Car Racing without Money-Chapter 228 - 119: The Terrifying All-Around Driver
The result was predictable: Sargent was unable to cope with the intensity of F1 races, frequently involved in accidents, and ended the season at the bottom, earning himself the nickname "Coach Sargent."
Ultimately, he announced his retirement via social media, completely ending his career.
In fact, Sargent’s performance in lower-tier formula racing was not bad. In his first year of F2, he ranked fourth overall and won a race at Silverstone in the rain, showing talents and racing skills that were above average.
Keep in mind that Zhou Guanyu only ranked seventh in his rookie F2 season.
If he hadn’t been forcibly promoted, Sargent’s age would certainly have allowed him to hone his skills in F2 for two more years, avoiding the mental breakdown from forcibly entering F1.
The prestige of the Grand Prix speaks for itself, meaning many of the world’s top F3 drivers participate, making the competition extremely challenging.
Moreover, the East Bay Circuit is a street race, which is absolutely a huge challenge for lower-tier formula drivers. Chen Xiangbei has never shown any racing talent in this regard.
Profits and risks coexist, and Ross Brown thought about letting Chen Xiangbei make the decision himself.
"Okay, I will contact Bei, I’m sure he will agree!"
Staler, seeing Ross Brown’s serious expression, sensed the possible risks involved.
Although he hadn’t interacted with Chen Xiangbei for long, Staler was confident about one thing.
That is, from Chen Xiangbei, one can feel an aggressive and adventurous spirit different from other Chinese drivers, or even Asian drivers.
This Chinese kid will definitely not fear the challenges of skipping levels!
On the way back, Emily was quite curious about Chen Xiangbei; she couldn’t quite understand why this "average-performing" Chinese driver could earn her grandfather’s admiration enough to return to the F1 Paddock.
"Bei, how did you manage to convince Grandpa to invest in the Brawn GP Team?"
After hesitating for a long time, Emily finally asked the question that had puzzled her.
Keep in mind that forty million US dollars in 2009 wasn’t a small amount, especially since Staler had experienced failure in investing in China’s Huasi Sports.
Yet, after only a brief encounter, Chen Xiangbei made Staler decisively invest the money. What exactly did he say that had such power?
"No need to convince him, just tell Mr. Staler how fast and strong the BGP001 is, and he will judge for himself whether it’s worth investing."
Chen Xiangbei replied casually.
"Just like that?"
Emily was slightly amused; she had thought the conversation was mysterious and complex. It turned out it was so simple...
"Hmm."
Chen Xiangbei responded, confirming that it was indeed that simple.
"Bei, it seems you and Grandpa have styles that match well, no wonder he praised you more than once for your talent and potential."
Upon hearing this compliment, Chen Xiangbei smiled but did not reply.
Because talent is like being handsome, such things can’t be self-proclaimed.
In a certain sense, Chen Xiangbei indeed matched with Staler, sharing a restless adventurer’s spirit.
Just one is in the business arena, while the other is in the "profession."
Shortly after Emily finished speaking, the Ford RS wound its way onto a dark, remote road, reminiscent of the winding, twisting country roads in southern China.
The pitch-black night combined with the narrow road made Emily focus her attention on driving, no longer chatting with Chen Xiangbei.
Chen Xiangbei glanced at the noticeably slowed speedometer, then took out his phone to check the time, and spoke up: "Emily, you’re a Ford Rally Academy trainee, right?"
"Yes."
Emily promptly added: "I just joined this year."
"Can you understand roadbooks?"
"Of course!"
Emily replied confidently. After all, she was a Ford trainee, not some amateur novice.
"50 meters ahead, left sharp turn, angle 3, half throttle exit to right cut."
Upon hearing these "familiar" words from Chen Xiangbei, Emily’s first reaction was surprise, followed by an instinctive adherence to the roadbook instructions.
Just as Chen Xiangbei had reported, fifty meters ahead, the Ford RS encountered a sharp left turn, followed immediately by a right-hand curve upon exit. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
"70 meters right fast turn, angle 5."
"100 meters straight, angle 6, full-speed through right turn."
Again, Emily followed these standard roadbook instructions without hesitation, fully adhering to Chen Xiangbei’s reported road conditions, concentrating entirely on driving the Ford RS at high speed.
The speed instantly increased from the previous fifty-sixty kilometers to over one hundred twenty kilometers per hour!
Imagine a dark winding road without streetlights, where the vehicle is driving at highway speeds—what a shocking sight that must be for outsiders.
More importantly, the angle of the car lights at night was limited, Emily couldn’t see the road conditions beyond the curves, and she relied entirely on Chen Xiangbei’s guidance to achieve such astonishing speed.
If there were any errors in Chen Xiangbei’s roadbook instructions, even the slightest difference in curve angles, in obstructed night vision, a driver would not have time to make any corrections.
Without saying it would cause car wrecks, it would at least carry a risk of injury.
In that moment, Emily felt she was crazy, why would she trust the roadbook instructions given by Chen Xiangbei.
Keep in mind he is a formula driver, not a professional rally driver!
These two are entirely different racing types, as the saying goes, different vocations are worlds apart, one wrong move and both Emily and driver Bei could end up in the hospital tomorrow.
