Chapter 49: Race Weekend | Sunday | Did Not Finish

The large TV in the commentary booth showed Fatih in the pit lane, his kart surrounded by two race officials. They were meticulously looking it over, inspecting the bent chassis and the damaged sidepod, taking notes on a clipboard. After only thirty seconds of inspection, they said something to Fatih. He lowered his head for a moment, a gesture of quiet resignation, before climbing out of the kart and walking with slumped shoulders towards the academy tent. "Aaaaaaah, and that’s the confirmation we were dreading," Süleyman said, his voice filled with genuine disappointment. "It looks like the damage was substantial enough that they couldn’t repair it in time for him to rejoin. Unfortunately, he is going to retire from this qualifying heat. The most entertaining race of the day has come to a premature end just a few laps in." "That is his first DNF of his career, and it was something that was not his fault at all," Zakir added, his tone somber. "From the replay, we can clearly see that he was entitled to the line. I just hope this doesn’t cause him to be extra cautious in the Final race, assuming they can either repair the kart or prepare a new chassis in time." The screen once again showed the replay of the incident, pausing on the moment of impact. "The only positive thing we can take from this is that it’s not the Final race. The only immediate effect will be on his starting position, not his championship points. Since he already had zero points from finishing first in the previous heat, there is still a possibility that he will be in the top thirty by the end of this one. But if not, that will be an additional emotional blow, as he will have to participate in the Pre-Final race just to earn a position on the main grid." "From the look of it, the chassis is bent very badly and might need to be changed," Süleyman observed. "What are the rules if he has to change it for the next racing session?" He posed the question to give Zakir the opportunity to explain the regulations to the viewers. "Unauthorized changes are an automatic disqualification," Zakir began. "However, if the academy’s technicians inspect the chassis and deem it too dangerous to continue using, they can petition the officials for a change. If the officials approve it, he will be allowed to use a new chassis, but it comes with a significant penalty. He will have to start the next race from the rear of the grid. This is because a new chassis provides an additional advantage over those who have used their chassis throughout all of the weekend’s sessions. So, if the chassis is changed, he is going to have to start the Final race from the very back." "If I were in his place, I would be feeling incredibly unhappy right now," Süleyman said, putting himself in Fatih’s position. "Through no fault of his own, his championship weekend, which was going so well, has just been turned completely upside down. When it was expected for him to secure a front-row start, now it looks like he might have to fight his way through the Pre-Final just to have a chance to participate in the main event." "I wouldn’t want to be him for now," Zakir agreed. "But this is good news for both Selçuk and Jackson. It gives them the opportunity to finally take the lead in the championship, a lead that Fatih has held since the very first round." "But Fatih already has a record of delivering a miracle recovery drive, as we saw in the first round of the championship in Istanbul," Süleyman reminded the viewers. "Do you see it as something he can pull off again in the Final race?" "That was under rainy conditions, where the wet track acts as an equalizer, leaving talent as the main differentiator," Zakir cautioned. "For today, there is a risk of the rain not returning at all during the race. Mounting a similar comeback on a dry track is going to be exponentially more difficult, but not impossible, so long as he keeps it on the track and doesn’t get impatient from the start. If it *does* rain, however, then that is a different matter entirely. When it comes to driving in the wet, he has already proven that he is the best of everyone currently on this track." "And it looks like luck, for today, favors Huzeyfa!" Süleyman announced as a new graphic appeared on the screen. "Selçuk has received a ten-second time penalty for his driving! With only three laps to go, it looks like he is going to tumble all the way down, out of the top ten! So, he should be starting the Final race from at least below the P15 position! I don’t think Fatih is going to feel that is justice at all." ..... "They’ve approved our request to change to a new chassis after they finished inspecting it," Burak said as he entered the academy’s tent. He found Fatih still in his full racing gear, helmet on, sitting silently in one of the child-sized chairs. "We need to start preparing as soon as possible for its potential use in a Pre-Final." "Understood," Fatih replied, his voice calm and even. "Accidents are a part of racing," Burak said, lowering himself to be face-to-face with Fatih, patting his shoulder comfortingly. "Even if you are not at fault, sometimes you will be disadvantaged by the rules. Don’t let it make you feel down for too long, or it might cause you to not be in your best form for the Final race." "Yes," Fatih said, his answer again a single word. "Since we will be using a new chassis, it’s going to take some time for you to adapt to it, but we will try to have the setup as close to the old one as possible," Burak explained. "So, rest for a moment while we deal with that." Knowing that his words weren’t going to be a game-changer for a young child dealing with such a setback, he decided to focus on having the car ready, giving Fatih some time to himself. While Burak and the other academy mechanics, who had already started preparing the new kart chassis, thought Fatih was feeling down, he was, on the other hand, feeling a completely different set of emotions. Although he was angry, his anger was controlled, a cold, focused thing, thanks to his [Invictus] ability, which allowed him to remain objective no matter the situation. But that anger was reduced even further by the screen that was hovering in his vision. If it hadn’t been for the looming Pre-Final and the mountain he now had to climb, he might have even been happy. [Recovery Mission] Things out of your control happen all the time. Luck is also considered to be a part of a driver’s skill, and today, you were unlucky. However, the greats do not buckle and complain about their position; they do their very best to salvage as much as is humanly possible. The same is expected of you, who looks to climb the summit of the mountain of greatness. Objective: Recover from having to start at the end of the grid to the highest position possible for you, with the minimum being a points finish. Reward: A 5X SP multiplier for P1, 3X for P2, and 2X for P3 on all System Points earned this weekend. A 10X SP multiplier applied to points earned during this race, should you recover to point-earning positions but not podium positions. Punishment for failure: A random ability will be downgraded by one level for the next championship round.