Back in California, Anfeng will have to prepare for the event.

Maserati's Pro Challenge has been officially confirmed, with the Amoeba Circuit as the first stop in the five-stop race, and the circuit is now in full swing, and this year in addition to hosting the MC Challenge, there will also be the IndyCar Race, as well as the motorcycle GP that has just won the right to host.

As for the temporary lack of hope for F1 races, it is not that the track is not good, but that the contract between the FIA and Austin has not expired, and F1 still needs to be held at Austin Circuit according to the contract. The racetrack is negotiating the race schedule after the contract expires, and with the eagerness of the two governments, there is a good chance of obtaining a five-year term.

After a few races, the circuit should be able to make up for a lot of losses.

An Feng only asks for less or no spending, and he looks at profits very lightly - when you have the most profitable business in the world, you will not value entertainment projects. The circuit is currently preparing for the event, and An Feng is also engaged in the role of a racing driver, after all, the race will start in early May.

……

Considering the convenience, the GP team settled in the Amoeba Circuit, and the two cars have been modified, and it is not too late for An Feng to participate. Although there are exercises ahead, they are not racing cars, the purpose is to familiarize the drivers with the differences between electric cars and cars, and change their original habits.

Under Howard's leadership, An Feng met the No. 2 race car prepared for him.

The body is still clean, but by the time it gets to the official race, it will definitely be plastered with sponsor logos, which are currently confirmed by GP and Xin's Energy, as well as a tire company. The exterior of the car is being designed and will be introduced soon, and sooner or later, this white race car will be in full bloom.

Howard explained with a sense of accomplishment: "The prototype is taken from Maserati's just-released GT electric model, but as you know, the car is just an F1 with the appearance of a prototype, except for the watch. Everything else has been replaced, the body has been extensively improved, the drag has been reduced, the aerodynamically optimised floor has been modified, carbon fiber has been used to reduce weight, and a carbon fiber spoiler has been added to the rear. Increased downforce. ”

An Feng observed this car, the body has compromised to aerodynamics, the chassis is pressed very low, even ordinary buffer belts can't pass, there is a huge carbon fiber spoiler (rear wing) at the rear, and the rear spoiler under the tail has also been redesigned, looking like a manic beast.

When you open the door, it feels very light and thin, and the windows are fixed. There was only a small square opening, which was very soft to the touch, and An Feng asked, "Plastic?" ”

"The windows are made of polycarbonate, which is lighter and thinner, so it won't shatter and hurt the driver," Howard said. ”

"That's good!" An Feng looked at the inside of the car, all the excess was removed, and the carriage was heavily protected by a sturdy roll cage, and it was awkward to sit in. Except for an LCD screen and a detachable steering wheel, other air conditioners and stereos have been removed. Comprehensive lightweight services.

"We modified the ECU to race specs to get the ultimate power and power from the electric motor, but the car still needed to tune up the high-performance suspension and couldn't drive it out yet, and it took about ten minutes for the technician," Howard said outside. ”

An Feng drilled out again and looked at the racing car. Satisfied, he asked, "How much does it cost to modify this car?" ”

"Excluding the cost of the vehicle, the car cost more than $600,000." "We've got 15 motors, tires and other parts for the race, if it's going to be a constant high consumption," Howard said. The GP team's five races are estimated to cost around five million. ”

An Feng said: "Racing really burns money. ”

Howard is not surprised: "Of course, just technology research and development, money has to be spent like running water. ”

"I'll go check out the convoy first." An Feng said.

Under the introduction of team manager Duke, An Feng met the main driver of the GP team: John. Cooper. An Italian driver with a long history, having spent time in the DTM touring car race, but because Maxima did not meet Bole, he was always on the bench before being recommended to the GP team by Maserati.

An Feng shook hands with him: "I hope you can bring excellent results to the GP team!" ”

"I will." Cooper said that his English was okay.

Cooper is not very old, about twenty-five or sixteen years old, but Westerners are old, thirty-year-old An Feng looks similar to him, Cooper also knows that An Feng is the sponsor of the team and the big boss, so he is very polite, and he does not dislike his partner for several weeks in a row.

Cooper also admires An Feng a little, as a rich man, he has the enthusiasm and courage to participate in professional events, and he can't do it without a little strength. Later, Anfeng got into the No. 2 car and ran for a while, and his performance was unexpected, and Cooper began to put away his pride. The master is in the folk.

……

After the car was commissioned, An Feng put on a racing suit, put on a helmet, and got into the car with Howard holding a tablet.

There isn't a lot of space in the car, but the test car has several data ports that allow the technician to connect to a computer to check the car faster.

Get in the car, buckle up your six-point seatbelt, and start listening to Howard.

"We got a new steering system." Howard introduced.

"I can see it." An Feng observed, in front of him is a racing wheel made of carbon fiber, the steering shaft is stretched very long, almost to his chest, and he can touch the steering wheel with a slight lift, which is to avoid too much external force on the driver's arm when the G value of the high-speed racing car is too large.

"You need to memorize the buttons on the top...... Howard said, starting with the buttons on the steering wheel.

The car concentrates all the kinetic energy keys on the steering wheel, has specific controls for the left and right hands, and has a differential dial above the left hand to adjust the balance of the incoming and outgoing corners; At the top of the right hand is the gear control of the KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), which releases the stored energy through the green button on the upper part of the left hand, which allows the car to achieve sudden acceleration, which is usually used in overtaking.

In the middle of the right hand is the motor switch button, which feels a bit like the mode gear of a car, and can switch between "single motor and dual motor" - it is very helpful for the use of energy in and out of corners, and the amount of horsepower. In low-speed corners it is obvious that using a single-motor, rear-wheel drive mode is easier to control and save power.

There are also communication buttons with the team, drinking buttons (to prevent excessive dehydration), speed limit buttons for pit stops, and motor power input adjustments...... The keys on the steering wheel are dizzying. Under Howard's guidance, An Feng spent some time learning how to hold the steering wheel correctly.

This is learned almost from the beginning.

After finishing the study, An Feng started the car and prepared to drive out, Howard reminded: "The steering wheel of a racing car is different from that of civilian people, how many degrees does it turn." How many degrees do the tires also turn. ”

"I know." An Feng said, turning the steering wheel slightly and leaving the pit.

An Feng can still get used to it, before this, he drove the Pagani Zonda-R and Lamborghini cars, and the feeling is much the same. It's just that it's more high-tech now. Smoothly driving it onto the track, Howard went on to cover the car's performance data, what to tune and more.

The two electric motors produce a total of 750 hp and 1,100 Nm of torque. In terms of acceleration, the 0-100 acceleration is 2.6 seconds, the 100-200 acceleration is 2.4 seconds, and the 200-300 acceleration is 9 seconds. F1 in the dry state. The 100-200 acceleration generally takes only 1.5 seconds.

This is the comprehensive advantage of electric motors. The car achieves 90% energy efficiency by squeezing the life of the electric motor, and the maximum rev is stable at 25,000 rpm, which is far faster than the current Formula 1 car, and the acceleration in the middle and rear sections is strong enough. An Feng was very stable after a few laps of test driving.

Howard said: "You have a good straight line and a good grasp of the corner, but it just feels like you're not used to it in the corner. ”

An Feng said: "Maybe the torque is too much? ”

"This aspect needs to be adjusted according to the driver's habits and continue to run a few laps at full strength," Howard said. ”

After A few laps, Howard's G-value reading from the sensor connected to it instantly reached 2.8. The physical requirements are also very high, and An Feng has never driven a car with such a fierce G-value before. When accelerating or decelerating sharply, he feels short of breath, and he has to do some targeted training.

Howard said: "The organizers were too lax in managing the car, and its performance was vaguely close to the formula car, which was correspondingly technical. ”

"It's a little." An Feng said, drive ten laps down. Soon he was covered in sweat.

"Acclimatization training has to be strengthened." "We're going to give your car a lightweight differential, and if you like to corner, you can give you more grip in cornering, otherwise you're going to float." Instability. Other aspects are good, work hard for half a month, maybe win the top five. ”

An Feng nodded, he would not refuse the advice of professional riders.

Howard said, "When the commissioning is over, we'll do it again." ”

……

An Feng ran five laps later, and on the way he had a doubt: "Do you think the excessively quiet sound of the electric car can attract the audience?" ”

Howard is a data emperor: "The sound of F1 is very dense, reaching 130 decibels, and I have tested electric cars, and the maximum is 80 decibels. ”

"It's not enough." An Feng shook his head, "I've seen FE (Formula E) before, and I only have sharp ...... The sound of an airplane engine is very beautiful, but it is not enough, we can't consider putting a loudspeaker on the electric motor like a sports car puts a silencer on the engine? ”

Howard thought about it seriously, and after about ten seconds, he looked at An Feng: "This is a good idea, the sound of the electric motor, which is similar to what you said about the 'aircraft engine', can be expanded accordingly through some technical means, and it can be turned on during the game and turned off when it is not the game." ”

Speaking of this, Howard couldn't stop: "If the sound can be raised by 10 to 20 decibels, the sound of 100 decibels of the plane is enough to feel futuristic enough to change the dreary status quo of electric car racing...... Bruce, what a great idea! ”

Then Howard went to Maserati Technology.

An Feng's idea sounds strange, but it is not unrealistic, what is the main thing to look at in racing? Except for the wonderful overtaking, the vast majority of people come for the sound, just like the Formula 1 car in the case of more than 10,000 revolutions, the excitement of the gear shift wave and the narrow roar of the engine are addictive.

The electric motor naturally does not have the ability of a gasoline engine, but it is not the rumored to be quiet in the whole field, especially for the manic racing car, it is impossible to be quiet. When I was a child, I played with four-wheel drive toy cars, it is the simplest electric racing car, dare you say that there is no sound when it is driven?

When amplified by technical means, the sound of an airplane taking off may become the hallmark of an electric racing car. (To be continued......)