CHAPTER 37: RACE WEEKEND | SATURDAY | CRISIS AVERTED

"As he comes out of the final corner and goes through the finish line... HE MATCHES FATIH’S TIME... AND EXCEEDS IT! SELÇUK GOES INTO PROVISIONAL POLE! OH MY GOD, WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO HIM?!" the main commentator’s voice erupted through the speakers as Selçuk’s kart blasted across the start-finish line on his final qualifying lap, with only thirty seconds remaining in the Group A session.

"He looked absolutely fearless on that drive," Zakir took over, his voice filled with awe. "It was as if he didn’t care or even consider what would happen in case of failure. That option simply didn’t seem to exist in his mind. I don’t know what gave him that final push, but he has finally managed to beat Fatih’s time and take the lead." His explanation didn’t last long, however, as Jackson was now nearing the treacherous triple hairpin complex, forcing the main commentator to immediately jump back in.

"We see Jackson approaching his most difficult part of the track, the section where Fatih gained most of his time on all the other drivers, and only Selçuk has been able to match it! Will he find the speed, or will he face the same problems he had before? He brakes heavily, takes the **T5 left-hand hairpin**, goes to the middle of the track, stays for a moment before going wide on the right-hand side. He lifts slightly before returning to power as he takes the **T6 right-hand hairpin**... he does it nearly perfectly! He hits a late apex and lets the kart’s momentum carry him to the other side of the track! Will he brake for T7? No, he doesn’t! He lifts and sends it! And unlike his previous attempts, this time he sticks it! He manages to take the **T7 right-hander** by only lifting off and not braking! He goes wide on the right side of the track, enters late, hits a late apex while already getting back on the power, and barrels towards T9, which he takes flat-out! He tumbles into T10, brakes heavily for the left-hander, lifts for T11, and gets on the power for the final time as he passes T12 flat-out! And does he improve? YES! BUT NOT ENOUGH TO MATCH SELÇUK! He’s still fast enough to move into provisional P2! But will it stick? Or will Fatih, who is starting his own qualifying lap with only three seconds remaining on the timer, improve on his time now that track evolution has set in? ZAKIR, TAKE US THROUGH IT!"

"He timed this perfectly," Zakir began, his voice a calm counterpoint to the frenzy. "He’s made sure no one else is immediately in front of him, but also that no one is behind him to benefit from the track evolution for their own lap. He now has the absolute best possible track conditions for this Group A qualifying session. But it’s a double-edged sword. At this moment, he cannot afford a single mistake, or he will be starting the heats from a much worse position. He has the best track conditions, but also the maximum possible pressure."

As Zakir spoke, Fatih, having taken the shortcut, was already nearing the kart’s maximum speed by the time he crossed the start-finish line to begin his final, all-or-nothing qualifying lap.

"He brakes later than all of his previous laps! Later than anyone has all day! And he sticks it where Selçuk had failed during the free practice session!" Zakir roared, unable to contain himself. "For T2, you don’t need to brake, just lift while carrying the maximum possible speed, and he does it perfectly before getting back on the power, taking T3 and T4 as if they don’t even exist! He continues gathering speed, keeping an eye on his braking point for T5... and he is already faster than anyone in Sector One by a tenth of a second! As if he is an experienced hunter who has done this thousands of times, he once again shows why he is the class of this championship! He starts Sector Two by braking later than all his previous times, but instead of braking heavily, he trail-brakes into the corner, inducing an intentional, momentary slide! This allows for a higher entry speed, and with higher entry speed comes higher exit speed! He flows into the T6 short straight, a slight lift into T7, goes wide on the left side of the track before reversing that by moving to the right, lifts slightly, enters T8 late to target a late apex... and he lights Sector Two purple by another two-tenths of a second! He’s already getting back on the power on exit and takes T9 flat-out! He does it with more speed than any of his previous sessions as he rushes towards T10! He starts turning *before* braking, only beginning to apply the brakes while the kart is already turning... Ooh, he slides for a moment! He recovers incredibly fast but is forced to brake into T11 to regain full control as he rushes towards T12!"

The main commentator immediately took over, his voice a raw shout of disbelief. "DID THE MISTAKE COST HIM?! NO! HE RETURNS TO HIS ORIGINAL POSITION! POLE POSITION! AND HE BREAKS THE TRACK’S QUALIFYING LAP RECORD BY TWO-TENTHS OF A SECOND, DESPITE THE MISTAKE IN THE FINAL SECTOR!"

[P1 - Fatih Y. - 01:20.213]

The time flashed across the screen as Fatih went through the finish line, the very last person to set a final lap time in the qualifying session.

"Group A has lived up to its potential as the ’Group of Death’!" Zakir said, his voice filled with awe as the screen showed Fatih driving his cool-down lap. "I can’t believe karting at this level can be this exciting." He noted that Fatih was driving as if still in the race, with no hint of a raised fist or any other celebration.

.........

’What has gotten into him? Is he trying to kill us or something?’ were the words cycling through Fatih’s mind the moment he finished his final lap, remembering how Selçuk drove with a reckless abandon that bordered on insane.

"Are you complaining that you have a competitor who can match you and force you to focus fully?" Apollo’s head appeared in front of him, his body having phased through Fatih’s from the rear.

"Not that," Fatih retorted internally. "But the way he was driving is not how a sane person drives. At any point during that qualifying lap, had he hit a single pebble, he would have been sent tumbling. He would be out of the session and starting at the back of the grid for the heats."

"For him, that is the only way he can match you," Apollo said, his tone natural and not at all scolding. "So, show some respect and continue doing your very best. Complacency is the death of talent. Be thankful that you have two people to force you to stay on your toes." He knew Fatih hadn’t slacked for even a moment; the only reason his previous lap times were surpassed was because he had been impeded by younger drivers who didn’t yet know how to position their karts to stay out of the way of a driver on a hot lap.

"I’m just worrying about his safety," Fatih replied as he entered the pitlane, his eyes locking onto Selçuk and Jackson, who were already standing in line for the post-session weigh-in. "Him being injured helps no one."