World Grand Prix Championship Season 16: RP Thread

[Esmerel]

Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay, The Nexus Wardship
Saturday, 10 March 2018

Things were looking up at Nexus Racing. They had taken their first win since the first race of the fifteenth season (and at the same track no less) were not far behind in the Constructors' or Drivers' titles, and had taken 3 of the four pole positions so far this season. Jean himself was feeling mighty spectacular- his win last week placed him in third in the Drivers' Championship- the highest he had ever been. This weekend the team had a home field advantage- Ryker had absolutely dominated every session until now and Jean wasn't doing half bad either.

The weekend as a whole was quite the event for the Wardship- while the circuit had hosted a WGP2 race, the attendance for that event was nowhere near the attendance for this. Additionally, several lectures and talks and other fun events had been planned out and executed with precision- everyone wanted this event to be memorable.

Now what mattered is that Nexus finished it on a high note- with a win.

[Aboveland]

The kerbs rattled under the bob of Nanna's suspension, her exhaust tip a scalding yellow, her tires morphing under the intense force of the downforce upon her, swaying left-right-left-right-left over the second set of winding bridge corners. His off week had been spent entirely locked in Lintulahti, prancing around the track lap after lap after lap, orchestrating his every move to perfect his technique, his right foot glued to the end of the monocoque. Aada had abandoned her outrageous quadruple wishbone ideas and settled on a more conventional and immediately effective cornering solution: active dampers and rollbars.

At Crossbay, he had about choreographed the entire lap, shifting and yanking his steering wheel with precise, infallible timing, pinning the throttle with the commitment of a serial killer, keeping an otherworldly grip on the steering wheel like a strongman. Who needed youth when he was driving like this? He'd finally allowed his age induced fantasy of becoming himself once again effervesce into the past, beyond his stored memories, down deep into the abyss of forget. What he needed was a breath of fresh air, a flex of his muscles, a final evolution brought forth after his dozens of races, tests, wins and defeats, and he'd finally materialized.

The atmosphere at Crossbay was overwhelmingly supportive of the local team, as was expected. Ryker Lane dominated both Friday and Saturday's sessions without ever budging from the top, his home advantage loud and clear. Alas, that would be the only barrier between Terho and first place, as the entire TRÆ paddock gleamed at the sight of number 56, the trigram TAL standing proudly second twice in a row. The old champion was back, fast all the same, but fast entirely differently.

The practice session was soggy, not drenched like Eastfield Lodge, but wet enough to bear puddles around the outsides of the fresh, sticky pavement. Lane's home experience, combined with Coalescence's four wheel drive system and inception on that very tarmac, contributed to his dominant performance, but Terho was not far behind at all. During his hotlaps, his conscience was overcome by the choreographic timing he'd trained of the racetrack, but a faint whisper of satisfaction lingered in the back of his head. The last two WGPC champions were proving they were no slouches at all.

Qualifying had gone spectacularly well at first. The initial session had been bone dry, his best time just over a tenth of a second slower than Lane's top time. The second session saw an overcast sky release its contents shortly after the clocks had begun to count down to the end of the qualifying runs. Many drivers took the gamble of running their flying laps before the heavens began to gush their contents onto the circuit below; Terho, waiting for the clouds to clear, fell victim to the increasing rain, managing a time three seconds slower than pole position on an increasingly damp track on much slower tyres than the leader. It was an unfortunate situation, but it didn't fluster Terho.

The Abovian returned to the paddock with the crack of the lightning beginning to loom ominously over the circuit, the waves in the bay unsettling and licking teasingly at the barriers to either side of the bridge section. This time around, however, Terho wouldn't bother with his right brain. He was completely overwhelmed with surgical precision and inhumane focus, the metronome marking the tempo of his laps still hammering at his thoughts. There would be no saunas, or sulking over lost time, or worrying about the wrong tyres this time around. His previous races had seen an unprecedented rate of climb up the standings, from lackluster or unfortunate starts to podiums and points positions, performances which could easily shoot him from eighth to a win to crash the Nimban GP circus. This time, there would be no first lap incidents, collisions with nemeses, or silly spins and stalls. Terho was a changed man, inheriting the fiery fury of his machine, his temper ice cold, the merging of both elements of his body and soul releasing a powerful, explosive reaction in his head. He was a changed man, no longer the ex-champion, no longer the MRT abandonee, no longer an Icarus destined to the lower half of the standings.

This time, Terho Talvela was back, remastered, and hungrier than ever.

[Vilita and Turori]

Nimban Grand Prix, Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay :: Vilita & Turori drivers R.L. Cruisin and Juracai Klianiota, their MSA-SinVal and Tropicorp Aelund Racing Teams and team principle iBen Toralmintii and his WGPC Eelandii drivers Reva Izalio and Jennifer Johnson arrived at the Crossbay Circuit in Nimbus Bay with their tails between their legs. Not a single one of them had finished on the lead lap at the Grand Prix of the Imperial Commonwealth at Mount Salt Raceway in Mount Salt City, Eastfield Lodge.

It was the home race for the MSA-SinVal Team and Vilitan driver R.L. Cruisin was hoping to leverage his teams knowledge at the course to steal a podium finish to extend his career record and prove he still had what it took to compete at the highest level.

Cruisin certainly appeared to be well on his way with an incredible start that saw the Vilitan driver fly through the pack overtaking a personal record 21 cars in the first 17 laps.

Unfortunately, Cruisin had overdriven the car considerably to get to that point and on lap 34 he was attempting to defend his place as his tyres had gone away and rubbed up against another car then missed turn 8 and damage the car beyond repair, turning what had looked like it would be both his and the teams best run of the season into just another DNF for the Vilitan driver.

Things didn't go much better for MSA-SinVal teammate Whittaker who had barely broken into the top 10 before retiring on Lap 68.

As for Vilita & Turori's other driver, Juracai Klianiota, it was once again a case of Tyres going away at an inopportune time although in this case the Tropicorp Racing Aelund driver was able to at least finish the day in a points paying position after falling from 5th to 9th over the course of the final 10 circuits around the track.

The only bright spot on the day was once again Jennifer Johnson, the surprising driver who seems to have taken the best of the tutelage from team principle and experienced WGPC Veteran iBen Toralmintii to once again place in the points, this time posting a 5th place result despite being a lap down to the winner Jean Mercer-Daly in the Nexus Racing ride. Johnsons second points paying finish of the season ensures that she now has double the points accrued over the season then do both Juracai Klianiota and R.L. Cruisin have combined.

If Tropicorp Racing Aelund and MSA-SinVal don't get their act together fast, things will only get worse before they get better. While there have been 25 rides on the grid for each of the opening races thus far in the championship season, starting with the Nimban Grand Prix at the Crossbay Circuit, a 26th ride will be added as the Bitten Heroes team will finally be rolling out their second car. It will be just one more driver to overtake if the teams can't get their qualifying packages right in the quest for some, like the MSA-SinVal drivers, to claim their first points of the Grand Prix season after the blown opportunity in Mount Salt City.

[Sorlovia]

Crossbay Circuit Qualifying

The past was the past. There was nothing he could do but look ahead to the future and what was to come. His last two races had yielded undesirable placings but no matter how much things went awry Gregori refused to let himself become bitter and resentful. It was simply the nature of the up-and-down sport that was racing. Every racer had their good days, and every racer also had their bad ones. Some races went well and others not so well. That was just how things went sometimes. All you could do was train as hard as you could and give it everything you had. It was moments like this one right here that brought back his father's old saying.

"Life will knock you down but you have to keep getting back up. You only fail when you allow yourself to fail."

So, rather than growing contemptuous and bitter Gregori had attempted to learn from his mistakes. He'd spent long hours on the training track and several more long hours studying the Crossbay Circuit. He'd poured over the circuit layout, studied the course overview, gone over and over every corner and straight in his mind multiple times and had rewatched his past races to see what he'd been doing wrong. Every failure presented an opportunity to learn and every success provided an opportunity for studious improvement. There was something to be learned from every single result and event at every race. He'd just got back from a training run when he was met by an interview crew from Vangaziland.

PRESENTER: We're here with Gregori Krupin, VMR's burgeoning paid racer, who has been experiencing a few downturns in his career lately. Tell us Gregori, how are you feeling going into the new race? Is your placing in the last race still weighing on your mind?

GREGORI: That's a very good question. I'd be lying if I said the last race wasn't very much in my mind. I'll admit that the past two races weren't good results but I believe they present a really valuable learning experience that will give me an opportunity to improve.

PRES: Your fans want to know. Do you feel that the past two results will hold you back in any way? Have they put you off so to speak?

*Gregori pauses thoughtfully for a few moments before smiling at the camera*

GREG: I would like to reassure my fans, both at home in Sorlovia and in Vangaziland, that nothing is going to put me off my game. I was born to be a racer. I grew up dreaming of one day racing in the big leagues. Racing is in my blood as they say. I'm not going to stop even if I do get the odd bad result. That's just the nature of the sport. Some days you do well, some days you don't. But you can't let it get to you. If you do poorly in one race you just have to chalk that down to a learning experience and go back to training hard.

PRES: So this downturn hasn't made you question your career?

GREG: Not at all! Vannish Motors took a chance on me and I owe it to them to do the very best I can. I owe it to my fans to stick with it and I owe it to myself to not give up. If I stumble, I'll just get straight back up. I am still aiming to take out the title. Don't worry. I'm here to stay. Nothing is going to change that.

PRES: Well, we wish you best of luck for the upcoming race. I know your fans will be behind you every step of the way.

GREG: Thank you! I'm giving this next race everything I've got. I want to prove to my fans that I'm still in the game.

Gregori had strategically chosen not to mention the fact that the pre-race nerves were rather bad this time around. The memory of his under performances in the last two races continued to haunt him and weighed on him heavily. Each had brought a wave of frustration and disappointment but he'd shoved those feelings way down deep and resolved to train even harder than he had been to improve his chances for the next race. He would learn from those results and adapt his racing style accordingly.

[Nekoni]

"Ninth and twelfth! That's more like it," Mayari congratulated the team as they climbed out of their cars at the end of the practice session in a sopping wet Nimbus Bay. "Keep doing performances like that, and this weekend is going to be a good one." It felt a bit odd congratulating the team for scoring what would only be two points on a race day, but as argubably the cheapest team in the championship, Polaris were going to be considered as underdogs, whether she liked it or not. "Now, don't forget. Bonus for whoever's fastest, as long as you're in the top ten. Put your training to practice, yeah?"

Okumura and Souzare had been training all week at setting hot laps at the test circuit in Neocastrella. Fortunately, the Crossbay circuit they were at resembled the test track a lot, a fast flowing track with no shortage of places to really put the car's engine to good use. Nekoni's weather had been noticeably inconsistent that week, too, so they had ample time to test both in the wet, the dry and shifting between both. Overall, Okumura had been edging Souzare in the tests, but it was close. Close enough that on a circuit in real qualifying, it'd be anyone's game. Exactly what both Erica and Sayono wanted.

"Obviously, it's early days this weekend, so I won't be toasting you with champagne yet...if I could in this damn place. They have the bloody nerve to call this place advanced yet there's nobody in this technocracy that can fix up a good mojito because it's illegal. Progressive nation, my ass."

---

Saturday, qualifying day. Coffee in hand, Erica strode into the team's purple and orange-decked garage where the cars were waiting alongside the pit crew and Sayono. The cars had been made as identical as they could possibly be. This was to be a shootout. "I know we're friends, but on that track, if I see you, I'm overtaking you, yeah?" Erica smirked a little as she spoke to Sayono. Nothing wrong with a little friendly banter between colleagues.

As the qualifying session began, conditions looked awful, just as wet as the track was yesterday. It was a challenge staying on track, particularly at the points where the circuit crossed the water, a feature of the circuit that Erica still wasn't used to. In particular, the ascent into the tunnel at the end of sector 2, despite being in a tunnel and mostly straight, was a especially difficult due to the rain making the entrance far slippier than expected. She thought they might have even deliberately greased it, such was its challenge. After a couple of laps, where she comfortably was 11th with a time in the 1'33s, she heard something intriguing on the radio.

"Weather's gonna clear up very soon, if we can pit now, we'll come out again in about 30 minutes to do the rest. Everyone else seems to be doing this, so do it now or qualify in last. Your call."

Sure enough, over the next half-hour, the rain started to clear. It was still worryingly cloudy, and not exactly warm, but the track had significantly lost its moisture, meaning, with 13 minutes remaining and 3 laps left to do, it was time to go for it. Erica finished the flying lap and blazed the purple and orange car down the pit straight and into the start of the descent at turn 1, and into the tight left-handers in the tunnel. Hugging the inside of turn 4, Erica dared not blink, as she emerged from the tunnel onto the sea crossing, and threaded turns 5, 6 and 7 in what looked like a single straight line. "You're doing great, Eri. Keep it up and you'll be inside 1'30."

As the sea section continued, her confidence started to grow out on the strange terrain, this lap feeling just that bit more daring to tackle each challenge the circuit offered. With the final turn out on the water coming up, she began her ascent into the tunnel, now mercifully easier with the lack of standing water on the track. The final section was next, and wasn't particularly difficult to manage - the fast turn 14 was nearly blind as the track flattened out, but the turn felt natural enough that it was easy to predict, with the final turns being as simple as they looked.

"Bloody hell, Eri, P5! 1'30.572! That's how you do it!" Mayari sounded pleased as punch for her, and she had every right to feel that way. Although she couldn't quite match the lap with her remaining two, and some drivers did end up beating her in the ending stretch, she held on to the top ten, a very respectable 7th. Polaris' first Q2 session. "It's the money round now, Eri. It's just you in there, so get as high up the table as you can."
"Why? Where's Sayono?"
"Uh...she came twenty-fourth."
"Oof."
"Yeah, I wouldn't brag about your position in front of her, she looks *pissed*.

---

For the ten-place shootout, Erica planned to build to a crescendo, setting a base time, then remembering the braking and turning points and seeing how far she could refine them. As she had 15 minutes to throw down as much as she could, it was all about brute force optimisation. As the car entered the tunnel ascending in the latter half of the first lap, however, she heard a horrible screeching noise from the inside of the car, as she felt a draft around her legs. "What's this, Alex? Has the floor given out or something?" Indeed, that had happened. Part of the bodywork on the underside had seperated from the rest of the car and was now being dragged along the floor.

"Get the lap finished, Eri. At least get something on the board."

As Mayari wished, she managed to get the car over the line, sadly about 7 seconds later than she wanted. However, there was no way this was getting round at anywhere near top speed, so, with a lap to go until the pit lane, Erica decided that the only thing she could do was pull the car over at turn 1, safely away from the other drivers.

"Ack, amazing, in't it? We were on the run of the season...and then your arse fell out. We'll look over the tapes and see what happened later. Still, ninth!"
"Ninth? Someone did worse than 1'37?"
"Yeah, Franssen pulled in a 1'57. I don't even know what happened there. At least you beat someone, is the main thing." Mayari then realised her gentlewomen's agreement with the team last week. She reached into the front breast pocket of her boiler suit, and retrieved a cheque for 2 million Gen (NS$27,700), handing it to Okumura.

"There you go. It's not a big cheque, just a little something for a job well done. To be honest, I didn't think we were going to get in the top ten, but you did, so congratulations. Now never say I'm not a woman of my word, eh? Also, look at this." She pointed at Erica's Q1 time. "If you did that lap again, you'd have been fourth. You do that every lap of the race tomorrow...we could seriously podium this." Erica's eyes lit up at the thought of this.

In the past few races, Polaris were getting known for being pretty mediocre at qualifying, yet being able to pull off some great comeback performances in the race itself. Now, she was starting at her best ever qualifying position. Nowhere near the pole, but if she could nail the start like she did in other races from worse positions, who knows what could happen?

[Filindostan]

Crossport Circuit
Nimbus Bay, Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
Saturday Qualifying

Rusty thought his mechanics had a lot to do after Friday practice ended with the Filindo 24th in the timesheets, just ahead of the two TIF13 cars of Ranveer and Jackson. He was not happy with the setup he had and he had to go back and forth to the pit garage just to tweak his car for the qualifying session. Good thing is he wasn't very far off the leaders, in fact he was just seven tenths off with the last setup he had. But he was not satisfied with it, and asked Werner to have the team make one final adjustment just before the time to park the car in parc ferme.

And alas, the adjustments worked like clockwork.

In the first part of the qualifying session, Rusty set the sixth fastest time, around four tenths of the second behind defending WGPC champion Ryker Lane, and almost three tenths clear of the drop zone. He needed to think clearly and not to be distracted with Kyoko also in the top ten shootout. The Ajian set the fourth fastest time in Q1 and also had been very consistent, placing high in the timesheets in the practice and qualifying sessions.

He didn't set fast times in his first run, testing the tyres he had in the first eight minutes, until he was called by Werner to change his tyres. With five minutes remaining on the clock for Q2, Werner told his driver to push it hard. Rusty obliged, and by the end of the session, he had set the third fastest time, enough to slot him in the inside of row 2, just behind the Nexus car of Ryker. He would see the remaining of the timesheet to see where Kyoko fared. He didn't move his head a bit lower, as he saw her name, just below his. What would that mean?

He would start along his childhood crush in the second row of the grid.

[Kita-Hinode]

After the Qualifying Session
At an unknown hotel

Ryu's eyes scanned the newest issue of Pokécards XD. He was, of course, very focused on it while his client, one Moe Himura had yet to arrive from a shower. Ryo, his brother, also wasn't around, apparently doing some sight-seeing at Nimbus.

The line formed. People from all parts of the country had arrived with the single goal of signing up for the latest Pokémon World Cup. Among those, of course, were a group of people all circled, under a white banner with words scribbled in a blue ink that read SUNRISE POKÉMON GYM. They were all fairly young, with the exception of one Sunrise. He had since retired from the scene but insisted on taking his students with him. This included his adopted daughter Qasden and her custody brother, Chrom.

"Uh... teacher." Sunrise snapped out of his thoughts, looking at one of his students, Lucas. The blond boy pointed to a group of people wearing a sort of varied black clothes. It was a group of fourteen youth, all looking very different but most noticeable of them all was their leader. He took a look, confused. "...Hinode?"

It indeed was the former Katsu, who found himself at the end of the line, together with whom Sunrise assumed were to be his friends. "Hey, he's still alive after all!" She waved, only to find him ignoring her. Chrom shrugged as she stared at him.
"Guess he forgot manners. Though I don't recall him having those at all..."

"I'll go talk to him, I'm sure he still remember us!" The girl darted from her group, regardless of Chrom's attempts to stop her. However, as soon as she arrived near him, she got pushed off, falling on her butt. As Qasden looked up, she noticed one of the members of the said group staying in front of her. She was tanned, her hair fairly long with a flower above her left ear. She wore a black jacket like her friends, but under that had a white sleeveless shirt and black combat pants. Notably, her feet were wrapped in bandages, the same case of her hands, those being wrapped all the way to her elbows and her face was covered by an oni mask, very much like the Hinodejin driver. "Watch your step, miss."

Qasden got up, closing her fists. She tried to talk to Katsu, but the girl kept on her way. "Please, can you get out of the way? I want to talk with Katsu..." Still, she didn't budge. "I know nothing of this Katsu person." Qasden pointed towards him, but she scuffed. "Hinode is our academy's top trainer. He doesn't have the time to talk with the likes of you." The group walked forward as the line moved, Hinode simply sighing as he passed by his rival.

"Hey, Ryu."

He looked up from the book, finding Moe in proper street clothes, having already taken a bath. "Yes, miss Himura?" She smiled, sitting next to him. "Say, did you make another of those race plans again? I kind of need to give it a shot.
I'm starting on 12th tomorrow."

Ryu smiled. "Sure did, miss!"

[Vangaziland]

A new personality emerged on the scenes before the race at Crossbay. His name was Enzo Cvetko. He was a Barnicean, from the colony of Esportivan Vangaziland. He gave a fiery interview which aired on the Vannish Sports network domestically after the qualifying session. Famous for his silver hair and bright blue eyes which he hid behind sunglasses, the team's Lead Engineer gave an honest interview about the VM-222 chassis.

"This car, the triple two, is too balanced", he said about the VM-222. "There was an argument before the season", he said. "Some of us, myself included, wanted to push more towards acceleration. A few others wanted to focus on handling. The majority of the team was on board with a balanced car."

He spoke on what the Dragon chassis was meant to be. "This car is meant to test several new features. It's unlike any other car you will see in the field. We took an aggressive aerodynamics profile, with a low and squat vehicle. The car is quick, but in a relative sense, it is not as quick in its field as the VM-111 was in the WGP2."

He also spoke on the handling. "Downforce has been an issue. Each car has a range of settings. Our front wing has lots of variability, but rear downforce is an area we can improve. We need a new wing. We went ultra-light, which has it's benefit. Still. We need to become more conventional."

The reporter asked him if the team is giving up on the VM-222. "I'll say it like this", said the silvery engineer. "We are designing the next car. It will advance in different aspects, but will be conventional in other ways. There will be less reinventing of the wheel, yes?"

When asked how they may improve, Enzo gave one hint. "We will look at developing up the rear center of the car. There is room to develop a fin along the car's spine, so to speak. The shark fin. We'll see what we can do there."

The reporter dug a little deeper and asked what the team will do about the engine. "There are two ways we can go", said Cvetko. "We can go with a twin-turbo V-8 or we can kick things back to a simple V-12. I am against this V-10 BS. We must go big. One way or another."

Jessica Franssen has been on the side of a naturally aspirated engine. "I don't want to go to a turbo", she said in an earlier interview. "They'll come with all new problems." A bigger engine may come with it's own issues as well. Based on statements from the lead engineer, fans can expect to see a very different car around the track next year.

The reporter asked if VMR could bring out a new car as early as next season. "It is for sure a possibility", said the Esportivan. One season would be a short lifespan for such a revolutionary concept of a vehicle. "We went for a new set of angles", Enzo continued. "There are other ways we can approach the situation."

He spoke of how more power might change the design. "If we went with a high horsepower engine, we'll need to get that full downforce range back. We may want to go wider. Developing down the centerline will help for sure. That'll change the look by itself."

Those in the city of South Stead may have noticed lights on late at night high in an office tower where Vannish Motors Racing rented space. This was where the corporate teams met. Enzo was granted access to a cubicle and had been revising a presentation late at night. He had the next car working around in his head. He was constantly looking for input from the drivers and crew. He kept his plans a closely guarded secret, even the drivers not being privy to its details.

Jang Xiaopeng spoke on the Omni car from his perspective. "I feel like we're a bit more dialed in than VMR", he said before the Nimban Grand Prix. "I did spin out much like Jessica did this week back at Mount Salt's qual run. That was my fault, my driver's error. Jess would probably say the same. Her car also had the engine issue during its fastest race. Well, I wrecked the next week. Both of our teams have had bad luck. Two different causes though."

Jang finds himself starting 18th at the Nimban Grand Prix. "It's not really a good start", he said. "I'll have to be consistent and hope I can find myself in the lead lap. Maybe there will be attrition. I just need to run consistent laps. The car can run fast. We saw that at practice. I didn't get the best run at qualifying. So I have my work cut out."

Xiaopeng will hope to secure at least a point or two from his unimpressive start.

[Aji No Moto]

TORQ MAGAZINE
The official magazine of Kissan Motorsport

Kissan Motorsport plan to enter Hodoran Domestic Racing Series

TAROGAMA - Tsutomu Sugiyama has announced KISMO's intention of entering the Hodori GT-A and Formula Hodori championships in a press conference here in Tarogama. Sugiyama, who is the CEO of the Kissan Motorsport organization based in Serizawa, was spotted along with WGPC driver Kyoko Fujisaki and team principal, Rudolf Ibuna, when they attended the awards ceremony for the Hodoran domestic championships.

Ibuna, a former WGPC driver who started his international open wheel career at Formula Hodori, welcomes this move made by Sugiyama, as they will enable their academy drivers to develop further while visiting circuits here in Hodori. For the GT championships, the KISMO team will plan to field the GT-spec version of the Kissan Kamikaze, which the stock car version of the car variant are already plying the oval tracks of the NSSCRA. For the Formula Hodori, nothing is set in stone yet, but they will build a FH-spec car from scratch. The team will be based in Tarogama, where the chassis and the cars will be prepared locally.

This is a welcome development for the KISMO overall in which they have already running operations in WGPC, and in NSSCRA. They already have a partnership with Filindostani outfit IGR Racing, to enter the next season of the WGP2. The lineup that Tsutomu is planning for the domestic and other racing series is yet to be determined.

The WGPC team is currently in Crossport Circuit for the fourth round of the season, where our very own Kyoko Fujisaki starts fourth alongside fellow academy graduate Rustom Ibuna who is currently driving for Mattijana Racing Team. The son of Rudolf Ibuna has stated his desire to stay at MRT next season and time will tell if the Kissan hiearchy is willing to extend his sponsorship contract for another season given his desire to say in the Mattijanan team.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Nimban Grand Prix
Pre-Practice

Ryker Lane steps through the portal into Nexus Racing’s garage a little earlier than usual. The Nimban is in no hurry to get to practice - he has had enough of that over the past year to know Crossbay Circuit inside out (though not so much as to mentally imprint it to the exclusion of all else like he accidentally did with the old Nexus Racing test track). No, he is here for a very different reason.

He glances left at the figure in his peripheral vision, teeth grazing his lips. A woman stands there, sunglasses upon her face.

He nods to her politely, a weak smile forming on his face. She nods back, neutral expression unchanging.

A feeling of profound discontent running through him, Ryker turns away as he continues to walk. No time to consider that; let’s just keep going. You’ve got people to see. Happiness colours his mind once more at that thought - and positively floods him when he opens the door to an oh-so familiar sight.

Standing just in front of Coalescence are two individuals, one male, one female, both of middling height, the latter sporting a short, brown ponytail and the former rather shaggy black hair and a clean-shaven face. They lean ever so slightly towards one another, their heads turning away from Virgil, to whom they are chatting, at the sound of the door opening. Joyfulness alights in their demeanour and visage as they recognise him and (after Virgil also notices, inclines his head politely and steps away) beam, calling “Ryker!” in unison.

A wide, similarly joyous and entirely genuine smile breaks out on his face. “Mum. Dad. It’s been too long.”

All of them surge forward, arms outstretched, to wrap each other up in a warm embrace that allows Ryker to entirely ignore what encroaching cold there may be from the bluster and rain outside. Far too long.

Pre-Race

Ryker leaps off the cliff, spinning like a diver as he falls.

Everything up to now has gone well. His previous practice has paid off: despite water absolutely covering the track on Friday and the latter part of Saturday’s Qualifying, Coalescence was fastest around the course on both occasions, by at least a tenth. The sole reason for the lack of whooping and cheering over the radio at Qualifying’s end was the result’s predictability.

Anything, however, can change. Each of the racers behind him is a threat.

Thus, he floats, gliding over to the ridge. Thus, he extends the pole. Thus he steps back and focusses to let it spin.

Thus he readies himself.

His team is with him. His family is with him. His people are with him. And, of course, he himself is with him.

He cannot lose.

[Mattijana]

Crossbay Circuit

Johan Struna looked up at the spectacular Dolomite Cliffs surrounding the Crossbay circuit. The stark rock faces were similar to some of those on the southern side of the Mattijanan ZentraleAlpe, the main mountain range in Mattijana. The view out into the bay was something not seen up in the Mattijanan hills however and the noise of 26 cars taking to the incredible track added an extra hair-raising dimension. In Johan's opinion, the track was the best on the season's calendar.

In truth the country, if you could even call it that, was a world away from the cobbled streets, trams and stone walls of Mattijana's cities. The silent Terralev network made the need for a car completely non-existent and every building seemed to be made of a weirdly shiny material that the MRT team principal had never seen before. It came as a massive surprise when Johan learnt that most of the track and its facilities were made of bog-standard concrete.

The imagikinetic recovery system impressed him the most. Loose car parts bounced harmlessly off what seemed like thin air before moving without visible force to somewhere more suitable than the side of the track. As socially progressive as his home nation was, manipulation of the laws of physics was comparatively stone-age.

Still, admiring the local scenery and weirding out at some force fields wasn't going to get him too far, particularly after a practice session in which both cars were frustratingly off the pace. The only real bonus was that neither of his vehicles had tested out the Nimban's fancy new tech.

Maria Jamasova reported back from her latest wander around the garage.

"Both the guys are struggling to get a setup together out there they feel comfortable with and I think you'd agree that we'd rather have two intact cars and some slower times than marginally less slow cars and a lot of repair work to do."

"Absolutely. I'd rather have two fast intact cars though. What's the plan?"

"We're working on the setups as we speak, but we're running out of time and laps to really turn it around."

"We'll have to keep going at it by the sounds of it. Setups can be funny things...one minute the car's undriveable and the next it's completely under control. Hopefully we'll see some progress. I've been looking at the telemetrys and sector two seems to be the troublesome one, but I imagine if you have two slabs of Armco tight to your right and left and a car that's sliding all over the shop, you'd be more likely to take your foot off the gas a little."

Johan could see Sigur's mechanics working away at the front wing in the background. He would have five laps of his allocated thirty remaining to try and move himself upwards. Rusty had seven with 20 minutes of the 90 remaining.

---

Qualifying day came quickly and despite a fairly dissapointing practice, optimism was high as the final runs had seen both drivers finally get to grips with their cars and the complex circuit.

A dark-looking cloud from across the water was more of a concern however. If rain hit the qualifying session, timing would determine a lot and the setups perfected might go out of the window.

The rains held off however and the times were quick. Rusty got himself up the top end early on with his new adjustments providing the extra edge he needed. Sigur had struggled however, getting boxed in on his best qualifying lap and winding up down in 22nd as the clock hit zero.

Rusty had confortably found his way through in sixth, but would need the wet weather gesr for part two as the cloud finally hit the edge of the circuit. The Fifteen minutes were going to be awkward.
Taking no chances, MRT sent Rusty to the end of the pit lane as early as possible. The decision paid off as along with home favourite Ryker Lane and the surprise package of Ranveer Singh, Rusty ended up well clear of the rest of the top 10 in third.

A solid platform. Johan smiled. Should the conditions stay unchaotic tomorrow, Rusty was in a fine position to extend his championship lead.

[Karditan]

"Well, we're at the point of worrying about matters of seconds. That's good." Reva tapped a foot while studying the electronic display carrying the first-tier qualifying results.

Dimitri nodded, seeming much more at ease now that the Eelandii team had jointly put together a pretty alright race. "Just a second off top ten, yes. Crossbay seems a good fit for you, with many corners relying on keeping momentum high."

"Things were a little damp, though. Less so than in practice, where I did even better, but still. A dry race might see some of the lead foots have an easier time of it."

"You will have to keep a close eye on your rear to start things off, for sure. Himura-Lund-Cruisin is a murderer's row to be in the middle of the pack."

"Cruisin's on ice. It looks like he's not quite got the endurance to make it all the way anymore, so I'm not too worried there. The other two are certainly threats though, no doubt about it."

"It would be entertaining for Lund to lose his tires again. There were good memes from that."

"...Dimitri, you're in your sixties. Please don't say 'meme' again."

"What are you on about? I have been making memes since before you were born! My 'journalism' is actually how I met your mother. Because she wanted to murder me."

"And she didn't?" Reva had a genuine look of surprise on her face. "I've never seen her take mercy on libel-ists."

"Your father stepped in, by the grace of Luna. It was always Slick that insisted on keeping me in the crew, until I proved myself useful enough that Acela stopped giving a shit."

"Wait," Reva said as she felt a raindrop hit her nose, "doesn't this track have some of crazy forcefield around it? How did any of the rain get in?"

"I can barely understand some of the tech we have back home," Dimitri shrugged, "nevermind what they have here. I just worry about the car, and things are better that way."

[Aboveland]

Edvin tapped his fingernails on the aluminium frame of his laptop, scrunching his lips to the left, occasionally biting his lower lip with his upper teeth, reviewing the team's performance in the previous races. Terho's uptick in pace in Hodori and spectacular performance thus far in Crossbay was certainly smile-provoking to the team principal, but he couldn't help but pan his eyes to the pimple on the team's face. It might be a harsh simile, but it was no secret that their second driver was lacking severely in all areas. AGP001 had undoubted speed at the hands of a skilled driver like Terho, and despite the magnificent job from the engineers and intense development schedule, Juracai Klianiota was nowhere in terms of pace, even despite his development role in the team. In truth, Edvin would rather have gone for Sigur Bjarnason for the second seat. He felt the team needed a polar opposite to aggressive Terho, rather than a similarly beige backup. Hell, both the Savojar and horrifyingly apathetic Moe Himura would have been better bets for TRÆ, not even considering the untested Jasmina Kranjska. Klianiota had simply floundered in WGP2, and despite his finale win, was a decidedly lackluster driver.

Terho's results were fitting with the teething period encountered with migrating to a brand new team, and as far as Edvin had noticed, spending nearly every day of his life by his side, he wasn't unhappy. Alas, perhaps a stronger second driver, a proper challenger to Terho's prowess, would motivate him to improve further. As long as the Vilitans had a say in who was the second driver, however, Klianiota would not budge.

Edvin pushed the idea aside from his mental foreground and refocused on the telemetry data from the practice and qualifying sessions, painstakingly attempting to convince himself everything was fine. He swiped his face when his vision blurred suddenly, and his eyes sunk from the peppy colored screen to the keyboard beneath his hands. A small tangle of silver streaked hairs rested on his spacebar.

***

Terho slapped the velcro firmly over his foot and stuffed his hair into his balaclava, scratching his nose on the way. He was in mental nirvana after Friday and Saturday, feeling for the first time in perfect harmony with Nanna. He grabs his helmet from the inside, peeking his glove donning hand through the opening left uncovered by the visor. Distant, the unmistakable sound of displaced air rebounds through the paddock. He turns his head to the Nexus Racing section, Coalescence resting submissively in preparation for the insertion of its driver, the second Chase Cutter causing a twitch of his eyebrows.

His two biggest rivals in the WGPC, as he saw it, had everything to lose at their home event, but what contrast both drivers shared in their approaches. One, fiery and arguably malignant, the other peaceful, focused, wholesome, and philosophical. Two elements which reacted together to form a stable creation capable of toppling giants. Terho had no intent of discussing any matters at all with Jean, the mere sight of his stupid face enough to make Terho grimace (from emotional disgust, as he did find the Esmerelian to be oddly attractive), but to him Ryker was special. In fairness, their relationship had never even begun, and aside from a knee-jerk accusation he lobbed at the Nimban after a botched flying lap, their interactions had never progressed from a congratulation. Nevertheless, it was clear in Terho's mind that Ryker Lane was a venerable figure, one he held in high regard and, dare he say, the driver he respected the most.

Both drivers had struggled so far in season 16, far removed from their glory of the previous iteration of the WGPC; Ryker still waved his home advantage high and proud, but the renaissance they'd both enjoyed on the drenched tarmac was almost magical. Their situations had been almost mirror images of themselves, now just inches away from converging and forming one story of old glory reincarnate.

But before Terho's right foot could take a step towards the garage, his mouth salivating in preparation for the ejection of kind words of encouragement, Ryker was strapped in and off on his pre-formation lap.

Terho followed suit, cuddling into Nanna, turning her into an appendage of himself for the third time in the weekend. He'd certainly want to win, to beat Ryker Lane at his own game, to prove he was still a champion within, and he'd go out on the circuit with that sole intent.

But he'd never cloud his respect for the Nimban in anger.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Vertigo Loop Racetrack, Nimbus Station, the Nimbus System
Decades ago

Iris ‘Velocity’ Lane, twice winner of the all-new Nimbus Series, readies herself on the line. The starry sky above her is beautiful as always, as is the ocean around the planet chunk, but none of that compares to the track: simplistic and smooth but nonetheless hard to master.

And so, of course, she has spent the past four months mastering it. I’m a racer; it’s what I do. I can’t fight or pilot - that’s my sister’s job - so might as well keep up morale. This war isn’t gonna end any time soon… Besides, I love this.

She gazes to the right at her opponent, narrowing her eyes. To be Trackmaster of a circuit, one has to hold the lap record for two months and then beat the current Trackmaster - and any four others whom he or she may bring - in a race. Rudy ‘Bumpsteer’ Binster could not be more different from her; contrary to his name (which she had heard he picked up earlier on in his career, before the fires of his spirit had tempered), where she is aggressive and powerful in her racing, he is defensive, smooth, clinical. Nonetheless, there is the mutual wariness that all racing drivers share - a wariness that translates easily into respect when one has studied the other’s lines for hours on end to try to eek that last hundredth of a second out of a given corner exit or entry.

Velocity smirks. She nods, then turns, waiting for the lights. As she does, she reminisces. Who knows - if the war does end soon, I might be the last Trackmaster here. Unlikely, sure, but possible. Pity; I would have wanted other people to enjoy this masterpiece.

She breathes, closing her eyes just as the first circle of red appears. None of that now, Velocity; job ain’t done yet. You’ve got a race to win.

She takes a hand off the wheel to rest it on the bodywork of her car, gripping it slightly. Then she replaces it. Her eyes open.

Let’s do this.

[Audioslavia]

"You know that scene in 2001, A Space Oddyssey, near the end, when Dave's ship is going really fast and all the colours are flashing by, and the only sound is a kind of operatic futuritic hum?" said Alec, tossing his gloves to one side.
"Yes, I think so" said Roger Bunn, otherwise busy with a laptop.
"That's like driving a car around this circuit" said Alec. "Isn't that right, Alex?" he called over to his Mattijanan team-mate.
"What's that?" asked Alex, from a few yards away, his gaze fixated on a screen that told him he'd probably remain in the top ten by the time the second session of qualifying started, but only if he continued to stare at the monitor and never let his gaze wander, lest the spell be broken.
"Driving round this circuit. It's like being on a rocket ship. Flat out as much as possible, easing off here and there so you don't end up in a million dollar boat"
"It's a great circuit" said Alex, nodding, "if there wasn't the immediate danger of falling into the sea I might even enjoy driving round it."
"You wouldn't crash into the sea, though" said Roger, "they have these magnets and..."
"No" said Alec and Alex, together. Roger frowned.
"Don't tempt me just to drive straight off turn six and float away" said Alec. "If I get annoyed with myself, or stuck behind some godforsaken Hodori, I might just do that"
Roger paused, thoughtful.
"You reckon it's like Rainbow Road?"
"What?" asked Alec
"Rainbow Road. It's a course on an old computer game. No real margin for error. If you fell off the track you were screwed, and you'd have to wait for this fairy thing to pick you up and put you back on the track near to where you'd landed. Only there was a bug. You could fall off one part of the track and, as long as you were going fast enough and were pointing in the right direction, you'd fall far into the abyss and, when you were picked up, you'd be put halfway accross the circuit."
Alec stroked his goatee beard. In the background, Alex Dimitrianov merely shook his head and turned back to his monitor.
"Are you suggesting I try it?" asked Alec. "We've got ten minutes left in qualifying. I'm not going to be able to get up into the top 10, but if we find the bug..."
"I was sort of half joking, Alec" said Roger. "Although now that I think about it.."

Behind Roger, a door opened. The head of Stan McPahan poked round the corner.
"Gentlemen. No."
"Yes boss"
"Yes boss, sorry boss"
The head disappeared. The door closed.

"Thirteenth it is, then" said Alec. I can do something with that. Good luck in the second session, Alex"
Alex nodded, and continued daring the monitor to imply he wasn't faster than at least 9 other drivers.

[WGPC]

CUT OFF

[WGPC]

Raceday
Crossbay Circuit

Conditions: DRY
Laps: 64

Start  |  Pos. After 16 laps  |  Pos. After 32 laps  |  Pos. After 48 laps
 1 LAN | 1 IBU Aft. 16 laps   | 1 JMD Aft. 32 laps   | 1 LAN  Aft. 48 laps
 2 RVR | 2 LUN +8.654sec      | 2 LAN +1.393sec      | 2 BJA +2.278sec
 3 IBU | 3 DIM +17.848sec     | 3 BJA +4.059sec      | 3 DIM +8.261sec
 4 FUJ | 4 TAL +23.56sec      | 4 TAL +6.276sec      | 4 OKU +8.358sec
 5 JMD | 5 IZA +25.591sec     | 5 DIM +10.122sec     | 5 JMD +12.908sec
 6 DIM | 6 LAN +26.248sec     | 6 JNG +10.639sec     | 6 RVR +24.907sec
 7 WTK | 7 FUJ +27.039sec     | 7 LUN +14.446sec     | 7 FUJ +28.189sec
 8 TAL | 8 RVR +29.778sec     | 8 RVR +14.829sec     | 8 WTK +28.599sec
 9 OKU | 9 JMD +30.678sec     | 9 JOH +18.213sec     | 9 NDK +34.433sec
10 FRS |10 BJA +30.975sec     |10 IBU +18.925sec     |10 TAL +40.259sec
11 IZA |11 JOH +41.971sec     |11 FUJ +19.44sec      |11 IZA +41.742sec
12 HIM |12 OKU +44.041sec     |12 IZA +24.877sec     |12 LUN +45.396sec
13 LUN |13 CRU +45.981sec     |13 SZR +26.072sec     |13 JOH +49.599sec
14 CRU |14 WTK +47.39sec      |14 WTK +27.562sec     |14 SZR +51.214sec
15 KLI |15 LEM +47.613sec     |15 OKU +27.74sec      |15 IBU +55.176sec
16 NDK |16 SZR +48.119sec     |16 NDK +38.22sec      |16 JNG +56.875sec
17 LEM |17 SCH +49.457sec     |17 LEM +40.131sec     |17 HIM +65.68sec
18 JNG |18 JNG +49.775sec     |18 CRU +53.711sec     |18 KRU +66.602sec
19 SCH |19 HIM +49.81sec      |19 HIM +54.971sec     |19 CRU +67.139sec
20 JAC |20 JAC +53.836sec     |20 JAC +62.592sec     |20 SCH +83.829sec
21 KRU |21 NDK +60.173sec     |21 SCH +68.702sec     |21 JAC +84.366sec
22 BJA |22 ELI +67.813sec     |22 KLI +71.739sec     |22 ELI Laps Down: 1
23 ELI |23 WES +71.32sec      |23 KRU +72.085sec     |23 WES Laps Down: 1
24 SZR |24 KRU +73.721sec     |24 WES +86.135sec     |24 KLI Laps Down: 1
25 JOH |25 KLI +85.479sec     |25 ELI +87.939sec     |25 LEM Ret. Lap 42
26 WES |26 FRS Ret. Lap 1     |26 FRS Ret. Lap 1     |26 FRS Ret. Lap 1

Pos # Driver				Team		Time		Behind Prev.	Points
 1 47 Erica Okumura          	1:36:21.314	0:00:00.000	25
 2  1 Ryker Lane             	1:36:46.445	0:00:25.131	18
 3 55 Asao Nadakei           	1:36:49.366	0:00:02.921	14
 4 14 Sigur Bjarnason        	1:36:49.384	0:00:00.018	10
 5 56 Terho Talvela          	1:36:51.838	0:00:02.454	8
 6 12 Ranveer Singh          	1:37:01.090	0:00:09.251	6
 7 16 Alexander Lund         	1:37:01.180	0:00:00.091	4
 8 31 Cesaro Whittaker       	1:37:01.234	0:00:00.054	3
 9 50 Jang Xiaopeng          	1:37:11.469	0:00:10.235	2
10 36 Reva Izalio            	1:37:15.190	0:00:03.721	1
11 51 R.L. Cruisin           	1:37:20.397	0:00:05.207	
12  2 Jean Mercer-Daly       	1:37:24.034	0:00:03.637	
13 71 Rustom Ibuna           	1:37:34.240	0:00:10.206	
14 52 Sayono Souzare         	1:37:39.516	0:00:05.276	
15 64 Moe Himura             	1:37:44.785	0:00:05.269	
16 20 Mick Schramm           	Laps Down: 1	0:00:12.385	
17  7 Ethan Ellis            	Laps Down: 1	0:00:01.096	
18 27 Gregori Krupin         	Laps Down: 1	0:00:09.089	
19 77 Juracai Klianiota      	Laps Down: 1	0:00:10.779	
20 17 Lourdina Westgrens     	Laps Down: 1	0:00:48.162	
DF 10 Jennifer Johnson       	Ret. Lap 64
DF 22 Kyoko Fujisaki         	Ret. Lap 60

DF 42 Alex Dimitrianov       	Ret. Lap 57		
DF 99 Nate Jackson           	Ret. Lap 52	
DF  5 Juliano Lemos          	Ret. Lap 42
DF 25 Jessica Franssen       	Ret. Lap 1

Drivers' Championsip

Pos	#	Name			Team			Pts	Wins
1	71	Rustom Ibuna		MRT			43	1
2	20	Mick Schramm		Omni Racing		36	0
3	2	Jean Mercer-Daly	Nexus Racing		35	1
4	64	Moe Himura		Arada			31	1
4	47	Erica Okumura		Polaris			31	1
6	14	Sigur Bjarnason		MRT			24	0
6	16	Alexander Lund		McPahan			24	0
8	56	Terho Talvela		TRAE			22	0
9	1	Ryker Lane		Nexus Racing		21	0
10	50	Jang Xiaopeng		Omni Racing		18	0
11	55	Asao Nadakei		Arada			14	0
12	27	Gregori Krupin		VMR			10	0
13	52	Sayono Souzare		Polaris			9	0
13	22	Kyoko Fujisaki		Kissan Motorsport	9	0
15	10	Jennifer Johnson	WGPC Eelandii		8	0
16	99	Nate Jackson		TIF 13			7	0
17	12	Ranveer Singh		TIF 13			6	0
18	42	Alex Dimitrianov	McPahan			4	0
18	77	Juracai Klianiota	TRAE			4	0
18	25	Jessica Franssen	VMR			4	0
21	31	Cesaro Whittaker	MSA-SinVal		3	0
22	36	Reva Izalio		WGPC Eelandii		1	0
23	5	Juliano Lemos		Bitten Heroes		0	0
23	17	Lourdina Westgrens	Bitten Heroes		0	0
23	51	R.L. Cruisin		MSA-SinVal		0	0
23	7	Ethan Ellis		Kissan Motorsport	0	0

Constructors' Championship

Pos	Team			Points
1	MRT			67
2	Nexus Racing		56
3	Omni Racing		54
4	Arada			45
5	Polaris			40
6	McPahan			28
7	TRAE			26
8	VMR			14
9	TIF 13			13
10	Kissan Motorsport	9
10	WGPC Eelandii		9
12	MSA-SinVal		3
13	Bitten Heroes		0

[Aboveland]

Terho crossed the line with a frown upon his face, the tangling Sigur Bjarnason and Asao Nadakei ahead slipping from his grasp. He was complacent with his fifth position; it was higher up than where he'd started and over a half dozen places ahead of Jean Mercer-Daly. He'd only let Okumura slip past him in the championship standings and gained points on everyone above him (except for the Savojar, the demonym engraved in his head after the drivers' national fans threatened Terho with execution for using the wrong "Savojarnan" on social media). He was able to witness Ryker Lane climb onto the podium, still sans maiden win, and got the privilege of shooting Nanna through the Crossbay circuit's ludicrous corners.

And yet, drenched in sweet sweat and his hands with a delightful ache, the groan of the now drowsy and fuel starved V10 tickling his back, he felt empty.

He'd at one point managed a gap of less than 7 seconds to the leader, Nanna still prancing with grace around the racetrack, the futuristic atmosphere clinging to his speeding blue arrow fuelling him on, propelling him nearer to the sharp end of the runners.

The shine of the sparks in the tunnel still haunted him. What an amateur mistake!

Terho had naturally gone for the aggressive bid of overtaking Bjarnason on the inside of the tunnel hairpin after closing in to within just tenths of the Savojar's garishly colored carnival car. It was just a fraction too early to turn into the corner, just a moment's worth of a miscalculation, and just as his front wing began to loom to the left of Bjarnason's parakeet green sidepods, the wall repelled him with a firm flick. Little embers of magnesium flared into the pitch black air above, bouncing off the 56 on Nanna's snout, as she flew across the corner to the outside wall. A slam on the brakes sufficed to stop the car before impacting the outer wall as well, but that was fourth place crumpled up and incinerated in an instant.

The cavalry of charging cars began to echo against the cement inside, nearly unhinging Terho's visor with the force of the magnificent roar of the machines. He exited the tunnel in haste, heading for the over-water section of the track, a mocking vibration drilling at his forearms, the source likely either the now flatspotted front right wheel or the possibly chipped or cracked front left. Terho's super-soft tyres were already well worn by the time he pit at the end of the lap, barely outside his and most of the grid's pit window, but the unforeseen maniacal mistake prompted a slower, more careful pitstop, to remove the broken magnesium alloy wheel on his front left with utmost caution. No change in strategy but a stab to his dignity, the stop would see him relegated to 15th, entering behind the dogfighting Okumura and Whittaker.

The gaps ahead of him were vast, and his ultra-soft stint would only manage to take him as high as tenth by lap 48, by which time Erica Okumura, by some divine intervention, had pulled out a near podium position from her tophat. The ultra-soft tyres he'd opted for to trudge up the grid were wearing excessively for Terho's own liking, ordering him to reduce his pace sporadically throughout his post-incident stint and slowing him down more than if he'd stuck to the super-softs. The yellow walled rubber would be his final choice, however, for the last quarter of the race, in theory allowing him to race disregarding preservation, in practice providing less speed than Okumura had the pleasure of abusing. Sure enough, Terho's unrivalled catch-up driving had seen him shoot up five more places in the final 16 laps of the race, and while he still had been faster than everyone else in the final quarter of the grand prix (even the eventual Nekoni race winner), his reality once again spanked him with rage rather than romance. Another race wasted to a damage recovery drive.

If Terho had finished similarly to Ryker Lane, he wouldn't have wasted a second in reaching him to merge their stories he'd so fantastically imagined in his head. This weekend, though, they weren't on the same page. Terho hadn't been good enough for a man of the Nimban's caliber.

He'd wait to look more presentable (or equal) before introducing himself.

[Vilita and Turori]

Nimban Grand Prix, Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay :: Things never improved for Vilita & Turori driver Juracai Klianiota who struggled off the truck, posted a mid-pack qualifying effort then struggled throughout the duration of the Nimban Grand Prix, ultimately finishing in 19th a lap down and left to wonder what went wrong on the day.

Klianiota only managed to even crack the top 20 thanks to a flurry of late retirements as the race wore down including McPahan's Alex Dimitrianov and WGPC Eelandii's Jennifer Johnson. It was a stark difference to the way the majority of Klianiota's professional racing career has gone thus far, having developed a reputation of failing to complete more than 5 laps of the scheduled grand prix distance - no less to finish an entire race in the World Grand Prix 2 circuit before finally not only finishing a race but winning the final race of the season - finally giving the joint Abovian-Vilita & Turori outfit Tropicorp Racing Aelund the confidence in the Vilitan & Turorian driver to sign them on as their second driver alongside former WGPC champion Terho Talvela.

While both drivers struggled to maintain a competitive standard during the early portion of the 16th World Grand Prix Championship season, Tropicorp Racing Aelund's first in competition, it was not until the Nimban Grand Prix that Juracai Klianiota was clearly left as the square peg trying to fit into the round hole amongst the World Grand Prix Championship field.

While teammate Talvela piloted a near identical Chassis to a 5th place finish just 5 seconds behind the runner up Ryker Lane and just 3 seconds off the podium, Klianiota couldn't even complete the scheduled distance due to having been lapped by the leader while struggling to keep pace with the pack.

While there have not yet been any whispers of change at Tropicorp Racing Aelund, there has yet to be any obvious chemistry between Talvela and Klianiota as the two drivers have thus far seemed to float in different socio-status circles throughout the course of the race weekend.

Talvela, a former World Champion, continues to set his sights at high as possible cohorting only with those at the top of the leaderboard, perhaps in a wily attempt to get in the minds of his competitors and perhaps give him an edge on raceday.

Klianiota meanwhile, while not unfamiliar in the WGPC garage area having previously served as a reserve and test driver, is still technically a rookie in their debut WGPC season just looking to have consistent drives, score points and do well enough to secure a drive once again for WGPC Season 17 - a concern that Talvela, as a former World Champion, certainly need not have following them around in the back of their mind.

While Klianiota's struggles at the Crossbay Circuit are certainly concerning, the rookie is still the top performing Vilita & Turori driver in the field thus far as experienced Vilitan driver R.L. Cruisin continues to search for his first points of the season after narrowly missing out this past weekend, ironically being denied the 10th position by the iBen Toralmintii led WGPC Eelandii car #36 driven by Reva Izalio.

If there will be any opportunity for Klianiota and Cruisin to turn their season around and gain momentum for the rest of the campaign this is certainly it, however, as the circuit returns home to Vilita for a mid-season test session at the Vilitan Mountain Challenge Course in Rockii Coast, Vilita.

[Sorlovia]

Crossbay Circuit Raceday

Gregori frowned and thumped a fist against his steering wheel as he crossed the finish line. So it was to be another lacklustre result in the seeming continual downturn of his career. He mentally kicked himself for not listening to his gut. As soon as he'd gotten into his car at the start of the race he had known there wasn't something quite right with it. The experiment implemented by VMR seemed to have had a negative impact on his racing and he had to admit that he didn't like the feel of the car. It just seemed off to him and his racing suffered as a result. A third poor result had roused a bitter frustration deep within him despite his pledge not to become bitter.

"Damn it!" he thought to himself swearing in Russian under his breath "This isn't going to look good back home! Damn it all!"

He could almost see the smug grin on Terho's face. His Abovian rival would be loving every moment of this and was no doubt chuckling about it in his racing garage. The national rivalry between the two had seen them instantly become racing rivals as seen as the'd learnt of each other's presence. Placing eighteenth, and thus well behind Terho, would no doubt give the Abovian quite a grin and would thus lead inevitable sledging. That made Gregori's poor placing even more frustrating and disappointing.

Jess would no doubt be feeling the same frustration as he was at this very moment. Perhaps she too had developed a disliking for the experiments trialed on their cars and would lend her support when he approached VMR for a reconsideration. For the meantime, Gregori resigned herself to a seat at the far end of his racing garage where he sat with a bottle of beer in his hand brooding on his placing. The frustration coursed through his veins along with his blood as he twisted the neck of the bottle between two fingers and steered at his car. Something definitely needed to be done about it that was for sure.

He couldn't afford a fourth poor placing. His fans were loyal and supportive but it just looked bad on his racing record. He needed a good placing and he needed it soon.

[Vangaziland]

Things were set for another exciting race. Jess was in 10th, a position she expected to progress from. The cars were wheeled into their starting spots. Jess idled, thinking of what she needed to do. She could visualize the course. She was already picturing her line into turn 1. As the launch system began to kick off and she saw green, the car took off. Right away there were problems.

"Gearbox issue. The clutch is jacked." Her car pulled to the side of the field as the others sped past. There would have to be a caution as the truck would have to tow the Vannish car back to the pit. The car had a shifter malfunction causing the car to almost stall from the start. Anti-stall technology kicked in to keep the engine going, but it was better to stop once the others had passed. The car was trying to shift two gears at once. Another fire like the one seen earlier in the year was inevitable.

It looks like the car's computer problem wasn't fixed. It just threw another bug into the works, screwing up the timing on the first shift. Jess was soon confronted with the cameras. "The car just isn't performing. That's the reality of where we stand. That's not what the company has worked to accomplish. The staff is working on some new systems. A few things caught the staff off guard. We'll still see what we can salvage out of this season, but we've missed out on some big chances."

Jess was not deterred and stayed on the lane to watch the rest of the race. She kept a close eye on Gregori's car. He finished 18th, putting in a bit of effort towards the end of the race. The Nimban course didn't seem to be one which favored the Vannish chassis.

"At least the engine stall occurred while I had a 10th place start", she said. "That would have been terrible from a pole start."

Asked how she plans to go into the practice week, she said, "The team will fly back to Vangaziland. So I'll hit the track at South Stead. We'll look over the cars. It'll also be nice to return to a country with more freedoms", she added in what may be a controversial remark.

Enzo Cvetko spoke on the car. "Look, the car is fine. We have just but a minor setback", he said in slightly improper English. "Jessica just screwed it up with her heavy feet." When grilled and asked what the car's issue was, besides reliability, he added, "Aerodynamics." The car has a revolutionary set of underbody spoilers and large side intakes. The shape is proving capable, but too unconventional to show sticking power to this point.

Jessica could be seen punching Enzo's shoulder playfully a few laps after her incident. VMR will limp into the first practice session, battered and bruised.

[Esmerel]

Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay, The Nexus Wardship
Sunday, 11 March 2018

Lap 32 was the point where the so far mundane race started to pick up. Jean was leading with Ryker only 2 seconds back, and the crowd was loving it. Every time the two cars passed by the pit straight the fans were going wild, and most importantly to Jean, Talvela was nowhere to be seen.

“Car is feeling good. When is our next pit window?”

“Lap 42. Supersofts.”

“Got you. What about Ryker?”

“He’s overcutting. Lap 50, ultrasofts.”

“Understood. I’ll cede the position to help him out.”

As such Jean allowed Ryker to pass for the lead. The crowd was wild. Lap 42 came and Jean pitted without a hitch.

But the rest of the race didn’t go to plan.

Lap 50

“Error, error. Power loss in turbocharger.”

To be fair, it was the engine the car had been using since the first race, and it would be changed out for the next race. Unfortunately, it had failed a bit too early.

“Recalibrate. Press the green button.”

“I did. Turbo still isn’t responding. Do we retire?”

“Negative. We’re still in the points, and technically, your car is still running.”

“I’ll give it a go, then.”

In the end, however, it was not to be. Lap after lap Jean went around the track forced to watch cars pass him by as if there were blue flags, including Talvela, just to rub it in. By lap 60 Jean was out of the points with no hope of getting back into them. But he did decide to finish. That wasn’t as bad.

“Alright, bringing her in. Take a look and see what we can salvage. The engine is probably toast, I could feel the CE going too.”

Jean stepped out and took a look around. The next week would only be a mid season test, meaning a bit of a break. So he had an idea. Have as good of a break as possible.

He called up Talia and told her to book a Tuesday flight to Lapiz Point. Now to find out if she needed to book two.

[Sorlovia]

Perhaps it had been unwise to entertain those thoughts about Terho. Nationalist rivalry between two nations was one thing but it was another matter entirely when you imported it into the racing arena. Nationalistic rivalries and political differences should be left behind when you stepped into the race industry in order to avoid allowing your mind to become clouded by such thoughts. Gregori was a man was took full responsibility for his mistakes and errors. Terho was a fellow racer. Albeit on a rival team. There were no Abovians or Sorlovians when it came down to the race. Just two drivers giving their best in the hopes of taking out a title.

"I should have known better." Gregori thought to himself "My father always said to leave the politics at home but here I am letting it influence me."

He shoved the thoughts aside and instead focused on his car. The wheels seemed to have taken a bit of damage during the race when he'd been a little too heavy-handed on some of the corners. It also seemed that the engine had begun to overheat nearer the end of the race. The race engineers said that it had begun showing signs of an engine fault and the wheel bearings seemed to be wearing at an usual rate. So the car had been taken into the repair garage for some repair work and optimization to bring it back up to peak race condition. A total engine clean and tune up as well as replacement tires and mechanical work on the wheel bearings.

As he stood outside the race garage looking out across the track Gregori found himself cornered by the Vangaziland media a second time.

PRESENTER: We're here live with Gregori Krupin who has just placed eighteenth in the Crossbay Circuit Race. Gregori, can you tell us what's going through your mind at the moment?

GREGORI: I didn't place as well as I would have liked to but I see this result as a learning example. I can look at what I did and didn't do well ahead of the next race which will give me very valuable opportunities to learn what I can do better. Every lower placing is a chance to learn and do better in the next race. In life when you get knocked down you just have to pick yourself back up, it is no different in racing. Every failure is a chance to learn and every success is a chance to improve.

PRES: That is a great way to look at it! Can you comment on the rumours of a rivalry between you and Terho Talvela?

GREG: The national rivalry between Sorlovia and Aboveland has become a well known fact.
But I want to stress that this rivalry does not extend to my attitude towards Terho. Now, I can't speak for him but I do not personally hold anything against him. It's true that I may have made a few comments in heated moments of frustration but those were nothing more than momentary lapses of judgement.

PRES: So you don't see Terho as a rival?

GREG: Not at all. We are just two racers striving to give our all to the WGPC. Let the politics and issues remain at home. Terho is a good man and a capable racer. I look forward to testing my skills against him.

PRES: Sources suggest that you may be experiencing issues with your car. Can you give a comment on this?

GREG: At this stage I can't comment on that. My car is in the repair garage for routine repair work work after the race. We race at immense speeds and that takes a heavy toll on the tires and other parts of the car. So we need to have maintenance work done after each race to keep our cars running at peak performance. It's a common practice used by all professional level teams. After all, a race horse manager doesn't let his horse grow lame and out of shape does he? It's the same with racing cars.

PRES: Thank you for your comments Gregori. We wish you the best of luck in your preparations for the next race. I'm sure you'll be busy in the days ahead.

GREG: You're right about that. I have a lot of work to do to prepare for the next race and I will be spending a lot of time on the test track. Every racer has his or her routine to keep in condition for the next races but I can't reveal the full details of what I do. Trade secrets you understand.

Gregori was quietly relieved to see the backs of the reporters. Jess had warned him about the level of media attention once he'd gotten a few good race results under his belt. How they would latch onto him and seize any opportunity to draw interviews out of him. How they would catch the good moments and the bad if given an opportunity. Any momentary lapse of judgement, any breakdown or outburst would be caught on their cameras. So a racer had to keep himself or herself composed if there was even the slightest chance the media might be snooping around.

He turned his attention back to the advertisement offer he'd received in the moments after the race. Volkov Vodka, one of Sorlovia's largest vodka distilleries, had requested him for a new run of advertisements aimed at the Sorlovian market. But a newly emerged energy drink company had also asked him to star in their advertisements aimed at sports figures and extreme athletes. Both had offered him large sums of money to appear in the advertisements and both were prepared to work to his schedule if he would travel to Sorlovia to take part.

Gregori wasn't sure that starring in an advertisement for alcohol was the image he wanted to pair himself with as a racer despite the larger paycheck. So he'd instead accepted the offer from the energy drink company and arranged a two-day trip back to Sorlovia to take part in the filming for the commercials. A break from his strict racing practice schedule and a little time at home would do him good and give him a chance to clear his head. It would also give VMR a chance to work on his car and try a few things out before he got back.

[Northwest Kalactin]

Kalactin sporting news
“Well that’s unfortunate”
“Again My engine started acting weird and out of nowhere it just stopped how often does that happen to a driver”
Here is the story of how Nate Jackson got retired... Again this time he didn’t hit a curb but his engine started to shake and then it stopped while this happened Ethan Ellis just barely avoided his car as Nate’s car stopped, After that Nate took his car to the pit crew who investigated what had gone wrong and they found out that one of Nate’s wires had been severely damaged and could not transmit electricity from the engine to the Car. The reason for the electrical wire being damaged is because a piece of metal from Juliano Lemos’s Car (which had been retired 10 laps earlier) had flown in to Nate’s car and damaged the wire. Soon after the engine started to act weird and it started to shake Nate took note of this and told his pit crew about the challenge. The pit crew said to Nate to conserve the car energy and that’s what Nate did although he lost 3 seconds due to this strategy it seemed to work by lap 48 the car stopped shaking and he kept that pace but then at lap 52 disaster struck the pit crew said now he could push the car a bit so he started a faster pace then his engine started shaking again and before nate could do anything his electricity cut out then his engine turned off he went to the pit crew who tried to start the car again but it was no use the wire was almost entirely broken but not completely and after that Nate stormed To his hotel to get ready for the next race.

[Mattijana]

MRT continue impressive start to season

MFO SPORT

With the Winter Olympics and Campionato Esportiva now at a close, the focus for international Mattijanan sport well and truly switches back to the WGPC.
With both a team, driver and track featuring in season 16 of the competition, there is plenty to keep an eye on and as well as the Mattijanan interest, some major rivalries between the world's best are already taking shape after just four races.

MRT, the Mattijanan Racing Team, have enjoyed a successful start to the season too. The team sits top of the constructors championship and has Filindo driver Rustom Ibuna top of the driver's standings.

Why Are They There

1: Consistency

Both the team and their driver's consistency has been the key to MRT's success over the first four races of the season. With two highly technical drivers in Sigur Bjarnason and Rustom Ibuna, it is almost a guarantee that a top 5 will be picked up every week and that rate of scoring is one likely to leave you at the sharp end of the table.
MRT have scored 67 points this season, just under 17 points per race. That's the equivalent of almost one second place per tournament or a third place and a seventh.
In the drivers championships, Rustom Ibuna has scored 43 points so far, an average of 10.75 points per race, worth just more than a fourth place finish. His nearest rival Mick Shramm started strongly, but has since lost ground after a couple of pointless weekends.

The fact that averaging a fourth-placed finish is enough to get you on the top step come the end of the season is mainly down to the generally unpredictable nature of the WGPC. With 26 drivers on the grid, a number of them rookies, results can vary from week to week and even if a driver or team is able to string together a run of form, it often only lasts part way theough the season.

That may well prove to be the case with Ibuna, but if it is, MRT have a highly capable second driver in Savojar Sigur Bjarnason. He lies in sixth position currently with 24 points (or an average of a sixth place finish per race). After a period of acclimatisation to the demands of an open wheel car, his results have picked up and the hope is that an off-day for one driver will be a good day for the other.

2: Recruitment

MRT have clearly learnt from their debut season when the patriotic signing of Alex Dimitrianov and the last minute panic-signing of Oisinistani Oliver Bachmann saw the team drop to the back of the grid. Despite that, then-inexperienced team principal Johan Struna redeemed himself by picking up rookie Vannish racer Jessica Franssen for the second half of the season. Franssen took the grid by storm, topping the form table and climbing to fourth in the driver's standings, with the team leaping to second, behind only the dominant V&T motorsport outfit.

They backed that up by swooping early for world champion Terho Talvela as the V&T team failed to return for season 15. Moises Delgado was signed as a capable second driver and despite an unlucky second half to the season, a first half charge kept them third in the standings.

The team seem to have continued their knack for shrewd signings with the addition of two rookies for the coming season, always a risk at the elite level. However the tradition is not down to luck. Since their early days, Johan Struna has overseen the build up of a huge network of scouts, headed by deputy principal Maria Jamasova. The experienced setup has monitored talent from across Mattijana and the rest of the multiverse and it is in fact likely they are already thinking about next season's lineup.

Recruitment extends not only to the public eye in the form of the drivers, but also those whose role is to gather information unnoticed.

As well as scouts looking for the best young driver talent, a team of analysts are responsible for gathering information on each circuit in the buildup to each grand prix weekend. That ranges from a detailed look at the track layout, to how external factors such as wind, rain and even the individual nuances of each country may affect a grand prix weekend. The diverse set of information recorded is then sent to the race engineers, who use the data to devise the best possible setup for the car.

MRT have kept quiet about their stance towards investigating other teams and their drivers, but given the attention to detail applied to almost every other factor that could possibly be analysed, it would not come as a surprise if the Mattijanans did have an eye on their rivals as well.

3: A Clear Identity:

The focus on consistency, thorough analysis and at times unorthodox recruitment means that the team have carved out a clear vibe for themselves since their somewhat sporadic debut season. That reputation is something they have further extended this season with a higly technical setup and two very technical drivers.
That is something that has enabled the team to make considerable progress. Without the need to decide which setup is the best for the car prior to each season, the team can use their analysis and scouting infrastructure to perfect an early season setup and then build on that throughout the season with a raft of upgrades. It also narrows down the list of possible drivers for the team, allowing fast and focused scouting and decision making.

That still comes at a proce however. The car lacks as much acceleration and top speed as some of its rivals, a major issue on the speed-based circuits on the calendar and 100% of the staff must completely buy into a more conservative philosophy that is not always the most popular with drivers, staff or the lifeblood of the WGPC, its fans.

On the leaderboard and in the boardroom however, it is results that do the talking and in a fundamentally unpredictable place, MRT have left themself in a very good place to acheive them.