Automation D - First stage of touge battles! | Final race!

Radster · 26 June 2017 18:49

CHAPTER TWELVE: Orbistani legend.

A slav-looking man emerged from the crowd. He walked towards a brown O.K.B 1000, and got into it; he drove it to the starting line, where Yui had already stopped her car, and lined it up with Yui’s.

Yui didn’t know what to think of the car. She walked towards the driver and shook his hand. “Yui Takeda, nice to mee-” “I AM ORBISTANI LEGEND. THREE TIME TIME RALLY CUP WINNER. NICE TO MEET YOU.” - As the man said this with energy and determination, Yui raised an eyebrow. “Oh, well, a rally driver; seems like this race is going to be a challenge.” - Thought Yui, before getting into her car. The Orbistani racer did the same, strapping himself to the seat, igniting the engine and gripping the wheel.

The organizer stopped between the two. “Get ready to race, racers! Nine, eight, seven…” - The Orbistani and the Japanese racer looked at each other one last time before launching.

“GO!”.

(Race’s theme!)

Both racers started pressing the upshift paddles as the cars launched, fighting an acceleration battle during the first straight. Yui won it, taking the lead and entering the first corner at vertiginous speeds followed by the Orbistani racer. She also noticed her engine sound drowned Daniil’s; looks like she wouldn’t be able to use that to keep track of her opponent.

“Alright, me, let’s avoid looking through the mirror, I need to concentrate on the road.” - Thought Yui, who turned her rear view mirror away from her line of sight. She would now need to concentrate 100%. The Seishido gripped its way through the second corner, and so did the OKB.

Yui focused on the first hairpin. She braked into it and started drifting by letting go of the gas sharply; the car started sliding and she controlled the drift, carefully caressing the throttle. She got out of the corner, and floored it again before the second hairpin, where she repeated the proccess. The spectators near the turn cheered; this was a great show of skill after all. The OKB handbrake-drifted it.

She floored it and entered the first high speed section. But something felt off; she didn’t quite know what, but something did not feel right. However, she didn’t let that overwhelm her mind and braked to enter the third hairpin, which she gripped to avoid wearing her tyres too much, using the late apex technique. The OKB gripped it too.

A few seconds later she was gripping the fourth hairpin. During the second high speed section, she started feeling something was off again, but she kept focusing on the road. Maybe her opponent was just trying to break her morale to overtake in the least expected moment. As soon as the high speed section ended, she late-braked and entered the fifth hairpin, which she drifted to block any attempt to overtake from Daniil. She floored it once again as soon as she exited the hairpin.

Something was feeling really off, though! “Alright, after the five consecutive hairpins I’m going to check what’s going on. This doesn’t feel right.” - Thought Yui. She entered the sixth hairpin, gripped it and once she exited it, floored it on her way to the five consecutive hairpins. She arrived without Daniil attempting anything, and she gripped her way through the five hairpins, dropping her wheels into the gutters, and tidying her lines by left-foot braking. She exited the last hairpin.

“What? Why did the Orbistani not try anything?” - Thought Yui. She adjusted her rear view mirror again and…nobody was chasing her. She looked at her right, at her left and checked the rear view mirror again. He wasn’t there. Did she lose him?

Yui drove her way to the finishing line, where people were waiting for her. She stopped, and turned the car around. After 40 seconds, the OKB finally appeared. She waited for the car to cross the finishing line and followed it to the summit. She looked at Daniil a few times, with a completely neutral expression.

They finally got to the summit, where people remained mostly silent. Yui and Daniil got out of their cars, and Yui walked towards Daniil. “Uuuh…mind if I check your suspension later?” - Daniil raised an eyebrow, but he nodded.

“Alright people, round 1 has ended! Round 2 will start tomorrow, so I want you to be here at 20:30PM for the races to be announced! See you tomorrow, people.” - After the organizer said that, people started packing up. The last two people to leave, however, where Yui and Daniil.

“Daniil…how do I say this?” - Said Yui, after checking Daniil’s car. “Your suspension…” “Yes?” - Replied Daniil. “What wrong with suspension?”. Yui looked at him. “It is set up for rallying…”.

To be continued.

Times spreadsheet:

abg7 · 27 June 2017 11:56

And so ends the first stage of this competition… Who knows what the next one will bring?

Edit: The OKB was never going to make it to the next round with an off-road setup like the one it used for this challenge!

ramthecowy · 27 June 2017 13:32

I’m guessing the challenge host would.

Oskiinus · 27 June 2017 13:59

Definitely less memes, since Orbistani meme is out

Radster · 27 June 2017 16:40

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Round 2.

(Chapter’s theme!)

Mount Haruna, 20:30PM. Friday the 23rd of June, 2017.

The crowd that gathered that night was waiting for the organizer to stop typing on Tora’s laptop; after typing for a while, he gave the laptop back to Tora and walked towards the crowd. “Alright, people! We’re gathered here once again, for round 2. Eight racers were eliminated during round 1, and eight remained. We’ll have four races this time, so only four racers will make it to round 3. Now, Tora has been randomizing the matchmaking once again, but this time, I’ll announce who races who from the very beginning.”

People cheered. Tora watched, in complete silence, as the organizer spoke to the crowd. He sighed internally, and looked at the racers that had made it to round 2, inspecting them one by one, wondering who drove each car.

“Now…races will be the following. Tonight, Gavin Anderson will face Luka Bogdanov and Ram and Evan will face Nicholas Justinian! And tomorrow, Harry Jakeman will race against Yui Takeda, and to end the round, Yasmin Rodrigues and Matt Sierra will face off!”.

The crowd broke into applause. Round 2 was on, and the stakes were higher than before. Who will survive…and who will be defeated?

Luka and Gavin drove their cars to the starting line. All of the other drivers, the ones who were going to race after, and the ones who raced in round 1 too, gathered at the sides of the starting line. Some cigarettes were lighted.

The drivers exited the cars and walked towards each other.

To be continued.

Oskiinus · 27 June 2017 18:26

Madoka went to the start line, sat on guardrail and looked on both Valentia and Berlose, after that she thought:

Actually, I’m not sure what would I think. I’ve tuned Berlose for Gavin to make him more capable overall with this, hm, Big Mumma, as he calls it, so theoritically it would be faster. I’ve tuned it to compete with Yasmin, but I haven’t expected that this yuppie will fight with Luka. His driving style, along with brutal force of his car can be deadly. Gavin, I believe in you, you can even win – but, drive safely.

Madoka opened a can of Lipton Ice Tea and, when she drank it, she was thinking again:

On the other side, I’ll see who’s method is better – self-educating guy who would most likely to date me I guess, or a Russian hammer of the human who solely does his job.
Gavin is about to battle the driver and car incarnation of Tsar Bomb. I hope he won’t end up somewhere down the cliff.
On the other hand, I wonder how this British lad will surprise me this time.

After that, she noticed that race is about to start, and as part of being surprised she fell on her back from the guardrail, shortly stood up and threw the empty can to the bin, later went to her Seishi to follow Luka and Gavin’s race from behind, not disturbing them.

Radster · 27 June 2017 19:05

##CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Battle of sedannes!

Both drivers shook their hands. “Gavin Anderson.” - Said the journalist. “Luka Bogdanov” - Replied the younger man. After shaking hands as usual, both drivers got into their respective cars, and strapped themselves to the seats. The V6s fought an exhaust tone war, as the drivers repeatedly blipped their throttle pedals; meanwhile, the organizer stopped between the two cars, and lifted both arms. “We’re going to start the countdown! Nine, eight, seven…!”.

Both drivers focused completely on launching their cars, revving their engines. The engines screamed, only muffled by the catalytic converter, like a war cry. “Three, two, one…!”. Gavin and Luka pressed the clutch and engaged first gear.

“GO!”.

(Race’s theme!)

Both drivers launched forward, sliding their tyres during the first metres of the starting straight. Even though they were neck to neck during the acceleration, Luka barely got the upper hand. Both cars powerslid their way through the first corner. However, Luka had to constantly fight his oversteery car. “Looks like he’s fighting against the car.” - Thought Gavin, who was drafting behind the Conte.

The cars powerslid their way through the second corner again, with Gavin keeping up with Luka. “Huh, looks like he’s improved quite a bit compared to his first race.” - Thought Luka, at the same time he countersteered. They approached the first hairpin swiftly, braking and heel-toeing through the gears until they engaged second gear. Luka drifted through the hairpin, trying to block any attempt from Gavin to overtake him. The Brit kept pushing, putting pressure on Luka, with the hope of making him make a mistake and using it to pass him. Both drivers got out of the first hairpin and entered the short straight before the second one.

Both drivers started braking to take the second hairpin; Luka started drifting, but he would soon realize he entered to corner too fast: the g forces pushed him to the outside, while he watched how the Erin Berlose gripped the road and passed him on the inside. Gavin exited the corner, followed by Luka. They entered the first high speed section.

“Dammit! This car is going to kill me some day.” - Thought Luka, as he pressed the gas pedal. “I need to recover my position…should I trick him? Should I be aggressive? What to do?”.

The more powerful Berlose pushed through the high speed section, followed by the Conte, which was drafting behind. Both cars started braking, heel toeing again their way to the desired gear. The Erin gripped his way through the corner, with the Conte following him neck to neck, drifting. “Alright, Gavin, remember. You survive the five hairpins, the race is yours. Let’s do this.”

Both cars entered the fourth hairpin. Gavin started braking, only to realize he braked too early; he looked at his right, Luka had already entered the turn, passing and blocking him. “Bloody 'ell, Gavin, FOCUS!” - The journalist thought. Both cars entered the second high speed section, neck to neck. As the Erin closed the gap, Gavin attempted to overtake Luka a few times; the Conte blocked every attempt successfully, though.

They finally entered the medium speed section before the fifth hairpin; both cars braked into the corner, and Luka started drifting, with Gavin following right behind him. As Gavin drifted behind Luka, he noticed something: the gutters were shallow enough not to damage his suspension, but deep enough to make a difference in cornering. “Could I use them…?” - he thought.

The last high speed section went on pretty quickly, and both cars entered the last hairpin before the five consecutive ones. Luka decided to drift it as usual, whereas Gavin decided to try the gutter run. He dropped his wheels into the gutter, allowing him to corner faster. Luka looked how the journalist claimed his first position once again, gritting his teeth. Both cars exited the corner, now entering the five consecutive hairpins section.

On the turns leading to the five hairpins, Luka tried to overtake Gavin several times, only to find himself blocked again and again. “Okay, here comes the five hairpins…it is now or never!” - Thought Luka. “If I survive the hairpins, race’s mine. Let’s do this.” - Thought Gavin.

The drivers entered the first hairpin. Gavin gripped it, using the late apex technique, with Luka drifting it at the same time. They kept doing the same, until, during the fifth hairpin Luka had an idea: he turned off his head lights. Gavin looked at his rear view mirror. Luka wasn’t there. “Did I lose him?” - The journalist thought.

A few seconds later, he started hearing a buzzing sound approaching by his left. Luka turned his lights on again, and Gavin looked how Luka overtook him. “How did he pull that off without crashing?”.

There was only one hairpin left before the last section of the track. Gavin took a deep breath.

Both cars entered the last hairpin. Gavin got on the outside. “Alright, he’s gonna attack me on the outside.” - Thought Luka. He started drifting, covering the outside, but a few fractions of second later…he saw Gavin getting on the inside; the journalist dropped his wheels into the gutter.

At the finishing line, people held their breath. The tyres could be heard squealing, and the engines roaring. The cars were finally audible at the other side of the last corner.

The Berlose appeared first, with the Valentía behind. Both crossed the line in that order. Gavin had won.

Both cars returned to the summit, were Luka shook Gavin’s hand with a smile. “Grreat rrace, jourrnalist man!”. Gavin shook his hand back. It had been an incredible race.

“People! Alright, calm down. It is time for Ram&Evan to face Nicholas Justinian. Racers, get ready!”.

To be continued.

Times spreadsheet:

DeusExMackia · 27 June 2017 19:57

#Gavin Anderson’s Japanese Excursion - Race 2
The wait for his next race becomes frustrating. The engineers keep tinkering with Big Mumma and sending it out on tests, occasionally with him in it. Every 10th of a second counts.

Madoka told him everything about Big Ed. Gavin was less than pleased, but he couldn’t exactly complain. This was going to happen at some point, it was dealing with it now that mattered. Meh, I guess we have to email him. It wasn’t pleasant typing it, but pressing send was at least a bit of a relief - he would have reduced the damage he was going to receive partially.

Next day, the reply comes in from the office - “You’re doing Goodwood the day you get back, and I don’t give two shits how jet lagged you are. Also, no driving cars, and I want at least 1500 words on the Bonham Owners Club exhibition. Talking to old men about their classic Bonhams can be your punishment. Or part of it.” - Eugh. Well, at least he wasn’t fired. Though the bit at the end about “keeping this quiet, or else” was a little concerning.

Madoka met with the engineers and got them to change the brake pads on Big Mumma. She was using some left over ones they had lying around, and they were not handling her weight with any care. The results were almost immediate.

Another night of touge driving - wait, is that Mado and Luka talking with each other? Gavin’s grand plans of wooing her were being ruined. Or at least he thought. It was a very teenagery response, and he knew it. Best play it cool, he thought to himself.

The following evening, they meet prior to the race. They sit by the roadside and watch the drivers doing some last minute practicing, as well as the various other cars passing by. And for once, Gavin isn’t an arsehole. God, maybe seeing those two together made me change my act.

Finally, the first round is done. Gavin gets a good nights sleep, in preparation for tomorrow.

Up early next morning. Fuck it, we’re going for a run, and taking in some of this Japanese mountain air. Gavin had almost forgotten how much he kept with his fitness while here. He wasn’t a gym freak by any means, but he cared about his figure. Perhaps more than he should.

Evening comes. Last minute tweaks to Big Mumma have been made. Then the shocker; Gavin is drawn first, against noneother than Luka. It’s like a fairytale, except it’s a really shit one. Still, time to see if all these changes have tamed the big girl.

And boy they have. More than that, Gavin has grown in confidence. He wins - only just - but it’s a victory nonetheless. Madoka greets him when he gets back to the hilltop - “You only just went and beat him” - “I only just went and did just that”. It was big victory for him in his head, he’d defeated his arch nemes- no, Gavin, this is not a film of your life. You won a race, it doesn’t mean anything for you and Madoka.

The engineers swarm around the car. She seems to have developed a taste for back firing with some pretty big flames, and it’s possibly damaging the exhaust. Oh well, it is being tuned to within an inch of its life anyway. What did they expect?

He sees Matt standing in the crowd. Best go talk to him. “Yeah, I’m aware of Big Ed’s ‘rage’ at me” - “You best be careful mate, how else am I going to deal with Linda and Christina if I haven’t got you in the office?” - “Trust me, I’m going to be. Glad to know you didn’t rat me out.” - “As if I would” Matt said jokingly. Gavin was glad to have him as a colleague. I really out to try and be proper friends with him he thought.

Radster · 28 June 2017 21:34

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: American vs JDM: rainy showdown!

Some clouds were approaching Mount Haruna. The organizer looked at them, hoping it wouldn’t rain that night.

Nicholas got into his car. He started it up; the crossplane, pushrod V8 rumbled and clacked, unmuffled, on its way to the starting line, where the Kimura duo waited. He lined his car up and got out of it.

“I’m Evan, and the driver’s Ram.” - Said Evan, shaking Nicholas’ hand. “Nicholas Justinian. Better get going, we don’t have all the night.” - As Nicholas said that, he walked back to his car and strapped himself to the seat. Ram and Evan did the same thing, and as both engines started up, the I6 fought a exhaust tone war against the pushrod V8. People cheered, delighted by the voice of these machines’ hearts.

The organizer stood, once again, between the two cars. “Alright, we’re going to start the countdown. Nine, eight, seven…!”. Ram and Evan took a final look at Nicholas, who was, on the other hand, focused on the road completely. “Three, two, one…!”. Nicholas started caressing the upshift paddle, while Ram pressed the clutch and engaged first gear.

“GO!”

(Race’s theme!)

Nicholas mashed the upshift paddle, and Ram let go of the clutch pedal swiftly but steadily. Both cars launched forward in an spectacle of wheelspin, burnt rubber and rev limiters going off. The Interval won the acceleration war fought during the first straight, thanks to a better low end performance.

As both cars left, some water drops started falling from the sky. People looked up; some thunders could be heard in the distance. A few seconds later, a light rain started falling all over Mount Haruna.

Both cars entered the two first corners; as they took them, they noticed their cars slipped more than usual, forcing them to drive slower and fight more oversteer. “Ram, it’s raining! Alright, be really careful exiting the turns, the car is more prone to spin out.” - Ram nodded. “Shit, is it raining?” - Thought Nicholas.

Both cars started approaching the first hairpin; Ram heel-toed carefully, hoping his rear wheels wouldn’t spin. Nicholas pressed the downshit paddles carefully, avoiding revving the engine too much, to avoid spinning them. Both cars powerslid their way through the corner, but both drivers managed to navigate the corner without much problem.

The drivers found themselves forced to go easier on the throttle, as the rain intensified and some water streams formed at the sides of the road. The cars approached the second hairpin, which both slided through dangerously. The drivers started sweating: one wrong move and they could get themselves killed or seriously injured; at the same time, they had to worry about winning the race.

Both cars navigated the first high speed section being extremely cautious; the speeds they reached at it were more than frightening when they were reached in a rain-covered road. Both cars started braking to take the third hairpin; but Nicholas braked too much and too late, making his car slide towards the outside of the road. He panicked, correcting the understeer; and he managed to do so, but he looked at his right: he was being overtaken by the Kimura duo, who were powersliding their way through the corner, managing to keep the oversteer under control. As soon as he could, he accelerated again and followed the Helruna through the fourth hairpin.

“Great job, Ram. You took advantage of his mistake, but don’t relax, we still have to keep the position.” - Evan said, as Ram carefully applied gas to accelerate. “I have to keep up and overtake them somehow…this rain, though! Looks like the weather doesn’t want me to win.” - Nicholas thought, as he drafted behind the Kimura. As they entered the medium speed corners before the fifth hairpin, both drivers noticed someone, in a GT86, looking at them; they couldn’t recognize the person, though.

The cars reached the fifth hairpin; both Ram and Nicholas powerslid the corner, neck to neck. Ram looked at his rear view mirror. “Looks like this guy is no amateur, Evan.” “Focus on driving, forget about the Shromet.” - Ram nodded, and both cars exited the hairpin, entering the last high speed section before the five consecutive hairpins. Nicholas kept drafting behind, closing any hint of a gap between them; and he was getting the hang of driving under the rain as well.

Ram started braking for the sixth hairpin, but his tail started moving all over the place; he corrected the oversteer, and started powersliding the corner, only to find Nicholas dropping his wheels in the inside gutter and overtaking them. “Evan, I…I…sorry, the tail kicked out.” “Don’t lose your focus, Ram. Keep driving; the five consecutive hairpins are where the races are decided. We’ll overtake him there.” Both drivers entered the corners leading up to the five hairpins.

Ram managed to keep up with Nicholas. Both drivers had to constantly fight oversteer, as the water reduced their grip. Nicholas entered the first hairpin, followed closely by Ram, blocking every overtaking attempt from him. The situation remained the same until the last hairpin. Nicholas braked too late again, sending him to the outside of the road; Ram didn’t waste the opportunity and dropped his wheels in the gutter, overtaking the Shromet.

“Nice job, Ram. We got this, just make sure you don’t make any more mistakes.” - Ram nodded, and he started caressing the brake, entering the last hairpin, followed by Nicholas. Even if he had to fight the oversteer his rear-heavy car produced, he managed to keep up with the duo during the corner. Only one section remained; Nicholas got in the inside.

Both the roaring sound of the I6 and the rumble of the V8 were audible from the finishing line. They would arrive any second now. People held their breath.

Both cars appeared at the same time. “I’ll show you the power of a good ol’ American V8.” - Thought Nicholas. Both cars floored it once the rear ends were stable again; a drag race had started, which the Shromet was slowly starting to win.

The Shromet crossed the line first, with the Helruna following him closely. Nicholas had won.

Both cars drove back to the summit, were the drivers shook hands once again. The organizer told everybody to come back the following day at the same hour, and announced that it was going to be the final day for round 2.

To be continued.

Times spreadsheet:

ramthecowy · 28 June 2017 21:40

Hoooo that’s the closest a race has been by far! Great writing too!

anon14927014 · 29 June 2017 22:40

Actually nah, the first race was the closest.

abg7 · 29 June 2017 23:36

It was highly likely that the competition would be even more intense in the second round, and on the most recent evidence, it clearly has!

Oskiinus · 30 June 2017 18:43

Lake Haruna pier, 24/06/2017, morning.

Madoka, as she was sitting on the pier and watching how surroundings of the lake are getting alive analyzed situations from first night of round 2, reading her notes and thinking:

I’m happy with first race. Gavin had shown again what he’s really worth. This guy has a talent. Let’s play cool until the end of this, hm, tournament, let’s not de-focus him. But, if Luka had a car that wouldn’t want to kill him he would easily win that.
Second race was actually more interesting. It’s surprising how an outdated sports car with horrible weight balance, way too much power won in rain with balanced and stunning street racing machine. This Shromet is too powerful for anyone in the competition, even for Justinian himself. He’ll crash, I’m sure.

After that, she stood up and called Matt Sierra to discuss important things that are going to happen this night. After all, Matt finally agreed to come and after 25 minutes he was on place. When Madoka saw him, she walked towards him, and with emotionless face expression and voice sound (as well as in whole conversation with him) told him:

It’s great that you could come here.
Alright, jap, you’re fine that I have free time. - the british guy told as an answer. - What do you need from me?
Sierra, you’re going to race with Yasmin Rodrigues. As a person who had raced with her I thought you’ll need my help. - Madoka answered the question.
For first: Call me simply „Matt”. There’s no need to be official if you’re Gavin’s friend. His friends are my friends. - He smiled. - I remember your race and how you would not let Yasmin go. What do you know about her that I could use?
First – Madoka started – Yasmin’s main strength is trickery. She claims that she’s a track expert, meanwhile it looks different – This girl may know track driving tricks, I know them too, but the difference is that Yasmin executes moves that could even risk lives of her opponents, including Yasmin herself. For second, stay calm and try to predict her every move. I’d recommend standing behind to watch how will she go and wait for mistake that could not be fixed.
Alright, Madoka, how to beat her?
Using trickery would be clever move, but after all it’s just stupid. I’d say, drive as fast as you can, don’t show her your best, and avoid the S2 Surge as much as you can. I’m pretty sure that she could be desperate enough to even cause a double crash, like she tried on our race.
Okay… Any other stuff? - Matt asked, correcting his glasses.
Avoid Surge. That’s all. Oh, and win. I want to see her losing. - Madoka answered.

After this conversation, Matt walked away to his placeholder Merciel for daily driving in Japan and Madoka was standing still on the pier and watching the people swimming.

Radster · 30 June 2017 18:57

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Penultimate night: the finale is near.

People were gathered at the summit once again. The organizer stood in the middle of the crowd once again.

“Listen up, people. First of all, I want to announce that tonight is going to be the penultimate night. Round 3, where only two racers will survive, and the final race, will take place tomorrow. So make sure you don’t show up late or you might miss something. And last, but not least, I wanted to thank you all for religiously attending these races and car meets. You’re making this possible, people!” - As soon as the organizer stopped talking, the crowd broke into applause.

“Alright, first match tonight will be Harry Jakeman against Yui Takeda, and then Matt Sierra will face Yasmin Rodrigues! Racers, you know what to do!”.

Harry and Yui got into their respective cars and lined them up at the starting line once again. After stopping them, they got out of the cars and walked towards each other, shaking hands. “Name’s Harry.” - The young man said. “Yui. Let’s go.” - Replied the woman, entering the car and strapping herself to the seat. Harry did the same.

Both engines were ignited.

To be continued.

Radster · 30 June 2017 21:24

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Kei car faces large coupé.

The organizer stood between the two cars once again. “We’re gonna start the countdown now! Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four…!”. Yui took a last look at Harry, and Harry did the same; both racers tried to analyze their opponent. As the man counted down, the racers caressed the upshift paddles, at the same time they revved their engines to launch.

“GO!”.

(Race’s theme!)

Both cars launched forward, as the sequential systems engaged first gear. The cars slid their first metres through the starting straight, starting an acceleration war. It was won by Jakeman, thanks to his double clutch transmission, opposed to Yui’s single clutch one.

Both racers entered the first corner fast as lightning, gripping their way through it. Yui, however, understeered a little bit, and found herself force to tidy her trajectory up by left foot braking. “Dammit. Why does my car understeer so badly compared to his car?”. Both cars entered the second corner, barely braking, powersliding through it.

Harry looked at his rear view mirror. He was starting to leave Yui behind. “This will be a piece a cake” - Harry thought. As the cars approached the first hairpin, Yui tried to brake as late as she could, trying to shrink the gap between her and Harry. However, she kept finding herself mashing the brake pedal, seeing how the higher weight her car had made her have to break earlier and more. Harry gripped the hairpin, using the late-apex technique he learned when he raced Martin; Yui followed him, using the same technique.

Yui was able to close a small part of the gap during the short straight leading up to the second hairpin, but the gap grew again when both cars had to brake. “He widens the gap at the corners, and I reduce it at the straights. But this is a technical track, how am I supposed to rely on the straights?”. Both cars gripped their way through the second hairpin, using the late-apex technique.

The drivers entered the first high speed section, flooring the throttle pedal. Even if Yui managed to close part of the gap, the Yajiri still struggled to keep up with the Accursio. The cars entered the third hairpin, which Harry drifted to avoid any attempt from Yui to overtake; she, one the other hand, was nowhere near able to overtake her opponent, and just gripped the corner. The gap between the two kept growing and growing as they made their way through the fourth hairpin.

“She’ll be gone by the five consecutive hairpins. I got this” - Thought Harry. Both cars navigated the second high speed section, on their way to the fifth hairpin; the distance between the two made drafting really difficult. Yui was really starting to fall behind.

There had to be a way. But how? His opponent looked practically unbeatable!

Both cars entered the fifth hairpin. Yui noticed the gutter on the inside, and dropped her wheels into it; however, Harry soon realized what his opponent tried and dropped his wheels into the gutter too. Both cars exited the corner. “Not even a gutter run works? How do I beat him?”. - Thought Yui. The high speed section that followed ended soon, and the cars found themselves in the sixth hairpin.

Yui tried to drop her wheels into the gutter again; but Harry mimicked her once again. Yui gritted her teeth. She would lose him if the situation remained the same!

The cars finally entered the five consecutive hairpins. As the cars went through them, Yui realized something: even if she was nowhere near overtaking Harry, the gutter runs were allowing her to keep up. They exited the last consecutive hairpin, and headed for the last hairpin; Yui started wondering: what would be faster? The late apex technique or a gutter run? Or…both? She had an idea, but would it work?

Both cars entered the last hairpin. This time, Harry drifted, seeing that Yui was gripping the road. However…she dropped her wheels into the gutter once she reached the apex of the turn, getting on the inside effectively. Harry looked at his right, not believing what Yui was pulling off.

The cars were now audible at the finishing line. People looked at the last turn, in complete silence.

The Seishido appeared first, with the Accursio following behind. Yui crossed the line, winning the race, followed by the Accursio. Harry had no words…had he just been beaten?

People at the summit celebrated yet another race. The organizer clapped at the racers that just arrived; they shook hands and got their cars out of the way.

“Alright, people! Let’s end round 2 with the race between Matt Sierra and Yasmin Rodrigues! Racers, get ready!”.

To be continued.

Times spreadsheet:

Radster · 1 July 2017 18:57

##CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Matt vs Yasmin, rally vs track 2!

Both Matt and Yasmin got into their cars, driving them to the starting line and lining up. Yasmin got out of her Surge; and so did Matt, walking towards her. The racers shook hands. “Yasmin Rodrigues. Let’s race!” - Said the woman, in an enthusiastic voice tone. “Matt Sierra. Let’s go.” - Replied the man.

The two got into their cars and strapped themselves to their seats. A few moments later, the engines were ignited; Matt’s V8 rumbled, with Yasmin’s V6 growling a few metres away. The organizer lifted both arms, between the two cars. “We’re going to start the countdown! Nine, eight, seven, six…!” - As the organizer counted down, the drivers blipped their throttle pedals. Matt looked at Yasmin, remembering what he had been told by Madoka the previous night: “Avoid the Surge.” - The rally driver let these words resonate inside his head. Both drivers pressed their clutch pedals and engaged first gear. “Two, one…!”

“GO!”

(Race’s theme!)

The cars launched forward, squealing their tyres during their first metres of the starting straight, for as long as the wheels weren’t able to grip the road. The cars started accelerating, both drivers banging through the gears, with Yasmin getting the upper hand towards the end of the straight. She took a quick glance at Matt, who seemed to be completely focused, as she passed him. The cars powerslid their way through the first corner, at high speeds, their tyres squealing and their engines screaming.

Yasmin looked at her rear view mirror. “The rally driver’s still keeping up. Alright, let’s see how we can do this.” - Thougt Yasmin. “Great start, Yasmin, but let’s see how you do at the hairpins.” - Matt thought that, taking a quick look at his handbrake lever. Both cars powerslid the second corner as well, approaching the first hairpin at full speed. The Merciel kept up by drafting, and as soon as both cars reached the braking point, they started heel-toeing their way to second gear; Yasmin gripped the corner, whereas Matt pulled the handbrake, making the Merciel drift through the corner.

Both racers repeated their strategies through the second corner: by the time they exited the second hairpin, Matt had closed part of the gap; the rally driver kept up with the track racer by drafting behind her.

Yasmin started heel-toeing her way to second gear, to take the third hairpin; however, she started hearing a buzzing sound from the outside of the road and looked at her left: Matt was braking late. The rally driver pulled the handbrake again, completing the corner before the Surge managed to do so. She ran out of words to describe the move the rally driver had just pulled on her.

Both cars entered the fourth hairpin, the rally driver repeating the proccess, and Yasmin using the late-apex technique again. As the cars exited the hairpin and entered the second high speed section, Yasmin located herself to draft behind Matt. “I better not look back. I better focus on driving.” - Thought Matt, turning the rear view mirror away from him.

Both cars navigated the medium speed turns before the fifth hairpin; Yasmin got in the inside of the road, waiting for Matt to brake.

Matt braked, and started turning. Yasmin approached him from the inside and gently bumped his car, throwing him out of his line, but gently enough not to make him spin out. Matt countersteered, at the same time he saw Yasmin overtaking him on the inside, using the gutter.

“I know that was rough, but I had to do it if I wanted to overtake you. No hard feelings.” - Thought Yasmin, as she exited the hairpin, with Matt following her behind. Both cars entered the last high speed section, with the Merciel drafting behind the Surge again. The cars approached the sixth hairpin, Yasmin gripping it and Matt drifting it using his handbrake.

The high speed sections were finally over. The cars approached the five consecutive hairpins now; Yasmin kept gripping them, trying to prevent any attempt from Matt to overtake her. However, on the fifth hairpin, Matt tried to pull the handbrake earlier: he started drifting, but his trajectory was so sharp that he dropped a wheel in the gutter, allowing him to overtake Yasmin on the inside.

“What the hell?” - Shouted Yasmin. “Matt, you pulled it off, you mad man.” - Thought Matt. Both cars exited the hairpin, approaching the final hairpin.

Yasmin had to recover the position. Matt had to keep it. Both cars dropped their wheels into the gutter, entering the last short straight. Yasmin looked at Matt. “Wait, what if I…?” - She thought.

Yasmin veered her car to the right. Matt relocated his rear view mirror, seeing this; he veered to the right, too, blocking the inside, but fractions of a second later, Yasmin turned her car to the left, taking advantage of the impulse generated by drafting. Matt looked at his left, horrified.

People held their breat at the finishing line once again; the engines and tyres squealing were audible clearly. They would arrive any second now.

The Surge appeared first, with the Marciel drifting behind. They crossed the line in the same order. Yasmin won. Both cars turned around and started climbing the hill; Matt lined up with Yasmin, and gave her a thumbs up.

At the summit, the organizer was typing like crazy on Tora’s laptop. “Alright, people! This is the end of round 2. Races will start tomorrow, same hour! See you tomorrow.” People packed up and started leaving.

To be continued.

Times spreadsheet:

Nomade0013 · 1 July 2017 19:19

“Man, this Matt guys was quite the opponent! I even had to touch him to pass!”, Yasmin was excited with the last race, she couldn’t take the big smile out of her face, “this has been so much fun, it was the right choice to enter this challenge”, she thought, “but now I’ll take a shower and hit the bed, tomorrow I have the finals waiting for me, and this guys are even stronger.”

Dorifto_Dorito · 1 July 2017 23:50

#Matt’s Mad Merciel Adventure: Closure

Well, in the end, I didnt expect to get this far. Me an absolute newbie at “touge” in a car that I only spent about a day to get ready. Oh well, it was bloody great fun. As for the last race, I certainly wasnt expecting that move, I guess Ms Madoka was right to warn me about unexpected attacks. I would spectate the last few races, but I’ve got to get packing, going to Hokkaido to report on the amateur rally scene in Japan. I guess I’ll have to hand back the old 124 back to Shinn. I should probably say goodbye to Gavin and Ms Madoka, whilst Im at it too. Okay, off to Hokkaido I go!

Radster · 2 July 2017 12:06

##CHAPTER NINETEEN: The final night arrives.

Mount Haruna. 25th of June, 2017. 20:00PM.

(Chapter’s theme!)

People started gathering once again, but this time, the crowd was much bigger than the previous nights. Some people who had watched the races on the tournament forum had decided to drive their way to Mount Haruna, to witness the races themselves.

All of the racers were gathered there too; from Jürgen and Suzette, watching everything happen next to their AAU to Martin Todd, Katsumi and the Line Sixes crew, the Orbistani rally driver, Harry Jakeman and Mike Connelly sharing information about their tunes and how they could be improved, Luka talking to Ram and Evan in a really broken English, the helmet-wearing woman silently watching how the mysterious MrChips worked on his car and Madoka drinking a bottle of iced tea while she waited for the races to start. The only racer that couldn’t attend the last races was Matt Sierra, who had to leave to report on the rally scene on Hokkaido.

The racers that would race that night were, on the other hand, working on their cars: Gavin Anderson checked the latest tune that had been made to his Berlose; Yasmin changed her worn tyres for a fresh set; Yui fitted a new air filter, less restrictive than the one she used before; and Nicholas Justinian adjusted his rear wing.

The organizer, followed by his assistant Tora, approached the crowd. He cleared his throat and raised his voice: “Good evening, people. I see no one is willing to miss the racing that is going to take place here tonight. I’m flattered, but I’m not the star here. The stars tonight are the drivers and their cars! And I will announce the matchups now.” - The organizer waited a couple of seconds before talking again, in which he made sure everyone was listening to him. “We’ll have three races tonight. The first two races will decide who faces who in the final race; and now, the matchups: Yasmin Rodrigues will face Nicholas Justinian in the first race, and then, Gavin Anderson will face Yui Takeda in the second race! Are you ready to witness some real touge racing tonight, people?”. - As the man yelled that last phrase, the crowd broke into applause once again.

Yasmin looked at Nicholas, as both finished bolting on their new tyres and wing; Yui, on the other hand, took a quick glance at Gavin, who was still checking the tune.

The last night is on. Who will survive…and who won’t?

To be continued.

Oskiinus · 2 July 2017 13:35

(Between Round 2 and Round 3)
25/06/2017, 3:15 AM, Shibukawa city.

Madoka, as she wakes up because she can’t sleep due to outside temperature walks down the hotel to underground parking and stands for a while deciding if she would get in the car or not. After a while she took Gavin’s Berlose for another part of fine tuning. When running through centre of Shibukawa she saw Tora, organizer’s sidekick walking by.

After this sight Mado got curious why organizer had not said anything about the reward yet, and she thought that she will take Tora and ask him a few questions. She did a J-Turn on handbrake and rapidly switched gears, pulled up next to the man, and said:

Get in Tora. We need to talk.
Why should I? - man replied.
JUST FUCKING GET IN – Madoka yelled at him, and Tora, being surprised and scared got in the Berlose.

They drove the car on Mount Haruna, where Madoka started conversation going through the touge:

Alright Tora. Tell me, why organizer hadn’t told anyone about the reward of the tournament yet?
I won’t tell any word… - In the same time Tora noticed that the speedometer on center console goes near 130 km/h and there’s first turn ongoing - …Nice try… wait, are you really going to take this corner at those speeds?! - Tora asked with terrified voice pattern.
Yup. - Madoka calmfully replied, drifted into the corner at 145 km/h and brought a can of ice tea from her pocket during the drift, letting hands out of the steering wheel making Tora even more terrified. He started sweating and all his tan vanished, making his skin basicly white.
What are you doing in the name of God?! - Tora yelled at Madoka. - Do you want to kill us both?
I feel like a drink. - Madoka replied calmfully again, opening the can and not looking on the road during high speed drift, then grabbing the steering wheel by one hand, adding rapidly gas making Berlose backfire massively and drank tea, keeping also her stoic expression. - Now I’m going to be serious.
W-W-Wait! - Tora said this and desperately yelled – LET ME OUT!
Nope.

After that, Madoka was testing Berlose at unbelievable speeds – report on Berlose’s CPC (Central Performance Computer) noted that on straights it went 233 km/h maximum and it’s average speed was 132.5 km/h. 20 minutes of testing, and trying to squeeze info from Tora later Madoka stopped the car next to lake Akina. Tora barely got out on his knees and started to vomit everywhere near the car.

So, will you tell me now something about reward? Oh, and maybe next Gavin’s opponent when we’re at that. - Madoka asked with slightly cynical voice tone.
Oh… crap… (vomit) I’ll tell you! - Tora replied, almost out of life, terrified - Koichi said that the reward is… (massive breath) massive amount of money…
How much money? And who’s Koichi?
Koichi is the organizer’s name, specifically Koichi Inakara. - Tora was still heavy breathing. - He plans to give the winner a million yens, or eight thousand euro if he or she does not want to mess with currency transfer… And, about Gavin… (heavy breathing) – He’ll race Yui Takeda. Also, we don’t do matchmaking just before the race, Koichi plans it way before. He pretends to do them, at, before of the race, just to, attract the pub-

Here Tora had passed out. Madoka took him to the hotel where she was and reserved one-day room for him. He left him at the room, went back to parking where Berlose was standing – competely dirty with brake pad particles and front brake discs were still glowing. Madoka thought:

Okay. This car is perfect. Gavin will definitely do his job well, as usual. Not sure if I should tell him about the button of goodies… Nah, he’ll find it anyway.

Meanwhile a black car resembling something like a lovechild of AW11 MR2 and RX7 FC plus front from 1G Eclipse went by, and Madoka thought, drinking tea:

And, now, what the hell was that…?