The speaking brother and sister were at the back of the line, dressed in black leather suits.
The woman was petite, just over 1.6 meters tall, and the man wasn't particularly tall either, around 1.7 meters, which was standard height for race car drivers. Both wore black helmets.
A female racer?
Lin Yan hadn't expected a female racer to participate in this competition, let alone pass Zhou Xianyong's selection.
Not bad, she seems to have some talent. Lin Yan glanced at them briefly before shifting his gaze elsewhere. His focus was primarily on the male racers, as the recruitment drive was mainly for males.
It wasn't gender discrimination, but rather Lin Yan's experience over the years suggested that female racers' physiques were not suited for this sport. This was evident from the fact that the top leagues were dominated by male racers.
Luo Xi and Vinarese only gave the female racer a cursory glance, not paying much attention.
"Oh, there's a woman here."
It was the bearded foreigner who exclaimed, surprised. While there were a few female racers in the West, it was a rarity in the East, as motorcycle racing was a niche sport there.
"Probably from a racing family."
Seeing his friend's boisterous reaction, Luo Xi shot the bearded foreigner a look, thinking it was truly embarrassing to be out with this guy.
The bearded foreigner, unaware of Luo Xi's thoughts, scanned the screen, his eyes moving up and down as he observed the brother and sister.
"Tsk, tsk, this girl's figure is comparable to Western beauties."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yan nodded in agreement. His master was right; as expected, such female racers usually came from racing families.
A racing family was one where generations of ancestors were racers. For example, in Reisner's family, apart from his mother, his younger brother, father, and cousins were almost all racers.
The offspring of such families would also pursue a career as racers. When there were no male heirs, a female member would have to step up.
Lin Yan found it somewhat incomprehensible that such families would have women learn racing, but upon reflection, it made sense. It was akin to Lin Guoxiong asking him to study finance and inherit the family business.
However, if Lin Yan had a daughter, he would definitely not let her learn racing.
For no other reason than it was too dangerous. Racers were made through crashes.
Even with the strongest physique a female racer could possess, it would never match that of a male racer. Even among male racers, those with a height disadvantage, like the "sword-bearing guard," had physiques that absolutely crushed all female racers. The sword-bearing guard had competed in GP for 17 years, and the injuries he sustained would likely be unbearable for a woman. Even if she could endure them, Lin Yan wouldn't want his daughter to go through that.
Of course, if it were a boy, that would be a different story.
Su Mojin shared Lin Yan's sentiment. While it was cool for women to race motorcycles, it was too dangerous.
Having Lin Yan alone was enough to make her worry constantly. If she had a son or daughter also racing, how could she possibly live?
...
The race began.
The brother and sister arrived at the starting line. To everyone's surprise, Lin Yan and the others had completely misjudged their background. They were not from racing families but from ordinary ones.
The reason they learned racing was twofold: their passion for it and their father's fervent enthusiasm for motorsports, being a dedicated fan.
With some spare money in the family, they were thus supported in learning racing.
Thirty racing cars were lined up at the starting position. The qualifying session would follow the new rules: the highest lap time within ten minutes would determine the ranking. However, their cars were all identical, so no pit garages were prepared for them; they were directly lined up at the start, which made things more convenient.
"Wow, brother, is that Lin Shen's car?"
At the very end of the thirty participants, Jiang Qiyan stared intently at the racing car parked beside the starting line.
Aside from her, all the other racers were also gazing at the car. To motivate them, Zhang Mingzhi had specifically brought out the GP22 that Lin Yan had ridden in the Shanghai station and parked it right next to the starting line.
"Mm."
Hearing his sister's words, Jiang Qimo, whose car was parked beside hers, nodded. His eyes were also fixed on the GP22, not blinking.
The racers present all imagined themselves riding this technologically advanced racing car in the future, and he was no exception.
The GP22, with its fiery red body, exaggerated aerodynamic lines and kits, and packed with black technology, bore the number 27 prominently on the front, serving as a deterrent.
"Come on!"
Receiving a positive affirmation, Jiang Qiyan silently cheered herself on. If she could win this race, she would have the opportunity to meet her idol up close.
Referee Zhang had told them that if they could finish in the top ten, there would be an additional reward besides the material prizes. Zhang Mingzhi hadn't explicitly stated what this reward was, but Jiang Qiyan guessed it might be related to Lin Shen.
"Hey, why is there a girl here?"
"Girl, why are you racing too?"
As the racers were gathered together, Jiang Qiyan's identity could not be concealed. Soon, someone noticed that a female racer had infiltrated their ranks.
Of course, some people had already noticed during registration but had kept quiet.
Putting aside other factors, the slender figure encased in the tight racing suit was enough to identify her as a woman. Moreover, Jiang Qiyan had an excellent figure, with curves in all the right places.
Seeing a girl involved in racing, several wealthy second-generation heirs immediately backed their cars away.
"Girl, interested in making a friend? My family is in real estate."
"Girl, this is a man's game. It's a bit too dangerous for a girl like you. Stick behind me later, and I'll protect you."
A few of the second-generation heirs crowded around. The waiting time before the start was a bit boring, and having a girl around could help liven things up.
"Huh? I..."
Suddenly surrounded by these people, Jiang Qiyan felt a bit flustered, her small face turning slightly red.
Seeing that their gazes seemed somewhat unfriendly, Jiang Qimo quickly drove his car in front of his sister, blocking her from behind with his body.
His sister rarely interacted with outsiders and was quite introverted. He was afraid these people would affect her mood.
"Hey, no, buddy, we guys were just chatting with the girl. Why are you blocking us?"
"Yeah, it's my first time seeing a girl race motorcycles. What are you interfering for? Trying to be a hero saving the damsel?"
"This is my sister. You guys should speak politely."
Facing their somewhat teasing tone, Jiang Qimo's voice turned a little cold. In terms of family assets, their family was not lacking.
"Hey, I'm not saying you..."
"All of you, shut up. The race is about to start."
Seeing Jiang Qimo's rather arrogant demeanor, the second-generation heirs were about to retort and mock him when Zhang Mingzhi walked over from not far away.
"Referee Zhang..."
"Hello, Referee Zhang!"
"Referee Zhang!"
...
Seeing Referee Zhang approach, the participating racers greeted him one after another. They all knew that this middle-aged man in his forties was a big shot, the chief technician of the Ducati factory team!
Many might not realize it, but technicians were far more important than drivers in a racing team, with the exception of Lin Yan, of course.
"Iron technicians, flowing drivers." Drivers generally didn't dare to offend technicians, let alone one who was a top-tier technician.
"Tch."
Seeing Zhang Mingzhi arrive, those who were about to mock Jiang Qimo snorted coldly, then immediately changed their expressions, greeting Zhang Mingzhi with beaming smiles.
Seeing this, Jiang Qimo ignored them and also turned to greet Zhang Mingzhi.
Zhang Mingzhi nodded slightly at the group, his gaze settling on Jiang Qiyan.
A female racer?
He was slightly taken aback, then recovered, and said with a serious expression.
"Do you all understand the race rules?"
"Understood!"
Everyone responded in unison.
"Then, if there are no further questions, the qualifying session will officially begin in one minute."
"Wait a moment, I have a question."
"You have a question? Go ahead, what is it?"
Zhang Mingzhi turned his gaze towards a corner.