Lin Yan emerged from the pit room, followed closely by Gena from the adjacent Ben Tian pit room. As soon as they hit the track, Gena positioned himself right behind Lin Yan.
Gena had always held a challenging attitude towards Lin Yan. As a pure-blooded and noble Westerner, he didn't believe he was any less capable than Lin Yan.
Following Lin Yan out onto the track wasn't just Gena's idea; it was also Tesu's. For a newcomer to gain fame, they needed to be in the spotlight. Sticking close to last year's world champion was undoubtedly the best way to achieve this, and perhaps even overtake him and gain some fans.
Tesu believed Gena was more worthy of cultivation, given that a newcomer could occasionally achieve faster lap times than Reissna.
Reissna did not join them on the track. This year, the race organizers had announced new rules prohibiting teammates from following each other. He wasn't in a hurry; the track was still crowded, and starting later would be a safer bet.
Seeing Tesu's confident demeanor, Reissna shook his head with a hint of helplessness. He didn't understand Tesu's strategy in having Gena follow the Ducati rider.
Lap times didn't always represent true strength. In his opinion, both Gena and Tesu were being overly arrogant. While it was impressive for a newcomer to achieve faster lap times than him, it didn't mean they had the capability to go head-to-head with him. Even he wasn't a match for Lin Yan; what could this rookie possibly achieve?
Did he think that faster lap times meant he could challenge someone? That was foolish.
Furthermore, while it wasn't a major issue for a newcomer to proactively challenge last year's world champion, and it wasn't entirely forbidden, being too aggressive could easily sway public opinion. A misstep could lead to widespread criticism online.
This new chief technician clearly lacked experience. In the top category, simply being fast wasn't enough.
Lin Yan mounted the track on his new GP23, with Gena quickly falling in behind him. One red, one yellow. If it weren't for the different numbers and graphics, most fans would have mistaken Gena for Reissna, as the two were often seen together last season.
"Hey, who's this kid? New here? I haven't seen him before. He doesn't look like Reissna either."
"He's from Ben Tian, named Gena. Last year's Moto2 world champion. I saw him at Ben Tian's press conference this year. By the way, why is he following Lin Shen?"
"Probably trying to draft off Lin Shen. But can this rookie even keep up with Lin Shen?"
Lin Yan's fans in the stands weren't particularly displeased with Gena's actions. Instead, they found the kid a bit overconfident. The idea of drafting off Lin Shen was one thing; the question was whether he could even keep up.
There were very few riders in MotoGP who could currently keep pace with Lin Yan. Only Joan Mir and Reissna could manage it, and even then, it was a stretch. As for last year's fourth-ranked rider, Jerry威尔, on the Suzuki, he was still a bit short.
Suzuki's straight-line speed was too poor, which meant last year's Jerry威尔 had almost no presence. He secured fourth place overall purely through consistency. However, Suzuki had improved their engine this year, so it was unclear how the situation would be.
As Lin Yan hit the track, the GP23's speed immediately surged. The engine roared. While the temperature at the Qatar circuit was low at night, the daytime temperature was quite decent, with track temperatures reaching over forty degrees Celsius.
Throttle wide open, first gear, second gear, third gear, the engine screaming at its limit. Coming out of Turn 15, Lin Yan shifted up three gears consecutively, his speed soaring. He was like a red lightning bolt, with a yellow bolt following closely behind, matching his speed.
On the straight between Turn 15 and Turn 16, there wasn't a significant difference visible between Ben Tian's factory bike and Lin Yan's race machine.
"This Gena is a Ben Tian rider. Based on the current situation, Ben Tian's race bike is already quite close to the GP23 in terms of straight-line speed." Hao Dong made a bold guess as he watched the video.
Below the stage, Tesu smiled as he witnessed this scene. As long as their Ben Tian factory bike's straight-line speed wasn't significantly behind Ducati's this year, they still had a good chance.
Reissna was also somewhat surprised by this development. Had Ducati's upgrades not improved their straight-line speed at all?
As a rider who had won two world championships in the highest category, he knew that straight-line speed wasn't solely dependent on the engine.
Just as Reissna was contemplating, his peripheral vision keenly detected something amiss. Coming out of Turn 16, Lin Yan had almost instantaneously pulled away from Gena behind him. His speed was so high that it was clearly different from last season.
Ducati's cornering had improved, and there seemed to be an issue with the exit from the corner as well. With just a glance, Reissna had a general understanding.
As the straight continued to lengthen, the gap in straight-line speed between the two bikes became instantly apparent. While their straight-line speeds were not far behind the GP23 initially, the GP23's exit from the corner on this long straight was significantly faster. Tesu's brow furrowed as he wondered how Ducati had achieved such a fast corner exit.
Such a rapid corner exit clearly couldn't be solved by horsepower alone. Something unusual was happening, implying some advanced technology. The two small wings on the rear of the bike likely held a secret as well. He instructed someone to record it for further study.
Gena, who had been following closely behind Lin Yan, was now a full 0.4 seconds behind after the straight. 0.4 seconds! This straight had stunned not only Ben Tian but also the teams from other major manufacturers.
"Good heavens, Brother Dong, you said Ducati didn't upgrade their engine this year? What's going on with this straight? It feels faster than last year."