[color=gold][center][h1][i][b]DELTΔ HYPER[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Interviews +1[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [center][h2][i][b]Pre-Qualifying[/b][/i][/h2][/center] [hr] Paul was wearing dark gray dress slacks, black dress boots, and a Team Valkyrie button up shirt. He was wearing one of the new House Enigma Team Valkyrie jackets on top of it. The jacket was a sustainable leather in an edgy moto style in a dark gray color with gold accents and piping angled for a slimming effect and broader shoulders. The Team Valkyrie logo takes up most of the back of the jacket. Paul was sitting once more on the Delta Hyper couch and next to him was one of their Junior AG pilots Scarlett Collins. Scarlett Collins had gone through press training at Valkyrie Academy. She was a little nervous though to be sitting next to Paul Mulder. She was very aware of who he was. She had come up into Junior AG as Paul was leaving it. She had seen him race when she was coming up through the ranks. She felt she was just as good as Paul but she recognized that she still needed experience. There is a skill learning curve for each step closer you get to Formula AG racing. She was self aware enough to know that she still had a lot to learn. She already had learned a great deal at Valkyrie’s Junior Academy. They often used the data and simulators from real team races for training. She couldn’t help smiling with the confidence that she was well on her way to earning her ride in Formula AG. Scarlett was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a Team Valkyrie shirt. Her brown wavy hair was pulled back in a French braid. [quote][color=ed1c24]"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?"[/color][/quote] Paul smiled at Aurora as she began by welcoming them to Portugal. Paul: [color=fff200]“Thank you Aurora. As always it's a pleasure to be here. Thank you for mentioning the Mulder Foundation and giving me an opportunity to talk about it. It means a lot to my family, especially my mother. For those who don’t know the Mulder Foundation is a nonprofit that was set up by my mother after my father’s death. She set up the foundation to honor his memory and love of racing. The foundation helps underprivileged children with their sports dreams. We provide equipment, money for training, and help getting to competitions which can price out children who live in poverty. The foundation also provides funding to children’s arts programs in Europe.”[/color] Paul took a beat to smile at the camera and take a breath before continuing. He winks at Aurora with a conspiratorial look before revealing. He leans closer to the camera as if sharing a secret with everyone. [color=fff200]“I am planning a big charity gala to raise awareness and money for the foundation. Details will be released soon. It is going to be quite the event. I have enlisted the help of some of my fellow rookies. The amazing Queen Bea and Hyeon-Ae of Zygon have already committed to helping out. I hope others will join me in supporting the work they do. Stay tuned as more details are coming” [/color] He grinned into the camera and then smiled at Aurora before relaxing back into the couch. He turned to Scarlett with a surprised smile. [color=fff200]“I didn’t know that you got support from the Mulder Foundation. You are doing very well on the Junior AG circuit which is why Valkyrie’s Academy picked you up. Congrats on that Scarlett! That is quite the achievement.”[/color] He turned back to Aurora. [color=fff200]“Scarlett has a very aggressive style. She just goes full throttle all the time with no fear. I want to point out that she is from Britain. Silver Apex could have scooped her up but they didn’t! Not all drivers supported by the Mulder Foundation end up in Valkyrie’s Academy. Why don’t we hear from Scarlett about how she feels about the support she has received from the Mulder Foundation? ”[/color] He grinned into the camera. Scarlett sat waiting. She didn’t expect to say much since Paul was sitting next to her as one of the new rising stars of Formula AG. He didn’t have any wins yet but he was in his Rookie year and competing on the main circuit. She was surprised when Aurora asked about the Mulder Foundation. She was more surprised to hear that Paul was personally involved in supporting the Foundation. She thought it was a nonprofit set up to honor his father but run by other people. She thought the family only came out in support a few times a year. She was pleasantly surprised to find out that it meant something to him. Scarlett was still working hard to curb a prejudice she developed against rich folks. She grew up poor and life was a struggle for everything. It was hard to not to color all rich folks as people who could have anything they wanted and got it by buying it. She froze as Paul asked her to share her experience with the foundation. Her press training went right out the window as she panicked a little. Paul saw the moment Scarlett froze and the panicked look in her eye. He smiled and drew attention away from Scarlett. He took her hand and gave it a supportive squeeze. [color=fff200]“I think I surprised Scarlett. It’s okay Scarlett. Just share how the Foundation helped you get to where you are today. Okay?” [/color] Scarlett swallowed hard and gave Paul a grateful smile as she quickly recovered her composure. [color=f7976a]“I would not be here today without the Mulder Foundation. My Ma died when I was really young. It's always been just my Da and Me. He worked hard in the factory but life was a struggle. You know?”[/color] She shrugged a little. [color=f7976a]“He is a big racing fan. He watches it all! His favorite is Formula AG. He started taking me to the local Kart races because admission was free for kids under 14. I fell in love with racing when I was 8. It’s all I ever wanted to do. My Da couldn’t afford to buy a Kart, pay for training, or transportation to competitions. I heard about the Mulder Foundation and applied. They supported my rookie year in Karting. They paid for my first kart, training, and the travel expenses. I got picked up by a sponsor at the end of my first year. I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to even get started without them. I was never pressured to race for any one team or in certain races. It was just solid support that came without strings attached. It’s a great charity and I am so grateful that they were there for me.” [/color] [color=gold][hr][center][h1][b]Round 5 of Formula Anti-Gravity Racing Saturday 6th May, 2094 Post-Qualifying Portuguese AGP[/b][/h1][/center][/color] [hr] Paul was feeling good about this race. He had a blast with the karts. It got him pumped up for the main event here in Portugal. This track would be a fun one for him. This track was less about speed and more about finesse and skill. The curves forced you to slow down. This circuit was short for Formula AG and the speeds these ships could hit during a race. There was no mag tracking here to force the ship to stay in the lane. The antigravity generators lifted the ships off the tarmac to float above it. Only the skill of the pilot and aerodynamic downforce keep a ship on the track. The spectators are protected by the repeller shield barricades that line the track. That prevents ships or debris from leaving the track entirely. This circuit was hilly and the ships would be going up and down quickly on this small compact circuit. Italy was good training for this track for the undulation you see at this track. Paul waited at the starting line for the light to turn green. He tugged his harness straps tighter. He flexed his fingers in his racing gloves. He made sure they were supple and comfortable. He began the deep breathing exercises. Paul had found that the deep breath exercises he had been taught did help him some during the race. He noticed he had better focus and his body stood up the g forces better. He had to admit that the neural chip and cognitive training was paying off as well. He was able to handle the absolute massive amount of data from the ship without being overwhelmed by the telemetry he had access to. He had his holographic dashboard set up to his liking. He had already performed his systems check. He was ready for the race to start. [center] [color=red]5 4 3 2[/color] [color=green]1[/color][/center] Paul shot off the starting line. He had others in front of him but he focused on what he needed to do. He pushed hard for the first turn. He let off the throttle and took his line into the corner and feathered the throttle coming out of the turn and nailed it as he shot away from the corner. Then that magical thing happened where the rest of the world seems to fade away and it is just Paul and the ship on the track. He smiles as he feels like his father is racing right there with him. His focus becomes the track and the next curve and the next hairpin corner. How fast can he do it? Paul is in his zone and is on a flier. He flew through sector 2 on the next lap. Paul heard his race engineer Carmella voice in his ear. [color=fff79a]“2 seconds from Cassie's pace.”[/color] Paul smiled as he mentally was chanting smooth is fast as he kept up his momentum in the curves and corners. The ship was responding well and Paul’s sim training for the track was paying off. His instincts for placing his racing line into and out of the corner was spot on. He pushed as much speed as he could. He heard Carmella’s voice in his ear once more. [color=fff79a]“Good Pace.” [/color] Paul charged hard towards the finish line. He opened up the throttle and easily took that last curve out of Sagres. Carmella cheered in his ear as she told him. [color=fff79a]“Congrats Paul on P3!” [/color] Paul was triumphant. Finally! Hopefully he would retain P3. Now he just needed to repeat this tomorrow. He threw his fist in the air thinking to himself. [i]Thanks Dad. I miss you. [/i] [hr] Alexander was waiting for Paul in the pit. Alexander couldn’t tell Paul how relieved he was that the team was finally seeing some positive results at the races. It was just qualifying but it gave him hope for tomorrow. He hoped the team came out with a good points haul from Portugal. He hoped if they did well here the pressure from the powers above would back off just a little. He was still reeling over having to replace his lead engineer. That process was in the works and it was messy but that was life. Cavan couldn’t be in Portugal this weekend. He was back in England packing his family for a temporary move to Germany. Cavan was starting Monday and Alexander was more grateful for that than he could say. At least they might salvage something from this season. Alexander waited while one of the pit crew helped Paul out of the ship before he moved in. Alexander smiled at Paul. [color=00aeef]“Well done Paul! Congrats on P3! That’s amazing. I knew you could do it. Your father would be proud.” [/color] Paul smiled at Alexander and accepted the offered congratulations with a handshake. “[color=fff200]Thank you Alexander.” [/color] Alexander gave him a nod and turned to check in with the mechanics and engineers. He was standing in as lead engineer this weekend. He was lending his support to Helga who was here running things in the paddock this weekend. Alexander had started paying attention to what was said around his female staff by other teams and their staff passing the Valkyrie paddock on their way to other places. Alexander was familiar with the shit talking that teams did to one another. That he let go as it was par for the course. He had not forgotten what the mechanics had shared with him. Because he was a well recognized team principal they didn’t seem to use that kind of language when they saw he was in the paddock. So far this race has been a positive experience. Zap Sports Drinks had a booth in the Valkyrie Fan Zone and were passing out drinks here in Portugal. Paul, Alexander, and Dorian had all stopped by the booth to do some social media posts while drinking their favorite flavor. I Can’t Believe It's Not Meat was serving the masses out in the food court. Alexander hadn’t had time to work on the Quantinium Computer sponsorship with Burkhardt leaving. That took his focus and was a priority. He would need to prioritize that contract next week amidst onboarding Cavan and the new engineers he was bringing with him. He hoped their luck held here in Portugal and that Paul was able to repeat this performance tomorrow. [hr] [color=gold][center][h1][i][b]Social Media[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [hr] [center] [b][color=fff200]Team Valkyrie AGR @TeamValkyrie:[/color][/b] Team Valkyrie AGR Sport pilot Paul Mulder qualified in P3 and Dorian Hornfleur in P6. Help us congratulate them. Remember all your Valkyrie fan gear is available at the online store! [link here] [/center] [hr] [color=fff200]OfficeDrone#12:[/color] OMG Paul qualified in P3! How exciting! [color=fff200]SuperfanAGR54:[/color] Yes! This is what I was hoping to see from Valkyrie! [color=fff200]DantheMan:[/color] This is more like it. [color=fff200]BatDave:[/color] I am Batman! [color=fff200]Superfan2075:[/color] Better [color=fff200]DadBod89:[/color] P3 is much better. Dorian is still middle of the pack though. [color=fff200]Hater101:[/color] It was bound to happen sooner or later. [color=fff200]Papabear34:[/color] #GoMulder [color=fff200]Nana2050:[/color] Go team! [color=fff200]GeorgeFly:[/color] Things look promising [color=fff200]ValkyrieFan56:[/color] P3 is good [color=fff200]Weedhead81:[/color] Way to go Paul! I told you some weed would help you relax man. [color=fff200]SexyM@m@5:[/color] @valkyriedorian Call me! [color=fff200]Paulmulder4eva:[/color] @valkyriepaul Call me! [color=fff200]Britball12:[/color] I will wait for the race results [color=fff200]!YouSlow!:[/color] Better but waiting for race results [color=fff200]xImFasterthanUx:[/color] Hmmmm [color=fff200]AGInthusiast:[/color] Qualifying is not the race [color=fff200]micheal650004:[/color] Improvement [color=fff200]Bertha:[/color] Qualifying is not the result. Waiting for the race results. [hr] [hider= Team Valkyrie Characters] https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5XUgYiVm6KjTpFTWZtJvXc0MX77enkLzINHujKw/edit?gid=0#gid=0 [/hider]