Why hasn't he posted on social media yet?
Ten seconds isn't a long time in everyday life, but in the world of racing, it's a leap of several levels.
This would only happen in a domestic championship that isn't very large. Normally, in a race with a standard car, the gap at the front row wouldn't be this wide.
In the afternoon, after the vehicles were inspected and the race participants were officially confirmed, the racers with free time were all on the track for untimed practice.
"Son, there's something I need to do at the company, I have to go there right away," Wu Zhenlin said apologetically after receiving a phone call.
"Okay, Dad, go ahead and get busy." Wu Shi smiled.
"Hey, be careful." Wu Zhenlin patted his son's head and hurriedly left.
"What a busy man," Mr. Chen remarked.
"Mm." Wu Shi nodded. His father was able to take time out of his busy schedule to accompany him to complete the registration, which showed that he cared about him quite a bit.
"Are you really not going to practice?" Boss Chen asked.
"No, thank you." Wu Shi shook his head. He had been practicing a lot these past few months.
"Alright, get some rest tonight."
After leaving the racetrack and returning to the hotel, Wu Shi lay down on the bed.
Hmm, what a relaxing pace!
Bang bang bang!
However, before he could even get comfortable in bed, there was a knock on the door.
Who's here?
If it were Boss Chen, I would call him directly.
He looked through the peephole and saw a familiar face.
Click!
"Aunt Martina, Louise, what brings you here?" Wu Shi opened the door.
"My dear Wu Shi, Zhenlin was worried about me, and since I was in Pengcheng recently, he asked me to come and visit." Martina said with a smile.
"Okay (*▽｀)ノノ! Wu, Shi." Louise called out in broken Chinese.
"Hello, Louise," Wu Shi greeted the two of them as they entered.
"Such standard pronunciation," Martina teased, carrying her simple luggage inside. "Is it alright if Auntie and Louise stay here?"
"It doesn't bother me, thank you Auntie for taking care of me," Wu Shi said with a smile. His father was quite worried that he might be too lonely, little did he know that he had been living like this for quite some time.
"Mommy! What are you talking about!" Louise couldn't help but interrupt the two people talking.
"Oh, I forgot little Louise doesn't understand." Martina feigned surprise.
"Hmph ╭(╯^╰)╮! Mom, you have to translate for me, I want to chat with Wu Shi too." Louise was still a little spoiled.
"That won't do. You haven't paid for the translation, so Mom can't translate for you. You should study Chinese properly," Martina said.
"Ugh! This is too hard! This is too hard!" Louise exclaimed, looking dejected.
"You flatter me," Martina said to Wu Shi.
"No, not at all." Wu Shi scratched his face. This auntie must think he understood English perfectly.
"Wu Shi, if you really want to become a race car driver, Auntie suggests you come with us to Italia," Martina said.
Wu Shi was taken aback, not expecting the topic to change so abruptly, but Martina's suggestion was exactly what he had in mind.
"Don't think too much about it, we'll talk about it after the match tomorrow," Martina said.
"Um."
The lights were turned off early because of the match tomorrow.
The following morning, after the drivers' meeting, Wu Shi and the mechanic went to refuel, retrieve the tires, and adjust the car.
In timed practice sessions, everyone starts from the pit lane. When a driver completes a warm-up lap and crosses the starting grid again, the starting grid judge waves the green flag, and the timed practice session begins.
Although it's called a timed practice race, it's more like a lap-counting practice race in terms of its arrangement, with only ten minutes and three laps.
Obviously, ten minutes is enough to run ten laps on this track, so often only four or five minutes have passed when you leave after three laps.
The hum of engines echoed throughout the maintenance area aisle.
"Safety is the top priority," the technician said.
"Wu Shi, Jia, You!" Louise shouted.
"Drive carefully and be safe." Martina nodded slightly.
"Um."
Wu Shi took off his mask, stepped on the gas, and the go-kart slowly drove out of the maintenance area.
After driving out of the repair area at the speed limit, Wu Shi turned the steering wheel left and right, warmed up the tires slightly, and then drove forward with a click.
Just then, a go-kart covered in various advertisements pulled up beside him. The boy opened his mask, glanced at him, and then sped off ahead.
This is Lin Cong from yesterday.
Wu Shi didn't know what he meant, but he was somewhat wary.
Championship-standard go-karts have two bumper blocks at the front. If a collision occurs, these blocks will be knocked off, and losing one block will result in a 5-second penalty.
According to the competition rules, any items that are knocked off, regardless of the reason, will be penalized and cannot be reassembled during the race. If this is done, the result will be disqualified and a black flag will be issued.
Buzz!
One car after another completed the warm-up lap and started making laps. Two minutes later, the first valid lap was made.
46.232 seconds.
"It's Fang Yan's result. It's an improvement over last year, but unfortunately, he can only be a runner-up again," the coach said.
"Sigh." The parent sighed.
Rustling sounds!
Then, three more lap times were announced.
46.565 seconds
46.211 seconds
45.556 seconds
"45 seconds! Ye Kaihua, keep it up!" A young woman clenched her fist.
"You need to do a few more laps. If you don't get pole position in 45 seconds," the coach said discouragingly.
sieve!
44.201 seconds!
"Who is this?!" Some parents couldn't help but look at the lap time sign.
"Ling Kan! Last year's runner-up! From the Extreme Speed Racing Team."
After all, they've been running this for a year or two, so they recognized each other when they saw the familiar helmet paint scheme.
Wow, that was fast!
"Yes, I would be content if my child could run that fast."
"Hey, look, whose child is that, still driving so slowly?"
"I don't know. Judging from his appearance, he's probably a newbie. He's probably just started karting. He's too scared to go because there are so many people around."
Hehe~
Rustling sound!
Another go-kart sped across the finish line.
44.200 seconds.
"Wow! The difference is incredible."
Some people gasped, realizing that this difference was simply a matter of good or bad luck.
"Zeng Tianyi is also a member of the high-speed racing team."
"As expected, those two are the strongest this year; the gap is closing quickly!"
"Yes, but they're moving up a group next year, so my kid might have a chance to get a top-three finish."
Outside the track, parents watched with great anticipation, while coaches jotted down questions in their notebooks, ready to correct the young racers when they returned.
As the two strongest laps were recorded, the atmosphere on the track gradually became more lively.
Louise leaned on the railing, chasing after Wu Shi's figure, and said anxiously, "Mommy! Why hasn't he started lapping yet?! It's the last lap after he crosses the finish line!"
"Why are you more anxious than the contestants?" Martina covered her forehead, then teased as if she had just thought of something, "Little Louise, you don't happen to have a crush on Wu Shi, do you?"
"Huh?!" Louise's hand, which was supporting her, went limp. She puffed out her cheeks and said, "Mommy! Don't talk nonsense, I, I..."
Her eyes lit up, and she quickly came up with a clever idea, saying, "Mom said that if the older brother gives in to the younger sister, the younger sister will naturally worry about the older brother too!"