Chapter 35: Shifter Kart

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Shifter Kart

The award ceremony had just ended, and while most people were planning to leave, word of the duel between Wu Shi and Chen Lin had already spread. The locals, for the most part, decided to stay and watch, and even out-of-towners with time on their hands lingered at the racetrack.

Wu Shi, Ye Zhaohui, and the others arrived at the pit area, where Chen Lin had the two karts for the race ready.

A mechanic took one look and exclaimed indignantly, "What’s the meaning of this? These have gearboxes?!"

"Damn it, Chen Lin, you’re a real bastard!" Ye Zhaohui cursed, seeing the gear stick next to the kart.

"This is just for fairness’ sake. I’m way too familiar with the karts in my class. It’s better if we drive something neither of us knows well. That way, we’re starting on a level playing field," Chen Lin said with a grin.

"How shameless!" Now, even Ye Ningning didn’t think Wu Shi could win.

All eyes turned to Wu Shi, only to see him leaning in to listen to Louise, who was speaking beside him.

"Wu Shi, Mamu is calling. I have to take this."

"Okay. Don’t go too far. It’s dark out, so be careful."

After nodding, Wu Shi turned to Chen Lin and said, "Let’s get this started. I’m on a tight schedule."

"Hmph. How arrogant," Chen Lin sneered.

Considering neither of them was proficient with these karts, technicians from both sides first inspected the vehicles to confirm they were in working order. Afterwards, each driver would get three practice laps on the track.

Because of Wu Shi’s small stature, the seat had to be padded to ensure he could operate the kart properly.

"Just drop it," Zeng Tianyi said, trying to persuade him again.

"Boss, I think you should drop it too..." Ye Ningning whispered. She hadn’t realized things would get so out of hand.

"Let’s test the kart first."

Wu Shi, however, didn’t mind. He sat in the kart and got a feel for it. It wasn’t comfortable, but it wouldn’t be a problem to drive.

"Hey kid, do you even know how to shift gears?" Chen Lin’s voice called out.

VRMM! VRMMMM!

Wu Shi smoothly drove right out of the pit area.

"Shit, that guy!" Chen Lin snarled, gritting his teeth.

’How does he know how to drive a shifter kart?!’ Ling Kang, Zeng Tianyi, and Ye Zhaohui all wondered at the same time.

It might just seem like adding a gearbox, the difference between a manual and an automatic transmission. But in reality, the difficulty and the entire logic of driving were worlds apart.

With a direct-drive kart, cornering was just a matter of decelerating and then accelerating—a simple question of how much you pressed the two pedals.

But with a shifter kart, cornering wasn’t just about choosing which gear to enter and exit the turn; you also had to consider whether to blip the throttle while downshifting.

The intricacies involved were enough to completely stump a novice driver.

WHIIIINE!

The kart sped along the track.

Wu Shi felt that wondrous sensation again. As he logged more miles, his perception seemed to extend from his own body into the vehicle itself—from the surface controls like the throttle, brake, manual clutch, and gear stick, all the way to the internal engine, gearbox, carburetor, and fuel lines.

If he had a month with this machine, he would master it completely, able to drive it as freely as he did that white, "big-eyed" direct-drive kart.

Unfortunately, he only had three laps to familiarize himself with the vehicle.

’Three laps. That’s enough.’

SWISH!

Wu Shi brought the kart to a neat stop in the pit area. A moment later, Chen Lin pulled in.

As he got out, he glanced at Wu Shi. Though his helmet and visor obscured his face, everyone could sense his unstable mood.

Anyone would be pissed off in his shoes!

To put it nicely, the three laps were for testing the karts. To put it bluntly, they were for sizing each other up.

He didn’t know if Wu Shi had been going all out, but he sure as hell had been!

He had originally planned to leave the pits after Wu Shi and then dramatically overtake him to teach him a lesson about arrogance. But once he was on the track, he couldn’t even catch up to the guy!

"A light start?" Wu Shi asked.

The sky was gradually growing dark, so it would indeed be hard to see a flag being waved.

"Let’s go! To the grid!" Chen Lin waved his hand, and a few people pushed the karts to their starting positions.

Once the mechanics had checked the vehicles again, everyone cleared the track, leaving only Wu Shi and Chen Lin.

Before the start, Chen Lin glanced over at Wu Shi in the right-side grid slot, feeling his breath catch in his throat.

’Is he just that confident? Or does he not care that he’s been put on the dirty side of the grid?’

Wu Shi, of course, was aware of Chen Lin’s petty trick, but he genuinely didn’t care. For him, racing against these kids was more like rehab.

A voice crackled over the track’s PA system: "Will both drivers please prepare. Remember: friendship first, competition second. Safety is paramount. The race will begin after the lights illuminate and then go out."

Outside the viewing lounge, Louise tugged on Martina’s sleeve. "Mamu, hurry, hurry! They’re about to start!"

"Alright, let’s run, then."

Martina was exasperated. She had specifically invited an acquaintance from Italy to dinner tonight.

This man, a tall, heavyset fellow named Sid Campbell, was the financial manager for a karting team and happened to be visiting Hua Country on vacation.

She had wanted to introduce Wu Shi to him to prepare for next year, but she never expected Louise to tell her she’d be back very late Sunday night. If she hadn’t pressed for more details, her trip to Peng City would have been for nothing.

The three of them arrived at the viewing lounge just in time to see the five starting lights illuminate.

The lights went out in a flash, as if they had only been on for a second.

VROOOM!

Wu Shi’s concentration was absolute. Once again, he launched the vehicle in about a tenth of a second.

The engine roared, the clutch engaged, and the kart shot forward.

"Good reaction time," Sid commented.

"That’s one of his trademarks," Martina said. "His reaction time is incredible. I’d say it’s on par with some of the top-performing drivers."

As the kart picked up speed, Wu Shi felt the rhythm of the engine.

Different engines paired with different clutches have different optimal RPMs for shifting.

And the most critical part of shifting is to wring every last bit of performance out of the engine’s rev range, ensuring you’re always driving the vehicle at peak efficiency.

When to prioritize torque and when to prioritize revs—these are questions a driver must feel out and constantly consider.

CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.

After a series of rapid upshifts, despite starting on the dirty side, Wu Shi’s launch was so quick that he had already pulled a two-kart-length lead.

He glanced back, then immediately cut over to the left, taking the optimal racing line into the corner.

VRMMMM...

The kart decelerated as he downshifted.

WHIIINE!

As he hit the apex, the engine’s RPM shot up again, and the vehicle accelerated out of the turn.

After just one corner, the difference in skill was already painfully clear.

"Is that a shifter kart?" Sid recognized the sound but asked Martina in disbelief, "This Wu Shi you told me about... he’s only nine, right? How can a nine-year-old possibly drive a shifter kart?"

"Er, Louise, what’s going on?" Martina wasn’t sure either, so she asked her daughter.

Louise leaned over the railing, her eyes fixed on the small figure in the leading kart, and explained everything that had happened earlier.

"Wow. Truly incredible," Sid said, shaking his head.

But compared to the relatively calm discussion among the trio, the rest of the spectators had erupted.