Chapter 50 Sorry, it was my fault for not controlling the race car well.
Sid and Seth exchanged glances and suddenly realized a problem they had overlooked for quite some time: Wu Shi didn't seem to have hired a professional coach to train him.
Previously, the team had hired a karting coach who was somewhat famous in Italy. However, after a few weekend practice sessions, the coach said that he didn't need to do anything, and Wu Shi was able to achieve results far exceeding the record. He said he had nothing to teach the boy and couldn't accept the money for nothing, so he resigned.
Since then, Wu Shi's track practice has been based on his own ideas. For example, he would always run fixed lap times on all the tires he would use in the race, or test drive the parts that might need to be replaced.
In his words, each part may look the same, but there are subtle differences. If you don't try them out, you won't know which one is the best.
Seeing the two of them, Joss frowned and said, "It seems his coach didn't come. I believe he must be an excellent teacher. If possible, I'd like to meet with him and have a chat."
Joss handed over his business card. He was a very straightforward person, so he let the two of them take the card and then asked, "I'm curious, Italia is the holy land of motorsport, so why would you come here to compete?"
Sid said, "Let me answer your first question first. To be precise, Wu Shi doesn't have a dedicated coach. You can tell he's from China. He just came to Italia last year and then won the 60-minute class championship with a perfect record of seven wins."
"If you ask me if anyone taught him how to drive on these tracks, I think no. He practiced on his own and found the driving style that suited him best, and then won."
"As for the second question, I want him to participate in famous races all over the world to increase his reputation and attract good enough teams to recruit him. We originally planned to go to France, but..."
Joss frowned even deeper, interrupting Sid, and said, "You're saying he's never had a coach?!"
"Yes," Sid nodded.
"My God! How is this possible!" Joss clutched his head and ruffled his hair.
Just as he was in disbelief, the young drivers had already returned to the pit area, and Wu Shi was walking over with Verstappen.
The two chatted and laughed, but Wu Shi did most of the talking.
Upon seeing his father, Verstappen visibly composed himself and immediately said, "I think I've run this lap well enough."
"No! You still haven't run at least three places properly!" Joss said, somewhat angrily.
Upon hearing the roar, Wu Shi took a deep breath but said nothing.
Verstappen didn't bow his head like a typical scolded child, but continued, "I know I might have had a line misalignment at Turn 4, but I was blocked."
Joss took a few deep breaths. He knew that today's events couldn't be entirely blamed on his son, but he had a habit of pursuing perfection, so he directly stated the problem.
Despite being aware of this, he remained strict. As a former F1 driver, he knew exactly how much it took to become a top driver.
When he saw the potential in his son to become a top driver, he had a plan in mind. From then on, words like kindness and benevolence disappeared from his mind, and he would teach his son with the most demanding requirements.
Because in racing, an extreme sport, a fraction of a second can decide the outcome. If you gamble here and there, you're giving up any chance of success!
"I'll be watching your performance in tomorrow's main competition," Joss said, turning and leaving.
Verstappen, with the expression of a stubborn bull, followed after him, carrying his helmet. Despite being scolded, he showed no sign of aggrieved anger.
"He has a really strong will," Wu Shi said.
"Hmm?" Sid looked over.
"If my father were that tough and strict, I probably wouldn't be running go-karts," Wu Shi said.
Sid and Seth remained silent.
The race was about to begin. Wu Shi started from pole position, with Verstappen beside him. He looked over and saw that Verstappen was also turning his head to look at him.
Wu Shi couldn't see the guy's expression or gaze behind the goggles, but he knew that this guy would do anything to surpass him, and he couldn't give him that chance.
The lights come on and then off again—the game begins!
The clutch engages, and the vehicle is driven.
Buzz!
Wu Shi's reaction was similar to Verstappen's, but Verstappen's go-kart seemed faster, after all, it was assembled and tuned by an F1 driver who runs a go-kart parts business.
However, a clean start is more advantageous than a dirty start. Wu Shi, relying on his forward body, squeezed to the center line to defend, and continued to defend the line as he was about to enter the corner.
And so, he held onto his position at Turn 1.
But it wasn't time to relax yet; Verstappen was still right behind him.
He did not choose to attack.
Feeling that the two were almost touching, Wu Shi knew Verstappen's strategy. This guy's attack was a feint, designed to make Wu Shi defend and lose time, thus making up for the slight difference in starting position.
'Your intuition is too sharp.'
After making a remark, Wu Shi focused entirely on driving. He didn't take the fastest racing line for the next two, three, and four turns because he knew Verstappen's personality well. This guy had a history of torpedo-like maneuvers during his karting days, and he couldn't give him that opportunity!
One lap, two laps, three laps passed, and Verstappen had absolutely no chance to overtake, and was even left behind.
Joss looked at the track, his face calm, but his eyes were burning with anger; he was clearly quite dissatisfied with Verstappen's performance.
Rustling sound!
On the sixth lap, Wu Shi suddenly sensed some danger. On the straight, he looked back and saw that Verstappen was about a car length away from him.
Buzz!
As we entered the bend, the wind around us suddenly picked up.
Damn it!
This guy literally shot right in from the inside!
Wu Shi didn't want to crash and retire from the race, so he could only swerve slightly to the side, but he was able to control the position of the slight deviation.
When Verstappen saw that Wu Shi did not choose to confront him directly, he instinctively pushed forward even more recklessly in a flash, wanting to completely overtake him. However, just 0.2 seconds later, he realized something was wrong.
'not good!'
'He only gave me the racing line to slow down and pass; he didn't abandon his position.'
As Verstappen reached this conclusion, his go-kart collided with Wu Shi's go-kart.
The two go-karts were already side-by-side in the bend, and this crushing impact caused Wu Shi's vehicle to lose lateral grip and slide out in circles.
Bang!
The go-kart crashed into the tire wall, the engine stalled, and the race ended.
Wu Shi shook his head with difficulty. Although he couldn't fully perceive the car, the impact still reached every part of his body, making him feel as if he himself had crashed into the wall, not the go-kart.
When he came to his senses, someone came up, opened his goggles, and said in broken English, "Are you alright?"
"Hmm, not bad," Wu Shi said.
Verstappen pulled him out of his seat and said, "Sorry, I didn't control the car well."