Wang Yidong's expression was very downcast, completely unlike his previous self when he was bantering with Shine Huai.
If he had held onto a sliver of hope before, the moment he saw Xu Yali in the passenger seat of the Benz, all his bravado turned into self-deception.
Seeing this, Chen Xiangbei didn't know what to say. At this point, the driver from the Light Point Team had already walked to the front of the car, raising both his hands high to act as a temporary starter.
Not bothering to comfort Fatty Wang's wounded "fragile heart," Chen Xiangbei lightly stepped on the clutch, shifted into first gear, and quietly waited for the starter to finish counting down the five seconds.
Seeing Chen Xiangbei's unhurried actions, Wang Yidong felt something was off and couldn't help asking, "Xiangbei, Shine Huai is already revving the engine, holding the rpm high, ready for a launch start. Aren't you going to pull some impressive moves out?"
Wang Yidong hasn't eaten pork, but he's seen a pig run. Whether it's in movies or manga, isn't a manual transmission start supposed to involve pulling the handbrake, revving the engine, ideally reaching the legendary 7200 rpm!
Then, when the countdown ends, you step on the gas, release the clutch, drop the handbrake — this series of moves should be executed swiftly to launch the car ahead intensely, pressing down the opponent.
Now, looking at Chen Xiangbei's maneuver as slow and steady as Mr. Wang next door driving his tricycle, where is that promised start that crushes the AMG?
Facing Wang Yidong's doubts, Chen Xiangbei calmly retorted, "Does your dad cherish this car?"
"This car is like my stepmom, just as precious as my real mom!"
"Then there you go, considering you've already been taught a lesson by a woman today, I don't want you to go back home and experience the heavy hand of paternal love as well."
Wang Yidong's Corolla hasn't been modified at all. To put it bluntly, it's a standard grocery-getter; in later years, it would be called "Urban Granny," leisurely moving along like a mobile roadblock, and yet thinking of launching at 7200 rpm?
Of course, playing like this isn't impossible, just like Jeep, Land Rover, Continental Cruiser; for off-roading, look to something like Lianyun. The fastest car is always someone else's car.
But the problem is Fatty Wang's spirit has already taken a hit. If he goes home tonight and takes a mixed double beating physically as well, his fate would indeed be too tragic.
Chen Xiangbei, being kind-hearted, wanted to reduce Fatty Wang's suffering, trying to preserve one's and another's clutch plate, brake disc, and even the engine on this Corolla if possible.
"Shine Huai's car is a 360P horsepower Mercedes AMG. The Corolla has just 136P horsepower. Without a launch start, how can we win?"
"Xiangbei, are you really going to let that guy race ahead at the start?"
Wang Yidong widened his eyes and demanded, putting aside paternal love for now, even if it means being an unruly son tonight, he absolutely has to defeat Shine Huai and save face!
"Is a race won by launch starts?"
"Besides, we're running on a mountain road, not a straight acceleration track. Fastness in curves is true speed; who couldn't speed up on a straight?"
"Buddy, let me show you today what real technique means!"
Looking at Chen Xiangbei's earnest demeanor, Wang Yidong anxiously doubted, "You're not just bluffing me, right?"
"Bluff, my ass! Even if the god of racing shows up at Qiuming Mountain today, he wouldn't win. I've said it!"
Facing Fatty Wang's various doubts, Chen Xiangbei finally said a tough line.
In his past life, he was at the verge of reaching F1 as a top racer, and almost became the WRC stage champion. Now, racing a mountain road against a high school student — if he were to lose, hitting a tofu block to death would be a disgrace to the word "profession"!
Unfortunately, Wang Yidong couldn't sense Chen Xiangbei's "king's aura." His peripheral vision caught the starter's five-second countdown ending while they were still yammering, and Shine Huai's Mercedes AMG sped away.
"Stop chatting, Shine Huai's already gone!"
"Who told you to be such a chatterbox."
Even though the car's taillights were almost out of sight, Chen Xiangbei didn't forget to make a snarky comment while starting.
At this moment, Chen Xiangbei ceased holding back and stepped on the gas pedal, the engine rpm needle precisely sticking at 5200 rpm.
The difference between mass-produced civilian cars and modified racing cars isn't that higher rpm means greater power. Conversely, exceeding the critical redline rpm, the car's computer might mistakenly cut fuel and shut off.
The max power rpm point of this tenth gen Corolla with its 2ZR-FE engine is precisely 5200 rpm!
Even though he had a new body and had psychological impact from a racing accident, even though this is just a regular grocery-getter Corolla, Chen Xiangbei's absolute car sense as a top racer showed impeccable precision.
The needle stayed at 5200 rpm as if welded in place without moving!
"Hold tight!"
Lifting the clutch, adjusting the throttle, releasing the handbrake, the Corolla darted forward instantly. Wang Yidong wanted to respond but was pinned to the seat by inertia the moment he opened his mouth.
This dynamic starting performance, is this really his family's Corolla?
"Whoa, whoa, damn!"
Fatty Wang, feeling the speed-induced push and exhilaration, couldn't think of words to describe it and had only "Whoa" left to express it all.
The street racers who initially mocked Chen Xiangbei's slow start, seeing the Corolla's velocity, now those with higher driving skills vaguely sensed something was amiss.
"Brother Jie, you've driven a lot of cars. This Corolla isn't modified, right?"
A young racer named Tao walked up to Qin Lianjie and asked.
The Corolla is seen everywhere; everyone knows its performance capabilities well. Without modifications, can it really have such start speed?
"Probably not."
Qin Lianjie shook his head, realizing that at least a major engine mod could be heard, or alterations to brakes or tires could be seen, none of which was evident.
After speaking, he crossed over the road barrier, arriving at Chen Xiangbei's starting position. Just glancing at the ground, his face showed a shocked expression — there were no tire burn marks at all!
It's known that novice racers who can't achieve optimal throttle/clutch coordination often use clutch popping to start. The method involves flooring the gas pedal or putting pedal to metal, raising engine rpm as high as possible, and releasing the clutch swiftly to launch.
But this maneuver causes the engine torque to exceed the tire grip, resulting in noticeable rubber friction marks on the ground. Just like Shine Huai's start nearby, leaving two glaring tire burn marks.
However, for true racing, tire burn equates to tire slip, causing momentary loss of grip and power. Especially in top events like F1, even a fraction of a second tire burn slip can lead to losing several positions at the start.
Only with extremely precise throttle/clutch coordination and understanding the tire grip limit can results like Chen Xiangbei's top-tier start occur.
Qin Lianjie, sincerely speaking, couldn't achieve perfect throttle/clutch coordination in a short time if driving an unfamiliar car. From the conversation among those youngsters, it could be deduced that the Corolla didn't belong to Chen Xiangbei but was driven out from home by a fatty named Wang Yidong.
Can an ordinary high schooler possess such level of driving skill?
PS: As a newbie, many thanks to all the brothers for the rewards and votes. I hope for daily support through reading and voting.