Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 103 Overseas Expeditions for Chinese Riders (5K)

"NICE!"

The P room of the Mewtwo Racing Team was in an uproar. Not only Chen Xiangbei's crew members, but even the former Super Aguri team members were cheering.

Before the race, no one thought that Chen Xiangbei could take pole position. Apart from the bold words deliberately released by Odetto for media hype, the rational goal was only to be in the top ten in qualifying.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this may not seem like a high ranking. Among the Formula One drivers who came out of China in the past decade, only Cheng Congfu and Ma Qingye made it into the top ten in qualifying, and they were over-age drivers running in the relegated category.

For example, in 06, Cheng Congfu participated in the British Renault Formula, won the third place of the year, and stepped onto the podium 8 times, creating the best result for Chinese drivers in overseas formulas.

But in fact, Cheng Congfu was already 06 years old in 22, which is 23 years old according to Chinese standards. At this age, participating in the British Renault Formula where the average age is or years old really seems like bullying the weak.

In addition, the British Renault Formula can only be regarded as a national-level event, and its value is far less than that of the Renault European Cup, a regional-level event.

As for Ma Qingye, he also participated in the British Renault Formula in 07. In a sense, their overseas routes are very similar, and their best result was only fourth in qualifying.

At that time, Ma Qingye focused his main energy on the emerging A1 Formula, and he only ran the British Renault Formula for fun, otherwise he should have achieved better results.

Chen Xiangbei's pole position completely overturned the perception of the audience. It turned out that China could also have such a strong formula driver, even Magnussen, who is known as the Danish genius, could not beat him.

"Crazy! I never thought that one day I would see a Chinese driver take pole position at Silverstone."

"Today, driver Bei from China took pole position in the first round of the 1 Renault European Cup with a fastest lap of 57 minute 613 seconds, just 09 seconds away from Schumacher's pole position record!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, driver Bei has created a new history in the Renault European Cup. Let us give the warmest applause and cheers to congratulate this talented driver from China!"

Commentator James used passionate words and a diligent and professional spirit to call on tens of thousands of spectators at the scene to express their congratulations to Chen Xiangbei.

However, there was not the warmest applause and cheers as imagined. There was only sparse applause in the audience. Many viewers had not yet recovered from the shock, while others could not accept such a result.

Silverstone, Europe's most prestigious race track and known as the "cornerstone" of Formula One, has a Chinese newcomer taking the pole position. This is simply unimaginable!
Compared to the "coldness" in the paddock, the team members in the team's P room expressed their congratulations to Chen Xiangbei enthusiastically.

"Xiangbei-kun, you are amazing, pole position!"

"GOOD, North, well done."

"Bei, you will be the next star driver."

"To the north, running very well!"

Different names were heard in various languages. This is the charm of Formula One teamwork, where everyone works towards the same goal.

In the VIP box above the maintenance station, Starler and Sir Williams looked at the Mewtwo team members celebrating below with complicated expressions on their faces.

Especially Starler, he initially had no expectations at all and simply came to the Silverstone Circuit for sightseeing and relaxation.

Unexpectedly, this "last song" driver of Huasai Sports won the pole position in the first round of the Renault European Cup.

They once gave their all to the operation but failed to achieve any results, and now a potential driver has emerged from the bankruptcy. What can I say in this situation?

"Starler, Bei has great potential and is worth your training."

Sir Williams made a judgment that although the Chinese driver Bei is older, the line-track technique he showed on the track is very sophisticated.

Whether it is the tracking braking at T3 or the unpopular V-shaped overtaking at T7, these are not things that ordinary newcomers can do, even European drivers can't do it!

Judging from Chen Xiangbei's current performance, if he can achieve year-on-year upgrades in the field of formula racing in the future, age will no longer be a problem.

As early as the age of 1, you can enter the F paddock.

"Even Huasai Sports has closed down, so how can we train people?"

"Now there is a contract with the Honda team in the north, the Mewtwo team, formerly the F1 Super Aguri team, which I think is good."

Starler responded with a wry smile. Zhang Zhicong called him to ask for his help, undoubtedly with the same idea in mind.

Just like Zhang Zhicong decided to quit racing and return to Hong Kong Island to be a professional manager, Starler also decided not to get involved in racing and to retire completely.

"Honda Group withdrew from F1 last year. Their support for the Superdream team will decrease in the future. Whether Bei can succeed will depend more on himself."

Sir Williams looked a little regretful. In the field of Formula One, joining a big team, especially the factory team's youth training or academy, would definitely bring twice the result with half the effort to the driver.

It is obvious that without Honda as a strong backer, the Super Dream Team can only be regarded as a small team in the paddock.

"Williams, you always like to promote new people. Are you interested in Bei?"

Sir Williams does not count the early world champion-level drivers such as Prost, Senna, Damon Hill and Villeneuve.

In the past decade alone, he has promoted potential newcomers such as Hulkenberg, Bottas, Stroll, Russell, etc., and he is definitely a talent scout in the F1 paddock.

Starler will invite Sir Williams to watch the game today, with the idea of ​​wanting him to promote Chen Xiangbei, but he will not say it in advance.

The reason is simple. Starler doesn't know Chen Xiangbei's strength, and recommending a rookie is simply wasting friendship.

On the other hand, even if Chen Xiangbei was a potential genius, it would be difficult for him to bring it up.

Even though the Williams team has pulled out now and is no longer one of the Big Three in the paddock, it is still an F1 team that stands tall in the paddock.

Chen Xiangbei was still competing in the first round of the Renault Junior Formula, and the Williams Driver Academy had not yet been established. How could he catch the eye of the F1 team owner?
However, since Sir Williams brought up the topic himself, Starler could have taken up the conversation.

"Haha, wait until he wins the Renault European Cup, then come talk to me about his interest."

Sir Williams smiled, then pushed his wheelchair and turned away.

In the nearly 1-year history of Renault racing, there has only been one champion, Kimi Raikkonen, who completed a triple jump and directly entered the F paddock.

What Sir Williams meant was not that Chen Xiangbei could replicate the miracle of "Iceman" Raikkonen, but that the Renault championship was the minimum standard to enter the F1 team's sights.

And it has to be the kind of level that allows you to completely crush the opponent and win the championship!
The current Chen Xiangbei is not qualified enough for promotion or attention.

Chen Xiangbei, who was in the maintenance station, naturally had no idea that the investor of Huasai Sports and the famous Sir Williams were standing upstairs.

He was being interviewed by a famous TV station at the time, which was the famous British Sky Sports (SKY).

Sky Sports has always been the official partner of the FIA, and most of the media personnel appearing in the F1 event broadcasts are Sky Sports reporters.

Under normal circumstances, low-level events like the Renault European Cup would not be covered by big stations like Sky Sports, and it would often be enough to send a few local media outlets like London Sports.

This time, because the first stop is set up at the Silverstone Circuit in the UK, and next week will be the race week of the F1 calendar, Sky Sports entered the venue in advance to lay out the broadcasting equipment and broadcast and interview the event.

Originally, the interview subject was not Chen Xiangbei, but Vergne from the ART team. After all, this team has trained top British drivers like Hamilton, so of course they have to give some face to their "fellow countryman".

But Chen Xiangbei won the pole position, which changed Sky Sports' post-race interview plan!

"Hello, Bei, I'm Hank, a reporter from Sky Sports. I'm glad you could do the interview."

"Hello everyone, I am Chinese driver Chen Xiangbei."

Chen Xiangbei waved politely at the camera.

When Hank saw Chen Xiangbei's action, he knew that this Chinese boy had interview experience.

For a real newbie, the answer should be "Hello" instead of "Hello everyone".

His eyes would be fixed on the reporter instead of greeting the camera.

"Bei, according to your professional resume, you only participated in the CKC karting event last year, then passed the Renault Tour selection, and then took pole position in the first race today."

"I'd like to know if this resume is true. At what age did you start karting training?"

Chen Xiangbei's professional resume is so fake that anyone who knows about Formula One racing would be suspicious, let alone a professional sports reporter like Hank.

"My resume does say so. I only started professional karting training last year."

Hearing Chen Xiangbei's answer, Hank's mouth corners rose slightly.

In his impression, Chinese athletes have always been relatively reserved and modest, but this young man seems a little dishonest.

"Bei, after one year of racing in Formula Renault, do you think you are a driver with historical level talent?"

"So is Sato Takuma considered historical level?"

Chen Xiangbei asked back sharply, saying that he was not an exception, as there was Sato Takuma paving the way ahead.

If you want to question, then question together!
Sure enough, when Chen Xiangbei asked this question, Hank was speechless for a moment. Indeed, no one had ever doubted Sato Takuma's talent.

"Bei, it seems you recognize your talent." "Of course, why would you drive a race car if you don't have talent?"

Chen Xiangbei's answers gradually became tougher, mainly because he felt Hank's subconscious doubt and distrust of the ability of Chinese drivers.

This is not necessarily subjective malice, but it is a long-formed fixed mindset and stereotype.

Odetto was right when he said that the low-key style of the Chinese is not suitable for the paddock. As a driver, one must express one's own personality and strongly respond to any external doubts.

"Every driver participating in the Renault Eurocup has talent. Why do you think you were able to get pole position?"

"effort."

“Others are working just as hard.”

"I am more talented and work harder than them!"

Chen Xiangbei made no secret of this. Whether in his previous life or this life, he was always the one who trained the most intensely and the most hardworkingly.

"In that case, what is your goal for tomorrow's race?"

Hearing this answer, Chen Xiangbei looked at Odeto who was standing on the side.

Then, with a slight smile on his face, he said, "The team leader already said this once in the pre-match interview, so I'll repeat it now."

"Champion, without a doubt!"

This wasn't Chen Xiangbei's arrogance or boastfulness, nor was it his standard response as a driver. It was simply that Odette had already said it, and he had to stand with him.

Team spirit is often cultivated in this way.

"Bei, you have a unique personality, completely different from other Asian drivers."

"Although I don't agree with your goal, I recognize your confidence. Let's wait and see in the main competition tomorrow."

Hank remained polite as always, but his tone revealed a hint of disapproval.

Pole position is indeed a good result, but it does not equate to a championship.

The long-distance competition in the race will highlight whether the driver has a solid foundation and whether his hard power is strong.

Hank would never believe that a Chinese rookie who had just started karting training last year could beat European drivers who had been racing for more than ten years in a race.

Even if you have a talent like Sato Takuma, it is still far from enough!

After a few simple questions, the interview ended hastily.

To be honest, for Hank, this kind of interview is just a workflow to complete a task, and it is still a question whether it can be eventually broadcast on TV.

After all, the Renault European Cup is of too low a level and has little popularity in the field of sports news. If the person who took the pole position was not a Chinese newcomer, Sky Sports probably would not even bother to interview him.

"GOOD, good answer. That's the kind of confidence and toughness you need!"

Odeto walked over and patted Chen Xiangbei on the shoulder, and was very satisfied with the interview just now.

He had seen interviews with Chinese athletes in other competitions, and their answers were all official nonsense that was like "playing Tai Chi". Not only did they fail to provide the hot topics and attention required by the news, they also failed to show even the most basic personal style.

You have to know that in the business world, "personal charm" has a great bonus, and arrogance and bloodiness are also a kind of style.

Chen Xiangbei just smiled in response to Odette's praise. He was not actually a particularly strong and flamboyant person.

However, in the field of European Formula One, it is better to be a hard rock than a soft persimmon.

……

The end of qualifying does not mean that we can relax. The team engineers and technicians in the P room have already started working busily.

They need to complete a comprehensive inspection of the car today, because the extreme squeeze of engine power in qualifying is likely to cause excessive wear and tear on parts, and a more detailed and careful inspection than in practice must be done to avoid omissions that may cause car failures in the race.

By then, Chen Xiangbei had finally managed to get a pole position, but retiring due to a malfunction would be like going back to the pre-liberation era overnight.

Chen Xiangbei changed out of his racing suit and took a shower before returning to the Mewtwo base for training.

I have to say that Lu Xiaoman's physiotherapy massage yesterday was really effective. Compared with previous continuous high-intensity driving training, I can clearly feel that my muscles are more relaxed today. Chen Xiangbei plans to try it again after returning.

Just as he and Odeto and others walked out of the P room and were about to go to the parking lot to get in the car, they saw a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar appear in the maintenance passage.

Chen Xiangbei was stunned for a moment. The person who came was Ma Qingye, who almost became China's first official F1 driver.

"Hello Chen Xiangbei, my name is Ma Qingye."

Seeing Chen Xiangbei's dazed look, Ma Qingye knew that the other party must have recognized him, so he stretched out his hand and greeted him with a smile on his face.

"Hello, Ma."

Coming back to his senses, Chen Xiangbei also addressed him politely.

Although Ma Qingye's performance on the Formula One track is average, as a pioneer of Chinese drivers going overseas, he deserves the respect and admiration of his juniors.

"Xiangbei, congratulations on taking pole position in the first round of the Renault European Cup. This is definitely a historic moment for us Chinese drivers."

Ma Qingye's tone was a little excited. As a Formula One driver, he knew the value of this pole position better than the outside world.

He had never heard of Chen Xiangbei before, and he didn't expect that there was such a top rookie driver in the country!

"Thank you."

"Brother Ma, why are you here?"

Chen Xiangbei asked back in confusion. Although he had won the Renault Tour Championship in Japan, given the influence and popularity of domestic car races, it was highly likely that he had not even won the title there. It could be said that he had no fame at all.

Theoretically, Ma Qingye should not have heard of his name, so why would he come to the maintenance channel specifically to wait for him to come out?

"I'm racing in the British F3 Championship, which happens to overlap with the Renault Eurocup, and I saw your name on the list of participating drivers."

Just as Chen Xiangbei guessed, Ma Qingye had indeed never heard of his name in the country.

However, the British F3 Championship is about to start at this time, and it will also serve as a warm-up race for next week's F1 event. Ma Qingye wanted to come to Silverstone to walk around the track and also watch the Renault European Cup.

Surprisingly, I found out that there was actually a Chinese driver participating in this European Cup!
Since Ma Qingye came to the UK for test driving and training on behalf of the Chinese A05 team in 1, apart from meeting Cheng Congfu once, he has not seen any other Chinese drivers on the track in nearly four years.

He was very excited to see Chen Xiangbei's name this time, and immediately went to the maintenance lane after the race hoping to meet him.

"I see. It's such a coincidence that I can compete in the UK at the same time as Ma Ge."

"Yeah, I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that the UK would have two Chinese drivers competing at the same time."

Ma Qingye's tone was full of emotion. It was not easy to have a Chinese driver on the Silverstone circuit, let alone two.

"Brother Ma, I'm going back to Mewtwo Base now. How about we go over there and sit together?"

Chen Xiangbei extended an invitation. Meeting an old friend in a foreign land is one of the four greatest joys in life, not to mention that the other party is a senior in the racing world, so of course they have to chat more.

"Maybe next time. I have something else to do right now. I need to go to the broadcast room and copy a recording of the qualifying match."

"Brother Ma, what do you want the qualifying match video for?"

Chen Xiangbei asked back in confusion, Renault's racing car of this level is very close to F4 and much slower than F3. It is completely useless for Ma Qingye to use it for research and study.

"I have a student in the country who has great racing talent. Maybe he can make it."

"The Renault European Cup qualifying race wasn't broadcast on TV, so we could only copy it from the broadcast booth. I wanted him to learn more about the line-tracking techniques of top foreign drivers. He couldn't lose at the starting line again."

This kind of race video is just like the information that Odeto gave to Chen Xiangbei before. If Ma Qingye hadn't copied it manually, domestic drivers would not be able to learn it at all.

Indeed, in many cases, Chinese drivers lose directly at the starting line.

"What kind of student can be valued so much by Brother Ma?"

Chen Xiangbei asked curiously. Ma Qingye was undoubtedly very concerned since he could go to the broadcast room specifically to copy the video.

"Hey, he's still a little kid. His name is Zhou Guanyu."

Ma Qingye smiled and said that Chen Xiangbei didn't know him either.

(End of this chapter)