Chapter 53 - 17: CRG Team

Chapter 53: Chapter 17: CRG Team

The year 2009 passed quickly, and it was a fruitful one. Wu Shi successfully won three championships: the Italian KF5 Championship, the French Cadet race, and the Belgian KF5 Championship.

In October, he also traveled to the United Kingdom for their Open Championship. Unfortunately, his kart malfunctioned. Despite securing pole position, he couldn’t clinch the win and had to watch a young Russell take the podium instead.

"This was the front page of yesterday’s Sports Newspaper," Martina said, handing a newspaper to Wu Shi.

There, in the most prominent spot, was a headline in bold text: "The Teen from Hua Country Is Already Making Waves in European Karting."

"Our goal will only be met when they change ’waves’ to ’a tidal wave,’" Wu Shi replied, unfazed.

"Aren’t you excited at all? A kid your age has never made the front page before." Surprised, Martina found herself once again re-evaluating Wu Shi’s psychological maturity.

"Of course I’m a little excited, but not enough to lose my composure." Wu Shi passed the newspaper to Louise, who had sidled up next to him. They had lived under the same roof for two years and were completely accustomed to each other’s presence.

"Well, I have some more news for you. I wonder if this will get you too excited to sleep?" Martina said with a smile.

"Is the Rafa Driver Academy going to accept me?" Wu Shi asked with feigned excitement.

"What are you thinking? You’re not even twelve yet!" Martina rolled her eyes. "CRG has sent you an invitation. They want you to join them, and with their support, you can compete in the 2010 continental or world championships."

"Oh, that’s great! How did Uncle Sid’s talks with them go?"

CRG was renowned in the world of karting. It was both a manufacturer, selling high-quality parts and complete karts favored by racers across Europe, and a famous race team.

Several famous drivers had raced for the CRG Team, including Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen, and Nico Rosberg.

It was fair to say the team was a cradle for F1 world champions. For any young driver, receiving a direct invitation from them was an incredible honor.

"It’s pretty much settled," said Martina. "As long as you can maintain your results, we will get a major reduction in costs and receive their professional team support."

"Okay. When do we go to the team? And what about Seth?" Wu Shi asked.

"Seth already knows. He said there will always be a spot for you on the team. If you ever need it, they’ll welcome you back anytime," Martina said with a smile.

"Oh, that’s good. Maybe I’ll go run a couple of races for them sometime."

"Of course. They’d be thrilled. We’ll head to their headquarters after Christmas."

"Where are their headquarters?"

"Lonato, in the Brescia Province. You’ve raced there before," Martina said.

Wu Shi wasn’t an Italian, after all, so he wasn’t sensitive to the local place names. If someone were to name a random city back in his home country, he would probably know its location. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Lonato was a beautiful city. Lake Garda was quite stunning, and the dense old districts of brick and stone buildings made you feel as if you had stepped into the Middle Ages. If the tune of "Scarborough Fair" were to echo in your ears, the nostalgic, artsy atmosphere would feel even more potent.

The days before Christmas were spent reading, practicing in his kart, and playing. Even though Wu Shi’s skills were already superb, he never missed his weekly training. He even created a special physical fitness regimen for himself.

He had felt his physical conditioning holding him back in previous races.

On Christmas Day, he thought it would just be the three of them again, but to his surprise, Wu Zhenlin flew in from Hua Country.

"I didn’t expect your company to give you time off!" Martina said happily.

"I actually took personal leave. I swapped my time off for the Lunar New Year to come now," Wu Zhenlin chuckled. At the same time, he gestured, bringing forward the three people who were with him.

"Ling Kang?!" Wu Shi was shocked to run into his friend from back home in a foreign country. After his surprise, he turned to the two adults behind Ling Kang and said, "Hello, Uncle. Hello, Auntie."

"Hey, Boss! WAHHH!" Ling Kang wailed in Chinese. "I raced for another year. I thought Zeng Tianyi and Ye Zhaohui were tough enough, but then this new guy named Zhou Guanyu showed up."

"So what place did you finish?"

"Second!"

"Then what the hell are you crying about!"

"Heh, just wanted to complain a little," Ling Kang said with a grin.

"You two are still so close," Ling Kang’s mother said with a laugh.

"And this is?" Martina asked Wu Zhenlin in English.

"You’ve probably met him before. The boy is Ling Kang; he used to race with Wu Shi back home," Wu Zhenlin said in English. "His parents approached me a while ago, hoping for an introduction so he could come here to train."

"In that case, the best way forward is to get him into a team," Martina said in English.

"Yes, that’s exactly our intention. I asked Mr. Wu Zhenlin to make the introduction for us, and we were also hoping to ask for your advice," Ling Kang’s mother said politely to Martina in English.

"What are they saying?" Ling Kang asked in Chinese, scratching his head.

"You don’t speak English?" Wu Shi was surprised. Most parents planning for their children’s careers abroad would have them learn the language in advance to avoid problems upon arrival.

"Of course I don’t!" Ling Kang said indignantly.

"Buddy, your life is about to get very painful," Wu Shi said with a sly grin.

"What do you mean?"

"First of all, you’ll have to learn English."

The color drained from Ling Kang’s face.

"Second, this is Italy, so you’ll also have to learn Italian."

His face fell even further.

"And finally, until you learn them, you won’t understand anything. Living here will feel like you’re in a daze, and it’ll be the same when you’re out on the track."

Ling Kang’s face turned ashen as he realized what awaited him.

"But Boss, you’re here, right?!" He recovered quickly, however.

"Er, I’m heading north in a little while."

"Then I’ll go too!"

"Don’t get your hopes up. You’ll most likely be heading south," Wu Shi guessed.

"Huh? Boss, do you know what’s planned for me?"

"You came here for better career opportunities, so your best bet is to join a team here. They’ll provide you with proper training and planning, and one of the easier teams to get into is in the south."

Seeing Wu Zhenlin bring them over, Wu Shi guessed he would probably ask Martina to introduce them to C.D Speed.

Of course, that was just the polite way of putting things. Although Wu Zhenlin only came to Europe four or five times a year, he was still reasonably well-informed about the situation here.

He already knew his son had made a name for himself. As Wu Shi’s father, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to recommend a driver to the C.D Speed Team. But he wasn’t very familiar with the team, and since he and Martina were practically family now, he just let her handle the arrangements.

Sure enough, after listening to Wu Zhenlin, Martina immediately contacted Seth.

When Seth heard that another driver from Hua Country wanted to join the team, he immediately waived the tryout! He probably felt like he had just drawn another Golden Card.

Upon hearing the news, Ling Kang’s mother immediately expressed her thanks, insisted on treating everyone to a meal, and gave Martina a red envelope.

Wu Zhenlin motioned for Martina to accept it, indicating it was nothing more than a standard professional courtesy.

After Christmas, Ling Kang’s family of three headed to Salerno, while Wu Shi’s family of four traveled to Lonato.

Before they parted ways, Wu Shi received a letter from back home. It was from Zeng Tianyi.

He wrote that he might switch to touring cars in the future because racing abroad was too expensive, and his family couldn’t afford it.

He also mentioned that Ye Zhaohui really wanted to go abroad, but his old man wouldn’t allow it. He could only continue karting back home, but after a few races, he declared there was no point in continuing like that and quit racing altogether.

Finally, he wrote that a driver named Zhou Guanyu was also doing quite well and had heard he was preparing to go to the United Kingdom to continue his karting career.

After finishing the letter, Wu Shi gazed at the passing scenery with a newfound sense of contemplation. Some people’s paths remained unchanged, while others, because of his presence, had been set on a course toward the unknown.