The person in charge flushed red, his usually bearded face twitching.
If this weren't his assistant of many years, he would have almost slapped him.
"Boss, I did it for the team's sake!"
"For your sake!"
Hearing the assistant still trying to argue, the person in charge's anger flared again. Seeing the person in charge getting angry once more, the assistant beside him dared not speak. The entire room fell silent, with only the sound of metal clashing from the car repairs. The few mechanics working nearby also held their breath, silently continuing their work.
The person in charge's gaze scrutinized his assistant. With his years of understanding his assistant, he quickly figured out why the other party had done this.
The assistant had mentioned it to him at the start of the race. He hadn't expected him to actually dare to do it. The penalty for endurance races was indeed light, and this action might even have a beneficial effect that outweighed the drawbacks. However, it would severely impact their reputation. How foolish!
Looking at the assistant bowing his head in apology and not daring to speak, the person in charge still couldn't bring himself to be harsh. This assistant was promoted by him, rising from a junior mechanic alongside him, and they had a deep bond. He couldn't bring himself to fire him in a fit of anger.
However, just as his anger was about to subside, and he was about to let the assistant off with a minor punishment, more bad news reached the pit room.
"Boss, something terrible has happened. This is a notice from the race committee. Our team has been penalized."
A team staff member rushed in from outside, a look of anxiety on his face.
"What?"
Upon hearing this, the person in charge's face changed drastically. His initial anger vanished instantly, replaced by a look of surprise. Was it finally coming? But he quickly calmed down. How could their driver's actions not be penalized?
His gaze swept over the assistant's face, causing the assistant to flinch.
Seeing this, the person in charge prepared himself mentally, turned, and took the penalty notice, his gaze falling upon it.
But even with his mental preparation, his expression changed drastically upon seeing the penalty notice, and he almost lost his footing.
Ten long laps, and their Suzuki team was blacklisted from the twenty-four-hour endurance race, with severe penalties for repeat offenses.
Such a heavy punishment. When the person in charge saw the blacklisting, he almost dropped the notice in his hand. Taking a deep breath, he tried his best to calm himself down. However, even so, the severity of the punishment was almost unbearable. The ten long laps were deserved, but being blacklisted meant he wouldn't get off lightly when he returned to headquarters.
Once on the race committee's blacklist, it wouldn't be easy to get off.
At the same time, other pit rooms also received the news.
In the Ducati pit room, Lin Yan quickly scanned the penalty notice in his hand. He had to admit, Quinn's efficiency was quite fast. With this penalty, as long as there were no major issues, their championship was practically secured.
Ten long laps were enough for Suzuki to have a tough time, and the blacklist served as a threat to their future races.
Zhang Mingzhi, standing in front of the screen, also saw the penalty notice. The excitement on his face did not diminish. He thought it was good that the young master was here.
The race committee's attitude towards them now was vastly different from that towards Suzuki. Rins, who had caused the collision, was not penalized at all. Of course, this was entirely due to Lin Yan's presence, a fact Zhang Mingzhi was very clear about.
Because only the young master had the real decision-making power among all the teams present, the race committee had to be wary.
Ren Fei beside him shared the same thought. As someone who raced, he understood some of the intricacies. He thought, just like Zhang Mingzhi, that Brother Lin was the only one present with decision-making power.
Among everyone present, there was only one person the race committee feared: Lin Yan. If Lin Yan was displeased, even at a financial loss, he could make Ducati withdraw from the endurance race. However, neither the heads of other pit rooms nor their superiors could achieve this. This was the terrifying power of status.
The Suzuki pit room fell into a deathly silence. The person in charge clutched the notice, his face filled with struggle. After a long while, he slowly spoke.
"Wendell, I originally didn't want to punish you out of consideration for our relationship, but now the race committee's penalty is too severe. If I don't punish you, it will be difficult to convince others. You will resign yourself when you return tomorrow after the race."
The person in charge said his final words as if relieved, gave his assistant a deep look, then turned and took out his phone, preparing to call his superiors. This was all Wendell's own doing, and he couldn't be blamed. The race committee's penalty was so heavy that even he couldn't protect the assistant. Now, he had to rush to deal with the blacklist issue. If the blacklist wasn't handled, their team would be severely hampered for the next few years.
Hearing the person in charge's words, Wendell, who was sitting on the ground, visibly panicked. He had only asked his subordinate to commit a minor infraction to obstruct the opponent, and now he was being fired directly? He had worked so hard to reach this position. No, he couldn't be fired like this.
As he spoke, Wendell struggled and lunged towards the person in charge. Years of hard work could not be lost in a single day.
The person in charge noticed him and signaled for two people to hold him back. He needed to call Suzuki's higher-ups to deal with the blacklist matter and prevent this guy from ruining things.
"You bastard, Gary, I did all this for you, and you dare treat me like this? Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?"
Held back by two mechanics, Wendell's face revealed a fierce expression. He couldn't give up on years of effort.
However, Gary completely ignored him, pressing the phone to his ear and walking towards a quiet spot outside.
"Gary, you come back here! I get it now, you just want me to take the blame! You damned bastard!"
....................................................................
Suzuki Corporation, Racing Department, Chief Executive's Office.
The phone call ended. Sakata Ichiro, who had just received the news from Gary, was furious. In his anger, he almost dismissed Gary on the spot. Even though he eventually stopped himself, Gary suffered a severe punishment: demotion and investigation upon his return after the race.
After hanging up the phone, Sakata Ichiro immediately summoned all the senior personnel of the Racing Department.