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PrinceAlexusTRADING PAINT
Episode Five: The Atlantic Breeze
Kartodromo, Autodromo Internacional Algarve, Portugal
A collab with...
@Enzayne
@LadyAmber
@MrSkimobile
@Sylvan
@Starlance
@Enzayne
@LadyAmber
@MrSkimobile
@Sylvan
@Starlance
Florence Mason
Nora Kelly
Paul Mulder
Beatrix Ward
Kais Zenix
Han Hyeon-Ae
Max Wedgewood
Cassie Neves
Nora Kelly
Paul Mulder
Beatrix Ward
Kais Zenix
Han Hyeon-Ae
Max Wedgewood
Cassie Neves
Soundtrack:
ODESZA, MARO- Better Now
Standing in the middle of the kart track, the youngest of the Delta Hyper and commentary crew, Rosie Appleyard, was not the usual pick for Delta Hyper, but still one nonetheless that stood out from the others- her punk-like, short pink hair and alabaster complexion not meshing so well with the late spring sun, so, lucky for them, they’d managed to get the almost century-old unchanged kart track for the late evening- blended with her navy polo top and jeans that made her seem significantly more casual than most.
The floodlights were on at the kart track at the edge of the Autodromo Internacional Algarve, the first circuit that was well, actually on a real, purpose-built racing circuit. And in AG ships, it was like racing in a shoebox, compared to Italy. The kart track was like a matchbox, inside a shoebox in terms of relative size. But for a kart? Maybe a bit more to scale.
The camera gently opened from black bars opening apart, focussing in on Rosie, her characteristic grin back on face. She seemed to have a bit more swagger about her than say, Aurora, who was definitely a bit more conventional. She could rein it in during commentary, but for these bits? She was a little more youthful.
“Welcome all to Delta Hyper, and we’re in Portugal for Round 5 of the Formula Anti-Gravity championship, here in beautiful Portugal. The sun may be out, but let me tell you, this place is wonderful. Beautiful beaches, amazing seafood, and oh yes…our first bit of tarmac this season.”
“Now while our AG ships don’t need any surface really to work, what happens when we take our pilots out of their ships, and into something….a little more old school?” Rosie kept on grinning like a Cheshire Cat, as the camera followed and she stepped over some tyres, meeting all eight of the drivers that had assembled, in front of a kart each. Kart racing meant no bulky gear, or oxygen breathing kit. Just a simple racing suit, and a full face helmet, because for these karts, even though they were significantly more advanced than the type from the mid 2020s, they were still methanol powered, and had four teeny tires, a teeny seat, two pedals, and a steering wheel.
“These are go-karts, with 250cc of ethanol power, and today, we’re going to put eight AG pilots to the test in these, to introduce us to our tarmac show. Almost all of our pilots would have started in one of these, albeit maybe a much newer model! For our pilots, there’s nowhere to hide, so it’s down to pure talent and ability to get the most out of the momentum, and limited grip these offer.”
Florence was an interesting addition- given Jamie was busy in the sim and Amy was feeling anti-social, she was out here representing Silver Apex. An old champion in AG, and arguably a bit more humble than Amy, she was now an endurance racing champion and now someone with a lot of stake in the game- here for fun though, and to pick up a paycheck. She was 6”0 or so, with brown hair and a Scots accent that seemed to carry even more strongly than even Cassie’s, who was a bit further down the group, in a white racing suit and wearing a white baseball cap to match. Most were still mystified she wasn’t in the sport as she could probably have the pick of any seat, including Jamie’s that was particularly under scrutiny, but she was enjoying endurance racing and her personal passions a lot. She was on a “hiatus”, as some would call it- perhaps she’d come back, but it was clear after winning two titles, she was bored and wanted to do more.
So, Florence, plus Cassie, Max and the rookies made up the group.
“Evening all! How are we feeling about these?” Rosie asked, the crowd assembled a little diverse.
“Yeah, it’s a bit older than what we’re used to…but I can’t wait to give this a go! I remember this a while back….”
Paul was standing in front of his cart with his helmet tucked under his arm. He smiled at the camera looking dashing in his racing suit. “I love this idea. I can’t wait. I got my start in karting as you well know. Let’s do this!” Paul sounded excited and eager. He had zero doubts that he would do well on this track. Paul had driven this track before when he had been in competitive Karting.
”I skipped karting unfortunately, but I’m still convinced there’s more fun to be had in these little things than a whole Junior series ship.” Bea joined the ‘excited golden retriever’ corner, despite the uninspired-looking track layout. The idea being a bit of a quick brew, her racing suit was the standard Carrera Condor black and white, but non-antigrav racing helmets being more standardized she had a few to reach for, opting for a cracked mirror-like design, each of the shards showing a rally car across the sport’s history.
Kais had no idea how he had ended up in the golden retriever corner, but at least he was glad he wasn’t the only one who didn’t have any background with these… ‘karts’... Unfortunately, that could prove to be a terrible disadvantage here. The tiny wheels looked like they would provide barely any speed, he thought as he kicked one of the tires which buckled under the force, much to his dismay. The scowl certainly would have been caught by the cameras to which he paid no mind at the moment, captivated by what strange situation he found himself in this time. Kais felt the things looked like they could fall apart the moment there was any contact with someone. Still, he had to admit: with a well-picked target, that might actually prove to be a viable tactic. All in all, they were ridiculous contraptions. “Old school? No kidding. I’ve worked with bikes that are more robust than these things. But as long as the accelerator works I’ll make it work,” he grumbled, and in his head he was already planning the perfect angles for attack.
”A bit old and a bit timeless, I don’t think I’ve been in one of these since I was an ankle biter! Deffo not since I could drive something with a little more juice than these little blokes can put out… Sometimes you just gotta bog in and have a bonzer time with the classics though.” Nora was wearing a suit with her usual color scheme, but someone at Southern Cross seemed to be taking the piss, and had replaced the waka in Southern Crosses logo with an exquisitely-designed Go Kart. She was practically bouncing in place, clearly looking forward to revisiting her childhood.
Hyeon-Ae, stood a bit away from the peppy Australian, took a few moments to look her way while trying to parse what she was saying. She was wearing a new fit, all black and sleek with an embossed Zygon logo on the back; no doubt up for sale for those who wanted a similar one in the near future. Eventually she settled for just smiling and nodding, falling back on the humble-and-kind-foreigner stereotype to let others take up space.
Max wore a teal blue suit, with a helmet that had his number and personal logo on the top of his dome, gloves already on too.
“And yeah, it’s been a while too! I guess I’m keen to get started….nothing beats the smell of methanol in the evening!”
Cassie gave a grin, backing up Hyeon-Ae, knowing she would probably take up more words than Han would here, given the heritage she had to this place. Though even that wasn’t much.
“We’re in Portugal. We have karts. I mean….get us out there!”
“Yes Cassie, that sounds like a plan. So we had an idea. Each of you has a kart. Each of you has ten laps of this old-school kart track, and we’ll put you against each other in a race. Shall we see what you make of this?”
With all the introductions done, the scene cut with Florence firing hers up, and cutting to her immediately taking it out on track, barrelling on a practice run, followed out by the other karts. The experience was something weird. After all, karts were not anti-gravity racing ships, they were significantly slower, more exposed and actually went on rubber. So each pilot would be able to get used to this, bit by bit. Maybe even have a cheeky race between each other in the practice. It was like a lawnmower, but a teeny bit louder, a lot bumpier, and more than anything…..
This was fun as hell, analogue to the max.
Paul enjoyed and loved racing in Formula AG. It was a whole different skill set with all you had to manage to fly one of those ships. He enjoyed the challenge and thrived on the speeds. He would forever be a fan of automobile racing though. He loved driving on tarmac as Rosie put it. It would be interesting to put his skills to test against his Formula AG competitors. Who would really challenge him? He suspected Nora could give him a run for his money with her background. He was almost certain Kais could as he was a former supersoldier and all. Paul listened to the others and Rosie. He waited until they were told what the plan was. A practice lap, that was an excellent idea since he had not been in a Kart in years. He put on his helmet and jumped into his Kart. he fired it up. He smiled as he hit the throttle and shot off onto the track in pursuit of Florence. He smiled as he drifted around the corner. Yeah he still had it!
Her laughter unheard over the high-revving engine, Bea was having the time of her week, and that was saying something considering there had been a team-wide paid time off period. Despite the almost ‘corporate royalty’ upbringing - what little of it actually stuck - there was something about this more ‘rough and tumble’ style of racing that spoke to her. Karting, rally, rallycross, hill climb… The surgical precision of AG racing contrasted with wrestling the wheel and steering with the throttle pedal as much as the steering wheel. Maybe that was the magic. Keeping a healthy balance in life. Not that many would call what they did for a living ‘healthy’.
Kais almost grew overconfident as his helmet went on. The smaller field of view compared to the full 360-and-then-some degrees that AG racing gave was a bit of an adjustment, but he was used to it from his biking among… other things, and was interesting to see how he’d fare on such a course. He revved the gas as he went to test out the responsivity, and in the first few corners already seemed to bounce all over the place before getting a good grip on the thing. Luckily, that also meant other drivers had to be on the lookout or be swept right along, and underneath his ridiculously too-green helmet Kais smiled ever so slightly. That’s the spirit.
Invisible beneath her helmet, Noras face was split by a wide, slightly crazy smile as the combination of the screaming engines and the twin smells of ethanol and burning rubber brought her back to an earlier time and she took off, pinning the engine to its max almost immediately as she shout out of the starting line like a bullet from a gun. Roaring into the first turn she nearly bounced off the inside wall, laughing like a maniac as she raced to catch up to the frontrunners.
Paul was happy as the kart sped along bouncing occasionally. He floored the throttle and angled the kart so it steered into the corners and the rear drifted out following along as it skidded around the corners. He was closing in on Florence. She was not going to make it easy on him. He approached on a good line. He was slowly pulling up closer to her. Their karts contacted and then parted again causing him to bounce a little at the impact. Paul kept control even as his adrenaline spiked. Karting had always felt more like fighting to him than anti gravity racing. There was more friction and physics involved. It was more visceral in a way. He floored the accelerator trying to get a little more speed out of his kart. He was slowly inching past Florence. He pulled away from her on the next curve as he attacked it brutally fast, almost spinning out but managing to maintain a ludicrous amount of speed coming out of the tight corner.
Hyeon-Ae hated this. Right? Yeah. It was too slow, the tiny machine - if it could even be called a machine - was sluggish at best, and the roar of motors was unbearable. Worst of all, everyone looked so goofy. She struggled at the start, trying to ease into the feel of it. She totally hated it. Definitely wanted to hate it. Refused to smile or acknowledge that there was a simple delight in this safer version of playing speed-demon. She skidded behind a few others, doing her best. Taking it seriously. Don't enjoy it; that was the goal.
Paul laughed as Nora flew by him when he braked for a tight corner. He had no idea she had been behind him. He took off in pursuit, loving every minute of their dog fight. He laughed when he took a corner too fast and ended up in the sand. He came out of it covered in sand. He was ignoring the suggested track speeds as he simply had a good time and was competitive as hell.
In the interim, Rosie looked on to the viewers at home, as the rest of the pilots now turned go-kart racers got ready towards the red lights now on, ready to form up on a tight grid, after their little practice shenanigans.
“All very exciting, and they look as competitive in karts as they do in ships, unwilling to give an inch! What they don’t know, is that we may have put a ringer among them…..” Rosie giggled gleefully, as a couple barrelled past, and Cassie barely overtook Max, with a bit of a bump on the turn as she mounted the kerb and used it to get him off line.
One thing that each pilot would probably know deep down, was that due to the reduced speed, and even though the risk was probably perceived as a hell of a lot more given no seatbelts are present on such a kart, going wheel to wheel was actually a ton more viable. You could clatter a lot easier, and given overtaking relied on momentum, it usually meant contact if someone was stealing your line. It usually meant a lot of friendly taps, and bumps. It was also significantly bumpier, and while neural mods might have made some difference in an AG ship, here none would really work, given most of them had mods that were quite neutral. It was also a friendly race too. Not exactly much at stake, bar pride….
This was going to be hysterical, as they all formed up on the short grid, and in a significantly more low stakes, comical way, readied for the green lights. Ten laps, and it was likely to be carnage. Contact, and a lot of try-hard, elite level pilots in karts that would whine at the top of their revs and barely go faster than 50kph. Apart from one more kart that now snuck out onto track and joined them at the back….
Alexander smiled happily as he put on his helmet and zipped up a nondescript racing suit he had been provided. He was wearing white head to toe that covered every inch of his skin. He was going to be a surprise entry at the end of the race. He would be just another Kart on the track racing alongside them. He climbed into his kart which was being held in the maintenance area. He had not been in a Kart in a long time but he still felt that surge of adrenaline and excitement. That feeling of competitiveness and the drive to be the fastest. Alexander would be just rolling straight into the track as the race started. When Delta Hyper had approached him about this, he started to decline but he missed racing. He was past his time as a racer in AG but he would always love racing karts. It was where he had gotten his start. He decided to do it. Would he still have what it takes behind the wheel? Either way he was guaranteed to have fun. No one else knew he was here. He waited patiently for the go signal. He knew it was coming soon. The Delta Hyper staffer gave him the go signal. He floored the gas pedal and sped out onto the track to line up behind the rookies who were on the starting line. All they would see was a tall fit figure in anonymous suit with racing gloves and a helmet that hid their identity very well. They would have no clue who was driving.
And the lights once they were assembled, like a Formula AG race, went through four red lights, and then, green, green, green.
They had comms in their helmets, so of course, this was going to be even more comical than usual. Bragging rights? Yeah. A bit of fun? Sure? But you put nine pilots on the grid who were normally used to going toe to toe, and now had to do so in zippy little karts? Well, it wasn’t going to be clean racing when the rules had not really been defined….
Paul waited anxiously for the red lights, Red, Red, Red, Red, Green. He punched it as the kart struggled to get that friction. The wheels slipped a little before catching and off he sped. He smiled even as he wasn’t the first off the starting line. He sped forward passing Bea as he entered the first turn. He laughed and waved as he hit the straight and picked up more speed.
Hyeon-Ae had been quick off the line but slow on the uptake. She wasn’t as aggressive or particularly “into it” as others were. It was almost like she hadn’t really gotten the full idea of what they were in for, and so focused entirely on driving nice, fast and clean early.
Alexander hit the gas pedal and was hit by Max from the side which pushed his kart sideways. It cost him a few moments while he got his kart turned back around. He was towards the back of the pack but that didn’t stop him from flooring the accelerator. He sped forward and drifted around the first turn. He floored the throttle on the straight away as he passed Hyeon-ae. He braked hard for the tight corner. Hyeon-ae flew past him and he charged after her again.
Nora practically leapt forwards, her chaotic style of racing meaning contact was inevitable, quickly exemplified as she bounced off of Cassie on her way forward, bouncing the poor woman off the wall in turn as Nora sped into the first corner, already trying to claw back her speed as she leaned into the turn, as she started gaining on Hyeon-Ae.
Bea got off the line quick, being one of the if not the smallest person in attendance and weighing under 55 kg even with shoes and soaking wet likely helping out. Which was why the sight of Kais zooming past on the exit of the first hairpin surprised her so. No, she didn’t think he was fat, God, but the 30 kilo difference practically defined their fight. She may have been more nimble, but wherever Kais decided to be, that was where he was and there was no way between heaven and hell she could move him without also- ”Who was that pushing a kart out of a tire barrier?” The Brit giggled over comms, the distraction costing her the hard-won place she regained from the former soldier.
Kais had launched off, but it wasn’t long indeed before he found himself stuck against the tires again. “Shut it Beatrix,” he bit back as the featherweight blew past him, “you’re next! Damned [censored] tires,” Kais said, now on a mission. If this was how the game was played, then this was how he would play the game. Hopping back into the little machine, he revved the engine like the mad man inside, and he shot back out. ‘Shot’ being a relative term of course, sluggish things… Still, push had come to shove, and so that was what he’d do..
Paul took a turn too fast and spun out. His kart went off the track into the sand slowing him down. He righted and got back on the track but it was enough that Bea and several others had passed him. He just shrugged and laughed as he charged after Bea again. He floored it on the straight and was catching up. He was weaving back and forth trying to find a good line to pass Bea. He grinned and rammed into the back of her kart trying to throw her off her game.
Having had a Hart Moment(tm), Paul started nipping at her heels just as Kais chained several corners so well he was practically in another time zone, leaving her free to focus on the Belgian behind. She rewarded his first ramming attempt with a brake check…
…and timed it so bad she sent herself into the tires, actually having to get out and push like the unlucky soul before her. A reminder of the good old days of trying to get their car out of a ditch while Gazza was complaining that he read “brake, brake” before the corner in an accent that would make even Florence blush.
Nora left chaos in her wake, confident that she could keep ahead of anyone trying to capitalize on it as she took an outside line to avoid Florence as she saw Kais gaining in her mirror. ”Don’t spit the dummy when I beat you again Kais, not gonna catch me taking a sickie or a smoko on the track!” Nora called out over the driver comms, feinting an overtake to get Florence out of position to block before pulling neatly onto the racing line and shooting ahead.
“I think I have a problem with the translator,” Kais said as Nora’s -assumed- taunt hit him.
”Then how about this.” Nora said, then switched to Arabic and roughly translated her taunt. “Do not complain when I win, you will not find me falling short on this path either.” Noras accent was not what you might expect, however, sounding like a posh, private school prep girl instead of her usual punk aesthetic.
"Heh. That so?" Kais retorted "أنت تشرق الآن، لكن هذا النهار لا يدوم إلى الأبد. تظهر القوة الحقيقية عندما يصبح الطريق مظلمًا," he said as he flew past Nora, offering some of his own native-language poetic-waxing for her consideration... until she took him back over, of course.
Alexander was passed by Cassie on a straight line. He was not surprised since he probably weighed the most out of all the racers today. His kart was having to work harder. He chased after Cassie. He caught up to her on the curve. Their karts contacted against one another as Alexander reclaimed his lead against Cassie. He sped out of the corner in pursuit of Hyeon-ae once more. He drifted easily around the next corner. He was gaining on the Korean.
Now it was Bea’s turn to make up lost ground. She snuck up on Cassie like a burglar in the night, taking half a page from Paul’s book and giving her a little love tap on the rear as the Portuguese woman turned into a corner aaaand there she went. ”Sorry!” She radioed over basically on reflex even if this time the contact was very much intentional. Normally she would have raked anyone intentionally racing like this over coals, but this was less a race and more of a party game.
Knight was next up, or rather the mystery driver in a nondescript suit as far as bea was concerned, showing there was still a lot of racecraft left in him, but she had learned from her scrap with Kais, waited a few corners for one where heavier drivers struggled and snuck her kart through in what would only barely not constitute a track limits violation instead of fighting and risking being pushed around. ”Excuse me, thank you!”
Next on the menu, Hyeon-Ae…
Paul had an opportunity to pass Bea as she was thrown into the tire barrier. He waved at her as he passed her. He laughed and charged hard towards Kais now. He was making up ground. He had a better pace through the corners. He was on a breakaway now and everything was feeling right. He was in the zone. He had almost caught up to Kais when Bea got past him at a corner. Damn it now he was chasing her again. Paul laughed as he took a page out of Bea’s book and cut the corner over the edge. He passed her again and was into another curve section. “I hope you like seeing me from behind Bea!”
Alexander pushed his kart hard to make up the distance between him and Hyeon-ae. His racing skill was on full display as he attacked corners aggressively. He did not shy away from contact either. He was catching up to the lighter Korean but it was taking a bit of time. His kart was more sluggish than hers because it was pulling probably almost twice her weight. It gave her a very real advantage. He was closing in on Hyeon-ae when Cassie hit him on the side and knocked his kart clean into the tire barrier. His kart stalled. He had to get out and pull it out of the wall. Cassie laughed and waved on her way by. Alexander just shook his head and freed his kart and jumped back in. He sighed and hit the gas pedal. Now to try and catch everyone again. He hit the throttle and off he went. He flew through the chicanes. He was slowly catching back up to Cassie. She was still pulling away from him on the straights. He was making up time in the corners. He chuckled, not willing to give away his identity by shit talking the others.
That advantage was running out however. Hyeon-Ae, despite her guardian angel behind, was finding it a struggle to stick to her pure driving strategy that had made her keep sailing so far. When she was bumped from behind by a certain someone for the fourth time in a row, she growled a committed ”Jenjang! Have any of you even taken driving lessons?” Painstakingly she redirected her efforts to stabilize, dropping hard in momentum and speed.
“One would think you’d appreciate a little push, Han…” Kais threw over the comms.
”Stop bullying poor Hyeon-Ae, she’s having flashbacks to Italy.” Bea cackled, sneaking past the distracted Korean driver in a repeat of her move on Cassie, this one executed with the grace of a drunken cow and nearly losing the kart on rejoin, giving ample opportunity for reprisal.
Hyeon-Ae was on her like a hawk - either for the pure intention of not losing a position, or getting into the competitive spirit after all. The first contact was a little harder than intended, leading both herself and Bea poorly into the right far-side of the next corner before she recollected herself. ”Maneuvers like that won’t work on me,” she bragged, momentarily in an upper hand that she had no business keeping.
”Bet?” Bea replied to Han without pause, repeating that same move - or so it looked, in reality a half-hearted feint meant to make her react before switching over and sending a wild one down the inside of the following corner, practically the same kind of pass that scored her first JFA victory in Turkey three years ago. ”I guess not, thanks for the tip.” She would’ve waved back, but the competitive haze wouldn’t let her risk that.
The verbal response from Hyeon-Ae was censored for home audiences.
Paul laughed and charged hard towards Kais. He floored the throttle on the straight away. He was pulling closer and the two of them went into a corner section. He managed to sneak past Kais on the outside at the turn. He flew away from him in the straight section. He was making good time and was looking to try and catch the next racer. It was Florence. He was so focused on Florence that he forgot that Kais was behind him. He braked for a tight corner when Kais sideswiped his kart. The momentum throwing the kart off the track and into the sand. Kais sped away as Paul was trying to get out of the trap. He saw Bea pass him by. He shook his head laughing as he got back onto the track. He was in hot pursuit of Bea once more.
Alexander charged hard and was making up time. He was fluid through the corners taking them like the pro he was. He was inching closer to Cassie as they raced almost side by side down the straight away. He managed to get the inside line at the corner and passed her. He waved at her as he hit the throttle and was now hunting for the next racer he needed to pass. He saw Hyeon-ae ahead as he inched closer to her. He was creeping up on her as he drifted around one of the corners. He faked an overtake on the outside. When Hyeon-Ae moved to defend he flew down the inside thinking sucker! He was laughing and having a great time. God did he miss this sometimes. He would have to remember he could race for fun occasionally. He was catching up to Bea when she pulled a slick maneuver and pulled away from him again. He was smiling and grinning from ear to ear. He wished he was close to Paul. He would have to remember to challenge him to a one on one kart race another time. He put his focus back on the race. He was managing to keep his position at the moment.
As hard as she was racing, Nora was finding it difficult to keep Florence behind her, having already traded back and forth twice with the two-time champion as they grappled to be the one to overtake Max, who was making the best of their competition to keep them both behind him. Either woman could probably pass him on their own, but neither was willing to simply allow another racer to pass them. With that said they were also, perhaps unintentionally, working together to make it just as hard for anyone else to pass them to have a go at Max either.
Paul charged after Bea. She was pulling away from him on the straight away. He managed to make up some time in the corners. He was slowly gaining on her once more. He drifted around the corner and was picking up speed. He shot out of the corner and into the straight away already accelerating away. He waved to Bea as he pulled up next to her. “Ready to see from behind again, Bea?” He taunted Bea mockingly as he stole the inside line into the corner, forcing her kart to take the outside as they bumped together at the corner. Paul laughed as he told her “See ya!” as he accelerated out of the corner. He pulled away from her. Paul managed to hold onto his lead crossing the finish line in front of Bea.
”Oh, no, I’m being threatened with a nice view!” She shot back with mirth in her voice as she got distracted by the fight for the lead she could see in the opposite direction, Paul taking advantage of it without delay. ”Go get him, Nora!”
If Hyeon-Ae had learned anything from her not-so grueling duel with Bea before, it was to be more aggressive in her driving. Like a snapping crocodile, she charged up behind their mystery driver and smacked the side of their kart’s wheelhouse with her own, a clear attempt to throw all balance and stability out of (unbeknownst to her) Alexander’s momentum. She was coming back like an angry rat trying to reach the cheese, loosening up finally to get aggressive. Her goal was very clearly to pass, but it seemed to be to leave a mark as well, probably incensed by the golden retriever who won their last duel.
Alexander defended his position as Hyeon-Ae came charging up behind him. Her kart made contact with his causing it to bounce. They were in a corner so his kart bounced up and off the track due to the angle and momentum of the hit. He laughed as she flew away from him. He corrected and took off after her. He just managed to get back on the track in front of Cassie. He was now having to defend from Cassie behind who stayed on his bumper. She tried to get around him in the next corner. He managed to shut her overtake down. He accelerated out of the corner looking to try and catch up with Hyeon-ae. Before he knew it the race was over and he crossed behind Hyeon-Ae with Cassie behind him.
A point to prove? Yeah. A bit of fun? Sure? But you put nine pilots on the grid who were normally used to going toe to toe, and now had to do so in zippy little karts? Well, it wasn’t going to be clean racing when the rules had not really been defined…and as Max took it over the finish line in first, barely followed by Nora and Florence, there was certainly plenty that had gone on behind that had proven to be carnage. It was clear that the race had been all over the place, overtakes everywhere, and while it was nearly impossible to track, the pure pace of all of them had kept them together- so Max had gotten away with overtakes everywhere past various racers, from . That was followed by Kais, Paul, Bea, Han, the mystery racer and then Cassie, who had taken a pretty bad hit- purely bad luck of the draw, all karts coming in to a close, winding down and coming back into the pits.
Rosie was already out, a grin on her face, seeing all of them come back.
She wasn’t going to interfere. There would be a bit of content here naturally, she just made sure she was in the vicinity as they would probably complain, moan about contact, and do what racing drivers did best- make excuses.
But, they’d all probably see the funnier side given the cameras were on them and this was a kart track, and with time, she’d be able to interview them once set. Oh, and the mystery racer could reveal themselves.
“How was that, all of you? Looks like you gave no quarter….oh, and would you like to know who gave you all a run for your money?” Rosie asked, looking to the collective group, Florence’s own suspicions having half an idea of who it was already- and Max almost certain he knew, grinning from ear to ear from taking the win.
“Bloody hell Nora, you did well at holding me back! Max attack, all the way!” Florence commented, happy to not be taking this too seriously, as Max had to hold back from gloating, Cassie even chuckling despite being last- and wanting to definitely have words with Nora and the gang for being sent to the shadow realm, though that would teach her for not being aggressive enough herself. The one time she chose to be calma….
Paul couldn’t help smiling and laughing as he climbed out of his kart. He pulled his helmet off and turned to Bea. “So you like the view huh? Well that explains a lot then.” He couldn’t resist teasing the plucky Bea. “That explains why you keep losing to me then.”
Climbing out of her kart, Bea rolled her shoulders and stowed her helmet under her arm, saved by her cybernetics from the go-kart sore arms. She was still a little bit winded from the exertion and adrenaline though. She spun to face Paul as he spoke, drawing a sharp breath and raising a finger in protest before balling her hand up in a fist. ”I walked right into that one, I don’t know how I didn’t see that coming. Bloody hell.” She laughed.
Paul grinned at Bea.”Well you already have my shirt. I don’t know about making anything official you understand. It's not like we are still in high school. But if you wanted a date, we are all progressive in 2094, just ask.” He winked at Bea knowing he was probably about to be hit or throttled. He was waiting for the explosion to happen.
The grin grew only wider. ”I recall Hyeon-Ae saying something about a honeymoon in Tokyo, so I’d rather not risk getting on her shite list.” Bea shook her head after briefly considering taking him up on the offer to see the reaction. Or at least half for that reason.
Alexander climbed out of his kart and was laughing. Alexander looked over around wondering if they even cared about their mystery racer. He pulled his helmet at Rosie’s urging. He turned to Max and Florence with a smile. “Nice race.” He shook Max’s hand as he offered his congratulations. “Congrats on your win.” He turned to Florence “A pleasure Florence, Nice performance.” He turned around to look over the others to see what was going on.
”Too right! You didn’t exactly make it a sunbake to keep you there either. Couldn’t get you to rack off even a little, hard yakka the whole way!” Nora replied, matching Maxs’ grin as she did before turning to see what the others were starting to stare at. Realizing that one of the team principals, Valkyries Alexander Knight, had been the mystery racer that had been keeping everyone on their toes while Paul had flirted his way through the midfield Nora started laughing, her sense of mischief tickled pink as the pro-turned-principal revealed himself.
Alexander overheard Paul’s comment and his head whipped in that direction. He just hung his head. He shook it laughing ruefully to himself. Between Dorian and Paul it was a minor miracle Valkyrie was not known as the team for lovers and one night stands. Sheesh! He sighed and looked at Rosie apologetically. “The only excuse I can make for that is youth!” He winced a little. He looked over at Paul and yelled “Good race Mulder!”
Hyeon-Ae took her sweet time - others were already out and chatting by the time she stood up and removed her helmet, whipping her hair gently for the perfect shot later for zoom-happy fans. Her expression was hard to parse; between the shock reveal of their mystery driver and the chatter, she seemed happy to stay on the outside of the main event, though did not look entirely displeased. Eventually she strode straight towards Alexander, and bowed her head in a graceful show of respect. ”I apologize for my violent behavior, sir.”
Paul started laughing at Bea’s reply when he heard Alexander’s voice “Nice Race Mulder!” His head whipped around and he saw Alexander standing in the white race suit holding the white helmet. He had obviously been the mystery racer. He blushed scarlet. That was not something he had wanted Alexander to overhear. He looked embarrassed as he called back “Thanks boss.” He made his way over to the group around Alexander. He offered Max a handshake, “Nice race.”
”Sounds like your boss’s a larrikin, Paul! Maybe he can give me tips with the ladies, give it a burl.” Nora managed, greatly entertained by the lover-ly reputation that Valkyrie seemed to be building with their sponsor campaigns and paddock antics.
Alexander turned his attention to Hyeon-ae. He gave her a bow of respect back. He chuckled as he replied. “Any good racer has to be somewhat aggressive to be competitive, Miss Han. No offense was given or received.” Alexander was a very fit guy for a team principal. He kept in shape. He was on the taller side for a racer at 5 foot 10 inches tall. He had a nice fit and muscular physique. His long blonde hair was matted from being under the helmet. He offered Hyeon-ae a smile. “You did pretty well. I could tell this was your first time in a kart. You picked it up really fast. Congrats.”
Turning to the mystery driver, Bea offered a respectful nod. ”I’m starting to see the logic here, Valkyrie saves money by not having to hire a reserve driver.” She jested before turning to Han. ”Not bad at all if that was your first, you pick things up quick.”
Rosie let them all get a chat in, before she came over, the results rather obvious from what had been just posted, and their conversation that of course, was like all of them had been transported back into youth. There was something so silly, so funny about a go-kart that it just made everything seem so much lower in stakes, relative to the AG ships that they flew at races. It felt like the purest form of racing there was, no crap, no technicals, just pure, on the line, aggression and speed.
Maybe they’d need to do this on lawnmowers next? The editorial team were making notes on just how good the content had been, given the absolute carnage that had unveiled itself.
For now, Rosie approached the group, and butted in, the reveal certainly getting them talking.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to say, what a race! Maybe we should get you in karts every weekend, that was thrilling! How did you all find going toe to toe with each other? And do you think you’re all going to want a rematch?” Rosie asked, the question open to the floor.
"That was good.” Kais opened. “I can see potential in allowing more contact in AG Racing," and smirked as he remembered the last race’s crash and glared at its participant nearby.
”If there is ever a rematch; I need to study Beatrix’s moves more closely. She is more sneaky than you think at first.” Hyeon-Ae began without any doubt, seeing an opportunity to seize some attention in a wheelhouse more to her typical skill set.
”Oh God, no, don’t copy anything I did here.” Bea laughed uneasily, ”If this was anything but a no-stakes, friendly race I’d have to slap myself in front of a mirror for some of these moves.” She mimed a backhand against her cheek before addressing Rosie’s question. ”Fun is fun, but if people want to go through with it it might be worth trying more categories, for variety’s sake. Maybe monster trucks for Nora?”
Paul heard Bea and Hyeon-ae’s comments. He smiled mischievously as he got his two cents in. “Some of the moves used today would be illegal in karting. We also didn’t pay attention to track speeds. They usually have a posted top speed. I agree with Bea, driving for no stakes is a lot more fun but it does give rise to a different decision making process.” He winked at Bea before giving Hyeon-ae a friendly smile. “Did you have fun, Hyeon-Ae?”
Hyeon-Ae offered Paul a brief smile, before turning her head away theatrically. The icy pout was definitely for show. ”I will accept any challenge that comes my way, even one such as this.”
Alexander chuckled at the question and the comments. “If I get a rematch I want the warm up laps. My tires were cold and didn’t grip at the start. I had a horrible start because of it.”
Bea caught Paul’s wink, returning it in kind before nudging him with her elbow and gesturing to his team principal. ”Even has the excuses down, you better listen when he’s teaching you something.”
”I’m always ready to give something a fair go, but would you believe I’ve never seen a monster truck? Even for the Interior they’re considered a bit much.” Nora said, intrigued, then replied to Rosie’s question. I think Paul and Bea are right. Not to earbash but I think it only worked this well because it was unique. That said, I’m always ready to kick ass and take names. Just keep em short, I’ll only be in earshot for so long.” Nora replied, smiling wide to show that no real hurt had been intended.
Paul elbowed Bea back gently. “Shhh don’t give him any ideas for new lectures! I get enough already!” He looked confused for a moment and then asked Bea “Wait what is a Monster Truck?” He gave Hyeon-Ae a friendly smile.
Florence giggled at the thought of the bet, looking to Max, who shrugged, a grin following on his face.
“I think I’ll take my win! Way you guys were pushing me…..” Max replied, Cassie breaking in and interrupting.
“Well, literally, in Bea’s case!” Cassie added, getting a chuckle from the two, the look on Florence’s face showing maybe, just maybe,this sort of thing was still a bit in her blood.
”Oh, like I was the only one.” Bea grinned at that, interrupting Cassie’s interruption.
Hyeon-Ae cut in when she saw the opportunity to defend her honor. ”Everything underhanded I did in this race, I learned from Beatrix and Cassie.” she offered with an increasingly smug expression.
“Hey, aggression is one thing, I tried to be chill! On track, not sure how well that works…” Cassie replied to Han, giving a chirpy look to her team-mate, the media training definitely kicking in to stay on the right side, in spite of the clusterfuck going on behind the scenes at Zygon.
Florence gave the same look, shrugging to both Bea and Han.
“Well, you know, rubbing is racing. Definitely can get away with more here than at speed….” Florence noted, looking to Alexander and Paul.
“And you two, honestly, it’s like you’re both pilots in the team right now! Gave it a go back there!” She commented, her Scots accent dragging significantly harder than Cassie’s, who had been lucky not to be receiving a Aberdeenshire inflection like Florence had.
Alexander gave Florence a cheeky grin. “Aww Florence are you feeling jealous? Paul can’t help that he actually has a team principal that has skills. I did give it a go. You were just ahead of me and I had a whole field to go through to get to you. I might be a retired racer, but still a racer at heart.” He gave her a wink.
“Well, it sounds like you’re all putting each other under pressure on the kart track, we’ll see what it’s like on the much bigger circuit in the coming days! Any last comments?” Rosie asked, the mic in the open.
Bea waited for everyone else to go first, addressing the whole group as opposed to the camera or audience. ”Good fun, everyone. Now, that food truck by the entrance smelled absolutely wonderful, so if anyone else is hungry and wants to tag along, I’m buying. Team principals and Delta crew included.” She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb.
Alexander laughed and slung his arm around Paul’s shoulder. “Come on lad. Let’s go get some food with the nice lady. She said she’s buying.” He tugged Paul along. “I hope it's not something messy.” He looked down at his all white outfit with a look of mock horror on his face.”
Paul’s stomach started growling about the time Bea made her offer. He ducked as Alexander slung an arm around his shoulders and began to tug in the direction Bea was going. “Hey!” Paul protested pushing Alexander’s arm off. He was guided along behind Bea. “You know Alexander, Bea hides that competitive spirit behind that niceness. It is a ruse to lure us all into complacency.” He was grinning from ear to ear. “I am trying to win her over as a friend though. So I should follow along and nod like a good man.”
”Not that I’m usually one to turn down a free lunch, but at least let me spot half that! It’s not only your fault that Cassie got binned into the walls.” Nora called out to the exuberant brit. Friends make the best competitors, after all.
”On behalf of my teammate, I accept your apology. We will order expensive food.” Hyeon-Ae remarked sharply, with a sordid chuckle coming from Cassie soon after.
“Yeah, she accepts it, but watch your back on track!” Cassie giggled, nudging Nora in the shoulder with a reaction, not taking it too seriously, even in spite of how tense someone else could have taken it, Cassie was at least able to look past it. And well, Nora was like what Cass was like a couple seasons ago. Raw, and lacking in patience at all. Not that Cassie really had developed any really….and maybe not in a good way.
“I’ll take that offer of food! I saw what they had, Peri-Peri and rice….oh my word, you guys have no idea.” Florence replied to Bea’s offer, the older Brit replying to Bea, and generally, as Cassie looked over.
“Sure, it’s good but nothing on Pastel de Natas for after. My mum makes an amazing recipe at home, and if this truck has that, just saying, local Portuguese, I’m not gonna hold that to standard…” Cassie bit back, Max getting between the two.
“Whatever they have, I am starving! Rosie, I think that’s us. A few of us are getting hangry, and I mean, you should come too!”
Rosie nodded to that offer, following along, turning back to the camera to keep some semblance of professionalism from all the banter.
“Well, that’s us then! Welcome to Portugal, and if it’s not our fiery racers wanting to put it on track, or the return to circuits- call that an appetizer for what’s to come!” Rosie excitedly ran the last segment, and on that note, the camera roll stopped there.
Off that camera, she had the chance to exhale, and at least accept that even for how crazy that had gone, she’d mostly held it together, the Producer behind the drone giving a thumbs up. With it, she turned and saw the pilots all together, and ran over to catch up as they headed to the food truck at the entry, catering a must for keeping pilots happy. The energy was even off-camera, off screen, and well, it wasn’t some filtered media.
—
With the conclusion of that scene, the camera peeled back after the pilots had all gotten their share, revealing the quiet of the circuit, the paddock that was filled with stationary, dormant for now AG ships, the crews packed up for the night, in each pit box, ready for tomorrow. The lights flickered, in a cinematic fashion inside the boxes, revealing the subtle curves of each ship, the sponsors, the fins and thrusters, and their attachment to their static metal racking now with the AG unit turned off.
The engineers that worked tirelessly to make this happen. The ships were dormant, but soon, they would be up and running, and roaring on ship. As the footage cut back to.
An intersperse of historic racing at Estoril, then occasional 2020s races at Autodromo Internacional Algarve cut in, followed by the most recent races. Without MAG tracking, ships were incredibly skate-like on tarmac, not glued to surface but rather drifting out a lot more and reliant on aerodynamic grip to nail down the ships to the floor they were not bound to. Held in the mid-day beating sun, the hot Portuguese tarmac had been home to race after race of both the old F1 series, and for some reason, FA since the series had been invented.
The circuit came back, the warm tarmac, the floodlighting illuminating the track and the vibe reminding everyone at home of what a real circuit looked like. Zero MAG tracking had been setup at this circuit, it made the place truly feel old-school and made even the hairpins at Fedaia look like they weren’t much. Airbrakes and full send, but not too much full send mattered. It meant high speed ships didn’t really have the same effect here as ships that could rotate, and pull through corners faster. It also meant that the racing was like the kart track here compared to Italy or Cape Town.
The wider area was beautiful- southern Portugal had beaches, rolling hills and countryside with more wind farms than you could count, and beautiful little villages with seafood and cliff-strewn shores and sandy beaches at the bottom with boats moored out into the ocean. This place was timeless. It was like it had never advanced for a hundred years, it was still stuck in the past, and the circuit sat in the midst of all of it. Yet the shrill of a five-cylinder Audi Quattro, the sound of a turbocharged whine and a clank of gear changes on gravel with thousands of cheering fans in the rally stages gave way to Senna in a turbocharged McLaren at Estoril, the same gear noise clicking with the high pitch V6 that screamed its way through throttle, which then shifted to the ungodly whine of the Formula AG ships from last year, the air-breaks so violently piercing the drizzly Algarve sky that it created half a plume when did, akin to Tokyo.
Algarve was not a stupidly fast circuit - it had been once, but in Formula AG standards, it may as well have been the size of the kart circuit for how fast they accelerated and braked and then cornered. Laps were completed in barely a minute, but the tarmac surface with zero MAG tracking on the actual circuit itself meant that the ships were racing in not a fashion that was like Tokyo or Italy, on highly-advanced, clinging circuits that threw them up mountainsides or into loops, but rather a more conventional rollercoaster.
But more than that, this was the start of the juniors series too. So as a result, all of the younger blood of FA was here too, racing in the lower-power, lower aggression ships that were also on track, a starting point for the pilots of tomorrow.
The pilots that could replace, or be alongside the current grid now.
The camera peeled back to the wider circuit, and on that, the titles rolled, ready for the coverage under Delta Hyper.
DELTΔ HYPER
Interviews +1
Pre-Qualifying
Academy Pilots of the Grid
The interview format had changed. Again.
This is a thing that tends to happen a bit more with Delta Hyper, examining different aspects of pilots, and their answers.
This time around, unlike the standard interviews, they were paired up with a Junior AG racer, from their own academy. Junior AG teams operated either independently, like Moving Shadow Racing, a Welsh-based outfit or Cossack AGP, a Ukrainian-Turkish team; or were subsidiaries entirely run by teams, namely Valkyrie Junior, Nordic Call's North Lights, or Southern Cross's Kiwi AGP. What team they were in was less relevant- but their connection to the team shone through more than that.
@Starlance
The first one up was Beatrix- and she was paired up with Elise Annabelle Vogel, the eighteen-year old, apple blonde, ski-girl turned Carrera Condor junior. Akin to Beatrix, Elise's father owned Haute-Gris, a major Andorran geoengineering firm that sponsored Condor, with a small placement on the nose- their logo like a minimalist design that seemed to fit their overall theme.
"Beatrix, Elise, welcome to Delta Hyper. Elise, are you excited for your first round in Junior AG? How's the team been?" Aurora asked, her usual chirp coming in, knowing the beaming smile on the footage was definitely not fake.
"Oh yeah, it's really exciting. Bea has been really busy so we haven't really caught up much, but her sim data has been great, and it is so cool to see the team on top. First season here after Formula 3, so I'm excited to see what I can do!"
"And Bea, anything for the journey you would suggest to Elise to know from your experiences so far?"
@LadyAmber
Paul had been partnered up with Scarlett- the young JAGF racer a product of Valkyrie's incredibly successful academy, outside of Anna, who was on sim duties.
"Welcome to Portugal, Paul. Your family's foundation helped get Scarlett into racing- any comments between you both on how that has progressed for young pilots entering the sport?"
@MrSkimobile
Kais was back in interviews, even if it was reluctantly- and was in with Hamid, almost a complete, total polar opposite to Kais. A loyal Arabic Union pilot, even if Morocco was at the far fringe and still had its Monarchy, he was proud of it and his Berber roots, which he kept with his racing suit's theme. His hair was a short shaven kind with a tiny bit of stubble. He was rather good looking, and within the Arabic Union, was a bit of a poster-boy for the team as their test pilot and third-time JAGF racer, primed for the top spot if he got it this year.
"Kais, Hamid, welcome to Delta Hyper."
"Thank you for having us. It is a pleasure to be here. And among winners, too!" Hamid had a lot of energy. An anti-Kais, because frankly, he was more the Dorian style of racing rather than the Kais type. In about every way.
"Absolutely, and you have two older, wise pilots to learn from and work with."
"Yes, Layla and Kais are pushing boundaries, and they are an inspiration."
"Well, that is very nice of you, Hamid. Kais, do you think from being a little older on the grid, you are a good mentor for younger pilots?"
@Sylvan
Nora had been paired up with Tane, the Maori teenager representing the passion of an entire country on his shoulders, his dark, long hair well kept as he sat up, seeing Aurora set herself up.
"Nora, Tane, welcome to Delta Hyper. For the first race of the Junior AG series, have you got any thoughts on how "
"Well, Junior AG is a different kettle of fish to mag-karting. But, I think I've got some ideas. I've gone into Junior and plan to push on into what's next and stay, but I hope I can get the raw speed she has, she's definitely roasted a few of us in the sim lab!" Tane replied, a grin like he was pulling volcanoes out of the ocean like some Polynesian God, a young one but full of confidence.
"Hah, and well said, Nora is certainly lighting things up. Nora, how do you feel about the Oceanic talent pool that seems to be going on at the moment? It seems like you are all obsessed with it, why do you think that is?"
@Enzayne
Han was set up with Olivia, the dark-haired, Hong-Kong born resident one of the big lights of Junior AG last year- but unfortunate not to get a seat. Han had been the priority on her performance, but some would say she lived up to Han's talent on pure pace, yet nobody was suggesting it given Zygon's pace.
"Hello Han and Olivia! Welcome to Delta Hyper you two, and welcome to the couch. Olivia, what's your goals for this season, after coming so close to the top last year?"
"I'm hoping to get the title. And I am sure that while there are few seats on the grid, I can find somewhere for next season. Han has been amazing, and her data, and the team are amazing. The Queen of Korea is a very good mentor!" Olivia politely beamed, playing her own PR, the interpretation left open on how much Han fed into that.
"A bit of glowing praise there! Han, how are you finding the approach as a young pilot yourself, dealing with press, media and all of this. You can be honest!"
Round 5 of Formula Anti-Gravity Racing
Saturday 6th May, 2094
Post-Qualifying
Portuguese AGP
Autodromo Internacional Algarve
Portimão, Portugal
1500 GMT
Saturday 6th May, 2094
Post-Qualifying
Portuguese AGP
Autodromo Internacional Algarve
Portimão, Portugal
1500 GMT
Home Hero
Cassie Neves
With qualifying complete, the results had trickled in from the circuit, as Cassie sat in the Zygon pit box, inside the modernised yet still relatively ancient building watching away the holo-display. The juniors were about to go on track for their race, and that would follow as soon as the last qualifying pace had been set.
The sun baked at a crisp 30 degrees Celsius, and the tarmac radiated even more heat back out, without air conditioning, making it toasty- though the summers even in Canada and the UK were basically like this almost always too. The ships were back in racking inside the pit box, and whilst hyper-advanced, with holo-displays and quasi-android like robots carrying tools and performing optically-led inspections, the place felt as any old school racing circuit would be.
Things were not so bad today, so, so much better than last time- even if it felt like the hot knife of politics breathed into everything at Zygon. She felt distant from Han, given all that, yet appreciated her friend standing up for her. It made it all more bearable, as she sighed, looking at the results, and nodding. Ahead of Dorian. Fuck that guy, she thought. This was home to her. She knew this circuit, and she'd done well, taking the cable out, as the engineers came over, wanting to ask something, the noise and hubub of engines roaring in the pit boxes, and in the pit lane fading.
Results
The camera turned to the Delta Hyper couch again, Zygon-branded Cassie on it, her hair coloured with a green and red streak in the curls akin to the Portuguese flag, her nails following the same.
"So, was it the homecoming you were looking for? Or, would you expect more?" Aurora asked inquisitively, Cassie shrugging.
"It's pretty good. I know this circuit well, so I punch the ship above its weight. I qualify well, but the race is hard. But with the local fans behind me, I'm keen. I'm super excited for this, and honestly, just being back home is making this all worth it."
The other pilots shuffled in after qualifying, on the couch also.
"Back to pole, yeah, it's good. And well, Florence has sort of been a mentor to me so it was fun to see her out there with the other pilots on go karts, reminds me of last time. I beat her record, but, I have a long way to go to be the best. But, she's getting me there." Amy smiled, as Florence chuckled, nudging her back. "Yep, she'll drag me in at this rate!"
Harrison seemed cheerful, as usual, knowing tomorrow would be the bigger test.
"Second to Amy, it'll be hard to get her out of the blocks, but, it'll be a duel all the way." Harrison replied, the camera cutting slick to the next, that of Dorian.
"Portugal is uhh....old school. A lot of elevation change for ships configured for the flat, it means corners are blind and while there is run-off, the gravel traps are lined with magnetic compounds that stall the ships to a crawl. It's bad to go off the tarmac, as it feels like a leech is hitting the ship. So no room for mistakes. Just pure handling and control. Patience."
"This is total bullsh*t." Astrid replied, crossing her arms.
"No more comment?" Aurora asked, as Astrid shook her head.
"Maybe this is race is.....not my best focus. But, we'll do what we can here in Portugal. We can still surprise." Layla replied, as the scene cut to Max, nodding with a turn.
"We keep surprising. And I love old-school circuits. It's a real test, you know. A real pit box, with real pit walls, with fans and a stadium section and man, it's awesome. Before my time sure, but this place rocks." Max smiled, half PR, half genuine charm.
"And I guess we have more work to do here. Me and Bea are not happy, but the engineers knew this circuit would be tricky. We will do the best we can, with the ship we have here, and that is all we can do." Ava replied with her stoic, almost humbled demeanour, honest yet not hyping.
"We have improved a little....by which I mean not in qualifying pace. But we will try tomorrow." Kofi never seemed to drop his smile. Even if he could have been screaming inside, he was lucky enough to be racing in Formula AG. For an African team. That never got old.
"And we haven't really got much more. And we lost Cavan. So yeah, mood isn't great, we have Greg Harris joining us from MMR next week, so we will likely need to regroup and work out everything then." Henry seemed pensive, yet tried to mask as best as he could. Anyone even without a holographic display could tell he was failing.
