Today, over a hundred thousand spectators filled the grandstands at the Isle of Man, with many fans identifiable by their attire, clearly supporting Lin Yan.
Lin Yan rarely spoke on social media, so coupled with his disappearance from MotoGP, some fans assumed he was participating in the Isle of Man TT and followed suit.
A crowd of over a hundred thousand was considered quite substantial for the Isle of Man TT race venue. The last time such a scene occurred was when Lin Yan first rode the TT.
As the referee waved his flag, the spectators quieted down. The first rider lay prone on their bike, ready for the start.
The red flag was lowered, and a deafening roar of engines filled the air as the first rider successfully launched.
A standard launch control.
Ten seconds later, the second rider followed suit.
Lin Yan sat in his aviation seat, eating popcorn and watching the race. The caliber of this year's riders, judging by their starts, remained exceptionally high. Those who qualified for the 1000cc selection races were, at the very least, top-tier globally, among the best riders from each country.
"Wow, darling, this start, though not as impactful as MotoGP, feels a bit more thrilling than GP," said Su Mojin, covering her mouth in surprise as she watched the projected footage. She had entered the industry, and these individuals before her were practically gods in her eyes.
After the start, the broadcast immediately switched to the riders' first-person perspective. The sensation of speeding through streets from this viewpoint was something no other race could match. Su Mojin found herself captivated by the imagery.
"Yes, it's thrilling, but don't you even think about trying it," Lin Yan cautioned.
"I have enough self-awareness for that," Su Mojin retorted, rolling her eyes. Why did her husband always treat her like an idiot?
Riders departed the starting line one by one, each launching every ten seconds. While the spectacle wasn't as grand as MotoGP, this staggered start offered fans a chance to observe each rider closely.
"Darling, with so many types of race bikes, how do they balance them? Doesn't it affect fairness?"
Su Mojin had taken a cursory glance. The riders currently appearing almost covered all the world's motorcycle brands, from BMW S1000 and Kawasaki's top models to MV Agusta and others. The variety of models and slight differences in displacement were vast. With so many bikes of varying performance, Su Mojin wondered about the fairness.
Su Mojin's question hit the mark.
Lin Yan turned to his wife, noting that such a question indicated his "little girl" had developed a certain understanding of motorcycles.
"There's no absolute fairness, at least not in racing. The organizers ensure fairness by limiting the RPM and torque of different engines. Different bikes have different restrictions, but this places the competition in a relatively fair position, not absolutely fair."
No competition in the world, including the Isle of Man, offered absolute fairness. What were mechanics for? Lin Yan explained it with an insider's perspective: on the surface, they were there to tune the race bikes to their rider's optimal state, but another crucial role was to maximize the bike's attributes within the rules. The more skilled the mechanic, the more potent the bike they could tune, and this potency was always within the bounds of the regulations. Take, for instance, the V4 Lin Yan raced back in the day. Although its RPM and torque were restricted by the rules, its performance consistently ranked in the top three, if not first, throughout the entire race. Even Michael's race bike might not have matched Lin Yan's, as it was tuned by Zhang Mingzhi, arguably the most skilled tuner in all of China. Therefore, even at the Isle of Man, wealthy riders still held an advantage over those without wealth; that was the reality. Mechanics of the wealthy could tune superior race bikes, giving them an innate advantage.
"Capital is everywhere," Su Mojin sighed after hearing Lin Yan's explanation.
"Silly girl, what are you saying? Don't forget, you are capital now."
"Ah? That's true, I guess." Su Mojin realized. Indeed, wasn't she capital now? In the end, she had become the very thing she detested.
"Darling, will you let our team members participate in this competition?" Su Mojin turned and asked another question.
"No, but if they request it themselves, I won't stop them."
In the blink of an eye, all the riders had started and were in full flight. Lin Yan's gaze returned to the screen. The Isle of Man consisted of six sections, and Lin Yan's car was located in the second section, the "Black Bear" section, which was the most densely wooded. Based on Lin Yan's estimated timing, the first rider to start should be arriving there soon.
As if on cue, just as Lin Yan had this thought, an engine roar whizzed past outside the window. Twenty seconds later, a second one followed.
"Wow." Startled by the sudden engine roars, Su Mojin's lips parted slightly, her face flushing, a sign of rising adrenaline.
Lin Yan stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, observing the speeding race cars up close. Su Mojin followed. The spot Lin Yan had chosen was in an open area, unobstructed by trees, offering a wide field of vision. The feeling of watching race cars speed by up close was exhilarating. The only drawback was that the engine sound wasn't very pronounced, a consequence of the excellent soundproofing of the motorhome.
Cars continued to whiz past, and Lin Yan watched them one by one. Accidents were rare in these selection races because the riders were very familiar with the track. However, the upcoming 300cc category was a different story. The selection race, a single lap, took nearly twenty minutes. As Lin Yan had expected, there were no incidents; the participants in this category were veterans from lower classes, so it wasn't a major concern.
The second category began, one after another. By the time they reached the 300cc group, it was already approaching afternoon. Lin Yan had always wondered why the group theoretically posing the greatest danger was scheduled last. The sky had already darkened considerably, a condition that presented certain risks for racing, especially on a street circuit. This posed a significant challenge for the 300cc novices, who were encountering this track for the first time. It was one thing to be unfamiliar with a race track with large run-off areas, where a fall might result in a broken bone at most. But to crash on a street circuit due to unfamiliarity and poor visibility? That would be fatal.