Car Racing without Money-Chapter 230 - 119: The Terrifying All-Around Driver
"Then let’s give it a try."
Chen Xiangbei nodded, then unbuckled his seatbelt and moved from the co-driver’s seat directly to the driver’s seat.
To be honest, although rally cars don’t achieve the ultimate mechanical standards of speed and control like F1.
But the thrill and adrenaline rush that the "unknown" of rally racing brings to drivers really rivals that of Formula 1.
That’s why, in a previous life, Chen Xiangbei chose to switch to rally racing after failing to break into F1.
Only this unique feeling can help him rediscover the original speed and passion of racing!
Emily’s Focus RS, like Chen Xiangbei’s Subaru Impreza, belongs to the highest performance track version of the WRC.
The 2.0T turbocharged engine can provide a maximum of 300 horsepower.
However, for WRC racing cars, horsepower isn’t the most important thing; it values torque acceleration more.
The peak torque of the Focus RS can reach an astonishing 550 Nm.
It’s a pity that with the major rules changes of the WRC in 2011, the Focus RS WRC was replaced by the 1.6T Fiesta RS WRC.
"Are you ready?"
Seeing Emily fastening her seatbelt, Chen Xiangbei asked smoothly.
"YES!"
No more words were needed, the throttle was the best response.
At this moment, Chen Xiangbei pressed down on the accelerator, and the explosive thrust from the powerful torque pressed Emily firmly into the seat, even causing her blonde hair to flutter sideways.
Chen Xiangbei’s starting speed was terrifying, to know that clutch control was his forte.
After starting with full throttle, Chen Xiangbei began to accelerate wildly and continuously shift gears up, his driving movements were extremely rough.
The Focus RS WRC version comes with a five-speed sequential transmission and is equipped with M-Sport’s carbon fiber clutch, which can withstand violent driving, a key part of rally racing.
The numbers on the speedometer jumped from the initial 0 km/h in a matter of seconds.
km/h, 70 km/h, 100 km/h, 150 km/h...
Feeling the weeds and trees on either side of the road flashing backwards like black blots, the sense of speed brought tension and excitement, causing Emily’s whole body muscles to tense instantly.
At this moment, she realized that her grandfather’s recognition of Chen Xiangbei was no coincidence, only by sitting in the passenger seat can you personally experience this terrifying skill!
The Focus RS sped toward the first corner, and this time Emily didn’t have to concentrate on driving, in contrast, she could more cautiously and calmly observe the road conditions.
After all, it’s pitch black outside, and combined with the fact that there aren’t many vehicles on this small road, lots of weeds have grown on the roadside. Besides knowing it’s a right turn, you can’t see any scene behind the bend.
But Chen Xiangbei seemed to have "X-ray vision," as the car didn’t slow down or brake at all, taking the corner at a speed of 160 km/h.
Even though Emily is a professional training trainee, feeling the massive lateral G-force pressure and facing the unknown fear, she instinctively curled her body into a defensive posture.
Scary, so terrifying, it’s almost like driving blindfolded!
However, Emily could tell from body sensations that Chen Xiangbei’s line was silky smooth because she didn’t hear the tires make any screeching noises or feel any abrupt changes in lateral G-force.
Only top-level line skills can provide such stability at the edge of losing control.
Emily didn’t quite know whether to attribute this to the excellent baseline of the Formula driver or to say Chen Xiangbei’s adaptability was unparalleled, even achieving supreme line control on such a rough cement road.
Compared to Emily’s turbulent inner emotions, Chen Xiangbei’s state was the complete opposite, his mind devoid of distractions, focused only on the memory map made into a roadbook.
And precisely calculating the braking point of the corner line, the tire friction limit, and even the boundary of his own driving ability!
For a driver, choosing speed and passion means walking on the edge of danger.
Rally cars indeed don’t have the extreme speed of Formula cars, but that doesn’t mean they’re safer.
On the contrary, rally tracks have no buffer zones, and the sides of the road could be walls, trees, reservoirs, or even cliffs!
Just like now, Chen Xiangbei actually didn’t know what the scene and road conditions were like in the darkness on either side.
The only thing he could do was use absolute skill and technique to prevent any mistakes.
As a competitive sport putting one’s life on the line, Chen Xiangbei had lost once in his past life, and this time he wouldn’t let himself lose again!
Corners were taken at high speed one after another, and Chen Xiangbei even displayed a drifting technique during sharp corners that Emily didn’t expect.
She could somewhat understand line cornering; Formula drivers were almost insulated from drifting, yet Chen Xiangbei downshifted, blipped the throttle, pulled the handbrake, and steered in one seamless operation, without any awkwardness or hesitation.
Is this the skill a Formula driver should have?
As the bright streetlights appeared again ahead, Chen Xiangbei accelerated forward without any deceleration, sending the Focus RS soaring before landing heavily on the road.
If not for the specifically adjusted suspension system, this alone could have crippled an ordinary performance car!
In a way, it also symbolized that from start to finish, Chen Xiangbei barely let go of the throttle...
On the main road, he stepped on the brake, put it in neutral, pulled the handbrake, and began unbuckling his seatbelt as he said, "You can drive again."
