Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 89 Honda Official Driver Contract (5K)

"Director Zeye, we won. Xiangbei-kun won by hooping!"

Sho Mizutani clenched his fists excitedly and shouted to Hiroki Sawano.

To be honest, for an automobile giant like Honda, what kind of championship have their team members not seen?

In the racing academy alone there are former F1, Super Formula and Super GT drivers.

The status of an entry-level Formula One tour like Renault is not even as high as that of a race winner. In theory, it will not have much impact on Honda team members who are used to big events.

But Sho Mizutani couldn't suppress his excitement, because what he saw was not a Renault Tour champion, but a rising star in the Asian racing world!

Not to mention the professional racing team members, even the two Fuji TV hosts had expressions of shock on their faces.

After the Chinese newcomer Chen Xiangbei finished the 1.5 laps, not only did he overtake the drivers in the back row, but even Oshima Kazuya, who was in second place, was left behind by half a minute, averaging seconds per lap!
Even though there are various obstacles to fighting and overtaking, it still proves Chen Xiangbei's ability to leave others far behind in long-distance races.

Don't forget that Oshima Kazuya is eligible to participate in the Japan Super Endurance Race. In a sense, he has broken away from the category of pure "youth training" drivers and has reached the second-rate to first-rate strength in the formal professional driver echelon.

Chen Xiangbei is still an eighteen-year-old student!

"Wonderful! This race was fantastic. Not only did we witness the birth of the Renault Winter Tour champion, but we might even witness the emergence of an Asian talent."

Shinji Tanaka commented with emotion that the last time he had this feeling was in 01 when he was commentating on the British F3 race of Takuma Sato.

If Europe is known as the strongest region in Formula One by region, then the UK can definitely be called the "Crown Jewel".

Not only is there a complete formula system here, but also a complete set of formula racing car R&D and testing technology. Basically, most F1 team headquarters are located in the UK.

This means that in the national formula events, the British championship has the highest gold content, no doubt about it!

Takuma Sato dominated the British F3 event that year and won the annual championship title. His winning rate was as high as that of the early racing god Ayrton Senna.

It was precisely because of his achievements in British F3 that Takuma Sato skipped GP2 and entered F1 as a regular driver the following year.

A part-time worker who only started karting at the age of 19, bought a kart with his own salary and received training, and was able to miraculously skip a grade in the field of Formula One. This impression left a deep impression on Shinji Tanaka.

So much so that when he looks at Chen Xiangbei now, he feels the same as Sato Takuma back then!
"Indeed, Xiang Beijun's performance was impeccable."

Nakajima Hideyuki echoed this. Even though he had some doubts about Chen Xiangbei before and believed that the revelations were almost true, he was now conquered by the track results.

"Champion! Champion! Brother Xiangbei is the champion!"

In the audience, Qin Qiuyu jumped up and cheered excitedly. Liang Chi and Qin Lianjie, standing next to her, looked at her without making any movement, one pretending to be deep and the other looking surprised.

Of course, Liang Chi was the one pretending to be profound. Although he was very excited inside, as an elder and a senior in the industry, he couldn't lose face in front of the two juniors and act as if he had never seen such a big scene!

As for Qin Lianjie, he was completely overwhelmed by his sister. Why was this little girl so excited?
On the track, Chen Xiangbei greeted applause and cheers as he headed towards the podium at the Suzuka Circuit. Although this was just an unrecorded tour race, it was still a championship, and the proper awards ceremony still had to take place.

Chen Xiangbei parked the Renault car in front of a sign with the number "1" printed on it. Members of the Honda racing team had already walked out of the P room, waiting to cheer and celebrate with the driver.

Coming out of the cockpit at the track, Chen Xiangbei opened his arms and walked towards the team members in the crowd, and everyone gave him a tight hug.

"Xiang Beijun, congratulations, you got a ticket to Europe!"

"Xiangbei-kun, you are one step closer to your dream."

"Come on, Chen Xiangbei, I believe you will become an F1 driver in the future!"

“The Suzuka Circuit record will be the next legend!”

The Honda team members excitedly congratulated Chen Xiangbei. Except for Hiroki Sawano, it can be said that no one among them was optimistic about Chen Xiangbei at the beginning. They believed that there were problems with the Chinese driver's racing data and it was even more impossible for him to achieve good results in Japan.

Now they are convinced and have witnessed the rise of a genius!
"Thank you, thank you, I will try my best."

Chen Xiangbei replied with a smile. In this kind of atmosphere, even if he felt that a small champion didn't need to make a big fuss, he still couldn't help being infected by the words.

The road that I didn’t complete in my previous life will be walked again in this life, and I will stand at the top!
When the Japanese media outside the blocking line saw Chen Xiangbei coming, they all raised their microphones to ask questions.

"Student Chen Xiangbei, what are your thoughts on winning the championship?"

"Xiang Beijun, as far as I know, China Huasai has closed down. How did they train someone as talented as you?"

"Competitor Chen Xiangbei, the European Cup is known as the strongest Formula One region. Do you think you can successfully establish yourself?"

All kinds of questions came to him, and for a moment Chen Xiangbei didn't know how to answer.

But at this moment, a microphone was placed directly in front of him, almost stuffed into his mouth.

When Chen Xiangbei was still wondering which grandson was so uncultured, he heard familiar Japanese English.

"Chen Xiangbei, first of all, congratulations on winning the competition and breaking Xiaolin-kun's track record."

"Do you feel lucky about that?"

Lucky?

Faced with this adjective, Chen Xiangbei looked over and saw that it was indeed Fuji TV reporter Hiroaki Sekawa, whom he had interviewed in the maintenance tunnel before.

"Do you think you can win races and break course records by luck?"

Chen Xiangbei did not answer directly, but asked a question in return.

Sensing Chen Xiangbei's displeased tone, Shichuan Yuzhao immediately struck while the iron was hot and asked, "If it comes down to strength, contestant Chen Xiangbei, do you think you are better than Kobayashi-kun?"

When this question comes up, it is really difficult for ordinary drivers to answer it.

Say he is stronger than Kamui Kobayashi, but the opponent is a new generation of talented teenager in Japan, and it is at Suzuka, Japan's home court, so we have to give him three points.

This is just like when you are being interviewed at the Yanjing Bird's Nest, and you boast after winning a small championship, thinking that you are better than Liu Xiang and Yao Ming.

But the problem is that if he says he is weak, Chen Xiangbei is absolutely unwilling to admit his pride and confidence as a driver.

In this case, it is better to follow your heart and say: "At least I am stronger than Kamui Kobayashi at that time."

Kamui Kobayashi has now reached the threshold of F1, but Chen Xiangbei believes that he is still a little short of it.

But Chen Xiangbei is absolutely confident that he can defeat Kamui Kobayashi, who set the record at the Suzuka Circuit that year!
As soon as these words were spoken, they were broadcast throughout the Suzuka Circuit through the live broadcast, causing an uproar among the audience.

Kamui Kobayashi is currently a symbol of the Japanese racing world and is considered to be the next talented teenager to enter F1.

Chen Xiangbei just won a small championship in a qualifying competition, so is he so arrogant?
The Japanese audience at the scene were originally applauding and congratulating out of courtesy, but now they were completely furious.

"Why should a Chinese newcomer be compared with Kobayashi-kun? Does he really think he can make it to F1?"

“I doubt whether I can even reach GP2. I can only say that ignorance is bliss.”

"I guess I'm a little cocky after winning the championship. It's normal to be young and frivolous."

"Young? He's already eighteen!"

It may be the last audience complaint that gave Yuaki Saekawa the inspiration to ask the question.

He immediately asked, "Contestant Chen Xiangbei, since you are so confident, do you think you can become the next Sato Takuma?"

Hearing this question, Chen Xiangbei shook his head in front of the camera.

Just when everyone thought that he had some idea in his mind and felt that he could not compare with a historical genius like Sato Takuma, he shook his head to deny it.

Chen Xiangbei’s answer once again made people see the “arrogance” of Chinese newcomers!
"I won't be the next Sato Takuma. There is only one Chen Xiangbei in the world, and I will write my own legend!"

It is indeed a miracle that Takuma Sato can enter F1, but Chen Xiangbei will not be anyone's second, he will only be his own first.

"Xiang Beijun, you are so confident."

Seeing Chen Xiangbei say this, even Hiroaki Saekawa, who was determined to make big news, couldn't help but sigh.

"I don't have the confidence to be a driver."

The post-race interview came to an abrupt end here. The staff of the Japan Automobile Federation came over and told Chen Xiangbei that he would go up to the podium for the award ceremony.

When Chen Xiangbei stepped onto the podium, second place winner Kazuya Oshima and third place winner Takuma Kimura were already waiting there, both with complicated expressions on their faces.

In this race, they just thought they would lose, but they never imagined they would lose so badly, which completely overturned their perception of the strength of Chinese drivers.

After a brief handshake and a few pleasantries, the PA system announced silence for the audience. Next up was the podium for the national anthem. Standing atop the highest podium, awaiting the anthem, Chen Xiangbei noticed that many Japanese spectators had already stood up and left.

Honestly, a win by a foreign driver in a low-level race like this still struggles to gain the approval of the home crowd, who often leave immediately after watching the race. Furthermore, Chen Xiangbei's post-race interview, in a sense, touches upon the fragile hearts and pride of automotive powerhouses.

A country with a shaky automobile industry and a near-zero racing system actually boasted that it did not take the two top Japanese drivers seriously. They were too lazy to even look at Chen Xiangbei's boasting as a winner.

However, Chen Xiangbei didn't care about these things. He knew very well that racing was a world where the strong were respected.

Senna's "violent temper", Schumacher's "unscrupulousness", Hamilton's "hypocrite", Verstappen's "giant baby", none of them can be called a perfect good person.

But so what?
When I stand on the highest podium, I will be surrounded by fans from all over the world and there will be great scholars debating for me.

What's more, Chen Xiangbei felt that he was not arrogant, he was just stating the facts.

After the award ceremony, there was no champagne toast. On the one hand, the level of the event was too high and it was not so grand. On the other hand, Takuma Kimura was not yet an adult.

Chen Xiangbei walked towards the maintenance tunnel with the trophy. When he stood on the podium, he actually saw Liang Chi, Qin Lianjie and the others there. However, because the process was not yet completed, he did not greet them and waited.

"Uncle Liang, how is it, is it okay?"

Chen Xiangbei said this while handing the trophy to Liang Chi with a smile.

"It's ok."

Liang Chi glanced at the trophy, and there was also an unconcealable smile on his face.

"Xiangbei, congratulations, the next step is to head to Europe!"

Qin Lianjie opened his arms and hugged Chen Xiangbei. There have been only a handful of Chinese Formula One drivers who have been able to travel to Europe in the past decade. This is definitely something to be proud of.

"Yes, wait for the Renault race in March."

"Try hard to keep it up, Europe is the real tough battle!"

Liang Chi added at this time. Although he knew that Chen Xiangbei was emotionally stable and unlikely to become proud, complacent or lazy, he still couldn't help but give him a warning.

Indeed, Europe is the gathering place of the world's geniuses.

After a few simple congratulations, Chen Xiangbei prepared to return to the racing academy. Winning the championship was just a starting point for him, and he needed to rely on this title to push forward his goals and plans.

Just as Chen Xiangbei turned around, Qin Qiuyu's voice was heard.

"Brother Xiangbei, come on!"

【Brother Xiangbei?】

Chen Xiangbei was a little surprised by the sudden change of address. It seemed that after she realized the difference between professional and amateur, the little girl became much more honest.

"Ah."

After waving his hand, Chen Xiangbei left.

……

After returning to the Honda Racing Academy, Chen Xiangbei naturally changed out of his racing suit first.

The half-hour qualifying session plus the nearly fifty-minute race had already put him in a more intense competition than any of his previous practice sessions. Even though the track temperature was close to zero degrees, his racing suit was soaked through with sweat.

Without the high-intensity physical training during this period, Chen Xiangbei might not have been able to run the entire race.

At the same time, Chen Xiangbei was also vaguely worried. Although the Renault car's top speed was 260km/h, it looked similar to the F1 track's top speed of about 340km/h.

In fact, due to the gap between aerodynamic layout and mechanical grip, the cornering speeds of the two are very different.

The lateral G-force pressure it brings is also completely on a different level!
Again, when it comes to straight-line top speed, you don't need a Formula One car at all. If you floor the accelerator in any performance car, the top speed will be pretty much the same.

The pressure of the curve is the real pressure.

The efficiency of my own physical training to enhance my fitness is no longer able to keep up with the upgrading speed of Formula One events, and I am afraid that my body will not be able to bear it by then.

After taking a shower and changing his clothes, Sawano Hiroki came to the driver's lounge at noon. When he saw Chen Xiangbei, he said, "Principal Nakajima has something he wants to discuss with you. Shall we go over now?"

"Ah."

Chen Xiangbei nodded. Even if Nakajima Satoru didn't look for him, he would still take the initiative to go over and talk to him about some things.

"It may be related to the driver's contract. You'd better think carefully about the contract."

Hiroki Sawano spoke up as a reminder.

Chen Xiangbei won the Renault Tour Championship and got a place to go to Europe to participate in the main competition. Naturally, he could no longer be a student at a racing academy. He had to at least be promoted to a Honda youth training driver.

Or you can go a step further and join Honda's European racing division and become a formal driver!

A driver's contract is not a simple student contract. It involves sponsorship and commercial sharing, and many terms are relatively complicated.

Although Hiroki Sawano was an employee of the Honda Group and theoretically should have prioritized the company's interests, Chen Xiangbei was only eighteen years old and his business experience was naturally not comparable to that of a large group.

Once a contract is signed, if you want to regret it later, the cost of breach of contract will be very high!
"Thank you. I understand."

Chen Xiangbei thanked him. Director Zeye was on a different side, and it was very nice of him to remind him like this.

Turning around and going upstairs to the principal's office, Nakajima Satoru was still reviewing Chen Xiangbei's race video on the computer. Top F1 drivers like them can better see the driver's strength and potential from the video.

Furthermore, it will definitely increase the signing value of Chen Xiangbei.

"Xiangbei, congratulations on winning the race, you ran very well!"

Nakajima Satoru first expressed his congratulations to Chen Xiangbei.

"Thank you, Principal Nakajima."

"Come, sit down first."

Nakajima Satoru gestured and took out a sample contract from the drawer.

"To the north, you have secured a place in the Renault Winter Tour, which means you will be heading to Europe to compete soon."

"The previous student contract only stipulated the training content, but was completely blank about the rights and responsibilities in international competitions. Now, I have prepared a formal Honda driver contract for you, so that Honda Racing can provide better technical support when you compete overseas."

"You can take a look at the contract first."

After saying that, Nakajima Satoru handed over the contract template.

Official driver contract?

To be honest, this contract was somewhat beyond Chen Xiangbei's expectations.

The biggest difference between youth drivers and regular drivers is that they still don't receive a base salary or sponsorship share. Furthermore, some less skilled drivers have to shoulder some of the costs of repairing their cars.

Otherwise, if a car crashes at the start of a race, even Honda, a big company, cannot afford such a turmoil.

But it is different for official drivers. Regardless of their specific strength, Honda has to pay them a basic salary, even if it is a symbolic $1.

At the same time, the official drivers do not have to bear any responsibility for any damage to the car. If there is a huge accident, they will just terminate the contract and leave. At least they will not owe the team money.

Chen Xiangbei had signed a driver contract in his previous life and was basically familiar with the contents, but he still opened the sample of Honda's driver contract to see what the treatment was like in the Japanese big group.

There is no description of salary in the template. It is estimated that the quotes are segmented based on the differences of each driver.

In terms of commercial revenue sharing, the team will receive 30% of any personal sponsorship of the driver's racing jersey, and a 50-50 split of any racing advertising sponsorship the driver brings to the team.

Then there are the team's rights to use the driver's image, the number of sponsor events and team promotional events they must attend, and so on.

To be honest, this template contract is not too shady. Basically, the overall profit is split about 50-50.

Remember, the client is Honda, and its size puts them in a dominant position relative to the drivers. A 50/50 split is already considered generous. Many small private teams often come up with 70/30 contracts, with incredibly high liquidated damages!

Theoretically, Chen Xiangbei could have signed the contract, but he had other plans in mind. After taking a quick look at it, he closed the contract template.

"Principal Nakajima, I have some other ideas about this contract."

(End of this chapter)