FRL Season 4

I attended of the previous 9 races; I crashed out at Round 1: Circuit of the Americas, and Round 3: Suzuka, by either my own mistake or an issue with my accelerator pedal malfunctioning. I spin out of contention in Round 2: Barcelona-Catalunya, and crashed from harassment and distraction at round 4: Hungarioring. Round 5: Silverstone got me 14th in the Sprint and race and I finished just outside the points in 11th at the rollercoaster which is Zandvoort for round 6. Bahrain had always been a bogie track for me in F1 23 so another lowly 14th was all I managed.

The next two races I had missed, away in South Korea those two weekend, and my main, if my only rival driver had scored his first point since season 2 at Round 8: Shanghai, and then a handful more at Round 9: Yas Marina; he had lifted himself off the bottom of the driver's championship table gaining him a further 6 with a 7th place finish, leaving just me there as the only other permanent driver that season without a point; I was determined to change that.

Round 10: Saudi Arabian GP - Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Fast and fighting. It's perhaps the circuit everyone worries about the most with its never-ending turns the wind their way between walls that close in on you with no room for error. Every corner is blind meaning if you don't get collected by the concrete; you might collect a car just around the bend. It's a race of endurance and concentration, for those very reasons.

There were only 12 of us this race; a number of people had already dropped out of the season for various reasons, some even just wanting to concentrate on the new game that just released, F1 24, which we had not yet moved onto within the league. But I still wanted to push myself and power on, determined to prove to myself that, even if I don't have the speed, I still have the ability to be consistent and pull though. And that was very much rewarded.

Several of the big players were absent from this race, meaning the win was finally up to anyone for grabs. I knew this was not going to be me, but I didn't care about the win; I just wanted to finish the race competitively. Qualifying rewarded me with 9th place; half a tenth faster than my team mate who had just adopted a steering wheel, and way over two seconds from pole - I could have gone faster but my two following attempts faltered.

The launch off the line was decent, but my first sector was poor; I managed to retain 9th for the whole of the first lap but I hadn't quite got into the rhythm. I let my team mate passed into the second sector so they can make the most of their soft compound tires whilst I wanted to go longer on my mediums. Lap 2, turn 16, one of the top drivers appeared to have had an incident and had spun, allowing everyone through as they crawled back to the pits. Lap 3, turn 4, the wall juts out at another faster driver who looses their front left wheel and ends up in the barrier unable to continue. A virtual safety car allowed me to refocus and reset; once it ended I then found my rhythm. Lap 4 I was catching back up to my team mate and passed him from my gifted 8th place to move up into 7th. My pace was good and I was catching the driver ahead, but that soon ceased when my own team mate nicked the wall on the inside turn 4 and ended his race on lap 8 - a full safety car was deployed.

With 18 laps to go, I followed everyone else into the pits and changed for hards to go to the end on - two drivers had to serve penalties which allowed my to jump them both and find myself in 6th place behind the safety car. 10 drivers remained, and as points only go down to 10th; my first points this season are guaranteed if I can just finish the race.

The leader backed the pack up as the safety car got clear at the end of lap 11 for us to be released onto lap 12. I was sticking to my prey as I resumed the hunt that had been put on pause before, but I found two faster drivers behind taking my place; the one that span out on the opening laps scrapped loudly past on the approach to turn 4 on softer tyres and compromised my exit allowing his own pursuer past on the same medium compound. My race was not with them.

They took longer than expected to dispatch my target; but one fell foul to connectivity issues, and were unable to continue anymore, regaining a position back to 7th. The hunt continued for many laps, closing the gap and getting ever closer ready to pounce, but I had waited too long; the apex predator that we call Turn 4 stole another kill.

P5 with 7 japs to go with a leader pitting and carving their way back through the field on soft tyres; I was higher than I ever had finished previously within the league; but my head was cool and calm, for the one reminder kept repeating in my mind; that for any of this to matter; I would first have to finish.

My tyres began to give away on lap 22 with 4 to go. I had a seven second gap to the car behind but it was closing quickly. I knew I would not be able to defend against them; I could only hope to keep the gap for as long as possible. It was down to under three seconds one lap after. Across the start-finish line he was on my gearbox; I had just kept him behind long enough to reach sector one where only a only the brave and the fools would attempt to pass, the den where you would find turn 4 licking it’s lips.

Newer and softer tyres were my demise at the hairpin of 13. Though no fault of my own I was vulnerable to his grip and I was forced to concede the place; but with just one and a half laps to go, I was still in this race.

I slung my hook and had him tow me along for this final lap, but even the best aren’t immune to cracks. At the same place he had passed me, I find him half spun and pressed up against the wall. 5th place was once mine again. With half a lap to go and an eleven second gap, I kept my car clear from the walls and made sure to keep it as safe as possible – my only reckless act was the weaving I performed as I crossed the line. For I may have not won the race, or I had realised that I now had 10 points against my name, but I had proven to myself that I can find that I could have consistency at a track where others did not.

The final 4 races of Season 4 were pointless for me, but I had enough to outscore my rival and teammate, and gives me confidence that I can still grow and progress into Season 5.

~~~~~

As well representing my most fruitful race in Season 4, and my highest finishing position ever in FRL, I wanted this picture to feature the real me and presenting my bigender/salmacian/hermaphrodite body which I now consider my own, having felt very fluid in my gender for so many years and feel more proud and confident to show it.

Learn more about the Furry Racing League (FRL) here!
Avory belongs to myself,  Avogadro LoApostropheRaven
Art by  Kyoriss
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