Forza 2023 Season: Alternate ending
Revenge of the Nürburgring God
Author's Note
Original Story: Forza 2023 Season finale by RushingWind-01
Forza fanfic owned by TunedPonyRC.
Revenge of the Nürburgring God
The season is about to end and Equestria Motorsports is leading with 3-0 which means Akula-Lauda Racing is about to get finished by the 7 times Forza Championship winners. But since the track has been changed, it's coming down to just one more battle. Spa has hosted the finals for many years but the time to move on has arrived.
"is it really true that we go on Nordschleife Assetto?" Fluttershy asks.
"Well yes and we're going to have a very tough battle with Akula-Lauda Racing, especially with one specific driver..." Assetto answers.
"We all know Apple Lauda is extremely fast on the Nordschleife, I mean... He's already pulling 8:11/8:12 minute laps again." Zipp mentions.
"we can still beat them everyone!!! Apple Lauda will be the final boss. The only chance we might have is on the GP circuit." Sunny responds. "I did beat him once, and now I will destroy him on Nordschleife!!!!"
"I wouldn't be that sure..." Fluttershy says as she points on the scoreboard. Apple Lauda improved by two seconds, Akula improved also by about 2 seconds, Viral Velocity improved by 5 seconds and Silverstream improved by 3 seconds."
Everyone in the Equestria Motorsports garage is stunned. How was this huge improvement possible you may ask. Well...
I think you already know who's responsible for this.
Meanwhile in the Akula-Lauda Racing garage
"aaah that was like a daily cruise on the Autobahn. But of course I wouldn't go that fast on public roads." Apple Lauda says.
"let's see who of us can catch you Apple Lauda!!!" Nico Hülkenberg says with a chuckle.
"He learned from me. No wonder why he's so fast on the Nordschleife." Niki Lauda explains. "I did a sub 7 minute lap in the 1975 German grand prix Qualifying. He tried to replicate that and obviously he was successful. I'm proud of him really. And I don't think that I have to explain more because the rest is history."
Then, Equestria Motorsports went out on the track. Sunny, Zipp, Fluttershy and Applejack start their fast lap.
In the Akula-Lauda Racing garage, everyone is watching on the TV screen as Sunny, Zipp, Fluttershy and Applejack charge over the Nürburgring. A few minutes later, the 4 cross the finish line.
Sunny: 8:12.410
Zipp: 8:11.310
Fluttershy: 8:13.001
Applejack: 8:12.995
"AAAAH FUUUCK!!!!" Sunny shouts in the radio. "I FUCKED UP AT THAT DOUBLE RIGHT AFTER THE FIRST JUMP!!!!"
"Don't worry Sunny... You will get your chance..." Assetto says.
"JUST SHORT OF VIRAL VELOCITY!!!" Zipp shouts. "Aaarrgh!!! It was very close!!!"
"I know it hurts Zipp... But everything will be fine." Assetto says in a calm voice.
"I knew this was going to happen... Apple Lauda can't be beaten on the Nordschleife... Unless he makes a big driving error or even goes off!!!" Fluttershy says.
"that's our only hope Fluttershy. Apple Lauda is way too fast on the Nordschleife." Applejack says.
"Guys we will catch that showoff!!!" Rainbow Dash says in a confident voice.
On race day, the grid is obvious. Apple Lauda is on Pole position like always thanks to the Nordschleife. Viral Velocity starts from P2, Silverstream from P3 and Akula starts in P4. Zipp Storm is in 5th, Sunny in 6th, Applejack in 7th and Fluttershy is in 8th place.
Before race start, Apple Lauda shows up at their rivals.
"I wish you the best of luck to catch me." Apple Lauda says.
"We will try everything we can to catch you!" Sunny says in confidence.
"I think it will be a nice race." Fluttershy says.
"I think so too" Apple Lauda responds with a chuckle, knowing that he will be at least half a minute ahead of whoever will finish in 2nd place.
"you can try to run, but you can't escape Nürburgring god!!!" Sunny says. "remember what happened last year?"
"Of course I remember that Sunny. This won't happen again!!!" Apple Lauda says in confidence.
"Apple Lauda, the race is about to start" Mika Hakkinen says through the radio.
"Tudo claro amigo!" Apple Lauda answers.
"what did he say?" One of the mechanics ask.
"he said alright buddy." Mika answers.
"Apple Lauda?" Niki Lauda calls.
"yes Niki?" Apple Lauda answers.
"have fun out there" Niki Lauda says.
"Thank you Niki" Apple Lauda responds.
Then Apple Lauda reveals his plan through the radio. The plan is to pull away as hard as possible, then cruising home.
A few minutes later, everyone is in the formation lap. Apple Lauda doesn't even try to warm up his tyres because he will do that on the Döttinger Höhe. As the formation lap ends, the cars line up at Tiergarten in a row of two cars going side by side. The pace car enters the pits. "Alright everyone, let's go!!!" Niki Lauda says through the Akula-Lauda Racing radio.
"just defend in turn 1 everyone!!!" Akula says.
"Roger" Viral Velocity responds.
"Apple Lauda sweetie? That's your time to shine!!!" Silverstream says. But no response from Apple Lauda.
"can you hear me Apple Lauda?" Viral Velocity says. Still no response.
A chuckle comes from Silverstream. "he's totally focused on the race" the Hippogriff says.
Meanwhile with Equestria Motorsports
"alright everyone, this will be a tough race, even though it's just two laps." Assetto says.
"WE WILL GET YOU APPLE LAUDA!!!!" Sunny shouts.
"okay Sunny just declared war on Apple Lauda" Applejack says in a sarcastic tone.
"let's go guys!!!" Izzy cheers. "get Apple Lauda!!!"
"we will try" Fluttershy says.
Then, the lights go green and everyone is racing towards the first chicane. Apple Lauda brakes early to defend his position but gets touched on the rear by Applejack who missed the braking point.
"Sorry Apple Lauda" Applejack says. The collision had no consequences of the positions,except that Applejack is now second.
"great move Applejack" Izzy says. "Now get Apple Lauda before you hit the Nordschleife!"
"I will try" Applejack responds.
Sunny, Zipp and Fluttershy are able to close the gap to Akula, Viral Velocity and Silverstream and try to pass them. But the answer is a closed gap.
"once we're on the Nordschleife, we are safe guys." Apple Lauda says through the radio to his teammates.
As a result, Apple Lauda manages to increase the gap sharply because he got a faster exit. He already build a 2.5 second lead between him and Applejack. But then, Apple Lauda goes maximum attack and pulls away sharply. As he reaches the Nordschleife, he knows that it's already too late. "how big is the gap now?" Apple Lauda asks.
"5.9 seconds, still increasing" Mick Schumacher answers.
"how about the others Mick?" Apple Lauda asks.
"well... Akula is still 3rd but... oh nevermind he just got Applejack... Silverstream is currently racing Zipp and V is currently racing Sunny... And she got caught by Sunny..." Mick reports through the Radio.
Apple Lauda sighs. "it's useless if I win now by half a minute!!!!" he says. "keep pushing guys!!!"
"okay so as far as we know, Apple Lauda already build a 6 second gap to Applejack." Assetto says through the radio.
"Of course he is 6 seconds ahead!!! And it will be much more in the end." Sunny responds.
"it's useless because you are within the top 4. By now we would win the championship" Rainbow Dash explains.
"you're right... We'll let him run" Zipp says as she gets passed by Silverstream in the Dunlop corner.
"I mean it's a two lap race and everything can happen." Applejack says as she loses eye contact with Apple Lauda's Dodge Viper. "aaaaannnd he's gone..."
"don't worry guys, we can still win this!!! Keep up the pace." Assetto says.
As the group approaches the Nordschleife, Apple Lauda is already charging through Hatzenbach and Hocheichen.
"don't overtake in Hatzenbach, no matter what. Let's play it safe" Apple Lauda says.
As the group goes through Hatzenbach, Viral Velocity sees a gap at Hocheichen, goes for it and has successfully gained a position. The gap between Apple Lauda and Applejack has increased again. The gap is now at 8.5 seconds.
"he's pulling away!!!" Applejack says.
"Remember that he hates the double right so much after the first jump." Rainbow Dash says.
"I just did overtake Silverstream" Fluttershy says.
"well done Fluttershy, remember to box at the end of the lap." Spitfire orders.
"ten four" Fluttershy responds.
"everyone, box at the end of the lap!!!" Spitfire orders.
As Apple Lauda charges over the Nordschleife, he increases the gap by another 4 seconds as he approaches Aremberg.
Thanks to a faster exit because he started stabbing the throttle, he increases the gap again by a second.
Applejack regains second place. She starts pushing to pull away from Akula but suddenly, Viral Velocity passes her on the way to Schwedenkreuz.
"what in tarnation?!" Applejack shouts. "where does that come from?"
"Applejack, you had a slow exit out of the double right. That's why Viral Velocity got you." Izzy says.
"that makes sense. But how did she do that?" Applejack asks.
"well maybe just lift and downshift" Izzy explains. "I also do that."
Applejack manages to close the gap a bit thanks to the softer tyre compound. Apple Lauda is on mediums.
"oh my goodness..." Rainbow Dash says in shock. "HOW IS HE ALREADY 20 SECONDS AHEAD?!"
"he's going Maximum Attack I guess." Izzy responds.
"Izzy is right, Apple Lauda is totally charging over the Nordschleife." Assetto says.
"it's a matter of time that it will go wrong!!!" Rainbow Dash says, knowing that Apple Lauda is approaching Pflanzgarten in a few minutes.
"where are you Apple Lauda?" Silverstream asks.
"I'm almost at Kallenhard." Apple Lauda answers.
"he has about half a minute lead." Mika says.
"Box at the end of the lap. the tyres are still good but we noticed that Applejack is catching you rapidly." Niki says.
"I'm coming in. Give me the softest compound available" Apple Lauda says.
"this is not a Gran Turismo Sport daily race" Mika responds. "but okay"
"Zipp, Fluttershy and Sunny are catching up at high speed. Your gap shrinked down to 7 seconds!!!" Nico says.
"WHAT?!" ARE THEY MAXIMUM ATTACKING?!" Apple Lauda asks in shock. No answer which meant they were full sending it.
A few minutes later at the end of lap 1, Apple Lauda charges into the pits to get the soft compound tyres.
Akula, Silverstream and Viral Velocity are diving into the pits about 10 - 13 seconds later depending on their positions.
Apple Lauda gets the worst pitstop possible, handing out the lead to Applejack who pitted as well. Sunny, Zipp and Fluttershy pitted right after. Akula, Viral Velocity and Silverstream got a very good pitstop which meant they were going to race Sunny, Zipp and Fluttershy.
Apple Lauda is furious. He starts charging like crazy. The gap between him and Applejack is about 35 seconds.
"you can't win this Apple Lauda, it's over... We lost the championship." Mika says.
"NOW I'LL SHOW YOU!!!" Apple Lauda shouts.
"oh dear..." Nico says.
"we are ahead of Apple Lauda, don't throw this away... Uuuh guys... I don't want to scare you but Apple Lauda is catching up at a unrealistic pace." Rainbow Dash says. "25 seconds gap to the leader, 20 seconds, 15 seconds... Holy shit!!!!"
"is he on Nordschleife?" Izzy asks.
"yes he is on Nordschleife" Assetto answers. "if you see a Viper in your mirror, close all the gaps. Don't let him through because we are going to win the championship if we keep them in chess."
Apple Lauda gets eye contact with everyone. Zipp, Sunny and Fluttershy managed to catch up to Applejack, but Akula, Viral and Silverstream are right behind them.
"is that Apple Lauda approaching?" Silverstream asks through the radio as they approach the Carousel.
"yes and he's having a incredible pace!!! Whenever you can, let him through, we only need either two more of us in the top 4 or someone in first with one of you in the top 4." Nico says.
"copy" Akula responds. "We need to give him double slipstream" Viral says.
"HOLY CRAP!!!" Silverstream shouts as she gets overtaken by her boyfriend. "HE'S ON FIRE!!!" she shouts as they blast through Hedwigshöhe.
"IT'S OVER 9000!!!!!" Apple Lauda shouts through the radio.
"no wonder why he's catching up on us so fast!!! He's revving the car like hell!!!" Akula responds.
"oh my goodness that's Apple Lauda!!!" Fluttershy says in fear.
"just close the gaps Fluttershy" Spitfire responds.
"but there's a long straight upcoming!!!" Fluttershy mentions.
"we know that. Stay out of the slipstream range because if Apple Lauda gets the slipstream, he will use every bit of it in order to catch you." Spitfire guides Fluttershy what to do. But it's already too late. Apple Lauda is just 1.5 seconds behind Fluttershy who took the lead at the halfway point.
As they approach the Döttinger Höhe, Apple Lauda is in slipstream range and uses every bit of it. Halfway down the straight, Apple Lauda positions himself on the inside as he pulls into the lead going into Antoniusbuche at around 200 mp/h. Apple Lauda has done the impossible!!! He caught up from very far behind and has retaken the lead. Happiness is spread in the Akula-Lauda Racing garage as the maneuver is done. But Apple Lauda has to back up because they would make contact in the Tiergarten section, handing over the lead to Fluttershy again.
Apple Lauda gets a fast exit out of the Hohenrain. It's a drag race towards the finish line. Apple Lauda has the slipstream even in the corner. He was able to put the foot down way earlier because he was stabbing the throttle yet again like he usually does upon cornering. Fluttershy tries her best to keep him behind but Apple Lauda pulls out to the left, getting side by side towards the finish line. Who's going to win the race and the championship?
Apple Lauda manages to cross the finish line 0.001 seconds ahead of Fluttershy.
"did I get it?" Apple Lauda asks.
"let me check it... Yes you got it!!! Well done!!!" Nico says.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!! EU NÃO ACREDITOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! PUUUUTA QUE PAAARIUUUUU!!!!"
Apple Lauda screams through the radio. His teammates could hear it.
"he got it!!!" Akula says.
"it must have been very close!!!" Viral says as she races Zipp on the Döttinger Höhe.
"it was absolutely fucking close!!! You can't imagine!!! 0.001!!!" Apple Lauda yells. "Fucking Hell!!! Fluttershy gave me a very tough battle!!! Well done Fluttershy!!!"
Silverstream maintains her position until the end of the race. "did we win the Championship?" the Hippogriff asks.
"we barely made it." Niki says.
"FUUUUUCK FUUUUUCK FUUUUUCK!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Fluttershy yells through the radio.
"you tried Fluttershy... At least you tried... well done."
"it was extremely close!!!" Assetto says.
"Well done Fluttershy, you gave your best." Izzy says.
"thank you... we almost had him..." Fluttershy responds. They could hear sobs through the radio.
Apple Lauda slowed down and drives side by side with Fluttershy. He uses his horn to get Fluttershy's attention. As Fluttershy looks over, Apple Lauda responds with a thumbs up and applauds, delivering the GG message.
As the drivers pulled into the pits, normally Apple Lauda would do the usual stuff after a race but instead of that, he walks over to Fluttershy and puts a arm on her shoulder.
"you gave me one of the best battles in my entire career Fluttershy. Thank you for that, I really had fun with this final battle." Apple Lauda says in a calm voice.
"r-really?" Fluttershy responds.
"yes, actually it's been a while since I had my last real battle on the Nordschleife." Apple Lauda mentions.
"I know it hurts losing by 0.001 seconds. I know that feeling"
"well done Apple Lauda. Very well done..." Fluttershy says.
"you too" Apple Lauda says. "next year might be yours"
Then the victory ceremony was up and as Silverstream, Fluttershy and Apple Lauda came up on the Podium and as the trophies were given, Apple Lauda gave Fluttershy a sign which had the text "GG better luck next time :)" on it for her team which was signed from all of the Akula-Lauda Racing members.
After that, Assetto came over to Apple Lauda. "how on earth did you catch up so fast?" Assetto asks with a chuckle.
"I just went at maximum attack, that's all" Apple Lauda answers.
"Of course you did..." Assetto says. "it was very close actually. Fluttershy almost had you"
"Well yes but I had to back off or else I would have crashed into Fluttershy. And I don't want to win like that." Apple Lauda says.
"that was great Sportsmanship there what you've done with Fluttershy." Assetto responds.
"thanks... I was going for the gap but I knew it was too close and in the worst case, I would have crashed too, replicating Senna/Prost Suzuka 1989 on Nordschleife" Apple Lauda answers.
"we will get you guys next year" Assetto says with a smile.
"only time knows... Only time knows" Apple Lauda says with a laugh.