//------------------------------// // Training (Part 1) // Story: Run That Race // by The Unseen //------------------------------// 14TH NOVEMBER 2023 ------ROAD AMERICA, WISCONSIN------ It was 6:30am here in Wisconsin, which meant it was around 7:30am back home in Canterlot City. Sunset Shimmer and her fellow trainees were already up and awake, and they were dreading what Comet Flash had in store for them today. He had been physically training all of them, very brutally. He made them run or jog down the track, and he would make them until they had almost collapsed. The reason that he gave for such hard training was simple, "I'm just building your endurance. The thing is, if you get tired, you get sloppy. You get sloppy, you lose concentration. You lose concentration, you lose races!" For Sunset, Sonata, and some of the other trainees, who regularly hit the gym, it was a little easier, but a lot of the trainees weren't really into sports or physical activity, so it was quite hard for them, because they frequently ran out of energy, and cramped out. Right now, only 15 trainees were left. Two had quit, after one of them had puked on the track after a run, and the other had been pulled out by his parents, after he had told them that he had suffered leg cramps while running. Plus, Flash had been making them take reflex tests, to test their reflexes and reaction times. It seemed simple. On the wall, he had placed a few lights, and when one lit up, you had to press it, and another would light up. It seemed simple until you realised that the lights came on very fast, so you had to be quick to press one, else you would lose your score. Sunset and Sonata had been in enough hairy situations to have great impulses, so it was a battle between the two girls everyday for the high score. The others, however, weren't as good, and Comet Flash always was chewing someone out, which made it worse, but the trainees were determined to prove the world wrong, that simracers could actually race a car IRL. Now, the others were relatively better, but Sunset and Sonata were still on top. Today was a day all of the trainees were excited about. Today was the day they would get to drive real sports cars for the first time. For now, it would now be on the main track, but a slalom course had been set up in the large empty parking lot of Road America, just next to the pit lane. Despite this, they were all excited to drive cars that they could only have dreamed of driving before RaceWorld Academy. The trainees, after a quick protein shake, went out for their usual 7:00am jog, which took them much further than they had been on the first jog a couple of weeks earlier. Around 8:30am, they got back to the Academy, where they quickly washed off all the sweat, which was plenty despite the cold weather, had some breakfast, and then, went off to Comet Flash's theory class. Here, they had to learn about various penalties, racing strategies, pitting strategies, and other things about racing. This was probably the only class most of them would ever pay attention to, but it also did bore some people a little. This class would last till 12:30pm, at which point the trainees went and got lunch. After lunch, it was time for the fun part. It was now 2:00pm. This was the moment they had all been waiting for. They would all finally be driving real sports cars for the first time ever. They stepped out to the parking lot, where the course had been set up, and the cars were all parked up. They would be using 911 GT3 road cars, as it would be too risky to train on the actual race cars. The five GT3s were standing there, spotless. The cars, even though they were not even on, seemed to be calling to the trainees, to be driven. Comet Flash and the other staff were there, ready to supervise them, and get ready in case of an accident. Comet Flash was the first one to speak. "Alright, you scrawny kids are finally going to drive a real race car. This will be a pretty simple slalom course. All you have to do is stay within the cones from start to finish, and also, pass through that hole in the wall shaped like the car. In racing, if you see a window, TAKE IT, no matter how small it is." said Flash, pausing to catch his breath. "That's why I've put that challenge in here. Also, try not to wreck the cars already, else our main sponsor's gonna back out. So that it's fair, all the cars are bone stock, with fresh tires, and fully fuelled." Again, Flash was also quite annoying, something the trainees hated about him. "Okay, you'll be paired with some of our crew members here, as I'll be watching and rating your performances." said Flash, as he went off to the observation point. In the meantime, the pairs were assembled, one crew member per car. The first one up was Powerslide, in the red GT3. The trainees watched as he drove up to the starting point, followed by four other trainees. Powerslide was given the signal, and he vroomed off. He went through the slalom course pretty well, not hitting a single cone. He also made it through the tougher obstacle, where the driver had to fit the car through a hole in a wall. This hole was shaped exactly like the car. Somehow, he didn't even manage to damage the car, not even a mirror. Sunset decided to ask him later how he had managed that. The next two trainees also managed it. However, on the fourth trainees try, during the hole-in-the-wall section, as he passed through the wall, he managed to pass a little too left, and ended up breaking off the Porsche's mirror. The second that happened, Flash used a bullhorn to deliver quite a harsh one to him, "Wow! You broke your mirror! Extra points!" said Flash, sarcastically, through the bullhorn. All the drivers were ordered to drive with windows down for safety reasons, so they could see the trainee banging his head against the steering wheel in anger and humiliation, as he brought the sports car, now minus it's left mirror, back towards the waiting area. The fifth trainee also was able to do it successfully, without damage, although he hit a cone during his run. The next set of trainees included Sunset and Sonata. The car with the damaged mirror was temporarily pulled out to have the mirror fixed. In the meantime, the spare car was rolled out, and the next set of trainees got ready. She was the first one to roll up to the start of the course, in the shark blue GT3. Sunset's crew member told her not to be nervous and just take a deep breath. Sunset, however, wasn't really that nervous, just a little excited, and when the light turned green, she punched the gas, and the sports car shot forward, with a roar from its engine. The G-forces pushed Sunset back into the seat, and she would have hurt her neck had she not been wearing a seatbelt and her helmet. This was nothing like the simulator, or her own car. Sunset quickly began turning the car, as she reached the slalom course. Thankfully, on the turns, Sunset didn't hit any cones. However, the big obstacle was ahead. The hole in the wall. Sunset made a quick calculation, and went through it doing past 80 miles per hour, without damaging the car at all. The second she passed through it, she quickly hit the brakes, locking them up in the process, for the braking zone set up ahead. She stopped well before the barricades because of that. Pleased with her performance, Sunset began turning the car back towards the waiting area, only to get chewed out by Comet Flash. "Okay, that was good, but try NOT to lock up next time, you don't get points for that." Sonata went after Sunset, and she did the whole thing, without hitting any cones, or locking up any brakes. As Sonata pulled up back at the waiting area, she was giving Sunset a smug grin. it was now 4:30pm. Once all of the other trainees had done their tries, albeit with a few hitting cones, Flash had said through the bullhorn, "All right, I want you to all go again until you've made it through the course at least TWICE, WITHOUT HITTING A SINGLE CONE OR LOCKING UP YOUR BRAKES! Again, the cars are now on fresh tires and a full tank, so we may be going at this until night time. Get on with it!" The trainees, although tired, continued the session, until around 7:30pm, when every single trainee had managed to do exactly that, albeit with some puking, due to the violent motions of the car. After that, Flash called it a day. "Alright, that's enough for today. Tomorrow, we'll do some more, and then, after a few more days, we'll start doing actual laps. Off to your rooms now." said Flash, as he headed back towards the RaceWorld Academy building. The trainees were now a little more nervous about this, know that they knew what a real sports car felt like. Yet, they were still excited, and daring, willing to prove this. Also, the rivalry between Sunset and Sonata was heating up, as Sonata had outperformed Sunset in this one, making it through the course 4 times without locking her brakes or hitting a cone, while Sunset had only managed it twice. This was going to be more exciting soon, the trainees felt.