Chapter 4

15 Years Ago

In the forests to the northwest of Mistral was a fearsome race course. Stretching over 14 kilometers of country roads, the Mistral Circuit was one of the most dangerous on Remnant. For one thing, incredibly long straightaways and mostly sweeping turns made for incredible speeds. A total lack of any safety measures - not even so much as barriers separating the track from the forest - only made matters worse. Its reputation only made winning there more prestigious, and though grumblings of boycott always ran just below the surface, races featuring the world's best inevitably went on as planned, even as the list of casualties grew.

It was Summer's first season back behind the wheel after giving birth to Ruby. Ozpin had made a deal with Nevermore Motorcars that put his two drivers, Summer and Taiyang, behind the wheel of a Nevermore 500V sports car for the season's endurance championship. It was a sleek convertible with a giant engine crammed into the front of the extremely light chassis. A small semi-circular windscreen covered only the driver's side and a ridge in the bodywork behind the driver's head streamlined the air flow. It was fast, stable and reliable, perfect for endurance racing.

The early races of the sports car season, along with the Vale Grand Prix, showed that Summer had not lost her edge. Now it was time for the 1000km of Mistral. It was a race every driver dreaded, but with an infant daughter Summer was particularly anxious. Ozpin had offered to replace her for the race, but she refused. She owed it to Ozpin and Taiyang. She had been welcomed back to the team after a year off without any hesitation, something almost unheard of in the world of motorsport.

After running for about two hours, Taiyang pulled into the pits to end his first stint behind the wheel. He usually looked haggard after a demanding run like that, but he looked even worse than usual. He climbed out of the car as the crew changed the tires and filled it with fuel. He grabbed Summer by the arm as she went to get in. "Look out for the body parts in the Ursa Kink." He warned. The Ursa Kink was an extremely fast and challenging left-right chicane. Difficult to get right and taken at speeds well in excess of 100 mph, it was the site of many accidents. Summer assumed someone had crashed there and left parts of their car scattered across the track. She was wrong.

There had indeed been an accident. Half a car sat burning on the right side of the road just past the exit of the turn, but that was not the concerning thing. A severed leg and a streak of blood on the track told of a much more grisly incident. A bit farther down the track, at the terminus of a set of skid-marks was a stationary car. The front was slightly crumpled and the windshield cracked and spattered with blood. The driver sat with his hands gripping the steering wheel, a thousand yard stare on his face. It was not difficult to piece together what had happened.

First, a driver had gotten the corner wrong. He clipped the grass on the inside of the right-hander which sent him sliding off the track to the left. There, his car struck the end of a stone wall. The back half sheared off and continued to the left while the front, driver included, burst into flames and ricocheted back across the track, coming to rest in the grass to the right. A safety worker, stationed nearby on the left side of the track had rushed across in an attempt to save the driver from his burning car. Just then, unsighted by the thick black smoke billowing from the wreck, another driver screamed around the corner and struck the worker, ripping him to shreds.

Summer immediately returned to the pits. She was done with sports car racing, at least for the time being. For Ruby's sake, and Yang's for that matter, she could not take the risk. Taiyang and Ozpin, once he had been informed of what had happened in the Ursa Kink, had assumed that was likely to be the case. A relief driver was waiting. Peter Port's own car had fallen out of the race due to an engine failure and he was ready to take over. He had driven Summer's car in F1 while she was pregnant and had graciously stepped aside when she returned. He and Taiyang went on to finish third. Summer was just happy they had survived.

Present Day

Weiss walked into the garage just minutes before the first practice for the Grand Prix of Mistral. She took a quick look at her car, a large number 7 now on the side, then looked to Yang. "I know you really wanted the odd number." Yang said. "Consider it an apology for Vale." Weiss narrowed her eyes at Yang for a moment before turning her attention to her car. "I hope we can get past what happened." Yang added. Weiss ignored her. She got in her car, fastened her belts and put on her helmet and goggles. Weiss sat silently until practice started, then immediately drove out of the garage. She had clearly not gotten past it.

As soon as the first laps were completed, it was clear what team had the upper hand. Schnee Automotive had by far the most powerful engines, and on the incredibly fast circuit it showed. They were over a second clear of the next pairing, the drivers from Phase Two. Observers thought Phase Two's engines looked suspiciously like reverse-engineered Schnee engines, and soon there were whispers of cheating and espionage. Whatever the truth was, the engines were still not good enough to challenge Penny and Winter. In fifth and sixth were the pair from Coffee Inc. They ran the previous year's model of Schnee engines.

Beacon GP looked to have the measure of the rest of the field. Both cars were fast from the outset, falling seventh and eighth with Yang fractions of a second ahead of Weiss. Weiss complained loudly about her car but requested only minor changes before deciding it was as good as it would get. The second practice came and went with the same results, except that Weiss was now fractionally ahead of Yang.

Lurking just behind the Beacon cars was Pyrrha. Juniper had the worst engines in the field, refurbished two-year-old Merlot models, but in the corners Pyrrha was blisteringly quick. If she managed to catch a draft off a faster car, she was able to set competitive lap times. Jaune was predictably slow. A bad engine and worse driver combined to put him right at the bottom. He was not as far off as he had been at Vale however. Apparently Pyrrha was trying to teach him, though progress was slow.

The biggest improvement from Vale was Neptune. Free of his fear of water he was able to set times on par with Sun. They were the fastest with unmodified Merlot engines, placing tenth and eleventh in both practices. Behind them was a jumble of very close times and the positions seemed to shift with every lap time posted.

After the day's practices, Yang again tried to apologize to Weiss. "I really am sorry about what happened in Vale." Yang said. "If we don't start at least tolerating each other, it's going to hurt the team as a whole." Weiss said nothing and just walked out.

"I think she's giving you the silent treatment." Blake said.

"She wouldn't talk to me either." Ruby sighed. "She told Blake all the setup changes she wanted, even the ones I'm responsible for."

"There's no way we can go a whole season like this." Yang said. "I'm not sure there's anything we can do though. Maybe Ozpin can talk some sense into her. He said he had something in mind but still hasn't told me what."

The results of Saturday's morning warmup were much the same as the previous day's. Going into time trials, it was pretty clear the the Schnee cars were untouchable. That aside, there were still plenty of grid spots up for grabs to any driver bold enough to push the limits.

Yang set out for her last run near the end of the session. She was eighth, just behind Weiss, and determined to outdo her teammate. She slowed before the final right-hand hairpin to make some room between her and the car in front. Pyrrha was just behind but stayed right on her tail, a clean track would offer her no advantage at all. Yang accelerated out of the hairpin and blasted down the start/finish straight. The steep downhill abruptly flattened out into a left across a stone bridge before a sweeping uphill right, entering the complex named for the stream that ran beneath it, Red Water. Yang slid the car through the right-hander that immediately followed before cutting back to the left at the crest of the hill and out onto a long straight, the first of many. Now the track headed away from anything resembling a purpose-built circuit and into the countryside. Mind-bogglingly fast straights were punctuated by occasional corners. Yang was feeling good. The car was performing perfectly and she hit all her apexes. By the halfway point of the lap she had left Pyrrha behind. Yang braked hard on entry to the Ursa Kink, slung the car left and then right, and shot out onto the next straight. After over a mile there was a sweeping right-hander. The car oversteered but Yang kept it in check and got a good exit. The remaining corners were all fast ones until the final hairpin. Yang locked the brakes slightly but still hit her marks and got a good exit onto the start/finish straight. She flashed across the line to complete a lap just fast enough to put herself ahead of Weiss and into seventh.

Weiss crossed the line a few seconds later, Pyrrha tucked in behind her car. Weiss improved her time but not her position, ending up eighth. Predictably, Winter had qualified on pole with Penny second. Third was Mercury with Emerald fourth. Fifth and sixth went to Coco and Yatsuhashi respectively. After the Beacon GP pair were Sun and Neptune. Pyrrha ended up a disappointing eleventh; the engine just did not have the power. Much to everyone's surprise, Jaune was not last. He had managed to beat both WFR cars. They too were using outdated engines.

"Where did I place?" Yang asked as she pulled into the garage.

"Seventh." Ruby replied. "You beat Weiss!"

"That's a relief." Yang sighed. "Maybe I can at least get her to respect me, even if she never likes me."

"Did I beat Yang?" Weiss asked as she pulled into the garage.

"No, you're just behind her in eighth." Blake answered.

Anger and frustration were etched into Weiss' face as she pulled off her helmet and goggles. After getting out of the car she threw them onto the seat. Instead of storming out as she had done so many times before she went directly to Yang. "You can have turn 1." Weiss said through gritted teeth. "After that it's race on." She left before Yang could reply.

"Well, at least she's talking at me." Yang shrugged. "Talking to me can't be far off."

"She also yielded position to you in turn 1." Blake said. "It's not that big a deal at this track, but that can't have been easy for her, even if she was just doing it to avoid getting into another crash."

"I'll take what I can get." Yang said.

Weiss returned. "Ruby, the car's too tight." She said. "On a scale of 0-10 it's a 3. I need a 5." With that she left again.

"Now that's a major improvement." Ruby said. "Maybe getting beat is what it'll take."

"Somehow I don't think that'll be enough." Yang said. "It might work for the two of you, if she wants to be fast she needs your help, but for me I think there needs to be more."

The morning of the race dawned cloudy and cold. Sudden and extreme changes of weather were common in this part of Mistral, and the track was large enough that it could be raining heavily on part of it and totally dry elsewhere. With the exception of Schnee Automotive's drivers, everyone was praying for the rain to come. It was the only thing that could level the playing field.

After their parade lap the cars lined up on the grid and waited for the green flag. The flag dropped and the cars were off and the thirty lap race was on. With a steeply downhill start straight and engines geared for top speed, wheelspin was of minimal concern. Yang and Weiss got nearly identical starts. The headed for the first corner, the nose of Weiss' car just alongside Yang's rear wheels on what would be the inside line. At the last moment Weiss rolled out of the throttle, allowing Yang to cut into the corner. Weiss ducked in behind her as the field snaked its way uphill.

By the end of the first lap the Schnee cars were three seconds clear of the rest of the field. Phase Two and Coffee Inc. had gotten mixed up over the course of the lap with Emerald third followed by Coco, Yatsuhashi and Mercury as they crossed the line. Then came Yang, Weiss hot on her heels. Sun was next, then Pyrrha who had gotten a great start, and Neptune. The cars roared down the hill and into Red Water then back up and out of view of the pit area.

Things had changed a bit by lap five. Winter still led from Penny but they were now followed by Emerald, Coco, Mercury and Yatsuhashi in that order. Weiss got a great run out of the final hairpin and got beside Yang as they careened down the hill into Red Water. This time it was Yang who yielded, giving seventh to Weiss. Sun was still ninth but Neptune had got past Pyrrha for tenth, and Pyrrha's slide through the field had continued, leaving her twelfth. Jaune, meanwhile, had worked his way to fifteenth, with the retirement of Cardinal's Sky Lark due to an engine issue, Maiden's Amber Autumn with a suspension failure, and Funky's Neon Katt who crashed lightly at the Ursa Kink.

By lap 9 Weiss had pulled away from Yang. She was pushing as hard as she could, determined to make up for losing out to Yang in qualifying. Her tires were wearing faster than she would have liked and her brakes were getting hot, but she was unconcerned. She should have been. She hit the brakes on entry to the Ursa Kink and the right-front tire exploded. The car dropped to the rim in a shower of sparks and the differential drag on the front end turned the car sideways at over 150 mph. The car slid sideways off the track, hit a ditch and flipped over, landing right-side-up not far from the track. She remained seated in the car hyperventilating, her hands locked on the steering wheel, and her eyes wide with terror. Neon had been watching the race from nearby after her own accident and rushed to Weiss' aid.

"Weiss, are you injured?!" Neon shouted as she rushed toward the crumpled car.

After a few deep breaths Weiss calmly undid her seat belts and stepped out of the car, refusing help from Neon and a safety worked who had responded to the scene. Weiss was lucky to be alive, but her overriding emotion was anger. She surely had Yang beat and had thrown it away. To add to her misery, it began to rain.

Rain was just what Yang wanted. The storm moved in from the southwest, light at first but gradually gaining in intensity. It caught many drivers out. Jaune had been doing fine in dry conditions, but on slick tires in the wet he was out of his depth. He spun off the track in the Southwest Sweeper and crushed his suspension against the armco. Moments later, Warren Tukson of WFR lost control and crashed in almost the exact same spot. A little further along, Sun misjudged a corner and slid off into a field where his car became stuck in the mud.

The field dove into the pits for rain tires as heavy rain blanketed the entire track. "Will it keep raining?" Yang asked Ruby as the pit crew changed her tires.

"The report we got says it'll only get heavier." Ruby replied. "What happened to Weiss?"

"She crashed." Yang answered. "I saw her out of the car though, watching from the side of the track." Ruby sighed, a crash meant extra work. At least Weiss was okay. The crew finished changing the tires and Yang pulled out onto the track, the pits only separated from the start/finish straight by a line of paint.

By the race's halfway point, Yang was catching up. She was right on the back of Mercury and Emerald who had been passed by Coco and Yatsuhashi and faded quickly when the rain began to fall. A little further behind, Pyrrha had gotten past Neptune and was closing the gap. The trio of Emerald, Mercury and Yang accelerated out of the Ursa Kink and onto a straightaway over a mile long. Halfway to the next corner Emerald's engine failed spectacularly, spitting smoke and flame and throwing chunks of metal. Mercury swerved to avoid the suddenly slowing car and slid into the grass. He kept going, regained control and rejoined the track but it was enough for Yang to get by. The lost momentum meant that Pyrrha slipped past on entry to the next corner, the Southwest Sweeper.

On lap 18 Yang caught Yatsuhashi. She tried to stay as close as possible to the back of his car, but his superior engine meant he pulled away on the straights. Yang was faster, but completing the pass would be very difficult. Well, it would have been, had Yatsuhashi not hydroplaned through a puddle in the final hairpin. He slid well wide and Yang passed him with ease, pulling away in pursuit of Coco. Pyrrha got past too. With Yang slowed by having to follow Yatsuhashi for almost an entire lap, Pyrrha had caught her. The two ran nose-to-tail in a situation that mirrored the one Yang had just escaped.

As the rain continued to pour Yang and Pyrrha finally caught up to Coco on lap 26. She was unlikely to repeat her teammate's mistake. Yang and Pyrrha could not afford to be held up. If they had any hope of catching the Schnee cars, they would have to get past Coco quickly. Coming out of the hairpin to complete the lap, Yang got a good run. She closed on Coco's tail then shot out to the left at the last second as they entered Red Water. Coco was taken by surprise and forced to concede the position. She tried to tuck in behind Yang, hoping to overtake her on the upcoming long straightaway, but she had lost too much momentum. She came under attack from Pyrrha who easily passed her on entry to the next corner.

At the start of lap 29 Pyrrha was right on Yang's tail. The Schnee cars were too far gone to catch, so Yang switched over to the defensive. Pyrrha had mastered the slipstream and was able to keep close even on the longest straights. They were close in the corners but Pyrrha was just a little faster, if only she could get by. From Red Water to the Ursa Kink, all the way toward the end of the lap they ran nose-to-tail as if the cars were attached to each other. Entering the final hairpin Yang looked in her mirror so see what Pyrrha would do. The spray kicked up by her car was blinding and she could not see Pyrrha. She braked hard and at the last moment noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Pyrrha dove to the right at the last possible moment, out-braked Yang and took the preferred line. They rolled through the corner side-by-side, lining up for a drag-race to the finish. Yang hit the throttle too hard and spun rear wheels. Pyrrha's less powerful engine meant she did not have the same issue. She pulled ahead, just beating Yang to the finish to take third.

Yang was incredibly disappointed to have missed out on the podium in the last corner but happy with the result nonetheless. If nothing else she had shown her potential and, in her mind at least, made up for the fiasco in Vale. Weiss fumed. Not only had she crashed out, her teammate and biggest rival had just had the race of a lifetime. Weiss also felt threatened. She was not nearly so good in the rain. Winter took home the victory with Penny a close second. Fifth was Coco, followed by Yatsuhashi, Mercury, Neptune, Cardin and Flynt Coal to round out the top 10.

A few hours after the race Ozpin held a team meeting. Weiss, soaked and miserable, had arrived about an hour earlier, having caught a ride on the flatbed that delivered her wrecked car to the garage. Ruby was relieved that the chassis was mostly intact and could be repaired. Blake decided the engine would probably have to be scrapped. Yang did not gloat. She did not say a word to Weiss and Weiss had not said a word to her.

Just before the meeting was supposed to start, the principal members of Team Juniper joined them. Team owner Glynda Goodwitch, along with drivers Pyrrha and Jaune, and mechanics Nora and Ren, were in attendance when Ozpin finally arrived. "I mentioned to my drivers that I had a venture in mind to promote team cohesion." Ozpin said. "I can finally announce it. Ms. Goodwitch and I have finalized a deal with Nevermore Motors to jointly run a pair of cars at this year's 24 Hours of Vytal. It's all a bit last moment, but this is an incredible opportunity that could not be passed up." He paused for a moment to gauge everyone's reactions. Yang and Ruby looked interested, Blake was Blake, Nora was ecstatic, Ren might have been asleep, and Weiss looked skeptical. "Any questions? Comments?"

"I would like to team with Pyrrha." Weiss said.

"I think I'll let Glynda take this one." Ozpin said.

"The driver pairings will not be altered." Glynda said. "My drivers will pair up and Ozpin's will. This is not up for debate."

Weiss glared at Yang. "Fine." She sighed.

"Anything else?" Ozpin asked. There were no takers. "Good. I'll see you all in Vytal for practice on Tuesday."

Yang could not imagine how it would possibly work. She was not necessarily opposed to the idea of sharing a car with Weiss, but she knew Weiss would rather gouge her own eyes out. They would not be able to have their own setups, instead having to go with a compromise they could both live with. Yang suspected Weiss would not be compromising. She also suspected Ozpin had other motives. Sure, he was probably hoping it would help defuse the tension between she and Weiss, but if it did not one of them would probably be fired. Pyrrha was a rare talent stuck in a car that limited her potential and Ozpin would no doubt love to have her on his team. Ozpin and Glynda were on good enough terms that a trade might just be possible. It would be make or break.

Standings after two races:

1st - Pyrrha Nikos - 13

2nd - Penny Polendina - 12

3rd - Winter Schnee - 9

4th - Coco Adel - 6

5th - Yang Xiao-Long - 3

5th - Yatsuhashi Daichi - 3

5th - Emerald Sustrai - 3

8th - Sun Wukong - 1

9th - Weiss Schnee… - 0

Inspirations

- Mistral is based on Spa. The Ursa Kink is the Masta Kink. Red Water is Eau Rouge.

- The Nevermore 500V is based on the Jaguar D-Type.

- The flashback story comes from a 1972 24 hour touring car race. Hans-Joachim Stuck warned his teammate Jochen Mass about the body parts.

- The skill show in the rain by Yang and Pyrrha is inspired by Ayrton Senna. In this story Pyrrha is supposed to have Senna-like talent at all times.

- Vytal is Le Mans.

Inaccuracies and Anachronisms

- There is no stone wall at the Masta Kink. I needed something solid to hit.

- As stated earlier, the flashback accident actually occurred in 1972.

- As stated in previous chapters, the weekend format is still not accurate for the time period.

- Last second entries for the 24 Hours of Le Mans are not that unrealistic, but one coming together the weekend before the race certainly is.