NSSCRA 11- Everything Thread (IC)

[Sword Island]

PIT REPORT: BRISBANE

Brisbane weekend is finally here, and with it the unoffical midpoint of the regular season. So far Shark Suzgar, Jeremiah Brooke, Dinggu Wang, Kai Qiang, Anastasia Aye, and Micheal Stefan have punched their way into the Chase with wins in the first 6 events of the season. Brooke's teammate Thea Alvarez leads the drivers without wins in points in 4th. Meanwhile in the Everlong series Valkyrie Constantine looks to continue her reign over the series, this time going for consistency rather than wins as she sits first in the season standings without a win. And with that quick recap, whats new this weekend?

New Qualifying Procedure Looks to Shake Up Grid

For the Brisbane 200, a new qualifying format will be used, forgoing the traditional single shot method. For starters qualifying will occur with 5 groups, with the groups being set based on the standings. Here is the tenative group 1 assignment for reference

Group 1
River Suzgar II
Drake Stevenson
Ricky Lee
Joyln Ceeta
Gwen Oxton
Hana Bhe
Gongming Gao
Brigadegeneral Kerman
Velorina

Each group will have 25 minutes to post times, with the points leader in each group going out on track first, followed by second in the standings, and so on. After each group has posted their times, the top 4 from each group will move on to Q2, with the bottom 25 drivers qualifying based on their times in Q1. Q2 follows the same procedure, except the groups will be based on speed in Q1 and not on the standings. Groups in Q2 will have 15 minutes to set a lap. The top 2 drivers from each group in Q2 will advance to single shot Q3 to set the first 10 postions. This method, previously used in the SISCS playoffs, has produced amazing racing from the start as the points leaders on average start between 19th and 25th, having to drive up to the front. The Brisbane 125 will follow traditional single shot qualifying

Winning Is Everything at Brisbane

This weekend at Brisbane, a win will mean so much more than a spot in the Chase. Winning at Brisbane will set you up for a shot for a big payday at Fredericksburg. For the Everlong series a 2.5 million dollar bonus to the winning team and driver. In the Multiversal Cup series the stakes will be doubled, with 5 million dollars being the prize for pulling off the double. In addition, if any team can win all 4 events a 10 million dollar bonus will be paid. If said team also won the Sword Island Double(Multiversal) and Venom Double(Everlong), that will be bumped up to 15 million. In total, 25 million is at stake during these two events.

Driver News

-Ryan Pearson will make a start in the #04 Venom car for Stevens Motorsports
-Chris Gordon will drive the 05 in Cup, and Carson Zanby will drive the 05 in the Everlong series

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

BARKLEY TO MAKE SEASON DEBUT

by Taylor Larson,

Getting back into a NSSCRA race has taken Travis Barkley a little longer than he would have liked. The man behind the #24 car has attempted to qualify for every race this season, but has been unable to make the field. Rocket Motorsports has seen this, and announced today that Barkley will use the second open charter in Brisbane. "We need to get Travis into a race. Ideally, he would be able to qualify into a race, and it does concern us that he has not been able to do so, but we cannot keep sending him home empty handed," stated team spokesperson Scott Kendall this morning. Barkley has run in NSSCRA before, but you have to go all the way back to the eighth season for that. At that time, many believed that it was too much too soon for the young driver. Now, three years later, Barkley has gained more experience running within Newmanistan, and has been very successful in doing so. It was expected that he would do better in qualifying but that has not been the case. It is one of the main reasons why Kendall and Rocket Motorsports elected not to pursue another foreign driver. Some reports hinted that the team was thinking about Chelsea Taylor of the former Cassadagan team, or possibly contacting North China about the services of Hengxing Tian or other overseas names like Anavella Ariiki or Alex Knight. Earlier in the season, Kendall stated that, "Liangmei Li is the leader of this team, and Ashley Matthews is the veteran homegrown presence. We need to bring along our own drivers. I know there were credible drivers we could have pursued, but I chose not to."

Barkley told me that while he is excited about getting back into a race, he is a little annoyed about it taking this long, "We have not gotten the qualifying set up the way it needs to be. I expected to be much better in qualifying, this is not how I wanted to be making my debut this season. It takes a chance away from someone like Derek Harwood, who should be our open charter driver. It will be good to know that I am going to be in the race, maybe that will be better for me, I don't know." Overall, Rocket Motorsports drivers continue to struggle but Liangmei Li still thinks that things will turn around. "We're still going in the right direction. Eventually, it will show on the scoring pylon. And it will be sooner rather than later."

[Newmanistan]

Qualifying: Brisbane 200*, Brisbane International Raceway, Sword Island (Road Course) (*- Refers to number of laps)
Lap Record: 47.857 sec.

Qualifying Results:

NSSCRA Multiversal Series
 1 #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                  48.209
 2 #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakhilwal (The Sherpa Empire)        48.258
 3 #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                 48.265
 4 #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)          48.281
 5 #99- Fiona Sunarya (Filindostan)                      48.297
 6 #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia)                        48.315
 7 #27- Maddie Alexander (Tropicorp)                     48.320
 8 #26- Jenna Logan (Tropicorp)                          48.325
 9 #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                     48.390
10 #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)         48.412
11 #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan) *Q*                        48.435
12 #8- Chris Holmes (Hapilopper)                         48.441
13 #96- Guillermo Archer (Abanhfleft)                    48.445
14 #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                          48.460
15 #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                         48.470
16 #12- Ricky Lee (The Northern Chinese Republic) *Q*    48.477
17 #05- Chris Gordon (Sword Island)                      48.493
18 #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                    48.500
19 #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)        48.516
20 #03- Maddison Riley-Jones (TJUN-ia) *Q*               48.528
21 #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                       48.532
22 #70- Gongming Gao (The Northern Chinese Republic)     48.566
23 #35- Kassie Collins (Sword Island) *Q*                48.597
24 #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (G6MR)              48.620
25 #98- Wilma von Cärinthen (Abanhfleft) *Q*             48.713
26 #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                       48.725
27 #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                    48.771
28 #60- Rockii Ezis (Filindostan)                        48.828
29 #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                         48.833
30 #00- Eiji Ibi (Aji No Moto)                           48.856
31 #76- Jolyn Maxine Caulfield Ceeta (G6MR) *Q*          49.048
32 #90- Lexie Shelby (Sword Island) *Q*                  49.062
33 #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)       49.083
34 #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                   49.088
35 #30- Lexi Patterson (Jebslund) *Q*                    49.223
36 #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                    49.256
37 #56- Kelly Monroe (Xanneria) *Q*                      49.394
38 #24- Travis Barkley (Newmanistan)                     49.429
39 #16- Eddie Walters Jr. (Xanneria)                     49.490
40 #1- Vanda Rosa Cordeiro Kerman (Jebslund) *Q*         49.580
41 #48- Ashley Matthews (Newmanistan) *Q*                49.644
42 #08- Bart Wheeler (Northwinds)                        49.666
43 #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)                         49.705
44 #40- Shigeru Ishikawa (Squidroidia)                   49.773
45 #97- Celeste (Yesopalitha)                            49.822
46 #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)             50.138
47 #04- Ryan Pearson (Sword Island)                      50.148
48 #19- Lilith (Yesopalitha) *Q*                         50.303
49 #58- Steven Beverely (Roromania) *Q*                  50.337
50 #17- Gavon Mitchell (Roromania)                       50.342
51 #21- Bob Wallace (Roromania) *Q*                      50.357
52 #29- Velorina (Yesopalitha) *Q*                       50.542

Qualifying: Brisbane 125, Brisbane International Raceway, Sword Island (Road Course)
Lap Record: 47.857 sec.

Qualifying:

NSSCRA EverLong Series
 1 #20- Daryl Calhoun (Saint Kanye)                                 48.480
 2 #96- Alice Jepkosgei (TJUN-ia)                                   48.549
 3 #98- Jixaka Motorai (Tropicorp)                                  48.551
 4 #40- Agata Kosaryova (Abanhfleft)                                48.560
 5 #71- Mercy Binayas (Filindostan)                                 48.597
 6 #47- Edmund Flanders (Hapilopper)                                48.628
 7 #72- Barnabas Mate (Filindostan)                                 48.663
 8 #60- Marcus Alan Ariel Reynolds (Valentine Z)                    48.669
 9 #22- Pyotr Lavrentiev (Saint Kanye)                              48.672
10 #00- Shigeru Tsuchie (Aji No Moto)                               48.681
11 #41- Turakki Mayelli (Vilita & Turori)                           48.717
12 #04- Byrce Evans (Sword Island)                                  48.723
13 #70- Shania Soraya (Filindostan)                                 48.733
14 #97- Robin Dragonovic (TJUN-ia)                                  48.754
15 #39- Rustam Ilyich Yudin (Abanhfleft)                            48.785
16 #37- Cocoabo #37 (Tropicorp)                                     48.800
17 #0- Tadashi Mitsubishi (Aji No Moto)                             48.855
18 #4- Islago Tizilna (Vilita & Turori)                             48.942
19 #27- Bryan Harrison (Tropicorp)                                  49.057
20 #77- Al Shelton (Hapilopper)                                     49.114
21 #10- Valkyrie Valentijn Samantha Constantine (Valentine Z)       49.332
22 #05- Carson Zanby (Sword Island)                                 49.336
23 #16- Mart Munro (Xanneria)                                       49.421
24 #59- Brookes Benson (Xanneria)                                   49.509
25 #49- Lotara Novorali (Vilita & Turori)                           49.866
26 #5- Ryan Carroll (Newmanistan)                                   50.013
27 #24- Dwight Webster (Newmanistan)                                50.083
28 #9- Licio Granado (Lisander)                                     50.290
29 #57- Gordon Orton (Appalachian Nation)                           50.462
30 #8- Ceiridwen (Yesopalitha)                                      50.749
31 #1- Jupiter Cosmos (Space)                                       50.765
32 #15- Harrison Cooper (Appalachian Nation)                        50.888

(Minimum To Avoid DNF= 50.300 sec)

Race Results:

NSSCRA EverLong Series
 1 #71- Mercy Binayas (Filindostan)                                 48.485 WINNER
 2 #39- Rustam Ilyich Yudin (Abanhfleft)                            48.497
 3 #40- Agata Kosaryova (Abanhfleft)                                48.563
 4 #97- Robin Dragonovic (TJUN-ia)                                  48.648
 5 #0- Tadashi Mitsubishi (Aji No Moto)                             48.651
 6 #49- Lotara Novorali (Vilita & Turori)                           48.690
 7 #47- Edmund Flanders (Hapilopper)                                48.723
 8 #00- Shigeru Tsuchie (Aji No Moto)                               48.789
 9 #77- Al Shelton (Hapilopper)                                     48.793
10 #70- Shania Soraya (Filindostan)                                 48.796
11 #96- Alice Jepkosgei (TJUN-ia)                                   48.824
12 #37- Cocoabo #37 (Tropicorp)                                     48.844
13 #20- Daryl Calhoun (Saint Kanye)                                 48.878
14 #72- Barnabas Mate (Filindostan)                                 48.898
15 #98- Jixaka Motorai (Tropicorp)                                  48.908
16 #27- Bryan Harrison (Tropicorp)                                  48.928
17 #41- Turakki Mayelli (Vilita & Turori)                           49.090
18 #22- Pyotr Lavrentiev (Saint Kanye)                              49.134
19 #10- Valkyrie Valentijn Samantha Constantine (Valentine Z)       49.171
20 #4- Islago Tizilna (Vilita & Turori)                             49.339
21 #60- Marcus Alan Ariel Reynolds (Valentine Z)                    49.365
22 #59- Brookes Benson (Xanneria)                                   49.386
23 #05- Carson Zanby (Sword Island)                                 49.415
24 #04- Byrce Evans (Sword Island)                                  49.482
25 #24- Dwight Webster (Newmanistan)                                49.728
26 #16- Mart Munro (Xanneria)                                       50.104
27 #5- Ryan Carroll (Newmanistan)                                   50.209
28 #8- Ceiridwen (Yesopalitha)                                      50.392 DNF 
29 #9- Licio Granado (Lisander)                                     50.579 DNF
30 #15- Harrison Cooper (Appalachian Nation)                        50.647 DNF
31 #57- Gordon Orton (Appalachian Nation)                           50.668 DNF
32 #1- Jupiter Cosmos (Space)                                       50.768 DNF

Point Standings (After 7 Races):

+-----+------------------------------------------------------------+--------+
| Pos |                 EverLong Contenders Series                 | Points |
+-----+------------------------------------------------------------+--------+
|   1 | #10- Valkyrie Valentijn Samantha Constantine (Valentine Z) |    173 |
|   2 | #70- Shania Soraya (Filindostan)                           |    169 |
|   3 | #71- Mercy Binayas (Filindostan)*                          |    169 |
|   4 | #77- Al Shelton (Hapilopper)                               |    163 |
|   5 | #39- Rustam Ilyich Yudin (Abanhfleft)*                     |    158 |
|   6 | #47- Edmund Flanders (Hapilopper)*                         |    158 |
|   7 | #41- Turakki Mayelli (Vilita & Turori)*                    |    158 |
|   8 | #27- Bryan Harrison (Tropicorp)                            |    157 |
|   9 | #96- Alice Jepkosgei (TJUN-ia)                             |    157 |
|  10 | #20- Daryl Calhoun (Saint Kanye)*                          |    157 |
|  11 | #22- Pyotr Lavrentiev (Saint Kanye)*                       |    156 |
|  12 | #72- Barnabas Mate (Filindostan)                           |    153 |
|  13 | #98- Jixaka Motorai (Tropicorp)                            |    152 |
|  14 | #49- Lotara Novorali (Vilita & Turori)                     |    147 |
|  15 | #00- Shigeru Tsuchie (Aji No Moto)                         |    144 |
|  16 | #0- Tadashi Mitsubishi (Aji No Moto)                       |    141 |
|  17 | #97- Robin Dragonovic (TJUN-ia)                            |    126 |
|  18 | #60- Marcus Alan Ariel Reynolds (Valentine Z)*             |    115 |
|  19 | #37- Cocoabo #37 (Tropicorp)                               |    115 |
|  20 | #4- Islago Tizilna (Vilita & Turori)                       |    108 |
|  21 | #04- Byrce Evans (Sword Island)                            |    105 |
|  22 | #40- Agata Kosaryova (Abanhfleft)                          |    104 |
|  23 | #59- Brookes Benson (Xanneria)                             |    101 |
|  24 | #8- Ceiridwen (Yesopalitha)                                |     90 |
|  25 | #16- Mart Munro (Xanneria)                                 |     72 |
|  26 | #05- Chris Gordon (Sword Island)                           |     58 |
|  27 | #05- Carson Zanby (Sword Island)                           |     50 |
|  28 | #9- Licio Granado (Lisander)                               |     40 |
|  29 | #24- Dwight Webster (Newmanistan)                          |     39 |
|  30 | #15- Harrison Cooper (Appalachian Nation)                  |     29 |
|  31 | #5- Ryan Carroll (Newmanistan)                             |     29 |
|  32 | #57- Gordon Orton (Appalachian Nation)                     |     16 |
|  33 | #1- Jupiter Cosmos (Space)                                 |     15 |
+-----+------------------------------------------------------------+--------+

[Saint Kanye]

A hotel in Selid, Abanhfleft
Nighttime, the day after the BDEnergy 400

"Why, speak of the devil."

Pyotr Lavrentiev took a long hard look at the email that he had received that night. He read every line, every word, even every letter, with the last two getting his attention the most. TL. Taras freaking Lakrov. Lav opened the attached photo, and yep, that was Taras' smiling mug, in between that of his own and Rustam Ilyich Yudin's. The third Motorsports Ceroat driver had finally resurfaced, a day and change after Lav had mentioned his name in the presser after his BDEnergy 400 win.

Or has he? The thing about emails is that it's hard to tell who they're really from, without extensive IT knowledge, that is. And Lav is a racecar driver, not an IT technician. So of course he had some doubts. This could be just some joker who follows the Everlong series and has taken the pic from Motorsports Ceroat's site before it had been taken down. Lav wanted more proof that he was really being contacted by his old teammate.

Hey Taras, it's been a long time! I think it's awesome that you've been keeping track with what's going on in my and Rustam's careers, but you know what, brother? Why don't you share what's going on with you, wherever you may be? It would be great if Rustam and I can somehow hear your voice or see your face. Send us a pic! Or maybe you can find a way to video chat. PL

Lav snapped a quick selfie of himself to attach to his reply. He then opened a chat window, intending to tell Rustam about how he was unsure if he had somehow coaxed Taras to come out of hiding, or fallen prey to the tricks of an observant and mischievous NSSCRA viewer.

---

Brisbane International Raceway, Brisbane, Sword Island
Briefing before the Brisbane 200 qualifying sessions

"Each group will have 25 minutes to post times, with the points leader in each group going out on track first, followed by second in the standings, and so on. After each group has posted their times, the top 4 from each group yada yada yada....."

"Ugh. This is way too puzzling," Thea Alvarez said as a track representative explained to the Cup Series drivers about the qualifying procedure for tomorrow's race. "What's wrong with the usual single shot quals?"

"I know, right?" responded Sage Caldwell, in a tone that exhibited more anger than confusion. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Did the league even approve this sh-t?" He turned to their other teammate, Jeremiah Brooke. "What about you, J? Don't tell me you're fine with this."

"I would be, if it weren't so complicated," came the reply. "AOMC may have stuff such as the reverse grid, slower qualifier makes the field, that sort of thing, but at least those were pretty straightforward." Jeremiah looked around and saw that they weren't the only ones not getting the new format. The Sherpalanders scratched their heads, while the Hapiloppians stared intently at their handouts for a few seconds before shrugging.

"Would have been better if they had just put all our names in a hat and picked randomly," said Ricky Lee, who was sitting behind the GFR trio.

"Shh, Ricky, don't give them the idea," Jeremiah told him.

"When I said I wanted something exciting to take people's mind off last season's Hendo incident, I didn't mean like this," said Sage.

"Yeah, should have been careful what you wished for," agreed Thea. "You know what, guys? Let's just get this over with, and focus on tomorrow. We've made it past bad quals many times, haven't we?" Jeremiah and Sage both nodded. Ricky had gone back to speaking with his teammate Gongming Gao.

And sure enough, none of the GFR members would be starting near the front. Sage qualified 21st, Thea 26th, and Jeremiah 36th. "Whew. Glad that's over, I'm hungry. How about we eat first, then regroup later to watch the Everlong race?" Thea asked the other two.

"Sounds good to me," answered Jeremiah. "Speaking of, how come the Everlong people didn't have to deal with the format like us?"

"Lucky bastards," said Sage.

However, results-wise, the Yeezie duo of Lav and Daryl Calhoun were anything but. Daryl won the pole, but was outran by other cars and even went off course once, ultimately finishing thirteenth. Lav developed handling issues late in the race, making contact with other cars and the wall and limping to the line in eighteenth. While strongly dissatisfied at how his own race went, Lav still found time to go over to the UrGa garage and congratulate Rustam on his second place finish. Daryl did what Sage did last season to calm his nerves after that run-in with Hendo - take a walk around the streets of Brisbane.

---

VILITANS GRAB AOMC LEAD WITH WIN IN BAKER PARK

by Francis Ludgate

The battle for the Atlantian Oceania Motorsports Championship trophy continues to heat up, with only three races remaining in the schedule.

In the sixth round, at the Ruwani Motor Speedway in Banija, Jeremiah Brooke kept St. Kanye in the points lead as he triumphed over fellow NSSCRA champ River Suzgar of Vilita (here competing separate from Turori) and current AOCAR driver Kyoko Fujisaki of Aji No Moto, leading 33 of 75 laps in the process. "I'm really thankful to my team for helping me get the win," said Brooke. "The tournament's winding down - gotta rack up the points and the race wins if we want St. Kanye to get the overall title." However, at the next race at the Drummond Vale Circuit in Baker Park, the Vilitans would usurp the top of the point standings from the Yeezies (108 to 97), R.L. Cruisin grabbing the victory with St. Kanye's Sage Caldwell only finishing fifth. "We may have stumbled a little after this round, but we'll come back strong in the next ones. A lot can happen in three races," Caldwell told reporters.

AutoRingPacitalia will host the next round, a Grand Prix Challenge in which the top qualifier from each country makes the field, plus the five fastest among the ones remaining. "We'll need to do well in quals here," said St. Kanye's Thea Alvarez. "An extra Yeezie in the field will give us more scoring opportunities, as well someone to work with to get to the front."

[The Sherpa Empire]

Rinzi brought the wrong kind of mayhem to the PTCCU Auto Loans 300. The problem wasn't his decision to try Mayhem's spiced pear body wash instead of his usual sandalwood scent -- it was the fact that he had underestimated just how fast the sandy pavement would chew up his tires. This put him in an awkward position where he had to choose between making an extra pit stop to get fresh tires, braking earlier as he went into the corners and thus losing a little time each lap, or pushing the car so hard he could barely control it and praying to God that he didn't wreck. The #06 team had enough tires so Rinzi could have just pitted and got fresh ones -- but he didn't want to take the time for the extra pit stop. Instead he decided to keep pushing and pray it worked out.

As a general thing, Rinzi was on good terms with God; but on this day, the Lord of All Creation had better things to do with His time besides intervening in an NSSCRA race. The sand and Rinzi's tires only got worse, until he lost control of the car and spun into the wall. As the #06 bounced off the soft wall and back onto the track, other drivers scrambled to dodge around it -- with varying degrees of success. Rinzi was shaken and suffered some minor bumps and bruises, but he was still okay enough to wave to the fans and walk to the medical tent.

Rinzi was far from alone in his struggles. Out of 46 cars that started the race, only 34 finished.

Kai Qiang and Tsering Chu not only survived the sand and the several cautions, but even managed to finish in the top 10.

---

The Sherpa drivers were confused by the qualifying format at the Brisbane 200. It was a combination of English not being their first language, and the fact that it was only announced shortly before they hit the track, so they didn't have a lot of time to process the information.

Track staff had to remind the drivers what they were supposed to be doing several times throughout the qualifying process, directing them when it was time for them to drive and so on. Rinzi especially needed a lot of reminders, but in spite of his confusion, he still put up some good lap times through each round of qualifying.

Tsering was a little lost at first too, but once she understood what she was supposed to do, she had no trouble doing it. She and Rinzi took the top two spots.

Tsering and Qiang were having a quiet conversation -- the sort that would have been quiet even if it wasn't in sign language -- when Rinzi came over and ruffled Qiang's hair. "Hey, little dude, tell Tsering we're drafting buddies."

"Argh, Rinzi! You can text her!" Qiang answered.

[Filindostan]

NSSCRA: Badai Angin Tim slam Swordian organizers for late qualifying format notice
by TGF Staff

BRISBANE, SWORD ISLAND - Despite Fiona Sunarya and Hana Bhe qualifying well for the Brisbane 200, officials from Badai Angin Tim have publicly criticized the organizers of the Brisbane 200 in their post-qualifying interviews for not giving participants enough time to digest the qualifying format they announced. The lack of time between discussing the overall strategy and preparing the cars for the session meant that they had to cram almost everything in the morning of the qualifying session. In addition to it, they were forced to expend additional resources than a usual qualifying session would demand to the teams as cars can have multiple runs between Q1 and Q2, which two of the three full-time teams did, only Rockii Ezis failed to make it out of Q1 as he set the 28th overall fastest time in Q1.

Making it to Q2 meant that Bhe would make it to the race, being one of only three unchartered cars to make it to the top 20 Q2 session. She would miss out though as she would fail to secure one of the ten spots in Q3, setting the 11th fastest time. Sunarya though was the best Badai Angin driver in the session, clocking the 5th fastest time of Q3 and making it to the inside third row.

"Luckily this did not impact much of our teams' hopes for the session, with the exception of Ezis, and our budget as well." Artemio Linan additionally said in the post-qualifying interview.

[Abanhfleft]

It was Mercy Binayas versus Rustam Yudin Part 2.

The two of them had already clashed before, way back in the second round of the NSSCRA Everlong Contenders’ Series at the Corbin Motorsports Park in Xanneria. But the circumstances of the battle between Binayas and Yudin in Brisbane were way different from their first encounter this season. Back in Corbin, Binayas had the help of her teammates Shania Soraya and Barnabas Mate in fighting for the lead while Yudin was all alone; his teammate Agata Kosaryova had retired from the race after her engine blew up. Now, things were different: Binayas was all alone up front, with her teammates having been scattered through the field in the road course, while Yudin had Kosaryova on his rear bumper giving him a vital bump draft to keep up with the Filindo driver.

Rustam had to fight to get to the top after he had a less-than-optimal qualifying lap. He didn’t mind that at all; for the past two weeks he had been in the mood to race. After an impressive battle with his fellow Ceroatian driver Pyotr Lavrentiev in the BDEnergy 400 at Selid, Rustam had received an email from his former Motorsports Ceroat teammate Taras Lakrov congratulating him and Lav for having won races in NSSCRA and promising that the three of them would get to see each other again. After that, Rustam had seemingly found a new energy and desire to continue racing. Normally, he would have been cursing NSSCRA for having a one-week break between the races at Selid and Brisbane in Sword Island, but thankfully he had ARTS to fill his time. While NSSCRA was taking a break, ARTS was back in full swing at the Oxyrhynchus-Ring, and that particular edition of the PTCCU Auto Loans 300 was equally chaotic and demanding as the NSSCRA race. Rustam definitely had his fair share of fun and terror driving a truck on that tire-eating track.

But now it was time to get back into the swing of things at NSSCRA, and after Rustam reported that he didn’t like the quali setup that he had the crew make for him, he decided to hit the sim to find the optimal race setup. He had to pull an all-nighter, and his crew chief had to talk him into taking a break, but he eventually found something that was to his liking. And as the Brisbane 125 ran its course; Rustam found that this setup was actually perfect for this road course, and with barely a third of the race run, he was already chasing after the leaders. His pit crew also did a phenomenal job of helping him maintain his position or even actually helping him gain a position or two during the pit stop cycles. And now here he was, once again staring at the rear bumper of a Rusty Motorsport car. But this time Rustam had an ace up his sleeve, or more accurately, a teammate up his own rear bumper.

It took some time for her season to get going, but Gasha Kosaryova was finally able to exorcise the gremlins haunting her engine, and she was finally able to compete properly in the Everlong series. After the pain and disappointment of the early rounds, she was finally in a good rhythm going into Brisbane. She qualified in fourth place, and thanks to both a great setup and a fast pit crew she was able to maintain her place and even gain a place to go into third coming into the last few laps. Just as she spotted Rustam’s distinctive #39 green Signbridge car in front of her, Rustam came onto their intra-car radio and asked, “Gasha, I need a push to get past Binayas. Get over here and let’s get her!”

“I’m right behind you, Rustam!” Gasha confirmed. Gasha arrived at Rustam’s rear bumper just as they and Mercy Binayas got to the main straight, and the two UrGa cars started gaining on the Kecepatan ahead of them. Thanks to the draft effect, Rustam was able to get a nose in front of Mercy as they approached the first turn, the dreaded hairpin. Rustam hoped that he would be able to out-brake Binayas coming into the hairpin, but while he managed to do that, Binayas happened to have the better traction on the outside, and she was able to get back in front of the two UrGa drivers as they went out of the hairpin. And this was how the battle for the lead of the Brisbane 125 would happen, with Yudin getting the edge over Binayas coming into the hairpin but losing the lead at the exit of Turn 1. And that was how the race ended, with the Filindo driver taking the win and the two UrGa drivers rounding out the podium. “Of course I would have wanted to get my second win of the season,” Rustam said in the post-race interview. “But Mercy always seemed to have the better traction coming out of the hairpin, and frankly I believe that that was where we lost the race. But it’s a 2-3 on the podium for the team, and we’ll take that any day of the week.”

"Of course I'm happy to finally be on the podium after the way I started off the season," Gasha Kosaryova said in the post-race interview. "I mean, of course it would have been better if I could have helped Rustam Ilyich get his second win of the season, but a 2-3 ain't bad as well. It shows that we're on an upwards trajectory after our struggles earlier in the season, especially in Tundra Falls and Xanneria. We'll take what we can get and move on, knowing that we've finally got a race-winning package."

---

Dinggu Wang didn't really believe that he wasn't suited for road course racing, but the new qualifying format introduced by the organizers of the Brisbane 200 certainly caught him off guard. First of all, he could barely understand what the Sword Islanders were saying because his grasp of English was still limited to basic and racing-related terms, and even when his crew translated (or more accurately attempted to translate) the qualifying format into Chinese, Wang still found the whole thing going straight over his head. It was thus perhaps understandable why Wang qualified 43rd fastest (equal to starting 40th at the green flag) at Brisbane. His crew also argued among themselves about the use of multiple tire sets during qualifying, specifically on if it was legal to do so in the eyes of the local organizers.

"I think the closest thing to this new quali format thing is CGPRA qualifying," Guillermo Archer told Wilma von Cärinthen as the confused drivers walked out of the briefing room where the Sword Islanders had just introduced to them the new qualifying format. CGPRA was of course the Coalition Grand Prix Racing Association, the top-level series of open-wheeler racing in the APOC Coalition. "Yeah, it's what this Q1, Q2, and Q3 thing reminds me of. The only thing I really think that's different is the fact that drivers have to go out in groups instead of 'every driver for himself'. Then again, there's 52 of us here instead of just 20 so that's probably why they're grouping us."

"Well, what are we going to do now?" Wilma asked. "I've never done something like this my whole life."

"I mean, there's only one way, really," Gil shrugged. "CGPRA style. Somebody's gonna have to keep track of our times, our deltas. Man, where's Vova Kripchak when you need him?" Vladimir "Vova" Kripchak was a Pridnestrovian race engineer notable for having been the guiding voice in the ear of Taras Matviyenko throughout the latter's CGPRA and WGP2 career.

"Yeah, I don't know about that," Wilma shook her head. "I doubt either Dec or Terry would be very happy about that."

"Yeah, and neither will James and Ricky," Gil muttered.

"So, what do we do now?" Wilma asked.

"Actually, Wilhelmina, I think the question that you should be asking is, 'What would William do?'" Gil replied.

"Don't you mean Jesus?" Wilma asked skeptically.

"No, I mean William," Gil insisted. He was referring to his son William Archer, a young and rising grand prix racing driver. "Damn shame he's not here to help us out in the sims anymore. But oh well! Like I said, triple-dub D?"

For what it was worth, Wilma von Cärinthen did indeed try to drive the Brisbane International Raceway like a grand prix driver, but it was a bit of a stretch too much for her and she could only muster up a 25th place start. Meanwhile, Gil actually did a good job of emulating his son's driving and thus got himself a time good enough for top 15. Some might say that 13th place was somewhat unlucky, but Gil was determined to prove that particular superstition wrong, even if just this once.

[Hapilopper]

Brisbane International Raceway, Sword Island
Leading up to qualifying for the Brisbane 200
“Hey, uh, Stevenson?”

Chris Holmes was looking confused as he walked into the Team Blue Center. He walked over to the dining room table in the front room of the Center, to find Drake Stevenson, Taylor Henderson and numerous other Team Blue staffers huddled up in front of laptop computers. Drake looked up towards Chris.

“Yeah?” Drake asked, looking somewhat displeased. Not at Chris, but in general.

“What the hell am I supposed to do right now?” Chris asked. “How in the hell is today supposed to work?”

Drake chuckled as others started to look up at Chris.

“I was hoping you’d know,” Drake replied. “I don’t have the faintest idea what we’re doing. All I know is that I’m in a group of qualifying, Hendo’s in a group of qualifying and you’re in a group of qualifying. I’m confused.”

“So am I, and I was hoping you’d know,” Chris responded. “Like, what are we doing?”

Drake chuckled again.

“You know, I feel like I pissed off an NSSCRA official earlier today because I had to ask them five times how this qualifying format worked, and I still didn’t understand,” Drake explained. “The sad thing is, that I asked them how it worked, and it took them like five minutes to explain. I didn’t get it, so I asked them to repeat it from the top. And I STILL didn’t get it.”

“So, that’s why you’re here?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, we’re all trying to figure this out,” Drake explained, with a tinge of frustration in his voice. “Qualifying shouldn’t be this difficult. Fastest car wins pole. It’s not rocket surgery or brain science.”

In fact, nobody from Team Blue had the faintest idea what they were doing, even leading up to the moment they were supposed to hit the track for qualifying. In fact, when HTN pit reporter Jeff Van Houten approached Chris Holmes for the network’s qualifying show, Chris was blunt with his assessment of the qualifying format. It was noteworthy that Chris had already put on his helmet and head-neck restraint device and was sitting on a pit wall, prepared to go out at a moment’s notice.

“This is a solution in search of a problem,” Chris said on live TV. “It shouldn’t be this difficult. Fastest guy wins pole. I don’t know when I’m supposed to go out, I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing, I’m just hoping someone knows more than I do and can tell me what to do.”

Drake Stevenson was even more blunt, posting on twii.tur his frustrations.

DRAKE STEVENSON ✓

@HapiDrake81

The NSSCRA needs to put their foot down. That was a circus.


#NSSCRA : #Brisbane200

DRAKE STEVENSON ✓

@HapiDrake81

I talked to more people than I'd like to admit and none of them, I repeat, NONE of them, had any idea what they were doing. Let's not repeat this in the future. Ever.


#NSSCRA : #Brisbane200

DRAKE STEVENSON ✓

@HapiDrake81

The thing about race formats is this: If it takes five minutes to be explained, and you have to repeat it multiple times, it's too complicated. I feel like I pissed off a NSSCRA official earlier today because I asked him to repeat his explanation five times. And I still didn't get it.


#NSSCRA : #Brisbane200

[The Sherpa Empire]

强凯 - Kai Qiang - काय च्याङ ✓

@QK98

I thought it's just my bad English, the Sword Island people have to explain quali three times before I understand. I didn't know everyone is confuse lol


#NSSCRA : #Brisbane200

[TJUN-ia]

This blog was written by Derrick Carlisle, Jaguar Racing's Social Media Manager

As the long road known as NSSCRA 11 continues to make its way around, many are beginning to realise that we are already nearly halfway through the entire season. With only a limited amount of Chase spots left for the taking in both series as of now, the race is certainly on to book a spot and you'd better believe that every race will be taken very seriously by all the drivers that haven't qualified for the endgame as of yet. With that in mind, Stock Car's Greatest Show headed out to Sword Island and the Brisbane International Raceway prepared to host both T2 and T1 once again and if the chaos of last time is replicated here, we could be in for another fascinating weekend in this entertaining series.

We begin with the Brisbane 125 in the Everlong Contenders where JRT2 continued to show their consistency in recent times. Daryl Calhoun took pole but Alice Jepkosgei (@AJ96) beat out Jixaka Motorai to 2nd while Robin Dragonovic (@RD97SNL) did pretty well to take 14th. The race would see the form book thrown out of the window as Mercy Binayas took the win over Rustam Ilyich Yudin and Agata Kosaryova with Dragonovic this time the one to finish 4th for JR. Jepkosgei took 11th in the end, capping off another good weekend for JR's Everlong contingent.

As for the Brisbane 200 in the main series, Qualifying would be absolutely chaotic as the organisers decided to do a MemeWatch worthy decision by changing up the qualifying format a few days before Saturday arrived at Brisbane town. A group format decided places 21-46, Q2 decided 11-20 and Q3 decided the Top 10 - a decision that utterly confused most of the grid and led to some consequences throughout the grid. Michael Stefan (@Stefan07) managed only 29th with the format while none of Saint Kanye's drivers could make Q2 either. Neither could the open-charters as Travis Barkley of Newmanistan will start in 38th while local Ryan Pearson will be in 45th. Maddison Riley-Jones (@MaddyRJ03) was one of 3 non-charter drivers to make Q2 but she could only manage 20th herself while both the Shark of River Suzgar II and Kai Qiang failed to make the Top 10 either. In the end, Q3 and Qualifying as a whole would be won by Qiang's teammate as Tsering Chu beat out Rinzi Aogar Zakhilwal to lead off a Front Row Lockout for The Sherpa Empire. Yraaga Gilli'i will start from 3rd but the highest TJUN-ian today was, once again, Alfonso Mercado (@AM64) all the way up in 6th place. He's certainly enjoying the charter status he now has and he's certainly a contender for a potential chase spot if he keeps this up.

With Saturday being this chaotic, what will Sunday bring in Brisbane? Only one way to find out, I guess.

---

Current MCS Standings: #07 - 6th (226pts/1 Win)/#64 - 23rd (157pts)/#03 - 30th (118pts)
Current ECS Standings: #97 - 18th (97pts)/#96 - 8th (135pts)
Next MCS Race: Brisbane 200, Brisbane International Raceway, Sword Island
Next ECS Race: Brisbane 125, Brisbane International Raceway, Sword Island
Music of the Round: Calvin Harris - Feels ft. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, Big Sean (ESP/BRA/AUS/IRI)

MemeWatch
1) "Mr Hapilopper" Drake Stevenson (#81) - For inciting war because of a dead bird Margaret gave him...twice!
2) "The Yak Whisperer" Chris Holmes (#8) - For attempting to control a Tibetan Yak...
3) "King of the Yaks" Tyler Linde (New Northwesteros, former NSSCRA driver) - For giving thyself such a lowly title.
4) "The Race of Chaos" PTCCU Auto Loans 300 (Cup Round 6) - For giving us double-digit retirements.
5) "Confusing Mess" Brisbane 200 Qualifying (Cup Round 7) - For changing the format with little warning...to something confusing!

Updated Every Sunday Night

---

After another successful Saturday in the 2nd Tier of NSSCRA Motorsports, the two drivers of Jaguar Racing's Contenders plight celebrated before heading their separate ways and into their lives as individuals. The things they get up to on their own separate them and make them opposite ends of the spectrum known as JRT2.

Robin Dragonovic spent his Saturday night like he does every Saturday night: with Maddison Riley-Jones doing something fun. Tonight, it was some early-evening tag near the JR garages as they weaved their way through the complex chasing each other. As began his turn doing the finding and chasing, Rabin thought about his season so far as a JR driver. He certainly struggled a little bit from the off, falling into the shadow of his younger teammate in Alice Jepkosgei through her brilliant performances in qualifying, but over the last few races, he has started to come into his own and certainly he could feel himself gain confidence as the weeks go on. The Pole he took in Selid was just incredible and the 4th he took a few hours ago in the race shows him he still had it, despite what some of the doubters might think.

He had two very big supporters in his corner helping him along: his mother, who calls him regularly when time zones apply, and the one he was chasing right now. Their relationship has certainly blossomed ever since he came into the team and, at some point, he knew he would have to introduce Maddy to his mum somehow, either in TJUN-ia or South Newlandia. But that was at the back of his mind at the moment as, in a twist he didn't see coming, he was ambushed by Maddy after she hid in a cupboard he was walking past. He thought she was going to just trap him there forever but instead, she pulled another twist out of her pocket...and kissed him on the cheek before jumping off him and being to sprint away once again. She certainly was unpredictable at times but, in the end, that's what he liked about her and he would not change her at all. Did he have the courage to kiss her? One day but now, the chase was truly on for South Newlandia's finest...if he could hide his red face, that is.

Meanwhile, walking past Beiyang for the 14th time this season, Alice Jepkosgei was in a split frame of mind. On one hand, she was certainly happy with how she was doing in her debut season of international racing. Her qualifying performances are the talk of the town back in TJUN-ia and many are wondering when she was finally going to break through to the podium and, just many, the T2 Chase itself. Usually, she wouldn't listen to what the general public thought about her (this was someone who once called some haters "Waliopotea Roho za Heshima" (Lost Spirits of Honour or, more bluntly, Ghosts of Lost Dignity) after a DNF) but in a season where everything she understood was being challenged by the week, she seemed...happy that the people were impressed by a driver from Jiji la Ngao of all places.

But the other hand came into play as she scoured the scene at Beiyang without being too obvious, looking for something she saw a few weeks ago...a pair of eyes, bright as anything and as sparkly as the night sky. She made eye contact with someone from the North Chinese team during one of her runs and ever since, the eyes have plagued her dreams and thoughts for many a night. She believed they belonged to Gongming Gao...at least, she hoped they belonged to him because at least she's heard of the North Chinese driver. Anyone else would be seriously awkward as she didn't think she would get along well with someone she hasn't heard of before. Her mind is full of conflict in teams of the eyes - sometimes he thinks they are something to enquire about, other times she thinks they are a symbol of danger and should be avoided at all costs. There is no consensus about what must be done about the eyes but something had to be done soon, else they plagued her dreams for the rest of her season and maybe her entire career at that. She needed to go to the gym to think about things because, to be frank, she didn't know what else she could do...

Even in an outfit of 2, they are miles apart in terms of the situation. Where the cards fall for the South Newlamdian and the Swahili remains to be seen but no matter what happens, they will remain vigilant in their quest for the T2 Title...

[Newmanistan]

Race: Brisbane 200*, Brisbane International Raceway, Sword Island (Road Course) (*- Refers to number of laps)
Lap Record: 47.857 sec.
Minimum To Avoid DNF: 50.600 sec.

Segment 1:

NSSCRA Multiversal Series
 1 #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)          48.265
 2 #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                    48.265
 3 #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)         48.324
 4 #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                       48.337
 5 #99- Fiona Sunarya (Filindostan)                      48.340
 6 #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                 48.363
 7 #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                          48.364
 8 #70- Gongming Gao (The Northern Chinese Republic)     48.368
 9 #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia)                        48.376
10 #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)                         48.385
11 #96- Guillermo Archer (Abanhfleft)                    48.398
12 #98- Wilma von Cärinthen (Abanhfleft) *Q*             48.412
13 #27- Maddie Alexander (Tropicorp)                     48.415
14 #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakhilwal (The Sherpa Empire)        48.441
15 #26- Jenna Logan (Tropicorp)                          48.452
16 #76- Jolyn Maxine Caulfield Ceeta (G6MR) *Q*          48.478
17 #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (G6MR)              48.499
18 #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan) *Q*                        48.516
19 #05- Chris Gordon (Sword Island)                      48.521
20 #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                     48.553
21 #60- Rockii Ezis (Filindostan)                        48.565
22 #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)       48.637
23 #90- Lexie Shelby (Sword Island) *Q*                  48.650
24 #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                         48.759
25 #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                       48.874
26 #24- Travis Barkley (Newmanistan)                     48.955
27 #8- Chris Holmes (Hapilopper)                         49.009
28 #12- Ricky Lee (The Northern Chinese Republic) *Q*    49.046
29 #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                   49.087
30 #00- Eiji Ibi (Aji No Moto)                           49.103
31 #30- Lexi Patterson (Jebslund) *Q*                    49.165
32 #56- Kelly Monroe (Xanneria) *Q*                      49.209
33 #03- Maddison Riley-Jones (TJUN-ia) *Q*               49.227
34 #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                    49.266
35 #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                         49.292
36 #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                  49.397
37 #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)        49.437
38 #35- Kassie Collins (Sword Island) *Q*                49.439
39 #97- Celeste (Yesopalitha)                            49.501
40 #16- Eddie Walters Jr. (Xanneria)                     49.520
41 #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                    49.606
42 #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)             49.680
43 #04- Ryan Pearson (Sword Island)                      49.891
44 #17- Gavon Mitchell (Roromania)                       50.446
45 #08- Bart Wheeler (Northwinds)                        50.514
46 #40- Shigeru Ishikawa (Squidroidia)                   50.657 DNF

Segment 2:

NSSCRA Multiversal Series
 1 #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)                         48.184
 2 #96- Guillermo Archer (Abanhfleft)                    48.252
 3 #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                 48.293
 4 #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                   48.341
 5 #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)          48.347
 6 #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan) *Q*                        48.348
 7 #76- Jolyn Maxine Caulfield Ceeta (G6MR) *Q*          48.383
 8 #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)       48.408
 9 #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (G6MR)              48.420
10 #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia)                        48.431
11 #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)         48.432
12 #26- Jenna Logan (Tropicorp)                          48.433
13 #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                    48.442
14 #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                         48.455
15 #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                       48.527
16 #99- Fiona Sunarya (Filindostan)                      48.530
17 #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                  48.668
18 #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                    48.669
19 #8- Chris Holmes (Hapilopper)                         48.676
20 #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)        48.705
21 #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                          48.737
22 #05- Chris Gordon (Sword Island)                      48.779
23 #60- Rockii Ezis (Filindostan)                        48.781
24 #27- Maddie Alexander (Tropicorp)                     48.782
25 #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                       48.817
26 #12- Ricky Lee (The Northern Chinese Republic) *Q*    48.841
27 #70- Gongming Gao (The Northern Chinese Republic)     48.878
28 #16- Eddie Walters Jr. (Xanneria)                     48.883
29 #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                         48.895
30 #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakhilwal (The Sherpa Empire)        48.899
31 #24- Travis Barkley (Newmanistan)                     48.935
32 #04- Ryan Pearson (Sword Island)                      49.009
33 #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                     49.040
34 #00- Eiji Ibi (Aji No Moto)                           49.080
35 #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                    49.114
36 #98- Wilma von Cärinthen (Abanhfleft) *Q*             49.248
37 #30- Lexi Patterson (Jebslund) *Q*                    49.249
38 #03- Maddison Riley-Jones (TJUN-ia) *Q*               49.319
39 #35- Kassie Collins (Sword Island) *Q*                49.339
40 #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)             49.437
41 #56- Kelly Monroe (Xanneria) *Q*                      49.536
42 #08- Bart Wheeler (Northwinds)                        49.975
43 #97- Celeste (Yesopalitha)                            49.978
44 #90- Lexie Shelby (Sword Island) *Q*                  50.045
45 #17- Gavon Mitchell (Roromania)                       51.102 DNF

Segment 3:

NSSCRA Multiversal Series
 1 #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)       48.199
 2 #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                       48.209
 3 #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)        48.225
 4 #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                    48.229
 5 #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                    48.229
 6 #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                         48.248
 7 #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                 48.258
 8 #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)          48.259
 9 #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                     48.322
10 #98- Wilma von Cärinthen (Abanhfleft) *Q*             48.329
11 #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                          48.341
12 #26- Jenna Logan (Tropicorp)                          48.356
13 #03- Maddison Riley-Jones (TJUN-ia) *Q*               48.417
14 #76- Jolyn Maxine Caulfield Ceeta (G6MR) *Q*          48.433
15 #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (G6MR)              48.480
16 #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)                         48.484
17 #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)         48.484
18 #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                         48.548
19 #12- Ricky Lee (The Northern Chinese Republic) *Q*    48.572
20 #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan) *Q*                        48.586
21 #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                    48.606
22 #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                       48.611
23 #35- Kassie Collins (Sword Island) *Q*                48.655
24 #04- Ryan Pearson (Sword Island)                      48.700
25 #8- Chris Holmes (Hapilopper)                         48.702
26 #27- Maddie Alexander (Tropicorp)                     48.728
27 #70- Gongming Gao (The Northern Chinese Republic)     48.739
28 #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakhilwal (The Sherpa Empire)        48.881
29 #60- Rockii Ezis (Filindostan)                        48.883
30 #30- Lexi Patterson (Jebslund) *Q*                    48.906
31 #00- Eiji Ibi (Aji No Moto)                           48.984
32 #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                  49.017
33 #99- Fiona Sunarya (Filindostan)                      49.029
34 #96- Guillermo Archer (Abanhfleft)                    49.054
35 #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                   49.076
36 #90- Lexie Shelby (Sword Island) *Q*                  49.357
37 #05- Chris Gordon (Sword Island)                      49.383
38 #56- Kelly Monroe (Xanneria) *Q*                      49.581
39 #24- Travis Barkley (Newmanistan)                     49.624
40 #97- Celeste (Yesopalitha)                            49.698
41 #16- Eddie Walters Jr. (Xanneria)                     49.886
42 #08- Bart Wheeler (Northwinds)                        49.928
43 #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia)                        50.114
44 #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)             50.298

Segment 4:

NSSCRA Multiversal Series
 1 #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                       48.200
 2 #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                       48.220
 3 #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)       48.235
 4 #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                   48.236
 5 #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                 48.274
 6 #98- Wilma von Cärinthen (Abanhfleft) *Q*             48.295
 7 #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                  48.296
 8 #03- Maddison Riley-Jones (TJUN-ia) *Q*               48.313
 9 #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)          48.330
10 #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                          48.331
11 #27- Maddie Alexander (Tropicorp)                     48.360
12 #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia)                        48.413
13 #12- Ricky Lee (The Northern Chinese Republic) *Q*    48.458
14 #26- Jenna Logan (Tropicorp)                          48.473
15 #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)                         48.553
16 #05- Chris Gordon (Sword Island)                      48.559
17 #99- Fiona Sunarya (Filindostan)                      48.573
18 #90- Lexie Shelby (Sword Island) *Q*                  48.608
19 #76- Jolyn Maxine Caulfield Ceeta (G6MR) *Q*          48.641
20 #35- Kassie Collins (Sword Island) *Q*                48.705
21 #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                    48.708
22 #70- Gongming Gao (The Northern Chinese Republic)     48.718
23 #60- Rockii Ezis (Filindostan)                        48.728
24 #04- Ryan Pearson (Sword Island)                      48.779
25 #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                         48.797
26 #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)         48.804
27 #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakhilwal (The Sherpa Empire)        48.825
28 #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)        48.851
29 #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (G6MR)              48.870
30 #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan) *Q*                        48.918
31 #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                     49.026
32 #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                    49.084
33 #96- Guillermo Archer (Abanhfleft)                    49.102
34 #16- Eddie Walters Jr. (Xanneria)                     49.165
35 #24- Travis Barkley (Newmanistan)                     49.220
36 #97- Celeste (Yesopalitha)                            49.385
37 #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                         49.462
38 #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)             49.573
39 #56- Kelly Monroe (Xanneria) *Q*                      49.660
40 #08- Bart Wheeler (Northwinds)                        50.146
41 #00- Eiji Ibi (Aji No Moto)                           50.562
42 #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                    50.787 DNF
43 #8- Chris Holmes (Hapilopper)                         50.941 DNF
44 #30- Lexi Patterson (Jebslund) *Q*                    51.049 DNF

Segment 5:

NSSCRA Multiversal Series
 1 #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                     48.206
 2 #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                       48.209
 3 #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)                         48.224
 4 #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)        48.228
 5 #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)          48.250
 6 #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                    48.256
 7 #98- Wilma von Cärinthen (Abanhfleft) *Q*             48.282
 8 #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                       48.292
 9 #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                         48.300
10 #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                   48.310
11 #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia)                        48.346
12 #99- Fiona Sunarya (Filindostan)                      48.421
13 #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakhilwal (The Sherpa Empire)        48.467
14 #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                  48.485
15 #05- Chris Gordon (Sword Island)                      48.523
16 #60- Rockii Ezis (Filindostan)                        48.563
17 #26- Jenna Logan (Tropicorp)                          48.566
18 #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                          48.579
19 #03- Maddison Riley-Jones (TJUN-ia) *Q*               48.600
20 #12- Ricky Lee (The Northern Chinese Republic) *Q*    48.608
21 #27- Maddie Alexander (Tropicorp)                     48.638
22 #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)       48.671
23 #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                         48.692
24 #76- Jolyn Maxine Caulfield Ceeta (G6MR) *Q*          48.699
25 #04- Ryan Pearson (Sword Island)                      48.706
26 #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                    48.735
27 #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                 48.834
28 #35- Kassie Collins (Sword Island) *Q*                48.939
29 #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan) *Q*                        48.961
30 #96- Guillermo Archer (Abanhfleft)                    49.047
31 #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)         49.111
32 #24- Travis Barkley (Newmanistan)                     49.115
33 #56- Kelly Monroe (Xanneria) *Q*                      49.167
34 #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (G6MR)              49.182
35 #90- Lexie Shelby (Sword Island) *Q*                  49.280
36 #97- Celeste (Yesopalitha)                            49.319
37 #00- Eiji Ibi (Aji No Moto)                           49.478
38 #16- Eddie Walters Jr. (Xanneria)                     49.602
39 #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)             49.923
40 #70- Gongming Gao (The Northern Chinese Republic)     50.802 DNF
41 #08- Bart Wheeler (Northwinds)                        50.966 DNF

Race Results:

+-----+----------------------------------------------------+--------+
| Pos |                       Driver                       |  Avg.  |
+-----+----------------------------------------------------+--------+
|   1 | #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)       | 48.290 | WINNER
|   2 | #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                    | 48.313 |
|   3 | #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)                      | 48.366 |
|   4 | #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)              | 48.404 |
|   5 | #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)    | 48.430 |
|   6 | #26- Jenna Logan (Tropicorp)                       | 48.456 |
|   7 | #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                       | 48.470 |
|   8 | #98- Wilma von Cärinthen (Abanhfleft) *Q*          | 48.513 |
|   9 | #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                 | 48.514 |
|  10 | #76- Jolyn Maxine Caulfield Ceeta (G6MR) *Q*       | 48.527 |
|  11 | #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                    | 48.546 |
|  12 | #99- Fiona Sunarya (Filindostan)                   | 48.579 |
|  13 | #27- Maddie Alexander (Tropicorp)                  | 48.585 |
|  14 | #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                | 48.610 |
|  15 | #96- Guillermo Archer (Abanhfleft)                 | 48.618 |
|  16 | #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                  | 48.629 |
|  17 | #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)      | 48.631 |
|  18 | #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan) *Q*                     | 48.666 |
|  19 | #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)     | 48.689 |
|  20 | #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (G6MR)           | 48.690 |
|  21 | #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakhilwal (The Sherpa Empire)     | 48.703 |
|  22 | #60- Rockii Ezis (Filindostan)                     | 48.704 |
|  23 | #12- Ricky Lee (The Northern Chinese Republic) *Q* | 48.705 |
|  24 | #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia)                     | 48.736 |
|  25 | #05- Chris Gordon (Sword Island)                   | 48.753 |
|  26 | #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)               | 48.773 |
|  27 | #03- Maddison Riley-Jones (TJUN-ia) *Q*            | 48.775 |
|  28 | #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                      | 48.793 |
|  29 | #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                 | 48.827 |
|  30 | #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                      | 48.897 |
|  31 | #35- Kassie Collins (Sword Island) *Q*             | 49.015 |
|  32 | #04- Ryan Pearson (Sword Island)                   | 49.017 |
|  33 | #24- Travis Barkley (Newmanistan) *Q*              | 49.170 |
|  34 | #90- Lexie Shelby (Sword Island) *Q*               | 49.188 |
|  35 | #16- Eddie Walters Jr. (Xanneria)                  | 49.411 |
|  36 | #56- Kelly Monroe (Xanneria) *Q*                   | 49.431 |
|  37 | #00- Eiji Ibi (Aji No Moto)                        | 49.441 |
|  38 | #97- Celeste (Yesopalitha)                         | 49.574 |
|  39 | #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)          | 49.782 |
|  40 | #70- Gongming Gao (The Northern Chinese Republic)  | DNF    |
|  41 | #08- Bart Wheeler (Northwinds)                     | DNF    |
|  42 | #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                 | DNF    |
|  43 | #8- Chris Holmes (Hapilopper)                      | DNF    |
|  44 | #30- Lexi Patterson (Jebslund) *Q*                 | DNF    |
|  45 | #17- Gavon Mitchell (Roromania)                    | DNF    |
|  46 | #40- Shigeru Ishikawa (Squidroidia)                | DNF    |
+-----+----------------------------------------------------+--------+

Point Standings (After 7 Races):

+-----+----------------------------------------------------+--------+
| Pos |                       Driver                       | Points |
+-----+----------------------------------------------------+--------+
|   1 | #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)*                |    279 |
|   2 | #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)*     |    274 |
|   3 | #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                    |    268 |
|   4 | #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)              |    258 |
|   5 | #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)*                |    257 |
|   6 | #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                |    254 |
|   7 | #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)*    |    252 |
|   8 | #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                  |    252 |
|   9 | #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                 |    245 |
|  10 | #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)*                     |    243 |
|  11 | #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)*      |    241 |
|  12 | #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                    |    239 |
|  13 | #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)*                     |    237 |
|  14 | #26- Jenna Logan (Tropicorp)                       |    219 |
|  15 | #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakhilwal (The Sherpa Empire)     |    216 |
|  16 | #98- Wilma von Cärinthen (Abanhfleft) *Q*          |    213 |
|  17 | #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)    |    208 |
|  18 | #8- Chris Holmes (Hapilopper)                      |    203 |
|  19 | #99- Fiona Sunarya (Filindostan)                   |    202 |
|  20 | #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                       |    199 |
|  21 | #96- Guillermo Archer (Abanhfleft)                 |    192 |
|  22 | #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)               |    189 |
|  23 | #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia)                     |    180 |
|  24 | #76- Jolyn Maxine Caulfield Ceeta (G6MR) *Q*       |    174 |
|  25 | #27- Maddie Alexander (Tropicorp)                  |    170 |
|  26 | #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (G6MR)           |    162 |
|  27 | #12- Ricky Lee (The Northern Chinese Republic) *Q* |    159 |
|  28 | #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan) *Q*                     |    158 |
|  29 | #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                      |    157 |
|  30 | #03- Maddison Riley-Jones (TJUN-ia) *Q*            |    138 |
|  31 | #60- Rockii Ezis (Filindostan)                     |    118 |
|  32 | #70- Gongming Gao (The Northern Chinese Republic)  |    103 |
|  33 | #16- Eddie Walters Jr. (Xanneria)                  |     98 |
|  34 | #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)          |     69 |
|  35 | #40- Shigeru Ishikawa (Squidroidia)                |     68 |
|  36 | #05- Micheal Rush (Sword Island)                   |     67 |
|  37 | #35- Kassie Collins (Sword Island) *Q*             |     66 |
|  38 | #00- Eiji Ibi (Aji No Moto)                        |     65 |
|  39 | #90- Lexie Shelby (Sword Island) *Q*               |     64 |
|  40 | #97- Celeste (Yesopalitha)                         |     62 |
|  41 | #05- Chris Gordon (Sword Island)                   |     49 |
|  42 | #30- Lexi Patterson (Jebslund) *Q*                 |     43 |
|  43 | #08- Bart Wheeler (Northwinds)                     |     36 |
|  44 | #48- Ashley Matthews (Newmanistan) *Q*             |     31 |
|  45 | #56- Kelly Monroe (Xanneria) *Q*                   |     27 |
|  46 | #19- Lilith (Yesopalitha) *Q*                      |     25 |
|  47 | #17- Gavon Mitchell (Roromania)                    |     22 |
|  48 | #29- Velorina (Yesopalitha)                        |     17 |
|  49 | #04- Ryan Pearson (Sword Island)                   |     15 |
|  50 | #25- Jessica Franssen (Vangaziland)                |     14 |
|  51 | #23- David Clarke (Abanhfleft)                     |     14 |
|  52 | #24- Travis Barkley (Newmanistan) *Q*              |     14 |
|  53 | #69- Max Gannon (Saint Kanye)                      |     12 |
|  54 | #71- Rusty Ibuna (Filindostan                      |     12 |
|  55 | #1- Vanda Rosa Cordeiro Kerman (Jebslund) *Q*      |     11 |
|  56 | #50- Katarzyna Mor (Abanhfleft)                    |     10 |
|  57 | #42- Euroli Islander (Tropicorp)                   |      9 |
|  58 | #32- Kalden Tso (The Sherpa Empire)                |      8 |
|  59 | #85- Koshiro Kawai (Abanhfleft)                    |      7 |
|  60 | #09- Chiemi Hino (Aji No Moto)                     |      6 |
|  61 | #59- Derek Harwood (Newmanistan)                   |      1 |
+-----+----------------------------------------------------+--------+

Next Races:
Multiversal- (Aug 7/8)- Tropicorp 500, Tropicoast Beach Course, Tropicorp (Superspeedway)
EverLong- (Aug 7)- Cocoabo Preservation 300K, Cocoabo Park Circuit, Cocoabo Park, Cocoabo Forest (Road Course)

[Saint Kanye]

Brisbane International Raceway, Brisbane, Sword Island
The Brisbane 200

"07 outside, still there, still there.... clear. 44 outside...."

After such a convoluted qualifying procedure, Jeremiah Brooke found himself near the rear of the field for the Brisbane 200. He was able to climb back, though slowly, and is now hovering in the top ten as the race reached its midway point. However, little did the ninth season champ know that his troubles on that day were far from over.

"44 clear. Hey, what's going on, my man?" spotter Raymond Goldfarb asked on the radio as Jeremiah seemed to drive erratically.

"Think my brakes are failing, Ray."

"Can you make your way over here?" asked crew chief Ben Warwick.

"I'll try my best, it seems to be getting worse though."

"Copy that," Raymond said. "Lapped car coming up, number 8, Chris Holmes."

"Uh, guys...."

"8 inside, still there......"

"Guys, I think.... GAH!"



Jeremiah's #18 Chadwick collided with Chris' #8 Preston, causing both cars to slide along the track before hitting the wall and damaging them further. Neither driver seemed to be hurt badly, but they would still be unable to make it back to the race given the state of their vehicles.

After the crash, Jeremiah climbed out of his car (or what's left of it), helmet in hand, and rushed over to Chris. To the uninformed observer, it looks as if he was about to beat Chris up with his fists or the helmet, or maybe throw it or some choice cuss words at him. But those who recognized Jeremiah as one of the nicest drivers in the NSSCRA knew that he was just going to apologize to his Hapiloppian counterpart. "Chris, listen, I'm - I'm so, so sorry for what happened. I - I lost my brakes out there, you know? Dude, forgive me, please, neither of us wanted it to happen. I'm sorry. Dude..." Jeremiah and Chris would later be classified 42nd and 43rd out of 46, respectively, the former also recording his first DNF since the season-ending crash four seasons ago in Brycline Harbor, Xanneria, as well as falling from the lead down to fifth in the points standings.

The other two Kanyeans had much better runs, Thea Alvarez narrowly missing out on a top ten and Sage Caldwell on a victory. But we'll be getting to them later.

[Hapilopper]

Brisbane International Raceway, Sword Island
The Brisbane 200
“Outside, 18 closing quick…”

The calm voice of Sharp-Eyes Glover was letting Chris Holmes know that Jeremiah Brooke was closing in on him, prepared to make a move. Chris moved his left foot over to hit the brakes. He’d give Brooke the line, and all would be well.

“Outside, outside, oh SHIT!”

Chris had been speared by Brooke, and the two went off the track. As the two smashed into a barrier, crew chief Lawrence Malloy fired off some brutal profanities, some of whom are actually a little too much for this medium.

“That fucking Jeremiah, that (expletive) (expletive)… you OK, Holmes?”

“I’m fine,” Chris said calmly. “Doubt that was intentional, he doesn’t race that way.”

Chris took off his helmet and climbed from his heavily damaged Super Skychief, to find Brooke coming his way. Chris wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but figured he’d stay there to see if all was cool. Almost immediately, he realized all was cool.

“Chris, listen, I'm - I'm so, so sorry for what happened,” Brooke said. “I - I lost my brakes out there, you know? Dude, forgive me, please, neither of us wanted it to happen. I'm sorry. Dude...”

“DUDE. Shit happens,” Chris said. “You’re good. I get it. Stevenson lost his brakes in Kermania. All is well, man. Don’t worry about it.”

And Chris walked off, looking a tiny bit perturbed but waving to the fans as he walked back to the pits. The Team Blue crew, meanwhile, was breathing a huge sigh of relief that nothing was going on. If this wasn’t a sign that Chris had turned the corner from his younger, less mature days, nothing was.

Meanwhile, while Chris was walking back to the pits, our friends from HTN, in a commercial break, were reviewing the radio chatter from the Holmes channel.
Michael Bowers, David Daly, and TV actor Scott Church, who had just been hired that week to join the NSSCRA announce team, were in hysterics at the chatter.

“That wasn’t Jeremiah Brooke’s team,” Daly said of the ultra-profane chatter.

“Naw, that was someone in Holmes’ pit,” Church replied.

“Well, it was good anyway,” Bowers said, chuckling.

“It was Larry Malloy with the expletives deleted,” replied Jeff Van Houten, HTN pit reporter. “I was standing right there.”

Church, meanwhile, couldn’t stop laughing at the spotter call.

“It’s the two words you never want to hear your spotter say: OH SHIT!” Church said, cracking up.
(OOC: More to come later. I had sudden inspiration.)

[Xanneria]

Kelly Monroe was in the Tropicorp area a few days after the Sword Island race for a test. She was hungry.

Her race at Sword Island didn't go well, she made the race which was nice, but again she had issues in the race that dropped her down. Mainly the issue once again being Northwinds driver Bart Wheeler. Wheelers car once again was smoking and on the track in front of her causing an incident between her and Qai Kiang. A month or so ago he had smoke coming from his car due a collapsed suspension, this time it was mechanical, and Monroe the unlucky driver behind him. She spun off and beached the car in the gravel outside the turn.

Motherfucking Bart smoking again! I swear something is not right with that team, like more than a typical team!

It didn't help a couple of weeks later Bart and her got together in the Sherpa Empire, When Bart pulled out of the pits right in front of her causing her to crash to avoid him. This lead the team to go to a backup car and she failed to qualify in said car when her primary car would have made the show.

so here she was at some Troipcorp restaurant just down the street from the racing facility, snacking on a Cocoa-Bo shake when another driver came in. It was Bart!

This annoyed Kelly. She hadn't had a fracas with Bart during this test session, but her mood was soured cause the car suffered overheating issue even with precautions taken. She was one small blemish away fr snapping and Bart's face didn't help. So she took maters in her own hand

Bart you motherfucker! I want you out of my life, look at your driver suit, you look the end result of a dog eating the Newmanistani flag!

Suddenly a Cocoa-Bo shake went flying through the air and SPLAT right on Bart's driver suit! Suddenly a food fight of Coco proportions was on and by the end of the day it took 4 hours for the diner operators to clean up the facility....

[TJUN-ia]

This blog was written by Derrick Carlisle, Jaguar Racing's Social Media Manager

After Qualifying on Saturday brought the chaos and the confusion, Sunday's Brisbane 200 here in Sword Island was set to be very interesting to most of the watching world. For Jaguar Racing and others like us, our drivers were mixed around the field and Harpa Gylfisdóttir (@IsfruinJR) was looking to try and get as many points as she could in a race she felt would produce similar chaos to the qualifying. How right she would be, it seems...

From our perspective, our 3 drivers didn't really take advantage of the situation and were considered victims of the chaos once the flag fell at the end. They were all up there at certain points in the race but some issues and mistakes led to where they would finish overall: Michael Stefan (@Stefan07) converting 29th to 30th, Maddison Riley-Jones (@MaddyRJ03) going from 20th to 27th while Alfonso Mercado (@AM64) suffered the worst drop, going from 6th to 24th despite being up there for most of the race. Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton won this one over Sage Caldwell and Dinggu Wang but the main story would be the 7 retirements. While losing poor Gongming Gao was sad, the big moment was the accidental coming together between Jeremiah Brooke and Chris Holmes, causing both drivers to retire. Thankfully, both realised it was an accident and move on...which cannot be said for Holmes' crew chief, Larry Malone, who instantly expressed his anger at a man who hasn't put a foot wrong in his racing career. So I'm sorry Larry, but as a wise man once said, YOU JUST MADE THE LIST!

Round 8 is upon us now, the official halfway point of the regular season, and we head back to a region that has certainly given us pure joy and drama in the past: Tropicorp. The famous Cocoabo Park Circuit in Cocaobo Forest hosts the Cocoabo Preservation 300k in the Contenders while the Cup Series returns to Tropicoast for the Tropicorp, where Stefan booked his spot in last season's chase last time out. With #07 already in this time around, who will rise to the occasion and dance to victory on the sand? Only time will tell...

---

Current MCS Standings: #07 - 10th (243pts/1 Win)/#64 - 23rd (180pts)/#03 - 30th (138pts)
Current ECS Standings: #97 - 17th (126pts)/#96 - 9th (157pts)
Next MCS Race: Tropicorp 500, Tropicoast Beach Course, Tropicorp
Next ECS Race: Cocoabo Preservation 300K, Cocoabo Park Circuit, Cocoabo Park, Cocoabo Forest
Music of the Round: Duran Duran - Rio (MTG/OKI)

MemeWatch
1) "Mr Hapilopper" Drake Stevenson (#81) - For inciting war because of a dead bird Margaret gave him...twice!
2) "The Yak Whisperer" Chris Holmes (#8) - For attempting to control a Tibetan Yak...
3) "King of the Yaks" Tyler Linde (New Northwesteros, former NSSCRA driver) - For giving thyself such a lowly title.
4) "The Race of Chaos" PTCCU Auto Loans 300 (Cup Round 6) - For giving us double-digit retirements.
5) "Confusing Mess" Brisbane 200 Qualifying (Cup Round 7) - For changing the format with little warning...to something confusing!
6) "I Think Brooke Hit Us" Lawrence "Larry" Malloy (#8 Crew Chief) - For even thinking Brooke would crash into someone intentionally.

Updated Every Sunday Night

[Garden at 6th Mile Road]

The Gardeners – Race 6 - Main Series: PTCCU Auto Loans 300, Oxyrhynchus-Ring, Oxyrhynchus, Fhulghamous Peninsula Colony, Abanhfleft (Short Track) // Everlong: BDEnergy 400, Selid Oval, Selid, Myleikaf Province, Abanhfleft (Superspeedway)

With the race relatively going well for the Gardeners - with Holly and Jolyn taking the "square" placements of 25th and 16th respectively, they celebrated it a little with some drinks for the night, at least after they were done with the autographs. For the first time, the Valentians decided that they would like to set up shop in the Oxyrhynchus-Ring (with Valentijn and Marcus coming over) to host a huge autograph session for all of the drivers. Most of them were normal signings on the paper, or maybe on the cap, or small diecast cars of themselves. That much was more or less normal. Then the weirder things came in, the Valentians thought to themselves. Fans asked them to sign copies of games, other apparels, chibi figures, and the like. Holly found herself signing a few leaves, which she switched to a permanent marker in order to not tear onto said leaves. "Well, I am quite flattered, thank you very much!" she waved gleefully at her fans, both young and old. She made it special for that little girl that came across her a few races back in a garage, "For you, my dearest little one. May your innocent and happiness be the source of brightness that everyone needs. With Love, Holly Starlight ♥" As it was finished signing, Holly gave it to the girl, to which the latter hopped along happily once again. Jolyn, on the other hand, was doing a relatively normal signing of her own, though she admitted, "It would be nice if I don't have to sign another Spy Gadget box again," referencing the boatload of gadget boxes and toys that she had to sign so far for the fans. As she was about to finish up, she came across a familiar face, one that she was not expecting at all. The boy in question - a 3rd grader - could not button up his laughter, as he handed over a small stack of stapled worksheets for Jolyn to sign.

"T- Timothy?" Jolyn asked, puzzled but amused and chuckling to herself as she took a look at what it was all about, "This is your Humanities homework! Ahaha, thanks, really! Wait, was it only you?"

"Ehh... nah, got a few behind, you see?" Timothy motioned to the rows of kids behind, all whom Jolyn recognized, "Mr. Derrick told us that he would be taking us over to you! The teachers heard that you were doing an autograph session!"

"Haha, what a nice little surprise!" Jolyn was gleeing and grinning, the lethargy from the race melting away from her face, "You know, it's very nice to see you guys too! And to you too, Mr. Derrick, that must have cost a lot! I will take you guys later to dinner - my treat!"

A large hurrah from the kids emerged, as they then dispersed quickly back into Jolyn's garage - as they were told to wait - while Jolyn wrapped up and packed her things into the dropship.

[Valentine Z]

The Valentians – Race 7 – Main Series: Brisbane 200, Brisbane International Raceway, Sword Island (Road Course) // Everlong: Brisbane 125, Brisbane International Raceway, Sword Island (Road Course)

At first, the Valentians took quite a while to get the qualification results explained to them. It was not the normal qualifications that they were expecting, but were also thankfully not such a huge departure that they would lose it. They took notes, they asked the NSSCRA officials, they even asked a few owners and staff around the track to make sure that they understood what they are going up against. Still, at the end of the day, as long as they got the qualifications, that is all that matters to them, especially for Jolyn who is still fighting with others in open qualifications, but so far has not been disqualified. "Let's.. not jinx that," she said to herself, aloof of her qualification results, still reserved in order to not celebrate too quickly on what is to come ahead, "You will never know what kind of things and turns of luck can happen in a place like this!" The Main Series Valentians went back to their garages, watching Valentijn and Marcus race it up on that day with both the qualifications and the race at the same time. If Valentijn and Marcus can tell their experience in full details - as they always do - then the Main Series Valentians can then learn from their experience. "Don't try to turn too quickly, and always give yourself and others room. You don't want to hit the others on the narrows. Valentijn and I were careful - maybe a little too careful."

On this very day, a piece of history was made for the Valentians - the Everlong Valentians consisting of Valentijn and Marcus could have used some improvement, ending up at 19th and 21st, but they are still together. The Gardeners also did well, with Jolyn ending up at 10th for the first time since a long time ago in her NSSCRA career. Anastasia finished decently at 17th, and Clarissa at 5th. So, where did the piece of history part come into play? One Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton, of her #31, of course. Getting the best qualification results among the Valentians, she then made an effort and ensured that no one was going to take it away from her, constantly maintaining a Top 10 place at any point in time, even after the pit stops. Her worst performance came at the 4th segment where she ended up at 9th, but other than that, she was giving the other drivers a run for their money with her bright blue and green car. "It is time to push it to the limit, ahaha! Either that, or just do my best, really. I mean, come on, I am Gwen Tracer Allison, I have to do this!" she thought to herself, wishing the other Valentians all the best on the radio as she roared off from her 4th position. For most of the race, she did extremely well as aforementioned, avoiding stunts and any other hazards that she could see. At least this was not a short track and instead 200 laps around a road course, so she was more or less able to handle that aspect of it. Passing drivers to the left, to the right, and even with her pit stop, she would make her way back as soon as she was done. "Very nice, guys!" she exclaimed happily.

Other than her own performance and the fast pit crew, all sorts of other help came in the way of Valentians and Gardeners pooling their efforts. On the second segment, a miracle happened - it only lasted a while, but still, a miracle is a miracle. As they roared around the tracks, they were able to turn and drive in the best and most efficient ways possible that they were closely packed together - Gwen leading the pack at 5th, Jolyn at 7th, Clarissa at 8th, Holly at 9th, and then Anastasia at 11th. Had the Valentians keep this up for way longer and perhaps even for the entirety of the rest of the race, they really could have finished strong and land in the Top 10 for the all of them. "Way to go, girls! We are tightly and nicely packed now!" Gwen exclaimed on the radio again, cheering up the others as she lead and ensured that the others were getting the streamline that they needed. Of course, just like miracles and both good and bad times, they do have to end at one point, and that was exactly what happened when they have to go for pit stops at different times - they simply could not risk staying together as some have just pitted while others would not survive another lap. "Well, it has been fun, and hey, we should do this again!" Clarissa said to both the main team and the Gardeners, "Maybe we can catch up again some time on the course again!"

Before that happened again, albeit on the lower positions, Gwen had some problem that she nearly got into. As the last half of the race approaches, Gwen was in front of Chris and Jeremiah, with a comfortable distance in front of them. Jeremiah's #18 Chadwick collided with Chris' #8 Preston, causing both cars to slide along the track before hitting the wall and damaging them further. Neither driver seemed to be hurt badly, but they would still be unable to make it back to the race given the state of their vehicles. "Oh, CRAP!" she exclaimed, slowing down time to 0.10x of a second in order to get more time to react as to where to go. Should she go left, or right? Slam into the wall, or risk spinning into the grass patch? Making her decision very quickly in that slowed-down moment, watching the slow-motion of the wreck in front of her with sparks and debris flying around, she made a hard left, drifted and controlled the movements of her car. "Oh shoot, oh shoot, oh shit!" she said repeatedly on the radio, with the pit crew and her crew chief clattering their teeth and hoping that Gwen would not join Jeremiah and Chris in the wreck. More tedious seconds have passed, and then out came Gwen's #31 - clean and relatively unscathed. "Oh dear, are they all right?" Gwen asked, happy that she made it out but concerned about her friends. "Yeah, they seemed fine. They are not injured, but I don't think they are getting back to the race," her crew chief told her, "Nicely done, Gwen, that was a close one." And then soon after, the Valentians got way behind, perhaps either distracted by the crashes, or the pit stops getting the better of them. 22nd for Clarissa, 24th for Jolyn, 31st for Anastasia, and 34th for Holly. With a large gap between these two groups of two, the Valentians went ahead with the plan to bump-draft and streamline with one another. Clarissa-Jolyn and Anastasia-Holly raced together, trying to catch up back to Gwen. "Don't worry about us! We will be fine! Go win that race, haha!" Clarissa cheered up Gwen on the radio.

As the final lap approaches, the rest of the Valentians have reached quite an equilibrium - a mix of good, decent, and manageable. They might not be winning this race, but at least they are getting the points that they need. As for Gwen, she was on a mission to score for this race. "I have not yet been winning since the last season, this one is certainly going to be different!" she thought to herself, making sure that she was fending off the other drivers that were approaching her. As she hit the finish line, it was all over - she won. "I won? GASP, yes, I won! Woo-hoo!" As she got out of her car, she was greeted by a barrage of reporters, fans, journalists, and many alike. The crowd was not as big, seeing how people were a bit more focused on the crash between Jeremiah and Chris, but for the time being, the stage is hers to celebrate on. After a bit of crowdsurfing and taking more photos, she then ran up to the podium to join Sage Caldwell and Dinggu Wang as she raised her trophy up high, along with the champagne that she finally get to taste from her victory. "Ahh, tastes like... victory," she thought in her head, as her slogan was flashed around the scoreboards and TVs for people to see - Always bet on the Fate. "Damn right," she said to herself, shaking the hands of Sage and Dinggu as she slowly make her way back to the garage and to the lounge to celebrate with the Valentians. "That was amazing! You did awesome today!" Clarissa exclaimed, offering a high-five to which Gwen gladly gave back, followed by a down-low and no too-slow, because Gwen wasn't slow. "I do feel great about the race today!" Gwen replied back in return to the rest of the people around her, "But you know, I just hope that Chris and Jeremiah are fine. I think they might need a bit of time... I am thinking of giving them flowers and chocolates later!" It's not so much of a Valentian offering an apology when it is not needed, nor was it pandering - for a Valentian, it's to make someone go through their hard times a little softer, especially with DNFs.

And that day, Gwen celebrates with more interactions with her fans.

[Hapilopper]

Tropicoast Beach, Tropicorp
Before qualifying for the Tropicorp 500
Racing on the Tropicoast Beach was always one of Drake Stevenson’s favorite weekends. Not just for the uniqueness of the race, running two miles up the Tropicorp Motorway, then hitting a sandy hairpin turn before heading two miles the other way down Tropicoast Beach, before hitting another hairpin turn for the Tropicorp Motorway. As a result, teams likely had to make different, unique compromises with their car setups that they wouldn’t have to make at any other race on the calendar. But Drake wasn’t thinking about that at that time.

He was thinking about his future. His little brother, Ernie, had just announced his time playing for a Hapiloppian national football team, had come to an end following one of the most incredible football matches he had ever seen, a match against eventual AOCAF champions Banija, a match that would still be going on right now had Ernie not flubbed a penalty kick. But Ernie felt his time had come, and it was time to do something else with his life. For starters, Ernie’s wife, Wendy, was pregnant with twins, and Ernie felt he needed to be grounded somewhere to help take care of his two new children.

Drake was walking down the beach, smoking a cigarette, when he spotted his little brother rushing his way. Ernie took one look at the cigarette in Drake’s mouth and cast a look of disapproval.

“Hey bunghole,” Ernie called out to his brother. “You’re not gonna look at good as I do if you keep puffing those death sticks.”

“As good as you? Oh, PLEASE!” Drake cried. “Everyone knows nobody looks as good as me. What brings you here, Ern?”

“Figured I wanted to take a break from everything and watch you guys go racing,” Ernie said. “I see you guys on TV all the time, but I don’t really get the chance to go out to a race, so yeah, I’ve missed this.”

“Glad you’re here,” Drake said with a smile. “So, I’m curious, you know what your kids will be?”

“Not yet,” Ernie said. “Wendy and I want to have a gender reveal party as soon as we find out. We’ll have it in Hap City, too, so we can invite all of our friends, rather than bring them to Nephara. I figure we’ll do something good for y’all.”

Drake shuddered. The idea of a gender reveal party was nothing short of horrifying. In fact, just days before, a family in East Hampton accidentally bombed a city block when they were trying to announce the gender of their child. The incident cost a few people their lives and raised serious questions over the safety of gender reveal parties, which, in Hapilopper, had an unfortunate reputation for leading to bloodshed, hurt feelings and bad reputations.

“Are you sure you want to do a gender reveal party, Ern?” Drake asked.

“It was Wendy’s idea,” Ernie explained. “She wants to do something where I kick a soccer ball into a net. She wants to invite Nate and Cooter for that added flair.”

“Wait a god damn minute, bro,” Drake interrupted. “Wendy wants to invite NATHAN ELLIS to a gender reveal party? Is she out of her fucking mind? Does she want to kill people?”

“Watch it, Drake,” Ernie shot back. “She’s still my wife.”

“Yeah, but, Nathan Ellis,” Drake explained. “Does she know about his reputation? I mean, it’s a miracle he hasn’t already killed someone. Holy shit. Ask her to think this one through.”

“I’ll try, but she’s pretty dead set on it.”

The two walked back to the Team Blue Center together, where they found Marty Lewis talking to the other Team Blue drivers and Rudy Edwards, Hapilopper’s Grand Prix driver. The other Team Blue drivers were shaking their heads at something Marty was talking about.

“Drake, I’m glad you’re here. Hey, during HapEx, we’re going to be introducing a new racing series next year,” Marty said. “It’s an entry level series, the cars are powered by one of our entry level engines, and the whole package costs $2,000. Here’s a data sheet about it.”

Drake took the data sheet, took a look at the title of the series and looked at Marty like he had two heads.

“Uh, Marty, have you thought this name through?” Drake asked.

“Wasn’t my idea, Stevenson,” Marty explained, exasperated. “The bean counters at Preston Autos insisted on the name. Please focus on the rest of the data sheet.”

“Nobody’s gonna pay attention to the data sheet!” Drake argued. “They’re gonna look at this name, and they’re all gonna laugh at you!”

“What’s the name?” Ernie asked.

Drake showed him the title at the top of the data sheet without saying a word. Ernie looked it and started cracking up.

“Don’t say a god damn word about this outside of here, bro,” Drake said.

[The Sherpa Empire]

After being brilliant in qualifying -- or at least marginally less stumped by the format than some other people -- Tsering Chu and Rinzi Zakhilwal started the Brisbane 200 by clumsily bumping each other. Rinzi was planning to fall in behind Tsering and draft together, but due to a breakdown of communications, Tsering thought he was trying to pass her and moved to block him. It wasn't enough to do any significant damage, but it set the tone for the race as they both flubbed their way to mid-pack finishes.

Qiang started 18th, but stayed out of trouble and worked his way up to 9th.

After the race, Rinzi went to congratulate Gwen on her win. Qiang and Tsering stopped by to talk to Jeremiah Brooke to make sure he was all right, then Qiang and Mr. Chu took the girls to a nearby park while Tsering caught up on some administrative stuff between her team and Yulha Sherpa College.

Kami ran around the park terrorizing birds, other people and their dogs, etc. It was all they could do to keep her from getting hurt. Mr. Chu said it was just because of her age, but Qiang was convinced she took after Mendok. "Sima isn't like her," Qiang argued, as evidence that it was not just a matter of age. Sima was standing next to Qiang, studying the grass around their feet. Her attention was drawn to a grasshopper. It was not exactly the same kind that they had in Guilin, but it still looked like a grasshopper.

"No two are the same, but kids that age are still -- whew!" Mr. Chu said.

Kami ran off again to scare a bird. Qiang thought it was a grackle, but he wasn't really an expert on birds.

[Abanhfleft]

“So he made contact with you, huh?” Rustam Yudin asked Pyotr Lavrentiev on their chat app. “I do wonder why it took him so long to talk to us again.”

Pyotr then explained to Rustam his thoughts about the situation, in particular the fact that it seemed a bit too coincidental that Taras Lakrov, their old Motorsports Ceroat teammate, would make contact with the two of them after Lav had mentioned Lakrov after the former’s victory at the BDEnergy 400. Lav also mentioned that there was a possibility that whoever sent the two of them the email with the picture of the Ceroatian trio was just a prankster looking to pull a quick one on the two of them. Rustam admitted that the thought hadn’t crossed his mind because he was just so surprised and excited to see that Taras Lakrov might be alive somewhere, but now that Lav had planted the seed of doubt, Rustam was powerless to stop it from growing. Indeed, how can he find out if the person who had sent them the emails was actually Taras and not just some prankster who also happened to be a NSSCRA fan?

The fact that neither Rustam nor Pyotr received a reply to Lav’s email for the two weeks in between Selid and Brisbane seemed to have proven Lav’s theory correct, but despite his own doubts, Rustam still held out a little bit of hope. The one who sent them the emails back in Selid may have been a prankster, but Rustam still believed that Taras Lakrov was out there somewhere, perhaps just biding his time before making a grand reappearance before the whole of NSSCRA and not just to his two former teammates.

After Lav made the short trip from his garage to the garages of Rustam and Agata Kosaryova to celebrate the latter two achieving a double podium at the Everlong Series race in Brisbane, Rustam pulled Lav aside and asked him, “Still nothing from Taras?”

Lav shook his head. "Damn," Rustam muttered. "I really thought that could have been him," he said. "Oh, well. At least we learned our lesson this time, right?"

However, there would be at least one more twist to this particular tale. Just when both Ceroatian drivers had seemingly accepted that the email from “Taras” was nothing more than a joke (and a cruel one at that given that they were talking about someone whose fate no one really knows at the moment), another one arrived at their respective inboxes the night before they left Brisbane for the next round of NSSCRA races.

Sorry it took me so long to reply, my friends. I had lots to deal with back home. And I understand your caution, Pyotr. I wouldn’t trust myself if I were in your shoes. But a lot of things have happened to me this past year, friends, and I can’t hope to tell you all everything in just one email. Just know that I took part in the military campaign against the warlords and let me explain everything later, when we meet. I also sent you both a picture of me now, so don’t be surprised if you see anything different. Like I said, I will explain everything when we see each other again. Hopefully that will be soon. TL.

There was indeed a picture attached with this new email, showing a man with a square face and short black hair and stubble. But the most striking feature of the man in the picture was the eyepatch over his left eye. To Rustam, it was indeed Taras Lakrov, returned from the shadows of his mysterious disappearance after Season 9 of NSSCRA. But why did he have an eyepatch now? Was it related to his disappearance, or perhaps his service in the campaign to remove the warlords and reunite Ceroat? Rustam wanted to ask Taras all these questions and so many more, but Taras did promise to tell them everything once the three of them met up once again. But when was that going to be? And was it strange that Rustam felt that he could hardly wait to see his friend and old teammate again? Of course not. He also couldn’t wait to find out what had happened in Ceroat a year after the Pridnestrovian military assisted the Movement for a United Ceroat in their aim to restore order and unity to their homeland. Taras surely must have a lot of stories to tell him and Lav.

---

“That was hella confusing,” Wilma von Cärinthen muttered as the final part of the convoluted qualifying session introduced by the organizers of the Brisbane 200 finally ended. “I think I need a drink.”

“Whatever you’re drinking, I’m in,” Guillermo Archer chimed in. “Beer, scotch, vodka, what?

“I was thinking more along the lines of an ice cold Nanchang,” Wilma said.

Gil seemed to deliberate on this for a moment before he shook his head and said, “Fuck it, I’m still in. Hey, can someone ask Wang if he wants in on an ice cold Nanchang?” he called out. A few minutes later, a reply in the negative came. “Well, Wilhelmina, looks like the two of us are going on a date,” Gil quipped.

This time, it was Wilma’s turn to shrug. “I’ve had worse,” she said.

Thirty minutes later, Gil and Wilma were inside UrGa's mobile headquarters, both clutching a bottle of Nanchang Beer each. Neither driver was really in the mood to interact with their fans at that moment; there was plenty more time to do that later. Right now, all they really wanted to do was to drink a beer and cool down. “Crazy session and a half that was, huh?” Gil asked as he and Wilma sat down in the team lounge.

Wilma groaned. "Can we please not talk about quali right now?" she asked. "The reason why I wanted to have a beer was because I wanted to forget all about quali."

"All right then," Gil nodded. He took a sip of beer and then asked, "So, did Koshiro finally talk to you again?"

Wilma snorted again. "Can we talk about anything else apart from that too?"

"Come on," Gil said. "Is everything I'm gonna say gonna lead to a no-go zone for you right now?"

"No, no," Wilma quickly apologized. "It's just that… I don't know if I actually want to talk or if I just want to sit here and drink."

"All right, that's fair enough," Gil muttered, and then the two of them drank their beers in silence for a few minutes. And then, just as Gil drank the last drop from his bottle and he was preparing to get up and get back to work setting up his car for the race tomorrow, Wilma suddenly spoke up and said, "I was just trying to make a joke! He didn't have to throw a goddamn hissy fit about it and stop talking to me like we're fucking toddlers again!"

Gil sat up straighter in his seat and then leaned forward. "Look, Willie, all I can say is that I don't know what the heck you said to Koshiro back in Sankyoku," Gil said. "I walked over to Stevenson to get some of his birds as soon as you guys got talking so I don't know a single thing that you said to him. What did you say to him?"

"I just said that he was trying to get a feel for a stock car to help Duisburg with the Ascension," Wilma replied.

Gil sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Well, there's your problem," he said.

"Oh, really?" Wilma asked skeptically. "Is that really why you think Koshiro is acting like I don't exist?"

"Well, I don't know," Gil shrugged. "How jokey were you about the Duisburg thing?"

"Like I said, I was just joking around," Wilma repeated herself. "You know, wink-wink, nudge-nudge, that kind of stuff."

"You ever stopped to think that maybe Koshiro-san is doing this for real and that Duisburg may have had nothing to do at all with him going out to Ramba and Sankyoku?" Gil asked.

"I already told you, I was just joking!" Wilma insisted.

"So you've said," Gil retorted. "I heard you the first hundred times you've said that, you know. "You ever thought that maybe sometimes some guys just aren't in the mood for a joke?"

"He was always up for a joke, Koshiro," Wilma replied weakly. "But not in Sankyoku. You think there's anything I can do to get him to talk to me again?"

"What are you asking me that for?" Gil said. "You're the one who's close to the guy! The two of us are just friends in the professional sense. He doesn't invite me to his parties, I don't invite him to my parties. In fact, you know what? I don't know why I haven't asked you yet about how to get closer to the guy!"

Gil and Wilma then didn't say anything for a few minutes afterwards, and the silence was only periodically broken by the clinking of their now-empty bottles of Nanchang Beer. And then, suddenly, Wilma started laughing. "What's so funny now, huh?" Gil asked her.

"Nothing, just this whole thing that we had going a little while ago," Wilma managed to reply once she had calmed down. "You know, me asking you if I did something wrong with Koshiro and you telling me I should read the room better or something like that."

"Yeah? And what's so funny about that?" Gil asked again.

"Just this feeling I have that things should be the other way around," Wilma replied. "Like, I should be the one telling you that you should learn how to read people better or something like that."

"Well, you did always say that we need to switch up on the gender roles and stereotypes and whatnot," Gil muttered. This earned him another round of laughter from Wilma.

"That's a gross oversimplification of some of the statements that I've made," she said once her laughter had subsided. "But… nah. You wouldn't get it." And then another period of silence descended upon them, and once again it was Wilma who would break it. "Hey, Guillermo, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, why not?" Gil replied. He sat up straight once again as he picked up on Wilma's use of his full first name. To him, it meant that what was coming next was an absolutely serious question.

"Have you ever thought about what you're going to do after racing?" Wilma asked.

"Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?" Gil asked in reply.

"I don't know," Wilma shrugged. "Something I might have overheard from Wang's crew. You ever thought about what you're gonna do after you're done driving around in circles?"

"You know, I have given it some thought," Gil admitted. "And it's basically just me sitting back at home relaxing. I've already won ARTS twice. I've won the owners' championship with Brandon Manalastas, I've won at Olistan and Selid and the Autodromo. Hopefully I get to win NSSCRA at least once before I finally decide to kick back, but you never know. What I do know is that I'll still be there when William becomes the next WGPC champion and Paigey finally decides if she wants to follow William's footsteps or mine." Paige Archer was William's second daughter and second youngest child.

"Really?" Wilma asked. "Paige wants to become a racer too?"

"Yep," Gil nodded. "Right now she's absolutely hooked on karts and likes watching William drive on his sim rig. But last month Paigey was asking me all sorts of questions about trucks and cars and Tundra Falls and whatnot. The kid wants to race, of that there is absolutely no doubt. But whether she wants to go stock cars or GP racing, well, on that she's undecided just yet."

"Interesting," Wilma nodded.

"Well, since you asked me about it, I think it's only fair that I asked you back," Gil said. "Have you thought about what you're going to do once you're done racing?"

"Yeah, that's the reason why I asked you," Wilma admitted. "I haven't really thought about it. And it's because I don't know what I want to do afterwards. Sure, I've got all these causes that I'm fighting for, but surely I won't have to keep fighting for them all my life, do I? Surely everyone's gonna have to agree that everything I've been fighting for has been a good cause."

"Well, I think it's safe to say that nobody can doubt your conviction in your beliefs," Gil said.

"I've also been thinking about quitting ARTS," Wilma suddenly blurted out.

Now that was something that Gil wasn't expecting to hear. "Say what now?"

"I've been thinking about quitting ARTS and maybe focusing full-time on NSSCRA," Wilma said. "Not that I think that I'll actually go forward with it. At least not yet. But what I'm trying to say is that the thought has crossed my mind. I'm not really sure if I'm gonna go ahead with it or not, but the thought is already there."

"Geez," Gil muttered. "If I had known that these were the things running around in your mind right now then I'd have gotten something stronger than this piss water," he said as he raised his empty bottle of Nanchang.

"I'm not saying that I'm leaving ARTS now, doofus," Wilma said. "All I'm saying is that I've thought about maybe doing it. Sometime in the future, I mean. The far future."

"But you can't leave ARTS! Not now, at least," Gil said. "Not when you're literally one of the faces of the whole thing. You're literally the girl that made ARTS famous nationwide! Without you, do you really think the rest of the country will care about a bunch of people who seemingly don't have the ability to turn right? You think there would be enough interest to get us as a nation into NSSCRA without you?"

"Goddamn it, Archer," Wilma exclaimed. "All I ever said was that I entertained the possibility of leaving. I mean, look at us! We had to miss the first two races of the season because of NSSCRA! Face it, man. Neither of us is gonna win another championship back home if we have to actually divide our time between NSSCRA and ARTS. Sure, each of us can grab a win that gets us into the Chase but we won't have as many points as the rest of the field that only do ARTS. That already happened in 2029. Is that really how you want the next years of ARTS to go for you?"

"But it's ARTS!" Gil said. "It's the series that launched both our careers! And it won't just feel like the same ARTS anymore without you, if it ever happens. It just wouldn't."

"Like I said, I was just thinking about the possibility," Wilma repeated herself. "It hasn't happened yet. And there might be a chance that it won't happen ever."

"Well, I don't wanna think about such a possibility anymore," Gil replied. "I'm telling you, Wilma. ARTS will not be ARTS anymore without you."

"How comforting," Wilma muttered without a hint of comfort at all.

[Tropicorp]

NSSCRA 11 | Round 8 Preview: Tropicoast Beach Course

Tropicorp 500, Tropicoast Beach Course, Tropicoast, Tropicorp

Tropicoast Beach Course :: Information

About the Track:

Track Location: Tropicoast, Tropicorp, Atlantian Oceania
Track Record: 107.561s ( Anavella Ariiki, NSSCRA 8 )
Track Lap Length: 4.1 Mile

The race begins on the Tropicorp Motorway; an access road that runs along the coast connecting different primary areas of the Tropicorp campus, Tropicoast itself and nearby facilities. While it is typically considered a two lane road and racing will be tight on the paved main straightway when compared with the compacted sand on the back straightaway, drivers should be able to fit three-across without having to dip their wheels into the sand. Not too far down the road past the start finish line is the original Tropicorp headquarters building which now serves as the Tropicorp visitor center. The iconic Tropicorp sign surrounded by Palm Trees can still be seen and will provide an excellent photo backdrop particularly for the Team Tropicorp cars. The Tropicorp Visitor Center will also serve as the site of the Tropicorp Pit Crew Competition taking place prior to the Tropicorp 500.

After passing the Tropicorp Visitor Center the road will begin to bend into an elbow as drivers will begin setting themselves up for the big curve and the transition off the paved surface. There is still plenty of room to pass after the elbow, however as drivers scream down one of the longest paved straightaways in motorsports. As drivers approach the Dart billboard they will begin to see the big curve climbing into the sky in the distance and will need to begin preparing themselves for braking to set up for the difficult transition from the paved surface to the compacted sand.

As drivers prepare to make the big left hand curve off the paved surface, any drivers who brake too late or have an issue with their cars will have two options. Drivers may opt to continue straight down the paved road through the lightweight swing signs marking the end of the racing surface if they have an issue with their car and are not planning to continue in the race. Otherwise, drivers who miss the entry to the corner should still be able to make the turn and scrub speed as they climb the banking with the brakes applied. Some drivers may choose to climb the banking purposely to carry additional speed both into and out of the large turn installed by the Tropicorp locals both as a safety measure to allow cars to scrub speed off after flying down the nearly two-mile long paved straightaway.

While drivers will have been mostly constrained to a 2-3 lane wide paved surface on the front straightaway in order to maintain maximum grip and speed, once they exit from the big curve they will open up into a wide open straight of compacted sand that will allow half the field to spread out and battle side by side if need be. The compacted sand is of slightly different color than the un altered natural beach sand and drivers will know the difference if they stray too close to the water line, though there is plenty of room for error on the racing surface before a driver would be in danger of going off into the unprepared surface. The inside of the course opens up to allow a pitlane before the tight, flat curve at the start/finish end of the course.

Unlike the big curve at the other end of the course, drivers will not be able to carry a lot of speed into the flat curve and anyone that does may find themselves into the orange guard rail fencing and out of the event. By far the slowest part of the course, the flat curve will allow fans in the grandstands an opportunity to see all the cars and take nice pictures with the large Tropicorp billboards in the background at the center of curvature. As drivers exit the curve it will be a race to regain traction on the paved surface - taking a wider exit may allow contact patch with the pavement sooner but will increase distance traveled and may result in a slick paved surface due to kick back from the compacted sand. Taking a tighter exit to the turn may result in slower entry speed but a cleaner more natural transition back to the paved surface for the spring back to the finish line just meters ahead.

Fan Access:

Fans will watch the race from the large Main Grandstand at the flat curve and a series of smaller grandstands along the front straightaway on either side of the Start/Finish line. There will be 'Campground' style access in the center of the course however there is no entry/exit from the center of the course when the race is under green flag conditions. There will be an employee-only viewing party at the Tropicorp Visitors Center while fans will also be able to utilize grandstands along the front straightaway at the transition to the Big Curve.

FanZone Information
Pit Crew Challenge :: Tropicorp Racing Supply will host their 'Pit Crew Challenge" outside the flat curve where fans will be able to test their ability to change an NSSCRA tyre or act as the fuel person so long as they first sign a release form indemnifying Tropicorp of any injury that may occur as they attempt to set the fast times in the challenge. Participants may also enter Tropicorp's Pit Crew Challenge Promotion on Practice and Qualifying Day where the fastest competitors could get invited to pit the #42 Tropicorp Racing Supply Dart of Euroli Islander during the Tropicorp NSSCRA Pit Crew Competition.

Cocoabo Zone & "Meet the Techie" Exhibit :: The Cocoabo Preservation Society will be on hand with a special Cocoabo Zone in the area outside the front straightaway past the Start-Finish line where trained Cocoabo will be on hand demonstrating some of their skills. Cocoabo Enrichment and Enhancement Project trainers will be on hand with their Cocoabo to discuss some of their training methods.

Cocoa-bo :: Delectable company Cocoa-bo will be on hand with a 'spin the wheel' and sample tent where fans can sample some Cocoa-bo product as well as purchase items for sale. Fans can also line up to spin the wheel for prizes including spinners, sunglasses and magnets with the Cocoa-bo logo on them.

twii.tur :: twii.tur will have 3 locations around the speedway where fans can have their picture taken and instantly delivered via twii.tur from inside the stock cars of Cocoabo #28 or the special #98 @CocoaboPark Dart that Jixaka Motorai drives in the Everlong Contenders Series as well as the World Grand Prix Championship car driven by TJUN-ia's Lane Carter during the recently completed World Grand Prix Championship season.

Toys '4' All, Visit TI, Arcticala Electrical, the Dart Group and Vilaye Energy Drink are among other entities also expected to participate in the fanzone with information kiosks or small sales tables as well as a selection of foreign entities including Five Star Mobile of Cassadaigua who will likely have a large display featuring their products and activities in support of the Five Star Combo.

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Top Action from Prior Tropicorp 500's

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Event Guide :: Cocoabo Preservation 300K presented by twii.tur

Track Location: Cocoabo Park, Cocoabo Forest, Atlantian Oceania
WGP2 Lap Record: 1:52.216 (Fast Cocoabo, WGP2 S1)
NSSCRA Lap Record: 2:03.668 (Cocoabo #78, NSSCRA S9)
Track Lap Length: 6.63km (Track Layout)

Overview:
The Cocoabo Preservation 300K returns during NSSCRA Season 11 though is positioned as a feature event on the NSSCRA's Everlong Contenders Series Circuit. After 3 seasons on the schedule of what is now the NSSCRA's Multiversal Series, The Cocoabo Park Circuit will now host an exclusive weekend of action for the NSSCRA's second tier drivers and teams while the Tropicoast Beach Course in Tropicorp hosts a busy schedule consisting of AOCAR, AOMC and NSSCRA Multiversal Series action.

The Cocoabo Park Circuit is a picturesque road course cut out of the Cocoabo Forest just a few kilometers from the Cocoabo Park Resort. The course was originally designed for the Cocoabo Enrichment and Enhancement Project (CEEP) where Cocoabo are trained under the leadership of Tropicorp Scientists and the Cocoabo Preservation Society and continues to be the hub of the Cocoabo Enrichment and Enhancement Project's driving program.

When the course is not in use by the CEEP or hosting an international race weekend it is occasionally used as part of an extended driving tour of the Cocoabo Park. Freelance Cocoabo can often be seen grazing the hilltops on the Eastern side of the course between turns 1-3 and along the river delta under turns 5 and 6.

During events Shuttles run every 5-30 minutes from the central Cocoabo Park Resort to various locations around the Cocoabo Park Circuit for guests to seamlessly transfer between the Park and the Race Track for the full event weekend.

Access to grandstand seating requires event specific ticketing available at both the Resort Ticket Center and the main track entrance at the Cocoabo Park Circuit. Any guests of the Cocoabo Park Resort without a race ticket can still access the general admission areas of the Cocoabo Park Circuit during race weekend including the complete fanzone and limited race viewing areas. All official NSSCRA team members with NSSCRA Garage Area hot access will be also have reciprocal access to the Cocoabo Park Resort area.

Racing Line:

Drivers will hug the line along the tributary between the hills around turns 1, 2 and 3; speeding out of turn 3 toward the over taking zones at turn 4, 5 and 6. Crossing the river they will bend around to set themselves up for the long, slow turn 8 - another prime opportunity for overtaking. Getting through the 'Esses' will be critical to set up back across the river for the 90 degree turn 12. Sweeping through 13 to set up for the Hairpin Turn 14 and then accelerate back across the line to complete a lap. While the turns are varied a moderately skilled driver will be able to handle them. The biggest challenge for drivers will be maintaining focus as a lack of any truly 'straight' sections means that the driver will always be on the wheel, setting up for the optimum line in every section of the track.

Previous Race Winners at the Cocoabo Park Circuit:

WGP2 S1: 1. Jang Xiopeng (VMR) | 2. Cocoabo #23 | 3. Timo Jänkirinää || Pole: Jannik Markner

WGP2 S2: 1. Cocoabo #23 (TRP) | 2. Jama'obo Pegasii | 3. Karli Schmitt || Pole: Cocoabo #23

NSSCRA8: 1. Yraaga Gilli'i (V&T) | 2. Skip Stiller | 3. Thea Alvarez || Pole: Oberst Eva Kerman

NSSCRA9: 1. Jeremiah Brooke (STK) | 2. Anavella Ariiki | 3. Frank Bronson || Pole: Cocoabo #78

NSSCRA10: 1. Frank Bronson (HAP) | 2. Stacie Houston | 3. Clarissa Alanis Star || Pole: Stacie Houston

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Event Sponsors & Activities:

:: Cocoabo Park ::

As the host of the Cocoabo Preservation Grand Prix and the events major sponsor, Cocoabo Park is the publicly accessible portion of the Cocoabo Forest, itself a joint venture between the Cocoabo Preservation Society, Tropicorp and the Island Emirate of Turori to Preserve, Study, Highlight and in some cases improve the existence and appreciation of Turori's Native Cocoabo.

While the Cocoabo Forest itself is a vast land where Cocoabo flocks are allowed to roam free, at Cocoabo Park visitors from around the multiverse are treated to intimate tours, close encounters and educational experiences all with the Cocoabo at the center. With limited on site lodging and a fully equipped village at the entrance area to the Park, visitors could spend days at Cocoabo Park without even venturing on one of the Park's tours into its different Cocoabo training enclosures or even further into the Cocoabo Forest.

In addition to the commercially driven aspect of the Park, and as a critical part of the relationship with the Cocoabo Preservation Society, the Park also serves as a hub for the team of Scientists and Researchers from both the Cocoabo Preservation Society and Tropicorp many of whom reside full time at the park. While the Cocoabo Preservation Society led efforts are more focused on passive studying and preservation, the Tropicorp team lead the CEEP - the Cocoabo Enrichment & Enhancement Project out of the Park. Beyond just researching and understanding the Cocoabo Genome, the CEEP team are tasked with focused training and enrichment activities to hyper-focus Cocoabo to hone their talents and skills and bring them to the forefront. One of the most popular enclosures on a tour of Cocoabo Park is the CEEP's sporting enclosure where Cocoabo can be found participating in activities such as Footsport and even on a lucky day, Motorsport.

Admission to the central areas of Cocoabo Park inclusive of all Educational Exhibits are included in the cost of admission to the Cocoabo Preservation 300K. Guided Tours, Educational Sessions and Childrens events will double in frequency throughout the race weekend up until one hour prior to the start of the race. Any patron with a ticket to the Cocoabo Preservation 300K will also get a "Cocoabo Passport" book where they can collect stamps for attending various sessions, exhibits and tours throughout the Park. Completed Passports can be turned in on Race Day for a free Race Programme or can be used for 50% off admission for up to four guests on a return visit to Cocoabo Park.

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:: Cocoabo Preservation Society ::

The Cocoabo Preservation Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to spreading awareness about Turori's native and endangered Cocoabo species, as well as collecting donations and raising funds to help protect, care for and breed Turorian Cocoabo. The Cocoabo Preservation Society has long been a major player in many aspects of the Turorian way of life. From being the 'go-to' place for high society to mingle and philantropicly dump finances in return for generous tax write-offs, to being an organization that prides itself in bringing educational programs to the children of the Island Emirate, the Cocoabo Preservation Society was a microcosm of an embodiment of everything that it means to be Turorian. However, the Cocoabo Preservation Society had always been an entity. An organizing body responsible for overseeing, for logistically ensuring existing commitments continued and the best interest of the Cocoabo was always at the forefront. A reactionary entity, and an entity charged with maintaining the status quo.

Under the guidance of former Turori National Team player Noa-Isinao Wioauoi, a transformation of the Cocoabo Preservation Society took place. To Wioauoi, there was more to the Cocoabo Preservation Society than counting heads in the flock, hosting benefit events and visiting elementary schools. Wioauoi had a vision of greater things for his beloved Cocoabo, and that Vision would be as grand as they would come. Wioauoi sought the assistance of the regions largest quasi-governmental super corporation, Tropicorp, who had the capital, infrastructure and sheer manpower to implement the new vision for how the Cocoabo Preservation Society could achieve its primary mission. As a result of Wioauoi's vision, The Cocoabo Preservation Society has partnered with Tropicorp to develop to Cocoabo Forest just north of Turori.

The Cocoabo Preservation Society does not pay to associate itself with major sporting events or venues such as the Cocoabo Preservation 300K, however commercial relationships sometimes arise through market sharing arrangements or donations. Examples include donations directly to the Cocoabo Preservation Society but earmarked as only to be used for marketing purposes as there are certain selections a donor can choose; a Donor who may directly donate to an entity and ask to remain anonymous, but instead request that the CPS logo be displayed; Proceeds sharing arrangements where the CPS logo is used on merchandise with a portion of the proceeds going to the CPS and the remaining portion used to cover the costs associated with the Marketing or Sponsorship. The most prominent example has existed with Vilita & Turori Motorsports who have in the past displayed the CPS logo on the vehicles to increase awareness for the Cocoabo Preservation Society but also sells special CPS merchandise with a portion of the proceeds going towards Cocoabo Conservation. The CPS typically are open to all donor or market sharing relationships so long as the --- official Cocoabo Preservation Society Neutral Color Logo Template --- is used to ensure a consistent image. The Cocoabo Preservation Society has a close relationship with the Kionao Locals of the Vilitan League including primary kit sponsorship where a portion of all Kit Sales go back into the preservation efforts. The CPS also offers special donation packages including exclusive corporate tours of Cocoabo Park and the Preservation Society headquarters for selected donors.

At least 10% of the cost of every ticket sold to the Cocoabo Preservation 300K goes directly back into the Cocoabo Preservation Mission. The remainder of the ticket revenue covers staffing plus ups for race weekend events, temporary seating and infrastructure improvements and maintenance for the racing track section of the park. The Cocoabo Preservation Society will have decals available at the track for any race team that wishes to show their support for preserving the Cocoabo in as natural a habitat and lifestyle as possible by displaying the CPS logo on their cars or pitboxes during this weekends events.

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Cars will line up in Turn 4 and await their turn before passing the S/F line and entering the Tropicorp Visitor Center Special Competition Pit Road

Rules:
Teams are required to change both left-and right-side tires and empty a full load of fuel into the car using up to 2 cans. The timer begins when the nose of the vehicle breaks the plane of the pit box and ends when the rear tires have exited the pit box. All violations, unless otherwise noted, will incur a penalty of 2 seconds added to the time of the pit stop.

Penalties:

1. Crew members over the wall prior to vehicle passing the designated marker

2. Car running over jack

3. Car running over or under air hose or air wrench

4. Each Tire rolling uncontrolled outside of painted pit box

5. Any lug nut not secured by at least 80 foot pounds of torque

6. Any cross-threaded lug nut

7. Air gun handed or tossed between crew members

8. Pushing a car that is under power

9. Any tire not returned to inside half of pit box prior to vehicle departure

10. Jackman swinging the jack in an uncontrolled manner in transit or handing to another crew member

11. Equipment attached to the car when exiting the pits

12. Dropping any fueling equipment during the pitstop

13. More than 1 litre of fuel remaining in fuel cans (combined)

14. Crew member performing a job they were not registered to conduct (5 seconds per)

Drivers will take the track in the inverse order of the current NSSCRA Owners Point Standings. There will be two pit boxes in use during the competition allowing one team to set up their pit box while a different team is conducting their pit stop. The pit entry cone is adjusted accordingly for each competitor depending on which of the two pit boxes are in use for that round. After exiting the pit box and re-entering the main straightaway of the Tropicoast Beach Course, drivers must bring the vehicle to a complete stop in the Inspection Area where NSSCRA and Tropicorp officials will inspect the vehicle to ensure there are no infractions such as Loose or Cross-Threaded Lugnuts. There will also be an inspector in the Pit area to weigh fuel cans and monitor for other infractions.

There will be 32 Teams eligible to compete in the competition consisting of the Top 31 Driver's in the current NSSCRA Standings and the final entry the #42 Tropicorp Sifaka entry of Euroli Islander.

[Newmanistan]

Qualifying: Tropicorp 500, Tropicoast Beach Course, Tropicorp (Superspeedway)
Lap Record: 1:47.000 sec.

Qualifying Results:

NSSCRA Multiversal Series
 1 #27- Maddie Alexander (Tropicorp)                   1:47.622
 2 #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)                       1:47.649
 3 #98- Wilma von Cärinthen (Abanhfleft) *Q*           1:47.676
 4 #96- Guillermo Archer (Abanhfleft)                  1:47.701
 5 #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)      1:47.712
 6 #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                   1:47.725
 7 #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)     1:47.804
 8 #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan) *Q*                      1:47.842
 9 #99- Fiona Sunarya (Filindostan)                    1:47.963
10 #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                       1:47.978
11 #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)       1:48.088
12 #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                  1:48.136
13 #03- Maddison Riley-Jones (TJUN-ia) *Q*             1:48.151
14 #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia)                      1:48.188
15 #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakhilwal (The Sherpa Empire)      1:48.189
16 #76- Jolyn Maxine Caulfield Ceeta (G6MR) *Q*        1:48.240
17 #05- Chris Gordon (Sword Island)                    1:48.243
18 #16- Eddie Walters Jr. (Xanneria)                   1:48.338
19 #35- Kassie Collins (Sword Island) *Q*              1:48.362
20 #42- Euroli Islander (Tropicorp)                    1:48.372
21 #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                1:48.375
22 #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (G6MR)            1:48.499
23 #60- Rockii Ezis (Filindostan)                      1:48.555
24 #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                 1:48.634
25 #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                     1:48.719
26 #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                  1:48.733
27 #8- Chris Holmes (Hapilopper)                       1:48.806
28 #26- Jenna Logan (Tropicorp)                        1:48.815
29 #70- Gongming Gao (The Northern Chinese Republic)   1:48.868
30 #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                     1:48.995
31 #12- Ricky Lee (The Northern Chinese Republic) *Q*  1:49.006
32 #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                  1:49.011
33 #24- Travis Barkley (Newmanistan) *Q*               1:49.039
34 #48- Ashley Matthews (Newmanistan) *Q*              1:49.261
35 #90- Lexie Shelby (Sword Island) *Q*                1:49.467
36 #88- Anavella Ariiki (Tropicorp)                    1:49.486
37 #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)        1:49.503
38 #30- Lexi Patterson (Jebslund) *Q*                  1:49.562
39 #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                       1:49.633
40 #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)           1:49.796
41 #08- Bart Wheeler (Northwinds)                      1:49.837
42 #56- Kelly Monroe (Xanneria) *Q*                    1:50.019
43 #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                        1:50.151
44 #97- Celeste (Yesopalitha)                          1:50.378
45 #00- Eiji Ibi (Aji No Moto)                         1:50.409
46 #1- Vanda Rosa Cordeiro Kerman (Jebslund) *Q*       1:50.588
47 #40- Shigeru Ishikawa (Squidroidia)                 1:50.698
48 #19- Lilith (Yesopalitha) *Q*                       1:50.881
49 #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)               1:51.067
50 #17- Gavon Mitchell (Roromania)                     1:51.087
51 #58- Steven Beverely (Roromania) *Q*                1:51.109
52 #21- Bob Wallace (Roromania) *Q*                    1:51.238
53 #29- Velorina (Yesopalitha) *Q*                     1:51.622

Race: Cocoabo Preservation 300K, Cocoabo Park Circuit, Cocoabo Park, Cocoabo Forest (Road Course)
Lap Record: 2:03.000 sec.

Qualifying:

NSSCRA EverLong Series
 1 #77- Al Shelton (Hapilopper)                                   2:04.150
 2 #47- Edmund Flanders (Hapilopper)                              2:04.178
 3 #20- Daryl Calhoun (Saint Kanye)                               2:04.190
 4 #39- Rustam Ilyich Yudin (Abanhfleft)                          2:04.301
 5 #71- Mercy Binayas (Filindostan)                               2:04.339
 6 #96- Alice Jepkosgei (TJUN-ia)                                 2:04.339
 7 #97- Robin Dragonovic (TJUN-ia)                                2:04.443
 8 #10- Valkyrie Valentijn Samantha Constantine (Valentine Z)     2:04.514
 9 #70- Shania Soraya (Filindostan)                               2:04.556
10 #00- Shigeru Tsuchie (Aji No Moto)                             2:04.559
11 #04- Byrce Evans (Sword Island)                                2:04.740
12 #98- Jixaka Motorai (Tropicorp)                                2:04.784
13 #27- Bryan Harrison (Tropicorp)                                2:04.918
14 #41- Turakki Mayelli (Vilita & Turori)                         2:05.116
15 #49- Lotara Novorali (Vilita & Turori)                         2:05.125
16 #0- Tadashi Mitsubishi (Aji No Moto)                           2:05.190
17 #05- Carson Zanby (Sword Island)                               2:05.197
18 #8- Ceiridwen (Yesopalitha)                                    2:05.574
19 #4- Islago Tizilna (Vilita & Turori)                           2:05.628
20 #16- Mart Munro (Xanneria)                                     2:05.756
21 #22- Pyotr Lavrentiev (Saint Kanye)                            2:05.941
22 #24- Dwight Webster (Newmanistan)                              2:06.184
23 #5- Ryan Carroll (Newmanistan)                                 2:06.203
24 #40- Agata Kosaryova (Abanhfleft)                              2:06.299
25 #59- Brookes Benson (Xanneria)                                 2:06.320
26 #72- Barnabas Mate (Filindostan)                               2:06.381
27 #37- Cocoabo #37 (Tropicorp)                                   2:06.550
28 #9- Licio Granado (Lisander)                                   2:07.176
29 #1- Jupiter Cosmos (Space)                                     2:07.952
30 #60- Marcus Alan Ariel Reynolds (Valentine Z)                  2:07.967
31 #15- Harrison Cooper (Appalachian Nation)                      2:08.221
32 #57- Gordon Orton (Appalachian Nation)                         2:08.331

(Minimum To Avoid DNF= 2:08.000 sec)

NSSCRA EverLong Series
 1 #97- Robin Dragonovic (TJUN-ia)                                2:04.145 WINNER
 2 #39- Rustam Ilyich Yudin (Abanhfleft)                          2:04.220
 3 #72- Barnabas Mate (Filindostan)                               2:04.415
 4 #00- Shigeru Tsuchie (Aji No Moto)                             2:04.425
 5 #37- Cocoabo #37 (Tropicorp)                                   2:04.522
 6 #22- Pyotr Lavrentiev (Saint Kanye)                            2:04.599
 7 #70- Shania Soraya (Filindostan)                               2:04.684
 8 #71- Mercy Binayas (Filindostan)                               2:04.711
 9 #10- Valkyrie Valentijn Samantha Constantine (Valentine Z)     2:04.846
10 #0- Tadashi Mitsubishi (Aji No Moto)                           2:04.886
11 #4- Islago Tizilna (Vilita & Turori)                           2:05.010
12 #47- Edmund Flanders (Hapilopper)                              2:05.029
13 #60- Marcus Alan Ariel Reynolds (Valentine Z)                  2:05.146
14 #20- Daryl Calhoun (Saint Kanye)                               2:05.224
15 #40- Agata Kosaryova (Abanhfleft)                              2:05.275
16 #96- Alice Jepkosgei (TJUN-ia)                                 2:05.426
17 #8- Ceiridwen (Yesopalitha)                                    2:05.453
18 #5- Ryan Carroll (Newmanistan)                                 2:05.730
19 #98- Jixaka Motorai (Tropicorp)                                2:05.864
20 #49- Lotara Novorali (Vilita & Turori)                         2:05.925
21 #27- Bryan Harrison (Tropicorp)                                2:05.944
22 #24- Dwight Webster (Newmanistan)                              2:05.960
23 #16- Mart Munro (Xanneria)                                     2:06.158
24 #05- Carson Zanby (Sword Island)                               2:06.462
25 #59- Brookes Benson (Xanneria)                                 2:07.182
26 #41- Turakki Mayelli (Vilita & Turori)                         2:07.203
27 #77- Al Shelton (Hapilopper)                                   2:07.578
28 #9- Licio Granado (Lisander)                                   2:07.583
29 #57- Gordon Orton (Appalachian Nation)                         2:07.593
30 #1- Jupiter Cosmos (Space)                                     2:08.033 DNF
31 #04- Byrce Evans (Sword Island)                                2:08.046 DNF
32 #15- Harrison Cooper (Appalachian Nation)                      2:08.304 DNF

Point Standings (After 8 Races):

+-----+------------------------------------------------------------+--------+
| Pos |                 EverLong Contenders Series                 | Points |
+-----+------------------------------------------------------------+--------+
|   1 | #10- Valkyrie Valentijn Samantha Constantine (Valentine Z) |    197 |
|   2 | #70- Shania Soraya (Filindostan)                           |    195 |
|   3 | #71- Mercy Binayas (Filindostan)*                          |    194 |
|   4 | #39- Rustam Ilyich Yudin (Abanhfleft)*                     |    189 |
|   5 | #22- Pyotr Lavrentiev (Saint Kanye)*                       |    183 |
|   6 | #72- Barnabas Mate (Filindostan)                           |    183 |
|   7 | #47- Edmund Flanders (Hapilopper)*                         |    179 |
|   8 | #20- Daryl Calhoun (Saint Kanye)*                          |    176 |
|   9 | #96- Alice Jepkosgei (TJUN-ia)                             |    174 |
|  10 | #00- Shigeru Tsuchie (Aji No Moto)                         |    173 |
|  11 | #77- Al Shelton (Hapilopper)                               |    170 |
|  12 | #27- Bryan Harrison (Tropicorp)                            |    169 |
|  13 | #98- Jixaka Motorai (Tropicorp)                            |    166 |
|  14 | #41- Turakki Mayelli (Vilita & Turori)*                    |    165 |
|  15 | #0- Tadashi Mitsubishi (Aji No Moto)                       |    164 |
|  16 | #97- Robin Dragonovic (TJUN-ia)*                           |    161 |
|  17 | #49- Lotara Novorali (Vilita & Turori)                     |    160 |
|  18 | #37- Cocoabo #37 (Tropicorp)                               |    143 |
|  19 | #60- Marcus Alan Ariel Reynolds (Valentine Z)*             |    135 |
|  20 | #4- Islago Tizilna (Vilita & Turori)                       |    130 |
|  21 | #40- Agata Kosaryova (Abanhfleft)                          |    122 |
|  22 | #59- Brookes Benson (Xanneria)                             |    109 |
|  23 | #04- Byrce Evans (Sword Island)                            |    107 |
|  24 | #8- Ceiridwen (Yesopalitha)                                |    106 |
|  25 | #16- Mart Munro (Xanneria)                                 |     82 |
|  26 | #05- Carson Zanby (Sword Island)                           |     59 |
|  27 | #05- Chris Gordon (Sword Island)                           |     58 |
|  28 | #24- Dwight Webster (Newmanistan)                          |     50 |
|  29 | #9- Licio Granado (Lisander)                               |     45 |
|  30 | #5- Ryan Carroll (Newmanistan)                             |     44 |
|  31 | #15- Harrison Cooper (Appalachian Nation)                  |     30 |
|  32 | #57- Gordon Orton (Appalachian Nation)                     |     20 |
|  33 | #1- Jupiter Cosmos (Space)                                 |     18 |
+-----+------------------------------------------------------------+--------+

[The Northern Chinese Republic]

Gongming Gao didn't quite understand Sword Islanders, and he didn't understand why they had introduced such an unusual qualifying format for the Brisbane weekend. He had met a girl at a local bar who might have made for a good one night stand -- and he was tempted -- but he didn't think it would lead to anything more than a one night stand, and he decided he didn't really want the distraction.

Beiyang was in a good place when it came to getting their cars ready for the weekend, but Gao was feeling a little restless and out of sorts. He went to the gym to see if a good workout would help him gain some focus. He was not looking for company, just planning to do a few reps on the weights and clear his head -- but then he walked in and found Alice Jepkosgei in the middle of a work out. He wasn't sure if he was glad to see her or not, but he was quite sure that running into her did not help him clear his head. He said an awkward "hello" and exchanged a few pleasantries...

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It was lap 193 of a 200 lap race... Gao was tired and his tires were starting to wear out, making it harder to steer. He only let his concentration slip for a moment, but it was enough for him to miss a turn and pretty soon he was in the infield spitting Chinese obscenities into his radio.

Ricky Lee was not having a great day either. After finishing 11th in Oxyrhynchus, he was back to uninspiring mid-pack results.

The whole Beiyang team was frustrated as they packed up to head to Tropicorp. It felt as if some of last season's dysfunctional energy had returned. They hoped the relaxing tropical setting would be enough to banish the bad vibes.

[Saint Kanye]

“DUDE. Shit happens, You’re good. I get it. Stevenson lost his brakes in Kermania. All is well, man. Don’t worry about it.”

Two seasons ago, a collision between Chris Holmes and Jeremiah Brooke would probably have ended with the short-tempered Hapiloppian laying hands on the mild-mannered Kanyean. But this was a new Chris, one that had sufficient time during his hiatus to reflect on the behavior that led him to get fired from two different teams. He processed Jeremiah's apology with a calm mind. There would be no hard feelings between the two racers.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Chris' crew chief Lawrence Malloy, who angrily swore at Jeremiah moments after the incident. When informed of this during the post-race press conference, the Yeezie spoke: "Dude seriously needed to take a chill pill there. I may race hard and make contact at times, but I wouldn't intentionally wreck someone, you know? Besides, getting mad at me wouldn't have un-crashed his guy."

Jeremiah was touched when other drivers tried to do their best to cheer him up after his DNF. Race winner Gwen Oxton sent flowers and chocolates, which he gave to his wife Stacie, while the Sherpas dropped by the GFR garage for a quick chat. Jeremiah knew basic sign language, allowing him to answer Tsering Chu's simpler questions, though when the conversation got deeper, Tsering's husband Kai Qiang was more than happy to help.

---

After their teammate bowed out early, it fell to Sage Caldwell and Thea Alvarez to give GFR a good finish at the Brisbane 200. The restart saw Sage and Thea run 1-2, and they would remain in the front pack for the rest of the race. Sage even had the chance to finally get his first career victory on a track where he DNFed last season. He led with only five to go, only for Gwen to start chasing him down and Dinggu Wang and Yraaga Gilli'i to give him trouble. "Not today, Tracer! I'm getting mine!" Sage said as he gave the Valentian's car a nudge, only for her to repay it in kind. This went on for the next few laps, the two continuing to trade paint as well as hold Wang and YG off. During the last lap, Sage was still in first place, but Gwen was on his back bumper. One turn came, then another, then a third.... finally, Gwen slipped by Sage on the inside, and the two ran side by side. Sage still led with a few hundred feet remaining, only for Gwen to find a sudden burst of speed and beat him to the line by 0.023 second.



"Ugh, fell short again," Sage muttered on the radio as he drove back to the pits. "And to a Valentian again! First Anastasia, now Gwen.... man, if I'm in the lead next time and that Clarissa comes at me, I'm taking no f-cking prisoners."

"I personally don't think that would be a good idea, buddy," said Sage's spotter Bart Easton. The dreadlocked driver was smiling at the podium and when Gwen shook his hand, but it was a fake one that hid his annoyance.

Thea faltered a little toward the end, eventually finishing eleventh and being denied a top ten by Jolyn Caulfield. She didn't get as pissed off as Sage did, but she did show concern for what happened to Jeremiah. "I'm glad he wasn't hurt, but at the same time, it felt different not seeing him finish the race. It would have been nice battling him for the win," she told reporters. "Good to know Chris is fine too, he's still a friend. Hope Tropicoast will be much kinder to the two of them."



Before the day was even over, memes and remixes of Larry Malloy's outburst against Jeremiah had started popping up all over the internet. "Can you believe this guy?" Pyotr Lavrentiev said to Daryl Calhoun as the two of them were looking at said memes on the former's laptop, drinking beer and laughing.

"He brought this upon himself," Daryl said. Maybe if it was Archer or Qiang, I'd understand his anger. But Jeremiah freaking Brooke? The Cup Series' good guy? I don't blame the Jags for putting him on their list."

"Wait, their blog post is up? Let me take a look real quick." Lav was halfway through typing Jaguar Racing's web address when he got an email notification. "Hold up, bro. I have a message." He switched to the email tab; Daryl got up to grab more chips to give his teammate some privacy.

Lav had all but forgotten about the email sent to him a couple weeks ago by his fellow former Motorsports Ceroat member, Taras Lakrov, or at least a guy pretending to be him. But as he read this new one and looked at the picture attached, he became convinced that this was the real deal. Immediately, he fired off a reply:

Don't worry about it, Taras. I understand the situation you and the country are in. Please take care as you keep fighting the good fight, just as Rustam and I will continue to spread awareness about the troubles plaguing our other brothers and sisters. As for you wanting and waiting to have an opportunity to meet, I hope you get the chance to do it soon. I don't have the means to get you out of there, but this might be of help. PL

Lav attached a copy of this season's Everlong Series schedule, pressed send, then started a chat with Rustam Ilyich Yudin. Looks like Motorsports Ceroat is going to be whole again; it's only a matter of when.

---

A few days later, the GFR trio were in Tropicoast, Tropicorp, in preparation for the fifth annual Tropicorp 500. The sand, sea, sky and trees all combined to calm the Yeezies' nerves and make Jeremiah forget about his crash, Thea stop worrying about said crash, and Sage quit being so salty about losing to a Valentian.

Qualifying was a mixed bag, but at least it was back to the old, tried and tested format. Sage was thirtieth on the grid, Thea twenty-fifth, and Jeremiah twelfth. Team Tropicorp driver and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Maddie Alexander put her #27 car on the pole, ahead of all three UrGa drivers Dinggu Wang, Wilma von Cärinthen and Guillermo Archer. Stacie, the old #27, even went up to Maddie after the quals congratulated her, but at the same time, she thought to herself: what if Team Cassadaigua doesn't decide to return next season? Or what if they decide to move on with Maddie? What about her Five Star Mobile sponsorship? It's still just halfway through the regular season - is it too early to think about the next one?

Stacie didn't speak her thoughts out loud, but Jeremiah could tell that she's stressed. "Hey, why don't we have some drinks at the beach?" he suggested. "Juice, not booze. Because you know, the baby."

---

Meanwhile, Daryl and Lav were in the Cocoabo Forest for the Cocoabo Preservation 300K, which for the first time in four seasons will not be part of the Cup Series schedule. Aside from the usual simulator practice, the two prepared for the road course race by watching tapes of its second running, wherein Jeremiah passed Anavella Ariiki late and denied her the chance to have her first career victory at home.

"Classic display of Yeezie magic there," said Daryl, "But it really makes one wonder though. If Ariiki had held on for the win, how different would her career have been?"

"Dunno, maybe she'd still be in Cup rather than AOCAR?" guessed Lav.

"Also, that was the season your country experienced that crisis and your team folded, wasn't it? That's another big what if."

"Trust me, Daryl, I think about that all the time myself. I mean, I'm glad to be here, and I'm sure Rustam is with the Fleftics, but I wonder if we could have achieved the same amount of success if Motorsports Ceroat still existed today. Even VTM started slow during the sixth season, didn't they?" Lav also thought that Taras Lakrov would still be a driver, rather than risking his life (and his eye) fighting for their Ceroatian brothers and sisters. After that last exchange, he began dutifully checking his emails every night, waiting for a reply (though he didn't become impatient given Taras' situation).

---

The two SSS members had opposite fates during the qualifying sessions and the race: Lav started mid-pack, but found speed and made his way to the front, eventually grabbing sixth after passing between two Rusty cars at the white flag.



Daryl, on the other hand, qualified third, but had handling problems early on, causing him to fall behind. He would finish fourteenth, which would have been decent in Cup's 46-car field, but felt more like twentieth in Everlong.



After the race, Lav once again went to the UrGa camp to talk to Rustam about Taras, as well as congratulate him for earning runner-up honors in back to back weeks, while Daryl started wandering the surrounding areas of the track and observing Cocoabos.

---

BATTLE FOR ROTY

(--) 1. #27 Maddie Alexander (TRP) - 170
(--) 2. #03 Maddison Riley-Jones (TJU) - 138
(+1) 3. #90 Lexie Shelby (SWO) - 64
(-1) 4. #97 Celeste (YSP) - 62
(+1) 5. #05 Chris Gordon (SWO) - 49
(-1) 6. #08 Bart Wheeler (NTW) - 36
(+3) 7. #56 Kelly Monroe (XAN) - 27
(-1) 8. #19 Lilith (YSP) - 25
(-1) 9. #17 Gavon Mitchell (ROR) - 22
(-1) 10. #29 Velorina (YSP) - 17
(--) 11. #25 Jessica Franssen (VNG) - 14

[Abanhfleft]

Brisbane was memorable, if not exactly for the right reasons. The qualifying format certainly was a right clusterfuck, and nobody aside from the local Sword Islanders seemed to like it at all. And there was also a moment of drama in the race where two drivers who could have been considered as favorites to win the Brisbane 200 (namely Chris Holmes and Jeremiah Brooke) came together in an almighty collision. It was lucky that nobody else got collected in their crash, and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief when both drivers got out of their respective wrecked cars, but people were definitely bracing themselves for a potential brawl. This was Chris Holmes, after all, not really the bastion of level-headedness. But when Brooke came over to apologize to Holmes, to everyone's surprise, Holmes didn't throw a helmet or even a punch the Kanyean's way. Instead, he accepted Brooke's apology and even said that it was nobody's fault. This was a side of Chris Holmes that nobody had seen before, and to say that it drove both spectators and analysts nuts was an understatement.

Brisbane was memorable for all the right reasons for one Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton, who picked up her first win of the season and secured her place in this season's Chase. Urotovsky-Gatutin Stock Cars also left Brisbane with some happy memories, namely their three drivers leading the entire field for two out of the 200 laps in the race (Dinggu Wang P1, Guillermo Archer P2, and Wilma von Cärinthen P3) before the dream ended thanks to Cärinthen having to dive into the pits for fuel and tires. At least they were able to get a couple of photographs of the three drivers crossing the finish line side by side, even if it was just for a few laps a third of the way into the race.

It was time to move on though, and move on they did, to Tropicorp. The Oxyrhynchus-Ring may have been sandy but the Tropicorp Beach Course was a racecourse incorporating actual sand. The 4.1 mile-long superspeedway combined both an actual highway with a good long blast down the beach, making it a very interesting place as far as strategy was concerned. And, with their experiences at the O-Ring still fresh in their minds, the three UrGa drivers took that into account when setting up their cars for the qualifying session of the Tropicorp 500, something that actually paid off for all three of them. Dinggu Wang could and would have taken the pole position until Maddie Alexander, currently of Team Tropicorp while her original Team Cassadaigua sat out the current NSSCRA season for reasons unknown, put in a qualifying time that was just two-hundredths of a second faster than Wang's time. Nevertheless, Wang, Cärinthen, and Archer would all start the race right next to each other.

"You know what would be a great way to celebrate this?" Guillermo Archer said once everyone had settled down from the initial euphoria of the situation. "A nice cold Cocoa-bo shake! Who's with me?"

"I'm in!" Wilma von Cärinthen called out. "I've been dying for a Cocoa-bo shake ever since Brisbane!"

"Yo, Dinggu! Wanna go for a Cocoa-bo shake?" Gil asked the Sherpalander driver. Someone on Wang's crew translated the question to him, but the shaking of his head was clear enough to understand. "He wants to stay here and work on his setup for tomorrow," the crewman told Gil.

"Looks like it's date number two for the two of us," Gil said to Wilma with a cheeky smile.

"Don't get used to it," Wilma snorted. "I'd still rather date my high school vice principal instead of you."

"Whoo! You really don't like me that much, do you, girl?" Gil asked. Wilma refused to dignify his question with a reply.

Thirty minutes later, the two of them were out and about the Tropicorp Beach Course, looking for a place to drink some shakes. Gil and Wilma had changed out of their firesuits into civilian clothing in order to not attract any attention to themselves. They finally managed to find a place, and the two of them took a booth in the corner of the shop. They made their orders and then waited for their shakes to arrive.

"You finally managed to get Koshiro to talk to you now?" Gil asked Wilma while waiting for their shakes.

"Nope, still nothing," Wilma shook her head. "I mean, I just don't know what to do now! I'm at a loss on what I have to do in order to get back on good terms with him."

"Why is it so important to you for Koshiro Kawai to talk to you once again?" Gil asked. "Can you explain this to me or something because I'm really not understanding this at all."

"Well, Guillermo Rodolfo Archer, unlike you, everyone else would rather have a lot of friends than enemies," Wilma replied haughtily. "And since I consider Koshiro-san as a good friend of mine, I want to bridge whatever it is that's dividing us right now."

"But why Koshiro?" Gil continued. "You've made your fair share of rivals on and off the track, and you've never gone out of your way to patch things up. Until now, that is. So why him?"

"I don't know, I just want to know if we're still on good terms," Wilma shrugged.

"You like him, don't you, Wilhelmina?" Gil suddenly asked.

"What!? No!" Wilma retorted immediately. "Why would you even think such a thing?"

"Look, I'll be the first to admit that girls think differently from boys, especially when it comes to love," Gil said. "But I just can't help but notice some telltale signs here and there, you know."

"Then go get your eyes checked or something because I'm pretty sure that you're just seeing things now," Wilma said heatedly. "Okay, I'll admit it. Koshiro's pretty handsome for an Ajian. But as far as getting attracted to the guy? No sir!"

"Hmm," Gil muttered. "Your mouth says no, but your blushing says yes."

"What!? I'm not blushing!" Wilma almost shouted.

"It's okay, Wilhelmina, it's all right," Gil said. "It's just normal for a girl like you to have feelings for a guy like Koshiro. There's nothing wrong at all with it! Besides, you said you were pansexual, right? Which means you're sexually attracted to everyone, right? Or did you really mean cooking pans this whole time?"

"Okay, first of all, your words are starting to get a little bit problematic," Wilma said. "Your joking around with someone's gender identity is revealing your phobia of anything outside of your privileged heteronormative life experiences. Do you really want me to continue down this particular thread?"

"And there it is, the classic deflection tactic," Gil said. "Really, Wilma, sometimes you just gotta stop being so predictable. Look, what exactly is the problem of you specifically being attracted to someone who is biologically of the opposite to your sex? Are you afraid of your fellow queerdom advocates judging you or thinking less of you because you've decided to 'conform to the heteronormativity' or whatever?"

The arrival of their Cocoa-bo shakes prevented Wilma from answering the question immediately, for better or for worse. She grabbed her shake and started drinking as much of it as she could before the brain freeze got to her and she had to put down the shake. Wilma remained quiet while she waited for the brain freeze to subside, and then she looked Gil in the eye and said, "I would like it very much if we were to talk about something else, please."

Gil recognized that he had seemed to have struck a nerve, and to his credit, he didn't continue striking it. Instead he took a sip of his shake and said, "So there's this thing coming up in Hapilopper in a few weeks' time. Something called the Berman Brothers Classic or something like it. I think it's basically just driving around on a dirt track. The team thinks that this is gonna be good experience for us coming into the Hap dirt race in NSSCRA, so the boss lady's already decided to sign us up. And I'm talking about all of us. You, me, Wang, Rustam and Gasha."

"Why are you telling me this?" Wilma asked.

"Well, scuttlebutt around the ARTS paddock says that Koshiro-san is planning to take part in the Berman Bros. Classic as well," Gil said. "If you wanna talk to him to get him to talk to you once again then that's your time to do it."

"Really?" Wilma asked. "What do you think I should say to him?"

"Well, just acting natural should be a good start," Gil shrugged. "As long as he knows you actually mean your words then you should be A-OK."

"But what about—?" Unfortunately for Wilma, she was interrupted from asking her question when a female voice suddenly shouted, "Bart, you motherfucker!" Wilma turned around to look, and she asked, "What the fuck was that all about?"

Before Gil could respond, a woman wearing a firesuit threw what appeared to be a Cocoa-bo shake at a man also wearing a firesuit. That one action was enough to trigger what could only described as a food fight. Gil stood up and said, "I think it's time we got the hell out of dodge." However, standing up made him a bigger target, and soon he received a Cocoa-bo shake directly at his chest. This caused a lot of laughter from Wilma.

"I don't think I can see what's funny about this whole experience," Gil shouted.

Wilma was not able to answer him before another shake was thrown at their booth and landed—SPLAT—right on her face. "Oh, it's on now,'" Wilma said as she wiped off the drink coagulating all over her clothes. She grabbed her half–drunk shake and threw it at the first person that she saw.

"All right girl," Gil said. "While you work on your catharsis, I'm gonna slip out of here."

The two of them were eventually able to slip out of the place just barely before authorities moved in to stop the ruckus. "Let's never go on a date there again," Gil said.

"Yeah, Cocoa-bo shakes are actually a bit overrated," Wilma said.