Disclaimer
This blog post is a work of fan-fiction based on Wipeout. All rights reserved to Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Background
It is being debated regarding Auricom's performance in the FX300 and FX400 leagues. But everyone agrees that Auricom have never enjoyed success during those leagues. Their new emphasis on top speed and durability, first introduced in the F9000 League, seems to have given them more trouble than help, especially during the FX300 League, where racetracks were pretty technical. This, combined with the rise of Triakis, has left Auricom with dire uncertainty in their AG racing program.
The Auricom team were muted in their preparation for the FX400 League. Not much was known about their FX400 entry, other than that the entry was unusually late. Their reluctance to reveal their pre-season data to the AG Racing Commission led the public to question Auricom as a worthy contender, accusing the American team of being unable to stomach the competition. Their FX400 League campaign turned out to be a rough ride. Being late in the league has apparently left Auricom with too much to do. Not even their abundance of resources could help them achieve their best performance so far, let alone catch up with their longtime rivals Qirex.
The Mishap
Year 2220, Talon's Junction, Great Britain. In the aftermath of FEISAR's shock withdrawal from the FX400 League, everyone was worrying about whether or not Auricom would end up like FEISAR. Yet, it appears that the Auricom team were confident enough that they still got it. So as to say, it was resources that made a difference between the two teams. Unlike FEISAR, who had problems with their diminishing pilot roster due to defections, Auricom still had many pilots in reserve in their roster. Moreover, Auricom's FX400 craft was much more competitive than FEISAR's FX400 craft, whose outstanding maneuverability was good for nothing only because of its pathetic top speed.
Nonetheless, it remains to be seen from the American team. The race was on! What happened to Auricom? Why didn't they even start? The thrusters on the Auricom craft failed, forcing the team to retire from the race. Too bad Auricom now still had a long, long way to go. They had to forgo the next few rounds so they had time to solve the problem with the thrusters.
Year 2220, Tech De Ra, USA. Finally, Auricom returned to the league, having installed a new set of thrusters on their craft. And still, Auricom were confident enough that they would finish the race. Besides, they had the home advantage, because Tech De Ra is located in their home country.
So, what else could have been worse? The race was on! Auricom boost-started and jumped into the lead before the first chicane, only to violently slam into the side wall on the second turn of the chicane. The thrusters could not stop, and the airbrakes were jammed! Once again, Auricom had to retire from the race. Sadly, however, Auricom had to skip the rest of the season. No points for the Auricom team in the 2220 season!
The Revelation
The Auricom team spent months figuring out why all of these happened. It was alleged that this could be an act of sabotage. Unfortunately, there was nothing known about it, leading to the Auricom team accusing Qirex of the sabotage. However, the AG Racing Commission got the words about the accusation, resulting instead in the ten-year suspension of Auricom from the commission on the charges of bad faith by making false accusations against another team.
It was only during the 2221 season of the FX400 League when the AG Racing Commission discovered from an unknown party a race-fixing scheme, conducted by Harimau and Mirage in their attempt to gain results after years of underperformance. This scheme included indiscriminate acts of sabotage against other teams. As a result, both Harimau and Mirage were terminated from the commission, as neither of the teams were able to respond to the findings from the commission.
Aftermath
Although the sabotage problem was solved, Auricom could not do anything to compete in the FX400 League. As a result, Auricom announced their withdrawal from the AG Racing Commission in protest of the suspension penalty, which they deemed "unfair, and ridiculously long". However, per the policy of the commission, any member party under suspension is not allowed to opt for voluntary termination of membership. This seals the uncertainty of the American team for the rest of the time. But of course, Auricom cannot afford to wait for ten years so they can match up against their bitter rivals, Qirex.
Team Profile
Full Name: Auricom Research Industries
Year Founded: 2046
Country of Origin: United States of America
First Appearance: Anti-Gravity Racing Championship
Most Recent Appearance: FX400 Anti-Gravity Racing League
Number of Podium Finishes: 1,024
Number of Race Wins: 308
Number of Team Championships: 8; latest was the 2168 season of the F9000 League
Number of Pilot Championships: 8; latest was by Pascale Rouser in the 2168 season of the F9000 League
Rivals: Qirex (arch-rivals), Tigron (from the F9000 League and on); Triakis (from the FX300 League and on)