Chapter 45 An Unavoidable Collision
Sid was in charge of negotiating the sponsorship, and Aunt Martina was in charge of the review, so Wu Shi didn't need to worry about that. He only needed to consider whether he could still win the championship in the next competition.
The fourth stop was held in Lonato, Brescia province, which is the northernmost part of Italia, near the mountains.
During the practice race, Wu Shi noticed after a few laps that the engine seemed to have a minor problem. He reported the issue, and the mechanic made some minor repairs.
After a few more laps, there were still some minor issues, but they weren't serious. At least the horsepower wasn't lost; it was just the smoothness that was affected.
This is definitely a difficult problem for the average karting driver to grasp.
For Wu Shi, however, it was of little importance. He could fully perceive the state of the engine, and even if the engine had problems due to its own issues, he could still make it perform smoothly.
After a uneventful qualifying and final rounds, Wu Shi once again took the lead and won the championship, earning all the points.
Dionysius was numb. He couldn't compete with this freak, nor did he want to see him again. As for the previous provocation, he would just let it go like the wind.
The TV host shared the same sentiment as Dionysius. Although he was still rambling on, he no longer denied that Wu Shi was an extremely talented driver.
Four consecutive victories have numbed many people; the excitement of racing has been wiped out, and the predictable results are utterly uninteresting.
Of course, this applies to spectators who love a good spectacle—many spectators even enjoy watching car crashes and risk their lives to collect the debris from the exploding race cars, which often happens in higher-level races.
After winning the championship four times with a consistent advantage, the brands that came to Wu Shi to discuss sponsorship were no longer small brands, but even big brands such as Tony Karting, Vortex, and TM approached him.
What surprised Wu Shi the most was a familiar company—LT Karting, a brand that collaborates with his father Wu Zhenlin's group. LT Karting mainly sells karting frames and non-power system accessories.
Wu Shi originally intended to give the sponsorship directly to LT, but Sid told him: "Don't give the results yet. Put pressure on them first and make them go to your father to intervene. That will make sense."
Clearly, this is an opportunity for the father to demonstrate his abilities.
However, Wu Zhenlin was in the Greater China market at the time and couldn't get over in a short period of time. In the end, LT's boss flew to China, and after seven days of negotiations, a three-year cooperation agreement was reached.
Because of Wu Shi's crucial role in this collaboration, CD SPEED team leader Seth didn't dare to split the profits like he would with ordinary drivers. If he did, he believed that a major team would sign Wu Shi tomorrow.
What, you mean liquidated damages?
Which major racing team can't afford the hundreds of thousands of euros in breach of contract fees?
Martina was quite satisfied with Seth's attitude; the Laya team would never have made such a big concession.
Therefore, starting from the fifth station, the paint scheme on Wu Shi go-karts became very elaborate, featuring the logos of several major brands, which made many parents envious.
Wu Shi did not disappoint these brands, achieving victory in the fifth leg in August and in the sixth leg in October.
Just when everyone thought that the young prodigy would easily win the seventh race, it started raining during the main race.
Yes, everyone was very lucky this year; there were no rainy days during the competition from the beginning to the end of the year.
Host: "According to information from reporters on site, it has started to drizzle at the racetrack, and all drivers have been forced to switch to rain tires."
Guest: "The rain wasn't heavy, but the road surface was completely wet, and there was standing water in many places. Perhaps there will be some changes in today's mini category."
The host got excited and asked, "Judging from Wu Shi's skills, even rainy days shouldn't be a big problem, right?"
Guest: "The road conditions on rainy days are very different from those on sunny days, and the racing lines are also affected. Wu Shi really likes to go to more extreme lines, which other drivers often cannot drive on. Do you know what this means?"
The host shook his head, indicating that he did not know.
Guest: "Outside the racing line, there are a lot of rubber particles left on the road surface. On sunny days, they don't have much impact on the tire grip, but on rainy days, these rubber particles will make you feel like you're walking on a glass ball."
The host suddenly realized, and with some excitement, exclaimed, "Oh! I understand! This means that Wu Shi will not be able to rely on his unique understanding of the track to pull ahead. When he takes the usual racing line, he may not be able to create enough distance, and he may not even be able to get pole position in qualifying!"
The guest nodded. This was one idea, but it was only because Wu Shi was not good at standing in the rain.
In the repair area, Seth, wearing a raincoat, asked Martina with some concern, "We almost never train in the rain, will he be okay?"
Martina thought for a moment, recalling that Wu Shi had performed exceptionally well in a rain-soaked race in China, and then said, "There shouldn't be any major problems."
As Martina predicted, Wu Shi successfully secured pole position.
On television, after reviewing the rankings, a guest commented, "I think Wu Shi will win this race."
The host didn't respond. Does this young man from China have no weaknesses?
Soon, the main competition began.
Departing on a rainy day is fraught with uncertainty and danger, and Wu Shi was certainly aware of this.
Due to the limitations of grip, even he couldn't achieve the same starting speed on dry ground, so after completing the formation lap, he kept a close eye on the opponents behind him.
When he entered the starting straight, the foggy road ahead made it difficult to even see the indicator lights. However, this did not affect him much as he was in the front row. It was those in the back row who were affected and could not perceive the indicator lights clearly.
The lights came on and then went out. Wu Shi carefully controlled the accelerator, creating a thick mist of water vapor.
His start was perfect, but the drivers behind him were a different story.
After only a few seconds of driving, we heard the sound of a collision and screams from outside the stadium.
There was a collision behind him. Wu Shi realized this and, after entering Turn 1, he glanced at the situation on the starting straight.
You won't be surprised if you don't look, because once you do, you'll be shocked.
A go-kart came hurtling straight toward his side, having completely missed its braking point.
"Damn it!"
Wu Shi cursed loudly, realizing that if he were hit, his victory would be over.
Host: "Driver #378 has lost control of the car and failed to brake in time! Oh my god, he is heading straight for driver #398 who is in the lead position. Will driver #398 be able to avoid him?"
"No, it's too late! This collision is unavoidable! Number 398 will likely have to withdraw from the race!"
The host spoke rapidly, his words flowing seamlessly into a string.
Martina and Louise instinctively wanted to cover their mouths. The starting accident on the straight was quite serious, and they couldn't imagine what would happen after Wu Shi was hit.
Sid, Seth, and the team members were all keeping a close eye on Turn 1.