Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 131 Professional Drivers Are Terrifying (Part 2)

After saying this, Odeto pushed a thick stack of data, images, and wiring information in front of Chen Xiangbei.

Looking at the stack of documents and Odetto's attitude, Qin Lianjie, who was "watching," was dumbfounded.

Aside from pre-match practice, Chen Xiangbei only had a week left to familiarize himself with the game. How could he possibly memorize so much data and route in such a short time?

The problem is that it can't be memorized by rote; you have to learn and adapt according to the changes in the track, which means the difficulty needs to be increased to another level.

Just when Qin Lianjie felt it was almost impossible, Chen Xiangbei did not make any excuses or refute them. He took the stack of track data and said affirmatively, "I will remember it, Team Leader Odeto."

Damn it...

Now Qin Lianjie understood why Chen Xiangbei had such monstrous driving skills.

The pressure and intensity of this profession are completely unimaginable for ordinary street racers.

To put it bluntly, Qin Lianjie felt that he probably didn't study as hard as Chen Xiangbei when he took the college entrance exam.

After explaining everything, Odette left in his usual nonchalant manner, leaving Hiroki Sawano and Sho Mizutani to study the track data and racing line with Xiangbei Chen.

In addition, Liang Chi and others from the technician team were also busy.

If back then at Huasai Sports, thanks to the technical and personnel support from the Ford and Honda groups, Liang Chi and his fellow Chinese technicians were able to at least move beyond the karting level and get in touch with real single-seat Formula racing cars.

Now, without the support of a world-class automaker, they've never even touched an F3 car. This is similar to Chen Xiangbei's situation with the Guia Circuit – starting from scratch and completely unfamiliar!

This means that Liang Chi and his team of maintenance technicians must learn and "theoretically discuss" all the mechanical principles and tuning schemes of the F3 race car before the race, otherwise Chen Xiangbei's car performance will not be able to match the track.

To be honest, the reason this situation has arisen is related to a lack of money.

Before Chen Xiangbei returned to China and secured sponsorship, he simply couldn't afford the travel and salaries of the entire crew.

Furthermore, if they were to hire Brawn GP or the Super Dream technical team, it would be equivalent to the team's direct involvement, and the sponsorship fees would have to be split 50/50 according to the contract.

Chen Xiangbei wasn't stingy or unwilling to share the money; on the contrary, he was well aware that the relationship between the driver and the team was mutually beneficial.

With sufficient R&D funding, the team can provide drivers with more powerful race cars.

If a team is poor and performs poorly, the drivers' performance will also suffer, and their commercial value will be greatly reduced.

Historically, many talented drivers at lower levels have lacked nothing more than a top-tier race car to fully showcase their skills and talent. With a bit more luck, winning a WDC title wasn't impossible.

The reason why Ferrari is the dream team for so many drivers, and why Alonso is called a "team selection genius," is that in Formula One, the driver often determines the lower limit of the result, while the car determines the upper limit!
To achieve good results, you must have a strong team to support you.

The problem is that before a race car is actually used in a real race, no one knows whether it can meet the standards of a "Mars car". Therefore, choosing a team requires both foresight and luck.

It's obvious that Alonso is lacking in these two aspects. After winning two world championships, he has been trying to find a way to win a third title for more than a decade but has never encountered that Mars rover that can compete for the title.

If you don't want to gamble, the safest option is to choose a well-established racing team.

Without a doubt, Ferrari, which has never broken away from the "Big Three" of racing cars, has become the prancing horse totem in the hearts of many drivers!
Unfortunately, the "children's dream" isn't very reliable either; for over a decade, they've been living off the legacy of Schumacher and Raikkonen.

Chen Xiangbei hasn't even solved his own training and competition funding issues yet, so there's no way he can improve the team through sponsorship funds.

People like Odette and Hiroki Sawano are currently only nominally offering their "help" through personal connections. He needs to secure enough sponsorship through the Grand Prix to solve his future racing funding problems in one go!
“Mr. Xiangbei, I have only raced in GT racing in Guia. Many of my racing line experiences are not necessarily suitable for Formula racing. You need to make your own judgments.”

Before the explanation and discussion, Hiroki Sawano made a special emphasis to prevent Chen Xiangbei from being led astray.

Although he is a double champion in both Japanese Super Formula and Super GT, he spent his entire Formula racing career in Japan, never having the opportunity to develop his career in Europe, let alone participate in the Australian Grand Prix.

After retiring from Formula One and transitioning to GT racing, Hiroki Sawano came to Australia to participate in the FIA-organized GT World Cup. Due to differences in performance and structure, the racing lines of the two types of cars may be very different.

要知道澳岛东望洋赛道最高GT组别，跑出来的最快单圈为2分17秒182，可是F3的圈速纪录却高达2分06秒317。

Don't underestimate the eleven-second difference; it can actually lead to different braking points and cornering speeds at each turn. GT racing lines can only provide reference value, and Chen Xiangbei cannot accept them entirely.

“I understand, Sawano.”

Chen Xiangbei nodded. Hiroki Sawano's personality was just a bit too cautious. How could he make such a basic mistake?

Without much preamble, the group began a rigorous analysis via projector. Lu Xiaoman didn't stay long; the dry theoretical data made her yawn repeatedly, and unable to bear it any longer, she got up and left the meeting room.

Only Qin Lianjie insisted on staying. He wasn't interested in track data analysis, but rather in the professional "training" of the teams and drivers.

Today he finally understood what it means to never use your hobby to challenge someone else's profession.

Few young people could endure just a few hours of tedious "study".

Time ticked by, and Qin Lianjie, who was sitting in a chair with sleepy eyes, felt someone pat his shoulder. He quickly opened his eyes and sat up straight, just like a student caught dozing off in class.

"Go to your room and rest. You're drooling in your sleep."

Chen Xiangbei smiled and reminded him that he had been discussing things so deeply with Hiroki Sawano and Sho Mizutani that he had forgotten Qin Lianjie was also sitting in the meeting room.

"Are you all done?"

"No, it's too late, we'll continue tomorrow. Twenty-two big curves, nearly a hundred different lines, and hundreds of small details, it's not that easy to figure out."

"really."

Qin Lianjie nodded solemnly; he had been half asleep listening to the earlier parts anyway.

After saying this, Qin Lianjie took out his phone and glanced at the time; it was almost midnight.

"Alright then, take a rest and see you tomorrow."

After standing up and stretching his stiff body, Qin Lianjie walked towards his hotel room.

For the next few days, Chen Xiangbei basically didn't leave the hotel. He was either doing physical training in the gym or doing track data analysis with the strategy team in the conference room.

In order to achieve Oddo's "zero mistakes" standard, he stretched the training time to an astonishing twelve hours, which opened Qin Lianjie's eyes to a whole new level.

He knew Chen Xiangbei worked hard, but he didn't expect him to be this dedicated.

No wonder Chen Xiangbei was able to win two consecutive Formula Renault championships and get a test driver contract with the Brawn GP team.

Talent can only determine your upper limit; hard work is the foundation that determines your lower limit.

Many people use talent as an excuse, unaware that their level of effort is so low that they can't even touch the ceiling of their potential, while breaking through the lower limit is much easier.

Chen Xiangbei's current performance is exactly what they mean when someone's talent far surpasses yours, and they work even harder than you, leaving you with nothing but the right to look up to them!

Monday, April 6th, four days before the Grand Prix practice.

As night fell and the sky was filled with stars, Chen Xiangbei and Qin Lianjie got into a Volkswagen R36, ready to head to the Guia Circuit for a test drive.

After all, no matter how much you talk about it on paper, you only get theoretical data. Only real-world practice can verify whether it is correct or not!
To some extent, this can be considered an advantage for Chen Xiangbei, a "local" driver. If it were a real foreign driver, they wouldn't even be able to do this kind of pre-race "private test." They could only go to Macau with the team and use the thirty-minute practice time to familiarize themselves with the Guia Circuit.

However, on the other hand, the team resources and technical support that real foreign drivers can get far exceed those of Chen Xiangbei.

Take the TOM's team from the Toyota camp as an example. They have been rooted in Asian racing for many years and have specifically trained for the Guia Circuit.

Historically, they have won four consecutive Grand Prix F3 championships. Although nominally a foreign team that is not "local", they are actually far more familiar with the area than mainlanders like Chen Xiangbei. Kunimoto Kyosuke and Modana are the real local forces.

"Hey north, did you memorize all that thick stack of data Odeto gave you?"

Only at this moment did Qin Lianjie have a chance to ask a question; Chen Xiangbei had been so busy the past two days that he hadn't dared to bother him.

"Well, it's almost there."

"you are great!"

Qin Lianjie wholeheartedly praised him, saying that he himself couldn't possibly remember it.

"It's alright, it's just basic operation."

Upon hearing Chen Xiangbei's reply, Qin Lianjie would have thought that anyone else was just putting on an act.

But after witnessing it firsthand these past few days, it is indeed Chen Xiangbei's basic operation!
The small size of Macau Island has its advantages. Soon, Chen Xiangbei drove the R36 to the starting point of the Guia Circuit, the racing building.

When the official competition begins, this building will serve as a maintenance station.

Compared to the scene of construction that I saw a few days ago, the street renovation project is nearing completion when I came here again tonight.

The guardrails along the entire road section have been installed, the road surface has been leveled, and traces of newly laid asphalt can be seen in many places. Even the manhole covers on the street have been re-welded firmly to prevent them from loosening when race cars pass by at high speeds. The current air-powered cars are somewhat better, but when F1 enters the era of ground effect cars, several street races have seen instances where the high-speed passage of race cars caused the air suction effect, forcibly pulling out the welded manhole covers.

For example, during the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Ferrari's Sainz was driving over a manhole cover when the cover was sucked up and pierced through the car's body and cockpit monocoque, and the road surface could even be seen directly from above the cockpit!

If Sainz had been less lucky, the result might have been a fatal crash.

"Are we ready to begin?"

As Qin Lianjie asked the question, his right hand was already gripping the car door handle tightly.

Upon seeing his action, Chen Xiangbei couldn't help but smile.

"I'm not racing on the street, there's no need to be so nervous, I'm just driving casually."

Although there weren't many pedestrians or vehicles on the Guia Circuit as midnight approached, it wasn't yet time for the race to close, and Chen Xiangbei didn't want to speed at full speed and cause trouble.

"Hey, I'm used to it."

Qin Lianjie looked embarrassed. He had once ridden in the passenger seat of Chen Xiangbei's car at high speed, and the thrill of that speed was so deep that he almost instinctively reached for the door handle.

Chen Xiangbei didn't say anything more. He turned around, looked ahead, and stepped on the gas. The Volkswagen R36 roared deeply, and the 3.5L engine burst forth with surging power as it charged forward.

This time, he chose a unique driving style: he slowed down on the straightaways to maintain the speed limit, and then went all out on the accelerator on the curves to experience the feeling of the car brushing against the edge of the guardrail when cornering.

Only in this way could Chen Xiangbei slightly mimic the feeling of cornering close to the limit and test his precise control over the vehicle's edge movements.

However, Chen Xiangbei's actions really put Qin Lianjie, who was in the passenger seat, through a lot of trouble.

It's important to understand that while the Volkswagen R36 has decent power and the potential to be a classic "wolf in sheep's clothing," it is ultimately positioned as a wagon station wagon, not even a performance car.

To simulate cornering limits under suitable conditions, Chen Xiangbei was pushing the car to its physical limits almost relentlessly. Especially during full-throttle acceleration into corners, the tires screeched and spun incessantly.

In addition, the lack of a modified suspension caused body roll, making Qin Lianjie feel like he was not just on the verge of losing control, but that he was about to roll over at any moment!
To be honest, Qin Lianjie used to think that at his "half-professional" level, unless he was riding in a two-seater Formula 1 car driven by an F1 driver, no one could make him feel fear.

Now Qin Lianjie has to admit that he is genuinely a little scared!

Chen Xiangbei's attention was not on Qin Lianjie at all; he was already used to this kind of high-stakes behavior.

At this moment, Chen Xiangbei was trying to push the limits of the space as much as possible. The front bumper of the Volkswagen R36 had rubbed against the promotional posters on the guardrail several times, leaving obvious black marks on them.

Chen Xiangbei frowned slightly at this. Due to insufficient acceleration distance, even though he accelerated to the point of slippage when entering the corner at full throttle, his speed was still far behind that of the Formula One car. He still couldn't achieve millimeter-level control.

It seems that the gap is not only in track data and proficiency, but also in the shortcomings of street racing in my previous life, which I still haven't been able to completely overcome in this life.

The nights on Hong Kong Island in April are not hot; in fact, they can be described as quite cool.

But after this round, Qin Lianjie, who was sitting in the passenger seat, had beads of sweat on his forehead.

He wasn't just nervous, he was also deeply shocked!
Chen Xiangbei arrived in Macau, and counting the lap he "walked" on the track that day, this was only his second lap of test runs.

However, the control over the edge distance and the precision of the wiring have reached a level that terrifies Qin Lianjie!

He might not be able to see the difference between Formula One racing and this Volkswagen R36, which can barely be considered a touring car. Qin Lianjie, an underground racer who often drives performance cars on the streets, surely understands the value of this kind of driving skill.

Don't be fooled by the fact that insurance companies often graz guardrails; the fact that Chen Xiangbei achieved such precise control even with his tires slipping is truly astonishing.

Qin Lianjie witnessed firsthand that Chen Xiangbei had only run two laps of Guia Bay, and spent the rest of his time familiarizing himself with the track data in the hotel.

This scene means that Chen Xiangbei has truly succeeded in memorizing all the thick track data compiled by Odette.

As expected, the Formula One drivers who manage to get signed by an F1 team are a bunch of monsters with incredible driving skills on this planet. They are truly terrifying!
After one lap, Chen Xiangbei stopped at the starting line of the racing building, not making any further moves for the time being, with a thoughtful expression on his face.

I still remember when we first arrived at Silverstone Circuit in Europe for training, Odeto pointed out his "conservative" and "fearful" characteristics. This was due to the long-standing concerns about not having money or connections, which made Chen Xiangbei drive timidly and hesitantly, not daring to risk damaging the car to push his limits.

This psychological deficiency is particularly evident in street racing, since the accident rate is higher and the limits of driver control are more challenging compared to traditional tracks.

Let alone Chen Xiangbei, a poor guy with no background in his past life, who didn't dare to push hard, even Zhou Guanyu, who comes from a relatively well-off family, showed signs of being timid and hesitant in street races, highlighting his weakness of not being able to reach the limit in single lap speed, and was eliminated in Q1 of the Monaco Grand Prix for three consecutive years.

For two years, it ranked 20th at the bottom, and for one year, it ranked 19th, second to last.

However, as his career progressed, and with Odeto's "tutoring," Chen Xiangbei overcame his psychological barriers and revealed his inherent adventurous and radical nature.

Incidentally, Chen Xiangbei also believes that his poor performance in the street competition was also affected by psychological concerns.

However, Chen Xiangbei realized that his concerns about car damage were only one aspect; another aspect was that he was indeed not familiar with street racing.

This lack of familiarity doesn't just refer to the Guia Circuit, but rather that Chen Xiangbei has only driven a few street races in his two lifetimes combined!

As we all know, the two most challenging scenarios for Formula racing are rain racing and street racing.

Rainy days are alright; as long as you dare to practice, you'll eventually encounter rainy weather. But driving a Formula car on the street is completely beyond the driver's control. The only way to improve proficiency is to participate in more races.

Unfortunately, Chen Xiangbei didn't have this kind of foundation in the country, and he only came into contact with street racing when he went to Europe!
Even now, without the psychological barrier, we're still not familiar with each other...

"Xiang Bei, what's wrong?"

Seeing that Chen Xiangbei remained silent for a long time, Qin Lianjie, not recognizing him, asked a question.

"It's nothing, I just didn't run well enough."

Chen Xiangbei replied casually.

what?
Hearing this answer had a greater impact on Qin Lianjie than the driving skills he had just experienced.

He only drove two laps, pushing the limits of cornering and pushing the boundaries of his limits, all while driving an unmodified Volkswagen R36.
Chen Xiangbei felt that achieving this speed and control was not good enough. How could he possibly reach his standard?

"Xiang Bei, I think you're being a bit too hard on yourself."

Qin Lianjie replied tactfully, "Even if you've never eaten pork, you've certainly seen pigs run."
Even though he wasn't a Formula One driver, Qin Lianjie, being from Hong Kong, had watched the Hong Kong Grand Prix quite a bit, and he felt that the F3 drivers who participated weren't much better at driving than Chen Xiangbei.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiangbei simply smiled and replied, "If you want to win the championship, you have to be strict."

Coming back to his senses, Chen Xiangbei stepped on the gas again and test-drove the track.

In essence, proficiency comes from practice.

Although the driving style and speed of this Volkswagen R36 are completely different from the handling of a real Formula 3 car.

However, it can still be used to observe and familiarize oneself with the characteristics of the track, and then turn these into memory points in one's mind.

As long as there are enough key points to remember, they can be connected into a line, and then compared with theoretical data, Chen Xiangbei will be able to figure out exactly where the limits of the track are.

This method may sound a bit mystical, but it is currently the only effective one.

Without saying much, Chen Xiangbei continued to test the course, lap after lap, constantly exploring and correcting various cornering routes.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Qin Lianjie had gradually gotten used to the impact of the speed, and a sense of admiration welled up in his heart for Chen Xiangbei's serious demeanor.

Almost two hours have passed since Chen Xiangbei arrived at the racetrack building. He has been repeating the process like a machine, and the black marks on the racetrack barriers are gradually decreasing until they disappear completely.

This means that as Chen Xiangbei ran laps, his control over distance became more and more precise, and his proficiency improved visibly.

It's important to understand that countless repetitions of mechanical movements bring not only hardship but also boredom and monotony. Most people simply cannot endure it, often losing focus towards the end and even hoping for it to end sooner.

That's why there's that famous saying: never turn your hobby into a career, or you'll lose a lot.

But Chen Xiangbei remained unchanged from beginning to end, displaying an astonishing level of patience!

It was almost 1 a.m., and as is usually the case, the later it got, the fewer pedestrians and vehicles there would be on the road, giving Chen Xiangbei more room to maneuver.

However, when he arrived at the racing building at the starting line again, he found it bustling with activity. More than a dozen performance cars of all kinds were parked on both sides of the pit lane, including some top-of-the-line supercars.

And vehicles continued to arrive from afar, instantly turning the once quiet and desolate night sky into a bustling marketplace.

"Qin Lianjie, what's going on?"

Chen Xiangbei asked, puzzled.

"We stumbled upon Cinderella time on the streets of Australia."

(End of this chapter)