Vanguard Solace (ESPLAR History Files)

Vanguard Solace will be the first Lean278 official story of the ESPLAR Elite Series, focusing on Podkarpackie Racing's Kailu Wieczorek and the 2023 EES season. It will be hosted primarily on this wiki site.

Synopsis
A rising voice actor turned ESPLAR racer, and he's not one to mess around with having dominated Formula Europa last year due to BNV20 restrictions preventing him from racing in ESPLAR Lites. However, he's always had his doubts about racing in ESPLAR, with AI navigational systems, very high speeds, and lots of quick thinking involved. Can Podkarpackie Racing help convince him to stay? And what of an energetic Alaina Gwinska, who has always been eager to race in a series she is more excited to be in? What fears does Kailu have, and what can he do to overcome them? These questions face him going into the pivotal 2023 season, with extra pressure being applied because of the golden anniversary of ESPLAR Racing. And what is the "Vanguard Solace"?

Characters
The main plan is for the central characters to be the Podkarpackie Racing organization. This does not mean that they are guaranteed to win the Morson-Austin Trophy. Other teams will get main character representation, but ultimately, Kailu is the main protagonist.

Chapter Listing
This listing is WIP at this time. As the 2023 season progresses, however, this section will be updated.

Prologue 1: Terror of Bonn


 * As the menacing BNV20 pandemic rages on, Kailu is separated from his family. He made a fateful decision on that day in 2019, where he decided to focus on motorsports. Little did he know that BNV20 will change his life forever.

Prologue 2: Our Final Wishes


 * On that day on February 10, 2021, BNV20 spreads to the United States. Karol and Hanna Wieczorek, vacationing in Oregon, are unknowingly infected, and are soon hospitalized. Knowing they might not survive, both send their final wishes to Kailu in Poland.

Prologue 3: Melodia


 * The deaths of Karol and Hanna Wieczorek to BNV20 leaves the family shattered. Miwa and Elena are both parentless as Kailu studies under the tutelage of Podkarpackie Racing's rising program.

Interlude 1: A Shattered World in a Pivotal Moment


 * The pandemic passes, and the world is forever changed. Podkarpackie Racing prepares to make a grand return to the Evanshire Super Pro League of Auto Racing.

Chapter 1: Our Return

References to Other Mediums
Vanguard Solace makes references to numerous franchises. All franchises the story makes reference to belong to their owners.
 * There may be a ton of references of ESPLAR drivers playing KOG's Elsword and discussing their own strategies/applying them to ESPLAR. Lean278 does not know exactly if Elsword will still be operational when the 2023 EES season begins in OTL, but Lean278 will make the assumption that the game is still running. In the ESPLAR Universe, Elsword is still going strong.
 * One of the main inspirations for the ESPLAR Universe, Sunrise's Future GPX Cyber Formula, will have a ton of mentions, especially by Japanese teams Saihara Motorsports and Greater Kanto Motorsports. The latter team has Sunrise as its primary sponsor as Saihara Motorsports switched to Bushiroad.
 * Team Maxima will mention Gamefreak's Pokemon franchise quite often.
 * Altruras Radio Television (ART) will not only mention the above franchises in archipelago-wide polling, but also a number of others. ART does a weekly (online)/monthly (election) poll in conjunction with Altruras Electoral Comission.