Chapter 44: Chapter 41: Absolute Talent for Car Sense
The engine of the Subaru Impreza roared wildly; even without looking in the rearview mirror, Che Laozin could tell from the opponent’s engine howl that Chen Xiangbei was in full throttle pursuit.
After all, as a driver of the Mitsubishi EVO, he was too familiar with the sound waves of the Subaru Impreza, the rally’s destined rival.
Turns 6 and 7 are high-speed right-hand combinations; in fact, it is not the usual overtaking spot on the Haizhu International Circuit. But somehow, Che Laozin felt an invisible pressure from Chen Xiangbei sweeping in.
Instinct told him that the high schooler would definitely choose to overtake here!
The intuition of a driver is often very keen; feeling threatened, Che Laozin completely ignored chasing Han Han, even abandoning his best line through the corner.
He had only one thought in mind: to stop Chen Xiangbei from overtaking at all costs!
At this moment, Chen Xiangbei’s speed was getting faster and faster. The downshift full-throttle acceleration caused the engine’s tachometer needle to break seven thousand rpm, approaching the red line.
Meanwhile, the centrifugal force from taking the C-shaped turn at a speed of 180 km/h distorted Chen Xiangbei’s facial muscles, while his neck and shoulders endured immense lateral G-force.
But Chen Xiangbei continued to accelerate, focusing not on Che Laozin, but fully feeling the dynamics of the Subaru Impreza, driving in a way as close to the grip limit as possible.
The term "car sense" is often used in racing, but many people cannot clearly explain what it actually is, almost as if it’s a mystical belief.
But in fact, car sense is not mysticism at all; it has a wealth of theoretical basis and scientific foundation.
Simply put, it’s about a driver feeling the "weight transfer" of a vehicle during movement.
Or, to be more precise, knowing the pressure distribution on the four tires.
For example, even a regular person driving and slamming the brakes under inertia can feel the car body leaning forward, thus knowing the front wheels bear much more pressure than the rear ones at that moment.
Conversely, with full-throttle acceleration, if the power is strong enough, flooring it might even cause the front end to lift, meaning the rear wheels then bear more pressure than the front ones.
This is the weight transfer that ordinary people can perceive in vehicles.
In professional racing, the range drivers need to perceive is far more complex than just braking or accelerating.
For instance, when racing through corners, depending on the speed and the cornering angle, the pressure on the tires varies, and so does the grip of each tire.
The driver’s task is to precisely feel the dynamic process of weight transfer, keeping the grip of the four tires balanced as much as possible to prevent slipping or losing control.
As for how to feel this, it relies on talent or long-term driving training.
This ability to make judgments is called car sense!
Chen Xiangbei’s lifetime talent for car sense had reached a top-level, allowing him to clearly capture the grip limit of this Subaru Impreza.
Thus, on the brink of losing control at any moment, Chen Xiangbei caught up with the Mitsubishi EVO of Che Laozin at a faster cornering speed, achieving a side-by-side state in the high-speed turn.
Through the car window, Che Laozin could already see Chen Xiangbei’s face, but the high schooler showed no emotional change, as if overtaking at such speeds was a matter of course for him.
What hurts more than contempt is being ignored; from his karting career on, Che Laozin had experienced over a decade of professional racing and had never felt so disregarded as he was today!
A feeling of anger quickly filled Che Laozin’s heart. He wouldn’t allow himself to be despised by Chen Xiangbei, nor to lose to a high school student.
Additionally, Che Laozin had an agreement with Ma Minghan beforehand: to try and pressure Chen Xiangbei into an accident on the track. Now, while being pressured by the opponent in turn, causing an accident could still be easily achieved.
A ruthless and fierce expression appeared on Che Laozin’s face, and as Chen Xiangbei’s car nose was already ahead, he turned the steering wheel abruptly.
He intended to use the front of his Mitsubishi EVO to hit the rear of the Subaru Impreza, accomplishing a standard "American pit maneuver" scene!
Moreover, it’s very normal for the wheels to skid and lose grip during high-speed cornering on the track, and no one could use that to blame him.
"Good, good, crash that bastard!"
Sitting in the stands, Ma Minghan instantly realized the intent behind Che Laozin’s lane-changing move and nearly cheered aloud on the spot.
But Ma Minghan’s excited smile didn’t last long and quickly froze on his face, transforming into a look of disbelief, vividly showcasing what it means to "change expressions."
Just as Che Laozin’s Mitsubishi EVO’s nose was about to collide, Chen Xiangbei seemed to have predicted the move, braking sharply in advance, allowing the two cars to narrowly miss each other.
However, during high-speed driving, a significant directional change is not just a matter of avoiding collision.
Without the buffer from the Subaru Impreza’s rear, Che Laozin’s Mitsubishi EVO nose instantly lost control and slid sideways, the entire car spinning like a top on the track.
Facing such a scene of losing control, a hint of panic appeared on Che Laozin’s face as he frantically counter-steered in an attempt to regain control. But it’s known that before changing lanes, his tail speed was already over 190 km/h, and any corrective action at such speed was futile.
The Mitsubishi EVO quickly slid into the gravel at the edge of the track, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Despite this, the kinetic energy from high-speed driving remained unabsorbed by the gravel ground. Che Laozin’s Mitsubishi EVO continued to slide to the edge of the barrier, crashing heavily into the outermost tire wall, causing all airbags inside the car to deploy!
Witnessing this scene, everyone in the stands was shocked, as no one expected that in a "fun race," the one to have a track accident wasn’t the high schooler Chen Xiangbei, but Che Laozin, a former formula driver.
And the cause of the accident stemmed from his own lane-changing that led to a loss of control.
"Che Laozin is such a loser. He couldn’t even beat Chen Xiangbei?"
Ma Minghan stared at the scene on the track with wide eyes, overwhelmed by surprise and anger at once.
If he hadn’t witnessed it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t understand how a professional driver from Hong Kong like Che Laozin could not outrun Chen Xiangbei on the track, yet still managed to crash himself through dirty tricks!
Is it that Chen Xiangbei is just unbeatable, or is Che Laozin simply incompetent?
"Wow, Chen Xiangbei has been playing a fox in disguise all along; we’ve all been fooled by him!"
Upon hearing this, Shine Ming’s face lit up with a sudden realization, no wonder Chen Xiangbei kept raising bets and confidently insisted on racing the track.
It turns out this bastard’s true level is so high that even professional drivers can’t match him, let alone race!
While Ma Minghan and Shine Ming were extremely agitated, Chen Xiangbei on the track merely glanced indifferently at Che Laozin’s crash in the rearview mirror.
This is what they call, in the face of absolute power, all schemes are nothing but illusions.