WGPC :: World Grand Prix Championship 19 [COMPLETE]

[Sorlovia]

The truth was that he’d started the season at a disadvantage. Due to a series of unfortunate events he’d registered late, had missed the pre-season tests and it’d been difficult to secure a seat on a race team. The damage might’ve been lessened if he’d managed to secure a spot earlier and would thus have been able to take part in the pre-season. But it seemed that fate had conspired against him for WGPC19. The implosion of Volkov Racing had destroyed his plans for the new season and as a result he’d been left high and dry. He could hardly expect to do well this season after that debacle. In every respect the odds were very heavily stacked against him. It didn’t seem likely that WGPC19 would be the break that he’d been dreaming of.

Gregori was a man who liked company. He enjoyed having people to chat and socialize with. He was, by nature, a social butterfly. But this was one of the occasions when he was glad that he was alone. It meant that no one heard the colourful string of obscenities born from his frustration with himself and the current state of the season. Although he had sworn in Sorlovian so even if anyone had heard they wouldn’t have understood. Though the tone would’ve perhaps exposed the nature of it. He was usually calm, level-headed and jovial. But he had his moments. He was human after all. Sometimes it all got too much for him and he needed to let off steam. There was an illicit pleasure in swearing. He was mad at himself. He was mad that he hadn’t done better. He was mad that he’d mucked up the pre-season. He was mad at Volkov for making a mess of it all.

After a few deep breaths he started the email to Lane. After all, he needed to congratulate him on the first place finish at the Eelandii Gran Prix Circuit. He’d earned it!

To: Lane Carter (lcarter@jagwire.tj.un)
From: Gregori Krupin (gkrupin@expressmail.com)

Lane!

I told you that you’ve got what it takes! Congratulations on taking out first place! I knew that you had real skill the moment I first saw you race and this only proves it. I hope you’re out celebrating as you deserve. If you’re free sometime I would love to take you out for a drink to celebrate. You did so well out there mate! I got my very first race win last season and I’ll never forget that feeling. Coming in at first place just makes it all worthwhile. It reminds you that you’ve got what it takes. You really do deserve it my friend.

Keep it up champ! If you keep that up you might take out the Championship this season and give old Rusty a run for his money. You’re gold! Remember that!

Cheers,
Gregori

Despite his frustrations with himself Gregori really was pleased for Lane. He was even more pleased because when they’d talked before the race Lane had doubted himself and his skills. This really was the reward and proof that Lane needed. Gregori wasn’t jealous. Even if the podium and a first place finish continued to elude him. He was simply happy for his teammate. Lane really needed this pick-up. For all he knew it might be the result that pushed Lane to the next stage in his career. The reward that sparked a thirst for more. He'd tried to instil a sense of wanting to do better in his teammate. Lower placings were a learning experience and a reality of the race environment. But they were not something that you wanted to coast by on or become comfortable in.

Gregori had a sneaking suspicion that WGPC wasn't going to be his season. His first two seasons hadn't given him the break he longed for. The last season had given him that glimmer of hope in his very first race win. But it still hadn't been his season. They were only three races into WGPC19 but he had a niggling feeling in the back of his mind. He needed to do better. The Championship was a glittering prize that seemed forever just out of reach. If he was to ever take out that much coveted WGPC Champion spot then he needed to do far better.

[Auruna]

Viska Factory
Sterlennau, Auruna
Few days before the Grand Prix of Turori weekend
Another day at the factory, the mood was surprisingly gloomy even after winning the previous race. Well, it's because that the next race is at the Eelandii Grand Prix Course, a circuit that Viska was terrible in from the beginning. It was a place where their bad luck was at its worst. Almost all of the Viska staff weren't looking forward to the weekend. Jöna would attempt to boost morale in order for them to perform in the weekend. He could only do so much but at least he managed to temporarily lift the mood up until the weekend arrives.

Upon entering his office, Hori can be heard sprinting through the hallway. Jöna turns around to see that Hori is already at the doorway. There must be something wrong with one of the cars... Jöna thought as he lets Hori into his office.

"Why am I here--- it's not what you think. The cars are fine and development are going smoothly. I had to rush over to inform you about Kinu."

"Kinu..? What happened to him?"

"He came in ill, he's currently resting at the lounge. I couldn't continue to tend to him or I would get backed up in my work."

"I heard he would easily get sick but it shouldn't be bad. I'll go see him. Artur's not here, right?"

"I believe so."

"Alright, thanks, you can continue your work."

Jöna would head over to the drivers' lounge soon after Hori left his office. He's completely worried about his driver. He would soon arrive to see Kinu just lying down on the couch with his arm on his head, he was obviously in sheer discomfort. Jöna pulls a chair beside where Kinu is and he then sits down. Kinu wouldn't notice it at first until Jöna spoke. "Kinu, how are you feeling?" He asks.

Kinu attempts to speak clearly to reply. "Sick.. paivutkeed." ("paivutkeed" = "it got worse [for] today", Veratuna & Sterlennau dialect)

"I see." Jöna said.

Before Jöna gets to continue, Kinu got up and followed up on his words. "I don't want to miss a weekend and I don't want to disappoint the team. Afterall, I'm a fulltime VIska driver for this season and I want to make the most of it."

Jöna goes silent to think for a while, Kinu didn't want to miss a race weekend but he's concerned about his current condition. He turns to look at Kinu. "Alright, you can miss the press conferences at Thursday and just come in starting at Friday for practice. Then after the race, immediately get some rest. Got it?"

Kinu nods. "Yeah." Then he slowly leans back into a comfortable position.

"I'm going to leave you to rest for today. Just make sure to inform us that you're ill before you come in and surprise us." Jöna said as he stands up to leave the room. Before heading out of the door, he turns to briefly say. "Let's make a bet: I'll drink a bottle of Niskolen (a type of local beer from Nisko) for every point you score this weekend with a limit of ten so that I won't kill myself."

Kinu was surprised but would accept without hesitation, just for some motivation to perform this weekend even though he's a bit sick. He knows that Jöna wants to get some points in a circuit that they're worst at. At least one point would suffice. Well, Jöna did this to himself.

Eelandii Grand Prix Circuit
Grand Prix of Turori
After the race
The results were to be expected from them in a circuit they despise. The circuit struck back in return with Olivia spinning out and loosing her rear wing in the 36th lap of the race, while the rest of the car survived, she would retire afterwards leaving Kinu to fight for points on behalf of the team. Kinu started P10 after after coming from P12 in Sprint Qualifying. Kinu lost a few positions at the start but would reclaim his spot at P10 with an overtake on Anneliese Devereux after pitting and he would remain tenth until the end of the race.

Because he finished in P10, as the team packs up to leave the circuit to prepare for the next. He left a gift in Jöna's office at VIska's motorhome at the paddock with the help of Artur. Kinu would leave soon after without notice in order to get home early. A few minutes later, Jöna enters the office to pack his stuff up but he notices a bottle with a ribbon and a note. Hah, küjet. He thought as he plucks the note off the bottle. He doesn't realise the size of the bottle before reading the note that has Artur's handwriting, which was obvious to him.

"That's one bottle for one point - Kinu, P10
Sorry mate, mimi's (small) weren't available so we got you a large one, enjoy! - Artur & Kinu"

"Ah.. fuck. I did this to myself didn't I?"

[TJUN-ia]

"Papa, look! I'm driving!"
"Nice one Laney, nice one!"
"WOOOHOOO! I'm driving!"
"How does it feel, son?"
"BRILLIANT!"
.
.
.
"Well done on your first win, son. Your mam and I are so proud of yer."
"Aw thanks, Papa. I can't wait to show my brothers!"
"That's the spirit, Laney!"
.
.
.
"Papa? Mama? Hello?"
"Laney...what's happening? It's...Eternatus...right?"
"Uhh...I think so?"
Lane, we have to leave...now! This world shall be consumed soon enough!"
"But we can't leave them here! We can't!"
"I don't want to either, but we don't know where they are! We have to go, NOW! I'm sure Prince will understand..."
"Ok, Jest...bye-bye....bye-bye..."
.
.
.
"Laney, Jest! Oh, thank goodness you're safe! I thought you were...lost to...The Darkness...W-where's Mama and Papa?"
"......."
"Guys.....where are they?"
"Guys....?"
.
.
.
"What is your name, son?"
"Lane Carter, sir"
"Don't call me sir. You're in TJUN-ia now, you're safe. I'm your friend now...You related to Prince by any chance?"
"Yes...and Jester."
"Right OK...so if Prince plays football...and Jester plays Gridiron...do you do anything, Lane?"
"Yes but...it's stupid...a dream that won't come true anymore...not while my homeland is in tatters..."
"Nothing is stupid in TJUN-ia, Lane...just tell me and I'll see what we can do for you."
"I want to race."

---

WGPC19
Round 4
Grand Prix of Turori
Eelandii Circuit, Eelandii, Turori

The home race. A special occasion for any team. But for Race Eelandii VTGP, this one is always a bit more special than others. The HQ of this team is literally across the street from the pits of the Eelandii Circuit, the street itself being the start/finish straight for this circuit of dreams. Lane Carter got his first points here when teammate R.L. Cruisin won in the home car - now, he and Gregori Krupin were looking to reclaim that magic again in an effort to move up the rankings overall. Lane knew the pressure would be on his shoulders the most, as the #1 driver within the team, to use the Sprint format to good use and claim his first WGPO podium, maybe even his first WGPO win. He didn't know if he had all that within him, that ability everyone who knew him claimed he had...but he had to try nonetheless. Not trying meant he gave up on the spot and...he didn't want to return to the dark place ever again.

And so onto Friday practice, where the rain arrived in a huge way and caused everyone to be careful as they tried to get used to the track and all that. This caused Lane to try and get some wet weather as a) quali was looking like a wet one too, so this is needed and b) you never know what things could be like on Sunday. As such, the REVTGPs were up towards the front on their home track with Krupin in 3rd and Lane just .03 down in 4th. The boss of both of them, local hero iBen Toralmintii, took the session over Jean Mercer-Daly and Daryl Mizushima was the best of the Motorworks in 19th.

Then the rain calmed down in time for the One Shot Fast Lap, 1 lap to determine where you'd start for Sprint Qualifying on Saturday. Having only 1 lap in wet conditions was a breeding ground for chaos and that is exactly what happened, as chaos took quicker than the light rainfall here in Eelandii. Lane did his lap and while he made a few tiny mistakes here and there, it wasn't too bad and it was enough for 5th in the end despite being half a second off top spot. In the end, the top spot for the sprint belonged to Dom Falepeau over JMD and Cocoabo #23 with Daryl assured race time in 10th while Gregori Krupin will start the Sprint from 17th. Not a bad start for the Galarian, but work was still ahead...

Saturday arrived and the Sprint was on the horizon, 100km that will set the grid for tomorrow and even give out a few points for the Top 3 (1st gets 3, 2nd 2 and 3rd gets 1). 18 laps in all and Lane saw this as an opportunity to both better his position for the race and get some dry running with the car in a competitive scenario. For those 18 laps, he tried to climb as high as he could, passing Heinz-Otto Junker, #23 and JMD on in this event to try and challenge Falepeau at the top of the order. This race was very close and Dom would take pole by 2 seconds, but Carter was certainly happy with that as the chaos took over below him. The Prestons were now 4th and 5th, Krupin took the fastest lap (but no point) in 7th and Mizushima would start from 13th. As the Top 3 received their wreaths and were paraded on a track as your top 3, Lane looked upon the crowd - most of them locals although some were foreign, including a few TJUN-ians in the crowd. Most of those fans, especially the locals and the TJUN-ians, would be supporting him in some way or form in the race of his life. The memories of San Marco still plagued his mind somehow and this P2 will be the highest he's started since that day but now, over 2 years later, he would have an opportunity to rectify that missed opportunity that has haunted him ever since. He went to bed that night hoping for something good like his brothers, who swore they were going to watch this race live no matter what. The eyes of the world would be upon him...he didn't know how to feel about that.

Sunday arrived and he was nervous, of course, but Krupin calmed him down. "You have the skills to do it." he said, "We all know you can do this." It was nice to hear at that moment and as he got into the car, he felt more ready than ever before to take on the next 52 laps like it was his last moment in the spotlight. As the five lights went out, he sprinted past Falepeau to take the lead heading into turn 1 and when Cocoabo #23 retired on lap 2, that gave him time to regroup and focus on the task at hand. As soon as the safety car left, Carter entered a zone he hadn't experienced since his karting days - pure concentration until the very end. He pitted when told and listened to his engineers when required but other than that, it was him and the car all the way till the end. On lap 50, he told his team to give him the details on everything and this would be what he remembered last before the chaos began. iBen was catching but Lane should be fine, Falepeau in 3rd, Nülkeschläger 4th, JMD 5th with the FL, Rustom Ibuna 6th, Haukanna 7th, Krupin 8th, Edwards 9th and on trck for his first points, Kinu Luminna 10th, Mizushima 19th. Only Mizu, #23 and Kowalski are without points as it stands, Lane in 5th on 31, Gergori 11th on 15. Ibana leads by 11 over iBen. BA on top by a lot in Constructors, RE up to 3rd if results stand.

As he started his final lap, he thought about everything within his life. Mama and Papa, Galar, Prince and his talents, Jester and his, The Darkness, Eternatus, the evacuation, TJUN-ia, the MRO, Jungle Circuit, UrGa, Taras, San Marco, the letter, Cocoabo Forest, Cruisin, Krupin...Mizu. All of them played a part in what was about to happen at this point. Everything that had happened, all the good and the bad, was leading to this - the breakthrough, the moment of realisation. As he exited turn 17 for the final time and bolted for the flag, all he could do was scream and cry as he waved to his engineers on the wall. Lane Carter, after everything he had been through, was a race winner in the WGPC. And everyone he knew was happy for him.

He has been through a lot, hasn't he. From The Darkness itself to San Marco, he has been through the works in his career. But today, that changes. Today is a day where finally, the cards fall in place for our Galarian boy. TODAY BELONGS TO GALAR, TODAY BELONGS TO TJUN-IA! LANE CARTER HAS DONE IT! HE WINS THE GRAND PRIX OF TURORI IN THE LOCAL CAR IN FRONT OF THE LOCAL DRIVER! I'M CRYING RIGHT NOW AND I'M NOT ASHAMED TO SAY THAT!

LC: AAAAAAAAH! WAAAAAAAA! AHHHHHH! AAAAAAAH! AAAAH!
RE: WELL DONE, LANE!
LC: AAAAAAAAAH! AAAAAAH! AAAAAH! AAAAAH!
RE: WELCOME TO WINNER'S CIRCLE, CARTER! WELCOME TO THE BIG TIME!
LC: AAH! Aaah!...I.....I....can't thank you all....enough...Thank you all for....keeping faith in me...after all this time....I...I'm grateful for the opportunity...
RE: You did us proud out there, Lane! You did us proud! Well done!
LC: Thank you...This one was for Galar...for my brothers...my parents...this team...and Mizu, too...this one was for all of you...t-t-t-thank you...

He struggled to get out of the car, he was that tired and emotional. Every engineer deserved the hug they got and even iBen was not spared the honour in the end. He couldn't get to Mizu but he could definitely be congratulated by Sorlovia's finest. He took to the podium with tears still in his eyes and as "The Rivers and Seas" came on, the anthem of his adopted homeland, they came flowing out of him like a waterfall. He could feel the weight of expectation lift from his shoulders as he lifted that trophy and sprayed the champagne. 6 Rounds still remain, including a double-race round in Aboveland next time around, and The Dream was still a constant in his head but for today, that didn't matter at all. For the first time in his entire life, Lane Carter felt he was good at motor racing - and that felt so damn good to think in his head. He was good, he was so bloody good, and nobody could take this away from him forevermore. Stefan had Marele, Batu had the Rumble and now Lane had Eelandii. Galar was here to stay...and TJUN-ia, too.

---

To: Gregori Krupin (gkrupin@expressmail.com)
From: Lane Carter (lcarter@jagwire.tj.un)
Subject: RE: Lane!

---

Hey there man.

Thank you so so much for keeping the hope alive for me. I'm still in shock about it all and maybe a celebratory drink will help it all sink in. I look forward to another one-to-one and who knows, maybe I'll tell you about these crazy dreams I've been having for months now.

I'll see you wherever and once again, thank you for your belief. It was very helpful.

Kind regards,
Lane

To: Lane Carter (lcarter@jagwire.tj.un)
From: Daryl Mizushima (dmizushima@squidmail.sqr)
Subject: Thank you

---

Hey there mate, It's Lane again. I know you've been busy and all that at the Motorworks team, but I felt like I needed to get some things off my chest as my shock turns into numbing disbelief.

I didn't expect to...win...not at all. I thought that while my pace was good, I didn't think it was good enough to beat everyone out there. I guess I'm just as surprised as everyone back home and maybe just as surprised as you, too.

I wish I could've seen you afterwards but Race Eelandii were never gonna let me go on my own after winning their home race. But regardless of that, I want to say one simple thing to you as I take stock of everything in my career: thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

WGP2, especially San Marco, really sent me down a dark path. My first season here was supposed to be a walk down the right path, a chance to make things right...but it turned into another slog, to begin with, my confidence smashed into pieces and no hope in sight...

But then I sent that letter to you. That was the purpose I needed to focus on improving myself, both for mine and your sake. It may have been me helping you to start but in the end, you helped me just as much. Having a friend, someone to walk to about my struggles, was really great for me in the long run and without you...I don't know if I would be here right now.

So, with that in mind, I want to thank you. For being there when I had no one and for helping me see what I could do for myself. You have been such a good pal and I...just wanted to show that to you in any way I can. I am forever in your debt, Mizu, and if you ever need anything, anything at all, then just let me know. You've earned that at least.

See you around, Mizu.

Kind regards,
Lane

[Diarcesia]

The Imagination-imbued technology of the WGPC19-specific tires made by Phoenician in partnership with the Nimban company InMotion has a tiny but easily discernible effect; small enough for its effects to be almost invisible at speed, but robust enough to support the drivers of GPA Pryfors Bilar-Viska in maximizing their cars' performance.

Dario Nülkeschläger, a former WGPC Motorworks driver, had become PB-Viska's linchpin of strategy in the Grand Prix of Turori. He was the brains behind finding the sweet spot of how to maximize the car's strengths in the track and ensure their success in the form of a significant points haul. He also learned quickly from his mistakes in the previous race as he finally and successfully nailed his now-famous "Softs and Inshallah" strategy to devastating effect.

In the aftermath of the Nimban Grand Prix, everyone in the team worked double to strengthen the transmission and suspension systems. This reliability upgrade will add some weight and slow the car down. Not that it mattered because the data analyzers found that so far, the PF-1Cs rarely approached the theoretical top speed anyway. Additionally, both Laura and Dario's sides of the garage undertook intense soul-searching to identify the biggest room for improvement in their synergies with the cars. For Dario in particular, Creusa had been of great assistance in compiling the metrics captured during the race for the Hülkenberger's own purpsoes, especially at the point just before and during that race-ending mistake in Crossbay Circuit's Turn 10.

As a result of that, the team slowly but surely rebuilt their damaged confidence as they enter Turori. Initially, the signs weren't encouraging when it showed the drivers struggled to show pace in practice and the high-stakes one-shot fast lap sessions. A lightbulb moment of insights from Dario managed to help turn things around just in time for the sprint qualifying. Laura was able to improve to P20 while Dario, arguably one of the biggest winners in the session, blitzed ahead of several others to start at P14 in the grid. It proved to be just the right springboard for the Sidus 616M-1B engine and the Phoenician-InMotion Blackbird tires to help the drivers finish at P4 and P7.

"It's a positive sign that the drivers are now more motivated," said Aldauren Ginintella when asked by a reporter. "But we need to know if we can be more consistent in qualifying. At the start of the season, the team made the decision to build cars that can take pole positions. As demonstrated by Laura, we were able to do it, but the issues we encountered showed that it was a high risk-high reward route. It's positive that we were able to diminish somewhat our starting disadvantage in the sprint race, but it's still the start, and we have to keep our heads in the game for the race itself. And after that I think we have to work on our qualifying in the next grand prix."

---

Grand Prix of Turori
Race

The fourth race of the WGPC 19 started with Sara Luna at P8 on Eelandii Grand Prix Circuit. At Turori, the Tropicorp Racing Ælund team drivers got off well as the lights went out. For Sara, as the race progressed, she found the track was starting to get somewhat boring as she executed perfectly her gearshifts and her braking. A call by Agreka to change Sara's Sifakas to a durable-distance set broke this monotony, and the latter dutifully entered the pit lane and into the awaiting crew...

Only for one of the guys to mistakenly grab one of iBen's tires.

In the live broadcast, an anguished Sara Luna was heard over the radio what the heck happened. That was a trivial mistake that should never occur. The tires were appropriately labeled for crying out loud! With three out of four of the new tires fitted into Tabetha, the remaining rear-left brakes smoked as the crewman frantically picked up the correct tire and finally get it put in place.

"Sorry about that. There is a good chance to recover and bring ourselves back in the points," Agreka tried to reassure Sara.

"We better be, as I'll get released into traffic."

Later...

"Don't hold back. Please keep at it. Push and try to overtake at the next opportunity."

"I can't right now. Overtaking is unbearably rough with the tires I have. Got no time to change these shoes."

"Right. I will keep watching the temperatures. I'll talk later."

Sara and Tabetha had a busy day, much more than usual; in the end, she finished P12, out of the points yet again. Post-race, she didn't say anything except a word of congratulations to iBen over his Podium. "Hopefully, this is the first podium of many for us."

"Again, I'm sorry about what happened at the pits earlier. We can talk later about this, a time to reflect and adjust."

Later in the Evening

Sara and her family was silent, the weather was nice and calm. The driver pondered on how the relations between her and the mechanics were good and that the race was another missed opportunity for her. This WGPC was a very different season compared to the last. She had a single championship point going into the fifth race in Aboveland, and she wondered if it was even possible for her to be champion. A small part of her was getting prepared for the seemingly inevitable "Sara, this is Edvin" team order at the rate things were going.

[Auruna]

Karalinne, Auruna
Laura became a big name in her hometown of Karalinne with nearly everyone recognising her, especially after he recent performances in the last three races. As she goes around minding her own business, she couldn't help but notice that the very same people would follow it up with various mentions of Laura's own mother, Aurun rally legend Aina Haukanna. She would hear them talk about Aina for a while, especially at her height in the 90s, a time before Laura was even born. This parked her curiosity as her mother didn't tell her much about that time and she only witnessed her mother race during her later parts of her career before she retired. Without much else to do for the rest of the day, Laura rushes back home to look for any videos or whatever is available online about her mother's early racing career. When she arrives, her search begins.

It wouldn't take her long to find where her mother's story in ARC began, it was a full clip of the 1995 ARC Artavena Rally's first stage that was widely popular around internet forums and video sharing sites. Laura clicks on the video and she'd skip around to find her mother's run. It was a long video but she manages to find it.

MNA Commentary
- "Now it is time for one of the Schkeska's run through Pälvittenkä-N and it is Aina Haukanna, the rookie from Karalinne in the #37 Vezrel! She has certainly surprised us earlier with her speed and talent to be able to put up times that would challenge her Schkeska teammate Lauri Vorlen's personal bests."

- "Earlier, I spoke to her co-driver, Juho Kÿlmette. He said that he was certainly shocked about how fast she was on any terrain when in Schkeska's tests before this season and it was one of those rare moments where he couldn't keep up with his pace notes."

- "Looks like she's here to challenge Vorlen for the title but let's he how she goes in her first start of the season."

Laura kept watching, seeing a very familiar driving style, she was in awe and was really deep into it as after finishing the clip of Aina's first start, she would keep watching more clips. A few hours passed and and Laura was still at it, always in awe while watching the clips, she just couldn't stop as she discovers more about her mother's career. Wanting more, she would then look for the more notable moments. And she was not disappointed after stumbling upon one of the most popular moments of Aina Haukanna in the ARC -- the 1999 ARC Livonsk Rally's final stage. Why didn't she tell me about this if it's that popular here?

The clip opens up with the commentators talking about the title fight between Haukanna and Vorlen. It was so intense between the two that it reached the final rally of the season at Livonsk.

MNA Commentary
- "Then it came to the finale, just who will take the title at the end? I'm excited to see how this will turn out. Vorlen has set a time that was 10 seconds faster than the best of the rest, how will Haukanna be able to clinch the title here?"

- "We'd have to consider that Haukanna has significant damage to her car. She would have to pull off a miracle to set a time that would beat Vorlen's total."

Laura would then witness why she has a big name behind her, how big of a shoe to fill to keep it up. A beautiful show of raw speed and control against all odds that she has inherited in both WGP2 and WGPC is reminiscent of that very performance. She continues watching the clip and during the on-boards, she would notice that the co-driver couldn't keep up again as Aina blitzes through the forests of Livonsk. Laura doesn't know how to react as well but she still continues to watch, it was all too familiar. Now I get it...

And near the end, the most memorable part of the rally happened.

MNA Commentary
- "There goes Haukanna on the final jump into the finish and--- Oh! Something must've unsettled the car! She lands on her right wheels but it looks like the suspension collapsed and she's now on her side!"

- "Matti, look! She managed to carry enough speed to skid across the finish!"

- "Oh my goodness, this is one of if not the most fascinating ways to end the season!"

- "It looked like she was pushing as hard as she can, determined to take the title from Vorlen. Was that enough to beat Vorlen's time?"

- "Her time was--- oh wow! She was 20 seconds faster than Vorlen on this stage with a broken car! And that puts her ahead of Vorlen!"

- "Well then, we are happy to announce that, to the dismay of Lauri Vorlen and Schkeska, Aina Haukanna is the 1999 ARC driver's champion! Her fourth championship in ARC and her third with Viska!"

It was an incredible moment to watch, Laura doesn't even know what to feel. There was a mix of emotions as she teared up infront of the computer. But this helped her with a newfound motivation. It was difficult to describe what it actually is. She may not be able to replicate what her mother was able to do but she'd make sure that she'll get close. As the video is still running, the interview with Lauri Vorlen can be heard where his words would sum up both Aina and Laura -- "How did she do that?"

That's it, that's what I've been looking for. One of the factors as to why I am currently at. I'll make sure to get close to what you did, to keep your name-- no, our names remembered be it in WGPC or the MNA. It'll not be an exact replica, it's impossible even for me but I know why you let me race. You see yourself in me. I know that you wouldn't be able to see me win here, but I hope you're watching me from Kiretäriinä ("spirit realm" - the afterlife in Aurun culture) with him. I'll keep racing, and winning on your behalf, just stay with me.

She wipes the tears of mixed emotions and would lean back on her chair to try and rest for a bit. She felt relief afterwards as she would remember those words that her mother said, that one simple phrase that has been hidden in her mind for a while, finally reveals itself to motivate her from this point on.

Just keep going, that's how we do it.

[Tropicorp]

Tropicorp Sweeps while Fast Cocoabo Finds More Tyres

After a sweep of the first three events of the World Grand Prix Championship Season, the Phoenician/InMotion Teams finally faltered as they entered the Tropicorp Region for the Grand Prix of Turori. At one of the most balanced circuits on the World Grand Prix Championship schedule, the circuits most technically balanced tire prevailed completing a sweep of the podium with the local team Race Eelandii! Vilita and Turori World Grand Prix Motorworks getting their first victory of the season and second in team history when TJUN-ia driver Lane Carter out-paced local hero iBen Toralmintii to take the checkered flag for their first ever Grand Prix Victory. Dom Falepeau of Constructors Championship leading Badai Angin Tim Motorsport rounded out the podium after having started pole position by virtue of their Sprint Qualifying victory earlier in the race weekend.

The Podium performance allowed Tropicorp Racing Supply to close the gap in the Supplier performance standings to the early season juggernaut collaboration between Phoenician and inMotion tyres. After entering the event already trailing by 26 points, Tropicorp Racing Supply would leave Turori just 12 points behind the leaders. No other suppliers were able to score points in Eelandii with all of the drivers using one of the WGPC Official tyre sets finishing outside the points while there were no drivers in the field using the High Reliability Deyoze Tyre after Sayona Souzare failed to qualify in the WGPC Motorworks car.

WGPC19 Supplier Performance Standings (After Race #4)
[1] - 90 :: Phoenician/InMotion
[2] - 78 :: Tropicorp Racing Supply
[3] - 29 :: WGPC Official
[4] - 1 :: HR (Deyoze / Gajamina)

The Tyre Supplier standings return for the World Grand Prix Championship's 19th season. As with previous seasons, only the top finishing driver for a given tyre supplier in each event counts toward the standing in addition to the single point award for the tyre supplier of the fastest lap driver.

With Souzare out of the action, however, it meant that Cocoabo #23 was in the field for their first start of the season after skipping the first event in Liventia and failing to qualifying in Hodori and in Crossbay. The Weekend got off to a spectacular start as Fast Cocoabo actually showed some speed in the wet Pre-Qualifying session. While they were aided by a fortunate draw that saw the Cocoabo on track late on during the One-Shot session as the track began to dry after the mornings heavy rains, at Top 5 speed had not yet been seen out of the Motorworks cars this season giving some view into the talent that the Cocoabo has when they have the opportunity to apply it. Having already secured their spot in the race, Fast Cocoabo was taking no chances in the Sprint Qualifying with only one WGPC Motorworks Chassis fitted with the Cocoabo Conversion Kit - an accident could have forced the Cocoabo off the grid. The #23 machine was nursed with caution through the Sprint Qualifying event and ultimately brought home in 18th across the line which would become the Cocoabo's starting position for the Feature.

Unfortunately, all the caution was for not and potentially masked a problem with the #23 machine that revealed itself mere laps into the start of the Grand Prix of Turori. Whether it was a pre-existing issue or something exacerbated by the chaos at the start of the race, Fast Cocoabo suffered a parts failure on the third lap of the race resulting in a full-course caution as the car buried it's nose under a mixture of tire barriers and advertising banners.

Luckily, although visually spectactular, the additional damage to Cocoabo #23's unique WGPC Motorworks Chassis was minimal and the team did not expect any issues having the car repaired locally in Eelandii before making the trip due North to Aboveland for the first Sprint Race / Feature Race weekend of the season.

---

[Aboveland]

Lintulahti—Toralmintii International Circuit | Track Guide

---

Lintulahti—Toralmintii International Circuit, more commonly known simply as Lintulahti, began as a high-speed blast through the namesake valley, as the Abovian government constructed the nation's first international grade circuit since the closure of Pine Hill Circuit in Tyttebærsby. With the central Abovian racetrack having been decommissioned following future Hodori Rally Champion Axel Novikov's life-threatening accident in WGPC15, Lintulahti was conceived from the get-go to serve as the headquarters for the Abovian WGPC team effort then dubbed Project AGP, which would subsequently take up the Novikov Racing outfit in the inaugural WGP2 season and later become Tropciorp Racing Ælund.
Despite the original track having become a fan favorite in its brief two-year run in WGPC, its usefulness as a testing venue as TRÆ's headquarters was debatable. The circuit design had little in the way of mid to low speed corners, and the asphalt surface was flat and consistent throughout the track. Despite having yielded two championship-winning vehicles in the form of AGP 002 and 003, the team's occasional struggles on more technical circuits prompted a multi-million turkki investment in revamping the aggressive layout and turning the circuit into a more varied, unpredictable, and testing-suitable racetrack.
However, the redesign was met with little fanfare from fans, drivers and teams alike, prompting the Abovian government to re-engineer the race track once again — putting Tropicorp Racing Ælund out of a test track for the second off-season in a row — to liken its new design to the original layout. The rendition of Lintulahti for WGPC19 returns to the roots of the valley circuit which captured the hearts and souls of the WGPC grid for years, keeping the original profile of turns one through eight while tweaking the final sector between nine and fourteen to make for a more enthralling mix of high-speed and technicality. To further attune the facility to TRÆ's testing needs, a new testing-purposed corner complex extends beyond turn four with a variety of mid and low speed corners.

A lap of Toralmintii International Circuit
The lap begins 120 meters above the base of Lintulahti bay as drivers rocket up the long, slightly uphill pit straight towards turn one, where the track dips suddenly and leads into a flat left hander and a sweeping, flat out, descending and slightly off-camber right turn down to turn four, where the track levels off 15 meters from the water level. The track remains flat and level through turn five, which crosses the still waters of Lintulahti, and climbs slightly towards turn seven. The climb becomes steeper up to turn eight, where the circuit plateaus through turn nine and descends again towards turn ten: a sharp, banked, constant radius hairpin which launches drivers off down the flat kinks of eleven and twelve. The braking for turn thirteen is tricky, as the circuit surface undulates into the rising left hander, before finishing in a steep off-camber corner in turn fourteen to feed into the pit straight and finish the lap. In terms of runoff, the margin for error is generous through the first section of the track, but turns 7, 8, 9 and 15 have no runoff and lead straight into energy-absorbing walls.

Keep in Mind
Despite having been constructed to host the most important Abovian sporting event, Lintulaht—iToralmintii International Circuit's location in the small town of Lintulahti poses a logistical challenge for attendees. Road access during a race weekend might be compromised at any given moment; the organizers of the Abovian Grand Prix recommend visitors to seek hospitality services in the nearby major city of Iskajärvi, and to travel to the circuit via high speed ferry or monorail. Accommodation in Lintulahti will likely be unavailable or highly priced as most bookings will be preferentially given to competing teams and team personnel. Additionally, recent protests in major urban centers around Aboveland may encourage some travelers to heed caution. Manifestations are unlikely to turn violent or disruptive, but road closures around Iskajärvi are a possibility.

[Togonistan]

Eelandii Grand Prix Course
Post-race

Following the podium celebrations, where Dom had done all he could to make sure that Lane and iBen would leave the podium with their fire suits soaked in champagne, it was time to give some interviews to the media. Walking through the press area, Dom smiled as photographers were taking pictures of him. With the modeling work he had done for Élégamment as part of his sponsorship deal, the Togonistani already had a fair amount of experience on how to pose for the photographers. That knowledge was something he used to the full extent right now, letting the press take pictures of him in all sorts of possible angles (to the limit of it being family-friendly and suitable in the given moment, of course). Having spent about half a minute goofing around with his poses, sent blow kisses towards the cameras and made sure everyone around him was struggling to not burst out laughing, he eventually stopped and walked over to a reporter waiting for him.

''Hello Dom! First of all, those were quite some poses you did there. You must feel very excited about your first ever WGPC podium, am I right?''

Dom laughed, ''You bet I am! Yeah, being up on that podium... it was something else, alright? It felt magnificent. The people shouting, the champagne shower... I am happy, I truly am.''

''You started the race on pole position. From there on, Lane made a quick overtake on you. Do you think it is something that cost you a race win today?''

''Eh... I wouldn't say so. Lane had a better start and managed to get a better entry into the first corner. Once he got his nose in front of mine, there wasn't much I could do. Of course, the team had a strategy to help me get that position back, we attempted an undercut but yeah, Lane just was too fast today and he managed to bring it home.''

''Do you feel bad considering that iBen managed to also take P2 from you during lap 47, when you had a brake lockup? How does it make you feel?''

''Well...'' Dom laughed, ''I mean, name me one racing driver who likes getting overtaken. Kudos to iBen though, he did a fantastic job today. The way he worked himself up the front pack and how he managed to find that pace during the ending stages of the race shows the experience he has and what a great driver really as. But, since you asked about the brake lock-up, yeah, I started to struggle on my set of tyres during last laps. Of course, without the lock-up, iBen would've taken me over one way or another, I'm sure of that. At that point, he just had better tyres, more pace and he did what he had to do, not much else to say.''

''Well, no matter what, it's still your first WGPC podium. Are you going to celebrate tonight?''

''Oh, definitely! Yeah, me and some guys in Badai Angin will be having a little sitting and play some cards together. Of course, if Lane and iBen or anyone else from the paddock wishes to join...'' Dom looked into the camera and pointed his finger at it, ''I'll be waiting for you in two hours, in my motorhome. Drinks are on me!''

''Haha, thank you Dom for the interview! And, of course, have fun!''

''Thank you sweetheart, take care!'' Dom hugged the reporter before heading away, towards his motorhome. Of course, with the weekend done, most of the team would be busy packing things together. However, Dom had been serious about the podium celebrations. So, he texted the Badai Angin team chat and encouraged his team members to drop by whenever they get a chance, as well as sent the invites to all the drivers on the WGPC paddock. True, they all could be fierce rivals on the track, but at the end of the day, they were pretty much colleagues. And Dom lived by the motto of what happens on the track, stays on the track.

Cafe 83
Edrana, Togonistan

Few days after the weekend in Turori, Dom was allowed a couple of days to visit his home back in Togonistan. With him touring around the world once again, he wanted to check on his friends back home whenever the opportunity came. So, after taking his beauty sleep in his cosy bed at home, Dom had spent a day moving around. First, he had met with his old friend Ryan, with whom he had a couple of beers in a bar. Next, he had hopped into a car and driven all the way from Tushlark to Edrana, to pay a surprise visit to DF Racing headquarters. With the TTRL season still at full go, the garage had been busy with mechanics working on cars and team leadership holding a meeting. That meeting, of course, was cut short as soon as Dom had entered the room and the focus had gone from discussing the TTRL season to congratulating Dom on his WGPC podium. Having spent three hours in the HQ, Dom had finally decided to have some alone time. A moment for himself.

Out in one of the less prestigious neighbourhoods, Cafe 83 was located in a humble grey house. At first glance, that coffee shop didn't differ much from all the others you could find travelling around Togonistan. As the name suggested, they served coffee, along with various cakes, some with a certain magic touch added to them. However, for Dom, that was no ordinary coffee shop. For him, it was a window back to his childhood. Because, Cafe 83 had stood there for over 20 years. As he stepped in, Dom immediately remembered the days way back. Back when he was just a little kid and his mother had worked there, trying to make an ends meet. A woman in her 60s smiled as she saw Dom and immediately recognized him. That was Greta, one of the waitresses that had also worked in Cafe 83 back then. Of course, time had done it's work on her. The long blonde hair Greta used to have had gone grey, her face had a couple more wrinkles on it. But, the spark in her eyes was still just the way Dom remembered it. Having taken a seat and ordered himself a cup of coffee as well as a blunt, Dom smiled as he leant back on his chair.

Having received his order, Dom took a sip of the coffee and lit up his blunt. Puffing smoke rings up into the air, he looked around and noticed a bearded figure walking towards him. At first, Dom didn't even recognize the face. However, once the man took a seat in front of him, Dom started to remember. ''Incredible,'' the man said as he looked at Dom, ''you really do have your mother's eyes.''

Having said that, the two sat in silence for a few moments, until Dom eventually opened his mouth: ''What do you want?''

The man shrug, ''I was just having a cup of coffee when I saw my flesh and blood son walk in that door. Thought I might say hi, you know.''

''Right,'' Dom said with a tone that didn't indicate him being that happing about seeing his father there, ''so you have crawled out of your shadow once again, hmh? What do you want from me. Money?''

''I just... wanted to talk to you. Ask how you're doing.''

''Am I supposed to believe that?'' Dom asked, ''You haven't cared about how I'm doing for the past... how many, 20 years? You left me and mom when I was three. And now, all of a sudden, I'm supposed to believe that bullcrap? Did the age turn you all sentimental all of a sudden?''

The man sighed, ''Look, Dom, I'm sorry about that. I just...''

''Sorry? Excuse me, sorry!?'' A blood vessel started expanding on Dom's forehead, ''You're sorry that you just disappeared that night without a word? Sorry that until now, the only times I've heard of you are those two times when you've been drunk calling mom? Sorry that through all these years, you didn't even bother to check how we might be doing? What is up, did you suddenly just start caring?''

''Look, Dom, I...''

''Oh, now I get it. You've been watching the news, haven't you?'' Dom pointed at the TV that was playing inside the coffee shop, currently showing a short sports news break, ''Is that how you recognized me? Read the name on the screen when they showed my interview?''

The man sighed and looked down. The two sat in silence once again, with Dom drinking his coffee and smoking. ''I didn't even know you were in racing until now.''

Dom shook his head, ''Why am I not surprised. Living under the rock does that do you. To be honest, I thought you died of liver damage or something already. Surprised to see you here, that's for sure.''

''I stopped drinking,'' the man said quietly.

''And I saw a unicorn,'' Dom said ironically. He drank his cup empty, took his blunt with him and threw a couple bills on the table. ''These are for the waitress, not you.''

''Dom, please, wait...''

Dom, however, had no wish to have this conversation any longer. Having opened the door, he started walking down the street and looked over the shoulder a few times to make sure his flesh and blood father wouldn't be trying to follow him. However, the street was as dead as one would expect it to be during a work day. Smoking and enjoying the sunlight, Dom felt as if he had just seen a ghost. His father, his own flesh and blood father who had left him when he was barely three... he had barely even remembered his face. Why? Why on earth had they happen to bump into each other now, at this day and age?

Kaylan Racing Team HQ
Tushlark, Togonistan

Meanwhile, not aware of the sudden return of Dom Falepeau's long lost father (and not caring a single bit about it), Xander was looking at the blueprints of proposed modifications to Kaylan T180's front wing. ''So, wind tunnel tests say it should help with our speed in the corners, right?''

''I told you so,'' Veronica Dams, Kaylan's Chief Engineering Officer, replied with her arms crossed, ''if you say your yes word now, we can fit that upgrade for the next weekend.''

Xander threw the blueprints on the table and rubbed his face. It wasn't exactly what he had hoped for, but at least it was something. ''What about the floor? You said it was where the most issues lay right now?''

''We still need to do more testing regarding the floor bits. From a technical standpoint, it is a much more complex upgrade. It takes time, it won't happen overnight.''

''Sure. The City of Rome wasn't built overnight either. I sometimes wish it was, though,'' Xander replied and sighed, ''well, we need to do something. For my eyes, that front wing sure looks like a solid package. I want that fitted for Lintulahti.''

''And the floor? Should we attempt to speed up the development process or carry on as we have?'' Veronica asked.

''Would be great if you could, but I don't live in a fairyland either. I get it, it takes time. Take the time you need, last thing we need right now is an half-baked attempt that might make the car even worse than it is right now.''

Veronica raised her eyebrows. ''Even worse than it is now? You really do make it sound as if the T180 is amongst the worst cars ever made.''

''Sorry. I didn't mean it like that, I really do appreciate all the work you and your team have done. I'm just a bit stressed out right now, sorry, I...''

''It's okay,'' Veronica said and leant forward to touch Xander's shoulder, ''I know it's difficult to see Kaylan where it is right now. But, trust me, we will do all we can to get back in the game, okay?''

Xander nod.

[Chromatika]

Wrench took her friend's advice and RSVP'ed to attend the panel. A few weeks later, the following announcement was made:

---

The First Annual Chromatik Women in Sports Panel

Host: Aimée de Pierre, Chromia Central Courier
Panelists:
Keira Andisori - My Life as the First Prominent Chromatik Footballer
Alisen Moyamoto - The Art of Winning an International Championship
Sarai Michelle Bradwyn Gwenderyn - How to Overcome One's Beginnings
Lia Xiu - Collaboration, Collaboration: The Art of Teamwork
Anola "Wrench" Melani - Behind the Wheel: The Little-Known Story of Chromatik Motorsports

Group Panels:
Keira Andisori, Alisen Moyamoto, Sarai Michelle Bradwyn Gwenderyn, Lia Xiu, Anola "Wrench" Melani - Panel Roundtable
Keira Andisori, Alisen Moyamoto - The Olden Days: Role of Women in the Beginning Days of Chromatik Sports
Sarai Michelle Bradwyn Gwenderyn, Anola "Wrench" Melani - The Impact of Sports on Young Chromatik Women
Keira Andisori, Alisen Moyamoto, Lia Xiu - The Impact of Hosting a Major Tournament

Physical attendance is limited to 100 selected journalists. Every panel will be streamed live on Television and Online. The event is free to the public to view.

For a brighter, equal Chromatika.

-The Chromatik Sporting Council-

The event would take place in a week, thankfully during the midseason break. Before then, Anola had a race to try to find her feet in. Kaylan wasn't doing well - everyone was feeling the pressure - and she was determined to make a run at changing their fortunes.

[Liventia]

Carvenlo and Liventia Airways reach 'amicable decision' on split
Lintulahti, ABOVELAND— Liventia's World Grand Prix Championship outfit Carvenlo Racing and team title sponsor Liventia Airways have gone their separate ways ahead of the Abovian Grand Prix in which Carvenlo racer Janne Laukkanen is due to race in front of his home crowd, sparking concerns over long-term funding for the team.

The national flag carrier, which sponsors the annual Liventian race on the WGPC calendar, had tentatively ventured into sponsoring six-time world constructors champions Carvenlo after the team announced its intention to return to the grid this season.

However, there were early signs of trouble when the airline's branding did not appear on the cars during the team's livery reveal, with Carvenlo claiming at the time that Liventia Airways had "graciously [given] up sponsorship space on the car", with top electronics brand echo featuring most prominently.

An airline marketing official, who declined to be named as he did not have permission to speak on the record to the media, said that the exclusion of the Liventia Airways brand from the car was "the nail in the coffin in this partnership from the start".

"That really made us go away and think twice over what we were getting out of this aside from having the brand in the team name, which no one really uses anyway," he explained.

The news has understandably led to speculation over the future funding of the team, although Carvenlo have previously successfully run its operations without a title sponsor. It is unclear whether finances were the reason for their decision to partner with Liventia Airways this season.

Laukkanen is expected to do well on home soil this weekend, although the distraction could hardly have come at a worse time for the team, which has not scored a single point since a double points finish in the season opener at Talbott.

A Carvenlo source played down the split, saying that the two parties had agreed "mutually" that it was not working out and to go their separate ways. "We're funded sufficiently through the end of the season and our development of the car through the rest of the year isn't affected," he said.

Carvenlo Liventia Airways Racing is now known simply as Carvenlo Racing

[Sorlovia]

“It might be an issue with acceleration.”

The mechanics had been looking over Gregori’s car for the past three hours. He couldn’t put a finger on it but something wasn’t quite right. The race mechanics had already checked the transmission, all four tyres and the gearbox but had found nothing wrong. The car was currently sitting plugged into a diagnostics machine in an effort to get the bottom of just what was going on. Gregori couldn’t figure it out either but it seemed like the car wasn’t performing as much as it should. He was no mechanic but he knew when a car wasn’t doing as good as it could.

If he was to hazard a guess he’d have suggested that it was something to do with the acceleration. It felt like the car was struggling to pick up speed when he entered the straights. It was as if the car hit a wall every time he tried to get the most out of it. Race Eelandii had provided him with an incredibly fine car. But in the course of a season a racer’s car needed to have work done in order to keep it in optimal condition. A race put a lot of pressure on a car and subjected it to intense stress. Over time parts wore out and the car needed maintenance to bring back to fighting shape.

“Tell you what,” Lucas added “we’ll give the engine a tune up and check the throttle. We’ll get to the bottom of this Gregori. Besides, it’s time this girl had a complete tune up.”

The fluids had already been changed. At Gregori’s request the tyres had always been changed and a new oil filter fitted. It appeared that he’d been a little too aggressive in the last race which damaged his front axle resulting in unreliable steering in the final lap. If it hadn’t been the final lap he might’ve been forced to leave the race or risk breaking the axle altogether which in turn would’ve caused a crash. He felt incredibly sheepish about that fact and had been mentally kicking himself ever since. It wasn’t like him to be rough on his car like that. Perhaps his frustration was getting to him. It was time to pull his head out of his backside and settle down. His father had essentially said exactly that when he’d called him after hearing the news. Nikolai had said it in a much nicer way of course. But he had cautioned his son. Emotion wasn’t always your friend.

“Thanks Lucas,” Gregori replied with a soft smile “I appreciate all the hard work you and your crew are doing. It means the world to me.”

“That’s what they pay me for,” he said with a grin “it’s a pleasure Greg. We’re here for you. Don’t worry about it. We’ll keep you on the track no more matter what.”

He was genuinely deeply appreciative for the work his mechanics did. Gregori had taken the time to get to know each member of his pit crew and made a point of expressing his gratitude every chance he got. It was simply who he was. He liked to get to know his crew and to make them feel that they mattered to him. He’d done the same with Lane. The truth was that every single person mattered. In his eyes, but admittedly not in others, everyone was important. His mechanics worked tirelessly to keep him racing and never complained about the wear on the car. They worked long hours to repair the damage to the damage to the front axle ahead of the next race. Lucas had had them check the rear axle as well to ensure that it hadn’t been damaged as well which, to Gregori’s relief, it hadn’t been.

Whatever the case was the car would be ready for the next race. It would given an extensive tune up and a careful examination to ensure that it was functioning as it should.

[WGPC 19]

Lintulahti—Toralmintii International Circuit | Track Guide

---

Week 5: Practice

Lintulahti-Toralmintii International Circuits returns to bid for a spot on the WGPC calendar after a years' absence. The iconic high-speed racetrack, nestled over the hills of Lintulahti Bay, was adopted by Tropicorp Racing Ælund as its headquarters at the start of WGPC16, but was closed for renovations during WGPC18—leaving TRÆ without a test track for the majority of their title-defending season. The revamped layout, designed more with testing than racing in mind, debuted in WGP2 season 4 with a feature race victory for local driver Janne Laukkanen, but fan reception to the new layout was lukewarm. Despite the track's main purpose having shifted towards testing, a new redesign was commissioned over the remaining old layout, and thus the third revision of the track was finalized.

Lintulahti now features a reprofiled, near-flat turns 5 through 8, which remain loyal to the original character of the circuit. The undulating, down-then-uphill turns 9 through 14, despite being all-new (including the banked, fixed-radius turn 10), retain the original track's character while allowing for more challenging driving. To fulfill Tropicorp Racing Ælund's testing needs, the land plot was extended to construct an additional set of corners west of the bay.

The track has usually been a fan and paddock favorite for its high-speed nature, its forgiving runoffs allowing for close racing, and its beautiful location: Lintulahti, a small, untouched scenic town just half an hour from the young, bustling, vibrant city center of Iskajärvi.

Conditions:      	Dry
Session Length:	90 minutes
Nation:         	ABL
Circuit:        	Lintulahti-Toralmintii International Circuit

Drivers have 90 minutes to complete as many laps of the track as they like

---

POS # ▍DRIVER                           	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 77 ▍iBen Toralmintii                 	00:01:24.258	00:00:00.000
 2  8 ▍William Archer                   	00:01:24.259	00:00:00.001
 3 50 ▍Sara Luna                        	00:01:24.261	00:00:00.004
 4 17 ▍Janne Laukkanen                  	00:01:24.297	00:00:00.039
 5 83 ▍Anola "Wrench" Melani            	00:01:24.326	00:00:00.068
 6 82 ▍Kinu Luminna                     	00:01:24.336	00:00:00.079
 7  5 ▍Rudy Edwards                     	00:01:24.353	00:00:00.095
 8 19 ▍Dom Falepeau                     	00:01:24.372	00:00:00.114
 9 41 ▍Jean Mercer-Daly                 	00:01:24.372	00:00:00.114
10 94 ▍Ryker Lane                       	00:01:24.378	00:00:00.121
11 85 ▍Olivia Stone                     	00:01:24.420	00:00:00.162
12 11 ▍Lane Carter                      	00:01:24.432	00:00:00.174
13 27 ▍Dario Nülkeschläger              	00:01:24.434	00:00:00.176
14 40 ▍Adriana Kowalski Ela...          	00:01:24.449	00:00:00.191
15 24 ▍Sayono Souzare                   	00:01:24.451	00:00:00.193
16 71 ▍Rustom Ibuna                     	00:01:24.455	00:00:00.197
17 15 ▍Heinz-Otto Junker                	00:01:24.627	00:00:00.370
18  7 ▍Anneliese Devereux               	00:01:24.638	00:00:00.380
19 31 ▍Joy Wingelaar                    	00:01:24.658	00:00:00.400
20 25 ▍Gregori Krupin                   	00:01:24.726	00:00:00.469
21 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                      	00:01:24.957	00:00:00.700
22 37 ▍Laura Haukanna                   	00:01:25.342	00:00:01.084
23 51 ▍R.L. Cruisin                     	00:01:25.415	00:00:01.157
24 63 ▍Daryl Mizushima                  	00:01:25.495	00:00:01.238
25 88 ▍Ted Pressley                     	00:01:25.947	00:00:01.690

---

Week 5: Qualifying

Conditions:      	Light Showers
Qualifying Type:	One Shot
Nation:         	ABL
Circuit:        	Lintulahti-Toralmintii International Circuit

POS # ▍DRIVER                           	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 94 ▍Ryker Lane                       	00:01:26.672	00:00:00.000
 2 51 ▍R.L. Cruisin                     	00:01:26.683	00:00:00.012
 3 63 ▍Daryl Mizushima                  	00:01:26.766	00:00:00.095
 4 37 ▍Laura Haukanna                   	00:01:26.790	00:00:00.118
 5 19 ▍Dom Falepeau                     	00:01:26.872	00:00:00.200
 6  8 ▍William Archer                   	00:01:26.934	00:00:00.263
 7 25 ▍Gregori Krupin                   	00:01:27.125	00:00:00.454
 8 77 ▍iBen Toralmintii                 	00:01:27.262	00:00:00.591
 9 27 ▍Dario Nülkeschläger              	00:01:27.288	00:00:00.616
10  5 ▍Rudy Edwards                     	00:01:27.368	00:00:00.697
11  7 ▍Anneliese Devereux               	00:01:27.703	00:00:01.031
12 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                      	00:01:27.761	00:00:01.090
13 41 ▍Jean Mercer-Daly                 	00:01:27.972	00:00:01.301
14 83 ▍Anola "Wrench" Melani            	00:01:27.973	00:00:01.301
15 11 ▍Lane Carter                      	00:01:28.087	00:00:01.415
16 17 ▍Janne Laukkanen                  	00:01:28.120	00:00:01.448
17 85 ▍Olivia Stone                     	00:01:28.168	00:00:01.496
18 40 ▍Adriana Kowalski Ela...          	00:01:28.245	00:00:01.573
19 71 ▍Rustom Ibuna                     	00:01:28.486	00:00:01.815
20 15 ▍Heinz-Otto Junker                	00:01:28.520	00:00:01.848
21 50 ▍Sara Luna                        	00:01:29.648	00:00:02.976
22 31 ▍Joy Wingelaar                    	00:01:29.924	00:00:03.252
23 24 ▍Sayono Souzare                   	00:01:30.280	00:00:03.608
24 88 ▍Ted Pressley                     	00:01:30.519	00:00:03.847
25 82 ▍Kinu Luminna                     	00:01:31.757	00:00:05.086

Week 5: Sprint Race

Conditions:      	Dry
Laps:              	34
Nation:         	ABL
Circuit:        	Lintulahti-Toralmintii International Circuit
Event:	Abovian Grand Prix Sprint

POS  # ▍DRV Name                     Team                     	Time      	Pts	Fastest Lap	
  1 19 ▍FAL Dom Falepeau             Badai Angin Tim          	00:50:31.525	12,5		
  2 77 ▍TII iBen Toralmintii         Tropicorp Racing Ælund   	00:00:00.423	9		
  3 37 ▍HAU Laura Haukanna           GP Pryfors Bilar Viska   	00:00:05.010	7.5		
  4  8 ▍ARC William Archer           Preston Autos GP         	00:00:12.331	6		
  5  5 ▍EDW Rudy Edwards             Preston Autos GP         	00:00:13.510	5		
  6 51 ▍CRU R.L. Cruisin             Carvenlo Racing      	00:00:14.961	4		
  7 41 ▍JMD Jean Mercer-Daly         Nexus Racing             	00:00:17.549	3		
  8 25 ▍KRU Gregori Krupin           Race Eelandii VTGP       	00:00:19.609	2		
  9 27 ▍NÜL Dario Nülkeschläger      GP Pryfors Bilar Viska   	00:00:22.075			
 10  7 ▍DEV Anneliese Devereux       Fireline+Heroes Eminent  	00:00:23.011			
--------------------------------------------------------------------------INVERT FOR FEATURE (Top 10)
 11 83 ▍MNI Anola "Wrench" Melani    Kaylan Racing Team       	00:00:26.775			
 12 94 ▍LAN Ryker Lane               Nexus Racing             	00:00:28.318			
 13 71 ▍IBU Rustom Ibuna             Badai Angin Tim          	00:00:30.514			
 14 50 ▍LNA Sara Luna                Tropicorp Racing Ælund   	00:00:33.370			
 15 17 ▍LAU Janne Laukkanen          Carvenlo Racing         	00:00:34.614	 + 1	1:25.008	
 16 11 ▍CRT Lane Carter              Race Eelandii VTGP       	00:00:35.293			
 17 40 ▍AKS Adriana Kowalski Ela...  Fireline+Heroes Eminent  	00:00:41.803			
 18 31 ▍WIN Joy Wingelaar            Teusbank TMW Rennsport   	00:00:45.631			
 19 23 ▍C23 Cocoabo #23              WGPC Motorworks (B)      	00:00:47.881			
 20 88 ▍PRE Ted Pressley             Kaylan Racing Team       	00:00:48.141			
 21 82 ▍LMN Kinu Luminna             Viska Racing             	00:00:49.863			
 22 85 ▍STO Olivia Stone             Viska Racing             	00:00:59.220			
 23 15 ▍JUN Heinz-Otto Junker        Teusbank TMW Rennsport   	00:01:02.644			
DNF 63 ▍MIZ Daryl Mizushima          WGPC Motorworks (O)      	Ret. lap 7

The Results of the Sprint Race will inform the starting grid for the Grand Prix Feature with the Top 10 positions inverted.. Any RP posted between now and the race results counts for Same RP Cutoff Period (So if you've already posted a significant contribution since the previous race, there is no driving need to 'squeeze' in something of similar caliber between now and race results posting).

[Valentine Z]

The Valentians - Chapter 8 - The Old Fears.

I am afraid that it might be coming true once again, even if I don't really want to go and lapse back into it. I have already evaluated about the sub-par qualifications and sprint session that I have done. Okay, that's normal, right? I mean, those who started last or in some other bad places managed to rebound. Not me, apparently. All right, I started last, that is not an issue. My team is still very supportive towards me, and I am still very thankful for them for being there with me and the usual sentiments that I have towards them. As they reassured me one more time before the race begins, I look into my car and the seat, ready to take me in and for me to plug in and get all of its readings. Still a bit hesitant, I am afraid. I have more of a leeway if it is just Fireline alone. It's not that I am taking advantage of them, but with Heroes also supporting me, I just want to make sure and prove my worth to them, and to not bring them down. This is unlike NSSCRA or any other events where you are representing yourself. No. In the world of Formula Racing, I have to be under another team - which again, are nice and they have accommodated as much as they could for me (although, more on this later). Regardless, something simply does not feel right.

See, when I started off of the grid and then made my way around the course, everything was there. The cars are there, I understand that I need to overtake them. So okay, there is that. I went for a few pit stops along the way, and again, usual affair. Along the way, I stopped seeing cars, like they simply were not in front me anymore. My optimistic side thought that I was far ahead at first place. What I didn't think of at that moment, was the fact that I might have gotten lapped. Well, I GOT lapped! I asked the Eminent Crew what was happening, and all they could slowly and softly told me was "Err, Adriana. You are one lap behind. Last place." Oh, goodness gracious, I thought to myself.

And this was not the only bad race that happened. Fast forward to the Sprint Race at Lintulahti-Toralmintii International Circuits, which well, I would say the course looked more or less fine. The practice session got me in the middle again in terms of the fastest lap, and then a decent 18th on the Qualifications. Okay, I can do this, I thought to myself. The weather forecast says it's dry, so that should be more or less fine. I won't have way too many factors to calculate and account for with the rain. And yet, here I am, wondering what I have done so wrong as to get stuck behind the pack like that. On top of this, the Sprint Race had a point system of its own, and so, I didn't get the points once again.

This was getting unacceptable to me! I know racing is not all about winning, and I am simply here to drive and have fun. I still have not forgotten that! On the other hand, I also feel the need to do my best and get points because of the aforementioned part of getting a team from other country involved. There were stakes, and it really will be embarrassing if I failed so hard that they decided to let me go. I cannot have that, not anytime soon, or never. The slight problem and concern I have now is how the team has not been talking as much towards me. Sure, I have been mentioned and I have been trying my best to talk to them about getting someone like Jane (or heck, even Jane herself), but I cannot wrap my head around as to why they are not responding to me just yet. That's not to say that the team has been neglecting me, but I really, really could use their help!

In the meantime, I have a bit of a plan. NSSCRA 11 was over recently, and I know someone else who I think could help me. I know Jenny has already helped me tremendously, but she was more of a programmer and coder to me; she is definitely the best programmer I have ever met and be friends with, but I need someone who can think like me, if you catch what I am saying here. Not Jolyn, unfortunately. It wasn't because of her performance, mind you. I don't think she wanted much to do with WGPC and open-wheel racing after what happened to her back in WGP2 3. Understandable, I would not put this on her. Besides, she has been a bit busy marking and grading papers for her students, as well as doing her usual teaching and espionage stuff.

I need the help of my big sister.

Exuberant Superintendent T-2000/2904-3 Surveillant Clarissa Alanis Star Breya « La Amoureux Chéri » Millie Taissa Butterfly Mélody Coraline Jolijn Trini Clementine Hollie Samantha Zeta Harumi has been resting at home, playing a few games, and just living together with her husband (now wife) after NSSCRA 11 was over. Nothing much to do for them other than running and governing Valentine Z, along with the usual things and hobbies they do. They have also been watching Gwen and her team playing off in the International Basketball Championship 33, which has been going pretty well from them compared to the previous season. As they were watching one of the replays, that was when Clarissa got the call.

"Oooh, it's fromm Adriana!" Clarissa exclaimed, showing Valentijn her phone.

"Ahh, WGPC. I do wonder how she has been doing. Well, let's hear it."

-----

"Hey, little sis! How have you been?"

"Heyyy, Clarrie! Ahh, I'm fine, thanks for asking! Well, I am fine in health and the like, although for the race, not really."

"Oh dear, what has been happening?"

"Well, I am not doing great for the races. No point at all still, you know? I know NSSCRA and WGPC are way different from each other, but I was wondering..."

Clarissa helpfully and cheerfully finished the sentence, "Ahh, you wanted me to help you out a little bit and then do what I do!" she looked at Valentijn, who nodded and smiled in turn. Clarissa then answered back on the phone, "Yeah, I can help you, of course! Anything for my little sis!"

"Very nice! And yeah, you guys can come in, don't worry! Maybe help Angela out too, she might also need some help here and there."

"Ahh, right. I think I will ask around. Is it okay if Valentijn comes around?"

"Of course! Though on one condition- he- sorry, she needs to be smaller. I don't think people appreciate us if we are 117 meters tall, haha!"

"Yeah, that's all right, don't worry about that!" Valentijn answered in turn, now on the speaker phone, "We will be there shortly, just get the teleporter ready!"

Hopefully, with luck, Valentijn and Clarissa can help Adriana shape up a little, on top of the potential trainer that she will get from Eminent.

[Filindostan]

Lintulahti-Toralmintii International Circuit
After the qualifying session

Prior to the sprint-feature race weekend at Aboveland, Badai Angin Tim Motorsport's principal, Tauro Volante, had never expected the team to be at the top of the drivers' and constructors' championship, after a fairly tumultuous offseason, where they admitted they could be in for a struggle after doing several transitions in terms of both driver lineup and staff, which were compounded with Rusty's NSSCRA commitments which impacted his WGPC pre-season schedule. It did not come to his mind that Badai Angin would score championship points for at least one of their cars race in and out this season, let alone have both cars consistently score points.

At the end of Round 4, both Rustom Ibuna and Dom Falepeau has scored points in every race the team participated in, and even the Togonistani driver took the plaudits in the sprint qualifying, the first time in WGPC history that such a method for determining the grid spots for the corresponding race was done. He took pole for the race, but did not won as Lane Carter took the chequered flag. He got Badai Angin's second podium of the season though after finishing third, with Ibuna who got the first one in Crossbay after finishing second there, finished in 6th place. Despite not attending two of the three official pre-season tests, the Filindo driver leads the driver standings by eleven points to both his teammate and iBen Toralmintii of Tropicorp Racing Aelund, with the latter being tipped by many to win the title this season following Terho Talvela's retirement.

When the paddock arrived in the home of TRAE at the newly renamed Lintulahti-Toralmintii International Circuit, media has quickly speculated that this would be the start of TRAE's much anticipated surge to take both championships again this season, and also the start of Badai Angin and Ibuna's mid-season slump, which plagued both entries in the past seasons. When interviewed by the media, Volante told reporters that the team has noted the slump that they may experience, but he has been confident both drivers can still deliver the points in this crucial point of the season.

He watched in the pit wall as Rusty and Dom drove their BAP003 cars around the track during the practice sessions. However, Rusty had poor results in qualifying, only setting the 19th fastest time, while his less experienced teammate set the fifth fastest time. With only eleven points separating the two, and no team orders have been implemented yet to allow Ibuna some breathing space in the championship picture, it is slowly now pointing to a battle between teammates, something Badai Angin has never been in on the past two seasons, when Alex Dimitrianov constantly beat his teammates during the two seasons he was in.

For sure, media questions in the coming months would be regarding the drivers' battle for the drivers' championship and if there will be any team orders or Volante would allow the two to race each other in the track. The Hispino does not know the answer yet, but a looming large gap between Badai Angin and the rest of the teams in the constructors' championship, he might just allow them to battle for personal glory until that buffer is smothered to pieces by either TRAE, Preston, or Nexus among the emerging contenders in the championship.

[Auruna]

Jöna's office, Viska Motorhome
Lintulahti-Toralmintii International Circuit
After the sprint race
It was to the surprise of Jöna that both drivers didn't perform in the sprint race after such promising pace in the previous sessions. Kinu and Olivia finishing P21 and P22 respectively, it was such a disappointment in Viska's standards. Competition is obviously tough but knowing the talent and potential of both Kinu and Olivia and their synergy with the car, it was concerning. While it was still relatively early to worry about such things, they are nearly halfway through the season. Maybe we spent all our luck on the first three races? Not wanting a repeat of the previous season, he calls upon both Artur and Hori to discuss it with him at his office. Once the two arrive at his office, he immediately starts off expressing his concern.

"I don't want to sound disappointed as there's still a long way to go but ever since our win at Crossbay, we started to fall off and I'm not sure what's the cause. We have the potential, we nearly got the results but something feels off. Is it because of the low morale resulting from racing in our worst track to encounter? I see no problem with both our cars and drivers. Maybe it's because of our luck? I know we don't have a great relationship with the goddess of luck... er, at least we're not as unlucky as Schkeska was in WSRC Anyway, this is why you two are here, to help turn things around from the inside."

"There's a lot of things to work on but why not start with the drivers and the crew? I just can't see why we're so inconsistent. We have improved on the pit stops as well but I guess that wasn't enough."

"I'm rather confident with the car so there's nothing to worry about there, right?"

"That's why I didn't mention it."

"Let's start with the drivers then. I'm just worried about the team's future in the sport. Our team probably ding-donged back and forth from the spotlight and we're just quiet. Now, Artur, will be with Jan and Kinu from now on. And Hori, I know you're busy with the development but you have a lot of free time so make use of it with Baxen and Olivia. If any of you need help, you can call me."

"Whoa-- ah, uh... alright. I'll try my best."

"That's great and all but what are we supposed to do? You didn't think it through again, hm?"

"The weight of all the worries can cripple the eagle's wings. Just have fun, hang out with them during the weekdays or even in between sessions so that they can release all that pressure so they can be easily motivated. We don't want them to be the main factor in our failures. Come on, don't just leave it to me, my pre-race speeches should not be the only source of motivation for them and I know it doesn't always work."

"Alright then."

"Thanks, I'm counting on you two."

"Oh by the way, VSK at WGP2 are asking for help with the cars."

"Again?"

"Yes."

"Well then, send in the technical support again. Isn't it ironic that VSK Racing, the subsidiary of the largest Aurun aerospace company has struggled with aero in WGP2."

"I'm afraid it's not just the aero..."

"Oh God, how did get worse?"

[Abanhfleft]

"Open your eyes, William," Guillermo Archer told his son as he applied the parking brake on his new car. William did as his father told him and opened his eyes, and they immediately widened once he saw why his dad had asked him to close them. "Is that…?" he asked.

"Yep," Guillermo nodded his head. "Happy birthday, son!"

"Is this for real?" William asked.

"Of course it is! Why wouldn't it be?" Gil asked in reply. "This is my birthday gift to you, William. Didn't you say that you wanted to go karting before?"

"I know, Dad," William nodded. "But I wasn't expecting this! Not today!"

"Well, William, I was passing through when I saw that there's a race scheduled here right on your birthday, so it's just perfect!" Gil replied.

"Thank you so much, Dad!" William exclaimed, and he literally fumbled over his seatbelt in his rush to get out of the car and into the Effelenendro Karting Plaza.

"Whoa! Slow down, little man!" Gil called out as he followed William into the track. There were a lot of other people at the track this afternoon, mostly other kids and preteens and their families. It was the day of the Effelenendro Junior Karting Challenge after all, where the best karters in Effelenendro would get together to determine who was the best of the best. Of course, at the time, Guillermo Archer had no way of knowing that he had just signed up his own son for a tournament of such magnitude; he thought he had just signed up William for a friendly session of a few laps around the Plaza. He didn't know that he was about to throw his son into the deep end of the local karting scene, so to speak. But, as he and everyone else present on that track were about to see, it was perhaps the most serendipitous mistake that Guillermo Archer had ever made.

The selection of karts was basically "grab what you can," and by pure happenstance, William ended up taking the kart numbered 8. He slipped into one of the racing suits available for rent at the track, and then he put on his helmet. It was another birthday gift from his father, and while it was of a simple design (a plain white helmet with the flag of Abanhfleft running down the right side from William's perspective), it was exactly what William wanted. When William first got into Kart 8, he was confused because this was his first time behind the wheel of one and didn't know what to do, even to just get it started. Thankfully, there were a few attendants who were more than willing to help the beginners learn the basics, and soon William felt confident behind the wheel of his kart.

Then it was time to go out onto the track itself. Everyone was entitled to a few laps of practice, and William used that time to get familiar with his kart. The first thing that struck him as different was the sensation of power and speed in the kart. He had gone fast before, in a bicycle and a rollercoaster, but this felt different from both of those things. The kart felt more powerful than a bike, but it also felt more controllable than a rollercoaster. These things came as a surprise for William, but soon he got used to them, and then he was blazing it around the track. Then it was time for the one-shot fastest lap session to determine the grid for the race, and despite this being only his first time in a kart, William was able to set the second fastest time. There was only one other driver faster than him, the kid in Kart number 7 wearing the black helmet with red hoops. William could hear his father cheering him on even before the race had started, and while a part of him felt embarrassed at having everyone else in the park see his father screaming his lungs out, the rest of William felt happy and proud that he had given his Dad a reason to be proud of him.

The drivers lined up their karts according to their fastest laps earlier, with Kart 7 starting in front of him and William Archer in Kart 8 beside and behind him. The red lights went out, and as soon as they did, Kart 7 literally shot away from everyone else, and William had to react fast to fend off the karts immediately behind him. "Come on, William! You can do this!" Guillermo shouted from his place in the stands.

William successfully held off the advances of the two other karts nearest to him, and now he could focus on the task of chasing after Kart 7. It was easy to distinguish; it was the only kart ahead of William. But no matter how hard William pushed his kart, he just couldn't seem to get any closer to the leader. But as they approached the last few laps of the race, William found himself reeling back the distance between him and Kart 7. When before it had seemed like Kart 7 had literally half of the track between them and William, now William felt like he could almost touch the helmet of Kart 7's driver. And as they entered the last sector of the track, the one with the right-handed hairpin leading into the esses before the main straight, William almost did touch the driver of Kart 7. Their karts certainly made contact with each other as William tried to overtake on the outside. That particular maneuver didn't work, but they still had the esses left to go.

William bumped his kart into the side of Kart 7 once again, and this time the driver raised their arm up in frustration at him. Their little tangle continued for the rest of the esses before Kart 7 finally managed to pull away from William once again before finally cruising their way to the checkered flag. It wasn't until he parked the kart to the side of the garage area that William realized that the battle had left him breathless. He only realized he was panting almost to the point of hyperventilating once he removed his helmet. Beyond the wall separating the spectators from the karts, William could see his father Guillermo applauding him. "That's my son!" he yelled. "That's my boy!"

However, just as William was shutting off his kart, he noticed out of the corner of his eye someone approaching him. He looked up and saw a tall balding dark-skinned man going over the wall separating the spectators from the kart garage and walking towards him. The noise of the engines from the other karts that were still on made it hard for William to hear what the man was saying, but it was clear from the look on his face that the man wasn't praising William at all.

"Just what in the world do you think you're doing, you little shit?" the black man asked William angrily. "Are you trying to force my son off the track, huh?"

William was frozen solid with fear. He was like a deer caught in the headlights of an approaching truck. Like many other things today, this was the first time that someone had approached William so menacingly. Nothing at all could have possibly prepared him for this moment. But, thankfully, his father was there and immediately went to his rescue. "That's my kid you're threatening, you son of a bitch!" Guillermo Archer shouted at the other man. He then got up close and personal to the other man and asked, "You got a problem with my son, asshole?"

"I think you should spend more time teaching your son some basic manners," the dark-skinned man explained. "Didn't you teach your kid that there's no shoving around in karting, unlike your racing trucks?"

Both Gil and the other man then began using language that William knew to be bad. By that point, both marshals and trackside security had intervened in the argument, or at least they tried to until the other man suddenly broke free and charged at Guillermo. Now everyone was shouting and throwing fists. William once again didn't know what to except begin walking away from the scene of the kerfuffle. But just as he started moving, he saw that the driver of Kart number 7 was looking at him. He was also a boy, maybe three to four years older than William. He had dark skin and short and curly black hair, and he also looked like a younger version of the man who had just confronted William and accused him of trying to punt off his competitor.

"Sorry about my dad," the boy said to William. "I don't know why my dad just went off on you like that. He's never tried to defend me from anyone like that before."

"That's okay," William assured him. "But my dad doesn't like it when someone even points a finger at me."

"Really? Good for you," the boy muttered. There was a wistfulness in his voice that suggested to William that this boy did not have a good relationship with his father, a far cry from how William's father had been doting on him since as far as William could remember.

"Well, you know what? Forget about anything my dad or yours has said," the boy said to William. "I think that was some fine racing you did out there. You really made me work for that win. I think if you work on your racing a little more, you've got what it takes to race me better, maybe even beat me."

"Really? My dad told me the same thing too!" William noted with pride.

The boy held out his hand. "I'm Donny," he introduced himself. "Donny Fitzpatrick. My real name is Adonis, but I like Donny for short. What's your name?"

William reached out and shook Donny's hand. "My name is William Jessper P. Archer," he said.

---

William Archer hated Eelandii. The track, not the WGPC team. And, it seemed, Eelandii also hated him too. He did not have any fond memories of this place at all. Eelandii was the very first track on the calendar for the 18th season of the World Grand Prix Championship, the first season that William had participated in the pinnacle of motorsports, and in that very first race William had been forced to retire the car after only the third lap of the race. But besides that, William had not yet done well at Eelandii. He was plum last in the practice session there a year ago, and he didn't impress anybody, let alone himself, in qualifying either. There was just something about this track that William didn't like, like the fact that the track looked like a massive letter T with a round-shaped video game character slapped on to the side to make the course at least a bit more challenging than just ninety-degree turns. The flow of the track really turned him off. When William learned that Eelandii was returning to the calendar for WGPC 19, it was all he could do to not groan in front of everyone else. He really had not enjoyed his time out there at all. The only real consolation the younger Archer had was that Eelandii was not the season opener, and that he might have better luck there thanks to the new sprint qualifying format being trialled there by the WGPC.

Maybe it was because he already had one year's worth of experience under his belt, but for some reason, William didn't feel as disappointed this time around when he finished practice in 20th place. Or maybe it was because it was a practice session in the rain, where the times set were non-indicative of the drivers' true pace. Or maybe it was because William finally had a session in Eelandii where he was in the top 10, specifically the one-shot "fastest lap session" which was essentially qualifying for the sprint qualifying session. William was P7 in the one-shot session, and right behind him in P8 was his teammate Rudy Edwards. William hadn't had a chance to talk with Rudy just yet, but the Hapiloppian seemed to finally be getting back into his groove. Things went from good to better the next day as, on a completely dry track, both Prestons managed to move up the grid after sprint qualifying and finish just outside the top 3, with Rudy in P4 and William P5. Rudy had a better start than William at the beginning of sprint qualifying and outbraked the Fleftic going into Turn 1, and that was where the two of them would stay for the next 18 laps. And nobody said anything about team orders so William took this to mean that he could actually race Rudy as well. This also had the effect of turning the two Prestons into a horse-and-carriage combination, with Rudy hauling both himself and William up the grid towards the top 3. When Rudy made an overtake, William was quick to follow him through. And while they didn't get any points for their performance that day, it proved that Preston was not going to be merely a one-driver team this season, and both Rudy and William were now in prime position to capitalize on this. William hoped and even prayed that his run of good luck, in WGPC in general and in Eelandii in particular, would continue on to race day.

Sadly, it wasn't meant to be. William had a decent start to the grand prix, although he didn't get very far before the safety car was called out due to the retirement of Cocoabo #23 from the race. William elected not to pit for new tires as he believed that using his medium tires to their fullest before pitting for hards was faster than slapping on the hard tires right now and then probably having to nurse them to the end of the race. William knew that he had a certain way with tires, but even he didn't think he could finesse the hard tires for that long. In any case, William was in a good position to fight for the lead once the safety car came in, but that was actually all that he could do in his first stint: fight for the lead without actually getting it. And as his medium tires wore down, other drivers started getting ahead of him. At the halfway point of the grand prix, on lap 26, William called out, "Boxing now. Give me the hards."

"Copy that. We're ready for you."

That was what the pit wall said. But when William came in for what he expected to be his one and only pit stop, the crew seemed to have trouble removing his front left tire. William sat there motionless and unable to drive his car while the mechanics tried to figure out why the nut on the front left tire wouldn't budge. Finally, the mechanics were able to remove the front left tire and replace it with the appropriate hard tire, but not after William had been stood still for 11.5 seconds. And in racing, 11.5 seconds was literally eternity.

"What just happened, guys?" William asked. "Why can't we get that tire off?"

"We're still looking into it, William, but it looks like it might have been cross-threaded," his engineer replied. "But we're not sure it was actually cross-threaded. We'll keep you updated."

"Never mind," William said, shaking his head. "We've still got a lot of work to do, guys, and half a race to do it." William's abysmally slow pit stop had dropped him from P5 down to P11. Getting on the podium was now probably out of the question, but he was still within arm's reach of the points-paying positions. William believed that he could get back in there no problem.

And then, three laps later, more bad news. "William, we have to box you again," his engineer called out. "We're detecting a puncture in your front right tire."

"A puncture?" William asked disbelievingly. "Car still feels fine to me."

"We can see it on the telemetry. We're losing 0.01 psi per second. We can't risk you having a blowout. Box this lap, please."

"I don't know, man, nothing feels different," William shrugged. "I think I can go one more lap, maybe two."

"Negative, negative. Box now, William! Box, box!"

"All right then, if you say so," William trailed off. At least this pit stop went off without a hitch, with William being stationary for only 2.5 seconds before he was back at it again. But that second "unnecessary" pit would push William even further down the order, and he would finish his second Grand Prix of Turori in P15. It was a way better result than what he got the last time he was here, but William could only shake his head in disappointment for his, especially after sprint qualifying had shown him that maybe he did have a chance at taming this track. His P15 finish also meant that William got no points from Turori, pushing him down the drivers' standings into fourth place. After the battle he had in Crossbay with the current championship leader Rustom Ibuna (and his podium in the Nexus Wardship giving him enough points to put him in second place behind Ibuna), William had started to entertain thoughts that maybe, just maybe, he could start fighting for the championship. But the result at Eelandii was more than enough to bring him back down to reality.

"I hate this place," William muttered to himself as he walked back to the Preston garages.

[Lisander]

"I have Nulkeschlager on sight, but I'm P10. I'm in DRS distance. But can't see the car ahead. Not attacking, right, Maeve?" - Anneliese asked on the radio, being answered by her mechanic, Maeve Pons.

"...Liese. Just keep it, no need to ...gine. Bring the tenth... and score the pole fort... Krupin is P8... three se...ds ahead. We wouldn't have time to reach. Just two more laps. P11 ...lani is three seconds behind, should not reach. So bring it home, it's ...eady. Let's aim for more points tomorrow."

"Copy."

That was an unexpected nickname. Liese? It was so simple? How couldn't anyone think of it before?For the entirety of her life, since she was a little girl, her nickname was Sissie. And how much she felt oppressed by that. It denoted so much frail... So much cutesy... Truly a preppy nickname. Like those blonde girls wearing pink onesies on the kart track, feeling truly a Penelope Pitstop. That wasn't her. Anneliese never had an easy road. After leaving kart, she had no sponsors to push her career as a professional driver, so she decided to try university. College Education was free, so wouldn't be a burden to her parents. Also, Mechanical Engineering wasn't such a big deal for the other people, so the score she needed wasn't that high. In the end, she even could keep racing, because of her efforts as a driver-engineer. She was never a posh, never a preppy girl, she had to work day after day, she wasn't that much interested in relationships, or in dresses, or in diamonds like the average women her classmates had become. "Tracksuit life is my life", she said once. Sissie wasn't a nickname suited for her. "Liese", on the other way, was a term less judgemental. It was part of her name, after all. Those thoughts followed Anneliese through the "easy sector" of Lintulahti—Toralmintii International Circuit track.

"Wait, why am I having such a long thought line right before finishing a race? Focus, focus, focus. Calm, look at the panel. Okay, nothing changed, Melani is still three seconds behind, here it comes the last turn. Thank god this first sector doesn't have any tight turns. If I had spaced out it would really bad. Okay, focus now, turn 8... Damn, I need to talk with my therapist about this."

[...]

"Hey, Maeve, thanks! I liked this new nickname more than the other." - Anneliese talked to the brown-haired female engineer.

"Sorry, Anneliese. Nickname? Did I call you by a nickname? I'm so sorry, I know you don't like this kind of treatm..."

"Hey, calm down, don't worry. I liked this... In the last lap, you called me Liese, don't you?"

"No. I used your proper name, as always... Here, listen to the radio..."

She put the earphones to hear the recorded radio, as Maeve searched on the computer until she found the record in question.

"Good, Anneliese. Just keep it, no need to force the engine..."

"Oh... Stupid Radio. And I already signed a photo with the nickname." - she grinned, feeling a little bit of shame.

[Vilita and Turori]

Confidence in Carter rewarded with Turori Triumph

Grand Prix of Turori, Eelandii Grand Prix Course, Eelandii, Turori :: It was a massive result for Race Eelandii! Vilita and Turori motorsports lead driver Lane Carter on Sunday with the TJUN-ian driver picking up their first World Grand Prix Championship Victory and providing a massive boost to the driver who has experienced mixed Result in points paying sessions since it was announced they would be the top driver at the Eelandii outfit for the 19th World Grand Prix Championship Season.

Carter started in 3rd position on the grid in Turori and after a fast start, quickly made their way toward the front of the field. Carter would overtake pole sitter Dom Falepeau and then, after the conclusion of an early safety car period, take control of the race and fulfill the destiny that Race Eelandii officials knew they were capable of when promoting Carter to the lead driver role for WGPC season 19. Carter's teammate Gregori Kupin in the #26 would also put together a decent finish enabling both Vilita and Turori Motorsports cars to finish inside the points and bolster the teams position in an extremely tight Constructors battle for those looking to be the 'best of the rest' behind runaway leaders Badai Angin Tim of Filindostan.

It was the first of Back-to-back races within Atlantian Oceania with the World Grand Prix circuit moving on from Turori to Aboveland for the 5th points paying race week of the season and the first with a proper Sprint Race format including a race of half length the day before the feature with a half slate of championship points on the offering.

Heading into the Aboveland race week Race Eelandii VTGP were 3rd in the constructor standings just 1 point behind second placed Viska Racing but barely 10 points clear of 8th placed Carvenlo. It was a tight battle at the center while everyone trailed Badai Angin Tim. In the drivers standings, it was still Rustom Ibuna at the top of the chart with Lane Carter sliding up into 5th place following their full-point showing in Eelandii with the field trailing in well balanced back to the three drivers who as of yet had not earned a single point - Adriana Kowalski, Cocoabo #23 and Race Eelandii test driver Daryl Mizushima.

Outside of the Race Eelandii Vilita & Turori Grand Prix Motorworks drivers, however, two local drivers with strong connections to Eelandii VTGP were also right in the thick of the championship battle - hanging on to the upper edge of the middle of the pack. iBen Toralmintii, Race Eelandii VTGP's original founder currently sits in the Top 5 in the drivers standings after using their experience to power through with a consistent start to the season in spite of having a lack of clear power from the AGP Chassis that had come into the campaign as having won back to back Constructors Champions. R.L. Cruisin, who drove for the Race Eelandii! Vilita & Turori Motorworks teams one season prior was once again proving an ability to take early season success and completely squandering it away.

Abovian Grand Prix, Vankkavalta Neperasinkring, Vankkavalta, Aboveland :: Early on in Aboveland it appeared if perhaps Daryl Mizushima would be able to break the goose-egg after getting a solid lap in during qualifying to start Top 3 for the half-distance sprint race. It would all come crashing down however as MIzushima's fortunes ended in the paddock shortly after the start of the sprint event completely invalidated all the effort the Inkling driver had put in with all the strong runs in qualifying to set up a potential points day could not come into fruition and Mizushima will now start last for the Abovian feature unlikely to climb up through the pack to find a way into the points in the WGPC Motorworks Machine.

Mizushima will have an opportunity to showcase their talents, however, at the upcoming WGPC Mid-Season Test Session and Test Driver showcase. For the showcase event all officially registered test drivers will participate in a one shot qualifying followed by a sprint race showcase event. 9 of the 12 WGPC Teams currently have officially registered test drivers. In addition to the test drivers, a handful of select drivers from outside the top 10 in the official drivers standings will be offered the chance to compete with the Test Drivers to fill out a field of up to 16 drivers. All currently confirmed test drivers will be assumed to compete for their registered test team unless otherwise mentioned.

The Mid-season test and Showcase event will take place just a short distance away within Aboveland in order to minimize logistical burden on the World Grand Prix Championship teams already competing in nearby Lintulahti and some World Grand Prix 2 drivers who will be needed for the Test Showcase but are going to be competing elsewhere in the country at the Vankkavalta Neperasinkring on the second tier schedule. The event will earn no Championship Points and teams will have to wait until the points-paying schedule picks up with Round 6 in Nekoni in order to work on cutting into the Badai Angin Tim advantage atop the Constructors Standings.

[WGPC 19]

Lintulahti—Toralmintii International Circuit | Track Guide

---

Week 5: Race

Lintulahti-Toralmintii International Circuits returns to bid for a spot on the WGPC calendar after a years' absence. The iconic high-speed racetrack, nestled over the hills of Lintulahti Bay, was adopted by Tropicorp Racing Ælund as its headquarters at the start of WGPC16, but was closed for renovations during WGPC18—leaving TRÆ without a test track for the majority of their title-defending season. The revamped layout, designed more with testing than racing in mind, debuted in WGP2 season 4 with a feature race victory for local driver Janne Laukkanen, but fan reception to the new layout was lukewarm. Despite the track's main purpose having shifted towards testing, a new redesign was commissioned over the remaining old layout, and thus the third revision of the track was finalized.

Lintulahti now features a reprofiled, near-flat turns 5 through 8, which remain loyal to the original character of the circuit. The undulating, down-then-uphill turns 9 through 14, despite being all-new (including the banked, fixed-radius turn 10), retain the original track's character while allowing for more challenging driving. To fulfill Tropicorp Racing Ælund's testing needs, the land plot was extended to construct an additional set of corners west of the bay.

The track has usually been a fan and paddock favorite for its high-speed nature, its forgiving runoffs allowing for close racing, and its beautiful location: Lintulahti, a small, untouched scenic town just half an hour from the young, bustling, vibrant city center of Iskajärvi.

Conditions:      	Dry
Laps:              	67
Nation:         	ABL
Circuit:        	Lintulahti-Toralmintii International Circuit
Event:	Abovian Grand Prix/WGP2 Race of Aboveland
Safety Car Deployed on Laps:	15, 16, 17, 18, 41, 42

---

POS  # ▍DRV Name                     Team                     	Time      	Pts	Fastest Lap	
  1  5 ▍EDW Rudy Edwards             Preston Autos GP         	01:44:27.449	25		
  2  7 ▍DEV Anneliese Devereux       Fireline+Heroes Eminent  	00:00:13.283	18		
  3 40 ▍AKS Adriana Kowalski Ela...  Fireline+Heroes Eminent  	00:00:14.950	15		
  4 77 ▍TII iBen Toralmintii         Tropicorp Racing Ælund   	00:00:20.835	12		
  5 25 ▍KRU Gregori Krupin           Race Eelandii VTGP       	00:00:21.198	10		
  6 19 ▍FAL Dom Falepeau             Badai Angin Tim          	00:00:27.277	8		
  7 37 ▍HAU Laura Haukanna           GP Pryfors Bilar Viska   	00:00:28.093	6		
  8  8 ▍ARC William Archer           Preston Autos GP         	00:00:32.129	4		
  9 17 ▍LAU Janne Laukkanen          Carvenlo Racing          	00:00:32.222	2		
 10 50 ▍LNA Sara Luna                Tropicorp Racing Ælund   	00:00:36.624	1		
 11 15 ▍JUN Heinz-Otto Junker        Teusbank TMW Rennsport   	00:00:38.713	 + 1	1:25.861	
 12 27 ▍NÜL Dario Nülkeschläger      GP Pryfors Bilar Viska   	00:00:41.242			
 13 85 ▍STO Olivia Stone             Viska Racing             	00:00:41.541			
 14 63 ▍MIZ Daryl Mizushima          WGPC Motorworks (O)      	00:00:45.121			
 15 41 ▍JMD Jean Mercer-Daly         Nexus Racing             	00:00:47.086			
 16 51 ▍CRU R.L. Cruisin             Carvenlo Racing          	00:00:47.871			
 17 31 ▍WIN Joy Wingelaar            Teusbank TMW Rennsport   	00:00:49.108			
 18 94 ▍LAN Ryker Lane               Nexus Racing             	00:00:49.382			
 19 11 ▍CRT Lane Carter              Race Eelandii VTGP       	00:00:50.334			
 20 83 ▍MNI Anola "Wrench" Melani    Kaylan Racing Team       	00:00:52.386			
 21 88 ▍PRE Ted Pressley             Kaylan Racing Team       	00:00:57.274			
 22 71 ▍IBU Rustom Ibuna             Badai Angin Tim          	00:01:00.209				
DNF 82 ▍LMN Kinu Luminna             Viska Racing             	Ret. lap 43
DNF 23 ▍C23 Cocoabo #23              WGPC Motorworks (B)      	Ret. lap 21

Pos # ▍DRV Name                      Team                     Pts
 1 77 ▍TII iBen Toralmintii          Tropicorp Racing Ælund   61
 2 19 ▍FAL Dom Falepeau              Badai Angin Tim          60.5
 3 71 ▍IBU Rustom Ibuna              Badai Angin Tim          51
 4  8 ▍ARC William Archer            Preston Autos GP         44
 5 37 ▍HAU Laura Haukanna            GP Pryfors Bilar Viska   37.5
 6  5 ▍EDW Rudy Edwards              Preston Autos GP         32
 6  7 ▍DEV Anneliese Devereux        Fireline+Heroes Eminent  32
 8 11 ▍CRT Lane Carter               Race Eelandii VTGP       31
 9 51 ▍CRU R.L. Cruisin              Carvenlo Racing          29
10 94 ▍LAN Ryker Lane                Nexus Racing             27
10 25 ▍KRU Gregori Krupin            Race Eelandii VTGP       27
12 85 ▍STO Olivia Stone              Viska Racing             25
13 82 ▍LMN Kinu Luminna              Viska Racing             22
14 41 ▍JMD Jean Mercer-Daly          Nexus Racing             17
15 31 ▍WIN Joy Wingelaar             Teusbank TMW Rennsport   15
15 40 ▍AKS Adriana Kowalski Ela...   Fireline+Heroes Eminent  15
17 27 ▍NÜL Dario Nülkeschläger       GP Pryfors Bilar Viska   13
17 17 ▍LAU Janne Laukkanen           Carvenlo Racing          13
19 88 ▍PRE Ted Pressley              Kaylan Racing Team       4
19 83 ▍MNI Anola "Wrench" Melani     Kaylan Racing Team       4
21 15 ▍JUN Heinz-Otto Junker         Teusbank TMW Rennsport   3
22 50 ▍LNA Sara Luna                 Tropicorp Racing Ælund   2
23 24 ▍SZR Sayono Souzare            WGPC Motorworks (HR)     1
24 63 ▍MIZ Daryl Mizushima           WGPC Motorworks (O)      0
24 23 ▍C23 Cocoabo #23               WGPC Motorworks (B)      0

Pos NAT ▍Team                         Pts
  1 FID ▍Badai Angin Tim              111.5
  2 HAP ▍Preston Autos GP             76
  3 ABL ▍Tropicorp Racing Ælund       63
  4 V&T ▍Race Eelandii VTGP           58
  5 DCS ▍GP Pryfors Bilar Viska       50.5
  6 AUR ▍Viska Racing                 47
  7 F+H ▍Fireline+Heroes Eminent      47
  8 NIM ▍Nexus Racing                 44
  9 LEN ▍Carvenlo Racing              42
 10 STL ▍Teusbank TMW Rennsport       18
 11 TGN ▍Kaylan Racing Team           8
 12 WGP ▍WGPC Motorworks              1

Note: The Next Points Race Will be in 1 Full Week. However the next Scorination will take place in 3 days. This will be a single day scorination with no results posted during the prior day WGP2 scorination. For IC logistical purposes with WGP2 in Aboveland next round and the WGPC teams already in Aboveland, the Mid-Season test will remain in Aboveland but at the Fjellutfordring.

This event will be a mid-season test event which will include a practice-qualifying-race showcase race for the Test Drivers. A list of eligible drivers is below. Test Drivers are assumed to be driving for their official test team unless otherwise noted in bold. Eligible Race drivers are NOT confirmed unless they RP and confirm in bold. Please also note if your primary driver(s) will be skipping the open practice portion of the test.

Official Test Drivers: - Automatically Confirmed
(TRAE) Skiia Vialiv [VIL]
(BADA) Alvis Kalvin Lacsamana [FID]
(PRES) -TBD-
(NEXU) Janne Laukkanen [ABL]
(EELA) Daryl Mizushima (SQR)
(VISK) Aaron Deering (UAD)
(KAYL) Darian Vilau [TGN]
(TEUS) -TBD
(PRYF) Sam Blaatschapen [DCS]
(CARV) Lukas Fichter [SWR]
(FIRE) Catherine Toggard

(WGPC-H) Sayono Souzare [HDR]
(WGPC-B) Cocoabo #23 [TRP]

Eligible Race Drivers: - Must Confirm participation in bold prior to scorination (Max 4 Total)
(KAYL) Ted Pressley*
(TEUS) Joy Wingelaar*
(TEUS) Heinz-Otto Junker*
(KAYL) Anola Melani*


*Note: No team may enter more than 2 cars, and can not enter both of their full-time race drivers (Exception: Motorworks) - maximum 1 full time race driver OF THAT TEAM and 1 Official Test Driver.

[Sorlovia]

Lintulahti-Toralmintii International Circuit
Raceday

This would be the first time Gregori had started in third position. If he was being honest with himself he hadn’t quite understand the way that the top ten positions had been inverted to determine those positions in the starting grid. But being near the head of the pack at the start of the race was a result that he was going to make the most of. It also happened to be the closest he’d come to leading the pack this season. That fact combined with the dry track and the sweeping corners of the Lintulahti-Toralmintii track had presented him with an interesting race. He intended to make the most of what he had been presented with. The season mightn’t be going well for him but that didn’t mean that he was going to give up. Far from it in fact.

Gregori shot off down the opening straight as soon as the lights turned green. Dario and Anneliese were close in front of him as they arced into the first corner. It seemed that neither would give him so much as an inch and, truth be told, he wouldn’t have had it any other way. A racer who fought to defend his position on track while actively making it as difficult to pass as possible was a incredibly enjoyable challenge. Dario continued to fight him off as they sped through the second corner with Anneliese streaking ahead as they rounded the forth corner. Being forced to stare at the rear end of Dario’s car for the duration of the first lap wasn’t exactly the start Gregori had hoped for.

“Come on Dario,” he whispered to himself “let’s make this fun shall we?”

It seemed that the pre-race maintenance and tune up had done the trick. The car was handling much better than it had in the previous races. It wasn’t that Race Eelandii had provided him with a bad car. It was just that it’d needed a bit of tweaking in order for him to get the most of it. Racing with Race Eelandii had always been a dream of his and part of him didn’t quite believe that he’d managed to secure a seat with them. He hoped that he’d get another opportunity to race with them in WGPC20. But first he needed to prove to them that signing him hadn’t been a mistake. His start to the season hadn’t exactly done that just yet but there were still a lot of races to come and plenty of chances for him to turn things around.

The laps flashed by as Gregori focused on the track and cars ahead of him. He passed a car on a bend only to have it slip past him on the next straight and then had to fight off the car behind him. But this was what it was all about. The thrill of having to defend your position while trying to pass the racers ahead of you. The race demanded every ounce of your focus and every last drop of energy. But he lived for this very moment. Corners flashed by, straights were flicked past underneath his car, cars flashed past him and fell behind him as the laps ticked by. Gregori soon became one with his car. It was just him and it out there. He saw the cars around him and paid attention to everything going on around. But he never allowed anything to steal his focus. Not even for a moment.

He’d even switched off the intercom that allowed him to communicate with his pit crew and his race boss. There would no distractions to take his focus off the track. Sergei and the Race Eelandii team would understand. In a race a racer needed every ounce of attention they had directed to the track and the cars around them. Lane probably had a similar habit. Most racers did. He’d learned it from Terho in WGPC17 and had been trying to pass it on to Lane. In a race things changed in an instant.

Lintulahti-Toralmintii International Circuit
Post-Race

He’d come in at twentieth in practice, seventh in qualifying, eighth in the sprint race and fifth in the feature race. That was a sizeable spread and not the results he’d wanted. He still needed to prove to Race Eelandii that signing him had been worth it. These results weren’t exactly the return that he’d wanted to give them. But at least he’d moved up from twentieth place to secure a P5 placing in the race. It still wasn’t a podium finish but at least it was nearer the head of the pack. But he knew that he could do better. He craved that first place finish or even a podium finish. He’d done it before and he knew that he could do it again.

He hadn’t been picked for the upcoming test. There’d only been a few drivers picked. So he would instead use the time for an intensive bout of training and multiple sessions in the race simulator. He had to be better. Those higher place finishes continued to elude him and it was time that he figured out why. What was he doing wrong? How could he be better? Perhaps he needed to go over the race readouts and replays again. There might’ve been some detail he’d missed. A crucial key that would help him turn the season around.

Gregori would of course cheer on Daryl. He was the Race Eelandii test driver and as such deserved his full support. This could very well be his time to shine in the spotlight. He and Lane needed to get behind Daryl. He was a part of Race Eelandii after all and everyone appreciated a cheer squad. That was the very least they could do for him.

[Hapilopper]

Lintulahti—Toralmintii International Circuit, Lintulahti, Aboveland
The Abovian Grand Prix
It was clear, just by how he was doing on the track, that Rudy Edwards was feeling much better about himself as the World Grand Prix Championship traveled to Aboveland. It helped the fact that he and Drake Stevenson had talked about what was bothering him – Rudy’s fear of failure, and a fear that he would be found out as someone that didn’t deserve that seat at Preston Grand Prix. Through visits to Drake’s house, beers at Andrew’s Pub in Hapilopper City and the Preston shop, the two were able to talk about Rudy’s problems and set up a game plan for the race.

It didn’t mean that Rudy’s problems were solved. Not by a long shot, and Drake invited himself to join the Preston Grand Prix team in Aboveland to try to help Rudy work through those problems if they came up. Team Principal Marty Lewis, understanding the reasoning, had no problem with it, and if it meant Rudy started producing, then all the better.

Throughout the weekend, Rudy felt like he was doing better and feeling better, and if there was any sort of problem, he could ask Drake for his advice on what the problem was, and Drake could guide him through what he thought was the best solution. Rudy felt like he could trust Drake above almost anyone else because Drake listened, rather than attempting to dismiss very real concerns.

After each session in Aboveland, Drake sat in on the debrief sessions, listening in as Rudy and William Archer explained what was going on with the car and the track. He had no intention to return to Grand Prix racing, but he wanted to know what was going on.

That presence helped relax Rudy. As he sat on the grid, helmeted, ready to go, Drake leaned in to give him a few words.

“Keep this in mind, Edwards,” Drake started. “There’s a reason you were the top dog in those Champ Cars back home. There’s a reason you were named to this seat. There’s a reason Preston Autos has so much faith in you, why they put their full faith and trust behind your name. You and Archer. That’s who they want. Not anyone else. You and Archer. Get the job done and show the rest of the world what you can do.”

Rudy nodded his head.

“Everything else? The static around you? For the next two hours, that shouldn’t exist,” Drake continued. “When you put that visor down, you are the king of the world. The king of your world. Go out there and make them bend to your will.”

Drake stepped back, and Rudy lowered his visor. And just like what Drake told him, the rest of the world ceased to exist. The voices in his head silenced. The pushing and pulling from everyone around him just stopped. It was just Rudy and his quiet thoughts as time drew near for the formation lap. That quiet serenity allowed him to relax, something he didn’t do nearly as often enough.

The next sound he heard came from the soothing voice of the in-car computer inside the PGP-02 as the car started up for the formation lap.

“Good afternoon, Rudy,” the voice said. “Let’s raise some hell today.”

And raise some hell he did. A sadistic smile came about his face, a face visible to no one, but a smile nonetheless, as the red lights went on before the start and toned in his helmet. It was a smile that indicated that Rudy was ready to kick some serious ass. And when the lights went out, Rudy started kicking ass, picking off drivers one by one, sometimes in some seriously aggressive fashion.

By the 20th lap, Rudy had the lead, taking the lead and not looking back. Rudy was pulling away, only losing his grip on the lead when a safety car came out on the 41st lap. But it didn’t stop him from leading the race. He pulled away on the restart, and more and more, it seemed like the Abovian Grand Prix was going to belong to Rudy.

But as the last laps started to tick away, Rudy started hearing things. He started hearing the car a little more. He could hear the suspension creak, the engine hum and holler, the tires squeal, and the wind howl past. Those noises were giving him anxiety. What if the car broke now? What if the car started to die on him? The PGP-02 was a great race car – and a better car than the PGP-01, but there always existed the possibility of a failure. What if Rudy overran the car and it broke?

That anxiety seemingly slowed time. Those last two laps seemingly took forever. Rudy had about 15 seconds on Anneliese Devereux, but that wasn’t his concern. His concern was getting himself around the Lintulahti-Toralmintii circuit without crashing or breaking something vital on his car.

Just hit your marks.

Hit your marks.

All you need to do.

Out of turn 14, onto the pit straight, one lap to go. Rudy started breathing a little heavier. Through the first and second corners, all was well. Marty Lewis and Drake Stevenson, sitting on the pit gantry next to Rudy’s and William’s strategists, looked nervously as Rudy slowly negotiated those first sets of corners. He wasn’t going 100 percent, and he didn’t need to. He didn’t want to. He just wanted to get through the lap.

Keep at it. This might be yours.

Through turns 8, 9 and 10, Rudy started to feel it.

Just a few turns to go. You got this.

Turns 11, 12, and 13.

One turn left to go, do it right, don’t spin it.

Through turn 14, just like he did that magical day in Nekoni one year before, Rudy started screaming loudly into his helmet as he hit the pit straight. Grand Prix win number two was his, and nobody would take it away from him. The Preston crew rushed towards the pit wall, next to the pit gantry and waved at their driver, Rudy Edwards, winner of the Abovian Grand Prix!

As he slowed down to take his victory lap, Rudy realized what he had done. He had scored his second career Grand Prix victory, possibly proving to the doubters that last year was no fluke. He was back on form, he was back to where he should have been, and that yes, he belonged here.

And that helped him just as much as anything.

[TJUN-ia]

WGPC19
Round 5
Abovian Grand Prix
Lintulahti-Toralmintii International Circuit, Lintulahti, Aboveland

After so much success in front of his team's home crowd, he needed to be brought back to earth. What happened to Lane Carter before, during and after that race in Eelandii will be something he will never forget for the rest of his life - the pressure he felt getting into that car, the pre-race talk with teammate Krupin, the focus he had throughout, the jubilation he felt once the deed was done, the joy he felt calling his brothers to tell them that "Laney had done it", the emotion he poured into the emails too. That weekend was pure magic and will always be...but all good things have to come to an end and so, here he was in Aboveland for a double-race Round 5 that would certainly mark the halfway point for him.

Practice and Qualifying were both on Friday to accommodate the Sprint Race format and so, practice was short but very fun indeed. The top 16 all ended up being with 2 tenths of each other and all 25 cars were within 1.7 seconds. That was seriously tight and while Lane's pace was within 2 tenths of the top, it was only good enough for 12th while Gregori was 20th and Mizu in 24th. iBen Toralmintii took the session by a whisker over William Archer and Sara Luna. Qualifying was One-Shot and with the rain arriving just in time, you expected chaos - and that's exactly what happened. Ryker Lane took pole over R.L. Cruisin and Mizushima in one of the most unexpected Top 3s you will ever see this season. Krupin was 7th but Lane could only manage 15th, a sign of what was to come over the next 2 days. He wanted to congratulate Mizu, he really did...but when he tried to see him, it was as if the Galarian was invisible. Lane was...back to being just there...even for his only friend.

Saturday's Sprint Race was nothing special either as the tight racing condition didn't see any progress at all and he ended up 16th in the end. Dom Falepeau took maximum points over iBen and Laura Haukanna with Archer, Rudy Edwards, Cruisin, Jean Mercer-Daly and Krupin rounding out the Top 8. Anneliese Devereux finished 10th, meaning she would be on pole for Sunday, while Janne Laukkanen got the fastest lap from 15th. Mizu was supposed to be up there but his Motorworks car gave up on him again on Lap 7...the memories of Cocoabo Forest coming back to the Galarian. He wanted to go over and see if he was OK but considering what happened yesterday...maybe it was best to just give him space.

The Feature Race was supposed to be where Lane fought back against the thoughts within his head...but even then, he couldn't do anything. He fell even further down to 19th, a fall from grace not seen since the revolutions and political turmoil of U1 and while Mizu did better in 14th, that would not raise Lane's mood at all. Edwards beat out the Firelines to the win with Kruipin in 5th. Now, only Mizu and Cocoabo #23 were left without points after halfway - IBen led over Falepeau by half a point at the top, Lane in 8th and Gregori in =10th. Race Eelandii were still up in 4th, but the contribution this weekend said it all: Gregori got 12 points, Lane none.

Before Nekoni hosts Round 6, we will have a mid-season test that includes all the test drivers in their own showcase. That meant that Mizu would be back in RE for the weekend...but Lane didn't know what to do. He was his friend and yes, he must've been busy back at FunStar or whatever...but that didn't mean he didn't miss him. He missed the emails, missed the meetups and missed just...him, period. He would send another email to his mate, the final one he promised before he would just stop, before the 3rd Dream entered his head that night. He was in an internal Civil War between his mind and his heart...and he didn't know what to do.

---

To: Lane Carter (lcarter@jagwire.tj.un)
From: Daryl Mizushima (dmizushima@squidmail.sqr)
Subject: Are You OK?

---

Hey there, Daryl. Lane here. I'm sorry if I've been spamming your inbox over the past few weeks...but I felt like that needed to be done.

I'm sorry about what happened out there, your best qualifying of the season tainted by that Motorworks car. I know you have what it takes to be here, qualifying proved that for a fact, but that doesn't mean things will always happen your way. We've both struggled this weekend and hopefully, the break can benefit both of us.

Speaking of that break, I'm excited to see you come back to REVTGP for the showcase. It will be nice to see you again after everything that has gone down so far and I hope that...we can reconnect after all this time.

Can I be perfectly honest, mate? I've missed you over the past few weeks. I've missed the back-and-forth we always had on these e-mails, I've missed just talking to you in general as well and...well yeah, I've missed you. I wish I could've seen you after Turori, I wish I was there to celebrate your P3 in Qualy and I wish I was there to see if you were OK after your retirement on Saturday. I know it sounds crazy, but I've felt alone ever since you've gotten busy and I hope that this weekend we can resume things once again.

If you don't want to talk then that is fine: you're a busy guy and I know that for a fact. But this will be the last email I send into the echo chamber until you finally have the time to respond. I hope everything is OK, Mizu, and if you need me...you know where to find me.

Kind regards,
Lane

---

The following is a reconstruction of a dream had by Lane Carter, as written in his journal before the Mid-Season Test. This is Part 3...

I awoke to the sound of the sea.
I was disorientated but once my senses were recalibrated, my situation came clear.
I was still on the boat where I fell. Where HE called my name.
He was now gone. So was the land. It was all ocean as far as the eye could see.

I was in a panic of course, but I didn't know where to go.
I didn't know where to start.
I ended up crying in a heap, wondering where he was.
I prayed to as many Galarian gods as I could remember, wondering if they could help.

No response came...but then one did.
The one named Lugia, Guardian of the Seas and TJUN Representative to the Philippines, rose to greet me.
It said, "You are of Galarian blood? I didn't know you came out here. What is the matter?"
I told it everything, about the Darkness and my friend and about how much I truly missed him at this present point.

It asked me, "Is he truly your friend? Or is he...something else?"
I said, "Of course he is my friend."
It came back with "Are you sure? You seem to care a lot about him?"
I said, "I do care...but not in that way."

That would be a mistake.
It began to control the waters below the boat, sending it towards the bottom of the seas
I hung on for dear life and all the while,
Lugia told me the truth.

"You are lying to yourself, Galarian boy!
You are lying to yourself and to your friend!
I sense fear within your feelings...fear of some sort of rejection or consequence.
SPEAK NOW! Or forever be lost to the seas with your lies and the truth!"

I had no choice but to say a simple retort.
A retort that would make me shiver.
A retort that would make me wake up in a heap.
"OK, I THINK HE'S CUTE! BUT I DON'T WANT TO HURT HIM WITH MY TRUTH!"

I know it all now.
I know the truth.
A truth so painful to me that I simply don't know what to do.

I've never really had a "significant other" in my life before...of either gender.
But now here I am, with my...friend taunting me within my own mind.

I don't know what to do.
How do I tell him?
Will I ever tell him?
Will I even get the chance to...?

I need advice...I really need advice
But I don't know from where...
I'm sacred...I'm so scared.
What if he walks away from me and never sees me again?

[Sorlovia]

So Lane was having dreams. Gregori was curious as to why he’d mentioned it to him. But perhaps it was his way of reaching out to him and opening up. A person’s dreams were a deeply personal thing and to offer to discuss them with someone was an expression of trust. He liked Lane. If it helped him to talk about the crazy dreams then he was more than happy to listen. For all he knew it was Lane’s social effort at breaking the ice and if he made light of it in any way he risked offending him. He was not going to make that mistake. If he could help him then he would do all he could. It didn’t matter if it was just a bonding exercise. It seemed that Lane looked up into him in a way and he wasn’t going to let him down.

So he carefully typed up the email to Lane.

To: Lane Carter (lcarter@jagwire.tj.un)
From: Gregori Krupin (gkrupin@expressmail.com)

Hi Lane,

You deserved that win! It’s an honour to race with you this season and I’m backing you all the way. I know the WGPC can take quite a toll and at times you really do find yourself questioning whether or not you belong here. I’ll be the first to admit that I still do it. More often than I like to admit. We are all under a lot of pressure and sometimes it just gets to you. It’s okay to feel that way. Those are the days when you just need to blow off some steam and take a break. I know that it can be hard to hold onto hope sometimes too. Even more so when you don’t seem to be getting the results you’d hoped for no matter how hard you’re trying. Stick with it. You’ve got the skills.

I’ll let you pick the place this time. But I look forward to having a drink with you to celebrate. I went out for a drink with my team when I got my first WGPC race win. It’s a nice little tradition. Feel free to tell me about those crazy dreams too if you like. It’s good to talk through things sometimes.

Kind regards,
Gregori

He genuinely cared for Lane. His teammate had a lot of raw skill and potential. It saddened Gregori to see him doubting himself so much. Each racer went through it at some point in their career but it was never an easy experience. Lane would gain confidence as the races went by and every finish had the potential to teach him. Gregori had endeavoured to support him and push him to do better. That was the sort of man Gregori was. When he saw potential in people, be it a WGPC teammate or even people who stood out to him, he liked to invest in them. With that amount of skill he knew that Lane would have a bright future in the WGPC. He wouldn’t be surprised if he saw him with Tropicorp next season. Lane was one of those racers that the team’s would take note of and he would no doubt get a lot of offers in the future.

Giving his support to Lane didn’t mean that he had to lessen himself. After all the WGPC was a highly competitive place. Gregori knew that he had what it took to do well. He’d secured his first race win in the previous season and had brought in good finishes. His career was far from over. He believed in himself just as much as he believed in Lane. The only problem was that he’d shot himself in the foot with the debacle of a start to WGPC19. He’d been counting on the number one seat with Volkov and when that rug had been pulled out from under him he’d been left high and dry with no idea how he would approach the season. It was all because a pair of Volkov Racing executives had got greedy. It was because they’d been busily stuffing their pockets with no regard for the fallout.

Being signed to Race Eelandii had been the saving grace that he’d hoped for. They had allowed him to continue with the season and had brought him back to his beloved WGPC environment. It saved him from having to sit out the season. He was a skilled racer with three previous seasons under his belt and a growing reputation. But it’d been far from an ideal start to the season. If he’d just been able to take part in the pre-season tests things would be different. He’d been kicking himself about that ever since. It bothered him immensely but he knew there was nothing that he could do about it. The damage had been done.

[Auruna]

Lintulahti-Toralmintii International Circuit
Abovian Grand Prix
There are no words to describe Viska's weekend in Aboveland apart from disappointing. Knowing their misfortunes, the team decided to stay quiet. At Saturday's sprint race, both drivers were way down on the order in a show of struggle. Kinu and Olivia finished in P21 and P22 respectively and are their starting positions for Sunday's race. Was Viska's car not suited to the circuit or was it the drivers? There were many questions within the team but one fact is clear: Viska is underperforming.

Then came Sunday where all hell broke loose... at Viska. While they made good progress throughout the race and with a nicely timed stop with Olivia got them close to the points-paying positions, it looked like they reached their threshold for the race as both Viskas would get stuck behind the PB of Dario Nülkeschläger. Both attempt to overtake him over and over for a few laps then at the 40th lap of the race, Kinu locked up and understeered into the outer wall of Turn 7. The car wasn't significantly damaged to warrant a retirement at first and Kinu was able to drive off and continue although he fell down the order. Bits of carbon fibre scattered as Kinu drove off, leaving behind bits of his front-left wing and eventually the entire front-left wing fell off which went under the wheel and lifted the car up causing damage to the front suspension system but the damage went unnoticed. Also due to his hard landing, the front-right wing was just hanging from Kinu's VK-02H. It would eventually fall off somewhere around Turn 10. Kinu's incident caused the safety car to come out. Kinu then pitted for a front-wing replacement during the safety car.

Vibrations would get worse as he catches up to the safety car queue, he reports it to Jan who then relayed it to the rest of the team.

"Alright Kinu, will you be able to continue?"

"Yeah, I think, it can still run."

"Copy, let's see if the situation get worse."

As the safety car comes into the pits at the end of lap 42, Kinu would struggle at the restart and at the braking zone into Turn 1, Kinu locked up badly and vibrations had gotten worse in racing conditions. To avoid the risk of further damage, Kinu was ordered to retire.

"We need to retire the car. It's too damaged at this point. Box this lap to retire, box, box."

"..."

"It's too dangerous to continue. Just bring her back safely."

"Copy."

Kinu retired at lap 43. For the remainder of the race, Olivia was once again stuck behind Nülkeschlager. She wouldn't be able to overtake him but her gap to Dario was consistently small. Viska would only finish P13 with Olivia at the end of the race with no points to their name. The entire team was crushed for the rest of the day and wouldn't recover for a while after the weekend.

---

Viska Factory
Sterlennau, Auruna
The entire factory is unusually quiet during this mid-season. While most of the team remained in Aboveland for the Mid-Season test, Jöna and a few others returned home to tend to a few important things back at the factory leaving Artur and Hori to lead the team for the test. Work continued as normal in the factory but the recent results certainly took a huge hit on morale for a short while. Jöna knew that it would eventually subside in time for the next race at Nekoni. While wandering around the factory, he got an idea to help out the drivers just like last time. Why not let them drive around our test rack with whatever we have lying around the garage this time? He thought to himself. He would eventually schedule a session at the track so that both Kinu and Olivia would be able to drive a variety of cars to their liking.

In the middle of the process, he was interrupted by Kinu who barged into his office. He looked exhausted, probably got lost somewhere in the factory but Kinu would then ask. "Where's Artur?" Jöna promptly halted whatever he was doing to answer him.

"He's still at Aboveland for the test." He said before asking Kinu. "Why are you looking for him? Is it important?"

"It's actually not a big deal, I was planning on a quick visit back home and taking Artur with me there. There's no need to get concerned over such small thing." Kinu said.

Jöna suddenly took an interest on the subject. "Come to think of it, I'd like to see where you came from. In official documents, it looked like you're from Veratuna but I'm not quite sure about that. Is it somewhere at the north?"

Kinu then laughs. "Looks like the two of you figured it out. Yes, a small village somewhere around the north called Tärheljäänttärii. It'll be just a quick visit to relax and stuff, I haven't been there for a long time now so.. while we have time before the next race weekend, let's go there."

After thinking about it for a bit, Jöna accepts Kinu's invitation to visit his hometown. "Great." He said. "Let me finish something quick then we'll go."

Surprised, Kinu responds. "What? Now?" He was originally planning on going the next day but Jöna insisted on going later in the day.

"If we go there earlier, we'll be able to make the most of our time there. Don't worry, I'll quickly get a flight to Nörjänlappi booked for later. I'll handle all of the travel expenses."

Not knowing how to respond, Kinu just nods and says "okay" to agree with Jöna. It wasn't his original intention but getting there early wouldn't hurt. After a few minutes had gone by and with their conversation going everywhere, Jöna dismisses Kinu and continues where he'd left off. Kinu can be seen happily walking out, looking forward to the visit to his hometown.

An unlikely activity of the Viska team principal. It's nice to do something else for a change.

[Tropicorp]

After struggling to qualify and perform well in races over the first portion of the World Grand Prix Championship season, Cocoabo #23 will participate in the WGPC Open Test Race for WGPC Motorworks

Fast Cocoabo will look to use the extended seat time at the Fjellutfjordring in Aboveland to grow further accommodated to their new seat on the WGPC Motorworks team. The opportunity comes as one of the Cocoabo's WGPC Motorworks teammates, Daryl Mizushima, is set to pilot the Race Eelandii VTGP machine during the test event.