[center][h1][b] Race 
Nürburgring, Nürburg, Germany
[/b][/h1][/center]

Paul went through his prerace checklist and routine. He was sitting in his ship in P7. The setup for this race was not working for him as well as he would have liked. He had been hopeful that the extra speed would help but it came at the cost of handling and stability. Dorian had done better in qualifying but Paul was frustrated with his performance. He also believed that they needed to try new things. If they kept doing the same thing they would keep seeing the same results. He had managed a few podiums now but he couldn’t help questioning if he couldn’t have taken Bea if he had a little more speed at Spa. He sighed as he worked his gloves over his fingers. He stretched and wiggled his fingers before double checking his harness was snug. He then took a moment to meditate. 

Carmella’s voice came over the radio. [color=bc8dbf]“Race starts in five minutes, Paul. How are you feeling?”[/color]

Paul laughed at Carmella: [color=fff200]“As ready as I am going to be. I am not liking this new set up though.”[/color] 

Carmella: [color=bc8dbf]“Yeah it doesn’t work with your racing style.” [/color]

Paul sighed: [color=fff200]‘We will have to see what Alexander comes up with next.” [/color]

Carmella: [color=bc8dbf]“Good Luck Paul.” [/color]

The countdown started. 

[color=red]5
4
3
2
1[/color]
[color=green]Go![/color] 

Paul had a good start but then the handling on the ship caused him to go wide at the first turn. He cursed as he lost a few seconds recovering his racing line. Paul should have known that was how his whole race would go. Even with his neural link upgrades the changes to the air braking system were significant. He couldn’t seem to get a handle on the changes. It felt like the more he tried to dial it in the worse his performance got. Paul felt as if his ship, which was normally a graceful dance partner, had become a clumsy elephant on roller skates. He fought to maintain his racing line and keep his position. He was frustrated as Kais went whizzing by him on the Flugplatz. Paul had his ship’s throttle wide open and Kais sailed by him easily. He managed to maintain his position after that and ended up with Dorian finishing just in front of him. 

He sighed as Carmella's voice told him he finished in P8. That was a wrap for Germany. Paul felt as if he had let the fans down at their home race. Dorian had a good starting position but had lost 3 positions by the end of the race. Paul was disappointed in the result but he couldn’t be sad that they had tried something different. It just meant this setup was wrong for Germany. He would own that decision since he had backed Dorian. He understood Dorian wanting to make a good showing as he wrapped up his career. He wanted to be a good teammate but this was a learning thing for Paul. He wouldn't compromise  his race again for him. He would listen to Cavan next time when he told him what the changes would mean. He had a great deal more respect for the head engineer and his opinion on these things now. 

Paul pulled the ship into the parc ferme in the P8 position. He hung his head and took a deep breath before he unlatched his harness and canopy and climbed out of the ship. He went into the paddock. Cavan was here since it was the home race. He walked straight up to him and looked him in the eye. 

[color=fff200]Paul: “I should have listened to you. I won’t make that mistake again.” [/color]

Cavan gave Paul a sheepish smile and nodded. He clapped him on the shoulder. 

[color=6ecff6]Cavan: “I appreciate that Paul.”[/color] 

Paul just nodded and headed for his ready room. He was not happy about today’s results but he knew he bore the blame. It was his performance and his decision to back Dorian on the setup he wanted. He still had a lot to learn about being a professional pilot. 

[hr] 

[color=gold][center][h1][i][b]DELTΔ HYPER[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color]

[color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Episode Eleven: The Green Hell

Post Race Interviews[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color]


Paul took a few minutes to calm down and used a wet towel to cool down from the race. He ran a quick comb through his hair and then left for the mandatory interview at the Delta Hyper set. 

He arrived and waited his turn to take a seat on the Delta Hyper couch. Aurora was just as perky as ever. 

[color=ed1c24][quote]Aurora: "Paul, sadly not the result you were looking for at Valkyrie's home race. Do you think you could have been a bit more aggressive today, given the pressure from Zygon and the midfield pack?"[/quote][/color] 

[color=fff200]Paul: “Well we tried a different setup for the German Grand Prix and it simply didn’t work. I pushed as hard as I could but the ship just didn’t have it today. We will go back to the drawing board and come out swinging at the next race. I did the best I could but I can’t win them all.” [/color]

He gave Aurora a charming smile to disarm any bad feelings or blame as he owned his mistakes on the track that day. 

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