Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 115: The Blood of Chinese Drivers (Two in One)

The Renault engine roared violently. On the track, Chen Xiangbei had already stepped on the accelerator to the floor, using the extreme acceleration brought by the wake effect. He almost caught up with Mansell in front of him in an instant.

【China guy so fast? 】

Looking at the No. 13 car in the rearview mirror as it approached and gradually filled the entire mirror space, Mansell's face was full of disbelief.

He accelerated to block Chen Xiangbei's lap, clearly intending to provoke and offend him. Being the offending party, he actively provoked trouble, which, frankly, was a sign of the usual European driver's superiority complex, believing that the Chinese rookie's failure to "give way" at the start was an offense.

Don't think that this mentality is rare. In fact, even drivers who cut in line on the road often become overconfident and think that others must give way to them. They just want to win.

What's more, as the son of the "Lion King" old Mansell, how could he spoil a Chinese kid like you at his home track of Donington Park in the UK?
But although Mansell was bad, he was not stupid.

He knew that the previous unsafe release had gone unpunished because the FIA ​​had turned a blind eye. If there was another malicious obstruction of the flying lap on the track, the stewards would probably not be able to turn a blind eye any longer.

So Mansell chose to step on the accelerator to speed up and seize Chen Xiangbei's cornering line in advance to annoy him, instead of directly "drawing a dragon" on the straight to block the car. This action was a bit too obvious and could not be covered up by excuses in the post-race investigation.

But Mansell never expected that Chen Xiangbei would overtake so quickly!

After all, in the first stop of the Renault European Cup at Silverstone, Chen Xiangbei only demonstrated his single-lap speed and long-distance stability, and did not show his wonderful "wheel-to-wheel" offensive and defensive skills.

At the start of the race, facing the double-team of Costa and Magnussen, he cleverly exchanged positions and reaped the benefits.

Because of this, Mansell saw this as a symbol of Chen Xiangbei's "weakness."

A real man should defend like a lion, instead of choosing to "escape" like a coward.

As a result, he was just a little careless and did not change lanes forcefully to block the car, and was instantly caught up by the Chinese guy in the tailstream. The change was completely beyond Mansell's plan.

But he remained calm. The bend was right in front of him, the two cars had already entered the braking area, and he was in the best lane to enter the bend.

If Chen Xiangbei didn't slow down, even if the Chinese guy succeeded in overtaking, he would still run off the track due to excessive speed.

If I slow down, there won't be enough space for the two cars side by side to turn, and they will have to follow behind me and breathe in the exhaust gas.

Mansell has an absolute first-mover advantage, he just needs to keep to the cornering line!
This scene on the track was seen by James in the studio through the broadcast camera.

He initially thought it was just a normal flying lap scene of a fast car overtaking a slow car in front, but when he saw Mansell's car speeding up, he instantly realized that the situation had changed and the young British man was driving a "competitive car".

"North, the driver who was doing a flying lap on the track, was about to overtake the slower-moving Mansell in front of him. However, judging by the actions and speed changes of the car in front, it seemed Mansell wasn't going to let North pass easily."

"WOW! These two cars are side by side in the corner, refusing to give way to each other. Can driver Bei complete this difficult overtaking?"

Commentator James had just noticed the "competitive" actions of the two drivers, and the spectators in the stands had no way of realizing in advance that a common flying lap to overtake a slow car would lead to a tense confrontation scene.

"What's going on? The slow car in the speeding circle won't give way?"

A spectator muttered, whether it was the rules of the competition or the convention among the drivers.

If a slow car in front encounters a speeding car, it must give up the driving lane if conditions permit, otherwise it will face a penalty of at least three positions in the race.

"Both cars are about to enter the corner. How can Mansell give way if he doesn't have space?"

Another British fan argued that there was no room to avoid the car on the curve, so it was reasonable not to give way to the other car.

"Bullshit, Mansell was clearly accelerating on the straight, he was blocking it maliciously!"

"It's more than just malicious obstruction, it's simply malicious retaliation, and it's clearly caused by the unsafe release of the maintenance lane."

"But the problem is that the unsafe release of the trigger was caused by Mansell himself. How can he have the nerve to cry thief?"

After realizing what had happened, many of Chen Xiangbei's supporters in the stands were filled with indignation.

I've seen shameless people, but I've never seen anyone as shameless as this.

The party responsible for the unsafe release even made a provocative gesture of raising the middle finger, but Chen Xiangbei ignored it, which can be regarded as tolerant and magnanimous.

As a result, Mansell still had the nerve to refuse to give in and maliciously blocked and retaliated on the track. Was he really bullying Chen Xiangbei because he had no background or backing and was a newcomer from China?
However, the following scenes will subvert the perception of this group of viewers who are fighting for justice...

Car No. 13 and car No. 9 entered the corner side by side. Mansell's judgment was very accurate. Chen Xiangbei's current speed had reached the limit of cornering grip. He could not speed up to overtake, otherwise he would definitely run off the track.

But Chen Xiangbei didn't even think about overtaking!

The two cars were turning and cutting in the curve almost synchronously in an extremely dangerous manner. The distance between them was so close that they could clearly see the prints on each other's helmets.

Chen Xiangbei failed to get the best cornering line, but his racing tires were at the peak of grip, and he relied on the expanded cornering space on the shoulder of the road to carry it through, so much so that one could hear the sound of the car chassis rubbing against the bottom!
An even more unimaginable scene occurred. While the two cars were driving side by side at their lowest speed, Chen Xiangbei controlled the steering wheel with one hand and reached out from the cockpit with the other hand, almost touching his face and giving Mansell a middle finger.

"Mother fucker!"

Even with the helmet on and the engine roaring, it was impossible for the other person to hear what he was saying.

But this did not affect Chen Xiangbei's cordial greetings to Mansell's family.

You like giving the middle finger, right? Well, let me let you experience it now. If you have the ability, learn from me and solve the equation with one hand, then give it back!

Originally, Chen Xiangbei considered that feedback on car tuning was more important, and his shoulder muscle strain had not fully recovered.

As a result, Mansell's grandson was so arrogant that he really treated himself as a soft persimmon.

The more you endure, the angrier you get. The more you take a step back, the more you feel at a loss. Chen Xiangbei must get back at you!
"Just do it, I'm satisfied!"

In the maintenance lane, in the P room of the Super Dream Team, Odette folded his hands over his chest, his face full of relief.

If you want to be a top F1 driver, showing a strong attitude is a necessary means.

Otherwise, in the future wheel-to-wheel offensive and defensive battles for the line and cornering, your opponents will treat you as a soft persimmon that can be easily exploited.

Whether it is Senna, Schumacher, Hamilton or Verstappen, whether you agree with their behavior or not, you cannot deny that they are often notorious and feared by others.

If you plan to take advantage of the WDC (World Champion), you must think about the price you will pay in advance!
The only thing that makes Odeto feel a little regretful is that the Super Dream Team currently does not provide enough support to the drivers.

If Chen Xiangbei had no financial worries, he should have crashed into the car without braking in the maintenance lane and taught Mansell a lesson.

In some cases, "torpedoing" is the best way to make your opponent learn to think rationally!
"No, what is Chinese driver Bei doing, giving Mansell the middle finger?"

"SHIT, who gave this Chinese guy the courage to provoke the home team driver so arrogantly?"

"Mansel, fight back quickly and let him know whose territory this is!"

"The FIA ​​should record this violation and give the Chinese guy a severe penalty in the race!"

The British spectators in the stands were completely crazy, and many of them had stood up and were roaring and shouting towards the track.

In the hearts of many British car fans, "Lion King" Mansell Sr. has the same status as "Japanese Hero" Nakajima Satoru. He represents the brave and unyielding spirit of a generation.

As a result, today a Chinese newcomer openly challenged Mansell Jr. and simply did not take the home audience into consideration!
This scene reminded them of the 94 Silverstone Circuit in the UK. That year, Schumacher overtook British driver Damon Hill twice during the warm-up lap in front of hundreds of thousands of home spectators and humiliated him.

Schumacher is a seven-time champion after all. Could it be that after more than a decade, the British driver has fallen to the point where he can be bullied by Chinese newcomers?

While the British fans in the stands were confusing right and wrong, other fans who could not stand it any longer also stood up and expressed their support for Chen Xiangbei.

"Well done, Chen Xiangbei! This is the passion a driver should have!"

"That's right, on the racetrack, you should be happy with revenge. Don't be afraid, just go for it."

"To be honest, I kind of like Driver Bei now. This Chinese guy is a real man."

"North, teach Mansel what respect is!"

Various sounds echoed across the Donington Park circuit, and the battle between Chen Xiangbei and Mansell had not stopped.

When Mansell saw the Chinese guy giving him the middle finger, his eyes turned red.

When have any members of the "Lion King" family ever suffered such humiliation?

"FUCK, CHINK, YOU'RE LOOKING FOR DEATH!"

Mansell cursed angrily, then stepped on the accelerator as he came out of the corner, trying to overtake Chen Xiangbei and block him behind his car.

How could Chen Xiangbei give in at this time? He also stepped on the accelerator to the limit.

The two cars sped along on the straight after the corner. Since the power units of the standard racing cars were exactly the same, they continued to drive side by side in the corner, and neither of them could outmaneuver the other.

Soon the next turn is right in front of us, and this time Chen Xiangbei occupies the best outer line to enter the turn!

"Under these circumstances, I'm afraid Mansell would rather stick to the inside cut and have both cars run off the track than slow down in the braking zone to give Xiangbei-kun any room to take the line."

Hiroki Sawano spoke with a serious expression. He did not disagree with Chen Xiangbei's fierce counterattack, but the outcome would most likely be a lose-lose situation for both sides.

You have to know that the Donington Park circuit doesn't even have the money to widen and repair the road, so it is naturally impossible to build a spacious and flat buffer zone.

The cheapest gravel buffers used here are large, easily causing serious damage to the car's chassis. They are also small, so at high speeds, the car will likely not be able to fully decelerate and will still hit the edge of the tire wall.

Mansell's family background and connections were there, so he didn't care about crashing a Renault racing car. But Chen Xiangbei didn't have that confidence.

"Then let's rush out together. What's the problem?"

"Not slowing down means you're not afraid of death, but are you afraid of losing money?"

Odetto replied nonchalantly that lack of funds would only cause trouble to those drivers who lacked the ability.

This may have been the case before Chen Xiangbei proved himself, but after Starler announced today that he would be the Brawn GP test driver, the funding problem would soon be resolved.

Even if the foundation of Chinese Formula One racing is poor, there will still be companies that understand what it means for a junior driver to become a test driver for an F1 team. It represents the historical level of talent and potential of Asian drivers.

North, will soon highlight its commercial value!
"Captain Odeto, what I mean is..." Hiroki Sawano wanted to make an explanation, but Odeto shook his head and interrupted him.

"Zawano, no need to say anything more, let Bei show off his powerful attack."

"You have to understand one thing: if Asian drivers want to achieve good results on European racetracks, they must not be weak and conservative!"

Odetto experienced the early days of Japanese drivers competing in European formulas and he knew exactly what Hiroki Sawano wanted to express.

Hiroki Sawano has a typical Japanese way of thinking. He always likes to weigh the pros and cons and minimize the risks within a controllable range. In the long run, he will lack the determination to go all out.

The problem is that Formula One racing has never been an area that can be controlled.

You never know which will come first, the championship or the accident!
European drivers inherently look down on Asian drivers, which is why Mansell provoked them one after another.

He thought he had Chen Xiangbei in his grasp.

If you want to reverse this impression, you have to be more ruthless and aggressive than your opponent, and let him know that this Chinese guy is not to be messed with!

In the early years, European drivers would discriminate against and humiliate older Japanese drivers like Nakajima Satoru and Suzuki Aguri on the track.

Now in the European F1 paddock, there are still people who insult Ide Ariharu, Sato Takuma and others, but no one dares to control them on the track.

Why is this happening?

It is the result of the efforts of Ariharu Iide, Takuma Sato and others.

Regardless of whether the car crash was due to subjective thinking or lack of strength, the effect was achieved anyway.

What Chen Xiangbei has to do now is to label himself with a similar vicious label.

If you dare to provoke me, I will hit you!

Of course, Chen Xiangbei on the track had no idea about Odette's deeper thoughts, and he didn't even consider the compensation he would have to pay if the car crashed.

The thought in his mind was very simple, that is, Mansell, if you have the ability, don't be afraid, whoever steps on the brakes today will be the idiot!
"Oh, North and Mansell are clearly getting carried away. They both hit full throttle on the straight, seemingly betting that the other will back down at the last moment."

"Mr. Starler, do you think the Chinese driver will slow down and give way?"

James asked Staler a question. After all, compared to himself, this British investor knew Chen Xiangbei better.

In fact, James subconsciously believed that the Chinese boy would give in in the end.

There is no reason, this is a stereotype formed about Asian drivers over decades.

They cannot afford the loss of a car crash, let alone the impact on their image.

Or to put it bluntly, with the withdrawal of the Japanese factory teams, Asian drivers will have to rely on European teams for a long time to come.

Chen Xiangbei did not dare to offend the "British heroes" Mansell family and the British audience at home.

"I do not know."

Starler answered frankly that he did not know Chen Xiangbei as well as James thought.

His understanding of Chen Xiangbei all came from Zhang Zhicong's retelling, which did not include track confrontation.

But then Starler added: "James, I am very confident that he will not back down in the confrontation. Mansell will pay a heavy price for his provocation!"

Sometimes your understanding of a person can be felt from his personality.

The impression Chen Xiangbei gave to Starer was one of maturity and confidence beyond his age. Even when talking about the F1 team, this Chinese boy did not show the kind of "looking up" that most newcomers showed.

It was as if he had already determined in advance that he would become the next F1 driver.

How could a driver who is destined to enter F1 retreat from the confrontation?
If Chen Xiangbei is really so weak, he will never be able to enter the highest level of the racing world in his life!
As if to confirm Starler's words, Chen Xiangbei still maintained a tough attitude and did not slow down in the braking area of ​​the curve.

And not only that, Chen Xiangbei turned the steering wheel before entering the turn, pushing the car directly towards Mansell on the inside. He acted as if to torpedoing the car and destroying it together if you don't let it cut.

The Chinese boy's ferocious attitude was beyond Mansell's understanding.

You have to know that even in the track confrontation, Chen Xiangbei was more likely to passively counterattack after being provoked.

Now he is taking the initiative to attack and put pressure on Mansell!

Chen Xiangbei always remembers a line in the TV series "Bright Sword" about the cavalry company showdown, which goes, "When two brave men meet on a narrow road, the braver one prevails."

What he is doing now is to draw his sword towards his opponent. Whoever is afraid will lose!

No one knew whether Mansell was afraid or not, but when faced with the movement of Chen Xiangbei's car, he did not have time to think about it and instinctively turned the steering wheel.

People with bad temper and impulsive personality often find it difficult to maintain calm judgment when under the influence of anger.

If you want to become a truly top driver, you must first learn to control your emotions.

Mansell obviously did not do this. His mind was completely occupied by anger. He just wanted to crush and humiliate this Chinese guy. He had no tactical arrangements at all. He just went for it.

On the contrary, although Chen Xiangbei was working hard, he maintained basic rationality and was still thinking about how to win.

This is why, after becoming a professional racer, Chen Xiangbei is not as flamboyant as he was when he was street racing.

More often they maintain a low profile, forbearance and killing attitude!
Now Mansell's instinctive avoidance finally allowed Chen Xiangbei to have his "killing" moment.

At this time, Chen Xiangbei slowed down and squeezed out the last bit of potential from the Renault engine.

Taking advantage of the cornering space created by Mansell's steering wheel and the speed difference of several kilometers between the two, he completed a strong line and cut into the corner at the critical moment.

The rear wheel of car No. 13 almost brushed the nose of car No. 9, and the two cars intersected in the curve.

[Overtaking?]

Mansell looked at the rear wing of the car in front of him, and his mind went blank for a moment.

He could never have imagined that Chen Xiangbei would use the action of changing lanes and crashing into the car to "scare" him into giving him a tiny space to avoid the car, and then complete the ultimate curve.

Are Chinese drivers’ judgment of cornering lines really so accurate?
At this point, there was no time to think of an answer for Mansell.

The reason is simple, his center of corner speed is too fast, pushing the head to the inside to steer is of no use, the only thing he can do is to slam on the brakes.

With a heavy brake, all four tires of car No. 9 locked up, and a cloud of green smoke rose from the friction on the track.

But even so, Mansell's car still rushed towards the buffer zone of the track uncontrollably like an ice skate.

Compared to the smoke from the friction between the tires and the road, the dust and gravel kicked up was even more aerosol. The narrow runway couldn't hold back the car's speed of over 200 kilometers per hour, and Mansell crashed directly into the tire wall at the edge, instantly shredding the fiberglass shell.

Chen Xiangbei's situation was equally thrilling. Although he managed to overtake by downshifting and accelerating, he also made a curve-cutting move in the extreme space.

But his speed has reached the Renault racing car's limit of 260km/h!

With this kind of amazing speed, ordinary racing cars simply can't hold onto the ground unless they encounter the full-throttle 130R curve at the Suzuka Circuit.

There is no doubt that any skill is futile at speeds beyond the physical limits of grip.

One tire of Chen Xiangbei's car completely crossed the curb and directly pressed into the track buffer zone. However, compared to the gravel on Mansell's side, this side was just an ordinary grass buffer zone.

Even if the grass and mud are blown up, at least it can provide a certain amount of grip for the tires, and prevent the car from skidding and getting stuck in the buffer zone.

Using a method that could be described as "cutting a watermelon", Chen Xiangbei forced the car back onto the track, leaving only a deep rut on the grass.

"OH MY GOD, Mansell lost control and crashed into the tire wall. Judging from the broadcast footage alone, the car was severely damaged. I wonder what the driver's current condition is."

"The Renault race has already issued a red flag and all cars will return to the pits to await further instructions. Let's pray for Mansell that he is okay."

"In addition, Chinese driver Bei didn't flinch during the on-track battle. He capitalized on Mansell's mistake and created a stunning overtaking scene. Monitoring data showed that Bei's cornering speed reached 260km/h, which is the limit of the Renault car's performance!"

"I have to admit, the intelligence and driving skills displayed by Bei are astonishing. Even though I've been commentating on Formula One races for over ten years, I've never seen such a powerful overtaking turn!"

Track commentator James was completely shocked. He simply couldn't imagine that this was the level of performance a junior Formula One driver could achieve.

Not to mention how difficult it is to overtake and turn, if Chen Xiangbei makes the slightest mistake during the operation, the two cars may collide directly in the corner.

This kind of control over speed and distance is unique!

"Bei actually didn't lose control. How did the Chinese driver manage to successfully cut a corner at such extreme speed?"

"Full throttle overtaking and cutting corners, is Driver Bei really that strong?"

"See? This is the strength of the Chinese drivers you underestimated!"

"Thrill, all the talented youngsters in Europe! Chen Xiangbei is the real genius driver!"

"Chen Xiangbei is awesome!"

The audience in the stands was simply crazy. On the track, a driver's strength will always earn him respect.

Even though many people here were still criticizing Mansell a few minutes ago, thinking that the Chinese kid was courting death by daring to provoke him, they couldn't help but express their praise and amazement as Chen Xiangbei's extreme cornering operation was demonstrated.

Of course, the most excited people here are the Chinese audiences.

Initially, they supported Chinese drivers out of sentimentality.

Now it seems that there is no need for any sentimentality, and we can justifiably say that Chen Xiangbei is awesome.

Not only is he not afraid of any European driver, he also has the strong power to defeat his opponents!
(End of this chapter)