Parnelli's GT2 stories.

[Parnelli Bone]

*grabs the popcorn* You've got till the end of this bowl to write the next one, PB. Awesome chapter, and a pretty big story twist. I like it.

It does get even better, I promise.

I was actually shocked when I read the next few journal entries (after Grindy). I had forgotten how the story twisted and stuff.

....popcorn, eh?

 

[TheBook]

...popcorn, eh?

Yup, popcorn. I made sure there weren't any dogs or strangers in my house when I made it, though. Want some? [/insidejoke]

 

[Lamrock]

Great chapter. Every chapter leaves me wanting more.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

^Aww, thanks man. I'm judging TCV5, which takes an enormous amount of time. I'll have more chapters up this week, tho.

My dad told me about the animals having right-of-way part, even in some cafes and such. I don't remember any of this from when I was a kid. My family took several trips to Europe, you see. I DO remember when a waiter bowed at some "ladies of the evening" (basically, call girls) and spilled an ENTIRE BOWL OF SPAGHETTI on my poor brother's head, tho.




ty0123 yea, you know what I'm talkin about:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=97450&highlight=popcorn

That shoulda been the thread of the year!

 

[TheBook]

^Aww, thanks man. I'm judging TCV5, which takes an enormous amount of time. I'll have more chapters up this week, tho.

Yay, can't wait.

My dad told me about the animals having right-of-way part, even in some cafes and such. I don't remember any of this from when I was a kid. My family took several trips to Europe, you see. I DO remember when a waiter bowed at some "ladies of the evening" (basically, call girls) and spilled an ENTIRE BOWL OF SPAGHETTI on my poor brother's head, tho.

Oops...

ty0123 yea, you know what I'm talkin about:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=97450&highlight=popcorn

That shoulda been the thread of the year!

I figured you would have understood that reference. That was one of the highlights of my time here so far... it's just a surprise none of us got banned for that.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

"The Plot Thickens Like A Can Of Bad Stew"

Best title. Ever.

Can't wait to see (or should I say, read) what happens next, especially Tiffany's revenge .

 

[darioL]

loved the rome chapter

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Thanks. 👍 I'm gonna get back on this in a few weeks, I promise. It gets even BETTER. Soon as I'm done with TCV5 judging, you'll see some new chapters.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

CHAPTER XIX

GRINDELWALD​

​

Graham and Princess had arrived at the Eiger Hotel. Again, it was all-expenses paid by the Gran Turismo establishment. A small sign welcomed GT2 drivers & crew in both German and English.

First thing Graham noticed (other than the HUGE mountains overlooking the town) was that NOBODY was wearing lederhosen. NOBODY was dressed in the manner of Graham's fantasies. Matter of fact, it seemed everyone in Switzerland so far was dressed rather ordinary, just like anywhere else in the world. T-shirts. Jeans. Suits. Crew cuts. Long hair. etc. For some reason, this bothered Graham. Again.

"Where's all the lederhosen? Where's the suspenders????" He asked, clearly puzzed.

"What? What are you talking about?" Princess says...

"Lederhosen, Princess. They're supposed to wear lederhosen here! And suspenders, and funny caps with feathers in them!"

"Tssssh. Soooo. Maybe they don't always wear them here. Whatever they are. Like, grow up dad."

Graham did notice some folks who were speaking another language.... men who were Graham's age or older who wore the giant wristwatches Switzerland partially made famous.

"Phew.." Graham exhaled. "At least I'm seeing some watches. For a minute there, I thought we may have found ourselves in the wrong country!"

"Dad. WAHT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT???F!!?!!"

"ah, nothing, Princess. Don't mind your old man, pay no attention! He's just trying to sort it all out"

"Tisssssh, yea duuuuh." Princess says, rolling her eyes. "Like I ever pay attention to you anyways".

"Now Princess, that's not nice".




This time, father and daughter shared a room, which overlooked the town and those gigantic moutains beyond it. Graham didn't care about the view, however. Not at all. Instead, he went to plug in his laptop again....

"DANGIT"

...he found the 120v to 220 volt power converter. Phew.

Internet access was something of a luxury, tho. This wasn't a Pest Western or a Holiday Inn, after all. NO INTERNET ACCESS here in his room. DAAAAMMMIT!!!~!!!



"Come on Princess, let's get something to eat." he said, secretly hoping to find internet access in the hotel's cafe.

"Duhhhh finally".

The cafe had an English name: Memories. Ahhh thank goodness! AND it had internet access. Immediately, Graham plugged in.

"Würde sie mögen ein Menü?" asked the hostess.

Graham noticed she was wearing a uniform whch looked just like something off of a St. Pauli Girl beer bottle. She looked like she was wearing something traditional, in other words. And she had undyed blonde hair. This pleased Graham to no end...the ignorant American finally getting a taste of (what he thoguth) Europe was all about. Unfortunately, he had no idea what she just said.



"Aaahhh jeez. Doesn't anybody speak any English over here??"

"Eeenglish? Ja, I speeken English. Would you like a menu?" she asked again.

"Ah! Finally! Yes! We would like a menu!!"

"DaaaAAd!!!!" Princess now, clearly annoyed for whatever reason.



This next part would be tricky. Graham had wanted to gain internet access, so he could....

"...also, could you point us to the nearest Starbucks? We noticed ah.....there were no STarbucks when we were currently in Rome. I tell ya....civilization. It could do you guys some good over here!"

"DAAAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Starbucks?" asked the waitress. "What is this....Starbucks???"

"Oh no. Oh dear. You don't...but how can this be POSSIBLE"

"DAD!!!" Princess nearly screamed now.

"WHAT? What is it, my little witch? What could it possibly be?"

"STOP. EMBARASSING. ME. NOW. Gotit????"


But he didn't hear her. Something.....something seemed to die a small death in Graham Wellington's psyche. He couldn't, simply WOULDN'T....comprehend what obviously he had just been told!! Why..why no...it can't be.

NO STARBUCKS!!?!???!!!​

"BUt...But....HOW CAN THIS BE??" he asked, ignoring Princess, who was curretnly turning a bright shade of crimson!!!

Again, the waitress asked: "What is this...this Starbucks, as you say? A place vhere das celebrities go?"


...but Graham couldn't answer. Couldn't even hear or see her anymore. He was currently registering a state of catatonia. As such, his brain shut completely down. He stared straight ahead at a giant beer stien, which his brain simply wasn't comprehending at all!

Later that hour, after getting the strange American man over to Grindewald's clinic, Graham came to, a wet towel over his head. He blinked at the glaring overhead fluorescents, about a half-dozen people wearing white coats (and Princess) standing in a circle around his bed.


"Ah, du is coming to, ja??" asked a white cloaked older man with a clipped beard.

"huh???"

"You like, passed out dad!" Princess informed him. "Right in the middle of the retaurant! It was way cool!"

IT was all a bad dream then! Graham thought as he started to remember. Something about Starbucks! YES! I remember! The helpful Swiss waitress wearing the puffy sleeves and skirt was ABOUT TO POINT ME TO THE NEAREST STARBUCKS!!! Oh what a terrible nightmare. But it was all coming to a close! Oh sweet relief!



"It's okay it's okay eveyrone." Graham said as he got off the cot. "Everything is hunky-dory. I do need a drink though."

"DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Drink?" asked the doctor. "No alcohol..nicht güt. Wasser. Und...." he reached for a nightstand where a pitcher of fresh, hot tea had just been brewed. "This"....he offered.

"ALCOHOL?" Graham laughed. "Nooo sir, I dont' need that kind of drink! I was talking about my Triple Decker Cafe/Moca Lattefeir! Just point me to the nearest Starbucks, sir....and we can be done our business!"

"Starbucks? Was isst Starbucks?" asked the doctor to one of the nurses, who merely shrugged.




Anyways, long story short....

It took several hours before Grham got over his shock. No Starbucks, indeed. He FINALLY accepted resignation on this subject. Back at Memories he eventually had a huge cup of hot cocoa instead. Well, this was a touch of Switzerland, after all, but it was still....not his favorite drink.

Princess was freaked by all this. She was in the habit of looking up to her father, depite all the "whatevers" and feigned embarassment. She was secretly used to looking up to him, tho she would never admit such a horrid fact. But what the hell was THAT all about? All that business with Starbucks and his eventual faint? She knew he liked Starbucks, knew he had a passion for one of their products (the triple-decker something or other one). What she didn't know was that he was absolutely obsessed with this dumb drink. Obsessed the way a junky craves heroin. She was a little too young to understand this aspect of his behaior, so she merely sat at the table, quiet for a change. No "whatevers" or "get a grip, dad". She was acting mature for a change. 💡

Graham, on the other hand, was feeling a bit guilty again. Guilty, and somewhat paranoid about his future. This whole "racing" thing, you see...where would it lead? Ummmm,...he didn't really know. Sure, he had done well so far, but who was to say he wouldn't choke tomorrow, here in this strange little town? Who was to say he wouldn't lose? Perhaps this racing thing had been nothing but blind luck, so far? Perhaps he'd better get back to what he was really good at, and that was being a lawyer. Being a familyman. And being a steady breadwinning husband to his wife.

For this reason, Graham now sat at the table with a sheaf of legal papers in front of him, laptop open to the pertinent coordinates, so that he could get some actual work done on the Penske file.

Princess was getting agitated. Not used to being quiet for so long, she looked off to the coffee bar, where she noticed a group of teenagers.

"Um....what was THAT about?"

"Hmmm. What's that honey?"

"You know...that whole STARBUCKS nonsense. Are you like....okay?

"Hmmm? Sorry honey, didn't hear you. Daddy's a little busy at the moment. Gotta figure out how metacounsil 5.5 will translate the pocket-trialbalation basis"

"Oh." Princess muttered glumly.



Princess continued to daydream, looking at the teenagers again. As a teen herself, Princess noticed (firstly) how they were dressed. Kinda dorky...one with a mock punk-cut, another with dyed green hair, and still another (the only boy at the table) dressed as if he were something out of a J. Crew catalog....completely at odds with the 2 girls, who seemed to be at least trying to be hip. Or whatever passed for "hip" in this small, country, European village. Getting bored, Princess couldn't help but keep her mouth shut.


"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Hmmmm? What is who doing?

"YOU! What are YOU doing, dad?" she asked, her voice rising a tad.

Now she caught his attention.

"Me? Why, I'm preparing a case, honey. Just as always. Daddy's working". He said with a smirk.

"Uh....yea, I can SEE you're working, but WHY? Why are you working? What's the point?"

Now Graham was starting to get a tad irked and annoyed. Who was SHE to question what he was up to? What the heck did it matter to HER?



"I'm working", he started patiently, as if talking to an actual child instead of a smartass daughter "because this is how I pay my bills. This is how I pay for my Land Rover. This is how I pay for our house. This is how...."

"Uhhhh DUH, I know all that. But..."

"But what, Princess."

"Why WORK, when you can make money RACING CARS?" she pointed out. 💡 "Work is boring, dad. Why not just race cars? 💡 You made some money. You're GONNA make money tomorrow when you win, right?" she asked, completely oblivious to the opposite--that he might LOSE instead. "So why not just be a race driver?" she continued, her 12-year old brain completely oblivious to the actual politics involved with adult affairs.



This caught Graham off-guard.

Just a moment ago, as he was compulating how much money Franklin Stoddlemyer (a retired banker now living off-shore in Aruba) had conpensuated via compraxing Measures XII of the CPI document from 1988 till October 12 of 1996, Graham had murmered to himself...

"ahhh, screw this racing gig. THIS legal stuff is what I'm good at"...

And now his daughter sat across from him, acting as a psychological mirror for what he really wanted to be doing! But it was more complex than just that, of course. For Graham was a bit confused. Perhaps this really was what he should be doing...being a lawyer, now. Again, he was confused.

But living a double life was alsoconfusing. He was having some doubts about racing. Not to mention his wife, and her recent disapproval; of which she wouldn't just "accept" at face-value the fact that he needed to go to Japan & Arizona to act as counsel between a rich tycoon and his divorcing wife. Could he live a life of deceit? Could he travel from country to country (as Gran Turismo 2 required for success) while simultaneously keeping his entire family (Princess not included) out of the loop?

It seemed one hell of a daunting task. Sure, this "racing" thing started off as a fluke. And he had had some success at it (okay...he had ALOT of success at it), but the idea of doing this for the rest of his life seemed completely ludicrous! Especially with this double sheaf of legal transcripts sitting in front of him. He said patiently

"Now look, Princess. Daddy did good. Oh yes, he did real good, so far. At Tahiti. At Rome. Maybe I'll...."

"Not to mention Japan and Arizona!!!" Princess interrupted.

"...Japan and Arizona. Yes, thank you, Princess. Daddy did good at all those events. But..."

"But?"

"Well, I think daddy's had a lucky run. That's all, Princess. Daddy's been lucky. And sooner or later, he's gonna need to get back to this", he said, pointing at the legal papers "getting back to what he's really supposed to be doing. So yea, this racing thing? It's been "all good', as they say."

Princess didn't like the sound of this

"FINE". she spurted out...rolling her eyes in mock-defeat. "Just be a boring dad, then. 'Daddy's' good at being BORING". she raised her voice.

"Jeez, keep it down. Or go play or something".


Play? What the heck did he think she was? 10 years old?

Princess went on looking depressed again, which Graham took as a signal that this debate had been "solved". Score one for the legal team :chuckle: After about a minute or two, Graham says


"Besides, Princess, I don't want you getting any ideas like..."

"Dad, why are they staring at me????" Princess whispered.

"What? Who?"

"Those kids over there? They keep staring at me?"

"Soooooo?? Why don't you go over and say hello? Just because you're in another country..."

"oh my god ohmygod ohmyGAWD, they're COMING OVER! DAD, what should I DO?"


Which the 3 teens did. They walked over from the coffee bar, to an adjacent table next to the one father & daughter were at.

"You are American? Ja?" asked the girl with the blonde, Debby Harry-looking punk cut from 1982.

"Yeeeeeaah so[/i[?????" Princess now.

"Princess, BEHAVE yourself!"

'DAAAD".

"Can you have met Britney SPears?" asked the tallish dark-haired boy, clearly not very good with English.

"Yes. You are have met Britney?"

Princess sat stunned...not sure what to say. Did they actually think she had met the famous pop star??

"Um......"

"My name is Inga" said the punk girl.

Suddenly, Graham perked up. Inga!

"Ja. Und I am Hanz." said the boy.

"I am Trixie". said the other girl with the dyed green hair.

"Ohhhh my god, dad. Help. Please help."

"Now, Princess, that's no way to treat these nice young kids".

"Princess??" said the punk-girl, her accent sounding rather British. "You are princess? Do they have princess in America?" she asked, suddenly aglow.

"HUH?"

"You have king und queen for mother and father, yes?" asked the other girl, clearly mistaking her name as denoting some sort of royalty.

"oh my god oh mygosh OHMYGODDDDD" Princess stammered, running from the room now.

At this, Graham saw his chance. He hesitated just a moment before....

"Uh yessss....she is from royalty. I am her concierge, how do you do?" he lied...easy as pie.

 

[GTsail]

Nice story Parnelli Bone!

All the chapters are great.👍 Quite an undertaking! I remember that I always liked Red Rock Speedway and the Rome course (especially the long version, where if memory serves me, there was a nice endurance race where I used a tuned Nissan Skyline). Its great to hear about your races/Graham's at the various tracks and the travel between the different racing venues.

Respectfully,
GTsail290

 

[gtmaster08]

Hey Parnelli, your stories are great! I mean, I've only seen the first chapter but I can tell that your story will be epic! Also by the way, any chance you could include me in some of your chapters?

 

[Parnelli Bone]

How would I include you in my story?

CHAPTER XIX

continued...​

Graham rattled on for a few minutes about his daughter while the Swiss teens got a little bored. Who was this hokey guy? Why couldn't they just talk to the princess? Graham's diatribe ended as his cell phone rang. Tiffany, his wife, was calling. 💡

"Hello cupcake? How's everything in sunny Rome?"

"Actually, it's pouring rain down here".

"And how is ma?" asked Graham.

"Fine Graham. Everything is fine".

Uh oh. He'd heard that tone of voice before! What was going on?

"Oh splendid", he said, choosing his words carefully as if he was about to enter a verbal version of Scrabble. "Um...good thing to hear, how's the boy?"

The boy? He's fine....Everything's fine, Graham. How is Princess? How's her....project coming along?

Uh oh.

"Ummmm. Dunno. You'd have to ask her, only....she's not here", he said, skillfully dodging a direct answer.

"Mmm hmm. I see" says Tiffany in that same "careful" tone of voice.

*awkward moment of silence*

"And how are YOU?" she asked suddenly, her voice rising a tad with that last syllable.

"Fiiinnne. Fine...fine...currently sublimating notes for the Penske case", he added.

"OH YOU ARE?", she comments, again, the voice rising. WTF? 💡 "You are working? How pleasant! I'm..very pleased!"

"Oookay", says Graham carefully. "As long as...everything is..okay", he says, fishing for something. For something was clearly...off.

Suddenly, he snapped to attention, FREAKED out of his mind. Forgetting Tiffany, and whatever she was implying, Graham was suddenly concerned about the phone bill. Yikes! This call was just 3 minutes young (if that)...God only knows what the roaming charges must be while calling from country to country.

"Aahhhh, gotta go! Ahhhh, see you in a couple days honey."

"Oh good!", she said cheerily, Fine! Hope you do well with your....work".

"Okaaay." carefully, again.

"And tell Princess! Hope she does well with her....'project'".

"Umm. I shallllll. 2 days ho--"

The phone line was dead.

Hmmm, what was THAT about????

Graham looked over to where the teens had been sitting, only to see an empty set of chairs. Something seemed off for sure. What the hell it was, he didn't have a clue. He looked at his pile of legal stuff, suddenly a little too frazzled to delve any further into them. They could wait, he was still on his 'vacation', after all.

Suddenly, his phone rang again. What now? The caller ID was displaying a number he was unfamiliar with. Not his wife's cell phone, though.

"Hello. Graham Wellington speaking?"

"Hello Mr. Wellington. My name ist Gunter. Helmünd Günter. I am your GT2 racing coordinator. How do you do?" said a man with yet another thick accent. German? Probably. It sounded like all the German accents Graham had heard in various movies.

"Oh! My racing coordinator! Yes!" cool...Graham suddenly relaxed. "How may I help?"

"Vell. Vee are looking at your Infiniti here at za shop. Vee are notice you haff many credits of money in za bank. Und vee notice you have still stock transmission? Ja?"

Okay. Where was THIS going? This guy seemed to know how much money Graham had in his bank...who the hell was he, anyways? Was this some sort of scam?

"Um. Transmission?" he asked, fishing again.

"Ja. Your Infiniti could...how you say...benefit from shorter gears. Und vee notice also you could also use GT Stage 2 weight reduction service. Vee can replace your bonnet with aluminum bonnet. Make it lightah."

Graham had no idea what the hell this guy was talking about, so he said...

"NO. My car's fine, thank you..."

"But".

"NO WORK!" he nearly screamed....something he'd done before when talking to the Land Rover dealership people back in Washington. "No work. My car is fine. I'm gonna drive tomorrow, hopefully gonna WIN, and that's that".

"Okay but vee..."

Graham snapped his phone shut, effectively cutting off the guy (whoever it was) from telling him about a scheduling change.

So it was the next morning. Graham and Princess got up early, got their hot chocolate, and walked to the area where the track was supposed to be set up. One thing about this town of Grindelwald? It's not a very big place. Not too many people like in Rome. Nor were the streets claustrophobically laid out. 👍

Problem was,

 

[gtmaster08]

"Problem was,"... Graham was unaware that he would encounter a racer like no other in Grindelwald. So when he arrived where the track was laid out, Graham is still mulling over his wife's tone over the phone. "Something's not right here..." He thought. "Tiffany's tone sounded a little strange over the phone..." "I wonder what could be the problem..." As if reading his thoughts, Princess asked, "You're worried about mom aren't you?" Graham blinked, because he did not know how to answer her without seeming that things were off. So he just said, "I guess, I just miss her." "After all, I'm seeing better and better things going through the world and I want her to be here with me." Princess smiled and said, "Well don't worry dad, mom hopefully will be able to watch over your next race." "Yeah, I guess so..." he said. But just then, a mysterious racer walks up. Graham turns around and sees the mystery man. He asks, "Who are you?" The man says, "That doesn't concern you right now." "What SHOULD concern you is if you will be able to beat me using that Infiniti of yours..." Graham asks, "How did you..." "The man says, "Like I said, never mind that. After all, I am the fastest racer in Grindelwald with my supercharged Venturi." "YOU have a Venturi?" Graham asks. Then for some odd reason the man silently takes off, and leaves Graham with a LOT of questions. "Dad, who was that?" Princess asks. "I'm not sure..." he says. "But I will NOT lose to him! Not now, not ever!"

(to be continued by parnelli bone...)

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Well this is interesting.

"Problem was,"... Graham was unaware that he would encounter a racer like no other in Grindelwald. So when he arrived where the track was laid out, Graham is still mulling over his wife's tone over the phone. "Something's not right here..." He thought. "Tiffany's tone sounded a little strange over the phone..." "I wonder what could be the problem..." As if reading his thoughts, Princess asked, "You're worried about mom aren't you?"

*Bzzt!* Graham's concern about his wife is of a very short-term basis! Literally after getting the phone snapped shut, he's almost completely forgetting what just happened....unless he has to come up with some sort of lie on-the-spot.

Princess is also way too self-centered to care what her dad thinks. She's not very mature, and merely a combination of her Dad's ignorance + her Mom's firey personality. Some 12 year-olds are very mature. Most of them that I've seen are just like Princess.

Graham blinked, because he did not know how to answer her without seeming that things were off. So he just said, "I guess, I just miss her." "After all, I'm seeing better and better things going through the world and I want her to be here with me."

nooooo

Princess smiled and said, "Well don't worry dad, mom hopefully will be able to watch over your next race." "Yeah, I guess so..." he said. But just then, a mysterious racer walks up. Graham turns around and sees the mystery man. He asks, "Who are you?" The man says, "That doesn't concern you right now." "What SHOULD concern you is if you will be able to beat me using that Infiniti of yours..." Graham asks, "How did you..." "The man says, "Like I said, never mind that. After all, I am the fastest racer in Grindelwald with my supercharged Venturi." "YOU have a Venturi?" Graham asks. Then for some odd reason the man silently takes off, and leaves Graham with a LOT of questions. "Dad, who was that?" Princess asks. "I'm not sure..." he says. "But I will NOT lose to him! Not now, not ever!"

(to be continued by parnelli bone...)

The problem with this is we're in the Clubman phase; basically still amateurs. Most of the people showing up are "regular" sorts. There's the possibility of a "mystery" driver going around at the level, but nobody knows who Graham Wellington is, yet. Such a driver wouldn't consider Graham enough of a threat to stalk him...a man who dresses in Wall Street clothing while he races. Chances are a "mystery" driver would be more concerned with someone who actually has a longer reputation, and is already famous for winning extensively.

 

[gtmaster08]

Well actually, the mystery racer isn't stalking Graham. It's just a bit of foreshadowing I did because the mystery driver challenges Graham during the GT All Stars cup. Thing is, he's undercover trying to catch Graham's GT2 coordinator because he secretly overheard the conversation Graham had over the phone with him because he is in fact one of the GT league's secret police force. So in a way, he's trying to protect Graham because he sees great potential for Graham to become one of them. And also in case you're wondering, the mystery racer is played my me.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Well actually, the mystery racer isn't stalking Graham. It's just a bit of foreshadowing I did because the mystery driver challenges Graham during the GT All Stars cup. Thing is, he's undercover trying to catch Graham's GT2 coordinator because he secretly overheard the conversation Graham had over the phone with him because he is in fact one of the GT league's secret police force. So in a way, he's trying to protect Graham because he sees great potential for Graham to become one of them. And also in case you're wondering, the mystery racer is played my me.

Ah. I see.

CHAPTER XIX continued​

Anyways, Graham snapped his phone shut, effectively cutting off the guy (whoever it was) from telling about a scheduling change. Suddenly, he was sick of legal work. Couldn't focus on it anymore, so instead, he took out his GT papers. Turns out, there is a "Helmünd Günter" listed for Grindelwald's racing crew bosses. Dangit. But still...he didn't need any work done to it! It ran just fine so far, right?

But this inspired Graham. 💡 The hour was 3pm here in Switzerland, and since the guy just called, he decided it wouldn't hurt to try and find wherever the racing cars were being kept for the evening. AFter all, if someone was currently looking at his car, he could simply walk over there and find this person, and therefore spend more time with his G20. 💡 The race here in Grindelwald was going to be held on the town's streets, just like the race in Rome, so he wouldn't need to barge in anywhere.

So he packed his papers in his briefcase, found his G T credentials, and off he went. OH! Gotta check on Princess. Turns out she was now in a "bad mood", and was currently sulking in the hotel room. Fine. Graham would seek his car by himself.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

@ gtmaster: No offence mate, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to be barging into Parnelli's stories. If you want to include youself, go ahead and do it with your own story. If you want to change the storyline, do it with your own story. Changing other people's stories to suit your liking is a bit rude imo, not to mention annoying and confusing to readers as you two have different writing styles. Once again, no offence, just saying what I think you should (and should not) do. Peace.

@ Parnelli: Superb chapter yet again 👍. Really, there is nothing more to say, your story just gets better and better .

Just one more thing, when Graham arrives and starts looking for lederhosens, this song came to my mind. It's from NFS II on PS1, titled Hell Bent For Lederhosen. I think it suits Grindelwald's 'Swiss Village' atmosphere very well (especially the part from 1:04-1:48) .

 

[Parnelli Bone]

@ gtmaster: No offence mate, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to be barging into Parnelli's stories. If you want to include youself, go ahead and do it with your own story. If you want to change the storyline, do it with your own story. Changing other people's stories to suit your liking is a bit rude imo, not to mention annoying and confusing to readers as you two have different writing styles. Once again, no offence, just saying what I think you should (and should not) do. Peace.

I actually don't mind other people's interpretations of where they think the story will head next, but gtmaster08 is way off base! He seems to think I should turn it into a sapfest of sorts, with father & daughter finally coming to the same terms.

Also, the "mystery driver" thing has been done to death. It seems a huge percentage of the stories & race reports here at GTP have a mystery driver in them. This goes way back the the '60s, to that cartoon "Speed Racer", where "Racer X" was the mystery driver, and we were wont to find his true identity for many episodes.

@ Parnelli: Superb chapter yet again 👍. Really, there is nothing more to say, your story just gets better and better .

cool, I'll keep writing then.

Just one more thing, when Graham arrives and starts looking for lederhosens, this song came to my mind. It's from NFS II on PS1, titled Hell Bent For Lederhosen. I think it suits Grindelwald's 'Swiss Village' atmosphere very well (especially the part from 1:04-1:48) .

 

[gtmaster08]

Well as far as the mystery racer goes, I just wanted Parnelli Bone to at least mention me once in his story. I mean mine is ok so far, but his EPIC!👍 Also, I kind of agree with the whole father-daughter thing I tried to write. I mean now that I think about it, that DOES seem kind of cheesy. So yeah, I guess I WAS way off base. I don't know, when I wrote that I was inspired by this anime show they used to show on Toonami called "IGPX".

 

[Parnelli Bone]

It seems unlikely that I'd mention anyone from GTP, anyone here now, that is. I only mentioned Pupik very briefly a few chapters back because I knew him back when I wrote the original GT2 journal entries from 2004 till @2007.

Pupik was such a gigantic presence to the first 3 years of GTP's early days (go back in time to the earlist posts here at GT2....well, not that far back, but you know what I mean). Plus he's one of the first to welcome me here at GTP. 👍

 

[gtmaster08]

So, what happens next? Does Graham get in a race?

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Well what happens is

Graham now left the hotel after checking up on his daughter (who was sulking for God-only-knows what reason, but Daddy needs to hire a shrink to find out) and walked to his destination...the area which would serve as a pit lane on the following day. The Eiger Hotel manager assured him it wouldn't be that far of a walk...Graham would be able to get there faster than if he hired a cab. Matter of fact, the main road in front of the hotel is actually going to be part of the track itself.

Following directions, he now walked. The day was filled with glorious sunshine, tho the air was brisk. It had obviously just switched from winter to spring here in mountainous Switzerland.

10 minutes later, he found the racing paddock area. Soon as he saw it, he drooled! My baby!!!

Now at this point, there had already been a small buzz amongst the pit crew workers. Graham was not famous yet, but some of Grindy's pit workers had friends down in Rome, which means they were expecting that a well-dressed man in a suit and tie would at some point stroll into their work area "earlier than was expected". And here he was!


Rumor suddenly switched to truth as "the man with the briefcase" was walking straight towards them!




"I'm looking for Helmünd Günter". Graham said, flashing his official GT2 credentials card.

"Du bist ein dumbkoph," muttered a tall man under his breath while others snickered. Graham didn't know what was said, but he paid them no mind. He, after all, was soon going to be a millionaire, while these guys would no-doubt still be getting paid by the hour!

"Ja, Helmünd Günter ist over there!" said a stocky guy with a curt moustache.

Graham now walked over to Helmünd, a large, barrel-shaped man, better-dressed than the workers, who were all in grimy coveralls. Helmünd had on a spotless short-sleeved white shirt with the Gran Turismo 2 logo emblazoned on its left chest, where one would expect an Izod alligator, perhaps. Pressed slacks. Shiny black shoes. Yup, this looked like somebody "official".



"How, do, sir?" asked Graham now. I....am Graham Wellington. I believe we spoke earlier".

Helmünd now took a clipboard off what looked to be a makeshift desk. He squinted at a roster.

"Ah yes, Herr Wellington".

"HAIR Wellington??? No my first name is Graham".

At this, the five nearest workers erupted in laughter! Helmünd Günter only smirked, however.

"HALT!" he called to them "Enough!" Helmünd Günter now turned to Graham, looking at him the way a friend looks to another. "I was thinking we could umm...how you say....improve your G20. Your transmission ist still stock Infiniti. Your--"

But Graham cut him off....

"Unnecessary, sir!" Graham said now. "However, I would like to get some practice laps, if you don't mind. Therby, I can get to know this track, and save time tomorrow. There's a 50 credit bill in it for you..." he said slyly.

"No. I cannot take your money. Um, besides, have a look around".

"It would be impossible to practice now, while za town ist still...valking about".

DAMN! The guy was right! Grindelwald, after all, was still just a skiing/hiking town as its day job. Like Rome, only on certain days would these particular streets be closed off for racing!



"How about if I drive really slow, then?"

"Sir, I cannot allow it. Za police in this town..."

"There's 100 credits in it for you"...Graham said again, slyly.

"Sir..."

"How about 100 Euros, then?.

Finally, Helmünd Günter relented. With a sigh, he looked slyly *this* way, and then *that* way. When it looked as if nobody would notice, he scream-whispered

"SLOWLY! Du drive slowly around za town, yes? Du make it over 100 kilometers an hour, and I vill have zur head!"

Unfortunately, Graham mistook him. Didn't know the difference between mph, and km/h.

The track consisted of a long straight portion which started slightly down hill. "Herr Wellington" now got in his car, throttling up to seven grand, just as he did over and over at Rome. 💡 He SLAMMED the clutch in, making the car's front wheels SCREAM FOR MERCY!!! while several townspeople had various levels of heart-attacks! This caused Helmünd Günter to run at full trot! He SLAMMED his fist upon the G20's trunk!!!

"NO DUMKOPH!!! HALT!!!!!"



Reluctantly, Graham complied.

Panting, Helmünd Günter, now got into the passenger seat

"NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!!!" he roared, a big bear of a man now sandwiched in the front seat. "YOU AMERICANS THINK DU KANST JUST COME INTO HERE, AND THROW ZUR MONEY AROUND. UND DO VATEVER DU LIKE!!! Vee haff a respectable town Herr Vellington! Quiet, except for za race tomorrow!!! Verstehen Sie? You understand????!?"


OUch. This guy was completely right, Grhaam realized. 💡 One thing Graham DID have was a respect for law, after all; and racing about, roaring your engine in this tiny little town was probably just the sort of thing which pissed the locals off. Just like Bender versus Washington, a case his firm held court to long ago, in which an errant muscle-headed driver frequently drove his Chevelle thru some small Washington state town. The local court could do nothing about this, so somehow the case wound up on Graham's desk, since it eventually became a State-level nuisance. It was a nuisance to Graham, too. Just the sort of case which was a pain in the ass to prosecute, and didn't net him much money to boot. Who cares if some redneck wanted to muscle off in some dip:censored: little town? Grham certainly didn't.

But he respected THIS guy.

Anyways, being reprimanded by this man who looked as if he could just as easily SLAM HIS FIST straight thru his jaw, Graham felt as though he were getting yelled at by an angry judge! He said nothing! No objections, your honor!!! But within moments, Helmünd Günter was calm again.

"Drive SLOWLY. Here I vill come along." Helmünd says, apparently meaning Graham to motion forward.

This "track", Graham found, would be completely different from any track so far. Different from Tahiti. Different from the supersonic banked curves and long straights of High Speed Ring and Red Rock Speedway, and certainly different from the cramped, tight-angled streets of Rome.

This one started on a slight downhill straight. Graham followed instructions, as if his BOSS was sitting next to him, and drove nice and slow.

The view ahead was SPECTACULAR.

As he left the pits, Graham finally noticed the mountain in the far distance, straight ahead. This moutain seemed just like Mt. Rainier, or Mt. Hood back home. It looked like it could have been even LARGER, matter of fact. Anywyas, he drove nice and slow, a stand of fir trees on the right, while some rather large strorage buildings (now being used for garages) were on the left. He passed an old barn. All of this would be a blur tomorrow. Perhaps Helmünd Günter had been right. Perhaps sometimes it IS better to take things slowly at times!

The road wound into a gentle left, but Helmünd Günter explained that "tomorrow, you vill be going much faster. You will need brake very strong". or something like that. Graham like these words. "Going fast" is certainly what he intended to do tomorrow...very fast, indeed!

Now, the street started uphill.

"Keep your speed down." Helmünd Günter cautioned. "100 kilometers an hour ist like 62 miles of your hour", he explained. 💡

"Oh yea....I knew that" Graham lied.

Graham complied. He recognized the area now, as he was about to pass his hotel. 💡 He looked to see if Princess was watching, but couldn't see her in the window.

The steep hillside road made a sharp right as it passed a collection of huge A-frame type houses. Then a gentler left. Graham took all this into consideration as he crawled slowly up the hill in 3rd gear. Where should he actually brake? How would he tackle these curves?? He would (for sure) try to be among the FIRST of the drivers to make it to the track the following day, so he could speed along fully and get a better idea. 💡

He recognized some of the red road signs by the side of the road, which featured arrows pointing this way and that. Just like signs in America thru a mountain pass, Graham mused. Right now, he was a bit confused, but he could use these signs later as a bit of a guide to help him remember which direction the track actually was to go.

Eventually, the road stopped climbing. Helmünd Günter explained that there would now be a long straight section, which would culminate towards a tricky "she-cane" area (whatever the hell that is, Graham thought). Helmünd further explained that there was a trolley station on the left, and that since traffic was nonexistent, the G20 could wind towards a higher speed if Grham desired. Yes!

The track wound gently right, left, then right again. Graham was now in 4th gear toying with 100 mph when Helmünd Günter screamed:

"BRAKES!!!!"

Apparently that she-cane area was coming up! 💡 Grhaam screwed this up, overcompensated, and swerved the car somewhat sideways, while his heart pounded! , and while Helmünd Günter sighed! Now, Graham noticed there were some cows on the side of the track! What the hell?

The rest of the drive was uneventful. A tight left (which Helmünd refered to as a "hairpin") and another "she-cane" area. Graham was done. He was allowed no further laps around Grindelwald this evening, lest he run over a bicyclist or get pulled over by the local cops.

As they pulled in the pit road, Graham was applauded by the workers, now. Jagermeister shots were passed round in a few minutes. Graham nearly choked on it! "Ah, how about you guys buy me a Stella later on tonite instead?"



Later that evening, with Princess totally bored out of her mind ..."when are we going HOME, dad?" ...Grhaam decided (FINALLY) to do something touristy with his daughter. Together, they rode the trolley around the Grindelwald/Eiger moutain town area.

 

[gtmaster08]

I see. Man, Princess has a real problem doesn't she?

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I see. Man, Princess has a real problem doesn't she?

They ALL do. Typical American squeaky-clean family, but each and every one of them is somewhat rotten. Graham is the worst, of course. Princess is #2, the boy is #3, and Tiffany is perhaps the least rotten....the only part of the family really interested in being completely "normal", although as we'll eventually see, she's pretty wacky, too. Haven't gotten to the part where she really gets developed as a character, tho.

 

[Jonn 79]

If gtmaster08 gets to be in your story, i wanna be the pit crew dude, hopefully somewhere in an Asian country (he says sheepishly).

 

[gtmaster08]

So when will Graham finally get in a race?

 

[Mtspeakline]

Maybe he never get in one, maybe.
XD

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Naw, he did race Grindy. Graham did quite a few races (dozens) that I wrote about, but I've been busy. Yall know how it is.

 

[gtmaster08]

And now, he's just living the legal life? Kind of limited, if you ask me. I mean you would think that someone with an Infiniti would be showing it off in a car show or something!

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Another great chapter PB! I could literally visualize driving around Grindy with your commentary. Nice trackside snapshots as well, I never took the time to properly admire those houses and trains when I was playing GT2 back then , it brings back so many good memories...Love the 'spectator' shot from GT4 as well, although I think you should use one from GT5P's Eiger (better quality and more similar surroundings).

Funny that you mentioned Rainier Peak, I just finished a game called FUEL last week and the last stage is called Rainer Peak as well! Never knew that it's a real mountain...
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/fuel/images/thumb/0/0f/Rainier_Peak.jpg/300px-Rainier_Peak.jpg