Chapter 62 Where is the solution?
After Joss finished his lecture, he asked Wu Shi and Verstappen to go up and try.
Verstappen had already been exposed to go-karts with gears in the Netherlands, so he picked it up very quickly and drove straight out of the pit area.
Wu Shi noticed this and knew that Qiao Si had just given a lecture, most likely to teach him.
"Kid, watch out for the clutch engagement. It feels completely different from a straight-drive car. If any of the three—engine RPM, gear, and race car speed—are out of sync, you'll either lose power or speed, or even stall!" Joss shouted.
"I know!"
Wearing a helmet, Wu Shi could only shout once before gradually releasing the clutch. The vehicle was then driven out of the factory and headed towards the racetrack.
The last time I drove a go-kart with gears was back in Shanghai, China.
That time, he didn't fully sense the vehicle and ran over Chen Lin directly.
Ultimately, he was an F1 driver in his past life, and not just anyone can stage an accident for him.
Buzz!
The engine roared, and we started in first gear.
The vehicle was a bit jerky, and the resulting acceleration was much stronger than that of a direct-drive go-kart.
On the other side, after a warm-up lap, Verstappen began to attempt a high-speed run.
Rustling sound!
47.011
The results showed a significant difference from the fastest lap time of 45.987 on the CRG test track KZ2 level.
Even someone as talented as Verstappen needs a full season of practice in the world of variable speed racing before he can join the ranks of champions.
"How far do you think he can run?" Joss asked Rosa.
"I feel like it will be faster than Max," Rosa said.
"He drove it quite smoothly. I just want to know, is he sure he's never driven a go-kart with gears before?" Joss was somewhat puzzled.
"It probably hasn't been driven before." Rosa shook her head; she didn't know the actual situation.
"Let's take a look first."
The go-kart swayed left and right, and before entering the last corner, the tire temperature reached the suitable operating range.
Wu Shi licked his lips, and the racing lap began!
Click!
The gears shifted rapidly, and after rushing through the last bend, we entered the starting straight. We quickly shifted to sixth gear, and the go-kart roared past.
Buzz buzz buzz!
Before turn one, the car braked at full speed, shifted down to second gear, and after passing the curb, maintained 30% throttle to steadily pass the apex of the turn and began to accelerate.
Third gear, fourth gear.
Hum!
Even without a perfect feel for the car, and even though it was his first time driving this go-kart with gears, Wu Shi was still able to handle it very well.
Whoosh!
Crossing the finish line.
46.758
Joss looked at Rosa.
Rosa looked over as well and spoke first: "You are a former F1 driver. Based on your career experience, please evaluate what the actual speed should be when you first drive a go-kart with gears."
"Wu Shi, him!"
Joss wanted to say, "If Wu Shi hadn't driven a go-kart before, he would have gone back to the Netherlands and tied himself to a windmill and spun around for a day!" But considering the terrifying talent Wu Shi had previously displayed, he felt he shouldn't say that.
It doesn't really matter if I say it, after all, Wu Shi really did open a store in Shanghai once, even if it was only once, it still counts.
"I don't think most drivers can start speeding on their second lap of a go-kart because at that point they're mostly trying to match the gears and speed, and getting flustered by the extra shifting," Joss commented.
"Wow, that's a very high compliment. It seems our previous worries about his declining performance were unfounded," Rosa laughed. As Wu Shi's engineer, she was also under a lot of pressure.
In most people's eyes, if Wu Shi could no longer maintain his dominant position, it would not be a problem with Wu Shi, but rather with the vehicles.
Yes, it's that outrageous. In Italy, Wu Shi already has a huge following of die-hard fans.
After all, besides driving fast, he is also good-looking. Especially since Pan Zi always stands next to him on the podium, he looks even more handsome.
"No, you're wrong." Joss shook his head seriously and said, "If he were in the same form as last year, that so-called fastest lap time of 45 seconds would just be his cruising speed."
"ah?"
Rosa opened her mouth, thinking, "This praise is ridiculously high!"
But since the former F1 driver has said so, has Wu Shi really lost his previous invincible state?
"Don't comment later, I'll talk to him." Joss went to the door and waited for Wu Shi to drive back.
After a few laps, Verstappen and Wu Shi both drove back to the pit area.
Verstappen saw his own results and Wu Shi's results. Recalling his driving style, he realized he had made too many mistakes, such as mismatched gears and forgetting to upshift quickly after exiting a corner, which led to a loss of speed.
But instead of being berated by Joss, the stern Dutchman walked over to Wu Shi and said, "Too slow."
"Well."
Wu Shi was taken aback. "No, Lao Deng, why are you pressuring me instead of Pan Zi?"
Of course I know that not finishing under 45 minutes and not breaking the track record is my fault.
However, the top records in each track are not easily broken.
Some track records were set by people who drove the same go-karts on the same track for four or five years, basically pushing the limits.
Even if you let an F1 driver run it, they couldn't possibly run it all at once.
"Before, when you were driving a direct-drive go-kart, you could even control the engine speed precisely by slightly opening and closing the throttle to make the car perform at its best. But now, when you're driving a geared go-kart, you can't operate it with the most suitable gear. Do you know where the problem lies?" Joss said.
'Dad, why are you being so gentle? If I did this, wouldn't you have just dragged me to the track to review and practice over and over again?' Panzi muttered to himself.
Wu Shi was about to retort when he froze. Joss was right. Because he had no sense of the vehicle, he hadn't bothered to find the limits of the race car. For a driver, that was simply shameful laziness!
'Can I really forget the vehicles from my past memories?'
He didn't reply to Joss, but silently went to the KF3 class go-kart number 398 that was already hanging on the wall, laden with honors.
He reached out and touched its nostrils.
In an instant, the entire car seemed to transform into flesh and blood, etched into his mind.
Absolutely a car feel.
It is because of this perception that he can perform at a level beyond human limits, maintain absolute stability, and dominate competitions of the same level.
'I believe I'm not the best driver, but if I don't seize an opportunity, I'll only suffer the consequences.'
F1 has never lacked geniuses; every era has its top talents to define this sport.
Wu Shi was merely another footnote in his sixty-odd years of history. If he had been lucky enough to drive a competitive vehicle, he might have become a multi-time champion.
However, he possesses the ability to surpass human limits, and recently, instead of thinking about solving this problem quickly, he has been confined by his confidence that he too can become a top driver.
Joss's repeated reminders were not because Wu Shi ran slower than the others, but because Wu Shi ran slower than himself.
'I should have known what Joss was thinking a long time ago.'
Why was Joss so demanding of Verstappen? He recalled that it was because he had discovered Verstappen's extraordinary racing talent, and only through such rigorous training could he nurture him into a star.
Why does Joss keep saying that Wu Shi, whose lap times have been quite good recently, has a problem? It's because he's realized that Wu Shi's lap times shouldn't have stopped there, so he's heartbroken and wants Wu Shi to realize his own problems.
Wu Shi took a deep breath.
'My recent intensive driving practice is necessary, and thinking about how to overcome my lack of perception is also necessary.'
Forgetting is something that cannot be done intentionally, so a solution needs to be found elsewhere.
He withdrew his hand from race car number 398, went to the go-kart with gears, sat in the driver's seat, and tried to feel the gears.
The outline of the race car slowly appeared in my mind, but the speed was very slow, far less impressive than when I first experienced domestic go-karts in 2007.
The problem remains unsolved; where is the solution?
The competition had already begun before he came up with the answer.