CHAPTER 85: CHAPTER 78: TOP-TIER RACING TALENT (PART 3)

"Matsuboto, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake? Did the Chinese newcomer achieve a fastest lap of 2 minutes 19.336 seconds in the rain?"

Nakajima Goro was somewhat surprised; no one understood the limits of a rainy lap time at the Suzuka Circuit better than this former F1 driver.

This kind of lap time is something that even Kobayashi Kamui might not achieve in the rain. It’s unbelievable that this Chinese newcomer named Chen Xiangbei accomplished it during his first trial training!

"Yes, I’m sure."

Matsuboto Brown replied through gritted teeth. Nakajima Goro’s repeated confirmation was akin to rubbing salt into his wounds.

"You can leave now. I’ll discuss further with Director Sawano."

"Yes, Principal Nakajima."

Upon hearing this, Matsuboto Brown’s face revealed a look of surprise. It seemed like there was a turning point for him to stay at the school.

In fact, what Nakajima Goro wanted to discuss with Sawano Hiroyuki wasn’t about Matsuboto’s contract termination but rather about Chen Xiangbei’s potential.

Matsuboto Brown still had to leave.

It’s important to know that the Honda Suzuka Racing School’s goal has never been to train drivers for entry-level formula series like Renault. Their ultimate aim is to reach the pinnacle of racing, F1.

Nakajima Goro originally had a talented young driver in mind, and that was his son, Nakajima Ikki.

Coming from a family of racing, Nakajima Ikki joined the Williams Team as a substitute in 2007, just like his father’s path. In 2008, he signed as a full-time driver, making him Japan’s second official F1 driver.

Counting the potential F1 driver Kobayashi Kamui as well, it can be said that this era marks a talent boom in the Japanese racing industry, having three F1 drivers at the same time, rivaling countries strong in racing like those in Europe.

However, Nakajima Ikki was also filled with personality and rebellion. To prove his talent and strength to the world, rather than just being known as the son of F1 driver Nakajima Goro, he switched to the Toyota camp without hesitation at the age of 14.

This way, the father and son were somewhat in "opposition."

Since his son "defected" to Toyota, Nakajima Goro naturally had to build another F1-level driver for the Honda camp.

Originally, he had placed his hopes on Hoshino Yoshi, but now Chen Xiangbei’s training results are so astonishing that he might have to add another consideration.

Before long, Sawano Hiroyuki, having received notice, arrived at the principal’s office.

"Principal Nakajima."

Sawano Hiroyuki bowed upon entering; the other was not just a superior but also held the status of a Japanese hero.

"Sawano, did the Chinese newcomer really achieve a fastest lap of 2 minutes 19.336 seconds in the rain just now?"

"Yes."

"Was there no error in the circuit monitoring data?"

Nakajima Goro’s first reaction was that there might be an error with the circuit equipment.

"No, Mizutani and Watanabe have checked it."

Upon hearing this answer, Nakajima Goro’s expression became quite remarkable; this situation was indeed beyond his understanding.

Seeing the change in Nakajima Goro’s expression, Sawano Hiroyuki added, "Principal Nakajima, I’m planning to contact Miyamoto Shigeru from Hua Sai to find detailed training records of Chen Xiangbei.

"With such skill, he should have outstanding achievements in the kart racing stage."

Sawano Hiroyuki didn’t believe that Chen Xiangbei’s kart racing record was completely blank. If the Chinese newcomer had several years of kart racing training, then his talent level might be significantly discounted.

After all, an 18-year-old with years of training should naturally be stronger than a 16-year-old student.

"Alright, go ask about it."

"Additionally, send me today’s Chen Xiangbei circuit data."

Nakajima Goro plans to personally review Chen Xiangbei’s lap footage and circuit data.

It’s important to know that Honda will officially announce its exit from F1 at the end of ’08, and Ross Brown will purchase it for 1 Pound. The retired Honda F1 race team members will be recruited by the "Nakajima Planning" race company.

To compete in higher-level formula racing events, Nakajima Goro needed a stronger racing team. Currently, who could be stronger than Honda’s F1 team?

At the same time, Nakajima Goro was also looking for potential drivers for future team talent reserves; Chen Xiangbei’s rainy prowess and fastest lap had attracted his attention.

"Yes, Principal Nakajima, I’ll make a copy and send it over."

After agreeing, Sawano Hiroyuki then exited the room.

Chen Xiangbei, of course, was unaware of the conversation among the Honda Racing Academy’s upper management. After signing the driver contract, he proceeded to the gym for physical training.

The cost of track driving is extremely high, especially at the formula racing stage. No matter how financially robust the Honda Group is, they cannot support multiple students with unlimited on-track car training.

In most cases, drivers at the racing academy primarily focus on physical training and simulator training.

In terms of physical training, Hua Sai and Honda Racing Academy aren’t much different; after all, equipment isn’t expensive, and driver training programs aren’t complex. The main difference is in the racing simulator.

It’s important to know that the simulators at an academy or team are custom-made by engineers; they rarely appear on the market.

If they do, they are often old, retired models.

Moreover, to obtain a realistic driving experience, hardware only contributes partially.

The software aspect of track data, race car tuning parameters, simulation feedback parameters, etc., remain unknown to outsiders. They are internal secrets of the Honda Group.

Academies or factory teams without sufficient foundation and scale cannot create highly realistic racing simulators. Huashai’s capability falls far short.

This is precisely why young drivers aspire to join major teams, as the resources they offer go far beyond mere money.

Besides these regular programs, Honda Racing Academy requires learning the theoretical knowledge of car engineering compared to amateur groups.

Many top drivers merely lack diplomas, but that doesn’t mean they’re illiterate!

Drivers must be thoroughly acquainted with the structures and performance parameters of race cars to deeply communicate with race engineers and articulate the desired tuning effects of their cars.

If one doesn’t even know the professional terms for auto parts, forget race engineers; even ghosts wouldn’t know what you want to convey.

Even at the level of an F1 driver, with the extensive use of aero packages, you must learn knowledge related to aerodynamics. Understand the performance differences brought by the opening and closing angles of front and rear wings, and the degree of downforce adjustment needed for different tracks.

In essence, only when drivers know their race cars better than anyone else can they achieve the unity of man and machine in competitions and outrun opponents with unparalleled speed!

Just as Chen Xiangbei was undergoing physical training, a few academy students came in sequentially, their expressions slightly awkward.

Originally planning to follow suit and press the soft persimmons, who would expect to kick a hard iron plate?

As for Chen Xiangbei, he chose to ignore them directly, continuing his training as per his own rhythm.

He’s not naturally outgoing, and besides, with his arrival, nearly all peers will be eliminated in upcoming competitions.

Both sides will pass through this brief training period, with further interactions unlikely in the future, so why waste time on building relationships?

King of Cars Schumacher’s words were indeed profound: Champions are destined to be lonely!

The half-day of physical training passed quickly, as Honda Suzuka Racing School doesn’t provide accommodation for junior students, Chen Xiangbei had to take a shuttle bus back to the city. Fortunately, the distance was close and the bus frequency was high, minimizing the impact of commuting time.

However, he suspected that Qin Lianjie predicted this situation, which is why he specifically informed him about his vacant apartment. Otherwise, staying in hotels or renting a house would inevitably be much more troublesome for Chen Xiangbei.

In the evening, lights still shone within the racing academy office building.

Sawano Hiroyuki was perusing Chen Xiangbei’s driver profile, his expression becoming increasingly peculiar until he couldn’t help but ask Mizutani Sho, "Is this it?"

He had clearly requested detailed training experience, yet the result was the same as before. It merely added the title of 08 CKC annual champion under Chen Xiangbei’s karting resume.

Being the academy director, Sawano Hiroyuki was definitely aware of how this CKC champion title was obtained. Many entry-level formula drivers aiming to upgrade their licenses often choose unpopular events to "fish" for points.

Just like how Zhou Guanyu later got a contract with the Sauber Team while needing some points to receive his Super Driver’s License, he urgently returned to the Asia F3 event to fish, securing the 21-year champion title to successfully pass.

It’s just that such tactics from Huashai are somewhat overtly unappealing...

"That’s it, I’ve confirmed with Miyamoto."

Mizutani Sho’s initial reaction was identical to Sawano Hiroyuki’s now and he had called to confirm at that time.

"That means this Chinese rookie truly lacks karting professional experience?"

"None, but..."

"But what?"

Sawano Hiroyuki followed up with another question.

"Miyamoto said that Chen Xiangbei mentioned his foundation stemmed from racing simulators."

"Where are China’s top racing simulators?"

"No idea."

Mizutani Sho shrugged, for even Miyamoto Shigeru didn’t understand this question.

Sawano Hiroyuki wanted to verify Chen Xiangbei’s karting training experience to determine a driver’s talent ceiling.

It’s known that karting provides the most intuitive increase in driving feel, and even many F1-level drivers occasionally drive go-karts to refine their tactile perception. It’s an essential phase for formula drivers.

Why is Sato Takuma’s F1 performance mediocre, yet regarded as having great talent?

Because under normal circumstances, developing driving feel through karting requires three to five years. Sato Takuma skipped this step and moved from karting to F1 within five years.

Counting the karting career, even Verstappen took more than five years!

If Chen Xiangbei similarly skipped the karting career, his age of eighteen isn’t a disadvantage; on the contrary, it reflects historical-level racing talent.

Yet, with China’s chaotic and backward racing system, such as Huashai, which is eventually going bankrupt, randomly issuing CKC champion titles, it’s impossible to judge the authenticity of Chen Xiangbei’s credentials.

"Director Sawano, I actually think there’s a method we can use to test."

"What method?"

"Since Chen Xiangbei claims his foundation comes from simulators, we should let him undergo simulator training. As long as he demonstrates adaptability and speed talent on any track, does the authenticity of his credentials matter?"

Mizutani Sho’s words were a revelation, prompting Sawano Hiroyuki to realize he indeed became fixated and reached a dead end.

What he wants is Chen Xiangbei’s driving prowess rather than those few lines of text on the driver profile. If a racing simulator can showcase comprehensive adaptability and speed, karting resume becomes irrelevant!