Team PhirmEggPlant mumbling amongst them self. Knox says “if Puente keeps this up we’re not going to have an ebrake soon” Vires " True but atleast the rear brakes will be… do you guys think the rear brakes are out?" Rose Replies " lol, that would make sense"
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question, what does “-7” mean? is that the condition or something? because it doesn’t seem like one slam with max carefulness driver would do that much damage, and take me OUT OF THE RACE. What do you mean, i was writing a story here. now i cant even do a 2nd chapter because of a single crash i had with the most carefull and slow driver possible.
is it reperable? i deliberately deliberately wrote in a contingency for if it was, but it hardly seems necessary here.
The numbers there mean the number of positions gained or lost. So, for example, before 4-8 PM you were 4th.
At 4-8 PM you were still 4th, hence why there’s a 0.
From 8-12, you passed from 4th to 11th, loosing 7 positions.
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And (DNF) means (Did Not Finish) so it doesn’t seem repairable…
-7 is just that you have fallen 7 positions behind since last round. And yes, your car is out of the race (DNF = Did Not Finish). It is not because of a single crash, you have been in multiple ones, the dice rolls were unfortunately very unfair to your car and you ended up with irrepairable structural damage in the end. This is just how this challenge works, not every car will survive and this time it has been rather mild this far. Last year it looked more like british banger racing in the end. 
2 Likes
Y.E.A.R.
Last Episode (“Nunavummiut Wonders, María’s Nightmare and a Happy Birthday”)
Race Episode 3:"Messy Sailing for a Messy María; Radio Problems Plague the Team"
Around 8 PM.
María:“Oughhhh… My… stomach…”
Ángel:“I know it hurts, but, I’ll buy you some Lactaid once I find a drug store.”
María:“Remember to wish me luck…”
Ángel:“Sure will. Remember, don’t focus on competitiveness. Patience is key. I’m sure eventually someone will DNF and soon we’ll leave last place before we DNF or…”
María finally couldn’t contain herself an began crying. It was very unusual seeing her like this. She normally was serious and cold, but today it seemed she had to get her bearings right… A hard task given the circumstances of the day as a whole.
At 8:02, María Yukobaiyaroslavl sits in the driver seat and leaves Y.E.A.R.'s pit box with unusual care. As always, their start would be rough…
She nearly got into a massive wreck at the beginning of her cycle, after making a Rookie Mistake and noticing late that the Cago was pitting, nearly causing the big wreck herself… Sure enough, that absolutely alarmed her team. But unlike her responses, which were harsh and fast, Ángel’s were… Calmer. More serene and focused on her status.
Ángel:“Are you OK ?”
María:“I… Think so ?”
Ángel:“I’ll… Try to tell you from now on when someone is coming to the pits. Don’t worry about it, and you just keep driving. To finish first first we have to finish.”
María:“C-Copy.”
The mood would swing for the team however when Chantal got into a hard hit with the Sedlak… Ángel would still tell María to calm down, but he’d probably get to say a “BLYAT !” or two.
And so would go the rest of the fall of dusk as night began to settle. Some time later, the WAZ runs out of gas, and María, while unable to pass it for a moment, handles the situation well enough to get some praise.
Hou:“Those guys in the WAZ… They should’ve gotten, I don’t know, a Cuowu or an Autocubana.”
Ángel:“If they truly wanted to save some gas, then yes.”
María:“OK, guys… I think I’m… Uhhhhhhh… I’m not feeling any better… Stomach burns badly…”
Ángel:“Take things easy then, I mean, we have been last all day, not like it’ll matter now… Just calm down and take it easy, longevity is better than speed.”
María:“Okey-Doke.”
The Middle Section of María’s stint however went somewhat smoothly. Something needed for her to gain confidence… Until it was broken again at around 10:25 PM, as after trying to avoid Debris from the Ishii, Cody warns María about the fact that he ain’t patient.
Maria’s response, given the circumstances she is facing, is understandable, but at the same time, it’s ANYTHING but warm.
María:“OH, YOU GET TO KNOW !”
Ángel:“María, please calm…”
María:“YOU KNOW I’M ABOUT TO CRAP MYSELF AND THAT I’VE BEEN SUFFERING ALL DAY LONG ?!?”
Ángel:“Мария, успокойся. Пожалуйста.” (María, calm down. Please.)
María:“どうやって落ち着かせたらいいの！？” (How do you want me to calm down !?)
And then, guess what…? Radio Trouble would finally catch Y.E.A.R., as the Radio was now even Jumping to different channels. Increasing communication trouble meant that something was bound to happen, and that was with the Speed Freaks. Mikko didn’t seem happy at all, after his day was nearly ruined by María (for causing the almost pile up) and Chantal (for ramming him up quite badly). The Sedlak was in increasingly worse condition, and the thing Mikko wanted least was to hear from his rivals… Well, unless for strategy that is…
What he heard cranked his rage up to eleven. Having a hatred for Russians was part of him… And he eventually found out about Ángel’s (technical) nationality.
Ángel:“Послушай, я не хочу, чтобы мы сошли с дистанции из-за того, что ты врезался машиной, я не знаю, в барьеры безопасности или что-то в этом роде. Относитесь ко всему проще.” (Listen, I don’t want us to be out of the race either because you crashed the car into, I don’t know, the safety barriers or something. Take it easy.)
María:“そうですね、落ち着くように言ってください！ 彼は今にも爆発的な下痢を起こしそうだし、トラック上で最も多くの事故を起こしているのは私だ！ なんてことだ、私はひどいよ！” (Sure, tell me to calm down! I’m about to have explosive fucking diarrhea, and I’m the one causing the most accidents on the track! Gosh, I’m horrible!)
Ángel:“Ты не ужасен, ты просто расстроен. Продолжать идти. Я пойду за лактазой позже… если найду аптеку здесь, в Хельесе…” (You’re not horrible, you’re just frustrated. Keep going. I’ll go get the lactase later… if I find a drugstore around here in Höljes…)
Mikko:“WHAT ARE YOU JAPANESE IDIOTS DOING ON MY RADIO ?!?!?”
Ángel:“Uhhhh… Oh sh… (Long Interference)”
Ángel switches back manually to the original Y.E.A.R. team radio channel for both the car and the pit crew. The radio was giving them issues all day long, but this time it had gone very wrong. Understandably, Mikko was angry (maybe too much), but, Akseli was too… And asked for explanations.
Akseli:“Oi !”
Ángel:“It’s not my fault ! We didn’t even realize we had switched to your channel ! We don’t know what on earth is wrong with our radio !”
Akseli:“Yeah, sure.”
Ángel:“Better keep it calm with Mikko, I’m sure he’ll want to kill me after he gets out of that thing… If he gets out of that thing to begin with.”
Akseli:“You know I can’t prevent it.”
Hou:“How can you not, you’re his teammate ! If he wants to fuck us all over then tell him to fuck off himself.”
The Ambient was tense as Hou pronounced those words. Everyone in Y.E.A.R. was surprised to see her like that; after all, this was a side of Hou people had never seen. A more… “Open” Hou, if you will. A more daring Hou, out of her Shy Gal Image. This brief moment of courage wouldn’t last long however, as she lost the warm temper a minute afterwards, and once again returned to silence.
Things continued not so smoothly for Y.E.A.R… María loosing laps left and right, but the car holding up surprisingly well. It seemed they would retain last place pretty much forever…
Until, eventually, around 11:15 PM some news sounded sounded thru the team radio…
Ángel:“You doing good, you doing… Is the Astral out ? I think the Astral’s out.”
María:“What ? Someone DNF’d ?”
Ángel:“It was another sports car, the #91 if I’m not mistaken… (Interference) …Danver must be pissed.”
María:“Don’t remind me about the fact that I’m about to explode and crap myself here ! I want this to… (Interference) !”
Ángel:“Sorry, Mari. Keep Driving, you shouldn’t worry.”
An hour earlier.
Before the Radio Incident, and as María struggled to contain her Lactose Intolerance from causing her Gastrointestinal Mayhem, Catherine, Kanna and Chantal spoke while behind the pit wall.
Catherine:“I’m actually glad you slammed him from behind.”
Chantal:“I mean, it wasn’t my intention.”
Hou:“But… Y-You did it properly.”
Kanna:“What are you guys talking about ?”
Despite the brief chatter about Mikko quite earlier in the day, Kanna hadn’t met him yet. She was one of two members who hadn’t met the Finnish Menace (the other one was Ryoga).
Chantal:“I’m a bit worried about María though. I think I saw her involved in the wreck.”
Catherine:“Well… She was the one who nearly caused a pile-up.”
Chantal:“Yeah, I mean, María caused it. But, I guess Mikko will still blame me. Still, without her I wouldn’t have managed to ram him that perfect.”
Hou:“I absolutely agree. And, I think María, despite what it seems, seems to have a decent run…”
Ryoga:“I mean, we are still running quite clean. And my little brother is turning up next.”
Chantal:“Ángel is driving next ?”
Catherine:“Oooooh, girl, yes… My Milksweet is hoping to beat Mikko’s Ass on the track. I know he’s messy, but, when he’s in the zone, he’s a brilliant driver.”
Ryoga:“I just hope María returns in that car in one piece… And with her pants clean.”
Kanna:(gives him a poke with her elbow)“Ryoga !”
Ryoga:“Sorry, I couldn’t avoid it !”
Chantal:“But… Why is that ?”
Kanna:“Don’t you know ? María is lactose intolerant. The food she’s been eating all day long hasn’t done her any favours.”
Chantal:“No wonder why I saw her so tense in that car… Poor of her, who can’t enjoy your cake !”
Kanna:“I can agree… Poor María !”
…they didn’t know what was happening in the background.
Back to the Present Moment !
After some stoppage time, María gets out of the car at 11:56 PM… She’s had enough after nearly being caught in yet another incident with Team Bowling. María entered the pit box… Unbuckled, and RAN towards the bathroom.
Also, remember how Ángel was trying to get lactase ? Yeah, he failed on his mission… So he felt quite bad with María now for not accomplishing his part of the promise.
But now, there was light in the end of the dark tunnel for Y.E.A.R., as Ángel Yukobaiyaroslavl got his helmet on, jumped on that Qua, and blasted towards the uncertain.
Current Status of… The Car !
- Brakes are slowly beginning to cook…
- Radio Communication is showing some genuine faults which concern the team communication. However, it’s nothing too serious as long as it doesn’t jump channels and it’s easy to fix temporarily without even stopping the car.
Repairs/Modifications/Inspections: Some cleaning of the air intakes, and a minor inspection below the lid. Some minor electrical fixes.
Current Status of… The Team.
Ryoga: About to head and sleep.
Catherine: REALLY hungry, slightly stressed and worried. Feeling sad because her boyfriend isn’t by her side for now. Mechanical Skill reduced by 1 on the next stint.
María: Extraordinarily Sick (“Gastrointestinal Mayhem”, otherwise known as lactose intolerance which has been irritated over the day) and Tired, Stressed and Under Distress. At least her drive is over, and by avoiding many dangers and suffering minimal damage, she has increased her confidence slightly. Mechanical Skill increased by 1 on the first half of the next stint.
Ángel: Motivated, but a bit frustrated. Getting in to drive his best. But he’s unlucky… All Stats reduced by 1 (except Caution, which was already at 1) for the first hour of his stint.
Kanna: Happy, but starting to feel tired.
Hou: Hungry, Thirsty, a bit hot and bothered, as well as tired. About to head and sleep for a moment.
Mentioning: @HappyHungryHippo @nicxv @Madrias
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Seinäjoki Speed Freaks
The Race - A rally driver’s failures
SAATANA!..SAATANA! SAATANA! SAATANA!..PERKELE!
Screams were heard from the Speed Freaks’s Sedlak Silva, and the horn seemed to be beeping quite a few times. But, as you are about the learn, it wasn’t the car’s malfunctioning electrics or someone injured causing all that, it was an angry, no, absolutely furious Finnish rally driver, screaming as one of his rivals had just caused an accident, colliding with him, and had costed him a precious position. Mikko Harjanne, “Seinäjoki’s Rocket”, had just burst in a fit of absolute, rivalry fueled rage.
Akseli: Mikko! Lopeta sen vitun ratin lyöminen! (Mikko! stop punching the fucking steering wheel!)
Mikko: Tuo vitun…AAAAAAA!!! He continued punching the steering wheel.
Akseli: MIKKO!
Mikko: SE VITUN SINITUKKAINEN HINTTI TÄYSI VITUN ÄMMÄ! MURSKAAN TUON ÄMMÄN PÄÄN LEKALLA, KUN OLEN VALMIS! (That fucking blue haired…not translating the rest)
You could hear radio chatter by multiple of the Speed Freaks’s members by now, all attempting to talk after having heard what happened.
Alexandra: YOU CALM THE FUCK DOWN OR I-
Daniel: GIVE ME THAT RADIO YOU USELESS MECHANIC-
Akseli: GO BACK TO KOUVOLA, ABSOLUTE FUCKING JONNE!
Henrik: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING!
Akseli: GIVE ME THAT RADIO! Hey! HEY! Mikko! Do you hear me! Mikko!
By now, the radio was producing useless chatter, mixed in with static. It seemed as if multiple people, people that were not even in their team, were starting to chat on Mikko’s radio. People that he knew full well…members of Y.E.A.R. had somehow switched to the channel that he was using, and boy oh boy…he was getting increasingly mad.
Ángel: Послушай, я не хочу, чтобы мы сошли с дистанции из-за того, что ты врезался машиной, я не знаю, в барьеры безопасности или что-то в этом роде. Относитесь ко всему проще.
María: そうですね、落ち着くように言ってください！ 彼は今にも爆発的な下痢を起こしそうだし、トラック上で最も多くの事故を起こしているのは私だ！ なんてことだ、私はひどいよ！
Ángel: Ты не ужасен, ты просто расстроен. Продолжать идти. Я пойду за лактазой позже… если найду аптеку здесь, в Хельесе…
Mikko: MITÄ TE JAPANILAISET IDIOOTIT TEETTE MINUN RADIOSSANI?!?!? (WHAT ARE YOU JAPANESE IDIOTS DOING ON MY RADIO?!?!?)
Ángel: Uhhhh… Oh sh… Long interference.
Mikko: He’s Ru- THAT WAS RUSSIAN! SE OLI VITUN VENÄJÄÄ, JOTA HÄN PUHUI SIINÄ VITUN RADIOSSA! MITÄ VITTUA!
After a discussion between Akseli and Ángel of Y.E.A.R, a concerned Alexandra would immediately approach Akseli, she needed to know what had just happened, immediately, knowing that disaster was simply mere moments away.
Alexandra: Uhm…what the hell just happened?
Akseli: A mistake, that’s what happened. Now let me be, I don’t have time for anything.
As Akseli tried to walk away, Alexandra immediately pulled him towards her. He would not be able to escape from her this time.
Alexandra: That wasn’t, JUST, a mistake. We both know full well what’s gonna happen when Mikko comes back here. What the hell did you tell Ángel?
Akseli: The truth. That I can’t prevent what Mikko’s going to do. And even if I could, I don’t want to get involved.
Alexandra: I-I’m sorry, WHAT?!?! YOU’VE SEEN WHAT MIKKO DOES AND IS CAPABLE OF DOING! HE PUNCHED YOUR BEST FRIEND, FOR FUCK’S SAKE! AND NOW WHAT? YOU DO UNDERSTAND, THAT THERE’S PEOPLE’S LIVES AT RISK?
Akseli: You are exaggerating it.
Alexandra: OH YEAH, SURE, SURE, BECAUSE YOU DON’T THINK MIKKO WANTS TO GET REVENGE ON CHANTY FOR RAMMING HIM! OR AT Y.E.A.R. JUST BECAUSE THERE’S A RUSSIAN IN THE TEAM? I always said one thing about him, that he’s a disaster waiting to happen.
Akseli: You said it.
Alexandra: LISTEN TO ME! GOD…YOU’RE AN INSUFFERABLE DICK, YOU KNOW THAT?
Akseli: I don’t want anything to do with this! Go talk to Jani…or whatever! I don’t care! Leave me alone!
Alexandra: FUCK YOU! YOU BACKSTABBING…PIECE OF SHIT…BASTARD!
After the argument that had just broken out, while Alexandra went to try and let off some steam, Akseli, clearly weirded out by the whole argument, just sat down, near his flatbed truck, watching all that was happening. The race continued to go on, the Sedlak, albeit with a few pieces missing, was still quite fast, still in the top 10, Mikko banging it off the limiter and absolutely pushing it like no other, and…well…he just sighed, lit a cigarette, and glanced off into the distance.
Current status of the Sedlak
- Brakes are squeaking more than the usual, still safe.
- The clutch is beginning to slip between second and third gear as well.
- Trunk gone, rear headlights broken beyond repair, rear license plate gone, cheap chinese muffler smashed up, even louder.
- The exhaust leak got louder.
Current status of the Team
- Jani: Quite stressed out due to the whole ordeal, but choosing to get some rest and avoid confrontation with everyone.
- Akseli: Fed up with the team’s arguing, he’s just sitting around, patiently waiting for his time to fix the car.
- Mikko: Even angrier than before, and even less careful and less scared, is absolutely pushing the car to its limits and past. His anger is directed both at Y.E.A.R. and at the Rhinos, specifically Chanty.
Mentions: @Happyhungryhippo @Angelustyle
3 Likes
you still didn’t explain how i got into more crashes with a more careful driver, and why it not tracking straight is really a problem. its not like you cant just steer to the left/right to counter it.
Team Chitco
Part 1: Going smoothly so far
Let's splash!
SPLASH
- Really, you HAD to do it?
- As it turns out, yes.
Tad bit earlier, Michaela had been passing nearby when she heard one of nicest sentences to her ears that could be said during the event:
She took a glance, confirmed this very likely is Silva in question and, as one example of Daniloski rival was enough for her, had returned to pits with victorious face.
She just won the bet she had with Andrea. One of Snippets from journey, if you will.
One bucket of water of ambient temperature later and one very soaked Andrea later (as we started this part, actually), group has focused on preparing to race.
Well, except Dennis who found out there was some collage paper, scissors and basic glue.
Picture of what I’m referring to by “collage paper” is below
Example features 10 sheets of differently colored paper which have backside that can be peeled off. You cut out shapes using scissors, peel said backside and stick it to paper; backside removed reveals these sheets are sticky and therefore glue themselves to paper.
He would then apply glue to back of paper that holds his collage “art” and decides to distribute it around by sticking said art on wherever he pleases, much to chagrin of other members of team.
For most part, Edward finds his turn rather nice and so far, car haven’t attracted any damage.
After some nice rest, Pedro ends up in hot seat while Edward goes to rest. Next part would be Mat’s to take.
CAKE!
To no surprise, Dennis found out about birthday party of another participant…which meant cake.
So while Andrea and Pi had intention of attending just by themselves, they were joined by Tom, Anna AND Dennis because children like free cake and by Chicota because he was looking for drink buddies in regards to beer.
Despite the note that it’s very likely all Yumeisotitanians need to be sober for event, Chicota still insisted on bringing some beer: 5 crates and 6 bottles to be exact.
Besides…
- Nobody in Chitco team actually had meaningful present to bring to Kanna
- Beer can be consumed after event
Thankfully, Dennis behaved so the numerous group caused no issues.
The Incident
Sextet that was mentioned to hang out at YEAR is still there and they were checked upon by Pedro due to his worry of misbehaving offspring.
After realizing they indeed behave, but are under sugar rush due to cake and soda, he left that garage.
Michaela was doing some very basic karate moves, because she was somewhat bored and had gained the knowledge of them as she was sparing partner for Daniloski, who trained it for quite some time AKA would get absolutely wrecked by someone stronger and who used said moves on her.
Sora follows situation on track as it’s Edward’s turn to drive around.
Raufoss does it because he has nothing to do.
Speaking of Edward…he had different issues on his mind.
The VerBanka nearly hits the Globus, brake-checking the Astral - both vehicles manage to avoid further collisions. Cody just rolls on by, shaking his head and laughing as he gets on the radio.
“None of you lot would survive 30 minutes in Chicago. This whole race has been a fun Sunday drive for me,” Cody quips.
Edward responds.
- As I’m not exactly from around here, I’m not aware what and where this “Chicago” is, but you could have caused this kinda thing many times over since 8pm.
And then he thought he had turned off the radio, which wasn’t true. Whether or not anyone will listen to him is another matter.
- This whole thing reminds me of chases me and those two have when they steal car from me…again. All of us are fine, but the amount of chaos we leave behind is insane. Someone might even find it comedic.
- Now THAT’S definitely going to be a hot hatch now.
- They will likely not be amused by that comment Michaela
- Would just deny facts in that case…which sounds like their problem
She now takes the wheel. Not that it was too hard to be most skilled listed driver of this particular team, but she nevertheless is. Michaela was also only confirmed member with skills with repairing stuff that will actually engage in that activity.
Chicota, who was currently occupied by enjoying the party at YEAR by drinking beer and deploying someone to bring some more, would beat her in both criteria…but as mentioned, he prefers drinking beer and having fun.
Just two relevant things shall be noted:
-
kids had had enough and had fallen asleep at YEAR garage near the end of party. Chicota is now tasked with carrying non-beer cargo one by one towards van and trailer.
Andrea and Pi are probably gonna stay and enjoy company of Chanty and Angel -
After about hour of driving, Michaela is under effects of adrenaline resulting in good, but not clean laps. Thankfully it doesn’t seem it will result in her actually working as mechanic aka fixing up some mistake of hers.
Midnight team member situation
As the midnight comes, some idle people you may encounter in Chitco garage would be:
- Raufoss
- Sora
Edward, Pedro and Pedro’s children are resting either in garage or in parking lot (van and trailer)
Andrea, Chicota and Pi are still with YEAR: middle one got used to this group as drink buddies (despite them likely drinking their soda instead of beer he brought) and girls are hanging out with Chanty and Angel.
All three will likely try to help with her mood: predictably, Chicota notes that beer might help her being less stressed.
Mat and Michaela are either preparing to get in a car or out of it, respectively.
Mentioned teams:
Let’s splash!
- Seinäjoki Speed Freaks - @nicxv
CAKE!
- YEAR - @Angelustyle
The Incident
- Highway Hooligans - @Madrias
- YEAR - Angelustyle
Midnight team member situation
- The Rhinos - @Happyhungryhippo
- YEAR - Angelustyle
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TEAM TRAFIKJOURNALEN - 8 PM TO MIDNIGHT
“OK, do we need to show you where the accelerator is, or can you find it yourself?”, Filip Andersson and Eric Carlén asked Mats Hansen with a great deal of sarcasm when he took over the wheel.
“Eh, remember that I bought this car, I really should know… Besides, it is an ARVA so it won’t help anyway.”
At least he got back on the track before the Flint. What they were arguing about in the pits? Who knows. But it was a slow pace. Even slower than an ARVA usually does.
“PRESS THE PEDAL TO THE RIGHT!”, Carlén and Andersson were laughing in the radio.
“I WILL TEACH YOU PEDAL TO THE…FUCK!”
The old discount tyres did not seem to respond very well to “the pedal to the right”. At least he was taking away from the Qua that was shrinking in the mirror, but with the Sedlak close to lapping…suddenly the Sedlak was thrown forward against the ARVA with a cloud of dust behind it, but without hitting the actual car. Hansen knew, however, that there were probably a mess behind them…
“You drive so slow that the cars behind you has to brake and gets into tangles”, Andersson and Carlén laughed in the radio.
The race went on rather uneventful, some dodging of cars bouncing around on the track. A little skidding around in the bends, the ARVA went back into the pits with the rest of the crew now sleeping…
HOOOOOOOOONK!
“Huh?”, A dizzy Filip Andersson said, waking up from some dream about popup headlights and digital gauges.
“Uhm… Damn, you drive so slow that we fall asleep”, Carlén said.
“At least I don’t get entangled in drama. Now, fill up the tank!”
After refuelling, the Archanan shitbox went back, but not without some sputtering…
“CRAP! I really hope that the carburetor setup isn’t starting to malfunction, because that’s bad news!”, Hansen was shouting on the radio.
“Who the fuck did even run carbs in 1989?”, Andersson said to Carlén.
“Ask ARVA why they were running two”, he answered rather salty. “Probably taken off the road for failing the emissions testing…would not surprise me.”
The ARVA continued driving around the track at a slow pace and yet with wide skids around the bends…
“He is so slow that he has fallen to second to last position now”, Andersson said with a sigh.
TO BE CONTINUED…
4 Likes
Team Off-the-Books, 8 pm - Midnight
It was 8 pm, and Hank Richmond was regretting every decision he had made to get himself to this point...
He hadn’t felt that way a mere two hours ago, when he had been woken up by a smiling Hans Gustavson. Hans had just finished his second two-hour driving stint and had come to get some rest. Hans told Hank the team was in the lead, and that it felt “just like old times” out on the track. They had shared a quick bite to eat, swapping pieces of their light meals and giving each other some good-natured ribbing over each other’s food choices. Hans described Hank’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich as “a combination of the world’s worst Nutella and jam with way too much sugar in it,” while Hank had offered that Hans’s pickled herring on crispbread was like “edible cardboard” and “something that old-time sailors probably ate just because they had to.” Then Hans turned in for some rest, and Hank headed to the pits.
That was when the feeling of dread in Hank’s stomach had started to grow.
The first thing he saw was their Flint coming around a bend with Sam Prescott behind the wheel and some considerable damage to its front quarter. He pulled on a headset.
“Sam,” he said, “what happened to our car?”
“Oh, that little scratch?”, came Sam’s reply over the radio. “Just a little dust-up with some bugger who didn’t know how to drive.”
“Sam–,” Hank started, but he was cut off.
“Look, Hank, I’ve already been thoroughly scolded by Hans about that little incident, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to focus on driving. I pinky swear that I will try to keep my nose clean this time out.”
It did not, in fact, seem like Sam was really trying to keep her nose clean. Hank listened as the radio was punctuated with exclamations from Sam. “Come on, you bugger!” “Don’t you know how to drive!” “Woo! Eat my dust!” Hank saw Sam attempt–and manage to execute–more than a few passing maneuvers that he would have described as overly aggressive, but Sam miraculously managed to avoid another collision.
He couldn’t say the same about the other cars, though. Cars were slamming into guardrails. They were slamming into each other. And there were a few personalities on the track who made Sam look tame by comparison. There was a young man a few places down in the pits who seemed to be constantly yelling at everyone about everything in some foreign language–maybe Finnish? And there was an older man–he guessed German–who also seemed to do an awful lot of yelling.
This was not Hank’s classic car club he usually raced with, where the other drivers were just as interested as he was in not scratching their carefully restored paint. Heck, most of these cars hardly had any paint actually left.
As his sense of dread grew, Hank started wondering why he had spent his own money and used his own vacation days to come to the subarctic hinterlands to drive around with a bunch of maniacs in deathtraps. He could have used that time and money to go somewhere else. Like a beach. A nice, warm, tropical beach, where he could be relaxing in the sun. Maybe with a nice fruity drink in his hand with one of those little umbrellas in it. And a strong shot of alcohol. But no, he’d had to let himself get strong-armed into this by Sam. Wasn’t he supposed to be the mentor in the relationship? The one who talked his young colleague out of doing rash things? Instead, he’d let her talk him into doing something rash.
So it was 8 pm, and Hank Richmond was regretting every decision he had made to get himself to this point, when Sam Prescott came roaring into the pits for the driver change. His driver change.
Sam leapt out of the car looking tired and sweaty, but with a triumphant smile on her face.
“Come on Hank, let’s go! We’re in the lead!”
Hank froze.
“No, no, I can’t do this,” he said, a hint of panic creeping into his normally calm demeanor.
“What do you mean you can’t do this, Hank? You’re up on the driving roster! It was your idea to swap drivers every two hours. And if we don’t follow our roster, we’ll be disqualified!”
“Sam, these people out here are crazy! I’m used to a little friendly competition with my classic car club for a couple hours on a weekend here or there, not racing with a bunch of lunatics with a death wish!”
A hint of fury was creeping into Sam’s face and voice. “Hank, come on! We’re in the lead! Pull yourself together! If you weren’t ready to do this, the time to make that decision was weeks ago! Not now!”
Hank just looked at the ground and shook his head tensely.
“Alright, then, maybe Hans can talk some sense into you!” Sam reached for the walkie-talkie to contact Hans, who was sleeping nearby. Hank grabbed her arm. “Hank!,” Sam shouted, glaring at him with a combination of surprise and fury.
“No, no, it’s fine,” Hank muttered, letting her arm go. “No need to wake up Hans. He needs to rest. I’ll do it.”
“OK! Come on, get a move on!”
Hank reluctantly pulled on his helmet and made his march to the gallows as he approached the Flint and pulled open the door. Sam pulled on the headset.
As Hank started to pull down the pit lane and approach the merge point with the track, a red Cago station wagon came barreling down the track. Hank was hesitant to accelerate.
“Come on, Hank,” Sam yelled into the headset, “You can beat that car onto the track!”
Hank pressed down on the accelerator for a moment, then lost his nerve and slammed on the brakes. He felt the stuttering of the anti-lock brakes as they struggled to bring the massive car to as sudden of a stop as they could manage. The Flint came to a rest with its nose just sticking out into the track, and the Cago swerved to avoid it.
“Thank you, Fred!,” Hank exclaimed over the radio.
“Fred? What, is that what you say when you don’t want to take the Lord’s name in vain?”
“Huh?” said Hank, as he now finally piloted the Flint onto the track. “Oh, no, I meant Fred Jovanovich. He was the lead engineer for the ABS system on the Sovereign back in the day. He taught me pretty much everything I know about anti-lock braking systems. He retired a few years back. I think he has a condo down in Florida now…”
Hank continued prattling on about his old colleague and all of the lessons he had learned from him. Sam was, at first, exasperated and considering telling Hank to shut up and drive, but then she realized that Hank’s rambling about the intricacies of anti-lock brake systems, the finer points of traction control design, the early struggles of designing for side crash protection, and so on, and so on, was actually helping Hank calm down. So instead of cutting Hank off, she half-listened and threw in the occasional “Really?” and “Interesting” to encourage Hank to keep going. Eventually, it seemed Hank settled down and was rounding the track at a reasonably consistent pace. Not a fast pace, mind you, and the team seemed to be losing ground. But at least Hank no longer seemed on the brink of a panic attack.
Hank was still going on about the time Fred had accidentally started a fire while testing a seatbelt pretensioner when Sam interrupted. “Alright, Hank, it’s 10 pm. Time to bring it in.”
“What? It’s 10 already? Oh man, I shouldn’t have been talking that whole time. You know, talking while driving puts a strain on the driver’s attention and takes away from their attention on the road.”
“I know, Hank, but it was either let you talk or let you have a panic attack. I figured talking was the better option.”
“Thanks, Sam.” Hank pulled into the pits, and as he stepped out and Sam approached the car, he smiled a broad grin, clasped her hand, and embraced her. “Thanks, Sam. Now let’s go win this thing!”
“You know it!,” Sam shouted as she hurried into the car.
And for the next two hours, Hank once again listened while Sam cursed, shouted, and rejoiced as she made her way around the track without incident, only punctuated by a routine fuel stop. He could do this, he thought. He could, couldn’t he? Only time would tell.
5 Likes
Part 7: Old and new friends
including team Chitko by @MrdjaNikolen and Speed Freaks by @nicxv
At Kannas birthday not only YEAR was present, also the Chitcos visited her…
Pi: “BOOO!”
Chanty: “AAAAAAAAAAAH!”
Pi: “Do you have forgotten about us?”
Chanty: “Eh…eh… eh?”
Andrea: “We looked for you but couldn´t find you, and I already thought you don´t want to greet us. We feel a bit neglected.”
Chanty: “I…am sorry, really, I… was stressed, and it was so chaotic, and…”
Pi: “Oh no, please, don´t cry, I mean, it was irony, everything is alright, we are not mad…”
Chanty: “So… we are still friends?”
Andrea, laughing: “Of course we are! And it was such a pleasure to watch you in action on the track.”
Pi: “Definitely the most entertaining driver there, fast enough and a few risky moves, I actually had a hard time believing it was you, I only know your soft side.”
Chanty: “Yes… I mean, I don´t like being agressive too much, although, I can´t really control it… I wish I could.”
Andrea: “That´s definitely your fathers genes. I mean, the money for a paternity test would be wasted.”
Pi: “And we got you some beer!”
Chitoka: “Although my programming tells me that beer is not a healthy beverage.”
,Chanty: “Oh, eh, I will drive again later, but since this will take some hours until I have to, one is fine… EH IS THIS A ROBOT?”
Andrea: “Yes, Chitoka… I felt like the company of a centaur is no longer weird enough since most know Pi already and are used to her.”
Chanty: “Now that´s cool…”
After a lot of hugs and chatter, she made her way back to the trailer, as she started to feel really tired.
Alexandra: “OH! There you are…”
Chanty: “Oh… eh, …”
Alexandra: “Why do you look so scared? Is everything ok?”
Chanty: “I… almost completely destroyed your car, I thought you wanted to…”
Alexandra: “You really think I would be mad at you? No, actually I am proud of you that you have hit the right person. Akseli really deserves some extra work as punishment for his backstabbing.”
Chanty: “Eh, what? Sorry, I am a bit dumb today… well, maybe not just today.”
Alexandra: “Stop it. That´s not the thoughts you should have.”
Chanty: “I doubt that I will have no more thoughts at all when Mikko is done with me…”
Alexandra: “I will prevent this. Also, Jani told me that your team would protect him and me in case we get in serious trouble, so, don´t they also look after you?”
Chanty: “Sure… maybe even a bit too much, but you deserve it more.”
Both had maybe 15 minutes of chatter, and Alexandra tried her best to charge Chantys confidence battery, as she would need that for her second time driving. Also, she apologized to Jan for her anger outburst, but her boyfriend already had forgotten about that and made her hot chocolate as goodnight drink, while Thomas did his best to close up to the top three.
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Ah, good old Bennypira. The best band to ever exist.
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I mean, they were famous with their advert jingle for Dr. Dangoths.
3 Likes
PART 4 - MIDNIGHT - 4 AM
It is obvious now that Thomas Nilfert more or less have to wrestle the large, heavy Globus around the rather crowded track, it is really not an optimal choice of car, if seen only from that standpoint. Another beast that seems to be a struggle around the track is the ARVA. The VerBanka now needs refuelling. The Mara, on the other hand, has just been in for one and leaves pits in a smokeshow.
The Cutter drifts through a corner in a spectacular way that probably costs it some time though. The DAW is plowing through another corner, only to almost lose control by sudden liftoff oversteer instead. The WAZ barely avoids hitting it. That in turn blocks any possibilities for the Cago to pass for a while. The Qua starts to sputter due to lack of fuel and has to go in for refuelling. The Brunelle does a slight push on the Torrento that doesn’t seem to do much damage to any of the cars. But then in turn the Vortex hits the Brunelle. It sends some debris flying, and the Brunelle looks rather sad, but it seems like it can continue racing anyway. Mat in the VerBanka takes it easy through that cloud of dust.
The Cago has been driving rather fast for a while but that means taking higher risks, and now it hits the Torrento rather hard. The Cago has to do a pitstop to beat a little bit on the bent up front fenders that are now rubbing the wheels. We have seen this before it feels like - the Bricksley doing some guardrail scraping. Almost as a replay, the ARVA does an identical maneuver just after it. The Phoenix goes in for refuelling. The driver of the Ishii seems to overestimate the grip, doing a wide drift through a corner.
The Torrento does some rail scraping without too much visible damage. The Cutter has to brake not to hit it. The DAW on the other hand barely avoids it after plowing straight in a corner. The Cago has a kind of hard time to pass the DAW. We get a report that one of the front strut top bearings on the Qua is shot, which leads to a pitstop for changing it. The Brunelle comes into a rather nasty counterskid that Romain Frémont has a hard time sorting out. The Mishuto then hits the WAZ, sending it spinning. The VerBanka then taps the Cago lightly.
The Qua tries to avoid a skidding Mishuto that once again uses the handbrake to counteract understeer. However, the result is hitting the VerBanka instead. That encounter does not cause too much drama, though. More drama is caused by the DAW hitting the much larger Bricksley. Somehow, the Bricksely has taken a bit to much earlier from all the crashing, and now stands with a bent frame and is out of the race. The exocage of the DAW seems to have been working well, though. Still, the DAW is taken in for a checkup as well as a fuel stop, but it seems to be OK and we hear the team cheering about “I can’t believe how good Patrik Lindvall is at welding!”. To add some insult to the injury, the Torrento sideswipes the now stationary Bricksley before it has started rolling back to the pits, sending some body panels from the Torrento flying. The Vortex goes in for refuelling. Unfortunately, while going in for refuelling, the team observes that the engine is pissing coolant, which is tracked to being one of the core plugs in the engine that has a rust hole in it. They manage to patch it up with some JB-weld but doing that “properly” + some troubles bleeding the cooling system leads to a rather long pitstop. The Brunelle slides slightly through a corner.
The Cutter exits the pits with a wild skid after a fuel stop. The Mishuto has to brake not to hit it. The DAW gives the Globus a little tap, which doesn’t seem to affect the cars at all. The Torrento manages to slow down in time to not hit the DAW. Shortly after that, it goes in to refuel.The Vortex spins its tyres slightly after leaving the pits for the core plug repair. The Mara takes a corner a bit wide, so does the ARVA following it. For some unknown reason the Sedlak seems to be drifting towards the Globus which ends with a skid for the Sedlak, though without hitting any car or object. The Ishii has to slow down to not hit it.
The Cutter loses the grip in a corner and spins around. The Mishuto swipes the rail slightly.The Qua gives the DAW a slight tap, but without any major damage to the cars. Somehow the DAW still spins around, stalls and has a hard time getting started again. The Torrento has to swerve to not hit the stationary DAW, as well as the WAZ and Cago. The ARVA comes next, but that attempt results in a spinout.
Some guardrail scraping by the Cutter means that the rear bumper is now hanging on only one bolt, so a visit in the pits later, it is removed altogether. The Torrento swerves to avoid debris on the track from the Cutter. The WAZ spins around after taking a corner too fast. That means the Mara coming behind it has to slow down. The ARVA swipes the rail so badly that a door gets torn off, hanging on only one bolt and there is some arguing in the pits about how to best get it back. The next car to hit the rail, front first, is the Brunelle, and with the engine bay now the size to fit a moped engine, they give up this race. Suspiciously enough, the Sedlak once again drifts towards the Globus, and spins out.
With 8 hours left of the race, the standings are as follows:
-
Team off the books - Flint - Lap # 1063 @oldmanbuick (0)
-
The rot - Ishii - Lap # 1042 @Chaedder (+1)
-
The Interceptors - Mara - Lap # 1041 @AndiD (-1)
-
The Rhinos - Globus - Lap #1012 @Happyhungryhippo (+1)
-
Team PhirmEggPlant - Mishuto - Lap # 1011 @PhirmEggplant (-1)
-
Seinäjoki speed freaks - Sedlak - Lap #1006 @Nicxv (0)
-
Три Полоски Racing Team - WAZ - Lap #998 @0rangeghost (0)
-
Team Bowling - DAW - Lap #989 @Djadania (0)
-
Team Chitco - VerBanka - Lap #977 @MrdjaNikolen (+1)
-
Team Vortex - Vortex - Lap # 963 @George (-1)
-
Team Marian’s Dream - Phoenix - Lap #953 @Tailgate_sniffer (+1)
-
Team Vet Inte - Cago - Lap #943 @06DPA (+1)
-
Bugs in the Code - Torrento - Lap #918 @Fayeding_spray & @Leone(+1)
-
Team Left for dead - Cutter - Lap # 902 @stm316 (+3)
-
HeltR SkeltR & Marcel - Brunelle - Lap #895 (DNF) @Dildoplocus (0)
-
Team Trafikjournalen - ARVA - Lap #880 @Knugcab (-2)
-
Y.E.A.R. - Qua - Lap #875 @Angelustyle (+2)
-
The Highway Hooligans - Bricksley - Lap #837 (DNF) @Madrias (-2)
-
A wing and a prayer - Astral - Lap # 736 (DNF) @Rambow (-8)
8 Likes
Team Highway Hooligans
Race, Midnight to 4 AM
Trevor takes over at the midnight driver change, taking two shakedown laps to figure out how much of a rolling wreck he’d “inherited” from Cody’s spirited driving. Deciding the car was “good enough,” he puts the hammer down and lets their turbocharged I5 sing, tires squealing around every corner like a 1970’s cop chase movie.
About an hour in, Trevor’s decision to push the car harder leaves him riding the guardrail around one corner, and the ARVA does the same behind him, both cars managing to carry a little more speed through that corner than usual at the expense of the paint and the bodywork.
The engine roars as Trevor tries to make up some ground, tires squealing as the battered old heavyweight meant for hauling people around town instead has to haul ass around the track.
However, all good things must come to an end. When the DAW shunts itself into the left rear quarter panel of the Bricksley, Trevor knows the car’s already run the last lap it’ll do today. The sound of the driveshaft rubbing on the chassis tunnel is more than enough to let him know, even as the car rolls to a stop, that the frame is bent.
“Hey, jackass! Thanks for using my car as your brake. Assholes!” Trevor yells into the radio as the DAW retreats, exo-cage still intact. (@Djadania for the mention.)
As Trevor tries to get the poor I5 started again to limp the mortally wounded Bricksley into the pits, he gets sideswiped by the Torrento.
“For fuck’s sake, it’s not like our car is stealth-fucking-black!” (@Fayeding_Spray & @Leone )
Eventually, the tow truck hauls the bananaed Bricksley into the pit lane, and Jake, Cody, and a reluctant-but-sleepy Scott try to diagnose how to fix it.
Trevor calmly explains, “About the only way we’re going to be able to fix it would be to request Kasiya to come here and bend it back. The DAW torpedoed us, frame’s bent, we’re done.”
Scott growls and rummages through the toolbox, starting first by slinging wrenches at the DAW as it passes by the pit lane, trying to shatter the windshield to knock it out of the race, before grabbing the big sledgehammer and resting it on his shoulder as he walks over to the rest of their team.
“Which one of you drives next?” Scott demands, claws out and leaving scratches in the wooden handle of the hammer.
“Whoa, whoa whoa, hold up there, Scott,” Jake says, jogging over to defuse the situation as much as he can. “I’m sure that was just an accident.”
“Right… Because welding a cage around the car is an accident…” Scott growls.
“Dude, come on, you’re going to get us thrown out of the track,” Jake pleads. “First the wrenches, and now this…”
Scott whirls around and grabs Jake’s shoulder, then walks the two back over to the Bricksley. “Right. So what have I gotten to do, then? You brought me out here to race and yet the car is done, long before my time to shine. You brought me here because I had the most experience driving one of these in anger. So let me drive IN ANGER, damn it, because this car is not done yet!”
“Frame’s bent, Scott, and we can’t straighten it,” Trevor replies.
“I swear by the Half-Dead Sun, it’s drivable,” Scott retorts, looking at the damage for himself. When he sees the driveshaft, however, is touching the frame rail, his anger reignites.
“I’m going to kill them.”
“No, you’re going to stay right here and calm down,” Cody says. “Last time a Hooligan lost their temper like that, they got hard time in an Oregon jail. We don’t need to try dealing with getting you out of a Swedish jail.”
Scott growls, then slams the sledgehammer down on the roof of the Bricksley, caving in the section where the rear seats would go.
“FUCK!”
“Sorry to have wasted the trip, man,” Trevor says. “I thought we had it.”
And so ends the Highway Hooligans’ run.
Team interactions will still be available… But we’re definitely not racing anymore.
4 Likes
And as usual…strategy change plans and such, deadline monday 5 PM CET.
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Romain Frémont manages to get the Brunelle back to the pits. Robert welcomes him with a punch in the face :
“- What the hell did you do !!?? My beauty ! You wrecked it ! I’m gonna wreck you 'cause now we fucking can’t finish that race for fuck’s sake ! Come here. Come here you little shit !!”
Romain runs through the pits, making things from everyone’s pit fall on the ground to slow down Robert, and manages to lose him.
Robert, out of his mind, grabs the first heavy tool that he finds : a spare part from the DAW’s external rollcage. He power walks back to the Brunelle and starts knocking hard on the front frame’s interior, trying to bend it back to a better shape. It does one thing : a hole in the radiator. He yells mean things to the car and for the attention of Romain.
While everyone around is looking at his madness, wondering how to calm him, Robert gets a strap and starts tying a knot around the Brunelle’s front frame. He goes to the guardrail across from the pit lane and ties the other end of the strap there. People start worrying as it will obstruct any pit stop from the remaining competitors.
Robert gets in the Brunelle, struggles starting it, eventually making it happen, and begins manoeuvring to be sideways, facing the guardrail. He revs the engine to the top, releases the clutch, and the car burns out it reverse, progressively stretching the strap, until it gets to its full capacity. The guardail bends in a loud metal bang, but Robert keeps accelerating. To the surprise of everyone watching, the guardrail holds on, but what breaks is the front frame of the Brunelle, releasing the tension from the strap, and sending the car slamming its rear end into the pit building.
As the cloud of smoke dissipates, and in the silence of a stalled engine, people gathering around look in the cockpit and find Robert, collapsed on the steering wheel, crying all his frustration out. He definitely could use a drink…
Seeing that her father has no other bruise than his usual mental ones, Mary sneaks back out of the situation, hoping not to cross his father’s path for the next hours. She finds Rémi with his cellphone in his hand :
“- I just had Romain on the phone, is your dad okay ?”
“- Yeah… I mean, he’s sad and made a pretty mess in the pit, but he’ll be ok… We should let him alone for a moment, it’s not a good idea for us to go and see him, it will just gets him on his nerves again. I hope someone will be kind enough to bring him some alcohol, only this will work…”
“- Okay… Well he’ll definitely have what he wants, at least tonight ! I have to bring a first aid kit to Romain, he’s on the other side of the track, watching the show, wanna come with me ?”
“- Yes, let’s do this ! Thank you Rémi for being so kind.”
“- Haha don’t worry, I just wish I wasn’t such a non-social person, there seem to be nice people racing with us, some look weird but… Don’t we all, kind of ?”
To be continued at the post-race…
Quickly mentioning kind of everyone (sorry for the mess, I still hope it slows you down 
), and @Djadania thanks for the spare part, if you’re looking for it, it’s somewhere around HeltR SkeltR & Marcel pit…
PS : the “tool” used to bend the frame, where it came from, and what bends and breaks in the end, all this has been randomly chosen from a quick list I made (4 kinds of tool, the 19 teams, and twice a choice between the front frame, the strap and the guardail). In the end I really like what the dice gave me^^
6 Likes
Nothing to lose, all to win. Use the gas pedal to its fullest potential. Aggression is key.
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Team Off-the-Books, midnight to 2 am
At midnight, Sam Prescott pulled back into the pits for a driver change, looking exhausted but joyous after completing her 6th hour driving over a 12 hour stretch. She hopped out of the car and pulled off her helmet as Hank approached.
“So, am I going to have to talk you into it this time?”
Hank chuckled. “No, I think I got that out of my system!”
“Good. Now get going! I’m going to get a bite to eat and them will be off to wake up Hans and get some sleep myself.”
Hank hopped into the Flint and drove off. This time, he managed to not come inches away from a crash. But as he pulled out of the pits, he thought about the earlier incident.
“Good old Fred,” he thought to himself. “I hope he’s enjoying Florida.”
At about 1 am, Hans’s voice crackled over Hank’s radio.
“Hank, how are you doing out there? Sam told me you were a little stressed out earlier.”
It had been smooth sailing for Hank for the past hour. Of course, there was still plenty of chaos on the track to go around, but every time he managed to stay out of trouble while cars went crashing around the track, he actually got more confident.”
“Yeah…that was not my proudest moment. But I’m good. It’s just that this isn’t exactly my classic car club out here.”
Hans chuckled. “That’s for sure.”
“I mean,” Hank continued, “some of these people out here are real maniacs. Have you seen that Finnish kid? And that German guy? Lots of yelling to go around.”
“You know,” said Hans, “I think I know that German guy you’re talking about. And I actually think I know him.”
“You do?”
“Yes…what was his name…Tom! We used to race together on Group A. Turbo Tom! That’s what everybody called him.”
“Was he called Turbo Tom because he was fast?”
Hans chuckled. “Well, no, it was a bit of irony. He and I were often duking it out near the back of the pack. That damn Contender was good on the straights, but you basically had to stop it to round a corner. We traded some paint and some trash talk back then. Don’t worry about him. His bark is worse than his bite, if you ask me.”
“If you say so. But I think he’s out here on the track now.”
“Is he? Well, unless he goes back into the pits, I guess I’ll be getting a chance to race against him soon. I’ll sub in for you at 2 am, Hank.”
Collaboration with @Happyhungryhippo to be continued…
3 Likes