Under the new rules, there was still a difference between drafting and not drafting, at least for Reiser.
Lin Yan and the other two had reached the final stretch of the first lap. However, Lin Yan encountered a dilemma: a Yamaha rider was ahead of him. Should he overtake or not?
After a brief hesitation, Lin Yan decided to overtake. Otherwise, the presence of the other rider would easily suppress his speed.
A sharp brake was all it took. In terms of both the bike and his own skill, the rider from the Yamaha satellite team was far inferior to Lin Yan. The simple overtake was completed with ease.
The rider behind was stunned, only then realizing that the person behind him was Lin Yan.
Lin Yan overtook, but Rins did not. Vinares felt it was a pity, as this might cost them some speed. Fortunately, they were close to the finish line, so the loss wouldn't be significant. As the lap ended, the final lap time sheet was released. Lin Yan was first, Rins second, and Qiong Hai third. Qiong Hai had also made it onto the track in the first lap, but he had started behind Lin Yan.
As Vinares had anticipated, Lin Yan would not have the opportunity to continue pacing Ren Fei and the others on the second lap because Daniel had arrived, and he was heading straight for Lin Yan.
Daniel hadn't approached Lin Yan when he passed the finish line; he had been kicked out by his wife. Whether he was racing or not, why was he hanging around her? After being kicked out of the lounge by his wife, Daniel got on his bike and entered the race. He was eager to test himself against the young rider that the "Horse King" praised so highly.
Seeing that Lin Yan was no longer trailed by his previous entourage, Daniel hit the throttle. The RC213V beneath him roared like a beast as it charged towards Lin Yan.
Just past turn fifteen on the second lap, before Lin Yan could react, a motorcycle shot out from the adjacent lane. Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Daniel. A yellow-liveried RC213V and a light yellow leather suit, with the number 47 prominently displayed on the front.
So, he's finally here?
Vinares' gaze sharpened, and Zhang Mingzhi and Yan Xiaoqiang behind him also tensed up.
"Rins is doing well this time, his lap times are very fast. Let's see how Lin Shen is doing. Oh, Daniel is actually on the track, and he's going straight for Lin Shen."
Hao Dong also promptly noticed the explosive news of Daniel's presence on the track. Due to the recent video, the audience already had a deep understanding of Daniel's skill.
"They've finally met. I've been wanting to see who's better, Daniel or Lin Shen!"
"Won't they just meet in qualifying? Aren't they both trying to set lap times?"
"I don't know. I heard someone say Daniel is here specifically for Lin Shen this time."
"..."
The spectators were also murmuring amongst themselves, clearly anticipating the upcoming clash between Daniel and Lin Yan.
"Look, they're fighting!"
Someone shouted, and the audience's attention shifted to the big screen.
The moment Daniel closed in on Lin Yan's bike, he made his move. At turn sixteen, a hard brake followed by a slide, directly forcing his way in.
Daniel's specialty was sliding. His slides were legendary in GP. Without electronic aids, his slides were almost classic.
"Daniel has made his move. Lin Shen seems to have anticipated it. They've changed lines, and on the main straight, Daniel is preparing to draft Lin Shen!"
"As far as I know, the Ducati GP22 has been upgraded this time. I wonder if Daniel's Honda can keep up with Lin Shen's pace."
Hao Dong and Su Chen spoke one after another, their coordination impeccable.
Off the track, Daniel exited the corner violently, his front wheel lifting off the ground. In terms of aggression, the audience was finally witnessing something even more brutal than KTM.
The front suspension of the RC213V bounced sharply. As he opened the throttle exiting the corner, it almost lifted completely off the ground.
"Good heavens, Daniel's front wheel is really something! It's lifting so high!"
Su Chen exclaimed with slight surprise, his mouth forming an 'O' shape. While feigning surprise, it was all a carefully orchestrated display of script and emotional control.
On this straight, Daniel used his advantage of fewer electronic controls to forcefully close the gap between the two bikes in a straight line. His exit from the corner was even more aggressive than Lin Yan's.
He couldn't overwhelm the GP22 in terms of outright power, but he could manage to reduce the gap between the two bikes.
The upgraded GP22 had only a slight improvement in straight-line speed, but in GP racing, even a slight improvement was enough to give Honda a significant advantage on the straights.
Previously, Lin Yan's top speed on the straights was 3-4 km/h faster than Reiser's. This time, he would likely pull away even more, even from Daniel.
"The top speeds of the two are out. Lin Shen's top speed reached 368 km/h, which seems to be seven kilometers faster than last year's top speed."
As he spoke, Hao Dong quickly pulled up last year's top speed records. Last year, the fastest top speed recorded at the Sachsenring was 361 km/h by Rins. This was a full seven kilometers faster than last year. Besides the difference in rider skill, the bikes were clearly more potent.
"Daniel's top speed is also out, 364 km/h. It's only slightly faster than last year's GP21."
Su Chen said with a touch of surprise.
In terms of horsepower and engines, Zhang Mingzhi and his team might not be able to match Honda, as Honda's engine technology was also very strong, having produced the legendary five-cylinder "divine car" in the past.
But what were they best at? Aerodynamics. When it came to winglets, no one could outdo them.
Off the track, the chief technician for Honda's expression changed.
This was Daniel's top speed. Previously, Reiser's top speed on the simulator could only reach 361 km/h. This was a significant difference, meaning that with this year's bike, Reiser could only achieve the same straight-line speed as last year's GP21.
This year, even drafting might not be enough to catch up to Rins on the straights.
Although simulator speeds were a reference, they were generally correlated with actual performance.
Seeing this data, Vinares' tense expression eased slightly. Fortunately, the bike had been upgraded last time.
"This is the power of money!"
Zhang Mingzhi sighed beside him. In reality, there was another way to win more easily: spend money. Invest tens of billions or even hundreds of billions in research and development, and they could surely build an engine superior to others, crushing them with sheer vehicle performance.
But this was unrealistic, and it was a matter of probability. The cost and value were disproportionate.