Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

November 22st

The Camila circuit in the Midlands region of Nessburg was packed with people, with every seat filled. Although it was late summer or early autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, the scorching summer sun still beat down on the earth, and the track was shrouded in mist. The light rain that had just fallen did little to lower the temperature of the track.

The name Camila means "my home" in the local South African language. Completed in 61, it has always been the venue for the F1 South African Grand Prix. This year marks the first time it has hosted the World MotoGP Championship, making it a very special place. As a result, the stands were filled with people who came to watch the race early on.

Chen Dong led the two little ones into the VIP room. The huge floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the entire racetrack. Little Rongguo ran to the window with a "Wow!" and cried out as he looked down through the glass, "Brother, there are so many people! They're all right under my feet!"

Bohr and several other executives from Volkswagen's South African subsidiaries greeted Chen Dong and his two companions with smiles as they entered. They watched as Xiao Chenhui and Xiao Rongguo pointed at the "little man" on the track and whispered to each other in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, and everyone wore maternal smiles.

In the pit lane, on the Volkswagen Swift team's side, technical director Will Landau was discussing the weather with his team members, debating whether to switch to rain tires or continue racing on slick tires.

In the 1980s, there were not as many options for motorcycle racing tires as there are now. Due to technological limitations, the organizers of the World MotoGP series at that time only provided two types of tires: slick tires (also known as slick tires) and wet tires.

As for semi-weather tires, rain tires, and even soft and hard tires used in later professional racing, they had not yet been introduced in 1984.

So-called slick tires have no tread pattern and a smooth surface, designed entirely for grip. When the tread temperature rises to the optimal operating temperature, it will "bite" the track like chewing gum, allowing the driver to perform many professional cornering maneuvers.

They heat up quickly, but wear out just as quickly. Once they get wet in the rain, the smooth tire tread is like putting a pair of skateboard shoes on the car, and the car will instantly lose control.

Rain tires, needless to say, have a powerful drainage capability that allows drivers to continue speeding even on tracks with heavy rain and flooding.

"Will, I don't think it'll rain. The forecast says it'll be sunny today," his colleague said, making Will Landau look up at the sky again. There were some dark clouds, a light rain had just passed, and the sun had already pierced through the clouds and filled the track.

"Those damn weather forecasters, their forecasts are never accurate," Landau put down his notebook and waved for the mechanic to put slick tires on the two "Shadow 500RR" motorcycles.

Inside, the technical analyst was still explaining track details to drivers Smithett and Rodrigo: "The track is 4.58 kilometers long with 16 corners, and the direction of travel is counter-clockwise... Note that the track has significant ups and downs, so you need to pay special attention to controlling your braking points!"

After listening to the technical analyst's words, Rodrigo chuckled and teased, "Mill, you've mentioned so many things to be aware of, is there anything we can do to leverage our strengths?"

"The straight from Turn 16 to Turn 2 is extremely long, which is a great advantage for our 'Shadow 500RR', giving you the opportunity to unleash the bike's powerful top speed. However, please remember that Turn 2 to Turn 5 is a series of lane-changing turns, so you must pay attention to maintaining a safe distance to avoid collisions. I don't want to see you pushing your bikes back."

"Oh damn it, Mir, don't you dare jinx it," Rodrigo waved his hand. The worst thing for a rider to do in a race is to crash. Once you crash, it means you have to retire and your results are void, and you won't get a single point.

"Alright guys," Randall clapped his hands and shouted, "get moving, it's time to go out and show off!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the MotoGP South Africa round. I'm your commentator, Mair," Mair's voice came from the VIP box TV broadcast. On the TV screen, twenty race cars began to be pushed onto the track by their respective mechanics.

"The warm-up lap is about to begin. The light rain an hour ago made the track surface a bit slippery, but the sun has come out, and the track is expected to be basically dry by the time the warm-up lap starts. Hopefully, this won't affect the drivers' performance in the next race."

Xiao Chenhui and Xiao Rongguo sat on the sofa, looking up at the TV, and asked an innocent question, "Can we win?"

"Of course, you have to have faith in our drivers," Chen Dong patted the two little ones on the head, "Our car is the fastest!"

Seemingly in response to Chen Dong's words, the commentator on TV began to introduce the two teams that had just joined the World MotoGP this year to the viewers in front of the TV: "We can now see the red and yellow livery motorcycles in third and fourth positions, which are the Huaxia Team, which just joined the GP this year."

"Their 'Shadow 500RR' reached a top speed of 300 km/h in yesterday's pole position race. According to the official data, this motorcycle has 180 horsepower, making it arguably the most powerful motorcycle on the track!"

As commentator Mai Er enthusiastically explained the specifications of the "Shadow 500RR" race car, the warm-up lap officially began on the track, with twenty race cars slowly driving along the track in turn.

The warm-up lap is crucial for both drivers and race cars. It not only warms the tires to their optimal operating temperature but also allows drivers to familiarize themselves with track conditions, especially wet and slippery surfaces after rain.

Smithette and Rodrigo rode the 'Shadow 500RR' close to the middle of the team. Through the camera on the safety car, the TV screen clearly showed the situation on the track. Although the sun had broken through the clouds, some corners still had water standing up, and the road surface was somewhat slippery.

"We can see that the drivers are very cautious during the warm-up lap," commentator Meyer's voice came over the loudspeaker. "They are looking for the best racing line and avoiding areas with more water."

"Are we starting now? We're falling behind!"

Xiao Rongguo didn't understand the rules of the race. He didn't know what a warm-up lap was and thought that the race started when the car started running on the track.

"No, little brother," Xiao Chenhui clearly understood a little bit. At least he could understand the English spoken by the commentator on TV with a South African accent. Xiao Rongguo, on the other hand, could only understand a little bit of everyday English, in addition to Tuocheng dialect and Italian. He couldn't understand the commentator's fast-paced speech on TV very well.

"Oh! I thought it had started," Xiao Rongguo cutely stuck out his little tongue.

The warm-up lap ended quickly, and all the cars came to a stop on the starting grid. The roar of engines rose and fell, and even in the VIP box where Chen Dong and his group were, they could clearly feel the tense atmosphere in the air.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the most exciting moment is about to arrive!" Commentator Meyer's voice rose a few decibels. "The five red lights are about to illuminate, and when they all go out, the match will officially begin!"