[center] [h1][b] Round 15 of Formula AG Saturday 7th October, 2094 Qualifying Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Interlagos, São Paulo, Brazil São Paulo AGP 1500 BRT [/b] [/h1] [/center] [b]Soundtrack:[url=https://pie.yt/?v=https://youtu.be/zzq2xjJEDuw?si=SAWkCxkYZxrAKAJx&pieshare=1] I Won’t Back Down - Fearless Soul[/url][/b] [hr] [center][h2]Monday October 4th, 2094 8am Cantinho do Céu, São Paulo, Brazil [/h2][/center] [hr] Paul began his qualifying run. He had a good start even with the heavy rain. Paul’s synchronization with the ship was better than ever. He continued to get faster and smoother as the new Shinichi Bionics neural implant worked with the new nanite infused neural network. The rain didn’t hamper his vision at all as he used the cameras and lidar and radar systems in the ship to help him navigate. It was as if the sensors in the ship were an extension of his body. He could feel the hull temperature and the water sliding off the canopy. The sensation made his frustration with the damage to the handling all the more sharp. His ship had taken damage from the rough trek to the airport in Buenos Aires. There was a slight shimmy and shudder as he slowed to the first Senna S curve. Paul had been working to adjust as the team did their best to find the issues and replace parts and adjust them back to where they were. It was simply impossible with the timeframe and missing parts. If they had the time and were at headquarters they would be able to repair the damage. With less than a week in the field, he knew his mechanics and engineers had worked miracles to get his ship back in the fight. Paul gritted his teeth and once more tried to keep an optimal racing line. Paul’s racing style had become a smooth and silky flow of movements which were now somewhat jerky and stuttered in places as the ship didn’t respond as it usually would to his input. The ship had taken damage when it had been shot at. They had managed to repair a lot of the damage but there was not enough time to recalibrate it back and there were still a few damaged parts. The mechanics had managed to repair the parts enough to function but they were still not up to the stresses and demands a race put them under. Paul’s ship was screaming down the straight, throwing up water as the ship passed. Unseen to outside eyes it shimmied slightly and fought him. The ship wanted to veer slightly to the left. Paul had to keep constant pressure to keep the ship on course. He was fighting the ship for every inch. Instead of smooth in and fast out his turns were harder and more sharp. He was losing some of the speed he had managed to find in the corners. He let out a sigh of relief as the ship finally crossed the finish line. Paul was grateful to get P5 behind Kais. At least he managed to operate well enough to race. He wouldn’t like having to give up all points. Paul pulled his ship back into the paddock. He was helped out of the ship by some of his teammates and Carmella was there waiting for him. Paul: [color=fff200]“The ship is still fighting me. It has a slight shimmy as I get it up to speed. It is pulling to the left slightly on the straights. The handling is still not as responsive as before. I am not sure if there is anything that can be done before the actual race. But that is what I am struggling with.” [/color] Carmella looked concerned as she nodded like she had been expecting it. [color=f7976a]“The ship took damage to the antigravity skirting where some of the handling components and stabilizer mechanisms are located. Some of those parts simply can’t be replaced here in the field. We can get it fixed once we get it back to the factory. I will run it past the mechanics and other engineers to see if anyone has any ideas left.” [/color] Paul nodded and walked off. He hoped they would find some minor repairs but was resigned to working with the ship he had. Maybe they could set up the simulator so he could practice with the current issues he was experiencing. Maybe it would help him find ways to anticipate what the ship would do. [hr] [color=gold][center][h1][i][b]DELTΔ HYPER[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] Paul was wearing a bright golden yellow raincoat with gray trim with the Valkyrie logo on the back. He was standing under the gravity generator parasol as the rain came down repelled by the gravity screen. He looked out at the sky which was pouring rain with light peaking through the clouds in places. He sighed and thought the weather matched his mood. [quote]Aurora: [color=ed1c24]"Paul, we know you had issues in transit and some are saying your handling setups were affected by the riots in Buenos Aires. What is your plan for this weekend, it seems like you're positioned well to fight with the other big teams tomorrow, and grab some valuable points against Al-Saqr?"[/color][/quote] Paul: “The mechanics and engineers have been working around the clock to fix the damage done to our ships by rioters in Argentina on the way to the airport. I am grateful they managed to get the ships operational. Handling is still not back to where it was but it was enough for me to be competitive.” Paul stopped to give a confident smile. “All I can do is my best. Hopefully it is enough to challenge Kais for position in front of me while defending against Nora who is behind me. It should prove to be an exciting race.” [b][center][h3][code]Monday 04/10 10:38 - Paul Mulder - [Batt: 49%][/code][/h3][/center][/b] [color=#1EFF24]Bea> What’s that I heard about equipment damaged in transit and why do I feel a bit responsible? 😛[/color] [color=fff200]Paul> Yes our ships were damaged when the equipment convoy was attacked by rioters on the way to the airport when we were pulling out of Argentina. The team’s mechanics and engineers are working on it. Hopefully they will manage to repair it before the qualifying race. Four of our guards were injured as well. You shouldn’t feel guilty. You didn’t go out and tell your fans to riot and attack us. [/color] [hr] [center][h1][color=fff200][b]Social Media[/b][/color][/h1][/center] [center][color=fff200][b]Paul Mulder: @ValkyriePaul[/b] [/color][/center] [center][color=fff200]I want to be honest with all Formula AG Fans. Yes, Team Valkyrie ships were damaged as the team pulled out of Buenos Aires. Four of our team guards were also injured in the fighting. Formula AG is a sport like any other. I can appreciate that emotions were running high and that Argentinians are passionate people. Can we at least remember the concept of good sportsmanship? If I am beaten by another pilot, I don’t want to win due to a technicality. I want to win because I had the best setup and skill on the track that day. I would ask the Argentinian fans if they would have wanted a win at home by their team on a technicality or would they want to know their team won because they were the best that day? Please remember that there are real people who work in this sport. There are more members to a team than just a pilot. I couldn’t do what I do without all the amazing support from the rest of the team. My thanks to my fellow team members for their support and hard work. I wish Argentina all the best and hope Carrera Condor is at the next race. I look forward to a rematch with Bea! [/color][/center] [color=fff200]HydrofoilHater[/color] WOW the Argentina Fans sure gave him a good excuse for a poor performance in Brazil. [color=fff200]ThrusterJester:[/color] Remind to avoid any races in Argentina in the future. [color=fff200]QuantumQuokka:[/color]Sounds like all the action happened after the race in Buenos Aires. [color=fff200]Bertha:[/color]Mulder is good at making excuses. [color=fff200]ValkyrieFan56:[/color]Someone should be held responsible for the damage and the setbacks that the team are facing due to this. [color=fff200]Nana2050:[/color]Outrageous! What is FIAR doing about this? [color=fff200]MulderMuse:[/color]At least Paul was not hurt by the rioting fans. [color=fff200]Paulmulder4eva:[/color]@MulderMuse I agree with you. Grateful Paul was not injured. [color=fff200]RumorMill:[/color]I heard that the ships’ handling was impacted by the damage. [color=fff200]DantheMan:[/color] Wow! I am glad I didn’t travel to Argentina for the race. [color=fff200]LegacyStan94:[/color]I hope the mechanics and engineers can fix the damage before the race. [hider= Team Valkyrie Characters] https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5XUgYiVm6KjTpFTWZtJvXc0MX77enkLzINHujKw/edit?gid=0#gid=0 [/hider]