" I'm not the one smelling Iron for the next week." He said letting the goon run away he had more pressing things to attend to. Slipping off his Brass Knuckles Krydil heads back to Zara, who watching the whole fight, " Let's get back to racing, Can't miss our chance to win this thing."

Zara, somewhat awestruck by Krydil’s dazzling display of martial prowess, slips the dueling pistol back inside her racing suit.

”Uh.. yeah.. right. Back to the race, then.” Glad he’s on my team!

Krydil noticed the look on Zara's face as he approached her, " Never knew I could box? I only tell you every time when I go out to the Gym." he said smiling and clapped a hand on her back with some force, " Or do your girlfriends prevent you from listening to me when I am not in your line of sight?"

"We should be giving you the thanks for allowing us an opportunity to put our names out there! Additionally I do so enjoy being given a platform to interact with fellow fans of the sport. I believe your work was far above nominal and I can clearly see why you would be given such a glorious assignment such as this." Yoomnuff said, giving praise to the reporter as he began to flutter off his high given to him by the interview. The Gigorian crossed his arms as he leaned back on his speeder as he settled in a little bit.

"If you don't mind me prying, might I ask how long you have been practising your occupation?" he asked, genuinely curious.

As the woman tugs her coat around herself a little, she half glances back at Yoomnuff with a look of surprise. "You really think it was that good? It's just a normal introduction interview, you know, the kind of thing they use for filler between events. I actually just started, this is sort of like, my trial run". She turns fully to face the pair. "I don't know how the race is going to go, there's a lot of tough competition today, but I hope your guys do well". She pauses to smile at Yoomnuff, giving him a slight nod.

"Your support is much appreciated!" Yoomnuff returned a hidden smile towards the interviewer. "I hold our team in high acclaim but it would be unwise of me to believe we are the most skilled out here by a large margin. Hopefully we will place well and hopefully your trial run goes well!" the Gigorian said to the interviewer.

Yoonuff earns a smile from the reporter as she glances over her shoulder, walking away from the area. Still, the crew didn't have too much time to think on it, the final touches needed to be put to the bike,s and the other half of their team were yet to return from their scouting of the course.

Varik pats the Gigoran on the back, "Nice job, Yoomnuff." He grins, "Might say it was good 'nuff."

"Anyway, let's finish up with these bikes. They're jus' 'bout ready, don't ya think? Say, shouldn't Zara an' Krydil be back already?"

The Gigorian chuckled a little at Vark's play on words, one of the opportunities he wasn't afforded thanks to his translator.

"I am sure they are fine. Likely just getting a lay of the land so as to be able to preform better once the race begins." Yoomnuff said, turning back to his speeder and giving it a once over.

Krydil makes his way back to the group with Zara following him with his hands in his pockets. " Let's Get your Bike ready to go Zara." He would say as if nothing had happened with their trip around the course.

As the team regroups, there is a little time left to prepare their riding gear, start up the bikes and begin to head to the start of the course. Darren rushes back to the truck, pushing his way around the other mechanics and pilots to reach the others. "Sorry, sorry, first race so I had to fill in a bunch of different forms for this one. Anyway, I've got your start times here. The course is too narrow for everyone to go at once, so it's a staggered start, basically a time-trial, alright?. You're both near the front of the line being the newbies, last years winner is going last. Now the only cash rewards are from first to third place, so you both need to place well to recoup the entry fees. Zara, you're up first, Yoom, you're a couple of minutes after so you have a little more time. Just don't miss your start time!" He pats the pair on the shoulder. "Good luck, I'll see you guys at the finish line!" With that their manager is quickly lost in the crowd of others moving down the course.

The remaining people are mainly racers and mechanics making final tweaks. The racers begin to push their bikes towards the starting stand, forming a line. Looking back, Zara can just about make out the familiar race suit of Wheeler from the beach race, though her helmet is still on hiding her face. Soon the first of the Sylops race team is on the line. An officiating droid was stood on a small wooden platform next to line, a large start clock by its side. The start overlooks a steep and treacherous rocky slope. There were a number of narrow paths between the rocks and boulders and all looked difficult to navigate. Along the edges of the course were a number of excited spectators, cheering as the racer just in front of Zara swings their bike through the twists and turns before disappearing from view.

Soon the countdown begins. For Zara, five, four, three, two, one, go! With that the race is off, and Yoomnuff is soon to follow with his own turn.

Spying Wheeler across the way, Zara flashes her a quick smile and a nod, before donning her helmet and tugging on her gloves.

Furiosa , Zara’s Mobquet Flashfury, tears off down the slope, a blur of racing orange. Zara keeps to the left as she enters the boulder field, leaning as she steers perilously close to an undercut boulder, then hard the other way to avoid a jutting arete on the side opposite.

Everything else fades away, pushed to the peripherals, as she focuses on the course ahead. For the next few minutes, nothing else matters. It is a good feeling.

( Accelerate to Speed 2 : 1eA+3eP+2eB+1eD+1eC 1 success, 2 advantage

(Advantages to pass Boost to Zara’s next check)

As Yoomnuff saw Zara take off, he sat down on his Nighscreamer and took a deep breath. This is what he'd been waiting for, a chance to be a real racer. His nerves were beginning to get to him though the butterflies in his stomach were drowned out by his shear excitement as he constantly adjusted his grip on the speeder's controls. He eyed the 'track' before him as time seemed to slow to a crawl as the countdown sounded.

As soon as he heard go, Yoomnuff pinned the throttle and shot off the start line, heading towards the hazards of the course with reckless abandon but also a small amount of skill that allowed him to not crash right out the gate. Like he said to the reporter, he wasn't going to assume this race would be finished with him in one piece but he was going to put on a show and have a good time doing it.

Accelerating to speed 2 : 1eA+3eP+1eS+1eD+1eC 3 successes, 1 Triumph

As the racers tear through the boulder field they feel the bikes rock and roll underneath them as they manoeuvre the field masterfully, barley a scratch to their vehicles. The crowd whips past them so fast they almost begin to blur, their cheers and cries quickly torn away from the racers ears as they pass by. The boulder field; though technical, is only a short stretch of the course. Soon they break free into a grassy opening, following the well worn track to the woodlands up ahead. A couple of bumps in the terrain an shortly after they are engulfed in the trees. By the time that Yoomnuff is on the course, the sun has begun to come out in earnest, and he can see the beams of light flash through the branches as he rallies past.

The crowd is more dispersed here, using the trees as cover in case of a case anyone wrecks out. It was perhaps a smart move on their part here, as Zara and Yoomnuff blast past they catch a glimpse of an upended and thoroughly crumpled bike on the side of the course, a racer lying on their back as they are crowded by figures. A pair carrying first aid kits can be seen sprinting up the hill as the racers pass by. Hopefully they will not share that fate.

As Zara and Yoonmuff make their way down the track, Krydil was watching the whole thing with Varik down near the finish line a bit away from the crowd in a dugout so the team’s communications wouldn’t be filled with the cheeeing crowd. Looking at the feed preview the next leg of the race before Zara got there he turns to Varik, “ Let’s keep an eye on the big board, see if we can give our boys a better chance in the race. We don’t want them or their bikes to end up like that guy.” He points as the camera focused on the first wipeout and the replay which the crowd both cheered and offered pained groans at the scene.

"Well, guy and girl..." Varik corrects. "I'll keep tabs on their opp'sition, see if I can help with the strategizing."

Clear of the boulders, Zara picks up speed as she continues down the slope, weaving through the trees.

Yoomnuff had a real good run in the first leg of the race, punching it into the next gear a little earlier than he normally would but wether through the expert mechanic work done to it or maybe a fluke of the machine, Yoomnuff's speed grew quicker than he anticipated. Reaching the slopes, Yoomnuff begins to get a little nervous, the good start bringing the old saying in like a bantha, out like a rancor to mind. However he trusted in his skills and decided to push it again and brought the bike to full speed.

Accelerating to speed 4 : 3eD+1eC+1eA+3eP+1eB 2 successes, 1 Triumph

As the racers surge through the twists and turns of the dangerous narrow forest, the cheers of the crowd force the on. Both racers are having one rememberable run, but Yoomnuff in particular seems to be powering ahead with his time. Down at the finish the big projector is showing a lot of his footage, and the crowd seem to be loving it. As the racers press on they begin to see more light through the trees. In a sudden burst of light, they find themselves free of the woodlands and out in the fields. From this high up they can see the finish following the winding track down the grasslands. This was the longest and fastest section of the course. No technical sections, just a speed run down to the final jumps.

“ Looks like Yoonmuff is shredding it on the times there.” Krydil said looking to the time board and speaking over the comms to Varik. “ Zara is having a tough time I don’t know if it’s the bike or if she’s having trouble with the downhill. ” He said looking at Zara’s time, his first friend wasn’t having the fastest of days. “ Zara’s looking like a place at best. But I think she can redeem her time on the jump, and if Yoonmuff lands it Galactic Record may not be out of reach. What do you think Varik?”

"I think yer right." Varik scratches his crest absent-minded, thinking. "Zara's got an oppertunity here," he points to a spot on the map, "and... here... to pick up some time if she plays it right. It'll be risky, but she might be able to thread this gap. Most racers turneround these two obstacles, losing a lot of time. Fair warning, last guy to try shooting the gap crashed." He shrugs with his big shoulders. "Tell her to take it under advisement."

As the terrain below opens up, Zara sees her chance to make up some lost time, and punches it hard. The smile this brings falters, however, as a gusty crosswind catches her, and the swoop begins to oscillate wildly. The steering jerks hard, back and forth, until she is forced to relinquish her gains and ease back on the throttle. Easy, Furi.

Her expert driving is able to regain control, until the stabilizers kick in, just barely. It could easily have spelled disaster for her; might still cost her a place at the Finish.

”Wide open, Yoomi, but mind the crosswind. Wee bit wobbly.”

Yoomnuff was like a god on a glider at the beginning but as he got into the wide open section of the track the big lug lost his nerve. The fact that he wasn't swerving and weaving, just trying to keep on the track made him snap out of his trance. The lull of the wide open area was bad on Yoomnuff's time but the one moment of serenity spurred the Gigorian on with another dollop of determination as he made his way into the next section of the race.

Maintaining speed 4 : 3eD+1eC+1eA+3eP+1eB 2 failures, 2 advantage

Surrounding the pair of engineers, the crowd watching the race on the set of huge holo-screens are going ballistic as the downhill racing is proceeding. A good portion of the screen time is dedicated to the new racers, in particular Yoomnuff who is making great waves with his early performance. The current racer in the hot-seat is leant forward from the plush red material, gripping the arms tightly.

The last racer was a bout to set off, the winner of last years downhill competition and according the commentators someone who placed in the 'Briar Wood Cup'. Bauk 'Thunderer' Recko, lead racer of the off-road race team 'the Tremours'. The vid showed a custom bike, blocky in its design but with oversized compensators and suspension system. This vehicle and racer were designed for this kind of race. The bearded man takes a moment to sit up and wave through the holo-vid before pulling on his helmet and making the final preparations.

Varik and Krydil had more pressing matters to deal with though. Both Yoomnuff and Zara were coming to the final section. There engines could be heard long before they were seen, but soon the racers themselves could be seen in person. The final section was coated in sand, and the the fields above dropped sharply down the side of the hill to this area. The final challenge were three consecutive jumps that were traditional for most races such as this. Racers could either take the time to showboat or try to roll with the terrain to maximise their speed.

" Zara, Yoonmuff, Listen Closely and Listen good." Krydil would say as both racers were quickly approaching the ramp. " We've had a rough third Leg, but don't count yourselves out. That Jump can get you a lot of speed if you time it right." He said as he was looking at the Jumbotron that was displaying the race in detail from where he was. " Yoonmuff your tome looks close to a Win, land that and you might secure us the big pot... Zara I know you're not gonna like this but I think a third place finish is the best you can do. I'll take a look at the bike when you get back I must of missed something."