JakeDorent
The Empire of the Americas
- Nov 14, 2019
- 839
Municipal Theater of São Paulo, São Paulo, Province of São Paulo.
In São Paulo, the Antarctica Motor Racing team, the IRC Champions of 1997, were preparing to showcase their new car for the 1998 Season.
The Theater's audience was full of enthusiasts, fans and media alike.
The figure who would step out to introduce the car was none other than team manager Alex Dias Ribeiro, he stepped onto the stage carrying a microphone and wearing a suit with a badge of the team's logo on it and a large screen behind him, the public applauded and the Manager smiled, before beginning his speech.
"Back when I first had the idea of creating this team, I didn't think it would become this big, I still remember inviting some friends over for a barbecue and telling them of this idea." He'd chuckle before continuing.
"When we decided to go ahead with this project, we decided to search for a title sponsor to fuel this dream of ours, and after receiving thousands of nos, we knocked on Antarctica's door, and they showed interest in this project and accepted the offer, with funding secured, we started putting together a good team...our plan was to enter the 1997 Season with a car ready to hit the road...bear in mind this was in 1995.
We reached an agreement with Gurgel Motors and Embraer to allow us to use their facilities in São Paulo to develop our car, without them, none of this would have been possible.
When our car first hit the Pre-Season testing, our expectations weren't high, considering the competition we were facing, but our two drivers showed confidence with our machinery, the rest...Is history
I'd like to take this opportunity to Invite to the stage...our drivers for the 1998 Season, Rubens Gonçalves Barrichello and Felipe da Costa Nascimento!"
The public applauded as the large screen in front of the curtains would light up, showing the two drivers wearing their 1998 Racing suits, the two walked into the stage from behind the large curtains, smiling as they approached and shook hands with the Team Manager.
"I'm sure you two are anxious to see the new car, as is everyone else here, but first, I have an announcement to make. I'd like to welcome 2 new sponsors to our team, the Hering Company and Varig Airlines!"
Behind the trio, the Screen lit up once more to reveal the logos of both companies.
''And finally...Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you...the A98!"
The lights would somewhat dim as fog rose across the entire stage...the curtains slowly opening with flashing green, red and white lights. When the Curtains fully opened, all lights focused on the centre of the stage, where a spinning platform slowly rose...on the platform was the A98, Antarctica Motor Racing's 1998 Contender.
The new car maintained the same colour scheme as the previous car, with the addition of the Varig and Hering sponsors, although the technical aspects of the Car were not completely disclosed, Team Manager Riberio has said that the new car will continue to develop on the foundation created by the A97, The team is hopeful that their 1998 Contender will be just as successful as the A97, the A98 Is set to hit Pre-Season testing in the coming weeks.