Lin Yan shifted his focus to Wei Shaoting, as the Lin family had been targeting Wei Hua. While Wei Hua was cautious, Wei Shaoting’s true nature would eventually reveal itself, making him the easier target.
"Young Master, there's one more thing," Li Wei said after reporting on these matters.
"A driver from the national team wants to participate in this year's Isle of Man. The coaches there are asking if you could mentor them."
Participate in the Isle of Man?
Lin Yan was taken aback. It was quite unusual for a national team driver to enter the Isle of Man.
Lin Yan guessed that the national team driver's participation was likely for publicity. As his team grew larger, the national team's presence was diminishing. They needed to promote themselves through a popular race, and the Isle of Man was suitable. However, their skill level might be an issue.
Lin Yan suspected they would likely participate in a lower category.
He assumed the coaches had considered this, otherwise, they wouldn't have approached him.
"Yes, but I have conditions. They can state them, and if I'm satisfied, I'll have them send the person over."
Lin Yan didn't refuse. Why wouldn't he accept free business? He was very satisfied with the previous gasoline prices. His team's monthly fuel consumption was in the millions, and a fifty percent discount could save a significant amount.
This time, he might be able to get some other benefits.
Six million a month, with half saved, amounted to three million. While three million wasn't much to the Lin Corporation, Lin Yan was focused on long-term development. The larger the team, the greater the consumption. He needed to think long-term.
Moreover, the current consumption was low because most of the drivers practiced with small-displacement vehicles, and the unit price of fuel was lower.
For vehicles under 600cc, they mostly used 92 or 95 octane gasoline, and rarely even 98. The consumption for these was not significant. However, for factory cars like Ren Fei's, the unit price of 102 octane gasoline was high, even exceeding the price of regular gasoline tenfold.
Fuel was expensive, and factory cars also had high fuel consumption. It wasn't an exaggeration that the daily fuel cost for one person could be thousands.
A few people could consume tens of thousands in a day with 102 octane fuel. Practicing daily for a month for three people could cost nearly a million. Factory cars alone accounted for a quarter of the team's fuel expenses. With future expansion, this cost would only increase as drivers' practice displacements rose and more factory cars were added.
In racing, money directly translated to strength. The reason Ren Fei and the others improved so quickly was evident when you considered how many factory team drivers practiced with factory cars. Even large companies couldn't completely ignore small profits; savings were still necessary.
The engines of factory cars also wore out quickly, with a lifespan of only a few thousand kilometers. Saving on fuel costs to replace an engine was a viable option.
"Understood, Young Master. I'll inform them."
After finishing the task, Li Wei turned to leave. Mentioning the Isle of Man reminded Lin Yan of someone – Li Xiang. It had been a year; time flew by.
Looking at the new buds on the trees, Lin Yan sighed. It was March, the start of spring.
There were still over two months until the Isle of Man race. Lin Yan was quite conflicted about whether to participate this year.
Psychologically, the decision not to participate weighed heavily. His wife and children had replaced concepts and pursuits. If he were alone, he probably wouldn't be so conflicted.
"Forget it. If it doesn't work out, it would be nice to just go and watch from the sidelines."
After thinking for a long time, Lin Yan couldn't come to a conclusion, so he stopped thinking about it. If he didn't participate, he could bring his wife and children to watch the race from the stands, which seemed like a good idea.
After watching for a while from the sidelines, Lin Yan felt a bit restless. He rode out a small-displacement 250cc bike from the pit lane. Knowing his current physical condition, Lin Yan only cruised slowly on the track, without focusing on lap times or training.
Even with a simple cruise, he could still keep up with Jiang Qi Yan and Su Mo Jin.
The young girl was very focused and hadn't noticed Lin Yan following her yet. In racing, it was crucial not to be distracted, and she was doing that correctly.
Su Mo Jin was wearing a black racing suit and a black helmet. The racing suit best accentuated her figure, and it was no exception on Su Mo Jin, adding a touch of allure to every cornering maneuver.
Since the techniques were taught by Lin Yan, Su Mo Jin had a solid foundation. When cornering, she shifted her body half out of the seat, with her knees pointing outwards and her elbows also extending outwards.
After following for a while and realizing Su Mo Jin hadn't noticed him, Lin Yan decided to create some movement and simultaneously check his wife's skill.
In a hairpin turn's heavy braking zone, Lin Yan took advantage of Su Mo Jin's outer line and smoothly overtook on the inside. The racing bike flashed past his young wife's bike at high speed.
Although Lin Yan's overtake was fast, it was the safest line. He wouldn't gamble with his wife's safety. Su Mo Jin only noticed Lin Yan when a shadow flashed past her, and she was also startled by the sudden overtake.
Seeing Lin Yan's helmet, Su Mo Jin was a bit confused. She seemed to pause for a moment before realizing it was Lin Yan.
The helmet completely covered her face, making it difficult to recognize who it was on the track.
After that, Su Mo Jin's pace-setting changed from Jiang Qi Yan to Lin Yan. Lin Yan's pace was significantly faster than Jiang Qi Yan's, even when cruising.
Gradually, Su Mo Jin began to struggle. When his wife started to fall behind, Lin Yan gradually slowed down.
Having someone to follow made it easier to avoid mistakes, as you could perfectly match the braking points and turn-in points of the person in front. It was simple and efficient.
Through a series of S-curves, Lin Yan performed the maneuvers while looking back at Su Mo Jin's actions. Many people couldn't even perform this one move.
After exiting the consecutive turns, Lin Yan waved to the rider behind him. Su Mo Jin understood Lin Yan's intention; he was telling her to attack.
In the following few corners, Lin Yan's lines were no longer so tight on the inside, leaving a slight gap. This was clearly for Su Mo Jin.
However, this small gap still made it difficult for Su Mo Jin to overtake, especially knowing Lin Yan's leg injury. The corners that she would have been confident about now made her more cautious.
After about half a lap, seeing that his young wife hadn't made a move, Lin Yan looked back curiously. Her helmet visor was completely black, making it impossible to see Su Mo Jin's expression.
Helplessly, in the next few corners, Lin Yan had to widen the gap even further and brake earlier. This time, Su Mo Jin became significantly more aggressive. With a late brake, she safely overtook Lin Yan.