[UE4] ASCAR - 1987 season. Race 5, Bristol!

Community Challenges & Competitions
253

We’re here with Mr. Calhoun of Right Turn Motorsports (by PMI).

Reporter: Mr. Calhoun, I believe the race was an improvement over Daytona for the Usurper; congratulations for that. Nonetheless, there is quite some controversy over the incident with the Bogliq Maverick car. Do you care to comment?

Mr. Calhoun: Yes, thank you. As we stated earlier, the Usurper wasn’t optimatized for the continuous highspeed stuff on Daytona. We like breaking and accelerating out of the corner. Barry was happy with the car but also a bit disappointed with the incident and Bogliq’s reaction.

R: You think Bogliq over-reacted?

C: I am not saying that, I am not ssaying that at all! Look, the incident is unfortunate but we do not believe anyone is too blame.

R: Could you describe your view on the event?

C: The Usurper had the speed advantage going into the turn. Barry was eager to make the most out of this race following our rather chance-less appearance at Daytona, and he dived towards the inside. It is our view that Mr. Bolovic in the Maverick tried to close the door at that point. We believe this was a normal move to make, and then you could argue whether or not he made his move too late, or whether Barry reacted too slowly.

R: Mr. Bonkarenko does have a reputation of reckless dives for position.

C: Had. Barry is not reckless. After the race he immediately wanted to go to the Bogliq paddock area for a chat and to straighten out any misinterpretations of the event. We decided to not allow him seeing Barry is not the only driver with a reputation and we wanted to be sure no one got hurt.

R: So, you fully back your driver, even in light of a likely official investigation by ASCAR?

C: We fully believe this was an unfortunate accident. We are happy Mr. Bolovic regained control. We are disappointed the incident caused both the Maverick as well as the Usurper to be out of contention for the top spots. Should the ASCAR wish to investigate, we will gladly cooperate and respond to their summons. I believe in the meantime, I can openly state Barry would like to have a sportman-like chat and a drink with Mr. Bolovic. We’d like to keep a friendly atmosphere for the coming races.

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254

Buddy O’Brien sat in the waiting room, this time sitting stiffly and awkwardly in the leather seats, unable to keep his mind on anything. He was in a constant state of discomfort since the crash in the last race, although fortunate that nothing was broken or seriously damaged. He still wasn’t sure how the accident occurred, as he was feeling far more confident and comfortable with the Dragoon than in the first race, and there was no one nearby that could have bumped him. He was sure that nothing went wrong mechanically, but still couldn’t quite come to terms with the possibility that his driving caused it.

Don Birmingham watched Buddy calmly. He had been watching the tv screen right when buddy crashed, and he was certain that Buddy had provoked the car into a slide that he couldn’t correct. Don had gone over the footage and the damage after the accident multiple times, and was convinced that there was nothing wrong with the car, it was completely driver error. Perhaps the car wasn’t the fastest of the bunch, but Don was now worried that its mechanical performance may not be the team’s weakness.

The door to the waiting room opened.

“Hello again gentlemen, please follow me. The Director will see you now…”

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@Mr.Computah, on a side note, in the Excel sheet the Usurper is 6th, in the post we are 13th. I actually wanted to role-play Barry waiting for Bolovic to let him back passed, explaining why we ended up 13th in all of this, but now I’m not sure anymore.

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256

Intercepted GBSC-Bepis Radio Message Post Race

“That Damn Sinistra. Their driver’s mental.”

“Hey, at least we finished better than Daytona.”

“No shit, Lawrence. No. Shit.”

Post Race Interview with Danielle

“Ms. MacRoye, how did you think you went in that race?”

“Honestly, better than I expected. That Sinistra is a mental piece of work, and I got out raced by the competiton, but we are expecting some good results from the next rounds.”

“And how is the garage going? are relations between your team better than Daytona?”

“That’s for you to guess. I didn’t throw my helmet this time though.” Danielle Laughs, walking back to her garage.

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257

That’s because I had to post the new results as the spreadsheet is wrong (using standing lap times). I will upload the new one in a couple of minutes as well to avoid further misunderstandings.

EDIT: Posted, Google Docs screwed the sorting for some reason but the data is correct now.

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Interview with Leeroy Racing Chief Engineer

ASCAR Weekly Magazine

For those who’ve been living under a rock the last week, the Conke Cola 100 has been run and won. But there was controversy both on and off the track as Leeroy Racing’s Vlad “The Impaler” Bolovic was roughed up by Barry Bonkarenko, causing the Bogliq driver to lose valuable championship points and possibly his life.

Word is, there was an incident when Vlad pitted. He had to be physically restrained by his own team! t isn’t hard to guess where young Vlad was headed off to. Luckily for his career, Vlad calmed down and nothing further happened… Although the Right Turn Motorsports crew chief had a recurring situation where a mysterious bag of flaming dog poop kept finding it’s way onto the doorstep of his personal trailer!

We are here today to discuss with Leeroy Racing’s chief engineer just what happened and what are the ramifications for Vlad and Barry going forward.

Int: “Thankyou for agreeing to an interview”

CE: “You’re welcome”

Int: “OK, so let’s dive straight in, shall we… What happened out there”

CE: “I’m limited in what I can say; legal reasons, you understand. But I can say that Mr Bonkarenko came in contact with Vlad’s car, causing him to lose control. This resulted in our car losing a number of positions that we would otherwise not have lost”

Int: “So Barry PITT’ed Vlad? Did he do it deliberately?”

CE: “I cannot comment on whether an actual PIT maneuver was used or whether the move was deliberate or accidental. Until ASCAR rules, nothing can be definitively stated. I will say this. Both drivers are young, hot blooded, go getters who want to win and want to do their team proud. This might have coloured their recollection of the events in question. The ASCAR officials will need to talk to both drivers and thoroughly review the footage but I just can’t speculate on who did what.”

Int: “OK, but you must feel that it’s more than a race incident or else you’d not make the complaint, surely?”

CE: “We lost position, points and potential sponsorship revenue. Legal reviewed the video and chose to file the complaint. If it were up to me… I dunno, it felt kinda deliberate but these cars are akin to a tap dancing elephant; they just aren’t capable of delicate maneuvers!”

Int: “OK, thanks for your time, I think we have a clearer picture of the issues and now we just have to wait on ASCAR’s complaints processes to make the final ruling…”

Indeed, ASCAR has made a concession to Team Leeroy Racing, offering to cover any medical expenses incurred by Vlad as part of the incident and a financial bonus at the end of the racing season.

As for Team Right Turn’s position? They feel that it was a racing incident and that, in the heat of the action, mistakes were made. Legitimate, rookie mistakes.

We don’t take sides here at ASCAR Weekly but my personal opinion? Leeroy Racing should take the bonus money, make a public announcement stating all’s well and let everyone get back to the business of racing!!!

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A reporter stops Tuomo Sivutuuli next to the pits, addresses him by name (does a good effort with the first name but butchers the last name horribly).

R: Too-omo Sighvootooligh, how was the race?

T: it’s Seevootoolee, änt it wos wery, theh race wos werry nice, werry nice.

R: Right… well, you’re currently placed middle of the pack with no points yet, do you think you’ll be climbing to the points places this season?

T: I donno, I drive fast but theh kar is not fast, maybe. Peepol think this is eesy, it is not.

R: How’s it been for a Finnish expatriate making their name here in the States?

T: I must go.

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Dale wasn’t sure what to think. In fact, it was more than that, he wasn’t sure what to feel. At this precise moment it was the numbness of sheer adrenaline and reliving the glory moment he never thought he would ever experience last week, lifting up that trophy, only to do it yet again today. He heard himself blather into the mic about how the car was geared long and he wasn’t sure how that would play out on such a tight course but the long first gear made driving so much easier because he could just put his foot right down and the handling was so responsive and that’s what saved him swerving around that wreck. He was acutely aware of the mixture of cheers and boos that mixed around the arena. Half of him wanted to celebrate, half of him wanted to apologise. He was a winner, but did he feel like one? Was he a hero, or a villain? Was he-

“Tammy,” Dale finally said, after several minutes of silent walking in the park moonlight, having fled his increasingly vandalised trailer to clear his head. “Am I a communist?”

“Dale!” Tammy gasped, before catching sight of his face, pale and gripped in the anguish of severe contemplation. She closed her hands around his callused palm. “Hun, don’t let anybody else tell you what you are. You’re just not used to this big a scene.”

“But it’s gosh darn hard, when y’all in the middle of it with the trophy and… and… I just imagined it different! They was booing and throwing stuff.” He ran his hands through his hair and grimaced. “They hate me.”

“Dale.” Tammy swung around and blocked his path, pressing her bosom to his chest. Inevitably, he looked down, and their eyes met. “Being a hero ain’t about who what y’all drive for, or whether everybody likes you.”

Dale blinked. “It isn’t?”

“It’s about being true to yourself and being a good role model. To the kids. Like Jesus. Jesus died on the cross and everybody hated him, but we love him cuz what he did and stuff.”

Dale looked aghast. “I ain’t fixin’ to be crucified!”

Tammy laughed and wrapped her arms around Dale’s bulky frame. “Oh my poor Dale! It ain’t the same. Just being a hero ain’t a bed o’ roses to start. But to me you’ll always be a hero. My hero race driver.”

The words of the boss, David, echoed through Dale’s head. “A true American hero.” Yeah. Maybe he was right. And didn’t the Good Book say it somewhere, God worked in Mysterious Ways an’ that? And surely there was nothing more mysterious than suddenly landing a seat in a Commie team with a suspiciously easy to drive car and win back to back races on the biggest stage of American racing? If that weren’t some kind of miraculous sign, he didn’t know what was. And if it weren’t for his angel– he reached up and tousled Tammy’s curly auburn hair.

“For you,” he said, “I’ll drive the wheels off any car I get.”

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The Conservative Insurance 480.

(Note: lore wise this race takes place the Sunday following the Conke Cola 100.)

Race Report

Laps 1-35

Starting from a rolling start, as the cars approached the finish line the green flag was shown. The Celento took the lead as soon as the cars arrived at the setup point for turn 1, followed by the Dermott, the Scorpio and the Maverick, which had an excellent start, managing to get up to 4th place. Behind the Maverick the Radiant followed, with the Cannonball mimicking its line as it was threatened to be overtaken by the MSL.

Opening the midpack was the Deshevo, followed by Callaway and the Kakayama closely. Smart and Wallace tried to put pressure on the Fallwing, and while both couldn’t do it very well, the Mytheme was getting ready to overtake, studying all the setup points in the circuit as it navigated it; however, all of this was done while the Usurper followed it closely, trying to overtake the Grehet in turn 6 but braking too early. The Saber held up as well, holding back for the time being though. Having a brief duel, the Traveller overtook the Ares in the last turn by late braking and diving in, a risky move that paid off.

As the first sprint finished and the packs broke we started to see the more strategic side of racing; keeping a steady pace the Celento steadily separated and secured its leadership from the Scorpio, while a nicely placed draft in the main straight let the Radiant get in front of the Dermott and close the podium. Further down the pack the Saber was also climbing up places and securing a respectable sixth place, followed by the Ares and Cannonball which were putting quite some pressure on each other; meanwhile the Maverick, which had lost a couple of places due to a mistake that nearly sent the car off the track had a brief fight, which ended with the Amerigo overtaking the Bogliq as Vlad set the corner up too late and blocked the brakes. Whoever, Bolovic recovered from that just in time to prevent the Kakayama from taking another one of his places, upsetting Takumi’s line while keeping a distance to prevent an accident.

Barry Bonkarenko had a great start, but his pace was quickly deflating; this became evident when the Colosseo took his thirteenth place. A bit further back the two James were having a back a forth, showing the Archer’s and National’s differences around the track. MacRoye, in the meantime, was trying to outrun the ACA, which simply refused to dissappear from her rear view mirror. Another dogfight was about to be had between the Regal and the Sinistra, but the latter simply outgunned the RCM at the corners. Closing the grid was the Bugbear.

Laps 35-70.

The first pit stops took place in this segment; taking advantage of this, both the Dermott and the Mytheme went up a few places. Luke Sinistra won his next place by fooling the Birmingham with a classic dummy overtake around the chicane, making it think it was going to go wide.

MacRoye and Rodrigues continued their duel as they overtook people to 11th and 12th places, with Fußmacher now threatened by both cars. Sivutuuli finally lost his place to Bonkarenko after the Champion messed the line up and went off the track during a turn; but most importantly, Adam Spront was starting to have problems with his gearbox, which had developed a refusal to shift into third gear and was getting worse by the second.

Laps 70-105.

The most notable event in this segment was Adam Spront’s gearbox destructing itself in lap 93; as the Regal braked for the corner after the straight and tried to get back into third gear, the gearbox gave up with a crunching sound and stopped delivering power to the rear wheels, forcing Spront to stop aside and drop out of the race.

Notable overtakes in this segment include the Dermott overtaking the Radiant as both cars stopped for fuel in lap 75; both cars finished their pit stops around the same time, but the Dermott could get out of the pits a bit earlier, placing itself in front of the Radiant. Another overtake was when the Colosseo, pressured by the GBSC, got on the gas too early, making the car oversteer; as Rodrigues corrected the trajectory, MacRoye caught the inside and passed the drifting Vitorino. The Maverick had fallen all the way back to being in front of the CTFM, trying to not allow the Eezeemove to overtake him.

Laps 105 - 140.

The next breakdown happened in this segment: the Bogliq’s carburetors started leaking some gas that ignited in lap 121, forcing Bolovic to stop and abandon the car; the track firefighters quickly put out the fire and saved the engine block and heads, with only the carburetors and fuel lines suffering damage. However, Bolovic had to drop out from the race, as repairing the engine would take quite a while. The pace car came out for two laps, to give Leeroy Racing and the track managers some time for them to remove the car.

Appart from this breakdown, this segment was mostly uneventful, with only the Celento solidifying its leadership and the Colosseo and V590 overtaking Fußmacher. A few more refuels took place in this segment.

Laps 140 - 175.

The Special lost a place to the Ares in this segment, now in front of the V590; while the GBSC had more than a chance to overtake him, MacRoye wasted them, leaving the golden car alone for now. The Radiant was still struggling to catch the Dermott, which simply seemed to be nailing the line lap after lap. The last few refuels took place in this segment, allowing the Maesima to keep its comfortable leadership after refueling for the last time.

Laps 175 - 200.

The last laps of the race recovered part of the emotion of the green flag: the Mytheme and the Saber had a duel for fifth place, that was ultimately won by the Grehet, not without the Stallion placing a couple of great attempts first though. The other great duel took place between the MSL, which had lost a couple of places during the last few laps, and the Special, which wasn’t giving up just yet. The agressiveness of Titcomb was given back in the same manner by Fußmacher; after five laps of an intense and agressive dogfight between the two, the MSL understeered in the last corner, allowing the Cannonball to pass and take the eighth place.

An intense battle took place between the Radiant and the Dermott during the last few laps. However, the Radiant couldn’t keep up with the pace Connaughan had, finishing fourth overall.

The final results of the race were the following:

  1. Dale R. Thomas (Celento) +20 points.
  2. Oliver Ross (Scorpio) +15 points.
  3. Mike Connaughan (Dermott) +10 points.
  4. Joseph Biffle (Radiant) +5 points.
  5. Ayrton Wallace (Mytheme) +4 points.
  6. Marc Donovan (Sabre) +3 points.
  7. Eric Jonrosh (Ares) +2 points.
  8. George Titcomb (Special) +1 point.
  9. Michael Fußmacher (MSL).
  10. Danielle MacRoye (V590).
  11. Tuomo Sivutuuli (Champion).
  12. James Dunne (Archer).
  13. Daniel Rodrigues (Colosseo).
  14. Takumi Kakayama (Fallwing).
  15. James Peech (National).
  16. Barry Bonkarenko (Usurper).
  17. Ryan Mitchell (Traveller).
  18. Maxine Smart (Darwin).
  19. Martin Hollerhausen (CTFM).
  20. Vlad Kostyrov (Deshevo).
  21. Luke Sinistra (Senator).
  22. Tariuz.
  23. Marvin Callaway (B6000).
  24. Luke Roberts (Barrier).
  25. Buddy O’Brien (Dragoon).
  26. William Moore (Bromine).
  27. Bugbear.
  28. Adam Spront (Regal).
  29. Vlad Bolovic (Maverick).

After the Conservative Insurance 480, the championship standings are as follows:

  1. Dale R. Thomas (Maesima Celento). 60 points.
  2. Joseph Biffle (Shromet Radiant). 30 points.
  3. Mike Connaughan (RM Dermott). 28 points.
  4. Oliver Ross (Maine Motors Scorpio). 20 points.
  5. Ayrton Wallace (Grehet Mytheme). 19 points.
  6. Marc Donovan (Stallion Saber). 11 points.
  7. Eric Jonrosh (LMC Ares). 3 points.
  8. Michael Fußmacher (RAM MSL). 3 points.
  9. Luke Sinistra (Sinistra Senator). 2 points.
  10. Vlad Kostyrov (Deshevo). 2 points.
  11. George Titcomb (Cannonball Special). 1 point.
  12. Martin Hollerhausen (Eezeemove CTFM) 1 point.
  13. Ryan Mitchell (ACA Traveller). 0 points.
  14. James Dunne (JHW Archer). 0 points.
  15. Adam Spront III (RCM Regal). 0 points.
  16. Maxine Smart (Oldman Darwin). 0 points.
  17. Daniel Rodrigues (Vitorino Colosseo). 0 points.
  18. James Peech (Wallys National). 0 points.
  19. Marvin Callaway (Birmingham 6000). 0 points.
  20. Danielle MacRoye (GBSC V590). 0 points.
  21. Tuomo Sivutuuli (Amerigo Champion). 0 points.
  22. Vlad Bolovic (Bogliq Maverick). 0 points.
  23. Barry Bonkarenko (PMI Usurper). 0 points.
  24. Luke Roberts (Allendale Barrier). 0 points.
  25. Buddy O’Brien (IOS Dragoon). 0 points.
  26. Hruck Bugbear. 0 points.
  27. William Moore (Bramble Bromine). 0 points.
  28. Takumi Kakayama (TSR Fallwing). 0 points.
  29. Parizon Tariuz. 0 points.

Times spreadsheet (in Google Docs once again, the sorting might not be right but the data is):

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262

That Celento though.

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Leeroy Racing Pits Garage

About lap 121

All was well in the Leeroy Racing camp so far; Vlad had an early flash of brilliance followed by an unforced error. No one was concerned though, as Vlad was young and he needed time to settle in. In fact, the Chief Engineer was glad that Vlad hadn’t caused an incident when he recovered his car and blocked Takumi’s attempt at capitalising on Vlad’s mistake…

Just then, on lap 119, one of the mechanics spotted what looked to be either smoke or steam wisping from under the bonnet. The Chief Engineer, suspecting a water line was leaking under pressure, advised Vlad to watch his engine temps but not worry about it unless the dial moved over three quarters of it’s sweep. Then, on lap 121, everyone was glued to the TV set; the Maverick was on fire!!! Even as Vlad was pulling off the track, the Chief Engineer and a couple other mechanics jumped into the tilt-tray to recover their car and driver!

When they arrived they found a sorry looking state; the Maverick sat forlornly, it’s soot-stained engine bay covered in foam while Vlad stood nearby, shoulders slumped in defeat. The Chief Engineer had the Maverick loaded up in a jiffy and the team returned to the pits to start the long process of packing up and heading home…

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Meanwhile, at the TSR Pitstop…
Takumi: Whoooh… Not last. What a race. It’s sad that some cars explode their parts.

Katana Racing Team: Yeah. We’re getting there though. However, it’s not as agile as some cars. But it’s ok.

Takumi: Still not having a point. I really need to get to the top 8 with what we have here. I guess you boss Ryo
(Current CEO of TSR) forgot to tune the suspension. I don’t even know that if this is the final race. I hope not.

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265

A letter from the Corporate Body of ASCAR to all teams.

Dear teams, managers and drivers,

The Corporate Body of ASCAR will be making a decision for which we want your input. Our sport has grown in popularity over the years, and we decided we needed to make the sport known outside of the USA. Our intention is to celebrate a special race at the end of the season in Brands Hatch Indy, United Kingdom; the track owners have already given us green light, but we still need your input for us to finally make this marketing stunt happen or not.

We ask the teams to send a representative at the Daytona International Speedway to vote for the team. The representative needs to be aware of the situation of the team in order to make the right decision. Voting will take place next Friday.

-Corporate Body of ASCAR

(Please vote only those who are taking part in the challenge. The deadline for this poll will be Friday 16:00PM Central Europe time/ when everyone involved in the challenge has voted.)

  • VOTE FOR
  • VOTE AGAINST

0 voters

Show results
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266

It was quiet, the just low hum of the city lights flickering in the glow of nights embrace. The last customer had left nearly an hour ago. The waitresses working hard finishing the final cleanup and closing of the place. Anna was helping Tammy with the dishes. She worked to scrub away all the dirt and find every little imperfection, leaving the plates spotless without a trace of anything ever being there. Taking a moment to stop and adjust her glasses. Something caught her eye, an old poster hanging across the room. loose lips sink ships. She Returned to the task at hand, she just had to know how things went with Tammy and her now famous boyfriend Dale.

“Sooo how’d it go?” Anna asked excitedly leaning close to Tammy.

“Heh,” a smile lit up across Tammy’s face as she recalled that moonlit night. “It’s just like you said. He may look tough but needed some confidence.”

“He’s lucky to have you, Tammy.” Anna with such sincerity Tammy could hardly believe it’d only been a few weeks since they’d met. Yet now they seemed like such good friends. But Anna Lee this young South Korean had worked her way into her life.

“I’ll have to introduce you next time!” Tammy said as they closed up the Diner that night. “Oh I can’t wait! ”we have so much to discuss,“ Anna said, averting her eyes for a split second before covering it with a smile and pushed her glasses back in place. ”I’ll see you at Bible Study,“ she finished before disappearing into the night.

Pulling up to the small rundown house in an old Shromet Radiant. Anna took one last check to make sure she wasn’t followed. Then stepped out of car quietly and casually made her way to the safe house. Slipping inside she swept the place for any unusual activity. Finally, after securing the building, she removed her disguise, the wig, glasses and cleared her head.

But she just couldn’t stop thinking about Tammy, It just worked. But it was the first time she’d been ’friends’ with someone since she left home. Anna struggled to even recall her friends back home now. Were they really that different from Tammy?

She let out a sigh and lit up a cigarette.

Settling down with a glass of best liquor she could find. This was sure to clear her head or numb the pain. It was just about time to receive her latest broadcast. Pulling out her standard issue micro radio Anna began decoding the new message. Her next dead drop report was nearly ready, progress was being made and the targets closely watched.

After finishing her work, she made her way down to the basement. Flicking on the single dim light, she powered up the washer to cover the noise then carefully removing a plank in the floor, she opened the safe. Reaching inside to find her only memories of home. She could barely recall it now, how many years had it been? A that was left, just small black and wheel photograph of her family in small town of Angok in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Anikatia.

She still remembered the day, a black AAU sedan showed up at her school. They were from the central party and she had been chosen. There was no time to say goodbye to her friends, she barely had any time with her family just one night as she packed in crying until morning.

She had been chosen not only because of her intelligence and good looks but also because of her fluency in English. Choi Yu-mi was then sent to Anikatia’s elite spy training school in the mountains. Given a new name Anna Lee, and trained to ”kill with everything from her hands and feet to grenades and assault rifles.“

Her mission to the US. Which she was assigned to at the age of 28, was a part of the countries deep cover sleeper agents acting under non-official cover sent to investigate the US and provide any assistance the state may require.

But it gave her resolve to be trusted with such a task. She was unwavering in her loyalty to the cause and it brought her no joy being trapped in this capitalist prison away from the humble pleasures of home…a socialist paradise.

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((Expect race 4 later today after this forums downtime. Anyways, as the poll has been mostly unanimously voted for, here’s some corporate RP for flavor :wink:))

A letter from ASCAR to all drivers:

Dear drivers,

As you might have already been informed, a representative of your team voted on whether the Brands Hatch Thunder Special should take place or not. The result of the voting was positive, with the teams almost unanimously agreeing in celebrating the event.

Two days after the Bepis 400 ends and the results are official, you’ll be boarding a plane with destination United Kingdom. Accomodation for the teams will be provided in London.

-The corporate body of ASCAR.

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268

Are we allowed to make a new car?

269

Well that got weird quick :stuck_out_tongue:

270

That’s a breakneck speed of those race updates, I thought I had a few days time between each race to put in a comment!

…

Dan Kowalski, for IWRC Sports: Mike, three races, in you are third in the championship, how do you feel?

Mike Connaughan: I feel great Dan. Especially after that first lacklustre race at Daytona, but I suppose that’s just gonna happen when you are geared too short. The car’s doing much better now on the other track and I am having a lot of fun fighting at the top of the pack.

Dan: Mike, there’s a lot of talk in the paddock about the Celento, do you think you can catch Thomas?

Mike: Oh, that’s going to be tough. They went three for three with a blistering pace. To be honest I am surprised ASCAR hasn’t taken a look at that car yet. We all know they can just show up and grab it when you are too good. Anyway, I’ve gotta go there’s some ladies waiting for me, see you.

Dan: This was Dan Kowalski for IWRC Sports, signing off.

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271

The Taco Knight 500.

(Note: lore wise this race takes place the Sunday following the Conservative Insurance 480.)

Race report:

Laps 1-35

The cars started coming out of the last turn towards the finishing line, ready to start; the green flag went out and everyone accelerated and spun their wheels. An excellent start from the Shromet gave Biffle the lead early on, quickly followed by the Celero and the Fallwing with Kakayama in third place. Connaughan glued to the front pack with a fourth place and the Colosseo, GBSC and Maverick behind it.

However these starting positions would soon change: the Celento overtook the Radiant at the Crown (turn 3), making a movement as risky as taking the outside. Then Scorpio and Mytheme followed the Celento, taking the Shromet on at the esses. But Biffle kept going, taking its place back from Connaughan.

The upper midpack was being guided by Donovan, which was struggling to keep the Ares at bay; however the latter couldn’t find a correct moment to try and make a move, and wouldn’t risk it yet. They were also being followed by the MSL, which had Titcomb and Bolovic behind fighting for ninth place. Further down the midpack, the Colosseo, the Fallwing and the V590 had fallen behind losing several places; putting some pressure on the was the Usurper, trying to dive at times without success, as Kakayama and MacRoye protected their racing lines as much as they could.

The next duel early one was the one had between the Traveller and the CTFM, which the ACA won getting further from the Eezeemove lap after lap. The Deshevo, Regal and Barrier followed them, and the last duel was had between the Birgminham and the Sinistra; the latter, once again, outgunned the former at the corners. Closing the grid were the Bromine and Bugbear, with the Dragoon chasing the B6000.

Laps 35-70

Most of action took part during the late parts of this segments; after some paint sharing, the Shromet managed to force the Dermott to let him pass; this was followed by a risky yet incredibly well pulled off overtake during the braking phase in turn 11, where Donovan overtook Ayrton by getting on the brakes later and more firmly.

The Special drafted the Maverick, taking the seventh place. Bolovic, feeling the pressure, made a few mistakes in the following corners, which the Ares and MSL took advantage of to overtake the Bogliq.

While the rest of the midpack remained calm, the action was located in the backpack during the first few pit stops; after a fierce battle with the Barrier, the Senator managed to overtake it during turn 7, where the driver of the Allendale nearly lost control of the vehicle.

Laps 70-105

The race only got more interesting during this segment. Due to bad pit stops, the Scorpio and Saber lost their places, which were now claimed by the Mytheme and Dermott and the Fallwing which had had a comeback.

The Colosseo managed to fool the Cannonball mid segment, thinking it was taking the outside when it was taking the inside and sneaking in in turn 4. As they stopped for fuel, the Maverick, Traveller and Champion lost places as well.

Laps 105-140

The boring part of the race took part during this segment; the places went back to more or less what they were early on; however we did have some remarkable stuff here too. The Maverick and Traveller had a duel at the same time they started recovering places; the same happened to the Saber and the Special, which had been following the Stallion to try and claim its place. No car managed to threaten the lead of the Celento, however.

Laps 140-175

The trend of not having many events here, appart from the Mytheme climbing to second place and the pit stops, continued here; however, there was a highlight in lap 174 as the Dermott tried to lap the Maverick in turn 11, taking the outside, a risky maneuver. It went wrong: Connaughan soon got in Bolovic’s line, appearing out of nowhere; realizing this could end in an accident Vlad screamed in panic briefly, trying to regain control of the car as Connaughan ran into the Bogliq. Fortunately for the latter, the blue car recovered its stability as the Dermott couldn’t help but go front first into the tyre wall, having to drop out of the race.

Laps 175 - 200

A few more overtakes happened in the last stints of the race: the Scorpio overtook the Mytheme, taking the second place; the Traveller went up a few places, recovering from the bad streak it had been having throughout the race and the Tariuz had managed to overtake the Sinistra. The clear leader throughout the race had been the Celento, now crossing the finish line first yet again.

The final race standings are:

  1. Dale R. Thomas (Celento) +20 points.
  2. Oliver Ross (Scorpio) +15 points.
  3. Ayrton Wallace (Mytheme) +10 points.
  4. Joseph Biffle (Radiant) +5 points.
  5. Marc Donovan (Saber) +4 points.
  6. George Titcomb (Special) +3 points.
  7. Eric Jonrosh (Ares) +2 points.
  8. Michael Fußmacher (MSL) +1 point.
  9. Daniel Rodrigues (Colosseo).
  10. Vlad Bolovic (Maverick).
  11. James Peech (National).
  12. James Dunne (Archer).
  13. Tuomo Sivutuuli (Champion).
  14. Takumi Kakayama (Fallwing).
  15. Danielle MacRoye (V590).
  16. Barry Bonkarenko (Usurper).
  17. Ryan Mitchell (Traveller).
  18. Maxine Smart (Darwin).
  19. Vlad Kostyrov (Deshevo).
  20. Martin Hollerhousen (CTFM).
  21. Adam Spront (Regal).
  22. Tariuz.
  23. Luke Sinistra (Senator).
  24. Marvin Callaway (B6000).
  25. Luke Roberts (Barrier).
  26. Buddy O’Brien (Dragoon).
  27. William Moore (Bromine).
  28. Bugbear.
  29. Mike Connaughan (Dermott).

After the Taco Knight 500, the championship standings are as follows:

  1. Dale R. Thomas (Maesima Celento). 80 points.
  2. Joseph Biffle (Shromet Radiant). 35 points.
  3. Oliver Ross (Maine Motors Scorpio). 35 points.
  4. Ayrton Wallace (Grehet Mytheme). 29 points.
  5. Mike Connaughan (RM Dermott). 28 points.
  6. Marc Donovan (Stallion Saber). 15 points.
  7. Eric Jonrosh (LMC Ares). 5 points.
  8. George Titcomb (Cannonball Special). 4 points.
  9. Michael Fußmacher (RAM MSL). 4 points.
  10. Luke Sinistra (Sinistra Senator). 2 points.
  11. Vlad Kostyrov (Deshevo). 2 points.
  12. Martin Hollerhausen (Eezeemove CTFM) 1 point.
  13. Ryan Mitchell (ACA Traveller). 0 points.
  14. James Dunne (JHW Archer). 0 points.
  15. Adam Spront III (RCM Regal). 0 points.
  16. Maxine Smart (Oldman Darwin). 0 points.
  17. Daniel Rodrigues (Vitorino Colosseo). 0 points.
  18. James Peech (Wallys National). 0 points.
  19. Marvin Callaway (Birmingham 6000). 0 points.
  20. Danielle MacRoye (GBSC V590). 0 points.
  21. Tuomo Sivutuuli (Amerigo Champion). 0 points.
  22. Vlad Bolovic (Bogliq Maverick). 0 points.
  23. Barry Bonkarenko (PMI Usurper). 0 points.
  24. Luke Roberts (Allendale Barrier). 0 points.
  25. Buddy O’Brien (IOS Dragoon). 0 points.
  26. Hruck Bugbear. 0 points.
  27. William Moore (Bramble Bromine). 0 points.
  28. Takumi Kakayama (TSR Fallwing). 0 points.
  29. Parizon Tariuz. 0 points.

(Times spreadsheet, in Google Docs once again. Even if Docs might have screwed the sorting, the data is correct).

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272

Leeroy Racing, #86 Vlad “The Impaler” Bolovic

Conversations with pitcrew

Taco Knight 500

Pre-race

“Now, Vlad, don’t dwell on what happened last race. These things happen, just shrug it off and you’ll do well… Stay safe and stay hungry!!!”

“Yes Boss…”

“OK fire her up and get out there, I’ll be on the comms if you need me”

“10-4 sir”

The #86 Maverick fired up on the first try and Vlad roared out onto the circuit, fired up and ready to race and place!

Laps 1 - 35

“And they’re off” boomed through the speakers as the Taco Knight 500 officially began. Vlad had a good start and was able to stay with the lead pack without any incidents…

“Good work kid, you’re doing well, stay focussed and you’ll have this race in the bag!”

“Thanks Chief, the car feels good and nothings amiss with the instruments, I think we’ll be OK”

“Absolutely we will, now stop the jibber-jabber and get racing!”

Laps 35 - 70

“Ohhh Fuck, Oh Fuck, where is he? That bastard will spin me!”

“Calm down Vlad, look around and listen for his engine. Where’s the snarl coming from?”

“I think it’s on my left… NO RIGHT!!! screeching tyres Shit that was close!”

“That flummox cost you three places! Focus lad and don’t let 'em scare you, they’re just big kittens and you, you’re the impaler! Make 'em scared of you!!!”

“Copy that”

Laps 70 - 105

The #86 Maverick pulls up to the pitwall, engine stumbling from being forced to idle after being at near max RPM for so long, and Vlad waves for the windscreen to be cleaned. The team rushes to fill the car with fuel but they’re unable to finish in time to save Vlad’s place… The Maverick then roared off to re-join the race, a place down but no less determined to win.

Laps 105 - 140

“Vlad, you’re coming up on Ryan Mitchell in the Traveller. Stick on his tail and follow him wherever he goes!”

“Uhhh OK, why do you want me to do that?”

“We’ve been watching him and he’s really quick right now, so you’ll make up places much easier. Then, at the last minute, you can pop out and take his place from under his nose!”

“Got it, I’m chasing him now”

Laps 140 - 175

“Wake up Vlad! People are pitting again so keep an eye out!”

“No worries Chief, I’m being careful”

Then on lap 174…

“Ohhh Shit, Ohhh Fuck, please don’t hit me, I’ve got nowhere to go!! AAAAARRRGGHH!!! I’m GONNA DIEEEE!!!” Massive crunch sound

“Vlad, don’t pop the motor! Get on the clutch and ride it out… It was a solid bump, I know, but you can catch it!”

heavy breathing and tyre screeches

“I caught it, I CAUGHT IT!!! I’m not going to die in a ball of flame!!!”

“Good work kid, now keep at it, don’t lose any more positions than you have to, you hear?”

“Yes chief, I’ll bring her home in one piece, AFTER I’ve finished the race!”

Laps 175 - 200

The #86 Maverick, looking a bit worse for wear, with it’s crumpled rear end and scraped side panels, triumphantly crossed the line in tenth place. No-one was more glad that the car made it than Vlad, who was worried another DNF would see him ousted from the team. The Chief Engineer was glad that, despite the bad luck on the track, Vlad had pulled through and that he was shaping up to be a really good asset for the Leeroy Racing team…

Post Race wind-down

The Chief Engineer sighed and entered the corporate annex at Leeroy Racing USA’s HQ. He hated having to deal with the legal types and the pen pushers; they had no honour or sense of what it took to go racing. Upon entering the room he was instructed to sit down at the end of the table. Once seated, the head lawyer began the meeting…

“Chief, in your opinion, should we bring this Connaughan fellow before the Tribunal? After all, he cost us position and prestige…”

“No. Just NO! Today was about racing, no-one had malicious intent, no-one gained unfair advantage and no-one was a dangerous driver. I spoke to Vlad and he feels that there was nothing anyone could have done to avoid the incident!”

“Hmmm… Very well, I’ll take your advice. What about the Bonkarenko incident then?”

“My opinion, Bonkarenko made a mistake. No malice, no ulterior motive, just an incident that didn’t roll our way. We should drop the dangerous driving claim and accept the bonuses that ASCAR have given us and move on. Bonkarenko’s a decent fellow, as is Connaughan, and we need to clear the air and get on with good, clean racing free of fear that someone will lose their livelihood because of an on-track mistake!”

“Hmpf… Fine, I’ll write up the press briefings and we’ll make the announcement soon. Start winning Chief, or else we may all be required to find new livelihoods, not just our competitors”

And with that, the meeting was over. The Chief headed back to his home, happy that he’d cleared away the controversy surrounding Leeroy Racing but also worried; the MY87 Maverick race car wasn’t a winner, not this year anyway…

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