maikoheart
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Post by maikoheart on Oct 3, 2024 18:22:13 GMT -5
(OOC: The following is a description and transcript of a series of videos uploaded on 246 Press Racing's channel following young journalist Ruby Mitsumine around the various paddocks of the IMAS Endurance Championship calendar. It is presented in a live style format, not unlike Marshall Pruett's series of videos for IMSA.)
(This video's title is 'Roar Before the 24 - Paddock Tour with Ruby Mitsumine @ 246 Press Racing
A girl with hair done up in twin tails rushes around the paddock with a camera man following her as she attempts to find a good spot to begin filming. Turning around to take a look at the would-be back drop she frames it with her hands and nods in satisfaction. There are trailers to her right side as banners denoting the teams respective numbers and classes flutter in the wind, with a flurry of crew members and fans traveling along to her left.
“Yes! This is it, okay, ooh, wait, scoot a bit that way… sorry!”
She wafts a hand up in apology as she unintentionally blocks a cart pulling a trailer of tires, the woman piloting the PWRBand branded cart shaking her head as she continues to drive towards her paddock spot. Giggling nervously, she then looks back towards the camera and clears her throat.
“Ahem, ahem…! Okay, do you have me in focus? How’s the audio? Good? Okay! Five… four… three…
…hello everyone and welcome back to another year of IMAS! I’m Ruby Mitsumine from 246 Press Racing and we’ll be touring the paddock here at Daytona whilst asking a few key people about the upcoming season!”
She flashes a peace sign, smiling bright and putting on a cute pose for the camera!
“We’ve got thirty-two full time entrants this year who will be contesting the Daytona 24 next week, then throughout the rest of the season they’ll tour the rest of the continent including an overseas round in Argentina! That round will be super exciting and I can’t wait to visit, but first up everyone’s gotta get prepped for this week’s Roar Before the 24; an annual pre-season test that’s sure to hype up every fan for the new season!”
Ruby winks at the camera, putting on a bit of charm for the viewers!
We got some new teams, some cool cars and really big star drivers to talk to, so why not get started right away? Come follow me…”
She walks with a skip in her step, the camera around her neck bouncing around.
“Ah, here’s a good place to start! So, you’ve seen the articles surrounding this, uh, interesting car. Your eyes are not deceiving you and this isn’t doctored in any way, shape, or form – that is really a Mosler that J-Racing Adventures are fielding this year! We’ll see if we can find Evan around here–”
“Ruby, watch out!”
As the camera man shouts a golf cart sitting very high on what seems to be 24s barrels towards Ruby’s direction behind her as she then turns around, shrieking in surprise as she then rushes out the way to avoid getting run over! Panting in an exasperated breath, she looks up to see none other than Evan Jameson from J-Racing Adventures! Ruby rushes to pull herself together, switching over to her usual cutesy nature.
“Aha, erm, hi Mr. Jameson! Ruby Mitsumine here, little bit of a close call there, you know... haha, uh, are you available for a few questions for 246 Press?”
"Ah sorry 'bout that, you kinda popped right out in front of me there, *chuckles*, sure I'll do an interview, I imagine there's a few obvious questions we got to answer."
“Right! Okay…”
With Ruby being only 5’1”, the cameraman finds trouble framing the shot as he has to step back quite a bit to finally get a satisfactory frame.
“The internet has been alight with images and videos of your new GTP car. Perhaps the skepticism over… well… how should I put this… whether or not your unique car will be competitive could be somewhat valid given that it’s the oldest chassis by far in the field. Coming up against the latest and greatest, what do you believe to have as your advantage with this car coming into the 2022 season?”
"So that's been the common misconception around the car since word got out about it, the only thing it shares with the original MT900 is the basic bodywork, everything else it brand new from our shop and under a new homologation. The car is a steel tube frame/carbon fiber hybrid chassis very loosely based on the car that ran about a decade ago in AM over in J-Speed, however my man Ricky, who's wicked in building his own chassis, has completely redesigned it to both fit our own development of Ford's flatplane Voodoo 5.2 and the hybrid system which is a further evolution of the unit we ran in the Mustangs last season since they were disallowed this year in GTD. So if anything, we've actually got the newest chassis in the field, despite what Tripwire has been buzzing about.
We're looking at this season for what it is, our first effort running a GTE PRO class car anywhere in the world. Testing has shown that the car is strong and I've incorporated the know-how of both our existing team and some of my club racing buds who were always telling me that they've been priced out of modern IMAS. So what we've got here is a car that's got both the cutting edge knowledge of your typical modern top of the line professional outfit, with a little bit of the wily ol' tricks that can only come from when you're racing on a shoestring.
The car being the first tube frame in class since probably the old C5 Vette was running really carries the advantage of being simple to work on and being able to take a beating if need be, and in the future we're hoping to sell some customer cars to anyone interested in a simple but fast package, although that depends on how good of a showing we make this season, if all goes well maybe we'll do better in the customer market than Empress and their Maserati over in J-Speed, heh. Anyway I've run my mouth about my little passion project enough now, what other questions ya got?"
“Raines and Clarke have been left as your sole GT Daytona entrant. What are your goals for this squad as you balance the development of your… well, new-ish car?”
"Well we're no strangers to running a two car effort, and the Mosler effort has added more staff to the mix, so for the Mustang it's pretty much business as usual in GTD. I'm gonna keep it real with ya, we're not looking to let go of our GTD title this year, and with Lilo and Akoni coming in 3rd in the championship last year even with a slow start, I think we're still lookin good to continue on the momentum from last year. If there's one gripe I had with last season though, it was missing out on both of the crown jewel events at Daytona and Sebring, even if they were our first serious runs in enduros. While Jason and Didier were the stronger pairing in them, Lilo and Akoni both did some learning in the off season, so just so ya know Star, we're going for that tic-tac-toe three in a row this year, so y'all better bring your A-game if you wanna keep your spot there."
Glancing down at the golf cart, she lets out an awkward chuckle.
“Okay, I have to ask… why the rims on your cart there?”
"Oh yeah this thing, funny story about that. So when I was out at a club event a few years back, there just happened to be a party happening around the country club that had been rented out which apparently got a little out of hand. So one of those young rappers, think it was Bo$$-Key-Yacht$ or something like that came riding through the paddock with the paparazzi chasing him. Dude manages to shake them by stashing the thing in my trailer, and when I came back he was running off from behind yelling "MAN I CAN AFFORD 50 OF THEM H***" and just left it with me, so there ya go."
“Thanks for your time, Evan Jameson. We’ll let you get to work; good luck for the upcoming race!”
She continues to travel the paddock as the cameraman follows. Turning around with a shrug and a shake of the head, she then continues towards her next subject.
...to be continued...
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maikoheart
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Post by maikoheart on Oct 9, 2024 18:26:24 GMT -5
...
"For this season GM has a bigger presence on the grid than ever before! Usually we're used to seeing that number three car of Core Tech be the sole representative of the Corvette brand here in IMAS, but it looks like the titans from Detroit opened up to the idea of selling their chassis to customers because now we've got -- count 'em -- three! Corvette C8.R GTPs in the field this season. One of the Corvettes is, of course, the usual CoreTech Northern Wolf guys and gals we've grown so used to seeing over the past two decades!"
She points towards CoreTech's yellow C8.R as it sits up on jack stands whilst crew members circle around it. One crew member has a laptop plugged into its system as its V8 engine revs intermittently, the team potentially checking for any possible faults before fully preparing the car for the test session.
"They've been experimenting with a brand new DCU that could potentially give them the edge. It's still rough around the edges, but if we see their test go without any hitches this weekend the rest of the grid could be in really deep trouble! Both they and Scarlet Devil Raceworks have been hard at work during the past few months to get this ready for the 24 so that they can bounce back from a really disappointing 2021. We'll have to wait and see if it's ready to be put to use in a real racing setting."
Ruby motions the cameraman to follow her as she carefully walks backwards, inching closer towards another garage stall. The camera then pans towards a black and white Corvette C8.R, idle in its stall as the crew members prepare the car with a certain calmness.
"Here's one new team this season that's adding to the tally of GM vehicles on the entry list; Crows Nest Racing Team! Check out that livery! It's got a certain gothic vibe to it! A lot of these mechanics and engineers seem pretty young too, bar for the couple of Corvette factory personnel that is no doubt giving some vital information to the team. GM's probably serious about contesting for the title after last year -- explains why now they're finally willing to actually sell the car to teams! Hehe!"
After a few moments, she then travels back across the paddock path towards the team's transporter.
"Let's see if we can find Judy Draven around here... oh!"
She spots Judy as she exits the door of the transporter. With a bounce to her step, Ruby briskly walks towards her and prepares herself for the interview.
“Hi Ms. Draven, it must be exciting to be in the IMAS paddock for the first time! Ruby Mitsumine here from 246 Press Racing on Paddock Tours, do you mind if we take a bit of your time from your busy schedule to answer a few questions for our viewers?"
"Oh sure, I don't mind, ask away!"
"Alright! I hope I don't yap your ear off!"
Ruby lets out a giggle as the cameraman places the two of them in the shot, giving the thumbs up for her to begin.
“If I understand this correctly, a lot of your staff members are students! It’s great to give young talent and minds a chance at the top level of competition. What will be your challenges coming into the season with such a green set of hands working behind the scenes, especially up against some of the most experienced crew members in probably the whole racing world? Teams like Scarlet Devil Raceworks come to mind!”
"Well, I'll be honest with you Mitsumine... since we are all new to this series, including even myself, we don't really expect to start off with a bang, people like Jessica, our lead mechanic, are entirely new to professional racing in general. So we'll probably need some time to settle in first, get used to the ambience, the atmosphere, their job, the car and slowly improve in everything. So I want to be patient and let everyone learn at their own pace, we don't need to rush things, rushing things can cause mistakes and bring chaos, so just like I did back when I first started racing we'll take our time and just learn everything step by step. So I guess this season we don't really have a challenge or objective... but if I really had to choose one it will probably be to settle in nicely and be ready and competitive for the next season!"
"Always a respectable goal! Now, your team’s drivers are also pretty popular! Getting them up to speed to match the GT Suzuka grid must be a huge challenge however; what have you done to prepare them for this season?"
"Oh, they are? I guess coming from a place like Highspeed Academy can bring up some reputation huh... but actually, you'll be surprised to hear that I didn't really do much to prepare them, Mirai actually got some good training back in Japan, apparently she got trained by the Fujinami people, she told me that she's friends with Ibuki Fujinami, I guess you probably heard that name, she's in a band with her and a few more friends called... uuuuh what was the name again...? Black....Mist? oh yeah, BlackMist! So yeah, she was actually pretty much ready ever since I hired her. Yumi is also pretty much self taught since she told me she liked to participate in time attack events in her Viper and I gotta tell ya... that Viper can move, hahaha! So I really trust their skills and I really can't wait to see them in action and you probably do too!"
"I can't wait until BlackMist's next release, that's for sure. Okay, something I really wanted to ask... you and PWRBand are the only two teams with a race queen over here in the states! Are you looking to make a statement for your team’s identity already?”
"Well, race queens kinda do make the identity of the team so I thought Marina was a good fit for that role, she's actually Mirai's sister which actually came here to keep Mirai's health under check, so I basically just seized the opportunity and offered her a place in the team as race queen! About our identity there's not much to say about it, we are basically a group of people that likes rock music and punk culture in general, I can actually play the guitar myself while Mirai can play the bass so in our free time we like to do some music as well and just enjoy ourselves in company as a little group of friends while chasing our passion for car culture and racing!"
"Wicked! Thank you for your time! By the way, you’ve gotta take me for a ride in your Corvette!”
"Hahahahahaha sure thing! She might be a little old and raspy from all the beating she took but she still has something to say! So whenever you want to go for a spin just give me a call!"
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maikoheart
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WRA Administration
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Post by maikoheart on Oct 12, 2024 22:17:45 GMT -5
...
The video then transitions to a different scene, as Ruby spots Tommy Charles in the corner of her eye within the paddock area. Briskly walking towards his vicinity, she waves and immediately raises her voice as a few other cars around them begin to fire up.
“Oh, Mr. Charles! Ruby Mitsumine from 246 Press Racing here with Paddock Tours; would you mind if we ask you some questions?”
"Of course, I'm glad to answer questions you have."
“You bunch are a rather no-nonsense group and there’s not as much fooling around as the rest of the paddock, or at least that’s what I believe, hehe! Share with us more about your operation and what you set out to achieve this season!”
"I would say no-nonsense is pretty accurate. The competition here is so fierce that you have to bring your A-game every weekend. And everyday we're always working to make ourselves better in every aspect. We want to be the team that everyone knows they have to beat every race.
Our goals for this season is just like everyone else, we want to win every race and bring home the trophy at the end of the season. And if we can achieve these goals then we'll throw the biggest party the paddocks ever seen!"
“I definitely hope I'm invited if that's the case then! Now then, your Ford partners last year were more like rivals than anything! Now with one of them attempting to make a breakthrough in the GTS class, will this change how you work with J-Racing Adventures?”
"I don't think so, both of us have just always done our own thing. But we always cheer for them and hope that if we can't get the victory that they do."
"So, you’re one of the few teams on the Nashville compounds, and it seems to be working out! Does it work well with the Mustang than most other cars on the grid?”
"I think so. We've been able to have more success with them than other tires, they work really well with Mustang. And we're comfortable setting the car up for them."
“I know you’re busy so I’ll turn you loose, thank you for your time!”
"Anytime!"
After exchanging a handshake with Tommy Charles, the video smoothly cuts to Ruby standing next to what looks to be Risa Aoyama, driver of the #24 Aotech BMW. Ruby is visibly flustered as her cheeks glow a bright red. She does her best, however, to maintain composure as she speaks up looking towards the camera.
"S-so, this is a driver that is hot... I-I mean, like, hot in the popular sense! Hehe... I'm here with Risa Aoyama, defending drivers' champion and definitely the center of attention when it comes to rising talent in the field! H-hi, Risa!"
Risa waves at the camera, giving a gentle smile.
"Hello! I'm so happy to be on Paddock Tours!"
"Y-you are?!"
"Of course!"
Ruby lets out an awkward giggle, gazing into space for a second before the cameraman waves a hand in front of her. It's visibly seen on camera. She then attempts to snap out of it, taking a deep breath in and continuing with her video.
"U-uhm, okay! W-well... uhm, crap... what was I gonna say... oh! Right! You're going from a rear engine car to a front engine car -- complete opposites! How difficult has it been to adapt as a driver?"
"The M8 GTP has actually been suiting me pretty well! I'm most comfortable having the engine in front of me, to be quite honest with you, so I'm really excited to see what results Ryoko and I bring once we get the setup dialed in! The biggest difference coming from the Porsche to the BMW is not having to balance the throttle so much mid corner now. Now I really can throw it in -- kinda my style I'd like to admit!"
"You really have a reputation for being a quick learner, huh?"
"I wouldn't say that, it's more like trying things out and learning what works and what doesn't. When I was thrown into the deep end into a Porsche Cup car I really had to pick everything up so quick. That meant spinning out a few times in practice if it really came to that. Honestly... the best way to get a feel for a car is to make mistakes, but obviously you got to get those out of the way before the race! I remember spinning out turn one lap one during the race at Watkins Glen for the Porsche Cup... that was really embarrassing at the time, but I think did my best to squeeze out every bit of pace afterwards to get back on the podium overall."
"You really really look so great wrangling the life out of any car you drive..."
"Ahaha, er, thank you."
The cameraman can be heard sighing in the background. Shaking his head, he motions for Ruby to go on.
"Sorry, okay. The big question now: do you believe that your success could pave the way for more drivers from your background? Some fans say they can see something like a Kaido Association form in the States here soon, and if it does, you could potentially be the one to lead it. Does that align with your train of thought?"
"Oh, that's a really big question indeed. Honestly, I don't think I can give you a good answer. A lot of how I got here was down to luck; I was lucky Nina found me when she did, and I was lucky that I got on with each car I've driven so far. A lot of racers that I've met throughout the years just do it for fun, it isn't a competitive thing for them. If we really wanted that, we'd go to the track and enter time attack comps."
Risa nods, fixing her pony tail. Ruby gazes at her whilst she does, visibly swooning over the blue haired woman.
"So I don't know if it's realistic to say that what I do could bring in a wave of mountain racers. It would be really nice to have some organized competitions held in a lot of our stomping grounds though. Maybe I'll think about it now that you've brought it up though."
"The BMW factory money helping the possibility perhaps?"
"Definitely!" Risa then giggles, covering her mouth. Ruby does the same, sighing and finally coming back down to Earth as her nerves settle.
"Thank you so much Risa, good lu--"
She clutches her stomach as a sharp pain catches her off guard. She then gags, covering her mouth as her eyes widen with a look of dread inside them.
"Hey, are you oka--"
Ruby leaves a cloud of dust behind as she immediately rushes towards the nearest trash bin, immediately ejecting her breakfast. The camera pans then focuses on the poor girl bending over to relieve herself as best as she could. As it zooms out a crowd could be seen looking over to the girl with visible worry, stopped in their tracks as they watch her further blow chunks.
...
The video cuts out, then abruptly returns depicting Ruby hiding in between the small opening of two transporters parked alongside each other, hidden from the watching eyes of the public. She's cradling herself along the side of one of them, a whimper coming out of her mouth as it's clear she's been crying for quite a while.
"I-I completely [BLEEP]ed that up so bad..."
Ruby is inconsolable, sniffling as her whole body trembles.
"I mean, that food stand made really good churros..."
"Shut up, Jose! You always pick the worst places to eat! First it was the Burgerman near Sebring and now it's the [BLEEP]ing food stand just outside our hotel!!!"
Ruby tosses a stone towards the cameraman, the camera shaking in response as he tries to dodge it. She covers her face afterwards, letting out a few sobs before speaking up again.
"Oh my god... she probably won't invite me to her cool beach bonfires she always does now after I totally blew that whole interview... after that whole DM on Tripwire too... I thought I had my way into her appreciation... w-why do I always mess -- W-WHY THE HELL ARE YOU STILL RECORDING?! TURN THAT [BLEEP] OFF!!!"
Right as Ruby stands up to attack the cameraman, the video cuts out once more. A color bars test displays on the screen for a few moments, a droning constant beep fills the audio track.
...
Finally, the video goes back to Ruby standing with Nicolas McElleby as if nothing ever happened.
“I'm here with Nicolas McElleby, owner of NME Enterprises and StormSystems! Thank you for taking the time to get on the Paddock Tour series!"
"Good to see you, Madame Mitsumine. I would be delighted to answer any questions I am able to."
“You’ve finally made the step up to GT Suzuka; it’s quite exciting to see! What was the process of sourcing Malarek and a full-blown doctor? Not just any doctor apparently – a full on professional racing doctor!”
"I can easily answer for Victor; we've kept him as part of our driver family throughout all of his various racing efforts, including stints in the Global Rally League. It's only now that we have a GT Suzuka entry that he finally has a seat worthy of his formidable driving talents; the joke within our team is that Victor is too fast for his own good. He now has the place to showcase that speed. As for Dr. Lorentzen... there's a lot of unique ideas she brings to any race team she is part of; what I can say is that her background in the medical field has helped the team as a whole be better prepared physically and mentally. She's pushing us to be better, and that push is something we didn't know we needed until now. With her talents and financial backing, she could have chosen a lot of teams to drive for; I will quote directly from what she said to me on the first day we met: "I want the challenge of driving for this team." If you get the chance to interview her... ask her what she means by that. I am still trying to figure that out for myself."
“Is it true that both you and PWRBand have partnered with Aotech to help BMW further push their hydrogen fuel technology? Does the added support from former REDLINE crew and engineers help?”
"Yes, that is true. Aotech has always been a great partner to work with, and with PWRBand having changed to BMW there are a lot more personnel dedicated to improving the unique hydrogen system BMW has built for the M8 GT Suzuka. REDLINE and Krieger WRT both proved themselves as teams that could win races and championships with this hydrogen system, and I sincerely hope both our team and PWRBand can follow in their tire tracks as race-winning organizations for BMW, now in the IMAS championship. We did hire a number of former REDLINE team members, and they have been invaluable in getting us up to speed with the new-to-us M8."
“Your GT Daytona effort stays the same, but it’s probably safe to say you aren’t too satisfied with the results your team achieved last year. What will it take for Connor and Geoffery to make a bid for the GTD title this year?”
"This is one of, if not, the most competitive racing championships in the entire world. I believe we have the team and drivers to compete with the best, but we tried to do too many things last year and got too far away from what worked before. This year, we're focusing more on what we know works and not trying to get too complicated with how the car is set up. I don't know if the goal this year is the GTD title; the goal is to finish all of the races this year. We can't win championships without finishing all of the races.
"Our readers want to know -- how long do you plan to support the championship itself as a whole? Your company really has helped the series grow further throughout the years!"
"I personally plan to support the championship for as long as I am alive to do so, and for as long as IMAS wants us to remain as the title sponsor. I myself cannot really race anymore, and this is the best way I know to continue to 'scratch' the racing itch, as it were.
"It was great hearing from you! I won't hold you any longer, good luck for the 24!"
The scene then transitions to Ruby standing in where she first was at the start of the video. She smiles and poses for the camera once more, winking and giving a peace sign.
"That's it for the first part of this video! Tomorrow is media day, so we'll definitely get a lot more chances to talk to more people around the paddock, along with getting a closer look at a few cars including a whole in-depth analysis of Scarlet Devil's 720S and their new DCU systems!! They allowed us to come into their garage tomorrow and get a closer look at their experimental upgrade they constructed for their GTS assault, but until then, be sure to like and subscribe to receive more 246 Press Racing content throughout the rest of the two weeks here at Daytona!"
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maikoheart
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WRA Administration
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Post by maikoheart on Oct 22, 2024 16:43:48 GMT -5
Once again the camera gives an image of a rather short twin-tailed girl standing in front of a backdrop consisting of the Daytona International Speedway infield garage area, where cars slowly creep into their garage stalls after the initial test session of the weekend. A flurry of team crew members jog their way back along with their respective cars, whilst fans on both sides of the passage stand and watch the hurried procession unfold with a symphony of low revving racing engines and the occasional engine rev for their amusement.
Ruby Mitsumine adjusts her glasses and cap, preparing herself for another take of the intro.
“Okay, check, check! One, two, three!” Ruby taps the microphone afterwards, shooting a look towards the cameraman behind the viewer. Although not visible to the viewer, Ruby acknowledges the thumbs up with a nod and begins to loosen herself up with a couple of rolls of her shoulders.
“Gimmie the countdown, let’s do this! …
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Paddock Tours here at Daytona for the Roar Before the 24 testing! We just had cars return from their first testing session for the IMAS Endurance Championship and, man, what a session it turned out to be! We had a few surprises show up already this early on in the season, but the question is can lightning strike twice? Aleph Racing Developments are already looking to defend their honors being last year’s 24 winners, but a few more teams are making their case pretty well known! Let’s check out a team that I had caught up with earlier this morning who really made an impression!”
The scene then transitions to Ruby standing next to Himmel Rennsport’s Christa Bergmeister. Christa holds a massive cup of coffee, annoyance and exhaustion paints her face.
“Ruby Mitsumine, 246 Press!” Ruby in contrast is as bright as can be, her smile giving much needed vibrance to the picture.
“Fantastic to see you and your team making the trip over from Germany to race in the IMAS Endurance Championship, Christa Bergmeister. I hope you have time for some questions?”
Christa glances towards her and sighs, reluctantly nodding her head. Ruby keeps smiling to somehow save the interview, seeming bleak already.
“Welcome to IMAS! What do you hope to achieve this season as a brand new team to the series? Surely the line to your trailer during the autograph session will be quite long with many fans finally getting to see you all in person.”
“Uhhh...winning, I guess? Nobody wants to lose, as far as I know.”
Tugging her collar in an awkward attempt to find recluse, Ruby sharply breathes in and goes on to ask her next question.
“Immediately after PWRBand’s departure from Porsche you swooped in to fill that gap to represent the title winning manufacturer. Is this perhaps a request from up top of the Stuttgart executives as they look to defend their honors or are we the media looking too far into this?”
She lets out a giggle, immediately realizing perhaps the question is somewhat pointed. Christa doesn’t feign any amusement as she looks on with a dry glare. Ruby immediately clams up.
“They were on their way out, we were looking to get in. That's all there is to it.”
Furrowing her brow, Ruby feigns frustration. Regardless, she presses on.
“This season you and your team will be experiencing circuits that will be completely brand new to you. Even for a team of your caliber, this still must be quite intimidating. How are you planning to approach and prepare for circuits such as here at Daytona, Long Beach, Road One, Road Atlanta and Sebring?”
“Not quite. The team has the necessary data, and we have experienced personnel on board-”
With the interview finally settling in, Ruby spots someone approaching in the corner of her eye. A woman in a Himmel branded polo begins to carry Christa away bringing the interview to a screeching halt. Ruby signals towards the cameraman a hand across her throat, whilst a conversation is heard between the two women off camera.
“How many times do I have to tell you that this is bad for our image? Our sponsors and fans are definitely seeing this!”
Ruby looks at the two women arguing, crossing her arms with a pout.
“But I’m-”
“No, not this excuse again. You can’t get away by saying you’re not a morning person all the time!”
“Sorryyyyyy…”
…
Ruby is now seen standing to the side of the #13 Scarlet Devil Raceworks 720S, smiling whilst the team calmly begins work for the next session.
“One feature that I’m sure our viewers and readers on our website have been dying to see is the developments on this McLaren SDR have been working on over the past few months in the off season.”
She steps aside to show the car with its rear end engine cover off, sitting on top of jack stands with all four sides of the car exposing the large brake calipers and rotors. The passenger side door is ajar, allowing the cameraman to focus in on the various electronic units placed where the second seat lies absent.
“Early on in the first session we did see them have issues with their brand new Dashboard Control Unit, but soon enough they did to fix it with the team immediately beginning to show some good pace.” Ruby inches closer towards the opening to keep herself in the picture.
“These new units introduce a completely revamped computer system to these GTP cars that can intelligently control all sorts of driver assists and adjustments throughout a session. That means smart traction control, drag reduction systems, aero sensitive dampening, smart aero management, all sorts of state of the art functions that could give them the edge come race day.”
The camera then focuses on the display on the driver’s side, sat in an idle state with the gear selection reading neutral.
“Even though this all sounds like an unfair advantage to an uninformed viewer, keep in mind that a lot of this technology is already found in many control units inside of each GT Pro car around the world. What really sets them apart is the fact that these units can effectively learn what is the most optimal solution throughout the course of the day thanks to its extremely advanced intelligence. Almost like it has a mind of its own!”
Ruby points towards a rather small sized box in the footwell area.
“And it’s all contained in that package! So basically all the teams need to do is to give it a set of instructions and it can begin to find its own way to suit the track’s demands. The car itself does the work for you; no need to manually calibrate the systems. Though, it does come with a few caveats… mainly, this is completely experimental, so it could either give you no benefits or worse, hinder the team by adjusting the wrong areas! CoreTech themselves struggled to get their AI system in the car to correctly set the damping at Sebring, and that doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun, does it? Couple with the fact that it’s rather expensive… and even more so when it fails and needs replacement. We’ll see what IMAS and even the WRA themselves have to say about this new development over the course of this season, but for now these two teams are doing their best to have it work in their favor to get back to form.”
The scene transitions to Ruby standing with Orion Kissling as the Acerola Speedworks Viper is being worked on in the background. The sound of power tools and clanging metal is faintly heard.
“Now I’m here with Orion Kissling, well known for being… well-spoken! Always nice to see you around the paddock, Mr. Kissling. Ruby Mitsumine from 246 Press here, care to share an interview with our dear viewers?”
“Ah, Miss Mitsumine, it is wonderful to see you as well. The crisp winter air rustles the grass and the sounds of industry echo from the pit lane, yet it does not truly feel like a new season has begun without you fluttering around the paddock uncovering the secrets within. Go on little sparrow, an interview would be my pleasure.”
She leans in with anticipation as relief sets across her body, her past interview with Bergmeister still fresh in her memory.
“If you so pleasantly insist! Septimus Nosferatu is by and far one of the most popular drivers in the paddock. His improvement has been remarkable through the past season, walk us through how it was like to experience his development as a racing driver!”
“I will admit that I had some trepidation when we began working with Septimus. A driver's first steps into professional racing often prove to be humbling, how would he react to that adversity? For those accustomed to success in their chosen field it can be a difficult thing to accept, and many prospective gentlemen and women drivers refuse to shed the role of master and become a student again.”
Ruby nods amidst the pause, standing in what she couldn’t believe to be a garage, rather his words more suited towards a theater stage.
“I needn't have worried, Septimus has been a true pleasure to work with. He has approached his racing with no less enthusiasm and work ethic than he does his acting, Janet and I could not have asked for a better student. I have no doubt that if he decided to focus solely on racing he would forge a long and successful career. Alas, we shall have to share him with show business for now.”
“No doubt that it’s commendable that Septimus is able to balance both careers so well, especially with the amount of new information he has to take in every weekend! Now…”
Carried away by his eloquent manner she refers to her small notebook in her bag, flipping through a couple of pages and tapping at the words she wrote to remind of her planned question.
“Unfortunately the WRA did not approve the homologation for the experimental hybrid system you had in your Viper last year for this upcoming season. How does that affect your strategy this season?”
“Inconvenient though it is, I do not expect this regulation change to have a significant impact on our plans for the season. This is still a learning year for the team and for Septimus, and while our ambitions are grand, our expectations have been set accordingly.
We are of course disappointed to lose a system we had invested so much time into, however I understand the governing body's reluctance to allow developments like this into sportscar racing, particularly in a privateer focused class. We had not expected for our hybrid system to be quite so successful or for it to inspire quite so many imitations, and I understand that uncomfortable parallels were being drawn to the escalating costs of competition that led to the GT racing exodus. In hindsight I acknowledge that it was, perhaps, an error on our part to introduce it.”
“No one can continue to progress without a few mistakes along the way, so to own up to it is already a great step forward. Thank you for your time, Mr. Kissling, and good luck for the upcoming season.”
The scene is now to where the video first began, as Ruby stands with a bright grin in the very center of the image.
“So as the testing begins to wrap up teams are no doubt looking forward to preparing for the big race next weekend, and what a big race it is! There’s so many storylines coming into the MAG-Emile 24 and as always, we’ll do our best to cover them here at 246 Press Racing. Once again, thank you for watching! Please subscribe for more co–”
A rowdy bearded man barges into the picture and shoulder checks the girl like a hockey player, the poor girl flying out of view as she falls to the ground with a loud thud. He lifts up his faded AC/DC shirt to reveal a crudely painted number 9 in purple, the skin surrounding it burnt red by countless drunken hours in the sun.
“YEAHHH!!! LET’S GO FORD!!! PUT THOSE [bleep] GM PHONIES IN THE DIRT, EVAN AND GANG!!! BLUE OVAL FOR LIIII–”
Mercifully, the picture cuts out.
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