Grand PriX - Updated 22/01/12 with 33. HIRING FOR 34 (56k warning.)

[C-ZETA]

Chapter 6 - Two Wise Cars

At last, I returned home, nearly a day and a half prior to setting off on my search. It had seemed a lot longer, but the reward I had gotten from it was marvelous.

"Yo, Dad!"
"Hey, Jase...is that you?"
"Sure is!"
"Come inside then!"

I ran up the stairs to my house as quickly as possible.

"Hey, Dad!"
"Jason! Welcome back home, my boy!"
"Did you see what I got?"
"Yeah, of course I did!"
"Did my C4 make it back in one piece?"
"Of course."
"Lovely. So, got anything for me now that I've returned?"
"...Do you know what...I've just remembered something now."
"Come on then Dad, what is it?"
"Let me show you. It's outside. Or, more accurately, they're outside."
"More than one gift?"
"Hell yeah!"

I stepped downstairs with my dad and went outside. Weirdly though, we went around the back of our house where his garage was. But if there was more than one...what was he giving me?

"Right then, let me open this..."

He put a key in the slot where it opened, and it zipped up to reveal...

"Here they are!"

Two classic Alfa Romeos. One white, the other red. They both looked identical.

"Whoa! They both look really good!"
"Yep, and I'm giving them both to you."
"Why would you want to though?"
"OK then...let me tell you an important secret that you should always remember for as long as this family runs for."
"Um...OK..."
"Right then, good."

"This car you see here is an Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ. Limited road production car designed by the legendary Zagato, but your granddad managed to get a hold of one of these when he was still a young racer like you. 110bhp but just 660kg."

"This car comes from the same line, but it's called the TZ2 and this is actually a racing-spec car. This one has 162bhp and weighs just 620kg, however. This was my dad's main racer back in the day. Oh, those days..."

"Daniel Cutler then, ready to take on the last stage of the Targa Toscana then in his Alfa Romeo Giulia..."

"And he's away like a rocket off the line!"

"Speeding through the first corner..."

"Dashing off past the sunset here at Toscana..."

"He's moving through the stage at blinding speed!"

"His Giulia is very lightweight indeed, gives him a brilliant edge through the corners..."

"Speeding through the first checkpoint!"

"This is just incredible to watch!"

"Look at him, working through the gears rapidly!"

"This thing looks even more beautiful than the Italian sunset itself..."

"...but looks don't matter when you've got a place to be getting to at speed like this!"

"His cornering technique is just so precise..."

"...and as he goes over the second checkpoint, that is what will help him to a win here in the Targa Toscana."

"He is fast approaching his destination..."

"...but is he fast enough?"

"He's still looking calm and collected as ever..."

"...he's not worried one bit about losing this!"

"He's pushing his car harder than ever to get him closer to a win!"

"Can he keep it up?"

"He should be doing well enough to win it at the moment..."

"Not that long to go now."

"Will Daniel Cutler keep his nerve and win this eventful Targa?"

"He's very close now!"

"Surely he must be heading for a win now!"

"Finish line is in sight!"

"And there he goes, across the line!"

"...ah, those were the days."

And so, what was 1 car just a day ago for Jason has now become 4 for him. How will he use these cars? Will he keep up his successes and become a legendary racer?

Stay tuned to Grand PriX to find out!​

 

[Jacob]

Really nice pictures. Great work on this chapter.

 

[DK]

What's he going to use the Alfas for? He'll be hardly able to keep up in the Historic Racing Cars Championship (or whatever it's called).

 

[C-ZETA]

What's he going to use the Alfas for?

The white limited one is actually a great fit for the European Classic Car Championship even with the downforce. Technically speaking the stock one will be just a collector's item, but I know what race I'm using it in already. A race which will provide a proper plot twist when I get to it.

And as if I'd ever use one for the Historic Racing Car Cup. I have a 330P4, a Mark IV, an XJ13, a GT40 and a Toyota 7 which will all do that job for me, thank you very much. Mind you, all but one of them isn't up for share as of now

 

[C-ZETA]

Chapter 7 - The Tuscany Trip

Now with 4 cars on my hands, I felt it was actually time to start a proper racing career. I hadn't been in a professional race in my own car before, and I felt this was the time to do it.

"So Dad, do you reckon I should go for it?"
"Oh, of course you should! There's much out there that you can do with the cars you've got."
"Right then...cool. What should I do first in my C4 then?"
"I want you to stick to relatively local races so...how about the Tuscany Tarmac Rally?"
"That's an event for true expert rally drivers only, I swear..."
"You won your first race at Toscana in a rally built car against supercars. You've won a race on snow. Your car's got a rally setup. What's wrong with entering?"
"What kind of cars do you race against there?"
"Mostly road cars just moderately tuned up. Yours is a heavy tune up, but it's roughly on par with the other cars in it."
"Don't you need a co-driver for it though?"
"That's why I'm coming along."
"Wait...you're co-driving me? But you've never done that before!"
"Remember, Jason, that I'm a top-class rally driver. I know all the types of turns around like the back of my hand."
"Fair enough...so we're doing this thing, yeah?"
"Yes we are. Let's head off to Toscana tomorrow, OK?"
"Yeah, of course."

The next day, we were at Toscana and ready to race in my C4.

"OK then, it's 5 stages we're doing. There's plenty of cars here, so watch out for them."
"Right. You've studied the routes I gather?"
"I knew them even before hand. But yes, I have studied them and these should be accurate notes."
"How long roughly are all the special stages?"
"The first one is a bit over 2 miles. The second one is 5 miles, the third one 3 miles, the 4th one 4 and a half, and the last one about 5 and a half."
"Right...I got it."

A notice was said for us to get in position to take on the first stage.

"Right then...you ready for this, boy?"
"Yeah, I sure as hell am."
"That's my boy. Let's go!"

As we lined up, I got myself together ready for the first special stage.

"You sure you're ready?"
"Yeah, of course!"

Dad noted out an Impreza in front of me.

"This Impreza here in front of you was the champion of this last time if I remember correctly. Don't expect to beat it..."
"OK."

And then, it was me who was next up to start.

"5...4...3...2...1...Go!"

And before I knew it, I was racing off the line in my first truly professional event.

My C4 felt as smooth as ever through the corners, even despite its FF drivetrain.

However, I did have new, softer, grippier tyres like everyone else had.

These new tyres made my car's handling more responsive than before which cancelled out some of the understeer.

Obviously it wasn't entirely removed but it was at least lightened.

I had a clean run, and I felt like I would get a good position as I closed in onto the finish line.

It had certainly been a good run...

...but where was I going to finish?

"Good run, Jason."
"Thanks, Dad. Where are we in relation to the others?"
"As it stands, we're currently in 3rd place. Just two Impreza's are ahead of us, and one of them is the defending champ...so you're doing a lovely job already."
"Heh, let's just see where we end up on the next stage..."
"Don't say that about yourself! It's really not that hard..."
"You go ahead and say that."

The time for the second stage was upon us and we climbed into the car again.

This time, we were 3rd in line, with two identical looking blue Impreza's ahead of us.

"Are they like teammates or something?"
"Sort of. The leader's in an '02, while the 2nd place reigning champ is in an '05. They're not exactly team mates, but they do come from the same racing team if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I kind of get it."
"Right, brace yourselves because a long stage is coming up."

And once again I was the one in the front of the line, and I was ready to start my second stage.

"5...4...3...2...1...Go!"

I blitzed off the line once again as Dad called out his pace notes with rapid speed.

It actually didn't seem all that hard - just as Dad said...

But that didn't exactly mean I'd get away scot free!

"Aargh, no! Braked too late."

Yeah, a minor mishap in my driving skill there. My nerves seemed to be getting to me just a little bit already.

But apart from that...

My run was 100% clean. Although it had probably been 20% ruined by that minor off.

"Nice run again, Jason."
"Thanks for that, Dad."

"I'm sure we must have dropped a couple of places...where are we now?"
"Actually...we're still 3rd. The Evo V behind us had a bit of brake trouble."
"Hmm...that's good to know. You reckon we can stay there for the rest of this?"
"I'm sure you won't disappoint me, boy."

And so we were called up for the 3rd special stage of 5.

"So what's this one like?"
"It starts simplistically enough, then gets twisty at the end..."

And with that Impreza still in front of me somehow, I felt that a podium finish was coming my way.

"Do you reckon we'll be good here?"
"We should be strong through the turns here."

Once the Impreza shouted itself off the line, it was my time to shine again.

"OK...5...4...3...2...1..Go!"

And so I sped off past the Tuscany civilization once again.

The car felt good as we moved through the first part of the stage.

And it felt like I was going to do well and get further ahead of that Evo V in 4th place.

But then, out of nowhere...

"Huh? Something doesn't feel right..."

"Yaargh! Crap!"

"No, no, no, no, no!!!"

Later on...

"...So how did...that happen?"
"It seems as if you hit a bad part of the road with your right front tyre, which deflated it. However since you were travelling at such speed it just spun out the car..."
"But how long is it going...to...take...to fix it?"
"Well we certainly can't go on in the rally, I'm afraid to say. Some guys are saying this thing's gonna take-"
"Is it a...write-off?"
"No, not by a long shot. But it'll still take about 3 days of repairs to get it back to its normal state."
"...Oh..."

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.

"Still, you have 3 other cars at your disposal you can use in that time..."
"I know...but this C4 just feels...special to me. It's my first car, and..."
"Everyone damages a car at some point, mostly their first. I know how you feel, and I know how much it could cost, but don't worry, boy. There's always other stuff out there..."

Jason, having entered his first professional event in his own car, was doing a good job in the Tuscany Tarmac Rally. However, he suffered an unfortunate crash and now his C4 is in arrears for 3 days now. How can Jason recover from this bad experience?

Stay tuned to Grand PriX to find out!​

 

[Jacob]

Nice chapter. But I just have to mention the great pictures. Good sense of speed in these. 👍

 

[DK]

Get well soon, C4.

 

[uMadson?]

Oops, missed a few bits.

I like the chapter featuring the Alfa's, you seem to do some researching before putting up the chapter.

About the rally though, don't worry Jason, I even broke off my bumper way back when I gave that rally a shot. I'd tell you what, most of the people were having troubles here too, not only you.

 

[C-ZETA]

I like the chapter featuring the Alfa's, you seem to do some researching before putting up the chapter.

The description of the car tells me everything.

Also sorry to hear about your fanfic...but then again even the guys who make things find chinks in their armour or whatever they try doesn't work as they thought it would. Hope to see your new fanfic soon.

 

[uMadson?]

The description of the car tells me everything.

Also sorry to hear about your fanfic...but then again even the guys who make things find chinks in their armour or whatever they try doesn't work as they thought it would. Hope to see your new fanfic soon.

Meh, it's my call though, I just hated the way it looks now. Like the supercar-choosing thing, it could have been settled long ago. I'm just gonna put more effort in it so that it would be a whole lot nicer.

Why all of a sudden? I read an *explicit* fanfic over at deviantART and somehow I realized that I wasn't really worthy of starting a fanfic. I need to experience a chilling sensation of a story before embarking on one, but I jumped the gun too early. Then I had this feeling when brainstorming seemed to be a pain in the arse and the fanfic itself was really half-assed.

Everything will remain the same for the new one, it's just that it would be a "revised" version.

For now, peace out, and I'll be hoping that your boy's Loeb-mobile would get back in action sometime.

 

[C-ZETA]

Chapter 8 - No1 for GTO

I had stupidly wrecked my C4 at Toscana, and now I wasn't getting it back for 3 days. Brilliant. There did seem to be other events though I could do in my other cars. How lovely...

Dad had entered me into a 'high-level' race in the GTO at Monza. Looks like that was going to be its first race then! Of course, Dad was overestimating my ability. Especially considering the competition there - a bunch of heavily modified and kitted out GT race cars!

The weather at Monza was rainy (weirdly). That was gonna make for an interesting race. Meanwhile...

"Right, Darren. I want you to beat every single thing out here."
"You reckon I can do it from 9th?"
"Yeah, of course. The GT's are gonna be tough to get past, but try anyway."
"It's gonna be a nightmare out in the rain, I can tell you."
"Come on, man! Believe in yourself! Don't give in to some stupid water that's 🤬 down on us!"
"Right, Henry."
"OK then mate, you'd better get out on the start grid. Good luck, and don't disappoint."
"Yes, Henry."

"I'm going to the grid soon. What do you recommend I should do?"
"I'm really not expecting you to win, but try your best."
"So what's with this 'XJR-9 copy' you've been talking about?"
"Good news. It's not showed up. If that had showed up, then nothing else would be able to touch it."
"Really?"
"It's a copy of one of the old Group C's. It's not genuine, but it goes exactly like the old one in every way."
"Right. Wish me luck then, I've gotta head down to the grid."
"OK. Good luck!"
"Thanks!"

"He reminds me of that good old GTO driver that used to do this..."

"Ah, shame he's no longer with us."

It was time for the race. Time to get utterly destroyed, possibly...

Starting Grid
1. Green/Orange Mazda RX-8
2. Red/Blue Nissan 350Z
3. Blue/Orange Ford GT
4. White Jaguar XJ220
5. Blue Mitsubishi FTO
6. Black/White Ford GT
7. Jason's Red Mitsubishi GTO
8. Red/White Chevrolet Camaro
9. Darren's Black Pagani Zonda
10. Red Honda NSX
11. Red Citroen GT
12. Yellow Mazda RX-7

"This RX-8 shall win for rotary power!"

"This 350Z is superior over anyone else."

"This car shall sing to victory!"

"Let's see if all the modifications pay off..."

"There's nothing wrong with the old guard, is there? Been around for 14 years, won't stand a chance but what can you do."

"If I don't win this, then I'm having a nightmare."

"Sigh...What had Dad gotten me into now?"

"Huh? What's a GTO doing in front of me?"

"I shall not lose. I shall not lose!"

"Aw man! I ain't got a chance from here."

"Le victory shall me mine only!"

"Man, why do I always have to be at the back of the queue? Sigh..."

As we accelerated away from the rolling start, I broke for the chicane only to find myself swerving everywhere.

"Oh no, not already!"

I did manage to get a good start however and slotted behind the Jaguar into 4th.

"Oh, well that wasn't so bad."

Only except I ran wide at the next corner.

"Aargh! What am I doing?"

I hadn't managed to lose any positions though and still remained 4th.

"Wow...I got let off there!"

Weirdly I caught up to the Jaguar very quickly.

"Whoa hey! Where did you come from?"

And I was past him out of the first Lesmo.

"Woo! Go go GTO!"

I raced down to the Ascari Chicane, watching closely on the RX-8 and GT battle in front of me.

"These guys are just completely caught up in their own battle."

And the GT would eventually get the lead through Ascari.

"Boo yah! Into the lead I am!"

Only for him to run wide and let the RX-8 back into the lead again.

"Hahah...don't drown in your own incompetence!"

Yet the GT chased him all the way down to the Parabolica and took him again.

"That's what you get for stealing my lead!"

And then I snuck through as well.

"Wait...no! Don't overtake me as well!"

I got a good slipstream on the GT down to the first chicane.

"Come on, man! Let's catch this GT40 imposter!"

But then I slipped wide under braking for the chicane again...

"No! Not this again!"

But even then I still got the GT! OK, so he cut the chicane and had to let me through, but still...I was in the lead! How?

"No! How could I make such a silly mistake like that?"
"Yes! Into the lead!"
"But...how is he into the lead?"

And I would start to pull out a gap as well.

"Dad, how far ahead of him am I?"
"About 1.4 seconds."

But then I ran wide at Ascari. Oh the irony...

"Oh no! Now I've ran wide at Ascari!"

And the GT got another good run on me down to the Parabolica.

"Heh...this is just like deja vu, isn't it?"
"I won't hold back!"

But his overtaking attempt failed and I got away yet again.

"Woo...that was a lucky escape yet again!"

But even so he still had the whole main straight to catch me!

"Come 'ere now! I'm gonna do your head in!"

That overtaking attempt ended in failure as well.

"Man these guys are cutting it close!"

And so I started to pull away again.

"This is easy man...why didn't I listen to Dad in the first place?"

And so I got the chance to feel my GTO's power and performance for the first time in the wet.

"This thing's not reaching the top speed down the straight...very surprising!"

"And the acceleration is still there in the first two gears!"

"The handling is compromised obviously..."

"But wouldn't every car's handling be compromised in the wet? Of course it would."

Meanwhile, in the fight for second...

"Come on man! I'm not giving up this position!"
"I'll take that, thanks."

Back with me, I had just run wide at the exit of the second chicane.

"Aw nuts...that's the first real error I've made in a while!"

It didn't seem like it had done much to my chances.

"That wasn't so bad."

Of course, I say that now...

"Wait...who's that behind me?"

When there was a huge imposing black Zonda charging up behind me like I wasn't even there!

"Whoa! Who's this kid flying out of nowhere?"
"I want you to give up that position now."

And down the main straight he got lethally close!

"No...I mustn't lose the lead now!"
"Accept your fate, child. You have lost."

Oh no I hadn't! Instead, I broke later and got a much better exit out of the chicane, leaving Darren and his Zonda stranded.

"Haha! How's that for super power?"

That, I hoped, would be the last attack for a while on me.

"Man, this has been a tough race."

And my GTO hadn't emerged scrapless either.

"Man, this damage is horrible. I can be sure I'll have enough money to fix it though after the race!"

I would be sure, but first...

"I'm just wafting off into the distance- oh wait, no I'm not."

I had one last attack to hold off.

"Raagh! Come at me now!"
"This shall be my victory. All mine."

And the black and white GT came nearly close enough to spoil my day.

"Come on! Give it up now!"
"No! I won't allow you to!"

I found myself drifting through the Parabolica...

"Whoa! This is crazy!"

But it was my last lap. I had to make it count.

"Come at me then! Die, you foul exotic beasts!"
"What? How come I can't pass him."
"This is doable. I know it."

And sure enough, it was a good one.

"Yes! I'm gonna do it!"

And as I chased my way down to the Parabolica for the last time, I knew I had worked for it.

"This has been hard...so hard I could have killed myself doing it."

And as the stands roared with approval...

"I've done it! Yes, I've done it!"

...I crossed the line to secure my first ever truly professional win.

"Woo! Yes! That's what I'm talking about!"

Meanwhile, the Zonda passed the black and white GT at the last second to secure second by about 5 hundredths.

"2nd place. My career has been salvaged."
"No! How can I lose 2nd at the last straight? No!"

"But...who was that GTO driver? How could he have beaten me with such a weak car? I want answers some time soon...because I'm not sure about that GTO."

Later on, I arrived back at home with my Monza shaped trophy and sat down.

"Hey, Ishizaki!"
"Jason, I need to ask you something."
"Uh...go on then."
"I was thinking about entering some races of my own. Not professional ones, but just some fun ones."
"OK...nothing's stopping you, why are you asking me?"
"Do you think I can benefit from it?"
"Oh, certainly! It's all good fun."
"Nice to know. By the way, what's that trophy there?"
"Oh, you don't know?"
"Uh...no. What have I missed out on?"

I told him of the story of that win at Monza.

"Whoa, that's freakin' amazing!"
"You jelly?"
"Yeah, of course I'm jelly! Speaking of jelly...you got any? I feel like having some now that you've said it!"
"Aha. Later on, OK?"
"OK. That's given me even more will to race! I'm certainly doing it now! Thanks man!"
"You're welcome. By the way, have you gotten any status reports on the C4?"
"No, I'm afraid..."
"Ah, OK. It's all fine and dandy, I can live without it now that I have at least one car that's win worthy."
"Heh! That's the spirit!"
"So where exactly are you planning to race tomorrow?"
"Eiger, obviously. Duh? Where have you been recently?"
"Ah, OK, sorry. It's just there's so many different circuits out there in other countries on our borders...case in point, Monza."
"Aha! That's a long way off though."
"I figured. So shall we get some jelly now?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Right then. Let's go."

"...The GTO legacy has continued."

"...I wish my boy a safe life in racing."

Jason has taken an improbable victory at Monza in the rain over a host of other cars with considerably more street credit than his. How can Jason follow up from this incredible victory?

Stay tuned to Grand PriX to find out!​

 

[DK]

Well, Jason did have a big advantage over his rivals (*cough* 4WD *cough*). Nice chapter. 👍

 

[C-ZETA]

Well, Jason did have a big advantage over his rivals (*cough* 4WD *cough*).

*cough* And the fact he's not being controlled by an AI *cough*

Although if he was 4WD then surely the FTO should have finished higher. It finished last instead.

 

[Skython]

Nice Chapter C-ZETA 👍 What happened to the Gulf GT in the race, it just sort of disappeared

 

[C-ZETA]

What happened to the Gulf GT in the race, it just sort of disappeared

It really did, didn't it? I just never bothered to get a shot of it getting passed by the Zonda and the GT Spec II.

Although you can see it in the background in one of the last shots.

 

[C-ZETA]

OK guys, just a quick SPOILER WARNING!

Spoiler

There will be a main female character coming to the story in about 3 chapters. Weirdly enough I saw my real life inspiration for her today

And the next chapter is coming on...well, I have no idea, actually. It could be tomorrow, it could be at the weekend, it could be next year. (Though it won't come to that. )

 

[Zach]

W00t! Excited~~

 

[C-ZETA]

OK next chapter will definitely be coming tomorrow. Would do it today but I'm doing the Le Mans 24h in B-Spec and I won't be able to work on it till about 14:45 tomorrow.

 

[Darren.]

Really excited now!

 

[C-ZETA]

Chapter 9 - The Other Guys

We were heading off to the lovely Eiger once again, but this time I wasn't racing. Instead, it would be Ishizaki who would be trying to get some racing cred by entering his first (illegal) race. Well...it's not too bad to follow your friends, is it?

"Right, we're here."

We drove on to the gate where the entrance was. A woman was there.

"Hello, welcome to the Eiger Nordwand track. Are you entering in any races today?"
"Uh...sure, enter me in the next one!"
"OK then, we'll put you down. Good luck."
"Thanks!"
"You might just regret saying that, you know."
"Come on! It can't be that bad!"
"Right then, I'll be up in the stands-"
"Aren't you riding shotgun with me?"
"Uh...I want to watch your style from the outside."
"OK...fair enough! See you on the far side!"
"Later, dawg."

In fact I was just worried that Ishizaki was going to be reckless. ut it probably wouldn't matter because his idiotic decision to go straight into the next race...didn't quite go as he'd have planned.

What he would be faced with was not some easygoing city cars, but rather things like this...

One NSX!

Another NSX!

A third NSX, just for good measure!

Some weird crossover thing!

An Elise!

A TVR!

An RX-8!

And many, many more!

Meanwhile, Ishizaki was stuck with his...Yaris. Wow.

As I sat down in the stands, I saw another man sit next to me. But I recognized his face - it was Russell!

"Heya, Jason!"
"Oh, hi Russell!"
"What's been chilling since we last met?"
"Lots of things...we'll have to talk about it later, since this race is ready to start!"

Indeed it was.

And almost immediately he was faced with an Evo - which he passed!

"Woah, did he just pass that thing? Wow!"
"Who, the Yaris? Oh, wait...it has!"

Then he passed a Mercedes SL up the road as well!

"Whoa, how is he doing this? His Yaris isn't that fast!"
"I have to say that's pretty incredible."

Yet he didn't stop, and closed in on the NSX ahead!

"This is remarkable! How?"
"I don't know, he's got mods on that thing, right?"
"Right..."

"Aww, man! Come on! This can't be happening!"

He would pass that NSX and close in on another one.

"Dude! This is almost impossible!"

And once he got past that, he now had an RX-8 at his mercy.

"This is stupid...how is that Yaris holding on to me?"

Then he had an M Coupe in front of him all of a sudden, before he'd even passed the RX-8!

"Whoah! Where'd this guy come from?"

He dispossessed both of them once they came to the last hairpin in the complex.

"This isn't happening, I tell you!"
"That's just astounding, how?"

He passed an RX-7 quickly...

"Wow, that's an awesome Yaris!"

Before catching the TVR V8S right at the very end of his 3 laps!

"Whoa man! That was awesome! Seriously awesome."
"It was, wasn't it? Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to get to my car?"
"What? But...you've just sat down."
"Exactly. I'm in the feature race."
"OK...what are you driving?"
"The Clio obviously."
"What are you against?"
"That."

I saw a whole group of supercars that Russell pointed at.

"Whoa...seriously? You're fighting against that lot?"
"Yes, and don't discount me for a second. Remember I'm on Racing Hard tyres right?"
"Right."
"They're only on Sports Hards. I'll murk them through the corners, and there's a lot of them down here."
"How many laps is it?"
"3."
"3? That's not enough for you to win surely."
"OK, maybe it isn't, but I'll be darned if I don't come top 5 at least."
"OK then. Bye? See you down after the race!"
"Thanks. Bye!"

Russell left off for his race, and as his was getting set up, Ishizaki came back from his.

"Hey, Ishizaki! Man, what got into you that race?!"
"Too much. I think I had Sports Mediums on..."
"...OK, so maybe you had enough grip to take them, but seriously! That's an awesome thing you've just done!"
"Done what?"
"You beat like 2 NSX's, an RX-7 and an RX-8 plus an Evo!"
"Did I? Wow! It seemed like I wasn't that far ahead!"
"You were. 8th place in fact."
"8th? Wow! That's higher than I thought it would be."
"Same here too. Let's just watch this next race though. Remember Russell?"
"Uh huh."
"He's in this race. Watch out for a blue shining Clio that might cause disturbance to the bunch of supercars coming down the track soon..."
"OK!"

It was time for the main event. And looking at Russell's competition, it was hard to see why he'd bothered. He had so much horsepower disadvantage...

"Ford GT..."
"That seems pretty impressive!"

"Citroen GT..."
"That thing's gotta put up a fight!"

"Lamborghini Murcielago..."
"Wow, that thing looks pretty sweet!"

"SLS AMG..."
"That's not gonna do much, I hope."

"458 Italia..."
"Wow, that thing looks better in red than green, I tell ya!"

"A 430 Scuderia..."
"That thing also looks worse in blue. Blasphemy!"

"A green MP4-12C..."
"Nice! I'd love to drive one of these."

"...And there's Russell in his Clio."
"Good luck to him!"

The race was underway and Russell immediately took advantage of his far better tyres by passing a slow Caterham and a Viper.

"That's a good start he's made!"

...before passing another Murcielago and the MP4-12C.

"Well, he's already made enough progress...surely he can't go that much further?"

And of course he didn't! He passed an A5 before the bridge.

"That's an impressive overtake."

It took him a while to pass the NSX up ahead, but at least he did it eventually.

"That's a good pass on that NSX!"

Then he quickly passed the 430 Scuderia up ahead.

"Man, this guy's a good driver!"

He would next pick off the 458...

"Nice move."

...then pass the SLS and a Zonda...

"This guy's on fire!"

...before catching a Saleen S7 right at the end!

"Wow, that was a fantastic race from him!"
"Impressive performance."
"That went better than I could ever hope for! 5th place!"

After the race we met up with Russell down at the gate to the circuit.

"Wow. That was an amazing race Russell!"
"I know, right? It could have been better still."
"That was a truly top-class performance from you! How do you get your Clio like that?"
"I tuned it up, of course. You must have tuned up your Yaris too, correct?"
"Of course I did! That's how I beat the rest of the field like I did."
"I see. Well, I'll be off now, I've gotta get bak to Luzern. See you around, boys."
"See ya!"

And Russell drive his Clio off into the distance, with it screaming like a rock band would never be able to even dream of.

"That guy...he's such an inspiration."
"I know, right? His driving skill is impeccable."
"I hope to be like him one day..."
"You already are! You are a racer, after all!"
"I know, but not to the scale he is. I could beat him in my C4...if he was using your Yaris probably. Anything higher than that and I'd be left for dead!"
"You reckon? Well why don't you try racing him?"
"Well, it would be good, but I just feel I don't need to do so right now."
"Well...OK then. Where you going tomorrow?"
"Dad said I'd be going to Cape Ring tomorrow...I've never been there before."
"Cape Ring? Isn't that like some kind of food?"
"No, it's a track on the coast of Italy, hence the name 'Cape Ring'."
"Ah, OK then! I'll see you around then! What you using to get there?"
"The Giulia TZ."
"OK then. See you later!"
"Bye!"

Ishizaki has had his first crack at motor racing and has achieved some success. Russell has shown his skill off to the boys, and now Jason faces a daunting trip to the Cape Ring with his Alfa Giulia TZ waiting for its first drive in his hands. How well will Jason fare in this next race he's doing?

Stay tuned to Grand PriX to find out!​

 

[VTiRoj]

It's only just hit me, but does Ishizaki know Dave?

If he doesn't, then there's only one explanation left. THEY'RE MULTIPLYING!

Great chapter! Nice to see the hatchbacks clearing house. :tup: Whilst you're all here in Eiger, you should come to Yuka and Hitomi's hotel for a party!

 

[DK]

^ Would they mind if a few college-attending rockers from Japan joined?

Nice chapter. 👍

 

[F_Filipe]

Nice Chapter

 

[C-ZETA]

It's only just hit me, but does Ishizaki know Dave?

If he doesn't, then there's only one explanation left. THEY'RE MULTIPLYING!

Great chapter! Nice to see the hatchbacks clearing house. :tup: Whilst you're all here in Eiger, you should come to Yuka and Hitomi's hotel for a party!

I only realised a small while back that they were identical, but I can tell you it was unintentional. I like the wheels, I like the colour, and there's no aero to separate their looks. Accidental discovery OMG

And yes, I would like that. Euro Hot Hatch anyone? Oops I hope I haven't spoilt your plans.

 

[uMadson?]

I only realised a small while back that they were identical, but I can tell you it was unintentional. I like the wheels, I like the colour, and there's no aero to separate their looks. Accidental discovery OMG

And yes, I would like that. Euro Hot Hatch anyone? Oops I hope I haven't spoilt your plans.

NO, GO BACK TO MONZA AND WAIT FOR TWO HOT CHICKS TO- *gets 🤬-slapped by some silver haired girl*

Anyway, good chapter ya got. 👍

 

[Jacob]

Nice work. 👍

 

[Skython]

Great Chapter 👍

 

[VTiRoj]

I only realised a small while back that they were identical, but I can tell you it was unintentional. I like the wheels, I like the colour, and there's no aero to separate their looks. Accidental discovery OMG

And yes, I would like that. Euro Hot Hatch anyone? Oops I hope I haven't spoilt your plans.

It's all good, no worries.

I didn't mean actually have a huge crossover. Just a fun thing to say. You wouldn't be ruining anything.

 

[C-ZETA]

NO, GO BACK TO MONZA AND WAIT FOR TWO HOT CHICKS TO- *gets 🤬-slapped by some silver haired girl*

SPOILER WARNING

Spoiler

Well there'll be one girl at/after the next race I do at Monza (at least I think it'll be). The aforementioned one in the last spoiler.

didn't mean actually have a huge crossover. Just a fun thing to say. You wouldn't be ruining anything.

I knew that...just was saying it for lulz. And I was just betting on the next race in your fanfic

 

[C-ZETA]

Chapter 10 - The Giulia's First Run

Here we were then, at Cape Ring, with the brilliant Giulia TZ. We'd only entered an amateur race, and Dad had only really entered this one for me so I could have an excuse to drive the Giulia TZ. Not that I was complaining...

"Right then, you ready?"

I simply opened the door of the Giulia and got in.

"Yep, you're ready, I can tell!"

I started the engine up, slowly...but surely.

"God, this thing makes a racket even at idle!"

I gave it a few revs to listen to the sound.

"Well, it is a '62 after all...it sounds really good though."

And so I set off out of the garage.

"This had better not disappoint."
"This should be fun."

"OK then, here we are for the first race here on the Periphery hare at Cape Ring! Good luck to all drivers, and have a safe race!"

Starting Grid
1. White Toyota Celica '81
2. Blue Nissan Silvia S14
3. Blue Hyundai Coupe
4. White Mazda Familia
5. Blue Mini Cooper S
6. Black Honda Integra Type R DC2
7. Jason's White Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ
8. Grey/Black Nissan Primera
9. Silver/Black Honda CR-X
10. Black Peugeot 207
11. White Nissan Skyline R30
12. Blue Audi A3

"This should get me the monies..."

"Such an old Celica won't face up to the might of the Silvia!"

"Smooth and steady wins the race."

"Who needs an RX-8? This is perfect enough!"

"This shall be an easy win."

"Integra's shall always be the best Honda!"

"Wow...did we get the wrong race or something?"

"Oldie...but a goodie."

"CR-X's. Always forgotten, but not today!"

"This thing is a hot hatch for sure!"

"As old as this thing is, it can still put up a good old fight..."

"I've got the power over everyone else here, surely..."

And as the race went off and away, I seemed to have underestimate the opposition a bit.

"They're pulling away from me!"

But through the corners, I was a total god over them.

"Whoa! I just owned that guy!"

And as we proceeded to the Spiral Bridge, I was behind the Familia.

"He's there already?"

And when we got there, everyone...disappeared. Wow. I was in the lead through one corner. Just...wow.

"Whoa? Where's everyone else?"
"How does he have such speed?"
"Jeez, where's he off to?"
"How can that be possible?"

And...that was the race. Literally. However, this did give ma a good chance to feel the Giulia's ability.

"It's struggling to get speed down the straights..."

"...but through the corners it's just blitzkrieg!"

"Thank a low weight for that!"

"Its acceleration is...not bad..."

"It can certainly hold its own through these corners though."

"But yeah...there's no torque at the higher end of the speed scale."

"Still, this is a great, relaxing thing to drive. I like it!"

And as I got out of the Spiral Bridge I was getting a bit airborne as well.

"Woo! This thing is great!"

And before I knew it, I was across the line.

"Such a pathetic race...but such a great car! Wow!"

Back in the garage, Dad was looking pleased.

"Great race, son! You murked those guys!"
"I know. But maybe it was a little too easy."
"It was maybe too easy, but still! How was the car?"
"Perfect. It's just so easy to drive and you can keep it on a good line with no understeer or oversteer."
"Lovely. Tell you what, since I've clearly made a mistake in choosing too easy a race, why don't you try and have a go at picking a race?"
"Sure! It can't hurt."
"Lovely. Let me know when you wanna race."
"OK then. We'll be off now then, I presume?"
"Yes, we will be. We'll take a stop in Rome then proceed home."
"OK, cool Dad!"
"Let's go then shall we?"
"Yes. To Rome and home!"
"I like your thinking there. Let's be off now."

So now we would be heading off to Rome, the capital of Italy itself. The question is...what could possibly happen there?

Jason has driven his Alfa Giulia TZ for the first time around the Cape Ring, and is ready to head off to Rome. Can anything stop Jason at this point in time?

Stay tuned to Grand PriX to find out!​