Chapter 66 The Turmoil Subsides
Wu Shi finally understood that what is needed after perception is not forgetting, but controlling.
Before, he was always the passive recipient.
Now that he understands this principle, he decouples all the race cars and parts stored here, and afterwards, his mind is clear and refreshed.
"We need to go back to Lonato."
Wu Shi hurriedly bid farewell to the old team members and returned to the CRG factory.
He still had the race car and parts he had used in 2010 and 2011. After doing the same thing, he pulled out one of his spare KZ2-level go-karts.
After a short preparation, we sat in it and drove out into the venue.
One lap, two laps, three laps.
Perception slowly spreads throughout the body, from the body panels to the chassis to the engine. After the general outline is completed, the deeper details come into play.
At this moment, the control he perceived allowed him to take his mastery of the vehicle to a new level. If he could only calculate the throttle opening and closing as a percentage before, he was now fully capable of calculating it as a thousandth.
This control capability allows for the ultimate use of the vehicle.
At that moment, Wu Shi even wanted to play the accordion and say that no one knew how to drive better than him.
Whew!
After twenty laps, everything was ready.
The go-karts drove into the maintenance area.
"Change the tire!"
The technicians came to help, and after the change was completed, Wu Shi entered the arena again without waiting for anyone to ask any questions.
After a quick warm-up on the first lap, I started speeding off on the second lap.
What is he doing?
"Were you traumatized?"
On the day of the competition, Wu Shi was training here, which attracted a lot of attention.
However, just over forty seconds later, everyone fell silent.
The go-kart sped across the grid lines, and an astonishing number appeared on the screen.
42.998
After a moment of silence, someone suddenly asked, "What is the KZ2's lap time?"
45.987
What number is displayed on the screen?
"Oddio! How is this possible!"
"God, there must be a mistake, the timer must be wrong!"
"Three seconds? How could there be such a big difference? Even a KZ1-level lap time can't reach that!"
Shocked words rose and fell, Sid stared blankly, and Rosa was completely at a loss.
When Wu Shi drove the go-kart back into the repair area, Rosa was the first to come to her senses and shouted, "Someone come here, we need to check the vehicle!"
Yes, when lap times are abnormal, the first thing everyone suspects is the mechanical equipment.
Wu Shi stepped off the go-kart. His absolute perception combined with control was truly terrifying. He could make the machine perform at its best, exceeding 100% of its potential!
To describe him now, Martians are not qualified; we need aliens!
Watching the crowd carry the go-kart away, he felt an unprecedented sense of relief.
The control also provides a very necessary help: he can disengage in the event of a crash, otherwise he cannot imagine the kind of pain he would experience in the event of a major car accident.
The inspection and testing of the go-karts took a full six hours, and the team's final conclusion was:
There is nothing wrong with the vehicle!
Rosa took out her phone and dialed Joss's number.
"The Wu Shi you mentioned is back."
"What?"
It's a bit noisy over there with Joss; it seems to be at an awards ceremony.
You'll find out when you get back.
Joss put his phone in his pocket, while Verstappen, who had won the KF2 class championship, stood on the podium.
call.
He breathed a sigh of relief. With Max's talent and hard work, he should have won the championship long ago. He never expected that he would only be able to reach the top again by avoiding competing with Wu Shi.
After KF2, it was time for the KZ2 awards ceremony. Lenlocks's foolishness and recklessness did not win him the championship. Zancheta Marco won the championship with two stable performances.
The team's championship was lost due to Lenrox's actions, which angered the team principal on site.
After the race ended, news from the karting world was everywhere, and the most discussed topic was naturally Wu Shi.
First, the controversial remarks made by the TV commentator led to dissatisfaction among many car fans.
Secondly, Wu Shi's withdrawal from the competition made the commentators' controversial remarks even more conspiratorial. Western audiences love conspiracy theories, so all sorts of rumors have spread.
Subsequently, the FIA-CIK and WSK, among other organizers, issued statements indicating that all post-match inspections of the competitions Wu Shi had participated in were compliant.
The matter escalated so much that Martina took three days off to be with Wu Shi, fearing that the public outcry might cause him to have negative thoughts or harm his mental health.
"It's alright, with this little bit of attack power, it's really not as good as the netizens in the forum." Wu Shi casually tossed the newspaper onto the table.
"It's good that you're alright." Martina breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The LaFerrari Driver Academy is already interested in signing you."
"Really? That's great news!" Wu Shi was somewhat surprised. Entering the LaFerrari Drivers Academy meant that he could enter lower-level Formula racing.
"This is still under discussion. I'll let you know when there's definite news."
"Um."
Two weeks passed quickly, and on March 15th, the second round of the WSK Masters Tournament took place at the Naples Sarno circuit. Wu Shi, as usual, entered the track with his team members.
As soon as he showed his face, a reporter rushed over and shoved a long microphone in front of him.
"Hey Wu Shi, hello. Was your withdrawal from the last race due to injury or something else?"
"My health is not bad." Wu Shi didn't say anything more.
What are your thoughts on the recent rumors?
"What rumor?"
"Don't you know?"
"What should I know? As a driver, I think all I need to do is run the race well and perform at my best. There's no need to worry about anything else."
After Wu Shi finished speaking, he indicated that he would not accept any more questions.
After entering the repair area, the group began tidying up the vehicles and waited for the race announcement.
It's unusual that Joss wasn't present today; he almost never misses any of Verstappen's matches.
"Where's Uncle Joss?" Wu Shi asked Verstappen, who was holding his helmet with one hand. The 15-year-old Verstappen was a head taller than him.
"He said he was going to talk to some old friends, probably about the Renault Formula car test at the end of next year."
Verstappen is now aware of what his father and agent are doing, and as he gets older, his influence in various matters concerning his future is gradually increasing.
"Wow, that was fast."
Wu Shi sighed. Verstappen's promotion speed in his previous life was very fast. At the beginning of 2013, he was still racing go-karts. By the end of the year, he had moved on to Formula Renault. The following year, he performed well in F3① and even drove an F1 car in a practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix.
This is certainly due to his exceptional talent, but it is also the result of Joss's and his agent's active management.
"My dad said he invited Sid to go with him," Verstappen added.
"Okay, you're about to depart."
Wu Shi nodded. This was a payment made when he reached a cooperation agreement with Qiao Si and Pan Zi. Qiao Si was required to share his external resources.
The KF2 qualifying rounds have officially begun.
Thianny Felice, also from the CRG team, took the fastest time with 1:04.715. Verstappen was a full 0.152 seconds slower than him, but there's no need to worry about Verstappen, as his overtaking ability is very strong.
After KF2, it was KZ2's turn. Wu Shi put on his helmet.
"Wu Shi, we have already informed Lennox that he must not act recklessly, or he will be severely punished," the team leader said to Wu Shi before he drove off the track.
"Thank you, but that's his business. I just need to focus on my own performance."
After saying that, the go-kart drove out of the repair area.
"Are the car data from the factory test track really correct?" the team leader asked Rosa.
"No, all the data meets the requirements for participation in WSK and CIK, there was no special tuning involved, it's just..."
"Just what?"
"Some parts of the vehicle are showing abnormal wear. Logically speaking, this kind of wear would only occur under extremely special operating conditions," Rosa said.
"This is nothing unusual. Have you forgotten Wu Shi's driving style? He always makes the best use of all the car's capabilities," the team leader said.
"Too."
Rosa shook her head, completely baffled as to how Wu Shi had managed it. She compared the test data with the track video and showed it to Joss as well.
In the end, Joss simply told her that this was Wu Shi's previous style, only now his driving had taken it a step further, always pushing the limits beyond expectations and unleashing the car's performance even more.
Because of his number, Wu Shi was still at the end of the queue when he started his train.
The Sarno track is arguably the go-kart track he is most familiar with in all of Italie.
Therefore, once the warm-up lap was over and the car was ready to enter the high-speed run, he was already prepared to leave his final record here.
Even if he doesn't go to Renault next year, he will definitely be promoted to KZ1, the highest level of karting!
Rustle!
Buzz!
The engine roared, and the car sped forward with a sharp momentum from the very start, but no matter how awesome it was on the straightaway, it could not surpass the car's own performance until the first corner arrived.
Any action taken before, during, or after a curve can lead to different results.
The screeching sound of the tires as go-kart #164 brakes at its limit late indicates that the load is extremely slow at this point.
"He missed the braking point! Wu Shi's tires are probably going to lock up!" Commentator John started to use his skills again, speaking at a speed that seemed to be faster than a race car.
However, no sooner had he finished speaking than go-kart number 164 came to a successful stop and entered the bend.
"No, his entry speed into the corner seems a bit too fast, which is very different from the other drivers." John shook his head, meaning that entering the corner at that speed could easily lead to a loss of control.
"He made it! And he didn't graze the shoulder too much!" commentator Tom exclaimed in surprise.
After a slight bounce, go-kart number 164 accelerated slightly before its rear wheels touched the ground, and when it landed, it produced wisps of white smoke.
Whoosh!
"Wait a minute, this bend alone will take us much faster, right?" Tom continued in astonishment.
"Let's look at the current results. Midra Jan, a rider from the JOKA KART TEAM, posted the fastest lap time of 1:03.142, surpassing the previous leader, Negro Ricciardo, by 0.141."
John quickly finished announcing the results, then turned his attention to the broadcast screen and asked Tom:
What was the fastest time before the first time slot?
"Let me see, Negro Ricardo's 25.470," John read out the data.
Then the two realized something was wrong, and for a moment they forgot to explain and stared intently at the timer.
Whoosh!
24.987
"How could this be! A timing segment has been pulled away by almost 1.5 points!" John exclaimed in disbelief.
But that's the reality. Both commentators are usually eloquent and skilled at speaking, but at this moment they didn't know what to say.
"You're back," Tom suddenly said.
"What?"
Do you remember Wu Shi's results in KF3?
"certainly."
John nodded. At the last stop, the two of them were hinting that Wu Shi was driving a specially tuned car. If they hadn't been warned by their superiors afterward not to challenge the professionalism of the competition's review process, they would still have hoped to use this method to make Wu Shi controversial, thereby helping the TV program gain popularity.
The two commentators remained silent for the rest of the time, occasionally glancing backstage.
Many commenters are still unaware of the situation. Although they are all watching the game, most people mainly focus on the lap times. Without the commentators' detailed explanations, it's difficult for them to grasp the key points and see the differences.
On the same track, the difference between go-karts and racing cars is only a matter of centimeters, and it's often just a fleeting glance, so you can't draw conclusions just by looking at them.
"Oh, it's not that we're not going to commentate, but how should I put it? As you can see, Wu Shi is leading by 0.5 points in the second timeout, which is simply unimaginable in professional competitions," John added.
"This lap will definitely produce the fastest lap, we'll just have to see what the time will be," Tom continued.
At this point, the broadcast camera focused entirely on go-kart number 164, following and switching around it.
This made the CRG team and its major sponsors very happy; this kind of exposure is exactly what they wanted!
Rustling sound!
In the silent commentary room, the score of 1:01.876 appeared.
"Unbelievable."
"Yes, it's hard to believe."
There were few words to express their surprise, because the results were so rapid that the two of them were at a loss for words.
They looked back at the comments section and found that most of them were criticizing their previous comments.
The professional commentators completely ignored this, having long been used to being criticized.
On the track, go-kart number 164 drove into the pit area, and race officials began conducting a post-race compliance check.
The weight was within acceptable limits, the engine specifications were within acceptable limits, and the race car monitoring data was within acceptable limits.
In conclusion, this car has exactly the same data as the one reported by CRG, and fully complies with the race regulations.
The results are valid!
Immediately, Wu Shi's name came in first.
"The event staff couldn't believe the speed either, so they conducted a more thorough inspection."
"Yes, the test results are in, and there are no problems."
"Are you sure there are no problems?"
"Actually, considering Wu Shi's historical achievements, I think this makes sense. Since 2008, Wu Shi has brought us too many surprises." Tom began to change his stance.
"So for the next whole year, will we once again see him unequivocally leading all tracks?" John shook his head slightly.
A game where you can tell who will win at a glance isn't exciting.
In karting, this is impossible. No matter how talented someone is, they can't win all the championships. There will always be someone competing with them, and you'll always see someone else take home the trophy at a few races.
Wu Shi, on the other hand, is not only fast, but also incredibly consistent. Once he takes the lead, he won't give anyone a chance.
"Very good!" The team leader stepped forward and patted Wu Shi on the shoulder.
Wu Shi smoothed his sweat-drenched hair and gave the team leader a high-five.
"Lenlocks is ranked 10th, he won't bother you," Rosa said, stepping forward as well.
"Yes, it's alright." Wu Shi smiled slightly.
The 2012 KZ2 level tournament, which had just started to have some trouble at the beginning of the season, was completely shut down.
①In 2014, F3 was officially called the FIA European Formula 3 Championship (2012–2018); it was changed to the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2019.