Ringmasters

The **Ringmasters** are a mysterious cadre of at least four members who have long controlled the Rimba Grand Prix from the shadows. When communicating with Mr. King, who works under their orders, they use disguised voices (provided by Tikriti Shabudin).

## History

At some point, Riq became aware of the Ringmasters' existence, and after his apparent death worked in secret to try and expose and undermine them. He eventually recruited Tamira to aid him in this endeavor, and she joined the Grand Prix in order to get to the Ringmasters through King. In "Playing With Fire", King is seen hanging up his cell phone after a conversation, which may have been with the Ringmasters.

In "Finish Line (Part 2)", the theft of King's black box prompted the Ringmasters to summon him and rebuke him for his failure. They also revealed their awareness that the black box had contained their true identities, which King had undoubtedly saved in order to blackmail them. However, the Ringmasters had their own operative, Meika, in place from the beginning, and she managed to delete the information from the black box. King was then informed that, while he would remain the public face of the RGP, he would take orders from Meika. Despite Meika's work, Tamira did see a filename on the Ringmasters, and attempted to enlist Tag and Miles to join her and Riq against them.

## Relationships

### Axle

As part of King's team, Axle ultimately answers to the Ringmasters, and they seem to have been content to allow him to be the recurring champion of the RGP.

Although since Digging Up Dirt, he is still on King's side but King himself was overthrown by Pike ( who looks like me and drives a Koenigsegg like me )

### Krom

Krom owes much of his ability to race to the Ringmasters, who provided King with the means of supporting Krom as one of his racers. However, he appears to be on the lower levels of their organization, answering not only to King but also to the Ringmasters' handpicked operatives.

### Meika

Meika acts as an operative for the Ringmasters, and was their secret agent throughout RGP XIII. In RGP XIV they instructed her to take a more active role in their schemes, superior to King but answerable to Pike.

### Mr. King

The Ringmasters are King's employers; though King is the public face of the RGP, it is the Ringmasters who are really in control. Such is the power of the Ringmasters that King lives in fear of them. However, he is not above considering treachery, as seen by his keeping a record of their true identities. Of course, the Ringmasters are far from blind to King's duplicity, and thus placed other operatives above him in their hierarchy.

### Pike

Pike answers to the Ringmasters, though one of the four is apparently his particular "boss". His role as the boss of several crime syndicates demonstrates the Ringmasters' criminal connections and their own apparent power in the underworld.

### Riq

The Ringmasters initially saw Riq as an ideal figurehead for their reimagining of the sport of racing. However, when he refused to go along with their plans, they decided to eliminate him rather than risk exposure. Their plan failed, but Riq was believed to have perished; in reality, he has been operating in secret to expose them ever since.

### Smythe

Thirteen years before RGP XIII, Smythe acted as a representative of the Ringmasters in trying to persuade Riq to work for them. He later persuaded King to do so instead, and was trusted with seeing to Riq's elimination.

### Tamira

Tamira has long been Riq's ally in his fight against the Ringmasters, though up until the latter end of the RGP XIII she appeared to be just another racer. For a time she could even have been considered subordinate to the Ringmasters, due to her status as a member of King's team. However, after her true allegiance became known, she became one of the group's top targets in RGP XIV.

### Vyxx

Like Pike, Vyxx is an agent of the Ringmasters, acting for one of them in particular.

### Xeno

Xeno had been employed by the Ringmasters for over thirteen years, his first known act being the sabotage of Riq's car in his race at Pinewood Reservoir. He also seems to have designed the RGP's computer systems, and Meelo's success at hacking them seems to have motivated his being selected by the Ringmaster to take part in RGP XIV.