WGPC :: World Grand Prix Championship 19 [COMPLETE]

[Filindostan]

Yogyakulta International Circuit
Media day

RUSTY #71 ✓

@RustyIbuna71

As promised with the folks at @GoodMotorOil. I actually bargained for the Good logo to appear only at my home race but they asked to modify the helmet design as exchange.

#IGotGood : #GetGood : #WGPC

Rusty's twii attracted multiple likes around the multiverse when they remembered the bet the Filindo driver had with the Hapiloppian company's marketing division. WIth Ibuna failing to win any races last season, he was forced to adhere to the conditions of the bet, but people wondered why the Good logo did not appear in the overalls of the Badai Angin driver, and it seems they had a deal struck to have the logo appear only at Filindostan of all races, with the logo and color scheme affecting the helmet as well.

Rusty was anticipating this twii when various members of the media approached him, but it was a different, more difficult question that met his ears.

"Rusty, being the lead driver at Badai Angin, how would you feel with your teammate Dom Falepeau leading the drivers' championship going to the second half of the season?"

"Was there any team orders in place to ensure you win the drivers' championship this time?"

"Rusty, what is your current relationship with Dom in the team? Do you share track data? Is there any animosity right now between the two of you?"

Rusty initially stuttered when he started to respond to the questions raised to him, but he was able to compose himself in answering each of the questions.

"It's... not... the end of the world... for me. I believe I can still challenge for the drivers' championship, and I should not rely on team orders to get the results I need. I currently maintain a professional relationship with Dom, other specific details are confidential and I cannot share to you myself, please reach out to Tauro for these types of questions."

He was able to finish his statement before standing up, waved at his fans and the media, and rendezvous with his engineer and crew for the track inspection.

[Diarcesia]

Autodromo Internazionale de Rivoli, Nekoni
Gran Premio di Nekoni
Pre-Race

In the frenetic pace of the PB garage, Aldauren tries his best to grab their attention. "I'm going to use this for motivation. The next time someone tries to tell you how good you are in what you do, just thank them. They see that you are at your best. It's a lesson I think I learned well."

"I appreciate the words," one of Laura's mechanics calls out in reply.

"Give Steve and Rony my regards."

"Sure!"

The team principal recognizes how his number one driver took her qualifying performance hard. Once he reaches her, he tells her what he meant to tell the day before. "Wish you the best, Laura. Yesterday's qualifying is not indicative of your skills as a driver. We have our down days sometimes. Let's look towards the future, okay?"

...

***

The second of the PB drivers to pit, Laura awaits for all the tires to be changed, only for more trouble to befall her race. Her radio is on. "What happened there?"

"Wheel gun issues for both the front-left and right as I've been told. Fortunately it didn't happen to Dario."

Meanwhile in the pitwall, Aldauren couldn't believe the scene unfolding before him. "A pit mishap!? Come on, guys, we're better than this."

Erik is quick to formulate a possible explanation to Aldauren. Creusa overhears it also, but her attention is fully allocated to Dario's race for her to do anything about it.

"Erik, that sounds plausible, thank you. To think that it happens in a race..." he can only shake his head in resignation. "Maybe we should change our team name to 'Pit Bunglers' if this keeps on happening."

We have a name, we have a brand, and I loathe that I have a hand at changing its reputation for the worse. In handling this minor disaster, I don't want to look like a dick.

He waits for his emotions to subside before he shares his thoughts with the men and women involved in Laura's stop. "Look, it's no one's fault. We have layers upon layers of checks and sometimes, things like this slip through. We will find it out and the test is for this to never happen again."

The stakes are getting higher and higher. Laura's car encounters a puncture shortly after this incident, hence it ensures that she will not get points this race. Everything now rests on Dario to bring something at the end. Thankfully, to Aldauren and everyone in PB's relief, he is able to deliver with a P8 and its accompanying four points.

"Mate, that is awesome driving. P8," says Creusa to Dario. "It's been kind of shitty but we made the best out of our starting positions. Here's to more good races."

---

In the drivers' title race, the Turorian iBen Toralmintii has managed to be within striking distance of the lead by just being 8.5 points behind the Togonistani Dom Falepeau. Going into the Nekoni GP, Tropicorp Racing Ælund is on the upswing, with Sara Luna grabbing pole position and later a race podium. It is a much needed statement from her that she is still a competitive driver, and that together with iBen, they can close the gap with Badai Angin in the constructors' championship.

"We are putting a lot of energy into the AGP004, which has been a lot of work for us on the side," Sara Luna says. "It's a nice feeling being on pole after everything in the past races, and I think that our efforts has been a good sign. I think we will be able to secure the second place in the constructors' and fight for the title."

With the first half of WGPC19 at an end, the rumored personal title ambitions of Luna are all but extinguished. It is expected that she made the switch to a supporting role to iBen's own campaign. It is noted that his most recent at WGPC18 was frustrated in the last race when he failed to finish and his then-teammate Terho Talvela ultimately took his third (and second consecutive) drivers' championship. It was a bitter disappointment for Toralmintii, who was favored to clinch his first title. It is now his, and TRÆ's, hope that he will succeed this time, now that he is perceived to be in the twilight of his grand prix racing career.

"This is one more chance, but I have to put my best foot forward," iBen reportedly told the team. "If I couldn't do that, then I am indeed not worthy of the title. So I will be honest with you, there's a good chance that in the end, I am just another middle of the pack driver if I fail yet again."

The team worked hard to salvage their rocky start this season, as evidenced by iBen's quick rise in the leaderboard. Even though Badai Angin is a favorite in the next event, the Filindostan Grand Prix, TRÆ is now seen to be able to keep up: a scenario of iBen winning the race and fastest lap with Dom finishing second will see the championship protagonists within half a point of each other.

[Chromatika]

Nekoni
Mid Race

Nobody expects a tire puncture in lap 34 when you're doing so well in a race.

It had taken the whole season so far to get the best position that she'd had starting off, and she was going to blow it. As Vladimir urged the mechanic crew to hurry, her mind went through a thousand and one different things. The people she was letting down, namely Kaylan Racing Team, her parents, and... Scarlett?

Why would she think of Scarlett now? Sure, they were working together in getting Anola prepared for that big convention in a few weeks, where she would be bumping shoulders with Chromatik sporting royalty; sure, Scarlett was one of her best friends from home, someone who had been in her corner since she was a young teenager, someone who had helped her make the decision to pick racing over being a mechanic, someone...

The sunlight streaming down in rays, silhouetted by a clear blue sky, with the wind blowing around them as they stood at the top of Mt. Nial in a rare sunny day, having made the hike from 5AM in the morning, three days after Scarlett had surprised her by taking her on a trip to the Mountain District, knowing that in the next week, Anola would start down the path of having regular races and therefore not much time to indulge in her love of hiking...

Her nineteenth birthday, where Scarlett surprised her with footage of all the races in WGPC 11-15, reminding Anola that yes, she, Anola "Wrench" Melani from Alnio, would be at that stage one day to change history forever...

That night in Myana a few months ago where Scarlett had expressed how sad she'd been to not have been involved during the WGP2 season at all, though Anola had called her here and there, with Scarlett letting Anola know that she'd pulled strings to make sure that she would be covering the WGPC season this coming year, which led to the two of them going on and on about places that they could visit, cuisines to try, cultures to experience...

"Anola?" Vladimir's voice cut through her reverie. Anola could tell that her cheeks were flushed beyond the usual that came from the racing, but she hoped that she would be able to pass it off.

She gave him a thumbs up as the pit stop crew got out of the way, and she maneuvered her car back onto the track. She still had a race to finish, and maybe, just maybe, she'd give herself the time to think through those things afterwards.

Nekoni
Post Race

It'd taken all that she had to finish in tenth place. It turns out, missing out a chunk of the time getting a tire changed when you weren't planning on it will put yourself behind. She'd had to use every trick in the book, sometimes even ignoring Vladimir's warnings, to finish in tenth place and net a point. She'd been so determined to make sure that the starting position that she had wouldn't go to waste.

As she sat in the vehicle, adrenaline surging through her, Vladimir gave her a look. She gave another thumbs up, and he let her be. Her eyes then fell upon another face.

A red haired, freckled face, with eyes that pierced into her very soul. Scarlett was actually there - on the track, of all places - and she was striding toward Anola with a purpose.

How had she even gained access? Before Wrench could even work it out, Scarlett was right in front of her with a stern look on her face, and she was removing Wrench's helmet.

"Do you know, Anola Melani, how worried I've been?" Came her voice, a bit panicked, "That was a heck of a spinout, and how you got to the pit stop at all is a miracle. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Anola stared at Scarlett, incredulous. She didn't owe Scarlett anything, but a part of her found this... endearing.

"It's a part of the sport," Anola responded, getting out of the car and thankful that she had taken the car back to the area where press weren't allowed, "It's all part of the risk that we take every time we drive."

"And then," continued Scarlett as if she hadn't heard, "You do even more than that by driving like a crazy person after the tire stop? I saw you cut through people at least three times - you're so lucky that you didn't cause a crash!"

Anola held up a hand as if to try to have Scarlett stop, but she wasn't having any of it.

"They never said I'd have to watch you almost kill yourself once in a while. I'm not sure if that's worth this gig."

Then, Scarlett stood there, cheeks flushed, eyes furrowed, and Anola Melani finally realized what was going on when hear heart skipped a beat.

"Well?" continued Scarlett, a bit surprised that Wrench hadn't retorted. Then, her eyes changed from anger to worry as she put a hand on Anola's shoulder.

"You okay?" she said, now concerned.

"Yeah," answered Anola, "Sorry I was a bit reckless. I was just so determined to put together a good showing." She could barely trust her voice, but she willed herself to act like nothing was different, hoping that the ordeal that had been the race would give her enough of a reason for her behavior.

Scarlett sighed.

"Come on," she said, helping Anola stand by having her lean in, "You've had enough today without me badgering you. Let's get you some rest."

Hoping that her increasing heartbeat wouldn't be recognizable, Anola leaned into Scarlett as the two of them made their way off the track.

At that moment, Anola "Wrench" Melani knew three things for the first time in her life:

The first, she could put together an impressive race if she threw caution to the wind - though that might end up with her life expectancy being shortened by more than a handful of years.

The second, Kaylan would stand behind her no matter what, or, their word was good. Vladimir and Xander were good people, and they knew that good things took time.

The third, Anola had a crush on one of her closest and best friends, Scarlett Miyashiru.

[Aboveland]

Val de Rivoli, Nekoni

The Carvenlo machine skitters off towards the outside of turn thirteen, uninterrupted by Janne's desperate inputs to keep the car between the white lines. His teammate has gained on him on the final lap; they're both toiling around in the shoe-sole tier of the leaderboard, where the TV cameras don't focus, where the commentators look at to have a laugh, and where the pundits dish out consolation points in their race-end numerical reviews.

"Fucking shit," Janne mutters; he regains his line, but his braking into turn eighteen is just as sloppy as his line past the crested right-hander — and just as sloppy as it had been for the past 51 laps.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" he moans again, this time with the full weight of his body concentrated on his thumb as he squeezes the brake pedal — his thumb inadvertently pressing down on the radio button.

"Radio off," relays Antti. "The end is just around the corner."

It's little consolation. The season had seemed promising in Liventia: the win for RL at the team's home, and his own points finish, bode well for the rest of the season, and it had looked like his return to 'analog driving', as Antti liked to call it, was about to be the key to his remaining unlocked potential. Alongside the most seasoned driver in WGPC history, with two multiple world champions at the helm of the WGPC's winningest outfit on their grandiose return to action, there was little which could lead to thinking things could go awry.

Things, obviously, had.

Once he's back in the paddock, his helmet showered in specks of soft, warm rubber, he agrees with Antti to put off the debrief until "later". There's little to cheer him up back at the garage today, despite all that Carvenlo had been throwing at him ― and for all the support, and the comforting, familiar close-knit feeling of the outfit, he was eternally grateful: they'd tried counseling, training, simulator runs, setup advice from Mr. Franklin himself, racing advice from Troy and Matthew, interview tips from RL — and they were even flying Sami out to every race he could — or wanted — to go to to get him back on the right track. Maybe the fact that Sami had decided to stay home for Avsidesliggendevuoret and Nekoni had something to do with his slump. Or maybe not.

Instead of sticking around the wheel guns and the scathing glares of his bosses — at least, that's the feeling he'd begun to internalize after every bad race, which coincidentally was every race — he unstraps his helmet, dons his team cap, and heads towards the paddock for a round of mandatory media play. Despite his torrid 13 points — one of which, he believes, does not belong to him — the press has been mostly kind to him throughout the season, as they had to Heinz Otto-Junker, Ted Pressley, Anola Melani and Joy Wingleaar. After what memorable the previous season of WGP2 had been, this year's graduates, despite them all mostly decanting at the bottom of the pile, remained a hot topic. It doesn't take long for a reporter to approach him for a few questions. Hi, how's it going, good, thanks, I'd like to know:

"You seemed to have had some difficulties on the track today, not quite 'hitting your lines', as you've said before; why do you think that is?"

His heart seizes; his throat constricts. His body is strangling itself, so hard his armpits begin to ooze a cold sweat, and his eyes behind to flutter, and his face comes awash in a hideously blotchy red rash, so much so that he can feel that the temperature of his glassy, watery eyes is lower than that of the skin around them. The reporter frowns, almost cocking his head with concern; but his shitty question has been the last drop to break his dam today.

He could answer so many things — so many scapegoats, from bad to worse. That he's still adapting to the car — lousy, 3/4ths of the way into the season. That he's not particularly fond of the track at Nekoni — which he could try to spin as true, if not for what he'd managed at Elbej in WGP2. That the setup just wasn't 'where we wanted it' — a blatant lie, with the expertise behind Carvenlo... He could also have answered a little more truthfully: that the result in Liventia had been a fluke — and that one carried some truth to it, with RL himself having scored just four more points since then and, seeing how TRÆ had also failed to keep their form, entirely plausible.

The reporter, as he can see, warped through his involuntary liquid eyeglasses, looks to be getting impatient. "Excuse me," Janne croaks through his compromised glottis, pulling his hat down towards his face and expeditiously walking back to his drivers' room, but he's not done yet thinking of his excuses. As his walk becomes a speedwalk, his head remains down, his eyes focused on the pavement as the collected tears between his eyelids drop towards the ground in huge drops, which catch on his overalls with his long strides. He's dodging the people in his path through intuition alone — he needs to reach the safety of his room immediately.

There's little point in taking in the immediate surroundings around the door to his quarters, which he swings open violently and scrambles to lock. He throws himself onto the floor — carpeted, as consolation — which as his head falls back causes his cap visor to fall backwards. As he stares at the ceiling, the tube light putting in an almighty effort to stay on, he takes a deep breath and brings his hands to cover his mouth. He coughs, then sobs, and sniffles, and presses his fingers into his eyes.

He could have also told the reporter another truth: that his struggles had gotten worse since Aboveland, and specifically since Avsidesliggendevuoret — which would have entailed recognizing, instead of dismissing, the fact he was struggling to perform. It's a habit he hates, even if he's brave enough to at least acknowledge that the habit is a thing: that stinking, terrible, no-good habit of attempting to trick his psyche into attributing his panic attacks to anything but the actual reason for them. If hiding the elephant in the room is hard enough with another human, it's downright delusional for him to try to do so with himself — but he always gives it a shot.

And even then, that concession — "my struggles have gotten worse since the mid-season test, actually" — would have been too partial, too weak of an explanation. "And why is that?" the reporter would have countered, and so would have begun another round of scapegoat roulette until he finally settled on the first half of the halves of the truth which would have made the first statement whole.

The Chase Cutter. Over half of the season spent neck-deep in shit, struggling to wring out the full grunt of a race-winning car blessed by Darren Franklin, toiling down well outside of the points, scoring a measly couple tallies in his home race — and it only took three sessions back in that grey monocoque to net him a race win. How silly, and how naive he'd been, to believe that he could have fought for the title in his debut season. Sure, Terho had done it, but nobody is, or has been, quite the same as Terho — and he, unlike himself, had not finished puberty inside a Chase Cutter. Perhaps, he thought — and as he would have told the reporter — his slump had worsened in Avsidesliggendevuoret after that race win. Back at the wheel of his nearly championship-winning car, only this time in WGPC spec, he'd begun to realize the grass, after all, was nicer in cyan.

That would have likely been an adequate enough response for the reporter to nod and thank him for his time, to which he would have liked to reply 'thanks, see you,' but it would have left him reeling and foaming at the mouth; needing desperately, urgently to pull that one little rabbit out from the back of his throat by its little perky ears, knowing that once the first rabbit came out the rest would keep on coming and the little rabbits would never stop coming, so much so that soon the paddock would be full! of rabbits, everywhere he'd see rabbits, and for which the only solution would be to kill them all and kill himself with them. Because those little rabbits, those little rabbits that gnaw and claw and kick at his gut and his liver and his pancreas and his stomach, are the root of his scapegoats — the little fluffy roots of all the evils.

But if he'd had stayed with the reporter, and if he had uttered a word, and if his scapegoat analysis had reached the end of the road, and if in the process he'd have begun to answer the real reason he was in a slump, he would have had to succumb to the need to pull those little rabbits out of his throat before they consumed him from the inside out, and in the process, he'd have completed the second half of the half of the truth left to say to the mister reporter. He would have said that since Avsidesliggendevuoret, there had been a single thing on his mind. That he didn't know why he'd done it, how he'd actually done it — how much he actually wanted it, after all, and how much he indulged in it — nor why nor how the other had let him do it, and how he'd also wanted to do it, and how they'd both done it, and how absolutely mind-blowing and eye-opening and toe-curling and heart-racing and stomach-gnawing it had all been — that would have been just the very first rabbit. Maybe the next rabbit would have gone into detail: it was in a four-star sauna, 'nice and quiet; relatively out of the way,' just as he liked them. The rabbit would have told that the lady at the desk had recognized him — she'd said she was 'a very big fan,' but she wasn't a fan enough to concede a private sauna. Maybe that rabbit, or perhaps the next, would have continued the story, with a little more introspection: that yes, his heart was racing, his pulse was pounding; his towel was tight around his waist, but his hands hovered where needed to keep himself courteous — let alone the fact that his saunamate looked even more like a deer in the headlights than him, and that his accent suggested that, maybe, he'd need some getting used to Aboveland before he would dare bare all with company around.

And by then, even though his throat would be sore, and his eyes would be watery with how the scratchy little tufts of hair on the tips of rabbit's ears tickle his throat and bruise the roof of his mouth, he'd just have to pull out the fourth rabbit: the one who reveals that he didn't want to do it — or that at least, until the blood left his brain, he hadn't wanted to. But the small talk had come naturally, and the shimmying closer had come quickly, and the small talk up close was more enticing than he thought. And then... that it had supposed to be a joke; that he didn't think it'd work, or that he'd say yes — a yes, the rabbit would have explained, that was felt and understood; a feral, implicit, profound, prohibited, and exhilarating yes.

[WGPC 19]

---

Grand Prix Filindostan Cepat

Event Preview & Circuit Guide

Yogyakulta International Circuit is a permanent racing facility located in Yogyakulta, Pelita Raya, Filindostan. Owned by the local petroleum giant Petrofilindo, the 5.961 km circuit is a mixture of straights and bends that will put the engines of the racing cars to their test, and narrow corners that drivers must negotiate without making too much mistakes. The track itself is challenging - lots of gravel traps to alert the drivers from going too fast and shortage of run-off areas, which can punish drivers who are too aggresive. The width of the circuit is narrower than usual, making the circuit a little bit difficult to make overtakes. The start/finish straight is a downhill with a 35 degree left turn, with full throttle going to the Kotyog Complex, which starts going uphill with a small degree turn 4, with foot on the throttle up to the first of the two Nordus Bends, then going full throttle going to the tightest corner of the circuit, The Hairpin. A series of downhill turns from Turn 7 to Turn 1 plus 1 (11) completes the second sector. From the second Nordus Bend, the track goes gradually uphill until the Unlucky Turn, which elevates steeply going to a flat Turn 14 and going abruptly downhill in the Petrofilindo Complex. Another steep uphill curve, the Yoggy Bend, sends the cars to the start/finish straight. The track hosted a round of the WGPC during the 17th season where Terho Talvela won a controversy-filled race. Yogyakulta is in a contract with San Marco Street Circuit to rotate the WGPC and WGP2 events between them. Should it be included in the final calendar for WGP2, the race will be sponsored by Filindo fastfood chain Masayabee.

Week 7: Practice

Conditions:      	Dry
Session Length:	75 minutes
Nation:         	FID
Circuit:        	Yogyakulta International Circuit

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

---

POS # ▍DRIVER                           	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 25 ▍Gregori Krupin                   	00:01:38.191	00:00:00.000
 2 19 ▍Dom Falepeau                     	00:01:38.161	00:00:00.009
 3 71 ▍Rustom Ibuna                     	00:01:38.151	00:00:00.039
 4  5 ▍Rudy Edwards                     	00:01:38.205	00:00:00.054
 5 11 ▍Lane Carter                      	00:01:38.208	00:00:00.057
 6 88 ▍Ted Pressley                     	00:01:38.233	00:00:00.081
 7 94 ▍Ryker Lane                       	00:01:38.254	00:00:00.103
 8 51 ▍R.L. Cruisin                     	00:01:38.273	00:00:00.121
 9 37 ▍Laura Haukanna                   	00:01:38.295	00:00:00.143
10 27 ▍Dario Nülkeschläger              	00:01:38.342	00:00:00.191
11 40 ▍Adriana Kowalski Ela...          	00:01:38.418	00:00:00.267
12 83 ▍Anola "Wrench" Melani            	00:01:38.428	00:00:00.276
13 31 ▍Joy Wingelaar                    	00:01:38.436	00:00:00.284
14  7 ▍Anneliese Devereux               	00:01:38.438	00:00:00.286
15 50 ▍Sara Luna                        	00:01:38.454	00:00:00.303
16  8 ▍William Archer                   	00:01:38.537	00:00:00.385
17 63 ▍Daryl Mizushima                  	00:01:38.577	00:00:00.426
18 82 ▍Kinu Luminna                     	00:01:38.623	00:00:00.472
19 77 ▍iBen Toralmintii                 	00:01:38.664	00:00:00.512
20 17 ▍Janne Laukkanen                  	00:01:38.732	00:00:00.581
21 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                      	00:01:38.876	00:00:00.724
22 24 ▍Sayono Souzare                   	00:01:39.158	00:00:01.007
23 41 ▍Jean Mercer-Daly                 	00:01:39.451	00:00:01.300
24 15 ▍Heinz-Otto Junker                	00:01:39.503	00:00:01.352
25 85 ▍Olivia Stone                     	00:01:39.665	00:00:01.513

---

Week 7: Qualifying

Conditions:      	Rainy
Qualifying Type:	Two-Tier
Nation:         	FID
Circuit:        	Yogyakulta International Circuit

POS # ▍DRIVER                           	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 19 ▍Dom Falepeau                     	00:01:47.607	00:00:00.015	00:01:45.434	00:00:00.000
 2 71 ▍Rustom Ibuna                     	00:01:47.619	00:00:00.027	00:01:45.445	00:00:00.012
 3 77 ▍iBen Toralmintii                 	00:01:47.630	00:00:00.039	00:01:45.487	00:00:00.053
 4 11 ▍Lane Carter                      	00:01:47.731	00:00:00.139	00:01:45.573	00:00:00.139
 5 17 ▍Janne Laukkanen                  	00:01:47.592	00:00:00.000	00:01:45.746	00:00:00.313
 6 88 ▍Ted Pressley                     	00:01:47.646	00:00:00.054	00:01:45.777	00:00:00.343
 7 82 ▍Kinu Luminna                     	00:01:47.825	00:00:00.233	00:01:46.112	00:00:00.679
 8 51 ▍R.L. Cruisin                     	00:01:47.774	00:00:00.182	00:01:46.572	00:00:01.138
 9 27 ▍Dario Nülkeschläger              	00:01:47.609	00:00:00.017	00:01:47.234	00:00:01.800
10  5 ▍Rudy Edwards                     	00:01:47.673	00:00:00.082	00:01:48.216	00:00:02.782
11 24 ▍Sayono Souzare                   	00:01:47.834	00:00:00.242		
12 25 ▍Gregori Krupin                   	00:01:47.864	00:00:00.272		
13 85 ▍Olivia Stone                     	00:01:47.905	00:00:00.313		
14 83 ▍Anola "Wrench" Melani            	00:01:47.954	00:00:00.362		
15 37 ▍Laura Haukanna                   	00:01:47.968	00:00:00.376		
16 94 ▍Ryker Lane                       	00:01:47.970	00:00:00.378		
17 40 ▍Adriana Kowalski Ela...          	00:01:47.979	00:00:00.387		
18  7 ▍Anneliese Devereux               	00:01:48.005	00:00:00.413		
19  8 ▍William Archer                   	00:01:48.134	00:00:00.543		
20 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                      	00:01:48.180	00:00:00.588		
21 50 ▍Sara Luna                        	00:01:48.215	00:00:00.623		
22 63 ▍Daryl Mizushima                  	00:01:48.284	00:00:00.692		DNQ
23 31 ▍Joy Wingelaar                    	00:01:48.324	00:00:00.732		
24 41 ▍Jean Mercer-Daly                 	00:01:48.578	00:00:00.986		
25 15 ▍Heinz-Otto Junker                	00:01:48.939	00:00:01.347

Note again the Schedule changes over the next week, which include the WGPC RACE *Tomorrow*

[Lisander]

Four days before Filindostan Grand Prix, afternoon.
Kasandora, Lisander

"She got it before I did... It frustrates me, you know?"

As much as it was good for her too, Anneliese couldn't help but feel a little jealous to see Adriana get to the top of the podium before her. Her words to Darius Castellammare, her mentor, sounded stressed and unsatisfied.

"But you have no ill intentions, nothing against her. This is your frustration with yourself. So you don't have to feel bad. You know... I don't know her, but I know you a bit, and I know you wouldn't mean any harm to her... or anyone else. Anneliese, you're not a bad person, you're just not being able to handle the pressure properly. You don't hate anyone. I can't imagine you hating people."

"Of course not... Adriana is such a lovely person, always so kind! Of course I'm happy for her. And for the team too. We are scoring a lot of points, and that will come back to us as financial results too. I am frustrated because although my performance has improved, it's still not enough to win even one race. I've been training like crazy, and the results are still not what I want!"

"You have every right to be frustrated. And I bet all that press commentary has some bearing on that. But you can't get hung up on that stuff. You need to race to distract yourself. Not to frustrate yourself, remember that. And I know the perfect place for you to go tonight. It's been a while since you've been to the SS-2, hasn't it?"

Anneliese smiled. Everyone who knew anything about speed in Lisander knew what the SS-2 was. A stretch of Southern Highway 002, which connected Soria to Kasandora through the Brax countryside. That highway, well-maintained but not very busy because it was a slower route between the capital and the towns on the south coast, was a known meeting place for crack drivers. A veritable den for illegal racing.

"And have my driver's licence revoked? Besides, I don't even have a car for that. When I'm in Lisander, I always have a driver to take me wherever I want."

"Oh, right. You coward, you're too much of a 'good girl'. I can get you a car. Actually, that's exactly why I came to this empty flat..." - the former WGPC driver faltered. - "Listen, have you no shame? You don't even have a bed, just sleeping on this mattress on the floor? You earn enough money to have a fully automated, sensor-laden, high-tech flat, and yet you sleep here like a beggar." - Darius said with his traditional nonchalance.

"Hey, show some respect. That's a real futon, and it was expensive. I bought it in Hodori and it's very comfortable, plus it keeps my back pretty straight." Anneliese didn't like people who judged her habits. "So, did you come here just to offend me and call me out for illegal running, or do you have some decent business?" - The redhead, who had started the conversation in frustration, now played annoyed. She and Darius were great friends, but she wasn't going on the best of days.

"Oh no... I'm just bumming around anyway. Athena's gone to spend the week in Grandeville with her dad, so we have some free time before we travel to Filindostan. Oh, look at the time. I'm going to visit a great coffee shop that just opened in Basses North. Here, this is the key to the gate. Shed 3, Haines Logistics. I have access there, no one will complain, as long as you say I sent you. Car's a red Camden Ira, key's in the glove box. You want it, you go there and you get a ride.

---

Later that night
Outer Kasandora, Shed 3 of Haines Logistics

"That bastard..." Anneliese smiled, walking into the open shed. Deep inside, the moonlight revealed the reddish silhouette of a brand new car. "Well, at least that will serve to take the stress off me."

Anneliese walked over to the car. It was unlocked. As she entered the vehicle, she found an envelope on the passenger seat.

"Dear Laura,
we know your birthday was in April, but as you were travelling, we couldn't give you your present. Well, now we give it to you.

Love,
Darius, Lourdina, Juliano and Athan.

PS: We've already modified it, you can accelerate it mercilessly."

"Those sons of b...! They got me. A birthday present? My birthday is in February! What else is in here?"

Inside the envelope were all the car documents. All in the name of Laura Werner, an unknown person. There was even an LSiD bracelet. Anneliese took out her smartphone and scanned the code on the bracelet:

LSID:LAURAWERNER*0823600 - DOB:12APR1995 - HOME:BRAX_LS

"Wait... what is that? A fake LSiD? Good heavens, an illegal thing like this one must cost a fortune, maybe even more expensive than the car." - Anneliese was dumbfounded by that.

Finally, a handwritten note.

Thank you, Anneliese. For taking our effort with WGPC forward.
We want to see you at SS-2, Laura Werner.

That was pretty crazy. Out of the blue, she'd been offered an eighty-thousand-dollar car with who knows how much money spent on modifications, a fake ID, and an invitation to race illegally. Is that what those wackos do to cheer a person up?

"Rich people like them is completely incomprehensible. Well... Anyway, I won't refuse the gift." - She smiled, feeling bold enough to accept all of that without thinking too much - "Well, judging by what they've already done here, they wouldn't bother getting me out of jail if I got caught. Besides, I have to be in Filindostan in four days."

Anneliese removed her own LSiD bracelet and placed the one inside the envelope on her right wrist. For that night at least, she would allow herself a little freedom, without thinking too much about the details or in her problems. She would be a different person.

"Good evening, Laura. You look very sexy tonight."

[Auruna]

Autodromo Internazionale de Rivoli, Nekoni
Gran Premio di Nekoni
Race
It was a relatively strong weekend for Viska, overcoming some of their recently-developed problems, they took another podium with Olivia's P3 finish. It was a much needed morale boost for the entire team. As Olivia crossed the line, everyone rushed out of the garage and onto the pit wall to cheer for her which was a euphoric moment. Amidst the cheers and whistles, Jöna lets out a sigh of relief as he leans back on his chair and keeping quiet as the team continued their cheers. He then turns to Artur and smirks. "I knew it will work. We did great today." He said before patting Artur's back and turning his attention to the radio.

"Olivia, that was a mega drive! I know it sounds generic but I seriously don't have any other words. The team is ecstatic and wouldn't shut up for once, haha. Enjoy the podium once more!" He says over the radio to Olivia.

Meanwhile, things were different with their second driver who is unusually vocal over the radio during the cooldown lap. Missing out on one point after minding his own business on the way through the field, he has a few opinions on what he thinks went wrong.

"So that's P11, and Olivia P3/ You P11, Olivia P3. Pick up rubber."

"Häilgjÿsvetteet! Man, I'm not feeling the car today. We have the pace on the straights but we're losing out on a lot at the corners. We should be better than this. Fucking hell. So close to points but it was letting me down on the corners--"

"Kinu, save it for debriefing. I repeat, save it for debriefing."

...

...

"Sorry."

Kinu remains silent until he reaches the pits, obviously feeling defeated but it doesn't change the fact that today was a good day for the team. He nearly had the pace so her sorted himself out before heading to his team and joins them in celebrating Olivia's P3 finish. It was a feeling of excitement that they couldn't reach for the past few weeks with consecutive failures and now with a great result, it caused a great boost in morale from the team at the circuit to back home at the factory in Sterlennau.

---

Jöna's Office
"Well, what can I say? Great work today. Seriously. It was a much needed boost after the past races. Trust me, it was gloomy back at the factory and that should change after this. I don't want this dark atmosphere to surround us again. That was a time of our lowest of lows and I don't want a repeat of the previous season. Anyway, the strats were great to take Olivia to P3 and Kinu got close to getting P10 but still, 15 is better than none. And I think letting them drive around the test track in our collection probably helped as well, just like last time."

"Never seen you this happy before. Something happened to you or did you drink something weird?"

"Nah, it's just a feeling of achievement after coming back from the abyss. It reminds me of that book and boy I see the similarities with Aviari and Viska."

"Huh, alright then. Looks like everyone I know is really deep into mythology."

"Hey, it's just culture."

"Whew, I'm just glad that we got a good-- no, a great result. The guys at the engine department looked like they lost all hope. They just needed a little nudge and our results today should get them back to normal."

"Yeah, I even stayed at the factory during that time but this should turn things around. Oh-- right, Hori."

"Yeah..?"

"Some writer or something from the MNA called earlier and wants to do an article with your help. I think it's about the car.. I dunno, he said the 'technical stuff' so I guess he meant whatever we are doing to the car."

"Ojai.. I was about to decline but then you got me at that 'technical stuff' part. I'd like to educate him. Should I hold back with some information or..?"

"Just answer whatever he asked and it should be safe to reveal most of our tech and stuff."

"Alright, got it. When will it be?"

"Probably soon after Filindostan or something, he didn't give a date which was annoying."

"I'll look out for it."

"Anyway, to end this, let's go for a nice dinner after we arrive at Auruna. After that, we'll deliver dinner for the entire factory."

"Sounds nice."

"Wait.. we're delivering as well?"

"Oh shit, I missed that part."

"So I guess the delivery part is just me now?"

"Yep."

"Dammit."

[Abanhfleft]

William Archer was nervous. There was no use denying it. And he had many valid reasons to feel nervous.

William was nervous because it was now almost midnight and he was standing around and waiting in one of the seedier parts of Effelenendro. This was actually the first time that William had done this. Before, he had either his father Guillermo or a member of the Urotovsky-Gatutin team around with him, but he had decided that this was the one time that he should do it himself. He knew of those stories where people who were just standing around waiting for a bus or a taxi were robbed or even attacked, and William was actually hoping that nobody would recognize him for who he actually was and just leave him alone.

William was also nervous because this was going to be the first time in a few months that he was going to talk to an old flame of his. They had already met once before this year, but before that fateful meeting, William had not seen Katie Corpus for over four years. And William was not sure how either he or Katie would react to this. He and Katie had agreed to meet after she was finished with her job, but it had taken William some time to track her down via social media. It had taken longer for her to accept his friend request, and even longer for her to agree to see him. But she had finally accepted, and now William was here, waiting for what seemed to be a date with destiny itself.

The place where William was waiting for Katie was a fast food restaurant that was open 24/7. He thought it strange that this was where Katie was working. He had always thought that Katie would end up working someplace more prestigious like a bank or a tech company. But certainly not a fast food restaurant. Even then, William had tried to look for Katie among the crew, thinking that she would the shift manager or something, but he just couldn't find her. And then, when it looked like the late night shift was over, William noticed a familiar head of long black hair emerge from what looked like the restaurant's kitchen. The woman said her goodbyes to the remaining crew before she headed out of the door, and William waved his hand to get her attention. The woman's eyes widened in surprise, but nevertheless she waved back and began walking towards him.

"What are you doing here waiting for me?" Katie Corpus asked. "Does your dad know you're out here?"

"No, he doesn't," William shook his head. "And nobody else does. Just you and me."

"That's dangerous, don't you know?" Katie said. "What if something happened to you? And you told nobody that you were going here?"

"I figured it was worth the risk," William said. "You were worth the risk."

"Oh, William," Katie sighed. "You shouldn't have done that. I'm not worth it."

"Don't say that. Of course you're worth it! You're worth everything to me," William said.

"You wanna get out of here?" Katie asked suddenly.

"What?" William asked with mixed curiosity and hurt.

"You wanna get someplace safer than here, I mean," Katie clarified. She realized how her earlier sentence must have sounded so she immediately corrected herself. "Like I said, it's not really safe to just stand around here."

"Oh, okay," William nodded. "Do you know a place? You know this place better than I do."

"Yeah, about that…" Katie trailed off. "On second thought, why not just walk home with me?"

"Sure, I'd love to do that," William nodded, and the two of them started walking.

"How's things?" Katie asked. "I heard that you almost got your first win in a car that's not working properly. How did you do that?"

"Since when have you been following racing?" William asked back with a smile.

"Oh, I figured that it wasn't too late to pick it up," Katie shrugged. "But there's a lot of things that I don't get. Can you explain them to me?"

"I'll try," William nodded. "But I have to tell you, there are some things that I still don't understand myself." Then William spent most of this midnight walk with Katie explaining racing concepts to her as best as he could, and then they started talking about William's races themselves. William was more than happy to regale Katie with stories of how he managed to overtake this and how he swerved to avoid a collision with that. Katie listened attentively and laughed at William's jokes, and he once again remembered that Katie's laugh was one of the things that made him fall in love with her.

"You know, people might call me crazy for this, but I don't care," Katie said once William had finished telling her his stories. "I think you're going to win soon."

"Win what? You mean a race?" William asked.

"Maybe," Katie shrugged. "Or you might even win the whole championship."

"Oh, yeah," William nodded. "Yeah, that would be nice. Well, enough about me. What about you? Why are you working in fast food of all places? I remember back in college that your course was journalism. Or was it accountancy?"

"It was journalism. You got it right the first time," Katie nodded back.

"So what happened? Why are you now working in the kitchen of a fast food resto?"

"Oh, you know, sometimes plans have a tendency to not happen," Katie said with a look of wistful sadness on her face.

"What do you mean by that?" William asked, genuinely curious.

"It means sometimes something happens in life that derails even the most carefully crafted plans, and sometimes you just have to deal with the aftermath," Katie said, and it was obvious from her tone that William had struck a nerve, and a particularly sensitive one at that.

"I'm sorry about that," he said immediately. "Forget I even asked."

"No, no, actually, I think it's okay," Katie shook her head. "If anyone needed to know about it, it's you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Remember the first time that we talked to each other at the university?" Katie asked.

"Are you kidding me? Of course I remember perfectly well what I said to you back then," William replied. "It was the first time since you moved to Kimmirut that we saw each other again. We were reminiscing about the days when I would come over to your place to play with your Nintendo and whatever, and that was the first time that I realized that I was in love with you, and I just said it out loud like that. No buildup, no preamble, nothing. Just a straight up 'I love you.' Of course I remember it," William said with a sigh that was both wistful and self-deprecating at the same time.

"And is that why you wanted to talk to me again? To tell me that you still love me after all this time?" Katie asked.

"I wanted to talk to you because this was the first time in a long time that I even had a chance to talk to you again," William said. "And I wanted you to know that my feelings for you have never changed. You may have come and gone from my life many times but the way I have felt about you has never changed. I love you, and I want you to know that I love you. And the last time I told you that, you said that you would give me a chance. Now I wanna ask you: do I still have a chance with you?"

"Oh, William," Katie muttered, shaking her head again. "It's much more complicated than that."

"What do you mean, it's complicated?" William pressed. "Is there something you're telling me? Are you hiding something from me? Why do I have the feeling that you're hiding a lot of things from me?"

"I'm not trying to hide anything, William! It's just that things are very tough for me at the moment, and I…" By that point, they had arrived in front of the apartment that Katie had been renting. "Well, looks like we're here," she said. "I don't know if this is how you imagined this conversation would turn out, but thank you for coming to talk to me. It's been nice catching up and getting to know you again."

"Wait!" William called out. "Before you go, just answer me this one question. And don't try to avoid it, please. Just give me a straight answer. Do you love me too?"

Katie hesitated before answering, and she took the time to fiddle with her keys while she thought of her answer. "Of course I loved you too, William," she finally said. "But that was before. Maybe if things had gone differently then we could have been something more than friends. But now… it's over."

"Wait! You can't say that! You don't mean that," William said. "Do you?"

Katie looked like she was about to answer, but when she opened the gate, a high-pitched voice cried out, "Mama!" A girl of maybe three or four years ran out from inside the apartment and into Katie's waiting arms.

"Hi, baby!" Katie said to the girl. "Why are you still awake? Are you waiting for Mama?"

Another girl, a teenager this time, walked out of the apartment as well. "I tried to get her to go to sleep, Miss Corpus," she said in an apologetic tone. "I did everything I could. I read her every story, I gave her milk, but she just wouldn't sleep!"

"Oh, it's okay," Katie muttered as she reached into her purse to pay for the babysitter. "Are you gonna be available this Thursday?"

"I've got finals to study for," the babysitter replied. "But I can just bring my books and notes over so yeah, I can come on Thursday."

"Thank you! You are a lifesaver," Katie said as she took out two one hundred new penenk bills and gave them to the babysitter. She thanked Katie for her pay before walking out of the apartment. She gave William a brief glance before walking on. She didn't seem to have recognized him, which was fine with him. He then looked back at Katie and the girl in her arms, and things finally clicked for him. "So this is what you mean when you say it's complicated," he said.

"Mama, is he my daddy?" the girl asked, pointing at William.

"No, he's not," Katie shook her head. "He's just a good friend of your mama." She then looked at William and said, "Good night."

"Good night," William repeated. He was still standing in front of Katie's gate long after she and her child had gone inside. William thought that he was finally going to get resolution and closure from this, but instead all he got was more questions than answers, and a great big hole where his heart should have been.

[Togonistan]

Kaylan Racing Team
@KaylanRacing

November 22nd, 2021

---

---

It was a rainy qualifying session at Yogyakulta today with Kaylan drivers Ted Pressley and Anola Melani qualifying 6th and 14th on the grid. With the Tumbran starting tomorrow's race from third row on the grid, the team is ready to fight for the points here in Filindostan! #KaylanRacing #WGPC

ZX-Flow Energy
@zxflowenergy

November 23rd, 2021

---

---

It's WGPC race day today and our friends from @KaylanRacing are ready to Go With The Flow! How about you? #KaylanRacing #GoWithTheFlow

Dom Falepeau
@DomFalepeauOfficial

November 23rd, 2021

---

---

I may not have what it takes to rival the dripmeister status of @DNulke but I still care about a sense of fashion! With that, I would like to let you all know that the outfit I'm wearing here is part of Élégamment's newest collection, available now in stores worldwide. If you care about looking smart, whether it be for a special occasion or just everyday looks, feel free to head over to www.elegamment.com and use the code FALEPEAU19 to get 20% off your purchase!

[Valentine Z]

The Valentians – Chapter 10 – Quality over Quantity.

Well, I did it! I have the entire record of the race and I know exactly what happened, but still, I could not believe it until I'm up there. I started off 2nd with the qualifications, raced to my heart's content, my computational power, and there I went, going right past the finish line with no one else in front of me. "Adriana Kowalski won the race!" the announcers blared, as I slowed down my car and stopped it in a safe spot, getting out and hearing a million cheers onto me. It was amazing! It was astounding! And it definitely was a change of pace. ^^

The Eminent Team was ecstatic, and so was Annelise, the other driver (and friend) in my team. I think we were both elated that we contributed a lot to the team's points and standings for this race. I got out of the car, took out my helmet, jogging towards the podium - the first place, waiting for me. The champagne too, of course, but more importantly - my very first win. I took the victory drink and shared it with the two other drivers in 2nd and 3rd (Sara and Olivia), the latter of which I realised that she was in the same spot as me - no point finishes all these time, then she got a win and then this 3rd placement finish. A great time for the all of us!

For the rest of the evening, I was overwhelmed with a lot of attaboy, congratulations, and photo opportunities. A lot of photo opportunities, the one involving me holding the trophy proudly and tall (literally), standing amongst the Eminent staff and crew. They have done such an amazing job throughout, and truth be told, I wasn't bitter about the lack of a personal trainer, not at all. Maybe Jane was busy, and the merged team made it difficult to source a proper trainer for me. That's absolutely not a problem! ❤️

On top of that, I got another person who was there for me- is still there for me. My big sister Clarrie! She was clapping exuberantly, running up to give me a hug and then just cheering for me. Her training - even if it was very, very unorthodox - helped me a lot. I suppose it's a matter of quality over quantity. I don't need to race and simulate a billion laps when I can just do a hundred good laps with somewhat crazy obstacles. The extremely aggressive AI drivers have trained me for this.

I also heard great news from Angela getting her first point finish. She lamented a little bit that it was just one point but I told her "That's okay! You're doing nicely, just keep at it and there will be more to come." And that's because it's true - WGP has a very intriguing way with the races. One moment you could be down in the dumps, and then the next moment you are winning races left and right. Though of course, this does discount a couple of folks who are just straight up tearing and winning the race. They're the top of the top! For now, I'm just very happy that I got here, and I would like to, once again, from both my mechanical heart consisting of CPUs and GPUs, that Clarissa, Valentijn, and Eminent Team have been very helpful and accomodating.

It was then around 7 PM in the evening, and everyone has packed their stuff already, moving on to the next race. Though of course, a celebration wasn't complete without a dinner plan, with Clarissa and Valentijn invited in as well. Annelise will also be there, which I do hope that this wouldn't be seen as rubbing it in her face. Sure, it's good to celebrate AND she's a great driver who can win, but you will never know off you might have celebrated a little too much, much to the ire of others. I think I'm going to treat her dinner, hehe. Or maybe her favourite dessert. Anything I can do to cheer her up and that her time of winning will come eventually!

There is apparently also this thing about another driver named Dario and the "drip", which by definition, means someone who is dressed very snazzy and nicely, and has all the charm in the world! I'm not sure if I want to pull that off, ahaha! Maybe I should look into my wardrobe and try it out later. [OOC: I'll probably post a picture after the race. Basically 9-10 GMT +8].

And with that, this is Adriana, signing off for now! Will I win the next race as well? Who knows, haha! I mean, the luck would have to align so hard on top of my skill, but you know... That has been done before, so we shall see.

[Nico Hulkenberg]

Val de Rivoli
Nekoni

Post-Race

Immediately after Dario crossed the line, Creusa was on the radio to him, congratulating him.

”Mate, that is awesome driving. P8. It's been kind of shitty but we made the best out of our starting positions. Here's to more good races.”

“Aaah, don’t sweat it. We’ve taken some points home today, so it’s not all doom and gloom.”

“Yep, another four points on the tally. Engine Mode Cool, please.”

“Copy.”

“Oh, and make sure your battery is set to position C8, too.”

Dario twiddled with the dial on the wheel for a few moments, before finally reaching position C8 on the dial marked “BAT”.

“Bat Position C8, copy.”

“Right, so, the finishing order was: Kowalski, Luna, Stone, Fast Cocoabo, Pressley, Falepau, Devereux, yourself, Archer and Melani. Laura finished 17th.”

“Christ, FH Eminent put a fair bit of ground over us today, eh?”

“Early days yet, mate. Plenty time for you and Laura to claw it all back.”

“You know it, man. Something’s cooking, and we’ll show it some day. No matter when that is, no matter when everything comes together, I assure you that our day will come, and we’ll look back on it together in the off-season. You, me, Laura, Aldauren - the lot of us here at PB-Viska. We’re all in this together, and our efforts will pay off.”

Dario, expecting another response from Creusa, instead received a message from Aldauren over the radio.

”Just wait til that sixth sense properly kicks in, eh? Then we’ll be cooking with gas!”

“Oh, we’ll be cooking with more than gas. I’ll say it again - our day will come!”

Dario proceeded to park his car in parc fermé, switch off the engine, and climb up out of the car. Before he left the car’s side, however, he felt the need to give it a little tap with his palm on the number 27 that was emblazoned on the front. He’d never done that before, but something compelled him to. Would it bring good luck? Was it a thanks to the car? Who knows.

Post-Post Race

As Dario walked towards the garage, he felt a tap on his shoulder - it was Laura! (must be making a follow-up on that offer to hang out, eh?)

"You got the points and finished ahead, it's my treat then."

“Heh, for once. Watch, it’ll be my treat next time!”

"So, what do you want to do?"

“Hm, good question. I told myself that I’d think about it during the race, but my mind was set on other things. If there’s any good coffee places nearby, I’m up for that - I left Poseidon in the hotel, so I’ll happily drag him along if you’re willing.”

“Who’s Poseidon?”

Poseidon is Dario’s dog, who acts as his companion on most of his travels. As far as he knew, Laura didn’t mind dogs. Then again, he didn’t exactly know much about his teammate apart from her name and that she was his teammate (duh). But, hey, everyone likes dogs - right?

Obligatory Social Media Post

[WGPC 19]

---

Grand Prix Filindostan Cepat

Event Preview & Circuit Guide

Yogyakulta International Circuit is a permanent racing facility located in Yogyakulta, Pelita Raya, Filindostan. Owned by the local petroleum giant Petrofilindo, the 5.961 km circuit is a mixture of straights and bends that will put the engines of the racing cars to their test, and narrow corners that drivers must negotiate without making too much mistakes. The track itself is challenging - lots of gravel traps to alert the drivers from going too fast and shortage of run-off areas, which can punish drivers who are too aggresive. The width of the circuit is narrower than usual, making the circuit a little bit difficult to make overtakes. The start/finish straight is a downhill with a 35 degree left turn, with full throttle going to the Kotyog Complex, which starts going uphill with a small degree turn 4, with foot on the throttle up to the first of the two Nordus Bends, then going full throttle going to the tightest corner of the circuit, The Hairpin. A series of downhill turns from Turn 7 to Turn 1 plus 1 (11) completes the second sector. From the second Nordus Bend, the track goes gradually uphill until the Unlucky Turn, which elevates steeply going to a flat Turn 14 and going abruptly downhill in the Petrofilindo Complex. Another steep uphill curve, the Yoggy Bend, sends the cars to the start/finish straight. The track hosted a round of the WGPC during the 17th season where Terho Talvela won a controversy-filled race. Yogyakulta is in a contract with San Marco Street Circuit to rotate the WGPC and WGP2 events between them. Should it be included in the final calendar for WGP2, the race will be sponsored by Filindo fastfood chain Masayabee.

Week 7: Race

Conditions:      	Dry	
Laps:              	52	
Nation:         	FID	
Circuit:        	Yogyakulta International Circuit	
Event:	Grand Prix Filindostan [Cepat]	
Safety Car Deployed on Laps:	7, 8, 9, 10	
Cars on Grid:	24

POS  # ▍DRV Name                     Team                     	Time      	Pts	Fastest Lap	
  1 71 ▍IBU Rustom Ibuna             Badai Angin Tim          	01:34:09.009	25		
  2 88 ▍PRE Ted Pressley             Kaylan Racing Team       	00:00:08.962	18		
  3 19 ▍FAL Dom Falepeau             Badai Angin Tim          	00:00:13.794	15		
  4 77 ▍TII iBen Toralmintii         Tropicorp Racing Ælund   	00:00:15.007	12		
  5  5 ▍EDW Rudy Edwards             Preston Autos GP         	00:00:30.151	10	
  6 82 ▍LMN Kinu Luminna             Viska Racing             	00:00:32.062	8		
  7 17 ▍LAU Janne Laukkanen          Carvenlo Racing          	00:00:38.149	6		
  8 27 ▍NÜL Dario Nülkeschläger      GP Pryfors Bilar Viska   	00:00:38.763	4		
  9 51 ▍CRU R.L. Cruisin             Carvenlo Racing          	00:00:39.556	2		
 10 11 ▍CRT Lane Carter              Race Eelandii VTGP       	00:00:40.291	1		
 11 37 ▍HAU Laura Haukanna           GP Pryfors Bilar Viska   	00:00:49.617			
 12 25 ▍KRU Gregori Krupin           Race Eelandii VTGP       	00:00:57.569			
 13 50 ▍LNA Sara Luna                Tropicorp Racing Ælund   	00:01:02.842			
 14 83 ▍MNI Anola "Wrench" Melani    Kaylan Racing Team       	00:01:11.866			
 15 85 ▍STO Olivia Stone             Viska Racing             	00:01:23.949			
 16  8 ▍ARC William Archer           Preston Autos GP         	00:01:40.564	 + 1	1:36.208		
 17 40 ▍AKS Adriana Kowalski Ela...  Fireline+Heroes Eminent  	00:01:43.642			
 18 24 ▍SZR Sayono Souzare           WGPC Motorworks (HR)     	00:01:44.033			
 19  7 ▍DEV Anneliese Devereux       Fireline+Heroes Eminent  	Laps Down: 1			
 20 15 ▍JUN Heinz-Otto Junker        Teusbank TMW Rennsport   	Laps Down: 1			
 21 94 ▍LAN Ryker Lane               Nexus Racing             	Laps Down: 1			
 22 31 ▍WIN Joy Wingelaar            Teusbank TMW Rennsport   	Laps Down: 1			
 23 23 ▍C23 Cocoabo #23              WGPC Motorworks (B)      	Laps Down: 1			
DNF 41 ▍JMD Jean Mercer-Daly         Nexus Racing             	Ret. lap 43

Pos # ▍DRV Name                      Team                     Pts
 1 19 ▍FAL Dom Falepeau              Badai Angin Tim          84.5
 2 71 ▍IBU Rustom Ibuna              Badai Angin Tim          76
 3 77 ▍TII iBen Toralmintii          Tropicorp Racing Ælund   73
 4  8 ▍ARC William Archer            Preston Autos GP         47
 5  5 ▍EDW Rudy Edwards              Preston Autos GP         42
 6 85 ▍STO Olivia Stone              Viska Racing             40
 6 40 ▍AKS Adriana Kowalski Ela...   Fireline+Heroes Eminent  40
 8  7 ▍DEV Anneliese Devereux        Fireline+Heroes Eminent  38
 9 37 ▍HAU Laura Haukanna            GP Pryfors Bilar Viska   37.5
10 11 ▍CRT Lane Carter               Race Eelandii VTGP       32
10 88 ▍PRE Ted Pressley              Kaylan Racing Team       32
12 51 ▍CRU R.L. Cruisin              Carvenlo Racing          31
13 82 ▍LMN Kinu Luminna              Viska Racing             30
14 94 ▍LAN Ryker Lane                Nexus Racing             27
14 25 ▍KRU Gregori Krupin            Race Eelandii VTGP       27
16 27 ▍NÜL Dario Nülkeschläger       GP Pryfors Bilar Viska   21
17 50 ▍LNA Sara Luna                 Tropicorp Racing Ælund   20
18 17 ▍LAU Janne Laukkanen           Carvenlo Racing          19
19 41 ▍JMD Jean Mercer-Daly          Nexus Racing             17
20 31 ▍WIN Joy Wingelaar             Teusbank TMW Rennsport   15
21 23 ▍C23 Cocoabo #23               WGPC Motorworks (B)      12
22 83 ▍MNI Anola "Wrench" Melani     Kaylan Racing Team       5
23 15 ▍JUN Heinz-Otto Junker         Teusbank TMW Rennsport   3
24 24 ▍SZR Sayono Souzare            WGPC Motorworks (HR)     1
25 63 ▍MIZ Daryl Mizushima           WGPC Motorworks (O)      0

Pos NAT ▍Team					Pts
  1 FID ▍Badai Angin Tim               160.5
  2 ABL ▍Tropicorp Racing Ælund        93
  3 HAP ▍Preston Autos GP              89
  4 F+H ▍Fireline+Heroes Eminent       78
  5 AUR ▍Viska Racing                  70
  6 V&T ▍Race Eelandii VTGP            59
  7 DCS ▍GP Pryfors Bilar Viska        58.5
  8 LEN ▍Carvenlo Racing               50
  9 NIM ▍Nexus Racing                  44
 10 TGN ▍Kaylan Racing Team            37
 11 STL ▍Teusbank TMW Rennsport        18
 12 WGS ▍WGPC Motorworks               13

The Next Feature Event will be on SUNDAY 11/27 [ Time and Date ]. All Remaining Feature Races will be on Sunday Overnight Timeslots. The next event is a WGPC/WGP2 combination weekend in Auruna and is a Feature Race Only for WGPC (No Sprint). Qualifying (and future Sprint Events) will remain 24 Hours before Feature - the same time as the WGP2 Feature Cutoffs.

[WGPC 19]

Forgot to post this: Week #8 RP Challenge :: Local Sponsors

-- WGPC is a big money sport with some of the most prominent names in the multiverse plastered on the side of its most expensive racing machines. Yet sponsorship knows no bounds. Whether earlier in their career or to this very day, each of your drivers has likely at some point been sponsored by Bob's Used Car Sales, The Poultry Shack, Phossil Fuel or the Clip 'em Lawn Service. Tell us about some of the smallest or most obscure local sponsors that have helped your driver on their path to the upper echelon of Open Wheel Motorsports.

[Sorlovia]

Seven races had passed and he still hadn’t managed to turn things around. It was becoming glaring clear to him that WGPC19 wasn’t going to be his season. In fact, it looked like it was going to be his lowest season yet. But then he’d known he was starting on the back foot after he’d missed the pre-season tests and struggled to find a place on a team. Perhaps this was the pit of his career. Things certainly weren’t looking good. Seven races and he still hadn’t managed to get a podium finish not to mention a first place finish. The reality of what was happening was biting hard and Gregori didn’t like it. He had been trying hard but it seemed like the season had turned on him.

”This isn’t good Gregori,” he thought to himself ”You’ve got to shape up quick!”

The thought of retiring from the World Gran Prix had never once occurred to him. He’d given a brief thought to one day leading a race team. But that had only been once he was too old to continue as a racer and only once he’d reached a point where he felt his career had reached its end. He was young still with plenty of time ahead of him. The season mightn’t be going well for him but he wasn’t about to throw in the towel. Racing was in his blood. It was something that he had to do or remain restless. He would race in good times and in bad. He would enjoy good seasons and he would slog his way out of the bad ones. But as long as he was physically able to he was going to keep racing.

After the race at Yogyakulta International Circuit he’d requested, and been granted, a brief leave for personal reasons. But he hadn’t returned home to Sorlovia as was his habit. He’d instead booked his room at a remote mountain retreat to seclude himself. The wellness retreat would do him good. It’d take his mind off the stresses of the WGPC environment and allow him the space to refocus on what he needed to do without the distractions that came with being there in the midst of it all. It wasn’t a mental health thing. He wasn’t about to have a mental breakdown or an outburst of some kind. It was a tactical move. It was a chance to clear his head and refocus on the coming races. He’d started with two hours in the retreat chapel and then a lengthy meditation session. After all, meditation was useful for needs other than spiritual ones. A Christian such as himself could take part in a careful form of it.

The readouts and analysis results had been prepared for him by his pit crew. He wasn’t doing well. It was painfully obvious now and he needed to correct that failing. There would be times for studying the readouts, times for massage, times for prayer, times for meditation and times to simply relax. It was already doing him good and it’d only been one day. He had the skill and track record to do well in the WGPC. But something was holding him back. There was something he was doing that held him back. What would Terho say? Or Sara? What would Lane think? He knew that he could do better and he needed to know why he wasn’t. He’d tried adapting his technique from last season. He’d tried to be less aggressive and more focused on technique. Was he pushing the car too hard? Was he failing to push it hard enough?

No one would see him for a day or two. The solitude at the retreat would do him some good. He needed to look inwards. He would only allow himself one more look at the readouts from each of his races. He needed to refresh his mind, body and his soul.

[Vilita and Turori]

Tropicorp Trepidation as Title Hopes Teeter Sans Talvela

Grand Prix Filindostan Cepat, Yogyakulta International Circuit, Yogyakulta, Pelita Raya, Filindostan :: If there was one thing that iBen Toralmintii had decided to focus on during World Grand Prix Championship Season 19, it was the reduction of errors. Over the previous two World Grand Prix Championship seasons, iBen had been very much an all-or-nothing driver. During WGPC Season 17, Toralmintii had five podium finishes. Every single one of them was a victory. It was checkers or wreckers. Yet just one more race in the Top 6 and iBen would have been Champion, not his teammate Terho Talvela. During World Grand Prix Championship Season 18 it was a similar story. Just 6 finishes in the points. 4 on the podium and 3 on the top step as race victor. 9 Podium finishes and 8 victories over two seasons. It was an improbably string of success for any driver - no less a driver that didn't win the World Championship in either season. Toralmintii's teammate, the three time world champion from Aboveland, had earned the drivers championship through consistency. 9 points finishes in 11 races, 6 podiums with no victories. Earning Points. Finishing Races.

So iBen Toralmintii set a new goal for World Grand Prix Championship Season 19. Finish Races. Ever Race. Earn Points. All of them. Toralmintii left Nekoni disappointed. Out of the points for the second time this season. Toralmintii had briefly taken the lead in the Drivers Championship after a 4th place finish in the Feature Race in Aboveland - leading by a single point over Badai Angin Tim driver Dom Falepeau who had won the Abovian Sprint the day before. Toralmintii's lead in the standings would evaporate as quickly as it had arrived, however, thanks to missing out entirely on the Top 10 in Nekoni. It was a frustrating weekend for the Turorian who had been flying the flag for Tropicorp Racing Aelund while new teammate Sara Luna struggled to crack the Top half of the standings. Luna had been stuck battling for scraps around 10th position all season long but really adapted to the historic Autodromo Internazionale de Rivoli in Nekoni, earning Pole Position and nearly claiming TRAE's first victory of the season - coming home as runner-up to first time winner Adriana Kowalski Ela Lillian of Fireline+Heroes Eminent Grand Prix. Meanwhile it was Toralmintii who struggled deep in the pack clawing back to a 12th place finish after a 14th place start and extra pitstop during the race. iBen had made a conscious decision at the start of the season to dial back their aggressiveness slightly in favor of a more consistent reliable pace over the course of the season. The result, however, was perhaps a finish like that in Nekoni - out of the points entirely instead of taking the risk to earn an extra point or two with a few extra mid-pack positions gained. With a tight championship battle brewing between Toralmintii and the Badai Angin Tim drivers Dom Falepeau and Rustom Ibuna, every point was going to matter.

Yet there was one other difference - besides Toralmintii's more conservative approach to the campaign spurred by losing the WGPC 18 Championship after a DNF in the final round - the motivation. While there was never any shortage of motivation to win races or compete for a championship, Toralmintii struggled internally with the loss of teammate Terho Talvela. Some had even suggested that Toralmintii might retire alongside Talvela - and it was certainly a consideration - but the now Veteran driver decided to return to the team that had provided each of their 10 career World Grand Prix victories for a shot to help them extend the dominance in the Constructors Championship for another season. Yet not once this season have the two Tropicorp Racing Aelund machines been battling on track for position - a stark contrast to the entirety of the time Toralmintii and Talvela were teammates - often battling for the same position on track and in many cases the top spot on the podium. Talvela's presence forced iBen to press lap after lap. To get the most out of the car every lap. It may have resulted in some DNF's but also some great battles, some race victories and a slew of Fastest Lap award points

Through 7 races in World Grand Prix Championship Season 19, iBen Toralmintii had 0 race victories, 0 Fastest Laps and Zero Pole Positions. The circuit had arrived in Filindostan - a country where Toralmintii had earned one of their Three Grand Prix victories during WGPC Season 18 - though the venue was different. The Yogyakulta International Circuit was back on the schedule with the San Marco Street Course off. Regardless of the venue change, however, Toralmintii still showed plenty of speed by qualifying in the third position behind the two Badai Angin Tim drivers - his direct competition for the Driver's Championship. Toralmintii's teammate Sara Luna could not match the Turorian's pace - making a mistake on her qualifying lap in the Rain going wide in the Tabuso Curb and mired back in 21st for the start. It was shades of one season prior where Luna - a three time pole winner with Volkov Racing had struggled in the race finishing outside the points. Luna would actually perform well in Filindostan this season but her gutsy drive from the back of the pack full short of the points in 13th. Toralmintii could have used the push. As local driver Rustom Ibuna took the lead and drove off toward a checkered flag, Toralmintii spent much of the race battling championship rival Dom Falepeau of Togonistan. It was a different kind of battle then battling with Terho Talvela, however. Toralmintii knew the respect they would get from Talvela. They knew exactly how the car handled and where it was good and where it was not. Now, they were battling a true foe. The second season driver overperforming with their new team - perhaps the driver that Badai Angin Tim had been looking for all along. Yet, there was a bigger picture at play. Three straight Constructors Championships. It was not going to be a good day for Tropicorp Racing Aelund either way. With Ibuna coasting to victory at the front of the field the Filindostani outfit was certain to extend their lead in the Constructors Standings. Toralmintii desperately wanted to press Falepeau for the podium position and a six point swing for Tropicorp Racing Aelund. But what if something went wrong? What if he made a mistake trying to overtake. Sara Luna was not in the points. There was no TRAE Duel Threat. No one to stop up and challenge Falepeau if Toralmintii were to falter. The veteran decided to sit back and see if Falepeau made a mistake instead. They didn't. Toralmintii protected 4th place and 12 points for themselves and the team, limiting the damage of an otherwise massive day for Badai Angin Tim Motorsport. The season, however, was slipping away. Toralmintii dropped to third in the drivers standings and the team now found themselves 67.5 points back in the Constructors standings. Even a 1-2 finish wouldn't be enough to close the gap now.

The heavy Acceleration course at the Yogyakulta International Circuit was a welcome change in venue for Carvenlo Racing and driver R.L. Cruisin who finished inside the points for just the third time this season with a 9th place finish. After some talked of potential championship aspirations for Cruisin and Carvenlo Racing after a victory in the opening round of the season and placing both drivers inside the Top 5, the team had fallen into struggles having only scored points in Aboveland outside their home circuit, prior to arriving in Filindostan. That would change when both Carvenlo Racing drivers would finish in the points with Janne Laukkanen besting Cruisin for the 6th time on the season but this time earning points for doing it. Despite the points, however, Cruisin would fall one spot to 12th in the drivers standings after being overtaken by Ted Pressley of Kaylan Motor Sports who finished as runner-up taking full advantage of the course that seemed to be well suited to the Kaylan Energy machine. Sorlovia's Gregori Krupin, who had been one of the most consistent drivers on the season driving for Race Eelandii VTGP prior to a 19th place result in Nekoni, narrowly missed out in the points battling with Sara Luna and finishing in 12th position. Krupin's teammate Lane Carter who was a winner earlier in the season at the Grand Prix of Turori was able to win the battle against Krupin, Luna and Laura Haukanna to steal the last point of the day in 10th position and leads R.L. Cruisin - who vacated the Race Eelandii VTGP seat that Carter now occupies - by a single point in the Drivers Standings.

[Auruna]

MNA Archives
From Paper to Carbon Fibre
Motorsport is generally agreed upon as an expensive sport. The cost of everything necessary for a team or driver to start and keep their careers upon can overtake the initial capital and this is where sponsor come in. Sponsors are a necessity in motorsport as they are usually the primary source of funding for everyone participating ranging from small teams to big legends, the funding is essential to keep them afloat. The MNA is no stranger to the motorsport tradition of sponsors from motoring related like Mattari Oil to convenience stores like IE Käljen, the ones you typically see emblazoned on a race car. But deep inside the MNA database lies a sponsor that is prominent yet unusual with a distinct presence - Kÿssasteävette Kirjaanlohustaa je Väälkihitsehen, or Kÿssasteävette for short or KKV if you prefer acronyms.

Kÿssasteävette is a paper manufacturing and publishing house that is based in the village of Kolmanlohinentääröste in the north-east of the city of Nisko. It is one of the oldest known companies in Auruna that was believed to have formed in the 1800s in the Kingdom of Auruna. It's founder was the writer and painter Jakkilo Kÿssasteävette who initially founded the company in secret which led to it having a low profile throughout its history but the products are widely popular especially during the "isolation" period after the formation of the Federal Republic of Auruna where local paper and books from KKV are greatly sought after due to the lack of export and KKV is the only one of its kind in Auruna as others folded after the rebuilding phase of the "isolation" period. Enough with the history, how is this paper manufacturing publishing house related to motorsport you might ask? Well, one person started it all as usual.

In 1989, a rising star named Lauri Vorlen after wanting to kickstart his career in the Aurun Rally Championship (ARC), he started looking for a sponsor in order to help him out a bit. The young Vorlen was turned down by many of his potential sponsors after disagreements and more disagreements. He started to get desperate until he stumbled upon a company that was new to him and located in his "local" area of Nisko. He asked that they sponsor him, they were reluctant at first as they didn't need the publicity but they eventually agreed to sponsor the soon-to-be legend with a deal that lets them keep a low-profile. KKV logos were eventually seen on Vorlen's VSK RF-11 in AEC-J, they were relatively small but their backing was sufficient enough to support Lauri Vorlen's junior season and his eventual domination and championship battles against Aina Haukanna in AEC until his retirement in 2002. For a year after Vorlen retired, KKV didn't sponsor a team or a driver but whenever their logos appeared, people quickly thought of race wins and championships to overall domination.

Talks about the company were rare as their relatively small nature and their location, people usually forget that they exist but when they do, they expect a team or a driver to win a race which what they got when KKV started sponsoring future champions like Lukas Ziuvin, Erik Lövänne, and Artur Iljakov. They even started sponsoring promising rookies like Mika Aurinen, Haru Jukkenna, Kinu Luminna, and Lena Jaukko since 2014 after a special agreement between KKV and MNA which let the company sponsor many young talents in order to help them with their racing career like what they did with Lauri Vorlen. And two of those young talents can be found on the international stage in WGP2 and WGPC respectively. Their funding still has an effect with many drivers that were sponsored by them are still racing to this day, owing a lot the the low-profile sponsor. The KKV logo has since been a permanent feature on the cars, helmets, and clothing. Yet no one still knows what they are.

The logo is well known, but the company isn't as it's what KKV intended. As the paper manufacturer and publishing house of north-eastern Nisko continues to run, they kept leaving a lasting effect, with drivers bearing their logo standing on the top step of the podium. Maybe one day, they are that one lucky charm for our Aurun competitors in WGPC that they desperately need. Maybe we'll see Kinu Luminna or Haru Jukkenna bear the logo once more or maybe they'll go for another Aurun driver. One day.

"...From VSK to Kaikau-Mälö, these large companies sponsoring us is nice but nothing still beats the one that got me here in the first place: Kÿssasteävette Kirjaanlohustaa je Väälkihitsehen. You got that? Know them or not, I think I wouldn't be able to race if I didn't stumble upon that paper producing publishing house in a small village. Remember those three letters - KKV, and you'll see why in the future. Who knows, they might repeat it again with more champions on the line." - Lauri Vorlen in a 1994 interview after winning three consecutive ARC championships

[TJUN-ia]

WGPC19
Round 7
Grand Prix Filindostan Cepat
Yogyakulta International Circuit, Yogyakulta, Pelita Raya, Filindostan

Hope can be a fickle thing and in the WGPC, it can be both created and extinguished in an instant. That was something Lane Carter had learned over the past 1.7 seasons in this series and so far, this season, in particular, had been just like that. On one hand, claiming that first win was very important for his development...but on some weekends, his pace was lacking and needed improvement promptly. There was never any consistency to the Galarian in this series and that was always something he burdened himself with. One time in Galar, a mechanist's shop from Motostoke was looking to try and sponsor his car before he failed to finish his final race before...The Darkness. He didn't know why he was remembering that now but looking back on this weekend, maybe it was important...

The Yogyakulta International Circuit is the new host of the Filindostani race after the last few seasons at the famed San Marco...a track Lane certain had some memories of in his short career. He hoped that a new track can help improve his luck within this nation and on Friday, things were looking good. Teammate Gregori Krupin took the session by a whisker over the two Badai Angins of Dom Falepeau and Rustom Ibuna with Lane finding himself not that for behind in 5th place. Daryl Mizushima was 4 tenths down in 17th, but Lane felt he would be OK.

Until he wasn't. Qualifying was Two-Tiered and in that time, Sayono Souzare somehow ended up in 11th and Cocoabo #23 in 20th, meaning that P22 Mizu didn't make it for the first time this season. Gregori Krupin in 12th didn't make the Top 10 Shootout either, meaning that Lane had to fly the flag by himself and get a respectable P4 out of it. It was a BA 1-2 at their home track, Dom over Rusty, with iBen taking P3. He wanted to go see if Mizu was OK, if Mizu was feeling alright...but he had to keep his word and not disturb the Squidroidian for now...

The race itself could be described as a "Long Fall" as 4th just fell down for Carter until the very end. He tried his best to get up there and score some good points but in the end, he could only settle for the 1 in 10th as he was pipped to 9th by former teammate R.L. Cruisin on the Final Lap. Ibuna won this race, the home driver at the home track, with Dom missing out on P2 to a resurgent Ted Pressley in the Kaylan. iBen, Rudy Edwards, Kinu Luminna, Janne Laukkanen and Dario Nülkeschläger completed the points scorers alongside P16 William Archer with the Fastest Lap. It seemed as though that after the domination of Tropivorp Racing Ælund these past few seasons, the mantle may be shifting to Badai Angin...but iBen wont go dwon without a fight and that battle will rage on until the very end. Lane meanwhile was still 10th, level with Ted the Tumbran, with his Silver Dart Group car with the NGADM rear wing getting the only point all weekend for Race Eelandii, now 6th in the championship.

Before the day was out, Krupin requested and was granted a few days off for personal reasons. Lane thought that maybe Krupin was doubting himself and as such, he needed time to collect himself. Lane wished he could be of any help to the man across the garage, but he knew that the Sorlovian needed space...and that was fine. Akresna Circuit in Auruna would be up next, the 7th round of the 11-part saga that Lane was a part of. But as he pondered his current position, he felt more alone than ever before...even after all this time. Mizu was busy, Krupin was now away, his team didn't get involved in his personal matters and his brothers were getting ready for touraments new. For Lane Carter, the next few days would be painful...as he had no one to talk to about anything. He was starting to wonder of he had scared Gregori off with his dreams...jokes on the Galarian for trying to be open with people...He could feel a Darkness consume him from within...one that wanted him back at square one, the forgot place of long ago...

[Hapilopper]

And now, a word from our sponsors. This full-page ad appeared in publications across Atlantian Oceania.

(We'll have more soon.)

[Auruna]

Tarvellanet Aurunaan vär Sÿrä-prii Auruna!
Welcome to Auruna for the Aurun Grand Prix!
In cooperation with the MNA and NDT


Akresna Circuit

Circuit Details
Event: Aurunair Aurun Grand Prix / Aurunair Sÿrä-prii Auruna (WGPC) || Aurunair WGP2 Race of the Hills / Aurunair WGP2 Kÿrteroitseet Kültenen (WGP2)
Location : Akresna, Auruna
Layout : International
Length : 5.792 km
Lap Record : 1:40.442 (new estimate) | 1:42.211 (AtMA, 1997 - old version) | 1:32.970 (AEC, 2021)

Description
Located at the Aurun hills, near the city of Akresna just north of Veratuna, is the most popular, successful, and challenging Akresna Circuit. With an altitude of about 1,350 m above sea level, the circuit is both challenging for both the drivers and cars. After the formation of the Mötoraaroitu Nazyonalla Auruna (MNA), this is one of the circuits that are now government owned and it was saved from closure by the MNA and it is one of the Viska Racing test tracks due to a partnership with Schkeska Motors. First built in 1956, the track features a wide variety of elevation changes and corners, also featuring the Akresna Tunnel that goes down though a hill (Although it is not used in the International Layout). With decent run-off areas and one of the best facilities in Auruna, the circuit is one of the best in Auruna and is a part of the Aurun Trinity Circuits.

Akresna starts off with the start/finish straight followed by a heavy braking zone to Turn 1, Valantov, then a fast Turn 2 that goes uphill. Turns 3 continues the uphill climb where Sector 2 starts at the exit of Turn 4. Sector 2, also called the "Hill Run", starts with a short straight to Turn 5 then followed by a slightly downhill then uphill Turn 6, where an old bunker is next to, then flowing nicely into Turn 7 which heads to the Akresna Sun section where most of the pictures of the track are taken, usually at sunset and during endurance races. At Turn 8, Politov, the Akresna Tunnel is located, it is unused in the international layout. What follows is a series of uphill-downhill corners ending with Turn 12, this is the most challenging part of the circuit where oversteer and understeer are prevalent and demands good throttle control by the drivers if they make a small mistake in this section, they will end up in the barriers. Still going downhill, a straight leads on to Turn 13, Veren Üka, which starts Sector 3, the fastest sector. The fast corners and chicanes of Turns 15, 16, 17, and 18. Cars go though this section flat-out and at this area is where most of the grandstands are located. Drivers usually get caught out at Turns 17 and 18 where they can oversteer into the barriers and ending their race. A final heavy braking zone to the Turn 19, Kaulinta. Another fast straight followed by a fast Turn 20, Entenalla (Similar to Parabolica of Monza) that leads to the start/finish straight which then completes a lap.

History
Akresna Circuit started out as a part of a much larger hillclimb from the then village of Akresna to the summit of the nearby hills. Shortly after a hillclimb, a few smaller paths were built that branched off from the main route and many started racing around the newborn circuit. This then caught the attention of the local racing club that was handling the hillclimb events and decided to start the funding of the construction of a permanent race venue. Construction was finished in 1956 and was a big hit for the local races and once word got out to other parts of the country, more drivers flocked over to Akresna to race at this new permanent race circuit, the third one of its kind in Auruna after Livonsk and Veratuna.

Akresna had a rough start after it was built and soon, it was deemed not to be a profitable circuit due to its location but this all changed right after the formation of the Mötoraaroitu Nazyonalla Auruna (MNA). The circuit, along with Livonsk and Veratuna was then bought by the MNA and in turn, the three are the first government-owned circuits in the country. It was a part of a project to promote motorsport in the country and it proved to be a success that lasted to the present day. This led to Akresna, Livonsk, and Veratuna being referred to as the Aurun Trinity Circuits.

It hosted a variety of motorsport series from the endurance AEC to the touring cars of AtMA, it had a slow rise to the top. A circuit rework occurred in the winter of 1973 where certain improvements to the layout and infrastructure and as a part of that, the now famous Akresna Sun and Tunnel section appeared and was received well by the fans and drivers.

After the success at the WGP2 with Viska's win here, the MNA decided to fund the circuits for the Aurun WGPC project. The MNA held a bid for the MNA International Circuit License where Akresna was chosen at the end over Livonsk and Veratuna. The MNA decided to stick with the International layout used in the WGP2 but there were rumours about using the AtMA or the K1 layouts. There were a lot of upgrades to the infrastructure of the circuit to better suit WGPC.

Soon after the WGPC race, work started on improvements in the International layout with the most significant change is replacing the T6 hairpin with a more flowing corner after criticisms about that certain corner being flow-breaking and not suiting the circuit structure. This change led to the layout being significantly shorter than it originally was. The end result proved to be popular with fans and drivers saying that it's much better than before.

It only missed out on the previous WGP2 season but circuit officials and the MNA are persistent and kept entering Akresna.

Previous Podiums in Akresna
WGP2 III - WGP2 Race of the Hills
1 - Olivia Stone [Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing]
2 - Abdoulaye Goita [SVJ Racing]
3 - Lourdina Westgrens [Bitten Heroes Academy]

WGPC 18 - Sÿrä-prii Auruna (Aurun Grand Prix)
1 - iBen Toralmintii [Tropicorp Racing Ælund]
2 - Terho Talvela [Tropicorp Racing Ælund]
3 - Abdoulaye Goita [Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing]
Special Mention:
4 - Olivia Stone [Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing]

How to get to Akresna
Most traffic to the circuit will be coming from Veratuna. The flights are expected to arrive at either Veratuna Lorukeentteä Airport (VER | EAVL) or Veratuna North / Zuroloyov Airport (VZL | EAVZ) which are located close enough to Akresna, cutting travel times. Then a 30-minute trip north by road using the As-1 or As-4 highway from either airports or from the capital area at an average speed of 115 kph. (Note: there are no speed limits at the As-1 and As-4 but please observe road safety as the highway patrol units are strict)
As an alternative, the Gs-21 and the Körinö Pass which adds about 15 minutes to your travel time but there will be fewer traffic in both roads.

Auruna : Country Details
Full Name : Federal Republic of Auruna
(Aurun: Litävinnenazyonalla Auruna)
Motto : "Taita vär Maana, vär Iyudna, vär Göt!"
(English: "Fight for the Country, for the People, and for God!")
Anthem : "Menä Äinenmaana"
(English: "Our Motherland)
Capital : Veratuna
Language : Aurun
Secondary languages: English, German
Demonym : Aurun

A Quick Aurun Language Lesson
It is the language of Auruna, it's a Uralic language with a few Germanic and Slavic influences. It is an agglutinative language where it modifies a word to determine the meaning.
For speakers of Finnish, Estonian, and Karelian, it will be easy understanding Aurun as it belongs to the same family which is the Finnic branch of Uralic although mutual intelligibility may vary.

Major Dialects
- Karalinne
- Nörjänlappi
- Sudennakuna
- Veratuna
- Sterlennau

A few beginner words and phrases:
Tarvella(-net) - Welcome
Hei / Hej - Hello
Inna / Ein - Goodbye
Ienne - Please
Aanta - Sorry
Hevänamta - Good morning
Hevänpaivu - Good day
Hevänÿönnä - Good night
Hevänkesänpaivu - Good afternoon
Hevänäven - Good evening
Kaku kau? - How are you?
Oku kau? - Who are you?
Mistä hotelli kau? - Whre is the hotel?
Mistä Akresna kau? - Where is Akresna?
Akresnaan ienne - To Akresna please
First / P1 - Ükandes
Second / P2 - Töndes
Third / P3 - Kolmendes

There are a few oddities in Aurun phonology and orthography, examples are:
- Ya (yes) and ya (me / I)
Ya (yes) is pronounced as ['ja] and spelled as ja in some dialects.
Ya (me / I) is pronounced as ['i:a] and it's usually replaced by either nä (a shortened form of minä) or y ['i:].

- Ÿÿ
The letter ÿ in Aurun is a lengthened ü in simpler terms. It was due to Aruzhin influences (a language isolate that heavily influenced Aurun) in Aurun orthography. While writing [y:] as üü is still acceptable, it has since became archaic.

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Akresna Circuit
An MNA Circuit Guide of Akresna
KL - Kinu Luminna
LH - Laura Haukanna
HJ - Haru Jukkenna

KL - "Hei je tarvella! Hello and welcome to another MNA video on whatever you are watching this on, TV or whatever. Anyway, the Aurun Grand Prix is fast approaching and again, it is held in this wonderful place called Akresna which most of you might have heard of before in WGP2 III and WGPC 18. I think it's one of if not the highest circuits on the calendar if I'm not mistaken, I know it's the highest circuit in Auruna. Sadly it missed out on the previous WGP2 season but good thing that it has returned to the calendar this season for both WGPC and WGP2. With that out of the way, I'm Kinu Luminna, number 82, Viska Racing WGPC driver and next to me here is..."

LH - "Laura Haukanna, number 37 PB-VIska WGPC driver who has never raced here before in WGP2 or WGPC machinery so it's a first."

KL - "And next is... someone who's late!"

HJ - "Agh... vitan kürad... sorry I'm late. Important team stuff back at the paddock and some media I had to dodge."

KL - "There's no need to do another take, just edit that out."

HJ - "Anyway, I'm Haru Jukkenna, WGP2 driver for Nexus. I only got the last minute call for this."

KL - "Now, we are going to do a track guide or tour or whatever on Akresna. The MNA has lent us a Schkeska Vezrel GTX with complete seats for us to do the guide with. Oh and they said we can do one lap around the track each at whatever speed we like."

LH - "Mhm, and I'm driving it first!"

Turn 1 - Valantov
KL - "So, Valantov, also known as Turn 1. It is the first hard braking zone of the circuit and you really need to slam hard on the breaks especially after getting round the final corner and the long main straight as you really get some speed before being able to see the corner."

HJ - "Incidents may occur if one is not careful here as on entry, it is slightly off-camber due to the nature of the terrain and it levels out a bit at the exit so it's not that easy to hit the apex. I think it's better to run a bit wider to better set yourself up for Turn 2."

LH - "To be honest, I don't like T1 that much and I am anxious to see how it is with WGPC cars."

KL - "Oh it'll be fine, trust me."

LH - "You were a backmarker that time."

KL - "Ah shut it."

Turn 2, Uphill Run & Turn 3 - Kolantalla
LH - "Opening the taps a bit here. Turn two is just a pretty normal corner, with a small camber as it leads to to the Uphill Run."

KL - "It is a bit on-camber but it doesn't make much of a difference I think, it's too subtle but the Uphill Run is where it's at, a nice climb up the hill. From the exit of Turn 2, you'll then crossover to the right to get a nice run down on Kolantalla which is a long and fast left-hander without lifting unless you're not on a high-downforce package."

HJ - "Well, you should be using a high-downforce package for this."

LH - "Considering there are a few high-speed areas here, there might be a compromise."

KL - "Yeah but you really need high downforce for this place."

Turn 4 & 5
LH - "Here we are at T4 which looks alike a pretty normal right-hander, braking at around 150 or earlier."

KL - "There's a small bump at the outside which you'll notice if you go wide so yeah... be careful. Turn 5 is another right-hander which start to camber a bit as one of the layouts has a different Turn 5 which is a fast corner that skips Turn 6 of the other layouts. Speaking of Turn 6."

The new Turn 6, 7 & Akresna Sun
HJ - "Here is that recent change, the new Turn 6. They changed it as the old one was breaking the flow of this hill section and many complained. The MNA decided to change it after the conclusion of WGPC 18. The result is a left-right complex with Turn 7. The braking zone is slightly downhill and then it rises uphill at 7 which should make an interesting experience with our WGP cars as the speeds will---"

LH - "Never change Haru, never change."

HJ - "What?"

KL - "Anyway, this new Turn 6 should be fun as it flows nicely into 7 then a kink into the renowned Akresna Sun."

HJ - "The bunker to the left of us can be used as a food stall or a spectator booth with space available at the roof as a makeshift grandstand but it won't detract the fact that this is the most picturesque part of the circuit."

LH - "Hope one day I get to see a photo of me racing here at sunset. The best time of day."

KL - "Wanna try AEC?"

LH - "I'll pass for now, heh."

HJ - "I'm not sure that you'll last long."

LH - "Pfft--- shut up, I'm driving!"

Turn 8 - Politov to 12
LH - "I'm pushing here guys so make it quick!"

HJ - "Turn 8, also called Politov is a medium-speed.. er-- 3/4 right I think, that bypasses the well-known Akresna Tunnel. Whoa--!"

KL - "Haha--! From there, 9 is I think a hairpin leading to the faster 10 that tightens at 11. Plenty of runoff at the right but good luck when you reach the gravel part!"

HJ - "Then Turn 12 is a downhill, cambered left-hander that is followed by a downhill straight as we descent towards the valley area with the entry to 13 serving as the start of the third sector. Whew..."

Turn 13 & 14 - Veren Ükantönne & Valley Run
LH - "I know this part well, the Veren twins. It's not that obvious that they're two separate corners but usually, they are counted as one and are just called Veren. These two are taken in like fourth gear and you want to either get these corners right or get the next corner right as it leads to a long straight. Something to consider while battling for position."

HJ - "Turns 15 and 16 are up next, a fast left-right into the new straight of Valley Run. It's a fast chicane and a similar one up next with 17 and 18."

KL - "Here we have 17 and 18, a treacherous left-right flick, it is a fast chicane that goes down a bit which can catch you off-guard if you fuck up but still possible flat-out with these high-downforce WGPC cars. You can oversteer into the barriers on either entry or exit if your tyres don't agree with you."

LH - "Most of the time, just lift a bit just to be safe, especially if you're not battling but I do expect full-throttle runs down here at qualifying."

Turn 19 - Kaulinta & 20 - Entenalla
KL - "Another heavy breaking zone here wiht Kaulinta, quite possibly a clone of Valantov but who cares?"

HJ - "It's a close enough recreation of Turn 1 then the "turn 2" here doesn't exist as it's a smooth bend into the straight, only about halfway down the straight is the DRS zone, the one of the two of the circuit as the other one is at the main straight."

KL - "Full throttle and DRS open until we reach Entenalla, with a hard braking zone, down to fourth gear into the first part of this double-apex corner as it opens up. You basically go inside, hit the apex then wide to prepare yourself to hit the next apex just right before the pit straight or, if there's no traffic, you go wide to get a better run down the main straight with a better line to Turn 1 but you do you I guess."

LH - "Done with the tour? Because it's time for our hotlaps. So, standing start?"

HJ - "Yeah, just let me get out first."

LH - "No one's getting out. Just enjoy the ride."

HJ - "Miin jÿmää..."

KL - "Well then, ladies first."

-Insert hotlap montage-

[Togonistan]

Yogyakulta International Circuit
WGPC race day

Back in Filindostan again. Yogyakulta Racing Circuit, host to the seventh round of this WGPC season. Not only was it a beautiful and fast circuit favoring cars with beefy engines, it was also Badai Angin's home race. With the Filindostani team colours being dominant amongst people in the grandstands, the local fans so far seemed to enjoy the weekend. Why shouldn't they? Following yesterday's qualifying session, Badai Angin had occupied the first row on the grid and the home team was definitely a favourite for race win.

Dom looked around as he sat in his car that he had, once again, managed to bring to the pole position. First, securing himself a position in Q2. Then, managing to snatch the pole from his teammate during the second session. So far, he had done all he could to give himself the best possible chance for another podium, as well as improving his lead in the championship.

Championship. So far, Dom had tried his best not to think about it too much. Coming into his second season of WGPC, he had tried to, before anything, set his focus on doing his own thing on the track to bring home the points for the team. His last season with MRT had started well, with constant points finishes until the second half of season. Then, things had taken a U-turn after a set of poor results had started to frustrate his decision-making. In an attempt to fix it, he had started taking more risks on track, leading to situations such as the one in Nekoni, where he had caused a collision with R.L. Cruisin, resulting in the latter's retirement as well as Dom himself dropping down from a solid P8 all the way to 23rd. After all this, Dom had tried his best to learn from the mistakes and come into the current season with a mindset of putting down all-around solid drives instead of going for unnecessary heroics. Sure, if the situation demanded it, he would do his best to push through the pack and finish in points. If he already was in top 10 though, he always thought twice before attempting to overtake his competitors.

So far, it had worked well for him. Being the only driver to have finished all his races in points was enough to put himself to the lead in drivers championship as the show moved to Filindostan. He hadn't gotten a single grand prix victory yet, unless one would count his sprint race win in Aboveland. But, his consistency was what had put him where he was now. With the media keeping a close eye on the standings, he had already started to receive questions about the championship fight and whether he wanted it or not, he was starting to be considered a championship contestant at this point.

Okay, time to focus on the race, Dom thought to himself, one step at a time. He looked at Rusty sitting in his car next to him. Tauro's words had been quite straightforward. As long as they would race clean and not put the team's position in constructors championship into danger with their championship battle, they would be allowed to race each other without any team orders being put in place. Sure, Rusty was a fan favourite here, but Dom would've also loved to get that grand prix victory here. With a good start, he should be able to block his teammate off in the first corner and take the race lead. The question was though, how big would the risk of making contact be in that case? Teammates crashing each other would look bad enough in itself, but with both of them starting from front row...

''Radio check Dom, radio check!''

Dom woke up from his thoughts as he heard his race engineer Esteban via radio.

''Loud and clear mate, loud and clear.''

''Alright, Rusty next to you, iBen and Carter behind. Formation lap starts in two minutes. Stay sharp and good luck!''

Eventually, the clock hit full hour and Dom lead the grid through formation lap. Going from one side to another, Dom tried to get some heat into his medium compound tyres. Looking through the mirrors, he saw other behind him doing the same. Cruising around the track, Dom thought about how it all had started for him. His first race ever, back in Edrana. No fancy aerodynamical packages, no fancy sponsors putting millions into it to get their logo on the cars. Back then, all he had was a modified road car that wasn't actually even his. It was lent to him by an old mechanic and local hobby racing enthusiast, who had promised to hang his head on a wall should he break it. The car itself was a first generation Kaylan Tygo, a compact budget car with some minor modifications to turn it into something reasonable enough to do rallycross with. The car itself only had one sponsor logo on it - TyreAce Auto Service. Despite an edgy name, it was nothing but a tiny car workshop in a run down neighbourhood of Edrana, specialising in selling and mounting tyres for regular road cars. The workshop hadn't even paid any money to be featured on the car, it just so happened that Rai Hanakuna, the old mechanic who had provided the car for Dom, had worked there in the past and thus, had managed to get tyres for the car at a reasonable discount.

He didn't have any longer to reminiscence about the good old times though, because soon enough, the formation lap was over and Dom was waiting for the lights to go off. Hands on the wheel, he took a deep breath and pushed the throttle as the race started. However, it seemed that his teammate had acted quicker, with Rusty pulling alongside him and the heading side by side towards the first corner. Having given a quick look towards Rustom from the corner of his eye and made sure the Filindo showed no signs of pulling back, Dom himself decided to go off the throttle first, allowing his teammate to take the lead and be the first to enter the corner.

For the opening laps, Dom stood close to his teammate's tail while also keeping a close look on iBen in his mirrors. The two Badai Angins slowly started building a gap with the chasing pack when, suddenly, Dom heard Esteban in the radio.

''Safety car, safety car!''

''Did someone go off?''

''There was an incident in the back. Some debris on track, pay close attention in turn 7.''

''Copy that!''

The following laps brought the grid all packed up again, meaning that once the safety car went in, Dom had to floor it again and focus on keeping iBen behind. That he managed to do, with the next laps seeing Rustom starting to increase the gap in front, as well as Dom himself starting to pull away from iBen. Lap after lap went by, with Dom putting his focus on tyre management and maintaining his position on track. Dom kept going until lap 22, when he suddenly got called into pits.

''In this lap. In this lap. Box box!''

''Gotcha!''

Having received a set of hard tyres, Dom went out again and found himself having dropped to P6. However, soon enough, most of the cars ahead of him pit as well, allowing the Togoni to get back into top 3.

''Esteban, I need some updates mate! Who is in front?''

''So, that would be Rusty in front. Then Pressley and you. iBen behind.''

''How did Pressley get ahead?''

''They overcut us. No worries, just keep it going.''

Dom was a bit annoyed of the pit stop that, in his mind, seemed to be a bit early. However, it was most likely to prevent an undercut attempt by iBen behind. Quietly accepting the fact that the Tumbran had somehow squeezed himself in-between himself and his teammate, Dom kept going. If the situation was different, he would've probably attempted to catch up with Pressley in front. However, the fact that iBen was still lurking behind him made Dom feel uneasy about doing that. Surely, the TRÆ must be waiting for it. Waiting for him to wear out his tyres, so that he could snatch that podium and extra points from him. He knew it, and so did the team.

''Dom, we need you to keep iBen behind. Manage your tyres and keep iBen behind, whatever it takes.''

''Yeah, I got that!''

''Gap to iBen is currently 3 seconds. Last lap was half a second faster than you. I'll keep you updated on the gap. I'll keep you updated on the pace.''

''Thanks mate. How are the tyres right now?''

''Tyres are good. You can go Scenario 5 when necessary. Scenario 5 when necessary.''

The rest of the race saw Dom and iBen playing a cat and mouse game, with the TRÆ staying within 2 to 3 seconds to Dom. Paying close attention to his mirrors, Dom switched up the engine mode whenever Toralmintii seemed to get a bit too close for comfort and made a gap larger, only for it to be closed up again by iBen during next lap. It wasn't really a battle that future generations would talk about much when someone mentions WGPC season 19 and, for your average spectator, it definitely wasn't a spectacular one. However, it was a smart battle and a necessary one. Eventually, with two laps to go, Esteban spoke up once again.

''2 laps to go. 2 laps to go. Scenario 7, you know what to do!''

Dom floored it and used whatever life was left in his tyres to start pushing. However, the experienced TRÆ driver quickly caught up and remained in his tail. Still, Dom managed to keep iBen behind, securing himself a P3 finish.

''Okay, chequered flag! Chequered flag! That's P3!''

''Heheh! That was one cat and mouse game right there!''

''It was. Great work from you! Good tyre management, all around solid job.''

''Yeah, thanks guys! Car felt great today, could have been a 1-2 but... you know, not much we could do about that.''

''You kept TRÆ behind, that's all that matters right now. Also... Rusty won the race. That's double podium for us.''

''Yeah... nice job from him. Must feel good in front of the home crowd.''

''So, uh, Scenario 1 and bring the car to P3 sign.''

''Yeah, copy. See you soon mate.''

Meanwhile, a loud cheer erupted in the Kaylan pit garage as Ted crossed the line. Last weekend, the double points finish had seemed like heaven for the struggling Togonistani outfit. Now, the wild Tumbran had denied all the odds and brought Kaylan their first ever WGPC podium. Behind a barrier separating the pit lane from start-finish lane, a number of Kaylan team members dressed in light green were waving their fists and screamed from the top of their lungs as car number 88 crossed the finish line. Pit crew in the garage jumped up from their seats and jumped into a huge pile, hugging each other. Xander took off his headphones, jumped up from his chair and let out a mighty roar, to which Manu reacted by giving an earthly hug to the Kaylan team principal. Overall, the atmosphere was ecstatic.

With Simon having given Ted his congratulation messages via radio, Xander also went on air to congratulate the Tumbran for his result: ''Ted, it's Xander! That was an absolute master class drive right there! Bring her home Tiger, it's time to celebrate. Beers are on me tonight!''

With drivers having brought their cars back to parc ferme, Dom climbed out of his BAP003 and threw a thumbs up at the cameras filming him. From there, he went on to shake hands with Rusty and Ted, congratulating them for their results. All in all, he was happy with the result and enjoyed bantering with Rusty and Ted before moving on to the podium ceremony, where he slammed his bottle against the floor before spraying champagne all over the two.

With the trio celebrating, Xander looked at the ceremony with a pleased look on his face, as if he were a proud parent whose son had just brought home a sheet full of A+ grades.

[Auruna]

Yogyakulta International Circuit
Grand Prix Filindostan Cepat
It was another no points finish for Laura. After a fumbled start, she commenced her recovery drive up the field but her efforts were not enough as she attempts to chase down Lane Carter for that one single point. Pushing as hard as she could, she still couldn't get close enough to Lane. At the end, she could only manage P11 but at least this time, there were some progress.

"That's P11 Laura, great work."

"That's the second time in a row. Not close enough."

"Hey, at least you weren't lapped, you did you best for today."

"Anyway, how's Dario?"

"It's another P8 for him."

"Good on him, haha. He should marry that spot if he does it for the third time. Anyway, I guess that's another one on me."

Looking like she's back to normal, she wasn't even depressed after missing out on one point. She quietly trundles along, on the way back to the pit lane. After parking her PF-1C at parc fermé and getting out, she heads over to Dario ahead of her.

"Hey Dario!" She says after a friend tap to the shoulder. "That's another P8 for you, ahead of me again. You know the drill." She chuckles as she says, visibly excited as she is looking forward to hanging out with her teammate again. "Since the next race is at Auruna, I was thinking of showing you around the city and we can do whatever you want there. Oh and bring Poseidon with you again!" After another tap on the shoulder, Laura heads off to meet with her race engineer, Erik and the the rest of the team.

"So, it's your home race next, you have tough competition at that as well."

"Yeah, I'm excited and a bit anxious because it's a big thing there. But still, I won't lost to Kinu!"

"Any plans before the weekend as preparation?"

"Yeah, hanging out with Dario around Akresna. It's a bit disappointing that we can't go to Karalinne for a bit but it's still fine by me."

"Yeah, you better be up to form once we hit the track."

"I know."

---

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At a rest area on a hill overlooking Akresna Circuit
Akresna, Auruna
A peaceful early morning at the hills of Akresna, a single Schkeska Vezrel pulls up to the designated rest area to a waiting Artur Iljakov who is admiring the view of the circuit. Kinu parks and gets out of the Vezrel and approaches Artur. "Now I get why you called me here." Kinu says as he leans on the railing. "So, what do you want to tell me?" He asked.

"I know you have a small problem with this circuit... well, 'small' is a bit of an understatement as it changed you. The very site of your accident." He briefly stops then sighs, trying to break this somber feeling as Kinu just stands there silent, listening and gazing at a distance.

"I know I didn't need to remind you of it everytime but listen. Look where it took you. You wouldn't be here in WGPC if not for that. You suddenly got big ambitions after it and that's why I want to remind you of it -- to change your perspective of it. I know you can handle it as you're different than before, you can do it mate."

"I like everything that you said and I understood it all. I wouldn't be able to race in Akresna if I kept thinking about it like that. Since it's my home race, I would want to win it here. I get why you did it."

"It's not fun to see you suffer here, infront of friends and family. It's a long time since that so... you can give it your all again here. You still have the wings as you fell so you can rise again. Fight the beast head on and finally conquer his hell. We have high expectations from you here and don't disappoint us."

"Heh, I'll try. I'll appreciate all the support I can get."

"Oh we're with you here mate."

"Thanks... anyway, I have a video to do for the MNA, I need to get there early. See you later then."

"Oh, sure. See ya."

Artur stays back to continue admiring the early-morning view of the city and the circuit from the hills as Kinu leaves to return to the circuit for a video. The sound of the heart of the Vezrel roars and as Kinu descends down the hill, it slowly fades away leaving Artur with place of serenity as the wind blowing being the only audible sound. Then the sun slowly rises and it's time for Artur to return. He enters his personal car and drives back down to Akresna, back to Viska.

Oh what will happen in Akresna next.

[Tumbra]

Auruna

He never really considered what'd gone on in Aboveland with a carnal bent, though it was irrevocably so; what he'd done with Janne in that sauna was a bit too taboo to be mentioned, at least for him, to tell anyone. But it was so hot, and Janne had been so good-looking, and he hadn't exactly been thinking straight...

Shaking off his encounter with Janne at the end — which had felt way too pleasurable, a release of all the stress he'd been suffering from, even though it didn't exactly feel right to him. He'd never gotten properly down and dirty with anyone; the experience with Janne had been his first time in that field. But he remembered the experience less, and chose to focus more on what had happened before it; right up to and including the kiss they'd shared. His soft touch, his voice, his mesmerising blue eyes...it was unforgettable. And every time they'd crossed paths since, they'd looked at each other in a different, renewed light; no longer rivals, but something a bit more than...friends? It was his soft smile, his knowing smile; that they'd both seen all of each other that fateful night; that small sense of smugness that Ted could feel whenever they were at the driver's briefing, or at the press conferences, or otherwise. They were locked in this strange dance, now; one taking control yet behaving in a fleeting manner; the other, having to rapidly learn the steps of the tango they were doing.

And even before that, the chat they'd had; his first proper interaction with the Abovian driver — hell, any driver outside of Anola — that he'd had. And pretty much everything had been spilled, from the stress he'd felt from underperforming in the Kaylan car to the rift with his father. And nice, calm, reassuring words — somehow the exact words he wanted, needed to hear — had come out of Janne's mouth, as he took advantage of standing up to pour water on the stones to sit closer and closer to him, coming ever closer...

It was impossible to separate the encounter from what had happened afterwards. It really was. But for the first time in a long, long while, Ted felt refreshed. Not just in terms of his body; but mentally, as well. There was a spring in his step; he now believed in himself, was ready to throw the car around Filindostan. And...it'd worked.

The car, he, felt light; starting behind Janne, shooting each other miniscule glances on the starting grid; but he'd pried his focus away from the Abovian onto the purring of his own car, and the five lights went out, everything had gone perfectly. The strategy was perfect; he'd overtaken the championship leader in the pit stop window, somehow, and he'd never been able to get caught by Falepeau. Sure, he didn't catch Rustom, and was mainly driving his own race for most of it, but that familiar feeling he'd experienced in Siovanija & Teusland a year ago was returning. The bubbling feeling of overwhelming joy; the feeling of having to keep it in as he turned each corner, knowing that with each one it brought him ever closer to the finishing line, to record a famous result in an underperforming car, of outdriving one's given lot.

And when the chequered flag was finally waved, and the happiness within him finally bubbled over, the joy was let all out; all his mind could think of how long this had taken, how he'd nearly given up...

And how one night in Aboveland had convinced him not to.

[Aboveland]

Lintulahti-Toralmintii International Circuit
Lintulahti, Aboveland

"What are we doing?"

Edvin looks down from Terho's frowning eyes at the screen of his tablet, one index finger hovering over the submit button, the other trapped between his front teeth. A heavy sigh stirs the tense air in the room and sends specks of dust swirling over the screen and onto Edvin's glasses. Outside, the wind rattles the large, clear, three-layered panes of glass which overlook Lintulahti bay; the Samisyyttanflagg-blue sky is punctuated by the diffused glow of the full moon, which colors Edvin's office in a pale cerulean.

"I can't," the spectacled man groans, his shoulders dropping. The finger hovering over the screen moves upwards over a text box, and falls on the end of the paragraph which lights up his face. He taps twice to select the entirety of the press release, including the title: 'Skiia Vialiv to join TRÆ for the remainder of the WGPC19 season'. With an extra tap, the press release is gone. The room remains silent, if only for the hums and pops of the running wheeled electric heater beside the two Abovians. For the first time since the start of Project AGP — or at least, for the first time since the tail-end of their debut season — the abundance of optimism running through the Abovian outfit's veins, characteristic of the seemingly invincible, once perky little outfit from Lintulahti, has begun to crystalize away.

Terho remains quiet as Edvin begins, scratching his head. "We're not fortunate in picking our second drivers, are we?" he says, before refuting himself. "But that'd be unfair to Sara." He shakes his head, scoffing. "Do you think we took the last two years for granted?"

"We knew it wouldn't last forever," Terho recalls. "We said that all the time."

Edvin nods. "I guess it's like a puzzle." He twiddles an oblong pen which rests beside his tablet, and it rattles against the desk. "You can't really replace a piece of one puzzle with... another piece."

The wind outside picks up and Edvin stands, removing himself from the spotlight of the sole lamp illuminating the room, aimed at the surface of the desk. He crosses his arms and stares blankly beyond at the bay; his tone changes from mopey to reflective. "You know, I should hold my hand up. Put my face out there." Terho, sitting behind in the dark, clears his throat, as Edvin continues. "'I fumbled it'." He turns to face the still-reigning world champion, whose glassy eyes, framed in a frown twinkle in the twilight. "Is it a write off yet, the season?" Edvin asks, perching his chin in his thumb-pit. Terho shakes his head, but he doesn't quite get a chance to speak.

"But I can't sideline Sara Luna. I can't. Can I?"

The reigning world champion shakes his head again. "Do you want to be the cozy village team or the cut-throat professional outfit?"

Edvin hums. He pauses for a moment to think, turning back towards the window. "Both at the same time... But how far did keeping Batu Tüvshinbayar on board get Nykipiflugpuun Noortekoondis? The TJUN-ians protested during the athletics thing!"

Terho leans back in his chair, which creaks, as he strokes his bushy chin. "Yeah," he sighs, "but I don't think you want to be known as... the team principal who fired every driver—"

"—not named iBen or Terho. I guess you're right."

Taking advantage of the concession, Terho continues, sitting up and pacing towards the window to meet Edvin. "As," — he curls his fingers to make air quotes — "'sporting director' of this team, allow me to play devil's advocate. The team is in a transition period; the car is, basically, three years old at this point; and I mean... Sara has come from a totally different atmosphere into this team."

"Not really," Edvin argues, scoffing. "The Sorlovians are more like us than they think."

Terho shrugs. "Whatever. This team has never really brought in anyone from outside the Abovian/Tropicorp umbrella." He sighs. "I know you need a scapegoat, but the blame isn't fully on her."

Silence falls on the room again, a cloud upwards in the distance wisping in front of the full moon, occluding the mellow light the satellite casts on the bay and hiding its reflection on the choppy waters.

"Fine..." Edvin admits, hesitantly. "Fine. Fine! But I'm not staying put." He quickly shifts away from the window to march towards his desk, picking up his tablet and perching it under his arm before turning to Terho at the window once again. The lamp which illuminates the surface of the desk casts long shadows on Edvin's face from below. "I have to take action, move my ass. What kind of leader does nothing at a time like this?"

The wind outside picks up, rattling the triple pane windows. Terho stays quiet; the stillness is punctuated by the tap of Edvin's shoes which resonate across the room, as he makes his way out of the office. Before exiting, he pauses at the doorway.

"iBen came back in WGPC17," he drops, shrugging. "Think about it. You've got four rounds left to think about it — your talent is a waste in iRoS."

---

Skiia Vialiv to Take Practice Session for TRÆ in Auruna

Vilitan rookie and official Tropicorp Racing Ælund test driver Skiia Vialiv has been given the chance to participate in practice for the Aurunan Grand Prix replacing Diarcesian driver Sara Luna for the session, following a tough championship-defending season for the Lintulahti outfit and a "remarkable" fourth place in Vialiv's mid-season race event in Avsidesliggendevuoret.

---

AKRESNA - Tropicorp Racing Ælund team principal Edvin Pekkanen announced early Thursday morning that Skiia Vialiv would be placed behind the wheel of AGP004 in the practice session before the Aurunan grand prix. Pekkanen revealed the swap in a press release before the race in Akresna, citing Vialiv's impressive fourth place in the mid-season test driver non-points race as the main motivation to give the Vilitan the chance.

"Skiia is currently our biggest hope for the future," Pekkanen assured of the Aji No Moto sprint race winner. "She has the raw pace and commitment we've come to expect from our drivers, and as a Vilitan she gels well with the team, particularly with the staff from Tropicorp." He also revealed her background role in what has been a tumultuous season for the Lintulahti team. "She's spent many hours on the simulator and on the track in Lintulahti, trying out new things we've been developing to squeeze every last drop of potential we can from the AGP chassis."

Pekkanen's remark concerning the potential of the AGP004 chassis is not inconsequential. Following a dominant two-year run in WGPC17 and WGPC18, wherein Tropicorp Racing Ælund twice secured the constructors' title before the final round and both times locked out the top two positions in the final drivers' championship standings, the bi-national outfit was forced into a blunt reality check with the departure of three-time, and current reigning, world champion Terho Talvela. Though Talvela was officially retained as sporting director within Ælund Racing, the Abovian's self-relegation to the sidelines set off shockwaves across the team before the new season had even begun, with various local and international media outlets speculating that the “secret formula” of Talvela-Toralmintii had proved the one and only way TRÆ had ever known how to win. Opting yet again to field an evolution of their WGPC17 dominating machine, TRÆ banked on keeping their keys to success as orderly as possible, filling in the blanks with the arrival of Diarcesian Sara Luna; often referred to as the "best of the rest", after finishing fourth in WGPC18, it marked the first time ever that the team had sought the services of a driver not of Abovian or Vilitan/Turorian origin.

Time would end up proving the speculative media pundits right, after all: despite holding second in the constructors’ standings behind Filindo outfit Badai Angin, TRÆ find themselves a whopping 67.5 points behind the leaders, led by WGPC mainstay Rustom Ibuna and championship leader Dom Falpeau, of Togonistan. The reason becomes clearer as the focus shifts towards the drivers’ table: while iBen Toralmintii, often believed to be running in his last full-time WGPC season, holds an unsteady third behind the two Badai Angin drivers, 10.5 points from the top, Sara Luna has only managed to score 20 points across the season, with points finishes only in the Nexus Wardship, Lintulahti, and a pole-to-podium run in Nekoni. Neither driver has scored a race win yet; should either Toralmintii or Luna fail to win in Auruna, Siovanija and Teusland, Happiloper, or Vilita, the team will see their first ever winless season since its inception in WGPC16.

Sporting outlets in Aboveland and around the world have often been critical of Pekkanen’s decision to sign Luna, citing the Diarcesian’s troubled run in iBen’s Race of Stars Season 2 (while Luna finished twelvth overall, Talvela finished second behind eventual champion Stacie Houston, and Toralmintii fifth) as a clear indication of a severe drop in form for the 37-year-old. The team principal, however, rejected such claims, and was adamant that the issues the team is having are multicausal. “Obviously, more has changed than we bargained for with the departure of Terho. We’d gotten quite used to working together, and after running the same lineup and almost the same car for two years, when you swap a piece of a well-oiled machine for a brand-new shiny part there’s bound to be some teething issues.” He admitted the AGP004 chassis, an evolution of an evolution of AGP002, was nearing the end of its life. “There are various things we could have done better: worked closer with Sara nearer the start of the season to adapt more easily to the car; made some further-reaching changes to last seasons’ car, which after all was vulnerable to the Preston pounce; maybe we could have focused earlier on preparing for an eventual change-up in our lineup to be able to take it as an opportunity and not as a risk.”

As the team heads for Auruna, the site of a sensational 1-2 finish for the Lintulahti outfit right off the back of a “gut-wrenching” double retirement at Crossbay, Pekkanen was further pressured over the decision to sideline Sara Luna, and asked whether the Diarcesian’s immediate future in TRÆ is at risk; the team principal refuted such suggestions, but was ambivalent in his conclusions. “Sara was brought on board with our full support and because we knew the potential in her to grow as a driver and really deliver the goods. With Terho out of the equation, and our predictions suggesting we’d have a run as strong as we’ve been having these past few years, she was our most logical choice to help us in retaining our constructors’ title. However, it is important that we look to the future starting now, and that we don’t let ourselves get caught off-guard like this again.” He was quick to shut down further speculation over the team’s future lineups, or concerning any potential seat swaps later in the season. “Skiia coming in for the test is no indication that we’ve taken any decision whatsoever for the coming races or the coming season. We have a goal in mind, a contract on paper, and a commitment in our hearts, and we’re hungrier than ever to get back on the top step of the podium.

[Sorlovia]

Gregori returned from the retreat with a fresh focus. As soon as he was back at the Race Eelandii site he was out on the test track with a renewed energy. He liked to make the most of the facilities given for his and Lane’s use. Race Eelandii had a top-of-line facility with a test track and simulators to serve their signed racers each season. Not to mention their race headquarters which was quite unlike the others he’d seen in his three seasons with the World Gran Prix Championships. The Vannish Motors Racing and Mattijana Racing Team headquarters had been impressive but this was something else. Race Eelandii had an immense reputation and it showed in their facilities.

He still didn’t quite believe that he was racing with Race Eelandii. He’d known of them since setting foot on the track for the first time and had dreamt of one day racing for them. They were, after all, a premier team with an immense presence in the World Gran Prix. Although they might think on a far more humble level. He wasn’t sure what their official stance was. But they were one of the big name teams. If you wanted to compete in the World Gran Prix you learned the names Race Eelandii and Tropicorp. The big two that every young racer, experienced and rookie alike, dreamed of racing for. Gregori had quickly developed a liking for the Race Eelandii car and the team itself. He felt proud to wear their colours each time he stepped into his car. Was he becoming a fan boy? That was a rather distinct possibility. But there was nothing wrong with that.

“Come on Gregori,” he growled to himself “you have to do better than this! Come on!”

He’d already spent well over two hours out on the test track. But it still didn’t feel like enough. He’d been in the race simulators for an hour before that and in his race shed carefully studying readouts from his practice runs for an hour before that. He needed to perform better for Race Eelandii. He’d keep pushing harder and harder until he was able to turn it around. It was seven races in now and he was still performing badly. For all he knew they were already regretting having signed him. He knew that he could do better. The fact that he was still trapped in his bad streak was eating away at him. Perhaps he didn’t have what it took after all. He wanted to do better for Race Eelandii, he really did, but nothing he’d tried so far had worked and that made him restless. They’d given him a chance after his debacle as a start to the season and here he was performing like this. It wasn’t good enough at all.

Ten more laps. He would do ten more laps. After that he would go back to the simulator and see if he’d missed anything. He’d had the layout of the Akresna Circuit loaded onto the simulator hoping if he could get a few sessions of virtual practice in he’d be prepared for the real thing. The other racers would be doing similar things in preparation for the next race. They were all preparing for the race in their own ways. Only a foolish racer failed to prepare and train. Simulations of upcoming tracks didn’t break any rules. After all, anyone could get access to the track layout for the next races and race simulators were a well-used tool in the hands of racers. He’d also taken to carefully watching Lane’s replays to see if there was anything he could pick up. His teammate was doing far better than he was. So perhaps there was some secret that could help him. Some would say that it just wasn’t his season. Some would say that his mess of a start to the season had wrecked it all for him from the start. The more superstitious would suggest that he had the yips or perhaps some curse. The feared yips were a very real thing that plagued racers. You could be doing well race after race only to hit the yips out of the blue. When that happened things suddenly went wrong for you. The things that were normally easy became a challenge and everything seemed to turn on you.

”Just control on the track Gregori,” he thought to himself ”don’t think about it.”

He pushed hard into the corner on the closing straight and opened up the accelerator on the first straight. If he pushed himself on the test circuit perhaps he'd do better in the next race. He owed it to Race Eelandii and he owed it to himself. That thought echoed through his mind as he arched through the first, second and third corners never once slacking off on the accelerator. The car purred as it ate up the track before it and his brows furrowed in determination.

He needed to do better. He would do better. He'd prove himself.

[Liventia]

Carvenlo to "review future" in WGPC after mixed results upon return
FOLENISA— With just four races left in the World Grand Prix Championship season, six-time world champion constructors Carvenlo Racing find themselves well off the pace, leading to an admission from group CEO Mark Marsh that the team's future in the sport is not guaranteed.

Carvenlo, which sat out the last four seasons before a shock return this year, have struggled since the season-opening race on home soil at Talbott which saw a race win and double points finish, with its drivers RL Cruisin and Janne Laukkanen both fighting a losing battle to get the most out of the car.

Insiders say that even with all of the team's technical expertise, putting together a chassis and package at the last minute after a surprise invitation from the World Grand Prix Organisation was a step too far to overcome for the team, which was originally thought to be backing an effort by its current director of motorsport, the two-time drivers champion Matthew Portland, to enter a new outfit into the World Grand Prix 2 feeder series.

In an email to all group staff, and published later by the racing team under its Open Media Access route, Marsh tells staff that "I know you will be worried about the direction of Carvenlo for the future," before adding:

"This company has never needed the World Grand Prix Championship to survive, as the last few years without our participation have proven. We have a successful road car business in Liventia and the issues with our WGPC team – and everything that comes with it; the media spotlight, sponsors, results, all of that – have taken the gloss off the good work of the Carvenlo Group's hard work.

"Carvenlo Group will be reviewing our future in the World Grand Prix Championship for season 20 and beyond, safe in the knowledge that we remain six-time world champions, a feat not likely to be matched for a good number of coming seasons. This is not the end of Carvenlo Racing; far from it. We will continue to be at the forefront of research and development, both for our road cars as well as for any racing team that we may choose to enter or partner.

"Our three Carvenlo Racing drivers for this year were all on one-year contracts; we are aware Janne Laukkanen will return to Nexus Racing for season 20 and this will factor into our coming discussions and final decision on the Group's immediate future in the sport.

"No redundancies will be made – the Group is in a strong financial position, even if the team has had sponsorship issues. We will also continue to run the Carvenlo Development Academy and associated team on the domestic racing circuit.

"I hope this email reassures all of you who have come to me with concerns and questions surrounding Carvenlo Racing."