Chapter 172
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TARGET: LUCA RENNICK // #21 //
AGENT: Mrs. Coastfield | TEAM: ████████ | CIRCUIT: Circuit du Soleil
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DRIVER ASSESSMENT – PAST AND CURRENT OBSERVATION
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—Raw Prowess: 80—85
—Racecraft: 80—90
—Fortitude: 80—85
—Speed Science: 80—95
—Tacticality: 85—95
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➡ OVERALL DRIVER SCORE: 83—86
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[20th Lap]
Even with fresh tires and newfound energy, it was still significantly difficult to battle the wet, treacherous track, yet Luca navigated it far better than his counterparts at the bottom of the leaderboard.
Though some did try their best to defend, the overtakes felt barely like a challenge to Luca, and he found himself pushing forward.
When he had emerged from the pitlane back in the 13th Lap, he was able to rejoin the race, but P18 and P19 had already been reoccupied, sending him back to the same P20 he dreaded.
However, Luca didn’t intend to stay there long. He used the rest of the 13th Lap to warm up his tires to the required heat needed for swift turns, late brakes, and sudden accelerations—moves necessary for overtaking.
At the peak of the 14th Lap, he struck like a viper, a truly skilled driver in the midst of the average, and reclaimed P18 for a start, re-outpacing the same drivers before the Drop had approached them.
This earned him another Overtaking Skill point.
[Overtaking +1]
[Distributing Attained Point to Attributes involved…]
[Strength +1]
[Intelligent and Agility are yet to reach level-up threshold]
He also got a random +1 to Endurance, which must have been a result of fighting against nature itself on Circuit du Soleil.
[Endurance +1]
[Ding!]
[Slipsense & Rainborne Skill Accumulating 2/6]
The Overtaking Skill added half an extra bar to his Sync Bar, but after gaining from an opponent’s slipstream, Slipstream Mastery gained a point, further increasing his chances of executing it and gaining much speed while meriting from someone’s slipstream.
[Slipstream Mastery +1]
[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 75%]
The Sync Buff needed just one bar left on the Sync Bar for activation. If Luca could get it full and brimming with green life, he could make a burst to the head of the pack—possibly even P1 if lucky!
[16th Position]
Now in P16, Luca didn’t feel as much despair as he had when he was stuck at Turn 8’s exit, his tires spinning uselessly over the air.
Back then, it had seemed like his hopes of accomplishing his System Mission, winning the championship, and making it to F1 were fading away with every ounce of ERS he pumped trying to get out of that mess.
But here he was now, lurking at the exact middle of the leaderboard—P16—with his rivals ahead, having zero clue of what he was plotting and crafting with his System.
[Analyzing Dallara (F2 04) and host’s distance from 15th Position]
[You are 2 seconds away, host.]
15th Position, a brown Dallara was now in front of Luca, bearing the number 15 above its chassis. The driver was struggling at every bend, his rear tires constantly betraying him. This allowed Luca to close the gap even faster.
Additionally, the rain had lessened in intensity.
The sky remained gloomy—gray and dull, with swirling clouds hinting at more rain to come. The wind was still moving at high speeds, maybe even higher now. Only the raindrops had reduced in size and number, yet the patter against Luca’s car hadn’t stopped.
At least it was something. Battling both the rain’s curtain and the sheets of water kicked up by opponents’ tires had been a brutal combination. Now, with the rain easing, visibility was slightly better than before, allowing Luca and the others to focus more on the water pooling on the track instead.
This improved Luca’s driving on the track, as he could now see more clearly and navigate under the heavy drizzle (Rainborne). However, traction remained an issue due to the wet surface—a challenge for every driver. He needed better tire grip, enhanced performance, and the ability to turn smoothly even through pools of water (Slipsense).
[Analyzing Dallara (F2 04) and host’s distance from 15th Position]
[You are 0.7 seconds away, host.]
“Poor mate,” Luca whispered as he pulled alongside the other car, navigating Turn 9 together. He had used the previous straight to close the gap between them.
The driver glanced over, catching sight of Luca’s #21 helmet, confidently staring back at him.
Luca Rennick of Trampos Racing, 3x Race Wins, 5x Podium Finishes, and Rafael Ivanov of Avidavis Motorsport, 0x Race Wins, 0x Podium Finishes.
Luca returned his focus to the wheel and the track, which shifted to the right-hander. He took the inside lane, the cameras focusing on the front wings of the cars as Luca edged in first, claiming P15.
[15th Position]
[Overtaking +1]
[Distributing Attained Point to Attributes involved…]
[Intelligence +1]
[Agility and Strength are yet to reach level-up threshold]
[Ding!]
[Slipsense & Rainborne Skill Accumulating 3/6]
“Three over six, sweet! I can make it!”
**Erik will be pitting soon. Just wanted to keep you informed**
“Alright.”
**Good driving, by the way**
“Thanks,” Luca replied, his mind racing as he heard the crowd roar in the distance. “Who’s… who’s leading?”
Mr. Ruben hesitated, almost ready to tell Luca, but then decided against it.
Luca was still in P15, halfway up the leaderboard, while the leaders were ten positions ahead. Telling him who was leading wouldn’t be helpful right now; Luca’s focus needed to be on climbing up the ranks.
Perhaps once he reached P7, he could figure it out for himself. And if he asked, Mr. Ruben believed he’d answer.
At this point, who was leading didn’t matter. Being near the top would make that information important, but dwelling on it while fighting from the back wouldn’t help.
**Focus on your race** Mr. Ruben said instead. **Eyes on the track. Your job right now is the gaps in front of you**
Luca nodded. “Understood.”
**A lot of drivers are and would be pitting come the next lap or the one after. More space for you**
With drivers visiting the pits, Luca could shave off some of the time they had over him. Even though his own car would soon be far from optimal performance, it would still be a victory to leave the double-digit positions and climb back into the Top 10.
Blazing down the home straight at a wild speed, Luca spotted two cars leaving the pitlane in the distance.
[21st Lap]
As he crossed the grid, their forms became clearer—one of them was unmistakably a Trampos Dallara.
[Analyzing Dallara (F2 04) and host’s distance from 14th Position]
[You are 2 seconds away, host.]
Luca sighed. He had expected Haas to be somewhere around P8 at least. That would have been a great safety net for the team if things went south for him, as they nearly had earlier in this French Grand Prix.
Once Haas exited the pitlane, the holographic number 14 appeared on his red chassis. The number glowed green, not blue, as the system smartly marked him as Luca’s teammate.
Wasting no time, Mr. Ruben leaned into the radio.
Once again, the hallmark of the Tiered Pursuit strategy was being deployed, and Luca, Player A, now found himself right behind Haas, Player B in the strategy.
Haas wasn’t aware that Luca had closed in on him yet, so Mr. Ruben took the initiative to alert and remind him of what to do next.
Luca listened closely to the two-way transmitter.