[color=gold][center][h1][i][b]FACTORY WRAP UP[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] Aurora looked across to camera, as the viewers had likely just had a very, VERY interesting view across all of the teams. Almost like you could make an episode out of them all really, but alas, for a quick catch-up. "So, I suppose after Auckland a hell of a lot happened." Aurora took a glug of water, looking to camera. "Valkyrie, let's start there. Alexander Knight decided to take some extremely drastic measures. He gutted key members of his team and replaced them as quickly, and got to work on their strong platform. It seems like he made his mark in the team, and despite the politics of the European Union outfit, they are trying something new. His approach seems to be an engineer and racer led one, and whilst there is no doubt that the legend is already ruffling feathers and playing with fire, he's making his mark on the team. It's rare to see a new Team Principal and Crew Chief to come in and make sweeping changes, fast." "Then, the others. I suppose Southern Cross took some interesting turns with their augment programme. Looked like Nora came out with some very interesting augments, perhaps a move to take the fight to Silver Apex in Africa and take more podiums? And well, then Carrera Condor. It looks like the PR work with Amy Stirling paid off for them, and it seems like there has been some part and knowledge sharing, perhaps on a basis of their recent streaming and Beatrix's old ties to the Silverstone-based outfit. The upgrades we saw to their ship seem very reminiscent of upgrades from last year in the engine department, and no doubt they're targeting a fast reward here." "As for the other teams, it seems many are brewing some very interesting upgrades. Rumours say that Al-Saqr have something very interesting they are preparing for a future round, whilst Zygon seem to be getting their house in order and seem to be a sleeping giant. While smaller teams like Fitzroy have brought upgrades to Round 2, they will still have their work cut out on the circuit." Aurora addded, shrugging, knowing well, this is the end of Episode One. Viewers saw what had gone down, on circuit, off it, and then the dabbling, the bits that of course, the teams wanted to show. The wrap-up started, as Aurora knew it was coming to a clsoe. "All eyes are on South Africa, and we'll be bringing that to you in two weeks time. Until then viewers, and remember, the race never stops!" [hr] [hr] [color=gold][center][h1][i][b]LION__ROAR[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [center][img]https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/colorfully-lion-logo-creative-artwork-600nw-775694923.jpg[/img][/center] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyf8jtCrp3I]Chase and Status & Stormzy: Backbone[/url] [/b] The camera pans through Cape Town as sails roll in through the ocean, 16th century Dutch sea-faring ships rounding the Cape of Good Hope, wooden, then brick houses suddenly appearing into the sky, as then sprawl, skyscrapers and the turn to Table Mountain reveals the green, yet arid landscape towering over the South African megalopolis. The city is definitely, certainly a hive and a half, shanty towns turning to concrete and green tower blocks, but there's this feeling, this vibe that the culture here feels still underground. It feels like there's a place that actually lived up to the potential it once was promised, material and mineral wealth meeting radical, proud green design. Poverty replaced by an incredibly green city, smart and clever, and a pearl at the bottom of the world that had more art, music and culture than you could shake a stick at, the green hills of Table Mountain and Lion's Head sticking out and towering over a sprawling city. If Auckland felt like a continuation of its early 21st century self, this felt like a city where the painted murals met hypermodern, glass-clean towers and streets. It cuts again. F1 racing at Kyalami in the 80s, and then, in almost a cut that feels jarring, protests in Soweto and Cape Town against Apartheid. And somehow, despite everything pointing towards division, the tearing apart of society, the promise of the Rainbow Nation somehow actually finding a way with the city's clean, green, almost re-drawn ground. And then the cut to Cape Town, the magnetic-enabled track going up and down off Lion's Head and then back up Table Mountain via a spine bringing out. A very, very fast circuit indeed, probably second to only Italy and Bonneville. And then, a cut to Kofi in a darkened room with the geometric Lion behind him on the gigantic black-illuminate screen, sitting next to the orange ship, adorned with a special livery with black, yellow and blue across the wings of the South African flag, the sight of something else altogether on the wing leaping up onto it, Kofi's arms folded, looking across to the animated animal to his side. The lion sat itself down on the wing of the ship, a holographic one, but you wouldn't be able to tell on the footage. Its mane carried a a blue and orange colour like its geometric cousin, its teeth fierce, and the roar of the lion felt visceral as it barked, like it was down your throat, Kofi looking dead at the viewer. "Welcome to Africa. Home." The race from last year cuts. More cutting as swearing could be heard (censored, of course), and a nasty crash. Battling hard through the Lion's Head complex of turns, and the view on the horizon, followed by the triumph of Kofi as one of Formula AG's winners five years ago, right here. He was Ghanaian, so of course, it wasn't like he was a native Cape Towner on home turf, but it was probably one of the most symbolic moments in Formula AG for the continent. A moment where it felt like Africa had arrived, and Kofi had truly snatched an incredible, talent driven race here. Yes, Kais was another African technically by his Egyptian roots, but well, by the value of his story, Kofi seemed more like the home talent here. It felt about right, as the scene cut back to Kofi, and the lion that lept off the wing and by his side, standing by the black Ghanaian's side, his smile white and like a Cheshire Cat. "Lions here don't hold back. Isn't that right?" And with it, the lion roared right on call, right as the credits roll. Kofi's a nice guy, but well, when the drama's this good, you're gonna want something that goes as hard as this. [hr] [color=gold][center][h1][i][b]DELTΔ HYPER[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Episode Two: Hunting Apex[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [hr] [center] [h1][b] Round 2 of the Formula Anti-Gravity Championship Saturday March 18th 2094 Qualifying Day South African AGP Cape Town, South Africa 1400 GMT [/b] [/h1] [/center] [img]https://img.static-kl.com/images/media/B2B667B6-DC8C-46DA-B9F0A9EBF1877EDE[/img] [hr] [hider=Qualifying Results for Cape Town] https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qF6cn-eA0G0sumgf79TvEnPjOHyQP-vZSFV6LNrn_OY/edit?usp=sharing [/hider] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Post Qualifying[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [center][h2][i][b]Dorian Pascal Hornfleur[/b][/i][/h2][/center] The harbourside paddock was a little removed from the circuit itself, and the camera was following a certain member of Valkyrie AGR this weekend, in his full dark grey and yellow lined garb, helmet in hand, a dismal look in his face. The paddock sat near Cape Town Stadium, in a large park, and it offered the same arrangements as Auckland- fan zones, VIP areas, and whilst not a party, it used the space of the park for ships, servicing and maintenance. The circuit itself would be introduced formally as part of the broadcast- but the mag-strips were used more for banking rather than inverted loops or insane turns, and rather to keep speed. The circuit went around the Cape Town Stadium and seaside, before going up to Signal Hill, using extensive banking on one side of Lion's Head as part of a very, very fast corner, across a massive gorge going sharply down then back up through a fast corkscrew before turning up Table Mountain itself, one side a sinewing rollercoaster on Kloof Ridge, before hitting the top, a massive bank section and straight then spitting down Plattelkip Gorge into Camps Bay, an elevated urban section with fast corners, with almost a complete straight to the other side of the Lion's Head peak facing the Atlantic Ocean, then back to the stadium. It was like you had a long list of straights, interrupted by a lot of elevation change, a few corkscrews to really muck with things on the mountain climbs that went dead-up, and the loop around the stadium offering a few more technical corners. The high speed corners tested stability, and most of all, bravery- whilst pure speed rewarded teams for investments there, as well as the energy systems just giving them the edge to overtake in corners. The weather was once again, good, with the sun beating down at about 28C, and the African heat and the feeling of the paddock not like the Oceanian vibe of Maori and Polynesian culture, but instead, heavily rotating around the Big 5 animals, most of which were now getting heavily reintroduced after some partial extinctions, and their holographic displays scattered around. You could find your way by finding the massive Elephant in the middle of the paddock, and there was a lion near Apex, funnily enough. Speaking of elephants in the middle of the room... "Well, that was sh*t." Dorian looked across to his publicist and agent, the nodding Luxembourgian-Indian native, Anaïs Singh in a certain kind of agreement. "Well, the craft was not expecting to do well here, but we need to frame this right." Anaïs replied, tablet in hand, and her role independent of that of the team. She may have worked WITH Valkyrie, but at the end of the day, she was Dorian's representative- she looked after his interests, from the announcement of his retirement at the end of this season that had gone out before Auckland and Alexander's announcement as team lead, to the marketing work he then did in, and beyond Valkyrie. The team was one thing, but pilots were a brand. An incredibly, if not beyond valuable item that the sharp, gentlemanly-looking Frenchman knew how to work. You didn't stay with a team for the money, you made results for you, and well, the rest had come easy. Sponsorship, interviews, that sort of thing came easy from Anaïs given Dorian's career. A lot of 2nds in the Drivers Standings, probably no championship this season either, but a legacy nonetheless of winning, and proving results. "Fine. But I'm not looking forward to explaining this. The team has enough disruption as it is." Dorian replied, sighing, turning to Anaïs. "I know what he is trying to do. I won't stop him, but he forgets we're people too. I know what I'm doing. Just give me a craft that goes faster and I'll take position." Dorian sighed, noting the camera, wanting to swear more, but realising he probably shouldn't be an idiot now. He wasn't perhaps as savvy to social media as some. Anaïs got in the awy. "Noted, and there's a lot more he wants to set the slate on. Let him have it, Dorian, most of it was needed given how things went last season. I'm sure he'll understand the media side and let them do what they have to. And like you say. There are better circuits to do well on. You'll show them." Anaïs commented, Dorian sighing with a change of topic. "Hmm....Anaïs, can we schedule something in with the sponsor? The fashion house?" "Already done. Heineken's local office also wanted their piece with you while you were in town." "The beer firm?" "The beer firm." "Gotcha." [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Pilots Return[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] Similar to Episode 1, the interviews have come back, with Aurora back in her usual spot, and the pilots in their relevant sofa, with a blank background once more. However, this time around, the format is slightly different. The pilots have been brought in AFTER their qualifying session, and are on the couch, in the hot seat. And one last turn in the table? They're with their team-mates! So, nowhere to hide. [@Sylvan] "So, both of you must be on top of the world! People are saying Southern Cross are a title contender and you two are proving it early on. What do you think made this qualifying session so good?" "Thanks! Yeah, P1 is incredible! The craft is twitchy but the new upgrades make it easy to tame, and this craft....wow, the engineers cooked up something special!" "Well, it quite looks like it! Nora, what would you say you're picking up from Harrison this weekend, and what do you expect in your racing with Amy, Harrison, and Al-Saqr who have been looking dangerous this weekend?" [@Enzayne] "Han, Cassie, an eventful qualifying! While perhaps not the best circuit for Zygon generally, that electrical fault really looks like it cost you there Cassie!" "The ship gave out on that final straight, no deployment at all. Real shame and the technicians already found a fix, but it really took the sting out of a lap that looked like it would put me in the top ten. Han has a really good chance of making points, I hope I can help her too, but it'll be harder without us working together." "A shame, but these things can happen. Han, do you look forward to fighting in the mid pack and bringing home the points?" [@LadyAmber] "Dorian, Paul, a mixed bag today in qualifying. What are your thoughts?" "Well, you may have heard me earlier! Okay, perhaps I was a little demanding, 8th is good considering the missile-like ships that Southern Cross and Al-Saqr have here. But we'll take advantage where we can, and claw it back." Dorian's leathery smooth French accent carried, a smirk on his face, trying to at least wipe the silliness from earlier. "We look forward to seeing that. What about the changes within the team, do you feel the direction is beginning to yield results?" [@Starlance] "Bea and Ava, now where did that come from? Bea in 7th, Ava in 11th after your performances in Auckland, you must be buzzing?" "That was incredible. I wish I was able to make the most of our upgrade, but it looks like Bea has capitalised on it the most. That #rallybrave really made the most out of our craft. Hopefully we can score some valuable points tomorrow and make up some ground after Auckland." Ava's response was dry, but even she was injecting pure PR in. "Well, some say that the input may be similar to that of a Silver Apex engine upgrade, but FIAR have cleared it. Bea, what does it feel like lining up in the top ten?" [@MrSkimobile] "Well, that was quite something from both of you, Layla and Kais! You must be excited for the race tomorrow and look to take a solid point haul, what with the huge speed advantage you seem to have on the rest of the midfield?" "Yes, well, our ship seems to be incredible here, but we will still have to fight hard with Southern Cross tomorrow. Nora and Harrison have a rocketship, but we have much more to give and I hope we can keep them on their toes. And Amy? She's just always got the capacity to go faster." "Well, it sounds like last time out, you both had your sights locked on Nora and Harrison. Have you got any words for the Southern Cross pair?"