World Grand Prix Championship 20 [RP/Results Thread]

[Lisander]

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XXII. Still haven't found what I'm looking for.

Hapilopper City Grand Prix Circuit
Final minutes of Qualifying

"It's not possible, it's not possible! Is this car still set for Arturia? What is this PU? Some Sidus spare?" - Anneliese was mulling it over in her head, and sometimes the contents of her mulling escaped as words on the radio. Back on the pits after the disastrous qualifying, she nodded her head in despair. How could it be going so badly? Five seconds behind best times, the last position on the grid? And even a few weeks ago she was fighting for the drivers' championship. Theoretically, she still had the chance.

Soon, her engineer voice appeared with a response:
Negative. From the car Arturia used, only the fairing remains. This is the third Power Unit, we have this and one more. Arturia used the first and second PU, both already used, one in each test. Sidus engineers prepared it for her. Bring it back, we'll try to find the problem. If we manage to get someone, we release you for a last lap.

Not amused, Anneliese just took the entry right and entered the pit lane.

Some moments later

Back to the boxes, Anneliese looked incredibly displeased with the results while looking at all the numbers on the computer screen. The power unit wasn't delivering the same as before. And that seemed to be the same for the other Sidus team. Haukanna was P10 and Blaatschapen only P18. Eminent was in an even worse state, with Adriana in P23 and Anneliese dead last at P28. She walked around the car, as if searching for something, anything. She would feel like the best detective of the entire world if she was able to find anything. A loose plug, a crack in the bodywork, a hole without a screw. Any possible explanation for those two awful weeks after the midseason vacation.

"Are you sure they didn't touch this unit?" - she asked once more. - "The Sidus team at midseason, when they used my car for Arturia... They must have modified something. I can't believe all of the midseason work of the other teams made our car slower. There should be some defective part, some loose screw, ballast problem... I'm sure I didn't get fat. I weighed myself, I keep my 64 kilograms religiously."

"Calm down, this is not only with you. Adriana is having the same problem, we're thinking that's something on the Energy Store or in the Transmission, but we won't be able to change it for now. The team back in Ethane will check the parts from both cars. Regarding the engine, it's impossible that they tampered with something. Sidus engineers didn't touch your engine, this one you are using was not even assembled by the time the tests. Nasunen asked for a brand-new car for Arturia, so the one that went to the track was practically brand new. The only thing we couldn't give were new engines, since as you know very well, they're assigned to a car and not to a driver. What she used were your old engines, but they were at the end of their service life anyways." - Carolina Lasseps tried to calm the driver, giving her an overdose of information. She knew Anneliese had an engineering degree, so she wouldn't put her mind at ease until she found the problem. Feeding her with data would at least make her rant in silence.

"I can't understand what's happening with this car. The grip is okay, no oversteering. I'm miles away from that wall, not even close to hitting it, the turning is perfect... But the engine is not delivering. The foot goes on the deepest and nothing. What if you open it? I'm already the last, I can't lose any other position. It could even be useful to find Adriana's problem." - Anneliese sighed, feeling nowhere near confident for the race the following day.

Her engineer had nothing else to say. That was something that could not simply be solved by reassembling the car. All the teams had been updating the cars, but seemed that the Eminent updates weren't good enough.
"We'll check everything, then. Engine, MGU, Turbocharger, Energy Store. We'll check item by item. Starting last or from the pitlane will be the same in the end. That's an opportunity. A very unfortunate one, but still an opportunity. Let's aim for points at least tomorrow. Even one would be good. Go and take a rest for now, you're not an engineer. Well... at least not an engineer within this team. You can keep testing the settings on the simulator if you like."

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

(OOC: With thanks to Aboveland and Esmerel for letting me use their characters and to Hapilopper for permission to go quite this far!)

Zara Amalgam’s Home Studio, Crossing Community, the Second City, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
Preston Autos Hapiloppian Grand Prix; long after Qualifying

In the early morning, the first rays of light filter through the curtains of artist and WGP fan Zara Amalgam’s studio room.

They aren’t up yet.

Hapilopper City Grand Prix Circuit, Paulson, Hapilopper City, Hapilopper

Two lope through the darkness. Both are focused hard.

Invisibility is a difficult thing. Continuously teleporting light to the other side of a target area isn’t the difficult part – indeed, it’s surprisingly easy to conceptualise and takes only a very little Imagination to manage. While hiding the shining light that doing so would produce would be more problematic, another person being here to focus on absorbing it takes care of that.

No, the real issue is ensuring that the tiny proportion of the light that would reach their eyes doesn’t get teleported past them. As much as they don’t want to be seen, they also don’t want to blind themselves. He mostly manages to avoid it.

At least there’s enough light to see by. Even were there not the lights from the buildings and temporary structures cluttering the circuit’s infield, the clear skies of the earlier day would remain. The half-eye of the moon gazes down, judging their actions.

(What they’re doing here probably breaks at least a few laws. For them, it’s profoundly worthwhile nonetheless.)

The two half-run, doing their best to remain silent for the benefit of the very few who are not getting a good night’s sleep for the race ahead. That few becomes fewer and eventually dwindles to none as they near the track itself. Slipping through an accessway onto the circuit, they wander down – past the slight right-hand turn, then…

Their target.

Zara Amalgam’s Home Studio, Crossing Community, the Second City, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
Pre-Race

Zara stares at the filled canvas, contemplating.

It probably wasn’t their best work. Striking, certainly, but a little rushed. Still, getting to work with the images of drivers they followed for years was an enjoyable experience.

Of course, this itself isn’t the final product, not technically. A little thrill runs through them. Millions will see this. They won’t expect to see it, mind, but they will!

And nobody will know it’s theirs.

Hapilopper City Grand Prix Circuit, Paulson, Hapilopper City, Hapilopper
Long after Qualifying

A soft clunk as something is set down. Then another, followed by another.

Come tomorrow, a high-definition camera will constantly monitor this section of the track. At this moment, a simple, decades old security camera does the same job. When it’s looked over as part of an investigation in a few days’ time, it will be found that the motor that would normally sweep the camera backwards and forwards has seized at the furthest point of its cycle.

Here and now, two figures, wearing hooded coats, suddenly appear crouched behind the wall, and with them three metal buckets – two small, two slightly larger. One of the figures stays, seemingly continuing to focus; the other steps back a little ways.

And then the buckets spew forth. Not light – pigment. First, a sticky, almost gel-like substance, streaming out in two colours to coat the wall, until the bucket is empty. Afterwards, a thin layer of paint that comes to rest atop it, in the white of the painted concrete wall and the red of the target, perfectly capturing their prior appearance. A blast of heat dries that paint to form a crisp outer shell – and now, barring an extra few millimetres of elevation, there is no visible difference whatsoever.

The second figure checks over the picture, then scans the track in case of any errant droplets. Gives a nod. And then, once more, they vanish.

Zara Amalgam’s Home Studio, Crossing Community, the Second City, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
Formation Lap

Zara trains their attention on the screen. The incorporation of Imagination and its use into their art is nothing new either, and they are experienced in that use… Nothing quite like this, though. Nothing from so far away, nothing demanding such immediacy of attention.

Ideally, nobody will be able to confirm that this was Imagination, either. They were assured that their collaborator would be in position to absorb the light… Not that that will douse suspicions.

They purse their lips. It is a little unfortunate, Zara considers, that nobody will know – indeed, that nobody will know it is them, too. This work, as with any piece, contains a little of them, that imprint of their animating Spark that makes it more than just colour on a canvas, that makes it meaningful. Those seeing have a right to know the fullness of it – where it has come from and how it has come from it. The alternative is to rob it of the fullness of its being, presenting only a static image in time as opposed to the richness of emotion and technique.

Maybe that’s arrogance, selfishness. In any case, doing so is necessary here, and if that necessity means that good can be done, they will do it. A good place to begin after the existential horror of the past months – to place one’s feet and move off once again.

The wall flashes up on screen, as they were confident it would. Zara closes their eyes a moment, opens them again, then burns Imagination.

Hapilopper City Grand Prix Circuit, Paulson, Hapilopper City, Hapilopper

As ever when Nexus Racing lead the field off the grid, Ryker takes the formation lap remarkably quickly. With the Chase Cutters’ tyres managed by their on-board Imagithermal convertors, letting their competitors heat their own tyres to the levels they’d prefer lacks much of a point. Especially now, it would be a problem.

Can’t take the start for granted. The Preston is quick off the mark and I have two of them for company… Anticipation starts to build. He smiles, familiar with it; controls it. Focus now…

Which becomes harder almost immediately as part of the wall ahead of him dissolves.

He had tried to put that target out of his mind before the race. Now, the paint that forms it cracks and crumbles, seemingly being absorbed into a whirl of black and red resolving into…

An image, a mural: two racing drivers in stark bicolour, framed by depictions of their cars at the level of their torsos. One, the prosthetic arm he gained at the end of WGPC 16 facing the viewer, is the recently-retired Jean Mercer-Daly. Beside him is former World Rally Champion Axel Novikov, decked out not in his recent gear but in WGPC 15 Telaris overalls and helmet – the ones he no doubt wore when a crash in testing saw him miss the latter part of the season. Their gazes pierce from beneath their visors, carrying with them an implicit challenge.

Olivia Stone, watching on from inside the Cygnus garage, suppresses a grin.

[Aboveland]

CUTOFF

for the Preston Autos Hapiloppian Grand Prix at Hapilopper City Grand Prix Circuit

[Aboveland]

Week 10: Race

Conditions:      	Dry	
Laps:              	55	
Nation:         	HAP	
Circuit:        	Hapilopper City Grand Prix Circuit	
Event:	Preston Autos Hapiloppian Grand Prix	
Safety Car Deployed on Laps:		
Cars on Grid:	28

Start       	POS  # ▍DRV Name                     Team                     	Time      	Pts		
 1 ▍LAN       	  1 71 ▍FAE Brendan Faloe            Cygnus Motorsports Team  	01:31:36.649	25		
 2 ▍ARC       	  2  5 ▍EDW Rudy Edwards             Preston Autos            	00:00:00.599	18		
 3 ▍EDW       	  3 96 ▍ARC William Archer           Preston Autos            	00:00:12.792	14		
 4 ▍NAT       	  4 74 ▍FTZ Adonis Fitzpatrick       Urotovsky-Gatutin        	00:00:35.262	10		
 5 ▍FTZ       	  5 94 ▍LAN Ryker Lane               Nexus Racing             	00:00:35.747	8		
 6 ▍FAE       	  6 87 ▍YAN Bryce Yannec             Pressley Racing          	00:00:49.490	6		
 7 ▍JSY       	  7 23 ▍C23 Cocoabo #23              Race Eelandii VTGP       	00:00:52.276	4		
 8 ▍LAU       	  8 10 ▍NAT Lillý Náttmörðsdóttir    Sivaleinen               	00:01:03.848	3		
 9 ▍VIA       	  9 88 ▍PRE Ted Pressley             Kaylan Racing Team       	00:01:12.833	2		
10 ▍HAU       	 10 13 ▍JSY Ji So-Yeong              Tropicorp-Colourworks    	00:01:25.468	1		
11 ▍WAL       	 11 11 ▍CRT Lane Carter              Race Eelandii VTGP       	00:01:26.088			
12 ▍JCR       	 12  1 ▍TII iBen Toralmintii         Tropicorp-Colourworks    	00:01:30.456			
13 ▍MCR       	 13 14 ▍VIA Skiia Vialiv             Urotovsky-Gatutin        	00:01:37.221			
14 ▍LUN       	 14 51 ▍CRU R.L. Cruisin             Portland-Carvenlo        	00:01:38.114			
15 ▍CRU       	 15 33 ▍BLA Sam Blaatschappen        GPA Pryfors Bilar        	Laps Down: 1			
16 ▍CRT       	 16  9 ▍TUV Batu Tüvshinbayar        Scuderia Orange Cow      	Laps Down: 1			
17 ▍C23       	 17  7 ▍DEV Anneliese Devereux       Eminent                  	Laps Down: 1			
18 ▍BLA       	 18 50 ▍LUN Sara Luna                Viska Racing             	Laps Down: 1			
19 ▍TII       	 19 17 ▍LAU Janne Laukkanen          Nexus Racing             	Laps Down: 1			
20 ▍PRE       	 20 37 ▍HAU Laura Haukanna           GPA Pryfors Bilar        	Laps Down: 1			
21 ▍FAL       	 21 24 ▍JCR Jordan Crowe             Scuderia Orange Cow      	Laps Down: 1			
22 ▍VIL       	 22 19 ▍FAL Dom Falepeau             Portland-Carvenlo        	Laps Down: 1			
23 ▍AKS       	 23 91 ▍WAL Kingston Walcott         Sivaleinen               	Laps Down: 1			
24 ▍ANG       	DNF 28 ▍DEE Aaron Deering            Viska Racing             	Ret. lap 34			
25 ▍DEE       	DNF 40 ▍AKS Adriana Kowalski Lilian  Eminent                  	Ret. lap 24			
26 ▍YAN       	DNF 84 ▍ANG Angela Tan Fang Ling     Cygnus Motorsports Team  	Ret. lap 25			
27 ▍TUV       	DNF 12 ▍VIL Darian Vilau             Kaylan Racing Team       	Ret. lap 51			
28 ▍DEV       	DNF 42 ▍MCR Sophie McCreary          Pressley Racing          	Ret. lap 24

Drivers' championship

Pos # ▍DRV Name                      Team [Engine]                                        Tyres                    Pts
 1 23 ▍C23 Cocoabo #23               Race Eelandii VTGP [Tropicorp]                       Tropicorp                51
 2 71 ▍FAE Brendan Faloe             Cygnus Motorsports Team [Tropicorp]                  Tropicorp                47
 3 50 ▍LUN Sara Luna                 Viska Racing [Viska]                                 Phoenician-In Motion     43
 4  7 ▍DEV Anneliese Devereux        Eminent [Sidus]                                      Phoenician-In Motion     42
 5  5 ▍EDW Rudy Edwards              Preston Autos [Preston]                              Tropicorp                38
 6 94 ▍LAN Ryker Lane                Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                          Phoenician-In Motion     36
 6 74 ▍FTZ Adonis Fitzpatrick        Urotovsky-Gatutin [Preston]                          Tropicorp                36
 8 14 ▍VIA Skiia Vialiv              Urotovsky-Gatutin [Preston]                          Tropicorp                35
 8 17 ▍LAU Janne Laukkanen           Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                          Phoenician-In Motion     35
10 42 ▍MCR Sophie McCreary           Pressley Racing [Kaylan]                             Brústeinn                32
11 37 ▍HAU Laura Haukanna            GPA Pryfors Bilar [Sidus]                            Phoenician-In Motion     28
11 11 ▍CRT Lane Carter               Race Eelandii VTGP [Tropicorp]                       Tropicorp                28
13 96 ▍ARC William Archer            Preston Autos [Preston]                              Tropicorp                24
14 13 ▍JSY Ji So-Yeong               Tropicorp-Colourworks [Tropicorp]                    Tropicorp                23
15  9 ▍TUV Batu Tüvshinbayar         Scuderia Orange Cow [Tropicorp]                      Tropicorp                22
15 28 ▍DEE Aaron Deering             Viska Racing [Viska]                                 Phoenician-In Motion     22
15 40 ▍AKS Adriana Kowalski Lilian   Eminent [Sidus]                                      Phoenician-In Motion     22
18 88 ▍PRE Ted Pressley              Kaylan Racing Team [Kaylan]                          Phoenician-In Motion     14
19 51 ▍CRU R.L. Cruisin              Portland-Carvenlo [Carvenlo]                         Tabtac                   13
20  1 ▍TII iBen Toralmintii          Tropicorp-Colourworks [Tropicorp]                    Tropicorp                10
20 33 ▍BLA Sam Blaatschappen         GPA Pryfors Bilar [Sidus]                            Phoenician-In Motion     10
22 19 ▍FAL Dom Falepeau              Portland-Carvenlo [Carvenlo]                         Tabtac                   8
23 91 ▍WAL Kingston Walcott          Sivaleinen [Preston]                                 Tropicorp                7
24 87 ▍YAN Bryce Yannec              Pressley Racing [Kaylan]                             Brústeinn                6
25 10 ▍NAT Lillý Náttmörðsdóttir     Sivaleinen [Preston]                                 Tropicorp                3
26 84 ▍ANG Angela Tan Fang Ling      Cygnus Motorsports Team [Tropicorp]                  Tropicorp                1
26 12 ▍VIL Darian Vilau              Kaylan Racing Team [Kaylan]                          Phoenician-In Motion     1
28 24 ▍JCR Jordan Crowe              Scuderia Orange Cow [Tropicorp]                      Tropicorp                0

Teams' Championship

Pos NAT ▍Team [Engine]                                        Tyres                    Pts
  1 V&T ▍Race Eelandii VTGP [Tropicorp]                       Tropicorp                79
  2 NIM ▍Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                          Phoenician-In Motion     71
  3 PDN ▍Urotovsky-Gatutin [Preston]                          Tropicorp                71
  4 AUR ▍Viska Racing [Viska]                                 Phoenician-In Motion     65
  5 ETL ▍Eminent [Sidus]                                      Phoenician-In Motion     64
  6 HAP ▍Preston Autos [Preston]                              Tropicorp                62
  7 ESM ▍Cygnus Motorsports Team [Tropicorp]                  Tropicorp                48
  8 TMB ▍Pressley Racing [Kaylan]                             Brústeinn                38
  9 DCS ▍GPA Pryfors Bilar [Sidus]                            Phoenician-In Motion     38
 10 ABL ▍Tropicorp-Colourworks [Tropicorp]                    Tropicorp                33
 11 CBP ▍Scuderia Orange Cow [Tropicorp]                      Tropicorp                22
 12 LEN ▍Portland-Carvenlo [Carvenlo]                         Tabtac                   21
 13 TGN ▍Kaylan Racing Team [Kaylan]                          Phoenician-In Motion     15
 14 MRT ▍Sivaleinen [Preston]                                 Tropicorp                10

[Chromatika]

The Story of Ji and Melani – Part 3

Six Months Ago
Melani Household, Alnio, Capital District, Chromatika

It was a warm summer night in Alnio as Ji So-Yeong made her way to the Melani household for the first time in many years. She had been contacted by Anola to meet at the Melani household, under one condition – that Mr. and Mrs. Melani would not be present. Anola had agreed, and they would finally have that face-to-face heart-to-heart to figure out if they really wanted to give this another try.

The first thing that told Ji that something was wrong was the smell of smoke in the air. With the knowledge that the Capital District forbade any brush burnings within the cities, it was weird to smell smoke. Ji started to hurry on the low rise up to the Melani household. When her eyes confirmed that the smoke was billowing from the Melanis’ backyard, she started to sprint, her instincts going into overdrive. Something was wrong.

She couldn’t have been more right, and the sight that awaited her would haunt her for the rest of life. There was a fire burning in the Melanis’ backyard, leading to the house – maybe a minute or so from reaching the house. The more jarring sight, though, was the front door of the Melani residence, busted open. Four figures were leaving the property, clad in dark, indistinguishable clothes. Ji did slow down when she saw them, understanding that they were dangerous; thankfully, they were too preoccupied in getting away, and Ji was able to slip by them.

She called the fire department and told them of a fire at the Melani household. The logical thing to do would have been to wait for the authorities, but Ji’s heart was pounding, and she couldn’t think clearly. She called out for Anola, but there was no response; so, choosing to abandon caution, she stepped through the broken door into the Melani residence, concerned for her ex-girlfriend.

A broken vase, a smashed-up table, and a bent-up radio showed signs of struggle, but it was when Ji reached the living room that she was confronted by the tragedy. There was Anola – lying on the floor, a pool of blood leaking from her side, three bullet wounds piercing her chest. Next to her was Beatrice Melani, Anola’s Mother, strewn on the floor with similar wounds marking her forehead. Niles Melani had the worst of it, a much larger wound piercing his neck. There was a wooden plank nearby, as if he had been trying to protect his family.

There was so much blood, such viscera, and so much violence. Ji stood there, frozen as she took in the scene before her. She found herself drawn to Anola’s face – a look of such surprise on it – before she recovered enough to see a box that was in the mist of the Melanis’ corpses. It didn’t look like it belonged. It did not have the blood splatters that would’ve been caused by the violence, nor did it fit the usual ambience of the Melani household.

Looking back at it later, Ji couldn’t say what made her decide what she did next. A far-off siren in the distance reminded her of the fire that was starting to catch the house. She had a choice – save the Melanis from the blaze, or this random box that had been placed there. She picked the box. To try to figure out why the Melanis had been attacked. Try to see what was so special about the box. She looked at Anola one last time – and as the smoke enveloped the room, she made her way out of the house before collapsing in the front yard in tears.

That was where the authorities found her, still crying. She told them what she’d seen and handed over the box as evidence. They were able to stop the fire from harming the bodies, and the Melanis were rescued. Whomever had done this hadn’t counted on Ji’s appearance. The police agreed with Ji that the fire was supposed to both damage the Melanis and make the box look like it had been the Melanis’ possession.

What they found in the box was shocking. First off, parts of it was contained in packaging that was obviously supposed to burn off while protecting the content, while other parts of it was supposed to just burn away. There were documents about the Red Enclave, the Spade Party, the Red Party, and some mentions of The Shadow Hand – a name that made the local authorities go on high alert.

Merely hours later, the Chromatik Secret Service showed up, swore Ji to secrecy, and took the evidence while informing her that the Melanis’ death was now a matter of national security. They told her that she would be contacted once they had a better idea of what exactly happened, and to keep things secret.

It took a month before the Chromatik government contacted her again. They wanted her to testify to the Chromatik public about what she saw. They wouldn’t tell her what they had found out about the Melanis’ killers but promised her that she would be able to get her answers if she cooperated. She agreed of course, as she had, by then, promised Anola that she would see to it that justice would be served; nothing was going to stop her from that.

What Ji So-Yeong didn’t know was how deep this went. The Shadow Hand was dealing with a rogue faction of its own, a group that styled themselves as The Truth. The Truth had caused many problems for the Chromatik government, now under the watchful eye of The Shadow Hand – and they had been looking for a scapegoat. Enter the Melanis, a well-to-do family that was in the public eye just enough to be blamed for all the troubles.

The Truth had made one mistake, and Ji was going to be highly instrumental in making them pay… But with The Truth having plans of their own, things were about to come to a head to form a highly explosive circumstance that would write the next step of Chromatik history.

[Valentine Z]

Part 12 – F**k me, there IS a wall.

Zastępca Strażnika Adriana Krystal Desiree “Cudowny Manipulacja Światłem” Venus Kowalski Faith Stanisława Engelse I. Cherise Krystyna Zaborowska Sztormowska Pamela Alina Re. T. Lillian got out of her mangled car, quiet and slowly taking out her helmet. Another DNF, that was all that was in her mind for that time being, other non-essential systems and processes being shut down. With a clearing, and making sure that there are no cars around her to make sure that there would be no collaterals, Adriana took aim at the nearby wall, and made her decision. With such strength, she hurled her helmet at a speed of 500 km/h – not enough to break the sound barrier, but so much so that it made a lot of noise even in a noisy race course, and much to the surprise (and perhaps even horror of the audience watching her). She knew that she was going to get herself written up, reprimanded, docked, or anything along the way for endangering and scaring the audience with her action; even if none of the splinters from the helmet hit the audience or the drivers, it still sounded like a relatively loud explosion. “I can totally pay for that, and I do hope that they have a spare. An apology for all of this, a compensation, and then the helmet,” Adriana thought, with more thoughts swirling in her mind, a lot in particular about what appeared to be the 3rd DNF of the season for her, on top of the abysmal performance save for the very first race. Where did it go wrong, and so wrong to the point that this became the absolute horrid mess? It could not be the other drivers since it’s DNF, not poor finish.

1st Cpt. Angela Stella Trista Josephine Natalie Rv. E. Tps. “The Eternal Explorer” Bethany Alyssa Valeska Payton. Mikayla Gosling Josie Rowan Serenity Chelsea Lynette Hannah Tan Fang Ling joined her shortly, but her helmet at least still intact, and held nicely and hugged in her right hand and on her hip. Her face was worse for wear, with sweat all over the place, on top of her once nice and silky smooth reddish-orange hair frizzled and unkempt. It was perhaps due to how she was wearing her helmet for the entire race, but it was clear that other than her outward appearance, Angela’s eyes themselves expressed and spoke of the tireless effort for nothing, and that she was also clearly very agitated and tense with the whole situation. She would not be able to meet her team with much dignity. “Man, this is screwed!” she exclaimed to Adriana, the two of them meeting outside of a few garages, where there were not a lot of people to bother them, and after waving the paramedics to leave them alone. “Another DNF for the two of us. Adriana, what is happening to us?” “Maybe it was just the other drivers? I mean, they are getting better too-“ “I would think that, but then why would we DNF, you know what I mean? I can absolutely accept not winning, or hell, maybe even fishing without points. But a DNF again? Really? We can’t avoid crashing on these places, that is what I am saying.” Adriana could not help but only sympathize. For herself, at the very least, she got the victory of that race to float her over. Angela, on the other hand, has merely a pathetic point, and she was happy to let that fact be known. They made their way back to their lounge discreetly, making sure that no one else was bothering her. After all, the race was not over, and so the focus was on them. Good, Angela thought. “Let’s talk about it a little.”

In Angela’s spaceship – which she insists to pilot around the different locations throughout the season – the two of them sat down and thought it through. Angela put her helmet gently on one of the seats, while Adriana grabbed herself an empty box and put the cracked visor of the helmet into it, along with a couple of splinters that she managed to pick up before heading out of the course – all of this perhaps a reminder of the splintered and fractured mess that Adriana have been for this entire season. Still, she did not want to be the centre of attention, because she knew that Angela was suffering much more than her, what with the lower points coupled with the new team she is in. “What are we doing wrong?” Angela asked, the two of them now on the seats as they watched the television currently streaming the race. So far, they were the first three to go, along with one Sophie McCreary who DNFed at Lap 24. Adriana was unsure as to whether or not Sophie DNFed together at the same spot as her, or the crashes were linked, or if Sophie crashed in the first place. That is definitely Sophia’s perspective and story for herself, and not for the Valentians to decide. For that time being, Adriana and Angela were simply talking to each other, the two of them consoling one another as they watched the race go by. Aaron Deering DNFed at Lap 34, followed by one Darian Vilau at Lap 51. As they were watching, however, an unthinkable happened. The salt on the open wound, was to see Brendan winning, stepping up on the podium with Rudy Edwards and William Archer at 2nd and 3rd place respectively. “Well, congratulations to him,” Angela said sharply and flatly, much to the attention and a bit of shock from Adriana who in turn responded, “Ohh, Angela. I mean, I thought you would be happy for your teammate.”

“Well, I am,” she said matter-of-factly, at that moment more fidgeting with her fingers, looking at her hands and then wiping her sweat with a towel, “It’s just.. I’m sure you have that same feeling as I am right now. Teammate is up there getting wins or points, and then here I am down in the dumps with yet another DNF. I’m sure Eminent is lenient and so is Cygnus, but with the latter, this is my very first time with them and this is what I am giving them? First impressions are everything, Adriana! And I have been failing them constantly!” With the fervour-filled rant done, Angela sank back into her seat, putting her hands on her face, a single tear flowing through her fingers and dripping onto the seat. She gasped and took a huge breath of air, and then moaned and groaned, “Sometimes, you think to yourself – why not me? Why not me up there? Why can’t I get a podium, stand beside there with Brendan, and take the celebration and the points? I am not jealous of the others, I just want to do as well as them!” Just as she finished, Adriana then got up from her seat and then consolingly put her hand on Angela’s shoulder, followed by a hug.

Adriana felt the pain in her friend’s voice, and even then, she did not want to mention her win. She was in the rough spot, but at the very least, she has gotten herself a podium. All Angela needed was a break, and Adriana was more than willing to divert all of her sympathy and priority for her friend. Wiping the small bits of tears from Angela’s face, Adriana then combed her hair gently, and then a damp cloth to clean and wipe the sweat off from her, “Hey, I know it’s easier said than done, but… we will get through this, all right? There are 3 more races to go. I don’t think that we can get a championship at this point, but there are always next seasons. Maybe next season, we will be in the middles and non-zero finishes. 3 more races, Angela. Remember what happened in WGP2 5? You were phenomenal! You got two 2nd in a row out of the 3 final races. Maybe it will happen here too, you will not know for sure!”

Angela hugged her a bit more tightly. That is perhaps what she needed, she thought. She could deal with whatever Cygnus is thinking of her later, but for the time being, all she wanted was a reassurance from a close friend of hers, and it felt good and warm inside. “Thanks, Adriana. I really, really appreciate it,” she said, feeling better and then continued on, asking her out as a friend, "So… I was wondering, if you are able to free up a schedule for a day or two this week, would you like to go on an adventure with me? We shall be visiting a few star systems here and there! There are also a lot of planets with life on it, so I think that will also give that excitement factor." Adriana gave a nod, to which she then shared the excitement with Angela; after all, no Valentian can resist a multiversal exploration and "roadtrip" of sorts, and Angela is the most experienced with it out of all the Valentians, even next to Gwen.

Though of course, the two would have to go for their respective sessions, to which then Adriana and Angela parted ways, "See you later, yeah? And hey, we will have a good one!" Adriana said, to which Angela nodded happily. This would definitely beat the woes that she had from the race, and make her a bit happier in general. A little bit of exciting "roadtrip" to the universes is just the thing that she might need. For the time being, however, Angela made her way slowly to the Cygnus garage, where they will no doubt be celebrating Brendan's victory. That part is absolutely fine with her, and she was more than happy for her. The problem? They will also need to address her performance.

[Mlima Kijani]

[Tropicorp]

Sifakas Sweep in Hapilopper City

WGPC20 Supplier Performance Standings (After Race #7)
[1] - 150 :: Tropicorp Racing Supply
[2] - 128 :: Phoenician/InMotion
[3] - 39 :: Brústeinn
[4] - 21 :: Tabtac

Preston Autos Hapiloppian Grand Prix, Hapilopper Grand Prix Circuit, Hapilopper City, Hapilopper :: Just as the Supplier Performance battle for the 20th World Grand Prix Championship campaign reached its closest points differential of the season - with just four points separating Tropicorp Racing Supply from Phoenician/InMotion heading into the Hapilopper Grand Prix, one supplier would sweep the podium for the first time all season and tear open a brand new gap atop the table.

Though Tropicorp Racing Supply was expected to perform well at the Hapilopper Grand Prix Circuit, the home track of one of its top aligned teams, Preston Autos Grand Prix, the race weekend didn't start out on such a high note for the orange rimmed supplier. Though showing speed all throughout the practice, the Tropicorp cars were beaten out to pole position by Ryker Lane and the Nexus Racing chase cutter on the unique InMotion branded tyre option. Lane would lead the field off the grid but was ultimately hunted down by the Tropicorp cadre.

While it would be joy for Tropicorp Racing Supply, Preston Autos would miss out on a repeat race victory by the narrowest of margins as Brendan Faloe became the second rookie driver to claim their first career Grand Prix victory this season, crossing the line just over half a second in front of local driver Rudy Edwards who was looking for a first ever victory in front of their home fans. William Archer, the defending winner of the Grand Prix from one season ago, rounded out the podium in 3rd position.

It would be the first time all season that a single Tyre Supplier locked out the entire podium in a single race and in fact, Tropicorp Racing Supply would do one better on the day taking the Top 4 spots in the finishing order with Urotovsky-Gatutin driver Adonis Fitzpatrick leapfrogging teammate Skiia Vialiv in the standings after a 4th place run.

Tropicorps branded team, Tropicorp Colourworks, was unable to take good benefit from the supplier's strong performance on the day, coming away with just a single point after a 10th place finish from Ji So-Yeong and reigning World Grand Prix Champion iBen Toralmintii finishing two spots behind in 12th position. While it was an improvement of 7 spots from their grid position, Toralmintii has struggled to maintain the Top 10 consistency that they have shown the previous three seasons and finds themselves mired back in 20th position in the Drivers Standings while Tropicorp-Colourowrks are currently 10th out of 14 entrants in the Team Championship.

A Look Ahead :: Just three races remain in the World Grand Prix Championship's 20th Season and thanks to four points earned from a 7th place finish at the Hapilopper Grand Prix Circuit, Cocoabo #23 remains atop the Drivers' championship standings heading into the Tumbran Grand Prix weekend. Once again things got off to a mediocre start for 'Fast Cocoabo' who has shown to be not-so-fast in Qualifying all season long. Come race day, however, the product of the Tropicorp-funded Cocoabo Enrichment and Enhancement Project (CEEP) has been on top form, impressing yet again with a 10 place improvement over their starting position of 17th. In a race with minimal stoppages for on track incidents the Cocoabo's speed and overtaking skills were on full display and are paramount to the 'bird's' ability to keep their place in the drivers ranking.

There will be new challengers for Cocoabo #23 in the title fight, however, as Hapilopper City race winner Brendan Faloe is now just 4 points behind after taking their first career Grand Prix Victory and adding that to the two pole positions they had already earned earlier in the season. Having come out on top of the pylon in a non-practice session now 3 times on the season, there is no debating that Faloe is the real deal and the Cygnus Motorsports Team rookie driver is not only a serious threat for the Rookie of the Season championship, but the overall driver's championship as well. While Fast Cocoabo still has the points advantage on the Cygnus driver, Faloe may have a major advantage still to cash in on as the final race of the season will be held at the Forest Cross Circuit in Esmerel, a race where Faloe and the Cygnus team are expected to shine.

Additionally, Faloe has now overtaken Tropicorp licensed driver Skiia Vialiv in the Rookie of the Season standings after Vialiv fell from her 7th place on the starting grid back to 11th at the checkered flag of the Hapiloppian Grand Prix. Though Vialiv continued to put up strong results she could not manage to stay in the point while her teammate Fitzpatrick challenged for a podium finish. This fact will only amplify prior rumors that Vialiv could be replaced at Urotovsky-Gatutin either by seasons end, or, at end of season. For a rookie driver it is certainly possible that just being involved in the rumor mill is distracting Vialiv from the task at hand, trying to compete for the World Grand Prix Drivers and Rookie of the Season Championship titles.

While at this point Vialiv's future is just part of the rumor mill, the first pieces of the World Grand Prix Championship Season 21 puzzle have already begun to fall as it has been confirmed that there will be changes at Pressley Racing. Dario Nülkeschläger, the teams Reserve driver for WGPC Season 20 has already inked a deal that will see them return to the drivers seat in WGPC Season 21. It is widely expected that Nülkeschläger will be replacing the under-performing Bryce Yennec at Pressley Racing with the Mertagnian currently sitting just 24th overall with 6 points on the season.

However, Yennec may not be the only driver out of a seat at Pressley Racing as after a strong start to the season Sophie McCreary has failed to score points in the last 4 Grands Prix and is starting to bring equipment home in an unusable state for the next race. Deemed the "Wonderkid" - McCreary is still favored to retain her seat with the team but if she can't put in a strong performance at her home circuit that narrative could change particularly if the rumors of the availability of Fleftic driver William Archer are true.

Such a move could set Silly Season into full swing, as Archer was a target of the Tropicorp-Colourworks team to replace Sara Luna but Archer turned the team down in order to make another run with Preston Autos Grand Prix. If Archer does not return to Preston Autos then the implications for Tropicorp affiliated drivers are large, especially if McCreary retains her spot at Pressley Racing. Two of the rumored landing spots for Archer outside of Preston Autos would be the re-incarnated Tropicorp team that has all but confirmed they will be stripping the Colourworks name from their title next season, and Urotovsky-Gatutin.

If Archer was to go back and resume negotiations with the successor to Tropicorp Colourworks, the intrigue would be who would they replace and who would they keep out. If things continue the way they have so far with the team back in 10th position overall, Tropicorp are likely to jettison both of their drivers and start fresh, potentially opening the door for a William Archer - Skiia Vialiv tandem in the driver seat which would seem to be a powerful and enviable combination of proven World Grand Prix Championship race winners, likely to thrust Tropicorp back into the realm of championship contenders. If Archer were to land elsewhere, however, a whole new string of chain events would be unlocked as the series gets deeper and deeper into its Silly Season. Of course, all the possible permutations remain a reason why many drivers try not to focus on the next season while the current one is still underway, hoping not to have their on track performance affected by whats going on behind the scenes as they prepare onward for the future.

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COCOABO PARK ✓

@CocoaboPark

When #Cocoabo23 finishes in the points, so do you! A 7th place finish for Fast Cocoabo in the @WGPC Hapiloppian Grand Prix means half price admission for kids under 10 years of age and kids eat free with a paid adult meal at all main village restaurants within @CocoaboPark this week.

SKIIA VIALIV ✓

@Skiia

Ahhh! So disappointing. @URGA_Motorsports_ENG did an outstanding job with the car this week. Was hoping to bring home double points for the team but we got bumped at the start and lost a few spots that I just could never get back. Congrats Faloe on joining the #WGPC20 winners club! Race you to the finish...

A Lonely Crowe :: 28 Drivers have taken to the Grid for World Grand Prix Championship Season and every single one of them has finished in the Top 11 at least once. 27 of those 28 drivers has finished in the Top 10 at least once with just one driver yet to make their mark and get a point on the board.

Heading into the Hapiloppian Grand Prix, there were still a trio of drivers with a goose-egg in the points column. By the time the checkers fell, however, just one would remain. Perhaps the most excited driver on pit road at the end of the race - except perhaps for race winner Brendan Faloe, was Lillý Náttmörðsdóttir. The Mlima Kijani driver who was odds on favorite to be the last driver to score points during WGPC Season 20 after making the top flight jump following a woefully unimpressive season in the OWARS NSGP. Yet, agaisnt all odds, Náttmörðsdóttir piloted their Sivaleinen entry to 4th position on the grid then held on for dear life for 55 laps, ultimately getting passed last by Championship Leader Cocoabo #23 and settling for an 8th place finish worth 3 championship points.

The performance would move Náttmörðsdóttir up two spots in the overall standings to 27th with fellow rookie driver Bryce Yennec also moving off the bottom with their first ever points finish in 6th position at Hapilopper City. It meant that just one driver would remain at the bottom, Baker Park's Jordan Crowe. The pride of the lands of the flag of many colors has been notably unimpressive with a best finish of 11th at the Nimban Grand Prix. Crowe will now have just three races left to break off the bottom and complete the grid with the potential to see all 28 drivers picking up points by seasons end.

To Finish, or Not to Finish :: Just one quarter of the World Grand Prix Championship field has been running at the finish of all 7 Grands Prix thus far with three of those 7 drivers finding themselves in the Top 4 places of the Drivers Standings.

Brendan Faloe, Sara Luna and Anneliese Devereux have all finished every single race this season with Faloe having the best overall record having finished 17th or higher in every event. Vilitan driver R.L. Cruisin is another who has been running at the finish every weekend but the Portland-Carvenlo driver has struggled for points with most of their finishes coming between 9th and 19th position in the rundown.

All eyes, however, are on Pressley Racing's Sophie McCreary who has three consecutive DNF's heading into her home race, where she is likely to employ a "Checkers or Wreckers" attitude in search of glory on her home track. If she slips up, however, it could be an incredible fourth straight DNF that would certainly spur on thoughts of action coming out of Tumbra.

[Vilita and Turori]

Championship Battle Thickens as Entire Grid remains in the Hunt

Preston Autos Hapiloppian Grand Prix, Hapilopper City Grand Prix Circuit, Hapilopper City, Hapilopper :: After qualifying back in the 17th position, things were looking at little bleak for the @CocoaboPark Race Eelandii VTGP team of Cocoabo #23. Entering Hapilopper City with a narrow points lead, the team knew they would have to consistently finish inside the points for the remainder of the season to have any hope of winning either the Drivers or Constructors championship, and were under no illusion that they were in a 'good position' at the top of the standings with the Cocoabo's point total of 47 heading into Hapilopper City the lowest of any World Grand Prix Championship Drivers Standings leader after 6 events in the series modern era.

Once the lights went out, however, Fast Cocoabo did what Fast Cocoabo does, drove fast. Once again Cocoabo #23 would make amends for a poor qualifying effort and methodically pick off positions one by one until finding their way into the points. Cocoabo #23 actually managed to run as high as 6th but would fall back late to a 7th place finish. With primary championship rival Sara Luna finishing down in the 18th position, it seemed to be a solid haul for Fast Cocoabo and the Race Eelandii VTGP team - but a new contender would emerge in the form of race winner Brendan Faloe who would move into position just 4 points behind the Cocoabo to become the teams new primary adversary.

While many simply assumed that the first half of the schedule must have favored Cocoabo #23, the CEEP-trained driver has continued to demonstrated that it was not lack of skill but lack of equipment that was to blame for their mediocre showing during the previous two World Grand Prix Championship campaigns. Cocoabo #23 continues to lead the field in positions gained over grid with an average improvement of nearly 10 spots per race and now many wonder if Fast Cocoabo could be taking over the #1 drivers role at Race Eelandii VTGP with Lane Carter and the #11 team mired in an aesthetically pleasing but otherwise underwhelming 11th position.

The real test, however, may come at the Mount Fesmos Circuit for the Tumbran Grand Prix. Unlike recent events on the World Grand Prix Championship calendar, the Tumbran Grand Prix was not on the calendar last season and Race Trim data may be limited for the teams, which could be an opportunity for things to be shaken up even more - or for skilled drivers to take the reigns and take control of their fate in the standings. Having lost their ride at Fireline Motorsports, Cocoabo #23 did not participate in the Pre-Season test at the Mount Fesmos Circuit during World Grand Prix Championship Season 19 while Lane Carter was the slowest car on the track in the first of two open practice sessions at the course. It could however be an opportunity for reigning World Grand Prix Champion iBen Toralmintii to finally begin their climb back to the top of the standings and defend their title on the track instead of in the pits. While unsigned driver Olivia Stone had the best average speed in last seasons Tumbran test, the next fastest drivers behind her were Rudy Edwards of Preston Autos and Toralmintii who were the only drivers to place in the Top 10 of both practice sessions, both averaging about the same speed over the two tests.

Toralmintii and the team have shown improvement in recent weeks securing a 4th place finish at the Akresna International Circuit and just narrowly missing out on the points in Hapilopper City despite a poor qualifying effort. With just 41 points standing between Toralmintii and the top spot in the Drivers Standings, and 3 races left on the schedule to make up the difference, a win in Tumbra for the Turorian could be just the boost that the Tropicorp Colourworks team need to make a late push to re-claim their position as the dominant team/driver combo in the World Grand Prix Championship.

Hapiloppian Grand Prix, Hapilopper Grand Prix Circuit, Hapilopper :: While many expected the headlines out of Hapilopper City to be little more than a count of just how many Rookie Drivers would end up bringing out the Safety Car after nosing into Oh Crap Theres a Wall, the story ended up being much different as a Rookie Driver took the checkered flag for the second time this season.

With little surprise to many who have followed the World Grand Prix Championship this season, that driver would be Cygnus Motorsports Brendan Faloe. Having already secured Pole Position twice, Faloe has shown speed throughout the season and just needed a little good fortune to come their way. After a slow start in the first two weeks of the World Grand Prix Championship season, Faloe really has been the shining star among rookie drivers ever since the Cocoabo Park Circuit, but perhaps was overshadowed by fellow rookie competitor Skiia Vialiv's first career Grand Prix victory in that event. Faloe, however, finished just off the podium in 4th place in Cocoabo Park and since then has shown nothing but speed, earning pole position in Diarcesia, placing 5th at the Crossbay Circuit, taking another pole position in Auruna and then finally putting the whole package together with a victory in Hapilopper City that moves Faloe to the top of the Toys '4' All Rookie Standings and moves them into 2nd position in the overall World Grand Prix Championship Drivers standings.

Faloe's leap to the top wasn't the only change in the Rookie of the Season standings after Hapilopper City, however, as two drivers would add their name to the board for the first time with Bryce Yannec and Lillý Náttmörðsdóttir getting their first career Top 10 finish leaving just one driver, Jordan Crowe, off the board without a point earned thus far. While drivers and teams are all celebrating when they claim points for the first time, ship captains and nation-states throughout central Atlantian Oceania have also taken the news of Náttmörðsdóttir's points finish well as it seems over the days since the end of the Hapilopper City Grand Prix there has been a noticeable downtrend of Pirate activity in the Vilitan Cove and the Aethyrea Channel. Some maritime trackers have attributed the lack of Pirate activity to an increase in drunkeness and cheer amongst Mlima-Kijani based Pirates who have opted to forgo setting out from port in favor of extended inebriation in light of the unexpected accomplishment of their countries most prominent driver.

Pos # ▍DRV Name                      Team [Engine]                                        Tyres                    Pts
 1 71 ▍FAE Brendan Faloe             Cygnus Motorsports Team [Tropicorp]                  Tropicorp                47
 2 74 ▍FTZ Adonis Fitzpatrick        Urotovsky-Gatutin [Preston]                          Tropicorp                36
 3 14 ▍VIA Skiia Vialiv              Urotovsky-Gatutin [Preston]                          Tropicorp                35
 4 42 ▍MCR Sophie McCreary           Pressley Racing [Kaylan]                             Brústeinn                32
 5 13 ▍JSY Ji So-Yeong               Tropicorp-Colourworks [Tropicorp]                    Tropicorp                23
 6  9 ▍TUV Batu Tüvshinbayar         Scuderia Orange Cow [Tropicorp]                      Tropicorp                22
 7 28 ▍DEE Aaron Deering             Viska Racing [Viska]                                 Phoenician-In Motion     22
 8 33 ▍BLA Sam Blaatschappen         GPA Pryfors Bilar [Sidus]                            Phoenician-In Motion     10
 9 91 ▍WAL Kingston Walcott          Sivaleinen [Preston]                                 Tropicorp                7
10 87 ▍YAN Bryce Yannec              Pressley Racing [Kaylan]                             Brústeinn                6
11 10 ▍NAT Lillý Náttmörðsdóttir     Sivaleinen [Preston]                                 Tropicorp                3
12 84 ▍ANG Angela Tan Fang Ling      Cygnus Motorsports Team [Tropicorp]                  Tropicorp                1
13 12 ▍VIL Darian Vilau              Kaylan Racing Team [Kaylan]                          Phoenician-In Motion     1

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While Race winner Brendan Faloe certainly deserved all the praise for their accomplishment in Hapilopper City, it wasn't a unanimous vote among media circles for Driver of the Day due primarily to the impressive run put together by Pressley Racing driver Bryce Yannec. The Mertagnian made an incredible run through the pack after starting in the 26th position to finish 6th and score points for the first time in their World Grand Prix Championship career. They also improved the most positions over grid, +20, of any driver in Hapilopper City - and it wasn't even close. Three drivers who started in the back near Yannec were all able to avoid the incidents that happened in front of them and pick off another couple of cars to improve their placement by +11 spots. Of those three only one, Ted Pressley, also managed to score points with the Kaylan Racing Team driver finishing in the 9th position. Batu Tüvshinbayar and Annelise Devereux - who started immediately behind Yannec in 27th and 28th position, would have to settle for mid-pack finishes of 16th and 17th watching helplessly as Yannec drove with impressive pace and strategy up through the pack. It would certianly be a positive sign for Pressley Racing heading into their home track weekend in Tumbra.

Bryce Yannec's +20 run in Hapilopper City was the second most impressive improvement of the season thus far, surpassed only by Laura Haukanna's improvement of +20 positions at GPA Pryfors Bilar's home race in Diarcesia. Still, despite holding the top two biggest single race improvements of positions over grid on the World Grand Prix Championship season thus far, both Yannec and Haukanna are in the red on the season with Yannec down 4 positions over 7 races for an average loss of -0.6 positions over grid while Haukanna's record is even more impressive considering she boasts the largest single race increase of positions over grid of all drivers this season yet still finds herself just 24th out of 28 drivers in overall positions over grid having lost an average of -3.4 positions over grid in each race this season.

Of course, the most predictable driver on the World Grand Prix Championship circuit continues to be Diarcesia's Sam Blaatschappen. The GPA Pryfors Bilar has finished within 4 spots of their starting position in each of the 7 races thus far, extending the trend by improving +3 Positions from their 18th place spot on the starting grid in Hapilopper City to a 15th place finish behind Vilitan driver R.L. Cruisin who, coincidentally, is the second most consistent driver of the season when consider the range from where they start to where they finished in a single race with Cruisin's biggest outlier coming in Diarcesia where they lost 8 positions from a starting position of 11th down to a 19th place finish.

incredibly, just five times this season has a driver finished the race in exactly the position they started in, and no driver has accomplished the feat more than once. Ted Pressley, Aaron Deering and R.L. Cruisin have each done it in addition to having also finished within 1 spot of their grid position on two other occasions, leading the series with 3 total finishes a piece within one spot of their start.

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Hapiloppian AOGP, Hapilopper City Grand Prix Circuit, Hapilopper City, Hapilopper :: Expectations were minimal at the start of the second Atlantian Oceania Grand Prix season for the fledgling Race Eelandii AOGP team making its debut as the Eelandii-based outfit look to shed its mis-concepted image as "Just a feeder team for Tropicorp-Colourworks" and establish themselves as an end-to-end established motorsports powerhouse with an internal driver development program and an exposure package that could appeal to sponsors of all levels to get in the door and forge a new partnership.

Race Eelandii AOGP focused on two drivers of different backgrounds to pilot its entries, with one coming from the top down and the other from the bottom up. After failing to land a seat in the World Grand Prix Championship, Nini Johnsilvaturr accepted the role as active Test Driver for Race Eelandii! Vilita and Turori Grand Prix Motorworks and with that role came a full time seat in the Atlantian Oceania Grand Prix series. Alongside Johnsilvaturr would be a local driver with a background in oval track racing: Trikki Mokalrisa. Incredibly, it wouldn't take long for the gamble on Mokalrisa to pay off as the Vilita and Turorian driver gave Race Eelandii AOGP its first victory in just its second ever race, the Atlantian Oceania Grand Prix Round 2 event at the Lopinka National Speedway in Vilita. When the circuit headed West to the Streets of Alikki-Corra, however, it was just a few turns too many for Mokalrisa to handle as the #19 machine placed last among all drivers who finished the race.

Of course, that was a key point for both Mokalrisa and the team: Finished the race. The primary goal of the Race Eelandii AOGP team was never to compete for championships in their very first season - and in fact, picking up a victory has already meant the teams goals have been exceeded. The primary focus has always been driver development and to have a pipeline of drivers ready to take over in the World Grand Prix Championship should the need ever arise. That level of driver development has been seen to great effect thus far in Race Eelandii VTGP's test driver, Nini Johnsilvaturr. The video game trained driver has maintained or improved their position in every race thus far in their short Atlantian Oceania Grand Prix career, most recently earning a first career podium finish at the Hapilopper City Grand Prix Circuit. If the trend continues, Johnsilvaturr could find themselves on top of the podium very soon and potentially even in contention for a Championship as current Atlantian Oceania Grand Prix Drivers Standings leader Nepö Kinder has failed to score points in the last two AO Grands Prix.

After 6 races of competition Race Eelandii AOGP sits impressively in the 4th position of the AOGP Constructors standings and has managed to keep both their cars running to the finish of all races thus far. The same can not be said of a team that had high expectations for the season, Vilaye EnergySport AOGP. The Vilisorma based team was one of the top contenders during the Inaugural AOGP season, ultimately winning the AOGP Constructors title by 13 points over current AOGP Constructors standings leaders White Unicorns Racing. However, things have taken a turn for the worse at Vilaye EnergySport AOGP this season, particularly for driver #94 Rokksin Lavalhi. Lavalhi was pointless through five races and leads the series with 4 DNF's but was finally able to show some signs of turning things around with a 4th place finish in Hapilopper City. Some believ that Lavalhi felt the pressure of potentially being replaced as driver of the second car for Vilaye EnergySport particularly as rumors began to swirl about the potential that former World Grand Prix Championship title contender Igne Spupuo was returning to motorsport and would test the water in the Atlantian Oceania Grand Prix. When the news first broke of Spupuo's application for an Atlantian Oceania Grand Prix license, many pundits believed that replacing Lavalhi in the Vilaye EnergySport ride would be the most likely landing spot for the Veteran from Deiorus. However, Spupuo would instead take over and drive the TEST DRIVER prepared entry for AOGP Motoworks and hit a home run with a 7th place finish in their return debut.

Now, the AOGP teams head off to Baker Park and the Drummond Vale Race Circuit for Round 7 of competition in a race weekend that will follow the World Grand Prix Championships Tumbran Grand Prix. In addition to the AOGP, it will be a combination event including the 4th round of iROS Season 5.

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VILITA & TURORI RACER ✓

@VTRacer

Just three races left in the World Grand Prix Championship season and yet every single driver on the grid is still mathematically in contention to win the Drivers Championship! Incredible competition. Can @iBen77 put together another miraculous late season charge to re-claim their crown? Can Olivia Stone or Igne Spupuo find a ride and win a championship by competing in just 3 races? Or will one of the drivers at the top of the standings hold their nerves and close out the deal? Next Stop: Tumbra.

#WGPC :: #TumbranGP :: #All-In

[TJUN-ia]

Race Day, Part 7, and this time was going to be very interesting for off-track reasons. Considering this was fucking Hapilopper after all, the most passionate racing nation on the face of the earth, it was no surprise that the locals were going all in on making the Preston Autos Hapiloppian Grand Prix one of the memorable spectacles on this short but sweet WGPC Calendar. The stands were absolutely packed and ready to cheer on a Preston 2-3 on the grid and the rest of the field at that but for both the TJUN-ians, they were looking to try and limit the damage Traditional Qualifying did to their weekend. It was expected to be an interesting race once those five lights went out...but would that hold true?

Well, this race would actually pull off quite the surprise as, for the first time all season, the Saftey Car was not required at all...which was all the more surprising considering Oh Crap, There's A Wall and "They Crash, You Win!" both exist in this reality. All of this relative calm didn't mean that there were no hiccups of course as Adriana Kowalski Lilian and Sophie McCreary both retired on Lap 24, with McCreary ending up victim to those dreaded stakes for a lucky fan out there. Angela Tan Fang Ling joined them on Lap 25, which must've sucked for viewers in Valentine Z, and they would be joined by Aaron Deering on Lap 34 and Darian Vilau on Lap 51. The race itself, by the way, would be won by Brendan Faloe over the Preston 2-3 of Rudy Edwards and William Archer, with the Cygnus driver taking the flag by 0.599 seconds in one of the closest finishes in WGPC history. Adonis Fitzpatrick, Ryker Lane, Bryce Yannec, Cocoabo #23, Lillý Náttmörðsdóttir, Ted Pressley and Ji So-Yeong would end up completing the Top 10 with Lane Carter just missing out on that final point.

Batu was hoping to make some moves in the race alongside Anneliese Devereux but just didn't end up happening as the Mongolian limped home in P16 and a lap down. He was also sad for teammate Jordan Crowe in P21, who became the only driver yet to score points in this series, but he will certainly try to be that spark of encouragement he may need. At least the form of both Donny and Archer seems to be heading down the right past, enough so for Batu to try that old line again...

Good job out there! Nice to see Will's doing better now as well, send my congrats to him!

And then there was Lane. Poor, poor Lane. Steeping out onto that racetrack with the bi flag as his cape was certainly an interesting experience to say the least, with all the attention and looks it produced and how it simply blew up his phone...but out there, he simply didn't care. He didn't care what they fucking said at all. He was finally himself, finally able to express himself, and it felt so fucking good. It felt like nothing could stop him...and then the race happened.

Missing out on that one point by less than a second, while Fast Cocoabo was up in 7th and Brendan Faloe was entering his name into the Championship picture, impacted him a lot more than he would've thought. It felt like a failure. To be reborn...and then still be snuffed out. He was a part of the team that was leading the Constructors, a race winner from earlier in the season...and yet, he didn't feel like that was what he did. His record says he has 28 points...but did he really get them? Was that really him? And if so...why can't he replicate that now? What the fuck is wrong with him?

Up next is Tumbra, Mount Fesmos to be exact, and a place where the Father vs Son War was going to take all the headlines. Batu would be hoping for more points and so would the Galarian...but Lane's dreams of a Top 5 run in this Championship seem all the more distant. He would make it clear to VTGP that if they wanted them to support the Cocoabo from here on out, then he was happy to do that. It was a point he repeated to the press...while also giving his reasons why:

"I've tried everything...and yet, I'm not able to match them right now.
I thought...doing what I did today would be a weight off my shoulders.
Instead, it made me realise that wasn't the problem at all.

I can't fight anymore. I just...can't.
I'm done.
I'm so sorry...I'm sorry if I let everyone back home down."

[Deiorus]

Excerpt from Igne Spupuo's memoir regarding, Syrus Valerian, the Deiorusian envoy who orchestrated his return to racing:

As I reflect upon the tale that binds me to the noble envoy of Deiorus, Syrus Valerian, a sense of duty and camaraderie fills my heart. It was amidst the wreckage and desolation that followed the civil war, as my homeland emerged from the clutches of chaos and isolation, that this extraordinary partnership unfolded. Let me recount the events that led to our fateful alliance and the path that brought us to the realm of motorsports.

Upon the cessation of hostilities, Deiorus yearned to regain its rightful place among the nations of the world. Ravaged and stripped of its once-flourishing economy, our state's coffers lay barren, devoid of the necessary foreign currency to engage in international trade. It was at this crucial juncture that Syrus Valerian, a distinguished envoy, stepped forward, carrying the weight of our nation's hopes upon his noble shoulders. Syrus, with his unyielding dedication to the restoration of Deiorus, embarked on a mission to forge connections beyond our borders. To establish our nation's presence in the world, he sought ways of displaying our resilience, our unyielding spirit, and our commitment to chivalry. It was during these deliberations that fate, in its infinite wisdom, led our paths to converge.

My own aspirations, as a long-serving champion and servant of Deiorus, aligned seamlessly with the vision Syrus Valerian held for Deiorus. Despite the chaos that ensued and the years of absence from the racing scene, the call of the racetrack burned within my soul. Syrus recognized in me the potential to embody the spirit of our nation's revival, a knight in shining armor who would carry the Deiorusian banner with unwavering resolve.

And so it came to pass that Syrus assumed the mantle of my agent, guiding my journey back to the realm of motorsports. With a shared understanding of our mutual goals, he orchestrated the acquisition of my AOGP racing license, a significant step towards obtaining much-coveted seat in WGPC. Compared to my previous foray, we could not simply spend our way to entry. It did not help that my previous performances were long lost in sands of time, which meant that I had to prove myself.

As I embarked on this extraordinary endeavor, I found solace in the unwavering support and guidance of Syrus Valerian. With his wisdom and strategic acumen, he navigated the treacherous waters of bureaucracy, securing the necessary documentation and licensing to pave my path towards the realm of motorsports once more. His expertise was required as the racing authorities kept an observant eye, they were not keen on repeating shenanigans that allowed me to compete whilst only having experience with equestrian events. If I had not proven myself as a legitimate competitor previously all those years ago, I would have not been taken seriously.

After which, our days were filled with countless meetings, negotiations, and tireless efforts to gain legitimacy for my return. Syrus, with his eloquence and persuasive charm, painted a vivid portrait of my resilience and determination, appealing to the many teams around Atlantian Oceania to grant me the opportunity to race in the esteemed AOGP series. With every word he uttered, I felt a surge of pride in my veins, for I knew that the mission extended far beyond the realms of racing. As I was deemed a "cultural envoy" of Deiorus, carrying the image of our nation's appearance to the outside world upon my shoulders. Syrus thought that my success on the race track would not only elevate my standing but also, through state sponsorship, breathe life into the trade routes that had long withered due to years of destruction and isolation.

The day of my first AOGP race arrived at Hapilopper, and as I prepared to step onto the hallowed ground of the racetrack, Syrus stood by my side, his unwavering faith in my abilities resonating within me. His eyes, filled with a blend of hope and determination, spoke volumes. "Igne Spupuo, the time has come for you to showcase the indomitable spirit of our people," he whispered, his voice carrying the weight of our shared dreams. In that moment, as the engines roared and the world around me faded into insignificance, I knew that our journey had only just begun. With Syrus as my guiding light, I would navigate the twists and turns of the racing circuit, my every move a testament to the strength, resilience, and unwavering chivalry of Deiorus.

As the story of our partnership unfolded, I am reminded of the extraordinary bond we share, the unbreakable alliance forged amidst the ruins of a nation ravaged by chaos and isolation. Together, Syrus Valerian and I stand as beacons of hope, knights on a quest to restore Deiorus to its rightful place among the nations of the world. And in our journey, we shall not only conquer the race track but also rebuild our nation, one step at a time.

[Tumbra]

TUMBRAN GRAND PRIX
hosted by
Mount Fesmos Circuit

Quick Facts
Circuit Name: Mount Fesmos Circuit
Location: Caduke, Tumbra
Lap Length: 5.76km
Lap Record (Race Trim): 1:31.198 (Dario Nulkeschlager, Pressley PRE-023B, testing)
All-time lap record: 1:27.454 (Dario Nulkeschalger, Pressley PRE-023B, testing)

Description
Located in the forests of Caduke, Mount Fesmos circuit is a true driver's circuit in every sense of the word. Flowing and winding through the forest, taking drivers on elevation changes that sees the main straight nearly 90 metres lower than the circuit's highest point at turn 13, the circuit is still threatening and menacing — which is still saying something, considering the layout was majorly changed in 1971.

The lap begins on the start-finish straight — easily one of the longest in Tumbra. A terrifying elevation climb at the end of the main straight sees a tight, first-gear hairpin — though, thankfully, the track here is extremely extended and wide, allowing for drivers to avoid lap 1 carnage. A left-hand kink which drivers accelerate through forms turn 2, before a right-hand kink that forms turn 3; a good exit here is vital for turn 4 which is usually taken quickly with a slight lift off the accelerator. A bigger braking point at turn 5 feeds into the right-left complex of turns 6 and 7, before a uphill, winding turn 8 forms the start of the first DRS straight. By this point, cars have already climbed nearly 50 metres from the lowest point on the circuit.

Blast up the hill for a tight, DRS enabled, before you meet the gradually tightening, off-camber turn 9. A late turn-in is recommended so you can get on the power early for turn 10, a fast left-hander that feeds directly onto yet another DRS straight. Turn 11 is much slower than most think it is — it not only takes the drivers further uphill, but also serves as a menacingly, dangerously simple left turn. Accelerate out of turn 12 (a fast left-hand bend) to meet turns 13 and 14, the highest point on the circuit. Most drivers take a bit of kerb on the exit of 13 to not sacrifice their run into 14; but once they're done with that, it's downhill all the way. Turn 16 is a fast left-hander, before the most famous turn on the circuit, turn 17; keep it in fourth as you power through here. It's theoretically an overtaking spot, but everyone knows the line through here that it's really difficult to overtake on. A final blast down turns 18 and 19 brings you back onto the start-finish straight.

It's fun, challenging, akin to riding a roller-coaster; but it's a shadow of the beast it once was.

History
Like most major racing circuits of the early 20th century, Mount Fesmos opened as a collection of public roads which some people with huge moustaches (though, presumably not Harry Zoomtwat) thought looked vaguely race-circuit shaped. The result? A fearsome, thirteen-kilometre long circuit which looped around the towns of Fesmos, Whyteleaf and Pernwyth with an average speed of nearly 240 km/h in the last days of the old layout. Unsurprisingly, the circuit claimed many lives; and clamour for safety saw the circuit reprofiled and made more permanent. Today, the old circuit leaves the track at the main straight — yes, that very long main straight used to be even longer — and rejoins the modern circuit at turn 14, just in time for the downward blast.

Mount Fesmos is one of Tumbra's premier racing circuits; it, alongside the Couno Harbour Street Circuit, are the two "jewels in Tumbran motorsport". The circuit hosts a round of the Tumbran Super Formula series — and is one of a few tracks to have constantly hosted a round since the series' inception in 1990 — and hosts the 6 Hours of Fesmos, an endurance race in the Tumbran Endurance Racing series.

Getting Here and Accomodation
Link to a list of maps of Tumbra
One difficulty of Mount Fesmos is its relatively remote stature as compared to other circuits in the calendar; the closest international airport is in Fontwell. Beyond that, it's a high-speed train to Caldwell; but it's all motor vehicles all the way there. There is a commuter rail line that runs to the circuit, however; and that will be the main form of transportation for fans. Caldwell does have plenty of buses providing transportation to the nearby towns of Fesmos and Whyteleaf, but those are the two major settlements in the circuit's general vicinity. Teams get first dibs on hotels; spectators, more likely than not, will have to rough it out in tents. Thankfully, Fesmos is full of camping opportunities; and the circuit actively encourages people to camp on-site.

The difficulty of getting to and from the circuit has resulted in plans to shift the Tumbran Grand Prix from this circuit, or at least alternate it with the Couno Harbour Street Circuit; but Mount Fesmos' owners will probably fight tooth and nail to ensure the grand prix remains here,

Other Events
Who can forget the music? Throughout the race weekend, a bevy of musical artistes will be playing for the race-going crowd; catch them near turns 18 and 19, on a special stage built just for the occasion. Tumbran pop, jazz, rock, metal — you name the genre, and there's probably an act for you.

A VISITOR'S GUIDE TO TUMBRA

LOCATED in central Esportiva, the Federal Republic of Tumbra is a sprawling, modern democratic republic of a hundred and twenty-one million people. Comprising twenty-five states, Mount Fesmos is located in Caduke, in the country's deep west.

Airports, Getting To and Travelling Within Tumbra

Tumbra is a country of many climates; cold in the north, temperate in the middle and warm in the south. The sparkling, white-sanded beaches of the south and eastern coast, the mountains of the west and the boundless plains of central Tumbra also offer dazzling tourist spots if you wish to just relax. There's also the more metropolitan cities, chock-full of culture and nightlife for the less nature-inclined amongst visitors.

Getting to Tumbra would usually entail taking a plane from an airport; Tumbra has twelve international airports, the locations of which can be found in the above factbook. To get to destinations not provided by airport, high-speed rail that travels up to about 320km/h inside the country offers transport throughout the country, ensuring comfort, speed and reliability to get your players to their matches on time. Within cities, most cities have at least some form of mass rapid transit or light rail that forms the basis of their transport system.

Should you still wish to travel by car, Tumbra uses left-hand drive, and verifiable international licenses are a prerequisite to hire a car. Expressways to each of the major cities do exist, though...trains also exist...and are faster...

IF your nation comes from Esportiva, Tumbra can be reached within four to six hours' flight; if it comes from the regions of Anaia, Atlantian Oceania, Rushmore or Melayu Archipelago, then Tumbra can be reached from anywhere from six to twelve hours' flight; and for countries from outside the five sporting regions, then flights to Tumbra will take twelve hours or more.

All visitors with a valid ticket will be given a visa. Ticket scalping is, of course, illegal; should one come across such an act of ticket scalping, then call 999 (the number for the Police in Tumbra).

Culture and Laws
The policing in each state is run by the state governments, though they are all run to a unified federal code, which standardises most equipment and techniques. Federal laws will apply here; some of the more important ones are...

• The age to buy alcohol and tobacco is set at 18 years.
• The age of consent is 18 years. Prostitution is legal.
• The status of marijuana, confusingly for Tumbra, is vague and depends on the state. The usage of medical marijuana, however, is legalised throughout all states. Caduke, being a primarily conservative state, bans marijuana.
• The importation of alcohol and tobacco is illegal without declaration; and there are strict limits on the amount. Importation of marijuana is illegal; the same goes for other hard drugs.
• There is a blanket ban on assault weapons in Tumbra, and no importation is allowed.

The currency of Tumbra is the Tumbran Dollar, with the exchange rate being set at 1 NSD to 1.33 TMD. There is a ten per cent consumption tax on all items; usually it is factored into the price of the item.

Should there be any other questions, please contact VisitTumbra.com.

[Esmerel]

CHAPTER 12
Victory, And Something Besides

Brendan quietly sat on the grid in P6, waiting for everything to make way and let the field of cars take off.

”Diagnostics are looking good from here, Brendan,” Cole Schmied radioed in from the garage. ”Not predicting any problems with part wear. Only five cars ahead of you, and lots of space to get up to speed. Feeling like a good race today.”

“Copy that,” Brendan acknowledged. “I’ll keep up the pressure today. Give me the strategy run-down again?”

”The track’s pretty smooth and quick, so we’ll just be stopping once,” Cole confirmed. ”You’re starting on mediums, pitting for softs at Lap 33. We’ll keep you updated if the strategy changes. Safety cars might be important if they happen. …Don’t make any stupid moves, keep it steady for the first few laps, and we’ll see you after it’s said and done.”

“...Tell Angela I said good luck, if you can,” Brendan noted. “Not sure what else I can give her right now… It’s hard to keep up my spirits when hers are low, honestly.”

”If it makes you feel better. Alright, we’re ten past,” Cole noted. ”Personnel are clearing, be ready to form up.”

The masses of team personnel cleared the grid. A few seconds later, the lights went green for the formation lap. Polesitter Ryker Lane shot away the first instant he could, as if it was the actual start. The other cars ahead of Brendan tried to follow suit to keep to regulations, as did Brendan when he got going from his grid slot. First gear, easy off the clutch, and away.

Brendan had settled into the routine of the formation lap by now- get a feel for the track conditions, heat up the tires, think about opening moves once the lights went out, et cetera. All weekend, Brendan had liked the feel of the course- fast and risky, and it had a sense of the classics about it, much like Forest Cross back home.

“Conditions feel perfect, Cole,” he radioed in. “Give me a forecast if you’ve got it.”

”That’s good too,” Cole added. ”They weren’t sure how it’d be for the weekend, but the skies are nice and clear. No chance of rain at all. Warm your tires up a bit more than usual if you can; Lane’s still peeling away.”

Brendan drove past the grandstands surrounding Turn 4, trying to make a bit of a show of heating his tires, giving a puff of smoke and a rev of the engine, which did the trick at the time being. On went the parade of cars through the Slidey Right and into the high-speed kinks.

But ahead of him was… something different. In the distance, Brendan could see Ryker Lane approaching Turn 8, the dreaded “Oh Crap, There’s A Wall!” It was the one part of the track Brendan simply didn’t understand. Well, he got the challenge of the turn- heavy braking, close walls, little room for error and heavy punishment if someone did- but he didn’t understand the track promoters’ insistence on painting a giant red target in front of the danger zone. And rewarding fans who picked the first driver to hit it. About the only thing missing was putting grandstands around the turn, so the fans could devilishly cheer when someone made their ill-fated trip into the wall.

If not the fastest driver on the grid, Brendan was certainly (one of) the most careful. All weekend, he had forced a bit of pressure on himself, that no matter what happened in the race, he would not crash at Turn 8. Even after the paint on the wall collapsed and the target was no more.

…Wait, back up. Something just happened to the target.

Brendan could see the red paint on the wall- which stretched up several meters- collapse and vanish seemingly from existence itself. In its place was a starkly-colored mural, or at least, what looked like one as Brendan approached.

-

Back in the Cygnus garage, Lianna (and just about everyone else) watched the international feed in awe as the cameras jolted to the inexplicable event. She stood in great confusion, not because she thought it impossible, but because she knew not how it was done.

Yet out of the corner of her eye, she noticed one Olivia Stone desperately trying not to grin as the local crowd remained bewildered- and partially outraged- at the stunt. Upon taking a closer look at the mural, Lianna managed to put two and two together. The stray painting equipment- which, at least, she had assumed was such, as in truth it certainly looked foreign to her.

Lianna kept quiet about it, though, despite a smile forming on her own face. The target had, after all, been tasteless. And this certainly was a tasteful replacement.

And a certain someone, four garages up the pit lane? He quietly smiled too.

-

Brendan rounded Turn 8 and took a detailed- if brief- look at the brand-new mural on the wall. The mural depicted two people, both in racing suits and helmets. Brendan didn’t recognize one of them- while he assumed they were important, he hadn’t followed the scene until very recently. The other, however, he knew all too well. Everyone back at home did.

It was Jean Mercer-Daly himself, the man who was once but a step away from history. The mural had him in an aggressive pose, proudly displaying the prosthetic arm he was forced to wear after a horrifying impact with a wall much like the one at Turn 8. Whether or not he wanted to be famous, few people hadn’t heard the story, both of his rise and his terrible fate, and how he then tried to fight back in the WGPC afterward only to never reach the same level of success.

Now, his image was voicing a protest, almost ready to lead a crusade for further safety in the sport (even if his accident was found to be force majeure), and look down on such arrogance as to reward onlookers for potentially dangerous accidents. It wasn’t the fault of the common Hapiloppian, not at all- but it was possible to know better, and the mural’s existence proved Brendan was not alone in thinking that.

He thought about it a bit more as he continued on to Chicken Bone Alley, so as not to fall behind the pacing cars. As he did, he already felt better. What was once a mark of arrogance was now a mark of honor towards those that had fallen victim to said arrogance- and one of those it honored was one of his countrymen. Granted, it wasn’t a secret that Jean Mercer-Daly was still in the WGPC scene, working with Nexus, but Brendan felt that now he was being watched by the man who he and many others looked up to.

And perhaps that was true in an even greater sense: the fact that Jean had every reason to be watching his informal, indirect successor. Not with scrutiny, nor with any deep insight, but enough to understand that the torch was waiting to be passed on, and its former bearer did hold enough interest in passing it to someone of worth.

Brendan Faloe was not formerly someone of worth. But maybe he could be. Stepping out of the shadows, taking charge (as well as learning how), and having a future, one looked upon favorably by those that bravely came before him.

So, average second-best or not, maybe it was up to Brendan to fight for that future.

The grid settled back down into their places before the lights. Brendan remembered Cygnus’s goal before it had all begun as everyone behind him slowly found their grid slots. A foot in the door. Just trying to survive the long road before this and building off it to eventually reach new heights, surpassing what came before them.

And it wasn’t that Brendan didn’t think it was already enough. Because he knew it was too brash to expect more from such a young, small team, and its still-learning drivers.

But the chance was there for more. So why not take it?

The lights came on, one by one, and went out just as quickly.

-

From the moment Brendan’s race began, it went about as well as anyone could have expected. Both the C101 and his driving style meant he was a little slower off the line, but once he was getting up to speed, he was a serious contender.

Five cars had started the race ahead of Brendan. There was the polesitter Ryker Lane, looking to add to his decent points total with a redemption-ish win. Then followed the Preston drivers, both hoping to turn their team’s fortunes around (which, according to the media, desperately needed to happen) at their home track. Also ahead was Lillý Náttmörðsdóttir, on her career best run in the Sivaleinen LC-04, as well as Adonis Fitzpatrick, also trying to do his points total well. If Brendan wanted to finish as high as he could, he would have to battle with these drivers, each an impressive athlete in their own right.

And battle, Brendan did. At least, he kept pace, doing what he could to make sure he kept the car on track and the tires in working condition. He had read the race programme in depth, and he remembered where the best opportunities for passing other cars were, as well as where not to do so. Throughout the first several laps, he kept within a couple seconds of his fellow competitors, easing off when it was a good choice, and going for opportunities that presented themselves.

Náttmörðsdóttir was the first to fall, slipping back just enough to let Brendan take P5. She’d shown flashes of speed, but they were starting to fade the longer the race went on. Still, she was doing much better than she had done in previous races, and Brendan figured she could still be happy with that. He would have been, in her position. After that, Brendan pushed on, though the cars ahead of him would give him a harder time.

To his (and most’s) surprise, there were no serious crashes during the race. Perhaps, in a minor sense, the mural had done its job. No more was there a tauntingly large target on the most dangerous corner of the track. Granted, there were still minor incidents and yellow flags to pay attention to (and he did remember passing by a stricken Sophie McCreary, who had crashed at Turn 8 anyway). Unfortunately, one of those yellow flags would end up turning a solid day at the race into something a bit worse.

Brendan was approaching the end of Lap 25 on the front straight when he noticed a bright “YELLOW FLAG AHEAD- SINGLE STILL” appear on his monitor. He thought little of it at first, only making sure he would follow the usual rules of being careful and not overtaking any cars that might be ahead of him (though none were at the moment). However, as he approached the Downhill Pass, he saw a car stricken in the sand trap past the corner.

The sleek shape and bright yellow identification simultaneously brought forth and confirmed his worst fears. “...Oh, not again,” he blurted into the radio. Upon realizing he had done so, he followed up. “Is Angela alright?”

”...I don’t know what happened, and I don’t want to say anything prematurely,” Cole replied, with a different tone than usual. ”But she definitely looks like she’s out of the race… There we go, she’s out of the car.”

“...It’s got to be rough,” Brendan noted.

”I know. But get your head back in the game. We can do some good work if you do,” Cole countered. ”Strategy isn’t changing; your tires look like they’re at the right amount of wear like we predicted. Box on 33, please, that’s eight more laps.”

-

Carol, meanwhile, sat with his head in his hands inside the garage, trying to process his and Angela’s poor showing yet again.

It didn’t make sense to him. Angela was clearly committed to doing everything she could to maximize her performance in the car. Neither driver had better parts, so the same speed Brendan had was supposed to be Angela’s as well. Her skills were well-balanced, her experience more than suitable, even if it needed time to translate… And, most importantly, she had shown important flashes of speed, as in the pre-season shakedown where she was on average a second a lap quicker than Brendan.

So how did she only have one point? How did she continue to flounder most weekends? What was missing that clearly hadn’t been missing on the other side of the Cygnus garage? Was Carol the issue? Had he been, as his brother had so often and so coldly said, too soft; too passive? Had he failed to help Angela where she needed help, giving her the confidence needed to back up her skill?

Carol knew the answer lied somewhere. For now, though, Angela was unhurt and out of her car, though she was speechless aside from confirming such to Carol. It certainly didn’t look good from the outside. Carol still asserted that nothing under Angela’s control was the reason for her poor performance, but when little else could be the explanation… It didn't help. Especially with Olivia waiting in the wings, likely still race-ready.

But, well, that wasn’t Carol’s decision. And Dr. Emerson did have a tendency to see things through as much as he could, even if it could lead to further struggle. And that was true in this case. But there were still three chances left for her. Whatever happened next, she would be allowed those three chances unconditionally.

Just like a certain someone else’s luck many seasons ago, Angela’s luck had to even out. And if he could, Carol would see to it himself.

-

Brendan continued driving to the best of his ability, even beset by the knowledge that his teammate had retired from the race. He made his one and only pit stop on lap 33, changing to a set of brand-new soft tires, ready to take him to the checkered flag. The gaps that had formed over the race meant Brendan still emerged in a points-paying position.

But at this point, something was different. There was a very specific amalgam of pressures all focusing on one Brendan Faloe: the pressure not to crash, the pressure to not let anyone down, the pressure to satisfy everyone watching- it didn’t make driving easier, that was for sure.

Cole chimed in soon after the stop, as Brendan worked to get his tires heated. ”Looking good out there; still a few cars ahead inside the pit delta. You should cycle out P4; hop onto it,” he directed.

“...Alright,” Brendan lazily replied.

” ‘Alright’? Well…” Cole tried to start. ”If Angela’s on your mind, I get that. But try and shake it off, just for now. I’m thinking a good finish might lighten her spirits. And mine. And yours.” He paused. ”You’ve done some sim work, haven’t you? I bet you’ll understand what I want here.”

“Cole, what do you want here?” Brendan asked, trying to keep focus on the track and his driving (which he was managing to do).

”Give me some BR here. Copy? Hap City BR,” Cole directed.

As it turned out, Brendan understood Cole’s secret code, even if its specific context didn’t perfectly apply. But it was enough to get Brendan’s mind in the right place.

“Copy that.”

Twenty laps remained in the race, and the leader sat about twenty-five seconds ahead of Brendan. It was time to catch up, just like he had done before on more than the sole real occasion. He took off past the start/finish line to get set on his first few laps with the warmed-up soft tires. Already he could feel a difference in his pace: accelerating out of the corners became sharper, and the corners themselves smoother in response. He set to switching his engine mode up, gaining even more pace.

The first car ahead of him was Ryker Lane, who had slipped slightly from his starting position and seemed to be needing an extra pit stop compared to Brendan’s harder Tropicorp compounds. Once Brendan made up the gap on his new rubber, the “battle” was hardly a battle at all. Merely an end to Ryker Lane’s place ahead of the #71 car. Brendan sailed past on the front straight to claim the position.

Fifteen laps remained. With Brendan having jumped Fitzpatrick in the pit cycle, this left him an incredible P3- which the team was already celebrating. But he knew there was more, so long as he saved the best for last, instead of doing what he did in Cocoabo Forest again on a track that was much less defendable on.

“Give me the gaps ahead, and their paces,” Brendan asked Cole.

”You’re giving them hell, Brendan! Plus eight to Archer, plus eighteen to Edwards,” Cole confirmed. ”About one second faster per lap. Find some more pace where you can!”

Brendan absolutely tried to find more pace, and the pace came to him. His soft tires were slowly losing their brand new advantage, but they still had grip in them yet. He sailed through every turn he encountered, and down every straight. He could almost feel the fans in the stands becoming simultaneously wowed and nervous at his pace, seeing as the home team was leading 1-2.

If Brendan had his way, he was ready to spoil the Preston party. The laps wound down and he kept making up incredible time, slowly but surely proving his worth in the sport. Piece by piece he reeled in William Archer first, coming up towards him on lap 47. With tires that still held onto their grip, Brendan waited for his chance to get by, and at the Slidey Right, he took it, diving down the inside. He had a worse exit than the #96 car, who valiantly fought back, but Brendan powered into turns 6 and 7 afterward, down the slight hill and cleanly into second place.

The leader was another twelve seconds up the road, but Brendan with clean air knew there was enough time to catch up if he gave it all he got. He switched every setting he could to high and put the hammer down, knowing it was now or never. Eight to go. Seven to go. Six to go. The gap was closing, and it was closing just enough.

As Brendan came across the start/finish line with two laps to go, he could see the other Preston car a couple of seconds up the road. The chance was there. Brendan continued to push, push, push, even as his car started to lose its edge; it was still enough to make up time. It didn’t matter anymore what his car’s condition would be in two laps from now, because two laps from now was the end of the race. He watched as closely as he could, trying to see where Rudy Edwards would be at his weakest for the overtake- both competitors knew it would have to be on the final lap.

But Brendan could see ahead that Edwards was going to be his toughest competitor yet. He would not give up without the greatest of fights possible, as a driver with impeccable technical skill and good aggression to match it. Brendan would probably have just one chance, and even then, he would have to fight to find it.

The last lap began, and Brendan found himself with a huge run on the #5 car. But the opportunity wasn’t there yet- anyone could see it coming from entire parsecs away. So Brendan waited, braking carefully into the Downhill Pass to conserve what little remained of his spare performance. The #71 car pursued through turns 3 and 4, charging up the hill before approaching the Slidey Right. It was a corner with a lot of action, and a lot of chances to get past someone, as Brendan had done with William Archer.

Yet Rudy was still able to defend. Time was starting to run out, and there was no guarantee the C101 could make it through the Triple Diamond Chicane smoothly after so many laps of running on the edge. Brendan peeked, but fell back in line for the corner, aiming to maximize his exit speed. He had one more plan.

The next part of the track was the Flat Left and Right, leading to the dangerous Turn 8, where the brakes would see one of their last heavy uses. The racing surface here was thin and had little room for error. And Brendan knew that this section of the course, according to the programme, was somewhere you “[shouldn’t] expect a lot of passing”; that “such a move [would be] either a.) unspeakably brave or b.) terminally stupid”; that “horrific accidents” occurred for those drivers that got it wrong here.

Brendan didn’t know if he was example A or example B. But he took the plunge anyway. Car #71 hit maximum boost, swinging to the outside of the Flat Right and rapidly approaching Turn 8 at tremendous speed. Brendan refused to let this moment go to waste, no matter what it meant. For just this one brief moment, it was checkers or wreckers. He braked ever so slightly later than Edwards into the turn, slowing to a crawl and carefully turning towards the back straight.

By the time the turn was over, the two cars were just about side-by-side, and it wasn’t over yet. But the heavy braking had already recharged Brendan’s capacitor, and he shot off, back to high speed once again, dueling with the rapid Preston down into Chicken Bone Alley. As things were, if anyone was to finally throw a chicken bone onto the track, it would be towards Brendan. But the claims, as expected, remained unfounded.

Brendan had the edge coming into Turn 9, though he made sure to give Edwards just enough space to fight fairly. Yet it wouldn’t be needed. He cleared his opponent into the chicane, and slowly navigated it, defending every apex he could.

On the final straight, not even Preston’s “double DRS’ would be enough to equalize the gap. One more burst of capacitor power from the C101 turned it into a rocket once more, and Brendan blasted down the final straight and to the finish line, the checkered flag waving in the air and his team all vibrantly cheering on the catchfencing.

It was an unreal feeling, and for a short moment, Brendan hadn’t even realized what he’d done. He almost began to continue on as if the race hadn’t yet ended. However, the rare jubilance of Cole Schmied brought him back down to Earth- and simultaneously back up above it.

”Checkered flag, Brendan; ease off and set 1… Holy… I am proud of you, man,” Cole expressed over the radio. ”I am absolutely proud! You are P1!”

“Wow… Wow, wow, wow! I can’t believe this,” Brendan shakily replied, coming off the adrenaline. “What just happened? What just happened?!”

”You’re a Grand Prix winner, man. Go and celebrate it! Get passionate! Let’s all get passionate!” Cole exclaimed, at last letting go of his distant self, if only in this moment. ”Offer some consolation to the crowds; pick up rubber.”

“OH! YES!” Brendan slowly but surely exclaimed, as he pumped his fist up inside the cockpit. “This is insane… I never thought anything would feel better than Cocoabo Forest, but… How could this not be better?! We won the race! WE DID IT!”

-

Brendan drove one last cooldown lap and returned to the pits, slowly driving around the bus stop entry.

”Park your car right in front of that 1 board and go to set 0. You have absolutely earned it!” Cole directed.

Brendan did as he was instructed and brought the car to a halt. Now began the real celebration. He hurriedly (but properly) undid his safety equipment, opened his cockpit, and stood up in his seat, raising both his arms with fists clenched. He hopped out and ran straight to his team cheering over the temporary guardrail, slamming into them for a group hug. Even being outside the sporting world for most of his life, he had picked up on enough to know what victory was and how best to celebrate it.

Absolutely everyone on the team was ecstatic. Most of the people at the front were ones he only vaguely recognized as the mechanics and pit crew, but he celebrated with them all the same. They had done it. From their slow start years ago, they had planned to get their foot in the door, and rise through the ranks. Even if it would take years more, today they had already proven they could be up there with the greats of the WGPC.

Brendan took a few steps backward and undid his helmet, seeing the international TV interviewer rapidly approach him for an interview- one which he was more than happy to answer.

“Brendan Faloe, what an absolutely incredible performance today,” they began. “You’ve already shown your strength as a closer a few times, and today you’ve brought together everything to the top step of the podium. Tell us, how did you do it?”

“Man, I… I just kept it clean the best I could, made sure to nurse the tires until I needed them, and went for overtakes when they needed to happen,” Brendan answered. “It’s kinda simple. I never thought I’d be here, at least not yet, but it’s really great to make it. I told everyone we had more ready for them, and we followed through. I can give some thanks to my team; I had a good pit crew that got me going with those new softs, and I had my race engineer give me some good advice when I needed that. Thanks to Tropicorp for giving us the supplies we needed to turn Cygnus into a race-ready team, and thanks to all our sponsors for letting us live our dream out here. We really are living it now.”

-

After the interviews, Brendan proceeded into the cooldown room, followed by the Preston duo of Rudy Edwards and William Archer; they had definitely turned around their team’s position in the championship. Brendan quickly offered his approval to them both: “Hey, that was some good battling out there. You’re both great drivers. Gave me a heck of a time getting past.”

He sat down afterwards in his winner’s chair, taking a much-needed drink of water. It was all so unreal, and yet completely true. In just a few months, he had gone from university student to a race winner in one of the highest echelons of Verse motorsport.

But the victory didn’t come without a slight price. Angela’s retirement still lingered in his head, and her performance this season was definitely getting to her, as it would to anyone. He hoped that his victory might have eased her trouble a little, but at the moment, it was all he could do: hope. Maybe once he got to the debrief, they could meet. But that would come later.

After some waiting, it was at last time for the podium ceremony. The top three drivers all emerged, celebrating in their own ways, with Brendan feeling that he was the most energetic of them all, and his team cheering below certainly matched that level of excitement. Out came Dr. Emerson as well, eagerly celebrating his team’s success.

What followed was the cherry on top: the presentation of trophies, and then followed the winning anthem; it at least didn’t have to repeat for both the driver and constructor, who were both Esmerelian. What followed was the wondrous national anthem of Esmerel, returning to the WGPC podium after a three-year absence: “The Last March”.

The anthem was a lengthy, uplifting tune, set to the beat of marching drums, a cacophony of violins, and quiet, backing bass instruments, slowly building up over almost four minutes from a quiet beginning to a vibrant finish. “The Last March” had been composed during the Second Great War, in which Esmerel was an active participant; it was hoped that the song would recognize the end of the long struggle and the titled “last march” of the soldiers as they returned home, to peace. It was an apt use of the national anthem, seeing as the Grand Prix had been a “struggle” of sorts for all its participants.

The anthem finished at last, and the quiet happiness of those on the podium came to an end. It was time for the spraying of the champagne; the march of the Toreadors; the conclusion to an incredible weekend of Grand Prix racing.

Brendan picked up his bottle and shook it violently, carefully spraying it into the crowd below as he had studied from watching others do so. He happily sprayed Edwards and Archer, and was sprayed back in turn; the three then sprayed the lucky Winning Constructor, who reveled in his now-soaked clothes. Brendan didn’t drink- though he legally could, it just wasn’t his thing. At least Dr. Emerson was more than happy for a quick sip in his honor.

Brendan walked to the front of the raised podium, trophy in his left hand, champagne bottle in his right, and raised them both, cheering for the cameras. What would follow was a mystery to everyone. But something had at last become certain.

The world now knew the name of Brendan Faloe.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Hapilopper City was not much fun anyone in the Orange Cow teams, as the WGPC team failed to score points and the AOGP bunch were also shut out. Nick Unger remained second in the Drivers Championship with three rounds remaining, but it would take an enormous effort to get the team back near the Constructors Table lead.

There were two decidedly different moods among the drivers, as Sammi Carter was growing increasingly frustrated with her situation, having only finished in the points once so far this season; Jordan Crowe was gradually becoming more bothered as each weekend came and went, as he now sat last among the 28 drivers in the WGPC standings, the only one with a zero next to his name.

It had never been his nature to allow himself to get angry about poor results unless it was due to his own mistakes; both he and Batu suffered from the wildly fluctuating performance curve the SOC cars had from session to session and race to race.

He knew that several drivers from other teams had been more vocal publicly about their own frustrations with either the team itself or their own poor performances. He wondered if he was being seen as not caring about results the way others were, that he didn't have the passion to compete at this level.
These were things he talked about with Batu, Sunil Chouhary, Paul Valentini, Mike Lambert and his wife on a regular basis; the message he got was always the same—it was always going to be a tough season, no one thinks you're not giving it your all, if there was one thing that could fix the problem they'd being doing it—sometimes gently, sometimes a bit more direct.

Having Steph along at the races did a lot to keep his emotional level on a reasonably even keel, as he would've stewed about and overthought the reasons for what was happening in the car; she indulged him in letting off steam, but put a limit on how long after the day's results he could do so which he admitted to Lambert was probably something he needed.

Both Batu and Nick were sympathetic to their partner's plights, both believing that a strong finish would lift everyone's spirits.

Because the AOGP would be the headline race at Drummond Vale, the amount of promotional work Unger and Carter were required was much more than they'd done the previous season; the late addition of the iROS series meant that Batu would also be doing some local media and sponsor appearances, and Sammi had been asked by the promoters to be the “guest” host nation driver for the race. Having Batu to market to the local fans meant that the promoters revised some of their estimates on attendance for the weekend meeting.

Mike Lambert had invited several people to be VIP guests of the team over the course of the WGPC campaign, one per weekend from Round 2 onwards not including the Test Day, present for a specific purpose.
He'd solicited the names of some reputable sports agents who specialized in representing motorsports personalities and sent out prospective invitations to meet with Batu over the course of weekend for get to know you/potential pitch sitdowns.

Batu, Lambert and Helena had sketched out how this would work and Batu approved a “prospectus” about himself to lay out what qualities he'd be seeking; she would sit in for a short part of the interview strictly as his PA, and it was made clear that Orange Cow Racing would no influence in the final choice.

The upcoming race would mark the last one that a representative would be making a presentation before he would make a final choice; from the previous six, Batu had narrowed down his preference to two candidates and unless this final one somehow blew Batu away he'd be making his choice from that pair.

[Aboveland]

^{Æ-NOPEA NEWSREEL_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}
Igne Spupo to Drive Colourworks Car at Abovian GP Weekend

Long-departed Deiorii WGPC14 title contender, Igne Spupo, is slated to make an emotional return to the circuits of the WGPC at the Fjellutfordring, thanks to a one-off exhibition run deal with Abovian outfit Tropicorp-Colourworks Grand Prix, for the team's home race weekend. The now 35-year-old former jockey jumped straight into grand prix racing with Guayabalense outfit Telaris Racing in the WGPC's 14th season; despite modest expectations, Spupo would go on to tally two wins for Telaris, including at the team's home race, to finish third in the drivers' championship, only behind the dominant Toralmintii-Talvela duo. Spupo departed the WGPC at the end of the season as war broke out in his native Deiorus; his recent shock return and comeback drive to seventh in the Hapilopper AOGP round was decisive in piquing the interest of Edvin Pekkanen's Colourworks outfit. "I knew Igne back when we were rivals in our rookie season," said sporting director Terho Tavlela, "and when we saw that he was back, after enduring so much hardship in his time away, we just knew we had to offer him this blank-slate opportunity."

---

---

Hapilopper City Grand Prix Circuit
Hapilopper City, Hapilopper

"Good pace today, Janne," said Max through the intercom, as the chequered flag waved the Abovian down the main straight, his Chase Cutter's cerulean glow waning as the car gradually spooled down from the last hour and some of racing. "Shame we couldn't turn that into points, but that's how it is."

For the first time in as long as he could remember, Janne was unhappy with the team. He tried masking his discontent, only mustering an unintelligible croak: when he raised his voice, his tone was snappy, almost moreso than he intended — "Yeah... but 'what it is' isn't enough, Max." Before he could lift his finger off the intercom button, he sighed heavily, half of his full-body exhale reaching the pit wall. The radio went silent for a moment — indeed, the suddenly unagreeable tone from the forever-compliant Abovian had marginally raised Max's eyebrows.

"Uhh," the Esmerelian, caught by surprise, began, drawing out the pause. "Understood, Janne. If there's anything you need to talk about, we'll see when you get here." The vagueness of the response — the use of the word anything — wasn't out of character for Max or the Nexus staff, but while the ambivalent tone did quell Janne's burbling upsetness, it was also almost too sanitized. It felt as if, whatever issue it could be that he was oh-so-suddenly bringing up, it wasn't so pressing so as to warrant an immediate, complicit acknowledgment from the team — yet so far in the season, he'd either won, nearly scraped the podium, or finished hopelesslyfar from the points as if he was in a fucking Sivaleinen. There simply had to be room for improvement — even if the team's standing in the championship was anything but alarming. He took the in-lap as a cooldown for himself as well. He took deep breaths, loosened his belts, and rolled his shoulders as far as he could. Maybe he was just overreacting; the team always wanted what was best for Ryker and him. He could very well just continue placing his blind trust in them, in Max, in Victoria, in Gertrude. With a race win and almost-podium on him, he didn't really have much of a case against them.

The Abovian clambered out of the Chase Cutter, hoisting himself up by the halo above him, and quietly made his way out towards his motorhome, fully suited but for his helmet and balaclava. His bobby, damp hair hid his view as he made his way out — he didn't sneak a glance for the Tumbran in the adjacent garage; they weren't actively avoiding each other in the paddock anymore, so there was no secret left to snatching a peek of him, and he was probably too busy celebrating his decent result with the languishing Kaylan team anyway.

He closed the door behind him gently and sighed, rolling his head as he stood in the dimly-lit doorway. The joints of his neck and down his back cracked and snapped as he grabbed onto the frame and twisted his body into a spiral both ways; then he rolled his wrists, stretched down towards the floor to pull on his feet, and sighed heavily as he relaxed his back, the soreness of the last hour and a half starting to creep into his muscles. None of the sounds of the paddock, or the harsh, piercing early afternoon sunlight, made it through the thick insulated walls and lowered shutters of his room; in tranquil silence, he walked towards his bathroom to undo his gloves and suit. He groaned as he kicked his boots off and rolled his suit down to his waist, lifting the hem of his fireproof shirt out of his bottoms and up to his face. The cool air of the bathroom swirled around his sweaty torso, the fine hairs leading down from his chest prickling up as he inhaled sharply with relief. When he lowered his shirt, his own gaze met him in the mirror. Awash in a cool bluish light, his deep blue eyes vanished in the fairness of his cheeks, the cragginess of his post-race hair, the redness of the small, flared-up blemishes dotted around his face. The post-race stress-weathered look was hitting harshly today.

Back in the main area of the tiny dwelling, Janne reached almost involuntarily for his phone, which he'd set down on the table next to the entrance, and browsed automatically to the WGPC website to peek at the post-race standings. He knew he was within grasping distance of the title fight, but with such small gaps in the championship, he knew he couldn't spare a weekend like the one he'd just had — perhaps he'd be fortunate enough that his main rivals hadn't fared all too well either. When he glanced at the results, though, he frowned heavily and clicked his tongue with annoyance. The Cocoabo had widened it’s gap in the championship, and out of the blue, Brendan Faloe had leapfrogged everyone else into second. Instead, he found himself joint eighth — losing on countback to Skiia Vialiv, as was Ryker to Fitzpatrick, and Nexus to UrGa. With three races left, he’d need to outscore the bird by… six points per race, at least, to snatch the title. Certainly, he couldn’t afford any more no-scores: he and the team needed consistency, now more than ever, and it was the biggest flaw in their WGPC20 onslaught by a long shot. It wasn’t right that Nexus was incapable of supporting two cars at a time on the track: except for the race in Togonistan, or the write-off success at home, it was always either him or Ryker sacrificing themselves and their Imagnation for the good of the best-standing of the two. Something had to be done to guarantee performance for both of them — and he felt he was as entitled to such a request as his former champion teammate.

Slipping into his comfortable trainers, the Abovian marched out of his motorhome back to the garage, determined but weary of not coming across as too confrontational. He evaded looks and microphones on his way, only producing smirks and shoulder nods until he reached the garage. Max was preparing to give him a debrief on the race when Janne ran up to him, his fists clenched and his eyebrows inquisitive.

“There you are,” Max quipped, pulling up his tablet. He paused just long enough for Janne to jut in without rudely interrupting.

“Before we do the debrief,” the Abovian cautiously began, strengthening his tone as he continued, “can we really, actually, try next time?” The Esmerelian frowned and pursed his lips. “I feel like we’re always sacrificing one for the other, always going all in on the Imagination for whoever’s in front — are we too slow to split it and still be quick? We’ve got three races left and Ryker and I both have a huge chance, and I don’t want to blow it. But if we’re too slow to sustain both cars then we need to work now.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Janne could just make out Gertrude Thompson glancing over at the conversation.

[Hapilopper]

CITY POLICE: CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION LOOKING INTO TRACK VANDALISM
By Shorty McGee, Hapilopper City Herald

HAPILOPPER CITY – The Hapilopper City Police has confirmed that a criminal investigation is underway looking into who vandalized a barrier at the “Oh Crap, There’s A Wall” turn at the Grand Prix Circuit during the Hapiloppian Grand Prix weekend.

City Police Chief Brent Thomas said the department has obtained surveillance video from the Grand Prix Circuit and is requesting the cooperation of the World Grand Prix Organization as it locates suspects into the manner.

“We are seeking persons of interest and we would like to ask them a few questions,” Thomas said. “Ideally, we’d like the person or persons involved to step forward, explain themselves and we can handle this manner and consider this closed. This is not a serious charge, nobody got killed, this is a misdemeanor vandalism charge and that’s that.”

Thomas said the City Police Department has requested access to the WGPC paddock at the next Grand Prix in the Esportivan nation of Tumbra.

In addition, the Hapilopper Television Network, which paid a reported $50,000 for the ad space, has requested their funds be reimbursed, and has reportedly sought additional punitive damages.

The vandalism appeared to be a protest of the network’s popular “They Crash, You Win!” contest, popular among fans but hated among drivers and teams. During the formation lap, HTN’s barrier artwork, consisting of a red and white target and the words “HIT HERE, FAN WINS” was replaced with a mural of two race drivers and what appeared to be their race cars.

While it was speculated by some pitside observers that Nexus Racing, or someone associated with the team, were responsible for the vandalism, Thomas declined to speak on any suspects.

“We are not going to prematurely name suspects in an ongoing investigation,” Thomas said. “And we are not going to comment on an ongoing investigation. That’s all there is to it.”

A spokesman for HTN said the vandalism had no impact on the “They Crash You Win” sweepstakes, and a fan from East Hampton won the prize package to a WGPC race next season of their choosing.

“Maybe next year we should present the ‘Hit the Dipshits and Win a Prize’ award,” the spokesperson said.

The HTN spokesman denied rumors of a bounty placed on both Nexus Racing cars for the remainder of the season, but appeared to confirm reports about a reported “Wreck a Nexus” program, where fans could guess where and when the Nexus Racing cars would crash at the next Grand Prix.

“We don’t place bounties on the heads of people,” the spokesman said. “We don’t want these drivers to get hurt or killed. But we also believe in a little betting on outcomes. There’s nothing funnier than seeing those Nexus drivers having their imagination run away into a barrier, so we’re going to let fans pick when it happens next. Maybe we might add some sound effects and show extended replays of it happening, too.”

The HTN spokesman declined to comment on if the network would superimpose a target graphic on the Nexus cars for their coverage of the next Grand Prix, but appeared to take pleasure on the idea.

“That’s a fun idea,” the spokesman said.

PRESTON AND LEWIS: WE’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE
By Sandy Peters and Doug Goodman, the Hapilopper Television Network

HAPILOPPER CITY – Marty Lewis, team principal for Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing, crashed the post-race press conference following the Hapiloppian Grand Prix and delivered an expletive-filled rant that essentially told the world that the team was staying in the series.

The post-race press conference, which is typically aired by the world’s WGPC broadcasters after the race, usually features comments from the top three finishers, first in English and then in their own language. However, before race winner Brendan Faloe could speak on his victory, Marty Lewis came into the room, stared right at the camera and delivered his rant.

“This is directed mostly to those (expletive) executives in the (expletive) executive suite that think they know Preston Autos,” Lewis said. “Let me tell you something, you don’t know (expletive)! You want to lose this? If you lose this, you (expletive) lose the heart and soul of Preston Autos. We’ve got two of the best (expletive) race car drivers in the multiverse in Rudy Edwards and Will Archer here, and (expletive), you want to throw their (expletive) to the (expletive) wolves? You want to tell the 500 people that work their (expletive) fingers to the (expletive) bone making sure that those two have the best (expletive) car on the (expletive) grid, tell them you don’t need them anymore? You come at me first. We’re not going anywhere.

“Let me tell you something,” Lewis continued. “We’re going to be back for next season. I hope to hell we can keep Rudy and Will. I’d walk through hell in a gasoline suit to keep them. They’ve done the same for us, and it’s time we do the same for them. You want to get rid of that? You’re going to come through me first. And any bean counter that thinks they can take us out, I beg them to say it to our face. We’re going to be on the grid next year come hell or high water.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Jim Preston, CEO of Preston Autos, who confirmed that executives suggested the automaker’s entire auto racing program be shut down.

“Those executives will be replaced,” Preston said. “They have claimed they’re going to come after me, but those executives aren’t going to be on the Preston Autos executive board much longer. We’ve got cause to remove them and they will be removed.”

Preston also said that he supports Marty Lewis’s job as team principal.

“Plain and simple, the team has had bad luck,” Preston said. “There’s been a few bad decisions made, but we are committed to this team. We’re committed to Rudy and Willie. Both of these guys are World Championship-winning drivers. We’ve had conversations with both men, and following those conversations, we’ve made the decision to make some changes for next season that we think will benefit both Rudy and Willie, should they stay with us next season.”

Preston said ideally, the team would like to keep both drivers, but if that doesn’t happen, the team has indicated they will offer sponsorship for both drivers to help them secure a ride for next season.

“We want to see both Rudy and Willie succeed,” Preston said. “I want to see it. And if they go elsewhere to do it, we still want to support them. That’s all there is to it.”

[Nico Hulkenberg]

Kaffeehalle Schmitz,
Emmerich

If you wanted a good place to do a shady business deal, this was the place to do it - the national treasure that is the Kaffeehalle Schmitz. Established in 1972 by twice-convicted fraudster Sebastian Schmitz, it features such benefits as grotty ashtrays, tolerable coffee, and Hulkenberg's most unstable internet connection. On this particular evening, it would play host to a discussion between Jöhan Turbringer - formerly HMG-Rallye’s Head of Development - and Adrian Kinder. If the surname wasn’t a big enough hint to who he is, he’s Nepö’s father, and he’s got a lot of money to play with. Two middle-aged men at a suspicious coffee shop, both of whom being involved in motorsports in one way or another. What could this be about?

”…and I said, that’s not an HMG H16R Nülkeschläger Edition, that’s my wife!” said Jöhan, tragically laughing at his own joke. ”Anyway, that’s the story about why I’m currently single.”

”Yes, I particularly liked when you went into detail about having instant noodles for dinner for four days.” quipped Adrian, stirring and emotionlessly staring into his coffee.

”We wouldn’t be sitting here without those noodles, you know.”

“Would we be sitting here if you were eating them at a table and not in the shower?”

“Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it. Some people have their greatest thoughts in the shower! I mean, even Archimedes probably came up with everything he did in one of those old-timey showers.”

“Archimedes didn’t have access to instant noodles, though.”

“Bet he wished he did, I love those things.”

“Yes, quite. That’s besides the point, though - what are we doing here?”

Still stirring his coffee, Adrian looked up at Jöhan, with his trademark blank stare clearly unnerving him. He didn’t get an answer, though.

"Well? What's your point, Jöhan? Why have you dragged me to a below-average coffee shop on a day when I'd rather do literally anything else?"

Jöhan took a long sip of his coffee before slamming it down on the table, as one would do after downing a particularly large pint - after all, he’d probably rather be drinking a pint. It would make this whole ‘talking about business’ thing easier. "I've got a proposal for you." he said, pulling a folder out from his briefcase. "For us, even. I've managed to pull some strings, there's been some initial talks, and you've wanted to get back in the saddle for years. This is a chance for me, you, and everyone else in that folder to create something special." He pulled the papers from the folder, straightened them on the table, and placed them in front of Adrian one by one. "There's a separate folder for the drivers, if you'd like that as well."

Adrian held up his hand, gesturing Johan to stop.

"Oh, okay, I’ll wait."

Jöhan nervously sipped his coffee some more, every so often glancing at Adrian's eyebrows bobbing up and down as he looked through the provisional staff list.

"I mean, some of these names... they haven't been involved in this sort of thing in years. How are you going to balance this sort of thing?"

"These are some of the best engineers in Hülkenberg, there's no doubt in my mind that they're entirely capable of building a car. I mean, come on, Adrian! You worked with a good chunk of these people, you know fine well that a couple of decades out won't phase them."

"When you get to the age I’m at, you’ll be surprised how much slips your mind. I mean, I’m only in my fifties and I blank on some of the slightest things. I imagine they’d struggle to deal with some of the… how shall I put them, complexities. They didn’t work with some of the newfangled technobabble that modern WGPC has to put up with.”

A smirk appeared on Jöhan’s face. “Oh, really?” he said, pulling another set of pictures from the folder. ”So they couldn’t design this? Or this? Or this? Or, better still, this?” With every “this”, he placed a different mockup of a concept WGPC car, with HMG’s logo taking pride of place on the rear wing. Adrian was stunned. Of course, all of these designs meant nothing until they could be built, but it still seemed pretty important.

”Well, you’re further ahead than I thought with this little project of yours. How did you manage to get all of this done?”

"Like I said earlier," answered Jöhan, taking another long sip of his coffee. "I've managed to pull a few strings."

“This looks like more than strings to me. What do you need me for if the car’s already designed?”

“The whole operation can’t really get off the ground without your blessing.”

“Money. You mean money.”

“Well, yes, but if all of this wasn’t convincing enough, there’s a name in the driver list that you’d might like to see…”

Adrian nodded, but his face remained blank. ”I imagined it would come to this.”

“Your daughter suits the team vision perfectly. I mean, even if we can’t get her for next season we could have her testing the car in the sim, just like old times.”

“She’s also got a contract, so unless you plan on buying that out, you’ll have to let me have a look through your so-called driver list.”

“Well, okay, fine. If you’re so hell-bent on letting Nepö continue with UrGa-“

“It’s about principle!”

“-then the other names on this list should suffice. If you can pronounce them, that is.”

“Nonsense. No name is unpronounceable, especially… oh.” Adrian’s voice faltered as he began to read names such as Náttmörðsdóttir, Tüvshinbayar, and Benabderrazik. ”Who’s this one here, Spwo, Spu…”

“Spupuo. Igne Spupuo.”

“Yes, hire him. Or her. I don’t really care what they are, so long as I can pronounce their name.”

“Aren’t you going to read through the files? I put a lot of work into those, you know.”

“And yet, you spilled ketchup on Tüv-whatever’s report.”

“Oh.”

“Well, you’d better get round to inviting this Spupuo fellow to the Entwicklungzentrum. I’d like to finish this coffee before I dwell too much on the idea of losing millions of Hülkenmarks on a project like this. I mean, how can we be so sure that they won’t crash the car?”

“You can crash in a simulator, Adrian - we’re long past the era of crashing prototypes in development. And besides, they have plenty of experience. If anything, they’re the perfect fit to develop this sort of thing.”

Igne Spupuo is offered a chance to drive the as-of-yet unnamed HMG prototype in the simulator, as well as on track once it is completed.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Maureen Akihoshi was a Hodori national who came recommended to Lambert by Saki Kuyara's agent An'ue Toudeyaku; she was gregarious and friendly while always giving off an air of professionalism and had a decent client list of drivers from NSSCAR and the domestic Hodori racing scene, as well as a couple of other non-racing sportspeople. She was part of an agency that had two additional principal partners so it was not a shoestring operation.
'Mo' didn't know Sakite personally but had learned enough about her single season in Baker Park and hit it off with Helena from the start; Batu also felt immediately at ease during their discussions and interactions over the two days at the Sigurd Ring and she was the clear frontrunner after the first four meetings.

She was impressed by the commitment that Lambert and Deputy Team Principal Vic Marzetti, Jr. had about wanting to help their driver progress in his career, even if he were to leave for another team due to having an agent acting on his behalf; as Marzetti pointed out to her (and to all of the others who'd made pitches to Batu) they could just as easily have directed him to a Baker Park based agent who would be agreeable to helping the team retain the driver.

At Akresna where Batu got his maiden podium finish, he got a really good vibe about Sylvian Tousignant, a young junior agent at Futures Unlimited, one of Quebec & Shingoryeo's largest entertainment and sport representation firms, based in Montevicio.
He'd jumped at the chance to bring Batu aboard as a client, so the agency's management gave the green light and arranged the trip; Sylvian only had two minor clients at present so he could give a good deal of time to the reigning WGP2 Champion if necessary.
He'd read the information SOC had sent about the man's expectations; clearly Batu was very close to the team who'd treated him like a like a co-number 1 driver in his first season and didn't necessarily need a constant companion. Tousignant himself could see the organization treated their driver like an important member of the team rather than just an employee with a job to perform.

Like Mo earlier, he also got along well with Helena and could see that she was an important figure just in the short time she was part of the talk, and also came independently to the same opinion that the Hodori had arrived at regarding the team's integrity in regards doing the best thing for their guy. Sylvain had never been to major international race series event so his first experience having a behind the scenes look at the WGPC paddock was a bit overwhelming, but it was also a genuine rush of adrenaline and excitement to be witness to Batu's 3rd Place finish.
__________________________________________________________________________________

Ahead of the start of the season, the team submitted to the WGPC a Master List of personnel that were to be given credentials valid for the entire schedule with All Access permission, same as all of the other approved entries. This meant that everyone flying to each race didn't need to queue up to sign in and get their pictures taken every weekend; the team also submitted a separate list on the Tuesday prior to each race meeting listing the names of all people who would be attending as VIP guests and the level of access each one were authorized for.

The minimal level was practice day paddock, usually with a General Admission ticket for just that day, with more days added the further up the line one went: quali day paddock with or without Team box access, race day paddock with Team box access but with or without pre-race grid permission, and one-time All Access for race day only.

These were decisions that were made depending on whether the attendees were sponsor guests, personal guests of people on the team or celebrities; the last category was not generally an issue for the Commercial Department although in this debut season in the top tier there had been a few well-known BP names that had come to support the Cow—Christa Vuckovic had politely emailed a request for some premium seat tickets for herself and three others and ended up being the SOC 'Superfan' of the weekend at the Cocoabo Park Circuit for both the WGP and AOGP teams.

At Hapilopper City, three TJUN-ians currently playing in the Women's National League--Alisha Carlton of Sherwood Forest, Clayton City's Mikela Djé-Djé and Klara Fernandina from Shiloh Ladies—came to support their countryman Batu Tüvshinbayar while Riley Morgan, star of the CBC drama series “Sixty 21” and his partner, comedienne Melody Cammel from the sketch program “Knife, Fork & Spoon”, were present to boost the OCR teams and Jordan Crowe with whom Morgan has developed a friendship over the past 18 months.

is a police procedural crime drama that is the “anti-CSI”. It's based around autopsies and medical evidence, a cross between “House” and the 70's show “Quincy, M.E.”

is the oldest continuously produced TV program in the history of Baker Park; it was/is definitely heavily influenced by At Last The 1948 Show, Monty Python, the original Saturday Night Live and Not The Nine O'Clock News. It has endured since 1973 mainly on a base of original stock characters that are reimagined by succeeding generations of writers/actors, alongside parodies and sketches dealing with contemporary political & social issues, current events, popular culture and topical interest.

It's been accused in media and by individuals of being anti-Catholic by amplifying long debunked criticism based on Reformation era propaganda (which is portrayed so broadly “that it cannot be mistaken except as legitimate parody”*);
anti-Arab and anti-Semitic (almost exclusively based on secular political issues from the 60's/70's/80's rather than religious disrespect);
anti-government, at the same time being nearly apolitical as politicians across the ideological spectrum are parodied;
and anti-immigrant, which again is played satirically in such a broad manner “that it cannot be mistaken except as legitimate parody”*

**

“The depiction on a television program that is clearly marketed as a venue for satire, parody, comedic expression and/or a dissenting message, of a scripted performance that is presented unambiguously as an element of said program, is well within the protection of the Bill of Rights Act (1-1-02). Any argument to the contrary is pedantic tomfoolery when the content is played so broadly that it cannot be mistaken except as legitimate parody”--Madame Justice Louise Tomlin O'Hara
[Diocese of Endborough, et.al. vs Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation, et.al. <7S-0475-206>
(CJ 77-028-A)]

[Abanhfleft]

There used to be a time when William Archer would have been absolutely excited over qualifying in P2 in any given race, but especially the Hapiloppian Grand Prix in Hapilopper City. However, that time was now in the rear view mirror for him. The numerous issues that had been plaguing Preston Autos Grand Prix this season, issues such as malfunctioning engine parts and a suspicious lack of coordination with regards to tire choices, had quashed most of the optimism in William. He still remembered that fateful weekend in Cocoabo Park where he had qualified third and was actually leading the race before his MGU-K failed and he was ordered back into the pits to prevent an even more catastrophic failure in his car. And after he had delivered his message to the head of the entire Preston group of companies, Jim Preston, before the start of the weekend, William was sure that he couldn't even count on the fact that they were racing on Preston's home turf to save him from another “malfunction” or a “mistake” in the pits. It also didn't help that the part of his mind that was growing more and more convinced that Preston was actively sabotaging him (as represented by the figment of his imagination known as the doubter) was now goading him to make his veiled accusations at the team public to let everyone on the grid know that anyone who drove for Preston Autos who was not a Hapiloppian national should not expect any sort of equal treatment at all. Of course, William knew that this couldn't possibly be the case as literally every other team on the grid was struggling with consistency as well, but the mixup between hard and soft tires in the Nexus Wardship had really fanned the flames of paranoia in his mind.

The last time that William had been at the Hapilopper City Circuit, he had claimed pole position, and through that pole he had expected to win the race. Which was exactly what had happened, and it proved to be instrumental in William's decision to stay with Preston for one more season. But now, after everything that had happened to him so far this season, William was no longer expecting to get anything out of his front row start in Hap City. He was just as likely to stay in P2 for the entire race as he was to bow out of the race in the first few laps with another engine failure. That was how low his trust and confidence in his equipment had sunk in the past few months. And if the paranoid part of William was right and Preston was cocking back the boot in preparation for getting rid of him, the rest of the multiverse would see it all play out before their eyes and their screens.

But nothing went wrong for William, at least at the start of the race. Once again, the Fleftic driver had opted to start on medium tires instead of hard ones, hoping to replicate his performance in Diarcesia's Sigurd Ring. He didn't really think that the mediums would do him much good here at Hap City, but it was still worth a try. And while William h was once again leading the Hapiloppian Grand Prix. William's teammate Rudy Edwards eventually got past (Ryker) Lane as well after a few laps, and the Preston dream of a 1-2 at their home circuit had become a reality. And, just like the last time that William Archer had led the Hapiloppian GP, he was soon able to build up a good-sized lead over the rest of the field. Only Rudy Edwards was close enough to challenge William's lead at this point, and because Rudy had to pit first, William eventually had the rest of the track all to himself. He had enough of a gap to pit from the lead without losing position at all, provided that nobody missed up William's pit stop. And, credit to Preston Autos, this time they didn't mess up the pit stop, and they even gave him the soft tires that he asked for.

William Archer was on course for his second consecutive win at the Hapilopper City Circuit... until he wasn't.

William really had to give credit to Rudy; the Hapiloppian driver was managing to keep pace with him after William's first and only pit stop. Rudy was keeping himself within one second of William, although William couldn't really tell if Rudy was attacking him or just using the DRS to keep their distance from the rest of the field. However, on lap 40, William received what was by now only the latest in a series of fateful messages from his engineer. “William, can you hear me? Radio check, William.”

“Five by five, go ahead,” William replied.

“William, Rudy is faster than you. Can you confirm that you heard this message?”

“What?! What are you talking about?” William asked in confusion.

“Faloe is catching up to us by 0.5 seconds per lap,” his engineer replied. “Rudy is catching up to you by between 0.1 and 0.2 seconds per lap. We want to preserve the 1-2 as much as possible, and we also want to get the win at our home race. Right now, it looks like Rudy has the best chance of taking the win for us. Find a good place to swap positions and get ready to block Faloe.”

“Hey man, let me fight Faloe for the lead!” William cried out. “I already won this race before. I've got the experience. Let me fight for this!”

“Negative, negative. We project a loss of more than one position if you fight Faloe for the lead. Swapping positions with Rudy gives us the best chance at retaining the 1-2.”

“Yeah, well, if Rudy is so fast, why can't he block Faloe?” William shot back pointedly.

“Faloe is currently lapping fastest out of you three, and Rudy is still gaining on you. At our current placing, Faloe has a high chance of taking the win over the team. Rudy's current pace has him just edging Faloe for the win if he is out in the lead according to our predictions. Find a good place to swap positions with Rudy and get ready to block Faloe.”

“So you guys are serious about this, huh,” William muttered. If Rudy wants it, he's gonna have to take it from me, he continued, only to himself.

As it turned out though, Rudy Edwards really did want it, because almost as soon as William's conversation with his engineer ended, the Hapiloppian driver was on him like white on rice. William had saved up his battery for just such an occasion, and he was ready to deploy it all to keep hold of his position and his second victory in Hapilopper. But on this day, it appeared as if Rudy would no longer be denied, especially when he had the help of Preston's pioneering “Double DRS” on his side. Sure, William had his battery, but since he didn't have anyone else ahead of him by within one second, he was eventually powerless from watching the inevitable overtake happening. William tried to get him back immediately, but the earlier fight between the two Preston drivers had drained William's battery and without that, his own “Double DRS” was simply not enough to get him past Rudy. Sure, William could get alongside his teammate, but he simply didn't have the juice to move past.

Now why could that possibly be? a niggling voice in the back of William's head asked him.

William didn't have a lot of time to dwell on that though since the sleek form of the Cygnus C101 driven by Brendan Faloe was now looming on his rearview mirror. This is all your fault, Faloe, William said to himself. Whatever happens next, you can't pin it on me.

Except what happened next was indeed William's fault. It might have taken Faloe some time to catch up to William, but as soon as he did, Faloe was right on William's ass, just like Rudy was previously. But this time William wouldn't even be able to extend the defense for more than one lap. William had used up his tires in his ultimately futile battle with Rudy, leaving Faloe with all the grip in the world to do whatever he wanted. And what Brendan Faloe wanted to do was get past William Archer and fight Rudy Edwards for the race win. Faloe made a move on the Slidey Right, and though William got the better exit out of that turn, Faloe eventually got the better of him in Turns 6 and 7, relegating the younger Archer down to the final podium position. And for all of Preston's supposed simulations and predictions, at the end of the day, Brendan Faloe also got Rudy Edwards and stole the victory that Preston deserved, that William Archer deserved, not only from under his nose but in front of all of Hapilopper as well.

Brendan Faloe was all smiles as was to be expected, as was Rudy Edwards. Only William Archer had a surly look on his face, an expression that didn't fit the situation surrounding him this season. This was William's first podium in what had been and could still be an abysmal season, and yet he looked like he didn't want to be anywhere near the other two men with him on the rostrum. When William went to face the post-race interview, there was a barely restrained look of fury on his face, and it looked like it was taking all the self-control in the world for him not to lash out at the interviewer when he said, “Congratulations on your first podium of the season, William! This must feel good after all that pain from earlier in the season.”

“Yeah, congratulations to me, I guess,” William said in a tone barely above a whisper. “Could have been more, should have been more. But what can you do? You get told you're slower than your teammate, you make way for them. Because that's what a team player does.” William then left before the interviewer could ask him any more questions.

When William arrived at the cooldown room, Faloe and Rudy were already deep in conversation. Faloe said something about thanking both Preston drivers for a good fight, to which William gave only a derisive snort for a reply. If it wasn't for team orders, I'd have given you a real fight, William wanted to say but he held his tongue due to the cameras all over the cooldown room. William dropped off his helmet in the room, picked up the 3rd place cap and a bottle of water, and left just as quickly as he had arrived.

The sour look remained on William's face as he took his place on the third and lowest step on the podium, and he gave only one half-hearted and limp-wristed wave at the crowd. He lifted up the third place trophy over his head in an equally disinterested manner before practically tossing it at his feet. He didn't take his third place cap off when the Esmerelian anthem was played for both Brendan Faloe and Cygnus Motorsport, and when the time came to spray the champagne, William held the bottle in such a way that the cork would pop in the direction of Rudy Edwards. Whether the Hapiloppian driver felt the cork hit him or not, William couldn't really tell. And as he was engulfed by champagne in two directions, William had a quick vision of pouring enough champagne into Brendan Faloe's mouth to drown the Esmerelian, before Faloe was replaced in his vision by Rudy. Before his vision got out of hand, William backed away from the rest, picked up his consolation trophy, and walked out of the podium even before the three drivers and the representative of the winning constructor had taken their customary picture together. When he was asked to return to the podium for the picture, William could be heard shouting, “They can PicManip* me in there if they want!”

The post-race press conference between the three podium sitters was equally tedious. Or at least it would have been tedious for William had it not been for Marty Preston crashing the whole damn thing and going on a rant about how Preston Autos was here to stay. He might have found it amusing. Maybe Faloe and Rudy did. But not William. William watched as Marty Lewis lost his mind in front of the entire multiverse, and all he could really do was shake his head.

“What the fuck is this chump doing?” the doubter asked in absolute disbelief. “Is he really fucking celebrating a motherfucking 2-3 in his home race? A 2-3 that for all intents and purposes should have been a 1-2 instead?!”

“Man, I don't even know anymore,” the supporter shrugged. “Even I'm running out of excuses. Anyway, isn't this supposed to be your area of expertise? What the fuck do you think is actually going on here?”

“Nah, man, I think I finally figured it out,” the doubter said triumphantly. “He's not celebrating a bloody 2-3. He's celebrating because he's finally put William in his place! They finally got to issue the team order that they've been wanting to give to William this whole season! I mean, just fucking think about it, man! They wreck the first half of his season, knowing that it's gonna piss off William to no end, and then after William says that he's onto them, they give him some hope in qualifying before snatching it all away on Sunday!”

”I'm not even going to dignify that with a response,” the supporter shook his head. “Come on, William,” he told the young driver as he stood up. “Let's get out of here before all of these delusions infect you.”

”William! You're leaving already?”

“Yeah, I am. I'm not sure if I want to be associated with that kind of embarrassment again,” William replied before he left the press conference way ahead of schedule. “Send the bill for my fine to Effelenendro.”

*PicManip is the Fleftic equivalent of Photoshop. Feel free to use it too as you wish.

[Tumbra]

Hapilopper City

"Pace is good, keep warming those rears nicely."

For the first time in a long while, Sophie McCreary's race was going well. She was keeping good pace; she wasn't being overly aggressive, and her Kaylan engine wasn't getting cooked with her aggressive style of driving. It fit the relatively more technical nature of this circuit well.

She'd made her way up to ninth by lap 24; and was now staring at the UrGa car of Skiia Vialiv. Vialiv, who was a rookie just like her, had somehow pulled a win out of her hat three races into the season, at Tropicorp; apart from a fourth place since then, however, she'd been fairly inconsistent as compared to her team-mate (and another rookie!) Adonis Fitzpatrick. She liked to say she wasn't keeping count, but the boffins at Tropicorp evidently were; and she was losing out to both the UrGas. For someone who'd been making headlines a few months ago for scoring two podiums in a row — and she was still the only person who'd managed it, even this late into the season! — nobody had been mentioning her in the same breath as the above two. Or even Brendan Faloe, who after a slow start to the series was now being talked about as a future great if he stayed the course.

She kept tailing Vialiv, keeping her car on the line — following another car had never been her greatest strength, and too often racing coaches had scolded her about trying to make overtaking maneuvers that were too daring simply because she'd gotten fed up with following cars ahead — and took a sip of her drink. Usually it was some bollock-flavoured energy drink that she didn't really take a sip of because it would burn her tongue on contact; but this weekend's drink was lime-flavoured, and the flavour actually managed to punch through the intense heat generated by the car.

The drag created by Vialiv's Urotovsky-Gatutin was having a noticeable effect on her car, even if it wasn't hell to follow like the Nexus Racing cars — fan cars should be banned, she thought — but she was holding steady. The two accelerated out of the Slidey Right in tandem, with McCreary hot on Vialiv's heels through the fast left and fast right; before they slowed for the infamously slow OCTAW corner. She had been told that this place was not the best place for an overtake; she had been told, multiple times, that this was a corner she had to respect. Still, though, there was some part of her that told her she had to go for it; Vialiv had to be overtaken, and the arse of that red UrGa car was just goading her to take a shot. She twitched her steering wheel, intending to go for it; but neglected that there was a kerb on the outside approach. She lost control of the car; and even under heavy braking, she couldn't turn in time, and the horrid crunch of carbon fibre as her front wing and tyre made contact with the big bullseye on the wall.

"Fuck!" was her first reaction.

"Sophie, can you get the car back to the pits?"

"I can try!" The front tyre, by this time, was dangling halfway off its suspension; it was clearly not in a good state. But the last thing Sophie wanted to do was to admit defeat and make another long, defeated trudge back to the Pressley pit. The past two raceweeks had seen her do it twice — well, in one case she had to be lifted from the car — but the last thing she wanted was to admit defeat and have her defeated visage plastered all over the world feed. No, if she was going to retire the car, she was going to drag it back to the pits; no matter what happened.

"No, if you can't drive it, you can turn the car off and wait for a marshal; Sophie, you can leave it as it is, P1 then P0 —"

"No, it's fine. I can — I can drive it back —"

"Sophie, we might get a fine if you drive the car back —"

"No, I can keep it together."

So instead of the World Feed looking at Sophie McCreary hop out of her car, uninjured after another retirement (her third in a row!), the World Feed was now treated to the sight of...Sophie McCreary driving her stricken car, with no front wing and a front right wheel halfway dangling off the suspension, limping back to the pits.

"Sophie, find a marshal's post, stop the car, and let them handle this," came the voice of team principal Jack Brook. "We can't have you carry on for half the lap like this."

"I can — I can — trust me —"

"Sophie, it's okay. Let it go. Please."

And in that moment, something snapped in Sophie.

"Fine," she said in a monotone voice, as she pulled off near Chicken Bone Alley, where a set of very relieved stewards were there to receive her. Ignoring her, and essentially everybody around her, she marched off back to the pits. She ignored everyone as she returned to the Pressley motorhome; entered her room, slammed the door so hard that the whole skeleton of the building reverberated, and threw her helmet off. It ricocheted off the floor; but stayed there.

And then the waterworks started flowing. The moans, the ugly sobs, the cries, just the anguish; the pent-up frustration of the past few weeks, of being unable to convert her early-season form into more results, of not being able to keep up to expectations, of now knowing that she was in her seat just to spite Ted, her disenchantment with her career, her growing addiction to cigarettes —

Wisely, nobody at the Pressley team — or even the WGPC media circuit — disturbed Sophie as she spent the next hour and a half of her life crumpled into the thin mattress that allowed her to take naps between sessions. After that, however, there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Go away," Sophie moaned into her pillow.

The door opened, and the silhouette of Jack Brook appeared at the door.

"I said go away," Sophie groaned as she sat up.

"I brought food," said Jack gently as he entered the room. "And we should talk."

"What about? Look, I don't really want to talk, I just want to —"

"— mope about for the next two weeks before your — our home race? I don't know, Sophie. One, it doesn't sound like you, and two, I won't allow it. But first of all, may I come in?"

"Sure," Sophie said.

Jack set the plate of food that he'd carefully curated down on the small table in front of Sophie, and glanced at Sophie.

"Eat," he gently urged. "I cleared your schedule for the rest of the day. Bryce took your media obligations — had to strong-arm him into it, but he was happy to talk about his points, anyway — and I basically told the whole media circus to fuck off."

"Thanks..." Sophie said, still somewhat dejectedly as she picked up the small paper plate.

"Your favourites. Or at least what I surmised were your favourites, anyway."

Sophie began to horf down the food at speed.

"Yeah...I can see that." Jack smiled as he looked at Sophie eating the food. "I'll be here for a while. Or at least until you're ready to talk." He smiled. "Mind if I let a bit of light in here?"

"Go ahead," said Sophie between swallows. The food tasted good; it was her favourites, and she was famished.

Jack strode over, and pulled the blinds to reveal a brilliant sunset.

"You didn't turn the lights on."

"They weren't on when I walked in." he smiled. Jack was enigmatic sometimes; but somehow the simple act of him choosing to pull the blinds rather than turn on the lights in the room made Sophie feel more at ease.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, you know. How you feel. How you felt. And your future, which is really the main reason why I'm here, but I figure you're not in the right state of mind to talk about it. Not yet, at least. But I thought I'd be honest."

"You're trying to push me ou—"

Jack shook his head and cut her off.

"Let's start from the beginning. How are you feeling?"

"Shit."

"Why?"

"Because I crashed. Again. Third time this season. Because I haven't scored points since fucking Tropicorp. Because I'm failing everyone. I'm failing you."

"You're not failing me."

"I crashed."

"And I'm saying that you didn't fail me."

"Okay, we've got different definitions of failure, then —"

"Sophie, you did not fail me, nor did you fail anyone else in this team. You did not fail Ted, either, or Charlie Pressley. Some in the team are naturally disappointed, but you did not fail anyone."

"Okay."

"Next part. How did you feel when it was happening?"

"Dread. Like it was happening again. And I didn't want it to happen."

"Is that why you wanted to drive the car back to the pits so badly?"

Sophie looked away, bit her lip, and then responded slowly, nodding her head. "Yeah."

"I understand."

"You do? Weren't you fined?"

"Oh, the team got a massive dressing down from the stewards, but Sonia managed to convince them that we did our best to get you to stop the car and that you weren't feeling very well. They've suspended the punishment in lieu of you not pulling this again."

"That's —"

"— much less harsh than I'm making it sound. Sonia didn't apportion blame on you, and the stewards decided not to apportion any on your side either."

"That's nice. So about my future...am I being sacked? I-I mean, you don't want me —"

"As I said before the race, Sophie, you weren't my first choice for this seat, but I want you in the Pressley Racing Engineering family. I've seen you grown up, Sophie, do you really think I'd be so heartless?"

"Right..."

"Sophie, the decision on whether to continue with us — in WGPC, in whatever — is solely dependent on you. The contract has been written, your side and ours have both come to a deal that it's fair...all it needs is your signature. But that's the most important part."

Sophie's heart sank.

"You want a...commitment?" A commitment didn't feel like something she wanted to make right now. "I don't know...I...I don't know if you're the right person to talk me through this..."

"I'm not trying to convince you of anything. At the same time, I need you to realise that I'm not pushing you towards anything. I'm an interested party, but for now, think of me as someone who's here to help you come to your decision for this. Whatever your decision is, whenever you make it, I'll accept it without any hesitation. You deserve that much."

"Like a therapist."

"If you want to put it that way, sure."

"I don't know, Jack, I..."

"Conflicted? I would be too if I were in your shoes."

"I love racing — it's what I was born to do, and this, the biggest stage in all of racing — it's what I've been wanting to ascend to for the longest time, but it's not...not all it's been cracked out to be..."

"Mhm."

"And, I don't know...it feels like I can't keep up...I know I have two podiums, but I don't know what happened...I...it's like I've lost it...and I'm just a fraud, a massive, big fraud who doesn't deserve any of this success and who should just go back to Tumbra and stop racing and —" Sophie felt herself falling as the words began to spill out of her mouth; there was a falling sensation in her mind as she kept talking.

"Sophie."

"Y-yes?"

"You were spiralling," said Jack as he produced a water bottle for Sophie. "Have a drink."

Sophie sipped on the water as she came back to her senses. A long, deep swig of refreshing (even if it was bottled) water that seemed to hit the deepest corners of her body.

"I can't do this anymore." she said after finishing the bottle.

"Take some time to think about it," Jack smiled.

"I...I don't want to drive anymore."

"Leaving WGPC doesn't mean you have to leave racing altogether. There's TSF, WSRC..."

"Y-yeah, maybe not racing altogether...just WGPC..."

"Okay. We've got a thought. Keep that thought with you even after today. I'll set aside some sessions when you're back at HQ for you to be alone, and just mull over your decision. You can call in anyone except Charlie to help you make your decision — Bryce, Sonia, Ted, even, I'll get you and him linked up — and you can take as long as you need to decide whether you really do not want to drive a WGPC car anymore. If at any point you do decide to renege on this, and continue, the contract will be delivered. No questions asked. And if at any point you decide to go public without telling us, that's also okay. No questions asked."

"You'd really do that?"

"Sophie, I may be your team principal, but I'm also your mentor. And a person. Seeing you like this? Not feeling good."

"I don't know..."

"Your entire life you've been stripped of agency. The last time you made an actual decision was to, what, go into racing. Since then everything's been told to you. Where to race. What to do. When to pit. How to drive. Sophie, I'm going to return some of that agency to you. You, and you alone, will decide what your future is with this team, with WGPC, in racing. This decision is solely yours to make."

"Solely...mine..."

"Mhm." Jack nodded. "No pressure from my side, until the next season starts at least. No pressure from anyone. We all know how difficult it's been for you, and we're all willing to give you some space. And, more importantly, some agency." He smiled warmly.

"Agency..." Sophie repeated the word, treating it as some sort of foreign concept that she'd never come across before.

"I'm going to leave you in this room now," said Jack. "I hate to impose any sort of limits on you after I said I wanted to return agency to you, but they're going to start dismantling this thing at eleven, so make sure you're out of here by then, okay?"

"Okay." She watched as Jack left the room. And for the first time in a long, long while, a genuine smile appeared on Sophie McCreary's face.

"Agency..."

[Trans-Dniesters]

There was a newcomer to the WGPC paddock for the Tumbran Grand Prix, although he wasn't a driver whose WGPO license had not arrived until the middle of the season. In fact, one look at the newcomer and most people would assume that he was too old to be a racing driver. Indeed, he wasn't there to chase after a race seat that was not going to go vacant at this late point of the season. He was there to make a deal, but not that kind of deal.

Though he was dressed in an olive jacket and tan cargo pants with matching boots, the newcomer carried himself with the air of a businessman and a politician, which he was from a certain point of view. Of course, the suited bodyguards surrounding him was another giveaway as to his actual status, as did the fact that he strutted around the paddock in a manner that was nothing like a rich man only on a casual visit to the place. His name was Ivan Iosifovich Radchenko, and he was the owner and commander of the Pridnestrovian private military company known as the Zimmer Group. The Zimmer Group had originally been formed in late 2016 in response to the deteriorating situation with regards to the Pridnestrovian invasion of Nordskania. Facing enemies on two fronts and struggling with occupation duties, the Pridnestrovian Army belatedly recognized that they needed allies to help them with literally everything from fighting against the combined forces of the Northern Army of Revolutionary Nordskania and their financiers from the Anglatian Imperial Army and was trying to establish their own “affiliated states” within Nordskanian territory while their area of control grew smaller by the day. As it was taking too long to get these “affiliated states” up and running, the Pridnestrovian government decided that it needed even more reinforcements than just their own puppets and so it also formed a PMC to augment its own forces in Nordskania even more. The company was named the Zimmer Group in honor of the man who agreed to provide the funding to found the group, Ixanian businessman and oligarch Christoph Zimmer. The PMC was supposed to recruit veterans from both at home and abroad to form its core fighting force, and indeed a handful of active officers from the Pridnestrovian Army accepted honorable discharges in order to become part of Zimmer. But Zimmer had only recruited barely a hundred fighters into its ranks before Pridnestrovia was forced to the negotiating table following sustained pressure from Anglatia on both military fronts, rendering the entire thing moot. Nevertheless, Zimmer continued its recruitment drives even as the ink on the Treaty of Kotelnirovo was still drying, and by the end of 2016, the Zimmer Group's forces now numbered five thousand men.

Zimmer's forces had increased somewhat to 8,000 men when Pridnestrovia went back for a second bite of the cherry in Estoria. By that time, operational control had been handed over to Ivan Radchenko, who had given up his commission as a colonel in the Pridnestrovian Army to become part of Zimmer. That said, Zimmer wasn't deployed to Estoria until the combined forces of the Vipan Defense Forces and the Pivan Protection Forces launched an invasion into the rump Estorvipan People's Republic to, according to their leaders, “free the Vipan people from the oppressive yoke of Vissarion Zhivkov and the Imperium.” Zimmer was hired by the Republic of Estorpiva to assist and augment its forces during their offensive into the EPR. Once the Zimmer Group arrived at Estoria, unsettling rumors started to rise up about the PMC. Zimmer was only supposed to have 8,000 fighters in total, but secondhand reports indicated that an additional 2,000 Zimmer fighters had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Rumors started floating around that Ivan Radchenko had extended the recruiting drives for his PMC to the prisons, offering incarcerated individuals service in the group in exchange for reduced sentences. Never mind that Radchenko didn't have the power or the influence to make good on his promise; his words were still good enough to convince at least a thousand convicts, maybe two thousand, into joining the PMC and beefing up its ranks in preparation for its first ever international contract.

However, for the prisoners who reportedly agreed to join Zimmer, they might have been better off just staying in jail, because as the EPR offensive went on and the PMC appeared to be taking heavy losses, anonymous sources claimed that Zimmer were using their convict troops as unit spearheads. The convicts always started at the front of the line and took the absolute brunt of enemy defenses while the core group of fighters stayed back and let the enemy waste ammunition and time on the prisoner units before moving in and claiming the victory for themselves. Of course, Radchenko denied all of this, stating that he was only carrying out the terms of his contract with the Vipans and the Pivans. And then, at the same time that large numbers of Estorvipan People's Army units surrendered or even outright defected to the Vipan and Pivan offensive, the Zimmer Group also received a large influx of fresh “recruits out of seemingly nowhere just in time for the final push towards the capital of the Estorvipan People's Republic, Rybolovlev. The same anonymous sources that had claimed that Zimmer was using conscripted prisoners on human wave attacks against fortified EPR positions now also claimed that entire units of Estorvipan People's Army POWs had been pressed into Zimmer's service and forced to fight against the defenders of Rybolovlev, men who had once been their comrades in arms.

However, that wasn’t the only controversy that was surrounding Zimmer during their time in Estoria. There were already unconnected rumors that actual Pridnestrovian units were fighting alongside the Vipans and the Pivans in Estoria starting from the siege of Urodorasul and the aerial attack on the Army base near Supskij, but upon the commencement of the offensive into the Estorvipan People’s Republic, all of those supposed Pridnestrovian soldiers disappeared from the battlefield. At the same time though, a large number of “advisers” had joined the ranks of the Zimmer Group, numbering roughly the same as those Pridnestrovian soldiers supposedly assisting the Vipans and Pivans during their invasion (or what they preferred to call the liberation) of the State of Estorpiva. And at the same time, Zimmer started receiving heavy equipment like tanks and armored personnel carriers and even attack helicopters and their own fleet of fighter and ground attack aircraft. The Zimmer Group had practically become its own separate military power, fighting on behalf of whoever was willing to shell out the cash. That said, the PMC remained contracted to what had by then become the government of the Federal Republic of Estorvipa and Estorpiva until the end of their Liberation War in 2026, securing its reputation as a ruthless military force that would do everything and use everything in its power to fulfill its contract with its client.

Zimmer was also active during the Pridnestrovian intervention in Ceroat five years after the end of the Estorian Liberation War, but their presence in that particular conflict was less noticeable simply because Pridnestrovia was no longer as concerned with hiding their involvement to the rest of the world. Unlike the situation in Estoria, there wasn’t any sort of major regional power with which Pridnestrovia had a rivalry that also had a vested interest in maintaining the chaotic situation that had enveloped Ceroat during that time, so there was no longer any need to disguise Pridnestrovian involvement through a private military company that was supposed to be available for hire for any government or even corporation with the cash to burn. Now that the Pridnestrovian military could bring the full brunt of its forces to bear against the numerous warlords that had overrun Ceroat, there was no longer any need for Zimmer to maintain its own armored vehicle units and air force and so the PMC shrank down to something close to its pre-Estorian War levels, around 10,000 men.

Now it had been decided that it was time for the Zimmer Group to stretch its legs out even further. There really was no use pretending Zimmer was only a PMC when so far, its only clients had been Pridnestrovia itself or a nation that had allied with Pridnestrovia. There were always conflicts happening all throughout the multiverse, conflicts in which the sudden appearance of a sovereign nation-state’s military could cause even more problems than simply hiring a well-armed mercenary group. It was just a matter of Zimmer making itself more well known outside of the APOC bubble and sending out feelers to places and governments that needed just a little bit of help in dealing with a revolt or an occupation or even just training a whole bunch of conscripts. There were two areas in which Ivan Radchenko was looking at deploying the Zimmer Group in order to extend its multiversal reach, but a new development had made him look at another place, something that he had overlooked before since it had only been a few days since the place reappeared on everyone’s radar.

Ivan Radchenko had originally come to Tumbra in the hopes of securing a contract with either the Tumbran government to help with securing the Northlands, an area that had come under Tumbran occupation in recent years, or one of the clans in the Northlands seeking to remove all of the occupiers from their native land. He was also looking to land a contract with the Mlima Kijani government to help them deal with the Islamists and pirates in the south of their country now that the Graintfjaller military had pulled out, but so far his contact hadn’t had any luck getting any feelers at all into that particular country. But there was also a new development that Radchenko had heard of, and it gave him the idea of finally being able to do something with the influx of volunteers from Napoleonic France that had joined his ranks.

The story of how Napoleon Bonaparte and his Grande Armee had ended up in the part of the multiverse where it was more or less the present time and occupied by a vast majority of nations participating in major motorsports competitions was a strange one, to say the least. As far as people could tell, Napoleon and his army was marching through Europe before seemingly passing through a portal that had transported them to the present day. Some of Napoleon’s generals thought that they would give motorsports a try, specifically stock car racing, and while arguments could be had about whether any of them had been good enough in that particular field, there was no denying that they had made an impact on the rest of the multiverse through that. And through all of that, Pridnestrovia made an offer to Napoleon himself to house his army on their territory as the French had received a hostile reception at the country where they had actually popped up. The numbers of actual French evacuated from Jouoangquoi reported to be in between 10,000 to 60,000, with most of them being made to settle down near the closed city of Myrilsk. Some French had stated that they would only stay in their camp near Myrilsk to wait while someone found a way to bring them back to their proper time, but most said that they would rather stay uptime and even join the Pridnestrovian military instead. This of course proved to be a problem as the Pridnestrovian Armed Forces were not looking to muster up that many troops, but a compromise was eventually reached so that some of the French could become part of the Pridnestrovian Army as instructors in line of battle tactics, while others were given contracts with the Zimmer Group.

When they first came into the group, Ivan Radchenko didn’t really know what he was supposed to do with these Frenchmen. There was always the possibility of training them to meet the standards of modern-day combat, but that was easier said than considering how many Frenchmen signed contracts with Zimmer. Radchenko believed that it was much easier to get the French to train someone else instead. However, there weren’t a lot of countries in the multiverse that had any need of training in line infantry tactics, such was the speed of progress in the art of warfare. At least, there wasn’t one on Radchenko’s radar until a certain WGPC contender had made his way back into the spotlight after years away from the competition.

As far as Radchenko could tell, Igne Spupuo’s home nation of Deiorus was some sort of medieval backwater, a place which the rest of time had seemingly left behind. Or maybe things just weren’t moving as quickly as they would elsewhere because of the inhabitants of the place. The Deiorii were bipedal reptilians, with some reports stating that they looked like humanoid dragons, although it wasn’t clear whether they had wings too or not. In any case, Radchenko had read a report or an article somewhere that sapient reptilians would progress through evolution and civilizations on a much slower pace due to their cold-blooded nature, meaning that if the ancestors of the Deiorii had become sapient at the same time as human ancestors did, it was possible that their progress would not be as far along as human progress in the same amount of time. But where most people saw only a medieval backwater emerging from the depths to try to become a functioning member of the greater multiverse, Ivan Radchenko saw an opportunity to finally put his French troops to use.

Radchenko only had very limited intelligence on Deiorus (as did most of the rest of the multiverse, probably) but from what he was able to gather, the reason for Spupuo and Deiorus’s disappearance from the multiversal scene was due to some sort of conflict, like a rebellion or a civil war, that had taken years for them to resolve, and the situation had only just gotten peaceful enough that Deiorus felt that it could reopen its doors. And according to Radchenko’s sources, Spupuo had been a knight or warrior of some sort for the ruler of Deiorus during all that time, and so Radchenko knew that he had a possible way to get into Spupuo’s good graces. Radchenko didn’t know how closely Spupuo was linked to the ruler of Deiorus this time around, but even if not, if Spupuo could lead him to someone who did, then this detour before the main Northlands deal would all be worth it.

Igne Spupuo was not a hard man to miss. More accurately, Igne Spupuo was not hard to miss simply because of his reptilian nature. It really was hard to overlook a dragon or lizard-like figure walking around the paddock of an international racing competition. One had to be blind to be able to miss a random Deioran walking around the paddock, more so a former WGPC title contender in Igne Spupuo. And given the lack of Deiorii milling around in Tumbra, let alone the Mount Gestos paddock, Ivan Radchenko was sure that he had his man, and once he had ordered his bodyguards to remain a short distance away from him (far enough not to be spotted immediately but close enough to respond to any incoming threat), the Pridnestrovian businessman and mercenary commander made his approach.

“Mr. Igne Spupuo?” Radchenko asked. “Hello. I am Ivan Iosifovich Radchenko, and I am the commander of the Zimmer Group Private Military Company. I have reason to believe that your country has just reemerged from a period of prolonged conflict, and your military is in need of a rebuild. I happen to have just the perfect men for that job. First off, Mr. Spupuo, let me say that I am aware that you and your kind have something of an aversion or even a dislike for modern day equipment. Things that are mundane and commonplace for someone like me might be too advanced for you and your people, but I believe that I have a solution for that.”

“Recently, my organization has signed contracts with a number of soldiers from the 19th century that had been transported to this particular time by some sort of breach or warp in the space-time continuum,” Radchenko continued. “It's too advanced, even for me, so I'll keep it to things that military men like you and I can understand. I believe that the army of Deiorus needs to be rebuilt after this rebellion or revolution that you've just helped put down. Raising peasant levies and maintaining knightly retinues might be all well and good back then, but now that Deiorus has reappeared on the multiversal stage, that might not be enough anymore. But I have been told that modern day tactics are not something that your army is really interested in, which is why I believe my new French contractors are the perfect men for the job. My French contractors are trained in the art of early 19th century line fighting, having been part of the Grand Army of the Emperor himself. I believe that such tactics are of just the right level of technological advancement that would make Deiorus the envy of your neighbors without scaring everyone in the immediate vicinity, even your fellow Deiorii.”

“I approached you with this offer, Mr. Spupuo, because according to my information, you are a knight of the Grand Republic of Deiorus,” Radchenko continued. “However, I do understand if you are not the one to talk about with regards to deals and arrangements like this. If you can lead me in the direction of someone who is in charge of these particular affairs then I would greatly appreciate it.”

“What do I hope to gain for it, other than the obvious?” Radchenko asked. “It's simple, really. I want to become known outside my country's own bubble. Agreeing to help train your country's army to a level more fitting those of the countries around Deiorus is just one step in that direction. However, I'm not the only one looking for something to gain in this deal, should it actually happen. I have a good friend who's working for the Urotovsky-Gatutin Motorsports Division, and if you can help me out with this deal with your government or sovereign, I can offer you a chance to test yourself in the team's equipment before the start of the next season of either WGPC or WGP2, whichever one you prefer. Also, I do not know if the rumors of you having an offspring who is also interested in racing are true or not, but if they are then maybe you can talk them into talking a look at the UrGa driver academy.”

“It was my pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Spupuo,” Radchenko said as he made to shake Spupuo's hand.

[Lisander]

<< Previously | Next >>

XXIII. Interviews these days

As the end of the WGPC approaches, plans are beginning to emerge. During this week, we had several people sharing their projects for the near future with the media. From WGP2 to AstyF1 to WSRC, the new Formula 2.0 and even NSSCRA, a lot has been planned and discussed by the motorsport featured people this week.

Paolo Vetinari has again spoken of plans to restart the TAS-Alliance project under a new name for the next WGP2. The team, which was run by his son Ricardo, in partnership with Kimi Nasunen of Saber Ironworks, was at WGPC 18 and gave Anneliese Devereux her first chance in the top category of world formulae. When asked if this would mean reinforcing its relations with Eminent and marking the return of Anneliese Devereux to WGP2 once again, he vehemently denied it:

"No, no way. Sorry, but no. Eminent is giving fair game for my money, but I won't keep around them back to back. Also, I won't be pushing Anneliese for doing both winter and summer series." Paolo Vetinari's words were confident and emphasised his points. "She's a high-performance athlete, and she needs time as much as any other high-performance athlete. Have you ever entered a race car and completed 50 to 70 laps in a circuit? I believe not. It takes a heavy toll. That's why I'm working to have a really new team for WGP2. FSA already green-lighted me to develop this, and I've been looking around, checking with possible cars. X-PRO is around with its Formula 2.0 Project, and I'm seeing this as a very nice opportunity. The car is very solid, as the tests show. There's also the HPR1, which despite being not that advanced, still can give a run for the gold.

---

Speculation is rife that Filipe Brava, who has been having a very modest campaign with Team Azhaar Pro Racing in the AOGP, could join that team in WGP2. The young driver, recently promoted from F3, has had a poor debut season among internationals and is currently only 16th in the standings. Speaking at a Team Azhaar Pro Cycling event (the team's cycling division, which is preparing for the Tour de Lisander), Brava did not hide his disappointment with the results, especially as unlike Lianna Rasianoara, who splits his time between the AOGP and the Aurunan Endurance Championship, the single-seater category is the only championship he is in at the moment.

"It's a journey, and you can't stop halfway. You have to keep going. There are a lot of categories in that second tier, below the WGPC. A bad result here doesn't mean my career is over, really. But of course I'm sad. Every weekend we go for the result. If it doesn't come, we are really sad. But it's Team Azhaar's first season in the AOGP, and our structure isn't exactly the best it can be yet. I have faith that little by little we will catch up. So, I say we but my path is still undefined. There's Formula 2.0 coming up and I'd love a place there, like Lianna. She's been a great support, even though she does double duty. I'm happy to learn from her too."

---

Lianna Rasianoara, the young Alicean-Merinean driver who races with Brava in AOGP and also with Brandon Watkins and Kayra Clifton in Aurunan Endurance's #4 Camden Prototype, joined other Merinean influencers on a podcast earlier this week. Facing some criticism from the media in Grand Merina for living a different reality to the lives of ordinary people in the country, which is one of the poorest in Trimaris, she came out publicly to defend herself.

"I don't like these things. I get sad, you know. I get sad really. Oh people... everybody knows that I am the daughter of one of the richest men in the country with a foreign model. Hello? That was never a secret. They say I don't know what it's like to be poor. That even Anneliese [Devereux] knows more about poverty than me, that she went to the orphanage because fam and her family had to get welfare payments. Like... I'm not going to act like the entitled preppy pretending to be a good Samaritan. It's not like me to do that. I won't go out and say 'I know what poverty is'. My dad, Hery Rasianoara, worked hard to get where he is, so I had opportunities in life."

Rasianoara, who splits her time between the AEC and the AOGP, where she is at the bottom of the table, and this seems to potentiate criticism of his background. The Rasianoara are an atypical family. 3/4 Merineans and 1/4 Aliceans, they have official records in both countries. Hery Rasianoara, the father, is a businessman in the construction industry, who made his fortune building affordable housing in partnership with the Government of Grand Merina. Like thousands of Merineans, he migrated off the island in his youth. Upon registering in Alice Bay, he adopted an easier-to-pronounce name: Martin Hery. Hery gave the eldest son, the result of his marriage to model Lany Raiman (whose mother also emigrated from Grand Merina), his same name, in Merinean: Hery Rasianoara. But in Alice Bay, the boy was registered as Lucien Hery, as he could not have the same name as his father, by local law, unless he added "Jr." after the name.

The second daughter, Lianna, is registered as Lalaina Rasianoara in Grand Merina. In Alice Bay, it would be Lianna Hery, with her father's name-become-surname, but when the time came to formally apply for registration, the girl refused to leave her original name, asking her father to at least keep her native surname, and so she was registered as Lianna Rasianoara.

"To say that makes me less Merinean? That's something that doesn't make me angry, but it really saddens me. Ah, but your mum is from Alice Bay. Your mum is white. So what, I'm mixed-race. I don't fit 100% into Alice Bay either. Does that leave me with no place in the world? My place in the world is mine to make. I like my name, Lalaina, but it's a little confusing for some people. So since I was a little girl, I've always been called Lianna, and I like Lianna too. I'm fine with being called either, really. But my last name, the real one... I don't get rid of it, I don't hide it, I don't give up. Fuck anyone who has prejudice against me, either because I'm too foreign to be Merinean, or because I'm too Merinean to be white ... I am who I am. A Rasianoara, I am a Merinean. I may have grown up in Newport and studied at Lisander, but my home is still Siala. I will never let anyone tell me who I am, because my heart is wild, insubmissive like the sea of Toa." - said the pilot, drawing applause from the other participants of the podcast.

---

Much friendlier to the media these days is Anneliese Devereux. After his alleged affair with model Irina Oxburg-Monlevade was revealed to be just a misunderstanding caused by an ad campaign in which the two women starred together, the focus has turned to his results on the track, which, despite not being the better, don't have much of an impact on her popularity. On Tuesday night she was seen at The Box, Kasandora's sports arena, watching a National Hockey League game between the Kasandora Blues and Despina Tigers, accompanied by another FSA International, the WSRC driver Leora Hargis. Found by a camera at halftime, both gave a brief interview to local TV:

"Eminent has been doing its best, day and night, to make our car competitive. Even here, at half-time, I'm here on my smartphone, following our car's preparations for Tumbra. Our latest updates don't seem to have the result we were hoping for, so they're working tirelessly to not only get us back on top, but in the best possible condition, not just for me, but for Adriana as well. I trust we have the best in this industry, and it's not time to give up yet, not while the top is still less than 25 points away. I came to Lisander to fulfil some professional commitments, we had some meetings, and now I'm here with Leora watching the Blues. More than that I can't say, because it would be a breach of my contract."

Those words raised some suspicions among the fans, who bet on a possible link between Anneliese and Sirenia's blue team. Could she be thinking about leaving WGPC and leaving for AstyF1, to join Meliné Agrakian? And what about Arturia Nero in this story, since she's theoretically next in line, and is currently at AstyF2?

Hargis, in turn, spoke a little about the future, but without giving too many expectations about the WSRC, which should start soon. Instead, she confirmed one of the rumours that had been going around behind the scenes.

Well, at the moment I'm talking to some people to be my new co-driver, because as already announced, my co-driver Mor Holstein is trying to return to the NSSCRA. Other than that, preparation goes on as usual. Camden has been making the expected updates on the Squaria RSR, and for this year, if what was planned is fulfilled, we finally want to have three cars participating in all events. Anneliese unfortunately refused, it's understandable, after a season like this, she'll really want to rest. All that's left for me is maybe stealing someone from Formula 2.0...

[Diarcesia]

Fate has it that she has zero points this week

Despite Sara's efforts, she was not able to make significant progress through the field. She kept a cool head, and didn't allow the frustration to get to her. She had just came off her second win in WGPC, so she knew she was on form, and that she just had to be patient.

As the race went on, her strategy did not work as planned. She moved down through the after the pits stop she found herself in 14^th place with about 20 laps to go. With one pit stop less than most of those ahead of her (the leaders were yet to make their stops), Sara tried a crucial pass on Slidey Right and jumped into 13^th place before heading into Flat Right for another tyre-shredding overtaking move down towards the Triple Diamond Chicane in a last-ditch effort to push before changing tyres... putting her behind her former teammate iBen Toralmintii who seemed content with his tenth place.

She was just not able to make up enough time in the late stages of the race, finishing 18^th and being 3 points behind race winner and now runner-up Brendan Faloe in the WGPC Championship standings. It would be crucial to win at least one more race before heading into the finale if she wanted a comfortable shot at taking her first ever WGPC title.

To begin with, starting at P14 was a massive disadvantage. Unlike previous races, her opportunistic overtaking and the team's deft pit decisions did not materialize. Viska had to settle with zero points this weekend, a small part of her thinking she did not do enough.

However, in true Sara Luna fashion, she shrugged it off and worked to prepare for the next race in Tumbra. She needed to continue try and win the championship. What did she learn from this experience? She needed to be more aggressive, something that she somehow forgot in Hapilopper of all places. Her previous win was there! Had she reverted to being too timid in pushing for the points when it mattered? But that was not the case in previous races. Perhaps she was just having a mental block? She had to rectify that before the next race, as it could prove to be fatal.

One thing was certain, she would need all the luck in her favor if she wanted to win this title. She gave her old friend Aldauren a quick call. "Hello, Sara Luna!" he said in his jovial way. "How are you?" Her conversation partner, the Pryfors Bilar team principal, was inspecting Laura Haukanna's car's side, specifically, where the "Margaret's Homestyle Rubber Chicken" decal was placed.

"I'm doing great Aldauren," she replied. "Still keeping the fires put out there?"

"Oh yes," he said. "We are getting ready for the next race in Tumbra. I'm actually here with Laura."

"I hope I didn't interrupt your work!" Sara joked, knowing that Aldauren and Haukanna probably were commisserating together during similarly empty-handed showing in the grand prix. Aldauren replied: "Don't worry! I was inspecting Laura's car."

"Oh, I see," Sara replied. "So what do you think of Hapilopper? The place," Aldauren chuckled for a moment: "I'll tell you later about it! Are we still on for our dinner date next week?" Sara was caught off guard by this question.

"Ha, that's funny. You mistake me for someone else."

"Oh? Who do I mistake you for?" Aldauren asked. "Do you have a twin sister that I don't know about?" Sara shook her head in dismay at such an assumption. "No, but we'll see each other next week anyway." Aldauren's face was an enigma, and Sara knew that she had to be careful with her words. "Well... see you next week!"

No Points No Championship

With the second half of the season at full swing, it is expected that any major changes will not occur within most teams.

Source

Tyre War Intensifies as Race to the Finish Begins:

As the 20^th season of World Grand Prix Championship reaches its midway point, competitive tensions are at an all time high for both teams and tyre suppliers. With only three races left, it is do or die time for those who have yet to taste success this season. The stakes are even higher for Race Eelandii VTGP this season, as they have the opportunity to grab their first ever WGPC championship if they can capitalize on a strong second half of the season. In addition to that, rumours abound that should Eelandii be able to pull it off and secure both driver and constructor championships by season's end, team principal Juracai Klianiota will be given a larger budget for the upcoming season. For those who do not know, Klianiota is the defending AOCAR Stock Car champion. He's a man who knows how to spend money wisely.

With all that on the line, you can bet that both teams and suppliers are going to be pulling out all the stops in order to give their respective drivers an edge over others as they head into race weekend. This season has seen one of the most competitive tyre wars yet with two major different manufacturers being represented on WGPC grids this year: Tropicorp Racing Supply and the Phoenician-In Motion partnership. The battle for supremacy between these two companies is at its peak with TRS leading in the unofficial tyre championships by a fair margin.

Who will win? That remains unknown, but we do know is that whoever wins will have put together some spectacular results in upcoming races - whatever happens from here onwards, it is guaranteed to be an exciting finish!

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Preston Autos Hapiloppian Grand Prix

During the race, both Laura Haukanna and Sam Blaatschapen faced difficulties and were unable to secure points for the team. In contrast, the home team Preston had a phenomenal race and managed to climb up significantly in the grid. Before the weekend started, Pryfors Bilar team principal Aldauren had given an interview where he stated that they would be focusing on regrouping after the disappointment in auruna. However, with two of their drivers failing to finish in points yet again it seemed like once again they were falling short from achieving what they set out to do.

Aldauren was pacing around his office after the race finished as if he was waiting for someone who never came: ''Where are those bloody analysts? I've given them clear instructions!'' His words echoed through the walls of his room and through the corridors of the team's building.

Few minutes later, two analysts came into his office and stood in front of him with their briefcases opened, ready to give a presentation: ''As we have anticipated, both drivers struggled on this track,'' one started as he put up some graphs on the projector behind them. ''The nature of the Hapilopper circuit is very aggressive towards understeering cars such as ours.'' Another graph showed how fast Sam Blaatschapen was able to lap around the track despite going off-line at various points during her runs. Meanwhile the second analyst gave an explanation: ''We had calculated that we are way off the average time that be achieved by any driver from ours if they were aiming for points finish here. Bryce Yannec managed it numerous times.'' Aldauren made a confused look when hearing about Yannec lapping faster than expected but decided not to interrupt yet as there was still more data left to show them: ''Both Haukanna as Blaatschapen were slower than required pace throughout all laps so far which can be attributed mostly due to our setup not behaving as well as our last time here.'' With another press on the projector button, the presentation concluded. ''We believe that if we were to go back and retune the cars according to our findings here, then it will help us achieve a better result in next race.''

Aldauren looked at them right afterwards: ''Good job. Now why didn't we do this sooner?'' The question was left unanswered as both of them understood that their boss was not trying to be serious with his words. He sighed and started talking again: ''Okay, let's see what we can do about this situation then.''

[Tumbra]

CUTOFF

for Practice and Qualifying at Mount Fesmos Circuit

[Tumbra]

Week 11: Practice

Conditions:      	Dry
Lap Record:      	00:01:27.454
Session Length:	75 minutes
Nation:         	TMB
Circuit:        	Mount Fesmos Circuit

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

POS # ▍DRIVER                           	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 88 ▍Ted Pressley                     	00:01:34.686	00:00:00.000
 2 14 ▍Skiia Vialiv                     	00:01:34.784	00:00:00.098
 3 37 ▍Laura Haukanna                   	00:01:34.875	00:00:00.189
 4 17 ▍Janne Laukkanen                  	00:01:34.896	00:00:00.210
 5 42 ▍Sophie McCreary                  	00:01:34.902	00:00:00.216
 6 87 ▍Bryce Yannec                     	00:01:34.912	00:00:00.226
 7 12 ▍Darian Vilau                     	00:01:35.094	00:00:00.408
 8 96 ▍William Archer                   	00:01:35.096	00:00:00.410
 9 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                      	00:01:35.101	00:00:00.415
10 71 ▍Brendan Faloe                    	00:01:35.460	00:00:00.774
11 74 ▍Adonis Fitzpatrick               	00:01:35.508	00:00:00.822
12  1 ▍iBen Toralmintii                 	00:01:35.566	00:00:00.880
13 10 ▍Lillý Náttmörðsdóttir            	00:01:35.747	00:00:01.061
14 94 ▍Ryker Lane                       	00:01:35.763	00:00:01.077
15  5 ▍Rudy Edwards                     	00:01:35.937	00:00:01.251
16 24 ▍Jordan Crowe                     	00:01:35.948	00:00:01.262
17  7 ▍Anneliese Devereux               	00:01:35.979	00:00:01.292
18 91 ▍Kingston Walcott                 	00:01:36.115	00:00:01.428
19  9 ▍Batu Tüvshinbayar                	00:01:36.286	00:00:01.599
20 84 ▍Angela Tan Fang Ling             	00:01:36.334	00:00:01.648
21 11 ▍Lane Carter                      	00:01:36.564	00:00:01.878
22 33 ▍Sam Blaatschappen                	00:01:36.660	00:00:01.974
23 19 ▍Dom Falepeau                     	00:01:37.059	00:00:02.373
24 28 ▍Aaron Deering                    	00:01:37.175	00:00:02.489
25 13 ▍Ji So-Yeong                      	00:01:38.590	00:00:03.903
26 51 ▍R.L. Cruisin                     	00:01:38.920	00:00:04.234
27 40 ▍Adriana Kowalski Lilian          	00:01:39.181	00:00:04.495
28 50 ▍Sara Luna                        	00:01:39.750	00:00:05.064

Week 11: Qualifying

Conditions:      	Dry
Lap Record:      	00:01:27.454
Qualifying Type:	Elimination
Nation:         	TMB
Circuit:        	Mount Fesmos Circuit

POS # ▍DRIVER                           	FASTEST Q1	GAP TO LEADER	FASTEST Q2	GAP TO LEADER	FASTEST Q3	GAP TO LEADER
 1 13 ▍Ji So-Yeong                      	00:01:29.366	00:00:01.274	00:01:29.498	00:00:00.492	00:01:28.467	FASTEST : Q3
 2 17 ▍Janne Laukkanen                  	00:01:28.092	FASTEST : Q1	00:01:29.006	FASTEST : Q2	00:01:28.516	00:00:00.049
 3 71 ▍Brendan Faloe                    	00:01:28.789	00:00:00.697	00:01:29.341	00:00:00.336	00:01:28.560	00:00:00.093
 4 14 ▍Skiia Vialiv                     	00:01:28.108	00:00:00.016	00:01:29.097	00:00:00.091	00:01:28.582	00:00:00.115
 5 42 ▍Sophie McCreary                  	00:01:28.273	00:00:00.182	00:01:29.114	00:00:00.109	00:01:28.603	00:00:00.136
 6 33 ▍Sam Blaatschappen                	00:01:28.957	00:00:00.865	00:01:29.500	00:00:00.494	00:01:28.619	00:00:00.152
 7 88 ▍Ted Pressley                     	00:01:29.015	00:00:00.923	00:01:29.515	00:00:00.509	00:01:28.767	00:00:00.300
 8 74 ▍Adonis Fitzpatrick               	00:01:30.108	00:00:02.016	00:01:29.602	00:00:00.596	00:01:28.850	00:00:00.382
 9 87 ▍Bryce Yannec                     	00:01:29.301	00:00:01.210	00:01:29.598	00:00:00.592	00:01:28.850	00:00:00.383
10  9 ▍Batu Tüvshinbayar                	00:01:28.598	00:00:00.506	00:01:29.676	00:00:00.671	00:01:28.861	00:00:00.394
11  5 ▍Rudy Edwards                     	00:01:28.656	00:00:00.565	00:01:29.613	00:00:00.608	00:01:28.869	00:00:00.402
12 10 ▍Lillý Náttmörðsdóttir            	00:01:28.725	00:00:00.634	00:01:29.668	00:00:00.662	00:01:28.886	00:00:00.419
13 84 ▍Angela Tan Fang Ling             	00:01:28.956	00:00:00.865	00:01:29.820	00:00:00.814	00:01:28.985	00:00:00.517
14 28 ▍Aaron Deering                    	00:01:29.480	00:00:01.389	00:01:29.608	00:00:00.603	00:01:29.058	00:00:00.591
15 24 ▍Jordan Crowe                     	00:01:29.077	00:00:00.985	00:01:29.852	00:00:00.847		
16 37 ▍Laura Haukanna                   	00:01:29.434	00:00:01.342	00:01:29.896	00:00:00.890		
17  1 ▍iBen Toralmintii                 	00:01:29.214	00:00:01.122	00:01:29.936	00:00:00.930		
18 50 ▍Sara Luna                        	00:01:29.641	00:00:01.549	00:01:29.959	00:00:00.953		
19 94 ▍Ryker Lane                       	00:01:29.585	00:00:01.493	00:01:30.040	00:00:01.034		
20 96 ▍William Archer                   	00:01:29.604	00:00:01.512	00:01:30.459	00:00:01.454		
21 51 ▍R.L. Cruisin                     	00:01:30.014	00:00:01.922	00:01:30.909	00:00:01.904		
22 40 ▍Adriana Kowalski Lilian          	00:01:30.472	00:00:02.380				
23 11 ▍Lane Carter                      	00:01:30.799	00:00:02.707				
24 12 ▍Darian Vilau                     	00:01:31.015	00:00:02.923				
25 91 ▍Kingston Walcott                 	00:01:31.382	00:00:03.291				
26 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                      	00:01:31.385	00:00:03.293				
27  7 ▍Anneliese Devereux               	00:01:32.787	00:00:04.695				
28 19 ▍Dom Falepeau                     	00:01:32.815	00:00:04.723

EDIT: Change of track map