[color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Valkyrie AGR Sport Headquarters[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Wednesday After Spa GP[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] Paul didn’t make it back to his room at headquarters until Wednesday after Spa. He had to wrap up the fundraiser stuff. There was a lot of media to deal with and contracts to wrap up and bills to pay for things that were not donated. He wanted to get as much media attention for the foundation as he could. So he took a few days to help the Mulder Foundation personnel wrap everything up in a bow. Early Wednesday morning he drove in from Brussels and went to throw his travel bag in his room. He was surprised to see a large flat package waiting for him on the kitchen island. He frowned because he didn’t remember ordering anything. His mail and packages were vetted by security these days. Paul kept getting weirder and weirder stuff in the mail. He decided to check it out before he changed into his work out gear and met with his trainer. He looked over the labels on the package and saw it had been shipped from the hotel in Spa where he had the Pilots dinner. Paul smiled when he saw the note on the box and the handwriting. He recognized Bea’s handwriting from their meetings about the Mulder Foundation Gala. There directly on the package box written in Bea’s bold script was: [color=#1EFF24]“Let’s do that again soon. :p”[/color] Paul carefully opened up the box and was blown away by what was inside. Inside was the most amazing artwork that was almost poster sized at 40x60 centimeters. It was a vertical oil-on-canvas painting with a carbon fiber frame. The contents and colors were vibrant and glorious. The details are painted in the colors of father’s, Auldrick’s, ship. It was his father’s livery when he won his first podium. In the dead center of the lower half, painted in minute detail under a magnifying glass with micro brushes, was Paul’s ship mid-overtake, his highlight reel pass that almost scored him P1. Behind him another ship, clearly Bea’s to anyone who saw the race, but in the painting more of a vague outline of it without any defining features as it wasn’t important for the piece, the background likewise unfocused, yet clear enough to recognize the track and corner. The piece that made Paul catch his breath was that above the ship were dark storm clouds above the track and then in the upper left corner a bright beam of sunshine parting the dark clouds landing on Paul’s ship. Hidden in the clouds was the face of his father smiling down on him barely there. It was just a hint but if you close enough you could see it. Paul sat down on a stool at the counter and just looked at the painting lost in thought. When he recovered his equilibrium, the first thing he did was hang it where he would see it everyday in his living room. He then took a picture of the hung picture and texted it to Bea with a short message. [hr][b][center][h3][code]Wednesday 04/08 10:12 Germany [Batt: 75%][/code][/h3][/center][/b] [center]———— Wednesday - 08/04/2094 ———— SMS Message (Tap to open image)[/center] [color=#fff200]> I absolutely love it! Thank you so much Bea! I can’t wait to do it again! [/color] (image shows the painting hung in pride of place in Paul’s apartment at Valkyrie Headquarters. The painting was hung over his sofa and had a picture of his mother on one side and a picture of his father on the other.) [hr] Paul then changed into his workout clothes and went to check in with his trainer and medical. They still wanted to run some more new baseline tests. Then Dorian had asked for some of his time. He had an idea for something and requested his help. Evidently Dorian and Cavan were at odds over something to do with the set up on the ship. Paul would go listen to both sides before he weighed in. Paul kept hoping and pushing for more speed. He was using his skills to get the most speed out of the ship he could with the handling and stability. But without some more speed they were barely hanging in there on the straights. If they wanted to catch Apex, Al Saqyr, and Southern Cross, they needed more speed. [hr] Paul met with Dorian and Cavan who had polar opposite views of what Dorian wanted for the next race. Paul weighed in on the side of Dorian. He agreed with Dorian they needed more speed to be competitive. If he had even just a little bit more speed, he might have won at Spa. Paul worked with Dorian on his idea to get more speed out of the ship by tweaking the air brake systems. Cavan refused to help them much because he disagreed with them but that didn’t stop him from letting the engineering team and mechanics help them with the changes Dorian wanted to make. Cavan had given in with a sigh and told them if they were determined to do it then they would at least give it the best chance of success that he could. Cavan warned them that there would be a trade off in stability. The initial test runs in the ship were rocky. They managed to dial it in some. Paul got as much practice in the new modified ships as he could before the German GP. The body modifications and neural interface changes helped him take the extra abuse in the cockpit and make corrections faster. [color=gold][center][h1][i][b]DELTΔ HYPER[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Episode Eleven: The Green Hell[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [center][h1][b] Thursday August 3rd Nürburgring, Nürburg, Germany 1500 EST [/b][/h1][/center] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]The Fear Factor[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://youtu.be/4sCXkpZsBRg?feature=shared] Mad Max Fury Road: Brothers In Arms Soundtrack [/url][/b] Paul was curious what they were going to be doing for Delta Hyper today. He had been told to wear his racing suit and bring his helmet. He had been directed not to the typical Delta Hyper set but out to the track to meet Rosie in pit lane. Paul saw a few others mingling to one side of the track with Rosie. Sitting in pit lane were three of the two person Formula AG race ships used for training and VIP experiences at the track. They were all done up in FIAR livery. Paul raised an eyebrow and smiled. He was always happy to climb into a ship. He wondered what the twist would be this time. He didn’t have long to wait as Rosie filled them. Paul was paired with Hamid. They would be a passenger in the back of the ship asking the questions on the card while the other piloted them around the track. Paul grinned as he casually put an arm around Hamid’s shoulders with a sly smile. [color=fff200]“Cheer up Hamid! This will be fun!”[/color] Hamid looked nervous as he climbed into the back of the ship. Paul made sure he was in and tested his restraints to ensure they were latched properly. He patted Hamid on the shoulder. [color=fff200]“Don’t worry Hamid. I got you.” [/color] Hamid swallowed looking nervous as Paul climbed into the ship and strapped in and tugged on his harness. He plugged his neural interface in. [color=a2d39c]Hamid: "Habibi, yo! So uhh...you aren't gonna go too crazy, right? Chilled out for a local track? Right" [/color] Paul couldn’t really see Hamid from where he was sitting in the front. The neck bracket there for pilots prevented from his turning his head very far. [color=fff200]“Hamid! You are a racer. You go fast all the time. I can’t go as fast as I do in my own ship. This ship is not as good as mine. You’ve got nothing to worry about!”[/color] Paul smiled and of course it was captured by the cameras inside the cockpit that were trained at both him and Hamid. Paul did his usual prerace ritual of massaging his gloves to warm up the material and work it down between his fingers ensuring his dexterity. Paul heard Hamid give a soft prayer in his lilting native tongue. He smiled. [color=fff200]Paul: “Are you ready Hamid?”[/color] [color=a2d39c]Hamid: “Remember I am precious cargo. My Mama tells me so.”[/color] Paul grins as he laughs lightly. [color=fff200]“Really mine too!” [/color] Paul waited for Rosie and the Delta Hyper team to move away from the ship to a safe distance. He gave a nod to Hamid as he hit the throttle. [color=fff200]“Here we go Hamid.” [/color] Hamid let out a squeal of surprise as the ship leaped forward. Hamid was still reacting as Paul went into the first corner. Paul laughed and snorted as he had not even gotten the ship close to his normal speed but the ship rocked up on its side. [color=fff200]Paul: “This ship’s handling sucks. They need to adjust the left side gravity skirt. It is not balanced with the right side. That is what causes the ship to tilt so far to the side.”[/color] Hamid was pleading and then laughing. Paul went into a section of the track that wove back and forth. The ship’s handling was somewhat sluggish to Paul. He felt disappointed that he had to slow down so much to make the curve pattern. Paul laughed. [color=fff200]“The handling is a little sluggish. So what questions do you have, Hamid?” [/color] Hamid had forgotten all about the questions. He didn’t like being in the back of the ship. He was being thrown around more than he expected. [color=a2d39c]Hamid: “Bissah?!”[/color] He gave a nervous laugh before he started reading off the card. [color=a2d39c]"Who's your idol in Formula AG, past or present?"[/color] Paul smiled as he answered. [color=fff200]“My father and Starcross.”[/color] Paul laughed as Hamid squealed and then let out a peal of mad laughter as he drifted the ship through a hairpin curve. Hamid tried to ask the next question. Paul must have caught Hamid by surprise. The question came out [color=a2d39c]"Schn…itzel or Strud..EEEEel? Shit! Wall! WALL!”[/color] He could hear Hamid’s hand slapping the side of the ship as if he could turn it that way. Paul grinned as they came into the mag track section. He took the ship up the wall and banked it hard, whipping it around the s curve. The ship shuddered under the high speed stress. Hamid gave a squeaky girlish screech. Paul answered: [color=fff200]“Strudel of course. I mean really, who likes Schnitzel!”[/color] Paul smiled as the ship came back down with a clack. Hamid was laughing madly again. [color=a2d39c]"Do you think about anything else while racing?" [/color] Paul floored as the ship undulated up and down over small hills. [color=fff200]“Nope. I focus on the ship ahead of me and the ship behind me.”[/color] He heard Hamid’s body thrown into the restraints as the ship caught air and then came down hard. [color=fff200]“Yeah they need to really adjust the aerodynamics on this ship. They are all out of balance.” [/color] Hamid seemed to be trying to get the questions out as fast as he could as Paul hammered the throttle down the straight. [color=a2d39c]"Who in the paddock would you ship as a couple?” [/color] Paul laughed at the question. [color=fff200]“Who comes up with these questions?”[/color] He paused and then spat out, [color=fff200]“Hyeon-Ae and Astrid. There is a thin line between hate and love.” [/color] Hamid laughed at that. [color=a2d39c]“Bissah?! Really?”[/color] Paul: [color=fff200]“Think about it.”[/color] Hamid laughed again which got even more manic as Paul took another hairpin curve. He was gasping for air when he managed to get out the next question. Hamid: [color=a2d39c]"Best BBQQQQQ (the q was a high pitch and went up) host?"[/color] Paul laughed: [color=fff200]“Max he is the ultimate American Maverick Cowboy Yeah?”[/color] Hamid laughed at Paul’s answer which turned into a grunt as Paul pushed the ship to take a corner at what felt like a ludicrous speed for an older ship. Hamid: [color=a2d39c]“You are going to pay for that!” [/color] Paul laughed and was having a great time. He wished he was on pavement in a car so he could Hamid the full experience. There is something about the friction of meeting the pavement and smoking tires that adds something to the experience. Hamid managed to grate out the next question. Paul could actually hear his teeth clack together at one point. [color=a2d39c]"What's your dream historic car, money no object?"[/color] Paul shrugged and without hesitation responded quickly. [color=fff200]“Already got to drive it. Lauda’s Ferrari. Next!” [/color] Hamid sounded surprised. [color=a2d39c]“Wiliwiliwiliwiliwiliwiliwiliwiliwiliwiliwiliwiliwili!... PAUL!” [/color] Paul threw the ship up the wall and jumped it across in a roll catching the mag tracking on the opposite side whipping it around the corner in a corkscrew maneuver. Hamid:[color=a2d39c]“Oh don’t do that again! I am going to be sick.” [/color] Paul pushed the throttle up as he was once again in a straight line. The ship settled and felt peaceful for a moment. Paul grinned and in an excited voice. [color=fff200]“Flugplatz! Here we go!”[/color] The ship was gaining speed and he started down the straight. Hamid's voice quavered as he quickly got out the next question. [color=a2d39c]"What would you prefer, a race on Mars or at the bottom of the ocean?” [/color]Just as he finished his question the ship bounced up into the air. [color=a2d39c]“Yallah!"[/color] Paul once again responded quickly with no hesitation. [color=fff200]“The Ocean. I didn’t like racing on the moon. I figure Mars would be similar.” [/color] Hamid was so surprised by Paul’s answer it distracted him from what he was experiencing in the back of the ship. [color=a2d39c]“NO way! I can’t wait to race on the moon.” [/color] Paul just chuckled. He was excited about it till they got there and had nothing but issues. Paul slammed on the air brakes realizing that the ship just didn’t have the handling to take that corner at his normal speed. He felt like driving Miss Daisy in this older ship. He quietly mumbled under his breath about poorly maintained ships. The poor handling was frustrating him even as he did his best to get the most of the older ship. Paul heard Hamid grunt as his body was slammed against the restraints once more. Hamid was sucking in air for a few breaths before he asked the last question. [color=a2d39c]"Things that people might not know about you?"[/color] Paul had to think about this one. He guarded his privacy and was careful what he shared with the media. He grinned [color=fff200]“My love of classic cars started with collecting match box cars as a kid.” [/color] Paul finally brought the ship to a rocking stop back at pit lane. Hamid climbed shakily out of the cockpit laughing somewhat maniacly. He looked a little shaky. [color=a2d39c]"Not bad! He's got some bravery braking in a ship that late!"[/color] The others chuckled, as Hamid wiped the sweat off his brow. [color=a2d39c]"You are crazy, Paul! What the hell, you went through Flugplatz completely flat, in a ship you've never had? Yallah, you're crazy!"[/color] Paul laughed with Hamid. [color=fff200]“What were you worried about? We were in a ship that was already flying! Admit it! You enjoyed yourself! Okay my turn!” [/color] Paul eagerly climbed into the back of the ship. He loved roller coaster rides. He expected to enjoy this. He kept laughing as Hamid tried to make him squeal in fear. He put his hands up at one point as Hamid caught air. “Look Ma, No hands!” he laughed maniacally forgetting to ask Hamid most of the questions. He got through about half of them. Paul climbed out when they got back to pit lane. He was still laughing at Hamid. He smiled and patted him on the shoulder. [color=fff200]“Thanks for the ride.” [/color] [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Formula AG in the News[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [color=ed1c24]This is Shannon Taylor with AG Source here. Keeping track of what happens on the track and off of it for Formula AG fans everywhere! Team Valkyrie AGR Sport announced that former Formula AG racing star Sami Lipponen has been hired to act as Crew Chief for their junior academy. Tocho Lister has been recruited and signed to a contract with Team Valkyrie as their new test pilot and junior team teacher and mentor. The new revamped Team Valkyrie Junior Academy Bootcamp has been all anyone has been talking about since the Summer Break Delta Hyper Special came out that followed the junior team through their experience. In an unprecedented move Alexander Knight invited a junior team member from every competitive team to attend their academy. Phoebe Kostas, Olivia Lau, Amber Beck, Elise Vogel, and Liam Hunter were the junior pilots who accepted the invitation to attend. We reached out to some of the pilots that attended to see what they thought. [/color] [color=f26522]Liam Hunter: “Irie. I am glad I took Knight up on his offer. I learned more than I thought I would. It was a good experience. I want to say Bless Up and thank you to Knight for the invitation. Ya Mon.”[/color] [color=f26522]Phoebe Kostas: “I was surprised to get the invitation but I am glad I took it. I got more out of it than I thought I would.” [/color] [color=f26522]Amber Beck: “It was harder than I expected.” She kept the remark about not doing as well as she expected to herself. She shrugged in a what are you going to do kind of way. “I would say it was a worthwhile experience. It came with perks that I enjoyed.” [/color] [color=f26522]Olivia Lau: “I accepted the invitation to find out more about my competition. Knowledge is power after all. I got a great deal out of the experience.” [/color] [color=f26522]Elise Vogel: “It was much harder than I expected. I would say it was an eye opening experience for me.” [/color] [color=ed1c24]Check out the Delta Hyper Special for a first hand look at what happened during the bootcamp. The one question we all have here at AG Source is "What is Alexander Knight up to now?” This has been Shannon Taylor with AG Source. Your news for what’s happening in the world of Formula Antigravity Racing. [/color] [hr] [@MrSkiMobile] [color=ed1c24]This is Baetriz Caetana with the EU Observer. We just want to bring attention to something other news sources overlooked in their coverage of the Mulder Foundation Fundraising Gala. How can they not stop and recognize the gloriousness that is Kais Zenix with a horde of children! Who knew the grumpy former soldier had a soft spot? This proves he is human! Take a look at these photos of the pilot working with Nora Kelley and a group of children from the foundation to paint the motorcycle that Kais donated to the foundation for auction. [A montage of the press release photos of Kais Zenix and Nora Kelly working with the children follows. Kais is surrounded by children in every photo and guiding them. He often had a look of concentration but it was clear he gave the children all his attention when asked a question by them.] I never would have thought that he would have the patience to deal well with children. This last photo sealed the deal for me. I am officially declaring that Kais Zenix has a heart in there somewhere. [The final photo shows the children posing proudly with Kais in front of the finished bike. They were all wearing white coveralls splattered with paint. Kais was standing behind them with his arms crossed. His body language and stance read protective of the children in the photo. Kais’ face was serious but had less edge than it usually did.] This has been Baetriz Caetana bringing you the latest behind the scenes news. Remember to follow us for updates![/color] [hr] [color=ed1c24]This is Germain Lothair with Winners Circle Vlog. Let’s talk about Alexander Knight and Team Valkyrie. Alexander Knight is proving to be quite creative and bold as he guides the team out of a time of turmoil. I have never heard of another team inviting their junior team members to join theirs for summer training before. I can’t say whether it was a stroke of genius or lunacy yet though. It did give Knight the opportunity to view the most promising pilots in the junior league together and see how they ranked against each other. Remember he has not yet announced who will be replacing Dorian Hornfleur at the end of the season. It also gave his Junior Academy pilots a deeper look at their competitors. They will know them better now after this experience. Will the experience create friendly bonds or spark some epic rivalries? We will have to wait to find out. Then Knight arranged an endorsement deal with Delta Hyper to come and document the camp and the competition among the junior league which rarely gets the same attention. It gave fans a unique look at what it takes to become a pilot in Formula AG. I dare say that fans of Formula AG are now rooting for their favorite Junior League members and will follow which team they decide to join. We love what Knight is doing with the Valkyrie Fan zone. Can I just say that the Team Valkyrie Fans showed up to represent at the Spa Grand Prix and Paul Mulder did not disappoint them! The changes feel like they happened suddenly at Team Valkyrie but part of the controversy and drama we have seen is Knight making those changes behind the scenes. It is my belief that Knight is being underestimated. I have been converted. Knight is the team principal to watch when you want to see something interesting. This has been Germain Lothair with Winners Circle Vlog. Don’t forget to subscribe so that you get updates when we post new material. [/color] [hr] [hider= Team Valkyrie Characters] https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5XUgYiVm6KjTpFTWZtJvXc0MX77enkLzINHujKw/edit?gid=0#gid=0 [/hider]