Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 278 The Race Starting from Zero
A game is ultimately just a game, and it is fundamentally different from a racing simulator. There is no way that F1 would feature a nitrous oxide boost.

If we had to draw an analogy, the flywheel releasing kinetic energy or the DRS mode of later generations could barely achieve the effect of "nitrogen acceleration".

After exchanging a knowing smile, Chen Xiangbei officially entered the simulator training mode.

The Lingyan Circuit has a total of eighteen turns, and following the consistent style of designer Hermann, it inevitably includes high-speed, heavy-braking turns, which in a sense suits Chen Xiangbei's driving habits.

In addition, the track has a very large elevation difference, a full 41 meters, which is equivalent to more than ten stories. Drivers need to dynamically adjust their speed.

Just like the same track length, the acceleration time and braking distance brought by uphill and downhill are completely different, which means that in addition to the corner angles, Chen Xiangbei also has to memorize every elevation change of the track.

However, as he drove, Chen Xiangbei discovered that the Lingyan Circuit was not as bad as the outside world thought. Its lower limit was more in terms of safety redundancy and engineering quality. Apart from the defect of the pit lane entrance, the layout of the circuit itself was within an acceptable range.

Compared to some older racetracks in Europe, the new track is more comprehensive and scientific.

Chen Xiangbei, however, enjoys danger and challenges; even dancing on the edge of a knife gives him a thrilling feeling.

As one gradually gets used to extreme speeds, one may need something more dangerous to stimulate the senses, just as Schumacher chose skiing.

Perhaps one day in the future, after retiring, Chen Xiangbei might choose to challenge the Isle of Man TT in search of excitement.

Unfortunately, while it may be exciting, it doesn't mean it's easy to dominate.

The fastest lap time at Lingyan Circuit is 1 minute 35.585 seconds, achieved by Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel in the 2010 season.

Historically, the four Korean F1 Grand Prix races coincided with the first Red Bull dynasty, during which Vettel essentially dominated the track.

Chen Xiangbei's fastest lap time on the simulator is 1 minute 38.874 seconds!

To be honest, when Chen Xiangbei saw his lap time was stuck in the 1 minute 38 second range, he really couldn't believe the number in front of him.

It's worth noting that Chen Xiangbei achieved a hat trick in the F1 Chinese Grand Prix, taking control of the track record, pole position, and race win, and even shattering the awe-inspiring mentality towards legendary drivers.

How could he be a full 3 seconds slower than Vettel?
Furthermore, the difficulty of racing simulators is far lower than that of real track tests. For example, there are no elevation differences, blind spots caused by guardrails, or potential traffic conditions and accidents. It is equivalent to the best racing environment in theory.

Based on this performance, Chen Xiangbei would be more than 4 seconds slower in a real race on the track!
A 4-second difference has triggered the 107 rule in qualifying, which means that if a driver's lap time is more than 107% slower than the fastest driver, the FIA ​​has the right to ban the driver from the race to ensure track safety.

Undoubtedly, this result was hard to accept for Chen Xiangbei, who had just won the race.

However, Chen Xiangbei has several advantages in his personality. One is that he is extremely emotionally stable, and the other is that "diligence can make up for lack of talent".

If I can't set a lap time in ten laps, then I'll run a hundred laps.

If a hundred laps aren't enough, I'll practice thousands of laps until I reach the limit of my talent!
In reality, most people don't even put in enough effort to compete on talent; they're just finding a reasonable excuse for their failures.

Chen Xiangbei doesn't make excuses; he will do everything in his power!
One hour, two hours, three hours...

After the HRT team unloaded all their equipment from the container and completed their setup, Odette and the others noticed that Chen Xiangbei had not yet come out of the driver's rest room, and they couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

Could it be that this kid slipped away when no one was looking?
Even though Odette had seen many hard-working drivers, he never expected that during the equipment assembly phase on the eve of the Grand Prix, there would be a driver who could calmly and quietly drive the simulator for several hours.

Don't forget, Chen Xiangbei is just a twenty-year-old young man, in the prime of his youth.

It's normal to show self-control when someone is supervising you.

The problem is that it's not there now; Odeto doesn't believe Chen Xiangbei can be so self-controlled!

But when he arrived at the drivers' lounge and saw Chen Xiangbei sitting in front of the racing simulator, engrossed in driving, Odette really didn't know what to say.

Is "racing" the only option in this kid's life?

Upon closer inspection, the top left corner of the screen displayed Chen Xiangbei's fastest lap time, which was 1 minute 37.770 seconds.

Compared to three hours ago, it improved by about one second.

Regarding this result, Odette, lacking Chen Xiangbei's God-like perspective, is essentially without Vettel as a benchmark, and therefore cannot immediately determine whether it is fast or slow.

However, based on his many years of racing experience, a time of just over 1 minute and 30 seconds on a completely new 5.6KM track that no one has ever run before, and with a complex and dangerous layout, should be considered excellent.

"North, how's the training going?"

Seeing Chen Xiangbei finish running a lap, Odeto couldn't help but ask a question.

Chen Xiangbei was completely unaware that Odeto was standing behind him, and was almost startled when he suddenly heard the voice.

In response to Odette's question, Chen Xiangbei took off his headphones and replied in a slightly frustrated tone, "It's very slow."

"Very slow?"

Odeto was puzzled. Where did this label of "slow" come from?

"Yes, this track has a lot of curves, and I've never managed to find the best line."

"Perhaps my ability to adapt to new tracks is not as good as I thought."

Chen Xiangbei knew that weakness and ignorance were not obstacles to survival; arrogance was the only true obstacle.

From beginning to end, his youthful arrogance was just an illusion; he always maintained a humble and studious attitude.

However, winning the F1 Chinese Grand Prix inevitably made Chen Xiangbei somewhat overconfident, believing that his talent and driving skills were no less than those of the legendary GOTA drivers.

After all, Schumacher, Alonso, Hamilton, and others were all defeated by him!

Even if you're cheating, you still need a foundation, right?

When faced with South Korea, a track where everything had to start from scratch, and without the experience and foundation he had built in his previous life, Chen Xiangbei found that the difficulty of controlling the game far exceeded his expectations.

Even with prior preparations and finding ways to transport the racing simulator, he still couldn't close the lap time gap with Vettel.

To be honest, in Chen Xiangbei's opinion, Vettel's ability is inferior to that of his contemporaries such as Schumacher, Hamilton, and Alonso.

The reason is that Vettel is too picky about cars!
Adaptability is also a reflection of a driver's hard skills. After leaving the Red Bull team, Vettel's performance plummeted, and his results at the end of his career were so poor that they were questionable.

As a result, the nickname "Water Tile" has endured for a long time.

Kimi Räikkönen, who also experienced a significant decline in his career towards the end, has never had his peak performance questioned by anyone.

The difference lies in the fact that Raikkonen was able to take on Schumacher in a McLaren and defeat Alonso in a Ferrari. His two world runner-up finishes and one world championship are undoubtedly of high quality.

If one is not even as good as Vettel, who has a weaker ability to adapt, then the perception of a super genius may be compromised.

"Isn't 1 minute 37.770 seconds good enough? What's your ideal lap time?"

"1 minutes 35 seconds."

Why is there this standard?

Odeto asked a question in return.

Since no one has ever run this track, it means there are no hard and fast targets. But Chen Xiangbei's tone makes it sound like he's fixated on 1 minute and 35 seconds, so how did he come to that conclusion?

Chen Xiangbei did not answer this question, nor could he answer it.

It's impossible to say that Vettel's pole position in history was achieved by running a time of just over 1 minute and 35 seconds, right?

Chen Xiangbei could only ask, "Has the equipment for the convoy been assembled yet?"

"Yes, the track layout is still missing, but it's only Tuesday, so there's plenty of time. We can finish everything tomorrow."

"Once the equipment is assembled, the central computer can simulate the ideal lap time. I think the fastest lap time on the Lingyan track is around 1 minute and 35 seconds."

In addition to the driver's fastest lap, each track also has an ideal lap simulated by a computer.

Back when he was at Suzuka Racing Academy, Chen Xiangbei's lap times were compared to the ideal lap times generated by the central computer.

Since Vettel's performance cannot be explained, the only explanation is the computer's ideal circle.

"Okay, I'll have Mizutani Sho simulate the ideal circle first."

Odeto nodded, then turned and beckoned to data engineer Mizutani Sho to run the ideal lap time on the computer first, and then compare it with Chen Xiangbei's lap time.

In just over ten minutes, the software simulation data came out, showing that the ideal lap time for the central computer running the Lingyan track was 1 minute 34.331 seconds.

Under normal circumstances, the computer's ideal lap time is about 1 second faster than the driver's actual lap time, which is within a reasonable range.

However, as drivers become more proficient and in cases of exceptional performance, the actual lap time will gradually approach the ideal lap time, sometimes even closing to within 0.5 seconds.

For example, Verstappen later achieved a pole position time that was very close to his ideal lap time at Monza in the 25th season, and also broke the record for the fastest average lap speed in F1 history, reaching 264.682 km/h.

As a new circuit, it's impossible for Lingyan Circuit to achieve a lap time that's very close to the ideal in its first year. Vettel's lap time of 1 minute 35.585 seconds is, in a sense, the benchmark!
However, compared to Chen Xiangbei's earlier expectation, Odeto was even more surprised after seeing the computer simulation results of the ideal lap.

The fact that Chen Xiangbei could say it was just over 1 minute and 35 seconds means that he knew the real-world limit of the Lingyan track!
Knowing where the extreme zone is requires an intimate understanding of the track.

Otherwise, how would you know that a lap time that doesn't even exist is the limit of the Lingyan Circuit?
"Xiang Beijun, the Lingyan Circuit was only completed this year, how can you know such extreme data that is so close to the ideal lap time?"

Sho Mizutani couldn't help but ask a question.

Chen Xiangbei demonstrated exceptional skill and control at the Donghai International Circuit, which can be explained by his home track experience.

After all, the F1 Chinese Grand Prix has been held seven times, with countless historical track data and driver racing line videos. If Chen Xiangbei, as the home driver, is willing to put in the effort, he can indeed achieve a level of proficiency that is beyond the reach of ordinary people.

The Lingyan racetrack is completely different; it only has paper data in its design drawings and has no actual racing experience.

Even the ideal lap time on the track was simulated by computer on the spot.

Chen Xiangbei's ability to predict the future is a bit too exaggerated!
"I don't know, 1 minute and 35 seconds is just my goal."

Chen Xiangbei denied this without hesitation.

"is it?"

Hearing Chen Xiangbei's answer, Mizutani Sho was clearly somewhat doubtful.

However, even suspicion is hard to find a direction for, so we can only give up.

Odette didn't dwell on it too much. He came over and patted Chen Xiangbei on the shoulder, saying, "Bei, go back to the hotel and rest first. We'll export the simulator results tonight for analysis, and then come back to train tomorrow."

From borrowing a plane from Bell in the morning, to taking a bus to Lingyan Circuit, and finally using the assembly time to train on the simulator.

Chen Xiangbei worked almost non-stop throughout the day.

Even if you don't experience much mental stress, you will inevitably feel physically tired.

Not to mention the two F1 Grand Prix races in South Korea and China, which are back-to-back events, leaving drivers with almost no rest time.

"You can analyze the data; I'd like to run a few more laps."

A two-second difference is too big, and there are less than three days left until Friday's practice session.

Chen Xiangbei must find the problem, understand why Vettel can run a time of just over 1 minute and 35 seconds, and where the gap lies between himself and Vettel.

Otherwise, at this lap time, Chen Xiangbei wouldn't have made it into Q3 in qualifying at the Lingyan Circuit.

If Chen Xiangbei fought tooth and nail to secure pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix, it was because he didn't want to disappoint the Chinese people.

So, Chen Xiangbei wanted to achieve good results at the Korean Grand Prix simply because he disliked the Koreans and didn't want them to be happy!

Pleasing oneself and disgusting others are both forms of competitiveness.

“The simulator is very different from the actual track, especially for new tracks without enough reference data.”

"Xiang Beijun, your talent lies in your sense of cars. You might be even better at driving in the real world."

Mizutani Sho offered another word of advice. He didn't know Chen Xiangbei's mental state and thought that he was being so strict with himself because he wanted to get good grades.

If they knew that Chen Xiangbei was simply trying to disgust others, they would probably be speechless.

"Mizutani, I'm fine. You guys go back first."

Chen Xiangbei replied with a smile that he did indeed have a very good sense of cars.

However, a feel for the car requires familiarity with the track, and Chen Xiangbei feels that he still has a lot of room for improvement.

"Mizutani, let's go. Kita isn't a little kid."

Odeto never wastes his breath.

Adults should be responsible for their own actions. Since Chen Xiangbei has decided to practice, let him be.

After a busy day, the crew members went to the hotel at the track port to rest, while Chen Xiangbei stayed alone in the driver's lounge to train with the simulator.

It wasn't until nightfall that Chen Xiangbei stretched his stiff body and stood up from his seat in the racing simulator.

Meanwhile, the latest lap time was displayed in the upper left corner of the multi-screen display in front of him.

1 minutes 36 seconds 418!

Effort may not always be rewarded.

But without hard work, there will be no reward!
This is a track where everything starts from scratch, and it's not just Chen Xiangbei standing on the starting line; all the other drivers are in the same boat.

Having no prior experience, Chen Xiangbei was more focused on not losing at the starting line.

Times have changed, and he wants to win from the starting line!

(End of this chapter)