WGP2 :: World Grand Prix 2 Season 5

by **Adab** » Sun Nov 14, 2021 9:06 pm

Life on the Edge
An Adabian tries to make it in the racing world

Chapter 8: Rest

WGP2 Season 5
Grand Prix 2 of the Licentian Isles (Race 2)
Hessington Island Grand Prix Course, Buckhaven

Sunday

An 18th-place finish was what Shalmaneser Kalhu expected after the disastrous qualifying, but not what he hoped for. Still, he could find consolation in the fact that he completed the race. Four drivers had to retire. Donny Fitzpatrick finished a lap down at 22nd, the last to reach the finish line. Overall it was not a very good week for UrGa. And though he put on a brave face as usual, Sal Kalhu was frustrated.

There were still more races for him to produce a good result in, but back in his room that night at the end of a chastening weekend, all those races seemed so far away. Mustafa was surprisingly calmer than he had been after qualifying; maybe Aida had gotten through to him. But in his solitude, Sal wanted to do nothing but rest and put all that behind.

And that’s when he saw a message pop up on his phone from someone he did not expect. He and Ilya Tsunopin had exchanged numbers as a matter of courtesy, but otherwise the two had not had that much interaction during their time on the grid. Sal had not given much thought to the Bitten Heroes driver, at least not until he suddenly catapulted to sixth in this race, and from what little Sal knew about Tsunopin’s personality he did not expect Tsunopin to invite him to a night out at the club. Which was precisely what he was doing right now.

That was nice of Ilya, and for a fleeting moment he nearly accepted the invitation. Then he remembered he was 16, he didn’t know if Licentian nightclubs would even allow him in, he had never particularly enjoyed nightclubs, and in any case he was too worn out and disappointed over the result. All he wanted now was to go to Diarcesia and prove himself in the next race.

Ahh I’d love to go there but I’m so gassed out right now. But thanks for the invitation tho. Have a good night! Sorry I couldn’t be there.

Odrioyan Desert Circuit Masters GP2 (Race 3)
Elbej Historic Site Circuit, Almur, Diarcesia

Sunday

Eighth place. Maybe it could have been better, but qualifying eighth was still a nine-place improvement from the previous race. Would the Licentian debacle give way to Diarcesian sunshine? Only the race results would tell, but for now, as the drivers lined up in the starting grid, Sal Kalhu was a much happier boy. With the right strategy, he thought he could do pretty well here.

“Hey, Illarion,” Sal radioed in, “how’s the desert sun treating you so far? Do you get this much sun back in Pridnestrovia? I got some lotion in my bag in the garage if the sun’s burning your skin.”

“The sun’s been good to me,” Illarion dryly replied. “Alright, Sal, we got this. Just keep calm and bring the car home. As long as we do things right I know you can rise up a few positions.”

“Thanks man. Make sure you and Mr. Gatutin don’t melt away like Arctic sea ice, alright? I don’t want to be out of the team this early in the season,” Sal tittered. “Oh, and tell Donny I said good luck to him, okay? I forgot to tell him in the garage. I know he can do it.”

“Will do.”

“You’re the best, man,” Sal said, his bright tone on the verge of breaking into song. “I feel good about this one. This is the golden age of something good and right and real, to quote the great philosopher Taylor-“

“Yeah, I feel good about this one too,” Illarion cut him off. “Let’s do it.”

by **Pemecutan** » Sun Nov 14, 2021 11:08 pm

Soma Kliwon Wuku Kuningan, Pawukon 1782

A Surprise Points

Almur, Diarcesia - The WGPC 2 series have entered their 3rd week where the race is placed in Almur, Diarcesia. After the two previous non-points races, Gajamina Racing Team are not setting anything in this race. Pande Putu Raka Ganesha, the team's first driver have express his doubts after the second race where he only finished 16. A position that lower than his first race. Ganesha admitted that the atmosphere in the WGPC 2 is far different than what he use to face.

The tension is there. The pressure is there. Not just from the team but also from my own self. It would be a great deal to be able to get point. Just a point. I think these thoughts that makes me sometimes out of focus and makes a fatal decision.

- Pande Putu Raka Ganesha
(During the interview after the second race)

Although failing to get into the top 10, but Ganesha's and the team results so far have been elevated the sports popularity back in the hometown. More and more people are watching the WGPC and WGPC 2 series. Some companies are also having a keen interest to invest in the local competition under the supervision of PARA (Pemecutan Auto Racing Association). This have been a good signal for local competition.

While the team have no set any goal for the race in Diarcesia, but they already think about the disadvantages. Placed in an desert condition, the weather can be very harsh and Ganesha is really aware of that. Although living in a tropical country which can be hot sometimes but desert in another thing. The team insist to maintain their drivers health especially in under such a dry and windy weather. During the practice session, Ganesha notice something is wrong with his car as he can't do a smooth turn. This has cause him a lost of time which makes him finished 14th. It is then notice that there is a failure in the pumping system which makes. Luckily, the situation is resolve before the qualifying start. Ganesha is quite happy with the qualifying result as he will start the race from fifth position.

The race can be seen as a tight competition in the top position as Alvis Kalvin Lacsamana from ANMARA pushed to the top position. While Ganesha found himself battling to maintain his position. After half of the race, there is a grouping that can be seen. Lacsamana and Vilau in the top 2. Deering racing solo in the third position. He try to catch up Vilau while distance himself from next group. While a three-way battle happen between Rousseau, Ganesha and Kalhu. The drivers are battling for the 4th, 5th and 6th position. As the race almost ended, Ganesha is seen to be eyeing for a possibility to pass Rousseau. He close the gap between them which makes Kalhu almost left behind. But unfortunately, until the race is ended Ganesha doesn't get the chance to overtake Rousseau. Satisfied with his 5th position but it is also the first points both for him and the team. His accomplishment is praise by racing fans back home in Pemecutan. Although his success is unable to followed by Nikhil Pillai, his teammates. Pillai have to satisfied ended in 16th place, a drop of 3 places from his starting position.

by **The Grearish Union** » Mon Nov 15, 2021 12:25 am

Part 8: Points!

"That will be P8, David. P8! Job well done."

A calm but delighted Kai was on the other side of the radio as the duo congratulated each other customarily on the radio. First points on the board is bound to be a special feeling for anybody. There is no denying that David definitely still has a very long way to go, but it sure is a good place to start. If a driver's best race is the non-championship race, it is evident that a lot remains to be said there in terms of form.

One-shot qualifying seemed to suit both the Domertons better than the elimination form of qualification, as it is increasingly apparent that the team is better at first impressions than learning over a period of three days. Darian Vilau made his presence felt very strongly in the one-shot type of qualification, as his Domerton screamed its way on to pole is what seemed like a green haze against the ancient backdrop of the Elbej Historical Circuit. Findlay wasn't left too far behind, finishing 4th in the qualification segment to ensure a second-row start on the grid in the race.

The race itself went quite differently from there on. While Vilau made it a point to keep being aggressive, David went the complete opposite way in pulling out of key battles early to ensure that he at least finished in the points. It is his nature to be a bit more of a safer driver, but it was probably exaggerated in this race, where he didn't seem to take a single risk. Thus, while Darian Vilau only fell a single position from pole, David fell from 4th to 8th in trying to at least salvage as many points as possible in a track that was breathtaking, but highly technical at the same time — and any mistakes would cost the driver concerned very dearly.

A good 22-point haul from Diarcesia meant that the Kaylan Junior Team was now the 6th best team in the championship, with more to look at in the coming weeks as the WGP2 Championship goes to Aboveland. The main prospect that most Findlay fans will be looking forward to, is if he can use his first points on the grid as a catapult to get going more consistently in the series. It is cutthroat racing at the moment, and the team is in general being carried by the very prolific Darian Vilau, who has used his prior experience in the series to great effect in picking up points. All that great momentum which had been built up by him has now transformed into a fantastic podium finish that the Kaylan/Domerton fans would be absolutely ecstatic about.

The motto will still be, to, "keep the chin up" for the young rookie from the Grearish Union. Little boosts in confidence go a long way in changing how a driver looks at a race - whether it comes from an old steward who manned his first national karting race, or the very affectionate PR manager in Priyanca Sutton. She wasn't able to travel with the party owing to commitments back in Forsho, and her absence was felt.

"Should I call her up?" David thought. He missed her, for some reason, despite his general distaste for PR stunts.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Scuderia Orange Cow were used to shaking off disappointing weekends in the time it took to fly back to Osheana International Field in Oceana, followed by the caravan from the airport to Haskins.

There were a group of workers at the factory whose work day began when the plane touched down, known by the others as the "Garage Faeries'; they were responsible for unloading the hauler and staging everything for the post-race tear down of both cars, then cleaning, re-supplying and making sure the team hospitality and drivers' motorhomes were prepped for the next race.

On this particular late night/early morning, Team Principal Mike Lambert and Chief Aerodynamicist/Designer Ed O'Malley drained a bottle of wine between them in Lambert's office, alternating between 'what-if' discussions and humorous anecdotes. They were, by the strict definition of the term, Best Friends and understood one another completely.
It was not a surprise to Lambert's PA Tammy Holloway when she arrived at 8:30 am Monday to find a handwritten note from her boss laid on the phone at her desk.

"call me at 9:30"

She peeked through the office door, O'Malley laid on the couch with a blanket over him and Lambert in the recliner he made a habit of sleeping in.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Press Release
Scuderia Orange Cow announce New Partnerships for WGP2 Season

Baker Park based WGP2 team Scuderia Orange Cow are pleased to announce they have reached agreement with our Sponsor Partner BCEL Beverage Corp. to carry the Hartley's brand name on the cars of Batu Tüvshinbayar & Jason Crowe for the remainder of the season.

Hartley's India Pale Ale & Hartley's Gold Label Bitter rank among the Commonwealth's most popular beer choices, and BCEL is proud to welcome the Hartley's banner on the PRL02-1B engine cover.

Additionally, SOC is pleased to be one of the WDP2 teams that are utilizing the tires supplied by Tropicorp Racing Supply, whose logo will also be on the car from the upcoming round of the WGP2 season in Aboveland

Batu Tüvshinbayar

Jason Crowe

by **United Adaikes** » Mon Nov 15, 2021 7:17 am

That is all I needed, Aaron thought. The silence in his room was what made him think about what he wanted to think. After Aaron won his first international podium, the team just had a party, and he and Jamie have returned to their hotel. It may not be first place today, but still, getting a third-place is no easy feat. There is a confidence boost for the upcoming two straight races in Vankkavalta, a Championship Race in WGP2, and the Test Driver Exhibition Race in WGPC. He misses his mother and his younger sister. He also misses his father, but everybody knows his father is surely thinking about something else.

Three days before the WGP2 Championship Race in Vankkavalta

Aaron woke up realizing he's got an incoming call. It's Jamie.

"What is it?" Aaron mumbled.

"Open the door. I got a surprise for you," he hears Jamie's voice.

"If that is just another fake fan you just got in the lobby, I'm telling you to Logan," Aaron replied before ending the call and proceeding to the door.

Aaron peeked first in the peephole but could not see anything. Jamie's got another trick in her sleeve, huh, Aaron thought.

When Aaron opened the door, a little girl flung herself to him. But he recognizes this girl.

"Ab-Abigail?" is what he can only muster.

While hugging her younger sister back, a graceful lady also appeared in the doorway and spoke. "I am so heartbroken that I do not get to see with my own eyes my son winning a race he's been longing to compete in."

Aaron did not think twice about hugging her mother while Abigail was still clinging to him.

"I don't care if you win this weekend," Aaron heard a familiar manly voice, which he can see in the corner of his eyes standing next to Jamie, "but at least, when I see you drive up close, earn them points, please?"

It was Logan, again. But is really what Aaron expected. He knew his father couldn't come, especially when it's not a race day and not in WGP2. But whatever, at least the people he adores the most are here.

But back to reality.

"Er, can I change first? Jamie, cancel my plans for today. But of course, come with us." Aaron said.

"Can't you at least invite us in?" Logan asked. Aaron's mother and his younger sister laughed.

"Oh, sorry. Yes, come in. Come in. Ab, while I change, get some fruits and juice for everyone in the fridge."

Jamie noticed Aaron was the happiest she had ever seen throughout this season, more comfortable than when he first drove in the Viska trials and even more satisfied than when he placed 3rd in the previous race.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Mon Nov 15, 2021 8:58 pm

"Really? That's it? That's all you've got?" Adonis Fitzpatrick asked disbelievingly as he stared at the array of video camera feeds in front of him.

"If you will only tell me what you expect to see, Adonis, then maybe Svyatoslav and I can actually help you," Taras Gavrilovich Matviyenko said in a slightly exasperated tone in reply to Donny's previous comments.

It was one in the morning at Buckhaven in the Licentian Isles. Donny, Taras, and Svyatoslav, the man in charge of UrGa's "secret" security camera network, were all supposed to be asleep in preparation for their return flight to Pridnestrovia, but instead they were still up and awake and staring at multiple computer monitors. Donny had been unable to fall asleep thanks to the note that had been found in his garage after the race, and he wanted to know who could have left it there. So he went to Taras's mobile home and asked him if he could set up a meeting between Donny and the man in charge of the cameras. Taras at first feigned ignorance, and then he asked how Donny was able to find out about the cameras, and then Taras finally led Donny to a small prefabricated shack away from the paddock where a man whom Taras introduced as Svyatoslav was sat in front of a trio of computer monitors showing various camera feeds from locations all over the paddock. Taras and Svyatoslav argued a little bit in Russian and Ukrainian before Svyatoslav finally admitted that he also spoke English (but only some, and with a very thick accent at that) and allowed Donny to look back at the footage that they had acquired the previous day to see who put the note in his garage. They did find something of interest, but instead of seeing someone in a distinctively colored firesuit entering and leaving the garage, the best that they had was a person all in black.

"Can't you, like, zoom in on the guy's face and enhance the picture quality or something?" Donny asked.

"What do you think this is, one of your Western cop shows?" Taras asked back sarcastically. "Even the KGB doesn't have that kind of technology yet. They would certainly love it if they had something like that but it just doesn't exist."

"What a shame," Donny muttered. "I'd love to know who this is, but whoever he or she is, they're certainly making it difficult!"

"You did say there was a name on the note, da?" Taras asked.

"Not a name, just an initial," Donny clarified. "If there was a name on it, do you think I'd go through all this trouble to find out who it is?"

"Let me rephrase then," Taras said. "What was the initial on the note then?"

"It was B," Donny replied. "And there's only two drivers on this grid with B in their names: Blaatschapen and Batu."

"Three, actually," Taras muttered. "You're forgetting about Bryce Yannec."

"Who?" And then Donny remembered. "Oh, yeah. Right. Didn't you guys invite him to the preseason tests?"

"Da," Taras nodded. "He didn't show up, so we never considered him again. Do you think the person who put the note in your garage is Bryce Yannec?"

"Could be, but personally, I doubt it," Donny shook his head. "Yannec doesn't really seem to be the type to check up on his fellow drivers, secretly or otherwise. So really, it is down to either Blaatschapen or Batu. I just wish this person wore their firesuit instead of this all-black get-up so I wouldn't have to keep guessing."

"Maybe they're shy," Taras suggested. "Have you thought of that possibility?"

"I don't know, man," Donny shook his head again. "I just have the feeling that somehow, this person knew they were going to be seen, so they wore all-black so we couldn't identify them just yet."

"I'm sorry we couldn't be of much help to you, Adonis," Taras said.

"Nah, man, it's okay," Donny said. "It was a bit of a long shot anyway."

One week later though, and Donny was still troubled by the possible identity of the person who had left the note at his garage in Buckhaven. Donny had tried to forget about it but he just couldn't. He needed to know who left that note! But he had nothing at all to go on except the letter B. Batu, Bryce, or Blaatschapen? That was the question.

Donny had hoped that he could start his return to the points at the Elbej Historic Site Circuit, and while he definitely had the opportunity to make the most of it by starting the race in P7, some tire mismanagement and a long pit stop made Donny drop out of the points. Donny finished the race in Diarcesia in P11, just out of arm's reach of the points. At least his teammate Sal Kalhu was able to get back in the points, moving up from P8 to P6. Donny wished he could have joined his teammate in the points, but that was just the nature of the beast that was racing.

But Donny still needed to vent, and he had already vented to Taras before, and he didn't want to disturb the chief driver relations officer of UrGa Motorsports from his job. So Donny decided to make a video call.

"Wassup, bro," William Archer said when he answered the video call. "How's Diarcesia been treating you?"

"Honestly, man, it could be better," Donny admitted. "I had a great chance to score points today, and I messed it up."

"I haven't seen the race yet, Donny," William admitted. "What happened?"

"I used up my tires too quickly, man," Donny said. "Well, that, and I also got a slow pit stop."

"Oh man, please don't say the words slow and pit stop anywhere near me right now," William groaned. "Did you know that that was the first time this season that I had a pit stop over 3.1 seconds? The first time! And it had to be at Eelandii of all places as well! Jusko po, Donny, may galit yata yung lugar na iyon sa akin!" (I think that place hates me, Donny!)

"Napanood ko nga yung karera na iyan, William. Kung sa akin nangyari iyon, siguradong magwawala ako! Baka nga mag-huramentado pa nga ako!" (I watched that race, William. If that had happened to me then I'm sure I would have gone crazy! I might even go berserk!)

"Okay, let's try to forget about racing for a moment, Donny," William said after he and Donny had had a good laugh. "How's your life been, man?"

"Well, remember that note that I found in my garage last week?" Donny asked. "It's still bugging me, man. One whole week and I'm no closer to figuring out who it was!"

"Surely you must have a few suspects, at least!" William said in surprise.

"I have! I do!" Donny replied. "My problem is I just can't tell who between Blaatschapen and Batu it is!"

"What about Bryce Yannec? His name starts with a B as well," William suggested.

"Taras already mentioned it before," Donny shook his head. "But like I already told him, I don't think Bryce Yannec is the kind of person to leave notes in other people's garages. So I'm still down to two people, and I still can't decide who between them is more likely."

"I don't know, man. Just try waiting around, see if they leave you another note," William said.

"Yeah, I think I'll try that," Donny nodded. "Today was definitely not a good day for me as far as racing goes, so I think there's a good chance they might drop me something again."

Donny happened to be walking in front of the UrGa garages that moment, and even as he was talking to William via video call, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He looked up from the screen to see a person dressed all in black (black cap, black jacket, black pants and boots) placing what looked like an envelope in front of the garage. "Hey!" Donny called out, and the person looked up, but their face was still covered by the shadow coming from the brim of their cap. "Hey, wait!" Donny shouted, but the person had already run away from the scene.

"Yo, dude, what happened?" William asked from Donny's phone screen.

"You were right, William," Donny replied. "They did leave me another note!" He then bent down and picked up the envelope and tore it open. Inside was indeed another note. It said, I'm here if you need me, watching from afar, and was also signed by B. There was also something that looked like a logo that was printed on top of the note.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Show me!" William demanded, and Donny flipped the screen to show William the note. William read the note, and then he said, "Sounds like you've got a secret admirer, bro!"

"Hah!" Donny snorted. "The way they wrote this makes them sound more like a stalker than anything!" Then in a more serious tone, he continued, "Does that logo look familiar to you?"

"I don't know," William shook his head. "I don't think I've ever seen that logo before. Try asking around."

Right on cue, Taras Gavrilovich Matviyenko, chief driver relations officer of the Urotovsky-Gatutin Motorsports Division, appeared on the scene. "What is that, Adonis?" he asked after the customary greeting. "Is that another note?"

"Yeah, it is," Donny nodded. "And there's a logo on top. Do you recognize it?"

Taras looked at the note and the logo closely before shaking his head. "I don't know, Adonis," he said. "I cannot say. The closest thing to this that I can remember is the Derinkuyu Hellbats. They were—I mean are—a rugby team, but I didn't think they were popular outside the Coalition."

"Hellbats? Rugby? Wasn't there a basketball team called the Bats as well?" William asked. He was still on the line, or more accurately, on Donny's phone screen.

"You're thinking of the Derinkuyu Bats," Taras replied. "They used to be sponsored by a rum company that had a bat on their logo, but when Derinkuyu were relegated from the PBSL (Pridnestrovian Basketball Super League) years ago, the rum company left. But the bat had become such an important part of the team's identity that Derinkuyu renamed themselves the Bats so they could keep on using their bat logo."

"I thought Derinkuyu had that watermelon thing on their logo," Donny said.

"You're thinking of Derinkuyuspor now," Taras said back. "They are a football team."

"So, back to square one once again," Donny muttered, shaking his head. "More notes, more clues, and we're still nowhere near solving this mystery."

It wouldn't be until two weeks later in Aboveland that the pieces would fall into place. Donny had been looking at that second note for those two weeks, scrutinizing it for the slightest hint of the tiniest clue that could solve the case, but still he got nothing. In Aboveland, Donny had looked at the note again, but this time out of habit more than anything else. He looked at the logo with the blue and yellow stripes and the ball in the middle and the bat on top that had reminded everyone else of different teams. The bat that was the first thing everyone noticed when they first looked at that logo. The bat… The bat…

"BATU!" Donny shouted. It was Batu Tüvshinbayar who left that note! But why? Donny didn't know why Batu had decided to leave notes to him of all people, but now at least he knew exactly the person he could ask.

Donny made his way to the Scuderia Orange Cow garages and said, "It was you, wasn't it?"

by **Aboveland** » Mon Nov 15, 2021 10:34 pm

Tervelkommen til Vankkavalta! | Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring

The Abovian capital city of Vankkavalta welcomes the WGP2 circus for the city's first ever international motorsport event! Hosted in the newly constructed Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring, this technical international grade track is the first of its kind in Aboveland, combining high-speed blasts with tricky, twisty corners which are sure to prove the ultimate test of the World Grand Prix rookies' true ability behind the wheel.
Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring is a 5.7 kilometer long racetrack located at the western edge of Vankkavalta, the planned Abovian city which was re-designated capital in 2015 to replace the war-torn sister city of Ayarii. It's a staunch departure from the classical design of Abovian grand prix circuits: built on a flat plane, with elevation change engineered into the design, the track abandons high-speed, sweeping, off-camber corners in favor of a more technically challenging layout: drivers will not only need grand gallant gonads, but also a clinically precise driving style. The risk isn't in closed-in walls or a barrier which leads to an icy bay: drivers will simply have little room for error in Vankkavalta's myriad curved braking zones and double-apex corners, lest they lock their wheels or lose time to their rivals.
As the capital city, Vankkavalta is expected to bear the brunt of the incoming international racing community with far more ease than its central and western counterparts in Avsidesliggednevuoret and Lintulahti. With flights across the universe at the behest of Nordenflyg and other major international airlines, plus an ample amount and variety of accommodation options, the pristine southern port city is ready to shine on the international stage.

A lap of Vankkavalta
Starting on the kilometer long main straight, the circuit drops towards turn one, where drivers must brake hard to carry momentum through the flat surface towards turn two, where they must be clean on exit to take the correct line through the kinks at three and four which, with the right entry, can be taken flat together. Towards turn five drivers must again lift just enough before braking hard towards turn six, a prime overtaking spot where moves down the inside must be assured by turn seven; otherwise, and unless the attacker attempts a switchback down the insides of nine and ten, the hunter becomes the hunted as they find themselves on the outside of eight. Turn eight itself is a rising right-hander, before the track levels off again through turns nine and ten with slight negative camber to slingshot drivers down the straight. The braking into turn eleven, another prime overtaking spot, leads drivers to again make split second decisions: a dive on the inside to keep the overtake by turn thirteen, or round the outside to take the inside for turn twelve? The circuit climbs quite a bit through twelve, but the slope becomes mellow towards thirteen.

Past the sharp but sweeping turn thirteen, drivers again downshift hard for the hard right at fourteen, past which the circuit rises again. Turn fifteen is a crested left kink, not quite flat as cars go light over the tarmac, and it leads into the constant radius sixteen. Here, the exit is key, as drivers are launched towards the tricky light braking zone at the descending turn seventeen which leads into a downward sloping, sweeping, flat-out eighteen. The kink at nineteen is flat-surfaced again, but poses a big challenge as drivers must both make the corner and brake extremely hard for turn twenty. Towards twenty-one, the circuit climbs the steepest it does so in the lap, with the slope decreasing through its apex and past the sweeping turn twenty-two, before going flat before turn twenty-three to lead into the elevated start/finish straight to finish the lap.

by **Filindostan** » Mon Nov 15, 2021 10:50 pm

This is an official press release by the Badai Angin Drivers' Academy on their website.

BADAI ANGIN DRIVERS' ACADEMY

The Badai Angin Drivers' Academy (BAAP) would like to congratulate our academy drivers driving in WGP2 this season for their recent achievements.

Edward Rousseau, academy driver in his second season, won the season opening Nimban Deuxieme Prix while driving for Nexus Racing. This is his second win in his WGP2 career and is currently at second place in the drivers' championship, level on points with Ryden Solow.

Daniel Rae, driving for ANMARA in his first WGP2 season, took second place in his home race in the Hessington Island Grand Prix Course. The result helped ANMARA lift themselves off the foot of the teams' championship along with the ninth place finish of his teammate.

Speaking of his teammate, Alvis Kalvin Lacsamana, in his first WGP2 season, grabbed his first win of his WGP2 career in the latest race at Diarcesia's Elbej Historic Site Circuit, in an exciting closing stages racing with pole sitter Darian Vilau, enabling ANMARA to grab 26 points, with Lacsamana also scoring the fastest lap.

These results show that the academy has strived to look for exciting talents and has made a good decision on signing the young drivers which will surely be WGPC's future drivers.

In other news, we can happily confirm that Indra Vartak, the Pratapgadh driver who is also part of the academy, will be driving for Monghit Motorsport in the WGP3 Esportiva series. It is pending whether Vartak will race under his native Pratapgadh racing license or will race under the Filindostan racing license this season. We wish the driver and our partner team luck in the WGP3 Esportiva season.

OOC: Permission to use Vartak OK'd with Pratapgadh via Discord chat, checked with Licen as well on this.

by **WGP2** » Tue Nov 16, 2021 1:02 am

Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring, Vankkavalta, Aboveland]

WGP2 Race of Aboveland

The Abovian capital city of Vankkavalta welcomes the WGP2 circus for the city's first ever international motorsport event! Hosted in the newly constructed Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring, this technical international grade track is the first of its kind in Aboveland, combining high-speed blasts with tricky, twisty corners which are sure to prove the ultimate test of the World Grand Prix rookies' true ability behind the wheel.
Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring is a 5.7 kilometer long racetrack located at the western edge of Vankkavalta, the planned Abovian city which was re-designated capital in 2015 to replace the war-torn sister city of Ayarii. It's a staunch departure from the classical design of Abovian grand prix circuits: built on a flat plane, with elevation change engineered into the design, the track abandons high-speed, sweeping, off-camber corners in favor of a more technically challenging layout: drivers will not only need grand gallant gonads, but also a clinically precise driving style. The risk isn't in closed-in walls or a barrier which leads to an icy bay: drivers will simply have little room for error in Vankkavalta's myriad curved braking zones and double-apex corners, lest they lock their wheels or lose time to their rivals.
As the capital city, Vankkavalta is expected to bear the brunt of the incoming international racing community with far more ease than its central and western counterparts in Avsidesliggednevuoret and Lintulahti. With flights across the universe at the behest of Nordenflyg and other major international airlines, plus an ample amount and variety of accommodation options, the pristine southern port city is ready to shine on the international stage.

A lap of Vankkavalta
Starting on the kilometer long main straight, the circuit drops towards turn one, where drivers must brake hard to carry momentum through the flat surface towards turn two, where they must be clean on exit to take the correct line through the kinks at three and four which, with the right entry, can be taken flat together. Towards turn five drivers must again lift just enough before braking hard towards turn six, a prime overtaking spot where moves down the inside must be assured by turn seven; otherwise, and unless the attacker attempts a switchback down the insides of nine and ten, the hunter becomes the hunted as they find themselves on the outside of eight. Turn eight itself is a rising right-hander, before the track levels off again through turns nine and ten with slight negative camber to slingshot drivers down the straight. The braking into turn eleven, another prime overtaking spot, leads drivers to again make split second decisions: a dive on the inside to keep the overtake by turn thirteen, or round the outside to take the inside for turn twelve? The circuit climbs quite a bit through twelve, but the slope becomes mellow towards thirteen.

Past the sharp but sweeping turn thirteen, drivers again downshift hard for the hard right at fourteen, past which the circuit rises again. Turn fifteen is a crested left kink, not quite flat as cars go light over the tarmac, and it leads into the constant radius sixteen. Here, the exit is key, as drivers are launched towards the tricky light braking zone at the descending turn seventeen which leads into a downward sloping, sweeping, flat-out eighteen. The kink at nineteen is flat-surfaced again, but poses a big challenge as drivers must both make the corner and brake extremely hard for turn twenty. Towards twenty-one, the circuit climbs the steepest it does so in the lap, with the slope decreasing through its apex and past the sweeping turn twenty-two, before going flat before turn twenty-three to lead into the elevated start/finish straight to finish the lap.

Week 4: Practice

Conditions:      	Dry
Session Length:		75 minutes
Nation:         	ABL
Circuit:        	Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring

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

POS # ▍DRIVER                                	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 45 ▍Parveen Kulkarni                      	00:01:58.822	00:00:00.000
 2 18 ▍Haru Jukkenna                         	00:01:58.835	00:00:00.013
 3 30 ▍Kyidawa Sherpa                        	00:01:58.888	00:00:00.067
 4 84 ▍Angela Stella Tan Fang Ling           	00:01:58.899	00:00:00.078
 5 53 ▍Shalmaneser Kalhu                     	00:01:58.923	00:00:00.101
 6 37 ▍Nikhil Pillai                         	00:01:58.939	00:00:00.117
 7 12 ▍Darian Vilau                          	00:01:58.966	00:00:00.144
 8  9 ▍Batu Tüvshinbayar                     	00:01:58.981	00:00:00.159
 9  0 ▍Vaccinia Poxvirus                     	00:01:58.995	00:00:00.174
10 39 ▍Ahmad Syaqirin Rahman                 	00:01:59.027	00:00:00.205
11 69 ▍Ryden Solow                           	00:01:59.047	00:00:00.225
12 28 ▍Aaron Deering                         	00:01:59.067	00:00:00.246
13 27 ▍Jordan Crowe                          	00:01:59.104	00:00:00.282
14  4 ▍Athan Lille                           	00:01:59.105	00:00:00.284
15 13 ▍David Findlay                         	00:01:59.116	00:00:00.294
16 31 ▍Sullivan Joyner                       	00:01:59.185	00:00:00.363
17 41 ▍Edward Rousseau                       	00:01:59.188	00:00:00.367
18 47 ▍Alvis Kalvin Lacsamana                	00:01:59.197	00:00:00.376
19 88 ▍Ilya Tsunopin                         	00:01:59.352	00:00:00.531
20 13 ▍Sam Blaatschapen                      	00:01:59.408	00:00:00.587
21 25 ▍Pande Putu Raka Ganesha               	00:01:59.594	00:00:00.772
22 14 ▍Skiia Vialiv                          	00:01:59.730	00:00:00.908
23 19 ▍Daniel Rae                            	00:01:59.777	00:00:00.956
24 21 ▍Chiruno Hakusoe                       	00:02:00.398	00:00:01.577
25 74 ▍Adonis Fitzpatrick                    	00:02:01.064	00:00:02.242
26 87 ▍Bryce Yannec                          	00:02:01.271	00:00:02.449

Week 4: Qualifying

Conditions:      	Dry
Qualifying Type:	One Shot
Nation:         	ABL
Circuit:        	Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring

POS # ▍DRIVER                                	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 19 ▍Daniel Rae                            	00:01:53.456	00:00:00.000
 2 41 ▍Edward Rousseau                       	00:01:53.550	00:00:00.095
 3 47 ▍Alvis Kalvin Lacsamana                	00:01:53.578	00:00:00.123
 4 69 ▍Ryden Solow                           	00:01:53.678	00:00:00.222
 5  4 ▍Athan Lille                           	00:01:53.754	00:00:00.298
 6 74 ▍Adonis Fitzpatrick                    	00:01:53.784	00:00:00.328
 7 45 ▍Parveen Kulkarni                      	00:01:53.882	00:00:00.427
 8 28 ▍Aaron Deering                         	00:01:53.920	00:00:00.464
 9 18 ▍Haru Jukkenna                         	00:01:53.950	00:00:00.494
10 27 ▍Jordan Crowe                          	00:01:54.128	00:00:00.672
11 14 ▍Skiia Vialiv                          	00:01:54.215	00:00:00.759
12 30 ▍Kyidawa Sherpa                        	00:01:54.222	00:00:00.766
13 84 ▍Angela Stella Tan Fang Ling           	00:01:54.228	00:00:00.773
14  0 ▍Vaccinia Poxvirus                     	00:01:54.261	00:00:00.805
15 13 ▍Sam Blaatschapen                      	00:01:54.518	00:00:01.063
16 53 ▍Shalmaneser Kalhu                     	00:01:54.638	00:00:01.182
17 87 ▍Bryce Yannec                          	00:01:54.679	00:00:01.223
18 12 ▍Darian Vilau                          	00:01:54.776	00:00:01.320
19 88 ▍Ilya Tsunopin                         	00:01:55.075	00:00:01.619
20 21 ▍Chiruno Hakusoe                       	00:01:55.127	00:00:01.671
21 39 ▍Ahmad Syaqirin Rahman                 	00:01:55.146	00:00:01.690
22 13 ▍David Findlay                         	00:01:55.345	00:00:01.889
23  9 ▍Batu Tüvshinbayar                     	00:01:55.533	00:00:02.077
24 25 ▍Pande Putu Raka Ganesha               	00:01:55.894	00:00:02.438
25 31 ▍Sullivan Joyner                       	00:01:56.241	00:00:02.785
26 37 ▍Nikhil Pillai                         	00:01:56.321	00:00:02.865

Note: Though we extended for some late RPs tonight there was still a popular request to extend further so the RACE will be scorinated in approximately20 hours from this post. The NEXT Race Weekend after this remains unchanged and it will be the first Feature/Sprint Race weekend of the season.

by **Taxonomic Kingdoms** » Tue Nov 16, 2021 3:23 am

Vaccinia was having trouble getting into her firesuit and she couldn't figure out what she was doing wrong.

Her friend Sadie was standing there rolling her eyes and flicking her talons impatiently. Sadie was the goddess of raptor siadenovirus A, but that didn't really roll off the tongue nicely, so she'd adopted the English name Sadie Raptor. "I don't think the cars or the firesuits are designed to fit cows," Sadie said.

Vaccinia realized she had indeed manifested herself in the form of a cow again. "Wow, I'm really not awake." She transformed into anthropomorphic form and the firesuit slipped on easily. She went to get herself a cup of tea to help wake her up. After taking a few gulps, she thought to check and make sure it was not decaf.

She poured herself a second mug and Sadie asked, "Are you sure it's a good idea to drink that much?"

"Yeah, I need to wake myself up," said Vaccinia.

"Okay, but what if you have to pee?"

"Easy." Vaccinia disappeared in a puff of mist and rematerialized a moment later -- only to realize that she had accidentally dropped everything she was wearing onto the floor. She quickly corrected the problem. "I clearly haven't had enough caffeine yet," she said as she went for another tea.

"Have you tried coffee?" one of the mortal crewmen suggested.

Vaccinia shook her head. "Oh no! Coffee is made from seeds!"

"Okay...?"

"I can't drink something that's made from seeds," said Vaccinia. "They have to kill the seeds to brew it."

The mortal crewman still looked very perplexed.

"In the Virias, you are not supposed to kill a living thing for food," Sadie explained. "Tea is okay because you can pick the leaves without killing the plants, but we usually don't drink coffee because coffee beans are the seeds of the plant and you have to kill them to brew the coffee."

"So, like, everyone is vegan?"

Vaccinia and Sadie both shook their heads and looked a little disgusted. "No, vegans kill plants left and right!"

When they were sufficiently caffeinated, Vaccinia and Sadie went down to the track for practice. Sadie flew over the track in the form of a falcon, attempting to keep pace with Vaccinia as she drove her car around the Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring. Occasionally she had to cheat to keep up, flying over the interior of the track instead of following every twist and turn. A few people watching from the side of the track pointed at the bird and commented on how it seemed to be following Vaccinia's car around the track.

So far, Vaccinia had not exactly been knocking the racing world's socks off. She was not accustomed to using so much complex technology that was built from inorganic materials rather than living cells. She felt like she was starting to get a feel for it, though.

In her first race, she had crashed out.

In her second race, she had qualified dead last and also finished dead last. Technically, she had "beaten" a few people who couldn't finish at all, but that didn't count for much.

But here in Aboveland she had been decently fast in practice and qualified 14th. The caffeine was doing its job!

by **Vilita and Turori** » Tue Nov 16, 2021 3:34 am

Tropicorp VilBev GP2

:: Tropicorp Sports

Tropicorp is a quasi-governmental corporation created to conduct Research, Development and Production activities primarily on behalf of the Tropics of Vilita. Located in a remote location on the Calanian mainland a ferry ride from Turoki Island, the Tropicorp campus has grown into a small city-state with a full capacity capital city in Tropicoast.

One example of Tropicorp development has been the extraction and development of special rubber to create high performance racing tyres for testing purposes. After the tests proved successful, It wasn't long before the tooling was done and Racing Tyres were popping out on an hourly basis from the workshop, spinning off a new brand, Tropicorp Racing Supply. Tropicorp Engineers, Scientists and Researchers have repeated this success many times over in various fields of research.

Tropicorp Sports was one of the first new divisions created at the quasi-governmental entity of Tropicorp. With the acquisition of templates and production equipment from 3WD, Tropicorp Sports began producing special edition kits for the Turori National Team. From there the scientists, researchers and engineers at Tropicorp Sports began focusing on improving sporting equipment, ultimately developing the Tcp-X1, one of the most scientifically advanced footsport balls ever developed and a regularly used match ball in domestic and internationstatal sporting events throughout the multiverse. Tropicorp Sports have since developed into a leading supplier of cutting edge sportswear, sporting equipment and even sporting technologies used in the betterment of the experience for players, officials and fans alike. Tropicorp Sports will also be the official supplier of both uniforms and official merchandise supplier

:: Vilaye Energy Drink

Vilaye Energy Drink, supposedly made from natural extracts and minimal artificial processing - but always reluctant to reveal the true ingredients - has long been a supporter of Vilitan sporting ventures. Vilaye stepped up their involvement in Vilitan sport after the restart of the Vilitan league by taking a place as sponsors of the seasonal Tropical Trophy matchup as well as kit sponsorships. Vilaye funded much of the development work for the stand up of the Vilita & Turori Motorsports team prior to WGPC 11 and has been a personal services sponsor for Vilitan drivers R.L. Cruisin and Jama'obo Pegasii throughout their racing careers. The Vilisorma Beverage Company expanded their influence particularly in motorsports during recent seasons, backing NSSCRA Season 6 Champion River 'Shark' Suzgar II and taking the brand new Vilaye EnergySport moniker to the track in standalone special events and into full time competition first on the World Grand Prix 2 Circuit with Vilaye EnergySport Montagne GP during WGP2 Season 4 and now in AOCAR on the Atlantian Oceania GP Circuit. The Vilisorma Beverage Company has entered a partnership with Tropicorp to continue funding a WGP2 entry during Season 5.

:: Beepeean Independent Grocers

On behalf of Beepeean Independent Grocers, we're interested in sponsoring both you and any team that hires you for the forthcoming WGP2 series.
To this end, we offer you a sponsorship of B$h 2,000,000, and will offer a substantial sponsorship to whichever racing team takes the bait.

For this sponsorship, we will also provide a state of the art racing overalls emblazoned with out logo. I mean who doesn't want the word BIG emblazoned across their... never mind.
BIG is keen to sponsor up and coming talent and we were very interested in your WhoTube video. You do need to work on the reversing round the corner though, as you were a little far out at the end. But overall you have decent enough skills.

:: PaKaMo Gear

Based in the Parra Kala Mountains, PaKaMo is the choice provider of Winter Gear from outerwear to sport equipment for many of the Vilitan Union individual Olympians. While Tropicorp Sports is the official supplier for casual attire and athletic gear for Team and Indoor sports, PaKaMo Gear is outfitting all of the Vilitan Union's ski sport athletes in Neverend as well as being the ski and snowboard equipment provider for a number of the Vilitan athletes. PaKaMo got its start in a cabin in the Parra Kala Mountains and has expanded as demand for Winter Athletic Gear and Equipment has risen in the Vilitan Cove region, particularly following the unexpected success of Vilita's performance in the Arcon Olympic Games in Saugeais. PaKaMo maintains its presence in the mountains they have two locations in downtown Yeaddin in addition to the company offices. Fans in the area for the Olympic Games can visit the nearby PaKaMo build house to view the process involved in creating PaKaMo's handcrafted Snowboards.

While PaKaMo is the major sponsor of the Parra Kala Overnight, A Ski-Sports competition traditionally held in Vilita after the first major snowfall (If it occurs) in the Mountainous region in a given season, the XIV Winter Olympic Games were the first time PaKaMo has been affiliated with a major Internationstatal Sporting Event. The brand was a small scale sponsor on Vilitan and Turorian driver Skiia Vialiv attempt to qualify for the Rumble in the Rice Fields event on the IRACT Circuit in the Sherpa Empire and have maintained their relationship with the driver into the World Grand Prix 2 Season with Vilaye EnergySport Montagne GP.

:: Toys '4' All

The leading distributor and retailer of Toys and Games in the Tropics, Toys '4' All prides itself in providing a positive experience for children and adults alike when visiting its stores. Customers enjoy a wide selection of otherwise hard-to-find Toys and Games with Toys '4' All bringing to market toys from independent toy makers and innovators. The future of the Toys '4' All brand likely depends on being able to retain the market share from the independent toy makers using Toys '4' All as a storefront for their goods.

Toys '4' All re-invigorated their brand with the release of their collectors box series representing popular character from many Tivaliwood hit films as well as featuring mascots of the National Footsport Teams qualified or the 80th World Cup. As a result of their internationstatal growth, Toys '4' All has become one of the leading Toy & Collectible production, distribution and retailers in the multiverse and has leveraged sporting relationships to continue to build their brand. During the 7th NSSCRA Season, Toys '4' All introduced its Racing Collectors product line producing small scale replicas of both NSSCRA and World Grand Prix Championship racing cars into a Toy form to be enjoyed by both Children and Collectors across the multiverse and bringing their collection trackside at merchandise booths and dedicated Toy Outlets.

:: Charitable Organizations :: Charitable Organization Logos may be used on any livery without pre-coordination

:: Cocoabo Preservation Society

The Cocoabo Preservation Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to spreading awareness about Turori's native and endangered Cocoabo species, as well as collecting donations and raising funds to help protect, care for and breed Turorian Cocoabo. The Cocoabo Preservation Society has partnered with Tropicorp to develop to Cocoabo Forest just north of Turori.

The CPS does not pay to put its logo on Grand Prix vehicles. Typical sporting arrangements surrounding the use of the CPS logo on Grand Prix Vehicles include special CPS merchandise will made available to be produced and sold with a portion of the proceeds going towards Cocoabo Conservation; the ability of the Cocoabo Preservation Society to use the image and likeness of WGPC cars carrying their logo for promotional purposes as well as special "Go Go Cocoabo!" donation packages and corporate tours of Cocoabo Park and the Preservation Society headquarters.

--- Cocoabo Preservation Society Logo Neutral Color Logo Template ---

by **Sixty-ninE X** » Tue Nov 16, 2021 10:28 pm

Ilya Vadimovich Tsunopin wasn't pissed one bit. Sure, an 19th-place finish on the Qualifying round was less than ideal, and he felt that he made a couple of decisionmaking errors when under tracks with that many turns and kinks involved, but that's to be expected from a Year 1 driver. Still, Ilya knew better than to worry over the qualifying results that he felt, essentially, were qualifying results. Seven drivers finished below him today, and promising results by his teammate Athan Lille, who finished fifth, seemed to suggest that it's not so much on his team, but rather that sometimes life can get tough for a do-or-driver like Ilya and that it's at his best interest to forget and move on.

As he left the qualifying round, he heard from his secretary and manager, Dr. Balthazar Gray, that there have been words of frustrations over meagre results from those he came to socialise in recent times. Shalmaneser Kalhu is even younger than me, so a lot of things must be new. At least he is a promising lad...but why is Bryce Yannec so hesitant? a thread of thoughts flew over his head, as he lit a smoke once out of the vicinities. From his interactions with him, Ilya was getting gists that Yannec, who behaved more like an awkward vet than an experienced rookie, was not as sociable as he had imagined from a Mertagnian. Would it be on his personal side or more a symptom of someone coming from a country that only got out of its shrouds?

It was not something that he had answers though, and Ilya's contemplation was replaced by that of assurance once his limousine was some distance away from Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring and into the Abovian capitol of Vankkavalta. There are always worse options in life, and perhaps the best way to go with it is to just fight the temptation to give up and move forward.

Even for a rookie driver, Ilya was surprisingly calmer than expected, even more so after some poor races in Diarcesia and poorer starts to kick off in Aboveland. As he rested, closing his eyes while lying on the hot bath inside his hotel suite, Ilya reminded himself that there were still plenty of races to improve upon as a motorsports driver. 'Sing Low Sweet Chariot...' he sang with very deep voice, fit just enough to be a professional bass. 'Coming forth to carry me home...' Then, as he inhaled smoke, he couldn't help but to think that letting life figure itself out is best option possible. He's had few bad races, but that's it. He wasn't fighting in a civil war against laser-blasting robo-dinosaurs, or being trapped inside a dungeon of humongous, flesh-eating Drawks. While his sponsors expected a lot on the 18-year old driver, he was still a boy whose classmates would either be serving in the 69Xer Armed Forces or just having the time of their lives as college freshmen.

It was just a race. And he was having lots of fun with it.

by **WGP2** » Tue Nov 16, 2021 11:25 pm

Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring, Vankkavalta, Aboveland]

WGP2 Race of Aboveland

The Abovian capital city of Vankkavalta welcomes the WGP2 circus for the city's first ever international motorsport event! Hosted in the newly constructed Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring, this technical international grade track is the first of its kind in Aboveland, combining high-speed blasts with tricky, twisty corners which are sure to prove the ultimate test of the World Grand Prix rookies' true ability behind the wheel.
Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring is a 5.7 kilometer long racetrack located at the western edge of Vankkavalta, the planned Abovian city which was re-designated capital in 2015 to replace the war-torn sister city of Ayarii. It's a staunch departure from the classical design of Abovian grand prix circuits: built on a flat plane, with elevation change engineered into the design, the track abandons high-speed, sweeping, off-camber corners in favor of a more technically challenging layout: drivers will not only need grand gallant gonads, but also a clinically precise driving style. The risk isn't in closed-in walls or a barrier which leads to an icy bay: drivers will simply have little room for error in Vankkavalta's myriad curved braking zones and double-apex corners, lest they lock their wheels or lose time to their rivals.
As the capital city, Vankkavalta is expected to bear the brunt of the incoming international racing community with far more ease than its central and western counterparts in Avsidesliggednevuoret and Lintulahti. With flights across the universe at the behest of Nordenflyg and other major international airlines, plus an ample amount and variety of accommodation options, the pristine southern port city is ready to shine on the international stage.

A lap of Vankkavalta
Starting on the kilometer long main straight, the circuit drops towards turn one, where drivers must brake hard to carry momentum through the flat surface towards turn two, where they must be clean on exit to take the correct line through the kinks at three and four which, with the right entry, can be taken flat together. Towards turn five drivers must again lift just enough before braking hard towards turn six, a prime overtaking spot where moves down the inside must be assured by turn seven; otherwise, and unless the attacker attempts a switchback down the insides of nine and ten, the hunter becomes the hunted as they find themselves on the outside of eight. Turn eight itself is a rising right-hander, before the track levels off again through turns nine and ten with slight negative camber to slingshot drivers down the straight. The braking into turn eleven, another prime overtaking spot, leads drivers to again make split second decisions: a dive on the inside to keep the overtake by turn thirteen, or round the outside to take the inside for turn twelve? The circuit climbs quite a bit through twelve, but the slope becomes mellow towards thirteen.

Past the sharp but sweeping turn thirteen, drivers again downshift hard for the hard right at fourteen, past which the circuit rises again. Turn fifteen is a crested left kink, not quite flat as cars go light over the tarmac, and it leads into the constant radius sixteen. Here, the exit is key, as drivers are launched towards the tricky light braking zone at the descending turn seventeen which leads into a downward sloping, sweeping, flat-out eighteen. The kink at nineteen is flat-surfaced again, but poses a big challenge as drivers must both make the corner and brake extremely hard for turn twenty. Towards twenty-one, the circuit climbs the steepest it does so in the lap, with the slope decreasing through its apex and past the sweeping turn twenty-two, before going flat before turn twenty-three to lead into the elevated start/finish straight to finish the lap.

Week 4: Race

Conditions:      	Dry
Laps:              	43
Nation:         	ABL
Circuit:        	Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring
Event:	WGP2 Race of Aboveland

POS # ▍DRIVER                                	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
POS  # ▍DRV Name                     Team                     	Time      	Pts	Fastest Lap	
  1 74 ▍FIT Adonis Fitzpatrick            UrGa Motorsports              	01:25:38.817	25
  2 47 ▍AKL Alvis Kalvin Lacsamana        ANMARA                        	00:00:38.483	18
  3 69 ▍SLO Ryden Solow                   Tropicorp VilBev GP2          	00:00:40.090	15
  4 30 ▍SHE Kyidawa Sherpa                Viska White Unicorns          	00:00:46.718	12		
  5 27 ▍CRO Jordan Crowe                  Scuderia Orange Cow           	00:00:51.261	10		
  6 41 ▍ROU Edward Rousseau               Nexus Racing                  	00:00:57.956	8		
  7 19 ▍RAE Daniel Rae                    ANMARA                        	00:01:05.003	6		
  8 14 ▍VIA Skiia Vialiv                  Tropicorp VilBev GP2          	00:01:05.423	4		
  9 53 ▍KLH Shalmaneser Kalhu             UrGa Motorsports              	00:01:06.831	2		
 10 28 ▍DEE Aaron Deering                 Viska White Unicorns          	00:01:07.802	1		
 11 18 ▍JKN Haru Jukkenna                 Nexus Racing                  	00:01:14.392			
 12  9 ▍TUV Batu Tüvshinbayar             Scuderia Orange Cow           	00:01:18.977			
 13 12 ▍VIL Darian Vilau                  Kaylan Junior Team            	00:01:21.876			
 14 45 ▍KUL Parveen Kulkarni              EHF Motospiel                 	00:01:22.543			
 15 84 ▍ANG Angela Stella Tan Fang Ling   Fireline Academy              	00:01:31.811			
 16  4 ▍LIL Athan Lille                   Bitten Heroes Academy         	00:01:38.365			
 17  0 ▍POX Vaccinia Poxvirus             WGP2 Motorworks               	00:01:46.570			
 18 87 ▍YAN Bryce Yannec                  WGP2 Motorworks               	00:01:48.343			
 19 13 ▍FIN David Findlay                 Kaylan Junior Team            	00:01:50.789	 + 1	1:54.986	
 20 33 ▍BLA Sam Blaatschapen              ENSADRINK TDDP                	00:01:54.017			
 21 31 ▍JOY Sullivan Joyner               Fireline Academy              	Laps Down: 1			
 22 39 ▍SYQ Ahmad Syaqirin Rahman         EHF Motospiel                 	Laps Down: 1			
 23 21 ▍HKS Chiruno Hakusoe               ENSADRINK TDDP                	Laps Down: 1			
 24 88 ▍TNP Ilya Tsunopin                 Bitten Heroes Academy         	Ret. Lap 41			
DNF 25 ▍RGA Pande Putu Raka Ganesha       Gajamina Racing Team          	Ret. Lap 18			
DNF 37 ▍PIL Nikhil Pillai                 Gajamina Racing Team          	Ret. Lap 1

Pos # ▍DRV Name                           Team                          Pts
 1 69 ▍SLO Ryden Solow                    Tropicorp VilBev GP2          52
 2 47 ▍AKL Alvis Kalvin Lacsamana         ANMARA                        46
 3 41 ▍ROU Edward Rousseau                Nexus Racing                  45
 4 74 ▍FIT Adonis Fitzpatrick             UrGa Motorsports              35
 5 30 ▍SHE Kyidawa Sherpa                 Viska White Unicorns          29
 6  4 ▍LIL Athan Lille                    Bitten Heroes Academy         24
 7 18 ▍JKN Haru Jukkenna                  Nexus Racing                  23
 7 14 ▍VIA Skiia Vialiv                   Tropicorp VilBev GP2          23
 9 12 ▍VIL Darian Vilau                   Kaylan Junior Team            22
10 19 ▍RAE Daniel Rae                     ANMARA                        21
11 28 ▍DEE Aaron Deering                  Viska White Unicorns          18
12 53 ▍KLH Shalmaneser Kalhu              UrGa Motorsports              16
13  9 ▍TUV Batu Tüvshinbayar              Scuderia Orange Cow           13
14 27 ▍CRO Jordan Crowe                   Scuderia Orange Cow           11
15 25 ▍RGA Pande Putu Raka Ganesha        Gajamina Racing Team          10
16 88 ▍TNP Ilya Tsunopin                  Bitten Heroes Academy         8
17 13 ▍BLA Sam Blaatschapen               ENSADRINK TDDP                6
18 13 ▍FIN David Findlay                  Kaylan Junior Team            5
19 31 ▍JOY Sullivan Joyner                Fireline Academy              1

Pos NAT ▍Team                          Pts
  1 V&T ▍Tropicorp VilBev GP2                                  75
  2 NIM ▍Nexus Racing                                          68
  3 ANM ▍ANMARA                                                67
  4 PDN ▍UrGa Motorsports                                      51
  5 A+D ▍Viska White Unicorns                                  47
  6 LIS ▍Bitten Heroes Academy                                 32
  7 TGN ▍Kaylan Junior Team                                    27
  8 CBP ▍Scuderia Orange Cow                                   24
  9 PCU ▍Gajamina Racing Team                                  10
 10 HDR ▍ENSADRINK TDDP                                        7
 11 ETN ▍Fireline Academy                                      1

Next Race [-Time & Date-]. :: Drummond Vale Circuit, Clayton, Baker Park
OOC Note: The next event will have an extended cutoff window as there will be a Sprint Race 24 hours following the normal Feature.
IC Note: This Race (Round 4, Aboveland) is the first of 3 (5) consecutive races in Atlantian Oceania (Aboveland, Baker Park Feature/Sprint, Aji No Moto Feature/Sprint)

by **Mertagne** » Wed Nov 17, 2021 5:05 am

Practice
"And how are you coming to terms with the fact that you're not always going to be the fastest person on the grid each each week?" Sneered the reporter. Bryce wasn't quite sure exactly what publication they were from, as their press pass blew gently in the cold breeze, and was obscured slightly by their parka coat. Bryce's own coat, a slimmer, more fashionable grey-silver peacoat, stood out against his Silver and red racing overalls which hid underneath. He didn't have to worry about getting engine oil or the like on this one, as there were six more just like it in the Sivaleinen mobile home that was always parked close to whatever track he was racing in.

"I'm just here to do my best, week in, week out. There are a lot of talented drivers on the track, and this is my first international series, so obviously the competition is going to be high. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking for a good finish every race, though. I'd rather not continue my streak of peaking in qualifying."

The reporter continued, unfazed by the response. The camera operator, to their left, continued to keep the camera trained in on Yannec's face. "Your performance has been underwhelming for most, it seems. You've branded yourself -- or rather, your sponsor has branded you -- as this deft, raring to go rookie with a lot to prove, but out on the track you seem to drive like you've been doing this for years and there's not much fight in you."

Bryce smiled a weak smile. "I think a lot of what you're seeing is me just getting used to the car and the calendar. It might shock you to find that this isn't exactly the same as running organs around mountainous roads in Yethal province." he paused slightly. "Well, maybe here it's a bit similar. Lots of twists and turns. I hope that I can be the cause of some of those later in the event, right?"

The reporter gently wrenched the microphone away. "You've come up in the media recently regarding your burgeoning relationship with Ilya Tsunopin; you've been photographed together off the track in clubs, and on the track in the kerbs. Is it hard to be friends with someone that's ruining your race every week?"

"I wouldn't say every week, and he does make up for it by buying me a drink when we're done." Yannec winked at the camera. "I'm joking, of course. This happens when you're racing for the same positions on the track so often, against each other - that's the nature of the sport. I have no hard feelings."

The reporter scowled, as if Bryce hadn't quite given the answer they were looking for. "That's great. And now a few words for us in your native language?"

"You seem to have a solid grasp of it, as you're mostly speaking it right now. I'm fluent in Starblaydi and Krytenian, too, before you ask."

Qualifying
"I hope you've had enough time on this track to acclimatise to it. Driving it's a different experience from the briefing, right?" Soishic's tinny voice filtered through the radio as Bryce began to move around for his flying lap.

"I think I've been making the wrong decision at turns 11 and 19. This'll either work or I'll be dead last again. Nothing to lose, right?" Bryce replied.

"Just keep the car in one piece, please."

Bryce flew off to begin his qualifying lap. Hitting turn one with ease, he was able to expertly make it through to turn two, but required a bit of correction to enter turns three and four effectively, turning the car and losing the pure racing line that other drivers had been able to achieve in the practice. Turn six was dealt with, as the car slotted around the hard corner before he climbed up to turn eight. Making good time considering the speed of the car, he went into turn 11 on the outside of the turn, prioritising the inside line up the hill of turn 12 and making his way into the second technical section of the track. His timing was good, but the car struggled to keep up the pace as he exited turn eighteen down the slope. His change here from practice? He didn't brake until after the turn, which he had been before, now knowing that the car had good enough brakes to stop him before turn twenty. Peeling the car around the turn, he sped up the hill and took the sweeping penultimate turn, hit the apex of turn twenty three and made it across the line.

Feeling the adrenaline, he slowed down and waited for Soishic's siren song to tell him how he did.

"Bryce, whatever you did worked big time. Huge win. Come back and wait to see where you settle in."

Bryce returned to the paddock and sat down, watching the remaining drivers take to the track. It seems that they'd all been eating their vegetables too, as Adonis Fitzpatrick came and smashed his time by about a second. As the results rolled in, placing Bryce near the middle of the pack, he was satisfied in his results when he considered his form in the practice session.

Race
"Bryce, we want a strong finish today. You're in a good spot, the middle of the pack, and you can perhaps go for that fastest lap point that's up for grabs. No DNFs today please."

You never know, Bryce thought to himself as he lined up on the starting grid after the formation lap, clocking Tsunopin in his mirrors and giving him a nod that he wasn't sure the 69X-er would see.

Bryce was ready for all 43 laps of the Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring, and settled deep into the drivers seat as the lights paraded above him. Leaping off in a fairly strong start, he made it down the track as Darian Vilau edged ahead of him into the first corner. The orange flash of Batu Tüvshinbayar's #9 car managed to sneak down the same route that Findlay had found in the back half of the crowd, and Bryce battled with him for a third of a lap before Tüvshinbayar snuck out from behind him at turns 8 and 9. Bryce, now in 20th place, was defending from Ilya while continuing to press against Tüvshinbayar, who was making good progress up the track.

Several laps in, and a strategy for an early pit stop proved to be a good one for Bryce, as he slipped out in 23rd but had plenty of track to push further up and overtake while other drivers entered the pit lane.

Peaking at around 14th, Bryce was performing well, but the pace of the car just didn't meet the mark of the pacier cars from teams such as Scuderia Orange Cow and the Kaylans. Towards the end of the race, tensions ratchedted up as Bryce was on the receiving end of pressure from David Findlay, but Bryce held his mettle and defended well to come two seconds clear the lime car, cementing his finish in 18th place at the end of the race.

"That was a good race today, Bryce. Solid performance. Keep up the work."

The work? No 'good'? Soishic's either messing with me or something's amiss here...

by **TJUN-ia** » Wed Nov 17, 2021 8:52 am

WGP2 S5
Round 4
WGP2 Race of Aboveland
Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring, Vankkavalta, Aboveland
Post Race

"It was you, wasn't it?" Those were the 5 little words that were flying around Batu Tüvshinbayar's head ever since Thursday here in Vankkavalta. After a weekend with zero points for Scuderia Orange Cow, all he wanted to do was just try and focus on the task at hand and get some more points on the board. But that wouldn't happen at all and now, his thoughts were focused on what he said and the road ahead...

Buoyed by a new sponsorship agreement, many at SOC hoped that things would only get better from here. Vaughn Estes was certainly a big help in this regard, trying to will Batu on in a comforting way, as was Helena Kaczakzy, who was quickly becoming a 2nd mum to Batu as she tried to get him as comfortable as possible in his position. These two were angels to Batu in comparison to where he was last season and he would be sure to thank them whenever he could. Practice was tight, as you'd expect in WGP2 at this point, with Batu only a tenth off the pace in 8th and Jordon Crowe, the teammate that was becoming like a brother in this tight-knit team, not far off in 13th. Parveen Kulkarni was fastest over Haru Jukkenna and Kyidawa Sherpa with...him down in 25th.

Qualifying was One-Shot and unfortunately for Batu, he got caught out amongst the madness. The Nøperasinkring was a beast to tame and while he felt he knew enough from Friday, One-Shot Quali was where the mistakes came out. The section from 6-10 would be his downfall as he was a tad too fast, making him fall down to 2 seconds back and 23rd overall. Crowe was better in 10th in the #27 while "he" was 6th. Daniel Rae of all people took a surprise pole over Edward Rousseau and Alvis Kalvin Lacsamana.

The race itself saw a fightback from Batu, who got past the chaos of the 3 retirements to try and climb up the rankings as quickly as he could. In the end, he could only manage 12th but that was alright - his fightback proved he still had pace. Jordan Crowe did even better, converting 10th into a nice P5 that saw him climb to just behind Batu in the standings and SOC a 10 point boost in the Constructors...which definitely earned him a pat on the back from the "Social Outcast". David Findlay got the fastest lap from 19th while your Top 3 today were Ryden Solow in 3rd, AKL in 2nd...and Adonis Fitzpatrick on top spot from 6th.

It seemed fitting that Adonis, the one Batu was messaging as 'B', would be the one to claim this dub...on the same weekend that the two finally met. He had sent the symbol of a football club from U1 with one particular motive: to lead Adonis down the right path in determining who 'B' was and, after 3 weeks, Adonis finally got it. Batu was getting ready for the media day stuff when the next thing he heard was a calm voice saying "It was you, wasn't it?" and just like that, his nerves shot up. He told his crew that he would sort it out and, with a million thoughts in his head, turned and faced the future winner of the weekend's race. The first thing he managed to say was "Y-yes. I-it w-was me." and then everything began to pour out.

He apologised for both his nerves and his form of communication as, due to his "sheltered" upbringing by his parents back in Shinebaishin, he wasn't sure if barging into UrGa's space and asking if Adonis was OK was a good idea. He explained how that after Race 2 of the season he had seen Adonis in a bad place and felt that he could...understand what he was going through. He explained that, as Batu saw it, it looked as if Adonis was being crushed under the pressure of expectation, both as the "new Willam Archer" but also as "the next Taras Matviyenko" - something Batu could understand through his own media pressure to "follow Lane Carter's footsteps". He knew that this assumption could be wrong and, just in case, he apologised for that as well, but as Batu tried to explain, "I-it look l-like y-y-you needed help. So I r-reached out".

It was as simple as that and while he was stuttering like a nervous freak throughout, Batu was happy that he could finally explain himself in person. He didn't know if this would lead to further contact but he was quick to congratulate Adonis for his win anyway, because he felt that was needed. His team's home race back in Drummond Vale is up next and with what Lane did in Eelandii still in the TJUN-ian conscious, he knew the pressure would be on him to claim some big points here as well. He certainly had to try and with SOC on his side, everyone will be gunning for points in front of the home crowd.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

LiteSpeed Mobile WGP2 Grand Prix of Baker Park
AO Grand Prix of the Commonwealth presented by Chappy Cola
CommOil Formula BP Series Round 6

Drummond Vale Racing Circuit

First used for motorsport in 1953 as a motorcycle hillclimb venue, Drummond Vale was slowly developed into a fully enclosed racing facility between 1960-65, and lengthened to its current 3.35 mile (5.4km) distance in 1975 with the addition of the 'Foot' complex to the south of the main straight.
Located in the southwestern corner of Baker Park State, the largest of the seven that make up the Commonwealth, the course sits about 5.5 miles (8.8 km) outside the town of Drummond Vale, and is easily accessible via expressway from the nearest major cities—Clayton, Ezriquay, Hamilton and Belle Haven, the capital of the nation.

There are four permanent track configurations, which can also be mixed and matched at several points; the Club Course is the shortest and is used mainly for karting, open wheel midgets and properly equipped small sports cars for use by members of the DVRC Club; the Vale Course runs longer and includes the flatter area of the infield, where touring cars, Formula BP (open wheel}, and professionally equipped sports cars, along with motorcycles compete; the Hill Course, which was the original hill climb track and used by the same group that race on the Vale; and the full length Championship Course, which will be the configuration on which the WGP2 series will race.

[The following preview assumes a five speed transmission vehicle with a top speed of 162 mph (260.8 kph)]

The run down the front straight leads to the first corner, a sweeping left hander taken in fourth or fifth gear—from the start/finish line its fourth, fifth when the entire length of the straight is traveled—followed by the first heavy breaking area at turn 2, where the runoff area is mainly to the right.
Turn 3 is wider, with a gravel trap to the outside once past the pit lane exit, followed by a quick blast through turn 4 (4 gear) to a left hand widening radius turn 5 before another braking zone at turn 6 (gravel/asphalt runoff to the outside) and another right hander at 7.
The climb to turn 8 is about 2.6% grade and reaching the highest point on the track (5g) brings you to a double apex left hand hairpin (2g) with a minimal downslope to turn 9, a tighter right hand version of the previous corner, with the added factor of the second apex being off camber to the outside and the beginning of the downhill back “straight”. There is gravel outside of both 8 & 9, but asphalt at the exits to both.
The descent includes the 5th gear turn 10 before reaching the chicane, a right-left-right turns 11 & 12 with a heavy breaking zone on the approach. This is the lowest point on the course and after 12, there is a moderate uphill blast to 13, another hairpin that can be taken a bit faster than the other two, followed by the run to 14, a hard braking left hander that is followed by a tight right hand (2g) at 15, the “heel” of the foot, with another run up through the gears to 16, slower on entry than the exit (with the pit lane entrance on the left) then through the sweep at 17 back onto the main straight.
The track has been widened by 3-5 feet at a few points—especially the 4-5-6 complex--to allow for safer side by side racing and allow for smoother transitions to and from the Vale/Hill courses. The chicane has also been widened at the exit.

Last year's WGP2 event at Drummond Vale drew over 50,000 spectators on the Saturday of the feature—the largest crowd at a motorsport event in the history of the Commonwealth--when Pedro Carballal of Sahuarita sat on pole for the “home team”, Scuderia Orange Cow in their second ever race. This year, home hero Jordan Crowe and Batu Tüvshinbayar of TJUN-ia will look to add more accolades to the SOC resume.

Organizers have added additional temporary stands and opened up more area for general admission to accommodate a crowd even larger for the LiteSpeed Mobile Grand Prix of Baker Park and the debut of the Atlantian Oceania Grand Prix of the Commonwealth presented by Chappy Cola, which will see Parkers Sammi Carter and Nick Unger driving the orange, white and blue Orange Cow Racing machines, with an added support race from Formula BP also on the program.

The schedule is as follows: [ICly]
Friday
8:30-9:20 Formula BP free practice
9:30-10:45 WGP2 free practice
11:00-Noon AOGP free practice
12:30-13:15 Formula BP qualifying
14:00-15:15 WGP2 Qualifying

Saturday
10:00-11:00 AOGP Qualifying
Noon-13:15 Formula BP Sprint Race
14:30-16:00 WGP2 Feature Race

Sunday
10:00-11:30 Formula BP Feature Race
12:30-14:00 AOGP Race
15:30-17:00 WGP2 Sprint Race

________________________________________________________________________________________
Press Release
OCR, BCEL team up to support Cocoabo Preservation Society

Orange Cow Racing are excited to announce that both cars entered in the AOGP series will carry the Cocoabo Preservation Society's logo for the remainder of the season. The Turori based non-profit is dedicated to protecting the native jungle species and OCR is happy to contribute in any way they can.

Orange Cow Commercial Director Jill Franklin outlined the initiative yesterday during a media call ahead of the LiteSpeed Mobile WGP2 Grand Prix of Baker Park.

“We've joined up with the BCEL Corporation to help raise awareness of the work CPS is doing and to raise funds for the group's work. Available this weekend at Drummond Vale, there will be merchandise for sale at the Orange Cow Pavilion with the CPS logo on our branded team wear, as well just plain hats, shirts and other items with the Cocoabo image. Proceeds from all the sales will go towards helping the society.
BCEL will also be selling the Cocoa-bo Chocolatey Delectable in specially packaged bottles with the OCR logo all weekend at the track, and also available for a limited time at retailers. A portion of the sales of that will also go to the CPS. With Baker Park working with Vilita & Turori to host the next edition of the AOCAF Cup, we felt it was important show support for our neighbors in this way.”

All flavors of Cocoa-bo Chocolatey Delectable in 12 oz bottles will carry the special Orange Cow labeling for a limited time within the Commonwealth, where BCEL are the exclusive licensee to bottle and sell Cocoa-bo.

All drivers will make an appearance at the OC Pavilion on Friday for a meet & greet, with Sammi Carter and Nick Unger there from 3-5 pm (15:00-17:00) joined by Jason Crowe and Batu Tüvshinbayar at 4pm (16:00) until the track closes at 6pm.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Thu Nov 18, 2021 12:27 pm

Adonis Fitzpatrick shook his head at what seemed to be his own stupidity. The key to solving the mystery of who was leaving those notes in his garage had been printed in color and gifted right to him, and it still took him an inordinate amount of time to get it in the end. It would seem as if the clue of the bat on top of the logo printed on the second was too subtle in its obviousness. In fact, both Donny and the others who were also helping him solve the mystery had said the word “bat” so many times while they were trying to find the identity of the mysterious “B”. Who knew for how much longer the mystery could have dragged itself out had Donny not made the connection now?

But at least now he knew who “B” was. The name was right in the clue: Batu Tüvshinbayar. If he was being honest with himself, Donny had never really noticed Batu before. Sure, Donny had seen Batu at the UrGa facilities in Myrilsk this year and last year as Batu was trying out for the team’s second seat, but beyond that, Donny had not really given Batu a second thought. He just saw Batu like he saw every other driver on the grid: a fellow competitor and nothing more. So it was to Donny’s complete surprise that he realized that there were other drivers out there who didn’t think the same way he did. And he hadn’t even thought of the possibility that someone else might be concerned for him, even though Donny believed he was perfectly fine. Sure, the results in the previous races hadn’t all been kind to him, but Adonis had already compartmentalized it away as just the result of him being a first timer in the world of WGP2. Aside from a few test sessions the previous season, Donny had not yet set foot in the cockpit of a WGP2 car, let alone driven one around for an entire race. The experience had been both rewarding and humbling; rewarding because he was now one step closer to getting into the pinnacle of open-wheel racing, and humbling because now he knew that he had much more to learn and experience before he could truly consider himself capable of going toe-to-toe with these incredible drivers.

And now Donny felt conflicted. On one hand, he wanted to thank Batu for his concern, but on the other, he didn’t really appreciate the fact that Batu had to go through all this secrecy just to get a message across to him. Donny had always preferred being blunt and to the point over sugarcoating things, but then again, Batu might have had his own reasons why he went about this whole thing in secrecy. Donny couldn’t forget about that. But now it was time to talk. Time to end the leaving of notes in other people’s garages and the chasing of shadows around the paddock. It was time for Donny to get face-to-face with his watchful shadow.

“I think I finally know who B is,” Donny confided to Taras Matviyenko on the morning before the practice session at Aboveland. “I’m going now to meet him. If you need me for anything, I’ll be at the Orange Cow garages.”

“Orange Cow, huh?” Taras asked with a raised eyebrow as the pieces fell into place before him as well. But before the two-time WGP2 race winner could say anything, Donny had already left. For his part, Donny wasn’t sure how Batu was going to react to being confronted. Unlike the previous occasions where Batu had just left those notes in Donny’s garage, Donny was going to Batu’s garage for a face-to-face talk. There was no more secrecy involved; everything was going to be out in the open for those inquisitive enough to chase it. And now that he was standing in front of the garage where men in orange were rushing about getting both the place and the car ready for its driver, Donny hesitated. Did he really want to do this? Did he really want to go ahead and talk to somebody out in public about a topic that the other party might prefer to discuss in private? Well, it was too late for that now. Donny was now right in front of the Scuderia Orange Cow garages, and already he was attracting some attention from the crew. No turning back now. Donny took a deep breath and stepped into the garage marked specifically for Batu Tüvshinbayar, and he asked a simple question.

“It was you, wasn’t it? You were the one who left those notes in my garage, right?”

Batu didn’t deny it. In fact, he admitted it, even if it seemed as if it had taken every ounce of his courage for the Mongolian from TJUN-ia to do it. But once Batu had opened his mouth to speak, everything finally came pouring out. Batu had used notes because he thought it might not have been a good idea for him to go to UrGa’s garages just like Donny had done now and just straight up ask the Fleftic driver if he was okay. Batu also mentioned something about seeing Donny in a bad place back in the second race in the Licentian Isles and feeling like he understood Donny’s struggles about having to live up to the reputations of both William Archer and Taras Matviyenko because he was also going through a similar struggle in following the footsteps of fellow TJUN-ian driver and WGPC race winner Lane Carter (who also had a previous history with UrGa).

“Oh, that?” Donny shrugged it off. "To be honest, man, I never really saw myself in that kind of light, and I'm just trying to run my own races. I don't really try to think of myself in terms of how I compare to someone like William or Taras. I want to make my own career out of the shadow of anyone else. When you saw me feeling down, I was thinking about something else, something, well, personal." Donny then gave Batu his phone number, his email address, and his personal social media account (the one that only Donny's family and closest friends knew about). "So you don't have to go sneaking around garages to stick up notes anymore," Donny explained.

But as the first day in Aboveland drew to a close, Donny found himself thinking about the very things he had told Batu he was not thinking about. To be fair though, this was the first time that Donny had actually put any actual thought into it. He did have a pair of very tough acts to follow. Taras Matviyenko was UrGa's first and so far only drivers' champion in CGPRA (Coalition Grand Prix Racing Association), and William Archer literally saved a whole racing team from folding when he won those two midseason test "races", thus proving to the higher-ups at Preston that they did indeed have a car capable of winning races. Now, UrGa didn't look like it was in any imminent danger of closing its motorsports operations, so Donny wasn't going to need to become "the savior of UrGa" anytime soon. On the other hand, neither UrGa nor Donny looked like they were in any position to challenge for either the drivers' or constructors' titles this season. Both driver and team needed consistency to be able to mount a proper challenge in both championships, but this season had proved that consistency was a rare and valuable resource. And in any case, so far his performances on track had allowed him to fly under the radar of the Fleftic motorsports scene, which was exactly how Donny wanted it anyway. Less media coverage meant less attention and subsequently pressure on him. Donny didn't know how William was able to handle being the first ever Fleftic driver in WGPC, and at such a young age too, but he knew that he wished William nothing but the best. Besides, Donny had a strategy for tomorrow, and that was to just let the race flow on its own.

But it seemed though that that meeting with Batu, and those words that he heard from the Mongolian's mouth, might have had a more profound effect on Adonis Fitzpatrick than the latter thought. On race day Donny was just absolutely tuned in. His ears were picking up the slightest breeze, and his fingers were sensitive to the slightest touch despite being covered in the standard fireproof gloves from the official WGP2 supplier. His heart wasn't beating faster than usual, but Donny could still feel the familiar rush of adrenaline flowing through his veins. For some reason, to him today felt like a really good day.

And he was about to be proved right.

Donny got what was perhaps the best launch of his life when those five red lights went out in front of him, and he had to do some maneuvering to avoid the cars directly in front of him. By the time they arrived at the first corner, Donny was now in third place. He then decided to go for the undercut, swapping his red-marked soft tires for a set of hard tires just seven laps into the race. He believed that those hard tires would serve him well for the rest of the race and also give him enough speed and grip to fight off any other would-be challengers for his place. But he was certainly surprised when his engineer informed him that he was now in P1. "But there's still a long way left to go," Vladimir Gennadiyevich Kripchak informed Donny. "Go easy on those tires for a little bit and save them up for the battle near the end of the race."

"Copy!" Donny called out. But he didn't need to worry that much about his tires at the end anyway. For some reason or other, no other car was able to reach Donny Fitzpatrick. Sure, he had to lap a few cars, but as far as the lead went, nobody was around to fight him for it. And by the time Donny crossed the finish line for the final time, he was already thinking ahead to the next race.

"Congratulations, Adonis Fitzpatrick! You are now officially a WGP2 race winner!"

by **Sharktail** » Thu Nov 18, 2021 7:37 pm

The hotel room accommodation at Baker Park is very comfortable. The space is not too small and not too big but enough to satisfy the guests. The service and food provided is very good.

Although the equipment and services provided were solid, it failed to fully attract Syaqirin's attention. 4 races have taken place, Syaqirin still failed to collect any points, other than that he fail to finish in the last 3 races. This situation is constantly happening causing him to be in a depressed state.

Syaqirin saw online news from Sharktail. Many are talking about it. His failure in the previous three races was very disappointing. If the situation continues, he may have to withdraw from the WGP2 rivalry soon. Due to this, Syaqirin also faces other problems because his sponsors may not continue to sponsor him. If this happens, Syaqirin will have to spend on his own to cover his expenses with EHF.

Since last week, Syaqirin has spent a lot of time looking back at the last race. His head was almost full of all the tips and tricks he tried to read and find and get inspiration from former WGP riders. However, all this has not yet been able to give him any results.

At the race in Aboveland, Sayqirin managed to improve his performance in the previous two races in which he only spent 4 laps. In the race in Aboveland, Syaqirin down one lap and finished in 22nd place. The machinery in the race this time worked well and he was able to adjust well, but his time record is still far from good.

Syaqirin finished bathing and preparing. Once done, Syaqirin left the hotel room to join the EHF team staff. This week’s race is at the Drummond Vale Race Circuit. The EHF team still failed to collect any points, so this week's race will be the next attempt for this team. Either Syaqirin or his teammate, Parveen Kulkarni, they will try again to steal points for the EHF team.

by **The Grearish Union** » Thu Nov 18, 2021 9:48 pm

Part 9: Performance Review

Another dismal display — Findlay continues to struggle to find form in WGP2.

The above is the easiest summary that most newspapers put out for the newest Grearish motorsport icon, this year. It really didn't sit right with David, because he was an icon because he was the first one to ever race on the international stage — definitely not because he was being a great performer on the international stage.

The very thought of racing came to David as a means of getting a one-up on his father, who really didn't believe in his ability to excel in anything – even though he made sure each and every one of David's needs were taken care of, financially. The meteoric rise to WGP2 can, and definitely be quite the testament to the opposite, especially if one considers the fact that the Kaylan Junior team were vying for his signature even without the Findlay sponsorship backing. Yet, performances on the track must have been better to actually impress upon people's minds that David is indeed the torchbearer of the pioneering spirit in the Findlay family. Only this time, in racing.

At the Vankkavalta Nøperasinkring in Aboveland in the last round, David found himself floundering way behind even his own teammate Darian Vilau as they both finished outside points. One could perhaps say that 22nd isn't the most ideal spot on the grid to start a race anyway, but David managed to climb up to 19th throughout the course of the race. Which, however, did him no favours as the points still eluded him. In the last few laps of the race, David had some clear track in front of him and a Sam Blaatschapen quite a few seconds behind him — which prompted a quick pitstop for a set of softer tyres in an effort to push for the only points he could get. The lower fuel level in engine made the machine much lighter than it was during the bulk of the race, and a flying lap ensured that he got the point for being the fastest car that did a round of the track.

Needless to say, that was the only point that the Kaylans got themselves this race, but it needs to be a whole lot better very soon. The next race in Baker Park will be of paramount importance to the team in green as they will look to race up to their billing in the series. Being dubbed as 'serial underperformers' isn't the most conducive thing towards having a good media presence, and things must change soon.

It must, however, be noted that there is no pressure from the Kaylan Jr. management on David Findlay as the general consensus is that the car perhaps isn't doing its best on the track and it isn't completely the drivers' fault to be languishing in a lowly 7th-place in the team standings. There is still some pressure on Findlay to prove himself, but that comes from a series below in the form of another Kaylan prospect Miles Tulau, who has recently won a race in the AOGP. The time has arrived for David to actually step up.

by **Bollonich** » Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:01 pm

Tough times
This was supposed to be Parveen’s season, her season to shine with EHF. That didn’t seem to happen in the slightest as after three weekends of hard racing she and EHF were both on zero points. These last few weeks had been a tough set of weeks for the team as their struggles on the track was clearly visible and coming into Aboveland, massive improvements would be required if we were to stay competitive.

“So Parveen, you’ve not scored any points yet. How are you feeling ahead of this weekend?”

“Well, these last few weeks have been tough for me. But I am approaching this weekend with a fresh mind, and I hope we can definitely score some points here.”

“What are you looking on improving this weekend?”

“We definitely need to make steps forward in race pace, I’ve been on and off in qualifying but the races have been really hard. Ahmad getting pole in Nimbus showed us that the car does have pace.”

“Talking about your teammate, how do you think both of you have been getting along?”

“We’ve been getting along pretty well, Ahmad has of course been pushing me to the absolute limit. With his DNF last race, I am sure he’ll be looking to have a better race this weekend.”

Heading into practice, everything was set for Parveen. She needed to desperately have a good session to give her the much needed confidence ahead of the sessions that actually counted. And that’s exactly what she did in Practice putting in a stinking lap and snatching P1 for the session. This was exactly the sort of practice session she needed to get her into the correct headspace for Qualifying. She also had a relatively good qualifying on Saturday finishing P7 in what she would describe as one of the toughest sessions’ of her career.

“P7, that’s P7. Super effort Parveen.”

“Woohoo, that was a nice lap. Where’s Ahmad?”

“Ummm, P21 yeah.”

“Okay, let’s power on guys. Full focus on tomorrow.”

This was a good performance from Parveen and she knew it. She knew how much this would be worth come Sunday. However just like what she echoed in her press conference the EHF car simply lacked race pace as she was overtaken by many a cars getting demoted to 14th position, finishing behind the Kaylan of Vilau. This was yet another race where she failed to score points and after 43 tiring laps she was visibly frustrated.

“Chequered flag, Chequered flag. That’s P14. I know you wanted more but that was the best we could do. Super drive, regardless.”

“Man, man, man. I didn’t have any pace today. Hardly managed to hold onto the back of Vilau.”

“Yeah we’ll talk about it in the debrief. Not on the radio, please.”

“Whatever.”

World Cup 81/82/83/84

A Guide for Race Fans to explore Baker Park

https://www.nationstates.net/nation=commonwealth_of_baker_park/detail=factbook/id=1306797

Generally, the settlement of Baker Park in the late 19th Century was a concentric expansion from Belle Haven, plus the other main points of entry that new immigrants arrived at. In those earliest pre-automotive times, the distance a cargo wagon drawn by a pair of horses could cover in a six hour period determined where temporary Settlement Camps were established. Some of those points grew into permanent towns while others were only afterthoughts on 'camp roads', the routes that were the first to undergo improvement by paving and signage at the turn of the century.

Drummond Vale was one such locality that slid off the radar, although it served as a support village for the extensive farming area at the southwestern corner of the Commonwealth's "Corn Belt".

The construction of the A-50 Expressway between Clayton and Middletown just to the south was the catalyst in the growth of Drummond Vale as an important conduit for farmers to get their crops to market as quickly as those who were closer to the rail line farther north.

The area was officially demarcated and designated as a borough within Northridge County in 1971, and has seen a gradual rise in population that would allow it to declare itself a Township or a Home Rule Area if the next census confirms it has reached the threshold of 15,000.

by **WGP2** » Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:56 pm

Drummond Vale Racing Circuit, Clayton, Baker Park

LiteSpeed Mobile WGP2 Grand Prix of Baker Park

Support Events:
AO Grand Prix of the Commonwealth presented by Chappy Cola
CommOil Formula BP Series Round 6

First used for motorsport in 1953 as a motorcycle hillclimb venue, Drummond Vale was slowly developed into a fully enclosed racing facility between 1960-65, and lengthened to its current 3.35 mile (5.4km) distance in 1975 with the addition of the 'Foot' complex to the south of the main straight.
Located in the southwestern corner of Baker Park State, the largest of the seven that make up the Commonwealth, the course sits about 5.5 miles (8.8 km) outside the town of Drummond Vale, and is easily accessible via expressway from the nearest major cities—Clayton, Ezriquay, Hamilton and Belle Haven, the capital of the nation.

There are four permanent track configurations, which can also be mixed and matched at several points; the Club Course is the shortest and is used mainly for karting, open wheel midgets and properly equipped small sports cars for use by members of the DVRC Club; the Vale Course runs longer and includes the flatter area of the infield, where touring cars, Formula BP (open wheel}, and professionally equipped sports cars, along with motorcycles compete; the Hill Course, which was the original hill climb track and used by the same group that race on the Vale; and the full length Championship Course, which will be the configuration on which the WGP2 series will race.

A lap of the Drummond Vale Race Circuit
The run down the front straight leads to the first corner, a sweeping left hander taken in fourth or fifth gear—from the start/finish line its fourth, fifth when the entire length of the straight is traveled—followed by the first heavy breaking area at turn 2, where the runoff area is mainly to the right.
Turn 3 is wider, with a gravel trap to the outside once past the pit lane exit, followed by a quick blast through turn 4 (4 gear) to a left hand widening radius turn 5 before another braking zone at turn 6 (gravel/asphalt runoff to the outside) and another right hander at 7.
The climb to turn 8 is about 2.6% grade and reaching the highest point on the track (5g) brings you to a double apex left hand hairpin (2g) with a minimal downslope to turn 9, a tighter right hand version of the previous corner, with the added factor of the second apex being off camber to the outside and the beginning of the downhill back “straight”. There is gravel outside of both 8 & 9, but asphalt at the exits to both.
The descent includes the 5th gear turn 10 before reaching the chicane, a right-left-right turns 11 & 12 with a heavy breaking zone on the approach. This is the lowest point on the course and after 12, there is a moderate uphill blast to 13, another hairpin that can be taken a bit faster than the other two, followed by the run to 14, a hard braking left hander that is followed by a tight right hand (2g) at 15, the “heel” of the foot, with another run up through the gears to 16, slower on entry than the exit (with the pit lane entrance on the left) then through the sweep at 17 back onto the main straight.
The track has been widened by 3-5 feet at a few points—especially the 4-5-6 complex--to allow for safer side by side racing and allow for smoother transitions to and from the Vale/Hill courses. The chicane has also been widened at the exit.

Week 5: Practice

Conditions:      	Dry
Session Length:	75 minutes
Nation:         	CBP
Circuit:        	Drummond Vale Circuit

POS # ▍DRIVER                                	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 18 ▍Haru Jukkenna                         	00:01:37.969	00:00:00.000
 2 14 ▍Skiia Vialiv                          	00:01:38.032	00:00:00.063
 3 27 ▍Jordan Crowe                          	00:01:38.083	00:00:00.114
 4 31 ▍Sullivan Joyner                       	00:01:38.126	00:00:00.157
 5 28 ▍Aaron Deering                         	00:01:38.135	00:00:00.166
 6 13 ▍David Findlay                         	00:01:38.191	00:00:00.222
 7 74 ▍Adonis Fitzpatrick                    	00:01:38.230	00:00:00.261
 8  9 ▍Batu Tüvshinbayar                     	00:01:38.253	00:00:00.284
 9  4 ▍Athan Lille                           	00:01:38.263	00:00:00.294
10  0 ▍Vaccinia Poxvirus                     	00:01:38.393	00:00:00.424
11 12 ▍Darian Vilau                          	00:01:38.422	00:00:00.453
12 25 ▍Pande Putu Raka Ganesha               	00:01:38.448	00:00:00.479
13 69 ▍Ryden Solow                           	00:01:38.478	00:00:00.509
14 41 ▍Edward Rousseau                       	00:01:38.525	00:00:00.556
15 37 ▍Nikhil Pillai                         	00:01:38.558	00:00:00.589
16 33 ▍Sam Blaatschapen                      	00:01:38.560	00:00:00.591
17 21 ▍Chiruno Hakusoe                       	00:01:38.620	00:00:00.652
18 19 ▍Daniel Rae                            	00:01:38.660	00:00:00.691
19 47 ▍Alvis Kalvin Lacsamana                	00:01:38.761	00:00:00.792
20 87 ▍Bryce Yannec                          	00:01:38.855	00:00:00.886
21 45 ▍Parveen Kulkarni                      	00:01:38.929	00:00:00.960
22 88 ▍Ilya Tsunopin                         	00:01:38.943	00:00:00.974
23 53 ▍Shalmaneser Kalhu                     	00:01:39.012	00:00:01.044
24 39 ▍Ahmad Syaqirin Rahman                 	00:01:39.156	00:00:01.187
25 84 ▍Angela Stella Tan Fang Ling           	00:01:39.495	00:00:01.526
26 30 ▍Kyidawa Sherpa                        	00:01:39.556	00:00:01.587

Week 5: Qualifying

Conditions:      	Rainy
Qualifying Type:	Traditional
Nation:         	CBP
Circuit:        	Drummond Vale Circuit

POS # ▍DRIVER                                	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 37 ▍Nikhil Pillai                         	00:01:48.895	00:00:00.000
 2 27 ▍Jordan Crowe                          	00:01:48.898	00:00:00.003
 3  9 ▍Batu Tüvshinbayar                     	00:01:48.926	00:00:00.031
 4 31 ▍Sullivan Joyner                       	00:01:48.937	00:00:00.041
 5 28 ▍Aaron Deering                         	00:01:48.952	00:00:00.056
 6 33 ▍Sam Blaatschapen                      	00:01:49.038	00:00:00.143
 7 69 ▍Ryden Solow                           	00:01:49.051	00:00:00.155
 8 47 ▍Alvis Kalvin Lacsamana                	00:01:49.073	00:00:00.178
 9 19 ▍Daniel Rae                            	00:01:49.075	00:00:00.179
10 21 ▍Chiruno Hakusoe                       	00:01:49.103	00:00:00.207
11 18 ▍Haru Jukkenna                         	00:01:49.103	00:00:00.208
12 74 ▍Adonis Fitzpatrick                    	00:01:49.179	00:00:00.283
13 12 ▍Darian Vilau                          	00:01:49.202	00:00:00.307
14 13 ▍David Findlay                         	00:01:49.239	00:00:00.344
15 53 ▍Shalmaneser Kalhu                     	00:01:49.248	00:00:00.353
16 25 ▍Pande Putu Raka Ganesha               	00:01:49.326	00:00:00.430
17 84 ▍Angela Stella Tan Fang Ling           	00:01:49.393	00:00:00.498
18 41 ▍Edward Rousseau                       	00:01:49.414	00:00:00.519
19 14 ▍Skiia Vialiv                          	00:01:49.530	00:00:00.635
20 45 ▍Parveen Kulkarni                      	00:01:49.555	00:00:00.660
21  4 ▍Athan Lille                           	00:01:49.697	00:00:00.802
22 30 ▍Kyidawa Sherpa                        	00:01:50.295	00:00:01.400
23 87 ▍Bryce Yannec                          	00:01:50.342	00:00:01.446
24 39 ▍Ahmad Syaqirin Rahman                 	00:01:50.893	00:00:01.998
25 88 ▍Ilya Tsunopin                         	00:01:51.592	00:00:02.697
26  0 ▍Vaccinia Poxvirus                     	00:01:53.351	00:00:04.456

Week 5: Race

Conditions:      	Light Showers
Laps:              	45
Nation:         	CBP
Circuit:        	Drummond Vale Circuit
Event:	LiteSpeed Mobile WGP2 Grand Prix of Baker Park

POS  # ▍DRV Name                            Team                     	         Time      	Pts	Fastest Lap	
  1 27 ▍CRO Jordan Crowe                  Scuderia Orange Cow           	01:22:58.529	25		
  2  9 ▍TUV Batu Tüvshinbayar             Scuderia Orange Cow           	00:00:03.746	18		
  3 18 ▍JKN Haru Jukkenna                 Nexus Racing                  	00:00:15.055	15		
  4 33 ▍BLA Sam Blaatschapen              ENSADRINK TDDP                	00:00:23.420	12		
  5 69 ▍SLO Ryden Solow                   Tropicorp VilBev GP2          	00:00:23.588	10		
  6 21 ▍HKS Chiruno Hakusoe               ENSADRINK TDDP                	00:00:25.467	8		
  7 31 ▍JOY Sullivan Joyner               Fireline Academy              	00:00:25.571	6		
  8 28 ▍DEE Aaron Deering                 Viska White Unicorns          	00:00:31.926	4		
  9 47 ▍AKL Alvis Kalvin Lacsamana        ANMARA                        	00:00:35.356	2		
 10 37 ▍PIL Nikhil Pillai                 Gajamina Racing Team          	00:00:36.433	1 + 1	1:45.960	
 11 19 ▍RAE Daniel Rae                    ANMARA                        	00:00:37.441			
 12 30 ▍SHE Kyidawa Sherpa                Viska White Unicorns          	00:00:53.181			
 13 84 ▍ANG Angela Stella Tan Fang Ling   Fireline Academy              	00:00:54.084			
 14 53 ▍KLH Shalmaneser Kalhu             UrGa Motorsports              	00:00:56.700			
 15 41 ▍ROU Edward Rousseau               Nexus Racing                  	00:01:04.568			
 16 74 ▍FIT Adonis Fitzpatrick            UrGa Motorsports              	00:01:06.021			
 17 12 ▍VIL Darian Vilau                  Kaylan Junior Team            	00:01:06.490			
 18 14 ▍VIA Skiia Vialiv                  Tropicorp VilBev GP2          	00:01:08.412			
 19 45 ▍KUL Parveen Kulkarni              EHF Motospiel                 	00:01:08.454			
 20 87 ▍YAN Bryce Yannec                  WGP2 Motorworks               	00:01:14.865			
 21 25 ▍RGA Pande Putu Raka Ganesha       Gajamina Racing Team          	00:01:15.246			
 22 13 ▍FIN David Findlay                 Kaylan Junior Team            	00:01:21.051			
 23  0 ▍POX Vaccinia Poxvirus             WGP2 Motorworks               	00:01:28.326			
 24 88 ▍TNP Ilya Tsunopin                 Bitten Heroes Academy         	00:01:45.758			
 25 39 ▍SYQ Ahmad Syaqirin Rahman         EHF Motospiel                 	Laps Down: 1			
 26  4 ▍LIL Athan Lille                   Bitten Heroes Academy         	Laps Down: 1

SPRINT RACE to Follow in ~21 Hours - Invert Top 8 for Starting Grid, 160km Distance. Points to Top 8 Finishers :: Drummond Vale Circuit, Clayton, Baker Park

by **The Sherpa Empire** » Fri Nov 19, 2021 4:40 am

Kyidawa hummed to himself as he made his way into VSK-WU facilities at the Drummond Vale Circuit. Now and then he sang snatches of lyrics about gathering medicinal mushrooms in the mountains, but he kept losing his place, forgetting the words, or getting distracted by people he passed. He smiled and greeted the techies at their computers as he walked by them. Things had been going well recently. He had finished in the points both of the last two races, and he was ahead of his teammate in the drivers' standings -- but not by enough to stir up bad feelings. Deering had found some success of his own and had a nice visit from his family.

Kyidawa's sister Pasi was in Clayton for the weekend, and he was planning to meet up with her for lunch later and show her around the track a little.

Everything seemed good as he settled into the driver's seat for some practice laps. The radio sounded fine when they tested it. He did a couple of slow warm up laps, but then when he tried to speed up and do one at race speeds, he accidentally clipped a wall and damaged his car.

Well, that ruined his mood. They might be able to fix it in time for the race, but it still massively annoying and worrisome. Kyidawa was told that he needed to be more careful, and he said, "Yeah, I know. Sorry."

When Kyidawa showed his sister around after lunch, he had to make sure they didn't distract any of the crew who were scrambling to repair the car. "Wow, everyone is so serious," Pasi commented.

"WGP is serious business," Kyidawa said.

Pasi was a little intimidated by all the big crowds, excitement, and very competitive people. She was the youngest sibling in Kyidawa's family and the only one who didn't have an interesting well-paying career. Their brother Pema was a mountain guide (like their father and a couple of other male relatives), their sister Nyimdoma was doing medical research, and of course Kyidawa had his racing career. (If Kyidawa's parents ever complained that they were worried about him because racing was dangerous, he would just remind them what the other men in the family did for work. Mountain climbing was dangerous too.)

Qualifying went better than practice, but only in the sense that Kyidawa didn't damage his car. There was nothing else good about it. The sloppy rainy weather was a pain in the ass to drive in, and he was going to be starting near the back in 22nd.

"At least I don't have to worry about any threats from behind," he joked to Pasi as they returned to the track the next morning. Of the four drivers starting behind him, Tsunopin was the only one who he saw as any threat at all. He glanced anxiously at the sky. It looked like it might rain again.

The rain wasn't actually that bad. They had to keep an eye on the weather, but it turned out not to be a big problem. Kyidawa worked his way up to 12th. He couldn't quite crack the top 10, but there was still another chance to pick up some points tomorrow at the sprint race...

by **Adab** » Fri Nov 19, 2021 11:29 am

Life on the Edge
An Adabian tries to make it in the racing world

Chapter 9: Pebble in the Shoe

WGP2 Season 5
WGP2 Grand Prix of Baker Park (Race 5)
Drummond Vale Racing Circuit

Saturday

Every obstacle brings with it a shadow of doubt and uncertainty. That certainly was how Shalmaneser Kalhu felt right now. A first-place finish in the non-points race at the very beginning of the season had fizzled into a mixture of lower top 10 and midtable finishes. Maybe that start was a false mirage. Now was the moment of reckoning, and he was being exposed in front of the world. That win was a false dawn; clearly the sun had never risen at all, and never intended to.

The stars had aligned for his teammate Adonis Fitzpatrick back in the previous race in Aboveland. Finishing ninth himself, Sal watched happily as Donny ascended the center of the podium, towering over Alvis Kalvin Lacsmana and Ryden Solow, receiving the adulation of the crowd and the 25 points that came with the win. To the victor go the spoils. Well, except in Sal’s case. The very first winner of the season and he had absolutely no points to show for it. He was genuinely happy for Donny – he deserved the victory, no question about it – but those missing points lingered on in the back of his mind. What could have been.

There was nothing he could do but move on to the next race. But here, at the Drummond Vale Circuit, so far things had not taken a turn for the better. A 14th-place finish in the feature race amid the light rain could not be possibly be construed as a sign that things were getting better. Donny finished 16th, so it was a team problem and not Sal’s alone, but that did nothing to comfort him. Those missing points were still chasing him.

It wasn’t all over yet in Baker Park, however. They still the sprint race to look forward to on Sunday, a chance to maybe, just maybe, storm back to a top 8 finish and grab those precious points. Or at least an opportunity to prove to the world that Shalmaneser Kalhu wasn’t that terrible a driver. That he was competent and had what it took, even if he wasn’t one of the best.

In his room he had just finished his regular call with Mustafa, who ranted – again – about the ills of socialism and socialist engineering, though he at least did try to encourage Sal to make the best of the situation. But tonight, he felt little. No fear, no excitement, no joy, no anger, just a little tiredness.

As he set the chair down to overlook the night, he went through the list of contacts in his phone and placed a call to the one person he knew he could – and actually wanted – to talk to in moments like this.

“Oh, hi Aida,” he began slowly, as if unsure of his own words. It was she who insisted that he call her by her first name. The relationship between a manager and his client, as well as the age gap between them, were no barrier, she insisted. He agreed, even if he was pretty uncomfortable with it at the beginning and caught himself calling her “Ms. Kaykali” at times. He had grown comfortable calling her Aida now, even as he looked up to her as some sort of motherly figure.

“Hi there,” said the warm voice from the other end of the line. “It’s pretty late. You haven’t gone to bed yet? Remember you’ve still got the sprint race tomorrow!”

“I know,” Sal said, his forming smile and the little giggle that came with it the only things that came remotely close to raising his otherwise flat voice. “Look, uh, I remember you once said something about, you know, your father once said something about climbing mountains and the obstacles that come with it-“

“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out, it’s the pebble in your shoe,” Aida offered. “Well yeah, my father once said that to me, but it’s from Muhammad Ali.”

“Yeah, right,” Sal continued. “So, uh, I just want you to know that, uh… I think of this whole thing as the pebble in my shoe, and you’ll know I’ll keep trying and nothing can wear me out. I don’t know if it’s possible, but I think I still want to get back on the podium. And win.”

by **Diarcesia** » Fri Nov 19, 2021 5:22 pm

LiteSpeed Mobile WGP2 Grand Prix of Baker Park
Feature Race

The temperature was still high over at Drummond Vale, despite the light showers, and the heat of her racing overalls was starting to get into Sam Blaatschapen. She felt like she was about to burst into beast mode to somehow channel it to a heat sink or something, but she kept her cool. Only the utter concentration required from navigating the circuit distracted her from imagining the stench she might have.

It was worth it, for she emerged from the scrap at fourth, behind the Orange Cow 1-2 and Nexus's Haru Jukkenna. What's more, her teammate Chiruno was at sixth, garnering a grand total of 20 points for the team.

Sam looked forward to get into the shower at the first opportunity.

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