NSSCRA 14- Everything Thread

[The Sherpa Empire]

强凯 - Kai Qiang - काय च्याङ ✓

@QK98

Congratulations @queertrucker1998. Sorry you're not here, that the hardest thing being a woman in NSSCRA. It was tough for Tsering too, but she says it still worth it


#NSSCRA

Zhu Shuzhen 朱熟真 ✓

@ZSZSZ5

- -@queertrucker1998

Congratulations! I did not see that coming


#NSSCRA

[Hapilopper]

  CHRIS HOLMES ✓

@CHolmes

Wow, big congrats @queertrucker1998! Wishing for the best for you and Koshiro!


#NSSCRA

DRAKE STEVENSON ✓

@HapiDrake81

Wow, had no idea @queertrucker1998 and @KawaiKoshiro_58 were together, much less expecting a kid. Congrats to you both and all the best!


#NSSCRA

FRANK BRONSON ✓

@Frank_Bronson

NSSCRA 30 is going to have a stacked rookie class, don't you think? Congrats to Wilhelmina and Koshiro!


#NSSCRA

[Kimi-Suomi]

Questions for the drivers of HM after the Exhibition at the Proving Grounds.

Q1) So, the first weekend back in the car is done. How are you all feeling?
IP: Well getting pole ruled, but falling back to 11th shows that I still have some work to do if I want this season to click for me.
KS: 14th to 10th showed consistency and I hope I can get back into the Chase through that method.
AK: 23rd to 26th isn't too bad, but I want more. I want to keep fighting for that charter spot and I know I need to get better in order to do that.
LCC: Yeah I think it went very well, going from P25 to P4 was certainly a good job. I feel confident I can produce a good performance next week and then we'll see what we can do from there.

Q2) What would you say is your main aim this season? It could be anything, big or small.
IP: Get back into the Chase. That's it. I know this season will be made or break for me and I want to prove my worth in the Chase itself.
KS: Get back to the Top 8 and see if I can actually make the Championship 4. I won't be too saddened if I can't make it back to those highs because I hope my consistency will be enough for the future.
AK: Get my charter back and prove to everyone that I fucking deserve one. I'm still grinding, I'm still here and I've still got time left on the clock...and I want my due.
LCC: Well...get back to the Chase! Win another race, probably, and then try to make it back to the Top 12 and...see how far I can go from there. I feel like my win last year finally awoken the person I felt I could never be and now, I just want to get out there and prove that Hap City wasn't a fluke.

Q3) Rumours have been circulating about a potential partnership between Team Blue and Oliver Marlin Racing, despite their brutal rivalry from their HASCAR days. What are your thoughts on this "Preston Pact"?
IP: I mean...if it works, it works, and if not, then then it does not. I'm not in T1 yet so I'm not sure what to think.
KS: It's...certainly interesting, to say the least. It'll be an interesting experiment all the same.
AK: Rivalries die hard...but if they can make it word, a 6-car pact can be lethal. Question is, can OMR step up to Team Blue's level? That's the big question there.
LCC: It's dumb. I think it is dumb to try and put two rival teams in the same agreement and expect them to be "partners" despite everything they have been through in HASCAR. It's just not going to end well...in fact, I'm going to put my money where my mouth is. I bet you USD5000 (V4750/3500 ICB) that this doesn't make it to Jungle Fever VI. If they do, I'll pay up, and if they don't, then you or your employer can pay up. Do we have a deal?
The reporter consults his organisation before agreeing to the terms.

The rest of the questions were asked to specific drivers.

Q4) To Kaarina and Ilmari, next season is expected to be a big one for your team as HM goes from 4 cars to 6. How do you deal with the pressure looming above your head and how will you two fare if asked to cooperate?
IP: Welp, here we go...
KS: Yeah, I knew this was coming.
IP: Well, we both know that this is going to be a tough decision for the Pomo to make...but no matter what happens, I think we both know that the other would kill it if it weren't them.
KS: Indeed. I feel the plan is to try and have this battle decided in the Chase, so we may help each other in order to set that up.

Q5) To Aurélia...this is an interesting one. Now that you're entering your 3rd season without a charter, what do you personally think it would take for you to finally get one permanently?
AK: Uhh...I think the rule is that the Top 20 in the standings automatically get one, so...I guess that would be that unless the field is small enough to permit extra drivers to get one. I know I need one in order to help the overall effort and hopefully, I can help stabilise the team's position before we become a 3-car program next year.

Q6) To Lam, it has been a few months now since you removed your mask to the outside world and set up your system of "mask in the car, no mask outside". How's it going and how are you feeling ahead of your first full season with this in place?
LCC: Ooo, that's a good one. To be honest, I'm feeling...pretty calm. Removing my mask after my first win was like a great weight was finally lifted from my shoulders and after all this time, I feel light and free and I feel like my family cannot hurt me any more. I have a family that cares for me - it's called NSSCRA and my Group Chat and even a few others outside. I will enter this season, my 3rd in this series, unafraid of what anyone thinks of me. Because in Hap City, I forgot how to give a damn about that stuff.

LAM CHOW-CHEUNG - 林周翔 ✓

@LCC38

@queertrucker1998 Congratulations, my beer buddy! I know you as a kick-ass driver but I know you will be a kick-ass mother too!


#NSSCRA

[Saint Kanye]

SAGE CALDWELL ✓

@SageTheRacer

- -@HapiDrake81

Yooo how about YOU bro? When you finally gonna get yourself a girl and a kid of your own?

#NSSCRA : #Wilshiro

[Hapilopper]

DRAKE STEVENSON ✓

@HapiDrake81

I'll pass on that, @SageTheRacer, appreciate you looking out for me though.


#NSSCRA

[The Sherpa Empire]

强凯 - Kai Qiang - काय च्याङ ✓

@QK98

- -@Frank_Bronson

lol I don't want my kids to drive NSSCRA when they grow up. Cammy might kill someone and Sima probably get run over


#NSSCRA

---

Shuzhen Zhu and Namkha Pasang Chen were walking along a street near the Proving Grounds. It was during the break between the exhibition race and the Tundra Falls 500 and they were on their way back from lunch at a local cafe. They were talking about this and that: the return of Beiyang, the new teams making their NSSCRA debuts, the weather, random people they passed on the street, people they knew back home in Suzhou... Namkha was in the middle of a story about a high school classmate who got his arm stuck in a garbage chute when suddenly Zhu stopped unexpectedly and he walked right into her.

"Oops, sorry," Namkha said.

Then he looked to see why Zhu had stopped. He followed her gaze to a street vendor's cart selling bootleg NSSCRA merchandise. There were T-shirts and tote bags that said "Kai Qiad" in Tibetan script because someone didn't know the alphabet and misspelled "Kai Qiang." There were shirts and mugs so cheaply made that the prints were already starting to fade and peel, even on items that were brand new. The was a large pin-up poster featuring Lexi Patterson in skimpy clothes -- made by enlarging a photo from one of her old ads for Starlight Suites. And at the back, behind the stacks of "Lamb Chow" and "Slick Rick" hoodies was a manga-style poster that depicted Shuzhen Zhu and Ryker Lane in a compromising position.

Zhu cocked her head and looked at the poster quizzically. The owner of the cart smiled and opened his mouth like he was about to give a sales pitch -- but then quickly shut his mouth and wiped the smile off his face when he recognized Zhu. The longer she stood there, the more uncomfortable he looked. By the time Zhu finally said anything, the street vendor was sweating profusely and he looked like he was about ready to take his cart and run.

"Argh!!! What IS that???" Namkha blurted out in disgust.

"I never knew I had boobs like that," Zhu said with a deadpan expression and just a hint of sarcasm. "I wonder if Ryker Lane knows about those sexy abs."

"Uh... Do you like it?" the vendor asked with a note of optimism in his voice -- though he was still wringing his hands nervously. "It's usually $20, but I can give you a discount..."

"That's not even real Higher Script. It's just gibberish" Zhu said, ignoring the vendor and squinting at some blue and silver "text" along the side of the poster.

"I can't unsee that!" said Namkha. "What is WRONG with people??? I'm going to have nightmares about that poster!"

The vendor broke down and began pleading with them, "Hey, I'm just trying to make a living, okay? I've got kids..."

Zhu looked at him like she had just noticed his existence for the first time and he trailed off mid-sentence. "You could at least pay royalties if you're gonna sell this shit. Seriously." She turned away and walked off, back toward the entrance of the track.

Namkha stood there looking bewildered for a moment, then went scrambling after Zhu when he realized she was leaving. "I didn't want to see that..." he whimpered miserably as they walked away.

Zhu laughed, but she looked a little embarrassed -- like the poster bothered her more than she was letting on. "There are a lot of drawings like that on the internet," she said. "And fanfics.... Sometimes you have to wonder what people are thinking. They hate the Wardship, but then they write and draw stuff that makes Nimban men look like absolute chads. I mean, sometimes it's hard to tell what's made by trolls who hate the Wardship and what's made by fans who just think that stuff is hot. You could tell that one was made by a hater because the Higher Script was all wrong, but you wouldn't know from the way they drew it."

"It pisses me off that people can get away with drawing stuff like that," said Namkha.

"I don't like it either, but what are you going to do?" said Zhu.

[Hapilopper]

FRANK BRONSON ✓

@Frank_Bronson

I can dig that, @QK98, I bet they'll be successful in whatever they choose to do.


#NSSCRA

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

“‘Bout time…” Ray rests a hand on their hip as the new tyres are wheeled into the garage. “Right, let’s get these on the car.”

They stride through the garage, smiling as they breath in the air. Sure, the smell is slightly different to the workshop back at home they know and love – touch more petrol, touch less electricity – but the tone of it is much the same. The same can be said of the sound – the languages aren’t all the same, certainly, not for most of the personnel, but the same purpose is there, the energy, the hope implicit in it.

Their mind, for a moment, darts back to WGPi. Their Garageers, a group of scrappy mechanics and engineers from all over the First City gathering together to work on personal projects and share tips and anecdotes in their downtime, running a proper single-seater team, working with a driver now competing in WGPC, getting two podiums and even a win… It’s still like a dream.

This, now, barely a couple of years later? Feverish.

Well, it felt like less than that, for good reason.

Ray blasts the encroaching cloud from their mind. Focus. Got work to do.

The tyres are late for the same reason. In Motion were the obvious choice – even after a few years and plenty of Nimban manufacturers adopting their processes, they’re still way out past the rest when it comes to performance. The cutting-edge Imagination imbuing they’ve done for Nexus Racing, using Imagination to extend their tyres’ life by actively repairing them during the race, isn’t cost-effective enough for an operation that isn’t totally swimming in money like a WGPC team is. Imagination forging, used to refine the polymers on a molecular level? That comes as standard on In Motion’s tyres and unlike the imbuing won’t show itself as an entirely unsubtle blazing blue light on track.

Potentially just as important in the decision was the frustal shape that In Motion’s tyres are now famous for from the WGPC. Theoretically, that should be a major boon – a call with Grace Speck months ago indicated, as in the WGPC, that they were willing to try conicities far more radical than NSSCRA’s major manufacturers would even touch. There could be some major performance gains there, just so long as the team had enough time to fine-tune Zhu’s suspension to account for them.

Instead, Ray Nearu is currently kneeling down, tools in their belt and scrutiny in their eyes, a few hours before practice in Newmanistan.

Not their fault, better than it could be, still time left. We do this thing.

Thank Imagination we at least got the specs about on time… Yeah, like we thought – definitely going to need the alternate spindles. No amount of shims is going to resolve this. Gah, this is going to take a while.

Reaching for their powered screwdriver, they turn back, looking for… “Helix, could you lock the ECU? Don’t want anyone’s hands torn off.”

“Sure sure… Would you like me to tell the others what the plan seems to be, too?”

Ray blinks. They lift their gaze, meeting a group of faces gathered around the tyres, most staring at Ray. In particular, one Crew Chief Zonghai Wu looks on with a mixture of curiosity, sly amusement and carefully constructed patience.

Not for the first time, Ray recalls that they’re not back with the Garageers at the moment.

“You know, I get the sense that there might be one already.”

[New Northwesteros]

Despite finding a great deal of success and popularity in the Sherpa Empire and their domestic racing series, IRACT, Tyler Linde hoped that one day he'd be able to get back into NSSCRA. And now, with the help of the Beiyang factory team who have signed him not only to be one of their drivers, but the lead one at that, that day came a lot sooner than he figured it would. No more trying and failing to win the Rumble and get an open charter seat. Not even struggling to make the field on speed. Here he was, with Beiyang's one guaranteed charter, and he was determined to prove to the team that they made the right decision regarding him.

Tyler's arrival marked the return of Northwesterosi drivers to the Multiversal Cup Series roster. Aside from him, Todd Underhill will be competing, driving for Direwolf Auto Team, Tyler's old team. It didn't take long for Tyler to seek out Todd and try to befriend him, but the latter was still somewhat nervous, this being his first time competing in a racing series outside Atlantian Oceania.

"Don't tell me you've still got the jitters, Todd. Direwolf picked you for a reason."

"I know, I know, but I just can't believe it, man! Sure on paper one could say I'm in the same level as Qiang, or the Shark, or Stace-freaking-miah, but once we're on the track the only time I'll be scraping fenders with them is when I'm fighting to get my lap back. And that is if I qualify."

"Dude, I can't believe it either. I've been trying for years to get back here, losing a Rumble here and a TMW 400 there, so I figured, maybe I was not ready. But apparently, Beiyang begged to differ. I'm here, you're here, that's what matters."

"Yeah.... but I'll need all the help I can get."

"Nothing wrong with that, man, so do I."

"Why don't we two help each other out, then? On the track, I mean?"

"I'd say yes to that. Never mind that I'm in a Beiyang and you're in a Chad. We two are the ones representing New Northwesteros in the biggest stage in stock car racing, and to me that's what's more important."

"Thanks Tyler, you're a great guy."

"Don't mention it, pal."

Tyler was happy that he'd have someone to count on during his return, so imagine how much his face fell when Todd failed to qualify for the Exhibition at the Proving Grounds. Back at the Direwolf garage, the former told the latter to not lose hope, it's only the unofficial and non-points paying season opener, and if he could try to put in some work during the week to improve and make it to the Tundra Falls 500 field, that would be great. Tyler himself would find no help from his new teammates Joachim Murat and Lightning Zhang (a name that amused him from the first time they met, but he always kept that to himself). They had missed the cut, too. Instead he went to Ricky Lee, Todd's teammate, who was starting just a couple rows behind him, and fortunately the formerly blue-streaked driver accepted.

Even then, Tyler struggled in the race. He lost Ricky in the shuffle early on, instead having to putter around in the back with the likes of people he hasn't heard of like Rolf Goldwyn and John Redhill. While he avoided any incident and kept his car in one piece, that was still only good enough for 39th place (or it would've been 37th if the OMR duo of Tyson Hoyt and Ray Harding hadn't passed him in the last lap). Now he has to follow his own advice, the one he gave Todd. Don't lose hope, it's only the unofficial and non-points paying season opener, and if he could try to put in some work during the week to improve and make it to the Tundra Falls 500 field, that would be great. Now if only Murat and Lightning would do so as well.

---

Later that night, Tyler overheard Murat loudly proclaiming that he'll do anything to prove to the people behind the Mayhem Stock Car Studs online survey that he's the most fabulous among the male drivers in the field. He asked one of his crew members what his teammate was talking about, and the crew member directed him to Mayhem's website. Tyler was amused. He was in there too, and the one he was matched up against in the first round was Anjiao Wang. "This'll be interesting," he said. "An IRACT matchup? Hopefully a lot of Sherpalanders will engage."

---

TYLER LINDE ✓

@TyLindeRacing

Friends! Sherpalanders! North Chinese! Northwesterosi! The King of the Yaks needs your votes! mayhem.stk/stock-car-studs

#NSSCRA : #StockCarStudsII

[Newmanistan]

Qualifying: Tundra Falls 500, Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Newmanistan (Superspeedway)
Lap Record: 56.342 sec.

Qualifying Results:

NSSCRA Multiversal Series
 1 #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                                        56.855
 2 #27- Stacie Houston (Saint Kanye)                                      56.894
 3 #8- Chris Holmes (Hapilopper)                                          56.954
 4 #58- Koshiro Kawai (Abanhfleft)                                        56.960
 5 #1- Maddie Alexander (Tropicorp)                                       56.988
 6 #02- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                                     57.002
 7 #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)                         57.021
 8 #38- Lam Chow-Cheung (Kimi-Suomi)                                      57.036
 9 #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia)                                         57.098
10 #3- Jenna Logan (Tropicorp)                                            57.157
11 #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)                          57.163
12 #2- Centur Tiones (Tropicorp)                                          57.181
13 #4- Islago Tizilna (Vilita & Turori)                                   57.182
14 #22- Pyotr Lavrentiev (Saint Kanye)                                    57.265
15 #73- Rinzi Aogar Zakhilwal (Hapilopper)                                57.272
16 #41 Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                                   57.303
17 #5- Daryl Calhoun (Newmanistan) *Q*                                    57.322
18 #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                                          57.404
19 #24- Chelsea Taylor (Newmanistan)                                      57.438
20 #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                                      57.446
21 #01- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                                   57.568
22 #77- Juracai Klianiota (Vilita & Turori)                               57.586
23 #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                                     57.606
24 #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)                           57.621
25 #03- Maddison Riley-Jones (TJUN-ia)                                    57.622
26 #60- Tyson Hoyt (Wreckeria) *Q*                                        57.675
27 #39- Rustam Ilyich Yudin (Abanhfleft)                                  57.708
28 #40- Agata Kosaryova (Abanhfleft)                                      57.708
29 #99- Ricky Lee (New Northwesteros)                                     57.762
30 #90- Ilya Tsunopin (69X)                                               57.787
31 #35- Ongmu Yeti (The Sherpa Empire)                                    57.918
32 #33- Tyler Linde (The Northern Chinese Republic)                       58.084
33 #10- Anna Star Joy Thanda Pwint Thinzar Nwe (G6MR) *Q*                 58.101
34 #82- Toa Fualema (Obrela) *Q*                                          58.104
35 #50- Jamie Izabella Marie Astrid Eirian (G6MR) *Q*                     58.198
36 #44- Shuzhen Zhu (Former Citizens of the Nimbus System)                58.202
37 #53- Masina Fualema (Obrela)                                           58.317
38 #80- Roosevelt Jenkins (Wreckeria) *Q*                                 58.363
39 #43- Wang Anjiao (69X) *Q*                                             58.400
40 #28- Cocoabo #28 (69X) *Q*                                             58.457
41 #48- Ashley Matthews (Newmanistan) *Q*                                 58.550
42 #16- Laura Mackenzie (Sajnur)                                          58.616
43 #71- Aurélia Karvonen (Kimi-Suomi) *Q*                                 58.626
44 #88- Lightning Zhang (The Northern Chinese Republic) *Q*               58.634
45 #37- Alina Carbalo (Dod Rava) *Q*                                      58.709
46 #6- Rolf Goldwyn IV (Xanneria)                                         58.734
47 #66- Joachim Murat (The Northern Chinese Republic) *Q*                 58.761
48 #17- Tamah Taupo (Obrela) *Q*                                          58.832
49 #19- Todd Underhill (New Northwesteros) *Q*                            58.998
50 #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)                        59.016
51 #69- Mariusz Psikuta (Dod Rava) *Q*                                    59.020
52 #20- Ray Harding (Wreckeria)                                           59.129
53 #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (G6MR)                               59.193
54 #13- Roland Anson (Quebec and Shingoryeo) *Q*                          59.324
55 #11- Malo 'Bo' Boludo (Quebec and Shingoryeo)                          59.336
56 #21- John Redhill (Serdtgyu)                                           59.463
57 #12- Hong Baek-Man (Quebec and Shingoryeo) *Q*                         59.481
58 #45- Daniel Stokes (Serdtgyu) *Q*                                      59.559
59 #85- Amir Vélez (Dod Rava)                                             59.612
60 #25- Charles Wayward (The Military State of the Galapagos)             59.622
61 #9- Eddie Walters Jr (Xanneria) *Q*                                    59.638
62 #26- Lincoln Ernie III (The Military State of the Galapagos) *Q*       59.663
63 #67- Reggie Seward (The Military State of the Galapagos) *Q*           59.698
64 #74- Michael Freeman (Serdtgyu) *Q*                                  1:00.091

Qualifying: Tundra Falls 400, Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Newmanistan (Superspeedway)
Lap Record: 56.342 sec.

Qualifying Results:

NSSCRA Everlong Series
 1 #10- Valkyrie Valentijn Samantha Constantine (Valentine Z)       57.007
 2 #66- Patricia nic Neill (Abanhfleft)                             57.045
 3 #77- Marcus Alan Ariel Reynolds (Valentine Z)                    57.059
 4 #22- Pyotr Lavrentiev (Saint Kanye)                              57.268
 5 #7- Ilmari Pëkannen (Kimi-Suomi)                                 57.305
 6 #30- Lexi Patterson (Saint Kanye)                                57.361
 7 #49- Lotara Novorali (Vilita & Turori)                           57.366
 8 #98- Jixaka Motorai (Tropicorp)                                  57.484
 9 #41- Turakki Mayelli (Vilita & Turori)                           57.512
10 #20- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                                 57.519
11 #32- Michelle Kass Evelyn Vítková Pavlína (Valentine Z)          57.562
12 #40- Adriana Kowalski Ela Lillian (G6MR)                         57.768
13 #37- Cocoabo #37 (Tropicorp)                                     57.812
14 #79- Axel Chase (TJUN-ia)                                        57.939
15 #48- Benjamin Rumlow (Abanhfleft)                                57.989
16 #96- Alice Jepkosgei (TJUN-ia)                                   58.075
17 #0- Alex Remington (Hapilopper)                                  58.173
18 #60- Rockii Ezis (Vilita & Turori)                               58.279
19 #70- Gongming Gao (TJUN-ia)                                      58.400
20 #1- Jupiter Cosmos (Space)                                       58.474
21 #47- Edmund Flanders (Hapilopper)                                58.491
22 #00- Colin Meredith (Hapilopper)                                 58.573
23 #24- Travis Barkley (Newmanistan)                                58.941
24 #34- Celia Bielsa (Dod Rava)                                     58.956
25 #07- Kaarina Salo (Kimi-Suomi)                                   59.011
26 #76- Jolyn Maxine Caulfield Ceeta (G6MR)                         59.128
27 #57- Katarzyna Folwark (Dod Rava)                                59.257
28 #94- Sandro Aquilini (69X)                                       59.476
29 #13- Duruljiayiji Rayleigh M. Dayir Yerentai (G6MR)              59.531
30 #75- Zainab Fatimullah (Sultanate of Oontaz)                     59.549
31 #09- Curtis 'Cursed' Kirby (69X)                                 59.554
32 #50- Tawfiq Chouchane (Sultanate of Oontaz)                      59.611
33 #72- Zacarias Policarpio (Sultanate of Oontaz)                   59.732
34 #69- Eustis Ewing (Xanneria)                                     59.737
35 #5- Ryan Carroll (Newmanistan)                                   59.853
36 #80- Filbert Lauzon (69X)                                        59.955
37 #42- Sampson Milwork (Tropicorp)                               1:00.997

(Minimum Time To Avoid DNF: 59.700 sec)

Race Results:

NSSCRA Everlong Series
 1 #47- Edmund Flanders (Hapilopper)                                57.022 WINNER
 2 #0- Alex Remington (Hapilopper)                                  57.104
 3 #41- Turakki Mayelli (Vilita & Turori)                           57.119
 4 #77- Marcus Alan Ariel Reynolds (Valentine Z)                    57.131
 5 #42- Sampson Milwork (Tropicorp)                                 57.208
 6 #00- Colin Meredith (Hapilopper)                                 57.228
 7 #76- Jolyn Maxine Caulfield Ceeta (G6MR)                         57.251
 8 #79- Axel Chase (TJUN-ia)                                        57.315
 9 #66- Patricia nic Neill (Abanhfleft)                             57.347
10 #40- Adriana Kowalski Ela Lillian (G6MR)                         57.430
11 #7- Ilmari Pëkannen (Kimi-Suomi)                                 57.451
12 #07- Kaarina Salo (Kimi-Suomi)                                   57.499
13 #49- Lotara Novorali (Vilita & Turori)                           57.546
14 #70- Gongming Gao (TJUN-ia)                                      57.566
15 #30- Lexi Patterson (Saint Kanye)                                57.569
16 #37- Cocoabo #37 (Tropicorp)                                     57.571
17 #22- Pyotr Lavrentiev (Saint Kanye)                              57.583
18 #98- Jixaka Motorai (Tropicorp)                                  57.619
19 #60- Rockii Ezis (Vilita & Turori)                               57.626
20 #96- Alice Jepkosgei (TJUN-ia)                                   57.896
21 #48- Benjamin Rumlow (Abanhfleft)                                57.907
22 #34- Celia Bielsa (Dod Rava)                                     58.261
23 #20- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                                 58.292
24 #10- Valkyrie Valentijn Samantha Constantine (Valentine Z)       58.357
25 #32- Michelle Kass Evelyn Vítková Pavlína (Valentine Z)          58.468
26 #57- Katarzyna Folwark (Dod Rava)                                58.656
27 #5- Ryan Carroll (Newmanistan)                                   58.727
28 #1- Jupiter Cosmos (Space)                                       58.804
29 #94- Sandro Aquilini (69X)                                       59.469
30 #09- Curtis 'Cursed' Kirby (69X)                                 59.495
31 #50- Tawfiq Chouchane (Sultanate of Oontaz)                      59.521
32 #72- Zacarias Policarpio (Sultanate of Oontaz)                   59.643
33 #69- Eustis Ewing (Xanneria)                                     59.647
34 #75- Zainab Fatimullah (Sultanate of Oontaz)                     59.731 DNF
35 #80- Filbert Lauzon (69X)                                        59.752 DNF
36 #13- Duruljiayiji Rayleigh M. Dayir Yerentai (G6MR)              59.800 DNF
37 #24- Travis Barkley (Newmanistan)                              1:00.298 DNF

Point Standings (After 1 Race):

+-----+------------------------------------------------------------+--------+
| Pos |                 EverLong Contenders Series                 | Points |
+-----+------------------------------------------------------------+--------+
|   1 | #47- Edmund Flanders (Hapilopper)*                         |     40 |
|   2 | #0- Alex Remington (Hapilopper)                            |     36 |
|   3 | #41- Turakki Mayelli (Vilita & Turori)                     |     35 |
|   4 | #77- Marcus Alan Ariel Reynolds (Valentine Z)              |     34 |
|   5 | #42- Sampson Milwork (Tropicorp)                           |     33 |
|   6 | #00- Colin Meredith (Hapilopper)                           |     32 |
|   7 | #76- Jolyn Maxine Caulfield Ceeta (G6MR)                   |     31 |
|   8 | #79- Axel Chase (TJUN-ia)                                  |     30 |
|   9 | #66- Patricia nic Neill (Abanhfleft)                       |     29 |
|  10 | #40- Adriana Kowalski Ela Lillian (G6MR)                   |     28 |
|  11 | #7- Ilmari Pëkannen (Kimi-Suomi)                           |     27 |
|  12 | #07- Kaarina Salo (Kimi-Suomi)                             |     26 |
|  13 | #49- Lotara Novorali (Vilita & Turori)                     |     25 |
|  14 | #70- Gongming Gao (TJUN-ia)                                |     24 |
|  15 | #30- Lexi Patterson (Saint Kanye)                          |     23 |
|  16 | #37- Cocoabo #37 (Tropicorp)                               |     22 |
|  17 | #22- Pyotr Lavrentiev (Saint Kanye)                        |     21 |
|  18 | #98- Jixaka Motorai (Tropicorp)                            |     20 |
|  19 | #60- Rockii Ezis (Vilita & Turori)                         |     19 |
|  20 | #96- Alice Jepkosgei (TJUN-ia)                             |     18 |
|  21 | #48- Benjamin Rumlow (Abanhfleft)                          |     17 |
|  22 | #34- Celia Bielsa (Dod Rava)                               |     16 |
|  23 | #20- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                           |     15 |
|  24 | #10- Valkyrie Valentijn Samantha Constantine (Valentine Z) |     15 |
|  25 | #32- Michelle Kass Evelyn Vítková Pavlína (Valentine Z)    |     13 |
|  26 | #57- Katarzyna Folwark (Dod Rava)                          |     12 |
|  27 | #5- Ryan Carroll (Newmanistan)                             |     11 |
|  28 | #1- Jupiter Cosmos (Space)                                 |     10 |
|  29 | #94- Sandro Aquilini (69X)                                 |      9 |
|  30 | #09- Curtis 'Cursed' Kirby (69X)                           |      8 |
|  31 | #50- Tawfiq Chouchane (Sultanate of Oontaz)                |      7 |
|  32 | #72- Zacarias Policarpio (Sultanate of Oontaz)             |      6 |
|  33 | #69- Eustis Ewing (Xanneria)                               |      5 |
|  34 | #75- Zainab Fatimullah (Sultanate of Oontaz)               |      4 |
|  35 | #80- Filbert Lauzon (69X)                                  |      3 |
|  36 | #13- Duruljiayiji Rayleigh M. Dayir Yerentai (G6MR)        |      2 |
|  37 | #24- Travis Barkley (Newmanistan)                          |      1 |
+-----+------------------------------------------------------------+--------+

[Saint Kanye]

It turns out that everyone at Gale Force Racing will have at least one new "hauler neighbor" this season, that is, a driver whose number is one up or down from theirs. They tried to do their homework on these newcomers, try to look them up and get to know more about them, but it wasn't always fruitful. All Stacie Houston knew about Lincoln Ernie III, the driver of the #26, was that he was from a place called the Military State of the Galapagos. She didn't want to judge; "military states" aren't always a bad thing. Sure there are wackos like Kohan the Tenth or whatever from the Newark Aristocracy, but there are also decent folk. like Eva Kerman from Jebslund. "Hopefully this Lincoln character turns out to be an Eva instead of a Kohan," Stacie said to herself. Meanwhile, on her other side remains Cocoabo #28, the giant bird that was taught by Team Tropicorp to drive.... and has now, to her surprise, been taught by Ilya and the rest of Team Tsunopin to caw what she presumed was Cocoabo-ese for "WO AI NI QIANG KAI!"

Thea Alvarez had her old friend Ash (Ashley Matthews of Newmanistan) to her hauler's right (viewed from the back), but on the left was Daniel Stokes from Sert... Serg... Serdtgyu, as she struggled to pronounce. She didn't know anything about this country or its driver, but she did know something about the car number (45) he was using, and that was that its last two owners would be up there with Kohan on the wacko category. Last season, it was Kerthenia's Ronald Victor, a self-proclaimed genius who turned out to be all talk and no drive, and whom even Thea was annoyed with after they had a run-in during a race that cost the Yeezie some precious positions. The season before that, the number belonged to Ilya Tsunopin himself, driving the GFR R&D car. Yes, the same one that Thea is currently dating. She's aware many are against their relationship, but she doesn't care - she's gonna tame him, whatever it takes.

Pyotr Lavrentiev had another of those Serdtgyuans on his side, John Redhill. He was as much of an enigma as Stokes was, but at least on his other side is a familiar face, a fellow Everlong graduate, Chelsea Taylor.

Jeremiah Brooke had probably the easiest time with his new hauler neighbors. The #19 remained in Direwolf control, now driven by Todd Underhill, who was sent up from AOCAR. The two met each other after qualifying for the Exhibition and shook each other's hand; while Jeremiah seemed pleased upon meeting someone new to test his skills against, Todd seemed on cloud nine (or nineteen, for that matter). Jeremiah was one of his favorites in the Cup Series, along with Qiang and Drake Stevenson. The Norwestie proclaimed how much it was an honor for him to be racing against the big names like the one he had just shaken hands with, although it will have to take until hopefully next week, as he had just fallen short of qualification.

"Don't sweat it," Jeremiah said. "Baby steps. You'll get there."

In the #17 was Tamah Taupo, an Obrelan driver that reminded Jeremiah so much of Thea in that they were both young but immensely talented, and mostly wanted to keep to themselves (although Thea seemed to come out of her shell when with fellow female drivers like Ash, or with Ilya). Hopefully, Jeremiah thought, Tamah would be the one to bring to bring to prominence a number that was considered a "revolving door", having been used by different drivers and teams over the past few seasons.

---

MAYHEM STOCK CAR STUDS II ROUND OF 16 - Partial Results

Round of 16: Exhibition Race Day to Xanneria Qualifying Day
Quarterfinals: Xanneria Race Day to 69X Qualifying Day
Semifinals: 69X Race Day to Serdtgyu Qualifying Day
Finals: Serdtgyu Race Day to Ramba Qualifying Day

Ilya Tsunopin: 1.23m votes (92%)
River Suzgar: 110k votes (8%)

Ricky Lee: 550k votes (57%)
Chris Holmes: 410k votes (43%)

Jeremiah Brooke: 880k votes (85%)
Koshiro Kawai: 160k votes (15%)

Drake Stevenson: 720k votes (65%)
Tyson Hoyt: 380k votes (35%)

Kai Qiang: 1.11m votes (85%)
Daryl Calhoun: 200k votes (15%)

Joachim Murat: 670k votes (52%)
Rosie Jenkins: 630k votes (48%)

Malo Boludo: 770k votes (68%)
Rustam Ilyich Yudin: 360k votes (32%)

Wang Anjiao: 570k votes (49%)
Tyler Linde: 590k votes (51%)

(OOC: Votes rounded to the nearest 10k, and are against each other only. Voters may skip matchups, so the numbers in each matchup are different.)

[Hapilopper]

The Team Blue Center, Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Tundra Falls, Newmanistan
The night before the Tundra Falls 500

Chris Holmes was browsing the internet on his laptop, almost bored, as other members of Team Blue were getting ready to turn in for the night. There was 500 miles ahead of them the next morning and there was a lot to get ready for. But it seemed like Chris wanted to get his mind off of other things to help him relax. There would be lots of drafting and lots of close racing the next day and Chris wanted to not think about it. Walking past, Marty Lewis of Preston Autos gave him the distraction he was looking for.

“So I guess you’re falling behind that Ricky Lee dude in the Mayhem contest,” Marty said.

“What Mayhem contest?” Chris asked.

“Stock Car Studs,” Marty said. “It’s to determine who the fans think is the hottest driver in the series. And you’re trailing Ricky Lee by over a hundred thousand votes.”

Chris stared at Marty blankly.

“Want to see what Ricky Lee looks like?” Marty asked, pulling up a picture on his phone of the driver known as “Slick Rick.”

“So, think he’s hotter than you?” Marty asked, chuckling.

Chris smirked as he looked at the picture of the mohawked driver. At that point, Angela Holmes, Chris’s wife, walked past and spotted the photo on Marty’s phone.

“Is that a mutant rat?” Angela asked with a deadpan tone of voice.

Marty just about dropped the phone as he lost his composure.

“That’s not a mutant rat!” Marty chortled. “That’s Ricky Lee, and apparently he’s hotter than your husband.”

Angela stared at Marty with a dumbfounded look on her face.

“So, Holmes, a mutant rat is hotter than you, what are you going to do about it?” Marty sarcastically asked.

“Not a god damn thing,” Chris responded. “The only opinion that matters is my wife’s.”

“So, not going to take any suggestive photos and pack the front of your pants with 40 pounds of gauze?” Marty asked.

“Nah,” Chris responded. “I don’t need to.”

“I like that,” Marty said. “I also like that bit about the mutant rat. Maybe we could put that on social media.”

TEAM BLUE ✓

@TeamBlue

#BREAKING: @MayhemSTK voters, for some reason, prefer Ricky Lee, who is an actual Mutant Rat, over @CHolmes! Maybe those voters could benefit from an eye exam.


#NSSCRA

“You guys are idiots,” Chris said to Marty after looking at the twii.

“Ain’t I great?” Marty responded.

“Yeah, great.”

[The Sherpa Empire]

Zhu Shuzhen 朱熟真 ✓

@ZSZSZ5

- -@TeamBlue

You're talking about the same voters who think Ilya Tsunopin is sexier than Shark Suzgar. That poll is definitely rigged.


#NSSCRA : #StockCarStuds

酒醉龙

@drunkdragon

- -@ZSZSZ5

You think Shark Suzgar is hot??? I thought you only liked Nimbans.

#NSSCRA : #StockCarStuds

[Hapilopper]

TEAM BLUE ✓

@TeamBlue

.@ZSZSZ5 I know, right? Maybe @HapiDrake81 and @QK98's many legions of fans could team up to correct this.


#NSSCRA : #StockCarStuds

DRAKE STEVENSON ✓

@HapiDrake81

Christ on a bike, you guys. I'm going to go have a talk with the person that runs the @TeamBlue account.


#NSSCRA : #StockCarStuds

[Saint Kanye]

One couldn't blame Thea Alvarez for driving the last few laps of the Exhibition at the Proving Grounds like her life depended on it. After all, she's been hungry - no, starved for victory for an entire season, and then some. She attempted more passes, traded paint and used her bumper more than usual, but that aggressiveness paid off, as she found herself in the top five with just three laps to go.

Lam Chow-Cheung is a friend of Thea's, but that didn't mean she was just going to let them get in her path to victory, not today. Every time Thea tried to pass, whether on the inside or outside, Lam would throw a block on her, until she decided she'd had enough and gave the masked bandit a tap to loosen them up. Next up was Rinzi Aogar Zakhilwal, the Man of Mayhem or the Carpet Khan, depending on who you ask. As Thea pulled up towards Rinzi to try and ride his air, the words "BRING IT" on the back of his car got her attention. This was Mayhem's marketing slogan, but Thea instead took it as a challenge. "Okay then, I'll bring it," she said as she used her bumper once more, the same thing she did to Lam earlier. Now that's two drivers out of the way, but Thea's work is not yet done. She's only still in third with two to go.

Stacie Houston was equally determined to win. She wasn't coming off of a long losing streak like her teammate Thea was, but still, she wanted to start the season on a high note. A splendid qualifying effort saw her start the race on the outside pole, and though she would fall behind at times, here she was back at the front as the race neared its conclusion, running second to only Koshiro Kawai. Koshiro maintained his lead, but just couldn't quite pull away, Stacie doing her best to remain in striking distance, waiting for the right moment to overtake.

"Two laps to go, you're still in second," spotter Roger Fenty told Stacie on the radio.

"I'm right on his [Koshiro's] bumper, give me some time," came the reply.

"Well then hurry up," Roger said, "because Thea's now on yours."

"What?!"

Stacie knew that Thea was helping her now, giving her a push, but she has to be alert because knowing her younger teammate, she could make a move at the last possible moment and steal the win. The three were running single file for the rest of the lap, but as the white flag flew, Stacie found herself side by side with Koshiro, Five Star pink and Sarimanok Mayin gold being exchanged between their vehicles as they touched. Trying to make a pass here was no easy task, especially since she's also trying to prevent Thea from trying to pull some Yeezie magic. Playing both offense and defense, so to speak.

Indeed, Stacie's suspicions were correct. Thea's desire to grab a long-awaited dub led her to give Stacie a nudge as they exited turn four of the last lap. Thea dove to the inside of Stacie, and then to the outside of Koshiro with the checkered flag and the start/finish line already in sight. However, that wasn't enough for her to finally make that comeback she's been waiting for, losing to the Fleftic by a mere 0.036 second. Stacie settled for third, Rinzi fourth and Lam fifth.



Thea was visibly disappointed as she exited her car, and only had a faint smile on her face as the press and fans took her picture at the podium. All that effort, only to fall short. That has been her story all of last season, leading her to ultimately miss the Chase, let alone the Championship Four. "At least there are no points yet," she sighed. "And at least we had a lot of good takeaways from the race that could help us perform better next week, when it really matters." Asked about her late battle with Stacie, Thea said, "She gave me a hard time, and took up a lot of my time." It was the same coming from the other party. "I'd have been real impressed with Thea's hustle, if I wasn't also in the race and trying to win like she was."

Now for the other two members of Gale Force Racing. Jeremiah Brooke started tenth and ended up the same, but his day was far from consistent. He had to pit early with steering issues, but climbed back quickly and even led some laps before being falling back once more. Running 15th with five to go, stuck behind a pack of Darts, Jeremiah managed to climb back to the top ten in the end, working together and getting a push from the not-so-small wonder herself, Clarissa Samantha.



"The way we raced today, let me put it down as good," Jeremiah said during the presser. "Obviously Stacie and Thea's was great, but for ours, it was good. There's always room for improvement, and that's what we'll be working on until the Tundra Falls 500 next week." He was also asked some follow-up questions, in his case about the Mayhem Stock Car Studs contest. "I have faith in my Jeremaniacs that they'll pull through for me," he said. "I mean, Koshiro doesn't look half bad either, and he might get some votes today because of his win, but at the end of the day, it's all just in good fun, may the studliest man win." He flipped his long hair, causing some laughter and applause from the people in the room.

R&D driver Pyotr Lavrentiev was given an open charter due to him being the reigning Everlong champion; the other one went to AOCAR titleholder Juracai Klianiota. The two battled it out throughout most of the race, which would have been exciting if it was for the lead, but instead they were mostly mid-pack at best and bringing up the rear at worst. In the end Lav got the best of his counterpart, finishing 30th, six places ahead of Juracai. "I mean, sure, the competition here in Multiversal is at a higher level than it was in our respective leagues, but that's not enough reason for us to be doing this badly," Lav lamented. "I mean, I'm in equal equipment to the rest of GFR, and him.... he's in a Dart, those are good too. That should've been a factor."

---

Interestingly, the Exhibition's top three all found themselves in the first two rows to start the Tundra Falls 500. Thea was the polesitter and earned the new season's first point, with Stacie to her outside for an all-GFR front row. Directly behind Stacie was Koshiro, with Chris Holmes being the one cornered by the three podium finishers. Regarding working together at the start of the race, Stacie told Thea, "Sure, we can do so at the start of the race, gotta protect our position at the front of the pack."

"How about at the end?" Thea asked mischievously, thinking of the way she overtook Stacie at the end and would've defeated Koshiro as well if the start/finish line was a hundred yards or so farther.

"I won't let you get away with it a second time," Stacie replied.

"Oh, I'll try, you know I will."

Lav will be starting 14th, but he had Darts beside, in front, and behind him. He struck a deal with Daryl Calhoun, his former Everlong teammate who has now graduated to Multiversal with Rocket Motorsports, who was two rows behind. Daryl said that he had his own teammate Chelsea Taylor to work with, but could always appreciate some extra help.

Jeremiah, meanwhile, is smack dab in the middle, having qualified 23rd in the field of 46. No Yeezies or at least Chadwick drivers in the immediate vicinity, but then he looked at the scoring tower at the end of quals and noticed who will be starting beside him: Gwen Oxton, one of the Valentians. Jeremiah was friends with Anastasia Aye, one of Gwen's teammates; he was also on good terms with her other teammate, Clarissa the robot, who allowed him to get a push from her during the Exhibition. He wondered if the trend would continue and she would accept like Anastasia and Clarissa did, but then he remembered something.

For the past two seasons, Jeremiah had beaten Gwen for the regular season title. Both times they were tied on points, and both times number of wins were the decider. But surely there are no hard feelings, right? Hopefully. At the end of the quals, Jeremiah looked for Gwen, which turned out to be easy considering not only her size but also her bright green and blue firesuit. "Hey Gwen," he said as he made his approach. The Valentian turned her head toward him, which was his cue to keep talking. Remembering and rephrasing something he heard on a war film he watched the night before in his hotel room, he said, "Would you care to form an alliance against our mutual competitors?"

[Abanhfleft]

KOSHIRO KAWAI ✓

@KawaiKoshiro_58

I guess being a dad-to-be and winning the Exhibition isn’t enough to get me closer to @Jeremiah_B in the ratings than that. Let’s see how you deal with @HapiDrake81 though. I know who I’m voting for!



#NSSCRA : #StockCarStuds : #GG : #VoteDrakeStevenson : #DrakeOrBreak

---

Koshiro Kawai was just as surprised as Wilma von Cärinthen was when the latter told him that she was pregnant. And even though she didn’t say it, Koshiro knew that he was also the father of the baby because they had already been in an exclusive relationship with each other long before that moment. Despite this though, he still couldn’t believe that it was actually happening. It had all seemed like a fantasy for so long that Koshiro sometimes still had to keep pinching himself to remind himself that this was not a dream, that this was real life and he and Wilma were actually a thing now. Of course, Koshiro didn’t expect for the two of them to have a child this early into their relationship (if one could even call one year “early” anymore; such was the way relationships were now), now that it was actually happening, Koshiro was going to do the best that he could to be a good father to his and Wilma’s child.

However, that might be easier said than done due to a huge number of factors. There might be those who held a romantic view in the notion of drivers from rival teams (namely UrGa and Duisdorf) overcoming their differences and becoming lovers, but the fact of the matter was that there were huge distances involved in Koshiro and Wilma’s relationship, and that was just in the physical sense. UrGa’s operations in the Abanhfleft Racing Truck Series (ARTS) was located in Olistan City while Duisdorf’s base was in the province of Dorfdifving. It wasn’t necessarily the greatest distance between two places in Abanhfleft (that would be reserved for something crazy like Norrdnhammr in Fleftic Antarctica to Besanza in the Fhulghamous Peninsula), but travel between the northern mainland of Abanhfleft and the Capital Islands was always going to be difficult due to weather conditions in the Drake Passage, especially during the months of December and January. Air travel wasn’t cheap, even with the rise of low-cost carriers in the country, and some would even say that the rise of low-cost carriers in Abanhfleft could be a dangerous thing as these airlines might try to undercut stuff such as maintenance and wages in order to maintain a profit. And sure, Duisdorf might have a small fleet of private jets for their drivers and important staffers, but gas wasn’t cheap in this day and age, especially aviation gas. And neither one of Koshiro or Wilma was just going to uproot themselves to move in with the other person due to their respective careers, so that made keeping up to date with the status of the baby, even during the offseason.

But now the 14th season of NSSCRA was coming up, and with Wilma otherwise indisposed due to her current condition, UrGa had allowed her to go to Teahesca and stay with Koshiro for the time being. She wasn’t going to be able to get into the simulator while she was pregnant anyway so the company had decided that it would be better for the sake of everyone if Wilma and Koshiro were together for the rest of her pregnancy. Of course that didn’t mean much considering that Koshiro was going to be away racing for Duisdorf in the coming months, but this was very much a time in which the thought counted the most. Also, the power of technology meant that both Wilma and Koshiro were just a video call away from each other.

Even though Wilma’s announcement of her pregnancy had been many months ago, many of Koshiro’s fellow drivers still went over to congratulate him personally. Big names like Jeremiah Brooke, Kai Qiang, and Drake Stevenson congratulated Koshiro just as they had congratulated Wilma previously, but after that, it was right back to business. This was only the Exhibition though, a race to get everyone back up to speed before the official start of the season, so there were definitely some teams who were just going through the motions while waiting for the actual start of the season to come around, but Duisdorf was not one of those teams. The team had been working on an upgraded superspeedway package that they hoped would make them more competitive in these big tracks both on one-lap pace and the whole race distance due to observations that they had made in the previous season. And given that the first official race of the NSSCRA season was a superspeedway race, the Exhibition looked like it was the perfect place for Duisdorf to see if their upgrades were indeed going in the right direction.

“Oh, yeah, this feels good, all right,” Koshiro reported as he completed yet another fast lap of the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds during practice. “I’m really feeling this one this time around. I think we’ve got another winner in our hands!”

Koshiro didn’t get pole for the Exhibition race, but he did get third place, which was not bad at all. Of course, that was just their car’s one-lap pace. The actual Exhibition was a different animal altogether, and though practice suggested that this current iteration of the Duisdorf Ascension was more than capable of getting that dub, Koshiro still had to bring it to victory lane himself or else it was just going to be all bark and no bite from the team. But Koshiro didn’t try to overthink that on the night before the Exhibition race. He knew that his car had what it takes to win at the Proving Grounds, and thus there was no need to worry about the setup or whatever. All he needed to do was to drive the damn thing, avoid wrecks, and make overtakes as necessary. He and the team had the recipe for success in their hands, but it was still up to them to follow the recipe and produce a race-winning dish. A strange metaphor to use, yes, but it would actually turn out to be quite the effective one at the end of the day.

And it did appear as if Koshiro and Duisdorf had put together a five-star dish with the current generation of the Ascension. Koshiro started the day in third and was in the mix for the race win all afternoon. The car felt good from start to finish, and while it was fast out on its own, when it was in the draft, it was an absolute rocket ship. It was this combination that allowed Koshiro to remain in the fight for so long even through the green flag pit stops, of which there were many because there weren’t a lot of cautions thrown out simply due to the fact that people weren’t really going all out since it was just an Exhibition after all. In the last twenty or so laps, the battle for the lead ended up being between Koshiro and the two women drivers of Saint Kanye’s GFR Motorsports, Stacie Houston and Thea Alvarez. It was highly probable that both Stacie and Thea were giving each other pushes and drafts while they fought for the lead with Koshiro. Meanwhile, his spotter was busy calling out names left and right when it came to other cars giving him a push, names like Rinzi and Lam and Gwen and such. Such was the nature of driving on a superspeedway.

In the end though, it was Koshiro-san and his Ascension that emerged the victor in the Exhibition. Both Stacie and Thea gave him a good fight, but he managed to come out of that as the winner of the first race of the new NSSCRA season, even if it wasn’t an official race or win as far as the statisticians were concerned. Thankfully for Koshiro, he wasn’t a statistician, so the only thing that mattered was that he got the dub. “What a win, Koshiro!” his crew chief called out once he had crossed the line. “Now everyone else knows we’re going to be the team to beat next week!”

Koshiro then proceeded to do some donuts in front of the crowd before stopping to pick up the checkered flag, and then when he was being interviewed, Koshiro made sure to mention both of his major sponsors Sarimanok Mayin Airlines and Soft Jazz Café. He then went on a slightly more personal tangent as he dedicated his win in the Exhibition to his partner Wilma von Cärinthen, who was currently watching the proceedings back home in Abanhfleft due to her pregnancy. After that though, it was now time for Koshiro to go to victory lane and drink all of that champagne.

---

WILHELMINA DEMETER VON CÄRINTHEN ✓

@queertrucker1998

Wish I could be there with you @KawaiKoshiro_58 but I’m sure everyone knows why I can’t right now. Maybe next year though wink wink.


#NSSCRA : #ExhibitionAtTheProvingGrounds : #ThatsMyMan : #StrongerThanBefore

(OOC: Koshiro Kawai's twii.tur profile picture generated from Stable Diffusion Protogen x3.4.)

[TJUN-ia]

This blog was written by Derrick Carlisle, Jaguar Racing's Social Media Manager
Home of the Season X ECS and Season 13 MCS Champions

Here we are. Here we fucking are. The Exhibition and Prospect Showcase showed us a lot about the season to come, faces and storylines that must be kept an eye on across the 26 race weeks that are to come...including this one. Our title defence was about to officially begin at the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds of Newmanistan and everyone here at JR knows that everyone will be gunning to try and fight it out for the Kaiser's crown...so how did we all get on when points are in the offering?

Let's start with Tundra Falls 500 Qualifying, the first session in which the first point for pole position is up for grabs. It was always going to be interesting to see who would start on the right track first and in the end, pole this time would go to Thea Alvarez over teammate Stacie Houston and Chris Holmes - something that will certainly be a boost for the #46, who just missed out on the Chase last year. In terms of us at JR, Alfonso Mercado (@AM64) ended up with our best performance in P10, Kaiser Stefan (@Stefan07) will start his title defence from P18 and Maddison Riley-Jones (@MaddyRJ03) won't be too far behind in P25. Lam Chow-Cheung will start from P9 in a HM car that is looking pretty quick, but Aurélia Karvonen failed to make it in this time. Those who did were Daryl Calhoun (P17), Tyson Hoyt (P26), Anna Star Joy Thanda Pwint Thinzar Nwe (P33), Toa Fualema (P34) and Jamie Izabella Marie Astrid Eirian (P35). Both the open charters from last week remained for this week, with Pyotr Lavrentiev qualifying in P14 and Juracai Klianiota in P22.

Then came the Tundra Falls 400, the first points race of the new season, and in typical EverLong style, things certainly turned out interesting between qualifying and the race. Pole position would be won by Valkyrie Valentijn Samantha Constantine (that sign guy will be proud) over Patricia nic Neill and Marcus Alan Ariel Reynolds. Ilmari Pëkannen did very well to qualify in P4, debutant Axel Chase (@AxChase) would start from P14, Alice Jepkosgei, Gongming Gao (@GG70) in P19 and Kaarina Salo in P25. Like the Prospect Showcase last week, 4 drivers would DNF from this race, but it would be Edmund Flanders who claimed the all-imporant first ticket in with victory over Alex Remington and Turakki Mayelli. Chase finished in 8th to cap off a brilliant fortnight for the rookie with the HM duo end up 11th and 12th, Ilmari ahead of Salo, Gao in 14th and AJ down in 20th. Not a bad start to the year for those guys, so we'll see where they end up in that wacky journey.

Tomorrow, the first blood in the MCS will be drawn. But before I go, a quick shoutout to Ricky Lee. Don't listen to the Team Blue account, Rick. A Mohawk can be sexy and badass to some people and no, you do not look like a "mutant rat". Whoever wrote that should go fuck themselves.

---

Current MCS Standings: #07 - N/A (0pts)/#64 - N/A (0pts)/#03 - N/A (0pts)
Current ECS Standings: #96 - N/A (0pts)/#70 - N/A (0pts)/#79 - N/A (0pts)
Next MCS Race: Tundra Falls 500, Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Newmanistan
Next ECS Race: Tundra Falls 400, Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Newmanistan
Music of the Round IV: The Chainsmokers & Coldplay - Something Just Like This (JPN/JAM/CRC)

MemeWatch IV
1) You Are So Down Bad “SIT ON ME VALENTIJN” Guy (Prospect Showcase) - Do You Want To Die, Sir?
2) Mass Hysteria The Team Blue x Oliver Marlin Preston Pact - I Want A HASCAR War, Not A Preston Pact

[Wreckeria]

Tundra Falls Proving Grounds, Tundra Falls, Newmanistan
The morning of the Tundra Falls 500
Tyson Hoyt was reading through some of the social media posts on the internet just before heading out to the driver’s meeting for the season-opening Tundra Falls 500, including an anguish-filled bitchfest from his teammate Roosevelt Jenkins, who had failed to qualify for another race. This time, the bitchfest centered around NSSCRA’s charter system and how it wasn’t fair that he, who qualified 38th, was going home while drivers like Clarissa Alanis Star, Bo Boludo and John Redhill (50th, 55th and 56th fastest) would be racing. To be blunt, it was annoying, and Oliver Marlin decided to have a chat with his young driver after reading the post.

But what bothered Tyson was a post from Derrick Carlisle, the social media manager for Jaguar Racing, seemingly upset that Team Blue and Marlin Racing were working together at the behest of Preston Autos. As he walked to the driver’s meeting, Tyson read the post quietly to himself.

“Do you really think that these two teams are just going to forget their entire HASCAR histories to make flower rings together and sing songs around the campfire,” Tyson read. “What a bunch of horseshit.”

In fact, it was enough on Tyson’s mind that when he ran into Drake Stevenson before the driver’s meeting, he asked him about it.

“So he’s trying to get us to war, isn’t he?” Tyson asked.

“Consider the source, Hoyt,” Stevenson responded. “Derrick Carlisle lives and thrives on stirring shit up. It’s the whole reason MemeWatch exists. He’s trying to cause shit the whole time. What he’s trying to do is pit the two teams against each other. Do we have a history? Of course we do. Am I interested in rehashing it? Hell no, especially not for his sick lust.”

“Look, I’m not fucking here to get into fights with you either,” Tyson said. “Part of the reason I was so excited to come here was to start fresh. You know my reputation back home.”

“Sure do,” Stevenson said.

“And I remember that fight the two teams got into last year,” Tyson continued. “That was an embarrassment. I just want to win races, not… that bullshit.”

“I’m not interested in it either, and at least there’s improvement,” Stevenson said. “I can tell you, I can take selfie boy a lot better than what you had before.”

“Ain’t that the god damn truth,” Tyson said, chuckling a bit. “He just needs to quit spiraling when he fails to qualify for races and he’ll be fine. I think he just needs to get out of Tundra Falls.”

Stevenson chuckled. “I know that feeling!” he responded. “But, yeah, the reason our teams fought last year? Taylor Henderson. I didn’t have no problems with you and I don’t want no problems with you this year.”

“Feeling’s mutual, Stevenson,” Tyson responded. “Shit happened in the past and it doesn’t have to happen here.”

“Good,” Stevenson said. “But yeah, word of advice, take everything Carlisle says with a grain of salt. He’s trying to stir conflict. One day someone’s going to punch his lights out and there’s going to be like, several dozen possible suspects. Qiang, myself, a bunch of others.”

“So, what was that deal about the mutant rat deal?” Tyson asked.

“I don’t know,” Stevenson said. “I wasn’t there, but apparently Marty Lewis bribed our social media guy to post that. That shit’s got to stop. We don’t need to be calling names like that, especially someone who hasn’t done anything to deserve it.”

[Hapilopper]

TEAM BLUE ✓

@TeamBlue

Ricky Lee may look like a mutant rat but that's sure an improvement over having to be @DCarJR!


#NSSCRA : #StockCarStuds

[The Sherpa Empire]

Ongmu Yeti and her crew had been at NSSCRA tracks before, so they knew it could get crowded. They knew some of the humans would act weird because they weren't used to yetis. They knew vending machines were tricky contraptions and the buttons and touchscreens to choose your snack were designed for tiny human fingers. They knew human restaurants were cramped, it was difficult to eat in without breaking the chairs and knocking over tables, and the portion sizes were so small they had to order about 3 entrees per yeti. They had learned to order take out, or banquet catering trays when they could find them.

But they had not fully conceptualized just how expensive it was going to be to feed the team when they were spending week after week traveling in rich Western countries.

The yetis were gathered around a large table spread with several 6-foot subs -- a seemingly endless landscape of ham, turkey, salami, lettuce, and tomatoes spilling out of puffy golden bread -- having a conversation that sounded to the average passerby like:

"AAAAAAEENGH!!!"

"RRRRRRRHHH!!!"

GNNNNNAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

Ongmu and her crew chief had just looked at the bill from the sub shop and they were trying to decide whether it was worthwhile to fly home to Tibet between races the same way some of the other teams flew home to their respective countries. Some Sherpa NSSCRA teams didn't fly home every week between races because the flight was too long, and they didn't want to deal with the expense and the jetlag. But the other teams were not feeding a whole crew of yetis, and that changed the math. (Some conspiracy theorists thought it was suspicious that Shuzhen Zhu returned to her garage in Suzhou more often than Qiang or Tsering went home to Guilin, but the yetis didn't think this was a big deal.)

The yetis dug into their feast, still weighing the pros and cons of traveling home to Tibet between races, and occasionally grunting or roaring at each other -- but soon enough they would have to get back to work. They hadn't exactly dominated the competition a the exhibition race and they had a few ideas to see if they could make their car faster for the Tundra Falls 500.

---

Kai Qiang was reasonably content with his 6th place starting position. It wasn't pole, but it was good enough. He was putting away his firesuit and getting ready to go out with Tsering when she appeared at the door. He went over to give her a little kiss and ask if she was all ready to go out.

Tsering smiled and signed, "Yeah, but can you help me with something? I want to ask Drake if he'll work with me tomorrow, since we are starting near each other."

Qiang was a little caught off guard, and it showed on his face. "What? Why are you asking me to talk to Drake? Drake hates my guts."

"He still works with you if you ask him," Tsering pointed out.

Qiang was starting to recover from the shock of being asked to talk to Drake. "Okay, that's true. We'll ask him about it tomorrow before the race."

"Thanks," Tsering signed. "Where do you want to go for dinner?"

"I don't know, but it's still pretty early. We've got time to think it over."

They eventually settled on a Krytenian restaurant that they didn't remember seeing on previous visits to Tundra Falls, but it looked like it was already well-established. There were several people already inside and quotes from positive reviews posted in the window as advertising. They figured it had probably been there for a while and they just hadn't noticed. The restaurant filled up even more as the evening went on and by the time their food arrived, there was a wait for tables. The hostess started taking down people's names and calling them as tables opened up.

At first, Tsering and Qiang were a little confused by the unfamiliar seasonings, but the more they ate, the more they could see why the restaurant was popular.

"Li, party of two," the hostess called. Qiang and Tsering didn't think much of it since she'd been calling names for about 20 minutes now, and Li (or Lee) was a common name. But then Tsering happened to look over and see who the hostess was walking to the vacant table. It was Liangmei Li and a white guy who looked like he ought to be an underwear model or a movie star.

Tsering tapped Qiang's arm to get his attention. "Look, it's Li! Who's that guy?"

Qiang looked over and scowled at Li and her companion. "It's probably just some guy she found at a club. I forgot she was working for Beiyang..."

[Tropicorp]

#2 :: Centur Tiones

Career Statistics

     W  T5  T10  Pole   Pts Pos.
---------------------------------
N6 : 1   4   7     1            
N7 : 1   7  12     0    17         
N8 : 1   9  16     2     9         
N9 : 1   5  15     4    16         
N10: 2                  10    
N11: 0   4   6     2    19
N12: 0   2   7     0    23
N13: 0   1   5     0    23

Centur Tiones grew up a child of both Vilita and Turori, splitting time between Yeaddin, Vilita and the Inura Forests of Turori and moving around as the family supported what needed to be done to sustain and grow the family business. Following in the footsteps of their great elder Cesit, Tiones would take a liking to motorsports and with the dedication of time and resources would become competitive enough to move into the NSSCRA - ultimately beating out Jama'obo Pegasii and Rockii Ezis for the last seat at Vilita and Turori Motorsports during NSSCRA Season 6. While they did not qualify for the playoffs during their rookie campaign, Tiones was the Top performing driver in the penultimate round including a Win from the Pole at the Imperial Speedway in Vangaziland that would have secured Tiones a place in the Championship Four... if they had actually been in the playoffs.

Despite the momentum from a strong finish to NSSCRA Season 6, Tiones once again failed to make the playoffs again during NSSCRA Season 7. With Pegasii and Ezis both getting plenty of track time, there were rumors late in the season of Tiones potential replacement at Vilita and Turori Motorsports - and those rumors were silenced once more when Tiones put together four Top 5's, seven Top 10's and a victory in the playoffs leading many to wonder if Tiones could be the next NSSCRA Champion... if they could just qualify for the playoffs to begin with. Tiones got the hard part of the way early for the first time in their career during NSSCRA Season 8 winning the inaugural Kobold Tools 300 in New Northwesteros just three races into the season to take the early points lead and lock their spot in the NSSCRA Chase. After a strong first round, however, a pair of finishes outside the Top 15 in Round two led to a narrow elimination for Tiones at the Round of 12. Frustratingly, the driver of the #2 Dart would place inside the Top 10 in each of the remaining races after being eliminated. Tiones would win early again in NSSCRA Season 9 but once again, despite starting on the pole in the final race of the Round of 12, Tiones was not able to accrue enough points to advance.

After winning two races in a season for the first time in their career during NSSCRA Season 10, Tiones failed to win a race during NSSCRA Season 11 - the first time in their career they went the full season without a race victory, a fact coupled with the lack of participation in the Chase that would hasten the departure of Tiones from Vilita and Turori Motorsports. Many expected Tiones to take the Tiones Lumber Sponsorship to the AOCAR circuit in partnership with Race Eelandii! to take a run at the regional title and get back into their winning ways. Instead, Tiones found a way to stay in competitive equipment in the Multiversal Cup Series, part of a major upheval at Team Tropicorp that enabled Tiones to take their team, crew and car number with them to sweeten the deal. Heading into NSSCRA Season 12, most pundits projected that Tiones would be the teams top driver with rising star Maddie Alexander close behind. Although Jenna Logan had won a race the season before, overall her results seemed to be trending downward and she was projected early on to be the lowest of the three Team Tropicorp drivers. Unfortunately success was hard to come by for Tiones who inherited a car that did not exist outside of the occasional Research and Development entry as the citizen driver could not conveniently fit in the Cocoabo configured cars that would remain associated with Cocoabo #28's part time effort. Tiones first season at Team Tropicorp would be plagued with parts failures, DNF's and trouble even on pit road costing the team a number of solid finishes. NSSCRA Season 13 would be no better for Tiones with just one Top 5 finish - coming in the seasons longest race the TJUN 600 at the Jungle Circuit, and an equally disappointing 23rd place finish in the final point standings.

Sponsored by the family business, Centur Tiones desire to prove they could still compete at the top level has driven a return for one more push to get the #2 Tiones Lumber Dart in victory lane, an opportunity to get at least one more family photo in victory lane and create a few more memories for all the little Tiones' to keep with them in the future.

Signature Accomplishments :: The most famous of Tiones' NSSCRA victories came at the Imperial Speedway in Vangaziland when Tiones stepped in and dominated an event that was favored to go the way of home track driver Kev Schorebrook. Tiones won the pole and became just the second driver in the modern era at the time to win a race from the Pole Position. After a difficult debut season, the chorus of boos from the aggravated Vangazi crwod were well received by the Vilita and Turori Motorsports team who were thrilled to take the win in 'hostile territory'. Tiones also qualified for the inaugural iBen's Race of Stars (iROS) season by virtue of being the highest placed driver in the regular season NSSCRA standings not already represented in the iROS field by other means.

#2 Centur Tiones - NSSCRA Race Victories
[ST] : NSSCRA 6 - Rd. 16- Gryphon Supermarkets 250 (South Stead, Vangaziland)
[RC] : NSSCRA 7 - Rd. 21 - Die Landschaftlich Schöne Strecke (Jebslund)
[ST] : NSSCRA 8 - Rd. 3- Kobold Tools 300 (Starkville, New Northwesteros)
[ST] : NSSCRA 9 - Rd. 8- Piedmont Airlines 400 pres by Bank of Carolina (Appalachian Union)
[RC] : NSSCRA 10 - Rd. 11- SICO 480 (Brisbane, Sword Island)
[SS] : NSSCRA 10 - Rd. 26- Proving Grounds 500 (Tundra Falls, Newmanistan)

Season 14 Outlook :: Although Centur Tiones has 6 career race victories in the NSSCRA, none have come in the past three seasons of competition which leaves the Vilita and Turorian driver winless in their time since having joined Team Tropicorp. Of the six circuits which Tiones has recorded victories on - 3 Short Tracks, 2 Road Courses and a super-speedway, only the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds remain on the NSSCRA Schedule and as is tradition, the track will once again host the NSSCRA Season opener. Tiones will be looking to tap into performances of old in an attempt to justify their continued participation - and the continued expense of the family funds in sponsorship of a top flight Multiversal Cup Series team.

Team Tropicorp have shown a willingness to self-fund drivers in the past but are likely to move to one of their own drivers if the Tiones Lumber funding was pulled or even reduced sizably from the pool, with Everlong Contenders series star Jixaka Motorai almost certain to be in the discussion for a full time ride in NSSCRA Season 15. The only unanswered question at this point is who does she replace with Team Tropicorp and the NSSCRA committed to a cap of three full time cars. Having not advanced to the playoffs since NSSCRA Season 10, Tiones is hoping that they can perform in the leading role that was expected of them when they first joined Team Tropicorp during NSSCRA Season 12 and pick up at least one more Regular Season race victory before making a decision about their future, and the future of Tiones Lumber sponsorship in the NSSCRA at seasons end.

[Kimi-Suomi]

The sights and smells of a new season were upon the NSSCRA world and for HM, that would certainly feel more impactful as this will be the final season of the team as a 4-car program. Each driver has their own ambitions for the season to come, but would the first-weekend help or hinder those plans? Part 1 will focus on Saturday, featuring HMT2.

Q4) To Kaarina and Ilmari, next season is expected to be a big one for your team as HM goes from 4 cars to 6. How do you deal with the pressure looming above your head and how will you two fare if asked to cooperate?
IP: Welp, here we go...
KS: Yeah, I knew this was coming.
IP: Well, we both know that this is going to be a tough decision for the Pomo to make...but no matter what happens, I think we both know that the other would kill it if it weren't them.
KS: Indeed. I feel the plan is to try and have this battle decided in the Chase, so we may help each other in order to set that up.

No, he eivät valehdelleet, eihän? When that question and those answers were released to the public, not many back home actually thought they were legitimate - because they felt that there would be no way Kaarina Salo and Ilmari Pëkannen would actually work together to try and make the Chase as a unit...but that is exactly what the plan is, as proven in the Tundra Falls 400. Ilmari would end up with the better starting position, P5 vs P25, but both HMT2 cars would combine forces towards the end of the race - with Ilmari ahead of Salo in P11 and P12 respectively. While yes, both drivers want to beat the other for the right to be in that T1 car, they were still a team and they would continue to act like one until the Chase. If both can make it in, the that Chase would settle the score...once and for all.

But that wouldn't mean that their attention would be solely on the track action.
- For Kaarina, the enigma that was her connection to her Race Engineer, Ida Easteden, was still something unresolved in her mind. She knew that Ida...meant something to her, but she didn't exactly know how far that went. Figuring that out will take time and a lot of reflection.
- For Ilmari, he knew the truth...but he also knew that he would talk to Kaarina about it in time. As for him, his race was certainly fun but something caught his attention during the drama. For about 5 laps, he maintained an epic battle with JR's new kid - Axel Chase - and it just felt so thrilling. He knew that he was going to face off with him once more throughout the season...but something inside him was looking forward to it. Very much so.

---

LAM CHOW-CHEUNG - 林周翔 ✓

@LCC38

- -@TeamBlue

Mohawks can be badass and appealing. Mutant rat is harsh tho. Not on at all.


#NSSCRA

[The Northern Chinese Republic]

Lightning Zhang looked dejected as he walked out of a meeting at Beiyang's HQ yurt. He had failed to qualify for the 2nd week in a row, and this time there were points at stake. As they filed out of the yurt, Murat and Massena were arguing about something in outdated French; and Guofan Liu, Liangmei Li, and Tyler Linde were continuing a conversation from the meeting about their plans for tomorrow; and Zhang went his own way.

His mood brightened slightly when he saw his brother waiting for him.

"I guess we're going to that concert after all," Thunder Zhang said.

"Huh?" It took Lightning a moment to remember what Thunder was talking about. Typhoon was playing a gig at a local bar that night, and the two brothers had said they couldn't go because they wanted to get to bed early and get plenty of rest the night before the race. "Oh, yeah, I guess we are going after all," Lightning agreed when he remembered about the concert.

When they met up with their parents at the Typhoon tour van, their mother was upset with the drummer. She threw her arms in the air to show her exasperation. "Our son is driving for Beiyang and we came all the way to Newmanistan to cheer him on and you think it's okay to put a Xianing poster on the wall of the van? Even if it wasn't obscene, you're supporting a rival team!"

"I didn't know we were competing against Nexus Racing," the drummer said sarcastically.

"Put a sock in it, Fang," Xianzhi Zhang interjected. "You know damn well who that is on that poster!"

"Ryker Lane?"

"Ha ha, very funny," said Liang Dong, the boys' mother. "Did you buy that poster so you could fantasize about Ryker Lane?"

"Maybe."

"So this is your way of coming out? You're gay now? Should I buy you one of those beefcake calendars with shirtless firefighters and stuff?"

Lightning and Thunder had missed the start of the conversation and had no idea what anyone was talking about. "Huh? What's going on?" Lightning asked.

"Ah, Lightning, tough day today," Xianzhi said. "I'm sure things will turn around once you guys work out the kinks."

"Yeah... What's this about a poster?"

"You don't want to see it!" Dong insisted.

"Apparently Fang is gay and he bought a Nexus Racing pin-up poster so he can fantasize about Ryker Lane," Xianzhi said sarcastically.

"I don't think they make those," Lightning said doubtfully.

"It's a bootleg," Fang said defensively. "And I'm not gay!"

Thunder wheeled his chair over to the back of the van where he had a view of the poster plastered on the inside wall of the vehicle. "Oh, it's that hot Nimban chick..."

"Ryker Lane is NOT a hot chick!" Lightning protested indignantly. Then he came around the side of the van and got a look at the poster. "OHH!!!"

He gave Thunder a gentle whack on the back of the head. "Zhu's not Nimban; she's from the South! How the hell do you not know who Zhu Shuzhen is????"

"I don't follow racing like you do," said Thunder. "Coming here was your dream. She's really hot, though."

[Sixty-ninE X]

OOC: Putting one up for Ilya first, and then Bo after that with Q&S.

QUEBECOM TEAM TSUNOPIN - ROSTER PART 1/3

Location: 69X City, Sixty-ninE X, Sonnel
Team Owner: Vadim Tsunopin, Mayu Tsunopina and Raglan 'Rage' Kirby
President/Manager/Director/Jack of all talents: Dr. Balthazar 'The Kinky' Grey
Sponsors: Drawkfiction (Drawkland), Outbox (Drawkland), PlayToy (Quebec & Shingoryeo), Quebecom (Quebec & Shingoryeo), Upper Westside University (Saint Kanye)

Once More.

Team Tsunopin, also known as Quebecom Team Tsunopin when adhering to sponsorship rules, is a young team of highly-experience drivers that was founded about a year ago when a group of lifelong friends, Ilya Tsunopin and the Kirby brothers, had decided to bring their forces together to face the world of stock car racing after a successful season as a charter driver by Ilya Tsunopin under Gale Force Racing, as well as a pair of successful appearances by the Kirby Brothers, two 69Xers who were studying civil engineering with the Upper Westside University in Saint Kanye at the time.

Their occasional at the Season Twelve, while with relative infrequency, have no doubt landed some impact with the Kirbys, the lifelong weightlifters whose commitment to remain in peak physical, muscular conditions have drawn great attention, but more importantly with Ilya, the man whose surname is on the team title. The previous seasons has seen Ilya Tsunopin, a rally driver and prominent fiction writer of drawkfiction origins, being at the centre of controversies with his tendencies to maximise speed, bushy beard, love of marijuana and most importantly his love towards Thea Alvarez and Kai Qiang. With the last two having landed him a partner, some notoriety, and arguably target on the back of his head, there's no doubt that all forms of excitement, horror and most importantly action, awaits this Team Tsunopin that consists of six, young-blooded fighters ready to prowl.

Team Tsunopin's lineup is evenly spread for the Season Fourteen. Ilya Tsunopin, the team's defining racer, will be driving for the team with a guaranteed charter. There is a general consensus that while he is better known for bringing trouble anywhere he goes, he no doubt has talent and in this day and age where road tracks are increasingly common on the world of NSSCRA, his skillset may come particularly handy. He is to be complemented nicely by familiar faces, though it won't be the Kirby brothers this time - the college super seniors right now are busy working towards their graduation at the Upper Westside University and will only take part as team engineers. Instead it will be Wang Anjiao, a Kai Qiang superfan-turned-MMA fighter hailing from Guiyang Racing Club., and legendary Cocoabo #28 who has quickly become great friends with Ilya. The three of them, while a slightly odd trio on appearance, have come to find common ground with each other during the offseason, so it was with this in mind that the trio were selected for the Multiversal stage.

#90 - Ilya TSUNOPIN



Hometown: 69X City, 69X - Age: 23 - Twii.tur: @VampwolfBoy
Physique: 6'5", 250 lb
Crew Chief: Kwak Seung-Joo (69X) | Spotter: Iago Colivicchi (69X)
Driving Style: Madman
Personality: Energetic, Exciting
Retaliation?: Nah. He prefers to actually fight on an octagon.

Ilya Vadimovich Tsunopin is one of the most enigmatic motorsports athletes out there. He, even without mentioning his universal love for Kai Qiang, is someone who:

• 1: Holds diverse range of experience - started driving in rally circuits of his native country 69X and other parts of the Multiverse, before shifting into a brief-lived WGP2 career with Bitten Heroes of Lisander, and then found his heart with NSSCRA.
• 2: Has a burgeoning career in Mixed-Martial Arts (MMA), with his active Renown Combat International record of 2-0 and a dozen fights won in the 69X domestic circuits. He, for now, holds an undefeated record.
• 3: Is probably best known by a neutral or a non-motorsports person as the prolific author of Vampwolf Chronicles, a dystopian trilogy of Vampwolf clans living in a blocked-off rural Drawkian city of Cavsar, and a half-dozen works that casually pair up NSSCRA drivers with each other.
• 4: Is in middle of a budding romance with Thea Alvarez, his former teammate with the Gale Force Racing.
• 5: Also possesses five pet bears in his mansion in Kardashia, Saint Kanye, where he lives during much of the year and continues to work as the President of PlayToy's AO Division that is based in the same city.

Safe to say that he's...not a boring, average driver.

In the offseason that had followed Ilya after finishing his first full season as a Team Tsunopin driver on a high note, life has been good for Ilya. Spending most of his time getting involved further into the family business with Tsunopin Corporation, as well as the PlayToy AO, Ilya has found himself easier to take attention off his back in the corporate world. When outside of it, however, he would also come to embrace the hype and the fame would come with it, whether it be year-round training with the Kirby brothers and his old MMA gym, or spending time with Thea Alvarez.

But most importantly, however, was the stability of his placement in the NSSCRA scene - the founding of the Team Tsunopin, one that his parents and Kirby brothers' parents, the gym owner Raglan, had brought a new sense of relief to Ilya, who knew that his heart truly belonged here in the NSSCRA. The bigger challenge lies on the horizon, however, as Ilya expects a significant challenge on his own as Malo 'Bo' Boludo, his longtime opponent on the Mixed Martial Arts scene, has vowed to destroy the 69Xer on the world of stock car racing. While Ilya, who is almost ten years younger than Bo, holds advantage over their head-to-head record on the octagon with 3 wins to 2 in his favour, the arrival of a challenger, whose fame as the king of the rally world has drawn significant attention, means that he has to get ready. With most of his crew, those who he had worked with for several years now, will be making a comeback as his crew, there's no doubt that Team Tsunopin could roll it fine with their main driver. Even if he may be the one that causes all sorts of trouble for them.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

OOC: Putting one up for Bo first. Other two will come later.

TEAM SALAMANTEL - ROSTER PART 1/2

Location: Bongohdong, Yoseo-Manitoba
Team Owner: Mauril Laurendeau, 74 - Multibillionaire owner of Corundite, a chemical company
President/Manager/Director/Jack of all talents: Corneille Maracle, 46
Sponsors: Salamantel (Telecommunications, Quebec and Shingoryeo), Centennial Bank (Banking, 69X and Quebec & Shingoryeo), Trojana Co. (Contraceptives, Quebec and Shingoryeo), FASTECA (Sports magazine, Quebec and Shingoryeo), Outbox (Fast Food, Drawkland), HomeSens (Securities, Quebec and Shingoryeo)

For the first time.

If their 'de facto rivals' of Team Tsunopin, sponsored by Salamantel's rival in none other than Quebecom, represent the youths, this Team Salamantel represent older, more grounded individuals coming from all walks of life in the motorsports world. Having been around for last thirty years as a FASCAR team, Team Salamantel's been one of the big three motorsports team in the Quebecois stock car league, with Hong Baek-Man and Roland Anson being two of their four most successful drivers in the recent times.

For several years they have contemplated joining the NSSCRA circuit, especially after Malo 'Bo' Boludo and Charlotte de FitzLawrence couple's decision to join the team after the second-ever WSRC, but have held off on the grounds of figuring out logistics with such short notice and waited one more season. A season later, with the news of a minor success exhibited by the young drivers of Team Tsunopin, most notably in their star driver Ilya Tsunopin, and the Calanian nation's proximity to Vilitan Cove also factoring in, Team Salamantel's decided that it would be the right time for Boludo, Hong and Anson to put their forces together and hopefully vie for international profile in the NSSCRA circuit. The team's aims aren't so big right now - it's just Year 1 of the circuit after all - but all three drivers have been under the grind of the stock car racing for over a decade by this point and that with more international experience, they will be able to make a difference in long term.

#11 - Malo 'Bo' Boludo



Hometown: Jolbonopolis, Yoseo-Manitoba, Quebec and Shingoryeo - Age: 31 - Twii.tur: @Bo13 (Rarely used)
Crew Chief: Charlotte de FitzLawrence, 33 (QUE) | Spotter: Elmer J. Hattenberg, 40 (QUE)
Driving Style: Conservative, Patient
Personality: Quiet, gentle
Retaliation?: Maybe.

A son of Cesar 'Che' Boludo, a Huayramarcan immigrant who's worked with the Quebecois National Railways for thirty years, and country singer Rosie Monkman-Swann, Malo Boludo's an unique case in hat he is crossing over to stock racing after having spent most of his career as the king of the Quebecois rally racing world. Previously the 31-year old has made that chapter of his life renowned, having won 42 races in last 9 out of 11 seasons of the Quebecois Commonwealth Rally Circuit (QCRC), and also performed well with two podium finishes and the seventh place in the second World Stage Rallying Championship. But the motorsports driver who like Tsunopin, has a moderately-successful MMA career, has decided to take hiatus from his familiar ground when the Team Salamantel came calling, asking if he wanted to 'destroy Tsunopin on his playground, and he is now ready for a career on the stock racing as well.

Bo, a flashy, well-dressed icon of Quebecois racing with penchant for fancy, colourful suits, sunglasses and spicy quotes, is a technically-proficient driver with calm temper and professional behaviour, though some have claimed this to be more on hiding his tongue (a potty mouth he could be) better by speaking as little as possible in public. Being aware of the risks that driving under heavy terrain can bring, Bo thrives on situations that would get an average Quebecois pissed, and prefers to stay patient rather than (overly) passionate. Being a Quebecois he tends to perform well under challenging tracks but tends to play too safely on more simple of tracks, something that a quite a few, who have been proponent of more aggressive, no-mercy approach taken by the likes of his recent rival in Ilya Tsunopin, have criticised in recent years. More will be seen on how he adjust to the stock racing world as well.

Also to understand Bo, you also have to understand the team's crew chief, someone he and his teammates could confide into when things get rough. His wife, Charlotte de FitzLawrence, is exactly that, having served as his co-driver and confidante for a decade now. Ever since they met in a nightclub as sophomore and a senior at Université du Saguenay, their life had never been the same. Twelve years on, they have driven in dozens of circuits across Anaia, Atlantian Oceania, Rushmore and Sonnel, and have even professionally matured into a driver-crew chief tandem in their new team, Team Salamantel. Charlotte, who holds a complicated relationship with her father, Prince Laurent, and mother Erina Roberge, an indie pop singer turned socialite, is a cool, confident person whose tongue holds no prisoners. And their well-publicised relationship, starting off hot, had eventually matured into a marriage with a 7-year old son, Castor 'Canarito', and they are expected to keep their fire going.