WSRC 02 | Stage Rally | RP Thread

by **Aboveland** » Sun Aug 07, 2022 8:58 am

for bet.koi Rally Port Starside: Leg 2

Starting list (reverse classification order)

POS      # ▍DRV Name                       Team
1	23 ▍CRL Čiurlionis/Cotzlousces     Vytautas Čiurlionis        
2	84 ▍GAL Gallegos/Reotutar          Trevon Gallegos            
3	87 ▍AUR Aurinen/Kalienta           bet.koi TGK-VK WRT         
4	 7 ▍WHA Whaariny/Portier           Sakite WSR RD Project      
5	72 ▍PAJ Pajari/Kalliomäki          Sakite WSR RD Project      
6	94 ▍RGR Rusegara/Moh               Billingshurst Motors       
7	38 ▍ANS Arendtsson/Ernestdóttir    Jonas Arendtsson           
8	26 ▍KSK Seokaya/Seokaya            Komuno Seokaya             
9	71 ▍SYU Shuadakei/Shuadakei        Sakite WSR RD Project      
10	 5 ▍WAT Watanabe/Hitchens          bet.koi TGK-VK WRT         
11	22 ▍NOV Novikov/Baardsen           Billingshurst Motors       
12	73 ▍CAR Carbalo/Palinski           Carlton                    
13	42 ▍MCR McCreary/Steinbrugge       Carlton                    
14	77 ▍RAA Raatikainen/Blomqvist      Sport Mikuren-Viska        
15	 3 ▍KUY Kuyara/Souzare             Carlton                    
16	10 ▍BOL Boludo/de Fitzlawrence     bet.koi TGK-VK WRT         
17	37 ▍HAU Haukkana/Vorlen            Sport Mikuren-Viska        
18	56 ▍TAL Talvela/Goita              Terho Talvela              
19	16 ▍AUG Imparato/Nogueira          Sport Mikuren-Viska        
20	99 ▍CVQ Cavuqu/Heidigger           Billingshurst Motors

by **Aboveland** » Sun Aug 07, 2022 9:13 am

Leg 2 | bet.koi Rally Port Starside

Conditions:      	Dry	
Stages:              	6 (SS8-SS13)	 
Nation:         	KOI	
Leg:        	Leg 2	
Rally:        	bet.koi Rally Port Starside	
Stage(s)		 cancelled on safety grounds
Starters:	16

Leg 2 results

POS  # ▍DRV Name                       Team                      	Time      
  1 87 ▍AUR Aurinen/Haukkana           Sport Mikuren              	130:59.515
  2 23 ▍KER Keretene/Karaka            Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	0:35.526
  3 57 ▍POL Poldov/Ponomarjov          Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	0:54.367
  4 16 ▍AUG Imparato/Nogueira          ENSADRINK WSR              	0:59.109
  5 68 ▍PAJ Pajari/Kalliomäki          TGK-VK WRT                 	1:06.336
  6  5 ▍WAT Watanabe/Hitchens          TGK-VK WRT                 	1:08.324
  7 21 ▍INY Inyuseo/Mizeyuki           ENSADRINK WSR              	1:18.960
  8 35 ▍DIZ Dizadare/Ènuts             AP-Dëritee WRT             	1:21.683
  9 91 ▍BOL Boludo/de FitzLawrence     TGK-VK WRT                 	1:22.753
 10 77 ▍RAA Raatikainen/Blomqvist      Sport Mikuren              	1:34.315
 11  1 ▍NOV Novikov/Baardsen           Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	1:42.182
 12 44 ▍SUY Suyauey/Yliande            AP-Dëritee WRT             	2:36.088
 13 27 ▍HMA Harcourt-Mauroy/d'Ombret   Camden WRT                 	2:47.052
 14 46 ▍DME Mëlander/Lösspeng          AP-Dëritee WRT             	2:50.137
DNF 84 ▍GLG Gallegos/Reotutar          Sport Mikuren              	Ret. SS 8 +18:00.000
DNF  4 ▍HAR Hargis/Holstein            Camden WRT                 	Ret. SS 9 +15:00.000

Overall after leg 2

POS	# ▍DRV Name                        Team	                        Time	       Gap prev.
1	87 ▍AUR Aurinen/Haukkana           Sport Mikuren              	4:25:51.468	—
2	23 ▍KER Keretene/Karaka            Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	4:26:58.220	+1:06.752
3	91 ▍BOL Boludo/de FitzLawrence     TGK-VK WRT                 	4:27:34.243	+1:42.775
4	16 ▍AUG Imparato/Nogueira          ENSADRINK WSR              	4:27:59.281	+2:07.814
5	77 ▍RAA Raatikainen/Blomqvist      Sport Mikuren              	4:28:01.879	+2:10.411
6	 5 ▍WAT Watanabe/Hitchens          TGK-VK WRT                 	4:28:13.494	+2:22.026
7	21 ▍INY Inyuseo/Mizeyuki           ENSADRINK WSR              	4:28:24.762	+2:33.295
8	68 ▍PAJ Pajari/Kalliomäki          TGK-VK WRT                 	4:28:31.974	+2:40.507
9	57 ▍POL Poldov/Ponomarjov          Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	4:28:47.905	+2:56.437
10	35 ▍DIZ Dizadare/Ènuts             AP-Dëritee WRT             	4:28:51.447	+2:59.980
11	 1 ▍NOV Novikov/Baardsen           Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	4:28:57.827	+3:06.359
12	46 ▍DME Mëlander/Lösspeng          AP-Dëritee WRT             	4:30:45.178	+4:53.711
13	27 ▍HMA Harcourt-Mauroy/d'Ombret   Camden WRT                 	4:31:01.209	+5:09.741
14	44 ▍SUY Suyauey/Yliande            AP-Dëritee WRT             	4:31:31.539	+5:40.071
15	 4 ▍HAR Hargis/Holstein            Camden WRT                 	4:45:40.090	+19:48.622
16	84 ▍GLG Gallegos/Reotutar          Sport Mikuren              	4:47:29.062	+21:37.594

by **Aboveland** » Mon Aug 08, 2022 9:31 am

Keretene "Must Think of the Championship" Ahead of Koaiwa Final Leg

As perennial championship leader Naomi Keretene holds second place in the inaugural bet.koi Rally Port Starside, Iskabil-Ælund team principal Konrad Puntila believes she must be conservative in the closing stages of the event.

PORT STARSIDE — With the penultimate round of the second season of the World Stage Rally Championship nearing its conclusion, Iskabil-Ælund's title favorite Naomi Keretene lies second, over a minute behind leading Aurun pair Kalo Aurinen and stand-in co-driver Laura Haukkana. For fiery team principal Konrad Puntila, whose other two cars sit 9th and 11th, the young Togonistani driver must preserve her position at all costs.

"There is no chance for us to secure the constructors' title here, now," Puntila said. "But for Naomi and also for us it will be invaluable that she gets as many points as possible. Hodori is going to be a very tough tevent and she can leave Koaiwa with one foot in the door if she stays as she is." The time gaps in Port Starside have proven large ― with Quebec rally winner Suyauey and Camden's Harcourt-Mauroy languishing almost five minutes behind the leaders without retirements ― but Puntila is adamant that heroics have no place at the moment.

"We always want to see drivers do their maximum," he laughed. "But we also like to see drivers being smart. Kalo has been doing an incredible job, especially with a new co-driver on an event that demands very precise notes — if there's little chance to catch them, at this stage of the championship, it's better to relax and collect the points."

Iskabil-Ælund's hopes of sealing their constructors' title a round early vanished after shakedown, where neither Lumen Ralli winner Ivan Poldov nor reigning champion Axel Novikov were able to find a comfortable setup. Starting 15th on the road, Novikov complained of the condition of the roads by the time almost all of the field had gone through, and that his car was too stiff for the slippy conditions; a spin on the penultimate stage of the leg dropped him 10 seconds behind last starter Marisa Inyuseo by the end of the day. Kassegrochian "gentleman driver" Poldov was more unfortunate: a deep cut on one of the many narrow agricultural lanes of Kushima knocked his front right tyre off the rim midway through SS3. Though his pace had been just enough to keep touch with the leading quartet until then, the puncture dropped him almost three minutes by the end of the stage.

"For sure, maybe we expected a bit more overall," Puntila admitted. "Last year it was almost a one-two finish on pure asphalt in Nekoni; now the roads are somewhat similar, but without a previous tarmac event, we struggled to find a perfect setup." He also agreed that, after a strong start to the sesaon, Iskabil-Ælund had perhaps relaxed too much. "Up until Togonistan we felt very in control; even if some things in the Wakkanai Winter Classic didn't go to plan, Naomi and Poldov scoring a one-two finish at her home event was incredible. The results of the strong start are plain to see, but it's clear we have not been at our best ever since. But, in Hodori, we are more confident in our chances: Ælund Rallisport owes its existence to the roads in Chirumicha-kae."

by **Aboveland** » Mon Aug 08, 2022 9:36 am

CUTOFF

for bet.koi Rally Port Starside: Leg 3

Starting list (classification order)^*

POS      # ▍DRV Name                       Team
1	87 ▍AUR Aurinen/Haukkana           Sport Mikuren              
2	23 ▍KER Keretene/Karaka            Iskabil-Ælund WRT          
3	91 ▍BOL Boludo/de FitzLawrence     TGK-VK WRT                 
4	16 ▍AUG Imparato/Nogueira          ENSADRINK WSR              
5	77 ▍RAA Raatikainen/Blomqvist      Sport Mikuren              
6	 5 ▍WAT Watanabe/Hitchens          TGK-VK WRT                 
7	21 ▍INY Inyuseo/Mizeyuki           ENSADRINK WSR              
8	68 ▍PAJ Pajari/Kalliomäki          TGK-VK WRT                 
9	57 ▍POL Poldov/Ponomarjov          Iskabil-Ælund WRT          
10	35 ▍DIZ Dizadare/Ènuts             AP-Dëritee WRT             
11	 1 ▍NOV Novikov/Baardsen           Iskabil-Ælund WRT          
12	46 ▍DME Mëlander/Lösspeng          AP-Dëritee WRT             
13	27 ▍HMA Harcourt-Mauroy/d'Ombret   Camden WRT                 
14	44 ▍SUY Suyauey/Yliande            AP-Dëritee WRT             
15	 4 ▍HAR Hargis/Holstein            Camden WRT                 
16	84 ▍GLG Gallegos/Reotutar          Sport Mikuren

*As bet.koi Rally Port Starside is a pure asphalt event, drivers go out onto the stages in the order they are classified in; starting first on an asphalt event is an advantage, as the cars have not yet passed through and thrown dirt onto the roads from the roadside. This is the opposite effect as on gravel and snow events, where the earlier cars must "sweep" the roads clear of loose stones and snow.

by **Aboveland** » Mon Aug 08, 2022 10:03 am

Leg 3 | bet.koi Rally Port Starside

Conditions:      	Dry	
Stages:              	7 (SS14-SS20)	
Nation:         	KOI	
Leg:        	Leg 3	
Rally:        	bet.koi Rally Port Starside	
Stage(s)		 cancelled on safety grounds
Starters:	16

Leg 3 results

POS  # ▍DRV Name                       Team                      	Time      
  1 35 ▍DIZ Dizadare/Ènuts             AP-Dëritee WRT             	131:19.529
  2 91 ▍BOL Boludo/de FitzLawrence     TGK-VK WRT                 	0:48.053
  3 44 ▍SUY Suyauey/Yliande            AP-Dëritee WRT             	0:53.683
  4 23 ▍KER Keretene/Karaka            Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	0:54.715
  5 77 ▍RAA Raatikainen/Blomqvist      Sport Mikuren              	0:59.654
  6 84 ▍GLG Gallegos/Reotutar          Sport Mikuren              	1:13.540
  7 27 ▍HMA Harcourt-Mauroy/d'Ombret   Camden WRT                 	1:14.326
  8  1 ▍NOV Novikov/Baardsen           Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	1:16.554
  9 68 ▍PAJ Pajari/Kalliomäki          TGK-VK WRT                 	1:25.990
 10 57 ▍POL Poldov/Ponomarjov          Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	1:35.043
 11 46 ▍DME Mëlander/Lösspeng          AP-Dëritee WRT             	1:44.566
 12  4 ▍HAR Hargis/Holstein            Camden WRT                 	2:16.009
 13 21 ▍INY Inyuseo/Mizeyuki           ENSADRINK WSR              	2:20.085
DNF 87 ▍AUR Aurinen/Haukkana           Sport Mikuren              	Ret. SS 20
DNF 16 ▍AUG Imparato/Nogueira          ENSADRINK WSR              	Ret. SS 16
DNF  5 ▍WAT Watanabe/Hitchens          TGK-VK WRT                 	Ret. SS 20

Final Classification

POS	 #  ▍DRV Name                       Team	                Time	       Gap prev.	Points
1	23 ▍KER Keretene/Karaka            Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	399:12.463	—        	25
2	91 ▍BOL Boludo/de FitzLawrence     TGK-VK WRT                 	399:41.824	+0:29.361	18
3	35 ▍DIZ Dizadare/Ènuts             AP-Dëritee WRT             	400:10.976	+0:58.513	14
4	77 ▍RAA Raatikainen/Blomqvist      Sport Mikuren              	400:21.061	+1:08.599	10
5	68 ▍PAJ Pajari/Kalliomäki          TGK-VK WRT                 	401:17.493	+2:05.030	8
6	 1 ▍NOV Novikov/Baardsen           Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	401:33.910	+2:21.447	6
7	57 ▍POL Poldov/Ponomarjov          Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	401:42.477	+2:30.014	4
8	21 ▍INY Inyuseo/Mizeyuki           ENSADRINK WSR              	402:04.376	+2:51.913	3
9	27 ▍HMA Harcourt-Mauroy/d'Ombret   Camden WRT                 	403:35.063	+4:22.601	2
10	44 ▍SUY Suyauey/Yliande            AP-Dëritee WRT             	403:44.750	+4:32.288	1
11	46 ▍DME Mëlander/Lösspeng          AP-Dëritee WRT             	403:49.273	+4:36.810	
12	 4 ▍HAR Hargis/Holstein            Camden WRT                 	419:15.628	+20:03.165	
13	84 ▍GLG Gallegos/Reotutar          Sport Mikuren              	420:02.131	+20:49.668		
DNF	 87 ▍AUR Aurinen/Kailenta           Sport Mikuren              	---Ret.---	—	
DNF	 16 ▍AUG Imparato/Nogueira          ENSADRINK WSR              	---Ret.---	—	
DNF	  5 ▍WAT Watanabe/Hitchens          TGK-VK WRT                 	---Ret.---	—

Championship standings

Drivers

Pos # ▍DRV Name                        Team                       Pts
 1 23 ▍KER Keretene/Karaka             Iskabil-Ælund WRT          94
 2 57 ▍POL Poldov/Ponomarjov           Iskabil-Ælund WRT          71
 3 77 ▍RAA Raatikainen/Blomqvist       Sport Mikuren              56
 4 44 ▍SUY Suyauey/Yliande             AP-Dëritee WRT             53
 5  1 ▍NOV Novikov/Baardsen            Iskabil-Ælund WRT          51
 6 87 ▍AUR Aurinen/Haukkana            Sport Mikuren              50
 7 91 ▍BOL Boludo/de FitzLawrence      TGK-VK WRT                 49
 8 21 ▍INY Inyuseo/Mizeyuki            ENSADRINK WSR              43
 9  4 ▍HAR Hargis/Holstein             Camden WRT                 37
10 16 ▍AUG Imparato/Nogueira           ENSADRINK WSR              21
11  5 ▍WAT Watanabe/Hitchens           TGK-VK WRT                 20
12 84 ▍GLG Gallegos/Reotutar           Sport Mikuren              16
13 68 ▍PAJ Pajari/Kalliomäki           TGK-VK WRT                 15
14 35 ▍DIZ Dizadare/Ènuts              AP-Dëritee WRT             14
15 46 ▍DME Mëlander/Lösspeng           AP-Dëritee WRT             11
16 27 ▍HMA Harcourt-Mauroy/d'Ombret    Camden WRT                 8

Teams

Pos NAT ▍Team                       Pts
  1 ABL ▍Iskabil-Ælund WRT          198 WSRC2 Teams' Champion
  2 AUR ▍Sport Mikuren              114
  3 KMN ▍AP-Dëritee WRT             106
  4 KOI ▍TGK-VK WRT                 83
  5 HDR ▍ENSADRINK WSR              64
  6 LIS ▍Camden WRT                 45

by **Diarcesia** » Mon Aug 08, 2022 11:20 am

Somewhere in Mainland Diarcesia

"Hey Phaedrus, I've heard there's a new Diarcesian driver in WSRC. A last-minute replacement to Einar Södergren."

"Yeah. They started off strong and even topped Leg Three of the Port Starside rally."

"Was it Sara Luna again?"

"Nope. Dizadare and Ènuts, some young ones."

"Diza-what?"

Phaedrus may have spoken the names too quickly for his friend to understand, but a split-second realization hit him. With a smirk in his face, he clarified, "Diz-Ènuts!"

by **Auruna** » Tue Aug 09, 2022 7:57 am

MNA Rally International News
- After winning Rally Auruna for a second time in a row, the MNA has granted the Abovian rally driver Axel Novikov an honorary Aurun citizenship as recommended by the MNA's Head of Rally Lauri Vorlen due to his popularity among the locals, especially at Nisko. "Herrä Novikov, feel free to consider Auruna as your second home." Lauri Vorlen said in an interview after the news broke in the motorsport world.

- In light of the rumoured drama between Trevon Gallegos and Pehr Henrik Blomqvist at Sport Mikuren in WSRC2 after the latter's comments after Rally Auruna, Kälö Aurinen has been asked to comment on the issue. "I am not involved in this mess." He reminded the reporters. "Unless I'm caught in the crossfire, I have nothing to say." He later added.

- The rumoured potential takeover of Sport Mikuren Rally by Schkeska Rally has been officially confirmed and canceled after the MNA's investigation has reported of sabotage within Mikuren's rally operations by Schkeska and threatening to pull out of the partnership due to Mikuren fighting against the takeover. This has caused a lot of problems for the small rally team for a while but the damage has been done after reports of faulty equipment and delayed deliveries. Schkeska Rally received a lot of criticism about their move especially since it violates the MNA's Rule of Competition that prevents teams from acquiring their competitors.

...

...

After hearing about the news, Juri breathes a sigh of relief. "Finally!" He yells out in excitement. "Thank you for bringing this up to the MNA. I seriously couldn't do it alone and while I can tolerate whatever Gallegos is doing, I can't concentrate while having threats against my team." He says to Schkeska Rally's team principal Haruna Kaurikanna in a video call. "Sorry if I'm acting unprofessional right now. I just couldn't contain it."

"It's alright, you can act however you want. Just let it all out. Glad I could help you guys, remember that you have my support."

"Any news about the owner of your team?"

"Let's just say that he doesn't have any control over the rally team but unfortunately, he still has some degree of control over the others but I trust my colleagues would join up against him."

"Ah, alright then. Anyway, can we get some more cars and parts now that the storm has passed?"

"I'll see what I can do, but it's nearing the end of the season, are you sure about it?"

"Who says it's only for this season? Besides, we have your support."

"You're right, expect delivery of them as soon as possible."

"Kiitanet Haruna."

Kailenta Residence
Iö, Auruna
Days before the bet.koi Rally Port Starside

Before leaving for the Port Starside Rally, Kälö along with his new co-driver Laura Haukanna, went to check on Zuiha, whom the latter replaced for the time being. As the pair entered the house after getting permission, they were greeted by Zuiha lying down on the sofa in the living room to the pair's surprise. Kälö immediately rushed over her to check on her condition leaving Laura with some of Zuiha's relatives. I should've stayed in the car. Laura thought to herself as she was dragged into another part of the living room.

"Feel alright?" Kälö asked Zuiha with a rare look of concern.

Zuiha smiles as she is being cared for by Kälö and answers. "Yeah although the doctors say that I should avoid any strenuous that might damage my back after this week of rest." She pauses for a bit to get a good look of Kälö's face. "And that involves rallying, so you might need to put up with her until the end."

While disappointed by the fact that Zuiha is going to miss the final two rounds, Kälö just nods in acceptance.

"Don't worry, I'll be watching you guys. So do well for me." Zuiha says while holding Kälö's hand. "Come on, don't let me down."

"We'll try-- no... we'll do our best."

Then coming from behind, Laura calls out of Kälö. "Oi, Kälö!" Then after getting his attention, she then informs him. "I got a message that we need to go or we'll miss our flight."

"Oh shit-- right."

"Is she alright?"

"Yeah but I need to tell you that you're coming with me to the end."

"What?"

"I'll explain it later. Anyway, you can wait for me in the car, I'll be there quick."

"Alright."

As soon as Laura left the house, Kälö turns to Zuiha.

"I'll be alright, you can go now." She says and before Kälö heads out, she wishes him luck before realising. "Shit, sorry."

Kälö just chuckles as soon as she said it. "It's alright if it's coming from you." He says before leaving.

"Heh, in that case, good luck to you all."

bet.koi Rally Port Starside
Port Starside, Koaiwa

The #87 Sport Mikuren Kana for Rally Port Starside

Fueled by something and even with a new co-driver, Kälö remained in top form. While his teammate, Gallegos, won the shakedown, it was Kälö who won the first leg in dominating fashion being 20 seconds ahead of TGK's Boludo. The feeling of being at the top is still new to him but he's not going to stop there. Sensing a win for him and his team, he is willing to push even further than he could and with the guidance of his more experienced co-driver, he is aiming for the top crown of this rally.

Starting the second leg, he navigates through the Koaiwan roads with the throttle pinned all the way at the straight sections and with aggressive control into the corners, he was sprinting ahead of the competition. Never looking back and never stopping to take a break, he tops the stages and overall, he was 35 seconds ahead of the closest competition which was the championship contender, Keretene. It was another dominant leg for the Aurun and he was on his way for his first win. That is until the third leg came.

While his consistent performance continued from the previous legs, Laura senses the something is about to go wrong. And it did. Barreling downhill towards the finish at Hinobe at the final stage, he was set to claim victory. Already used to Laura's pacenotes, he became confident, too confident but there weren't any signs of failure just yet and he continues on. Following Laura's pacenotes, he expertly maneuvers his Kana through the mountain roads

"Three left into tight hairpin right..." Laura called out.

"Six left into five right cut..." She continued with Kälö completely focused.

"Fifty... four right tightens to three into hairpin left." She called out, nearing the finish but then as soon the she calls the next corner. "Two right..." She notices that Kälö was going to fast. Kälö would notice it late but after hearing Laura's concerned tone over the radio, he uses every brake the car has only for it to lock up and slide off the corner, hitting the raised concrete kerb, breaking the rear-left wheel and nearly rolling the car before the car hits a tree rear-first at speed. The impact spins the car before coming to rest. With the car damaged, many are anxious if Kälö would be able to continue when the finish is just nearby, within his grasp. It was heartbreak for the leading crew.

Being in a lot of crashes before, Laura remained unfazed as she checks on Kälö.

"You alright?" She asked but there was no answer as Kälö sits there silent but breathing heavily. And as she starts taking off her seatbelts, she hears Kälö trying to start the engine again and again with the starter trying its best to bring the car back to life. She grabs Kälö's wrist to stop him from attempting to start the car again. "Leave it, it's over. We're done here." She says.

Kälö quickly removes his belts and exits the car. Still not saying a word. He walks around the car to inspect the damages done. After he was done with the walkaround, he climbs onto the car and sits on the still-intact roof. Laura, surprised by the action, stops whatever she was doing and leans out of the open door to see Kälö just sitting there, silent as he looks into the distance ahead of him. Kälö remained emotionless for a moment.

Then he lets out a deep sigh, disappointed. "Goddammit, it was so close." He then taps the roof of the Kana. "You did well buddy, sorry that I wasn't paying attention. It's all my fault." He said to the car before turning his attention toward Laura who was watching him from below. "I know, I missed out on a championship here and missed out on my first win. But--.."

Laura cuts him off. "But you did well. That's what matters here as there's a next time." She says, removing her helmet as Kälö removes his, revealing that he's holding back his tears. It was true that Kälö becomes emotionless with the helmet on but it was unusual for the ever-so optimistic and hyperactive man to get teary-eyed.

"Come on Käl, let's go." She says to Kälö after assisting him down from the roof of the car.

Kälö wipes his tears before receiving a pat on the back from Laura who was trying to comfort him. "Sorry, it was in the moment. I'm not like this."

"It's alright mate. Let's just move on from this and you'll get your win soon."

"Alright."

And as they walk away from the wreck, Kälö asks Laura. "How come you sound more experienced when you're a bit younger than me?"

"Let's say that experience doesn't usually come with old age. And it's your fault for starting late."

"Well then, you got me there... and... thanks again."

The DNF costed Sport Mikuren the win and their championship chances as Iskabil-Ælund went on to seal the Constructors' Championship with two of their drivers in contention for the Drivers' Title but rising to second place in the Constructors' Standings was enough for Mikuren to go from the "hopeless" team to being recognised as challengers. With one round to go, it's not yet over.

by **Togonistan** » Tue Aug 09, 2022 8:47 pm

Rally Port Starside
Day 3

''You must think of the Championship. Must think of the Championship. The Championship...'' Konrad's words kept repeating inside Naomi's head as she sat in her Skua, looking at the road ahead of her. Before the start of the weekend, both Konrad as well as her co-driver Heriko had been holding some serious discussions with her regarding the championship. Port Starside was a tarmac rally. Naomi had no particularly hard feelings against tarmac, after all, she had won in Nekoni last season, even if it were only due to Axel's late tyre puncture handing the victory to her. However, credit where credit is due, Naomi had managed to stay out of trouble where Axel hadn't.

Staying out of trouble was also the mindset Heriko had been planting inside her head for the weekend. So far, Naomi had accepted it and the strategy of driving themselves safely to the podium had paid off, with the Togonistani duo firmly holding onto 2nd place as they were about to head onto the final stage. Naomi had pushed down her urge to chase after a win by any means necessary and, for once, had valued sparing the car more instead.

Second place here should give a fair chance to secure the title in Hodori, that's what the team thought. Revving up the Skua's engine, Naomi took the car to the start line for the final stage. Hand on steering wheel, breathe in and out. Green light, Naomi took off. ''Left three, into right four, tightens,'' Heriko started reading out his pacenotes as they went through the stage. Same procedure they've had for the past 19 stages already. Car felt great, steering was responsible and Naomi had no problem navigating through the twisty road while keeping a steady pace. ''Left three into hairpin right, tightens.''

Soon, the village of Hinobe started appearing far at the distance. Just a little bit more to go until they were done. ''Right four, tightens into hairpin left. Right two, caution, into left three.'' For a split second, Naomi spotted a pink car with anime decals by the side of the road. Was that Kälö? She had no time to double-check as she was a tad bit busy making it to the finish herself. ''Right four, into left five and finish!'' Naomi's heart was pounding heavily as they crossed the finish line and were greeted by a cheerful audience whistling and shouting. Naomi pushed the throttle and did a few donuts for the audience, before opening a door with a smile on her face. Having climbed out of the car, she caught a Togonistani flag thrown at her by someone from the audience, before climbing on top of the Skua's roof with Heriko. With smiles on their faces, the two fold the flag open and already celebrated their victory as the remaining cars made it to the finish one after another. Lights were flashing as photographers took their pictures, before a reporter approached them for the post-rally interview.

''Naomi, you have just earned your second win of the season here at Port Starside. Talk us through it, how was everything this weekend?''

''Yeah, the car felt amazing, everything was good. Had no troubles, it has been a really fun weekend.''

''That was an unfortunate crash for Kälö Aurinen right there at the final stage, what do you think of it?''

''Well, it is a dangerous corner for sure and, like, I feel bad for Kälö missing out on his win like that but that is how rallying is. Sometimes bad luck strikes at the worst moment.''

''The result here has pretty much solidified your status as this season's champions. What feelings will you have heading to Hodori, knowing that you're in such a comfortable position championship-wise?''

''I.. I don't know haha, I guess... happy? I think Ivan and Vitaly can still technically catch us, so we have to look and think what and how we do, but right now I really just want to enjoy the win here.''

''Alright, thank you Naomi, enjoy yourself!''

Enjoying themselves, Naomi and Heriko kept an eye on the final results. Sure, Aurinen's retirement had been a surprise, however, there was perhaps even a bigger one in the form of a certain Diarcesian driver pairing snatching the final step on the podium from Raatikainen and Blomqvist. No pink cars on the podium, it seems. Naomi entertained herself by enjoying the sight of visibly disappointed Pehr Henrik Blomqvist sitting back into his car as the latter realized they didn't end up on the podium after all. It was a fun day indeed.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Wed Aug 10, 2022 8:55 am

The following letter was sent from Trevon Gallegos' work email account to the management and leadership of Sport Mikuren on the night of the second leg of Rally Port Starside Koaiwa, a few hours after Gallegos had parked his Schkeska Kana and refused to finish stage 8 citing "mechanical issues that would only get worse if [he] continued driving." This letter was also sent from Tre Gallegos' personal email account to the inboxes of all the popular, well-known, and reputable motorsports journals and publications in the multiverse.

To whom it may concern,

If this letter has reached your inbox then it means that I have been forced to retire from a rally event once again due to a suspected mechanical failure in the car. If I had retired from the event because of a crash that resulted from my own failure to follow the directions of my co-driver then I would not have written and sent this letter in the first place. Therefore I will have to make the bold claim that this retirement was once again caused by a fault in the car, a fault which I have detected but not by everyone else involved in the quality control for either one of Sport Mikuren or Schkeska.

Quality control, especially as it relates to my car, has resulted in my failure to finish numerous legs and stages in countless rallies held throughout the second season of the World Stage Rally Championship. I normally consider myself an honorable and patient man but, I have to be honest, this season has put me and all of my principles and values to the test. I do not lose my temper easily, but that disaster at Lisander was unfortunately the last straw for me.

Sport Mikuren could have been challenging Iskabil in the constructors’ championship right to the final event of the season in Hodori had the equipment failures in my car been addressed and fixed both quickly and to my satisfaction. And while I am aware that only the two highest finishing drivers in a given team will have their points also count to the team’s points, I am of the opinion that Sport Mikuren could have scored some more points if my vehicle had managed to keep itself together across all three days of a rally event and did not fail in any of those three days. The last time that I was able to run a failure-free event where my car did not give up the ghost was way back in the Lumen Ralli in Kimi-Suomi, the third rally in the WSRC calendar.

I am prepared to admit that my outburst in Lisander was absolutely unnecessary, that I certainly could have handled matters in a more dignified manner without airing the team’s dirty laundry to the public. But I will also admit that I had an ulterior motive in making my demands live and on air at the risk of embarrassing myself. I was hoping that by making those demands before the start of the team’s home event, the Aurunair Rally Auruna, Sport Mikuren will get the kick up the ass that they needed to finally get their act together and make sure that by the end of their home event, three pink cars will be on the podium of their own event. Wouldn’t that have been a sight to see, would you agree? Not only would have made for a very good picture, but it would have reaffirmed Sport Mikuren’s commitment to fighting for the WSRC Constructors’ Championship.

Instead, it has all ended in tears, and Iskabil ran away with the constructors’ title at Koaiwa, with one more event to go. Mikuren could have been fighting for the constructors’ title all the way to Hodori, but because of the choices this team has made, and maybe even the choices they refused to make, this team has been left with no chance of winning silverware unless a miracle happens and all three pink cars suddenly become competitive in Hodori, and they remain competitive across all three days and none of the cars fail.

When I first came to Auruna to drive for Sport Mikuren, I came here with little expectations beyond just being able to remain within a reasonable amount of time with the rest of the established drivers in the field. I did not expect to be able to compete for the drivers’ championship, or even just for a win. But the speed in this Kana took me by surprise, and after me and my teammates started putting up consistently fast times through the stages, I started to believe that maybe there might have been something here. Now, was I a fool for believing that we could have taken the fight to Iskabil so quickly? Perhaps. But did the Kana actually have what it takes to challenge Iskabil for the constructors’ title? By the looks of things, definitely. And yet for reasons unknown to me, and perhaps unknown to my teammates as well, this team has not decided to take full advantage of this opportunity.

Is it a coincidence that it is my car that ended up failing the most across all the rallies? I would very much love to believe so, because the alternative is scary to think about. I do not and will not understand the logic behind a team purposely sabotaging the equipment of one of their own drivers because it does not serve any logical purpose and only alienates the driver from the rest of the team. Of course, I do not believe that Sport Mikuren are purposely sabotaging my car because I see no reason for them to do so, and I sincerely hope that the team and the management feel the same way.

It is truly regretful that things have come to this. But I cannot ignore all of the missed opportunities and all of the lost points anymore, and I cannot believe that this team can ignore those too. But the trust that I have in this team is no longer there, and if a driver loses trust in his own team, it can be very difficult if not impossible to regain that trust.

Sincerely yours,
Trevon Gallegos

by **Kimi-Suomi** » Fri Aug 12, 2022 8:30 am

WSRC 2
Round 7
Rally Port Starside, presented by bet.koi
Port Starside, Koaiwa

Rally is motorsports through and through, like NSSCRA and WGPC, where stories ebb and flow across the many races and locations the sport calls home. The drivers of car #77, Laila Raatikainen and Pehr Henrik Blomqvist, have certainly seen their fair share of moments across their debut campaign in this series. Lots of both podiums and DNFs have defined this rookie year. one that showed potential and growing pains for a pairing still finding its feet in international competition. The Rally Port Starside here in Koaiwa would be the 2nd from last of this debut season and both of them were committed to doing one thing and one thing only...getting points on that board, for both themselves and the team they were committed to.

Port Starside was undoubtedly a city fitting of being the host of this rally and the shakedown it provided was undoubtedly going to be interesting, especially considering this asphalt-specific rally would see the fastest cars starting first and not last like in other events. Their teammates in #84 (Gallegos/Reotutar) would start on pole over local car #5 (Watanabe/Hitchens) and their other teammates in #87 (Aurinen/Haukkana, new co-driver due to back pains on Kailenta, whom the Finns hoped for a speedy recovery). #77 itself would only be down in 5th for the OG Leg 1, along the old route of the Rally towards the city of Kushima. #87 would end the first day with a 20-second advantage over local car #91 (Boludo/de FitzLawrence) and championship contender #23 (Keretene/Karaka) with #77 in 4th and #84 in 5th. No retirements on Day 1, which certainly was surprising.

Day 2 would see the circus head towards Yosai and this time, things were certainly chaotic as we headed towards the city of a famous WW2 Encampment. #84 suffered another mechanical failure at the start of the day, taking 18 minutes, while #4 (Hargis/Holstein) fell 1 stage later and would require +15. The ensuing chaos around would mean that the standings certainly looked wacky after that - #87 ahead by a minute, #23 and #91 best of the rest, #77 not far behind in 5th. The final day dash to Hinobe was also filled with drama as the final 7 stages provided everything at once. #16 (Imparato/Nogueira) would fall on stage 16 while both #5 and, most shockingly of all, #87 fell on the final stage. That left #23 to take the Rally while wondering what the fuck happened in front of them, with #91 and a brilliant final day for the replacements in #35 (Dizadare/Ènuts). #77 was piped to the podium by 10 seconds, but P4 was still good points and this debut campaign.

Next week marks the final weekend and the points situation is certainly clearer now. Keretene/Karaka lead Poldov/Ponomarjov by 23 points heading into that final event, the ENSADRINK Rally Hodori by Hodori Motorsports, with #77 defending "best of the rest" by 3 over Suyauey/Yliande. Aurinen/Haukkana is still going strong in 6th while the reliability of Gallegos/Reotutar means they are down in 13th. Trevon's letter remarks that this unreliability has cost the team dearly, albeit by thinking that the team itself is at fault and not pure luck. Iskabil-Ælund are your Teams Champs, and by a long way, but the battle for 2nd will certainly be tight, Sport Mikuren ahead of AP-Dëritee by only 8 points.

With both Naomi Keretene and Trevon Gallegos seemingly on PHB's back after what he said last time out, many were wondering if PHB would have more to say...but not this time. He wasn't taking interviews this weekend as he felt that he would "say things I would immediately regret" and he left it at that. But Laila, the main driver, didn't say no and so, it was her turn to face the questions. This would finally answer a key question in this whole saga - What did Laila think of all this?

LR: First of all, can I make it clear that I am speaking for myself and not on my friend's behalf?
Rep: Of course. So, Laila, we hear a lot from your co-driver on the issues of the day...but not real from yourself, the driver of your own car. So...do you have anything you ant to say on this season so far?
LR: Well...it certainly has been a bit of a learning experience, as expected, but I have also had a lot of fun out there, you know? Getting all those podiums and helping this team climb up the standings has certainly felt very good, in my point of view. I certainly feel like I've been a bit of a help and I hope I can move this positivity forward into the final round and the seasons to come.

But it's not all been good, you know? Some people are after my friend because he talks sense and it just doesn't make sense as to why. He only said that our engineers deserved respect...what's wrong with that? This team used to be meme not that long ago and now, were fighting for 2nd in the championship. Sure, we had a few issues with reliability, but this is lightyears ahead from where this team was last season. The guys here all worked their asses off to get us here and I am so proud to put that effort into fruition...even if others haven't been able to.

Now, I can address the Vihaisten Klubi...starting with Mr Gallegos. His letter was certainly...interesting to read, albeit a bit...foolish in my view. I wish he didn't think the universe is against him but unfortunately, his reliability hasn't been in his favour. He's played his part in this team's development. but I just wish that he didn't act like a child whenever things don't go his way. Putting every single issue on the team is a whole is a dick move, it just is, and if he wants to argue that point with me or my friend, then be my guest. I don't know if he will come back next season but if he does, I hope he remembers that taking things to heart won't help...trust me, I know that for a fact.

As for Ms. Keretene...why are you focused on a rookie? Vakavasti? You should be focused on trying to win this championship, not trying to take shots at a debutant. I know that the crown is practically on your head right now, but that doesn't mean the focus should slip. Any mistake and it may be your teammates celebrating out in Hodori, so maybe focusing on that instead of being a äänekäs narttu (loud bitch) should be in your best interests. I look forward, one day, to being able to take you on, nainen naiselle, for that crown, but until then...good luck!

by **Aboveland** » Sat Aug 13, 2022 11:13 am

CUTOFF

for Shakedown and Leg 1 at ENSADRINK Rally Hodori: Season Finale

by **Aboveland** » Sat Aug 13, 2022 11:24 am

Week 8 | ENSADRINK Rally Hodori

Shakedown

Conditions:      	Dry
Average SS Time:      	00:02:43.636
Nation:         	HDR

POS # ▍DRIVER                             	TIME	       GAP TO LEADER
 1 84 ▍Gallegos/Reotutar                  	00:02:46.923	00:00:00.000
 2 21 ▍Inyuseo/Mizeyuki                   	00:02:46.926	00:00:00.004
 3 57 ▍Poldov/Ponomarjov                  	00:02:46.994	00:00:00.071
 4  1 ▍Novikov/Baardsen                   	00:02:47.001	00:00:00.079
 5 23 ▍Keretene/Karaka                    	00:02:47.014	00:00:00.091
 6  4 ▍Hargis/Holstein                    	00:02:47.029	00:00:00.106
 7 35 ▍Dizadare/Ènuts                     	00:02:47.118	00:00:00.195
 8 68 ▍Pajari/Kalliomäki                  	00:02:47.129	00:00:00.206
 9 77 ▍Raatikainen/Blomqvist              	00:02:47.221	00:00:00.299
10 87 ▍Aurinen/Haukkana                   	00:02:47.239	00:00:00.317
11 91 ▍Boludo/de FitzLawrence             	00:02:47.277	00:00:00.354
12 16 ▍Imparato/Nogueira                  	00:02:47.375	00:00:00.453
13  5 ▍Watanabe/Hitchens                  	00:02:47.395	00:00:00.472
14 44 ▍Suyauey/Yliande                    	00:02:47.576	00:00:00.653
15 46 ▍Mëlander/Lösspeng                  	00:02:47.792	00:00:00.869
16 27 ▍Harcourt-Mauroy/d'Ombret           	00:02:50.391	00:00:03.468

Leg 1

Conditions:      	Cloudy	
Stages:              	5	
Nation:         	HDR	
Leg:        	Leg 1 (A/G)	
Rally:        	ENSADRINK Rally Hodori	
Stage(s)		 cancelled on safety grounds
Starters:	16

Leg 1 results

POS  # ▍DRV Name                       Team                     	Time      
  1  1 ▍NOV Novikov/Baardsen           Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	78:19.633
  2 77 ▍RAA Raatikainen/Blomqvist      Sport Mikuren              	0:09.166
  3 84 ▍GLG Gallegos/Reotutar          Sport Mikuren              	0:20.321
  4 87 ▍AUR Aurinen/Haukkana           Sport Mikuren              	0:22.117
  5 27 ▍HMA Harcourt-Mauroy/d'Ombret   Camden WRT                 	0:25.647
  6 46 ▍DME Mëlander/Lösspeng          AP-Dëritee WRT             	0:26.048
  7  4 ▍HAR Hargis/Holstein            Camden WRT                 	0:31.124
  8 23 ▍KER Keretene/Karaka            Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	0:36.414
  9 57 ▍POL Poldov/Ponomarjov          Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	0:37.281
 10 44 ▍SUY Suyauey/Yliande            AP-Dëritee WRT             	0:51.716
 11 35 ▍DIZ Dizadare/Ènuts             AP-Dëritee WRT             	1:06.011
 12 21 ▍INY Inyuseo/Mizeyuki           ENSADRINK WSR              	1:08.140
 13  5 ▍WAT Watanabe/Hitchens          TGK-VK WRT                 	1:11.617
 14 68 ▍PAJ Pajari/Kalliomäki          TGK-VK WRT                 	1:12.975
 15 91 ▍BOL Boludo/de FitzLawrence     TGK-VK WRT                 	1:22.844
 16 16 ▍AUG Imparato/Nogueira          ENSADRINK WSR              	1:28.333

Results after Leg 1

POS # ▍DRV Name                       Team			        Time            Gap prev.	
1	 1 ▍NOV Novikov/Baardsen           Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	78:19.633	—
2	77 ▍RAA Raatikainen/Blomqvist      Sport Mikuren              	78:28.799	+0:09.166
3	84 ▍GLG Gallegos/Reotutar          Sport Mikuren              	78:39.954	+0:20.321
4	87 ▍AUR Aurinen/Haukkana           Sport Mikuren              	78:41.750	+0:22.117
5	27 ▍HMA Harcourt-Mauroy/d'Ombret   Camden WRT                 	78:45.280	+0:25.647
6	46 ▍DME Mëlander/Lösspeng          AP-Dëritee WRT             	78:45.681	+0:26.048
7	 4 ▍HAR Hargis/Holstein            Camden WRT                 	78:50.757	+0:31.124
8	23 ▍KER Keretene/Karaka            Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	78:56.047	+0:36.414
9	57 ▍POL Poldov/Ponomarjov          Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	78:56.914	+0:37.281
10	44 ▍SUY Suyauey/Yliande            AP-Dëritee WRT             	79:11.349	+0:51.716
11	35 ▍DIZ Dizadare/Ènuts             AP-Dëritee WRT             	79:25.644	+1:06.011
12	21 ▍INY Inyuseo/Mizeyuki           ENSADRINK WSR              	79:27.772	+1:08.140
13	 5 ▍WAT Watanabe/Hitchens          TGK-VK WRT                 	79:31.249	+1:11.617
14	68 ▍PAJ Pajari/Kalliomäki          TGK-VK WRT                 	1:19:32.608	+1:12.975
15	91 ▍BOL Boludo/de FitzLawrence     TGK-VK WRT                 	1:19:42.476	+1:22.844
16	16 ▍AUG Imparato/Nogueira          ENSADRINK WSR              	1:19:47.966	+1:28.333

by **Hodori Motorsports** » Sat Aug 13, 2022 1:50 pm

Road Regulations
Road traffic in Hodori drives on the left (left-hand traffic), with the driver typically seated to the right (right-hand drive). Left-hand drive cars made for right-hand traffic markets are permitted for road use, provided the vehicle meets Hodoran emissions standards. Racing cars are exempt from emissions regulations only if they are not to be driven on public roads. For rally cars, the transit engine maps must meet these regulations or they will not be issued registration plates.

The minimum age to receive a driver’s license in Hodori is 19. Foreign driver’s licenses issued by countries with a lower minimum driving age will be honoured if the holder is below the Hodoran driving age and demonstrates competence in observing Hodoran road safety laws.

All vehicles in Hodori must have Hodori Transit Authority-provided front and rear number plates with colouration conforming to regulations set by the Hodoran Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety. These regulations also apply to rally cars if they are to be driven on public roads. Rally cars owned by either the driver or co-driver must have green letters and numerals on a white background (White Plate cars), while vehicles owned by the team use plates with an inverted scheme of white text on a green background (Green Plate cars).

Number plates within Hodori are numeric, with alphanumeric plates reserved for diplomatic vehicles and rally cars. Plates assigned to WSRC competitors will be in the format of “WR 2###”, where “###” is replaced by the car’s two-digit racing number including a leading zero if necessary followed by the driver’s last inital.

Within urban areas and in the twisting mountain roads, the speed limit is 40km/h. Most other roads vary in speed limit between 60 km/h and 80km/h. National Routes have speed limits up to 120km/h.

During transit stages, speed limits are strictly enforced by the Kizagama and Chirumichaake Metropolitan Police Traffic Safety Divisions within their respective city limits and Temakyo Road Safety Patrol between Chirumichakae and Sayabo and the Gensokyo Road Safety Division west of Sayabo. National Routes and Expressways use systems of radar speed detection and cameras to enforce speed limits, with tickets and fines mailed to the offender’s registered address. Fines for road safety violations levied by Hodoran police must be paid by the owner of the vehicle.

Advertising and drug laws in Hodori
Alcohol and tobacco products may only be advertised within establishments licensed to sell or serve such products. The advertisement of cannabis products and other drugs is illegal.

The promotion of cryptocurrencies such as Echocoin is illegal.

Cars carrying sponsorships from alcohol, tobacco, or cannabis companies or cryptocurrencies must have those decals removed or they will not be provided plates, and thus cannot be driven on public roads.

Medical CBD is legal with a valid prescription in Hodori. The possession of recreational cannabis or other drugs is legal due to Hodori being a WA member, but the sale and importation of these products is illegal.

ENSADRINK Rally Hodori
Tuesday and Wednesday are reserved for recon stages. The ceremonial start, shakedown, and exhibition will be held Thursday. The rally itself will take place Friday to Sunday.

The weekend formally opens with the ceremonial start in Kizagama and a parade run along Historic Route 1043 to Chirumicha-kae. The shakedown takes place on portions of Historic Route 1042 and adjoining dirt trails that have a similar overall characteristic to the rally as a whole. The exhibition will be a super-special stage type event, with the filed running in pairs on the Chirumichakae Rally Cross circuit.

Hodori
Hodori is a tropical island nation. The climate year-round is generally hot and humid with pronounced wet and dry seasons as the Intertropical Convergence Zone moves over the archipelago.

Chirumicha-kae
Chirumicha-kae was originally a town established to support a fortress constructed over 170 years ago during the first unification of Hodori. The old military outpost still stands to this day and is a popular tourist destination. The town has since grown into a city and a racing circuit was constructed in the 1980s as the automobile and motorcycle become more popular readily available and Hodoran domestic manufacturing capabilities improved.

The city now has many modern amenities with bilingual Hodoran and English signage and staff.

Has the rustic charm of: A modern-day city.

Sayabo
A town originally established to support local logging camps and the nearby quarry, one of several sources for paving stones used in the old National Routes 41, 43, and 44 – the modern day Historic Routes 1041, 1043, and 1044 – as they developed from unpaved dirt paths to wooden walkways to stone trails in the pursuit of securing the first unification. Portions of the old stone paths still exist, mainly in the mountain switchbacks that are too narrow and tight for automobiles.

In the modern day, Sayabo is a popular site for those interested in seeing the dilapidated quarry largely reclaimed by nature and old mining tunnels kept safe for visitors, as well as one of the more prominent marketplaces of retro technologies like CRT televisions and monitors, old game consoles, VCR and audiocassette players, and pre-smartphone communication and media devices.

Lodging is reasonably modern, and while road signs are bilingual most locals do not speak English.

Has the rustic charm of: A mid-1980s to early 2000s aesthetic.

Nameless Shrine between Sayabo and Kizagama
Following the 1962 completion of Rail Line 47 and the 1968 construction of National Route 514 connecting Kizagama and Chirumicha-kae, the shrine along Historic Route 1043 and its associated inn and baths fell into disuse by 1971 and over the decades since its name was forgotten and wooden structures mostly rotted away. In 2004, with the announcement of the planned addition of a Temagoa round to the Hodoran Rally calendar, efforts to restore the shrine began and today high school and university cultural preservation clubs in the area continue to maintain the site.

As (rebuilt) old structures, the shrine, inn, and bathhouse are not wired for electricity. Water is sourced from a nearby stream and is heated using wood-fired boilers. The communal baths are segregated by gender but are otherwise identical in terms of supplies.

Teams choosing to stay at the inn overnight will be served meals. The dinner and lunch menu consists of a choice of grilled chicken skewers or smoked fish with vegetables, rice, and an onion soup. The breakfast served Sunday morning is a bowl of steamed rice, grilled fish, and an omelet. Alcoholic drinks are available to team members over the age of 20 on Saturday night. The supply of food is reliable enough that requesting seconds is acceptable, but leaving it uneaten or otherwise wasting it is considered one of the most grievous sins one can commit in Hodori.

As it was a major resting point for travelers going between Kizagama and Sayabo in pre-automobile Hodori, the (rebuilt) inn has sufficient rooms to accommodate six guests per room.

Has the rustic charm of: 1840s Hodori.

Kizagama
A major domestic port and fishing settlement for its entire existence and once the capital city of a pre-unification state and a post-unification district capital, the national capital moved to Kizagama in 1982 following the capture of previous capital Temagama in the separatist fascist coup that led to the birth of Hosuni. The separatists were then defeated in 2015 and the island of Serokuo reintegrated into Hodori over the course of the Reunification war.

The Kizagama International Airport (HKZG) services international flights west of Hodori, while the Kizagama Port is used for domestic surface shipping.

As one of Hodori’s major international hubs, English and other major languages see frequent use.

To: マルカス・ケレチン(Marcus Keretene), ナオミ・ケレチン(Naomi Keretene), ヘリコ・カラカ(Heriko Karaka), コンラヅ・プンチラ(Konrad Puntila), マルコ・キビネン(Marko Kivinen), アクスル・ノビコブ(Axel Novikov), ヘンリク・バアヅセン(Henrik Baardsen)
From: Hodori Ministry of Law Enforcement Department of Financial Crimes Investigation (dfci@hdminle.gov)
Subject: Echocoin

Mr. Keretene and associates,

This letter is to inform you that due to your involvement with the cryptocurrency Echocoin you are presently the subject of an investigation by the Hodori Ministry of Law Enforcement and its Department of Financial Crimes Investigation. As of this moment no formal charges have been filed but this may change based on future evidence collected as well as evidence already collected.

As this investigation is centered on cryptocurrencies and your involvement therewith, you are presently under investigation for money laundering, offering unregistered securities, market manipulation, insider trading, price gouging, wire fraud, bank fraud, sanctions evasion, willfully facilitating the preceding, financing terrorism, and deliberately misrepresenting a cryptocurrency.

As previously stated, you are not currently being formally charged with the aforementioned. In the event formal charges are brought against you, your actions and statements may be used against you in subsequent legal proceedings.

金山祐
Kato Saedasho
Lead Investigator
Ministry of Law Enforcement
Deparment of Financial Crimes Investigation
Cryptocurrencies Division

by **Diarcesia** » Sat Aug 13, 2022 3:39 pm

The Pearl Kingdom wrote:Einar Södergren's sudden departure and replacement was a major distraction for everyone at AP-Dëritee, including Suyauey and Yliande. The two young Jouoangquoirennes had found Södergren a little unsociable at times, but they were used to it by now and had learned to just give him his space. They weren't sure if he disliked them for some reason, if there was some sort of culture clash at play, or if he was just naturally standoffish with everyone.

They did not know what to expect from their new teammates, but they were still ready to greet them with friendly smiles when they were introduced.

During the Rally Port Starside

Given that he and his co-driver were given a chance—though short-lived at is it is—Chick Dizadare reminded himself that he is a professional and it's his job to start right off to make a great first impression and then add on-field contributions. He and Hikp were introduced to the AP-Dëritee personnel and that also included his teammate-drivers. When Suyauey and Yliande greeted him, he responded with a wholehearted hello while trying not to make it look like he lords over the place. Hikp on the other hand has never been much of a sociable person, and contended himself with smiling back, as if to reflect his small stature and apparent naivety. But no stranger should underestimate The Hick (as Hikp would be affectionately be nicknamed in the internet), for he is actually the more experienced between the two Diarcesians. He rarely speaks, but almost always listens and observes. In Chick's opinion, he's the perfect co-driver. At this point, he may have already mastered the intricacies of the rally course and maybe even caught a glimpse of the team dynamics going inside AP-Dëritee.

One Week Later
Somewhere in Mainland Diarcesia

"Look what you did with your idle chatter, Phaedrus!"

"What do you mean?"

"You jinxed them!"

"Dizadare in WSRC?"

"Who else would I refer to?! Eleventh of sixteenth, all because of your lame jokes!"

"I'm not the superstitious sort, Constes. And it's just the first leg of Rally Hodori."

"..."

Phaedrus continued: "I have already seen enough of Dizadare and Ènuts. They just debuted in WSRC, but they have much potential. Very interesting pair, I must say. Not only they can hold their own, but they are positive influences to their team."

"Do you sense an opportunity with them in your next step in your plan?"

Phaedrus Stephanid, the principal of the Metacinesis works rally team and one of the primary patrons of the planned Hylvorian Rally event, turned to his buddy Constes. With a more determined gaze, he gave his answer. "Yes. Upgrading the Hylvorian Rally to multiversal standards encountered some delays, but it allowed me to witness a pair who I really want to be a part of Metacinesis's eventual WSRC entry." He reverted to his more laid-back demeanor as he continued. "Let Pryfors Bilar have WGPC, Metacinesis will be Diarcesia's representative in rallying!"

by **Togonistan** » Sun Aug 14, 2022 5:12 am

ENSADRINK Rally Hodori
Kizagama, Hodori

This was it. Quite possibly the most important weekend of Naomi Keretene's life. After Auruna, most of the rally-related press had already crowned Naomi as the de facto champion of WSRC. However, there still remained a mathematical chance for the Kassegrochian pairing of Poldov and Ponomarjov to snatch that title in Hodori. Sure, it was pretty much an impossible task at this point, but still... there was a chance.

Naomi Keretene, at 20 years of age, was that close to writing herself to the history books by becoming the first Togonistani driver to ever win a top-tier championship title in any form of international motorsport. Feat which just a few years ago no one could have predicted. A couple of names such as Dom Falepeau or Darian Vilau had been tossed around amongst Togonistani motorsports circles as potential future world champions, however, Naomi Keretene had been until last year written off as nobody but a random girl participating in an obscure sport.

Perhaps she would've remained nobody if it weren't for Naomi managing to bring attention to herself for all the right as well as wrong reasons, whether it be starting her maiden season with a rally win, her off-track antics, her feud with fellow drivers or her ties to a certain company with a shady reputation. In fact, that last part had just recently brought back to daylight. When Naomi woke up that morning and checked her phone she found, much to her surprise, an e-mail from Hodoran authorities stating that she is under some sort of investigation for, amongst other things, money laundering and financing terrorism!?

As it soon turned out, Naomi wasn't the only recipient for said letter. Heriko had a very concerned look on his face as he met Naomi at the breakfast table, briefly asking whether she had read the e-mail as well. The two ate their food in a morbid mood, knowing that there would probably be a serious discussion about to happen. What made it all even more interesting was the fact that Marcus Keretene, the main recipient of said e-mail, was present in Hodori as well. Marcus had called Naomi on Wednesday evening, saying that he's on his way to root for his daughter at her final event of the season. This was surely going to be... interesting.

Naomi's heart was pounding in her chest as she and Heriko stepped into the team's tent after breakfast, immediately catching the attention of Konrad, Marko, Axel, Henrik and... her dad. ''Hey sweetheart,'' Marcus immediately put his arms wide and moved on to hug his daughter, ''It's so good to see you. Don't worry, everything will be fine.'' Meanwhile, Heriko took a step towards Konrad and Marko: ''What the hell is going on?'' However, Konrad and Marko only exchanged looks between each other as the Abovians seemed unsure what to think of all this either.

Having let go of his daughter, Marcus crossed his arms and looked at everyone: ''Okay, by the looks on your faces and the few words we exchanged prior to the arrival of our soon-to-be champions, I can assume you have all read that rather amusing e-mail sent by the Hodoran authorities.'' With a slight smirk on his face, Marcus continued: ''Since this little e-mail has caused such a fuss, as the owner and representative of Echocoin, I will try to be as open with all of you as I can. It is no secret that with our activities, Echocoin has caught attention from a number of officials. This is something that is bound to happen when running a business model that is loosely regulated. It's not the first letter I have received to be written in a similar fashion, and most likely, it won't be last.'' He took a moment to look everyone gathered around him in the eyes, before carrying on in a less joyful manner: ''I sincerely hope that this little incident won't change the relationship between Echocoin and Iskabil-Ælund WRT and that both parties will stick to our agreement until the end of the season. I really do not know why Hodoran authorities have launched an investigation against the team but, having contacted my lawyers regarding this, I can assure you all that they should have no solid ground to press any sort of charges against any of you. If they think Echocoin has somehow broken the local laws, the only person in this tent right now who can be held accountable for the company's actions is me and me only. Not Mr. Puntila or Mr. Kivinen, not my daughter and definitely not Mr. Novikov or Mr. Baardsen, about who I am still wondering why their names were even brought up in the first place. I don't recall Mr. Poldov being mentioned, for example... not that it actually matters.''

Marcus turned around and took a few steps towards car number 23. ''Of course, I see that the Hodoran authorities have demanded you to remove Echocoin decals from the car.'' He looked at Konrad with a faint smile on his face. ''I understand that the team has to comply in order to compete and I won't hold it against you. After all, while I'm technically here as the representative of Echocoin, it is no secret that, before anything, I'm here to see with my own eyes how Naomi wins the championship.''

The group stood in awkward silence for a moment as Marcus stopped his speech, until Heriko opened his mouth: ''So, basically, we'll forget about that e-mail and just carry on with the event?''

Marcus looked at Heriko. ''You haven't done anything wrong, have you? If Hodoran police thinks they want to take action against someone, they can enter this tent and cuff me up at any time. As I said, it is my company and you're not involved in it.''

Another moment of awkward silence passed, until Konrad started clapping his hands. ''Okay, time is ticking and we have a shakedown to attend to!''

by **Aboveland** » Sun Aug 14, 2022 10:39 am

ENSADRINK Rally Hodori

The sky over Hodori on Friday was an ominous gray as the first leg of the new-look WSRC-level Rally Hodori officially began. For Axel, the return to Hodori was almost bittersweet. The ground where he'd enjoyed, until last year, the greatest of his career successes had suddenly — no doubt seasoned by the scathing, targeted e-mail from the Ministry of Law Enforcement ― turned sour. It was the context, however, that tinged his visit: his previous outing had culminated in the inaugural World Stage Rally driver's title going to his name ― now, he languished behind his less experienced teammates with not even a long-shot at retaining that number 1 on his side windows. However, his victory in Auruna, two out of two so far, had rekindled his desire to win. The future of his career seemed uncertain, no less now that Echocoin and the entire Iskabil-Ælund team had come under (as rumor would have it, international) scrutiny, but that was a problem for another time. His last rally as world champion — at least, until after next year ― would have to be a good one. The exhibition start in Chirumicha-kae was spectacular as ever, the almost religious reverence towards the sport clear in every detail of the opening ceremony, but his narrow head-to-head victory over Kalo Aurinen didn't enthuse him much. The real shit started the next morning.

Axel and Henrik — essentially reconciled after their commanding victory in Auruna — set off 13th onto the first stage, a split tarmac/gravel ordeal. The setup on his Skua was excessively firm for the gravel portion of the stage, as he revealed at the stage end. The pink trio of Sport Mikuren machines, completed with the pass of final runner, shakedown winner, and unstable teamwrecker Trevon Gallegos, lay down the gauntlet as the rally advanced. Advantage Sport Mikuren after almost 30km ― his gap already double digits.

On towards stage two, longer and faster than the previous test, and the stiffer setup worked wonders. The stiffer springs kept the Skua planted on the modernized perimeter road, in spite of his Tropicorp gravel rubber screeching on the longer, sharper corners, and though the gravel sections proved as much a challenge as over half an hour prior. However, his temporary gamble worked: it's a stage win against the Aurunans, though not by a gap large enough to disturb the status quo. "We'll see how long it lasts," Axel grinned at the stage end reporter. "When the car doesn't fail them, it's their tempers." As he trundled away towards the next test, he grunted. Perhaps he'd been a bit harsh to a team which, he hoped, could serve as his future employers.

Alas, stage three would prove brutal. The roads switch almost suddenly from smooth paved roads to a varicose set of impossibly narrow logging trails, not dissimilar in surface to the stages of the final day of Rally Aboveland. Though he'd softened the car up for the first of the all-gravel tests — and had a bite to eat in the middle — his modifications hadn't been enough. Once again, the continued pace of the Mikuren cars, as well as the sustained bursts of speed of the Camden cars and top-five cameos for Melander and Keretene, had got the better of him. With two stages to go, and the shadows looming longer over the thick overgrown forests near Sayabo, the sharp end of the leaderboard continued slipping away. He was just fifteen seconds behind Gallegos in first, but the gaps were so tight this meant he was fifth overall, with Lisander winner Leora Hargis between him and the Kanas. A surprise win for Harcourt-Mauroy on the penultimate stage of the leg, to whom he finished second on the short 21km test, left him trailing the Fleftic leader by just under 10 seconds, his estranged Suomen teammates just a few tenths behind.

The start of the final stage neared as the sun peeked from under the thick duvet of storm clouds and cast a long glow over the trees lining the final logging trail leading to Sayabo. While Henrik fixed the lamp pods onto the bonnet, stopped near the end of the line of cars approaching the time control, he went over the first few notes in his co-driver's notebook. The gargantuan fifth stage of the rally, hardly the longest of the entire event, was nevertheless among the most treacherous, and though he'd been here twice before ― and both times on the podium ― he'd only run the stages in the opposite direction, and both times kept his prudent distance to the hazards on the roadside. Even then, his heart trembled with excitement at the upcoming challenge. Night stages were his favorite, and even though his luck in Quebec and Shingoryeo betrayed that preference, he felt confident that that, together with his relative wealth of local experience, would prove decisive.

The first car of Harcourt-Mauroy set off at 18:15, just as the clouds began to fade from bright orange to deep plum, and by the time he was just before the countdown clock, the pitch-black forest ahead was only pierced by the yellow-tinted beams of his lightpod. With the clock chiming down to three, Henrik commenced the countdown. "Kolme, kaksi, yksi, alkaa! Oikee kuus pitk
ä..." The Skua rocketed into the stage, the only sparks of bright in the dense forest the lights from his bonnet and the flames from his exhaust.

In reverse, the stage was hardly familiar, but the hazards —their nature and their looming threat — were protagonists in his mind. He was fully committed even through the thickest of the undergrowth-lined trails, as tree stumps and hard, lumpy stones, left over from the old stone paths of the area, shone through the soft dirt ahead of his headlamps. He wouldn't know the pace of his rivals until the end of his stage, nor would he be aware of any misfortune unless he happened to pass any car that had started before him — but none of the Sport Mikuren machines did. Through the jumps and dips and crests and gates of the stage, he would sporadically hear clunks and scrapes and hits all around the chassis, but they were just white noise in his zone of concentration. The notes streaming from Henrik's mouth were like his own interior monologue; he could drive blindfolded through the same stretch of road and go just as fast. By the time he crossed the line at the end of the 20 minute test, and blinked for the first time in five, he knew that he'd set a good benchmark for the charging pink squad behind.

Little did he know that not even Raatikainen's monstrous nighttime speed would be a match for his run. Into day two, Axel and Henrik led ENSADRINK Rally Hodori ahead of the belligerent Aurunan trio. The fight was well and truly on.

by **Aboveland** » Sun Aug 14, 2022 11:02 am

CUTOFF

for Leg 2 at ENSADRINK Rally Hodori: Season Finale

Starting list (reverse classification order)

POS      # ▍DRV Name                       Team
1	16 ▍AUG Imparato/Nogueira          ENSADRINK WSR              
2	91 ▍BOL Boludo/de FitzLawrence     TGK-VK WRT                 
3	68 ▍PAJ Pajari/Kalliomäki          TGK-VK WRT                 
4	 5 ▍WAT Watanabe/Hitchens          TGK-VK WRT                 
5	21 ▍INY Inyuseo/Mizeyuki           ENSADRINK WSR              
6	35 ▍DIZ Dizadare/Ènuts             AP-Dëritee WRT             
7	44 ▍SUY Suyauey/Yliande            AP-Dëritee WRT             
8	57 ▍POL Poldov/Ponomarjov          Iskabil-Ælund WRT          
9	23 ▍KER Keretene/Karaka            Iskabil-Ælund WRT          
10	 4 ▍HAR Hargis/Holstein            Camden WRT                 
11	46 ▍DME Mëlander/Lösspeng          AP-Dëritee WRT             
12	27 ▍HMA Harcourt-Mauroy/d'Ombret   Camden WRT                 
13	87 ▍AUR Aurinen/Haukkana           Sport Mikuren              
14	84 ▍GLG Gallegos/Reotutar          Sport Mikuren              
15	77 ▍RAA Raatikainen/Blomqvist      Sport Mikuren              
16	 1 ▍NOV Novikov/Baardsen           Iskabil-Ælund WRT

Schedule (provided by organizer)

         Expected Total   Leg      Average
               Leg Time   Length   Speed       Agg   Tec   RCE   MoE   Surface
             1:16:13.01  170.57km  134.28km/h  3.95  6.05  1.41  4.29  Mixed (84.73% 144.53km Tarmac, 15.27% 26.4km Gravel)
      Start   Expected    Stage    Average
Stage Time   Stage Time   Length   Speed       Agg   Tec   RCE   MoE   Surface
SS06  15:00     9:41.37   21.41km  132.58km/h  3.15  6.85  0.86  4.25  Mixed (39.35% 8.42km Tarmac, 60.65% 12.99km Gravel)
SS07  15:30    19:41.51   44.50km  135.59km/h  6.19  3.81  1.15  4.22  Mixed (85.13% 37.88km Tarmac, 14.87% 6.62km Gravel)
SS08  16:00    26:06.84   58.28km  133.91km/h  2.23  7.77  2.00  3.80  Tarmac
SS09  18:45     9:15.27   20.58km  133.43km/h  3.45  6.55  1.08  5.00  Mixed (74.59% 15.35km Tarmac, 25.41% 5.23km Gravel)
SS10  19:15    11:28.28   25.80km  134.95km/h  5.04  4.96  1.22  5.00  Mixed (95.35% 24.60km Tarmac, 4.65% 1.20km Gravel)

Day two starts on HR1043 from outside Sayabo's west entrance and ends at a small nameless shrine dedicated to the local forest diety and its associated rustic unelectrified inn. Except for the day's third stage, all stages cut through the many narrow dirt roads that branch off of and rejoin HR1043.

by **Aboveland** » Sun Aug 14, 2022 11:15 am

Leg 2 | ENSADRINK Rally Hodori

Conditions:      	Dry	
Stages:              	5 (SS6-SS10)	
Nation:         	HDR	
Leg:        	Leg 2 (A/G)	
Rally:        	ENSADRINK Rally Hodori	
Stage(s)		 cancelled on safety grounds
Starters:	16

Leg 2 results

POS  # ▍DRV Name                       Team                      	Time      
  1 87 ▍AUR Aurinen/Haukkana           Sport Mikuren              	81:32.979
  2 68 ▍PAJ Pajari/Kalliomäki          TGK-VK WRT                 	+0:22.061
  3  4 ▍HAR Hargis/Holstein            Camden WRT                 	+0:28.011
  4 46 ▍DME Mëlander/Lösspeng          AP-Dëritee WRT             	+0:37.940
  5 23 ▍KER Keretene/Karaka            Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	+0:41.482
  6 27 ▍HMA Harcourt-Mauroy/d'Ombret   Camden WRT                 	+0:47.653
  7 44 ▍SUY Suyauey/Yliande            AP-Dëritee WRT             	+0:53.990
  8 21 ▍INY Inyuseo/Mizeyuki           ENSADRINK WSR              	+1:01.766
  9 57 ▍POL Poldov/Ponomarjov          Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	+1:06.279
 10 91 ▍BOL Boludo/de FitzLawrence     TGK-VK WRT                 	+1:23.631
 11 84 ▍GLG Gallegos/Reotutar          Sport Mikuren              	+1:43.302
 12 35 ▍DIZ Dizadare/Ènuts             AP-Dëritee WRT             	+1:46.464
 13 16 ▍AUG Imparato/Nogueira          ENSADRINK WSR              	+2:06.009
 14  5 ▍WAT Watanabe/Hitchens          TGK-VK WRT                 	+2:12.569
DNF  1 ▍NOV Novikov/Baardsen           Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	+14:12.569 DNF SS2 +12:00.000
DNF 77 ▍RAA Raatikainen/Blomqvist      Sport Mikuren              	+14:12.569 DNF SS2 +12:00.000

Overall after leg 2

POS	# ▍DRV Name                        Team	                        Time	       Gap prev.
1	87 ▍AUR Aurinen/Haukkana           Sport Mikuren              	160:14.729	—
2	 4 ▍HAR Hargis/Holstein            Camden WRT                 	160:51.747	+0:37.018
3	46 ▍DME Mëlander/Lösspeng          AP-Dëritee WRT             	160:56.600	+0:41.871
4	27 ▍HMA Harcourt-Mauroy/d'Ombret   Camden WRT                 	161:05.912	+0:51.183
5	23 ▍KER Keretene/Karaka            Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	161:10.508	+0:55.779
6	68 ▍PAJ Pajari/Kalliomäki          TGK-VK WRT                 	161:27.648	+1:12.919
7	57 ▍POL Poldov/Ponomarjov          Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	161:36.173	+1:21.444
8	44 ▍SUY Suyauey/Yliande            AP-Dëritee WRT             	161:38.318	+1:23.588
9	84 ▍GLG Gallegos/Reotutar          Sport Mikuren              	161:56.235	+1:41.506
10	21 ▍INY Inyuseo/Mizeyuki           ENSADRINK WSR              	162:02.517	+1:47.788
11	91 ▍BOL Boludo/de FitzLawrence     TGK-VK WRT                 	162:39.086	+2:24.357
12	35 ▍DIZ Dizadare/Ènuts             AP-Dëritee WRT             	162:45.087	+2:30.358
13	 5 ▍WAT Watanabe/Hitchens          TGK-VK WRT                 	163:16.798	+3:02.069
14	16 ▍AUG Imparato/Nogueira          ENSADRINK WSR              	2:43:26.954	+3:12.225
15	 1 ▍NOV Novikov/Baardsen           Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	2:54:05.181	+13:50.452
16	77 ▍RAA Raatikainen/Blomqvist      Sport Mikuren              	2:54:14.347	+13:59.618

by **Aboveland** » Mon Aug 15, 2022 9:03 am

CUTOFF

for Leg 3 at ENSADRINK Rally Hodori: Season Finale

Starting list (reverse classification order)

POS # ▍DRV Name Team
1	77 ▍RAA Raatikainen/Blomqvist      Sport Mikuren              
2	 1 ▍NOV Novikov/Baardsen           Iskabil-Ælund WRT          
3	16 ▍AUG Imparato/Nogueira          ENSADRINK WSR              
4	 5 ▍WAT Watanabe/Hitchens          TGK-VK WRT                 
5	35 ▍DIZ Dizadare/Ènuts             AP-Dëritee WRT             
6	91 ▍BOL Boludo/de FitzLawrence     TGK-VK WRT                 
7	21 ▍INY Inyuseo/Mizeyuki           ENSADRINK WSR              
8	84 ▍GLG Gallegos/Reotutar          Sport Mikuren              
9	44 ▍SUY Suyauey/Yliande            AP-Dëritee WRT             
10	57 ▍POL Poldov/Ponomarjov          Iskabil-Ælund WRT          
11	68 ▍PAJ Pajari/Kalliomäki          TGK-VK WRT                 
12	23 ▍KER Keretene/Karaka            Iskabil-Ælund WRT          
13	27 ▍HMA Harcourt-Mauroy/d'Ombret   Camden WRT                 
14	46 ▍DME Mëlander/Lösspeng          AP-Dëritee WRT             
15	 4 ▍HAR Hargis/Holstein            Camden WRT                 
16	87 ▍AUR Aurinen/Haukkana           Sport Mikuren

Schedule (provided by organizer)

         Expected Total   Leg      Average
               Leg Time   Length   Speed       Agg   Tec   RCE   MoE   Surface
             1:15:13.77  166.52km  132.81km/h  2.97  7.03  0.99  4.85  Mixed (59.57% 99.20km Tarmac, 40.43% 67.32km Gravel)
      Start   Expected    Stage    Average
Stage Time   Stage Time   Length   Speed       Agg   Tec   RCE   MoE   Surface
SS11  15:00    22:18.53   49.51km  133.16km/h  3.99  6.01  0.85  4.56  Mixed (38.8% 18.85km Tarmac, 61.92% 30.66km Gravel)
SS12  15:45     9:38.04   21.21km  132.09km/h  1.98  8.02  0.99  4.82  Mixed (59.41% 12.60km Tarmac, 40.59% 8.61km Gravel)
SS13  19:00    13:01.69   28.96km  133.37km/h  4.05  5.95  0.91  5.00  Mixed (47.63% 13.79km Tarmac, 52.37% 15.17km Gravel)
SS14  19:30    10:06.25   22.32km  132.54km/h  1.77  8.23  1.20  5.00  Mixed (92.50% 20.65km Tarmac, 7.50% 1.67km Gravel)
SS15  20:00    20:09.32   44.52km  132.53km/h  2.20  7.80  1.09  5.00  Mixed (74.83% 33.31km Tarmac, 25.17% 11.21km Gravel)

The final leg is a run from the shrine to HR1043's terminus at the port city and Hodoran capital of Kizagama, with many transitions between the two-lane tarmac road of HR1043 and one-lane jungle trail.

by **Aboveland** » Mon Aug 15, 2022 10:19 am

Leg 3 | ENSADRINK Rally Hodori

Conditions:      	Cloudy	
Stages:              	5 (SS11 - SS15)	
Nation:         	HDR	
Leg:        	Leg 3 (A/G)	
Rally:        	ENSADRINK Rally Hodori	
Stage(s)	SS13	 cancelled on safety grounds
Starters:	16

Leg 3 results

POS  # ▍DRV Name                       Team                      	Time      
  1 84 ▍GLG Gallegos/Reotutar          Sport Mikuren              	80:49.764
  2 87 ▍AUR Aurinen/Haukkana           Sport Mikuren              	0:00.127
  3 46 ▍DME Mëlander/Lösspeng          AP-Dëritee WRT             	0:22.359
  4 68 ▍PAJ Pajari/Kalliomäki          TGK-VK WRT                 	0:28.641
  5 35 ▍DIZ Dizadare/Ènuts             AP-Dëritee WRT             	0:31.502
  6 77 ▍RAA Raatikainen/Blomqvist      Sport Mikuren              	0:31.755
  7 21 ▍INY Inyuseo/Mizeyuki           ENSADRINK WSR              	0:33.933
  8 27 ▍HMA Harcourt-Mauroy/d'Ombret   Camden WRT                 	0:44.132
  9  1 ▍NOV Novikov/Baardsen           Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	0:48.131
 10  5 ▍WAT Watanabe/Hitchens          TGK-VK WRT                 	0:57.846
 11 57 ▍POL Poldov/Ponomarjov          Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	1:01.025
 12 23 ▍KER Keretene/Karaka            Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	1:06.347
 13 91 ▍BOL Boludo/de FitzLawrence     TGK-VK WRT                 	1:44.628
DNF  4 ▍HAR Hargis/Holstein            Camden WRT                 	Ret. SS 11
DNF 16 ▍AUG Imparato/Nogueira          ENSADRINK WSR              	Ret. SS 12
DNF 44 ▍SUY Suyauey/Yliande            AP-Dëritee WRT             	Ret. SS 12

Final Classification

POS	 #  ▍DRV Name                       Team	                Time	       Gap prev.	Points
1	87 ▍AUR Aurinen/Haukkana           Sport Mikuren              	241:04.621	—        	25
2	46 ▍DME Mëlander/Lösspeng          AP-Dëritee WRT             	242:08.724	+1:04.103	18
3	27 ▍HMA Harcourt-Mauroy/d'Ombret   Camden WRT                 	242:39.808	+1:35.188	14
4	84 ▍GLG Gallegos/Reotutar          Sport Mikuren              	242:46.000	+1:41.379	10
5	68 ▍PAJ Pajari/Kalliomäki          TGK-VK WRT                 	242:46.054	+1:41.433	8
6	23 ▍KER Keretene/Karaka            Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	243:06.620	+2:01.999	6
7	21 ▍INY Inyuseo/Mizeyuki           ENSADRINK WSR              	243:26.214	+2:21.594	4
8	57 ▍POL Poldov/Ponomarjov          Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	243:26.962	+2:22.342	3
9	35 ▍DIZ Dizadare/Ènuts             AP-Dëritee WRT             	244:06.353	+3:01.732	2
10	 5 ▍WAT Watanabe/Hitchens          TGK-VK WRT                 	245:04.408	+3:59.787	1
11	91 ▍BOL Boludo/de FitzLawrence     TGK-VK WRT                 	245:13.479	+4:08.858	
12	77 ▍RAA Raatikainen/Blomqvist      Sport Mikuren              	255:35.867	+14:31.246	
13	 1 ▍NOV Novikov/Baardsen           Iskabil-Ælund WRT          	255:43.076	+14:38.455	
DNF	44 ▍SUY Suyauey/Yliande            AP-Dëritee WRT             	DNF SS 12		
DNF	16 ▍AUG Imparato/Nogueira          ENSADRINK WSR              	DNF SS 12		
DNF	 4 ▍HAR Hargis/Holstein            Camden WRT                 	DNF SS 11

Championship standings

Drivers

Pos # ▍DRV Name                        Team                       Pts
 1 23 ▍KER Keretene/Karaka             Iskabil-Ælund WRT          100 WSRC2 Drivers' Champion Wins: 2 Podiums: 4
 2 87 ▍AUR Aurinen/Haukkana            Sport Mikuren              75 Wins: 1 Podiums: 3
 3 57 ▍POL Poldov/Ponomarjov           Iskabil-Ælund WRT          74 Wins: 1 Podiums: 2
 4 77 ▍RAA Raatikainen/Blomqvist       Sport Mikuren              56 Podiums: 3
 5 44 ▍SUY Suyauey/Yliande             AP-Dëritee WRT             53 Wins: 1 Podiums: 1
 6  1 ▍NOV Novikov/Baardsen            Iskabil-Ælund WRT          51 Wins: 1 Podiums: 2
 7 91 ▍BOL Boludo/de FitzLawrence      TGK-VK WRT                 49 Podiums: 2
 8 21 ▍INY Inyuseo/Mizeyuki            ENSADRINK WSR              47 Wins: 1 Podiums: 1
 9  4 ▍HAR Hargis/Holstein             Camden WRT                 37 Wins: 1 Podiums: 1
10 46 ▍DME Mëlander/Lösspeng           AP-Dëritee WRT             29 Podiums: 1
11 84 ▍GLG Gallegos/Reotutar           Sport Mikuren              26 
12 68 ▍PAJ Pajari/Kalliomäki           TGK-VK WRT                 23
13 27 ▍HMA Harcourt-Mauroy/d'Ombret    Camden WRT                 22 Podiums: 1
14  5 ▍WAT Watanabe/Hitchens           TGK-VK WRT                 21 Ahead of Imparato/Noguiera on countback: x1 7th place
14 16 ▍AUG Imparato/Nogueira           ENSADRINK WSR              21
16 35 ▍DIZ Dizadare/Ènuts              AP-Dëritee WRT             16 Podiums: 1

Teams

Pos NAT ▍Team                       Pts
  1 ABL ▍Iskabil-Ælund WRT          207 WSRC2 Teams' Champion
  2 AUR ▍Sport Mikuren              149
  3 KMN ▍AP-Dëritee WRT             126
  4 KOI ▍TGK-VK WRT                 92
  5 HDR ▍ENSADRINK WSR              68
  6 LIS ▍Camden WRT                 59

by **Togonistan** » Mon Aug 15, 2022 4:03 pm

ENSADRINK Rally Hodori

Just like that, it all had ended. Aurinen and Haukanna celebrated their rally win, providing little solace to the Aurun pairing after their unfortunate crash at Port Starside. Axel's bad luck throughout the season had caught him again, forcing him and Henrik to retire during the second day. Ivan and Vitaly seemed, despite losing their second place in the championship, in a relatively joyful mood. In fact, Poldov was amongst the first to congratulate Naomi, who had, by the end of the day, formally secured her title.

During the interviews taken from her, Naomi retained herself from making any spicy remarks this time and simply thanked the whole Iskabil-Ælund team for their hard work throughout the season as well as everyone else who had supported her in this journey. One could perhaps even say she was acting humble, as part of her was afraid there might be some questions to her regarding the whole Echocoin drama. However, nothing regarding that. It seemed that the whole story either hadn't made it out in the public yet or the WSRC journalists simply retained their professionality.

Kizagama International Airport, Hodori

Marcus Keretene kept inspecting his surroundings as he walked towards his gate at Kizagama International Airport. His head remained still, his walk was confident, but his eyes... they were actively peeking from one direction to another, in fear of spotting someone in a Hodoran police uniform waiting for him. Because, while Mr. Keretene had put on a solid, confident act in front of his daughter and her team, the reality was that the situation had made him a bit paranoid. Right now, all he wanted was to leave this nation as soon as possible.

With Naomi and Heriko heading back to Aboveland with the team to discuss some final details, Marcus took a seat in the waiting area all by himself and started nervously tapping his foot. He took a look at his watch, the screen showing current arrivals and departures, a group of semi-sober Togonistani rally fans waiting to board the flight with him... the time seemed to move at a snail's pace. Paranoia increased by every minute until, finally, he heard those godly words from loudspeakers: ''Flight TAW401 to Tushlark now boarding at gate 14.'' Having taken a deep breath, Marcus stood up, went through last one check and boarded the plane. Eventually, the plane took off and Marcus felt a burden fall from his chest. Finally, he had made it out of Hodori.

Tushlark, Togonistan

Naomi and Heriko were greeted by a sunny weather as they finally arrived back to Togonistan a few days later. At the airport, a tiny two-man news crew with a handful of rally fans greeted them as they stepped through the gates. Nothing too fancy, in fact, one could even say it somewhat paled in comparison to the reception some Olympic athletes would receive when they arrive home. Despite being somewhat disappointed by the lukewarm welcome, Naomi still politely exchanged a few words with the local media, before heading on to sign a few postcards and team t-shirts the fans had brought with them. With the mandatory meet and greet done, Naomi and Heriko started heading towards the airport exit. ''So, what now?'' Heriko asked from Naomi. The latter shrugged: ''I don't know, I guess we'll hire a cab? Obviously, no one has bothered to greet us with a white limousine. Compared to Aboveland, they really do not know how to treat the champions back here.''

However, Naomi was wrong. In fact, there was indeed a white limousine waiting right in front of the airport entrance, with no one but Marcus Keretene himself holding the door open for them: ''Miss... Sir... please.'' With a smile on his face, Marcus bowed and did a fancy hand gesture towards the two, indicating them to hop in. With Naomi giggling out loud and Heriko's cheeks being a couple semitones redder than usual, the two sat in the back as Marcus closed the door behind them and set himself in at the driver's seat. Soon, the white limousine started rolling down the streets of Tushlark.

''What is all this about?'' Naomi asked as she looked at her dad nodding his head and humming along to the music playing from the car's radio.

''What? Am I not allowed to come and pick my daughter up from the airport anymore?'' Marcus asked with a wide smirk on his face, ''relax. Look at yourself, you're the world champion of rallying. You have no idea how proud I am of you right now.''

Naomi smiled with her cheeks blushing. She looked out of the window at all the familiar houses they were driving past. ''Where are we going?''

''We're going to have a lunch together. You two, me, some of your friends... you didn't think we'd allow you to return home without a welcoming party, did you?''

Naomi sighed. ''Daddy...''

''Hmm?''

''About that Echocoin thing...''

''I'll deal with it. Everything will be fine, trust me. You have nothing to be afraid of.''

Naomi nod quietly as she kept looking out of the window.

''I did do a couple of arrangements in the few days you two were in Aboveland. Naomi, that villa in Helterburg... I changed the documents. You're it's rightful owner now.''

''What? Why?''

''You need to live somewhere, don't you? You see, I'm about to head out to another business trip soon... might take anywhere between a few months to half a year. I put some more money to your account as well. It should be enough to cover your expenses, however, you can always call me if you need anything.''

''Yeah... thanks. You're sure everything is going to be fine?'' Naomi asked once again as the car stopped in front of a fancy restaurant.

Having turned himself around, Marcus looked deep in his daughter's eyes. ''You're my daughter. I care about no one else in this world more than you. I wouldn't lie to you about things like that.'' He smiled. ''Come on now, cheer up. You're a champion. Enjoy it!''

Few days later, the following entry could be found in Togonistani Business Register:

by **Kimi-Suomi** » Tue Aug 16, 2022 1:25 pm

Finally seeing this team win a rally certainly felt good to both Laila Raatikainen and Pehr Henrik Blomqvist.
Aurinen/Haukkana certainly deserved it for all the hard work and tribulations this squad has been through over the past season.
P4 for Gallegos/Reotutar was certainly a good way to end a season filled with distrust and controversy.
#77 may have crashed on Day 2, but it doesn't overshadow a brilliant debut campaign for the Kimi-Suomen duo.
Actually celebrating that win for the team in pink felt like a perfect cap-off for a season that saw Sport Mikuren rise from memedom to contention.

Keretene/Karaka waltz to the title but the Sport Mikuren cars were certainly up there with #87 in 2nd, #77 in 3rd and #84 in 11th.
Considering where the old Schkeska were last season, that is certainly an improvement no matter what Tre the Downer would say.
This team scored very few points in Season 1...it ends Season 2 on 149 and 2nd in the series.
Sport Mikuren isn't a meme anymore...well, two-thirds of it at least is a force to be reckoned with.

With the Fleftic pair come back? They didn't know but PHB was certainly hoping the answer was "Nej".
Would the Finns come back? Laila hoped the answer to that was "Joo", but that wasn't in her control at all.

No matter what, the aims for next season will be simple - beat both Tre and Naomi in the standings no matter what. They were both kusipäät that needed to be dealt with by on-track performances. A war was brewing and next time round, it may be fought valiantly on all sides.
But one thing was for certain, no matter the circumstances:

HE PALUU
DE KOMMER TILBAKA
THEY WILL BE BACK

by **Aboveland** » Fri Aug 19, 2022 4:40 pm

Ælund Rallisport HQ
Lintulahti, Aboveland

The team's title celebrations and general post-Koaiwa high faded somewhat after Axel's Skua — the chassis of which was now rolling off the freight truck back in Lintulahti — went off the road on Saturday morning. Despite the Abovian's fame for his win it or bin it attitude, it was only his second real accident of the season, the first having come on the first day of Lumen Ralli against a rock hidden in the fresh snow. The crash in Hodori was far more painful, however, for both the driver pairing and the team as a whole: their win in Auruna had done wonders to mend the previous world champions' relationship after a struggle-filled season, but the accident which put them out of a thrilling four-way battle for victory soiled it once more. It hadn't even been the fault of a particularly egregious error: the Skua slid off the asphalt on one of the dirt road crossings in the stage, sending the #1 car spiralling past the unguarded roadside into the thick foliage. The rear right wheel was ripped off, and their day had ended for good.

As the last of the bits and pieces were unpacked from the freight container in the garage, Konrad Puntila sighed. He was happy — really, he was, — but the final round in Hodori had just felt like a barrage of bad news. It didn't rob Naomi of a well deserved round of hurrahs and champagne showers and confetti cannons and celebratory banners — she received the team's most euphoric service park party yet — but once the cargo was back on its way north, and the boarding passes were printed, the reality of the incoming off-season began to settle. Axel and Henrik had taken their own flight home, shortly after the finish of the event, while both Ivan and Naomi went their separate ways home as well, leaving Marko and Konrad to return to Lintulahti with just a handful of the on-site service crew. Their valuable time for rumination ended bittersweetly: a second consecutive dominant constructors' title was all that they had ever hoped for, but what did the future hold? Axel had seemed very disenchanted with the team, and the Skua in particular, all season (let alone that the relationship with his co-driver, after the final-round disappointment, was rumored soiled for good); Ivan and Vitaly had barely made it to the service park in Aboveland before the first round, and they sure seemed ready to call it a day at any moment. Who would fill the void, then, if two of their strongest drivers — both of the team, and of the championship at large — vanished before next season?

And the driver issue would be just a part of what was eating at Konrad's insides — what had that Hodoran government letter been all about, anyway? He briefly recalled An'ue Shuadakei's soft rejection letter just before the start in Brukkifordet. Had he had anything to do with it, what with his moral qualms about the team stopping him from even competing at all during the season? Could it have simply been a dirty tactic, somehow stoked by the ENSADRINK team, to rain on Iskabil-Ælund's parade?

His contemplation was cut short by a harsh bang on the sheet metal doors of the garage, which nobody but he was around to answer, as the freight guys had just left and Marko had retreated to his office. He walked towards the entrance, but the culprits had already helped themselves in, supported by a small troop of special police. Konrad could only manage a squeak of an interjection, caught off guard by the surprise, ominous visit.

"AFIP, Abovian Financial Inquires Police," the man said, speaking over the tap of his leather shoes against the smooth cement floor and the ruffling of his arms against the sides of his imposing navy blue trenchcoat. Behind him, a small unit of armed police spread out across the workshop floor. Konrad still couldn't muster up a sound, but he showed his shock through his wide open eyes and springy eyebrows.

"We have a search warrant?" the man continued. "Inspector Ulrik Maksimov; pardon me," he interrupted himself, stretching his hand out to Konrad as he approached, towering over him with his six-foot-plus frame and his distinctly northern accent. He pulled out a scroll of paper from the inside of his coat, as if he were presenting a peasant with his death sentence at the foot of an overlooking monarch's throne. "We received this —" he wiggled the sheet of paper in front of Konrad "— report from the Hodoran Department of Financial Crimes Investigation, who forwarded their ongoing case against a firm known as Echocoin International to us; because of the involvement of an Abovian entity, of course."

Still wide-eyed, Konrad stammered. "I wasn't made aware!" he challenged. "This m- this must be wrong!"

Inspector Maksimov shook his head and clicked his tongue. "No sir; regretfully for Ælund Racing, this is not a case of mistaken identity."

Then, the staff of the team began to peel out from their miscellaneous duties to observe the conversation, as the unit of armed police continued to swarm the workshop and made their way into the main concourse of the facility: the Tropicorp Racing Ælund stronghold.

"Wait, wait!" Konrad called out towards the police exiting towards the lobby, walking nervously behind to try to stop them. "That's the WGPC building!" He turned to the inspector. "What do you mean Ælund Racing?! That's a completely different operation, altogether!"

"Please relax, Mr. Puntila," Maksimov insisted, raising his voice as it echoed across the warehouse. "Please do collaborate with the investigation; if there is no evidence of wrongdoing then the entities will be cleared of all liability in the case."

"What fucking case?!" he snapped, turning violently towards the inspector and raising his meaty index finger at the tall, pasty white man. "This is preposterous! We didn't do anything! What are you coming to us for?"

"Mr. Puntila," replied Maksimov. calmly but sternly. "If you cannot stay calm I might be forced to detain you temporarily."

The two stood silently in the middle of the workshop floor, as the remaining members of the team watched the scene tensely; Konrad's heartbeat seemed to reverberate from the workshop walls. "We are searching for evidence that could implicate you and the staff of Ælund Racing for involvement or complicity in money-laundering related to Marcus Keretene and his associates. At this stage, there is little you can do to improve your standing before the search is concluded and the relevant information forwarded to the AFIP Investigation Board. This may take a few months."

Konrad shook his head in disbelief, speechless. "It's important to see with who one is really dealing, Mr. Puntila," Maksimov muttered softly. "Blind faith, or stupidity — whichever may be the case — can be expensive."

WSRC 02 | Stage Rally | RP Thread

Onwards To The Finale (Ralli - Kymmenen)

THE END OF THE BEGINNING (Ralli - Yksitoista)

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