World Grand Prix Championship 21 [RP/results]

[Recuecn]

With the UrGa contract signed, Vincent was in relaxation mode. He’d gotten what he wanted, and now all he had to do was show up on race day, be fast, and win. Well, that and keep Yakov happy. But usually the things Yakov wanted were also things Vincent wanted, so he wasn’t too worried about that. Vasily on the other hand…

Vincent had already received at least one memo from the UrGa team principal or at least someone working for him—Vincent wasn’t sure, he hadn’t bothered to read it. Valérie had told him that the upshot of the memo was that Vincent was expected to “attend all scheduled team events” and “be attentive during team meetings.”

Vincent thought it was funny there were people who thought they could tell him what to do. Obviously, they were people who didn’t know him very well. If they’d known who he was, they’d have known he was the one who told people what to do, not the other way around. That was sort of the whole point of being a multi-millionaire CEO, as he saw it.

Anyway, he’d show up for a team meeting when he felt like it. He knew there was supposed to be one today, before the Aurun test tomorrow, but he was still getting over the stress of having to re-sign his UrGa contract, so he’d scheduled a private massage instead. The WGPC negotiation period was difficult, he deserved it! There had been a moment he wasn’t sure that his prior agreement with Yakov would be enough to get him the spot, and he’d gone into desperation mode, trying to find backup teams to sign with in case things fell through. In the end things had worked out, and there had been that fun trick with the sprinklers… but still, it had been a lot. He deserved a massage.

Valérie came into the room. Vincent rolled his eyes. He didn’t need this right now.

“What is it, Valérie? You have five minutes, max, the masseuse is about to get here.”

“Just some action items we didn’t have time to get to yet, I won’t take long,” said his assistant. She cut to the chase. “Indori Volcanasaur, your WGP2 rival, has called you out on twii.tur, claiming you bought your seat with UrGa and saying you’re too afraid to run the Berman Bros.”

“I did buy the seat.”

“Yes, Monsieur, but that’s theoretically not supposed to be public information.”

“I don’t give a damn, UrGa’s allowed to sell their seats if they like, and I have plenty of money, why shouldn’t I buy one? What is anyone gonna do about it? Anyway, what the hell is a Berman Bro?”

“I believe it is a racing competition in Hapilopper, Monsieur.”

“I’ve never heard of that shit in my life.”

“I believe it is a dirt track race, Monsieur.”

“Well great. If Indori wants to go play in the dirt, he can do that.”

“Would you like me to twii that, Monsieur?”

“I mean, if you feel like it. Again, this is another issue I’m not too bothered by. You said it perfectly yourself, Valérie. Indori was my WGP2 rival. Well, I’m not in the WGP2 anymore. That punk is jealous because he couldn’t make it in the big leagues like me, that’s all. There’s no need to respond to his pettiness; I’ve moved on. If he wants to stay mad, that’s his choice.”

“Understood, Monsieur.”

“How did he find out about the payment anyway? We didn’t tell anyone about that. I thought I told you to hide the briefcase.”

“I think at some point Ms. Kinder must have seen it; it got left in the room where they had you sign the contracts.”

Valérie began to explain how the rumor had spread, and why it must have been Nepö Kinder who started it. But Vincent wasn’t listening anymore. As soon as Valérie had mentioned Nepö, Vincent had stopped paying attention.

He thought back to their meeting, the day they’d each signed their respective contracts with UrGa. Both of them had driven for the team before, but neither of them in a full-fledged role as a WGPC race driver. Nepö had been a test driver, and Vincent had been a WGP2 driver, but the two schedules never overlapped so they’d never actually run into each other before in Myrilsk. Now, they’d both graduated and were set to be WGPC teammates.

Vincent had been a little surprised by the vibe he’d gotten from Nepö. The look she gave him was a knowing one, as if she’d been warned about him. Maybe she’d been around the UrGa garage enough to hear the rumors about Vincent’s roguery, not to mention the story about the tantrum he’d thrown on the last day of the WGP2 season. Vincent was used to making good first impressions effortlessly, but Nepö’s raised eyebrow when he’d offered her a handshake told him that in this case, it was too late.

Flustered by his teammate’s apparent ability to see through him, Vincent had aborted the handshake and blown her a sarcastic kiss instead, trying to save face. But even as he had, something about her had captured her imagination. Maybe it was her eyes. Maybe it was something about her beak nose and lopsided smile that were actually rather adorable. Or maybe it was just the prospective challenge—Vincent sensed Nepö’s resistance and thrilled at the idea of a conquest. It was boring when things were too easy.

Vincent was pulled out of his daydream as he realized Valérie had stopped talking. “Was there anything else? Or was that it?”

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” said Vincent.

A woman wearing scrubs and holding a box of various bottles and oils entered the room.

“Hello, I was told this was the suite of Mr. Von Visp, who ordered a massage?”

“That’s me, but you can call me Vincent.” Vincent smiled. It was really remarkable how charming he could be, despite apparently being a total sociopath. Unless you were personally aware of how rotten he was, he came across as the world’s nicest man.

Of course, he used it to his advantage.

“This is my personal assistant, Valérie. What was your name?”

“I’m Ainikka.”

“Well it’s a pleasure to meet you, Ainikka,” said Vincent. “I’ve really been looking forward to this, I’ve been so tense lately…” Vincent was still smiling warmly, and his welcoming expression seemed to make Ainikka feel at home. Valérie, on the other hand, remained silent and expressionless. She was a natural stoic.

“Go ahead and put your stuff down over there if you like,” said Vincent, gesturing at the table. “We can go ahead and get started, Valérie and I were just wrapping up.” He sat down on the bed and began to unbutton his shirt. “Or did you have anything more for me, Valérie?”

Valérie steadfastly maintained eye contact as Vincent began to disrobe. “Well, there is the UrGa meeting in fifteen minutes.”

“I’m aware. Clearly I’m not planning to attend.” Vincent was down to his shorts now, and he lay face-down on the bed. He had to twist his head sideways to see Valérie. “If that is all, then I will see you tomorrow when we go to the test drive.”

“Certainly, Monsieur. Bonne journée.”

Oh, shit. “Wait, is Nepö Kinder going to be at this team meeting?” Maybe he ought to attend after all.

[Nico Hulkenberg]

THE GRUNEBUCH by Josef Wortsagen

Some places can appear to be particularly designed to dazzle and confuse newcomers at first glance, and that just about sums up the entire nation of Hodori. I, like many, am somewhat of a technophobe when it comes to these sorts of things, so when passport control began demanding my ‘Digital ID Card’ and waving a scanner in my general direction, I waved my good old Hülkenberger passport - in a beautiful BLUE colour - and opened it to the page displaying my information. Simple, as things should be. Bewildered, the fine young gentleman examining my travel document attempted to scan it with something that appeared to be far too futuristic for scanning traditional passports like my own. When this didn’t work, he whispered something into a microphone, and two very nice ladies grabbed me by my arms and dragged me to a room somewhere in the nether regions of the airport. On my way there, I had plenty time to admire the building’s intriguing architecture and cleanliness. For starters, the floor was remarkably clean, something I’ve never experienced in an airport of this size, which made it quite satisfying for my feet to drag along. I also noticed that the airport's ceilings had a ratio of 4.5 tiles per overhead light, which is relatively good compared to some of the more dimly-lit airports I've had the misfortune of being in. Anywho, the back room in question was roomy and could almost be considered pleasant were it not for the fact that I was being berated about my passport being "a relic of ancient times" and being rather forcefully asked to point out Hülkenberg on a map. Of course, this is a task that becomes rather difficult to accomplish when everything is in a different orientation and a different language, but eventually I was able to locate my nation. With my dignity having been resoundingly violated, the officials wrote some rather rude words - I'm assuming here, as I cannot read Hodoran - where a stamp should be, and directed me towards baggage reclaim. Inevitably, something else went wrong, and for the second consecutive trip my bag would not be making it with me to my hotel. All in all, a very degrading experience, and not one I’d recommend for anyone to go through unless you have a fetish for this sort of thing. Thankfully, I do, so I shall be returning to Kizagama International Airport with great pleasure.

In case you have forgotten, the Grunebuch is meant to be about motorsport - particularly, grand prix racing - so I'm sorry if anything that I mentioned earlier made you think that perhaps this was dedicated to my travels. In a way, it is, but the wonderful editors at the Herald shall judge me greatly if I include too little about recent events in racing, so I shall relent to their requests. Just before I break down this weekend's happenings at the Ikasamo Speedway, however, I will take some time to compliment Hodori's high-speed rail system, which took me from my hotel in Kizagama to the circuit in a laughably quick time. Indeed, if you read this piece, you would probably not be able to make it to the end before you made it. It is, indeed, that fast, and such ease of travel makes it one of the few technological marvels in this nation that I can actually get behind, putting paid to the notion that the best way to get to your destination is with tyres and roads. Speaking of tyres, they would end up being the source of much controversy here in Hodori, as all teams utilising Tropicorp equipment were forced to strip logos down to the apparently-acceptable 'Toico', or more accurately T o ico . There were rumours that Tropicorp-running teams would host their own test in retaliation to something they viewed as rather petty and draconian, but in the end the four teams - HMG, Pressley, Race Eelandii, and Ælund - all tested with seemingly little-to-no issues whatsoever. Fortunately, as this circuit will only be used for testing, this issue should not crop up again, and all Tropicorp runnings have been notified that they should be able to proceed normally for the remainder of the season.

Indeed, many teams were quick to point out that perhaps Hodori's governing bodies should be more focused on the sorry excuse of a racing driver called 'Ankei Souzare' who, should he genuinely make it to the grid without crashing whatever transportation he uses to get there, will be such a genuine danger to other drivers. I cannot stress this enough, this person should be banned from motor racing, and perhaps all motoring entirely. In both sessions, Mr. Incompetent found himself entirely unable to set a time, his idiocy blinding him to such a degree that he severely damaged his HiTEN.gpt car on two occasions. As anybody with a brain will tell you, this will absolutely happen again, and I only hope that he doesn't kill someone when he's busy complaining that the track has 'too much grip'. Rather miraculously, the other HiTEN of Hanna Berezowska finished second in both sessions, perhaps showing that Souzare's bloated wallet is at least useful for something except the crash bill. Perhaps Mr. Souzare would find more fortune in NSSCRA, where crashing is a more natural part of racing. Until then, we will be forced to suffer this sorry delinquent's attempts at driving for far too long. If he makes it to the end of a grand prix, may god help us all.

Nobody seemed more surprised than HMG themselves when they turned up to their first official test session of the season with the exact same driver lineup that Urutovsky-Gatutin, the reigning constructors’ champions, had just let go. They didn’t exactly set the heather ablaze and light up the timesheets, but they were not exactly miles off the pace either. It’s a relatively open secret that HMG aren’t expecting much from their car, the HMG H01.1, but with such a coup in the drivers market there may be hope for the Emmerich-based outfit yet. The team’s highest spot may have only been 17th in Hodori, but having missed so much running being only eight tenths off the front of the pack is not bad going. Indeed, the lineup the team managed to select is made even more mind-boggling by the fact that the team didn't offer either driver a seat until almost the very last second - does beg the question as to why they were the only team to do so, you might think. You'd be right! How did two exceptionally talented title holders get passed up by the majority of teams at the top level of grand prix racing? The answer is, as always, politics. UrGa chose experience over youth, other teams did their business early, and somehow HMG found itself as the only team with two seats open when such a high calibre of driver was still on the market. Such fortune doesn't happen twice, though, so it will be down to the boys and girls in HMG's engineering department to cobble together a point-scoring car in time for the first race in Aboveland.

Things have also been rather lukewarm for Nepö Kinder, who was rather fortunately picked up by UrGa when it appeared that all other options had been exhausted. Better late than never, I suppose. She will undoubtedly be expecting better than her tests showed, finishing 13th and 22nd across the two days of testing, but I have it on good authority that her side of the (very divided) garage elected to do high fuel runs, having come from AOGP where there is a distinct lack of high fuel running. There have already been some early rumours that UrGa’s former reserve and former WGP2 driver have taken a real disliking to one another. Well, “one another” is a bit of a stretch, but a clash of heads this early on? Surely not…

On the contrary, things are going very well for Dario Nülkeschläger and Pressley-Kim Racing. There’s whispers that they’re getting themselves set up for a really good season, which was evidenced even further when they had two very positive days of testing. His teammate, Nini Johnsilvaturr, took the headlines by being quickest on the final day - showing that the car clearly has more pace to give. If he can unlock it, then who knows, perhaps we could be seeing our very own Dario Nülkeschläger on the podium once more.

Sometime after the test, I found that I needed to relieve myself, so I located the nearest bathroom. Once I had figured out how to open the door, I then had to work out how to lift the toilet seat. Apparently, all these things are digitised motion-activated sensor-based doohickeys, but these are not things one thinks about when they are desperate. Anyhow, I figured it out, and decided to fiddle with some of the buttons on the panel beside the toilet, as they appeared to contain funny pictures of stickmen in strange positions. Unfortunately, one of the buttons I pressed (which I later discovered had Hodoran text on it translating to 'The Ass Blaster') gave me quite a shock, and once more this nation confused me. However, my trip would eventually be redeemed in one of the most shocking ways of all, as it was in this Hodoran toilet that I had the perfect shite. The controls of the lavatory system were not exactly easy to work out, with everything being in a different language, but once I had worked out how to use the arse-blasting jet-powered water gushers, I arose from the toilet feeling empowered. Even wiping with the Portrait of Schmidt* would not have tarnished its value, it was of such beauty and grace. Once I had given it the respect it deserves, I saluted the lavatory and flushed my masterpiece into Hodori's sewer system, never to be seen again by man nor beast. A sobering moment, to be sure, and one that distracted me from writing this piece.

There is, of course, still one test remaining at the Akresna Circuit in Auruna, so every team will have a chance to refine - or in the case of Souzare’s poor engineers, rebuild - their cars for the year ahead. It was a rather large surprise to see the circuit left off the calendar, having been a fixture of the grand prix schedule during the previous three seasons, but its continuation as a testing venue gives me a very good reason to return there. You see, in my mind Auruna has always been a sort of distant cousin to Aboveland. There is just something about those two wonderful nations, their shared characteristics, their blueness, and their racing heritage, all of which gelling together to make some very proud nations. Indeed, things fall apart when you try to compare your Terho Talvelas to your Kinu Luminnas, but my point stands. Indeed, another good thing about Aboveland and Auruna is the beer, more particularly in the Aurun case. Indeed, if one were to walk into any pub in Veratuna, they may feel particularly aggrieved when the barkeep extends their hand and asks for one’s weekly salary, but believe me when I say that the beverage itself almost makes it worthwhile. Of course, things may have changed since my last trip, but I imagine prices will not have fluctuated much, but with the state the world is in - why not drink beer.


Over the past few weeks, I have received a few complaints, questions, and queries in relation to my writings. In a gesture of goodwill, I shall respond to a few of these with as much time as I am willing to give.

’Hello Josef,

In your last article you mentioned Nik Hazrin Lutfi as a potential HMG candidate, but you do not say whether or not he was under consideration. Was he, and is he a big loss for the team?

Scott’

no

’Hi Josef!

If, as you have alluded to before, HMG’s entry to WGPC was a known thing for months, why didn’t you tell us in any of your Grunebuchs?

Patrik’

funny

’Josef,

Will HMG be making any attempts to compete in any potential lower series this season, such as AOGP or WGP2? Surely it would be beneficial for nurturing any potential young talents for their WGPC program.

Edwin’

dunno

In future, please send all inquiries by either mail or email, both of which are available elsewhere in the Herald.

*a famous painting which is integral to Hülkenberger culture, for the uninitiated amongst you who are too uncultured to learn about our proud nation's art history.

---

Ikasamo Speedway,
Hodori

Having spent the day before doing more hot laps than race laps, Dario’s task in the second testing session was to do a full race run, coupled with a pit lane exercise for full authenticity. After 50-odd laps of hearing ”Avoid kerbs”, ”Li-co (lift and coast) for the next few laps”, and a variety of different ”Engine mode”s, he was relieved when his Sonia’s dulcet tones came through his radio to say ”Race run completed. Finish the lap and box.”, signalling the end.

“Copy.” he said, carefully guiding the PRE-025 around the circuit on a slow slap, before pulling into the pit lane and engaging the limiter.

”Got some good data gathered, so that’s something to go over together later. Nini finished the session P1 on an alternate run plan.”

“Ideal.”

“Looks like it’ll be a pretty exciting season, Dario.”

“Let’s make some memories.”

Not visible through the helmet was Dario’s massive smile, as he and his engineer seemed to clock just how good the Pressley machine was. It was early days yet, but the vibes inside the team were beginning to get good, and there were real hopes of consistent points. Having completed his day’s running, he changed into something more comfortable and strode over towards the front end of the pit lane, where he spotted Nepö finishing a long run of her own. He gave her a wee wave, before going back to debrief with his team.

---

Meanwhile, at the UrGa garages

”Delta to Vincent, plus one-point-five.”

“Ugh.”

Nepö wasn’t entirely sure of her teammate’s run plan, but any time she was behind him was annoying to her. Indeed, everything about Vincent was annoying to her, be it his extreme wealth, demeanour, or just his existence as a whole. Barely a word had been exchanged between the two throughout the duration of the two days in Auruna, and she was doing his best to stay away from him, lest he tried anything. Thus, after finishing the session, the news that there would be a team meeting sent a shiver down her spine. With the meeting at short notice, she swiftly phoned her dad (who was back at the a Entwicklungszentrum, rather than on-site with HMG) for a pep talk of sorts.

”Nepö! How did your session go?”

“That’s not important right now. Look, dad, there’s a team meeting soon and that means I might be about to be trapped in a room with HIM.”

“Who, the boogeyman?”

“No, Vincent. Y’know, my teammate.”

“Oh, him. I forgot you got paired up with him of all people.”

“Yeah! I did! So what do I do, do I no-show? Say I was sick or something? C’mon, you have to help me out here!”

“Give the boy a chance, Nepö. You’ve barely even met him and you’ve written him off.”

“What about literally everything you told me? The outbursts, the faux hospitality… for lack of a better word, the lack of class?”

“As far as he knows, you don’t know that. He’s quite charming when you don’t look into his past. Or his eyes.”

“His eyes?”

“Don’t make too much eye contact. He’ll take it as affection.”

“…and you know this how?”

“The paddock talks, dear. Anyway, maintain full professionalism with no eye contact, but be cordial. The team won’t function unless you and the Baron of Bastardville actually converse from time to time.”

“Are you seriously suggesting that I act NICELY to that smarmy fuck?”

“I merely think it would be better for you to have a more open mind on this. Wipe his slate clean, and see how things progress. You never know - you might see a different side to him.”

“What if that side is even worse?”

“He’d have to be one vile piece of work to have an even worse side to what he’s got already. Find his good side, or better yet get on his good side. You never know, maybe he’s different.”

“How much is he paying you to say this?”

“Sorry, the call’s breaking up. I have to go. Good luck!”

Perhaps the answer was evident.

[Katzeburg]

Studio 8, KBC Studios, Katzestadt

Studio 8 had seen its fair share of stars grace its central soundstage over the years. From the long-running Katzeburgian drama series Snow on the Mount to the hilariously ill-fated talk show The Ford Runner Show (pulled off air after just three weeks after it was realised the Katzeburgian public hated host Ford Runner with a fierce passion), the studio had seen A-list celebrities, top tier politicians, and even international sporting stars (albeit ones well past their prime) make an appearance.

And now here sat Ron Sommer and Gil Langdon. Two of the newest racers on the WGPC grid had been given permission from their teams to fly back to Katzeburg to take part in a panel discussion on leading KBC sports show SportsHub ahead of the third and final testing period before the season kicked off. Despite spying each other from opposite sides of the paddock during their testing sessions in Crpostran and Hodori, they hadn’t actually been in the same room since the dramatic end of the Katzeburgian Qualifier - where Ron fired past Gil in the final stretch after the KISMO driver crashed his car heading into the final corner.

Ron looked around to take in the bright lights of the studio set, almost as a way to check his bearings and make sure he hadn’t entered some sort of dream-like alternative reality. He looked over to Gil, who was calmly seated on the other side of the small semi-transparent table sitting between the two of them and the host, Otis Huffman. Gil was scrolling through his phone, oblivious to the surroundings.

How is he so calm? Ron thought to himself. Maybe he got some good guidance from his agent ahead of the interview? There’s no way he is as nervous as I am.

But Ron didn’t have much more time to dwell on it as from his right he heard a stagehand shout “Five seconds!” and as the cameras swung in to the centre of the stage, Ron could do nothing but cautiously follow the lens as it settled on Huffman.

“Welcome back to SportsHub,” Otis said, looking down the barrel of the camera. “Now we turn to the upcoming World Grand Prix season, which for the first time in history will have not just one, but two Katzeburgians lining up on the grid. Joining me here in the studio tonight are the two representatives flying the Katzeburgian flag this season, Gil Langdon from Kissan Motorsports and Ron Sommer from Viska Racing. Welcome both and thanks for joining us here on SportsHub.”

“Thanks for having me on,” Gil said assertively. He had immediately switched into media mode, Ron thought to himself.

“It’s a pleasure being here,” Ron squeaked out. His nerves had gotten the better of him for the first few moments - being on SportsHub was always something he had hoped to be on, and now he was sitting in the studio it was a lot to take in.

“Gil, I’d love to start with you if that’s alright,” Otis said, twisting to the KISMO racer. “After coming second in the qualifier, you very quickly found a seat with Kissan after topping their driver trials over in Aji No Moto and have been impressive in the testing sessions to date. How have you found the experience so far?”

Gil shot a smile off towards Otis and leapt in. “It’s been great Otis,” Gil said. “The KISMO team are lucky to have me and I’ve been proud to show off just why they were right to put faith in me so far with some good early experiences in testing. There’s a long way to go, especially with the season right around the corner, but I’ve picked up a lot about the car which will help me to no end once we get out there racing.”

“Some sources have reported to KBC that KISMO initially wasn’t keen on bringing an untested rookie in, even for a test, and that your status as a pay driver had a lot to do with the team bringing you on board - do you have any comment to that?”

Gil visibly bristled. You fuck, Gil thought to himself. Continuing to smile, but with the hint of a strain of a man who was willing to leap over the table and choke out a journalist, Gil responded.

“I’m not sure where you got that from, as Kissan have been fantastic to me since coming on board. I can absolutely understand the challenges a rookie to the circuit brings to teams, especially one with prestige behind it like Kissan, and anyone knows the economics of the league requires sponsors on some level to allow for teams to truly compete at that top level. It made perfect sense from both sides to collaborate on this, and I’m thrilled to be racing for Kissan and show them and the rest of the grid I deserve to be here.”

“That’s an interesting point you raise there around sponsors, and I’d like to bring in Ron for his thoughts on this if possible,” Otis said, waving a hand towards Ron to bring him into the conversation. “Ron, you’ve joined Viska seemingly out of nowhere and so far have been one of the surprise packets of the off-season. Many here in the domestic scene know about the efforts you and your family have put in just to open that door to a WGPC spot, but surely having no real financial backing easily accessible makes your position rather untenable should you fail to fire?”

Ron gulped. “I-I-,” he stammered. “I think you are right. I am so thankful to Viska for giving me this opportunity, especially given I don’t have the luxury of in-built sponsorships which we can bring to the table. Heck, I don’t even think we could swing a sponsorship from my dad’s hardware store, unless Viska wanted about 15 barins a year!”

Otis chucked. Ron cracked a smile as he continued. “It’s so hard for racers to break into the top level circuit just on its own, and the finances often means it’s even harder for those not as advantaged as well. I’m so thankful for the sacrifices my parents have made over the years just to get me onto the track, and I’ve worked hard every single day to try and repay that - even if I may never do so. And that’s an approach I want to bring into Viska and hopefully the team has been happy with how we’ve gone so far - I think there definitely is pressure if I fail to fire, but I’m just hoping I get a run to show what I can do first.”

Otis nodded and looked down to his notes. “And so far, so good it seems - you finished ninth and fifth in the testing sessions at Ikasamo, both times ahead of your opposite number here tonight. Do you think you can continue that positive form into the final testing session?”

Ron noticed a scowl starting to creep across the face of Gil opposite him. “I-I hope so,” Ron said. “It’s a very tough field full of quality racers, Gil included of course! I’m just pleased to be learning as much as I am at the moment both in terms of the car and my limits as a racer.”

“And as much as possible from your teammate William Archer, I imagine. How have you found the partnership with the former Preston racer?”

Ron took a second to respond. Archer had been an interesting addition to the team - full of top tier experience, but it lingered in the back of Ron’s mind why no other team had offered him a drive until Viska came calling, especially following reports that Preston were keen to provide some financial assistance to any team which brought him in. Is there a problem he wasn’t seeing as of yet?

“William’s been fantastic so far. It’s incredible having a driver of his quality and experience in the car as well, not just for the team itself and the feedback he can bring, but it’s also been illuminating seeing how he operates on and off the track - I’ve already learnt a lot just watching him so far and I think over the coming season I’ll be learning a lot more.”

“Gil - you’ve obviously been joined on the grid by an Aji No Moto native at Kissan in Shuhei Kamado - how have you found the partnership to date?”

“I think we’re still getting to grips with a lot of things,” Gil said. “He’s been a great comparison so far this season as to the standards we want to be setting at KISMO and like Ron, I’ve learnt a lot from him so far.”

Like how to struggle at Ikasamo, Gil thought to himself, chuckling internally.

“He’s got some great experience behind him and even though it’s pre-season, we’re both getting well used to the car. I can’t wait to see how we both go in the final testing and help Kissan shore up its plans for the season.”

“And off-track? There’s been some inklings around the helmets the two of you are using and that KISMO forced him to move away from a planned yellow helmet to placate you - is there any truth to that?”

Gil bristled again, before shooting off another smile - staring daggers into Otis at the same time. “I’m not sure where you have got all these rumours from Otis, but they are categorically incorrect. Yes, we both did want to use similar colours for our helmets, but you have to appreciate that leads to extra challenges identifying racers on track. Shuhei was really kind with his decision to move away from the colour and I think that goes a lot towards the attitude he brings to the team, it’s one of helping for the greater good.”

“I see. And looking ahead to the next test in Auruna, how do you think you will fare on the track?”

“As well as I’ve fared on the other tracks to date, Otis,” Gil fired back. “I’ve been picking up a lot about the car and these sessions have been great to push it a little further each time. We’ve got a real contender with the Kissan car and I can’t wait to put it through its paces again.”

“Ron? What about you? Obviously it may be a home away from home given the track is in the country Viska is based.”

“It’s exciting, I’m not going to lie! It’s a good chance to hopefully endear myself to some of the local supporters and I’m really keen to keep working through the characteristics of the car as we start to head into the season.”

“Definitely. We’ll I’d like to thank the both of you for your time tonight and wish you best of luck for the season ahead - with two Katzeburgian racers on the grid, is it only a matter of time before we have our first point scorer and race winner? Make your thoughts known by contacting yourthoughts@kbc…”

[Auruna]

Tarvellanet Aurunaan vär Sera-naruokusiaankömmekäliää Auruna!
Welcome to Auruna for the Aurun Pre-Season Test!
In cooperation with the MNA and NDT


Akresna Circuit

Circuit Details
Event: Aurunair Aurun Pre-Season Test / Aurunair Sera-naruokusiaankömmekäliää Auruna
Location : Akresna, Auruna
Layout : International
Length : 5.792 km
Lap Record : 1:40.442 (new estimate) | 1:42.211 (AtMA, 1997 - old version) | 1:32.970 (AEC, 2021)
DRS Zones: 2 (Start/Finish Straight & Kaulinta-Entenalla Straight)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ever since its first appearance in WGP2-III, Akresna has always been the site of WGPC and WGP2 events in Auruna, only missing out on one season of WGP2 (4). For WGPC21, Akresna is the venue for the Aurun Pre-Season test, only missing out on an actual race but circuit operations remain unchanged.

Special Advisory
Due to the event schedule being in the middle of the Aurun winter season, please expect heavy snowfall and extreme low temperatures. The circuit will be cleared of snow and applied with anti-icing compounds right before the start of the session but it may be temporarily halted by the circuit director later on for snow clearing once there is a substantial amount of snow on the track, overpowering the special anti-icing compound. The session may be suspended for the day when the snowfall is heavy enough to make it difficult and unsafe for circuit operations to continue.

The Akresna Circuit Sauna is open to all as well as several mobile saunas of the Aurun Army that are scattered around the venue.

The Veratuna Police Highway Patrol Unit will be available to safely escort any team transporters to and from Akresna.

The Aurun National Air Force's 15th Air Display and Aggressor Squadron of the North Veratuna AFB may be seen practicing aerobatics for an upcoming national holiday.

Previous Podiums in Akresna

WGP2 III - WGP2 Race of the Hills

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

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

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

WGP2 S5 - WGP2 Race of the Hills

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

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

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

Aurun WGP3 S1 - Round 5

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

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

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

WGP2 S6 - WGP2 Race of the Hills

1 - Haru Jukkena [Nexus Racing]
2 - Jhannis Illykur [VSK-Maarukanna Racing]
3 - Iina Konoa [VSK-Maarukanna Racing]

AtMA 22 - Round 7

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

AEC 22 - 8 Hours of Akresna

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

---

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

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

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

What follows is a 30-minute trip north by road using the As-1 or As-4 highway from either airports or from the capital area at an average speed of 115 kph but there may be sections heavily monitored by the HPU with a 70 kph speed limit due to snow. (Note: there are usually no speed limits at the As-1 and As-4 and please observe road safety as the highway patrol units are strict.)
As an alternative, the Gs-21 and the Körinö Pass which adds about 15 minutes to your travel time but there will be fewer traffic in both roads. Although Körinö Pass may be closed during this time of year as a safety precaution due to intense snow buildup. Please check your maps app for safer alternatives.

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

[Tumbra]

There wasn't a lot of time for Ted to get ready again, as he was hastily kitted up for the second pre-season test. To mitigate this he'd put in a lot of hours in the simulator back in Aboveland. It wasn't like driving the real car, but any practice he could get before getting shipped off to Hodori was key. He knew there were doubters; he knew that he had to put those doubts to rest.

He'd been adjusting well to life in the frigid north, too; the house he'd parted with a precious sum of money to purchase — no salary advances needed, at least, thank God — was slowly being furnished, even though the house was still empty in terms of people. Really, it underlined how empty his life now was; estranged from both Tumbra and Togonistan, and slowly getting to grips with life in Aboveland, most evenings were spent alone. The team had suggested volunteering in the community which he'd considered; most of his free time for now, however, was spent running. Swimming was perhaps still a bit too daring for him; while the cold waters had looked inviting, the shrinking feeling he'd gotten in his loins whenever he dipped his toes in the relative comfort of his swimming pool dissuaded him. Maybe with a few more months he'd gradually work up the courage to maybe go swimming inside his pool.

There was, of course, one person he desperately wanted to call, but he was probably several regions away at this point and was busy with his own life. Several times his finger had hovered over the Call button on his phone, willing himself to tap down, but every time he'd demurred; he didn't want to be a bother. Who knew what time it was in the Wardship, anyway?

Otherwise, he made do for social interaction with the team; the daily commute to and from Lintulahti was a nice routine as he geared up for the second pre-season test. The team had also dragged him into the sauna several times; he'd become more comfortable with letting it all hang out with various coworkers. Abdoulaye Goita, his team-mate, had flown back in; they got on reasonably well for new team-mates, and Ted hadn't forgotten that Goita had been friendly to him at the various tests they'd attended, even when they were in direct competition with each other. Both understood the magnitude of the task that they had been set. While private testing had shown that the car could be quick, it was still an unknown quantity compared to the rest of the pack. Goita had set competitive times in the first test in Montelago when running a fast set-up; but even then that was slightly tempered by the fact that half the field was missing. And it was a field that was growing, even; it went from twenty-six, to twenty-eight after the brief disbarment and reinstatement of Pryfors Bilar, and was going to thirty with the four Motorworks drivers that would fight to join the rest of the field.

He'd watched the first test at home with wavering levels of disinterest, focusing mainly on Goita while looking at what his old team had done; while he'd never driven for the team bearing his family's surname in WGPC, they did seem to be pushing something out this season. The team's nominal first driver, Dario Nülkeschlager, had stuck it a hundredth off the top in the first session; their second driver, Nini Johnsilvaturr, finished top in the second session. Nini reminded him of Sophie McCreary, the Tumbran rookie who'd driven for Pressley in their debut season and whom Ted was fairly certain his father had plonked in that seat as a direct middle finger to him; infamously, despite scoring three podiums, McCreary crashed out midway through the season, both literally and figuratively, and decided to step back. He just hoped that they were taking better care of Nini, though she did have the advantage of having had an additional season with the team.

The days flew past, and finally it was time to go.

Hodori

Friday morning was a relatively groggy affair as Ted did his track walk with the team; it was a relatively short, and, like all the other circuits on the testing calendar, technical-leaning circuit. He was staggering back to the Ælund motorhome, desperately seeking an orange juice or something to quench his thirst, when he just so happened to run into the man he wished he could occupy his new home with. An embrace from the touch-happy Abovian brought him some comfort; and Ted decided to reciprocate for once, even as he became acutely aware of where he was.

"I can't believe you'll be staying close to home!" Janne Laukkanen smiled as he leaned into Ted's embrace. Ted felt Janne's soft-yet-toned sides, and a wider smile than usual appeared on his face.

"Yeah, home. I...bought a place. A guy, he managed to snag me this really cool place in the suburbs. Really expensive. Really big," he murmured as they moved to somewhere more private — or, as private as the paddock allowed, anyway.

"You don't sound happy."

"I am, trust me."

"Yeah...big house, nice weather...and not inviting me over..." Janne said with a small pout.

For some reason, the pout stirred Ted's heart. "I wanted to," he murmured again, seemingly not wanting to raise his voice above a very low level. "But you were like, half the world away. And probably busy. I didn't want to be a bother."

"I would've made time. Would've flown back home, if you'd just asked. And you're —" Janne squeaked as Ted gently squeezed his bottom. "You're...affectionate today."

"I missed you."

"Clearly not enough to bring me over to that new big house of yours."

"Alright, the next time we're in Aboveland —"

"— which is in, like, a month, big boy, you're making it sound like the next time I'm ending up there is in like fifteen years —"

"— you can come over. I'll get you a set of keys."

"How big is it?'

"I'll send pics."

"Tut tut, you didn't even send pics...anyway, the cyan...it suits you. How is it?" Ted detected a faint sense that Janne wanted to be wearing that cyan shirt too, but he seemed happy and planted enough with Nexus that it was probably nothing.

"Kinda stressful. We had tryouts a while ago..."

"Uh huh?"

"You can't tell anyone, okay? But William Archer was there, and he kinda rinsed us. Me included. I'm surprised he didn't get the seat, but if he did I'd probably be wearing blue right now. Or brown."

"You finished second, at least?" Janne seemed hopeful, and his expression fell a bit when Ted shook his head.

"I'm just operating on the assumption that there are still doubts. About me, not the car. The car seems quick, but. You know. First time in an actual session, and the whole grid's here. And you. Can't go crashing or doing anything embarrassing like finishing 28th in front of you. Or Terho."

"Terho's fine...I'm sure..." Janne squeezed Ted's hands reassuringly. "As, I'm sure, you will be too. The car looks aggressive."

"Nothing compared to your spaceship on eight wheels. How does that thing even turn?"

Janne stuck his tongue out. "Trade secret," he replied.

Ted sighed, and Janne recognised it; it was the sigh Ted usually gave when he knew their brief meetings were about to come to an end.

"See you around, I guess?" Janne offered, cautiously.

"Yeah." Ted said, smiling. He wanted to reach out, tell the Abovian that he wanted to kiss him, even if it was on the forehead, but here was just something that locked him in place, rooted him to the spot, rendered him immobile. A hug would do for now. Maybe another rear squeeze.

"Wow, really affectionate today from Mr. Stoic."

"That one's for luck. And this —" a light tap followed "— is a warning to not crash into me," he said jokingly as they parted.

Later

Fast runs were on the programme for him as the full grid bar the four Motorworks drivers showed up in Hodori; and fast runs were duly delivered. The car felt natural under his control; and while there was a bit of commotion near the start as HiTEN.gpt driver Ankei Souzare had barely made it out of the pits before crashing feebly, everyone was running their own programme. Gleaning conclusions from them was near-useless; though Ted did get a few good laps in closely following the Urotovsky-Gatutin of Vincent von Visp, testing how the car performed in dirty air. The answer was, as expected, not very well, and he got some extra practice in trying to follow closely as von Visp desperately tried to shake the Tumbran off.

"Wonder if I follow him any more he'll throw it onto the dirt just to get me to piss off," he said, sarcasm dripping as he relayed his thoughts on the radio.

"Easy, now. Can't ruin these Trop — uh, Toico tyres, Ted. Just be easy on them."

[Aji No Moto]

Akresna Circuit, Auruna

KISMO fans in Aji No Moto were sorely disappointed when they learned that there was no official launch of KISMO's WGPC 21 challenger either in the Streets of Joshuyo Square or at the track in Serizawa Racing Circuit. Hiromu Sugiyama stated through the team's official social media outlets and in cica.da that they plan to reveal the livery of the car prior to the start of the final pre-season testing sessions in Auruna.

Hiromu was satisfied that they were able to field two cars at the start of pre-season testing, but looking at the timesheets, it would seem that Gil Langdon would be ahead of the Ajian, Shuhei Kamado, in three of the four official sessions, with the Katzeburgian ahead of his fellow rookie in both of the sessions in Hodori. It may seem alarming to Kai Sano as well, noting that Hiromu pulled a shrewd signing under his sleeve when Batu Tuvshinbayar was confirmed as their reserve and test driver for the season.

The TJUN-ian was present at the Akresna Circuit as well as their two official drivers for the launch of the official livery of the KSH03 at the end of the pit straight in Auruna. Prior to the team unwrapping the car under the cover, online images were sent to the public of the car's livery along with the race suits of the drivers and their helmets:

Kissan Motorsport KSH03

55 - Gil Langdon

58 - Shuhei Kamado

Engine Specifications
Engine name: Kissan Motors KISMO KS.APEX-01
Manufacturer: Kissan Motors
Engine layout: 10-cylinder, V-configuration, 3.0L naturally-aspirated

Sponsors
Pusztitas - Co-main sponsor - A Gergarian waterjet solutions company specializing in industrial waterjets for cutting and cleaning purposes
Kissan Motors - Co-main sponsor - A major Ajian automobile manufacturing company, holds the largest market share in Aji No Moto and has an extensive dealer network in Gergary
Solymok - Associate sponsor and tyre supplier - A Gergarian textile and rubber company focusing on tyres and insulation solutions
Ayakashi Energy Drink - Associate sponsor - An Ajian beverage company focuses on energy drinks
Petraji - Associate sponsor and fuel supplier - Aji No Moto's largest private petroleum company
Kawagishi Steel - Associate sponsor - Aji No Moto's second largest metalworks company
Konbini 24/7 - Associate sponsor - Aji No Moto's largest convenience store chain
Drymark - Associate sponsor - A posh clothing company based in Aji No Moto
OM-CM Suspensions and Spark Plugs - Associate sponsor - Auto parts supplier based in Aji No Moto
Langdon - Associate sponsor - A logging company based in Katzeburg owned by Gil Langdon's father
MY|GH - Official apparel provider - A racing apparel manufacturer fully owned by Drymark

There was not much fanfare at the livery launch by the team other than the Ajian media that traveled to Auruna to cover the pre-season testing. Hiromu wanted it that way, as to not set any expectations to the team, as the last time they had an extravagant car launch in Joshuyo Square, the team languished near the back of the constructors' championship until a late season surge by Mattijanan driver Jasmin Kranjska enabling the team to finish at the middle of the pack in the constructors' standings.

After a short speech by Hiromu and newly appointed deputy team principal of the team, Kousuke Kasai, the team prepared for the first day of the test, with the press conference deferred to the end of the last day of testing at the request of the CEO, so that they can focus on the car setups and which parts of the car to improve prior to the official start of season in Aboveland.

---

Before the livery launch

"Shuhei, do you have some time? I wanted to discuss something with you." Hiromu approached Shuhei as he was preparing for the livery launch in half-an hour time.

"Boss, what do you need from me?"

"I think you know what I want to say to you. You see, the test results in Hodori, your times seems to be uncompetitive. Not sure what you and Kai were doing in the simulation work, but I'm reminding you that you must deliver for the team."

"Okay, is this related to your signing of Batu?"

"I'm not saying that his signing means anything to you right now. But we have a target here to be competitive at the start of the new season. You know Gil have provided significant backing to the team through his sponsor."

"I do have those as well. Remember I have three companies that have personal sponsorships with me?"

"Err, that's only Drymark. we have exclusive contracts with Pusztitas and Ayakashi, and they are willing to follow our lead in driver decisions. Batu also have sponsorship ready to be onboarded to the team if we decide to do drastic changes in the lineup. I'm just reminding you that Gil has a contract for the entire season, and I'm not like my father that is patient with our homegrown drivers. Heck, I can make sensational decisions such as dropping you at our home race in Serizawa if the mid season goals are not set."

"Don't worry boss, I am aware of this, but you should have given me a teammate where I could have learned anything to get a grip with the BAU stuff here in WGPC, instead, you gave me an inexperienced pay driver that I know I have to compete against."

"That was out of my control, unfortunately. However, at the top level of open wheel racing, it is shrewd. It is ruthless, Sponsors would not be happy if the drivers are not performing to standards, so hope you understand. Do not fret though. Batu and Zsanett, they will help develop the car as the season goes by, so you should be able to pick up on their feedback as well."

"I'll do my best then boss, and prove that I will be the better driver than Gil. Is there any more question? If not, excuse me then, I need to concentrate more on this test."

[Aboveland]

Ikasamo Speedway
Ikasamo, Hodori

The Ælund Stølskapp Grand Prix agenda was relatively clear for the week after the Hodori test. With the season slated to start on a frigid Fjellutfordring in less than a month's time, it was decided that the livery and car reveal event would be delayed until the race week itself, to be held on the grounds of the circuit. As the final tests loomed in a familiarly gelid Auruna, Hodori would prove the final time that the brand new AGP machine, dubbed AGP007, would drive stakes-free in temperate conditions representative of the rest of the WGPC season.

The weather in Ikasamo complemented the usually dramatic Hodori vibe, even though emotions quelled in the face of the Hodoran round of the championship being demoted to a test event. The circuit layout was trying even for talented and experienced drivers — it was no wonder that, for the second weekend running, Hodoran debutant Ankei Souzare made a dangerous fool of himself by scalping the sides of his HiTEN.gpt machine against the barriers before completing so much as a single outlap. In camp Ælund, feelings were cautiously optimistic.

In Ælund Racing's restructuring revolution, the team's long-standing chassis philosophy was one of the first things to tumble out the door. Though lacking in publicity, AGP002 was an innovative vehicle upon its debut in WGPC17: the inclusion of active aerodynamics, in the form of flexing carbon fiber winglets and fairings over its wheels and along its chassis, was elemental in cementing it and it's sequel's crushing success. Though not always reliable — with a sudden malfunction of the active system sending Terho Talvela careening off of now-turn nine at Forest Cross Raceway hard enough for the apex to earn his name — this, and the use of underfloor aero to reduce drag, were Ælund's poison of choice for four seasons. Nevertheless: by season 19, despite the drivers' title to their name for a third consecutive time, the constructors' honours had slipped Ælund's hands to Badai Angin, and the chassis concept would never come more under scrutiny than during the ill-fated season 20 — in which AGP005, the last evolution of the chassis, was so bad that it had to be scrapped in favor of a half-update of AGP004, dubbed 004.5.

The development focus for AGP007, thus, shifted wildly in a new direction. The benefit of underfloor aerodynamics had reached a plateau, but worse off was the chassis' active winglets. With fully-opening wings becoming almost a norm across the paddock, the gains that AGP002 had discovered through its winglets had been fully subletted by season 20. Worse still, attempts at refining the system never fully clicked; and evolutions aimed at improving handling and reducing weight on top of an aging base began to generate the opposite effect as time went on. AGP007, then, was developed on a brand-new concept: aggressive drag-producing aero, wide-opening wings, and a brand-new powerplant designed for sheer power. To top it all off — and as the main design goal in Terho Talvela's eyes — the car had to be both gentle to drive and widely adjustable.

Happily, early driving impressions seemed to confirm the car's planned tendencies. Ælund hadn't gone for the most explosive of driver lineups; both Pressley and Goita were deemed balanced, adaptable drivers across the paddock. In four testing sessions, the team had eked into the top three spots twice, with Pressley even topping the dry session in Hodori during his soft tyre runs. Feedback from the drivers was, fortunately, workable as well; Terho, assuming his role as development driver and nexus between the drivers and the engineers, was in charge of the debriefs in the archipelago.

Ted, usually out on aggressive testing programs to hone his confidence in the car, seemed the happiest of the two drivers so far. AGP007 played timidly to his strengths: the powertrain was punchy in the low-end, perfect for Ted's tendency to short-shift and power early out of corners, and the chassis was adaptable enough to tune out unfavorable tendencies at every phase of the corner transit. It took the better part of day one, but in the end, the team had managed the attitude that the Tumbran expected: tight on entry, planted on exit. Terho had spent a significant chunk of time during the weekend with the Tumbran to get him up to speed, with his teammate in the other box already having enjoyed his only-child test in Cropostran. It also helped, in Terho's eyes, to dispel any odd feelings the Tumbran had about joining the team. Terho wasn't certain whether it was him getting star-struck or new job cold feet or what, but their relationship had gotten off to a solid, albeit overly formal start.

In car number whatever, because they'd run out of number stickers in Lintulahti with all the fucking around the WGPO had done on Abdoulaye's dossier, the story was quite the inverse. Terho couldn't say he'd come out of the WGPC with lifelong friends, at least not quite. He was closest with iBen, having shared so many seasons and successes together, and was a fairly connected, if not very consistent, friend of Ryker Lane's. But it had only been with Abdoulaye Goita that he'd actually done anything outside of the WGPCsphere in the off-season. Sparked with a cold-call, Abs and Terho shared the Abovian's privately entered car in the first two events of the third season of WSRC, with Abs taking the reins of the co-driver's seat. Though their debut in Aboveland ended upside-down, their odyssey across western Pavola's abominable weather and treacherous mountain passes earned the pair a hard-fought point.

Having bonded in adversity, the Recuecian and Terho had managed to gel rather quickly on the trackside, but it was a different story for Abs and AGP007. Three years out of the WGPC is a rather long time, even for someone as talented as him, and though it didn't quite show on the timesheets, it was apparent in the debriefs. Abs still lacked confidence in the car; unlike Ted, he was much more in tune with a stable car at all times, and though the team tried to eke the last bit of performance out of the chassis, it was the head behind the visor that was still struggling to put the last of the power down across every corner. Sent off on longer race runs, with more fuel and conservative setups, the first two tests had been a settling in period for Abdoulaye.

But now, with the final test looming on the horizon — and with the added bonus of the frigid conditions being likely to replicate themselves a week further out — it was time for both drivers to put their heads in the game for real. Terho and Edvin planned out the testing runs for the coming weekend: in theory, with a mix of race simulations and qualifying runs, the team would be able to set themselves on the right foot before their home debut: a race as important for the team as it was for both of its brand new, developing, immensely talented drivers.

[Liventia]

RP cutoff, Session 1 of the final test.

[Liventia]

Week 3: Testing Session 1

Conditions:      	Dry
Lap Record:      	00:01:40.442
Session Length:		180 minutes
Nation:         	AUR
Circuit:        	Akresna Circuit

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

POS # ▍DRIVER                                               	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER
 1 12 ▍Ron Sommer                                           	00:01:46.230	00:00:00.000
 2 96 ▍William Archer                                       	00:01:46.251	00:00:00.021
 3 37 ▍Laura Haukanna                                       	00:01:46.357	00:00:00.128
 4 33 ▍Sam Blaatschapen                                     	00:01:46.366	00:00:00.136
 5 85 ▍Olivia Stone                                         	00:01:46.403	00:00:00.173
 6  7 ▍Anneliese Devereux                                   	00:01:46.430	00:00:00.200
 7 27 ▍Dario Nülkeschlager                                  	00:01:46.452	00:00:00.222
 8 82 ▍Kinu Luminna                                         	00:01:46.478	00:00:00.249
 9 51 ▍R.L. Cruisin                                         	00:01:46.489	00:00:00.259
10 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                                          	00:01:46.521	00:00:00.291
11 94 ▍Ryker Lane                                           	00:01:46.537	00:00:00.307
12 14 ▍Skiia Vialiv                                         	00:01:46.552	00:00:00.322
13 66 ▍Vincent Von Visp                                     	00:01:46.563	00:00:00.333
14 55 ▍Gil Langdon                                          	00:01:46.652	00:00:00.422
15 17 ▍Janne Laukkanen                                      	00:01:46.655	00:00:00.425
16 84 ▍Angela Stella Tan Fang Ling                          	00:01:46.697	00:00:00.467
17 88 ▍Ted Pressley                                         	00:01:46.777	00:00:00.548
18 63 ▍Nepö Kinder                                          	00:01:46.950	00:00:00.720
19 30 ▍Otto Markul                                          	00:01:46.966	00:00:00.736
20 74 ▍Adonis Fitzpatrick                                   	00:01:46.980	00:00:00.750
21 95 ▍Hanna Berezowska                                     	00:01:47.161	00:00:00.931
22 22 ▍Nini Johnsilvaturr                                   	00:01:47.199	00:00:00.969
23 89 ▍Abdoulaye Goita                                      	00:01:47.217	00:00:00.987
24  1 ▍Brendan Faloe                                        	00:01:47.266	00:00:01.036
25 21 ▍Nik Hazrin Lutfi                                     	00:01:47.283	00:00:01.053
26 40 ▍Adriana Ela Kowalski Lillian                         	00:01:47.587	00:00:01.357
27 58 ▍Shuhei Kamado                                        	00:01:47.634	00:00:01.404
28 18 ▍Giancarlo Rahel                                      	00:01:47.812	00:00:01.582
29 13 ▍Pierre-Louis Archer                                  	00:01:47.914	00:00:01.684
30 77 ▍iBen Toralmintii                                     	00:01:48.172	00:00:01.942
31 16 ▍Azalia Kawakai                                       	00:01:48.371	00:00:02.141
32 10 ▍Ankei Souzare                                        	00:02:04.327	00:00:18.097

[Tumbra]

Akresna, Auruna

The chequered flag flew; the cars came slowly trundling back into the pits. More than literal in the case of some; HiTEN's Ankei Souzare's best time was somehow seventeen seconds behind his own team-mate's, let alone Viska's Ron Somner, who topped the session. The Aurun-based team was flying the flag high on home turf; the other Aurun driver on the grid, Laura Haukanna, rounded off the top three.

As the team parked Nini's car, team principal Jack Brook looked at the cars; they seemed to be in relatively fine order, especially now that the tyres had their complete logo again. Thankfully, Hodori's ban on Tropicorp-based materials only extended to visuals; which meant that the night before shipping there was a lot of painting-over and engine-unbadging to be doing, along with a few representatives from Tropicorp to assist in the process. Personally, Jack was tired of testing so much; the data was important, especially to the data nerds in the team, but he was already raring to go. There was a vague sense that the PRE-025 was much improved over the previous car; not only did they have better drivers, the car was performing much better compared to the rest of the grid.

Though there still were some doubts on the team's side. Norman Vance, Nini's race engineer, remained convinced that the team's car wasn't as good as it was performing in the test; he presented it as being 'cautiously optimistic' in team meetings, but there were merits to his point of view. Testing sessions were effectively meaningless in the grand scheme of things; while them and VTGP were pooling data to help with engine development, nobody else really knew what anyone else was doing. Preston's times in Crpostran and Hodori, which could generously be described as 'crap', could just have been a consequence of running low-tuned engines or long runs; Viska's times in the first session in Auruna could just have been easily down to wanting to do glory runs at home than it was to their car being fast.

The team largely wanted to hope — after all, they'd put up competitive times at all three circuits so far — but there were yet more caveats. All three were slightly more technically-inclined circuits; which presented yet another moving part to the conundrum to figuring out how the team actually performed. Their first shot at a slightly more aggressive circuit would be, unfortunately, at the first race of the season in Aboveland; which left the very real prospect of the Pressley car, which was more suited to technical circuits like those on the calendar, being hit with a massive drop in performance the moment the green flag dropped when it actually started to matter.

"All I'm trying to say is that it might be worth it to not go as quickly," said Vance in the team meeting before the second testing session. "We've already got a target on our backs. I think it's worth it to not show everything we've got, especially since other teams might be sandbagging. Right? And it doesn't even need to be deliberately slowing the cars down — Nini was doing long runs with heavy fuel on the hardest tyre, and she was only a second off Somner still."

Jack sipped from his water bottle, the edges slightly chewed from stress. "I think it's not worth caring about."

"Hmm..."

"The benefits far outweigh people setting us as the team to beat, I reckon. The team's confident. Dario and Nini I think will be the first to tell you they're more confident," Jack said, eliciting nods from both Pressley drivers. "Rest of us feel good. As long as we keep in mind that this might not be representative, we'll be fine."

"Sure," conceded Vance. It was clear, however, that he was worried.

"And hey, it's the last test of the season; surely most teams'll want to get some actual, sandbagless running in. HMG have been underperforming with their lineup; surely they're going to take off their sandbags, if they've got any. Preston did well in the last session, compared to their crap results in the first two tests. The Nexuses got both their drivers in the top half, and their car is about as well suited to this place as peanut butter and cream cheese on a sandwich"

Vance chuckled slightly, as the rest of the team laughed.

"It's a valid concern, I think, that Norman has, and I hope everyone keeps it in mind as we go forth that our first real race weekend in Aboveland might look nothing like what we've got here," Jack decided to bring the discussion to a close. "But hey — enjoy the good times while they last, alright?"

[Nico Hulkenberg]

Akresna Circuit,
Auruna

UrGa Garages

Nepö Kinder watches as car #66, Vincent Von Visp, heads out on track (image has been edited using Apple's Clean Up feature)

HMG Garages

Neither Adrian nor Jöhan were on-site in Auruna, instead electing to monitor the testing sessions from the factory. Issues with the team's headsets at the Akresna Circuit meant that communication with the team's engineers would be happening entirely via on-screen text through their highly encrypted data transferral service - the same thing used to relay the car's performance details directly back to the Entwicklungzentrum. There were a few problems with this, though...

> Welcome to the HMG Datenverarbeitungseinheit. Please enter your details.
> User: Streckeningenieure
> Pass: **********
> Processing...
> WARNING: Messages sent through this program may arrive slowly. Please keep all messages brief to allow for data smoothness.
> You are now connected to: >SERVER - AKRESNA<
> Loading channel: TRACKSIDE

>>>TRACKSIDE
> user [ENT] joined the channel
>> [CIR] hello
>> [ENT] how car
>> [CIR] bad
>> [ENT] why
> Your message has been withheld. Please make it more brief.
>> [CIR] slow
>> [ENT] explain
> Your message has been withheld. Please do not swear.
>> [CIR] later
>> [ENT] plan
>> [CIR] fast
>> [ENT] ty
> user [ENT] left the channel

HMG Entwicklungzentrum,
Emmerich

Jöhan and Adrian stared dumbfoundedly at the screen, having logged off from the rather archaic system.

"So, car 'bad', plan 'fast'. Super informative." said Jöhan, sarcastically.

"I know, I know. It isn't ideal, but it's what we've got." replied Adrian, shrugging.

"Nice to see both cars hanging around in the top twenty, at least. Especially in such a congested field."

"Indeed. Rather funny of the Viska crew to just go for quali laps for the sake of topping the session, too."

"Hey, it's not just them. When was the last time you saw PB or Preston up this high? People are starting to show their capabilities."

"Is this something we should think about doing?"

"You say that like we aren't trying to look fast?"

"Well, kind of. It would explain the goings on with the car."

"We might just be shit, to be fair."

"The computer said we'd be good, though."

"The track seems to disagree!"

"We'll see. Let's wait for the first grand prix before making any sweeping generalisations, particularly when our car is designed to suit tracks that aren't like this."

"Tracks that have corners? Straights? Perhaps even tarmac?"

"Shut it. You'll see."

[Liventia]

Week 3: Testing Session 2

Conditions:      	Light Showers
Lap Record:      	00:01:40.442
Session Length:		180 minutes
Nation:         	AUR
Circuit:        	Akresna Circuit

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

POS # ▍DRIVER                                               	FASTEST LAP	GAP TO LEADER		
 1 88 ▍Ted Pressley                                         	00:01:55.823	00:00:00.000		
 2 82 ▍Kinu Luminna                                         	00:01:55.835	00:00:00.012		
 3 14 ▍Skiia Vialiv                                         	00:01:55.842	00:00:00.019		
 4 51 ▍R.L. Cruisin                                         	00:01:55.853	00:00:00.030		
 5 85 ▍Olivia Stone                                         	00:01:55.855	00:00:00.032		
 6 27 ▍Dario Nülkeschlager                                  	00:01:55.894	00:00:00.071		
 7 12 ▍Ron Sommer                                           	00:01:55.899	00:00:00.076		
 8 89 ▍Abdoulaye Goita                                      	00:01:55.948	00:00:00.125		
 9  7 ▍Anneliese Devereux                                   	00:01:55.994	00:00:00.171		
10  1 ▍Brendan Faloe                                        	00:01:56.117	00:00:00.294		
11 40 ▍Adriana Ela Kowalski Lillian                         	00:01:56.126	00:00:00.303		
12 94 ▍Ryker Lane                                           	00:01:56.133	00:00:00.310		
13 95 ▍Hanna Berezowska                                     	00:01:56.142	00:00:00.319		
14 37 ▍Laura Haukanna                                       	00:01:56.147	00:00:00.324		
15 63 ▍Nepö Kinder                                          	00:01:56.157	00:00:00.334		
16 96 ▍William Archer                                       	00:01:56.184	00:00:00.361		
17 22 ▍Nini Johnsilvaturr                                   	00:01:56.187	00:00:00.364		
18 77 ▍iBen Toralmintii                                     	00:01:56.218	00:00:00.395		
19 21 ▍Nik Hazrin Lutfi                                     	00:01:56.246	00:00:00.423		
20 55 ▍Gil Langdon                                          	00:01:56.323	00:00:00.500		
21 17 ▍Janne Laukkanen                                      	00:01:56.495	00:00:00.672		
22 74 ▍Adonis Fitzpatrick                                   	00:01:56.807	00:00:00.984		
23 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                                          	00:01:56.853	00:00:01.030		
24 18 ▍Giancarlo Rahel                                      	00:01:56.857	00:00:01.034		
25 58 ▍Shuhei Kamado                                        	00:01:56.922	00:00:01.099		
26 66 ▍Vincent Von Visp                                     	00:01:56.983	00:00:01.160		
27 16 ▍Azalia Kawakai                                       	00:01:57.021	00:00:01.198		
28 33 ▍Sam Blaatschapen                                     	00:01:57.160	00:00:01.337		
29 84 ▍Angela Stella Tan Fang Ling                          	00:01:57.776	00:00:01.953		
30 30 ▍Otto Markul                                          	00:01:57.838	00:00:02.015		
31 13 ▍Pierre-Louis Archer                                  	00:02:00.592	00:00:04.769		
32 10 ▍Ankei Souzare                                        	00:02:05.483	00:00:09.660

[Aji No Moto]

Akresna Circuit, Auruna

Shuhei was seething in his helmet once he was on his car as preparations for the first Aurun test session conclude. He expected the words that come out of Hiromu's mouth, he was calm in dealing with it, however, after the livery launch, thoughts came into his mind - how would he get points in a competitive field, with KISMO probably languishing due to the outdated equipment they have for the season? Remember, the chassis is based on the Badai Angin BAP003, the constructors' championship-winning car... two seasons ago. One full season has elapsed, and people would think that KISMO does neither have the car nor the resources at the start to push periodic updates to the car so that it would be up to par with the current season's specs.

Gil is doing wonders in the same car that Shuhei was in. Despite Shuhei's reservations of the Katzeburgian as an 'inexperienced pay driver', Langdon's times in pre-season testing were competitive against the sessions' fastest times. However, he does not have time to overthink about all that and focus, and apply what he had learned in the sessions he had in the simulator.

At the first hour of testing, Shuhei focused on race pace, as he needed to learn how to conserve tyres as the Solymoks would see signs of excessive wear every race simulation he would do in the past test sessions. Kazushi Shiomi, his race engineer, gave significant notes to him via radio about the status of the tyres.

"Shuhei, pit this lap, we see another significant wear on the tyres."

"Copy."

Shuhei drove his car back to the pitlane without any incident, and once he was out of his car, his engineers analyzed the laps he had done in the race simulation, pointing out corners which posed a problem to Kamado regarding tyre wear. Once the Solymoks were replaced, Kazushi and the engineers gave the thumbs up to Shuhei to begin a fast run simulation.

In the opening laps, his run was not bad, and he was holding his ground on the uphill run leading to Kolantalla, however at turn 4, he misjudged the corner entry of turn 4. the car spun out and the rear of the KSH03 hit the wall, causing significant damage to the car.

"You OK?"

"Yes, I'm just shaken." Shuhei said as he threw the steering wheel out of the car out of frustration. He was able to quickly put his hands off the steering wheel when it was clear that he would not be able to recover his spin, to avoid any wrist injury.

As Shuhei cannot nurse the car back to the pits, the session had to be temporarily stopped in order for the crane to pick up the car from the crash site. It was session over prematurely for the young Ajian, with mechanics scrambling to repair the car in time for tomorrow's session. He didn't remove his helmet as he approached the pit garage and just sighed on his way back to his motorhome.

[Diarcesia]

WGPC Season 21: Week Three
First Session

The weather was fortuitous and everyone couldn't ask for a better state. All staff went to work into their respective roles, and Laura (with a new engine) and Sam drove off their garages and perform their tests. The new engine, with its lower weight, brought less stress to the transmission system. It was eventually concluded that the early design decisions made in the making of the transmissions contributed to the mechanical gremlins when paired with turbo-hybrids in past seasons. But, on the other hand, it worked wonders with simpler engines like the current V10s.

The Akresna Circuit would be the closest thing to a home ground PB would experience this season: Laura is Aurun, after all. And so, for the first session, the drivers were instructed to drive as they see fit. Aldauren anticipated that they'll opt for glory runs—and thus tax the cars to their limit. He was right, only Viska (perhaps of like mind of basking in lap-time glory) was faster than the PBs. If so, it appears to be an affirmation of viability of the VelFire engines.

Second Session

The glory runs were over, and the objective of this session was to simulate (again) a pinch scenario, where they have to conserve tires and lay off the pedal and just stay in the race as much as they can. If the pit crew had to be really honest, the circumstances they faced would be terrible if this was an actual race.

"Laura, 60% chance of slight rain. Change to inters?"

Negative. She thought she could manage fine with hard slicks.

She was just at Turn Two when the showers started coming. There was no adverse change in visibility, but the surface was damp enough for the drivers to take extra care; even more so if they were caught using slicks.

Meanwhile, Sam's car's engine shut off on her third lap of the session. While not much data were gathered as a result, valuable insights on the limits of the powertrain were gathered. When she arrived in the garage, she just watched intently to the screens showing Laura's onboard. From time to time, she closed her eyes, mentally picturing how she would drive if she was in Laura's shoes.

[Auruna]

Veratuna, Auruna
Hours before the first Aurun test session

Just relaxing at his warm Veratuna apartment in his limited free time, Kinu was just minding his own business after an exhausting flight back home from work at the Preston GP HQ in Hapilopper. He didn't expect his stay there to drag on until right before the weekend of the pre-season test at Akresna. Whilst his body was recovering in bed, he was bombarded by notifications on his phone from close friends and his race engineer. He ignored them, preferring to take a few more minutes of rest and as far as he knows, he still has some time before the test session.

Several minutes pass and an alarm that Kinu set rang loudly. With his body not cooperating at the moment, he forces his eyes open before turning his alarm off. As he stretched, he glanced at the wall clock before taking a look outside to check what the weather is like. Fortunately, it wasn't snowing that much although the roads are blanketed by a thick layer of snow. Seeing this, he started to worry after actually checking the time on his phone.

Ah vittu, vuostonästjänukkuaa...

Ah fuck, I overslept...

After rushing to change his clothes and preparing his essential items, Kinu immediately messaged a friend from Akresna hoping to get a ride through the snowy roads of Veratuna.

"Oh great Miss Aira of Akresna, please help me out and give me a ride to the circuit." His message read. Kinu then patiently waited for a response, gripping his phone tightly while taking brief looks at the wall clock and the time displayed on his phone, somewhat anxious.

Then he didn't have to wait long for a response as he was replied to with a thumbs up emote which was then followed soon after by a message. "I'll be there in about 20 minutes, where are we meeting?"

"You know where I live."

After waiting for nearly 20 minutes, the distinct sound of a Vezrel's heavily tuned 2.5-litre inline 6 was heard echoing through nearby buildings and quickly approaching the apartment complex. Kinu immediately knew that it was his ride to Akresna as he stood under a covered area by the street. Then a silver Schkeska Vezrel came into view, pulling up beside Kinu. As it came to a halt, the driver's side window rolls down to reveal Aira Ekeränna with a smug grin.

"Vaunaja* for Kinu Luminna." Aira said, holding back her laughter. "You know you owe me something after this."
*Vaunaja is a ridesharing system like Uber.

"Heh, I know." Kinu walked around to the front passenger side, nearly slipping on the icy tarmac and entered the car. "I still have the entire weekend to think about it but first I have a pre-season test to attend."

"Alright, I'll get you there in time. I'm expecting 250 Raviens."

"Deal."

Aira immediately stepped on the throttle, quickly accelerating and catching Kinu off-guard. Kinu scrambled to put on his seatbelt and hold on to dear life as Aira drove like a rally driver through the narrow streets. Through small crests and tight turns. Kinu almost instinctively reached for the steering wheel but even with the seatbelt on, he was still thrown around by Aira's aggressive driving.

Relief washed over Kinu as Aira slowed down upon entering one of Veratuna's main roads headed north. "With that driving, you could be at the ARC or WSRC." Kinu commented, still somewhat shaken.

"Heh, let's see if that's possible." Aira smirked as if she was already planning something among those lines.

The first few kilometres were relatively peaceful. Aira couldn't speed as the road they're on as well as the highway that they're about to enter has a 70kph speed limit. And so it was a perfect time to talk about whatever.

"By the way." Aira briefly glanced at what Kinu was wearing. "I just noticed that you are wearing Preston's colours. You driving for them? I haven't followed WGPC in a while."

"Ah yeah, I'm driving for Preston this season." Kinu answered. "Was basically the first choice after doing well in their trials."

"Oh nice! And what happened to Viska now that you're in another team?"

"They got another rookie, Ron Sommer I think and they got William Archer."

"Wait, Archer? The guy who drove for Preston before? Doesn't that mean that the two teams essentially traded drivers?"

"Oh shit I just realised that."

"Anyway, how's it going for you then?"

"Not much to go by our results in these tests. Was told to just make sure the car works at Crpostran and then was insanely slow at Hodori but I basically had some trouble there with the setup and the weather. Hopefully this time, things will go smoothly since I just got back from Hapilopper. Maybe we could work some stuff out at Akresna."

"Right..."

Their conversation continued as they went along the snow-covered As-1 on the way to Akresna. But their trip was not without incident as around halfway to their destination, Aira's Vezrel, in Schkeska motorsport fashion, unsurprisingly decided that it was the right time to go left-wheel drive for no reason, catching Aira by surprise as she failed to correct it in time causing them to swerve toward the shoulder while braking and get stuck at a large mound of snow. Unfortunate but Aira wasn't phased by the incident and thankfully it wasn't too serious but they are now stranded by the side of the highway in freezing temperatures.

Kinu groaned. "Now what?"

"Well, you could try and hitch a ride with someone else or just walk, whatever you fancy." Aira answered as she sat reclined and on her phone as the situation was somehow normal to her. "I'm going to call a friend and wait for a tow."

Kinu checked his phone, feeling hopeless as he was running late and out of options. But just as he was about to give up, a Veratuna HPU Vezrel Wagon pulled up behind the stuck car and an HPU officer then approached Kinu and Aira.

"You guys need help?" The officer asked.

Aira pointed at Kinu. "He does."

The officer took a moment to recognise who it was. "Wait, are you Kinu Luminna?"

"Uh... y-yeah." Kinu answered, unsure how to act toward the officer.

"Ah, big fan. So what do you need help with?"

Kinu, still somewhat stunned, explained his situation. "Well, I need to get to Akresna as soon as possible since I'm about to be late."

"Well then come on, I'll give you a ride."

Kinu immediately accepted the offer. "Thanks mate." He said, getting out of the stuck Vezrel.

Before following the officer, he turned to Aira who just reminded him. "Hey, you now only owe me 150 Raviens. Good luck."

Riding with the HPU officer, Kinu's journey to Akresna continued without any additional issues and he enjoyed talking to the officer who was surprisingly an avid follower of WGPC and there were endless topics that they could talk about during the ride to entertain themselves. Because of that, Kinu didn't even notice that they had already arrived at Akresna and the trip was unexpectedly short thanks to the officer's road knowledge. Kinu couldn't thank the officer enough even as he walked toward the entrance to the paddock.

Arriving at the garage, Kinu was immediately questioned by his team and didn't spare no time to prepare for the upcoming test session. With all that out of the way, his crazy day had barely begun. His next problem is what lies infront of him in the garage. That #82 Preston PGP-04, the one he aptly named from the goddess of chaos in Aurun mythology: Kuumikaho. The one that was quite troublesome to everyone before.

But maybe this time, he is finally able to tame the stubborn beast, under the unpredictable snowfall of the hills of Akresna.

[Tumbra]

Fremont
Somewhere on the southwestern coast of Tumbra

The house in rural Fremont wasn't out of place; if anything, property prices in this part of Tumbra were among some of the highest in the nation, even though the region as a whole was the poorest in Tumbra by some margin. This was Charlie Pressley's summer house; after making it big as a businessman, he'd bought this as a place to decamp when things got too cold in Grantfeldt. In more recent years, as the team embarked on its first forays into world racing; he'd spent more and more time away, only being able to spend precious weeks here with his wife. For the founder and chief executive officer of Pressley Racing Engineering, he enjoyed his summers here in Fremont; here it wasn't as ball-bitingly cold as in Grantfeldt, and the warm waters were always a plus.

Since the end of last year, however, he'd been based here permanently.

Nobody really knew how it happened, or what; by all accounts Charlie was a healthy man for his age, who enjoyed going on long runs and could always be seen doing calisthenics in the Pressley headquarters gym. But that was the thing with strokes; they could strike out of the blue. Thankfully when they found him he was still alive; but since then "still alive" had become the best way to describe him. Nominally he was still CEO; but he was basically barely involved in the Pressley business anymore.

This was a godsend to Thomas Kim, of course, who wished to become the next CEO of Pressley Racing Engineering. By any and all means possible.

Kim, who'd become a billionaire after being in charge of developing and then reaping most of the profit of selling a few apps, had gotten it into his brain that he was now better than most of the population because he was able to take charge of people who knew how to code. By applying this misbegotten confidence to everything, he'd managed to worm his way into the boards of most of the successful companies in the country, which immediately saw their stocks rise because people seemed to like him for some reason. This relatively un-virtuous cycle had led to him becoming the second richest man in Tumbra; which was a status that he regarded as extremely infuriating.

His car — all-electric, of course, because he'd invested in an electric car company with one of Kotzellach's sovereign wealth funds and then outmanouvered them to cut them out of the equation — crackled on the gravel; the relative seclusion of the place meant it was a good place for recuperation. Or, which was probably more likely, retirement and a graceful exit from the public eye. He checked his look in the rearview; he'd brought some chocolates for Charlie's wife. Everything now was about convincing the old man and his wife to let him take over day-to-day operations, at which point he would immediately get his own people in.

It wasn't that Pressley Racing was inefficient, mind; he just knew there were several ways in which the team could be made faster. He felt there were too many legacy hires; too many people who'd been with the team when it began all those years ago in a small office park in Grantfeldt, whom the team had outgrown but had been kept on as elders. Once he was made CEO — or someone acceptable to Charlie was made CEO — he'd start heading something he'd termed the Department of Team Efficiency, from which he would ruthlessly slash personnel to make the team run better. New personnel, the best from amongst the grid; and, if possible, he'd rename the EV business Pressley, just to get that extra prestige from the brand name. He had Ideas; they were being held back by what he felt was an archaic team structure that seemed to focus entirely on racing, rather than a business.

"Good morning, Helen," he said to the maid sweeping the front porch. "Good morning, Mr. Kim," the maid bowed deeply. "Your arrival was expected. Please, go straight in."

"How is Charlie doing?"

"Mr. Pressley is recovering well," came the response without missing a beat. "He will be pleased to have you visit him."

"I see," he smiled. It was obviously a rehearsed response; he sensed there was still some resistance to him taking over the company. And he felt it; whenever he was in the company building, everyone seemed to keep him at arm's length; and it seemed to extend to everyone in Charlie Pressley's orbit. It seemed, at its core, that everyone liked his money but not him. This was always something of a sore point for him, but he tried not to let it bother him too much.

Tried.

Kim worked his way up the stairs, to Pressley's room; he knocked, and after Mavis Pressley let him in, he walked over to Charlie's bed, which was now facing the ocean. Kim passed Mavis the chocolates; she smiled, but it was a distinctively cold smile, appearing only on the mouth but not the eyes.

"Charlie," smiled Kim, as he sat on the chair next to Charlie's expansive bed.

"Kim," Charlie croaked as he turned his head with great difficulty. "You're here again. What do you want this time?'

"Nothing. I'm just here to check on you."

"I know you want something, Kim, you wouldn't be here otherwise."

Kim sighed. "Are we still strangers after this long?"

"No, but I also know you are loath to offer something in exchange for nothing. And your time is the most valuable resource of them all." Speaking evidently took a lot out of Charlie; he slowly raised a cup to his mouth. "I cannot have glass cups anymore," he rued. "They said that my grip strength is nowhere near where it used to be."

"I'm...sorry to hear that."

"I'm sure you are." Pressley put the cup back down on the end table with great effort. "I heard that you managed to bring Peter Daumen on as another advisor."

"Yes, Peter's a good friend of mine."

Pressley grunted. "How much of the board is on your side?"

"It passed with a two-thirds majority."

"That's all I need to know," Pressley said as he shifted his head to look back at the ocean. "I'm not giving you my 40%, no matter what happens. I know where I want the goddamn share to go," he spat out with barely concealed venom. "I'll die before I give you 80%."

Kim decided to drop the pretense. "I could take this company to greater heights. You've seen what I've done elsewhere. You know what I can do. I brought Lithico to Tumbra. I can do anything with the Pressley name, Charlie, and all —"

"— all it would cost would be everything that this team stands for." Charlie coughed. "Look at me. A year ago and I would probably have forced you out if I knew what you were about to do. I knew, of course, but against my better judgement I decided that the long-term financial health of this place was worth more than my pride. And look where it got me."

Kim shook his head. "Fine. Fine. I won't continue down this line of questioning. You clearly think I've crossed a line again."

Charlie did not respond, and simply let it stew.

Kim, unwilling to apologise further, said nothing else.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

(OOC: With thanks to Esmerel for providing the majority of Brendan's dialogue in this chapter and for allowing me to work with his character in the first place!)

Cygnus Motorsport HQ, Midwood, Olympia Province, Esmerel
10th of February

It is a fundamental truth of the character of Olivia Stone that she never feels quite so alive as when facing a challenge. Moving to new places, therefore, never troubled her – not when she left home to attend the University of the Second City, nor when she joined Viska and took up residence at their forested headquarters in Auruna – and it certainly does not do so now.

Of course, Cygnus’ motorsport campus is hardly as new now as those others. She’d been to Esmerel a few times before joining them at all, mostly for events at Forest Cross, and she’d obviously done plenty of simulator work here in her role as Cygnus’ test driver last season. More than that, too, Esmerelian culture feels closer to home’s than most places’ – generally more risk-averse and less outright mutualistic than the Wardship but the convivial attitude fostered under Dr William Emerson more than makes up for it.

What she hasn’t done nearly as much is explore the Cygnus grounds as a whole, mostly treading the same routes in her daily schedules. Now, as a full member of the team (not that William would ever put it that way, surely – perhaps ‘fuller’), she is set to be far more deeply enmeshed with their operations. Thus, while Baxen works with Cygnus’ leadership on whittling down their list of candidates from their old WGP3 team and thrashing out a race engineering structure, she wanders with purpose, jogging between buildings still almost shining in their newness. To the personnel in the offices, on the workshop floors, in the – well, technically beside the state-of-the-art wind tunnel, being in the state-of-the-art wind tunnel would end badly for everyone – she shows her face and takes an interest. She can’t make up a year’s headstart at once, or be everywhere every day – she has her own schedule to keep – but she tries.

It is on such a trip, marching out of the former hangar that would serve as storage and workspace for the Cygnus C102s were they not currently in transit halfway across the world, that she comes across one World Champion Brendan Faloe, leaning against the corrugated wall a couple of dozen metres away and staring into the sky.

The man who came seemingly from nowhere, lacking training, experience and prior accolades before storming to motorsport’s most prestigious title, conjures up a cocktail of emotions in Olivia. A healthy dose of respect with an undertone of intimidation and stabs of jealousy (that latch on, parasite-like, to her sense of justice even as she forces herself to separate them) is a prominent flavour; bewildered curiosity intermixes with it readily. Equally prominent, if a touch offset, is determination to equal and surpass, as has always been her mien.

All of it flares up now as she catches sight of the expression in his skyward gaze. She’s seen this expression before, at the tests, in the moments she went over telemetry alongside him between sessions or caught a glimpse of him through his helmet’s visor. Its origins aren’t hard to divine, borne out of a very particular muted desperation – not an absence but a sickness of hope, a soul pleading with the world for sustenance that it has ceased to receive.

(She’s seen it before – worse than here, the desperation crushed and guttered out beneath the famine’s heel. Mostly it’s been in videos but, every so often, she’s caught sight of it on a face in the Wardship, their life caught in the suffocating grip of the Dullness and snatched away from them for the Mythran know how long.)

In a moment, determination wins out and an intent forms. What value would it be to test herself against an opponent, however skilful, who cannot marshal his strength?

Olivia strides forward, raises an arm, and calls out.

---

Brendan didn’t think that he’d ever been quite so acquainted with a crash mat as he had become over the last ten minutes or so.

Olivia hadn’t told him a great deal about what she was offering beyond some kind of training, so dragging him off to Cygnus’ on-site gym didn’t raise any alarm bells, nor did the warm-up… Right up until she walked him over to a long, sky blue bag branded with a stylised ‘USC’ logo, pulled out two head-height light wooden poles with either end sheathed in foam padding and tossed one of them to him.

To her credit, she hadn’t started by beating him within an inch of his life. No, she’d had the courtesy to do some basic drills with him, going through a few guards, parries and strikes (with some biomechanical theory thrown in here and there) in what she called ‘short form’, and even promised that she’d try to limit her own repertoire to compensate… For all the good it did.

Honestly, but for the jovial supportiveness she’d shown throughout, he’d have suspected this was all a bizarre mind game.

“Footwork!” Olivia told him with a grin as she hauled him up for the seventh time. “You need your feet to move with you when you strike. The more of the body you move, the more force that you can generate and the further you can reach – important when we get to voids, later, too. If you don’t use all of it, you might as well be fighting with half your limbs tied up.”

Brendan nodded. “Should have figured you’d try something like this,” he replied to Olivia, feeling out of his element. “I mean – I signed up for it. Why not. But as much as I’m fit enough to drive the car, this already feels like something else entirely.”

Olivia laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s the same for lots of people starting out. You’re getting it faster than most. It’s just part of developing the instincts.”

“And how long does that take?”

“Differs, but it shouldn’t be too long. If you weren’t good at getting your body to do things faster than you can think about them, you wouldn’t be here, same as me.”

Whether or not I want to be. He grimaced, turning aside.

“Hey – hey, come on, none of that!” Olivia snapped her fingers. “Too much thinking! Out of the mind, into the body!” she called, punctuating her words by swiftly stepping back, raising her arms and executing a sharp downward swing.

Telegraphed, Brendan realised, in the couple of seconds thereafter.

But he’d parried all the same.

“There you go!” Olivia smirked, her eyes sparking. “Ready to go again for real?”

Brendan took in a breath. Much as he felt tempted to roll his eyes, he held back from that. Instead, he closed them, exhaled, and shrugged – he couldn’t hide all that he was feeling. Then, loosening his shoulders and spreading his feet wide, he settled into a high guard. “Sure.”

---

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[Turori]

Ikasamo Speedway, Ikasamo, Tamidan, Tamikuo, Hodori :: Walking through the paddock, seeing some familiar sponsors, even a few familiar faces - it was certainly a bit of nostalgia for iBen Toralmintii, thinking back to their early days in motorsports, driving in the International Super Formula Championships and during the early prime of their World Grand Prix Championship career. Once they made the hard left turn out of the paddock and wheeled their own #77 Race Eelandii VTGP onto the track for the very first time, all the Nostalgia was gone. There was nothing familiar to iBen Toralmintii about the Ikasamo Speedway. It wasn't a circuit that the World Grand Prix had come through previously though it was an historic Forest circuit in the hills of Hodori's southernmost island which has previously been host to Hodori Forumla Touring Championship races. There were no turns to remember, or memories of past races won at the circuit. It was just another track. Take it slow the first lap, and gradually get fastest, learn the cut points and follow it all through.

The methodic approach would set iBen Toralmintii up well, placing 8th in the opening test session. While that may have previously been seen as a disappointment while Toralmintii was racking up record points hauls for Tropicorp Racing Aelund, it was most certainly a relief for the team on such a competitive grid on an unknown circuit to have been so competitive first time out with a new driver - even if that driver was a partial owner of the team and former World Champion. Things would unsurprisingly get even better for Toralmintii when the rains came down on Sunday in Hodori, less than a tenth of a second off the fastest lap while excelling in the rain, something that Toralmintii has done throughout their career in the WGPC. Toralmintii's teammate, Cocoabo #23, struggled however in the wet and wasn't particularly fast in the dry either, leaving the team scratching their heads as to how a driver who, in dissimilar equipment, had just put up single digit points the season before while their Cocoabo had nearly won the Drivers Championship. Was Fast Cocoabo just in a pre-season slump? Was iBen Toralmintii actually back? Or was iBen Toralmintii never actually gone, just the Tropicorp Colouworks car for WGPC Season 20 was so bad in comparison that even one of the best couldn't manage to navigate a decent season out of it? Whatever the correlation, the speed charts would never lie as iBen Toralmintii was one of six drivers to place inside the Top for fastest lap in each of the two testing sessions in Hodori.

Now of course one of the most obvious impacts of having a Cocoabo driver in the stable is that there are certain modifications required for the Cocoabo to succesfully pilot the race car that make it such that wind tunnel data and mechanical schematics for each of the teams two primary cars are not shared, symmetrical or necessarily comparible between the teams two race day chassis. It was a fact that made explaining the on track speed differences betweeen iBen Toralmintii and Cocoabo #23 all the more difficult. Was the track just more suited to Toralmintii's driving style? Was there a mechanical - or even electrical fault somewhere in Fast Cocoabo's car? Or worse, could there be a fundamental flaw in the design of Fast Cocoabo's #23 machine that was literally dragging it down, meaning it would always be slower than the other cars until the issue was identified and fixed. There was little time to work with the engineers back in Eelandii, Turori to assess the probabilities for each scenario and begin taking steps to address them prior to the arrival of teams to the third and final World Grand Prix Championship test in Auruna. Like Hodori - and so many of the other locations on the calendar, the Akresna Circuit was a location that iBen Toralmintii was thrilled to be able to drive at one final time on the World Grand Prix Championship retirement tour. Toralmintii was the inaugural champion of the Aurun Grand Prix during WGPC Season 18 in a 1-2 sweep for Tropicorp Racing Ælund and would place on the podium once more during WGPC 19 behind local hero Kinu Luminaa. While iBen was thrilled to have had the opportunity to announce their retirement in Hodori and see some familiar faces, the testing session at the Akresna Circuit will give the champ the first 'final look' behind the wheel at a track with which they had previously had such impactful results as iBen could only hope they aren't too over-flooded with memories to stay focused on the task at hand, final preparations for the season to start in ABoveland.

---

---

It was a pretty solid first testing session together for veteran driver R.L. Cruisin and their new rookie teammate at Piers Ivchenko, Nik Hazrin Lufti. With UrGa engines and Brimstone tyres, the team were free from any of the 'extra attention' provided by local media and rules enforcement. This helped the team stay out of the spotlight and stay focused on the task at hand - getting the brand new Piers Ivchenko chassis figured out in time for the racing season to kick off in Aboveland. Cruisin and Lufti had already spent the week back in Doubeia preparing for the Hodori test session and the preparations in the Simulator and in the training room would pay off with the duo combining for the second best combined fastest lap of the day behind the Pressley Racing duo of Dario Nulkeschlager and former Race Eelandii prospect Nini Johnsilvaturr. The Rainy conditions on Day 2 at the Ikasomo Speedway would cause some issues for the competitors but still there was valuable things to be learned on the wet track. It was no surprise that of the two Piers Ivchenko drivers, Cruisin would be tops again with a speed just two-tenths of a second off the fastest lap of the day which was posted by none other than Nini Johnsilvaturr who had herself an incredibly showing in Hodori. Cruisin and Nik Hazrin Lufti worked together throughout the session with the Veteran helping the rookie with numerous pointers and how to slow the entrance to a turn in the wet and arc it out more than they might when attacking on dry slicks. This allowed the Sharktail driver to move up late in the session to posting the 15th overall fastest lap.

Overall, the team were pleased with their showing in Hodori. After being a late addition to the team roster for WGPC Season 21, it would certainly have been no surprise to see the team outside the Top 20 in testing and struggled to keep pace with the teams at the top of the grid. However, the strong showing on the track raises a new reason for optimism that this upstart team could surprise everyone and compete for a top-half position in the Constructors championship this season - with all eyes on the race weekend at home in Doubeia as a chance for the team to prove their mettle once and for all. Rumors are that the presence of R.L. Cruisin behind the wheel of the Piers Ivchenko team has also attracted the attention of two long time supporters of local motorsports, the Vilisorma Beverage Company and Toys '4' All. Through its 'Vilaye Energy Drink' brand, the Vilisorma Beverage Company has long been one of the largest motorsports investors in the cove region. Toys '4' All has recently been the sponsor of the WGPC Rookie of the Season award, a partnership which the company hopes to continue this season in addition to a potential on track partership with Cruisin and the Piers Ivchenko team.

Before the season gets going, however, there would be one more official test weekend, a three session event in Auruna at the Akresna Circuit. It will be the fourth consecutive World Grand Prix race weekend in Auruna, though the first as a test session without a proper Grand Prix event. The favorites to top the charts might be iBen Toralmintii and Kinu Luminna, two former race winners at the Akresna Circuit although many will also be watching Abdoulaye Goita who has podium finishes at both the WGP2 and WGPC level at the track. The Akresna Circuit is a World Grand Prix proven venue that will give teams an outstanding final opportunity to prepare themselves for the 10 event World Grand Prix Championship 21 schedule. It will also be the first opportunity to see all 32 cars and drivers on the track as the WGPC Motorworks teams arrives for its pre-season shakedown where Giancarlo Rahel, Azalia Kawakai, Otto Markul and Pierre-Louis Archer will begin a fascinating season as both teammates and fiercest of rivals with the quartet set to do battle in qualifying each and every race weekend with just two advancing with the right to drive the car on race day.

R.L. Cruisin ✓

@Cruisin

I'm really excited for this season, helping a brand new team get started and partnering with an exciting rookie driver in Nik Hazrin Lufti. The #51 showed some great speed in Hodori and I think we'll be able to improve even more in Auruna as our team back at the shop continues to dial in from the feedback we are able to provide from our testing sessions. Before you know it, Race Day will be upon us and I can't wait!

#WGPC : #PiersIvchenko : #HodoriTest

[Liventia]

Week 3: Testing Session 3

Conditions:      	Dry
Lap Record:      	00:01:40.442
Session Length:		180 minutes
Nation:         	AUR
Circuit:        	Akresna 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                                     	00:01:46.237	00:00:00.000		
 2 37 ▍Laura Haukanna                                       	00:01:46.249	00:00:00.013		
 3 27 ▍Dario Nülkeschlager                                  	00:01:46.304	00:00:00.067		
 4 89 ▍Abdoulaye Goita                                      	00:01:46.316	00:00:00.080		
 5 12 ▍Ron Sommer                                           	00:01:46.320	00:00:00.084		
 6 18 ▍Giancarlo Rahel                                      	00:01:46.350	00:00:00.114		
 7 33 ▍Sam Blaatschapen                                     	00:01:46.351	00:00:00.114		
 8 22 ▍Nini Johnsilvaturr                                   	00:01:46.362	00:00:00.125		
 9 77 ▍iBen Toralmintii                                     	00:01:46.403	00:00:00.166		
10  7 ▍Anneliese Devereux                                   	00:01:46.527	00:00:00.290		
11 14 ▍Skiia Vialiv                                         	00:01:46.599	00:00:00.362		
12 17 ▍Janne Laukkanen                                      	00:01:46.606	00:00:00.370		
13 40 ▍Adriana Ela Kowalski Lillian                         	00:01:46.615	00:00:00.378		
14 96 ▍William Archer                                       	00:01:46.668	00:00:00.431		
15 55 ▍Gil Langdon                                          	00:01:46.685	00:00:00.448		
16 74 ▍Adonis Fitzpatrick                                   	00:01:46.690	00:00:00.454		
17 21 ▍Nik Hazrin Lutfi                                     	00:01:46.803	00:00:00.566		
18 30 ▍Otto Markul                                          	00:01:46.824	00:00:00.587		
19 88 ▍Ted Pressley                                         	00:01:46.913	00:00:00.677		
20 84 ▍Angela Stella Tan Fang Ling                          	00:01:46.949	00:00:00.712		
21 51 ▍R.L. Cruisin                                         	00:01:47.092	00:00:00.855		
22  1 ▍Brendan Faloe                                        	00:01:47.363	00:00:01.126		
23 13 ▍Pierre-Louis Archer                                  	00:01:47.380	00:00:01.143		
24 82 ▍Kinu Luminna                                         	00:01:47.738	00:00:01.501		
25 23 ▍Cocoabo #23                                          	00:01:47.763	00:00:01.527		
26 66 ▍Vincent Von Visp                                     	00:01:48.390	00:00:02.153		
27 85 ▍Olivia Stone                                         	00:01:48.815	00:00:02.579		
28 16 ▍Azalia Kawakai                                       	00:01:48.949	00:00:02.712		
29 94 ▍Ryker Lane                                           	00:01:48.989	00:00:02.753		
30 63 ▍Nepö Kinder                                          	00:01:50.784	00:00:04.548		
31 58 ▍Shuhei Kamado                                        	00:01:50.841	00:00:04.604		
32 10 ▍Ankei Souzare                                        	00:01:59.143	00:00:12.906

[Tropicorp]

Aurunair Aurun Pre-Season Test, Akresna Circuit, Akresna, Auruna :: As the snow continued to fall in and around the Akresna Circuit, Tropicorp Racing Supply officials could not believe their luck thus far in the official World Grand Prix Championship testing sessions. After mostly dry conditions in Montelago, the two testing sessions since had provided an excellent variety of weather conditions that have more than doubled the amount of expected data received on track from testing as far as performance metrics go in preparation for the WGPC 21 racing season. Though some of the branding may have worn off, Tropicorp's STORM variant wet weather tyres were laying down the grip for two of the three fastest laps in the rain at the Ikasamo Speedway in Hodori, with Nini Johnsilvaturr taking the top spot in a session for the second time already this season for Pressley Racing. The weather was also a complete adjustment when the teams arrived in the midst of the Aurun Winter, a very frigid buy dry opening session at the Akresna Circuit was slightly less succesful for Tropicorp Racing Supply drivers - home town Viska Racing dominating the session although three Tropicorp Racing Supply drivers would sneak into the bottom half of the Top ten in the cold temperatures. Things would get interesting on Day 2 with Light Snow Showers falling across the circuit which kept times condensed and quite a bit slower than they had been in the cool dry conditions the day before. Tropicorp Racing Supply had come well prepared for the cold and snowy conditions, posting 3 of the 6 fastest laps in the session including the fastest lap of the day by the Aelund #88 of Ted Pressley. The only thing that has been predictable about the conditions in Auruna thus far is the Cold weather, but any tyre changes due to precipitation will likely be a track time decision by all the teams as they prepare to head out for their final testing session of the pre-season.

The advanced Tropicorp Tyres are each removed from the vehicles after every testing run and put through a deep analysis at the Tropicorp Racing Supply trailer, with a rotating scanner checking heat, rubber density and quality, uniformness of wear and other measurable qualities, matching those across sessions and helping to inform both the Engineers at Tropicorp Racing Supply if any modifications could be made to future mbatches, or, to the teams to suggest if they could potentially be failing to utilize the best setup to gain maximum efficiency in grip to speed ratio. Tropicorp Factory teams Race Eelandii VTGP and Pressley Racing also get similar readouts from the Tropicorp Engineering team on site and have reportedly even been seen having joint collaboration sessions during the pre-season to review and learn from the data collected from each teams tyres and engines. It remains to be seen whether the collaboration between Pressley Racing and Race Eelandii will continue once the teams depart the Akresna Circuit and World Championship points are on the line each week from then.

---

SKIIA VIALIV ✓

@Skiia

Race Trim. Race Trim. I keep telling myself we were just in race trim. That was just Race trim, right?

#WGPC21 :: #ForzaHMG

TROPICORP RACING SUPPLY ✓

@TropicorpRS

Thanks again to our friends here in Hodori for taking the duty of recycling some of our old defective parts inventory. I know the locals in Tropicoast will be really thankful to not see any growth of our landfill space behind turns 1-2 at the Tropicoast Beach Course!!

#WGPC : #Tyres : #PreSeasonTest

---

After arriving to Auruna...

---

SKIIA VIALIV ✓

@Skiia

Ohhhhhhh my gosssssssshh it is SO COLD HERE. I'm literally standing around the paddock in a heated blanket until they are ready for me to hop in the car. I've actually had one of the pit crew start the car up before i get in it so the engine can get running and we can get a little warmth building up around the cockpit before i go sliding my body in there. I think thats the primary reason we are so fast out there! Thanks HMG dudes.

#WGPC21 :: #ForzaHMG :: [b]#FrozenTest

[Aboveland]

Akresna Circuit
Akresna, Auruna

To a certain extent, it felt better off for Janne that the Aurun Grand Prix had been called off, and that the circuit had been assigned a test event slot instead. The circuit had always been somewhat of a dud for him and the team; the first time he'd trudged through a weekend in Auruna in a Chase Cutter, he'd qualified last — and then promptly finished last to boot. He hadn't fared much better in other years, either, neither with Carvenlo or back at Nexus on the top rung of the series. It was slightly frustrating, especially with how familiar and homey Auruna felt to western Aboveland, and with how Tropicorp Racing Ælund had enjoyed the best of their success at the circuit as well, but it simply seemed as if the Chase Cutter philosophy was pitifully unfit for Akresna Circuit. With a best ever result of 12th for the team in four attempts, there was a clear trend in their performance.

He'd overheard Ryker complain about the balance in the garage next to him throughout the weekend in Hodori, in which Janne opted instead to attempt to meld his driving style to the quirks of the new Chase Cutter. Every tendency that his teammate had reported had proven true for him as well: the kart-track final sector in Ikasamo was nothing short of nightmarish, and it felt as if the car was completely unable to hold its line in any situation. On long sweeping bends, the converter arrays flashed and pulsed as they struggled to put the power down through the car's cambered tyres; on braking, the four axles skittered on the pavement until he released the brakes, at which point whichever of the two axles that bit first threw the car either into a violent nose-heavy spin or a rear-loaded barge out of the apex. The traction on the car was fine; the directional control felt like steering a sailboat without a keel.

Come Auruna, the reality began to dawn on him: Nexus were, seemingly, not particularly competitive this year — or, at least, not on any circuit that wasn't a collection of fast straights and few, straightforward turns. Of all the testing sessions he'd done, he'd only managed to crack the top ten once — and even that was once better than his teammate. Together with the massively expanded 30 driver grid threatening to make scoring points an uphill battle throughout the season, the alarm bells had begun to ring in his head. In Auruna, of all circuits, it was time to make a splash of any sort. In the end, then, it was perhaps not as great a predicament that the testing would come to a close in the Aurun hills.

Or that the barely competent moving chicane from Hodori was still in with a WGPO license.

Janne had been working closely with his engineer, Max, throughout the first testing session of the weekend. With temperatures having fallen to very much near freezing as the brief spell of noon began to escape the skies over the circuit, the track conditions were not ideal to make many tunes to the Chase Cutter's handling. If the car had not been able to claw at the asphalt in a bone Crpostran, there would be even less of that on the frozen-over tarmac at Akresna. They'd both done their best; to a certain extent, they'd managed to mitigate the ridiculously violent shifts from under to oversteer that the car had been exhibiting in sharp corners, and it had become a repeatable possibility for Janne to throw the car into the corner and come out the other end with the chassis in one piece and pointing in the same direction. By the time that dusk had oppressively taken hold of the circuit, a matting of clouds had followed suit, and to his dismay, the second day of the weekend offered unusually warm showers throughout the session.

The rain had become the great equalizer of the session, as the times began to drop and the cars had begun to fall into conservation mode over the collecting puddles off of the racing line. With Max, Janne had planned to go out into a moderately aggressive stint, running a first draft of the setup from the day prior, but adapted to wet and slippery conditions. As the Chase Cutter hummed out of the pitlane and onto the circuit, the balance immediately hit Janne with a slight bit of ease. Even on this joker of a circuit, the Chase Cutter had finally begun to feel normal, and by the time the tyres had come into temperature, he had finally started to find the feeling again. Speeding down the valley run, the car coming undone but within controllable limits across the switchbacks down to turn 19, the corners of his lips morphed into a cautious smirk. As he sped down the track, the rooster tails of the other cars on their own runs dotted the straight and the switch-back section between 19 and 20.

But it was upon arrival at turn 19, on only his fifth lap of the session, that the rooster tail he'd been following down the circuit with his gaze, all the way from the entry to turn 17, crossed his path in the exact instant that it was not supposed to. He could see the blinking red light under its rear wing shine harshly behind the plume of water streaming out of its beefy rear tyres; the way the car slid into turn 17 and out of turn 18, and then swerved like a child riding a bike without its training wheels for the first time; and how, instead of sticking to the clear dry line on the left side of the track, the car kept opting to collect every other puddle gathering on the glassy right side of the road. Janne had done his due diligence, sticking religiously to the dry line and keeping his pupils fixed on the rear wing of the car ahead, but as he prepared to brake into the hairpin — knowing that, with the state of the Chase Cutter, he'd have to commit to his braking line all the way to the apex — the spray ahead of him unraveled from its orderly shape into a messy cloud of mist, and the pointy nose of the car in front and to his right crossed, and collided, into his path.

The Imagination powered impact avoidance system tried its best to pulse into action to deflect the incoming nose cone, but be it faulty calibration or a carnal confusion with the cyan-colored spear that tangled itself in the nose of his Chase Cutter, it was of little use. The two rendezvoused together and out in a latched spin towards the outside of the corner, Janne slamming the Hodoran car in his nose straight into the wall to their left, as they dragged together along the muddy track limits towards the runoff at the end of the straight. Once at a full stop, the splatters of rain and grass on his visor occluding the sight of the driver inside him, his Chase Cutter wound down to a silent halt as his radio crackled into life.

"Okay Janne?" asked Max with a hint of concern. Janne sighed, wiping the grime off of his visor to reveal an incomprehensibly angry Ankei Souzare waving both of his hands, palms outstretched into the sky, in his direction.

"Fucking hell," Janne sighed. Souzare was shaking pinched fingers on one hand, and tapping his helmet with his index finger on the other, before putting that hand into a fist and waving it erratically. "I don't know what this guy is doing in WGPC," he sneered. "I'm fine; I think I slammed his car into the wall."

As the flag marker boards began flashing yellow above them, Janne undid his belts and clambered out of the car into the muddy marsh underneath them, the Hodoran in front of him seemingly refusing to put down his accusatory gestures and barking through his visor.

Thankfully, like Aboveland, Auruna was known for its saunas. He could use a session to reset and reboot, to push gently into his temples and rub his eyes and stretch his back while splayed out on the cedar wood. Maybe this time, he could go it alone instead.

[Hodori Motorsports]

Akresna Circuit
First session
“Okay, first off, shut up Jeff. Second, you’ve left the pits safely for once so we want you to do a few slow laps to acclimatise.” The coalition of time attack team members consisted of Mazaregi Racing Project, Reitoude Motor Sport, and Project Zenethra members that had been part of various international motorsports efforts based out of Hodori. The Mazaregi group had some experience from WSRC, but were mostly coming from Hodoran domestic racing and so were at the pit wall, fighting with this automated hallucination generator called “Jeff” and this one grossly unqualified idiot called “Ankei Souzare”. Reitoude’s members were all either former members of Arada’s WGPC effort or the RMS Engineering Academy WGP2 team and had experience with WGPC pit work. The personnel from Project Zenethra were the team supporting the Seokaya twins’ privateer entry in WSRC, and were finding some success in applying their Time Attack Cup-winning setup skills to getting Berezowska’s car dialed in.
“I understand that Souzare, but Jeff is an idiot so you should ignore him.” You are as well, but it’s not like I can say that over the radio.
Five minutes later, the Mazaregi engineer arguing with Jeff and Souzare defending his creation the whole while, and Ankei Souzare had finished a full timed lap. A lap riddled with countless mistakes and misjudged braking and clipping points. “You can go faster you know.”
Ankei Souzare complied.

And missed his braking point.

Again.

Because of course.

And ended his session early, stranded in the gravel.

But at least he finished a lap at a speed. Even if that speed was “slow”. And so far, he appeared to have not terminally damaged the car this time.

The only ray of sunshine in this whole embarrassment of an organisation that is HiTEN was Hanna Berezowska, the one competent driver in the team.

---

Second session

“He’s going to crash the car again isn’t he. And shut up, Jeff.” As the rest of the pit team readied to two HiTEN cars for the wet second session, the Mazaregi engineer was again at his post, dreading Souzare’s “contributions” to the session. “Why couldn’t we have the other Souzare here? She at least knows what she’s doing.”

---

Unsurprsisingly, the idiot on his third timed lap had an incident with another driver.

At least he set a few laps before wrecking the car.

Again.

And of course this idiot refused to accept responsibility for the incident with Laukkanen.

Just how in the fuck does this fucking idiot have a Super License?

---

---

---

The Blue Flag Report
Posted by 87 Pigeons

Hello everybirby and welcome to one of a number of fun side activities (fun not guaranteed) (number of side activities not guaranteed to be greater than one) (activities not guaranteed to require active participation).

This one is called:

Pigeon's International Silliness Season

and yes I’m well aware of what the initials spell out that’s why I chose those words and in that order

This is not a fantasy sport thing. There is no prize for winning. This is just silly fun.

Here's how things will work:

We'll take the WGPC calendar, have cica.da users sign up teams and drivers, and stuff it all into this race simulation software I found. No twii.tur users though; I could beat my VPN into compliance to start looking at that site again but I cba rn

Qualifying for each round will be three sessions of 87km. Where the WGPC has a 107% DNQ cutoff, the SillyPrix will have a 187% cutoff. SillyPrix races will be held to 87 laps, regardless of official WGPC distance. Grid start, like the WGPC. Minimum SillyPrix finish distance is 87% of the winner's distance.

For the six car part categories, your six ratings to stick wherever the hell you please are: 30, 25, 20, 15, 0, -3

For the four driver rating categories, your numbers are: 70, 30, 0, -13 for Driver 1 and 50, 40, 0, -3 for Driver 2

Signups will be split into two threads. Thread one will be teams, thread two will be drivers. Team signups will be the two car numbers between 0 and 999 inclusive, with the option of up to three digits with leading zeroes for 0 - 99 inclusive, team name, the left-to-right entry order of part stats, and chassis name. Drivers will be two at once with an alphanumeric first and last name and the left-to-right entry order of skill stats, and two part names, with part name 1 the engine and part name two the tyres. This will keep going until we have fifteen teams and pairs of drivers. Team one will be matched with driver pair fifteen, team two with pair fourteen, and so on until team fifteen pairs with driver pair one.

Singups with offensive numbers/number combinations and team/driver names, as well as real team/driver names will be ignored.

For the simulation software I'm using, the three car parts and their two rating categories left to right are Chassis (CC and CS), Engine (EP and ER), and Tyres (TG and TL). The four driver ratings left to right spell out STEW. I'm not sure what these mean and I'm sure they're explained in the manual but I just want to make the software scream in fun ways through inputs outside of what it's normally meant to process.

As a test, here's an example session using track data from the current ongoing test in Auruna and some example team and driver data:

Qualify 1 Weather/Conditions: Fine/Dry

 P  No.  Qualify 1 Driver         Machine                                Best Lap
 1   11  Nsrnngsfg Madfgbfaddd    Experimental Systems T6 Test6          1:28.066
 2    2  Aasdgv Adfsgh            Testytest Test1                        1:28.534
 3    3  Ansrgsf Gnsrtjn          Test-a-Kleez Test2                     1:28.652
 4    4  Ysfgnjsfgn Jasdfgadf     Test-a-Kleez Test2                     1:28.793
 5    1  Abcd Efghijklmnop        Testytest Test1                        1:28.830
 6   21  Aentanet Revbs           AgileWagon Test11                      1:29.026
 7   16  Tdyuhmns Fnagnmarnrr     Speedbirb Test8                        1:29.062
 8    6  Hasdfhbaf Vasdgb         Testracer Test3                        1:29.148
 9    5  Nadfsbearb Zcvbbefr      Testracer Test3                        1:29.198
10   23  Kuukuuu Coocooocooo      RockDoveRacing Test12                  1:29.254
11   14  Uyrthbg Jsfgnadfgb       MoveFastBreakStuff Test7               1:29.775
12   12  Snrjmnhfm Gaesrfghdfbh   Experimental Systems T6 Test6          1:29.849
13   28  Dtuyfhh Idtumyhngbh      Corvus R14 Test14                      1:29.913
14   87  Keysmash Randomletters   Coospeed87 Test87                      1:30.001
15    7  Psdfghnasdf Tadgfnd      Speedtester Test4                      1:30.145
16   17  Mjytsdun Hhhhhhhhhhhh    MadscienceLab9 Test9                   1:30.207
17   18  Sdxtfyguhm Ytytytytyt    MadscienceLab9 Test9                   1:30.213
18   13  Dytujgb Raehbdndfgn      MoveFastBreakStuff Test7               1:30.224
19    9  Paoikdnmfghb Nareadhrf   Test Team 5 Test5                      1:30.252
20   27  Ntyesrkhg Smnyrtmhstum   Corvus R14 Test14                      1:30.315
21    8  Adoifnpboip Nadfhbaed    Speedtester Test4                      1:30.378
22   10  Aentgfn Usfgnasfn        Test Team 5 Test5                      1:30.456
23   19  Ofikmutnyrgtbf Ukmstm    NoThoughtsHeadMT Test10                1:30.554
24  870  Nsryfgtnbrfg Aertjuherb  Coospeed87 Test87                      1:30.723
25   15  Sryktr Uwsargnm          Speedbirb Test8                        1:30.796
26   24  Aaaaaaaaaa Aaaaaaaaaa    RockDoveRacing Test12                  1:30.973
27   25  Safrgmsfghm Uksryhhgfs   MagpieEast Test13                      1:30.995
28   22  Nyooooom Vrooooooom      AgileWagon Test11                      1:31.004
29   20  Metusdkmx Lalalalalalal  NoThoughtsHeadMT Test10                1:31.409
30   26  Aetrjhfgn Sfhgjkfrtjfg   MagpieEast Test13                      1:31.737
=========================== Qualify 1 187%:  2:44.684 ===========================

Qualify 2 Weather/Conditions: Fine/Dry

 P  No.  Driver                   Machine                                Best Lap
 1    3  Ansrgsf Gnsrtjn          Test-a-Kleez Test2                     1:20.182
 2    2  Aasdgv Adfsgh            Testytest Test1                        1:20.206
 3   14  Uyrthbg Jsfgnadfgb       MoveFastBreakStuff Test7               1:20.218
 4   23  Kuukuuu Coocooocooo      RockDoveRacing Test12                  1:20.358
 5   21  Aentanet Revbs           AgileWagon Test11                      1:20.465
 6   28  Dtuyfhh Idtumyhngbh      Corvus R14 Test14                      1:20.725
 7    6  Hasdfhbaf Vasdgb         Testracer Test3                        1:20.903
 8    9  Paoikdnmfghb Nareadhrf   Test Team 5 Test5                      1:20.933
 9    5  Nadfsbearb Zcvbbefr      Testracer Test3                        1:21.530
10   87  Keysmash Randomletters   Coospeed87 Test87                      1:21.968
11    7  Psdfghnasdf Tadgfnd      Speedtester Test4                      1:22.118
12    4  Ysfgnjsfgn Jasdfgadf     Test-a-Kleez Test2                     1:22.880
13    1  Abcd Efghijklmnop        Testytest Test1                        1:22.881
14   17  Mjytsdun Hhhhhhhhhhhh    MadscienceLab9 Test9                   1:23.082
15   16  Tdyuhmns Fnagnmarnrr     Speedbirb Test8                        1:23.135
16   13  Dytujgb Raehbdndfgn      MoveFastBreakStuff Test7               1:23.894
17   18  Sdxtfyguhm Ytytytytyt    MadscienceLab9 Test9                   1:24.024
18   11  Nsrnngsfg Madfgbfaddd    Experimental Systems T6 Test6          1:24.386
19   12  Snrjmnhfm Gaesrfghdfbh   Experimental Systems T6 Test6          1:25.279
20   27  Ntyesrkhg Smnyrtmhstum   Corvus R14 Test14                      1:25.374

Qualify 3 Weather/Conditions: Fine/Dry

 P  No.  Driver                 Machine                                Best Lap
 1    9  Paoikdnmfghb Nareadhrf   Test Team 5 Test5                      1:28.575
 2   23  Kuukuuu Coocooocooo      RockDoveRacing Test12                  1:28.584
 3   21  Aentanet Revbs           AgileWagon Test11                      1:28.814
 4    2  Aasdgv Adfsgh            Testytest Test1                        1:29.019
 5    6  Hasdfhbaf Vasdgb         Testracer Test3                        1:29.199
 6   28  Dtuyfhh Idtumyhngbh      Corvus R14 Test14                      1:29.721
 7    5  Nadfsbearb Zcvbbefr      Testracer Test3                        1:29.874
 8   87  Keysmash Randomletters   Coospeed87 Test87                      1:31.081
 9    3  Ansrgsf Gnsrtjn          Test-a-Kleez Test2                     1:31.617
10   14  Uyrthbg Jsfgnadfgb       MoveFastBreakStuff Test7               1:32.673

 P  No.  Driver                   Machine                               
 1    9  Paoikdnmfghb Nareadhrf   Test Team 5 Test5                     
 2   23  Kuukuuu Coocooocooo      RockDoveRacing Test12                 
 3   21  Aentanet Revbs           AgileWagon Test11                     
 4    2  Aasdgv Adfsgh            Testytest Test1                       
 5    6  Hasdfhbaf Vasdgb         Testracer Test3                       
 6   28  Dtuyfhh Idtumyhngbh      Corvus R14 Test14                     
 7    5  Nadfsbearb Zcvbbefr      Testracer Test3                       
 8   87  Keysmash Randomletters   Coospeed87 Test87                     
 9    3  Ansrgsf Gnsrtjn          Test-a-Kleez Test2                    
10   14  Uyrthbg Jsfgnadfgb       MoveFastBreakStuff Test7              
11    7  Psdfghnasdf Tadgfnd      Speedtester Test4                     
12    4  Ysfgnjsfgn Jasdfgadf     Test-a-Kleez Test2                    
13    1  Abcd Efghijklmnop        Testytest Test1                       
14   17  Mjytsdun Hhhhhhhhhhhh    MadscienceLab9 Test9                  
15   16  Tdyuhmns Fnagnmarnrr     Speedbirb Test8                       
16   13  Dytujgb Raehbdndfgn      MoveFastBreakStuff Test7              
17   18  Sdxtfyguhm Ytytytytyt    MadscienceLab9 Test9                  
18   11  Nsrnngsfg Madfgbfaddd    Experimental Systems T6 Test6         
19   12  Snrjmnhfm Gaesrfghdfbh   Experimental Systems T6 Test6         
20   27  Ntyesrkhg Smnyrtmhstum   Corvus R14 Test14                     
21    8  Adoifnpboip Nadfhbaed    Speedtester Test4                     
22   10  Aentgfn Usfgnasfn        Test Team 5 Test5                     
23   19  Ofikmutnyrgtbf Ukmstm    NoThoughtsHeadMT Test10               
24  870  Nsryfgtnbrfg Aertjuherb  Coospeed87 Test87                     
25   15  Sryktr Uwsargnm          Speedbirb Test8                       
26   24  Aaaaaaaaaa Aaaaaaaaaa    RockDoveRacing Test12                 
27   25  Safrgmsfghm Uksryhhgfs   MagpieEast Test13                     
28   22  Nyooooom Vrooooooom      AgileWagon Test11                     
29   20  Metusdkmx Lalalalalalal  NoThoughtsHeadMT Test10               
30   26  Aetrjhfgn Sfhgjkfrtjfg   MagpieEast Test13

---

Race Time    Start  00:30  01:00  01:30  02:00  02:30
Weather       Fine   Fine   Fine   Fine   Fine   Fine
Surface        Dry    Dry    Dry    Dry    Dry    Dry
Flag         Green  Green  Green  Green  Green Chequer

 P  No.  Driver                     Machine                                     Time/Gap   LC   Best Lap  Pts
 1   28  Dtuyfhh Idtumyhngbh        Corvus R14 Test14                        2:14:40.630   87   1:20.536   25
 2   21  Aentanet Revbs             AgileWagon Test11                        +  0:11.871   87   1:20.088   18
 3    6  Hasdfhbaf Vasdgb           Testracer Test3                          +  1:24.043   87   1:21.046   14
 4    5  Nadfsbearb Zcvbbefr        Testracer Test3                           +   1 Lap    86   1:15.141   11
 5   10  Aentgfn Usfgnasfn          Test Team 5 Test5                         +   1 Lap    86   1:21.381    8
 6   87  Keysmash Randomletters     Coospeed87 Test87                         +   2 Laps   85   1:21.397    6
 7   24  Aaaaaaaaaa Aaaaaaaaaa      RockDoveRacing Test12                     +   2 Laps   85   1:21.019    4
 8   22  Nyooooom Vrooooooom        AgileWagon Test11                         +   2 Laps   85   1:21.418    3
 9   18  Sdxtfyguhm Ytytytytyt      MadscienceLab9 Test9                      +   3 Laps   84   1:21.067    2
10   26  Aetrjhfgn Sfhgjkfrtjfg     MagpieEast Test13                         +   3 Laps   84   1:21.442    1
11   25  Safrgmsfghm Uksryhhgfs     MagpieEast Test13                         +   3 Laps   84   1:21.410    0
12   17  Mjytsdun Hhhhhhhhhhhh      MadscienceLab9 Test9                      +   3 Laps   84   1:21.450    0
13   13  Dytujgb Raehbdndfgn        MoveFastBreakStuff Test7                  +   4 Laps   83   1:22.357    0
14  870  Nsryfgtnbrfg Aertjuherb    Coospeed87 Test87                         +   5 Laps   82   1:22.222    0
===================================== Minimum Finish Distance:  76 Laps =====================================
      9  Paoikdnmfghb Nareadhrf     Test Team 5 Test5                         +  84 Laps    3   1:24.400    0
      1  Abcd Efghijklmnop          Testytest Test1                           +  84 Laps    3   1:22.981    0
     14  Uyrthbg Jsfgnadfgb         MoveFastBreakStuff Test7                  +  84 Laps    3   1:24.159    0
      2  Aasdgv Adfsgh              Testytest Test1                           +  84 Laps    3   1:28.815    0
     23  Kuukuuu Coocooocooo        RockDoveRacing Test12                     +  84 Laps    3   1:33.551    0
      3  Ansrgsf Gnsrtjn            Test-a-Kleez Test2                        +  84 Laps    3   1:30.519    0
     16  Tdyuhmns Fnagnmarnrr       Speedbirb Test8                           +  84 Laps    3   1:36.883    0
      4  Ysfgnjsfgn Jasdfgadf       Test-a-Kleez Test2                        +  84 Laps    3   1:36.788    0
      7  Psdfghnasdf Tadgfnd        Speedtester Test4                         +  84 Laps    3   1:43.044    0
     12  Snrjmnhfm Gaesrfghdfbh     Experimental Systems T6 Test6             +  84 Laps    3   1:44.943    0
      8  Adoifnpboip Nadfhbaed      Speedtester Test4                         +  84 Laps    3   1:27.360    0
     19  Ofikmutnyrgtbf Ukmstm      NoThoughtsHeadMT Test10                   +  84 Laps    3   1:40.234    0
     15  Sryktr Uwsargnm            Speedbirb Test8                           +  84 Laps    3   1:44.327    0
     20  Metusdkmx Lalalalalalal    NoThoughtsHeadMT Test10                   +  84 Laps    3   1:47.489    0
     27  Ntyesrkhg Smnyrtmhstum     Corvus R14 Test14                         +  85 Laps    2   2:12.468    0
     11  Nsrnngsfg Madfgbfaddd      Experimental Systems T6 Test6             +  85 Laps    2   2:02.001    0

Lap  No.  Driver                   Machine                                    Time
  1    5  Nadfsbearb Zcvbbefr      Testracer Test3                        1:15.141

...Looking at these results, I'm pretty sure the abnormal inputs caused somethings somewhere to break, and as I find it hilarious I'm keeping the jank.


And also, for the main Blue Flag Cup thing, as this is now a concern:
DNQ due to insufficient pace in qualifying will award the full race distance of BFP. DNQ due to being the slower two of Motorworks drivers in qualifying still awards the ten BFP.

---

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bfr.himeblog.net

30m

Hello everybirby! Who all's ready for some #BlueFlagReport #SillyPrix pretend racing?

---

bfr.himeblog.net

25m

Reply to THIS post for your #BlueFlagReport #SillyPrix teams

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bfr.himeblog.net

22m

And reply to THIS post for your #BlueFlagReport #SillyPrix drivers

[Hapilopper]

The brand new Preston PGP-04 is presented by Brimstone Tire and Rubber Company. Brimstone: Tires for Life and Fun.

Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing is more than delighted to present to you, its new Grand Prix race car.

THE BRAND NEW PRESTON PGP-04. Preston Autos Grand Prix Racing's challenger for the 21st season of the World Grand Prix Championship. A whole new car. Two new drivers. But we've got the same Preston attitude. We've presented some information on this new car and our two new drivers, who we're excited to get to work with for the coming season and beyond as this World Grand Prix Championship season unfolds.


Kinu Luminna hails from Tärheljäänttärii in Auruna, and returns to a driver's seat in the World Grand Prix Championship after being relegated to a test driver seat at Viska racing a year ago. This is a great racing driver - two years ago, Luminna finished 5th in the World Championship standings on the strength of a win at his home Grand Prix in Auruna and podium finishes in Hapilopper City, Vilita and Liventia. For all intents and purposes, this is a driver swap, as Preston Autos has traded William Archer - still seen as "The Man That Saved Preston Autos" to Viska Racing for Luminna.

MARTY LEWIS, TEAM PRINCIPAL, PRESTON AUTOS: We're damn glad to have Kinu on our squad. At the test in Hapilopper City, Kinu showed us exactly what this new Preston Auto is capable of and more. This is a driver that can put it on the ragged edge, go for broke, and come out on top. If anything, Kinu is the kind of driver that personifies everything that is good about Preston Autos and Hapiloppian racing: The kind of driver that will bring home the checkered flag or the steering wheel. Here, that's the kind of driver we love. I expect Kinu will compete for race wins and for the World Grand Prix Championship now that we've gotten together.


Replacing Rudy Edwards is Valentine Z native Angela Stella Tan Fang Ling, coming to us from Cygnus Motorsport from Esmerel. Stella finished 26th in the standings a year ago with a 10th place finish in the Nexus Wardship as her best finish. Even still, Preston Autos has high hopes for the talented Valentian. As Marty Lewis puts it, this signing is that of a strong driver with a great amount of potential.

MARTY LEWIS, TEAM PRINCIPAL, PRESTON AUTOS: Angela, like most anyone from the Wonderful World of Valentine Z, is a bright light in a dark world. She brings to us a tremendous positive attitude, the kind of attitude that will help keep the team going even in the darkest of times. And on top of that, she's a hell of a driver. We're building a car with a setup that will suit her driving style, and we sense that will benefit her, Kinu and the rest of the Preston team. With that, we think and know that Angela will have a much better season than she did last, and we fully expect her to compete for points, wins and maybe for the World Grand Prix Championship.

A look at what makes the new Preston PGP-04 better than the PGP-03:

---

NEW, ADVANCED AERODYNAMICS.
The new PGP-04 features a heavily-revised aerodynamic package, one that can adapt to any track on the WGPC schedule. For slower tracks, the PGP-04 will sprout larger wings capable of giving Kinu and Angela the downforce they need to negotiate the corners. On faster tracks, Kinu and Angela will enjoy the luxury of smaller wings, less downforce and a greater top speed. That, combined with the huge power from the Preston Skychief V6 Stock Block engine, will mean the highest top speed in all of Grand Prix Racing.

---

DOUBLE DRAG REDUCTION, ON DEMAND!
Those huge wings will work great for Kinu and Angela in the corners and through slower technical sections on the race track... but what if they don't need that? What if they need to stretch their legs? This is where the Preston's Double-DRS comes into play! The Double DRS system allows drivers to flatten out their wings, get the most from their engine and out-drag their competitors on the straightaways of the World Grand Prix Championship. As Marty Lewis says, the Double DRS system allows Kinu and Angela all the speed of a high-speed track and all the downforce of the most technical of tracks.

---

MORE GROUND EFFECTS.
One of the top features of the new PGP-04 is a revised ground effects profile. Our drivers last season encountered an inconsistent ride due to faulty ground effects. During the offseason, Preston aerodynamicists have worked overtime to improve the underwing on the new Preston chassis. We feel that most of the downforce will come from underneath the car. This will allow Kinu and Angela to make their way around the tracks of the World Grand Prix Championship quicker, more efficiently and smoother.

---

BRAND NEW BRIMSTONE RUBBER.
Perhaps the revelation of the year in international motorsports has been the debut of Hapilopper City-based Brimstone Tire and Rubber Company on the multiversal stage. Last season, Brimstone-shod cars, driven by Drake Stevenson, Stacie Houston, Jeremiah Brooke, Rinzi Zakhilwal, Anastasia Freya Aye, Clarissa Alanis Star and Gwen Tracer Allison, swept the first seven positions in NSSCRA points. The tires produce more grip and more speed for its teams and drivers, and we're certain that Brimstone Tires will produce the same speed for its WGPC teams that they do in NSSCRA.

---

MORE POWER AND MORE BOOST.
Powering the Preston PGP-04 is the newest evolution of Preston Autos' Skychief V6 engine, the 3.43 liter, 209-cubic inch V6 stock block engine. A stock block engine, of course, has the same heritage as the engine from your Preston Skychief road car. Preston Autos prides itself in bringing race track technology to the street, and vice versa. Those that drive the Skychief road car know they can enjoy the same engine from the Grand Prix car and don't have to worry about needing a terminal degree just to get the car started. They won't have to worry about having to worry about expansive neural networks or overcomplicated messes just to put the car into gear. And neither do Kinu and Angela!

---

SAFETY FIRST: ALWAYS.
What is the most important feature of the PGP-04? How about what our smartass mechanics call "the seat to wheel spacer" - the drivers. And the most important thing we can do is ensure that no matter how serious of an accident our drivers have, no matter how unfortunate of a situation they find themselves in, our Preston PGP-04 will protect them. To us, if Kinu or Angela get into a wreck, we feel we'll have done our job properly if they get out of the car, uninjured, and able to fight another day. Because that, to us, is the most important thing. A great race car isn't worth the paper it's drawn on or the materials it uses if it can't protect its drivers.

[Aboveland]

Fjellutfordring conference hall
Avsidesliggendevuoret, Aboveland

A light dusting of snow coated the track surface just outside of the conference hall windows, as little clumps gathered on the corners of the towering glass walls. Abovian architects had a knack for making dramatic backdrops to conference rooms in racing circuits — as specific as that sounds — and Fjellutfordring was no exception. While in Lintulahti the auditorium looked down over the circuit as it fell towards the shore, overlooking Iskajärvi lake and the rising massifs beyond, the Fjellutfordring scenery overlooked the jagged hills of central Aboveland — usually a mossy green mixed with outcroppings of light gray bedrock, today sprinkled in rolling waves of light snow fluff. Whether or not the weather would clear up for the Abovian Grand Prix, however, was a secondary concern in Edvin's mind.

Hidden behind the velour curtains that separated the stage from the seating, Edvin and Terho each stood on either side of AGP007, hands on hips, team principal in teamwear and test driver in his overalls. The dark white overcast skies cast a cool glow through the window panes, which ebbed and flowed across the car's fluid lines, and glistened off of the sparkles in its dark blue base. The colorful accents on either end of the chassis, applied in matte, fluorescent tones, reflected the glare to smatter the insides of the curtains in CMYK's namesake color palette. Just outside the curtains, the rumble of the audience grows steadily over the sounds of muted footsteps on the carpet.

"How do you feel?" asked Terho into the void, his gaze fixed on the engine cover, and how its curves fell below the rear wing and around the exhaust.

Edvin smiled. "Good." He turned to face Terho, still transfixed on the car, and brought a hand to his shoulder. "Great."

As a gust of wind shuddered the windowed walls behind them, the door on the side of and below the stage parted slightly, and a thumbs-up hand peeked timidly out from the darkness. Immediately, the downlights in the auditorium dimmed, the contactors for the spotlights snapped into life, and the diffused warm shimmer seeped through from the bottom of the curtain onto their shoes. Terho swallowed hard before raising his head to meet Edvin's eyes and smiling back. 'Let's go,' he mouthed.

The velour curtains parted, and the oppressive glare of the spotlights invaded their eyes. The speakers in the auditorium sprung up with atmospheric not-quite-music, as lights on either side of the stage in the Ælund palette swirled and shifted over them, but keeping the car in the dark. On a pedestal to the right of the occluded AGP007, a microphone awaited Edvin's eager hand; behind them both, Ted and Abdoulaye entered on opposing sides of the stage into another oasis of light, clad in Terho's same overalls, to stand beside the former champion, himself to the left of AGP007. Before speaking, the team principal trialed a glance to his left at the row of drivers; Terho and Abs eyed each other's outfits, with a messy-haired Ted on the far side of the line peeking at his teammates' attire.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Edvin gleamed; the metallic rims of his glasses ricocheted the stage lights across the auditorium, and the audience orchestrated a polite round of applause. "Ælund is back — we took one step back, and two steps forward." He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose before looking over at the black void beside him in which the car laid. "Alongside one of the most talented driver lineups in the WGPC: please welcome our most important car yet. This... is AGP007." The lights of the auditorium erupted in a showcase of all four Ælund colors, scattering the void into light and projecting the testing livery onto the chassis, which faded into the warm shine of the showcase floodlights.

---

New Car, New Look, New Faces: Ælund Stølskapp Grand Prix Presents WGPC21 Challenger

Ælund Racing's renowned grand prix outfit has presented their vehicle for WGPC21, dubbed AGP007, in a presentation event held at Fjellutfordring on Abovian Grand Prix race week. The Lintulahti-based team, joined by title sponsor Stølskapp, returns to the fray with a brand new vehicle, a fully revamped driver lineup, a homegrown power unit, and a surge of investment and development upon the return of the outfit to their Abovian headquarters.

Joined by new hires Ted Pressley and Abdoulaye Goita, both established WGP2 sensations and WGPC stars, and sporting director turned test driver Terho Talvela, team principal Edvin Pekkanen headlined the presentation. "It's been a long time since the team has felt so healthy, so inspired, and so ready to win," he assured. "Our motto this year is part of why we've skipped a number in our naming scheme as well: one step back, two steps forward."

AGP007 is the most advanced vehicle designed by Ælund Grand Prix yet, and the first all-new chassis since the debut of all-conquering AGP002 in WGPC17. The new machine brings a host of evolutions and innovations to the grid. Gone are the old flexible winglets employed by past Ælund vehicles, replaced by more reliable, effective, and efficient mobile front and rear wings — deployable on demand, but still flexible for optimum performance. An adjustable rear toe control spring offers both unparalleled stability on traction and an infinite level of adjustability to tune the car's handling to each driver's need. Plus, advancements in Ælund Racing's use and manufacture of composites, alloys, and metal 3D printing have launched AGP007 towards a new era of grand prix racing.

Last, but not least, the introduction of the CMYK Racing Technologies CMYK-T20V8H marks the first foray of Ælund Racing into powertrain manufacturing. Joined by energy conglomerate Staddenøljeskapp Oy, commonly known as Stølskapp, the team has employed their prestigious line of Tribytelse lubricants and additives to ensure the optimum performance of the state-of-the-art hybrid powertrain. Producing a combined power output well over 1,100 horsepower, and offering both unparalleled low-end torque and optimum weight distribution, the CMYK-T20V8H powerplant has drawn all of the cards in its favor. "We always knew that it would be an ambitious goal to launch our own engines," Pekkanen admitted. "But we've been in the business long enough; we know our outs-and-ins, we know we have all the ingredients to produce something fantastic — and we know exactly where we belong."

[Valentine Z]

Part 5 – While she is still lacking in positions, Angela more than made up for that with her consistency.

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 sat together with the Preston staff, all of them discussing rather intensely (but still informally) regarding her performance along with Kinu Luminna’s. The team has already moved on from Kinu’s, Angela shifting around in her seat to get herself comfortable as she adjusted her coat. Everything from this point has been paraphrased so it would not be prudent to say that these were words straight out of any of the Preston staff members. For Angela, this was what she heard and that what she would need to do for the upcoming races. “The lap timings that you managed to get are still something that needs to be improved upon. Unfortunately, hovering around the 15th to 20th spots is not something that is considered a decent performance. With that said, of course, this is not some session to admonish you and in fact, that is what we wanted to bring forward quickly. We would like to move on to your strengths. From what we have seen, you are quite consistent in the lap times and placement, being able to get a consistent performance across all the tests. All we will need to do is slash the lap times slowly and surely, and then we will be able to get you to timings whereby you will be able to get the points and perhaps even some podium placements. There are also 5 drivers below you so it’s not that you are doing your absolute worst. Furthermore, as we’ve established, including from Marty Lewis, this is still all right and would give us more data points to work with. As a result, please do let us know what we can do for you, Angela. When you drive our car, how does it feel like? Is there anything that you think will help you?”

Angela thought about the question for a moment. Surely all of these testing sessions have given her enough knowledge and experience on the car that she was driving and is going to drive for the races. “I did write quite a fair bit in my personal journal, please do allow me to retrieve that,” she replied back, taking out her personal device and opening the notebook program. On it, she has a mixture of notes – some of it typed out, while others handwritten so as to give both a bit of a personality and sketches here and there about the car itself. “Hmm, ahh, yes! So first and foremost, I was wondering as to if the steering wheel can be made a little bit looser? I understand that a Valentian has all the physical strength, but I always feel that I am not turning it enough as much as I thought. As a result, a little bit will do, you don’t need to go too over with it. Hmm, other than that, I would like to request for more time on the simulation, if that’s okay. You can actually leave it up for me all tuned up like an actual car, and I will do my best to be on it as much as I can. I am not intent on overly working myself, it’s one of those things I do as R&R. If you are wondering… yes, there are more strenuous activities and the like that I do, so spending time on the simulation is not exactly the most tiring thing for me.” Angela paused for a moment, “Ooh, would you like to hear my stories?”

Most of them would agree, to which then Angela nodded happily and chimed, “Wonderful! I will tell you one story about my space adventures during our dinner. See you all there!” she said with a wave, going back to her lounge for a shower and then a change of clothes. Considering all of the tests so far, Angela hoped that the races will be much more merciful, to get a couple of points other than just one. She is not looking for anything too outlandish or to get the championship. Sure, it would be great if she did it, but for the time being and for this season, all she was hoping for at the very least was to be able to get points, perhaps even better than half of the roster if the fortune and her skills are going to really shine for her. “Always start small, and this is a good goal to begin with so… you can do this, Angela. Just believe in yourself, drive that car like there’s no tomorrow,” she said to herself in the mirror as she hyped herself up. In a somewhat casual wear and clothes, Angela left our lounge and then met up with a good number of the Preston staff for that dinner. “Can’t wait to have some good food after a long day!” Angela quipped.

“I think the very first thing I will talk about will be that first time we went to the other worlds. There are quite a lot for me to talk about, and well, there is also quite a lot for you to take in too. Still, I will make it relatively easier, NOT because of you guys, don’t worry. I had a bit of a hard time figuring out too when we first broken the boundaries into another world. Thanks to the advancements in technology back in the year 2041 for us, we have discovered and made possible the usage of warp drives to fold the space in front of a vehicle, and then to stretch the space behind it. Then we would refine it to be able to warp time also, but that’s for another time, hehe. Anyway, the result of this technology meant that faster than light travel is possible. We are no longer restricted by it, and thus we have the free reign to explore our own universe. Oh and that’s not all, of course!” Angela paused for a while, “In the meantime, the Valentian Space Program got a massive bump in funding. We have always wanted to do that but 2000-2030 were marked by us slowly recovering, so we did not have unlimited funding to research more into the science areas, and instead were just trying to get our world back into shape. Did just that in 30 years, and then come 2041, it was time for us to start exploring space once again – right after we have cleaned up the rubbish floating around our planet. We launched first to Mars, stayed there for some time in order to survey the planet for potential colonization. Then again, it was moot because we terraformed it to be habitable in the end. More about Mars another time.”

“So with this space warping technology, we were able to explore vast distances in very short spans of time. We finished exploring and looking around our own Solar System in one day, we reached Andromeda Galaxy in just three hours, though of course it took us a few more days after that to fully explore the entire galaxy. It was just me with my spacecraft for the most parts – the technology was indeed there but it was still new and we didn’t have means to replicate it on a larger scale just yet. Me, my spaceship, and 20 other volunteers and astronauts who traveled in relatively tight formations and to travel around. The communications had to be done in warped space as well; in those days, we did not exactly have things like Nagivon 31 to help us out with our interstellar navigation and communications. Effectively, what we did was “Okay, we will meet back at this position here, where this planet is. It did work as well as one can expect it to, in that, well, yeah it did! It’s just that in space, we have to scour around for landmarks as well because most of the planets, stars, etc looked alike. And so we would set off and separate sector after sector, categorizing and documenting everything we have ever seen. Again, mostly empty, but space... it feels pure. Out there, hundreds to billions of light years away, are universe’s well-kept secrets for thousands of years.”

[OOC: And thanks to Tumbra for providing a breakdown and data of the testing sessions for all the drivers along with the averages. And to Hapilopper for the go-ahead on Angela yapping about her space adventures!]

While not copy-pasted and instead expanded upon, please do see my factbook here for reference on space-faring technology of Valentine Z.