The two or three riders behind him operated similarly to Ryske, but there was still a problem in the middle of the pack. Two riders, squeezed too tightly by the group and too close to each other, collided while cornering and both crashed on the track.
The two motorcycles crashed together, scattering parts.
One was thrown into the run-off area, while the other remained at the edge of the track.
Their positions were twelfth and thirteenth, somewhat towards the front, so the race officials immediately displayed a yellow flag the moment they crashed.
The rider left on the track was clearly panicked, but fortunately, this section was between two turns, a part of the S-bend where the riders had the widest field of vision. Seeing someone crash, the riders behind them immediately slowed down to avoid them, then raised their right hands, signaling to those behind that there was an accident ahead.
Jiang Qiyan also noticed the action ahead and instinctively squeezed the front brake. The pack slowed down, splitting into two lines, avoiding the middle of the S-bend.
This maneuver could be described as the most humane action of the entire race.
The pack exited turns three and four, but it had already split into two streams. Due to the crash, the middle section was completely blocked.
This crash did not affect anything; the race continued. After the pack passed, the staff immediately came out to clean the track and pull the crashed rider off the circuit.
Jiang Qiyan followed behind the pack. On the first lap, as Lin Yan had instructed, she focused on stability.
Soon, the first lap was over.
"The density of riders is not as great as before; it looks much better. It seems our Jiang Qiyan even managed to gain a position."
After one lap, Jiang Qiyan moved up to second to last. She had overtaken the last-place rider on the straight by slipstreaming. Due to her weight and stable riding, at the front of turn one on the second lap, Jiang Qiyan executed a heavy brake to maintain her position, not allowing the other rider to reclaim it.
Judging by the braking, Jiang Qiyan’s braking seemed even more aggressive than that of the little ninja. The rear wheel of her bike lifted off the ground during the hard braking.
"Hmm, she's using her bike's weight advantage to brake. Good."
Vineres commented. In terms of extreme braking, Jiang Qiyan couldn't match the second-to-last Kawasaki rider, as he was a current WSBK rider. However, Jiang Qiyan's bike was heavier, which meant her braking force would be stronger than his.
Hearing this, Lin Yan also nodded. Meanwhile, Yan Xiaoqiang and Jiang Qimo, sitting not far behind with Zhou Xianyong, were confused. Had Coach Vineres said the opposite?
What was the relationship between braking force and bike weight? According to physics and inertia, wouldn't a larger mass mean greater inertia, and a heavier bike be harder to brake? But Coach Vineres's words made it sound like a heavier bike braked faster.
Zhou Xianyong seemed to notice their confusion and explained to them.
"You're thinking correctly. From a physics perspective, it's true that greater weight means greater inertia, and a heavier bike is harder to stop. But you've forgotten the WSBK race regulations."
"The WSBK rules and..."
Zhou Xianyong said to Jiang Qimo, "Tires first, then modifications" is an old saying in the motorcycle modification circle. When ordinary people or casual riders feel their bike's performance or braking or handling is poor after buying it, no matter how many calipers or brake discs they change, it won't be as effective as changing to a set of tires with better grip. A set of tires with good grip can improve the overall performance of the bike.
"Jiang Qimo, while modified calipers and brake pads can more firmly grip the front wheel hub, causing the front wheel to slow down instantly, remember what the principle of braking is."
"The premise for modifying calipers and brake pads is that the tires have already been fully modified, and the tire configuration and grip have been pushed to the limit. Only then will the effect of modified calipers and brake pads be significant. Otherwise, their contribution is very small."
"Your front wheel's speed might be reduced, but if the tires can't grip the ground and start to slip, even the best brake calipers are useless."
The true principle of braking is the opposing friction force generated between the front wheel and the ground. The greater the friction between the ground and the tire, the greater the braking force.
Suddenly, Yan Xiaoqiang, standing beside them, remembered something. He seemed to understand why Jiang Qiyan's bike had better braking performance than that Kawasaki rider.
The bike Jiang Qiyan was racing must be top-of-the-line, with top-tier tires and calipers. But besides these methods, there was another way to increase the friction between the tires and the ground, and it was directly related to the bike's weight.