WGP2 Season 2 [RP Thread]

[Vangaziland]

Ade Almost Aces Race

While Karli was hindered by a slow first quarter, Ade spent the first 10 laps climbing up the field. The #12 Omni Katoa car would start 12th. By lap 9, Ade was in 6th place. This was no easy task. Most cars were fighting for position. Some may have let Ade get an early position on him, hoping to take it back later. This was one of the easier courses to pass on. Every driver would be forced to pick their battles.

Ade passed Dom just before the finish line on lap 8. He realized taking that corner a certain way could help him make up time. The red, white and orange #12 snuck in front of the colorful MRT machine. It looked like the flag of Mattijana was battling with the flag of West-East Timor. Now Ade held 6th. The Vannish cars were in 11th and 14th.

The Vangazi driven Omni-Katoa machine showed no signs of slowing down through the second quarter of the race. Ade was riding his aggressive side, which was suited to Alixring and her open nature. It looked like Ade once again had a shot at winning. Last week he scrubbed out after leading a few laps.

Now everything was Ade's to lose. On his run up to 2nd, he passed some of the biggest names in the WGP2. Imoju passed WGPC veteran and home driver Juliano Lemos while exiting the first large banking curve. His car was dialed in with aggression. Imoju also passed Janne Laukkanen, who was looking red hot. The Nexus car had been running as high as 2nd. Ade even passed Darius Castellammare, who started on pole.

Ade felt on top of the world. He came in for a pit stop as scheduled. It seemed to go as planned. There was a problem soon after they returned to the track. One wheel hadn't been torqued down all the way. It was by sheer luck that the car made it back around the track. "I was all nerves on the way back to the pits", Ade said after the race. "It felt like the car was about to just drop to the ground and cause a wreck. Talk about nerve-wracking." The driver said her felt like "his life was on the line."

The incident left Ade struggling to catch up. By the fall of lap 29, Ade sat 9th. There was only a quarter of the race left. It was now or never.

Once again Ade had to pass Dom Falepeau. This time he braked late after the main straight and cut around him going into the curve. The Omni Katoa machine had been right on Dom's heels on that straight. It was a risky move which left him with barely enough grip to accelerate into the curve's apex. The engine howled in protest to the Vangazi's heavy foot.

The Katoa machine sounded more like the Vannish WGPC engine of old. It had a simple, but pure high pitched whine. This set Ade behind Jannik Markner. The indigo and red car would turn out to be one of the cars he just couldn't get past today. Early in the race, Laukkanen had held up Karli Schmitt for several laps. Jannik didn't exactly hold Ade back, but stayed firmly planted in front of him.

Now a Vangazi in a Timorian car was battling a Timorian in a Vannish car. This would make for great TV in Vangaziland. Both cars moved up the field together. The two had almost symbiotic ties as they cut from the bottom of the top 10. In the end, the only one who could hold off the pair wasn't human. The big bird took home the win and stood on the podium.

Jessica Franssen had a somewhat controversial statement about the result, saying, "I just can't tell if he's excited when I see him on the podium.", she said about Cocoabo #23. "His movement seems so. But the eyes." Jessica seemed worried about if the animal was being forced to drive to bring publicity to a company. "Fast Cocoabo definitely has talent behind the wheel though", she added. "If he does like to drive, I could see the bird driving in the WGPC proper."

Ade teared up when he stood on the podium. He wiped them from his eyes and fought not to shiver after realizing how close he came to the win. At the same time, he was standing on the big stage as an independant driver for the first time. Before he always had a GT2 co-driver. Now all the credit was his.

A reporter asked Ade what gave him the strength to fight back twice this race. He had previously been seen as hesistant on the track. The black driver laughed when the question was asked. He knew the reason but couldn't admit it. "Uh, I just felt the motivation", he said. "It's getting later in the season. Midway. There isn't much room to give."

The real reason he pushed harder was because he heard Sheila's shrill voice throughout the entire race. If he had failed, she would have had his hide all week. He was still scared to run into her. The trainer was caught on camera speaking to him.

"Nice race. Congratulations. You earned yourself a week of peace and simple light training. But only a week." The tall woman slapped him on the back and let Ade speak to the others in the Omni circles.

"You know, it's really funny", Ade said as he looked at the crowd of Vannish reporters. "Before this race, there was only one of you here. Now it likes like Vangaziland is watching again. Oh media. How could you?" Ade was playfully shaming the rabid Vannish networks. The reporters were glad to be behind the line of cameras as they cringed and avoided eye contact.

"Uh, Ade", interupted a nervous reporter. "Do you think you still have a chance at the driver's cup?"

"Certainly", Ade shouted enthusiastically. "Besides that, Omni is very much in the Constructor's chase. Thanks to Omni Katoa for the fast car this week." It looked like Ade and Jannik both filled in on weeks where their teammates seemed to stall. Karli fell back to 12th after a treacherous spin. Timo finished last in a performance he would surely have to improve upon.

Besides a few spins and close calls, the race was extremely clean. Every car finished on the lead laps, none failing to finish. It showed just how remarkable of a track Alixring was.

"I think this will quickly become one of the WGPO's classic tracks", Ade said about the track in Lisander. "there will be future classics here. Titles will be determined, right here in Lisander." Imoju seemed to get a dreamy look as he spoke of it. Perhaps he was dreaming of a day when he could possibly get a chance in the WGPC.

For now Ade showed he was worth at least keeping in the WGP2. Maybe he could even find a spot in Formula Hodori or the next new thing. "It's a big week for me", Ade said. "There's a big difference between having 5 points versus 19." He may not have been in contention, but he had made himself useful to his team.

While standing on the podium, Ade reached around Cocoabo to spray Jannik. The bird was slightly caught in the crossfire. They had done it together. Ade must have felt as if somehow he was connected to Jannik's success. He had pushed him up the field, after all.

[Lisander]

ｄｒｅａｍｂｏｙ
Juliano Lemos Personal Blog

Yes you know. Good or bad we are going. I no longer feel like giving up, even getting behind in the rankings. I'm learning new things about how to manage the whole thing. Alix's race was just one more step. One small step, like all the others. Optimism is necessary. I am gradually convincing myself that it is not the result, but the way. Staying in the top five is already a big deal ... For a team that neither car had to run last year, it's a great deal.

In more objective terms, I'm glad we made the front row yesterday. It showed our preparation, our potential. The cash prize helps with the investment, it always helps. And our Center is almost ready. The work is in full swing, led by our accountant and CEO, Sabine Valerian. The result was not what we expected, okay. But that shows that we need to work harder at maintaining speed. We lost a lot of time on Pit Lane.

The goal is to be with Bitten Heroes on WGPC. We still do not know what terms, in fact. But meanwhile, there are Heroes everywhere. Did you see the performance of our Jets team? Salo Marès came to the penultimate round of NASJAR, and almost did not reach the finals! Soon, the second race of WGP3 Alpha League in Alix! My fiancée Ludwika Wiel, and my partner from Camden, Meliné Agrakian are in a battle for the top of the table! Watch the live stream on this link!

[Lisander]

SUPERIA JUNIORS MIDSEASON REPORT!
We get a little too excited, but we're going more or less well...
Sofia Martins, to TV5 Sports

Since we were kids, at school, we are taught that everything that one does needs to be good, beautiful and well-done. Lisander is, without false modesty, a country of perfectionists. And when the outcome is not as expected, sometimes people lose control. That's the basics of psychology. Deal with the unexpected. In the last year, this has been the tonic of the local motorport. The failure of the WGPC season exposed the problem. Firstly, the Adam Westgrens scandal of corruption (and it seems we will never forget this because it still reflects and will continue to haunt us for some time) and all the incidents arising from it. Then the outbreak of Damian Ader, giving up, breaking team computers and resigning while his driver was still on the track, in WGP2 first round. A person with less willpower (like me) would have given up right there. I'm not so good at dealing with this. Lemos kept his head up, and controlled his anger, displaying it discreetly, without public quarrel. His attack on anyone who caused trouble was clear and straightforward:

"DESPITE YOU HERE WE ARE". Lemos seems to hold a bit of a grudge. No one had the courage to ask who was that message for. I wonder who it would be...

So I need to acknowledge the efforts of Juliano Lemos as an administrator. He has made a lot of money, with sponsorships, dividends, use of image, investments ... Under his direction, Bitten Heroes is cementing itself in the "medium, almost good" squad. Keeping this pace and getting a strong partnership, I can believe in success and maybe even championships. Lisander has the financial conditions to have top teams at WGPC and WGP2, but investors are still a bit scared. And that fear must be erased with good results. They need to see that the team is already good without investment, so with the investment it only tends to improve.

But that does not mean that the problems are over. Quite the opposite. It is now that the problems become more evident. Our technology is still clearly inferior. The energy recovery crystalline plates system is still behind the imagi-kinectic systems of the teams ahead in the constructors' championship table. The designers of these teams are much more daring, while ours do not risk escaping so much of the concept of "Classic Formula 2". It needs some attention in this, and if the people in charge work right, the results will come (Hello, perfectionist gene!). So much so that they have already come.

I was surprised and happy with the victory of Darius, in his second race. Age is not being any problem. On the contrary, the experience worked well in Aels, where besides winning it still contained the advances of youngsters Max Predofski and Janne Laukanen. Darius Castellamare has surprised me, positively. With the coolness of a professional killer and the peace of mind of a monk, the driver of the # 3 car already outperforms the fickle first driver. Darius has not yet given an interview, something that should change at the midseason conference in Dreamplanet, when he should say a few words about his performance.

If as team owner Juliano Lemos has fared better than expected, as a driver has not impressed. I do not know if he's doing poorly because of his mental health problems, or if he has something to do with being both a team-mate and a driver ... But he's still not delivering what is expected of him. It's still not the same as WGPC 15. Continuing at this pace, I do not think it will be any good to spend so much to put Bitten Heroes in the next season of WGPC. He should definitely have stayed just in the Paddock. He was thrilled, and now the account of his inconsequence is being charged, with results below expected. The only event where Lemos was that rider we remembered was in Krainin, when the two Superia cars competed for the fourth place until the end.


Em resumo, e se você tiver muita preguiça de ler todo este artigo, resumimos a situação em poucas palavras: Juliano Lemos parece estar se dedicando mais do que devia a seu impulso perfeccionista de ressucitar o cadáver da Bitten Heroes com uma estrutura que ainda não é a ideal, enquanto Darius Castellammare está aproveitando a sua oportunidade para fazer o seu melhor com o que tem em mãos. Resta aos fãs de velocidade segui-los e apoiar por eles, porque eles são nossa maior esperança de vitórias no esporte a motor, pelo menos até começar a NSSCRA. Este inclusive será o tema da próxima semana nesta mesma seção, neste mesmo blog, aqui no site da TV5 Sports.

If you're too lazy to read the entire article, let's summarize the situation in a nutshell: Juliano Lemos seems to be devoting himself more than he should to his perfectionist urge to resurrect the corpse of Bitten Heroes with a structure that is not yet the ideal, while Darius Castellammare is seizing his opportunity to do his best with what he has at hand. It remains for speed fans to follow them and support them because they are our greatest hope of winning in motor sport, at least until we get NSSCRA. This will be the theme of next week in this same section, in this same blog, here on the website of TV5 Sports.

[Vangaziland]

Jessica and Karli had been working extremely hard. They were exercising, going over each course on video and wearing out the simulator with test runs. Karli took a chassis around the track at South Stead a few times a week, just to keep her instincts sharp. Jess never wanted her to go more than a few days without getting behind the wheel of a track car.

Now it was time to let their hair down. There was a concert in South Stead and Jess decided it was Ladies' Night. Jenna Vandersen flew in from Central Vangaziland to hang out with Jess and Karli. They made their way to an arena in the small South Stead Downtown District. The trio had VIP passes, so they were able to skip the line. They moved right to the front row of concert seating.

Vangaziland was more of a hip hop nation, but the Vangazi could definitely rock out. The band 'Space Ogres' was #1 in the genre across the Empire and her colonies. The band was known for progressive space rock. There were four members, three of which were performing tonight. Brash was a blonde rocker, who looked Vangazi to the core. He was known for his colorful slang and playful sense of humor. Nightowl was the second front man. He was a little more intense than Brash, always doing dangerous stunts or traveling to risky places. Brick was the arrogant drummer, known for his perfectionism.

After much fanfare, the moment finally arrived. Curtains slid back to reveal a stage covered in a dense fog. A bright silvery light shined down to show the first rocker. He played a slow riff to warm up. The pace of his riffs was quick. It soon jumped up in pitch, hitting a few higher notes for a moment before cutting off the short solo.


The first rocker started to sing. In the background was a drummer with bright red hair and a tan tunic. His face had an aggressive stare as he focused on his cadence. The drummer came more and more into focus as the guitarist's random chords turned into a song many of the crowd would find familiar.

Jess, Karli and Jenna all sang along with the long haired axeman as he started to sing. The crowd rocked along, cell phones lighting the audience by the thousands as people filmed. The rocker started to sing alone.

'I'm gunna stomp and kiss and dance all-over-you.
I'm gunna flirt and steal and meet a girl-or-two.
You can be as mad as-you-like but
there's no-thing you-can-do.

Nothing you can do, Nothing you can do.
Sweet com-petitor, there's nothing you can do.'

The lights flashed into a dark, ruddy burgundy. A spotlight seemed to illuminate the second guitarist. Nightowl. He wore his brown hair in a mohawk up top and a long braid which thrashed about as he strummed the guitar. His solo started more aggresively than the blonde rocker's. His notes were heavy and tumbled in a chord which almost sounded like surfer rock from the 50s. It hit a high whammy note and ended suddenly.

Brash, the blonde seemed to take this as a challenge. He hopped on the guitar with an even faster pace. Brash really got on the whammy bar and took his guitar from a range of low notes to suddenly jump up into screeching high yelps. The guitar wailed as Brash shook his hair in the foggy light. Nightowl joined in with Brash's tune, matching the high screeches of his axe. Soon the song came back to the normal tune of the song. This time Nightowl sang.

'You're six feet tall... but we-'re six-foot-two.
Anger does not, look too-good-on-you.
Improve. Switch-your-style up. Do what the best-ones-do.
Walk it out, but don't you daaaare play-the-fool.

Cause there's no-thing you can do.
Nothing you can do... Oh! Sweet com-petitor.
There's nothing you can do.'

Now the spotlight seemed to move to the drummer. The light got even brighter and the smoke seemed a little thinner near the orange haired stick man. He went by the stage name Brick. Brick was probably the most angsty of the group. He always had an attitude. There were rumors he caused problems with the group when their movie 'Rockers In Space' came out.

There was one thing he could do and that was to play the drums.


Brick yelled aggresively as he beat his array of drums. He went heavy on the bass, sending a quick calvalcade of thumping blasts which ran as fast as raindrops. The booming sound took over everything for a few moments while he ran across various snares and other drums in his set. It sounded as if the bass and lighter drums were sparring. The bass would strike 6 times, just for the higher pitched drum to strike 12 times in the same segment. He'd hit symbols and triangles to add occasional metallic splashes. As he started a fast drum roll, both guitarists joined together to eventually hold a high note. They whammied up and down together before the rockers sung in unison.

'Find out if beef, is what you really-wanna-brew.
Ev-eryone's your bad guy,
but that does not make-it-true.
Best to-pucker-up, don't count-your-luck. There's...

No-thing you can do. No-thing you can do.
Sweet, pretty competitor.
There's nothing you can do.'

The crowd sang along and held the last note as the band did. The song came to an abrupt end with coordinated high notes on the guitars and a symbol strike. The whine droned on for a second as the instruments fell suddenly silent.

An entire arena erupted in loud applause and rabid cheering. Jessica Franssen was screaming. Karli Schmitt let a loud whistle rip. jenna Vandersen, the Imperial Royal turned WGP2 Constructors' Champion, clapped loud but politely.

'That's how you rock, South Stead', said the blonde guitarist over the arena's booming speakers. 'Nobody rocks like the Empire.'

Nightowl spoke next on his mic. 'The Wild West. That's South Stead The rocker let out a cackling laugh and swung his braided ponytail behind his head as he jammed out a few impromptu notes. Both guitarists wore face paint. Brash had a blue stripe across his eyes, which dipped into blue blotches. A white background helped it stand out. Nightowl had maroon covering half of his face and white on the lower part. Black chevrons were painted under his eyes, along with a gradient on his nose.

'We're so glad you could come out'. said Brash. 'Now let's go back in time, with a little song called.'

Both rockers joined in to shout 'Medieval Bash'. They started to play a song with a slightly slower pace. The crowd seemed absorbed in the band's every word. Every note was extremely clear and so loud that it hurt the ears of those who sat too close to the speakers. The band was on point with every riff and drum beat. Lasers began to shine from the roof as the fog was backlit to brighter colors. Strobes caused flashes in the background.

Pyrotechnics were loaded to send sparklers, flames and small explosions in tune to future songs. The show was action packed and in your face. It was a great way for Karli to let off steam during the lead up to the mid-season test.

[Main Nation Ministry]

Chapter 12: Being A Tourist

"Ughh. What a crappy day." Jason Masami remarked to himself, as he drove the car back to the garage after the race ended. After changing out of his race suit, he decided to dress more casual, wearing a shirt with a phoenix logo that was for a small restaurant which was owned by the government that he won from a raffle. Exploring several locales at the area near the hotel, he went around to examine several shops before he had to leave for his plane tomorrow. He also needed to find a place to get some grub, since he was getting tired of the snacks he was getting from his gift baskets from the fans. After spending some of his money that he changed to fit the nation's currency, he returned to his hotel room with several things that mainly stood out as the typical "tourist bait" merchandise. Masami was still a bit glad that he wasn't surrounded by fans asking for his autograph, that's for sure.

Putting some bags at the ground near his hotel bed, he started packing up to prepare to board his flight. That was when he got a knock at his door. He already knew who it was. He always knew. "The typical reminder to not be late for my flight?" Masami said to the Ministry of Sports official, as he opened his door to greet the man. "Wasting some of your money on the typical mementos?" the official asked, knowing that the camera that they had in Masami's room was focusing on his luggage. "I was wondering if they had some action figures from the Azerty comics. How was I supposed to know?" Masami said, where the official didn't change that easy going smile of his. "Surprised that no one has attempted to mug you, yet."

"I guess it's because people are recognizing me as a phoenix." Masami joked, showing off his shirt.
"Ah. Is that from Nero's? Heard that they are under health inspection due to a drop in their health rating?"
"Wait what? When? I love their snakefish pizza!"
"Several days ago. Relax, don't get homesick over some pizza, Masami. Nero's is going to most likely be back at the typical blue "A" that everyone likes to be near at. Hang in there. We got some more winding journeys to go. See you tomorrow in the morning!" the official said, letting Masami close the door.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Alixring, Alix, Lisander
21st of September; Race Start

The lights go out.

The Chase Cutters’ own explodes into being.

And away they go.

The Chase Cutters blast away, propelled forward more immediately and more rapidly than any other car on the grid by instant torque and Imagikinesis – and immediately and rapidly they begin to slice through the field, Laukkanen and Darlington slashing through the likes of Miguel Santos and Timo Jänkirinää, Karli Schmitt and Dahlia Dahl. The two head into the first corner of the Alixring, striking rightwards and then sweeping back, further up the order than they started – and that only holds true as they round the first lap, then the second, then the third.

Granted, Laukkanen’s advance is swifter; that is primarily the result of pitting from those ahead of him on tyres damaged in Qualifying alongside his own matching of their strategy, put on swift supersoft tyres that will last a little longer than the extremity of the ‘S-3’ ultrasofts but nonetheless allow him to attack with a ferocity and innovation that Ryker would gaze upon – and does gaze upon – with admiration. Janne finds himself promoted to second as the race’s tenth lap begins and duelling with Darius Castellammare before he is brought to the pits, onto an ever so slightly harder compound, and leaps away to continue the assault.

Rebecca’s race is no less eventful, for, immediately after having passed her, Drivers’ Championship leader Karli Schmitt begins a tenacious and ferocious campaign of revenge. Darlington responds with sublimity; her defence is impenetrable, maintained even as she passes amongst those ahead – Markner, Julic – and moves beyond them. Even under these challenging conditions her technical mastery proves near-almighty on the stage of the world; it is not until the seventeenth lap of the race that she finally lets the Vangazi driver pass, tyres worn but still in good repair – more enough for the Esmerelian to continue her push through the field.

The Alixring is, of course, a good track for Gertrude’s Ultra High Speed Ground Vehicle, filled with long straights joined by long corner after long, smooth corner. That does not lessen their drivers’ achievements. So it is that after Darlington’s sole stop and Laukkanen’s second, Rebecca finds herself promoted from the middle of the pack to twelfth and Janne joins her, line astern, from where he started in eleventh in possession of just the same potential.

And Nexus Racing’s garage is filled with grins.

As Janne approaches the Kaylan-made car of Max Predofski ahead of him into the start/finish straight, he requests the use of the ICAST system – and it is granted, the bright blue of his car’s Imagikinetic glow blazing into renewed, augmented life and the panels around the car automatically reconfiguring for minimum drag as he tears away the gap between the two of them. Then, over the remainder of the lap, Janne cedes much of his own power to Rebecca, forming a moving obstacle that slows the Maryloupin even as his teammate closes him down with all the celerity of a charging cavalrywoman until she, too, swipes the place down the back straight. The power equalises and they speed into the distance.

A cheer goes up from the gathering of technicians, engineers and leaders watching on from the sidelines.

So a pattern forms. One driver lends their power to the other in turn, charging the potential of each with unification.

So the two make pass after pass.

So they reach the heights of fourth and fifth place, equalising VMR’s points haul and maintaining their stake in the title races.

As his team celebrates, Timothy Guard smiles. This comeback has planted a flag in the ground, declared that Nexus Racing are here to stay in this Championship fight. Two weeks from now they will bring their upgrades to testing in Dreamplanet and, hopefully, consolidate that challenge.

Then will come the race at Crossbay Circuit.

There they will make good on it.

[Mattijana]

Lets get back up and running. This is your mid-season test cutoff.

[Mattijana]

Week 7: Mid Season Test

Conditions:      	Dry	
Lap Record:      	81.954	
Qualifying Type:	Two Tier	
Nation:         	DRE	
Circuit:        	"GIF Airlines Autódromo

"

POS # DRIVER                   TEAM                	FASTEST LAP	BEHIND LEADER
 1 12 Ade Imoju                   Omni-Katoa Racing           	00:01:39.378	00:00:00.000
 2 16 Janne Laukkanen             Nexus Racing                	00:01:39.378	00:00:00.000
 3 33 Karli Schmitt               Vannish Motors Racing       	00:01:39.385	00:00:00.007
 4 15 Rebecca Darlington          Nexus Racing                	00:01:39.388	00:00:00.011
 5 10 Erik DeForest               Pompeii Motorsports         	00:01:39.391	00:00:00.013
 6 37 Jama'obo Pegasii            SVJ Racing                  	00:01:39.393	00:00:00.016
 7 48 Tyra Tabuso                 Ibuna-Gambal Racing         	00:01:39.402	00:00:00.024
 8 97 Edward Baker                VTM Tropicorp Engineering   	00:01:39.407	00:00:00.030
 9 17 Max Prefodski               Kaylan Racing               	00:01:39.415	00:00:00.037
10 18 Isaia Fanene                Kaylan Racing               	00:01:39.429	00:00:00.051
11 23 Cocoabo #23                 VTM Tropicorp Engineering   	00:01:39.441	00:00:00.063
12 24 Ekatarina Julic             Brutus Obey Sport GP        	00:01:39.483	00:00:00.106
13 44 Laurencia Lynds             SinVal                      	00:01:39.549	00:00:00.171
14 60 Chiemi Hino                 Ibuna-Gambal Racing         	00:01:39.627	00:00:00.250
15  2 Juliano Lemos               Superia Junior Team         	00:01:39.672	00:00:00.294
16 75 Roman Arjenko               SVJ Racing                  	00:01:39.677	00:00:00.300
17 25 Timo Jänkirinää             Omni-Katoa Racing           	00:01:39.707	00:00:00.329
18 19 Dom Falepeau                MRT2                        	00:01:39.975	00:00:00.597
19  5 Jason Masami                Brutus Obey Sport GP        	00:01:40.019	00:00:00.641
20 63 Dahlia Dahl                 Pompeii Motorsports         	00:01:40.083	00:00:00.705
21  9 Jannik Markner              Vannish Motors Racing       	00:01:40.178	00:00:00.801
22  3 Darius Castellammare        Superia Junior Team         	00:01:41.313	00:00:01.935
23 14 Miguel Santos               EVolution Racing            	00:01:43.893	00:00:04.516

[Vangaziland]

"This track was too beautiful to not have some drama", Karli Schmitt told a Vannish reporter after the race. "Ade and I spoke before the race about having a little competition." The two decided to see who could run the fastest lap and also to see who could finish ahead of the other.

The move happened after a Vannish analyst spoke of the traditional mid-season break. "I know that it's a tradition", said Chip Maydress, host of the show 'Last Minute'. "The season would just flow so much more smoother if they cut out the practice week entirely."

His co-host had the back of the WGPO. "First of all", said Deter J. Piff. "The WGPO has streamlined this season exponentially. There were less preseason races and only one practice week. Normally there are at least two or three. This week gives drivers a chance to rest, recuperate and come back into the second half swinging."

"I'll say this about the practice week", Maydress added. "The smartest drivers know to try to gain the extra edge throughout practice week. That can be a great time to make your mark. Jessica Franssen won her cup when her season turned around after a practice week."

So even Maydress had to admit that practice weeks had a place.

Schmitt met up with Ade Imoju for the first time on the second lap. As soon as Ade saw an indigo and red car with Karli's recognizable helmet bobbling around, he hit the gas in earnest. Karli laughed in her car as she noticed Ade push just a little harder down the track. This course was highly aggressive in the lines it required. It was fairly fast, yet had lots of curves.

Karli passed Ade on lap 3 as they came around turn 1. It was a wide sweeping turn with a lot of room. Karli made a fairly risky move for practice when she cut his inside line coming out of the apex. She snuck past the Omni Katoa car under heavy red flashing from the imagi-kinetic device. The red blasts looked like an underbody glow kit in the uniformity of its illumination.

The engine roared, howling in protest of Karli's heavy foot and the transmission's heavy shifting. But Ade didn't stay far behind. The competition started by Karli's pass would lead to a hotly contested lap which saw both drivers with top 3 times.

"People might look at a practice list of the fastest times and assume that's the order we finished on the field", Karli said after the race. "That would be a mistake. Those are literally just random laps placed in order of who ran fastest at any given moment."

The cars reoriented in the space between turns 2 and 3. Ade fought desperately for space on Karli. The indigo and red chassis sped down the next straight until slowing for a slightly sharp turn. Ade was right behind her. The cars weaved like a snake. This became even more true as they got into a slight curve and then back over into a hard turn.

This left both cars to run down a straight. Ade gained a little space on Karli on that exit. Karli also went a little high into turn 7. This slowly edged Ade into the inside line. By the time they got into turn 8, Ade had the edge. He outran the Vangazi blonde, both cars ripping and hollering down the track.

Karli tucked behind Ade, partially because it was practice. If that was the final straight of a race, she may have fought a little harder. There were alternating kinks between turns 9 and 11. Somehow, Ade got space on the next car which was Miguel Santos, the hometown car. This ended up stalling Karli enough for Ade to get enough space from her.

Karli passed Santos soon after on the straight leading to the next turn. Santos was on his way to a tough run at his hometown track. Ade held Karli off throughout the rest of the lap. This was no easy feat. There were several extremely aggresive features, each one seemingly different than the last.

There was one last almost 90 degree turn before the two cars sped towards the finish line. Ade was ahead by .007 seconds. It turned out to be the fastest set of laps on the course, apart from a matching lap by Janne Laukkannen who cruised in front of both cars comfortably that entire time. If Ade could have gotten around Janne, he might have put up a faster time.

The two cars continued to swap places until the race ended. Karli finished ahead of Ade with a faster overall time. Ade claimed his spot on the chart with the fastest overall time of the day. Imoju couldn't help but feel as if he were on a roll. He had a decent qualifying session, which he ruined with a wreck. Then he earned a podium. Now he was fastest at the midseason session.

"The only way I can go from here is up", Ade said after the session. He spoke more about his spot in the points race, as his performance in individual races could easily get worse. In the hunt for points, falling farther behind wouldn't matter much. If he were to suddenly increase his form and make a run, it could mean everything. "I feel the entire team here at Omni Katoa is a little more confident in what I can do behind the wheel."

Karli spoke on the next race. "Crossbay Circuit is quickly becoming a classic track. It's fairly aggressive. The thing to watch for is how tough the track can be. I think we'll see a lot of cars wreck out. I'll be working on my lines all week to make sure to keep things together. This fact about Crossbay should make less reliable drivers nervous."

When asked who she thought would do well there she said, "Ade and I could run well here. Jannik too, if he pushes. But of course you'll have to expect Nexus Racing to show up well at their home course. Let's see who runs into trouble."

The course did make Karli nervous. It might be one of the toughest ones she's driven on in that regard. She would need to tap into skills going back to her GT2 racing days.

"Nice session, Karls", Jess told the blonde driver after she crawled out of the driver's seat. "Way to bounce back after a tough race."

"I need to put together a good weekend to really get my stride back", Karli said as she put her messy golden hair into a ponytail and took the cap Jess handed to her.

"We've all got to put a good weekend together", Jess said before patting her on the back.

[Vangaziland]

A 10 passenger van made its way through a section of downtown South Stead known as Olde Towne. The three-story brick buildings were lowered to the ground and looked to date from the 1950s or even the 1930s. In the van were Karli Schmitt, Jessica Franssen and a few engineers. They didn't know what to expect.

This was all set up by Edgar Halvorsen. Ed was the executive who rubbed VMR's female staff the wrong way. Up to now, he has been nothing but a nuisance. Jessica Franssen hates him. Karli thinks of him as a strange older man. "Get ready for a great experience", Ed had told Jess and Karli before they entered the van.

Now the van approached a park that was on top of a large hill. It was kind of a crappy day for the park, with dark clouds passing over the city. A storm was passing and although the sky was menacing, things were set to clear up. A light drizzle still fell, causing the van's windshield wipers to constantly activate.

"What is that blue car?" Karli was the first to see the distant shape.

"Is that Ed sitting inside of it?" Jessica spoke after her attention was also pulled to the distant vehicle. As they got closer, they realized how exotic the car looked. The van pulled up to a stop behind the dark blue sports car.


The van erupted in conversation as the engineers gave their two cents. Everyone hopped out in a frenzy over the blue car. Edgar approached the crowd dressed in a dark blue suit and a black tie. They would be left to wonder if he matched his suit to the car on purpose, or if it was just that day in the suit's rotation.

Edgar walked out with his arms outstretched. "Do you still hate me?" His dark blue eyes fixated on Jessica.

"It depends", Jess replied. "Uh, what is this?"

"It's the 2019 Vannish Motors Apparition." Ed looked quite proud of himself as he crossed his arms. Nobody was looking at him though. Everyone surrounded the car. "V-12. Let me say that again. The first Vannish V-12 supercar since the 1990s."

"Woah", said Karli. She and Jessica walked around to the front of the car to take a good look. There was a row of LEDs above the projector bulb. An aggressive looking active front dam looked to provide solid front aerodynamics.


"Rear engined, low curb weight and 656 horsepower", Ed continued. "There is an active rear spoiler which raises at high speed. The entire car is tailored with WGPC technology. The suspension. The paddle shift semi-auto transmission.The engine is brand new, designed by the same team which builds VMR race engines. A few of the engineers present had worked on the car, but kept it from Jess. It was a tightly protected corporate project which leaked almost no information. "No turbos. No supercharger. Just displacement. Passion. Soul. That's Vannish Motors. That's the Apparition."

"You giving us a speech now?" Karli smiled as she asked. Ed motioned towards the car's door, which was illuminated a brighter shade of blue by sunlight which ran down an alleyway.

"Karli. I'm glad you spoke up. You're not here just to look at this car. I need a good test driver. Do you think you can get this all the way back to the test track?"

"Uh, yeah!" The blonde immediately started walking to the driver's seat. The door was still cracked open from the way Ed had sat. Karli jumped into the driver's seat. Ed leaned over her and turned to Jess.

"Jess, I need you to ride with her. Coach her. Tomorrow, I hope you can take the car around the track for us. I can't think of anyone better suited to get the most out of the baby."

Franssen laughed. Maybe Ed wasn't so bad after all. Jess was nervous. She bought a Ghost Vangaziland Edition about two years ago. She wanted another supercar, especially this V12, but didn't want to spend the money. She didn't want to sell her limited edition Ghost, but she could spend this car's probably quarter of a million dollar price tag on other stuff.

She hasn't even bought her boat yet and now she's being tempted into buying another Vannish Motors car. She sighed. "I guess I can give her a run on the track." Her feigned reluctance turned into a huge smile. She jogged to the passenger seat and jumped inside. Jess closed the door behind her, grateful it was a regular old car door and not some foreign supercar's scissor.

Edgar was knelt behind the car's window. Karli had closed the door and opened the window. The two of them had their seatbelts on. Karli pushed the button to start it. She expected the engine to have a wailing high pitch like the Ghost's V10. Its howling scream was a fixture of GT2 HGTC. The Ghost GT10 had that high pitched wail in common with the VMR WGPC engine.

Instead, the Apparition's note that sounded like a muscle car which breathing twice as hard and fast. The pace of the engine's vibrations as the motor pulsated was quicker than a typical car. Even compared to a burly V8. The note was deep with a lot of bass and baritone. It seemed to shake the upper ribs of everyone present. It was still slightly muffled to a quick, pleasant rumbling.

"Rev it", Ed said.

The melody which resulted started with a rich whine before calling out in a melodious song of 12 cylinders. The notes hit a bubbling crescendo before winding down like an old air raid siren. Karli watched the tachometer redline over 8000 RPM.

"You may want to set it to street mode until you hit the highway", Ed advised. He ran her through a small screen's menu. She scrolled through options to adjust the suspension. More impressively, the car cut into an engine mode where only 8 cylinders would be used. The car's power would cut to 400 horsepower. It would make the car much more controllable at low speed, especially in the rain.

Karli hit select and the engine quieted in its rumbling. She really wouldn't have switched modes normally. This was an extremely tight section of the city. They were about to go down a steep hill. Not only was it also raining, but this street was a cobblestone road. It almost didn't make sense to have the car here. Edgar insisted this was the perfect chance to show the car's versatility. It could do track stuff tomorrow.

Or on the highway.

Karli set off with a fast pace. She dropped the clutch, but didn't feed enough RPM to spin the wheels much. They did chirp slightly as the force gripped faster than she planned. The engine revved up and pushed the car down the street with a loud, buzzing hum.

"Wow, can you believe this?" Jess couldn't believe the sudden encounter with this car as she turned to Karli. The smell of the exotic leather seats was enchanting.

Karli had to start breaking as they started to descend a fairly steep hill. The car sunk as it climbed down the bumpy hill. The suspension was set extra soft as it made it through this bumpy section. The dampening was nothing short of impressive as the cobblestones sounded loud, but the car felt smooth.

"That's impressive", Karli said as she realized how gentle the ride felt. Thankfully, the road became paved once the car leveled off. The highway wasn't too far away. Karli pulled the car over to the side of the road where she put the car back into Sport Mode. There was also a Race Mode, but Karli figured she would wait on that.

The van caught up to them as they stopped and idled behind them. Karli spent a few moments going over a few other things in the car. Soon she felt comfortable and pulled back off down the road. People were walking down the streets. Some shouted, some gave thumbs up and others took pictures.

An angry V12 howled loud reverberations as it took off after a light turned green. Karli even managed a gear change since she ran so fast. She had the skill to control the gears even when the speed suddenly slowed around 50mph. Sometimes gear changes around low speeds can be rough in aggressive launches to low speed when power is suddenly cut.

The Apparition failed to stumble, stutter or step out of place. "I love Vannish Motors", Karli said as the highway on-ramp came into view. The car had to stop for a red light at an intersection before the entrance. Karli and Jess laughed. The van was behind them.

The engine howled. *Va-ree-re-re-raugh* *Va-ree-re-raugh* *Vuh ree-ree-ree-reee* Karli continues to pump the throttle until the light changes. The tires slip on smooth, wet pavement. Smoke billows behind the dark sapphire of a ghastly supercar. The engine drops and runs through its full melody as Karli sends the car barreling around the curving on-ramp. She takes the road as if it was the banking loop at Alixring.

Jessica cackled maniacally as the car straightened out and sped to merge onto the highway. If a cop had been around, they would have gotten pulled over. Since they were near the city, the speed limit was 75. She had merged at 85 and climbing. As they moved further away from downtown South Stead, they approached a 125 mph zone. Karli had been cruising at 90. When the sign flashed, she jammed her foot into the gas and shifted a few seconds later.

When a V6 goes from 90mph upwards, there is a big shift and a long stall as it fights to pass 100. It often struggles after 110mph. A V8 can push from 90 over 120, but its a drawn out affair. The car yells, fights and the shifts seem to take forever.

Karli had to pay close attention to hit each shift perfectly in time, mainly because the car pushed from 90 to 125 effortlessly. It happened in so few seconds that she barely had time to even count them. "Wow!" Karli shouted with excitement as she finally let off the wheel. The car was pushing past 130mph and barely breathed hard. She let off the wheel to keep around 125mph.

Vangaziland had a fast highway system. These were some of the fastest highways in the Northern Mainland, since West Vangaziland had the fastest highways of all the Provinces. Central Vangaziland also had a few 125mph highways.

The car eventually made it back to the VMR facility. Jannik would also get a chance to drive the new car, if he so chose. Karli pulled up to a paddock where prototypes and race chassis were sometimes kept. One of the engineers would be able to park it inside later. Jess and Karli finally climbed out of the dark supercar, all smiles. It would take quite some time for the van to catch up.

"Passion. Soul. Vannish Motors", Karli said in imitation of the company's commercial that was in current rotation.

[Vilita and Turori]

:: Fast Cocoabo delivers stunning victory in Lisander

Grand Prix of Lisander East, Alixring, Lisander :: It had been a difficult weekend from the moment they rolled off the truck for the Vilita & Turori Motorsports Tropicorp Engineering World Grand Prix 2 team. Heading into the event there was already talk of a disconnect between the team and their second driver, Edward Baker from the Krainin Isles.

Unfortunately, whether or not there were issues to be resolved between Baker and the VTM Tropicorp team - they could only be addressed one way - the traditional way. There simply weren't any other qualified drivers to replace Baker with. Sure, there were a couple of capable Cocoabo that could potentially be called upon but they didn't have nearly the amount of experience that Cocoabo #23 had. Cocoabo #28 and Cocoabo #78, the two best prospective Cocoabo to follow in the footsteps of Cocoabo #23 had been tapped for an experimental project with Tropicorp driving stock cars on the beach in Tropicoast. In fact, some of the Tropicorp Scientists themselves were getting a little frustrated with the lack of experimentation being used in the World Grand Prix 2 as the VTM portion of the partnership was heavily favoring the "Don't fix what isn't broken" approach as the team was in the thick of both the Drivers and Constructors championship battle. This had already caused some of the teams personnel to jump ship over to the Team Tropicorp Stock Car experimentation efforts.

The core team was still around, however, particularly the traveling Track team. The shop personnel could be called back to if necessary, but they really had to figure out why they were off to such a slow start in Lisander. Cocoabo #23 could only put out an 18th place starting position and teammate Edward Baker was the slowest car in the field. The goal for the weekend was obvious. They weren't shooting for a win - they would need a miraculous effort just to crack the top 10 and come home with some points. Minimize the damage, eyes on the prize was the message from VTM management.

Luckily, one Tropicorp Engineer didn't listen. When the team arrived at the track on raceday morning wholesale changes had been made to the #23 machine. There wasn't enough time for th changes to be applied to both cars but keeping a baseline would be an excellent comparison for whether or not the changes worked.

After some early safety cars it was difficult to tell whether it was attrition or the changes that had moved Cocoabo #23 into the Top 10 but the strategy to pit and work back through the field from just before the halfway point certainly seemed to be the right call as Cocoabo #23 was able to conserve fuel yet somehow turn some of the fastest laps of the race and had moved into the lead with 15 laps left to run. As the rest of the field waited for Cocoabo #23 to make the anticipated final pitstop to fall back in line between 5th-8th place, they battled each other for second position in an intense five way battle between Jannik Marker, Ade Imoji and the two Nexus Racing Drivers. They thought they were racing for the win.

Instead, Fast Cocoabo had other ideas, stretching the distance to claim the checkered flag at the Grand Prix of Lisander East much to the delight of the VTM Tropicorp Team, turning a tumultuous weekend on its head and giving the team the confidence boost it needed to get back in gear and press forth with their title hunting campaign.

[Main Nation Ministry]

Chapter 13: Padlocked

Jason Masami was reviewing the circuit which he did the mid-season test on, while wearing his racing suit and helmet, when the official from the Ministry of Sports arrived with some bodyguards. "Alright, where's Masami?" the official asked a pit stop crew member for Masami, where Masami took off the helmet, as his hair popped out back in it's natural position. "What is it, now? Can't possibly be bad now?" Masami said to the official, where his expression showed a different story. "The former Minister of Public Education has been assassinated. We're required to have extra security on our athletes, due to the risk of a possible assassin." the official explained, as some of the bodyguards were examining Masami's car, as if there were supposed to be a bomb under the car.

"Oh come on! Why would someone assassinate a race car driver? This is ridiculous! I trust my own crew here, so don't get too paranoid! Next thing you're going to do is put a whole bunch of lucky charms on my house." Masami complained to the official. "A journalist was assassinated, also. People can kill others for no reasons and things would get tense." the official explained to Masami. "Look, go ahead and check the car. I don't think there would be people that want me dead. I'm sure I already have some fangirls that want to get my autograph, but I don't think nothing bad happens here. Sporting events these days have tons of security regulations. I'm sure that the multiverse is one civilized-" Masami was about to say more, until the official put his hand over his mouth, purposely interrupting him. "I going to have to stop you right there and explain that we were ranked 3rd place on a list on places to not be a tourist at. That thought alone is something to be concerned about."

The official left the garage, where the bodyguards were still there. "Wait, what are you guys doing here?" Masami asked the bodyguards. "We are under orders. We are required to be near your location and even inside your hotel room." a bodyguard explained. "So what? You going to watch me sleep? That's creepy! I mean isn't there-" Masami complained again, until a bodyguard reminds him, "Complain some more and we can label your arguments as treason."

"-I guess there is no other way! Go ahead!" Masami said, immediately smiling.

[Lisander]

"WGP2 is a very well-balanced category, you know? I do not worry too much about a test. Bad days can happen to everyone, and even more to small teams like us. We keep working and giving our best". This was the answer of Darius Castellammare when asked why he was penultimate place in mid-season practice at the ''GIF Airlines Autódromo. As usual, he went straight into his very few and cold words, despite the heat of the discussion behind the scenes. The local media seems concerned about Miguel Santos, the local competitor, who had the worst performance in the free tests, and this reflected even in the interview of Juliano Lemos.

"There is not much to say, we had our contacts, but it's in the past. I think it's no longer a secret for anyone that we contacted Miguel." said Lemos, referring to the invitation that was made for the Dreamplanetian to leave EVolution Racing, which was eventually unintentionally leaked during the preseason, during the problems between Lemos and Damian Ader. "We offered him a good car, even if he was not the best, but since he decided to stay on another team, Darius came to Superia Juniors and he's doing a great job." But we can only talk through conjectures from visions we do not have much information about his results with 'Evolento' ", said the driver of the car #2, making a pun on the words "Evolution" and "Lento" (portuguese for "Slow". The pun could be translated like "evo-slow").

The interview made it clear that Superia Juniors felt at home in these training sessions at Dreamplanet. In this nation the same language is spoken, the Portuguese, so despite the slight difference of accent, it was easy to notice happiness in listening and being answered in the "motherland language". Lemos and Castellammare were safe and confident and not even the theoretically bad results were a major nuisance. In fact, the result of Lemos is not bad at all, since sixteen of the twenty-three drivers are separated by only three tenths of a second.

The result of Darius, almost two seconds behind the leader, besides the lack of knowledge about the track is the result of new adjustments in the EBGP panels. They are expected to be more for the second half, or to be moved to other places in the car. "Thermal power recovery is still not perfect, but we're doing our best." said Alan Dansel, a member of the car's assembly team. "Our designers are looking for ways to apply the technology to parts with more thermal circulation, and combining that with shark-fin and cooling systems, we'll have a car where the heat can be tapped without risking overheating."

Next, the team heads to the Nimban Grand Prix, for which the EBGP is expected to work perfectly, after all that extra power will be vital in the long straight after turn 12 and up to the underground section of the Crossbay Circuit. We may see large overshoots at the exit of the tunnel, if all goes well in the planning of Superia Juniors.

[Vangaziland]

Karli was sitting in the spacious longue in VMR's South Stead HQ. She just had breakfast and was watching the sports channel. Jessica Franssen was giving an interview, which she actually filmed a few days ago. Jess remembered the orange tint to the sky on that particular day. At that time, she was busy with the engineers as they needed an RPM test.

"We too were interested in Miguel Santos", Jess told the trackside reporter. "He showed promise when he made an early splash in the pre-season. It seemed like as soon as he got on a team, he relaxed though."

Jess was speaking about comments another driver had made of the driver from Dreamplanet.

"That's the problem with signing a driver. Everybody seems dedicated around preseason. Everybody wants to race and has so much heart. Get halfway through the season and it is clear who's real and who was just styling and profiling. If I were to give Santos advice, I would tell him to dig in, get out there and get on the track. It's not too late. Don't take the season lying down. That goes for a lot of drivers", Jess said.

Jess was started to look really annoyed so the reporter switched the topic. "What do you think of the new moniker? Evolento?"

Jess scrunched her nose. "Didn't Juliano Lemos say that? It's kind of awkward, isn't it? Lemos is here because he pulled 4 points in the WGPC. Now he's teasing GP2 drivers? But it's all in fun." Jess laughed a little. "So it would be okay to call him Juliano Lemtos, wouldn't it be? His precedent."

Karli started to laugh a deep belly laugh. That might prove controversial for Jess to say. Then again, what is a season without drama? Just as Karli let her deep, bubbling laughter escape, she was interrupted. It annoyed her because it forced her to stop. She saw Ed and first got angry. "What?!" When she focused on him, he remembered the sports car thing a few days ago. "Oh.. Oh, hey." She played it off.

"I have something you'll want to see." He motioned for her to follow him. "Can you help look over some marketing materials for me?"

It was a short walk down the hall. Edgar had space in a converted meeting room. By now he'd already ordered himself a desk and various furniture. He refused to let Jess win by keeping him in a side room. Now it looked like a real office, even though Jess didn't give him a window.

"Check this stuff out." He pulled his ultra thin laptop around to face her. On it was an image of a rather futuristic looking motorcycle. Riding it was what looked like, well...


"I've heard of those!" Karli's eyes widened as she shouted with excitement. "AngelWing Bikes! I can't wait for them to go on sale..." She looked closer at the image. "Wow. Is that Anna Vannsen dressed as the angel?" The woman was a Vannish action movie star.

"Of course that is. She rode the bike and did that pose as a stunt. We edited the wings in digitally, though", Edgar said as he smiled proudly. "My marketing team did the work."

"Dude, who got so stoned to come up with that idea?" Karli laughed after teasing Edgar.

"Hey, being an artist is hard work", Ed said. This was Vangaziland after all. There was nothing wrong with legal, herbal creativity boosts now and again. Ed needed those artists on his staff. The company didn't hire simple graphic designers. They wanted those who could do more. Some of the most creative individuals in the Empire.

Edgar hit a mouse button and the image flashed.


"Here's our typical dystopian poster", Ed said as he watched Karli's reaction.

"That thing looks cyberpunk A.F.." Karli actually said the letters at the end of her sentence.

Ed crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "There's a big market for electric vehicles. A lot of car companies will look at our supercars and not care because they're so expensive. Here's our performance answer to the electric market. Look up electric bikes. They're interesting."

"So what can this bike do?" Karli was curious as she asked.

"It's making about 350 horsepower", said Edgar. "It can do 150 mph. 0-60 in about 3 seconds. The range is only about 196 miles between charges. We're working on improving that. It's pretty typical for electric bikes really. The design is just unique. All for under forty thousand nation states dollars."

"What's that called?"

"It's the AngelWing GreenHog", Ed smirked and then turned his computer back towards him. "It'll be for sale through Vannish Motors shops. Marketing cross promo. My idea." Ed really seemed proud of his business ideas. He was a typical corporate officer in that regard. Jessica hated him for it. Karli didn't mind as much. That was just who he was. She laughed a little as they continued to talk about the motorcycle.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Nimban Deuxième Prix Programme - Universal (Common Script)
The Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System bids you welcome to the
Nimban Deuxième Prix
!



Track Information

Circuit Name: Crossbay Circuit
Location: Nimbus Bay, Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
Lap Record: 1:26.018 (Ryker Lane, Nexus Racing UHSGV-1)
Lap Length (km): 4.83
Qualifying Type: Two-Tiered

Currently the only track on the WGPC calendar with a section that runs above a large body of water, Crossbay Circuit continues the long and proud Nimban tradition of race circuits built in areas of astounding natural beauty by running across, through and below the stark dolomite rock cliffs of Nimbus Bay. It combines sections from three famous courses of the Nimban origin universe, Vertigo Loop Racetrack, Keelhaul Canyon Raceway and Dragonmaw Chasm Raceway, and combines them with often fearsome elevation changes to form a track that demands both driver ability and daring to perform well.

A Lap of Crossbay Circuit

A lap of the track begins in Sector 1 with a short run down the end of the start/finish straight to Turn 1, a long and smooth left-hander that is deceptively tight in the middle of the turn, as well as descending by a few metres over its course. From Turn 1 a tiny straight leads into the gentle Turn 2 before the car enters the first of the two tunnels on the course. Cars then descend rapidly into an underground stadium section that most analysts agree is the circuit’s most difficult, featuring the relatively mild Turn 3 and the hairpin of Turn 4 which, like Turn 1, tightens towards the middle; neither of these and particularly Turn 4, would be nearly as significant of a challenge as they are, however, if they did not each feature drops of several metres. The track then passes under itself before shooting down and out of the cliffs into the water-crossing Sector 2.

Immediately drivers are forced to deal with the esses of Turns 5, 6 and 7. While 5 does demand something of a decrease in speed, the latter two can be taken with surprising pace; the measure of a good driver here will be how much momentum they can retain into the following straight, all the while correcting for a reduction in gradient over their course. This straight leads up to the nudge that is Turn 8 and the sweeping, ever so slightly banked Turn 9, after which the chicane of Turns 10 and 11 provides another momentum-holding test into Turn 12, which technically begins immediately after Turn 11 and gradually tightens up to the beginning of the third sector, all the while presenting drivers with the track’s first rise.

Sector 3 is by far the fastest of the sectors. Drivers dart into the cliff tunnel after 12 to face a long, climbing straight broken only by Turn 13, a left-hander that may as well not exist for all of the change in speed that it necessitates but does create an obstruction to the driver’s vision. Immediately after the tunnel is Turn 14, a slightly tighter but still fast right-hand turn whose main challenge is that the flattening of the circuit after the tunnel means that it is taken near-blind, before a straight that leads to Turn 15, probably the sector’s slowest corner and one of the most straight-forward of the track. From there a short run and the chicane of 16 and 17 brings drivers back to the far end of the start/finish straight and, through that, the finish line.

Safety

There are obvious safety-related challenges involved in high-speed racing above water. The organisers of the Nimban Grand Prix fully appreciate this and have taken steps to ensure that Crossbay Circuit is a paragonal track for motorsport safety, featuring:

• Traditional belt-and-tyre barriers;
• Imagikinetic force field technology to prevent cars or car parts from leaving the bounds of the racing environment;
• Imagikinetic recovery of crashed cars and car parts within Sector 2.

Environment

Motor racing typically has a significant environmental impact; all efforts have been made to minimise that impact at Crossbay.

• Significant care was taken before construction to relocate vulnerable wildlife away from the circuit to other areas around the cliffs of Nimbus Bay;
• Roman-style concrete, used in part for its reduced carbon footprint, has been employed throughout the construction of the circuit and its facilities;
• Harmful pollutants and greenhouse gasses created over the course of racing remain sealed within the confines of the Imagikinetic safety force field, whereupon they are scrubbed from the air by industrial-scale machinery housed underneath the track.

The Nimban Grand Prix - A Survival Guide

‘Need-to-Knows’

Language: Universal (English) (Higher [glyphic, formal] and Common [Latin, informal] Scripts)
Currency: Universal Standard Coinage (USC) (commonly referred to as ‘coins’) - 1 USC worth approximately $1.8 NSD
Climate: Temperate Maritime
Time Zone: -10 AMT (Arcadian Mean Time)

Warning

Please refrain from taking items into the country where doing so is illegal. This particularly applies to drugs, such as alcohol and tobacco, and firearms. Such items will be seized upon entry and may be either destroyed or confiscated for collection upon your departure.

Getting to Crossbay Circuit

By Air:
Most attendees of the Nimban Grand Prix will arrive by air at First City Airport in the First City. From there, take the inbound Airport Terralev Line to Tower Station, then transfer to the outbound Seaport Terralev Line. Be sure to board a service that specifically lists Crossbay Circuit as the penultimate stop. Alternatively, if you wish to land at Second City Airport, take the inbound Airport Terralev Line to Harmony Station, then take the Ultrarail to Tower Station in the First City, a journey which will take no more than half an hour, before taking the outbound Seaport Terralev Line in the same manner. If you require help, staff in white and blue uniforms will be on hand; information can also be found in both the Higher and Common Scripts and in a variety of other languages on boards around all Nimban Rail facilities.

By Sea:
A few attendees of the Nimban Grand Prix may arrive by sea at Nimbus Bay Seaport. From there, take the inbound Seaport Terralev Line directly to Crossbay Circuit. Be sure to board a service that specifically lists Crossbay Circuit as the second stop. If you require help, staff in white and blue uniforms will be on hand; information can also be found in both the Higher and Common Scripts and in a variety of other languages on boards around all Nimban Rail facilities.

Accommodation

In Situ:
Accommodation at Crossbay Circuit will be available in the Hospitality Village attached to the main race facility. Staying here is recommended for those who only wish to attend the Nimban Grand Prix and related events around Crossbay Circuit during their stay.

First City:
A huge variety of accommodation is available in the First City, including state-run NimbInn hotels offering three-star lodging at market price. Staying here is recommended for those who wish to combine their attendance of the Nimban Grand Prix with more general sightseeing in the First City, including the famous New Nexus Tower, home of the Nimban legislature and executive alongside the world’s only Imagination Nexus.

Events

Practice Start: Friday, 9:00 a.m. (19:00 AMT)
Qualifying Start: Saturday, 10:00 a.m. (20:00 AMT)
Race Start: Sunday, 10:00 a.m. (20:00 AMT)

Concert:
A concert will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Friday in the Hospitality Village, including a performance of the Nimban national anthem ‘Together Unto Possibility’ by the Nimban Symphony Orchestra and a collaborative reinterpretation of classic Fleetwood Mac song and unofficial World Grand Prix theme ‘The Chain’ by country rock group Pioneering Soul and the Shield Streets String Quartet.

Lectures:
A series of lectures from guest speakers will be held in the Lecture Hall within the Hospitality Village during the race weekend.

• Friday, 13:00 p.m. – Gertrude Thompson, Head Designer for Nexus Racing – ‘Psionics in Motorsport’
• Friday, 16:00 p.m. – Sarl Xanderson, Motorsport Analyst for The First City Observer – ‘Giant Slayers – Founding a Rookie Racing Team for Success’
• Saturday, 13:30 p.m. – Damien Auder, Professor of Environment Sciences at the University of the Second City – ‘The Environmental Impact of the World Grand Prix: A Study of Short-Term Costs for Long-Term Gain’
• Sunday, 13:30 p.m. – Jacob Gibbons, Nimban Minister for Sport – To Be Revealed

Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
11th of October

As the prelude to the Nimban Grand Prix intensifies, the crowds in the Hospitality Village growing even as the teams arrive in force and begin to prepare their cars for the racing ahead, two things stand apart from all else, unexpected and unknown by any but a few knowing individuals. They sit neatly upon buildings and noticeboards, viewable to all who pass by. Those who have come to compete are not spared either, for a copy is present in each of the garages that they will use this weekend.

In the Higher Script on some and the Common on others, the posters command all who gaze upon them:

[Mattijana]

After the mid-season test, it's time to get back to the action. Cut off for practice and qualifying for the Nimban Deuxième Prix is here.

[Mattijana]

Week 8: Practice

Conditions:      	Dry
Lap Record:      	81.954
Qualifying Type:	Two Tier
Nation:         	NIM
Circuit:        	Crossbay Circuit

POS # DRIVER                   TEAM                	FASTEST LAP	
 1  3 Darius Castellammare        Superia Junior Team         	00:01:35.581	00:00:00.000
 2  9 Jannik Markner              Vannish Motors Racing       	00:01:35.586	00:00:00.005
 3  5 Jason Masami                Brutus Obey Sport GP        	00:01:35.595	00:00:00.014
 4 16 Janne Laukkanen             Nexus Racing                	00:01:35.597	00:00:00.016
 5 33 Karli Schmitt               Vannish Motors Racing       	00:01:35.604	00:00:00.023
 6 19 Dom Falepeau                MRT2                        	00:01:35.607	00:00:00.025
 7 17 Max Prefodski               Kaylan Racing               	00:01:35.613	00:00:00.031
 8 97 Edward Baker                VTM Tropicorp Engineering   	00:01:35.615	00:00:00.034
 9  2 Juliano Lemos               Superia Junior Team         	00:01:35.621	00:00:00.040
10 60 Chiemi Hino                 Ibuna-Gambal Racing         	00:01:35.625	00:00:00.044
11 15 Rebecca Darlington          Nexus Racing                	00:01:35.632	00:00:00.051
12 18 Isaia Fanene                Kaylan Racing               	00:01:35.637	00:00:00.055
13 24 Ekatarina Julic             Brutus Obey Sport GP        	00:01:35.687	00:00:00.106
14 25 Timo Jänkirinää             Omni-Katoa Racing           	00:01:35.695	00:00:00.114
15 23 Cocoabo #23                 VTM Tropicorp Engineering   	00:01:35.732	00:00:00.150
16 12 Ade Imoju                   Omni-Katoa Racing           	00:01:35.787	00:00:00.206
17 75 Roman Arjenko               SVJ Racing                  	00:01:35.917	00:00:00.336
18 48 Tyra Tabuso                 Ibuna-Gambal Racing         	00:01:35.976	00:00:00.395
19 37 Jama'obo Pegasii            SVJ Racing                  	00:01:36.048	00:00:00.466
20 63 Dahlia Dahl                 Pompeii Motorsports         	00:01:36.068	00:00:00.487
21 10 Erik DeForest               Pompeii Motorsports         	00:01:36.094	00:00:00.512
22 44 Laurencia Lynds             SinVal                      	00:01:36.324	00:00:00.743
23 14 Miguel Santos               EVolution Racing            	00:01:39.070	00:00:03.489

[Mattijana]

Week 8: Qualifying

Conditions:      	Dry
Lap Record:      	81.954
Qualifying Type:	Two Tier
Nation:         	NIM
Circuit:        	Crossbay Circuit

POS # DRIVER                   TEAM                	FASTEST LAP			
 1 23 Cocoabo #23                 VTM Tropicorp Engineering   	00:01:35.590	00:00:00.000	00:01:35.614	00:00:00.000
 2  5 Jason Masami                Brutus Obey Sport GP        	00:01:35.598	00:00:00.008	00:01:35.619	00:00:00.005
 3 19 Dom Falepeau                MRT2                        	00:01:35.604	00:00:00.014	00:01:35.658	00:00:00.044
 4 16 Janne Laukkanen             Nexus Racing                	00:01:35.614	00:00:00.024	00:01:35.691	00:00:00.077
 5 33 Karli Schmitt               Vannish Motors Racing       	00:01:35.626	00:00:00.037	00:01:36.035	00:00:00.421
 6 37 Jama'obo Pegasii            SVJ Racing                  	00:01:35.653	00:00:00.063	00:01:36.278	00:00:00.664
 7 10 Erik DeForest               Pompeii Motorsports         	00:01:35.669	00:00:00.079	00:01:36.834	00:00:01.220
 8 97 Edward Baker                VTM Tropicorp Engineering   	00:01:35.677	00:00:00.087	00:01:37.620	00:00:02.006
 9  3 Darius Castellammare        Superia Junior Team         	00:01:35.678	00:00:00.088	00:01:38.134	00:00:02.520
10 14 Miguel Santos               EVolution Racing            	00:01:35.706	00:00:00.116	00:01:42.439	00:00:06.825
11  9 Jannik Markner              Vannish Motors Racing       	00:01:35.715	00:00:00.125		
12 44 Laurencia Lynds             SinVal                      	00:01:35.759	00:00:00.170		
13 18 Isaia Fanene                Kaylan Racing               	00:01:35.825	00:00:00.235		
14 15 Rebecca Darlington          Nexus Racing                	00:01:35.835	00:00:00.245		
15 17 Max Prefodski               Kaylan Racing               	00:01:35.877	00:00:00.288		
16 12 Ade Imoju                   Omni-Katoa Racing           	00:01:35.892	00:00:00.302		
17 60 Chiemi Hino                 Ibuna-Gambal Racing         	00:01:35.960	00:00:00.370		
18 24 Ekatarina Julic             Brutus Obey Sport GP        	00:01:35.989	00:00:00.399		
19 48 Tyra Tabuso                 Ibuna-Gambal Racing         	00:01:36.070	00:00:00.481		
20  2 Juliano Lemos               Superia Junior Team         	00:01:36.342	00:00:00.752		
21 25 Timo Jänkirinää             Omni-Katoa Racing           	00:01:36.362	00:00:00.772		
22 63 Dahlia Dahl                 Pompeii Motorsports         	00:01:36.606	00:00:01.016		
23 75 Roman Arjenko               SVJ Racing                  	00:01:37.818	00:00:02.229

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Nexus Racing HQ, Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
11th of July

Ryker Lane shifts his weight from side to side, leg to leg, as he breathes. He relaxes, seeking to draw his mind to a state of emptiness; the Nimban feels the slight breaths of wind across his form, smells the dew and salt on the air, hears the call of birds alongside the soft whirr of machinery.

Without opening his eyes, he forms his concept in his mind. Near instantly, what light passes through Ryker’s eyelids brightens, its source gradually rising to the centre of his non-vision.

He finally allows himself sight, the celestial glow of the shield, chain and baton manifesting before him. For a long, tentative moment, all stills. Ryker breathes – and the glow falters for a moment, the objects falling earthwards, but he steadies himself again and the flow of Imagination with him.

From the faltering, there is an impetus. From that impetus, motion begins.

The baton and chain sweep forwards, then back again; now up, now down, circling and strafing in a dance that begins slowly and then increases in rapidity, striking, twisting, moving with a brilliance that almost startles the Nimban, who loses focus again – but again only for a moment, disk and rod and links shimmering with ethereal blue and the glint of the sun as they move purposefully yet easily, with power and precision. Behind it all stands the instigator and the sustainer, concentration written across his face that gives way more and more over every passing second to something entirely more natural.

Ryker feels satisfaction and he feels joy but most of all, perhaps, he feels determination and he feels hope.

“Amazing…”

The voice shatters the conceptualisation – and thus the flow and thus the levitation of the Imagination sparring equipment. They fall again, for longer this time, as Ryker twists a little in surprise. He is barely able to bring his mind to bear to stop the pieces from clattering against the floor, slowing them to a gentle rest.

“Ah, hi. Sorry, didn’t mean to distract you…” Victoria passes through the door fully, the mechanism closing smoothly shut behind her.
“Not sure what else you could have done.” Ryker smiles softly, hands coming together in front of him.

“Hey, I wasn’t exactly loud. Just being honest – it was amazing.” Victoria grins. “You should have seen yourself, really.”

“That makes me happy.” Ryker looks back, kneeling to pick up his sparring gear. “Haven’t done this for a while; it’s good to know that I’m still half-decent at it.”

“Oh?” Nexus Racing’s Head Programmer grins inquisitively – and then her face falls. “Oh.”

“Yup.” The racing driver’s smile intensifies. “I’m feeling so much better right now, though.” He frowns, then raises a finger. “On a related note: been thinking a fair bit about what you said a few weeks ago.”

“Right.” Victoria puts a hand to her chin. “Listen – I stand by what I said but I didn’t mean to –”

Ryker interrupts quickly: “No, no! I agree.” Victoria stops, her eyes widening a little. “Or, well, you’ve got a point at least.”

He looks down slightly, that defiant curve remaining on his lips. “My motivation… Of course I draw it from the people who support me. I love them, all of them – you included!” Ryker laughs before he continues. “But maybe I’m putting a bit too much of my self-worth into that. I’m not just a symbol, you know?” He glances up, hands curled into fists, fire in his words as he grins. “I’m a person. I’ve got to exist for me, too, or ‘me’ won’t be anything.”

Victoria smiles curiously, then happily. “That’s… That’s really good, Ryker.”

“So, yeah!” He leans back a little, shifting his weight between his feet. “Thanks for helping me realise that, Victoria. It’s… It’s great.”

When he looks back at her…

Sure, she looks happy enough, but…

Why does she seem guilty?

Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
12th of October; Evening

As the first beats of Pioneer Soul’s drums unfold across the Hospitality Village, there is an anticipatory air. The music itself drives this, of course – guitar and cello now joining the percussion, slowly building – but, perhaps surprisingly, it is only an equal partner to another element.

That other element would be the posters alongside the cryptic announcement of the Minister for Sport’s presentation after the race.

The reaction was, to put it lightly, cyclonic. Nobody seemed to know a thing about what was going on except for the organisers themselves, all of whom seemingly had lips shut with iron restraints. The press swarmed near-instantly, of course, working itself into a speculative frenzy in the absence of any concrete information. This would clearly be something important, something game changing, given the utter ubiquity of the images – but what? A new WGPC team? But with Nexus Racing still doing well, who would run one? Certainly not the government – and was it not a Minister making the post-race announcement? A new race series, then? But Crossbay Circuit is the only proper Nimban track for hosting races, whereas Cityprix already covered street racing extensively; there wouldn’t be any gap in the market, would there? Some new racing technology, then, perhaps – maybe something to support Nexus Racing’s drive for World Grand Prix safety? But that was already in the public eye, so why the need for such an extensive shock campaign?

Debate raged – still rages – backwards and forwards everywhere from racing fora to the mass media. And, all the while, as the crowd applauds at the music's conclusion, Jacob Gibbons smirks in his seat at the front of the crowd.

So too do Timothy Guard and Gertrude Thompson.

[Mattijana]

It's that time again, this is your Crossbay cutoff.

[Mattijana]

Week 8: Race

Conditions:      	Rainy
Laps:              	42
Nation:         	NIM
Circuit:        	Crossbay Circuit
Virtual Safety Car	
Deployed on Laps:	4, 5
Cars on Grid:	23


[pre]Start	First Quarter	Halfway	Third Quarter	POS DRV Name                     Team	Time
 1 C23	 1 C23 +0	 1 SCH +0	 1 LAU +0	  1 TJK Timo Jänkirinää             Omni-Katoa Racing           	01:22:43.491
 2 JSM	 2 BAK +1.899	 2 LAU +4.3	 2 SCH +15.025	  2 BAK Edward Baker                VTM Tropicorp Engineering   	00:00:10.900
 3 FAL	 3 JSM +12.385	 3 BAK +13.327	 3 BAK +20.004	  3 LAU Janne Laukkanen             Nexus Racing                	00:00:29.132
 4 LAU	 4 SCH +16.656	 4 DAR +19.152	 4 JSM +38.8	  4 HIN Chiemi Hino                 Ibuna-Gambal Racing         	00:01:04.637
 5 SCH	 5 LAU +16.79	 5 HIN +23.404	 5 HIN +46.503	  5 JSM Jason Masami                Brutus Obey Sport GP        	00:01:11.699
 6 PEG	 6 DAR +20.204	 6 CAS +26.818	 6 DAR +58.574	  6 DAR Rebecca Darlington          Nexus Racing                	00:01:22.238
 7 DEF	 7 DHL +25.442	 7 JSM +31.103	 7 FAL +65.288	  7 FAL Dom Falepeau                MRT2                        	00:01:27.715
 8 BAK	 8 FAL +26.265	 8 C23 +35.66	 8 CAS +68.136	  8 CAS Darius Castellammare        Superia Junior Team         	00:01:31.451
 9 CAS	 9 DEF +31.625	 9 PRE +44.475	 9 TJK +69.61	  9 C23 Cocoabo #23                 VTM Tropicorp Engineering   	00:01:40.350
10 MIG	10 HIN +33.907	10 DHL +45.158	10 PRE +77.562	 10 IMO Ade Imoju                   Omni-Katoa Racing           	00:01:46.251
11 MAR	11 LYN +36.42	11 MAR +46.804	11 DEF +78.938	 11 DHL Dahlia Dahl                 Pompeii Motorsports         	00:01:51.895
12 LYN	12 CAS +39.298	12 FAL +50.753	12 IMO +80.103	 12 ARJ Roman Arjenko               SVJ Racing                  	00:01:58.519
13 FAN	13 MAR +40.34	13 DEF +51.924	13 C23 +83.237	 13 MAR Jannik Markner              Vannish Motors Racing       	Laps Down: 1
14 DAR	14 LEM +43.03	14 LEM +56.516	14 JUL +84.255	 14 PRE Max Prefodski               Kaylan Racing               	Laps Down: 1
15 PRE	15 IMO +49	15 TJK +61.09	15 MAR +88.554	 15 JUL Ekatarina Julic             Brutus Obey Sport GP        	Laps Down: 1
16 IMO	16 ARJ +51.159	16 ARJ +62.286	16 DHL +91.612	 16 TAB Tyra Tabuso                 Ibuna-Gambal Racing         	Laps Down: 1
17 HIN	17 TAB +52.446	17 JUL +64.115	17 ARJ +92.578	 17 LEM Juliano Lemos               Superia Junior Team         	Laps Down: 1
18 JUL	18 TJK +54.173	18 IMO +75.494	18 LEM +94.008	 18 DEF Erik DeForest               Pompeii Motorsports         	Laps Down: 1
19 TAB	19 PRE +54.253	19 LYN +82.039	19 LYN +95.778	 19 FAN Isaia Fanene                Kaylan Racing               	Laps Down: 1
20 LEM	20 FAN +60.117	20 TAB +89.669	20 TAB +Laps: 1	 20 MIG Miguel Santos               EVolution                           Laps Down: 2                             
21 TJK	21 JUL +61.517	21 FAN +90.239	21 FAN +Laps: 1	DNF PEG Jama'obo Pegasii            SVJ Racing                  	Ret. lap 32
22 DHL	22  +101.958	22  +Laps: 2	22  +Laps: 3	DNF SCH Karli Schmitt               Vannish Motors Racing       	Ret. lap 32
23 ARJ	23  +Laps: 1	23  +Laps: 2		        DNF LYN Laurencia Lynds             SinVal                              Ret. lap 4

[Lisander]

People were eager for that conference, which had been called to inform the next steps of Bitten Heroes. Everyone had been aware since the return of the Nimban Deuxieme Prix Juniors' Superia that all court cases and debts were finally settled. Then it was time to know how Lemos, Lanza, and Sabine Valerian would go on from there. The conference was scheduled for the Sirenia Convention Center at 3 pm on Tuesday.

At exactly three o'clock in the afternoon, Lemos appeared on the stage and began to speak. He would be the only one to speak on that day.

"Ladies and Gentleman, good afternoon. I invited all of you here today because I have news. Mostly good news, indeed. First: All the debts of the old Bitten Heroes are formally removed. We already sell most of the assets and still have some material that can be sold. Now, with the debts paid and the old structure coming back working, we are working on what will be the new Bitten Heroes. This is, in fact, the last public conference we make in Sirenia Convention Centre. The next ones will be in Bitten Heroes Technology Centre, Brax. Pick up your maps and find it."

Lemos pressed a button and the screen changed. Bitten Heroes logos disappeared, giving space to three images: The Rampant Pegasus of Camden, the red STB from Stellenbosch Tyres, and a logotype composed by two words: National Series.

"Some media sectors made a kind of 'Lemos should retire or take a Sabbatical year' campaign. It's perfectly acceptable, after all of that news about my isolated vacations at Cap Navarre and my mental health. As I told before, I was the only interested in buying the assets of Bitten Heroes from Natássia Maud. She used the money to fix her finances and bought the Maud Racing Team entry into WGP3. I bought the entire Bitten Heroes assets, including WGPC and WGP2 licenses. I used most of my personal savings on that, and I'm not ashamed of saying that. So, I had a license and saved money to at least half season, before declaring myself bankrupt. And here, the first of our partners join the wagon. Camden supplied us with its technology centre while ours was in construction, also with parts and a good help in the budget. Also, when the LAB left the project and I had to put even more personal money, Camden was kind to put more money and also a driver in our WGP2 team. In exchange, they asked for the WGPC License. And they, of course, can support a team on WGPC. So, for the next season, Camden will be the company running the WGPC Lisander team, under license from Bitten Heroes. It's a win-win relationship. For more information, we'll open questions after the end of the communications."

After another brief moment, Lemos continued:

"So, we also have support from Stellenbosch Tyres. They accepted to support us even enduring some losses. They even provided us with their main product name, the Superia Tyres. It was a way we found to have them by our side, even if we're bound by contract to use other rubbers in WGP2. We'll continue to count on them for at least three seasons. I can also tell they're preparing a new series of Superia Tyres exclusive for WGPC. I'll be supporting the team, and I believe Stellenbosch will present us their best tyres ever. They're with us since the very start, and they will continue with us."

He made another pause, looking into the cards he was using to his speech.

"So, I chose to drive in this WGP2 because I knew I'd need support to Bitten Heroes as soon as I buy it. And I had the license for WGP2 to keep. It would be hard as hell to get another after losing this one. And a Sabbatical year just after the disaster of WGPC, I think it would destroy even more the morals of Lisander autosport. I accepted the double duty as driver and manager, to reach a certain level. I made it with WGP2, NASJAR and now, with NSSCRA. And thanks to Sabine Valerian, our bills are not overdue and are now being paid cleverly. Jah bless the accountant." - He waved to the woman." - "Now that everything is working as we wanted, let's start over. Not like a great team. Like a privateer team. I will not follow Maud's plan to buy all possible international licenses. We're going to stay out of a few things, let other privateers join the pack too. It may take some time until we get back to WGPC on our own legs, but that's a price to pay for stability. We don't have a big car manufacturer behind us, like Vannish Motors or a great technology enterprise like. VTM Tropicorp. We'll look for some less-expensive options. And yes, now it is. Now I'm going to take one or two sabbatical seasons, at least from WGPO competitions."

The photographers took some seconds to pick that image. Lemos, after four entire seasons fighting for seats, finally accepted to take vacations. He was drowning in self-indulgence and support at that moment, hearing the clicks of the cameras, feeling his duty was complete for now.

"When the WGP2 season ends, we'll divert our works. Camden will make use of the rented Superlicense as it pleases them, while Bitten Heroes wants to be in more seasons of WGP3 around the world. We're expanding our Academy and we have a pair of A102 for a new team somewhere. Also, if we don't find any WGP3, we still have the Open GP National Series! Wait... I haven't told you about this yet. We're negotiating with some speedways around the nation and in other Imperan Nations to have an open-class single-seaters competition in the next months. I kept my WGPC15 car just for that, and I should drive it in some races. The cars we sold are all of them complying with this open-class rules. Older WGP3 Specs also fit in, and I know there are some to sell on the internet. National League will a reasonably inexpensive category, costing half of WGP3, for example. We really want people participating by bringing their families. This may be our chance to find new talents that are out of the circle of pilots we already know. Just imagine, finding a new Pedro Naas, a new Andrea Lanza, a new Licio Granado, a new Meliné Agrakian... It will be incredible, I'm sure. So, keep my words. Camden in WGPC, Westgrens in NSSCRA, new Stellenbosch Tyres, Bitten Heroes Academy and Open-Class Series. There's a lot to be made. Now I'll open for questions..."

A female reporter lift the hand and made the first question:

"Sofia Martins, TV5 Sports. The season finale of WGP2 can already be seen. It's just four more races until the season ends. You have 14 points, half the points you have achieved so far your teammate, Darius Castellammare, with one more race than him. Are you planning to use this sabbatical season to recycle yourself as a driver, or will you just rest?"

"I'll be doing both, Sofia. I've been trying to balance my style of driving. Since Karts, I'm recognized as a technique driver, that lacks in aggression. I was always very reliable also. Probably I ended up like this because I wanted to keep my cars as entire as possible. I didn't have that much money to pay for the repairs. Now I own the cars, the parts, everything, I may feel less inclined to be always defensive and technique."

Next, a very good-looking man.

"Erick Varela, Autosport Magazine. We're seeing some bad results from you in WGP2. Do you still have some hope for the next four races, or you just entered the track to fill the spot and keep the team running?

"When I decided to buy Bitten Heroes, I already knew the season wouldn't be that good. Our car isn't exactly new, we just fixed and evolved the last season Team Ignis chassis. It wasn't made from scratch. New engine, a lift up in front spoiler, a new shark fin, new tyres and the thermic panels. Things we brought from WGPC experience. I may be somewhat excited at the start. We tried to contract Miguel Santos and Janne Laukanen, and we failed. But it's true I decided to go once more to control the costs, in fact."

The third question came from a old man.

"João Baron, from Channel 9. Do not you think returning to the tracks after only a few weeks after the humiliating WGPC season is a bit counterproductive and can burn your career? In a way, making Lourdina Westgrens back on track can not be harmful? Are not you afraid to burn her career?"

Lemos was really annoyed with that question. Everyone knew that the WGPC 16 subject was a nuisance to remember, almost a taboo in that team. It had been bad weeks and had no good memories. That particular reporter really did not only touch the wound but figuratively he rubbed his finger into the wound enough to make it ache.

"No." - the answer was harsh and rude as a stroke of a paddle.

Lemos took a deep breath and a sip of water to continue.

"Look, Mr. Baron. I know Lourdina Westgrens since he was fifteen. I've been around her since then, and I can say I know her a little. She's strong. Stronger than me, probably. Her father will serve six years more in jail, but she never quitted her dream. She reached WGPC in the worst possible scenario and yet made more points than me. I don't have any afraid for her because I know one thing. If she had to have her career and reputation burned, she already had enough burn with the incident at the last WGPC. Just like me, she just wants peace and conditions to continue driving. And it's because of these conditions that I decided to keep Bitten Heroes, even after Mrs. Maud gave up. And we keep going. Thank to all of you. For more questions, you can send in MyFace. Good afternoon."

Other female reporter, looking like a college student, was chosen by the assistant with the microphone and was ready to ask. She was looking disappointed with the sudden end of the conference, and was upset with the Channel 9 reporter over that question, which had been clearly malicious.

"Dulce Arana, SpeedPortal. Please! Can we know more about Bitten Heroes Academy?"

Lemos had already left the pulpit, but answered to the reporter:

"End of interview, sorry! We'll get in touch."

[Vangaziland]

Karli Schmitt Runs Into Late Trouble

"It's bull****", Karli said after the race. "In the end, I know my aggression and reliability can cause problems. This is going to happen. It's still crap." The normally cool and collected Vangazi was not in good spirits after the lap 32 wreck at Crossbay Circuit.

Schmitt had a decent 5th place start. Her car looked strong all weekend, including much of the race. Karli spent the first quarter of the race trading 4th and 5th with Janne Laukkanen. It took some time for Karli to eventually make the pass. Her indigo and red car made the move on lap 16. Karli cut inside coming out of turn 2. The straight before turn 3 was short.

Karli's indigo & red machine grunted and spit red sparks as it kicked into gear slightly earlier for than the Nexus machine. It appeared Karli out-shifted Janne to get the pass. The Vannish Motors chassis seemed a bit more responsive at the time. The move put Karli 3rd and Janne 4th. The two cars would move up the field to run 1st and 2nd by lap 21. They kept this order for some time.

Karli held the lead until lap 30. "We had the pace to secure a podium and maybe take the event", Schmitt said after the race. "It was great battling Janne for awhile."

Laukkanen eventually made the pass on Karli during lap 29. It came coming out of turn 17. Janne took the space between 16 and 17 faster. Now Janne had the better exit speed. He pushed towards the inside and Karli had to give up the spot. She could have fought harder to defend, but there seemed to be no stopping Janne.

"My plan was to let him get by for a few laps and make things up in the last 20 miles", Karli told reporters. "We were just about to put our late race strategy into place when trouble happened."

Karli found herself behind Jama'obo Pegasii. The driver seemed to come out of nowhere with the way the race had been going. Karli needed that spot back. She pressed a little too hard into turn 16. As she has done several times this season, Karli locked up her brakes. This sent her into the rear of Pegasii. "It sucks that I couldn't time that better", Karli said immediately following the event. "I'm not going to take away the same aggression that brings me success."

Karli was asked how she feels about where she stands this season. "The truth is that I haven't looked at the standings", Karli said. "I think a lot of drivers haven't this season. All I'm doing is showing up every week. In the end, whatever will be, will be. But it won't be for a lack of effort on my part."

"Karli is working hard to become a good driver", said manager Jessica Franssen. "I can't ask for more from her. She's going to go through these troubles, even if it frustrates her. She'll need to work through it if she wants to find success."

Jess was asked if this tough stretch has hurt Karli's title hopes. "We've passed the season's midpoint", Jessica said. "She's going to need another good stretch soon if she wants to take the lead back from Cocoabo."

Of course, Karli wasn't the only car from Vannish Motors to run. Jannik Markner donned the indigo & red once again. His season has been lackluster up to this point, not making major in roads on the leaderboard. Jessica was asked how she feels about her driver from West-East Timor.

"I'm not exactly pleased", Jessica admitted. "Jannik came into this season with talk about how motivated he was. Before we signed him, I asked him about the effort he planned to put forth this season. I gave him pointers on how to have his best season. He's had a few decent results, but I'm not seeing what I like to see from my drivers."

Jess was asked to clarify. "It's not about one week. It's not that he hasn't tried, because he has. One off week doesn't ruin a season. If anybody wants to succeed in this league, they don't have to go to the lengths I went to in the WGPC. All they have to do is put forth their best, week in and week out. Not an okay effort or a decent try. The best you can muster, throughout the week and every race weekend."

The Champion turned principal went on. "Effort doesn't guarantee success. But its a matter of being honest with yourself about what you put into the team. Then results are not luck, but the result of a plan. Luck comes, good or bad. It's a weak strategy to base your season on what's dealt to you." She didn't look angry or upset, but honest. She felt the need to be truthful about Jannik in the media so he had a chance to improve himself in Jessica's eye. "Win or lose trying. Trying is the key word."

Jessica was asked how her feelings will impact the team for the WGPC. "It may affect how we recruit. We may become an all Vangazi team again. That's not what we want. The thing is, effort is what we want. And that effort doesn't just come at the weekend. Work has to be done during the off week."

A reporter asked Jess if she has helped Jannik acclimate to the team. "I could have done better, yes", Franssen said. "I could reach out to him and invite him places and really help him get involved. The thing is, it shouldn't be up to me or Karli. Jannik is going to have to find his motivation."

Jessica was asked if she would consider hiring another driver before this season's end. "It's not off the table. If we're going to run at the Constructors', we need all cylinders firing. If there was another driver we thought wanted the seat more, they'd get it. The truth is, that's not easy to find. We need to work with the pieces we have. Things can still work out the way things have been going. Even if they did, it wouldn't mean the same as if both cars simply pushed hard every week."

Jess was asked if she heard anything about Jang Xiaopeng and his spot on Omni racing. Jang earned 94 points for Omni as a second driver and was one of the last 4 cars with a shot at the WGPC 16 driver's cup. "Jang is going to have to make his own decision", Jess mentioned. "We're more likely to sign him now compared to season 16, based on what our second cars have done in the WGP2 and WGPC. We tried."

Vannish Motors Racing corporate released a statement saying "The company's preference is to hire international talent, but we will consider all options for WGPC 17."

Jess has been said to be torn up about the possible decision, knowing Jannik hasn't exactly had a 'poor season'. He's earned some points and can get more. At the same time, Jess knows he could try harder. She has since said her words were meant for motivation and were not criticism.

Karli was asked how she feels about Jannik. "I like the guy, he's real cool. It is frustrating to try so hard and not see the same thing across the paddock. Right now, I am literally exhausted. I'd rather sleep or sit back in a chair. Watch a comedy. Instead, I'm out talking to the media. Later tonight, I'm going to prep for the next track. There's so much for me to do. I also have a lot of other stuff going on in my life. But I'm still here to work as a WGP2 driver."

"I have faith that Jannik can do the same", Karli added. "I wish this wasn't a story."

[Mattijana]

Sorry for the 24 hour delay. The race will move to the usual Monday backup slot.

This is your cutoff for practice and quali in Esmerel.

[Mattijana]

Week 9: Practice

Conditions:      	Dry	
Lap Record:      	81.954	
Qualifying Type:	Two Tier	
Nation:         	ESM	
Circuit:        	Forest Cross Raceway

POS # DRIVER                   TEAM                	FASTEST LAP	
 1 97 Edward Baker                VTM Tropicorp Engineering   	00:01:16.677	00:00:00.000
 2 12 Ade Imoju                   Omni-Katoa Racing           	00:01:16.685	00:00:00.008
 3 16 Janne Laukkanen             Nexus Racing                	00:01:16.690	00:00:00.012
 4 48 Tyra Tabuso                 Ibuna-Gambal Racing         	00:01:16.690	00:00:00.013
 5 33 Karli Schmitt               Vannish Motors Racing       	00:01:16.696	00:00:00.018
 6  2 Juliano Lemos               Superia Junior Team         	00:01:16.712	00:00:00.035
 7 18 Isaia Fanene                Kaylan Racing               	00:01:16.721    00:00:00.044
 8 25 Timo Jänkirinää             Omni-Katoa Racing 	        00:01:16.752    00:00:00.075
 9 14 Miguel Santos               EVolution Racing            	00:01:16.834	00:00:00.157
10 17 Max Prefodski               Kaylan Racing               	00:01:16.850	00:00:00.173
11 15 Rebecca Darlington          Nexus Racing                	00:01:16.851	00:00:00.174
12  3 Darius Castellammare        Superia Junior Team         	00:01:16.880	00:00:00.203
13 60 Chiemi Hino                 Ibuna-Gambal Racing         	00:01:17.012	00:00:00.335
14  9 Jannik Markner              Vannish Motors Racing       	00:01:17.033	00:00:00.356
15 63 Dahlia Dahl                 Pompeii Motorsports         	00:01:17.060	00:00:00.382
16 19 Dom Falepeau                MRT2                        	00:01:17.162	00:00:00.485
17 75 Roman Arjenko               SVJ Racing                  	00:01:17.175	00:00:00.498
18 23 Cocoabo #23                 VTM Tropicorp Engineering   	00:01:17.292	00:00:00.615
19 10 Erik DeForest               Pompeii Motorsports         	00:01:17.362	00:00:00.685
20 24 Ekatarina Julic             Brutus Obey Sport GP        	00:01:17.450	00:00:00.773
21  5 Jason Masami                Brutus Obey Sport GP        	00:01:17.631	00:00:00.954
22 37 Jama'obo Pegasii            SVJ Racing                  	00:01:17.657	00:00:00.980
23 44 Laurencia Lynds             SinVal                      	00:01:18.550	00:00:01.872