World Grand Prix Championship 21 [RP/results]

[Hapilopper]

Abdoulaye had a few calls to make. He called UrGa to let them know he would no longer be attending their test drive. He told Terho he had to head back to Hapilopper City for the Berman Bros classic that weekend, the moment the checkered flag waved, he would be at Ælund’s disposal until the end of the season. Even though he was heading right back to Hapilopper, Abdoulaye figured he should give Drake Stevenson a call right away too, just to let him know that sadly, Abdoulaye had to decline the offer to drive for Preston.

"Yeah man, for sure. I'm really happy for you, and I know Ælund is getting one hell of a driver. Hope you win with them."

Drake Stevenson was on the phone with Abdoulaye Goita, who had just accepted an offer with the Ælund team to drive in the next World Grand Prix Championship.

"It's literally not a problem, either. Marty's been talking about getting a Valentian in the seat," Drake said. "I think he's going to offer the second seat to Angela."

Angela was Angela Stella Tan Fang Ling, and before the day was out, Preston Autos was in the process of making a formal offer to her.

"Sure, they want to get stuff finalized and they think Angela can do great stuff," Drake explained.

[Valentine Z]

Intermission 2: Gasp! YES! Type, type, SEND. Hit that button!

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 was waiting for that email from Piers Ivchenko to see if she will be able to get that spot in the tryouts. That’s one of the chances that she can get and the opportunity that she will need to cease. Then she saw a ping, an email from Preston Autos. Perhaps due to driver offer from them being declined and whatever, it seems like they have a spot and it by some miracle went to her. Doubting herself at that moment – Preston out of all teams giving a spot to her – she know that she’ll need to work harder than usual and to make sure that they do not have any regrets giving her the space. She wrote an email back to her thanking them very much for the opportunity and that she will accept it in a heartbeat, her hands shaking.

She smashed that Enter key like how a lot of video content creators tell them to hit a subscribe button – Angela Stella Tan Fang Ling confirms for Preston Autos.
With that done, she has a long way to practice and explain her predicaments - for both the benefit of herself and the team. "Help the team identify your weakness, and hey, let's get the points for them."

[Katzeburg]

Katzestadt International Airport, Katzeburg

Gil Langdon was strutting down the hallway towards the main entryway of the Katzestadt International Airport Arrivals hall, and for very good reason. He had been offered a seat as a WGPC racer after doing enough at the KISMO test in Aji No Moto to finish on top of the 18 (eventually 19) strong pack.

Despite the fact he was leading heading into the second day of testing, he left a little to be desired with how he went out on the track at Serizawa - Failing to qualify in the points for both the feature and sprint race. But it was on course during race time where he fired, claiming fifth place finishes in both races to secure 15 points, enough to end up five points clear of second-placed Ted Pressley at the end of the two days. It was his simulator racing which did the trick, as Pressley had shown his considerable experience on track to pick up points (and even a feature race win) on Day 2, but Gil didn’t care. He had done enough to show up the rest of the pack. And he was offered the KISMO seat as a result.

“You did marvelously, baby,” Don Hundmeister had told him shortly before he boarded his flight back to Katzeburg. “A rookie offered a seat at KISMO is not for the faint of heart, but they were so impressed with how you did over the two days that they want you on that seat.”

“I knew I could show them all up on the racetrack when it mattered,” Gil said as he swished a whisky around in the hotel bar awaiting his flight call. “I can’t wait to do it on a regular basis as a KISMO driver.”

“If you show that skill and aggression over the course of the season, you’ll be in with a shout as a potential racer-winner, baby. I’ve sent through the contract in case you want to read over it, but fairly boilerplate stuff in my experience - as a pay driver, it will make for a nice boost to both your profile and KISMO’s coffers having you in their team.”

“Sounds good, I’ll get it signed and sent off once we land.”

Over the course of the flight between the two Esportivan nations, Gil relaxed for the first time in a few weeks. He had done it, and done it in style - beating a lot of established WGPC talent to earn that seat, and he was going to enjoy every second of it from here on out. But there was one thing which was bothering Gil - Just how did Ron Sommer beat him in the feature race? His Katzeburgian rival had been well off the pace on the first day, finishing dead last overall, and he looked to struggle more on the second day as well - but he pulled it out of nowhere during the feature race. Sommer ended up more than half a minute ahead of Langdon as he pushed up from a qualifying position of 13th to finish on the podium. But how? Gil snapped back to reality as a flight attendant passed by, placing a drink down on his table. Picking it up and giving it a slight swirl, he chuckled to himself.

“It’s not going to matter. Sommer won’t get a spot - he was well off pace. I’ll be Katzeburg’s one and only racing hero from here on out.”

As he made his way arrivals hall in Katzestadt, Gil pulled up his luggage and shuffled himself quickly to the side of the hall to make one phone call before his driver would shuttle him back home to Penntop. Again, he rang his father Archie. But this time, the logging magnate would answer.

“Hello?”

“Dad? It’s Gil.”

“What do you want son? I’m about to enter a meeting.”

“I just wanted to let you know about how I went over in Aji No Moto. I got the spot - I’m going to be a racer for KISMO.”

For the first time in quite a long time, Gil had left his father speechless.

“...Well done son. Don’t go wasting this chance.”

“I won’t. I’m going to make you proud of me.”

“I need to go - but call your mother on the way home and let her know as well. She might care.”

And with that, Archie hung up. Gil slowly nodded and slipped his phone back in his pocket. It was time to go home and prepare. He was going to show the world just who Gil Langdon was.

Gil Langdon accepts the offer of a seat with KISMO.

---

Katzestadt International Airport, Katzeburg

Sitting well behind Gil Langdon and scrunched up in the economy section of the flight back to Katzeburg was Ron Sommer. Stuck between two larger men who were heading to Dragoonspiel for the nation’s fish-eating festival in Ynysgard, Ron had been rather uncomfortably sat for a long period of time since getting on the flight.

But it was a minor inconvenience compared to what he had gone through the last few days in Aji No Moto. Despite a dead last finish, he took his father’s words to heart on the second day - never giving up and putting in a much braver showing with even a third place in the feature race - only behind Tumbra’s Ted Pressley and Nepö Kinder from Hülkenberg. It was a fierce race from the technical speedster - starting in 13th after a less-than-stellar qualifying, he worked his way up with clever overtaking moves and a damn-strong determination. The result put a huge smile on his face - not just because he was able to show up his national compatriot in Gil Langdon and show that it’s not always money which gets you to the top, but because he proved to himself he could put it up against the bulk of free agents out there competing for a seat. Maybe, just maybe - he had a chance at a seat after all.

But as the plane shifted through a small bout of turbulence, he snapped back to reality. Despite the third place in the feature race at Serizawa, it was the only points he scored across the two days. He finished 12th overall at the end of it - his 17 points for third doing all the heavy lifting. Four racers, including Langdon, who apparently was offered the KISMO seat after finishing top overall, more than doubled his points tally. He had a lot to do and quickly if he wanted to keep in that mix. He was planning on taking a day to rest and recuperate, before pushing to see if there were any more trials he could take part in. But as the flight landed in Katzeburg, he was keen to be home for the moment. It had been a big trip for the Waldstein local - the first time he had gone further overseas than the nearby nation of Riena - and he was just glad to see the familiar lights of Katzestadt in the evening sky.

Wandering through the arrivals gate after taking a while to dig out his luggage, Ron was greeted by an odd sight - his father, standing proudly with a makeshift sign that said “Katzeburg’s Best Racer” on it. Ron stifled a smile and hugged his father.

“It’s only a slight bit inaccurate,” Ron chuckled as he uncoupled from the hug. “You didn’t have to come all this way to pick me up!”

“Of course I did,” Trevor said. “My boy, the racer! How did you go in the end?”

“Third in the feature and 12th overall. No seat for me at KISMO, sadly.”

“You still got a podium! That’s nothing to scoff at, especially given the quality drivers that would have been there! Who ended up getting the seat?”

“You’re not going to believe this - Gil Langdon.”

“Get out of town! Good for him, although shame they couldn’t have two Katzeburgians in the seats!"

“Well, the rate we’re going, it might just be the one Katzeburgian in the WGPC,” Ron chuckled with a hint of sadness. “I need to hit the road again and see if we can get some more tests in.”

“You will, I’m sure of it,” Trevor said as he picked up his son’s bags. “You know what we say?”

“Never Give Up. Never Say Die. You’re right Dad. I’m going to make you proud of me.”

“You already have son, you already have.”

As the two walked out the front doors of the Katzestadt International Airport, Ron started to drift his mind towards his next steps. Only to hear a rough buzz emanating from the pocket of his jeans. It wasn’t a number he knew from memory, but picked it up anyway - maybe it was an agent offering to help following his trip to Aji No Moto?

“Hello? This is Ron speaking.”

“Ron? Ron Sommer?” came the reply over the line. It was a voice he had not heard before. “This is Artur Iljakov from Viska Racing, how are you today?”

Ron’s mind raced. Viska was one of the teams he had reached out too earlier seeing if there were any opportunities with them, but he assumed they had firmly put his name in the no pile, especially if they had any scouts checking into the KISMO tests.

“I-I’m good thanks,” Ron chuckled nervously. “I was actually keen to follow up with your team about any potential opp-”

Artur cut him off. “That’s exactly why I’d like to talk to you today. We here at Viska are passionate about highlighting the next generation of racing talent and bringing them to the grandest stage of all, and we’d love to offer you a seat this coming season to showcase your talent to the world.”

Ron was stunned silent. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. A lifeline from the gods. Surely this can’t be right, he thought to himself. This had to be a prank from Gil right? Rubbing salt in the wound?

“I’m-I’m sorry,” Ron stammered. “I have to ask. Are you sure you’ve got the right person?”

“Oh most definitely,” Artur laughed. “I’ll send through the information now, but we’d love for you to come over to Auruna to race for Viska. We think you’ve got something there, Mr. Sommer, and we’d love to help you get to where you want to be.”

Ron still could barely push the words out of his mouth and had stopped in place totally. As his father spun round to see where his son had gotten to, he saw nothing but a smile creep up on his face of his boy. A smile which he could tell was because of life-changing news.

“Where do I sign?”

Ron Sommer accepts the offer of a seat with Viska Racing.

[Quirhoshe]

Doubeia

Azalia woke up at 8 A.M. It had been a long day for the racer, who had arrived in Doubeia to prepare for the Piers Ivchenko Invitational. She was very excited to be part of the trials, especially after her performance at KISMO. She knew she could show that she could do better.

She slipped on her gear and quietly walked down the hall. She knew people might still be asleep, and she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone right now. She had to go to training, and she knew her coach would already be waiting for her. The smell of fresh coffee and the fire burning in the lobby made her feel at home. Even if she was away from home, she felt at peace here. She was ready to compete.

She got on the bus to the training center, and popped in Alazo, a Quirhoshan pop artist who was very famous. She had met him one time at a racing competition, and she had gotten his autograph and his picture. Recently he released a new album, and she loved it. Her coach sat beside her on the bus, Coach Liasaloanda.

Coach Liasa was a very good coach. A WGPC champion herself, and the record setter of the fastest time at Quirhoshe's Royal Street circuit, she had a multitude of skills. Being able to race was entirely due to her coach, who did a very good job teaching Azalia the technical abilities. However, Liasa also mentally tested her to make sure she was ready to race. The bus came to a halt, they were at the arena. Liasa was a great coach-and likely someone who would help her secure a seat.

Azalia hopped off the bus with Liasa and made her way to the arena. It was quiet and empty at this time, not even the wind made the noise. But when she fired up the engine and it thundered beneath her, she felt a sense of pride. She pressed the gas hard and fast, rounding the corners at incredible speed. She felt as if she were flying as the dust settled behind her. She couldn't stop now though, three more difficult turns. The loops and the turns felt easy as she smoothly glided past them. When she passed what would be the finish line-she looked at the timer. Her practice run had gone 1:21:13, which would be a career high for her if she did that during the competition.

"Coach, that would've been a career high! I felt so good doing that one. Anything I can improve upon? She asked, her coach looked pleased, which was a rare occurance.

"That one was very good. The last turn could be a little tighter, and you could gain more speed at the beginning by pushing forward into the pedal a little more. Overall, very good. Let's see if you can be the steady Eddie they say you are, go again. I challenge you to go under 1:20." Her coach said, gesturing towards the car.

Azalia got back in, pushed forward, and headed off. She soared past the turns. Now that she understood the course, it was very easy to see it. She twisted and turned, hugging sides and her turns were among the tightest they had ever been. She knew what she was capable of, and she knew she had to show her coach how good she truly could be. As she rounded the last corner, she smiled with pride as she saw the time come in. The time that came in was 1:15:63, the fastest she had ever done. She knew she had a chance now. Her coach looked extra pleased this time but reminded her of something.

"While this is an amazing accomplishment, don't let it get to your head. This is not the track you are competing on; they don't let anyone on the competition floor until the day of. Make sure you feel good and get the rest you need. Now it's time for conditioning. That was a great run, but you need to be able to do that at the competition. Make sure you are prepared." Her coach said.

She knew she had to win this to get a spot. Now she knew she had a chance.

[Nico Hulkenberg]

HMG Entwicklungszentrum
Emmerich

The six drivers who responded to HMG's initial email were driven from Emmerich International to HMG's state-of-the-art facility tucked away somewhere outside the city. Inside the Entwicklungszentrum, they were greeted by Jöhan Turbringer and Adrian Kinder - HMG's team principal and head of driver development respectively - as well as the engineers they would be assigned for the test. To even things up, the most experienced drivers (Pressley, Kowalski) would have their testing programme handled by the least experienced engineers, and vice versa for the least experienced drivers (Rahel, McPachyderm). As AOGP and WGP2 runners respectively, Nepö and Vincent were well and truly middle of the road. All six drivers were then sat down in one of the building's conference rooms, where they were given a short talk by Jöhan.

"Ladies and gents, I'd just like to give you all a warm welcome to our facility here in Hülkenberg. For many of you, it'll be your first time in the country, so we hope you had very little difficulty in getting here and making your way to our Entwicklungszentrum. I've already met you all, but I'll reintroduce myself - I'm Jöhan, and I handle most of the day-to-day business involving our racing division. The guy over there is Adrian, and the two of us will be determining whether or not you two are a good fit for our team, as well as grand prix racing as a whole. For quite a few of you it'll be your first time in WGPC-level equipment, but if you're at this test then you can definitely be capable in our car. The Entwicklungszentrum's circuit is a pretty simple one, but I'll let your engineers coach you through it. You all have a copy of the day's schedule, but in case you have lost or eaten it, I'll show it once more on screen."

"HMG have a pretty stringent set of criteria, and a large part of that is timekeeping. So, either you keep these times in your head or you don't bother showing up, okay? If you no-show to driver briefings in the real thing, you can get fined. Since this is a test, we won't impose any financial penalties, but don't expect to be let off. According to my watch, the time has just gone 8am - so run along and get your seat fitted before you give yourself an uncomfortable arse for the next ten hours."

One of the few high-tech advancements that HMG had access to was a digital seat fitter, wherein drivers just had to sit in a replica of the H01.1's chassis and let the machine do all of the work, allowing for less time to be spent faffing around with expanding foam. Thus, instead of having to invite the drivers weeks in advance and waste precious time, drivers were measured for seats that were produced within 30 minutes. With drivers sitting comfortably in their cars - and frankly it was a marvel that HMG managed to cobble together six cars for such a programme - the first practice session and the day's testing commenced.

STAGE 1: INITIAL RUNNING

Practice 1

POS ▍DRIVER                            FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1  ▍Nepö Kinder                      	00:01:26.607	00:00:00.000
 2  ▍Ted Pressley                     	00:01:26.754	00:00:00.147
 3  ▍Vincent Von Visp                 	00:01:26.776	00:00:00.169
 4  ▍Somopane McPachyderm             	00:01:26.814	00:00:00.207
 5  ▍Adriana Kowalski                 	00:01:27.203	00:00:00.596
 6  ▍Giancarlo Rahel                  	00:01:27.976	00:00:01.369

Drivers had half an hour to go over their data with their engineers, before being swiftly whisked back out on track. The experienced engineer on Giancarlo Rahel's car noted a slight issue and tweaked this accordingly.

Practice 2

POS ▍DRIVER                           	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1  ▍Somopane McPachyderm             	00:01:26.577	00:00:00.000
 2  ▍Nepö Kinder                      	00:01:26.578	00:00:00.001
 3  ▍Vincent Von Visp                 	00:01:26.584	00:00:00.006
 4  ▍Giancarlo Rahel                  	00:01:26.702	00:00:00.125
 5  ▍Ted Pressley                     	00:01:26.724	00:00:00.146
 6  ▍Adriana Kowalski                 	00:01:26.884	00:00:00.307

Impressively, the gaps narrowed massively between sessions, and it would be South Newlandia's Somopane McPachyderm setting the pace early on. With drivers still learning the track (and doing so with cars that were loaded with fuel), however, it was natural that times would tumble during low fuel runs, especially with these drivers having had an hour to learn the track.

"Rather interesting that the top two from first practice barely gained any time compared to the rest, eh?" pondered Jöhan, scribbling this factoid down in his little blue book.

"Two drivers who can reach their ceiling the quickest, I suppose." replied Adrian, a response that should probably be taken with a pinch of salt considering one of those drivers is his daughter.

"Have to say, I'm very impressed with Rahel's efforts. Practically 1.3 seconds gained between sessions!"

"You have more to gain if you're quite a bit off, to be fair. Plus he did have an issue in the first session."

"How do you know?"

"Well, I actually bothered my arse to ask his engineer why his driver was seven tenths off the nearest car. Can't be having gaps of that magnitude in equal machinery."

"Noted."

STAGE 2: RACE WEEKEND RUNS

With the cars now running on qualifying setups, drivers were expected to find seconds within the first sector alone, pushing the limits around the circuit.

Qualifying 1

POS ▍DRIVER                            FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1  ▍Ted Pressley                     	00:01:18.392	00:00:00.000
 2  ▍Nepö Kinder                      	00:01:18.445	00:00:00.053
 3  ▍Vincent Von Visp                 	00:01:18.447	00:00:00.055
 4  ▍Somopane McPachyderm             	00:01:18.535	00:00:00.142
 5  ▍Adriana Kowalski                 	00:01:18.770	00:00:00.378
 6  ▍Giancarlo Rahel                  	00:01:18.983	00:00:00.591

"No discrepancies here?"

"Everyone seems to have picked up around eight seconds on their practice time, although Rahel is only 7.8 up. Still impressive, to be fair. Just not quite on the level of the rest."

"You must be pretty chuffed with Nepö gelling so well with the car, Adrian."

"Meh. She told me how her other tests thus far had went."

"And?"

"Pretty lame with Preston, slight improvement with KISMO. Also managed to wrangle her way into an Ælund test despite flying to the wrong place."

"She do well?"

"Only got to do the final session, but managed to jump ahead of a few who had been for the entire test."

"Are you suggesting that HMG is her only option, then?"

"Well, no. She tells me that she's waiting on some more tests before making a final decision. Fuck knows why. It's as if she doesn't want to drive here at all."

"...she is here, though, which would imply she is."

"When you put it that way, yes."

"Intriguing."

Race 1

POS ▍DRIVER                    Team                       	Time      
1   ▍ Nepö Kinder              HMG Grand Prix           	01:16:59.114
2   ▍ Ted Pressley             HMG Grand Prix           	01:19:45.894
3   ▍ Adriana Kowalski         HMG Grand Prix           	01:20:52.333
4   ▍ Vincent Von Visp         HMG Grand Prix           	01:21:12.224
5   ▍ Giancarlo Rahel          HMG Grand Prix           	Ret. lap 39
6   ▍ Somopane McPachyderm     HMG Grand Prix           	Ret. lap 26

"Rather unfortunate that those two retired, really."

"Does tend to happen when you beach yourself in the gravel."

"Overcooked it."

"Indeed. Are we surprised at all by the gaps between the top four?"

"Can't say I am. Nepö drove like a girl possessed, and without Rahel or McPachyderm there the mid-pack looks to be spread a little thin."

"Oh well. My hunger might be clouding my judgement, so I'm going to skip off to lunch. Just keep scribbling in your book so we can go back through it later."

"Lunch is in fifteen minutes, though?"

"And I'm starving."

"Part-timer."

Over the course of lunch, some cloud cover appeared over the track, and a short burst of rain washed away some of the rubber that had been laid down during the last few sessions. It didn't last particularly long, but the grip loss would be extremely noticeable. Unless you are a conspiracy theorist, you will know that Hülkenbergers cannot control the weather, but this did provide an unintended bonus to Jöhan and Adrian - a view at how these drivers would handle trickier conditions.

Qualifying 2

POS ▍DRIVER                           	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1  ▍Nepö Kinder                      	00:01:21.624	00:00:00.000
 2  ▍Giancarlo Rahel                  	00:01:21.657	00:00:00.033
 3  ▍Ted Pressley                     	00:01:21.693	00:00:00.069
 4  ▍Adriana Kowalski                 	00:01:21.729	00:00:00.105
 5  ▍Vincent Von Visp                 	00:01:21.751	00:00:00.127
 6  ▍Somopane McPachyderm             	00:01:22.326	00:00:00.702

"Again, I'm extremely impressed by Rahel. It's such a shame that there's absolutely no consistency with his progress."

"That's something that'll come with time. These gaps are intriguing, though."

"Quite. Tightest session yet, apart from Somopane."

"Yes, the boy whose 'jib' you liked the 'cut' of, whatever that means."

"I still do! Just because he flatspotted his tyres before his final run, doesn't mean I don't vibe with him."

"Mmmmmhm. I'll be very interested to see how Nepö gets on in the race."

"It would be quite wrong for you not to show interest in your own children, Adrian. You an absentee father now?"

"Shut it."

Race 2

POS ▍Driver                     Team                     	Time      
1   ▍ Nepö Kinder              HMG Grand Prix           	01:17:47.692
2   ▍ Ted Pressley             HMG Grand Prix           	01:19:22.060
3   ▍ Adriana Kowalski         HMG Grand Prix           	01:20:21.895
4   ▍ Giancarlo Rahel          HMG Grand Prix           	01:20:45.004
5   ▍ Vincent Von Visp         HMG Grand Prix           	01:22:14.118
6   ▍ Somopane McPachyderm     HMG Grand Prix           	01:24:18.164

"Seems pretty settled, then?"

"Let's go through our list for a second."

Jöhan whipped out his HMG-emblazoned notebook and looked at the 6 names written down, alongside some comments he had jotted down as the two stages of the team's testing had progressed. Next to the first name on the list was just the word 'offers'.

"You said that Nepö was hesitant?"

"Extremely. I think we should hold fire on offering her anything at present, despite what she's shown today."

"Shame, really. Topping four of six sessions would be enough for me to get on my knees and beg."

"Believe me, I've tried. We're better off moving on."

Jöhan left Nepö's name uncircled and moved onto the next best performer, Ted Pressley.

“Well, Ted has been brilliant, but we’re almost certain that other teams will be courting his services as we speak. We’d have to sweeten the pot somewhat to appear more appealing than, say, UrGa or Ælund."

"So basically that's not going to happen?"

"Hey now, we're an exciting project for an ambitious driver. Not many other teams can say that sort of thing."

"Well, plenty of them can. Just very few of them can make it sound good."

Jöhan circled Ted Pressley's name and moved onto the next name on the list, that being the Valentian.

"Kowalski was pretty solid, huh? If Pressley were to reject us, I think she'd be a very solid option for us."

"Adriana has literally just signed for Eminent, so that doesn't seem to be on the table."

"Are you serious? Then why the fuck did she turn up?"

"Beats me. Maybe she only made her decision after she didn't immediately top the times?"

"Yeah, but that seat time could have gone to someone else!"

"Considering we had two people not responding, I highly doubt that."

"What about that kind youngster that emailed us, whatever his name was?"

"Otto Markul? His email arrived by the time we had done the seat fits, unfortunately."

"Ugh. Sucks, too - I was really impressed."

Jöhan scribbled out Adriana's name, and skipped over Recuecn's Vincent von Visp.

"He adapted impressively to our car, but he scares me. Whenever I catch a glimpse of his eye it's as if he wants to pluck my eyes out with rusty spoons."

"But Jöhan, he's probably our next best bet if you discount who we've already talked about. Which, you probably can."

"I would prefer my drivers to fear me, Adrian. Not the other way round,"

"My daughter will not fear a pansy like you, y'know."

"Will you stop degrading me?"

Leaving a question mark next to Triple-V, they looked at the two remaining names on their now-very short list.

"Rahel and McPachyderm."

"You really liked Somopane, didn't you?"

"I liked his aura, I'd heard good things about him, and he has a firm handshake on him. Started off very well, but wasn't as impressive when the longer sessions came into play, though."

"Reserve, then?"

"If nobody's willing to take him, he'd be a cracking reserve driver. His feedback is brilliant, he was very quick on the pace, but has a low-ish ceiling."

"Would you say the same about Rahel?"

"Yeah, there or thereabouts."

The two looked at the names they had left and sighed. Jöhan doodled a smiley face as he mulled over what to say.

"This is incredibly tough."

"Handy that we have two standout drivers, then."

"Indeed. Two standout drivers with interest from other teams, a stone-hearted maniac, and two drivers with some promise."

"I find the maniac charming."

"Fine. He's circled."

If there really was no tempting Nepö, offering a drive to the Tumbran was a must. Despite Jöhan's hesitance on the Reçueçian, his times didn't lie, and he was willing to let the scary, selfish, and practically evil man drive his car if it meant he would be any good. In the end, neither Jöhan nor Adrian were particularly happy with how the test had went, and with HMG's inbox now flooded with interest they held fire on offering out both seats at once. When there was potential interest from drivers who were second and third in the championship last year, they would be silly to chase after an AOGP Champion...

HMG offers its first seat to Ted Pressley, but noting the prevalence of this driver's offers will extend this offer to Vincent von Visp should Pressley sign elsewhere. Additionally, Giancarlo Rahel and Somopane McPachyderm are offered test and reserve driver roles should they fail to be picked up by any other team. HMG will negotiate with some of the drivers who have expressed interest, and failing that will bow to the whims of their new tyre partner, Tropicorp.
Nepö Kinder will continue to hold out for other offers and tests.

[Liventia]

Host note:
All teams have now confirmed tyres and engines for the season.

Confirmed drivers updated in the OP, please double check they are correct and re-confirm here if not. Only confirmed drivers with a race seat will participate in pre-season testing.

12 spots remain: 2 each at UrGa, HMG, Piers Ivchenko, and Pryfors Bilar; 1 each at Cygnus, Ælund, Viska, and Eelandii.

[Tropicorp]

INDORI VOLCANASAUR ✓

@IndoriV

So if @Skiia doesn't compete in #WGPC21 does that mean I can take her license? hmmm interesting! I know Tropicorp is working on things though, I believe they have offered pre-confirmed incentivized contracts to HMG, Ælund and the VTGP in a last ditch effort to keep last seasons runner-up Skiia Vialiv competing with a Tropicorp affiliated team this season. Supposedly the first to accept will get the top free agent on the market but time is running out with the first test in Crpostran just days away!


#WGPC21 : #FreeAgency : #Chaos

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Imagination n. : exotic matter from the Nimban origin universe, typically associated with a bright blue glow and used as a psionic energy source; see orb Imagination, pure Imagination, shadow Imagination

imagination n. : the capacity to conceive of that which is not immediate or currently real

---

Crossbay Circuit, Nimbus Bay, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
14th of January

The chill of cold and the sound of rain echoes in the tunnels of Crossbay Circuit. It is not a race day; while the Hospitality Village plays host to a small community group in its lecture hall discussing the finer points of ancient Mythran art history, and to the customary number of visitors to the WGP Experience Centre for a time when most sensible people have decided to stay at home, the circuit itself is populated only by a select few.

Though thousands of conceptions of the divine exist within the Wardship among its religious minority, the majority of those hold mental states to be more sacred than physical places, and so it would be wrong to call the place ‘hallowed ground’. Nonetheless, there is a feeling here, in this moment, an atmosphere of blanketing calm that rests atop something more - a potential laid deep in the tarmac through its foundation and its history, even as young as it is. The serenity, the stillness, upheld by the constant drumming pitter-patter that has compelled the seabirds to remain silent in their nooks and caves, is transfixing in its apparent constancy and as transfixing in the inevitability that that constancy proves false, that something more emerges.

In an empty pit lane, one of the garages is suddenly suffused with new, cerulean light.

“Fine weather for it.” Gertrude Thompsonas clasps her hands, anticipatory, eager smile on her face. Beside her on the internal pit wall, Lucia gives a twitch that would on anyone else be a roll of the eyes or a sigh, and Gertrude’s grin brightens - because both know she means it. “Max - give the word.”

Word relayed; acted upon; and the world, compelled to act, snaps into motion. Eight wheels, shod themselves in blue glow, strain, then rotate against the polished floor; the monocoque above it - pre-livery, matte grey, lit by a thousand interwoven fibres tricked into an approximation of thought to trick in turn the substance of another universe into action - pulls with them, propelling the car out into the driving rain. Gertrude glances along the touchscreen panel towards where Victoria Light and her coding team are only a tap away from communication, watching this unfold from their room in Nexus Racing’s headquarters. The new ‘braided’ Imagination convertor array, merging the infrastructure of each of the car’s four Imagination convertors together in a major leap in efficiency that in turn permitted a leap in scale and power, is reportedly even more of an Exeterean task to programme than past arrays. Gertrude tamps down the twinge of amused guilt - the new design is hers, after all, the circumstances demanding she doff her new Project Manager’s hat for a moment to don her old designing cap, in collaboration with Miranda from the University of the Second City - to let pride in their only slightly complaining efforts rise in its place.

Indeed, those efforts, hers and Dr Calin’s and Victoria and her team’s, are critical; they will offset the drawbacks of the rest of the team’s endeavour. Thousands of work hours culminate… Well, not here, but that culmination draws close; this will be the first true indication of what form it will take.

Too much was lost in WGPC 20 to vital systems failing at critical moments. Too much was lost to vital systems failing regularly. That had to change. WGP2 saw a spike of incidences of the Dullness across the team, leaving them paralysed to change matters (and owing profound apologies to Haru Jukkena (even as he managed to drag two wins out of the car) and Pietro Crespi), but now? With such a long off-season?

Every part re-examined, redesigned if necessary, reincorporated and stress-tested, she had asked Lucia, to iron out difficulties and lay solid foundations for future work. Lucia told her, it had been done. The Ultra High Speed Ground Vehicle Six is resilient and reliable but, thanks to those convertor innovations, still faster than ever - so their simulations and workshop trials say.

Now, they learn whether those match reality.

Gertrude leans forward to her microphone. “Over to you, Janne. Put it through its paces.”

Under their younger driver’s guidance, the newest of Nexus Racing’s Chase Cutters drives past the pit lane’s end. It pulses with light that blazes through the pouring rain to herald a burst of speed, then presses unerringly on.

---

Next Chapter
2. Faltering, Rallying

Back to Hub

[Hapilopper]

And now, a word from our sponsors.

[Liventia]

WORLD GRAND PRIX ORGANISATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOLENISA— The World Grand Prix Organisation confirms that a Franklin Motorsport-powered, Carvenlo Racing-run WGPC Motorworks team will operate this season if necessary. At the end of the driver signing period, WGPC Motorworks – which will be affiliated to no single nation and instead to the WGPC, may offer bright drivers without a drive a spot on the Motorworks team, to be supported throughout the season by experienced Carvenlo personnel who will serve in the team principal and engineer roles. A minimum of two and a maximum of four such offers may be made.

To accommodate the expanded field caused by the provisional acceptance of Team GPA Pryfors Bilar and the inclusion of WGPC Motorworks while maintaining a racing field of 26, additional Pre-Qualifying sessions will be used for the two sprint race events, in addition to the possibility of failing to qualify for the race.

The WGPC Motorworks drivers will participate in qualifying at every race (and pre-qualifying at the two sprint races), with the aim of making it onto the starting grid for the Sprint Race or Feature Race for that weekend. However, should there be more than two WGPC Motorworks drivers, only a maximum of two may drive in any Feature or Sprint Race.

Only the top 26 in any Qualifying Session will qualify for the Race or Feature Race. At the two sprint race events, the bottom eight cars in the Championship standings (including tie-breaking count-back if necessary) will participate in Pre-Qualifying, with only as many drivers as needed to fill a grid up to 26 qualifying for the Sprint Race, respecting the maximum of two WGPC Motorworks drivers which may take part in the Sprint Race.

More information will be made available ahead of the Aurun Test Event.

Notes to editors (OOC notes):
- Teams have until 11 February to confirm two signed drivers.
- On 12 February, or one day after all teams on the grid have confirmed their two drivers (if that happens earlier), the top drivers without a drive (judged by RP bonus and RPing contributions) may be offered WGPC Motorworks driving positions.
- Newcomers to WGPC will be prioritised where possible, but these positions may also be offered to drivers belonging to returning users without a drive.
- A maximum of four WGPC Motorworks spots will be offered. They must be accepted to be official.
- The WGPC Motorworks team will be driven solely by the RP bonus of the drivers. No team RP bonus will be considered, unlike for the other teams. The team will ICly be based in Folenisa, Liventia.
- At each Grand Prix except Race 5 and Race 6, qualifying will take place as normal. Only the top 26 drivers* will qualify to race, unless more than two WGPC Motorworks drivers are in the top 26. In this situation, only the top two Motorworks drivers will qualify, and the next eligible drivers in the Qualifying standings will qualify to race. (*Subject to 107% rule.)
- At Race 5 and Race 6, a Pre-Qualifying session will take place for the bottom eight ranked drivers in the Drivers Championship. Only the top two, top three, or top four drivers (depending on the number of drivers in the Championship) will Pre-Qualify to compete in the Sprint Race. Qualifying will take place as described above, with all drivers taking part – the drivers who do not Pre-Qualify will only miss the Sprint Race.

[Quirhoshe]

Host note:
All teams have now confirmed tyres and engines for the season.

Confirmed drivers updated in the OP, please double check they are correct and re-confirm here if not. Only confirmed drivers with a race seat will participate in pre-season testing.

12 spots remain: 2 each at UrGa, HMG, Piers Ivchenko, and Pryfors Bilar; 1 each at Cygnus, Ælund, Viska, and Eelandii.

Azalia Kawakai saw this as an opportunity to finally make a team. She sent emails to the following teams, confirming that she would be at their event

UrGa
HMG
Piers Ivchenko
Pryfors Bilar
Cygnus
Ælund
Viska
Eelandii

She hoped that she would be able to get signed at some point in those spots. She knew she had the opportunity, and she was determined to do well. She would not let her country or her supporters down.

[Doubeia]

Kokomiya sat on her office chair in deep thought. She looked at the email RL Cruisin's agent had sent her.

When Kokomiya had sent the agent — Arcadii Worldino — the initial email, she was still conflicted on whether she should sign Cruisin immediately. Oliveira had a really good argument for signing them: experience. For goodness' sake, it was ten seasons worth of experience. Cruisin was practically a driving fossil! Metaphorically, of course. It was doubtless that their advice and input would greatly benefit the team. Still, Kokomiya couldn't help but feel a bit hesitant whether they would be a good match with the car, which was why she had stalled the offer. The board directors weren't helpful either during their meeting; all they said was to do whatever suited the team's vision the best.

It's a no-brainer. Cruisin offers experience no one else could ever offer.

As if her conscience had suddenly started talking to her, Kokomiya heard a voice in her head.

Just do it, Kokomiya. Don't let the opportunity slip away.

It was the voice again. Kokomiya stood up and paced around, pondering about the decision. Why was it such a hard choice to make? Why was she sitting on it? Kokomiya didn't know why she asked to meet Cruisin in person in the first place; it wasn't like she had anything in mind to ask.

Perhaps it was the nagging fear. The nagging fear that she would make the wrong decision. It was an irrational fear, but it was still gnawing at Kokomiya.

"Ugh, why am I making things so difficult for myself..." she thought. Her head hurt. It was a simple decision: sign Cruisin now and then, or ask them to attend the Driver Test. At first, Kokomiya was staunchly in the latter camp. She wanted to see if they could adapt to the car (which sounded a bit foolish in hindsight) before making a decision, but from Oliveira's words to the email displaying on her laptop screen, she was inching ever closer to signing Cruisin on the spot.

Just do it.

But what if it just so happened that there were drivers who suited the car much better? Then they'd have to fight over one seat, and Kokomiya would have to make an even more pressing decision.

Just do it.

But surely nothing could go wrong, could it? It was a mutually beneficial relationship after all: Cruisin would come in with years of WGPC knowledge and experience, and Piers Ivchenko offered them the opportunity to bounce to greater heights, however optimistic that may sound... Was Kokomiya being too optimistic?

Just do it.

Kokomiya went back to her desk and checked her calendar. There was supposed to be a test session very soon in Crpostran. It would be a great opportunity to have Cruisin participate in that test, wouldn't it? The test would undoubtedly be a very important source of data for both the team and Cruisin. Why was the offer still unsent.

Just send the damn offer already!

The weighing scales in Kokomiya's mind tipped in favour of signing them now and then. She heaved a long sigh. It definitely wasn't an easy choice, deciding whether to give the offer. Still, Kokomiya felt that she had made it much more complicated for herself. Well, it was better to make the decision earlier than later.

To: Arcadii Worldino <Cruisin Sports Management>
From: naganomiya.kokomiya@doubmail.com <Team Principal, Piers Ivchenko>
Subj: First Driver Offer

Dear Mr/Ms/Mrs Worldino

I have read your email regarding RL Cruisin's offer to be a full time driver for Piers Ivchenko. After much consideration, I have decided to rescind my initial email inviting Cruisin to the Driver Test, and instead offer them the first driver role in Piers Ivchenko. I am confident of Cruisin's skills as a driver, and I believe that their signing will be mutually beneficial for both them and us. We highly value the experience and ability that Cruisin can bring to Piers Ivchenko, and we will strive to make sure they are given the tools needed to succeed in the WGPC.

Attached is the formal offer.

I look forward to hear back from you.

Signed,
Naganomiya Kokomiya
Piers Ivchenko Team Principal

[Hodori Motorsports]

HiTEN HQ
Company meeting

Ankei Souzare addressed the gathering of the half-dozen permanent employees of HiTEN in his office.
“Finally, at long last, we have drumroll please a car, and two candidates for an overseas base of operations. Also, despite setbacks on our compute time, we have our AI agent Jeff ready to fill the role of race engineer. As we continue to procure more data and have access to more compute time, Jeff will become even better at his job. Now, unfortunately we also have some bad news. First, we don’t have a final livery, so we’ll be running a bare car with only the minimum required decals. Second, we don’t have a full-time pit crew, so we’ll be hiring on an ad-hoc per-round basis until we can get one. Third, due to passport difficulties stemming from this unfair DFCI investigation, I am unable to attend the first test. However, our second driver, Berezowski, will be able to participate. For now, that is all. As always, thank you all for your hard work at making us the greatest and fastest-growing startup in Hodori.”

[Esmerel]

Prologue III
The Third Law

Cole Schmied
Age 30, male; former EGTC mechanic that left when his team, after reaching the top, fell into apathy and started going nowhere. Pragmatic and can be harsh, but always out of a desire to improve. Has had his faith shaken by the previous season, and is looking for answers to what the best approach as a race engineer really is.

Carol Schmied
Age 27, male; former EGTC mechanic from an underdog team that always tried their best and still came up a bit short. Kind and encouraging to his driver, but has likewise had his faith shaken by the previous season. With the heavily-suspected departure of his driver for a new one, hoping to find his own success with the change of pace- but perhaps unready to face the reality that he needs to change more than he expects.

Sunday, 26 January 2025
Pier 15, Bayview, Rosetta Province, Esmerel

“Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.”

That sentence was a core tenet of the way things worked in the world. It had been true for forever prior, it was true now, and barring some kind of singularity collapse, it would be true for forever ahead. When something pushes on something else, that something else pushes back just as strong. No matter how the words were phrased, none could outright deny something like that.

Though, perhaps Cole Schmied hadn’t expected that to be the case in this way. This metaphorical, not-based-in-hard-science-at-all way. And yet it was. The time he had spent with Cygnus Motorsport Team was the action. The reaction, equal and opposite, was how he had changed from that time. It was unclear just what that really meant, however. Because at the same time, Cygnus was reacting to actions against it- those actions that got it to where it was now. Atop the motorsport world, in the blink of an eye. The talk of the nation. An even more popular university than it had been just years prior. All these things happened because Cygnus was met with a challenge, and rose to meet it in kind.

The question now was if Cole really had anything to do with it. Had he pushed the team at all? Was any of its success really down to him and his methodologies? His drive to reach the top, and then fight like they hadn’t, so that they could stay? Most of all, how was he supposed to react in the face of how Cygnus pushed him? They had done precisely that, after all. No more was he a purely cynical pragmatist that pushed for success in well-meaning but abrasive ways- all terms he had come up with himself- but in that case, what was he supposed to be? Especially as his brother, Carol, was all but right there, and all but everything that Cole wasn’t?

Was he even supposed to change? Did such a law not apply beyond the physical?

These were all questions that were too many to handle for one person, but one person had to handle them all the same. That was precisely what Cole was doing at the moment.

He was having an off day from working with Cygnus, thanks to the magnanimous kindness of Dr. Emerson (it wasn’t really anything major; much as the team was doing a shakedown, the new hires could handle it). And so this led him to a place he often came to in times of focus. Pier 15, in the bustling city of Bayview: a park and gathering place within the harbor and the bustling city- an island of repose amongst all the busyness. And as much as Esmerel was a nation overcrowded, at least it had the modesty to use its space efficiently, and places like this were never too crowded. In this peace, even if middling in quiet, Cole could relax and think. Or at least just relax.

The relaxation was cut somewhat short by the presence of an unknown stranger- a man in similar winter-weather clothing to Cole, walking up wistfully. Cole immediately rose in suspicion at the stranger, only to realize the man was no stranger to him. Though the fact that it was his younger brother, Carol, was perhaps more strange.

“Huh. You picked up pretty quickly,” Carol noted to Cole. “Here I was starting to think you’d forgotten.”

Cole felt a tinge of indignation at seeing his brother at a time like this. “Carol, what in the world are you doing here?” he asked quickly.

“Probably whatever you’re doing,” Carol replied. “Can’t imagine you’d really come to this place for the January weather.” The younger brother looked around, seeing and hearing the few other parkgoers, as vehicles rolled by on the nearby port streets. “Not a lot really goes on here, anyway. Wonder why this place even exists at times.”

“You don’t sound like you,” Cole noted to Carol, in complete honesty. While the two brothers weren’t estranged or trying to avoid each other, it was true that they hadn’t done much interacting between the last season and this one. So for their changes to suddenly appear to the other did provoke a sense of mild confusion.

“And do you still sound like you, Cole?” Carol returned the favor.

Cole had no response but to acknowledge that this conversation was likely going to be just that- a conversation. So he moved over on his bench and let Carol take a seat beside him.

“I mean it, how did you end up finding me here and now?” Cole asked.

“Call it intuition,” Carol replied. “I knew you were down here in Bayview, and so was I. How’s your business?”

“It’s business,” Cole retorted. “Not much more to it. I get it done and I move forward.” He sighed. “Not that I don’t want to be talking, but I’m not really ready for this.”

“I think we both know that even if we aren’t really ready, we have to face the facts,” Carol said, adamantly. “You’ve changed. So have I.”

“...You’ve changed, too? How?”

“Time does that to us all, I guess,” Carol said. “Time, and what goes on during it. Sure, it was almost two years ago now, but it was a very memorable summer for the both of us.” He sighed. “I don’t know if I ever personally congratulated you for pulling it off. The championship, I mean.”

“If… we’re on that topic, I don’t know if I was the one to do it,” Cole admitted. Carol leaned in a bit to listen. “It never really felt obvious if my methods were working or not. It was a rough start to the season, after all, and then you were the one to jump in and help Brendan get his first points.”

“But you were the one to get him his first win,” Carol reminded. “What was that strategy call, anyway? ‘Hap City BR’?”

“I meant use his knowledge from the simulator to keep up his pace,” Cole tried explaining. “It was a bit of a… forced reference from deep in my mind at the time. I don’t even know if he really got it.”

“Still, it worked,” Carol said. “And sure, we had a slow start, but it would have been even slower without your prodding. Probably.” He sighed in disappointment. “I still don’t always agree with that, but… Well, let’s just say I don’t know if you need to change anything up too much. Not compared to me.”

“You?”

“You and Brendan won it all. I gave it all I could with Angela and only scored one point,” Carol said with melancholia. “Guess we figured out what was better. Should have seen that coming from the start, given our EGTC histories.”

“Looking back, you didn’t… really do that bad, did you?” Cole asked. “It was mostly bad luck and part failures.”

“Which were things I maybe still could have done something about. I’m supposed to know the car!” Carol interjected. “And look where it got me.”

The two sat in silence for a few seconds.

“Where are we even going with this?” Cole asked, breaking the tension, or perhaps building it up again.

“You can change if you want, Cole,” Carol said, “but don’t feel forced to. Not you, anyway.”

“And what about you?”

“I’ve tried a few things. Trying to add a bit of your personal touch to how I work; I’ve done some volunteering at all the local folk races,” Carol explained. “It’s hard to tell if it’s working, but there’s been some success here and there.”

“And you still want to stay with Cygnus, right?” Cole asked.

“Somehow. I’ll… have to settle in again, what with letting Angela go,” Carol replied. “Trying to work with a new driver, or whatever ends up happening. I guess we’ll see.”

Cole gave it some thought. “Do you want to bring this up to the doctor?”

“I guess, but… if he’s busy with the shakedown today, he might not pick up any calls,” Carol noted.

Cole stood up from his seat on the park bench.

“Then I guess we’d better start driving.”

-

Cygnus Motorsport HQ, Midwood, Olympia Province, Esmerel
A few hours later

Brendan Faloe sat and waited as the mechanics rolled his new C102 back into the garage.

All systems off, detach steering… And open the screen, Brendan thought as he performed each action as needed.

The team swiftly connected various telemetry wires to the car to get its vital post-shakedown readings, while others hooked up frigid hair dryers, blowing them towards Brendan. Even in the frigid January air, the car did get hot, so the measures were appreciated. Brendan disconnected himself from his HANS device and undid his helmet and balaclava, knowing this run would be the day’s last.

To Brendan’s right, Dr. Emerson approached, smiling as everything cooled down and the data came rolling in. It all looked good.

“That was an impressive race sim, Brendan,” Dr. Emerson commended. “We’re reading plenty of data for all sorts of different scenarios.”

“You know me, doc,” Brendan replied. “I give it all I can give. All it needs and then some.”

“As a champion should! So tell me, how did it feel to really drive? How did it feel in terms of… what we can’t precisely turn into data?” Dr. Emerson asked.

“Solid,” Brendan confirmed. “The engine slots right in to how I expect the car to handle. It isn’t as quick at times, but nothing felt like it was ever going to break on me like the last engines would. Capacitor boost is just high enough that I can open it up and not lose control, and these Brimstones have just the right balance of grip in the early run.”

“I expected as much,” Dr. Emerson said. “But it’s great to hear it from someone like you. I’m feeling good about our choices so far.”

“I know, but… Well, there’s still a few unknowns I’m having to adjust to. And everyone else,” Brendan replied.

“Such as?”

“New hires, new suppliers, things like that,” Brendan tried explaining. “I’m glad you’re proactive in getting things set up, but… for a cog in the machine like me, it’s hard turning with all the new parts.”

“Ah, I see,” Dr. Emerson said. “That’s a useful analogy. Which, I suppose, means all our new cogs had best be compatible. With you, primarily. And we can adapt- mold anew, shave down, what have you- if there’s something that’s incompatible.”

Brendan sighed. “Would that make… Angela incompatible? In the sense that she left?” Brendan asked.

“In a… brutal way, yes,” Dr. Emerson said. “You know I and all of us only wished her well, but it was more likely she’d find success elsewhere. At the very least, I’ve been hearing rumblings that she may yet find a seat this season. Do not, well… do not get hung up thinking about her fortune. It’ll improve.”

“I hope you’re right,” Brendan said. “It might be nice to race her out on the track, finally.”

At that moment, Lianna came rushing into the garage.

“Lianna? What’s the rush?” Dr. Emerson asked.

“Ariel… asked me to deliver you a message,” Lianna said, out of breath. “You have a reply from Baxen. I would suggest you read and act on it, first priority.”

“Thank you, Lianna,” Dr. Emerson said. “I’ll have you and Devin watch over the car as the crew runs the data. Brendan? Would you follow me to my office?”

“I guess so.”

Dr. Emerson helped Brendan out of the cockpit, and the two departed the garage.

-

Dr. Emerson entered his office with intent, quickly waking up his desktop and opening up his emails. Indeed, Baxen Aurora had sent a reply.

Brendan took a seat at the other side of the desk. “Doc, what does it say?” he asked, knowing why Dr. Emerson was in contact with Baxen in the first place.

“Give me just a moment, Brendan, then we can think this through if we need to,” Dr. Emerson replied. He pulled up the email and started closely reading it, saying a few words aloud both for his own understanding as well as Brendan’s. “Welcome and reciprocated… Well, that’s good news; they’re up to negotiating the finer details… Competition and collaboration, yes… Ah, I see. Perhaps I should have worded that differently. And… hmm… Baxen as Olivia’s-”

Dr. Emerson’s reading of the email was suddenly cut off by the intrusion of Cole and Carol into his office. He sat in stunned silence as the both of them walked to one corner, wordless, and stood there.

“Gentlemen, is there a reason for barging in?” Dr. Emerson kindly, though sternly asked.

“We… Sir, we’re sorry to interrupt, but to tell the truth, we’re having a crisis of identity. The both of us,” Carol tried to explain.

“The both of us in our own ways, is what he means. But that’s pretty much true,” Cole added.

“Hm. Very well, state your business,” Dr. Emerson said.

-

“...You’re unsure of how to reconcile your methodologies with the team’s severe variance in success?” Dr. Emerson asked. “Do I have that correct?”

“Yes, sir… I think we all want to continue our success this season,” Cole answered, “and that means making sure we keep going with what works. We just can’t be sure what does.”

“I’m concerned, mostly, that my approach didn’t work with Angela, and that’s part of why she was so misfortunate,” Carol added. “Whereas Cole is reflecting on the fact that he’s grown a bit softer, and he’s-”

“At no point did I say I was softer.”

“But you acted that way,” Carol countered. “Even before this. You were practically crystal clear at our dinner in Vetress before the final race last season. On the shuttle there, even.” He paused to return to what he was saying initially. “Cole’s just uncertain how much of his work actually contributed to the team’s- though almost entirely Brendan’s- success.”

“Brendan? You’re right here with us,” Dr. Emerson noted. “Care to say anything?”

Brendan spent a few moments thinking. “You… did help. Because of your pushing, I’m sure,” he said, albeit without as much confidence as he would have preferred. “I wanted to satisfy you. And the team and sponsors and all that, but you were always the most obvious. You gave me goals to meet, and I tried to meet them. So that worked.”

“See? Remember what I said back at the pier,” Carol said.

“I do. Don’t say it again. Not now, anyway.”

Dr. Emerson relaxed backwards in his office chair. “Well, gentlemen,” he began, “where do you think this leaves the two of you?”

A pause followed for a moment.

“We’re sure of staying with this team,” Cole said, as Carol nodded along. “Beyond that… anything goes, I guess. I don’t want things to be exactly the same.”

“Then I suppose… we may have such an opportunity,” Dr. Emerson said. “I’ve received word from Baxen Aurora that he and Olivia Stone are planning to sign with us again. On the condition…” the doctor paused, “...that Baxen is hired as Olivia’s engineer, not Carol.”

A few thoughts shot through Carol’s head as Dr. Emerson revealed the new truth. “Well, that’s… definitely a proven combo,” he thought aloud for the room. “Maybe somebody familiar to Olivia would help her more than I could.”

“Or maybe not; Brendan and I never met before-”

“I get it!”

“...I was only saying it’s not certain,” Cole tried to explain. “I don’t want to put the idea down; it sounds good to me as well. But that would leave us in an odd position.”

“I can see that,” Dr. Emerson added. “Though a deal like this would be hard to pass up.” He spent a few moments more thinking of what to continue with. “Brendan, you wouldn’t mind stepping out, would you?”

“What for?” Brendan asked.

“I’ll need to spend some time with Cole and Carol negotiating what we’re going to do with them,” Dr. Emerson answered, “seeing as I likewise intend to keep them both. Just one thing: you’d be fine with this kind of deal to get Olivia in the seat?”

Brendan nodded.

“And the two of you? At a basic level, are the terms acceptable?” Dr. Emerson asked Cole and Carol.

The two of them likewise nodded.

“Then I’ll get to work with it all. Brendan, you should go and look with the crew at the shakedown data,” Dr. Emerson instructed. “Offer some more feedback, then go and retire for the day. You’ve done well.”

“Yes, sir,” Brendan said as he stood up and left the room, waving to Cole and Carol.

As the door shut, Dr. Emerson stood up from his chair, moving over to a large whiteboard on the wall behind him. He turned to Cole and Carol, and smiled as only he could towards the two- as the father to his men that he was.

“So, gentlemen,” he spoke at last, “where do we begin?”

-

From the Desk of William Emerson, PhD.

To Baxen Aurora,

I see this as nothing but a golden opportunity for the both of us. I would also like to apologize briefly for my use of language in offering Olivia the role of “second driver”. While Cygnus is building itself around Brendan, both Brendan and I have agreed not to leave Olivia behind; we will likewise pivot our efforts towards her if her championship efforts prove more fruitful. Let us say Olivia is a “second driver” in the sense that she would be second to be signed, and not of lower priority by any standards.

I have also spoken briefly about the matter with both Cole and Carol; we are yet to negotiate the finer details but both are willing to allow you to be Olivia’s race engineer at the team.

Lastly, I appreciate the offer of Nimban knowledge, and from a very familiar source no less! Please, by all means, send me any contacts of those willing to contribute to the Cygnus project. I can see a formidable synthesis between our two approaches to engineering a winning formula.

Considering time is running short, I would advise you respond to this message post haste so that we may sign a contract. If need be, we can work out further details at a later date.

Yours sincerely,

William Emerson, PhD
Team Manager, Sturmburgher Cygnus Motorsport Team.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Olivia and Baxen’s Apartment, Avant Community, the Second City, the Nexus Wardship of Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
26th of January

“I mean… It looks fantastic. I guess, I… I just question what we’d be giving up.”

“Preston.”

“We’ve spent time and effort on that opportunity, even before we knew we were doing it. Sure, we don’t know how that test went, but maybe the door’s still open – and they’ve really been…”

Olivia drums her fingers against the side of her leg, sat again on the same sofa, reading over Dr Emerson’s response.

Good to them, is what Preston had been. After she had publicly outed herself and Baxen as the major protagonists in the Hapiloppian Grand Prix saga, she received an email from their team manager, one Marty Lewis. Not a scolding or condemnation but an invitation – an offer of the perspective of one immersed in Hapiloppian motorsport culture as to why HTN had gone as far as they had. Olivia could appreciate that.

Of course, she also appreciated the implicit opening of a door to one of what would surely be one of the hottest seats in motor racing. Oh, not an offer, not yet – but the hint was not at all subtle. Cutting ties with Cygnus just before their announcement to protect them made it by far the most obvious hoop to jump through; she and Baxen were quick to secure places for themselves in the Berman Bros. Classic NSSCRA support race to position her for it.

Even beyond that… She and Baxen Aurora by this point, she knew, came with a certain expectation. They’d found the University of the Second City Challenge WGPi team in a state of malaise and, through energy and focus, driven them to a clean sweep of Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships. They’d joined Viska as they entered WGP2, almost done the same, then took on their WGPC effort. And… Well, everyone had seen how unhappy that Preston were not happy with their work last season. In theory – in theory – they might be primed for a shake-up.

It had seemed such an obvious choice, such an obvious goal. Then Cygnus decided that they didn’t mind those ties going unsevered – that actually, said ties were a plus point – and things became trickier.

“As have Cygnus, of course,” Baxen notes.

“Of course.”

A moment passes – and then Olivia groans, throwing up her hands before bringing them down again to cover her face. “They just had to – every single thing! Everything we asked!”

“That is the kind of trust that knowing somebody for a –”

“You said that last time!” Olivia curls up, rolling into Baxen’s side and burying herself there.

She cannot see it but she knows him well enough to be certain that he is smiling. “You know that this is your loyalty talking, Olivia.”

“I know…” comes a small voice.

“It is commendable. I’ve commended it before.”

“…”

“Just so happens to be divided, this time.”

“Mrrrm.”

They rest like that for a good while.

“I am extremely glad to have you as a friend, you know. I’m unsure how many others could stand me.”

Olivia pokes her head out. “You’re the one saying that? Really?”

“Mmm. Too much pontificating.”

“You know I value all that. Like having a second brain complementing my own half-a-brain.”

“You’ve got far more than that.”

“Prove it.”

“Not certain I’m quite that good of an Imagination user.”

“Mmm. Guess you’ll just have to trust me.”

“Seemingly.”

The two exchange grins, then hold their gazes for a second, feeling out the question. And Olivia sees…

Openness. But also –

They’re building too, not just resting on their success. Seizing their own guidance – but accepting of more. It makes sense, from all that we saw it last season.

We can work with that.

– surety.

“Okay.”

Olivia Stone accepts the seat offer from Cygnus.

---

Previous Chapter
1. Torchlight

Next Chapter
3. Flare

Back to Hub

[Turori]

WGPC set to awake from slumber with debut test event in Crpostran

Crpostranian Test Event, Montelago International Circuit, Montelago, Crpostran :: For those who prefer the status quo over soemthing new, the World Grand Prix Championship 21 is likely not going to be something to provide a warm and fuzzy feeling. As the teams and drivers of the World Grand Prix Championship head to the region of Karma for the first official test event of the season, virtually nothing, including the venue, will be familiar.

While there may be some well known drivers and teams in the paddock, of the 15 teams who have applied for or granted a license to compete just two are confirmed to be returning with the same drivers they had one season prior: Nexus Racing and Eminent. Perhaps the biggest surprise is this cleaning of the house at Preston Autos as championship favorites Rudy Edwards and William Archer were tossed aside and are not expected to be driving in Montelago.

5 of the 14 teams who competed during WGPC Season 20 are not expected on the grid for the upcoming season and 4 of the top 8 from last seasons driver's standings are also without a ride in Crpostran. While there are still no fewer than 7 full time seats available, many teams are leaving the final contract details for late in the off-season.

One driver who is expected to be at Montelago is R.L. Cruisin who has agreed a contract with the brand new Piers Icvhenko team. It will be the 4th time in their career that Cruisin will drive for a debut team and the veteran driver has a solid record in having provided 3 different teams their first ever Grand Prix victory. Cruisin will have the ultra reliable UrGa ZhS-1000 powertrain and will be tasked with the lead driver role for the Doubeinese team who is expected to name a second more junior driver to partner Cruisin this season at some point after the team returns home from the first official test week.

Despite being a late entry to the grid, Cruisin was quoted as talking about their excitement at competing for Piers Ivchenko this season, despite being disappointed that Carvenlo Racing was unable to commit to a season on the grid. Cruisin had spend two consecutive seasons at Carvenlo, tying the most seasons they had ever signed for the same seson consecutively.

Race Eelandii VTGP will also be making the trip to participate in the official test session at the Montelago International Circuit, taking Cocoabo #23 along for the ride to set a bench mark for the Tropicorp/Tropicorp Engine Tyre combination that the Turori-based team will be using along with Pressley Racing. While there have been no official announcements or acknowledgements, if the two teams can find a way to park near each other in the paddock, it may be possible for the teams to assist and share rudimentary data to ensure their tyre/motor combination is a success. There will be plenty of on-track time to get things right with three official test events before the Grand Prix season gets started off in Aboveland.

To: naganomiya.kokomiya@doubmail.com <Naganomiya Kokomiya, Team Principal, Piers Ivchenko>
Subj: Re: Interest in Driving for Piers Ivchenko

Naganomiya,

Please find attached the signed contract to formalize our partnership. We will see you in Crpostran!

Thanks

Arcadii Worldino on behalf of R.L. Cruisin
Cruisin Sports Management

[Liventia]

And this is the RP cutoff (and driver confirmation cutoff) for the first test event.

A couple of host notes: KISMO's R/A/T was adjusted as the team had an illegal A rating. Viska and Pressley's team colours are too similar and I have asked Viska to provide an alternate colour (Pressley have two) before deciding how to proceed, as although Viska have the longer WGPC team history, Pressley are automatic entrants this season as WGP2 series champions.

[Liventia]

Week 1: Testing Session 1

Conditions:      	Cloudy
Lap Record:      	00:01:45.071
Session Length:	 	180 minutes
Nation:         	CRN
Circuit:        	Montelago International Circuit

Drivers have 180 minutes to complete as many laps of the track as they like

POS # ▍DRIVER                                               	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 95 ▍Hanna Berezowska                                     	00:01:53.906	00:00:00.000
 2 27 ▍Dario Nülkeschlager                                  	00:01:53.916	00:00:00.010
 3 55 ▍Gil Langdon                                          	00:01:54.131	00:00:00.225
 4 85 ▍Olivia Stone                                         	00:01:54.553	00:00:00.647
 5 40 ▍Adriana Ela Kowalski Lillian                         	00:01:54.686	00:00:00.780
 6 17 ▍Janne Laukkanen                                      	00:01:54.687	00:00:00.781
 7 51 ▍R.L. Cruisin                                         	00:01:54.827	00:00:00.920
 8  7 ▍Anneliese Devereux                                   	00:01:54.857	00:00:00.950
 9 58 ▍Shuhei Kamado                                        	00:01:54.891	00:00:00.984
10 22 ▍Nini Johnsilvaturr                                   	00:01:55.140	00:00:01.234
11 12 ▍Ron Sommer                                           	00:01:55.548	00:00:01.641
12 94 ▍Ryker Lane                                           	00:01:55.619	00:00:01.713
13 77 ▍Abdoulaye Goita                                      	00:01:55.775	00:00:01.868
14  1 ▍Brendan Faloe                                        	00:01:56.550	00:00:02.644
15 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                                          	00:01:56.961	00:00:03.055
16 82 ▍Kinu Luminna                                         	00:02:00.322	00:00:06.416
17 84 ▍Angela Stella Tan Fang Ling                          	00:02:04.626	00:00:10.719

[Diarcesia]

Pryfors Bilar HQ
Pryfurium, Diarcesia

"They finally arrived... the parts."

"They better do," Aldauren Ginintella, the team principal, was visibly incensed. CEO Siv Ingesson never saw him this mad before, for good reason. "I have to move oblivion to convince the WGPO to not drop our team from Season 21. Such unprofessionalism from those s'wits of suppliers. So much missing I can't give any commitments because what happens if there's nothing to show for it!? Well, we did! We missed the first test day! Our start is at the back foot! Absolutely infuriating... And what's the reason those suppliers gave us? RL^[1] reasons! They could've sorted out those paperwork long before!"

"What's done is done, Aldauren. Feeling better?"

"Pardon the rant, ma'am. I am better now. There's no time to spare. At least I don't have to stall whenever Phoenician-In Motion, our in-house engine division, Laura, or Sam asks for a firm commitment from us."

"About Laura and Sam, may I have a few words...?"

---

Elbej, Diarcesia

Sam Blaatschapen sat inside her car with her eyes furrowed. What's going on with PB? There's radio silence from the team, she learned from third-party sources that they were in danger of missing out WGPC21—they indeed were nowhere to be seen in the first testing day. All she had was a short text message from Aldauren. He would be calling her at about this time.

C'mon, what's happening?

About a minute after that thought, her phone rang. Sam wasted no time answering it.

"Hello? Yes. Good to hear from you, Aldauren... You owe me an explanation... Okay, but what's this call for?... Is this for real?... Finally, I should be on my way as soon as I can... Yes... Thanks, bye."

Took them enough time... Plan's in motion. Taking the train from Elbej to Pryfurium, Sam will formally sign her continuation as a PB driver. She also learned that Laura is being offered the other seat as well. To Sam's disappointment, she's not the first driver... But those kinds of things have to be earned.

---

^[1] RL: Racing License. Diarcesia has an accreditation program for suppliers seeking to provide parts for racing teams incorporated within its territory to ensure certain standards are met, primarily on safety.

[Tropicorp]

Montelago International Circuit, Montelago, Crpostran, Karma :: After the long offseason, the paddock was alive for the first time un-officially opening the gates on the World Grand Prix Championship 21 season. While it could be argued that more was different than was the same, there were still many familiar teams in the paddock and a lot of familiar drivers. In fact, less than 5 drivers who competed at the World Grand Prix 2 level just two seasons ago and yet been able to crack into the World Grand Prix Championship and of those many did not yet have a confirmed seat for this campaign.

In fact, that was a familiar story for many of the big names in the Paddock. iBen Toralmintii. William Archer. Rudy Edwards. Ted Pressley. former WGP2 Champion Batu Tüvshinbayar. Most surprisingly, however, was the complete absence in the paddock of the reigning constructors champion Urotovsky-Gatutin who were one of three teams to not take to the track on the opening day of WGPC testing. It is rumored that internal disagreements amongst team leadership has put the team in a situation where neither of its drivers are on contract and the knock on effect has been felt by other teams such as HMG Grand Prix who have been unable to get a commitment from their own propsective drivers while seats at two of the previous three WGPC Constructors winning franchises remain unfilled.

Among those in limbo is reigning WGPC runner-up Skiia Vialiv. The former test driver at Tropicorp Racing Ælund left her role in Aboveland following WGPC Season 19 in order to take a full-time drive with Urotovsky-Gatutin last season and famously outperformed not only the entire re-branded Tropicorp Colourworks team on her own, but nearly the entire World Grand Prix Championship field. However Vialiv's success at UrGa was in spite of the turmoil behind the season which reportedly went so far as to having team officials looking to replace Vialiv as a driver even after she delivered the team its first ever Grand Prix victory.

After iBen Toralmintii's record-setting performance... or lack there of... in the Colourworks ride it would seem a natural fit for the Abovian outfit to turn to their former test driver to take over and help the team in their quest to return to their former glory. Now, however, Toralmintii has expressed interest in a return to the grid - at the very least to compete in the Grand Prix of Turori for one final chance at a Trophy on their home track. Further complicating the matters is the availability of William Archer who despite being the winningest driver on the grid over the previous two campaigns has managed to talk themselves out of a seat at Preston Autos and replaced by Angela Stellar Tan Fan Ling who will need the support of the Preston engineers to overcome her vast underperformance in the title-winning Cygnus entry, looking to improve against what was the largest points deficit to a teammate driver last season.

After the signing of fellow Tropicorp-licensed driver Cocoabo #23 at Race Eelandii, the opportunities for Vialiv seem to be down to just Ælund or HMG Grand Prix, unless there is a stunning reversal behind the scenes at Urotovsky-Gatutin and they manage to choose performance over politics in re-signing last seasons most productive driving duo of Adonis Fitzpatrick and Skiia Vialiv for another term.

---

SKIIA VIALIV ✓

@Skiia

Don't have much to comment here, still working to secure a contract for the season. I decided to come to Crpostran anyway, I want to be in rhythm for the season even if I'm not on the track. HMG and @URGA_Motorsports_ENG haven't arrived yet though Ælund Grand Prix are here and its good to see some old friends from my time driving for the team during #WGPC19. I'll never forget my first big opportunity finishing on the podium for TRÆ at the Fjellutfordring Driver Showcase race. Its probably the race that gave me the most confidence that I could compete at this level, and hopefully we'll get to do it some more this season!

#WGPC21

A Look at the Suppliers for this season World Grand Prix Championship :: The "Bring your own stuff" mantra is starting to expand within the paddock as more and more teams are looking to get that guaranteed "Top Shelf" equipment by having their powertrain or even their tyres manufactured locally. Although the number of teams on the grid has stayed flat for the past few WGPC seasons, the number of approved engine manufacturers has skyrocketed from just 5 one season ago to now having 11 different powerplants not only approved but confirmed to be powering at least one team on the grid this season. Moreover, not a single engine manufacturer will be supplying more than two teams - a fact that could help to increase parity and reliability on the grid as there will be fewer hand-me-downs or rushed builds on track. Filling out the grid, it is no surprise to see the popular Preston Skychief V6 and the Tropicorp TRE-2T24V8 powering multiple teams. The Tropicorp engine powered last seasons WGPC Driver Champion, Brendan Faloe, while the Preston engine powered last seasons WGPC Constructors Champions Urotovsky-Gatutin.

Of course both the Drivers and Constructors Champions from not only the most recent World Grand Prix Championship campaign, but the last four World Grand Prix Championship seasons did so on Tropicorp Racing Supply tyres. Like the list of Engine Manufacturers, however, the list of officially sanctioned tyre suppliers has also grown substantially after having previously been capped at a total of 4 suppliers ever since the WGPO first began regulating approved Tyre Suppliers during WGPC Season 18. Just two tyre suppliers return from WGPC Season 20 - Tropicorp and Phoenician-InMotion while Tabtec and Brusteinn bow out after mediocre showings last season. Solymok return as a supplier for the first time since WGP Season 18 where they ranked 4th of 4 suppliers in the rankings while four brand new suppliers applied for and were granted a license to supply for WGPC Season 21 in the hopes of breaking into to the esteemed ranks of the World Grand Prix Championships. However, after evaluations by many of the teams, the tyres on offer from Best Street Tires and Thandorian Tires tested very similarly in the lab to those being offered by Solymok as a high reliability compound and given the expected similarity in performance, Urotovsky-Gatutin along with KISMO have opted for the race-proven brand name in Solymok with Best Street and Thandorian unable to secure a contract with any of the teams on the grid. After a solid debut in the stock car ranks, Hapiloppan supplier Brimstone makes its first leap into the World Grand Prix Championship and will have plenty of teams in their stable to provide feedback on how well their low-reliability compound is performing throughout the season. Brimstone will be joint-most prevalent on the grid, overtaking Phoenician-InMotion which retained 3 of its supplier contracts from WGPC Season 20 but lost the Kaylan team which folded in the offseason and the Eminent team which has switched to the more balanced Blue Sulphurate Tyre - a new offering out of Liventia which will for the first time make five uniquel recognized tyre options on track this season. After the first day of official World Grand Prix Championship testing at the Montelago International Circuit it seems it could be a very exciting battle between the various tyre suppliers this season, as each of the Top 5 drivers by fastest lap on Day 1 of testing secured their fast lap with a different tyre compound, with all five Tyre Suppliers having one of their drivers post a Top-5 Fastest Lap time on the day.

[Liventia]

Host notes: Auruna has provided a lighter-shaded secondary colour which resolves the colour clash. GPA Pryfors Bilar's driver signing is noted and will take effect from the second testing event. The withdrawal of South Newlandia's free agent driver is noted.

[Tumbra]

Thanks to Llama/Savigliane/Yuezhou for the Peter Thiel analogue and book title.

Crpostran

The screens of the modern-day WGPC grid may have provided all the information team principal Jack Brook needed, but sometimes the old-fashioned methods were best. In the rolling hills of Crpostran, he stood atop the pitwall, waiting for Nini Johnsilvaturr's purple-pink car to come past the pit box. It was the first test of the season — cobwebs needed to be cleared, engines needed to be tuned, and in general the attitude was "let's make sure everything works well before we really push at the next test." But everything seemed to be going well; the Tropicorp engines fitted well (and sounded good), the tyres were performing up to standard, and the gap to the Brimstone tyres were negligible.

Nini sped past the finishing line, recording a 1:56; considering she was running the hard tyre, being three seconds off Dario's best time was alright. Jack pressed lap on the stopwatch as he appreciated the sounds of Nini's V8 engine screaming past him; he then clambered down, and was about to sit back on his designated spot on the pitwall when he spotted two figures approaching.

The first was wearing an aviator get-up (though he had nowhere near the physique of an aviator, and really, it was just a bomber jacket and aviator sunglasses). This he recognised; it was Thomas Kim, the multi-billionaire main investor in Pressley Racing who'd taken an interest in this alongside his litany of tech companies. In his tow was a taller, austere looking man; his hair cut short and his blue eyes seemingly staring straight into Jack's soul. He didn't recognise the man at first glance, but after searching through his mental encyclopedia of Oponia (read: Open Online Encyclopedia, aka Wikipedia) faceshots he did. This was Peter Daumen, a Kotzellachian-Tumbran venture capitalist and a known collaborator of Kim in many business ventures.

Jack grinned, even if it felt forced; he would have preferred if the bigwigs stayed out of his Operations Department entirely, but of course billionaires like Kim and Daumen had much, much more money than sense and an overinflated ego that made them think they could run a racing team. Behind him, the rest of the six-man pit wall focused their attentions on the screen; evidently they were more focused on avoiding talking to Kim than they were at doing their jobs.

"Mr. Kim," said Jack as he extended his hand. Kim took it, and shook it. "Jack, good to see you. Stephen isn't here?"

"No, he's in charge of factory and Tumbran Super Formula operations now. Wanted to be closer to his family," Jack replied. This was a lie, of course, but Kim didn't need to know. "We have Kelly here instead; she's in charge of all trackside operations now. You know her, of course."

"I do, though she looks busy. Best not bother her. I believe you haven't met Mr. Peter Daumen? He's a good friend of mine." Kim motioned towards Peter Daumen, who extended his hand almost mechanically.

Jack shook Daumen's hand, and was taken somewhat aback by how cold his hand was. Daumen's lips barely shifted as what counted as a smile escaped.

"Mr. Jack Brook," Daumen began, in a distinctly Kotzellachian (read: German) accent. "I am, as Thomas says, Peter Daumen, and am pleased to be here today. I believe you are already acquainted with Palatine, one of my companies? Thomas was very persuasive in trying to get me to sponsor your efforts for this season. You may also know me from the book From Negative One To One. It is about startups."

"Mr. Daumen, thank you for coming," Jack replied. He had, in fact, read Daumen's book on startups, though the sudden and rather unsubtle calls for an authoritarian environment about midway through the book, where businesses could thrive struck him as somewhat weird and had made him rather uncomfortable. It had only been about two hundred pages long, but he found himself wanting to put it down five minutes after picking it up. "And we're very glad to have Palatine onboard this season. The big data analysis will be great for us, I think."

"I hope so too, Mr. Brook," Daumen replied.

"Well, us being here means there's a hundred and twenty-four billion dollars at this track," Kim chuckled. "A hundred and thirteen for me, ten for Pete here, and one, of course, in this team. But between us Pete's always been the brains behind it. He prefers the nitty-gritty, I prefer to focus on big-picture stuff, you know?"

"You are too kind." Peter smiled. "How are the drivers doing, Jack? I know that there were a few discussions over who we should sign. I was looking at the data and I believe that William Archer would have been the best fit for the second seat, over Nini Johnsilvaturr."

"Well, about that," Jack coughed, not used to being grilled on-the-spot about the team's driver lineup. "We were inclined to give the first spot to Dario, of course, because he'd been testing the car for us and frankly was performing better than [Bryce] Yannec in every situation. Second spot, we were indeed considering Archer, but we felt that his demands were a bit too much and we felt that in the case that we were unable to help him mount a title challenge, the impact on team stability would be...greater than we were willing to bear. That's why we went with Nini; she did well in WGP2, knows the team, and was eager to return."

"So you prize loyalty?" asked Peter, incisively and directly cutting through the five or so sentences Jack stammered through.

"In a word, well, yes."

"That is an interesting approach in a world where results are everything. Case one. You see Cygnus, they have dropped their...ah...second driver because she scored one point. The one with forty names?"

"She did end up at Preston."

"Falling upwards," dismissed Daumen with a wave of his hand. "They at Preston will learn to be better than that. Back to what I was talking about. Case two. We know not if VTGP will re-hire that boy, the one who says he is from Galar — Carter, I believe his name is? I also believe they would be better off dropping him. This sport is about performance, and loyalty will get you nowhere. Conversely, William is one of the best-performing drivers and I think he has the winning edge. Or, at least, the data does. The X-factor. If he goes to Ælund, like some have tipped him for, it will be our loss." Daumen smiled again, the corners of his mouth curling up in an almost imperceptible manner.

"Is that what the data tells you?"

"The data tells me a lot of things. They call it big data for a reason. But I am able to pick out trends."

Kim shrugged. "I did try to convince them, but ultimately they won out. Seems the old man, Charlie, he wanted Nini. Oh well."

"Thomas, will this change after —"

"— Ope, and we're out of time for the day. Don't wanna disturb our talents while they're at work. Good seeing you, Jack."

"Good seeing you too, Mr. Kim. Mr. Daumen."

Peter nodded. The two crossed the pitlane again, heading back to the garage. Jack returned to the pit wall, breathing quietly in fury. Evidently not quietly enough, though, as Kelly Doënowitz, Deputy Team Principal, put a reassuring hand on his arm.

"Calm down," whispered Kelly. "And check your phone."

Jack did as Kelly asked; and saw a new message in an encrypted group just the three of them were in. It was from Stephen, who, while supposedly was based in Tumbra, was, well...

Stephen C. 14:06
Just touched down. Heading to the meeting with KVKB now.

Maybe, just maybe, there was a way out of this.

[Liventia]

Week 1: Testing Session 2

Conditions:      	Dry
Lap Record:      	00:01:45.071
Session Length:		180 minutes
Nation:         	CRN
Circuit:        	Montelago International Circuit

Drivers have 180 minutes to complete as many laps of the track as they like.

POS # ▍DRIVER                                               	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 22 ▍Nini Johnsilvaturr                                   	00:01:53.956	00:00:00.000
 2 77 ▍Abdoulaye Goita                                      	00:01:54.069	00:00:00.113
 3  7 ▍Anneliese Devereux                                   	00:01:54.126	00:00:00.171
 4 58 ▍Shuhei Kamado                                        	00:01:54.200	00:00:00.245
 5 40 ▍Adriana Ela Kowalski Lillian                         	00:01:54.261	00:00:00.306
 6 12 ▍Ron Sommer                                           	00:01:54.308	00:00:00.352
 7 27 ▍Dario Nülkeschlager                                  	00:01:54.525	00:00:00.570
 8 95 ▍Hanna Berezowska                                     	00:01:54.630	00:00:00.675
 9 55 ▍Gil Langdon                                          	00:01:55.029	00:00:01.074
10  1 ▍Brendan Faloe                                        	00:01:55.177	00:00:01.221
11 85 ▍Olivia Stone                                         	00:01:55.215	00:00:01.260
12 17 ▍Janne Laukkanen                                      	00:01:55.250	00:00:01.295
13 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                                          	00:01:55.410	00:00:01.454
14 82 ▍Kinu Luminna                                         	00:01:55.527	00:00:01.571
15 84 ▍Angela Stella Tan Fang Ling                          	00:01:55.636	00:00:01.680
16 51 ▍R.L. Cruisin                                         	00:01:56.247	00:00:02.292
17 94 ▍Ryker Lane                                           	00:01:57.719	00:00:03.764

[Aboveland]

Test session 2
Montelago International Circuit
Montelago, Crpostran

Terho, Ælund's official test and reserve driver, chattered away over the radio with Abdoulaye as the Reçuecian slowed on track on his in-lap, a cheeky grin forming on his face and occluded by the microphone on his headset. The engine vitals were optimal today, after a small overnight tweak to the engine mapping had seemed to avoid another overheated session-ending yellow flag as on day one — It had been months since the car had run in temperate weather, and as the tests in the CMYK engine lab had suggested, the engine's "party mode plus" was only apt for the frigid latitudes north of Vankkavalta. When Abs' time popped up on the screen as the session timer ticked over to 00:00, Edvin's face copied Terho's delight.

As the garishly camouflaged chassis whined electrically into the garage, its blow-off valve fluttering to a whisper past the pit entry, Edvin pulled his headset off and crossed the pitlane — narrowly avoiding the whirring, glowing Chase Cutter of Janne Laukkanen which sped past. Terho, lowering himself off his stool at the telemetry screens deep in the garage, approached Edvin the same, thumbs outstretched and arms pumping, meeting beside the empty space where Abs' car was about to get wheeled in. The team principal hummed and nodded his head back with a smirk.

"Excellent," Terho beamed to the obvious question, pinching his fingers on one of his hands and thrusting it forwards. "Perfect test day today. The engine was overstrung on the fast laps yesterday, but now it looks like CMYK has got the party mode down; Abs said the setup was much better today too."

"More front end?" Edvin scrunched his nose.

"More everything," Terho nodded. "We stiffened the rear roll bar and that changed the car completely, but we still didn't lose the traction in sector three. Plus, Abs already had a full day behind him today too, so that helped."

The hybrid unit of the glitchy-looking AGP machine beeped loudly as it went through it's shutoff procedure, while Abdoulaye began to undo his belts and pull his headrest up and out onto the nose of the car. Edvin, lost in thought, nodded absently at Terho.

"I've been saying," he continued, staring back down at the car at their feet. "This car is quick, Edvin. And apparently, it's easy to work with, too. I'm pretty opt—"

"I've sent Ted Pressley a formal offer for the Ælund Grand Prix second seat. Equal status contractually, of course," Edvin blurted suddenly. Terho, yanked out of his analytics, turned to face him with a sharp glance, his mouth ajar.

"That's my job, Edvin," he muttered, lowering his voice but inching closer with a frown. "And we were supposed to discuss that, like, right now."

"I knew you'd have done the same, anyway..." replied Edvin, shrugging nonchalantly. "Isn't that so?" He turned to face Terho, who failed to hide his surprise and discontent, and began frowning himself, too. "What's the matter?"

Terho sighed; glancing over at Abdoulaye getting ready to pull himself out of the monocoque, he grabbed Edvin by the sleeve of his fleece and pulled him away from earshot. "I wouldn't have kept Archer and Vialiv on standby if I'd been so convinced about Ted, Edvin," he moaned, almost pleading. "We're signing a guy that — I mean, we know his potential, but we're leaving two championship runners-up on the table. And one of them did that last year in a tinpot of a car!"

"A constructors-champion car, Terho," Edvin shrugged. His palms turned to face the roof, half-apologetically and half forcing Terho to concede. "We want someone to work with in the long run; you want a young hotshot; I want someone who's already driven the car. We don't have much time left, and Vialiv hasn't even sniffed the epoxy at the factory this year."

Terho bit his bottom lip and glanced around the garage in search of the Vilitan. She'd dropped by the garage the day before, and Terho would be lying if he said her case didn't pull at his heartstrings — as did iBen's less hopeful long-shot chance. The pause was poignant and brief; Edvin's eyes remained latched onto him. It was a long lost game over.

"Okay," Terho shrugged. "And I'll take your precedent on Ji So-yeong as consolation." He clapped his hands together and brought them up to rub his face with a suppressed groan. "But right now? I think it's our loss. You better hope neither Vialiv nor Archer finish ahead of us this year."

"They need a team for that first," Edvin clapped back dryly.

[Valentine Z]

Part 4 – The Tales of the two Valentians - Familiarity for Adriana, and how Angela was able to get an unexpected team to support her.

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 arrived at the office way too early, 50 minutes, to be precise. She was eager to get things rolling, and as a Valentian courtesy to come to the meeting at least 30 to 45 minutes before it commences. The address given lead to the Preston Auto’s Headquarters, the one that she was asked to go to along with one other driver that has most likely joined the team. From the tests themselves, Angela assumed the person to be either Kinu Luminna or Abdoulaye Goita, the top two drivers in terms of the timings in the Preston Trials. Regardless of who is there, Angela was simply elated that someone such as Preston was willing to offer her the spot, especially given the previous season. It is still one of those things that she harps on and about, even if not a lot of people are making comments about it. Deep down, she knows that she’ll need to redeem herself as a Preston driver or that her WGPC career will be devastated for years to come, perhaps forever. There is also the matter regarding the Hapilopperians, the ones that run the team. Naturally, Angela has heard about them many times, all of them being positive. Most of the comments and remarks are from NSSCRA scene where a lot of the Valentians (12 of them to be exact, and a few more here and there as one-offs or historical) have participated in. Even accounting for a couple of less favorable moments such as Clarissa being jeered at and reactions from the Valentians themselves that was rather overkill, on top of the Big-Ass mess-up that happened thanks to the Valentians running one event without consideration, the two nations and their people have all been very cordial.

After the wait and the office doors having opened, Angela left her ship and walked towards the entrance, identifying herself as the new driver that the Preston Autos have invited and that she was asked to come to this place. With that, a warm welcome and hospitality was given to her and the other driver (who turned out to be Kinu Luminna), along with an orientation of the place for both of the drivers. Soon enough, it was time for serious business. To be more precise, Angela (and the other driver as well presumably) was asked to voice their opinion and the like, especially as to how they handled their cars and if the Preston Auto cars will be able to get them further with good and relevant feedback. That was further complemented by the practice session in Montelago International Circuit. As it would seem, Angela was having one hell of a time controlling her car, perhaps requiring a more aggressive style out of it? Kinu did not seem to be doing too well either. Of course, as this was the practice session, this is quite the opposite. In other words, the flaws and pain points being surfaced earlier can help their engineers and the staff a lot more. With that, after taking a break from her test session, she walked over to the Preston Auto crew to talk to them nicely about how she feel for the moment with their cars – at least for the first time driving the thing around.

“I would like to provide my honest opinion of the vehicle so far. For the record and to be clear, I also would like to be clear that this is not a demand or complaint for the sake of it. This was something that I felt when I was driving the car around the course. Overall, I feel that it demands quite an aggression,” Angela paused for a while, wondering if she phrased that correctly. After all, “The car demands a lot of out of me,” is not exactly something that she should be saying. “As it was like with during the testing session, I have not handled a car like this before that wanted you to push it to the limit. It’s good and all, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like I am making small mistakes here and there during the race that was costing me the time. Many of the times, I was either over or under-steering, or either braking too much or not enough. Still, I will learn though. I would also like to use this opportunity to see if I am able to request for a little bit of a help in terms of, well, trainers or engineers to work closely with. I understand that my performance last season was nothing short of shameful, so I do want to prove my worth for this season.”

Zastępca Strażnika Adriana Krystal Desiree “Cudowny Manipulacja Światłem” Venus Kowalski Faith Stanisława Engelse I. Cherise Krystyna Zaborowska Sztormowska Pamela Alina Re. T. Lillian felt the steering wheel of the car. It has indeed been so long, but to her, she welcomed the old friend as she sat onto the seat once again. Adriana Ela Kowalski Lillian, her name and the Valentian flag gleams on the car. “The #40 is all mine,” she thought to herself. The first testing session was also an indication that she was off to a good start. She had to contend with giving the priority on the NSSCRA module when she was in WGPC and vice versa but overall – the memory swapping and parameter adjustments are things that are second-nature to her. 5th out of 17 drivers, that is a mighty fine finish and especially considering when the others are very likely trying their absolute best as well. “Oh, this is very good, haha! I think I can definitely get used to this and maintain this performance, and get better at those aggressive tracks as well.” In the meantime, Adriana was looking at the leaderboard and saw Angela’s name as well. First and foremost being that she felt bad that Angela was at the bottom of the list, but she was also relieved that this was just a practice session and that things might be looking up for her. After all, Angela is now attached to none other than the Preston Autos themselves, and if they also do the same if not more than their NSSCRA counterparts, it is guaranteed that Angela is in good hands. Though of course, goes without saying that neither Adriana nor Angela were talking down on Cygnus. The latter especially appreciates what the team has done for her, and that Dr. Emerson has always been a good person to them. With a smile on her face, Adriana walked away, looking for Anneliese.

Anneliese Devereux, a teammate that she has known for many seasons at this point, and the main face of the Eminent Team. That is all right, of course; Adriana is not trying to steal her thunder and if anything, she simply likes her as a friend, on top of Eminent (and Fireline) for being such sweethearts to her. This is the team that has looked out for her since her inception into WGP2, and the team that she has worked for almost (if not) all of both the WGPC and WGP2 seasons. “Ahhh, heyy, Anneliese!” Adriana would wave her hand with a cheer upon seeing her teammate, “Great work on the practice session today! I believe that both of us are able to handle our cars as naturally as we could, if not better than the previous seasons. I do hope and wish all the best for you!” With that in mind, Adriana is also fully aware of how unforgiving Grand Prix as a whole can be. In particular, the points are only given to the top few finishers; anyone else that did not make the cut will simply get the “Too bad, maybe next time” treatment, with the exception of the fastest lap as a consolidation. Still, Adriana is confident – she is aiming for a Top 5 finisher.