Chapter 43 - 7: The Podium

Chapter 43: Chapter 7: The Podium

Amid the roar of karting engines, the Salerno Station race came to a smooth conclusion.

After the organizers had prepared the podium, an excited announcement came over the broadcast: "Next, let’s welcome the drivers from our mini category! They are our third-place winner from Romalia, Herbert Verilic, and our second-place winner from Italy, Dionysios Makos."

As the announcer finished, cheers and applause erupted from below the stage as the two young boys in their racing suits walked onto the podium.

What was puzzling, however, was that the third-place winner, Herbert Verilic, was all smiles and exceptionally excited to be on the podium, while the second-place winner looked thoroughly unhappy.

"And now, let’s welcome our champion, a driver from Hua Country, Wu Shi!"

"WOOO!!!" Seth cheered from the sidelines with the mechanics and other team members, waving a team flag they had prepared in advance, which was printed with the team’s name.

This scene was naturally captured by the cameras, and viewers watching the live broadcast also took notice of this team, which surprisingly had a champion driver from Hua Country.

Wu Shi walked from backstage to the podium and stepped onto the highest tier.

The crowd cheered again, and he waved to his team’s cheering section.

Next, the three national flags were raised behind them.

Wu Shi looked back, checking to see if the small stars on the national flag were all pointing toward the large central star. This detail was easily overlooked by foreigners; it seemed Zhou Guanyu had encountered such an issue before.

Fortunately, even though Seth was only the boss of a small team, handling such a detail was a simple matter for him.

Then, the familiar melody began to play, and the crowd fell silent.

Wu Shi smiled. If there was anything he enjoyed more than the race itself, it was this very moment.

When the anthem concluded, the announcer congratulated the drivers once more before announcing the results for the KF2 category.

As he stepped off the podium, the team members all came over.

"How does it feel to be the champion?" Seth asked.

"It feels great, of course!"

"Hahahaha, they didn’t mess up the flag or the anthem, right?" Seth laughed heartily.

"No, they didn’t," Wu Shi nodded.

"We’re all getting together tonight. You’ll join us, right?"

"Of course!"

Wu Shi’s championship victory thrilled every member of the team. Even the other drivers, who were technically his rivals, were genuinely happy for him.

After all, the gap in skill was so large that jealousy was out of the question. Besides, the more brilliantly Wu Shi performed, the better the team would develop, which would naturally benefit them as signed drivers.

"Congratulations, congratulations!" Louise came running over, bouncing with excitement as she opened her arms.

"Thanks for the congrats, Louise~" Wu Shi said, openly embracing the girl who accompanied him to the track every week.

"Wu Shi, I don’t mean to ruin such a wonderful atmosphere, but every successful young person needs an adult nearby to remind them to be thorough. On the racetrack, you don’t just need one victory. You need one victory after another—continuous, sustained wins—to defend your honor.

"Next, I’ll talk to Seth. I’ll have him find a way to secure your weekend practice time and hire a good coach to continue training you," Martina said, stepping forward.

"Yes, I understand. There’s an old saying in Hua Country: ’An arrogant army is doomed to defeat.’ The more triumphant you feel, the more carefully you must control your emotions. A single victory proves nothing. Only by being the last one standing can you win it all.

"My goal has always been F1! This is just the beginning of my journey."

Wu Shi released Louise and spoke with determination. ’My real goal is to be the F1 World Champion,’ he thought, ’but saying that out loud so early would just make people think I’m getting ahead of myself.’

Isn’t there a saying in the racing world? Before they get to F1, every driver is the Schumacher of their category.

While you can’t say the F1 drivers are always the top twenty or so drivers in the world, the absolute best drivers are definitely among those twenty or so.

Every era has such leaders.

From the legendary god of old, Fan Jiaoguo, to the "God of Racing" Senna and the "King of Racing" Schumacher, and now to Kimi, Alonso, Vettel, and Hamilton, who are still speeding on the track, and even the future reigning champion, Verstappen.

Their brilliance is undeniable, and Wu Shi’s goal was simple: he wanted to be just like them, or even more brilliant.

He was tireless in his past life, and he would be the same in this one!

Sensing the sharp ambition in the young man before her, Martina smiled and said, "Well then, work hard for your dream!"

"Work hard for your dream! Louise will always be here to cheer you on!" Louise shouted.

"Yeah!"

Wu Shi nodded firmly, his gaze fixed on the distant sky—vast and blue.

「After the Salerno Station race, life returned to normal until May 6th, when the second round of the ACI Karting Championship kicked off in Jesolo.」

The track was 1,045 meters long, making it a relatively short circuit, with an overall shape resembling a hand about to grasp something.

Because it was located in northeastern Italy, near Venice, and quite far from Salerno, the C.D Speed Team had to travel a day in advance each time.

Initially, the team hadn’t planned to go to the trouble of practicing there, but Seth overruled all objections, insisting they go for pre-race practice so Wu Shi could familiarize himself with the track as quickly as possible.

Seth had one hundred percent control over the team, so no one could overturn his decision.

The team members just had to put in the extra work, though of course, the drivers were quite happy about it.

The team’s financial situation was average at best, and traveling to different tracks not only meant renting the circuit for practice but also shipping a ton of equipment via express freight, which was incredibly expensive. In the past, they never had the opportunity to practice on a track ahead of time.

Wu Shi didn’t have strong feelings about it. After all, Formigine was only about two hundred kilometers away, a drive of three hours at most, which was much more convenient than going to Salerno.

The day before the race, after completing inspections and practice sessions, Wu Shi returned to his hotel to rest. He happened to see a sports channel doing a preview segment, and they were talking about the ACI Karting Championship.

He was about to change the channel, not wanting to watch it.

"Let’s see what they say," Louise said, snatching the remote.

Announcer: "The second round of this year’s ACI Karting Championship will be held tomorrow at Pista Azzurra in Jesolo. What do you think are the key things to watch for in this race?"

Pundit: "Well, I think there are some outstanding drivers in several categories. First and foremost, there’s the dark horse from Hua Country who emerged at Salerno. He won the championship in his mini category with an absolute advantage. It was incredible."

Announcer: "Oh, I’ve heard about this driver too. From what I understand, his team is permanently based in Salerno, so his excellent performance was likely related to that. But now that we’re in Jesolo, I’m afraid things might not go his way. This is an unfamiliar track for him, even if he’s had some practice before the race."

Pundit: "He only arrived here in Italy this February, so he definitely wouldn’t have had time to get familiar with the Jesolo Track before. But, to look at it another way, he couldn’t have had much practice time on the Salerno Track either, right?"

Announcer: "That’s different. He joined a resident team, so he could get a great deal of support from them. I believe that’s the main reason for his success. I think this incredible victory from the driver from Hua Country might be a one-time thing that only happens in Salerno..."

"Hey! How can he belittle you like that!" Louise fumed, baring her teeth at the announcer on the screen, looking extremely displeased.

"I wanted to change the channel, but you wouldn’t let me. Pre-race interviews are designed to stir up controversy. Of course, they’re going to have differing opinions," Wu Shi said.

"So, can you win the day after tomorrow?" Louise turned and asked.

"If nothing unexpected happens."