World Grand Prix Championship season 17 [RP Thread]

[Ethane]

TO: SinVal Motorsports
FROM: Ethan Ellis
TOPIC: Pre-Season Test

My name is Ethan Ellis. I have previously competed in the WGPC before in 3 seasons, my best finish being 7th. 
I am writing to you to register my interest in the pre-season test you are arranging. I would be honoured to be given the chance to try out for your
team this season.

Thank you,
Ethan Ellis.

---

TO: Kristian Szusza
FROM: Fireline Independent Racing Association
CC: Tyra Tabuso; Sarah Malley
TOPIC: Sponsorship Offer

Hi Kristian, thanks for contacting us. I've CCd in our main Brands and Sponsorship manager who deals with most of this. 
I'm sure we'd be happy for you to be our Official Tyre Supplier for the season. As for the 'additional benefits' for signing
Tyra Tabuso, you'll have to wait for a response from Sarah, as she can better liaise with our driver manager to see where
we are at in this pre-season in terms of recruiting drivers for the season. However, it also sounds like something we as a
team would potentially be interested in.

God bless,
Wesley Garrett.

TO: Kristian Szusza
FROM: Fireline Independent Racing Association
CC: Tyra Tabuso; Wesley Garrett
TOPIC: Sponsorship Offer

Hi Kristian, thanks for the offer, which I've been sent over by our team director, Wesley Garrett. I've had a look through
the proposals you've sent us, and we'd love to thank you for the offer to be our Tyre Supplier. We'd love to have you on
board.

Furthermore, we are fascinated by the proposal for us to sign Tyra Tabuso. From what I've heard about Tyra, she's a strong
upcoming driver, impressive in her own regard even without your offer. While we generally wouldn't accept an offer like
this, I believe that we are able to make an exception in a circumstance like this. We'd love to have Tyra on board.

If you and Tyra could respond, confirming your interest in pursuing this, then we can get the ball rolling on getting the
paperwork through and bringing Tyra into the team. As long as she's fine with it, she would be racing alongside Benjamin,
who's an Ethanian. He's never completed a WGPC season yet because the last time he competed he crashed out in pre-season.

We're a team that prides ourselves on bringing up strong, upcoming drivers, and we believe Tyra is one of those. So we'd love
to have her, and Solymok Tyres, onboard.

Warm Regards,
Sarah Malley

[Sorlovia]

San Marco, Filindostan

The plane flight to San Marco had been a smooth and pleasant one. It was by no means his first long haul international flight but it would be his first time in Filindostan. Filindostan. The name sounded exotic and foreign. Exotic and exciting. Badai Angin Tim had invited him to take part in a test run and he wasn't about to abandon his obligations. He was still waiting to hear back from MRT but in the meantime he was still a free agent and was thus able to pursue any opportunities available to him. He would not risk being left on the sidelines. That was simply unacceptable. There was no harm in taking a few test runs while he was waiting. Perhaps it would show MRT that he was in demand. If they delayed too long they risked losing their prospective racers to other teams. Such was the highly competitive nature of the WGPC sign up phase. There was always another time that offered a rival contract hoping to poach your racer.

"Here I come Filindostan." Gregori thought as the plane began its descent into San Marco "I'm going to put on quite the show of skill for you Badai Angin Tim!"

Gregori's confidence had grown since WGPC16 with VMR. He'd never doubted his abilities or skills as a racer but he had believed that there were better racers than him. That he was just a rookie with big aspirations and no track record. But he'd left his rookie days behind him after WGPC16 and now had the experience under his belt. He still knew that there were more experienced racers out there and that there would always be someone better and more skilled. But he now knew his worth. He'd proven that he was worthy of a place on a team and that he had the skills to back it up. Now he was determined to secure a spot on a team for WGPC17. Whether that be with MRT, Badai Angin Tim, Omni, SinVal or any other racing team. He would secure a spot.

He typed a quick email as the plane began its preparations for landing;

From: Gregori Krupin
To: Elena Popov

My love,

I'm sorry that you couldn't travel with me to Filindostan. I have a feeling that you will like the place and I promise to bring you back here sometime soon. But I know you have obligations with your agency back in Kalinskaya. Your career is just as important as mine and I encourage you to pursue every opportunity. It won't be long until we are together again in Heske. I wish you the very best of luck for your shoot on Thursday and I know you will do well.

Until then remember that I love you. You are the light of my life and my inspiration. I count myself truly blessed to have you by my side.

Love,
Gregori

Gregori smiled as he powered down his tablet ahead of the descent into San Marco. His wording in the email might seem soppy to some but he'd always believed in showing his feelings. If loved a woman you told her. You held on tight to those most dear to you and told them just how much they meant to you at every opportunity. Elena was a constant source of encouragement for him. She picked him up emotionally and mentally when he was having a bad day. She helped reassure him that one bad day or poor result was not the end of his career. She supported him through every poor placing and cheered the loudest whenever he placed well. He intended to marry her one day soon.

The test run for Badai Angin Tim would be an opportunity. An interesting and potentially rewarding one. He'd never had the opportunity to take part in test runs let alone to race for anyone other than VMR before. To now be faced with not one but four invitations excited him and gave him hope for the next step in his career. WGPC17 was going to be an interesting season.

[Audioslavia]

Part Six: Haarland

Sometimes, brains stop recording. “I will not need any of these memories tomorrow” it says to itself, watching its body imbibe a twelfth gin and tonic and listening to itself try to get from the start of a sentence to its end without either insulting, spitting on or otherwise offending someone or even declaring their undying love of their shoes. It discretely switches off the part of itself that records and stores what has been seen, heard and touched. The brain, however, contains many voices and many opinions, and the part of itself that deals with dreams - ironically the most forgetful part of the brain - has a habit of giving clues to itself as to what transpired after the brain stopped recording memories.

It’s using this method, wherein the human goes on the assumption that the weird dream he’s just woken up from was a reliably semi-accurate slideshow of the previous night’s revelries, that Haarland Bosch would have been able to piece together the events of the last two days of his life, if Haarland Bosch were so inclined. Haarland Bosch, however, it not so inclined. Haarland Bosch does not analyse his dreams. Haarland Bosch does not analyse anything if he can help it. To Haarland Bosch, thinking is merely a more cinematic version of a headache. When god was creating Haarland, god was in a min-maxy mood. Intellect: 0. Irony: 0. Judgement: 0. Reflexes: 100. Hand-eye co-ordination: 100, Bravery: 100. Melanin: 0.

Haarland Bosch was awoken by a small middle-aged slavic man offering him a cup of herbal tea with a shot of sort of apple vodka.
“Is ginger tea” said the strange man. “Ginger tea for ginger man. Ginger is good. Good for bones!” the strange man remarked upon setting the cup down beside Haarland’s head.
“Hnrkk” said Haarland, his face stuck to something unfamiliar. With a modicum of effort Haarland un-stuck his face from what he quickly realised was a carpetted floor. He realised he was naked. “Hnnnrkk?!” continued Haarland, to which the strange man nodded sagely.
“Yes. Yes you are the quite drunk I would said. Quite drunk of the overhang. Vodka is in tea, is good, is the hairy dog of the morning, as you say, yes?”
“Hnrkk” replied Haarland, who now had a sense of nostalgia for the time his face was still stuck to the carpet and before he realised he was naked, and was now considering re-sticking his face to the carpet. With a little more effort, he managed to form a question. “Clothes” was the question.
“Yes” said the strange man. “Clothes”. Clothed is burned by fire and in bin, my frent”
“Hnrkk?!” exclaimed Haarland. “Hnrrwhy?”
“Is a question I did ask of myself oh yes” replied the strange man. “Last night, when we arrived, you did of remove them and place them in my wastepaperbasket. You dropped a match in there and yelled “I got like four hundred of these things back home”. Was odd thing to do, but then I am accustom you partake of odd thing by this time. This happened, of course, after you karate kick my dachshund”
“Hnrk” said Haarland, guiltily. He couldn’t remember, but he had dreamed last night of a ridiculous looking dog, at first happy, and then furious, and in between flying hilariously into a plant pot.
“Luckily, spare clothes in bag. Only race clothes in bin”
“Raceclothrnk?”
“Yes, overalls for the McPahan team. Now a little burned, but is okay! Overals is flame untardent. Is brown at seams but is good. Is yours. New job yesterday!”
“Hnrk” said Haarland, incomprehensibly and incomprehending. Had it occurred to Haarland to even think about it, Haarland might have taken this moment to realise that he couldn’t remember anything that had happened for the preceeding two days. He me might have chosen to sit and think and, from the information around him, piece together the facts: He had taken part in training drills for Blunderbus motorsport. He’d been recommended to McPahan by Roger Bunn, who saw how quick he could change a tyre and knew how much Haarland cared about cars. He’d been out getting shit-face drunk with Alexander Lund. He’d been thrown onto a train by Alexander Lund, who insisted Haarland try out for the McPahan pit crew. He’d apparently tried out at the McPahan garages in Crossport and had been successful, despite a hangover from hell. He’d apparently gone out again to celebrate his getting a job at McPahan and, apparently, had ended up sleeping on the floor of a strange slavic man’s house.
It didn’t occur to Haarland to think about this, though, so he didn’t think about it. Only one question entered Haarland’s mind.
“Who’re you?”
“Ah ha. You remember me of Linco McPahan, young Harlan. Yes he did not remember of me too, yes, ah hah. Hah.”
“…what?”
“My name is…”

Part Seven: Radoslav

Radoslav Salihamidzic nodded towards the cup of vodkatea that was cooling beside the naked Haarland Bosch’s face.
“…Radoslav Salihamidzic”
“Radohrnkk Salihrnkikhrnk”
“Lets imagine that yes!” said Radoslav, beaming. “Haarland. I must go. Drink tea. Wear clothes. I return with food. Eggs! Eggs for young Bosch! Ah hah”. On hearing Haarland’s now predictable response, Radoslav skittered into the kitchen to give the boy some privacy.

Radoslav had met Haarland the same way he’d once met Linco McPahan: When they were blind drunk. Radoslav, this time, had not accidentally sold his Audioslavian drinking partner a hundred millilitres of extortionately expensive lubricant that could explode fierily at any moment. He had, instead, listened with fascination at the young lad’s ridiculous northern-Audioslavian accent and wondered just how anyone could ever make sense of him. Haarland was a strange one. A strange, gangly red-headed twenty year-old boy who was as familiar with the inner workings of a formula one car in the same way that a doctor would be familiar with the inner workings of another doctor. By which, of course, it’s meant that there was very little the doctor didn’t know about the insides of the other doctor, but if you were to ask the first doctor to place the second doctor in a wind-tunnel and describe the behaviours of the vortexes created by the passage of warm air around his cheekbones, the first doctor would have blinked and wondered why you’d ask someone to do that and demand to know what the big idea was. Aerodynamics was something for engineers and various people who, for some reason, didn’t like to be covered in grease while reassembling an engine. If you’d have asked Haarland to redesig an engine to make it go faster he’d have looked at you and said ‘hnrk’. Give him an engine and tell him to make it go as fast as possible and he’d tell you to go fuck yourself before doing it perfectly. He was a fascinating chap to have around, which is possibly why Radoslav spent the entirety of post-tryout drinks plying him with gin and getting him to talk. On the rare occasions when Haarland wasn’t busy talking about how he didn’t drink gin because it was a girl’s drink while drinking gin, Haarland offered a wealth of insight into the pysche of someone who wasn’t clever and wasn’t pretending to be.

Radoslav had ensured that he’d got Haarland somewhere to sleep, as Haarland had failed to book a hotel in Crossport, and so here they both were. Radoslav fished the new McPahan overalls out of the bin. Definitely the right size for Haarland, if a little crinkled and walked on and burnt by drunk-Bosch’s attempt at burning it. Radoslav had a thought about how Haarland would explain to McPahan that he’d managed to set fire to his flame retardant jumpsuit within a few hours of opening, but figured this was the sort of thing Haarland would simply tell the truth about and expect no reprecussions. It woiuld be fun to have Haarland on the McPahan team this year.

Radoslav, back at McPahan on an advisory basis, helping the new owners get as much out of the car as possible with regards to lubricants, sealants and the like, was looking forward to the new season.

[West-East Timor]

Omni Racing Headquarters
Baranburg
West-East Timor

One of Omni Racing's livery designers Mick had asked about in his last meeting with Linus Anthonson was knocking on Linus' door.

"Come in."

The designer entered Linus' office, and Linus sat down with a cup of coffee he had just made.

"Morning, boss", the designer said.

"What is it, employee?"

"Why are you calling me employee?"

"You called me boss."

"Well, err... whatever. I have good news, we could finally agree on a livery to use."

"Oh really?"

"Yep."

The designer sat down and took a pice of paper out of a small suitcase he was carrying.

"This is it", he said as he showed it to Linus. It was a picture of the car with the new livery.



"What do you think of it? We incorporated more yellow, as originally planned anyways, but also black so it isn't too yellow. The logo of our new fuel supplier, Wetroleo, fits into that pretty well, too. We'll still add driver numbers and all of course. We also still have space on it to fit more sponsorship logos, should that become an issue"

"It's... not too bad I suppose. Hmm yeah. It's different from last year, still has our colours, and doesn't hurt to llok it. It's alright. We can use that."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"I think we'll hold an official presentation once we have signed our second driver."

"Alright, that's all I wanted to tell you then..."

"Hmm wait... I feel like something is missing... Oh yeah! We don't have an official tyre supplier yet, do we?"

"I do not think so, no."

"I have to take care of that... Pinteos are the only West-East Timorian tyre supplier that can make tyres good enough for us, we used them last year although they weren't branded... but I don't think they are interested in a partnership with us, really. So I'm afraid we'll have to look for a foreign supplier..."

"Like Tropicorp?"

"Yeah... And, in fact, Tropicorp Racing Supplies may be our best option. They have high quality tyres and are openly offering to supply... I think I will contact them later."

After the designer lef, Linus started up his PC and began to type.

To: Tropicorp Racing Supplies
From: Linus Anthonson

To whom it may concern,

I am Linus Anthonson, principal of the Omni Racing WGPC team. I would be interested in a partnership with your company in which you would supply us with racing tyres for the upcoming season of the World Grand Prix Championship. We know that your racing tyres are some of the best on the market, and I would be glad to work together with you.

Best Regards,
Linus Anthonson
Team Principal Omni Racing

[Lisander]

"Mrs. Gomez, please inform me that I'm not going to work today. I felt bad in the morning, so I'll take a day off."

"Okay, Mr. Gregory, I'll postpone your business today until your next call."

Gregory put down his cell phone and laid down on the couch again. That was a very long night. Laura's words still echoed in his heart.

"Please, if you can not choose between me and your nanny, then leave us alone. I can not take it anymore, Gregory!" she said, taking off her mask. "I can not be around you if you do not decide what part of me you want!"

"Oh my god, how clueless was I? I was blind, it was Laura, all the time, even the same tattoo on her ankle ... "

Gregory looked at the picture on the living room table. It was the first place he had seen the tattoo. In the photo, all the relatives were around the pool. And Laura was beautiful with that... performance swimsuit. She looked exactly like a swimming coach. She had said that she had no clothes for the occasion. Little Lily wanted to dress her in one of her late mother's bikinis.

"Laura, you should wear a nice bikini! These clothes are saying 'I am just the nanny'... Let's choose one from Mom, since you'll be my new mom!"

"Rosie, would you mind if ..." Gregory put the frame back on the table and looked at the painting of his late wife on the wall of the living room. Obviously no answer came. He stood up and walked to the frame. He touched the painting with his hands.

"Please ... Roselyn ..." he muttered. "What should I do?" Pain flowed through her eyes.

"Daddy? Daddy, why are you crying?" The angelic voice of the four-year-old girl struck him like a stab. "Please do not cry, Daddy."

"Awwww... that emotional part... Does it really happen in the real life?" - Darius Castellammare, in his comfortable hammock, started to think aloud. - "Why's he asking to the dead wife? Isn't that obvious? Will the ghost of Roselyn appear and teach him a lesson or something about love?"

Keep reading.- Athena asked. I want to know what happens next...

"Just leave me, Lilian." Dad has to cry a little, Daddy also has problems that make him sad ... "

That was an unexpected thing to say. Before Laura, he was always in the office, always closing his heart, always untouched by emotions. And even that problem Laura solved. He re-accepted his position father in that house where the mother figure was the nanny. She was already his family, practically the mother of his children.

He bent down to cuddle the girl as the eldest son appeared.

"Father, did you see Laura? She said she was going to help me put named labels on school supplies... Dad, what's going on, why are you crying?"

"Look, Lilian, please come up and get dressed. Miss Laura and I talked about it yesterday. It seems her cousin June was ill and she needed to go there during the day, too. You'll be alone for now, at least for today. Be brave. Gaetan, I need your attention. Please, could you come to the office, little boy? "

"Yes, I can, but what is the big problem... You never cry like that..."

Lily went to her room, while father and son entered the office.

"So, Dad, what's going on?" "Why were you crying?" "Look, I know you miss Mother." "I miss her, too. It's something about Miss Laura? Has anything happened between you that will influence her work here? I thought you two were getting along. You even kissed her on Christmas Eve ... "

"There is a little more, son." If my father was still alive, I would have this conversation with him. Promise me you will not be shocked at what I say."

Gregory then told the whole story to his son. How he found "Night" and "Anna." How fascinated he was by the blue eyes of the dancer and how the nanny changed his life. Before he finished, the boy had already taken the whole story.

"So you're telling me that Miss Laura's leaves to take care of cousin June were really for her night job at this club? Miss Laura, the loving nanny who treats us like a mother and you do not admit that you love... is also Anna, the mysterious woman you're hopelessly in love with, but never says a word, that's it?"

"Yes, that's it. Your nanny is a dancer in a nightclub."

Gaetan thought for a few seconds and then answered.

"Who cares? she's a good woman. Now can you please admit that you like her and stop that nonsense?" Gaetan was incredibly mature for his twelve years of age. "I can be a child, okay, but let's face your demons here... That's just jealousy, Dad. You love her. Laura, Anna, it does not matter if it's one or two. You want her to become our stepmother, But you're actually late, because she's already won the title of 'our new mother' a long time ago. Once you admit it and abandon that petty-bourgeois view... 'ah, my wife can not be a nightclub dancer' you will understand. If you do not want her to be a nightclub dancer, you should at least offer her a raise, duh. Obviously she needs more money for some reason she can not say. I know you pay well, but she must have big debts. Call her and deal with all aspects of this relationship of you too. I want my mother back in home. And please stop crying like a Magdalene. Mom would not like that. "

He picked up the phone and dialled Laura number. No answer.

Man... I think you messed up really bad. Well. Good luck. I need to go now, my sandwiches won't be made without mom here.

This boy! Oh this boy! Who imagined he would be the one acting wisely in the house! Petty-burgeois view? What are the books this kid is reading? - Darius was impressed.

[Filindostan]

Kimantara Trac Dormitory Building
Barat Rava, Filindostan

After the proceedings of the open test, the aspirants for a seat at Badai Angin, as well as their companions, and the four team personnel took to the function hall for dinner, and a little bit of entertainment. A videoke machine was put up in front of the hall to lighten up the moods of all the people present in the test. It was a grueling day for some who participated, and it was time for them to unwind for some time, knowing some of them will have upcoming testing sessions to attend to.

Tyra grabbed the microphone, and entered the song she badly wanted to sing. "Hey Tyra, don't you dare start to sing! We don't want to have a typhoon coming to the track!" Eko jokingly said. She gazed a cold stare to the chief engineer, and proceeded to start singing, but her phone rang loudly. She knew from the sound of the ringtone that it was an incoming call. She hurriedly set the microphone aside, almost falling to the ground, and grabbed her phone in her tote bag. It was Kristian Szusza, Solymok Tyres' CMO. She went outside and answered the call.

The guys left discussed what Tyra was doing. "Could it be Barnabas? He is here in Filindostan, participating in the WGP3 season. Maybe he wanted to see her badly.", Dolf said light-heartedly; he knew it if it wasn't her boyfriend, it would be someone important to her life. But Bryant was also inside, roving around the room and talking to the participants one by one. Eko replied, "Maybe it's from Solymok, they were offering her services to another WGPC team for this season." Dolf, not wanting to unsettle the other aspirants, dragged Eko far enough from them, to avoid the folks from overhearing their conversation.

"Fireline, isn't it?" Dolf asked.

"Yeah. I think something's cooking. It depends on how badly Tyra wants to compete this season. Let her be." Eko assured to Dolf that everything would be fine. A different Eko from the jolly and naive one who Dolf used to interact with.

Meanwhile Tyra was talking to Kristian over the phone. The CMO, who also is acting as Tyra's agent for her aspiring debut campaign, broke to her the news. Wesley and Sarah, Fireline's team director and Brand and Sponsorship Manager respectively, were on the same page as Kristian's offer. Finally, her dreams of being a WGPC driver were coming true, after being thrown into a WGP2 seat last season. "Now, the question is, are you in?", the voice in the phone sounded like music to Tyra's ears.

"Yes, we should confirm our interest in the Fireline seat."

"Okay, I'll inform Fireline right away that we are interested in pursuing the second seat for them. Prepare your things, we're going to Ethane."

"Sure. See you soon. Thanks."

She happily went back to the function room and went to his foster father immediately. He was just done talking to Jasmin when Tyra approached him. She whispered to him that she is indeed pursuing the second Fireline seat.

"Okay, good to hear that." He replied, with a smile on his face now that Tyra will possibly embark on her journey to becoming a full-fledged WGPC driver.

---

The next day

"Sorry Tyra, I won't be able to accompany you to the airport. Barnabas should be able to do it. I have full confidence on him." Bryant told her stepdaughter, as he was heading back to the Yogyakulta Circuit that afternoon to discuss the open testing results with Dolf and Eko. He gave her a tight embrace, as it may be a while before they get a chance to meet each other off the paddock again. He helped Tyra carry her luggage to Barnabas' car going to the airport at San Marco. Meanwhile, Bryant went into his car and drove off to the circuit.

Badai Angin Headquarters
Yogyakulta, Filindostan

The three heads convened for a discussion on the status of the private test, now that they learned that the Yogyakulta International Circuit will host Round 7 of the WGPC season. Seems that the track organizers wanted no activity aside from the two WGP3 races to be held on the opening rounds, but they were able to lodge an exception for the Private test to proceed as planned.

"Seems that all the invited drivers accepted the invites. That makes four invitees - Alex Dimitrianov, Gregori Krupin, Xiaopeng Jang, and Asao Nadakei. Are the three BAP001's good to go, Eko?" Dolf asked the engineer assertively.

"Actually sir, we just have received news that chassis number four is also good to go, fitted with the same engine and setup as with the other three. We can accommodate up to eight drivers for the test."

"Okay then. Bryant, handle the email to the invitees - the four of them, plus Carsten O'Rourke, Jasmin Kranjska, and Jacoppo Montaguti."

"How about the last invite?"

"I actually let Rusty know if he's interested. He'll give his final decision by today or tomorrow. If he does not respond (OOC: by March 6, 21:00 UTC+8), send the final invites to Liuyong Xu and Cesaro Whittaker, and the first of the two to respond will get the final spot in the private test."

"It seems more than six participated in this test than the open test."

"Luckily, the fourth car arrived. We have to thank the guys at Descension for providing their technical expertise. After all they are also our sponsors."

"Okay, get our plans rolling."

[Audioslavia]

Part Eight: Åsa

It was late on a February evening. The sun had long since set over the sleepy northern village of Lyngby where Åsa Bunn and family had their second home. The fire was simmering in one corner, the husband was snoozing in another, the kids long since been tucked up into bed and read a story to - this one about a retired soldier who finds out that monsters were returning from the dead and has to banish them all over again. Åsa had a comfortable armchair and a glass of Herraduran wine in her right hand and the remote control in her left. It was exactly the sort of evening where you didn’t want your husband’s workmate to come knocking on the door smelling of whisky and muttering something incomprehensible about motor racing.

Knock knock.
Ugh.
Åsa looked over and saw, through the hallway, that there was a figure at the door. She heard a muffled voice.
“Roger? It’s Alec”
Ughh
Another knock. This one loud enough to stir Roger from his slumber on the sofa. Åsa turned to him, not getting out of her armchair.
“Your husband’s at the door again” said Åsa, raising an eyebrow.
“I’ll sort it” said Roger, struggling to right himself from his horizontal position.
“This was supposed to end when he retired” said Åsa, with a tired smile. Roger nodded.
“Yeah” he said, shuffling his legs off of the sofa and into a pair of slippers.
“And then you started a professional third-tier motor racing team with the guy just so you could be interrupted on rainy February evenings for the reeeest of your liiiiife” said Åsa, dramatically waving her hands during the last part and spilling wine down her white dressing gown. “Oh my fuck” she said, looking down.
“Don’t worry, love, I’ll send him away” said Roger, ambling towards the door. Åsa heard the door open. She closed her dressing gown around herself and tied it closed tightly. As much as she trusted her husband to be able to shoo Alec away, she also knew that Alec could be insistent when he was in the right mood.
The sound of voices became louder and clearer.
“…turns out it wasn’t a prank after all”. Alec’s voice. Alexander Lund marched into the living room and plonked a damp laptop down onto the coffee table. He took off a long brown coat and a hat and slung them over the room’s coat rack. Åsa watched with dismay as they both dripped water onto the carpet.
“Pleasure to see you again, Alec” she said, not getting up.
“Oh hi” said Alec. He turned to Roger. “Fuck I forgot you were married”

“You were my best man” said Roger, coming into the room. He and Åsa exchanged glances. His was a sorry smile, hers was a roll of the eyes. “And don’t swear so loudly, please, the kids are upstairs”.
Alec blinked.
“Kids? Plural?”
“What is it that you want to show me, Alec?” asked Roger. Alec nodded towards the laptop.
“It’s all there. iBen. Eelandii.” said Alec, sitting down on the sofa. Roger sat down beside him and looked at the email that filled the screen.
“So” said Roger. “You said you got this email last week. Testing in Turori. Eelandii want you for a drive. So what?”
“So that was last week. I got another one today. Followed up the number, did some research, it’s not a prank. Benny Minty’s Eelandii Racing Scuederia Team or whatever they’re called. They want me to come along and drive their car”
“And so?” said Roger, visibly shrugging. “You’ve retired mate. You got that golden send-off. You won your last ever race in your home gorram country! We had a retirement party”
“Exactly!” said Alec. “I publicly retired and they still want me. Imagine how many teams would…[/i]
“Seriously” came an incredulous voice. It was Åsa’s. “Alec you idiot do you not see what’s happening here?”
Alec looked over and frowned.
“You’ve got blood on your nightie”
“It’s wine and it’s a dressing gown and you’re still an idiot” said Åsa, getting up. Alec’s eyes followed her all the way. She was a very attractive woman. Roger had done well. “They don’t want you, they want your fame. If they hire you, people look at their car. If people look at their car, companies buy advertising space on their car. Everyone makes money. Even you, trundling around in eighteenth place”
“Oi!” said Alec.
“Its Eelandii” said Roger. “They’re hardly favourites for the championship”
“Neither were McPahan when we started out, Roger” said Alec, remonstrating. “And look what we did. Together”
“Do you want to make a comeback?” said Åsa, blankly. “Yes or no.”
Åsa gazed levelly at Alec, who looked away.
“Mate” said Roger. “If you want to go again this season I’ll support you. I’ll be behind you a hundred percent. But.. you did tell me that, if you ever tried to get into a WGPC car again, I was to wrestle you to the ground and wrench your arm behind your back and make you sing the ‘I’m sorry for not retiring graciously’ song, which you wrote yourself. I forget the words”
“Alec’s being a dumbdumb” Alec mumbled. “Dumbdumb dumbdumb / Alec’s being a dumbdumb / slap his face”

“I like it” said Åsa, still without taking her eyes off Alec.
“It’s an awful lot of work, Alec” said Roger. “We’re talking days in the gym, days in the simulator, moving to Turori, dealing with the pressure. It won’t be easy, and if you say ‘yes’ you can’t really say ‘oh wait no’ until the end of the season.
“You don’t want to watch it go on without you” said Åsa. “You can’t stand that idea, can you?”
Alec ran a hand through his greyish beard. He didn’t respond.
“Roger feels the same. Every time the season starts. This time its been worse. No job at McPahan, so no trips around the world with his buddies, and no living vicariously though the idiot he calls his best friend.”
“Yeah” said Alec. “Yeah its hard”
“It will get easier” said Roger. “This first season out of the sport will be awful. You probably won’t even watch it on the telly for the first few months. Too hard. It gets easier, though. And you’ll be back. If not as a driver, then in some capacity.
“Yeah” said Alec. “Yeah we’ll take the Blunderbus out big-game hunting” said Alec, with a smile. He drew a pat on the back from Roger. Åsa cringed.
“Oh, I hate that you named your team ‘The Blunderbus’. Roger Bunn, Alec Lund. Why couldn’t you have just called it Bunn-Lund?”
“Because ‘all aboard the bunn-lund’ sounds boring” said Alec
“Yeah, Jesus Åsa, pfft” said Roger
“I am going to bed” said Åsa, getting up. “If you two decide to finally marry each other, please don’t wake me”
“Thanks” said Alec, before Åsa left the room. “You’re right. I’m getting ahead of myself.”
“You could still do it, if you wanted to” said Åsa
“I don’t… I actually don’t think I want to.” said Alec.
“Maybe stay off the whisky next time you’re reading emails” said Åsa. “Goodnight Alec” she said, departing.
“You could still do it” said Roger, his hand still on Alec’s shoulder. Alec smiled.
“Nah” he said. “I’m retired”

Part Nine: A pigeon

There is a pigeon in Filindostan. Well, yes, there are many pigeons in Filindostan, but we’re concerned with just one, who is at the Kimantara Trac in Filindostan for open testing for the Badai Angin racing team. Well, he’s there during open testing. This pigeon will not be donning a helmet and hitting apexes. The pigeon doesn’t have an interest in sport. This is only the second minor sporting event the bird has been a spectator at, the first being a display of rugby ineptitude by Peropera that it glanced at while eating hod-dog crumbs.

The pigeon stands on a section of the pit wall. It doesn’t know its standing on a pit wall, for it has no concept of what a pit is, for it has no concept of what a motor racing track is, for it has no knowledge or comprehension of the ideas of motor racing, or even racing. It knows only of the general spirit of competition, but more in the basic evolutionary stick-your-willy-in-the-bird-before-the-other-guys-do sense of the word, and thus is an intellectual peer of Alexander Lund. The pigeon doesn’t know who Alexander Lund is, or was, and would never pay him any mind unless Alexander Lund was sat near the pigeon eating a sandwich.

This pigeon overhears a conversation between Carsten O’Rourke and Carsten O’Rourke’s agent. Carsten O”Rourke appears was informing his agent that he’d been asked back for a private test the following week, that he was looking forward to the private test, and that in the mean time his agent was to continue putting the word out that O’Rourke was available for contract and quite good at motor racing. The pigeon didn’t understand this, as it was a pigeon, and as such did not have a working understanding of even the most rudimentary facets of spoken language.

Then the pigeon saw a worm. “Mmm” thought the pigeon. “Worm”. So he flew towards the worm and ate it.

[Esmerel]

---THE LAPIZ POINT POST---

MONDAY, 4TH MARCH 2019

Sports
Controversy over WGPC17 schedule reveal

Yesterday, at around 15:00 GMT, the WGPO revealed the tentative race schedule for the seventeenth season of the World Grand Prix Championship. Countless fans from across the Verse were shocked to find that several popular and well-known circuits had failed to secure proper race dates, instead being relegated to test days or dropped altogether in favor of alternate circuits.

The circuits dropped from the race calendar include popular mainstays such as the Mount Salt Raceway in Eastfield Lodge, the Kopylov InternazionRing in Mattijana and perhaps most damning the Forest Cross Raceway in Esmerel (despite numerous revisions to the circuit to improve its racing), along with choosing to drop the aspects of a Starblaydian or Xannerian Grand Prix almost altogether.

Fans from numerous nations within the Verse have taken to social media to voice their opinions on the matter- while many have praised the return of the Vilitian, Falcanian, and Liventian Grands Prix, they have equally lamented the loss of other popular circuits to smaller scale projects. Notably, Esmerelians were overwhelmingly disappointed to find that despite the extensive track renovations for the second time in five years, it only secured a spot as the first pre-season test.

You have to be kidding me... No Esmerelian GP? Tickets to the other races are more expensive...

-@RingRacer0122

Just a test for next weekend? Oh well. Maybe the WGPO will realize that the circuit deserves a proper race when they test there. Because it does!

-@Rick_Wheeler88

I understand we weren't in a position to demand a return of the GP at Forest Cross. We're a bit smaller of a nation compared to the WGPO mainstays. But Kopylov! That was my favorite circuit, and now it doesn't have a race!

-@NotFromMTJ

Another street race? And no Mount Salt Raceway? Give me a break! Plus, why are we going back to Highpoint of all places? I went there once. Didn't really like it.

Guess we have Vilita though. That's a fun place.

-@WrsAmerith

Circuits new to the WGPC calendar include Nacionalni Autodrom Rebecna in Mytanija, Somos City Circuit in Joushiki Nante Iranai, Yogyakulta International Circuit in Filindostan and Drosopol Circuit in Vangaziland, as well as the updated Crossport International Raceway. While Drosopol and Yogyakulta come from WGPC powerhouses, the other two seem to be this season's guest circuits, in comparison to season 15's Circuito Callejero Plaza de Armas and the Gracemeria Granprix, and season 16's Serizawa Racing Circuit and Vulkanas City Circuit.

While a season with every involved nation's circuit is impossible due to the potential length, choosing to abandon potentially classic circuits can leave many fans unhappy. Some have feared the WGPO is choosing circuits buying into a race slot over circuits with countless pieces of history, and others fear the WGPO does not understand its fans whatsoever. Others feel that these people are overreacting, and losing their favorite race on the calendar is an unfortunate consequence of compromise. As always, there is always another day to race, though many are understandably worried that that day will take a while to show up again.

"It's very unfortunate," a representative of the Forest Cross Raceway owners' team. "Even after all of the renovations to the new Hyperion Circuit it'll only be used as a test. Here's hoping we can survive the lack of revenue."

Within some circles, rumors have spread about a new racing circuit being constructed in Esmerel in an attempt to definitively secure a race slot in the following season, though these rumors are unconfirmed at the time.

[Vadkness]

Some hotel room, somewhere

Hunter laid on his back staring at the ceiling. Spots were dwindling. Many teams were holding test drives, none of which he had been invited to. He felt completely invisible to the entire world, save for the Vadknessian media still blowing up about him. He couldn't help but feel like a let down to his country. The first major attempt at international sport and he couldn't even land a place. He sighed. Maybe Vadknessians just weren't meant for interacting with others. He wrinkled his nose and sniffed, rolling onto his side, when he phone vibrated. He grabbed it quickly. An email.

To: Hunter Digri
From: Gregori Krupin
Subject: Keep Your Head High

Hi Hunter,

I'm not sure if you've heard of me. But my name is Gregori Krupin. I had the privilege of racing for VMR last season. I remember what its like being a rookie in the WGPC. Everyone overlooks you and you feel as if you have no chance before you even get going. But I just wanted to applaud you for having the courage and ambition to set up into the WGPC. You're in for a tough time as a rookie but I urge you not to give up.

The race teams often disregard rookies in favour of more experienced racers. They're not going to think much of you so you're going to have to prove you've got what it takes. You're going to have to make them notice you. Don't expect things to be easy as some of the cockier rookies do. You might catch a break like I did but chances are you won't. The WGPC is gruelling and extremely competitive with racers looking out for themselves first.

Don't get disheartened! Just give it your best and I'll be looking for you in the pack.

Warm regards,
Gregori Krupin

Hunter's eyes lit up. Of course, he had heard of Gregori Krupin. He read the entire thing carefully, once, twice, three times as the words sank in. He jumped up from the bed. He highly doubted he would be able to get a spot on any team this year, it really seemed as if he had been invisible to everyone, but then this came email. Maybe he wouldn't get a spot this year, but he could try again the next. And the next. He grabbed his helmet from the desk in the hotel room and walked for the door.

[Liventia]

(OOC: All criticism is IC, obviously.)
OPINION
Latest controversy proves WGPO has lost its way: It's time to bring it back to Liventia
Troy Wilkins
Two-time WGPC champion, Special Correspondent

Let me start my column by saying that there are no sour grapes here about the removal of the Grand Prix of Liventia from the World Grand Prix Championship (WGPC) calendar last season.

That was down to its withdrawal by Motorsport Liventia due to political and economic factors, and in itself means nothing towards the points I'm about to make.

But those said factors do mean something. That was the highly questionable decision of the WGPC organisers, the World Grand Prix Organisation, to include an "India Force" race team on the grid despite an obvious lack of quality in its drivers' ability and a lack of interest in media reporting from its constituent parts. Why was the decision taken?

Let's fast-forward a year. We're about to start a new WGPC season, and while the Grand Prix of Liventia is back on the calendar, and back at Talbott for the first time since season 14, all the talk is about the circuits that have missed out. Circuits in Mattijana and Esmerel, by now two of the established stops on the WGPC calendar.

In their place, new tracks in Liventia's fellow Rushmore nation Mytanija, and the hitherto-unknown Joushiki Nante Iranai. Neither is a country with an established international motor racing pedigree. Indeed, no driver from the latter is even registered with the WGPO this season as a free agent.

There have already been critical noises from both Mattijana and Esmerel, and I can't say I blame them. It seems that when the WGPO moved out of Liventia to Audioslavia at the end of season 12, a move that delayed season 13 by a whole year, something else changed. A reliance on, shall we say, 'new money'. A cynical attempt to win new fans from countries with no pedigree, at the expense of fans from the traditional WGPC heartlands.

As many of you know, my mother was from Audioslavia. This is not an attack on the country of Audioslavia, which I hold close to my heart. It is, instead, an attack on the Audioslavians—and others—who now run the WGPO from their cushy offices in that country. And it's an attack on the Liventian powers-that-be that allowed the WGPO to leave in the first place.

It seems clear to me that the organisation has lost its way. Some of the best WGPC innovations—free agent driver signings, test events, the WGPC Motorworks teams—came when we were in charge of the WGPO. Maybe, just maybe, it's time to bring it back into Liventian hands.

Troy Wilkins is a two-time WGPC champion for the InfoInternet Liventia Racing team, which later became Carvenlo Racing.

[Mattijana]

MRT HQ, Kopylov InternazionRing

With the test car packed away and the Kopylov circuit now due to be quiet until pre-season testing, it was decision time at MRT.

Team principal Johan Struna and his deputy Maria Jamasova had trotted back up to the head office after dismissing the three drivers and were currently enjoying some of Mattijana's finest coffee. The day had been a tiring one so far and a shot of caffeine might just help the decision-making process. It was a big decision that had to be made as well.

Jasmin Kranjska, Rustom Ibuna and Gregori Krupin were three extremely talented drivers. The test results were pretty hard to separate and the choice was further complicated by the fact that the flying laps and long run results had come back in reverse order. It was all down to who the team felt would be the best fit for their new machine.

There was Jasmina. The young Mattijanan had great potential and had really sparked in the latter stages of the previous season. She was the most aggressive of the three and despite an excellent technical grounding, she would happily take the car by the scruff of the neck.
There were two question marks over her however. One was reliability. MRT had won the championship last season because of their driver's ability to pick up consistent points. The fact that their two drivers had finished 5th and 6th in the final driver's standings was pretty conclusive evidence of that.
Question mark number two was over her ability to get on with the car. The MRT was a technical machine, with state-of-the-art aerodynamics, highly responsive handling and breaking, but a lack of horsepower relative to some of the others on the grid. Jasmina was perhaps not the type of driver who would get the most out of a car like that.

The polar opposite was Rusty. He prided himself on his consistency and had of course picked up the points that won MRT the championship with a 6th-place finish. If that didn't sum up MRT's season in a nutshell, Johan didn't know what did.
Rusty knew the team well having raced with them last season. He knew what they valued and what they sought to acheive. He'd proven that he could be a fit in practice as well as in theory.

His drawback was form. Based on last season, Rusty was a driver that could be a world-beater when he was in good nick, but would drop back considerably when something wasn't clicking. Could MRT afford a mid-season slump if they were to win again?

Then there was Gregori. The Sorlovian had taken some time to bed into his WGPC career at VMR, especially in the shadow of driver's champion Jess Fransson. He had got better later in the season though, picking up a few more points and more confidence despite some shakiness and just plain bad luck early on.

Some people in sport didn't believe in luck. The clichéd phrases said that you made your own, or that the more you practised, the luckier you became. Others were staunchly suspicious, believing that a large part of winning involved making the most out of the breaks you got along the way.

Johan was somewhere in the middle. He believed that those who worked hard would probably get themselves into positions where they would avoid getting poleaxed by a rogue backmarker, but occasionally, you did just get poleaxed by a rogue backmarker anyway.


Having discussed all this, the pair found themselves a little closer to a decision.

To: Gregori Krupin
From: mariajamasova@mrt.co.mj
Subject: WGPC 17

Dear Mr Krupin,

Following your test performance at the weekend and having looked at your other credentials, we are delighted to offer you the number 2 seat at MRT for the upcoming WGPC season.

Details of our contract offer can be found attached. Thank you for your interest in driving with us and we look forward to your response.

Regards,

Maria Jamasova, deputy team principal at the Mattijana Racing Team.

[Filindostan]

Kopylov InternazionRing
Kranjagrad, Mattijana

MRT's private test was just completed. After Rusty hopped off the car, he was quickly attended to by Werner Ragos, his personal race engineer and the companion he brought along to the test session. He felt that the MRT-17-A was a big improvement compared to last season's challenger that won the constructors' championship, and it would be a tough task should he race against it. He believes that it would be another strong season for them, even if it would be possible that he would not be driving for them next season.

That was what he felt after the test, he, along with Jasmin and Gregori possibly gave Johan and Maria some headaches in selecting their second driver - it was a very close fight, with four seconds separating the three after a series of race pace laps in the circuit. However, race pace mattered - and since Rusty thought he was in last place - which he probably did, he might not be preferred to the other two - after all, race results give you and your team points - not qualifying results, though it will also help you attain the race results you want.

"Seems they are going with the Sorlovian guy." Werner said. "He had good pace, and I heard from his companion that he's a very hardworking person." Rusty did not respond. He took off his helmet, walked away and went out of the garage.

Rusty took his phone from his bag, and opened his contacts application. He browsed through his contacts - he searched for 'Rudolf Ibuna', and pressed the call button. After some minutes, the call was unattended, but he was given an option to leave a message.

"Pa, I'll be attending the Private Test for Badai Angin."

After all, he would take every chance he would get in his search of a WGPC seat, now that his compatriot might get to a seat faster than him this season.

After the test, he went back to the transient house he was renting near the track, and he started walking to a set of balikbayan boxes in front of him.

"Rusty, are you bringing these with us?"

"Hmm, there's still the preseason test at this track. Maybe I'll just bring to the parcel service after that."

[Krytenia]

INTERVIEW WITH ESTEBAN GUILHERMEZ

So, Esteban...
Please, call me Steb.

Indeed. What made you join Mirrors, then?
Honestly? I believe the phrase is "any port in a storm". Mirrors offered a contract, I needed a drive, so I signed.

You're a number two driver, though. Wasn't your sabattical because you didn't want to be a second driver?
When you spend a year watching the world spin without you, you get perspective. I spent last season wallowing in my own hubris, and a second seat drive is better than no drive at all.

What's your thoughts on racing for a team on the wrong side of the Beck?
(laughs) It's funny. Here in Krytenia, we have this whole stereotype of Starblaydia being the "old enemy", but when it comes down to it, it's not that different. OK, so the food's a little less picante, and some of the customs take a little geting used to, but it's not that bad. Plus, the team left a good impression - well, mostly...

Mostly? Sounds like there's a story there. Do tell.
Well, there's a reason Mirrors introduced their second driver before their lead man. My team-mate was meant to be Jai Kardaeri - big name in Starblaydia, obvious choice for team leader. So I go to the team HQ, Jai's there, contract's all but signed, they introduce me as his team-mate. Jai tooks one look at me, turns to the guys, realises they're serious, and walks out. Turns out he's a massive...well, a massive something unbroadcastable. We'll go with "racist", OK?

Crimony. I'm surprised you haven't made a bigger deal of this.
I did think about it. Proclaim from the rooftops about how Jai Kardaeri is this bigoted idiot, and how no team should sign him - but then I had a better idea.

Which is...?
Simple. Humiliate him on the track. After all, if nobody signs him, how can I kick his culo azucarando six ways from Sunday?

Do you think the Mirrors car will allow you to do that?
We've done a few shakedowns, and it feels good. How good though, we have to wait till testing. I'm itching to drive this thing in anger - and if I drive it fast enough, you can't tell it's Starblaydi purple! (laughs)

So what's your goal for the season?
Be competitive, get on some podiums, and feed that Kardaeri a three course meal of dust!

We'll bring the plates! Thanks for your time, Steb.
A pleasure as always.

[Sorlovia]

San Marco, Filindostan
Private Training Session

Gregori had just got back from a private training session when he received the email from MRT. A broad smile spread across his face as he read its contents and a spike of excitement ran through him like an electrical current. MRT had always been his first choice and the fact that they were offering him the second seat was the best news he'd heard all day. Of course it now left him with the rather awkward necessity of having to excuse himself from the Badai Angin, SinVal and Omni test runs but that was all part of the WGPC experience. He would not insult MRT. They had offered him the place on their team after careful consideration and he would take it.

He leaned back in his chair and took a long sip from his coffee as he carefully considered how to best write his response email. He didn't want to come across like an overly excited schoolboy but at the same time he didn't want to sound ambivalent. He needed to show his eagerness in a professional and suitable manner. A touch of excitement would show them that he was passionate and excited about racing for MRT but too much would make him look unprofessional.

To: Maria Jamasova
From: gregorikrupin@volkovmail.com.sor
Subject: WGPC

Dear Ms. Jamasova,

I gratefully accepted your offer of the number two seat at MRT for the upcoming WGPC season. I look forward to racing with MRT and to meeting you. I am available to travel to Matijana at your earliest convenience but I will make preparations immediately. I have long wanted to race with MRT so your offer of a test run was an opportunity I could not pass up and this offer of the second seat is one that is of the utmost interest to me. So I am very excited to race with MRT and I look forward to getting a real feel for the MRT car.

While I have the opportunity I would also like to thank you for giving me this opportunity and for taking a chance on me. I assure you that I will not let you down and that I will give my everything to this season with MRT. Just to confirm, I am humbled and honoured by your offer of the second seat. It is an offer I gratefully accept. I'll see you in Mattijana soon!

Kind regards,
Gregori Krupin

With that email he was now was now technically an MRT driver. All that remained was to travel to Mattijana to sign the paperwork and make a few final arrangements with the race executives. But inside himself Gregori was excited and a little giddy. Being signed to a team was always an exciting moment for a WGPC racer. It came as a validation of your skills as a driver and gave you a sense of worth. Now he just had to excuse himself from Badai Angin Tim, SinVal and Omni. Thus further emails were required.

To: Omni Racing, SinVal
From Gregori Krupin

To whom it may concern,

I would like to sincerely thank you for your kind offers of test runs with your racing teams. But I must politely decline as I have been offered a place at MRT which I have decided to accept. It is not my intention to insult you or your teams but I have to take up this opportunity with MRT. I wish you the best of lucking in finding racers for the remaining spots on your teams and look forward to competing against you in the WGPC. It will be a worthy and enjoyable challenge.

Thank you for taking a chance on me and for giving me an opportunity. Best of luck for WGPC17!

Kind regards,
Gregori Krupin

He'd tried to be as polite as he could in turning Omni and SinVal down. Such emails were always a delicate matter. A racer couldn't afford to appear rude or dismissive of the teams he was turning down. It was a simple matter of respect and politeness. Now was Badai Angin Tim.

To: Rudolf Ibuna
From: Gregori Krupin
Subject: WGPC17

Hi Rudolf,

I would likely to sincerely thank you for the opportunity you gave me and for taking a chance on me. But I have just been offered a position with MRT in their second seat for WGPC17 and I have decided to take them up on this offer. So I have to politely and respectfully decline you offer. I do not mean to appear disrespectful nor do I want to insult your racing team. But being a race team executive you likely know that one has to make the most of opportunities. I have carefully considered this decision so know that it is not one that I make lightly.

Thanks again for the offer and I wish you all the best for WGPC17. I have no doubt that you will find a racer to fill the remaining spot on your team. If I may I would encourage you to consider looking at rookie racers. Hunter Digri might just need an opportunity and someone to give him a chance like VMR did for me last season when I was a fresh rookie.

Sincerely,
Gregori Krupin

With those three emails his future in WGPC17 was decided. He would race with MRT and do the best he could for them. He wondered if Jess had already heard the news. News tended to travel rapidly in the WGPC. When a racer was offered a seat on a race team and when they were signed were topics that tended to travel particularly fast. The teams themselves liked the advertise the fact that they had secured a racer perhaps as much to show of their portfolio ahead of the season and to brag to other race teams. Oh? You'd been eyeing that particular racer? Well now he's signed with us! There was no harm in a bit of inter-team bragging. it came with the territory.

Of course, Gregori gave his everything to every race. He raced to the best of his abilities pushing himself and his car as far as he possibly could in order to do as well as he possibly could. His father had taught him as a boy that if you were going to do a thing you did it to the best of your ability. Only a foolish man did things half-assed. If you had the skills and the opportunity you did everything you could to do as well as you could. Whether that be in your studies, your job, your marriage, your children or a WGPC race.

He was looking forward to racing with MRT. It was a great next step for his WGPC career and it would give him opportunities and a chance to learn a new car.

[Aboveland]

Iskajärvi, Aboveland

Terho crashes down on the living room chair and kicks his shoes off across the room. He curls his toes, throws his slightly overgrown hair back with his hand, the thick locks flowing across his digits, and lets out a heavy, renewing sigh. Hanging out with iBen and showing him around the little there was to see around Iskajärvi had certainly been entretaining. As the two walked side by side down the city's white concrete sidewalks, the pale summer evening glowing on their faces, cutting the bitter cold with a puff of warmth, one with a warm coffee, the other with a fatty hot chocolate, Terho's nostalgia bone felt a small rattle. It was a split second swoosh to his early WGPC days, the V&T test in the old spec car, the drift around the Hammertail hairpin... the days spent perfecting his technique, the arduous practice sessions, the steep learning curve, the rallying retreats, the way he looked up to iBen as a sort of idol, a force to be beckoned with, greater than a mentor, an almighty index of knowledge and wisdom...


It had certainly been entertaining, for sure, but emotionally draining nonetheless. After so much time spent during the winter in the relative intimacy of the TRÆ paddock, the task of developing AGP 002 his purest concern, accompanied by only a handful of staff, among them his best friend, the act of social interaction had become a pastime rather than a focus, an afterthought rather than a priority. Yes, iBen was, and still is, one of the people Terho is most fond of, if not so close to, and the trip down, literally, Memory Lane, had hearkened back to a simpler time of aggressive divebombs and silly spins in matte gray mystery machines, it all felt like a distant memory of a story he'd been told about himself from which he could still clutch a few loose threads. Even though he could turn his head a few degrees to the right, facing the shelf on which a sole trophy, his two year old world champion cup, stood discreetly, and still feel the brass etch into his heart a new tally mark of appreciation, of pride, of glory and of fiery passion, he was conscious that in the two full years since then so much had changed, despite so much staying the same: still a sauna fanatic, still Edvin's best friend, still an aggressive dive-bombing zig-zagging rascal at heart; no longer a rally star but a circuit ace (and, on the rare occasions he needed an ego boost, perhaps a future legend, or at the very least a notable name in bold deep within the alphabet soup of WGPC encyclopedias), a dependable, skillful driver, devoted fully to the supreme goal of becoming world champion once again, maybe meaner, maybe quieter, maybe more precise. he found that the old Abovian nobody who was all this and all that after his first wildcard test wasn't the same Abovian former world champion and multiple race winner, once tangled in a bitter rivalry and now a humble jewel to those who knew him best, one of inconceivable ups and torrential downs, one of tantrums and blood and guts and tears and laughs and gasps and clenches, but still youthfully hungry, blissfully ignorant, and self-harmingly obsessed with self improvement, and proving to himself his own self worth.

A flash of lightning blinded Terho in his deep lounge state of mind, and the ensuing window-rattling thunder comforted him like a weighted blanket. His contorted body, his back curled up like a twirl of butter, wriggled and snuggled closer to the backrest of the chair, his shoulder sinking between it and the armrest. Still recovering from the flashback, the soft patter of the rain fading to a gentle flurry of sleet, he pulled out his phone to skim through all the WGPC news he'd missed during the tests, his right thumb idly scrolling down past the striking Nexus Racing livery, the Filindostani test results, the confirmation of Sayono Souzare's continuation in the series, the return of Sorlovian Gregori Kruipin, the fading to black of his eyes and his jaw lazily swinging ajar...

Another rapturous thunderbolt. A jolt, and a flick of the thumb, and an intrusive phone call from Edvin again.

Terho rubbed his face, and paused for a moment. He looked out toward the lake. The sleet had already irregularly obscured his balcony doors, and while Lintulahti wasn't exactly right near Iskajärvi, the sleet must have had reached the racetrack by then, and knowing the nature of the bay, a magnitude more violently. Edvin's call was likely a "I'll be there later than we'd agreed" affair, a notice that he'd stick around an hour or so more to fill out paperwork or finalize a schedule for the March 10th test. He'd learnt from last time he refused to call back that, perhaps, rejecting the call wasn't a terribly good idea, but Terho had grown increasingly suspicious of phone calls and their anxiety-fueling demand of the recipient's time. With a heave and a grunt, he turned his legs toward the coffee table and lurched out of his slothy cradle, drogging groggily to the kitchen counter, his phone still vibrating erratically to the rhythm of the trumpet heavy ringtone. His thumb pumped the power button, and the call was silenced. Peace. At the kitchen counter, he unhooked a small espresso cup from the tiny hooks above the machine and set it under the nozzle, ogling the gorgeously smooth cream layer melding with the rest of the liquid as it flowed, the hammering sound of the espresso maker a rapture in the still silence of the apartment, stirred only by the flurry outside. Once the last drop of brown elixir had plopped into the cup, he took it in his index and thumb, supporting it with his pinky, and walked slowly to the balcony door, looking out at the lake and its increasingly frequent ripples. His phone chimed briefly in his other hand; the notification, from Edvin, read "I'll be there later than we agreed, filling out paperwork and getting a test schedule ready, see you for dinner x".

He pressed his left index finger this time to the power button and let the glass slab fade to sleep, chucking it to the side.

The espresso cream adhered to his upper lip, and he licked it off with the tip of his tongue. A smack and a smile. Peace at last, if for a moment; the rekindled embers of his racing spirit arousing into flame.

[Mytanija]

Capka-Hola, Miago, Vojovitica

Juraj was a large man, not particularly in height, but his predilections towards alcohol and pastries meant that his belly protruded out a significant distance from his body. Sometimes it looked almost like he had a fat-suit on, but in reality, he was just seriously obese. When he moved about, his heavy breathing was an early-warning system for his arrival. Kosta could hear it, along with the heavy footsteps that were the confirmation to the breathing. Kosta knew Juraj was heading into the garage.

They had been working on their vehicle for the new season for months now and they had started to feel like they had a machine that could challenge at the very top. They also had received the rather pleasing news that one of their biggest rivals was leaving the domestic scene. It was a relief to many, but Kosta and Juraj in particular had shared a celebratory drink when they had heard. Some said that it was a real loss to the domestic circuit, but Kosta and Juraj couldn’t disagree more. They had been beaten into 2nd place far too many times to feel any sentiment towards her. They hoped she went off and attempted for years to try and succeed only to fail each and every time – and hopefully she never returned.

“Kosta, have you seen this?!” Juraj wheezed, shouting before he had even entered the room. His body shuffled places rather than walked, to walk would be too much exertion, it would incapacitate not only his limbs but his respiratory system were he to move any quicker than he did.

“Seen what, Juraj?” Kosta asked, sighing. He had been trying to fiddle with a particularly frustrating piece of equipment on the car, but trying to get it working correctly would have to wait a little longer. At this point, every second counted, they didn’t have too long until the start of the season and although they were confident in this car – like they were most seasons – they had no time to waste.

“This,” Juraj spluttered and his shuffling stopped. He had tried to talk and shuffle at the same time and his body hadn’t reacted well. Juraj stopping intermittently to cough and catch his breath was something Kosta was entirely used to. “This… fucking rag!” Juraj spat and as he did so a newspaper came flying through the air and slapped down in front of Kosta. “Stupid fucking interview…” Juraj muttered, shuffling around the car and examining it closely.

Kosta cast his eye over it. It was about Jelena Colac-Strek, the young girl who had become their greatest rival in a very short time and let them know about it every single time they raced. Some thought it was good having a girl around motorsports, many involved in it held the complete opposite view. She would convey this very cheery image outwardly, but when in the paddock or at race meetings she was a completely different character. She made a point of passing comment on Juraj every time she saw him, usually saying something relating to his weight or his slovenly nature.

‘Colac-Strek is doubly a unicorn given the fact that she is from a relatively wealthy, comfortable upper class background. Motorsport tends to be the preserve of working-class greasers from cities like Miago and Ibon…’

“Well lookie here Juraj, the journo’s got us down to a tee.” Kosta smirked. “Working-class greasers.” He chuckled.

“Aye, the fucking bitch has got them eating out of the palm of her hand.” Juraj said, wrench in hand. “You seen how they’re going on about her? Oh it must have been so hard trying to break into motor racing here when it’s all men. It must have been difficult being so rich and trying to slum it in motor racing with all us poor people. Fucking shite.”

“Tell us how you really feel, lad,” Kosta laughed.

“Fuck off Kosta, she’ll get what’s coming to her. I hope she goes testing for one of those WGPC teams and she fucks it right up and they tell her where to go.”

“Be careful what you wish for Juraj, she might come back here and beat us again.” Kosta, clearly the more level-headed of the pair, could see the funny side of the whole thing. And whilst he didn’t particularly like Jelena Colac-Strek, it had been Juraj who had started the entire thing by wolf-whistling at her in the paddock at one of the first races they had faced off against one another. She had overtaken Kosta five laps in and Juraj had given him an earful over the radio, but she was fearless and seemed to sneak through gaps Kosta hadn’t believed to be there. She was good. Kosta couldn’t say that to Juraj, though. So he didn’t: “Anyway, word on the street is that she is struggling to find any team willing to take her, if that makes you feel any better?”

“I mean it does, at least a little bit,” Juraj wheezed again. “But she wouldn’t be coming back to beat us, not this season. We’ve got the car to beat this time.”

“Well, we’ll see man.”

---

Vutosko, Vojovitica

“I’ve got some good news for you Jelena!” Tomas, Jelena’s Dad shouted to her from in the kitchen.

“Yeah?!” Jelena shouted back, immediately standing up and rushing towards the kitchen. She could imagine him cracking one of his awful Dad jokes, something about cooking something good to eat instead of the good news that she really would expect him to call her to the kitchen to hear. She could see it already. ‘Oh Daaaaaad’ she would groan. Surely he couldn’t do it again. When she reached the kitchen he was hunched over his laptop, though, this time it looked like something of substance.

“SinVal sent an open email calling for drivers to test for them. It’s your first real opportunity to go and show a WGPC team what you can do.” Tomas said, smiling. He reached out to pull his daughter in for a hug. “This is it, this is the opportunity you need!” He said eagerly. Jelena smiled, but she didn’t seem as ecstatic as he had imagined she would be. “You aren’t happy?”

“No, this is great Dad. I’m pleased!” Jelena said, but she didn’t look enormously pleased.

“Then why the long face?”

“Did you say it was an ‘open email’?” Jelena asked.

“Well yeah, but that’s what teams do at the start of the season—” Tomas started to explain, but was cut-off by Jelena groaning.

“I’d hoped that someone would at least show some interest in me specifically, not just an anonymous mass email which anybody could respond to saying they’d be all too happy to go and test for them…”

“Jelena,” Her Dad said, suddenly serious, his voice tinged with frustration. “These WGPC teams aren’t going to be emailing you based solely on what you have done in Mytanar racing. They aren’t going to do it. They have plenty of options, lots of them have driven in the WGPC before, or at least WGP2! This is the best chance you’re going to get.”

“No, no,” Jelena protested. “I am happy Dad, it’s just… I dunno, I had hoped with the Gazeta Sporta interview and seeing how I’ve done in Mytanija that someone would at least… y’know, take a punt and ask me down to test for them.”

“It doesn’t work like that Jelena, Mytanija’s not got the reputation in this sport to warrant that. Plus, these teams have big sponsors that they need to get results for and at this point in time you’re neither a sure-thing nor a big enough name for them to take the risk. You need to go and show them why they should take a risk. Seize the opportunity that this gives you.”

“Cheers Dad,” Jelena said sarcastically, before seeing her Dad’s face and quickly carrying on. “Right, yeah, when is the testing?”

“I’m going to email Alaina Navarro now asking for more details, but seriously, you need to change your attitude. I know I’m your Dad, but I’m not going to sugar coat things like this Jelena. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there and not just in motor racing, you’d do well to recognise that.”

---

Kultura Building
Esca, Zentria

Élodie Strek didn’t usually read Gazeta Sporta, she would much prefer to read a political broadsheet or a foreign language magazine about fashion or lifestyle – that was the line of work she was in after all – but a colleague had told her that she absolutely had to read this particular edition. Gazeta Sporta was a daily sports newspaper and the edition Élodie was reading was about a week old, but then, it wasn’t something she ever really read. Her colleague had recommended this particular one to her for a reason. There was an exclusive interview with Jelena splashed across the front page. Jelena, Élodie’s daughter. The two hadn’t spoken for a while.

When Jelena had said she had her heart set on racing cars Élodie hadn’t believed her. She thought it would be a phase, that Jelena just wanted the thrill of it and that her father, Tomas, had managed to pass his obsession onto their daughter. Élodie had dismissed it as something Jelena would grow out of, she wouldn’t want to carry on eventually. Surely she would realise that it wasn’t a career suitable for her, there was so much danger, Jelena didn’t need to be involved in that – there were so many other things that she could do!

For years Élodie had hoped she would follow her into fashion or modelling, she could easily do either. Jelena looked very much like her mother and therefore modelling – something Élodie had been so successful in – would surely be a natural fit. She also had an eye for design and was intelligent enough to know how to use it. She didn’t need to be out there driving those stupid cars. So many people got badly injured driving them and Élodie didn’t want that for her daughter.

She couldn’t pretend that it was all on that, there was something deep-seated in Élodie’s psyche that just recoiled at the idea of her daughter racing. It just wasn’t a sport for ladies, not in Mytanija anyway. There was just something in her mind that disliked the idea, it was irrational, Élodie knew that. She was so often at the forefront of the fight for equality, championing women’s issues regularly as the editor of Kultura, but on this one particular thing – this one particular thing that affected her daughter – she couldn’t seem to agree with it. Élodie didn’t even know why anymore. Her viewpoint had long lost any sense of reasoning.

She sat, reading the lines in the interview about her, where Jelena discussed how upset she had been about her parents divorcing. Life was too short for this. Élodie was a grown adult woman, the pangs of disgust and regret in her stomach were well-deserved. She had been childish in this whole thing. Why was motor racing not for women? Why couldn’t they be involved in it? How could Élodie, an editor of a magazine that professed to be one that was deeply feminist at its very heart, claim that a sport wasn’t ladylike? Particularly when it concerned her daughter, the very person Élodie should have been fighting the feminist cause for, so that she could freely pursue this sort of opportunity in the way a man could.

It was time to make amends. Élodie picked up her phone.

[Sorlovia]

Weststrand, Mattijana
Gregori's Rental Villa

Gregori admitted to himself that he'd taken quite a liking to Weststrand since first spending time in Mattijana. He felt comfortable and it had a somewhat homely feel to it. The fact that it was near the sea reminded him of his hometown Solnichniy. Perhaps that was why he liked it so much? Now that he was going to be racing with MRT he would be spending a lot of time in Mattijana in training and on downtime so it was important that he had a homebase. He would be spending a lot of time at the MRT Headquarters and on their practice tracks but it was also important that he had somewhere to relax and escape when he had the chance. Every racer need breaks now and then to unwind and prepare. If you didn't take breaks you burnt yourself out quickly. He needed somewhere for him and Elena to relax and enjoy their time. She would be joining him in a week's time and would follow him around the WGPC when her schedule allowed it. But she'd managed to secure large portions of time when she could be with him.

"I like it here," he said softly to himself as he leaned down in the deckchair "it's warm and quiet."

Villa was perhaps a more luxurious name for the rental accommodation he had booked. It gave an impression of being luxurious and expensive. But the two-storey coastal cottage was humbler than its name might suggest. It was built out of coastal rock and he been designed to look modern while also appearing to fit into its setting. It was large but affordable. Gregori wasn't the type for flashy shows of wealth. He prefered to be careful and responsible with his money. He'd grown up in a poor household raised by blue collar parents which had given him an appreciation for money while also training him to be careful with his money. He knew the value for a rouble and never splurged unnecessarily.

To: Elena Popov
From: Gregori Krupin

My darling,

I know you will like it here in Weststrand. The climate is to your liking and there are plenty of nice shops that you will enjoy. When you arrive I want to take you out to dinner. There is this nice little restaurant on the edge of time that I just know you will love. I have our housing sorted and can't wait to show you around. Travel safe and know that I love you.

Love,
Gregori Krupin

Gregori leaned back in his chair and took a sip from his short glass of bourbon. He wouldn't be a true Sorlovian if he didn't like bourbon! But he only drank in careful moderation and only on a few choice occasions. This was a relaxation and celebratory drink to celebrate the offer of a position with MRT which he had immediately accepted before traveling to Matijana. He shook the glass gently smiling at the sound of the ice cubes clinking against the side. It wouldn't be long before MRT contacted him to arrange the next step in the proceedings and he didn't have any commercial appearances to take part in. The season would be very busy before long so he would make the most of this chance at relaxation. His sports drink brand was doing well and continued to bring in a good stream of revenue so that was a weight off his mind.

[Savojarna]

An apartment building in central Kranjagrad, Mattijana

Sigur Bjarnason was sitting on his couch, in front of a big TV, watching he drawing of the World Cup. It had been a long say of testing on the Ring, and he couldn't wait to get a teammate to help. Somewhere in the back of his head, he hoped it would be Jasmina. The two didn't work together all that much, but were cooperating during the development of the new car, and he kinda liked the attitude of the young Mattijanan. She reminded him of his own rookie self. Maybe he should look out for her a bit during the season. It would be nice to have a teammate I know, he thought, and Jasmina seemed friendlier than the always rather businesslike Rusty Ibuna. Sigur never really talked to Krupin last year, but nobody who spent the year at VMR could be boring or mean. He rather liked the Vangazi team.

As the groups were being drawn, bottom up to build suspense, his phone vibrated twice. First, it was a notification of a piece of media analysis on the new calendar. The exclusion of both Mattijana and Savojarna had frustrated Sigur. No home race for either him or his team, but testing on two tracks he knew way too good already. At least they also removed Forest Cross, and the inclusion of a new road track seemed fun. He also liked the layout of the Mytanar track, and was looking forward to it. The second notification was much more interesting, and came from Krister:

This isn't official yet, but it's Krupin

and seconds later:

Nothing is signed yet. You'll learn this from the press

Sigur smiled. He wasn't even sure whether he was supposed to know that at all, but he'd find out soon enough anyway. He looked around the house, a modern but slightly soulless apartment in the centre of the city. In the parking lot under the window stood a flashy Landsmarks Automobilen Trollan SRC Edition, Sigur's personal car. It was a sports version of LA's famous 4x4, limited to the necessary 250 pieces to obtain the permission to race the car in the national rally championship. It was a gift by the LA Racing Team to celebrate his call-up to MRT. He didn't particularly liked putting it out there as it attracted way too much attention to his house, but there was no real other place.

In the house, only a few things showed who lived here. Behind the couch hung a big Savojar flag. It was a souvenir from Audioslavia, where a fan had given it to Sigur in celebration. A photo of Sigur, Krister, Lara, his fitness coach and five of his engineering crew in front of a WGPC16 MRT stood on the table in a frame. It was taken at Kopylov before the GP tsa Mattijana. Three trophies from Vulkanas, Rivoli and the Constructor's Title stood on a shelf together with his books, and Sigur's mountainbike hung on the wall of the living room. There was a small kitchen corner (not that Sigur used it much) and two doors, one leading to an equally soulless bedroom with a picture of his family on the nightstand, his younger sister proudly wearing an MRT cap he sent her; the other leading to a bathroom. Nevertheless, it was Sigur's apartment.

He liked the idea of living in Mattijana for a while, and it was a big part of why he signed with MRT. Last year, he didn't have his own place yet, but now that he'd be spending the summer in development with the team, he thought it would be a good idea. Suddenly he had a thought. It would help him to get to know his teammate, and it would help him to get some of the pressure of the new season off. It also seemed appropriate to celebrate his arrival in Mattijana. He took out his address book and messaged all the people he knew in Kranjagrad or MRT. Finally, he sent the same message to Krupin, having found him on a social media account.

Hey guys, I have a new place in Kranjagrad! If we're working together, we should know each other, and I wanna celebrate my arrival in this country. Let me know if you'd like to come to a house warming at mine - I'll order some Savojar mead and cider
Cheers, Sigur

He sent the messages off and pocketed his phone again. On the screen, Savojarna was drawn into a group with Abanhfleft and Vilita. It would be fun - just like the racing season ahead of them.

[Filindostan]

Yogyakulta International Circuit
Yogyakulta, Filindostan

It was the day before the private test organized by Badai Angin, and the three heads of the team discussed important matters in their meeting. The number of drivers attending the test were reduced by one as Gregori Krupin cancelled his participation as he was already offered the second drivers' seat at MRT, luckily for the Sorlovian, he did not yet travel to Pelita Raya Island as he stayed in San Marco for some days before the test. He did gave a recommendation to a Vadknessian driver, Hunter Digri, but Rudolf felt that it would be unfair to both Cesaro and Liuyong to invite a non-participant in the open test to the private test while they attended and failed to make it to the cut - though one of them would have gotten the chance, if not only for the sequence of events that put his son Rusty officially out of the MRT team and forced him to attend the test as a last resort of making it to the WGPC grid this season.

"Do we intend to replace Gregori at the private test?" One of the two subordinates asked.

"No. We shall carry on with seven participants. Less participants, less selection headaches. Also the testing is tomorrow, it's near impossible for anyone to fly to Yogyakulta and be at the track without any jet lags or such."

"Will you let Tyra run the private test with the BAP001?" Eko asked.

"I don't intend to. She might be getting the seat at Fireline, so I would not want her to drive the car at the meantime. She should focus on her new drive once she is confirmed for the new season. She did a good job testing the tyres we have using the KS01, so there's that." Rudolf explained the circumstances to the two.

"Now for the format, I have informed all participants that we will have a 2-day, 4-session test to determine the two seats for Badai Angin. But, I do not intend to offer the two seats at the same time. We do need to think about the circumstances..."

"...for Rusty, right? I know what you're thinking, Dolf. But it's your decision. It might be risky, but we support you whatever plan you have. At least we can attend the first pre-season test even if we only have one driver at that time." Bryant agreed with Rudolf's points.

Rudolf did not speak for some seconds. But he know his guys understand the situation well. He asked Eko if the livery has been painted to all four cars.

"No, as you told. All four will have gray livery, as you instructed me to do."

"Good, now I'll drill down the sessions. For the first day, the morning session will be a practice session, They have time to set some laps, but we'll take the five fastest laps and tally them. Same with the afternoon session, but we will simulate a wet track, and hopefully the drainage would do its job for the sessions next day. Morning for day 2 will be a traditional qualifying simulation, with only the fastest lap to be counted, and the afternoon session for day two will be a one-shot qualifying simulation. This time only one car will be used by the participants, with fresh tyres for each driver. For the scoring, it would be a 5-4-3-2-1 for the practice, and 10-8-6-4-3-2-1 for the day 2 sessions. Top 3 fastest laps for the practice sessions will get a 3-2-1 scoring."

"Sounds like a good plan. Let's discuss other agendas for today."

The three await the seven participants who will partake in the private test tomorrow: Alex Dimitrianov, Asao Nadakei, Xiaopeng Jang, Carsten O'Rourke, Jasmin Kranjska, Jacoppo Montaguti, and Rustom Ibuna.

[Aboveland]

Vankkavalta, Aboveland
Vankkavalta International Airport

A heavy, homey smell emanates from the rough, short-stranded carpet, navy blue and streaked with helixes of white and green. Terho picks at the rare loose thread to his side, pulling every few flicks of his fingers to hear the thread rip a line down the flooring. For all its modern architecture and characteristic design, with swoops of metal and large, slightly slanted glass walls facing the taxiways, Vankkavalta International Airport fails to redefine the travelers' experience. The waiting seats at the gate are still inch-thick foam benches with shared armrests and barely believable leatherette upholstery, crammed with cross-legged laptop-bearing men, obnoxious backpackers who refuse to jam their portable wardrobes between their legs, and families of four who struggle to keep the younger devils in their parties satisfied and with their hands full of Circle Citrus Cereal. As per usual, Terho and Edvin haven't paid extra for a lounge pass; the flight to Esmerel from Iskajärvi—and, well, any international flight from the city—had to pass through Vankkavalta. Despite the city's growing population and total area, the airport (and ArcticAir) hadn't yet been serviced by a non-regional route, with all of its flights remaining within the confines of the Nordic Lands. The layover at the capital was only scheduled to be about two hours long, which didn't warrant the extra price for a few cubes of bland fruit and seedful grapes and a nice seat to relax on, so the traveling duo opted for the Essentials fare, landing them smack in the middle of the economy seats. In spite of his enormous popularity, the particular trip had seen barely anybody recognize Terho in public, or at least vocally, so the journey had thus far been quite quiet.

***

For Terho, the wait on the floor, back against the steel beam support which lined the terminal, looking out at the airplanes sitting idly at their gates with the occasional landing in the background, was all part of the experience of going on any trip. The layover, the aimless walks around the terminal, the overpriced coffee, the tedious wait on the heavy, homey smelling carpet, all added to the charm and build-up before boarding the plane, the climax of any trip, the g-force from the takeoff tickling the Abovian's adrenaline bone, the approach and landing bringing out the analytic pedant within him. Maybe sometimes he'd listen to music, or just stare out silently onto the tarmac, frequently covered in a fluffy layer of white powder, his glossy eyes glistening with childish awe, or very rarely read a book.

For Edvin, any layover was a pain in the ass, a hernia in his crotch, a migraine-inducing ordeal. He hated the check-in queue, the security queue, the immigration queue, the free shop checkout queue, the coffee shop queue, the boarding (and, as had recently become popular, the jetway-waiting) queue and the unboarding queue, and the crowded, rowdy baggage claim queues, and the taxi stand queue... Unlike Terho, who found the, quote unquote, "internationally infused" smell of the carpet comforting, it was the first thing Edvin scrambled to cleanse from his body and clothes as he arrived at wherever his destination was. The less travel, the better. The magic in his eyes as he stared out past the polarized viewing glass was an impossibility, an entirely hypothetical and unattainable quality, his stare devoid of soul, emotion, excitement and tolerance, a glare of annoyance and alcoholic desire. The reaction that could potentially arise from mixing Terho's yin to Edvin's yang was deemed too catastrophic to attempt most of the time, so save for the daytime downtime during longer flights, both Abovians tended to keep to themselves on long trips.

This time, though, ArcticAir flight 809 was a red-eye due to arrive in Esmerel the next afternoon; the winter sky had completely darkened by six-thirty PM that evening and a sizeable snow flurry had delayed all flights for extensive de-icing and clouded the windows around certain areas where the floor mounted air-con vents had no openings. The good viewing seats were already taken, it seemed, even on the floor, and the flight was looking to be absolutely packed. The delay had extended the layover by a couple of hours, and neither Terho nor Edvin had come with enough preparation to endure the extra time. Thus, the two turn to each other for entertainment, one as a histrionic, overly-excited aviation nerd suffering withdrawal symptoms from a lack of eye-candy, the other as a fatally bored spirit animal, in a rare occasion of dialogue during layovers. Terho, his attention span lost to the condensation on the glass before him, is the first to bite.

"I'd have been a pilot if I'd never rallied," he says offhandedly, without much of a response. "How's everything looking for the test?" he then says, less enthusiastic but more insistently, shifting to his left to nudge Edvin and seeking an answer.

The Abovian turns lethargically to face him, but with a surprising amount of tranquility and well-mannered disposition. "Really-" A yawn begins, through a second "really...", plus an eye rub, and then, "good. The cars are probably there by now, and the mechanics arrived... today, I think?"

"That's good," Terho replies, flat. There's a pause. He cracks his knuckles with his thumb, a habit picked up from Janne Laukkanen. An old-ish dog learning new-ish tricks, ish, thinks Terho silently.

Edvin continues to row the conversation canoe a slight bit further downstream. "You saw the calendar, right?"

Terho nods, "yeah," but cocks his head and frowns a little. "Well, kinda. I only saw that mega quad-header of awesome races we kick off after the second mid season break."

Edvin fidgets to turn slightly more to his right, facing Terho more head on, and starts feeling his grumpy strings tugged into the conversation. "Yeah, well," he says, "I guess it's the most important thing to see. It would have been nice to have Esmerel as a race though."

Terho chuckles. "Yeah, that track is fucking wild. And with the downforce on the new car? I upped my neck game specifically for the 10th." Edvin smiles. "And Mount Salt is finally gone too," he says.

"Oh thank fuck," sighs Terho. "Lovely place, really, but that track was fucking terrible."

"Eh, not exactly," Edvin objects. "You just sucked at it."

"Shut up."

They both chuckle, one more nervously than the other.

"The finale-"

"At Crossport, yeah," interrupts Terho. "And Vilita for the race, rather than Turori. Wise choice. Love that track."

"It really is gorgeous," Edvin says, his eyes filling with the slightest shine for the first time since they'd arrived at the airport back at Iskajärvi for the first leg of the trip.

"Oh!" Terho adds. "And the liveries! Nexus have knocked it out of the fucking park, man," he says, excited like a puppy, his hands rising and falling, closing and opening, emphasizing greatness.

Edvin's eyes widen and drop reverently. "Easily the classiest looking car ever. They even made Arial Round look good, right?"

Terho looks shocked. "Is it really Arial Round?"

As the two ponder the possibility that Arial Round had made its way onto a WGPC livery, the PA announcement system echoes through the terminal; the Abovians hear the feminine voice which crackles down the roof-mounted speakers far clearer and fractionally earlier than on the broadcast, and turn their heads to the boarding counter.

"Finally," Terho groans, even his giddy self exhausted from the delay, throwing his backpack across his back while standing. "Let's go," he says to Edvin, stretching out a hand. "We board first."

Edvin looks confused, but still prepares to get up. "Aren't we standard fare?"

"Sure," Terho says. "But you hate waiting." He wiggles his boarding pass, stuffed in his passport, in Edvin's face. "Boarding group one, bud."

Edvin grins, and gets up with his friends' help. "Nice."

The two get past the boarding queue first, but still wait a few more minutes on the freezing jetway before the cabin is open for them to trudge down the aisles to the mid-back of the plane. Terho sticks around a little longer at the front of the plane for a picture with the pilot at his request, who wears a '#56' pin next to the wing pin on his shirt.

[Filindostan]

Yogyakulta Private Test

Lap Record:      	00:01:32.000
Qualifying Type:	Traditional
Nation:         	FID
Circuit:        	Yogyakulta International Circuit

Car Information
Chassis Name: Badai Angin BAP001
Engine: Badai Angin BA90008 V10, naturally aspirated, mid mounted, rear wheel drive
Tyres: Solymok Megfogo GTx (dry tyres), Solymok Loccsanas GTx (wet)
Transmission: Badai Angin 7-Speed Semi-automatic
Fuel: Petrofilindo Cepat
Livery (test livery):

Day 1: Session 1 - Dry Practice Session

• Fastest lap, as well as aggregate of five fastest laps are recorded
• Any driver can use any of the four cars with the same setup

POS # DRIVER                   FASTEST LAP	BEHIND LEADER
 1 82 Jacoppo Montaguti        00:01:32.006	00:00:00.000   3
 2 71 Rustom Ibuna             00:01:32.038	00:00:00.032   2
 3 22 Jasmin Kranjska          00:01:32.061	00:00:00.055   1
 4 13 Xiaopeng Jang            00:01:32.075	00:00:00.069
 5 64 Carsten O'Rourke         00:01:32.103	00:00:00.096
 6 42 Alex Dimitrianov         00:01:32.120	00:00:00.114
 7 55 Asao Nadakei             00:01:32.262	00:00:00.256

Five Lap Tally

DIM              MTG              ORK              KRA              NDK              JNG              IBU
00:01:32.120     00:01:32.006     00:01:32.103     00:01:32.061     00:01:32.262     00:01:32.075     00:01:32.038
00:01:32.192     00:01:32.020     00:01:32.126     00:01:32.132     00:01:33.536     00:01:32.270     00:01:32.070
00:01:33.147     00:01:32.091     00:01:32.380     00:01:32.385     00:01:34.161     00:01:32.387     00:01:32.887
00:01:34.530     00:01:32.255     00:01:33.735     00:01:32.613     00:01:35.035     00:01:32.569     00:01:33.057
00:01:34.737     00:01:32.595     00:01:33.887     00:01:32.657     00:01:36.395     00:01:33.111     00:01:33.410

00:07:46.726     00:07:40.967     00:07:44.231     00:07:41.848     00:07:51.389     00:07:42.412     00:07:43.462

1 82 Jacoppo Montaguti (SRA)   00:07:40.967	  5
2 22 Jasmin Kranjska (MTJ)     00:07:41.848	  4
3 13 Xiaopeng Jang (VNG)       00:07:42.412	  3
4 71 Rustom Ibuna (FID)        00:07:43.462	  2
5 64 Carsten O'Rourke (AUD)    00:07:44.231	  1
6 42 Alex Dimitrianov (MTJ)    00:07:46.726	
7 55 Asao Nadakei (HDR)        00:07:51.389

Day 1: Session 2 - Wet Practice Session (Light Showers)

• Fastest lap, as well as aggregate of five fastest laps are recorded
• Any driver can use any of the four cars with the same setup

POS # DRIVER                   FASTEST LAP	BEHIND LEADER
 1 71 Rustom Ibuna             00:01:40.296	00:00:00.000   3
 2 64 Carsten O'Rourke         00:01:40.302	00:00:00.006   2
 3 82 Jacoppo Montaguti        00:01:40.303	00:00:00.007   1
 4 13 Xiaopeng Jang            00:01:40.306	00:00:00.010
 5 22 Jasmin Kranjska          00:01:40.308	00:00:00.012
 6 42 Alex Dimitrianov         00:01:40.776	00:00:00.480
 7 55 Asao Nadakei             00:01:41.053	00:00:00.757

Five Lap Tally

DIM              MTG              ORK              KRA              NDK              JNG              IBU
00:01:41.547     00:01:40.303     00:01:40.302     00:01:40.308     00:01:41.053     00:01:40.306     00:01:40.296
00:01:41.713     00:01:40.367     00:01:40.313     00:01:40.901     00:01:41.571     00:01:40.318     00:01:40.319
00:01:42.154     00:01:40.379     00:01:40.406     00:01:41.086     00:01:43.314     00:01:40.580     00:01:40.557
00:01:42.519     00:01:40.821     00:01:40.411     00:01:41.679     00:01:43.739     00:01:40.699     00:01:40.627
00:01:42.811     00:01:42.515     00:01:40.667     00:01:45.608     00:01:44.309     00:01:41.056     00:01:40.865 

00:08:30.744     00:08:24.385     00:08:22.099     00:08:29.582     00:08:33.986     00:08:22.959     00:08:22.664

1 64 Carsten O'Rourke (AUD)    00:08:22.099   5
2 71 Rustom Ibuna (FID)        00:08:22.664   4
3 13 Xiaopeng Jang (VNG)       00:08:22.959   3
4 82 Jacoppo Montaguti (SRA)   00:08:24.385   2
5 22 Jasmin Kranjska (MTJ)     00:08:29.582   1
6 42 Alex Dimitrianov (MTJ)    00:08:30.744
7 55 Asao Nadakei (HDR)        00:08:33.986

Standings after Day 1

1 82 Jacoppo Montaguti (SRA)   11
2 71 Rustom Ibuna (FID)        11
3 64 Carsten O'Rourke (AUD)     8
4 13 Xiaopeng Jang (VNG)        6
5 22 Jasmin Kranjska (MTJ)      6
6 42 Alex Dimitrianov (MTJ)     0
7 55 Asao Nadakei (HDR)         0

Day 2: Session 1 - Qualifying Trad Simulation

• Fastest lap is recorded
• Any driver can use any of the four cars with the same setup

POS # DRIVER                   FASTEST LAP	BEHIND LEADER
 1 13 Xiaopeng Jang            00:01:32.018	00:00:00.000   10
 2 64 Carsten O'Rourke         00:01:32.023	00:00:00.005    8
 3 71 Rustom Ibuna             00:01:32.026	00:00:00.008    6
 4 42 Alex Dimitrianov         00:01:32.030	00:00:00.012    4
 5 55 Asao Nadakei             00:01:32.034	00:00:00.016    3
 6 82 Jacoppo Montaguti        00:01:32.039	00:00:00.021    2
 7 22 Jasmin Kranjska          00:01:32.068	00:00:00.050    1

Day 2: Session 2 - Qualifying One-Shot Simulation

• Fastest lap is recorded
• All drivers will use only one car with tyres replaced with a fresh batch after each run

POS # DRIVER                   FASTEST LAP	BEHIND LEADER
 1 22 Jasmin Kranjska          00:01:32.000	00:00:00.000   10
 2 42 Alex Dimitrianov         00:01:32.065	00:00:00.065    8
 3 82 Jacoppo Montaguti        00:01:32.219	00:00:00.218    6
 4 64 Carsten O'Rourke         00:01:33.289	00:00:01.289    4
 5 71 Rustom Ibuna             00:01:33.414	00:00:01.414    3
 6 55 Asao Nadakei             00:01:34.269	00:00:02.269    2
 7 13 Xiaopeng Jang            00:01:36.355	00:00:04.355    1

Final Standings

R  # Driver                     SW  D1  D2    T
1 64 Carsten O'Rourke (AUD)      1   8  12   20
2 71 Rustom Ibuna (FID)          0  11   9   20
3 82 Jacoppo Montaguti (SRA)     1  11   8   19
4 13 Xiaopeng Jang (VNG)         1   6  11   17
5 22 Jasmin Kranjska (MTJ)       1   6  11   17
6 42 Alex Dimitrianov (MTJ)      0   0  12   12
7 55 Asao Nadakei (HDR)          0   0   5    5

---

After the test was completed, the participants, as well as the staff of the team went to a restaurant near the track to have the dinner, after two grueling days at the track. Rudolf delivered an encouragement message to the participants present, and the dinner proceeded without much incident. When most of the people left the venue and to their accommodations, Rusty took his time to have a talk with his father.

"Nak, seems you did well at the test."

"I'm fired up, 'Pa. The car's handling is good, and the engine seems to be very fast. I'm just concerned about the reliability, but you should be able to sort it out during the season. How's Tyra? I did not see her at the tests."

"She might be currently in Ethane, sorting out some business there."

"Okay. Should you consider me as one of the drivers, can I hold back for some days? I'll check if other teams offer me a slot, which of course, may cause me to miss the opening pre-season test. But should no offers come before the Mattijana testing, then I look forward to working with you."

"Yes, Nak, this is noted."

The next day, Dolf and the team decided on the team composition and to whom to offer the contracts to drive for the team. They decided that they will take the route of 'one experienced, one rookie driver' this season. The second seat was a tussle between the two rookies in the test, and based from the points tally, Carsten O'Rourke topped the standings, and they unanimously decided to offer the #2 seat to him. For the lead driver seat, they also decided unanimously to offer this to Rustom Ibuna, however, as he will not confirm it before the preseason testing, they decided not to send any offers yet.

[Vilita and Turori]

Eelandii VTGP Sends Confirmation, Details for Invitational Session

Eelandii VTGP Headquarters, Eelandii, Turori :: With the team in need of drivers following iBen Toralmintii's decision to team up with Terho Talvela at Tropicorp Racing Aelund, Toralmintii worked with VTM Tropicorp Engineering team principle Gary Cook to set up a private test event at the Eelandii Grand Prix Course to allow Toralmintii to evaluate the drivers and downselect who would pilot the Race Eelandii VTGP machines during the 17th World Grand Prix Championships. With the Eelandii Grand Prix Course having not been selected to host a race event given the proximity to the Vilitan Grand Prix which was awarded a spot on the circuit, Eelandii VTGP officials scrapped plans to use a modified version of the Eelandii Grand Prix course and instead opted to use the full Grand Prix course in order to best evaluate the drivers on hand. It would also allow the circuit the opportunity to get a dry-run before the entire World Grand Prix Championship field arrived for pre-season testing.

Participating Drivers:
Local Drivers:
iBen Toralmintii
Juracai Klianiota
Cocoabo #23
R.L. Cruisin

International Drivers:
1. Jai Kardieri
2. Ryan Harris-Jones
3. Rustom Ibuna
4. Jacoppo Montaguti
5. Timo Jänkirinää
6. Jasmin Kranjska
7. Carsten O'Rourke
8. Vacant
S1. Vacant
S2. Vacant

Pending Respone:
Alex Dimitrianov

Declined Invitation:
Alexander Lund
Gregori Krupin

The Eelandii VTGP private test event would be run as a single day accelerated schedule with drivers reporting early to get fitted into their assigned vehicles and familiarize themselves with the cockpits before proceding out for their first laps on the track with all segments of the event completed over the course of a single day.

The itinerary for the day will begin with a meet & greet over breakfast in the morning where drivers will be able to meet each other, if they choose, as well as meet with representatives from the Eelandii VTGP team in attendance. There will then be two warmup sessions before lunch in order to allow the drivers to familiarize themselves with the equipment and recommend any changes to the on-site engineers. The warmup sessions are designed to allow each driver to run up to fifteen laps on circuit at their choosing.

All equipment will be provided by the Vilita & Turori Motorsports Organization utilizing the open wheel chassis that the Vilitan Union Olympic Delegation brought with them to Republica in the Free Republics for the Motorsports Demonstration portion of the XIII Olympic Games. The cars will still be sporting the Vilitan Union livery having remained virtually untouched since their recent return from Republica. After the practice sessions the drivers will then break for a working lunch where they will have an open forum to discuss the track and the vehicles, and how to improve their speeds prior to the classic time trial session that will begin following lunch. Turorian racing legend iBen Toralmintii will be on hand to give any final tips and tricks to the drivers but will also be keen to listen to the feedback and observations the drivers are making before suiting up himself to get the 'only view that matters' of the event - on track side by side with the trialists evaluating them during the simulated half distance race event.

At the conclusion of the time trial session, the drivers will break for a final one-hour intermission before the start of the race simulation event. The gates to the Eelandii Grand Prix course will be open at this time for any fans who happen to be in the area to witness the race simulation event from the main grand stands along the front straightaway. No other grandstand or track access will be open. Fans are encouraged to bring their own food and drink if attending as only temporary dining options will be available onsite.

Eelandii Invitational Event Schedule
07:30: Drivers Meet & Greet
09:00: Warmup Session #1
11:00: Warmup Session #2
12:15: Working Lunch
13:30: Traditional Time Trial Session
15:15: Open Race Event with 2 planned intermissions
19:00: Vehicle Inspection & Session Complete
19:30: Drivers Group De-Brief

There will be 2 mandatory yellow flag sessions during the race simulation, at which point Eelandii VTGP personnel will change the tires and refuel each vehicle, which will then return to the track in the order which it was running at the time the mandatory yellow flag was thrown. During the second yellow flag scenario drivers are expected to pit 'as normal' during the yellow flag window with full speed pit entries although the running order will be reverted back to when the yellow flag had flown at the beginning of the pit sequence prior to the race resuming.

Should damage occur to the Vilita & Turori Motorsports vehicles as a result of an accident or off-course excursions, it will be the responsibility of the Driver, their personal sponsor or national motorsports sanctioning body to share the cost of the repairs to the vehicle. If drivers would like to opt out of any individual session, they must alert Vilita & Turori Motorsports officials before hand.

Drivers are not permitted to bring their own equipment, tires or fuel. Fuel will be provided by CoCoGas and Tyres will be provided by Tropicorp Racing Supply with drivers receiving a total of three sets of tyres; one for use in practice, one that will be put on prior to the Time Trial session which will also be used to start the race simulation event, and two additional sets which will be put on during the simulation event. Drivers may opt to purchase up to two sets of additional tyres, one for practice session #2 and a fresh set for the start of the race in lieu of re-using the qualifying tires. Any driver who wishes to do so must inform Tropicorp Racing Supply (TRS) either prior to arriving on site or at the morning meet & greet session.

At the conclusion of the Invitational Event Eelandii VTGP officials will hold a group session with all the competing drivers. Eelandii VTGP officials may invite selected drivers in for a special one-on-one session either at the end of the day or on the following day at the preference of the driver. Driver's who also wish to bring representation from their personal sponsors to meet with Eelandii VTGP officials may also do so.

[Sorlovia]

Weststrand, Mattijana

Gregori had been busy studying a few of Sigur's social media pages when the message came. He liked to learn about his teammates so he could better understand them and thus properly known them. It was only polite. Sigur Bjarnason was an experienced and highly talented racer. Meeting him without first learning a few things about him would seem rude. He wanted to be able to comment on things Sigur had done to show that he was interested in his career and that he knew of his teammates past exploits in the WGPC. It was a common practice used by politicians, businessmen, sportsmen and other prominent figures. It allowed you to make educated comments and showed the person you were interacting with that you knew them.

He and Sigur would spend months in close proximity to each other with MRT. He wanted to make a good impression in order to avoid any misunderstandings. It would to know Sigur's track record as a racer, his career and a little about his backstory. It would show him that his teammate actually knew who he was and took an interest in his career as a colleague.

Hi Sigur,

I would love to attend your house party! Please let me know if I need to bring anything and if I can do anything to help. It would be good if we could get to know each other a little. After all, we are going to be racing together this season. I have to say that it is both an honour and a privilege to race with you. I look forward to meeting you and to trying out some of this mead I have heard so much about.

See you at the party!

Cheers,
Gregori

Sigur's message made Gregori feel a tad guilty. He'd meant to get in touch with him earlier but in the busyness of settling into his accommodation and politely declining the offers from the other race teams he'd forgotten. The last thing he wanted was to appear rude before he'd even had the chance to meet Sigur. So he'd hastily answered his message confirming that he would come to the party. It genuinely sounded like fun and it would be a great way to get to know Sigur a little. Such parties were common among the race teams both as a means of socializing and a way to blow off steam between races. Besides, he immensely enjoyed a good party.

It wouldn't be long before MRT contacted him to arrange for a contract signing and a meet and greet with the executives. So he'd made a deliberate point of reading up on MRT so that he would know who they were and what drove them. Gregori was a man who liked to be informed and to know who he was dealing with. Reading up on Sigur and MRT would prepare him for meeting both of them.

[Vilita and Turori]

Eelandii VTGP Invitational Meet & Greet Session

Participating Drivers:
Local Drivers:
iBen Toralmintii
Juracai Klianiota
Cocoabo #23
R.L. Cruisin

International Drivers:
1. Jai Kardaeri
2. Ryan Harris-Jones
3. Rustom Ibuna
4. Jacoppo Montaguti
5. Timo Jänkirinää
6. Jasmin Kranjska
7. Carsten O'Rourke
8. Alex Dimitrianov
S1. Cesaro Whittaker
S2. Vacant

Declined Invitation:
Alexander Lund
Gregori Krupin

Eelandii Grand Prix Course, Eelandii, Turori :: Although the morning meet and greet didn't officially kick off onto 0730, drivers crews and other tag-alongs began arriving as soon as the gates were opened at 0600. Eelandii VTGP crew members who had already prepared the 8 primary WGPC Eelandii Motorworks era machines that were used by the Vilitan Union during the XIII Summer Olympics Motorsports Demonstration event were now scrambling to get the two spare machines ready after late confirmation that Alex Dimitrianov of Mattijana and Cesaro Whittaker of Eastfield Lodge would also be attending meaning the garage area would be completely full. With just two drives available at iBen Toralmintii's Race Eelandii! Vilita & Turori World Grand Prix Motorworks team, there was sure to be some fierce competition both on the track and in the garage area as some of the top drivers in the world descended on the Eelandii Grand Prix course to try to secure their spot in the multiverse's most prestigious motorsports competitions.

Among the first to arrive amongst drivers were Vilitan R.L. Cruisin and Jai Kardaeri, the former World Grand Prix Champion from Starblaydia. Two of the most experienced drivers in the paddock, the two drivers shared a somewhat similar past in the World Grand Prix history book - with the obvious exception of Kardaeri's drivers title which Cruisin lacked. Both drivers started out with their home nation team and while Kardaeri won the Title driving for Mirrors, Cruisin was pipped by a newcomer, his teammate Stang Crax of Falcania during World Grand Prix 11. Both drivers spent two seasons with their homeland run team with their best season being the first followed by a disappointing drop off in the second season, and both drivers jumped ship to foreign teams to re-establish some success. Both would even end up at the historic Carvenlo team with Cruisin and Kardaeri crossing paths during the World Grand Prix Championship's 11th and 12th seasons. When Kardaeri left the World Grand Prix Circuit it left an opening at Carvenlo which would eventually be filled by Cruisin but it had seemed the teams glory days were behind them and Cruisin couldn't save the teams performance record.

With Kardaeri having been favored to lead the return of the Mirrors team to the World Grand Prix Championships, his presence at the Eelandii Grand Prix course for the Invitational Session was final confirmation to the racing community that there was no turning back. Jai Kardaeri would not be driving for Mirrors during the World Grand Prix Championships 17th season.

R.L. Cruisin, however, was holding a contract from the Starblaydi team in his back pocket and was ready to confirm himself as the #1 driver at Mirrors barring any surprises from the upstart Eelandii VTGP team on the day. Cruisin and Kardaeri walked the paddock and met up with iBen Toralmintii who showed them the cars that would be used for the day. "Old Junk" Cruisin explained to Kardaeri as they looked at some of the patchwork repairs to the bodywork on some of the cars that had run into problems in Republica. Cruisin asked Toralmintii if they had bothered to change the setup on the cars back after they had just run an oval race with all left turns. Cruisin himself had skipped the Olympics but Toralmintii was there in the race as one of the few drivers to finish and the best performing Vilitan Union driver. Toralmintii explained that they didn't have too much to do as while the course in Republica consisted of only Left turns, it was quite flat and didn't require too much overhaul.

After they walked through the hot paddock Toralmintii took the two early-arrivers into the next section of paddock which opened into the Eelandii VTGP preparation room. There the two drivers got their first glimpse of the brand new Eelandii VTGP car for the World Grand Prix 17th season. It still had the #77 and Toralmintii's name on it which of course wasn't going to end up there. Toralmintii informed the duo that he would be taking the car out on the track later in the day to show what it had to offer but he would need someone else to drive it in Esmerel since both he and Juracai Klianiota would be over in the Tropicorp Racing Aelund paddock getting those cars prepared for the new season. It was then that Cruisin informed Toralmintii about his pending offer from Mirrors. Toralmintii was a little disappointed having hoped to have a local driver in the car for the season but understood as the two of them had never been as close as iBen and Juracai or some of the other competitors. Kardaeri quickly jumped at the offer, however, stating that he would absolutely not be driving for Mirrors and would at the very least get fitted for the seat in the new Eelandii VTGP machine so the team could start preparing for the Esmerel test.

With the tour over, they started to make their way back to the meet and greet area. As Kardaeri exited, Toralmintii pulled cruisin back. "Hey, if you are serious about the Mirrors offer, " Toralmintii paused, "Do you mind running in one of the spare cars today? I'd like to be able to evaluate the other drivers on more even grounds."

It was a bit of a slap in the face for Cruisin but he understood it was a fair request. In the back of his mind, he was intrigued by what Toralmintii had to offer. But Cruisin had a reputation to uphold. A reputation of winning races in Purple cars, and of driving for teams that used to be really good at a time with which they were historically under-performing. Neither of those seemed to fit the mold at Eelandii VTGP right now, so Cruisin accepted with a sigh and a confident response "No worries, I'll still beat 'em."

When the trio returned to the meet and greet area a number of drivers had arrived, striking up conversations and getting ready for the long day ahead. A Tropicorp Racing Supply official was talking with Timo Jänkirinää and noting that they would be getting a free set of tires for the second warmup session as an off kick from the recently agreed partnership between Tropicorp Racing Supply and the Omni Racing team from West-East Timor. Apparently Team Principal Linus Anthonson was appreciative of the local drivers efforts and while he couldn't drive for Omni this season, Anthonson was still interested in furthering the quality of West-East Timorian motorsports and saw the test and the timing of his teams deal with Tropicorp Racing Supply as an opportunity to throw a bone in the direction of the young WGP2 driver.

Eelandii Invitational Event Schedule
07:30: Drivers Meet & Greet
09:00: Warmup Session #1
11:00: Warmup Session #2
12:15: Working Lunch
13:30: Traditional Time Trial Session
15:15: Open Race Event with 2 planned intermissions
19:00: Vehicle Inspection & Session Complete
19:30: Drivers Group De-Brief

Tropicorp Standing By with Fresh Tires

Tropicorp Racing Supply wants to remind competitors that they are offering fresh tyres for the second practice session and start of the simulated race session for purchase. Any drivers that would like a fresh set of tyres for the start of the Invitational Event's Race-Condition Event must request and pay for the Tyres by the end of the time trial session. Tyre requests may be by informing a Tropicorp representative of your desire for extra tyres along with your would like along with your form of payment or point of contact for charging be it a personal sponsor or other source.

A reminder on the Tyre Scenario is below:

"The CoCoGas crew on site will re-fuel your assigned vehicle free of charge after each on-track session. You will receive four total sets of tyres through the course of the day free of charge. The Tropicorp Sifaka is the top of the line racing tyre from Tropicorp Racing Supply. The X14 is a hard construction which should last for even the longest stints, however it will slow over time. The Tropicorp team will be on hand to equip your assigned vehicle with a new set of Tyres ahead of the First Practice session, the Time Trial Session, and the during the two pre-scheduled mid-race yellow flag pit stops.

If you so choose, you may optionally purchase up to 2 additional sets of tyres. At any point, you may opt to request a new set of Tyres for the second warmup session. If you desire a fresh set of Tyres for the second practice session, please notify the Tropicorp Racing Supply representative immediately and have a form of payment ready.

If you would like to purchase a fresh set of tyres to start the race event on you must inform Tropicorp Racing Supply by the end of the Time Trial session. Any drivers who opt not to purchase an additional set of Tyres will start the race event on the same tyres with which they conducted the qualifying session.

OOC Note: ICly the Eelandii VTGP test event will have occurred 'shortly' prior to the season opening test session in Esmerel though you can RP it as either before or after it as you please. Tyre purchase is not required in order for your driver to be considered for the seat however it is an RP arc you can use if you would like as RP contributions will certainly factor in.

[Eastfield Lodge]

SinVal Pre-Season Driver Test

Conditions:      	Dry
Lap Record:      	00:01:20.220

PRACTICE SESSION - AM
POS # DRIVER                   FASTEST LAP	BEHIND LEADER	Pts
 1 13 Xiaopeng Jang            00:01:20.236	------------	6
 2  7 Ethan Ellis              00:01:20.238	00:00:00.002	5
 3 71 Rustom Ibuna             00:01:20.255	00:00:00.019	4
 4 22 Jasmin Kranjska          00:01:20.265	00:00:00.029	3
 5 55 Hunter Digri             00:01:20.277	00:00:00.041	2
 6 22 Jelena Colac-Strek       00:01:20.279	00:00:00.043	1
 7 42 Alex Dimitrianov         00:01:20.330	00:00:00.094	0

QUALIFYING SESSION 1 - TRADITIONAL
POS # DRIVER                   FASTEST LAP	BEHIND LEADER	Pts
 1 55 Hunter Digri             00:01:20.230	------------	6
 2 22 Jasmin Kranjska          00:01:20.246	00:00:00.016	5
 3 42 Alex Dimitrianov         00:01:20.261	00:00:00.031	4
 4 71 Rustom Ibuna             00:01:20.266	00:00:00.036	3
 5 13 Xiaopeng Jang            00:01:20.274	00:00:00.044	2
 6  7 Ethan Ellis              00:01:20.355	00:00:00.125	1
 7 22 Jelena Colac-Strek       00:01:20.376	00:00:00.146	0

10 LAP SESSION (fastest 5 from 10) - PM
POS # DRIVER                   FASTEST LAP	BEHIND LEADER	Pts
 1 22 Jasmin Kranjska          00:06:41.556	------------	6
 2 22 Jelena Colac-Strek       00:06:42.768	00:00:01.212	5
 3  7 Ethan Ellis              00:06:43.107	00:00:01.551	4
 4 42 Alex Dimitrianov         00:06:43.302	00:00:01.747	3
 5 71 Rustom Ibuna             00:06:44.055	00:00:02.499	2
 6 13 Xiaopeng Jang            00:06:46.594	00:00:05.038	1
 7 55 Hunter Digri             00:06:47.023	00:00:05.467	0

QUALIFYING SESSION 2 - ONE-SHOT
POS # DRIVER                   FASTEST LAP	BEHIND LEADER	Pts
 1 22 Jelena Colac-Strek       00:01:20.428	------------	6
 2 71 Rustom Ibuna             00:01:20.441	00:00:00.013	5
 3 13 Xiaopeng Jang            00:01:21.661	00:00:01.233	4
 4 42 Alex Dimitrianov         00:01:22.245	00:00:01.817	3
 5  7 Ethan Ellis              00:01:22.946	00:00:02.518	2
 6 22 Jasmin Kranjska          00:01:23.427	00:00:02.999	1
 7 55 Hunter Digri             00:01:23.574	00:00:03.146	0

FINAL STANDINGS
Name			AM  Q1  PM  Q2  Total
Jasmin Kranjska		3   5   6   1      15
Rustom Ibuna		4   3   2   5      14
Xiaopeng Jang		6   2   1   4      13
Ethan Ellis		5   1   4   2      12
Jelena Colac-Strek	1   0   5   6      12
Alex Dimitrianov	0   4   3   3      10
Hunter Digri		2   6   0   0       8

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Having fed back the results and both the good and bad points to all the drivers, Alaina sat down with the team to discuss their next move. It hadn't been a good test, in all honesty, because nobody stood out from the crowd positively. The only thing they could agree on was that Hunter Digri was too green a racer - can easily post fast laps, but just not consistently enough. Dimitrianov may have had a similarly disappointing score, given his experience, but as this was a circuit that none of these had raced on before, he managed to recover well despite that 0-point start. Mytanar rookie Colac-Strek was the opposite of Digri in being slower on average but a very consistent finisher, almost completely opposite to their already-signed Dalia Dahl, but other than that the other 4 drivers were all over the place, not one especially dominating the field. Points wise, Jasmin Kranjska would be the winning choice, and she was obviously a very good all round driver, with great results in the traditional qualifying session and the 5 lap tally. But one would be a fool to deny the inaugural WGP2 champion and last season's 4th place driver a place, even despite his somewhat slower results in the middle of the day - Jang would be hot property regardless of his test results. And then there was Rustom Ibuna; a guy who had, according to rumour, done extremely well at the Badai Angin test - they had both seats open, but for some reason only announced a second driver, with the first driver still to be announced. And here he was, being consistently around average and ending up second overall. And last but not least, Ethan Ellis was in the middle of the pack, with a couple of good results and then a couple of not-so-good results to match.

But they had to move fast - the first pre-season testing session was coming soon, and the other teams would be circling around for the signatures of the remaining promising drivers. So in the end, the decision was made. The first offer would be made to Jasmin Kranjska.