Speed ​​God

Chapter 109 Struggle and Competition
A fierce wind howled past.

Although Turn 1 was already in complete chaos, neither the live broadcast cameras nor the audience on site had time to sort out the mess. Their eyes were fixed on the two red and black streaks of light that were shooting through the air and were increasing in speed, rushing towards Turn 3 at full speed like arrows released from a bow.

Russell barely maintained his pole position advantage, leading by half a car length, holding his position firmly and refusing to relinquish the lead easily.

Lu Zhizhou kept up, making full use of his starting position to gain an advantage on the line, and closely followed his opponent.

However, no one could break the deadlock—

The Red Bull Ring, from Turn 1 to Turn 3, is not a straight but is practically a straight. The track line only deviates slightly from the centerline, shifting five degrees to the right and then ten degrees to the left. In other words, the line is not 100% straight, but it is very close to a straight line.

Turn 2 is a high-speed turn with no braking point, allowing full speed through.

That's why neither Russell nor Lu Zhizhou tried to overpower each other at Turn 1, but instead focused on gaining speed on the way out of the corner in an attempt to take the lead.

As a result, the score was tied.

One after the other, two race cars sped past, tearing through the lush greenery covering the mountains and fields, the greenery filling the field of vision bursting into flames, pouring down like a torrential rain.

On the surface, car number two and car number three appear to be running side by side, but aerial shots reveal a tense standoff.

Russell currently holds a slight advantage and hasn't lost pole position, but he understands that this is only temporary.

Firstly, he was still on the dirty side, without any grip.

Secondly, he is still on the outside, without any advantage in terms of positioning.

If they maintain the status quo and enter Turn 3, which is another right turn, Lu Zhizhou will still have the line advantage. Lu Zhizhou will further erode Russell's advantage, and the already meager pole position advantage is really not going to hold up.

Therefore, Russell had to take action.

Decisive and ruthless, striking when the time is right.

"Russell squeezed into the lane!"

"Oh, collision! Russell is trying to use his positional advantage to squeeze into Lu Zhizhou's lane!"

"Lu Zhizhou has deviated from the course!"

A gasp rippled through the crowd. Croft's eyes widened, his heart stopped, and he had no time to react. All his attention was completely drawn to the two red and black afterimages.

The camera panned, the two cars made contact, and Lu Zhizhou was forced to pull away. His tires briefly left the line, but he quickly adjusted, stepped on the accelerator, and used the traction advantage to get back on track.

"Lu Zhizhou counterattacks!"

"Wow, Lu Zhizhou made full use of the track's grip advantage to regain control of the rails—"

"touch!"

"Russell didn't hold the line, he's barely holding onto the lead now!"

"The two cars were engaged in a fierce battle on the track from Turn 1 to Turn 3. The ART team's radio channels must have been in complete chaos. Fred Wasserle may have fainted. Should they have stopped the two drivers from competing so intensely? The outcome might not have been so pleasant."

"But now, it's obvious that Russell isn't going to back down, and neither is Lu Zhizhou..."

"Turn 3 is in sight!"

In an instant, I held my breath. It seemed that no noise could be heard in the huge Red Bull Ring anymore. Only the sound of my heart pounding against my chest continued to resonate. The roar of the engine in my ears turned into two streaks of light vying for control in my vision, and we plunged headlong into the No. 3 hairpin bend.

Boom boom, boom boom boom—

The roar completely engulfed Lu Zhizhou, but amidst this cacophony, he found peace—absolute quiet amidst the extreme noise.

Carefully and quietly, feel the beating of your heart, and let your nerve endings follow the race car to feel every inch of the track's undulations and extensions. With insufficient tire grip, all operations need to be more delicate and precise, allowing no deviation, and the concentration of attention is pushed to the extreme in an instant.

The ramp was slowly rising, and the race car was climbing like a ladder, its undulations and meandering flowing gently in the field of vision—later, later still.

Lu Zhizhou adopted a different strategy than at Turn 1, taking advantage of the uphill characteristics to boldly delay braking and make full use of the remaining space in the curve.

Russell can be seen in the left-hand view, still calm and composed. He didn't risk braking late because it's a hairpin bend.

With tires lacking grip, positioned on the outside of the corner, and on the dirty side of the track, if you brake too late, the rear of the car may lose control and swing out, or even momentarily yaw, resulting in a significant loss of time.

Originally, Russell's attempt to overtake Lu Zhizhou on the straight would have solved all the problems.

Unfortunately, the plan failed.

Therefore, Russell had to choose the backup plan. He didn't brake too early, but he also didn't brake too late. He made a clean and precise choice of braking point and plunged into the corner.

Similar to Turn 1, Russell maintained his position with skillful control and positioning, aiming for better speed as he exited the corner.

The situation seemed familiar, but it changed because Lu Zhizhou chose a different braking point.

But then I saw—

Lu Zhizhou squeezed the entire arc of Turn 3 to its limit, the race car sliding into the turning point along the ideal arc, the tires pushing the lateral grip to its limit, emitting a low and sharp whistle.

The steering was seamless, the rear of the car floated slightly, and the tires, which were not yet fully warmed up, trembled gently under the pressure, as if dancing on the edge of the clouds, and a slight breeze could plunge it into an abyss of chaos.

Whoosh, whoosh, in the gale, Lu Zhizhou displayed the posture of dancing wildly on the tip of a knife, swaying and precarious, yet never losing control.

Just as the race car was about to fall apart at its limit, a light touch on the accelerator and a perfectly timed maneuver brought the dynamic center of gravity back to normal. The race car returned to normal as if pulled taut by a thread, like dancing on the edge of a knife, causing a full-blown adrenaline rush.

With the four tires gripping the last inch of tire rubber on the inside lane line, the race car made a tail swing correction, and like a wild goose landing on a sandy beach, it instantly shot out of the corner and rushed away.

"Perfect!"

"Absolutely perfect! Brake control, dynamic balance, steering control, throttle control—everything is flawless!"

"Lu Zhizhou brought out the full potential of the track, the car, and the tires, delivering a top-notch driving skill feast for us at Turn 3."

Russell maintained his position firmly, displaying top-level skill with clean and precise line control, but—

"Lu Zhizhou is in the lead!"

"Lu Zhizhou took the lead by half a body length as he exited the turn first! He took the lead and overtook the leader!"

In the blink of an eye, goosebumps rose from the soles of his feet all the way to his scalp. Croft slammed his fist on the table, grabbed his cheeks, and shouted wildly.

The chase and the competition, the struggle, all happened in the blink of an eye. Russell's performance was impeccable, yet he still lost his pole position advantage.

Plop, plop——

My heart was pounding wildly, on the verge of bursting.

But is this the end?

No, of course not. Even though Russell and Lu Zhizhou switched positions, Lu Zhizhou still didn't create any distance between them, and Russell still didn't give up.

At this moment, it is clear that Russell came with full confidence and preparation, remaining unmoved in the face of any unexpected event, and he will never surrender easily.

From Turn 3 to Turn 4, there is another straight, similar in design to the section between Turn 1 and Turn 3, but the track is straighter, allowing cars to continuously accelerate and push their speed to the limit at the end of the straight.

The positions were now reversed, with Lu Zhizhou in the lead and Russell behind. However, Russell clearly maintained his exit speed by handling Turn 3, ensuring that Lu Zhizhou couldn't easily pull away. He immediately closed in, switching from defense to offense, trying to force Lu Zhizhou into making a mistake.

　This is the fourth update today.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)