Car Racing without Money-Chapter 283 - 133: Home Turf
Australia can be considered China’s home ground, and many supporters have come from the mainland, hoping to interact with the drivers, even if it’s just a simple wave.
Upon hearing Liang Chi’s words, Chen Xiangbei finally understood.
Honestly, in his past life, he never raced on a home circuit, so he had no concept of these details.
"I understand, Uncle Liang."
Chen Xiangbei responded, then gently pressed the accelerator and drove towards the starting point of the East Bay Circuit.
Watching the race car gradually leave the pit lane, Mizutani Sho worriedly said, "Senior Sawano, can Xiangbei really handle the F3 car perfectly on his first try?"
Upon hearing this question, Sawano Hiroyuki momentarily didn’t know how to answer.
All the team’s adjustments and strategy so far have been based on Chen Xiangbei being able to perfectly handle the car and even have the potential to contend for the championship.
But the problem is, this is Chen Xiangbei’s first time in an F3 car!
While the operational logic of a race car is the same once you step into formula racing—just like an F3 driver can drive an F2 car, and an F2 driver can handle an F1 car smoothly.
Meeting a historical genius like Kimi Raikkonen, jumping directly from Renault Formula to driving F1 wasn’t a problem.
But unproven matters purely based on apparent talent, aside from Odetto, everyone isn’t entirely confident deep down.
It’s even unknown whether Odetto truly trusts that Chen Xiangbei will perform well or believes he must perform well.
"Mizutani, discussing this is pointless, Xiangbei will create a miracle."
After a moment of silence, Sawano Hiroyuki gave this answer, just as no team member had pointed it out before.
Once at the competition stage, it’s not a question of whether he can drive or not.
Chen Xiangbei must perfectly handle the car within the 45-minute practice session, or he won’t qualify at the top in tomorrow’s qualifying.
Street races, aside from their difficulty, have a very notable characteristic: it’s hard to overtake.
Drivers at the back in qualifying, even if as strong as Hamilton and Vettel, must honestly trail behind and eat the dust!
Meanwhile, Chen Xiangbei had already left the pit lane and reached the main track, and he was instantly stunned by what he saw, as if he had come upon a sea of red.
Considering that traditional tracks have a two-tier pit stop with VIP boxes above and the main grandstand across from it.
Australia’s pit stop is a building, with another row of pit stops opposite, and you can’t see any audience from inside the pit room, only the event staff and the teams’ crew members.
Chen Xiangbei knew this time as the home ground, there would definitely be a lot of audience support.
But he didn’t expect such an overwhelming scene to emerge.
The entire main grandstand and the streets flanking the starting line were dyed in China red!
"Wow, Chen Xiangbei is coming out!"
"Is this China’s first F1 test driver? He looks so young."
"Not only young but also handsome!"
"Look, Chen Xiangbei is waving to us!"
The cheers and screams from the main grandstand were continuous, and the broadcast camera locked onto Chen Xiangbei cooperatively.
As Chen Xiangbei waved, there was an even louder roar of cheers at the scene, especially as spectators beside the track jumped excitedly.
A number 2 formula car came up parallel to Chen Xiangbei, and the on-site cameras shifted to him, effectively stealing the spotlight.
The opponent likewise didn’t lower his helmet visor, and Chen Xiangbei glanced sideways to see it was the local racer from Hong Kong Island, Fang Junyu!
Although it’s a home ground for both, often "familiarity and difference" play a role, particularly with the special historical contexts of Hong Kong and Macao. When compared to a mainland driver like Chen Xiangbei, the audience onsite was clearly more inclined towards the Hong Kong racer.
Fang Junyu started his professional racing rather late, not becoming a formula driver until he was fourteen.
Moreover, he astonishingly skipped the karting phase, starting directly with Renault Formula, which was recognized at the time by the racing world as a rising star!
Initially, Fang Junyu did live up to expectations, participating in the Asia V6 Formula Championship after just one year of study and training. The car’s performance was almost equivalent to a full-power F3, earning him the title of the world’s youngest V6 Formula driver.
It could be said that before the emergence of Chen Xiangbei, Fang Junyu was considered by the outside world as the next Sato Takuma.
His apparent progress speed even surpassed Sato Takuma!
However, Fang Junyu’s subsequent performance was reminiscent of starting high and going low.
He received numerous sponsorships and team support, participating in F3 championships in Germany and the United Kingdom, yet his results remained mediocre at best, with no improvement for two consecutive years.
In Formula racing, performance and talent matter greatly, especially in lower-tier events. If one can’t present a dominating stance, outstanding talent may be deemed absent by many scouts and top teams.
Back in the day, Sato Takuma conquered Japan’s Renault, F3, the Australian Grand Prix, and UK’s F3 one after another, proving his talent and earning a contract as an official F1 team driver.
Fang Junyu couldn’t manage the thunder and lightning in German F3, and his once genius aura slowly faded.
