[color=gold][center][h1][i][b]DELTΔ HYPER[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [center] [h1][b] Sunday March 19th, 2094 Race Day Cape Town, South Africa [/b] [/h1] [/center] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://youtu.be/nvlTJrNJ5lA?feature=shared] I Won’t Back Down - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers [/url][/b] [hr] Dorian was on a mission to redeem himself. He wanted to make progress. He wanted to go out with wins to his names. He had accepted Alexander’s words and advice. He had to acknowledge the truth in them. He might not be able to podium at this race but that didn’t mean he was done. Nothing was set in stone. Yes those glass rockets of Silver Apex and Southern Cross were faster than his ship but could they maintain their race lines at those speeds? Dorian was determined that they would have to battle it out to take the win today. He was hungry for points. He would at least show progress in this race and his skill. He would show those who were calling him a has been washed out that he still had what it takes. Dorian had made sure to get a good night’s rest. He had a calm evening and a quiet dinner with friends in his hotel room. He had gone over the information about the track that morning in his hotel room, reviewing the turns, chicanes, and corners. He knew where he had messed up in qualifying. He had fallen back into bad habits. He had not pushed his ship’s advantages to their fullest. He had failed to get a lock on with the ELS systems. Christoph, one of Valkyrie’s team members, was going over the new pre-race checklist as he helped Dorian get settled in and plugged into the ship. Dorian was suited up and in the cockpit. Dorian tugged on his safety harness ensuring a snug fit. It would help prevent him from being thrown around the cockpit of the ship. Dorian’s helmet was on and the foam padded chin strap locked down tight. Christoph tugged on his safety harness verifying the connections were locked before checking his helmet was strapped on as well. Dorian felt the neural chip connecting to the ship as Christoph plugged in the connection. Christoph went through the checklist to ensure everything was working properly and that Dorian had a good connection to all ship functions. He then had Dorian do the deep breathing exercises that were supposed to help him build up the amount of oxygen in his bloodstream. Christoph wished Dorian luck before closing the canopy to the cockpit and locking it down for the race. Christoph then went through the entire procedure again with Paul. Dorian heard Alexander’s voice come over the radio. [color=00aeef]Alexander: “Radio check. Can you hear me?”[/color] [color=00a651]Dorian: “Knight this is Dorian. Radio checks green.”[/color] [color=fff200]Paul: “Knight this is Paul. Radio checks green.”[/color] Alexander worked his way through the last minute checklist with both Pilots. He waited to hear the answer from both pilots before moving onto the next item on the list. [color=00aeef]Alexander: “Fuel… Oxygen… Engine start…. Energy Systems…. Battery…. KERS (Kinetic Energy Return System) … Maneuvering Foils… Antigravity Generators… Air Brake flaps…“ [/color] Both pilots had green lighted all the ships systems. [color=00aeef]Alexander: “Remember fast and smooth. You will need to make the most of the handling. Maintain as much speed in the corners and turns as you can. Don’t forget to deploy your ELS systems. They will help you slow down faster opponents. Use your skills and better maneuverability to get close enough to draft off their ship. Make them help you go faster. Good luck gentleman. You have the skill to hold your own and move up a few spots in this race. I will be right here with you the whole way.” [/color] [color=00a651]Dorian: “Oui Knight.”[/color] [color=fff200]Paul: “Ja Knight.”[/color] All Alexander could do now was wait for the race to start. He had done everything he could to prepare them both for this race. Even with everything they had going on, there was little he could change in 2 weeks time. He had done his best to improve the ships. Until he got the new ship designs approved and began to work out the bugs that came from building an all new design. It was the best they could hope for now. This was really the only strategy left to their team for this race. Other pilots might have more augmentations but his pilots had experience, skill, and natural talent on their side. Unfortunately the ones in the lead had faster ships but their handling was nowhere close to Valkyrie’s. It would be a battle not in the straights here at Cape Town but a battle in the corners. Dorian was starting the race behind Beatrix Ward and had Hyeon-Ae Han behind him. He was wedged between two rookies that were taking the circuit by storm. Paul was starting only 2 places behind Dorian. Paul had Hyeon-Ae Han in front of him and Ava Villarosa behind him. The lights counted down the typical 5 seconds as they flashed in sequence from red, to yellow, to green. The signal to go. Dorian felt a surge of adrenaline as he hit the throttle. Dorian timed his start perfectly as his ship leaped forward. He had a good start. Dorian was keeping pace with Beatrix through the initial hard left right sector before charging up Signal Hill. Ward began to pull away from him on the straight way on Lion’s Head. Bea made her move as she passed Layla leaving Dorian battling Layla for 5th place. Dorian saw Bea pass Layla as both ships left him behind. He managed to catch back up to Layla as he used gravity coming down from the top of Lion’s Head to help him with speed as his ship climbed Kloof Ridge. He gained back some ground as he took the left right broken straights coming off Kloof Ridge as fast as he could handle them. He was in the zone, his craft moving smoothly and staying on the fastest line he could find on this track. He was managing to keep the momentum and build on it. He would manage to lock onto Layla and then she would surge away from him again in the straights. Dorian was slowly gaining again on Layla after coming through the inverse curve at speed before smoothly executing the broken curves in Camps Bay. Dorian was once again on Layla’s tail as he pulled closer in the sidewinder section. The rest of lap one was a blur as Dorian would get close and then Layla would pull away. Dorian was almost through the stadium section and was coming up on the hard curve right out of the stadium. Dorian was beginning lap 2. Hart was in front of Kais and Bea. Kais and Bea were running next to each other battling to get ahead of one another. Bea and Kais both were in a position to challenge Hart. Hart suddenly cut across the track diving for the outside lane in a strange unpredictable dive maneuver. That section of banked track was only wide enough for two ships. Hart’s ship swooped in front of Bea's coming dangerously close to her ship. Bea then veered into the lane Kais’s ship was in. Kais tried to avoid Bea’s Ship but was unable to avoid hitting Bea’s ship. The hit knocked Bea’s ship free from the track and into the repeller fields at the edge of the track. From what Dorian could see, Hart was not yet close enough to overtake Nora, if he was trying a maneuver to block them both, it was poorly executed and dangerous. Hart’s move made no sense to Dorian even as he saw the resulting crash and debris shower across the track ahead of him. Dorian and Layla were both right behind the trio. They had nanoseconds to respond to avoid hitting the ships in front of them. Layla took the lower lane to pass the wreck. Dorian knew there was wreckage ahead of him in the upper lane. He used his skill and poured speed into his ship and ran it up the curved wall. The momentum caused his ship to flip around so he was half inverted on the lower lip. This swung his ship wide as he hoped to avoid hitting any of the wreckage or Layla. Dorian was relieved as he neatly avoided running into wreckage. The maneuver also put him ahead of Kais on the track. Alexander watched, unable to react fast enough to warn Dorian about the wreck. Fortunately Dorian’s skill saved him as officials called a red flag. [color=00aeef]Alexander: “Paul take the lower lane! Debris ahead of you in the upper!”[/color] Paul had moments to avoid running into the ships ahead of him. He took the lower lane trusting Knight. He had just passed the remains of Bea’s ship when the red flag came out and Paul shut his ship down. [color=fff200]Paul: “That was close. Thanks Knight. Any word on the pilot?” [/color] Paul’s voice only betrayed some slight anxiety as he asked after the other pilot. [color=00aeef]Knight: “Bea is okay. Red Flag is out, bring your ships in.” [/color] The track was repaired and the debris removed. When the race restarted. Dorian had Layla in front of him and Kais behind. He was bookmarked by Al-Saqr’s team which left him feeling uneasy. Dorian took a deep breath and recentered himself. Dorian again had a good start. He easily fell back into the zone. He was focusing on smooth in and out and maintaining speed. He smiled every time he managed to deploy the ELS on Layla. He used his skill to stay with her. Draining her craft and using drafting techniques to help his ship go faster. Dorian managed to stay with her throughout the rest of the race. He might not have gotten a win but he could feel proud of his performance. He knew he had shown a level of skill he had not shown recently. It felt good when he crossed the finished line in 6th place. Paul didn’t let the wreck rock him. His primary concern was for his fellow racers. He was relieved to hear that both Bea and Kais were okay. Paul had been further back than Dorian and he had not witnessed the crash. At the time his view was of the rear of Han’s ship as he focused on his ELS system and staying with her. Paul had restarted the race with Han in front of him and Villarosa behind him. Paul and Han had been battling it out trading places around the track. He would catch up to her on the curves and she would pull away from him on the straight aways. Paul was focused on Han in a curve when Villarosa came shooting past them both on the outside. Paul had forgotten to block the opponents behind him and Villarosa pounced on the opening. Paul shook his head for making such a Rookie mistake. He knew better. He managed to stay with Han for the rest of the race but knew he had given Villarosa the opening she needed to get ahead of him. He crossed the finish line in tenth. He never managed to get past Han. [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Post Race, Cape Town Interviews[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [b]"Paul, Han just left us- you two had a fight throughout the race, trading places and certainly keep each other on their toes! How do you feel about your close racing throughout, and your first point in Formula AG?[/b] Paul looked comfortable as he relaxed on the interview sofa. His arm was across the back. Paul smiled at Rory as he nodded listening to the question. [color=fff200]Paul: “Han is a talented racer. I have nothing but respect for her. I am ashamed to admit that I was so focused on Han that I forgot Villarosa behind me. Villarosa slingshot past both of us. It was a rookie mistake. I have to admit that my mistake cost both Han and I a position in this race. I am still pleased with my performance. I feel good about winning some points this round. I feel like I am making progress. Keep watching, my time is coming!”[/color] Paul winked at the camera with a confident grin as he declared a bright future in racing. Paul expression became more somber as he commented on the crash. [color=fff200]Paul: “The crash from today’s race reminds us all how serious and dangerous this sport is. I was very happy to hear that both Kais and Bea are going to be alright. It also shows how necessary the safety measures are. The fact that Bea could walk away from that crash.” [/color] Paul’s eyes looked haunted for a minute as he thought about the crash that took his father from him. Paul gave his head a little shake as if clearing away cobwebs and dark thoughts. He smiled once more at Rory. [color=fff200]Paul: “Kais has my admiration for battling back after such a disappointing setback. Congrats man!”[/color] [hr] [color=gold][center][h1][i][b]Social Media[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [hr] [color=fff200]Valkyrie AGR Sport: Dorian Hornfleur finishes 6th and Paul Mulder finishes in 10th at Cape Town. Valkyrie AGR Sport moved into fourth place in the constructor standings. Team Valkyrie made gains in Africa.Follow us on social media for Valkyrie AGR Official content. Don’t forget to check out the gear store! #FormulaAG #TeamValkyrie [/color] [color=fff200]OfficeDrone#12:[/color] Exciting race! [color=fff200]SuperfanAGR54:[/color] Dorian’s performance surprised me. [color=fff200]DantheMan:[/color] @nitronora podiums again! [color=fff200]Superfan2075:[/color] Hart should be fined for that stunt he pulled. [color=fff200]DadBod89:[/color] Hart caused that crash. [color=fff200]Hater101:[/color] Dorian surprised me. [color=fff200]Papabear34:[/color] Paul did better but even he admitted he screwed up by letting Villarosa get past him. [color=fff200]Nana2050:[/color] Good team performance! Both racers in the top ten. [color=fff200]GeorgeFly:[/color] That crash was scary to watch in person. If the repeller field had not been there, that debris would have hit spectators. [color=fff200]ValkyrieFan56:[/color] Go team Valkyrie! #ValkyrieMovesUp [color=fff200]Weedhead81:[/color] Trippy man! [color=fff200]SexyM@m@5:[/color] Dorian did so good! [color=fff200]Paulmulder4eva:[/color] Paul’s was such a sweetie. Being concerned about his fellow racers. He even congratulated Kais on his comeback. [color=fff200]Britball12:[/color] Hmmm one mediocre race. I am still waiting to see. [color=fff200]!YouSlow!:[/color] That was no accident! [color=fff200]xImFasterthanUx:[/color] @!YouSlow! Agreed! Hart deliberately cut into Ward’s lane and almost clipped the front of her ship. That was not an overtake or a block. It was reckless and dangerous! [color=fff200]AGInthusiast:[/color] I don’t know whether that was good racing by Hart or dangerous showboating. #conflicted [color=fff200]micheal650004:[/color] That’s the Dorian I remember! [color=fff200]llamalover4life:[/color] I concede Dorian did better this race. [color=fff200]mustbetoast:[/color] Paul could have done better. [color=fff200]ieatAGR:[/color] Valkyrie did well at Cape Town considering it is a track that favors speed. I can see Alexander Knight’s hand in their strategy and it worked. [color=fff200]Nobody404:[/color] Why was the crash ruled an accident? Corruption in the Racing Commission? [hr] [hider= Team Valkyrie Characters] https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5XUgYiVm6KjTpFTWZtJvXc0MX77enkLzINHujKw/edit?gid=0#gid=0 [/hider]