"Good luck out there," Burak said as the pitlane exit finally opened, signaling the start of Group A's first free practice session.
"Thanks," Fatih replied, pressing his foot on the accelerator. He drove out onto the Ankara Karting Park circuit for the first time, his mind already working to reconcile the real-world tarmac with the track photos he had studied over the past month.
As if afraid of being left behind, Selçuk blasted past him in the pitlane, a blur of aggressive intent as he rushed to be the first driver on track.
To ensure fairness, TOSFED, the championship organizers, used a random assignment program for each race weekend's groups. This time, it seemed the program had a sense of humor, as it had placed Fatih, Selçuk, and Jackson—the top three contenders—all in the same group. They would be racing against each other in every single session throughout the weekend.
