Round 2 of the Formula Anti-Gravity Championship
Sunday March 19th, 2094
Race Day
South African AGP
Cape Town, South Africa
1400 GMT
Sunday March 19th, 2094
Race Day
South African AGP
Cape Town, South Africa
1400 GMT
The commentary team, Rory and Rosie back at it again, were back in your ears as a panorama of the circuit, and then a cut to them came through.
"Welcome to Cape Town! Founded by the Dutch in 1652, the South African metropolis hosts Round 2 of Formula Anti-Gravity, and the circuit today takes us over Table Mountain and the iconic harbourside!" Rosie led, the chirpy commentator probably too happy for many of those at home, but well, it meant it was race time.
"And what a circuit it is, Rosie. On the calendar since 2085, we've been coming back here for racing. Iconic races, such as Kofi Mensah's win here in 2089, and Loreen Hari's crash out of the podium here in 2088 are certainly talking points, and no doubt this is a circuit that creates tension. It's a high speed circuit loved by many, and the locals are in full force, celebrating one man and one team- Supercat."
"Well, I'm sure the other fans will be roaring at home! Will Nora Kelly repeat her feat from Auckland, will we see Valkyrie's new direction under their Team Principal? So many questions Rosie, we really will start to see that here!" Rory called out, his trademark excitement
"Shall we take a track overview, Rory?"
"Sure thing, Rosie! Let's go to our overlay now. The circuit begins at the Cape Town Stadium, and quickly blasts its way uphill after a hard left right sector, rolling up Signal Hill and hitting a series of high speed, no brake corners on Lion's Head, before coming back down and back up like a rollercoaster onto Kloof Ridge, mag-tracking creating a sinew of high speed fast left, right and broken straights that then leads to the biggest one, followed by a large 180 degree banking across Table Mountain requiring no brakes, all speed with long straights, before dropping down into the Camps Bay sector through PLattekip Gorge and a fast series of corners, over the elevated section in Camps Bay through the high rises on elevated track.
The circuit then goes back to Lion's Head via an inverse banking that requires quite a level of skill, before then navigating around the stadium again through a hard series of corners to break up the lap. Cape Town requires a lot of bravery, and the circuit is almost full throttle on Lion's Head, all Table Mountain sections and is broken up with hard techncial sections testing the pilots through sidewinders in Camps Bay and at Cape Town Stadium."
"Wow, you have been practicing! In one go as well!"
"Thank you! Well, Cape Town is a long string-like circuit that loops back on itself, it's one of the longer on the grid, but with speeds on offer, blink and you'll miss it!"
Lion's Charge
Soundtrack: Art of Rally OST- Wind
"And away they go! Strong start from everyone, Kelly, Stirling and Makara are fighting hard, you can barely separate them!"
"My word, and what a move Ward has made in her Carrera Condor ship, she's leaped past Al-Nadir, looks like Hart is trying to find a way through past Zenix, Al-Nadir is has lost a couple places, Hornfleur and Han are going close together after!"
"Wow, what a race start! To think they were outside of the Top 10, what is that Carrera Condor ship on?"
"Looks like everyone else is coming through clean as we come up to the Lion's Head, so far so clean, as we watch them barrel down and then back up again into Kloof Ridge, it's steep but AG craft just seem to keep climbing around the ridge, what a sight that is!"
---
"And look at the midfield fight too! Hart, Nadir, Zenix are so, so close fighting over fourth, they're coming into the Stadium section, big undulation here, Hart is making a move on the outside.....that can't work, that's three into two around the right hander down, there isn't the room left for Zenix or Ward! There's going to be.....oh no there is, contact!"
And there it was. One hell of a crash, which if the trackside repulsor field hadn't have done something, would have been a magnitude larger. Not that damage was spared, as the craft was half ripped apart, sacrificially, and the safety cell doing its job.
"Oh dear, that is a huge hit to Ward, Zenix looks like they didn't come off great and they've lost a couple of positions! That is a serious crash, are they going to red flag this?"
"Red flag is out! All racers are stopping, that is some quite serious damage to the track, and the Carrera ship is looking completely dead, serious structural damage, and slumped out. It looks like Ward is fine, she's moving and out of the craft, but that ship has taken a hell of a beating."
"Wow, it looks like it was caused by a dead air pocket as Jamie Hart makes his overtake on Kais Zenix in a messy divebomb, a bit of turbulence knocked the two craft together from just how hard Kais brakes there and it looks like the Carrera Condor craft came off the worst, and collided. The craft's safety mechanism worked perfectly, as did the trackside repulsors but even they look like they have taken a nasty hit!"
"Unbelievable scenes here, we couldn't write this, it looks like two of the fieriest new racers in the midpack have collided, all ships are gently coming back to pit and we'll await a restart."
"Understandable of course, it looks like an awful lot of the repulsor mechanism needs replacing, as does a section of the track. We'll be awaiting the drones and recovery shortly, but it does look like Beatrix is okay. We'll get some comms from her shortly. Looks like not much either could have done, but they were fighting hard the entire way, and it looked like something was bound to happen."
The race was immediately red flagged- or at the least, temporarily stopped.
Many, many questions would be asked about Hart's overtake there, Bea's and Kais's contact. An unforced error, or two racers going too hard with something to prove- one for glory in points, the other to prove Al-Saqr's need to get even more? A heartbeat flutter about Bea would turn to the replays, and well, what had gone down. Was it a lack of experience in dogfighting that Bea had underestimated her opponent, or had Kais just sent it and forgotten the overall strategy to use the craft's other advantages elsewhere?
But it wouldn't be long till the racers were back to the grid, for a full restart. The track was fixed, pilots had been back in and ships assessed and if any debris was caught, fixed using 3D scanning and other tech. A lot of pressure, and anyone that had seen that, or come near, like Han, Paul or Kais were certainly going to feel it. Kais had lost positions because of it, and at the restart, he was further back than he should be- making it a fightback now, and while his ship was fixed, not every system would be perfect. From a neural link's view, it would be like the equivalent of going for a run now with a grazed knee- thrusters and control surfaces fine, as were all the engine components and ECU elements, yet decent marks were on the surface that had been patched to keep the aerodynamic surface intact, and paper the cut.
---
And just like that, they were back, as the lights went again. The order stayed the same....apart from one difference.
"And we're away again! Great start from Villarosa, she's just carved past Mulder and Han, through the stadium section up into Lion's Head, she is on a mission to get points for Carrera!"
"Amazing, all clean so far, as the front three are also fighting hard, everyone has so much to prove, everyone has so much to give, who's going to come through?"
"Well, Makara and Stirling are in a hard ELS fight, looks like Amy Stirling wants this win!"
"No doubt, I hope we don't see a repeat, hold onto your hats folks, any one of these three front-runners could win, they are near deadlocked on pace, looks like Amy has the ELS advantage, but that Southern Cross craft is seemingly unstoppable on the straights coming through Table Mountain!"
Soundtrack: Grafix, Andromedik- Comedown
Barely seconds were in it between first, second and third, and you could barely split them. Amy had come out on top, but it had been a dogfight the entire way. How another crash hadn't happened was incredible, and proved just how intense the top three wanted this.
"My word, that had everything, didn't it Rosie?"
"Yes, absolutely! A massive crash that I bet Beatrix Ward and Kais Zenix are absolutely gutted about for losing points, and it looks like no further action has been taken for Jamie Hart by the racing stewards, as it's been declared a racing incident." Rosie replied, Rory's eyebrows raised. He was a commentator, not a steward, but even his eyes were in curiosity over it.
"Wow, I think that'll create some controversy...I'm sure commentary will be talking about this for a while, but let's focus on the front three. Rosie, what happened up there?"
"Looks like Stirling got her break with ELS, and broke the deadlock with Makara, and Nora followed through, nipping away. It looked like Nora was right on the edge throughout, whatever Southern Apex are doing, they are hungry and they are making Amy sweat!" Rosie replied, the camera turning to the ships pulling in, and Amy clambering out of her cockpit, despite everything inside cooling and her various systems attached to her suit, still in sweat, from the intense focus at the silly speeds these craft could do, on such a fast circuit.
"Indeed, but as always, Stirling doesn't need her team-mates to hold back rivals- and she will be tough for Harrison, let alone Nora to crack. But what a race from them both, you can't say they didn't give it everything, and it was so close to going their way."
"Absolutely, further down the grid, we must admit, we're surprised at Hornfleur's ability to cut through traffic and master his ELS, on a circuit he admitted he wasn't expecting much on! Zenix made a great recovery drive to score 7th, but how about Ava Villarosa? She came from nowhere, got the points back for Carrera and I bet they must be in two moods. They have a craft that can score, yet perhaps luck didn't swing their way."
"Yes Rosie, yet speaking of bad luck, Al-Saqr will be disappointed on a speed heavy track they couldn't make their craft pay more dividends, as they looked very competitive at one point before the red. Al-Nadir was definitely not able to capitalise on that despite some excellent racecraft after the restart, and I imagine she'll be kicking herself for a poor start, but it looks like they had to salvage what they could. No MMR, Nordic Call, SuperCat in the points either, which some will be surprised about, but with the competitive pace of the ships ahead of them, that would be difficult to make the most from."
"Indeed, and one more that isn't talked about is Cassie Neves, who had an engine fireout on Lap Ten, looks like her ELS system attached to it completely gave out and she had to retire. Perhaps while Zygon is planning its recovery this season, things are not off to a great start!"
"Not at all, who knows what happened there, but we will have more analysis to come. For now, your winner, Amy Stirling, followed by Nora Kelly, Harrison Makara, Jamie Hart, Layla Al-Nadir, Dorian Hornfleur, Kais Zenix, Ava Villarosa, Hyeon-Ae Han and Paul Mulder in the top ten."
Post Race, Cape Town: Cooldown
The cooldown room had a slightly different vibe to it than usual.
It felt tense. Gritted even, it wasn't a rookie getting their first podium, it was a lion of the sport sharing it with two leopards. Southern Cross were not gaining in points on Silver Apex, but neither were they letting off the gas. After all, they were 7 points behind, and whilst they'd lost P1 in the race, P2/P3 was still a remarkable achievement because it meant they were coming after them. If Jamie had failed again, they'd be AHEAD.
"Jamie shouldn't have made that move." Harrison said, looking at the incident back, tsk'ing his tongue. It was simple, straight, but Amy grinned, in disagreement.
"He's just trying to compete. Nothing you wouldn't do, Harrison?" Amy jabbed back, a wry grin on her face, shrugging. "I mean, someone else has to join me on this podium apart from Nora here. She's proving quite the talent! Maybe focus on your own team-mate first before you go for mine?" Amy stirred more, as Harrison shrugged, sarcastic back in turn.
"Well, she's giving you a run, isn't she!" Harrison replied, a smirk in his face, knowing Nora was likely getting a lot of shit in general, but well, now stuff was getting serious, it may not have been as playful as before.
"Maybe. But there's plenty of season left. Long way to go." Amy chirped back, as she turned to meet an interviewer, Harrison turning to Nora, maybe a little more empathetic. They were fighting amongst each other, but right now, Nora and him were a team against that bulwark that was Amy. No way to beat them in the constructors than together, and for Southern Cross right now, they needed that. Only way to stay at the top facility and financially, was to live in success. Keep making it.
"Come on, Nora. Let's get out there and spray some champagne."
And champagne they did spray, on the podium again in the afternoon heat, Amy as ever, centre of attention on the top step. A step though, that seemed ever more closer that other teams were closing in on.
People were watching, and no doubt, watching the rise of a rookie that had proven that it wasn't a freak lightening strike, but a real statement here and now.
But more than that.....the media buzz wouldn't catch Nora, but the crash that happened. What could have been for Carrera. The damage was pretty sizable, and for a rookie to have a crash like that wasn't unheard of, but a pretty nasty bit of luck.
Post Race, Cape Town Interviews
Rory was on interviewing duties today, down in the little booth for Delta Hyper, and the various pilots were getting some time on camera.
@Enzayne
"Han, we loved watching your race with Paul, and it looks like you were fighting to get back to catch Villarosa! How was your fight with Paul, and how do you feel to have come out on top?"
@LadyAmber
"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?
@Sylvan
The 2nd place finisher was certainly getting a lot more limelight, a lot more cameras now parked by the booth, and the interview with Delta Hyper, via Rory.
"What a race that was Nora! Looks like you kept Amy honest, especially right at the end with a near overtake and have proven your talent in AG- what does it feel like to go toe-to-toe with who some say is an all-time AG racing legend to be in Amy Stirling?
@MrSkimobile
"Kais, you must be feeling a a lot right now! An excellent recovery drive, but you must be gutted about not being able to press more positions throughout the race following your contact with Ward?"
@Starlance
Bea's interview was obviously a little different, phased a bit later, because of her need to get looked at. Of course, interviewing someone who'd just been in a seriously big accident was not so sensible. This interview took place a little while later that evening, separately in the Marina.
"Bea, thanks for joining us. How did you feel after that collision? It looked like a really big one, so we are all really glad to see you're okay. Is there any silver lining to your race from your positive moves in the opening laps do you think, and any lessons learned?"
On other aspects of the grid, the other drivers had theirs too- interspersed between the other interviews, so pilots would see them come and go.
Amy got a reception as she always did, and was certainly still feeling the heat as she stepped up to the stall.
"Thank you for that! Yeah, what a race! That was really, really hard....that time I think Southern Apex definitely had something up their sleeve! But, we came back and got them in the end. Huge props to Nora and Harrison for keeping respectable, and to the team for making the craft a dream on ELS. Love you all!"
The blonde haired, relatively young racer that was Jamie Hart was up to the stand following Amy- the question levelled at him by Rory likely to garner some attention, but he he had his reaction considering the crash that had happened before. He may have been unimpressive in Auckland, but here he'd made a bit of a mess behind him- albeit gotten the position alright, and stacked behind the two dominant Southern Cross craft.
"Well.....it was what it was with the overtake, you have to see the opportunities to make a move and if you don't take them, you don't get ahead. That's what I'm here to do, get points and if people can't play fair behind me, that's their problem, we're racing. It was a big one, but we all have to take risks to get position, and it's a shame it played out how it did."
Layla Al-Nadir wasn't so happy, even though her racecraft had persevered, she'd not punished the slower pace of Hart and her poor start had compromised her. An uncharacteristic mistake, considering her reflexes should have been a bit more superhuman to throttle the ship in that first corner better.
"That sucked a lot for us, as you can imagine. We definitely wanted to compete with Silver Apex and Southern Cross today, and we just didn't rise up to the occasion. The overtake between Jamie and Beatrix obviously cost Kais a lot, and that was a big hit he had on his craft, so he did well today to salvage that race and he kept a lot of racers at bay, so all things considered, we'll take 3rd in points from that. Super annoying, but we'll go again in Tokyo and keep our heads high. Points are good and we just need to focus on that."
Harrison smiled, though he definitely was deflated. P1 to P3 was crap, considering Nora had also gotten him in the same move Amy did, but mistakes were punished ruthlessly at the top.
"Yeah, really gutted we couldn't make advantage of the Pole Position, but Amy was just that good today, and it was an easy ELS pass she made, but we were fighting her all the way to the line, so that's great. Just shows how fine the margins are....I nearly had her at a couple of points, Nora was close enough to overtake! Watch out I guess, we showed how quick we are, we're a win away still from flipping those two title leads over!"
Max was back in frame again, the MMR racer having little to say, considering little really did happen for his end of the race. Forward one position, but no speed could keep up with the freaks ahead of him.
"Man, it's hard to answer that.....we knew we wouldn't do well here. Just had to give it our best shot, and try and avoid the chaos really."
Dorian was surprisingly positive after earlier, knowing this was actually a pretty good team result. A good salvage, and after Auckland, an important race.
"That was good. Seriously, like, really good for what our expectations were. Great points haul and glad to see Paul finish in the points, and the team make some good inroads. We got really lucky with the red flag and I kept pace with Layla and held onto an ELS tow all the way. So yeah, couldn't ask for a lot more in Cape Town after that carnage, but we made the most out of it."
Cassie wasn't so happy. An electrical failure coupled to an engine giving up, and well, that was that. It seemed yesterday's issue wasn't entirely fixed, and it had lost her the opportunity to go for points.
"Yeah, not great, lost out a lot at the Red Flag, Ava just smoked Han on that straight and gave it a lot more risk than I think we would have expected. It was hard to keep up with all the fighting with Paul, and he fought hard so we couldn't go for Ava, but we gave it a good shot. Then the ship died. And it all goes from there.....yeah, really sucks, so uncharacteristic but we'll get it fixed. It's the early season, but yeah, it's a real blow."
Ava was in two very different moods. One part of her was over the moon with actually scoring points. The other part, knowing Bea was currently getting looked over for safety reasons by a neurosurgeon and with a medical team to check for any other brain or skeletal injuries. Impacts like that had many, many Gs, and whilst Bea was completely fine and would be back to race next round, a prize racer like that didn't get a tick in a box when it came to their welfare.
"Uhhh....yeah, really sending Bea a lot of love right now, because she was doing so, so well until that stupid overtake by Hart. Seriously, no further action? I mean, she was.....yeah. But the race uhh......yeah, made advantage of the red flag, brought home some points and we are super happy to get a points finish, nearly double, but honestly, feels like a real blow to not do better."
Henry had little to add.
"Yeah, not amazing. Back of the grid. Despite a crash, we couldn't do anything to SuperCat, home fans got them pumped hey?"
Astrid neither. Nordic Call was still WELL below expectations.
"Not our circuit, but we gained some positions, but not enough to get us ahead of MMR and ELS just wasn't going to get us through. Onto Tokyo....we'll get something there!"
Kofi smirked, even in spite of his position. He'd enjoyed that race, even despite losing out fairly heavily, though some of that was down to just how competitive Nordic Call decided to be, as well as Jen Lowry of Fitzroy.
"Well, I hope the fans had a show today! Africa never disappoints, and I wish I could have gone higher, but we'll have upgrades come through for the next races. We'll start to push on."
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