Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 73: Unbridled in nature

This inexplicable sense of crisis in his heart made Matsumoto Brown feel very confused. He kept questioning himself in his mind and didn't believe that he would feel "fear".

You should know that Matsumoto Brown is not only the champion of the Asia-Pacific Karting Championship, but he also took advantage of his dual nationality and received a year of Ford Formula training in Australia.

Apart from Japan, Australia is the only country in the Asia-Pacific region that has a complete Formula One racing training system. In history, it has produced a total of 17 Formula One drivers, including 4 F1 world champions.

This brilliant record is not inferior even in Europe. It can be said that Matsumoto Brown has a very solid professional foundation.

The Chinese rookie gave up 5 seconds. Why wouldn't he be afraid to agree to a game that was sure to win?

"Brown, what are you still hesitating about? Send the new Chinese people home!"

"You dare to say it's 5 seconds? It seems you really don't understand Formula One racing."

"This rookie should just go back. Staying on the track is definitely a hidden danger!"

Faced with Matsumoto Brown's hesitation, other students at the Racing Academy also urged him to accept the challenge.

At this stage, racing students are basically around 16 years old and are in a period of youthful recklessness.

They just want to watch the fun and not be afraid of trouble, and there is no suspense in this game.

Regarding this scene, the academy director Hiroki Sawano stood aside with his arms folded across his chest, watching without any intention of dissuading anyone.

Because his teaching philosophy is that he prefers the driver's personality rather than the driver's restraint!
For a professional driver, in most cases he or she does need to control his or her emotions and keep a clear and calm mind during the race.

Only in this way can you make the most rational driving judgment and avoid impulsive behavior caused by emotional interference.

But in fact, the top drivers in history are often full of arrogance and arrogance under the restrained surface. They are never good guys!
Senna, the former racing god, was famous for his fiery and aggressive driving style. He had many irrational behaviors on the track and eventually died from aggressive driving, but this did not affect his greatness and legend.

Not to mention the contemporary racing king Schumacher, who always has an aggressive personality, frequently clashes with opponents on the track, and will do anything to win.

Schumacher's response to all the negative comments from the outside world was just one sentence.

[I don’t have the ability to get along well with other drivers, because the champion is always lonely! ]

The future four-time champion Verstappen, his character can be judged from his two nicknames "Turret" and "Giant Baby".

The most classic scene in the early stage of Verstappen's career was that while competing with his opponent for the line, he threw the car directly into the curve, highlighting the fact that whoever gave way would be a grandson, and whoever didn't would be "torpedoed"!
Only the seven-time champion Hamilton's "golden left front" can compete with him in a head-to-head collision.

Hiroki Sawano's goal is not to train an excellent student, he wants to create the next F1 driver.

A driver without personality and fighting spirit is destined to never reach the highest level of racing.

"Okay, I'll race with you, and whoever loses will quit the racing academy."

The Chinese rookie's aggressive stance and the booing of his classmates left Matsumoto Brown with no choice but to accept the challenge.

Although he didn't understand why he felt a sense of crisis, theoretically this was a game that he couldn't lose. Was a Chinese rookie worthy of challenging him?
Seeing that Matsumoto Brown agreed, Sawano Hiroki said nothing and directly said to a technician in the P room: "Take Chen Xiangbei to the lounge to change into a racing suit."

"Yes, Director Sawano."

There is no doubt that when Hiroki Sawano said this, it meant that he agreed to Chen Xiangbei's request to run the track.

The Honda technician led Chen Xiangbei to the driver's lounge. The layout here was actually similar to that of the Huasai base. The only difference was that the Honda Racing Academy had prepared a set of suitable racing equipment in advance based on the driver data sent over.

From this point, we can also see that the problem with Chinese Formula One racing is not just the level of the drivers or the backwardness of the car manufacturing technology, but the backwardness of the entire competition system.

Even Huasai Sports, known as the top domestic racing school, doesn't provide customized racing suits for its trainees. Chen Xiangbei, however, isn't even considered a trainee at the Honda Racing Academy until he passes the tryout, yet he still manages to prepare a custom racing suit.

After changing into his racing gear, Sawano Hiroki glanced at Chen Xiangbei and said, "Giving up 5 seconds and quitting the racing academy are decisions you made on your own. There's no room for regret, understand?"

"clear."

Chen Xiangbei nodded in confirmation. His life motto is that you can lose, but you can't afford to lose.

"If you can win, this match will count as passing the tryout."

Hiroki Sawano never judges a driver based on his age or nationality, otherwise Takuma Sato would not have had the opportunity to join the racing academy.

Although he didn't think Chen Xiangbei had any chance of winning, he still gave him a guarantee.

The winner deserves the reward!

"Thank you."

Chen Xiangbei smiled and thanked him. Seeing that Chen Xiangbei still had a smile on his face, Sawano Hiroki's eyes showed a deep meaning.

He carefully reviewed all the practice data of the Chinese driver in the Chinese race and simulated the track using the Renault Formula on the computer. If there was no falsification of the data, Chen Xiangbei's racing talent might even surpass Sato Takuma.

That's why none of the engineers at the racing academy believed it.

But even so, 5 seconds is still an astronomical figure. As the Asia-Pacific Karting Champion, Matsumoto Brown is not that weak, and there are not many drivers of the same age who can outrun him.

Unless there is one possibility, that is, Chen Xiangbei’s ability to fight in the rain is amazing!
Racing in the rain is the time to bridge the performance gap between cars and test the absolute strength of each driver.

Why do landlubbers in F1 often fail to win the world championship? It is not only a matter of shortcomings, but also the difference in personal driving sense.

Without top-notch talent and car-following sense, it is impossible to conquer a race in the rain.

"The rules of the race are that each person laps the track three times, and the fastest lap time is taken. Matsumoto, you go first."

"Yes, Director Sawano."

Matsumoto Brown responded, then put on his helmet, got into the cockpit of the Renault Formula Car, and drove towards the starting line.

At this time, the students of the academy, just like the crew members in the F1 broadcast, sat in rows in the P room of the maintenance station, looking at the multiple screens hanging on the wall.

Compared with the simple mobile control console of Huasai Sports, the P room of Suzuka Circuit is equipped with a full set of monitoring equipment. Every bend and inspection point on the track has high-speed cameras and sensors to transmit data for direct comparison and analysis.

However, the track equipment maintenance cost is very expensive, and it will not be fully open during non-race periods like today. The dual factors of rain battle and confrontation have created a scene that is close to the competition.

After all, as a racing academy, we have to ensure the safety of students as much as possible.

Everything was ready. Race engineer and data analyst Sho Mizutani radioed Matsumoto Brown, saying, "Matsumoto, there's no warm-up lap for all-weather tires. Start when all the track lights go out."

Formula One racing tires can be broadly divided into dry tires and rain tires. Dry tires are all hot-melt slick tires and need to be preheated to the operating temperature to exert their full grip.

Rain tires are actually similar to civilian tires. They also have grooves to assist in drainage. The material is also relatively hard and does not have hot-melt properties, so there is naturally no need to warm the tires.

However, in F1 races, warm-up laps will still be conducted according to the race process.

"receive."

Matsumoto Brown's reply came from the other end of the radio.

"Get ready to run."

Following a command from race engineer Sho Mizutani, the five red indicator lights above the track began to light up one by one, until the final manual deactivation button was pressed at random intervals to prevent drivers from preemptively jumping the gun.

When the track lights went out, Matsumoto Brown released the manual clutch and stepped on the accelerator to speed up and shift up. A hissing sound came from the rear wheels of the Renault car, and the whole car body began to sway faintly.

However, this is not a high-definition close-up camera during the race, but only a high-speed camera used for monitoring the track. Coupled with the water mist raised by the rear wheel when starting, this swing cannot be seen on the transmission screen at all, and only the driver himself can see it clearly.

When the Honda students in the P room saw Matsumoto Brown start quickly, some of those close to him cheered.

You know, it is easy to make mistakes when starting in the rain. Matsumoto Brown also lacks experience in rain racing. As far as his reaction and operation at the start just now are concerned, he has fully met the qualified and even excellent standards for a novice.

But the data doesn't lie. The torque distribution diagram of the Renault racing car was immediately displayed on the monitoring computer screen.

From the torque curve, it is obvious that the force with which Matsumoto Brown stepped on the accelerator exceeded the grip of the full rain tire, and signs of slipping appeared at the moment of starting.

This is a common problem when starting in the rain. Under wet track conditions, it is difficult for drivers to grasp the optimal speed for tire grip.

If you step on the throttle too much, you will slip immediately; if you step on the throttle too little, the start will be slow.

"Director Sawano, Matsumoto is worthy of being the Asia-Pacific Karting Champion. He only had a few minor flaws during his first wet tire driving session, and he was able to quickly correct them afterwards, which shows that he has excellent driving sense!"

Sho Mizutani praised him, saying that every driver has his own standards.

For a Formula One student, you cannot expect him to achieve the perfection of an F1 driver. At least according to Sho Mizutani's evaluation criteria, Matsumoto Brown adapted quickly.

Even if there is a slight mistake in starting, it can be caught and adjusted at the first time. This response and driving skills are very strong.

Hiroki Sawano did not comment on this. He still had his arms folded across his chest, staring at the monitoring data and driving scenes on the monitor with an expressionless face.

Starting is just the beginning. To evaluate a driver's performance in the rain, you also have to look at his cornering speed.

Not every driver can master the ability to walk on the edge of loss of control!
(End of this chapter)