World Grand Prix Championship 18 [RP/results]

by **Liventia** » Sat Dec 19, 2020 2:41 pm

Week 16: Race

Conditions:      	Dry
Laps:              	52
Nation:         	MTJ
Circuit:        	Ljubala InterNazionRing
Event:                	Grand Prix tsa Mattijana
Safety Car on Laps:	
Cars on Grid:        	28

POS  # ▍DRV Name                               Team                               	Time      	Pts	Fastest Lap	
  1 42 ▍DIM Alex Dimitrianov                   Badai Angin Tim Motorsport         	01:31:01.152	25		
  2 56 ▍TAL Terho Talvela                      Tropicorp Racing Ælund             	00:00:22.915	18		
  3 28 ▍LNA Sara Luna                          Volkov Racing                      	00:00:28.817	14		
  4 50 ▍EDW Rudy Edwards                       Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing    	00:00:29.620	11 + 2	1:40.194	
  5 51 ▍CRU R.L. Cruisin                       Race Eelandii V&T GP               	00:00:40.113	8		
  6 85 ▍STO Olivia Stone                       Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing          	00:00:43.470	6		
  7 11 ▍CRT Lane Carter                        Race Eelandii V&T GP               	00:00:45.000	4		
  8 41 ▍JMD Jean Mercer-Daly                   Nexus Racing                       	00:01:02.340	3		
  9  8 ▍ARC William Archer                     Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing    	00:01:03.343	2		
 10 47 ▍OKU Erica Okumura                      Polaris Racing Team                	00:01:08.986	1		
 11 22 ▍KRA Jasmin Kranjska                    Mattijana Racing Team              	00:01:11.510			
 12 71 ▍IBU Rustom Ibuna                       Badai Angin Tim Motorsport         	00:01:26.372			
 13 52 ▍SZR Sayono Souzare                     Polaris Racing Team                	00:01:32.859			
 14 25 ▍KRU Gregori Krupin                     Volkov Racing                      	00:01:34.169			
 15 19 ▍FAL Dom Falepeau                       Mattijana Racing Team              	00:01:34.533			
 16 12 ▍DEV Anneliese Devereux                 TAS Alliance Racing                	00:01:44.843			
 17 46 ▍ARB Kitti Armbruster                   SVJ Racing WGPC Team               	Laps Down: 1			
 18 23 ▍C23 Cocoabo #23                        Fireline Motorsports               	Laps Down: 1			
 19 94 ▍LAN Ryker Lane                         Nexus Racing                       	Laps Down: 1			
 20 27 ▍NUL Dario Nülkeschläger                WGPC Motorworks                    	Laps Down: 1			
 21  7 ▍GTA Abdoulaye Goita                    Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing          	Laps Down: 1			
 22 76 ▍KOW Adriana Kowalski                   Fireline Motorsports               	Laps Down: 1			
 23 37 ▍SCH Niklas Schonbaum                   TAS Alliance Racing                	Laps Down: 1			
 24 72 ▍VAL Charyseine Valkyria                WGPC Motorworks                    	Laps Down: 1			
 25 14 ▍BJA Sigur Bjarnason                    SVJ Racing WGPC Team               	Laps Down: 1			
DNF 77 ▍TII iBen Toralmintii                   Tropicorp Racing Ælund             	Ret. lap 2			
DNS 63 ▍MIZ Daryl Mizushima                    WGPC Motorworks                    	DNS			
DNS 82 ▍LMN Kinu Luminna                       WGPC Motorworks                    	DNS

Drivers' standings

Pos # ▍DRV Name                                Team [Engine]                                                            Tyres                              Pts
 1 56 ▍TAL Terho Talvela                       Tropicorp Racing Ælund [Tropicorp Engineering]                           Tropicorp Racing Supply            105
 2 77 ▍TII iBen Toralmintii                    Tropicorp Racing Ælund [Tropicorp Engineering]                           Tropicorp Racing Supply            101
 3 50 ▍EDW Rudy Edwards                        Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing [Preston Autos]                          Tropicorp Racing Supply            92
 4 28 ▍LNA Sara Luna                           Volkov Racing [WGPC Motorworks Engineering]                              Tropicorp Racing Supply            77
 5 42 ▍DIM Alex Dimitrianov                    Badai Angin Tim Motorsport [Badai Angin]                                 Solymok                            63
 6 94 ▍LAN Ryker Lane                          Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                                              In Motion                          52
 7 51 ▍CRU R.L. Cruisin                        Race Eelandii V&T GP [Tropicorp Engineering]                             Tropicorp Racing Supply            48
 8  7 ▍GTA Abdoulaye Goita                     Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing [Schkeska Motors]                              In Motion                          45
 9 71 ▍IBU Rustom Ibuna                        Badai Angin Tim Motorsport [Badai Angin]                                 Solymok                            36
10 11 ▍CRT Lane Carter                         Race Eelandii V&T GP [Tropicorp Engineering]                             Tropicorp Racing Supply            34
11 41 ▍JMD Jean Mercer-Daly                    Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                                              In Motion                          33
12 47 ▍OKU Erica Okumura                       Polaris Racing Team [Polaris Trois]                                      Deyoze Tires                       33
13 25 ▍KRU Gregori Krupin                      Volkov Racing [WGPC Motorworks Engineering]                              Tropicorp Racing Supply            27
14 52 ▍SZR Sayono Souzare                      Polaris Racing Team [Polaris Trois]                                      Deyoze Tires                       26
15 23 ▍C23 Cocoabo #23                         Fireline Motorsports [Tropicorp Engineering]                             Tropicorp Racing Supply            26
16 22 ▍KRA Jasmin Kranjska                     Mattijana Racing Team [Nordija]                                          Tropicorp Racing Supply            26
17 85 ▍STO Olivia Stone                        Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing [Schkeska Motors]                              In Motion                          22
18 37 ▍SCH Niklas Schonbaum                    TAS Alliance Racing [Harlean 1]                                          Solymok                            18
19 27 ▍NUL Dario Nülkeschläger                 WGPC Motorworks [WGPC Motorworks Engineering]                            Deyoze Tires                       15
20 14 ▍BJA Sigur Bjarnason                     SVJ Racing WGPC Team [Johansborg Motor Collective]                       Solymok                            15
21 19 ▍FAL Dom Falepeau                        Mattijana Racing Team [Nordija]                                          Tropicorp Racing Supply            15
22 12 ▍DEV Anneliese Devereux                  TAS Alliance Racing [Harlean 1]                                          Solymok                            8
23 82 ▍LMN Kinu Luminna                        WGPC Motorworks [WGPC Motorworks Engineering]                            Deyoze Tires                       7
24  8 ▍ARC William Archer                      Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing [Preston Autos]                          Tropicorp Racing Supply            6
25 76 ▍KOW Adriana Kowalski                    Fireline Motorsports [Tropicorp Engineering]                             Tropicorp Racing Supply            5
26 46 ▍ARB Kitti Armbruster                    SVJ Racing WGPC Team [Johansborg Motor Collective]                       Solymok                            3
27 63 ▍MIZ Daryl Mizushima                     WGPC Motorworks [WGPC Motorworks Engineering]                            Deyoze Tires                       2
28 72 ▍VAL Charyseine Valkyria                 WGPC Motorworks [WGPC Motorworks Engineering]                            Deyoze Tires                       0

Constructors' standings

Pos NAT ▍Team [Engine]                                                            Tyres                              Pts
  1 ABL ▍Tropicorp Racing Ælund [Tropicorp Engineering]                           Tropicorp Racing Supply            206
  2 SOR ▍Volkov Racing [WGPC Motorworks Engineering]                              Tropicorp Racing Supply            104
  3 FID ▍Badai Angin Tim Motorsport [Badai Angin]                                 Solymok                            99
  4 HAP ▍Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing [Preston Autos]                          Tropicorp Racing Supply            98
  5 NIM ▍Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                                              In Motion                          85
  6 V&T ▍Race Eelandii V&T GP [Tropicorp Engineering]                             Tropicorp Racing Supply            82
  7 AUR ▍Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing [Schkeska Motors]                              In Motion                          67
  8 NEK ▍Polaris Racing Team [Polaris Trois]                                      Deyoze Tires                       59
  9 MTJ ▍Mattijana Racing Team [Nordija]                                          Tropicorp Racing Supply            41
 10 ETN ▍Fireline Motorsports [Tropicorp Engineering]                             Tropicorp Racing Supply            31
 11 LIS ▍TAS Alliance Racing [Harlean 1]                                          Solymok                            26
 12 WGP ▍WGPC Motorworks [WGPC Motorworks Engineering]                            Deyoze Tires                       24
 13 SVJ ▍SVJ Racing WGPC Team [Johansborg Motor Collective]                       Solymok                            18

by **Hapilopper** » Sat Dec 19, 2020 8:07 pm

Ljubala InterNazionRing, Ljubala, Mattijana
The Grand Prix tsa Mattijana
It was over. As Rudy Edwards crossed the start-finish line to finish 4th at the Grand Prix tsa Mattijana, desperately trying to chase down Sara Luna and Terho Talvela, he realized that as hard as he had gone, it was just simply not enough on this day. Terho was the champion. Rudy had raced harder than he ever had in his life, but the fact was that starting 10th on the grid simply was too far back for him to pull off the miracle.

If he had started a little further up in the field, the result would have been different, and it one point, it seemed like Rudy had a shot at pulling off the impossible. In the second lap, he was calmly rolling through one of the corners when Marty Lewis, not any of his strategists, got on the radio. It was rare for Marty to key the mic during a Grand Prix. He let the race-day strategists do their job, while Marty would watch the action on track.

“iBEN’S OUT! iBEN’S OUT!” Marty screamed. “GO, GO, GO, GO!!!!”

iBen Toralmintii, the championship leader and the odds-on favorite to win the World Grand Prix Championship, was out of the Grand Prix on the second lap of the race. Having heard that news, Rudy kicked it up a notch, realizing that now, the Championship was within sight. All he had to do was kick ass like never before and get around anyone and everyone he could.

And he did exactly that. Rudy went into a whole different mode after hearing the news of the Toralmintii retirement. He went into the corners a little bit deeper, hit the brakes a little bit later, got on the throttle a little bit earlier. He went deathly quiet over the radio, and it almost seemed like he completely tuned out any and every message being sent to him over radio. He had one job to do – win the Grand Prix, outrun Terho Talvela and win the World Championship. And while he didn’t do it, it wasn’t for lack of trying, getting two bonus points for turning out the fastest lap of the race, a 1:40.194.

But when the race was over, Rudy was exhausted, both mentally and physically, as well as kind of despondent over not pulling off the miracle.

“I’m so sorry, guys,” Rudy said. “I tried.”

“Let me tell you something, Edwards,” Marty said over the radio. “You did more than try. You went out there and you kicked some ass. You gave it your all, and I’m not going to fault you for that at all. You did good, kid. You did good.”

When Rudy got out of the car, he went over to watch the podium ceremony for the race, and watched Terho Talvela hoist the trophy as the World Grand Prix Champion. Marty walked over to him and saw Rudy had a smile on his face. He was applauding the winner.

“That’s gonna be you next year, Rudy,” Marty said. “Third in the championship your first time out. You don’t do that without being good. And that’s our first time. We built this up from nothing in a year and a half and you came this close to winning the World Title when those guys have worked at this for years. Terho? iBen? They’re past masters at this. Tropicorp Racing? They’ve been doing this.”

Rudy looked over and nodded at his boss.

“Meanwhile, what are we?” Marty said, getting into a tangent. “I’m an old drunk from Hapilopper City that they had to pull out of a gutter to put this together. You’re a driver in a series nobody gave a shit about and we teamed you with the son of a loudmouth prick from Abanhfleft. We got a bunch of old drag racers and hotrodders building our engines, and we’ve got a bunch of guys that spent their lives working on dirt sprint cars. They spent 20, 30 years of their lives figuring out how to make a car work better on the cushion, and now we’ve put them in charge of putting together a car in the world’s most advanced racing series. And you know something? We showed the rest of the world that we’re just as good as the rest of them.”

“And next year?” Rudy responded with a smile.

“Next year, we kick their asses,” Marty responded. “You or William, I don’t care who, you’re going to be the next World Grand Prix Champion. This year was a warning shot. Next year, we’re going to do it. We hit the moving target. Next year, we move the target.”

Rudy’s smile got even bigger. Sure, it was over for the time being. But Marty was right. Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing had spent the first half of the season trying to catch the moving target. And when they did, they more than hit their stride. They became one of the top teams in the world. Rudy became one of the world’s best racing drivers, and they showed it in spades.

Next season, Rudy Edwards, William Archer, Marty Lewis, Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing, and yes, Good Motor Oil, was going to show the rest of the multiverse what racing was all about. Next year, the team would come loaded for bear. Their last half of the season had to have put them in a solid place to be the odds-on favorites to win both the Driver’s and Constructor’s trophies in the 19th season of the World Grand Prix Championship.

And when the group returned to Hapilopper, they were greeted as conquering heroes. Sure, Rudy hadn’t taken home the trophy. But he had given it his all, and that’s more than anyone could say. The team had outpaced expectations, and their fellow Hapiloppians were over the moon at that. So was Jim Preston, the head of Preston Autos.

As Marty got in his car to head home after leaving the Hapilopper City Airport in Conyers, the first thing that went through his mind was a desire to spend a week on Lake Eclipse, away from everyone. A chance to recuperate from a season that had been very successful, but very draining. That would have to wait. Jim Preston had called Marty directly.

“I need to see you in my office, Mr. Lewis,” Jim said. “Now. We gotta talk.”

The first thing that went through Marty’s mind was terror. Oh god, did something happen and I’m going to get fired for it? Something had to have happened.
Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. As soon as Marty – quite nervously, I might add – walked into Jim Preston’s office, Jim greeted him with a huge smile.

“Mr. Lewis, I’ve heard your story of how you built this team up from nothing, and now, what, fourth in the Constructor’s Standings?” Jim said. “Rudy came that very close to winning it all?”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s beautiful. I wanted to bring you in to let you know that for next season, we’re going to give you anything you want. Next year, cost is no object. We want to win those championships, and we’re willing to spend as much as possible to do it. Give us a number. We’re going to hit it. Period. More people are buying Preston cars than ever because of that team.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” Jim said. “The Skychief is the best selling car in Hapilopper for the first time ever. For the first time ever, we’ve outpaced Major Motors and Stevens Automotive as the best-selling brand in this country, and it’s because of that team of yours. It doesn’t have to be today, but give me a number soon. We’re going to match it.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“This, sir, is a vote of confidence. Don’t screw it up.”

“Yes, sir. You won’t regret it.”

Marty Lewis walked out of Jim Preston’s office as happy as could be. A year and a half ago, he was known as the drunk idiot of the Hapiloppian racing scene. Today, he was clean, sober and the five-star general overseeing one of the great teams in sport. He had worked non-stop to ensure the team would be more than just a bunch of loudmouths. Thanks to him, they were able to back up those words with results. As he drove to his boat at Lake Eclipse, he knew that for now, his work was done, but soon, it would get going again, and what work it would be. Heaven knows what kind of results they would get. Heaven knows what way the 19th season would turn. But damn, he hoped it’d be even better than this one was.

And World Grand Prix Championship 18, Marty’s first season, Rudy’s first season, Preston’s first season, was nothing short of magical.

Hapilopper will be back.

And now, a final word from our sponsors.

by **Diarcesia** » Sat Dec 19, 2020 9:07 pm

Lunar eclipse high
Numberless specks of starlight
Autumn wolf's full howl

by **Sorlovia** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 2:39 am

With that final challenging race the season was over. To Gregori it felt like WGPC18 had passed by in the blink of an eye. It seemed like just the other day that he’d stepped into his race garage ahead of the opening race of the season. But he now found himself sitting on a wheeled desk chair looking at the still cooling Volkov Mark II painted in the colours of his nation’s flag. His gaze rested on his name painted across the side in bold gold lettering and he sighed softly. This was his least favourite part of the WGPC experience. It almost felt like a loss. He was all too familiar with that soft sadness that sat squatting on his gut like a seal on an ice flow. It came at the end of every season. He expected it but he was never fully prepared for it.

“We had a hell of a lot of fun,” he said quietly to the car “and a couple of good results. But we both knew this was coming.”

With the season over the Volkov Mark II would now return to Volkov Racing. Its fate was uncertain. Sara’s, if she was willing, could very well be put on display in its current livery as the car that brought Volkov Racing a second place result in Constructor’s Cup in its debut season. It would sit in pride of place in the middle of the lobby. But his Mark II was another matter. He wasn’t sure what was going to become of it. It would, like Sara’s, return to the Volkov Racing headquarters in Nemenyets where it would be assigned its fate. Perhaps it would be studied to see what information it could give to the design of future models before being scrapped. Or perhaps some wealthy collector, he knew there were a few among his fans, would buy it for his collection.

Sara was the darling of Volkov Racing. By now she would’ve already received her invite to the post-season celebration. He was of course also invited but Sara would be the woman of the night. After all she had taken out a string of hard-won great results and brought significant benefits to the team. He was happy for her. WGPC18 had been her season. She deserved the accolades and the fullness of the experience that came with it. He’d heard her described as a rising star rookie. Well, after this she would now be a rising star. Perhaps he was witnessing the rise of another great racer like Terho.

“Thanks for the great times,” he said patting the top of the cockpit gently “we had a good run.”

It seemed Terho would take out another Championship. The veteran Abovian racer seemed to have a continuous winning streak that made Gregori a little jealous. That level of success and technique had continued to elude him but at least it gave him some inspiration. Still, he didn’t begrudge Terho his latest Championship. He was an incredibly skilled racer with one of the most impressive records he’d ever seen. Terho possessed a finesse and technique that had become the stuff of legend. It was, an admittedly far-fetched, dream of his to race on the same team as Terho. Terho had inspired him to become a WGPC racer and the Talvela Techniques served as the inspiration for the way he raced. Or at least the way he was training towards. But he doubted that Terho knew that.

It had been a challenging season. It’d felt much like his rookie season if he was being honest. There was still something that he wasn’t quite getting right and the off season would allow him to root that out. He’d taken out a third place podium finish as his best result in the season. It wasn’t what he had wanted it but it was what it was. The simple truth was that he desperately needed to change the way he raced if he hoped to return for WGPC19. His technique needed to be changed and he would need to come at a future season from an entirely new angle. He was, after all, stuck in a race rut.

He carefully typed out his email to Sara;

To: Sara Luna
From: Gregori Krupin

Hi Sara,

It has been a pleasure racing alongside you this season. I knew that you were something special the moment you walked through the door at the test day. Sergei and the executives saw it too and you proved us all right. I’ve been with the World Gran Prix Championships three seasons now and I have never seen a rookie with as much talent and as finer technique as you. I know you are going to go far and I just wanted to say what a privilege it was to race with you!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the season as much as I have. I look forward to seeing you in future seasons. It would be an honour to race with you again. I want to wish you the best of luck in your future career and encourage you to enjoy all that is coming your way. Well, you’re not a WGPC rookie anymore so welcome to the big time.

Sincerely,
Gregori Krupin

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Mon Dec 21, 2020 5:43 am

It was probaby too much to ask of the racing gods, but William Archer had a sneaking suspicion that even though his teammate Rudy Edwards did not actually win the WGPC Drivers' Championship, he was still glad that he got the opportunity to be in the fight in the last race of the season.

Who would have thought that little Preston Autos, one of the newest teams on the WGPC grid for this season, would not only be able to win a race in their maiden season, but also have one of their drivers fighting for the drivers' championship? Certainly not William. Preston was the team that he wanted to go to because since it was a new team, expectations for it and its drivers wouldn't be so high at the start of the season. William could just sit back, take his car for a spin and find its limits. Sure, the two DNFs at the start of the season really sucked, but those two wins in the middle of the season more than made up for it, even if both wins didn't net William any points when all was said and done. At least he had proved that the PGP-01 was a machine capable of winning a grand prix and got Rudy motivated into doing what he could do.

All kudos to Terho Talvela though, even though it could be said that he did get lucky thanks to iBen Toralmintii DNFing in the very second lap of the Mattijana Grand Prix. Talvela may be leaving the sport for good but at least he was leaving it on the highest of highs, as a three-time World Drivers' Champion. Of course William felt for Rudy in that the Hapiloppan never really had a chance once Talvela took charge of the procession. At least Rudy got a fastest lap out of the whole thing as well. And William was able to make use of his favored overcut strategy to cut through the field and put himself in some points. Sure, he only had six points against his name, but it was six points more than a helluva lot of other people could even dream of in their lifetimes. And both William and Rudy were still young; they would both have a lot more chances to actually fight for the championship. And Preston looked like they could become a constructors' championship contender within the next few seasons, maybe even the next WGPC season. The team as a whole had been given the backing of the parent Preston Autos company, something that did not look like happening at all near the start of the season. The higher-ups had not been really convinced of the idea of sending out a team for the WGPC and there were rumors that they were actually close to pulling the plug before William won those two non-championship races followed by Rudy taking the checkered flag in the first points-paying race immediately after in Nekoni. Those three wins reportedly convinced the management that maybe it was worth sticking it out in the WGPC this season, and the fact that one of their drivers managed to worm his way into the championship conversation gave them reason to stick around for one season more.

One team that surely wasn't going to be around for next season though was Lisander's TAS Alliance. William may have heard wrong but what he heard was that TAS would be leaving the sport because of lack of funding. It was always lack of funding, wasn't it? Lisanderan representation in the WGPC constructors would not be completely gone though; TAS Alliance was gone but they would be replaced by Bitten Heroes, the same name of the team that William Archer had raced for in his debut WGP2 season. William knew that he'd taken some time to badmouth his time with Bitten Heroes and their KS-03, but he was still sad that this was the way that they had to enter the WGPC. Such was the way of life in motorsports, of course. It didn't make it any easier for William to accept it though.

Still, it was time to put the past where it belonged and look ahead to the future. And for William Archer, Rudy Edwards, Marty Lewis, and Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing, the future was looking very bright indeed.

by **TJUN-ia** » Mon Dec 21, 2020 10:42 am

Sunday - Race
And so...here we go. The final race of the season, the final duel of this crazy campaign. It felt surreal to Lane Carter to be here already, racing for what could be the final time for a while, but he didn't have time to care about that right now. He had one more race to prove himself worthy of being at this level and he knew his scenario well here at Ljubala InterNazionRIng. He had Terho Talvela, one of the 3 contenders for the title, and teammate R.L. Cruisin just ahead of the Galarian and Jasmin Kranjska and Dario Nülkeschläger directly behind. Rudy Edwards was in 10th and iBen Troalmintii in 19th but Lane knew he may need to deal with these contenders later on. Maybe Daryl Mizushima was in the crowd somewhere, but Lane couldn't see him. Daryl didn't mind not racing today at all, considering he would leave this season with 2 points many people didn't think he would achieve. Lane knew he would be up there somewhere, cheering him on with that silver apple and proud of how far the Galarian had come. It was a nice thought to leave on as the final 5 lights went out and 26 drivers began the final leg of this season.

The championship was thrown into a chaos blender on lap 2 as iBen, consistent through the year, was the final retirement of this season on lap 2. The rest of this race would decide who would end up with the glory after all and Rudy Edwards would overtake the Galarian soon enough, P6 it became. Olivia Stone was also on a charge and she would also get pats Carter for P6 before the end of this contest. He crossed the line in P7 and he felt..happy. This time last season, he was down in the dumps and feeling like he was on the brink of falling apart. Now he was a consistent points-scorer in the WGPC and he will be 10th overall at the end of the day. When people look at the championship standings for this season, they will see an Inkhallen with 2 points and a Galarian in 10th, 1 point ahead of Jean Mercer-Daly.

Alex Dimitrianov would take the final race ahead of Talvela and Sara Luna. Rudy Edwards claimed 4th and the fastest lap but it wouldn't be enough with Terho retiring from the sport as a 3-time Champion by only 4 points. Rudy doing Preston proud only 13 points off the title in the end. Cruisin and Stone were just ahead of the Galarian on the road with Mercer-Daly, Archer and Okumura claiming the final points of the season. Race Eelandii may have finished the season in 6th overall but with both drivers in the Top 10, it was a good season overall for the team. No matter what happened now, Lane would be eternally grateful to this team - for giving him a lifeline that he gave back with 34 points.

But before leaving Mattijana to finally return home to TJUN-ia, he had something else he needed to do. He found a little shop and purchased a siver squid, as luminous as the apple he gave Daryl only yesterday. He will keep it as a reminder both of his friend and of the meeting they have scheduled for TJUN 600 weekend in a few weeks time.

For the first time in his life, Lane Carter felt as if he had a future in this sport and purpose in his life.

He had a team that helped build him up as the driver he now was.

He had a teammate he could aim for.

And, most importantly of all, he had a friend who understood him and who Lane liked in return.

No matter what happened next, Lane could look back with pride on this season.

He was Lane Carter and, finally, he wasn't forgotten anymore...

by **Aboveland** » Tue Dec 22, 2020 12:46 am

Ljubala InterNazionRing
Ljubala, Mattijana

"One more time," says Edvin softly onto the radio. "Radio check?"

"All clear," replies Terho, smiling only with his mouth, not with his eyes, as he swerves across the track to heat his tyres before the end of the formation lap.

"Great," Edvin says back, the thunk of his hand on his pit wall table audible. "Good luck man," he adds, once Terho has stopped just behind polesitter Sara Luna. "I love you."

Terho chuckles, Edvin just managing to crack his steel cold concentration. "Me too," he answers, then takes a deep breath to sigh. Suddenly, all the emotions he'd been attempting to push down and away from his psyche begin to boil, surging through his stomach up his chest and into his throat.

And as his eyes water, the first set of red lights glow into life right above him for the very last time. He punches the finger clutch in with his left thumb and middle fingers, and lets the twin-turbo V8 spool behind him into action. One last hurrah, he whimpers to himself through a beaming smile, his voice cracking at the end of the last word.

Furuhøytie Virtapiiri
Tyttebærsby, Aboveland

The thunder of the tens of speakers laid out across the Pine Hill Circuit of Tyttebærsby emulate the roar of the 26 engines launching off the grid at the start of the Grand Prix tsa Mattijana. Janne and Antti, now clutching their own coffee thermoses for the small fee of zero yonders, sit in a sea of navy, white and green, in the same seats as the day before but among a crowd of over one-hundred thousand spectators piled into the racetrack. Not even the start finish line is visible under the floodlights, which bathe the huddled seating spectators just below the projector screens. The snow flurries, hardly a deterrent for the Abovians, have continued strongly into race day.

Janne, mesmerized, watches as Terho launches from third. He's quick, but Sara Luna stumbles off the line while DImitrianov flies into first. The Abovian, stuck behind the pole sitter directly in front, is forced to brake, and unlike Luna he's got nowhere to swerve evasively. Unlike the Diarcesian, he loses three positions to the chasing pack. The crowd in Aboveland groan in unison, every single one of their faces beamed with the flickering colors of the projector screens before them, their mouths cracked open and periodically wisping thin clouds of vapor into the air directly in front of them.

Just holding on to sixth ahead of a motivated Dario Nulkeschlager, the camera focuses to the destroyer grey Resilience exiting the turn three hairpin and slinghsotting flat through to turn four. The camera, from an elevated vantage point, shows the TR Æ machine dive up on the Race Eelandi machine of Lane Carter at turn six, setting up to go long at turn eight and cement the move. It's a sensational overtake, pulled off with razor sharp precision, and the crowd cheers wildly, Janne and Antti--the latter usually one for mellow displays of excitement--included.

Next up to fall into the clutches of Resilience's jaws is Jasmin Kranjska; the local driver attemps to build a gap as the drivers in front do to her, but the Abovian--and for at least the next hour and a half, the current world champion--is alight and on a mission. He's patient; as visible from the trackside cameras, Resilience keeps close to the MRT ahead, squatting and shimmying in the braking zones like a big cat ready to pounce on an antelope. It's not until turn sixteen, after the long, sweeping right of fifteen, that Terho pulls to the outside of the hairpin, opting against a divebomb.

The camera switches back onboard, and from behind Terho's shoulder, the orchestration of his next move begins. His traction out of the hairpin is superior, and he noses Resilience just enough beside Kranjska to deter the Mattijanan from defending her inside line through past turn nineteen. Pushed off the racing line, her speed is inferior down to turn twenty, enough for Terho, side by side into the braking, to pull wide towards the outside before turning in late to the last hairpin of the circuit, and holding the outside through the last three corners of the track to cross the start finish line fourth, making up two places after his sluggish start. Again, even under the light dusting of snowflakes, the Abovians' passion in the grandstands grows further, erupting into another joyous, endless round of chants.

As the chants reach their climax, however, the crowd collectively gasps, first isolatedly then as a whole, and for a moment, the entire Pine Hill Circuit goes silent.

Ljubala InterNazionRing
Ljubala, Mattijana

Edvin's heart seizes, a burning, acidic feeling of dread wrenching his guts beneath and behind his ribs, spreading to the hairs on the back of his head. His finger twitches, wavers, over the radio button.

"iBen has retired, Terho," Edvin communicates monotonously, the shock in his system manifested only in his thousand-yard gaze at the screen just a few centimeters beyond his eyes. "iBen out of the race."

The lump in Terho's throat, the nuisance he'd contained before the race start, returns as he brakes hard for turn sixteen, his Vilitan target ahead in R.L. Cruisin now in the back of his head. The tears, welling up in his eye sockets, splash forwards against his visor as he slams the left pedal.

"Fuck," he replies once out of the hairpin, shaking his head once before he's forced to counter the lateral g-forces into turn seventeen. "Fuck," he mumbles again.

And yet, despite the sinking of his chest, his remorse lasts just under half a minute. The hard braking does enough to clean the tears off the top of his cheeks. At turn eight, on the fourth lap, having followed Cruisin relentlessly, he pulls the same move he had done on Carter at the opening lap. Now third, he's a fastest lap away come the end of the race from a record-breaking third drivers' title, from successfully defending his championship, and from retiring, perhaps disputably, as the greatest of all time.

He has little time to ponder the implications of pulling off such a feat in the foreground of his mind, itself preoccupied with closing the gap to the Diarcesian ahead and securing second place; along with it, the world drivers' championship.

At the pitwall, Edvin bites into his knuckles, his right leg thumping rhythmically against the underside of the pit desk. He's aware of every single one of his breaths; as he tries to calm his nerves, the stricken sister car to Resilience arrives at the paddock, a dejected iBen Toralmintii beside it. Again, Edvin's heart stops, plummeting down his insides. He pauses for a moment, staring at the sorry scene, and after little deliberation, jogs to meet the Turorian. He utters no words, receiving none back, and traps the veteran in an embrace. He closes his eyes and nods, compassionately, as he comfort taps TRÆ's very own--as team principal, his very own--veteran, the winningest WGPC driver of all time, on the back.

"You're a legend," he mutters, in an odd display of vulnerability to anyone bar Terho on the team. Pulling away, he grabs him by the shoulders and looks into his eyes. "No matter what happens today, know you made us--" he spreads his right arm towards the garage, aiming at the mixed-nationality contigent of mechanics and engineers behind him; he pauses before continuing, as the race buzzes by down the main straight. "--prouder, happier, and stronger than we could have ever imagined to be." He nods, reassuring both him and himself of the sincerity of his words. "You deserve it more than anyone."

Once iBen retreats into the garage, Edvin turns back to the pit wall and sits back at his stool before the timing screens. In just a few moments, Terho has made up a second to Luna. Edvin smiles proudly.

Furuhøytie Virtapiiri
Tyttebærsby, Aboveland

The broadcast camera turns to the onboard view on the 56 car. The rowdiness of the crowd has died down as the final lap of the Grand Prix tsa Mattijana begins for Terho; the Abovian, second with an increasing gap behind after an ambitious move on his Diarcesian rival various laps prior, brakes hard as usual for turn one. Once at the apex, he's immediately on the power, flat through two and braking for three. His helmet, not bare carbon as last year, but the same blue as his car with an Abovian flag stripe halo around the top, bobs in the cockpit as the g-force kicks him back into his seat. He lifts before turning into four, Resilience's rear differential locking to let the front bite, then measures the throttle through the esses before the skewed braking for turn eight.

Janne, his eyes twinkling under the floodlights, the light dusting of snow now turned into a significant flurry, is fixed on the screen--as are the thousands of Abovians surrounding him at the circuit, the hundreds of thousands tuned into their home TV sets, and the further millions scattered around the world, in pubs, airports, or hotel lounges, waiting the agonizing wait for Talvela--Aboveland's biggest hero--to cement his record-breaking third title.

As the telemetry screen shows, he rides the brakes into turn fourteen, and when he goes on the power he countersteers to the left, anticipating the fishtail from an overly-ambitious power application. Resilience looks uneasy for a moment, as the active winglets on its body floor the vehicle into the asphalt and save the Abovian from a race-ending spin, or worse.

The time loss is minimal, enough for Terho to brake early and securely for turn sixteen, to round the hairpin with ease, to nibble one, two, three inside kerbs through turn nineteen towards turn twenty, and to speed past the final three fast corners of the circuit.

The anticipation within the crowd, swelling quietly over the last 100 seconds, finally explodes as Terho reaches the chequered flag.

"it's finished; it's finished, Abovians!" yells one of the announcers, through energetic sobs, his voice cracking. "Terho Talvela retires a champion! Aboveland today is the best in the world!" As the snow flurry starts to become a snow storm, fireworks rise from the infield, their sparkling colored trails dissolving into the overcast night sky, their explosions making the snow clouds glow their pretty colors, their residual smoke masquerading itself in the atmosphere.

On the ground, tears spurt from the eyes of the multitude, as scarves wave, hats fly and friends huddle for a group jump. Together, the crowd joins in a round of chanting "Taaaalvela, Taaaalvela, glede av elaamaani Taaaalvela" to uphold their idol. Janne and Antti, caught in the middle of the madness, laugh maniacally through their tears of joy, joining in the choir.

Ljubala InterNazionRing
Ljubala, Mattijana

It's not until the start of the esses that the radio crackles to life.

"Terho-fucking-Talvela," begins Edvin, quietly and almost shyly, his voice trembling, "for the third time in your career, for the first time in the history of this championship, and for the last time ever, you are World Champion once again."

Terho doesn't immediately reply, and the first sounds he utters are sobs. "Fucking hell," he begins, trailing off his words with a defeated-sounding chuckle. "God-fucking-damn it," he continues, somberly. "I can't believe this."

Edvin, initially confused, raises an eyebrow, but waits for the emotional signals to settle in the Abovian's brain which, eventually, they do.

Terho sighs, taking his inlap slow, his helmet moving side to side like a moveable CCTV camera; his hands, as visible from the TV feed, pull his visor up and squeeze his eyes.

"Yes," Terho mutters. "Yes!" He sighs again, this time cackling once he's regained his breath, and yelling "Oh my GOD!" followed up by an nondescript shriek, and closed off again with a heavier round of sobbing, this time together with sniffles and pauses.

"I fucking love you, Edvin," he finally utters, once entering the pitlane. "God... this one's for all of you. For everyone."

He parks Resilience behind the second place board and immediately climbs out of the gray machine. Helmet still on, HANS device unstrapped, he stumbles to his feet and steps onto both front tyres, first his right foot, then his left, and outstretches his arms to the sky, letting his head drop back. As he basks in his glory, silent, his abdomen twitches with each cry-chuckle. Up on the podium--the last time the Abovian Nordic Cross is to ever fly on a podium--, once he opens his eyes after the winners' anthems he directs his champagne spray at the TRÆ team at the bottom, but carefully measures the stream to save enough for him. Once the pressure dies down, he closes his eyes well shut and spills the content of the bottle onto his face, making sure to get the liquid to seep into his race suit and soak his undergarments. A cold chill runs up his back.

Briefly afterwards, it's time for the championship trophy to be presented. He stands at the middle of the balcony, hands behind his back, as the Abovian anthem sounds one final time. His sobbing has turned into full-on waterworks by this point, but he refuses to clear his eyes with anything other than his eyelids. As the trophy is wheeled in, he looks down at the WGPC18 crew, and not just the TRÆ team.

He thinks of the pillars of his career, pondering deeply who to have fresh in his mind before he hoists his trophy. He scans, through his distorted wet vision, the crowd to spot the glowing Nimban, Ryker Lane. His mellow expression says everything he needs to know. A benchmark, for me, for the championship, and for the multiverse, he reflects, as if writing down an internal monologue. And now, we share the honor, the right, to call both of ourselves winless champions. I hope he didn't cherish being the only one.

He diverts his attention to Edvin next. My lifelong companion, he ponders, laughing. Through thick and thin; always supportive, always sincere, and setting limits whenever I needed them.

And finally, he scans the crowd hard for the last pillar to his success, perhaps even the foundation on which the pillars had been cemented. His efforts are futile, so he breaks protocol for a moment during the anthem and inches closer to the guardrail, scanning every line of the crowd. Is he gone? he wonders.

Almost instinctively, he shuts the outside world out for a moment and, overcome by his mission, descends into the paddock. Sifting through the crowd, at times parting to let him past, he reaches Edvin, pulls him by the cuffs of his shirt, and dives deeper into the hidden depths of the crowd to find iBen, his face of disdain understandable and clear to see. Heaving, Terho instructs Edvin and a Turorian mechanic to follow his lead.

Trudging slowly back towards the stairs, Terho and Edvin ascend carefully up onto the podium balcony with iBen hoisted on their shoulders. As they reach the center stage, Terho eyes the ceremonial host to hand the trophy up to the Turorian. And iBen, he thinks, as his third championship cup goes up to his teammate. The only teammate with which I've ever won a title; the man without whom I'd still be kicking mud around the logging roads of Brukkifordet, the man who built me, perhaps right now his worst enemy, his biggest regret, from the ground up. The man to whom I owe the entire universe, and then some.

As the confetti cannons behind them pop, the Turorian, at first sheepishly, then more confidently, raises the cup.

Thus ends Terho Talvela's career, the same way it began: dressed in gray, teammate to a veteran Turorian, accompanied by Edvin on the radio, and with a World Drivers' Championship title secured.

Terho Talvela | All-time stats

5 seasons
62 races
9 wins
26 podiums
43 top-10s
589 points
9.5 points per race
41.94% podiums of total races
3 teams
3 teammates

3 World Championships

Epilogue

Terho's arrival in Tyttebærsby--so decided by the Abovian government, who'd also meddled in organizing his return to the country with another display of national gratitude and affection by thrusting a massive crowd into Tyttebærsby Airport--had been chaotic but in a good way, as the Abovians who'd rushed to receive his return to his hometown had been respectful of abstract concepts such as personal space and boundaries. He'd had his flight home in a first class ArcticAir seat, the first time in years he'd been upgraded, been paraded into the city center by the caravan taking him home, then given a few hours to rest before a compulsory dinner event took place in Furuhøytie Virtapiiri--promptly renamed Talvelærkilpiiri the same evening--under a flurry of snow similar to that endured by the faithful spectators the night of his championship win. He'd been expected to leave his original trophy at the circuit, but the suggestion never so much as grazed his mind, and he instead opted to promise the gifting of a replica to the track for their lobby display. The same promise was made regarding the possibility of exhibiting a car in their facilities: no, but maybe we can do a replica. The originals, both the trophy and the display cars, were to be dutifully reserved for exhibition at Tropicorp Racing Ælund's headquarters in Lintulahti. Even though Tyttebærsby was his hometown, Terho felt a much stronger attraction towards Lintulahti and his new home in Iskajärvi, and for good reason.

Upon arrival in Lintulahti--Terho and Edvin appearing not alone, but along with the entire Tropicorp Racing Ælund contingent bar iBen Toralmintii, to allow the Vilita and Turorians to pack up before their return home over the off-season--talk between the two Abovians began over the future, held over plastic champagne glasses served in Edvin's office overlooking the bay. The two sat in plush living room chairs, upholstered in tastefully weathered brown leather, as a thin haze drifted over the still waters of Lintulahti bay, tinted purple as the midday sun began to set.

"Feel better now?" asked Edvin, sipping from the plastic cup stuffed with both bubbly and frozen grapes. "It's been a few days already."

Terho twiddles his own cup, swirling the grapes around and staring at the rising bubbles before taking a timid sip. "Yeah," he answered. "A little."

"Come on Terho," Edvin insisted, scooting his seat closer to Terho and slightly scraping the marble floor tile. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "Your title is as good as any other."

Terho shrugged. "I know, but iBen..." he began. "I guess... if I really cared so little, I would have literally just slowed down--"

"--but you had your chance and, rightfully so, took it!"

"Yeah." Terho smirked regretfully. "But iBen... outclassed me so good. After what he did at the end of 17, and how he consistently, right up to the very end, dominated me in the races... how can I feel I deserve this any more than he does?" He fended off an attempt from Edvin to intervene. "How is this fair?"

"It's fair," said Edvin, reaching out for the bottle of champagne and, like a barman, clutched it from the bottom with his thumb in the cavity to top off Terho's cup. "...because you deserved it equally. Maybe you didn't win a race--" he looked up from his concentrated pour and raised his eyebrows, preemptively scolding him for his possible negative thoughts. "--but neither did Ryker, and his season 15 title was as deserved for him for his consistency as it would have been for you for your speed. And I know how much you adore Ryker." He set his cup down and crossed his arms, not defiantly, but conclusively. "You can't possibly disagree."

Terho paused for a moment, taking a bigger gulp of wine. "Fair," he replies, wiping off the excess from his unshaven, stubbly upper lip.

"But you know what," Edvin admitted, sorrowfully. "We've got to cherish this." He stared into Terho's eyes and nodded, inching his cup closer to his to meet them together with a dull clack. "I know I will."

There was a silence.

"Removing myself from the equation... the WGPC's magic formula is simple to see. iBen with his other teammates, and you with Delgado and Juracai, neither of you achieved anything near what you guys managed together three different times." His eyes seemed to well up, but his voice remained clear. "You remove one of you two from the formula, and it's just not the same. I think... I really, really think..." He looked out at the bay, then nearly pitch black and the haze turned into a fog. "That we--we the world--might never see something like you two again. Maybe--" he scoffed but with a satisfied energy. "--maybe this is the peak for TRÆ. Maybe... we'll never repeat this feat again. Who's to say we're not going to collapse next year? Who's to say Tropicorp doesn't suddenly pull funding and leaves us in the dust? Who's to say anything will ever repeat itself?" He topped up his cup one last time. "This time... it did, but nothing had changed. Next year, unless iBen remains... it's all change."

Terho, silently, toasted to Edvin once more. "Let's cherish this," he affirmed, but raising his eyebrows as Edvin had done earlier. "But cut your bullshit. Everything is going to be alright."

They took a sip together, the sucking sound of their mouths just touching the wine the only disruption in the largely quiet, echo-heavy HQ. Terho is the one to break the silence for the final time.

"Another thing to change," he began, trailing off in search of the question.

"What?" complied Edvin.

"The name of this circuit. Let's be grateful."

A few days later, the decision was set. Tropicorp Racing Ælund's home circuit in Lintulahti was now, and forever, Toralmintii International Circuit.

by **Lisander** » Thu Dec 24, 2020 1:16 pm

For the last time, Anneliese allowed herself to sink her worn body on the ice cubes. That sensation was magnific, and she would miss it for the time. This time, she wasn't allowed music, something related to taking too much time on the bathtub, but she sneaked in her mePhone. That was the perfect time to send messages to everyone. After all, she would get sleepy after that, and forget to send those.

First, to her team partner, Niklas Schonbaum:

Hey, Niklas!

Congratulations on a great first season. That performance in Liventia was stellar! You'll be soon better, keep working on your consistency. I suggest you put your hands in a racing simulator, a good one. If it helped an unlucky girl like me, what would happen to a great guy like you?

Thank you for supporting us on this journey.

Cheers,

Anneliese.

Ok, who would be the next? She thought a little bit then decided: Ricardo Vetinari. He wasn't that present, but he had managed the finances of the team the entire season. He made that season possible.

Mr Vetinari,

I'd like to thank you for all your effort through this season. You made a lot of dreams possible, including one I almost gave up on, that was driving in WGPC. I have no words to say how grateful I am for you and Mr Nasunen putting me on the helm of this endeavour. It really changed, not only my career but my entire life. I wish you all the best on your next ventures. Count on me if ever needed.

Best regards and happy holidays,

Anneliese Devereux.

That was very formal. At least the most formal she could imagine at that moment.

"Ok, who's the next? I'll send to Carol..." - her loud thinking was interrupted by a message. Carolina Lasseps, shown the screen. "How could she know? I was about to send her a message..." - she opened the message.

I AM SEEING YOU ONLINE. PUT THE SMARTPHONE DOWN, NOW. IT'S AN ORDER. BACK TO THE ICE. I DON'T WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR DELIVERING AN INJURED DRIVER TO BITTEN HEROES, YOU BRAINLESS!
~CL

"You're so boring, Carolina. - Sissie shrugged, throwing the smartphone over the towels and drowning back to the ice. She honestly hoped not to sleep and die with hypothermy.

by **Hodori Motorsports** » Thu Dec 31, 2020 10:01 pm

Soeshu, Hodori
BadApple Software
Caffeine delivery system procured, Pigeon made the return trip from the break room to the office server room. In the mean time, a detour to stop by the cubicle of a certain tall, well-endowed, cat-ear-wearing friend.
“Kitteeeen~!”
“What is it, Pigeon?” Hakusa looked up from her monitors.
“Could you wire me half a million Kerai?”
Hakusa just stared.
“I’ll pay you back.”
“Why do you need that much money?” Half a million Kerai, a little over 14 thousand International Standard Dollars.
“171 kilos of meatballs and shipping are expensive.”
Hakusa continued staring.
“And I blew that money helping some guy with their hole sadness problem.”
Hakusa. Kept. Staring.
“Please?”
Pigeon felt Hakusa’s gaze piercing her soul.
“Pretty please?”
Hakusa sighed. “When do you need it?”
“By the end of the week would be nice.”
“You better pay me back.”
“I will.” Pigeon turned on her heel and continued on her way. “Thank you!”

The Blue Flag Report
Posted by 87 Pigeons

87 replies? That's a new record, even 4 me. But fitting 4 u. & I'm not taking u 2 dinner. U are the dinner. I turn u & ur pigeon babies in2 fried pigeon. (1/2)

@ItsGilArcher69

& thx 4 the toys & lube. Wifey's gonna have a lotta fun making my holes happy (2/2)

@ItsGilArcher69

Oops it got away from me again. Real Life why do you have to be so invasively omnipresent?

87 is a good number. It’s aesthetically pleasing and makes for a nice placeholder. Also it was ten replies. And you certainly know how to break a girl’s heart. As for dinner, I’ll have to poke my friend to see if she’s willing to share her squab recipes.

With the toys I got you, I recommend starting with the small ones and moving to bigger ones as you get used to the size. Too big too soon and your holes will be very much not happy. Also make sure you use plenty of lube.

Our disclaimer, for the final time this year:
The Blue Flag Report is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by the WGPO, the WGPC, or its media partners. It also doesn’t try to pretend to be a serious news outlet, unlike HTN.

It feels like it was only a month or so ago when prideful Preston predicted perfect perfomance. And then someone had to respond to that hubris with a prediction of their own. And then this came screaming into the world. ~~unloved and unwanted~~

Before we start, let’s have some tables. Tables are great. People like tables. You can do lots of things with tables, like putting stuff on them. These ones show a race-by-race breakdown of where laps were lost and breakdowns had:

Pos No  DRV  Driver                    TUR  HDR  NIM  AUR  ABL  ABL  NEK  FID  HAP  LEN  MTJ  LNC
 1  28  LNA  Sara Luna                   0    0    0    1    0    0    0    1    0    1    0    3
 2  25  KRU  Gregori Krupin              1    0    0    1    0    0    1    0    1    0    0    4
 3  50  EDW  Rudy Edwards                1    0    0    0    2    1    0    0    0    0    0    4
 4   7  GTA  Abdoulaye Goita             1    0    1    0    0    0    1    1    1    0    0    5
 5  71  IBU  Rustom Ibuna                0    1    0    0    1    1    1    1    1    0    0    6
 6  11  CRT  Lane Carter                 0    2    1    0    1    1    1    0    0    0    0    6
 7  12  DEV  Anneliese Devereux          0    1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1    1    0    9
 8  94  LAN  Ryker Lane                  1    0    0    1    1    0    1    2    1    1    1    9
 9  85  STO  Olivia Stone                5    1    0    0    1    0    0    1    1    0    0    9
10  76  KOW  Adriana Kowalski            1    2    1    1    2    1    1    1    1    0    1   12
11  42  DIM  Alex Dimitrianov            0    0    0    1    1    0   13    0    1    1    0   17
12  27  NUL  Dario Nülkeschläger         1    5    1    5    0    1    1    0    5    1    1   21
13  46  ARB  Kitti Armbruster            1    0    1    1    2    1    1   17    1    0    1   26
14  72  VAL  Charyseine Valkyria         1    1    5    2    5    5    1    1    1    5    1   28
15  52  SZR  Sayono Souzare              1    0    1    4    0    0    0    1   20    1    0   28
16  82  LMN  Kinu Luminna                5    5    1    1    1    0    5    5    5    0    5   33
17  47  OKU  Erica Okumura              23    7    0    0    1    0    1    0    1    1    0   34
18  22  KRA  Jasmin Kranjska             2    1    0    1   28    1    0    1    0    1    0   35
19  63  MIZ  Daryl Mizushima             5    1    5    5    5    5    5    5    1    5    5   47
20  19  FAL  Dom Falepeau               47    0    0    0    1    0    1    1    1    2    0   53
21  37  SCH  Niklas Schonbaum            1    1   36    1    1    0    1    2   10    0    1   54
22  56  TAL  Terho Talvela               1    0   19    0    0    0    0   36    1    0    0   57
23  51  CRU  R.L. Cruisin                0    1    0   48    1    0   19    1    0    0    0   70
24  23  C23  Cocoabo #23                 0    2   62    1    1    1    0    1    1    1    1   71
25  77  TII  iBen Toralmintii            0    1   24    0    0    0    1    0   32    0   51  109
26   8  ARC  William Archer             57   57    0    1    1    1    1    1   13    1    0  133
27  41  JMD  Jean Mercer-Daly            6    0   48    2    0    1    1   48   48    1    0  155
28  14  BJA  Sigur Bjarnason            11   29    0    6    1    7   26   56   19    0    1  156
Pos Constructor                        TUR  HDR  NIM  AUR  ABL  ABL  NEK  FID  HAP  LEN  MTJ  LNC
 1  Volkov Racing                        1    0    0    2    0    0    1    1    1    1    0    7
 2  Schkeksa-VSK Viska Racing            6    1    1    0    1    0    1    2    2    0    0   14
 3  Badai Angin Tim Motorsport           0    1    0    1    2    1   14    1    2    1    0   23
 4  Polaris Racing Team                 24    7    1    4    1    0    1    1   21    2    0   62
 5  TAS Alliance Racing                  1    2   37    2    2    1    2    3   11    1    1   63
 6  Race Eelandii V&T GP                 0    3    1   48    2    1   20    1    0    0    0   76
 7  Fireline Motorsports                 1    4   63    2    3    2    1    2    2    1    2   83
 8  Mattijana Racing Team               49    1    0    1   29    1    1    2    1    3    0   88
 9  WGPC Motorworks                     12   12   12   13   11   11   12   11   12   11   12  129
10  Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing     58   57    0    1    3    2    1    1   13    1    0  137
11  Nexus Racing                         7    0   48    3    1    1    2   50   49    2    1  164
12  Tropicorp Racing Ælund               1    1   43    0    0    0    1   36   33    0   51  166
13  SVJ Racing WGPC Team                12   29    1    7    3    8   27   73   20    0    2  182

Pos No  DRV  Driver                    TUR  HDR  NIM  AUR  ABL  ABL  NEK  FID  HAP  LEN  MTJ  MBP
 1  28  LNA  Sara Luna                   0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 2  25  KRU  Gregori Krupin              0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 3  50  EDW  Rudy Edwards                0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 4   7  GTA  Abdoulaye Goita             0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 5  71  IBU  Rustom Ibuna                0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 6  11  CRT  Lane Carter                 0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 7  12  DEV  Anneliese Devereux          0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 8  94  LAN  Ryker Lane                  0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 9  85  STO  Olivia Stone                0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
10  76  KOW  Adriana Kowalski            0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
11  27  NUL  Dario Nülkeschläger         0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
12  72  VAL  Charyseine Valkyria         0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
13  82  LMN  Kinu Luminna                0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
14  63  MIZ  Daryl Mizushima             0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
15  42  DIM  Alex Dimitrianov            0    0    0    0    0    0   13    0    0    0    0   13
16  46  ARB  Kitti Armbruster            0    0    0    0    0    0    0   17    0    0    0   17
17  52  SZR  Sayono Souzare              0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   20    0    0   20
18  47  OKU  Erica Okumura              23    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   23
19  22  KRA  Jasmin Kranjska             0    0    0    0   28    0    0    0    0    0    0   28
20  37  SCH  Niklas Schonbaum            0    0   36    0    0    0    0    0   10    0    0   46
21  19  FAL  Dom Falepeau               47    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   47
22  56  TAL  Terho Talvela               0    0   19    0    0    0    0   36    0    0    0   55
23  23  C23  Cocoabo #23                 0    0   62    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   62
24  51  CRU  R.L. Cruisin                0    0    0   48    0    0   19    0    0    0    0   67
25  77  TII  iBen Toralmintii            0    0   24    0    0    0    0    0   32    0   51  107
26   8  ARC  William Archer             57   57    0    0    0    0    0    0   13    0    0  127
27  41  JMD  Jean Mercer-Daly            0    0   48    0    0    0    0   48   48    0    0  144
28  14  BJA  Sigur Bjarnason            11   29    0    6    0    7   26   56   19    0    0  154
Pos Constructor                        TUR  HDR  NIM  AUR  ABL  ABL  NEK  FID  HAP  LEN  MTJ  MBP
 1  Volkov Racing                        0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 2  Schkeksa-VSK Viska Racing            0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 3  WGPC Motorworks                      0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 4  Badai Angin Tim Motorsport           0    0    0    0    0    0   13    0    0    0    0   13
 5  Polaris Racing Team                 23    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   20    0    0   43
 6  TAS Alliance Racing                  0    0   36    0    0    0    0    0   10    0    0   46
 7  Fireline Motorsports                 0    0   62    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   62
 8  Race Eelandii V&T GP                 0    0    0   48    0    0   19    0    0    0    0   67
 9  Mattijana Racing Team               47    0    0    0   28    0    0    0    0    0    0   75
10  Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing     57   57    0    0    0    0    0    0   13    0    0  127
11  Nexus Racing                         0    0   48    0    0    0    0   48   48    0    0  144
12  Tropicorp Racing Ælund               0    0   43    0    0    0    0   36   32    0   51  162
13  SVJ Racing WGPC Team                11   29    0    6    0    7   26   73   19    0    0  171

Now then, let’s recap the final two races of the season.

Round 9: Liventia

Pos No  DRV  Driver                    LNC  BFP  MBP
 1  28  LNA  Sara Luna                   3    3    0
 2  25  KRU  Gregori Krupin              4    4    0
 3  50  EDW  Rudy Edwards                4    4    0
 4   7  GTA  Abdoulaye Goita             5    5    0
 5  71  IBU  Rustom Ibuna                6    6    0
 6  11  CRT  Lane Carter                 6    6    0
 7  94  LAN  Ryker Lane                  8    8    0
 8  12  DEV  Anneliese Devereux          9    9    0
 9  85  STO  Olivia Stone                9    9    0
10  76  KOW  Adriana Kowalski           11   11    0
11  42  DIM  Alex Dimitrianov           17    4   13
12  27  NUL  Dario Nülkeschläger        20   20    0
13  46  ARB  Kitti Armbruster           25    8   17
14  72  VAL  Charyseine Valkyria        27   27    0
15  82  LMN  Kinu Luminna               28   28    0
16  52  SZR  Sayono Souzare             28    8   20
17  47  OKU  Erica Okumura              34   11   23
18  22  KRA  Jasmin Kranjska            35    7   28
19  63  MIZ  Daryl Mizushima            42   42    0
20  37  SCH  Niklas Schonbaum           53    7   46
21  19  FAL  Dom Falepeau               53    6   47
22  56  TAL  Terho Talvela              57    2   55
23  77  TII  iBen Toralmintii           58    2   56
24  23  C23  Cocoabo #23                70    8   62
25  51  CRU  R.L. Cruisin               70    3   67
26   8  ARC  William Archer            133    6  127
27  41  JMD  Jean Mercer-Daly          155   11  144
28  14  BJA  Sigur Bjarnason           155    1  154

Pos Constructor                        LNC  BFP  MBP
 1  Volkov Racing                        7    7    0
 2  Schkeksa-VSK Viska Racing           14   14    0
 3  Badai Angin Tim Motorsport          23   10   13
 4  Polaris Racing Team                 62   19   43
 5  TAS Alliance Racing                 62   16   46
 6  Race Eelandii V&T GP                76    9   67
 7  Fireline Motorsports                81   19   62
 8  Mattijana Racing Team               88   13   75
 9  Tropicorp Racing Ælund             115    4  111
10  WGPC Motorworks                    117  117    0
11  Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing    137   10  127
12  Nexus Racing                       163   19  144
13  SVJ Racing WGPC Team               180    9  171

What happened here was amazing: Everyone finished the race. Not everyone completed all the laps, but all the cars that started the race were still running by the end.

Goita’s your winner here, with Schonbaum and Talvela rounding out your podium. Krupin is the last driver to finish on the lead lap, with only Falepeau finishing two laps down. Valkyria and Mizushima did not start.

Valkyria ends up slipping behind Armbruster. Souzare, though having the same number of total LNC as Luminna, gets sorted behind due to her 20 MBP. Falepeau and Schonbaum both with 53 LNC switch on the strength of Schonbaum’s 46 MBP versus Falepeau’s 47. The rankings here otherwise don’t get shaken up much if at all. For the Driver’s Blue Flag Cup, only Archer, JMD, and Bjarnason can miss enough laps.

In terms of the Constructor’s race for the Blue Flag Cup, there’s not much movement here. The Motorworks team slips behind TRÆ, and remains in contention for the ignoble award. There remain enough laps in the season (52 based on lap length and 305km race distance, meaning 104 LNC for a lap 1 double-DNF) for only the bottom eight to claim the title of “Constructor With Least Cumulative Completed Laps”.

For the Linco McPahan Unward for Unreliability, Race Eelandii needs that lap 1 double DNF and both SVJ drivers to reach a classified finish to secure 171 kilograms of meatballs. MRT needs to retire with 96 fewer cumulative laps than SVJ, meaning a potential lap 1 double-DNF if only one of the SVJ cars retires on lap 45. Preston has only a 44-MBP gap, while Nexus is 27 MBP ahead of SVJ. Fireline and the Motorworks team have completed too many laps, thus leaving them the only two teams able to win the Blue Flag Cup without also taking the McPahan Unward.

Pos No  DRV  Driver                    LNC  BFP  MBP
 1  28  LNA  Sara Luna                   3    3    0
 3  25  KRU  Gregori Krupin              4    4    0
 2  50  EDW  Rudy Edwards                4    4    0
 4   7  GTA  Abdoulaye Goita             5    5    0
 5  71  IBU  Rustom Ibuna                6    6    0
 6  11  CRT  Lane Carter                 6    6    0
 9  12  DEV  Anneliese Devereux          9    9    0
 8  94  LAN  Ryker Lane                  9    9    0
 7  85  STO  Olivia Stone                9    9    0
10  76  KOW  Adriana Kowalski           12   12    0
11  42  DIM  Alex Dimitrianov           17    4   13
12  27  NUL  Dario Nülkeschläger        21   21    0
13  46  ARB  Kitti Armbruster           26    9   17
15  72  VAL  Charyseine Valkyria        28   28    0
14  52  SZR  Sayono Souzare             28    8   20
16  82  LMN  Kinu Luminna               33   33    0
17  47  OKU  Erica Okumura              34   11   23
18  22  KRA  Jasmin Kranjska            35    7   28
19  63  MIZ  Daryl Mizushima            47   47    0
20  19  FAL  Dom Falepeau               53    6   47
21  37  SCH  Niklas Schonbaum           54    8   46
22  56  TAL  Terho Talvela              57    2   55
23  51  CRU  R.L. Cruisin               70    3   67
24  23  C23  Cocoabo #23                71    9   62
25  77  TII  iBen Toralmintii          109    2  107
26   8  ARC  William Archer            133    6  127
27  41  JMD  Jean Mercer-Daly          155   11  144
28  14  BJA  Sigur Bjarnason           156    2  154

Pos Constructor                        LNC  BFP  MBP
 1  Volkov Racing                        7    7    0
 2  Schkeksa-VSK Viska Racing           14   14    0
 3  Badai Angin Tim Motorsport          23   10   13
 4  Polaris Racing Team                 62   19   43
 5  TAS Alliance Racing                 63   17   46
 6  Race Eelandii V&T GP                76    9   67
 7  Fireline Motorsports                83   21   62
 8  Mattijana Racing Team               88   13   75
 9  WGPC Motorworks                    129  129    0
10  Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing    137   10  127
11  Nexus Racing                       164   20  144
12  Tropicorp Racing Ælund             166    4  162
13  SVJ Racing WGPC Team               182   11  171

Round 10: Mattijana

Dimitiranov, Three-time World Driver’s Champion Talvela, and Luna are your podium. Edwards finished fourth in the race and third in the Driver’s standings. 17th place Armbruster is our first driver on lap down. WDC Runner-up Toralmintii is our only retirement, going out with only one lap complete. Mizushima and Luminna did not start.

On countback, Lane (Ryker) gets sandwiched between Devereux and Stone. Souzare ends on equal LNC as Valkyria, but gets ranked behind based on her MBP. Luminna ends up between the Polaris ladies. Falepeau completes one lap more than Schonbaum and pulls ahead. The Vilitan/Turorian/Cocoabo trio get inverted, with the delicious Cocoabo completing one less lap than Cruisin and Toralmintii’s lap two retirement. The relative order of Archer-JMD-Bjarnason remains unchanged, but Bjarnason finished one lap down and falls to a clear last place in the rankings here.

The top eight Constructors don’t move relative to each other. Neither does the relative order of the Motorworks team, Preston, and Nexus change. With Toralmintii’s early exit to the final race of the season, TRÆfalls from ninth to twelfth. Our last-placed team here doesn’t budge.

Sigur Bjarnason takes the Driver’s Blue Flag Cup with 156 total Laps Not Complete and the Linco McPahan Unaward for Unreliability for Drivers with 154 Meatball Points. SVJ Racing WGPC Team, with a total of 182 laps not complete and 171 Meatball Points, is our winner of the Constructor’s Blue Flag Cup and the Linco McPahan Unaward for Unreliability for Constructors. As the failingest constructor with most laps lost due to retirements, they will be getting a shipment of 171 kilograms of meatballs (No MSG, no artificial ingredients, flavours, or colours, 100% beef and pork). Once that filament I ordered finally gets here, I’ll also 3D print some physical “trophies” and mail them.

Until then, they’ll have to make do with these:

CONGRATULATION TO
SIGUR BJARNASON
AND
SVJ RACING WGPC TEAM
WINNERS OF THE
BLUE FLAG CUP
AND THE
LINCO MCPAHAN UNAWARD FOR UNRELIABILITY

Yes, ‘Congratulation’. Singular. As in just the one. Update: So I checked and apparently singular ‘congratulation’ is an actual word. It is a noun, defined as “the act of congratulating”. And here I was just using it as sarcastic, back-handed ‘praise’. As in, “Wow, you’re so amazingly bad”.

Also, legitimate congratulations to Sara Luna for completing the most laps, at 584 of 587 laps raced (of 592 according to the original schedule), and Volkov Racing, for completing a combined 1161 laps out of 1168 (of 1184 as originally scheduled) for constructors.

Soeshu, Hodori
Hakusa’s and Sayono’s Apartment

Kicking off her shoes as she entered the quiet, dark apartment, Sayono let out a deflated “I’m home.” The only response, as An’ue followed with a “Pardon the intrusion”, was meowing. As Sayono felt for and flipped the light switch, the meowing turned to growling and hissing as Chen detected the presense of someone she did not like.
“Sayono, go take care of your hellspawn.”
“Chen’s a sweet kitty.” Sayono scooped up the agitated feline. Chen wriggled in her human’s arms as the two made their way to the bedroom.
“Sure she is.” An’ue headed to the bathroom. “See you in the morning.”

Closing and locking the door, Sayono released the cat, closed the distance in the darkness to the bed, climbed in, cuddled next to a familiar warmth, and cried herself to sleep.

Hakusa awoke to the scent of a fresh pot of coffee filling the apartment and sunlight streaming onto her face.

And a presence that wasn’t there when she went to sleep.

Tensing up, she slowly turned her head, only relaxing once she saw it was Sayono. Taking a moment to calm herself, Hakusa then slowly crawled out of bed, trying not to disturb the peacfully sleeping Sayono.

Heading to the kitchen, Hakusa saw a pajama-clad An’ue pouring herself a cup of coffee. Briefly weighing the competing priorities of confonting the one currently absconding with her caffeine and addressing her present lack of clothing, Hakusa decided to retreat and pretend like she didn’t completely forget that An’ue was staying the night after bringing Sayono home.

“I think Sayono broke.”
An’ue set her mug of coffee down and looked at Hakusa, her glasses fogged up from the steam.
“Explain.”
“The sun’s been up for about an hour now and she’s still asleep.”
Her glasses cleared up, An’ue checked the nearest clock. “Let her sleep. We still have a few hours before we need to be in Dashoze.”
“Right, V2.” Hakusa had seen advertisements plastered all over the place in the past few weeks, bearing the Arada logo with a date – today – and a ‘V2’.
“Yep.”

Dashoze, Hodori
Arada HQ

As the days ticked down until the start of the next Hodoran domestic motorsports season, Sayono found herself back in Dashoze. This time, Object V2 was to be formally revealed to the world, and as an Arada factory pilot she was to participate in the unveiling at the HQ lobby.

Forcing a smile, she adjusted her grip on her corner of the grey tarpaulin. A small radio earpiece gave the countdown.
Five.
After the high note with a podium in Nekoni, her performance in the remainder of the season utterly collapsed.
Four.
Sayono flashed back to the first Grand Prix of Barunia. Saturday had been a resounding success, with Sayono caputring pole. Hodoran media following qualifying was starting to accept her as an actual, talented racing driver.
Three.
Even the usual critics began to be less vocal about their insinuations that Sayono Souzare had only gotten to where she was due to her uncle and the money from the company founded almost a century ago by Hieda Souzare, as opposed to climbing the ranks through legitimate racing skill.
Two.
After trashing her car before the first lap was even over, media back home grew louder about calling into question Sayono’s credentials. Just as they were now.
One.
Shutting the critics out wasn’t working. Forging ahead, pretending nothing was wrong wasn’t working.

On the signal, she pulled back the cover. Exposed to the lighting, the Magma Red body panels glistened, metal flakes sparkling as the light played across the sleek curves and creases of 208. The larger 210, on the opposite side of the dais, still wore its special paint and as such seemed to be carved from a massive block of gold sheen obsidian.

The two models, announced as Velocithor V2-8 and Velocithor V2-10, were to commence production in the coming weeks, with deliveries of the 50 apiece domestic market units beginning by the end of the year, and delivery of the 240 export-market V2-8s and 160 export V2-10s starting next year.

Riding the high-speed Super Express back to Soeshu, staring out the window as the late afternoon sun drifted closer and closer to the horizon, Sayono silently sipped at her bottle of iced green tea.
Do you still want to do this?
Sayono closed her eyes, continuing to stew in her thoughts.
Do you still want to do this?
The low murmer of the other passengers’ indistinc conversations was interrupted by An’ue occaisonally tapping her tablet’s screen.
Or do you want to find an easier dream to pursue?

Kudakei, Hodori
Driving Park Kudakei
“Do you still want to do this?”
A 14-year-old Sayono lay spread eagle in the wet gravel, the patter of raindrops against the rental helmet’s visor almost drowning out her uncle’s question. Nearby, a wrecked club-racer R222KZ roadster.
Catching her breath, waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Recounting the incident.
It happened as she made her way into the Karting Hook section of the inner circuit. The wet kerbstones broke traction, and her clumsy attempt to correct ended with her going sideways into the gravel pit at speed. This then led to the car rolling, tipping over and coming to rest upside down on its rollcage. Sayono extricated herself, crawled a short distance away, and then lay on her back in the gravel, staring up at the dark grey sky.
Her uncle arrived shortly after, checking to ensure she was okay. Sayono was more shaken than injured, but Asao Nadakei still called for an ambulance.
A long, wet day of Sayono getting frustratingly close to, but just missing the target times in trials set by her uncle, and all she had to show for it was a crashed Tarogama roadster.
“It’s only going to get harder from here. Do you still want to do this?”
Sayono answered with silence. The wailing siren of an ambulance slowly grew louder.
“Or do you want to find an easier dream to pursue?”
Sayono pulled herself to a sitting position. Swatting away her uncle’s outstretched hand, she slowly stood up, then made her way to the inverted car.
Trying, and failing, to push the roadster back onto its wheels, Sayono felt a hand on her shoulder.
“That’s enough for today, Sayono.”
She turned to face her uncle. Between the water on the outside of the visor and her own tears of frustration, his face was a complete blur. The ambulance skidded to a stop on the wet tarmac.
Returning her focus to the car, Sayono continued her futile effort to manually right it. “Just… One… More… Lap!”
“We’ll try again tomorrow.” Nadakei pulled Sayono away from the damaged car. “And the day after that.” Sayono struggled to free herself from her uncle’s grip as he guided her towards he ambulance. “And the day after that.” The two reached the tarmac of the Driving Park’s racing surface. “We’ll keep trying, for however long it takes, for as long as you want to keep chasing this dream.” The two boarded the ambulance. “And I am going to keep pushing you to find your limit. And then I will keep pushing you beyond that limit.”
Laying down on the stretcher, Sayono finally removed the helmet and the rental firesuit’s gloves.
“But just pushing you past your current limits won’t help you grow.” Nadakei pulled out a pocket notebook, waving it in one hand. “After all, how can you develop if no one shows you where to improve?”
Sayono reached for the notebook. Nadakei raised it out of reach.
“We’ll go over this after you’ve been examined and you’ve had some time to think about whether you want to keep going.”

Soeshu, Hodori
The Apartment
Present Day

“What should I do?” Seated at the couch, staring at the black screen of the powered-off television, Sayono hadn’t directed that question at anyone in particular.
“Eating’s always been a good fallback for you.” Hakusa set a bowl of noodles in broth on the coffee table, then returned to the ktichen. “So food in, problems out.”
Sayono looked at the bowl, and took note of the lack of utensils. “Hakusa, babe, I can’t eat this with my bare hands.”
“Didn’t want you getting a head start.” Hakusa set her own bowl down, then handed her wife a pair of disposable chopsticks.
“Alright, let’s ea-” The two were interrupted by the doorbell.
“We expecting any-?” Sayono’s question was cut off, again by the doorbell.
Hakusa shook her head, while whoever was at the door was awfully fond of button-mashing the doorbell. After a few seconds, the eletronic chiming stopped.
“I’ll get it.” Sayono got up and walked to the door.

Opening the door, Sayono was greeted by Suzuchiru and a younger girl she didn’t recognise.
“Hey cuz.”
Sayono closed the door. The doorbell rang again. Sayono pulled the door open.
“What do you want?”
Suzuchiru held up a cardboard shipping tube. “I ordered something and it finally came in, and since you’re along the way to its intended recipient-”
“Being in the complete opposite direction is a strange definition of ‘along the way’ mom.”
“Yuuka.” Suzuchiru hissed at the younger girl, then continued addressing Sayono. “Since you’re along the way to its intended recipient I thought I could get you to sign it.”
Sayono stared at the two for half a minute. “Fine, whatever. Come in.”

“So, what did you want me to sign?” Sayono grabbed the permanent marker from its holder mounted to the dry-erase board.
“This thing.” Suzuchiru opened the tube and removed the poster, unrolling it on the kitchen table. It was one made after the Polaris side-by-side finish in Nekoni. “I was hoping it would arrive in time so I could get both you and Okumura, but that will have to wait.”
“And who am I autographing this for?”
“My daughter.”
Sayono looked at the girl. She looked to be about middle-school-aged, and had long, waist-length hair. She was focused more on the phone in her hands than the world around her.
“Not that one, the other one.”
Sayono stared blankly at Suzuchiru.
A minute passed. Hakusa gladly helped herself to both bowls of noodles. The long-haired girl continued playing with her phone. A contenstant on a comedic gameshow failed spectacularly.
It finally dawned on Suzuchiru.
“Oh right, I never introduced you to either of them.” Suzuchiru prodded the young girl. “Yuuka, introduce yourself.”
The girl lowered her phone and looked at Sayono, then began speaking in a bored monotone.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Souzare Yuuka. ‘Souzare’ is written with you should know you’re my third cousin once removed or some shit-”
“Yuuka!” Suzuchiru hissed.
“And ‘Yuuka’ is written with the characters for ‘thousand’ and ‘flower’. I’m thirteen, my birthday is January 11th, and my hobbies are being a pain in the ass for my mom and stepdad-”
Suzuchiru glared at Yuuka.
“And blowing my allowance on gacha games. My half-sister’s name is Kanako, with ‘Kana’ written with the character for ‘graceful’, as in ‘Kanaue Miyu’, and ‘Ko’ is written with the character for ‘child’. She’s eight, and was born on April 26. Her hobbies are sleeping and watching TV.”
“So she’s a shut-in?” Hakusa returned to the kitchen, serving herself seconds and preparing a new bowl for Sayono.
“Something like that. Long story, I’ll tell you about it later.” Suzuchiru checked her watch. “You don’t need to write anything special, just your signature on it will make her happy.”

With Suzuchiru and her eldest daughter sent on their way, and food in her belly, Sayono leaned against Hakusa.
“It’s your fault.”
“What is?” Hakusa stopped running her fingers through Sayono’s short hair.
“I can’t get that damn image out of my head.”
“Which one?”
“You know the one.” Sayono sat up straight, looking at her wife. “Mayari and Okumura.”
“Oh, that.” Hakusa scratched the back of her head. “Yeah I went too far there. Was it at least a nice mental image?”
“Not when it’s my boss and teammate.”
“So you haven’t been getting yourself off to that?”
Sayono just stared at Hakusa.
“I’ll take that as a no. Have you tried mentally replacing them with two generic Nekonians?”
Sayono continued staring.
“I’m guessing that didn’t work either.”
Sayono. Kept. Staring.
“Have you relieved yourself at all since Nekoni?”
“…No.”
“Oh my god.” Hakusa abruptly stood up. “Your holes are sad!”
“what”
“It doesn’t explain everything, but if you haven’t had any special you time while we’ve been apart it could be a factor.”
“I don’t understand what you mean with ‘my holes are sad’”
“You’re not An’ue, so I’m going to be blatant; you’re sexually frustrated, aren’t you?”
Hakusa could feel Sayono’s gaze piercing her soul.
“And as your wife, I hereby volunteer to help you relieve that frustration. When I’m in the mood. And if you’re not in the mood, I can help with that too. As long as I’m in the mood.”
“But that’s not the only problem.”
“I know. But it’s the one issue I can definitely help with. Your other issues will need professional counseling, and I’m not trained to provide that help. So I’m going to do what I can. If you need a shoulder to cry on, or a shoulder massage, or if you want to ‘cuddle’, or just cuddle, I’ll do my best to be there for you.”

Dashoze, Hodori
Arada HQ
“Invitation has been sent, ma’am.”
Chiruno Reitoude barely looked away from the design laboratory. From her perch on the balcony, she got a birds-eye view of the workspaces, normally occupied by the design team working hard to make the old woman’s latest concept a reality. Today, however, the design team was taking a well-earned break, leaving the engineering team to assemble the most promising NVH/E160K design candidate so far. Supervised by Reitoude’s granddaughter, the team was by this point applying the finishing touches. The younger Reitoude gave the 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 a final inspection, then signalled her approval.

Into the vault it would go for safekeeping, until Arada’s guest arrived.

Said guest, a certain Alexandra Mayari. The ‘invitation’ that an intern had alerted the elder Reitoude to was an offer to supply Polaris with engines in the next WGPC season. There were of course strings attached, but the point of inviting Mayari was to discuss the terms of the deal.

World Grand Prix Championship 18 [RP/results]

The Final Sprint Brings Perpective

Finally, finished.

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