As the car stabilized, Martin hit the accelerator, and the speed surged once more.
Ramsey Hairpin, a section of cliff road, was the most dangerous part of the Isle of Man, bar none, as it was a winding mountain road clinging tightly to the cliff face.
Whether going uphill or downhill.
As Martin's speed increased, the trees and houses on either side blurred past. He quickly traversed the final section of the road, soon arriving at the penultimate stage.
The incinerator section.
At the same moment, the Augusta rider had just entered Ramsey Hairpin.
His uphill speed was acceptable, but his downhill speed was significantly inferior to Martin's.
For the sake of safety, he had reduced his speed considerably.
"Young Master, the race has concluded. Reissner is asking when he should report for duty."
Inside the RV, Lin Yan paused slightly as he read the message on his phone. He hadn't realized Reissner was so eager to start. He was indeed in a hurry to report.
It made sense, of course. If a team change was confirmed, one would naturally want to adapt to the new car as quickly as possible. Otherwise, it would be difficult to achieve a good result in the next race.
With this thought, Lin Yan moved away from the curtain and sat back down in the aviation chair.
"Tell him to come over directly once he's sorted out his team matters. I'll probably be heading back by then," Lin Yan typed in reply.
This trip to the Isle of Man had been somewhat disappointing for Lin Yan. He hadn't found any promising young talent, and both Chinese riders had underperformed.
Last year, Ye Xiang had at least competed in the 600cc category. This year, there wasn't a single Chinese rider.
After watching the main race, Lin Yan planned to pack up and leave. If it was going to be this uninteresting, he might as well have brought some people from his team to participate.
Of course, this primarily depended on individual willingness.
Upon his return, Lin Yan intended to thoroughly assess Reissner's adaptability to the new model GP23. Switching teams, even from a V4 to another V4, required time for adjustment.
The skill gap between GP riders was extremely small. If the adaptation to the car wasn't good, it was highly probable that Reissner would perform poorly in the next race.
It wasn't unheard of for a world champion to switch teams and fail to even qualify for the points-scoring positions.
Even half a second slower per lap could mean the difference between being in the top three and being at the back.
The road conditions in the incinerator section were slightly better, at least the terrain was relatively flat.
The few corners here were simple matters for Martin. After passing through the incinerator section, the car entered the final stage before the finish line, the Grandstand.
At the Grandstand, Martin's fans were cheering wildly, waving his support flags.
Martin had a considerable number of fans. Besides Lin Yan and Michael's fans, Martin's supporters were the most numerous on site.
Martin crossed the finish line smoothly. His first lap time appeared on the big screen, and seeing the result, Martin's fans felt a slight sense of relief.
16 minutes 59.977 seconds.
This lap time was already quite fast for the Isle of Man, breaking the seventeen-minute mark.
However, it was still a bit slower than last year's record. Michael had clocked in just over 16 minutes and 58 seconds last year, more than two seconds faster than Martin.
As for Lin Yan, he was even faster than Michael by a second, with a time just over 16 minutes and 57 seconds. This speed was even more astonishing and beyond Martin's current capabilities.
Still, Lin Yan nodded at the result. This performance was indeed worthy of a top-three finish on the Isle of Man. Most of the remaining riders would likely be outside the seventeen-minute mark.
As the lap times were revealed, discussions began in the spectator stands.
"Should be safe now, right? I feel like Martin should be the champion this year."
"Pretty much."
"Let's wait and see. Let's see how the other riders' lap times turn out. Don't want another dark horse to appear."
"Yeah, that's reasonable."
Due to Lin Yan's appearance last year, the fans on site were more cautious. Who knew if another dark horse like Lin Yan would emerge this year?
They would never have believed a newcomer could win on their debut, but Lin Yan had thoroughly proven them wrong last year, forcing them to be more circumspect.
After all, Martin had been the runner-up for many years, and this championship was very important to his fans.
Seeing some of Martin's fans already celebrating, Lin Yan's fans felt a bit displeased.
"It's like a tiger not sitting on its mountain, and monkeys claiming kingship."
"Shh, keep your voice down. Just know it yourself, don't bring trouble to Lin Shen."
"Right, right. This fan club stuff is meaningless. Just keep it to yourself."
"..."
The fans who flew from Country S to the Isle of Man for Lin Yan were mostly rational.
These individuals were either moderately wealthy or business owners, possessing a broader perspective. Traveling by plane to watch a race was beyond the financial means of ordinary fans.
These fans represented the greatest foundation of the sport.
After some time, the Augusta rider also crossed the finish line smoothly. However, his performance was significantly inferior to Martin's, with a slightly slower lap time. Nevertheless, Lin Yan felt he had improved a bit compared to last year.
17 minutes 07.686 seconds. The result was average, but it was indeed an improvement from last year.
Barring any surprises, the first lap times for these riders would likely be their fastest.
There were no dark horses. The two riders who had just advanced were of moderate strength. Based on preliminary observations, this year's championship was essentially Martin's.
"Honey, are you sure the champion is him this year?" Su Mojin asked, tilting her head.
"I'm sure."
"Didn't you say the race is ever-changing? He's only a tiny bit faster than the riders behind him."
"Ever-changing is true, but the fundamental principle remains. As long as the strength is sufficient, unforeseen circumstances will not affect your performance."
Sufficient strength could overcome everything.
The race quickly entered its second lap. Having gauged the lap times, Martin's riding pace was not as desperate as in the first lap. No one could threaten his position, so a conservative approach was the safest.
In stark contrast was the second-place rider. The gap between him and Martin was not significant, so his current objective was to close the distance as much as possible.
Lin Yan understood this rider's intention, but honestly, it wouldn't make much difference.
After watching for a while, Lin Yan adjusted his aviation chair to a reclined position. With the first lap completed, the subsequent race would essentially be a cruising mode with little excitement.
........................................................................................................
More than an hour later, the six-lap race concluded. Martin crossed the finish line smoothly, and his total time appeared on the ranking board.
His six-lap total time was three seconds ahead of the second-place rider, a well-deserved championship.
Martin's fans erupted in cheers, and Lin Yan, leaning back in his seat, also applauded.
"Hmph, what's there to be so proud of? His total lap time is almost ten seconds slower than Lin Shen's last year. What's he showing off for?"
Someone in the Chinese spectator stands grumbled.
However, this voice was quickly suppressed.
Martin's fans glanced in their direction but said nothing. They understood the logic, but such words shouldn't be spoken, as it would only invite trouble.
Having many fans wasn't always a good thing; it had its downsides.
Lin Yan's fans were currently the largest among all motorcycle racers. This group of fans was divided between rational and irrational individuals.
If they were to challenge Lin Yan's fans now, even if they won the argument verbally, they would likely be severely criticized online.
Lin Yan was currently considered a "crown prince" in the racing circle, untouchable. Anyone who dared to criticize Lin Yan would have his "brainless" fans swarm them, spewing venom, a phenomenon commonly known as "fan club culture."
This was evident even during GP races. Overtaking Lin Yan was permissible, but if an overtake involved excessive force and physical contact, the comments would immediately erupt in criticism.
This was the dual nature of fan groups. Even among racing fans, Lin Yan's fans were considered difficult to provoke.
In simple terms, these fans would criticize you even if you were in the right.