Car Racing without Money-Chapter 150 - 100: Breaking Prejudice and Doubt

Odetto didn’t mind Chen Xiangbei locking up his tires for entry speed, but he couldn’t allow it to happen repeatedly.

Because the former is taking a risk, while the latter is just pure amateur; a driver should have extremely precise speed judgment and braking force control!

Hearing this response from Odyssey, Sawano Hiroyuki knew that his words were in vain.

However, thinking it over carefully, it made some sense. After coming to European tracks, it seemed that he made the same mistake Chen Xiangbei made before, which was becoming conservative and cautious.

Perhaps it was due to the unfamiliar environment or because his professional fate was pinned on Chen Xiangbei, subconsciously worrying that his aggressiveness would lead to failure.

After the T5 corner of the Silverstone Circuit, there is a long straight. This time before entering the T6 corner, Chen Xiangbei did not opt for extremely late braking but started braking early while steering, using a precise trajectory to pass through the corner.

Honestly, the previous tire lock-up was partly because Chen Xiangbei wanted to challenge the limits and partly due to a mistake.

The entry speed was too fast, and without hard braking, there was indeed a risk of the car running off the track.

But Chen Xiangbei would not make the same mistake twice. After challenging it once, he realized what the car’s maximum braking distance and speed were under the current track conditions.

In a certain sense, without this mistake, Chen Xiangbei would never know where the limit is!

"Staler, this Chinese rookie called Bei seems to have some skill."

Sir Williams said, standing from the vantage point of the second floor of the pit, where he could clearly see the car’s trajectory through T6.

Chen Xiangbei’s braking and steering trajectory was outstanding, with extremely precise control over the braking force and steering angle. Sir Williams had seen countless rookies tackle the T6 corner at Silverstone Circuit but few achieved such excellence!

"Really? But he just locked up his tires at T3."

Staler sounded a bit doubtful. Unlike Sir Williams, although he had always been involved in motorsport investment, he did not truly understand the driving skills themselves.

This is the difference between a professional investor and a driver.

The smoke from tire lock-ups is easy to see and judgment indicates driver error.

To feel the technicality of precise trajectory operations, one must be a driver or have a deep understanding of motorsport.

Sir Williams saw the technical strengths of Chen Xiangbei, while Staler could only see his mistakes and flaws for now.

"Lock-ups are not crucial; no driver can guarantee they never make a mistake."

"There is, however, no randomness in precise trajectory operations; it requires absolute hard skills to execute."

Hearing Sir Williams’ response, Staler showed a surprised expression.

He never thought Chen Xiangbei would be a skilled driver; he was willing to come to watch at Silverstone Circuit today partly due to Zhang Zhicong’s request, and partly to reflect on his failed investments.

After all, Chen Xiangbei was the last Chinese driver, win or lose, it was clear!

But now it seemed, perhaps Chen Xiangbei wasn’t just a "paid" driver forcibly pushed into Europe?

The U-shaped T7 corner was another extreme test of driving skill.

Chen Xiangbei initially planned to adopt the fastest U-line approach, but just as he was about to enter the corner, Sawano Hiroyuki’s voice came through the headset.

"Xiangbei, there’s a slow car from the Carlin Team at T7, be careful to avoid it!"

Sawano Hiroyuki’s tone was serious, worried that Chen Xiangbei would aggressively pursue inside the corner, easily leading to an incident on track.

It wasn’t necessary for the TR to remind him, as Chen Xiangbei had already seen the car in the bend. It was his old acquaintance Magnussen!

From the moment he saw Magnussen’s car number "20", Chen Xiangbei had already made a judgment. Knowing this guy’s character in the paddock, expecting him to hug the edges of the U-bend and give way was impossible. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

If he continued with the U-line cornering method, he would be blocked behind Magnussen throughout, rendering the flying lap worthless.

As such, Chen Xiangbei could only change strategy, adopting the alternative V-line trajectory!

Chen Xiangbei’s Renault swiftly dove toward the apex, turning sharply with a full-throttle diagonal cut, scraping past Magnussen’s car number 20.

Such a violent, aggressive maneuver startled Magnussen. From the rearview mirror, seeing the car charging straight towards him, he thought it was some rookie torpedo.

However, as Chen Xiangbei scraped by with a roar, Magnussen’s expression immediately turned serious. For such a top European talent, he could easily see the value of the V-line maneuver.

[Car number 13, that Chinese rookie?]

Magnussen was somewhat incredulous. When did the Chinese rookie possess such a level of skill and speed?

Magnussen had always been a focus for the most track coverage cameras, and naturally, the scene of Chen Xiangbei overtaking him with a V-line appeared on the big screen.

Even though it was a flying lap overtaking a slow car, the sharpness and precision of the cut attracted many professional racing fans. It especially caught the circuit commentator James off guard, prompting an exclamation.

"Mike, did you see that? Bei’s V-line overtake was brilliant!"

Since determining that the U-line was faster through T7, almost no driver used the V-line, let alone for high-speed overtaking.

"Indeed, it was beautiful. Looks like the Chinese driver’s ability exceeds what we previously expected."

To be a Formula racing commentator naturally requires deep research into motorsport.

Mike had previously mocked Odetto, thinking the team manager was just a boastful talker.

He also didn’t consider Chen Xiangbei particularly strong, given the past performances and abilities of Chinese drivers were evident.

But this performance forced him to admit, it was truly impressive!

"Now it’s all high-speed corners, Mike, can you predict again where Bei might place?"

"Top ten, I suppose."

Commentator Mike revised his answer, upgrading from top twenty to top ten!

"Only top ten? How about a chance for the top five?"

James asked rhetorically, thinking that given the V-line overtake skill just demonstrated, fewer than five drivers in this Renault European Cup race could pull it off.

"No way, the upper limit for Chinese drivers is only the top ten."

Mike stood firm on his judgment; a fleeting moment of brilliance couldn’t represent true hard skills.

"The lap times will be available soon, let’s wait and see."

James’ face revealed a playful smile, thinking Mike might regret such a definitive statement, as there might be a twist.

Trackside spectators, listening to the dialogue between the two commentators, couldn’t help but focus their attention on Chen Xiangbei’s car number 13 Renault.

As he sped through the final corner of the Silverstone Circuit, the broadcast screen on the track simultaneously displayed his lap time.

minute 57.875 seconds, instantly propelling him to the top of the lap time leaderboard.

Seeing this lap time appear, a commotion erupted at the Silverstone Circuit. Not only did Chen Xiangbei top the leaderboard, but he also became the first to break into the 1 minute 58-second range!