That would be the downforce on the front wheels. The greater the downward force on the front wheels, the greater the tire friction between the front wheels and the ground. Jiang Qiyan's race car could achieve heavier braking than her opponent because Jiang Qiyan's front wheels had greater downforce than the Kawasaki rider's.
Yan Xiaoqiang was right. Jiang Qiyan's car had a heavier front end than the opponent's. Matt had arranged it specifically. Jiang Qiyan's weight gave her a significant advantage to some extent. She was light, but the car was heavy. Matt had rationally distributed the car's weight to the center and front, which not only prevented Jiang Qiyan's car from lifting its front end during straight-line acceleration but also increased her braking force.
It was a double buff for acceleration and braking.
Zhou Xianyong quickly confirmed Yan Xiaoqiang's guess. After hearing Zhou Xianyong's explanation, Jiang Qimo finally understood the reason. So this was why his sister's car had just lifted its tail!
Heavy braking on a race track used the front brakes. Heavy braking would shift the entire car's center of gravity forward, utilizing the front downforce to increase braking force. Since his sister's car had a heavier front end, her braking would naturally be faster!
Seeing that they understood, Zhou Xianyong didn't waste any more words. After dropping a sentence, he focused on watching the race.
"Jiang Qimo, your comprehension is too poor. Learn more from Yan Xiaoqiang when you have time."
"Oh, oh!"
Jiang Qimo nodded. Zhou Xianyong's comment made Yan Xiaoqiang a bit embarrassed, and he subconsciously scratched his head. In fact, he had only learned about the concept of front-wheel downforce online; it wasn't something he had figured out himself.
Yan Xiaoqiang had stumbled upon it while browsing short videos. He clearly remembered that it was a video shared by netizens, capturing a clip of Lin Shen jumping off his bike due to brake failure before a qualifying race in Os.
At that time, Yan Xiaoqiang clicked on the comment section and found many people asking why Lin Shen didn't use his rear brakes. Initially, Yan Xiaoqiang didn't think much of it, but some trolls became increasingly excessive.
As a race car driver, Yan Xiaoqiang knew why the rear brakes weren't used, but some people always thought they were more professional and knew more than professional race car drivers.
Seeing his idol being criticized, Yan Xiaoqiang couldn't stand by. He argued with these trolls, but he only knew the reason without understanding the physics behind it. Frustrated, he had to look up information, which led him to learn about front-wheel downforce.
As for why Lin Shen didn't use his rear brakes, Yan Xiaoqiang understood. It wasn't that he didn't use them, but rather that their effect was too small. Professional race car drivers would definitely use their rear brakes immediately upon discovering front brake failure.
Indeed, as the car veered off the track, Lin Yan used his rear brakes the moment he realized the front brakes had failed. However, the force of the rear brakes was far too little compared to the front brakes, rendering them almost useless against the acceleration of the factory car.
Before he did his research, Yan Xiaoqiang didn't know the theory, but he understood the principle that the rear brakes couldn't stop the car effectively. This was a conclusion Yan Xiaoqiang had drawn from practice: regardless of whether the front or rear brakes were used, the car's center of gravity would shift forward.
When the car's center of gravity shifted forward, the downforce on the front wheels increased, and the downforce on the rear wheels decreased. With all the weight on the front wheels, the rear tires would almost lift off the ground. How could the braking force be significant then!
Later, after Yan Xiaoqiang's research, he finally understood why the center of gravity shifted forward regardless of whether the front or rear brakes were used. It was all because he hadn't studied enough and didn't understand physics.
The internet used a human analogy: a person's center of gravity is at their waist. Imagine someone pushing your waist from behind, which represents the car accelerating.
At this time, the person's legs are positioned one in front of the other, representing the car's front and rear wheels.
According to the principle of braking, which relies on the opposing friction force between the tires and the ground, if someone pushes your waist forward, pulling either your front leg backward or your rear leg backward will cause your body to lean forward, shifting your center of gravity forward.
If the pulling force is too great, you might even fall forward. This is why the car's center of gravity shifts forward regardless of whether the front or rear brakes are applied. The car's center of gravity is the same as a person's, located between the engine and the seat.
On the track, the race continued. After overtaking the Kawasaki rider, Jiang Qiyan kept moving forward. The WSBK riders behind her were also closely tailing her, waiting for an opportunity to overtake.
"Well, if this continues, sending Jiang Qiyan to WSBK is indeed a good option."
Although the car's weight made handling difficult, Jiang Qiyan's current skill level allowed her to manage it. Therefore, Jiang Qiyan wouldn't be completely without competitive power in WSBK. On the contrary, if she were to go...
Another lap passed. During this lap, Jiang Qiyan tried her best to shake off the riders behind her while also getting closer to the person in front of her.
Beneath her helmet, Jiang Qiyan's beautiful eyes were fixed on the back of the rider ahead. The two cars were bumper-to-bumper, no, three cars. The car behind Jiang Qiyan was in the same situation; Jiang Qiyan hadn't managed to shake it off.
Returning to the finish line, Jiang Qiyan rapidly shifted gears, preparing to use the slipstream on the upcoming straight to overtake the person in front. After exiting the turn, the opponent didn't yield, presenting a good opportunity for Jiang Qiyan.
"Jiang Qiyan seems to be aiming for the rider ahead, but the rider in 73rd place behind her also seems eager!"
That's right. While Jiang Qiyan wanted to overtake the rider ahead, the rider behind her also wanted to overtake her.
A winding dragon roared past the finish straight of the track. At the end, as Jiang Qiyan reached the braking point, she quickly downshifted, braked, and gripped the brake lever tightly with her right hand, simultaneously shifting her body from a crouched position to an upright one.
With a late brake, she pulled alongside the car in front. At the same time, the Kawasaki rider in 73rd place behind her also caught up, pulling up alongside Jiang Qiyan, preparing for an inside pass on both of them.
"This number 73 is going wide."
In the pit box, Lin Yan spoke. Overtaking two riders of similar skill with a late brake was impossible, so going wide was inevitable.
Glancing at Jiang Qiyan's heart rate, which had jumped to 180, she was extremely nervous, sandwiched between the two cars.
"Jiang Qiyan seems to have braked a bit too hard, and the rear of the car has lifted. What's going on! Is it because she's too nervous being caught between two cars?" Hao Dong exclaimed.
Although Jiang Qiyan was nervous, this was not a mistake. The rear wheel of the car wobbled, but it eventually stabilized.
Taking advantage of the opponent moving to her side, Jiang Qiyan forcefully braked the car and then executed a crossover with the wide-going number 73.
Jiang Qiyan's skill might not have been on par with these riders, but the close-quarters racing techniques Lin Yan had taught her were definitely superior to those of these riders.
As Lin Yan had predicted, the rider in 73rd place couldn't brake in time and went wide. Jiang Qiyan, having forcefully pulled out midway, was not blocked by the wide-going number 73 and instead used the crossover to move up one position. However, the rider who was originally in front of her wasn't so lucky. Blocked by the wide-going number 73, they were forced to drop to last place, losing three positions.
"Hmm, well done."
Lin Yan nodded. Jiang Qiyan's prediction was excellent. Regardless of whether the opponent could brake in time, it was a win-win situation to pull out first. In the blink of an eye, Jiang Qiyan had gained two positions.
It wasn't easy, though. She hadn't shaken off the two riders behind her, and after turn two, the number 73 rider overtook her again with a late brake, forcing Jiang Qiyan to react hastily.