[center] [h1][b] Friday 14th April, 2094 Rifugio Capanna Piz Fassa di Bernard Guido Piz Boè, Dolomiti, Italia 1700 CET A Couch in the Sky [/b] [/h1] [/center] [hr] [@LadyAmber] "There are plenty of red Ferrari coats out there on the grandstands even in Practice so I imagine they'll be cheering for you in full force, whatever the weather! How have you found Dorian's support with getting used to the circuit?" [hr] [@Enzayne] "That sounds like a certain shout out! How have you found settling into Zygon, Han- your branding has come everywhere with the team, so what's it like with the fame and visibility you're getting?" [hr] [@Starlance] "Well, it sounds like a dream for an ex-rally driver such as yourself. It seems like Carrera in particular will enjoy this circuit- with the upgrades brought to the ship, it seems like the team seems to be more well oiled this year than in previous years. What do you think has been the main factor?" [hr] The interviews played out, the pranks in the background not masked entirely. And with it, the interviews would be over as soon as they began- the pilots having an opportunity to enjoy the views on the mountaintop, and in the hut. This was a hell of a place to hold it, and whilst a cloud rolled in and killed some of the view, it was gone as soon as it had arrived, revealing the glorious, golden sunset in a white sheet landscape. Either way, no matter how cold it was here, there was this understated feeling of rivalry kicking in. They may have been joking now, but soon, they'd be going toe to toe, and they'd be putting it on the line on a circuit that rewarded those willing to push a little bit further. [hr] [center] [h1][b] Round 4 of Formula Anti-Gravity Racing Saturday 15th April, 2094 Qualifying Italian AGP Strada Alpina Marmolada, Dolomiti, Italia 1400 CET [/b] [/h1] [/center] [color=gold][center][h1][i][b]La Forza[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PlQlNlxlUE]UNKLE- Keys to the Kingdom[/url] [/b] [img]https://inductible.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/concept3.jpg[/img] The spectators had certainly enjoyed the session, the timesheets getting rocked with each pass. The circuit being so long led to some wide degree of variation- and whilst the circuit massively rewarded fast craft, it could be said that due to the tighter corners requiring an almost 180 degree run of the ship without any MAG-backed walls and just snowbanks and grass run-off, as well as pure pilot skill. Like Cape Town, Italy rewarded patience under highly undulating bits of circuit, especially the kinks and high speed turns and carves that were almost mind-bending to most. But, incredibly cool to an ultra-high megapixel camera that could catch the ships in action. [hider=Qualifying Results for Italy:] https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qF6cn-eA0G0sumgf79TvEnPjOHyQP-vZSFV6LNrn_OY/edit?usp=sharing [/hider] The conclusion was a surprise to many, however. Jamie Hart had crashed in Sector 1, pushing too hard up to Rifugio Padon, unlucky enough to cut the corner and wipe the ship out with a tumble that even the ship's AI couldn't really fix at all. Amy not being able to set a fastest time, surprisingly low in the standings reflected that it might have been a bad setup here for Silver Apex- perhaps the ship being twitchy had finally come back to Amy, but even so, it was a surprise to most to see her get knocked off the top spot. "And that is qualifying complete, and what a session!" "Absolutely, and take a look at Kelly and Zenix on the top two spots. Two pilots with something to prove, for two top teams and what a showdown this is looking like. Nora Kelly seems to be an absolute fiend in setting lap times, but Kais Zenix is a hard racer, and the two will be going hull to hull through every Sector if they can't help themselves." "Well, we will be in for a treat tomorrow, folks. Makara, Al-Nadir, and nobody can write off Stirling, not from any position. This track punishes mistakes, but you need to be so, so confident with the ship at top speed for almost a third of a lap here, even in spite of the corners and massive undulations that seem their best to slow down each ship. Rory, what do you think of the other Silver Apex ship, down in 20th for tomorrow's grid?" "It seems like the pressure is certainly mounting on Jamie Hart, and whilst nobody wants to say it yet, this performance simply can't be acceptable to the team at Silver Apex. It's hard to know what's going on there, but we'll have to see how things play out." "Well, from me and the rest of the commentary crew, thank you for joining us today- and we'll see you tomorrow afternoon, for the stunning views and speed of the Italian AGP." [hr] The teams had much to address. A lot to prepare, and the day after, with the race, was certainly going to have some tension, prepping the ships, setting up strategy for tomorrow, and more importantly, debriefing it all. Nora lining next to Kais, two rookies in hyper-fast, hyper sketchy craft on a circuit that required complete bravery rather than tactics. Beatrix in another top 6 must have felt like a dream, but again, she had Amy Stirling and Cassie Neves wedged between her, and that was going to certainly fuel a little tension on the start. And well, Paul and Han had each other again to fight, the two craft less suited to the higher speed and this particular circuit, the latter having the slight performance gain. The tension felt palpable. But, as the sun set on another Dolomites night, the crews, the teams and the pilots had an opportunity to plug in, arrange, rest up, and most importantly, come back tomorrow fighting.