Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 112 The Clash of Ideals and Sensibility (Two in One)

Back at the team's maintenance station, every team member's face was filled with excited smiles.

For those who do not have a God's perspective, Ricciardo's pole position record is certainly far inferior to that of the racing king Schumacher.

But this is also a record standing at the top of the Donington Park circuit!
It was absolutely shocking and amazing that Chen Xiangbei was able to surpass the pole position record during practice on a track he had never run before.

Seeing Chen Xiangbei get out of the cockpit, Odetto's face changed into a calm expression again. He leaned over and said, "The practice results are okay. Remember the feeling of the last lap and try to replicate it in qualifying."

"Just okay?"

Chen Xiangbei thought Odette would at least give him some compliments, but who would have thought that the old man would be so indifferent.

This is definitely the first European track record I have broken.

"if not?"

"Kid, this is just practice. You don't think the qualifying track and traffic conditions will be so good."

After that, Odetto patted Chen Xiangbei on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Work hard."

However, when he slapped him, Chen Xiangbei's body almost instinctively tilted due to the pain.

Odeto keenly noticed Chen Xiangbei's abnormality. Logically speaking, the force he used was not too great. How could a young man in his teens or twenties not be able to bear it?

Realizing that something was wrong, Odetto immediately unzipped Chen Xiangbei's racing suit and discovered that the area from his left shoulder to his neck was red, swollen and bruised, clearly a muscle strain.

Lu Xiaoman, who was originally happy for Chen Xiangbei's record-breaking performance, saw this scene, but her smile froze immediately. She immediately rushed to the lounge, pulled out the ice packs she had prepared, and used them to relieve the pain and swelling.

"Chen Xiangbei, are you mentally ill? You've already strained your muscle, why didn't you report it in TR?"

While holding the ice pack, Lu Xiaoman "accused" him with heartache.

She simply couldn't imagine that Chen Xiangbei had completed the challenge of the track record in such a state.

"I didn't think it was a big deal."

Chen Xiangbei smiled, not wanting to add to the tense atmosphere.

To be honest, due to his high concentration and the secretion of adrenaline while driving, he was only aware of the discomfort in his shoulder and never considered that the muscle strain could be so serious.

I didn't feel much until I got off the car, but Odette tapped me twice and the pain came over me instantly.

"Nothing? Does that mean you have to break some bones to be considered okay?"

It is obvious that Lu Xiaoman cannot accept such an argument. The driver's performance is important, but he also has to consider whether his body can withstand it.

Chen Xiangbei works so hard!

In response to Lu Xiaoman's questioning, Chen Xiangbei could only smile awkwardly, not knowing how to answer.

Since you have chosen racing, these are things that you will inevitably experience as a driver.

Niki Lauda's racing car caught fire and his face and lungs were severely burned. He was on the verge of life and death.

In order not to give up his hope of winning the championship that year, he returned to the paddock three weeks later with a completely disfigured face and serious sequelae, and sat in the cockpit of the F1 car again.

Because of this, Niki Lauda is known as "the bravest driver in F1 history."

Not to mention injury, even when facing death, many drivers would make the same choice.

Many people know that the "God of Racing" Senna died in an accident at the Imola circuit in 94.

But many people don't know that just two days before this Grand Prix, Senna's Brazilian compatriot Barigaro was seriously injured when he crashed into a concrete guardrail during practice.

The day before, Austrian rookie Ratzenberger, who was participating in his first F1 Grand Prix, crashed into the same corner at a speed of 300 kilometers per hour and died.

One driver died and one was seriously injured before the race. All the drivers participating in this race know the risks. Will anyone slow down because of this?
The answer is no.

And it's not just Senna who won't do that, other drivers won't do that either.

Just after Senna was rushed to the hospital for treatment, the drivers on the track continued to race fearlessly. Not long after, another Italian driver hit the wall and his tire fell off, injuring six staff members on the outside of the track.

Chen Xiangbei has become accustomed to injuries and dangerous situations. If one were to say what he feels at the moment, it is more of a regret that the HANS neck support system is not used in low-level formula racing cars.

If you have this system, your shoulders and neck can share some of the pressure and avoid being strained.

"Bei, go back and rest first."

Odetto spoke.

He felt a little guilty inside. The lap time standard he set for Chen Xiangbei was indeed beyond the young man's tolerance limit.

But I won’t apologize for it!
The reason is simple. What Odell wants to train is a top F1 driver, not a crying "giant baby".

Injuries are extremely common during racing, and there is no need to show concern and comfort like you would a baby. Chen Xiangbei needs to learn to accept and get used to it.

If one must find a mistake, Odetto can only say that he is used to being in the F1 team and subconsciously no longer considers the differences in the drivers' physical fitness.

After all, it is impossible for a driver who can step into the F1 paddock to not be able to withstand the G-force pressure brought by the car during normal driving.

At the same time, Odeto once again confirmed one thing, that is, Chen Xiangbei's professional resume was really not falsified, and this kid's karting career was a blank.

During this period of contact, Odetto noticed that Chen Xiangbei attached great importance to physical training, but it was obvious that the efficiency of improving his physical fitness could not keep up with the speed of improving his driving skills.

For a moment, Odeto didn't know whether to praise Chen Xiangbei's talent or lament his poor foundation...

"Well, I'll change and go back to the hotel."

Chen Xiangbei nodded and walked calmly into the lounge to change into his racing suit.

Watching Chen Xiangbei's back disappear from sight, Mizutani Sho finally spoke up, "Team Leader Odeto, Xiangbei-kun has strained a shoulder muscle. It will be difficult for him to fully recover in two days. This may affect his qualifying and race results."

Muscle strain is one of the occupational diseases in the racing world. Mizutani Sho is well aware that as time goes by, the swelling and pain will reach a peak, and then the swelling will gradually subside and recover.

When a car is driving at high speed, it requires very high precision control from the driver. During this period, Chen Xiangbei competed with an injury. How did he manage to control the car so well?

"If there is an impact, then overcome it."

After Odetto gave a simple reply, he turned his gaze to the surveillance screen.

There is no point in discussing this kind of issue. Ultimately it all depends on Chen Xiangbei's own performance!
The Donington Park circuit is about 200 kilometers away from the Mewtwo base. In order to ensure sufficient rest time, the team chose to stay in a hotel next to the circuit.

Back at the hotel, in addition to ice compresses, Lu Xiaoman also prepared anti-inflammatory drugs for Chen Xiangbei to be applied externally and internally to avoid the inflammatory reaction caused by swelling as much as possible.

"Sister Xiaoman, it's not that serious, just a slight strain."

Chen Xiangbei felt that Lu Xiaoman was a little too nervous. In fact, he had experienced injuries of this degree many times in his previous life.

"If you don't take it seriously, it will become serious. The qualifying round is in two days. Do you still want to run a good result?"

"If Kubica can drive an F1 car with one hand, it shouldn't be a problem for me to drive a Formula Renault car."

"You have a muscle strain, not a brain injury. When has Kubica ever driven a F1 car with one hand?"

Lu Xiaoman couldn't help but complain, this kid Chen Xiangbei really talks nonsense!

This rhetorical question left Chen Xiangbei speechless for a moment. At this point in time, the car accident that would affect Kubica's career had not yet occurred, so there was naturally no such thing as him driving an F1 car with one hand.

"It's nothing, I'll just say it casually."

Chen Xiangbei immediately changed the subject and obediently accepted Lu Xiaoman's rehabilitation arrangements.

At Donington Park, the pit lane was becoming increasingly bustling as more and more teams arrived for practice. While the team engineers were adjusting their equipment, the team leaders were curious about their competitors' lap times.

Among them, the defending champion Chen Xiangbei has become the focus of inquiries in the paddock!

However, the other teams soon discovered that not only was Chen Xiangbei not present on the track, but he was not even to be seen in the P room of the Super Dream Team.

Only Mewtwo's other driver, Takatoshi Kobayashi from Japan, is training normally.

You should know that although the FIA ​​divides the practice into two days for safety reasons, the team can only apply for one day to practice, which means that the overall time is not extended.

The Chinese kid even "cancelled" the practice session. Is he so confident about the Donington Park circuit?
Only the ART team noticed Chen Xiangbei's early departure, and they now focused their attention on Kobayashi Takatoshi.

Race engineer Todd even stood directly beside the track, using a stopwatch to count the lap times of Mewtwo driver Takatomo Kobayashi!
The reason why the ART team attaches so much importance to this is that they suffered a loss in the previous stop because they did not pay enough attention.

Chen Xiangbei had already left early, and the speed of his final lap remained a mystery. However, the foreboding feeling in Todt and Vergne's hearts lingered for a long time, and they could only seek clues from Kobayashi Takatoshi for the time being.

There is often a competitive relationship between teammates, and they will be influenced and stimulated by each other, and their lap times will increase simultaneously.

If Kobayashi Takatoshi runs an excellent time, then based on Chen Xiangbei's performance in the first stop, he will most likely be even faster!
As the clock passed by with a whistling "buzz", ART race engineer Todd pressed the pause button of the stopwatch almost simultaneously, and the number 1 minute 08 seconds 951 was frozen on the black and white screen.

Manual stopwatches have errors compared to electronic timing, especially for sports like racing where the precision requires thousandths of a second. The full speed measured is certainly not completely accurate.

However, Todd deliberately slowed down his stopping action. He believed that his timing error rate should be around 0.1 seconds. Kobayashi Takatoshi is very likely to run into the 1 minute 08 second range, which was a result that could only be achieved by the pole position on the same track last year!
Although the overall level of the participating drivers was relatively weak last year, coupled with a light rain before the qualifying session, the white line on the shoulder of the road was slippery and it was impossible to push the car to a particularly extreme speed.

But running under 1 minute and 08 seconds is still not an easy result to achieve.

More importantly, after timing the lap, Todd immediately turned back to observe the reactions of the crew members in the P room of the Superdream Team. They were very calm about Kobayashi Takatomo's lap performance.

From this, we can draw a conclusion: either Kobayashi Takatoshi ran a more amazing single lap speed, or Chen Xiangbei ran it after leaving the track.

Todd thought that he was more inclined to the latter.

And Chen Xiangbei's lap time was much higher, otherwise Kobayashi Takatoshi's crew wouldn't be so "calm".

"Team Leader, try to find out the fastest lap time of Chinese driver Bei from the Mewtwo team members."

Todt immediately conveyed his opinion to the ART team leader via radio, saying that practice lap times were not a team secret and anyone with a good relationship with the other crew could find out by simply asking.

"Todd, what's the problem?"

The ART team leader asked back, he came a little later and had not felt Chen Xiangbei's speed in the last lap.

"With the driver running 1:08, I suspect he's not only faster than last year's pole position, but is very likely close to Ricciardo's pole position record."

"you sure?"

"Sure!"

Todd answered in the affirmative, trusting his intuition. "OK, I'll send someone to inquire."

There is a saying circulating on the Internet in later generations: "There are no secrets within the enclosure."

As long as someone paid attention, Chen Xiangbei's fastest lap time would spread among more than a dozen teams in almost a short period of time.

Most people’s first reaction to the result of 1 minute 08 seconds was disbelief!

The reason is simple. This lap time is too exaggerated. It is 0.2 seconds faster than the pole position record.

If Chen Xiangbei's result was 1 minute 08 seconds, everyone might choose to accept it. It was too outrageous and seemed unreal. In addition, the Chinese boy did not appear in the paddock for practice, so it was almost like a made-up story.

However, the pole position and championship in the first Silverstone race forced all the teams to take it seriously, and they were directly caught in a dilemma.

Among them, only Magnussen and Vergne showed "respect" for Chen Xiangbei's lap time.

The two of them were runners-up to the champion in the previous race. Compared with other drivers, they have a more intuitive feeling of Chen Xiangbei's strength and know that this Chinese boy has the potential to run an amazing lap time.

Another more important point is the bold statement made by Chen Xiangbei in the post-match interview.

He is determined to win this championship, and even Jesus can't stop him!

Magnussen and Vergne absolutely cannot tolerate this kind of face-to-face oath. No matter what, the championship of Donington Park cannot fall into Chen Xiangbei's hands again.

They must defend the glory that belongs to European drivers!

……

Compared with the rumors from the outside world, during the last two days of the off-season, Chen Xiangbei seemed to be living a "retirement" life.

Due to a muscle strain, he suspended all physical training. In addition, there was no racing simulator at the Mewtwo base, so he could only watch the track information and other drivers' race videos every day, which was a disguised way to relax and relieve stress.

Chen Xiangbei also noticed an F1 news item, which said that according to a former Honda sports department staff member, team manager Ross Brawn has found a new investor and will complete the full acquisition of the Honda F1 team today.

If nothing unexpected happens, the new investor is Starer.

It seems that the old British gentleman investigated the operating conditions of the Honda team and the leading performance of the RA109 prototype, and made an extremely decisive investment decision.

Sources also revealed that the Honda F1 team has submitted its application to the FIA, confirming they will not miss the 09 season opener. The driver lineup will maintain Jenson Button and Barrichello, and the two veterans are confident of achieving even better results in the new year.
As we all know, there are not only no secrets in the paddock, but also no "rumors".

The Honda F1 team has grabbed its last lifeline and will make a grand resurrection in the paddock with a new identity.

Saturday, March 7th, qualifying day at Donington Park.

Compared to the previous Silverstone Circuit, the crew members had a relatively relaxed departure time for this stop because they were staying in a nearby hotel and did not need to rush to arrive early.

While sitting in the car, Liang Chi was still a little worried and asked: "Boy, how does your shoulder feel now?"

"Uncle Liang, no problem."

Chen Xiangbei waved his arms twice to indicate that he was fine.

"It would be strange if there's no problem. It's just getting better now, but it hasn't fully recovered at all."

"Besides, muscle strains are very recurrent. Your shoulder and neck muscles won't be able to withstand the high G-force lateral pressure during the full-speed qualifying race."

Lu Xiaoman bluntly exposed Chen Xiangbei's cover-up. He wanted to fully recover in two days. Did this guy think he was a superman?

"It's okay, it's not a double strain. I can just use my other hand to exert more strength when the time comes."

Chen Xiangbei still appeared to be very relaxed. He didn't want to plunge the team into an atmosphere of worry because of himself before the race even started.

"Whatever you think is good."

Lu Xiaoman replied somewhat helplessly.

In a sense, she could understand Chen Xiangbei. After all, racing was never just a driver's job. There were more than a dozen people in the team behind him serving him.

Chen Xiangbei is also responsible for the entire team.

After driving for less than ten minutes, Chen Xiangbei and others arrived at the team's dedicated parking lot at Donington Park Circuit.

As soon as he got out of the car, he saw several red national flags waving at the edge of the parking lot.

"Chen Xiangbei, we're here to cheer you on!"

"Chen Xiangbei, you are never fighting alone!"

"Come on Chen Xiangbei, win another championship!"

Cheers reached Chen Xiangbei's ears, and he stood there in surprise.

To be honest, when I was competing alone in a foreign country on an overseas track, and suddenly heard someone cheering for me in my native language and waving the familiar red flag, I felt an indescribable feeling and emotion in my heart.

"Brother Bei, we have supporters too. Finally, we don't have to envy other drivers anymore!"

Compared to Chen Xiangbei, Ayong was more excited.

After all, Chen Xiangbei had raced in F2 in his previous life and had experienced similar scenes. It was the first time for Ayong to see the red flag waving for his driver on the track!
"It seems the video of Xiangbei winning at Silverstone has spread widely. Some overseas Chinese and students have heard that there's a Chinese driver competing in the Renault European Cup and have come here specifically to cheer him on."

Lu Xiaoman sighed. She was a logistical support staff member of the team and did not stay in the P room throughout the race.

Because of this, Lu Xiaoman is more aware of Chen Xiangbei's "reputation" at the Silverstone Circuit than any other member of the team.

Not to mention the ridicule and questioning, even when he stepped onto the championship podium, there were still a lot of boos.

Lu Xiaoman took this to heart but never told Chen Xiangbei about it. Instead, she even found the video online and asked him to read more of the encouraging messages.

On the one hand, I want to make Chen Xiangbei more motivated.

On the other hand, Lu Xiaoman is well aware of one thing.

That is the dream of not being laughed at, which is not worth achieving!

Facing cold eyes and ridicule, climbing to the top step by step, this is what Chen Xiangbei should do.

It turns out that changes have already occurred in just one race.

"As long as there are achievements, there will naturally be supporters. This is the law of competitive sports."

Hiroki Sawano next to him added that he knew too well the source of the driver's popularity.

If you get the results, you will have countless fans.

On the contrary, if you become a loser, even your breathing is wrong.

"Not entirely. Their willingness to come and support me has more to do with my identity as a Chinese driver."

Chen Xiangbei explained with a smile that his first Renault race victory was not really a top result.

These Chinese people on the sidelines support the team not because of the results, but more because they are their compatriots.

"Thank you, I'll do my best!"

Chen Xiangbei responded and waved to them before leading everyone to the maintenance passage.

Unlike the previous time at Silverstone, this time when he passed by the P rooms of other teams, he could clearly feel countless eyes on him.

Chen Xiangbei could understand that there were several Chinese supporters coming.

After all, the video has been viewed over a million times on YouTube, and with the large number of Chinese people and international students in the UK, it is not particularly difficult to find some free time to come to Donington Park to watch the race.

Later, when Zhou Guanyu was training abroad, many Chinese fans came to cheer him on.

But he was a little confused when the members of these competing teams all gave him a "salute".

It’s just a Renault first race championship, is it that big of a deal?
Confused, Chen Xiangbei walked into the team's pit room. Mizutani Sho immediately approached and said, "Xiangbei-kun, I don't know who leaked your practice lap times, but now everyone knows you ran a 1:08."

After hearing what Mizutani Sho said, Chen Xiangbei suddenly understood. No wonder he felt that there was something wrong with this group of people...

Before Chen Xiangbei could reply, Odeto spoke.

"North, go change into your racing clothes and get ready now."

"Also, I changed the car's setup last night, lowering the ride height and increasing the suspension stiffness."

"Odetto, the track is very hilly and steep, and we already had tires hanging in the air during practice. If we adjust it to the exact opposite setting now, I'm afraid it won't just be hanging in the air, but the car will bottom out."

Chen Xiangbei put forward his own opinions on the spot.

Although the team leader has absolute authority over car tuning, driver feedback is also an important part. He did not quite understand why Odetto wanted to change the tuning settings.

"According to insider information, during yesterday afternoon's track practice, Magnussen of the Carlin team set a lap time of 1:08, and Costa of the Manor team also broke the pole position record, setting a time of 302:1."

"They've both done private testing at Donington before. Plus, both teams have been involved in lower-level Formula One events for years, so they have a wealth of track data and driver line information. Without changing the settings, you can't beat them."

This time, Odetto did not hide anything and told Chen Xiangbei the reason directly and clearly.

"Odeto, how do you know this?"

Chen Xiangbei asked back in surprise, Odette hasn't even left the hotel these two days, so how did he know other people's lap times.

Hearing this question, Odeto showed disdain on his face and snorted coldly, "Bei, since they regard you as their main competitor and are trying every means to find out your results and target you, then I can get my competitors' practice data."

"In short, don't even think about taking advantage of us!"

In fact, Odetto didn't mention another reason for changing the adjustment settings.

That is to lower the chassis height and increase the suspension hardness, which helps reduce the impact of roll G-force on the driver.

Although the old man would not apologize for his instructions, it did not mean that he did not care about Chen Xiangbei. It was just that some things were not suitable to be expressed.

Even if there is a risk of bottoming out in the car, it is better than the risk of Chen Xiangbei getting injured.

Odette, who only cares about performance, never thought that one day he would be influenced by his emotions.

(End of this chapter)