The next few moments saw Li, the East Asian driver, and Lin Yan frantically setting lap times.
Five minutes into qualifying, Lin Yan held the top spot with a time of 1 minute 46.122 seconds. Even against these top international drivers, Lin Yan was not intimidated by the lap times.
Not only was his technique superior, but Lin Yan also had a physical advantage over them; youth was also a part of his strength.
This was the first time a Chinese driver had topped the leaderboard in a coach race.
"Who is this Easterner?"
Most Chinese people knew Lin Yan, but some foreign spectators who had come specifically to China for the races had not heard of Lin Yan. However, they quickly learned his name through inquiries.
It was a novel event in a friendly race for a Chinese driver to be at the top, regardless of whether he could maintain the position.
Barro was focused on setting his lap times. He was at a disadvantage due to not being familiar with the track, which he had never driven before, and thus needed time to adapt.
If it were the Shanghai round, it would have been fine, as he had driven there before. But who would have thought that China would choose Kyoto as the venue this time?
"Three consecutive sector reds, let's see if Barro has the ability to challenge Lin Shen's lap time."
Three consecutive sector reds indicated that Barro's lap time in the preceding three sectors was faster than his previous lap. If a sector was not as fast as the last, it would appear in gray on the ranking table.
"Oh, it's a shame the last sector turned gray, but there's still a chance. He crossed the finish line, and it's a good time, 1 minute 46.119 seconds, beating Lin Shen to reclaim the top spot."
As expected of a Hall of Fame driver, he managed such a fast lap time even with one sector turning gray.
Given the current time, he could still complete two more laps. To help Jia Jin behind him, Lin Yan had deliberately slowed down a bit. Otherwise, at his pace, the other driver might not be able to keep up.
The bearded foreigner was also following Lin Yan, paying close attention to his every move.
This kid, with just two arms and two legs, how did he manage to be so fast?
The bearded foreigner's car speed was also very fast, ranking fifth. Although the gap between him and Lin Yan was only a few milliseconds, for professional drivers, these few milliseconds were harder to bridge than climbing to heaven.
Even though Lin Yan had slowed down his lap times, Jia Jin was still struggling to keep up. He was currently ranked twenty-ninth, right on the edge of qualification, which was precarious.
"East Asia's captain has also set a new lap time, pushing Lin Shen down to second. He dropped two places in one lap. Let's see what Lin Shen is doing now. Lin Shen seems to be deliberately slowing down to tow the drivers behind him. Is he preparing for a final push on the last lap?"
Hao Dong noticed Lin Yan's intention and was somewhat worried. After all, the current lap time was already very fast. If Lin Shen couldn't set a higher lap time on the final lap, wouldn't the pole position be handed over?
In Hao Dong's opinion, the pole position was more important than towing a tail-ender into the main race.
Qualifying quickly approached the final lap, with many drivers preparing for a last-ditch effort.
Lin Yan, Barro, and East Asia's captain, Jamie, all had three consecutive sector reds.
Everyone pushed with all their might, the roar of engines echoing madly on the track.
On the final lap, Lin Yan also made a bid for the pole position, his expression extremely focused. Both his racing line and braking points were pushed to the limit.
Due to the extreme braking, the car was shaking violently.
However, just as the final sector was about to end, a special situation occurred.
"Wow! He crashed! Lin Shen, dodge quickly!"
As he was about to enter the final corner, someone suddenly crashed in the corner, blocking the racing line.
Lin Yan twisted the steering wheel, dodging the sliding car and driver with lightning speed. Although Lin Yan's movements were very fast, the last sector on the ranking table still turned gray.
As expected, without the pole position, Lin Yan finished in fourth place, starting from the second row.
Barro secured the pole position, with Jamie in second.
Lin Yan felt a bit regretful about not getting the pole position, but it was still good that two Chinese drivers qualified for the main race.
No one noticed that after crossing the finish line, Lin Yan glanced at his tires.
In the final moments of qualifying, Jia Jin ranked twenty-ninth, just enough to enter the main race.
A cheer erupted in China's pit garage.
After crossing the finish line, Lin Yan waved to the spectators on the track and drove his car back to the pit garage. Zhang Mingzhi, based on the collected data, quickly adjusted the car.
"Damn, a bit of a shame about not getting the pole position!"
"It is indeed a shame, but even if the last sector hadn't turned gray, it wasn't guaranteed to be the pole position, as the drivers out there are all tough competitors."
Considering the opponents, securing fourth place was already beyond expectations, and the fans were very satisfied.
After all, Lin Yan was only twenty years old and had only won one Isle of Man TT title, while these drivers were all seasoned veterans with multiple world championship titles.
"How's the car?"
"There's a slight issue with tire pressure. I've already arranged for someone to adjust it."
Zhang Mingzhi wiped the sweat from his forehead. Such a mistake during the race, even if it didn't have a significant impact, was still a lapse in his duty.
In the last two laps, Lin Yan experienced tire pressure issues, otherwise, he wouldn't have given up the pole position to tow Jia Jin. He knew which was more important.
However, Lin Yan was somewhat puzzled as to how the tire pressure could have gone wrong. Not only was Lin Yan puzzled, but Zhang Mingzhi was also a bit confused. Lin Yan's racing car was tuned by his own team, so such a problem shouldn't have occurred.
"Go and investigate to see if there's any issue."
Upon hearing Lin Yan's words, Zhang Mingzhi nodded.
Mistakes by mechanics on the track were not uncommon, but they couldn't afford to be careless.
Before the cars for the main race took to the track, Zhang Mingzhi meticulously checked them. Only after confirming there were no issues did he push the car out of the pit garage.
At the starting grid, thirty drivers took their positions.
This time, the models holding the umbrellas were all Chinese. There was one exception: the umbrella for Lin Yan was held by his girlfriend.
Carefully helping Lin Yan secure his chest protector and zip it up, Su Mojin whispered a few words in Lin Yan's ear.
"What? If I get injured, you won't let me get on the bed?"
Lin Yan teased.
"What nonsense are you talking about? In any case, you must not get injured. Be good for me."
Su Mojin gave Lin Yan a glare; there were so many people around.
"Don't worry."
Lin Yan pulled Su Mojin into his arms and gently pinched her cheek.
"I'm feeling envious! If you want to show affection on camera, you have to learn from Lin Shen!"
"Alright, I wasn't hungry when I came to watch the race, and I was worried about my stomach. Now I don't have to worry. I'm already full."
"Bro, a reminder, they're selling things over there."
Although the cameraman was far away and didn't record their voices, he captured all their body language.