Chapter 63 WSK Masters Tournament
In 2012①, Wu Shi was scheduled to participate in various events such as the WSK-SUPER MASTER SERIES KZ2 series, the Europa KF2 series, and the World KF2 Championship, with a very full schedule.
This is because at the KF2 and KZ2 level, the competition attracts the attention of professional drivers, lower-level formula teams, and even higher-level formula teams.
If you don't increase your exposure and showcase yourself, you might miss out on opportunities.
"Is it really okay to send him directly to KZ2?" Sid was slightly worried, although he knew that Wu Shi was quite good at driving go-karts.
However, his opponents were all drivers who were at least a year and a half older than him, some even three or four years older. The age difference meant a difference in practice time, and in racing, which relies heavily on proficiency, Wu Shi was clearly at a significant disadvantage.
"If he doesn't participate in the WSK Masters KZ2 tournament in March, then it's highly likely he won't participate in the subsequent Europa KZ2 Championship and World KZ2 Championship," Joss said.
Wu Shi is not eligible to participate in the KZ2 race due to his age, and most of the race organizers do not believe that a child under the age of fourteen can drive a KZ2-level go-kart.
WSK allowed Wu Shi to participate for three reasons: first, CRG, Joss, Martina, and others used their connections to relax the age limit; second, WSK's management is relatively more relaxed; and third, Wu Shi has achieved excellent historical results in various WSK series tournaments, which makes the tournament organizers trust him enough.
Therefore, if he doesn't demonstrate his ability to drive multi-speed go-karts at WSK, it's questionable whether he will be accepted into future intercontinental and world-class competitions for KZ2.
"Phew, well, hopefully he can withstand the pressure." Sid took a deep breath. As Wu Shi's agent, he needed to stay clear-headed about many things.
If Wu Shi doesn't achieve sufficient results in this year's competitions, he will allow Wu Shi to continue to hone his skills in the karting field for another one to two years.
As always, the first stop of WSK's various races was Itali's La Conca International Circuit, a track that Wu Shi was extremely familiar with.
Two years ago, he first wore the CRG jersey and participated in a world-class competition here, and then he won the championship, monopolizing all victories.
"Wu Shi!" Verstappen ran over. Now fifteen, his face was even bigger, and his blush had faded, but his lips still looked full.
"I heard from Uncle Joss that you chose to participate in the KF2 series first?" Wu Shi asked.
"Yes, my focus this year is on KF2, and I won't really start challenging the KZ2 series until the end of the year." Verstappen explained Joss's plans for him, saying with some admiration:
"It's unbelievable that you can participate directly in the KZ2 race. You're a year and a half younger than me. I really don't know how you learned to drive a go-kart with gears so quickly."
"I originally planned to participate in the KF2 race first, but I'm participating in the KZ2 race now just to let the other race organizers know that I can run the KZ2, so that I won't be unable to participate in the KZ2 later this year," Wu Shi said. He was both excited and nervous about participating in the KZ2 race.
At this level, the competition has become increasingly fierce.
"I believe in you. With your abilities, you can definitely achieve a good ranking. And I'm actually quite happy that you're not participating in the same event as me, haha!" Verstappen said honestly.
"Then congratulations on winning the championship ahead of schedule?" Wu Shi laughed. Pan Zi, who used to dominate the karting field, has now been suppressed by him for three whole years, and has lost countless championship titles.
"I feel confident about the series, but I'm not entirely sure about the tournaments and cups against the other guys," Verstappen shrugged.
"Hey! I heard people talking about me as soon as I got here." Leclerc walked over, looking at Verstappen with an annoyed expression.
"Max is praising you." Wu Shi looked at Lock & Lock.
Over the years, Panzi and Locke have had many conflicts, and several car crashes have resulted in Panzi receiving a lot of criticism.
"I don't need his praise, just don't bump into me." Locke looked at Wu Shi, his eyes shining, just like they had four years ago on the podium, and continued:
"I heard you signed up for the KZ2 tournament? That's amazing, you're even younger than us."
"It was a last resort," Wu Shi said.
While the group was talking, several other drivers came over to chat, and they didn't go off to prepare until the qualifying rounds began.
The KF2 race had a longer time, so Verstappen and Leclerc went to the track first.
Wu Shi put on his racing suit and looked at the track.
"Are you nervous?" Sid asked.
"certainly."
"I've never seen you this nervous in previous matches," Sid said.
Wu Shi glanced at his agent and wondered why everyone seemed to be subtly implying that he wasn't as good as before.
He turned to look at the track and said, "I'm not nervous when I'm absolutely sure. I'm nervous because I can't be 100% sure, but don't worry, I will bring victory back."
"No, be careful." Sid shook his head. He only hoped that Wu Shi could grow up safely. He looked at the track, feeling a little melancholy.
On the track, Verstappen raced all the way and successfully achieved the fastest lap with a time of 45.803, with NIELSEN NICKLAS in second place just 0.019 seconds behind him.
"It's my turn."
Wu Shi went to the repair area, met up with Rosa, and got into his go-kart.
The KZ2 competition has a small number of participants, with only 33 drivers, while the qualifying round selects 30 drivers to participate, resulting in a 50% elimination rate.
Next to Wu Shi is Lennox Lamb Jordan, who, like Wu Shi, belongs to the CRG SPA team.
In daily practice, Lenrox's speed is quite good, and he was originally CRG's main driver this year.
However, Wu Shi's rapid promotion encroached on the resources that should have been allocated to him.
So this guy looked at Wu Shi with a hostile expression, and even lifted his goggles to shout, "East Asian monkey, today I'm going to tell you that your so-called talent is nothing but a joke. After the competition, get back to your hometown!"
"Lennox! Shut up! If you don't know what respect is, I'll tell the team leader and he'll teach you a lesson!" Wu Shi's technician shouted.
"Tch." Lennox closed his goggles.
"Don't worry about it, you're just as fast as him," the technician told Wu Shi.
These guys have all followed him since the KF3 racing series, so naturally they take care of him.
"Yes, I'm here to compete, not to pay attention to discriminatory remarks," Wu Shi replied, then turned off his goggles.
Discrimination based on one's identity is unavoidable in Europe. If it weren't for his strength that intimidated the karting world, many of the people around him would probably be at odds with him.
He recalled that when he talked to Guan Yu in his previous life, he heard him mention this situation.
As the race announcement sounded, the KZ2 group vehicles headed to the exit to line up, ready to start the qualifying race.
Wu Shi started the vehicle and drove out of the repair area together.
①In 2012, Verstappen initially competed for the INTRED DRIVER PROGRAM before returning to the CRG factory team. However, due to Wu Shi's presence, Joss did not allow Verstappen to switch teams.