World Stage Rally Championship | RP Thread

by **Aboveland** » Wed Jun 23, 2021 9:26 am

If you are new to rally, or to motorsport in general, have a look at this brief guide to understand how the sport works.

Stage rally (not Rally Raid, as the Dakar Rally, or Rallycross, which is held on circuits) is a racing discipline where drivers race against the clock on point-to-point stretches of closed public roads called stages, or special stages (SS). Rally events tend to last between one and three days, also called legs, and generally, each leg is separated into two ‘loops’ of stages. Stages within a loop are separated by road sections: open, public roads which drivers use, at road speed, to travel from the start of one stage to the other. As rally is a timed sport, drivers must arrive at the start of a stage, also called a time control, at a specific time. Should they arrive too early, or too late, they receive a minute+ time penalty, depending on the time difference. A loop is a number of stages run consecutively: for instance, a leg might have a morning loop and an afternoon loop, wherein the morning loop drivers race on three stages, before returning to the service park at midday and then going out to race the stages of the afternoon loop. Rally events are based in a city, where the service park (essentially the garage/pits) is located; fans may visit the service park to get up close to their idols. Cars are stored in the service park overnight, and drivers return to the service park between loops for service, roughly a period of about 60 minutes where drivers may repair their cars and make changes to their setups before going back out to race the remaining stages of the leg.

CRUCIALLY, as drivers do not race around a circuit multiple times, they are aided by a co-driver/navigator, who reads the pacenotes the duo have prepared before the rally. The pacenotes are annotations which tell the driver how the road ahead looks, how sharp the corners are, if there are any jumps or hazards, etc. Before a rally, drivers and co-drivers drive through the stages twice at road-speeds to write down their pacenotes.

Stage rally is more similar to time trials than to a conventional race. Drivers go out onto the stages one by one, separated from their rivals by an interval of a few minutes, which means that unless one driver encounters trouble along the way and is slowed down, drivers will generally not run into each other during a stage. In the end, the winner of the event is the driver who has completed every stage in the least possible time. After the final stage, drivers return to the service park, where the podium celebrations take place.

A driver may lose a lot of time on a stage if they have a punctured tire, if they crash and carry on, if their car has a mechanical issue, etc. If a driver fails to finish a stage, it usually means their car has been damaged too much to continue.

RP Thread

Welcome to the RP and results thread of the inaugural World Stage Rally Championship, NS' analog series to the World Rally Championship. If you're looking to sign up a driver, team or rally, or if you would like to discuss out of character, do so in the OOC thread. There is to be absolutely zero out of character discussion in this thread.

The WSRC is currently in its

Pre-Season Phase

Driver signups will remain open indefinitely. Team and Event signups are closed. The Competitive Season will begin with the shakedown of Nordenflyg Rally Aboveland on July 16th.

To see how the negotiation period usually works, read below and/or have a look at the RP thread for the last WGPC season. Once you have signed a driver up, begin writing about them in this thread. The more interesting the story you create, the more chance your driver has of catching the eye of one of the teams. There are no rankings. Success is built on good roleplaying by team-owners, drivers and team-mates with your driver’s ratings coming into play too. Above all, though, remember that results are randomly generated, and nothing may guarantee success.

You may RP however you like. Maybe you'd prefer to tell the world that a couple of teams are interested in your driver via some rumour-mongering in your local newspapers? Perhaps you'd like to set up an interview with a team? Maybe your driver has a big social media presence or can’t keep out of the news for all the wrong reasons? There is no 'right' way to do it, and the only 'wrong' way to do it would be to attempt to confirm your driver is racing with a team before any real negotiations, OOC, IC or otherwise, have taken place.

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

There is no deadline for teams to have both of their seats signed, but teams with two drivers as opposed to a single one will have far greater chances of battling for the team's championship.

Date			Event Name					Surface		Host City			Length (km/number of SS)	Rain % (avg)	A (avg)	T (avg)	O (avg)	E (avg)	Banner/Logo
16-18 July		Nordenflyg Rally Aboveland			Gravel		Brukkifordet, Aboveland		166.36km/10 SS			9%		5.3	4.7	3.5	2.675	https://i.imgur.com/e0o2B92.png
23-25 July		Hygolje Rally Audioslavia			Asphalt		Laivana, Audioslavia		165km/12 SS			9%		6	4	2.5	4	https://i.imgur.com/z25312y.png
30 July-1 August	Rally Ribovia					Gravel		Viraemia, Orthornavirae		36km/4 SS			20%		2	8	2	3	https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88777 ... d4K_UnJuQs
6-8 August		ZX-Flow Energy Rally Togonistan			Gravel		Metavira, Togonistan		159km/10 SS			7%		5	5	3	3	https://i.postimg.cc/1XJJ8nxb/rallytogonistan.png
13-15 August		Snjórhlaup Græntfjalls				Snow		Kyrkdorf, Græntfjall		142km/8 SS			7%		7.7	2.3	0.8	5	https://i.imgur.com/KkawKWe.png
20-22 August		Aurunair Vellanhimaa Rally Auruna		Gravel/Snow	Livonsk, Auruna			190.5km/9 SS			8%		6.5	3.5	3.2	3.375	https://i.imgur.com/Nj4DEqU.png?1
27-29 August		Kantaris Automobiles Tour de Nékoni		Asphalt		Derneo, Nekoni			150km/13 SS			5.80%		3	7	3.4	3.6	https://alexvstheworld.files.wordpress. ... 06/tdn.png
3-5 September		Shameimaru Cameras Hodoran Rally Eshigoa	Gravel/Asphalt	Yegitou, Hodori			210km/7 SS			20%		3.16	6.84	2.66	3.47	https://i.imgur.com/5T4sp5R.png

· Events and dates subject to change.

Confirmed teams and drivers

Team Name			NAT	R      A      	T	
EHF-Motospiel	                SWR	4.80	3.10	4.10
34 | Francis Carpenter		TMB	3.4	4.6	4
71 | An'ue Shuadakei		HDR	3.5	4.25	4.25

Iskabil-Ælund WRT	        ABL	4.20	4.70	3.10
22 | Axel Novikov		ABL	2.6	5	4.4
23 | Naomi Keretene		TGN	4	4	4

Anitun Tabu MRT	                FID	4.20	3.70	4.10
18 | Franklin Egar		FID	2.6	4.7	4.7
28 | Pedro Aguiar		NLA	4	3	5

WYSIWYG-Staunch WRT	        MRT	2.50	5.00	4.50
37 | Roberta Fipps		MRT	5	2	5
05 | Shuzhen Zhu		SHW	4	5	3	

HMG Rally			HÜL	2.00	5.00	5.00
27 | Dario Nülkeschläger	HÜL	4	3	5
68 | Sakke Pajari		ABL	4.9	4.9	2.2

Rick Sutcliffe RP		XAN	2.00	5.00	5.00
09 | Rick Sutcliffe		XAN	3	4	5

Harmonik Racing Team		AMN	5.00	3.50	3.50
88 | Hong Seungwoo		AMN	4	3	5	

Schkeska Rally			AUR	3.6	4.4	4
87 | Kälö Aurinen		AUR	3.8	4.4	3.8
50 | Sara Luna			DCS	2.8	4.6	4.6

Camden TSK WRT			LIS	4.00	3.00	5.00
04 | Leora Hargis		LIS	3	4	5
57 | Ivan Poldov		KSG	5	2	5

ENSADRINK WSR Tarogama Mazaregi	HDR	4.28	3.77	3.95
14 | Marisa Inyuseo		HDR	4.02	3.49	4.49
16 | Augustine Lorenzo		VEZ	3.5	4.5	4

· Teams not RPed by July 12th will be removed. The teams in orange have not yet confirmed their participation in the season.

Available/free agent drivers

#	Driver Name		DRV	NAT	R	A	T	G	A	S
22	Axel Novikov		NOV	ABL	2.6	5	4.4	5	7	3
68	Sakke Pajari		PAJ	ABL	4.9	4.9	2.2	8	0	7
5	Shuzhen Zhu		ZHU	SHW	4	5	3	8	7	0
17	Fuji Listr		LIS	MAL	3	5	4	3	7	5
34	Francis Carpenter	CAR	TMB	3.4	4.6	4	9	6	0
45	Trevor Clayton		CLA	HAP	5	2	5	9	6	0
2	Zack Chandler		CHA	HAP	4	3	5	8	7	0
98	Nikolaz d'Ienville	INV	OAM	3.9	3.1	5	5.2	2.7	7.1
81	Bernát Van Asch		VAN	BMY	5	5	2	5	10	0
9	Rick Sutcliffe		SUT	XAN	3	4	5	6	6	3
72	Effie Tastycrumpets	TAS	FEC	3.1	4.9	4	4	1.5	9.5
37	Roberta Fipps		FIP	MRT	5	2	5	10	5	0
84	Trevon Gallegos		GLG	AFT	3	5	4	5	2.5	7.5
88	Hong Seungwoo		HSW	AMN	4	3	5	4	7	4
16	Augustine Lorenzo	AUG	VEZ	3.5	4.5	4	3.5	4.5	7
23	Naomi Keretene		KER	TGN	4	4	4	10	5	0
87	Kälö Aurinen		AUR	AUR	3.8	4.4	3.8	7	2	6
4	Leora Hargis		HAR	LIS	3	4	5	4	9	2
28	Pedro Aguiar		AGU	NLA	4	3	5	8	5	2
14	Bastian Alcaraz		ALC	LIS	4	4	4	7	6	2
71	An'ue Shuadakei		ASY	HDR	3.5	4.25	4.25	7.8	7.2	0
3	Marisa Inyuseo		INY	HDR	4.02	3.49	4.49	6	8	1
50	Sara Luna		LNA	DCS	2.8	4.6	4.6	6.4	8.1	0.5
18	Franklin Egar		EGA	FID	2.6	4.7	4.7	0	0	0
27	Dario Nülkeschläger	NÜL	HÜL	4	3	5	5	7	3

Drivers in italic have been RPed and would be a good choice for a team.

by **Xanneria** » Thu Jun 24, 2021 8:21 am

PLACE: Bauxintown, Roberval
TIME: October 5th, 2038

Rick Sutcliffe and his team of three cars had brought this event. The season finale in October for the Rally Xanneria championship. The "historical side of Bauxinton" would play host to the final stages of the 2038 championship

Sutcliffe would be a unique person in the world of international racing, not only does Rick run his own team and have a business directly related to Rally racing (he does all sorts of work converting normal cars and trucks to off-road racers or excursion vehicles. He also was a Multi-discipline driver himself. the 44 year old would occasionally pop up in his #92 Knox Hawkeye in XCAR's stock car series. Here he was about to run a rally he loved, he loved Baxuntown in general, it was a quirky city especially if you didn't understand the history behind the place. The main reason you got a lot of "historical brutalist buildings" was because we are in a town that 70 years ago didn't exist. In the late 60, with a background of tension between Xanneria and its former colonial overlords, Tonissia, prospectors in the woods of central Roberval had discovered deposits of Iron ore and Bauxite. A huge mining boon started and cities popped up left and right. The Large remote province most known for its fishing villages up north had become a mining hub for Xanneria, and good thing too, as economic sanctions from Tonissia and the relative isolation of Xanneria kicked in, the Mining businesses were able to keep the economy going in Xanneria.

As far as racing goes, in 1993 we had the first Rally Roberval in Bauxinton. Using backroads from the old timber industry in the area, the Rally was first won by Karl Peckerington in a Carmello Benson.

The rally goes in and out of the forests and around the mines in the area with one of the most notable sections being a Stage around the Higgins Mine owned by Esportiva Bauxite Company. It's here where the story picks up

In that stage Sutcliffe had been in second behind rival Gordon Lally an NMC driver, But Sutcliffe like so many humans do, pushed his car to catch up on the 5 minute gap. Sutcliffe though wasn't ready and *POW!* he clipped a large rock to the side of the road. the rock had slowly been sliding down an embankment next to the road and finally with all the cards whizzing by and shaking the ground it slid down to the edge. Sutcliffe was the unlucky chump to strike it.

As he rolled back to the paddock he got the news, good and bad....

"Rick, this is the third headlight this rally we've lost, your done, we don't have another spare! we're out"

You could see the dissapointment in Rick's face and then it went to spur of the moment anger as some gloves went flying to the ground at mach speed. But it was not all a loss for Rick. John Chancellor came up to him later that evening, Chancellor was essentially the liason between Rick and his main supporter, the Knox Motor Company, John had just been on the phone with the racing division of Knox, KRD. They wanted Sutcliffe to go rally racing with a two car team based in Xanneria for a new International series......

by **Auruna** » Thu Jun 24, 2021 10:18 am

Schkeska Racing Factory - Main
Livonsk, Auruna
A few months earlier
It was a quiet day at the factory, the then team principal of Schkeska Rally, Häkki Mirahenka was enjoying his time in his office, being in power over the racing team for several years through "inheritance" which plagued Schkeska's racing teams since the 2000s with drivers leaving the team for others hurt their performance but it kept bringing them money. After the inaugural E-Series has concluded with another driver leaving the Schkeska, something had to change. A massive reogranisation occurred which led to the removal of most of the Niekähennÿreskänkräihe (The Princes of Incompetence) and one of them didn't get the memo. Haruna Kaurikanna, the replacement for Mirahenka enters the office to remind the old bag that his time is up.

It took a while before Mirahenka noticed.

"Hm? What do you need? If this is about getting a seat, you better be prepared. Especially sponsors."

"I'm not taking a driver's seat, I'll be taking yours. I know you're too incompetent to know this as you're very "busy" in your office. It's alright, I've come to remind you."

"What?! You don't have what it takes to lead this team!"

"I proved my leadership in the junior categories while you and everyone before you fuck up everything!"

"Shut up and leave!"

"I'm not leaving, you are. I am now in charge here. If you don't believe me, just ask Jakki."

(Jakki Värehö - Schkeska Racing CEO)

"Tch."

"Losing such big names because you're just after their money. Laura Haukanna, Ivan Könä, Ruri Jarhanov, they are enjoying success with other teams. Oh, you want bigger ones? From history, Noru Könä, Aina Haukanna, Fredrik Färhe Suurankko, and the biggest one of all, Lauri Vorlen. You bastards turned Schkeska into a laughing stock."

...

"It's about time that we fix it."

Present day
It has been months since the big change, Schkeska is still recovering but there has been some progress. For Haruna, the next course of action is to join VSK and Viska in the international stage. Only problem is that the MNA international license restricts one Aurun team in an international series so WGP2 and WGPC is out of the question. While Viska kept finding loopholes to exploit and VSK finally racing internationally, there's not much to choose.

"Dammit, there's nothing." As she skims through the internet for upcoming events late in the night. "VSK's got WGP2, VIska's got WGPC. Aurun WGP3 doesn't count and others are just some amateur racing series." Slightly frustrated, she rests her head on the desk. Then she receives an email from Schkeska Rally's technical director, Anton Erinno. It was obvious that it was rushed but still interesting, Haruna starts reading it.

To: Haruna Kaurikanna

Got some news from our colleagues in Viska, there's a new international series that we can join. It's the WSRC - World Stage Rally Championship. Should be to our likings, and it's rallying. We have cars available albeit slightly old models but they should do the trick, let me know if we're joining.

"WSRC? Well then, time to join in on the fun."

She sends an email to Anton confirming their entry then she goes back on the internet and starts looking for drivers among the list of the confirmed entries.

"Oh, these are interesting, it'll be difficult to decide."

...

"Kälö Aurinen, hm... how about we do what Viska and VSK didn't. Augh, it's too early to decide, let's wait for a bit."

Nisko, Auruna
In the small town of Nisko, popular for being the birthplace of legendary Aurun rally driver Lauri Vorlen, lives the rally duo of Kälö Aurinen and Zuiha Kailenta, two close friends and both are rally drivers from the Könä Rally School. The two has some success in the ARC, loaned to two different teams and are currently on standby just in case they are needed. After almost a year of inactivity, Kälö had an idea after seeing the announcement in the MNA forums. His excitement was immeasurable at the time and he goes to inform Zuiha about it. After returning from the nearby MNA branch, he rushes to Zuiha's room and barges in.

"Hey Zui Zui!"

"Whoa-! Kälö!?"

"Sorry for barging in, I have some news!"

"You're excited, what is it?

"I signed us up for the WSRC!"

"Ah... wait what!?!"

"It's the World Stage Rally Championship, if I remember it correctly. Felt like we need something to do after almost a year in the sidelines. Should be fun!"

"Hold on, let me process what the hell is happening."

"I also did some research and asked around. Said that it would be like the WGPC if you have heard of it where we enter as a free agent and we get teams interested in us. That's what Haukanna said."

"Right... er.. I think I'm not prepared for it."

"Nah, no need to worry if I'm here to drive you around. It's fun going to different places. I know we don't have a lot of experience but we don't get that by sitting around."

"Alright, since you're the one driving. Although, I have a reason to be nervous about it."

"What is it?"

"Oh err, nothing."

"Anyway, latest rumour is that Schkeska is eyeing on us, interested in signing us. Not much is happening for now."

"I'll look into it then. Now, get out of my room and do... whatever, go now."

"Alright! I'll be driving around!"

"Oh also, get us something to eat."

"Copy that. Hehe."

After Kälö left, Zuiha quickly gets on her computer to check the details about the series and the teams, especially the local Schkeska Rally. "Schkeska, aren't they the ones that messed up in the MNA in recent years? Would it be wise to sign with them?"

"Sounds like a lot has changed. Might be worth a try, I don't know how to tell him that. As for the other teams, I don't know. I might need to consult him and his brother for this." She continues her research about the series, it was then she knew why Kälö was excited for it. Being able to race again was a dream after being "forgotten" for almost a year. She wants to experience it again with Kälö and it was the perfect time for their entry into the international stage. Now, what to do next?

by **Aboveland** » Sat Jun 26, 2021 11:15 am

Somewhere in the forest
Lintulahti, Aboveland

Konrad Puntila sits with his elbows pressing against the flimsy foldable plastic table before him. He rubs his nose a couple times with his thumb and then grips its tip with his forefinger as well. In the distance, the dirty crackle of anti-lag, reverberating through the endless expanse of tall, thin pines. As the roar of the boxer engine becomes louder, he begins to bounce his right leg, with increasing intensity proportional to that of the noise. The engine spools up, groans with each upshift, and grumbles as its revs drop, and along with its increasing volume come the sounds of stones and heaps of dirt flung off into the landscape.

His eyes dart to the narrow section of road from where, at any moment, Axel Novikov should emerge at the wheel of the Iskabil Kokko XB4 Evo-III.

Fortunately, his wishes are met, and as soon as the bare white nose of the machine peeks out into the clearing in the forest, where the team have set up their remote testing garage, Novikov slams on the brakes. The engine burbles to a halt as the wheels lock and it stalls, and for a few tens of meters the beast drags its rubber along the road and digs into the soft earth. Once it comes to a stop, its blow off valves flutter a whimper.

Axel then fires the engine back up and eases the Kokko onto the tarp under the service gazebo, where the mechanics promptly prop it up onto a set of jacks and the Avsidesliggendevuoret native hops out.

Konrad observes the man from his vantage point, a few meters off from the gazebo and nearer to the engineers' trailer than to the mechanics' trailer. He frowns, examining the Abovian's gestures and attempting to read his lips. He is incorruptible. Not a single frown, or shake of the head, or angry swat of the hand. Just a half-inquisitive, half-studious look adorns his stern face, and his outstretched hand, yawing and rising and dropping and rolling, illustrates the movement he wants from his car. Sometimes, he'll even use his other hand and mimic that he's gripping a steering wheel, but never with the slightest hint of emotion.

This makes Konrad's job more difficult. What can he moan to Iskabil about?

Ever since the meteoric rise of Terho Talvela, and the subsequent consolidation of Ælund Racing as a grand-prix powerhouse, Ælund Rallisport had taken the backstage on the racing outfit’s priority list. Perhaps in 2014, or 2015, coming off the back of a successful Nordic Rally Championship title, demand and fanfare for an entry into a world rally championship would have been at an all time high. Ælunder Rallisport had been in decline ever since Axel’s Hodori Rally Championship title in the penultimate HRC season. Despite having clinched the title in style, the reaction from Iskabil and Ælund Racing had been lukewarm. Konrad had received congratulations, though not emphatically, and been given the green light to mount a title defense the subsequent year. Though only by a small margin, the title defense had failed, no doubt owing to Iskabil’s lack of commitment to the continued development of the vehicle, yet there had been little accountability coming from Vankkavalta. The title failure, as much as the title success, had been a non-issue, but for whatever reason interest in rally had been waning as much as interest in WGPC had been on the rise.

However, after years of waiting, Konrad had thought that the rise of a new rally championship would spur Iskabil into action and result in his team receiving a lump sum of cash to finally put Aboveland in the international spotlight for its rallying prowess; its bread and butter, the foundations of its motorsport culture.

Konrad, unfortunately, had been wrong.

Iskabil had shown as much commitment as they had to their second year of HRC: do whatever you’d like, we don’t care, was essentially what he’d been told. There was to be little additional funding beyond what they had supplied for the HRC before, and Konrad’s request for technical support in the development of a brand new powertrain had been declined, too. The higher-ups questioned the need: why change a car that took a championship title?

Thus arises his goal of the present day. Konrad’s objective had split in two, and become far more clear after the reaction from Iskabil: he had to both prove to Iskabil that their commitment wasn’t enough to guarantee success, while at the same time convince the manufacturer that his team still had it in them to produce a world-beating machine. However he would strike the balance between protest and glory, he didn’t know.

With the funding scraped from the bottom of the barrel, Ælund Rallisport got to work on developing an evolution of the title-clinching Iskabil Kokko XB4. The championship winning car was an extremely capable machine, but was prone to overheating issues, and its engine had been constructed from lighter, less resistant materials to keep weight down. By the halfway point of the team’s title defense season, it had become clear as day that the 2.5l boxer was way past its due date, and that a modification had to come sooner rather than later. With additional funding, he’d have developed a brand new, downsized, modern engine, but in the face of adversity it seemed Ælund Rallisport would have to make do with what they had.

Said hardships have given rise to the Isakbil Kokko XB4 Evo-III. Though it’s in essence the same car that participated in the HRC two years ago, gone is the twin-turbo, 2.5 liter boxer engine that had, at times, been a headache for the contingent in the Archipelago. In its place, a downsized, heavily modified variant of the engine had been developed. The new engine, 2.0 liters and with one less turbo coupled to an antilag system, was both an excellent decision and an extremely risky gamble: what the car had lost in power, Konrad hoped it’d make up for in driveability and, crucially, weight distribution.

Which is why Axel’s nonchalant reaction to his test drives drives Konrad mad. If Axel is happy, he can tell Iskabil that they’re struggling to trick them into believing a good result would come as a surprise. If he were struggling with the Evo, he could complain that the team needed additional funding with good reason.
He has little time to dwell on his conflicting objectives, however, as Axel walks away from the car and drifts past him heading for his trailer. Konrad stretches out his arm to stop him for a moment, wiggling his index to bring the Abovian closer.

“Axel,” he yells, despite him being less than an arms’ length away. “How did that feel?”

Axel remains expressionless. “Good.”

“Better than before?”

“Less power. But good.”

Konrad nods, unsure how to continue the conversation.

“Yes… I’m glad you have decided to stay with us on this new adventure. ‘Axel Novikov to remain with Iskabil-Ælund World Rally Team for the inaugural WSRC season.’ What a beautiful headline, no?” He chuckles playfully, receiving only a smirk from his driver.

“Yes.” Axel pauses. “Thank you.”

He departs for his trailer in silence, and Konrad curls his lips inward. Going on three seasons now with the guy… and never more than three words!

Behind him follows Henrik, his Nykipish co-driver, and with whom Konrad had managed a bit of a better relationship through the years. Konrad shoots him an inquisitive half-nod, cocking his head towards the trailer to signal who he meant to talk about. Henrik nods.

“He’s happy,” whispers Henrik, giving a reassuring smile. “And let me tell you, he’s still quick.”

Konrad sighs. “One day… one day he’ll spout an essay’s worth of feedback. He must.”

“It’s all there,” Henrik continues, “in his head. But you’ll see it on the timesheets. I promise.”

“You think the Evo was a good idea?”

“Resoundingly, yes.”

by **Lisander** » Mon Jun 28, 2021 9:01 pm

Magic and Fury.

Speed has those things. The thrill of making the perfect turn, the desire that burns in your feet and is only controlled by stepping deeper and deeper on the gas, the thrill of making the perfect turn, the desire that burns in our feet and is only controlled by stepping deeper and deeper on the gas, the cloud of dust that rises and even changes the colours of the world when the car hits the earth. It's all exponent of the furious, magical beauty of racing.

Camden has those things. Our failed attempt at the WGPC made us stronger, but not without dedication. We put the knife between our teeth, grabbed our pride in being the country's first and best-selling car brand. We worked hard and reinvented our way of racing. We decided to take a new path. Onboard of our most beloved model, Squaria, which for ten years was the best-selling car in Lisander, gets an entirely new version (and one that will soon be arriving in your garage) and will take to the asphalt. It will also take on the snow, the gravel, the cobblestone. It will make up the WSRC lineup and take with it all our magic, and all our fury.

These are the mottoes of our two cars. We still haven't decided what driver and co-driver duo will drive Magic, and what driver and co-driver will drive Fury.

To drive one of them, we brought a Gentle(wo)man Driver, one of the fan favourites of last Lisander GT Championship, and a long-time member of Camden Dealers Alliance. Yep, that's it, Leora Hargis will drive for Camden TSK World Rally Team, with the two-season NSSCRA Driver Mor Holstein, that finally got her driving licence, as her co-driver.

The second spot is still open for applicants, but since we already have a Gentleman Driver, we are searching for a driver with WGPO, NSSCRA or NationStates Former Rally experience.

The Car
Squaria RS (RallySport) is the Rally version of the most sold Supermini Car in Lisander. For the last ten years until two years ago, it was also the most sold car in Lisander, regardless of the model. Due to its simple, angular lines, and its low price, it's still a popular car. You can buy a brand new Squaria for as low as L$14,800, and old versions are sold even cheaper. There's a great market of spare parts and race modifications. Once, one of the Lerna factory workers bought a Squaria developed a "special race version" named Squaria Stripped. After removing most of the leather, eletronic and plastic parts, included but not limited to seats and panels, the estimated value for the car dropped to L$ 4,770 (later this car was heavily modified for legal street racing).

Drivers

#4 Leora Hargis (Co-driver: Mor Holstein)
29 years old. Leora started as a gentle(wo)man driver, but now she's one of the most respected drivers in Lisander, as well as a favourite of the fans. She's the current owner of a chain of car dealers in Lisander, started by her father, Leon Hargis. Leon is now retired, on his seventies, and his youngest daughter continues the story of the family with cars. She is an all-terrain driver and spent a lot of her time and money in racing, not only in touring cars, but also in open-wheelers and Rallycross. Her co-driver, Mor Holstein, despite her young age of 18, has two seasons of experience in NSSCRA, and with the sponsorship of Hargis, plan to establish herself in other championships of motorsport. Curiously, both Hargis and Holstein favourite sandwich is the traditional lisanderian hot dog, which comes with ground beef, Vienna sausage cubes cooked in tomato sauce, sliced Italian sausage with onions, mashed potatoes, canned corn, straw potato and creamy cheddar. This hot dog is famous around the food trucks, especially in racing events, due to its high caloric value.

The Season

Car/Event	ABL	AUD	TGN	ORT	TBC	AUR	NEK	HDR	Points
#4 Leora Hargis (Mor Holstein)									0
#0 TBD (TBD)									0

The Story so far

TURBO: A gentle(wo)man stepping up to WSRC

by **A m e n r i a** » Wed Jun 30, 2021 10:18 am

Technological superiority. AI-assisted strategy. Good looks. To the average Amenrian, those things are wgat comes to mind when thinking of their country in the multiversal sport arenas. Although doing not so well on Quidditch, they did do better than last time, and this time, the White Dragon has another chance to soar.

Somewhere in Seoul, Korea, Central Amenria

January 2048

A moustached young man in a blue jacket over a white t-shirt leaned against a wall, playing on his phone in an alleyway. His look of boredom turned into curiosity as he heard footsteps on his way. He looked up to see a woman roughly his age, wearing a lab coat over a white tube top, which showed her flat belly and the bright skin that it covered, ending in a pair of grey trousers and a black belt that held it up. "You must be Hong Seungwoo." the woman said, with a serious look of professionalism on her face. "Yeah, you from Harmonik?" he replied, his voice starting to sound as if he's gone back to boredom. "My name is Ji Seungyeon. I will guide you through the testing process for our racing team. Nice to meet you." she bowed, prompting a rather uncomfortable response from Seungwoo. He stood straight and bowed back. "N-nice to meet you too." "We don't have much time for pleasantries. My car is just around the corner. Follow me, please." despite her choice of words, her request sounded more like an order. A few steps and they arrived at her car, a sleek, black sedan.

As they road, an awkward silence ensued between them, despite the radio reporting on yet another daring rescue from a superhero. "S-so, miss Ji, where are you taking me? Are we not doing this in the usual circuit? Seungwoo asked, both in genuine curiosity and to start a conversation.

Hong Seungwoo is now a racer for Harmonik.

by **Lisander** » Fri Jul 02, 2021 7:22 am

A gentle(wo)man stepping up to WSRC
We interviewed Leora Hargis as she takes up the most challenging step of her privateer career.

Leora Hargis welcomed us into one of her shops yesterday. Hargis Motors is one of the biggest car dealers in the country, much thanks to her father's work but she has made a solid contribution.

"I think the coolest part about being a privateer is that you need it, and when I say need it, I totally mean it. You need the manufacturers at the most basic level, to get down on your knees and beg for them if you need to."

And it has worked. The Hargis group is the only one that has dealers from all four of the country's biggest manufacturers: Camden, Cygnus, Dunneot and recently, they opened their first shop of Harlean Motors' high-end cars. While these companies are fighting amongst themselves for the market, Hargis has achieved a great relationship with all of them.

"The only thing we still don't do around here is to sell motorbikes. Between Hermès or Ferrero, what do you recommend?" - Leora smiles as she shows us around the shop. The expression marks on her face appear softly as she smiles, after all she is no longer a little girl in street racing. She is a strong, self-assured woman, and leads a small empire of car shops. We soon realise why she is so popular. Kind, humble, easy-going, and with an infectious sense of humour, she led us to the shop's cafeteria, where we proceeded with our interview.

"To be successful in this business, you need to have money, dedication, willingness to learn, time to train, talent, and well... a little more money." - She talks a lot, even before we start to ask.

Leora followed in the footsteps of her father, Leon Hargis, now a septuagenarian, as a gentleman driver (the person that pours a lot of money in a team, in order to take one of the cars) by accompanying him in car races. All his 29 years have been inside race tracks. As a child, in go-karts, then street racing and finally Lisander GT, where she has been for two seasons now. In the first, as a part-timer, she did not score any points, but in the second, already as a full-time driver, she scored a total of 8 points aboard a Dunneot Anera.

TM: How was your decision for Rally?

"I never had the courage to go for open-wheelers or motorbikes, because in a motorbike or formula race, the bumper is yourself. Once I was aware that my path was inside cars, I said: if it's going to be crazy, at least let it be in a safe way. In GTs I really found myself, and as long as I can drive, I want to do GTs, it is my passion. Rally was a huge surprise, which came because I love Dirt. When the Camden people called me, they asked me if I had ever raced in dirt with a Squaria. I replied that I had, and that it had been an amazing experience. And they called me to test it out in a fortnight. But I was lying, I had never done that. I just couldn't miss the opportunity.

TM: Wow, and yet you accepted?

"The first thing I did was call an acquaintance of mine who has a Rallycross track, Daniel Calveras. Of course, Rallycross is a completely different business. But it's already something. I told him: 'If I send you a Squaria, can you turn it into a Rally car in a week? Because... well, a Squaria is very cheap, you can take it from the shop and it won?t give me the same damage of if I crash an imported car, for instance. He told me, "You're mad as a hatter. But luckily for you, that's exactly the car I've got here. Man, within an hour I was on the track, sliding and jumping over obstacles. And if I had told the guys at Camden that it was amazing, I had no idea. The Squaria that Dan had was so light, the steering was so erratic that my arm was shaking. So unpredictable, I loved it! It was three times more incredible than I had imagined!"

TM: And what's it like dealing with Mor Holstein?

"Ah, Mor is such a sweetheart. She reminds me of myself a bit. Today, I wanted to adopt her and dress her up as a little girl, but she's a bit of a Little Johnny, just like I was at her age. She's very cute, only her heavy arm is another level. Two years of NSSCRA at that age is a unique experience in one's career. She's going to be big, no doubt about it."

TM: You said GT is your passion. What about your time, have you decided how you're going to handle it? Lisander GT's schedule is about to come out, and we'll probably have dates clashing.

"I haven't thought about that yet. But being a unique opportunity, I'm not going to let the Rally pass me by. I feel I can still race in GT for another 15 or 20 years or so. I'm 29 now. My dad raced until he was 66, why wouldn't I do the same?"

More from TURBO

Bitten Heroes hiding their game to next WGPC

World Cup of Motorsport: A success or a total mess?

"What if it works?", asks Agrakian

LEADING ARTICLE: The WGP system failed in Lisander. Can we fix it? How?

HOME | NEXT

by **Aboveland** » Fri Jul 02, 2021 10:16 pm

March
Koivuslott, Aboveland

Sanna's voice is clear and strong, at Sakke's request. "Flat left over crest tightens five late, keep in, ditch out, 100..."

Sakke holds his breath. His car, an eight-year-old, surplus Abcarc Hornet from before the Nordic Rally Championship, goes light over the peak. The revs climb slightly as the wheels begin to lose traction and start spinning just a little faster. He brakes hard, locking the wheels, but turning hard left to try to make the turn right after the crest. Perhaps he should have written it down as a jump.

With the wheel almost fully turned left and his front tyres locked, the car understeers, careening towards the edge of the road. In a flash of lucidity, he releases a short, violent sigh. His eyes wide open, he releases brake pressure, pulls on the handbrake to rotate the car, and smashes the throttle pedal. The Hornet is almost perpendicular to the apex, his wheel now at full right lock; his reverse entry save seems futile at first, but as the corner starts to tighten at its second apex and the rear axle begins to veer off into the sandy ditch outside, the tyres dig into the earth and claw the rookie out of danger—albeit with a slow puncture.

With the long straight before the next corner, both Sakke and Sanna take their chance to blink. With the Hornet now yawing to the right from the puncture, the Abovian is relieved he is right at the stage end.

"...into right six line over finish," calls Sanna, and once they've stopped the clock they relax.

"Ei vittu," sighs Sakke, almost winded, before the frustration sets in. "Perkele!" he groans.

"Don't worry," assures Sanna. She tries to keep Sakke's temper down past the stage end, though his outburst comes to her as a surprise. In the little time she'd known him, he'd seemed very tranquil—then again, this had been the first time he'd made a big mistake. "We didn't—stop right there, next to the guy in the yellow vest—... we didn't lose too much time. Maybe a few seconds."

"Shit," he continues, unable to relax. "Fuck! Last corner!"

Sanna curls her lips inwards, rolling down her window. "Sakke, come on—thanks," she says, first replying, then speaking to the marshall.

"What's the time?" continues the young Abovian, flustered.

Sanna frowns as she tries to read the scratchboard. "We're... uhh... third. Two-point-seven off the top."

"Oh." says Sakke. "But that's—wait!"

"Yes!" giggles Sanna, as the realization sets in. "Just enough! That's just enough!"

The two look out through the windscreen beyond the hood, where they see spectators start to flood the narrow road. Pentti, their team manager, leads the pack, his clenched fists attacking the hood of the car to kick off the celebrations; soon, the rest of the spectators start banging the roof.

Sakke's co-driver stretches out her hand to her side as she undoes her belts with the other. "First try!" He lets out a heavy guffaw and clutches her hand with both of his. "Yes!" He gives a quick, short jerk before hastily undoing his own harnesses and climbing out of his seat. Once out, he sits on the hood of his car along with Sanna, pumping their fists into the sky.

Winning the Brukkifordet Rallinäyttely is exactly what Sakke needed. After becoming Abovian Rallysprint Champion with his season-ending win in Kylmajarvi, he'd been entered by the Abovian Autosport Association in the prologue event to the WSRC-featured Rally Aboveland in Brukkifordet. Despite having essentially secured funding to present himself to prospective teams within the WSRC, the AAA had been adamant that he needed to prove his worth in an event where he'd need to make pacenotes himself before the funding was given.

Sakke sighs and flops onto his windscreen as the cheers continue to surround him. He's almost at ease, only kept from basking in the moment from the new feeling of anticipation of what's to come in the future. He's young, inexperienced, and a little bit reserved, but he's done everything he can to prove his talent to the world.

Now it's up to him to find a seat.

by **Togonistan** » Sat Jul 03, 2021 1:38 pm

Keretene Vacation Residence
Helterburg, Togonistan

It was another sunny day. A modern villa stood strong on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the sea that was shining in the sunlight. A small swimming pool was on the outdoor terrace, where Naomi Keretene was currently soaking herself. Sitting with her legs crossed, she held a cocktail glass in one hand while using the other to operate with a laptop set on the edge of the pool. Further away from the pool, there was a stereo playing the latest chill summer pop hits. Nodding her head to the music, Naomi was browsing the web page after page, eventually landing on a website housing a local motorsports discussion board. A new topic caught her attention, titled ''Rally Togonistan in WSRC calendar. Any thoughts?''

Having clicked on the link, she was greeted by another link leading to a video posted by Novapax Motorsports Association. It was a press conference with Rally Togonistan organizers. Naomi clicked on play and put the video playing on background as she continued chatting with her friends in another window.

''We are happy to announce that this year, Rally Togonistan will be part of the WSRC calendar. That brings a lot of teams and drivers from different nation all over the world. It will be a difficult task for us and it will be a challenge, but I believe that the experience we have with hosting it for the past fourteen years will allow us to run it as smoothly as possible. The worldwide championship of WSRC will surely be something that...''

Worldwide championship?!? Naomi quickly closed the chat box and searched for WSRC on the web. Why did she hear about it just now? Having spent some time reading, it all became clear. World Championships in Rallying. She had spent the past three years in local rallying scene, participating in various events. However, the local rallying scene had always felt really amateurish for her. And it was, most of the drivers were amateurs doing it as a side activity from their regular jobs. WSRC however... that seemed promising. Maybe that would be what she had been waiting for. She liked driving cars, and when Naomi had told her loving dad three years ago that she wants to be a racing driver, the latter hadn't thought twice before buying her a Rally car, along with a group of mechanics and an experienced co-driver. Surely if she would tell him that there was an international championship happening, he would help her get in it. In Naomi's mind, it was about time she'd take that step up to go pro...

''Daddy!'' Naomi yelled as she climbed out of the pool and took her laptop with her, ''Daddyyyyy!''

Marcus Keretene, father of Naomi was something that one would call a successful entrepreneur. At least, that was how he always introduced himself. In fact, no one was quite sure how exactly Marcus had earned his wealth. Some rumours stated that he had earned it through gambling, others suggested there to be some ties with the mafia... whatever the case, sitting in an office with a view to the sea was a luxury that was far from common in Togonistan. ''I'm sure we can find a way to handle it. The plan is already underway, and I'm sure we can build a safety network to...''

''Daddy! Look!'' Naomi ran to the office and put the laptop in front of Marcus, who was currently on the phone. ''Yes, absolutely. Listen, i'll call you back, okay?'' Marcus hung up and looked at his daughter, ''what is it darling?''

''World Stage Rally Championship. You know, it's like... rallying, but it's for real. Professional teams, international. Nothing like these low class peasants I am racing against right now.''

Marcus leaned forward and scrolled through the website. ''Oh that is great, sweetheart. So, what do you want to do? Go and travel somewhere to see it?''

''See it? I...'' Naomi was a bit baffled by the response, ''no, I do not want to go and SEE it. I want to go and DRIVE in it.''

Marcus looked at his daughter and took a deep breath, ''Don't you think it is a little bit too much? Are you ready to...''

''What?!? Of course I am ready! What, do you think that I want to be stuck in Togonistan forever? There's barely anything rally-related going on. I want to be a professional driver!''

Marcus was silent. He knew the WSRC would not be as simple as getting a car and entering. He also knew how stubborn his daughter was. Being his only child, he had always given Naomi everything she wished for. Multiple sports cars, designer clothing, VIP tickets to any nightclub in town... one way or another, he had managed to get it all through either money or connections. But getting his daughter a seat in a professional rally team might be where even his hands fall short. But how would he tell that to his daughter? ''Naomi, look... it's not a matter of just buying a car and getting in it, you know? You would need to somehow join a team...''

''Yes, daddy, I know! Now, will you help me with that?'' Naomi asked giving puppy eyes to his dad.

Marcus sighed again and scratched his head. ''I can try. I mean, I can't just buy a team for you.''

''Why not? I'm sure there is someone in there who needs like, sponsorships or something.''

Marcus looked at Naomi's eyes. A thought came to his head. ''Now that you said it, I might have something going on that can help. There's this business i'm trying to start with a few associates right now and...''

''Thank you daddy! Mwah!'' Naomi kissed her father on the forehead and started jumping up and down out of excitement, ''actually, I think I need a manager too. And a new co-driver, there is no way I am going there with Nikau. And... oh my god i am so exciteeeeed...''

Marcus watched his daughter grabbing the laptop and running outside again. He sighed again and shook his head while picking up the phone. It seemed like he had some calls to make now. Marcus dialled the number and put phone to his ear: ''Hey Mike. I might have found a way to bring some publicity to our little scheme...''

Press Release

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Press Release

EchoCoin International is proud to announce the partnership with Togonistani young rallying talent Naomi Keretene! Ms. Keretene is a rising talent in the Togonistani rallying scene and is ready to make a step to the world stage. With that in mind, EchoCoin International is ready to provide a healthy sponsorship package to any team that decides to sign a contract with Ms. Keretene to drive for the upcoming season in World Stage Rally Championship. Any interested parties should get in touch via our e-mail info@echocoin.tn

by **New Lusitania and the Algarves** » Sun Jul 04, 2021 6:07 pm

A Beginning

Right three into left two, open.
There truly isn’t much like rally. A large car somehow gracefully makes its way through long, arduous, sinuous courses that turn driving into an artform. The gravel beneath the car creating a large cloud of dust behind them, the end of the Rallye Hermínio seemed to draw to a close. Aguiar was with a chance of winning the event if he landed this final super-stage in a satisfactory manner, being only a half-minute away from the leader.
200, hairpin right.
The tightest corners, a canvas, and an homage to the spirit of human endeavour. The car turns against its original direction, coarsely making it past the tight corner. As the corner began to clear itself, a large gravel straight opened ahead with rows of fans emerging between the greenery. This was, to Pedro Aguiar, the very best of what the sport had to offer, on the very edge.
Left three, made it.
The finish line ahead, another stage done and dusted as well as another day of rallying. The car seemed to be holding itself up and despite being third, Pedro Aguiar was only about a minute from the leader. A good night’s sleep was all that was needed before charging for victory tomorrow, as everyone headed back to the base of operations in town. Some looked like they were going to have a long night, having been a tough Saturday with a few incidents – luckily, this time, he and his co-driver Bettencourt left the car in fairly good nick and so there was not much to do, maybe adjust a setting or two in accordance to tomorrow but nothing too complicated.

********

“Oh no, no, not now!”
It seemed it wasn’t to be, however, as an exhaust problem retired the car halfway through the day, as they seemed to inch closer to mere seconds behind the leaders. In the end, it had been a bit of a disappointment, but a 2nd place was still a respectable result for the season, despite not being champions like a couple of years back. Around the same time, though, it seemed something else was shaking the sport’s world up during the Autumn and nothing seemed to confirm that more, than the presence of their agent, Alexandre Barroso, going out of office to speak with the client - nothing short of uncommon. Something was definitely stirring. The pair were “reviewing” their championship at a bar post-event, when Barroso himself came in.

“I’ve been looking all over for you… had to ask around for your whereabouts.”
“Well, this is a surprise” – truly the only response, someone could give.
“I know you’ve just come off a long season but have you two considered what you’re going to do next year? Contract is up, plenty of options.”
If there ever would be a firm answer to the question, it would be the most made-up mind and upfront position, Aguiar had ever had so naturally he could only say no.
“Well, the season may be over on track, but now it truly is in full swing at the offices. Have you ever considered a World Championship?”

This truly piqued their interest. For a while they had tried, by appearances at a few rallies, attempting to get some team interested, in the end, there was either someone else for the spot or the slight lack of sponsorship at the time didn’t give them much thought, although this had been a slightly decreasing problem with Lusitanian companies giving him some attention. Their current team, Brantal, whilst the largest national manufacturer in New Lusitania and the Algarves, couldn’t really afford to go to half the calendar to justify entering as they were in the tail-end of a whole restructuring process at the Motorsport Division.

“The WSRC is set to have its inaugural season next year around the multiverse, was announced this week. Plenty of buzz going around. It seems around a good dozen teams or so are trying to get in from around the multiverse. It’s got the backing from the federations, it seems to be the real deal, in all its aspects and if we get in there early, you two, as the well working unit you’ve been, may have a shot.”
“Has Brantal said anything?”
“I’ve talked to them and despite planning and showing interest it doesn’t seem like they’re joining, at least not this year due to the number of big teams showing up - Major, Camden, er, the Hodori, Iskabil, erm… well… you know. Ah, small country… Wwhat can you do? I’ll be honest though, you’ve got a shot at it.
“Can you give us a few moments to discuss this?”
“Sure, but no pressure. We can decide it later if you swing down by the office. In any case, I’ll be outside for a while. They’ve got a screen out there with the game and all”. – nonchalant…
A World Championship. It could be everything they had fought for and yet, was it the right move? Aguiar was tranced in deep thought, looking at infinity as the white noise of the bar played behind them both.
“So, you’ve been a bit quiet, Manuel, what do you think?”
“Honestly, I’ve just been trying to process it.”
“It’s… it’s a chance, no, the chance. Can we afford to miss it?”
“It seems like the right move, and besides, it isn’t guaranteed – but we can at least try to make it in”

It was all sound logic and so in the next quarter of an hour, their consensus - which didn’t take much long to come to – had been transmitted the Barroso, which promptly left back to the capital with an almost standard goodbye - “Great! I’ll put up your interest on availability around. In the meantime, enjoy the couple of weeks off, I’ll call you then with any luck if we get some interest”.

For now, in this season of change, both Aguiar and Bettencourt could only hope for the best as they sought to return back home for a while before thinking of the next race.

by **Valentine Z** » Mon Jul 05, 2021 11:09 am

Post 1 – The New Foray

This was possibly the very first time for the Valentians whereby the driver (and the co-driver) were not one of the high-ranking people in The Sixty, with Valentians announcing that they are going to be much more open towards the other Valentians joining the Olympics. People might have asked as to why Valentine Z was extremely restrictive when it comes to choosing people to represent in the world of international sports; after all, they were adamant about inclusiveness and making sure that everyone gets a fair share of the slice. Valentijn would clarify that it was simply to test the waters and since it has been 2 to 3 seasons at this point, including for International Football, they are more than ready to get more people out there into international sports. This story, would be focused on Fleet Admiral Augustine Lorenzo Terry Vinto Chevy “L'inarrestabile E Di Forte Impatto” Silas Walton Wesley Stuart Dalton Burton Miles N. Dv. S. Walter Stefano Coronato Ermes Faletti Imparato and Wing Commander Angeline Joyce Crystal Bella Wv “A Estrela Alegre” Samara Sapphire Tamara Annie Estefania Carolina Tavares Alencar Melissa Clemente Teixeira Vanda Regina Mik Nogueira, perhaps not exactly the most likely pair, but they also don't have history against each other and were pretty amicable. What better way to test their teamwork and friendship than on Rally, they thought to themselves.

With both of them getting approval from Valentijn, they set off onto their laptops in a bid to find out more about the world of rally racing. It was different than the usual affair of Adriana in WGP, and the other Valentians in NSSCRA - the presence of a co-driver was the more obvious difference, for one. On top of that, since they are relatively new to the sports, they didn't exactly have a team just yet, and would be relying on other nations and their teams to participate in. Tall and slim, and in her blue dress with sports-like leg stockings that miraculously made her not a fashion disaster, Angeline looked over to Augustine as the two of them looked up the people they can drive for. "At this point, we definitely have to try anything we can!" Angeline said excitingly, "We definitely won't know who is good and who is bad, but it's better to go for tryouts."

"I agree," Augustine nodded slightly with a remark, his hair slick as ever, "Plus, we sort of started looking up on this a little too late. We should have acted sooner, eh? Ahh, no blame on anyone, of course. We just have been busy, you know how it is like."

"Mhm!"

"So, who do we have so far in the fold? I found a couple myself. Maybe you go first."

"Haha, certainly! So there is EHF-Motospiel, Anitun Tabu. WYSIWYG-Staunch - What you see is what you get, presumably... then there is Rick Sutcliffe, Schkeska, and ENSADRINK-Tarogama Mazaregi."

"Aha, molto bene. Found a few myself: Iskabil-Ælund WRT, Major Motors, HMG, Harmonik Racing Team, Camden TSK WRT. That is it, it seems. I found the rest, but you already named them, so..."

"Should we pick which ones we should send an email to, or just send to everyone?"

"I would say everyone. The more the better, eh? We might sound desperate but hey, that is what the BCC field is for!"

And thus, the email was written. Nothing too flashy, for Augustine and Angeline did not exactly have the largest history in the world of international motorsports. All they have to show themselves are the military background that they have - Augustine being a Fleet Admiral and Angeline being a Wing Commander, both of which do not involve cars in the slightest for most parts. Still, they have to be confident and to make sure that they can deliver. After all, the Valentians are not the ones to give up halfway throughout the season, so they might be looking for someone who can simply stick around. Who knows at this point, they thought, as they composed and edited their email before sending it to ALL the teams.

From: Fleet Admiral Augustine Lorenzo Terry Vinto Chevy “L'inarrestabile E Di Forte Impatto” Silas Walton Wesley Stuart Dalton Burton Miles N. Dv. S. Walter Stefano Coronato Ermes Faletti Imparato (augustine_lorenzo@valentian_govt.vez)
To: [Empty]
CC: Valentijn “De Sierlijke en Vrij Valkyrie General ov Valentine Z” Samantha Maxwell Delta Weston Stijn Angelus Tracey Mitchell Tristian Marnix Basilisk Lewis Hyatt X. Constantine Sein Lin Zaw Naing (valkyrie_valentijn@valentian_govt.vez); Wing Commander Angeline Joyce Crystal Bella Wv “A Estrela Alegre” Samara Sapphire Tamara Annie Estefania Carolina Tavares Alencar Melissa Clemente Teixeira Vanda Regina Mik Nogueira (angeline_nogueira@valentian_govt.vez)
BCC: +11 recipients

Ciao a tutti e buona giornata, to those of concern,

I am Augustine Lorenzo, and I am accompanied by Angeline Nogueira with me regarding the latest opportunity in Rally Racing. If your team is willing, we - the team from Valentine Z - would like to participate in your tryouts if there are any, and hopefully to do your team proud and stand tall for this season! I know that we do not exactly have the most experience when it comes to rally racing, or when compared to other Valentians with more motorsports experiences in their name, but rest-assured that we are simply not the one who will leave halfway or jump ship when situations are working against us. Me and Angeline can provide our utmost promise that we will stay with your team throughout the race, with the exception of respecting potential decisions to not participate should there be alternative arrangements.

We do look forward to hear from you, and wishing you all the best in finding drivers as well!

Grazie e buona fortuna,
Fleet Admiral Augustine Lorenzo Terry Vinto Chevy “L'inarrestabile E Di Forte Impatto” Silas Walton Wesley Stuart Dalton Burton Miles N. Dv. S. Walter Stefano Coronato Ermes Faletti Imparato

by **The Sherpa Empire** » Tue Jul 06, 2021 2:23 am

Plum Lake Circuit, Jiangsu Territory:

Shuzhen Zhu was lounging around outside her hauler. It was a chilly winter morning, near the start of IRACT's spring season, which served as both a domestic racing series and a qualifier for NSSCRA. She was sipping from a hug of hot tea while she and her pit crew chatter about how they wanted to set up their car.

Plum Lake was not your typical oval NSSCRA track. It was long, winding, and unpaved; and it had a reputation for spectacular -- or just plain stupid -- crashes. A few years ago, Liuyong Xu had more or less tanked his career by rolling his car into an orchard and losing his NSSCRA charter. Another driver had nearly drowned after driving into Plum Lake, the actual lake that the track was named after. If the track had been in a major city like Nanjing or Suzhou, the authorities would have enforced stricter safety standards; but it was not in a major city. It was in the middle of nowhere, and the authorities didn't notice a lot of the things that happened there. The food stalls around the track were cobbled together from scrap wood and ratty old tarps, and the food was mostly cooked over open fires. The spectators were a ragged-looking crowd.

A little way away from Zhu and her crew, Namkha Pasang Chen was lamenting the fact that he did not have the funds to travel to Stone Forest for the next race of the season. He was not going to win an NSSCRA charter anyway, but he still found it demoralizing that he couldn't even afford to show up for all the races of the spring season.

Zhu reached over and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Namkha, I might have something for you to do. If I don't beat Rinzi, that is." She grinned as if she really thought she had a chance of beating Rinzi. Rinzi was an NSSCRA veteran who had factory backing from AutoModi (one of the country's top car manufacturers), and an array of lucrative international sponsorships. When he raced in IRACT, he was a big fish in a small pond. The combination of innate talent plus a huge funding advantage made him nearly unbeatable. Today he was trying to sell deodorant and shampoo to the unwashed masses, because one of his sponsors was a brand of men's hygiene products.

Zhu probably wasn't going to beat Rinzi, but she was at least close enough that she could joke about it. And she could hope for a lucky break.

Namkha didn't even have that. He was never going to win anything, and he knew it.

Zhu told Namkha to meet her after the race, and that was when she told him about WSRC...

(to be continued)

by **Aboveland** » Wed Jul 07, 2021 6:43 pm

Ælund Rallisport Headquarters
Lintulahti, Aboveland

Konrad, as always, sits hunched over his desk: smoky cigar in his left hand, face perched in a cradle of the meaty digits of his right. He's not—never—worried about workplace etiquette, less so in his own office in the garage of his own team. Years of experience had proven that his laid-back facade in the face of looming triumphs served, at worst, to unsettle rival team owners. When he's not puffing on his cigar, he's picking at the gaps between his bottom teeth with the nails of the hand on which his head rests.

He peers over the knuckles of his right hand at the printed document before him, murmuring to himself as he scans the page. The brunt of pre-season testing had finished earlier in the day—with a lovely summary from Axel of the pros and cons he recognized in the car, his feedback coming through a tad late in development—so he'd sent Kyrmy and Maria, two idle junior engineers, to prepare a dossier of sorts of the WSRC's free agent drivers.

The list provided to him is extensive but rather sparse in details. A little anxious bug tickles his gut, running up his sides to his underarms. He's not yet ready to make a decision on whoever would be his second driver for the season, but he knows the choice must be the correct one. With the dawn of the WSRC, it's his and
Ælund Rallisport's chance to prove than that there's still room for rallying on Ælund Racing's agenda. Choosing a fluke, and falling flat on their faces, is not an option.

Kyrmy and Maria had strayed from the tyranny of alphabetical order when they confectioned the dossier. They'd sorted each driver randomly—or thus it seemed—listing their names, a short description, and what they had considered to be their strengths and weaknesses.

The very first listed driver is Sakke Pajari, to Konrad's non-surprise. He had considered taking him up before—even in lieu of Axel—but he, just as his team, had been of the same opinion. Sakke is far too inexperienced to support Axel in the team's title campaign, having never completed a full length event before. Maybe he'd be a good choice later on in his career, with some experience under his belt and hopefully in an Ælund Rallisport with a secured future, but for the debut season, he's too much of a risk.

Next up, a so called Pedro Aguiar. Konrad hums at ease, and takes a puff of his cigar. His CV is certainly impressive, and his strengths and weaknesses—at least according to Kyrmy and Maria—seem to complement Axel's well. A safe driver that's quick on gravel: just what Ælund Rallisport needs. And plus, with so many showings in his domestic scene, he might have some financial backing to boot... But it's too early to make a decision yet.

The third driver listed is Naomi Keretene, from Togonistan. The brief introduction to the driver is, oddly, primarily focused on her appearance, with a passing remark about her limited experience and a dedicated paragraph detailing the magnitude of her financial backing. Konrad frowns, then scoffs. A rich daddy's girl, it seems. Certainly not a world-class master behind the wheel, at first glance... but likewise not an instantly discardable option. As he'd done with Aguiar, he reaches out with his cigar hand to slap a post it on her name. Bookmarked for later.

Immediately after the third driver, the list becomes a disorganized mess. Perhaps Kyrmy and Maria had misunderstood the assignment and listed down a top three, or they'd gotten distracted after putting ten minutes of effort into the dossier. Either way, a few names still popped up on the list. They had penned down the two drivers from Hodori present in the championship: quick drivers with excellent CVs, but with driving strengths too similar to those of Axel. They'd mashed Augustine Lorenzo of Valentine Z and Effie Tastycrumpets of a horribly misspelled nation together as "snow drivers", which was an apt description for them both, and which certainly catches Konrad's eye as possible amendments to Axel's weaknesses. To finish the list off, they'd joined the two least similar drivers Konrad could think of, the apparently media-frenzied Trevon Gallegos—good for PR, perhaps—with the lowkey Sherpa Shuzhen Zhou, both drivers skilled enough to catch his eye.

Konrad taps some of the ash from the tip of his cigar into his ashtray, and flips the page around expecting to see a blank slate. Instead, he finds two more drivers, both of Hapilopper, and both seemingly an afterthought to the two young mechanics. Bringing the habano to his mouth, he inches closer to the page to read their descriptions. He huffs, and then hums favorably. Both Clayton and Chandler look like sound options as well, and they do cover Axel's weaknesses more than well enough. He is, however, left with a bitter taste in his mouth, and not just owing to the cigar. Surely, one of those two would have to go for their home team.

But he knows all too well that he and his team are some of the most advanced with respect to the rest of the confirmed entries in terms of signing their drivers. The WSRC is a totally new series, and nobody quite knows what to do next. He could arrange for a trial event to make a properly educated decision on his drivers... but there's no guarantee that such a move would prove fruitful at all. Maybe it would be better to wait for his opponents to make their moves first.

He's content with his decision, and takes another puff of his cigar. In his head, the names of Aguiar and Keretene float to the surface above the rest of the dossier.

by **The Sherpa Empire** » Thu Jul 08, 2021 1:43 am

Everyone's cars were covered with mud, most of them were dented and scraped up, and some had not finished the race at all. On the bright side, nobody had driven into the lake.

Shuzhen Zhu had finished 4th, and Namkha Pasang Chen had finished 31st out of 33 cars that finished the race at all. Zhu watched with a mix of satisfaction and disappointment and the top 3 drivers took the podium and collected their trophies. Satisfaction because 4th was a good finish and she was still in striking distance of the top drivers. Disappointment that she wasn't up there on the podium herself.

Two of the top 3 drivers were NSSCRA veterans, Tsering and Rinzi. The other was a hotshot rookie named Yi Tan, who seemed a little too interested in making eye contact with Zhu. She looked away. She wasn't interested in him. He was barely 18 and he had a bad boy image that rubbed her the wrong way. She remembered that she was planning to talk to Namkha after the race, and she decided that looking for him was a good excuse to get away from Tan.

She found Namkha sighing dejectedly, saying to his crew chief, "I really thought we would do better this time."

"You could have been mid-pack if it wasn't for that collision with Kang," the crew chief replied.

Zhu waited for them to come a pause in their conversation, and then reminded Namkha that she wanted to talk to him about a possible job and asked if he had time to go to a bar and discuss it over drinks.

They sat at a quiet table in a corner and ordered some beers, kebabs, and egg rolls. "I really want to compete internationally, but I haven't been able to break into NSSCRA," Zhu explained as they sipped their beer and waited for the food to arrive. "So I was thinking about what else is out there, wondering if there's some other road that I'm meant to take, and that's when I found out there's going to be a new international rally series, the World Stage Rally Championship."

"Rally?" said Namkha. His curiosity was piqued, but he still didn't quite understand why Zhu was explaining her plans to him. For a moment, his mind wandered, and he thought about how cool it would be if he could become a professional rally driver. But he had no idea how to make that happen.

"Yeah," said Zhu. "I know you follow it, at least a little."

"Yeah, it's on SISN late at night, so I watch it when I can't sleep," said Namkha. "That would be fun to try if they had it around here and I had a rally car and... well, you know. If it was easier to get into."

"That's why I wanted to talk to you," said Zhu. "If I get into WSRC, I'll need a navigator. My spotter doesn't seem to be interested in rally, like, at all -- and the rest of my crew will be busy in the service park if they come along -- so I want to find someone else. Someone that knows how rally works and feels comfortable around racing."

The penny dropped and Namkha realized why he was there. "Oh!" he said, and he suddenly perked up. And then he slumped back down a bit as he realized he wouldn't be driving.

Zhu smiled, amused by the series of expressions playing across Namkha's face. "I don't have a rally car these days, and I don't have the time and money to build one before the start of the season, at least not a good one. So I'll need to sign on with an existing team, but I still want to have my own people ready for any roles that the team hasn't already filled."

A waitress brought their food to the table and Namkha picked up a kebab. "It sounds cool, but I don't know... I would have to quit IRACT. And break up my team. And I wouldn't be driving anymore."

"You'd be part of something bigger," said Zhu. "We'll be able to go out and see the world. Maybe you can even see how it feels to win."

Namkha scowled, annoyed to be reminded of his poor results. She was right, though. After thinking it over a little, he said he was interested in the job.

"Great," said Zhu. "Now I just need to get a ride..."

She ate the last couple chunks of meat off her kebab and added, "I should ask Papchung if they're interested in sponsoring a rally car." Papchung (पाप्छुङ) was a ride-sharing service and one of Zhu's sponsors for her IRACT career. They weren't going to match the big money that some pay drivers could put up, but they might pitch in a few rupees to get their name on a car.

by **Aboveland** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:54 am

Ælund Rallisport HQ
Lintulahti, Aboveland
7 Days to Season Start

Marko knocks on Konrad's office door, giving the flimsy trailer divider three solid fist bangs before looking to the side as he waits for a reply.

"Come in!" the team principal replies, halfway between a groan and a sputter, his voice muffled through the permeable walls of his office. Marko wastes little time.

"Hi," the sporting director, and right hand man to Konrad, says stoically. He hides a swath of concern behind his serious tone, and stares down at his counterpart's desk before continuing. Konrad acknowledges the inquiry, and lifts up the stack of paper full of colored graphs.

"Telemetry," he says. "Things are looking good. Didn't know we'd squeezed 413 horsepower out of that little thing!"

Marko gives a half-hearted smile and a single nod, but doesn't verbally reply to the good news. "We need to host a trial event before we choose a driver," he blurts. Konrad frowns, and starts reaching to his right for his last cigar.

The sporting director's tone becomes more mellow, but remains imperative. "I know that we could choose a driver based on their record, but I've been looking at the dossier Kyrmy and Maria made... and there's not a whole lot of options. And none of what's written down there guarantees anything. It would be a near total shot in the dark to sign a driver based on their curriculum alone."

A light chill grips the back of Konrad's neck. He frowns, and drops a clenched fist on his desk with a sigh. "But we don't have the budget for that!" he cries.

Marko shakes his head. "All I need is your green light." He slams a new slip of paper onto his desk, and leans over the sitting Konrad. "We have four surplus Hodori spec Kokkos from the past couple of seasons for the drivers."

"And the stages?" Konrad asks, to which Marko smiles proudly.

"The abandoned campsite near Nurmikenttälampi. I have the stages planned out already, and there's enough space to set up a remote garage enough for the drivers that may attend."

Konrad strokes his chin, stays still for a moment, then cuts his cigar and lights up its tip in a leisurely manner. "Okay," he replies, almost nonchalantly. Then, he nods with genuine appreciation. "Good work. Sounds like a plan."

"It won't be too expensive," adds Marko. "And we could regain the investment with whichever driver we may sign, especially if they deliver with results."

Konrad nods again. "Good. Got any flyers ready?"

Ælund Rallisport Invitational Rallysprint
July 11th | Iskajärvi, Aboveland

The green blips indicate the start point of each of the stages

Ælund Rallisport welcomes on short notice any driver authorized to compete in the World Stage Rally Championship, to participate in the Ælund Rallisport Invitational Rallysprint event held near Iskajärvi, Aboveland, on July 11th. Participating drivers will battle each other at the wheel of Hodori Rally Championship-winning Iskabil Kokko XB4-A vehicles, for a chance to land a seat for the upcoming WSRC season with Ælund Rallisport. The two stages spanning a total of 5.74km of gravel roads are both quick and technical, and should serve to expose every competitor's strengths and weaknesses.
The event will be carried out as follows: Drivers will share between them a lineup of four surplus Kokko XB4-As. On the morning of the 11th, before the competitive portion of the event, and for their first taste of Abovian rallying machinery and roads, drivers will have the opportunity to run the set of two stages a maximum of three times: two of those may be reserved for the confection of pacenotes, should the drivers desire to do so.
After their practice/recce runs, drivers will have the opportunity to run the set of stages just once, in an attempt to set the fastest possible time. The fastest driver in this qualifying portion of the event will start the competitive portion first (despite the fact that starting first on a gravel event is usually seen as an advantage, the fact that the competitive stages will have been driven prior in the day means that by the time the competitive portion of the event begins, the roads might have deteriorated, and ruts might have formed).
Following a midday lunch break, competitors will have the opportunity to make any changes to the setups of their vehicles before the competitive portion of the event gets underway. Then, drivers will run the set of two stages twice. The winner of the competitive portion will be the driver pair to set the quickest time on the event.
With Nordenflyg Rally Aboveland just around the corner, set to begin in a week's time, drivers will have the chance to prepare for the upcoming event by familiarizing themselves with the local conditions during the rallysprint. Should a driver be signed by Ælund Rallisport by the event's end, they will already be located within 30km of the team's headquarters and undoubtedly hold an advantage over their rivals.
Interested drivers should confirm their participation by forwarding their attendance to puntila_ralli@aelund.co.ab. On behalf of the team at Ælund Rallisport and Ælund Racing, we wish you all the best, and hope to see you soon!

by **Auruna** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:45 am

Schkeska Rally Factory
Livonsk, Auruna

Running Schkeska Rally was going smoothly for Haruna, after half a month of hard work following the massive change within Schkeska, all is well until it was time to choose which car they are going to run for the WSRC. Being a renowned team in rally, they surely have a vast selection of cars to choose from but there's one problem: most of them have been sold for team funds as the MNA funding wasn't enough to bring back Schkeska's competitiveness. They had to resort to whatever is left.

At the garage where the most functional cars are stored, Haruna is walking around with Anton and a few others, deciding on what car they should run. The place was barren with only a few cars available and a lot of them are obsolete models.

"Damn, I didn't know our situation was worse in regards to cars."

"We had no choice when selling them, even Viska bought some."

"Anyway, what do we have?"

"Let's see... Vezrel Is and IIs, Kana ZEROs, Kana SRs, and then we have some older ones like Ilyanas if you prefer those. Oh, these might be interesting with Vezrel GTXs and ZEROs."

"One thing..."

"Hm?"

"Are they within the regulations?"

"Well then, let's check. It'll be a bit difficult as these are primarily made for the ARC."

"I'm sure we'll be able to find one."

As they go around and checking if the cars are within the technical regulations of the WSRC, the candidates slowly narrow down.

"The ZEROs and the GTXs are too powerful, Ilyanas are too light. Vezrels are just barely legal. That leaves us..."

"The Kana SRs. Who knew.. I think it'll be perfect."

"Yeah, we'll just update them a bit and they'll be good to go. We can improve its engine to the maximum of 419hp and-- damn I'm enjoying myself already! I can't wait to work on them. It's a shame that we can't even detune the ZEROs because something might go wrong. Eh, it's alright."

"Great, it's decided then. I'll leave you to it, I'm going to work on getting drivers for us. I'll try not to bash my head on the desk again."

"Yeah, go ahead."

Haruna heads back to her office to continue with her work, there was knocking on her office door. She just tells the person knocking, out loud, to enter. She looks over the monitor to see someone new... Who was it again? As the person approaches, he introduces himself to Haruna. "Greetings, I am Leo Karhjanna, Schkeska Rally's new project director after Mr. Kielloha retired."

"Ah, so you're the replacement."

"Yes, and expect me to do better than him. Also, I didn't expect you to be that young when I heard that you are the new team principal."

"Heh, I get that everytime. Imagine being the youngest one in the team."

"Skill and talent are what matters here. I'm looking forward to working with you."

"Likewise."

Nisko, Auruna
Kälö's excitement remained, watching older broadcasts of the ARC especially the ones with the Aurun rally legends, it reached a point where not even Zuiha could calm him down. As Kälö entertains himself back home, Zuiha, meanwhile, is at the nearest MNA branch for some information gathering about the WSRC teams and their competition. It was an exhausting activity as there was a lot to take in, there were a lot of choices regarding the teams but the local Schkeska Rally team was in their mind since their entry into the WSRC. For hours, Zuiha sat infront of a computer, unaware of her surroundings until she felt someone tap her shoulder which startled her, jumping from her seat before she turns around to find out that it was just Ivan Könä with Kälö. Dammit Ivan, not this again.

"Never thought I would see you like that again, staring deep into the monitor. Anyway, I heard the news and I would like to join you guys."

"Yo, Zui Zui!"

"Heh... er... yeah."

"Heard it from Kälö, got curious myself."

"Well, any support we can get is nice, especially since we're racing internationally. Doubt that it'll be like the ARC."

"Yep. Now, how are you guys doing? Any teams that interest you?"

"I don't know, only a few looked nice but I really doubt that we will be able to get in with any of them... well, apart from one."

"And that team is..?"

"Schkeska Rally."

"Say again?"

"Schkeska, heard that there was a massive change within."

"Ah... all I remember were bad times during my latter half of my career with them. Well, that was with the older generation where glory was at the cost of internal stability. It was a messed up time but things do change... hopefully."

"I was wondering if we could get your opinion on them, help us out here. They looked interesting but I'm not sure about it. Finding a team is difficult, especially if we're not affiliated with any of them."

"I'll look into them and let you guys know."

"Thanks."

"Könä should've created a WSRC team, it'll make things easier I think."

"Ehh, it'll be a huge project, I'd prefer Könä to remain a school and to race domestically. And the expenses are like... damn, it makes me a bit dizzy. Anyway, you two need to get some practice, I'll lend you one of our old rally cars and just drive around the northern roads of this place. Tomorrow at 10, don't make me wait, I'm in a tight schedule this week.."

"Uh--yeah!"

"Ooh I can't wait!"

by **Valentine Z** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 9:17 am

Post 2 – Getting Involved

From: Fleet Admiral Augustine Lorenzo Terry Vinto Chevy “L'inarrestabile E Di Forte Impatto” Silas Walton Wesley Stuart Dalton Burton Miles N. Dv. S. Walter Stefano Coronato Ermes Faletti Imparato (augustine_lorenzo@valentian_govt.vez)
To: puntila_ralli@aelund.co.ab
CC: Valentijn “De Sierlijke en Vrij Valkyrie General ov Valentine Z” Samantha Maxwell Delta Weston Stijn Angelus Tracey Mitchell Tristian Marnix Basilisk Lewis Hyatt X. Constantine Sein Lin Zaw Naing (valkyrie_valentijn@valentian_govt.vez); Wing Commander Angeline Joyce Crystal Bella Wv “A Estrela Alegre” Samara Sapphire Tamara Annie Estefania Carolina Tavares Alencar Melissa Clemente Teixeira Vanda Regina Mik Nogueira (angeline_nogueira@valentian_govt.vez)
Subject: Ælund Rallisport Invitational Rallysprint, Confirmation of Participation

Ciao a tutti e buona giornata,

I am Augustine Lorenzo, and I am accompanied by Angeline Nogueira with me regarding the latest opportunity in Rally Racing. We recently got ahold of the invitational, specifically the Ælund Rallisport Invitational Rallysprint, that will be taking place at 11th July your time, in your country. We would like to confirm our participation in this tryout, and I do hope that we will get an opportunity to showcase our performance on your road course.

Grazie e buona fortuna,
Fleet Admiral Augustine Lorenzo Terry Vinto Chevy “L'inarrestabile E Di Forte Impatto” Silas Walton Wesley Stuart Dalton Burton Miles N. Dv. S. Walter Stefano Coronato Ermes Faletti Imparato

by **The Sherpa Empire** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 11:21 am

Shuzhen Zhu's hauler lumbered slowly up a winding mountain pass in Guizhou. Her IRACT team were on their way to Yunnan for the Stone Forest 300. The road was decently paved and not all that steep, but they had to be careful maneuvering around the curves because the hauler was bulky and there was not a lot of extra space. A guy from her pit crew was driving while Zhu herself pored over an email she was composing, confirming her interest in the Ælund Rallisport Invitational Rallysprint.

Zhu had several tabs open: her email, a Sherpa-English online dictionary, a grammar checking site, and some Abovian pages with information about the team and the trial rallysprint. Every so often she let out and annoyed sigh because she had forgotten to switch her keyboard when she wanted to switch languages between Sherpa and English, and she accidentally started typing in the wrong alphabet, which she then had to go back and fix. It was hard to tell if her writing sounded natural or not, but when she was satisfied that it was the best she could do, she double-checked the address -- puntila_ralli@aelund.co.ab -- and sent it off.

She hadn't heard back yet from Papchung about whether they were interested in sponsoring an international rally team.

Namkha Pasang Chen was sitting at a window, watching the landscape roll by. Zhu had brought him along so they could practice making pace notes when she had a little free time in Yunnan. She didn't have a proper rally car, but she could rent a Hongxing or a TMW Argonaut pretty cheaply to drive around the back roads. Namkha didn't get to travel this far from home very often, so he was enjoying the ride -- even if he would have rather been riding his own hauler and racing at Stone Forest.

by **Hodori Motorsports** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 3:35 pm

Yemigama HPI Off-Road Proving Ground
Yemigama, Hodori
Noon, one week after the Seokuba 300km

“Four right long into hairpin left don’t cut fifty.” The co-driver’s voice came in over the intercom as Kuchiru Reitou guided the Ephinea RX.S prototype around the dirt trail at the southern end of Yemigama HPI’s testing complex.
With both paved and unpaved sections, the Off-Road Proving Ground offers a rough approximation of the route conditions faced in Hodoran rallying. The testing track doubles back on itself at multiple points and also includes a number of intersections, giving route permutations of the 45 combined kilometers that number in the hundreds.
“Square left forty onto tarmac.”
The car, clad in bare carbon with Mazaregi’s signature red and green striping, powerslid at the intersection, damp earth flung from the petrol-driven rear wheels and electrically-powered front.
“Square right sixty.”
The all-terrain Deyoze Saekotas began complaining under load as the car turned at the T intersection onto the access road running the perimeter of the Proving Ground.
“Six left over crest into three right tightens don’t cut thirty.”
The turbocharged inline four, situated where the rear seats would be in the production S244K Ephinea, was an original Mazaregi design purpose-built for the WSRC, while the turbocharger unit was taken from the HRE used by Tarogama-affiliated teams in GT600 and Formula Touring. Kawashiro Industries’ KMG150-GT/DS 150kW racing-use electric motor, sourced from Tarogama’s GT400 hybrids, replaced the production KM135-DS direct-drive speed-limited 135kW motor powering the front wheels.
“Five left long opens thirty and finish.”
Flying past the finish gantry, Reitou brought the car to a stop near the second prototype. After killing the engine, the two exited the car and made their way to a tent outside one of the site garages. As the pair of drivers pored over the telemetry with Old Man Mazaregi, one of the interns collected the route note books and handed the co-drivers ones for the new route.

Tarogama Circuit
Tarogama, Hodori
Evening, Friday before Formula Touring Round Kizagama

The two prototypes, parked in a workspace in the East Circuit’s garage building, were being tended to by ENSARINK Performance engineers, meticulously ensuring the polished bodywork of both cars was free of dust. The liveries worn for the announcement were recoloured versions of Mazaregi’s Group A livery, with Unit 01 wearing ENSADRINK’s deep metallic red in place of purple with gold and silver replacing Mazaregi red and green. Unit 02 was coloured similarly, with ENSABOOST blue instead of silver.

Their work completed, the engineers cleared the area and the garage doors opened, revealing the two cars to the photographers outside.

Kizagama, Hodori
Friday afternoon, Temagoa Rally Ceremonial Start

After being displayed on the podium ahead of the domestic championship machines, Unit 01 was returned to the service area and parked next to Unit 02, allowing spectators to get a closer look at the liveries the two would wear during the championship.

by **Diarcesia** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 3:45 pm

Sara Luna confirms her attendance in the Ælund Rallisport Invitational Rallysprint.

by **Togonistan** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 4:10 pm

Edrana Race Park
Edrana, Togonistan

People at the stands were cheering as they watched the rallycross cars go around the track. Rallycross was the third most popular motorsport discipline in the nation after open-seaters and local touring car racing series. Togonistan Rallycross League, or TRCL for short, had been the breeding ground for many successful drivers in the past, mainly due to it's low cost compared to other forms of racing. Meanwhile, it was by far surpassing stage rallying in terms of popularity. The ongoing season of TRCL had reached it's fifth round in Edrana and right now, young driver Samuel Karaka was heading towards his second junior class victory this season. The black Kaylan Tygo driven by Karaka entered it's final corner and sped up on the straight to cross the line. The crowd stood up from their seats and started applauding. Naomi Keretene had also attended and watched the race from the front row, accompanied by her beloved daddy. The two stood up and started making their way to the paddock area. Having shown their passes (which Marcus somehow had managed to acquire) to a grumpy security guard, the two headed towards Samuel Karaka's crew area. They stood a few meters away from Samuel who was currently receiving congratulations from his team and waited. Soon, Samuel noticed them from the corner of his eye.

''Naomi?'' Samuel asked with a smile on his face. He walked over to her and put his arms wide open, attempting to hug her, ''Hey, it's good to see...''

''Ew, no,'' Naomi quickly took a few steps back, ''you're sweaty. I just bought this dress, okay? I don't want your body juices all over it, thank you very much.''

Samuel stopped himself and put his hands behind his back, ''Right. So... how can I help you?''

Marcus, who had just stood there looking that awkward situation happen, opened his mouth: ''Samuel, congratulations on your victory.''

''Oh... thank you,'' Samuel smiled.

''Tell me, is your brother around?''

''Yeah, he's in the team tent, been rooting for me throughout the whole weekend.''

Marcus nod and thanked Samuel, before moving towards the tent. Naomi followed him, thinking why her dad had brought her here. To be honest, Samuel Karaka was the last person she wanted to see. The two had met a few times before, and every time Samuel had been overwhelmingly friendly with her. Did he have a crush on her or something? Ugh... Naomi couldn't think about it for too long, as they had made their way to the tent.

''Naomi,'' Marcus said and indicated at the man sitting in a chair, ''this is Heriko, Samuel's brother.''

Heriko stood up and offered Naomi a handshake, ''Heriko Karaka, nice to meet you.''

Naomi accepted the handshake, ''Naomi.''

Heriko nod, ''Your father has told me a lot about you. Planning to head to WSRC, aren't you?''

''Indeed. I am,'' Naomi pulled her hand through her hair, ''I am gonna go big time.''

''I see, I see. Tell me, you are looking for a co-driver, right?''

''Mhmh,'' Naomi nod, ''my old one decided to ditch on me.''

Heriko smirked, ''Well, if that's the case, I might be able to give you a helping hand.''

Naomi raised her eyebrows, ''You? Do you have any experience with rallying?''

''I would like to think so. I have been in Kalmarlund for the past five years, working as Einar Södergren's co-driver.''

Naomi measured Heriko with her eyes. Quite a bit taller than her, brown eyes, black hair... she had heard the name Södergren before, but the fact that someone from Togonistan had been his co-driver was new to her. Of course, co-drivers always tend to be behind the drivers spotlight. Naomi turned her head and looked at her dad.

''He's ready to make the deal, but it's all up to you,'' Marcus said as he reached his pocket for a pack of cigarettes.

Naomi sighed. The fact was, she needed a co-driver. It was far from ideal, but if the talk about five years in Kalmarlund had any truth to it, it'd probably be the best she can find from Togonistan. She looked at Heriko again. ''I mean, like, I guess we can try it.''

Heriko nod again, ''I'm sure we can make it work.''

Suddenly, a notification tone was heard. Naomi opened her purse and took out her phone to check it. A message from Carmen, Naomi's new agent who Marcus had hired for her daughter just a few days ago. Naomi opened the screen lock and took a look at it.

<Message received>
From: Carmen
Message: Naomi! I just received news about Ælund holding a pre-season rallysprint event. Might be a good idea to sign you up to get your name out there.

Naomi quickly moved her fingers on the screen and sent a reply.

<Message sent>
From: Naomi
Message: Sure, sign me up!

Naomi put her phone back and looked at Heriko. ''If you're sure about this, then pack your stuff. We are going to Aboveland.''

by **Nico Hulkenberg** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 5:02 pm

HMG Entwicklungszentrum
Emmerich, Hülkenberg

As journalists from all across Hülkenberg gathered at the Entwicklungzentrum, rumours began to spread. Nobody truly knew what this announcement from HMG was going to be, with the only hint being that it was going to be their “greatest and biggest announcement since our founding”. Now, it’s not like journalists could turn down an invitation to something THAT good, right?

Entwicklungszentrum Media Room

In a room crammed with journalists, a man sat at a desk at the front of the room. That man was the President of HMG, Heinrich Flützkreuger. Behind him was a screen, displaying the logo of HMG itself. To his left was HMG’s head of development, Jöhan Turbringer. To his right was… nobody, actually. Once the signal was given for everyone to be quiet, Heinrich began to speak.

”For all of our proud history as an automobile manufacturer, we have always focused on providing the nation of Hülkenberg with light, nimble, and reliable cars. From our origins with the H01 to our latest and greatest H16 hatchbacks, HMG has always strived for betterment, always improving on our previous iterations. And yet, throughout our history, we have never branched out of making normal vehicles. You see, HMG’s reliability and pace has never truly been tested on the international stage. In fact, the closest we’ve ever gotten to announcing ourselves on the international stage was on a certain WGPC driver’s race suit. Today, that will change. Today, we are proud to announce our entry into WSRC, as the HMG Rallye-Team!”

The screen behind the two men displayed the logo of the new team, and the camera flashes and shutter sounds began permeating across the room. Jöhan was next to speak.

”In terms of the team’s fundamentals, we’ll be building a new facility within the Entwicklungzentrum in order to allow for the team’s focused development of the car itself, and to allow us to employ more staff to the team. Speaking of the car, the vehicle we’ll be using as a base will be our latest model of hatchback, the H16. As the start of the season gets closer we’ll be able to provide more details about the car, but if you look behind me you’ll see an artist’s impression of what the car’s livery will look like.”

A new image appeared on the screen.

Camera shutters and flashes began going off again, as journalists fought to snap photos of (the artist’s impression of) the H16R. Jöhan continued speaking.

”We’d love to show you some actual photos of the car, but the team were adamant that we weren’t allowed to show any photos of the car before it’s finished, so… yeah. The progress with the H16R has been fantastic, though, and the team are hard at work making sure that the car will be ready for the season opener, and that it’ll be a championship contender.”

This was bullshit. Progress with the H16R was slow, and without the new rally facility, the team were still building parts of the car in closets, break rooms, and toilets. It would take a literal miracle for the car to even be ready in time for the season opener in Aboveland, never mind be a “championship contender”. It’s not like the journalists knew, though - they were busy scribbling Jöhan’s words down as if they were gospel. Heinrich began to speak again.

”We will not be taking questions, but thank you all for your time today. If you wish, there is a table at the exit which has many different cakes and biscuits. I invite you all to take one as you are leaving the Entwicklungszentrum.””

This was very much a technique to get the media out as quick as possible. The sooner these journalists had left the building, the sooner they could get back to working on the H16R. Heinrich and Jöhan left the room, having a conversation with each other as they walked.

”So, Jōhan. Be honest with me here. How far along are we with the H16R’s development?”

“Well, erm… without the new facility, we still don’t have a dedicated place to construct it, so we aren’t exactly far along.”

“Is there anything that we can do in the short term to speed up development?”

“You could always allocate more money-“

“Jöhan, let’s be real here.”

“Ach, fine. Could you at least let me hire a couple of portable cabins for us to plan and build the car in? At least, until the facility is done?”

“Oh, absolutely. You can go do that right now, as long as you promise me that you’ll have a driver lineup confirmed in the near future. You can do that, right?”

“Correct, yes I can. In fact, we’ve been monitoring a couple of drivers already, so we’ll try and get in contact with a few of them and see where it goes from there.”

“Great, great. Well Jöhan, it’s been nice speaking with you, but I’ll allow you go and do your thing, and I’ll check back with you in a couple of days.”

“Thanks, boss. I won’t let you down.”

Unbeknownst to Heinrich, he had put his Head of Development in a tough position. How would he convince a driver that HMG would be able to build a decent rally car out of a couple of portable cabins sitting next to a massive facility? Who would be willing to put so much trust in a project which had such an uncertain future? Jöhan knew just the guy.

A Coffee Shop
Emmerich City Centre

A man with a particularly slick hairstyle and a sizeable moustache appeared to be on a date with the chair in front of him. He certainly looked like a ladies’ man, but being the only person at the table suggested otherwise. Oddly enough, he seemed to be talking to himself.

”And I said, that’s not a WGPC car, that’s my WIFE! Hah, I’m hilarious, ain’t I. Wait, shit, I don’t have a wife! Fuck, I need to find a better joke.”

At that point, his phone began to ring. In case you were wondering, he had a shite ringtone.

”Hallo? Who is this?”

“Afternoon, mate. It’s Jöhan Turbringer, Head of Development at HMG. Any chance me and you could meet up to discuss something later?”

“Is it anything to do with that new rally team of yours?”

“Yes, actually. You interested?”

“Hell yeah! Should I go to you or can you come to me?”

“I’d rather we met at the Entwicklungszentrum, if possible.”

“Sounds good, I’ll be on my way over.”

(OOC: This post is not a driver confirmation, at least not until I sign this handsome mystery man up as a driver. I shan’t name him until I confirm him, but I think you’ll have the gist by now. Confirmation will come in a later - and perhaps greater - post.)

by **Xanneria** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 6:51 pm

several weeks earlier....

When your in sports a podium is normally a good thing. It is a sign you have conquered your field and are letting people know it. So it was natural that one Mr. Rick Sutcliffe would get nervous being at one, but for him this changed every thing. Sutcliffe walked up tot he podium, long a hero to a cult of rally racing fanatics in his native Xanneria. Rick was standing at this podium about to change his life. His goal, be a hero to a worldwide cult of rally fanatics. But for now it was the other side of the sport. The part you go up on a podium and change your life for good or bad by prensting yourself to a bunch of stiffs ans suits from your sponsors board of exectutives while praying you don't make them question the marketing departments sanity.

I am here today, because I have been bestowed an honor from those at the Knox Motor Company. I am proud to announce that Rick Sutcliffe Rally Performence will be entering a two car team at the World Stage Rally Championships being orginized by the people in Aboveland. I am grateful for this oppurtunity and I so hope my fans will be supportive of this endeavor as, we will be operating our Knox Corinthian hatchbacks over the course of many stages not just in Xanneria but in the world! As you know just like in Xanneria, I will be driving my number 9 Konx in the WSRC. This car will be making its public debut at the Ælund Rallisport Invitational Rallysprint for a preaseason shakedown. We hope that you all will continue to follow and support our endeavor.

Rick got down off the stage and headed backstage. driving by heavy large boulders at high speed didn't scare Rick. Speaking in public did.....

by **Lisander** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 9:53 pm

The Anonymous Racer ✔️
3211 followers
442 following
Bringing motorsports news firsthand to you.

Bastian Alcaraz confirms his interest in the Ælund Rallisport Invitational Rallysprint, and we just noticed it because we noticed the location of his last social update. His last post was in Greencaster Airport in Ko-oren. Seems he made a stop on his way to Aboveland, to watch the Rugby World Cup final last saturday, then departed to Iskajärvi, hoping to get a seat in WSRC preseason. We noticed this little detail on his plane ticket. The rest of the data was blurred to comply with information protection laws.

by **Hodori Motorsports** » Sun Jul 11, 2021 3:16 am

Samokae Rallysport Park
Samokae, Hodori
Sunday, Samokae Taygeta RallySport Club Member’s Festival 2021

The Samokae Rallysport Park, situated just outside the city, is a sprawling complex consisting of three unique loops of dirt trail, each between six and eight kilometers from starting to finish gantries, and a small 2.5-kilometer dirt course. It is operated by the three main car clubs with chapters in Samokae, and typically hosts small amateur events every weekend with lager meetings three times a year.

One of these three, the Samokae Taygeta RallySport Club, was currently hosting a six-stage rally event for its members and other local Sakite Taygeta owners. Friday and Saturday were spent on note familiarisation passes, while Sunday was reserved for the competition. Although there was prize money on offer, an amateur-level event like this typically didn’t have more than thirty thousand Kerai going to the winner.

Qualifying runs complete and a light breakfast consumed, An’ue Shuadakei took a leisurely stroll through the paddock, eyeing up the competing vehicles before the first half began. In immaculate condition, the club was showing off their boxy, three-door front-wheel-drive S1, powered by a 1.8-litre NA boxer-4. Under a canopy, a two-door S7 wearing a replica livery of a contemporary HRC car, its 2.0-litre NA four-cylinder boxer sending power to all four wheels. Across from it, a plain-looking four-door S9. A short distance away, the turbocharged S10 she would be driving, her father sitting in a folding chair next to the passenger side, his cane and the pace notes in his lap.

In the adjacent space, a sequential DCT S11 dolled up to look like one of Kayame’s older GT-spec Taygetas, the front plate mount and additional lights the only significant deviation. Further down, a dozen S12 and S13 Taygeta Type-Rs with varying levels of bodywork modification, some wearing intricate liveries imitating actual rallying teams, others plastered with their owner’s favourite cartoon characters, and most of the remainder plainly decorated with only the racing number.

Today’s grid was composed of 25 cars, split into five groups based on qualifying performance. An’ue’s three laps around the dirt course were good enough to land her in Group 2, the second group to start. The starting groups and thus classes were decided in qualifying, but the actual starting order within each group would be determined by two random draws. The first was coming up shortly, as the PA system blared to life and the organisers called for Group 1 to gather at the first stage starting area. The second draw would be after lunch, before the final three stages.

“Two left keep middle over crest one hundred.” The dark clouds that had gathered overhead since the morning had suggested it wouldn’t hold, but the weather for the first stage was good. The rain had started to come down about halfway through the second stage, and the forecast indicated it wouldn’t clear up until stage five at the earliest.
“Hairpin right don’t cut fifty keep middle over jump sixty.” Now two-thirds through stage three, the Shuadakei Taygeta left more ruts in the mud as An’ue strained to see through the downpour, wipers at full speed.
“One left long tightens into hairpin right opens don’t cut thirty. Three left long tightens opens into four left. Hairpin right opens ninety and finish. Proceed to stop. Good work, An’ue.”

The downpour continued as the remaining three groups ran the first half. After grabbing lunch and checking the Group 2 times, An’ue sat with her father.
“P2, five seconds off the Miyu S12.” A competitor’s base model Taygeta, one the owner had clearly spent a considerable amount of money on based on the extent of modifications needed to bring it to Type-R spec as well as the kimono-clad catgirls – PrismRiver’s Miyu Kanaue – plastered on the sides and bonnet.
Her father didn’t look up from his laptop. “Forecast updated. Rain should stop during stage four.” He switched tabs, then turned the laptop so his daughter could see.
“WSRC?”
“Sakite isn’t sending a team, so I can’t guarantee you a seat, but win the group and I’ll see if they’ll let you drive for one of the other teams.”
“But I’m not a pro like you are, father. I’m not tied to Sakite.”
“You still need a co-driver, and I am on Sakite’s payroll.” He looked at An’ue, her head bowed. “So unless you know someone you trust enough to fill that role, forging your own way is not viable at this time.”

The afternoon’s set of stages was the first three, run in reverse. As the forecast had predicted, the rain had ceased during Group 2’s running of the fourth stage, though it still took some time for the clouds to fully disperse.
“Six right long fifty and finish. Still need to wait for the other times to come in, but I think you’ve managed it. Excellent work.”
In the second draw, the Shuadakei Taygeta was the first to go, while the catgirl-covered S12 was fourth. By the start of the final stage, An’ue had narrowed the gap to two and a half seconds.
After checking in at finish control, she returned the car to its space in the paddock. All that was left now was to wait. The next two cars were of mild interest but weren’t close enough to be of concern; the second to run was almost a minute behind the leader, while the third car was fourth-place and at lunch was almost fifty seconds behind the leader. The last runner was the third-place car as of lunchtime and half a second behind Shuadakei, but suffered a puncture during the fifth stage and lost too much time to remain competitive.
An’ue sat down at one of the picnic tables, watching the feed from one of the camera drones buzzing about overhead. In the center of the frame was one of the Group 3 cars sliding about, trying to not get bogged down in the muddy ruts. Her father took the seat next to her, watching the timings as the remaining Group 2 cars trickled in.
“Group 2 timings have updated. One point two seconds. Excellent work An’ue.”
“Hm?” She turned to her father.
“We’ve won.”

As the event came to a close and the prize money distributed (27,500 Kerai to each group winner), An’ue’s father typed away at his laptop, composing an email to Sakite Motor Company’s racing arm.

Samokae, Hodori
Some time later

“Has your passport arrived yet?”
“Yes father. It came in yesterday.” After clocking out from her part-time job, An’ue climbed into the driver’s seat, holding her phone to her ear.
“Good. Be ready to pack your bags. There’s an invitational in Aboveland. I’ve signed you up for it..”

The Inyuseo residence
Sayabo, Hodori

“Hey dad look what I got!” After collecting the mail and opening one of the letters addressed to her, Marisa Inyuseo began running through the house like a child. Tossing everything else onto the counter as she sprinted through the kitchen to the garage, she held up one piece of paper.
“Hey DAAAAD!”
“You don’t need to yell.” Her father was presently working underneath a white Taygeta Type-R S13, RedStar Racing’s Group A rally car. “So what did you get?”
“I got an offer for a WSRC seat. It’s for ENSADRINK.”
“Neat. And?”
“I’m going to take it. There’s also a line about driving one of their cars in an invitational, so I guess I’ll be going to that too.”

World Stage Rally Championship | RP Thread

World Stage Rally Championship | RP Thread

Introducing Rick Sutcliffe

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