Chapter 15 All Seas
The third CKC tournament in Zhuhai will start on August 18th.
This period lasted for three whole months, including two months of summer vacation.
The suggestion from Boss Chen and the technicians was to go directly to Zhuhai and practice there.
Wu Shi had no objection to this; the main concern was whether his father's wallet could handle it.
To provide better support for his son, Wu Zhenlin naturally did not hesitate to spend the money.
So, in July, just as summer vacation began, Wu Shi arrived at the Zhuhai racetrack, and Ling Kang and Zeng Tianyi arrived one after another.
"First time running?" Ling Kang asked Wu Shi with a question in his first words.
"Um."
"Okay!" Ling Kang took a deep breath and said, "I want to practice one lap with you."
"Of course, no problem." Wu Shi nodded.
"I'll come too," Zeng Tianyi said.
"Okay, let me give you a heads-up. Since we're looking for good spots, my speed fluctuates quite erratically during practice, so please be careful to keep your distance."
"Of course!" *2
The three entered the track through the starting area.
On the Zhuhai Karting Track, after the starting straight, you can almost go through the first obtuse angle bend with full throttle.
Next come three consecutive corners, which will severely test the driver's ability to control the car and follow the line. After two false corners, number 5 and 6, you will come to the very sharp number 7. You need to control your speed before entering the corner, otherwise you will likely go off the track or affect number 8.
After a short straight, there is another set of combination corners. The road conditions are complex, and the racing lines are wide, which will greatly test the driver's judgment and choice of the line.
After three or four laps, Wu Shi had basically found the right braking point, and there were only three heavy braking points throughout the entire course.
"Want to fly around?" Ling Kang asked.
Wu Shi looked around the field; there weren't many cars, and the track conditions were good, so he agreed, "Okay."
"Let's go watch the game on the second floor!" Ling Kang ran off.
After a warm-up lap, we reached the starting grid after turning 15 and immediately sped up.
Since it was just practice, Wu Shi didn't push himself to the limit. He didn't completely cut the four corners (two, seven, eight, and eleven) that he could have cut, leaving enough room for maneuver.
But even with just this one lap, the lap time reached an astonishing 45 seconds!
"That's the first place from the previous station!" Ye Zhaohui clenched his fist.
"They're just showing off their full strength to practice; it's just a publicity stunt," someone said.
"No! He didn't use his full strength! He took many turns conservatively." Ye Zhaohui shook his head.
"How could he be so fast?" a child's voice asked nearby.
"Because it's smooth." Ye Zhaohui continued, ignoring who was asking the question:
"Not adjusting the steering means not wasting power and grip, which allows you to maintain higher speed and cornering performance. When the advantage of each corner is accumulated, it will surpass that of ordinary people."
"Yes," another voice chimed in, "He's just that perverted."
Ye Zhaohui turned his head. "Who are you?"
"Hello, let's get acquainted! My name is Ling Kang, I was the one who ran ahead of you at the last stop!"
Ling Kang flashed his front teeth, feeling even more pleased than when he heard others praising his boss for being awesome than when he was showing off himself.
"The previous stop? If I hadn't been held back, it would have been only a matter of time before I overtook you."
"So this is what you call boasting! Since you're forced to defend, it means your lap time is similar to the people behind you." Ling Kang crossed his arms.
"Hmph, let's see who's the real deal on the track." Ye Zhaohui didn't mince words.
But then Ling Kang turned around and said to Zeng Tianyi, "Look, everyone is the same. Before meeting the boss, they thought they were the most important person in the world. But after being beaten by the boss, they realized they were wrong."
Zeng Tianyi responded with a grateful smile, knowing that his good friend was still comforting him, but several months had passed and he had long since adjusted his mindset.
"The boss is the goal I strive for, but he won't be."
Some of the arrogant words made Ye Zhaohui's expression even more unpleasant.
When Wu Shi came up, he saw the three children arguing.
"Boss, you're here!"
"A lap at top speed!"
The two of them ran over immediately.
"Hmph!" Ye Zhaohui's nasal tone seemed a bit too loud.
Wu Shi had no intention of paying attention to these things. He had no interest in competing with the children. Since he was going to stay in China for a year, his goal was simply to win all the championships and go to Europe to participate in the mini-max category with outstanding results.
"You're their boss! Your underlings are too arrogant!" came a childish, baby voice.
Well, whose little princess is this? Take her back somewhere cool.
Wu Shi ignored the group, after all, he looked like just a child.
Did you all see how I ran just now?
"I looked at it, but the sensation wasn't very noticeable," Zeng Tianyi said.
"Yes, even the most professional person can't figure it out after just one or two observations. It's a pity that Ling Kang's camera is too big, otherwise we could have taken it out to film and studied it slowly later."
Wu Shi nodded and said that he himself wanted to study it as well. The information provided by the first-person perspective and the third-person perspective is different. Only by studying it from all aspects and in multiple ways can we improve our understanding of the track.
"Let's stop talking and practice a few times!" Ling Kang said.
"good!"
Rustling sounds!
On the track, the boys tirelessly lapped one lap after another until the golden afterglow of the setting sun, before finally heading back to their hotel.
This training continued until the start of the race, and as more and more drivers came to practice, the area around the track became lively.
However, for the safety of the race, the entire track was closed for a period of time before the start of the event, and running laps were no longer allowed at will.
The day before the competition, the three young men got together for a late-night snack and then went back to the hotel to rest.
In the middle of the night, the sound of raindrops pattering against the window could be heard.
When everyone got up early in the morning, the drizzling rain had been falling all night.
The weather, which should have been scorching hot, became sticky and dry, making people feel very uncomfortable.
"It's raining, I don't know if we'll still be able to race." Ling Kang was reluctant to go off the track. Driving in the rain and driving in the sun are completely different experiences.
"The rain isn't heavy, we should be able to finish the timed practice race," Zeng Tianyi said.
"The whistle has blown, let's continue the game." Wu Shi led the two to the repair area.
The timed practice session started quickly, but the slippery surface prevented most people from lapping until two laps later, when they were forced to start lapping on their last lap.
This time, Wu Shi didn't stay at the back; he took the lead and started circling the leaderboard.
The track conditions might be better later, but if any kid slips later on, it'll be a yellow flag.
So, after the first warm-up lap, he immediately started lapping.
In the second-floor viewing hall, Ye Zhongming saw the opponent and said, "This is the invincible opponent that Ye Zhaohui mentioned. I don't know much about go-karting, but his thinking is indeed unique."
"Um."
Ye's mother also came this time. She nodded, but although she was staring at the track, her mind was elsewhere.
"Is that my brother?!" Little Yezi asked in a childish voice, pointing at Wu Shi's race car.
"No, my brother's car is in the back. You can see that silver-red car."
"Oh~ why isn't brother running away yet!"
Xiao Yezi glanced at her brother and saw that he was still slowly moving forward with the car formation. She quickly lost interest and turned her attention to the go-kart that had started speeding away.