Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 95: It's Just a Humanoid Machine (5K)

Just as Hiroki Sawano expected, after Chen Xiangbei got the track data and the video of the driver's cornering trajectory, he immediately began to observe and learn very seriously.

For many European drivers, they have a complete formula racing system and can get access to karting for professional competition training at a young age.

Resources such as track data, line analysis, driver cornering trajectories, etc. are all readily available and are provided and guaranteed by professional racing teams.

Things that are too easy to get are often not cherished, and may even cause people to dislike them.

This is why the young European drivers that Odetto had previously come into contact with were unwilling to memorize boring track information.

But Chen Xiangbei has never had these things!
He spent his entire karting and Asian Formula Renault career in China.

It was not until the F3 level that I had the opportunity to study in Europe.

These low-level domestic racing teams cannot even gather decent team members, so where do they find professional data analysts to produce such "boring" information?

In other words, even if you want to, you can't get the detailed core data of the team, and you can only analyze it from the broadcast footage like ordinary viewers, so the effect will naturally be greatly reduced.

As a result, Chen Xiangbei relied purely on his own exploration and repeated practice to lay out many of the tracks. Many details had flaws and failed to reach the limit, thus limiting his upper limit.

During training at the Suzuka Circuit, Hiroki Sawano discovered this problem and helped him correct his habits.

Now, these track data and F1 drivers' cornering trajectory maps can enable him to adapt more perfectly to the Silverstone Circuit of this era.

The same thing, some people discard it like a piece of trash, while others treasure it like a treasure!
In the next two days, not only Chen Xiangbei, but all the new team members entered a stage of crazy learning.

The Renault European Cup will start soon. According to the contract signed with the Superdream team, Chen Xiangbei's team of technicians will take on the responsibility of adjustment and maintenance.

Apart from Liang Chi who had R&D experience, Feng Yong and Zhao Lei had only been exposed to the CFR2000 Formula before. They had never even seen a Renault racing car in reality and were almost starting from scratch.

However, Chinese maintenance technicians often have a great advantage, that is, they have extremely solid basic skills at the hardware level. They only need to understand the tuning principles of the racing car to be able to get started quickly.

Mizutani Sho is an excellent and patient data analyst. In order to develop a tacit understanding of tuning with the technician team, he overcame the verbal communication barriers and spent the whole day with Liang Chi and others, talking and gesturing, to conduct principle-level analysis and research on Renault racing cars.

In their words, to do this, you have to understand where the car should move with just one glance!
……

At this moment, in Odeto's office, he was staring at Chen Xiangbei with his eyes wide open and an incredible look.

That morning, the Chinese guy walked into his office and said that he had memorized all the track information.

To be honest, Odette didn't quite believe this. He got Chen Xiangbei's information at noon the day before yesterday, which was less than 48 hours at most. He estimated that it would be enough to just read it once. It was not that easy to remember all of it.

The reason why he mentioned three days earlier was more of a means of exerting mental pressure, creating a tense atmosphere for Chen Xiangbei to improve efficiency.

Just like when many leaders set goals, they often set them high in order to motivate their employees.

In a sense, the team leader is the leader of the team's management team, which is fundamentally different from the technical thinking of engineers!

As a result, Chen Xiangbei really described every corner data and the F1 driver's line characteristics in full, word for word, and it can be said that he achieved the accuracy of "pointing and hitting".

This scene stunned Odetto. Although he had never seen a Chinese driver, he had come into contact with many Chinese students. He knew that these Chinese people were very talented in "rote memorization" due to the influence of their learning environment.

But isn't this a bit exaggerated?
"North, how do I take the T6 curve?"

Odeto was still not giving up and asked another random question.

“Because there is a long straight ahead at Turn 6, entering the turn requires braking and steering at the same time.”

"According to Hamilton's optimal cornering line, he needs to release the brakes when approaching the center of the corner."

"Entering the corner at high speed and exiting at low speed is the fastest way to corner at Turn 6 at Silverstone!"

After listening to Chen Xiangbei's answer, Odeto did not open the information to verify the answer.

Because these data from the Silverstone circuit were also imprinted in his mind, Odette knew that Chen Xiangbei was right!

To be honest, until this moment, Odetto's impression of Chen Xiangbei was that he was a Chinese driver, and he was a bit strange. He had no special opinion of him. He was just an ordinary passerby.

It’s not that Odette has any discrimination against Chinese drivers or Asians.

If he really looked down on it, he wouldn't be working for the Super Dream Team.

It is more because Odetto is essentially an F1 team leader, and he will only contact Chen Xiangbei in the Super Dream Team under special circumstances.

This is like a university doctoral supervisor who has been dealing with college students for the past few decades. Suddenly one day he is asked to deal with elementary school students who have just enrolled. No matter how talented the students are, it is difficult to arouse their interest.

But in all these years, Odetto had never seen a newcomer who could memorize the Silverstone Circuit in less than two days!

"Zawano!"

Odette shouted out the door.

Hearing the call, Hiroki Sawano quickly walked into Odeto's office and asked, "Leader, what's going on?"

"Let's go to Silverstone now and walk the track in advance!"

The data on paper cannot fully reflect the reality, so Odette decided to take Chen Xiangbei to the Silverstone Circuit for an on-site survey in advance.

Faced with the old man Odette's sudden decision, Hiroki Sawano was somewhat surprised and stood there in a daze.

There are still ten days until the race, and Renault in this era only has one practice session, so theoretically there is still time to go to the track on Friday.

However, the obedience characteristic of the Japanese profession prevented Hiroki Sawano from raising his doubts. He nodded and went to get the keys to drive.

"Uncle Liang, where is Brother Bei going?"

Ayong, who was studying the mechanical principles of Formula One racing with Mizutani Xiang, whispered a question to Liang Chi beside him.

Liang Chi's image has changed a lot today. He is wearing a pair of reading glasses, which is rare for him. He is holding a notebook in his hand and listening to the class attentively.

The older generation of Chinese maintenance masters basically have not received professional training. Most of them learned the relevant knowledge about vehicle maintenance through practice in the form of "master-apprentice".

Although Liang Chi is better off having studied a major related to automotive engineering, there is a huge gap in theoretical knowledge between him and data engineers like Mizutani Sho who came from a top Japanese factory team.

The mechanical principles were still okay, but when it came to aerodynamics, it completely exceeded Liang Chi's cognitive scope.

For a junior formula racing car like Renault, since the team is not involved in design and production, and the application of aerodynamics is relatively low, it is enough to understand the adjustment of mechanical principles such as chassis, suspension, and gearbox.

But once it reaches the level of GP2 and F1, aerodynamic kits are used on a large scale.

If you, as the team's chief mechanic, don't even know how to adjust the downforce settings, then there is no room for you to "survive" in the paddock!

Liang Chi knew that Chen Xiangbei increased the difficulty of the negotiations in order to cultivate a top Chinese racing team in the field of Formula One.

This was also Liang Chi’s own dream!
Now that Chen Xiangbei has tried hard to open this door, Liang Chi cannot hinder him, otherwise he will be too embarrassed to stay.

As Chen Xiangbei grows, he must also make progress, even if it means putting aside his pride and studying and listening to lectures with his apprentice!
"Just concentrate on Mizutani's lecture, why are you asking so many questions?"

"I'll have you memorize some words tonight. If you don't remember them, I'll punish you!"

Liang Chi warned Ayong not to be indecisive. If he joined a professional team, he would have to follow the division of labor. It would no longer be a makeshift team like the Huasai team. Hearing his master's words, Ayong immediately looked sad and extremely regretted his words.

You should know that Liang Chi's English is very unique, completely opposite to that of normal people.

Normal people tend to learn English for daily use and are less familiar with professional words in the fields of automotive engineering or racing sports.

Liang Chi stumbles in his daily English, and his accent in conversation is comparable to that of a Japanese person. However, he is very proficient in the professional English of racing sports, thanks to his many years of professional participation.

Ayong doesn’t even have a normal level of English now, so how could he pass Liang Chi’s recitation?

On the other side, Chen Xiangbei and the other two quickly arrived at the famous Silverstone Circuit.

Silverstone in the UK can be said to be the birthplace of F1. The first F1950 race was held here as early as 1, more than half a century ago.

Silverstone was not originally built as a racing track. Instead, it was just a military airport during World War II. It was not until after the war that the Royal Automobile Club of Great Britain took over the airport and transformed it into a racing track.

Due to the long history of the Silverstone Circuit and the development of the early British automobile industry, it has also become the headquarters of F1 teams.

Within a radius of 100 kilometers, there are the headquarters of six racing teams, including McLaren, Williams, Renault, and Red Bull. The closest one is the Force India team, which only requires crossing the road to reach the Silverstone gate.

In addition, this is also a gathering place for low-level formula teams, such as ART, Carlin, Manor and other teams. Their training bases are also located near the Silverstone circuit.

It can be said that the world of Formula One cannot do without Silverstone, just as the West cannot do without Jerusalem!

Although today is not a track open day or a race day, there are still many tourists at the Silverstone Circuit. Many F1 fans and driver fans are gathered at the gate, taking photos in groups.

Entering the paddock through the team's exclusive passage, it seemed much quieter inside except for a few track staff.

At this time, Odetto took out a pen and paper from his backpack and began to say, "Bei, the F1 driver's race week schedule will be allocated an hour and a half for track walking on Thursday."

"They will conduct on-site observations to confirm whether the track conditions have changed compared to previous years. For example, which corners can be taken wider, and which kerbs have changed in height and should not be touched."

"Or perhaps during track maintenance and renovation, the organizers may have laid new asphalt in certain areas. Often, the grip on these areas will be relatively poor, and we need to consider whether the braking points need to be adjusted accordingly."

"Now let's walk around the track. I'll record the key points with pen and paper, and you'll memorize them in your mind so we can verify each other later!"

To be honest, Odetto doesn't believe that anyone can memorize the complete track information and the driver's cornering trajectory in just two days.

He had reason to suspect that Chen Xiangbei had seen this information before!
The reason is simple. Chen Xiangbei is from Honda Racing Academy, and the internal information of Super Aguri is actually shared with Honda. The Chinese newcomer can make preparations in advance.

Odetto has no doubt about the Chinese's ability to "endorse", but the situation on the track is ever-changing, and what the drivers need is on-the-spot memory and reaction.

If Chen Xiangbei can remember all the characteristics of the Silverstone Circuit after just one walk, then this kid's ability to adapt to new circuits will reach an astonishing level.

Hiroki Sawano, who was standing next to him, heard this and finally understood why Odette suddenly decided to come to Silverstone to walk on the track. It turned out that Chen Xiangbei really memorized the track in his mind.

But judging from the results, this did not bring much of a surprise to Odette, but more of an astonishment!
At this time, the corners of Hiroki Sawano's mouth rose slightly. He remembered that when he was at the Honda Racing Academy, facing Chen Xiangbei's proficiency in the Suzuka Circuit, his reaction was exactly the same as Odette's today.

It turned out that Chen Xiangbei was able to rely on his experience in the simulator to adapt to the Suzuka Circuit, which he had never run on before.

Then he can also adapt to the Silverstone circuit!

If Chen Xiangbei knew what Hiroki Sawano was thinking at this moment, he would definitely express his agreement.

For Chen Xiangbei, the Silverstone Circuit is no longer a matter of familiarity with the simulator, but rather a matter of actual experience running there.

In other words, as long as you are a formula driver, you will be familiar with the Silverstone Circuit. It is the cornerstone circuit of modern formula sports!

Although there are some minor changes in the layout of the Silverstone Circuit compared to more than a decade later, its overall framework has not changed much. How could Chen Xiangbei forget it?

If Chen Xiangbei's familiarity with the Suzuka Circuit is eight points, then his familiarity with the Silverstone Circuit is twelve points, which is also the track where every Chinese Formula One driver practices the most.

You should know that the future F2 record holder of the Silverstone Circuit is still the Chinese F1 driver Zhou Guanyu!
Without much talk, Chen Xiangbei and the other two walked along the track, while Odyssey recorded the characteristics of every corner.

After completing the 5.891-kilometer track, two hours had already passed. Without giving Chen Xiangbei any time to reminisce, Odetto immediately began "checking" the data.

There are a total of eighteen bends, and Chen Xiangbei once again described the characteristics word for word.

Not only that, Chen Xiangbei also made additional details about the height of the shoulders, the angle of the buffer zone, and the newness of the asphalt in other parts of the track.

Like a humanoid machine, he recorded the Silverstone Circuit into his brain and stored it!

After listening to Chen Xiangbei's description, Odetto swallowed hard. He had only seen this kind of ability in F1 drivers.

That is the result of thousands of simulator trainings by the most powerful genius in the world.

Just like when Hamilton signed with McLaren as a regular driver in 07, the team gave him a thousand hours of simulator tasks in addition to his daily training, which averaged to almost three hours a day.

It is precisely thanks to this extra high-intensity training that Hamilton was able to become a seven-time champion.

But Chen Xiangbei doesn't have this opportunity or this foundation. How can he remember the track?

"Zawano, is the information about Honda Racing Academy true?"

Odeto asked.

The reason why he had "no feelings" towards Chen Xiangbei was not only because he had seen too many top drivers, but also because he had seen the racing information of the Chinese newcomer.

He started karting at the age of 18. Even if he had the same talent as Sato Takuma, there would be no hope at this age, even if he entered F1!

The reason is very simple. There is no shortage of drivers of Sato Takuma's level in the F1 paddock. Their talent standards are at least at the level of championship drivers such as Massa, Webber and Barrichello. Ranking at the bottom means that they will be eliminated by newcomers after driving for a few years.

However, the track proficiency that Chen Xiangbei has demonstrated is not at the level of a rookie who has only been running for a year. Odetto suspects that the driver's information is wrong.

"reality."

After finishing his words, Sawano Hiroki added: "Leader, your doubts now are exactly the same as ours at the beginning."

Hearing this, Odetto's expression finally became serious.

He has already realized Chen Xiangbei's extraordinaryness. This kid's potential is completely inconsistent with the information!

At this moment, another group of people came onto the track. Judging from their actions, they were also walking on the track.

As the other team approached, Chen Xiangbei got a clear look at the driver in the middle. His name was Jean-Éric Vergne. He had finished second in the 09 Renault Eurocup and, the following year, had dominated the prestigious British F3 championship.
In 2012, Vergne started his F1 career in the Red Bull Racing team, and his partner was the famous "Big Teeth" Ricciardo.

That year, he lost greatly to Ricciardo in the overall qualifying round, but won slightly in the race points, which is very similar to the performance comparison between Zhou Guanyu and Bottas in 24 years.

But by the second year, Vergne was completely unable to beat Ricciardo and turned to partner with the famous "Torpedo" Kvyat.

Originally, Vergne's level was enough for him to survive in the F1 paddock, but unfortunately he was in the Red Bull team, which has always been famous for the word "killing", not to mention that he met a man named Verstappen!

Unsurprisingly, Vergne's seat was replaced by Verstappen.

However, there is always a bright future. Vergne switched to the FE Electric Formula and won the double championship in 18 and 19 with the Techeetah team.

Chen Xiangbei never expected that under such circumstances, he would meet a future F1 driver and FE champion, and that the other party would be his opponent.

(End of this chapter)