Imagine a new WipEout team....

[billychanxtr33m]

first of all, this thread is amazing and there are way too many great things to give kudos to in one post so to everyone.

here is my go at making a team, hope you like it.

team name: Cumulonimbus
team location: nunavut province, canada
motto: we bring the thunder
ship stats:

speed- 9 / fury- 9
thrust- 9 / fury- 9.5
handling- 6 / fury- 6
shield- 7 / fury- 7.5

founded: 2223
backstory:

team cumulonimbus is the brainchild of two men, Ezekiel Danielson and Marsellus Riemer. Ezekiel was once a military contractor but left his job to pursue ag racing full time. he made huge waves when he raced in the FXA350 amateur league with his own team, "danielson racing." though usually populated by wealthy hobbyists and retired professionals, the amateur leagues are an important sector for ag racing. this is because it is a prime testing ground for new tracks and weapon systems for the professional leagues. danielson racing was a prime supplier of new weapons, and mr. danielson made a name for himself by having most of his innovative weapon systems banned from sanctioned races. such banned weapons include: the DRJ-A5 (auto pilot disrupter), a sticky targeted missile, which would confuse an enemy ship's subsequent auto pilot systems and frequently send these ships off track, the DRJ-AG2 (grav flipper) which sent out a small range signal which would confuse the orientation protocol of the ag systems in other ships; this would cause enemy ships to flip upside down, causing their disoriented pilots to frequently fly off track, and the notorious DRD-AG4K (grav disrupter) which would disable the anti-gravity systems of nearby ships much like the infamous grav bomb from the f9000 league. unlike the grav bomb however, ships hit with the AG4K would maintain their current velocity, often resulting in effected ships flying off track. these weapons were banned not only because of the danger they posed to pilots, but also the fact that mr. danielson would often have countermeasures for these weapons on his personal ship.

with large profits from race earnings and endorsements, Ezekiel Danielson bought some stock in the FXA350 league. his brash personality and constant butting of heads with other owners made him loathed among amateur league executives. that, and the fact that he continued to race, which was generally viewed as improper and shady to say the least. when danielson refused to have his shares bought out, he was eventually banned from ownership and racing by the FXA350 league interests committee. not long afterward, ezekiel was involved in a near fatal accident in a non-sanctioned ag race. though he was initially paralyzed from the neck down, spinal/nervous reconstructive surgery was mostly successful and he was able to walk and have full body movement again. unfortunately, his slightly reduced mobility meant that he would never race again.

mr. danielson knew that the only way he would be able to participate in ag racing now was in management. because he had been banned from amateur racing, ezekiel figured there would be no better way to stick it to that organization than to field a winning team in the professional league. what he needed now was massive financial backing. he found it in Marsellus Riemer.

riemer realestate is the largest housing builder in the americas. they are most famous for their ag housing complexes. completely disconnected from the outside world, the astronomic costs to maintain such a building make these the homes of only the most wealthy customers. riemer had a passion for ag racing and tons of money, just what danielson was looking for. it wasnt hard for ezekiel to convince riemer to come on board. danielson was already known and popular among ag racing fans so he was the perfect figure head for the new team which was dubbed cumulonimbus, because danielson wanted to roll into professional ag racing like an ominous storm. team RD and headquarters were set up in a secluded area of northern canada. the cold weather made extensive ship system testing possible, while still being in mainland north america made development supplies readily accessible.

with several years of development and still no official ship specs released, people have began to wonder if cumulonimbus will really field an ag racer in the near future. after a few financial backers left the project, some people felt that cumulonimbus was falling apart before it had even began racing. this perceived tension was heightened with the release of an interview with ezekiel danielson in a recent issue of ag weekly. in the article, he said of riemer quote: "he has more money than sense" and that he was "disturbingly easy to manipulate." riemer, known for his easy going and jolly nature, just laughed it off saying: "thats zeek for you." danielson, not surprisingly, wouldnt back down from his comments.

despite the turmoil, whispers of a race ready ship being tested have flooded the datanets again. the air of secrecy around the facility (loving known by fans as area 51) has led to these kinds of rumors before. however, the fact that the team has begun filling out official entrant paperwork with the racing league has really started to ramp up the hype for a new team.