World Grand Prix Championship season 17 [RP Thread]

by **Joushiki Nante Iranai** » Wed May 01, 2019 4:39 am

Somos, Joushiki Nante Iranai
Tuesday Evening

Cars are stopped. Barriers are raised. The centre of the city quiets considerably. Excitement is high, as are festivities.

Midnight

Leaders and members of the public are gathered at the Parliament and Royal Palace. A firework display starts, ending the day's celebrations. Today was the first anniversary of the Universal Pact, of which Joushiki Nante Iranai is a major nation and, currently, worldwide delegate.

After the display, everyone leaves, with the exception of a group of many workers. They have a job to do.

Wednesday

People start arriving from throughout the country. Those who cannot make the Grand Prix have already set their TV to record the events that will take place from Thursday. Information is provided for commentators, and a final schedule - unchanged since it was originally released in February - is republished. May has arrived, and motor racing with it.

Schedule
Thursday: Young Driver's Meet, Greet & Hot Lap (Afternoon)
Friday: Practice (Afternoon)
Saturday: Qualifying (Afternoon/Evening)
Sunday: Race (Evening/Night)

by **Sorlovia** » Wed May 01, 2019 6:34 pm

Circuit Grandeville
Post-Race Analysis

Circuit Grandeville presented an opportunity. An opportunity to learn what he’d done well and what he could have done better. He’d be unable to secure a podium finish or to even finish higher up the pack. But as far as he was aware he’d performed to the best of his abilities and his car had handled well. The readouts from the race would prove very interesting and potentially rewarding. Perhaps Circuit Grandeville had just come down to not being his race. Every racer experienced good races and bad ones. You did well in one race only to not do so well in the next race. That was just the fluid nature of the World Gran Prix Championships. The environment of the track on raceday and the shifting conditions could create wildly different results even on the same track. A dry track could throw multiple different conditions such as much as a wet one could. Car condition, how you approached the corners, the condition of your tyres, the condition of the track itself, how you handled the car, the random wildcards that were thrown at you and the unpredictable performance of the other racers.

That rookie racer you’d never paid attention to could suddenly come out of nowhere to leave you in his dust if you weren’t careful. Your race engineers, in an extremely rare occurrence, might have accidentally overlooked or not noticed something resulting in your car underperforming. Or you might have simply had an off down. But sometimes it simply came down to something unexplainable. In those moments everything seemed to have been going right for you. You’d performed as well as you possible could and your car had similarly fared well. But you found yourself with a less than desirable result. That was just part of the race experience. Every racer had their off days. Rookie and seasoned WGPC veteran alike.

“See this spike here,” Viktor said pointing to a spot in a line of data “here’s where the car strained on the sharp bend on the second to last corner before the straight. You can see that the engine redlined for a moment and overheated a little. That put pressure on the car that would’ve impacted on your experience in the race. By the look of things your tyres also took quite a pounding on that stretch of track. If I hazarded a guess I’d say maybe you were too fast and a little too aggressive on that stretch.”

Gregori examined the line of data that Viktor had pointed out. He didn’t understand the specifics of its meaning, he was a racer not a mechanic, but the surge in engine temperature and revs didn’t look good even to his untrained eye. It would’ve put undue pressure on the engine causing it to overheat forcing him to then slow down. At that point in the race he’d had Rustom close on his tail and had been trying to both keep ahead of him and prevent him from passing. He’d been driving defensively and perhaps a little too aggressively in an attempt at staving off Rustom’s advance. But it had proved to be in vain when Rustom had taken advantage of the corner to get past him.

“Sharp corners like that can take a toll on an engine,” Viktor continued “it has to compensate for the increased G-forces created by your speed on the approach and the force of gravity pushing it at the wall. Your tyres took damage because they bore the brunt of that force and the sharpness of your turn coming out. Mechanically speaking that turn is one that always takes a toll on the cars. Its sharp and requires a special kind of handling. But your car fared well in the race overall.”

Nodding his understanding Gregori leaned back in his desk chair. In his determination to get Rustom off his tail as well as trying to catch up with Terho and Jessica he’d been a little too hard on his car. It had come from a desire to salvage his standing in the race by passing as many racers as he could. If he’d just been able to move up the pack he might’ve been able to secure a better finish. But fate had conspired against him to leave him with a twenty second place finish just ahead of Sigur.
He’d been so eager in the race that he’d pushed his car a little too hard. It was a common habit that often raised its head among racers. That tendency to lose yourself in the race and the heady feelings that came with it. The roar of the engine, the flashes of colour as you passed your rivals on the track, the brief glimpses of cheering fans as you tore past the grandstands and the solid feel of the pedals under your feet. In those intense moments everything around you fell away until it was just you, the car and the track. It was what racers called “The Zone”. That moment when you could see nothing but the car you were in and the track in front of you. There was nothing quite like that feeling.

Gregori took a sip from his bottle of Vive sports drink and looked over the print out that been placed in front of him. Apart from redlining and overheating for a few brief moments the engine had coped well with his more aggressive approach to Circuit Grandeville. He didn’t want to make a moment of pushing it to the point of redlining though. One push too far and his engine would explode. He would then be forced to wait for a replacement engine which put him at a distinct disadvantage. Instead, he would be more adaptive and fluid in his approach to the track. Bursts of speed had to be matched with easy sprints to give the engine time to rest between exertions. It was a high performance sports engine but even it could be pushed too far.

“Thanks for the feedback Viktor,” Gregori responded with a smile “it all helps me understand how I can get the most out of the car. MRT designed a top notch high performance car this season so I owe it to them and myself to use it to its full capability. In my honest opinion the car is just as capable as any of the other team models out there and on par with the VMR car from last season.”

“It’s a great car. I’d love to know the specifics and the parts used. But these racing teams are touchy about their trade secrets and fine details. But that’s fair enough I guess. They don’t want a rival team getting their specifications and using it against them. The MRT race engineers are a great bunch of men and women. It’s been a real privilege working with them. Last I heard they’d taken your car to the race workshops at MRT HQ to give it a bit of a tune-up and rework. Sigur’s will be having the same treatment.”

Gregori smiled softly. It wasn’t uncommon for race teams to withdraw their racers’ cars after a race to rework them. They all did it in order to keep their racers and their car models competitive for the duration of the season. It was all legal and above aboard according to the WGPC Rulebook. During a season a racers car underwent extreme pressures and experienced rigorous demands. During his time with VMR in WGPC16 his car had undergone several alterations and enhancements throughout the season. A race team might swap out the engine for a more improved one or switch the tyres out for better ones.

“I say bring on the next race,” Gregori replied with a grin “I can’t get enough! I swear Viktor, there is no better feeling than being out there on the track.”

“What about the embrace of the woman you love? That’s not exactly a slap in the face with a trout is it?”

“Fair point,” Gregori laughed “that’s a pretty damn good feeling. Okay, there’s no better feeling that being out on the track and being embraced by the woman you love.”
“Are you going ask her to marry you? You can’t hide it from me Gregori. I know you’ve been thinking about it. I’ve seen the way you’ve been getting extra gooey around her lately.”

“Gooey? That’s an…interesting description. But yes, I’m thinking of asking her to marry me after the next race. What’s even better is that she doesn’t even have a clue that its coming.”

by **Joushiki Nante Iranai** » Thu May 02, 2019 3:01 am

Somos, Joushiki Nante Iranai
Thursday Morning

28 young drivers walk onto the start/finish line. They are all here for the same reason - to meet a WGPC driver. Some of the best up-and-coming racing drivers in Joushiki Nante Iranai are about to meet some of the best racing drivers in the world. A few minutes later, the WGPC drivers start arriving on the start/finish line as a voice starts coming through the speakers.

"Everybody, welcome to the JNI Grand Prix! Today we are having a meet-and-greet between some of our nation's best young drivers and the WGPC racers. The pairings are..."

by **Mattijana** » Thu May 02, 2019 7:51 am

Summer in the City or Trouble in Paradise? What to Expect in Somos

MFO SPORT

By Sara Kovacevic, WGPC Correspondent.

Round five of the WGPC sees the field visit a new destination for the second and final time this season in the form of the Somos City Circuit in the awkwardly named nation Joushiki Nante Iranai (or JNI in its shorter and non-journo-killing form).

The initial announcement to stage a full-WGPC weekend in the city was met with a large dose of surprise and a fair amount of indignation by many, not least because the race will replace more traditional and established events such as those in Esmerel, Eastfield Lodge and Mattijana's own Kopylov InternazionRing.

With that now a few months down the line, it will be interesting to see whether attitudes to the race have changed over the first few races of the season. It will be even more interesting to see whether attitudes change by the time someone crosses the line for the final time on Sunday night.

You don't need spectacles. Hold off the lazer eye surgery. You did read that final word correctly. Sunday's JNI Grand Prix (even the organisers couldn't be bothered to write out the full name) will be held as a day/night race and barring any radical changes, will be the only race of the season to feature the floodlights.

That said, the race will in fact be the only piece of on-track action to occur under darkness. Both practice and qualifying are scheduled for late afternoon, making for a large change in track conditions between them and Sunday's main event. That too on the type of street circuit where track temperature and grip are normally down compared to an event at a purpose-built circuit. I don't know whether the change in scheduling is deliberate or not, but it will be interesting to see whether the mishaps, confusion and general unpredictability many are predicting will actually happen.

Dodgy on-track scheduling aside, there are a number of off-track events that have also raised eyebrows, both for good and bad reasons. The week's festivities begin with a large-scale fireworks display to celebrate the first anniversary of the Universal Pact, the region that JNI is the WA delegate for. A vast number of members of the public are expected to turn out for the display, meaning JNI's citizens have astonishingly low levels of political apathy or just love some good pyrotechnics. Either way, the celebration will be a hell of a show.

The only shame is that the event will be on Tuesday, a while before the race weekend and therefore a little while before anyone from the WGPC actually turns up. The blame for this can't really be attributed to the race organisers as celebrations for an anniversary should ideally be held on the anniversary date itself and a race weekend is well...a weekend. Anyway, if you do like a good fireworks display and/or want to take a look around Somos before the racing gets going, it might be worth getting there early.

Festivities aside, the other eyebrow-raiser was the young driver meet, greet and hot lap on Thursday. Having recieved a fair bit of flack for submitting their shiny new circuit for WGPC consideration, but not actually having a driver to mix it (or even attempt to mix it) with the world's best, it seems organisers have tried to prove that the nation does have some sort of motor-racing pedigree. This will take the form of a meeting between several of the country's young prospects and a WGPC driver.

In principle this is a great idea. Some of the grid's grumpier drivers may see it as an unnecessary distraction on the eve of the race weekend when they could be doing other more useful things, but all drivers have a responsibility to be role-models for the next generation and there is no better way to do this than to actually meet young drivers and answer their burning questions about the sport. Big up the person who had this idea.

Perhaps they then went a bit too far though, for after the meet and greet comes a terror-inducing section called 'the hot lap'.

Track maintenance teams, car manufacturers and health and safety officers alike will be having kittens as the 28 young drivers head out for a hot lap of the Somos City Circuit in (probably for the first time) a WGPC-spec car. It's believed that this will however be an Iranain WGPC-spec car, which is presumably a mid-grid WGP3 car in anyone else's book. Imagine Johan Struna's mood if he had to surrender his precious MRTs to the hands of a total rookie from the back of beyond.

The drivers will complete their lap under radio guidance from their assigned WGPC star, something that will tell us who the future race engineers amongst the current grid are. Those radio dialogues may in fact turn out to be the most entertaining part of this whole weekend anyhow.

So umm... what about the track?

There's no avoiding the elephant in the room in Somos which is that, even by city-centre standards, the track looks pretty uninspiring. Most of the 24 turns (a total of 15, to be pedantic) are tight 90 degree turns, something that Mattijanan fans are particularly keen to moan about. There may be a few saving graces however.

Firstly, the route is a scenic one, taking in many of the sights of Somos including both the rivers Som and Os (top marks for city naming imagination), confluence park, the Mirror (big F-off skyscraper. Probably melts cars in the summer) and both the JNI parliament and palace buildings (do what they say on the tin). Even if the circuit isn't up to much, we can at least look somewhere else for some light entertainment.

Secondly, and please don't write to my editor asking me to be sacked for saying this, there are some good things about this layout.

The first is in fact the first corner. Other than turn 8, which for all intents and purposes doesn't exist, it is the fastest turn on the track and is closely followed by turn 2, which funnels cars into the (sigh) sharp right-angled turn 3. That combination may make for a fast and chaotic start to the race and the odd incident as drivers try to push harder and harder. The other positives are the parliament and palace corners which, possibly like the race on Sunday, have been salvaged from a total botch-job.

In this new and dangerous world in which we live, it comes as no surprise that the multiverse's premier racing series is visiting a country that cannot even build a roundabout without cocking it up. These monuments to ineptitude have now become actual monuments however and also make for interesting 270 degree corners that should make for a good test of man and machine. They are by far the most intriguing corners on the track and will probably cause drivers the most headaches when they work out their various lines during practice.

Bear with me now

There is one more reason why we shouldn't be quite so anti-Somos. It is admittedly a fairly self-centred one and certainly has nothing to do with protecting the sanctity of international motorsport, but it is a good reason nonetheless.

The Somos City Circuit is a highly technical one. It features many slow speed turns that are a test of a car's grip at low velocity and there are few long straights for the engine to get its teeth into. That means it should suit the MRT down to the ground.

MRT could do with a boost as well. A 1-2 finish for arch-rivals VMR in Lisander has bumped them down to fifth in the constructor's standings and both cars looked well off the pace in Grandeville. If ever a circuit like this was needed by the team, it was now. Indeed the track bares a resemblance to the now-forgotten street circuit in Vulkanas that Sigur Bjarnason scored his maiden WGPC win on last season in the wet. I would go as far as saying that the JNI Grand Prix is MRT's best points scoring opportunity of the season.

With that said, we'll call it a day before I introduce too many more radical ideas.

by **Recuecn** » Thu May 02, 2019 12:06 pm

Abdoulaye swore quietly to himself. He didn't want to get kicked out of the coffee shop; he needed the wifi. But nothing was happening the way it was supposed to. It was rapidly becoming more and more apparent that he had not thought this through very carefully at all before booking that flight to Somos, and now he was getting desperate.

Of course he had already been desperate last week when he bought his plane ticket. He hadn't been able to sign with a single grand prix team, and now the season was well on its way. Put simply, it was too late. But it couldn't be too late. Abdoulaye had to race, and that meant someone needed to put him in the driver's seat. For that to happen, they would need to have heard of him first. And Abdoulaye didn't see how that could happen. Reçueçn didn't even have a tier three competition, let alone a championship track. There wasn't anywhere he could turn for a chance to showcase his driving. Now things were moving on without him. He remembered sitting on his couch at home with his laptop open, staring at his email account, waiting for something to pop up. Nothing had. The sensation had been as if he was standing on the racetrack, with the cars whizzing past him at hundreds of kilometers an hour--only instead he was just sitting there, and it was the rest of the world that was passing him by. He grew more and more desperate.

So when Abdoulaye heard that the Iranaian Grand Prix would have a hot lap, he jumped as what he saw as a chance to get in touch with the World Grand Prix Organization. "Applicants for the young driver's hot lap on Thursday, please appear in person at our Somos office," he read on the website. So with no thought, he booked a ticket for the Iranaian capital, not even reading the fine print.

Now he was sitting in a cafe at the foot of 'The Mirror,' looking down the street at Confluence park, where race marshals were busy making preparations. A lady from the Iranaian Grand Prix Organization had just hung up on him. "It looks like you didn't read the fine print," she had said. "It was very clearly stated that you had to be from JNI to be considered for a young driver slot. There's really nothing I can do. I hope you enjoy your stay here in JNI. Enjoy the festivities!" Click. Abdoulaye was left silently cursing his luck.

His inability to nab a slot for the hot lap was the most obvious calamity that had befallen him since his arrival in Somos, but nothing had gone right. He'd forgotten to change his money before leaving Reçueçn, so he'd had to make a cash withdrawal with an exorbitant fee, and every time he spent money on absolutely anything, he could feel his bank account draining like a toilet. That wasn't helpful, since he hadn't found any work in the last year, and now the hostel he had booked had scammed him and he was coughing up hundreds of 'dice,' or whatever the currency here was, for a hotel room he knew there was no way he could afford. He didn't even want to do the math to figure out how many guilders it would've cost him. Plus his cellphone didn't work here so he had to find a cafe with free wifi any time he needed to send a message. On top of it all he hadn't booked his ticket home yet and now with the crowds coming for the Grand Prix, flight prices were ballooning...

None of it had compared with his embarrassment getting turned away from the hot lap. He'd stuck out like a yellow flag and everyone was constantly staring at him. The man vetting the applicants had taken a single glance at him and asked for his passport. Abdoulaye didn't know what to think--no one else had been asked for a passport. He pulled it out and handed it over, confused. The man opened it only out of politeness, not even needing to look down. He knew instantly from the cover that Abdoulaye wasn't Iranaian. "I'm sorry," he said. "Only applicants from JNI accepted." He handed back the passport and looked over Abdoulaye's shoulder at the next person in line. "Next."

Abdoulaye would normally have gotten angry, but he was too surprised and disoriented. He stumbled out onto the sidewalk in a daze, disrupting foot traffic. By the time he collected his thoughts and stormed back in to demand an explanation, the security guards, who'd been watching him all along, were ready for him, blocking his way.

"Sorry, you heard the man," one said.

"This is impossible!" sputtered Abdoulaye. "I flew all the way here! I've been driving for years! You can't just turn me away, c'est impossible..." he trailed off into French as the other security guard turned him around by the shoulders and began to push him back out the door. Abdoulaye turned around again. "I demand an explanation!"

The first guard sighed and handed him a business card. "Here, call this lady. Here's her number, she's responsible for selecting the drivers and she's in charge for Thursday. Talk to her. But get out of here."

His spirits doused, Abdoulaye drifted down the street until he wound up in the cafe. After all, free wifi. Now 'the lady' had hung up on him too. I wonder if it's worth it to stay and watch the race, he thought. I can't give up yet.

by **Aboveland** » Thu May 02, 2019 6:09 pm

The V8 gurgles to a stop almost immediately. The crowd around the car, receiving him in the paddock, looks remarkably barren. Terho sighs heavily, his tired arms collapsing by his side into the monocoque, the rigid steering wheel barely twitching. With a heavy hand, he flips up his visor, pulls off his gloves, rubs his eyes, and lets his head fall again.

"Good job," Edvin says, clonking his helmet with his fist. "Top of the championship standings still!" Terho replies with a smile, forced, and only discernible through the folds in his eyes through his helmet.

While Franssen stood atop the first podium place for the second consecutive time in the season—the Vangazi anthem's opening chords reverberating in the garage—it had been another charge-back, another damage limitation weekend for Terho. His run of missed opportunities, kicked off in Mytainjia with his run from penultimate to fourth, continued through the mid season test in Savojarna (where a lowly, unexpected and uninspired 23rd place had left a bitter aftertaste going into the second quarter of the year) and had now, again, returned in full form for the Lisanderian GP. Yet another track he'd been expected to perform well on, another one on which a mediocre practice session had followed through with a tremendously terrible qualifying performance and an inspired run up the leaderboard (remarkably, jumping twelve places in fourteen laps) to salvage a few points.

He groans, and begins to unstrap himself from his seat, his mind suddenly clear. Once out, a shake, a pull, a stretch, his helmet clean off, his hair ruffled and free, a few waves and Scandinavian nods, and a poker face facing the showers. A smack, the steam clinging to his face; strips down, head low, eyes calm; the showers sound strong, only the drum of the water filling the air, occasionally complemented by a fumble against a soap holder or the creak of a temperature adjustment. Towel around his shoulder, clapping against his back. A stride, straight-forward, to the towel hanger, and a step below the shower head. A chill, and a comforting, rapturous warmth. A moan—aaaaaaah.

Terho's eyes open back up, now burrowed above a grin of pleasure, yet with his head still rocketing down the same path. Ever since the first race, his form had been steadily declining, and he was certain that, with the almighty Vangazi leaping up the championship standings, there was no longer any margin for error. It was lockdown time.

Meanwhile, he closes his eyes again, and lets the bellow of the waterjets thrumming against his scalp fill his thoughts, with no space for ifs or buts. Deep inside him, the festering bug of anxiety in need of a thorough smother.

by **Sorlovia** » Thu May 02, 2019 9:45 pm

Tarchenko, Sevayev Oblast, Sorlovia

Gregori at the Tarchenko Gran Prix Test Circuit

His family had been Jewish. The genealogical records held by the State Records Department had confirmed his suspicion. Krupin had been a traditional Jewish surname in Sorlovia for centuries originating from the Russian word ‘крупа’ meaning grain. But of course he’d known the linguistic origin of his surname from a young age. His grandfather had taught him that his ancestor, the man who had first carried the Krupin name in his family line, had been a grain farmer from a small rural town that no longer existed. What he hadn’t known was that that ancestor had also been Jewish and an active member of a local synagogue. As a direct result his Krupin descendants had also been Jews. Krupins had been proud Jews throughout much of Sorlovia’s history included the horrors of the Perestroya Regime and its attempted annihilation of the Jewish people.

His great uncle Alexei Krupin had been a Jewish survivor of the Solnichniy Concentration Camp. He’d experienced horrors that had scarred him for the rest of his life but he’d retained his Jewish faith even in the face of such horrific abuse. Delving further into his family history revealed that many of relatives had died in the concentration camps. They’d either been shot or gassed in the gloomy gas chambers. His grandfather had only survived because he’d fallen out with his family in his youth and had renounced his Jewish faith in anger. A young Pyotr Krupin gone to work in a gold mine during the war where he had been forgotten by the Secret Police and their death squads. He he’d renounced his Jewish faith and heritage. Apparently that had been enough for the Communists. Or perhaps he’d somehow managed to disguise the truth of his ancestry.

Alexei and Pyotr remained far estranged. Pyotr remained bitter about the disagreement that had seen him fall out with his family and Alexei shunned him as a man who’d abandoned his family to the death camps. As a result Gregori had never known about his Jewish side or that he even had relatives. The old feud was as alive as ever. Of course, the knowledge hadn’t shaken Gregori’s commitment to his strong Christian faith. He might have Jewish relatives but that didn’t mean he would abandon his own faith to convert. He just wanted to know where he’d come from and who his family had been. The evil and hate of the Perestroya had destroyed so much of Sorlovia. Their war crimes and horrific genocide were a dark stain on Sorlovia’s history that most Sorlovians were deeply ashamed of. But a nation that hid its past was a nation that would repeat its mistakes. The sins of the old Sorlovia did not have to destroy any hope of a bright future for the new one.

Racing in the World Gran Prix gave a new lease of life to the Krupin name. It meant that the name no longer had to be associated with the horrors of the death camps and piles of emancipated bodies. Or with bitter family feuds and battling brothers. Gregori Krupin was not just the great nephew of a survivor. He wasn’t just the grandson of a disillusioned and deeply hurt brother who’d run away from his family. He was a World Gran Prix racer with a proven track record, one season and one win to his name. He was a committed Christian and a rising celebrity. A young man with a fortune of his own. The past was part of his identity. Not the whole. Still, Gregori couldn’t help but feel a bitter loss. A large part of his family had been cut away from him and he’d been denied the knowledge of their existence simply because grandfather and great uncle hated each other with a passion.

“Damn,” Gregori said softly as he placed his tablet on the tablet to take a sip of coffee “and here I was thinking I had an ordinary family. What happened to you grandfather?”

He’d returned to Sorlovia to take a break before the next WGPC race and had accidentally fallen in to looking up his family history. His father had always been tight-lipped about the life of his father. Growing up Gregori had asked him numerous times only to be met with stony silence or a gruff retort. It seemed his father held on to his grandfather’s feud with the other Krupins. He’d refused to even let Gregori know that he had three male cousins and two first cousins-once-removed. But due to his rising fame in Sorlovia and his WPGC career his estranged relatives would know about him. Perhaps in time he could mend the rift in his family.

by **The Sherpa Empire** » Fri May 03, 2019 2:02 am

Avijit was joking around in the paddock, teasing Uti Tamang and any Vangazi women he could get past the language barrier enough to communicate with them. He got a few smiles and giggles, but it didn't look like he was getting a lot done.

Vijay Tripathi was in a foul mood after a disappointing qualifying session that put him near the back of the field to start the Grand Prix EON de Lisander. And he was not feeling romantic since his plans to have Yuan Qiang to visit him had fallen through. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"I'm just having a little fun," Avijit answered with a sheepish smile.

"You are allowing yourself to be distracted," said Tripathi. "Save it for after the race. You can't allow yourself to be distracted when we are preparing for a race."

Avijit rolled his eyes. "Look who's talking! Everyone knows you're pussy-whipped."

Tripathi had already been tetchy, but now he was furious. "What did you say???"

"You're obsessed with Kai Qiang's sister, and you're mad that she's not here," said Avijit. "So you take it out on anyone who looks like they're having fun, because you want everyone else to be as miserable as you are. And you're driving like crap because all you can think about is her."

"That is not true!" Tripathi said defensively. "My love for Yuan Qiang will not stop me from doing my best on the track!"

"You're driving like crap and blaming it on me!" Avijit insisted. "You're supposed to be the best driver in the Sherpa Empire, and you just finished 22nd in qualifying. And you can't blame it on the car. Jess Franssen got 6th with the same car!"

"Jess does not waste her time listening to your nonsense," said Tripathi. "Perhaps I should try that since it is working so well for her." With that, he stormed off. Deep down, he knew Avijit sort of had a point. Tripathi had been thinking about Yuan Qiang a lot, and since he met her he had not been as dominant on the track as he was used to. It wasn't that silly to start wondering if there was a connection, especially when he had just finished a really disappointing qualifying. He would have a lot of ground to make up at the next day's race.

Well, he would just have to make up for it. He wasn't going to let people say he was pussy-whipped or he was driving like crap. He was better than that. He would make Avijit see...

"I don't see what's so hot about Kai Qiang's sister anyway," Avijit said after Tripathi had left. "They look so much alike, I don't think I could kiss her without thinking of him."

Uti shrugged. "Maybe he secretly likes them both."

On the day of the race, Tripathi showed up to the track even more fixated that usual. He felt like he had something to prove. The lights counted down to the start of the race, and Tripathi could barely do anything because there were so many other cars clogging up the track in front of him. He managed to gain a couple of positions during that initial shuffle before the cars got too spread out, then worked his way up one car at a time after they spread out enough for that sort of strategic maneuvering. He climbed steadily up the positions, but it was a long climb after such a lousy qualifying. He made it to the front, but then Jessica Franssen came up charging up behind him. Marton gave them the go ahead to race each other for the top spot. They were both experienced drivers that knew how to fight it out cleanly without wrecking each other. Tripathi kept Franssen behind him for a lap as she waited for an opening and he didn't give her one -- but then she found the opening she was looking for and slipped into the lead. Tripathi cursed, but not as loudly or angrily as he would have if he was getting forced off the podium. Second place was still a strong finish, especially with VMR getting both the top two spots. Now there was nothing Avijit could say about being pussy-whipped or driving like crap.

In post-race interviews, Tripathi emphasized the strong result for the team rather than dwelling on the fact that Franssen had finished ahead of him.

by **Savojarna** » Fri May 03, 2019 7:50 am

MRT Headquarters, Kranjagrad, Mattijana

Sigur Bjarnason's head was hanging a bit lower than it had been the last time he was in Kranjagrad. The whole season so far had not gone his way at all. Lisander was an atrocity where he couldn't even be remotely competitive, and while the MRT's technical setup had been part of the problem, he also just wasn't happy with how he was driving. At least now JNI would give him a shot to redeem himself. Sigur liked new tracks, and he liked city tracks. The victory in Vulkanas had been his true breakout onto the stage of the WGPC, and the track in Joushiki Nante Iranai may or may not be similar. MRT had reconstructed it in the simulator that Sigur was now sitting in, trying to meticulously learn the track. A monitor displayed his times to Krister Arlund and compared it to simulations of the expected qualifying lap time. With the MRT computer calculating a lap time of just above 62 seconds, JNI's track was short and intense - just the way Sigur liked it.

But something did not quite click. He couldn't put his finger onto it. Maybe Krister could. "Krister? There's some stuff I'd like to look at. Can we take a break soon?", he asked. "Sure, Sigur. Finish the lap and then drive into the pit lane to stop the program for the moment, okay?", he answered. Sigur did as his engineer requested and took off the headset. He always felt a bit naked without his helmet, but the simulator room was usually too hot to be comfortable underneath it. He hung the headset onto a hook and walked over to the table where Krister sat, hunched over a table with Sigur's times on the monitor. "You're solidly in the high 1:02 range. Very consistent lap times, but there's a bit of an issue with your speed if the computers are to be believed. I like your flow though, you can probably improve on the real road...". Suddenly the race engineer's voice trailed off. "Sigur? You look worried. Are you alright?", he asked.

The Savojar driver sighed. "I don't know, Krister? It's weird. I'm slow but I don't know why", he said. "I feel like I am trying it all, looking at the line, working on every detail with you guys, but it doesn't help". He sighed again. "Lisander. It was good. I knew what to do. We tested the setup for ages in the simulator. We tried stuff on training. I was slow", he continued. "Same for the previous race, and the one before that. Even in Talbott. The setup isn't always the issue. Krupin has it down. What's the problem, Krister?". The usually quiet and thoughtful driver now started rattling off all his concerns that had plagued him for weeks. This year, it was supposed to be different. SARA had been sitting down with him and Krister, and they had given him a team to assist with the technological part. The cooperation between the Savojars and MRT was, from all that Sigur heard, splendid. They had been working with the team since the end of last season, the contract had been fixed early and all his attention was on MRT. Yet, it didn't work for him.

Krister rubbed his chin. "I'm not sure. The simulation seems good. The setup isn't the problem indeed. I mean, we have to be honest, the MRT has some serious problems with the faster tracks and we have been unlucky a couple of times - " Sigur cut him off, sounding unusually harsh. "No, Krister. I know there is something else. I feel it. There is something in my driving that just doesn't feel right, you know? But I have no idea what it is. Do I slide across corners again?", he asked, remembering when he had been horrible in the beginning of his career because he had driven as if he was in a car with little grip on the perpetually damp Sumani gravel. "No. Not as far as I see. In fact, your tyres haven't been as preserved in ages. Maybe ever", Krister answered, frowning. "Technically you drive extremely clean. But there are just a few fractions of a second that others are faster. Maybe it's bad luck?". Sigur was still not satisfied.

"Luck. Car. All but me? I don't quite buy that. Is my feeling that wrong, or what? You're all not telling me something, aren't you?", he asked, now getting louder. Suddenly, Krister noted something in his driver's eyes. "Sigur? I think I just got it", he said. The Savojar stopped dead in his tracks, not expecting that answer from his engineer. "What? How? Why?", he asked, confused. Krister was quiet for a second, before he answered in his calm and collected style that could drive Sigur mad. "Your eyes. Right now, you've had that sparkle in your eyes. That wasn't there all day. You had lost your fire, Sigur. You're driving flawlessly technically, but what if that's the problem? What if you're sticking too much to the line? I think I made a mistake, Sigur. I'm so sorry. I tried to make you a WGPC driver, a technical machine, but I think it ruined your racing instinct. As much as you have improved your skill, you don't drive like you mean it anymore. As if you're scared of breaking out", Krister said, as he increasingly noticed it all coming together.

When the season started, it was him who kept him on the track and in the simulator, making him do feedback work and basically using Sigur as a development driver. It did work, he got the returns he needed and Krister as well as MRT's engineers had genuinely believed they did a big step forward. But it made the car more technical and fragile, a carefully crafted balance that he was scared to upset. He had held Sigur back to make sure he wouldn't topple the MRT's balance instead of focusing on Sigur Bjarnason's natural rallye driving instincts. Sigur even barely went out to mountainbike anymore. Instead, he worked meticulously - like Krister had asked him to! - and went to blow off his steam in Kranjagrad, enjoying his star status in the city's bars and clubs. "I have been such an idiot", Arlund muttered to himself.

Sigur was sunk in thought. "Sigur? Take off tomorrow. We'll finish the session today, but tomorrow I'll find someone else to drive for the setup. We can work with Krupin, or ask MRT if there's someone else who can drive here. You'll take a day off. Go cycling or something, I want you to be active, but do whatever you want. We have over a week off. If you want, go to Savojarna over the weekend and go do a drive in Sumanen or something, I don't know what you want to do, but I don't want you to do development work this weekend. I should have known to not burn your talent like this", Arlund said. The driver looked like someone who had a massive realisation in this moment.

Krister was right. He had gone soft. He lost his bite and was no longer the hungry rookie of last year. And he knew how he'd get it back. Sigur rushed home and called a friend. He'd go back for a drive.

Marisaamo, North Sumanen, Savojarna

Mikko greeted his friend, who smiled across his entire face as he hugged his former co-pilot. "Mikko! It's been a while", Sigur said, "how has it been? Heard you won some stuff in the rallye circuit?". "Paavo wanted a new copilot. Works like a charm. Maybe I get to drive the Russica next month too, the team is still talking", his friend Mikko Virtanen answered smiling. "Come, I gotta show you something", the young Finn said and pulled a lever on the wall of the shed they stood next to. The garage door in the front creaked and slid up. Mikko flipped another switch and a bright light went on, revealing what was underneath. Two early 1990s Landsmarks Lodjuren sparkled under the light. Painted in the red and white of the legendary Landsmarks Automobilen team, polished with love, they were standing there. The Lodjuren was the biggest monster that LA had ever produced for the rallye circuit, before the SARA had restricted the class where it had participated.

Lightly built, with a low centre of gravity and an engine that rivalled today's much heavier and bigger Savojar rallye cars made the Lodjuren essentially an off-road gokart. A gokart that reached 280 km/h on gravel. The legendary LA Lodjuren had won eleven majors from 1991 to 1994, and every Savojar rallye driver or fan remembered its days. Mikko threw Sigur a key. "Catch!", he shouted, as he opened one of the two cars and climbed in. Sigur followed his example. "We're going for a drive, Sigur. Two laps behind me, then we race, okay?", Mikko said. Sigur smiled widely and nodded. "Go!", he said.

Outside a light drizzle from the sea, around thirty kilometres away, had dampened the gravel. As always in this part of the country. The surroundings were beautiful despite the cool and cloudy weather. Over rolling hills through a forest, the gravel road led around Lake Marisaamo and onto the highest hill of the region, from where the view was truly splendid. It reminded Sigur of the Lintulahti circuit in Aboveland, a beautiful track in the WGPC. But he wasn't here to think of the WGPC, but to drive a Lodjuren. Mikko let his engine howl and turned out onto the gravel road. He sped up the car lightly, and they tried out the car's strength. Left and right the road flowed, and the two followed, sliding around the tighter corners and swiftly pulling around the more freely flowing ones. He heard Mikko laugh through his phone, and let out a little scream of joy himself. The Lodjuren was great fun. Then, he heard Mikko's voice. "Three more corners and we're back at the shed. Three laps around the course, loser pays a beer tonight!", he shouted with youthful enthusiasm before he put down the pedal.

Sigur laughed. "Gotcha! Wanna claim you beat a WGPC champ, eh?", he responded before putting the throttle down himself. The back of the car slingered out of the corner before the Savojar pulled it around the final corner, just at the back of the dust cloud behind Mikko's Lodjuren. The two chased each other around the track, over the wet gravel, and drove like madmen. A wave of gravel hit the trees next to a corner, and Sigur pushed the car out of the turn. In the next bend, a light left turn, it slingered angrily as the Savojar WGPC driver caught the car back immediately. Mikko hadn't reacted as quickly. The other Lodjuren swung its back around the bend, losing speed before the laughing Finn caught it. Sigur pounced on the mistake immediately. He pushed past Mikko on the inside and sped up towards the 200 km/h, enjoying the insane acceleration of the old rallye car. "HAHA! Gotcha, Mikko", he laughed into the phone.

The Ejanan and the Finn chased each other around the track for the entire three laps, never letting go of each other and changing the lead multiple times. Finally, a combination over a hill had Sigur catch up to Mikko. His friend made a slight mistake on the way down, letting the WGPC driver slip through a tiny gap on the inside; an overtake that he celebrated with a loud scream over the next hill as a little jump shot the adrenaline up into his veins. As he arrived in front of the shed, he slowed and spun around the Lodjuren. "Beer's on you, Mikko!", he cheered loudly and laughed as he opened the door to go and rub his win into the Finn's face. Krister was right. He hadn't felt so alive throughout the entire season.

by **Vangaziland** » Fri May 03, 2019 10:31 am

The season was in one of it's hardest fought stages. Tides were in the process of forming waves. It was still early enough in the year that momentum could wash either way. Most teams were focused almost solely with the events on track. Even practice sessions were crucial to team success. The World Grand Prix Championships were at Somos City Circuit.

This was a new track, with new experiences and people. Although the new track's exclusion of others set it up for a tough reception, Vannish Motors would support local planners. VMR would not run the season 17 chassis during the special event. The team brought another car just for the meet and greet. Edgar Halvorsen had suggested the company ship Jessica's title winning car from last season. Ed has traveled with VMR since WGP2 II. Company executives agreed with his idea and sent the second car to Joushiki Nante Iranai.

Jessica Franssen was all smiles for the cameras. She woud be happy to provide an example of a strong female driver, championship car by her side. The announcers would have to tell the story of her international success. Her story preceded itself. Young women across Somos city and the multiverse would know they can do it too.

A young driver named Nouzar Hashempour met Jessica. Things started with a uniformed meeting in front of a crowd. Autographs were signed. Pictures were taken. The two drivers exchanged jokes and even spoke to those gathered.

The track session turned out to be fun and exciting for Jess and Nouzar. Franssen monitored the chassis as a principal would in the manager's booth. She talked to Nouzar over the VMR headset. Jess gifted a red chrome helmet similar to hers to the driver to facilitate ease in working with COMM systems already set in the car.

Vannish Motors trusted the young drivers. They probably knew the track better than Jessica did. Raw talent alone might make Jess a little faster still. The company had low worry about the local wrecking their championship machine.

Nouzar started a little slow at first. This was the last VMR chassis to sport a V10. Jessica would drive a V8 when race week officially began. Hashempour had likely never driven any car as well tuned as this WGPC title winner.

Vannish Motors journalists were on hand to interview Nouzar on his opinion of the car. Jessica spoke on his skills while he did. "He showed real talent with the car. I think people from this land will make an impact on the sport."

Jessica was asked on her opinion of the track's inclusion. "I'm an Esportiva loyalist. I don't think certain tracks should have been kept off the schedule. I can see the appeal behind Somos City is its beauty. The track's path is one thing. When you get here and see it in your mind, it really is a fun place to drive." The rivers and sights of the place seemed to get to Jessica.

Sensing that Jess was trying to give a guided answer, a Vannish journalist asked her about the track's sharp turns. "Some of the angles don't leave room for a lot of speed. People forget. This is a road course. Can anybody name one road course that's perfect? Not Emeros. Not that other big city circuit everybody thinks of. We need flawed tracks on the circuit."

Edgar Halvorsen also spoke on the topic. "The WGPO wants to build ties with the Iranians. It would be great for the sport and frankly", he paused. "Good for our business as well. If their road course was relegated to a practice event, it would have been an insult. The same is true if North Emeros had been pushed to the pre-season. Setting up a road course is expensive. Especially when you have festivals planned."

Most Vannish analysts expect an event in Mattijana to return next season. There may come a time when the Vannish Grand Prix may be stalled into a practice week. This may even be a sacrifice Imperial executives could propose. Drosopol Circuit makes for an enticing prospect for a proper race week.

The atmosphere is different from the Vangaziland most people know. Things are more industrial and downright dystopian in some districts. A buzzing downtown district is near the stadium but it's seen better days. The introduction of the WGPO into the city is expected to bring massive revenue gains. A populace starving for tourism is ready to welcome tourists with open arms. They hope Vangaziland has put enough into the sport to not be replaced by the latest apple of 'The Organization's" eye.

As a fixed circuit, demotion to practice week status would be less of an expensive proposition.

"Change is the moral of the story", said VMR principal Simon Marton. "The races at North Emeros will go down in history. Drosopol will take us into the future. Vangaziland threw lots of money into the new renovations. I think we'll see a lot of investment in track design across the board."

"The Iranians have shown up and made this a great event. That's all anybody can ask from a host nation."

After participating in the pre-race events, Jess felt more connected to the people and this land. She even tried to pick up as much information as she could from Nouzar about his racing lines here. She'd try things out during practice. Qualifying wouldn't be far behind. Competition was putting up their usually strong effort.

Jess headed back to her hotel to relax after the long day.

Life for a racer wasn't all about track days and preparation. Even for someone as social as Jessica Franssen, things weren't always about dramtic social interactions either. There were times when Jessica just wanted to get away from it all. Television and movies helped entertain her on long trips. There was one show amost all Vangazi were talking about.

Starship is the type of show everybody thinks they like by coincidence, but actually do because of clever marketing. The kind of show that people rush to talk about with friends, therefore participating in the word of mouth marketing campaign Vannish executives spent millions to encourage.

Jessica didn't care about all that business stuff. There were flashy effects, attractive screen talent and wild storylines. There was no part of the meet & greet event that was going to keep Jess away from tonight's episode. As she lay down for bed, the nearby TV flashed the show's opening sequence.

"Galaxies. They stretch far and wide", said a craggy voice in a posh accent. A dark ship, cut in angles similar to today's naval vessels cut through nebula backlit space. Sparkling light wafted around the vessel. Stars of different shapes and sizes flashed and twinkled in brilliant colors. "One force patrols the widest reaches of human space. Captain Nate Vang leads the ISV Tritonic on a mission in uncharted sectors."

The scene flashes to show various support craft moving around the ship. A docking bay opens and one fighter speeds in its direction.

"The ship's assignment. To take humanity...."

"Where it has never gone."

The theme music picked up in volume and cadence. After the fighter docked, the larger vessel rushed into a hard acceleration. As the camera panned around the ship, it showed it scoot alongside an asteroid. Now the ship moved into open space. It pitched, rolled and moved to a new course. Six powerful engines on the rear of the craft glowed neon blue. It soon took off at speed, leaving the scene.

Credits rolled while showing different scenes of each crew member. The first one was:

"Starring Marcus Gallsen as Capt. Vang"

Vang was the stoic captain of the series. His eyes are bright crimson, the result of genetic engineering. The show's story follows the trials and tribulations of a commander descended from theImperial Royals of today. Vang often focuses on duty and honor, but is easily distracted. A few episodes have hinted at the weakness which can distract him and sway his staunch outlook.

By the time the show started, it almost seemed as if the introduction was entertainment in itself. The special effects were looking cleaner than ever. Jess couldn't wait to hear all about this ship, its crew and the journeys ahead. It gave her time to keep her mind rejuvenated. If she spent every moment worrying about racing, she'd be a wreck.

Jess often wondered how she'd fit into this world. She'd have to fly a ship. Maybe she could sit at the helm of the Tritonic. A fighter's cabin would be even better. There were some pretty fun designs. Much of Vangaziland was fascinated with the sci fi series. It was interesting to see the Empire's take on the genre. Jess was glad to be 'just another watcher' instead of worrying about perfoming.

by **WGPC** » Fri May 03, 2019 3:33 pm

CUTOFF

for Practice and Qualifying at Somos City Circuit

by **WGPC** » Fri May 03, 2019 4:00 pm

Week 9: Practice

Conditions:      	Dry
Lap Record:      	00:01:02.097
Session Length:	75 minutes
Nation:         	JNI
Circuit:        	Somos City Circuit

Drivers have 75 minutes to complete as many laps of the track as they like.

POS #   DRIVER                              FASTEST LAP     GAP TO LEADER		
 1 14 ▍Sigur Bjarnason                  	00:01:05.248	00:00:00.000
 2  1 ▍Jessica Franssen                 	00:01:05.287	00:00:00.040
 3 52 ▍Sayono Souzare                   	00:01:05.296	00:00:00.048
 4 42 ▍Alex Dimitrianov                 	00:01:05.366	00:00:00.119
 5 17 ▍Evdaden Carnétier                	00:01:05.504	00:00:00.256
 6 64 ▍Carsten O'Rourke                 	00:01:05.519	00:00:00.271
 7 23 ▍Jelena Colac-Strek               	00:01:05.525	00:00:00.277
 8 77 ▍iBen Toralmintii                 	00:01:05.566	00:00:00.318
 9 41 ▍Jean Mercer-Daly                 	00:01:05.575	00:00:00.328
10 27 ▍Gregori Krupin                   	00:01:05.610	00:00:00.362
11 29 ▍Esteban Guilhermez               	00:01:05.691	00:00:00.443
12 71 ▍Rustom Ibuna                     	00:01:05.703	00:00:00.455
13 65 ▍Hunter Digri                     	00:01:05.996	00:00:00.748
14 56 ▍Terho Talvela                    	00:01:06.088	00:00:00.841
15  7 ▍Vijay Tripathi                   	00:01:06.158	00:00:00.911
16 51 ▍RL Cruisin                       	00:01:06.220	00:00:00.973
17 22 ▍Jasmin Kranjska                  	00:01:06.297	00:00:01.050
18 20 ▍Mick Schramm                     	00:01:06.331	00:00:01.084
19 33 ▍Jai Kardaeri                     	00:01:06.727	00:00:01.480
20 49 ▍Benjamin Talison                 	00:01:06.802	00:00:01.554
21 94 ▍Ryker Lane                       	00:01:06.997	00:00:01.750
22 47 ▍Erica Okumura                    	00:01:07.108	00:00:01.860
23 63 ▍Dalia Dahl                       	00:01:07.378	00:00:02.131
24 18 ▍Taylor Blake                     	00:01:07.652	00:00:02.405
25  3 ▍Darius Castellammare             	00:01:08.151	00:00:02.903
26 48 ▍Tyra Tabuso                      	00:01:08.314	00:00:03.066
27 15 ▍Tabita Novax                     	00:01:08.849	00:00:03.601
28 37 ▍Ryan Harris-Jones                	00:01:09.615	00:00:04.368

Week 9: Qualifying

Conditions:      	Dry
Lap Record:      	00:01:02.097
Qualifying Type:	Traditional
Nation:         	JNI
Circuit:        	Somos City Circuit

Drivers compete for position in Sunday's race over four qualifying sessions. 45 minutes for the first, 25 minutes for the second, 15 minutes for the third and only 10 minutes for the final session. The field is reduced from 26 to 20 to 15 to 10 over the course of Saturday qualifying.

POS #   DRIVER                                  FASTEST Q1     GAP TO LEADER    FASTEST Q2     GAP TO LEADER    FASTEST Q3     GAP TO LEADER    FASTEST Q4     GAP TO LEADER								
 1  7 ▍Vijay Tripathi                   	00:01:03.972	00:00:00.007	00:01:03.364	00:00:00.020	00:01:03.455	00:00:00.714	00:01:02.155	FASTEST : Q4
 2 42 ▍Alex Dimitrianov                 	00:01:04.052	00:00:00.087	00:01:03.477	00:00:00.133	00:01:03.319	00:00:00.579	00:01:02.189	00:00:00.034
 3 27 ▍Gregori Krupin                   	00:01:03.987	00:00:00.022	00:01:03.376	00:00:00.032	00:01:03.195	00:00:00.454	00:01:02.601	00:00:00.445
 4 14 ▍Sigur Bjarnason                  	00:01:04.032	00:00:00.067	00:01:03.655	00:00:00.311	00:01:02.921	00:00:00.180	00:01:02.870	00:00:00.714
 5 22 ▍Jasmin Kranjska                  	00:01:03.969	00:00:00.004	00:01:03.465	00:00:00.121	00:01:02.809	00:00:00.069	00:01:04.441	00:00:02.285
 6 15 ▍Tabita Novax                     	00:01:04.059	00:00:00.094	00:01:03.344	FASTEST : Q2	00:01:02.741	FASTEST : Q3	00:01:07.760	00:00:05.605
 7 77 ▍iBen Toralmintii                 	00:01:03.971	00:00:00.006	00:01:03.407	00:00:00.064	00:01:02.750	00:00:00.009	00:01:09.227	00:00:07.071
 8 47 ▍Erica Okumura                    	00:01:04.000	00:00:00.035	00:01:03.776	00:00:00.433	00:01:02.843	00:00:00.102	00:01:09.372	00:00:07.217
 9 51 ▍RL Cruisin                       	00:01:03.986	00:00:00.021	00:01:03.438	00:00:00.094	00:01:02.829	00:00:00.088	00:01:09.614	00:00:07.459
10 37 ▍Ryan Harris-Jones                	00:01:04.002	00:00:00.037	00:01:03.372	00:00:00.028	00:01:03.162	00:00:00.421	00:01:10.605	00:00:08.449
11 33 ▍Jai Kardaeri                     	00:01:03.979	00:00:00.014	00:01:03.523	00:00:00.180	00:01:03.653	00:00:00.912		
12 52 ▍Sayono Souzare                   	00:01:03.996	00:00:00.031	00:01:03.448	00:00:00.104	00:01:03.817	00:00:01.077		
13 48 ▍Tyra Tabuso                      	00:01:04.111	00:00:00.146	00:01:03.367	00:00:00.024	00:01:03.932	00:00:01.191		
14 64 ▍Carsten O'Rourke                 	00:01:04.017	00:00:00.052	00:01:03.369	00:00:00.026	00:01:04.033	00:00:01.292		
15 56 ▍Terho Talvela                    	00:01:04.062	00:00:00.097	00:01:03.355	00:00:00.012	00:01:04.358	00:00:01.617		
16 23 ▍Jelena Colac-Strek               	00:01:03.994	00:00:00.029	00:01:03.966	00:00:00.622				
17 65 ▍Hunter Digri                     	00:01:03.995	00:00:00.030	00:01:04.268	00:00:00.924				
18 94 ▍Ryker Lane                       	00:01:03.965	FASTEST : Q1	00:01:04.544	00:00:01.200				
19 18 ▍Taylor Blake                     	00:01:03.979	00:00:00.014	00:01:04.878	00:00:01.535				
20 41 ▍Jean Mercer-Daly                 	00:01:03.975	00:00:00.010	00:01:04.946	00:00:01.602				
21 49 ▍Benjamin Talison                 	00:01:04.141	00:00:00.176						
22 20 ▍Mick Schramm                     	00:01:04.141	00:00:00.176						
23  1 ▍Jessica Franssen                 	00:01:04.146	00:00:00.181						
24  3 ▍Darius Castellammare             	00:01:04.373	00:00:00.408						
25 71 ▍Rustom Ibuna                     	00:01:04.432	00:00:00.467						
26 63 ▍Dalia Dahl                       	00:01:04.482	00:00:00.517						
27 29 ▍Esteban Guilhermez               	00:01:04.483	00:00:00.518						
28 17 ▍Evdaden Carnétier                	00:01:04.751	00:00:00.786

by **Joushiki Nante Iranai** » Sat May 04, 2019 9:57 am

CUTOFF

for Young Driver Hot Lap at Somos City Circuit

by **Esmerel** » Sat May 04, 2019 7:27 pm

Chapter Whatever: The Catch Up

Kilometer 102, Esterlon Freeway 5, Fremont, Almada, Esterlon
Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 4:00 PM (UTC -4)

This was the place, evidently. Or, at least getting there. Having never been to Huntington before, Jean wasn't actually sure. Though, it seemed that Evyn was, considering he'd be here. What was it about, though?

Jean would, of course, have to wait and see. It seemed, however, that Evyn was willing to be receptive.

Then came a message from the man himself.

So, it looks like you're coming. Don't ask. I have a few sources that spotted your car.

Meet me behind City Hall, in old Huntington. Head north on F5, then take exit 112. Make a left, and City Hall will be in a few blocks.

I'm willing to be receptive. But, are you?

Jean had a thought. That's a pretty good question. I'm willing.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Huntington City Hall, 3202 5th Street, Huntington, Almada, Esterlon
Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 4:50 PM (UTC -4)

Jean and the Ardent pulled into the parking lot under the City Hall. Right in front of him was the black car Evyn had been driving that night. "Thought you might come anyways," someone said.

Jean had a moment of surprise. "Evyn? That you?" he asked.

They were quick to respond. "Of course it's me. You heard my voice not two weeks ago. Now, then, we have a bit of business to take care of."

Jean was interested in playing along, sure, but he was confused. "What kind of business?"

Evyn, a smooth talker, kept up the conversation. "Heh. It's simple." He paused. "Eleven years... so what brings you to find me?"

The two were still in the underground lot. "The terrace's above us," Jean mentioned. "You mind talking there where it won't attract as much attention?"

Evyn agreed. The two went to the terrace gardens by the City Hall. Jean initiated the conversation. "Well, then, Evyn, that's not as easy. But, I guess, I just wanted to. After all, you're still family."

This brought a smirk to Evyn's face. "Hey, Jean... you know what, I think it might be good you came back. Life was getting... not bad, but a bit too different. It's hard to run the business nowadays, and seeing you gave me a bit of that determination, you know?"

Jean noticed his speech. "Running a business? What kind of business are you running? And, actually, what the fuck have you done for the last eleven-"

Evyn shushed Jean. "I don't find that stuff vile, you know, expletives, but keep it to yourself. There's children around." He did have a point. The terrace gardens were popular to visit. "And you said we should have gone somewhere where it wouldn't attract too much attention."

Jean further considered Evyn's ideas. "This is why we never agreed as siblings, isn't it?"

"I digress. Anyways, it's a bit of a story, but I presume you want to know it all."

Jean agreed, so Evyn begun. "It started back in 2003. When... when Christopher- sorry, dad, had the accident. I was still attending West Midwood High, and suddenly, I had to change my entire life. Mom's fashionista career was on the wind-down, and you were at Cygnus University. You had to change too, right? The Wreckfests. You weren't half bad, actually. I came to a few of the races. But... I wasn't doing as well, was I? I admit I was a bit rebellious. Couldn't hold a job down for more than 3 months."

"That's not true. You had a position as an auto mechanic for like eight months, and you left on your terms."

"Oh, right. Thanks, Jean. Anyways, we needed income, since dad would be stuck in rehab for like two years. And... I gotta admit, I felt useless. Maybe I was better off alone."

Jean was beginning to understand it. "That's why you left?"

"Exactly. I felt like I was making a net loss on the family resources. Maybe I would be able to turn a profit elsewhere. So I left, yeah. Got a place in east Vespucci. Then I left Esmerel for good after the SUP uprising."

Jean knew his history, but had never heard of this "SUP uprising." "What uprising do you mean?"

Evyn took a serious tone. "The uprising where the government got replaced by the scientists. I wanted a bit more freedom than listening to the technocrats, so I left for Esterlon. Apparently, though, Esterlon imploded itself, cause now it's an Esmerelian satellite state."

Jean chuckled. "Satellite state? Esterlon wouldn't have survived without foreign intervention. Besides, it still has all the freedoms of a regular nation in the Verse. It just needs a bit of help from Esmerel for now, at least. Hopefully, we'll be able to take it back off of the training wheels within a few years."

Evyn already seemed disgusted taking about politics. "On a better subject, I found freedom here, in its purest form. Survival of the fittest. Where people weren't given the helping hands they didn't deserve. I raced. Heard you were looking through my time with the black Mustang. I loved that thing. Had to sell it to get over to Los Santos in 2013. Speaking of that, Los Santos. Hot damn, is that a great place to be... if you know how to exploit it. There I was, just off the plane to LSIA- nothing but the clothes on my back and a bit of pocket cash. I made some more doing a whole bunch of assorted... opportunities, let's say, and then it all just added up. Now? I'm a millionaire, buddy. Drive around in some of the rarest and most expensive cars in the Verse. I own several properties around San Andreas and beyond- weapon bunkers, vehicle exports, document forgeries, cargo smuggling... You name it, I profit from it."

Jean heard every word of Evyn's tirade. "So... you're admitting you're a criminal?"

"No, I'm not. I'm admitting I'm a three-bit gangster," said Evyn. "At least, that's what they say. I'm more of a CEO. Got an office on the 21st floor of the Arcadius and everything. People like me? We don't just let the status quo be the status quo. We study it and take advantage of it. And at the end of the day, we can't be touched. Everything you'd ever want isn't impossible to get. All you have to do is take the chances." Evyn sighed. "All this and more, buddy. All this and more. What about you? Have you ever taken the chances I'm talking about?"

Jean adjusted himself before he spoke. "Evyn, I'd say that and more. It wasn't long after you left when I stepped up to the Grand Touring Championship. You know who I drove for? Obey. Yeah, that team. Back in 2010 they were just a tiny team, looking to experiment with the foreign markets. I helped take them from that to the top. If you look up the definition of upset in the dictionary, you'll find me there. Then, it was the big leagues. I saw that opportunity, the WGPC, and I took it. So there I was, racing with some of the greatest athletes in the Verse. Alexander Lund. Alexandra Mayari. Terho Talvela. Maria Cattaneo. Ryker Lane. It started off small. Then it was failure. Three failures to finish. But afterwards, it was a record. Three race wins. Sequentially. Took two more in the next season, and second in the championship. I almost had it, if it wasn't for the cyberterrorists. Yeah, that happened. Shut down my car in the last race."

Jean paused. "And," he said, as he rolled up his left sleeve, "I think, after two seasons, I can say I have proof I took chances."

OOC: this isn't over yet but i'm getting a bit tired. we'll continue this story after the race.

by **Joushiki Nante Iranai** » Sun May 05, 2019 1:29 am

OOC Notes:
1. Those who did not arrive at the event are still named because, due to the nature of the event, the young driver would still do the hot lap, even if on their own or with someone else doing the radio. A different car would be used.
2. This is not an official WGPC Scorination. As a result, this does not affect the rest of the WGPC in any way, and is simply for RP purposes.

HOT LAP

Conditions:      	Cloudy
Lap Record*:      	00:01:13.055
Nation:         	JNI
Circuit:        	Somos City Circuit
*For hot lap standard cars only.

POS # WGPC DRIVER                   TEAM                              	FASTEST LAP	BEHIND LEADER
 1 18 Taylor Blake                  Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:13.446	00:00:00.000
 2 56 Terho Talvela                 Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:13.459	00:00:00.013
 3 64 Carsten O'Rourke              Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:13.469	00:00:00.023
 4 77 iBen Toralmintii              Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:13.524	00:00:00.078
 5  7 Vijay Tripathi                Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:13.531	00:00:00.085
 6 17 Evdaden Carnétier             Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:13.535	00:00:00.088
 7 47 Erica Okumura                 Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:13.638	00:00:00.191
 8 23 Jelena Colac-Strek            Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:13.660	00:00:00.214
 9 51 RL Cruisin                    Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:13.690	00:00:00.244
10 49 Benjamin Talison              Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:13.714	00:00:00.268
11 20 Mick Schramm                  Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:13.747	00:00:00.300
12 41 Jean Mercer-Daly              Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:13.783	00:00:00.337
13 33 Jai Kardaeri                  Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:13.896	00:00:00.449
14  3 Darius Castellammare          Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:14.036	00:00:00.590
15 63 Dalia Dahl                    Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:14.101	00:00:00.655
16 22 Jasmin Kranjska               Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:14.363	00:00:00.916
17 48 Tyra Tabuso                   Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:14.657	00:00:01.210
18 71 Rustom Ibuna                  Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:14.830	00:00:01.383
19 65 Hunter Digri                  Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:15.131	00:00:01.684
20 15 Tabita Novax                  Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:15.234	00:00:01.787
21  1 Jessica Franssen              Radio to JNI Young Driver       	00:01:15.330	00:00:01.883
22 52 Sayono Souzare                Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:15.435	00:00:01.988
23 42 Alex Dimitrianov              Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:15.501	00:00:02.054
24 14 Sigur Bjarnason               Radio to JNI Young Driver   	00:01:16.206	00:00:02.760
25 29 Esteban Guilhermez            Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:16.757	00:00:03.311
26 94 Ryker Lane                    Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:16.828	00:00:03.382
27 27 Gregori Krupin                Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:17.180	00:00:03.733
28 37 Ryan Harris-Jones             Radio to JNI Young Driver     	00:01:17.860	00:00:04.414

by **Lisander** » Sun May 05, 2019 10:46 am

Imperan Superbike Future League, presentation race
Circuit Rawson, Ariannin

A great Sunday Morning in Ariannin! You know, when you travel to near locations, you can be in the same afternoon in two places at the same time. Of course, you'll lose most of the time into the plane, but the distance Darius was safe since they didn't travelled too far. That was a surprise appearance in Circuit Rawson, Ariannin, some hours after the evening qualification in Somos. The sound was kind of different, but the smell of racing fuel was very similar. Instead of Formulae, Motorbikes.

"Darius, Do you really should come back to watch my race? Will you have time to return and do something? It's a long travel. You'll watch it, enter the plane again and return to JNI for your own race." - Athena Haines, Darius girlfriend, was kind of worried. He would clearly suffer some jet-lag and it could worse its performance on JNI GP.

"Don't worry. Not that long. These were orders from the team. I'm not even paying for these travels. Andrea Lanza said a lot of times 'we need to turn off the WGPC' just to 'turn on WGPC better'."

Darius was really trying, but leave the WGPC worries behind was kind of hard. Lanza was kind of harsh with him. "Go to Ariannin and forget this stupid car! The team will make its best to reach at least the points zone." Those shouldn't be words coming from a Team Manager, he thought. He should be more considerate to the work of the team.

"Also, you couldn't fool me. This isn't your series. This little beetle is not my bike, not the one that my girlfriend should ride in Imperan Superbike Series. This is a plain Ferrero F150, prepared by Ferrero itself, even with the white and red colours of Ferrero motorbikes. I know it because I'm here like a prospector. We'll have some young riders around here, it's good to establish some future for Team DC3 if I want to leave cars in some years." - Darius was too much into speed. WGPC, Superbikes, whatever. It couldn't be avoided. He had that need to do something.

"Hey, man. Why are you here and not in Somos? I planned to watch your race tomorrow!"- that was a very familiar voice. Juliano Lemos was there, with his fiancée, Ludwika Wiel and another girl.

The third girl caught his attention. She shouldn't have more than fourteen or fifteen years old. While Lemos and Ludi were dressed casually, with team polos for Bitten Heroes and KB, respectively, the girl was clearly a rider. Her outfit had the same protective reinforcements in elbows, shoulders, knees

"Lemos! What's up? Hello, Ludi! Who is she? Are you scouting too?"

"My niece, Lana. You may remember her from that incident when her family was missed in Lisander and I almost panicked two seasons ago. She's an intern student at Pia Mater Institute and since I let her ride for the first time, she's doing well."

Oh, well, another of Lemos' willpower journeys... - the WGPC driver thought. Lemos was known for trying to overcome difficulties with willpower and a lot of preparation. It had been like this at WGP3, at WGP2, at Hodori, and now with niece riding motorbikes.

"So, you'll build a big team around her?" Darius asked.

"Not this time. I wanted to make her career right, making a "small team". She's fourteen now, and she's like you, Athena. Your father had a career in GT, and my career is in the formulae. Now, our descendants are reducing the number of wheels and going into Superbike Road Racing. Better saying, she's going into 150s. I want to provide her with the opportunities I couldn't have², but we will start small. I plan to buy a pair of Ferreros, some tents and a trailer. As a family team should be. Her father is a mechanical engineer, so she brought him into her dream. He's in that engineers' meeting."

"I hope to learn a lot with you, Miss Haines." - the younger girl nodded, and her voice sounded excited. - "I'm Venelana Lemos, but you can call me Lana. I prefer Lana."

"So, Ludi, what about us women leave both the men with the management issues and get a look into the Hermès M700 of the Team DC3? Lana could try to throttle a bit, but nothing more than gear one." - Athena invited.

"Can I? Great!" - Lana was excited. Ludi and Athena already knew the motorcycle. One rode it, the other painted it in the blue, black and fluo green of DC3.

After the women had left, Lemos was finally able to go to the matter he wanted.

"What's going on with your car? 24th is very bad. This does not even look like you ... Can not you get the speed out of the car? Is it something with the technology of Falcania? So ... I know I have not been to visit yet. I'm still going to do some laps with your car. But I wanted to hear from you what's happening..."

"Two words for you. Independent teams."

"Oh, sad. Camden-Mott made this. I could bet all my money. What Lanza is doing about it?" - Lemos had gone through that in WGPC season 15, when half "WET motors" almost divided the team Bitten Heroes in two.

"Thinking."

"He does a lot of it. He should be doing this right now. When you see him, say I told you to tell him to think faster. It's WGPC we're talking. Is not like my niece motorbikes category."

NOTES
1. I modified some information relative to time and date. Considering the location of JNI, I'm establishing a distance that could be made in some hours for a small jet plane. Ariannin, the land of former WGP2 Season 1, Alyn Terfel.
2. As explained in previous RPs of Lisanderian Motorsports, Lemos started in illegal racing.

by **Filindostan** » Sun May 05, 2019 10:52 am

Somos City Circuit
Somos, JNI
JNI Grand Prix - Qualifying Session Four

Rudolf Ibuna is anxiously waiting for the timesheets at the end of Q4, the first time that the qualifying session had been implemented to whittle down the 28 driver field to 10 after three qualifying segments. Both Alex and Carsten, the latter being handed the second seat for the full season, made it into Q3, but the Audioslavian failed to make it to the final session, having placed 14th in Q3. With Alex getting the hang of the tight turns of the street circuit, he was able to run the car technically to almost the front of the grid - with only VMR's Vijay Tripathi getting on the way between the Mattijanan and the pole position.

The team principal is fairly happy with the session, but is fully wary of the situation - Badai Angin had picked up only a handful of points in the past two races, and with the Vannish team getting a 1-2 finish last race at Circuit Grandeville, the lead at the top of the constructors' championship were reduced to a solitary point. With another team, the reigning constructors' champs MRT, getting both of their drivers in the top 4, the Mattijanan have a lot to do to prevent the green cars from his nation getting better results and put the Filindo team off the perch atop the constructors' championship.

Meanwhile, on the other parts of the paddock, the Badai Angin team principal's son is having a hard time. Failing to get out of Q1, and placing the same position as he did the previous grand prix, Rusty hopes that this will be a race of attrition, as he expects to have difficulties overtaking in the street circuit, with several of the top contenders in the top 10, the last thing he needed is another poor qualifying performance as he fears falling away from the top of the drivers' championship by the time the season heads to his home circuit.

Tyra though, has been steady since the beginning of the season. A DNF in Mytanija and a lowly 15th in Lisander have hampered her progress, but it was pretty much expected, as she learns the ropes before hoping to impress with the Ethanian team, Fireline, in two races time in Yogyakulta.

by **Vangaziland** » Sun May 05, 2019 12:17 pm

Back to back pole positions left Vannish Motors staff in good spirits. Simon Marton was in the middle of a phone conference with Jang Xiaopeng. The principal was gathering interest in Xioapeng's future role with Vannish Motors. He was set to race for other teams in the WGPC. VMR stretched between various racing disciplines. The two spoke about everything from rally to stock cars.

Xiaopeng stood on the balcony outside of his downtown condominium. He still owned property on West-East Timor from his time with the team. It was always nice to get back to the Vannish Mainland. Life had been almost exclusively about travel since Jang started WGP2 I. It was kind of nice for his interactions with Vannish Motors to take place over the phone.

"Formula Hodori or GT1. That would have to be my top hopes", Xiaopeng said while looking out at the urban canyon below. Another row of buildings ran horizontally across the street. He gazed over tall hedges formed by rows of diverse skyscrapers. Many say underground Vannish syndicates drove commercial development by giving their contractors plans for massive buildings. Each one seemed more complex than the next. Incorporating green space into building designs started in 2002 and has become a Vannish staple. Many pine and other small trees from the local taiga form sky-high parks and gardens throughout the year.

"Those are understandable choices. Really hot seats", said Marton. "We'll see what we can do. Like I've said. Vannish Motors built the GT1 car. A formula spec car is in the works. It's a complex path to both though", the principal continued.

"Why?" Jang didn't understand what the hold up was. "I thought there was talk about new charters next season."

"It's not so simple", said Simon Marton. He was in a corporate office Vannish Motors rented out to conduct business for the time in JNI. "Formula has only been open for drivers to join existing teams. The organization honestly doesn't want companies like ours stealing the show. Foreign success should come through local teams first."

"What about GT?"

"There's always the chance the charters will all get re-signed", Simon replied. "I don't know Xiao. We might have to look at other alternatives."

"NSSCRA is still packed, huh?" Jang had thought about driving in the stock car series. It was really growing into a major event.

"It sounds like the company is sticking by it's three drivers", said Simon. This was good news for Floyd Hackerbee especially. There was talk the driver could be replaced. "Jess won't be doing that full time yet. She has too much to focus on in the WGPC. There are still the open charter spots too."

"Jess will probably want those, I bet", said Jang while pouring himself a drink. He'd moved to his kitchen since stepping inside.

"That doesn't mean you can't run at least once", said Simon. "I tell you what. Fly over to South Stead. I'll make some calls and have them set up the stock car simulator." The team's HQ in South Stead includes simulators capable of switching between race disciplines. A new VMR complex is being built near the track in Drosopol.

"After that rally season, I need something to turn my luck around", Jang said sheepishly. He knew that trying another new race style could bring equally tough results. "I'll see what I can do."

"At least learn the basics of driving a stock car", said Marton. "The fourth charter has always been a developmental spot. Jess is no stock car driver. She ran a few races to get the hang of the field. It's practice. Training."

"That doesn't sound bad", said Xiaopeng. "Hopefully it doesn't throw off my style with open wheel cars."

"Jess says it's like weight training", replied the principal excitedly. He always loved talking about cars. He was just as passionate about the company's NSSCRA based Hammerhead as he was about the WGPC program. "It's heavier. More clunky. Less gears though."

"Road courses in those things must be wild."

"You've run rally and even started with street stuff", Simon said in an encouraging tone. "It's not like you've only driven open wheel. Just think of it as something new. Learn. The NSSCRA drivers will probably be around." The location in South Stead would likely remain as headquarters for VMR NSSCRA. Both delegations are excited at the prospect of having their own space.

"Yeah." Jang felt his stomach start to rumble. It was getting late and he still hadn't ate yet. "Well okay. This was a great talk. I'll head to South Stead early next week. I finished recording Thursday. I'm back at my place."

"Oh okay. I wasn't sure. I'll make those calls then. Enjoy your night."

"Take care, Simon."

by **Aboveland** » Sun May 05, 2019 1:20 pm

Thursday morning begins as every other one does, the warm smell of nutty coffee filling the air as it sloshes frothy in its cup, the cream sticking softly to Terho's upper lip, while he looks out over the overcast Somos cityscape. Both he and Edvin enjoy the silence for a moment, only the whistling of the wind present. After Terho's mild panic attack after the previous race, he feels much, much better: well-rested, freshly-showered and looking forward to a relaxing day before the race weekend begins.

But, as always, Edvin breaks the peace with a bout of small talk, hinting at a larger revelation further ahead. Used to it by now, Terho mumbles away from the icebreakers, and urges Edvin to get to the point, his irritation levels rising steadily.

"We've got to hit the track in a little bit, for the young driver hot lap shit thing," spouts Edvin clumsily, receiving a groan. "I hate when you're grumpy," he adds.

Terho stretches backwards in his chair, rubs his face, and moans another time before replying, yet desperately rather than defiantly. "I'm... a little off lately." Edvin looks upon him softer than before, and he continues. "I just can't find the speed sometimes, and right when I falter Franssen comes out on top." He struggles to put his next words together, not out of spite, but because he tries to sound much more in control of his emotions than he really is. "And you know, her win tally and all that..."

Edvin frowns. "Quit your bullshit," he says bluntly, and Terho's eyes widen in confusion. "You're not like her," he continues. "You're better, different... maybe less happy-go-lucky, and a little more prone to explosions, but so much richer."

Now, its Terho who frowns, unsure from where Edvin has pulled out his charisma card.

"Nobody really knows you," Edvin continues, "and that's what makes you great. You were able to go out there and win a championship in a year while barely speaking to anyone else but me. You're just mysterious enough to keep people intrigued, but nice enough to not become the enemy."

The silence that follows is heavy and long.

"So?" asks Terho, finally. "She's still quicker."

"More consistent, sure."

Another bout of silence.

"Look," Edvin continues, "I probably strayed from my point a bit." Terho nods. "But you've always been like this." He points to his temples and taps a few times. "Fragile. And you've coped with it well the past few years. Don't let it be the end of you. Use it to your advantage. Propel yourself. Leech from it."

Terho stares at Edvin and thinks for a moment. "Can you replace Aada for this race?" he asks politely. "You know me far better than her."

"Sure thing," Edvin says. "We can try."

"We're gonna try," Terho says, now much more reassuringly than before. "Now who's my star driver for today?" he asks again, his moans now a thing of the past, peppy as usual.

Edvin skims the spreadsheet given to him. "It's Esteban Katsuta," he says. "Ring a bell?"

"Not one."

"Same."

*to be continued*

by **Former Citizens of the Nimbus System** » Sun May 05, 2019 2:04 pm

The Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
2nd of May

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

A Window On Nexus Racing
Motorsport Analyst Robert Manleigh

In Nexus Racing’s third WGPC campaign, The Bullhorn’s Robert Manleigh charts the team’s fortunes as they chase the Drivers’ and Constructors’ crowns.
Part 2: Pressed Onward

With Nexus Racing holding sixth in the Constructors’ Championship at the halfway mark and the WGPC heading to the twists and turns of Somos City Circuit in the coming race weekend, one might be predisposed to thinking that spirits in the team are low. Such a person would not know Nexus Racing well. Throughout my time watching the team’s WGPC career, it has always been my observation that Nexus Racing have a startling tenacity about them. While any racing team goes through periods of low mood and crisis, this one seems remarkably capable of staying afloat despite them.

“We respond when it happens,” Timothy Guard told me when I asked him about it after the team scored only four points at Grandeville, a circuit that should have been fairly well-suited to the Chase Cutter’s high-momentum design philosophy. “When we’re all back at base, the first thing we ask is: what can we do better than last time? That applies regardless of our results. We don’t have time to reminisce; we accept the ground we’re given and push past it. You only succeed when you’re doing something.”

Part of this approach to development at the team can be seen in the quiet reintroduction of the ICAST – Imagination Convertor Array Shared Thrust – system to the cars ahead of Somos. An innovation first seen in Nexus Racing’s WGP2 programme, it allowed the team to redirect part of either of their cars’ Imagination convertors’ power to the other when it wasn’t being fully exploited. Though it provided significant performance gains, there were concerns that it would be difficult to implement the code required within the new Imagination convertor array installed to function alongside the teleportation-based refuelling system of this season’s regulations, especially given the lifting of the limit on fuel capacity anyway. With the team slipping back in the standings, however, it has been decided to prioritise ICAST for redeployment as a system with utility on tighter circuits where acceleration out of slow corners is important but where that same power is unnecessary much of the time given the frequency of braking zones.

What is clear is that Nexus Racing remain unbroken by questions over recent lacklustre performances, just as they remained unbroken after Mercer-Daly’s crash at Crossport and just as they remained unbroken after they failed to play a significant role in WGP2’s first season. Somos will likely turn out poorly for them – the track’s nature still likely too great an obstacle to overcome – but I would be more than surprised if that dissuaded them more than anything beforehand.

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

Ryker Lane stands before the cooking pot, substantially dissuaded. Sweat collects on his brow as he stirs tentatively at the substances within.

Well… Ah… Hmm.

When should I do something?

He taps the wooden spoon against the pot’s side, jolting the broth that had accumulated on it back into the container. Leaning over, Ryker sniffs at it a couple of times. He smiles. Hey, it smells like tomato, at least. That’s goo–

“Wha’cha doin’?”

Ryker yelps, leaping backwards; in the same impulse his hands shoot out, catapulting the pot from the stove’s top to hit with a CLANG against the wall behind it. It clatters as it comes to settle on the hob again, the back this time – with a distinct red splatter beyond.

“Oh – oh, Ryker, I’m so sorry!” Victoria dashes in, face the picture of horror, concern and self-deprecation. “I didn’t – is everything alright?”

“No, it’s fine! I think it’s fine.” Ryker’s head darts back and forward, glancing over the pot before he returns its position to the active element. “Just managed to get a little soup on the wall.” He turns to Victoria, smiling, before glancing over to the sink. “I’ll get a cloth.”

“Here, let me; it was my fault.” Victoria practically leaps in front of him.

“I…” Ryker hesitates for a fraction of a second – all the time that she needs to reach into the sink below the cupboard, snatch a dishcloth from it and rinse it in some water, before turning – and encountering an outstretched hand. “Both of us were responsible in part.” He grins, then takes hold of the part of the cloth that Victoria’s hand does not enclose.

She raises an eyebrow. Then she sighs and, with a toothy, exasperated yet joyful smile, nods. The two walk over to the wall and, together, begin to somewhat clumsily wipe up the red.

“So… What are you doing?” Victoria looks over to Ryker, face bright with curiosity, content to let his hand guide the process for a moment. “Didn’t know you cooked.”

Ryker laughs. “I don’t! It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time though and, well, I needed a break from the simulator. Thought I’d start with something simple. Which, ah…” He glances down.

Victoria giggles. “It looks fine, Ryker. Smells good, too. In fact…” After a moment’s pause, she dips her finger into the broth, pulls it out again with a slight wince and then licks it. Slowly, she nods, eyebrows rising. “Mmm. Good.”

“Oh? Oh!” Ryker beams. “That’s good to hear. Thank you,” he pronounces, turning a grateful gaze on his partner.

She looks back with a smile of her own.

A few seconds pass.

Ryker turns back to the wall. “We stopped.”

“We stopped,” Victoria agrees. Together, they complete the mopping up; then, with a graceful flick of the hand, she flicks the cloth away to land perfectly within the sink, eliciting a moment’s laughter and applause when she turns back to bow. “Come on; let’s get this finished and set out so you can actually try it yourself.”

“Actually, ah… I suspected from about halfway through that I might have made a little bit much.” Ryker purses his lips, checking the size of the pot again. “Yeah, there’s enough for three people here.” He adopts an open expression. “You could join me, if you wanted.”

“Oh…” Victoria’s face takes on an oddly shy aspect. “That’s… That’s really kind of you. Sure, if you’re willing… I’d love to.”

Ryker nods benevolently; taking up the wooden spoon, he returns to his stirring. After a moment, he touches at the broth with his finger and tastes it. Mmm…

Yeah. ‘Good.’

Nimbus Bay, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
5th of May

Ryker Lane stands.

The orbit stumbles for a second. Ryker’s motion slows; he takes stock, slowing his movements a touch. He feels the air against his body, measuring his form against the sensations. For but a moment, he comes to a stop, the pole halting in midair.

And then, as it should, it spins again.

Before him, a banner. A young man sits in front of a pit wall’s black monitors, clad in bright red overalls, hand on an older man’s shoulder and manic grin across his face. The older man, bearing a smooth yet utterly timeless visage and a calm, assuring smile, looks towards the camera with him – slightly behind the younger man, supportive, uncrowding. The rain wets their hair, driving down across the image in grey streaks that dull and shadow but do not obscure. All appears quite well.

That first Cityprix race was special. No victory, no points, even – remarkably unremarkable for a rookie driver, in the end. Special nonetheless.

Ryker comes to a stop again – smooth now, unhurried. He draws breath, then takes the staff in hand, then places its end down on the floor with a clack. He smiles gently, nods to himself, and steps away.

by **WGPC** » Sun May 05, 2019 4:19 pm

CUTOFF

for the JNI GP at Somos City Circuit

by **WGPC** » Sun May 05, 2019 4:32 pm

Week 9: Race

Conditions:      	Cloudy	
Laps:              	80	
Nation:         	JNI	
Circuit:        	Somos City Circuit	
Event:	JNI GP	
Safety Car Deployed on Laps:	2, 3, 4, 20, 21, 22, 23, 51, 52, 53, 59, 60, 61, 67, 68	
Cars on Grid:	28

Fastest Lap Bonus Point: 56 TAL	65.542

Start          After 20 Laps               After 40 Laps               After 60 Laps			
 1 ▍TRI	 1 ▍TRI +0       	 1 ▍TRI +0       	 1 ▍TRI +0
 2 ▍DIM	 2 ▍TAL +21.933  	 2 ▍KRU +8.243   	 2 ▍TII +21.933
 3 ▍KRU	 3 ▍DIM +23.5    	 3 ▍TAL +17.424  	 3 ▍TAL +23.499
 4 ▍BJA	 4 ▍KRD +25.066  	 4 ▍TII +25.432  	 4 ▍KRU +25.066
 5 ▍KRA	 5 ▍KRA +26.633  	 5 ▍DIM +47.274  	 5 ▍KRA +26.633
 6 ▍NVX	 6 ▍BJA +28.2    	 6 ▍KRA +50.339  	 6 ▍KRD +Laps: 1
 7 ▍TII	 7 ▍RHJ +29.766  	 7 ▍KRD +Laps: 1 	 7 ▍OKU +Laps: 1
 8 ▍OKU	 8 ▍OKU +31.333  	 8 ▍OKU +Laps: 1 	 8 ▍ORK +Laps: 1
 9 ▍CRU	 9 ▍TII +32.9    	 9 ▍ORK +Laps: 1 	 9 ▍JCS +Laps: 1
10 ▍RHJ	10 ▍KRU +34.466  	10 ▍RHJ +Laps: 1 	10 ▍IBU +Laps: 2
11 ▍KRD	11 ▍ORK +Laps: 1 	11 ▍JCS +Laps: 1 	11 ▍JMD +Laps: 2
12 ▍SZR	12 ▍DGR +Laps: 1 	12 ▍DGR +Laps: 1 	12 ▍FRS +Laps: 2
13 ▍TBS	13 ▍JCS +Laps: 1 	13 ▍JMD +Laps: 1 	13 ▍SZR +Laps: 2
14 ▍ORK	14 ▍SZR +Laps: 1 	14 ▍FRS +Laps: 1 	14 ▍TLS +Laps: 2
15 ▍TAL	15 ▍JMD +Laps: 1 	15 ▍TLS +Laps: 1 	15 ▍BLK +Laps: 2
16 ▍JCS	16 ▍TLS +Laps: 1 	16 ▍IBU +Laps: 2 	16 ▍SCH +Laps: 2
17 ▍DGR	17 ▍FRS +Laps: 1 	17 ▍SZR +Laps: 2 	17 ▍CAS +Laps: 3
18 ▍LAN	18 ▍IBU +Laps: 1 	18 ▍BLK +Laps: 2 	18 ▍LAN +Laps: 3
19 ▍BLK	19 ▍BLK +Laps: 2 	19 ▍SCH +Laps: 2 	
20 ▍JMD	20 ▍LAN +Laps: 2 	20 ▍LAN +Laps: 2 	
21 ▍TLS	21 ▍SCH +Laps: 2 	21 ▍CAS +Laps: 2 	
22 ▍SCH	22 ▍CAS +Laps: 2 	                                        	
23 ▍FRS	23 ▍DHL +Laps: 2 	                                        	
24 ▍CAS	                                        	                                        	
25 ▍IBU	                                        	                                        	
26 ▍DHL	                                        	                                        	
27 ▍GUI	                                        	                                        	
28 ▍CAR

POS DRV Name                          Team	Time	Pts
  1 77 TII iBen Toralmintii         ▍TRÆ        	01:53:26.290	25
  2 56 TAL Terho Talvela            ▍TRÆ        	00:00:06.438	18
  3 22 KRA Jasmin Kranjska          ▍SinVal        	00:00:26.826	14
  4 64 ORK Carsten O'Rourke         ▍Badai Angin	00:01:04.913	10
  5 47 OKU Erica Okumura            ▍Polaris        	00:01:18.038	8
  6 23 JCS Jelena Colac-Strek       ▍McPahan        	Laps Down: 1	6
  7 71 IBU Rustom Ibuna             ▍Eelandii VTGP	Laps Down: 1	4
  8  1 FRS Jessica Franssen         ▍VMR        	Laps Down: 1	3
  9 49 TLS Benjamin Talison         ▍Fireline        	Laps Down: 1	2
 10 41 JMD Jean Mercer-Daly         ▍Nexus Racing	Laps Down: 1	1
 11 52 SZR Sayono Souzare           ▍Polaris        	Laps Down: 1	
 12 18 BLK Taylor Blake             ▍Obey        	Laps Down: 2	
 13 20 SCH Mick Schramm             ▍Omni        	Laps Down: 2	
 14  3 CAS Darius Castellammare     ▍Camden        	Laps Down: 2	
 15 94 LAN Ryker Lane               ▍Nexus Racing	Laps Down: 2	
 16 27 KRU Gregori Krupin           ▍MRT        	Ret. lap 77
DNF 33 KRD Jai Kardaeri             ▍Eelandii VTGP	Ret. lap 66	
DNF  7 TRI Vijay Tripathi           ▍VMR        	Ret. lap 63	
DNF 65 DGR Hunter Digri             ▍McPahan        	Ret. lap 58
DNF 37 RHJ Ryan Harris-Jones        ▍Omni        	Ret. lap 56
DNF 42 DIM Alex Dimitrianov         ▍Badai Angin	Ret. lap 50	
DNF 63 DHL Dalia Dahl               ▍SinVal        	Ret. lap 39	
DNF 14 BJA Sigur Bjarnason          ▍MRT        	Ret. lap 24	
DNF 29 GUI Esteban Guilhermez       ▍Mirrors        	Ret. lap 19	
DNF 17 CAR Evdaden Carnétier        ▍Obey        	Ret. lap 11
DNF 15 NVX Tabita Novax             ▍Camden        	Ret. lap 2	
DNF 48 TBS Tyra Tabuso              ▍Fireline        	Ret. lap 1	
DNF 51 CRU RL Cruisin               ▍Mirrors        	Ret. lap 1

Pos # DRV Name                      Team                     Pts
 1 56 TAL Terho Talvela             TRÆ                      58
 2 42 DIM Alex Dimitrianov          Badai Angin              36
 3 27 KRU Gregori Krupin            MRT                      34
 4 71 IBU Rustom Ibuna              Eelandii VTGP            32
 5  1 FRS Jessica Franssen          VMR                      31
 6 64 ORK Carsten O'Rourke          Badai Angin              27
 7 41 JMD Jean Mercer-Daly          Nexus Racing             26
 7 49 TLS Benjamin Talison          Fireline                 26
 7 23 JCS Jelena Colac-Strek        McPahan                  26
10 77 TII iBen Toralmintii          TRÆ                      25
11  7 TRI Vijay Tripathi            VMR                      24
11 15 NVX Tabita Novax              Camden                   24
13 37 RHJ Ryan Harris-Jones         Omni                     19
14 65 DGR Hunter Digri              McPahan                  18
15 22 KRA Jasmin Kranjska           SinVal                   14
16 47 OKU Erica Okumura             Polaris                  12
17 51 CRU RL Cruisin                Mirrors                  9
18 94 LAN Ryker Lane                Nexus Racing             8
19 48 TBS Tyra Tabuso               Fireline                 4
20 52 SZR Sayono Souzare            Polaris                  3
21 14 BJA Sigur Bjarnason           MRT                      2
22 20 SCH Mick Schramm              Omni                     1
22 17 CAR Evdaden Carnétier         Obey                     1
24 33 KRD Jai Kardaeri              Eelandii VTGP            0
24  3 CAS Darius Castellammare      Camden                   0
24 18 BLK Taylor Blake              Obey                     0
24 63 DHL Dalia Dahl                SinVal                   0
24 29 GUI Esteban Guilhermez        Mirrors                  0

Pos NAT Team                       Pts
  1 ABL ▍TRÆ                       83
  2 FID ▍Badai Angin               63
  3 VNG ▍VMR                       55
  4 AUD ▍McPahan                   44
  5 MTJ ▍MRT                       36
  6 NIM ▍Nexus Racing              34
  7 VLT ▍Eelandii VTGP             32
  8 ETH ▍Fireline                  30
  9 LIS ▍Camden                    24
 10 WET ▍Omni                      20
 11 NEK ▍Polaris                   15
 12 EFL ▍SinVal                    14
 13 STB ▍Mirrors                   9
 14 ESM ▍Obey                      1

by **Joushiki Nante Iranai** » Sun May 05, 2019 11:47 pm

End of Lap 80

??? (1): 'A 1-2 for TRÆ takes them to the top of the constructors' championship from 3rd. Very impressive.'

??? (2): 'Indeed. This was a very interesting race with a lot of action.'

??? (1): 'Let us hope our nation can deliver even more in the future.'

??? (2): 'And let us continue to follow the WGPC. It's very exciting, after all.'

??? (1): 'Agreed.'

??? (3): 'Your majesties? It is time for you to present the trophies.'

by **Starblaydia** » Mon May 06, 2019 6:54 am

OOC: Presume that this happened in between qualifying and the race, mostly because that's when I wrote it but didn't get time to post it.

"Come on, RL, you gotta pushpushpush for Tee-One through Tee-Nine where we have the speed," Jose "Mirrors" Miranda said into the headset in his usual drawl, sitting on the purple-branded stool at his place in the pit wall, "it'll make up for not being able to dig in on the hairpins."

The double-keying of the mic answered him in the affirmative. Both Steb and RL were struggling with the massively under-performing Mirrors car, but their only consolation was that former champion Jai Kardaeri wasn't making any waves at all in the Eelandii. Steb and Jai were equally matched, at least, on precisely zero points for the season so far, while RL Cruisin finally managed to put some points on the board.

Nine was not all that much, but owt's better than nowt, as the saying goes. This was Quali4, however, and RL was firmly in with a shout of the front row, being within a tenth of a second of the leaders in each and every one of the first three qualifying sessions, putting in consistently fast times. RL was absolutely, undeniably, definitely pulling the peak performance out of the car this time around.

"Boss, RL is around five seconds slower than his previous hot laps."

"Five seconds?" Jose asked, "you mean point five seconds?"

"Nope."

"Car still fine? Slowed by traffic on their in- or -out laps? Left the track? RL ok?"

"Yup, nope, nope and seems so."

"RL," Jose said, keying the microphone on his headset once more, "what in the name of Great Tiberius' Ghost are you up to?"

Silence.

"RL, come in."

Still silence.

"Tech, am I still transmitting?"

"Yup."

"And..." Jose hated having to be so specific with his tech team sometimes, "is RL receving me?"

"Um," came the worrying response, "technically.... no."

"So who in the blue blazes is he responding to?"

"The Ozuwara guy."

Ozuwara Corporation, one of the main sponsors behind the Mirrors F1 team and the reason they had the funding to be able to sneak back into the elite tier of racing at the first attempt. Jose Miranda's team owed Ozuwara Corp a great debt, certainly, but this was beyond the pail.

"Connect me to what he's saying," Jose said, in a tone that allowed for precisely zero arguments from his team.

"...absolutely perfect, RL, perfect. That extra speed was ruining the shots of the car, absolutely ruining them. Sponsors have got to be seen and you just weren't doing the job by going at that sort of speed. I just got the raw rushes from the snappers and everything's looking fantastic. Keep it at precisely that speed, and we'll get some great footage of the rear sponsors later. Brilliant job, RL, brilliant. You can even back it off a little more if you like, no sense in making those camera guys get sore necks too, everyone's gotta get paid for their troubles..."

That was absolutely it. Jose ripped off his headset and headed straight for the motorhome. This asswhipping wasnt going to happen in public.

by **Nekoni** » Mon May 06, 2019 12:18 pm

From the first time the wheel touched the inner curb of the turn around Confluence Park and the asphalt rode over the River Som snaking its way beneath the city streets, Erica Okumura did not like the track this weekend. It was not her kind of circuit at all, and a world away from her personal favourite on the streets of her capital Varea: the Nekoni track (famous for its 24hr race that both her and Alexandra Mayari have both picked up the gold at), despite being in a bustling metropolitan city, was a beautiful thing - a 5 kilometre string of dramatic elevation changes and bright colours, starting with a dash on the slipways above the town before descending into the park itself and blasting through the tricky roundabouts and weaves through the flower-lined roads, until the final ascent back up onto the main road for a full-throttle blast. It was an intricate circuit where every corner felt like it led into the next one smoothly, almost like the roads were built for the circuit and the city was designed around it. However, we were in Somos now, and on the menu was right-angles. Lots and lots of right angles.

Admittedly she did think like that there was a track like this, just to ensure that the championship was held across all kinds of circuit design, and its champion needed to be well-read in any turn that would be thrown their way. However, combining that with a short lap of only a minute and change meant that the circuit was going to be a repetitive one. Riding an exciting rollercoaster for eighty times would get stale fast, but riding one with the same turn for practically half the track? The mechanics of the Polaris team shared her view, jokingly telling her they'd put a book in the cockpit in case she got bored. Alexandra didn't agree. "The track's tight and you're gonna be running it a lot of times. Anyone who doesn't have their eye on the ball's going to end up in a wall, and over 80 laps that's going to be a lot of the field. You make sure that ain't you, you're getting in the points today. Qualifying's gonna matter more than ever here, there's so few places to overtake on the track."

The qualifying itself was an interesting situation, arguably more than the track itself. The brand new 4-stage system had come in, where consistency was key, instead of one single spur-of-the-moment flash of brilliance. This suited Erica down to the ground. After a practice session which appeared to be more about getting used to the circuit instead of trying to lay down the speed (which was Erica's excuse for finishing a lowly 22nd), the qualifying came properly, and...somehow, something was changing for Polaris. 45 minutes came and went, and both drivers were still in the running when the field cut to 20. The next 25 came, and, despite it being by the hair on Erica's neck, both were still running.

Neither of the drivers were particularly in the running for a high place at the start. However, the nature of the sessions meant they didn't need to be, they just needed to stay ahead of the cut, and for the first half, finally, it seemed like they were doing it. Just before the end of the third session, it seemed like they were going to the final session together...until Sayono got leapfrogged twice and ended up eliminated in twelfth. A shame, but a massive improvement on the previous rounds. Despite Erica's survival being celebrated by the team, it wasn't long before Mayari's voice immediately rang in shortly after the final session started to ruin things further.

"I'm sorry, mate. You're gonna have to take this one easy. Engine is showing some WEIRD readings. Best do one hot-lap and bring it in, I'd rather start from tenth than from the pit-lane." Erring on the side of caution, Erica had no choice but to obey, but still put in a clean, if not exactly groundbreaking final lap before pulling in early. Watching the telemetry with Alexandra and Sayono as the rest of the clock ran down, they were pleased to see that two drivers failed to beat her, and she would be actually starting from eighth tomorrow, a season best.

"We'll get the engine looked at tonight, Eri. Shouldn't be too much of an issue." Alex pointed at the grid running across the bottom of the monitor at the end of what had been a successful session for the team, all things considered. "Now, that's pretty much what I wanted. Both of you in the top half. Keep it in check tomorrow, don't do anything I wouldn't and we should be able to convert that into points." Alex moved her finger in between the two Polaris cars at the Omni car in the middle. "Hey, Ryan Harris-Jones there's stuck in a Polaris sandwich."

"I'm sure he doesn't mind, " Erica responded. "Guy probably likes being thrashed about by catgirls. You spent your title winning season doing that to him."
"...I'm gonna tell him you said that." Erica's face turned red as the others began to laugh. "Don't!"

World Grand Prix Championship season 17 [RP Thread]

World Grand Prix Championship season 17 [RP Thread]

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