Car Racing without Money-Chapter 229 - 119: The Terrifying All-Around Driver
"Rough road ahead, watch for changes in traction, left sharp turn, angle 3."
"Jump uphill in the next 30 meters, be careful to avoid the pit on the left upon landing."
With Chen Xiangbei’s final two roadbook instructions reported, Emily skillfully navigated the Ford Focus RS through the remote section and reached the brightly lit main road.
Having pulled out of the "race" mode, Emily looked at Chen Xiangbei as if he were a marvel.
MY GOD, how did a lower-tier Formula driver manage to report such clear roadbook instructions?
It took Emily a good five or six seconds to come back to her senses before she asked in an utterly surprised tone, "Bei, can you handle rally roadbooks?"
"Yes."
"Are you a driver or a co-driver?"
Chen Xiangbei’s roadbook reports were so professional that Emily was confused about his exact role.
It’s important to know that rally racing is different from other motorsport disciplines, with two people in a rally car—one as the driver and the other as the co-driver/navigator.
Rally courses are off-road and cannot be fully enclosed, which means the race over dozens of kilometers is full of danger and the unknown.
Drivers cannot determine whether there is a wall or a long straight road behind a blind corner.
This is where the co-driver needs to record the entire course and make a standard roadbook to report to the driver, like an "AI" navigator, so the two can collaborate to achieve the fastest speed!
"Neither, I’m just an amateur enthusiast." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
Chen Xiangbei replied with a smile. For him in this world, he really couldn’t be more than an enthusiast.
"How would an enthusiast know the road conditions of this path?"
Emily was clearly skeptical, as Chen Xiangbei’s earlier roadbook reports were so precise and standard, fully reaching a professional level that enthusiasts rarely achieve.
Moreover, even for true enthusiasts, memorizing road sections and corner features and then creating a standard roadbook isn’t an easy task.
Chen Xiangbei is a Chinese person who came to the United Kingdom for the Renault races for the first time; it’s impossible for him to be familiar with the previous small path unless he has the power of foresight?
"When Mr. Staler drove past, I was bored and memorized it."
Chen Xiangbei casually replied, without lying or hiding, as he indeed remembered it out of boredom.
Since coming to this world, Chen Xiangbei had never walked such a winding path, and with the age gap with Staler, there wasn’t much to chat about in the car.
Having nothing else to do on this "off-road" path, Chen Xiangbei simply memorized the road conditions to create a roadbook, a professional habit left over from his previous life.
Before a formal rally race, much like Formula drivers getting familiar with the track, rally drivers need to recce and get acquainted with the course.
Recce normally allows for two runs, the first run where the driver provides feedback on the road conditions to the co-driver for recording. The second run is the co-driver reporting back the earlier recorded information for the driver to cross-check.
If both runs match up without error, the road condition information is then turned into a roadbook.
During a race, the driver only needs to follow the co-driver’s roadbook instructions, allowing for an almost "blind-driving" effect. However, Chen Xiangbei, chasing ultimate speed and reaction, chooses to memorize key road segments rather than fully relying on the co-driver.
For a driver, no matter how good the co-driver is, it can’t match remembering the track oneself!
This practice is not limited to Chen Xiangbei; actually, top-tier WRC rally drivers also do this.
Someone of the caliber of the "King of Rally" Loeb can even manage to form a mental memory roadmap of hundreds of turns over dozens of kilometers under the rule-restricted two runs, allowing for faster passage.
"Bei, could you be a rally genius?"
Emily exclaimed with immense emotion. She now understood why her grandfather held high regard for Chen Xiangbei; having this level as an enthusiast means his racing talent is extraordinarily terrifying!
She had never seen anyone who, just by passing by in a car once, could turn corner information into a roadbook and keep it firmly in mind as an "enthusiast."
If Chen Xiangbei wasn’t driving in Formula, what kind of achievements would he have in rally events?
"No, just an ordinary enthusiast."
Chen Xiangbei humbly denied it, having raced in WRC events and faced the most top-tier rally drivers, well aware of the skill gap between them.
Of course, the gap for Chen Xiangbei was in comparison to top WRC drivers; general rally drivers would be crushed by him!
"Bei, there’s another small road ahead, did you memorize the road conditions in your head?"
"More or less."
"Then you drive!"
Emily slammed on the brakes of the Ford Focus RS and then excitedly pushed open the driver’s door and got out.
With such roadbook skills from Chen Xiangbei, she wasn’t worried about his driving skills, not to mention he holds the identity of a Formula driver.
After all, Formula racing is the pinnacle of professional racing!
Seeing Emily’s actions, Chen Xiangbei was stunned.
He really hadn’t thought that he would one day experience rally driving again.
Emily walked around the front of the car, opened the co-driver’s door, leaned in and encouraged Chen Xiangbei, "Bei, give it a try, I believe you have absolutely no problem."
Emily’s eyes were full of anticipation; she really wanted to experience the concrete manifestation of "talent."
