Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 140 Don't use the same move twice

"Chen Xiangbei's crew has a big problem with the number of members. In the tire changing footage captured in the previous practice and qualifying sessions, even the most basic pit mechanic team was not complete, and the overall time took more than a minute."

"I think his strategy of starting on neutral tires was a passive choice made out of necessity, as the crew size could not support the time required for a single pit stop."

Hong Kong commentator Luo Feng offered his speculation: Chen Xiangbei's rise to prominence was too rapid, and there was very little information available about his professional background.

Even though the media industry couldn't figure out his connection with Huasai Sports, the Honda-affiliated Super Dream team, and the Brawn GP team in a short period of time.

Who exactly is the source of Chen Xiangbei's funding and technical support?
The problem is that, apart from the bankrupt Huasai Sports, both the Super Aguri "resurrected" Super Dream team and the Brawn GP team, which stands tall in F1, have no problem supporting an F3 race in terms of resources and technology.

Despite having the support of two teams from the Honda camp, Chen Xiangbei was actually doing worse than even the smaller teams that were competing. Luo Feng couldn't understand why.

Not only did Hong Kong commentator Luo Feng not understand, but Dong Licheng, president of the Grand Prix title sponsor, Eastern Shipping, who was watching from the VIP box, also couldn't figure it out.

When he heard the commentator's speculation about Chen Xiangbei on the radio, he looked at his son with the same puzzled expression and asked, "Wenxu, doesn't Chen Xiangbei have any team resources to support him?"

This young man named "Wenxu" is Dong Yuanxi's younger brother, who was driving an Audi R8 on the night of the street racing in Australia.

Influenced by Dong Yuanxi, he had been paying attention to Chen Xiangbei for a long time and regarded him as his idol. He knew much more about Chen Xiangbei's entire career than the average person.

"As far as I know, Bei Ge signed a self-funded contract with the Chao Meng team, and he personally covers the expenses of the crew members and the race costs. As for the test driver contract with the Brawn GP team, the contents are currently unknown, and it seems that there are not many support and assistance clauses."

"The only advertisers on Brother Bei's racing suit are beauty salons, modification shops, and hot pot restaurants. He must be short of funding and probably can't afford to maintain the normal operation of the racing team."

When questioned by his father, Dong Wenxu behaved very "well-behavedly," showing none of the spoiled brat air he had during street competitions.

Hearing his son's answer, Dong Licheng nodded.

Then he asked, "Are Yuanxi and him close?"

Just now, when Chen Xiangbei walked from the maintenance passage to the P room, Dong Licheng saw his daughter among the team members.

He knew his daughter and Chen Xiangbei were classmates, but he hadn't expected Dong Yuanxi to agree to go to the P-room to watch the match. For a moment, Dong Licheng didn't know what to say. Why did his two children seem so close to this young man?

"I do not know."

Dong Wenxu gave a very straightforward answer.

Before you understand your father's thoughts and intentions, it's best not to get involved!

Dong Licheng didn't say anything more about this, and turned his attention to the race cars that had finished the warm-up lap.

Twenty race cars stopped at the starting grid again, the roar of engines rising and falling.

After being exposed to the scorching sun for most of the day, the surface temperature of the Guia Circuit reached 42°C. In addition, the circuit is 6.2 kilometers long, almost twice the length of the Donington Park Circuit in the UK that Chen Xiangbei had previously run.

This means that the other riders' soft tires have reached their optimal operating temperature and are at their peak grip.

"Xiang Beijun, pay attention to the starting torque; the temperature of the neutral tires is a bit strange."

Just as he was about to start, Chen Xiangbei heard Hiroki Sawano's reminder through his earpiece.

"What do you mean?"

"The internal tire pressure sensor data shows that the operating temperature has been reached, but the external rubber has not melted and the standard has not been met."

Upon hearing Hiroki Sawano's answer, the words "stone fetus" instantly popped into Chen Xiangbei's mind.

Throughout the decades-long history of Formula One racing, tire suppliers have always held a pivotal position. World-renowned top brands such as Michelin, Bridgestone, and Pirelli have all provided tire support for F1 racing.

Each tire supplier uses different technologies and formulas, which naturally leads to differences in tire performance.

The most obvious difference lies in the "hardness" of the material.

Racing tires differ from civilian tires; they don't necessarily focus on lifespan and wear resistance, but rather on warm-up and grip.

However, tire suppliers sponsor F1 races in order to enhance their brand awareness and expand their market share in the civilian market, so service life and wear resistance are crucial factors.

In particular, the infamous "Tiregate" incident occurred in F1 in 05. Michelin, the supplier at the time, had a softer material formula, which significantly increased the tire blowout rate and threatened the lives of drivers, directly leading to seven teams announcing a boycott of the US Grand Prix.

As a result, tire suppliers learned from their mistakes and, in order to gain market share, made their material formulas increasingly "hard," resulting in "stone tires" where the rubber melts very slowly.

Some new car enthusiasts, upon learning about the characteristics of "stone tires," may think that harder tires are not necessarily a bad thing, as they mean a longer lifespan and less need to be stopped at the station for tire changes, thus saving time spent at the station.

In fact, the lifespan of tires in Formula racing depends not only on the wear resistance of the rubber, but also on the temperature of the air inside the tire. Overheating inside the tire can significantly increase the risk of a tire blowout!
Red Bull Racing faced this predicament at the 25th F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, where both cars used white tires (hard tires) thinking they would be more durable and have a longer lifespan due to high temperatures.

Unexpectedly, the tire temperature continued to exceed the maximum limit, while the tire rubber's grip was like that of ice. These two seemingly unrelated extreme conditions occurred at the same time in an unusually strange way.

Even Verstappen, a racing machine, couldn't help but complain in TR that "this car is impossible to drive."

In normal Formula practice sessions, teams have drivers test the performance of different tire compounds in order to make the best strategic choices.

However, since Chen Xiangbei had never been exposed to mechanical transmission and control F3 racing cars, he spent all his practice time on car tuning and didn't have time to test the differences between tires and light and heavy fuel loads.

Now, Australia is experiencing unusually high temperatures, resulting in a situation where tire temperatures rise abnormally but the rubber on the tire surface does not melt – a stark contrast between extreme heat and cold.

This means that Chen Xiangbei not only faces the challenge of maintaining a tire at the extreme, but also has to constantly monitor changes in tire temperature to avoid overheating and causing a blowout during the race!

"receive."

The five indicator lights above the track had lit up one after another. At this point, Chen Xiangbei's reply was formulaic and there was no point in saying anything more.

As the lights went out, twenty F3 race cars shot off like arrows, vying for the highest honor at the Guia Circuit.

Chen Xiangbei reacted quickly at the start, but his starting speed wasn't the fastest.

Medium tires lack grip, and forcibly increasing engine speed and torque will only result in tire slippage and burnout.

In a duel between masters, victory or defeat often hinges on the slightest difference.

Compared to the "green" Renault junior Formula drivers, the drivers who can participate in the Grand Prix F3 series at least have an F3 championship title on their heads.

For example, Kyosuke Kunimoto was not only the defending champion of the Guia Circuit last year, but also won the All Japan F3 Championship!
The same goes for Modana, the newly crowned champion of the Italian F3 series.

Chen Xiangbei knew very well that his grip was weak and that he couldn't hold the inside line for pole position entry into the corner by speed alone. So the only thing he could do was change lanes as quickly as possible and use blocking to forcefully prevent his opponent from cutting in line into the corner!
The idea was great, and the execution was flawless. The problem was that the opponent wasn't a pushover. The slight difference in tire grip was enough for a top-tier "local expert" like Motana to seize the opportunity and pull off a surprise attack!
As soon as Chen Xiangbei made a lane change maneuver, the experienced Modana, who had driven the Grand Prix for two years, skillfully positioned his front wheel against the rear wheel of car number 13, leaving him no room to move or block the car.

Moreover, defending champion Kyosuke Kunimoto, who qualified third, also took advantage of the disadvantage of a weak start on the medium tires, flooring the accelerator on the outside of the long straight, intending to overtake Chen Xiangbei at T1 water pond bend.

"Sawano-senpai, this year's opponents are really strong. I wonder if Mukai-kun can keep his emotions in check and execute the pre-match tactics."

Sho Mizutani said with a hint of worry, "Just from this start, you can see that the drivers participating in the Grand Prix are much more experienced than their opponents in the Renault European Cup. They already have the makings of an F1 driver."

It truly lives up to its reputation as the world's strongest F3 racing series, a cradle of countless top drivers. Anyone who can secure a front-row start is no ordinary person.

Faced with this situation of being "besieged by wolves in front and tigers behind," Chen Xiangbei did not risk losing control by forcibly accelerating and braking late to compete with Modana for the cornering line.

The team's strategy team had anticipated that opponents might overtake them at the start in their pre-race tactics. Odeto's only instruction to Chen Xiangbei was to do his best to conserve tire life and avoid unnecessary actions that would shorten tire life.

For example, tire lock-up caused by braking at the last minute.

Soon the three race cars arrived at T1 Water Reservoir Bend. Motana and Kunimoto Kyosuke, one on the left and one on the right, one on the inside and one on the outside, overtook Chen Xiangbei, who was sandwiched in the middle, almost at the same time.

This scene caused an uproar among the audience!
It's important to know that most of the audience members present today, due to the limited grassroots understanding of motorsports in China, don't actually know much about Formula racing.

Most of the information they learned about was through media reports that a Chinese rider had secured pole position at the Grand Prix. They came with a simple sense of national honor and a desire to support their compatriots, and they didn't even know the difference between soft and medium tires.

In their eyes, the result was that Chen Xiangbei was overtaken, and by two cars in a row!
"Isn't Chen Xiangbei supposed to be amazing, getting pole position and breaking the track record? How come his performance in the race was so poor?"

"Yeah, I remember the news saying that Chen Xiangbei had a strong start. Could the publicity be false?"

"I heard that it's very difficult to overtake on the Guia Circuit. I hope I won't be able to get back."

"Damn it, is this all there is to an F1 test driver?"

The front row cars were overtaking each other in the narrow T1 waterhole corner, while the drivers who were further back in qualifying were also hoping to take advantage of the start to move up the line and improve their ranking.

However, they lacked Chen Xiangbei and his group's precise control over distance, managing to squeeze three race cars into the bend and engage in a battle with centimeter-level maneuvering.

When faced with the congested TI waterhole bend, if the rear drivers are not quick enough to avoid a collision, or if they are caught in the middle with no room to maneuver, a chain-reaction rear-end collision can easily occur. Such scenes are common at the Guia Circuit.

Less than ten seconds into the race, a four-car collision occurred at the pond bend, prompting the race organizers to immediately deploy a safety car.

"Guangya truly lives up to its reputation as Asia's most dangerous race, with a four-car collision occurring right at the start. However, judging from the broadcast footage, it appears to be only a minor rear-end collision, and the race should be cleared and resumed quickly."

"In addition, there was an extremely exciting overtaking scene just now. P2 driver Modana and P3 driver Kunimoto Kyosuke overtook pole-sitter Chen Xiangbei and took the first and second positions on the front row respectively."

"It seems my previous concerns have come true. Chen Xiangbei's strategy of starting on medium tires is no match for the grip advantage of his opponents starting on soft tires. In the first few laps, he will face constant attacks from the drivers behind him, and he may even lose his position."

Commentator Li Bing had already guessed from the broadcast footage aimed at the audience that many spectators were unable to accept Chen Xiangbei being overtaken one after another.

He could only rely on his professional knowledge to explain that medium tires have less grip than soft tires, resulting in a significant disadvantage at the start. He also gave the audience a heads-up: until the peak grip of soft and medium tires shifts, Chen Xiangbei will be on the defensive, and he might not even be able to hold onto third place!

Accidents at the Guia Circuit are commonplace for drivers, who tend to focus more on their rivals.

Especially Modana and Kyoto Kunimoto in the front row, they are the drivers who least want the safety car to be deployed.

Because once the safety car is deployed to hold down the vehicle, it means that Chen Xiangbei has an extra time to "warm up" the tires. So when the car starts moving dynamically, the tire temperature of the Chinese boy will reach the optimal operating temperature.

That's how the game works on the track. Teams that make a pit stop are betting that the safety car will be deployed midway through the race, shortening their pit stop window, or even giving them a free pit stop for tire changes.

But for Chen Xiangbei, the accident at the start of the race was actually beneficial, as it meant he had more time to raise the tire temperature and wouldn't fall behind the car in front!

After one lap, the damaged race car and the fallen debris had been quickly cleaned up by the race organizers. The front-row drivers all kept their eyes fixed on the safety car, waiting for it to move away from the race car and finish its stunt.

As the safety car turned and entered the maintenance lane, Mo Ta stepped on the gas and sped up, trying to use the time difference in reaction speed to shake off Guo Benjingyou and Chen Xiangbei behind him!
It's important to understand that for Motana, the threat posed by defending champion Kyosuke Kunimoto is actually not much less than that of Chinese player Chen Xiangbei.

The best outcome would be to let Guo Benjingyou and Chen Xiangbei fight it out, while I reap the benefits!
Compared to Renault's entry-level race car, the F3 car has more low-end torque and improved gearbox response time, in addition to differences in performance and aerodynamic kits.

This change allows the race car to respond faster at start-up and low speeds.

Even the slightest difference between reaction speed and control action can result in vastly different acceleration outcomes.

Motana's idea is wonderful, and Kunimoto Kyosuke's manipulation is also fine.

However, Chen Xiangbei's dynamic start on this lap was no longer a static start. He received a reminder from the team that he had to reduce the engine speed and torque, so he could not perform at his full potential.

At this moment, he wanted to make Mortana and Kunimoto Kyosuke understand just how fast and terrifying he could be when he started at full speed!
The roar of the engine echoed through the sky. Chen Xiangbei floored the accelerator and shifted gears frantically, keeping the engine speed at maximum power output. Race car number 13 took off like a rocket, crashing straight into the inside of Guo Benjingyou's race car.

[Such a rapid acceleration?]

Looking at the front wing of Chen Xiangbei's No. 13 race car that appeared to the left of his own race car, Kunimoto Kyosuke's face was filled with shock.

As the second youngest champion driver in the history of the Guia Circuit, his strength and talent are beyond doubt. At the same time, his familiarity with the track and the car far exceeds that of a complete newcomer like Chen Xiangbei.

To be honest, Kyosuke Kunimoto believes he has no problem with dynamic starting and handling, and his concentration and reaction time are quick. This is evident from the distance he maintained with the Modana; the two cars didn't fall behind.

But how exactly did Chen Xiangbei manage to drive the neutral tire faster than the red tire without making any mistakes?
The only possibility that Kunimoto Kyosuke could think of was that Chen Xiangbei accelerated before the safety car left!
However, the imminent emergency of being overtaken left Kyoto Kunimoto with no time to report to the team. He could only frantically shift gears and accelerate, trying to take advantage of the peak grip of his red tires, brake late, and cut into the corner to maintain his position.

But this time, Chen Xiangbei won't give him the chance to overpower him from the outside.

He completely disregarded Odeto's instructions on the strategy of protecting the tire, stubbornly guarding the inside and entering the corner alongside Kunimoto Kyosuke. Only when he was about to reach the apex of the corner did he slam on the brakes to slow down and get through the corner.

Although neither race car reached an exaggerated speed of 200-300 km/h, their entry speed into the corner still exceeded 150 km/h, and they only braked when they were close to the apex of the corner, which clearly indicated that their braking distance was insufficient.

Both race cars inevitably experienced sideslip, but compared to the outer side, Kunimoto Kyosuke, the inner side, Chen Xiangbei, had more tangential buffer space.

With a muffled thud, Kunimoto Kyosuke's race car crashed into the guardrail from the side. Chen Xiangbei had already overtaken Kunimoto Kyosuke's No. 1 race car, but due to inertia and lateral G-force, his car also slid towards the guardrail.

However, when he was only three centimeters away from the edge of the track, Chen Xiangbei's No. 13 car stopped sliding and completed the cornering by grazing the edge.

Looking at the damaged side box of the race car in the rearview mirror, and seeing Kunimoto Kyosuke being left further and further behind, Chen Xiangbei's face showed a mocking smile.

[Strong outside shooting?]

Don't use the same trick on me twice!
(End of this chapter)