Lin Yan briefly scanned the race format. Michael, last year's competitor, had retired, which was a shame as they had competed last year.
It seemed like another dull and unexciting day for the main race. With Michael's retirement, Lin Yan suddenly felt there was nothing left to watch in the entire event.
Although the Isle of Man's editing was exciting, the live viewing experience was indeed average. Lin Yan wouldn't deny this, which was why the live audience at the Isle of Man was never as large as...
The race committee hadn't released the list of drivers for this year yet, but based on Lin Yan's estimation, there shouldn't be any Chinese drivers in the main races of these three categories, but there would definitely be some in the qualifying rounds.
At least Sun Kai should be coming.
Lin Yan had been busy during this period and hadn't had the chance to deal with him. No, he was too lazy to deal with him. For Lin Yan, dealing with Sun Kai was as easy as saying a word.
If this guy could pass the Isle of Man TT qualifying rounds, perhaps Lin Yan would really consider letting him off the hook. However, it seemed unlikely now, almost impossible.
For the 300cc qualifying round, Yan Xiaoqiang and Jiang Qiyan would have no problem participating. As long as Lin Yan gave them a good warning to be careful and ride conservatively, they would surely pass. But Sun Kai wouldn't. His skill level wasn't up to the standard required to pass.
The riding style on the track absolutely could not be used in street racing. Playing with knee-down riding on the Isle of Man, where visibility was obstructed, could truly be fatal.
Hearing that there were no Chinese drivers, Su Mojin's interest waned slightly. Although she was quite interested in the competition, she really didn't want to watch if it were all foreigners.
"I'm just saying, maybe there will be. Let's see when the race starts."
"Mhm, mhm."
After finishing breakfast and tidying up a bit, the first qualifying round was about to begin.
Naturally, the highest category, the 1000cc group, started first. The cheers for this category were the loudest.
As the drivers' names appeared on the race screen, Lin Yan indeed found Sun Kai's name. Moreover, there was more than one driver with Chinese nationality. In the 300cc group, there was another driver named Li Jie.
Lin Yan had never heard of this person. He glanced at the large headshot in front of the name and hadn't seen him before; he was a stranger.
He probably returned from abroad.
"There are actually two."
Su Mojin's interest picked up a bit when she saw two Chinese drivers.
As time ticked by, the drivers for the 1000cc qualifying round were already preparing. To have a more comfortable viewing experience later, Lin Yan specifically asked Li Wei to buy two buckets of popcorn.
What's watching TV without popcorn?
Around noon, the drivers from all over the Blue Star participating in the 1000cc qualifying round were ready. They pushed their racing bikes out of the pit to prepare for the draw.
"Honey, did you draw lots like this back then?"
"Mhm, but the number of participants wasn't this large when I competed."
The number of drivers participating in the qualifying rounds this time was significantly more than when Lin Yan participated. It was probably because his presence had brought more attention to this competition.
"Do you think God Lin will participate in the main race this year?"
At the starting grid of the Isle of Man, in the lottery queue, two men wearing helmets were discussing in low voices. They were drivers from the same country and were relatively familiar with each other.
"I don't know. I don't think he'll come. God Lin is so rich and famous, why would he risk his life here?"
"Mhm, makes sense. Sigh, I'm envious."
Hearing this, the driver who had asked the question initially nodded. They were definitely not here for money, but for fame. God Lin had truly achieved fame and success, and there was no need for him to risk his life here anymore.
"Alright, stop chatting. It's almost our turn."
The two drivers stepped forward and drew their starting positions, one in twentieth place and the other in twenty-second. They were quite close.
One of them rode a Ducati, and the other rode a Suzuki Hayabusa. Both had participated in the TT 600cc main race before and were not new to the event.
After the draw, all drivers prepared for the start.
"Suzuki, Yamaha, Ducati, BMW. Honey, there are so many car brands here."
Staring at the screen, Su Mojin noticed that the number of car brands in this race was more than in other competitions.
"Mhm, this is still a small number. When the smaller displacement qualifying rounds start, you'll see how mixed the car brands are."
The 1000cc qualifying round was still manageable, with most participants being from the 600cc main race. They used mainstream large-displacement sportbikes available on the market. It was in the smaller displacement categories that one would truly see the chaos, with some small cars that even Lin Yan didn't recognize.
It wasn't that Lin Yan didn't recognize cars; in fact, there were quite a few, but they rarely appeared in competitions.
Those who rode these cars to this event came with dreams. It was truly the only place for grassroots riders to make a name for themselves.
"Shh, it's starting."
Watching the referee wave his hand, Lin Yan knew that the qualifying round was about to officially begin.