Parnelli's GT2 stories.

Parnelli Bone

Parnelli Bone

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Parnelli_Bones
Back in my GT1 & GT2 days (December 2003-December 2006 or so) i was in the habit of hand-writing stories to go along with various racing characters. Perhaps this is a throwback to my D&D role-playing days; but for some reason (i'm a geek?) i started the character thing from Day 1 of my GT1 days and can't game without them. :rolleyes:

Each character is generally given a memory card. In this case, there were 3 characters on the same card: the Wellington family.

This story will focus on the father: 33 year-old Graham "Yuppy Scum" Wellington. His wife, Tiffany "Soccer Mom" Wellington was 32 at the time, and they raised a son and a 12-year old angel: Princess Wellington. Yes, they named their daughter "Princess". :yuck::dunce:

Here is some background on Graham; how he got involved in racing.

CHAPTER 1​


Graham..... was (how shall i say?) the quintessential yuppy. Caucasian, Republican, and an up-and-coming attorney at the lawfirm Bailey, Bartles, and Buddlemeyer. As a lawyer, he did okay. Win some/lose some. Not a star, but not starving. :)

But one day it dawned on him. He would never be rich at this firm. He would basically never make partner. :mad: After all, Bailey, Bartles, Buddlemeyer, and Wellington doesn't exaclty roll off the tongue, now does it?

So Graham made a plan. Over the course of 4 months, he filed several motions and set up an appropriations committee which used section 42.4-B from an old ruling on the case Marvin versus State of Washington, and then delegated about a dozen philanthropophic measures by modifying old dockets from Chapter 7, ad.voc 127-A.2 footnotes 12 thru 277 from the appealate court's decision #7:07 on Marvin. All of this looked great on the books, of course.

...or in other words, he secretely embezzled $10,000 without anyone finding out! :scared:

A new race series, unlike one ever before created, was becoming very popular, and Graham needed this $10,000 get started as a driver. He couldn't use the family Land Rover Discovery, after all, right? :lol: har har.

He bought a used '91 Infiniti G20. A car his firm's para-legals would drive! Not exactly cream-of-the-crop amongst his lawyer buddies, but whatever. He now had (at least) what dealerships call an "entry-level luxury sedan", ready to compete in the Gran Turismo Race series

This next part gets kinda boring, but it's basically the background for how GT got started. :ill: Shutup!.

Gran Turismo, or "GT", was started by billionaire Turkish philanthropist Ignatius Malachai Reechasheet (I. M. Reechasheet, get it? :lol:). As a rich guy, he loved watching sports of all kinds. He eventually bought a small, aging SCCA/Kart track in the foothills of Pennsylvania and named it Autumn Ring. Long story short, he wound up buying or leasing many more tracks all over the world, and his race-series was open to drivers of all types: from the worst ego-driven lunkheads who ever spun a corner at Apricot Hill, to celebrities, everyday Joes & Janes, but also actual professional drivers from Formula 1, NASCAR, IMSA, DTM, and various other "real" sport-racing organizations.

His race-series was a hit not just because of hte racing, but also due to a heavy promotion of drivers who seemed to be up-and-coming, or at least interesting. In the vast world of GT, I.M. Reechasheet eventually employed not just typical racetrack gofers (corner workers, pitcrew staff, grandstand workers, etc) but he also tapped worldwide talent from "celebrity" magazines & TV interviewers, story-writers, printers, and hype-makers. Basically, if you were doing well as a GT driver, not only would you get recognized for your talent, but your face would also be regularly splashed across tabloids, on-air journals, and such.

You would be a "star", with all the perks, but also all the embarassing ditch-digging moments any celebrity is prone to.

It was in this environment that Graham Wellington eventually got his name "Yuppy Scum", whether he liked it or not!

...chapter 2 will be up soon....
 
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Wow, I know that was just the background and that, but what an awesome opening chapter. Reminded me of a John Grisham novel, the way you started! :lol: Quality stuff Parnelli, looking forward to Chapter 2! 👍👍

Joe
 
Someone should make a movie out of this! I can imagine "GT2 : The Movie, Wellington Family Edition" Written and directed by Parnelli Bone :lol:.

I'll be reading every one of your chapters 👍.
 
Awesome work Parnelli! I remember we discussed this a long time ago, when I was planning my GT novel. Great start, and good humour :) Can't wait to see more.
 
Thanks everyone.👍 Have something to drink why doncha? I brought some generic red wine, cranberry juice, several bottles of Beck's, and i even have some 1% organic milk. :)

CHAPTER II​


Where was i? Oh yeah. Let's start off with some more background.

Graham "Yuppy Scum" entered the world of GT about 3 years after its original conception.

Originally, I.M. Reecasheet could only attract mostly Japanese car-makers to sponsor their vehicles (via full legal contracts and paperwork) into the world of GT. Most other car-makers (for whatever reason) just didnt' want to take a chance..afraid that the racing world of GT would fail or whatever. Or maybe their image would suffer as the cars they made would be seen in the "wrong" way. Outside of Japan, only Chevrolet and Dodge (in America), and TVR and Aston Martin (Britain) signed up early-on.

As time rolled by and GT became more popular, it was obvious things needed to change. Drivers and crew-members would require more money. New race-series (including racing just for luxury sedans, historic cars, and various manufacturing events, among many other ideas) were being created by GT's staff of legal-makers and entrepeneurs. New tracks were bought or leased, so that now, GT events were popping up all over the world.

For instance, in Austria, a series of tricky mountain roads were now available for racing in a town called Grindelwäld during the off-season when the ski lodges closed up. Three of the larger islands of Tahiti also were now basically racing tracks, (one paved and 2 dirt), which brought much-needed money to the native populations and created jobs for some of them. This helped GT's reputation immensely in the South Pacific. :rolleyes:

In Arizona, a super NASCAR track called Red Rock Speedway was built but NASCAR drivers complained that it would be "too dangerous" to race there so I.M. took over the place, leasing it for just 2 years. Oddly, after the contract at Red Rock ended, the track hasn't been used to this day for professional or amateur racing. :(:(:(

Another track in California (this one was still featuring NASCAR events during GT's off-seasons) called Super Speedway was also leased to I.M. & the world of GT. Oddest of all, I.M. somehow convinced the mayor of Seattle to open up a series of streets in the market district during Sundays and holidays--for RACING! A set of streets near the touristy area of Rome's Colliseum also allowed a similar GT contract.

Sadly, during the days when GT2 was in the mainstay, racing at a very complex set of city streets in a Japanese city halted when much-needed construction off of Route 11 prevented racing from being safe here. While hardcore racers moaned, many amateur ones breathed a sigh of relief! :lol:

As all this activity was about, it was obvious to I.M. Reechasheet and his worldwide team of employees that a new phase had begun in late '99; and to make this distinction, they changed the name of their racing organization from GT to "GT2".

It was when Seattle began hosting GT racing that Graham got interested. :) As we saw in the first chapter, he set up several phony business accounts to launder money (i think that's what he did....i can't understand all that lawyer mumbo-jumbo) and managed to embezzle $10,000 for a used Infiniti G20 since Gt rules wouldnt' sponsor his family Land Rover Discovery. :rolleyes: Yeah.

$10,000 was a splash in the pool. Nobody to this day knows Graham embezzled it...it wasn't like he stole $100,000 or more, know what i mean? So the money wasn't missed. And it didn't matter. Graham (being a lawyer) was able to peruse and study his new Gran Turismo 2 pre-contracts and realized that certain racing events paid oh-so-handsomely. With the new GT2 rules, it was now possible to make several hundred thousand dollars for just a few minutes of racing! Graham couldn't believe his eyes :eek: when he realized the monetary implications.

Screw Redmond, he could live in Lake Placid! Palos Verdes! Prague! Wherever he wanted!

Graham took some ...uh....time off from work, said he needed at least a month off. :ouch: He didn't tell his wife or kids of his plans. :mischievous:[/font]

In the next chapter, we shall really begin our story. How's your drinks, guys? :lol:
 
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Hah, this just gets better and better. You really planned this through didn't you? Awesome background information, it all fits in, I just find myself laughing at how easily it reads! Now I really can't wait for Chapter 3, that stuff was good, but nothing really beats good racing! 👍
Keep it up Parnelli, really great reading! :)

Joe
 
Yuppy Scum031.jpg

Here is how i picture Yuppy Scum. Not a hair out of place. Tie straight (but loosened occasionally when all the work is done). And on his cell phone, Bluetooth, BlackBerry, and (yes) even his car-phone. DURING races! :lol:
 
....I hate him. ;) Looks like Mr. Peter Perfect the Perfect. (Run Fatboy Run reference :D) Doesn't seem the type for entering this tough GT2 racing series to me! :sly:

Joe
 
Aremburgkerve
....I hate him. ;) Looks like Mr. Peter Perfect the Perfect. (Run Fatboy Run reference :D) Doesn't seem the type for entering this tough GT2 racing series to me! :sly:

Joe
Click to expand...

Well, in a way i hate him too. For sure. He votes Republican, (sorry to any GOP readers out there), he doesn't care about environmental issues, he doesn't care about saving anything green other than his lawn. He's the guy who hogs the multi-passenger HOV lane as he drives his Discovery...by himself...on his cell phone. As a lawyer, he managed to get several real criminals free while getting potheads as far into the criminal justice system as he could. :ouch:

He's in it for the money. Me first. Alladat!

Other than that, i LOVE playing him, as we'll soon find out! :crazy: There's something about being arrogant enough to enter a Jaguar or a Lexus in a race typically populated by Skylines, Corvettes, and actual sports-cars, that i look forward to. It gets me "into the game" as they say. :lol: Shut up!

Everytime i roll my 10-sided die and "Yuppy Scum" comes up next, i smile. :)
 
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'10-sided?'

On another note, I am really enjoying this story. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of drinking the milk when I was lactose-intolerant...

For the sketch, that's pretty good. I can imagine that guy behind the wheel of a G20.
 
Hahaha! This is awesome work Parnelli. My dad seems to meet Yuppy Scum all the time on the motorway, normally driving a German car. Audis and BMWs normaly? Ever considered putting Yuppy Scum in one of those?
 
Falcon787B
Hahaha! This is awesome work Parnelli. My dad seems to meet Yuppy Scum all the time on the motorway, normally driving a German car. Audis and BMWs normaly? Ever considered putting Yuppy Scum in one of those?
Click to expand...

Yuppy Scum are always found in those BMW 3-Series on our motorways. M4 at rush-hour going into London, my dad will find thousands of them. American Yuppy Scum could be different to the British Yuppy Scum. Maybe we should introduce our own characters in our own "British Yuppy Scum GT2 Racer", Falcon? 💡 And then challenge Parnelli's in a race-off! :dopey:

Joe
 
Cool. Glad you guys like it. I'm not sure which direction to go next. I was gonna just put down the hand-written entries i made 4 years ago in my notebooks (cough cough *NERD* ah scuse me) but i'm not sure if i should, because they literally start off as just a few sentences.

I used to be so pumped to race, these journal entries would often wind up being sloppy. I would sit there writing chicken-scratch style. Mis-spelling words...etc. It didn't matter cuz nobody would ever read this stuff except me. But now, it might be a bit embarrasing.

So probly what i'll do is write the entries, and then expand on the story a bit as i have been. The black ink (in Times Roman font) shall be my journal entries as i wrote them exactly in the books....spelling errors, poor grammar, whatever. I'm doing this to preserve the original psyched point of view i oringally had when i wrote the entries.

I may just wind up getting a visit from the AUP police, tho! :scared::nervous: Yikes.

The writing in dark blue ink shall be my additions to the story (as i see them now).



CHAPTER III​

Day 1: Bought Infiniti Q20 used from Nissan dealership for $3,885.

Day 2: track testing, later affixed sports muffler and had the after market place remove some parts.

*Notice i called it an "Infiniti Q20" instead of a "G20". I hadn't paying attention to what was going on in the automotive world...i actually knew very little about modern car-makes & models...GT taught me so much!


Everything was in motion. The ball was rolling. No turning back now!

Graham spent a sleepless night, worrying and freting. What would Tiffany think if she knew his plans? What would Princess think. His son didn't count...he would just think Dad was the "coolest". :cool:

Well it didn't matter. The money he embezzled was virtually untraceable, so long as he paid cash and paid the plaid-wearing car dealer a "bonus" to somehow "lose" all the paperwork.

He took delivery of his G20 from a run-down dealership in east Seattle that was all too happy for some actual CASH! Most customers put some money down before struggling for 2 to 4 years with payments--it was rare for someone just to walk in and fork over everything.

Of course, the dealer wondered exactly where this money came from. But he never asked questions. Better to just take the money. Pay some bills. Take the wife out for lobster. :indiff:

Day 6: Raced at Tahiti Road. Took lots of picures and stayed with family right near the church and the Beach. Did some sunning and toured the issland.

I think the reason it skips form Day 2 to Day 6 is perhaps i had several tries at Tahiti before winning? Not sure.


Anyways, eventually Graham caved in. From the moment he sat behind the wheel of his new G20 he was sweating bullets despite the drizzly Seattle weather. WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING? HE thought. :scared: But there was another part of him...a part that felt alive...re-awakened from a slumber, or something!

"Will i quit my job? he asked himself. He didn't know. He didn't know any answers yet...all he knew and cared about was that he was a damn good driver. Oh yeah, i forgot about this part. 💡

Graham's talent as a race-driver began not on the tracks, but on the streets & highways surrounding Seattle. Graham was in the habit of rushing about, skillfully skimming between two semis one moment, artfully dodging the exit ramp he needed in front of a scared econobox without a turn signal. :irked:

Oftentimes, Graham would need to be in court early in the morning, but would then be required to stop by the office to pick up some paperwork before scooting off to meet a convicted burgular for arraignment court.

In all his years as an attorney, Graham won some cases, and lost some cases. He got some evil people back on the streets, and foiled other cases which plunged innocents into the justice system. But the main thing you could count on about Mr. Wellington?

HE WAS NEVER LATE

His reputation for truancy was of course backed by driving like a total MANIAC if need be. Poor Graham had racked up his share of speeding tickets. Didn't matter. For he could talk his way out of anything!

Anyways, back to the story. :rolleyes:

By the time he got home, he made a decision. In a few days he would be flying off to Tahiti for his very first race, and he decided to bring his entire family with him. As a surprise vacation. His wife Tiffany couldn't believe her ears as Graham told her the good news:

"Honey, guess what? I've WON AN ALL-EXPENSE-PAID trip to Tahiti to compete in some competition! Will you go?" He lied.

Didn't matter. Obviously Tiffany was skeptical, but Graham was so ecstatic, so full of bull-🤬, that she didn't question him much. They were going to Tahiti!

The "Sunday Cup" racing contract (hand-signed by Mr. Reechasheet himself) stipulated that Graham enter his own vehicle pre-approved by the GT guidelines (check). The trip to Tahiti would be all-expenses-paid (Graham didn't lie about that part) and all drivers would have full access to a garage-full of professional mechanics at no extra cost.

All parts would be supplied in full from the manufacturers themselves in exchange for track & crew sponsorship; hence, instead of buying a single sports muffler (which itself cost roughly $500 from any typical performance shop), each time a GT racer bought a "part", what they would be getting is a lifetime supply of parts..and hence the cost of $3,000 represented not just that air filter & muffler kit, but also any future air filters, tailpipe work, welding, hangers, hardware, and (of course) blown mufflers. Tho Graham bitched and moaned (knowing he could get a better deal at Midas Mufflers fer crissakes) eventually he was stuck. He couldn't talk his way out of this! If he wanted a better, faster car, he had to abide by the GT rules, even if he raced his G20 just once! Humph.

$3,000 down the drain...towards a car he would be embarassed to actually drive to Nordstroms or Bailey, Bartles, and Buddlemeyer!

Since he didn't care much about what comfort his "entry-level luxury sedan" now offered, he allowed himself to part ways with another $1000 to get the car stripped & lightened about 50 pounds by removing the back seats and some upholstery. WTF? Does it really cost a grand to do this? he whined.

Anyways, as the Wellington family arrived in sunny, tropical Tahiti, Graham immediately got some sun, drank fruity drinks, took a nap in his pink-colored bungalow near the steepled missionary church, and then tore up some local gravel practicing for the race while some island natives offered to braid Tiffany and Princess's hair for a dollar apeice, freaking the girls out (as neither of them had been away from suburban, picket-fenced Redmond Washington). :lol::yuck:

Graham's G20 was up against local drivers, all of which had entered small, funny-looking hatchbacks and even some vans!

For years beofre GT and I.M. Reechasheet took over and made everything official, Tahiti's most prosperous business-owners had been hosting their own racing contests, driving whatever they had....baby 3-cylinder Toyotas, Daihatsus, Suzukis, you name it.

Of course, these poor guys were no match for Graham's Infiniti, which clambered around the roads but within short notice became the official winner (Graham didn't know the track as well as the locals, so it took him a few days to win his first Sunday Cup event).

Tho the Tahiti racing marshall cried "overkill!", there was nothing he could do to prevent Graham from walking away with his first GOLD. Graham patiently explained to the marshall that

A. He had abided by all the rules.

B. Nowhere did it say that in the Sunday Cup you couldn't enter whatever the hell you wanted. There were no horsepower or other limits enforced under current GT2 statutes, and if any one knew fine-print statute rules, it was Graham....

C. Graham therefore abided by the rules and entered a car which readily demolished the competition. :scared:

His family was (of course) clueless as to what really was happening. Graham was taking a "vacation" while trying to figure out a way to quit his real job. He had won a cool $3,000, but would his skills garner further wins in the future? He could back out now if he wanted....return to his job and his safe life with his safe wife, no harm/no foul. $3,000 richer. What to do?

...He decided (for now) to just let it ride. His family returned from Tahiti after 3 days of ultimate fun & sun :), but Graham had no time to waste. His car had been shipped to Japan to the next track in the Sunday Cup series: High Speed Ring!

...more in the next chapter. Any Beck's left? I need one after all that typing! :indiff:
 
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I think there's some around here.
Can't wait to see more from you!
P.S.:ain't the super speedway is in japan? In GT4 it's in the same place with motegi road course(that's why they called it twin ring motegi),don't know about GT2
 
Nah Super Speedway is different in GT2. I always pictured it being set on the east coast, somewhere in North Carolina.
Anyway, fantastic work AGAIN! This story keeps getting better and better! I must get working on mine...and a British V America YuppyScum tournament would be awesome :D
 
I'm speechless Parnelli :drool:. You're truly amazing 👍👍. Wish I'd also written entries like you did. I'm a very undiligent (is there such a word?) writer though, if I kept a journal I bet it wouldn't even last for a week :lol:. I prefer to just drive the hell out of cars :mischievous:.
 
blazing escudo
I think there's some around here.
Can't wait to see more from you!
P.S.:ain't the super speedway is in japan? In GT4 it's in the same place with motegi road course(that's why they called it twin ring motegi),don't know about GT2
Click to expand...

The speedway in GT4 (Motegi) is different from the one in GT2 & 3. So i've always picutred the gT2 & 3 version in California because in GT3 there are huge windmillls just off-track; and Cali has the most windmills per acre.

But truthfully, Super Speedway could be in any country that has oval tracks.

superberkut
'10-sided?'
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You've never heard of 10-sided dice? Obviously you've never played Dungeons & Dragons i'm assuming. 💡

Well i havn't played D&D since college (i'm not THAT much of a geek!) but i still use my dice to make crucial decisions in GT like who gets to race next, what race-series will he or she choose, etc.

On another note, I am really enjoying this story. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of drinking the milk when I was lactose-intolerant...

For the sketch, that's pretty good. I can imagine that guy behind the wheel of a G20.
Click to expand...

Wait'll you see my sketch of Meth HEd!
 
Meth Head!!! Awesome, I cant wait for his introduction!

Mainly because he makes a guest apperance in my novel...(shameless plug) :D Maybe Yuppy Scum may make an appearance too...depends, I wouldn't want to borrow your creations without permission Parnelli :)
 
Falcon787B
Meth Head!!! Awesome, I cant wait for his introduction!

Mainly because he makes a guest apperance in my novel...(shameless plug) :D Maybe Yuppy Scum may make an appearance too...depends, I wouldn't want to borrow your creations without permission Parnelli :)
Click to expand...

Sure. Be my guest. :)
 
And now back to the story.

To summarize, family-man Graham "Yuppy Scum" Wellington found himself facing a bit of a catharsis. 33 years old...making good money, but not really good money. Got the house, got the wife, got the kids.

Having a really fond love of money is what drove Graham to take time off work at the lawfirm to see if he could make it as a race-car driver in the GT series.



*** Keep in mind that the black ink (in Times Roman font) is my original hand-written story that i jotted down as i gamed. In blue ink is the story as it happened in my head (but i didn't have the patience to write it down at the time).


CHAPTER IV​

DAY 7: Raced at High Speed Ring in Japan. Had CummShot set the dampers really high on th car to get some cool drifts going, but unfortunately placed at 2nd Place. Ice Cream Nazi came in first, Driving a celica SS II.

After arguing his case against the Tahitian race marshall (who spoke broken English at best) that Graham had won his first Sunday Cup event fair-and-square, he felt exhilirated! It was the same exhiliration he felt whenever he'd won in court; only now it was compounded because Graham had done something new...soemthing he probly wouldn't even have considered doing a year prior! :D

This racing gig was sweet! You apparently got to

1. see the world!

2. meet and possibly plunder new cultures with your arrogance!

3. Buy all kinds of stuff for the Mrs!

...plus, the best thing of all: Racing was a hell of a lot less work than preparing a case...., for MONTHS, only to be handed your prize towards the end! Graham never did Pro Bono cases as a rule. Oh no...he was in it for the MONEY.

As i said before, when all this was happening, Gran Turismo as a racing organization was now in its 3rd year of business. The series had proved a great success: turning out several "stars" who were world-renowned as great drivers despite being otherwise average people. :D

Porn star Mary-Jane and her cousin, beauty-school dropout Bobby-Sue Powers (otherwise known incorrectly as the "Slut Sisters" despite being cousins) were 2 such stars. There was also Hip Hop Star and former drug-dealer Tyrone "2-short" Washington. But the man with the plan, the absolute TOP of the GT world was a former addict, Dirk "Meth Hed" Bryant.

Dirk walked away from his 3 years in GT's first incarnation (GT1) with a cool 4 million in the bank; upgrading from the trailer park to a ranch-style fortress in Bakersfield, California. Perhaps not every driver wanted his upbringing, but most drivers aspired to be as successful as Dirk. :) And Graham's desire was no different.

But there was a problem.

As the Wellington family returned home, Princess and Tiffany babbling on and on about "girl stuff" :yuck:, Graham sat quietly....thinking....planning....strategizing. Think "George Costanza's brain" but with typical WASP-ish looks. :ill: If he wasn't married, this would all be easy. But now, with his blue, slightly modified '91 Infiniti G20 heading off to Japan for next week's Sunday Cup part 2, he Graham had to figure out a way to get to Japan and keep his wife out of the loop. This stuff came to him in a snap during trial....but in front of his wife? That was another story! :scared:

Finally, as the plane touched down at Sea-Tac airport, he knew how he would handle it.

Later on that night as the kids were in bed, Graham casually touched on the subject. Spirits had been high around the Wellington household, and Graham's reverie had been unnoticed up till now. Time to....close the deal. As it were. :confused:

"Honey, i'm going to be going away for a few days."

"Where?" Tiffany asked.

"Well there's this convention overseas...somewhere in Japan...anyways, it's just boring lawyer stuff. Gotta do it, gotta get it done. You know how it is..." S:censored:T

...he just realized his first mistake. Dammit! Why was this stuff so easy in front of a judge & jury? Tiffany knew nothing of his "vacation" from work..his actual plans. Of course now that the cat was out of the bag, he either had to keep spinning tails...or back-peddle at some point....doing massive damage control. :scared:

"OVERSEAS? Graham, are you sure? Why didn't you tell me this earlier? WHAT'S GOING ON??? Are you having an AFFAIR???"

*insert dramatic music here*

"Why noooo honey bunch! My little cinnnamuffin! :rolleyes: My triple-decker cafe-mocha lattefier! :ill::yuck: See there's this rich tycoon who's in the middle of a nasty divorce. His wife wants half the money, only she has assets tied up pertaining to section III of penal code 4.B, which locks into several non-dicslosing but permanent deletions regarding to...."

"Oh Graham stop it! YOu ARE having an AFFAIR!" wifey moaned!

DAMMIT. DAMMIT DMAMIT DAMMIT!!! WHY??? She could ALWAYS see right thru his bull-🤬! It was no use! He had to be honest! Within no time, Tiffany would be asking questions, snooping out Graham's associates over at Baily, Banks, and Fuddy-duddy (whatever the damn place was called!} and she would find out the real reason for his recalcitrance! "TIME OFF" indeed! If there was a time to shift tactics, it was now. Before he'd be uh.."overruled" big-time!

So Graham told her the truth. I mean the "truth" :rolleyes:.

He was taking time off. So he could go to Japan. To contract a summons....pertaining to section 49.A of penal code doc/ac I.R33-62 of ....

In the end, everything was satisfied. Wifey didn't exactly fall for his lies, she simply was tired and "gave in". She could see something in his eyes...something firey. Something glowing. :mischievous: Since the day they met in college, she knew to let this man follow his mind..follow his gut follow his heart (she actualy still believed he had one!) And things always turned out alright.

Graham showed up in Japan 2 days later. This course he needed to learn: High Speed Ring had been based on another famous racing course near Mt. Fuji, and adopted into an early NAMCO videogame called Pole Postion, which helped GT's early success abroad. Graham knew the stakes (and the statistics) against him.

Many, many drivers birthed and died in the GT1 Sunday Cup. It was the ultimate entry-way into the GT racing series; the 3 events in which countless thousands of yuppy scum, soccer moms, plumbers, carpenters, Evangelists, wine-tasters, hippies, goths, Japanese, Americans, Europeans, Africans, mechanics, printers, petroleum comparative technicians, musicians, bank managers, bank tellers, bank robbers, ear technicians, biological specimen collectors, cigarette lobbyists......(and on and on, you name it) had decided to try for the GOLD...follow Dirk "Meth Hed" Bryant's footsteps, and ultimately become a racing GIAnt!

Problem is, most of them didn't succeed. Most of them got stuck. Most of them thought they had the "skillz to pay the billz", but found (in short notice) that they were actually average drivers; :guilty: would never advance through the GT series...would never see their reflection drooling over a World Cup trophy, would NEVER be showered by Moet after winning a grueling endurnace race! Would never even advance to GT's second-stage...the Clubman!

As Graham tried Sushi for the first time in the hotel lobby restaurant (and gagged!), he realized he was just another face in the crowd. The Takinit Alldawae Inn he was staying at was crowded that night with at least 50 other prospective drivers from all over the world, all put up for the week and waiting their turn for a chance at glory on the banks of High Speed Ring.

The odds were slim, Graham thought as he opened his laptop and gazed at some Excel files on his projected statistics...one driver (just one) would walk away with a measly 3-grand. :eek: MANY (if they were lucky) would earn a few hundred dollars...barely justifying the trip to another side of the world. And MANY of them would walk away with nothing...their Nissan Silvias and Mazda Cosmos perhaps were to be sold or garaged as their dreams faded.


As Graham compacted the stats before him into a pie graph, and then a bar graph, and then a multi-layered 14-page composite (which could also be converted into a nifty Microsoft PowerPoint presentation!) he smiled. Staightened his straightend tie. Caught a gander of himself and his confident toothy smile in the stainless steel spoon (what's with these funny sticks everyone insists on eating with out here anyway?)

One thing for sure. He hated sushi. But he planned on being in the minority of statistics; grim prospects indeed for most of the drivers who showed up.

He planned to win.

 
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Toronado
:lol:
Click to expand...

Cool, glad you like it! Or at least...laughed at it. :) Sorry i was gonna do the race part tonite, but i'm running out of steam. DAmn Mission 34! :mad: grrrrrrrrrrrrr i wanted to have it DONE tonite so i could write more but i'm going to bed now. :indiff:
 
Fantastic work once again, you never cease to amaze me :) your story is enthralling, interesting and humerous in equal mention, loved the bit about lying to his wife, classic :)
 
CHAPTER IV-b​


Gary "CummShott" Wejabe got up early that morning as he usually did, and prepared for another long, grueling day. A 30-year old Aussie, he had raced and fought in the GT1 racing series, but was never able to pass the Clubman Cup. He just didn't have the skills. So now he found himself here, waking up early all alone in his one-room efficiency located just a mile from the prestigious High Speed Ring motor track.

As a driver, Gary managed the occasional win, but let's face it; the word "occasional" won't get you far in this business. :indiff: Before racing, Gary was a porn actor. No, not actor...hmmm how can i say this? He was a "stunt double". Yeah, that's better.

Gary couldn't act his way out of a restroom if his life depended on it, even in the vast world of porno movies, he simply stunk as an actor! He froze up. He blew his lines..all that; but because he had a sizeable...uh...apparatus, he regularly got work as a double for the actual guys who got to speak their parts. Until he started hitting the bottle and his looks faded, that is. :indiff:

His dreams of being the "Stud from Down Under", moving to California, etc...never materialized.

So he started racing...and he stunk at that, too!



During his stint as a GT driver, a young celebrity profiler interviewed him and caught wind of his past, wrote a quick blurb about him in Stah magazine, and referred to him as "Mr. CummShott" for obvious reasons; hence for awhile he got a crude nickname till he couldnt' stand it anymore. Sometimes, Gary thought perhaps the constant teasing, dirty looks, and phone numbers he got psychologically intimidated him, ending his racing days before they really kicked in.


But being a halfway-good chassis tuner, he found more work than humanly possible working in the trenches; tuning car after car for an endless stream of wannabe Sunday Cup drivers. Gary wasn't stupid. He knew this was where he belonged. An aging slice of ManBeef he was, but happy to be working anonymously. And it seemed more people were calling him "Gary" instead of that other name. :rolleyes:

So this morning, Gary rode his motorcycle thru the underground entrance to the High Speed Ring pit road. He had been here in Japan now for about 6 months. He didn't speak a word, but it barely mattered; it seemed most Japanese folks he encountered spoke some English, and at the track, there was always an assortment of workers, drivers, and fans who spoke English. 👍

He poured himself a cup of coffee, flicked the circuit breakers on, and got the pneumatics going as the first of the other pit crew members were showing up and milling about.

His first car today would be a blue early-90's Infiniti G20...nothing he hadn't seen before since GT1 regulations had approved G20s 3 years prior. The driver, a "Mr. Graham Wellington" (snazzy name, he thought) had just purchased a beginner's set of adjustable shock absorbers, and wanted them set rather strong, but nothing out of the ordinary.

As Gary got an impact driver to remove the wheels, a sandy-blond man wearing a conservative dark gray three-piece Brooks Brothers suit with a wine-colored tie confidently strolled in his wing tips till he neared Gary's stall. The man was carrying a briefcase. Gary's first thought was that this man didn't just look out of place, he looked TOTALLY RIDICULOUS among the grimy pit workers.


"Uh..sir. The men's room? You passed it. Go back that way!" Gary sputtered his thick Sydney accent.

"Men's room?" Graham asked, confused.

"Oh...i get it. You're one of the judges. Come to spy on us, eh? Well you won't find a slackah here, mate. My work is totally legit. Lock, Bond and Barrel. But 'ave a look if you must. This 'ere i'm workin' on is foh an American, mate. Graham Melonson or somethin'."

"I'm he." Graham said but the Aussie didn't hear or something.

"See," Gary continued "this 'ere's a brand-new Koni single-sleeve dampa. I swap 'em out and off 'e goes..."

"I'm Graham. I am Graham Wellington. How do you do?" he said and stuck out his perfectly manicured doll-like hand.

Gary stood confused. "Uh. Wait." He flicked out his roster, checking the names till he found Graham's. "You're Graham Mellonson?" he asked, his previous night's love-affair with a vodka bottle not quite done yet.

"Wellington! I'm Graham Wellington! At your service."

"Well there must be some kinda joke, is it? You're Graham? YOu must be jokin, mate."

It was rare for drivers to show up this early..mostly they'd be doing brunch before getting lost on their way to the racetrack, but Graham's sense of punctuality, neatness, and mapquest directions had got him up and early. He laughed.

"No! No joke! I'm Graham." the perfect-looking man said.

"Well..uh, what's this getup? I mean, 'ave you got a racing suit all picked out, then?"

"Racing suit?" Graham asked, genuinely puzzled. "This IS my racing suit!"


At Tahiti, the weather was warm and balmy. Graham found the nearest tourist stand and bought himself some Bermuda shorts and a tacky parrot-colored shirt before racing. But it didn't matter. The Tahitian locals were casual, and pretty much dressed the same behind the wheel as they did behind the wet bar. Here in Japan, things were a bit more professional. Drivers generally dressed for the occasion. Gary was completely dumbfounded and speechless!

"YOu can't wear THAT!!" he yelled. "You'll break regulations! That's a fire hazard!"

"Is it?" Graham quizzed. "I've reviewed every page of my GT manual, and even delved into my contracts. Clauses l7 thru 19...and i quote: ...In regards to racing clothing worn by Gran Turismo drivers, it is of the utmost importance that safety be first. Typical garment wear must include a helmet and the driver be fastened in via harness or other such safety restraints. A driver's clothing must not interfere with the operation of his or her vehicle. See?"

"Uh. See what?" Gary asked, wishing for a pack of midol. Iburofin. ANYTHING to scare off the hangover sneaking behind his brain.

"Nowhere does it say i CAN'T wear my expensive, Brooks Brothers suit!

Uh...yeah.


And Graham meant it. Entire movements of activity STOPPED DEAD as he got behind the wheel of his G20. Conversation hushed! This man was serious! He checked the crease in his slacks....rubbed out a spot only he could see from his left wingtip. He was actually going to drive this car at breakneck speeds, wearing his starched white long-sleeve with his wine-colored tie!! (he eventually decided against driving with his jacket on...despite the chilly weather, after all, the heater still worked!)

As the cars were rolled onto the tarmac, the crowd went wild! Graham's Inifniti was sounding good! The burbling "sports" muffler throttled its way to 7grand, which sounded absolutely FANTASTIC!

But Graham found a way to ruin this too! In the glovebox, he rummaged out a CD of "Classical Favorites from the Romantic 17th century", popped it into the changer, and as the clock tolled down and the green flag flew, Mozart's Concerto #3 was playing in Graham's car! As if he were about to take a drive to Blockbuster instead around a high speed racing track! :rolleyes::scared:

The cars roared off! In the lead early was a cute black BMW 323Ti. Graham hadn't had much chance to speak with the drivers (as he was too consumed with his laptop studying statistics and pie graphs again) but he drooled when he saw this car. :drool: The Yuppy in him promised....some day....we shall have our own....



Graham roared down the straight, making 4th place as he entered the first of several high banks! But this was short-lived! The top 6 cars huddled together into the 2nd left bank like a pack of hyenas....swarming around Graham's Infiniti and knocking him back to 5th place!

Not to be outdone, Graham went high into the next turn (a shorter right curve) and briefly shifted into 3rd place. He passed a Silvia Spec R driven by a young Japanese hipster, but was quickly engulfed in a sea of traffic! The crowd was going wild!

Graham was used to highway traffic, of which he was the guy who was typically intimidating everyone else! But not here! These other drivers were serious!

In the final banked left before the long straight, Graham again tried going outside, but it was no use! He could merely follow a snazzy-looking black Mitsubishi down the straight, but could not gain a lead on it! DAMN!

...This is how Graham's second race played out. Another Japanese GT1 veteran with the odd name "Ice Cream Nazi" (don't ask) took the checkered flag in a black Celica SSII; Graham's 152 horsepower G20 unable to gain a lead. But still, $1500 wasn't bad for what amounted to just under 4 minutes of actual driving!
 
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