CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 37: I DON’T BELIEVE YOU CAN HANDLE THE TRACK

Chao Quan’s words provoked Han Han to agree to this three-man showdown, which didn’t surprise Chen Xiangbei too much.

The reason is simple. No matter what competition it is, a driver who can become a champion must have a certain pride in their heart.

If you’re going to act all superior, then I’m going to race to show you who’s boss!

A driver without this kind of spirit will never become a champion or the king of the track.

Of course, compared to Chao Quan, although Chen Xiangbei in his past life was also a Formula driver, he only had a driver’s confidence, not that inexplicable sense of superiority.

The reason is simple. He had witnessed the strength of top drivers like Schumacher, Hamilton, and Verstappen at the F1 level, and understood that there are always people better than you and mountains higher than mountains.

When you see the gap between yourself and true geniuses, and you don’t think about challenging the strong, but instead look for superiority over the weak.

That only proves you are a coward!

"Chen Xiangbei, do you have any objections to the three-man race?"

Han Han asked, since originally the race was supposed to be with Chen Xiangbei.

Chen Xiangbei gladly agreed, "No problem, it just makes things easier for me."

"Alright, then let’s get ready."

After saying this, Han Han turned and walked towards the pit area, clearly holding back some pent-up energy inside.

Qin Lianjie, sitting in the stands, witnessed the scene on the pit track and said with a playful smile, "Seems I didn’t come in vain today; I can enjoy a great three-man showdown!"

Qin Lianjie only knew previously that Chen Xiangbei was going to race with Chao Quan, and didn’t expect there was another race against Han Han.

A high school student challenging the new CCC national champion, it’s really interesting.

Thinking of this, Qin Lianjie stood up and walked towards the pit track.

"Where are you going?"

Seeing Qin Lianjie’s movement, Cao An asked.

"Going to say hi to Chen Xiangbei, and see what he’s really thinking."

At this time, Chen Xiangbei was already sitting in the driver’s seat of the Subaru Impreza, igniting the engine to start preheating the fluids.

Liang Chi and Zhang Zhicong were standing by the track talking about something unknown.

As for the pit room of the Volkswagen 222 Team, most of the crew members had surprised faces.

Originally, they were just carrying out regular training support, but the manager informed them Han Han was going to race and the opponents were both a Hong Kong Island driver and a high school student.

Be it the Hong Kong Island driver, Chao Quan had some fame back when he raced in Formula cars, and now has reasonable credentials after returning from Germany.

But what’s this about a high school student?

The crew members couldn’t understand why, but since the team manager Ye Yong had already spoken, coupled with Han Han’s own decision to race, they had no words to say.

Just as Chen Xiangbei was preparing, Qin Lianjie leaned on the window frame of the Impreza STI and asked, "It’s not enough for you to race with Chao Quan, you’re really going to race with CCC’s national champion Han Han?"

"Yeah."

"The track and the mountain roads are two completely different driving styles, can you really compete?"

"I can."

Still brief answers, without any explanations.

"You’re really confident."

Qin Lianjie was somewhat impressed, recalling when Chen Xiangbei raced against him with the same "arrogant" attitude.

At that time, everyone thought this kid didn’t know his limits, but in fact, he did have the confidence to be so.

"Alright, since you can race on tracks, I have another question I want to clarify."

"I’ve never seen you race on Nanyun Mountain. How can your lines and drifts be so precise?"

After the race between them that day, Qin Lianjie went to Nanyun Mountain multiple times, trying to replicate Chen Xiangbei’s routing and drifting techniques.

The facts showed that Chen Xiangbei indeed executed a faster route through bends, his control over the APEX (apex) far more precise than his own.

Even if there is a gap due to talent, the problem is that Chen Xiangbei had hardly run the Nanyun Mountain Road, how could he be more familiar than a veteran like himself?

From ancient times, the local hero dominates the mountain roads, and it’s rare in the country to find drivers who can excel both in routes and drifting. The mysteries surrounding Chen Xiangbei were too much for Qin Lianjie to hold back.

Regarding Qin Lianjie’s confusion, Chen Xiangbei smiled slightly. He was not purely a Formula driver; in his past life, he also ran a period of rally races, naturally mastering the driving styles of mountain roads and drifting.

However, such a reason couldn’t be spoken out. Chen Xiangbei could only explain, "You know Fujiwara Takumi’s famous route on Qiuming Mountain from delivering tofu; I frequently repair cars and deliver parts through Nanyun Mountain, so I gradually became familiar with these bends."

In a way, Chen Xiangbei was not lying. His familiarity with every turn of Nanyun Mountain indeed came from repeatedly delivering parts or repairing cars.

Without such familiarity with bends, in this underground racing filled with home advantage, even a professional driver might end up in the ditch.

"I see."

Qin Lianjie did not doubt, as Nanyun Mountain is not exclusive to underground racers, ordinary people can also remember the line characteristics of each turn if they drive it enough times.

Especially for a gifted driver like Chen Xiangbei.

Having resolved the confusion in his heart, Qin Lianjie saw Han Han’s Volkswagen Polo race car driving out from the pit. He knew the race time was almost here.

So he stood up and said, "I believe you’re strong on mountain roads, but on the track, I doubt you can beat Chao Quan and Han Han."

"Then I’ll race a lap to make you believe."

Chen Xiangbei replied with a calm demeanor. If Qin Lianjie wanted to know, there was another piece of information he could share.

That was the domestic East Sea and Haizhu, these two international tracks are even more familiar to Chen Xiangbei than Nanyun Mountain.

These are not only Chao Quan’s or Han Han’s home ground; they are even more so the home ground for Chen Xiangbei!

At this moment, the staff from the Volkswagen 222 Team came over, handed him a racing helmet, and informed him to gather at the starting point of the track.

Receiving and putting on the helmet, Chen Xiangbei then closed the car window, stepped on the gas pedal, and drove off the pit lane, bringing the Subaru Impreza onto the official track at the Haizhu International Racing Circuit.

Han Han’s race-grade Volkswagen Polo and Chao Quan’s heavily modified Mitsubishi EVO VI had already lined up before the start line ahead of him.

According to professional racing standards, before racing the main lap, a regular warm-up lap is necessary because race-grade vehicles, in pursuit of extreme grip and adhesion, often use full-slick or semi-slick tires.

However, these slick tires need adequate temperature to allow the rubber to melt and create an effect similar to chewing gum stickiness.

Like in F1 races, you often see crew members covering the tires with a blanket before exiting the pit, as if they’re afraid of it "catching a cold."

This blanket is called a "tire warmer," fundamentally similar to an electric blanket, containing electric resistance wires inside to raise the tire temperature, ensuring F1 slick tires reach operating temperature as quickly as possible.

Ordinary races naturally do not meet the F1-level race logistics support, so the simplest way to warm up the tires is to let the car run a few laps on the track, naturally raising the tire temperature.

But slick tires also have drawbacks, such as being very prone to wear. Semi-slick ones are a bit better, but in full slick, you might have to change a few sets of tires for a single race.

Chen Xiangbei and Chao Quan both have regular performance cars suitable for daily driving, so it’s naturally impossible for them to switch to slick tires from Guangzhou to Haizhu; both cars currently have ordinary performance tires.

As for Han Han, his car itself already holds an advantage, so he also didn’t want to gain a "small advantage" in tires, thus he switched to a set of ordinary performance tires, putting the three cars in a relatively fair state.

In theory, there was no longer a need for a warm-up lap, but Han Han and the Volkswagen 222 Team decided to stick to the normal competition process and use the warm-up lap to help Chen Xiangbei familiarize himself with the track.

After all, for the Volkswagen 222 Team, their primary consideration is no longer to win the race. It’s ensuring this high school student, Chen Xiangbei, doesn’t get into any racing accidents, so running one more lap is a safer bet!

PS: Brothers, there’s a third update at noon, keep following and hype it up!