the 5th position at the Akresna Circuit as they look to secure their first multi-win Grand Prix campaign since their rookie season on the circuit.

[Auruna]

Akresna Circuit
Practice

Tähtä je kuu, kuula hÿtsä
Aina mennä taine aikasit
Vöitü täitäliinet
Vöitü kipa
Kÿssä, mennä tahti täitä!
Täitä!
Täitä etteremät!

Stars and moon, hear our calls
Help us in the darkest times
Overcome the struggles
Overcome the pain
Together, we will fight!
Fight!
Let's keep fighting!

It's that time again, the race weekend at home soil. Back at home, should feel comfortable, right?

It might.

There's a bit of a quiet time before the start of the session, the whole team is trying to keep it together. A slight change of pace before going back to normal later on. They were hard at work for the whole week, tweaking, testing, all the stuff they usually do. Not only they want everything to work, the NEED everything to work. In sync, in harmony, or an orchestrated chaos, you decide what to call it.

Jöna tries to keep his expectations high but close to the middle, he knows what to do. They have one goal in mind: win their home race again. It would be a great spectacle to the home crowd. Imagine the fans celebrating their team's home race. That's what they want to see and Viska should deliver. They should. They can try something else should it fail, but that depends on what the end realisation is.

They are prepared, they send both drivers out on the pit exit queue as the timer draws closer to zero. Then the green light is lit, practice starts. They only want to gather more important data for now so that they can setup the car better for qualifying and then the race with the race trim being more important as it decides who gets the points. Currently sitting at 0 points, they are planning to break that no-points streak this time. Hopefully, luck will go their way.

The session draws on for about an hour now. Then Jöna, presses the radio button to both drivers. "Practice is ending, you two can try for the fastest practice lap." He looks at the screen after that message. Both drivers are pushing, everything is running at near maximum capacity, obviously the Burst and Hotlap are reserved for qualifying and race.

They make the most of their remaining time out. Lap after lap then there it is. At the time sheets it read, "P1 Abdoulaye Goita - 1:53.619" and that should get everyone in the team excited for the next session, the pace looks to be promising.

Then practice ends.

Jöna goes to the garage, then to everyone's surprise there, he invites them to a coffee break. The mechanics, engineers, and the drivers, are all invited by Jöna, and he's not forgetting about the race engineers and the chief strategist. They go to the circuit's cafe. This serves as a morale boost and they will need it soon.

Qualifying

The WGPC cars are finally going around Akresna at qualifying speeds. The fastest they would ever go with an exception of a certain chance at the race but that is for tomorrow. For now, let's focus on qualifying. Artur making the strategy calls, he went for another slightly later run out for both drivers. They want the track to develop a bit before they go out on their laps. It's a risky strategy as you might not time it right and you lose all the advantages but when you do, it will be on track for a great race result.

Jöna, as usual with the radio, sends a quick message. "Fight until we win, that's what they usually say, but I think it goes well with Viska's philosophy. I'll continue tomorrow, let's try to qualify high! Etteremät!

A few drivers make their runs, their times recorded, then they go again. A few seconds tick past, then finally, a Viska is out of the garage. It looks like they're also going for the tow, it should be enough. They are aiming to qualify past Top 10 in order for their momentum to keep going. Olivia is out first, right before she starts her lap, Goita was sent out. It has been explained to him before so he should get a hang of it now. Leave it to Viska and their unusual strategies but they actually work for most of the time.

"Alright, focus the Burst on where it is crucial for maximum use of that energy." They say to the drivers at certain points on their timed laps. They will have to maximise the use of their potential here but they shouldn't go overboard on it, leave a lot for the race.

Their first runs were not that great, around the low 1:48 times but as the session progresses, their times improve then at the final minute, they clocked in their fastest.

Goita completes his timed lap. Jan is monitoring the qualifying positions and times on his screen. "You are currently P7, provisional, with a time of 1:47.505, great work." Then right before he finishes, Olivia sets her fastest time of 1:47.471. Jan quickly follows up his message. "Okay that was sudden. Olivia did 1:47.471, she's P7. You are P8 after that."

It was not a bad result to them but things should go well for them at tomorrow's race.

Will their luck turn around or is it up to fate again?

It's going to be a surprising race weekend.

Mennä tahti täitä!
Täitä kausit mennä vöitä, kausit loppa!
Täitä etteremät!

We will fight!
Fight until we win, until the end!
Let's keep fighting!