Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 77 Demonstrating Absolute Hard Power

"Watanabe-kun, is there any problem with the track monitoring equipment?"

When Matsumoto Brown asked this question, his voice trembled slightly.

To be honest, Chen Xiangbei's calm tone and confident demeanor for 5 seconds made him feel an inexplicable sense of crisis at a certain moment.

But reason and logic told Matsumoto Brown that there was no possibility of him losing.

After all, in the entire Asian region, there has only been one driver, Takuma Sato, in the past ten years. As for Kamui Kobayashi, he can only be regarded as the third driver at present.

The Chinese guy always gives up 5 seconds, do they think he has the potential to reach F1 level?
But now the lap times are right in front of him, and no matter how much Matsumoto Brown doesn't want to believe it, he can't deny this fact.

The only hope is that the track equipment malfunctions.

Faced with Matsumoto Brown's questions, Watanabe Hideo's expression was very complicated and he didn't know how to answer.

Emotionally, he naturally preferred Matsumoto Brown. After all, the two had been together for almost a month, and apart from his somewhat frivolous personality, this mixed-race driver did not have any major problems in other aspects.

After all, it is normal for a fifteen or sixteen-year-old to defeat a group of opponents and become the best among his peers and be a little youthful and frivolous.

But after testing just now, the racing monitoring equipment reported that everything was normal, which means that Chen Xiangbei did indeed run a lap time of 2 minutes 22 seconds 417.

"Matsumoto, there's no problem with the track equipment."

Sho Mizutani knew that Hideo Watanabe had a good relationship with Matsumoto Brown, and since he couldn't say it, he decided to answer it himself.

But as soon as this answer came out, there was an uproar in the P room.

"The Chinaman was ahead of Matsumoto on the first lap, how is that possible?"

"Having lost the bet, Matsumoto Brown won't really quit the racing academy, right?"

"It would be embarrassing to stay if I didn't quit, or maybe there's no need to stay any longer."

When this student spoke, the expressions on the faces of the other students became a little gloomy.

The reason why this group of new students came here for training is basically to compete for a place in the Renault Winter Tour and to be able to go to Europe to participate in higher-level competitions.

Even if Matsumoto Brown is a little stronger, he is still within their understanding. Maybe someone with higher talent will come out on top. This situation is common in karting or entry-level formula one.

However, Chen Xiangbei's lap time of 2 minutes and 22 seconds completely overturned the perception of ordinary students and reached an unbeatable level!
"Have you ever considered that Chen Xiangbei's fastest lap time could potentially break Xiaolin-kun's Renault track record?"

At this time, another student raised a question in his mind.

In order to motivate this group of students, Hiroki Sawano set the goal of breaking Kamui Kobayashi's track record. They can be said to have deeply imprinted the number 2 minutes 05 seconds in their minds.

Chen Xiangbei ran 2 minutes and 22 seconds in the first lap. According to the normal lap speed improvement, he is likely to run under 2 minutes and 20 seconds in the next two laps, which is comparable to Kamui Kobayashi's track record.

At this question, the students present looked at each other in confusion, and no one was willing to admit the answer that came to their mind.

Chen Xiangbei was still speeding on the track. He had just passed Turn 12 very dangerously, which made him run a little more conservatively on some downhill sections with serious waterlogging in this lap.

Mizutani Sho's guess was correct. Chen Xiangbei was indeed very clear about the height differences of the Suzuka Circuit and knew which uphill sections were drier and which downhill sections were wet and slippery.

He dared to take the curve at a speed of 100km/h, and he also knew that this curve was along the middle line, and there was a buffer margin from the shoulders on both sides.

However, the track was still much slipperier than Chen Xiangbei had anticipated, which was why Matsumoto Brown was so conservative and cautious on the first lap. His ultimate ability to push through Turn 12 was, in a sense, a matter of luck.

However, for Formula One racing, luck is also a form of strength.

Without Chen Xiangbei's calm and correct response, the car would not have been able to slide to the drier uphill section and regain the crucial grip at the last moment.

At this moment, the Honda P room became completely quiet. Everyone had only one thought in their mind, that is, how fast Chen Xiangbei could run in the second lap.

Hiroki Sawano stared at the wall-mounted screen, which was showing Chen Xiangbei's route at every corner.

It can be clearly seen that in this lap, Chen Xiangbei's line is more precise and smooth, and he can always find the best route to cut corners.

However, in some high-speed corners, the data showed that the top speed of the Renault car had slightly decreased.

This shows that Chen Xiangbei is using technology to exchange for speed, instead of being as aggressive as in the first lap to seek the extreme!

"Sri Lanka, this Chinese newcomer has shown his real strength."

As the race engineer, Mizutani Sho also saw the essence of Chen Xiangbei's control. He finally let go of his prejudice and couldn't help but praise him.

If we say that in the last lap, Chen Xiangbei still had uncertain "gambling" factors on many bends.

Chen Xiangbei's performance on this lap can be best described as calm. He has gradually mastered the characteristics of the rainy Suzuka Circuit, maintaining his speed while minimizing the risk of losing control.

Mizutani also noticed the perfect coordination of throttle and gear shifting in the track monitoring data, which was almost a feast for the eyes. He hadn't seen a student with such meticulous and precise control in a long time. The car's engine speed, displayed on the data graph, remained almost straight without fluctuation.

"It's really good."

Hiroki Sawano nodded in agreement. He also saw the performance of the racing monitoring data.

Under this "highly anticipated" gaze, as Chen Xiangbei once again crossed the finish line, the lap time on the computer screen stopped at 2 minutes 20 seconds.

"Nani, can this lap be improved by two seconds?"

Someone exclaimed, and the P room was instantly in an uproar.

You have to know that most students are not able to feel the exquisiteness of Chen Xiangbei's cornering and their speed is mostly judged by the maximum tail speed.

Some people believe that Chen Xiangbei's maximum speed has dropped, and even if this lap is faster, it should be within 1 second at most.

After all, improving the track lap time by 1 second is already an exaggerated number, especially since Chen Xiangbei's first lap was not slow to begin with.

As a result, Chen Xiangbei ran to 2 minutes and 20 seconds, only one step away from breaking through!
When Matsumoto Brown saw this number, his face turned pale, and his previous arrogance and frivolity were completely shattered at this moment.

He knew very well in his heart that even if he did not run off the track after the third lap, the improvement he could achieve would only be about 1 second, and he would still be crushed by Chen Xiangbei in this lap.

A 5-second lead is a gap that is enough to break a person's heart, proving that the talents and strengths of both sides are completely not on the same level.

"Director Sawano, what's my fastest lap time?"

At this moment, Chen Xiangbei's questioning voice came from Hiroki Sawano's headset.

"2 minutes, 20 seconds, 913."

Hiroki Sawano originally thought that this lap time would tell Chen Xiangbei that he could hear the other party's surprise and excitement through the headphones.

But unexpectedly, Chen Xiangbei only asked calmly, "Director Zeye, how is the stability of the car now? I plan to push it for another lap."

what?
The Honda engineers who heard this through the headset showed surprise on their faces.

Just over 2 minutes and 20 seconds, but as a newcomer, Chen Xiangbei is still not satisfied. Does he intend to push it under 2 minutes and 20 seconds?
Hiroki Sawano didn't say much about this, but just signaled the race engineer Sho Mizutani with his eyes.

"Chen Xiangbei, your car is performing fine, you can push it."

"receive."

After Chen Xiangbei answered this question, he released the call button on the steering wheel and stepped on the accelerator to speed up.

After running two laps of the Suzuka Circuit, he was able to completely match the actual conditions with the simulator map in his mind. In a sense, this ability is a necessary talent for former F1 drivers!
You should know that before the FIA ​​had a research and development budget cap, in order to ensure the balance of strength among each team, they would strictly limit F1 drivers' actual car track practice, and only allow them to drive on the track for a few days during the winter training period each year.

This has led to a large number of GP2 drivers and F1 newcomers who have actually rarely touched an F1 car, let alone trained on the track, and only have basic racing simulator experience.

But as an F1 driver, you are destined to show strength beyond ordinary people's cognition. In the few short practice sessions during the Grand Prix, you have to fully understand the performance of the car and the characteristics of the track.

Drivers who cannot do this will naturally be eliminated by the survival of the fittest and will not be able to gain a foothold in the paddock.

Chen Xiangbei trained in the same way in his previous life!
The Renault Formula car was speeding around the Suzuka Circuit. If Chen Xiangbei's first lap was aggressive, his second lap was precise.

Then the third lap is the ultimate combination of radicalism and precision!
The roar of the engine resounded through the sky, indicating that Chen Xiangbei had often reached a point close to full throttle. At this time, the most famous 130R corner of the Suzuka Circuit appeared before him.

Chen Xiangbei was a little reserved in his speed when passing this corner two laps before. After all, the track was slippery in the rain, and after the 130R corner, there was a right turn of nearly 90 degrees.

If you fail to brake at full throttle, there is a high probability that you will run off the track.

But this time, Chen Xiangbei wanted to try what it felt like to go through a 130R turn at full throttle.

"Director Zeye, the new Chinese guy is still accelerating. I think he wants to go full throttle through the 130R curve."

The racing data on the P room screen showed that Chen Xiangbei was at full throttle, and with the 130R left turn ahead, it was clear what he wanted to do.

"He wants full throttle in this rainy track environment?"

At this moment, the academy director Hiroki Sawano finally raised his doubts.

Chen Xiangbei already knew his lap time and became the winner of this bet. There was no need for him to take the risk of going full throttle through the 130R curve.

Although this curve has been modified several times to expand the buffer zone to ensure driver safety, it still cannot withstand the speed of up to 300km/h at full throttle.

Even though the Renault Formula car is much slower, with a top speed of only 260km/h, its aero downforce and mechanical downforce are still incomparable to those of an F1 car.

If he had to find a reason, Hiroki Sawano suspected that Chen Xiangbei wanted to challenge Kamui Kobayashi's track record with this lap!
(End of this chapter)