Varishna Krishna is a hover car racer from India studying at the International Race School.
History[]
Hover Car Racer[]
Born and raised in India, Varishna Krishna obtained his own racing-class hover car - which he named the Calcutta-IV - 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.
As the School's racing season began, Krishna fared well, winning 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 third on the school championship ladder.
By Lap 11 of Race 25, Krishna was in the lead, pursued closely by Isaiah Washington, Xavier Xonora and Jason Chaser. During Lap 16, however, 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, Krishna and the others set out to pursue him, but he and Washington balked at the shortcut and chose not to try follow Xavier, effectively leaving them to fight it out for third place.
When the Sponsors' Tournament began, Krishna faced Morialta in the first round of match racing, and upon defeating him proceeded to Round 2, were he faced off against and defeated Joaquin Cortez. For the Semi-Finals, Krishna was matched up against Xavier Xonora, the best racer in the school. After 10 laps, Krishna experienced problems with two of his magneto drives, and despite a quick pit stop to replace them, Xavier was quick to take advantage, lapping Krishna within a few more laps and causing the Indian racer to be eliminated. After the match, Krishna's mech chief, Darius, reported that all of their magneto drives had been fully charged before the match, and further investigating led the pair to discover a portable microwave transmitter in the pit bay near their stock of magneto drives.
Suspecting sabotage, and considering that Xavier's stablemate, Barnaby Becker, was due to race Jason in the next match, Krishna decided to give Jason a heads up. After informing Jason and Sally McDuff about the possible sabotage and his suspicions, Jason thanked Krishna, while also expressing surprise that he cared. The amused Krishna assured Jason that he, among others, enjoyed watching Jason racing hard despite the odds often being against him, and that it was time the young racer knew he had a friend at the School. Krishna's warning turned out to be valid, and thanks to him, Sally decided to turn on their pit bay's camera, which caught Barnaby's navigator, Guido Moralez, placing a microwave transmitter near their drives. This footage was presented to the Tournament officials, who disqualified Barnaby for cheating, allowing Jason to move on to the final.
Krishna continued on racing in the school championship following the Tournament, and by the time Jason returned from Italy, Krishna had reached second place on the championship ladder following Race 40. Some races later, at the end of Race 49, Krishna was still in second place overall on the school championship ladder, and while there was no way he could earn enough points in the final race to usurp Xavier, Krishna was still more than 10 points ahead of the next-placed racer, ensuring he would finish second in the school championship and earn one of the four invitations to participate in the New York Challenger Race.
During Race 50, Krishna was a part of the pack leading the race, and was in third place for much of the race, just behind Barnaby and Xavier. Following the pit stop of Lap 41, Xavier lagged behind to try to sabotage Jason's chances of catching up to Barnaby, allowing Krishna to move into second. As the racers pitted one final time on Lap 48, Krishna was confused when the school's power grid completely cut out mid-stop, but as he witnessed Jason and his brother aid Sally in operating a manual pit stop, Krishna opted to help Darius finish their pit stop. Once he was done, Krishna set off again, this time behind Ariel Piper, who managed to take first place ahead of the Indian racer.
As expected, Krishna's efforts throughout the year resulted in his second-place ranking for the school championship, and at the end-of-year presentation dinner, Krishna and the other three racers who had won the invitations to the Challenger Race were called onstage by the acting principal to be congratulated on their efforts.
Krishna soon made his way to New York to participate in the Challenger, and once the race began, Krishna found himself in a chase pack pursuing the race's leaders, Xavier and Jason. On Lap 3, however, the twin Russian racers Igor and Vladimir Krotsky ganged up on Praveen Chandra and forced him into a sideways lateral skid, leaving Chandra a huge obstacle. As Zhang Lao collided with Chandra's car, Krishna - who was boxed in by two other racers - had no opening to maneuver himself out of the way, and so quickly ejected himself and his navigator from the Calcutta-IV moments before impact.
Personality[]
Krishna is unlike many of the racers of the International Race School that Jason Chaser interacted with, as he genuinely enjoys racing against worthy rivals, as he assured Jason that he and other racers liked watching his efforts and that he considered him a friend. Krishna dislikes any form of subterfuge, which led him to warn Jason and his team of the sabotage he'd suffered and to be wary of Zoroastro's pupils.
Skills[]
- Expert Driver / Pilot: As seems to be standard practice for anyone wishing to learn how to drive a hover car, Krishna is capable of piloting the aviation-type hover car. Krishna 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 talents as a racer won him second place in the Race School championship, marking him as a high-tier racer.
- Capable Mechanic: Krishna has some ability as a competent mechanic, as seen during Race 50 when he aided his mech chief in a manual pit stop to expedite the process following a power outage, despite his team's evident lack of practise for such events.
Equipment[]
- Calcutta-IV: Krishna's personal hover car, which he used to participate in the numerous races at the International Race School. During his run in the New York Challenger, however, a series of catastrophic events caught the Calcutta-IV in its wake, and Krishna was forced to eject from his car as it collided with numerous others, and became little more than a pile of scrap.
- Team Krishna Racing Uniform: Like all racers, Krishna has a racing uniform, comprised of a crash helmet, leather gloves and boots, and racing overalls, all coloured and patterned in Krishna'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 Krishna's mech chief - Darius - 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[]
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