Car Racing without Money-Chapter 292 - 135: Breakthrough Like "Enlightenment at Longchang" (Double Length)
"Wow, Xiangbei, how many people are there..."
Ah Yong asked in amazement.
"Stay calm, small scene."
Chen Xiangbei appeared calm, but deep down was equally shocked.
In his past life racing the F2 undercard, he had seen even more magnificent scenes.
But those spectators came for the F1 teams.
Now many of these people are here for him!
"Chen Xiangbei~~~ Go for it!"
"Maintain yesterday’s momentum and take pole position, creating a record for Chinese drivers!"
"The Australian Grand Prix shouldn’t be dominated by foreign drivers!"
"Xiangbei, you are forever my No.1 in my heart!"
Listening to these cheers, even with Chen Xiangbei’s usually stable emotions, his nose tingled with emotion.
This is the support and strength brought by the home field, and many things concern the driver’s nationality and not just performance alone. Chen Xiangbei, as a Chinese driver, carries the hopes of Chinese racing.
No one needs to remind him, Chen Xiangbei will give his all for this race!
Arriving at the paddock, he suits up and gets ready; the Grand Prix qualifying race remains the standard half-hour.
But due to the nature of street circuits, greater emphasis is on traffic conditions and the timing of the team’s release decisions. Compared to traditional circuits, the asphalt at East Ocean has poor grip, and whether there are rubber residues can greatly impact lap times.
The reason Chen Xiangbei was explosive in the practice session is because the track had the best grip at that moment!
As qualification is about to start, the two commentators in the studio give an introduction to the event background and famous drivers, as well as predictions for the pole position in accordance with convention.
"Teacher Li, who do you think will be on pole this time?"
Hong Kong commentator Luo Feng asked with a playful smile.
"Chen Xiangbei!"
Li Bing answered without hesitation.
Emotionally, he supports the Chinese driver.
Rationally, Chen Xiangbei got the fastest lap in yesterday’s practice session and has the highest chance of taking pole position.
"But I have heard that yesterday’s lap by Xiangbei stimulated many rival teams, and they have adopted setups closer to qualifying adjustments at the last moment to snatch the Grand Prix pole position."
Street races inherently make overtaking difficult, thus the qualifying position is particularly important.
Originally, drivers like Kokumoto Keiyo and Motana were evenly matched in practice laps, and it was a battle of who performs better in qualifying for pole.
Then Chen Xiangbei intervened, pushing the practice lap time close to the pole record, forcing teams to adopt extreme setup solutions to compete.
Besides what Chen Xiangbei’s ability is, he holds the title of an F1 test driver.
No matter how high the F3 event’s specifications are, it remains an F3, vastly different from F1.
Taking pole as an F1 test driver is undeniably an accolade to boast about!
"Well, let’s wait and see."
Li Bing did not argue, just simply responded.
Pole position is destined to be full of competition, he believes Chen Xiangbei can beat all opponents.
At 9:35, only three minutes remain until the Grand Prix F3 qualifying race.
Chen Xiangbei’s number 13 car ignites, starting the liquid preheat.
"Xiangbei, according to predictions, the track traffic conditions will be poor, you need to seize the opportunity for a flying lap."
Odetto reminded him; the biggest challenge now might not be Chen Xiangbei’s speed but the timing for a flying lap.
"Mm."
Chen Xiangbei nodded, taking the functional drink handed over by Lu Xiaoman and gulping it down.
Today, the air temperature in Australia is close to thirty degrees, Chen Xiangbei is wearing a thick racing suit, and unlike an F1 driver has no cooling system, it’s crucial to ensure adequate hydration before the race.
"Odetto, shall we go ahead and start?"
After swallowing the drink, Chen Xiangbei offered a suggestion.
He knows the later you launch, the better the track grip gets, but at the same time, the number of flying cars increases.
It’s better to go out early and seize the gap to set a lap.
"Do you have confidence?"
Odetto asked, handing the decision to Chen Xiangbei.
"Yes."
"OK, get ready to go."
Without much fuss, Odetto issued the launch command.
As Chen Xiangbei sat in the cockpit, the team members came forward to encourage him.
"Xiangbei, go for it."
"Take pole, Xiangbei-kun!"
"Xiangbei, go all out!"
Listening to the cheers around, Chen Xiangbei made an OK gesture and then stepped on the gas, driving out of the paddock.
Yet after he went out, he was dumbfounded; at least five cars ahead of him had the same idea, all launching from the paddock aiming to use clear track for a lap.
With a scale of 26 cars, there’s no way to avoid it!
Seeing this scene through the broadcast, Sawano Hiroyuki frowned and said, "Odetto, the timing doesn’t seem great."
"There is no absolutely perfect timing, Xiangbei himself needs to find and seize it."
Odetto’s tone was calm; he had anticipated such a scenario appearing.
However, Odetto had not anticipated frequent accidents on the track!
The extreme setup inclined towards qualifying means absolute speed orientation, reducing downforce, and greatly increasing handling difficulty.
After Chen Xiangbei completed the regular warm-up lap, just as he was about to launch his flying lap, a non-overtaking yellow flag appeared on the track, due to a driver accident.
After being led through by the safety car for a lap to resume green flag status, Chen Xiangbei thought it was an isolated case. Just as he was about to cross the finish line for his second flying lap, another yellow flag appeared, with a collision incident between two cars in a corner.
