Chapter 38 Sarno
Martina frowned and looked at Sid with displeasure at Raul Evans's sudden words.
"Boss, his talent is amazing. He's only nine years old, and he can already drive a go-kart with ease on the track!" Sid said quickly.
"Why didn't you tell me all the details when you told me this?" Raul ignored Sid's explanation.
"I, he has enough talent, and we really need a talented young man to represent us in that damn competition in Belgium, don't we?"
"No! Sid, you're making this decision on your own! Even if we keep losing, I don't need a driver like that!" Raul said, pointing at Wu Shi.
"well."
Wu Shi sighed, feeling both anger and helplessness. He spoke in pure Italian, "Sir, I think you should at least let me run a lap, even if it's just as if I'm an enthusiast who came here for a visit."
Raul and Sid were both visibly taken aback, not expecting the foreign child to speak Italian so fluently and clearly.
Sid glanced at his boss, knowing he still wouldn't budge, so he quickly said, "Okay, let's give it a try!"
Raul, having been interrupted, glared at Sid but did not continue to stop him.
Since it was just a test drive, we used the standard 60mini series go-karts.
"Raul, you shouldn't have argued with Sid in public. After all, he was the one who recommended you. You should give him a chance. No matter what happens afterward, you can choose to refuse," another middle-aged man said.
Raul's expression remained serious, and he didn't say a word. Even though he had indeed lost his temper, he wouldn't apologize for it!
On the other side, Wu Shi changed into his racing suit, put on his helmet, got into a go-kart rented from the racetrack, and drove onto the track.
The Sarno circuit runs clockwise and is approximately 1.7km long①, which is longer than the 1.2km standard in China.
Wu Shi was actually more familiar with this track than those in China because he had run it in his previous life.
Therefore, when he sat in his seat, fastened his seatbelt, and successfully started the car and coasted out of the pit lane, he had a general idea of his lap time.
After entering the field, he didn't bother with any warm-up or familiarization laps and immediately started lapping.
Buzz!
Once out of the pit lane, we bypassed two slower cars and quickly arrived at the first roundabout right-angle turn. This type of turn has a large arc, and although it eventually turns 90 degrees, it is longer than a normal right-angle turn, so we need to consider the racing line carefully.
Wu Shi had a clear idea in his mind, so he accurately found the entry line into the corner. Given that the tires were old and cold and had poor grip, he slowed down a little earlier and used precise braking to allow the car to follow the track into the corner.
Swoosh!
As the car exited the corner, it slipped slightly, but the slip was very small and had no time to expand before Wu Shi corrected it, allowing the go-kart to smoothly enter the straight.
"You brute! You're stupid! You don't even know how to warm a tire!" Raul cursed.
"…" Sid didn't speak. Wu Shi's actions were indeed reckless. No matter how angry he was, he should at least get used to two laps before setting a lap time.
There are too many factors for outsiders to consider, while Wu Shi on the track only needs to focus on driving well.
Turn 2 is a hairpin bend, followed by three bends that together form an 'S' shaped combination bend, and then immediately another hairpin bend.
This series of curves is a real test of a driver's ability to react on the spot, especially when the track is not clean.
At this moment, there were vehicles in front of Wu Shi, including more powerful vehicles and go-karts of the same mini series.
He could only roughly tell from the appearance that, when entering the turn, due to the obstruction, he could not go on the outside line, but could only press on the inside line and pass through the gap between the person and the edge of the turn.
sieve!
Although it wasn't on the racetrack, it was undoubtedly a spectacular overtaking maneuver.
"Does he think he can win the championship just by driving aggressively? Even if he's a great driver, does that mean he can win?!" Raul continued.
Wu Shi has entered a combination bend, the most important part of which is the hairpin turn and the right-angle turn after exiting the bend.
If the overall route is not well planned, the speed will inevitably fluctuate, eventually disrupting the rhythm and resulting in a loss of lap time.
Because Wu Shi was on the inside line, his speed was already quite slow when he entered the combination bend.
He could only take advantage of his current speed and chose a slow-in, fast-out technique.
After predicting the positions of the three go-karts ahead, he basically found a good route.
Rustle!
"Wonderful!"
Sid, who had been somewhat worried, saw Wu Shi gripping the coffee cup tightly with his palm when he handled the curve, almost crushing it.
"Is it even worth mentioning that you've surpassed a few recreational drivers?" Raul was dissatisfied with Sid's words.
Sid's smile slowly faded, and he said seriously, "Mr. Raul, how many laps do you think he can achieve this time?"
"Over 1 minute and 25 seconds," Raul said mercilessly.
Although Wu Shi handled these slow trains very well, once they were blocked, they were blocked, and the speed could not be increased.
"If he gets into that lap time range, will the team be able to recruit him?" Sid asked.
"What are you thinking, Sid! 1 minute and 25 seconds, I could have my grandson drive it and get it to 1 minute and 18 seconds first!" Raul's voice rose sharply.
"1 minute and 18 seconds?! Mr. Raul, that's a clean lap time for pole position. Do you know what you're saying?"
Sid was furious. Why? The team was clearly in bad shape, and without a good driver to give them a boost, they would soon be out of the starting grid!
Martina, who was standing to the side, already knew the outcome. Seeing Sid's apologetic look, she shook her head slightly. This wasn't her friend's fault.
Wu Shi straightened the car and pressed the accelerator directly into the tank. He already had a basic understanding of the car's grip. Doing so would cause a slight slip and increase tire wear, but it would also accelerate the car faster and reach the next corner at a faster top speed.
In racing, every second counts in the race, which is essentially a contest for maximum speed on each section of the track.
If the speed varies by a few seconds in each location, the overall speed will be significantly slower over the entire loop.
Entering a curve, the car swerves and relies on its performance to force its way into the straight.
Buzz!
On a straight road with curves, Wu Shi didn't slow down at all; he just went for full throttle.
Swish!
After dodging two slower cars, we entered the next stage of a series of bends.
He didn't know his lap time, so he continued to push the car to its limits, pushing it to the limit in every corner.
Whoosh!
After navigating a series of turns—combination bends, hairpin bends, and double apex bends—the race car finally reached the starting straight.
Next, I pressed the accelerator all the way down and watched the car move on its own.
Whoosh!
1:18.339.