Car Racing without Money-Chapter 131 - 94: Virtually a Human Machine

"Now let’s take a lap around the track. I’ll record the features with pen and paper during the process, while you have to memorize them in your mind, and later we’ll compare notes!"

To be honest, Odetto doesn’t believe anyone can memorize the complete track data and driver cornering paths in just two days.

He has reason to suspect that Chen Xiangbei had seen this information before!

The reason is simple: Chen Xiangbei is from the Honda Racing Academy, and the internal data of Super Aguri is actually shared with Honda. The new Chinese driver could have prepared in advance.

Odetto doesn’t doubt the Chinese ability to "memorize," but the situations on the track are ever-changing. What drivers need is on-the-spot memory and reaction.

If Chen Xiangbei can memorize the features of the Silverstone Circuit after just one lap, his adaptability to new tracks will reach a staggering level.

Sawano Hiroyuki, standing beside, understood why Odetto suddenly decided to walk the Silverstone Circuit. It turns out Chen Xiangbei had truly memorized the track.

However, from the results, it wasn’t joy for Odetto, more like astonishment!

At this moment, Sawano Hiroyuki’s mouth slightly curled up. He recalled how, back at the Honda Racing Academy, he reacted the same way as Odetto did today upon witnessing Chen Xiangbei’s familiarity with the Suzuka Circuit.

It was proven that Chen Xiangbei could rely on simulator experience to adapt to the Suzuka Circuit, which he had never driven before.

He would surely be able to adapt to Silverstone Circuit as well!

If Chen Xiangbei could know Sawano Hiroyuki’s inner thoughts at this moment, he would surely agree.

For Chen Xiangbei, Silverstone Circuit was not just a simulator acquaintance, but he had real driving experience there.

Or you could say that as long as one is a formula driver, there is no way for Silverstone Circuit to be unfamiliar. It is the cornerstone circuit of modern formula racing!

Although the layout of Silverstone Circuit would change in detail over the next decade, its overall framework would not change much. How could Chen Xiangbei forget?

If Chen Xiangbei’s familiarity with Suzuka Circuit is eight out of ten, then his familiarity with Silverstone Circuit is twelve out of ten, which is also the track practiced most by every Chinese formula driver.

You must know that the future Silverstone Circuit F2 record holder is still the Chinese F1 driver Zhou Guanyu!

Without much speech, Chen Xiangbei and the others walked along the track, while Odyssey recorded every corner feature.

After finishing the 5.891 km track, two hours had passed. Odetto didn’t give Chen Xiangbei any time to recall, immediately starting the data "reconciliation."

The entire eighteen corners were described by Chen Xiangbei word for word without missing a detail.

Moreover, he even supplemented additional information about the height of the kerbs elsewhere on the track, the angle of the buffer zones, and the age of the asphalt.

It was as if a human machine had engraved Silverstone Circuit into his brain!

After listening to Chen Xiangbei’s description, Odetto swallowed hard; he had only seen such ability in F1 drivers.

This is the result of tens of thousands of simulation training sessions, achieved by the world’s most capable geniuses.

Just like when Hamilton signed with McLaren in ’07 to become an official driver, the team added an extra thousand hours of simulator tasks on top of his daily training, averaging almost three hours a day. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

It was through such additional intensive training that Hamilton became a seven-time champion.

But Chen Xiangbei didn’t have this opportunity, nor the foundation. How did he manage to memorize the track?

"Sawano, is the Honda Racing Academy’s information accurate?"

Odetto asked.

His indifference towards Chen Xiangbei was not only because he had seen too many top drivers but also after reviewing the racing profile of the new Chinese driver.

Starting to learn karting at 18, even with talents on par with Sato Takuma, this age hardly promises much future, even if he enters F1!

The reason is simple: the F1 Paddock doesn’t lack drivers like Sato Takuma; their standard for talent is the level of a title contender like Masa, Weber, or Barrichello. Those further down the rankings are just filling seats until a newbie replaces them.

But the track proficiency shown by Chen Xiangbei now is far beyond what a rookie with only a year of experience would exhibit. Odetto doubted whether the driver information was incorrect.

"Accurate."

Sawano Hiroyuki added after saying this, "Team leader, your doubts are exactly the same as ours were back then."

Hearing this, Odetto’s expression finally turned serious.

He realized Chen Xiangbei’s extraordinariness; this kid’s potential doesn’t match his profile at all!

Just then, another group of people appeared on the track. From their actions, it was clear they were also walking the track.

As they approached, Chen Xiangbei spotted the face of the driver in the middle; his name was Jean Eric Vergne, the runner-up in the 2009 Renault European Cup, and the following year he won the championship in the UK’s most prestigious F3 event with dominating superiority!

In 2012, Vergne began his F1 career with the Red Bull Junior Team, partnering with the famous "Big Jaw" Ricardo.

He was defeated in qualifying by Ricardo that year but slightly won in the race points, much like Zhou Guanyu and Bottas’ performance comparison in 2024.

But in the second year, Vergne could not compete with Ricardo at all and instead partnered with the famous "Torpedo" Kvyat.

Although Vergne had the ability to compete in the F1 Paddock, it was a shame he was with Red Bull Racing Team, known for "cutthroat" tactics, especially after encountering Verstappen!

Without suspense, Vergne’s seat was taken by Verstappen.

However, when one door closes, another one opens. Vergne switched to FE electric formula and won the double championship in 2018 and 2019 with the Techeetah Team.

Chen Xiangbei did not expect to encounter a future F1 driver and FE champion in such a situation, and the other party was also his competitor.