Chapter 12

One Year Ago

The Shade Grand Prix was the newest race on the calendar. The fast, flowing track was vaguely horseshoe-shaped, cutting through a mountainside forest. The drivers were concerned and none more than Winter. It was a brand new track but lacked some of the basic safety features that had been staples for years. Armco barriers were rare with dirt banks and flimsy fences used instead. The trees were too close for comfort with not enough between them and the drivers. The place also seemed understaffed. There were safety workers in all the corners but not enough for such a large circuit. The corners themselves were very fast. Most tracks had at least one or two slow corners but the Shadering had none. That speed, combined with frequent and drastic elevation changes made for a very tricky circuit. There was no margin for error.

Earlier in the year at the Vytal GP, Mercury had been involved in a serious accident. A mechanical failure had caused his car to spear straight into a barrier. His cockpit was narrowed and bent, badly breaking his lower legs. He would return the following year, but his season was over. In his place Phase Two hired an older sports car driver, Roman Torchwick. He was never particularly fast but he had a habit of always being there at the finish, in with a shot when he had no business being close. What he lacked in speed he more than made up for in clever tactics. That was all well and good in sports cars where the races were as much about just making it to the finish as being quick, but it was a style unlikely to transfer to F1.

Roman struggled at the Patch GP. His car was bad, as evidenced by Emerald's poor performance in the same equipment, but he could not come close to keeping up with his teammate. The best thing that could be said was that he kept it on the circuit. At the Emerald Forest he was closer to being on pace. There keeping it on the track was just as important as speed, and he put in a decent finish in a race where many others suffered mechanical issues and crashes. Still, Emerald beat him easily. There were rumors that he would be replaced with a younger driver. He had no interest in going back to sports cars. Shade would be his last chance to prove himself.

Roman's weekend started well. On a track neither had seen before, he out-qualified Emerald, taking the ninth starting spot to her eleventh. When the race got underway he fell back to tenth, but at least he stayed in front of his teammate. Doing so would likely be enough to get him one more race. Emerald was not about to let him have the position however. She pressed hard, taking every opportunity to look to pass, even at times when it was obvious it would not happen. It was getting under Roman's skin. He knew that if he got clear of her and could run his own race he would be faster. He might even be able to pick up a few positions. He pushed his car to the limit, determined to free himself of Emerald's annoyance.

The backstretch was long, downhill and terrifyingly fast. At its end there was a fast kink left through which drivers had to brake for the following sweeping right-hander called Merlot Curve. Roman got a good run out of the previous corner and opened up a small gap on Emerald. If he got a good run through Merlot Curve he might just be able to put her behind him for good. As he swung his car to the left for the kink he started to brake. The car became unsettled and started to oversteer left. He corrected right and the car started to slide that way. He corrected back to the left and finally lost his battle with the car. He spun off the track to the left, slamming the dirt bank with his right front before the right rear snapped into it as well.

It was a hard impact and Roman was unconscious. After the car sat there for a few seconds, leaking fuel ignited and the wreck was immediately engulfed. Track workers rushed to the scene but found their extinguishers inadequate or defective. The car burned brightly, throwing off sparks with the occasional pop as the magnesium in the chassis and suspension went up in flames. After several minutes the fire was finally brought under control. Of course Roman was already dead. An autopsy confirmed that he had suffered non-fatal injuries in the crash and that he had died of smoke inhalation.

Winter was enraged. For years she had been calling for better firefighting at circuits and most had listened. Now a brand new track was found to be lacking in such a crucial area of safety. With the backing of the other drivers she immediately announced a boycott of the following year's race. The people in charge of the Shadering got the message. There would be better fire extinguishers, fire trucks posted at various points around the circuit, and more armco. They gave Winter everything she wanted and the boycott was called off. Another track was up to standard, and it had only cost a man his life.

Present Day

When F1 arrived at the Shadering for the second time it was clear that significant improvements had been made. The circuit was still mostly ringed by dirt banks, but armco had been added in some places and the dirt banks that remained had been beefed up. The surrounding forests had been trimmed so the trees were a little further away from the track, though they were still too close for comfort. The biggest change was in the personnel. There were far more track workers and they looked much more professional. Whether they were or not was impossible to judge, but at least they now had the right equipment.

Pyrrha had dominated the previous year's race. The fast, sweeping turns made aerodynamics of critical importance and Team Juniper's had been the best. It was really a power track though, and now that Schnee Automotive had gotten its engine program back on track they would be a force to be reckoned with. Juniper's aerodynamic advantage had also closed as other teams began to figure out the technology. Pyrrha now had a decent teammate as well, so the race was not likely to be another runaway.

Practice showed the predictions were correct. Winter and May led all the sessions, trading the top spot between them. Pyrrha and Weiss were next, followed closely by Yang, Ruby, Sun and Neptune. Apparently the SeaMonkeys F1 car had a good aero package. Behind them the midfield was its usual chaotic mix of teams and drivers. Ruby continued to surprise and impress. Rather than taking all weekend to get used to the track she pretty much nailed it by the end of the first practice, posting times similar to Yang's. If she continued to improve as she had in previous races, she might well be a threat in the race.

Qualifying played out much like practice. Winter and May traded the pole back and forth as the session went on. May was on top in the closing seconds, followed by Winter, Pyrrha, Weiss, Yang, Neptune, Ruby and Sun. The gap between Team Juniper and the cars behind had closed and the race for spots 3-8 was a close one. Schnee Automotive had the front row sewn up, but there were still plenty of positions up for grabs.

Pyrrha went out for one last run in the waning moments of the session. She needed to bolster her lead over Weiss or risk losing the spot. She wound up her car around the sweeping, right-hand Champion's Curve and roared onto the frontstretch to start her lap. Her car screamed steeply uphill toward the first corner, a right-hander called Highlight. She barely had to lift before sliding her car around the incredibly fast corner. The track meandered right and left as it climbed higher, Pyrrha pushing her engine to the limit before getting on the brakes for Beacon Curve, a long and sweeping right-hander. On exit it was back downhill. Pyrrha was at top speed when she hit the brakes and turned left to negotiate the kink before Merlot Curve. Her car became unsettled but she held it, then slung her car into the long, tight, downhill right-hander. She barely had to touch the brakes as she entered the complex known as The Chicane, though it was a misnomer. The first corner was a fast left that crested a hill, followed by a short straight then a tighter left as the hill bottomed out. Pyrrha accelerated out of The Chicane, running flat-out through the right-hand kink at its exit before heading downhill toward Champion's Curve. Pyrrha braked hard for the final corner but was soon back on the throttle as the corner unwound. She spun her tires ever so slightly and oversteered, but she kept the throttle down. Her car slid to the very edge of the track just as she reached the straightaway and she roared across the line to complete her lap.

Pyrrha could be happy with her performance. She took third ahead of Weiss. Winter took the pole ahead of May by fractions of a second. Sun qualified a surprising fifth, followed by Ruby, Yang and Neptune. Reese and Coco rounded out the top 10, though they were well off the pace of the top 8. With only six points paying positions, it was going to be quite a scramble between Beacon GP and SeaMonkeys F1, barring unforeseen issues for the frontrunners of course. Up front, however, it looked as if the first four positions were more or less set in stone with only battles between teammates to determined the exact order. Only time would tell.

Weiss felt like she might have made a poor career choice. Yang might have been a slightly better driver, but Weiss could match her on some days and out-strategize her whenever the opportunity called for it. That was the difference between a passionate driver like Yang or Winter and a technician like Weiss. With Pyrrha, things were different. She was just plain faster. Weiss could get the upperhand on rare occasions, and might even have a few tracks where she was better, but there was no out-thinking Pyrrha. With the pair in roughly identical cars, Weiss was finding it almost impossible to come out on top. She had declared that she would not be treated like a #2 driver, but given their relative speeds, it seemed the default state of things. If Weiss was going to succeed as Pyrrha's teammate, she would have to make some changes. It was probably too late for this race, but there were three more after it and Weiss still held the slightest margin over Pyrrha in the points.

Ruby had vomited in the garage before driving her car out to the grid. She had hoped that would be that, but, though she had been fast all weekend, something about the track unnerved her. She stepped out of her car, hopped over the armco separating the frontstretch from the pits, and returned to her garage to vomit again. By now she was fairly used to the pre-race ritual but it was still embarrassing. None of the other drivers did anything like that, at least not publically. All drivers were headcases - Ruby knew that - but she wished her neurosis was more in line with everyone else's. Drivers were a superstitious lot and they all had their routines. Ruby knew that Yang always wore the same necklace for every race. Weiss always ate the same breakfast on race day. It was not quite the same, but Ruby had her puke.

The cars rolled around for their parade lap before returning to the grid for the start. The starter raised his flag and soon dropped it. The cars leapt off the line, climbing uphill toward Highlight. May got a great start and beat Winter to the corner. Pyrrha and Weiss both got good starts and rounded the first turn third and fourth respectively. Sun had a terrible start. He spun the tires badly, then bogged down. Ruby shot ahead followed by Neptune, then Yang slipped past just as they reached turn 1. Near the back of the field, Gwen Darcy stalled on the grid. Everyone missed her, but her car refused to fire and her race was over.

The first few laps were fairly boring. May and Winter pulled out a lead over Pyrrha and Weiss who pulled out a lead over Ruby, Neptune, Yang and Sun. None were particularly interested in passing until they were well clear of those behind them, lest a bad attempt to pass actually cost them positions. In the back there were position changes, but mostly down to mechanical issues. By lap 5 Fox, Nolan and Adam had all dropped out with one problem or another.

The battle for third heated up on lap 9. The Schnee Automotive pair were well ahead and the rest of the field well behind Pyrrha and Weiss. Weiss got a good run off of Beacon Curve, drafted Pyrrha down the backstretch, and made her move on entry to Merlot Curve. She got ahead but overdrove the corner, sliding wide and allowing Pyrrha to retake the spot. Weiss got another run of Champion's Curve and drafted past Pyrrha as they entered Highlight. Pyrrha slipped in behind Weiss and drafted her up the hill to Beacon Curve. As the last moment, Pyrrha jumped right and slid up the inside as they rounded the turn to retake the spot. Weiss challenged a few more times of the next couple laps, but it was clear that Pyrrha was just saving her equipment, only going fast enough to keep Weiss behind.

Winter made no attempts to pass May. May was not sure if it was an issue of speed or if Winter was just biding her time. On lap 17 the point became moot. As May wound her car through Champion's Curve, the left front suspension collapsed. She skidded off the track and made light contact with the armco. When May got back to the garage a little later she was furious. She was winning and the car had let her down. She gave the team an earful with particularly harsh words for the mechanics responsible for her suspension. They were not thrilled by the abuse, but they understood May's anger and appreciated her will to win. Besides, it was nothing like the lashing they would get from Mr. Schnee when they got back to the factory.

On lap 27 Weiss' left rear tire let go on the run down to Merlot Curve. The car began to slide but she somehow maintained control and brought it to a safe stop. Her race was over. So much for her points lead. The news got worse for Team Juniper on lap 33. Pyrrha's transmission began to fail. She was stuck with only the top two gears. For most of the lap it was not much of a problem, but in the slower sections it was disastrous. Soon she was caught and passed by Ruby, Neptune, Yang and Sun. Then the top gear failed. There was no point in continuing so Pyrrha pulled into the pits and retired from the race.

Attrition continued to decimate the frontrunners. Yang's engine began to sour and Sun passed her. She began to fall back but stayed in the race, hoping her engine would make it to the finish. By then Ruby had managed to pull a gap on Neptune and Sun as the SeaMonkeys F1 pair had a spirited battle. They rounded the track, swapping positions with the help of the draft on just about every long straightaway. It was now a battle for the podium and neither was willing to yield. It was finally decided on lap 49 of 54. Sun got a good run on Neptune heading up the hill to Highlight. He moved right and shot by just as the pair entered the corner. Sun's car became unsettled mid corner and he just barely kept it going in a straight line, sliding wide into the grass at corner exit. By the time he got it back on track Neptune was too far ahead to catch.

The battle between Reese, Coco, Arslan, Dew and Fox would normally have been meaningless, but with so many front-runners falling out there were now points on the line. As the final lap began, all five were together. Coco and Arslan drafted past Reese down the frontstretch as Fox tried to do the same to Dew. Dew threw a block and Fox was forced to back off. With Coco and Arslan passing, Reese was forced off line for the corner and got a bad exit. Dew had no such trouble and passed her on the run up to Beacon Curve. Arslan darted right and slipped by Coco on entry to the corner as Dew closed in on the pair. Reese blocked right as Fox attempted to pass on the left. Though it was not the preferred line, the stackup caused by Coco and Arslan's battle and Dew getting held up by it allowed him to complete the pass. Coco and Arslan were side-by-side on the run downhill toward Merlot Curve.

Arslan could not keep her car on the left edge of the track as the pair entered the kink. She slid right and smacked into the side of Coco's car. Their wheels interlocked and both went off the track, running through the grass on the inside of the corner. They shot back across the track and slammed into the armco. Dew had seen the crash coming and slowed. She swept by just after the pair slid back across the track. Slowing to avoid Arslan and Coco allowed Fox and Reese to catch Dew. Fox made an ill-advised lunge on entry to The Chicane. He had to slam on the brakes and spin his car to avoid contact, allowing Reese to sweep past. Fox did a complete spin and continued on, but he was out of the battle.

Reese got right on Dew's transmission, following her down toward Champion's Corner. She moved right and Dew blocked. Reese moved left and Dew blocked again. Reese went back to the right and got beside Dew just as the pair entered the turn. Reese had a bit too much speed and slid up out of the racing line. Dew pounced and dove to the inside. The pair came off the corner even and drag raced to the line with Dew just barely taking the position.

The final results saw Winter winning by a wide margin over Ruby, Neptune, Sun, Yang and Dew. Fox, Emerald, Sage and Scarlet rounded out the top 10. Neptune was ecstatic to have his first career podium. Dew was equally excited for her first points. On the podium for the third race in a row, Ruby could hardly believe it. Sun and Yang were both disappointed, sure they could have done better. The Team Juniper pair took a huge hit in the points. They would have a lot of catching up to do in the final three races. Still, the points were so close that it was anybody's championship, and suddenly there was a new challenger. Ruby had suddenly propelled herself into the title race.

Standings after eight races:

1st - Winter Schnee - 33

2nd - Weiss Schnee - 30

3rd - Yang Xiao-Long - 29

4th - Pyrrha Nikos - 27

4th - May Zedong - 27

6th - Ruby Rose - 23

7th - Sun Wukong - 15

8th - Neptune Vasilias - 6

9th - Arslan Atlan - 4

10th - Coco Adel - 2

10th - Reese Chloris - 2

12th - Fox Alistair - 1

12th - Dew Gayl - 1

Inspirations

- Shadering is based on the Osterreichring.

- Mercury's accident is vaguely based on Michael Schumacher's 1999 crash at Silverstone.

- Roman's crash is based on the 1971 fatal crash of Jo Siffert. He crashed heavily at Brands Hatch in a non-championship race. Unable to extract himself from the car, he died of smoke inhalation when all the trackside fire extinguishers were found to be defective.

- For once the level of attrition from mechanical failures is close to period accurate. Most races at the time saw fewer than half the runners make the finish.

Inaccuracies and Anachronisms

- There was no fatal crash in the 1970 Austrian GP. There were no fatal F1 crashed at the Osterreichring until Mark Donohue was killed there in 1975. He walked away from the crash but died of a brain hemorrhage the following day.

- Drafting battles like the one described were common of Monza in this era but not Austria. Understeer caused by aerodynamic disruption from following other cars was a bigger issue in the fast and sweeping corners of the Osterreichring, effectively spreading groups out.