World Grand Prix Championship season 17 [RP Thread]

by **WGPC** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 4:56 am

Season 17 of the World Grand Prix Championship is currently in the
INITIAL SIGNUP PHASE
NEGOTIATION PERIOD and DRIVER SIGNUP PHASE
REGULAR SEASON
Each of the 28 driver spots has been filled. Driver signups are still welcome, but you'll have to rely on a driver dropping out or being dropped in order to get a drive

To see how the negotiation period usually works, read below and/or have a look at the opening pages of last season’s RP thread.

Do you want to be part of the action? Sign up a driver in the signup thread and write about them in this thread. The more interesting the story you create, the more chance your driver has of catching the eye of one of the WGPC teams.

I know what you’re thinking. “But I’m just a newb! There’s no chance I can do well in this!” Think again! 5 of our last 7 WGPC World Drivers' Championship Titles have been won by completely new users. There are no rankings here. Success is built on good roleplaying by team-owners, drivers and team-mates as well as a big slice of luck, with your driver’s parameters coming into play too.

You may RP however you like. Maybe you'd prefer to tell the world that a couple of teams are interested in your driver via some rumour-mongering in your local newspapers? Perhaps you'd like to set up an interview with a team? Maybe your driver has a big social media presence or can’t keep out of the news for all the wrong reasons? A popular tactic in recent years has been for teams to hold an open-invitation trial for a number of drivers to test your racecar around a local circuit, with the best driver/drivers being chosen for the team, so look out for those as well. There is no 'right' way to do it, and the only 'wrong' way to do it would be to attempt to confirm your driver is racing with a team before any real negotiations, OOC, IC or otherwise, have taken place.

You may also wish to consider the massive difference in pay between an experienced driver with a good reputation and a newcomer. In RL Formula 1, the best drivers are paid handsomely to drive while the newcomers often have to pay a team in order to secure a drive. Does your driver need to secure sponsorship in order to pay his way into a deal? Or is he a skilled driver with years of experience, upon whom a team can rely to draw money to the team through external sponsorship and win bonuses?

When you wish to confirm that a driver has joined a team, or formally offer a spot in your team to a driver, do so in bold, like this or this or this or simply like this.

Finally, as this is the RP thread, there should be no out-of-character chatter here. Take your observations, commentary and complaints to the OOC discussion thread.

  
DATE          ##  Event                          Location                                     Qualifying Type
MAR 10        00  Pre-season testing 1 ¹         Forest Cross Raceway, Vertress, Esmerel 
MAR 15/17/19  01  Pre-season testing 2           Kopylov Internazionring, Kranjagrad, Mattijana       
MAR 22        02  Pre-season testing 3           Eelandii Grand Prix Course, Eelandii, Turori   
MAR 29/31     03  IZAYOI Grand Prix of Hodori ²  Dashoze Circuit, Dashoze, Hodori                      TT
APR 05/07     04  Grand Prix of Liventia         Talbott Autodrome, Talbott, Liventia                  Trad
APR 12/14     05  Kikinda Mytanar Grand Prix     Nacionalni Autodrom Rebecna, Miago, Mytanija          TT
APR 21        06  Mid-season test 1 ³            Yarkovo International Circuit, Yarkovo, Savojarna 
APR 26/28     07  Grand Prix EON de Lisander     Circuit Grandeville, Grandeville, Lisander            Trad
MAY 03/05     08  JNI Grand Prix                 Somos City Circuit, Somos, Joushiki Nante Iranai      E
MAY 10/12     09  NEXPRO Gran Premio di Nekoni   Autodromo Inter. del Rivoli, Val de Rivoli, Nekoni    Trad
MAY 17/19     10  Grand Prix Filindostan Cepat   Yogyakulta Inter. Circuit, Yogyakulta, Filindostan    E
MAY 24        11  Mid-season test 2 ⁴            Facsgend Grand Prix Circuit, Fascgend, Dritten Asopie   
M/J 31/02     12  Abovian Grand Prix             Lintulahti Inter. Circuit, Lintulahti, Aboveland      OS
JUN 07/09     13  Vannish Grand Prix             Drosopol Circuit, Drosopol, Vangaziland               Trad
JUN 14/16     14  Nimban Grand Prix              Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay, TNWoFCotNS              E
JUN 21/23     15  Vilitan Grand Prix ⁵           Vilitan Mountain Challenge, Rockii Coast, Vilita      Trad
JUN 28/30     16  The GP of the Free Kingdom     Highpoint Raceway, Highpoint, Falcania                Trad
JUL 05/07     17  The Hygolje Audioslavian GP    Crossport Inter. Raceway, Crossport, Audioslavia      Trad

¹ Not all teams are expected to attend the earliest of the pre-season tests. 
We appeciate the negotiation period will take time.

² Any team that has signed zero drivers by the scorination of Friday’s practice session will be eliminated from the championships. 
They may be replaced with a backup team in time for race two.

³ Teams with no RPing may be eliminated or replaced before the first mid-season test

⁴ Teams with no, little or poor RPing may be eliminated or replaced before the second mid-season test.

⁵ No new drivers may be signed for the rest of the season after Friday practice at this point in the season. 
Drivers may still be released after this point.

Alternate Circuits to be used in the event that one of the above events is cancelled.

EVENT NUMBER    Event                           Location                      NAT
0-2 / 6 / 11    Testing                         Insocima International        TKI
3-5 / 7-8       GP of the Imperial Commonwealth Mount Salt Raceway            EFL 
9-10 / 12-13    Broadway GP of Xanneria         Broadway Casino Circuit       XAN
14-17           Starblaydi Grand Prix           Azure Harbour Circuit         STB

Testing events will consist of one session wherein each driver may complete a maximum of thirty laps. They will be scorinated on the day shown.

 For races, Friday’s practice session and Saturday’s qualifying session will both be scorinated on the Friday. The race will be scorinated on the Sunday.

Until further notice Friday practice and Saturday qualifying will be scorinated on or around 23:00UTC on the Friday. Sunday’s races will be scorinated on or around 23:55UTC on Sunday. Cut-off times may be up to two hours before or after the advertised time. We’ll try to give notice if cut-off will be early or late, but that will not always be possible. You should post your RPs well before the cutoff.

Delays are common due to the full schedule and the high probability of RL getting in the way. We appreciate your patience when this inevitably happens. Should Friday’s scorinations be delayed by more than two hours, scorination will instead take place any time on the Saturday, with the race being put back to Monday evening after 23:00UTC.

All scorination times are subject to change later in the season.

Mattijana Racing Team
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E - WGPC16 (1st), WGPC15 (3rd), WGPC14 (2nd)
▅▃▇ [SVJ] ▍14 BJA Sigur Bjarnason
▅▅▅ [SOR] ▍27 KRU Gregori Krupin
The Mattijana Racing Team (MRT) made their debut back in WGPC 14, where an inspired Jessica Franssen lifted them to second in the constructor's standings despite a mediocre start. WGPC 15 promised a lot, but failed to deliver at the death, however WGPC 16 was finally the team's year as consistent points from Sigur Bjarnason and Rustom Ibuna lifted them to a maiden title.

Team principal Johan Struna is also back after some time off, joined once again by deputy Maria Jamasova. There are rumours that the team will seek to re-sign Sigur Bjarnason, their top driver from last season, but these are yet to be confirmed.

Vannish Motors Racing
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E - WGPC16 (2nd), WGP2s2 (1st), WGP2s1 (1st)
▅▅▆ [VNG] ▍ 1 FRS Jessica Franssen
▃▆▆ [SHW] ▍ 7*TRI Vijay Tripathi
VMR started with a title at the Cross Rally Championships. The company followed up by entering WGPO competition. VMR won consecutive team & driver titles in WGP2 I & ||. VMR also notched the WGPC 16 drivers' title. Vannish Motors Racing competes in disciplines ranging from NSSCRA stock cars to HRC rally sport. An aggressive media presence covers the team.

Omni Racing
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E - WGPC16 (3rd)
▅▆▅ [WET] ▍20 SCH Mick Schramm
▅▃▇ [LEN] ▍37 RHJ Ryan Harris-Jones
Following the success of West-East Timorian Katara Racing team in the inaugural WGP2 season, Omni Racing was founded by wealthy businessman Nick Newman for WGPC16 in cooperation with national endurance racing team Omni Racing, as well as car manufacturers WETmotors and WETtech. Under team principal Linus Anthonson and with drivers Mick Schramm and Jang Xiaopeng, Omni Racing finished third in their first WGPC season, a rather successful result as well, and returns hoping to achieve even more in their second season.

Nexus Racing
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E - WGPC16 (4th), WGP2s2 (2nd), WGPC15 (2nd), WGP2s1 (10th)
▇▆▂ [NIM] ▍94 LAN Ryker Lane
▅▇▃ [ESM] ▍41 JMD Jean Mercer-Daly
Originally an unsuccessful endeavour to overhaul the Nimban military’s multi-purpose armoured buggy, what was ‘Project Overdrive’ was reborn when the Ministers for Sport and Science and Technology took an interest in the WGPC and set its staff to designing an Imagination-powered car for the competition. Delivering Ryker Lane to a Drivers’ Championship in their inaugural year, the team have since been dogged by misfortune and barely missed further accolades. With the UHSGV-3 their most advanced and radical Chase Cutter yet and having definitively put a series of debilitating hacks to rest, momentum is perhaps finally returning to Nexus Racing.

Tropicorp Racing Ælund
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▅▆▇ [ABL] ▍56 TAL Terho Talvela
▃▅▇ [TUR] ▍77 TII iBen Toralmintii
Following a modest debut season, Vilitan-Abovian outfit Tropicorp Racing Ælund returns to WGPC hungrily chasing a world championship title in their second run for glory. The team is now essentially an Abovian branch of WGPC 14-dominating Tropicorp, administered from and based at their headquarters in Lintulahti but with nearly all of its technical developments conceived by the Vilitan group. After an exhausting winter testing program spearheaded by local hero Terho Talvela, TRÆ (née Project AGP) now feels truly ready to mount a serious title campaign against the sports' strongest teams.

Badai Angin Tim Motorsport
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▇▃▅ [MTJ] ▍42 DIM Alex Dimitrianov
▅▃▇ [AUD] ▍64 ORK Carsten O'Rourke
Badai Angin TM is a newly-formed motorsport team founded by the Petrofilindo Corporation. Acquiring the assets of the defunct Kissan Motorsport and its WGPC entry, the marque merged its operations with the WGP2 team Ibuna-Gambal Racing and hands its operations with Rudolf Ibuna to be the team's first team principal. Calling the Yogyakulta International Circuit their home, the team hopes to get their BAP001 chassis running well and get the team's first win.

Polaris Racing Team
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E - WGPC16 (8th) (as Polaris), WGPC15 (13th), WGPC14 (9th), WGPC13 (1st) (as Scuderia Fuoco e Ghiaccio)
▅▅▆ [NEK] ▍47 OKU Erica Okumura
▅▅▆ [HDR] ▍52 SZR Sayono Souzare
The reskinned SFeG had a stable, if inconsistent maiden year under the new branding. The first year was always meant to be a proof-of-concept, and, with one race win under its belt already, as well as an increasingly strong link to the national racing leagues, this is the year that Polaris gets to show what it can do when it really can get its foot down.

iBen Toralmintii's Race Eelandii Vilita & Turori World Grand Prix Motorworks
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▆▃▆ [STB] ▍33 KRD Jai Kardaeri
▆▃▆ [FID] ▍71 IBU Rustom Ibuna
iBen Toralmintii's WGPC team can trace its lineage back to the former WGPC Motorworks team as well as the famous VTM WGPC14 Constructors Champions. Toralmintii acquired assets from both as they suspended operations to form WGPC Eelandii as a Works team during the 15th World Grand Prix Championships. While much of the primary engineering from the VTM are integrated at Tropicorp Racing Aelund, Eelandii VTGP have retained enough expertise to engineer their own evolution on the WGP14 era models they had fielded for the past two seasons as a Works team. While it is not clear how independent the Eelandii VTGP team will operate, it is clear that with Toralmintii at the helm as Team Principle they won't be lacking a desire to compete.

Camden Automobile Racing
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E - WGPC16 (13th), WGPC15 (4th) (both as Bitten Heroes Grand Prix Engineering)
▅▅▅ [LIS] ▍ 3 CAS Darius Castellammare
▂▇▆ [FLC] ▍15 NVX Tabita Novax
Camden Automobile is the largest car company in Lisander, and also the biggest winner in local motorsport. The company leased, for at least one season, the Lisander Autosports Board superlicense that belongs to Bitten Heroes GPE.

Brutus Tyres Obey Sport Grand Prix
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E - WGP2s2 (7th), WGP2s1 (7th)
▆▃▆ [CDG] ▍18 BLK Taylor Blake
▅▅▅ [DRA] ▍17 CAR Evdaden Carnétier
While an Esmerelian team, the name, rights, and funding come from a foreign auto company known for incredible performance at less-than-supercar prices, as well as a very successful rally and touring car program. After 2 seasons of WGP2 with moderate results, the team has finally decided to reach for the top.

SinVal Motor Racing
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E - WGPC16 (10th), WGPC16 (8th), WGPC15 (3rd) (all as engine-manufacturer for MSA SinVal)
▃▅▇ [MTJ] ▍22 KRA Jasmin Kranjska
▁▇▇ [EFL] ▍63 DHL Dalia Dahl
SinVal are an one of the major car manufacturers in EFL, reknowned mainly for their work under the hood, so to speak. After many years of supplying engines to the joint MSA-SinVal ventures in both the WGPC and the inaugural WGP2 series with little success, the EAMR stripped that joint venture of its international licencing and gave it to SinVal's solo venture. Of the joint venture, only team principal Tadeo Durand remains, although mostly in an advisory role on race strategy. Alaina Navarro is the new team principal, and will oversee the team's operations with a brand new hybrid race engine, which was designed brand new for the SinVal cars that help Dalia Dahl to an Olympic victory in the recent Republica Games.

Fireline Independent Racing Association
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E - WGPC15 (7th)
▅▅▇ [ETN] ▍49 TAL Benjamin Talison
▅▅▆ [FID] ▍48 TBS Tyra Tabuso
Fireline is a racing team founded out of a consortium of companies in Ethane because of the popularity of the WGPC series. Because of this, Fireline are currently a well-funded team, and undergo a lot of development on the car. However, the team has very little long-term funding due to its lack of sponsors, so is looking to earn some sponsors across the season.

The team first entered into the 15th WGPC, in which they finished 7th in the constructors championship on 62 points. Their strongest performing driver, Alex Dimitrianov, finished in 11th on 37 points. They were also intending to compete in WGPC 16, but didn't get in and so are looking to make a significant comeback in the 17th WGPC.

Mirrors-HMC Racing
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E - WGPC9 (10th), WGPC8 (3rd)
▃▅▇ [VIL] ▍51 CRU R.L. Cruisin
▇▂▇ [KRY] ▍29 GUI Esteban Guilhermez
The team built by former racer José "Mirrors" Miranda debuted in WGPC8 and brought Jai Kardaeri to fame as he won the Drivers' Championship at the first attempt, going on to forge a career as one of the most successful drivers of all time. Now the Starblaydi team have returned to compete among the world’s best once more. Sleek design principles give them, as always, a great looking car, but having been out of the top levels of racing for so many editions, can they step up to the organisational tactical and engineering levels required to keep the pace?

WGPC Motorworks: McPahan
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E - WGPC16 (=5th), WGPC15 (12th), WGPC14 (8th), WGPC13 (3rd), WGPC12 (2nd) - (as McPahan Racing
▃▅▅ [MYT] ▍22 JCS Jelena Colac-Strek
▆▅▅ [VAD] ▍65 DGR Hunter Digri
Some racing teams have multi-millionaire backing, while others get by on sponsorship and a lot of hard work. McPahan Racing has always been in the latter category, and loss of key sponsorship has forced the Audioslavian team to surrender their license to race as a private team in the coming WGPC season. To save cash, the team have allowed the WGPC to appropriate its facilities to form this season’s motorworks team.

The running centrally owned WGPC Motorworks franchise is a long-standing tradition in WGPC. It typically gives seats to drivers that are unfancied by other teams. Perhaps tomorrow’s World Champion can find their feet racing in the famous white and blue colours of McPahan this season?

Hodori's Arada PrismRiver Motorsport will be the used as a backup team in case of drop-outs

The roleplay bonus system will not be made public to ensure there are no attempts to game the system. We're happy to divulge the following information:

* RP bonus degrades over time. An excellent RP made before race two will earn a large bonus for race two, but a slightly smaller bonus for race three, smaller again for race four etc. The bonus doesn't degrade to zero, though, so an RP will always have a positive effect for all future races.

* Roleplays will be graded on the user's effort, creativity and editing skills. In short: Quality over quantity, and show us you're having fun.

* Due to the nature of the sport, there are no RP permissions in WGPC. You should expect your drivers and/or teams to be mentioned by other players. You may even expect other users to mention things your driver has said. HOWEVER:
* In contrast to, say, war RPing, where a user decides which/how many losses to take after an attack, in WGPC a user decides how much blame or responsibility to take after an accident. You may RP that your driver caused an accident through their own poor or overly aggressive driving, but you may not write that another user's driver was at fault for an accident unless you have their permission. In general, making another character look stupid is not usually acceptable. If a driver is in their first season, it's probably acceptable to call them a rookie, or inexperienced, or possibly even naive if you're sufficiently careful, but refrain from calling another driver reckless or stupid or unskilled unless it's clear from the other user's RPs that this is the case.
* If you're going to RP a conversation between your driver and another driver, try to keep to the other driver's established characteristics.
* If another user mentions an action of your driver, or mentions something that happened to your driver, before you have the chance to RP, you may either reinterpret their interpretation of events or, if you really feel you wanted the story to go in a different direction, you may change the events that happened. For example, you had your heart set on RPing your driver as having had a particularly violent and explosive accident, but another user decides that your driver retired in the pits due to engine failure, you may write your own version and ask that the previous RPer makes the appropriate change to their RP.

* Teams which contain drivers of two different users will be given a small bonus.

Teams should aim to have their full complement of drivers registered by the 25th of March

by **Vilita and Turori** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 5:56 am

Tropicorp Racing Supply inks first deals for WGPC17

Tropicorp Racing Supply, Tropicoast, Tropicorp :: Tropicorp Racing Supply have announced they have already secured three Grand Prix teams for the upcoming 17th World Grand Prix Championship season who have signed on to use Tropicorp's suite of Sifaka branded motorsport tyres. Tropicorp engineers have developed a durable distance variant, a short run soft and fast variant as well as an intermediate and "Storm" variant. The 'Storm' variant is a new derivative of the Tropicorp Racing Supply Tyre line and may represent a crossover into the personnel transport market through the "Storm" branding which replaces the Sifaka wordmark on the wet tyres only.

Tropicorp Racing Supply became the official Tyre Supplier for Tropicorp Racing Aelund midway through the World Grand Prix's 16th season after the team struggled to find its form on its debut. When the Calanian Rubber was introduced, however, the teams fortunes improved and interest in the Tropicorp Sifaka tyres increased with many orders for sample and small quantity levels of product over the offseason.

Since then, two additional Grand Prix teams have already committed to using the Tropicorp Racing Supply tyres for the upcoming World Grand Prix season, iBen Toralmintii's Race Eelandii Vilita & Turori World Grand Prix Motorworks the upgraded entry out of Eelandii, Turori and the returning entry from Starblaydia, Mirrors -HMC Racing under the guidance of former racer Jose "Mirrors" Miranda. Tropicorp remain in discussions with additional teams regarding the use of the Tropicorp Sifaka and Storm variant tyres for the 17th World Grand Prix Season and have capacity to support additional inquiries for the new season. The Tropicorp Racing Supply team will be on hand with spare lots of tyres at each of the official WGPC Pre-Season testing events and tyres may be purchased directly for use in those events without any pre-reservations. Requests for Tropicorp to become the full season supplier of Tyres or other racing components should be submitted for final negotiation.

:: Tropicorp Racing Supply

Tropicorp is a quasi-governmental corporation created to conduct Research, Development and Production activities primarily on behalf of the Tropics of Vilita. One of the byproducts of Tropicorps development in a remote location on the Calanian mainland has been the removal of native and wild tree species to make way for development space. Tropicorp engineers discovered a dense grove of Calanian rubber trees.

Tropicorp Engineering developed the special Calanian rubber to create high performance racing tyres for testing purposes. After the tests proved successful, It wasn't long before the tooling was done and Racing Tyres were popping out on an hourly basis from the workshop and Tropicorp Racing Supply was born. Everything on Tropicorp Racing Supply's standard product line from Crew Uniforms to Composite-Material suspension parts will be on offer. - even the potential for advanced product opportunities through Tropicorp Engineering to include Chassis and Hybrid Power systems.

Additional WGPC17 Sponsorship Opportunities & Suppliers

:: Driver Services & Team Sponsorship Interest :: Please feel free to RP or TG interest in partnering with the below organizations

:: Arcticala Electrical

The Arcticala Electrical company is the main supplier of power in the Vilitan Cove region. Arcticala Electrical harnesses energy from many sources and prides in its renewable Wind, Hydro and Solar efforts. The company also runs a small scale Nuclear generation facility inside the Sorthern fallout zone. The facility is fully staffed by Robo-things and provides emergency power to the Vilitan Government and major cities. The pride of the Arcticala Electrical company are its advances in Solar Power which are on display prominentaly at the Arcticala Electrical Stadium.

:: CoCoCo Entities

Stood up after the fall of the reign of Lord Gregory, Turorian company CoCoCo established a footprint inside South Covello and established itself as a primary supplier of core goods and services. Internally the goods were used to provide essential raw materials and goods to Turorian shops such as Cocoa-bo that had opened a presence in country. Soon after, however, central public distribution locations were also established.

One of the most prominent is Coco-mart, the big box store primarily found in South Covello. Coco-marts were sood up throughout South Covello to serve as an interface between CocCoCo and the public offering excess goods to the citizens of South Covello and somewhat reasonable prices compared with what it would have taken for a citizen to acquire similar goods during the reign of Lord Gregory.

The CoCoCo have established themselves on a collection of Islands off the coast of South Covello where raw goods are imported, sorted and redistributed to the mainland. Other major public-facing CoCoCo entities stood up in South Covello include Cocogas and CoCoLectric.

:: Cocoa-Bo Eatery

Cocoa-bo, an establishment taking its name directly from the beloved national animal of Turori, started as a small dessert shop in Kionao. However, it was only after they added chocolate topped drinks to their menu that their popularity started to soar. As more and more patrons scooped up their chocolate flavored pick-me-ups, demand for the Cocoa-bo product skyrocketed and soon new franchised locations were popping up all throughout Turori. Shifting to more of a social 'hang-out' then just a casual place to drop in, get a dessert, and leave, the new locations started adding small foods such as Bagels for the morning, Soups and Sandwiches for Lunch or Dinner and Salads for the entire day. Cocoa-bo has expanded outside of Vilita & Turori. Their first regional location was opened in Andossa Se Mitrin Vega and the company continues to further increase its image by partnering with Motorsport teams and expanding the company footprint across Atlantian Oceania and beyond.

:: Toys '4' All

The leading distributor and retailer of Toys and Games in the Tropics, Toys '4' All prides itself in providing a positive experience for children and adults alike when visiting its stores. Customers enjoy a wide selection of otherwise hard-to-find Toys and Games with Toys '4' All bringing to market toys from independent toy makers and innovators. The future of the Toys '4' All brand likely depends on being able to retain the market share from the independent toy makers using Toys '4' All as a storefront for their goods.

Toys '4' All is in negotiations to become the official Toy Supplier of the World Grand Prix Championships and if successful will be looking to produce a set of diecast grand prix cars with the livery of top World Grand Prix Championship teams in addition to stuffed toys for children five and under of 3 Grand Prix teams.

:: Charitable Organizations :: Charitable Organization Logos may be used on any livery without pre-coordination

:: Cocoabo Preservation Society

The Cocoabo Preservation Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to spreading awareness about Turori's native and endangered Cocoabo species, as well as collecting donations and raising funds to help protect, care for and breed Turorian Cocoabo. The Cocoabo Preservation Society has partnered with Tropicorp to develop to Cocoabo Forest just north of Turori.

The CPS does not pay to put its logo on Grand Prix vehicles. Typical sporting arrangements surrounding the use of the CPS logo on Grand Prix Vehicles include special CPS merchandise will made available to be produced and sold with a portion of the proceeds going towards Cocoabo Conservation; the ability of the Cocoabo Preservation Society to use the image and likeness of WGPC cars carrying their logo for promotional purposes as well as special "Go Go Cocoabo!" donation packages and corporate tours of Cocoabo Park and the Preservation Society headquarters.

--- Cocoabo Preservation Society Logo Neutral Color Logo Template ---

by **Falcania** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 6:07 am

Stonewater District, High Roost, Free Kingdom
Six Months Ago
Tab Novax pulled up her hood to try and keep off the worst of the rain, and lit a cigarette as she shouldered her way through the rush-hour crowds towards Bolson's. The bouncer acknowledged her with a nod. The inside of the bar smelled like sweat, which was amazing in a species that didn't sweat. The place was half-full, during the post-work rush. That relative quiet was worth enduring the smell, let alone the beer.

She pulled down her hood, revealing a burst of tawny plumage, and leaned on the bar. Bolson was an enormous man, five feet tall, and almost as wide. At just under five feet herself, Tab was tall for a Falcanian, but Bolson always made her feel less self-conscious.

"Tuga?" He drawled.

"Yeah. And another pack of Lucies."

He pulled the glass bottle from under the bar, snapping the crown off with a practiced claw, and slid it across the bar. She stubbed out her cigarette and took a swig as Bolson went to get the cigarettes from the other end of the bar.

"You like Tuga?" The man next to her asked. Tab ignored him. "From now on you're only drinking Glowsnap."

With her left hand she seized the man's lapel and balled her right hand into a fist.

"Don't think it's your business what I drink," she hissed.

The man held up his hands. "Hey, Tab, relax."

"How do you know my name?"

"I wanna offer you a job." He grinned like a car salesman. "Orzon Stond. I work for the FMSA - the Falcanian Motorsport Associaton."

She let him go. "Never heard of you. Don't much want to, neither."

"Just give me thirty seconds, okay? To explain. Then I'll pay for your drinks tonight. Deal?"

Tab clicked her beak thoughtfully as Bolson returned, holding a bright red pack of Lucifer cigarettes. "This guy bothering you?" Bolson asked.

Tab shook her head. "He's paying. For the drinks."

"Okay," Orzon said. "The FMSA have partnered with Glowsnap and Morningstar to sponsor a Falcanian driver at the WGPC. The World Grand Prix Championship."

"I'm not a driver."

"Not yet. Your service record shows you're a hell of a pilot though. 53 Squadron was damn unhappy to lose you."

"How the hell do you have my service record?"

"Nothing classified, just what's in the public domain. Listen, we have a hell of an instructor team. The best money can buy."

"Money," she scoffed. "That's all WGPC is. You want me to get involved in this, what is this, big toy cars for rich kids? Hard pass. Thanks for the drinks."

"Listen. You're bored, Tab."

"Excuse me?"

"You are! Ever since the discharge."

"We're coming up to the part of the conversation where I put you in the damn ground."

Orzon sighed. "Look. I get it. I was Skymarine during the Lion's Head Crisis. I've sat where you are. If you want to keep drinking away your veteran's pension, that's your loss. If you want to feel that adrenaline again, give me a call. My thirty seconds are up." Orzon dropped his card on the bar, on top of a hundred Talon banknote, and left.

Bolson eyed the banknote. "That'll settle most of your tab, Tab."

"Funny guy," Tab replied, pulling her purse out of her hip pocket. "Take my Bachmann, pay it off on mine."

Bolso obliged, before looking over apologetically. "Been declined, Tab."

"Son-of-a..." she picked up the business card, exposing the banknote. "Huh."

by **Savojarna** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 6:24 am

Sjoedrhavn International Airport, Sjoedrhavn, Savojarna

Passagerer der flyver med International Air Savojarna SJ452 til Petrovijanka, fortsät til Gate B19 for paskontrol.

Passengers flying with International Air Savojarna SJ452 to Petrovijanka, please proceed to Gate B19 for passport control.

In the lounge, clutching a cup of coffee, a young blonde man with just a shadow of a beard, his hair styled back sloppily, a wooden necklace around his neck, took his backpack and finished the coffee. He put on his cap and a pair of glasses with thick brown frames before he walked towards Gate B19, the backpack casually hanging off his shoulder and headphones on his ears. They played an odd mix of Savojar metal, the Vangazi hip-hop he picked up when he spent part of his holidays in the VMR homeland, and the odd Mattijanan song he picked up during the last year. He smiled at the man standing in the booth that was about to control his passport as he took off cap and headphones for the passport control, and couldn't help but smile a bit at the reaction of the man.

"So, you are it? Sorry to ask, I thought you did look familiar. See, my daughter is a big fan..." Sigur Bjarnason laughed and took off his backpack. While he wasn't one to always carry autograph cards, he had remembered that there was a racing magazine he bought and read while waiting for his flight, and it just happened to feature him on the cover. "Do you have a pen and a name?", he asked the slightly confused border guard, who handed him his ballpoint pen and stammered "Kristina. She's called Kristina", a bit surprised at the developments in front of him. Sigur took the pen and put a few words to little Kristina onto the cover of his magazine, signing off with his name and the #14. "I was reading this in the lounge, but I'm done with it. I hope she likes it", he smiled at the guard before passing through and moving on to the gate. Whether he liked it or not, Sigur Bjarnason was now a star in Savojarna. This nation was crazy for sports, and it showed whenever someone had some success. With half the country hoping that they would get a proper Grand Prix this time, Savojarna gobbled up news about their racing champion as the new season came somewhat closer and the teams started their development.

A few hours later, Sigur Bjarnason stepped off a train in the station of Kranjagrad. Once he marched through the doors of the Kopylov InternazionRing, Savojarna's first WGPC driver felt immediately at home. He knew this track pretty much by heart, and he couldn't wait to feel the asphalt under his wheels. Krister Arlund was the first one to greet him. His race engineer had been flying down to Mattijana already a few days before to be involved in the development, and his look promised a lot of excitement for the new car. The men hugged and walked back to the paddock, where the rest of the MRT team was waiting to greet their champion. Sigur had his memories of the last season flash before his eyes, as he saw them one by one.

Johan Struna, the team principal, and his shouting on the team radio when they had celebrated their great victory in Audioslavia. In Sigur's mind, he interrupted Krister's calm congratulations again with an enthusiastic celebration.
Sigur never talked too much with Maria Jamasova, his deputy, but it was her who had been there when Sigur had signed his first contract in the WGPC. He could never not be reminded of what she, and MRT as a whole, had done for him by trusting him not only with a cockpit, but with a Nr. 1 driver spot.
Somewhere behind them, he spotted the young Lara Kasparova, his press representative, with whom he had spent so much time in press briefings and conferences. His glance jumped back to Krister and he blushed a bit, remembering their encounter in Esmerel when Sigur had run off after an abysmal qualifying.
And then there was the tech team, reminding Sigur of the giant effort all of them went through in the last year. Every single person here gave their very best in order to allow for the amazing success their team had, with three race victories and a constructor title.

There would not be any testing on this evening, after he had finished his long travel from Sjoedrhavn, but Krister made sure to keep him up to date on the new car. They were spared major changes in the technical rules department, but that didn't mean that the MRT engineers hadn't come up with some improvements. He already heard before from Sigur and the technical team that the MRT-17-A would not be too different from their championship-winning vehicle, but there would still be some changes that the Savojar had to get used to.

As he got up on the next day in the small studio he had rented in Kranjagrad once he learned that MRT were planning with him in the long term, he couldn't help but feel a little child's curiousity and excitement for the new car. As fun as Vangaziland was, he got a little bored in the off-season. When he arrived, Krister presented him a box. It was heavy, and Sigur's heart jumped. He lifted off the lid and looked at a polished blue with the black tree of life painted on it. A brand new helmet, with a slightly modified version of his old design and, as the crowning little detail, a MRT logo with a golden laurel wrath around it on the back of the helmet to celebrate their maiden title. It was just beautiful in Sigur's eyes, and fit him perfectly.

The blue still slightly bit his green MRT overall, but there was no way he would forsake his national colours, he thought as he took off the helmet again to listen to the briefing. His first stint would be a slow one, an hour or so on the InternazionRing to get used to the MRT-17-A and give some initial feedback. As Sigur put on his helmet and climbed into the car, his heart began to beat and he felt all jittery and excited. Krister pat his head as he sent him on the way. "No pressure at all. Do as you please, Sigur, just don't knock the car into the walls, please", he smiled. Sigur let the engine howl as the MRT rolled out onto the road. He had waited too long for this, but now it was time. Sigur Bjarnason was back on the road.

Sigur Bjarnason accepts an offer as Number One Driver with MRT (agreed with Mattijana via TG)

by **Lisander** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 7:06 am

CAMDEN AUTOMOBILE RACING

Team Hub

The Team

The Car

Instead of relying on the previous infrastructure from Bitten Heroes, Camden decided to start from zero. The N01 is a Cookie-cutter car, made to fit the regulations. Will this be enough? We don't know. We'll have to trust them.

Drivers
#3 CAS Darius Castellammare, age 30, Lisanderian
Coming from a great WGPC Season, much is expected from him. Will he be able to deliver the same in a entirely new car?

#15 NVX Tab Novax, age 25, Falcanian
She is probably the best racer of the new generation of Falcanians. And she's also small and cute.

Index of posts
The end of the autumn break
Two shades of her, II
Camden confirms Tab Novax as driver for the next WGPC Season
Lanza rolls up his sleeves
TOPSPORT: Still not getting points, Darius Castellamare is booed in Grandeville
Team Under Intervention
Imperan Superbike Future League, presentation race
TURBO: Darius before Camden
Anne Siebler, grid girl turned lollipop woman
Athan Lille speaks his mind
The best of the meepers
A very nice weekend in Crossbay Circuit
No news: Camden engine fails
NAUTIKA 3: The Videogame
TURBO: Time for Financial Maths
Plans for the future
TURBO: Place your bets

by **Mattijana** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 12:40 pm

MRT Re-sign Bjarnason as Negotiation Period gets Underway

MFO SPORT

Having revealed their livery for the upcoming WGPC17 season, the Mattijana Racing Team today announced they had extended the contract of Savojar driver Sigur Bjarnason for another year.

Having led MRT's charge to a maiden WGPC constructor's championship win as their number one driver, Bjarnason will look to improve on his sixth place from last season as he once again takes to the number one car's cockpit.

This season will be the first time MRT have ever re-signed a driver in their WGPC history, having either chosen or been forced to replace both their drivers during the last few seasons, but team principal Johan Struna said that he was happy to retain the Savojar rather than continuing the team's recent policy of signing promising young rookies.

"We're delighted Sigur has decided to stay with us for the coming season and that we were able to reach a contract agreement so quickly. We were delighted with how Sigur did in his rookie season and whilst the second season can be a challenge for so many drivers, we believe Sigur has the skill and experience to improve on his result and hopefully make a push for the title."

Struna was less forthcoming when asked about who would be the number two driver however. Jasmin Kranjska is reportedly one of those in line for the seat, but with a number of other young drivers looking like they could make a promising signing, it remains to be seen whether she will get it.

"We don't yet know who'll be in the other car. Jasmina's of course still in the frame. She's been testing the car a little so far and is certainly a very talented driver. Now that driver registration's officially open, we want to get into negotiations with drivers as soon as possible and to try and sign someone within a week. Having said that, if we don't think we've found what we're looking for, we're certainly not going to make a panic signing."

Bjarnason is the first driver to have his place in the WGPC officially confirmed, although Evdaden Carnétier from Third Asopia is strongly expected to join the Esmerelian Brutus Obey outfit in the coming days.

As well as driver registration opening, a tentative schedule was also published by the WGPC governing body. Individual races were not yet confirmed to the schedule, but March 10th was confirmed as the date for the first of 5 days of pre-season testing, with the first proper race weekend beginning on March 29th.

Sigur Bjarnason Last Season:

Team: MRT
Points: 83
Position: 6th
Wins: 2
Podiums: 1
Points per race: 5.93

by **Third Asopia** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 5:16 pm

Hallesht, Dritten Asopie
3.30 P. M.

"Sir, are we there yet?" Carnétier asked again.
"Almost. We are entering the airport in 2 minutes," he said.
Carnétier was in Hallesht because he had to go to Esmerel to sign some documents. Turned out that he was very early for his flight, so he went for some sightseeing and he got lost. He boarded the taxi he was in, but it was stick in a goddamn traffic jam. Now his flight was due to depart anytime.
Two minutes had past.
"We are presumably here, aren't we?" Carnétier said.
"Sir, you are supposed to get off now. We are out the drop off lobby," the taxi driver said, with his expression clearly irritated because of the traffic jam. And probably Carnétier.
Carnétier walked up to the luggage loading area.
"Good morning sir, may you please hand me your flight ticket?" the flight attendant said. Carnétier whisked out his flight ticket and passport.
"Sorry sir, but it looks like you're in the first class area, so please go there," she pointed to a door that said 'Air Hallesht Lounge'. Carnétier rolled his eyes. He quickly rushed there, not noticing the number of people begging him for autographs and selfies. Reaching the lounge, he sat down on a comfortable sofa made with the finest fabric with excellent lumbar support. There was a buffet, but Carnétier had already eaten his lunch. Of fried rice with sliced beetroot.
Ten minutes had passed. His flight number hadn't called yet. The Obey manager was waiting for him any minute. Just then an announcement sounded across the room suddenly, considering the silence there. It was his turn to go. Just then, a little boy of the age 12 to 14 came up to him.
"Sir, I know who you are! You are my biggest idol and I want to learn from you. But first may you please sign me an autograph?" he begged. Carnétier could not reject an offer like that. Taking his pen, he signed on the boy's notebook.
"See ya!" the boy was overjoyed. Probably overly overjoyed. On the airplane, he was served by someone who looked very familiar.
"Sister?" Carnétier squinted his eyes and pinched himself.
"Yeah, dummy. What do you want?" she handed him a menu of dinner items.
"Ooooo... Everything looks so convincing, but I'll take the fried rice with sliced beetroot," he said. His (crummy) sister took that down.
"I'm not allowed to serve you," she said.
"You were never allowed to serve me anyway,"

Esmerel

Carnétier arrived at the airport. He quickly went thorough immigration and flagged a taxi. Apparently they spoke English.
"Yes sir where do you want to go?" the driver asked. Carnétier whisked out his phone and showed the address to him.
"Obey Sports. Nice." It was a drive of not longer than an hour. At least it was better than Hallesht.
When he arrived, he went to the front desk. The manager was coincidentally there. He gestured to Carnétier to his office. Over there, there was a pile of papers.
" So do you wish to sign a contract with us for WGPC 17 as our 2nd driver?"
Carnétier couldn't contain his excitement. He nodded his head.
EVDADEN CARNÉTIER HAS SIGNED FOR BRUTUS TYRES OBEY SPORT GRAND PRIX AS SECOND DRIVER(AGREED THROUGH TELEGRAM. PROBABLY)

by **Esmerel** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 11:10 pm

Strovoz International Airport (SZIA), Lapiz Point, Esmerel
Friday, February 22, 2018, 03:00 PM (UTC -4)

Waiting at the airport wasn't necessarily usual for this man at this time.

In previous years, he would tend to spend the last few days before the racing season began lounging at home, playing a few games, or watching The Real World with Eric Vaughn. Maybe even watch the news on CERA 7, if he was that bored. This was different. He was surrounded by tens of thousands of Esmerelians and tens of thousands of tourists from other countries. SZIA was one of the largest airports in the world anyways. There wasn't a TV or a computer in front of him that wasn't operating by itself and showing the same channel throughout most of the terminal. Nor did he have a comfortable chair or mattress to sit on. Instead, he was sitting on a hard-light bench in the middle of the Martinez Concourse.

High-tech, definitely, he thought. Esmerelian trademark, practically. But not so much civilian sector comfort. The Archons aren't so into that. They tend to prefer efficiency.

Then again, it was the efficiency of the Archons that allowed him to be here at all. After all, half of his body was cybernetic, courtesy of the Esmerelian government.

Flash back a bit. Maybe you haven't heard of this man. Or maybe you have, but only just. Or you could just use a refresher. Yeah, this man was a cyborg. He had to be. Otherwise his career in practically everything was over.

I think we all remember that day. It changed the lives of everyone here. Myself the most. After all, the hacker targeted my car.

He had been involved in the giant play that was the WGPC before. He was good, too. Gave the best drivers in the 'verse a run for their money. Sure, he wasn't done, but he was different, certainly. Before that... accident? No. It wasn't an accident. It was attempted manslaughter.

It was in Audioslavia. He was in a position to challenge for the championship, and only ten laps remained. Then his car shut down on him. The kinetic barriers, the tire heating systems, the power steering, and much of the traction control. The accelerator plowed the paper machine (at least that's what it was without the tech) into one of the most dangerous turns in the 'verse at 360 km/h.

It wasn't a disaster. It was the work of someone from the Wardship, who he had been working with for the past year. Not all of them, no. This one was different. The tech the Wardship used went too far, they said. Too easily controlled. Sure, that could have been true. And it was. But attempted manslaughter of a celebrity was not the right way to demonstrate that.

The past was the past, however. He was brought within an inch of his life, sure, but now he was just fine. In fact, now he was even stronger. The new cybernetics were practically indestructible. And they came with new tech he could activate with a tap of his fingers. He would not be stopped, surely not, with all of this new tech. He was...

"Passengers of Atlantic Airlines flight 1408 to the First City of the Nexus Wardship, proceed to terminal 45 to begin boarding."

Damn. Got myself overenergized again. Well, time to plane.

The man who got overenergized? He had a name.

This man was the one called Jean Mercer-Daly. And nothing would stop him now on his way to the championship. Not even death itself.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2 hours later... (UTC -?)
The First City, The Nexus Wardship

The hydrogen-powered Eterna 1500 touched down on the pavement of the First City's airport.

You know what? It's good to be home, Jean thought. Of course, he was an Esmerelian, born almost 37 years ago, well before Esmerel and the Wardship had established relations. But the Wardship was as much Jean's home as it was his team's.

Being a celebrity, Jean was ambushed by several Nimban reporters, each looking to get a piece of the Survivor. Reaching deep into his brain, he closed his eyes and pointed to a random reporter. "There. I have time for one interview, guys, it'll be you." The lucky reporter from Nimban paper The Bullhorn stepped up and began asking questions.

So, Jean, how does it feel to be here?

"Well, it's a miracle, in the first place. So many things had to go right back in Audioslavia. If even a single thing went differently I could be standing in Valhalla instead of the First City. That, and even if I was somehow guaranteed to survive the damage, it took a lot of effort working my way back. The new limbs might be powerful, but... I still feel the old ones. They're probably long since destroyed, turned into biomass for further medical treatment in a hospital back in Lapiz Point. Phantom limb, I think. It always brings back the memories of that day."

Well, despite your struggle, you've made it. Have any thoughts on what's to come?

"I know that taking the championship from Franssen was a slim likelihood. But I still feel robbed of it because of the crash. I was setting pretty fast laps right before it happened. Maybe if I had kept up that pace I at least could have caught up to Franssen. Maybe not dropped her enough points to take the championship. But, regardless, I was robbed of even a chance to do that. That's why I continue to fight. If I don't, there won't always be another day to catch up and win. I'm going to keep going every single day. Win or lose, I'm going for it."

Just to clarify, you're still racing for Nexus, right?

"That's a guarantee. I'm still driving for Nexus Racing as its Second Driver alongside Ryker Lane this season. What we don't know yet is if we can turn it all around and both contend for the title. Ryker won the championship in season 15, then dropped to 14th in season 16, whereas his teammate in a functionally identical car managed to challenge for the title. Hopefully this year he can be up there with me. I might decide to spite him, though. He still hasn't won a race yet, and I won't drop back to give him the lead in any race. He can have it if he wants to fight for it."

This season, there's an Esmerelian team on the grid: Brutus Tyres Obey Sport Grand Prix, and rumors are going around that they've already signed Asopian driver Evdaden Carnétier in the second driver slot. So, got any thoughts on having a team from your home country in the championship?

"Well, Esmerel is a nation of 394 million citizens. It was only a matter of time until we got a team in here. And it's very exciting. Might draw away some pressure from me if they can deliver some solid results. I shouldn't be the only person they cheer on. Yeah, you'd think you want the attention? Walk around in my shoes for a day and get back to me on that."

"That's all I needed. I'll make sure nobody else disturbs you on your way to the Nexus HQ."

"Big thanks. Get this published. A little more support never hurt anyone."

"But didn't you just say you wanted to divide up the attention between you and Obey?"

"That's different. And we're already done here, yeah? Farewell."

Jean made his way out of the terminal and onto a shuttle to the Nexus Racing HQ. This was real. It was half a year in the making. It was time to make things right.

"Good to see you, Ryker," Jean began as he encountered his teammate at the doors. "How are things right now?"

by **Filindostan** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 9:07 am

OOC: The news article in an archive during the final WGP2 race last season.

NATIONAL | BUSINESS | PROVINCIAL | INTERNATIONAL | SPORTS | ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS PORTAL

MOTORSPORTS
Badai Angin purchases Kissan Motorsport

Kissan Motorsports and Badai Angin Tim Motorsport team logos

REVINKA, MATTIJANA - WGPC now has a Filindostani team next season.

Emerging sports car company Badai Angin have purchased the assets of Ajian team Kissan Motorsport in exchange of exclusive dealership of Kissan cars in Filindostan. The deal was announced jointly in a press conference for the Grand Prix tsa Istrija, the last round of the WGP2 season by Tsutomu Sugiyama, CEO of KISMO, and Joko Ajartambun, CEO of Petrofilindo Corporation, who is also the majority owner of Badai Angin. The Ajian car manufacturer dropped its motorsports division after their sales plummeted with the issues surrounding the safety of their flagship Kissan Kamikaze, and will focus on car production and distribution.

Kissan cars have been distributed in few amounts by the Ajian company, but the deal will allow Badai Angin to be the sole distributor of Kissan cars in Filindostan, in a car industry dominated by rival car company Dahon, and Soejitsu. Sugiyama believes the deal will help boost sales of Kissan and kickstart the development of Filindostani motorsports following the Rusty 'wave', caused by a strong opening performance by Filindostani youngster Rusty Ibuna, who was the first Filindostani to win a WGPC grand prix.

Included in the sale is the WGPC entry of KISMO, the team is colloquially known. Ajartambun revealed that the name of the team shall be 'Badai Angin Tim Motorsport', and registered the name as trademark in the IPO Filindo. This included assets such as engines, chassis which were known as KS01, and the contracts of some of the Kissan engineers, in order to build their own powerplant come the start of the next season. What the deal did not include were the contract of Kyoko Fujisaki, and the development contract of other Kissan drivers such as Chiemi Hino and Eiji Ibi.

It is still unknown at the moment who will be appointed by Ajartambun as the team principal for their WGPC team.

Other News
WGP2: IGR drivers upbeat despite recent slump
World Cup Qualifiers: Filindostan misses Cup of Harmony invite
IUBC: Tjorl chosen as playoffs venue
Written by FSNA Staff.

Badai Angin TM Headquarters
Yogyakulta International Circuit
Yogyakulta, Filindostan

It was a day after the launch of Badai Angin's "challenger" for the incoming WGPC season. Rudolf Ibuna, Bryant Gambal, and Eko Wayudi Pratama were in their office, discussing about what happened in the event.

"I can't believe the FSNA believed that!" Eko was laughing hysterically. "It is a TT01, just the livery, and the tyres were the correct ones."

"Even sponsorship places are tentative." Bryant added. "We should have additional companies interested to put their logos in the car."

"Hey guys, let's focus on what we items we need for the new season. We decided not to launch the actual car in the test. They should already be aware of that based from the sound of the engine, let alone the bodywork of the car.. We do not have drivers yet!" Rudolf asked the two to stop making fun of the launch and look for answers in his queries.

"Dolf, relax, we have a couple of months to find the drivers we need." Eko muttered.

"But we need to have the seat fitting. That could make or break a career of our drivers." Rudolf replied.

"Okay, but just one question. We are wondering if your son will be interested in taking one of the seats?" Bryant brought up Rudolf's son, who is just 21 years younger than him. Rudolf's now 43, his son 22, and had a great season the last time WGPC ran.

"Let's say we can plan the team without him." Rudolf answered hesitantly.

"Does your son want to drive for Filindostan's WGPC..."

"Please don't bring it up for now. Let's discuss which drivers can help us achieve our goals this season?"

The chat he had with Rusty still lingers in his mind.

Rudolf: Hey Rusty.

Rusty: Hi.

Rudolf: How's life there in Mattijana?

Rusty: Mattijana? I have already left. I'm currently at my home in San Marco.

Rudolf: Why?

Rusty: Seems I have no future at MRT. Sigur's been re-signed, and they're looking for maybe another driver to partner him up.

Rudolf: Huwag panghinaan ng loob. (Don't let yourself down.)

Rusty: Thanks, pa.

Rudolf: Just let me know if you're interested in racing for our team next season.

Rusty: I have no intentions of joining your team this season. Maybe the next one, or the next next one.

Rudolf: May I know why?

Rusty: I don't believe the team can help me challenge for the drivers' championship. I plan to apply for competitive seats, even if it is for second driver, I'll take it. I'll wait for more competitive offers. Sorry, pa.

Rudolf: Okay son. Thanks. Happy birthday.

Rudolf: Happy 43rd, pa.. See you soon.

"Hey Dolf, you alright?" Bryant asked his longtime friend.

"Yeah. Where were we?"

"Drivers, Dolf. Drivers."

"Okay. Here's my plan. Open Test at Kimantara, then a Private test at Yogyakulta. Max 6 for the first session, then two fastest will proceed to the private test to join at most 3 invitees."

"Will that be a time trial? Short race?"

"Both. We'll test their pace and race strategies. I still need to iron out the final details. But have we prepared the old cars?"

"You mean, the KS01x?"

"No. The KS01. The KISMO chassis. The ones Kyoko, Ethan, and Jasmin used."

"Six of them, all in good condition, currently same setup with each other."

"Keep them same. We'll use the configuration. How's the BAP001 then?"

"The real one Sir? We have currently three."

"Good."

"Eh? Not enough cars for drivers then Sir."

"Time trial only for the private test. Same setup for all cars. We cannot risk damaging the cars significantly."

"Are you sure?"

"It's fine. At least they got to test the actual car. Do you agree to my plan?"

"Yes."

"Then it's a deal. Now we decide which drivers with WGPC experience to offer an invite to the private test. One pick for each of us. Eko, go first."

"Hmm, I'd say we offer the first invite to Alex Dimitrianov. He'd be a good fit to the team, and we keep the parts pristine. I'd pick him."

"Okay, one down. Bryant, who've you got?"

"I go for Krupin. Not sure if VMR's keeping him, we offer him regardless."

"Okay, then it's my turn. I'll offer my invite to my teammate in Ensadrink DT, Asao Nadakei."

"Ooh, that's a good choice, Dolf."

"Then it's set, I'll prepare the emails and send private testing invites to Alex Dimitrianov, Gregori Krupin, and Asao Nadakei. I should get the response from them via email also. Don't worry, I'll copy you."

"I'll take care of the open invites. The first six to respond to the open invites will be participating in the open testing at Kimantara Trac. They should send us their intention to participate."

"Okay, adjourned. To the next one, signing sponsorships."

OOC Note 2: Anyone interested in the Open Test in Kimantara should post a reply in the RP thread only. TGs will not be considered. This also applies to the private testing invites. IC invites and call to participate will be posted in the next RP.

by **Former Citizens of the Nimbus System** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 10:50 am

Nimbus Bay, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
22nd of February

Ryker Lane, twenty-three years old, youngest of a line of champions, driver of a car fuelled by the very substance of his nation, conqueror of the streets of the First City and the tracks of the world and one who fell amongst the latter, first manifestor of Nexus Racing, he who is empowered by himself and by others, stands within the cliffside of Nimbus Bay. Light filters through from the gaps in the wall, letting the sound of mighty crashing waves and crying seabirds pass into the cavern and bounce across the walls. Ryker holds a wooden pole in his hands, the object glowing blue with the energy of Imagination, that source of psionic power that rises from the Imagination Nexus only a few kilometres away.

He does not let it spin on its own, rapid but nonetheless static in its rotation before him. Instead, eyes closed in focus, he passes it between his hands, around his back, sometimes letting go of it altogether to float in the grip of his mind alone. Nonetheless, it remains in motion.

At last, Ryker lets the pole rest, as well as himself; the focus fading from his mind, he opens his eyes to let out a long-held breath and a soft laugh. That gives way to a smile as he slams the butt to the ground. He feels tired and, to a degree, empty – but it is a good emptiness, full of possibilities.

His new phone hums in his pocket; pushing his customary over-the-shoulder sash to one side for a moment to get at it, he takes it out and unfolds the display. It’s Victoria, telling him to say hello to Jean for her when he collects him from the airport.

He’s meant to collect Jean from the airport.

He’s meant to be at the airport.

Clenching his fist and pressing his lips together, Ryker slides the phone back into his pocket with controlled haste, then turns to leave through the short, fluted tunnel that he’d cut from the ledge on the dolomite rock cliff’s face. As he does so, his sight passes across the newest additions to the space: the square, waterproof banners that he’d ordered a few months ago, each hanging from cord tied around the top of a stalagmite and printed with a picture. A gentler smile returning to him, he glances towards the hole off to one side in the cave wall and the occasional chirping from within.

“Keep on going,” Ryker intones softly. “You have each other.” Then he steps out.

Tower Station, New Nexus Tower, the First City, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System

Ryker dashes through the concourse of Tower Station, the central hub of the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System’s largest – and, until a few years ago, only – city. Needless to say, it is a busy place; people mill around the (hollow – the great beam of light from the Imagination Nexus passes through it) Pillar of History at the circular underground vault’s centre, still filling up with more carved slabs depicting the trials and tribulations of the Nimban people, as they head from door to door connecting different lines. How long before it needs to start rotating? Ryker wonders – before blinking and returning his mind’s focus to the task at hand.

Thank goodness I do what I do, he thinks as he practically plunges through another gap between travellers, his eyes already metres ahead to assess the ‘track’ in front of him. Transferrable skills and all – I’m probably one of the best people to be in this position… He comes into sight of the timings screen for the Airport Terralev Line – Only behind by about fifteen minutes; maybe this is salvageable! – and dashes first towards and then through the opening beneath it, weaving between iterant individuals as he crosses their paths before practically vaulting onto one of the escalators, choosing one mostly empty of people, heading down towards the platform. Not bothering to wait for the machine’s function to fulfil itself, he maintains his brisk pace – feet ablur, one before the other before the other before the other, each planted sideways for additional stability. It is thus that he rockets away from the moving stairway just as a new train pulls in; the Airport Line being an express route with no other stops besides New Nexus Tower and First City Airport, new ones come often and quickly. Grinning to himself, Ryker near-leaps towards the nearest door.

It is at said door that he encounters one Jean Mercer-Daly.

Ryker stops. There is a moment of silence between the two.

Eventually, Jean is the one to break it: “Good to see you, Ryker. How are things right now?”

Ryker rapidly shakes his head; mental processes finally restarting to some degree, he manages to smile and nod. “Fortuitous, I’d suppose! Good to see you too, Jean. Sorry I wasn’t at the airport like we planned, just… Got distracted. Good distractions, though.” He steps back, letting his friend off the train, and begins the walk back towards the same escalators that he had just navigated in the opposite direction. “Plus, we found each other – so, in retrospect, that’s actually time saved. Heh.” He smiles, only a little awkwardly. “But yeah, I’m fine! Quite well, in fact – looking forward to things! And you?”

23rd of February

The Bullhorn ---------------------------------------------------------------- Sport News

LANE, MERCER-DALY AND NEXUS RACING RETURN FOR WGPC 17
Chief Sports Correspondent Caitlin Morris

Nexus Racing will retain its line-up of Ryker Lane and Jean Mercer-Daly heading into the WGPC 17 season, it has been confirmed. In an interview for The Bullhorn with reporter Talia Veras, Mercer-Daly stated that he will be “still driving for Nexus Racing… alongside Ryker Lane this season.” There had previously been speculation around the Nimban World Grand Prix team’s driver line up for the upcoming Championships season, with particular attention on Nimban Lane’s position given the WGPC 15 Drivers’ Champion’s poor form in the WGPC 16 season, taking only 14th place.

In the same interview, the 37 year-old Esmerelian driver expressed hope for his teammate’s success this season but did not back down from his own title challenge, saying of his failed attempt last season after crashing in the final race due to a cyber-attack on his car’s Imagination systems, “Maybe if I had kept up that pace I at least could have caught up to Franssen – maybe not dropped her enough points to take the Championship – but, regardless, I was robbed of even a chance to do that. That's why I continue to fight. If I don't, there won't always be another day to catch up and win.”

This season marks the third for Nexus Racing in WGP motorsport, the team twice closely missing out on successes after their debut season in WGPC 16 and WGP2 2, the latter spearheaded by Abovian rookie Janne Laukkanen, and the first after the dramatic resolution to the legal fallout of Mercer-Daly’s crash. The team’s launch of this year’s Ultra High Speed Ground Vehicle, this its third WGPC iteration, is due to go ahead on the 2nd of March before testing gets underway on the 10th at an as-yet unspecified circuit, with most questions surrounding what approach the team’s designers will take to supplying Imagination to the car after refuelling was reallowed for the season.

Elsewhere in motorsport, the World Grand Prix Imagination League’s second round has been held in Torchlight Community, where Vera Celica of Jolt i-Prix held on to her Drivers’ Championship lead with a third in the second race after Tolemus Plutarch won the first and took seventh place in the second for Talbot Chariot Racing to carry him to second in the standings.

by **Vilita and Turori** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 12:33 pm

Eelandii VTGP Unveils WGPC17 Sponsor Lineup

Eelandii VTGP Headquarters, Eelandii, Turori :: iBen Toralmintii's Race Eelandii Vilita & Turori World Grand Prix Motorworks team have held an event at their headquarters in Eelandii, Turori officially announcing their participation as an independently funded entry to the 17th World Grand Prix Championship season. For the past two seasons the WGPC Eelandii Motorworks team operating out of the same shop facilities in Eelandii was governed by the charter they inherited from the WGPC Motorworks team without independant corporate backing to invest in research and development and only a break-even level of funding to put together mid-pack level competitive race vehicles using seasons-old equipment. Now, for the first time out of the Eelandii shop, a new chassis is coming for the WGPC 17 season as well as a new lineup of sponsor to inject much needed funding to enable the technological advancements that the Eelandii VTGP team will need if they are to compete at the front of the pack during the upcoming season.

Team proprietor iBen Toralmintii was on hand to show off a concept of the teams livery for the World Grand Prix's 17th campaign though he was keen to point out that while the major sponsors have been signed, there is still room for the team to add more partners and would not rule out offering one of the teams seats to a pay driver as the team was still looking for additional funding to ensure they would be able to stay competitive throughout the course of the WGPC season as other well funded teams continue to refine their equipment throughout the season. Toralmintii would not confirm any speculation that there either was or would be a partnership between the Abovian entity Tropicorp Racing Aelund which includes a large contingent of engineers from the Vilita and Turori Motorsports Rockii Coast and Eelandii facilities as well as the cash infusion from research driven sponsor Tropicorp. Toralmintii was also not prepare to reveal the teams engine manufacturer with some speculation that the team might be in negotiations with the Falcanian Motorsport Associaton in a deal that would see the Falcanians provide the powerplant for the Eelandii VTGP machines in return for the option to place one of their own drivers into the teams second seat.

Speaking of the Eelandii VTGP driver lineup, Toralmintii certainly stirred up the ravenous media contingent when the cover came off and the livery was exposed showing the logos of Race Eelandii, twii.tur and CoCoCo along with the #77 and the name of Toralmintii himself behind the cockpit. It was perhaps a move that showed Toralmintii was still learning as a team lead, as instead of the attention being put on the sponsors for whom the reveal event was intending to highlight, the focus quickly turned back to the former World Grand Prix driver himself with rumors rampant throughout the off-season that Toralmintii might return to the cockpit full time. After a soft retirement following WGPC 15, Toralmintii was the undercard story at the last race of the WGPC 16 season after a poor performance by Tropicorp Racing Aelund's Juracai Klianiota at the Turorian Grand Prix saw the team turn to Toralmintii for a Veteran approach and in a hope of reigniting some chemistry with the teams primary driver Terho Talvela who had a distance relationship with the inconsistent Klianiota. Posting a 4th place finish at the Crossport Raceway, Toralmintii proved he still had what it took to compete at the Worlds Highest Level and would certainly have spent the offseason considering their options.

For now, however, Toralmintii was quick to acknowledge that he was not currently planning to drive for his own team but that he was 'ready and willing to drive the thing' if they couldn't find anyone else to do it. When asked who he might get to drive the car, Toralmintii quipped that he was considering making the focus of the team to give old guys a shot to prove they are still better than the youngsters so he was going to "Give Jai Kardaeri and Alexander Lund a call" to see if they were interested in piloting the Eelandii VTGP cars. Of course Lund had alredy proven as much with the former World Champion appearing to have retired in style taking the checkered flag at their home track during the final race of the 16th World Grand Prix Championship season. As for Kardaeri, the Champion of WGPC 8 and twice runner up in the driver champion hadn't been seen on the World Grand Prix circuit recently and his mention brought a few laughs from the media types present further lightening an already jovial tone set by Toralmintii's unconventional style at the podium.

While the return of Lund or Kardaeri to the World Grand Prix circuit in an Eelandii VTGP machine seemed unlikely, Toralmintii certainly kept busy during their retirement season. After focusing solely on WGPC Eelandii for the first half of last season, Toralmintii couldn't shake the itch running a handful of NSSCRA stock car races for Vilita & Turori Motorsports before returning to the WGPC for the season finale in Audioslavia driving for Tropicorp Racing Aelund. Toralmintii even used the time to represent the Vilitan Union at the XIII Summer Olympiad in Republica, Free Republics respectably finishing a grueling demonstration event that saw 2/3rd of the field fail to reach the finish line.

After the brief but lively Q&A session, Toralmintii went into a focus on each of the new sponsors he was bringing in to the World Grand Prix Championship for the upcoming season.

:: Race Eelandii

Race Eelandii is a high-speed driving experience based in the purpose built city of Eelandii, Turori located midway between Turori's capital, Almintora, and its most populous city, Cednia. Race Eelandii is based at the Eelandii Grand Prix Course and operates on select weekends when there is no other Grand Prix or major internationstatal sporting event being held at the Grand Prix course or the nearby Eels Park footsport stadium. Race Eelandii offers multiple packages to professional drivers and thrill seekers alike from simply renting track time on the full Grand Prix course or one of the smaller sub-courses, all the way down to companion experiences where a professional driver is in control and the thrill-seeker rides along in a passenger seat as the race car is brought up to full speed around the high-G inducing race course.

Race Eelandii is the brain child of iBen Toralmintii and any profits above and beyond operating expenses that Toralmintii has earned through Race Eelandii and associated entities are almost entirely funneled back into the Turorian's professional motorsports efforts.

:: twii.tur

twii.tur is a short message communication service based in Turori allowing users to exchange content of 140 characters or less. The service originated as a way to allow officials to receive alerts and key information such as incoming weather notifications, major events and the ability to stay coordinated during a time of crisis but was under-utilized and doubts were raised as to whether the overhead of the infrastructure was worthwhile to maintain. As capabilities of interconnected and handheld communication devices improved, the Turorian Weather & Information Interchange (Twii) was adapted into a public facing service where users could sign up to create their own twii nodes where users would sign up to a twii group to receive all the twii messages delivered by members of that group. Ultimately, as demand grew, a fully public release of twii came at the connected location twii.tur where all users can participate in the public twii, selecting which messages to receive by adding individual users, groups or topics to their twii.tur feed.

The Twii.tur logo can be found not only as the primary fixture adorning the engine box on the Eelandii VTGP machine but also forming part of the vehicles 'Shark Fin' feature which may be both a combination of aerodynamic and aesthetic for sponsor appeal.

:: CoCoCo Entities

Stood up after the fall of the reign of Lord Gregory, Turorian company CoCoCo established a footprint inside South Covello and established itself as a primary supplier of core goods and services. Internally the goods were used to provide essential raw materials and goods to Turorian shops such as Cocoa-bo that had opened a presence in country. Soon after, however, central public distribution locations were also established.
The CoCoCo have established themselves on a collection of Islands off the coast of South Covello where raw goods are imported, sorted and redistributed to the mainland. Other major public-facing CoCoCo entities stood up in South Covello include Cocogas and CoCoLectric. One of the most prominent is Coco-mart, the big box store primarily found in South Covello. Coco-marts were sood up throughout South Covello to serve as an interface between CocCoCo and the public offering excess goods to the citizens of South Covello and somewhat reasonable prices compared with what it would have taken for a citizen to acquire similar goods during the reign of Lord Gregory.

The CoCoCo logo will adorn the Eelandii VTGP racing machines wings with CoCoCo appearing on the winglets while the brands of the CoCoCo companies including CoCoLectric and CoCoMart would appear across the top of the wing itself.

:: Tropicorp Racing Supply

Tropicorp is a quasi-governmental corporation created to conduct Research, Development and Production activities primarily on behalf of the Tropics of Vilita. One of the byproducts of Tropicorps development in a remote location on the Calanian mainland has been the removal of native and wild tree species to make way for development space. Tropicorp engineers discovered a dense grove of Calanian rubber trees.

Tropicorp Engineering developed the special Calanian rubber to create high performance racing tyres for testing purposes. After the tests proved successful, It wasn't long before the tooling was done and Racing Tyres were popping out on an hourly basis from the workshop and Tropicorp Racing Supply was born. Everything on Tropicorp Racing Supply's standard product line from Crew Uniforms to Composite-Material suspension parts will be on offer. - even the potential for advanced product opportunities through Tropicorp Engineering to include Chassis and Hybrid Power systems.

Tropicorp Racing Supply will be supplying Tyres and select Parts to the Eelandii VTGP team for WGPC 17

While the sponsor-focused event gave the world its first look at the iBen Toralmintii's Race Eelandii Vilita & Turori World Grand Prix Motorworks prototype racing vehicle for the 17th World Grand Prix Championships, it perhaps left even more questions than it did answers as there was no concrete information provided regarding supplier relationships other than Tropicorp Racing Supply would be supplying Tyres and standard parts for the team in a full-season contract. Toralmintii was tight lipped about any technical alliance with the Tropicorp Racing Aelund team, seemingly left no hints as to who might pilot either of the two cars or if he himself would be back behind the driver seat for the WGPC 17 season. Rumors regarding a potential alliance with the Falcanian Motorsport Association to provide engines for the team and the signing of a Falcanian driver were dismissed quietly and at the end of the evening Toralmintii put a frustrating caveat on the entire event suggesting that even the livery and final construction of their race vehicle could still change before the first car finally hits the track during the pre-season test events. In the end, however, the event served its purpose providing early exposure for the sponsors who had committed themselves to making iBen Toralmintii's Race Eelandii Vilita & Turori World Grand Prix Motorworks a reality for WGPC 17.

The only real pieces of solid information Toralmintii provided during the open session was that Eelandii VTGP team still had two open driver slots with no contracts signed for the upcoming season. They will be taking resumes of interested drivers and 'pay' drivers who bring resources to the table including sponsorship dollars and technology would certainly be considered, but so would 'skill' drivers who have proven themselves as talented drivers without paying their way through the ranks. If initial negotiations do not result in necking the candidates down to just two to fill the teams driver seats then Toralmintii would be open to hosting an invitational test event for all interested drivers at the Eelandii Grand Prix course prior to the start of the season in order to help inform the teams final driver selection.

by **Vangaziland** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 2:09 pm

Jang Xiaopeng spent some of the off-season driving HRC in Hodori. It went horribly, with Xiaopeng taking the wheel of a Rally Sport Taygeta for Vannish Motors Racing. It was during that season when Vannish Motors introduced the GT1x for consideration. The racing prototype was designed with the HGTC in mind.

The company was producing a limited edition production model. It featured a state-of-the-art powerplant, unlike any other from Vannish Motors. A twin-turbo V6 was assisted by three electric motors. The car produced over 700 horsepower. The official number hasn't been released. Vannish Motors is currently promoting it, but guarding information. They're trying to create a buzz around the GT1x.

To help with this, they enlisted Jang Xiaopeng. He would hit the highways to pull a prank on a rookie highway patrolman. Vangaziland's highways have speed limits which frequently top 100 mph. It takes brave men and women to patrol these through roads and combat reckless drivers. Jang and the GT1x would provide Officer Joesph Ryanson with training that 'escalated quickly'.

The Central Vangaziland Trooper was staked out at a popular hotspot. A radar scanner monitored traffic. Officer Ryanson didn't know a hidden camera had been set up in the middle of the highway to watch his spot. Things started with a fury, when the black sportscar came speeding from the horizon. Ryanson's radar picked up a speed of 135 mph in a 95. This was Vangaziland's version of a speed trap, as many drivers didn't like slowing down from the 110 mph zone to the temporary 95 mph zone.

When Ryanson tried to call up the car, he didn't know how to describe it's make or model. "Twenty-Seven... Car Two is ten-thirty-eight on a black sportscar." The officer called up HQ with his car number and gave the code to say he's in pursuit. He didn't know dispatch was in on the chase. "Vehicle is forty miles per hour over the limit."

The Vannish Motors patrol sedan sped from it's spot on the right shoulder after the ebony race-spec car sailed past. As it did, the engine shifted and accelerated past the cop. The engine popped and roared, defiant turbocharger spooling to hiss at the highway trooper. It picked up speed.

The brown and white patrol vehicle cut to the fast lane to skip ahead of a 1994 model Wrexish car that was in the way. It signaled and tried to move to the right lane but the officer already sped by. Ryanson pulled into the lane behind the GT1x, which seemed to finally slow down. Just then, Ryanson got a call from dispatch.

"Request vehicle description, make and model." Dispatch knew Ryanson had likely never seen this car before and would have a tough time identifying it.

"It's uh... Black vehicle. Carolina blue rear wing, huge wing. Big blue kit to match up front. Modified exhaust? Or just loud."

Finally the mystery car seemed to pull over to the shoulder. Ryanson called it up, along with the plate number when he got closer. He waited before approaching the vehicle, which was stopped with its brake lights on. "Turn off the car", Ryanson said over the PA speaker. The car idled. Ryanson had no idea that inside of the strange car was WGP2 champion Jang Xiaopeng.

Dispatch called up with an alarming call. "Vehicle is code 10X. Backup is on the way." The call meant that the vehicle was stolen. Of course, dispatch was in on it. Ahead of the two cars was an exit to a twisty highway. It was currently blocked off with cones. Officer Ryanson didn't know this was because the road was closed for stunt driving.

Jang felt so nervous inside of the GT1x. He felt like the cop might shoot him or something. This was risky in every sense of the word. At least if that car got wrecked it wasn't his. Xiaopeng listened to the prank show's producer over the car's speakers. "Okay. Can you do a long burnout and go into phase two?"

Jang laughed in his car. He revved the engine loudly, until a pop sent heavy sound waves against the officer's windshield. Ryanson caled it up over the radio. Jang brought the RPM's high in a quick set of revs before dropping the clutch heavily. The track capable car spit a race quality set of staccato shifting revs as it laid a patch of rubber on the highway's shoulder. *Uhh-do-do-do-duhduh-d-d-d-duh*

The engine yelled and hissed on it's way to shift through each gear, with Jang going for more of a dramatic launch than an efficient one. He had to make it look absolutely ridiculous for the show. Ryanson tried his hardest to take off after the GT1x, but it was gone. This car had a 0-60 mph time at or just under 3 seconds. Jang knocked aside a set of set up cones and sped down the closed highway's exit ramp.

Here Ryanson really struggled to keep up. It was basically impossible. The two large wings gave the GT1x an otherworldy amount of downforce. Xiaopeng was able to rip the black and blue exotic around winding corners of the parkway. I was tuned with a loose setup for the event so that Xiaopeng could turn the rear end along some of the winding sections of road.

Ryanson desperately called for backup, updating the situation. In his mind, he felt all nerves. It looked like the stolen car was going to get away. He'd never seen something like this. It was being driven so well too. He watched the car carve through the set of curly-q turns ahead. The highway had started to loop back around before merging with a long straight. It bent into a gentle curve. Ryanson didn't know this entire stretch was closed.

Xiaopeng slowed up a little after the loop and moved slightly left. With a smoky powerslide, Xiaopeng eased the roaring throttle to swish the car's tail between an opening in the highway divider. Xiaopeng cut through a narrow opening with the precision only a professional driver could muster. Just as the officer started to catch up, Xiaopeng completed his U-turn and sped down the opposite set of highway lanes in another direction. The officer had to slam on the brakes. His car wasn't close to being as nimble. Ryanson almost overshot and had to fight with the brakes and yank the wheel to even try.

By the time he carefully pushed through the maneuver, Jang was gone.

Ryanson nervously had to call up to say he'd lost visual in code. It was then that dispatch laughed. "Break off pursuit. It's a prank. It's a prank."

"What?" Ryanson couldn't believe it.

"You're on the Eddie Jerkculi Show", said a voice famously associated with the TV show.

When the hidden camera inside Officer Ryanson's car showed his reaction, it would have to beep continuously to censor all his swear words. He soon started to laugh. As he got a little further down the road, he caught up to the black GT1x.

"Meet Jang Xiaopeng. Former Vannish Motors and Omni Racing driver." Xiaopeng was given the cue as the officer pulled into visual behind him. Jang once again launched the car into a smoky burnout. This time it accelerated so fast, that it went from a standstill to streaking away from the officer before he could even reach him.

The prank was over, but Xiaopeng still had the GT1x on a closed road. The V6 turbo hybrid didn't sound like the Ghost's ethereal V10 or the Hammerhead's brutal V8. The GT1x sounded like two or three motorcycles stuck together, shifting in unison.

Xiaopeng really enjoyed the romp because he made his name in underground street racing. This wasn't the first time he had to dust some jets off on the Vannish fuzz. As Xiaopeng sped down the early evening throughway, trance music thumped over the car's stereo. He kept it low so he could hear the producer over the radio.

Jang felt alive with the music and engine in his ears. The world was speeding past at track speed. All he wanted to do was race.

As Xiaopeng sped past a lonely home in the distance, he saw a shape in a lit window looking down on the highway. He couldn't tell, but a kid very much like he once was had run to the window upon hearing his car's ruckus approaching. He made it just in time to see the rare car pass under a stretch of brightly lit road.

It made the kid's night since he was a 'car guy' and had never seen anything like that before. Not at that speed in front of his home anyway.
------

Several Days Later

Xiaopeng spent a lot of time thinking about where he wanted to drive. At one point, there were rumors VMR wanted him. This didn't pan out. Vannish Motors was up to something. Jang would love to race alongside Gregori Krupin. if only they could both end up somewhere. Jess was almost surely going to VMR. There were rumors about the second seat.

Jang would really like to be courted by teams, but this might not happen for a few reasons. Bad politics with the Vangazi may put some teams off. Other teams might think they don't have a chance to sign him. The Tainese-Vangazi was taking a more hand-on approach this season.

He called a number from his car's connection before going on a drive. It was after business hours where he was calling, so his message went to voicemail. He'd forgotten about the time difference.

"Hello. Is this Badai Angin? Or Badai Angin Tim? This is Jang Xiaopeng. Just stating my intent to drive for your team if you'll have me. I like what you're building over there." He looked out of his window while speaking on the phone. So much rode on this call. No team was off his list. If this team wouldn't have him, he was prepared to make an even more controversial call to the next team if need be.

"I'd love to work with somebody like Krupin or anyone like that. I'm putting in a good word for him because I know he's a driver who can push late into the season, you know? I'm rambling, I guess", said Xiaopeng. "Feel free to call me back or text here. I'll also send my email in a follow up. Take care now. Bye bye then."

After closing the call, Jang thought about peeling off in a way similar to what he did in the GT1x. He was in his personal car, a Roalnd sedan. Today was a good day for following the rules of the road. He could speed on track day. Hopefully while wearing that catchy shade of Badai Blue.

by **The Sherpa Empire** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 2:49 pm

Despite doing well in the one season of NSSCRA that he had participated in, Liuyong Xu was finding it surprisingly difficult to continue his racing career. He had been crowded out of NSSCRA to make room for Liangmei Li and Tsering Chu. Nobody in SIMS, the open wheel racing league that operated in the South of the Sherpa Empire, was particularly interested in working with him. It was hard to say how much of that was racism or regional bias, how much was just a lack of familiarity, and how much was rivalry between the two regional racing leagues SIMS and IRACT. Xu was fairly influential in IRACT, even if he had done more administrative work than driving for the past year.

A few emails had been exchanged between VMR, the Shigatse-based automaker TMW, and IRACT's headquarters where Xu worked. That caught Xu's interest and got his hopes up, but it quickly became apparent that VMR had only contacted IRACT because they weren't familiar with SIMS and did not necessarily realize the Sherpa Empire had a professional open wheel league. SIMS had been around for years and was well-established in the southern provinces, but they made absolutely zero effort to reach an international audience. It was understandable if people in other parts of the world didn't notice it existed.

Now TMW seemed more interested in working with Vijay Tripathi, who was one of the biggest stars in SIMS. Tripathi himself was doing everything he could to make sure it stayed that way, and once Tripathi decided he wanted to do something, he could get very fixated. Xu was not stubborn enough or famous enough to compete with him for TMW's attention. That meant he had to look elsewhere if he wanted to get back behind the wheel other than local IRACT races which had basically no money in them.

When he heard that Badai Angin was holding open testing, he decided it was worth a shot. He got on the phone. "Flying Fish Taxi," the voice on the other end said in a posh Kathmandu accent.

"Hi, Arjun, it's Xu Liuyong. I was wondering if you could help me with something I'm writing at the office. I'll buy you dinner."

"You know I'm not a professional translator," said Arjun.

"You should be," said Xu. "You've got a lot more talent for languages than anything Qiang Kai has you doing."

"Half the time Qiang has me proofreading his bad English," said Arjun.

"See? What'd I tell you? Anyway, I want to write to Badai Angin about this open testing they're having for WGPC drivers, and I don't want to send it in Chinese and have them think it's spam."

"Okay, I'll call you later and talk about it, but this phone number is the taxi dispatch. You can't just call and talk when I'm supposed to be doing dispatch."

After his shift, Arjun brought his laptop to a local restaurant where he met Xu. They ate spicy noodles, fried shrimp, and braised tofu while Arjun drafted an email briefly explaining who Liuyong Xu was and stating that he was interested in participating in the open testing at Kimantara Trac.

by **Esmerel** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 2:51 pm

Tower Station, New Nexus Tower, the Nexus Wardship
Friday, February 22, 2019

"Well, given what happened last year, I'd say things are going very well, aren't they?" Jean replied. "Took a while to get used to these things, but it's good now. I... actually, let's not hold up the shuttle. We'll talk on the way there."

The two made their way down the escalator- except this time neither of them was in a rush. As they exited the Tower Jean suddenly stopped. This was the first time he really took a look at the First City. For much of their (admittedly short) presence in this universe, the Nimbans had all lived in this single city. And they put all of their effort into forging this city as one of the greatest in any universe. Most specifically, the New Nexus Tower the two just stepped out of. "Look at that," Jean mentioned. "How tall is that thing? It looks taller than the Presidium Bank back home. And that's 902 meters! You all did a good job on this thing." Jean could see Ryker beam with pride. Of course, he didn't directly contribute to the tower- or maybe he did. Imagination was basically everything. After all, it was called Imagination.

The two continued their trek to the Nexus Racing HQ speaking about rather mundane topics- at least for a moment. Then came the moment of truth. "Hey, Ryker, I almost forgot," began Jean. "I haven't shown you the new stuff yet." Jean had been wearing a dark denim jacket and jeans on this trip for the sole reason of hiding the cybernetics from the press. But he could show them to a friend.

Jean began to roll up his left sleeve and took off his gloves. This revealed a black limb- with electronic lines throughout. This was the new Jean. "Fancy, yeah?" he began. "Courtesy of the government. The electrics can actually light up practically any color. Unnecessary, but so cool. It's the same for the leg. And this eye." He pointed to his left eye- it had also been damaged. "You know what's odd?" he continued. "My dad lost his leg in a racing accident. Except it was an actual accident, of course. It was the reason for my late-ish entry to racing- I didn't think I wanted to be one until my dad's career was cut short. He never got the cybernetics- they didn't exist. And giving them to him now isn't much of a good idea, unfortunately. He's 59 now. Not much of a racer, even if he never lost his leg.

"Fun fact I might mention anyways- I do have a brother. Name's Evyn. Doesn't go by Mercer-Daly, though. Least, I don't think so. Haven't seen him in 11 years." Jean took a breather. "So, Ryker... you have any fun facts to share?"

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

BTOS Grand Prix Headquarters, Ludlow, Rosetta, Esmerel
Saturday, February 23, 2019, 01:00 PM (UTC -4)

Meanwhile, back in Esmerel, not all was well.

"We lost Novax?"

"Yes, sir. Said she wanted to join Camden. We did get Carnétier, though."

"I... that's a shame. What other options do we have?"

"Admittedly, quite a lot. The negotiation period just started, anyways."

"The best idea for us to take is a veteran for our First Driver. Or at least, a driver who's driven in the WGPC before."

"Hang on, let me filter it down... alright."

"That, and a driver with good reliability."

"That's what we tried back in WGP2 season 1. Left us near the back of the field."

"Was that really the reason, though? We didn't improve in season 2 by much."

"Fair enough. Still, we'll consider it. Let's see... we could try and get R.L. Cruisin. If you want a veteran, he's the most veteran there is."

"Not the highest chance, but we'll think about that. Who else?"

"Jai Kardaeri."

"I... we can't even be considering him, can we? He's a big name guy. We've spent two seasons in WGP2 finishing seventh, and he's a World Champion."

"But he hasn't raced in the last four seasons. He might want to ease in rather than charge to the front again. And he might not be as fast-"

"Let me stop you right there, buddy. We're not to judge anyone yet."

"I... alright. Consider him, though."

"Fine. Next?"

"Dimitrianov. Four seasons, and maximum reliability."

"Good pick."

"The two Hodori drivers."

"You're just reading down the list now, aren't you?"

"I... yes, but Arada is in the backup slot this year. They might need a ride."

"Okay, okay. Mention just a couple more."

"Guilhermez, full reliability... Talison, a second chance and some good potential to build... and Harris-Jones. Big name, but not too big. Liventian."

"Liventian? They've been struggling with the WGPC recently. Dropped out of both the last 2 seasons."

"That's why we should offer them a spot. Maybe then they won't drop out."

"You know what? That sounds like a good idea. Actually, go ask him now. Harris Jones, first driver at Obey... I like that sound."

"Except I don't know where he is. He's not here, definitely. How do I ask him?"

"Message him, you fool."

"Ohhhhhh... alright, I'll be back."

by **Xanneria** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 4:03 pm

Kellen sat down in the office, with his freind and agent on the phone. He had just walked in and his mind was no pun intended, "racing". A lot was on his mind.

"Alright I got great news!" said his agent

"Really" the driver said in an excited tone.

He had wanted out, he wanted to see the world, Champ Cars were going nowhere. He had gained all sorts of fame 5 years ago when he drove his literally up the catchfence to avoid a spinning car. It had gained him all sorts of notoriety and viral fame, but really he peaked with that video, he was not a tyerrible driver by any means, when he was good he was good, but he suffered the problem you do when peaking early. Consistency.

"So whats this deal"?

"Well remember my second cousin Johnathan?" said the agent

"You mean the one that is eighth highest in command at Members Warehouse?"

"Yeah he gave me an insider tip! They folks at Members Warehouse are planning to go international, and I don't mean Esportiva only. They're goin BIG! AO, Rushmore and then some.....! So I told them about you and they remembered you from that viral video. They're willing to give teams several million just to hire you!"

Kellen had wanted to try a new challenge badly, but now he just stood there with a stunned look,all he wanted was to try NSSCRA or some the Hodori GT series. He didn't think about GP racing. What was he getting himself into he kept thinking to himself.

His agent continued "If it all works out you'll be in International GP racing, hopedully if its WGP2 or WGP1 you'll be in a funded team, I told my second cousin we'd try to get them the best deal for their buck so if there's a fully funded team in either series, we'll take it."

Kellen just looked at him blankly, his brain stuggled to process the good news. after a few minutes he snapped to, said thanks to his agent and crossed his finger while leaving his office

by **Liventia** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 4:26 pm

Ryan Harris-Jones took a long, slow sip from his mug. The 23-year-old was sitting in his casual clothes in the home office of his friend, mentor, and now agent, Matthew Portland, waiting to be updated on the latest World Grand Prix Championship negotiations.

"So… you're telling me you've had an offer?" RHJ ran a hand through his mop of short dark brown hair. "Who from?"

Portland nodded. "Brutus Obey Racing. Esmerel. I don't know too much about them, to be honest with you, Ryan. It's their first season in the World Grand Prix Championship, and they've finished seventh twice in the second series. If I'm being completely straight with you, I'm not sure how much of a fit you'd be with them."

RHJ sighed as he took another glug of his coffee. He trusted Portland, a two-time WGPC drivers' champion, to make the big calls. The two had first met during WGPC11, when Portland attended a sponsor's karting event and took notice of a talented 16-year-old. Ever since he first was first introduced to Portland, then racing alongside Jai Kardaeri for Carvenlo Racing, the youngster knew he could put his faith in the veteran. So much so that when he signed for Macllynlleth in WGPC13, his sole senior season to date, he only did so because Portland was part of the backroom staff at the Aelsh outfit. But turning down a drive?

"Okay, has there been anything else? I don't want to burn any bridges. I'm still a relative newcomer in WGPC myself after all."

The older man shook his head. Portland could probably still be out there racing himself if he wanted. His former teammate Kardaeri was back in the pack this season, but having been unceremoniously dumped by Carvenlo for WGPC12, and ending up on a backmarker team, Portland had made the decision to retire early and move into the garage with Macllynlleth. Maybe I could stage a comeback next season…? his mind wandered off, before snapping back to reality.

"There's not been anything. As you know, things can be fairly glacial this early into a season. I can reach out to old contacts if you'd like, set up a few test drives, that sort of thing? iBen Toralmintii runs a team these days, and I could probably try and find out where Jai is going. They would be great mentors for you, but obviously you would be giving up the number one drive with Obey."

RHJ sat up in his chair. "You didn't mention they'd offered me the lead driver's seat."

"I know that can seem tempting," Portland cautioned his young charge. "But they're a new team and your potential teammate is also a complete rookie. You will be better served racing as a second driver with one of the other teams than here, Ryan. It's just a gut feeling but you need to trust me on this."

RHJ shook his head. "It's difficult. Can we stall? I don't want to give up on the offer."

"Fair enough, Ryan. I'll let them know that you want some time to think it through. I'll also put some feelers out to the other teams."

To: BTOS Grand Prix
From: Matthew Portland <matt@matthewportland.len>
Subj: Ryan Harris-Jones offer

Dear Sirs,
Thank you for sending through your offer of a lead driver seat at Obey Sport GP to my client Ryan Harris-Jones. It is an interesting proposition you have sent through, and one we are grateful to receive.

While we were delighted to hear of how highly you rate Ryan, one of our main concerns was that your team has only finished seventh twice in the second-tier Grand Prix series, and that Ryan would be racing with another complete newcomer as his potential teammate. Although it would be fair to look past the team's WGP2 results as it makes the step up to the big time, we are unsure about having Ryan lead a team with a rookie driver, instead of spending his second year in the WGPC learning from the best.

My client has asked for some time to consider the offer, and any other offers he may receive. I am very familiar with the fact that this is a dog-eat-dog world and that your team may end up looking elsewhere, too, in the time we take to consider your offer. My client and I both fully appreciate the possibility of that occurring.

I will be in touch again in a few weeks once Ryan has come to a decision.

Best regards,
Matthew Portland

To: iBen Toralmintii's Race Eelandii Vilita & Turori World Grand Prix Motorworks
From: Matthew Portland <matt@matthewportland.len>
Subj: Ryan Harris-Jones

Hey iBen,
I hope you're well. As you may have heard, I now represent Ryan Harris-Jones as his agent. I'm glad to see that you, too, have stayed in WGPC after your driving career.

That's why I'm writing today — could we come to an arrangement for Ryan to take part in a test for your team with a view to a seat? I can absolutely vouch for Ryan's ability, having worked with him for seven years now, and of course if we were to come to an agreement further down the line, I would be happy to lend the team my racing expertise as well as part of the deal.

Let me know and good luck for the season.

Best,
Matt

To: Jai Kardaeri
From: Matthew Portland <matt@matthewportland.len>
Subj: This season!

Jai—
How are you? It's been a while. I didn't believe it at first when I saw the reports of your return to the WGPC.

I hung up the gloves a few seasons ago myself—although I am regretting it slightly. I did the garage/pit wall thing for a bit but I'm now an agent for Ryan Harris-Jones, this lad who I met when we were teammates during season 11. You might remember him from when he was 16 and coming to races as one of my guests.

Anyway, I was wondering what your plans were for this season? Mirrors? Or are you on the lookout elsewhere? I think it would be great if Ryan could continue his WGPC development racing as your second driver teammate, so perhaps you could pull some strings? Or even a recommendation to Mirrors, even if you're not going there. I think Old Miranda would help Ryan a lot, like he did for you.

Let me know, and it's great to have you back. Good luck out there this year.

All best,
Matt

by **Third Asopia** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 4:50 pm

Hallesht, Dritten Asopie

Carnétier didn't believe in rumours. Most of them were false. But the newspaper article he was reading had proved him wrong. He did sign for Obey, and they were looking for a veteran first driver. And that was when he realised they'd finished 7th in their 2 WGP2 seasons. He was starting to regret. He was starting to worry that he would be a flop.
"Ev?" that was his brother, Fabian. Evdaden did not know why everyone in his family was famous. More than him. That fact struck him always. His dad and mum are Show hosts, his other sister being a model, and now Fabian, who was a record-breaking singer.
" How's dad," Carnétier asked. For the past few months, he had been away from Orfendon, which was his hometown. More like home city.
"He's okay as usual,"
"As usual. Okay," Carnétier wanted to say more, only to be interrupted.
"Do you mind if I borrowed your personal helicopter? A bunch of people outside are making a ruckus because I didn't sign an autograph," That was how famous Fabian was.
"Unfortunately, No. Bear with it,"
"What kind of brother are you?" Fabian questioned. More like he questioned his sanity.

Esmerel

Carnétier was strolling around the street like a normal foreigner would do. However he didn't notice that him signing for Obey Sports would be a big deal. Soon enough he was swarmed with reporters.
"Sir are you happy?" All kinds of those were asked. But one questioned alerted him.
"People call you a complete rookie, so they may not want to support Obey. What will you do about it?" Carnétier kept on thinking about it. It wouldn't leave his mind. Not even in a thousand years.

by **Newark Aristocracy** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 6:03 pm

Newark City,Newark Aristocracy

Kohan Lee had been quite a busy man lately,looking for WGPC teams to sign onto for the last 10 days,for he wanted to get out on the track and race,and had Camden Automobile Racing at the top of his list of teams to drive for,and thus made a call to their HQ ,asking if he could drive for them in this upcoming season.

by **Sorlovia** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 9:17 pm

Kamensk International Airport
Sevayev Oblast, Sorlovia

At long last the time had arrived. The reason he'd spent all those long months on the track behind the wheel of his high performance WGPC training car. Season Seventeen of the World Grand Prix Championships. The source of his greatest passion and his singular focus. He'd already contacted the team at Vannish Motors Racing in an attempt at wooing them for the upcoming season but he knew that he wasn't assured a position in their race line-up. It was up to him to remind them why they'd hired him in the first place and to show that he'd honed his skills since WGPC16. Assuming that they would take him on was a foolish self-righteous assumption. They could very well choose to go with another racer and he'd be left out in the cold.

No. Better to assume that they wouldn't take him and thus put maximum effort into wooing them. It wouldn't hurt to show his skills in the public arena either. He was now a proven racer with race experience in the WGPC arena and as such other racing teams would be watching him. He nursed a secret preference for VMR but he would not immediately turn offers from other race teams if they came. Playing race teams off against each improved the chances of a racer getting better terms and payment. The competition meant that race teams would have to make counter offers in order to woo a potential paid racer. If another team offered a better contract then they risked losing the racer. Despite the standard racer-race team courting dance Gregori couldn't help but feel a distinct loyalty to VMR. If they offered him a contract first he would accept it. But at the same time their race team executives would likely know that other teams might be courting him as a racer despite his having already expressed a desire to race for them again.

Gregori was about to undertake a calculated risk. He'd booked a flight to Vangziland where he intended to take part in a series of practice runs on a number of test circuits that he'd made sure were publicized. Scouts from VMR and other racing teams would know where he was and when. In addition he'd made sure that it was well known that he was a veteran racer from WGPC16. A racer with proven experience in the WGPC would make a seductive target. He found himself hoping that practicing on tracks in their backyard would be enough to court VMR and remind them of last season. His practice sessions in Sorlovia had been documented by his race crew and the media so it wasn't like he'd been hiding under a rock.

"Here we are my darling," the slender dark-haired young woman at his side announced "the WGPC Season 17. I know how hard you've been training my love. You'll get a position on a team. VMR won't forget you."

Elena was Gregori's highly devoted girlfriend of the past eight months. They'd fallen deeply in love and by her own confession she was mad about him. Her slender and well-kept physique exposed her career as a budding glamour model. But it hadn't been for that or her looks that Gregori had fallen for her. No. It was her compassionate heart, her intelligence and the adorable way she laughed. Elena was a woman of intelligence who cared deeply about those close to her and for the less fortunate. She'd taken up a number of causes aimed at improving the quality of life for the poorest Sorlovians and frequently campaigned for human rights. She was far from your stereotypical air-headed materialistic model.

"Thank you honey," Gregori replied before planting a soft kiss on her cheek "I am so lucky to have you. You really are my greatest supporter and most dedicated fan. You are always there for me when I need it most. I'm looking forward to having you with me."

Kalinskaya Test Circuit
Dubrovka Oblast, Sorlovia

His second chance at the World Gran Prix Championships had come at last. This time he promised himself that he'd do better and he fully intended to earn a position on a race team. His status as a rookie continued to haunt him as did his failure to secure a place in WGPC16. He was the number one ranked Gran Prix racer in Sorlovia but he'd failed in his debut entrance onto the international Gran Prix stage. That just didn't look good. Both nationally and internationally. No, he needed to atone for that failure with success. Dmitri Sokolov would be a household name just like Gregori Krupin in time. He wasn't prepared to let Gregori have all the fame and attention. It was time for him to have a turn in the spotlight.

The Kalinskaya Test Circuit was sleek and shiny from a fresh downpour. This pleased him because it presented an opportunity to test himself on a wet race surface. The first two hairpins had been easy enough and the middle straight had given him the chance to accelerate fully to test the limits of his engine. He'd pushed himself to the furthest extent of his abilities to prove that he could do better. That he could be faster and more aggressive with the track. Aggression and flawless technique. That would win him the Championship.

"You've got this Dmitri," he said softly to himself as he took a sip of coffee "you've got to be faster and sharper."

If he was going to earn a spot on a race team he needed to prove that he had what it took to race on the international stage. The team executives were looking for racers with skill. Racers who could exploit speed to their best advantage. Because at the end of the day being the fastest on the track was what won you a first place finish. No matter how skilled or experienced you were you still lost if you weren't fast enough. Aggression and speed. That was what it all came down to. Aggression and speed.

by **Falcania** » Sun Feb 24, 2019 9:46 am

Falcanian Aerocruise Engineering Laboratories, Port Noon, Free Kingdom
Six Months Ago

The figures in suits watched the telemetry from Tab's simulator. An assortment of engineers paced nervously, thrown off by the corporate presence in their midst. On a huge flat-screen, they flinched almost imperceptibly as Tab scraped the virtual car along the barrier.

"This is a disaster," Mrs. Dass opined. "I thought you said she was talented?"

"A talented fighter pilot," Orzon replied. "This is her first day in an open-wheel simulator. It's not going to take long, but it is going to take a bit of time."

"Time is not on our side, Mr. Stond," said Mr. Ulan. "In six months, we are going to be positioning Tabita Novax as a contender in the highest echelon of international motorsport. Even with the generous funding package we'll be tying her to, we need to see at least some aptitude."

"And we'll get there," Orzon replied, looking to his consultant, an older man with distinguished grey plumage. "I've been assured."

"Our organisation is interested in results, Mr. Stond, not assurances. The two of you," Ulan gestured to Orzon and the consultant, "have a reputation for results, which is why we went with your decision to hire Novax."

"That decision," interjected Mrs. Dass, "Is looking more and more like a mistake."

"We eliminate mistakes," said Mr. Ulan.

"Hold that thought," the consultant said, not looking at Ulan, but focused on the screen. "Okay, she's having trouble finding a good line, but... look, she's never driven open-wheel before, just this simulator?"

Orzon nodded.

"Hey, Mixev," the consultant called across the room. "Where are we at on the CEP-3?"

"Mostly there, why?"

"Roadworthy?"

"It's, well, we can put it around the track, but we've not calibrated the telemetry yet," Mitex replied.

"That's fine. Get it ready, we're going to give her a run in the car."

"Out of the question," Ulan said. "That car costs more than forty million talons, and she's never driven anything like it before!"

"How much is this project worth to you?" Orzon asked. "Listen, you hired me for my corporate experience, sure, but you hired him for his driving expertise. If he says it's a good idea, it's a good idea."

"Forty million is a cloud in the sky compared to what we're projecting," Dass pointed out.

"Fine."

The consultant walked through to the next room, where Tab was wrestling with the wheel of the simulator. "Hey," he called to her. "We're shutting you down."

"Did I do something wrong?" Tab said.

"No, we're just going to try you in the real car."

"Uh, okay?" Tab disconnected the sim wheel and looked up. "Given the bumps I've had in this, I hope you've got good insurance."

"I totalled my first race car when I was a teenager, long before professional racing was ever on the cards. Trust me, you'll be fine."

"Trust you? I've never met you."

He offered her a hand, helping her out of the simulator seat. "Stang Crax. Pleased to meetcha."

by **Mattijana** » Sun Feb 24, 2019 9:59 am

MRT HQ, Kopylov InternazionRing

Johan Struna was back at work.

Following the brilliant constructor's championship victory, the MRT team principal had taken some time off to have some family time and a bit of a breather. The WGPC season was always long and involved a lot of time away from home. Getting back to Mattijana and being able to enjoy the off-season was as important for the team's success as all the hard work that went on during testing.

Someone who hadn't had the same amount of rest was Maria Jamasova. The deputy team principal had been in charge of MRT's first foray into WGP2 and although her role with the senior WGPC team was less far-reaching than Struna's, she still travelled to most of the races and had a lot on her plate. The northerner had had a month or so to rejuvenate herself, but it was nothing compared to what her senior had enjoyed.

One thing the WGPC had proven recently though was that it waited for no-one, not even champions.

That was why the team at the team's Kopylov factory had been working hard on the MRT-17-A since the latter stages of last season to give Mattijana a car that they could get behind to deliver more wins. Things were progressing nicely, with the car matching the sort of pace it had been achieving on race day last season. That didn't count for much however. You'd expect a team to improve their car's pace from season to season and until testing, the strides made by other teams would also remain unclear.

That responsibility had mainly been delegated to the expertise of the engineering team, so Johan and Maria could grapple with the headache of choosing a second driver.

Sigur Bjarnason had been snaffled up quickly enough. After a slow start to his WGPC career, he had picked up the pace, won two races and generally looked like a bright prospect.

Rustom Ibuna from Filindostan had also shown promise in his debut season. He had started the stronger of the two, winning the second race of the season to get MRT off the mark for the season. His pace had dropped off towards the back end of the season and despite securing the title-winning points, he had played second-fiddle to Bjarnason. That wasn't to say he wasn't worth considering for WGPC17 though.

"There's a lot of really promising drivers out there at the moment and thanks to last season, we're now in a position to sign them. It's a luxury problem to have, but it's still a problem." Maria was in the mood for some metaphorical Aspirin.

"You're very right" replied Johan. "Rusty, Jasmina, Xiaopeng Jang, Falepeau... I could go on."

"We've snubbed Jasmina for the last two seasons, but she made the most of the Kismo car last season. We'd be daft to ignore her again."

"Absolutely. I don't think it would sit well on my conscience either, but that's racing for you. To be honest, I'd feel the same dropping Rusty. He did well last season."

Maria sighed. It was always tough seeing someone leave the team. "There's always tricky decisions, this season more so than ever. Dom Falepeau did well in a pretty average WGP2 car last season. He might be worth a look."

"Indeed. I'm not sure about this season, but he might be handy for WGPC 18. We'll keep an eye on him this season I'm sure. Karsten O'Rourke's in the same boat there, but he looks incredibly consistent based on the performances we've got to go off."

Maria suddenly produced a wry smile. "There's always the cop-out option..."

Johan did likewise. "That sounds ominous."

Maria continued. "We could just offer everyone we like a private test at the Kopylov. It means we get to take a good look at how everyone does in the car without committing to anything."

"Hmm. It seems a bit cheeky getting Rusty and Jasmina to test for a seat that they'll both think should be there's, but there's no faulting your logic. It might be the answer. Who's on your list?"

"Aside from Rusty and Jasmina, I'd see if we can try and get Jang to come and test. I think that's all we need for this season. We've only got one seat to fill after all."

"What about Krupin? He got unlucky on a lot of occasions last season, but he looked quick and hungry to improve. He might be worth a look if VMR aren't going to re-sign him."

"I'll add him to the list."

"Alright then. Lets get the invitations sent out."

To: Jasmin Kranjska, Rustom Ibuna, Jang Xiaopeng, Gregori Krupin
From: mariajamasova@mrt.co.mj
Subject: MRT test drive

Dear all,

We at MRT are considering you to fill our remaining seat at MRT. As a result, we would like to offer you a test drive in our WGPC17 car at the Kopylov InternazionRing next week. The test will consist of both flying laps and long runs in order to assess both qualifying and race pace. More details of the nature of the test will be sent out should you accept this invitation in your reply to this message.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Maria Jamasova, MRT deputy team principal.

Meanwhile, in Petrovijanka

Alex Dimitrianov was ready to go for another season. His best position and points tally to date in WGPC 16 had made him feel rejuvenated after his slip back into the mid-grid. He had McPahan to thank for that. Their expertise, as well as that of veteran teammate Alexander Lund had certainly helped him make the changes to his technique and mentality that allowed him to raise his game, as well as giving him some uncharacteristically good machinery to do it in.

But McPahan as he knew it was no more. In fact no-one really knew whether they would be coming back at all, even as a motorworks team. Going back there wouldn't be the step forward for him and his career.

That meant he was looking elsewhere. Getting a drive at one of the top teams was still perhaps ambitious, but Alex now had a reputation as an experienced old-hand who would get some good points and not crash into anything in the process. Some of the middle of the pack teams, and hopefully the better ones, would be looking for those sorts of options.

One of those was Badai Angin. His countrywoman Jasmin Kranjska had raced for them last season under the Kismo name and had extracted some good results. If he could do the same, he would be in for a great season.

As it happened, some bloke from Badai Angin had sent him a private test invitation.

To: Rudolf Ibuna
From: Alex Dimitrianov
Subject: Re-Badai Angin private test invite

Dear Mr Ibuna,

Having received your invitation to a private test session with your team, I am happyto accept this.

I look forward to meeting you and the team soon.

Alex Dimitrianov

That would do for now. He would have to wait and see if anyone else came calling, but if not, he could see Badai Angin working out very nicely for him.

by **Aboveland** » Sun Feb 24, 2019 10:27 am

Lintulahti International Circuit
Lintulahti, Aboveland
February 10th

Terho snakes up the final two corners of the racetrack, his car's glossy, naked carbon fiber glistening in the sun, its rays flowing around the curves of the sidepods, the fins, the engine cover, the wings. He carefully circumvents the final corner, the new machine's rear suspension squatting and turning in as well, giving Terho extra grip he's never had before. The newly developed twin-turbo V8 roars with a lower grumble than his previous car's heart, its monstrous torque no match for his Tropicorp tyres which dig into the asphalt and send him rocketing down the main straight.

1:19.702 flashes on his steering wheel display in a festive array of color. A new track record for the layout. Nice.

"Bring it in, Terho," radios Edvin, still filling in the newly vacated position of race engineer until a replacement steps up for the former champion. Terho keeps his mouth shut, but presses the green "OK" button to affirm he's copied the message. His eyes never dart away from the next apex, and his mind never worries about verbalizing. On his in-lap, he focuses on picking up as many marbles as he can for the post-test weigh-in.

The car slows to a stop in the paddock, the sound of its engine smoothly fading away. One of the sequential turbos flutters. Edvin walks toward the car while Terho slips off his, also unpainted, helmet.

"The carbon fiber looks good on you," Edvin says, smiling.

Terho undoes his belts and climbs out of the car, catching a glimpse of the AGP 002 lettering on the air intake as he stretches out after the long run. "Thanks," he finally replies through a sigh. "I think I'll keep it."

"Make it matte for the aero," Edvin clarifies. "Anyway," he continues, pulling out his telemetry tablet. "Here's the tyre data. Tropicorp has worked wonders with those things."

"Cool," he replies, snubbing the telemetry.

"Tired?"

"Yeah."

"How did the car feel, at least? You know, since you don't care about raw numbers."

Terho smiles, his eyes narrowing in delight. "Amazing. Absolutely amazing. Reminds me a lot of Anni, with a little more of everything that made that thing so good."

Edvin nods happily, the team's lead engineer, Aada, chuckling while eavesdropping. Terho perks up to look at her, but she shys away ashamedly.

"A car like this beast is going to need a bitchin' livery, Edvin," Terho says. "How's that coming?"

Edvin's eyes widen excitedly. "You're gonna love it, I swear!" he exclaims. "We've got all the mockups ready, but they've got the wrong tyres on them. We're gonna get that car, behind you," he says, pointing, "painted and show ready for next week, for the whole big ass reveal of everything."

"I can't wait!" Terho says. He pauses and proceeds to ease into his next question: "Who's gonna drive the other one?"

Edvin inhales through his teeth and lowers his eyes. He pouts, thinks for a moment, and replies: "Well... Juracai isn't likely to return. We never really, as a team, uh... clicked. And neither did he." He looks nervous. "But iBen was pretty quick in last year's last race, after having retired, in a car he'd never driven. He's got a bit of a burden on his hands with the Eelandii team, buuuuuut..." Edvin gestures a scale-like motion with his hands. Terho's eyes light up. "There's a possibility you two will be reunited."

The Abovian tries to contain his excitement, but a gleeful chortle escapes his mouth. Edvin smiles as well.

"But don't say anything!" Edvin snaps. "We're not so sure yet. By next week though I suppose he'll be around for the livery reveal in your same colors."

posted on 24 Feb 2019

TRÆ Reveals Radically Different Machine, Legendary Driver Lineup

LINTULAHTI - SItting in the floodlights of the Lintulahti International Circuit's main lobby, parked atop a fabric laden podium, Abovian-Vilitan/Turorian outfit Tropicorp Racing Ælund revealed their 2019 WGPC challenger before hundreds of attendees to kick off their WGPC17 campaign. The lineage of AGP-denominated cars has changed drastically from car codename AGP001 to AGP002, the newer car sporting smoother bodywork with an array of fins and smaller aerodynamic elements to increase downforce and reduce drag. The overall size of the car has been reduced as well, with its rear wing lower and more swept back than its predecessor, and its engine cover more tightly packed around the power unit, sans shark fin.

The livery has seen a considerable change for the better as well, the prominence of the team's link to Tropicorp and Vilita and Turori Motorsports manifested in the large Tropicorp logo on the sidepods, which rests on a lengthwise Tropicorp yellow accent, against an Abovian flag blue base color. The drivers' numbers emulate the outlines seen on the Tropicorp logo. Secondary sponsors FRYST Energy Drink drape the engine cover in their logo and characteristic snowy design, while VisitTI covers the contrastingly colored front wing endplates.

TRÆ's 2019 challengers, AGP002

Perhaps most exciting however is the driver lineup announced for TRÆ's 2019 season. Edvin Pekkanen, the team's new principal, pulled back the drapes from the separating wall behind him to reveal season 14 champion and WGPC veteran Terho Talvela and iBen Toralmintii, respectively, as the outfit's drivers for WGPC17, fondly remembering the pair's achievements in Talvela's championship winning rookie season.

"We've definitely had a huge restructure during the off-season," Pekkanen said. "While on the Abovian side I've now taken up the role of Team Principal and we've based the bulk of the administration here at Lintulahti, we've gone all in on our partnership with Tropicorp and Vilita and Turori Motorworks who have had a much larger say in the direction of the car's development, mostly regarding the mechanical aspects of the car. Lintulahti has largely been the aerodynamic development hub, even though above everything else we've used our facilities here for field testing and wind tunnel development. Aada [Høddmakker, the team's 2018 lead engineer] has taken a back seat during AGP002's development, with the majority of the work undertaken by the foreign contingent and overseen and assisted by the Abovians, but she's found a new role in my place as Terho's race engineer". What happened to Juracai Klianiota? "The driver swap late last season was seen by both parties as favorable, so we've put Juracai in our new simulator and test driver position. Most of his work was done back at the Vilita and Turori facilities but he's reported positive feedback from what we've developed."

Talvela was, too, ecstatic about the team's achievements during the off-season.

"The car is really close to being perfect," he said, donning the team's navy overalls. "The past few months for me have been exclusively about developing the car, and it feels absolutely amazing, just how I like it. The engineers have done an incredible job too with everything from the aero, like the winglets on the back which morph slightly around corners and according to the speed the car's going, to the passively steering rear suspension, to the tyres from the guys at Tropicorp which have as much grip as ever... it's overwhelming to be in this position of having had the time and the possibility to make essentially my own race car for WGPC. It's like nothing I've ever done before."

When asked about iBen joining the team, the Abovian grinned. "I'm super happy to have him beside me again, this time as much more than mentor and apprentice! I think we can both learn even more from each other, and maybe the whole team can learn from iBen as well, he's such an awesome guy and a superb driver. We've really clicked over the time we've spent together so I can't see this season as being anything other than a positive experience for the two of us." Will the Turorian be able to adapt to AGP002, seeing as you've developed it to your own style? "For sure," replies Talvela, "the engineers we're working with are basically the same that developed our own cars three years ago, so it's nothing alien to him like it'd be at, for instance, Nexus Racing. The car is very adaptable too, and the suspension elements particularly are versatile and configurable in many ways which result in quite different handling characteristics. You can ask Juracai!"

The team expects to arrive at pre-season testing on March 10th with both cars and drivers ready to set laps in preparation for the competitive portion of WGPC17. Despite their clear optimism, the squad is well aware of the challenges that lay ahead, including the prowess of VMR's Jessica Franssen, the accomplished drivers of Nexus Racing, the reigning and consistently strong MRT, and all of the rocks and ruts inherent to the difficulties and uncharted paths that come with a newly developed car and a budding, motivated and evolving racing team.

by **Former Citizens of the Nimbus System** » Sun Feb 24, 2019 11:44 am

New Nexus Tower, the First City, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
22nd of February

The First City has many names: ‘the Verdant City’, for its many rooftop gardens and trees; ‘the City in the Air’ for its Communities’ many skyways, most often built of glass to let light down to the streets below, open to the air and dotted with shops and communal spaces; ‘The Future’, to many who had not seen it before (or to those with easily overawed or uncreative dispositions). Its original name, however, is indeed ‘the First City’: an expression of hope, of unlimited potential. Decades on from its founding, when the world had pooled its resources and knowledge to make it a possibility, the Imagination Nexus stands as testament to that ideal; what was Governance Tower was built with its accommodation in mind even when nobody knew whether it could be sparked, in the belief that it someday might be. Its very existence, allied with its very nature, is a declaration that the best is yet to come – and that all have the ability to seize it.

It is no surprise at all that Ryker swells at Jean’s comments.

The two wander into the city. Nothing much comes up; between idle chatter they simply take all it in, letting the presence of the place watch over them. My word… How long is since I’ve just been here? Ryker wonders. Reminds me of so long ago…

Mmm. I had a good childhood, he decides.

Then Jean takes off his jacket and shows Ryker his new prosthetics. At his comment of their being ‘cool’, he nods enthusiastically with a happy smile. He’s taken to them! Pretty easily too, it seems – that’s good. Though, he considers as Jean goes on, that could well be his father’s influence. He’s in far better circumstances comparatively than he was, so… Hmm.

Ryker doesn’t do much further analysing on that point, though, as the conversation turns to Jean’s brother – and then stops. Ah. Touchy subject; might not like discussing it. Filing the information away in the back of his mind in case Jean needs support with it later, in more distressed circumstances, he decides instead to focus on one subject of similarity between himself and his teammate: forebearers. “My parents were racers too, actually!” he responds to Jean’s comment. “Well, actually on my dad’s side, they’ve been racers for generations… But, yeah – they competed in Cityprix together, around these streets.” He lets out a laugh. “My mum, actually, she told me once that the moment she realised she was in love with my dad was when she crashed out of a race he won and found she was okay with the outcome. Apparently that hadn’t happened before.” He hums a little at the pleasant memories.

He glances up. The sun does seem to be a little lower in the sky than it should be and they’ve been walking in one direction for a while… “Ah… Jean…” Ryker raises his hands, tapping fingers from either together. “You do know that we needed to take the Seaport line back at Tower Station to, right? Sorry, I assumed you just wanted to have a quick look around before we headed to HQ…”

He pauses, frowning, then shakes his head with a quiet grin, pulling out his phone and beginning to tap at it. “Ah, you know what? Let’s look around. We’re enjoying this, aren’t we? We’ve got the next two weeks back there, so let’s just be here for a little while!” He looks to his teammate, offering a shrug. “Besides, the Satellite Manufactory’s just around the corner from here. We can drop by there.”

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

‘Going to stay with Jean in town; wanted to just look around for a bit. We’ll be back soon for the fittings, promise!’ Really?

Gah. You are far too easy-going for your own good sometimes.

“Well, that’s Jean late back.” Shaking her head, wry exasperation across her face, Gertrude pockets her phone. “Irritating. I suppose a couple of hours to recharge won’t be a terrible thing, at least.”

“Speak for yourself,” Victoria grumbles. “Still can’t believe my teammates just abandoned me to canoodle.”

“Why not? Seems in character.”

Victoria looks blankly at her superior. Then she sighs and smiles. “Yes, it is. I’m happy for them, too. Happy enough to buy them time by carrying on with this on my own, anyway,” she adds, looking back to her screen.

“You’re the best convertor programmer of the three of you,” Gertrude states. “I know I’d want to be putting effort into something this important myself if I knew that I was good at it.” She raises an eyebrow, smirking. “Besides, you and Ryker –”

“Did nothing comparable!” Victoria bursts out, eyes widening. “And still aren’t!” she adds hastily.

Gertrude smirks; quickly, however, her expression melts into something kinder. Hm. Give them a couple of months. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Good stuff, Victoria.”

Nexus Racing’s Head Programmer smiles, a little relief showing. “Thanks.” Then she grins. “Not as if I’m not enjoying this, either. I mean, come on – this has to be the biggest step for a long while. Imagination, how much are we just making obsolete now?”

Several months earlier

Gertrude stares at her monitor.

She slaps the side of her face, flinching away from it and momentarily shutting her eyes.

She stares again.

She isn’t dreaming.

‘Refueling is permitted during the race. This is a change from last season.’

The Head Designer for Nexus Racing stares for several long moments more.

Then, abruptly, she stands, striding towards her door. “Someone, write up ‘fuel to car by teleportation’ as Priority One on the whiteboard! NOW, please! This is not a drill!”

22nd of February

“You’re not wrong.”

by **Vadkness** » Sun Feb 24, 2019 2:07 pm

Digri Family Home
Bjagara, a small town in Southern Vadkness

Two men sat at a kitchen table, enjoying a modest portion of a traditional Vadknessian breakfast - hot beef and ginger stew served with warm bread. They ate in silence. Hunter Digri looked at his father with a fond smile, not wanting to ruin the moment with words. That day would be the last day he would be spending with his father like that. Later, he would leave, and when he returned, no matter what happened, he would be coming back a changed man.

His father finished his stew and set down the bowl, reaching over to take Hunter's as well. "No, Father," the young redheaded man said, gently pushing his father's hand away. He took the bowls himself, carrying them to the sink filled with cold water and grabbing the sponge for himself. The older man watched and smiled, the wrinkles by his eyes crinkling up even further.

"You're too good for me, my boy!"

"It's the least I can do when I'm leaving you today," Hunter said. His father stood up from the table, walking over and patting his son's shoulders.

"You're going to do me proud, Hunter," he said. Hunter hung his head a little. The worries he had been pushing aside for weeks now crept back to the front of his mind.

"I-"

"You will do me proud. You're going to do the whole country proud."

"Toothbrush?"

"Yes, I've got that."

"Socks?"

"Yes, Father, I've got my socks. And my wallet, my shower gel and my passport, and everything else you can think of. I'm ready."

"Oh, alright, alright... I just want to make sure. It's a very big moment for you. It's a big moment for this country and you're right in the center of it... You're going to do so well."

Hunter set down the bag he had packed, took three large strides across the kitchen to where his father stood, and pulled the man into a tight hug. His father was shocked at first, but soon lifted up his arms and placed his hands on either side of his son's face, tilting his head downwards and planting a kiss on Hunter's forehead. The tears began to well up in both their eyes and the moment was interrupted by the sound of an angry car horn outside the house.

"That will be my lift," Hunter said. He walked back across the kitchen to pick up his bag. "I'll see you soon, Father."

"I hope you don't, son."

The taxi ride into the city was slow and quiet. The driver seemed angry about something, considering Hunter had received a mere grunt in response to his 'hello'. He'd decided not to attempt further conversation. Instead, he listened to music on his phone whilst he played over scenarios in his head of what could be about to happen. Hunter Digri, first Vadknessian racer for the WGPC, 'doing his country proud', as his father had said. The younger pitstop boy had hardly believed it, the first time he had been approached and asked to be a driver. Vadkness was not a large country, nor was it a wealthy one. The majority of the industry was in the primary sector. There were no real race courses for him to practice on. 'Talent' and 'spirit', those were the words that had been used, Hunter remembered. Talent and spirit that could help him go far in the world of racing. But could he make it far without the chance to practice for real? He knew there were plenty of other rookies competing this year, but he felt even more rookie than them. 'Doing his country proud...' But could he do them proud? He knew everyone who had access to a TV in the country would be rooting for him this year. Finally, something big made out of this little country some others would not even have heard of. Hunter wasn't sure he could handle that weight on his back. He knew that competing for a place on a team would be hard. He could hardly bear to imagine the shame he would feel coming home a loser. Everyone he knew had told him that there would be no shame, he was doing enough by going out there, but he wanted to be more. He wanted to be a winner and show the world what a real Vadknessian could do. But was he the right man for that?

"One hundred and ninety-five," a voice said, snapping him out of his thoughts. Hunter looked up. He had hardly even realized they had made it. He realized the driver was holding out his hand. A glance at the counter on the dashboard gave a hint so Hunter pulled out his wallet and handed over two hundred Hack notes. The driver took them and shuffled through some money, finally presenting a single 5 Hack coin back. Hunter took it, thanked the driver, heard the grunt in response and jumped out of the taxi and into the hustle and bustle of Vexby.

The Vigo Viga
Hotel in central Vexby, capital of Vadkness

Hunter stood in front of the massive building and stared up at it. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen anything so fancy and suddenly began to feel rather underdressed in his standard trousers and button down. He grabbed his suitcase and walked inside, checking in and making his way up to his room. In the elevator on the way up to his room, his phone buzzed. He took it from his pocket and checked it.

You here? - Florence

He set down his suitcase to type a reply.

Yeah. Heading to my room.

He hardly had time to tuck the phone back in his pocket when it buzzed again.

Great. Go freshen up. Look smart. The camera is here. Meet me in the restaurant. 30 minutes.

Half an hour later, Hunter went back down to the second floor where the large restaurant was located. He stepped inside and looked around. It was surprisingly quiet, but he spotted Florence easily at the fair side, wearing a green dress that Hunter thought would be far too revealing for a news reporter's interview and a camera set up on a tripod next to the table for two. He walked over, smiled and greeted her.

"Florence."

"Hunter Digri, very nice to meet you," she smiled and held out her hand for him to shake. He shook it before sitting down. A waiter was by the tableside almost immediately.

"Can I get you anything to drink, Sir?" The waiter handed Hunter a drinks menu. He looked it over and nearly choked at the price of some of the cocktails.

"Just water, please," he said, handing the menu back. Florence waved it off.

"Nonsense, I'll pay for whatever you like," she smiled widely. Hunter smiled back.

"A ginger beer, then, please," he said. The waiter nodded and turned. Florence took a sip of her rather large glass of wine.

"So, Hunter," she began, leaning forward so her elbows rested on the table. "Are you ready?" Hunter gave a simple nod, so she reached over to turn the camera on.

"Hi, Vadkness! Florence Baskitts here with a very special interview with none other than our very own Hunter Digri!" She turned the camera to zoom in on the man, to which he gave an awkward smile and wave. Florence resituated the camera so it captured both of them again. "So, Hunter, you're trying out for the WPGC, right?"

"Yes, I am, I-"

"How exciting! And, as I recall, you are the first Vadknessian to ever be extended the offer of joining the roster?"

"Yes, that is true," he said, pausing a second to quietly thank the waiter who placed a large bottle of ginger beer and empty glass down on the table. Florence jumped into asking him her next question, and the interview went on for a while, until she came to the question he had been dreading her asking.

"What do you think you'll do if a team doesn't sign you?"

"I..." he paused to think. "Well, I'll be devastated, obviously. I want to do my country proud. I want to do my father proud."

Florence faked wiping a tear from her eye. "Such a sweetheart, and a patriotic one at that! That's what we like to see," she winked at him with a small laugh. "It seems a couple of teams, like Nexus Racing, have already snapped up the drivers they want for their line up. Any team you quite fancy joining out of the ones left?"

"Any of them, really," Hunter offered a small laugh. "I know that really makes me sound like a good choice to them, I know, I know. But it's my first time as a racer. I don't have experience with these teams, and I have less experience on the track than some of the other rookie drivers this time around. I'll be very grateful to any team who is willing to take a chance on me, to take a chance on Vadkness. Maybe if I get lucky enough to be a part of next season I'll feel ready enough to be a bit more picky about who takes me on."

"Well, Mr Digri, one thing is for sure, all us here at home will all be rooting for you. I do wish you luck," Florence said, turning to the camera. "We all do."

by **Mytanija** » Sun Feb 24, 2019 2:18 pm

Jelena had been sat restlessly for most of the day. She would alternate between her phone and her laptop every couple of minutes, waiting on a text or an email that probably wouldn’t come. Not today at least. Her Dad walked into the room, two steaming cups of coffee in his hands and stopped, allowing himself a rueful smile.

“No luck?” He asked.

“No.” Jelena replied. “Not yet, anyway.”

“Well, at least you’ve not gone completely defeatist on me.” Her Dad replied, handing her the coffee. “You can take a break from waiting, you know?”

“Yeah, I just want an opportunity so badly, Dad.” She said, sitting up and taking a long sip of coffee. “I don’t want to be stuck racing here forever.”

“And you won’t be.” Tomas Colac was a measured man, reasonable to a fault at times. He also had supreme faith in his daughter, he knew that she would end up alright. “The chance will come eventually, there’s still ages until the season starts, so it’s no good giving up yet.” He said, then, seeing the forlorn look on Jelena’s face: “Look, even if you don’t get a seat this season there’s always next year.”

“Daaaaaaad.” Jelena groaned. “That’s really not helping!”

“What?!” Tomas chuckled. “I know everything seems like it has to happen right now, but you’re 21, you have your entire career ahead of you. I know it’s easy for your old man to sit here lecturing you on this Jelena, but it’s true, I’ve been sat where you are now. I know that all it takes is one opportunity, but you’ve got a lot of time for that one opportunity to come up yet!”

“I know, Dad, but it all just feels so pointless – half of these teams don’t even know who I am! Mytanija is just so… shit, when it comes to stuff like this. All everyone’s interested is football or cycling or I don’t know… volleyball! It’s like other sports don’t matter at all!”

“So you’re going to be the one to put motor racing firmly in their minds, then.” Tomas replied with a smile. It was difficult to continue any form of argument when he was just so resolutely calm about everything. Jelena let out a small laugh and resumed sipping her coffee.

“Even if they just gave me an opportunity to come down and do some testing for them, I’m sure I could show them what I can do. The jump from Mytanar racing to even like WGP2 is enormous and Kikinda and Guinec are wanting me to go right in at the top-level, but it’s difficult to do that without anyone even giving me a chance to show them I can make the jump…”

“Look, Jelena, we both know this is going to be difficult. But you need to relax a little bit, nothing has been decided yet and there’s ages until the season starts. You’ve got the interview with Gazeta Sporta coming up soon and that should help create some publicity if nothing else, it could get teams interested. For now, just relax, at least we’ve managed to get companies like Kikinda and Guinec interested in sponsoring you! A few years ago that would have been a dream!”

“Ahhhh, I know Dad. It’s all just so frustrating.”

“You’re young, you’ll get plenty of chances. I remember when I was young, before you were born and before the war – there was this tennis player Ana Vudovic, Mytanija had never been good at tennis before but she went to Olympics and she won a few games and got quite far in the tournament and put tennis on the map when nobody had ever even thought of it before her.”

“I’ve heard of her actually.”

“Exactly. And after that Olympics she went on the professional tour and there were tournaments here that hadn’t ever existed before! She didn’t have any of the backing you already have, these people already know you have the talent to succeed, that is why they are going to back you financially - they’re putting their money where their mouths are! So you’ll be alright, Jelena, one way or another.”

“Thanks Dad.”

“Hey, don’t mention it.” Tomas drank the final bit of his coffee and then stood up, all business again. “So, what do you want to eat?”