F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 20 The Future Is Not Always Smooth

Following Zhou Guanyu's undefeated record in the NCJ-B category in 2010, Shu Long, who barely met the age requirement to move up to the next category the following year, achieved the same feat with almost no effort.

According to the strict competition rules, Shulong should have met the requirements for promotion in 2012, but the lower groups could no longer withstand the torment of this monster.

Having won the overall individual championship in two national-level grand prix competitions, Shu Xiong finally had some confidence to confront his father.

Of course, the so-called showdown was just a formality. Old Master Shu is not senile. How could he not have noticed the slightest sign after all these years?

This time, it's just a matter of putting everything on the table and clarifying things.

Even so, Mr. Shu's attitude toward whether or not he would support Shu Long's racing career remained ambiguous.

As a father, Shu Xiong only needed to believe in his son with passion and dreams, but as the actual controlling shareholder of the company, Mr. Shu had many more things to consider.

It wasn't until Shu Long achieved outstanding results in the entrance exam for junior high school and was admitted to the best junior high school in the area that Grandpa Shu finally breathed a sigh of relief and allowed the couple to take Shu Long abroad during the summer vacation to see for themselves whether he could really make up his mind to continue down this path.

Now they only have one question: where to go?

A closer option is Japan, where the racing culture is much more developed than in China, and the various Grand Prix series started earlier and have a higher overall level.

The Gulf Coastline of the Metropolitan Expressway is considered a racing mecca by most underground racers, and many racing enthusiasts may even consider it more worthwhile than many internationally renowned racetracks.

However, if Shu Long sets his sights on Formula One racing, then Japan is not a good choice.

Many children have likely been asked this question by their elders during their childhood: "What university do you want to go to when you grow up?"

Many people have probably given the same answer: "Tsinghua University and Peking University!"

Adults often find this both funny and frustrating, because these children may not know that there is no university in the world called "Tsinghua University" or "Peking University"—they are two completely different schools. But what the children all know is that they want the best.

Children may gradually realize their own limitations as they grow up and develop a sense of self-awareness, but ultimately they spend their entire lives pursuing what is best for them.

In recent years, Shu Xiong has consulted Shu Long more than once about the racing goals he wants to develop in the future. F1 is just too ambitious, and sometimes even he himself has lost the courage he had when he supported Shu Long Karting.

Yes, the country hasn't produced an official F1 driver in so many years, so why should such a good thing fall into our lap?

Sometimes I think, wouldn't it be great to be able to drive in an international touring car race?
However, Shu Long, who had always been pushed by his father to pursue a racing career, had his own ideas.

"I want to drive an F1 car."

In terms of vehicle type, everyone may have their own aesthetic preferences. But from my most sincere opinion, I actually prefer motorhomes with a complete body shell to the skeletal design of Formula cars.

From the perspective of the entertainment value of the race, drifting in a rally is more eye-catching, while grip-based racing often leaves outsiders confused.

When he gets tired of doing laps, Shu Long often changes to a set of old tires and drifts around his own track.

This is what handsome people pursue, and there's nothing wrong with that.

From a driving perspective, drifting is a wild art, but its tolerance for error in handling varies greatly, making it difficult to learn but easy to master.

But, but!
Once driving becomes all about speed, even minor imperfections that affect speed can easily become the trigger that ignites road rage in Shulong.

Formula cars may not be the most visually appealing, but they have a high speed limit, allowing them to push the tires to their limits rather than being hampered by a heavy chassis.

The grip running method is the opposite; it's easy to learn but difficult to master. Riding a small bike around a track for a short while is also called grip running.

But keeping tires constantly on the verge of performance limits and loss of control is a delicate art that challenges one's entire senses at all times. It has no glamorous exterior, but contains an even more insane essence.

For Shu Long, a nice RV is fine for fun to drive around in. But what if he were to race it on a track? Well, Shu Long might actually start arguing with the vehicle he's sitting in right in the driver's seat.
Of course, the design structure of Formula One racing cars, which allows for a clearer understanding of tire conditions, is also a very important factor that attracted Shulong.

Racing drivers all admire speed. Once they start driving Formula One cars, ambitious drivers naturally have their own "Tsinghua and Peking University" in mind. Before they realize their own level, who wouldn't want to sit in the cockpit of F1?
Although Japan has a relatively mature Formula One racing system, it cannot be denied that F1, one of the world's three major sporting events, is still a circle controlled by Europeans.

Going to Japan might lower the barrier to entry into Formula racing, but even if you win championships here, you're unlikely to gain recognition from the European racing scene, which would be equivalent to wasting several years of your life.

Therefore, without a doubt, if the goal is to find a platform that is closest to F1, Europe is almost the only option.

"That kid of yours, the one you raced against for two years! His name is Zhou Guanyu, right? Where did he go? Do you want to give him a call and ask?"

"Britain has joined a 'Strawberry' team in Sheffield."

"Have you asked how it is there? Would you like to go racing with them?"

The information Zhou Guanyu revealed over the phone was naturally positive: the Strawberry Racing team is one of the top teams in the UK, and is a strong contender for the team championship almost every year.

If Formula 1 is considered a European-dominated field globally, then for Europe, it's practically a British-dominated field. Not only did the industry start earlier, but many of the major racing teams' factories are now located in the UK.

In this place where top racing drivers gather, Zhou Guanyu, an outsider, quickly gained recognition in a predominantly white racing team based on his skills, and this year he has started to represent the team as a key player in local races.

Developing in the UK might indeed bring them into the sights of major racing teams sooner, and Zhou Guanyu has extended invitations to Shulong more than once.

However, from a rational perspective, if one wants to go further in racing, the traditional idea of ​​sticking together for mutual support must be abandoned as soon as possible.

The hunting grounds are a far more brutal world than nature. There are only so many resources in total, and the only way to gain a foothold in them is to devour all your rivals, skin and bones.

However, during a casual conversation with Zhang Xin, Zhou Guanyu's mother revealed some key information: the KZ2 Karting World Championship will be held in Italy in a few days, making it an ideal place to experience the racing atmosphere there.

The luggage was simple, consisting of only a change of clothes and a set of racing gear; the family traveled light.

Like most college students, Zhang Xin has a decent academic background, but her English proficiency is only so-so, basically at the level of being able to have simple daily conversations.

Shu Xiong didn't graduate from high school.

Fortunately, Shu Long, the son, is very reliable. From a few days ago until he boarded the plane, he carried a crash course booklet in Italian and studied it at the last minute. Now, it is said that he can complete a certain amount of daily communication without any problems.

This system is truly excellent; it takes a long-term view of issues. Now you know why a driver's most important ability is [language proficiency], right?
You probably already know what's going to happen next.

That's right! It is—

[Extreme Career Assistance System]

Name: Shu Long

Age: 12 years old; Occupation: [Professional race car driver (karting)], [Elementary school student: 100%]

Permanent Passive: [Strong Body and Healthy Body]: A healthy body is the foundation of everything. How can you stand at the pinnacle of a field without a good body? (The host obtains a body that can reach the theoretical limits of human physical qualities. It is gradually liberated as the host ages. Specialized training can specialize in the corresponding entries.)

3D:

[Bone and muscle strength: 34%]

[Endurance Tolerance: 63%]

[Neural reflexes, recruitment speed: 95%]

ability:

[Friction Control]: You have an extremely keen sense of friction. (Hopefully, this will be used for good.)
[Language Proficiency]: Significantly accelerates the speed of understanding and learning different languages. (Now you know how good I am, right?)

【Photographic memory: 85%】: (The literal meaning needs no explanation.)
【Sharp Eyes】: Even at high speeds, it possesses an extremely clear and wide field of vision, instantly integrating surrounding information and movements (What? You don't expect this name to help you fight monsters, do you?).
-
After five years of training and honing its skills in various competitions, the surface properties of the dragon have also been greatly enhanced.

The only worry is her height; she's only a little over 155cm tall.

Because of this, the fitness enthusiast, Xiong, didn't dare to do too much strength training with his son on weekdays. However, the special training to enhance reaction ability seemed to be quite effective, and the "eagle eyes" attribute finally reached 100% unlock.

These terms can already exhibit some of their characteristics before they are fully unlocked, and after they are fully unlocked, they can undergo a complete transformation.

How exactly does it work?

First of all, he has an extremely exaggerated dynamic vision. Even when Shu Long is trying to concentrate, he can see a sense of stillness when watching cartoons.

It's no longer the smooth action scenes of the past; instead, it's more like the fast-flipping comic books we played with as kids, where you can clearly feel the process of each image appearing one by one.

During the race, Shu Long only needs to slightly tilt his head and glance around to memorize the positions and dynamics of all the drivers in front, behind, left, and right.

It's like having a god's-eye view. Even without a systematic attack and defense strategy, with the whole map and the answer provided, how could you not copy it?

This guy really opened up!
Shu Long does not deny this, but what he can't understand is why his game accounts are banned every time he plays a game.

What, does using cheats outside the computer count as cheating?

After a computer game called CrossFire became popular in our class, Shu Long actually played it for a while as well.

At first, it was alright. Apart from the fact that the graphics weren't very smooth, the shooting element was undeniably attractive to boys, and everyone knows that. As a little pastime after driving practice every day, Shulong had a pretty good time playing it.

However, as his physical stats improved and he unlocked the "Eagle Eyes" ability, Shu Long's gaming style changed to running around the map with big strides, lacking movement skills, awareness, and aiming, but he could still kill the opponent with an AK shot the moment they showed their face.

What else could this be but a cheat?
From his own number, to his parents' number, and later even borrowing his grandfather's ID card to get another number.

But without exception, the outcome was that they were passively forced to quit internet addiction.
Upon landing in Italy, the family of three headed straight to Sarno, but due to misjudging the travel time, they had already missed the qualifying and preliminary rounds.

Fortunately, the hotels near the Naples circuit have excellent facilities, so we finally had a place to stay.

One advantage here is that most of the teams and participating drivers gather nearby, which gives Shu Long and his team many opportunities to contact the teams.

These clubs come from all sorts of countries, but they can generally communicate in English.

Then a strange scene unfolded: an Asian-looking family of three weaved through a group of white people, with the little child in the middle handling most of the negotiations.

It feels a bit strange, but fortunately, most of the people gathered here are unconventional.

Originally, Shu Long and his team needed to distinguish the different convoys based on the clothes these people wore in order to negotiate with them. However, later on, many mechanics or team leaders gathered around as if they were just watching a spectacle.

“Tell your mother that our club is currently full of drivers, and this is also related to the points competition. You can’t just get into the team by paying money.”

Shu Long turned and translated for his mother. This wasn't the first club to refuse their request, and Zhang Xin's expression had long since become numb.

"Didn't you tell them that you've already won the individual championship several times in a row in China?"

Shu Long had already said that.

But it's clear that, although they didn't say it outright, given the status of the domestic racing industry here, this championship is practically meaningless.

Aside from one team leader in a bright green uniform, who immediately asked, "Do you know 'Guanyou'?"

Zhou Guanyu didn't come because he wasn't old enough before the start of this season, but as one of the top karting teams, the Strawberry Racing Team naturally wouldn't miss such a racing event.

Shu Long has no intention of joining "Strawberry" (a racing team). Their skin color and background may seem like obstacles in their racing careers now, but they might become advantages in the future.

Capitalists are not willing to have more people taking a slice of their existing pie, but they certainly don't mind making the pie bigger.

Whether it's Shu Long or Zhou Guanyu, if they step onto the international stage, they represent a potential market worth over a billion yuan that is still untapped. This means that during this period, regardless of their past friendship, the two are likely to become the most direct competitors.

Fortunately, Zhou Guanyu seemed to be well-liked by the Strawberry Racing Team. Although the Shu Long family had made it clear that they would not join the club, the enthusiastic team leader did not mind explaining the club's operating rules and, most importantly, the prices to them.

Signing a driver does not mean that the team has to pay the driver a salary; on the contrary, the driver has to pay the team a full service fee.

Back in China, because they were club members, and Shu Xiong was a very good mechanic, while Shu Long was a well-known brand, the average cost per game was only around six or seven thousand.

However, here, the service fee paid to the team for a single race is on average 100,000 RMB, the registration fee for participating in the race is more than 10,000 RMB, and if you want to hire some good coaches, the cost of a single race can be as high as 300,000 to 400,000 RMB.

There's one thing to note!
Unlike domestic clubs that are enthusiastic about getting as many customers as possible, here even if you pay money, they won't treat you like royalty. If your performance isn't good, they'll not only take your money but also give you a severe dressing down.

So, you can't just be criticized whenever you want. They might be like those clubs mentioned earlier; if they don't have the ability, they won't even give you the chance to be criticized.

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(End of this chapter)