“Why are you awake so early? Why don't you sleep in a bit longer.”
“What do you think?”
Su Mojin shot Lin Yan a look, then pulled him over to eat. It was a simple meal, but Lin Yan ate heartily.
After finishing and tidying up for a while, Lin Yan drove to the racetrack. Glancing at the weather outside and the villa opposite, which remained silent, Lin Yan accelerated. Although the weather today wasn't as good as yesterday, judging by the nine o'clock conditions, it didn't look like it would rain.
Approaching ten o'clock, Lin Yan arrived at the racetrack, changed his clothes, and began his warm-up. Su Mojin sat quietly in a corner, not disturbing him.
The spectators for the main race arrived quickly. By around ten-thirty in the morning, the stands were almost full. Seeing that it hadn't rained, Venales looked a bit worried. Lin Yan had just simulated rain driving on the simulator, and Venales had observed him for a while. He seemed to be doing well. Rain would certainly bring more variables, but if it didn't rain, then for Luns...
Luns and Ren Fei were also warming up nearby. Both had good times. Luns would start fourth, and Ren Fei eighth. Ren Fei's performance clearly showed he had adapted well to the newly upgraded GP22.
Time ticked to eleven in the morning. Zhang Mingzhi had people wrap three GP22s in tire warmers, and also prepared three additional factory bikes, all fitted with rain tires, in case of unforeseen events. At the same time, almost all other teams were doing something similar.
“Wrap all the rain tires in tire warmers too, and have someone strictly control the temperature, just in case of unforeseen events.”
Venales discussed with Zhang Mingzhi. The meteorological bureau had reported rain at eleven o'clock. Although it hadn't rained yet, it was better to be prepared, especially since the race would last for an hour.
“Okay.”
Zhang Mingzhi nodded and instructed his staff to prepare.
At ten past eleven, Venales privately called Luns into the lounge to discuss tactics.
Lin Yan didn't ask about their strategy; Venales had always been responsible for handling that.
The three GP22s were pushed out of the room by several staff members wearing Ducati team uniforms and placed in their designated positions using pit stands.
Lin Yan was on pole position, with Daniel next to him in second, Reiser third, and Luns behind them.
With half an hour left before the race, Lin Yan emerged from the pit garage, with Su Mojin by his side. As they appeared, the Chinese spectators erupted in thunderous cheers, with eye-catching red hats and red clothing everywhere.
Lin Yan was dressed in a red leather suit and wore a custom Shark helmet. The helmet's design was different from the one used in yesterday's qualifying session, clearly a new graphic. Besides featuring the Chinese flag, like his leather suit, it also had a violet.
The graphic was simple, clearly themed around this violet, with petals extending across half the helmet. Scattered sporadically, the back of the helmet bore Lin Yan's number, 27. On the lower right was a string of English letters, the initials of Lin Yan and Su Mojin. This graphic was specially designed by Lin Yan for his wedding, which was just a few days away.
Violets symbolize eternal beauty and endless love.
Lin Yan's helmet graphics, in collaboration with the helmet manufacturer, were basically sell-outs, and today's was expected to be no different.
“Wow, I want to know how Lin Shen's designer manages to make every helmet graphic so good.”
“Damn, are you sure that’s not Lin Shen’s own buff adding to it? Speaking of which, why do I feel like today’s helmet is a bit feminine? Ah, whatever, I’m definitely buying Lin Shen’s helmet.”
“Bro, we think the same way, I also feel Lin Shen’s helmet is a bit feminine.”
The spectators were a bit more reserved. In Hao Dong's live stream, some people were already speculating if Lin Yan was getting married.
When a rider's helmet graphic features feminine characteristics, it almost always has symbolic meaning. All experienced fans understood this.
It would either be a daughter, sister, or wife. Girlfriends were not included; it had to be a direct family member. This was somewhat similar to tattoos.
Because riders' helmet graphics were very commemorative, and were to be released and sold, they were practically lifelong companions. Although marriage also had the possibility of divorce, it was ultimately less likely than a breakup.
Su Mojin was dressed almost identically to yesterday, in a Louis Vuitton V-neck white shirt, a velvet milky-white A-line skirt, and white sneakers.
Her delicate, refined face, with light makeup and diamond star earrings, outshone many of the models present.
“I thought Jiang Qiyan, whom I saw at WSBK yesterday, was already beautiful enough, but I didn't expect this grid girl today to be even more beautiful. She truly lives up to being Lin Shen's grid girl. The foreign girl next to her looks good too.”
A young man in the audience said, his eyes shining, staring intently at the screen, with a hint of sleaziness in his gaze, his eyes fixed on the grid girls' legs.
“Buddy, you’re new here, right? That’s not a grid girl, that’s Lin Shen’s girlfriend.”
Hearing him say that, a胖子大哥 next to him glanced at him.
“Girlfriend? No wonder, I thought she was so pretty.”
The young man visibly trembled upon hearing the胖子大哥’s words.
“As for the foreign girl you mentioned next to her, that’s Daniel’s wife.”
Another piece of explosive news entered the young man’s mind. Hearing this, the young man felt a bit regretful. It turned out both beautiful grid girls were taken. He had originally wanted to try to hit on them, but now it seemed unlikely. Those who could attend the races usually had some money, and this young man was no exception.
The foreign woman holding the umbrella for Daniel today was naturally Daniel's wife, Karina. From the day they fell in love, Karina had basically taken over the role of Daniel's umbrella girl.
With twenty minutes left before the race started, the dance department of the Dongya national team performed a special Dongya dance, followed by an official speech from the organizers, marking the opening ceremony of the Dongya leg.
After the dance, Su Mojin whispered a few words to Lin Yan and then withdrew from the track. The grid girls also left, and the mechanics collected the pit stands. Lin Yan stretched his arms, performing a quick pre-race warm-up.
Above the Dongya International Circuit, six fighter jets, trailing colorful smoke, slowly ascended. The safety car in front of the thirty-one riders slowly moved forward, and the MotoGP Dongya Grand Prix main race officially commenced.