Car Racing without Money-Chapter 149 - 100: Breaking Prejudice and Doubt
According to his judgment based on experience, the pole position record should be around 1 minute 57.8 seconds. After all, surpassing or even coming close to Schumacher’s lap record is very, very difficult for a historical level super genius like him.
For a rookie driver from China like Chen Xiangbei, racing on a European circuit for the first time, getting into 1 minute 59 seconds would be quite good, about 1 second slower than pole position, which has been the common level of Chinese drivers competing in Europe in the past.
"The hope is indeed slim."
Staler nodded in agreement.
He actually had another speculation, which was whether the appearance of Chen Xiangbei was Zhang Zhicong desperately trying to find a remedy in crisis, hastily introducing a Chinese driver to Europe, attempting to achieve results to restore the reputation of Huasi Sports.
After all, the negative impact of the wheel coming off during the CFR2000 at the F1 Chinese Grand Prix was too great, and some public relations measures had to be taken.
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a shortcut in Formula racing, nor is there the concept of effort.
There is an insurmountable gulf between geniuses and ordinary talents!
The Chen Xiangbei warming up on the track naturally didn’t know that so many eyes were fixed on him. His attention was more focused on the number of cars, assessing the traffic conditions during his flying lap later.
After a lap of warming up the tires, Chen Xiangbei estimated that during his flying lap, he would encounter about five slow cars, and as long as he could ensure that three were off the racing line, the maximum speed loss would be about 0.2 to 0.3 seconds.
On the contrary, if one of them appeared on the apex line, the lap time loss would be significant, and if unavoidable, there would be a great risk of collision, relying on timely advice from the team race engineer.
Another half lap passed, the starting line was in front of Chen Xiangbei’s view, the time had come to speed up!
With one foot down, the RPM soared to eight thousand, full throttle at ten thousand, the engine let out its full roar, and the car sped forward like a shooting star.
Chen Xiangbei had already noticed in the P room that the lap time chart was continuously refreshing. He knew that his fastest lap in practice was already not competitive in qualifying.
To start from the front row or even take pole position, he had to squeeze the limits of the car and his potential.
Chen Xiangbei never thought he was weak, nor that Chinese drivers couldn’t make it.
Now it’s time to prove all of this!
At the high-speed combination turns T1 and T2 of Silverstone Circuit, Chen Xiangbei went full throttle in sixth gear, roaring through at nearly 250km/h.
Right on the other side of the racing line, car number 5 was completing its warm-up lap, Chen Xiangbei’s speed was so fast that he didn’t even see the number, only knowing that a white car flashed by.
"Full throttle through the high-speed turns, can you brake in T3?"
The driver of car number 5 had this doubt in his mind, and Chen Xiangbei’s maneuvers quickly answered him.
As soon as the second turn passed, he directly braked hard, even causing the tires to lock slightly, leaving two black marks on the track.
The car speed decreased from 250km/h to 80km/h in just two seconds. The immense inertia pushed Chen Xiangbei forward, while the six-point safety harness locked his body tightly, causing a vague pain in his shoulder and rib bones.
The physical pressure wasn’t most important, Chen Xiangbei had to ensure the precision of his left foot braking at this moment.
Under inertia’s influence, the pressure on the brake pedal must not increase, as this would not only cause prolonged tire lock leading to greater wear but also severely reduce cornering speed.
This kind of extremely late braking by Chen Xiangbei was to slightly increase cornering speed, otherwise, cornering speed would be slower instead.
It’s akin to an intense flurry of operations, only to find oneself rooted on the spot!
Furthermore, increased tire wear significantly raises the risk of a blowout, making it entirely unjustifiable.
[GOD, why go so extreme.]
Looking at the two black rubber marks on the ground, driver number 5 was filled with shock inside.
This was only the first few turns, yet he disregarded tire locking to enter the corner at high speed, can the rear still run?
"Odetto, Xiangbei-kun is a bit too aggressive, the tires won’t withstand the pressure."
Sawano Hiroyuki in the P room couldn’t help but consult Odetto upon seeing this scene.
It’s important to know that Formula race cars’ slick tires have very short lifespans, and once they reach working temperature, they’re like chewing gum, sticking to the track as they go. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
This characteristic gives the rubber tires’ grip unmatched strength, but also means that under tire lock, a layer of the tire can be wiped away instantly.
If a slick tire is missing a piece, it will lead to the tire no longer being a complete circle, causing a sharp increase in pressure at the damaged part, and if the track is slightly uneven, a bump afterwards would lead to immediate blowout.
Even if the track is extremely smooth, the thinned area wouldn’t withstand subsequent wear, similarly increasing the risk of a blowout.
Although qualifying is just two flying laps, the tire wear pressure isn’t as great as in the race where dozens of laps are run. But if Chen Xiangbei continues with such aggressive maneuvers a few more times, it’s uncertain if he can complete even two laps.
Initially, the "adventure" spirit taught by Odetto was indeed absorbed by Chen Xiangbei.
The problem is he’s taken it a bit too far, isn’t this too risky!
"If there’s no blowout, it means it can withstand it, Sawano, don’t worry too much."
Odetto appeared calm, tire lock situations are commonplace, qualifying isn’t much of a problem.
He then added: "If Xiangbei repeatedly experiences lock situations, you should harshly criticize him, not because of fear of a blowout, but because his driving skills are too poor!"
