[color=gold][center][h1][i][b]Round One: Oceania AGP[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [center] [h1][b] Sunday March 5th, 2094 Auckland, New Zealand_-_Aotearoa Race Day [/b] [/h1] [/center] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Grid Photo[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [hr] [color=fff200]Paul had just wrapped up the smack talk with Bea and was headed towards the exit when he was approached by Kofi. [/color] Kofi voice was full of warmth and his expression a friendly one as his slightly accented voice called told him. Kofi: "You really are your father's son. Good to have you in the grid, Paul! Me and Dorian were watching your junior racing, not often a son of a legend comes in...I am glad you found home." [color=fff200]Paul was a little uncomfortable when Kofi smiled and put an arm around his shoulder. It was an invasion of his personal space from someone he didn’t know very well. While Paul was used to that behavior from fans, he was surprised to experience it from another pilot. It made him uncomfortable and he did his best to hide it. [/color] Kofi: "There will be a lot of talk. But you stay true to you, yes? Don't ever let them grind you down. Media, yes? And I'll tell you now. You're now an AG pilot, so there is action But, just be you and it's easy. Do not overthink....the rest you'll put to the fiyah." [color=fff200]Paul was surprised at the advice from Kofi but he supposed he shouldn’t be. Kofi was billed as the gentle giant among the racers. He was that genuinely nice guy in a sea of back stabbing sharks. He smiled and patted Kofi on the back. “Thank you Kofi. I will be sure to keep your advice in mind. Good Luck out there!” [/color] Kofi left him after patting him on the chest and left chuckling. Paul made his way off the pontoon platform. [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Before the Race[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [color=00aeef]Alexander saw Aurora making her way through the team paddocks. After he was chastised by the head of marketing, he knew he would need to give a sound bite. He waited for her to make her way into the Team Valkyrie paddock. He had been reviewing the course information and making sure the pilots had been well taken care of. Their ships were ready, physicals had been cleared, pilots had access to the information he had on the course. They could review the turns and memorize as much of the track as possible before the race. There had not been much time for him to make any changes. All he could do is support their existing routines. There was not much time left before the race started and he couldn’t think of anything else to do other than wish the pilots luck. Alexander approached the fiery looking reporter. He gave her a warm welcoming smile. He extended a hand in greeting to her. He could see the camera drones that followed her. He guessed that they probably never turned off. Alexander: [b]“Good Morning Aurora. I wanted to apologize for my abrupt departure during our previous interview. As you know my return to racing was a surprise to everyone, including me. I had literally just gotten started and was working on getting caught up. I was exhausted and needed some rest.”[/b] Alexander paused and wondered if he should say anything. He decided to get ahead of any rumors. The media was probably already digging into his personal life. It wouldn’t take much for them to find out about his daughter’s accident. Safety features in vehicles these days have made traffic accidents less frequent. The drunk driver who had hit his daughter happened to be in a vehicle with the safety features had been hacked and turned off. He would be sure to call his ex-wife and let her know that the media might come snooping around. It was inevitable anyway with his return to racing. Alexander gave Aurora a tired look that was full of love and warmth as he thought about his daughter. Grateful he had been able to give her this chance for recovery and a life. [color=00aeef]“You see the truth of the matter is, my daughter had been hit by a drunk driver and was in the hospital. I had not gotten much sleep the week prior. She was in ICU and then when we knew she was going to pull through, she had to undergo multiple surgeries to support her recovery. I had just come in on a red eye from the states. I promise, I will be more available for interviews in the future. I wanted to personally invite you to attend the press conference I have the marketing team arranging next Wednesday at Team Valkyrie AGR Sport headquarters in Aachen, Germany.” [/color] Alexander didn’t miss the gasps and looks of shock on some of the team faces around him who had been listening in to what he had to say to Aurora. He was pretty sure the gossip mongers would be hard at work. He suspected the whole team would have heard about the status of his daughter before the race started. Alexander gave Aurora a smile that softened his whole face and lit up with love. Alexander: [b]“My daughter is on her road to a full recovery. I didn’t want to leave her till I knew she was out of the woods. I would ask the media to give her privacy while she heals. She has enough going on at the moment without fending off interview requests. She will talk to folks when she is ready. Prayers and good wishes are always welcome though.” [/b] He waited to see what questions Aurora might have. He hoped giving her an interview exclusive with such a juicy tidbit might redeem him in her eyes. [/color] [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]The Racing Line[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [center][h2][i][b]Team Valkyrie[/b][/i][/h2][/center] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://youtu.be/ZzlgJ-SfKYE?si=LEX5LQ54RTLi-yKh]The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up[/url] [/b] [hr] [color=00aeef]Alexander was on the headset looking into the monitors in the Team Valkyrie Paddock. He knew the mechanics, pit crew, and engineers all had a monitor with computers to give them data being streamed from the ship to their stations so they could keep track of the action. Alexander had worked to develop a dashboard that gave him the overview he needed to do his job during the race. Alexander used his comm to speak to his pilots just before the race. His comm came alive as his voice filled the ears of Dorian as the preflight checks were being finished. “Good luck Dorian. I hope you have a good race.” He signed off after getting a brief acknowledgement from Dorian. His comm came alive as his voice reached Paul during the preflight checks. “Good morning Paul. I wanted to wish you good luck. Take a deep breath and remember Valkyrie chose you for a reason. You are good enough or you wouldn’t be sitting in that seat. Just run your race. You got this.” And before much longer it was race time. [/color] [hr] [color=00a651]Dorian waved at the camera drones that were focused on him in the cockpit just before the start of the race. He then focused on his instruments as the countdown began. Adrenaline flooded his body as the race began. Right out of the gate he was battling to keep his position. The ship was handling well. The response time was better than his qualifier. The speed was pushing him back into the seat and the g forces were throwing him against the restraints as he sped through the course. He cursed as he lost speed on the long straight way. He cursed a blue streak as he saw Wedgewood pass him. He did his best to chase the leaders but he just couldn’t close the gap that came from the straight aways.[/color] [hr] [color=fff200]Paul smiled and waved at the camera drones that were focused on getting shots of him in the cockpit. He blew a kiss to the camera with a wink. He placed a closed fist over his heart which his mother would know was for her. He had the biggest and brightest smile on his face. Joy thrummed through him to know she was finally in his corner for this race. It gave him confidence. Paul was in the absolute last poll position due to technical problems during his qualifying round. He had nowhere to go but up. He felt more relaxed after Alexander’s little pep talk. He had been expecting Alexander to put pressure on him to perform instead he offered supportive advice. He was surprised that the cheesy tactic had worked. He put his ship through its final checks. His engines started and the feeling of power thrilled him. As it always did, Paul’s thoughts turned to his father. He felt as if his father was sitting in the cockpit with him. A warm feeling came over him and his joy exploded into action as the race began. Adrenaline dumped into his system as he began to move through the pack. Paul was driving like he was one with his machine. The ship was handling like it was on rails. He battled his way through the pack. He fell back again during the straight away. He just couldn’t get enough speed to hold off some of his competitors. He fought hard to continue to move up and at least maintain his gains. Before he knew it the race was over. He got nowhere close to the top of the pack but was satisfied with the gains he had made. Paul had managed to gain 7 spots. That was respectable in such a skilled tight pack as this racing season was. [/color] [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Post Race, Auckland: Interviews[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [hr] [@FourtyTwo] [b] Aurora: "Paul, amazing work today finishing 13th in your first race, pulling the ship from last on the grid with a series of brave overtakes and showing off the Valkyrie's sublime cornering skills. Tell us, how did it feel weaving through the back of the pack?" [/b] Paul was still dressed in his flight suit and had his helmet under his hand. He had a joyful and excited look on his face as he smiled at Aurora. [color=fff200]Paul: “Well Aurora, I had nowhere to go but up after starting dead last. I am happy with my performance. I am sure I will only get better as the season continues. It is a new ship and I am excited to work with Alexander Knight to see what changes might be coming to Team Valkyrie AGR. My ship was handling great, allowing me to squeeze more speed in and out of those turns and corners.” [/color] [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Valkyrie AGR Sport Social Media[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [hr] [center] [color=fff200]TeamValkyrieAGRSport: A press conference is scheduled at Valkyrie’s Headquarters in Aachen Germany next Wednesday at 10:00am. Follow Team Valkyrie on social media to find out about exciting changes coming to the Valkyrie AGR Team! #TeamValkyrieAGR #VakyrieDorian #ValkyriePaul Get your Team Valkyrie AGR gear @valkyrieagrsport.gear.com. New gear for rookie pilot Paul Mulder. Show him some love and support! #TeamValkyrieAGR #FormulaAG[/color] [/center] [hr] Superfan2075: Disappointing start to the season by team Valkyrie. Paul shows promise though. Britball12: Team Valkyrie sucks! Paulmulder4eva: Paul was looking great while killing it! RT if you agree! Weedhead81:[message removed by content filters] Hater101: At least Dorian made it into points. Team Valkyrie needs to get their sh!t together or I am changing teams! #ragequit Mombaby: Me and U Dorian! Weedhead81:[message removed by content filters] BatDave: I am Batman. GeorgeFly: I hope they have a better showing in Africa. #disappointed Nana2050: I am glad to hear that Alexander Knight is back. I was a fan in AGR when he was a driver. He is great! #longtimefan Papabear34:Alexander Knight Sucks! #knightfail #bringbackdominic ValkyrieFan56: My family and I will be cheering you on in Africa. Can’t wait! Let’s Go! Weedhead81:[message removed by content filters]