Even in his past life, Wu Shi wouldn't have been able to pull off a move like that.
He remembered clearly that fans called Alonso the amazing "Brother Tou" precisely because he could post unimaginable lap times in a car that understeered into corners and oversteered on exit.
He had analyzed Brother Tou's understeer-heavy driving style before. It required an incredibly high level of perception and control; otherwise, the car would just spin out.
"It's all about practice and feel," Wu Shi said. "If you don't have a perfect handle on the car, you won't be able to reserve enough power for the oversteer. And you definitely won't be able to pull off the split-second inputs needed to enter the corner at high speed."
"That's incredible," Zeng Tianyi said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Want me to show you how it's done?"
"Yeah! I brought a camcorder from home. We can copy the footage and analyze it later!" Ling Kang exclaimed.
"Whoa, look at Mr. Moneybags here," Wu Shi marveled.
Wu Shi got into his own kart. He'd specifically asked Boss Chen to delay its delivery to Sanshui for today's demonstration.
After all, even he could only pull off that insane technique in a kart he knew inside and out.
VROOM! VROOM!
The kart shot forward. As it neared Turn 1, its speed barely changed. But in reality, power to the rear wheels had been cut. He yanked the wheel, and the front tires instantly lost grip, causing the kart to understeer.
Just then, a huge burst of torque hit the rear wheels. After giving the kart a shove, they too lost grip, sending the entire vehicle into an oversteer. This miraculously swung the front of the kart, which shouldn't have been able to make the turn, to point directly at the apex.
The change in the kart's attitude realigned the front wheels with the axis of force, allowing them to use their entire contact patch for grip. The understeer was gone.
Wu Shi straightened the wheel, counter-steered, and then straightened it again, successfully nullifying the oversteer.
SCREECH!
The kart came to a stop on the track.
Ling Kang and Zeng Tianyi ran over, staring in disbelief at the tire marks on the asphalt.
"That was insane!" Ling Kang said.
"Unbelievable," Zeng Tianyi agreed.
"I don't actually recommend you guys drive like this. It's really easy to lose control, and it shreds your tires."
Wu Shi pointed to a few spots on the track. "Right here, and here... if your reactions are just a little too slow, if you don't lift off the throttle or make a micro-adjustment to the wheel, the kart will spin."
"How did you do that?" Ling Kang asked, a little subdued.
"Absolute control," Wu Shi said. "You can only do this when you have a complete understanding of what the kart is doing at every single moment."
"How could anyone possibly do that?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Ling Kang realized the person who could was standing right in front of him.
"Thanks. But that's something I'll never be able to learn." Zeng Tianyi shook his head, a sense of defeat welling up inside him.
"Don't mention it. It's not like I really taught you anything." This was one of the reasons Wu Shi didn't want to accept any money. His driving style was impossible for anyone to copy. Even he couldn't replicate it in a different kart!
"What about the rest of the track?" Ling Kang asked.
"Let's walk and talk."
For the remaining corners, Wu Shi explained both his qualifying line and the conventional racing line. His qualifying line was something no one else could learn, but the conventional one was achievable.
"I see!"
"That was very enlightening."
Ling Kang and Zeng Tianyi were full of praise.
Racing is a sport of pushing to the absolute edge. If you feel like everything is completely under control when you're driving, it just means you haven't pushed the vehicle to its limit.
The difference between drivers lies in how they identify that limit and how they ride that fine line.
Wu Shi's explanation did exactly that—it showed them where that line was.
Once you know the line and the maximum speed for a corner, you understand how much margin for error you have.
"But I don't recommend you follow my advice to the letter," Wu Shi said.
"Why not?" Ling Kang asked.
"You need to develop your own feel for the car, your own judgment. As you progress, you'll eventually have to compete against karts with different performance characteristics. When that time comes, you'll have to rely on your own intuition," Wu Shi said.
"I get it," said Zeng Tianyi. "The fundamentals are universal, but everyone faces different problems. When it comes to finding the solution, you're on your own."
"Spoken like a true scholar!" Ling Kang gave him a thumbs-up.
"Alright, that's the whole track," Wu Shi said, clapping his hands. 'Walking the track with friends is actually pretty fun.'
"Wu Shi! We've gotta treat you to dinner tonight. Anything you're in the mood for?" Ling Kang said, thumping his chest.
"Anything's fine. Something casual is good." Wu Shi wasn't a particularly picky eater.
Ling Kang's mother emerged from the garage carrying a fruit platter. She waved to the boys. "Are you all finished, kids? If so, come and take a break."
"It's my favorite—cantaloupe!" Ling Kang cried, rushing over.
'He's so energetic,' Wu Shi thought, clasping his hands behind his head.
Wu Shi spent the entire weekend at the racing circuit. He had also started his own physical training regimen, including running, push-ups, and planks.
Time flew by, and soon, the second round of the CKC began.
Sanshui Racing Circuit was completely new to Wu Shi. In fact, all the upcoming domestic karting tracks would be unfamiliar to him.
But it didn't matter. The first day's untimed practice session gave him plenty of time to learn the track and find his braking points.
Thanks to his stunning performance in the first round, a lot of eyes were on him.
His father couldn't make it again; being busy was the anthem of adulthood. Boss Chen had said he'd come, but he got held up at the last minute. In the end, only his technician accompanied him to Sanshui.
Of course, Wu Shi didn't feel lonely or dejected because of it.
Sure enough, Ling Kang and Zeng Tianyi spotted him and ran over, eager to tell him all about the Sanshui Track's characteristics.
"Is this really your first time on this track?"
"Yeah. Would I lie to you about something like that?" Wu Shi said, exasperated.
"You looked so comfortable during practice," Ling Kang said, unconvinced.
"It's easy to look comfortable when you're going slow," Wu Shi explained.
"You call *that* slow?!" Ling Kang was even more incredulous.
It was a good thing the term "humblebrag" didn't exist yet, or Ling Kang would've had a few choice words for him.
"I guess you'll be the champion of this round, too," Zeng Tianyi said, a faint, almost unnoticeable gloom in his voice.
"I hope Wu Shi wins! That guy, Lin Cong, is supposedly the best on this track. After he falsely accused Wu Shi last round, I can't stand the sight of him," Ling Kang grumbled.
"He doesn't seem to be here this round, does he?" said Zeng Tianyi.
"Really? I didn't notice." Ling Kang glanced around.
"Yeah. His mom was reported for bribing other drivers. After an investigation, he was banned," Wu Shi said. Since it involved him, the race organizers had updated him on the situation.
"Whoa! That's fantastic news! In that case, I'm going to have to fight you two for first place!" Ling Kang slung his arms around their shoulders, laughing heartily.
"In that case, I won't go easy on you," Wu Shi laughed as well.
"Go easy on me? Are you kidding? I know this track way better than you do! You'd better give it your all!" Even after seeing Wu Shi's practice runs, Ling Kang was still brimming with confidence.
Zeng Tianyi, however, just stood to the side, maintaining a smile but not saying a word.
Wu Shi noticed his friend's expression. It seemed he'd been like this ever since Wu Shi shared his insights about the Peng City Track.
The Sanshui Track was full of wide, sweeping corners, mostly ninety-degree and U-turns. It wasn't the type of layout Wu Shi excelled at, but winning in his current class was still a breeze.
In the end, he took pole position for the pre-final with a time of 47.633.
"Liar! Liar! You're a huge liar!"
After getting out of the kart, Wu Shi heard Ling Kang's voice. 'Those words sound so familiar,' he thought. 'Who was it that yelled that at me before?'