Ultimate Speed. Ultimate Competition. And a heartbeat between defeat and ultimate, savoured, victory.
This is Formula Anti Gravity.
Anti-gravity racing pushes humankind to its farthest, fastest, most elite limit in 2094's season. Bioenergy-fuelled ships that can exceed 500 kilometres per hour and turn like a blur, coupled to complex energy systems, and then, there's the pilots. Enhanced, hyper-reactive, and pushed to their physical limits, and then beyond through implants, synthetic hearts and neural links.
At home, billions watch the fastest, most exciting sport that feels more like watching a boxing fight than a hyper-fast racing series. This is a sport about attack, and if you lack the fight, you'll never see the fire.
Now we pull back the curtain to inside the world of anti-gravity pilots, their stories, their teams and their lives, as the season progresses.
Step into the shoes of one of the brand new racers and their team principals, in their first season with an established team, and followed by a meta-documentary crew, filming, following and asking the questions we'd all like to know as they travel the globe and beyond. But only one question really remains.
How far will they go to stand on the top step?
Welcome to Delta Hyper, our peek behind the scenes. If you ever wanted to see what the world of Formula AG has to offer, you're in the right place.
Teams (available teams in bold)
Silver Apex: Southern Cross: [Sylvan] Valkyrie AGR:[LadyAmber (TEAM PRINICPAL / TEAM LEAD)] Al-Saqr Racing: MrSkimobile Zygon: [Enzayne] Nordic Call: Miller Motor Racing: [GingerBoi123] SupaCat: Carrera Condor: [Starlance] Fitzroy Orbital:
Hugely inspired by the Wipeout series, although real-life Formula One, other racing contexts, aspects of Cyberpunk 2077 as well as other solarpunk, science-fiction, eco-fiction and other resources tap into this RP. This is an RP that isn't in need of readers to understand any of these - lore and world building will come in very strongly throughout, and any lovers of a futuristic, sci-fi RP with a slice of life chunk would love this RP!
More aspects will follow- including a section on culture as the RP develops over time. We can't give you every answer yet- this is a big world and your characters will meld it over time!
Gravity. A force that pulls, and keeps us grounded when the world spins at a speed we can't humanly compute.
There's always a sense of weight, pull, attraction.
A world in the late 21st century, this world is one that barely avoided all-out annihilation after natural disasters, climate change, war, famine and disease struck the planet is one with plenty of gravity. Twenty Nighty Four.
And yet, humanity, like it always seems to, avoided disaster by the finest of margins.
Nuclear fusion, asteroid mining, and unparalleled peace in our time. In a moment of the brink, we stepped back as humanity dwindled down to four billion, and outcomes for humanity improved, exponentially as old wars in central America, Eastern Europe, Africa and central Asia left former superpowers as burnt out shells, and the remaining players as firebrands making the most of the aftermath. Somehow, and most of humanity wonders this- we didn't nuke ourselves, we didn't create a mass extinction event, and even more miraculously, through am mixture of actors, we managed to save what was left of our world before ecological and climate collapse happened.
Lifetimes extended, disease and squalor stopped, and humanity rekindling symbiosis with the planet it tried to kill for centuries by restoring our destroyed ecological world. We did something incredible, neigh, something majestic- we actually managed to change the way we saw the world and an entire generation of people go from poverty to riches and comfort never experienced before whilst in some insane way, giving them the ability to still connect with community and nature in a way that kept us humble. Whilst different blocs embraced this in a different way, the way to heal in a post-oil, post-resource, post-conflict world was not through annihilation, but working towards humanity's pursuit on the Moon, Mars and potentially beyond. The corps were given a slap on the wrist and de-armed, and humanity as a whole, calmed down.
A near-solarpunk utopia, in which well-regulated nation states and blocks such as the European Union, the Federated American States and Oceanian Whanau work together as part of a reformed but damaged United Council of Nations, rather than over what is left. Zero waste, clean air, and the world becoming less about profit, and more about human beings. Prosperity, fairness, kindness. It took a lot, and many blocs vary, from outright authoritarian to complete freedom and varying states of progress inbetween, like our modern world, but somehow, we did better than we ever should have and it is likely that your basic needs are met in a world increasingly becoming more equal. Well, some are of course, understandably, beyond the craziest desire of wealth.
Is that an end to history?
But of course, that's because people need something else, and where war ends, entertainment fills the void where people have more time than ever, and competition breeds hard in the world of sport. Especially, when the Corps left can't invest in armaments, they CAN into biotech of another kind.
Enter Formula AG, a racing series developed after advancements in anti-matter and quantum technology, predominantly by the technology magnate, Royston Pierce (OBE). Ships that could literally levitate off the ground, and when coupled to a biofuel-powered pulse engine, accelerate to speeds almost unfathomable to modern racing drivers. Race circuits sinew on classical circuits, to cutting edge, hyper-futuristic circuits that include magnetic induction and even complex energy systems that allow for energy leeching and pilots to push their craft even faster.
AG, as it's otherwise known, allows for "Ships", which are confusingly crewed by a singular "Pilot", who would look something akin to a modern fighter pilot in full oxygen-breathing equipment and pilot suits allowing them to take inhumane G-forces. With grids of 20 pilots, they are backed by teams that are a mixture of private and public ventures, from entities such as the European Union, Federated American States and many more entities working with new and old countries that have risen and fallen. Ships come with energy shields that allow for impacts, but also for energy management in leaching and boosting, creating a complex dynamic that doesn't just reward the fastest racer, but the one who can work their strategy the best.
The pilots themselves are at the absolute limit- but will be set to quite literally, receive as much work as their ships do. Unlike modern F1, where just the ship receives upgrades- the pilots do too in parallel. Of course, regulations and rules exist to what level they can be modified, but pilots are pushed with implants, upgrades and parts that well, come with positives and costs- the latter truly being the element that pilots need to balance the most, so as to not lose their competitive edge whilst being pulled apart. Balanced with marketing needs, well, you're not making an entire cyborg out of a pilot anytime soon!
Of course, there's blemishes- the world may be near-solarpunk and financial capital may be far less prevalent than it once was, but in other ways, it's even worse. Corporate interests still meddle with racing and world affairs, and anti-trust regulation is half a joke. Eco-terrorism, and the remainder of the world's turbulent past are still present- and the world is torn between saving itself and running away, because the scale of the task at hand is still monumental. There's plenty of fundamentals left to ask, between those who want to help push humanity's efforts of global environmental renewal, versus those who want to push humanity into something else altogether, into the stars. There are no easy answers, and there are plenty of shadows still left unaccounted for and uncertainties left, from hacking to the rapid acceptance of augments, implants, biotech and a world making accelerationism look like a Ford Model T.
But you're just a pilot, with no say on the matter, right?
Oh, and one last thing. For all those who prefer to adjust strategy, the Team Principals are also in the background- not needing much in the way of any implants, but much more focussed on running the show. They decide what upgrades go on, who is hired, fired and kept around, but most of all, have to deliver results. They are feisty characters- and playing one means you better know how to run a racing team at the top level!
This RP is an ambitious idea. This RP doesn't actually have any racing (although callbacks and scenes will depict it), but will be run on a basis of a randomiser for races, and will run based on two-part responses to a GM and to the paddock. Working with a team of engineers, sponsors, media personalities, and most of all, other pilots, this is a slice of life RP that also combines interview and conversational elements in the futuristic, glamourous world of Formula AG. Welcome to the top step and a futuristic, top-level sport.
There will be curveballs, dilemmas and as the GM, I will be certain to give you the hardest challenge of them- a three-time winner with a winning streak they don't want to let go, at the best team on the grid.
Posting is divided into two:
A) A question will be asked by an interviewer (the GM) which will come up for your character specifically to answer, and provide insight- this includes aspects related to your character's personality, history and results. This is a "monologue" almost- fleshing out your character!
B) Posts related to your character's personal life, set both off-paddock at the factory, and on-paddock at the circuit.
This RP is driven by a spreadsheet (pinned in the 0th Post), and surmises progress of the teams through rounds following dilemmas and/or team trajectory, as well as the actual craft itself.
Qualification and races are simulated at semi-random, with events and notes being made by the GM, for reaction by you, the players.
Name: Alias: (anything else you are called) Team: (What group do you belong to) Gender: Age:
Personality:
Backstory:
Racing DNA
Overview: (What sort of racer are you? All out speed driving like a glass cannon on corners, an energy systems fiend, or taking a balanced approach?)
Skills: (What else do you have in your wheelhouse? Engineering skills, data or analytics talent, or are you a fashionista, talented at other sports or hobbies that make you stick out?)
Special Trait: (What makes you special? What's your USP- a unique implant, or an extra-ordinary skill that sets you out from the field?)
Controversy :(What's your controversy that follows you around, no matter what you try and do about it? As one of the most scrutinised people in the world, was it an implant that isn't accepted, a thing you did in your younger years, or something else that gets people talking about you?)
MISC Theme Song: Likes: Dislikes: Other Information: (anything fun you wanna add)
Your appetite wetted by the world? Time to look under the hood. In this special piece of pre-season warm up, we meet the ships, the teams, and the current, three-time champion, Amy Stirling.
The camera pans to a mid-twenties woman with striking features—half-Korean, half-English. She’s the epitome of professionalism and charisma, Amy Stirling herself, dressed in the liveried overalls of a certain Silver Apex. And on the other end, Aurora Baxter, Formula AG's iconic reporter. A 40 something, flowery dress wearing, Irish reporter, who is by now, a familiar face to many. Not a racer by trade, but she's seen automotive stuff for a while now, and well, knows characters like Amy all too well. The floating camera projects a perfect hologram of her from every angle, capturing her every nuance, but tracking the real, actual, Amy herself.
Aurora begins, looking into the camera, then back over to her subject, a certain look in her eyes. First of the season interview, after all.
"Amy Stirling, three-time Formula AG champion. How does it feel going into this season?"
"Well, Aurora, hope to be a four-time champion now! And we're aiming for five after the end of this season."
Aurora raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "Confident as ever! Do you have any surprises planned, or do you think the competition is lacking this year?"
"I wouldn’t quite say that," Amy responds. "The competition is fierce, as always. The top level is incredibly high now, and it’s tough to see dramatic changes. But we’ve got some upgrades in the pipeline, and I have to thank my team for that. The Federation of International Anti-Gravity Racing (FIAR) keeps asking us to tone it down to avoid more regulations, but why should we? The crown is up for grabs, and we’re here to give it our all. They said that to us a few years ago, and in this regulation set, that's what we'll do. Bring it on."
Aurora chuckles. "Those are fighting words! Who would you say is your main rival this season?"
"Honestly, it’s hard to say. Southern Cross has potential, and Harrison is always a strong competitor, but I’m not overly concerned," Amy replies confidently. "As for Valkyrie, they lack speed, and the rest... well, we’ll see."
Aurora nods. "What about the newcomers this season? Any advice for them?"
Amy smirks. "Best of luck to them. They might snag a win or two, but it’s a long season. We’re here for the marathon, not just a sprint. Lucky wins happen, but let's see if they can do what it takes."
"Interesting perspective. Can you give us a glimpse into a day in your life as a top-tier pilot?" Aurora inquires.
"Of course," Amy says, glancing out the window. "It’s not just about racing. I couldn’t do it without our sponsors and the amazing team behind us. There’s a lot of work that goes into it—physio sessions, neural simulator training, and intense strategic planning for each race. And, of course, staying ahead of the competition. It’s a lot of work, but I always make time for these interviews!"
Aurora smiles. "Sounds like a busy schedule. How are you feeling after your off-season treatments?"
Amy beams. "The treatments have been a game-changer. I feel like a completely new person. Let’s just say, between us, I think what’s coming this season will be hard to beat." Her response tells it all, a cocky, almost devouring grin that hides that even for someone this dominant, she has reason to hold her view.
"That’s exciting to hear. Thank you for your time, Amy!" Aurora concluded, nodding and disappearing from screen, as the camera returned to position, and was locked off by a physically present member of the production crew.
As the interview wraps up, the camera angle shifts, revealing the Silver Apex factory in the window adjacent to the interview room, and Amy becoming one of many inside of it.
The factory behind that comes into view, well, it's quite the place. If the future of industry was sometimes depicted as a dirty place that looked like Detroit, this was not that. More like a NASA satellite white room with white, teal and rose neon yellow coloured paint with more cutting edge blemish, holographic displays, a mix of four-legged and two-legged robots and yet at the middle of it, people working on various stations and platforms. This is still an engineering lab, after all, just one of the coolest ones in view. And at the centre of it all, there lays Silverstone Apex's craft for the year, a wedge-shaped ship bolted in a frame, with its iconic livery.
There's more than a feeling that while this is an inside look, it's a reminder of how high the levels really go.
With Aurora Baxter's brown hair and beaming smile once again in frame, we're introduced to Silver Apex's craft in the flesh, freestanding, and without any frame at all. Instead, a gentle thrum can be heard, almost like a pulsating noise, and it's clear that these ships are something else.
"So, if you've never seen what an Anti-Gravity Racing Ship looks like, let me introduce you. We're in an era of some of the fastest, most capable craft on the grid with the new ELS systems and FIEAR-514 standards for ships, pushing speeds over over 500kph, and pulling G-Forces over 15G at any given time, and that's considered a conservative guess!" Aurora beams, almost with a characteristic glee, walking about.
Looking up, the angle tilts to see the underside of the ship.
"So, how does this all work? Well, it relies upon the same principle of repulsion that a Maglev train would have against a magnetic track, with an exceptionally strong series of electromagnets. However, to make this craft truly float, these magnets are bonded to an almost grain-sized anti-matter capsule generating repulsion and lift, passively carrying the craft over any surface through a clever quantum-engineered thrust vector. This is the basis of an Anti-Gravity Generator. Now, this allows craft to hover off the ground lightly, and is becoming more common in your cars and bikes at home."
"What might be different to your typical craft at home, is the engagement of a series of pulse engines powered by 100% sequestered biofuel, left to the teams decision on how to mount them, which allows for propulsion and the craft to accelerate not only forwards but through the horizontal plane too, augmented by a complex electrical system using supercapacitors built into the ship hull. Whilst not capable of flight due to their aerodynamic profile, these ships stick through corners, and can hold incredibly speeds doing so due to their advanced aerodynamic profile, made of nanite-hardened composite, titanium and other rare earth materials. Make no mistake, no friction means that these gigantic air brakes are needed for the sharpest of turns alongside thrust vectoring, whilst ailerons pull the ships through gentler bends. These ships come with cutting edge AI and supercomputers built in, making sure all the pilot has to do is push it to its limit, with the stability managed automatically. Some teams prefer an aggressive setup, other teams a gentler, easier to fly arrangement. But make no mistake, at these speeds, the pilot is fully in control."
Aurora clambered up on a ladder, the open cabin a fighter pilot styled cockpit. Minimalist, a handful of large displays, all AR-enabled and enhanced with physical holograms made it look very spartan aside from a very wrapped-up and comfy seat.
"Pilots sit in here, and pilot the craft manually using a joystick, assisted heavily by a neural link to simply think the craft through corners, another pioneering invention developed by Formula Anti-Gravity. With a continuous oxygen and anti-G air supply, pilots are secured tight in here and even can take on water through the straights, albeit no fix exists for taking a drink through our corners!"
Aurora stepped down, and with it, picked up an apple, the pulse getting much louder, for this next little demonstration.
"Now, onto our newest addition, our Energy Leech System, or ELS. A complicated energy system is baked into each craft, and means that racers aren't just looking to set the fastest time- they're fighting for position and energy the entire time against every other racer on track. Unlike other types of racing, energy deployment doesn't just depend on braking- with no friction, there's no energy to recoup! Instead, the supercapacitors deploy energy when you want a boost, and are charged via rapid induction over passthroughs on the circuit, often at a time loss to the pilot through a sub-optimal line. This can generate boosts that can send craft to over 600kph, and is often signified by a blue streak lighting up the chassis side. But most of all, what adds to the strategy this module at the front of the craft. This is an energy leeching system- and it can wirelessly steal, and taper energy from craft in front, or behind. Whilst only activatable every other lap, this can turn the tide for overtaking and switch craft through well-executed practice and moves to slingshot opponents back, and you forward. Of course, overtakes on pure pace exist, but pilots aren't defenceless!" Aurora took the apple and lobbed it, and the craft....spat it away.
"That is a field generator, not unlike what you may have seen protecting spectators! Pilots can avoid getting leeched through its use at a lower energy cost, and the deployment of it means it's about knowing when to push, when to defend, and when to attack. This means pilots can steal, protect, boost and gain power throughout a race. Good pilots can fly fast. The best know when to attack, and when to defend. Make no mistake, this system is vital to learn to be the best on the grid. However, this is also used as the craft's final safety mechanism- and has saved drivers from serious injury and worse, shielding the cockpit and its pilot from serious injury. This system makes Formula Anti-Gravity safe....and is certainly worlds beyond where we once were!" Aurora jokes, moving around, the field deactivated from the translucent bubble that now has faded back.
"Lastly, you've likely seen these ships go inverted at some circuits with complicated loops and leaps. How do they do it? The same system works in parallel with magnetic induction grabstrips, or MAGs, for short. This allows ships to climb directly upward, dive inverted whilst glued to the surface. They once joked Formula One cars could drive upside down, and Formula AG really does!"
"Craft come in different type and shapes, and teams have different priorities. Do you go for speed and absolute pace through superior aerodynamics and pulse engine, do you go for stability, with a craft that's easier to push with a superior anti-magnetic generator, handling, with enhanced aerodynamics, or perhaps an enhanced energy system, leeching and gaining power quicker? Either way, the design of the ships are all different, and all prioritise different characteristics that fit different pilots. Oh, who of course, are the main characters we need to talk about!"
With it, Aurora pulls out of shot, and immediately, the next cut pops into place.
A hologram pops up, and next to Aurora is almost a mannequin of Amy posing, if Amy was split into two with her internal organics in a blue-dot representative pattern that stylishly reveals her various organs and limbs. This would be weird, if it wasn't for the fact society is maybe a bit more comfortable with looking at the human body's modifications, given the boutique nature leaking out into the world now.
"So, you want to know more about our Pilots. Whilst sometimes prototype, experimental and subject to regulation change, many of the modifications you see on our pilots, just like our ships, may one day come to your door, from eyesight improvement to neural links, pioneered for our craft. As the world's leading sport, we're proud to have some of the bravest and most cutting edge technology in our sport." Aurora's still beyond positive, and if you're at this point getting weary, she certainly isn't.
"So, a typical Formula Anti-Gravity pilot can be just like me and you, but their bodies and minds are certainly anything but. Prospective pilots are first given an introduction from a young age through simulators, and after gaining core skills in karting, simulators and other pilot programmes, they will slowly raise through the ranks into junior automotive, and anti-gravity machinery. Due to varying laws, neural links of course, don't come into the picture until children are about 14 years old, and augmentations are banned before 16. Formula Anti-Gravity takes this extremely seriously, and FIEAR limits dictate permissible, and non-permissible changes." Aurora's tone seemed almost like it covered a legal basis...for some reason.
"From there, pilots will advance through our feeder Junior Formula Anti-Gravity programme, with all teams providing feeder programmes both regionally, and globally for entry into Formula Anti Gravity. Other pathways, such as Rally Racing and legacy Automotive categories still feed pilots with unique skills on a fairly regular basis. Teams will often pursue talent that they think are ready and provide them with augments, implants and bioengineered changes, that some would never notice! Let's take a look at Amy, for example." Aurora calls out, walking around the star of the series, scaled up. Again, this is weird to you, but how else are you going to look inside someone?
"So, we start here- a neural link at the base of the neck, and neuron optimiser means that a pilot can often think superhumanly fast, and bond with their ships to think tiny maneuverers and refine what they're steering in tandem with the ship AI systems. Safety mechanisms exist, like on any neural-interfaced device, but extra safeties are added for each pilot, just due to how much information is coming through. This is a bit stronger than your one at home, folks!" Aurora commented, pulling down on Amy's hologram.
"For the rest, due to the staggering G-forces faced, pilots also contain either implanted boosters or modifications to the heart, lungs and cardiovascular system, often being able to shut and open up through corners, forced through the neural and AI interface system. This literally means that pilots are able to push through corners without second thought. Seats, and pilot suits themselves actually are linked to the anti-gravity generator on the ship, offsetting through an opposite push effect that prevents G-Lock, yet still needs the pilots themselves that go to the top level to have a minimum performance threshold. This has changed how fast pilots can humanly go, and we're still exploring the limit!" Aurora mused, pulling out Amy's arms, and the prosthetics there.
"Whilst prosthetic limbs aren't desired by all pilots, many now preferring either bone reinforcement or other musular-skeletal mods that often exceed the performance of artificial equipment, some pilots prefer to pick out hands, forearms, or entire limbs dependent on their race style where bone deficiency or faults mean long-term replacements are the best way to go. Like replacements you can get at your Doctor, they can be surprising to the user at first, but become a second-nature fit that bonds with the craft as easily as the human body." Aurora commented, then pulling back the pilot themselves.
"Pilots wear a complex breathing system, directly piped into their throat, and this is monitored through an advanced and complex AI system to monitor pilot condition as well as brace them through every corners. Their pilot suits are advanced models of those used by fighter pilots of old, providing pressure and stopping blood flow pulling pilots out of consciousness. If you see them struggling to make words when they climb out of their cockpits, don't be alarmed- they're often adjusting and not just lost for words!" Aurora's beaming a lot. You probably get the drill here, as she turns to the camera, and Amy, weirdly for a hologram, does exactly the same.
"Teams have the opportunity to work on pilots, from cognitive ability to physical capacity and other biochemical changes that allow them to think, fly and go faster. In a sport of marginal gains, pilots are never shy to try anything that gets them an edge. Make no mistake, pilots are certainly all human, but their abilities are anything but!" Aurora chirps, and with it, pulling back the hologram, steps into the limelight.
"So, thank you for watching, and let us know what more you'd like us to show you!" Aurora's last comment left, as she dissolved the hologram, peeling back, and the clip fading to black.
Ten teams are presented. You may, or may not be a local to the team, but whoever you sign for, know that your objectives, season and targets will be very different. The teams themselves don't have the same imbalance as modern Formula 1, but they do have quirks and specific aspects that suit some pilots over others, with rankings presented.
Silverstone Apex (commonly referred to as "Silver Apex") (United Kingdom)
Colours: Silver (Red, Blue)
The best team in Anti-Gravity racing, in almost every measurable metric, and pipped only by Southern Cross on absolute speed, Silver Apex can be compared to the dominance of Red Bull or Mercedes blended into one. Based in Silverstone, United Kingdom, the Apex have come directly out of another incredibly successful pair of F1 teams in southern England left a mega-corporation of an advanced engineering company as a singular monolith, armed with the best engineers, bioengineers and well, the best pilots followed immediately to that project. They resisted and stayed independent in the face of other acquisitions- and now, are reaping the rewards of being the elite. Whilst other countries could pour entire national incomes and megacorps into it whilst the UK barely coughed a cent, Silver Apex simply benefited from history and racing roots to create the best team that just wins, all the time and can't be outbought or sold- which in some ways, is actually really admirable. Other AG teams all had to start in the same area as they did- and taking engineering talent away from Apex is near impossible, let alone race wins, so they have a head-start.
Whilst into this season it looks like they haven't got the best craft for outright speed, their energy systems are cutting edge and the craft handling and stability is sublime, and their pilots come with some of the best mods out there the market can provide- if anyone would put money on a team to win this year, you couldn't do wrong with them. After all, when the pilots make most of the difference, and the team the marginal gain, it's all about your drivers and Amy Stirling is proof that the model works.
If you're an Apex pilot, you're an Apex Predator- and you'll be pushed as far as you can, or dropped when you stop delivering. This team is very much the cold, clinical side of racing- no time for environmentalism, this is peak engineering and pushing the boundaries of what you can do, and their technology, once again, proves that they're more than just a corporate- a lot of the good in the world has been generated by cutting edge research from Silver Apex's labs, helping millions in healthcare, the space industry, augmented reality and in of itself, energy-saving tech for anti-gravity platforms.
There is of course, a dark side to the competitive nature of this team Pilots are infamous for being dropped from the second seat, unable to keep up with their main racer, and moral questions are being asked of what you do with lots of pilots absolutely covered in experimental, cutting edge augments once they're done. Amy Stirling, the racer that causes this is the reason they're the best, and piles the pressure onto team-mates expected to perform. No need for a team-mate who can actually compete with you normally if you can win alone, right?
Both of their ships are a brilliant metallic silver-snow white in colour, with a crimson red and navy blue stripe, a design language that reflects into their pilot equipment. Clean, efficient, yet elegantly British in every single way, yet stealing more than a little from a certain modern design.
Current Pilot: Amy (Ji-Soo) Stirling (British / Korean)
Appearance: Half-Korean and half British, Amy is the look of a pilot that oozes elite, with her platinum blonde hair and pouting look, manicured face and body like someone might have, and actually did, create from thin air. With synthetic forearms and hands encased in a beautifully designed, 3D printed composite, Amy seems on the surface seems to have very little in the way of other augmented modifications, albeit under the hood, she's running more rare earth in the way of changes than you'd ever know, including a synthetic heart, reinforced blood vessels that are almost as clever as the enhanced neural link she has in her brain, and adapted bone marrow and lung structures. Her range of modifications would make most people wince, and she's been comfortable being an experiment, to a point even someone like Layla would be in shock behind the posters you may see- because she'd look almost completely normal in society. She's the poster child for the sport and design labels fall over themselves to put her face wherever they can in their advertising and other campaigns, considering you can't really see much of what's going on under the bonnet.
Background: Born the daughter of two racing drivers and then, anti-gravity pilots, Amy was born into a culture of racing and if anything, bled for it harder. The best racers are made to suffer- and Amy certainly did, going through then-cutting edge modifications and neural interfacing far before many would, and piloting craft significantly earlier. It paid dividends- her control and understanding was years ahead of others, at the cost of absolute ruthlessness, to an almost beyond obsessive degree that risks her body, mind and anyone in her way. Zygon gave her a start, but everyone agrees- Silver Apex pushed Amy from just a Chaebol doll that could push hard in a race to a force of nature that seemingly, nobody has an answer to. It's not about how good your energy deployment is, or racing line- it's everything else, and she lets perfection be a goal worth having.
Nobody can deny- Amy has the ability to put fear up you when she's behind, because she will make that move, like it or not. She doesn't do title fights- she does domination, and she has shattered the morale of her team-mates, rivals and others around her, even outside the sport. If it wasn't for her marketing pull, and the fact she pulls in audiences with her interviews and her zero fucks given attitude and commitment, people would tune into something else. This is her show, not yours, is her view. And she wants it again. Team-mate? Good luck.
If you had to have a nemesis, Amy is that. Even off track, she will never play fair with you, unless it's her gain, your loss.
Skills: Her unparalleled reflexes and control over her craft are a result of her extensive neural and biomechanical enhancements. She’s a master of both aggressive racing and strategic overtaking, often using her superior tech to outmaneuver and outlast opponents.
Southern Cross (New Zealand / Oceania)
Colours: Neon Yellow / Navy Blue (Green/Teal Blue, Ship dependent)
Based in Christchurch, New Zealand, Southern Cross is the team representing Australia, New Zealand and Polynesia in general and does so with flair, style and a passion that only anti-gravity fans adore- and with no precedent before it, they are making history, here and now. Southern Cross developed from a range of engineering firms following refugee crises hit the South Pacific as a collaboration, coming together as a consortium to develop anti-gravity tech based around the newly popping off tech hubs in the Pacific- and the Oceanian Whanau, in a rare move that probably equalled Estonia's embracing of the internet, jumped onto anti-gravity technology before it was really a thing to invest and provide technical specialists from across the Pacific, including refugees from Japan, China and Indonesia.
They put all their eggs into one basket, and against all odds, like some miracle, it worked. Their name, a reference to the stars in the night sky, is very telling for the ambition and hard work Southern Cross have put in. This is not a team that should have succeeded- Zygon, Valkyrie, Al-Saqr, Miller and even to some extent, Nordic Call have more resources to draw upon yet the plucky engineering team at Southern Cross, due to incredibly flexible working arrangements, a couple of master craft designers, and a lot of luck, are in a position to be second on grid by merit.
Coupled to the Kiwi and Aussie need for speed, and the engineering, and talent for racing grew into a wild culture, Southern Cross has spawned into as a moderately-sized team that punches significantly above what it should, probably being a team close to bottom that is now close to winning it all. In fact, some would say, it's a miracle that this isn't a backmarker considering the shoestring resources available- but their passion is a hell of a thing and a strong local pool of anti-gravity racing talent, including an elite talent in Harrison Makara has paid dividends to create the fastest, most loose ship there is. Passionate racers who adore the project make these ships work- whilst not clinical and efficient, this is a family that looks after its own, and so long as that team stays together and rides that metaphorical wave, they'll be there to stay and prove you can win without going to a mega-corp or becoming relentlessly obsessed with perfection.
Don't be fooled by the artistry on display- whilst probably one of the best looking ships too, Southern Cross on paper, is the absolute fastest team and has exceptional handling, with Energy Systems to boot that work well. However, their low stability and only above-average modifications for pilots means that an elite pilot could take this craft to race wins if they treat it like the glass cannon it is- pushing the craft to 11/10ths being how Southern Cross keep up. Culturally, this team is one of the favourites of the grid- and actively, one of the greenest and most environmentally accented. If winning means getting to represent this better, they're certainly pushing this aspect, though some would say the team is mired in controversy commenting on other teams such as Zygon.
Their ships, lovingly referred to as "Wakas" or "Rafts" come adorned with incredibly detailed indigenous designs that vary from season to season, but always include a yellow and black base- the ship piloted by Harrison Makara in particular is a neon green and yellow painted in indigenous form that is instantly recognisable, whilst the other ship is currently adorned in an incredibly ornate Polynesian design, a navy blue, black and yellow design including Maori Koru and coral. Whilst they're on a streak, this is the opposite of Silver Apex's approach- their angle is much more representative of the part of the world they are from and they push that angle, hard.
Main Pilot:
Harrison "Firehawk" Makara (Australia) Age: 23 Appearance: Sharp in his features, with piercing green eyes, dark hair and deeply tanned skin, having half Australian Indigenous roots, half distant Croatian blood, Harrison is equal part native, equal part surfer, all chilled, elite racer. His suit incorporates designs inspired by indigenous Australian art- a striking green, white and yellow- and of course, the Firehawk features on his helmet, his personal logo and the fire-spreading native Australian bird. encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=t…
Background: A local hero from Melbourne, Australia, Harrison represents the side of the team that stayed local to its roots and arguably, is the most environmentally activist of all the drivers while being a charmer. Fun loving, charming, and a marketing poster boy, Harrison a great antidote if you hate Amy's virtuoso streak. But make no mistake- Harrison is fast- and whilst hesitant to take on too many more changes to his body (outside of a series of complex tattoos that glow a vivid blue in UV light via bioluminescent bacteria) and having still has a lot to learn in the energy management field, he's got raw talent in spades that some are curious will challenge Amy in the championship, being still younger than her. Someone to keep in your corner, but don't forget- he can pull out the speed and when it comes down to it, expect no favours.
Valkyrie AGR Sport (European Union)
Colours: Dark Grey/Yellow (Pink/Blue)
Based in Aachen, Germany at the apex of Europe's various countries, Valkyrie AGR Sport represents the European Union's effort in AG racing, being more than just Germans. Made up of engineers formally from the European Space Agency (or going to it) and other European engineering and various racing firms that bonded together (including Ferrari, Sauber, Renault and Red Bull's European operations), Valkyrie is the best of rest but barely by a thin line- the most balanced craft, with level-headed, pragmatic design that just gets consistent results and has beaten the cockier or bigger organisations for it. Whilst division exists because of just how many strands pull and different languages, they still make a craft that while not fast, handles like it's hot.
The EU, as an organisation plagued by turbulence and disruption has finally started to get stable once more and Valkyrie AGR represents its commercial interest in R&D, in trying to develop new engineers for space-fairing ventures and increasing technical output in bioenergy, physics and research. Of course, as the birthplace of racing, the EU has piled money into this project, as a stand piece that should unite, and bond together the various nations of the union. They have won races and have been a solid competitor, but have lacked that final push that is perhaps from a lack of spirit, lacking the fire of Southern Cross, and the efficiency of Silver Apex.
EU regulations means that pilots don't go as far as they do elsewhere for biomodifications and augments therefore scoring them below average, but their engineering status means their ships are around 3rd on the grid- close to some of the best handling and most stable craft, Valkyrie make ships that come with energy management systems that still pack a punch- particularly in harvesting, where they can really draw in competitors fast. New racers in particular thrive here- and will learn to make the most of a very rewarding ship, fast.
Their ships are a collage of lots of paints- mostly yellow and dark grey that wouldn't look off on a premium German car, blended with a high-voltage teal blue and pink streak that really takes the colour theory to another level, this team is one you can't easily miss and feels new, even for an old union.
Main Pilot: Dorian Pascal Hornfleur (France)
Appearance: Tall, curly haired, and naturally zesty, Dorian is very much the European racer you could dream of- a French-born, German speaking Alsace native living in Luxembourg, a real product of the European project. His suit features the ship design reflected in turn, and his modifications, whilst present aren't dominating of his figure.
Background: A polyglot, an old-school racer before anti-gravity leagues, and a gentleman of the sport in his late thirties, Dorian is the sort of guy you can't help but like, and marketing teams think the same. Dorian has been around for a while and started at Valkyrie and is now ending his career there in his last season, and whilst his racing doesn't set the world on fire, he's been a reliable enough choice, as a veteran in the sport. He knows how to keep position, and will lead Valkyrie to a season it could do better than ever before. Whilst rubbing shoulders with Cassie Neves, a new rival, he'll certainly try and make his point this season that wisdom beats impatience.
Al-Saqr "Falcon" Racing (Arabic Union)
Colour: Light Green and White
"Falcons Racing", or Al-Saqr Racing is based out of Abu Dhabi, UAE, and represents the wider Arabic world and Middle East of the more unified "Arabic Union", that has come together following a decade of warfare in the Middle East. Made up of various conglomerates that reinvested sovereign wealth funds generated from oil production and reinvested into climate mitigation and survival, in a post-oil world, Al-Saqr's aims have been to rapidly grow anti-gravity racing and technology to cities rapidly trying to grow their technology sectors. Where they lack is perhaps their final third- producing a craft and pilots that on paper, should be approaching dominance- yet lack the heritage, balance, or pure speed of their main rivals above them.
For absolute speed, they are third to Southern Cross and Silver Apex, and whilst their craft's handling is generally poor, pilot mods are second to Silver Apex due to a huge biotechnology push in the UAE, Qatar and Oman, and their craft's energy systems are very solid. This is a craft that is a bit of a dark horse- you could sneak a few wins between the bickering of the big teams, and it certainly feels like it relies on a pilot that's willing to take a few modifications to push themselves before they really make the most out of their ship.
Saqr's craft have a predominantly green and white paint job in a geometric, hex pattern, with streaks of gold, with smaller black and red stripes.
Main Pilot:
Layla "Yalla" Al-Nadir (Jordan)
Appearance: Graceful and fierce, with almost glowing dark eyes and a determined look, Layla is a modern Arab through and through that hides a lot more than first meets the eye. Her suit combines elements of traditional and futuristic designs linked to the team livery, but doesn't cover the fact she's got all four artificial limbs, and an array of modifications that when you look closer, pushes even Amy to look much more human. Beneath, she is probably second to Amy in reality- but makes far less effort to hide what's going on.
Background: Layla has a background in engineering, biomechanics and lunar mining work- and is probably the person on the grid most would point to in being the most "modified", with obvious gold augments everywhere. Cyborg or not, Layla is certainly more than human beneath, and it makes her incredibly frustrating in close quarters to race against, or to play ping-pong with. She may not be champion material, but you'd want her in your team, and she leads Al-Saqr as a nation-bred driver, making brave overtakes and using her advanced mods to help in energy management and taming the wild ship of her team. Layla is probably the most outspoken on technological development- even more so than Amy, and is a perfect vessel to push space-faring initiatives and research projects to go without limits, happy to put her own body on the line.
Zygon (Korea):
Colours: Dark Red (Navy Blue contrast)
Korea's anti-gravity team located in Seoul, and formed out of a mega, mega-Chaebol from a collection of automotive producers, Zygon is on a bit of a spiral at the moment and has not been living up to former constructor dominance. Some point to the fact that Zygon is by far, the most corporate team on the grid- and lots of chop changes mean that Zygon is just not able to keep up. Even in a hyper-advanced economy, one of which has reversed multiple crises and worked with local partners such as Japan and Taiwan as the core of a newly resilient East Asian Union, Zygon's not the symbol of renewal many imagined it would be. No amount of bribing gets you places (if true)- this team used to be tightly run but changes have meant that they have dropped down the order. Whilst a vast array of resources, almost to the point of eclipsing Silver Apex exist, they haven't been used to their full potential and the team is feeling that slump in this season. It's a recovery job to get them back to where they should be- but that will take a master politician, rather than technical specialist to make happen.
Zygon's craft is relatively balanced in the group- with above average (third to Silver Apex) in handling, and third in pilot enhancements, albeit losing speed and stability relative to others, their ship is difficult and will need a lot of work to improve throughout the season. That said, a far better ship could be made out of the tools to hand with the right team- and no doubt, when Zygon get their act together, they will be a sleeping giant, just requiring the right pilots and management to do so.
Zygon's craft are painted in an ornate red, with a bluish-purple pearlescent interlace upon it, the old Joseon colours, and often come with some traditional decaling that follows it. This is a team based in heritage, and whilst Korean culture is hypermodern in the sporadic sponsorships used, it still blends the new with old seamlessly.
Main Pilot: Cassie Neves (Scottish / Portuguese)
Appearance: Cassie is a red-haired, freckled, short pilot that seems to be approaching the prime of her career into her third year of anti-gravity racing- with a range of modifications, including one augmented arm and two eyes in particular that glow a hue of blue, Cassie is a blend in more ways than one of her Scots and Portuguese roots.
Background: A non-native lead driver, Cassie's selection in Zygon, a very classical, very native-oriented has raised many, many eyebrows. Many wonder how a fiery driver formerly of Valkyrie will deal with Zygon, and perhaps, the move to a team where she no longer plays second fiddle to Dorian, leading a team hopefully to recovery and beyond. Cassie is certainly no slouch- her approach is fiery and whilst it didn't suit Valkyrie, it may just suit a team that needs a driver to take more risks and take advantage of the resources on offer. Cassie is fast, but time will tell if she can really compete with Amy or the higher tier drivers. Cassie excels in aggressive racing and taking risks that others might avoid, and it's this that really cuts her out of the midfield. Her skills in handling and speed are notable, but she sometimes struggles with maintaining consistency and stability. She's hard going, but will fight every corner.
Nordic Call (Norse Union)
Colour: Pink (Blue, Gold, Aurora Spray)
A pan-Scandinavian team, Nordic Call is a homebrew team sponsored wholly by an entertainment and telecoms conglomerate that pioneered holographic displays, calls and augmented media initiatives to the world and now backs its local team in the beautiful restored wilderness of Lulea, Sweden. With smaller budgets, the has a lot of heart and exists almost as an incubator for green technology, in a parallel with Southern Cross. Their youth programme is probably the most competitive to get into, despite being a middling team- almost providing a driver academy that opens doors to sister and other associated series by proxy, due to the investment and time they get. At present, they seem similar to Miller- though have the edge with a better energy system.
Whilst not having the fastest craft, they produce some of the best engineering talent and energy system engineers on the grid, and signs of that can be seen in the higher than average handling of their craft, their reliable stability and exceptional energy systems. Speed is still a problem- but get this sorted, and Nordic Call will go up the ranks.
The team's crafts take on a "Aurora" theme this season, albeit are painted in an aurora-like pink, dark blue and gold, the livery glowing in UV and infrared, with pilot suits following the same pattern.
Main Pilot: Astrid Elin Thorsdottiir (Faroe Islands/Finland)
Appearance: A blonde, tall product of Nordic Call's excellent youth programme, Astrid wears a stylish, minimalist range of augments and modifications, given she's a serious marketing tool for the team. Wearing a pilot's suit that matches the team's eye catching livery, Astrid is dry, cold and often, one of the most unintentionally funny people on the grid for her stoic, cool demeanour. She parties hard, and works even harder to save the world.
Background: Astrid hails from a family of engineers and environmentalists, and was groomed from a young age to excel in a high-performance sport while adhering to principles of green technology in the Faroe Islands, a hub for algal growth and specialist bio grow labs. Astrid is probably the second to Harrison's activism on the grid, speaking out on environmental issues, albeit catching more than her fair share of flak for criticism of space-faring and mining operations and her parties (with a Finnish mother, she certainly knows how to party like a certain F1 driver of old!). Make no mistake, Astrid elicits her own brand of controversy more than she perhaps should to go further in her career.
Miller Motor Racing (Federated American States)
Colour: Teal Blue (Red, Blue, Green Striped)
Formed in Montreal, Canada in the aftermath of government collapses caused by cataclysmic climate change, the Federated American States (FAS), made up of the old United States, Mexico and Canada is in recovery, with significant work to do to catch up with the rest of the world due to the disproportionate impact of changes. Formed out of the remaining automotive conglomerates, Miller Motor Racing was a small firm that has been contracted to run the wider racing operation that they own and present that face. This change from a small shop to a heavily backed firm has meant the staff haven't come yet, but when they will, it'll be a hell of an operation at the likes of Zygon's old arrangement, and this is likely to create a big culture shift in this team.
Their craft is mid-pack- neither slow, nor the fastest, with good energy systems and high level stability, making their ship a rock in the corners and turbulence, whilst only having moderate speed. The base design, however, is considered very improvable. Their pilots are only ahead of a few others in biological modifications, although due to investment coming in, it's likely they can close the gap very quickly, and develop on a design and pilots that in theory, could put them significantly higher up the grid than where they are now.
The team's livery is a mixture of the FAS's colours- a red, blue and green stripe pattern is laid on top of a predominantly teal blue ship, and a littering of sponsors.
Main Pilot: Max "Wedge" Wedgewood (United States)
Appearance: The cookie-cutter, blonde-haired American, Max is every marketing team's dream. While slowly gaining more and more implants, he's still got the looks that matter for selling his team, standing relatively tall and usually wearing a pilot suit matching his team's livery.
Background: Youth is on Max's side- with a season in the series, Max is a young gun looking to impress, and other teams are certainly looking. Max has raw talent, is fast, knows how to manage energy systems and whilst inconsistent and still needing to develop, can handle a craft in streaky moments like a top level racer. This has created an awkward vacuum- it's inevitable he will go to a bigger team if nothing changes, but the question is, will the craft improve first or will he be shown up?
SuperCat:
Colour: Orange (Brushes of Dark Green, Red)
A Kenyan-led, East African Union team based out of the cutting edge coastal tech hub of Mara City, Kenya, SuperCat, commonly nicknamed by African supporters as "The Lions" are a major renewable energy and construction company turned anti-gravity racing team with a hell of a point to prove.
Whilst many would think of Africa, the investment into the coastline has changed things dramatically, and a new wave of African engineers are coming in to design and bring their ideas to the table. The ship is fundamentally basic at present, given SuperCat entered last year for the first time, but improvements are being made and it performs well on speed and energy management, whilst also having biotechnology advances benefit its pilots. The ships are less stable than most and it makes it one of the poorer ships on the grid- but there's some gold to be found in this ship in its above average handling, good energy systems.
The livery of the team draws on earthen reds and dark greens, significant amounts of it on top of a orange base, plastered in sponsors.
Main Pilot: Kofi Mensah (Ghana)
Appearance: At over 6"5, some nickname Kofi the giant of the grid, in spite of the fact nothing could suggest he's a gentler, kinder person- and would you believe, wheelchair bound until the age of 15. Dressed in a black and orange pilot suit, Kofi has his fair share of augments and has all prosthetic limbs, some of which were very early in their development and therefore have hamstrung his pathway to more- considering there really isn't much more that can be done to him that hasn't already been tried or banned beneath the skin. Make no mistake, Kofi may be lovely but he's certainly not underequipped.
Background: Kofi is an African veteran of anti-gravity racing, going round the circuit in teams and back to SuperCat as their new lead driver, having a personal stake in the team. His skills are clearly in craft development- and he may not be the fastest, but he certainly knows how to use strategy and mistakes to quickly adapt and score well for the team. Kofi is charismatic, passionate, and most of all, one of the nicest guys on the grid- he's almost loved by all and his word holds well among peers, bringing Africa to the big stage in a way only Kofi can. He is deeply committed to promoting sustainability and often uses his platform to advocate for environmental issues. His infectious enthusiasm and positive attitude make him a favorite among fans and peers alike.
Carrera Condor (South America)
Colour: White/Black (Wipala Pattern)
A Chilean-Argentinian-Bolivian-Uruguayan-Spanish joint venture based in Buenos Aires, the difficulty of all nations working together through a special purpose joint company has been nothing but turbulent, yet a show many will watch. Many would probably say it hasn't been a success- but occasional wildcard results have meant that Carrera Condor has persisted, the South American contingent that currently represents Spanish-speaking South America and arguably, most of the Iberian-speaking world making inroads into racing from an area not typically known for producing anti-gravity racers. That said, when you've got big salt flats, testing is much easier than elsewhere!
The deposits of rare earth minerals, as well as lithium has meant that wealth in South America has skyrocketed the local economy and prudent investment despite war has returned well in engineering capacity and talent locally into local manufacturing. The ship is above average for speed, and has decent handling and good energy management, albeit having poor stability. Pilots similarly, have not got the best modifications on offer- although this is beginning to improve.
Arguably, their livery is one point that they finally got right- after a relatively boring period of light blue and yellow, they embraced their Quechua roots and now sport a fully rainbow Wiphala livery, with seven colours turning their craft into a dazzle of light on a white and black backing. See below for a sample:
Appearance: A curly-haired brunette with a pale caramel complexion, Ava is relatively tall compared to other pilots, and seems a little more militarily-inclined, which is where many of her implants are originally from. With green eyes and a natural charm, Ava comes across easy in interviews and to sponsors, though she seems to have an exceptionally sharp tone of voice, her suit predominantly black with white detailing and Wiphala patterning.
Background:
An ex-Chilean Air Force test pilot, Ava is in her second season of anti-gravity racing and is adapting as the new face of an entire continent. Her race skills aren't the most amazing, but her energy management skills, thanks to her use of weapons systems in another life, means she knows how to control the race- and often, this slowly, building approach has given her the ability to act more like a tortoise, rather than a hare. She may not be a pick for a top team as a first driver, but she excels at consistency and managing her position well, making her hard to fight with in the lower to mid tier.
Fitzroy Orbital AG Racing (United Kingdom)
Colour: Black (White, Red)
Sadly, someone had to take the wooden spoon- and the other side of the British teams, at a complete opposite end of Silver Apex is Fitzroy Orbital Racing, a smaller team based in Sheffield, England. The Yorkshire Team, as they are comically referred to is the project of one Maxwell Fitzroy, a billionaire from St Kitts and Nevis with far too many business interests to possibly care about a racing team, and therefore, has been kept as a token platform for his wider bioenergy, space and aeronautical interests that he has acquired over the last few decades.
Being run by a reclusive rich man with a waning interest in racing has made any real investment into the team difficult- and as a result, pay drivers (what there are left of them, considering just how much prestige is on the line for the teams and the researchers investing time into them) often come into Fitzroy and often end up getting thrown out just as fast. Apex engineers have come here to start their careers and improve their prospects, but they leave fast when they realise what's going on. This isn't a place you stay, but still, considering the occasional shock result that comes their way, based on a core team that really care and will look after young talent (and paid drivers, as well as Henry), means that they've often come up with the most innovative solutions where investment or care didn't fall through the cracks. This is a team with heart, but that heart is not a healthy one.
Whilst AG racing is nowhere near as poor as Formula 1 once was in imbalance, making it theoretically much more about the pilot, the team is struggling to consistently score points and it cannot keep the marginal gains it has going. The silver lining is the craft is at least faster than some other rivals such as Carrera or Zygon- but has horrible stability, poor energy systems and handling is so far, lacking. Pilot modifications are at least somewhat decent, but are a rare silver lining for what is otherwise, a turbulent team. Where the team will excel is in making the most out of large leaps in technology- whilst the investment may not be forthcoming from a man with almost far too much money to imagine and the time isn't there to boost their reputation, the team is stubborn, plucky and will find a way to make leaps or advantages count when they get them, bagging points.
Their ships are painted black, albeit distinctly from Silver Apex, contain a significantly larger portion of white and red. "The Yorkshire Rose" features in the colourful design of the craft, setting it apart, but certainly not adding any speed.
Main Pilot: Henry Fitzroy (British)
Appearance: Dark skinned from his father's original Caribbean roots, Henry is relatively tall and tidy looking, not really needing to put himself in the limelight for sponsors and advertising considering he's staying close to the family fortune.
Background: The son of Maxwell, Henry is no doubt, a product of his father's recent privilege. Henry is a playboy, and hasn't been augmented so heavily, perhaps taking it not so seriously and being more of a "gentleman" driver that really isn't impressing. Beating him is easy enough- but not pissing him off is arguably harder, and a tightrope to walk to keep the funding going for the team and Henry's interest, which is what may perhaps be keeping Maxwell in the sport, going. That said, there is probably more to Henry than initially meets the eye, and his motivations, in spite of his poor results seem to not be said to anyone.
March 5, 2094 Oceania AGP Auckland, New Zealand A scenic circuit running around the highly developed Auckland Harbour and CBD, with MAG tracking over water at the Auckland Harbour Bridge and using the SkyTower as a gigantic corkscrew- the season opener may no longer be in Melbourne like F1 once did, but always gets wall-to-wall coverage with a mix of extremely high speed and then sudden close-quarters, tight street circuit fighting. Balance is needed for victory here, that and a lot of bravery.
March 19, 2094 Cape Town AGP Cape Town, South Africa A scenic circuit around Table Mountain winding up and off the plateau, with anti-gravity sections offering breathtaking views of the coast and city, this track uses the wide-open expanse to allow racers to really push their craft's top speed in the autumn heat, vertical sections with MAG strips adding a different view to Table Mountain's winding sinew.
April 2, 2094 Japanese AGP Tokyo Expressway Circuit, Japan
A high-speed evening street circuit weaving through Tokyo’s neon-lit skyscrapers and highways, with gravity-defying loops inverting ships on course and holographic advertising zones on the Shuto Expressway and Shibuya, speed is preferred but the relatively long lap rewards good handling and good energy management. If you think Midnight Club went fast through Tokyo, you've seen nothing yet, and the hyper-modern glow of Tokyo almost seems surreal.
April 16, 2094 Italian (South Tyrol) AGP Marmolada AG Race Circuit, Dolomites, Italy
There are many race tracks in Italy, but nothing seems to beat the future temple of speed that is Marmolada Circuit, the longest, fastest and most outright bonkers piece of short-term engineering in Northern Italy on the AGP calendar- a proposal that took ten years in the making and mandated the use of lots of cutting edge technology that is assembled by drone in two days and disassembled within days of completion. Introduced as the first "Nature" race of the Formula AG series, ships go up the now protected and geoengineered Marmolada Glacier and sinew around the top of the mountain, before following the tight valley roads of Passo Fedaia and chicanes, the frozen shores of Lago Fedaia, before back up again using MAG strips heavily. Yes, it's all blanketed in snow, and makes this the first race Formula AG that becomes a real showpiece in that environment. Speed is key here, and ships are often unleashed to their greatest extent here, with upgrades targeting aerodynamics and pulse engine upgrades.
May 7, 2094 Portuguese AGP Circuit de Algarve, Portugal
A redesigned version of the traditional track, Circuit de Algarve offers the first real track-based circuit experience of the season, with high elevation change and for a Anti-Gravity Ship presenting tighter overtakes and significantly harder turns than even a progressive street circuit. It's an old circuit, but the best handling craft here dominate.
May 21, 2094 Lunar AGP Mare Austral Complex, Luna
One of the most standout events, the Lunar AGP is the Monaco GP of Anti-Gravity and quite literally, out of this world. Requiring complete changes to gravity matrices, complete biosecurity measures to be followed, and no spectators even from colonies in the area, and of course, a trip to our nearest celestial body which in itself, still requires incredible logistical planning. However, if you think you can hold your mind together racing on Earth, Mare Austral features MAG pulls into canyons, incredibly light gravity sections allowing ships to effectively fly and blast through gorges and crevasses in the shell of a former Helium-3 mining facility. This is everyone's favourite race, and there are never any favourites or best craft for the circuit.
June 4, 2094 Monaco Grand Prix Circuit de Monaco, Monaco
A revamped version of the classic street circuit, now featuring enhanced MAG-strip sections of banking and a vertical climb and chicane stretching into the harbour as a short extension, albeit somehow, remaining unchanged in almost every other way (although sadly, ships no longer fit through the tunnel after Portier, and skirt the sea). Somehow, the Monaco GP has still managed to remain almost the same despite literally being on the Moon before it- qualify first with pure talent, you usually will win here.
June 18, 2094 British AGP Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, United Kingdom
The classic Silverstone track almost has been unchanged bar a couple of banks and a MAG section replacing some of Sector 3, plus a high-tech pit area makes Silverstone the home of speed forever known. The home of Apex is a nearly impossible one to win at and gets record attendance still, with craft that are balanced winning here.
July 2, 2094 Canadian AGP Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada
The traditional track has been updated with digital spectator areas, with banking at hairpins to allow for greater speed. The Wall of Champions still gets decorated sometimes, and as the last event in the summer season before the break, gets spectators to enjoy the baking summer heat of Montreal.
Summer Season Break
July 31, 2094 Belgian AGP Spa-Francochamps, Stavelot, Belgium
Another example of what AG ships can do, Spa is a short circuit now for craft that can accelerate faster than F1 cars could even think. With an extension in Sector 2 with a mag-strip complex through the dense woods, racing at Spa requires speed, handling and serious talent to win in rain, shine or sometimes, both in minutes.
August 6, 2094 German AGP Nürburgring, Germany
The iconic Nürburgring Nordschlife and GP Circuit is transformed with elevated sections and anti-gravity banked turns that will make your stomach churn watching, blending the traditional layout with MAG walls. The track is exceptionally tight, and overtaking is difficult, although not impossible with good energy management. The record is currently three minutes, 21 seconds by the way....
August 20, 2094 Rift Valley AGP Moa Therma Circuit, Mt Nyiragongo, Rwanda/DR Congo
An abandoned geothermal project on the side of Mt Nyiragongo, Moa Therma has left a gigantic scar on the landscape that literally sits on the side of a spewing volcano. Perfect place for an anti-gravity track- and raising out of the dense, lush jungle, black ash and old lava tubes create a climb and decent that is rapid, with long fast sections coupled to areas requiring high stability through fast chicanes.
September 4, 2094 Singapore AGP Singapore Marina Circuit, Singapore
An iconic night race kept from racing of old, Singapore demands close-quarters, hard fighting with low top speeds in AG ships, given the circuit has barely changed since its original incantation, bar one loop and corkscrew in Sector 3. Rain, cyclones and hard weather make this race not just a spectacle in the dry, but a challenge in the wet to stay locked in.
October 1, 2094 Argentinian AGP Buenos Aires Autodrome
A high-tech, brand new MAG-strip enabled circuit featuring anti-gravity barriers and loops built over the old Buenos Aires Autodrome, blending traditional and futuristic aesthetics means that a trip to Buenos Aires is proven as an unrestrained, no-holds barred racing experience. Overtaking is easy on long straights and balanced ships work well in the main, but this is the first purpose-built, real race-circuit for AG ships.
October 8, 2094 São Paulo AGP São Paulo, Brazil A dynamic street circuit built in the environment of the classic Interlagos circuit and using the track for much of its length, the track winds through the bustling cityscape, featuring elevated tracks and zero-gravity chicanes at inverted MAG sectors. This is a circuit requiring good technical skill, energy management and handling above all else, but is a true pilot's circuit.
October 22, 2094 Great Barrier Reef AGP Ballycastle Restoration Complex AG Circuit, Muller Cay, Australia
A complex coral restoration project, now virtually like a miniature city, Muller Cay hosts Formula AG's visit to the Great Barrier Reef and provides a sidewinding array of corners, requiring stability and handling in spades over complete speed. Racing starts on the surface of the Cay, but dives into underground, subnautical tunnels racing through a complex, thriving coral reef system. Stunning doesn't do it half justice- Muller Cay provides a one of a kind race.
November 5, 2094 United States AGP Bonneville Salt Flats AG Race Circuit, Utah, Federated United States
The United States has never been big into Formula-styled series, but considering the first anti-gravity craft ever made took off at Bonneville Salt Flats, returning to Salt Lake City is a homage to where it all began. The baking heat turns the salt into firm ground for these craft to go fast over, and that they do- with MAG strips and the rolling hills of Graham Peak and then the dead flat, chicane-laden anti-gravity circuit in the base creating a really good spectacle for visitors physically there in person, laden with MAG strips, loops and a complex strip that rises out of the dead-nothing of Bonneville.
November 19, 2094 Jordan AGP Wadi Rum Circuit, Jordan
Now this, is pod racing! Well, Wadi Rum's red desert sand makes it feel like the middle of nowhere, and Layla's home race takes place in the desert of Jordan, albeit in a cooler part of the year, means this is a speed fest, just like the USA AGP. Fast corners, little elevation change and rolling desert sand makes this really stretch the legs of the craft out, second only to Italy.
December 3, 2094 Turkish AGP Istanbul City Circuit
An absolute classic, this race technically crosses two continents! The relatively long circuit uses both the Bosphorus Bridge and Avrasya Tunnel to create an exceptionally high speed, end-to-end street circuit in the evening light of Istanbul, taking in its historic quarters and hyper-modern core. Flying past the Hagia Sofia, Maiden's Tower, little MAG strips are used but where the are, turns the circuit into an almost no-brake zone relying on mostly energy management and pure speed to win.
December 15, 2094 Dubai Sky GP Dubai, UAE
And what a finale to end it on. A futuristic circuit that wraps around the Burj Khalifa at sunset, with panoramic views of the city’s skyline, the Dubai Sky GP is one of the most remarkable (imagine Sol 2 from Wipeout) tracks making heavy use of MAG tracks and sending pilots dizzyingly from skyscraper to skyscraper and around it on seemingly exposed track that without glance, appears to literally be hovering in the air. Three pilots have gone off track in the last four years, and specialist ejection protocols are recommended for pilots that exceed the force-field like edging of the track keeping craft on. You best be brave, and stability here really helps- but when it's the last race of the season, it's all on the line, all in the sky.
Damn, I find this very interesting, but I feel like I wouldn't be able to write properly because I know too little about racing and the jargon used. Do you have any recommendations for a crash course of sorts?
I would say don't worry- there's a lot of jargon included anyway that won't be known, but my aim is actually to really simplify it as because we're approaching this as a fly-on-the-wall series, things get explained in situ! I would say pick a team, create a driver through the ranks, and from there, the rest fills in.
Also, I am in the process of formatting this all, heavily! This is not a final product, and will be added to with technical explainers.
This may actually be the best way to sum it up- now imagine the below, but set 70 years from now and far, far more extreme!
@FourtyTwo This looks like a super cool idea! Do you think there'd be room for a character that maybe started racing in the underground circuit and is trying to go legit by going pro?
Oooo- yes, but given the pathway they will need to be something special and likely a link to a team or someone getting them out- once they're in though I can see that being a fun dilemma to keep up.
There's probably an illegal scene but they likely run older ships and even F1 styled vehicles- and as you can imagine has a real stigma is associated, though pilots from there are likely to have really good adaptability and stability management. Black market augs exist, but considering the meds that the main teams run, will need a bit of work to keep up given teams usually have bespoke, cutting edge tech.
I'm underwhelmed by the options for teams, I understand wanting to add fictitious teams for the sake of lore and storyline, but to completely purge the modern-day grid is way off the spirit of what I thought this RP was going to be. Same with calling the cars "ships".
So, assuming the grid is set, I'm bowing out. Best of luck.
No worries - I'm really into F1 and wanted homages, but considering the changing field, state of the world and the fact I'd feel uncomfortable taking a real team (some pilots though have parallels that lead the teams), the direction I felt couldn't be like for like- there's differences and it definitely has become a different sport, rather than on wheels (Silver Apex and Valkyrie are the closest to successors). Sorry man- I'd say it has a lot of parallels still and the feeling is the similar but I've gone a different direction.
Not too late- jump on in and create a character when ready!
Also- I will be publishing which teams are taken in the first post, and tomorrow, adding a bit more to do with the feeling of what it's like to blast at high speed, and the wider culture of race-day. Whilst it's a digital sport, there's certainly a fan experience and as a pilot, you get the glitz and glamour of VIP!
Name: Beatrix Viola Kendal Ward Alias: Bea (to most people), MadBea (social media tag) Team: Carrera Condor Nationality: British Gender: Female Age: 20 SPACER
SPACER
Beatrix stands at 162 cm (5’4”) and weighs 52 kg (119 lb) with a lean athletic build, frequently making up a few extra centimeters with short-heeled shoes and rarely seen without a smile. She speaks a mile a minute with an animated, mellifluous voice, talks with her hands almost as much as her mouth and has accidentally hit people standing next to her when gesticulating in the past. Par for the course, Beatrix has a neural port at the back of her head, allowing her to link directly to the racing craft’s flight computer. She also has a synthetic heart, reinforced spine and had her legs and arms amputated at the hips and shoulders, replacing them with prosthetics to further increase her G-tolerance and movement precision. Although she doesn’t have any tattoos, she saw her prosthetics as another canvas, with both of her legs covered in artwork of vines with colorful blossoms. Serving as a sort of “wall of fame”, her arms still have a lot of empty space, the right bearing a record of her racing achievements and the left depicting her biggest crashes, DNFs and other hiccups.
Backstory: A child of Frederick Henry Ward, an industrial mogul and owner of Pridwen Solutions, formerly of aerospace and defense fame currently dealing in agricultural machinery and civilian aerospace, and his corporate lawyer Akela Hawthorne-Ward. Beatrix has been racing since she was six, starting with sailing hydrofoils, graduating to hoverkarts at 10, various British regional Rallye Championships at 14, the European Rallye Championship at 16 and finally the Junior Formula Anti-Gravity series at 17. Despite a double win and regular top five finishes in the regionals and finishing P3 overall in the European Rallye and good results in Junior Formula Anti-Gravity, she didn’t make the cut for any of the Formula AG teams that had seats open for the 2093 season while also out of a drive in the Junior series.
Bea instead spent the year racing limited schedule in the European Rallye Championship with the intent to try for Formula AG again next year while her father greased some wheels behind the scenes. Her signing now granting access to select Pridwen Solutions patented technology for the team, Carrera Condor unceremoniously threw one of their current drivers under the proverbial bus mid-season and announced Beatrix would take his seat next year, after which simulators and advertising for the new team as well as getting used to working with her future race engineer, a former Formula AG multiple race winner whose career had been cut short by an injury ensued.
Personality: Never one for the ‘proper lady’ thing her dear father hoped for, although obliging him on important occasions to make him happy, Bea is an unfiltered adrenaline junkie, having been interested in racing things on land, sea and air since she was five. Racing isn’t just a hobby for her despite what some detractors claim, having poured her heart and soul into it since her Rallye days. Being very passionate about racing, sometimes she can get a little... overenthusiastic in the cockpit, with some choice words she's had for other drivers or the team's own vehicle over the team radio having secured places in the fans' memories and one or two even ascended to memehood. Bea also has an artistic side, doing her own helmet designs among other things.
Bea sees people who aren’t smiling as a problem that needs to be fixed immediately. An outgoing social creature, she’s made use of her personality and interests to promote civilian and agricultural products of Pridwen Solutions in the past and has been using social media for the past few months to give her audience an entertaining and informative look under the team’s hood, though carefully scrubbed of anything they want to keep under wraps. An excitable ball of inexhaustible energy, getting her to sit still for a 10 minute interview is a feat worthy of legends and no one has yet managed to get her to take one completely seriously.
Racing DNA
Overview: Beatrix likes to take risks, standing out among the competition in Junior Formula AG with deep lunges, late braking and general “full send” racing style even by anti-gravity racing standards. It has led to crashes earlier in her career, but she’s since figured out how most racers react to her suddenly appearing on the inside of a corner and how to take it into account. Coming from a rallying background, she thrives in the low and mid speed corners and is not afraid to get her elbows out and trade paint. However, she relies heavily on her team for strategy and energy management, something she'll need to learn going forward in the big leagues.
Skills: Bea has a fairly big following for a young racer, owing it mostly to her frequent fan interactions, both in person and online, and her social media presence under the nickname “MadBea” showcasing a bit of the behind the scenes stuff of her racing life, full helmet cam onboards and technical breakdowns. She also has a side channel under the somewhat uninspired name "Bea Draws Stuff" where she showcases her art and does drawing tutorials.
Special Trait: While not an implant or augment per se, Beatrix utilizes a Pridwen Solutions patented liquid breathing and immersion suit. Originally developed for aerospace fighter pilots, Bea's lungs, body cavities and entire hardshell racing suit reminiscent of spacesuits are filled with an oxygen-rich breathing fluid before getting in the cockpit which allows her to withstand sustained G loads in the mid hundreds with little effort.
Controversy : Despite some success in the Junior Formula AG series as well as other racing ventures, many see her as a nepo baby corpo princess whose daddy bought her "a pony" in the form of a race seat and expensive augs and gear. Some people also take issue with the fact that her family's fortune came from the defense sector, Pridwen Solutions only having pivoted to agricultural machinery and renewable energy when the defense market was about to stall. But the number one group of people cursing Bea's name and lineage are the fans of Joaquin Ibanez, the driver she replaced at Carrera Condor for the 2094 season, essentially pissing off a sizable chunk of Argentinian racing fans simply by existing.
MISC Theme Song Likes: Adrenaline highs, large dogs, singing, sweets. Dislikes: Dirty racing, two-facedness, liquid breathing. Other Information:
Her father is and always will be her number one fan, although her mother is not at all pleased by her choice of career or Frederick's support of such a dangerous endeavor. Bea’s older sister, Evangeline, considers her to be mind-numbingly irresponsible and utterly insane, but that doesn’t get in the way of a good sibling relationship.
She’s fairly outspoken about her support of employee protections and anti-trust laws, though she can’t resist pointing out Pridwen Solutions workplace safety measures and employee benefits as positive examples which sometimes gets her written off as dressing up advertising for her father’s company as activism.
Name: Han Hyeon-Ae Alias: Renaissance Han, Joseon Han (political ads), HHA:Zygon (social media handle) Team: Zygon Gender: Female Age: 23
Approximately 170 cm in height, Hyeon-Ae stands relatively tall for the national average. She is slim and lean, presenting an exterior that both women and athletes should find aspirational. Her skin is positively radiant even without make-up, no doubt a result of years of bioengineering efforts. Beyond the necessary augments for her profession, she lacks any obvious augmentation, as the mainstay of her augmentation is subdermal or integrated on a genetic or hormonal level.
She prefers to dress in sleek, dark clothes when she is in control of her own wardrobe. Often however, she is wearing the newest fashion of some sponsor or another.
Personality: Hyeon-Ae is better than you, and she is happy to make sure you know it. She exudes a refined air of deliberate confidence that oftens borders on arrogance, but still carefully measures who is watching and listening before committing to any faux pas. More likely, she will use her extensive knowledge and etiquette to undermine her peers, either trying to ‘humbly’ outshine them, or embarass them by highlighting their flaws.
She is incredibly calculating and thoughtful, and her hard training and the capabilities instilled in her has left her with a hunger for power, wealth and attention, even if she does not recklessly pursue these at the cost of her image. Not unlike many others with the same prideful ambition for the top, she is often petty and unpleasant to those who slight her, or those she views as inferior by some internal metric. She will definitely put long schemes into play to get revenge on someone for things others would consider childish. A slight on her is a slight on her prestige, her family, and Zygon, after all, and she defends her territory like a snake.
That aside, her time in the political spotlight gave her a genuine affection for women's rights (and wrongs), and she is outspoken on many civil issues with a matter-of-factly tone backed by intense societal knowledge, making her both a sometimes problematic corporate investment, and a beacon for the masses.
Backstory: When Hyeon-Ae was five, she already knew she wanted to be a race-pilot. What could her loving uncle do but spend his wealth and influence to make his beloved niece's dream a reality?
At least, that's the official story. Almost everything about Han Hyeon-Ae has been manufactured for maximum appeal. In truth, she was drafted for her genetic markers by corporate agents, and a sob story about her lost parents and her loving uncle and his family was put in place.
She is, in truth, a cog in a push to create a revived eastern cultural powerhouse, coached since birth in her future as a cultural icon, scion of the humanities, and entertainment star. Somewhere along the line, due to the meddling of some dynasty goon, that career was turned towards AG racing. This all included a lot of hush-hush projects and supplemental operations and bio-patches during her growth.
She featured early in developmental training in all stages, and continually blazed a path that earned her some measure of recognition in her youth.
Around and following her 17th birthday she participated heavily in the Renaissance Women of Korea movement, a gender progressivism movement that pushed for women to take the role of cultural rulers, and encourage women to take up academics following a few decades of unstable hiring practices. Her bioengineering and breadth of academic knowledge made her a powerhouse for the movement, and though the ‘renaissance’ refers to the Joseon dynasty, she garnered international acclaim as a woman of the future due to connections with the European terminology.
Following the movement, her corporate overlords have leaned into her image to push sponsorships and public political lobbying that benefits Zygon.
Racing DNA
Overview: Hyeon-Ae is first and foremost a calculated pilot. She does not take risks if the gain is not sufficiently high, and does not necessarily push herself to the limit in every race in the hopes of eking out a win. She is extremely consistent however, and favors beating her opposition as they pile up mistakes or correction errors, while her flawless safer driving makes steady but slow gains.
Skills: Han Hyeon-Ae is well-read in academics, both the natural sciences and liberal arts, and uses this knowledge to browbeat others on the political stage. She is able to lecture economic analysts on the flaws in their presumptions. Given a career other than racing, one imagines she'd be a dangerous political opponent.
Special Trait: Hyeon-Ae is The Woman Of The Future™. She has been bioengineered to outclass the typical person not only in racing, but on most every level. All these sleek, non-technical upgrades integrated into her being has made her an imposing opponent, particularly mentally - both in thought and reaction time.
Controversy : Hyeon-Ae’s past is a scandal waiting to happen. Anyone who looks close enough can tell that facts don't particularly add up, or that government papers don't look like they've been filed properly. Just how much of a fake she is already hotly debated online, but her skills on the field and her unerring confidence in producing results both on and off the field keep the rumors in the shadows; it would be obvious if she was just a dumb idol plant, after all.
Other participants in the Renaissance Movement have previously spoken out about her nasty behavior behind the scenes, and add to the ghost stories about teams of suits following her wherever she went, even at such a young age. It's surprisingly hard to find such people for a confirmation quote after the fact, though.
MISC Theme Song:Here. Likes: Being praised Sociological theory Competition Dislikes: Unintelligent people Poor performance / negligence Her Uncle Other Information: Does she even like racing? The answer probably depends on who is listening.
The scene opens with a panoramic view of Lake Coleridge as the black bars widen on the scene out from close to a cinematic shot as the drone flies in closer and closer through the hill and hurtles through yet smooth and elegantly, set against the breath-taking backdrop of New Zealand’s lush, rolling hills and crystal-clear blue skies. It's almost like something from Top Gear, as it rolls in, and the small, plucky little complex comes into view, and the craft outside of it. The camera zooms in to Harrison "Firehawk" Makara, suited up and ready, his helmet gleaming under the sunlight. His sharp features and piercing green eyes convey a mix of focus and excitement. The intricate indigenous designs on his suit catch the light with the green spots on stripe of white and yellow clash, adding a vibrant touch to his already striking appearance, the glow in his eyes, and the ruffle in his hair, walking down the tarmac.
As the camera moves closer, Harrison's voice, rich with an Australian accent, begins to narrate, catching the eye of the drone. He's a showman. Of course he is, the voice holding on the outside as he steps up, disembodied when you hear it, walking over to Southern Cross's craft for this little media appearance.
"Welcome to Mana Park. Our little testing run. Let me show you what it's really like to pilot one of these beauties round this place."
The camera transitions to inside the cockpit of his anti-gravity ship, the patterned Indigenous design of his suit like Pointillism, yet much, much older in its origin. The cockpit is minimalist yet sophisticated, with AR-enabled displays and joystick at the ready. You don't need much when you're literally hooked into the craft, after all. The gentle thrum of the craft’s systems builds, filling the air with a pulsating rhythm, as Harrison clambers the canopy, surrounded by a couple of crew, the craft already in position as he shuts the canopy and locks in, the eight-point harness hugging tight.
"Straps on, systems good....yep, all good. All clear, Matty." Harrison’s voice says with a hint of a smile to the camera, mounted up. There's so many catching 360 angles, you almost could be spoilt- but well, an AI figures out which one you want to be watching on notice.
"If you've never seen this before....this is going to be wild, yeah?"
The ship lifts off effortlessly, the ground dropping away as the powerful electromagnets engage, and the whine gets even louder. The sensation of weightlessness is immediate, almost dreamlike, as the craft hovers just above the track. Harrison’s grip on the joystick tightens, his eyes scanning the heads-up display.
"Feel that? It's like floating on air," he explains. "But we won't keep it that chill for long, yeah?"
A countdown appears on the display that Harrison trundles the "Waka" into on a mock up grid, and as it reaches zero, the ship launches forward with a burst of speed. The acceleration is instantaneous, pressing Harrison back into his seat. The landscape blurs as the ship streaks along the track, into the straight.
"500kph in a heartbeat...still makes you bloody feel it! And that isn't all she can do!" Harrison's voice continues, a mix of awe and exhilaration. "Let's take her into Turn One and show you how much she sticks through the corners."
The ship approaches a sharp corner, and Harrison instinctively pulls the joystick, engaging the craft’s advanced thrust vectoring. The ship hugs the turn, the G-forces pressing against his body. Yet, thanks to the neural link and the ship’s sophisticated AI, Harrison feels in perfect sync with his machine.
"It's like bouncing on the waves," he says. "Every movement, every adjustment, it’s all about feeling the flow. You and the ship become one, and it kicks! Honestly, it's like driving a car on teflon but it boots you out of the corners even faster, like this!"
As the ship straightens out through the hard bank, Harrison and the craft surges forward again, the thrust vectoring meaning that one side turns literally faster on throttle than the other, and he just has to think it. The speed is intoxicating, the scenery flashing by in a kaleidoscope of colours, the camera cutting back to the wider massive glacier delta, and forests, as well as the teal-blue lake in the horizon, mountains in the horizon, and in the middle of it, a ship running over ground at an insane speed, a dust trail from the edges of the tarmac spewing gravel everywhere, not that it matters, but 500kph does that to anything like it. The craft's stability systems keep it steady, but Harrison’s skilled hands and quick reflexes make every second count.
"Handling these ships is like surfing on pure energy," he narrates, the joy evident in his voice. "You ride the edge, always pushing, always looking for that perfect line." The corners sway, and racing line comes through easy, the ship's low stability still countered by just how hard Harrison can tilt the craft through, and his skill at hand. He's not really even pushing, given he's narrating a lap. Which makes this even more insane.
A series of loops and inverted sections appear on the horizon alongside the lake, small and woven into the cliffside, with MAG strips effectively binding the ship with a gentle clatter that feels like the downforce just got turned up even harder, yet barely affecting speed. Harrison approaches with a determined grin. The ship transitions smoothly onto the magnetic induction grabstrips, allowing it to climb and dive effortlessly. The world turns upside down and then rights itself, the ship never losing stability, Harrison's reflexes keeping him hot on the change of angle.
"This is where it gets real!" Harrison says. "Running inverted does make you sick first time, but you kinda get used to it. No loss of grip either!" Harrison commented, a sly smile even beneath his oxygen-breathing setup, as it corks back out, and pivots underneath the loop, away from the lake shore and towards the braided delta, and then, the small warehouse and testing facility's start.
The final straight looms ahead back down to Mana Park's origin, and Harrison activates the ELS. The craft glows with a blue streak as it taps into the energy passthroughs, boosting its speed even further. The sensation is electric, a surge of power that sends the ship rocketing forward.
"600kph and still climbing," Harrison shouts, the thrill unmistakable. "Not bad eh!" With a subtle turn, the system deactivates, and a hard turn banks the ship around, flinging hard, a deep breath and then exhale helping to push him physically, and mentally through a tight chicane slowing the craft from half of the speed of sound to a more manageable 200kph on an insanely twitchy complex.
The ship crosses the finish line, and Harrison gradually brings it to a stop on a cooldown lap which almost feels like it sucks the power out, then bringing it into the pit, canopy open again. The craft settles back onto the track, the pulsating hum subsiding. Harrison removes his helmet, his face flushed with exhilaration, exhaling out.
"That's a taste of what we do here." he says, smiling broadly. "It's not just about the speed or the tech, it's just that....well, nothing beats the speed and cornering ability. That's what makes Anti-Grav so good!"
And with that last word, the camera pulls back as the drone flies back and upward, capturing the serene landscape once more like we started, with Harrison and his ship standing next to that small warehouse and the large background. The bars coming in again from the cinematic cut, taking one last look at Southern Cross's craft, and the scene behind it.
Name: Ulrich Falkner Alias: The Panzer Nationality: German Team: Miller Motor Racing Gender: Male Age: 23
Personality: When it comes to off the track, Ulrich is a generally jovial and cheerful fellow to be around. He believes that anything that needs to be said can be said when it's time to race and once it's done there's no need to harbour ill feelings to one another, sometimes much to the chagrin of the trash talkers in the sport. He's always happy to chat to fans or provide interviews, sometimes having to remind himself of his busy schedule that the racers must keep to. Some may perceive this as a rather laid back attitude when it comes to trying to reach the pinnacle of Formula AG but that could be further from the truth.
During training and meetings, Ulrich is all business and will put 100% of himself into all endeavours to become better, faster and stronger. He believes that all the modifications in the world are for nought if your body can't handle it so he respects this doctrine to the letter, even abstaining from drugs or alcohol even while he's partying it up in clubs when it's time to relax. With this tenet and the general standing of Miller Motor, he does not envy those with more mods and implants than him though he recognises their importance.
On the track, Ulrich's attitude somehow gets even more serious. Though his chatter tends to take up most of the team radio, often audibly speaking his mind aloud through each and every manoeuvre and talking to himself or comments about or towards other racers especially when locked in an ELS battles. This usually puts his radio in quite a few highlight reels and online compilations, and he'll allow himself shouts of elation or disappointment once he's crossed the line... Afterall, gotta find someway to vent all that adrenaline. His emotions, though displayed, do not betray his driving sense and his patience upon playing defence before seizing the moment to surge forward is what has earned him the nickname "The Panzer." Insults, energy leeches, criticisms, they all bounce off of the hull of Ulrich's spirit.
Backstory: Born as the eldest of three children to his father (a Civic Engineer) and mother (a Professor in renewable energy solutions), Ulrich has had the incredible fortune of being brought up by a loving, close knit family. His brother and sister (aged 17 and 14 respectively) grew up as close to Ulrich as he had done with their parents. During his childhood, Ulrich's love for racing and all things fast blossomed as his father had recently re-found his tapes from the 274th German Mosel Rally. From the first roars of the engines of old, young Ulrich was hooked. As soon as the first tape ended, Ulrich proudly proclaimed that was what he wanted to do and begged his father to put on the next one.
Thus began a lifelong obsession that Ulrich pursued with every step. Schooling and education was focused towards AG engineering and an understanding of ship technology as well as pursuits in physical athletics that could've afforded him a scholarship to the University of Stuttgart. And somehow, with the financial backing of his family, Ulrich got his chance to join the Junior AG program in Europe. His talents defensively and a mind to jump through the narrow windows quickly afforded him the opportunity to rise up through the Junior ranks.
Though it would've made sense to join European based teams, Ulrich made a surprising move to Miller Motor. He's cited in an article about being "very excited about the potential of the Miller Motor Company and their willingness to invest in not just young talent such as Max Wedgewood and himself, but the future as well." Unbeknownst to him, his father would later come to him revealing his secret. The fortune required to give Ulrich his kickstart into the world of racing was afforded by huge gambling debts which was now being called upon... Now Ulrich has a whole new reason to race, and his positive attitude is now at risk of becoming a charade.
Racing DNA
Overview: Ulrich is a defensive powerhouse, always trying to hold his ground while jostling others away when using ELS attacks. One of his favourite tactics is to lock his opponents into long, drawn out Leech battles and wearing them down before finding the moment to strike and boost away. With the rigidity and reliability of a Miller Motor Ship, this compliments him perfectly as he can focus on this tactic. This can sometimes slow him down but he's usually dragging someone else with him and he also finds the ELS incredibly fascinating and fun to deploy.
Skills: Ulrich's natural body athleticism means that he doesn't have to rely on many spectacular implants apart from the essentials, which not only helps with his marketability but also the opportunity in the future to see just what kind of implants his body will be able to handle... once Miller can put together the resources and team together to help manage them.
Paired with his defensive mindset, it's no wonder Ulrich's piloting and ship is compared to his nickname so often.
Special Trait: ELS Neural Hybrid System - One of the few, if not only, unique implants Ulrich does have is a modification to his neural import which syncs up to the ELS deployment as well as handling of the ship. This allows him to put his defences up and down at a quicker rate as well as launching a Leech quicker too.
Controversy: While secret for now, his father's debt is becoming a heavy weight upon his shoulders and despite not enjoying a lavish lifestyle outside of the Formula AG events there are questions being raised as to where exactly his money could be going.
MISC Theme Song: Groove District Likes: Racing, ELS battles, fan meets, hugs. Dislikes: Snarky comments, veiled insults, and currently his father. Other Information: Ulrich has a Pudelpointer dog called Hugo, who accompanies him on tour and acts as an unofficial mascot of his pit crew.
Height: 5' 9" / 176cm - Weight: 180lbs / 82kg - Hair Colour: Dark Brown - Eye Colour: Brown
Name: Kaïs Zenix Alias: Al-Shihab (The Meteor), @ASZenix (media handle) Team: Al-Saqr Racing - Arabic League Gender: Male Age: 36
Personality: Kaïs is one of the most grating personalities in the AG racing sphere. His supersoldier genetics and paramilitary past has left him with a more than healthy sprinkling of assertiveness, an unhealthy sprinkling of wartime baggage, and a lack of tolerance for bullshit, specifically yours. Though he has a stoic exterior, he is quick to push back against people whom he feels behave with undeserved conceit and hostility, and dislikes a soft touch, preferring to attack problems directly and decisively. It is an open secret that his social media handle is handled by an assistant for damage control, as his guest appearances and fan interactions can sometimes end in interesting exchanges. That said, when you find yourself on his good side (which, disclaimer: isn't the easiest thing to do), he'll go through literal hellfire and back for you.
He himself is plagued by his past and attitude as much as others are, even though he’ll never admit it even to himself. Kaïs is a man lost in this world at peace, a world of excess, of profilicity and emblazoned vulnerability. It is likely he turned to racing for exactly this reason: to reconnect with those primal parts of him that drive for competence and strength, to find an outlet for those things he buries and hides behind an emotional shield-wall, and to dance with death once more, and this time, to win.
Backstory: Kaïs Zenix (original serial name classified and unknown to the public) is one of the genetic test-tube supersoldiers bred by the Masdar al-Nuba, or the ‘Nubian Source’, a paramilitary group operating in Egypt against the Arabic League and its allies in its formative years. Framed as a conflict over water rights and influence in the region, not much is publicly known about them or their true motives to this day, and there wasn’t much post-war interest either, as their fate was the same of most fractured rebel factions in the world at the time: they were defeated and relegated to the ash heap of history. Until a short time ago, that is, when one of their former supersoldiers entered the League’s AG racing team of Al-Saqr.
After his time in the paramilitary group and their defeat, he has been through a thorough rehabilitation and therapy regimen, which continues to this day through personal debriefings and psych evals. These included some of the experimental neural stimulation techniques that led to none other than the very ones AG pilots now use to train. These racing-themed stress-response simulations were actually his first forays into the world of AG racing, one he has since entered for real. That said, his training doesn't always take hold as much as his managers would like. Indeed, his nickname 'The Meteor' comes from one of his first races, in which he pushed his ship so far it burst into flames. But is burning out in a short blaze of glory all that is to him?
Racing DNA
Overview: Kaïs is a ruthless racer owing to his supersoldier heritage, and you’d easily assume he was bred with a borderline death wish (which may or may not actually be true). He pushes his ship to the absolute brink to compensate for Al-Saqr's comparatively subpar antigrav arrays, and seems to have made it his mission to find every way to skirt the rules. This might yield him a few milliseconds of an advantage, but has also more than once resulted in significant damage to both himself and his ship, alongside an angry pit crew, angry fellow racers, angry team members, angry fans, and angry management. He doesn't care. All's fair in love and war, after all.
Skills: Kaïs is a fighter, in more ways than one. Sure, he is proficient in piloting, firearms, hand-to-hand, mindset control, but he also likes debating, and reads a lot to form an understanding of this strange new world he finds himself in. He enjoys learning new languages, especially of those countries he visits, and he volunteers at a cat shelter - originally a publicity stunt to show his 'soft side', he has started to enjoy it more than he admits.
Special Trait: being bred as a supersoldier, he has above average complex reflex loops to get him out of a pinch, but that sometimes result in questionable aggressive racing behavior without much conscious input. He was born with about 1.5x of most critical organs and circulatory systems to serve as backup, allowing him to absorb more force and damage (and alcohol) without much issue or thought, but at the cost of having a borderline overconfidence, and a slow but sure accumulation of cellular damage.
Controversy: His mysterious and warlike past often spark questions, both from outside of the team and within, about his morality and the lengths to which he might go to attain victory, as well as the reason for management to have included him in the team to begin with, some of which include blackmail, infiltration and conspiracy. Whatever might be the case, it is undeniable his appearances draw viewers and social media engagement for the team, though not always in the most positive light.
MISC Speech Color: f7941d Theme Song: Bayek of Siwa, Assassin's Creed Origins OST - Sarah Schachner Likes: learning languages, cats, cool new gadgets, worthy opponents, getting apologies. Dislikes: corpo-speak, monotonicity, arrogance from those he thinks are undeserving. Other Information: he collects obscure old-world memorabilia including paintings, books and cassette tapes. His signature move has become known as the 'meteor strike'. He has tattooed his body's collection of scars with otherwise invisible UV-ink, including the dates, causes and significance of each, chronicling his supersoldier-to-racer journey.
Name: Alexander Knight Alias: “The Bullet” Team: Valkyrie Gender: Male Age: 48
Appearance: Height: 5’ 10” Weight: 175 pounds Hair: Blonde Eyes: Green Scars: Cybernetic arms - a ring of scar tissue where they connect on his biceps will peak out of the t-shirt sleeve on each arm. Languages: English, Estonian, German, and Russian
Personality: Alexander comes across as a surly grumpy no nonsense man. He has been through a lot of trauma and doesn’t give a shit what others think. He doesn’t take shit from anybody. He has a very strong sense of ethics and what’s right and wrong. He curses like a sailor and will be the first one to tell you, “If you don’t like how I do things. Then don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!” He is a fair man and will give you a chance to state why you think you are right. He will then proceed to tell you why you will do it the way he thinks is best. You can learn alot from him if you can put up with him. His methods might seem harsh and his attitude stark and uncompromising but he is that way because he cares. Alexander likes to win and he wants everyone to come home at the end of the day. Safety is important to him. Alexander pushes everyone around him to rise to the occasion… to strive to be better. Alexander never wanted to accept responsibility for the lives of others again. His traumatic past haunts him and it can be seen in his eyes.
Backstory: Family: Father: Vincent Knight Age: 68 Mother: Elena Novak Age: 67 Ex-Wife: Candace Martin Age: 45 Daughter: Arianna Knight Age 19
Alexander has dual citizenship. His father was from the Federated States, formerly the country of the United States, and the city of Brooklyn, New York. His mother was from the European Union, formerly the country of Estonia and the city of Tartu. His parents met when his father was going to the university in Tartu studying engineering. They got married when his mother became pregnant with him at 19 years old. He spent the first 7 years of his childhood growing up in Tartu surrounded by his mother’s family. His parents got divorced by the time he was eight. He had to admit that his parents got along better after they divorced. They didn’t fight nearly as much. They agreed on more things and his life was more peaceful.
The only hard part was being away from one parent so much of the year. He spent more time with his mother than his father. He lived with his mother during the school year and spent his summers in the US with his father. He loved his mother but she simply didn’t understand him. She wanted him to be a man of culture and art. He couldn't care less about modern art which was her passion. She was always taking him to museums and art shows. She wanted him to dress up and wear a coat and tie. He just wanted to get outside and play in the dirt. He cherished the few months every year when he got to spend time with his father. His father made sure that his time with him was quality time and that he never felt like he took second place to his job or hobby. His father was an engineer that designed engines. His father worked for an aeronautics corporation. They often spent their summer outdoors enjoying hiking, camping, and fishing. They also spent their summers on a project such as restoring classic cars or building hot rods. His father helped him build a soap box racer one year. The next year they upgraded to go-kart racing. In his early teen years, he tried his hand at motocross racing as well. He got into dirt track racing and a youth driver's academy for formula one where he competed on the junior circuit for two years before he graduated high school. He had sponsors on the junior circuit but only a few. He was good and he did well but he didn't receive any offers from any teams. He was outshadowed by a few other drivers and the youth academy was full of talented drivers. He and his father both had the speed bug. If they could go faster, they wanted to.
Because of his unique childhood experience he grew up learning Estonian, Russian, German, and English. When he turned 18 he was faced with some unique challenges. Humanity was trying to reverse the damage they had done to the planet and were actually making progress. There was still a lot of upheaval as world governments sought to work together. Terrorist activity was commonplace. Terrorists used violence to try and force their ideals and mold things to their ideology. Sometimes it was about power and sometimes it was about money. To combat widespread terrorism, the governments and countries involved with NATO recruited heavily from their populations to curb the violence. He felt a duty to help protect others from the chaos that was happening. He went off to fight terrorists at 18. He liked the idea that he was protecting innocents from danger.
He was 19 when he met Candace. His team had been sent in to rescue hostages at UCLA. Terrorists had taken the women hostage at a sorority house just off campus. Candace was one of the girls rescued by his team that night. Alexander began dating Candace. After a whirlwind romance and a wild night in Vegas, he had a wife. He was 20 years old when Candace gave birth to their daughter Arianna. Life was good for Alexander. He had a purpose in life, a woman he loved, and a beautiful daughter. Arianna was 2 years old and his term of service was almost up when his life changed forever.
Alexander and his team were sent to stop terrorists in Florida. NATO had received intel that terrorists were planning to hit a large outdoor music festival in Miami. Homegrown terrorists were unhappy that the government had changed the tax structure and was cracking down on mega corporations to ensure they were paying their fair share. The increased tax revenues were paying for environmentally friendly infrastructure and social service programs. The group was made up of die hard extremists that felt that their business rights were being stomped on. That they shouldn’t have to pay to help reverse the environmental damage they helped cause. Their attitude was that the government was overreaching their authority. Alexander and his team were sent in to help provide additional security at the event. Sadly a member of Alexander’s team had sold out for money to the group. They had planted pipe bombs at the venue’s entrances. They were let in through an underground entrance to the venue and fired on the crowd from the lighting rig above the stage. Alexander was trying to guide the crowd out the exit as panicked people were running everywhere when the bomb at the main entrance went off. Alexander was caught in the blast and thrown 25 yards away. His arms were shredded from the blast. He almost didn’t make it due to blood loss. He made it to the hospital and they managed to save his life but they had to amputate his arms.
Alexander’s recovery was long and painful. His wife was unable to bear looking at his scars and told him she had not signed up to take care of an invalid. She took their daughter and left and filed for divorce. Alexander didn’t blame her. He sunk into depression and his will to fight and carry on left with her. Alexander needed help so he moved in with his father.
His father felt there should be an engineering solution to his issue. Cybernetics was a young science and experimental but they had made strides in prosthetics for people with issues such as Alexander’s. Alexander’s father reached out to a close friend of his that worked in Biotech. Alexander was a good candidate for their new technology. Within a week Alexander was prepped for surgery and received state of the art neural linked controlled cybernetic arms. The cybernetic arms were grafted onto what was left of his organic arms and the nerves integrated with the cybernetic wiring to work with his nervous system. Alexander went to see Candace after he had healed. The arms were covered in a synthetic flesh that matched his natural skin tone but there was no hiding the wide band of ugly scarring where the arms were attached. He had fine motor skills and his reflexes were faster than ever. Candace crushed his heart with a second rejection. She told him that she felt like it would feel like being held by a robot. That she couldn’t do it. He wondered if she had ever loved him at all. Alexander was numb and full of pain as their divorce was finalized. At least she was amicable about his visiting rights. He would not let his daughter grow up thinking he didn’t want a relationship with her. Alexander once more sunk into depression uncertain what to do next.
Once again his father pulled him out of his funk. His father took him to a racetrack and paid for a VIP experience so he could get behind the wheel on a real track in a formula one racer. Alexander came alive as the engine’s roar vibrated as he sped down the track. G forces slammed him from one side of the car to the other as he cornered around the track. Luck was with Alexander that day as a billionaire racing mogul happened to be at the track that day. He had paid for time to test his latest personal car. Alexander had just broken the track record in an old car. The mogul offered him a chance at a driving position. He said he would sponsor him for a year in the Junior Formula League with training and mentorship. Alexander took it since he felt alive again. He did well and placed in the top 5 drivers that season. The next year he stepped up in main league as a driver for the guy and did really well.
So began his career in professional racing. He earned the nickname Bullet on the circuit. He spent a few years visiting his daughter between races. Occasionally Candace would bring her to a race to watch him race. Racing began to shift to a new style, anti-gravity racing, and he was offered a spot on the new team. He was now 26. He was no longer the only enhanced driver on the track. He was still performing well with the occasional win and was in the top ten drivers in the league. His best friend was a driver from Belgium named Audrick Mulder. They met at a race and bonded over beers after the race. Audrick was a charismatic, happy guy who liked to have a good time. The media loved him which helped him gain sponsors. He was handsome and a media favorite. He was also some of his biggest competition on the track. They had a friendly rivalry and were often seen pranking one another in the winner’s circle. Audrick once squirted him with a champagne bottle full of glitter. He was washing glitter out of his hair weeks later. He had slapped a sign on his buddy’s back that read “The beer is on me.” Alexander had found where he fit in the world again. He was regaining his stride.
The team he was driving for was Audrick’s team’s biggest competition. The team had hired a new crew chief and a new engineer. The owner was hungry to win the season. They kept trying to get him to drive more aggressively and use shady tactics on the track. Alexander was not happy about it and told them he wouldn’t do it. They were going into the race of the season. He had gone to visit Audrick to wish him luck the night before the race. He was surprised to see one of their team mechanics leaving Audrick’s team garage. The next day during what should have been the biggest race of his career. He was on track to win the season. Audrick’s vehicle jerked hard to the right and lifted off the track. The crash was horrific and his car exploded as it bounced down the track. Audrick didn’t survive the crash. At first Alexander was shocked, then he thought back to what he had seen the night before. He confronted the team owner about what he had seen demanding the mechanic be questioned. In a fit of rage and heightened emotions, he was fired and he knew deep in his soul that his team had been behind whatever the mechanical failure was that caused the crash. Alexander left racing at the ripe age of 28. The owner sued him for breach of contract even though he was fired. He left racing with little to his name.
He went back to college and became an engineer like his father. He went to work at his father’s company and helped develop new technology to help the world. He worked in energy systems and drive systems. He and his father made a killer team. The most positive thing to happen from this is that he got to spend more time with his daughter. He got her over the summer and she spent the school year with her mother. They always spent time together doing things she liked and they went to a race or two with her grandfather. It was a tradition they upheld every year. Alexander didn’t let many people into his life. He had been hurt so badly that he didn’t really trust many people any more. He had not had a serious relationship since Candace. He had a few drinking buddies but no one that he really let in.
Fast forward and now his daughter was going off to college. She had chosen to stay close to her mother and was attending UCLA. Alexander didn’t care since UCLA was a decent school. What mattered most to him was that she was healthy and happy. He got a phone call that no parent wants to get. His daughter had been on her way to class when she had been hit by a drunk driver. He had flown to LA. She was in ICU and it was touch and go for about 2 weeks. She had been in a coma. She had experienced extreme trauma. When she woke up, the doctor’s confirmed their fears that she was going to be paralyzed from the neck down. There were implants that could help but most of the cybernetics available could only help those paralyzed from the waist down. They still couldn’t do much to help quadriplegics. There was a whole lot more damage and information to help with. There were new experimental options but they were not covered by insurance and they were costly. He didn’t have that kind of money. For the first time in years, he had cried and prayed for a solution.
He was in his hotel room that night on the phone with his father when he got a phone call from someone he hadn’t heard from in years. Audrick’s wife Alicia Mulder was calling him. He told his father he would call him back. Alicia was sobbing and begging for his help. She told him that Paul, Audrick’s son, had just been hired to be the rookie driver for team Valkyrie. She was terrified that what happened to Audrick would happen to him. She had called in some favors and she wanted him to be his crew chief and the team lead. He explained why he couldn’t leave and take the job that his daughter needed him. She was in the hospital. She made a deal with him to get Arianna into an experimental cybernetic program for her condition and pay all expenses if he would take the job. Alexander was poleaxed. He had sworn he would never go back to racing and that den of cutthroat thieves. He couldn’t believe she was asking him to do this for her. As a parent and someone who had lived that life, he understood her fears. He sighed and accepted her proposal. It was Arianna’s best chance for a better quality of life. He agreed to take the job but he refused to leave until Arianna had come through her surgery. Now he had to face his future. He walked to the corner store that night and bought a bottle of the best whiskey they had. He proceeded to get plastered and passed out wondering what the hell he had just agreed too.
Racing DNA
Overview: Alexander always preferred a balanced approach. He felt too many augments could be as big an issue as none at all. He also preferred to start with natural talent and skills and build up. He didn’t believe that more augmentation was necessarily the best for the pilot. He had his own issues and trauma over implants as a guide. The strategy used would depend on the technology and team you had to back that technology up. If you had a top of the line energy system but didn’t have the right person to tune it and help you use it, then it was worthless. He liked reviewing all his options and doing the best with what he had available while looking for better. He believed in getting down to the details, training for all team members, and consistency in performance. The more they all trained on possible scenarios the safer the whole team was. He was a fanatic about safety.
Skills: Alexander is a motor head and an engineer. He has experience as a pilot. He has skills as a pilot. He understands what it takes to win. He has lines he won’t cross though to make that happen.
Special Trait: Alexander has a unique point of view because he has been in the driver’s seat and understands the skill, drive, and psychology necessary to win. He also has an engineering background and can understand the technology and explanations and how to implement that tech and tune to help the team push forward. He has experience on both sides of the equation.
Controversy : Alexander’s exit from racing was controversial. He was sued by the team owner and lost almost everything. His name had been drug through the mud by his former team and the media. He had been so angry at the time, he didn’t try to refute or change public opinion. He had not seen the need to. He had never planned to be back in the limelight again. He was not the most marketable crew chief in the game. He was going to mouth off and say the wrong things in front of the camera at some point. The marketing team has their work cut out for them!He is also fanatical about safety because of his past. He comes across as over the top about it. Others think he takes it too far. In his eyes, he can’t stress it enough.
Likes: Beer, whiskey, racing, speed, classic cars, outdoors, space, swearing,coffee, and dogs Dislikes: Liars, cheating, hates the spotlight, paparazzi, interviews, being forced into emotional vulnerability, sharing feelings, perky people Other Information: Don’t speak to him before he has had his coffee! While he believes in getting an early start, he absolutely can’t be civil before coffee.
