A team idea - Matrix Racing Research and Development

Been trying to make up a potential team that could exist in the Wipeout Universe, thought about placing in the thread in regards to team, but felt I should place it here, and see what everybody else thinks first.

That said...still working on illustrations, logos and so forth...they'll follow once they're done. So...a long read ahead.

Name: MR[RD] - Matrix Racing [Research and Development]
Type: Dual Hull
Country: USA/Germany
Founded: 2171
Additional details:
Racing division formed: 2182
Acquired Van-Uber racing developments in 2207
Entered professional AG racing 2209
Key locations:
Nevada, USA - Main Headquarters
Stuttgart, Germany - Secondary headquarters, former Van-Uber HQ
New jersey - tertiary headquarters

Key personnel
Kimotho Matrix, former AG racer, 2 time Amateur champion.

Pilots - FX350 and 400
Hedd Grey Edolie - American
Hanae Mishima Kyouske - Japanese/British
Peter Harun - Israeli
Alexi Kosta - Russian
Saleh Luthando - Saudi Arabia
Maitho Matrix - African/American
Dembe Valko - Bulgarian/American
Herbst Emlyn - German/Irish


Motto(s):
The speed freaks return to leave the rest in pieces
Purity of the race
Speed freaks
Control and Power
Furious Balance
Rest in Pieces


Theme song
Acetone - Crystal Method

Craft stats
FX350/400
Thrust: 3.5/5 - 7/10
Speed: 4/5 - 8/10
Shield: 3.5 - 7/10
Handling: 4.0 - 8/10
--------
FX-350 Fury prototype
Thrust: 3.75 - 7.5/10
Speed: 4.75/5 - 9.5/10
Shield: 3.75/5 - 7.5/10
Handling: 4.25/5 - 8.5/10

Founder profile and team history
Kimotho Matrix
Born - 2137
Nationality: America/United African Nations
Teams (Factory) during AG racing career: Auricom, Van-Uber, FEISAR
Career (racing): 2154- October, 2170
Currently team founder, owner and director of Matrix Racing, Research and Development.
Pilot ID (F9000): MATR025.4.3.996

Information:

Of African decent, but being born in America, Kimotho Matrix, a man who's own family line extended to a long list of racers spanning before even the start of the AGRC. Initially starting his career in the amateur leagues of AG racing as an independent pilot, eventually signing up to Auricom's pilot development program.

One distinction compared to other pilots was his reluctance to use weapons, preferring instead to beat his opponents in a fair manner. Some so far as going to call him the next van-uber. Further aided by what understanding he had of the mechanics of the AG craft, and being able to adapt quickly to the heavy weight machines Auricom were starting to use with aggression.

One other noticeable trait was his concern with the environment, which seemed to be expressed in how he sought to on his own time, learn cleaner and more efficient ways in which AG craft can operate, among other activities.

His reluctance to use weapons indeed impeded his efforts, but he eventually became a two time world champion in the amateur leagues. His success and piloting style catches the attention of Wolfgang Van Uber himself, whom offered him a seat as secondary pilot, following Songson grey's retirement in 2161.

It was at Van Uber he started to display more of his engineering side, and helped to remedy the shielding issue, and overall help to improve the van uber machine, with greater handling and a higher top speed, comparable to the very fastest on grid.
Flying under Nami Mishima, the lead pilot for Van Uber, they were able to break past the midfield and win gold medals alongside the leaders, including Xios, Phiranha, FEISAR, Tigorn, and Kimotho's previous team, Auricom. In spite of varying other technical issues, and even the horrifying Temtesh Bay disaster to which both Nami Mishima and Matrix were caught within the mine collapse, the team itself at least on appereances, presisted, with consistent strong results, although lacking in championships.

A notable year including2167, to which the team managed to place 3rd in the the championship, with Nami Mishima ranking 2nd with Matrix being 5th.

In 2168 following Auricom's withdraw after winning the championship, some speculated that Van Uber could be a dark-horse victory for the 2169 title. With the F9000 becoming more aggressive, 2169 marked Van-Uber's most successful and controversial year of that era. While on few occasions, the use of main and super weapons by both pilots to devastating results allowed Nami Mishima to win the 2169 championship, with
Matrix in 3rd behind Daniel Johnson, and just ahead of Natasha Belmondo, who in turn was just ahead of Omar Khumala.

While on record their use of weapons was far less frequent when compared with the competition (only 5 instances between both pilots for the whole year), the majority of the staff and both pilots and the founder himself, saw how far the sports corruption ran. The team withdrew at the end of the year in protest, much like Auricom the year before.

Van-Uber's withdraw spurred on rumors that the team itself was very conscious of the manipulation and race fixing, but refused to play along, and their withdraw was also a form of protest, sparking further speculation that other teams, including FEISAR and Phirana would withdraw in turn as well.

Yet in spite of the corruption, Matrix himself had wished for one final attempt at a title, with Van Uber withdrawn, he transferred once again to FEISAR, as the number two pilot, replacing Carlos Bento who was the team's second pilot, which did not come without controversy.

2170 was his most competitive year. Having been a fierce rival of Daniel Johnson in prior seasons, but now a team-mate, the competition between them none the less had produced one of FEISAR's most competitive of seasons, and had a real chance of winning the championship, even with Matrix showing as he did in past teams, for his refusal to use any weapons. He as able to assist in helping the team engineer an even faster machine, and it seemed FEISAR would win the title that season with it being a coin toss between him and Daniel Johnson.

However in october, with revelations of the corruption and race fixing, this chance evaporated. With the F9000 grounded and AG racing effectively all but dead, FEISAR had taken steps to distance themselves from these events to save itself. This included Matrix's unceremonious termination of his contract to the team and all contacts severed.

In spite being fired, within a year of the end of the F9000, he formed his own company, Matrix Research and Development, with a portion of his staff including some of the very personnel dismissed or having left the likes of FEISAR, Piranha, Tigron, and G-tech systems.

While their base of operations was within the United states, his company took part in providing vehicle servicing and parts supply for reconstruction and peace keeping operations in the south pacific.

This included providing transportation services for Hamariu and assistance with helping on the reconstruction of Makana. All the while, the company continued it's own branch of AG development, the talent and abilities of personnel from the other teams, and new talent assisting in this. All the while Matrix had begun to re-establish his relationships with both Van-Uber and Auricom.

When Amateur AG racing began to resurface in the 2180s, a racing and supply unit, 'Matrix Racing' was opened to assist and support developing pilots and teams. He joined forces with Van-Uber during the Anti-gravity rebirth Festival and joined the FX150 with his own amateur team, and soon the FX-200.

The racing division was later reformed into the (Matrix) Racing and Development department during the amateur leagues, specifically to develop pilots that would later compete in the FX-300, in addition to continuing AG research for commercial use. In time they became a support amateur team to Van-Uber, and later also supporting Harimau when they joined the FX-300. With Harimau, Matrix put forth money gained from his bossiness ventures to help in the funds for their Eco-Restoration projects and AG team, in addition to his own research experience.

When it was announced that Van Uber planed to close his team at the end of the FX-300 championship, Matrix had wished to continue the team. However, Van Uber felt that given the current direction of AG racing, for him at least, a mission was complete.

However, he also stated that in the event the racing becomes more aggressive once more to the degree of what was seen during the F9000 and his days in the F7200, the name can be brought back proper to carry on the mission in full.

Matrix agreed, with this, while some personnel from the team went to FEISAR, others joined the team. Matrix bought the facilities in Germany from Van Uber to expand the company's operations.

The growing popularity of Hamariu due to their eco-research, and their eventual return, Matrix kept ties with the team with cross-research and their return to AG racing. The Eco-biofuel technology employed being a shared trait.

The team today is now known as Matrix, Racing, Research and Development, and while they were technically new to professional factory AG racing, it was also largely in part Van-Uber. For all intent and purpose, they a Van-Uber's successor team.

Thanks to their relative successes in the commercial AG department, the team had more than necessary in terms of funds and technology to run two factory teams for the FX-350 and 400.

However, they held back their own entries into the FX350 and 400 classes to create a new dual-hull craft based largely on the FX-300 while also taking notes of the old F9000, in addition to Matrix's own amateur craft and engineering experiences, to ensure their debut in the professional league would be a strong one. Not to mention making sure their pilots, knew their craft inside and out, and could pilot their crafts at the bleeding edge.

At the slight sacrifice of thrust and handling, the new model boasted a higher top end and improved shielding, the result of a larger frame built with a higher priority of durability in mind, all the while it was a bio-fueled machine. The new craft were able to place surprisingly well, making an impact on it's debut, showing other teams what they are capable of, even against the fury prototypes.

The Fury prototype undergoing testing in the FX-350 pushing the frame to it's limit, increasing the thrust even further, while boasting a higher top end to the extent of giving the fastest of teams including Icaras and Pharana something to consider. With the handling undergoing characteristics nearly identical to the FX300 and even better shielding, they intend to fight their way to the front. To leave the rest in pieces.

Pilot information to come soon.

Hmm, I have one question, does the backstory stay within the Canon?

It's more like a back story that tries to stay within canon to some extent, but takes more of a 'what-if' path. While it keeps in mind such things like Auricom's withdraw from the F9000 in 2168, and Harimau's reasons for being in AG racing to begin with. To me I had the story be more like...it could try to fill in some potential gaps, I'm not sure if it really could comfortably fit within the cannon backstory.


Which is actually one reason why I figured I'd post it here, since others who are more savvy about the series backstory, and see what everybody else thinks. That said, thanks for the comment.