WGP2 6: World Grand Prix 2 Season 6 [RPs/Results]

[Tumbra]

In the darkness of her pre-race prep room, Abigail Wright stared at the outline of her helmet. Somehow she was here. A team that actually seemed to respect her, a team-mate whom she could actually cross swords with, and the hustle and bustle of the grid. Quite a long way for someone from Dorival. Sure, Dorival was partially motorsports country — two of Tumbran Super Formula's twelve teams were based out of the state, and there was a racing complex in the state that was pretty old, but Abigail was still, to use the term, from the boonies.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Her first race had ended with the ignominy of an exit; her gearbox had seized, and she'd gone sliding into one of the many walls that lined the circuit. She tried to continue, but had to end up pulling into the pits to retire. It took a bit to get herself together, but she'd taken it as a learning experience; the Gajamina car seemed to be a lot more slippery than any other junior formula car she was accustomed to. Which made sense; at this level you needed to be accustomed to having less mechanical grip to gain more speed with the car. Plus, the construction of the cars here differed somewhat from Tumbran Super Formula as well. It was a lot of learning to do with a very short runway in which to achieve it; especially since she'd been signed so close to the start of the season. Plus, add the fact that almost everyone spoke a different language...and she was very quickly feeling like a fish out of water.

If anything, however, she could be reassured that the car was at least quick. Abby and Pande had been the only two to consistently land their cars in the top ten every qualifying session; which showed that over a lap the cars were fast. Very fast indeed. There was nothing to it except pressing on and hoping that she could get the car under control a bit better this time.

---

Kelly stared at the timing sheets again. Perhaps she should've told Nini to not go for the overtake on Pierre-Louis on the penultimate lap; after all, she was in the perfect position for the feature race. Oh well, she thought. You live and learn. Things had calmed down slightly over the week; Thomas Kim wasn't in Dod Rava — he was in Yoknapatawphaia, doing heaven knows what. Wasn't her business; plus, she appreciated the fact that there was less of an egotistic billionaire constantly breathing down her neck. And Triple J had quietened down a bit; it seemed that without his benefactor around, he hadn't been so...braggadocious.

That wasn't to say that he hadn't stopped pissing everyone around him off; Gray had taken to poking his nose into everything the engineers were doing, even if he'd been specifically told to not be in the garage. This was mainly because Gray, as a driver, could break a parc ferme related rule; but quietly nobody really wanted him around anywhere. Quietly she wondered if it were possible to engineer an incident which would see Gray removed from the travelling circus of Pressley and relegated to permanent factory duties; but such a move would be risky.

She furrowed her brow as she looked down at her strategy papers again. Sure, Nini had a front-row start, but she tended to eat her tyres a lot during the first stint of a race. Then again, the car was also particularly hard on its tyres — and it showed during yesterday's sprint race...

[Nico Hulkenberg]

Kenny Do It?

The birds that sat on top of the HMG Entwicklungszentrum were loudly awakened by the cries of an anguished man, who shrieked ”THAT SON OF A BITCH!” to an audience of none.

”Sneaking off to VilBev like that, after all we’ve done for him. Fucking scandalous! That man - that conniving little bastard - will forever know the name ‘Jöhan Türbringer’, in his dreams, no, nightmares! He won’t even be able to sleep without seeing my sexy, sexy face!”

Just then, his phone rang, with a customised ringtone.

♫ Kenny, Kenny Wilson ♫
♫ Faster, faster than you know ♫
♫ Kenny, Kenny Wilson ♫
♫ Your heroes are too slow ♫

Without even the slightest hesitation, Jöhan dashed from the phone.

”Ohmygoditsyouicantactuallybelieveit… ahem. Kenny.”

“You might have noticed that my calendar just freed up.”

“And YOU might have noticed that ours just did, too.”

“I don’t gotta rap again, do I?”

“Nope. Not just yet.”

“Good shit. See you there.”

Putting the phone down, Jöhan barely had a moment of peace before firing off an email to every staff member in the Entwicklungszentrum.

From: jturbringer@hülkenmail.hb
To: Alles
Subject: New Driver

Hey all,

There’s a new driver who you’ll all need to get acquainted with. He calls himself Kenny Wilson, and he’s “faster than you’ll know.” Get the seat fitting stuff ready, and be ready to help with any and all setup requests.

You’ve all got a part to play.

Yours, with pressure,
Jöhan Turbringer
Voted Hülkenberg’s Boss of the Year 3-Times Running

Practice

”Fuck yeah.”

Qualifying

”Sheeeeeeeit.”

Sprint

”Fuck.

[Tumbra]

CUTOFF

for the WGP2 Grand Prix of Rawa at Rawa Street Circuit

[Tumbra]

Week 4: Race

Conditions:      	Dry
Laps:              	61
Nation:         	DOR
Circuit:        	Rawa Street Circuit
Event:	WGP2 Grand Prix of Rawa
Safety Car Deployed on Laps:	
Cars on Grid:	28

Start       	POS  # ▍DRV Name                     Team                     	Time      	Pts	Fastest Lap
 1 ▍ARC       	  1 24 ▍UNG Nick Unger               Team Blueforce           	01:31:37.687	25	
 2 ▍JOH       	  2  6 ▍WRI Abigail Wright           Gajamina-Kartana         	00:00:42.701	18	
 3 ▍WRI       	  3 78 ▍LER Julita Lérida            Amica Racing Team        	00:00:47.819	15	
 4 ▍LER       	  4 13 ▍ARC Pierre-Louis Archer      Archer Performance       	00:00:51.392	12	
 5 ▍KLH       	  5 99 ▍ADX Antonin Yeats Durand     Pressley-Kim Racing      	00:01:03.700	10	
 6 ▍GAN       	  6 17 ▍JOH Nini Johnsilvaturr       Pressley-Kim Racing      	00:01:04.312	9	
 7 ▍UNG       	  7  2 ▍LAF Isabelle Lafleur         Amica Racing Team        	00:01:19.918	8	
 8 ▍RUU       	  8 25 ▍GAN Pande Putu Raka Ganesha  Gajamina-Kartana         	Laps Down: 1	7 + 1	1:24.769
 9 ▍TVL       	  9 79 ▍RUU Olavi Vile Ruusuvuori    MeowMeow Racing          	Laps Down: 1	6	
10 ▍ADX       	 10 72 ▍OCH Luke Ochoa               Archer Performance       	Laps Down: 1	5	
11 ▍XON       	 11  5 ▍XON Momqud Xonaxonov         JMoD Racing              	Laps Down: 1	4	
12 ▍ILY       	 12 60 ▍TVL Tracie V. Lindholm       Orange Cow Racing GP2    	Laps Down: 1	3	
13 ▍LAF       	 13 53 ▍KLH Shalmaneser Kalhu        Urotovsky-Gatutin        	Laps Down: 1	2	
14 ▍KON       	 14 58 ▍KON Iina Konoa               VSK-Maarukanna Racing    	Laps Down: 1	1	
15 ▍OCH       	 15 66 ▍VVV Vincent von Visp         Urotovsky-Gatutin        	Laps Down: 1		
16 ▍AVE       	 16 43 ▍AVE Pascal Avelardez         HMG Grand Prix           	Laps Down: 1		
17 ▍BUN       	 17 27 ▍CAR Samantha Carter          Orange Cow Racing GP2    	Laps Down: 1		
18 ▍CAR       	 18  4 ▍RAS Lianna Rasianoara        Team Blueforce           	Laps Down: 1		
19 ▍PBL       	 19  7 ▍KLI Juracai Klianota         Tropicorp VilBev GP2     	Laps Down: 1		
20 ▍ARK       	 20 44 ▍VCS Indori Volcanasaur       Tropicorp VilBev GP2     	Laps Down: 1		
21 ▍VVV       	 21  1 ▍ARK Istd Arkenund            MeowMeow Racing          	Laps Down: 1		
22 ▍KLI       	 22 98 ▍PBL Pier Brolli              WGP2 Motorworks          	Laps Down: 2		
23 ▍RAS       	 23 49 ▍ILY Jhannis Illykur          VSK-Maarukanna Racing    	Laps Down: 2		
24 ▍PCS       	 24 77 ▍PCS Pietro Crespi            Nexus Racing             	Laps Down: 2		
25 ▍JKN       	 25 55 ▍WIL Kenny Wilson             HMG Grand Prix           	Laps Down: 2		
26 ▍WIL       	DNF 18 ▍JKN Haru Jukkena             Nexus Racing             	Ret. lap 1		
27 ▍VCS       	DNF 12 ▍BUN Tatiana Bungschen        JMoD Racing              	Ret. lap 47

Pos # ▍DRV Name                      Team [Engine]                                        Tyres                    Pts
 1 13 ▍ARC Pierre-Louis Archer       Archer Performance [VSK Motors]                      ChaosChouc               38
 2 24 ▍UNG Nick Unger                Team Blueforce [Camden]                              Tropicorp Racing Supply  32
 3 25 ▍GAN Pande Putu Raka Ganesha   Gajamina-Kartana [Gajamina Auto]                     Gajamina                 23
 4 99 ▍ADX Antonin Yeats Durand      Pressley-Kim Racing [Kaylan]                         Tread                    22
 5  6 ▍WRI Abigail Wright            Gajamina-Kartana [Gajamina Auto]                     Gajamina                 21
 5  2 ▍LAF Isabelle Lafleur          Amica Racing Team [Preston Autos]                    Tropicorp Racing Supply  21
 7 58 ▍KON Iina Konoa                VSK-Maarukanna Racing [VSK Motors]                   Phoenician-In Motion     20
 8 78 ▍LER Julita Lérida             Amica Racing Team [Preston Autos]                    Tropicorp Racing Supply  19
 9  7 ▍KLI Juracai Klianota          Tropicorp VilBev GP2 [Preston Autos]                 Tropicorp Racing Supply  18
 9 17 ▍JOH Nini Johnsilvaturr        Pressley-Kim Racing [Kaylan]                         Tread                    18
11  1 ▍ARK Istd Arkenund             MeowMeow Racing [Preston Autos]                      Tropicorp Racing Supply  15
11  5 ▍XON Momqud Xonaxonov          JMoD Racing [UrGa]                                   Tropicorp Racing Supply  15
13 79 ▍RUU Olavi Vile Ruusuvuori     MeowMeow Racing [Preston Autos]                      Tropicorp Racing Supply  14
14 53 ▍KLH Shalmaneser Kalhu         Urotovsky-Gatutin [UrGa]                             Phoenician-In Motion     13
15 60 ▍TVL Tracie V. Lindholm        Orange Cow Racing GP2 [Preston Autos]                Tropicorp Racing Supply  12
15 77 ▍PCS Pietro Crespi             Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                          Phoenician-In Motion     12
15 49 ▍ILY Jhannis Illykur           VSK-Maarukanna Racing [VSK Motors]                   Phoenician-In Motion     12
18  4 ▍RAS Lianna Rasianoara         Team Blueforce [Camden]                              Tropicorp Racing Supply  10
19 43 ▍AVE Pascal Avelardez          HMG Grand Prix [Preston Autos]                       Tropicorp Racing Supply  8
20 72 ▍OCH Luke Ochoa                Archer Performance [VSK Motors]                      ChaosChouc               5
20 66 ▍VVV Vincent von Visp          Urotovsky-Gatutin [UrGa]                             Phoenician-In Motion     5
22 12 ▍BUN Tatiana Bungschen         JMoD Racing [UrGa]                                   Tropicorp Racing Supply  4
23 18 ▍JKN Haru Jukkena              Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                          Phoenician-In Motion     1
23 98 ▍PBL Pier Brolli               WGP2 Motorworks [Preston Autos]                      Tropicorp Racing Supply  1
25 27 ▍CAR Samantha Carter           Orange Cow Racing GP2 [Preston Autos]                Tropicorp Racing Supply  0
25 55 ▍WIL Kenny Wilson              HMG Grand Prix [Preston Autos]                       Tropicorp Racing Supply  0
25 44 ▍VCS Indori Volcanasaur        Tropicorp VilBev GP2 [Preston Autos]                 Tropicorp Racing Supply  0

Pos NAT ▍Team [Engine]                                        Tyres                    Pts
  1 PCU ▍Gajamina-Kartana [Gajamina Auto]                     Gajamina                 44
  2 PTR ▍Archer Performance [VSK Motors]                      ChaosChouc               43
  3 LIS ▍Team Blueforce [Camden]                              Tropicorp Racing Supply  42
  4 DOR ▍Amica Racing Team [Preston Autos]                    Tropicorp Racing Supply  40
  5 TMB ▍Pressley-Kim Racing [Kaylan]                         Tread                    40
  6 AUR ▍VSK-Maarukanna Racing [VSK Motors]                   Phoenician-In Motion     32
  7 VEZ ▍MeowMeow Racing [Preston Autos]                      Tropicorp Racing Supply  29
  8 HUL ▍HMG Grand Prix [Preston Autos]                       Tropicorp Racing Supply  26
  9 JON ▍JMoD Racing [UrGa]                                   Tropicorp Racing Supply  19
 10 PDN ▍Urotovsky-Gatutin [UrGa]                             Phoenician-In Motion     18
 11 NIM ▍Nexus Racing [Paragon Warp]                          Phoenician-In Motion     13
 12 CBP ▍Orange Cow Racing GP2 [Preston Autos]                Tropicorp Racing Supply  12
 13 WGP ▍WGP2 Motorworks [Preston Autos]                      Tropicorp Racing Supply  1
 14 TRP ▍Tropicorp VilBev GP2 [Preston Autos]                 Tropicorp Racing Supply   0

[Trans-Dniesters]

“And you are certain that that was Vincent's work?”

“As the sun rises from the east, Yakov Leonidovich,” the informant nodded. “Of course, it was his secretary, I can't recall her name off the top of my head, who did most of the work, but I don't believe that she would do anything like this without his permission at the very least.”

“Neither do I,” Yakov Leonidovich Yurievsky sighed. “As you can see, this is a most unwelcome development for me. That is not what I wanted to hear. Very well, Aleksandr. You may go. Your crewmates are probably looking for you right now.”

“Of course, Yakov Leonidovich,” the informant nodded his head and then left the executive suite where Yakov had been camping out in the last few days. He had a new bottle of vodka with him since he had already finished the previous one, but the drink he poured out for himself this time around was not a celebratory one. In fact, it was a drink that he needed in order to calm his nerves. It wasn't everyday that Yakov Yurievsky suffered from a case of the nerves, but this was also not an ordinary day. “Pacifiers and chocolates,” he muttered to himself. “What are you up to now, Vincent?”

Yakov Yurievsky had approached Vincent Von Visp with the expectation that the two of them were as blackhearted and soulless as two people could be, that Vincent would be both Yakov's bludgeon and scalpel in his fight against Preston Autos. Vincent had shown shades of said villainy at Preston's home in Hapilopper, pushing one Kenny Wilson as close to Oh Crap, There's A Wall as the Recuecian dared before eventually pulling out with no damage being inflicted on either side. Vincent did score some points in Hap City, but it was nowhere near the humbling victory that Yakov had wanted it to be. And now Vincent was apparently wasting his time chatting up the female drivers on the grid and sending them chocolates while also delivering pacifiers (the very same thing that babies sucked for comfort and teething) to his competitors, including his very own teammate Sal Kalhu.

To say that Yakov was disappointed with Vincent's most recent actions would be an understatement. This was not why Yakov had brought Vincent into the team. Vincent was supposed to get into other drivers' gearboxes and sidepods and force them into making mistakes or directly into the barriers, not taunt them with childish hate mail. In Yakov's personal opinion, that was more the work of a Hapiloppian swine than a cultured Recuecian or a calculating Pridnestrovian. And not only was Vincent targeting a seemingly random selection of drivers, he also had the gall to send one such pacifier to Sal Kalhu. Yakov wouldn't necessarily say that Vincent had crossed a line with that, but given that Yakov had his own vested interest in Sal's continued affiliation with UrGa, having an intra-team rivalry between Yakov's two handpicked drivers simply wouldn't do. He would have to find a way to put an end to this nonsense before it escalated beyond even his own control.

The more vodka that Yakov drank though, the more that he began considering things from perspectives that were not his own. Perhaps Vincent had his own purpose for sending those pacifiers to his rivals. Perhaps Vincent was trying to goad at least one of those drivers to the point of recklessness, maybe to create an incident in the next race should Vincent and one of his recipients occupy the same patch of tarmac. Or perhaps Vincent was just, in the words of the current youth, doing a little trolling. However, for someone so goal-oriented as Yakov Yurievsky was, trolling was as alien a concept as the surface of a neutron. Everything that he did had to have an outcome that was beneficial to him. If Yakov was the one who had come up with the idea of sending pacifiers to his rivals then he would have had them mailed to the likes of Kenny Wilson, Marty Lewis, and Jim Preston. But no, instead Vincent decided to have his fun with the likes of Olavi Ruusuvuori, Antonin Durand, Isabelle Lafleur, and of course Sal Kalhu. Sure, two of them drove Preston-powered machines (Ruusuvuori and Lafleur, to be exact), but they were not the critical targets in Yakov's eyes. That would be Kenny Wilson and HMG Grand Prix. It was originally Tropicorp VilBev WGP2 though, but after rumors of a controversy about Tropicorp as a whole had made Preston pull Wilson out of that team, Yakov himself had to move the goalposts once HMG opened their doors to the Hapiloppian.

“I really hope your trolling serves the right purpose, Vincent, and not just your own agenda,” Yakov muttered as he sipped his vodka. Again, a wave of disappointment hit the Pridnestrovian as he tried and failed to come to terms with Von Visp's actions. The secret weapon that he had hoped would bring him victory over the glory hunters from Hapilopper, while not yet a complete dud, was currently heading way off course from the target. Yakov had been hands off with Vincent with regards to the “war” in the belief that the Recuecian knew what was at stake and what had to be done, but perhaps now was the time to make sure that Vincent still understood the assignment, so to speak. Yakov thought that he had stumbled upon a kindred villainous spirit in Vincent Von Visp, the driver that would make Yakov's campaign to make Preston regret riding on UrGa's coattails both a reality and a success, but perhaps all Vincent really wanted was to do a little trolling. And as long as Yakov hadn't cleared up matters with Vincent, UrGa's “financial advisor” once again felt like the only chess player in a world full of checkers fanatics.

[La Montevideo]

PasAve's Blog

...I'm not even going to ask.

[Kimi-Suomi]

The opening weekend in the WGP2 was certainly an experience that Olavi Ville Ruusuvuori would want to forget...but he knew he couldn't. This sport is all about experience and learning on the fly, that's something he knew full well that he would have to do when he chose to go down this path of contesting in 2 T2s in one season. His first experience of WGPO wasn't exactly kind to a driver that has been touted as one of the brightest potential stars in Kimi-Suomen motorsport but he also knew that, with time, things could certainly get better...but it was all about having that confidence to proceed no matter what and that's what he was hoping to build as his journey continues into the years ahead. Both MeowMeow and TA were both concerned but OVR hoped to do better...and that was the simplest plan you could come up with.

Round 2 would be the first Sprint Weekend at the WGP2 Grand Prix of Rawa in Dod Rava and considering there were two races to deal with, the pressure was certainly on to try and improve as quickly as possible. Practice for this weekend's action, the first since his homeland switched allegiances to Anaia, would see Tracie V. Lindholm take top spot over Shalmaneser Kalhu and Pande Putu Raka Ganesha with OVR ending up in P8 and teammate Istd Arkenund in P10, both of whom were half a tenth behind the leader with qualifying looming.

This qualifying session, held on that Friday afternoon, would be another elimination affair...but unlike the first time around, OVR wasn't fucking around. Istd Arkenund struggled and could only manage P23, but OVR seemingly took to this track like a magnet and ended up in P2 after Q1...and then P2 in Q2...and then the fastest time in Q3. He was setting the timing sheets on fire but once he got to Q4, the Top 7 shootout, the pressure certainly was felt by the young rookie. Lindholm would end up on pole over Iina Konoa and Antonin Yeats Durand but OVR would start from P4...and that felt soo good to say and so good to note down in the debrief.

It did feel like a huge contrast, starting from outside the Top 20 one week and P4 the next, and the pressure was certainly starting to be felt on the young Finn's shoulders as he prepared for this dance...but he needed points and starting from this high of a position was the best way to do just that. This Sprint Race would be 38 laps long with limited points available for the Top 14, but OVR still fought like hell to try and get anything from this protracted battle. We lost 2 drivers from this Sprint, Indori Volcanasaur on Lap 3 and Kenny Wilson on Lap 15, but everyone else was fighting it out and things certainly were decisive. Konoa ended up taking both the win and the Fastest Lap over Isabelle Lafleur and VSK teammate Jhannis Illykur but all OVR wanted to do was simply make it home with points...and P7 was more than enough. Poor Arkenund could only manage P20 but for OVR, he had points...8 of them, in fact. And that felt good.

The Top 14 would be reversed for the start of the 61-lap Feature Race, so OVR would start from P8 while Arkenund was P20. Once again, only 2 cars would leave the race as Haru Jukkena retired on Lap 1 and Tatiana Bungschen on Lap 47, but the other 25 cars simply duked it out all day for ultimate glory. Nick Unger, who started P7, would end up winning the main event over Abigail Wright and Julita Lérida while OVR managed more points in P9 (6 more in fact) and Arkenund was P21. Pierre-Louis Archer, Antonin Yeats Durand, Nini Johnsilvaturr, Isabelle Lafleur and Ganesha all finished ahead of OVR while Luke Ochoa, Momqud Xonaxonov, Lindholm, Kalhu and Konoa all wrapped up the points. Vincent von Visp, a pantomime villain in race driver form, did not get any points all weekend and that managed to put a smile on OVR's face...as he couldn't forget the pacifier that VVV sent him after yesterday's Sprint. "We’re not in the schoolyard anymore", he said, "I’m coming for you." Well, how about that, huh? He saw VVV in a huff after the race but didn't want to let his moment go to waste...and so he did what he had to do. He made sure VVV saw him before he pulled out that pacifier from his race suit, put it in his mouth and then proceeded to flip the Recuecn driver off...for all the world to see. Tämä vauva on kaikki kasvanut, paskiainen. Watch your words.

[Patriotlandia]

*Before Sunday's feature race in Rawa*

Isabelle sat at the table rhythmically tapping her fingers on the table looking at her phone.
"You should be celebrating, you scored a podium.", said Odile Villeneuve, Isabelle's manager.

"Odile, you know we have a second race tomorrow."

"I know, but that doesn't explain the phone. Is Miss Lafleur in boy trouble?", she asked knowing full well it would make her uncomfortable.

"SHUT UP, O!" the young driver replied visibly blushing. "I'm just waiting for my food".

Eventually their food arrived and the conversation switched to more business matters.
"I have had a call with representatives from Renard Automobile, asking if there was any interest in entering their factory driver program."

"Wouldn't that hurt my WGP career? It's not like they have a program or anything. I would be stuck in Patriotlandia all over again."

"I told them you would think about it. Maybe it could just be a sponsor for now. And they are sponsoring the national WGP3 series. Who knows, they might want to make the jump."

"Quit day dreaming and finish your cheesecake, O. I need to make it back to the hotel soon."

"Not before you talk about that boy trouble of yours."

Turning bright red, "It's nothing, just a group of drivers hanging out after the race."

"Ooooh, anyone I know?"

"God no, you have the worst taste in men."

"Hey, all I said was the Pierre-Louis was cute."

"Uhhh, he's just a rich kid with a fancy haircut."

"You really don't like him, uh?"

"It's a long story" she said under her breath.

[Pemecutan]

---

---

Soma Paing Wuku Menail, Pawukon 1785

---

---

The First Podium

Rawa, Dod Rava - The hot and dry day of Rawa Dod Rava become the witness of Pemecutanian racing team, Gajamina-Kartana success in the continuation of WGP2. The WGP2 Grand Prix of Rawa was the 2nd schedule race of this season. After a great performance in the Sprint Race, the drivers prepare for the main race held on Sunday. Both Gajamina-Kartana (or GaKart) driver start from the top 10 position. Abigail Wright from the third and Pande Putu Raka Ganesha on the 6th. With Archer start in the pole position, he was favorited to win the race as he is currently also lead the driver leaderboard after winning the first race. Unfortunately, he was only finishing 4th but it is still enough for him to retain the lead. The race was won by Nick Unger who started from the 7th position. He success to pass many drivers to reach the position. A great tactic during the pit stops also bring him into the victory. The win brings him to the second place of the driver leaderboard with only 4 points apart from Archer. But how about GaKart drivers? Abigail Wright shows a great performance. It seems that she has successfully familiarize herself with the car. She run it smoothly which bring her to finish second behind Unger. The result brings the first podium for the team. On the other hand, Raka Ganesha tries to maintain his position. However, he lost the momentum and being passed by other drivers along the way. He managed to secure the 8th position until the end of the race and still getting points. The good news is Raka Ganesha success to set the fastest lap of the race with 1:24.769. This is the first time he ever set the fastest time in a WGP2 race.

Points from this second race lift up Raka Ganesha's position in the driver's table. He is currently at 3rd position with 9 points gaps against second place Unger and 15 points against Archer. And by finishing the race at the second place, Abigail's position is jump from 21st into the 5th position. She shared the same points with Isabelle Lafleur of Amica Racing Team. And by having 2 drivers in the top 5, Gajamina-Kartana collected 44 points which enough to make them lead the team's table with only 1 point gap against the second place, Archer Performance.

This is a great race for them both. I'm very proud of them. Hope that they can maintain this performance until the end of the season and make a history for our team.

Irfan Rayadi
CEO of Gajamina-Kartana

Next, they will be going to Auruna for the third race of the season. How will they be? Let's find out live from Kanal-E.

(Word count : 468)

[Recuecn]

Vincent tore his helmet off and tossed it to the ground, revealing sweaty, tousled hair almost as bright red as his racing outfit. He pushed himself out of the cockpit and shoved his way through the crowd of UrGa engineers swarming the car. Even after a hard-fought race with six places gained, he had finished a single, tantalizing place out of the points. To have only the smallest handful of points after three races was maddening when he felt that his performance in the races themselves was at a satisfactory level. Unfortunately, given his terrible qualification placements, his performance hadn't translated to satisfactory results.

“I bet Yakov will be pissed,” thought Vincent, and Vincent himself certainly was. In his peripheral vision he caught sight of Fuad trying to make his way toward him, but that was the last conversation he wanted to have right now. He walked away down the pit lane.

That was when Olavi caught his eye. The 17-year-old was staring him down, defiantly sucking on the pacifier Vincent had left for him, and flipping him the bird. For a moment, Vincent, already tilted, felt like he was about to fly off the handle. But then he did a second take…

Vincent started to laugh. It was a hearty, full-chested, throw-your-head-back kind of laugh. Granted, it had been a frustrating result after a difficult race, and on top of that, every single one of the teenagers he’d left hate mail for had finished ahead of him, as if to prove his threats empty. But it made Vincent very content to see how well he had done at getting into Olavi’s head. This kid, who had just finished a good race with a decent points finish, was still fuming at Vincent’s insult, and now was making a scene in front of the TV cameras.

Vincent gave a sarcastically friendly wave back in return, paired with a cheesy grin. It was nice to see this hot-headed teenager have to deal with the fact that he wasn’t the center of the world. Maybe he was still too young to realize how silly he looked, sucking on a pacifier and throwing a fit in the middle of the pit lane, but for Vincent it was vindicating. If he’d managed to get under even one driver’s skin to this extent, it was worth sending those silly notes. Normally Vincent didn't deal with intangibles, and most likely Yakov wouldn't understand, but this was the kind of thing he was hoping for. Stay mad, boy.

Vincent turned to finally head over to his teammates at UrGa for debrief, but as he did, his eye caught the shapely figure of Tati Bungschen, sitting on the hood of her car while a team of JMoD Racing mechanics worked around her to disassemble it. I’m gonna keep getting distracted if the JMod and UrGa garages are always so close together, thought Vincent. Tati was clearly dejected; she sat slouched, with her hair down, covering half her face. The reason for her depression was evident: the gearbox the back of her that the engineers were buzzing around like a hive of bees had gotten stuck in second somehow and she’d been forced to coast into the pits and out of the race fourteen laps early.

Vincent walked over. “You’d look better if you smiled,” he said.

Tati glowered up at him. "If you're gonna hit me up again, just save your words and leave," she retorted.

“Wow, you really are in a bad mood,” said Vincent. “I saw you got my present earlier. Maybe a little chocolate would make you feel better after a disappointing race like that.” He glanced at the mechanics, still hard at work. “Mechanical failure?” he surmised. “I’m glad you didn’t get distracted and crash out, but I’ll admit I hope you were still thinking of me.”

Tati wanted to give Vincent a piece of her mind. Why did he keep trying to hit on her when she’d given him no encouragement? And now, why was he here making light of her DNF, as if he thought that the constant negging would somehow win her over? She remembered that cringeworthy wink of his from before the race. It had been accompanied by the same cocky grin he was wearing now—how she longed to just slap it off his face.

“Get out of here!” she chided. “You’re not allowed to be in the JMoD garage! What do you want from me anyway!?”

Vincent’s eyes twinkled. He really did love the way she looked when she had her dander up. “Well, let me think,” he answered, undeterred. “I guess let me start off with your phone number.”

Tati’s jaw dropped at his audacity. But even as she opened her mouth to reject him, she paused. He was a cocky motherfucker, but he wasn’t lying about being good-looking. Could she really turn him down when he was the only person showing any interest in her? As her subconscious realized what she was about to do, it began to protest. She thought of Nini. What? Why her, now? Nini hadn’t messaged her in months. And here was a billionaire, standing right in front of her… The race marshals in her mind were frantically waving red flags, but Tati ignored them.

“Fine, if it will get you off my back. Take this down: +82 51 80…”

Vincent whipped out his phone and typed in the digits as she rattled them off. “Got it.” He flashed her another wink. “You’ll be hearing from me in Auruna.” And with that he was gone, leaving Tati kicking herself.

Sure enough, the moment the JMoD team jet touched down in Veratuna, Tati’s phone buzzed. Vincent’s text included his hotel name and room number.

“Come on by,” he said in his message, “I got the penthouse suite and you can see the whole city. But I can think of better things to do together than look at the view…”

With thanks to Jonjastan for permission to use their character Tati and help writing her.

[Hapilopper]

Akresna Circuit, Auruna
Leading up to the WGP2 Race of the Hills
Seemingly uncharacteristic of Preston Autos, there had been almost total radio silence from anyone from Hapilopper in the last few weeks – even as some of the biggest news had involved them – a change of regions and the logistics behind it took a lot of people’s attention away. And on top of that, there was a sudden and shocking change of teams for Kenny Wilson – from Tropicorp VilBev to HMG Grand Prix. Reporters across Hapilopper and beyond had attempted to get in touch with Kenny and Preston representatives to figure out what happened and why, but throughout, the only comment anyone received was a very curt “no comment.”

Behind the scenes, Preston management sent out a message to its outward-facing representatives, which included their drivers: Under no circumstances would anyone be at liberty to discuss what had happened and why.

What Preston management was doing instead, was putting out provocative press releases designed to take aim at the UrGa team. Turns out someone from the Preston PR department was in a punchy mood. Or maybe Marty Lewis was in a punchy mood. Either way, someone had come out with two separate options to send to media organizations – and to pass out and circulate all over the Akresna Circuit.

Shawn Hammer, head of Preston Performance Products, figured he’d review the two, and cast a disapproving look.

“Why are we calling cars shitboxes?” Shawn asked. “We’re not supposed to be insulting potential customers.”

“I just thought it’d be funny,” the PR rep said. “It’s our brand, isn’t it?”

“I’d rather it not be, if I’m being perfectly honest,” Shawn said. “It makes us look like a bunch of schmucks. A bunch of unprofessional schmucks, and I’d like it to please stop.”

Unknowingly to Shawn, both versions of the advertising were released, and circulated across the track. Thousands of copies of the advertising calling UrGa's car a "shitbox" were seen across the circuit by the time cars hit the track that weekend. When he found out, "furious" was hardly the right way to describe Shawn. "Fired" was also hardly the right way to describe that Preston Autos PR representative.

---

Meanwhile, Kenny Wilson had some thoughts in his mind and they weren’t all positive. He was standing away from the paddock, smoking a cigarette, thinking about some of the things that had happened in the start of the season. He thought about that one weirdo in the UrGa car – Vincent Von Vispy or something like that – and how he had pulled off that ridiculous move in Hapilopper City, then had the audacity to flip him off.

Almost immediately after it happened, Kenny thought about what happened to guys like that sprint cars. They end up smashing into the catch fence or getting a right hook to the jaw. But Kenny knew he couldn’t act out – if he did, it would ruin his future in a series he aspired to be a part of. He figured he’d let it slide, and if Vincent ever pressed the issue again, he’d bite back.

Either way, Kenny was still in a dark mood. He wondered if that lunatic would keep bothering him – and why, exactly, was he bothering him? He had never met this Von Vispy dude in his life, so what was the point of his behavior? Why did he flip him off? Why did he try to run him off the track?

But at the very least, to him, those transgressions were strike one and two. Should Von Visp hit strike three, Kenny figured he’d give him a taste of his own medicine. To hell with what anyone else thought.

[Valentine Z]

Part 9 – Spitted and Polished.

Olavi Vile Ruusuvuori did a fantastic job on the Rawa Street Circuit, earning 8 points on the Sprint Race, and then another 6 points at the actual race itself, so to speak. Bringing 14 points to MeowMeow Racing, Constantine Hollis Aria Hirini Tapihana was delighted to see that the driver he was attached to was doing well. It would have seemed like he was natural at it, handling the Valentian car (with Preston Autos Engines and Tropicorp Tires) with finesse and relative ease that reminded him of his days a few years ago. "Young lad did a great job," he thought to himself, "And that course itself, from the looks of it, was quite a challenge for the many of the drivers around. So, overall, I am amazed by his performance. There can definitely be better, yes, but as of right now, I am quite satisfied with it." With his thoughts finished, Constantine found himself the opportunity to have a chat with Olavi, one of them in particular the post-race whereby he was still quite high from that finish, Constantine was certain. "Hey, nicely done," he started off to Olavi, offering to shake his hand firmly, "There will be more ahead, but for now, you did great, and that is all that matters. Now then, I suppose that our car is manageable for you? Like, maybe nothing of note or changes that you want to make? Let us know as always, yeah?" The conversation would then go on for a while.

The same could not unfortunately be said for Istd Arkenund and Elaine Camille Frangag Linda Plantier, the latter racking her head as to if she was doing something wrong. It was not so much because of the rivalry between herself and Constantine; as far as she is concerned, the two are amicable with each other, as with many of the other Valentians. It was not so much that she was doubting Istd's skills; the trials, the qualifications, and many more along the way have proved his worth. Yet, at the end of the day – at the end of these two races, the result board was humming and showing the placements with its bright and rather glaring lights – Istd finished 20th and 21st with a lap down for both races. There was only one question on her mind: What gives? What could she have done, and what could the MeowMeow Racing Team do for Istd? Perhaps another session is in place, she thought to herself. She would find a good opportunity and time where Istd is in a good mood, and then when that moment arrives, she would invite him over for a bit of a casual session with the team, consisting of herself along with a few other staff and engineers from the team. "We will just need to work with each other a bit more," Elaine started off, pouring a glass of fizzy orange soda for herself, followed by offering Istd another glass if he wanted one, "And please do not worry too much about it, we know that it's not your fault. I mean, hey, you already got 15 points for us and compared to Olavi's 14, you both are doing equally well! My concern, of course, is simply to check on what areas that we need to improve on – in particular, what about the race today that you think we need to work on? The car tuning? Or was it the course itself that was seemingly a bit… unfavourable?" She finished the drink, then offered Istd a bit of R&R, "Oh yeah, in the meantime, well, I would not call it practice or being too serious, so if you would like to go for some casual simulation drive with me, just come visit the team garage and use the portal, we are always open for you."

3rd Sgt. Tracie Valentina Kat Pauline Sarah Harper Aceline R. Alexi “Merisotilas” Susanna Casey Caylee Rowan Jemina E. Kyllikki Terhikki Annie Elliah Sam. Ilmatar Hyvärinen Lindholm Heinon would make one heck of an impact for Orange Cow, in particular netting 12 points in total for the team, as she became more familiar with the car that she was given, as well as the course today being quite a breeze, at least for her. The sharp turns and corners could possibly give the others a bit of a difficult time, but for Tracie, she was gunning it and going all out, making sure to check her own car as she whizzed around the course. She was aggressive but considerate, especially taking into account on what happened in the previous race. "A DNF certainly was not a good way to start, but now that I got quite a bit of head start for myself, so… there is that working for me," she would say to the press. However, at the same time, she did not want to say it, or at least too much of it. That was because of the fact that her teammate, Samantha Carter, didn't do too well so far with no points to herself. That is not to blame her or to judge her at all, of course. Rather, Tracie feels the plight, with anecdotes from Angela Stella Tan Fang Ling and Adriana Ela Kowalski Lillian about how it sucked to constantly end up with no points or DNFing all the way. That night, finding the right opportunity once again, Tracie would approach Samantha with an offer, perhaps either a bit of R&R or something that they could do together to cheer her up just a little bit, as much as she could. "So, I mean, I am a bit impartial to these things, but what do you say? We could go to an amusement park, have a casual dinner, or something like that. Just as teammates, of course! And… well, friends too, for sure!" it was a bit awkward, but the point was there.

996 words.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

The first race of the season started with promise but ended in disappointment for Orange Cow Racing, so the second round in Dod Rava would be a litmus test on how much improvement the team had made during the return the factory.

Sammi Carter had worked on long runs at Drummond Vale while Liam McNulty had run Tracie Lindholm's car at the factory track to see if the qualifying setup was what affected her first weekend performance.

The time spent on the simulator with Tracie seemed to boost her spirits and confidence. When she returned for the final shakedowns ahead of the Dod Rava weekend, it was as though she was a completely different driver.

Her pole for the Sprint race on Saturday, with the resulting finish in the race itself which got OCR their first points of the season was strangely similar to runs made by past pole winners for the team--Saki Kuyara, Pedro Carballal, Jordan Crowe and Batu Tüvshinbayar--who had upset the applecart as it were to top the time charts unexpectedly. She got the traditional Orange Cow celebratory mobbing from the crew and team when she returned back in the garage following the elimination quali final round.

Sammi's middle third starting position didn't look as bad in the de-brief as it did on paper; she came to realize after the sprint race that she'd picked up a bad habit in AOGP of really putting on too much opposite lock in slow corners because the cars were lighter and more naturally tended to oversteer. This would be a point of emphasis to correct ahead of the trip to Aurunia.

Sammi was happy to accept Tracies's invitation to hang out together, as it would be a good chance to get to know one another better and a chance to step away from the pressure of racing.
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Nick Unger came into the weekend in Dod Rava relaxed as he'd spent more time in the car between the opening round and this one; the Team Blueforce car was a totally different specimen of race machine than the OCR variations he'd been used to.

He reminded himself every day that he was one of the most experienced drivers in the series, he'd won races and been on podiums in AOGP and had battled down to the wire for the Drivers Title.
Eighth place in the sprint would give him a good starting spot in the feature race and he made up two places on the first lap alone. He got a brief glimpse of the Baker Park flag being waved from the pit wall with some orange clad folks giving him a wave as he took the checkered flag, and the Blueforce team were now race winners in addition to the pole Lianna had earned in Hapilopper.

He was definitely on the right track with his new outfit after a shaky start, and looked forward to next round.

(476)

[Auruna]

Tarvellanet Aurunaan vär WGP2 Kÿrteroitseet Kültenen!
Welcome to Auruna for the WGP2 Race of the Hills!
In cooperation with the MNA and NDT


Akresna Circuit

Circuit Details
Event: Aurunair WGP2 Race of the Hills / Aurunair WGP2 Kÿrteroitseet Kültenen
Location : Akresna, Auruna
Layout : International
Length : 5.792 km
Lap Record : 1:40.442 (new estimate) | 1:42.211 (AtMA, 1997 - old version) | 1:32.970 (AEC, 2021)
DRS Zones: 2 (Start/Finish Straight & Kaulinta-Entenalla Straight)

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

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

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

Soon after the WGPC 18 race, work started on improvements in the International layout with the most significant change is replacing the T6 hairpin with a more flowing corner after criticisms about that certain corner being flow-breaking and not suiting the circuit structure. This change led to the layout being significantly shorter than it originally was. The end result proved to be generally well-recieved.

Ever since its first appearance in WGP2-III, Akresna has always been the site of WGPC and WGP2 events in Auruna, only missing out on one season of WGP2 (4).

Previous Podiums in Akresna

WGP2 III - WGP2 Race of the Hills

1 - Olivia Stone [Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing]
2 - Abdoulaye Goita [SVJ Racing]
3 - Lourdina Westgrens [Bitten Heroes Academy]

WGPC 18 - Sÿrä-prii Auruna (Aurun Grand Prix)

1 - iBen Toralmintii [Tropicorp Racing Ælund]
2 - Terho Talvela [Tropicorp Racing Ælund]
3 - Abdoulaye Goita [Schkeska-VSK Viska Racing]

WGP2 S5 - WGP2 Race of the Hills

1 - Darian Vilau [Kaylan Junior Team]
2 - Adonis Fitzpatrick [UrGa Motorsports]
3 - Ryden Solow [Tropicorp VilBev GP2]

WGPC 19 - Sÿrä-prii Auruna (Aurun Grand Prix)

1 - Kinu Luminna [Viska Racing]
2 - iBen Toralmintii [Tropicorp Racing Ælund]
3 - Rudy Edwards [Preston Autos GP]

Aurun WGP3 S1 - Round 5

1 - Iina Konoa [Viska Racing]
2 - Luke Ochoa [Garnell Tävonte Motorsport]
3 - Aira Ekeränna [Schkeska Racing]

WGPC 20 - Sÿrä-prii Auruna (Aurun Grand Prix)

1 - Sara Luna [Viska Racing]
2 - Aaron Deering [Viska Racing]
3 - Batu Tüvshinbayar [Scuderia Orange Cow]

AtMA 22 - Round 7

1 - Ylle Lovim [VSK Racing]
2 - Eva Karkov [Daimaron Allican Motorsport]
3 - Haru Könä [VSK Racing]

AEC 22 - 8 Hours of Akresna

1 - Rasianoara/Watkins/Clifton [Camden Motorsport]
2 - Novoyin/Kiijonen/Köval [VSK Racing]
3 - Gerasimov/Demianenko/Xonaxonov [Billingshurst Motors Team]

---

About: Akresna
The city of Akresna (formerly just a large village) didn't have anything notable before the boom in motorsport apart from being a powerhouse in the Aurun textile industry until it had a slight decline during the early to mid 50s. It started to become a popular destination for the early Aurun hill climbers due to its location and the surrounding hills. The travelling racers also brought money with them where they would purchase any local goods to bring along with them during their travels to these "hillclimb roads". Akresna eventually took the opportunity to embrace motorsport thanks to these travelling racers and start their own local auto club which then led to the discovery of the roads that would eventually form the current Akresna Circuit. This also resulted in the boom in Akresna's economy and the village soon developed into a small city and the growth has been gradual since then.

The city still retains its textile industry although it has been overtaken by motorsport and tourism since the formation of the MNA. Motorsport has since become one of the most integral parts of Akresna culture with festivals and celebrations relating to the sport becoming prominent. Notable places in Akresna include the Akresna Motorsport Museum and the Kiraukahtta Akresna Textile Works. There are several smaller circuits located around the city used for local events with the Akresna-Häätükimi Circuit being one of the most notable ones.

How to get to Akresna
Most traffic to the circuit will be coming from Veratuna. The flights are expected to arrive at either Veratuna Lorukeentteä Airport (VER | EAVL) or Veratuna North / Zuroloyov Airport (VZL | EAVZ) which are located close enough to Akresna, cutting travel times. North Veratuna AFB may accept private flights to Veratuna. Aurunair (and Aurunair Express) and Aviari Airlines flights are discounted until the end of the event.

What follows is a 30-minute trip north by road using the As-1 or As-4 highway from either airports or from the capital area at an average speed of 115 kph. (Note: there are no speed limits at the As-1 and As-4 but please observe road safety as the highway patrol units are strict)
As an alternative, the Gs-21 and the Körinö Pass which adds about 15 minutes to your travel time but there will be fewer traffic in both roads.

Other alternatives include taking the high speed Aurun National Railway line to the city of Akresna from Veratuna and other neighbouring cities. Sterlennau is the most viable option should Veratuna be difficult to travel in with accessible high speed rail and the As-7 highway that connects to the As-4 near Akresna.

[Tropicorp]

INDORI VOLCANASAUR ✓

@IndoriV

Well, can't say there is anything really great I can say about our performance in the #WGP2 Dod Rova race weekend. So, enough about Tropicorp VilBev GP2, what do you guys think about those rumors that some rich citizen is thinking about buying twii.tur and rebranding it just as the letter 't'?

#WGP2

[Fifth harmony harmoniser nation]

1151 word.

---

It all started before the race weekend.

The last meeting Nini had with Kane, she dropped a fact bomb on Kane: she wasn't on good terms with Tati anymore. When Kane heard it, he didn't show much emotion in his already emotionless face, but after that meeting, he simply ghosted her. Nothing from him. He wouldn't even reply to Nini when she asked him out. Nini could see the writing on the wall though. Their past few meetings had him looking like he was there only out of obligation. He didn't seem interested at all. All his energy, vigour from their first few meetings gone, dissipated in the air.

Nini felt cheated. Cheated of her feelings. Why was she investing her time into someone who didn't want to be with her? It didn't take long for Nini to connect the dots. Kane wasn't there for Nini, he was there for Tati. He merely used the Bratz as a connection to get closer to Tati. Nini was disgusted. She hated being used like that. Having her feelings be played with, only for her to realise the one she fell for (let's call it that) didn't care for her much. Nini spent the days leading up to the Dod Rava races moping around. When she thought she wasn't going to be lonely anymore, she was left behind. No, wait, it was worse. She was betrayed. Nini felt sick in her guts.

Nini also felt sick in her guts in the middle of the Grand Prix of Rawa. Maybe it was the chocolate she ate before the race — no, it was the chocolate. Nini had a sweet tooth, but in her sugar rush she forgot that her poor stomach couldn't take to lactose very well. This was why she found herself having a stomachache in the middle of the race. Perhaps the harsh conditions of the car aggravated her condition, because it was hard for her to hold in her bowels. Why did she have to be cursed with diarrhoea now of all times?

Nini tried her best to delay the inevitable by squeezing her core and shifting her position, but none of that helped. The Worst Thing to happen to her eventually came on the forty-something-th lap: she felt something seep out of her anus and a really uncomfortable wetness in her adult diaper. Before long, the rancid smell of undigested food somehow permeated into her helmet. Nini swore she almost passed out because of it. The remainder of the race was a fight with not only the other drivers on the circuit but the discomfort between her legs. In her woes of fighting her businesses, she managed to lose not only time to the leader, but also four places. Nini finished the race sixth; she started second.

The team debrief was very uncomfortable for all parties involved. Very unfortunately, the diapers Nini was wearing had poor odour control, and Nini didn't have time to change out of her race clothing. Nini placed herself at the back of the garage but that didn't stop others from noticing the smell. It was mortifying for her — not only did she drop out of the podium places in spectacular fashion, but she also shat herself. She hid her hands in her face, not wanting anyone to see her face. Nini cried. Her face turned beet red as rivers streaked down her cheeks. She hated the embarrassment. If word got out that she had an incident in the car, that would do loads to her image. People would not let her forget it and she would be ridiculed. She hated herself. Why did she eat the chocolate? Nini saw the box of chocolates that lay at a corner of the garage. She had the urge to crush it all into a pulp, make sure the chocolates were all inedible and chuck them into a bin.

Nini could feel all eyes on her. Some were sympathetic and others were amused. Thankfully, no one really brought up the matter, and the people who did promised her that what had transpired would stay within the garage walls. Even her teammate, Antonin Yeats Durand, tried to offer her some comfort. Nini noticed how he looked her way occasionally, but she would always avoid his gaze. After the debrief, he approached her. He seemed like he wanted to encourage her at first, but he bit back his words seeing Nini's sullen state. He stood there, as if contemplating what he was going to say, before finally voicing out his thoughts.

"Uhh, I know this is a very uncomfortable situation for you, but I just hope..." Antonin paused for a while, "I just hope you won't be too bogged down by today. You haven't seemed to be in it the past few days, so I was getting kinda worried... I mean, y'know, we're both drivers, and we go through the same sh-stuff, so if it helps you, I'm down for a talk as well." He pat Nini on her shoulder. "Well, uhh, I gotta go now. Let's look forward to the next race." He pumped his fist and left.

Nini could sense the nervousness in his voice as he spoke. Maybe it was a combination of the facts that it was their first conversation ever, and that he didn't want to accidentally offend her. Nini appreciated his gesture though. It was a relief that there was someone out there checking on her, and making sure that she was okay. Still, she couldn't help but feel a little lonely in this WGP2 world. Heck, even her best friend seemed to have that Vincent guy for company...

Nini remembered seeing Tati and Vincent's interaction in Hapilopper and feeling a visceral sense of jealousy. How could Tati already catch someone's eye while Nini was there with absolutely no one to talk to? Her online empire in Jonjastan was dwindling as well: a lot of her fans didn't seem to like her move from being a talk-singer and online goofball to... some boring ass racer. In essence, her essence was gone. Nini always loved driving though, and being an idiot was a side hobby. Through others' lenses, though, it seemed to be the reverse.

Nini made her way to her hotel. She showered and got changed. Lying down on her bed, Nini's mind went to the times she spent with Tati. Those were good times, but it was useless crying over spilt milk. She might have been justified in feeling hurt by Tati's words, but was it worth the overreaction she gave that night? Nini's minds went to hypotheticals and what-ifs: what if Nini didn't say what she said? What if she had reached out to Tati earlier?

It's not worth feeling so shit, is it? Nini thought to herself. As she shut her eyes and dove into her slumber, Nini wished for one thing: someone.

[Tumbra]

Lap 48/61

"Pace looks good, Antonin, pace looks good. Keep it up."

The pitwall was abuzz with activity, most of it positive; Nini had done a good job of holding on to her position in the race so far, while Antonin was having a stormer of a race. The soft-spoken country boy had rocketed up the race standings, and had somehow managed to make the Tread tyres last longer than they realistically had any right to.

"Keep managing those tyres."

"Uhh...guys..." Nini's voice came over the radio. It wasn't the usual, confident Nini; something had gone wrong. Her pace was dropping, and fast.

"Yes, Nini? What is it?" Kelly took over comms immediately. This had to be something serious.

"I don't feel well..."

"Okay, Nini, if you don't feel well, you can come in and retire the car."

"No...I can still drive...my pace might be affected."

"Are you sure? What happened?"

"I can't tell you...it's a little embarrassing..."

"Okay, Nini. Don't worry." Kelly understood Nini's predicament. After all, radio communication did have a propensity to turn up on the world feed.

"I will let you know if...I need to come in..."

"Okay, Nini. Don't worry. Again, if you want to retire the car, tell me and we'll bring you in, no worries."

Kelly glanced over at the pitwall; sure enough, Nini's pace was suffering. She was taking an additional seven tenths or so throughout the lap; with about thirteen laps remaining, she could drop about five, six places. She stared at the screens grimly; but then told her engineer to re-adjust her delta.

"Antonin, there's a high chance you'll be running into Nini by the end of the race." Antonin's race engineer, Cal, radioed the team's other driver.

"What's wrong?"

"She's not feeling well. We think she'll be falling back. If you do run into her, we'll let you know what to do."

"Copy."

Sure enough, Nini did drop several positions. First, it was Abigail Wright, who'd been on her tail for the entirety of the race thus far; then Julita Lérida and Pierre-Louis Archer. All three made the overtake look easy; and now there was acres of space between her and Antonin.

"Okay, Nini. It's just you and Antonin, about ten seconds up on the road. Just bring it home, if you can."

"Okay..." she said, clearly weak.

"Remember to drink."

"Don't wanna..."

"Nini, you have to drink."

"It'll be worse if I drink..."

"Okay, okay."

---

Antonin caught up with Nini with about a lap to go in the race. The gap between them was about two seconds; enough for Antonin to see the rear of Nini's car disappear behind a bend or two before he himself took the corner.

"Antonin, we think it's best if you two stay where you are," said Cal, Antonin's race engineer.

"Roger."

What followed was a moment that put Kelly's heart into her mouth; Nini ran slightly wide, nearly going down an exit road. Antonin seized his chance, and swept past her.

"Guys, should I have not-?" There was a slight tone of trepidation in his voice, as if scared that he'd violated team orders by overtaking Nini.

"No, it's okay, it's okay, Antonin, just keep going, bring the car home."

"Okay, guys. I hope Nini is okay."

"Fuck!" came the voice from Nini's radio, almost simultaneously.

"It's okay, Nini, it's okay. Just bring it home. Shouldn't have any trouble."

Sure enough, Antonin and Nini finished fifth and sixth; a respectable result given the circumstances of the day.

"I don't want to get out of the car," said Nini weakly after.

"It's okay. We'll help you. What do you need?"

"A towel."

"Okay."

Antonin had also helped Nini get out of the car, and preserve her modesty as she did so. "Sorry..." was all she could muster as the team helped her out of the car.

---

"So, what happened with Danielle?" Kelly had been prepared for this question from the media ever since Nini's pace slowed.

"Well, I'm not at liberty to disclose what went on during the race, but she wasn't feeling well. I'm very proud of her for showing tenacity and determination to finish the race on her own terms, as she did. We're all very proud of her, actually."

"Is this a one-time thing or..."

"We're certain it'll be."

---

WGP2 Chairman Day-Evans sends warning about "sportsmanship" in series

WGP2 Chairman Ralph Day-Evans, 60, sent out a somewhat cryptic message to all drivers on the World Grand Prix 2 grid notifying them that the "spirit of fair play and sportsmanship" was "paramount to the good running and good character" of our racing series, and that "all drivers and competitors deserve to be respected both on the grid and beyond it."

While it is unsure what spurred the sending of the message by the WGP2 head, Day-Evans is said to have been stirred to action after several incidents during the recent WGP2 Grand Prix of Rawa, chief among which it is alleged that a WGP2 driver flipped the middle finger at another in response to an off-field aggravation. "Such behaviour is unacceptable," said Day-Evans in his statement. "We want to race with respect for everyone and for the benefit of everyone's entertainment. I hope that this will be the only warning I will have to send about the matter. While I understand that tensions may run high at times, showing disrespect for another competitor is never okay."

It is alleged that the WGP2 driver behind the finger-flipping incident will not be sanctioned for the incident — rather, they look likely to be warned by a disciplinary board, according to sources — but future incidents will be treated with less levity.

[Abanhfleft]

(OOC: Continued from here.)

“Well, that’s just fantastic, isn’t it?” Hussein Benabderrazik muttered as he and the WGP2 driver that he represented, Luke Ochoa, waited for a taxi that would take them away from the headquarters of Gajamina Auto in Bongkasa, Pemecutan back to the airport. The two men were just fresh from having received probably the biggest disappointment in their lives when they had found out that Luke had missed out on Gajamina Auto’s preseason test invitational. Both of them knew the reason why Luke had missed out, and that was because most of the teams taking part in the new WGP2 season had scheduled their respective preseason tryouts so close to each other with little regard to the time differentials between all of the different places, as well as the difficulties of getting from one place to another. Some of the other free agent drivers might have the powers or the resources to simply hop from one place to another, but for someone like Luke, that was pretty much a superhuman task.

“You work 25 hours a day to get from Jolicoeur to Riuwiee to Tiraspol and then to Bongkasa, and at the end of the day we’ve both got nothing to show for it,” Hussein continued. “It may just be the jet lag talking, Luke, but I’m telling you right now, I am pissed off!”

“Hey, Hussein, just take it easy for the moment, all right?” Luke said. “If anything, I should be the one who’s pissed off because this is another chance at getting into a good team that I’m missing out on. I mean, sure, Gajamina didn’t do so well in the last WGP2, but you never know with these things. This season might be the year that Gajamina comes out with an absolute worldbeater. And if it does turn out to be a championship-winning car, I might just spend the entirety of this season kicking myself for going to the Archer test first. Such a waste,” Luke muttered under his breath while shaking his head.

“But you wanna know something, Hussein?” Luke asked his agent. “There’s a part of me that doesn’t mind at all that we missed the Gajamina test. “That part of me right now is so happy that I missed the test because it means that there’s now a bigger chance that I’m just going to go back to Archer and sign for them and drive their car instead. Does that make sense to you?”

“Maybe, or maybe not,” Hussein shook his head. “To me, it sounds like you would rather just go through the rest of the tests so you can come back to Archer and sign the contract already.”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Luke nodded. “I don’t even know if I’m the driver that Archer wants just yet! I haven’t even checked my inbox to see if I’ve already got a contract offer waiting for me. But I’ll be damned if I don’t say that that VSK engine was singing to me the whole time that we were there in Jolicoeur. Shit, man, in some moments, it’s the only thing that I can think about. It’s like I don’t want to be anywhere else but behind the wheel of that sleek gray machine!”

“Of course, that’s all well and good, Luke,” Hussein said. “You know what you want, and that’s pretty much half the battle. But then again, does Archer Performance know what they want? Are you the guy that they want behind the wheel of their car? Because that’s the thing, isn’t it? And that’s the reason why we’re going to all of these tests and not just putting our eggs in one basket, so to speak. You may want to be behind the wheel of the Archer, but Archer might not want you there, so you have to try out for the other teams like Gajamina, not that that’s going to do you or I any good now, and the other teams still looking for another driver.”

“I get what you’re trying to say, man, I really do,” Luke nodded his head again. “I guess all I’m really trying to say is that I’m disappointed that I couldn’t make the Gajamina test, but not by a lot. It sucks that we missed out on it by that much, but what can you really do about it, eh? Anyway, we’ve still got a handful more tests to go to, right? Which ones are we supposed to go to again?”

“MeowMeow Racing and JMoD Racing,” Hussein recited from memory.

“MeowMeow,” Luke repeated. “That’s the Valentian team, right? Like, it has to be the Valentian team. It can’t possibly be any other team out there right now, right? Or maybe it’s actually Team Blueforce, cause of the big blue women and all that…” Luke trailed off when he noticed that the joke had not landed with Hussein at all. “Okay, MeowMeow Racing. If it’s the Valentian team then that means that getting to wherever they’re going to hold the test is actually going to be a piece of cake compared to the trek that we went through just to get to Pemecutan. They’ll probably just conjure up a portal next to wherever the interested drivers are so everyone can just jump through in time for their test. But I’d rather that I was back in Norrdnhammr before that happens. So where in the world is that airport taxi?”

The good thing about the MeowMeow test was that Luke actually managed to get an entire day’s rest back at his hometown before the portal opened to take him and Hussein to the Peacock Heart of Valentine Z. The bad thing about the test was that Luke simply didn’t meld with the car, at least not to the extent that he did with the Archer Performance vehicle. He listened to its heart but heard only noise and not the siren song of the VSK rotary engine. And it didn’t help that the test circuit’s last sector was full of janky corners, something that he personally hated. But it did mean that Luke was absolutely confident that he was not going to get an offer from MeowMeow Racing at all. And that was all right with him, because he still had an eye towards coming back to that Archer Performance car…

But there was yet one more test for him to tackle before he could finally make his choice, if indeed he had a choice. Now what was that “social media segment” in JMoD Racing’s invitation supposed to mean?

[Yoknapatawphaia]

Word count is 549. Less than half of the requirement. HAIL.

'Unusual circumstances, huh?' Stephen D. Jaffrey, Antonin's manager, came up to him after Antonin Yeats Durand had exited the interview podium few minutes ago. It was late in night, at the end of what would turn out to be a very long day for all of them. But all was worth it - a respectable fifth place finish had meant a lot for Antonin, Stephen and those back home in Yoknapatawphaia. 'It definitely seemed like Nini's caught off base for some reason.'

Antonin knew this was going to come up - the circumstances behind which she had lost the pace was by no means usual - but he didn't exactly want to talk about it.

'It's fine, I thought I was consistent with mine too but turns out my heads were in the clouds,' Antonin nodded along, as they started heading towards the first-floor restaurant of their hotel in Rawa. Having spent a solid week there, they were quickly becoming familiar faces thanks to Antonin's preference in eating similar routine of foo for some time. 'I mean, it should be fine as long as your heart's in the grid right?' He then left a comment, mostly to ward off Stephen from asking too much.

'Who am I to go against that? Follow what your heart desires, and as long as you are keeping up with expectations, I'm sure everything will be good,' Stephen nodded along, before fixing his glasses. 'Thomas Kim not bothering you at least?'

'No, last I heard he was busy,' Antonin answered. It was indeed true that he had heard of things - of his reputation abroad and in Tumbra - and those spoke to him more than it would have with fellow Yoknaphaians. While news abroad and beyond were relatively limited in Yoknapatawphaia due to decades of war (supply chain, remember? not to mention electricity shortages and 全国金盾工程工作), far-right interferences with journalistic standards from outside, and consistent infighting among journalists, Antonin was lucky enough that his parents Vincent and Audra had the means and connections to bring those news over, meaning that whatever he would hear. 'You never know with him though, the guy just does things off his bat.'

'Rich people problems,' Stephen answered with minimal words, before switching the topic. 'Anyways, what are your plans now that you have come away with two straight podium finishes? Gotta be feeling proud of myself.'

'I don't know man, prolly facetime Vince and Audra,' Antonin shrugged it off. By this point in the night he was starting to feel a bit tired from all the events that have been going around him. And that's even without mentioning the whole 'girl trouble' re: a certain Patriotlandian. He was lucky in that Stephen had not minded it much. 'But I do feel like we'll need a good sleep before heading next to Auruna.'

And Stephen was fine with that. 'Honestly, not a bad idea.' Stephen agreed, as they had arrived at the lobby of their hotel. 'Check-out's at noon, just make sure to get your luggage out and we'll meet up then. Don't worry so much about going to the airport for now - I'll meet you at the lobby once you check out. Give your mum my warm regards.'

'Thanks man.'

'You two, bye for now kiddo.'

[Tumbra]

CUTOFF

for Practice and Qualifying at Akresna Circuit

[Tumbra]

Week 5: Practice

Conditions:      	Dry
Predicted Optimal Time:	00:01:51.602
Session Length:	75 minutes
Nation:         	AUR
Circuit:        	Akresna Circuit

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

POS # ▍DRIVER                           	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 66 ▍Vincent von Visp                 	00:02:00.742	00:00:00.000
 2 58 ▍Iina Konoa                       	00:02:00.752	00:00:00.010
 3 27 ▍Samantha Carter                  	00:02:00.755	00:00:00.013
 4 79 ▍Olavi Vile Ruusuvuori            	00:02:00.755	00:00:00.013
 5 12 ▍Tatiana Bungschen                	00:02:00.756	00:00:00.014
 6 77 ▍Pietro Crespi                    	00:02:00.759	00:00:00.017
 7 98 ▍Pier Brolli                      	00:02:00.802	00:00:00.060
 8 13 ▍Pierre-Louis Archer              	00:02:00.817	00:00:00.075
 9 44 ▍Indori Volcanasaur               	00:02:00.845	00:00:00.103
10  6 ▍Abigail Wright                   	00:02:00.851	00:00:00.109
11 18 ▍Haru Jukkena                     	00:02:00.932	00:00:00.190
12 49 ▍Jhannis Illykur                  	00:02:00.960	00:00:00.218
13  2 ▍Isabelle Lafleur                 	00:02:00.982	00:00:00.240
14 25 ▍Pande Putu Raka Ganesha          	00:02:01.017	00:00:00.275
15 72 ▍Luke Ochoa                       	00:02:01.036	00:00:00.294
16  4 ▍Lianna Rasianoara                	00:02:01.073	00:00:00.331
17 17 ▍Nini Johnsilvaturr               	00:02:01.121	00:00:00.379
18 99 ▍Antonin Yeats Durand             	00:02:01.131	00:00:00.389
19 43 ▍Pascal Avelardez                 	00:02:01.199	00:00:00.457
20  1 ▍Istd Arkenund                    	00:02:01.366	00:00:00.624
21  5 ▍Momqud Xonaxonov                 	00:02:01.407	00:00:00.665
22 53 ▍Shalmaneser Kalhu                	00:02:01.449	00:00:00.707
23 24 ▍Nick Unger                       	00:02:01.519	00:00:00.777
24  7 ▍Juracai Klianota                 	00:02:01.741	00:00:00.999
25 78 ▍Julita Lérida                    	00:02:01.794	00:00:01.052
26 60 ▍Tracie V. Lindholm               	00:02:01.957	00:00:01.215
27 55 ▍Kenny Wilson                     	00:02:02.450	00:00:01.708

Week 5: Qualifying

Conditions:      	Dry
Predicted Optimal Time:	00:01:51.602
Qualifying Type:	Elimination
Nation:         	AUR
Circuit:        	Akresna Circuit

POS # ▍DRIVER                           	FASTEST Q1	GAP TO LEADER	FASTEST Q2	GAP TO LEADER	FASTEST Q3	GAP TO LEADER	FASTEST Q4	GAP TO LEADER
 1 27 ▍Samantha Carter                  	00:01:52.829	FASTEST : Q1	00:01:52.253	FASTEST : Q2	00:01:51.898	FASTEST : Q3	00:01:51.640	FASTEST : Q4
 2 18 ▍Haru Jukkena                     	00:01:53.189	00:00:00.360	00:01:52.389	00:00:00.135	00:01:52.027	00:00:00.129	00:01:51.661	00:00:00.021
 3  7 ▍Juracai Klianota                 	00:01:53.391	00:00:00.562	00:01:52.680	00:00:00.427	00:01:52.036	00:00:00.138	00:01:51.698	00:00:00.059
 4 99 ▍Antonin Yeats Durand             	00:01:54.363	00:00:01.534	00:01:53.169	00:00:00.916	00:01:51.948	00:00:00.050	00:01:51.746	00:00:00.106
 5 58 ▍Iina Konoa                       	00:01:53.335	00:00:00.506	00:01:52.715	00:00:00.462	00:01:52.066	00:00:00.168	00:01:51.800	00:00:00.161
 6  6 ▍Abigail Wright                   	00:01:53.253	00:00:00.424	00:01:52.687	00:00:00.434	00:01:52.110	00:00:00.212	00:01:51.836	00:00:00.196
 7 49 ▍Jhannis Illykur                  	00:01:53.506	00:00:00.677	00:01:52.683	00:00:00.430	00:01:52.087	00:00:00.189	00:01:51.882	00:00:00.242
 8 60 ▍Tracie V. Lindholm               	00:01:53.348	00:00:00.519	00:01:52.536	00:00:00.283	00:01:52.171	00:00:00.273		
 9 17 ▍Nini Johnsilvaturr               	00:01:54.123	00:00:01.294	00:01:53.109	00:00:00.855	00:01:52.263	00:00:00.365		
10 53 ▍Shalmaneser Kalhu                	00:01:53.585	00:00:00.756	00:01:52.747	00:00:00.494	00:01:52.295	00:00:00.397		
11 98 ▍Pier Brolli                      	00:01:53.699	00:00:00.870	00:01:53.045	00:00:00.792	00:01:52.411	00:00:00.514		
12  4 ▍Lianna Rasianoara                	00:01:53.835	00:00:01.006	00:01:53.138	00:00:00.885	00:01:52.473	00:00:00.575		
13 66 ▍Vincent von Visp                 	00:01:53.685	00:00:00.856	00:01:52.949	00:00:00.696	00:01:52.506	00:00:00.608		
14 72 ▍Luke Ochoa                       	00:01:54.429	00:00:01.600	00:01:53.055	00:00:00.801	00:01:52.667	00:00:00.769		
15  1 ▍Istd Arkenund                    	00:01:54.420	00:00:01.591	00:01:53.201	00:00:00.948				
16 44 ▍Indori Volcanasaur               	00:01:54.193	00:00:01.364	00:01:53.270	00:00:01.017				
17 24 ▍Nick Unger                       	00:01:54.420	00:00:01.591	00:01:53.523	00:00:01.269				
18  5 ▍Momqud Xonaxonov                 	00:01:54.819	00:00:01.990	00:01:53.610	00:00:01.357				
19 79 ▍Olavi Vile Ruusuvuori            	00:01:55.176	00:00:02.347	00:01:53.611	00:00:01.358				
20 78 ▍Julita Lérida                    	00:01:55.194	00:00:02.365	00:01:53.839	00:00:01.586				
21 55 ▍Kenny Wilson                     	00:01:55.142	00:00:02.313	00:01:54.271	00:00:02.018				
22 13 ▍Pierre-Louis Archer              	00:01:55.197	00:00:02.368						
23  2 ▍Isabelle Lafleur                 	00:01:55.351	00:00:02.522						
24 12 ▍Tatiana Bungschen                	00:01:55.626	00:00:02.797						
25 25 ▍Pande Putu Raka Ganesha          	00:01:55.672	00:00:02.843						
26 43 ▍Pascal Avelardez                 	00:01:56.134	00:00:03.305						
27 77 ▍Pietro Crespi                    	00:01:57.102	00:00:04.273

[La Montevideo]

PasAve's Blog

To be honest, I'm not exactly the most technical driver out there... But I can make up the spots in the race!

[Recuecn]

One of the many benefits of having his own private jet was that Vincent didn't have to follow the UrGa itinerary as strictly as the rest of the team. While they all headed back to Pridnestrovia, he left a message saying he’d meet them in Auruna, and jetted back home to Reçueçn. Just because he’d gone off to become a racecar driver now didn’t mean the rest of his business could suddenly run itself.

Things back home were the same as always. Monday and Tuesday he threw himself back into the affairs of his banking group, which never ran totally smoothly but for now were chugging along about as well as could be expected, and Wednesday evening he drove up to the family chalet in the mountains again for a family dinner, which was a shitshow, like always.

Hardly anyone in Reçueçn watched formula racing—or for that matter, motorsports of any kind—so he spent most of dinner fielding questions that were by turns inane and insensitive.

“So why don’t they just put bigger engines on the cars?”

“They’re not allowed to, there’s a formula they have to follow for the design. That’s why it’s called formula racing.”

“Why haven’t you won a race yet?”

Ouch. And that from his own mother. “Allez, maman, they’ve only had three so far. We’re only a fifth of the way into the championship.”

“And you’ve got less than a fifth of the points that the top drivers have.”

“But I have points!”

“Five,” Vincent’s mother made a show of counting on her fingers. He couldn’t figure out why it pleased her so much to embarrass him like this in front of the family. “Keep it up and at this rate you’ll end with twenty-five and you can pretend you won first in exactly one race.”

Vincent grumbled and distracted himself fussing about with his fork and knife. His young nephew piped up.

“What’s a ‘shitbox’?”

“Language!” Vincent’s mother was not pleased. She glared at Vincent. He raised his eyebrows in bewilderment.

“I’m just as confused as you are, maman.” He turned to his nephew. “What are you talking about?”

“I read in papa’s newspaper that your car is a ‘shitbox’. Right papa?”
Vincent’s brother-in-law shifted and looked uncomfortable, but was saved the trouble of having to find a delicate enough answer to please Vincent because Vincent didn’t wait for him before launching into his outburst.

“Putain de merde!” He spotted the offending newspaper through the doorway on a table in the living room and burst out of his seat to storm over and pick it up.

“Language, Vincent!” But his mother’s protests fell on deaf ears. Vincent continued swearing a blue streak as he read through the full-page ad that Preston Autos had printed.

“Look at this shit! A shitbox! That putain de voiture is the most reliable machine on the entire circuit, bordel! I could drive it right through Kenny Wilson’s toy car and its tinfoil engine and keep on going! It’s never let me down yet! UrGa hasn’t had a single mechanical failure yet, and unlike a certain motor company that doesn’t even have its own WGP2 team, we’re not planning to! That car could drive me through hell and back!” Vincent was raging, his face almost as red as his mustache.

His grandfather, who’d been sitting in silence at the head of the table the whole time (and whom most of the family had assumed was asleep), spoke up. Heads turned. “Then why haven’t you won in it yet?”

There was no arguing with the patriarch. Vincent ripped the page with the Preston Autos ad out of the paper, crumpled it up, flung it across the room, and then meekly returned to his seat. But although his anger was reigned in, it was not over. He would find someone responsible for this…

Actually, no. He knew who it was. Preston Autos, despite not having a WGP2 team, had their very own driver in the competition, Kenny Wilson. And for whatever reason, Wilson’s fanbase and sponsors couldn’t leave well enough alone. First it had been the fans at the Hapilopper City Grand Prix Circuit, with their “UrGa, Midpack” signs. Now it was the Preston Autos PR department itself. Well, that was two strikes. If Wilson hit strike three, Vincent would personally make sure he regretted it—however he had to do it.

Vincent finished his dinner, and as he cooled down, stopped seething quite so much. Akresna was next, a classic WGP circuit, and as soon as he knew Tati was there too, he’d send her a message. Hopefully they could have some fun.

Of course, his own team, UrGa, would be waiting for him there too, and Vincent wasn’t quite as sure he was looking forward to whatever conversation they would want to have with him. He didn’t even know if he dared to face Yakov until he had some better results to show for himself. Now if he could just do better in qualifying, he might finally have a chance in the race…

[Pemecutan]

Raka Ganesha walks away from his car as the qualifying of Akresna ended. He took off his helmet and toss it around abruptly which makes everyone on the pit stop shocked with his behavior. He seat down and drink a lot of water from the bottle that is available there. He try to calm himself after the qualifying result. His eyes meet Abigail Wright who just enter her pit. She try to approach Raka Ganesha but with the intense glaring, she stop midways. Surya, Raka Ganesha's close friend and his mechanic leader, seat besides him. He knows that the qualifying result have been a disappointment to him.

"So, you're mad with the result?" ask Surya without warning.
Ganesha stare at him with his redden eyes. "What do you think?" he answer sarcastically.
"Calm down. Everything can happened. You just need to focus on the race," say Surya try to calm his friend.
"How can I calm down if I will start the race tomorrow from third to last?!" his voice thundering.
"Ra....," Surya can't finish his sentence as Ganesha walk away from the pit.

Surya chase him to his trailer. A place where he can always safely letting go of his anger. Ganesha open the trailer door harshly before entering and Surya following him from behind.
"What's exactly are you mad about?" ask Surya with a stern voice.
Ganesha just seat there and ignore his friend standing in front of him. "I saw how you glaring at Abi. Does have to do with the last race?" he try again.
And this time, he got Ganesha's attention. "Can't you believe it? She got the podium!" he erupted. "The first podium for the team! That should've been me! I'm the first driver! Why is it she that got that podium?! Why Surya?! Tell me," he lashes out his anger and his feelings towards his friend.
Surya sigh deeply. He understand his friend feeling. But he also knows something like this can't be predicted.
"You know. You can't be too hard on yourself or you wouldn't be enjoying racing anymore," Surya calmly says.
Ganesha looks at him like a lost puppy. Surya kneel down and look at his fragile friend. "Honestly, I don't know why you are picking up a rivalry against Abigail this much. But I can see it going unhealthy for yourself. Especially your performance in the race. I can see how your anger makes you create bad decisions today which cost you the whole race. I hope you can realize this," says Surya before he get up and leave his friend behind.
"Am I wrong to envy her?" Ganesha ask with a tremble voice.
Surya stop his walk. "It is not wrong to envy your opponent. But from your action and reaction, it has become an unhealthy feeling that rotten your heart. I'd like you to envy her that it makes you do better in every race. I want you jealous of her that you can show her that you can be at the same level as her. And I hope you envy her that you look at her as a worthy opponent that you want to defeat in the race. You can be angry but don't break yourself with your anger," answer Surya without looking at his friend.
He continue his walk and leave Ganesha alone in his trailer.

Ganesha look into the trailer door with hollow eyes. He try to digest all the words that his friend says to him. He realize that he jealous of her. But he admit himself that he doesn't understand why the feeling so strong. He recall today's race and he can see himself driving the car maniacally that he loose control of his car several times. That's the reason that his time become longer and longer. Ganesha look down to the trailer floor. Without he even realize, tears falling down from his eyes. He started to sobbing. First silently that it become louder and louder. He now understand that he has to use the jealousy as a way to encourage himself to do better. Now he understand Surya's words before he leave the trailer. He has to change. He has to even learn from Abi. So he can become better and better each race. He can't let that jealousy shadowed him from his admiration towards her. Admiring the consistency of her performance after she can control her car. Something that have been lost from him.

(Word count: 743)

[Trans-Dniesters]

“This is outrageous! This is unacceptable! This is… this is crossing the line!”

Yakov Yurievsky knocked on the door of the office from which the outburst had come, and the occupant inside cried out, “Come in!” in an exasperated tone. “What seems to be the problem, Marina?” Yakov asked once he was inside.

“Take a look at this travesty, Yakov Leonidovich,” said Marina Vladislavovna Smirnitskaya, chief public relations officer of the Urotovsky-Gatutin Motorsports Division, as she handed over a pair of press releases to the team’s “financial advisor.” “Those bastards from Preston Autos are back at it again! They’re still not yet over the fact that we dumped them to run our own engines this season when we’ve always said that this was our plan!”

“Really now?” Yakov asked with a raised eyebrow for effect. “Let me see that.” He took the releases from Marina’s hands and skimmed over them. Indeed, the recent press releases from Preston Autos were full of the typical bombastic Hapiloppian rhetoric about how their engines were the best in the world, and that they would be waiting with open arms when UrGa finally realized their “mistake” and went back to Preston begging on their knees for a “better” engine. Yakov would have laughed at the whole thing if it wasn’t so pathetic, but then he thought about it, and he did laugh because it was indeed pathetic from Preston Autos.

“So you think this is funny now, do you, Yakov?” Marina asked while Yurievsky was laughing his head off right in front of her.

“I cannot believe that you fell for it hook, line and sinker, Marina,” Yakov replied once he had finally managed to calm down from his laughing fit. “You’re supposed to be the chief public relations officer of the team! And yet you can’t see that this is simply Making Propaganda 101! They’re deflecting attention from whatever is going on between them and the Tropicorp team! Why else would they have a no comment policy going on for whatever happened between them and Tropicorp that made them pull Kenny Wilson out of that team? Something happened behind the scenes over there, and now Preston have to save face any way that they can. And the only way that they can do that is to go after the one team that dared to think that they were better than Preston. Why else would those nekulturny swine keep lashing out against us like a bunch of fools? They think we need them to win? Well, I think that they need us to remain relevant in the WGPO.”

“You never cease to amaze me, Yakov Leonidovich,” Marina said while shaking her head. “But what am I going to do now? Such an insult as this cannot go unanswered! It would make us look weak!”

“On the contrary, Marina Vladislavovna,” Yurievsky shook his head. “Putting up an answer to this garbage would bring us right down to Preston’s level. They’re not on our level, plain and simple. This publicity stunt is not worthy of being dignified by a response from us. Maintain our silence, Marina. That way, Preston looks like the mad barking dogs that they are and UrGa continues to let our results do the talking for us. UrGa wouldn’t have won without Preston, my arse. Preston couldn’t win with Preston engines until the last race of the season, and now they’re letting the man they anointed as their savior walk away. The fools,” Yakov muttered as he walked out of Smirnitskaya’s office.

In all honesty, Yakov Yurievsky had probably never felt this happy in his life. Even the birth of his children and his grandchildren as well as the masterstroke of recruiting Vincent Von Visp couldn’t really compare to the elation that he felt when he saw those press releases from Preston. Of course, there was a part of him that felt insulted when the Preston PR department so brazenly declared that UrGa wouldn’t have won the WGPC constructors’ championship without their engines, but that was only a small part of him. Every other part of Yakov knew that Preston were simply lashing out in anger at the nearest convenient target in a pathetic attempt to deflect any attention away from whatever it was that went on in Tropicorp VilBev that made them withdraw their new chosen one from that team. And sure, Kenny Wilson might have managed to find a new home in HMG Grand Prix, but in Yakov’s eyes, it was a case of jumping from the frying pan straight into the fire. HMG Grand Prix was a team that didn’t give Yakov any sort of serious vibes. In fact, all he could feel from them were vibes, as in that team was only in WGP2 for the ride and not for the glory of winning a title. If Preston was so adamant in keeping Wilson in WGP2 then Yakov couldn’t think of a better team for the Hapiloppian to get dumped in.

Everything was going according to plan, and Yakov Leonidovich Yurievsky couldn’t be happier. In fact, he was so happy about the way things had gone that he even almost forgot about Vincent’s “pacifier incident,” almost being the key word. A chat to reset Vincent’s trajectory was probably still needed, but at the moment, Yakov could afford to wait until the end of the weekend in Auruna before deciding just how much of a course correction would be required of him.