As the car passed him, Lin Yan regained his position on the inside line. Then, in the next corner, he exposed a weakness again. This back-and-forth training method could help Su Mojin gain experience in close combat.
It wasn't until noon that Lin Yan received a reply from the national team. However, this time they didn't grant any special permissions but instead offered money directly, which disappointed Lin Yan somewhat.
Lin Yan estimated they wouldn't offer much money, and it would be better to receive something else. He had found a good opportunity to "shear the wool," but unexpectedly, those coaches had become smarter.
Although there was no profit to be made, Lin Yan had no intention of refusing. He wasn't lacking for anything, and whether the other party could learn true skills would depend on their own fortune.
In the afternoon, the national team's racer was sent over. To Lin Yan's surprise, he had never seen this person before.
"Excuse me, are you Lin Shen?"
Looking at the young man standing before him, who was less than 1.7 meters tall, Lin Yan frowned slightly. When he had participated in competitions previously, he had seen all the skilled racers in the national team, but he had no impression of the person in front of him.
"Come here."
Lin Yan nodded slightly and led the young man to where Yan Xiaoqiang and the others were training.
The young man's name was Sun Kai. He was 1.68 meters tall, very thin, and of the short and sturdy type. His eyebrows were pointed, and he looked sharp-featured, not like an honest person.
After looking at the young man's profile, Lin Yan understood why he hadn't seen him before. It turned out that this guy had been abroad for training. Strictly speaking, he was a semi-returnee racer.
When he participated in friendly matches, this guy happened to be absent.
"Lin Shen, isn't it supposed to be one-on-one?" Sun Kai asked curiously as he walked and watched the racers training on the track.
One-on-one? Lin Yan was taken aback.
He was dreaming. You get what you pay for. Besides, having you here is already a disadvantage for me, and you want one-on-one?
If it weren't for the consideration of not being able to "shear the wool" in the future, Lin Yan might not have taken this guy.
Sensing that his words had displeased Lin Yan, Sun Kai quickly shut up.
Following Lin Yan to the pit lane, Sun Kai's eyes were drawn to the two GP23s parked at the entrance, and he instinctively swallowed.
Factory bikes, the dream bike of every racer. He wondered if he would have the chance to ride one.
Upon entering the pit lane, Sun Kai's gaze remained fixed on the GP23s.
Lin Yan had a staff member tune a small-displacement 300cc sportbike and then asked Sun Kai to go onto the track to assess the kid's skill level.
Sun Kai was very confident in his own abilities. Without a word, he changed into his racing suit and prepared to show Lin Yan what he could do on the track.
On a Yamaha R3, Sun Kai's starting technique was almost flawless, which Lin Yan had anticipated. After all, he was a racer from the national team.
Lin Yan briefly observed his lines and cornering. It was alright, but not amazing. He was at the level of the most ordinary students in the academy. In fact, in some aspects, Lin Yan felt that Sun Kai was even inferior to some of the academy's ordinary students. His movements were good, his lines were good, but he lacked flair.
The difference between standard but rigid movements and spirited ones was the difference between a good student and a genius. One did their best according to the teacher's methods, while the other gradually created their own riding style from the teachings of their predecessors. Although the ordinary students in Lin Yan's academy might not be as skilled as this kid at the moment, their potential ceiling was definitely higher than his. Lin Yan's sole criterion for recruiting students was talent.
Those with poor talent simply couldn't get in, while those with good talent, even if they were delivery drivers, could potentially be accepted.
Sending this kid to participate in the Isle of Man? Was that suicidal?
Watching Sun Kai on the track, Lin Yan rubbed his temples. An idea popped into his mind. The Isle of Man didn't have very high requirements for rankings. As long as one could complete the race, they would be quite famous in China, just like Ye Xiang before him, who was a well-known racer in China, but that was on the condition that you could qualify.
According to Lin Yan's information, Sun Kai was preparing to participate in the 300cc category. This category had a lower entry barrier; as long as one could register, they could basically participate.
In China, registration meant participating in the annual selection race.
The reason it was considered to have a lower entry barrier was that Lin Yan, having trained in the West in his previous life, was familiar with the competition procedures. The registration for the Isle of Man selection race was very friendly to Westerners, especially those from countries with a strong motorcycle culture like East Asia and Southeast Asia.
As long as you had participated in a few relatively well-known regional races in the West, you could register for the annual selection race. Since this kid had gone abroad for training, he clearly wouldn't lack these qualifications. It was likely that this training was for participating in competitions.
Westerners had it simple; they only needed results from local regional races. However, the requirements for Easterners were very high, which was somewhat double-standard. Firstly, it did not recognize regional events in the East. What did that mean? It meant that for Easterners to register for the annual selection race, they had to compete in the West and obtain results in regional events there to have a chance.
Of course, this was not a difficult matter, and there were ways. Firstly, like Sun Kai, one could go abroad to compete in a few races. Alternatively, like Lin Yan initially planned, one could directly purchase a qualification for the selection race.
Regional events were not particularly formidable competitions. They were minor events ranked below BSB and WSBK, or even some local races.
Racers who could participate in WSBK generally would not compete in the Isle of Man. Of course, this was not out of fear, but because most of them had teams and were responsible to their teams. Furthermore, the resources invested in training a WSBK racer were too substantial, making it not worthwhile to go to the Isle of Man.
The top ten racers in the highest category of WSBK, and
If riders like Johanne and Razgatlıoğlu were offered an annual salary of twenty million Euros, they would definitely go because it was profitable.
There is a saying that is quite true: unless you have the rare, heaven-defying talent like Lin Yan, the more money invested in a racer, the higher their skill level.
After completing two laps, Sun Kai came down from the track. As soon as he returned to the pit lane, he looked at Lin Yan with anticipation. He believed that with his current skill level, this great god, who was considered an idol by thousands of racers in China, would definitely praise him.
"Hmm, not bad. Zhou Xianyong will be your responsibility."