World Grand Prix Championship Season 16: RP Thread

[Audioslavia]

The door to the gym opened and closed. It was the only sound in the room apart from a dull papad pat papat papad pat papad pat papat papad pat papad pat papat papad pat

Two adjacent treadmills in Eelandii whirred and reverberated to the sounds of two men running on the spot. On the left, the freshly shaven head, and jaw, of Alexander Lund bobbed up and down, the bare shoulders glistening in what little natural light could make it's way through the basement windows of the gym. On the right, the other Alex, Dimitrianov, jogged along at a slightly quicker pace, a pair of expensive looking headphones over his ears. Dimitrianov stared straight ahead, into space, while Lund's eyes were on the screen in front of him. A green field, some claret and green shirts, the numbers 'three' and 'two' at the bottom. Some comedy music playing in the background. A cut to a close-up of a leaflet that looked like it was a poorly written tourist's guide to Vilita. Laughing among the audience. Lund shook his head.

The screen pinged black in front of him. A remote control was placed on the tray in front of the running machine.
"Glad you got rid of the beard" came the voice. Dimitrianov glanced over momentarily, nodded, stuck out a thumb, and continued jogging. The voice was unmistakeably that of Roger Bunn, walking round to stand in front of Lund. "You're looking in fine fettle" continued Roger.
Lund nodded. Roger continued.
"Two races to go. Two races left in your career. Four race wins, two World Championships, on or near the top in whatever list of drivers in terms of longevity and consistency. Two races to go. Turori and Audioslavia."
Lund nodded.
"How do you want to go out?" asked Roger. Lund's right eye twitched. "How do you want to be remembered? How do you want to spend your last two races of your career? What would define you?"
"Fourth in Turori" said Lund, panting a little. "Upside-down on lap eleven in Audioslavia"
"I'm not joking" said Roger. Lund looked down at Roger. Roger's expression was unreadable. There was certainly no sign of joviality on the Mertian's face. "That's something the Alec Lund I know would say, sure, but that isn't Lund the racer. I'll ask you again. How do you want to go out."
Lund was silent. The silence was broken by a remote control being flung towards a brick wall and shattering on impact. Lund looked down at Bunn again and watched as he switched the treadmill off at the front. Alec almost ran into the controls, so quickly did the treadmill come to a complete stop.
"What the absolute bloody hell as gotten into you?!" said Alec, his voice raised, but not enough to be a shout.
Roger Bunn told Alexander Lund to go fuck himself for exactly the first time in their five-year friendship.
Alec's mood visibly turned, locking eyes with Roger, though it was clear to Dimitrianov, who had now turned off his walkman, that there was no real sense of rage. Lund's shoulders had dropped, as if his dog had eaten his sausage roll and there wasn't really anything that he could do about it. The reaction seemed to insense Roger even more. The Mertian sent his palm flying into Lund's left shoulder, knocking the Audioslavian off balance. Bunn followed it up with a 'seriously man what the fuck' for perhaps the first time in their friendship as well. It was enough to push Lund over the edge. He stumbled off the treadmill and walked round to where Roger was standing. Alec, momentarily, had every intention of getting in Roger's face, but stopped short. Roger did his job for him, moving forward and standing as close to eye to eye with the Audioslavian as he could get, being an inch and a quarter shorter than Lund.
"Guys..." said Alex Dimitrianov, but neither was paying attention.
"You do not get to be a passive bystander in the death throes of your career!" shouted Roger, his finger jabbing into Alec's chest. "Two races and then that's it. Done. Gone. Bye bye. Thanks for all the highlight reels of your crashes and those couple of races you won. Now let's start the merry-go-round to see who replaces you. To absolute hell with that!" said Bunn.
"What do you want me to do?" asked Alec, voice now definitely raised, "I can't turn back time"
"That's my exact point you utter plum!" said Roger, "You'll wake up in a few weeks time with nothing. Sure, you've got job offers, you don't even need to work, what with the money you've made, but there'll be no more racing, no more adrenaline, not like how you feel in a car. No competition. No putting your neck on the line. Everything gone. Forever. This is your last rodeo and you're going to spend it trying to look for a safe landing."
"Who said anything about..."
"Don't lie to yourself. Lie to me all you want, but don't lie to yourself. You're not fighting. Not like before. You're accepting your lot, accepting the inevitable. Balls to that. I don't want to watch you stroll around Eelandii and Crossport, finish fifteenth, and waddle off into obscurity."
"I'm doing the best..."
"You think I wouldn't swap places with you in an instant?" asked Roger, cutting his friend off. Alex fell silent again. He stood and inhaled deeply and looked sadly into Roger's eyes. "I'd kill for two more races. I didn't retire through choice. And here you are. Just.. surviving. You're going to sleepwalk through the next two races and regret your lack of involvement for the rest of your life. I'd be lying to you if I told you I was okay with that, if I just came in and shot the shit with you and wished you luck, and you'd be lying to yourself if you just accepted your role in the last two go-rounds of your career"
Alec, once again, was at a loss for words.
"I love you you complete moron. Get a grip. Get back on your treadmill. I want you focused tomorrow."

The door to the gym opened and closed again, leaving the pat pat pat pat of Dimitrianov's treadmill the only sound in the room. Alec didn't even look at him as he returned back to his treadmill. Pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat patat patat patatat patat patatat patatat patat patat patatatat patatat patat patatat patatatat patatat patatat patatat.

[Vangaziland]

Jessica was never the type to make much of her relationship with Vannish National Team starting point guard, Hectare Yulssen. He wasn't the type to press behind the scenes or make himself a presence around the track. It also worked out that he was often busy with domestic VBO games, international IBC games and practice year round. Hectare visited the VMR office in western Vangaziland and shared a meal with Jess and a few teammates recently.

They shared the story of how they met. Jess sat courtside. She saw him notice her during a play and do a double take. After the game she added him on social media, messaged him and playfully teased saying, "Sorry for distracting you during your game."

He simply replied, "It was worth it." From there things really flowed between the two. They messaged each other between two busy lifestyles. Eventually they found time to be together. From the start, their relationship has been long distance at the core. They both travel often. Seeing each other involves collaborating an amalgam of schedules.

They often visit each others events. It's usually easier for Jess to make it to Hectare's games. It's easier to make it to a weekday game, when her season even does conflict with his. There are also many more games than races when counting Hectare's domestic and international games. With things getting so close to the end and Hectare finding the next few race weekends free, he'll be there to cheer Jess on.

Of course, their relationship has had its ups and downs. In truth, Jess is ready to move on. She has a fast paced mind and finds it hard to settle. She's not into dating a lot or anything, she just gets restless.

Restlessness almost led to scandal during WGPC I. There were rumors that Jenna Vandersen and Jessica Franssen had a fling during WGP2 I. In many countries this would be a major workplace taboo as Jess was Jenna's acting principal. Nothing was ever proven, but there was a lot of rumors swirling around with a few facts of hard evidence. There was the video that showed Jessica running out of Jenna's room at first sunlight.

One would have thought the Vannish media would have made a huge deal of this. In fact, it seemed more like it was swept under the rug. if one dug deeper and followed certain money that wound up in the hands of various Vannish publishers, they may have noticed a Royal stamp from the Vandersens. Jenna has contacts and investments throughout the Vannish publishing industry. She is the daughter of the Jarl of Central Vangaziland and a Baroness on her own accord.

Perhaps she did slide enough money to enough people to bury the story. Then again, there was no story.

Jess and Jenna had not spent much personal time together in weeks. Season 16 of the WGPC had kept the entire team busy. They were also slightly avoiding each other and using work as an excuse.

Jessica was also trying to rekindle things with Hectare. Her basketball skills had improved in the time since they'd been dating. He'd given her tips, like telling her to constantly practice her handle with a tennis ball. He convinced her to put a court outside her home. He helped her develop a shooting form, versus randomly launching the ball at the backboard. Her defense had gotten better by virtue of playing constant 1 on 1 against the starting point guard of the #3 ranked basketball team in the multiverse.

Her dream would be to get all WGPC drivers together for a basketball game. They seemed more like a football (soccer) crowd. Maybe 5-a-side futsal would work. She began to see herself as a PG on the basketball court though, thanks to her boyfriend's training. She learned what a good pass was by watching him dish to his teammates.

She also tried to help teach Hectare to be a better driver. Some things he got. Other aspects were just too technical. She did help him become more confident driving on the track. He has an international sports car that Jess coached him around several track sessions in. Now he's at the point where he can take the car up to 150 mph on that particular track without freaking out.

Maybe there was still hope things could work, but there was strain on the relationship. They were both probably ready to be single and do their own thing for awhile. Still, they held on. Vangaziland watched, bribes aside.

[WGPC]

cut off for Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying in Turori

[WGPC]

Friday Practice
Eelandii Grand Prix Course

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: WET

Pos # Driver			Team		Fastest		Behind Leader
 1 77 Juracai Klianiota        	0:01:29.413	0:00:00.000
 2 51 R.L. Cruisin             	0:01:29.436	0:00:00.024
 3 50 Jang Xiaopeng            	0:01:29.449	0:00:00.036
 4  2 Jean Mercer-Daly         	0:01:29.497	0:00:00.085
 5 42 Alex Dimitrianov         	0:01:29.514	0:00:00.101
 6 27 Gregori Krupin           	0:01:29.518	0:00:00.105
 7 25 Jessica Franssen         	0:01:29.520	0:00:00.108
 8 47 Erica Okumura            	0:01:29.543	0:00:00.130
 9 56 Terho Talvela            	0:01:29.552	0:00:00.139
10 71 Rustom Ibuna             	0:01:29.554	0:00:00.142
11 14 Sigur Bjarnason          	0:01:29.639	0:00:00.226
12 22 Kyoko Fujisaki           	0:01:29.644	0:00:00.231
13  1 Ryker Lane               	0:01:29.671	0:00:00.259
14 10 Jennifer Johnson         	0:01:29.694	0:00:00.281
15 99 Nate Jackson             	0:01:29.720	0:00:00.307
16 31 Cesaro Whittaker         	0:01:29.737	0:00:00.324
17 23 Jasmin Kranjska          	0:01:29.738	0:00:00.325
18  5 Juliano Lemos            	0:01:29.766	0:00:00.353
19 11 Luc Kennedy              	0:01:29.903	0:00:00.490
20 17 Lourdina Westgrens       	0:01:30.000	0:00:00.587
21 20 Mick Schramm             	0:01:30.114	0:00:00.701
22 16 Alexander Lund           	0:01:30.160	0:00:00.747
23 52 Sayono Souzare           	0:01:30.190	0:00:00.777
24 64 Moe Himura               	0:01:30.373	0:00:00.960
25  8 Sebastian Vacantson      	0:01:30.415	0:00:01.002
26 55 Asao Nadakei             	0:01:31.029	0:00:01.616

Qualifying results imminent.

[WGPC]

Saturday Qualifying
Eelandii Grand Prix Course

Drivers had seventy-five minutes to record up to ten flying laps of the track. Only the fastest lap is recorded below
Conditions: DRY

Pos # Driver			Team		Fastest
 1 16 Alexander Lund      	0:01:22.571
 2 23 Jasmin Kranjska     	0:01:22.581
 3 14 Sigur Bjarnason     	0:01:22.584
 4 56 Terho Talvela       	0:01:22.591
 5  2 Jean Mercer-Daly    	0:01:22.601
 6 77 Juracai Klianiota   	0:01:22.617
 7 10 Jennifer Johnson    	0:01:22.624
 8 50 Jang Xiaopeng       	0:01:22.630
 9 20 Mick Schramm        	0:01:22.633
10 22 Kyoko Fujisaki      	0:01:22.675
11 51 R.L. Cruisin        	0:01:22.694
12 42 Alex Dimitrianov    	0:01:22.707
13 17 Lourdina Westgrens  	0:01:22.709
14 64 Moe Himura          	0:01:22.721
15  5 Juliano Lemos       	0:01:22.742
16 31 Cesaro Whittaker    	0:01:22.746
17 25 Jessica Franssen    	0:01:22.858
18 99 Nate Jackson        	0:01:22.874
19 11 Luc Kennedy         	0:01:22.893
20  8 Sebastian Vacantson 	0:01:22.906
21 71 Rustom Ibuna        	0:01:23.020
22 55 Asao Nadakei        	0:01:23.031
23 27 Gregori Krupin      	0:01:23.365
24 52 Sayono Souzare      	0:01:24.046
25  1 Ryker Lane          	0:01:24.047
26 47 Erica Okumura       	0:01:25.793

This is a busy weekend for me, so race scorination will either be very late on Sunday night or very late on Monday night.

[Vilita and Turori]

Eelandii Grand Prix Circuit, Eelandii, Turori :: A runner-up finish at the Forest Cross Raceway in Esmerel was apparently enough to forgive Juracai Klianiota's embarassing 16th place finish at the Isknalkorvburg Circuit in West-East Timor as Klianiota outlasted the rumors of their ouster to not only retain the second driver seat at Tropicorp Racing Aelund heading into their home race at the Grand Prix of Turori, but to top the charts in opening practice.

It was an oustanding session for Vilitan and Turorian drivers with Klianiota posting fast time in the Tropicorp Racing Aelund machine and MSA-SinVal Motorsports R.L. Cruisin just two-one hundreths of a second behind.

iBen Toralmintii, who had been rumored to be replacing Klianiota in the cockpit of the #77 Tropicorp Racing Aelund Machine, was instead focused on improving the home-town WGPC Eelandii machines which are built near the Race Eelandii facilities just outside Turn 16. It was a difficult opening practice for the WGPC Eelandii drivers with Sebastian Vacantson, seeing the course for the very first time, competing with the Arada Motorsport drivers for the title of slowest in the field.

:: Race Eelandii

Race Eelandii is a high-speed driving experience based in the purpose built city of Eelandii, Turori located midway between Turori's capital, Almintora, and its most populous city, Cednia. Race Eelandii is based at the Eelandii Grand Prix Course and operates on select weekends when there is no other Grand Prix or major internationstatal sporting event being held at the Grand Prix course or the nearby Eels Park footsport stadium.

Race Eelandii offers multiple packages to professional drivers and thrill seekers alike from simply renting track time on the full Grand Prix course or one of the smaller sub-courses, all the way down to companion experiences where a professional driver is in control and the thrill-seeker rides along in a passenger seat as the race car is brought up to full speed around the high-G inducing race course.

Race Eelandii is closed during the Turorian Grand Prix weekend but they do have a simulator zone display in the Turn 17 area of the track where fans can line up and take to the Eelandii Grand Prix course in a fullly immersive simulator, as well as a series of simpler drive-only simulators. Anyone who posts a lap time under 1:35.000 in the simulator will receive a 15% off ticket for a future Race Eelandii experience.

Things improved slightly for team WGPC Eelandii during Saturday Qualifying when the weather dried up and the rains had passed. Vacantson improved slightly to the 20th position but teammate Jennifer Johnson posted the seventh fastest time. Johnson will start the race just behind Vilita & Turori's Juracai Klianiota who will have to be disappointed with a 6th place starting position especially with the knowledge that this is likely their best chance to prove the doubters wrong and record their first World Grand Prix victory. Fellow Vilita & Turorian driver R.L. Cruisin will also be disappointed after the potentially false hope of posting the second fastest time in the rain during practice, Cruisin was only about to post the 11th fastest time in qualifying and will have a massive uphill battle if they are going to contend for a podium finish in front of the local crowd.

Perhaps both Klianiota and Cruisin will be hoping for the skies to open back up on Sunday Race Day in order to re-claim the speed relative to their opponents that they had experienced in the opening practice as they look to salvage otherwise miserable World Grand Prix campaigns with a strong finish in Turori.

While the Vilita & Turori drivers struggled in Qualifying, one driver who didn't was the future Hall of Famer, Alexander Lund. The Audioslavian took pole position in the penultimate race of their storied career and will certainly but up on the wheel looking to go out on top. There may be further motiviation for Lund in the final race of the season however, being it will be at their home track in Audioslavia. Local fans will be hoping either Klinaiota, Cruisin or WGPC Eelandii driver Jennifer Johnson can claim thir first win of the season on Sunday.

Klianiota driving like their job depends on it at #Eelandii!!

If @WGPCEelandii can't win at #Eelandii they may as well just quit. @cruisin51 too. SO SLOW

Just completed the @TionesLumberJack Challenge. Fell off the log. Soaking wet. Sucks.

[Vangaziland]

Sometimes its hard to think there may be things distracting race car drivers during a track session. Of course, Jess focused on her lines and running the fastest practice she could. She also kept an eye on the car and tried making notes on how to improve. Still, something weighed on her mind. There was something she half looked forward to and half dreaded. After putting up the 7th fastest time, she went back to her section of the paddock to change.

It was time for the lumberjack challenge. She strolled out of the private room she used to change into a flannel shirt and somewhat baggy jeans. The engineers laughed and took pictures, watching the normal diva dressed like an axewoman. Jess laughed it up, flexing and posing for selfies with the crew.

A few minutes later and she was on the course. She kept looking over to the tower, which seemed gigantic. The thought of climbing it made her extremely anxious. Her stomach tightened to the point where it rumbled and made noise. Jess avoided a lot of the PR set up, though she did pose for a picture on entering the course.

First up was the chopping and cutting zone. She skipped the bucking saw. That looked tedious and like a ton of effort. The Standing Chop looked fun, but it was too dramatic for her. She imagined herself getting the axe stuck halfway, or having some other embarrassing moment. She decided to try to Firewood Split.

It looked simple enough. One of the locals gave her a few pointers on stance and technique. She had a strong sense of balance from all her yoga. She wasn't too tall, so it was easy for her to center her gravity over the station. She was also strong from the strength it took to fight the car and the g-forces generated around each track.

Her first strike landed hard with a powerful thunk that reverberated as the firewood split. She used a little less effort for the next swing. She hit the third piece, but fatigue was starting to show on her face. She let out a squeaking roar as she powerfully slammed the axe down on the last piece of firewood. She just wanted to do four pieces, a quick run through. It left her arms and shoulders a little numb as she left the station to scattered applause. She slid out of the suit of chainmail she wore over her jeans and boots for the event.

Next up, Jess approached the climbing tower. She felt herself shake as she looked up at it. Local crews fitted a harness around her and tightened it, attaching her to the belay system. It would make sure even if she fell, the harness would stop her from falling to certain doom.

People had started to gather for the spectacle as she was starting to look nervous already. Camera phones were out. After a short conversation where she seemed to be stalling, she set off on her ascent. After a few seconds of climbing, a whimper emitted. Her arms felt weak and strained under the shakiness of her anxiety. She still had the strength to easily keep moving upwards.

A little after the halfway mark, she made a mistake. She looked down. She let out a scream. It felt like the pole was shaking, but it almost felt more like her head was spinning. She pulled tight to the hand holds, clutching on for dear life. Her teammates screamed up messages of encouragement.

"It's just a tower. You drive at three hundred kilometers per hour", yelled one of the engineers.

"Mind over matter", yelled another.

"Do it for the fans", yelled a random bystander.

Eventually she seemed motivated, finding a second wind and rapidly climbing, hold by hold. Her breathing was so rapid it thumped in her head. She was sweating, mostly from anxiety. She was a little soaked from the day's rain, but was climbing in the middle of a dry break. After a push, she had reached the top. Again there was more applause. She had to rest at the top before her descent.

Coming down was no easy task. She hated looking down. After getting a rhythm, she just stopped looking down. Her feet could sense where the next step was by then. She felt like she was getting sick. She felt like she wanted to cry, so she did. As she hopped off the tower and landed on the cement, she collapsed into a dramatic pile of overwhelming tears. She had conquered her fear. Now she had to milk this fact for attention with crocodile tears.

She barely had time to gather herself before being dragged off to station 3. It was time to try the Log Rolling event. After a brisk walk, she stood in front of the makeshift bridge of floating logs. Jess figured she'd run it in the same flannel get up she had done the rest of the course in. Why not? She had an assistant waiting nearby with a change of clothes and after this, she could go back to her hotel.

Jess stared ahead and looked to the podium. In one motion, she took off in a sprint across the segment. Immediately she started to fight for her balance. As she approached the halfway mark, she began to list to one side, tilting her upper body further and further to the left. It looked like a fall was imminent, but she made it to the other side with a leaping motion. That was a surprise. Jess didn't think she would make it. Now she had a little confidence.

On the way back, she lost her balance at the halfway point and tried to shift her upper body to the other side to compensate. This took her off balance and threw her into the water. She could have gotten back up and tried to finish. Instead she just swam back to the starting point. Jess felt exhausted and was drenched. She was ready to sleep.

It would take hours before Jess finally did find her way to bed. When she awoke, it was bad news. She felt a tightness in her neck, shoulders and spine that didn't feel good. She needed a massage or maybe even medical adjustment for her back. It would have to wait until after qualifying.

"Just great", she said out loud to herself. "Now I've got this to fight too. Hmph." It was most likely the climb that really fatigued her. She burned her arms and shoulders out quickly by using all her energy on the axe. Then she forced her way up the tall tower fairly quickly, while exerting extra energy with her anxiety response. Her arms still felt a little numb, though she'd had good workouts before races before.

Still, she realized her qualifying session would be impacted before she even left for the track.

[Aboveland]

Terho holds Nanna² through turns 1 and 2, in wide at the first turn, turning hard for turn two, and slipping through the apex. He puts his right foot down towards turn three as the car squats against the tarmac on the short straight. Her revs climb and plummet, her front wheels leaning into turn three, riding the kerb with an elegant skip. She flies over the inside kerb of turn 4 and leans to the outside of the corner's exit, stopping hard for turns 5 and 6. Terho clenches his fists around the steering wheel, his forearms bulging, his pupils dilating, his eyebrows frowning.

Smoothly past turn 7, Nanna² bellows with all her fury, flat out until turn 10. Terho feels his eyelids peel off his face with every extra kilometer per hour, the edges of his mouth twirling upwards in delight, his teeth showing through his smile, but only just. He brakes hard before the kink, riding nearly straight into turn 11; easy out, riding the line to turn 12, and braking straight for turn 13, his right foot never light. He keeps Nanna²'s front left wheels all through the kerbs at the final three turns, before just swiping it with the front right to go into the pit straight. He glances down at his steering wheel with an incredible air of relaxation. Fourth place, it says. Not bad.

Terho rolls Nanna² back into the paddock with a soft gurgle, before cutting the engine on the tarp. He climbs out of the car, slides off his gloves, and strokes her bug dotted navy nose. He looks at the pads of his fingers and rubs them against each other, flicking away the remains. He unhooks his HANS device from his helmet, yanks it off, and then slips off his balaclava, his hair raising and then fluttering back down. He turns to the timing boards, stretches his arms up high, and bends his unrestrained neck to the sides, bringing his hands down to stroke the damp skin under his jaw before twisting his back. His joints crackle delightfully, a synovial fluid extravaganza rippling down his body. He flirts his hair backwards, rubs his eyes, and looks at the gap between him and pole, pain-free, brace-less, and joy-erupting.

Two hundredths?

He can win this one.

He needs to win this one.

[Vangaziland]

Post Qualifying

VMR principal Vanessa Hattieson pushed back the post qualifying interviews a little further than usual. In the past, certain networks have had limited access to part of the paddock to speak to the drivers soon after they pulled up from qualifying. The cameras would still have access today and would catch Jessica running down pit lane and stopping at the lollipop sign. Her car was placed on rollers and pushed into the paddock, the whole scene filmed artistically by the camera crew.

Jang Xiaopeng had finished his laps soon before and was currently being interviewed down the field. Most times were in and both drivers had a good idea of where they stood on the field. On camera, Jang almost looked tired. His almond shaped eyes were lowered more than usual. It had been a long race weekend for him already. There was a lot of data to go over to prepare for this course.

The reporter asked Xiaopeng what goals he thought he could pull from his current spot, which was looking to fall between 7th and 9th at the time. The sound of cars still earning their qualification time buzzed in the background of the Tainese-Vangazi's interview.

"The Omni car can still do well from any spot on the top 10. We've seen this car make up a lot of space. Twice we've come back from 18th to the top 10 at Crossbay and Lintulahti."

By then they could all see Franssen's time was slower and looked certain to be around 17th-18th. A handful of cars were still finishing up. The sideline journalist asked Xiaopeng if he thought Jess could do anything from the bottom of the field.

"I wouldn't put it past her", Xiaopeng said. "The car was one of the top 10 in practice. It depends on how hard it is for her to pass here. We'll have to see what happens come race day. She won't make the podium, but she might fight her way onto the lead lap."

The reporter wanted to know how he felt about being so close to the season's lead with only two races to go.

"It's major", Jang said. "This week we'll see a bunch of vultures looking to capitalize on VMR's misfortune. Count me in. Our car was one of the three fastest in practice. Granted, people will be faster on race day. I just think it shows we brought a well put together car. As you said, this Omni car has serious heart. It's gained space during races. We finished 3rd in Dashoze from 14th."

Jang answered a few more questions before the network went to a break. The interview with Jessica was already being filmed. The netwould would cut to the start of her interview after their break, but they started the interview as soon as Jess was available.

The reporter pushed her for a reason. What was the difference between practice and qualifying?

"The car seemed to do better here in the rain", Jess said. "Our car is fairly balanced, with a nudge towards being a quick car. That seemed to fair better in the rain. Our car has done pretty well in more than a few races. Maybe nasty weather can help us move up the field."

The journalist reminded the Vangazi that climbing the field was a tall order. Jess replied with, "We're definitely in a tough spot. This isn't my worst start. Week 1 in Hodori, I started 21st. We only moved up to 16th, but that was week 1. I was more than a little rusty."

It was then that Jessica spoke on her physical condition.

"I also just didn't sit right in the cabin today", she said. "Kudos to those who have driven injured. I think I may have sprained something on the lumber course. It's minor and I'm going to physical therapy after this session. I'm told I should be back to 100% for race day."

When asked what her symptoms were, Jess said, "It was a sharp, dull ache between my shoulders. It pinched. It pulls. It's just a little distracting. Getting around these tracks is a fight, you know? Driving a GP car is very physical. So if your body is out of wack, so will be your laps."

Jess was asked what part of the course she thought her car could make the most time up at. "There should be plenty of chances to make up time somewhere between turns 3 and 11. That sort of balance betwen handling and acceleration suits our car. Picking up speed between 7 and 11 should be especially fun."

Jess was asked what she thought about Alexander Lund earning pole on the second to last race before his retirement.

"It's a great way to start going out", she said. "He's already helped McPahan get back into the top 10, after finishing what, like... 12th last season? Do well and they may finish in the top 5 Constructors'. Speaking of which, Dimitrianov isn't having a bad season either."

Jess went back and forth with the reporter for a few more minutes before saying her goodbyes and heading deeper into the paddock. Jang would find himself ready to catch a groove from 8th. Jess was looking to begin an exercise on moving up the field. First, she had an intensive massage and therpay session to exercise the anxiety related soreness she had picked up after climbing the tower. Then there would be meditation and a good night of sleep.

Both Vangazi would show up to the race well rested, motivated and ready to run.

Another interview caught Jessica on more light hearted topics. She was asked where she would like to visit around this area. "I want to see Cocoabo Park. Maybe I can get one as a pet. Fast Cocoabo?" She laughed nervously on her admission.

[Audioslavia]

Roger Bunn looks up from his smartpad to see Alec Lund's #16 car roll into the garage. He'd dearly like to walk over and give the driver a pat on the back, at the very least, but he's busy discussing the car setup for Dimitrianov's #42 vehicle with one of the engineers. He watches as Alec scrambles to get out of the car even before the steering wheel has been removed. The Audioslavian shrugs off two hugs, tears his helmet off and tosses it on a desk, sending a bottle of water flying. He bats over another bottle of water with a swing of his right fist, kicks open the back door of the garage and marches through. A slightly muffled, yet still very loud, 'COME ON' reverberates through the garage from beyond the wall.

Alec is fired up. This could be good. Could be. Roger feared what would happen if the car fails on him tomorrow, or a spin or a shunt ruins his chances of a podium finish. He'd lit a fire under Lund on Wednesday evening, but Roger knew all too well how quickly it could be extinguished. Here, in the dying light of the Audioslavian's career, Lund was Dylan Thomasing it. What was needed now was inertia. Impetus. Momentum. Fail on Sunday, and that might be it for Lund's psyche. He'd be buoyed on by the home support in the final race, sure, but he wouldn't trouble the scoreboard.

Roger nodded and agreed to whatever it was the engineer had said, and started walking towards the door Lund had gone through. He paused. No. The last thing Alec needed now was the gratification of being told 'good job' by a friend. Cruel to be kind. Roger returned to Dimitrianov's side and busied himself with a clipboard.

--

Alec learned the good news from a member of the pit crew. 'That's time up, Alec. P1. Great lap. Kill 'em tomorrow'. Alec nodded and grunted in acknowledgement, still with his back turned. He stayed standing in the sun for a few seconds, before pulling the top half of his overalls down and pouring half a bottle of water over where his hair used to be, downing the rest.

This feeling. He hadn't felt this feeling in a long time. Terho, Ryker, Jessica, Jean. All the rest. Look out behind you. The big evil crazy blonde guy at the end of Die Hard is bursting through the crowd looking for John McClane.

[West-East Timor]

Eelandii Grand Prix Course
Post-Qualifying

"Ninth", Max said after after Mick was out of the car. "Not bad I guess, right?"

"I guess not."

Mick went to the back of the garage, and put off his hlmet and his gloves without saying a word.

"You can get a good result from ninth."

"Not really."

"Of course you can."

"Eh."

"Mick, come on..."

"I can't get a good result from six. Fuck, I can't get points from fourth! I can't get points on the track I've grown up on, while my teammate wins the fucking race! Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for Jang. But do you have just the slightest idea how that feels?"

"Well..."


"No, you don't, you ever just raced in some shitty small rallye series for a few races! Sorry. It sure is great to be part of the first ever West-East Timorian Grand Prix, but twelfth? Twelfth? Twelfth twice. Twelfth from fourth, tweflth from six. P12. Zero points. Twelfth at my home race. From ninth? I bet I get seventeenth!"

"Mick, look, we can still win the constructor's championship, and Jang can realistically win the driver's championship..."

"I know. And you can bet I'll fight for that constructor's title, and if I can, I'll help Jang. But I've lost all hope for a good result this season, not to talk about expectations. I'll try. But I don't even hope for it anymore. I could start from pole and drop out of the points it seems. Can anybody have more bad luck than me?"

"It's true, you had quite some bad luck this season, but..."

"Don't try to be motivating. You'll fail."

"Okay..."

Just when Mick wanted to leave the garage, Linus came in.

"Mick! I just wanted to let you know, I've set up a press conference for later..."

"No. Cancel it please."

"What? No."

"I'm not going there. Tell them I don't feel well, or something."

"Mick these journalists want interviews, and publicity is always good..."

"Believe me, you don't want me to give an interview with my mood today. That might be rather bad PR."

"Just..."

"No. No! I'm sick of interviews and press conferences! Fuck these journalists! Fuck them and their stupid always the same questions! They could just make a questionnaire I fill out after each session. Their querstions are always the same anyways!"

"I really think you should just cancel that press conference, Linus..."

"Thank you!", Mick said, and left the garage.

[North Prarie]

Luc walked out of the paddock just as the results of qualifying were being posted on the board.

Nine-fricken-teenth.

Luc walked over and punched off a Vilaye Energy Drink (it was a popular drink in the area) off of a table. That's when everyone noticed.

"Luc, what's wrong?"
"Luc, why'd you do that?"
"Oi Luc, that was my Vilaye!"

"What's wrong is that I'm going to have to fight my way up from NINETEENTH tomorrow. I need better results if I want to race for TRAE.

"Wait, you want to race for TRAE?" one of his crew members asked.

"Oh, I haven't told you guys yet? Well......yeah. Canayis is looking to find me a spot on TRAE to race with Talvela next year. TIF was just kinda a......starter team. I can move on to bigger things, as long as I get better results!" Luc responded as he pointed to the board.
"But don't worry, I will probably take along most of my crew. Maybe 5 or 7 people." he quickly said.

"And the rest of us?"

"Well, you're probably just gonna have to work for N-Jack and the other driver that comes along next year. But you know that there might not even be a TIF next year, right? Currently, Jack is the only driver from an Indian country in this thing. And heck, Kalactin isn't in India anymore! They're in Atlantian Oceania now! You can bet there won't be a TIF next year, unless someone like Indusse can get this started. The ones who won't come with me can either follow N-Jack, go to Pompeii Motorsports, or find a new team."

"Luc, why are you doing this?"

"Because I can't be a world champion at TEAM-INDIA-FRICKEN-FORCE. I'm sorry, its just impossible. Bye, I'm going over to the hotel."

The paddock was silent when Luc left.

[Esmerel]

Eelandii Grand Prix Course, Eelandii
Sunday, 20 May 2018

Jean was simply standing in the paddock. He could barely think of anything to say or do. Only three hundredths behind pole, but Nexus was all but quiet. It was as if he was the only thing left at the team. Strange, and detrimental to the chance of the championship comeback. So, what was there to do?

Just race. That was what mattered. Race and win. And win again. Jean was going to be a champion someday, and there was no reason not to try and make it sooner rather than later.

Some time later; approaching Race Start

Hello and welcome to Eelandii, for Esmerel Sports Radio's flag-to-flag coverage of the Grand Prix of Turori. I'm Joseph Annett, with fellow broadcaster Elijah Conrady, and we're here to bring the action to you. Elijah, would you mind explaining to our listeners at home what exactly Eelandii is?

Well, Eelandii is technically set up by the state of Turori but not actually part of their territory. It's a special complex that plays host to all of Turori's sports games. The quality of said games, this race included, are top-notch, so we're bound to see a good race today.

---

Alexander Lund has had a long and storied career, but after these last two races, he'll be done. What do you think about that, Elijah?

Well, he won the championship in his rookie year, then proceeded to come within an inch of defending it. You're most certainly right that he's been a big driver; he's left quite the impact on the sport, and it'll be tough to find a new driver to fill his shoes.

---

Fujisaki had a large injury midway through the season and had to miss some races, but when she came back she started scoring regular points. Could she have been a title contender if she hadn't missed so much time?

An important question indeed. Sometimes, the sporting world can be full of these "what if" questions. What if it hadn't rained nearly as much? What if an aspiring young driver had been in a faster car? These questions are sure to make people think. There are always more seasons, though, and those kinds of questions could be answered in the future.

---

Ryker Lane is last season's World Champion, but despite the season not being over yet, his chances at defending his title are already gone.

Yeah, and it's a shame. The guys at Nexus really do their hardest to make their cars the absolute pinnacle of racing, but Ryker has been incredibly unlucky this season, he's only scored a single podium finish, and rarely scoring solid points otherwise, especially when it rains. But I just know he'll be able to come back from this slump, and maybe get that elusive first race win. It'll happen eventually.

---

Now let's head down to the track and take a look as the race is about to begin!

[Mattijana]

WGPC 16: Who Can Still Win?

This Sunday's Grand Prix of Turori will be the penultimate opportunity for the drivers and teams of the WGPC 16 grid to score points and with only the traditional season-ender in Audioslavia to follow, both championships are tighter than ever.

MRT of Mattijana currently occupy top spot in the constructors championship, whilst Vannish star Jessica Franssen occupies top spot in the drivers standings, but there are many drivers and teams well-placed to topple them.

So with Season 16 boiling down to the business end, who can win, who can't win and who has a mathematical possibility of winning but almost certainly won't?

Driver's Championship: The favourite

With two races to go, current leader Jess Franssen is the clear pick to hold on for victory. The VMR driver has a 14 point lead over compatriot Jang Xiaopeng and a 21 point lead to Jean Mercer-Daly and Terho Talvela in joint 3rd. However all is not lost for the chasing pack. An uncharacteristically rocky qualifying performance left her languishing in 17th, with little chance of bringing a solid haul of points back to Vangaziland in preparation for the finale.
The circuit in Crossport suits the former MRT driver's technical style, but if one of her close rivals fares well in Turori, she may only have a narrow lead to defend, or even be playing catch-up in Audioslavia. That she has the ability and talent to hold out under pressure is absolutely undisputed.

The Rivals:

Should Franssen fail to score highly in Turori, as would appear likely, there are a number of drivers ready to pick up the pieces. Fellow Vannish driver Jang Xiaopeng is the foremost of those after his second win of the season in West-East Timor and starts the race in Eelandii in 8th, a position he can certainly push on from. Should Franssen fail to score, a podium would be enough to equal her points tally going into the final race.

Don't write off Terho Talvela however. Despite a 21 point deficit, the Abovian is favourite to score well in Eelandii after placing his TRAE 4th in Saturday's qualifying session and is well-set to haul in the two Vannish drivers.
After the crash at Crossport last season that saw him surrender a championship lead, Talvela will be keen to avenge previous events and taking the championship with a good result in Crossport would make it all the more sweeter. Throw in his amazingly rapid discovery from a neck injury after a heavy crash in Esmerel and another extra dimension is added. The injury doesn't seem to have affected his performances over a few laps, but may be more of a setback in the race.

Throw in Jean Mercer-Daly and things get even more spicy. Accused of being the instigator of Talvela's infamous crash last season, he also has 84 points and will be keen to take the battle to those above him.
Animosity between the two has thawed since then, but Mercer-Daly will be as keen as Terho to finish ahead of the other driver. The Esmerelian qualified fifth, just one hundredth of a second behind Talvela, so is also well-positioned to make a move onto the podium.
What may go against him is the nature of the final two circuits. The nexus car has looked good in a straight line so far, but has been much more cumbersome around the technical sections that make up most of the Crossport Autodrome. Despite that, if someone has the ability to overcome their car's technical deficiency, it is him.

The Outsiders:

Consistency has been a key factor in MRT's constructor's success this season and this is personified by the gap of only one point between their two drivers in 5th and 6th.
6th-placed man Sigur Bjarnason looks set to have the better run in of the two after qualifying 3rd in Eelandii and only trails the two 3rd-placed drivers in the standings by 7 points, a margin that could easily be overturned on race day. Bridging the gap to Fransson may be tricker however. A 28 point gap is a much more daunting margin and the Savojar's main focus will be on ensuring MRT hang on to their lead in the constructors championship. Rustom Ibuna's hopes of a debut world championship will be over if he fails to salvage at least an 8th-place finish from near the back of the grid.

The Rest:

Erica Okumura is 7th for Polaris, but is 19 points behind the MRT of Bjarnason and 47 behind Fransson. Miracles happen, but Okumura, as well as Mattijanan drivers Jasmin Kranjska and Alex Dimitrianov will need two wins in two races and would also require Fransson to pick up no more than 3 points over the final two races. It's not really going to happen.

Having said that, Okumura has faired a lot better than in her previous year with the now non-existent SFeG team, whilst Jasmin Kranjska may have been a genuine title contender if she had been given a seat at the start of the season. Alex Dimitrianov meanwhile will be content with his season, which will be his career best should he be able to pick up another place in the

The Grand Prix of Turori gets underway tomorrow and will be broadcast live on MFO 1.

[WGPC]

CUT OFF

[WGPC]

Raceday
Eelandii Grand Prix Course

Conditions: DRY
Laps: 59

Start  |  Pos. After 14 laps  |  Pos. After 29 laps  |  Pos. After 44 laps
 1 LUN | 1 TAL Aft. 14 laps   | 1 LUN Aft. 29 laps   | 1 LUN  Aft. 44 laps
 2 KRA | 2 LUN +3.356sec      | 2 TAL +6.133sec      | 2 CRU +10.198sec
 3 BJA | 3 CRU +21.706sec     | 3 CRU +11.008sec     | 3 TAL +18.141sec
 4 TAL | 4 JMD +22.492sec     | 4 KRU +26.087sec     | 4 KRA +43.051sec
 5 JMD | 5 HIM +23.398sec     | 5 SCH +30.11sec      | 5 DIM +50.681sec
 6 KLI | 6 SCH +31.933sec     | 6 DIM +32.063sec     | 6 HIM +57.135sec
 7 JOH | 7 WTK +33.551sec     | 7 FRS +32.894sec     | 7 JMD +60.201sec
 8 JNG | 8 LEM +38.372sec     | 8 HIM +36.095sec     | 8 SCH +61.357sec
 9 SCH | 9 KRA +40.387sec     | 9 JMD +44.131sec     | 9 FRS +62.119sec
10 FUJ |10 DIM +41.433sec     |10 VAC +45.457sec     |10 BJA +68.273sec
11 CRU |11 BJA +45.842sec     |11 WTK +46.748sec     |11 JNG +70.152sec
12 DIM |12 JNG +46.069sec     |12 KRA +49.701sec     |12 VAC +70.84sec
13 WES |13 KLI +51.055sec     |13 KLI +49.904sec     |13 KRU +71.116sec
14 HIM |14 KRU +51.468sec     |14 FUJ +50.323sec     |14 KLI +71.711sec
15 LEM |15 VAC +55.14sec      |15 JOH +50.595sec     |15 FUJ +72.318sec
16 WTK |16 FRS +58.152sec     |16 JNG +57.747sec     |16 LEM +78.35sec
17 FRS |17 FUJ +58.386sec     |17 LEM +58.603sec     |17 LAN +80.926sec
18 JAC |18 JOH +58.848sec     |18 BJA +61.186sec     |18 KEN Laps Down: 1
19 KEN |19 LAN +64.539sec     |19 LAN +68.091sec     |19 OKU Laps Down: 1
20 VAC |20 SZR +64.718sec     |20 SZR +78.484sec     |20 WTK Laps Down: 1
21 IBU |21 KEN +66.24sec      |21 KEN +80.745sec     |21 NDK Laps Down: 1
22 NDK |22 OKU +68.992sec     |22 OKU Laps Down: 1   |22 IBU Laps Down: 1
23 KRU |23 JAC +71.211sec     |23 NDK Laps Down: 1   |23 JAC Laps Down: 2
24 SZR |24 NDK +79.497sec     |24 IBU Laps Down: 1   |24 SZR Ret. Lap 41
25 LAN |25 IBU Laps Down: 1   |25 JAC Laps Down: 1   |25 JOH Ret. Lap 36
26 OKU |26 WES Ret. Lap 11    |26 WES Ret. Lap 11    |26 WES Ret. Lap 11

Pos # Driver               Team				Race Time	Behind Preceding car	Points
 1 51 R.L. Cruisin           	1:24:49.720	0:00:00.000	25
 2 16 Alexander Lund         	1:24:58.876	0:00:09.156	18
 3  2 Jean Mercer-Daly       	1:25:11.901	0:00:13.026	14
 4 56 Terho Talvela          	1:25:12.186	0:00:00.285	10
 5 25 Jessica Franssen       	1:25:17.121	0:00:04.935	8
 6 14 Sigur Bjarnason        	1:25:21.508	0:00:04.387	6
 7 42 Alex Dimitrianov       	1:25:34.317	0:00:12.809	4
 8 27 Gregori Krupin         	1:25:35.548	0:00:01.231	3
 9 64 Moe Himura             	1:25:55.913	0:00:20.366	2
10 50 Jang Xiaopeng          	1:25:58.557	0:00:02.644	1
11  8    Sebastian Vacantson    	1:26:02.046	0:00:03.489	
12 22 Kyoko Fujisaki         	1:26:03.797	0:00:01.751	
13 31 Cesaro Whittaker       	1:26:08.324	0:00:04.527	
14 20 Mick Schramm           	1:26:09.055	0:00:00.731	
15  5 Juliano Lemos          	1:26:09.480	0:00:00.426	
16  1 Ryker Lane             	1:26:11.467	0:00:01.987	
17 77 Juracai Klianiota      	Laps Down: 1	0:00:15.124	
18 11    Luc Kennedy            	Laps Down: 1	0:00:18.439	
19 47 Erica Okumura          	Laps Down: 1	0:00:03.752	
20 55 Asao Nadakei           	Laps Down: 1	0:00:12.941	
21 71 Rustom Ibuna           	Laps Down: 1	0:00:27.799	
22 99 Nate Jackson           	Laps Down: 2	0:00:55.138	
23 23 Jasmin Kranjska        	Ret. Lap 51

DF 52 Sayono Souzare         	Ret. Lap 41		
DF 10 Jennifer Johnson       	Ret. Lap 36
DF 17 Lourdina Westgrens     	Ret. Lap 11

Drivers' Championship Standings

Pos	#	Name			Team			Pts	Wins
1	25	Jessica Franssen	VMR			113	2
2	2	Jean Mercer-Daly	Nexus Racing		98	2
3	56	Terho Talvela		TRAE			94	1
4	50	Jang Xiaopeng		Omni Racing		92	2

5	14	Sigur Bjarnason		MRT			83	2
6	71	Rustom Ibuna		MRT			78	1
7	42	Alex Dimitrianov	McPahan			60	0
8	47	Erica Okumura		Polaris			58	1
9	23	Jasmin Kranjska		Kissan Motorsport	57	0
10	20	Mick Schramm		Omni Racing		55	0
10	16	Alexander Lund		McPahan			55	0
12	64	Moe Himura		Arada			49	1
13	1	Ryker Lane		Nexus Racing		46	0
14	51	R.L. Cruisin		MSA-SinVal		40	1
15	27	Gregori Krupin		VMR			35	0
16	77	Juracai Klianiota	TRAE			33	0
16	52	Sayono Souzare		Polaris			33	0
18	22	Kyoko Fujisaki		Kissan Motorsport	27	0
19	55	Asao Nadakei		Arada			18	0
20	10	Jennifer Johnson	WGPC Eelandii		16	0
21	12	Ranveer Singh		TIF 13			12	0
22	99	Nate Jackson		TIF 13			9	0
23	17	Lourdina Westgrens	Bitten Heroes		8	0
24	31	Cesaro Whittaker	MSA-SinVal		5	0
25	5	Juliano Lemos		Bitten Heroes		4	0
25	8	Sebastian Vacantson	WGPC Eelandii		4	0
27	36	Reva Izalio		WGPC Eelandii		1	0
28	11	Luc Kennedy		TIF 13			0	0
28	7	Ethan Ellis		Kissan Motorsport	0	0

Constructors' Championship Standings

Pos	Team			Points
1	MRT			161
2	VMR			148
3	Omni Racing		147
4	Nexus Racing		144
5	TRAE			127

6	McPahan			115
7	Polaris			91
8	Kissan Motorsport	84
9	Arada			67
10	MSA-SinVal		45
11	WGPC Eelandii		21
11	TIF 13			21
13	Bitten Heroes		12

Next week's race, the final one of the season in Crossport, Audioslavia, should be scorinated at the usual time. Good luck, everyone!

[Vangaziland]

High-pitched. Wailing. Ethereal. Those were ways you could describe the exhaust note of the Vannish engine. It howled and screamed as Jessica made her way around the circuit. The transmission popped loudly with each gear shift. When the car coasted from braking zones into turns, a rumbling gurgle could be heard mostly from the motor and partly from the array of whirring gears inside of the Dragon chassis. The car may as well have breathed fire for the aggression it showed Sunday at Eelandii.

"Just as much as it's a sport, motorsports is a show", Jessica said in the break between WGPC 14 and the WGP2. it has become a mantra which she follows even to this day. With Jessica, you can never get the bare minimum. She comes with drama and flair. As the season wound down, the #25 car found itself in the spotlight on the top of the field.

Many wondered how Jessica would respond. She put up such a rough qualifying time, starting the Grand Prix of Turori at 17th. How did her race start? Based on where she ended the race, one may have thought she sprinted quickly up the field and started a fast pace early. In fact, the #25 hung back for some time. She was still in 16th by lap 14. Her car just wasn't making much room. Things weren't looking terrible however. The car was putting up times closer bracketed to practice where the car ranked as one of the top 10 fastest. The problem was distance and passing. How did Jessica get an edge here? What helped her move up the field? The answer raised more questions than anything solved about Jess.

Gregori Krupin. He had passed Jess leaving the Vangazi struggling to keep up. "Let's do this buddy", she yelled excitedly over the team radio. Krupin started the race further down than Jess at 23. He was putting on an even more aggressive show than Jess, making it as high up as 4th on lap 29. Not only was the team excited over the radio and in the paddock. Vannish, Sorlovian and VMR fans around the world were filled with excitement and pride on the performance the Sorlovian and Vangazi were putting on. With so much on the line, neither driver would fold. It would beg the question. What were these drivers racing for that caused them to fight so hard from the bottom of the field?

Jess was still getting used to the track in those early stages. She was no longer sore from the lumber course, but almost felt the opposite. Things had healed in a way that made her feel stronger than usual. It felt like she just did a solid crossfit workout, which she basically did. It still took some getting used to, the wheel just feeling different in her hand. It was around lap 20 where she realized she could turn the car a little tighter than she'd been able to in practice, before the lumber course tweaked her.

She started to really make up time. The Vannish Motors car was a balanced one with a slight bias towards its acceleration, over handling. This made it one of the quickest cars on the field while leaving it with a competitive amount of handling. It did not have standout power or handling, but it was a capable machine. The crowd at Eelandii was treated to one more Franssen show of the season as it became clear she was crossing into the top 10.

This was a major feat. She was catching up to other drivers running their hardest, through a crowded field and gaining an insane amount of ground based on where she started. There were less Vannish fans here than in West-East Timor, though many made the trek. The crowd would have to be surprised to the #25 in 7th. Gregori was calling back from his hard earned spot at 4th. The drivers were able to coordinate to help each other move through traffic better.

Jess went for a one pit strategy. The tires were wearing well and she had a good handle on the car. The chassis was settling into a comfortable pace here at Turori. Jess would stay near the bottom of the top 10 until about lap 51 or so. it was here that she began to really push once again. Much like she had forecast in a pre-race interview, the car was able to make up space on several stretches. The two half loops that make up the 'e'-like feature of the course were where the car made up the most space. Here it took a blend of acceleration and handling as the cars pushed around the turn, sometimes with limited visibility.

With time winding down, Krupin had to fight back after falling back somewhat. Jess found herself in 5th, the result of many small battles that took her up the field. Her car was getting faster, even as time was winding down. Perhaps it was the tire compound, which held up well under the technical guidance of Jessica's artisan feet.

Perhaps if she went for a different two stop strategy which saw her with a new set for those last 15 laps, she may have been able to push the last fight out. She tried, but just lacked the juice to join the ruckus taking place ahead of her. Rivals Jean Mercer-Daly and Terho Talvela were having their own epic battle. Terho had led the race at one point. Jess wasn't far behind JMD as he moved up from 7th. Terho had fallen back to 3rd and was holding.

Both the #5 and the #25 fought their way up the course. Broadcasters would have to be excited by the lap times, informing the viewers that both Jess and JMD were putting up some pretty fast laps on this run up to the end. Once again, the starting positions would be remembered. Jess started way down the field at 17th. Talvela and Mercer-Daly started 4th and 5th respectively. Jess had caught up to the two drivers who were racing her for the driver's championship.

To them it may have seemed like she came out of nowhere. The indigo & blue #25 showed up on the #5's tail like a fighter plane approaching another's 6 o'clock from the clouds. It was a sudden appearance that brought a rapid fight. To Mercer-Daly's credit, he was the faster driver. Not only did he hold off Jess, he passed Terho. The close result was the battle of a dramatic run up which saw Jess and Jean battle on the way up the top 10.

It was a show. One Vannish fan was interviewed by a journalist covering the crowd's reaction. "This is one of the most classic races I've watched. Jessica's big push from the slow qual. Terho's effort to win the race. Mercer-Daly holding on and picking up the pace as soon as Jess got on his tail. It really sets the stage for a huge race in Audioslavia."

"Way to go team", Jess said over the radio. "Nice finish, Gregori. Solid car today. Good points."

[Aboveland]

Eelandii Grand Prix Course
Eelandii, Turori
Race day

Terho's head shot backwards, his helmet clonking the headrest, as the clutch dropped and the red lights waned away. This time, there was no stuttering, stumbling nor irradiating pain. His rear wheels instantly adhered to the carbon black tarmac, gnawing at the surface with supreme might; the Turorian track was essentially the home ground for the exemplary Tropicorp rubber.

Terho dove into turn one, entering the corner second, just behind Lund. The McPahan fractals, of which he'd seen much less than he'd expected all year, glistened under the radiant mid-afternoon sun. The veteran behind the wheel in front held his line, through to turn two, forcing Terho to turn down his aggression a notch and settle behind the Audioslavian until he found an opening. The opening would come soon enough, and Terho hammered the throttle out of turn 17 to take advantage of the former champion's unstable exit, leading into lap five. Gradually, the gap behind widened, and by lap 14 the lead to a steady Lund had grown to just over three seconds. Terho's neck was faultless, the gearbox was working magnificently, and the car was a blast to drive.

On lap 17, however, Nanna²'s growing pains struck again. The throttle response was the first to take a hit, most noticeable out of turn six. The engine continued to wail and the gears still cycled up and down seamlessly, but the impetus with which Terho pounded the right pedal was nothing compared to the feeble trickle of power making its way to the rear wheels. The widening gap to Lund soon stabilized, and by lap 20 it had begun to drop significantly.

"Edvin, the engine's fucked!" Terho yelled through the radio.

"Turn it to rich mix and deal with it. Nothing we can do." he replied, eerily calm. Aada could be heard pounding a table next to him, her Norse war cry of agony cut off by Edvin's quick finger.

On lap 23, the engine's straight line speed began to falter. It was inconsistent, sometimes revving enough to reach eighth gear, and others struggling to reach seventh. Lund, in his Audioslavian shitbox machine, had by then narrowed the gap to just tenths of a second. Terho's defensive driving took the reins, swerving as much as possible to disturb the air currents behind, but Nanna² just wasn't having it. He conceded first on lap 26, walloping down to second by six seconds by the halfway point of the race. The rest of the grand prix was a struggle to keep afloat; an inspired charge from Jean Mercer-Daly, title challenger and formidable opponent, in the final quarter of the race meant sick Nanna² stumbled out of the final corner and let the Esmerelian's silver blur past.

Terho rolled Nanna into the paddock, tore off the head restraint, and sharply pulled off his helmet and balaclava. He wasn't furious, or depressed, or disgusted, but felt an overwhelming frustration and hopelessness. The shower he was about to take could either soothe his emotions or break the teary dam in his eyes.

***

Lintulahti International Circuit
Lintulahti, Aboveland
Tuesday

"So we found that the gearbox wasn't fixed correctly and there was a lubrication issue, which in turn slowed everything down, pretty much. The engine went into a safer mode to preserve itself as it began to fail. Anyway, Aada rectified the issue and traced it to a manufacturing defect. We've got the gearbox mended now, so it shouldn't give you trouble at all in Audioslavia. Should it fail again, it'll skip the safe mode; it'll last the race, which is what we need. Now, on to..."

"Terho, are you even listening?" Edvin asked.

Terho set down his temperature sensitive Ghost of the Theater mug on the tyre shaped coaster on top of the meeting table. The mask had darkened again halfway down, the foam in his coffee marking the division line between light and dark. He looked down at the bubbles as they effervesced into thin air and turned to his now boss, his frothy upper lip dripping down the corners of his mouth. Edvin didn't look amused, so he shot a quick tongue swipe at it.

"Frankly, no," he said. "I genuinely couldn't care less about whatever you want to say to me unless it de-stresses me for Audioslavia. The coffee is doing a better job than you at the moment."

"Well, if you'd fucking listened," Edvin replied, angrily, "I said Juracai's out. iBen returns for Audioslavia. Happy, asshole?" he finished, glaring, fuming.

Terho's jaw dropped. "Really?"

"Yes, really," Edvin said wryly. "Your job is to send Juracai off nicely. My job is to give him the boot. Good luck," he finished, licking his dry lips and slamming his folder shut. He marched out of the office with a steady stride, his clacking shoes reverberating all the way up from downstairs.

A queasy feeling percolated in Terho's stomach as he sipped down the last remains of his coffee. The unpleasant sensation wasn't brew-inspired, however: he'd have to pretend to be Juracai's friend one last time before saying bye for good. He'd never been close at all, and despite that he was still sad to see him go. He was too nice a guy to abandon so abruptly, and after such a good spell! He wasn't even in a strong position to fake being dominant or happy or content enough to stab someone in the back. And what if Juracai did well in the next race?!

The looming creak of a hinge snapped him out of his runaway thoughts, the well oiled clack of the lock retracting into the door the perfect complement. Terho raised his eyes from the bottom of the mug, where he'd been studying the coffee grounds left over from the French press, to find his mentor and, up to a certain point, his WGPC hero: iBen Toralmintii. In an instant, his tough, cool, unusually sassy and dry persona collapsed. He stared in awe at the legend before him, even though they'd spoken normally before. This time, he was wearing a TRÆ cap. This time, it was special.

The pair hugged for a bit, Terho still taking in the electric energy the Turorian released. If he was responsible for a double TRÆ podium in the final race of the season, on his first comeback drive, he'd be a true legend. Hell, even if he made it as far as starting the race, he'd be one for the all time greatest spot in the record books.

His former mentor couldn't have returned at a better time. It was the first year in Terho's WGPC career that he'd gone into the final race of the season without leading the championship standings. While Edvin detailed Juracai's dismissal earlier, Terho did the calculations: to become champion, he needed to outright win the race, and even then depend on Franssen scoring six points or less; hell, he didn't even know if that would be enough, because it was Franssen's to lose, not his to win, if they happened to tie at two wins a piece and 113 points each. Surely, the title this year was a far fetched dream rather than a very real possibility, and never in the season had the trophy seemed further away. Moreover, right off the back of a recent recovery from his massive, title-hope-dashing accident in Esmerel, and a car that was starting to fail him importantly, his nerves had begun to boil. It was the worst state of mind a driver could face into a finale where three of the four title contenders needed to fight tooth and nail to win the race.

And like a phoenix in the fire, the master of precision and consistency had arrived to lift him up.

Juracai's farewell party would have to wait.

With an almost telepathic connection, the pair clicked as they had two years past, dominating the WGPC in their stellar Tropicorp machinery. Terho'd skip the simulator laps around Crossport this week. The track was familiar and adept enough for his style for him to take another win. Of his experience, he was confident.

He just lacked that extra calm driving passion, obscured by the fuzz of his unsteady nerves, and the only remedy was an iBen. The two slipped on their helmets in unison, flapped down their visors, and climbed into their cars, Terho slipping into the 56, Nanna², iBen cocooning himself into the now unmarked second race chassis. Terho waved the Turorian out of the paddock first, letting his previous team leader guide him onto the track, the yellow t-cam leading the black one onto the Lintulahti tarmac. iBen bellowed Juracai's car into submission, and Nanna² yelped with delight in the same way. No saunas, no showers, no music, no meditation: the best remedy for a tired mind was pure, unadulterated fun.

iBen was nothing short of his recipe for success.

[Vangaziland]

Post Race - Press Conference

As usual, Jess did her usual track side interview for a particular network. The company had ties to Vannish Motors and those interviews were an exclusive. After that, Jess would often take part in a press conference where she sat with the principal, engineers and the team's other driver depending on the week.

Jess entered the room with an anxious tension almost readable on her face. She was clearly excited. What she just did on the track was sensational. At the start of the race day she sat 17th. After the finish, she stood at 5th. For whatever trouble Talvela dealt with in his car, it still ran 4th fastest, literally right on the heels of a podium finish. Mercer-Daly put on a spirited performance in an attempt to take the lead. Both drivers hoped to make the most out of Jessica's terrible start.

The first question addressed her start. "Jess. We saw where you were coming into this race. What was your strategy to move up the field?"

"This season has been an exercise in controlling pace", she replied. "Look at our segment times throughout the season. You'll see we tended to make strategic pushes late in a lot of our best races. There's a reason for that. Well. We knew we had to go all out today. I also put a bit more trust in my aggressive side today. It suited the course and the situation qualifying had us in."

Many started to write Jessica off at the start of the Grand Prix of Turori. They started to wonder if the track hadn't dashed her hopes of a title before the race even began. Jess ended the race right on the heels of her top ranked competitors, gaining on them as time ran out. As season 16 moved towards its conclusion, all talk was on the Championship. One wouldn't be able to debate the Championship without mentioning the Vangazi. Jess mentioned that when asked about her goals for the end of the season.

"In some ways, I've accomplished many of my goals and the team's goals", she responded. "See, an advanced team does not enter such a long-term and expensive prospect as motorsports with a simple goal of 'win-lose'. Consider that we are a factory team. Did we make the company, sponsors and car look it's best? Yes. Did we put up a competitive car every week and earn the best results we could? Yes. Did we put on a show of dynamic racing and engineering? Yes. Look, we were the best team we could be. That shows where we stand. We'd hope to win both Cups. That's not the definition of our season's success or failure though. It's just the latest short term goal, based on where we are now."

The journalists didn't let Jess slip away from the pressure, not that easily. "But Jess, you can't say that winning the Championship isn't every team's goal."

She stood firm in her position. "It's a goal. It's not the only goal that defines success though. Only one team can win. It's best to look beyond that, especially with the season being such a long process. Every driver still in contention should feel like they won. You made it to the last race with your name in play. We all fought to get here."

It was Jessica's maturity that may have been the secret weapon which helped her on the track. She had an overwatch sort of mentality that seemed to see two steps ahead. She knew to temper her responses at certain moments, not stirring up drama or boasting at the wrong moment.

The fourth driver in contention was the other Vangazi, driving for Omni Racing. It wasn't long before he came up. The reporter asked if Jess and Xiaopeng were friends or rivals.

"We're both", Jessica said. "He'll be giving it his all to beat me. We know he can do ridiculous things behind the wheel. I'll be on guard. The real winner of WGPC 16 is the Vannish race fan. Four wins for the Empire. That's a chunk of the schedule. But we won't be friends on the track in Audioslavia."

WGPC 14 came up. That year, the Audioslavian Grand Prix was Jessica's third victory of the year. She dominated the cars which had seemed unstoppable in the early part of WGPC 14, making them fight much harder for points as that season wound down. She out scored every car in her six race stretch. Many expected her to do big things with a full season this time around. "With the success you saw in that shortened season, do you feel like you have any unfinished business to take care of?"

"I'd say I do. There's an official nature to winning silverware. It feels good to have completed the season. It was a challenging one and it's not over yet."

The conference continued, with questions continuing to come pour in. This was Jessica's most intensive press conference of her life. She continued to answer questions without giving an inch. She stayed true to her points. She was focused, motivated and trying to let the pressure slide off her.

Of course, it wasn't that easy. She knew the world was watching. It was more about living up to their expectations at that point. Jessica and the team may have had realistic and tempered goals. There were still millions of Vannish race fans who lusted after a Franssen (or Jang) Championship.

It would be up to J. Franssen to satisfy their desires, or her competition to give them a lesson in realistic season goals.

-------------

Off Week
Wednesday

Despite Jessica's knowledge of the track and past success, VMR was not taking things lightly for the last race of the season. Neither was Jess herself. The team had flown to the Empire's Esportivan territory, as opposed to the Northern Land the team usually flew home to. The race was over a week away and VMR had travelled to a course similar to Crossport.

Skora Circuit stood 15 miles outside of the village of Ismerelda. Unlike mainland Vangaziland with its blend of Black and Scandinavian culture, most of these Esportivan villages were Hispanic or Slavic. Quite a few villagers made their way to several track sessions to watch the motorsports star take a run at their local course.

Skora had a similar layout to Crossport in that it had a fast technical section, along with a wide loop that turned back into the final straight. The layout of the first few turns was different, but similar. There was an eerie similarity with the second half of the course. The track was built in the 1970s for domestic racing consistent to prototype GT series.

A set of office buildings sat at the outside of the track and grandstands. It was there, in a squat, red-roofed building that Jess, the principal and an engineer sat around a round office table. They were having a quick get together, sharing each others plan for next week.

"Well like I said, this is just to get on the same page. Let me tell you what to expect from my side of things. Jess, tell us how you see things from the driver's perspective. Karlos, brief us on the plan for the car." VMR principal Vanessa Hattieson paused before speaking. She had managed to avoid much of the media's notice throughout the season. "Pit strategy is going to depend on how things look. We'll probably aim for two stops. Harder compound first half. We'll see how aggressive we get with the tire selection towards the end. If we have to try the softest compound, we'll do it. Of course, we could find ourselves in a position to just hold on. In that case, be prepared to pace yourself towards the end."

Jess nodded before speaking, "I'll definitely consider pace in that circumstance. I'm not going to hold back though, just because you never know what can happen. So I'll still push, despite where the top 4 fall."

"Fair enough", Vanessa replied. "Just monitor for instructions. Tell me your thoughts on the race. Where do you see your strategy?"

Through the large windows, the golden-blue sky of the afternoon and it's pink clouds were visible. It had been a long day of practice on the course.

"The lines shouldn't be too complex here. It'll be a quick race. That means I'll have to run defensively. There'll be a lot of drafting. We've seen some cars skirting around to disrupt airflow. I have something in store for that. As usual, pace will come into play. We'll see where we qualify. If we're near the top, the goal will be to control the pace. If we have to push, I will. It'll be tough two weeks in a row to move up the field like that though."

"So qualifying is of the utmost importance", Vanessa added. "That brings us to the car. What kind of settings are you looking to run?"

Karlos the engineer jumped right in, a folder full of printed data in his hands. "We're going with one of our longer gear ratios of the season. The right balance of acceleration is important. Since it's such a high speed course, we want to go a little tighter with the suspension. We'll go a little lighter with the downforce, just so the tail still moves. Let us know in practice if it's moving how you want, Ms. Franssen. We can make minor adjustments. As usual, we want to bring the right balance to the course. Acceleration will be important. We'll make sure the car can handle the speed."

"The car has been so much better", Jess said to the engineer. Karlos wasn't the lead engineer, but was filling in for this meeting. Work was being done on the car and the lead was busy with that. "Just make sure everything is running clean with the gear ratios." Jess had problems with the ECU and the transmission. The computer had problems reading certain data and was sending shifts at the wrong moment. It led to two races marked as DF. The shaky transmission was Jessica's biggest concern at the moment. She had spun out before, wrecking on the last lap of the Vannish Grand Prix. She had minor flubs in qualifying which put dents in her starts. But her biggest fear was of a stall and burnout.

It just wasn't the way she wanted to go out. The fans deserved more than that. To the engineers' credit, the car had not malfunctioned since Week 4. The group continued to go over a few details as the meeting entered a question and answer phase. They each filled each other out on small details. Karlos handed the others printouts of car data and got into a few details. Jess answered a few questions on lines and technique.

The meeting was brief. Soon they stood and shook hands before heading back downstairs to the car. It was about time to wrap things up for the day. The engineers would pick up their work in the morning.

[Vilita and Turori]

Eelandii Grand Prix Circuit, Eelandii, Turori :: The weekend started off great for Vilita & Turori drivers Juracai Klianiota and R.L. Cruisin as the rains poured down in Eelandii as the Vilitan and Turorian duo drove their respective Tropicorp Racing Aelund and MSA SinVal machines to the top two spots on the scoring pylon during the rainy Friday practice session, leading some of the locals to wonder if this would finally be the year that a local driver won the Vilitan or Turorian Grand Prix.

Every single Turorian Grand Prix ever contested saw a Vilitan or Turorian driver finish in the Runner-Up position with both R.L. Cruisin and iBen Toralmintii claiming the podium spot - Toralmintii having done so just one season prior while driving for WGPC Eelandii. Cruisin had also finished second in the Vilitan Grand Prix during World Grand Prix Season 13, the closest anyone had come at the Vilitan Mountain Challenge Course in Rockii Coast.

But the shine and optimism started to erode when the Sun came out the next day for Qualifying. While the field was very fast and very close front to back, the two Vilitan and Turorian drivers were no longer at the head of the pack with McPahan's Alexander Lund on the pole position. Klianiota was a respectable 6th just in front of WGPC Eelandii's Jennifer Johnson and R.L. Cruisin who was outside the top 10 in 11th place.

It was once again Dry on race day and somehow it just seemed to not suit Klianiota. For a driver who should know the course inside and out, the Tropicorp Racing Aelund driver struggled from the get go dropping quickly outside the Top 10 and looking like they either. The same could be said about WGPC Eelandii as Jennifer Johnson had seemingly hit the brakes even harder than Klianiota did with the duo dropping back to join the Swashbuckler Sebastian Vacantson in battling around the 15th position on the grid.

There was, however, one local driver who was moving forward not backward. R.L. Cruisin.

After having gone more than half the season without scoring a single point, the WGPC's ironman seemed stuck between a rock and a hard place at MSA Sin-Val as the car just didn't seem to have the speed. On this day, however, it seemed as if either Cruisin or the team had found a little extra something as the Vilitan driver had already picked off 8 spots in the opening 14 laps to move into the top 3.

While it wasn't the Vilitan Mountain Challenge Course, there was still a massive contingent of representatives from the Vilisorma Beverage Company on hand, with Vilaye being passed out left and right to fans and the Vilaye banners all around the circuit. Cruisin cemented themselves as a contender as the race went on and reeled in the Tropicorp Racing Aelund driver Terho Talvela for second place on lap 36. Talvela, who had earlier led, seemed to be battling something internal while Cruisin was on ... Cruis' Control ... as they set sail for the top spot and the soon-to-be-retired Alexander Lund. Cruisin was simply on a different strategy and as the field made their final stops, Cruisin decided there was no need and pressed ahead, taking over the lead and never surrenduring the top spot, securing their fourth career grand prix victory and their first since Round 4 of World Grand Prix Championship season 14.

The Celebration at the Start-Finish line began as soon as the field returned to the Paddock and the Vilaye was spraying high and far. It had been a terrible season for Cruisin, Vilaye Energy Drink and the MSA Sin-Val team, but the win at the Eelandii Grand Prix Course had erased it all - made it all worth it - as R.L. Cruisin became the first Vilitan or Turorian driver to win a Vilitan or Turorian Grand Prix.

It was a bittersweet moment for iBen Toralmintii, who had come so close the season before at winning his home Grand Prix in the WGPC Eelandii machine, but he was still happy for his competitor. What he was not happy about was the performance of his team on the day with Jennifer Johnson out early and Vacantson outside the points. Toralmintii still had the competitive spirit and hated being irrelevant. It was time to do something about it, and looking to send a message to Juracai Klianiota after yet another embarassing run, Tropicorp Racing Aelund was ready to take action as well. The celebrations for Cruisin were still ongoing as the WGPC Eelandii cars had already been pushed back to their permanent garages outside Turn 12. With an early day, Toralmintii began getting fitted for a different seat, finally Taking Tropicorp Racing Aelund up on their offer to become TRAE's 2nd Driver for the Last race of the WGPC season, re-uniting the Turorian with former teammate Terho Talvela.

@Juracai7 dropping like a rock as usual @RaceEelandii Terho out front #TRAE

Ummm does @cruisin51 have an extra turbo today? Might wanna check that out #WGPC

Are @WGPCEelandii even in this race? #EelandiiGP

@Vilaye Wow! @cruisin51 just won the @RaceEelandii #WGPC!!!!

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Nexus Racing HQ, Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
24th of May

Ryker Lane has been gone for the last three weeks.

The Nimban sits in the cave that he has tunnelled into, mind still. He will perhaps try to flatten out the floor next; that would be a logical step to take.

…

There had been no resurgence. His one major chance of a victory was taken from him by the worthy challenge of Okumura and Polaris; his only other podium was overshadowed by Terho and Jean, fighting for the title where he, World Champion, could not. Nexus Racing had done well enough to challenge - his teammate’s success proved that beyond doubt - and yet he himself had consistently done well in practice sessions, so he could not be at fault either.

There is no cause for failure - and there is failure nonetheless. There is nobody to aid, nobody to blame, nothing to do to redeem it.

And thus, there is nothing to think.

And thus, he does not.

---

First Builders, I hope he’s okay.

…

Dammit, no, he isn’t.

Standing at the back of the garage, Gertrude oversees the final preparations for Transcendence (a name that fits well alongside Coalescence, in her estimation) before the final Grand Prix in Audioslavia. She is barely needed; once every so often someone will approach her with a question or she will notice somewhere where her all-encompassing knowledge of the UHSGV-2 will be valuable but for the majority of the time she need not intervene as the dynamic organism that is the Nexus Racing engineering and design team acts as one and many, fulfilling its purpose with a beauty that, at least to her mind, is unsurpassed anywhere in the WGPC.

No, her team’s capabilities certainly aren’t the issue; the focus of those capabilities is where the problems arise.

Have we been focussing on cornering too much lately? That’s what Jean’s wanted, and it’s helped him, sure, but Ryker might not have adapted quickly enough to the changed focus. She frowns. But that can’t be it. Ryker is more than adaptable - we see that when he’s racing. We saw it three, two weeks ago! No Audioslavia, but come on! It’s… Imagination.

I need to talk to Martin about this after the weekend; we need to be dealing with this in the offseason. He’ll know what to do better than anyone. For now…

She lowers her head, intoning a brief prayer for inspiration and conviction under her breath.

“Sorry, Ryker; for now, we act in Jean’s interests,” she whispers. “He’s our best shot at the Championships right now. I… I can’t be biased.”

“You’d want me to do the same. I know it.”

[Esmerel]

Nexus Racing HQ, The Nexus Wardship
Thursday, 24 May 2018

1:31.357.

Jean stepped off the sim accelerator. A full quarter of a second behind the lap record. No. That simply wouldn’t do. Jean needed more pace. He needed more consistency. Because here he was with the closest shot at the championship other than the leader, and he still needed to make up a 15 point deficit. If he wasn’t first or second, regardless of Franssen’s position, she won.

And what was Nexus doing? Nothing. They had been silent for the last three weeks. Jean was about to burst into the garage and work on Transcendence himself if he needed to.

Luckily, he didn’t. As he went in, the entire team was working on his car. Things were going swimmingly. Well, relatively. He did make up good points with the third place in Turori, but even so it wouldn’t be enough to stop Franssen without some serious makeovers.

Operation Ultimatum was go.

[Vangaziland]

The organization behind the World Grand Prix Championships has a good problem to have. They have three drivers competing to be stars, not just of this year, but of the WGPC's recent history. The Grand Prix of Audioslavia will have long term implications for several drivers looking to cement their name in international motorsports history. Terho Talvela, Jean Mercer-Daly and Jessica Franssen could have their legacy cemented with a win at Crossport in season 16.

Talvela earned his bones by winning his rookie season while driving for VTM in WGPC 14. The black car was the fastest on the field, propelling the greenhorn to the Driver's Championship and his teammate into 2nd. He led his team to an easy Constructor's victory as well. The next year he moved to MRT. He went into the last race of Season 15 in Audioslavia leading driver's points. He suffered an incident on lap 2 with Jean Mercer-Daly that ended the Abovian's title hopes. Coming into Audioslavia in Season 16, Terho finds himself in title contention. He desperately hopes to prove he can win again, outside of a black car. Winning the race wouldn't guarantee his title, as it depends on the results of the #25 car. The right circumstances could cement Terho's place as one of the top drivers of all time.

Jean Mercer-Daly entered Audioslavia in WGPC 15 in 6th. That spot came after winning the Vilitan Grand Prix the prior raceweek. Although he was eliminated from hopes of a Driver's championship, he had brought the lead to Red Lion Racing in the Constructor's. JMD would win at Crossport Raceway that year, helping Red Lion get to an impressive 210 points. A year later in Season 16, Mercer-Daly is in a position to win the Driver's Championship. His team of the year, Nexus, is also in team points contention. Winning both cups would be a major accomplishment. There would also be something to be said for winning the flagship race two years in row. The story would still be open for future seasons. Would JMD win at Audioslavia three years in a row? Four?

That leaves us with Jessica Franssen. Her rookie season was also WGPC 14, only managing to secure a late contract for the last 6 races. It's been said how the black VTM cars were the fastest of that season. Jessica took an MRT car from a teammate who finished the season with 4 points. She ended up winning three of those races and jumping to 4th place. Her car outran the faster black cars during that stretch, cutting into a VTM season that would have put up even more points. Jessica took off WGPC 15 to work with VMR in WGP2. There she picked up 3 wins while serving as acting principal. She returns for WGPC 16. Entering the season's last week, she finds herself in the drivers' lead. VMR is second in team points.

Jessica's season started with a tough 4 race stretch. In race 1 at Dashoze, she finished 16th. She didn't finish races 2 and 4 because of a reoccurring technical problem. Jessica's next bout of misfortune came when she wrecked on the last lap of the Vannish Grand Prix, the 9th race. She still finished that race 10th because of her accrued time. Matter of factly, besides the three aforementioned incidents, Jessica has finished every race of the season in the top 10. It's that consistency which brings her into Crossport ranked 1st.

But how does Jessica feel about all this long term history talk? She visited a morning talk show in Esportivan Vangaziland while prepping her car at a local track. "I'm not that considered about whether I win this race, or even this season. I do want to be seen as one of the best, though. That doesn't have to come today though. I'm confident in where my career is headed. I'll worry about what history thinks when I get old. For now, I just take things day by day. Race by race."

She was also asked on WGPC 16 more specifically. "I'm confident in how our season will end. The fact is that a few early mistakes cost us. We could be in a better position. We could also be in a much worse position. It was a fight, clawing tooth and nail to get to this point. It shouldn't be as much about this last race as you make it seem", she chastised the reporter.

Franssen doesn't need a win as badly as the other drivers do. She just needs to perform well. Of course, Jessica won at Audioslavia in WGPC 14. She could be the one with two wins on the influential track. They would be back-to-back as far as her years of contention were concerned.

Jessica still wants to show WGPC 14 wasn't a fluke. VMR has had success in events since. This is her first personal season back on the track since her first good run. She's had another good season. She hasn't won half of her races, but she's been a model of consistency in an inconsistent car. Her teammate, Gregori Krupin faced numerous problems with the car despite a valiant effort on his part.

A WGPC 16 Franssen win in Audioslavia would give the Vangazi her second 3 win season. That's not something that has been seen in recent WGPC seasons outside of her freak effort. Repeating that twice and winning a cup or two would show she's not just a flash in the pan.

Of course, none of these drivers need to win to be considered good or event great drivers. They've all made a name for themselves to get to this point. Over the past three seasons, they have begun to separate themselves from the pack in terms of long-term story. There will always be hotshots which appear fresh for every season. These three have their sights on something longer term.

There are also plenty of other drivers with something to prove in this last race. Close to Franssen's Vannish shores is Jang Xiaopeng. After leading VMR to two cups in the inaugural season of the WGP2, he stands in contention to do the same for Omni. He has the worst odds at P4 on winning the season. It won't be easy. He doesn't have the experience at Crossport that the other three do. Like the other two, he also needs the right circumstances from the #25 car to actually win the season.

When bringing up the most recognizeable drivers, many consider racer turner principal iBen Toralmintii. He's shown the heart and grit to become one of the league's most improved drivers. Back when works teams were named things like Works Team Three, Toralmintii raced. He faced early struggles, scoring 5 points in one season and 6 points in another. After that, he jumped to 128 points in the black VTM car. This was why the car stood out so much that season, carrying a rookie and a works driver into P1 and P2 on the season. iBen showed serious skill, before hitting a rougher patch in WGPC 15.

Perhaps iBen wants to show he can win in Audioslavia. If he would have done that in WGPC 14, he would have been the year's champion. A win this year could be a symbolic way to remember what could have been.

When the drivers set off to race in Audioslavia, everybody on the grid will run as fast as they can. Each driver has something to race for and is looking to make a name for themselves. A limited few have their legacies on the line.

[Audioslavia]

Alec had noted Stan McPahan's refusal to look him in the eye as he'd gone over the team's pit strategy the day before the race. A one-stopper over a fifty-nine lap race. The final thirty-nine on a single set of medium-to-hard tyres after an initial 20-lap stint on medium-to-softs. The plan was to get Lund ahead and keep him ahead. Alec was to take great care with his tyres and short-shift to save fuel, all the while driving as defensively as possible when under pressure, parking the rear of the McPahan 'shitbox' on the apex of every corner, covering the inside line in the braking zone, and generally being a giant pain in the arse for everyone else.

It wasn't exactly Lund's forte. He was adept at it, sure, but it didn't make for a fun race. He'd known he was about to be in for 59 laps of hard graft.

Coming out for the second stint with a clear road in front of him, putting in some solid laps, retaking first place as the rest hit the pit-lane (with the noteable exception of an aptly named Cruisin, whose team had relied on a good set of hard tyres and a veteran driver on a familiar circuit to go flag-to-flag without swapping wheels), Lund was doing his job. No sweat, no attacking the corners, no mistakes. Smooth. Inside and out, feeding the car through each apex and clipping each rumble strip on each exit. Talvela had put him under pressure in the middle of the race, but had needed to get onto a third set of tyres, dropping him back to third and, seemingly, from what information the team had given him, out of contention for a real shot at first place.

It was just him and R.L. Cruisin. A big gap between the two, both with similarly worn tyres that weren't the grippiest in the first place, both with prior knowledge of the circuit (though Lund would have to bow to Cruisin's technique when it came to bombing round Eelandii, despite Lund having won here three seasons previously), the gap seemed to be staying as it was. Cruisin barely making up a tenth of a second per lap.

For a moment. A solitary moment. Alexander Lund allowed himself the luxury of thinking this was going to be his day.

The car of Sayono Souzare, formerly of McPahan, honed into view ahead, whizzing round the shallow turn ten before the hard braking zone before turn eleven. Lund, a second behind, resolved to take the Hodoran backmarker before turn fifteen, sacrificing the half-second that driving behind the Hodori would cost him before a clean overtake, rather than try and bomb inside on turn eleven and risk a collision.

He wasn't given the choice.

The Arada swerved violently as turn eleven honed into view, and began to spin the back wheels. Lund, alert, saw the problem: a piece of debris on the racing line, big enough to cause a problem if it hit. Armed with the prewarning, Lund took a shallower line to avoid both the object and the danger of spinning, but had to stamp his left foot down hard to avoid Souzare, who clipped the wall before the turn and lost a great deal of momentum. Lund's heart leapt into his throat as the McPahan screeched to an almost stand-still before tippy-toeing past the stricken Arada, now sat forlornly on the outside of the right-hander, off the racing line, with a front wing and front left tyre that had seen better days. Alec's own left front was fine, but the right front had locked up hard, leaving a big rubber mark on the tarmac.

Lund accelerated away, believing he'd gotten away with it. That his drama was over for the day.

He took turns twelve carefully, got on the gas nice and early round turn thirteen, broke hard for turn fourteen and winced as, once again, the right front locked up, sending him a little wide round the left-hander.

Accelerating down the northern straight, Lund was able to inspect the right front tyre. An ugly, thick, dark horizontal line flickered by as the wheel turned. A flat spot. A big, big flat spot.

Alex broke for turn fifteen and the same thing happened. The brakes worked fine for all wheels, but as soon as the flat spot on the right front hit the ground, the wheel stopped turning, vaporising the rubber and making the flat spot even worse.

Turns sixteen and seventeen were slow enough to not make a difference, but he knew he couldn't hold this situation for ten laps.

"Flat spot, right front, need to change tyres, over"

"Negative" came an immediate reply. "Manage the problem, keep to the plan. There's not enough laps left to get back the time lost to a pitstop. Over."
Lund resisted the urge to bash his fist off the steering wheel.

For the next few laps, Alec tried to nurse the car round the corners that needed the biggest change down in speed. 1, 3, 11, 14 and 15. He pumped the brakes twice and three times to encourage the right front to turn before each of the corners, losing time in the process, and had to brake earlier and less abruptly for the rest.

Cruisin, who still had the luxury of circular tyres, started to eat away at the gap.

On fifty-two laps, Lund knew the game was up. The roar of support for the Vilitan driver at what was the closest thing to his home race this season only grew louder and louder with every lap. When it became noticeable even over the scream of the engine, he knew the green and blue MSA Sin-Val was close enough too make a move. On the start-finish straight, Lund looked in his right mirror, saw Cruisin peel right, closed the gap, watched the Vilitan go left, and prayed that, when he stamped on the brake going into turn one, the right front tyre would miraculously keep turning.

No such luck. The wheel locked up, Lund ran wide, Cruisin maintained the inside line and Lund's attempt at a cut-back around turn two only succeeded in getting him on the wrong side of the corner for turn three. He locked up again, rolled the car slowly around the outside of turn three, and watched Cruisin accelerate into the distance.

The final lap of the race was possibly the most tense of Lund's career, even more so than that chaotic final lap of the twelfth WGPC season. With Talvela and Mercer-Daly in his wing-mirrors, Lund grimaced and cringed at every corner as he tried, stiffly, to wrestle the car into position without locking up and, by this point, risking a puncture, with the flat spot so worn down. If it hadn't been for the Nexus and the Aelund battling so hard with one another, he would most likely have been caught and passed. The start-finish line brought palpable relief.

Exiting the car at the end of the pitlane, Lund kept his helmet on, not quite ready to show his face to the world. He managed a wave to the crowd, who generously waved and applauded the second placed driver in his second-to-last race. He warmly shook hands with Cruisin, who had ripped off his helmet and the top half of his overalls in celebration of another Grand Prix win, so long after the previous one. He patted Mercer-Daly on the back as the three ascended the steps towards the podium, only removing his helmet as they opened the door onto the stage.

He stood on the right hand side of the podium for what would probably be the final time, before the Vilitan took the central spot, receiving the trophy and the champagne. Lund couldn't quite help himself but let a small tear go. He put his face in his hands momentarily, pretending to be wiping sweat from his face, but Lund had always had an awful pokerface. He was visibly emotional as the anthems played. To come so close and not get that elusive win, but to actually get on the podium after three fourth places over a season in which he had wrestled back some respect, both for himself and from others, after two awful years in weak cars. To stand and wave at an appreciative crowd, but to know he may be doing it for the last and final time.

He allowed himself a thirty-second champagne-fight with the rest of the top three, a hearty swig of the stuff himself, and a bout of spraying it over the crowd below, before departing to a press conference in which he'd already resolved to deny that he'd been emotional, praise the car and the team's effort, praise Cruisin for a deserved win without gritting his teeth, and look forward to next week's showdown at Crossport in Audioslavia. His final race.

He was not going out without showing the rest of the world what they would be missing.

[Mattijana]

Final Weekend: What To Look Out For In Audioslavia

Season 16 of the World Grand Prix Championships comes to a potentially thrilling climax this weekend as the final race ends on Sunday afternoon at the Crossport raceway. A winner will be crowned shortly afterwards, with Jessica Franssen favourite to take her maiden title amongst competition from season 14 champion Terho Talvela and Esmerelian star Jean Mercer Daley. Fellow Vannish driver Jang Xiaopeng also has a chance of glory.

That's not all that's going on however. Mattijana's own MRT team are looking to maintain their lead to win a first Constructor's World Championship whilst further down the order, a number of drivers and teams are looking to make their claim for a place on the grid next season.

The Title Race:

The most hotly anticipated result of the weekend will be who comes out on top in the driver's championship. Jess Franssen currently leads the way with a 15 point advantage over Mercer-Daly, whilst Talvela is a further 4 points back . Xiaopeng has 92 points, 2 behind the Abovian and in need of a third race win of the season to take the championship victory.

The permutations are reasonably simple by the standards of permutations, but still complex in the scheme of things. Should Jean Mercer-Daly win, Fransson would need to finish in the top 3 to take the win outright and the top 4 to level the duo's tallies on points.

If JMD finishes second, Franssen must finish 9th or lower for the Esmerelian to take the crown, unless Talvela or Xiaopeng wins, in which case they would take the title.

Should JMD finish third or lower, Franssen would win whatever her finishing position, unless either Talvela won, in which case she would need to finish 6th or higher, or Xiaopeng won, in which case she would need to finish 7th or higher.

All good, clear, sensible stuff.

Mathematics aside, the nature of the Crossport track may also have a role to play. It is on the technical side of the spectrum, which unfortunately for Mercer-Daly suits the Vannish driver and her VMR machine rather than the Nexus and its pilot. Despite that, Franssen looked rocky in qualifying in Eelandii and with only the one overtaking opportunity that isn't pants-wettingly scary, she may find a recovery drive harder than in Turori.

Meanwhile, there is also a winner to be decided in the constructor's championship and on paper, this one is closer than the driver's. MRT lead the way going into a race where they should have a strong result, but lead the equally well-set VMR by only 13 points. Omni are just another point further down in third, whilst Nexus, the defending champions, still have a chance of retaining their title from fourth, with a 17 point deficit.

Talvela's team TRÆ are still mathematically in with a shot, but with a 34 point deficit, they would need the equivalent of a 1-4 finish to win, assuming neither of their opponents score.

Once again the track may come into play, as might the form of each team's number two driver. Ryker Lane has gone completely off the boil of late, perhaps damning Nexus' chances even in Mercer-Daly brings home a podium, whilst Gregori Krupin, despite a recent upturn in points finishes, has been distinctly patchy.

West-East Timor's Mick Schramm has been similarly low of pace relative to his younger teammate, so Rustom Ibuna's declining form for MRT may be of somewhat reduced importance. It therefore looks more and more like a direct slug-out between the grid's number one drivers, making the driver's and constructor's championships very much intertwined.

With nothing else to focus on and a favourable circuit, MRT are favourite to see out their lead, with VMR probably the best-placed team to overhaul them in top spot.

Mid Grid Battle Intensifies:

As always, the battle in the middle of the pack has remained tight, with some drivers set for their best-ever placings. McPahan driver Alex Dimitrianov, in his fourth WGPC season for Mattijana, can rise as high as 5th if he wins the final race, but is more likely to be looking behind him. He's 7th, with Polaris driver Erica Okumura just 2 points back. Second Mattijana driver Jasmin Kranjska has 57, another point behind, whilst Mick Schramm and Alexander Lund have 55 apiece. With just 5 points separating 5 drivers, it's still all to play for. Dimitrianov may still be on for his best ever WGPC finish, needing to go higher than the 9th he secured last season for Fireline.

That should be enough to secure him a seat for next season, particularly with his reputation for providing a consistent source of points, but he will probably need to stay around 7th or 8th if he is to secure a potentially title-winning seat.

Jasmin Kranjska on the other hand has been a little bit of a revelation. Coming in halfway through the season as replacement for the injured Kyoko Fujisaki, she has aquired three podium finishes and could have had another if she hadn't crashed out from 4th in Eelandii.

She may have been an outsider for the title if she had started the season, especially in a pacier car than the KISMO, but she has certainly put herself in the eyes of top teams for next season. MRT will want to retain her, but may face competition from elsewhere.

Prize money is of course another factor and this is especially potent in the constructor's championship. Away from the top end, McPahan are looking to cement their place as best of the rest and can go 5th if they can overturn a 12 point deficit to TRÆ on home soil. Polaris are also in there, whilst another good result for Kranjska and co at Kissan motorsport could elevate them to a place in the top 7.

Reputations Need Saving:

It has been a dire season for many, including a surprising number of experienced competitors, but some reputations may be salvaged this weekend if drivers and teams can pull a good result out of the hat.
The hapless Bitten Heroes team have taken only 12 points all season, but can at least lift themselves above the two works teams if they can somehow come up with a good result.

The outfit from Lisander finished 4th last season with Juliano Lemos occupying the same position in the driver's championship with 95 points. He has collected just 4 this season as both drivers and the car have looked woefully off the pace.
Even a 1-2 finish would fail to lift the spirits of fans and team members, but it would at least save the embarrasment of propping up the rest of the paddock.

Had it not been for R.L Cruisin's own reputation-sparing drive to take victory in Eelandii, experienced Eastfield Lodge team MSA-Sinval might have been down with them. Eastfielder Cesaro Whittaker has picked up only 5 points and until his win, Cruisin had picked up just 15.

The win still shows Cruisin has it, but he may well need another strong finish to guarantee his place on the grid next season.
Another disappointment has been Asao Nadakei. The experienced Hodoran racer has been around a while, but has been outclassed by debutant Moe Himura and may well be a bit of a has-been after a number of underwhelming seasons.

Toralmintii Returns:

V&T great iBen Toralmintii will be back for one more race as support for Terho Talvela's world championship bid in Crossport. He replaces countryman Juracai Klianota who has struggled for much of the season and failed to maintain his seat for the team in Eelandii, finishing only 17th.

The impact of the WGPC 14 runner up and WGPC Eelandii team principal will admittedly be limited with such a late entry, but it will be interesting to see exactly how rusty he is after nearly two years on the sidelines. The tunnel section at the end of the course requires maximum concentration and good feel and they are two things that time out only helps you to lose.

Having said that, it would he expected that he has got up to speed in the simulator and for one weekend only, the WGPC can welcome back a true great.

Lund Bows Out:

Going the other way is Audioslavian and McPahan great Alexander Lund. The WGPC 12 champion announced his retirement earlier in the season, as was anticipated after his return to his home team, alongside Mattijana's Alex Dimitrianov.
The team has spent most of the season in the mid grid, but the Audioslavian finished 2nd in Turori and looks determined to end his career with performances reminiscent of his title winning year.

The moment when Lund's race ends, hopefully by crossing the line, will be a sad one and a win is the least that such a great ambassador for the sport deserves. However McPahan, and therefore Lund himself, have earned a reputation over the last few years for being more than a little haphazard and many would see it as a fitting end if Lund ended his career by stuffing it in a barrier around the circuit somewhere.

Having said that, if there is a circuit where Lund will succeed, it is this one and a home win for driver and team would be an emotional moment for the home crowd.