World Grand Prix Championship Season 15: Roleplay Thread

[Qasden]

23:50•Saturday•Rockii Coast•Vilita

Censki had been dazed by his failure over the past season. He lay in his hotel room, quivering in fear and disappointment as Rusty watches television.

I-I just don't understand.
What is it now, Kurt?
My season. I just can't seem to comprehend why I'm doing so bad.

Rockets mumbled a quick laugh of sarcasm before looking over at Censki.

Kid, it's taken you 3 months to just now come to your senses?
But I was doing so well in the trials and minor races.
Kurt, that's just how the WGPC works. In the games that barely count, the vets don't really try as hard to win. But in the real deals, everyone tries to give their all. It's not because you're terrible. It's because this is the stage where every racer pulls off the kinda crap you made in Olgenstad.
But for 11 races now?!

Rockets raised one eyebrow, before ultimately going back to tv.

Fine. This was a terrible season for you Kurt. Your raceway is not complete thanks to you making less than no money in the tournament you should be getting thousands of. You lost your sponsorship with Feasties' after Turori and now have been the epitome of to why McPahan can no longer win the constructor's cup. Thanks to you, Blue-Red Racing's name has been tarnished for the entirety of existence's remnants.

Rusty then turns back over to face an appalled Kurt, his eyes burning the racer's.

So you can keep being all sappy about it. Or, you can finish strong and support your BRR partner in WGP2. It's your choice, really.

Awkward silence proceeded the duo for nearly half an hour. Censki pondered seamlessly into the night sky, questioning Marlene as to why he has failed.

Crossport.
Pardon?
Crossport, Audioslavia. That's where the next race is, right?
Yeah. The final race of the season. Let's concentrate on Rockii Bay for now, though.
Rust?

The manager looks over with tires eyes.

Myeah?

I think I'm gonna finish strong for once.

[Lisander]

Qualifying

Juliano Lemos was in the car and asked Ludi:

"Could you please give me my cell phone? I want to see some notes I had".

Ludi gave him the phone. Before looking the notes, he picked up a message from his family in Lisander. Some of his parents were missed.

Please, Jules, help us. Your sister, Jacqueline, her husband and their daughter are missing. They don't answer any call and haven't been in contact since Wednesday. We're worried.

Juliano worried immediately. Jacqueline and her daughter Venelana were the closest family that he had after the death of Lemos' father and mother in a plane disaster in Lorenthia, 10 years before. He lived from age 13 to age 21 in his sister's house. And now they had disappeared. He left the cockpit and gone through the paddock to somewhere calm. He tried to call Jacqueline, no signal. He tried to call her husband, Hugo Gasset, same "No signal". He even tried to call Lana in meepCall, the famous smartphone messenger client from the principality. No answer. His mind flew away to Veras, the suburb of Soria where the Lemos family live. He tried to call to other parents but could not complete any call, since international calls in that point were hard. He tried the internet, some of their friends, but no one had information. Some told about their worries too.

Andrea Lanza appeared soon after.

"Lemos, What's going on? The qualifying time is running out."

"I'm too worried to drive today. I won't do other laps."

"Hey, are you okay? You only made 4 laps. Remember of you do not drive, you will lose your chance to the driver's championship. And Natassia will fine you in a lot of money."

"CAN I REALLY THINK IN MONEY OR ANYTHING ELSE MEANWHILE MY NIECE IS MISSED? You know my family, don't you? My sister, her husband, their daughter... They are missed. I haven't heard from them since Wednesday. Tell her I'll pay any fine, just don't ask me to drive again today. Okay?"

"Oh... My apologies. I'll say her. Do as you need. Should I do the race adjustments now?"

"Yes, please. Do it extra-agressive. I hope Lana appears tonight and I'll run for two tomorrow."

Lanza got back to the cabin where Natassia was and informed her about the situation.

"The Lemos niece is missing? Ok, now this is a real reason to worry. Do you have any friends in Veras to pay a visit, Lanza?"

"Sorry, but no, Madam."

"Okay, I'll make some calls. Let me know if my daughter can do this. I think her and the young miss Lemos are good friends. Go and do anything needed to the race. Leave Juliano to worry himself alone. I'd be the same if my Thea was missing."

Natassia picked up her cell phone and opened meepCall.

"Hello, Thea, my dear, how you're going?"

"I'm okay, mom. How about you?"

"I'm okay, but I'm worried about Juliano. His niece is missing. Weren't you friends? I thought you could know something"

"I don't... I'm worried too. Lana is missing since Thursday. She and her parents were in Linville and haven't posted anything after."

The Qualifying session finished with Lemos in 23rd place. 19 cars before Mick Schramm. It would be a problem in the race. He would need a historic performance to reach the points zone. His mind was in Lisander, searching and imagining where and how his family could be. His worry only passed when he received a message from his niece:

Hello family! I'm back and I'm okay! We're in Grandeville, but dad's car broke in outskirts of Casterwill-Campagne on friday early morning. We had to call a service assistant and sleep in a hotel in Cardo. We slept the entire Friday, and after that we took a bus to Grandeville. Mom is completely outraged "because your father only does this to visit his own family, while my family is worried overseas."

BTW, uncle Jules, Mrs. Maud. I'm a little sad because of your result in today's qualifiers, uncle, but I hope you can do your best tomorrow.

Thea, I did not know you cared about me so much. I confess that I almost cried reading the previous messages!

Love and kisses, Lana.

[West-East Timor]

Mick was about to get onto his first flying lap.

"Alright Mick", Max said. "You know the track now, don't you?"

"Well, yeah I've been driving in the practice session..."

"Right. So, just give your best, as always?"

"Okay."

He got around the long first turn... Got on the grass... And span.

"So is that your best?"

"Don't f*cking distract me!"

"Oh, so it was my fault?"

"No. Tell me how I'm doing. But no unnecessary stuff please."

"Well, I just did... Alright..."

Mick drove all ten laps he was allowed to drive, with his last lap being his fastest.

"Alright Mick, that just was your best of the day, a 01:25.748. With that, you are fourth, P4. Not bad my friend, not bad."

"Yeah, not bad. That's actually quite good I'd say. Yes!"

He returned to the pit and got out of the car.

"By the way, how has Lemos done?", Mick asked.

"He's only on 23rd position."

"What? Haha. Hope he knows how that feels... Is there any reason he did so bad."

"Well, he only drove four laps..."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe something is wrong with his car?"

"Possible, but he didn't get slower in any lap or something..."

"Hmmm... That's strange. Anyways. I'm on fourth so... Last time I started 9th and got third... So does that mean I can theoretically win?"

"Theorethically, you can always win."

"Well, yeah... Anyways I'll try to win."

[The Redvale]

Maria Cattaneo
Qualifying, Vilita

Despite being sick, Maria knew what she had to do. It would just be a few more weeks, really, and then she would be able to settle down and get some well earned rest and let this thing run its course before she started to feel even worse for pushing herself too soon. By now, she had told her closest circle what was happening. She had told Asher, Gabriella, Jeremy, and Lauri, and she had told nobody else and had decided to keep everything under wraps until it was the end of the season.

After all, the last thing that she needed was to be at a competitive disadvantage going into the last two races because the rest of the grid knew what was up, and she was trying to pretend that this was a normal sickness. That wouldn't fly for the last race, but she would figure out the explanation for that when she got to that point. She had taken a number of pills for the sickness and now it would be time to see if they worked, but she had to make sure that her mental state was good enough to race, too.

She wasn't doing great mentally, and everyone could see that as she paced around the garage before qualifying and watched the mechanics work on the cars, before Asher pulled her aside and took her to the corner where nobody would overhear them. "Are you fine?" he asked, putting an arm around her. "You shouldn't race if you don't feel alright, you're risking your life like that. This title is something that we all want, but it's a pipe dream. You might as well break the news now, everyone will understand if you sit out-"

"I'm not doing that," she said sternly, leaning against the wall and wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. "I'm not sitting out. I've worked for this since... Since I was a teenager, since I first met you, and now it looks like my career is done. I'm not going to go out silently, I'm going to go out on top. I'm going to make sure that no matter what happens, everyone remembers my name-"

"You don't have to prove anything, they'll already remember you-"

"But not as a champion. Not as the best... I don't just want to be another driver, I want to be remembered as the best to race in this series. And it's not worth giving up this dream, this close to rising to the top. If I can't get it for myself, I can at least help the team to the championship," she replied. "I'm not... I'm not leaving when we're on top of the standings, I'm not sinking the hopes of the team because I fucked up."

And with that, she put her helmet on and started walking to the car, ready for qualifying. If she was able to pull this off, a good result here and tomorrow, it might be her finest moment, whether she won or not. Because really, of all the adversity she'd been through, this was the worst.

[Aboveland]

Both Terho and Axel's performances at the Krytenian GP left much to be desired, as the Abovians' practice curse struck again. The two stars finished first and second respectively on Friday, separated by just .005 seconds and running race setups. Perhaps neglecting the importance of qualifying setups, their times on Saturday were far behind those set by their rivals, with neither driver progressing to Q2. Axel, who'd been trailing Terho throughout the race, was stripped of his front wing as a chunk of rubber detached from his rival's rear tyres on lap 43, the resulting damage to his bargeboard serious enough to force him to retire, fuming. Terho himself, affected by his blowout, grazed the tyre wall at the Gatehouse Chicane, bending his rear right suspension struts and dropping from third to 13^th by lap 65. His teammate, Moises Delgado, attempted an overtake on lap 69; Terho's rear suspension buckled further, resulting in an impact that would seriously damage Moises' front wing and lock him to last place. As for Terho, his rear suspension would go no further, and he retired to the pits at the end of the lap.

---

The situation was tense between Axel and his crew, even though his mind was cleared. For the past two weeks, Project AGP had been halted: Furuhøytie Virtapiiri was at risk of being shut down following safety concerns stemming from his disastrous accident. As such, he'd had a whole week of rest before Krytenia, and came into Vilitia with the same amount of relaxation time, and completely free of any remaining pain or soreness from his accident. Frida was in a state of despair, struggling to convince investors to fork out more capital in an attempt to construct a test track specifically for the team, while Karl and Sven suffered her wrath in the form of constant explosions and erratic reactions to simple situations.

Without saying a word to anyone about anything, communicating via nods, hand gestures and grunts, Axel set the third fastest time around a soaked Vilitian track, seven-hundredths of a second behind the leader, Terho. It was nice to get a wet track, for a change. Most of the races during the year had been completely dry, leveling the playing field all around. When the rain fell, though, Axel held a tactical advantage. His simple yet effective wet strategies, combined with unassailable confidence, meant he was frequently among the top times on wet tarmac. His numerous rally and hillclimb wins on the icy mountain roads of Avsidesliggendevuoret certainly contributed to his ability to hold a slide around a corner or regain control after a deep puddle crossing. However, as the track dried out for qualifying, his car set too soft for the fast, sticky asphalt ahead, his performance declined significantly, landing him a measly fifteenth on the grid. The practice curse had struck again, and while he was annoyed enough to shower with his helmet on afterwards, he still had the ability to rekindle his fighting spirit for the race. There was one man ahead of him, a man who'd left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth after Krytenia, who he was determined to beat; he was certain he wouldn't be the only predator looking to pounce on him. ^{hint: it's Terho}

---

Terho, spurred on due to the fact that, despite his issues in the previous grand prix, he'd retained his championship lead, topped the times in both practice and qualifying with blisteringly quick times. The Vilitian track was one of his favorites: simple, fast, flowing and straightforward. The utterly flooded track conditions on Friday put a smile on his face, as he roostertailed his way down straights and swam around the tighter corners on the track. His specialty was sideways, and even though powersliding was far easier and much more encouraged on gravel in a rally car rather than with a rear wheel drive monster on a precisely designed race track, the fact that the entirety of the grid was more or less forced to loosen up a bit gave him a slight edge. Hell, in his first practice run, well over a year ago, he'd stunned the sport's legends with a controlled powerslide at the Crossport Raceway, in Audioslavia. He knew what he was doing.

Terho was awestruck after his pole position in qualifying. He'd been struggling to push the practice curse aside all year, and right when the conditions couldn't be more different between Friday and Saturday he'd snatched first place. While he didn't really notice, Edvin could see that Terho was almost entranced in the car. Out of the car, wandering around the paddock, he was himself, cheery and curious. As soon as he strapped his colorful helmet on and lodged himself into Anni², though, he morphed. It was the first time all year he'd properly seen Terho concentrated, focused and determined to win.

When the reigning champion skipped out of the car, already aware of his pole position (and gleaming as a result), he perceived a quirky melody emitted from the Telaris paddock. He shot his eyes in its direction to find Axel, with his helmet on and his arms crossed, staring at the floor. His mechanic, Sven, was attempting to tape a mobile speaker to his head, pointed at the MRT garage, with the song "Under Pressure" at full volume. When Sven noticed Terho staring, he went behind Axel's back and apologized, realizing how absurd the eccentric rookie's idea had been. Edvin took a peek as well, standing beside Terho and frowning.

"What the hell?" he said.

"Bah," Terho began. "He thinks he's being clever. I quite like that song actually."

And on that note, as the main chorus of the song began, Terho pranced away, heading for the showers, towel slung over his shoulder, singing along under his breath.

"Under pressure," he muttered, smiling.

[Esmerel]

Jean Mercer-Daly
Raleigh Hill Circuit, Bavarrano, Esmerel
The Thursday before the Vilitan Grand Prix, 13:41

"So we go in, we get them under control, and we finally take care of this."

"Precisely. So if that's the plan then let's do the plan."

The two entered the premises of the circuit and proceeded to the paddock, looking for the heads of the project. Luckily, it didn't take long for them to find them.

"Listen. There are people in G4!"

It was the Grotti team, who promptly backed down when they saw Stefeni enter the room. No serious drama, just simplicity. Sometimes it's better when life isn't like a movie.

"And, we've finally done it. Took us long enough. Contact everyone and tell them about this."

"Oh, of course. And for you, Jean, I might have something special ready. I'll contact you later. For now, I do believe you have a car to drive."

To be concluded

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Jean Mercer-Daly
Vilitan Mountain Challenge Course, Rockii Coast, Vilita
90 Minutes to Race Start

A spanner in the works. That was what Jean needed to be today. Not a title challenger, but something that could help aid his ailing teammate in these last two rounds. And plus, the Constructors' title was still wide open- and if the parts didn't fail Jean he was on track for good points.

The car ready. Jean hyped. Maria... the best she could.

"Jean, we're looking for points today as long as the car doesn't break down. Should easily be achievable."

I got you, Darrell. Now let's do this.

It was really an elaborate act, sports- a few strong characters with several supporting roles all doing their part. And Jean was ready to play his.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Vilitan Grand Prix
Formation Lap

“Okay, Ryker. You have your plan for the start?”

“I do, Martin. I mean, it’s not all that complicated…”

Ryker’s plan, developed over the course of the morning’s simulations, is quite simple: beat Terho and Jean to Turn 3. That’s about it.

Well, it’s a bit more complex than that. Having done those hundreds of practice starts in the simulator this morning, Ryker has a response prepared for essentially anything that the drivers both in front and behind can throw at him; in combination with his HUD providing him with real-time predictions of his opponents’ next moves, he is probably the most informed combatant on the grid right now. While he will be in a position to be fastest off the line and first into the third corner, given his Chase Cutter’s automated starting and all of the other technical advances that the team has made to boost their straight-line speed, leaving anything to chance now just isn’t a good idea.

“You understand the importance of this race, I assume?” The race engineer’s tones are as dulcet as ever.

“More than I’d like, frankly…”

“Then I won’t patronise you by explaining. Our current strategy is Plan A with a 1/3 box. Good luck, Ryker; we’re counting on you.” There is a slight laugh. “Oh, and remember - it’s Terho on pole. You still have a score to settle.”

Ryker rejoins his laughter before the feed cuts off. I do indeed! I just hope that I’m capable of doing it.

The cars approach the grid once again. The Nimban hasn’t done any weaving; instead, his tyres emit the blue glow that typically covers the rest of the car, heated by the newly-installed Imagithermal convertor. You really do know what you’re doing, Gertrude. Keep it up.

Then he catches a glimpse of the other UHSGV-1 on the track in his HUD’s rear view display. Marika’ll need to put on a charge this race. Note to self: if I ever get near to her as a result of my pit stop and can afford the time, back opponents into her. We should work together as much as we can; we need the points.

Coming to a halt on the grid, he drums his fingers on the wheel for a moment. Remembering the identity of the driver directly behind him, he gives a wave and a thumbs up to Maria in the hope that she’ll draw some comfort from it, then settles in for the race.

As the lights turn red one by one above him, Ryker considers something. I think that I’ve got this pinned down. There’s enough of a plan to provide some sense of structure but enough leeway to let me adapt. That’s… That’s a nice feeling.

And so, as the lights shut off and the car surges forward for the penultimate time, Ryker Lane smiles.

[WGPC]

CUT OFF for race eleven. Results imminent..

[WGPC]

Sunday's Race: The Vilitan Grand Prix

Conditions: DRY
Laps: 61

Pos # Driver               Team				Race Time	Behind Preceding car
 1  4 Jean Mercer-Daly           	1:31:26.188	+0:00.000
 2 94 Ryker Lane                 	1:31:28.693	+0:02.505
 3 99 Maria Cattaneo             	1:31:41.305	+0:12.612
 4 77 iBen Toralmintii           	1:31:52.815	+0:11.510
 5  1 Terho Talvela              	1:32:00.462	+0:07.647
 6 53 Denholm Kingsley           	1:32:10.786	+0:10.324
 7 89 Will Madison               	1:32:11.128	+0:00.342
 8  6 Marika Pedanovic           	1:32:12.881	+0:01.753
 9 80 J. Jensen-Fletcher         	1:32:13.648	+0:00.766
10 18 Louis Krindle              	1:32:21.466	+0:07.818
11 29 Esteban Guilhermez         	1:32:24.229	+0:02.763
12 37 Axel Novikov               	1:32:37.850	+0:13.620
13 20 Mick Schramm               	1:32:42.032	+0:04.183
14 24 Victoria Gardner           	1:32:44.615	+0:02.583
15  7 Ethan Ellis                	1:32:50.451	+0:05.837
16 17 Eaoueaiou Aeouiouie        	1:32:52.641	+0:02.190
17 74 Alexandra Mayari           	+1 Lap		
18 16 Alexander Lund             	+1 Lap		+0:05.163
19 42 Alex Dimitrianov           	+1 Lap		+0:09.027
20 55 Asao Nadakei               	+1 Lap		+0:00.544

DNF  5 Juliano Lemos              	Ret. Lap 50	
DNF 52 Sayono Souzare             	Ret. Lap 34	
DNF 14 Oliver Bliss               	Ret. Lap 27
DNF 63 Kurt Censki                	Ret. Lap 25	
DNF 23 Moisés Delgado             	Ret. Lap 9
DNF 51 R.L. Cruisin               	Ret. Lap 1

Drivers Championship Standings

Pos	#	Name			Team		Pts	Wins
1	1	Terho Talvela		MRT		102	2
1	94	Ryker Lane		Nexus		102	
3	99	Maria Cattaneo		Red Lion Racing	97	1
4	37	Axel Novikov		Telaris		81	1
5	5	Juliano Lemos		Bitten Heroes	77	1

6	4	Jean Mercer-Daly	Red Lion Racing	64	2
7	18	Louis Krindle		MSA-SinVal	49
8	6	Marika Pedanovic	Nexus		46	1
9	20	Mick Schramm		Bitten Heroes	43
10	23	Moisés Delgado		MRT		39	1
11	42	Alex Dimitrianov	Fireline	37	1
12	77	iBen Toralmintii	Eelandii WGPC	35
13	55	Asao Nadakei		Arada		34
14	16	Alexander Lund		Wilson		33
15	17	Eaoueaiou Aeouiouie	Telaris		31	1
16	51	R.L. Cruisin		Arada		29
17	80	J. Jensen-Fletcher	Fireline	25
18	91	Ilyas Nurlibaev		Red Lion Racing	14
19	7	Ethan Ellis		Wilson		11
19	14	Oliver Bliss		RSR		11
19	53	Denholm Kingsley	Eelandii WGPC	11
22	52	Sayono Souzare		McPahan		10
23	29	Esteban Guilhermez	RSR		6
24	89	Will Madison		MSA-SinVal	4
24	74	Alexandra Mayari	SFeG		4
24	24	Victoria Gardner	SFeG		4
27	63	Kurt Censki		McPahan		2

Drivers below the line can no longer win the title.

Constructors Championship Standings

Team		Points
Red Lion Racing	175
Nexus		148
MRT		141

Bitten Heroes	120
Telaris		112
Arada		63
Fireline	62
MSA-SinVal	53
Eelandii WGPC	46
Wilson		44
RSR		17
McPahan		12
SFeG		8

Teams below the line can no longer win the title.

[The Redvale]

Maria Cattaneo
Post Race

Under normal circumstances, a podium wouldn't be the result that Maria would celebrate. She was one of those people that had the mentality that if you aren't first, you're last, and she didn't like seeing her teammate finishing higher than her even if she did care a lot about the team and their chance to win the title. But these weren't normal circumstances, and after barely surviving this race, she was happy that she had finished at all, and overjoyed that she had made it to the podium.

And she really had barely made it through to the finish line, and she had been forced to switch her helmet out at her mid race pit stop because she had thrown up on the inside of the first one. Hans, Asher, Gabriella, and just about everyone else had told her that he should retire. But she'd shaken her head and fastened her new helmet and left the pit lane once again anyway, building her position back up to get two places ahead of where she'd began, to third.

"Haha, that was the weirdest race I've ever been in... I'm kind of relieved that I finished, but let's never do this again," she chuckled, somehow able to laugh and joke around after crossing the finish line and heading around the track on her cool down lap before heading into the pit lane. "Thanks for sticking with me, boys. I know I've been hard to deal with today and hard to deal with all season long, but this is the kind of work that wins titles. Let's keep it up and build on our lead in our last outing, eh?"

She pulled into the winner's circle with the two others who would share the podium with her, and finally let herself relax as she cut her engine and let the crew pull her car into place, before she climbed out and managed to stagger over to her mechanics, giving them a wave and taking a bow. It seemed impossible, but she was still charismatic even after a race like this, and even with everything going on in her life.

After milling around for a few minutes, she went to the podium area, and all of the usual proceedings such as the anthem and the champagne were a blur, because she wasn't really paying attention to all of that at this point. Ryker had finished second, but her mind wasn't even on him. It wasn't even on his words to her before, or their last interaction when they were on the podium. Her mind was on what she was about to do, on the announcement that her circumstances were forcing her to make early.

"Asher, get up here!" she said, when the TV crew was ready to interview her. She waited for her former best friend turned former racing rival turned former lover turned engineer to arrive, and then she slipped her arm around his shoulder and gave it a squeeze, glancing over at his face and seeing that he didn't have much of an idea of what she was about to say. "I just want to tell everyone... There's a reason why I haven't been myself and there's a reason why I've been sick all weekend and all race long. I... I have to announce that even though I didn't plan for this, I'm pregnant and that I'm going on hiatus after the season because of it."

She chuckled a bit, looking into the crowd and at their shocked reactions. "I know this is going to come as a surprise to a lot of you, but next race will be my last one for a long time. It might be my last one for... Well, forever. But you know, that's not all that bad, because I'm in control of my own destiny now. If I win in Audioslavia, I can walk away with the trophy that I've dreamed about since I was young. I've got absolutely nothing to prove if I win, and I have a new goal..."

There was a brief pause, and she glanced over her shoulder to see what Ryker's reaction was. "I'm going to win the title for my future son, Silva Maria Rawling," she said, and with that, she handed the microphone back, with nothing more to say, and she turned to walk off of the podium without checking any more of the reactions from everyone around her.

She would find out soon enough, but she couldn't hide her pregnancy forever. And now, she knew for sure that she had one very important reason to win this title in about a week.

[Esmerel]

Jean Mercer-Daly
Vilitan Mountain Challenge Course, Rockii Coast, Vilita
Sunday's Race

The lights went out. Jean, along with nearly everyone else, went flying off the grid. Note how it said "nearly everyone else."

"The hell? Darrell? Why's there a VSC out?"

"Cruisin is stopped on the grid. Might have stalled. Not too much of a danger but it'll take a bit of time to clear it. That surely sucks for him. Third time he's dead last in his home race- in a row."

Indeed it did suck. The VSC ended- and Ryker Lane surged past him at an unbelievable speed right at the restart. Jean had heard they installed another Wardship tech- autoheating tyres. That was quite the advantage. But Jean knew this circuit a bit better, and held on to the back of the Chase Cutter like he was being towed throughout the first stint. Jean made the undercut a lap earlier than he had planned to stop- his careful driving style allowing him to run on most tyre compounds for longer and stay away from the cliff. It worked- barely. Jean came out just ahead of the Nimban- with only Talvela, a mere four seconds up the road- left to attack.

Talvela's better cornering ability allowed him to get an edge, especially around the boot, but Jean's ability to drive carefully and strong at the same time kept the gap small, with Talvela making the occasional track extension losing time in the process. With Censki going slowly through Turn 1 on the 26th lap- another engine failure- Talvela was caught out, allowing Jean to get very close. It all came together as Talvela made a critical mistake later into the race- Jean's close proximity allowing him to snatch away the lead.

"YES! Let's go!"

"Great driving, Jean, now just hold it there! Hold it!" "Under Pressure" came on the radio. It was true- Jean had to hold off Ryker Lane through the last half of the Grand Prix. It all came down to the final pit stop.

And so, it went flawless. But Ryker's went even better, and was right on the back of Jean for the last few laps. Jean was also shocked to find Maria in third place- too far back to get another 1-2 but still an amazing position despite her condition.

Twenty or so laps to hold off Lane- and twenty laps went by, with the driver of #94 making several attempts at the lead only for Jean to continuously defend with excellence. Jean knew his win was secure when he heard the gap to second into the final lap.

"Ryker is... 1.7 seconds behind. You should have this. Be careful!"

Careful Jean was, coming through the final corner and winning his second career victory in a row and overall. This also propelled Red Lion further up the leaderboard- still in 1st, but nearly unassailable- either MRT or Nexus needed a 2-3 or points equivalent to that without Red Lion in the points to steal it away by this point.

"Did we just take two in a row? Hell yes!"

"Hell yeah we did, Jean! That is how we roll!"

The three podium drivers came to... well, the podium. Trophies were awarded, The Last March was played again, and the drinks came out of their bottles. But afterwards, it all came crashing down when Maria made an announcement.

"Asher, get up here!" she said, when the TV crew was ready to interview her. She waited for her former best friend turned former racing rival turned former lover turned engineer to arrive, and then she slipped her arm around his shoulder and gave it a squeeze, glancing over at his face and seeing that he didn't have much of an idea of what she was about to say. "I just want to tell everyone... There's a reason why I haven't been myself and there's a reason why I've been sick all weekend and all race long. I... I have to announce that even though I didn't plan for this, I'm pregnant and that I'm going on hiatus after the season because of it."

She chuckled a bit, looking into the crowd and at their shocked reactions. "I know this is going to come as a surprise to a lot of you, but next race will be my last one for a long time. It might be my last one for... Well, forever."

Oh... my... this is unexpected. Wait. Why didn't I put this together? Very sick, extended hiatus of several months, some secrecy... holy shit. She's a title challenger and yet she's pregnant? She can't race like this! It's a miracle she's even on the podium!

But Jean knew anything he said against her racing in Crossport would just be met with "No." So he kept silent. But she was still at risk. Not of dying, but of pain. Pain that she had such little chances of actually winning the championship.

Jean's interview came afterwards.

"So. A second win in a row for you, Mr. Mercer-Daly. You're the only driver to have done this, and the only driver besides Terho Talvela to have won more than one race this season. Do you think you can make it three next weekend?"

"I'd love to do that, though my chances are incredibly low. But, you never know. I could have an amazing qualy session, someone ahead could blow up, a safety car could come at just the right time. Racing is like an improv play- and one with an INCREDIBLY loose script."

"Last season, Vangazi driver Jessica Franssen took on a form much like you have, only participating in five races yet winning three of them. Do you think there could be some sort of lucky charm attached to mid-season replacements?"

"I wouldn't say it's a coincidence, but I wouldn't say that's true, either."

"Your win today has propelled Red Lion into a position of dominance heading into the final round in Audioslavia. Do you think you have the Constructors' title in the bag?"

"Absolutely not. I'm not being derogatory or self-depreciating with that statement, but anything could happen, like I said earlier. We may have a 27 point lead over Nexus and a 34 point lead over MRT, but those points could be made up. You never know."

"One last question. At the moment, who do you think you'll be signing for next season?"

"I have no idea. I'd personally like to drive for Bitten Heroes or Nexus, but of course nothing is known if they'll even participate next season. It's likely, but not yet confirmed. So no announcements there."

"We understand that. Thank you, Jean."

And Jean understood back. Time to get onto the plane to Southway, Esmerel, for a day of relaxation- then he'd be taking a flight to Cathair to get some testing done at Crossport.

If he wanted three in a row, he'd need to be at the top of his game. And only the top.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Vilitan Grand Prix
Race (after VSC)

Ballista bolt, yadda yadda, Chase Cutter is best car.

Better, apparently, than the Red Lion up ahead. Ryker Lane surges forward past Jean, immediately seizing second place.

Second, however, isn’t his goal.

Terho has had a good start, certainly, but no human can compare to the automation built into the UHSGV-1. Ryker begins to close in and, with the defending champion covering the left, he enters the car’s slipstream before sweeping to the outside on the right. Just a little further… Come on, come on, come on!

The Nimban slowly draws alongside the Abovian, the car beginning to drag itself past…

Turn 3.

No!

Terho, on the inside, pulls away. Ryker gives chase.

This paradigm is upheld throughout the race’s first stint. Jean stays close behind, clearly consistent and quick but unable to ever muster the speed to challenge him; Terho, meanwhile, Ryker’s straight-line speed advantages neutralised for now, is able to pull out a steady lead of six seconds or so. The result is a procession that lasts for a good thirteen laps before Jean takes the initiative, pulling into the pits for another set of tyres and an undercut. Terho follows a lap later.

Ryker… Ryker stays out.

And then, just as he’s entering the hairpin at five, his tyres fall off the cliff.

The Nexus Racing UHSGV-1 ‘Chase Cutter’ is powered by both an Imagikinetic convertor that directly impels the car and an Imagielectric convertor that powers the motors driving the wheels. Since the tyres going has no effect on the former, Ryker’s troubles are less significant than they would be were he driving another car, but that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t undergone a serious drop in performance. In fact, one could say that his problems are worse than they otherwise would be, given that he still has almost all of his speed with drastically less grip.

In short, the car may as well be back to racing on Nimban tyres - and we all know how bad those are.

Oh, Imagination, I don’t like how that feels. “Martin, I’ve lost grip! What’s the data saying on your end?”

“We are looking into it; for now, prepare to box.”

Ryker wrestles the car around the rest of the lap before pulling into the pits, the machine setting to work and switching old wheels for new, and rolling away again. According to Martin, there is no problem with the tyre heating system; instead, a defective set of tyres had somehow got through Tigar’s quality control, the rubber vulcanising far more quickly than usual. He has lost ground to the order of about six seconds and fallen behind Jean; now, however, equipped with a fresh, (presumably) sound set and needing to stop again later in the race, he’s free to push.

And push he does.

His first strike is against Talvela. So far this season, the Abovian has thwarted all attempts by Ryker to overtake him. No longer. With Jean having pulled off a manoeuvre against him up ahead, the Nimban slowly reels in the MRT and, on Lap 23, makes the move that he has waited all year for. Coming out of Turn 8, Ryker gets slightly better traction and, as Terho moves to the outside to complete his arc, swings into his inside and just about puts the Chase Cutter’s front wing alongside his rear axle. Through Turn 9 he makes ground, though Terho holds on; through Turns 10 and 11 he falls back but remains in contention; and, through Turns 12, 13 and 14 he finally sweeps past to the applause of his garage and his own exultation.

No time for laurel-resting, though; the Nimban is on the hunt. He piles on the speed, uncaring of the tyres - soon to be replaced as they are - and quickly catches Jean. A grin alights on his face. Alright, Esmerelian; show me what you’re capable of!

And, unfortunately for Ryker, he does.

---

All that technology and I couldn’t get past. Imagination… That - that was brilliant. A defensive masterclass.

He shakes his head, laughing. I mean, sure, the helmet didn’t help out on that one - probably be more than enough data to predict his lines now - but even so, damnation! I’m in an objectively superior car, at a circuit that could have been designed for it to drive on, at the top of my game; yet time and time again I was beaten back!

Okay, so there was that move around Turn 12 that I almost made stick. Still amazing.

Such is Ryker’s astonishment and awe that the first thing that he does upon entering the podium lobby is to walk straight up to Jean and clap him on the back. “That was fantastic - not to mention some of the best racing that I’ve had in my life! Superb. Absolutely superb.”

And then he turns to look at Maria, unexpectedly on the podium again and an unusually cheerful expression on her face. Their eyes meet. Ryker doesn’t say anything in accordance with her wishes; he does raise his right fist to his left breast in a Nimban expression conveying solidarity and wishing strength and hope upon the recipient, the usual, warm smile gracing his visage.

The three assemble on the podium, receiving their trophies and sparkling liquids. Just water this time. Well, I suppose it can’t all go fantastically…

Because, frankly, it has gone fantastically. Certainly, Jean got first place, not him, and certainly, Red Lion now has a lead that will be difficult to assail in the final race on the Constructors’ front but his race went about as well as it possibly could have given the circumstances. Furthermore, he is now equal on points to Terho in the Championship, leaving the result down to the final race - and is Terho not the driver that he just took on and won?

As he stands there, therefore, Ryker Lane’s smile becomes wry.

Bring it on, Talvela. Bring it-

“Asher, get up here!"

That was Maria’s voice.

Her arm is around him. Tightly.

The cameras, trained on the Redvali, do not pick up the change in the Nimban’s expression as it rapidly transitions through shock, then dread, then something more complex.

Fear and worry, for her sake -

“…Silva Maria Rawling -”

and betrayal for his own.

---

That evening, a text message appears in Maria Cattaneo’s inbox. Its contents are a single word:

‘Him.’

[The Redvale]

Maria Cattaneo
After The Race

Afterwards, Maria was finally able to get the one thing that she needed... Rest. She didn't go out to celebrate with the team staff because of the good result, she didn't talk to the press much and she didn't head out to town and interact with the fans like she sometimes would. She stayed back at her hotel room and laid on the couch once again, the medicine dulling the sickness and making her feel somewhat better now that she wasn't moving around and exerting herself.

It was sometime in the evening when someone else showed up in her room, Gabriella, and instead of a visit about team matters, this was more of a personal one. "It looks like we're both in the same position. Being forced out of the things that we love by circumstances that we can't control. Oh well... At least I still have Olson Motorsports back home, right? Maybe someday I'm going to reenter WGPC with more experience, with more lessons," she said, before setting down the bag that she'd been carrying. "Just like you might return to the grid someday. You never know, it could happen."

"Like hell it will," Maria said, miffed that Gabriella was bringing the state of her career right now. "I don't want to talk about it. You have something to fall back on and you can hardly say the same about me. Don't remind me about it, please."

"Sorry," shrugged Gabriella, and then she went into her bag and held up a case of beer, the kind that looked expensive. "I have something here to dull the pain for both of us, if you want it-"

"I'm pregnant, remember? I can't drink anymore," Maria sighed, closing her eyes again after staring at the ceiling. "I'm going to have to be a bit more mature once I'm a mother, too. You're going to neee a different drinking buddy. It's kind of bad form to drink with your star driver, anyway-"

"Okay, okay. Is there anything that you need from me, though?"

"Leave."

"You don't really want that, though. As much as you say that you want to be by yourself-"

"Leave," Maria repeated, opening her eyes and forcing herself to sit up.

"You're hurting my feelings, Mar-"

"Wait a minute and shut up," said Maria, and then she reached to her jeans pocket and found her phone, looking through the texts and then seeing that the latest one was from Ryker, and that it was just one word. And it was also about earlier, of course it was. How could she expect to break news like that and not get a reaction? That was an impossible ask, but while most of the reactions had been supportive, she knew that Ryker would feel betrayed.

She sent back a short reply of her own: 'You think I planned to have his kid? I'm doing the best I can with the cards I was dealt'.

And she paused before typing another text, her eyes growing wet as she forced herself to blink: 'You brought this on yourself you know, you could have sealed things in First City and you left things ambiguous.'

As she hit send on the second text, those tears finally began to flow, and she finally lashed out with the words that she often said but didn't mean: 'You showed up late in my life and you didn't take the chances you were given. Have fun being forever number two, just like you were on that podium and just like your team is in the standings. Don't text me again unless it's to apologize.'

With that, she dropped her phone to the ground and covered her face with her hands, feeling terrible for the way that things had ended. "I've let everyone down, Gabe... I really have," she sighed. "And I broke another heart."

"That was Ryker that you were texting?"

"Yes. But that might be the last time I ever talk with him," she sighed, before lying on her back again and closing her eyes. "Mark my words, I'm going to win this title soon. Because now... The title battle is personal..."

Gabriella nodded. "Right. Is there anything I can get you, though?"

"No, just stay and show some support... Because that really is the best that you can do."

[Aboveland]

The pressure was sure as hell getting to Terho. The damn song had been stuck in his head for the entirety of the previous race, and while fifth was not bad by any means, when the competition was so tight nearing the final race of the season, it was dismal for his title hopes. A steady drive to second place had put Ryker Lane on par with him going into the last race of the season, and while he beat him 2-1 in total race wins, meaning that should they both retire he would take the title, third placed Maria Cattaneo was still very much in the fight, regardless of the fact she was pregnant. After Vilitia, both he and Edvin rushed out of the track and back home to Aboveland. Terho was in a tense state, his pounding heart shattering his sternum from the sheer anxiety he felt as he realized he could potentially lose the championship in the final race, after leading the standings for the entire season. It wasn't a result he'd expect nor accept: he was not prepared to lose.

The Abovians landed back in Vankkavalta on Monday evening, and narrowly avoided a horde of journalists clawing at their faces, desperately trying to make themselves heard or catch a quick audio clip to take out of context and use as clickbait later in the week. Once in their car, barreling down the highway to an emergency sauna session Edvin had arranged in an attempt to sedate Terho, his phone rang. Terho picked it up with a trembling hand. The caller had no ID. Tantalizingly slowly, he squirmed his thumb down to the rear right corner of his screen and pressed the green button.

"He- h- hello?" Terho said.

"Terho, it's Axel."

He sat up and felt his heart rate decrease, ridding his head of the echo of his hearbeat which had been present for the entire trip home. "Axel? What do you want?"

"Come to Pæhkinoot, quick. Project AGP is interested in you again. They want to test."

His eyes lit up. This was his chance to get some proper WGPC-spec practice time before Crossport. Still, he remained skeptical. Why had they returned to him? He spoke that thought out loud.

"The team is undergoing a reform of sorts. Get your ass here, please."

Terho chuckled at the polite rudeness of his compatriot. He confirmed he'd get there as soon as possible and hung up, turning to an eager Edvin immediately, whose first reaction was a concerned eyebrow raise.

"Wasn't the prototype far inferior to the MRT car?"

"Well yes, keyword prototype."

"How much could they have possibly improved?"

"Tremendously. They got a huge investment a month ago or so, and they got a wind tunnel and shit with that money, or so I've heard."

"Fine, we'll go. But you still need to see either a damn psychologist or a sauna. You're a ruin."

'We'll see about that," Terho concluded, his best friend's words not even denting the newly forged confidence layer protecting him. There truly was no better way to practice for the most important race of his career than to
run laps to his heart's content in a (supposedly) spectacular car, on a spectacular track, with a team that shared his nationality. Sure, there might have been a bit of tension with Axel in the previous race, but with him and Telaris essentially out of the title fight for good, perhaps he'd changed his mind on what his rival's fate should be. Perhaps, Terho prayed, Axel wanted Terho to win the title. Every single supporter counted.

[The Redvale]

Maria Cattaneo
After The Race

"This never would have happened if it wasn't for you, you know. Are you aware of that? I never would have run to Asher for comfort if it wasn't for you. Not before, not now," Maria stated, as Gabriella Olson insisted on staying with her and taking care of her so she could get her rest. "And you're also the one that brought him into the staff despite knowing our relationship and our past-"

"You think I like being someone that always hurts people without meaning to? Hell no," Gabriella replied. "You weren't supposed to get hurt when I called him in... Maybe in hindsight it was a bad decision, but I did it because I wanted to get us all back together. And I very nearly did that, I almost talked Jeremy into jumping ship back when it was earlier in the season and Fireline was doing better."

Maria still pouted, not meeting the other woman's eye. "You might not mean to, but you still always find a way to hurt those that are supposed to be close to you. It's easy to be apologetic after the fact-"

"What do you want me to do? What's it going to take for you to forgive me? Money? You want me to give you your car after the season? One of my family's expensive properties in Janford-"

"You can't buy forgiveness, Gabe. I forgave you for the way that your cutthroat business cost my friend her career, but it's harder to do that when you've hurt me this time."

"We were both hammered that night-"

"Or so you say."

"It's the truth, I don't know what I have to do to prove it to you and how much I want you to forgive me-"

Maria took a long sigh, and sat up, drying her eyes with her sleeve. "You want to repay me, make sure that Silva is taken care of. Somehow, I'm not sure I'm going to be the best mother. If I ever try to return to racing instead of taking care of him... See to it that I don't do that. I don't care if you have to start a nasty rumor about me and get the rest of the grid to move away from the thought of signing me or what, but make sure that I keep my priorities straight."

Gabriella paused, meeting her eye. "I can definitely take you out of the sport, but is that really what you want? You can't go back, you know, once they throw you out. And all your achievements would basically be void."

"I'll call you about it when this is all over," Maria replied, and then her phone buzzed again. Ryker had texted back with the apology that she'd demanded, and had said some other things to. But, instead of replying, she shut her phone off and pocketed it again. "He's never going to understand why I'm staying with Asher. Never, both because of jealousy and, well... Arriving late. I can't reply right now. I'll just have to keep going down the same path and hope that it turns out alright between us."

[Esmerel]

Jean Mercer-Daly
Crossport Raceway, Crossport, Audioslavia
Wednesday, 14:00

Not half bad in terms of practice. It was what he needed: a god run around the circuit he could get a threepeat on. Jean had gotten a time of 1:42.334 around the Audioslavian circuit in his custom 9F Cabrio- way off the pace of the WGPC cars due to less power and downforce, but still not half bad considering the circumstances.

Also considering he was in an overall worse condition than most other drivers- not sickness or injury, but age- the previous day, May 9th, had been his 35th birthday. Damn. 35 years.

But what Jean lost in reaction time, he remembered, he gained in experience. And Esmerelian science let him stay at the top of his game longer. So still in his prime, but also with his experience. Nine years of it, mostly in GT cars.

Overall, a good practice in his favor. The only thing now was to do more of it. But it wouldn't be enough. He needed practice in an actual WGPC car to get the hang of things.

Luckily, Scuderia Grotti, now under new, better management thanks to Jean's actions (he even got a share of the team) had finally developed a car ready for him. Thursday, the circuit was reserved for them.

Let's see how this baby really runs...

[Esmerel]

Jean Mercer-Daly
Ceilerden, Audioslavia
Thursday, 08:33

A large cargo plane lands on the runway and proceeds to the terminal. For Jean Mercer-Daly, it has something fun inside. It's fast, it looks great, and it is ready for a drive.

"Everyone! So glad you all made it. Not only for this testing, but for the last race of the season... it's going to be a tough one, but the reward will be worth it," Jean shouted as almost everyone he ever knew was here. Rebecca, Talia, Darrell, Andy... just everyone. Even the President of Esmerel would be watching the entire race weekend, and he wasn't the biggest of petrolheads, if you could even call him one.

"That we know, Jean. And that we are ready for," everyone said. It was as if they had choreographed it. And well.

"Nice choreography. But we have a job to do. Let's get these machines to the track."

Jean Mercer-Daly
Crossport Raceway, Crossport, Audioslavia
Thursday, 09:48

"Talia, it's been 75 minutes precisely since you all got here. Can we go drive the cars now?"

"Hang on... alright, I've been informed the prototypes are ready. Here they come now."

The two cars were rolled out in front of Jean's and Rebecca's eyes. They were mostly sponsorless- only with Grotti badges and the Obey logo as well due to Jean's and Rebecca's history- as well as with their racing numbers, 04 (Jean) and 15 (Rebecca) displayed in all their glory. There was also a serial code on the side, in large font- SG00. Probably meant this car was a prototype.

"Hey, Rebecca. What exactly are you even doing with this project?"

"Unofficial test driver. It'll be during the WGP2 offseason, so don't worry too much. Now we strap in and go have some fun. There's a small crowd that got interested in us, so we can please the fans too!"

It was all good. Now to see what was prepped for this test.

--Testing--

Jean set out on his flying lap. Rebecca did so a few seconds back. The car thundered down the stretch and into the Turn of the Century- Jean could see why it was called that, but it stood no chance against the new car. And what a car it was. Sure, it wasn't completely up to WGPC regulations, but it was close. And it was good enough for both Jean and Rebecca.

Coming across the line... 1:30.993 and a 1:31.206. Both very fast.

"Those were nice laps! We might actually have some good competition cars for next season!"

And that was what mattered then. But the ultimate purpose for this test was practice around Crossport that you couldn't get in the simulator. One day in a GT car. The second in a prototype WGPC competitant. One more in the real deal.

A threepeat was in the balance.

[Audioslavia]

Measuring Up
With the season drawing to a close, people are heralding Season 15 as one of the greatest ever.
But how to today's crop of drivers measure up to their predecessors?

The modern era of World Grand Prix Championship racing is generally believed to be the period from WGCP8 to the present, when the sport first started being broadcast live on TV around the world, rather than being confined to the now defunct Jolt TV steams.

Since then, ninety-nine races have been held over the eight seasons, crowning six different champions so far in the form of Starblaydia's Jai Kardaeri, Liventia's Matthew Portland (to date the only two-time winner of the modern era), Falcania's Stang Crax, Audioslavia's own Alexander Lund, Alexandra Mayari of Nekoni and reigning World Champion Terho Talvela of Aboveland.

Increased viewing figures for seasons fourteen and fifteen have shown that the tournament has captured the imagination of the world's racing fans, with the faces and names of the likes of Talvela, Cattaneo, Lane et al instantly recogniseable from Rushmore to Lunia. How, though, do the current crop measure up to those who came before them? We sent our man into the archives to find out.

Pos	Driver			Total Points (using current scoring system)
1	Jai Kardaeri		479
2	Matthew Portland	450
3	André Luís Caconde	327
4	Alexander Lund		299
5	R.L. Cruisin		286
6	Terho Talvela		237
7	Lee Rogers		233
8	Joe Allon		211
9	Asao Nadakei		205
10	Bruno Borghi		178
10	iBen Toralmintii	178
---
12	Alexandra Mayari	176
17	Victoria Gardner	136
19	Alex Dmitrianov		131
19	Louis Krindle		131

The points system used in modern-day WGPC is the latest in a long line of attempts to show which man, woman or cat-being is the true Best in the World in any given year. Transcribing the current 25-18-14-etc system to previous seasons yields a definite top two, with Jai Kardaeri and Matthew Portland top of the list (something which will become a theme the further we go). Portland and Kardaeri were the aces of the first three modern-era seasons, only retiring for good after WGPC12. The slightly longer season lengths for cycles 8 and 9 mean they have a slight advantage, sure, but there can be no denying the impressiveness of their marks.

Of the current crop, Alexander Lund is best place, a Sunday points-finish away from joining a 300-club which has only one member, in the form of Andre-Luis Caconde of Cafundeu. More on him later. Veteran R.L. Cruisin comes in fifth after a number of strong to modest showings, with current champ Terho Talvela ahead of the iconic Lee Rogers and season 7 champion Joe Allon. Hodori's Asao Nadakei, on 205 points, is perhaps a slight surprise for those who forget the Hodoran narrowly missing out on the title in season thirteen. iBen Toralmintii, second last time out, rounds out the top ten, level with Bruno Borghi, Cafundeu's second driver in the elite group. Season 13 champion Alexandra Mayari is just two points back, with long-time partner Victoria Gardner in 17th.

Pos	Driver			Top Ten Finishes
1	Jai Kardaeri		38
2	Matthew Portland	35
3	R.L. Cruisin		29
4	Alexander Lund		27
5	André Luís Caconde	23
6	Lee Rogers		21
7	Louis Krindle		19
8	Asao Nadakei		17
8	iBen Toralmintii	17
8	Alexandra Mayari	17
---
11	Terho Talvela		16
15	Victoria Gardner	15
22	Alex Dmitrianov		13

Kardaeri and Portland lead the way in terms of top-ten finishes (get used to those names in positions one and two) in a list which largely resembles the previous one, except with R.L. Cruisin showing his longevity in third place. The oft derided Louis Krindle shows why he has been going so long, in seventh place. The top ten is largely dominated by current drivers, with six of the ten taking part in this year's championship. Terho Talvela is just a points-finish away from joining them, though the retiring Victoria Gardner will have to make do with life outside the top ten.

Pos	Driver			Podiums
1	Jai Kardaeri		20
1	Matthew Portland	20
3	Alexander Lund		13
4	André Luís Caconde	12
5	R.L. Cruisin		10
5	Terho Talvela		10
7	Lee Rogers		9
8	Asao Nadakei		8
8	Joe Allon		8
10	iBen Toralmintii	7
10	Alexandra Mayari	7
---
12	Victoria Gardner	6
15	Ryker Lane		5
19	Louis Krindle		4
19	Alex Dmitrianov		4
19	Maria Cattaneo		4

Talvela's ten podiums in under mid-length seasons is impressive enough to get him into fifth place on the leaderboard, with each of the five drivers ahead having had much longer careers. Kardaeri and Portland, once again, show just how much they dominated those early seasons. They won't be caught any time soon, at least not if Alexander Lund continues his life as a backmarker. Ryker Lane, who has come under fire for making a tilt at the championship despite having yet failed to win a race, is in fifteenth position after only eleven races.

Pos	Driver			Race Wins
1	André Luís Caconde	7
2	Jai Kardaeri		5
2	Terho Talvela		5
4	Matthew Portland	4
4	Alexander Lund		4
4	Bruno Borghi		4
7	R.L. Cruisin		3
7	Joe Allon		3
7	Stang Crax		3
7	Rafael Blanco		3
7	Xeb Kallasdun		3
7	Jessica Franssen	3

When it comes to actually winning races, no-one can touch the Cafundeu driver Andre Luis Caconde who, with seven, is far ahead of everyone else. Caconde would win three races to Kardaeri's one in season eight, but could only manage to finish second in the championship behind the Starblaydi. He would repeat the exact same feat in season nine, with Portland the man in his way rather than Kardaeri. On that second occasion, if the current points system were to have been used, Caconde would have won by twenty-four points and would have had the title wrapped up with three races to go. Therein, perhaps, lies the problem with the current system: Portland had him beaten in most races that year. The statistics may say that Caconde had more wins, as many podiums and more top-ten finishes, but Portland kept finishing ahead, and that's what won the Liventian the title.

At the bottom of the elite list, in equal seventh, is Jessica Franssen. Her three wins in six races, all at the end of season fourteen, were unprecedented, and it's difficult to believe that any driver could better such a ratio in the near future.

Pos	Driver			Races
1	Jai Kardaeri		63
1	Matthew Portland	63
3	R.L. Cruisin		59
4	Alexander Lund		48
5	iBen Toralmintii	46
6	Lee Rogers		44
6	Alexandra Mayari	44
8	Xabier Obertoon		41
9	André Luís Caconde	40
9	Bruno Borghi		40
9	Joe Allon		40
9	Adam Richardson		40
9	Arie de Winter		40
---
14	Asao Nadakei		36
14	Alex Dmitrianov	36
14	Moisés Delgado		36
14	Victoria Gardner	36
14	Esteban Guilhermez	36
14	Sayono Souzare		36
20	Louis Krindle		35

Portland and Kardaeri both lead the way in terms of longevity, but should R.L. Cruisin return next season the Vilitan will surely break the 63-race barrier. Both Kardaeri and Portland, of course, have more races under their belts if you include what went on before WGPC8, but we're not looking at that for now. Not many current drivers are around the top ten in this 12-races-per-season era, but Alexandra Mayari, with three and a half seasons in the big leagues, does come in in fourth. Rather pleasingly, she shares sixth place with the man she replaced at Yogutz Lantzia midway through season twelve - the start of her career.

Pos	Driver			Seasons
1	Jai Kardaeri		5
1	Matthew Portland	5
1	R.L. Cruisin		5
4	Alexander Lund		4
4	iBen Toralmintii	4
4	Lee Rogers		4
4	Alexandra Mayari	4
8	Xabier Obertoon		3
8	André Luís Caconde	3
8	Bruno Borghi		3
8	Joe Allon		3
8	Adam Richardson		3
8	Arie de Winter		3
8	Asao Nadakei		3
8	Alex Dmitrianov		3
8	Moisés Delgado		3
8	Victoria Gardner	3
8	Esteban Guilhermez	3
8	Sayono Souzare		3
8	Louis Krindle		3

In terms of seasons, Kardaeri comes up top again with five seasons (six in all) in WGPC. Cruisin, Lund, Toralmintii and Mayari round out the top six.

Pos	Driver			Percentage of Top Ten finishes	
1	Jessica Franssen	83.33%
2	Ryker Lane		81.82%
3	Juliano Lemos		72.73%
4	Terho Talvela		69.57%
5	Enaut Londoso		69.57%
6	Reni Sanderson		66.67%
7	Donal O'Connell		65.22%
8	Vitaliy Aaltonen	65.22%
9	Maria Cattaneo		63.64%
10	Axel Novikov		63.64%
11	Edward Masterson	63.64%
12	Marc Rangneri		63.64%
13	Jeremy Jensen-Fletcher	63.64%
14	Jai Kardaeri		60.32%

For all Portland and Kardaeri's dominance, neither of them manage to trouble the top ten when you look at ratios of points finishes to races. Franssen, naturally, tops the list, with Ryker Lane close behind - again a showcase of the Nimbian's reliability and consistency. Juliano Lemos, missing everywhere else, is up in third ahead of Terho Talvela, whose occaisional reliability problems hold him back.

Surprising entrants in this elite list include Reni Sanderson - let go by McPahan after just five races of season fourteen - and Vitaliy Aaltonen, who is arguably more famous for not knowing how to use twitter.

All in all, what is there to be gained from these statistics? Possibly not a great deal, but for to point out how uncompetitive the Kardaeri/Portland era was compared to the last few seasons. One thing that's for sure, though, is that you're almost certain to see a few of these names higher up the leaderboards next season.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Audioslavian Grand Prix
Before Practice

Everything is in its place. Rather than make another upgrade to the car as before almost every previous weekend, this time Gertrude and her team have been working to ensure that absolutely nothing goes wrong on the car. Every failsafe has been checked thrice over, every panel and motor secured, every circuitboard cleaned. The car, therefore, is at its most sound and reliable since the season’s beginning.

Ryker is similarly prepared. Having attained a state of emotional stability despite last weekend’s events, his mind is focussed on the task at hand: he wants to win the race and claim the championship in the process. Practice is a chance to sound out the track in the non-digital arena, to gain a more intuitive and natural feeling for the circuit and the challenges that might arise as a result of its quirks.

Nexus Racing probably won’t win the Constructors’ Championship this weekend. The Drivers’ Championship, though? That’s most definitely on the table and, as such, their resources are entirely focussed on that objective.

And so, when Ryker Lane glides out of the garage in his UHSGV-1 for the last practice session of the year at Audioslavia, everything is as ready as it will ever be, everything is as aligned as it possibly can be, for him to take victory here. Now he and the team just have to deliver.

[WGPC]

Friday Practice: Audioslavia

Drivers had ninety minutes to record up to thirty laps of the track (including in and out laps to and from the pits). Only each driver's fastest time is shown in the table below.
Conditions: DRY

Pos # Driver			Team			Fastest Lap		Behind Leader
 1  1 Terho Talvela                	0:01:31.090	0:00:00.000
 2  4 Jean Mercer-Daly             	0:01:31.098	0:00:00.008
 3 20 Mick Schramm                 	0:01:31.143	0:00:00.054
 4 80 J. Jensen-Fletcher           	0:01:31.154	0:00:00.064
 5 37 Axel Novikov                 	0:01:31.159	0:00:00.069
 6  5 Juliano Lemos                	0:01:31.173	0:00:00.083
 7 94 Ryker Lane                   	0:01:31.174	0:00:00.084
 8 18 Louis Krindle                	0:01:31.202	0:00:00.112
 9 51 R.L. Cruisin                 	0:01:31.222	0:00:00.133
10 99 Maria Cattaneo               	0:01:31.225	0:00:00.135
11 16 Alexander Lund               	0:01:31.240	0:00:00.150
12 52 Sayono Souzare               	0:01:31.268	0:00:00.178
13  6 Marika Pedanovic             	0:01:31.353	0:00:00.263
14 17 Eaoueaiou Aeouiouie          	0:01:31.370	0:00:00.280
15  7 Ethan Ellis                  	0:01:31.373	0:00:00.284
16 53 Denholm Kingsley             	0:01:31.404	0:00:00.314
17 29 Esteban Guilhermez           	0:01:31.409	0:00:00.319
18 42 Alex Dimitrianov             	0:01:31.410	0:00:00.320
19 55 Asao Nadakei                 	0:01:31.416	0:00:00.326
20 89 Will Madison                 	0:01:31.520	0:00:00.430
21 77 iBen Toralmintii             	0:01:31.616	0:00:00.526
22 24 Victoria Gardner             	0:01:31.689	0:00:00.599
23 14 Oliver Bliss                 	0:01:31.716	0:00:00.627
24 23 Moisés Delgado               	0:01:31.765	0:00:00.675
25 74 Alexandra Mayari             	0:01:31.859	0:00:00.769
26 63 Kurt Censki                  	0:01:32.285	0:00:01.195

Saturday Qualifying should be scorinated on after 10pm UTC tomorrow.

[Esmerel]

Jean Mercer-Daly
Crossport Raceway, Crossport, Audioslavia
Friday Practice

A sunny day in Audioslavia. Conditions can't be better as we head into today's practice session. Welcome to the final round of this year's World Grand Prix Championships.

The commentators weren't wrong. It was as sunny as anyone had hoped for. And sunny meant fast and fun. This was a circuit less attuned to Jean's aggressive but safe driving ability, but still one he could excel on. He'd need to do just that if he wanted to do what no driver had ever done before in at least Jean's memory. Three race wins in a row.

So the only logical thing to do was to get a good practice time in.

"Jean, we've spent hours and hours on your car," said Andy. "It has the absolute best performance and reliability you've had all season, and you shouldn't worry too much about things breaking down."

Those words were what Jean had wanted to hear for ages. So he went out and flew around the track.

Sure, it'd be a shame if he couldn't win three in a row. But it'd be fine. He had a 37.5% podium rate in his first season. That was good enough. This was just to see if he could make it 12.5% better.

Several laps later, Talvela posts the fastest time. Again.

But Jean is on a stormer of a lap. Coming through Lund and Bunn, around the tunnel and by the Linco Turn, named after former McPahan boss Linco McPahan, who reportedly died in a terrorist attack at one of the races. Probably not true, but that's all that got past the police tape in the Esmerelian news networks.

Across the line on Jean's best lap... not good enough to beat Terho. But when he noticed the gap...

Good enough. That is the smallest gap I've seen since- okay, no it's not. But eight thousandths? Holy wow. See? We are competitive!

Jean brought the car back to the pit lane. "So, Jean," began Darrell. "You think it can be done?"

"I'd say yes. We just need to execute every last action perfectly."

It was like a space mission. A thousand things needed to go right, and if one of them didn't, it'd be disaster. All he could do is focus... and pray. He wasn't needing a third race win in his life. But it'd cheer him up massively. So why not go for it?

[Aboveland]

Terho's plane touched down in Crossport late Thursday night with the delicacy of a creme brulee shell. His time back home at the Pine Hill Circuit had really paid off in helping him rid his anxiety. The Project AGP car was phenomenal, much improved over the last time he'd had the pleasure to sit at its wheel, his seat molded to his preferred posture. It accelerated quicker, turned harder, and roared louder. The plethora of stimuli engulfed him, shook him, awoke him, reincarnated him. Once again, he was fearless. Once again, he was a world champion.

Axel's call had been unexpected, especially considering the absurd method of distraction he'd come up with in a desperate attempt to play mind games on him. But, having given up on the title by the final race, and seeing his compatriot so close to a second championship win (putting him on par with Matthew Portland) and a successful title defense, he felt an urge to assist him in achieving his goal.

On Wednesday, sat around a monitor spectating Terho's practice runs, Axel spilled the beans on what truly moved him to calling up Terho. Since his massive tunnel accident, he felt crushing fear shooting around corners. It had been his first properly harrowing accident; no stranger to spectacular crashes, he should have walked it off with ease. Yet the fact that he recognized that his crash could have taken his life was too present to overcome or kick under the rug. He felt defeated. The increasing pressure Frida laid on him after a string of okay but unimpressive results made him bite the bullet. He decided it was time for his team to be his, as it was meant to be. He dismissed Frida from the team indefinitely, and put his reserved, icy and ironically popular figure in the hot seat. Novikov Racing was now his own. Both in his and Terho's favor (he'd become quite fond of them), Karl and Sven remained with the team. When asked if he'd return next season, he simply shrugged, admitting it would be interesting to try the sport from the paddock.

---

Anni² sits still on the harlequin tarp under her, matching her bodywork. Terho, strapped inside, let his head hang, focusing his eyes on the bottom of the steering wheel, where his number is etched precisely upon the alcantara in silver thread. 1. A number that is the world to him. A number that means the world to him. A number so important that it separates the legends from the winners. In two days, Terho might either join the legend of legends of all time in the WGPC, or watch on as another man became a legend right before his eyes. He'd rather share his legendary status with one than with five.

The track is in pristine condition, the tarmac adhering to the tires effortlessly. After his outlap, where he heated his tyres, Terho set his foot down to the floor. He was going for it, the fastest time, and he wouldn't stop at practice, oh no. He wanted to top the sheets all weekend. His fastest lap came on his seventh, and it went so:

Rocketing into the turn of the century, rumbling over the kerb on the inside, Terho follows through into the first straight on the circuit, tensing his right leg and feeling the corners of his mouth and his eyeballs roll backwards towards his ears. Gently pressing the brakes he zooms through turn two and carefully adjusts Anni²'s nose, aligning it perfectly with the racing line, as the chassis pivots over the tarmac.

Terho turns left at the notch right before the Hammertail, the famous site around which he powerslid a WGPC car in his first ever test. Emulating his corner entry from WGPC14's pre season test, he bites the gravel on the inside of the corner, just past the kerb, and throws his car around the corner, getting just a little bit sideways. Terho grins as the MRT garage yank at their hair.

Anni² dances around the esses, Knock, Hold and Loose, her rear swaying wildly and her front wing flexing graciously. Terho slams the throttle into Lund Hill, and as he approaches the rail tunnel on the other side, his insides burning with adrenaline, he pumps the brake pedal ever so slightly, letting the unevenness of the rail tunnel skip Anni² up and into the Linco turn. Grumbling through the start/finish line, Terho sets his fastest lap with a time of 0:01:31.090: just enough to claim first place in practice, and not even a tenth ahead of Ryker Lane. Axel, albeit frightened by the rail tunnel, ends up fifth.

Terho's first place in practice, however, is nothing to celebrate over. This weekend, he was determined to banish the practice curse to hell. This weekend, he'd to his number justice. He was number one.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Audioslavian Grand Prix
Before Qualifying

I should wish him luck too. It’s only fair.

And so Ryker Lane finds himself in front of the MRT garage of all places, trying to catch the attention of someone inside.

Huh. I’ve got quite good at that.

[The Redvale]

Maria Cattaneo
Before Qualifying, Audioslavian Grand Prix

It was strange to think about life after racing. Life after this thing that she had dedicated her life to. She was twenty two years old, but she didn't exactly have too many skills outside of racing. Instead of taking extra classes in high school, she had been working on her kart and trying to work her way up to racing cars. Instead of attending college, which she probably would have been able to get into with the help of Asher and his family, she had been racing in the lower levels before her big rise to fame when Roja Leo picked her up in the RMC and then WGPC Kjeligsted picked her up in WGPC and Red Lion retained her after their takeover, something that they hadn't done for the other driver on their team.

After all of that, it looked like she was going to have to find some other profession if she wanted to care for her son properly. She'd thought about just taking a hiatus during her pregnancy and coming back next season, or the season after that, but the truth was that life on the road was hard when you had someone to care for other than yourself. There could be no more late nights drinking with Gabriella. No more spending hours at the track going over data with Asher. No more staying up to watch the mechanics work in the evening and into the night, and making requests about the specifics of the car. No more risking her life with risky moves and bursting through every corner like it was her last, no more disregarding her safety for the good of the team, and no more heated battles with some of the other stars of the grid.

She would have to leave all of it behind once Silva was here if she wanted to be a good mother, and that hurt more than anything she had experienced in her life. It was something that she was inconsolable about, and at the same time, it was something she couldn't talk herself out of. "Should I just get an abortion?" she asked Gabriella, as the duo headed to the garage before qualifying. "There would be backlash, but it's legal in Janford... Hell, I might be able to pass it off as a miscarriage, you do have friends in the press after all..."

"I can't answer that question for you. But Maria, if you decide to make that choice, do it because it's what you would have done anyway in this situation. Not because of a career that could disappear in a few moments."

"What are you implying?"

"I'm saying you could go out there today, have a brakes failure, and slam into a wall at a couple hundred miles per hour and break a dozen bones. And you might not recover, and then you realize that you made some of your most important life decisions based on something that could be taken away from you in an instant," Gabriella said, surprisingly thoughtfully. "Trust me. Put too much into one thing and you'll end up disappointed most of the time."

"Easy for you to say. You've never had to give your whole life to something. If you hadn't been successful in business, you still would have grown up with billions of dollars of cash from your dad and you never would have had to work a day in your life," Maria shrugged. "You work because it's what you like. I had to start working at this because it was an out, something that would allow me and my family to stay in Janford while all the prices rose around us. I'm just lucky that I was able to do something I love, and not some high paying but boring job that I can't stand."

"It's not like you're going to run out of money now though, after making it to WGPC and now that you're with Asher."

"Right... Still, I don't have other skills, and this is the only thing I've ever done for a living. I could just sit around as a stay at home mother, but fuck that... I'm going to go crazy like that, not doing anything, not going after any goals," sighed Maria. "I always laughed at those people before, the ones who just sit around and watch their kids and watch TV and cook all day, but judging from what my skills are and how I'm not going to be a race, that might be what I'm doing by the time next season rolls around."

"You'll find something. You're talented, after all-"

As Gabriella was speaking, Maria's phone buzzed and she took it out and found another text from Ryker. He was wishing her luck, and acknowledging that she didn't want to see him. She sent back a reply, one that wasn't long but was to the point; 'I'd wish you luck too, but I don't think you need it. And before we part ways, make sure you stop by my room tonight. We'll probably never see each other again, but let's make the most of the time that we have left.'

"Gods, I actually did it," Maria said, as Gabriella watched.

The other woman just raised an eyebrow. "You did what?"

"Asked Ryker to come to my room tonight because we won't see each other again," remarked Maria. "Cause, well, you know... I never said I was with Asher, just implied that I wasn't going to raise my kid by myself."

"You're quite the minx, aren't you?" Gabriella muttered. "Either make sure Asher knows the terms of your relationship, or make sure that he doesn't find out. I don't think you need any more drama right now."

"I don't intend on anyone finding out about this. But I do feel somewhat bad for what happened with Ryker, and maybe I can make up for that a bit tonight. At the very least I plan on sending him in the right direction towards someone else, and... Well, you'll see about that later," she said, and then they arrived in the garage where the mechanics were setting up the cars for qualifying.

"Everything looks perfect for qualifying," said the head mechanic, when they entered. "We don't really have to worry about repairing the parts after the race, meaning that this weekend you're going to be able to push the car like you've never pushed it before. Just watch, you're going to be flying around those turns faster than anyone's ever seen. The front wing angle is higher than Janford College on four twenty day, and we put the side strips from earlier in the season and from the experimental division back onto the car here."

"So I'm going to be spending my last race trusting experimental technology?"

"Not necessarily experimental. Just get ready for more downforce than you've ever had before-"

"I hope it works, because I'm having your head if it doesn't," Maria said, and with that, she went to change into her race suit and head out for the qualifying session that could make or break her chances at winning the title.

[Vilita and Turori]

Vilitan Grand Prix, Vilitan Mountain Challenge Course, Rockii Coast, Vilita :: The disappointment on the face of R.L. Cruisin was unsettling. The Arada Motorsport driver had circled this day on the calendar long, long ago. It was his home Grand Prix. All his family and friends had come to watch him race.

Instead, his family and friends watched his car roll from the paddock to the starting grid. Thats it.

For the third consecutive season, R.L. Cruisin was the first driver to retire from the Vilitan Grand Prix. This time, however, he only made it a single lap around the course.

R.L. Cruisin - Vilitan Grand Prix History
Vilita & Turori Motorsports
11Q: 2
11F: 2
12Q: 2
12F: 3
Frontiere Racing
13Q: 5
13F: DNF (Lap 16)
Carvenlo-Franklin
14Q: 10
14F: DNF (Lap 16)
Arada Motorsport
15Q: 21
15F: DNF (Lap 1)

Having put in a horrific qualifying effort - the worst of his career at the Vilitan Mountain Challenge Course, the odds were always going to be stacked against the Vilitan driver. But he knew he couldn't do any worse than he did the previous two seasons - where he was also the first driver to retire from the event. Or so he thought. At least during World Grand Prix Championship Season's 13 and 14 he made it to the 16th lap of competition.

As his Arada Motorsport ride made its way slowly around turns 13 & 14, the left front wheel only sporadically touching the ground as sparks flew from underneath the brightly colored rainbow machine, R.L. Cruisin knew his day was done. He knew the dream of winning his home Grand Prix was over yet again. He just didn't *want* to believe it. So he kept driving the car.

He kept driving and took it down the pit lane and sat in the Cockpit as if all his team needed to do was put on a fresh set of tyres. He just couldn't accept defeat. Not again.

The field stormed by. R.L. Cruisin remained strapped in. His Arada Motorsport crew members stood around the car with the arms up wondering what the driver wanted them to do. Finally, Cruisin unbuckled. He threw his steering wheel against the pit lane wall section, helmet still attached. Then he went back to the car and attempted to lift the left front of the car off the ground. His crew tried to pull him away.

When he finally returned to the paddock and removed his helmet, the look of despair, of pure agony was undeniable. It was one of - if not the single worst race weekend of Cruisin's career. His performances from season to season had gotten worse and had now hit an all-time low.

For the first time, Cruisin began to wonder if this was the end of the line. Had his career passed him by? Were his continued struggles just bad luck? An inability to negotiate with a strong team? The previous two seasons, his race team had folded due to poor performance. Was it really the teams that were underperforming? Or was it him?

R.L. Cruisin didn't know what the future would bring, but for the first time in the drivers career, he began to wonder how much longer he had left.

The disappointment at the end of the day was of an entirely different variety for Turorian driver iBen Toralmintii. Having placed in the Top 5 during Season 14, Toralmintii was confident in his ability to improve on his 8th starting position and the experienced Turorian did exactly that.

While his strong showing at the home race in Eelandii was certainly not a surprise, Toralmintii showed strength once again and was in competition for a podium place throughout the race.

Unfortunately for the Turorian, the Red Lion racing duo of Mercer-Daly and Cattaneo were too strong and Toralmintii was pipped to the podium, having to settle for a 4th place finish. Toralmintii spent the final stretch of the race in a tense battle with his former teammate turned Arch-Rival Terho Talvela - the same Talvela who had gotten the best of Toralmintii in Eelandii.

This time, the veteran Turorian got the best of the Driver Championship leader, besting Talvela to the line and helping open the door for Talvela's Championship Challengers to deny the Abovian a second consecutive Grand Prix title.

The WGPC Eelandii team showed strength all around with Toralmintii's team car #53 posting a strong and highly unexpected 6th place result. While Toralmintii was glad to stay by his car post race and speak with the media, Toralmintii's teammate left his helmet on at the end of the race and quickly returned to the safety of the paddock.

With just one race left on the schedule, the series shifts to Eelandii where either Cruisin, or Toralmintii... or both will have their season come to a conclusion without a single victory for the first time since the WGPC 12 or 13 seasons respectively.