World Grand Prix Championship 18 [RP/results]

[Savojarna]

An Explosive Pairing

Yarkovo International Racing Circuit, Savojarna

“Damn you, Krister”, Ivar Mortensson sighed as he put down his Andersson tablet and closed the twii.tur app. He didn’t know if the strategist was behind the leaks, but it had to be someone, and he wasn’t sure who else would have this kind of contact to media. Well, aside from PR, obviously, but he made sure not to tell PR what had happened. On the day prior, the team had invited a certain Nephar of internet fame for a test drive. Ivar was sceptical about Kitti Armbruster, but he had to admit she did a damn good job at Yarkovo. Came within three tenths of a second of Sigur’s time and actually beat Roman narrowly, even though both of them were a lot more familiar with the track and car. And she didn’t do it just once, she managed that sort of time repeatedly - until she clipped the wall at Turn 9 and hobbled back to the pit without a front wing, that was. Nonetheless, Ivar couldn’t quite see a Nephar whose claim to fame was stealing a pace car and twiiting inflammatory things behind one of his precious WGPC cars. He wanted to politely decline her, take a long look at the Cocoabo trials, and then sign, who knows, probably Kowalski or Cruisin or someone who could be relied on to show up to a race sober.

Krister, or whoever else was behind what happened, destroyed that plan by running straight at the three biggest racing magazines in the country and telling them how Armbruster had done, when nobody was even supposed to know she was here. Now, overnight, twii.tur with its constant love for the wacky, weird, and sensationalist had blown up. The SVJ Racing account was swamped with messages from fans demanding she’d be taken on. Interview requests from two Nepharan online sources (yeah, right, as if he’d talk to them). And all that off a rumour. The worst part was that the higher ups in the ministry had of course heard of that storm. The phone in his hand now rang, and he knew the number.

“Hi, Poul”, he said, sounding about as defeated as he felt, as he greeted his phone partner Poul Alsebakken from the Sports Committee. “Good morning, Ivar! I have seen you have made some waves last night; let me tell you, we’ve heard of your test at the Committee and Ingemar was very happy with you guys. Create some buzz, get the name out there, that is exactly how we convinced the guys from Finance to commit. Good job, comrade!”, he said. Ivar was always taken aback by how the government people involved with SVJ seemed to take everything. “It’s not really that”, he said, before being cut off by Alsebakken straight away. “Come on, Ivar, tell me more! Have you signed her already? Is she really that fast?”. Ivar sighed again. “Wait a second, Poul. Nobody is signed yet. Armbruster is an interesting prospect, but -”. Again, he was cut off. “Ivar, spare me the details, is she fast? We’re getting the PR, now we need the speed!”. “If you’d only let me speak, Poul. Yes, the times you read are correct. Yes, she’s quicker than Arjenko and almost at the level of Bjarnason. The woman is a talent, no doubt, but she has no control, she clipped her wing, she pushes the limit ridiculously, you know what she did with that safety car -”. Poul did not let his team principal speak. “I know, it was fantastic! Imagine the internet blowing up like that over an SVJ car! Look, the Finance guys want PR, I want success, you want speed, why are we not signing? Just some antics? Gimme a break, Ivar, you can’t let that go!”, he said. Ivar sighed again. It was that kind of day. “We’ll have a talk about that today, Poul”, he responded as calmly as he could and hung up the phone.

When Ivar came to the SVJ Headquarters, he was beaten to the punch yet again. Krister Arlund greeted him in the main offices. “Morning Ivar! Poul Alsebakken called me about ten minutes ago; so we’re signing her?”, he greeted his team principal. Ivar Mortensson smiled painfully. “Okay, Krister, what has Poul told you and to whom have you told what?”, he asked in a voice that screamed “I’m admitting defeat”. “I haven’t told anything to anyone, Ivar; we have agreed on this beforehand. But for Poul, he said he called you about Armbruster and that you said she was quick on the track, and that her PR value was at least as good as the Committee had hoped. Is there anything wrong with them?”, Krister asked, now a bit worried. So at least Poul didn’t lie, Ivar thought by himself. “Well, it’s not that done a deal yet. We’ve talked about it, yes, but look, Poul isn’t a racing man himself. I’m just not sure what sort of driver we need, she’s quick on that lap, yes, but she’s been reckless, clipped a wing on an empty track, didn’t really seem very reliable in the beginning, took corners at such high risks and everything…”, he trailed off as Krister was turning back to his coffee.

“Look, Ivar, I know, I’ve seen the session too. But she is quick. And all those things, Sigur had that too early on, it’s a new car. It’s hard to control, and she was under pressure. Who do you want to sign? You tried for Erica fucking Okumura, she’s the face of her own nation’s team, by your pace we don’t have a driver for the Kauralahti test. We need someone with that killer instinct, she’s been fast, and most importantly she’s here. We’re not Nexus, we can’t just go sign whomever we want!”, he exclaimed now raising his voice. “Why, though, why now? We can sign Goita again -” he was interrupted yet another time this day, this time by Krister. “Goita hasn’t been our focus, you said, if you wanted him you should fucking have signed him earlier on so that we could have tested with him! He’s with Schkeska now!”, Krister said increasingly annoyed with his opposite’s constant reluctance.

Ivar let his hands sink and looked now thoroughly defeated. “Okay, we’ll talk to her. But all of you, please, hold your horses a little bit. All I’m saying is we should be careful. We don’t even know if she wants to join us yet”, he said as he turned over to the coffee machine. Before the coffee was completely out of the machine, a blue and white LA Dvergar arrived on the trackside parking, and out of the SVJ company car climbed Kitti Armbruster and her manager. Ivar’s heart fell to the bottom. “Morning”, he grumbled towards the door, sensing from the Nephar’s mood that she was not going to turn down his offer. He signalled Krister to come to the room next door, hissing:

“Fine. We’ll offer Armbruster a spot at SVJ. But it’s gonna be a second driver spot, and just for a year”.

[Hapilopper]

The Jeanell Bridges Performing Arts Center, Hapilopper City
The launch of the Preston PGP-01
Marty Lewis, the team principal of Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing, peeked his head through a couple of black curtains to see the stage, with two cars covered and a large crowd of motorsport reporters, fans, family members, friends and well-wishers. He smiled and went back behind the curtain. This would be the culmination of months of hard work and frustration, as the team formally and officially introduced its new car to the motorsport world.

It was also a sign of his improving health. Several months before, Marty’s job title had been changed from “Head of Motorsport Operations” to “Grand Prix Team Principal,” on the condition that he clean up. For years, he had been known as one of the hardest of the many hard partiers in the world of Hapiloppian motorsport, and it had taken a toll on his personal and professional relationships, as well as his health. In fact, last summer, in the midst of the NSSCRA season, Marty had been brought in for a sit-down meeting with his boss, Nigel Greenhaw, the head of Preston Automobile Company, as well as Team Blue team principal Amanda McAlister and Hawking-Byrd Motorsports owner Scott Hawking.

In that meeting, Greenhaw, McAllister and Hawking expressed a similar concern – that Marty’s hard-living lifestyle had become too much of a concern, and he had become just as much a liability as an asset to the Preston family.

“So consequently, we need you to clean up your act,” Greenhaw said.

A day later, Marty had been reassigned – to what was then tentatively called the “Preston Grand Prix Project.” The team had yet to be formally announced, but Marty was told to get something set up, hire personnel and possibly get a team ready to compete in the World Grand Prix Championship. Initially, Marty had seen the reassignment as a punishment – he had been sent away from the NSSCRA series and from HASCAR as a way to punish him for his negative lifestyle. But he soon realized this new assignment could be the best thing to ever happen to him. He took the assignment with gusto, rented out space in the Team Blue complex in north Hapilopper City, and started hiring personnel.

That was seven months ago. In that span of time, the team had gone from nothing to a full-fledged WGPC team that had at least two committed drivers following a very well-attended and well-received driver tryout at the Hapilopper City Grand Prix Circuit. He had invested his full energy into the program and he felt he had a team, a car, and two drivers that could compete on a weekly basis. He had signed sponsorship deals with a number of top Hapiloppian businesses, such as the First Bank of Hapilopper and Good Motor Oil, among others.

And Marty had quit drinking. He had lost weight. He went from looking haggard on race days to looking full of energy. And that energy had been evident at all of Preston Autos’ get-togethers. Those from Team Blue walking in to the other end of the race shop campus were pleasantly surprised to see Marty, full of energy, making deals and contacting vendors, rather than looking hung over the day after a wild night out on the town.

Meanwhile, Rudy Edwards, dressed in a three-piece suit, sat at a couch not far away, watching an automotive television show which was discussing the latest in the aerodynamic two-door coupes being built by Hapiloppian car builders. The trend had started with Preston’s Super Skychief, while Stevens Automotive had responded with the Sentry Mk.II, and Major Motors was rumored to be building a “Super Excelsior” model. But all Rudy was thinking about was how this was his big moment. He was a WGPC driver now, and pretty soon he’d be competing against the world’s best racing drivers. He had seen the team build itself up from nothing, and by golly, he knew this team was ready for anything.

He turned the TV off and started to approach the stage, where Marty had started his presentation. It was clear that everyone was excited for what was coming next.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the newest team in the World Grand Prix Championship,” Marty said with a flourish of excitement. “Preston Autos is committed to becoming the next successful team of the World Grand Prix Championship. With the PGP-01, we’ve got the car to do it. With the Skychief V6, we’ve got the engine to do it. And with our two new drivers, we’ve got the personnel to do it. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you… THE NEXT WORLD GRAND PRIX CHAMPION!”

The lead driver, 24-year old Rudy Edwards, comes from a career of open-wheel racing. A native of Buckridge, Rudy has competed in single-seaters his whole life, starting off with go-karts at the age of five, leading to quarter-midgets on dirt, Formula Excelsior single seaters, Champ Light open-wheel cars and finally the Hapilopper Championship Series, the top level of open-wheel racing in Hapilopper. Edwards, the two-time defending HCS National Champion, makes the move up to the pinnacle of open-wheel racing in the multiverse, the World Grand Prix Championship.

The second driver, teenager William Archer, got the ride by virtue of running the fastest during the Preston Autos try-out held recently at the Hapilopper City Grand Prix Circuit. A native of Abanhfleft, Archer is the son of the controversial NSSCRA driver Guillermo Archer, who just last season had an interesting war of words with Hapilopper’s Team Blue. Last season, Archer surprised many by winning the Nimban Deuxieme Prix in a car not highly regarded.

“Together, these two drivers will be among the top contenders in the World Grand Prix Championship this season,” Marty said. “We’re very excited for the future and what it will hold.”

Almost immediately after the launch, interest in the new Preston Autos team and the fact that Hapilopper was properly going to be represented in the World Grand Prix Championship was at an all-time high. Advertisements for Good Motor Oil – using their very provocative slogan “Get Good!” and for Preston Autos used the new PGP-01 very prominently – with Preston proudly declaring the new car “The Fastest Preston Auto. Ever.”

Preston Autos immediately called their new PGP-01 "the fastest Preston Auto ever."

And this ad for Good Motor Oil got everyone's attention.

And they might have been right.

[Nico Hulkenberg]

We All Start Somewhere

It was a cold, rainy morning in the capital city of Hülkenberg, Emmerich. As usual, Dario Nülkeschläger was strolling down the street, clutching a sandwich under his arm. His normally slick hair was being drenched by the intense rain, and he could see his breath whenever he exhaled. Today was not normal, however. Today would be the day where Dario would finally try to get a seat for this season’s World Grand Prix Championship. He arrived at his agent’s office,

”Do I call them, or do they call me?”

This is one of the many questions that Dario asked his agent while he sat in their office. His agent was his dad, but for some godforsaken reason he was hell bent on Dario calling him his agent while he was in his office.

”We don’t call anyone. Well, we do, but we don’t contact any of the teams directly. Not yet, anyway.”

”So... when do we contact them?”

”When one of the teams decides that you’re good enough for them.”

”And when will that be?”

”When you’ve proven yourself. You see, the Hülkenberger racing scene isn’t exactly the most well known. You’ll have to work your way towards a team for this season if you really want it.”

”How am I gonna prove myself? Are there any invitational events or that?”

”Well, yeah, there are. Don’t worry about it too much, though - the Hülkenberger Herald has you on the front page. That’ll surely tempt someone, I know it will!”

”Really?”

Dario looked down at his agent’s desk, only to see his own face starting right back at him. The headline “HÜLKENBERGER STARLET SET FOR GLORY” accompanied it, with a short paragraph elaborating on his origins and performances in domestic open-wheel racing.

”I tried getting other newspapers on board with this as well, but...”

Dario’s agent gestured towards the other newspapers on the desk, which had captivating headlines like “HAS THE LOONY LEFT DEFRAUDED TAXPAYERS' MONEY?” and “WILL FERAL CHILDREN STEAL THE IDENTITY OF HOMEOWNERS?”

“...they had more important things to worry about.”

“See, this is all really good and that, but I’ve got one concern.”

“What d’ya mean? Are you gonna tell me that my master plan ISN’T seamless?”

“Well, it won’t be other teams reading the Hülkenberger Herald, will it? It’ll just be people from Hülkenberg!”

“Shit, you’re right! My plan is ruined!”

“Fuck! What do we do now?”

“Well, there are a few tests happening-“

“Any of them soon?”

“I’m just checking right now... Yep, there is! You ever heard of Cocoabo Park, my boy?”

“I’ve heard the name, but not much else.”

“All I needed to hear! You’ll be going there for a test, and there will be plenty of scouts there. There’s also the bonus of a trip round the park itself! Sounds good, huh? Best be quick, though. Next flight to Almintora is in an hour.”

“Fuck, fuck! Book the flight, I have a suitcase to pack!”

At that point, Dario leapt from his seat and made a mad dash for his flat. He needed to pack his suitcase, and fast. Luckily for him, he didn’t live too far from his agent. Dario must have broken the world record for ‘fastest suitcase packer’, as he was in and out of his flat within about 5 minutes. Next, he hailed the nearest taxi, and screamed at the driver to “GET TO THE FUCKING AIRPORT!”, which they took as code for “drive as fast as humanly possible”.

After about 45 minutes, all was well. Dario had arrived at the airport, got through security, and was on board the flight to Almintora. He had been given a copy of the Hülkenberger Herald, along with a complimentary glass of orange juice to go with it. To put it simply, this was going to be a comfortable flight. In fact, it was so comfortable that he felt himself dozing off...
...until the flight landed. The bumpy landing had shaken him awake, and he could hear something coming over the intercom.

”Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Almintora. You may want to adjust your watches, as the local time here is 4am. For those looking to go to Cocoabo Park, the next boat leaves in 25 minutes. We thank you for choosing FlyHülkenberg, and we hope you enjoy your time in Turori.”

“Just in time,” Dario thought. “Now I just need to get my baggage and get the hell out of here.”

With that, Dario tried to make his way to baggage reclaim ASAP. He wanted to leave the airport then and there, but he still had a suitcase to collect. However, the gods had decided that today would not be his day, as emphasised by this message over the intercom.

At this point, Dario just gave up. He had made it to Turori, but he wasn’t going to be able to get to Cocoabo Park with his suitcase. He wasn’t going to get there with his sanity either, as he dropped to his hands and knees in the middle of baggage reclaim and began to shout.

”You have to be kidding me. YOU HAVE TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME! WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN NOW?! WHY! Just my luck, I tell you!”

Now, shouting that in an airport at a normal time will just make you look like a fool, but at 4am? At 4am, you look deluded. Dario completely gave up on the suitcase and decided to leave the airport, trying to find the nearest route to a place where he could get the boat to Cocoabo Park. Luckily for him though, there was a bus that seemed to be heading in that direction. After a short bus trip and a less short boat trip, he had finally arrived at Cocoabo Forest. He decided to skip the idea of checking in at his hotel, since it was now around 5:30am and he would have to do a meet and greet just 2 hours later. In addition to all of this, the next shuttle to the track was in 30 minutes, so he still had to wait even longer.

9am, Cocoabo Park Circuit

After the mess of the day he had already been though, Dario was finally in a car. While he was sure that Cocoabo Park Circuit would be a challenge for him, he was sure that he’d at least get a solid enough time.

On track, the car felt immense to Dario. He hadn’t fully got the setup suited to his style yet, but he enjoyed how the car was handling. He was managing to get the hang of the car by the end of the session, but it was too late. He knew that his 5-lap average would reflect that. When the first warmup session was done, Dario was shown how he had fared by Gary Cook’s assistant. Sadly, it hadn’t totally gone to plan.

“Not the best you could’ve done, but not the worst considering the circumstances. You’re P6, Dario. P6.”

“Ah, solid! P6 out of what?”

“You are P6 out of 8, Dario. You’re just under two-and-a-half tenths off the driver in P5.”

“Crap. Work to be done, then.”

“Again, considering the circumstances, that’s a fantastic time. Heck, considering the only type of open-wheel racing you’ve done is domestic, that’s an astonishing time. It’s not like that can’t be improved on, though.”

“Back to the simulator, then?”

“Yeah, you definitely nee- Oh, shit. I’ve made a mistake.”

“What do you mean?”

“You weren’t P6. You were actually P7. Way off the car in P6. In terms of fastest lap, you were P6, but...”

“So I did even worse than I thought?”

“Kinda, yeah. Sorry, kid.”

“Arse.”

While this initial setback disheartened him slightly, it also lit the fire in Dario’s belly. He was going to have to improve by a LOT if he wanted to improve those scouts, and if he was going to please his admirers back in Hülkenberg. As well as this, he felt like he was finally getting to grips with the track, and he knew that he could do a lot better. His times would have to reflect that when he was next out on track, though.

[Sorlovia]

Volkov Racing HQ
Post-Test Evaluations

It was crunch time. A decision had to be made.

Sergei and his executives had spent the better part of two hours in the board room. They had been discussing everything from the final track times to how the candidates had carried themselves while at the Nemenyets testing facility. Everything was taken into consideration and everything was given very close scrutiny. The track times had been evaluated and the official readouts from the systems in the test cars had been carefully studied. Each prospective racer had used the same test chassis fitted with performance monitoring systems that provided detailed information.

Those monitoring systems provided such information as the driving conditions, the amount of strain put on the engine, how the driver’s had performed on the tight corners and a range of other on track details. This information would be matched with the final track times to determine the racer Volkov would sign. Some of the candidates had been more aggressive and harsh on the car while others had been more patient and gentle. A fast time was highly desirable but not at the cost of wearing out the car prematurely. A talented driver didn’t have much value if they destroyed the car in the middle of a race. The cars would be maintained and tweaked by dedicated mechanics as required. But blowing up a car in the middle of the race wasn’t a good look.

The readouts from each driver revealed that all of them had pushed the car to the limit but not past it. The relatively even readouts, with a few spikes here and there, revealed that the Mark I car had held up well under the testing conditions. But the differing track times told another story. As Sergei had anticipated a few of the candidates were faster. There were a couple of names that stood out from the rest making the final decision harder.

“Right people,” Sergei said looking at the shortlist in front of him “it’s decision time. Who will be our second seat?”

There were three main contenders. But only one contract. The three had finished with final times so close together that it would be hard to pick one of them. But there was only one driver seat left and back-up drivers weren’t a thing in the WGPC. One of the other teams would snaffle up the drivers that weren’t chosen. Each of the three had got on well with Gregori and his feedback would provide valuable advice for the selectors.

A decision was about to be made;

To: Sara Luna
From: Volkov Racing

Hello Sara,

Firstly, I would like to thank you for taking part in the recent Volkov Test Day. It was a pleasure to meet you and Gregori spoke highly of you after your lounge session with him. As you no doubt know by now, Gregori is a proven racer with two previous WGPC seasons under his belt. He is also a highly professional young man. So his feedback is something that we take very seriously.

So, without further ado, I would like to formally offer you a contract to race with Volkov Racing in WGPC18. Your final test time was most impressive and it seems that you will work well with Gregori in the rigorous conditions of the WGPC.

If you are interested we can offer you a salary of one and half million for the season. At Volkov we believe in investing in talent and we see a lot of talent in you. However, we are happy to meet with you again to negotiate this salary.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,
Sergei Kletska
Volkov Racing

It was done. A decision had finally been made. Sergei hoped that Sara would accept. If she didn't, or another team poached her, they fall back on their impressive runner up. But Sara was his first choice. The email had been tightly encrypted to protect Sara's privacy as well as Volkov's. She wouldn't know Gregori's salary and he wouldn't know hers unless they chose to discuss it.

[The 189]

------ suffered a few unusual malfunctions during practice at the Cocoabo Park. Upon further examination, the cause of the problem was found to be cocoabo droppings, which the machine had stepped in on its way to the track. The former military medical robot ---------- helped ------ clean the dung out of its hardware, and they hoped that would prevent any further malfunctions.

Meanwhile, -------- was unsuccessfully attempting to seduce a cocoabo. ------ tried to explain that it needed to mimic the birds' mating calls.

"What's that?" -------- asked.

"It's like an invisible light they use to communicate," ------ explained.

"Like ultra-violet radiation?"

"No, I don't think it's actually light. It's some other kind of signal that they use the way we use light."

"But....What is it, then, if it's not light?"

"I don't know, but there is a sign about it over there."

"Is it like wifi?"

------'s cooling fan whirred loudly as it considered the question. Finally it answered, "I don't know. Maybe."

[Auruna]

Cocoabo Park Circuit, Cocoabo Park, Cocoabo Forest
After Morning Practice

The two Auruns together, staring at the time sheets. It's clear that there's a large performance gap between the two. It's as surprise to the two.

"Lukas." Kinu exclaims. "You were late to the event and now, how did you managed to perform worse than me?"

Lukas sighs. "I don't even know. Maybe I'm yet to get used to these cars. They're way different."

"Heh, it's alright. I'm way off the pace of the top three. I know I don't have the raw speed needed for these top teams but P4 average in this test, I think I did alright."

As Kinu takes a sip from his coffee, after a bit of silence, Lukas realises. "Heh, you did great." He turns to look at the circuit. "I hope I get to see you race. I'll be rooting for you if you managed to get a seat."

Kinu is surprised by what Lukas said. He never expected one of Auruna's best to be like that. "Wait.. really? You sure about that?"

"Yep. It looks like I need to take a break from racing. I'm not sure when but I'll try to be at your races. Good luck mate."

"Heh, alright."

"Go talk to the others now, I'm sure they'll enjoy your company."

"Okay!"

As the younger Aurun left, Lukas felt different now. He never said anything like that to anyone before but it looks like he motivated one of his fellow countrymen.

"This new generation is great. Kinu Luminna, I hope to see you at the track. Again, good luck."

[Cocoabo Forest]

Track Location: Cocoabo Park, Cocoabo Forest, Atlantian Oceania
WGPC Lap Record: 1:51.169 (Fast Cocoabo, WGPC 18 Trials)
WGP2 Lap Record: 1:52.216 (Fast Cocoabo, WGP2 S1)
Track Lap Length: 6.63km
Precipitation Chance: 18%

The Cocoabo Exposition & World Grand Prix Trials

COCOABO EXPO - DAY 2 SCHEDULE
07:30: Drivers/Teams Meet & Greet
09:00: Warmup Session #1
11:00: Warmup Session #2
12:15: Working Lunch
13:30: Group Time Trials
16:15: Top 8 Time Trial
17:30: Drivers Group De-Brief
19:00: Dinner Meet & Greet at Checkered Flag Resort

Cocoabo Park Circuit, Cocoabo Park, Cocoabo Forest :: While only 17 drivers participated in the early morning practice sessions of the twenty registered drivers, by the time the second practice session came around the late arrivals and those who were otherwise conflicted in the morning had arrived at the track to get some time on circuit. Daryl Mizushima and Taras Matviyenko slotted in with Group B which still had a vacant spot following the departure of Niklas Schonbaum after the Siovanija & Teusland driver's agent completed a deal with TAS Alliance Racing of Lisander. With their destination already decided for the WGPC Season, Schonbaum took advantage of the free passes to the Cocoabo Park Resort that had been included with the drivers stay and explored the park while the rest of the drivers stayed on track.

First up however was Group A which featured the local Cocoabo driver Cocoabo #23 as well as the only veteran driver and former World Grand Prix race winner at the trials, Vilitan driver R.L. Cruisin. Joining the first group among the late arrivals would be Abovian driver Janne Laukkanen and Kalactani driver Nate Jackson.

While the track temperature was increased from the morning session, the dampness had also started to subside and times had creeped up from where they had been with the conditions as well as the drivers increasing familiarity with the track. The temporary track record that had been set in the WGPC class by Cocoabo #23 in the morning session was quickly broken in the first group of second practice by a pair of drivers - first Cruisin and then bested further by Abdoulaye Goita. The practice was the final opportunity for drivers to get on track before the time trials.

The Time trial session would have each group take the track for a 20 minute open time trial session with the top 4 drivers in each session proceeding to an 8 driver final time trial where each driver would get a single timed lap to set the starting order for the 23 lap sprint feature that would conclude the Cocoabo Expo event the following day. Before the time trials, however, it was Lunch Time at Cocoabo Park and the drivers would get one last chance to mingle with the Teams and Sponsors on hand to try to strike a deal before the times on track would speak for themselves.

---

COCOABO EXPO WGPC TRIALS - GROUP A - SECOND PRACTICE

POS	DRIVER			FASTEST 5-LAP AVG
1	R.L. Cruisin 		1:51.258
2	Abdoulaye Goita 	1:51.263
3	Cocoabo #23 		1:51.295
4	Janne Laukkanen 	1:51.446
5	Lane Carter 		1:51.789
6	Adriana Kowalski 	1:51.819
7	Jasmine Muscadet 	1:52.188
8	Columns of Rainbow 	1:52.193
9	Athan Lille 		1:52.696
10	Nate Jackson 		1:52.767

COCOABO EXPO WGPC TRIALS - GROUP B - SECOND PRACTICE

POS	DRIVER			FASTEST 5-LAP AVG
1	Dom Falepeau 		1:51.259
2	Sara Luna 		1:51.302
3	Sakinomi Rikikida 	1:51.681
4	Kinu Luminna 		1:51.989
5	Daryl Mizushima 	1:51.995
6	Taras Matviyenko 	1:52.279
7	Dario Nülkeschläger 	1:52.593
8	Lukas Ziuvin 		1:52.707
9	Charyseine Valkyria 	1:52.855

---

COCOABO EXPO WGPC TRIALS - GROUP A - SECOND PRACTICE

POS	DRIVER			FASTEST LAP
1	Abdoulaye Goita 	1:50.809
2	R.L. Cruisin 		1:50.965
3	Cocoabo #23 		1:51.137
4	Janne Laukkanen 	1:51.229
5	Adriana Kowalski 	1:51.375
6	Lane Carter 		1:51.571
7	Columns of Rainbow 	1:51.631
8	Athan Lille 		1:51.705
9	Jasmine Muscadet 	1:51.974
10	Nate Jackson 		1:52.066

COCOABO EXPO WGPC TRIALS - GROUP B - SECOND PRACTICE

POS	DRIVER			FASTEST LAP
1	Sara Luna 		1:50.858
2	Dom Falepeau 		1:51.131
3	Taras Matviyenko 	1:51.231
4	Kinu Luminna 		1:51.467
5	Sakinomi Rikikida 	1:51.528
6	Charyseine Valkyria 	1:51.642
7	Daryl Mizushima 	1:51.696
8	Dario Nülkeschläger 	1:51.871
9	Lukas Ziuvin 		1:52.162

---

[Aboveland]

Iskajarvi International Airport
Iskajarvi, Aboveland
October 18th

Restless leg syndrome, thinks Janne, as he slaps his jittery right knee down with his hand, transferring the self-diagnosed, Relish Clinic researched disorder over to his opposite leg. Edvin, already in a terrible mood, launches at him a glaring side-eye, which immediately stops his anxious antics. The two of them are nervous for the same reason: the flight to Xanneria leaves in just under two hours and Terho, as per usual (and particularly the past few years), is running late. Both Edvin and Janne know the flight won't leave without them (or at least, would like to believe so), and Edvin has already checked the three of them in in a hasty, mumble profanity-laced operation at the shiny new check-in screens at the shiny new international airport, but had Terho made it to the airport by now they'd be past security and lounging somewhere in the small international terminal, overpriced coffee in one hand and stale turkey sandwich in the other. Unfortunately, both Edvin and Janne had quite different, clashing coping mechanisms with stress, barely being coping mechanisms in and of themselves: while Janne broke out into a bout of nervous movements, Edvin became frustrated and volatile (not precisely mean or evil, simply bitchy).

After a few moments of tense stillness between the two, however, the sliding doors near the entrance part ways to reveal a damp haired, chunky-necked, medium-tall, flustered Abovian stumbling into the airport lobby, his small carry-on clambering over the entrance mat with a rhythmic, quickening series of muffled metallic clacks.

"Sorry," Terho says, ever so slightly out of breath, and feeling the need to justify his apparent lack of physical state. "Sprinted from the cab all the way here; he dropped me off pretty far."

Edvin nods, scrunching the sides of his mouth in a 'hmph' smirk, his eyes remaining serious. "Here--" he hands him his boarding pass, then extends his arm towards Janne to do the same--"Let's get on with this."

A while later, the three are already in the international departures terminal. Edvin has his tablet out, a gadget choice Terho had always found peculiar and criticizable. As for him, he's getting back up to date on the latest WGPC happenings, as Janne glances occasionally at his phone screen. The grid has suddenly crowded up, he sees, with only a handful of teams, not including the Motorworks outfit, not yet having confirmed their complete lineups. In other news, the Cocoabo WGPC Trials had already begun; a fact which, as he skims past it, raises the hairs on the back of his neck, makes his chest pound, and begins to give his forehead a warm, porous glow.

His upsettance is enough to alarm Janne who, as he frowns to ask him what the matter is, is interrupted in his prospective attempt to speak by the airport PA, delivered by the lady just a few feet away from them at the gate leading into the ArcticAir flight to God-knows-where to take them to Xanneria. As the group of three stands, however, Edvin becomes the one to frown.

"Where are you going?" he asks Janne, confused, but with a disgustingly petty tone.

Janne stammers his reply. "Am I not going to Xanneria with the team?" As had been the case in Iskajarvi some days before, he finds himself in a stand-off with Edvin, Terho peeking from behind. This time, Terho's face expresses regret. Edvin bites his lip, almost feigning surprise, and brings his hand to his mouth. "I thought I'd told you!" he exclaims in a hardly believable tone. "You're off to the Cocoabo Trials. We thought you could use the track time; the experience against the rest of the WGPC prospects."

The PA announcement from earlier is repeated, and Janne waits until it's finished to continue. The brief pause gives him time to fight back the small lump forming in his throat, a product more of the frustrating situation than the, frankly, excellent news he'd be trying out a WGPC car against other drivers for the first time. "I'm going alone?"

As the line behind the three for boarding to Xanneria starts to lengthen, Edvin dismisses the conversation quick enough to get away. "Yeah, sorry. We'll sort that out next time." With the dry statement done, he nods at Terho to lead him away towards the line; he delays himself for a moment, turns to Janne, and gives him a wink, mouthing an enthusiastic good luck, kid before he's on his way. Janne, blitzed by the revelation, turns to look at the departures screen. The flight to Turori is delayed by four hours, enough time for him to eventually realize he'd be arriving late to the Cocoabo trials.

And, crucially, enough time to realize that Charyseine Valkyria would be attending as well.

Excelsior Resort Myrtle Grand Prix Circuit, Xanneria
Pre-season test 1

Terho climbs out of the AGP003 chassis with the 56 on its side at the end of the practice session with a grin on his face. The pre-season test was, owing to the start of remodelations at Lintulahti, the first time in a week that he's driven the season 18 machine. The track itself, though an unusually flashy venue for a pre-season test, was enjoyable enough to drive thanks to its quick, sweeping corners. Thus far, AGP003 was living up to its promise: the car felt almost exactly the same as it had last season, in line with TRAE's off-season efforts--not precisely not doing enough, but doing just enough to not upset the delicate balance they'd found in their dominant season 17.

Edvin, by now far less of an asshole than he had been the day before (a "miserable, pathetic attempt at leadership", as Terho had later scolded him for once the two were on the flight to Xanneria), hands Terho his tablet, displaying the timesheet for the session--Neither Terho nor iBen's screens were operational during the test, a minor detail of a kink to iron out before the second test.

Terho puckers his lips at the information. "Only P8?" he asks, with a slight tone of concern. Edvin, relaxed as ever, blows a lip-trill. "Nothing to worry about here," he says nonchalantly. "Last season, it took you three test sessions to climb out of the bottom 5 times, took us three sessions to have a problem free run with new equipment, and after that shitty testing regimen you dominated the first race."

The champion, however, remains unconvinced, frowning and scrunching his nose in doubt.

"Look," Edvin begins, a little more sternly. "Was the engine good?" Terho nods. "Was the aero doing its thing?" He does it again. "Nothing odd, or out of the ordinary, or smelling of cancerous fumes?" A shake of his head.

"Then we're all set," Edvin concludes, patting him stiffly on the shoulder. "We can still push the engine harder, or make the aero more aggressive and sensitive to speed, or tune the rear suspension to turn in more. In fact--" he pauses, looks around the paddock for Aada, then continues--"the rear suspension is more tweakable this year; we can make it relate non-linearly to steering inputs and even react to braking and aero inputs."

Terho looks to relax the tension in his shoulders, which Edvin grasps for a moment. "I know you're scared," he whispers, smiling empathetically. "I am too. For the same reasons. But that fear--" he pats Terho's chest towards his left--"that's what keeps you, what keeps us all, in this game. We've done it before, and we can do it again. You know it."

As he finishes speaking, a voice calls out from behind Terho, of one of the mechanics sitting next to his AGP003, computer in his lap and a worrying look of distress upon his face. Edvin reacts far too quickly to the request to get a chance to spot Terho's own concern.

[Vilita and Turori]

FREE AGENT DRIVER

WGPC 11 - 4th Place (82 Points, 1 Win) - Vilita & Turori Motorsports
WGPC 12 - 9th Place (54 Points) - Vilita & Turori Motorsports
WGPC 13 - 11th Place (56 Points, 1 Win) - Frontiere Racing
WGPC 14 - 7th Place (59 Points, 1 Win) - Carvenlo-Franklin Racing
WGPC 15 - 14th Place (29 Points) - Arada Motorsport
WGPC 16 - 9th Place (58 Points, 1 Win) - MSA-Sinval
WGPC 17 - 17th Place (23 Points) - Mirrors

All Time WGPC Stats: Wins: 4 :: Podium: 13 :: Top 10: 38

CRUISIN TOPS 5-LAP AVERAGE CHARTS IN 2nd WARMUP

It was a busy day at the Cocoabo Park Circuit as Free Agent Drivers arrived to take their opportunity on the track in what many saw as their last chance to impress one of three remaining World Grand Prix teams with open drivers seats: WGPC Motorworks, Fireline Motorsports and iBen Toralmintii's Race Eelandii! Vilita & Turori World Grand Prix Motorworks. Seats at Volkov and MRT were reportedly filled with only the paperwork submission to be outstanding while Niklas Schonbaum, who was attending the Cocoabo Trials, received confirmation shortly after the conclusion of the early morning warmup that the deal with TAS Alliance Racing had closed and Schonbaum officially had their drive for the season. Perhaps the biggest surprise, however, came when Nepharim driver Kitty Armbruster who had driven as a fill-in driver for Tropicorp Engineering during the WGP2 campaign secured a deal as full time driver for SVJ Racing.

Vilitan driver R.L. Cruisin was beginning to get concerned about their options for continuing their World Grand Prix career. WGPC Season 17 was without question the worst of Cruisin's career in racing. 0 Victories. 0 Podium Finishes. Just 23 points. It was less than half of their points haul from the previous season. Cruisin had a career average of 56 points per season over 6 prior seasons but you are often only as good as your last season in motorsport and Cruisin found themselves driving through the mud and grime of the Cocoabo Park Circuit fighting for to keep their career alive among a bunch of inexperienced drivers most of whom were stepping into WGPC level equipment for the first time.

Despite the discomfort with having to prove themselves at the Cocoabo Park Circuit, Cruisin entered the Exposition trials with confidence. While they were not particularly familiar with the course they were by far the most experienced driver in the car and hoped to take that experience to the top of the scoring pylon. The only thing Cruisin didnt account for was Cocoabo #23. The home track Cocoabo driver narrowly bested Cruisin in both the 5-lap average and Fastest Lap standings. While the duo were clearly the class of the morning session, Cruisin was still concerned about the fact that they were not topping the charts among such an inexperienced field. More concerning, however, was the fact that the one driver that was faster than them was not only a Cocoabo - but a Cocoabo that had finished mid-table in last seasons World Grand Prix 2 campaign.

After the second Group got off the track, Cruisin strapped back in for their second warmup session. A little faster. A little faster. On the third lap, Cruisin became the first driver to break the 1:51.000 mark turning a fast lap of 1:50.965. Cruisin topped the session with a 5-lap average of 1:51.258 but when they pulled into the paddock and got the time sheet from the session Cruisin learned that Recuecn driver Abdoulaye Goita had turned a lap a tenth of a second quicker to break the track record Cruisin had set earlier in the session.

As Cruisin disembarked and the second group headed out for their warmup, the Vilitan returned to the main hall at the Circuit where the Lunch Buffet and discussions would take place overlooking the front straightaway. There was a commotion in the corner as Goita was brimming from ear to ear about their performance. It had been confirmed. Goita had gotten the Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing seat. Yet another drive off the board for Cruisin. The Vilitan driver brought with them the backing of the Vilisorma Beverage Company but the teams were opting for youth, inexperience and potential over experience and consistency. Cruisin had historically succeeded at over-performing in underwhelming equipment and would seem to have been a good choice for a team looking for a metronome to grade their performances against.

Shortly after the Cocoabo walked into the room accompanied by two handlers and representatives from Tropicorp and the Cocoabo Preservation Society. As the Cocoabo proceeded into the next room, the Tropicorp representative began a pitch which Cruisin overheard. In discussions with representatives from Race Eelandii! VTGP, Fireline and the WGPC Motorworks, Tropicorp were offering to fully fund Cocoabo #23 while also affording the teams the option of fielding the Cocoabo only during the first half of the season - the portion more balanced towards the aggressiveness. The option to field the Cocoabo for only a portion of the season would afford Tropicorp and the Preservation Society with the marketing material of their Fast Cocoabo at the top level of Grand Prix Motorsports while also affording the teams the opportunity to evaluate the Cocoabo's performance and the logistics of maintaining a car for a Cocoabo driver. It would also allow the team to perhaps maximize its standing in the Constructors championship by switching to a more technically proven driver in the second half of the season. Among the proposals mentioned by the Tropicorp representative was a split season where Cocoabo #23 participated in the first 5 events then a high technique driver such as TJUN-ia's Lane Carter or the Valkyrie driver Adriana Kowalski took the seat over for the second half of the season after using the mid-season test events to get prepared among the cards.

It was the first time all weekend that Cruisin felt they were at a disadvantage. Up until that point, Cruisin felt they were the best choice that a mid-to-lower end team could choose in order to improve their on-track results. They hadn't considered, however, that for many teams - having a driver's champion wasn't really on the cards. Moving up a place or two in the Constructors standings, however, could make or break their season. Cruisin couldn't leave anything to doubt. Behind the Cocoabo in the first session. Behind Goita in the second. Cruisin waited for the team reps to be free so he and the Vilaye Energy Drink representative could do the conversation thing before qualifying. While all Cruisin really needed to do was break into the Top 8, they knew they needed to impress. They knew just squeaking by might not be enough to secure their seat for another WGPC campaign.

---

[Nico Hulkenberg]

It Ain’t Much, But It’s Honest Work An Improvement

11am, Cocoabo Park Circuit

As Dario climbed back into the car he’d be driving around the circuit in, one of the engineers in the pit garage had a few comments about his driving.

”Listen, kid. Your lap times in practice one were utter gub. You’re losing a lot of time on most corners, but especially in turn eight and the “esses”. I know that turn eight is supposed to be long and slow, but you’re losing two or three tenths on every lap due to errors in that turn. My advice? Don’t use the brakes as much. All you need to do is put less pressure on the throttle, and then accelerate hard as you begin to straighten up.”

Dario looked over at the engineer with a puzzled look. He was astonished at how this engineer had the gall to tell him, a semi-established driver, how to drive round a circuit. Then he remembered that this engineer actually knew a lot more about Cocoabo Park Circuit than he did.

”Also, for the “esses”, you’re going way, way too slow. Again, don’t use the brakes for them, just lift off the throttle a bit. Got it?”

Dario kept his puzzled look, but decided not to question his process. Instead, he chose to keep his mouth shut and heed the engineer’s advice.

”I’ll take that as a yes. Good luck out there, kid!”

Despite the fact that Dario was quite slow compared to everyone else, he still adored the way that the car was handling around the track. He began to test the limits of the car even further, all while taking the advice of the engineer and lifting off the throttle at turn 8 and the “esses”. Slowly but surely, Dario was increasing his 5-lap averages by a few tenths, and by the end of the second practice session he really felt as if he was beginning to catch the rest of the drivers time-wise.

Driving back into the pit garage, Dario felt accomplished. The same engineer that gave him advice just as the session started gave him a thumbs up, and he had some congratulatory words for the young driver.

”We’re seeing times that are a hell of a lot better than the ones you did at nine, well done! I’ll wait for the guy handing out the sheets to show you the time you got, but you’ve definitely improved. My only advice for now would be to nail down turns four, five and six. I know it’s the time trials next, but you’ll just need to get better in those turns during the trials. Other than that, I don’t have much more advice. Enjoy your lunch, kid!”

Dario didn’t know the engineer’s name, but he still felt that he needed to personally thank him before he went to talk with the other drivers and the team representatives. Maybe he’d have more advice for him after lunch, y’know?

”Thanks a bunch, engineer dude! If you have any other feedback, please do let me know. This slick hair doesn’t make me immune to mistakes, haha!”

That was Dario’s first (and hopefully last) rubbish joke of the day. With practice over and done with, it was almost time to eat a sandwich and do some networking. Before that, he had to see how well he had improved, if at all. When the timings sheet was handed to him, he was absolutely ecstatic. His average went from a 1:54:101 to a 1:52:593, which was an improvement of over one-and-a-half seconds. Not tenths, but seconds. Quite the improvement, don’t you think?

12:15am, Lunch

In terms of the food, the lunch didn’t go to plan. Dario had left his sandwich in his agent’s office back in Emmerich, during his rush to get to the airport. It’s not like he went hungry, though. There was plenty food to have, and he was satisfied with the sandwich that he did get. In terms of networking, the lunch went quite well. He chatted quite a bit with a few of the other drivers, as the representatives that had turned up. As it turns out, introducing yourself as “that guy with a thick accent and slick hair” is a good way to get a few laughs out of people, and it’s also a solid way to start a conversation. Nonetheless, Dario wasn’t sure if he’d impressed any of the team reps enough to earn himself a definite seat. Sure, he’d shown them that he had charisma, and he’d left his phone number with them, but it’s on-track where it counts mostly - and Dario was still quite low down the pecking order in terms of his fastest lap and 5-lap averages. He was sure that he’d improve, though. After all, he had to, didn’t he?

[Squidroidia]

"You are P5 in Group B, P5. Fantastic job."

As Daryl cooled down his car after the 5 lap session he pulled off for his only practice before the trials, on his screen the group run times showed up. Yes, the guy in the paddock wasn't lying. P5 in his group for 5 lap averages, and P11 overall. To say this was fantastic was no understatement - The flight and the bus jam meant that he only had this one shot, unlike in Preston, to familiarize himself with his environment before hitting up time trials. And even then he hugged P11 again like the average joe he was. Not bad for a driver who has only jumped into this machinery twice in his career.

When he got out of his car, he shook hands with the paddock team before a certain Yusuke showed up to greet his son.

"Daryl, you done it again! P11!"

Yusuke Mizushima hugged his son as he walked out of the paddock with the helmet in his hands. He felt happy that his son was doing decent. He didn't seem like a V&T contender but with enough skill he could make the sprint race, his first race in WGPC machinery in his career, test or otherwise.

"Thanks dad. So how were the rest of the drivers?"

"Well son, I think you have to pay attention to the Fast 10, the 10 drivers ahead of you this practice. Cruisin, Falepeau, Goita, Luna, Fast Cocoabo, Rikikida, Laukkanen, Luiminna, Carter and Kowalski. Go any faster than them and you'll be in the sprint race no question. I know Rikikida was last in the Preston trials but she looks fierce on this track."

"I know dad, it's kinda wet. Rikikida might be a wet driver, or at least a Cocoabo Park driver, and to be honest I wouldn't be surprised if she tampers off in the time trials."

"We'll see about that son. But remember, don't disrespect her for being from Kyoki Chudoku, she is still a driver. Disrespect is the last thing I want to see from my son after all those karting incidents."

Daryl nodded, understanding his father. P11 still, that was fantastic for an unknown Squidroidian.

---

"Welcome to the Midday Sportswire, my name is Hiraku Maki."

A guy in a suit was sitting on a desk in Squidroidia. Usual news stuff, although it was midday. What sports news is going on in the middle of the Squidroidian day?

"Well would you look at the new Squidroidian on the block Daryl Mizushima! The race car driver strapped into a V&T car on the Cocoabo Park circuit and finished 11th in his practice session, clocking in a 1:51.995 on the track."

Ah, so this is the big break Squidroidian racing is having. Just a passive mention of him at Cocoabo Park getting a sub-1:52 time, something that a majority of the drivers did. Whatever, publicity was publicity.

---

Lunchtime at the Checkered Flag arrived, and Daryl didn't have time to talk with Fireline. To be honest, he had a packed schedule and lots more to prove. So of course, he had pasta. Pasta to make sure that he wasn't getting hungry throughout the time trial later in the day. Some spaghetti, a little bit of cocoabo-colored pasta sauce, you know. Just an ordinary meal.

Because today he still had a chance, however small, to sneak into the sprint race.

[Kyoki Chudoku]

Kyoki Chudoku
Nogyo District

Once, this had been nothing more than an ordinary hill.

Sakinomi Rikikida stood at its base, glancing at the sloping dirt-trail that winded out to the entrance. Many of the barricades were still in place. Sandbags left behind, sheets of aluminium torn from sheds and piled up to serve as walls. Anyone with the slightest amount of military experience could tell where there had once been barbed wire, where machine gun nests had once stood, even where the stakes had once been dug into the ground. The rain had washed the dirt and turned it into muck these last days, but it could not wash away the spent shells and broken bones buried somewhere beneath the soil. No amount of cleanup was going to remove the special kind of dread a place like this gave Rikikida- that ambivalent mix of horror and envy and misery that swept over her every time she looked upon the site.

Raindrops drizzled down, but she cared nothing for their presence. They were an ephemeral nuisance, soon to die away. Not like the drops and pours of blood that had been spilled here. There were many places like this in Kyoki Chudoku, bastions of tyranny’s courage left standing even after all this time. Not in the cities, where the reconstruction effort had sought to remove the ruins and debris and renew the terrain with urban infrastructure projects. Not in the great southern island of Minamishima, most of which was still dangerously irradiated and from which nuclear hellfire had long since scoured away most things approaching a human presence. But in the countryside, and especially in the rolling plains of Nogyo District, many of these improvised forts had been left standing.

Rikikida wasn’t here to admire the architecture. She wasn’t here to play pretend, the way those who’d holed themselves up during the war sometimes did. She was here for one reason. The racer made her way up the trail, mud clinging to her boots as she did. Her eyes turned towards a large sign that had been posted up, words engraved in metal.

The Nightmare is over.
Its scars shall ever last.
In honour and memoriam:

Montatora Sekisone: II
Kyushin Izogishi: IIII IIII IIII
Enawarra Harutsuyo: I
Ichiyama Zamari: -
Kirachi Asufumi: IIII
Shinzabo Makihaya: -
…

Her sight scrolled down the list of names until the reached the second-last to be recorded-

Isoshin Rikikida: IIII III

...slowly, she fell to her knees. Glancing downwards at the mix of grass and dirt beneath her. Sinking herself into a layer of mud- but caring nothing of it. The stains of mud could be washed away. The tally of the flesh was indelible.

“...forgive me,” she muttered, her voice barely louder than the soft wind around her. “...for my sacrifice.”

Both hands touched the ground as she learnt further down.

“...I know what you have given so that we may survive. You gave me life. And I beg of you not to think that I waste it. For even if I spend it far from the fields of battle…”

She trailed off. What more was there to say? Her gaze turned upward, to the overcast sky.

“...this is a reclamation. A reclamation of all that is ours. In tyranny’s name…”

...was it? Or was that just the lie she told herself to keep her from giving up here and now? She was no coward. She was no weakling. But her service could be so much better spent. This had never been an issue of national loyalty- not in earnest- until that dreadful day. That accursed moment when all had seemed utterly wasted, that she had failed and thrown her greatest opportunity away. When she realised that her failure was not only of herself, but would represent her entire country.

“...tell me, father...what should I do?”

He was silent.

Rikikida didn’t believe in ghosts or spectres or even the afterlife. She believed that the dead should stay dead. That the delusions of hell or heaven or what-have-you were nothing more than insidious corruption. That even if these things did exist, the bodies of these Chudokurens were not buried here- the enemy had seen to that. But that did not stop her asking. That did not stop her hoping. That somehow, somewhere, in some way, the immovable universe would give her some direction, some flailing hope that…

...that…

...what was she becoming?

Her performance in Hapilopper had been nothing short of abysmal. Her racing ability had been shameful. She’d been utterly humiliated by everything from pathetic libertarians to hedonistic hobbyists to even non-human entities.

But what of it?

Those who had stood here- stood beside her father- had known no help would come. That their resistance would end in their demise. The Heaven of All Worlds was utterly merciless and utterly overwhelming. An isolated position like this stood not a chance against them. Yet for thirteen days, without resupply or support or any hope of victory, her father and his comrades had stood their ground atop a meaningless hill in the middle of nowhere, holding back the hordes of false heaven until their final breath. Their deaths were not a sacrilege against the Supreme Ultimate Country- they were an honour.

So too would be Rikikida’s triumph.

Doubt had ebbed and flowed within her for days now. There would be no closure. No end to the self-deprecating lies she told herself, no end to the desperate excuses she offered herself, until the deed was done. This war was not over yet. And it would be betrayal to give up after a mere pair of failures.

“...forgive me. For...all of this.”

A single bitter chuckle exited the racer’s mouth.

“...I shouldn’t have wasted your time.”

With that, she rose to her feet, leaving the hill behind her. She had a busy schedule ahead of her.

Cocoabo Forest
The Cocoabo Exposition & World Grand Prix Trials
First Morning Practice Session

If Hapilopper had been unusual, Cocoabo Park was a mockery of her home country.

The terrain reminded her most of that which had once dominated the unsettled regions of Minamishima- the great southern island that was now little more than desolate wasteland marked by the irradiated ruins of entire district capitals. Rikikida had only ever ventured down there on two-week leave once before, but even so. To see such lush foliage, such rich vegetation, when her own country had been robbed of so much of its own...it felt like a profanation of all that was righteous.

Let alone the idea that the greatest competitor on this track was to be an animal.

But confused indignation was not the path to victory, and so Rikikida tried her best to focus herself before the battle began. Reiyomi had been unusually quiet on the trip over, and even during morning mess. Perhaps it was best not to complain about the bubbly idiot finally shutting up for a good whole, but there was an unsettling undercurrent to the whole thing that made her a touch anxious. Of all Chudokurens involved in this operation, Reiyomi was the only one with any kind of official authority. For her to be quiet meant either she’d taken a spontaneous lesson in social awareness, or that she knew something that everyone else didn’t.

...she’d find out sooner or later. For now, it was time to get herself prepared.

They never had isolated the cause of her previous...underperformance. Yuki insisted that it was a simple matter of logistics, that the enemy simply had better equipment and better endorsement than anything they could muster to train with. Utashige had offered an alternative viewpoint, that Rikikida’s driving style was to blame- but he had equally afforded no actual solution to the matter at hand. As for the racer herself? Rikikida had thought long and hard on the matter. And in the end, the answer she’d settled on was as simple as it was perhaps a little hopeful-

She simply needed to commit herself more.

She had to be mindful that though none of her country would likely ever see her race, ever know she’d even left the nation on a retrofitted emissary transport aircraft, she was still Chudokuren. She was a soldier of the Supreme Ultimate Country. She would carry that legacy with her for all her life, and no matter the trials, she would not succumb to chaos.

She would impose order upon herself.

Perhaps it was this newfound commitment. Perhaps it was conditions better suited to her aggressive racing style- one inspired more by the split-second aerial manoeuvres of supersonic dogfighting than by any conventional standard of racing. Perhaps it was the track itself. Or perhaps it was nothing more than plain, simple luck.

No matter the reason, the result was the same- Sakinomi Rikikida was no longer to be seen as a laughingstock by the racing community. Her performance was nowhere near perfect- but she was still fifth overall when it came to the five-lap average, third within her racing block. Compared to being outright last, that was nothing short of uplifting.

By the time she exited her vehicle- adrenaline still pumping through her system, sweat pouring from her skin beneath her racing gear- Sakinomi Rikikida had,gained a newfound confidence in herself and her prowess. For now, those past mistakes could be cast away as just that- mistakes.

For now, she had a chance.

And she was going to take it.

Second Morning Practice Session

“You didn’t doubt me, did you?” For once, Rikikida couldn’t keep some happiness out of her tone. It was good to know that any jokes about her performance could indeed be taken as jokes, and not accurate jabs at her mediocrity.

“How could I? You’d kill me if I tried.” Masasayuki got a good chuckle out of his own comment. More than any of the others, Rikikida felt somewhat attuned to his way of thinking. Utashige was always so clinical and detached- perfect for Control but not as great for a comrade in the field. Reiyomi...was Reiyomi. Yuki, however, was so...down-to-earth. A soldier of sin, sure, but a soldier nonetheless- a survivor who actually acted like it. It was...comforting to see in such a foreign place was this.

“If this improvement sequence continues, you’ll be in first place next race,” came Utashige’s own comment on the matter. Rikikida gave it some thought for a moment.

“So you do have a sense of humour.” And for once, all three of them laughed. Even Reiyomi- staring silently at her own reports more than any of the group- seemed to get a genuine giggle out of it- whether out of personal ire or her own humour was anyone’s guess.

It was the last thing Rikikida had the chance to say before the time came to do another round. This time, she was brimming with ambition.

Perhaps a bit too much.

Her results this time proved that her mild victory was more consistent than her abject failure- seventh overall and third within her block. It was not quite as impressive as her initial success, but she knew all too well how much worse it could have proven. Viewed in relation to her Preston Autos performance and it was utterly miraculous- though admittedly, she joked as she returned to her support team, the same could have been said of the average snail’s sprint.

It was probably for the best that she was in good spirits before any major conversations with foreigners had to take place.

Lunch

Rikikida’s lunch was not anything particularly appetising. It was a stylised variation of kayukizama- a tin can filled with minced meat and the occasional vegetable plopped inside her or there. The original varieties had been notorious for their utterly inconsistent flavour- mainly because they existed solely as a means to avert mass starvation and so were processed from whatever meat happened to be lying around. These days they were more reliable, and Rikikida preferred the beef variety. It felt a lot more glamorous than ground-up rat’s tails and crow meat, that was for sure.

Reiyomi was with her, of course. Still abnormally quiet. She hadn’t let go of that sheet of paper all day, and Rikikida was of half a mind to just ‘accidentally’ drop a spoonful on it if not for the fact that such a breach of discipline would be public humiliation for herself. Still, it was clearly bothering both of them, whatever the hell was on that sheet…

“...look,” Rikikida grumbled, not able to sound more than half-hearted about the conversation she was about to start. “If you’re going to come here with me, at least focus on your job, all right? Can’t have you slacking off in foreign territory like this.”

Reiyomi’s facial expression changed the instant she was done- but the smile that formed was not sincere in the slightest. “I have things to attend to, Saki. I know you’ve done well and I’m very proud of you, but-“

“Oh shut up,” Reiyomi muttered- hoping in retrospect that nobody else could make out anything said in Chudokuren Japanese. “You haven’t been paying attention all day. What’s the-“

“The Himitsu no Shakai wants to get involved.”

It wasn’t the statement itself that rendered Rikikida silent- it was the way it was said. It was...emotionless. Lacking any of that usual cheer or false ‘charm’ Reiyomi always carried with her, as if her every sentence sprung confetti from her mouth. For once, this felt...real.

“...and?”

Succinct, but far less hostile than Rikikida’s previous tone.

“I’m not authorised to say any more.”

And that Rikikida did not question. The Himitsu no Shakai was the arcane security organisation of the Supreme Ultimate Country. Did they want to turn this into an investigation? Was Rikikida herself under scrutiny for one reason or another? Was Reiyomi just plain lying about it all to get Rikikida off her back?

The driver turned to her tin can and took another spoonful.

The big questions could wait until after she hadn’t screwed the contest proper up.

[Untecna]

From: Pacston Kola
To: Whoever owns a team
Re: Team Signing

Hello, this is Pacston Kola, the racer from Untecna. I am afraid that no team wants me on, and I request a test with a couple of teams to see if I can get on one. Thank you in advance.

[Mattijana]

Kopylov InterNazionRing, Northern Mattijana

The sun had once again risen over the Kopylov hills. Today was going to be an important day, not that the circling birds and scurrying marmots knew it. Johan Struna did know it however, as he walked down the pit lane to where the MRT17 was waiting for its new pilots.

The car itself was still a technical masterpiece, even after a full winter of development, and many of its components had been meticulously integrated into the new chassis. The area where it had fallen short was the bit in the back that produced the beans. That was where the new Nordija unit came in and Johan had made sure that the new engine had been combined with the old chassis in preparation for the test.

There would just be two drivers taking on the challenges of the Kopylov today. Abdoulaye Goita and Niklas Schonbaum had found drives elsewhere and would not be taking part. That left Sara Luna and Dom Falepeau.

Johan rounded the corner into the garage to find the two drivers already beside the car. Falepeau was half-suited and booted as the first driver to take to the track, whilst Luna was presumably going to prepare during the break between the briefing and her own slot.

Johan greeted the pair and gave the air intake of the car an affectionate pat as he walked past.

"My name's Johan, I'm the team principal of MRT. I'm sure you've already met Maria." He nodded at the deputy principal who had come down a little earlier to greet the drivers.

"Thank you both for coming. I know it's such a busy schedule at this time of the season - I know drivers who've picked up more air miles in testing than during the actual season - but I hope you've felt welcome in Mattijana so far.

The good news is we're expecting a dry day today. We've moved the slots closer together so that conditions are more likely to be the same for both of your drives, but as you know, it would be anything but a fair test to just compare your times. What we really want to do is understand how you interact with the car, approach the circuit and gel with the team, because it's those attributes that matter most over the course of a season.

The mechanics will make sure your car is in a neutral setup before you take to the circuit. You'll both be giving your setup feedback to our race engineer Dani."

Johan nodded at a gentle-looking woman standing next to the monitor on the far side of the garage. Daniella Neumann normally worked with Jasmin Kranjska, but had been borrowed for a one-off before the first official testing session in Xanneria.

"As you know, you'll have the opportunity to change setup after the practice runs and the flying laps. I'll talk you through the start up procedure and controls and I'll be able to provide data over the radio as well. Good luck."

Johan continued. "Good. I'll be around during the whole test on the balcony upstairs. Feel free to ask any questions about the team whilst it's not your go in the car... within reason obviously, I'm not clever enough to give away our technical details. I'll pass you over to the engineering team now Dom. Sara, you're welcome to follow me upstairs or to go and prepare for your own drive. Good luck."

With that, it was time to get started. The five practice laps were up first and Dom seemed to adjust to the car quickly enough. Johan remembered that both drivers had already had some experience driving a WGPC-spec car at other test events. The Togonistani's laps flew by and he pulled back into the pits, made his setup changes and got back out on track.

Now it was time for the serious business.

1: Dom Falepeau          1:36.720
2: Dom Falepeau          1:36.455
3: Dom Falepeau          1:36.178

No dramas for the former MRT2 driver, and a healthy improvement each lap. That was a solid start. Once again, the car was brought back into the pits, had a new set of Petrovis fitted (the last time this season MRT would be using their first-choice supplier) and was sent back on its way with most of a tank of fuel on board.

1: Dom Falepeau              29:53.885

The monitor in the garage flashed up with the Togonistani's final contribution to the test. He'd set some good laps in there too. Luna would be up next though.

The car was reset, another new set of tyres was introduced, and after an uneventful 5-lap trundle, the Diarcesian went out for her flying laps.

1: Sara Luna             1:36.418
2: Sara Luna             1:36.183
3: Sara Luna             1:36.113

Good pace. Better pace than Falepeau's, although the Togonistani had caught up a little towards the end. Now for the long run...

1: Sara Luna                 29:57.150

Another close call, but four seconds slower than Falepeau at the chequered flag.

"Good run Sara" said Dani calmly over the radio. "Slow it down and bring the car back in one piece, well done."

That concluded the day's running. The ultra-consistent driver who Johan touted for the long run had come in consistently quicker in the flying laps whilst the more aggressive one had come away four seconds clear over the 18 laps of race simulation. Had Sara played it safe whilst Dom's more aggressive long run came off? Had the differences in setup mattered? Was it just statistical fluke? All of the above? There were still all the post-test formalities to get through. Maybe they would reveal more.

The team would look at the rest of the data they had at their disposal and see if it made a difference. Dom's tyre wear had come off slightly worse over the long run, whilst Sara's braking and steering had been smoother, as expected.

Either way, a decision had to be made. Johan sat down the next day and typed out his answer.

From: Johan Struna
To: Sara Luna
Subject: Driver's Offer, MRT

Dear Sara,

First of all, thank you for attending the test with us yesterday. It was a pleasure to meet you and we hope you enjoyed your stay in Northern Mattijana.
I've spoken with our engineering team and we were all hugely impressed with your times and the way you interacted with them and the car. That makes us confident that you are the best fit to drive with us next season and as such, we would like to offer you a contract for the duration of WGPC18, with potential for an extension based on your performance this year. Further details are enclosed.

We very much hope you choose to accept, and look forward to hearing your response.

Kind regards,

Johan Struna
Team Principal, MRT

[Filindostan]

Excelsior Resort Myrtle Grand Prix Circuit
Myrtle, Xanneria
First pre-season test

The Badai Angin team went to the outskirts of Esportiva to participate in the pre-season testing, the first of three circuits WGPC teams will visit. Unlike the previous season, the driver lineup was already sorted before the start of the sessions and they are able to send two cars to Xanneria, with the two drivers having different plans for the session.

It was the first day of testing, and while Rudolf wanted to show his cards and prove to the other teams that they were very much prepared for the season, they ultimately decided to take it easy to prevent damaging the cars they brought to the track. As the track is pretty much not a permanent track facility, the lack of runoffs meant that a simple mistake and the cars could be damaged, costing teams' precious track time and drivers' opportunity to familiarize with their cars.

After a few installation laps, Rusty set the faster time of the two Badai Angin drivers, setting the fastest time in the session after 15 minutes of the session have been past, then switched to a race simulation for the remainder of the session. He was on the seventh lap of his first run, however, he noticed that he's starting to lose power in the straight coming into the end of the second sector. He immediately contacted his engineer, Werner Ragos, whom he had with him during his stints in MRT and Eelandii VTGP the past seasons.

"Werner, I think I lost power."

"Okay, Rusty. Box this lap, we'll check the car once it arrives in the pit box."

"10-4."

The Filindo driver was able to nurse his car back to the Badai Angin pit garage and the technicians were able to inspect the car. However, they proceeded to inform the 2nd driver that his session will be curtailed as it will take time for the crew to check thoroughly and replace the power unit. His time stood at the top of the timesheets until WGP2 champion Abdoulaye Goita managed to clock a time that nipped his time byseveral thousandths. Eventually Ibuna finished 2nd in the first practice session.

As Rusty went to the motorhome to take some rest before the end of the session, his teammate did not have such problems on the track. Consistently setting a large number of race pace laps, he switch to a quasi-qualifying mode for the last 30 minutes of the session to set the fourth fastest time of 17 drivers, meaning that on the timesheets, the pair of Badai Angin drivers set their fastest times within the top five, but there were two points clear to Rudolf, Bryant, and Eko - first, they still need to iron out some issues with the car, and second, the result does not interpolate anything significant as teams are not yet revealing their cards for this season.

[Untecna]

Pacston stepped out on the track. He knew that he might not make it without crashing, but he was going to give it another try. He stepped into his car, and started it up.

"I really don't want to break this thing."

"You won't, because if you do, we'll lose the prototype."

"10-4."

He pressed the gas, and zoomed off onto the track. One turn, two, three, and a lap. And then another. And another.

• Lap 1: 1:03:42
• Lap 2: 1:24:09
• Lap 3: 0:56:99
• Lap 4: 1:02:89

He went into the pit lane, got out, and said:

"Geez, this car goes fast. And for an electric?"

"Yeah, champ."

"We are in this!"

To: Mattijana Racing Team
From: Pacston Kola

Hello, my name is Pacston Kola. I am aware you have an opening on your team that needs to be filled. I think I would be right for the spot.

[Togonistan]

WGPC Trials Day 2
Cocoabo Park Circuit

Dom had just finished his 2nd warmup session. As he had received his time sheet and took a look at it, he noticed something. He had topped the Group B timings in session 1, but now... while his 5 lap average was still the fastest, Sara had apparently snatched the group's fastest lap from him. Still, he was amongst the top 4 amongst all of the drivers, with Goita and Cruisin included besides him and Luna. However, it was probably going to get more fierce during the actual time trials...

Dom was walking towards the catering area. He had to admit that the busy morning had made him quite hungry. As he passed a fan area on his way, he heard someone's words from the crowd: ''Hey, Dom! You're really going to drive for Fireline this season?'' Dom turned around and looked for the source of the voice. A young guy wearing a cap was waving at him. When he noticed that Dom had paid attention to him, he got rather ecstatic: ''Dom, man, it's crazy! Congrats on signing with them, Fireline is a kick-arse team!'' Dom was confused... curious to know more, he walked over to the guy and started talking to him: ''What makes you think that?'' The fan laughed and showed him his phone: ''Dude, you don't have to hide it, it's already all over the news.'' On his phone, a news page was open:

Dom Falepeau signing with Fireline for the season?

In light of the ongoing Cocoabo Exposition & World Grand Prix Trials in Cocoabo Park, rumours have started circulating amongst the motorsport community that Dom Falepeau has a contract with Fireline on the table for the upcoming WGPC season. The Flying Togoni was spotted talking to Dr. Alexandra Luciana, Chief Principal of Fireline Motorsports on the paddock yesterday. Reports from bystanders hearing the talk between the two claim that the conversation lasted for 30 minutes, with the upcoming WGPC season being their main talking point. Although no official confirmation to support it has come yet, a lot of rumours are circulating about the Togonistani driver having already secured a contract with Fireline and that it is merely a question of signing paperwork at this stage.

Will these rumours turn out to be true? We can't say anything for certain until the official press release from the team, but we will keep you updated about the situation.

READ MORE WGPC NEWS:
Preston team reveals their livery for the upcoming WGPC season.
TAS Alliance WGPC team signs Devereux
Armbuster to become Bjarnason's teammate in SVJ Racing?

Dom let his eyes quickly fly over the article and sighed. Typical, news reporters would get a hang of some detail and blow it into a huge thing. And of course, there would be some people eating it all up and wholeheartedly believing all the rumours to be true. No, he did not have any deal with any team set in stone. And it definitely wasn't a mere question of signing paperwork with Fireline. However, as they say, all publicity is good publicity. Therefore, Dom shrugged, ''Well, you just have to wait and see, I can't tell you anything right now, sorry,'' and left the guy to mind his own business. He was hungry, and right now, he was craving for some Vilita & Turori cuisine.

[Liventia]

RP cutoff for the Xanneria Pre-Season Test (and session 2 of said test).

Sara Luna and Kitti Armbruster have yet to confirm on any of their open offers, therefore do not take part in this test.

[Liventia]

Week 1: Test session 2

Conditions:      	Dry
Lap Record:      	00:01:15.300
Session Length:	        180 minutes
Nation:         	XAN
Circuit:        	Excelsior Resort Myrtle Grand Prix Circuit
Event:	                Pre-Season Test of Xanneria

Drivers have 180 minutes to complete as many laps of the track as they like.

POS # DRIVER                   	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 12 Anneliese Devereux       	00:01:21.469	00:00:00.000
 2 85 Olivia Stone             	00:01:21.480	00:00:00.011
 3 50 Rudy Edwards             	00:01:21.493	00:00:00.024
 4 47 Erika Okumura            	00:01:21.502	00:00:00.033
 5 94 Ryker Lane               	00:01:21.505	00:00:00.036
 6 56 Terho Talvela            	00:01:21.520	00:00:00.051
 7 71 Rustom Ibuna             	00:01:21.558	00:00:00.089
 8 41 Jean Mercer-Daly         	00:01:21.563	00:00:00.094
 9 25 Gregori Krupin           	00:01:21.575	00:00:00.106
10 52 Sayono Souzare           	00:01:21.630	00:00:00.161
11 42 Alex Dimitrianov         	00:01:21.727	00:00:00.259
12 22 Jasmin Kranjska          	00:01:21.822	00:00:00.353
13  7 Abdoulaye Goita          	00:01:21.857	00:00:00.388
14 77 iBen Toralmintii         	00:01:21.935	00:00:00.466
15 37 Niklas Schonbaum         	00:01:22.131	00:00:00.662
16  8 William Archer           	00:01:22.588	00:00:01.119
17 14 Sigur Bjarnason          	00:01:23.264	00:00:01.795

[TJUN-ia]

The Cocoabo Exposition & World Grand Prix Trials, Cocoabo Forest
Day 2 - 12:26pm local time (C'mon, you knew this was coming...)

Lunchtime in the Forest was time for reflection and Lane Carter, TJUN-ia's open-wheel racing prospect, was feeling...OK?! He sat by himself in the area allocated for the drivers to eat, as he usually did. It's not as if he didn't know anyone here, there were multiple drivers from his WGP2 season here and some from the Preston Autos tryout, but he wasn't really the sort of person to...talk to other people. Sure, he communicated with his radio during his season but that was basically it.

So. he did what he did best - mull over previous results. 17 drivers turned up to Cocoabo Forest in time for the meet and greet and it was them, including Carter, who would take part in the first warm-up session at 9:00 am sharp. The field was split into 2 groups and Carter found himself in Group A with some great talent - Cocoabo #23, Adriana Kowalski, R.L. Cruisin, Niklas Schonbaum and even the little orange robot-thing from The 189. He got 30 minutes in an old car and with 3 teams (Race Eelandii V&T GP, Fireline Motorsports and WGPC Motorworks) watching proceedings with the intent of filling seats, he tried his best to give the scouts something to write about. His 5-lap average ended up as 1:52.242, 4th best in the group (behind Fast Cocoabo, Cruisin and Kowalski) and 7th best overall, but his 1-lap pace better with a speedy 1:51.686, 3rd best in Group and 4th best overall. It was certainly a good sign and gave him a bit of confidence heading into the 2nd session.

More drivers arrived in time for session 2, so Group A got a bit bigger with the inclusions of Janne Laukkanen and Nate Jackson. The times were certainly tighter in this session, as everyone was surely in the grove with the car by this point. Carter's 5-lap average was better with a 1:51.789 but the expanded field meant that it was only the 5th best in the group and the 8th best overall. His fastest lap was better too, a 1:51.571, but again the field got better too - that lap was 6th best in Group and 11th best overall. That confidence was lost and now he was questioning just how good he actually was. With seats to be filled and Pre-Season testing already underway in Xannaria, he must find something before the end of the day, or else he may not make the Top 8.

But while he was mulling Session 2 over, something caught his eye. It was someone he didn't really expect to see for a long time: Tara Matviyenko. His former teammate at UrGa. He must of arrived later than him because he hadn't seen him at all until now. Does he know that Lane was here? Maybe, maybe not but Lane wasn't sure what to do anyways. Talking to him may be polite, but he isn't really the talkative type anyway. So, he did what he thought was best: once he finished his lunch, he walked towards the exit in a way that would put him inside Taras' peripheral vision. If he saw Lane, then he saw him. If not? Then they both make it to Top 8 without one realising the other was there...

[Sorlovia]

Volkov Racing HQ
Pre-Season

VOLKOV OFFERS RACE CONTRACT TO SARA LUNA

Volkov Racing had offered the first contract to Sara. But now it seemed that MRT was sniffing about her as well. That posed a very real problem for the Volkov team. If anyone was going to poach her it would be MRT. They were a very well known team with an impressive amount of experience racing in the WGPC. As such they would have a much bigger presence with racers. When it came down it to it didn't always matter who got their offer in first.

Such were the pitfalls of being a rookie team trying to make your name.

"We have a problem," Sergei said with a frown "it seems that MRT has made Sara and offer as well. That's the last thing we need."

"That more veteran teams will have a big pull," Svetlana replied "so we need to incentivize her to sign with us instead of MRT. After all, all's fair in love and war."

Taras Matviyenko had been a very close runner up. He'd surprised Sergei and his executives with his closeness to Sara's time. He would be a highly attractive second seat in the event that MRT managed to steal Sara out from under them. The WGPC has a cut throat game. Teams regularly poached drivers from each other. It was wise to have a back up plan and a back up plan for that plan. The next few hours would be tense for both MRT and Volkov. Who would Sara choose to go with? Time was running out and the available drivers were being signed off to teams. Neither of them could afford to wait.

In the meantime Sergei and his team would look over Taras' results. He'd been so close behind Sara that it had been tough to choose. Both had proven to be highly skilled racers. But Taras had the benefit of a cultural bond with Gregori. Both were Slavic and as such would be able to share a common language which would make things much easier. Gregori was able to speak fluent English but found it much more convenient to use his native tongue. Sara would be offered a number of benefits to attempt to woo her to Volkov. During the season she would be provided with a Volkov model sports car to use for her private transportation, a sponsorship deal and the use of a holiday home.

The game had begun. How would MRT counter?

[Nephara]

Armbruster felt a heavy elbow in her side. "Hey, Kitti, stop trolling Muscadet a second. We're here."
"Oh, shit." Armbruster shoved her phone in her pocket, hauled out of the car. Her dress shirt was tight around her boxy figure, open around the top by a few buttons, one sleeve raised to reveal the trailing vines of her sleeve tattoo. Let Nikita be the smooth professional here. She was here to uphold a brand she quite enjoyed playing up to.
Crunching handshake here, there, and to a third guy who didn't quite meet her eye. She'd remember names eventually.
Nikita went high for contract negotiations. Third guy paled, muttered something in one of the suits' ears. They restructured it based on performance. The definition of performance included 'not turning cars into a fireball'. Armbruster shrugged; she was still looking at more money than she'd have the remotest chance in hell to earn by an honest living.
Hands were shaken. Armbruster to SVJ was a done deal.

At some point on Armbruster's team's end, they lost a crucial bit of paperwork, which meant she spent the Xanneria test on the sidelines as an attractive bystander.
"Hey, Ivar," she floated when she saw one of the more recognisable engineers striding imperiously by.
"What?"
"Maybe I could still get you some data today."
"Huh?"
She grinned. "Safety car looks unguarded."
Man, the face the guy made kept her warm that night.

[Diarcesia]

With the news that Sara Luna was offered a contract at the Mattijana Racing Team, the time has come for the Luna Wolf to end her WGPC free agency. Regardless of how well she did in the Cocoabo Forest tryouts, it now boiled down to two choices for a team. Two definite offers.

Volkov? Or MRT?

Volkov was obviously the newcomer in the WGPC, just like Sara. She felt their hunger to prove themselves in their debut season and their passion is undeniable. Not to mention, she had no doubts that the former VMR and MRT driver in Gregori Krupin will inject valuable wisdom and that, despite him being younger than Sara by many years, he was in a position to show her the finer details on how to succeed in this league.

Nemenyets, Sorlovia

Sara had driven all sorts of cars. It was not an exaggeration, and until recently, a WGPC-tier car is among the last types she hadn't tried yet. The Preston chassis was the first she got her hands on, and she spent much of her time trying to get the hang of it. At the end of the day, she knew she didn't stand a chance to be a Preston driver.

Now that she's in a Volkov, she wondered if something else was in play. The Preston car was mercurial. The Volkov was more receptive.

The first laps were to get acquainted.

The next few were to see how it handles an aggressive straight, or a technical corner.

The deciding lap was to demonstrate the synergy between her and the car. In other sports, they would call this 'clutch'. It served her well many times. In the WGP2 season, it was noticeable with her surprise podium in Hapilopper.

After a break period, Sara arrived at Gregori's second floor office. The WGPC veteran politely greeted her and asked her to get comfortable. Gregori sat across from Sara. He appeared to wait for her to speak first.

Do not overthink it, Sara thought to herself.

Then a moment of pregnant silence...

"Thanks for the encouragement letter. I appreciate it," she began her roughly 15-minute conversation with him.

Joining a team that has already won a constructor's championship is a big deal for any aspiring WGPC racer. At this point in free agency, this was the closest Sara could get to be a part of the likes of TRÆ. Not that she was after that. To be honest, that's more along Aldauren's alley, she thought.

That being said, even though the particulars of her contract with Volkov weren't divulged yet, MRT's salary and perks were certainly more materially enticing for her. It was simply the case of a major WGPC team being able to pool this amount of resources.

Kopylov InterNazionRing, Mattijana

As with Volkov, Sara did her battery of 'tests' in the MRT car like at Volkov. The flying laps were a simple affair. She took down a set of twisting corners, avoiding imaginary racers as she drove along the test track. This was a challenging track to analyze. It was a test of concentration, and with the extra effort, she was able to make the most of it.

"Good run Sara" said Dani calmly over the radio after she passed the checkered flag. "Slow it down and bring the car back in one piece, well done."

"Thanks," Sara replied. She had a lot going on her mind at the moment, and was going to need some time to think.

It was all Sara expected out of a team like MRT. Their engineering was impeccable. The whole thing was a well-oiled operation. The car was a work of art. Like with Gregori and the rest of the Volkov team, she had nothing but good to say for Johan, Dani, Jasmin, and the rest of the MRT staff.

Chiyginia, Diarcesia
Present Day

"Mom! Are you going to work again in a few days!?"

"Yes, Zac, my dear. Mom's off to work soon."

Sara's eldest son put on a frown. "I want you to be back," he pleaded.

Sara could only afford a few days in her return to Diarcesia after the Mattijana test before she had to rejoin her team. "I will, my dear. I promise. Then we'll have a vacation in Cocoabo Park. I'm sure you'll love it. Here, I got something for you and Violet. Remember to share your toys with your little sister," she gently reminded Zac.

Zac shrugged but took the toys and ran from Sara's bedroom. They were a pair of cocoabo plushies Sara bought as souvenirs.

Tom entered the room after Zac passed the door, coffee in hand. "You still haven't told me which team you chose."

"I'll be driving with Volkov." Both them and MRT gave very good deals. In the end, Sara concluded that her best chances on helping her team to a constructors' trophy and maybe a championship for herself lay with Volkov's cars. In addition to the rapport she established with their people, the rapport with her test car was something that wasn't reproduced in another pro team. Not even the WGP3 Norris or the WGP2 Adelphia that she once drove. She didn't mind the smaller salary relative to MRT: it was already way more money than she already had in her name.

From: Sara Luna
To: Johan Struna
Subject: RE: Driver's Offer, MRT

Dear Mr. Struna,

Thank you so much for the offer of a contract. I have to politely decline it, for I already chose to sign with Volkov Racing. However, I do appreciate the time and opportunity you provided for me. I wish the best for you and your team in this season.

Sincerely,
Sara Luna

To: Volkov Racing
From: Sara Luna

Dear Mr. Kletska

Thank you so much for the offer of to race with your team in the WGPC. It is such a great honor and I am so happy to accept your contract. I promise to harness my passion for racing and I will work with Gregori to help bring Volkov to a successful season.

Sincerely,
Sara Luna

[Ethane]

TO: MRT
FROM: Catherine Toggard
SUBJECT: Driving for you

To whomever it may concern,

My name is Catherine Toggard. I'm a new driver to WGPC, and am looking for a drive for this season. I've been looking with hope for some time, but as we draw close to the end of the window for driver signups, my chances of getting a drive have been greatly diminishing. That's why I'm reaching out to you. I recognised you've got a space left in your team. I think it is unlikely that Fireline will take me on over Talison, albeit there are rumours they may not take on either Ethanian.

I'm looking for a team where I can show my worth, and I know that MRT is a promising outfit with history behind it. Driving for MRT would be an honour.

I am a pay driver, so I would bring a significant amount of money and sponsorship to your team, should you wish to take it. The specific details would be negotiated within our contract, but I would be rather generous. That's not to say I am an untalented driver; I have significant experience within Ethanian racing at home, including multiple titles. I am also a pioneer for strong individualistic women with a drive to succeed, and a role model for many Ethanians at home. I believe they should finally see a female Ethanian take their place in WGPC.

I look forward to your response, and hope we can come to an agreement to see me take the final seat - happily I'd take second driver - at MRT.

Thank you for your time,
Catherine Toggard - Free Agent.

[Sorlovia]

Gregori’s Hotel Room
Post-Test Sessions

The pre-season tests were always interesting.

Two ninth place finishes weren’t the result he’d wanted. But they weren’t official races so wouldn’t contribute to his official tally for the season. It was an opportunity to test himself on an official track and to put the Volkov car to the test. The test runs also gave him an opportunity to study the others and their performance. What could he expect from them on race day? How much of a challenge did he have to expect from them? He saw every racer as a worthy challenger but liked to know who he was up against.

Terho was the most familiar face in the crowd. He’d made a point of acknowledging him before each of the test runs as he made his way to the car. They’d had a fierce rivalry in WGPC17 but had worked out their disagreements. As far as Gregori was concerned the rivalry had always been a sporting one with no hard feelings. He’d cleared the matter up with Terho during the season and the two had been on good terms. Rivalries between racers were a very common thing in the WGPC.

“Don’t worry about the tests my love,” Elena said softly “they’re only the beginning. A little taste of what’s to come. You’ve got this.”

“You always know just what to say,” Gregori answered kissing her gently “and I love you for it. The WGPC is demanding. There is a lot of stress and pressure on racers to perform. But I wouldn’t really want to be anywhere else. Other than here with you of course.”

“Gregori Alexei Krupin,” she replied with a chuckle “you are a sweet talker. But I don’t want you to lose focus on the racer. This is the biggest event of your year and I know how much you love it.”

Gregori looked forward to the official race. There was nothing like the feel of race day. That building anticipation as the racers lined up, the pulsing roar of the engines of the other cars all around you in the starting pack and the tug of the engine as you revved. Then there was that first exhilarating burst of speed as you took off after the green light. It was all an almost addictive part of being out there in the WGPC and a racer savoured every moment of it.

He’d just returned from one of his long pre-season training sessions at Nemenyets. Gregori took full advantage of his downtime to hone his skills as a racer. How could he be better? Where there ways that he could improve his handling? Could he adapt his approach to the track and his use of the car? These questions ran through his mind and he carefully studied every post-session readout from the car to extract every piece of useful information.

The first race was rapidly drawing near and he would be ready. Taking out the Championship would be an amazing step in his career. He still remembered the feeling of his first time finishing at the very head of the pack in WGPC. It had been an incredible rush. He hoped to secure more such finishes in the new season. Not only to bring in money for Volkov Racing but also to improve his career. After all, he was now in his third WGPC season. His rookie days were long behind him.

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Volkov Racing HQ
Pre-Season

VOLKOV SIGNS SARA LUNA

Sergei smiled softly. He wasn’t the type to burst into raucous cheering or overly expressive shows of emotion. But he was immensely pleased. Sara had accepted his offer! The fact that he’d managed to poach a racer from a much more famous and experienced team was not lost on him. But he held no ill-feeling towards MRT. It was simply the nature of the WGPC. Unsigned racers were termed as free-agents for a reason.

To: Sara Luba
From: Sergei Kletska

Welcome to the team!

Firstly, I would like to take a moment to thank you for choosing to race with us. I know that you will have had other offers from the veteran teams and more lucrative deals so it means a lot that you’ve chosen to race with us this season. There is no getting around it. Volkov Racing is a rookie team that has yet to make a name for itself in the WGPC. But every team started where we are today and with a highly talented racer like you with us we are confident and excited for the season.

Volkov Motors, our corporate parent and major sponsor, has provided a luxury Roadster XS for your use during the season. The Roadster XS is a high-performance sports car and the first of its kind here in Sorlovia. If you wish it can be a convertible model or a hardtop. In addition we have made a luxury holiday home available for your use during the season and a luxury tour RV. Feel free to invite your family to join you if you wish. Here at Volkov we know that a racer’s family is important to them and that a WGPC season takes them away from their family for long periods. So we wish to accommodate your family being able to join you at whatever circuits you wish.

In addition to this I have been authorized to grant an increase on your salary. We would like to raise your salary to two and a half million. As I said in my last email, we here at Volkov Racing like to invest in talent. The final details of your contract will be with you momentarily. If there is anything you may like to change we are more than happy to negotiate. We value you as a racer!

Kind regards,
Sergei Kletska
Volkov Racing

Volkov Motors had heavily invested in its race team for WGPC18. It wasn't enough to match MRT or the other veteran teams but it gave them plenty of wiggle room. A major domestic sponsor in Sorlovia had joined as a contributor meaning that the team had more than comfortable financial backing for the season. That financial backing would go into paying the racer's their contracts, paying the engineers and support crews, maintaining the Volkov cars as well as a number of other necessities. Sara and Gregori's performance in the races would draw in the funds that would be a return on the Volkov Motors investment. They would get the glory of their performance and the team would reap the benefits of their performance.

The full details of Sara's contract and the offer of an extension for the next season would arrive in a matter of moments. She would wear the Volkov name on her race suit but she would be free to choose her own personal sponsors. In the meantime she would be warmly invited to take part in a formal signing dinner with Gregori and the team. It was one of the perks to signing with a racing team. Volkov Racing, like the other teams, would receive a share of the total profits from WGPC18 as was the custom. That and the mixture of revenue from team sponsorship and other areas meant that Volkov Racing could afford to take very good care of its racers.

Sergei leaned back in his chair and smiled even wider. Volkov Racing was ready for WGPC18.