Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 54 Driving Formula Again

"Xiangbei-kun, you want to drive the CFR2000 Formula?"

Ito Masaharu asked again in a surprised tone. In all the years he had been engaged in driver training, he had never seen a new driver who skipped karting and went directly to driving a Formula One car.

"Well, I want to drive a CFR2000 Formula car."

Chen Xiangbei nodded in confirmation. Since age is his biggest disadvantage in the eyes of the outside world, he should not waste time on karting. Sometimes he should show his true "talent".

"Xiangbei-kun, you might not understand. Although Formula One and karting are both regulated vehicles, they are essentially..."

Masaharu Ito believed that as a complete newcomer, Chen Xiangbei might have some misunderstandings about the equation, and planned to help him carefully analyze the difference between the two.

But halfway through his words, Chen Xiangbei shook his head and interrupted, "Ito, there's a Chinese saying, 'You'll know whether it's a mule or a horse by taking it out for a walk.'"

"The CFR2000 Formula One car isn't much more difficult to drive than a Super Kart, considering its power-to-weight ratio. Plus, this is a training track, so it's safe enough for one person to drive. Why don't you let me give it a try before I draw any conclusions?"

Whether a car is fast or not does not only depend on the engine power, but also on the weight of the entire vehicle. The number after dividing the two is called the thrust-to-weight ratio.

Although the Super Kart is only equipped with a 250CC engine and has a horsepower of less than 200, its thrust-to-weight ratio is surprisingly high thanks to its vehicle mass of about kilograms.

In comparison, the CFR2000 has a horsepower of 220, but weighs 550 kg. In terms of thrust-to-weight ratio, the two are actually comparable.

This means that you can drive a super kart as well as a Huasai Formula.

But the problem is that Chen Xiangbei, the newcomer, can he drive the super kart well?
Masaharu Ito was skeptical about this, but it was difficult for him to refuse Chen Xiangbei's insistence, so he could only look at Zhang Zhicong, the president of Huasai.

After all, this is the Huasai Sports Racing Base in Donghai, and Zhang Zhicong is the one with the decision-making power.

"Lao Liang, can you directly master Formula One just based on your simulator experience?"

Facing Ito Masaharu's inquiring gaze, Zhang Zhicong asked Liang Chi beside him.

"I heard there are precedents abroad, but I haven't seen any."

Liang Chi replied, but he also didn't dare to make a guarantee.

In professional competitions, there have indeed been simulator players from abroad who have transformed into professional drivers.

However, those were mostly GT races, and their professional-grade simulators were very different from the home versions. Chen Xiangbei's so-called simulator experience was theoretically useless.

"Well, how about letting Xiangbei give it a try?"

Zhang Zhicong was a little undecided. Chen Xiangbei's request was really unrealistic.

"Let's give it a try. Since Huasai is going to go bankrupt anyway, we might as well give it a try."

"To put it another way, before you've seen it, can you believe that this guy can beat Han Han on the track?"

Liang Chi's next words touched upon Zhang Zhicong's inner hesitation.

I have indeed witnessed the birth of a miracle in Chen Xiangbei, so why can't I believe it again?

After making the decision, Zhang Zhicong leaned over and said, "Ito, warm up and debug the CFR2000 now. Use this car for practice."

After finishing his words, Zhang Zhicong looked at Chen Xiangbei and added, "Driving a Formula One car is quite dangerous. You must wear a full set of protective gear before getting in the car. We have racing suits and helmets in stock in the lounge. Go change into them first."

If driving an entry-level kart like KZ3, Chen Xiangbei would only need to wear a helmet.

However, when driving a standard formula car like CFR2000, even when practicing on a closed track, a full set of protective measures must be taken to ensure the driver's safety in unexpected situations.

"Xiangbei, follow me."

At this time, Lu Xiaoman, who was standing next to them, took over and led Chen Xiangbei to the driver's lounge.

The lounge at a typical racing academy is similar to the players' lounges you see on TV. It's a shared area with rows of wardrobes for storing personal racing gear, such as helmets, gloves, racing suits, racing shoes, and so on.

If you can reach the level of an F1 driver, the lounge will be like an independent box, and will be equipped with furniture such as sofas and beds to provide a comfortable environment for the driver.

In his early years, James Hunt, a famous F1 playboy, was involved in many romantic scandals with racing girls in the lounge, which was later made into a movie called "Rush".

"Xiangbei, how tall and how much are you?"

Lu Xiaoman asked. On the one hand, she was helping him find a suitable racing suit, and on the other hand, she had to understand the driver's data and information as she had multiple responsibilities.

"Height 175 cm, weight 67 kg."

"Not bad, the figure is pretty standard."

As Lu Xiaoman spoke, she looked Chen Xiangbei up and down, making him feel very uncomfortable.

"Engineer Liang said you were an emotionless racing machine. I actually think that's quite amusing."

The reason why Lu Xiaoman was curious about Chen Xiangbei and wanted to play tricks on him was because of Liang Chi's evaluation of him.

An emotionless racing machine.

If this word is used in other industries, it may have a derogatory connotation, but for a driver, it is definitely the highest praise.

Only by fully optimizing technology, psychology and investment can we achieve the stability and precision of a "machine".

After Lu Xiaoman finished speaking, she helped Chen Xiangbei find a racing suit from the warehouse. Since it wasn't custom-made, it was just a makeshift one, but it was better than nothing.

After getting dressed, Chen Xiangbei and Lu Xiaoman walked out of the hall. At this time, the CFR2000 had completed the oil preheating and was being pushed to the track parking area by the technicians.

Seeing Chen Xiangbei come out, Ito Masaharu said with a writing tablet, "The Huasai Base is a shared track for karting and Formula One. It's 3.7 kilometers long and has 15 turns, 9 of which are sharp."

"The current ambient temperature is 12°C and the ground temperature is 8°C, which means the tire temperature rises slowly and requires a long time to warm up. During driving, special attention should be paid to the changes in grip in corners."

Masaharu Ito introduced the track and environmental information to Chen Xiangbei, but did not "teach" him how to drive because of his novice status.

The biggest difference between Formula One and other events is that the race engineers tend to be pure assistants, and how to drive is entirely decided by the drivers themselves.

Because there are only a few dozen higher-level formula drivers, especially at the F1 level, in the world, and they are so good that no one can teach them how to drive.

"Well, what's the track record?"

Chen Xiangbei asked casually, saying that it would be easier to surpass something if you have a reference.

"The course record is 1 minute 27 seconds, set by youth academy member Zhang Zhendong, who was the CKC annual champion two years ago."

Zhang Zhendong?
Hearing this familiar name, a smile appeared on Chen Xiangbei's lips. The four-time CTCC champion in later generations was still somewhat well-known. He didn't expect that the first track record he was going to break would be his.

"I see."

Chen Xiangbei nodded and sat in the CFR2000 cockpit, lying in a semi-reclining position.

At this moment, Liang Chi came over and said, "Boy, don't be so stubborn. Take your time to adapt and don't think about the track record!"

Liang Chi heard Chen Xiangbei asking about the track records. According to this kid's character, he would not do anything meaningless, so he must have some thoughts in this regard.

The track record of 1 minute and 27 seconds converts to an average speed of about 150km/h.

Even if the closed track has more protective measures, it still cannot withstand such an exaggerated speed. To use the words that Chen Xiangbei often warned Fatty Wang, Liang Chi was afraid that this kid would really die if he tried to risk his life!
　Thanks to Lzennnnh and I am a beet for the rewards. Thanks to all the brothers for voting and reading support.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)