WGP2 Season 4 – RP/results thread

[Liventia]

Event 19: Practice

Conditions:      	Dry
Predicted Optimal Time:	00:01:35.576
Session Length:	75 minutes
Nation:         	NIM
Circuit:        	Crossbay Circuit

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

POS # ▍DRIVER                                          	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 88 ▍Ted Pressley                                    	00:01:43.618	00:00:00.000
 2 17 ▍Janne Laukkanen                                 	00:01:43.641	00:00:00.023
 3 91 ▍Taras Matviyenko                                	00:01:43.646	00:00:00.028
 4 41 ▍Edward Rousseau                                 	00:01:43.714	00:00:00.096
 5 15 ▍Heinz-Otto Junker                               	00:01:43.732	00:00:00.115
 6 66 ▍Harry Zoomtwat                                  	00:01:43.832	00:00:00.215
 7  0 ▍Astigar Armendaritze                            	00:01:43.852	00:00:00.235
 8  7 ▍Annelise Devereux                               	00:01:43.875	00:00:00.257
 9  3 ▍Sakiteno Kuyara                                 	00:01:43.913	00:00:00.295
10 31 ▍Joy Wingelaar                                   	00:01:44.074	00:00:00.456
11 18 ▍Haru Jukkenna                                   	00:01:44.074	00:00:00.456
12 37 ▍Laura Haukanna                                  	00:01:44.365	00:00:00.747
13 35 ▍Indra Vartak                                    	00:01:44.421	00:00:00.803
14 44 ▍Rod Gozum                                       	00:01:44.451	00:00:00.834
15 92 ▍Alex Márquez                                    	00:01:44.480	00:00:00.863
16 45 ▍Parveen Kulkarni                                	00:01:44.523	00:00:00.905
17 87 ▍Jama'obo Pegasii                                	00:01:44.674	00:00:01.056
18  9 ▍Batu Tüvshinbayar                               	00:01:44.737	00:00:01.119
19 21 ▍Chiruno Hakusoe                                 	00:01:44.767	00:00:01.149
20 11 ▍Anola Melani                                    	00:01:44.832	00:00:01.214
21 14 ▍Skiia Vialiv                                    	00:01:44.858	00:00:01.241
22 72 ▍Charyseine Valkyria                             	00:01:44.879	00:00:01.261
23 40 ▍Adriana Kowalski Ela Lillian                    	00:01:45.042	00:00:01.424
24 23 ▍Sakinomi Rikikida                               	00:01:45.273	00:00:01.655
25 13 ▍Pedro Carballal                                 	00:01:46.398	00:00:02.780
26 79 ▍Lukas Fichter                                   	00:01:46.703	00:00:03.085
27 16 ▍Elise Shaw                                      	00:01:47.300	00:00:03.682
28  4 ▍Athan Lille                                     	00:01:48.409	00:00:04.791

---

Event 19: Qualifying

Conditions:      	Dry
Predicted Optimal Time:	00:01:35.576
Qualifying Type:	Traditional
Nation:         	NIM
Circuit:        	Crossbay Circuit

POS # ▍DRIVER                                          	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 21 ▍Chiruno Hakusoe                                 	00:01:37.730	00:00:00.000
 2 18 ▍Haru Jukkenna                                   	00:01:37.759	00:00:00.028
 3 66 ▍Harry Zoomtwat                                  	00:01:37.782	00:00:00.052
 4 17 ▍Janne Laukkanen                                 	00:01:37.814	00:00:00.084
 5 91 ▍Taras Matviyenko                                	00:01:37.863	00:00:00.132
 6 13 ▍Pedro Carballal                                 	00:01:37.902	00:00:00.172
 7 79 ▍Lukas Fichter                                   	00:01:37.929	00:00:00.199
 8 87 ▍Jama'obo Pegasii                                	00:01:37.987	00:00:00.256
 9 37 ▍Laura Haukanna                                  	00:01:37.988	00:00:00.257
10 23 ▍Sakinomi Rikikida                               	00:01:38.029	00:00:00.299
11  3 ▍Sakiteno Kuyara                                 	00:01:38.037	00:00:00.307
12 45 ▍Parveen Kulkarni                                	00:01:38.054	00:00:00.323
13  0 ▍Astigar Armendaritze                            	00:01:38.080	00:00:00.350
14 11 ▍Anola Melani                                    	00:01:38.113	00:00:00.382
15 15 ▍Heinz-Otto Junker                               	00:01:38.202	00:00:00.471
16 31 ▍Joy Wingelaar                                   	00:01:38.267	00:00:00.537
17 40 ▍Adriana Kowalski Ela Lillian                    	00:01:38.326	00:00:00.595
18 92 ▍Alex Márquez                                    	00:01:38.412	00:00:00.681
19 41 ▍Edward Rousseau                                 	00:01:38.480	00:00:00.749
20 44 ▍Rod Gozum                                       	00:01:38.527	00:00:00.797
21  7 ▍Annelise Devereux                               	00:01:38.698	00:00:00.968
22 88 ▍Ted Pressley                                    	00:01:38.700	00:00:00.969
23 35 ▍Indra Vartak                                    	00:01:38.771	00:00:01.041
24  9 ▍Batu Tüvshinbayar                               	00:01:39.046	00:00:01.315
25 72 ▍Charyseine Valkyria                             	00:01:39.247	00:00:01.516
26 14 ▍Skiia Vialiv                                    	00:01:39.255	00:00:01.525
27  4 ▍Athan Lille                                     	00:01:39.795	00:00:02.064
28 16 ▍Elise Shaw                                      	00:01:40.239	00:00:02.509

[Bollonich]

First Time Blues

It was my first two races I was excited, this is what I had always dreamed of. My first race was to be the practice race of the Nimbus Grand Prix. My coach Turoto had just told me to be calm and that this practice is race is solely for practice. Nonetheless I wanted to strive for perfection, after what was a highly exciting race for me, even though a practice I placed 16 on the leaderboard below 15th placed teammate Alex. This performance was satisfying for me as I had just coming in reached the middle of the pack but still wanted to better this result and I was going to get an opportunity in the Qualifying race.
Alex Márquez a teammate of mine, I hadn’t got an opportunity to speak to yet. We got a chance to speak after the practice race and she came up to me and said, “I know this can be daunting, it had been for me too at one point. But what I would suggest is keep calm and focus on the races and you’ll do well. If you ever have any questions feel free to come to me or any of the team members.”
I replied, “Thanks Alex, it’s really good to feel welcome, looking forward to the Qualifying race and defeating you.”
“Haha, sure kiddo.”
After what was a joyful conversation with Alex, it was time for the main race of today, the Qualifying. I started the drive really badly, struggling in the early stages, however gaining traction towards the end of the drive I slowly climbed up the leaderboard. This qualifying was going to be defining for the upcoming feature race, as the starting position would greatly affect the race. It was towards the home stretch and completing I quickly got out of the race car and shouted to Turoto, “which position did I get which one?” He with a smile over his face replied, “12th, To the Feature race now. Also wipe that grin off your face.”

341 words

[Diarcesia]

Fastest Laps
Laura Haukanna: 01:37.988
Indra Vartak: 01:38.771

Place: Crossbay Circuit

Qualifying

The would be the first time that Aldauren, Laura, and Indra would set foot in Crossbay Circuit in a WGP2 event.

"This is it, Crossbay Circuit," Louis says as he set down his clipboard.

"The moment of truth," Aldauren replied. "I've been living in the moment for far too long."

"I'm surprised, for someone who has lived for so long. One would assume you already experienced everything there is out there."

"It was no big deal. No need for me to look back to the past."

"You've been a great support system."

"I've had the honor of working with you since day one. Truly, I don't know how to put into words how much this season means to me. I can't believe how far we've come. The talent around us. This operation is my baby as much as it yours. Look how much it has grown up. The advancements we had in engineering, fabrication, Viska's involvement... it's something I will never forget."

"For that, I thank you, Louis."

"Don't thank me yet. We have races to work on. Nexus, Montagne GP (or whatever it's called now), and I think even VSK are looking to gain on us. I've been so focused to make sure our cars' development would keep up with Kaylan and TMW. So much is at stake."

"I understand. I understand what you are going through. You know more about the cars' internals than me. I understand that we have many races remaining. I promise you, I'll do everything so that we will succeed."

"Promise duly noted."

Later

Aldauren's office in Nimbus Bay was a nondescript room with a small table and couch for the visitors.

He was sitting on his chair, his elbows pressed against the armrest. He looked down at the paperwork he needed to read and/or fill out. He began to read them.

He picked up the phone and called Artur. "Will you look at this later, Artur? I have ten options here. Eight of them seem questionable. I can't guarantee that these will work tomorrow."

Like Louis, Artur turned out to be a valuable strategist at his side. The team principal had almost no problems at the calls made during the races.

"Okay, thanks. Bye!"

Aldauren made for the couch and pulled out his phone to check the email. It was much more comfortable than his chair.

He ran through the scenarios in his head. We're in a very similar situation to the Elbej feature race. Laura has a realistic chance of winning and Indra requires a recovery drive. Goal for Indra is a P14 to maximize sprint race points. Indra will try very hard to reach P14 ASAP, as he is given a small window to try for feature race points to avoid a repeat of a somewhat awkward P9 finish. Creusa has to remind him of the plan. Top one priority is that both he and Laura don't push too hard that they bin their cars.

[509 words]

[Chromatika]

Crossbay Circuit Post-Qualifying

"So I made up some time in the last bit of the lap, and I think that was how I ended up in fourteenth. Not bad, right? Outside chance of having a decent run at the points, or if that isn't possible, a solid starting position for the Sprint Race seem very possible. I've got this!" exclaimed Anola Melani to Vladimir. Practice had been a bit rough, but she'd made up for some of it during the Qualifying bunch and was looking forward to the challenge of making the most out of the position that she had ended up.

Her illness had been short but rather rough - there were multiple times during the one-day flu where she wasn't sure if she would be able to make it to Practice at all. Thankfully, though, the fever broke overnight, and the next morning, she was eating food, holding down water, and mostly excited to be back on the track.

She realized that she had been holding herself to things that she had no business of committing to. Yes, Kaylan was putting a lot on her, but she was putting more things on herself than even her team. Nobody expected her to be perfect, nor was she the horse that they would be betting on to win the season - Ted had proven himself to be worthy of the respect of that moniker. No, she was there to do the best she could, to be the one that was the best in Sprint Races, the Chromatik racer in WGP2 that really exemplified the ideals of being from Chromatika - hard-working, independent, respected and respectful.

She felt sorry for Vladimir's having to deal with her outbreaks in the last few weeks. He didn't deserve that - his job was to make sure that she was ready to go on race day, not deal with all of her mental issues. She really treasured his partnership and friendship, and was hoping that by getting over herself, she would stop jeopardizing that relationship. Of course, he would say that it wasn't a big deal, but it was to her, and that was what ultimately mattered.

Only four weekends of racing remained. TMW was right behind Kaylan, and Ted was having to deal with Heinz-Otto Junker in every race. Anola herself was still in the Top Five, which was more than she had ever hoped for when the season started. It helped that she knew what she was good at - and the fact that four more Sprint Races remained gave her optimism when it came to the overall standings.

All that was left to do is to take it one checkered flag at a time. Results would come as they did, and she would only be responsible for her own actions and how hard she had committed to them.

With this newfound serendipity and a clarity of purpose, Anola Melani smiled her first genuine smile in the last few weeks. Racing was exciting again. Life was meaningful again. How exciting, indeed.

500 Words.

[Tumbra]

A weekend of change in the field — driver and team name changes, though none that affected Ted particularly — he was focused more on trying to nail the setup on the Crossbay Circuit, which suited his car far more than he did. And for a while, it seemed like he'd nailed it — or at least that was what the Practice session had told him. While not pushing the car too hard, the car responded well — and Ted had quietly become confident of yet another good race weekend. It was what he needed, after all, to try and pull ahead of the TMWs of Junker and Wingelaar.

Here, far away from Tumbra, he felt at peace. He'd already begun casting his mind to the future — if Kaylan made the jump to WGPC next season, would they offer him a seat? Would he take up said seat? WGP2 had been welcoming to him, and he'd embraced its challenge with open arms. He'd been aptly rewarded for that, with two victories and a third podium — but WGPC was a whole different beast. He wasn't exactly sure, what with Darian performing as well as he had done in his three-race trial in the middle of the season, whether his seat was secure. Regardless, the last four weekends would probably be a way to look forward to the future. An audition, then, for the big teams of the series.

But he'd have to do well in Qualifying and the races first to even have a sniff of a WGPC seat — and while his banker lap had done well, he'd been kept in the garage for most of the session due to a problem with the engine. Presumably the beating Ted had pushed it to take in Diarcesia had been a bit much for the poor Kaylan, and he was forced to sit in the garage and watch as times dropped. When Ted did finally manage to get out on track in the dying minutes of the session, he'd locked up at turn 15 and cost him any chance of improving his time. Twenty-second, then, for the all-important feature race, with his compatriots in the title race qualifying fourth, fourteenth and fifteenth. It'd be a long recovery drive tomorrow, and Ted, for the first time, began hoping for rain as he felt his title chances slowly slip out of his fingers.

394

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

You'd have to go back to Drummond Vale to find a qualifying session that both Scuderia cars performed as well in as the Crossbay Circuit had just produced. The usual off the hauler issues plagued Pedro during practice, while Saki really had to put in a massive effort to break the 1:44 barrier.

She'd really learned a lot about how to provide feedback in testing and on weekends to the engineers; not having had much experience driving a motor vehicle, she lacked certain reference points that a person on the street would've become aware of in everyday experience behind the wheel.
She'd listened closely to Pedro, to Jordan, to Sunil and Vaughn, during de-briefs, paying attention to the language, the nuances that the guys were able to transmit.

In this strategy session ahead of quali, Sakite made what was probably the first proactive suggestion since she'd signed for the team.
"The section from the exit of 9 until 15 just feels right to me, the line I'm taking." The three men had slightly surprised looks on their faces, and her race engineer pulled up the telemetry on her best lap to refer to while he had her talk through that part of the course, roughly the 2nd sector.
"Through 8, I stay left and try to straight line the first apex, then keep left on exit and do the same through the second half, then set up to take 10 & 11 like a chicane, stay right and brake a bit early, turn into the apex at 12, squaring off the corner, accelerate and just clip the apex at 13, stay left through 14 then move right for 15, brake hard then back on the throttle through the second part of the curve."

Choudhary studied the screen, matching up the brake, throttle and gear selection as she used her hands to mimic the direction of the car.

"Your times through the sector are really good over the second part of the run. You almost hit the delta on about 6 straight laps. I don't know if that helps Pedro, unless he can learn that line in a couple of spots within the 30 minutes. "

"Do we have any video? The 10,11,12 combo I might try, as it almost is just braking early on entry and back on throttle."

Into the final minutes of the session, both drivers were in good position; PC in P5 and Saki in 14 but just a few hundredths separating her from the other runners around her.
Zoomtwat took the flag cutting .259 off his time, knocking Pedro to sixth, followed by Kuyara 30 seconds later gaining .117 to jump to 11th; no one improved enough to knock either of them back further, and the team celebrated the best overall day since Saturday at the Vale.

In the motor home, Pedro praised his teammate. "I didn't know if I was going to be able to pick up your line on the far side, but all of sudden it came together. Thanks."
"Don't mention it. It's a bit of repaying all of the stuff I've learned from you and JC."

524

[The Licentian Isles]

This would be a challenging weekend at Crossbay.

It was a gorgeous track, there was no doubt about that. Joy had never seen a track like this before. She had raced at plenty of places with a beautiful backdrop at home in the Isles, but the section of track that ran over the water here in the Nexus Wardship was absolutely breathtaking.

Of course, she couldn’t focus on the sightseeing. This would be another big weekend in the battle for the team championship, especially after a challenging qualifying session for both TMW drivers. She would be on the eighth row of the grid, just below Heinz, and both of them had looked for where the Kaylans had found themselves after the qualifying session. It turned out things had been challenging for their rivals too: Anola Melani was running fourteenth, while Ted, Joy’s Esportivan rival, was down in twenty-second position to start the race.

It would be a lot to consider for the Licentian. The car was clearly better than the position that they were sat in right now, and it was always frustrating to start so far back. She had to look at the positive side of this though. Either she would climb the order and challenge for points in the feature race, or she would struggle to pass, but that would mean that she was in an optimum position for the sprint race. She was never going to aim for the reverse grid pole, but if it fell into her hands then that would very much suit her, especially as the season moves on towards Liventia, where it would come to a close.

Would this turn out to be a good weekend for Joy, and for TMW? She could only hope so. She would need to push herself to make sure that it was.

[Togonistan]

Crossbay Circuit
Qualifying

It was that time of the season again. Crossbay Circuit, the iconic track in Nexus Wardship with it's long straights seemed promising for the Kaylan team. With the T-170 being built with more aggressive circuits in mind, the team felt hopeful to put down a decent points finish here. Prior to their arrival to the nation, Xander had given an hour-long lecture to the team about The Wardship's various laws and carefully listed all the items that were considered illegal there. With Togonistani drug laws being rather liberal, to put it lightly, it was expected that some of the team staff would attempt to bring some alcohol, cigarettes or, god forbid, cannabis with them to the weekend. Thus, Xander had made it very clear to everyone that any such attempts would result in the person behind it being forced to find themselves a new job.

The practice session had gone smoothly, with both drivers sticking true to their program and working on finding the best possible car setup for the track. Luckily, Anola's sudden illness was gone by the practice day morning and the Chromatik was ready to hit the track, eventually driving the 20th time in the session. However, the team remained positive with Anola's feedback suggesting that they had found a setup which would allow her to push further during the following days. Meanwhile, Ted had absolutely floored the pedal and finished on top of the timings.

As the qualifying started and the cars were sent out on the track, Xander and Manu were sitting at their usual spots in the garage when information about Ted's engine problems reached to them.

''Ted complains about lack of power.''

''Got it. Manu, what does the data say?''

''Lack of power. Yup, we've got an issue.''

''Bring Ted in!''

As car number 88 entered the pits, Kaylan mechanics rushed out to bring the car back into garage. Wasting no time, Ted was ordered to climb out of the car while a group of mechanics took off the engine cover and started to diagnose the problem. It didn't take long to understand where the issue was.

''The engine's running on five cylinders,'' Aleki, one of the mechanics said as he looked at Xander.

''Can you fix it?''

''Probably. We'd need to strip it down though.''

Arms crossed, Xander looked at Aleki in the eyes and asked calmly: ''How long?''

''30 minutes at least, maybe more. We're still not quite sure what exactly causes it, but we have an idea.''

Xander nod, ''Get on with it!''

With mechanics starting to tear the engine apart, Xander turned his attention back on the monitors. Anola was currently showing solid pace, improving her lap times by a few tenths every now and then. Eventually, she got called in for a tyre change before the one last push. Just as Xander had handed the orders out, he heard Ted's car coming back to life. The mechanics had managed to iron out the issue and with six minutes left until the end of the session, Ted climbed back into the car for the one final chance of improving his lap time. Fresh tyres on both cars, they were sent out. Anola crossed the line first, with a time of 01:38.113. Solid performance, however, the opposition wasn't sleeping either and with more cars yet to finish, Anola eventually got knocked down to 14th place. Meanwhile, Ted had started his final flying lap as well. Showing solid pace at first with a promise to end up in top 6, Xander watched the Tumbran suddenly lock up his brakes in turn 15, wiping away any hopes for challenging the top. Eventually, he ended up 22nd with .969 off the polesitter Hakusoe. Xander sighed as he watched the final times. Looks like there will be a lot of work to do climbing up the grid once again. Hopefully, the cars powertrains will be able to handle it. By now, they had seen a fair amount of mileage and the team had taken a decision to try and push them through this one last weekend, saving the new ones for the final three events. As always, it was going to be a gamble and all they could do was hope that the Fortuna would be on their side once again.

[Trans-Dniesters]

Everyone always thought working for a racing team was as glamorous as a job could ever get. But all everyone ever saw was the drivers, the engineers, the team principal, the PR people; basically those who were meant to be seen. But such a big team needed people to clean up after them, literally. At least that was how UrGa Motorsports DIvision operated. UrGa had its own army of cleaners taking care of their garages and mobile homes, mostly because the team was very much concerned about outsiders coming in to clean up and potentially coming across team secrets.

Two of those cleaners were busy sweeping up the place where the team’s contentious driver from Featherstonehaugh Cholmondeley, Major Harry Zoomtwat, had parked his wooden biplane before he set off for the destination of the next race weekend. At first, everyone had wanted to know how Zoomtwat had been able to keep his rickety biplane together despite all the conditions that they had experienced throughout the WGP2 season, but by this point nobody was bothered enough to care. It was fair to say that the team had not been expecting the new arrival to perform better than their long-time driver, and there was still some resentment over the fact that Zoomtwat’s appointment had been forced upon the team by the board without input from anyone within the team itself, not even the team principal Vasily Gatutin. Cleaning up after Zoomtwat after a race week was always an arduous task, what with the cigar ashes and empty liquor bottles that he always seemed to leave in his wake.

“Look, just because he’s now the leading driver on points doesn’t mean that I have to bow down to him and worship the very ground he walks on,” one of the cleaners said as he swept the area visually for any trash or debris. “He’s no savior of this team. We were here long before he even heard of GP racing and we’ll still be here long after he’s gone.”

“Just shut your mouth, Arkadiy Afanasiyevich,” the other cleaner muttered. “Just because I agree with you doesn’t mean I want to keep listening to you fucking ranting about Zoomtwat every chance you can get.” The second cleaner then happened to notice something odd-looking in the dry desert soil, and he bent down to pick it up. “What the hell?” he asked nobody in particular.

“What is it, Ilya Yevgeniyevich? What did you see?” the first cleaner asked him.

“I don’t know,” the second cleaner said as he made to brush away the dirt that had stuck on to the thing. “I think it’s a pearl. It looks like a pearl to me. Does it look like a pearl to you?” he asked as he handed the object to the first cleaner.

“I mean, of course it looks like a pearl,” the first cleaner retorted. “The question is, what the fuck is a pearl doing here in the desert?”

“Well, look at where we found it,” the second cleaner said. “Only one person’s ever been here. But what would Zoomtwat be doing with a pearl? And a small one at that?”

“How should I know? You don’t really expect me to ask him, do you?”

“Ask what from whom?” a familiar voice asked behind them. The two cleaners suddenly stood straighter as Vasily Semyonovich Gatutin approached. “Mind telling me what you two were talking about, Arkady Afanasiyevich? Ilya Yevgeniyevich?”

“Oh, sir, we found this in the place where Major Zoomtwat parks his biplane,” Ilya Yevgeniyevich said, handing the pearl over to Gatutin. Gatutin took it and turned it over in his palm. “You said you found this where Zoomtwat’s plane was parked?” he asked them. The cleaners nodded.

“Sir, if it’s all right with you,” Arkadiy Afanasiyevich asked, “would you be okay with talking to the major about this? You know, Ilya Yevgeniyevich and I don’t really fancy talking to the major. Or his Indian, for that matter.”

“Of course that will be fine,” Gatutin nodded. “Good thing you found this, comrades. This could be really helpful for us.” And then Gatutin walked away, keenly aware that he might just be holding a piece of the Scepter of Saint Bogdan in his hand.

(708 words, not including these)

[TJUN-ia]

WGP2 Season 4
Round 7
WGP2 NImban Grand Prix
Crossbay Circuit, Former Citizens of the Nimbus System

Familiar surroundings are supposed to be a good thing, but they only served as a background to a civil war caused by a simple TJUN-ian man. Batu Tüvshinbayar entered the 3rd season of WGP2 to try and improve himself as a driver but instead, he's only gone and caused the team that put faith in him to splinter in spectacular fashion. The Government of Nykipiflugpuu itself, the main backers of this team, felt as though Batu wasn't doing enough as wanted him gone (and to be honest, who blamed them) but Kaidi Enni Saino-Iakkyy, the team principal and Batu's boss, refused to do so. The Government have now gone and pulled their support to the Vilaye EnergySport Grand Prix Team from Vilita and Turori while his team, now known as Team Noortekoondis, will carry on for now with the sole backing of Ælund Racing. As the weekend in the Nimbus System approached, the TJUN-ian media were all over the man from Shinebaishin as everyone wondered how he felt of being the spark of an internal civil war within his own team, but he kept to himself until the weekend arrived (which was very easy for him, since he didn't really talk to anyone anyways).

Everyone could clearly see how the whole affair affected the TJUN-ian...or maybe they didn't, as the performances he would produce on Friday were just normal for him at this point in the season. Practice would see him up in 18th, 1.1 seconds off of the pace set by Ted Pressley but way better than Lukas Fichter in 26th (oof, that doesn't sound fun). Qualifying would be way worse as Fichter improved drastically to get 7th while Batu could only manage 24th on the track he knew best. Chiruno Hakusoe took pole over Haru Jukkenna and Harry Zoomtwat. As everything crumbled around him, Batu wonder what the point even was any more of trying to be the best he could be...clearly, no one wanted him here so why not just...go...This was going to be another long weekend for Shinebaishin's own.

[Featherstonehaugh Cholmondeley]

Harry had shrugged off the nightmarish architecture and technology almost as incomprehensible as his moustache to post a fast practice time, a little under a fifth of a second off Taras’s pace. Come qualifying, the situation had been reversed, with Harry putting almost a tenth of a second into his teammate. It meant a 3–5 start, or, as Harry would have it, “right up my Khyber, the bally scoundrel”. So far as Harry was concerned, buggering senseless occurred in one direction only.

He did his best to ignore any sulky glances being thrown his way as the team were lathering him up in walrus blubber and squeezing his bulky form into the cockpit on the starting grid. He was still getting used to the regulation racing suits, though; they were tremendously itched.

“I say,” Harry bellowed at the nearest mechanic, speaking fluent but heavily accented Pridnestrovian. “You haven’t seen my old scratching stick, have you? Big thing, about yay long, half the length of my todger, eh, wot wot. Bird thingy on the one end is an absolute blood-and-thundering marvel at reaching the itchy spots.” He gestured the vague dimensions of said ‘scratching stick’, but in truth he hadn’t seen it since Diarcesia, and if he’d left it there, there was no way he was tromping back to that desert hell to retrieve it.

He wiggled about and settled in. Behind him, the mechanics were also helping Taras, and Harry felt he could feel the eyes of his ‘teammate’, or, fiercest rival? boring into the back of his helmet. How he wished he could take the edge off with a refreshing draft of cocaine tincture, but these ‘anti-doping regulations’ were such bores. Harry settled his hands on the wheel and narrowed his eyes. Blast to the first turn. And if should happen to cut off the car behind him on the grid, then all was fair in love, war, and motorsports…?

[Siovanija and Teusland]

The euphoria of a second place position in the sprint race at Elbej, and levelling himself on points in the Drivers’ Championship with Ted Pressley, was long gone for Heinz-Otto Junker as he boxed the car after qualifying at the Crossbay Circuit.

“Heinz, that is P15. P15. Work to do tomorrow.”

“Not sure what to say guys, I thought it was a decent lap. Felt good in practice. I guess like you said, work to do tomorrow.”

“Heinz, so Joy P16, she was .065 off of you. You will be starting on the same row.”

Heinz had to almost laugh - last week, they were starting together on row 2, this week on row 8. He was happy to hear how close it was, though - he knew that both of them were getting the best out of the car now, and it was shown by 2 weeks in a row having quite close qualifying times.

“Championship contenders, Janne starting P4, Anola will be right ahead in P14 and Ted is down in P22. I know it doesn’t feel good right now, but if we can put in a strong performance tomorrow we have a real chance of gaining some ground.”

“Thanks Oliver. Just have to keep pushing. Thanks, guys, we go again tomorrow.”

By the time Heinz got back to the paddock, his mood had improved a bit - he knew that he was capable of fighting hard to get back into the points. He’d done it last week in the sprint race, climbing all the way up to P2 on a very difficult track to overtake, and felt confidence that he could do it again. Team Principal Jorn Feistel wanted to have a quick chat as well.

“Hey Heinz, how are you feeling about that lap?”

“Not our best day in quali, for sure, but I think I got as much out of it as I could. There was a lot of good lap times put down, and I’m still looking forward for tomorrow.”

“Good to hear, I’m glad. Now Heinz, we’ve got a few more races to go - just remember that you don’t have to do everything tomorrow. I know there’s a ton of pressure, but don’t feel the need to be a hero.”

“I know, I know. Especially with how the standings are now, it’s important to know and understand that this fight is going to go down. Getting the car home is going to be more important than risking it for an extra point or two.”

“Good to hear. Heinz, but don’t change how you drive - you still have to be willing to take the same risks as before. Just don’t let it get into your head.”

“Yep, yep, I know.”

“Heinz, how are you handling it all? It’s tough fighting for a championship, eh?”

“Definitely I mean, we had the battle last season with Patrick in Formula ST, and in karting before. But this just feels different, you know, lots of eyes on every move and we all want to prove ourselves. Ted, Janne, Anola, all of them, they are all great drivers and I’m proud to be here.”

“How about the old man, how’s he handling it all?”

Heinz laughed. “You know my dad. Every time he texts me it’s about how I need to win the next race, all that. I love that he cares, but sometimes it sucks too, haha.”

“Just remember that it’s you driving the car, and your race to run.”

“Always.”

With a handshake, Heinz-Otto Junker headed off out of the paddock to get himself ready for tomorrow’s big race. As he did, he checked his phone, and of course, a text from Gotthard Junker.

“Need to be big tomorrow, lot of places to make up. Let’s go.”

Heinz sighed as he put his phone away, and he thought back on Jorn’s words. My race to run. Time to show what he was made of.

[Aboveland]

Nimbus Bay, Nexus Wardship

"I'm kinda nervous," Janne says, staring out the window of his hotel room near Crossbay Circuit. His hands rest on his bare hips, and he hears his pulse beat in his ears. A chill runs up his back and shakes his shoulders, before a warm embrace wraps him around the waist, and a fuzzy head rests on his own.

"You'll be fine," whispers Sami. He's not quite tall enough to rest his chin on the top of Janne's head, but it's not for a lack of trying. He diverts his perch to the joint between the smaller Abovian's torso and his neck, and delicately pecks his jaw. Janne chuckles and shies into the kiss.

"That tickles," he mutters, snorting. He pulls away and stares into a bent Sami's vertical eyes, smiles, and gives him a kiss back. "You're being weird," he retorts. "You're never this sweet."

While Janne's hearbeat has begun to normalize, it's Sami's which accelerates at the, frankly, accurate remark. Though he can't quite reveal he's guilty about anything, exclusively because he'd never quite gotten around to revealing anything in the first place. He'd thought about admitting it to Janne at some point, and promising it didn't quite mean anything, and that it was just a one-time thing—though it really hadn't been, and had relapsed a few weeks back—and that he was sorry, but he had never managed to convince himself it would be better to lay the cards on the table than to learn to keep a secret.

So, in lieu of admitting his fling with a certain enigmatic and equal parts irresistible and repulsive Nykipik, he opts for kisses and cuddles. He doesn't reply to Janne's remark but pulls him back from the window onto the bed behind them, and with his arms wrapped around his torso he rolls him over onto his back. They both laugh, Janne taken aback and Sami mischievously, but Janne pushes him back.

"I can't!" he implores. "After—after the race. I promise."

Sami frowns.

Janne frowns back "As if I ever rejected you anyway! But I can't be late."

"Fine," concedes Sami. "But only if you win."

Janne grins. "Cheeky," he teases.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Bearden Waterfront Circuit, Bearden, Xanneria
Bearden Feature Race, Post-Practice; 8th of May

“Hey, Felix – yes, I know, I know.”

“…”

“That’s what we’re going to be spending the next few weeks working out.”

“…”

“Yeah, well… As much as I don’t like saying it, we’ll be done by WGPC 19, at least. We can try to get as much done for the end of the season as we can.”

“…”

“Right. We’ve got some ideas; likely it’s stress-related. We’re probably going to have to do a complete simulation of everything on the car.”

“…”

“In one! Would you be alright working with Victoria for a few days?”

“…”

“Might be able to pay the Imagination cost in what we aren’t wasting every race… I can talk to the Office; they’ll countenance it, I’m sure. Improved reliability makes for a better showcase.”

“…”

“Alright – thank you so much, Felix. Talk to you soon.”

“…”

“Ha! Yeah, that sounds like Toshiro. Tell him hi from me too.”

Nexus Racing Satellite Manufactory, Hearth Community, the First City, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
17th of May

Felix Matta was, all things considered, having a subpar day. Typically, he was quite comfortable at the Manufactory, doing his own thing, ensuring that everything was running smoothly. He received orders and schematics from the team, put them through to the fabrication machinery, tested them if they needed testing, sent back the results, shipped any resulting parts down the Terrarail line to Crossbay and spent whatever time he had left over optimising the whole process – simple, routine, calming, focussed. Only one person required, as he liked it.

Well, one person other than Toshi. Toshi was an exception.

Today, however – and in the past few days, too – there were non-exceptions.

“You’ve done well here.”

Felix rolls his eyes, brushing his altogether too long dark brown locks from in front of his face as Nexus Racing’s Head Designer speaks, never breaking his gaze from the machinery before him: a miniature wind tunnel, a clear window built into one side, where a piece of bodywork attached to a servo motor twists and flexes under the force of the air flowing across it meeting the motor’s own movements. This much is normal. The shining blue barrier hovering around it, on the other hand, mimicking the sections of the body adjacent to the parts, and the same bright light pulsing from the part, are not.

Nor is the fact that this particular wind tunnel has been running for seven hours.

The woman on the other side of Lucia smiles from the corner of Felix’s vision as she places a hand at her hip. “Yeah. Yeah, we have.” The smile on Victoria Light’s face broadens to a grin. “Yeah, we have, at that! I’m really happy with this.”

Felix sighs. “It’s just a simulation system.”

“And yet it has been running for five hours and twenty-seven minutes, counting from when you reported this test, with no errors and minimal Imagination consumption.” Lucia turns her head towards Felix – with something a few millimetres away from wryness crossing her flat expression. “Though no doubt you’ll improve on that.”

“That’s why I’m here.” These two… These two weren’t so bad. Victoria was too spontaneous and overwrought at times but she was at least capable, as the past week of watching her programme an analogue to the human brain had demonstrated beyond doubt. As for Lucia…

As for her, she said and asked what was needed of everyone and stepped in where it was necessary. For him, that wasn’t much. Felix could work with that.

Lucia clasps her hands behind her, looking to Victoria. “We should get back and report to Gertrude.” She glances back to Felix, even as Victoria nods and, taking a strand of her blonde hair from below her shoulder and running her hand through it with one hand, removes her phone from her pocket to tap something with the other. “We can expect systemic analyses of component wear each day?”

Felix lets out a solitary barking laugh. “Yep, though I’d say I’ll probably get the reports automated by Friday.” He pauses, then narrows his eyes. “So expect the first automated one by Wednesday.”

At that, Lucia actually, genuinely smiles, even as she starts to step away down the corridor. “Excellent. We’ll let you to it.”

Felix gives a slanting nod, then turns back to the machine, even as his mind can’t help but overhear how Victoria’s looking forward to getting back because then she can talk to Tiffany about some sort of adjustment to the HUD that’ll help the drivers in high winds somehow… He tries to tune it out, focussing on the whirring of the fans.

“Oh, Felix?”

What.

“You have a visitor!”

The creases on Felix’s face soften as he glances across the room, picking out a small monitor. Upon it, he sees a small figure with black hair the same shade as his, waiting patiently beyond a door.

He smiles, pulling his own phone from his pocket, flipping it open and bringing up the app that he built ages ago to control the Manufactory. Felix leans in, speaking gently into the microphone. “I’ve unlocked the door, cousin Toshi.”

He glances back towards the tunnel where the bodywork sits, twisting and flexing. He shuts his eyes and smiles again. “Got something really cool to show you this time.”

[Liventia]

CUTOFF

for the Nimban Deuxième Prix - Feature Race at Crossbay Circuit

[Liventia]

Event 19: Race

Conditions:      	Dry
Laps:              	50
(Drivers retiring on lap 44 or earlier not classified)	
Nation:         	NIM
Circuit:        	Crossbay Circuit
Event:                	Nimban Deuxième Prix - Feature Race
Safety Car on Laps:	2, 3, 4
Cars on Grid:        	28

POS  # ▍DRV Name                                    Team                                   	Time      	Pts	Fastest Lap	
  1 17 ▍LAU Janne Laukkanen                         Nexus Racing                            	01:35:50.123	25		
  2 14 ▍VIA Skiia Vialiv                            VilayeEnergy Sport Grand Prix           	00:00:19.803	18		
  3  9 ▍TUV Batu Tüvshinbayar                       Team Noortekoondis                      	00:00:28.756	14		
  4 11 ▍MEL Anola Melani                            Kaylan Racing Team                      	00:00:33.092	11		
  5  7 ▍DEV Annelise Devereux                       PrismRiver Racing                       	00:00:39.700	8		
  6 18 ▍JKN Haru Jukkenna                           Nexus Racing                            	00:00:42.919	5		
  7 37 ▍HAU Laura Haukanna                          Pryfors Bilar-Viska/Air Kalactin        	00:00:51.015	3		
  8 66 ▍ZOO Harry Zoomtwat                          Urotovsky-Gatutin                       	00:01:02.820	1		
  9 31 ▍WIN Joy Wingelaar                           Teusbank TMW Rennsport                  	00:01:07.047			
 10 21 ▍HKS Chiruno Hakusoe                         VSK-Maarukanna Racing                   	00:01:28.872			
 11 72 ▍VAL Charyseine Valkyria                     PrismRiver Racing                       	00:01:45.000			
 12 23 ▍RIK Sakinomi Rikikida                       VSK-Maarukanna Racing                   	00:01:54.550			
 13 79 ▍FIC Lukas Fichter                           Team Noortekoondis                      	Laps Down: 1			
 14 92 ▍MAR Alex Márquez                            Erkuns-Hohnschich-Furzeine-Motospiel    	Laps Down: 1			
 15 91 ▍MTV Taras Matviyenko                        Urotovsky-Gatutin                       	Laps Down: 1			
 16 13 ▍CRB Pedro Carballal                         Scuderia Orange Cow                     	Laps Down: 1			
 17 88 ▍PRE Ted Pressley                            Kaylan Racing Team                      	Laps Down: 1			
 18  4 ▍LIL Athan Lille                             Bitten Heroes-MW Racing                 	Laps Down: 1			
 19 40 ▍KOW Adriana Kowalski Ela Lillian            Fireline Motorsports                    	Laps Down: 1	 + 1	1:40.356	
 20 41 ▍ROU Edward Rousseau                         Equipo Telebuenas-BA                    	Laps Down: 1			
 21 87 ▍PEG Jama'obo Pegasii                        VilayeEnergy Sport Grand Prix           	Laps Down: 1			
 22 45 ▍KUL Parveen Kulkarni                        Erkuns-Hohnschich-Furzeine-Motospiel    	Laps Down: 1			
 23 35 ▍VAR Indra Vartak                            Pryfors Bilar-Viska/Air Kalactin        	Laps Down: 2			
 24 15 ▍JUN Heinz-Otto Junker                       Teusbank TMW Rennsport                  	Laps Down: 2			
 25 44 ▍GOZ Rod Gozum                               Equipo Telebuenas-BA                    	Laps Down: 2			
DNF 16 ▍SHW Elise Shaw                              Bitten Heroes-MW Racing                 	Ret. lap 43			
DNF  0 ▍AMD Astigar Armendaritze                    Fireline Motorsports                    	Ret. lap 10			
DNF  3 ▍KUY Sakiteno Kuyara                         Scuderia Orange Cow                     	Ret. lap 2

Drivers' standings

Pos # ▍DRV Name                                     Team [Engine]                                                  Tyres                                   Pts
 1 17 ▍LAU Janne Laukkanen                          Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                                    In Motion                               101
 2 15 ▍JUN Heinz-Otto Junker                        Teusbank TMW Rennsport [TMW]                                   Deyoze                                  98
 2 88 ▍PRE Ted Pressley                             Kaylan Racing Team [Kaylan]                                    Deyoze                                  98
 4 11 ▍MEL Anola Melani                             Kaylan Racing Team [Kaylan]                                    Deyoze                                  84
 5 14 ▍VIA Skiia Vialiv                             VilayeEnergy Sport Grand Prix [Preston]                        Deyoze                                  72
 6 40 ▍KOW Adriana Kowalski Ela Lillian             Fireline Motorsports [Preston]                                 Deyoze                                  59
 7 37 ▍HAU Laura Haukanna                           Pryfors Bilar-Viska/Air Kalactin [Preston]                     Phoenician                              56
 8 35 ▍VAR Indra Vartak                             Pryfors Bilar-Viska/Air Kalactin [Preston]                     Phoenician                              54
 9  7 ▍DEV Annelise Devereux                        PrismRiver Racing [Preston]                                    Deyoze                                  51
10 31 ▍WIN Joy Wingelaar                            Teusbank TMW Rennsport [TMW]                                   Deyoze                                  47
11 21 ▍HKS Chiruno Hakusoe                          VSK-Maarukanna Racing [VSK-Rotary]                             Deyoze                                  45
12 66 ▍ZOO Harry Zoomtwat                           Urotovsky-Gatutin [Preston]                                    Deyoze                                  43
13 92 ▍MAR Alex Márquez                             Erkuns-Hohnschich-Furzeine-Motospiel [Preston]                 Deyoze                                  35
14 87 ▍PEG Jama'obo Pegasii                         VilayeEnergy Sport Grand Prix [Preston]                        Deyoze                                  34
15  0 ▍AMD Astigar Armendaritze                     Fireline Motorsports [Preston]                                 Deyoze                                  28
16  9 ▍TUV Batu Tüvshinbayar                        Team Noortekoondis [Preston]                                   Deyoze                                  27
17 79 ▍FIC Lukas Fichter                            Team Noortekoondis [Preston]                                   Deyoze                                  26
18 23 ▍RIK Sakinomi Rikikida                        VSK-Maarukanna Racing [VSK-Rotary]                             Deyoze                                  24
18 41 ▍ROU Edward Rousseau                          Equipo Telebuenas-BA [Badai Angin]                             Deyoze                                  24
20 91 ▍MTV Taras Matviyenko                         Urotovsky-Gatutin [Preston]                                    Deyoze                                  22
21  4 ▍LIL Athan Lille                              Bitten Heroes-MW Racing [Harlean]                              Stellenbosch                            20
22 44 ▍GOZ Rod Gozum                                Equipo Telebuenas-BA [Badai Angin]                             Deyoze                                  19
22 18 ▍JKN Haru Jukkenna                            Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                                    In Motion                               19
24 72 ▍VAL Charyseine Valkyria                      PrismRiver Racing [Preston]                                    Deyoze                                  14
25 69 ▍YUM Hoshikari Yume                           Erkuns-Hohnschich-Furzeine-Motospiel [Preston]                 Deyoze                                  6
26 13 ▍CRB Pedro Carballal                          Scuderia Orange Cow [Preston]                                  Deyoze                                  5
27  3 ▍KUY Sakiteno Kuyara                          Scuderia Orange Cow [Preston]                                  Deyoze                                  1
28 16 ▍SHW Elise Shaw                               Bitten Heroes-MW Racing [Harlean]                              Stellenbosch                            0
28 45 ▍KUL Parveen Kulkarni                         Erkuns-Hohnschich-Furzeine-Motospiel [Preston]                 Deyoze                                  0

Team standings

Pos NAT ▍Team [Engine]                                                  Tyres                                   Pts
  1 TGN ▍Kaylan Racing Team [Kaylan]                                    Deyoze                                  182
  2 STL ▍Teusbank TMW Rennsport [TMW]                                   Deyoze                                  145
  3 NIM ▍Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                                    In Motion                               120
  4 DCS ▍Pryfors Bilar-Viska/Air Kalactin [Preston]                     Phoenician                              110
  5 V&T ▍VilayeEnergy Sport Grand Prix [Preston]                        Deyoze                                  106
  6 ETN ▍Fireline Motorsports [Preston]                                 Deyoze                                  87
  7 AUR ▍VSK-Maarukanna Racing [VSK-Rotary]                             Deyoze                                  69
  8 PDN ▍Urotovsky-Gatutin [Preston]                                    Deyoze                                  65
  9 HDR ▍PrismRiver Racing [Preston]                                    Deyoze                                  65
 10 NYK ▍Team Noortekoondis [Preston]                                   Deyoze                                  53
 11 FID ▍Equipo Telebuenas-BA [Badai Angin]                             Deyoze                                  43
 12 SWR ▍Erkuns-Hohnschich-Furzeine-Motospiel [Preston]                 Deyoze                                  41
 13 LIS ▍Bitten Heroes-MW Racing [Harlean]                              Stellenbosch                            20
 14 CBP ▍Scuderia Orange Cow [Preston]                                  Deyoze                                  6

Sprint race starting grid
 1  MAR
 2  FIC
 3  RIK
 4  VAL
 5  HKS
 6  WIN
 7  ZOO
 8  HAU
 9  JKN
10  DEV
11  MEL
12  TUV
13  VIA
14  LAU
15  MTV
16  CRB
17  PRE
18  LIL
19  KOW
20  ROU
21  PEG
22  KUL
23  VAR
24  JUN
25  GOZ
26  SHW
27  AMD
28  KUY

[Diarcesia]

RACE START GRADES

Laura Haukanna: F

This didn't sound right, but Laura had a downright terrible start in Crossbay that immediately cost her some race places. Rather than gun for podium places, she had to adjust her expectations for any finish within the points. PB-Viska's strategy adapted in short order. An undercut was made, which proved to be the correct call, and the pit crews were helpful with quick two-second stops.

Laura was trying to get a good RPM range by the time the lights went out. It didn't seem to be working.

She did not get off fast enough, and Sakinomi Rikikida went to the left to take the inside and consequently block Laura's path.

Indra Vartak: A-

In contrast, Indra had in many respects nailed it. He was in a prime position to take advantage of the slipstream behind Annelise Devereux. He pushed past Turn One and down along the short, sweeping dash to the tunnel.

---

Sometime between the end of WGPC 18 and the start of WGP2 4
Takubiec, Dieresis of Castamiria
Diarcesia
"The water is cold. I'm freezing."
"The man in charge of the swimming complex, Paru Wattilop, has requested that you get off into the open."
"I'm certain he has some questions for me."
"You will get to answer them once you are all right."
"Got it."
And so Aldauren rose out of the water and enrobed himself.

He stood before a man holding a duffee bag who looked like no one he had ever seen before. He was dressed in black, and had a cap and coat similar to what Aldauren had seen used among soldiers.
"Are you Paru? It's the first time I see you."
"I am. How's the pool? You took a long while there."
"It can use some improvement. It's very cold and I have trouble finding why. Can you help? I would love to visit here again."
"I think I can help you."
"Are you serious? That will be lovely."
"Of course I try. Customer satisfaction is very important for the place to remain operational."
The man reached out and took something out of the duffel bag.
"Here. I'll check what's with the water." Paru went to the edge of the pool and used a contraption Aldauren didn't recognize to make some readings regarding the water.

Paru continued speaking as he deciphered what the device was relaying to him. "Water is clean, and the temperature is way below the usual range that the customers. Gotta check if the thermostat settings got changed somehow."
"Huh?"
"The temperature sensor. The pumps here are supposed to work with these devices, but you know, glitches can happen. Sometimes, smart stuff are not so smart."
"Oh, you mean the thermostat's setting is set automatically based on the time."
"Yes, precisely. Most of the days, it works. It's just bad luck that it happened while you're here. I'm sorry. I hope I don't have to replace the sensor. Somehow stocks of it are hard to come by and I don't want to grow sick of having to check the water's temperature manually, regularly."
"You don't have to be sorry. I hope the system is working fine. And the everything else's working, too."
"Thanks, sir. I hope it won't take long. I also have other tasks that require my attention."
"Oh, you're welcome. But don't worry. I'm not in a rush."
"By the way, what's your name?"
"Aldauren."
"Nice to meet you Aldauren. I'll get to work right— hold on. Aldauren? The Aldauren Ginintella?"

The would-be team principal of the Pryfors Bilar-Viska/Air Kalactin WGP2 team nodded.

[509 + 600 words]

[Lisander]

"Everything is going well. I've been doing well and the people in Hodori have been kind to me. Things at Heroes Academy are not so good, but Darius says I don't need to worry."

"Still on that subject, Darius told me something interesting today and I thought I should note it here. If something is within your reach, there is no need to worry, because you can reach it. If it is out of your reach, there is no need to worry, because there is nothing you can do about it."

"I'm writing this to remind myself to think calmly after a good night's sleep: That RTL Life show, "Star Driver" where racing drivers work one day as drivers fulfilling transportation requests for channel stars. They want me to appear on the show, the week of 4am Kasandora. I have to decide and answer if I really want to participate."

OOC: Merely 160 words. I hate it when I lose the lust for writing and time starts to fly by like this. Well, but something has to be done to conclude this season, so this time I'll be doing scorched earth tactic: No further discussion on previous events.

For now, Sissie and Athan remain where they are. If during this week, Krainin doesn't do any Elise Shaw posting, I will be reopening the second Heroes Academy spot for another driver.

[Chromatika]

Crossbay Circuit
Post Feature Race

Somehow, knowing that Ted was so out of the running mad things very easy for Anola. If Kaylan was going to get any points out of the Feature Race at all, it would be from her. This gave her newfound focus, newfound purpose. All of her pre-race talks and checkups with Vladimir had gone well, and she was excited to race by the water. The day was bright, there was a bit of a breeze, and it was the perfect day for a race.

Starting in fourteenth place, she overcame Armendaritze, Kulkarni, and Kuyara by the third lap. She hung with the likes of Zoomtwat through the middle, and by the end, she eclipsed Laura Haukanna, and Haru Jukkenna with a lap to go. With Annelise Devereux in front of her, Anola and Kaylan's pit crew put together a pit stop that would make even Xander applaud, giving her the split edge that she needed to eclipse Devereux and slide into fourth place. A bit too late to get any closer to Batu Tüvshinbayar, but still her best finish in a Feature Race yet.

For Kaylan's needs, it pushed the lead back up to 37 points - that is, more than one race victory. The fact that it was Janne Laukkanen that won it meant that Ted lost his lead at the top, but a gap of only three points meant that the sprint race would be something to watch; thankfully for Ted, his rival, Heinz-Otto Junker, also finished well below the podium places.

However, Ted was the last thing on Anola's mind when she met with Vladimir that night in preparation for the Sprint Race. She was only seventeen points from the lead! Though her fourth place finish put her at eleventh position in the Sprint Race, she had scored points from far worse beginnings than that this season, and she had her personal track record of having scored points on all of the Sprint Races so far. There was no reason to stop doing that now!

For the majority of the season, Anola Melani had never considered herself a contender for the title. Even when media started to mention the possibility, she'd downplayed it. Now, though, after having the best finish in a Feature Race that she'd had in her career and heading into a Sprint Race that she legitimately had a good shot at scoring points in, she allowed herself to dare to dream. That wasn't to say that she wasn't aware of how unlikely it would be. Three tracks remained after Crossbay, after all, and those around her would also be racing to get all the glory.

She would be lying, though, if she didn't admit that just numbering herself among title contenders gave her joy and a sense of pride. A sense of belonging - that she actually belonged here among these drivers all participating in a sport that they loved. It was the driving force behind her desire to improve, and it also answered all the questions of inaptitude and self-doubt that dared bare their ugly fangs in her head.

So, she once again dove headfirst into the questions that Vladimir had for her regarding the details of the race and how he thought that other drivers' strategies would change in the Sprint environment. Different pit stop timings that they might try out. Stretches that she may be able to get past multiple drivers in one fell swoop. Difficult turns to avoid being stuck next to someone while completing. Things that made each race unique, things that made each track unique, things that made each experience driving in the World Grand Prix different. Things that gave this experience shape, form, taste... brought it all to life.

Afterwards, taking a moment to reflect upon just how much her mindset had changed in the last week, she couldn't but help laughing at how her mindset had been just a week prior. She'd been her worst enemy - her worst critic. At times, being your worst critic was a force for good - but in her case, it had just been a detriment weighing her down. No, she had no room for self doubt nor worry. If she wasn't good enough, the competition would remind her of that enough.

She'd spend the last seven races of this season, bad elbow and all, doing what Kaylan and her team had entrusted her to do - focus, race, give it her best, and if possible - win it all.

750 words + 500 words = 1,250 words

[Tumbra]

Ted knew it'd be a tough job getting anywhere from twenty-second on the grid — such was the magnitude of his job that Simon in the pre-race briefing had advised him to go for 14th, and try to secure pole for the sprint race. Ted agreed with the assessment, realistically speaking — his engine already was going to be replaced for the next race, so this one was just about getting over the line, while making up sufficient positions. In his way? A familiar set of faces — Devereux, Gozum, Rousseau, Kowalski, Wingelaar, Junker, and Armendaritze. He'd analysed each of the names with Simon, but given that he'd battled most of them on track already, it really was more of how to approach the challenging, aggressive track and play to the car's strengths. Ted felt sufficiently confident enough in Anola's abilities to push forth that he didn't actually include her in his list of people to overtake.

"No pressure today, then. Today's about making the best of a bad hand of cards."
"I'll try my best. Yesterday still stings, but it happens."
"We're all behind you. We know what you can do."

It warmed Ted's heart to know that the team was still behind him, even after the mess he'd made of qualifying yesterday. Kaylan had essentially given him a home away from home, a way to distract from what was going on with his father — and every day he spent with the team, working with them, only made him feel more confident about that response he'd given to his father before the Hessington race. He wasn't sure he'd have a long-term future with the team if they made the jump to WGPC — but if he was offered a seat by Kaylan for that, he was more than leaning towards accepting it. He was happy here.

A lightning start saw him peel past several of those on the list, but Kuyara's crash on lap 2 brought out the safety car, putting paid to any hopes of making up more positions in the chaos of the opening laps. The nature of the circuit was that rain was an ever-present threat, but today the skies were a brilliant Nimban blue, with the grey streaks that typically marked good races for Ted nowhere to be seen. The weather wouldn't be on his side, then — so he'd have to make his own luck.

Scything his way through the field, Ted noticed once more that the engine was lower on power — and the car was vibrating more than usual. This was to be expected, after all — the fixes made yesterday were more of a stopgap fixes, and any real fix (which probably meant a new engine) would have to wait for the Hodori leg of the season, which would look to prove another interesting challenge for both team and driver — but one that both would look forward to.

First, though, they'd have to try and get good points on Crossbay — regardless of whether it was today or tomorrow. Deftly overtaking more cars, including his championship rival Junker, Ted soon found himself in seventeenth — where he'd end up driving his own race. Carballal in the Orange Cow would be a bit too far ahead, while Lille in the Bitten Heroes was a bit too far behind.

In the end, seventeenth would be where he finished the race — so tantalisingly close to the promised land of fourteenth, yet so far away. Once again, Janne Laukkanen won, bringing him into the lead of the Drivers' Championship — and in so doing, becoming the first driver to win a third race this season. The Nexuses had performed brilliantly at their home circuit, while Ted had been forced to move aside when the blue flags were shown. No blame had been apportioned, though — the engine had come worryingly close to dying in the last laps of the race, and he had to nurse the car home. Apologising to the mechanics, they cheerfully replied that they'd try and get the car fighting fit for the next day, where the aim was to finish in the top twelve.

A disappointing result, no doubt — but still, one with positives. Even if this race had been a dead rubber from the very start, Janne overtaking him in the championship meant that the gauntlet had been thrown down. It was time for Ted to respond — to prove he had what it took. With the team behind him, and his prior experience of the champagne on the top step of the podium, it really was time to buckle down and move forward again tomorrow. And beyond that, too.

He'd come a long way from that harrowing qualifying lap on the streets of Alikki-Corra, but now he had grown more confident in his ability to handle the T170. And it was with that confidence that he approached the strategy for tomorrow with Simon, in hopes of trying to peg back some of the points he'd lost today.

[826] + 394 = 1220

[Vilita and Turori]

Shiny New Sponsor, Same Old Skiia

Nimban Deuxième Prix, Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay, Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System :: There was a brand new look on the #14 and #87 Vilaye EnergySport Grand Prix machines when they hit the track at the Crossbay Circuit with the famous Lamb from Little Lamb Steel being replaced by the Walrus representing the Nykipiflugpuu Tourism and Sporting Board. The change had been applied to both the cars of Skiia Vialiv and of Jama'obo Pegasii. While Vialiv was a targeted driver for the sponsorship in the pre-season, those plans fell through and the Nykipiflugpuu Tourism and Sporting Board actually briefly sought after the services of the more experienced driver Jama'obo Pegasii. Ultimately both drivers would end up with the hybrid Sierra Grand start up until the primary backers from Sierra Grand stopped paying the bills.

Now, a new team of sponsors graced the livery of the re-branded Vilaye EnergySport GP team.



With Jama'obo Pegasii having qualified the #87 in 8th position and teammate Vialiv being mired back in the 26th starting spot on the grid, it seemed once again that Pegasii would be the teams only hopes of scoring points in the feature race. Ultimately, however, that scenario could not have been further from what played out. With Vialiv starting so far back in the pack the team was committed to an alternate pit strategy for the rookie that would put strain on the Deyoze Tires and put the rookie at series risk of accident due to a puncture or worn tire. Instead, this did not happen and the gamble paid of brilliantly as Vialiv cruised behind dominant race winner Janne Laukkanen to secure her third Runner-Up finish of the season thus far. More critically for Vialiv, however, it was her first poitns since before the mid-season Non-Official race test sessions began.

For the new sponsor, the Nykipiflugpuu Tourism and Sporting Board, there was much more on the line. After having been rumored that one of the reasons the NTSB was departing the newly renamed Team Noortekoondis was due to poor performances from driver #9 Batu Tüvshinbayar. Tüvshinbayar, like Vialiv, would be starting deep in the field and also on a varying strategy which paid off for Team Noortekoondis just as it had for the Vilaye EnergySport GP driver. However, the teams new sponsor was extremely nervous on the sideline wondering if they had made the right decision watching Batu Tüvshinbayar pacing in front of Skiia Vialiv for a large portion of the first half of the race. The duo on the same strategy were able to work together on their way to the front darting through traffic and for a team even grabbing the lead. While Laukkanen would run off with superior equipment to put the Nexus Racing machine in victory lane during their home Grand Prix, the battle for second place was absolutely intense with Vialiv knowing full well what was on the line for her Walrus-loving financial backers. Nearly pulling a stock car move but ultimately keeping things clean per the rule book, Vialiv was able to force her way around Batu Tüvshinbayar late in the race to take over the second position before opening a gap of nearly 10 seconds. While the runner-up finish was a victory in the Nykipiflugpuu sponsorship battle and a massive momentum boost for Vilaiv who had struggled to finish well in those races where she did not otherwise finish in the Top 10. While Laukkanen's victory strengthened their place in the World Grand Prix 2 Driver's Standings by 3 points over Teusebank TMW Rennsport driver Heinz Ott-Junker. Vialiv as well as another early season leader Adriana Kowalski Ela Lillian of Fireline Motorsports have also proven they could be worth a shout for the title as well as any new rides being put together for other active motorsports compeitions.

While Vialiv's third podium finish of the season tightens up the battle for the drivers championship, on the Constructors side Vilaye EnergySport GP are still struggling with points support from both their drivers as they team has not once taken points with both its drivers in the same event. They will hope to do so for the first time all season in the Nimban Deuxième Prix but with Skiia Vialiv starting in the 13th position and Jama'obo Pegasii even further back in 21st it will be extremely difficult for either to score points in the Nimban Deuxième Prix Sprint. However, Vialiv's performance on Saturday in the feature event demonstrated their ability to compete a standalone climb through the pack leaving nothing out of the question on Sunday as the team look to score back to back points for their new sponsor.

[Valentine Z]

Post 23 – Oh, Fireline!

Well, I come from Valentine Z, with the simulator in tow,
And I am bound for Crossbay Circuit, a very aggressive circuit.

Well, I struggled so hard, the day I left, the qualifications were tough.
The placement so bad, I was so sad, Fireline don't you cry.

Oh, Fireline! Don't you cry for me.
Well, I come from a place where Valentians are known to bounce back from qualis.

-----

I jumped aboard the simulator after the race, and practiced a hundred laps,
I smacked dead onto Turn 4 on it, and killed my hundred cheers,

A hundred more laps, I got lethargic, I really thought I would die,
Until I realised that I had to charge, oh Jane, please don't you cry.

Oh, please, Janey! Don't you cry for me,
Well, I am indeed a Polish robot that needs to charge up often.

-----

I had a dream, the other night, where everything was still,
I thought I saw myself on the podium, holding that trophy proud!

Then reality hit, the race was on, I could not even muster,
A few passes, let alone a win, Percy, don't you cry.

Oh, dear Percy! Don't you cry for me,
Well, I am happy to inform you all that I got the fastest lap.

-----

We soon will be in the Sprint Race, and then I will look around,
And when I finally got around to it, I'll put my foot on the lever.

If I do not make it, then I will surely be livid,
But take heart that whatever happens, Fireline, don't you cry.

Oh, Fireline! Don't you cry for me,
Well, I am aware that you guys are trying your best to help.

Oh, Fireline! Don't you cry for me,
I am very aware, that you guys are, sticking with me til' the end!

308 / 1250 words.

[Auruna]

Nimban Deuxième Prix - Feature Race
Crossbay Circuit
Problems keep piling up as VSK tries to adapt to their new aero design for this weekend. While they managed to get a pole with Hakusoe, it didn't matter at all in the race. When the lights went out, Hakusoe was under threat from Haru Jukkenna as the two go side-by-side for the first couple of corners then the lead was lost at sector two. It was a clear struggle since then. While Rikikida was gaining, it wasn't enough for an overtake and slowly, Hakusoe fell from P2 to P3 and so on. VSK is either unlucky or it's their chassis, either way, they're struggling a lot.

Then another problem emerged. While VSK didn't adapt well to the tyres as Viska did, they were managing to keep up but for this weekend, due to the new aero package, somebody messed up badly. The tyres were heating up faster and unevenly which is of major concern especially to the strategy. Orel noted this problem earlier but no one was in the mood after all the string of bad luck they had even with a small sprinkle of goodness in between. Anyway, Martjen orders them to pit earlier than planned and expecting them to lose a lot of places in the process. They had to think fast to recover from this. As Raiko has a bit of experience being a driver, he was approached by Martjen, seeking an answer from someone more experienced.

After a few seconds, Raiko came up with a new strat for the race that should benefit them enough to either get a high finish or utilise the revers top 14 for the sprint. The focus now is on both of their drivers instead of the cars. VSK was willing to risk it as they had nothing to lose.

As they struggled on-track, their pit stops were top class. They were among the fastest in the race, completely committed to their jobs. Raiko even preferred to watch the stops instead of the race to calm him down, easing off the frustration he built up.

At the end of the race, the result was as expected. P10 for Hakusoe and P12 for Rikikida. There's still another race to go, and they have the benefit of starting high with Rikikida at P3. Time to shift focus onto the sprint race.

---

It was the start of the team's home race for Haru and expectations were high. While a rocket will not help him at all, all he needs to do is to focus on the race. "Just drive your way." His race engineer reminds him. Well, it seems that I'm not driving as I should, so what's missing? Haru, now suddenly deep in thought. Questioning his performance throughout the season. And all those times, something feels missing but he doesn't know what. He wants to find out. What the hell is missing all this time!?

The revving of the rest of the grid snapped him out of it, just in time for the five red lights.

Come on Haru, focus!

The lights went out and away they go. The tyres screeching in unison as they launch off the grid. Haru had a decent start, going side-by-side with the pole starter, Chiruno Hakusoe. Not much progress went for the first couple of corners then came sector two and he was now ahead of Hakusoe and his teammate just behind. He knows this circuit well and time to apply his knowledge and experience in a high-level race environment. He was leading the pack until his first stop at Lap 22 where he was pitted for hard tyres, he lost a couple of places but he was still within reach of the points. While getting a win is nice and all, he considered the possibility of that win. Understanding that, he aimed for as much points as possible in the team's home soil.

He was pitted a second time into softs, pushing him down the order into P10. Coming out of the pits, his race engineer told him. "Haru, you're allowed to push as hard as you can."

"Copy, I'll do my best."

"See you at the end."

After heating up the tyres on his out lap enough for a long-term push, he was chasing everyone infront of him. First overtake was on Hakusoe, P9 was acquired. Next was a long push to close the gap to Joy Wingelaar followed by an overtake the next lap, and that's P8. Then another target was sighted, it's Harry Zoomtwat, it was slightly more difficult to overtake him but Haru zoomed past the Zoomtwat and that's P7.

And look who's next, it's Laura Haukanna. With a friendly rivalry going between the two, it was expected that the two will not go easy on each other. Haru was gaining a lot, knowing the track better, he was soon behind Haukanna. The two kept battling for P6 for a few laps, going back-and-forth until one concedes. Noticing a chance at turn 15 after watching Haukanna's car struggling there, he pressed on. At the following lap, he gets close behind Haukanna, going quick through sector three then pulling out at the last second on the entry to turn 15, taking Haukanna's P6 spot.

Haru stays at P6 for all of the remaining laps of the race. He had almost had a chance to take on Annelise Devereux but there was no time, he was gaining quick but he's still 3 seconds behind and no chance of an overtake. Although he crosses the line with a smile on his face, he did well enough here. While he was overshadowed by his teammate's win, he still appreciated his sudden surge of good performance for the race.

And there's another one coming up.

---

For some reason, it seems that Laura was having a bad day. She messed up at the start and lost a lot of places as well as the chance of a podium, it soon flew away and became unreachable. It wasn't right at all but it's time to push on. She wants the team to earn points here, she's willing to do whatever strategy Artur has in store for them. While she waits, she tries to keep up, clawing through the tyre's lifespan and trying to make the most of what she's got. A few laps later, she was pitted first for mediums, and after a quick stop thanks to the mechanics, she was back on track.

"I think we can push for now."

"Go ahead Laura. Mode 6. Mode 6. Push, push."

"Copy."

The run for points starts.

At the end of the race, she managed to grab some points for the team with a P7. It was an alright result but there's still another chance in the upcoming sprint race.

"Ahh... I need to apologies for my horrible start. Sorry about that, my fault there. I messed up."

"No worries Laura, you did well enough after that to grab points."

"Thanks Erik."

"Might need to remind you that it's not a rally car. It's way different."

"Haha, kirustee." ("Shut up.")

"Well, just in case."

[Trans-Dniesters]

“Taras, this is Vasily Semyonovich,” Vasily Gatutin said over the team radio to Taras Matviyenko just before the start of the feature race at the Crossbay Circuit. “The team is in a good position to bring home a decent haul of points today, my friend. Remember what we talked about before. Forget about everything else and just focus on the race. I know what you can do. I believe in you.”

“I believe in myself, all right,” Taras replied. “And you can rest assured I will do my job. I only hope that the team will do theirs as well.”

“We will do what we can, Taras Gavrilovich. Gatutin out.” Gatutin turned off his microphone and leaned back in his seat. This was the first time that he had heard Matviyenko speak so brashly about his own ability. The man truly had changed into another person throughout the course of the season. This was not the same Taras Matviyenko who had been patient and understanding with the team’s struggles during their first season in WGP2. The only thing that Gatutin could really think could have made a difference between seasons was Matviyenko’s teammate. Did Matviyenko’s intense dislike for his own teammate this season be the reason why he was behaving so strangely this time? It was the only explanation that Gatutin could come up with, but he hated to think that his friend could actually let this happen to himself.

For his part, Taras Matviyenko drove his own race as best as he could. He kept the drivers behind him for as long as he could, but once he lost a position he was never really in contention to take it back. Meanwhile, through all that, Harry Zoomtwat appeared to be comfortable in third place, not really chasing after the two leading cars but also never in danger of falling out of the podium. Taras himself ended up in eighth place before the team made the call for him to pit, but it would end up being perhaps the most fateful event to happen to Taras this season. In typical (in terms of recent events) UrGa fashion, the pit crew took too long swapping out one tyre for another, with the front right tyre this time being the uncooperative thing that just wouldn’t come off. The pit crew were eventually able to swap the tyres, but the time spent staying still would end up costing Taras dearly. By the time he got out of the pits he had fallen down to fourteenth place, and a poor out lap saw him fall further down the order. Taras would finish in fifteenth place.

However, unlike the last time a pit stop cost him a potential finish in the points, Taras was silent as he took the car back to parc ferme. He was silent as he climbed out of his car, and he didn’t say a word to the engineers on his way back to his mobile home. And he was all too aware of this, and Taras had only one terrifying conclusion about this turn of events: he had fallen out of love with racing.

(1232 words total - 708 words previous RP = 524 words current RP)

[Bollonich]

Vreton City Journal

First Appearance in WGP2

Bollonich is a country where race car driving as a sport is not at all popular. People are barely interested in the sport, however for those minute numbers that are Bollonich does have a racing season every year. This racing season, had never managed to produce anyone that would be up for the WGP2 or WGPC.
Parveen’s signing for EHF was the first for any Bollonischian driver ever. For a country that highly proud it’s sporting skill ,not having a racer was a disappointing fact which no one payed attention to. However the signing of Parveen, became a national story and yesterday we saw the largest viewership for the Nimban Grand Prix. Parveen’s first drive on the circuit was the practice where her latest lap was 00:01:44.523, due to this score she placed 16th a position below Alex Márquez her teammate. It would be important for her to get a good starting position since her inexperience in racing would work to the advantage of the other racers. After performing well in qualifying she qualified as 12th place. A high start like this one would be crucial if she was to have ambitions for a high finish. It was the day of the feature race, Bollonich had their eyes on Parveen. There was a lot of pressure on this young girl from Fermont to perform well. The race started in the worst possible way for her, as after an altercation with Kuyara and Armendaritze in lap 2 at turn 2 which resulted in a cash for Kuyara highly delayed Parveen as she was displaced to 24th position. This crash resulted in Kuyara having to withdraw from the race, with Armendaritze having to do the same at lap 10.
Parveen however went on to finish the race in 22nd place after what was a not so successful race with it’s obstructions that were present for her. This performance however was highly commendable for an inexperienced driver in their first race in the WGP2. After her performance when she was asked to comment on her performance she said, “Well today’s race started in the first possible fashion, the lead I had earned from qualification was basically gone and I had to play catch up for the rest of the race. But considering what took place on the 2nd lap I am relatively happy with my position and expect to put up a better performance in the sprint race.” It will be interesting to how well Parveen performs in the sprint race as she starts in the 22nd position.

434 words