#GT Headlines

[showingpitytowardsyourownkind]

because apparently making these is how I decompress now

Image ID 1: A Tumblr post by calellon that says “yes baby your emotional walls are high and impenetrable can we kiss now” on top of John standing somewhat dejectedly behind Sherlock looking aloof yet glamorous in his deerstalker with his coat collar turned up.

Image ID 2: A tweet by makeupaguy that says “guy who calls his husband ‘valued ally’ or ‘strategic partner’” on top of Sherlock and John talking to a suspect.

Image ID 3: An OGN headline that says “Video-Game Characters Denounce Randomly Placed Swinging Blades” on top of Sherlock mid-insanity puzzle about to face a randomly placed swinging blade.

Image ID 4: A Tumblr post by gr1moires that says “why are the horrors calling you ‘babygirl’? [suspicious raised eyebrow emoji]” on top of John who stares intently as he helps a discombobulated Sherlock to his feet.  

Image ID 5: A Tumblr post by thechevypickup that says “diversity win! the surgeon who removed your [brain] without your consent is bisexual” on top of Dr. Gygax standing and looking vaguely menacing.

Image ID 6:  A Tumblr post by lakevida that says “i always convince myself I dont sound that weird and then i go out in the world and get involved in anything longer than transactional small talk and its like ohhh thats right ive only been hanging out with gay people who speak in riddles” near John and a Tumblr post by gt-r that says “oh you don’t want me? Only because I look unhealthy and speak in riddles?” near Sherlock who has his arms crossed sitting opposite him.

Image ID 7: An Onion BREAKING NEWS headline that says “Experts Say 2 Hours Of Sleep Plenty If Psychosis No Big Deal For You” on top of a closeup of a sweat-drenched Sherlock.

Image ID 8: A Tumblr post by mumblesplash that says “like it’s MY fault my love language is acts of service and all I know how to do is kill” on top of an angry John as Sherlock walks away, recovering from what just happened.

Image ID 9: A Tumblr post by log4 “men have conversations like it’s a competition” with a reply from untitledbitcch that says “Yeah that’s the point, why else would you talk to someone” reblogged by log4 who says “please please help me” on top of Sherlock, Mycroft, and John while he begs for help.

Image ID 10: A Tumblr post by lonestatus that says “it’s so foggy out on the road i can’t make out (makeout?! [blush emoji] [smirk emoji] [blush emoji] [frown emoji]!? [heart emoji] [heart exclamation point emoji]? [ten more variations of heart emoji] [lips emoji]?) A thing 10 feet in front of me” on top of a silhouetted John who is holding a lantern and navigating a foggy tunnel.

Image ID 11: A Tumblr post by redacted-metallum that says “Cthulhu Cthursday btw. If you even care.” on top of a closeup of Rochester’s eyes.

Image ID 12: A Tumblr post by rhinco that says “going insane all by yourself handsome?” and a Tumblr post by wroski that says “committing medical malpractice all by yourself, handsome?” on top of John forcibly injecting Sherlock with sedatives in their living room.

[itracing]

Vantage GT3 to make British Racing Debut with Hawkins

Aston Martin Racing aims to extend its phenomenal legacy of success in the British GT Championship as it joins forces with partner teams Beechdean AMR, Blackthorn Racing and the newly-created Forsetti Motorsport, to bring five brand new Vantage GT3 and GT4s to three classes during 2024.

Among the headline acts participating in this formidable line-up will be Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team Head of F1 Academy and Driver Ambassador Jessica Hawkins, who makes her British GT Championship debut when the series begins at Oulton Park (29 March – 1 April). She joins six-time class champion Beechdean AMR alongside team owner and series veteran Andrew Howard as the duo make an assault on the Silver-Am class with a brand-new Aston Martin green Vantage GT3.

Hawkins, who tested an Aston Martin Formula 1 car in Hungary last year, is a W Series podium finisher and a race-winner in the TCR UK series. The 29-year-old was also one of several drivers entrusted with testing the new Vantage GT3 during its development over the winter.

[mwebber]

MARTIAN'S MATCHING PORSCHE 911 GT2 RS CARS: A MASTERPOST

are you ready to feel parasocial about a pair of matching porsches, one of which may or may not even exist? you've come to the right place!

SECTIONS:

what is the 2010 Porsche 911 GT2 RS?

what's been said about the matching cars

timeline

unanswered questions and speculation

WHAT IS THE 2010 PORSCHE 911 GT2 RS?

well, it's her (source in watermark)

though she's been upstaged by her counterparts in the last decade, at the time, the gt2 rs was the most powerful road car porsche had ever built. only 500 were made. one of which, as we all know, came into the paws of one mark webber--another, presumably, found a home in sebastian vettel's garage. why do i say presumably? well..

WHAT'S BEEN SAID ABOUT THE MATCHING CARS

rather than making you squint at a bunch of screencaps, i'm just going to copy and paste the quotes that are out there..

“[The 911 GTS RS] is a beast! It’s got biblical power – the amount of torque is phenomenal. Sebastian [Vettel] bought one as well back in the day, we bought one together pretty much and I think he’s had a few tricky moments in his! They’re proper machines, those things. I think the engine’s probably a little bit big for the body, but in the right hands she’s a machine!” Red Bull. july 28, 2016.

Webber said he shopped for a new ride with teammate Sebastian Vettel and both agreed that the Porsche made the most sense. He's extremely happy with the GT2's performance, comfort and race car-like driving dynamics. Auto123, date unknown. the video in question

“I think it was around Monaco Grand Prix time, [Red Bull teammate] Sebastian Vettel and I were looking at some cars,” Webber said. “I’m not big on my road cars, to be honest, but when we started talking about this one it was a no-brainer.” But instead of pulling any strings using his formula one fame, Webber reportedly strolled into a UK Porsche dealer to order his new wheels personally. Drive. October 7, 2016.

“As a young guy, growing up in Australia, the Porsche 911 was definitive. I remember talking to Sebastian Vettel when the GT2 came out, about the power, the way it looked. He said, ‘what do you reckon?’ I said, ‘we should both get one’, so we did. If you take a 911 to a track day it’s the car that’s running around out there still working, with its brakes still working, at the end of the day. It’s a Porsche. You know that. We all know that. Brakes are important, you know." Top Gear Malaysia. date unknown, but since the headline is "mark webber has retired from racing," i'm going to pin it at sometime around november, 2016

“… Monte Carlo Grand Prix, 2010. I was sitting with Sebastian Vettel, and we were looking at the new 997 GT2 RS. And he said, ‘Shit, we need to buy one of those, you know?’ And I said, ‘yeah, we need—both of us.’ So I think that night, Monaco, after qualifying, we, uh. I didn’t outqualify Seb often, but that day, lucky, I kicked his ass, I was on pole position and he was not qualifying that well. And I said, ‘you still gonna buy the 911?’ And he said, ‘yeah, we should buy it.’ So he got a black one, I got a white one...” fan video from the weekend of oct 2-3, 2021.

and though nothing was mentioned about matching cars, they're driving the same model (DEFINITELY different car though, one purchased by the red bull ring) in the now-famous martian taxi drivers instagram post, where mark says, “At the end of the day we even drove each other for a few laps. That’s the biggest bloody endorsement a street car can have, F1 drivers wanting to do more laps for the own pleasure😉👌🏽” april 24, 2020. this is the only allusion to the car i can find that is not only from 2010, but also shows that seb so much as touched a 2010 porsche 911 gt2 rs.

now, you may ask, why are you being so cagey about seb and his porsche?

well, the thing is. sebastian vettel has not so much as breathed a WORD to the media about owning a porsche 911, much less matching one with mark. as far as i can tell from the numerous searches i've done, anyway. everything we know about their matching porsches has come from mark.

TIMELINE

so with that, let's piece it together:

some point on thurs/fri of the monaco gp (may 13 or 14, 2010): martian see the 911 and they're like. hot damn. seb says what do u think. mark says let's get one each.

saturday (may 15): mark beats seb in qualifying, then gloatingly asks if seb is still in the mood to buy the porsche. and because seb is insane, he says yes.

some unidentified point in the future, likely in the break between monaco and turkey because i sincerely doubt mark was in the mood to go car shopping with seb after that (may 16-26): they buy the porsches. mark buys a white one, seb buys a black one.

2016: they don't speak about this to anyone in the media until mark retires from racing for good. when questioned about his favourite porsche cars, only THEN does he even mention that this car matching business took place at all. and, unprompted, repeats this story to multiple news outlets when asked about the 911.

we're faced with several years of silence until 2021, when the story pops up again.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AND SPECULATION

have you ever thought it weird that something as clinically insane as matching cars with your rival was never given more media attention than a passing few lines in some articles? somehow, either nobody has asked about the fact that Thee most fractious relationship in contemporary f1 bought matching cars, or they DID ask and were effectively muzzled, which is telling in and of itself. and check the dates: 2016. 2016. 2016. 2020. 2021. they did not only keep this under wraps until mark retired and became a full time porsche #influencer. one of them is either STILL KEEPING IT UNDER WRAPS...

... or doesn't have the car at all.

does seb even own this porsche? why have we only heard of it from mark's mouth? there are so many articles on ~road cars f1 drivers own~ but none of them even mention seb having it. so what's the truth? did he never buy one and only tell mark he did? does it stay dusty under a cover in his garage, never to see the light of day? did he buy it and then immediately sell it/give it away after turkey? or because it was like, purposefully to match with mark, is it one of the things he's Sentimental about that he's viciously protective of and keeps out of the spotlight?

mark goes into detail and says that seb got a black porsche, so that must mean that it EXISTS? surely?? well, we take that for granted, but we may never actually know.

another thing: notice how in the Drive article, mark reportedly went to a uk dealership in person to order the car? if he and seb bought them together, does that mean they also went to the dealership... together? and if we take this to be true, does that then mean they physically went to a porsche dealership in the uk just weeks before they collided in turkey and their relationship tripped and fell off a cliff? or did they go separately in person, or did only mark go in person and seb order through connections?

yet another thing: in the "Mark Webber and his 911 GT2 RS" video linked above next to auto123, he drives a black 911 and seems to imply that the car is his: "i'm definitely not gonna be parting with this one." but the car is black. and he says he got a white one. WHAT? [EDIT: the one in the video may be the 2011 model and not the 2010 model he bought with seb]

AND ANOTHER THING TO NOTE: while the internet was surely a Widespread Phenomenon in 2010, there may very well have been printed news about the matching cars that never got digitally archived. unfortunately i do not have a time machine, so that's up in the air for now.

but that's it! that's everything we know about martian's matching porsches. i will be updating this post as more info comes to light, so if i've missed anything, pls let me know!

[gomezisabellas]

gomezisabellas third template: pitchfork review

hi everyone ! i have some musician muses so i made this template to show what their pitchfork reviews would look like with a little blurb. it’s a pretty simple psd imo. it’s very customizable & should be easy to use, but knowledge of clipping masks is required. if you have any trouble with clipping masks, please let me know & i will do my best to help you out.

dimensions are 540x540

fonts used are tiempos headline and gt walsheim pro

very customizable and everything is labeled for easy use

everything is made completely from scratch except for the album cover

you are allowed to edit this psd to your heart’s content but you are not under any circumstances allowed to redistribute it. or claim as your own

please like/reblog if you’re using

if you enjoy my content, please consider supporting me on ko-fi ♡

download is in the source link !

[diabolus1exmachina]

TVR T440R (1 of 1)

A true homologation special, this TVR T440R is the only one of its kind ever produced. Made to homologate an endurance race car in 2003, the car was only recently recommissioned and is up for sale.The story of the TVR T440R starts with the T400R (aka the Typhon) race cars that were built to compete in endurance racing at Spa, Sebring, in British GT, and, of course, Le Mans. In order to obtain FIA homologation, TVR had to build four road cars.The British company chose to build three Typhons and this, the T440R. The Typhons were initially supposed to feature a supercharged 4.0-liter straight-six but were instead finished with a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter engine.

The T440R, meanwhile, was fitted with a naturally aspirated, 4.2-liter straight-six that incorporated a gas-flowed cylinder head, a steel crankshaft and conrods, as well as a carbon fiber airbox with six upper injectors and bespoke exhaust headers. For road use, the engine makes 440 hp (446 PS/328 kW), down from the supercharged race car’s 585 hp (593 PS/436 kW). The underfloor is flat for better aerodynamics and is made of resin-sandwiched aluminum honeycomb. A separate carbon-fiber tub is bonded to the chassis and the carbon fiber bodywork is bonded to the tub and the floor.

Thanks to its power and lightweight construction, the car will hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in just four seconds and can go all the way up to 200 mph (320 km/h). Quite impressive numbers for 2003, and still more than respectable today.

Inside, the T440R has four seats and plenty of exposed carbon fiber, as well as Willans racing harnesses. The seats are trimmed in red and black leather and the Alcantara headliner is a surprisingly modern touch.

[littlemisspascal]

Part 1: Hello, My Name Is...

Summary:

“Hey.” A hand lightly grabs onto your elbow just as you turn to leave. You turn back, butterflies fluttering in your stomach at Javi’s proximity, that same soft look in his gaze. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you. I think we’ll make a great team.”

It takes a second for the words to register and when they finally do—

Oh.

You nod your head, smiling wide, a surge of excitement washing over you. “Me too, Javi. Me too.”

Pairing: eventual Javi/Fem!Reader "Oddball" (OFC)*

Word Count: 7000+

Rating: T

Warnings: Formula One AU ft. multiple Pedro Pascal Cinematic Universe characters, Human AU, Canon Divergence, Switching POVs, Worldbuilding, Social Media Fic, Headlines inspired by true events but edited for this plot, Slowest of Slow Burn, Language

Author Note: So excited to begin the next arc of this story & for Javi and Odds to finally meet 😊 Thank you everyone who's given this series a chance, I appreciate all of you!

Winter Banners credit here!

A03 Link | Series Masterlist

*see series masterlist for more info

[Collection of sticky notes pasted on bathroom mirror in your handwriting]

It’s a beautiful day

Remember to smile!

Breathe in, breathe out. Repeat.

[A new note with hastily scribbled words is added to the bunch]

I can handle this

There are many perks which come with being an F1 driver besides being paid to do what you love. Getting to travel across the world nine months out of the year; 5-star hotel accommodations; free clothes and accessories to represent your team from head to toe. But your brand-new Vulpecula GT is the gift that keeps on giving, especially when the cold winds of winter blow into Altair, dropping the temperature significantly. What would have been a miserable journey on your bike to HQ is a pleasantly warm and comfortable trip in your beautiful silver baby with padded leather seats.

You may or may not press a kiss against the steering wheel after parking, your heart growing just a little bit larger to accommodate this wonderful treasure.

The clock chimes nine as you step through the entrance doors, letting out a relieved breath when the heat of the building melts away the chill that nipped at your exposed face on your short walk up the pathway. You’d been a nervous wreck this morning, rifling through your closet for an outfit that was professional yet warm at the same time. Vivian had explicitly told you no when asked if hoodies or sweatshirts counted as business attire which meant your options were frustratingly few. 

You tug on the collar of your turtleneck sweater, then spare a subtle glance down at the rest of your outfit, praying there aren’t any toothpaste stains anywhere. Once on your crotch area during your high school years was embarrassing enough to live through.

It’s been awhile since you’ve felt this level of nervousness before. The kind of nervousness where your fingers can’t stop fidgeting and your heartbeat resembles a dull roar of thunder and time has two speeds: a cheetah or a snail, no in-betweens. You wish you had someone to distract you from your spiraling thoughts. Your friends, your parents, even Diana would be welcome despite her usual method of making you do squats or jumping jacks or another equally annoying exercise. 

You’ll have Vivian as one familiar face during the meeting at least. You’re on good terms with the older woman, admiring how she can switch aspects of her personality from friendly and wisecracking to fierce and competitive on the spur of the moment. She’s been patient with you during your journey to this point, and now that you’re here, an official driver for her team, you want to make her proud. You want to silence any possible doubts that all the time, energy, and funding spent on you weren’t gigantic wastes. 

Photographs of past Vulpecula drivers line the white hallway walls as you head to the conference rooms, footsteps echoing off the concrete tiled floor. The images remind whoever sees them of the team’s long history and its accomplishments. For some viewers they stir feelings of nostalgia, but for you they fill you with the desire to become a part of the Vulpecula legacy. To one day see your picture hanging there and maybe, if you’re lucky enough, a championship trophy in your hands.

Inside the main meeting room you discover a small group already seated at the long wooden table taking up the majority of the space. Vivian’s at the front, some executives and engineers you vaguely recognize meeting once or twice sitting on either side of her; then there’s the pit crew chief, Melshi, and the number one mechanic, Cassian, sitting side by side, attached at the hip just like they are in the paddock garage during race weekends. 

Vivian stands up and pulls you into a bear hug when you draw closer, her favorite greeting style, squeezing you so tight you swear you hear your ribs groaning like they’re on the verge of snapping. She’s in high spirits, smiling widely and looking mere seconds away from bouncing up and down with giddy excitement. 

“I have such a good feeling about you two,” she says, never one to beat around the bush, hands squeezing your shoulders once, twice, and then bobbing her head affirmatively. “2023 is going to be a great year, I just know it.”

Her positive vibes are contagious, bringing a smile to your own face that lingers even as you take a seat and notice for the first time the last empty chair remaining is right across from you. Clearly it’s meant for Javi. The seating chart most likely designed to force you and him to talk to each other.

And there’s that nervousness again, back with a vengeance.

It’s just…meeting Javi, officially face to face, right here in the beating heart of your career, makes everything seem overwhelmingly real all of the sudden. You’re an F1 driver. You’ve made it. Everything you’ve done, all the blood, sweat, and tears have brought you to this moment. You’re half-tempted to pinch yourself, one last test to confirm this isn’t all an elaborate dream.

You can blame the chill that runs down your spine on the weather, but it’s not so easy to explain away the heavy weight settling in your stomach like a stone.

The door opens, thoughts falling silent as you look up to meet brown eyes.

“Javi!” Vivian calls out, standing and gesturing him over. “Come on in, don’t be shy. Everyone’s excited to finally meet you.”

The man steps further into the room, flashing a dimpled grin that leaves you a little stunned. You thought it before, a couple months back in the paddock, and you think it again now: Javi is even more attractive when seeing him in person. He could have easily been a model in another life—warm brown eyes resembling melted caramel when the light hits just right, a strong nose and chiseled jawline, disheveled curls giving the impression he just rolled out of bed and yet somehow he makes the look work. Plus, nobody should look as immaculate as he does in a black puffer jacket and matching trousers. 

Your eyes follow him, watching Vivian introduce him to everybody, handshake after handshake, polite nice to meet you’s falling off his lips and do your ears deceive you or does he actually sound sincere? He wears an easy smile, if perhaps a little nervous looking around the edges (or maybe that’s wishful thinking), shoulders drawn back and brow pinched in concentration as he engages in conversation with the higher-ups. A professional, that’s what he looks like. And you? You’ve just realized your socks don’t match.

The age gap of five and half years suddenly seems massive between you and Javi. You have a lot of growing to do, a lot of learning, and not just when you’re behind the wheel of the car. It takes all your self-restraint not to slump down in your chair with the desire to disappear from view.

Finally, after his introductions to Cassian and Melshi have wrapped up, it’s your turn. Brown eyes momentarily pin you in place, body glued to the leather seat, and you think your heartbeat can be heard by the whole room, seconds away from bursting out of your chest and making a bloody mess on the tabletop. 

He steps closer, grin widening, as warm and bright as fireworks during New Years, and says, “Oddball.”

The sound of your name jerks you out of your daze, standing up so fast you nearly send your chair toppling over. You wince at the loud noise, embarrassment flooding your system. Somewhere from the other end of the table, someone (probably Cassian, the jerk) barely conceals their snort of laughter behind a cough.

It’s just shy of mortifying.

Javi doesn’t stop smiling. Doesn’t laugh, either. The only change is his eyes—a subtle softening with an emotion you’d label as fondness if you actually, like, knew the man. Since you’re barely even acquaintances though, you’re uncertain what the look means. If it even means anything at all.

You run your hands over the front of your turtleneck, smoothing nonexistent wrinkles, and fumble for words that won’t make you sound like a complete idiot. “Yo.”

Wonderful. You’ve made it officially mortifying now. 

He chuckles and holds out a hand. “It’s great to meet you.”

Growing up, one of your father’s life lessons was how to give a proper handshake. First impressions are important, he’d always say, and every night you’d practice until it became second nature: keep it firm, keep it dry, and keep it short. Also a smile goes a long ways.

“Yes it is.” Your eyes widen. “Oh, no, that’s not—I meant, it is great, like, in general!” you say hastily, dropping his hand and doing some sort of childish thumbs up gesture you immediately regret. “Great to meet you! Like you said. Face to face finally. It’s super…great.”

You’re honestly beginning to think you’ve been cursed to forever make a fool of yourself in front of Javi.

“Well said, Odds. Well said,” Vivian laughs. She gestures for Javi to take the empty chair you’d predicted was his. “We’ve just got a few things to discuss, some dates to go over. Then we’ll take a couple of photos and both of you will go on with your day, alright? Oddball, sim work as usual. Javi, a tour to get you familiar with the place.”

“Sounds great,” Javi agrees. 

You just give a wordless nod, sitting down again and avoiding looking up from the very interesting grooves in the wood even when Javi tries to catch your eye across the table. Embarrassment clings to your skin, teeth worrying your bottom lip. Your anxiety has always been a fickle beast, refusing at the worst of times to be pushed to the back of your mind where you’d prefer it to be. 

Vivian’s talking, saying something about data and statistics, but between your rampant insecurities and Javi’s nearness, it’s a hopeless cause paying her any attention. If there’s anything really important being said you’re sure someone else will repeat it later or pass the info on to your manager. So in the meantime, your gaze flicks between the table and your fiddling hands in your lap, leg bouncing a restless rhythm, riding out the anxious wave until it’s over and calmness returns. It’s fine. You’re fine. Everything’s fine.

When it’s time for photos, Vivian stands in-between you and Javi, arms thrown enthusiastically around your shoulders. You smile at the line of people with their phones out, looking like a room full of proud parents taking pictures of their kids’ first day at school, and you realize for Javi, that’s exactly what this is. Day one in a brand new town in a brand new place with brand new people. For all your teammate’s experience and skills on the track, he severely lacks your knowledge and familiarity of Vulpecula. 

Which means you both have some learning to do. And that is a surprisingly gratifying thought.

“Hey.” A hand lightly grabs onto your elbow just as you turn to leave. You turn back, butterflies fluttering in your stomach at Javi’s proximity, that same soft look in his gaze. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you. I think we’ll make a great team.”

It takes a second for the words to register and when they finally do—

Oh.

You nod your head, smiling wide, a surge of excitement washing over you. “Me too, Javi. Me too.”

Vulpecula HQ is massive, a labyrinth of hallways and offices and staircases Javi knows will take him weeks, possibly months to memorize. But it becomes abundantly clear during his tour with Vivian—a CEO who’s blunt, loud, and so totally unlike his previous team principals he can’t help but marvel at her—that should he ever find himself lost, there will always be someone nearby to point him in the right direction. 

People here actually seem to care about each other. About him, even, and they’ve only literally just met him. They talk to him like he’s a person, not a driver or pawn to manipulate. Ask him how he’s settling in, what he likes to do in his free time, if he has any holiday plans. They seem genuinely interested in his answers too, not politely faking it out of professional courtesy like they did at Triple Frontier and Crane. At Black Gold the staff only cared about his hobbies if they negatively affected his results, telling him to quit them if they did. And back then, young and eager to please, he obeyed every command without question, no matter the personal sacrifice.

It’s…nice to be heard for a change. If he’s honest, he thought it would be a struggle to connect with Vulpecula. Oddball is the rookie on the grid, but around here Javi’s the newbie at the lunch table. A newbie who just last month was their competition. The warm welcome by a building full of strangers was an unexpected, but pleasant surprise. It has made the nervous knot of tension in his chest loosen for the first time since he signed his contract, replacing it with a budding sense of belonging he’s never felt during his years in F1.

And as for Oddball—she’s the biggest surprise of all, he thinks. She’s got more layers than an onion. He’s seen her own personal videos, how she acts around her friends and the press, never did he anticipate her to be shy. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, no. He actually found himself rather endeared by her awkward fumbling, like witnessing a baby horse learning to stand up on wobbly legs. It’s just…he’s a little unsure how their relationship will progress from here. Her determination to avoid eye contact with him wasn’t exactly inspiring.

She’d smiled at him at the end, at least. Bright and excited and so very, very young. Me too, Javi. Me too. 

He doesn’t know much about Vulpecula yet, doesn’t know what the future will bring either, but what he does know from personal experience is that teammates who can get along with each other have better seasons than those who don’t. And if he can be a good teammate for Oddball and vice versa, then he thinks there’s no reason why they can’t maybe one day be good friends as well.

SPORTS: THE VROOM ZONE

Exclusive: Ahsoka Tano Discusses Formula 1’s Heavy Toll on Mental Health

By Poppy Adams | December 5, 2022

 In a city of dome-roofed, adobe buildings all the same shade as the encompassing sandy desert, Ahsoka Tano is just as instantly recognized by her white-and-blue dyed hair here as she was in the F1 paddock six years ago. Remembered fondly by the racing community for her sharp moves on the track and even sharper tongue in the media pen, Tano has settled down in Mos Espa (a favorite spot for retired and current F1 drivers alike) and enjoys a peaceful life after successfully securing the world champion title back in 2016 she’d been chasing since she was a youngling.

I meet with her at the Mos Espa Grand Arena, the site of several world-famous races from pods to swoop bikes, but most importantly to the present company, it’s also where the Mos Espa Grand Prix has been held annually for almost a hundred years. There are no events this week, no 100,000 fans screaming their lungs out in the stands. It’s just Tano, me, and two delicious cups of Deychin tea. 

Tano, dressed in a blue tank top and matching leggings, spares a moment to gaze at the starting grid below, no doubt remembering the days when she was down there looking up at where we sit now. “I’ll never forget it,” she says, tapping her temple with that famous crooked smirk of hers. “The good, the bad, and the ugly.”

The “ugly” side of F1 is why Tano and I are meeting this December afternoon. The Outer Rim native twice made history in the sport by being the second female driver to compete and also by being the second female driver to win a world championship title, but her rise to the top wasn’t an easy one. Looking back at old interview footage will show a young woman fearless of her competition and full of a passionate love for racing, but off-camera she was plagued by anxiety and insecurities. “It’s still a little hard to process at times. How some of my darkest moments are so deeply intertwined with some of the best years of my life,” she says. 

She tells me about the way she was encouraged to never let herself appear weak when cameras were around, “to maintain this image that I was invincible, the definition of confident.” In the aftermath of making mistakes on track, where every 10th of a second can determine where a driver ranks against their competition, Tano would spend hours worrying about the potential consequences on her career, if they would set off a domino effect ultimately leading to her downfall. “I would just keep on spiraling and spiraling deeper into this horrible pit,” she explains. “And I couldn’t tell anyone about it.”

When Tano sought out therapy at the end of 2015, she did so feeling burnt out and at the end of her rope. “I considered quitting racing. I talked with my manager about buying my way out of my contract and everything, but he convinced me to give therapy a chance first.” She smiles then, a beaming grin brighter than the overhead sun. “Thank the Maker I listened to him.” Therapy gave Tano the outlet she desperately needed, a place where she could “open up about my darkness and find the light again.” She returned to the grid in 2016 as a proud advocate for mental health awareness, breaking protocol by candidly discussing anxiety and depression during press conferences and on social media to her millions of followers. “I refused to be silent anymore,” she tells me. “The more I spoke up, the more people I impacted, the more acceptable a topic it became to hear about in the paddock.” Since Tano’s retirement, drivers continue to be inspired by her transparency and speak about their own fears and vulnerabilities, a development Tano hopes will continue for decades to come.

Recently Tano has begun planning to start a charity called Fulcrum devoted to helping people, especially athletes, with depression, anxiety, and other mental health related conditions. “It’s a slow process, but if I can help even one single person then all this hard work will have been completely worth the effort,” she says. In spite of the challenges she faced and the dark pits she had to mentally crawl out of, she remains thankful of her accomplishments and for everyone who supported her every step of the way. 

“Formula One is not for the faint-hearted. It’s constant pressure, constant eyes watching your every move, constant judgment and opinions,” Tano says. 

“Why compete then? Why stay in such a hostile environment?” I ask. 

Tano sips at her tea. Her eyes drift to the starting grid again, lips curling into a soft smile, an expression on her face I have a feeling not many can claim they have been fortunate to see.

“For every driver, there will come a moment when you’re driving down a straight at 200 miles per hour, preparing to brake for the corner up ahead, and all of the sudden, every thought fades from your mind. You’ll forget your training, your strategy. All that remains is pure instinct. And you’ll learn in that exact moment, in that fraction of a second, who you are and what you’re made of,” she says. “We compete for the fun of it. We stay to discover more about ourselves.”

The next time you see Javi is at simulator practice two days later. It’s still a bit of a jarring moment seeing him at HQ, even more so finding him dressed in cobalt blue racing gear while talking to one of the simulator operators. Maybe you’re a bit biased, but you can’t help admiring how much better he looks in Vulpecula’s colors than Triple Frontier’s.

You offer a timid smile when his gaze flicks your way, trying to keep your tone light rather than weak and shaky like the rest of you. “First time on the sim?”

He turns towards you, giving you his full attention in such an easygoing, yet intense way it does little to soothe your frazzled nerves. “That’s right. It’s really quite something. A lot bigger than I’m used to.”

“That’s what she said.”

There’s a beat of silence, just Javi staring at you wide-eyed like he can’t believe you quoted Michael Scott in front of him and you staring right back, unable to believe you quoted Michael Scott in front of him. And then, the moment dangling on that thin cusp between hilarity and mortification—a laugh bubbles up out of Javi’s throat, loud and infectious, and you’re both done for. Hysterically giggling like a pair of idiots, like it’s the funniest thing in the universe, like whatever remaining ice between you has officially and eternally been broken.

“Sorry,” you say finally, manic laughter fading into something lighter, friendlier than before. “I watch way too much TV.”

“Inconceivable.”

The familiar word elicits another laugh out of you. “You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.”

Javi smiles, a radiant and genuine thing, nothing like the stiff, polite ones PR managers insisted drivers learn. “We should watch the movie together sometime. Maybe on our next day off, when this,” he gestures towards the simulator, “isn’t requiring all our time.”

“Think you’re ready for it?” you ask, and you’re surprised by the note of cheekiness slipping into your tone, because this easiness, this playfulness, you’ve only known it with Eggsy and Ben before. And that came after months spent together, after years of building a solid friendship week by week from the ground up—not this fast, not after only one previous meeting.

“Am I ready for it?” he replies, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “You’re the rookie around here, no? Shouldn’t you be asking me for tips?”

Your good mood dims a little, thinking about the high number of crashes you’ve experienced these last few months. He’s right, even if he said it jokingly, that you should be asking him for tips. You could most likely learn a lot from him.

But your stubborn pride dismisses the notion with a scoff, reminding you that you didn’t come this far in your career by asking men for advice.

“Nuh-uh,” you say instead, crossing your arms and jutting out your chin. “I’ve got skills that’ll blow your mind.”

He leans forward, mirroring your pose, confidently rising to the unspoken challenge. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” 

“Prove it.”

Your lips mouth silent words, mind struggling to keep up with the verbal tennis match, ultimately coming up with an intelligent, “Huh?”

“You heard me,” is the swift reply, one eyebrow arching up pointedly. “I wanna see the legendary rookie Oddball’s skills. Impress me, rarita.”

In an effort to pretend his unwavering stare isn’t turning your mind to mush, you make an exaggerated show of rolling your eyes and swatting at his shoulder. “Challenge accepted, curls. Step aside and watch the master.”

Snorting, Javi obeys and goes to stand with the rest of the staff half-hidden behind an array of computer screens, who blessedly keep up their professional personas and pretend they haven’t been listening to your exchange. The chief simulator operator gives you a thumb’s up to get in the sim and you grab your spare helmet from the nearby shelf, feeling a pinch of nervousness ache inside your sternum. 

It’ll be fine, you think, positioning yourself in the simulator seat, hands grabbing the steering wheel. Just do your best.

~~

Your best is your best until it’s not. 

You start off well, braking and accelerating at precisely the right moments, the trees and bleacher stands mere blurs streaking by in your peripheral. You’re in the zone, that precious driver headspace where the only thing you know, the only thing you feel is the car, the car, the car. 

And then you’re spinning off track.

For a long moment, all you can do is stare, dazed as if you really had just collided with the barrier. And then comes the sickening bite of disappointment and frustration because you can see the finish line. It’s right there. Right fucking there and you failed to reach it. Again. 

Simulation over, silence floods the room. The air seems to turn frigid cold, felt even beneath the thick material of your suit. You want to scream, to curse, to hit something. But you’re a professional driver now, F1 career in its infancy. You can’t risk the bad reputation of throwing a tantrum.

After all, this is just a practice run. No harm, no foul. Except…if you were to crash like that for real, you would have just cost your team not only desperately needed points to stay ahead of other teams, but also hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of repairs, possibly millions. Your team is counting on you not to make dumb mistakes and lately that seems to be the only thing you’re capable of doing. And if you don’t get your shit together by pre-testing…

Your jaws clenches, unable to finish the thought.

The worst thing is, Javi’s staring. Unlike the rest of the room’s inhabitants who devote their focus to pouring over the data, muttering amongst themselves, he’s watching you like you’re a rare bug under a microscope, something peculiar and puzzling. It’s unbearable.

You climb your way out of the simulator, head ducked, jaw clenched. When you turn around, when the helmet comes off, you’ll paste a rueful grin on your face. You’ll accept the pats on your shoulder, the repetitive phrases of better luck next time and we’ll keep practicing, don’t worry. You’ll make fun of yourself, pick apart your mistakes until their sting is gone. 

You’ll make everyone believe you're fine. That your anxiety isn’t a problem. That you’re more than capable of representing the team (and womankind) on the grid. 

It’s a good plan. A solid plan. A plan that has worked over and over again ever since you signed on as Vulpecula’s reserve driver what feels like a hundred lifetimes ago. 

What you don’t count on is Javi approaching you, blocking your view of the strategists and operators with his broad shoulders almost like he’s purposefully trying to spare you from their prying eyes. You slowly slide your helmet over your head, blinking at him, fighting to keep your carefully composed mask in place.

“You weren’t kidding,” he says, tone light yet your spine tenses all the same. “My mind is blown.”

“Right, very funny,” you reply sourly, rolling your eyes. 

His hand reaches out and brushes against your elbow, a reassuring touch your anxiety-stricken mind doesn’t know how to process. “I’m serious. If not for that last corner curb, turning just a hair too early, you would have beaten the fastest lap record by three seconds. You’re quick, Oddball. Smart, too. You’ll learn from these mistakes, become a better racer.” A pause, another soft nudge against your arm. “Maybe even better than me if you’re really lucky.”

You don’t realize you’ve been holding your breath until a choked laugh escapes you. Sounds more like a wheeze, actually. High-pitched and painful and all wrong. But it cuts through the anxiety, takes you out of your head for a blissful moment. 

Javi, the dear man you’re beginning to suspect doesn’t have a mean bone in his body, makes no comment on it.

“Okay, curls,” you say, and you’re not ready to smile yet, but you’re definitely closer to feeling like your usual and real self than you were before he came over. “Your turn. Let’s see what you got.”

He moves to grab his own spare helmet from the shelf. And there’s a moment, barely a glimpse, where your eyes lock with his, and somehow you know he hears the unspoken thank you lodged in the back of your throat. 

With a great promotion comes a greater responsibility. Now that you're an official driver for the team, you’re not just expected to race for them, you’re expected to promote them too. Which means a whole new intense level of media and sponsoring obligations you never had to deal with when you were in F2. 

Vivian assigns you a PR manager—a blonde named Barbara Minerva with a friendly smile and a penchant for wearing animal print—to help you prepare for the big adjustment, training you on what and what not to say as well as how to control your facial expressions when the press are shoving microphones at you. The last thing you want is your pineapple face witnessed by millions of people worldwide. 

You like Barbara, you really do. She used to work for Black Gold so she’s an expert on handling pretty much every type of media scandal or drama outburst one can imagine. She instructs you on when to be serious and when to be coy with the reporters, how to neutrally navigate uncomfortable topics without pissing anyone off, and even comes up with a hand signal to use when you’re feeling overwhelmed and need her to intervene. Barbara’s great, but that doesn’t change the fact media training is fucking exhausting. Brain working overtime, critically analyzing every word that comes out of your mouth, every facial tic and flutter of your eyelids with a giant magnifying glass, alarms blaring with every perceived flaw. You start dreading the hour each day, counting down the minutes until you can escape and give your pounding head a break from the information overload.

And this is just the training. It pains you to think about how much worse the real thing will be, even with Barbara swearing she’ll be by your side through it all.

After media training, you fall into a routine of grabbing a snack from the mess hall on the third floor, usually an apple or a granola bar, something Diana wouldn’t give you the stink eye for discovering, and then finding a quiet corner to sit and decompress for a few minutes.

This isn’t a new thing—this desire for privacy, for solitude. You used to do it back on Sorgan, too, when the bullying from the other kids got under your skin, self-doubts bubbling to the surface. It became increasingly harder to find a quiet space once you switched from karting to formula racing, more eyes and more judgment seeking you out, and it's kind of funny how your world became so much larger and so much smaller simultaneously. 

You’re musing over this thought, chewing on an apple while nestled in a lounge chair, minding your own business, when you’re interrupted by the soft clearing of a throat. You look up, nearly choking on your mouthful when you find Javi staring down at you, dressed in a flannel plaid shirt that’s tight around his broad shoulders and carrying an apple of his own. 

One day you hope the sight of him will stop sending your heart into cardiac arrest. Preferably soon, because you’re really not sure how much more you can take.

“Mind if I join you?” Javi asks, gesturing to the other lounge chair. He’s looking at you with those doe brown eyes all round and full of hope you’d have to be a heartless monster to deny him, so you just nod your head.

For a long moment neither of you say anything. It’s not an awkward silence, but it’s not comfortable either. Just two people existing in the same time and space. Out of the corner of your eye, you catch Javi leaning back in his chair, feet propped up on the table, and it’s a little unfair how easily he can settle into new places, blending in like he was always meant to be there. 

“So,” he starts, mouth curling into a grin when you look over, “you come here often?” 

“It’s nice,” you say. “I like the quiet.”

“Oh.” Javi tenses, spine straightening. “I-I can go, if you want me—”

“No!” You throw out an arm as if to physically grab him. He freezes, one leg raised off the table, blinking at you. Oh, God. You’ve really made it weird now. Licking your lips, you lower your tone back to its usual pitch, reassuring him, “It’s fine, really. I don’t mind you being here.”

It startles you to realize you’re not lying. 

The reason you seek out alone time is just that, to be alone. When you’re in these moods you don’t like anyone invading your space. Not your friends or your parents. Nobody. It’s an unspoken rule of yours.

But then there’s Javi, settling back into his seat with a warm, dimpled grin, looking so strangely content to be allowed to stay, and it doesn’t seem so bad making an exception for him.

“I like the quiet, too,” Javi admits. “Back home, there are these cliffs overlooking the ocean for miles and miles, endlessly blue. It's my favorite sight on the whole island. I could spend hours up there…”

He trails off, lost in a memory, and for the first time since arriving at Vulpecula he seems dejected, eyes dimming. You’re familiar enough with the look of homesickness after seeing it in the mirror a dozen times to recognize it on someone else’s face.

“There aren’t any cliffs or oceans in Altair, but there’s some pretty great restaurants and bakeries,” you say. There’s a French café down the street from your apartment which you can confidently claim makes the best croissants in the whole world, buttery and flaky and oh so delicious to enjoy on your cheat days. “Festivals and concerts, too, if you’re interested.”

Javi looks at you, a mix of interest and surprise. “Are you offering to be my tour guide, rarita?”

“Only for the sake of the team, of course,” you tell him with mock seriousness. “Can’t have you winding up lost in some back alleyway before a race weekend.”

“The press would have a field day,” he agrees, voice just as deadpan. His eyes widen with alarm. “Ay, Dios! Think of the fans! Their memes will be absolutely merciless. I’ll never leave my apartment again.”

You can’t keep up your straight face, laughing and shaking your head. “Exactly. Lucky for you, Altair is basically my second home. I know it like the back of my hand.”

“Lucky me.” He nods, running a hand over his curls, and, okay, maybe you really do have a serious heart condition because what is happening. Distracted by the frantic beating, you nearly miss him asking, “You grew up in the Outer Rim, right?”

“That’s right.” Pride slips into your voice, gesturing towards yourself with a thumb. “Straight outta Sorgan.”

Javi chuckles. “Do your parents still live there?”

“Yep. They’re krill farmers, just like everybody else in the village. They fly out to races when they can, and when they can’t, well,” you shrug, “there’s always phone calls, right?”

His lip twitches, an aborted frown. “Yeah,” he says after a moment’s hesitation.

Okay. There’s obvious tension there. Curiosity prickles at the back of your mind, but when you notice the way his gaze has fallen to the floor, resembling a kicked puppy, you decide you don’t want to ask about it if it makes him look this sad. 

Your fingers drum against your forgotten apple for a few seconds, then go still as an idea occurs. 

“Hey, um,” you say tentatively, leaning forward with your elbows on your knees. “I know you already got a tour of HQ from Vivian before, but how would you like a proper one? Oddball style?”

Javi blinks, eyebrows scrunching together, and the look really shouldn’t be as cute as it is. “Do I dare ask what ‘Oddball style’ means?”

“Nope. You’re either in or you're out, curls.”

“In that case,” Javi says, a smile spreading over his face. “Count me in.”

F1 Driver Javi Gutierrez Moves to Altair Ahead of Upcoming Season with Vulpecula

Written By: Raquel Wilde

 "I'm looking forward to making memories here," says Javi Gutierrez, born and raised in Mallorca. "Altair's a nice place with nice people. It's starting to feel like a home away from home."

Gutierrez, who began racing in Formula 1 in 2018 when he was 21, has always felt drawn to the world of motorsports, claiming there's "no better feeling in the world than being behind the wheel". He will join Vulpecula in 2023 after finishing 11th in the driver standings this year with Triple Frontier.

He'll be paired with rookie driver known to Altair locals and the world as Oddball. Together they'll train at Vulpecula Headquarters these upcoming winter months to prepare for pre-season testing in February.

"I'm already planning on showing him all the best restaurants and sights," Oddball says, who has called Altair home for the past two years.

Oddball has become a familiar and much-loved presence to locals, often spotted buying groceries, biking around the park, and attending special events. In response to Gutierrez's arrival, signs of support have begun appearing in shop windows and on front lawns, welcoming him to the community and the massively adored F1 team.

Vulpecula CEO Vivian Etten has said Gutierrez is the leader the team needs to overcome their recent struggles. "He's made a lot of progress since his rookie year," Etten claims. "He's got the skills, the knowledge, and the right attitude."

If Gutierrez had not pursued racing, he would have tried to become a professional swimmer. It remains a favorite exercise and pastime of his. Perhaps when the weather turns warm, he might give the local rec center pool a visit when he’s not busy up at Vulpecula HQ.

Only time will tell what next season will bring for Gutierrez and Oddball. I imagine readers are hoping for podium finishes just as much as I am. In the upcoming weeks, Vulpecula's new drivers will be attending the Drive Awards and also enjoy some time off from their F1 duties to celebrate the holidays with their families.

“Gabriela!”

The brunette PR manager turns to find Barbara Minerva half-running, half-stumbling towards her in leopard print high heels. Memories of their shared seasons together at Black Gold come rushing to mind, leaning on each other when it felt like everything else was falling apart, and Gabriela can’t help opening her arms to embrace the other woman.

“Long time no see,” she says when she pulls back. Friendships are hard to maintain in the world of F1, especially when drivers are no longer on the same team. Gabriela can only recall seeing Barbara once during Javi’s time at Triple Frontier, and that had been just a passing glimpse across the paddock. “I love what you’ve done with your hair.”

“Aw, thanks. I like it better this way too.” Barbara smiles, eyes crinkling behind her glasses, and reaches up to touch the shoulder-length blonde waves. She then gestures towards Gabriela. “You look just as fabulous as I remember. How have you been?”

“Highs and lows. Mostly highs, thankfully,” Gabriela answers. A staff member walks by then, neatly sidestepping around them before carrying on down the hallway and the interruption reminds her exactly where they are. “Wait. Barb, what are you doing at Vulpecula?”

“Oh, you didn’t hear? Ballard isn’t the only one Black Gold gave the boot.”

“They what?” Gabriela’s jaw drops. She might be a kickass PR agent (in her opinion, at least), but that doesn’t always mean she has full control over her own reactions. Case in point.

“It’s all good though,” Barbara reassures her, pointing to a pin on her shirt Gabriela had failed to notice before. It’s the Vulpecula constellation logo. The same one Gabriela’s wearing beneath her coat. “Vulpecula reached out much more nicely than Black Gold ever spoke to me. Offered me more money too,” she adds with a conspiratorial wink.

The brunette starts to laugh, but then understanding fully sinks in. PR managers are brought onto F1 teams to handle the drivers, and since Javi already has one, then that can only mean—

“You’re Oddball’s manager?”

“That’s right.” The two women trade matching smiles. “She’s adorable. A giant work in progress, but adorable.”

Gabriela winces sympathetically. She remembers her early days with Javi when he made his rookie debut, how eager he’d been for people to like him, how hard she’d had to work to prevent the light in his eyes from disappearing completely after critics started dismissing him as an insignificant presence on the grid. He’s grown up since then. He’s put up walls too. And she wants to be proud of him for not letting the negativity drag him down, but the thing about walls is that they keep him safe, yes, however they also prevent people from getting close. She hates to think of Javi as lonely, not someone as sweet and considerate as him.

“Speaking of Oddball,” Barbara’s voice shakes her out of her head. She blinks back into focus, finding her friend holding out a torn piece of paper with numbers scribbled on it. “This is her cell number. Vivian told me to make sure Javi had it.”

She takes the paper from her and stares down at it for a second before neatly stuffing it in her pocket, unsure whether to feel confused or offended Vivian didn’t reach out to her directly. Maybe the team principal wanted the two PR managers to meet up, aware of their history with each other. What’s done is done now, Gabriela supposes, shoving the mixed emotions aside as quickly as they sprung up.

“Thanks. I’ll make sure he gets it,” she tells Barbara. “You know, it really is great to see you again. I’ve missed having someone to gossip with over a drink.”

“Wine nights!” Barbara cheers, then immediately slaps a hand over her mouth when her voice echoes loudly off the walls. 

They both burst into laughter not even a second later, so loud a couple of heads poke out of nearby offices to see what’s going on only to then shake in amusement at the pair. 

And for the first time since Javi signed his contract with Vulpecula, the nervous knot in Gabriela’s stomach doesn’t seem so big anymore.

From: Unknown Number (7:15pm)

Hey Oddball it’s Javi! Gabriela gave me your number, hope you don’t mind! 

To: Javi (7:18pm)

Not at all! Text me if you ever want any restaurant recs

From: Javi (7:19pm)

Only if you come along too :)

To: Javi (7:19pm) (unsent)

Really? You sure?

To: Javi (7:20pm) (unsent)

Ya! Sounds like fun!

To: Javi (7:21pm) 

You drive a hard bargain curls…

To: Javi (7:22pm) 

But I guess I could be persuaded. Wanna get lunch tomorrow?

From: Javi (7:24pm) 

Tell me when and where, I’ll be there!

[lamyaasfaraini]

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Shoooccckkk pas liat announcement ini yg tadinya cuma spill2 skrg udah fix official yah.

Jujur selama ini belom pernah nonton mreka manggung live padahal kesempatan banyak bahkan di panggung kecil sekalipun. Pernah di event yg sama pengisinya SO7 tapi beda hari beneran belom jodoh ih yaaa gustiii.. Malahan ktemunya bukan lg manggung sama Eross doang itu jg, tahun 2011 di Java rockinland inimah sempet minta foto yakan wkwk. Sama wkt Blur konser blio nonton di festival bareng aku tepat di blkg aku bgt mau minta foto lg ngga tepat yaa wktnya haha, etapi kalo vincent di VIP secara fans berat Blur.

Dari jaman SMA sampe kuliah yg lagi suka2nya bgt nonton gigs ngga jodoh aja nonton SO7 live. Aku ngga klaim diriku Sheila gank jg yg sampe jadi membernya, aku fans secukupnya aja yg mengagumi karya mereka sejak SD vidclip lagu "Kita" muncul di TV. Telinga bapakku yg tajam sama musik2 ear catching jg lsg komen saat itu "eh siapa ini band, lagunya simple tapi enak" begitu komentarnya inget bgt pdhl msh SD akutu wkwk. Mana jadi sontreknya Lupus Milenia yg lg hype saat itu yg jadi Lupusnya Irgi, yg jadi Lulunya Agnes monica dong haha lawas abis. Jadi lagu "Kita" identik sama lupus jg ituu. Karena kebegogan ini ngefans lah ceritanya, kalo western tuh ya jaman Boyband hype jd suka Westlife kalo band indo aku suka SO7 sampe beli majalah fantasi yg edisi heuseus mreka dpt posternya jg inget bgt msh ada Sakti dan Anton, mreka pake blangkon gt wkwkwk aku awet2 bgt tuh poster ngga di tempel2 di tembok krn lebar weh.. Sampe di hina sama sepupuku katanya mreka ini muka2 ndeso jawa (padahal dia bapaknya org jawa dan suaminya skrg jawa bgt. Memang gaboleh sekate2 tuh bener adanya haha), tp ttp akumah suka weh.

S07 dulu sangat terkenal bgt bgt, sampe tiap manggung fans fanatiknya edun2, pernah tuh jd headline berita wkt mreka manggung sampe ada yg meninggal desek2an duh naudzubillahimindzalik. Ngeri sih fans militan.. Saking hypenya mreka banyak artis2 yg sentimen atau "iri" mungkin ya.. Termasuk edy brokoli yg sentimen pake kaos bertulisalan "f*ck sheila on 7" wah jaman itu panas bgt emg. Yah gmn jg ttp yg lagi diatas daun mah ada aja hatersnya yah. Tp mungkin mreka udah damai yah. Beberapa tahun belakangan ini bukannya SO7 dinobatkan sbg band tanpa haters yah? Saking humble dan ngga "so ngartis" nya mreka.. Humblenya kaya gmn? Ah udah tau lah yaa berita ttg bersahajanya mreka kaya apa jg udah banyak terekspose.

Satu2nya album mreka yg aku punya dlm bentuk kaset itu album ke 3, yaitu 07 Des. Wkt itu udah SMP dan tracklistnya semua ngga ada yg gagal, dlm album ini semua member bikin lagu dong~ Eross pun menyumbang suaranya. Oiya pas album ini Anton udah out tp Brian belom masuk. Album pertama dan album ke 2 kisah klasik untuk masa depan itu masih SD kelas 6 kalogasalah, punyanya VCD bajakan gt yg nyampur sama album ke 1. Belom ada keinginan beli2 kaset sama uang sendiri, karena selama ini selalu dibeliin Bapak kaset2 Ori atau DVD ori. Beranjak abg dah ngumpulin uang sendiri trus beli lagu2 yg udah dewasa yah ituuu wkwkwk. Terlebih bari dibeliin walkman sony digital yg saat itu harganya ngga murah, senang bukan kepalang pas punya walkman, abg tea udah menyendiri di kamar dengerin lagu2 hype pada jamannya. Walkmannya udah termasuk radionya, kalo bosen sama kaset2nya tinggal switch ke radio. Yaampun good old days!

Masih mengikuti album2 mreka sampe kuliah kali yaa, lagu2 wajib masuk list karokean harus ada S07 bgt. Sobi gigsku fya yg skrg tinggal di jepang sana fans berat S07 jg, apalagi kakaknya si kak aya, blio sheila gank sih sampe ikut membernya. Konser di Jogja aja mreka datengin. Duh coba fya udah balik indo trus kita dpt tiket, seneng kayanya mengenang jaman muda.

Trus gmn kudu war? Inidiaaaa problemnya! Sbg gen milenial kami ngga terbiasa war2an gini, dulu ngga gini bgt perasaan huhu. Wkt konser SO7 di Jkt aja susahnya minta ampun, yg ngga dapet banyak bgt pada apdet kekecewaan di igs, banyak bgt. Dan pas hari H konser cuma 1 org kawan SMP ku yg nonton berikut dia jg org media yg bisa aja pny jatah tiket dr ordal huhu. Ada bgt pesimisnya, kalo dpt mungkin rejeki bgt yah. Karena gamungkin cuma org Bdg yg berburu tiketnya, pasti konser di Bdg peminatnya banyak bgt bgt. Di sisi lain pgn bgt tp dptin tiketnya ko sesulit ituuu hiks. Tgl 1 Mei itu sebentar lg loh deg2annya dari skrg wkwk. Semoga emak2 yg udah super jarang kokonseran ini dapet rejekinya yah wlpn saingannya sama yg Fomo dan calo, tp ya coba dulu aja. Jgn lupa siapkan perasaan kecewanya yaa kan udah biasa dpt kekecewaan.. Eey~

[merpmonde]

Success for Aston Martin at the Spa 24 Hours courtesy of Comtoyou Racing! The British marque hadn't won the Belgian classic since 1948, and hadn't won a 24-hour race outright since 1959, which was the year the legendary Carroll Shelby won Le Mans with Roy Salvadori in a DBR1 (pictured above at Le Mans Classic in 2018).

Aston Martin have had success at Le Mans since, winning the GT class four times with the Prodrive-built DBR9 and Vantage GTE (pictured above at Le Mans in 2013, a tragic event for the team as Aston driver Allan Simonsen driver died in an accident early in the race). But in the races where GT3 cars are the headline, they have typically struggled to beat the powerhouse brands from Germany and Italy. Seen below is a predecessor of the new Spa winner: the 2013 V12 Vantage GT3, raced at the Nürburgring 24 Hours (pictured at Le Mans Classic in 2018).

[saintmeghanmarkle]

The Headlines Harry Wanted vs What He's Getting. Spoiler Alert: PoW/Future King > Prince Harold Duke of Anger Management Issues & Husband of The Claw .... Methinks Rachel with the Hotmail isn't very good at PR. by u/DaBingeGirl

The Headlines Harry Wanted vs What He's Getting.🚨 Spoiler Alert: PoW/Future King 👑🇬🇧 > Prince Harold, Duke of Anger Management Issues 😠 & Husband of The Claw .... Methinks Rachel with the Hotmail isn't very good at PR. 😁 https://ift.tt/veLtgHx post link: https://ift.tt/FmeOHru author: DaBingeGirl submitted: September 22, 2023 at 10:12AM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

[whipplefilter]

Do you think Jeff used to be a piston cup racer before he began racing in GT racing?

Seeing how irl Jeff and Ray used to work together, it wouldn't surprise me if Gorvette and Reverham used to work together too, long before Jeff met John Lassetire.

(also btw, I apologise if this ask was sent twice, tumblr glitched out on me, and idk why)

I think in the Carsverse, Jeff Gorvette was always a GT racer. Inasmuch as the Piston Cup will let basically anything on track (lol), there's something in my mind that's just like, Corvette no. Corvette does not belong on stock car track.

The Piston Cup's rules package is much looser than NASCAR's, with cars across eras that in our world are so functionally different from each other it would never work (in our world). I mean, they let Cruz walk on, and she is a literal street car.

But I do think some distinctions remain--otherwise the WGP wouldn't have been as special and seminal as it was, where you had all these extremely different cars from different disciplines racing together. And apparently my line in the sand is Corvettes.

I don't necessarily think that needs to be everyone's line--I mean, why is a Corvette so much different than a Superbird, a bunch of roly poly Gen 5s, and one-of-a-kind purpose-built LMQ all racing together--but I feel like historically there doesn't seem to be room for Jeff having raced in the Piston Cup--at least, not long enough to make the splash Jeff Gordon did in NASCAR.

I feel like the Piston Cup missed the experience of Dale Sr. and Jeff, and Jeff and Jimmie, because Piston Cup racing careers have (had) a longevity that let them skip clear from Richard Petty to Lightning McQueen (who shares an era with Jimmie but of course is not Jimmie). I write about this perennially on this blog, but I maintain that part of the reason Lightning was so well-loved when he arrived and such a lightning rod for the sport, pun unintended, is because narratively the sport needed him.

I don't know if this is true in other sports, but NASCAR media explicitly talks about events in NASCAR as "storylines." Particularly with The King retiring and taking his star power with him, the Piston Cup needed Lightning's storyline. It needed him to get tires in the stands, it needed the talent, the "sizzle," in order to maintain its cultural crown. I don't think that need would have been as great if Jeff Gorvette had been there doing Jeff Gordon things. And if that meant putting up with "a very confident Lightning McQueen," the Piston Cup didn't have lot of room to have qualms about it. At least he wasn't Chick, in that LMQ has never intentionally walled anyone. (And really, of course they'll put up with him. Those cameras and those interviews and those headlines all had their hand in making him.)

[detroitlightning]

2022-11-01 - Chris Forsyth - Third Man Records, Detroit, MI

The other half of this most excellent co-headlining tour! It's been since the before-times that I've been able to see Chris Forysth live. Fortunately Detroit was part of the tour, and double-fortunately Chris was touring on an excellent new record. Absolutely incredible trio rounded out with Doug McCombs & Ryan Jewell.

They went deep, as always - enjoy.

Support Chris here!

[thelifestylesaga]

Gaming + Fashion? If this were the 2000's, we'd all be laughing at this collaboration - but it is 2024, it is serious and it is here

'Roblox to Sell Physical Goods Through Shopify Integration' reads the headline for one of Business of Fashion's (BoF) September 6th articles.

Hello y'all!

Today we're going to be talking about the integration of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) into gaming and fashion.

The gaming world is no stranger to the use of AR and VR, from games like Gran Turismo incorporating VR into GT 7 - “Witnessing the same Gran Turismo 7 we know and love, but now in VR without the hangups felt liberating. Like Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, finally, the potential of virtual reality for driving games on console has been realised,” writes Thomas Harrison-Lord in his opinion piece for Motorsport - to Fortnite providing interactive experiences to its users in the form of virtual concerts (popularly called V-concerts) featuring artists the likes of Travis Scott, BTS, Diplo, and Ariana Grande.

And Roblox - the online game platform and game creation system that allows users to program and play games created by themselves or other users - is already familiar with using VR to branch out of the gaming world. Similar to Fortnite, Roblox’s V-concerts also boast an impressive resume - from Lil Nas X and Zara Larsson to Twenty One Pilots - the platform is accustomed to using Gen AI to create and deliver unique experiences to its users. 

So I see Roblox’s latest partnership with Shopify as an effort to diversify its portfolio and an opportunity for both profit and exploration. According to BoF’s review of a demo video, users would be able to see “a “Buy Now” prompt next to a virtual T-shirt that calls up an e-commerce product page where they can see photos of the physical item, select colours or sizing and make their purchase. Customers will be able to pay using any method accepted in the seller’s online store, according to Shopify. Purchasing will be restricted to users 13 and older.” I believe that Roblox, with its loyal customer base, can help boost Shopify’s sales (and earn commission in return, if they choose to include that in their partnership), while also boosting user activity on the gaming platform using social media and word-of-mouth to market its foray into the world of metaverse fashion. 

BoF’s article states that “The companies said the integration will start to roll out soon, with a larger launch arriving in early 2025.” So it shall remain to be seen whether or not Roblox can indeed successfully leverage VR and what impact, if any, will the partnership make on Shopify’s sales.

Until next time,

Cheers!

http://newhouse.syr.edu

[dailyreportonline]

Realme GT 7 Pro Launch Timeline Tipped; Key Features Surface Online Again | Daily Reports Online

Realme GT 7 Pro has recently made headlines as several leaked details about the purported handset started surfacing online. It is expected to launch as a successor to the Realme GT 5 Pro, which was unveiled in China in December 2023. A new leak about the upcoming smartphone has tipped its possible launch timeline. The leak has also suggested several key features of the Realme GT 7 Pro including…

[diabolus1exmachina]

Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione 

The 8C Competizione was introduced at the 2006 Paris Motor Show and revived the 8C name originally used for Alfa Romeo’s eight-cylinder racing cars of the 1930s. Styling cues from the company’s post-war sporting cars can be seen in the carbon-fiber body panels, which are supported by a steel space frame. Of the 500 Competizione examples built, 90 were designated for the US, marking the nameplate’s return to the market after a 13-year absence.

The staggered-width 20” alloy wheels feature a cloverleaf-style design and are mounted with 245/35 front and 285/35 rear Pirelli P Zero tires. Stopping power is provided by black Alfa Romeo-branded Brembo calipers over cross-drilled rotors at all four corners. The cockpit features carbon-fiber seats trimmed in black leather accented by red stitching along with a matching headliner and door panels. The dashboard and center console feature brushed aluminum and carbon-fiber trim, and additional equipment includes dual-zone climate control, an Impianto Bose Premium GT sound system, and a navigation system.

Designed by Ferrari and Maserati, the 4.7-liter F136 YC V8 featured a 90° bank angle and a cross-plane crankshaft. It produced 444 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 354 lb-ft of torque at 4,750 rpm when new.  Power is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed semi-automatic transaxle that can be operated in five different modes of automatic or paddle-controlled shifting. A limited-slip differential was standard.

[vivekbsworld]

Luxurious Elegance: Choosing the Perfect Car for Your Wedding

A wedding is a celebration of love, unity, and a new beginning, deserving nothing but the best in every detail. Among the many elements that add a touch of sophistication and glamour to your big day, a luxury car stands out as an icon of style and elegance. Arriving in a luxury vehicle not only makes a grand statement but also ensures comfort and convenience. Here’s a guide to why a luxury car for wedding is the perfect choice for your wedding and how to select the best one.

The Magic of a Luxury Wedding Car

Grand Entrance: A luxury car ensures that you make a memorable and impressive entrance, setting the tone for the entire event. Imagine arriving at your venue in a sleek Mercedes-Benz or a classic Rolls Royce; the sight is bound to leave your guests in awe.

Unparalleled Comfort: Luxury cars are designed with comfort in mind. Spacious interiors, premium materials, and state-of-the-art features ensure that you travel in utmost comfort, crucial for the bride and groom who need to relax before the big moment.

Stunning Photos: A beautifully decorated luxury car can serve as an exquisite backdrop for your wedding photos, adding an extra layer of glamour to your wedding album. The timeless elegance of a high-end vehicle complements the beauty of the occasion perfectly.

Professional Service: Renting a luxury car typically comes with professional chauffeur services. Experienced chauffeurs ensure timely and smooth transportation, allowing you to focus on enjoying your day without any logistical worries.

Top Luxury Cars for Weddings

Rolls Royce Phantom

Why It’s Perfect: The Rolls Royce Phantom exudes opulence and grandeur. Its iconic design and plush interiors make it a top choice for weddings.

Features: Spacious leather interiors, starlight headliner, advanced suspension for a smooth ride.

Bentley Continental GT

Why It’s Perfect: Combining sporty elegance with luxurious comfort, the Bentley Continental GT is ideal for modern, sophisticated weddings.

Features: Handcrafted interiors, powerful engine, state-of-the-art entertainment system.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Why It’s Perfect: Known for its class and comfort, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a favorite for its understated luxury and advanced technology.

Features: Luxurious leather seats, ambient lighting, top-notch safety features.

Jaguar XJ

Why It’s Perfect: The Jaguar XJ blends traditional British craftsmanship with contemporary design, making it a stylish choice for weddings.

Features: Sumptuous interiors, panoramic roof, superior sound system.

Audi A8

Why It’s Perfect: The Audi A8 offers a mix of performance and luxury, perfect for couples looking for a sleek and modern ride.

Features: High-tech cabin, massaging seats, adaptive air suspension.

Tips for Renting a Luxury Wedding Car

Book Early: Luxury cars are in high demand, especially during wedding season. Ensure you book your desired car well in advance to avoid disappointment.

Personalize the Decoration: Many rental services offer decoration packages. Work with them to customize the car’s look to match your wedding theme and colors.

Plan Your Route: Discuss the route and timing with your chauffeur to ensure smooth and timely arrivals and departures.

Inspect the Car: If possible, view the car beforehand to ensure it meets your expectations and is in pristine condition.

Check Reviews: Research and read reviews about the rental service to ensure reliability and quality of service.

Conclusion

A luxury wedding car adds a layer of elegance and sophistication to your special day, making it truly unforgettable. Whether you choose the timeless beauty of a Rolls Royce or the modern luxury of an Audi, arriving in a high-end vehicle ensures that your wedding starts and ends on a high note. Embrace the glamour and comfort of a luxury car and make your wedding day as extraordinary as your love story.