บท 14: We will talk about it when you get back
"Box, box, box Suzie, pit confirm."
"Copy... pit confirm," Suzie responded, barely able to get the words out. Exhausted, her neck aching and her legs on the verge of cramping from the physical exertion, she had just completed her program for the day, and it was almost time for the mandatory lunch break.
Pulling into the pits, she parked in front of the box and was guided in backward. Her race engineer, Josh, stood waiting next to the car, ready to start the debrief. Struggling to extricate herself from the car, she managed it, helmet off, revealing the toll the intense session had taken. Red-faced and sweaty, she headed to her cooldown room, with Josh following suit.
Seated in the room, Suzie received an energy drink from Josh. "Great job, Suzie. That's 90 laps on the board. Could have been a bit more if not for the red flag due to Fernando's crash." Josh was genuinely pleased with Suzie's performance. While she had expressed concerns about the car, he acknowledged the CT05 was still a handful to drive. Yet, she never complained about the physical strain, displaying determination that impressed him. "I know you're tired, but let's go over your experience today." He sat down across from her, presenting the data on his laptop. "Starting with the balance, you've mentioned the car's behavior, but let's delve a bit deeper."
Still catching her breath, Suzie contemplated how to articulate her experience. "It's challenging to pinpoint one major weakness in the car. In slow corners, there's understeer at entry and oversteer at exit. In medium-speed corners, it's more of the same, with slightly less oversteer. The high-speed range seems to be the most stable, where downforce works optimally. Traction is a significant issue; even with warm tires, they tend to spin up under full throttle in 3rd gear. Additionally, the car dives under braking and squats when accelerating." Sharing her thoughts on the 90 laps, she pondered the impact of her words. "To be honest, Josh, it's not a fun car to drive at the moment. It's very unpredictable, and you have to stay on your toes 100% of the time; otherwise, the car catches you off guard. I won't even touch on the engine power or the inherently draggy nature of the car. You could observe the effects on the speed traps."
Josh nodded, meticulously jotting down every detail on his laptop. "Got it. This is valuable information. We'll wait for Johnny's feedback, and after that, we'll have another sit-down to consider setup adjustments. I do want to commend you; you did an exceptional job today. Even better than I expected. If you maintain this performance, I believe we'll have a good time together."
Suzie nodded appreciatively. While it was gratifying to hear Josh's praise, she was now very hungry, and her body ached. To be ready for a similar or better performance tomorrow, she needed a cold bath and a massage.
In the meantime, Marcus barged into her cooldown room. "Suzie! Well done. Well managed. Do you still have some energy left? We snagged an interview with CNN. They're eager to speak with the only female driver on the grid in years." Marcus was visibly excited, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"It seems lunch will have to wait; he clearly wants to get this done immediately," she thought, releasing a sigh. "Let me at least freshen up before facing the cameras," she replied.
"Sure, take your time," Marcus responded, not truly wanting to wait too long, as he made no move to leave the room. Another sigh escaped Suzie as she began cleaning her face, her dissatisfaction with Marcus evident. It was expected; she was tired, hungry, and now forced to conduct an interview – who wouldn't be displeased?
While this unfolded, Johnny immersed himself in analyzing all the data he could from Suzie's run, accompanied by his race engineer, Alex Chan. Johnny was visibly eager to begin his session in two hours.
"Look at her throttle application exiting turn 3. She's consistently too late and gentle on the throttle. She does this quite often; she should apply full throttle much earlier. Her lap time could be significantly faster than her current 1:30.034." Even before stepping into the car, Johnny was already drawing comparisons with Suzie, the inevitable benchmark as both drivers utilized the same equipment.
"Stay calm, Johnny," Alex advised sternly. Having dealt with young drivers before, he understood their eagerness. "Don't fixate on lap times; we're getting you acquainted with the car. The same applies to Suzie. Don't push for fast laps; it will come gradually as you spend more time in the car. Aim for consistency, bring back valuable data, and complete our run plans. If you manage that, we can start focusing on lap times from tomorrow onward."
Johnny nodded, but his gaze remained fixated on the data showcasing Suzie's run. It seemed he wasn't entirely present.
The lunch break passed swiftly. Suzie concluded her live interview, and Johnny positioned himself in the car. As soon as the pit exit lights turned green, he was led out of the garage.
"Remember, Johnny, we need consistent laps. Nothing extravagant – just drive within your limits," Alex reiterated over the radio.
"I got it, don't worry," was Johnny's assurance.
Once Johnny cleared the pit exit, he floored the throttle, the rear tires squealing in response. Navigating the first corner, he immediately sensed the car's inherent understeer. Confident in his abilities, he attempted to induce oversteer by applying more throttle. The maneuver shifted the balance, but with cold tires, he couldn't control the slide, resulting in a pirouette towards the barriers on the right side of the track. Fortunately, he narrowly avoided contact. Still in shock, he forgot to engage the clutch, stalling the engine and leaving him stranded on the track.
A red flag waved instantly, halting the session until the track was cleared.
"Red flag, Red flag," Alex's voice echoed over the radio. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"I spun. Applied too much throttle, I think," Johnny sheepishly responded.
".......Copy. Clear the car. A flatbed will come to pick it up. Any damage?" Alex's tone conveyed clear disappointment.
Johnny, attempting to bury himself further in the car, responded with an even smaller voice, "I think the car is still in one piece. Sorry, Alex....." Remorse was palpable in his voice.
"It's okay. We will talk about it when you get back."
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