On the track, Liam pulled into the pits, parked his kart, and waited for post-race scrutineering.
"Son, congratulations! A victory right out of the gate!" Arthur rushed forward, arms wide open.
"Thanks, Dad." Liam hugged his father.
"Hello, are you the father of this young prodigy? Do you have a moment?"
A man in sunglasses jogged over, interrupting the father-son moment. He handed over a business card. "I'm from the Swift Racing Team. Would you be interested in joining us? We offer a generous package, access to various training facilities, and expert coaching—"
"No thanks." Liam shook his head. It wasn't arrogance; who in the domestic scene could possibly coach him?
"Little genius, I'm talking to your father. Can you wait a moment before interrupting?" the sunglasses man said, his tone dismissive.
Arthur, seeing the man talk down to his son, shoved the business card right back into the man's hand. "This is my son's decision. If he's not interested, he's not interested."
With that, he took Liam's hand and walked away.
"You! Talent alone is useless without a good team!" the man shouted at their retreating backs.
"I say, Zhang, are you blind? The parent clearly values the kid's opinion. Why act so high and mighty?" Mr. Chen scolded, looking annoyed.
"Oh, Mr. Chen! Hehe, I was just eager for talent. Eager for talent, don't blame me," Zhang chuckled awkwardly.
After the minor interlude, Liam sat on the sidelines to rest. Once the senior class races finished, it was time for the podium ceremony and closing remarks.
"Did Martina mention taking you abroad?" Arthur asked as they walked.
"Yeah, she mentioned it." Liam looked up at his father.
"I'd like you to prepare for one more year here. mostly to give me some time to adjust things on my end," Arthur said.
"Okay." Liam was slightly surprised but nodded.
He had expected to go straight to Europe, but if his father wasn't ready, he wouldn't add to his burden.
Hearing this, Martina couldn't help but marvel at how obedient Liam was. She turned to her daughter. "Louise, Liam won't be coming to Italy with us until next year. So you have a whole year to learn English properly."
"Eh! If he comes to Italy, shouldn't he learn our language?" Louise's little brain spun fast, instantly finding the loophole in her mother's logic.
"In theory, yes. But think about it—if you can speak to him in his language, he'll like you even more," Martina beamed.
"Eh-eh-eh! What do you mean 'like'..." Louise's face turned bright red.
"Martina!" Liam shot her a speechless look.
"Hehe~!" Martina grinned back.
Because karting wasn't exactly a mainstream sport domestically, the award ceremony was incredibly sparse. Besides the competitors, their families, and coaches, only a few officials from the local sports bureau showed up to wave.
Liam stood against a blue backdrop with red lettering, a laurel wreath around his neck. He, Tyler, and Zach each held up a bottle of sparkling grape juice—the kid-friendly champagne.
Click.
A reporter snapped a photo. The Portside Grand Prix had officially concluded.
Martina and Louise left shortly after. Liam said goodbye to Mr. Chen and headed home with his father.
"Dad, I want to build a PC."
"Oh? No problem. By the way, I hired an English tutor for you, but you still need to attend regular school. Next race is in Riverdale, around mid-May."
"Okay. I won't fall behind in class."
Arthur was efficient. The computer parts arrived the next day, and the internet technician came to install the line.
Liam watched with novelty as the technician set up the dial-up connection. In the future, dial-up was ancient history.
"After the computer restarts, click this icon—'Broadband Connection'—and hit connect. Got it?"
"Mmhmm." Liam nodded.
"Here's your username and password. Write it down; sometimes you need to re-enter it." The technician packed up his tools and left.
Liam stared at the retro Windows XP interface, clicking his tongue in amusement.
He opened the browser (Internet Explorer, naturally) and searched for the "2007 F1 Calendar."
The penalty ruling for #315 earlier had felt slightly off compared to the rules he remembered, sparking a suspicion that this world wasn't a perfect copy of his past life.
The best way to verify was the F1 calendar.
As a driver who had lived through the aero and ground-effect eras, he needed to study the "past" to regain his edge.
He knew the post-millennium F1 seasons well.
This year, the Chinese Grand Prix should be in October. He pulled up the schedule and paused.
Total races: 14.
It didn't match the 17-race calendar of his original timeline. However, the Chinese GP was still listed for October.
So it's not exactly the same world?
Makes sense. Even in a parallel universe, my arrival is like a butterfly flapping its wings. Differences are expected.
Ring ring!
The landline in the living room rang. Liam ran to pick it up.
"Hello, is this the Vance residence?"
"Yes, who is this?"
"Ah! Is this Liam himself? Hi, I'm Zach's mom. I heard from him that you're willing to teach him the racing line for Portside? If you're available, we'd like to pay you $500 for five hours of your time. How does that sound?"
"Uh, it's fine, ma'am. You don't need to be so formal."
"Nonsense. A driver's line is a precious trade secret. We don't have much else to offer, just a small token of appreciation."
Liam accepted helplessly, agreeing to meet them at the Portside Circuit next weekend.
Hanging up, Liam went back to the computer and tried searching for "Bitcoin" or "Cryptocurrency." Zero results. Either it hadn't been invented yet, or this world didn't have it.
He really didn't know enough about non-racing investments to make money easily.
Having moved past his depressive state, he was now fully motivated. Making money was essential. If he was already in F1, he wouldn't worry, but he wasn't there yet.
Getting there required massive funding. He didn't know if his father could sustain it alone.
Sigh.
The weekend arrived quickly. Liam showed up at the Portside Circuit on time.
"Be safe. I'll pick you up later. If it gets too late, just rest at Mr. Chen's office," Arthur waved and drove off.
"Liam! We've been waiting for you!" Zach came bouncing over.
"Sorry to trouble you today," Tyler added.
"No problem." Liam looked at the track. It was completely empty.
"We booked the whole track for the day," Zach grinned.
"Baller move." Liam gave a thumbs up.
"Let's go then! I can't wait to know how you drive," Zach said excitedly.
Walking onto the track, Liam stood at the edge of Turn 1. He pointed to a specific patch of asphalt. "I tap the brake right here, and turn in simultaneously."
"That fast? Won't you understeer?" Zach asked.
"Of course. That's why I adjust the carburetor mixture right before, then stomp the gas."
"You... drift it in?" Tyler looked confused.
"Yeah. Since the nose won't point to the apex naturally, I rotate the rear to point it for me," Liam nodded.
"Hiss! If you hadn't beaten me, I'd say you were full of shit! That's insane!" Zach shouted. It defied all conventional karting logic.
"Hahaha." Liam laughed.