Isaiah Washington is a hover car racer from the U.S. attending the International Race School.
History[]
Hover Car Racer[]
Born and raised in the United States, Isaiah Washington obtained his own racing-class hover car - which he named the Black Bullet - and participated in numerous races, eventually winning a regional championship, and with it an invitation to study at the International Race School in Hobart, Australia.
At the end of the entrance assembly, Washington was informed that he and his team would be undertaking classes under former racer Scott Syracuse. During the first lesson in the Pit Lane, Washington met the other racers under Syracuse's tutelage, Horatio Wong and Jason Chaser, and gave the latter a dismissive glance before the teams were all put through grueling hours of physics lessons and pit lane practice. After the lessons, as the drivers were headed to the dining hall, Washington complained to Wong about having been pinned for a pit bay violation (pointing out that you never saw it in pro races) and claiming Syracuse hadn't even been a great racer, with both of the older boys excluding Jason from the conversation before sitting at a table of similarly-aged racers.
As the School's racing season began, Washington fared well in Race 1, ultimately finishing in fourth place. Washington eventually won at least one of the races between Race 2 and Race 22, allowing him to qualify for the Sponsors' Tournament that year, and by the end of Race 15, he was placed fifth on the school championship ladder. Later, during a practice race as part of Syracuse's lessons, Washington and Wong were surprised when Jason skipped his last pit stop, but both managed to overtake him at the last second when Jason's magneto drives lost all power, and though Wong beat Washington by 0.3 seconds, the American was pleased to have finished so strongly.
On the day where the cancelled Race 24 would have taken place, Washington and Wong both feigned illness in order to avoid having to attend another of Syracuse's lessons. By Lap 11 of Race 25, Washington was in second place behind Varishna Krishna, pursued closely by Xavier Xonora and Jason, but during Lap 16, Xavier and Jason both risked using the shortcut and ended up much closer to Washington and Krishna. When Jason skipped the last pit stop once again, Washington and the others set out to pursue him, but he and Krishna balked at the shortcut and chose not to try follow Xavier, effectively leaving them to fight it out for third place.
The day before the Sponsors' Tournament began, Washington once again faked an illness in order to have a rest day before the Tournmanent. Washington faced Takeshi in the first round of match racing, and upon defeating him proceeded to Round 2. In the second-round match against Jason, Washington managed to take the lead when a couple of mishaps in the pit bay caused Jason's Argonaut to experience mechanical issues that barely kept him on Washington's tail. Jason struggled to keep up for the remaining laps while running low on coolant, but Washington, unaware of his opponent's problems, ultimately gave up the chase and pitted, affording Jason the chance to win and move on to the next round.
When Washington when over to Jason's pit bay to congratulate him, he happened to see his tarantula's readout, which showed that Jason had been severely low on coolant and power in his magneto drives. Astounded and annoyed to realise that he had given up just before Jason had, Washington questioned how Jason had learned to keep his nerve as he had, to which the younger racer revealed that Syracuse had taught him in the class that Washington had missed the previous day. Demanding to know what exactly Syracuse had said, Jason allowed their mentor to answer, to which Syracuse replied to Washington, "Never give up".
Washington continued on racing in the school championship following the Tournament, and on at least one occassion had dinner with Zoroastro to discuss a potential alliance with his students to improve his own standing. By the time Chaser returned from Italy, Washington had reached third place on the championship ladder following Lap 40. Some races later, at the end of Race 49, Washington was still in third place overall on the school championship ladder, and he had earned enough points to put himself in contention for the third or fourth placed spot, and with it one of the the final two invitations to the New York Challenger Race, provided that the results in the final race went in his favour.
During Race 50, Washington was a part of the pack leading the race, and was in fourth place for several laps before being passed by Ariel Piper. On Lap 41, Jason - needing to get ahead of the American racer to avoid elimination - began harrying Washington. After a pit stop, Xavier feigned car trouble and intentionally blocked Jason to put distance between him and Barnaby, and Washington zoomed forward, not bothering to slow down as he aiming for the Argonaut's tailfin, which had been a fear of Jason's since Italy. Before a collision could occur, the black prince darted off with Jason and Washington in pursuit. Despite Washington's efforts, he was unable to pass Jason before the next elimination at the end of Lap 42, thus finishing in sixth place. Unfortunately for Washington, his placement in the race - plus the final placings for Ariel and Jason - meant that he dropped down from his third-place position on the championship ladder down to sixth.
Personality[]
While he is just as determined to win at all costs, unlike his stablemate Wong, Washington is more gracious about losing (though he was annoyed to learn that he had given up at a crucial moment where he could have in fact beaten Jason during their match in the Sponsors' Tournament).
Skills[]
- Expert Driver / Pilot: As seems to be standard practice for anyone wishing to learn how to drive a hover car, Washington is capable of piloting the aviation-type hover car. Washington is a talented driver, easily capable of performing aerial feats and maneuvers that in the present day are only known to pilots of fighter jets. His skills were sufficient enough to earn himself sixth place in the school year's racing tournament.
Equipment[]
- Black Bullet: Washington's personal hover car, which he drove throughout his time attending the International Race School.
- Team Washington Racing Uniform: Like all racers, Washington has a racing uniform, comprised of a crash helmet, leather gloves and boots, and racing overalls, all coloured and patterned in Washington's colours of choice.
- Pit Tarantula: A standard piece of equipment for hover car racers, this machine aids in pit bay maintenance during races, which Washington's mech chief managed during pit stops to keep their team's car in top working order by replacing worn or damaged parts, as well as refilling coolant.
Trivia[]
- Since Ariel Piper won the South-East regionals of the U.S., it can be assumed that Washington won a different regional to be able to get into the Racing School in the same year.