Lin Yan walked over and took the helmet out of the square transparent glass. The golden helmet was much the same as in his previous life, with a large rear wing and carbon fiber material. The helmet brand was Shoei, the same brand he wore for this race.
The material was not considered expensive, but its significance was priceless.
His number, twenty-seven, was printed on the side of the helmet, and a string of English words was on the visor, symbolizing striving without fear and never admitting defeat.
This was a commemorative helmet, not practical.
The moment Lin Yan picked up the helmet, a burst of fire erupted from the sidelines again, like fireworks, celebrating the birth of this world champion.
After making a few celebratory gestures from his previous life towards the cameras, Lin Yan's gaze shifted to one side of the track. According to his information, the old man would be here today.
A moment after Lin Yan held up the helmet, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a director from the racing association walked over from nearby.
He was in his fifties, wore glasses, a sharp black suit, and a name tag on his chest. He looked like a minor character, followed by a podium girl in a hot uniform.
"Huh? Who is this uncle? Isn't the last stop just to award a helmet? What is this guy doing, bringing a girl for Lin Shen?" The spectators in the stands were a bit bewildered by the appearance of these two. They had just snapped out of their previous excitement.
"I don't know, maybe some new award."
The young man next to him muttered, glancing towards the stage. However, the plaque held by the uniformed girl was covered with a red cloth, making it impossible to see what it was.
These two were not who Lin Yan was waiting for; he was waiting for someone behind them.
"Look, the boss of GP is out."
In less than a moment, another scream erupted from the stands. As the two emerged, a third person followed behind them.
As he appeared, someone on the stage immediately recognized him. Seeing him, not only the spectators but also the reporters below were unsettled. Why was he here?
The old man who came out later was the general manager of Blue Star GP's operations, also known in the jianghu as the boss behind GP. His appearance meant that things were not simple.
The three walked down the stairs in the middle of the stands and stood in front of Lin Yan.
Lin Yan looked at the old man who came out last. He was around sixty years old, wearing a brown suit and had white hair. He looked somewhat kind. In Lin Yan's memory, he was very familiar with this person, the person in charge of GP Sports and the highest-ranking official at the event.
"Who is this old man? The boss of GP? Good heavens, what is he here for?"
"I don't know, probably something big is happening."
His appearance caused the emotions of those present to calm down slightly, and their voices became quieter, but discussions continued to rise and fall.
When the old man reached Lin Yan, the two exchanged a glance, as if by magic, and then parted. Lin Yan instinctively wanted to reach up and touch his nose but stopped himself.
From the look in the other's eyes, Lin Yan realized that this guy was probably really here to present him with a Hall of Fame award. Speaking of the Hall of Fame, Lin Yan felt a little excited, as he had never been inducted in his previous life.
However... according to his speculation, he would probably be inducted posthumously when he died.
The old man's eyes on Lin Yan held a look of admiration, which not only Lin Yan noticed but also the surrounding reporters.
This was going to be big news.
As expected, Lin Yan's guess was correct.
After the old man withdrew his gaze, he turned and lifted the red cloth from the girl's hand. On the plaque was a triangular gray medal.
It was indeed the Hall of Fame emblem.
The eyes of the reporters present were all focused on him and the girl behind him; they had clearly seen it too.
The Hall of Fame plaque was an inverted triangle, gray, with the driver's number printed in the center. It was simple but carried immense honor.
The accompanying director picked up the Hall of Fame medal and respectfully handed it to the old man.
"Hiss, it really is number 27."
As the gray medal was picked up, someone noticed the number on it: it was Lin Yan's number, 27. A current driver being inducted into the Hall of Fame? Damn it, it was unprecedented!
Historically, even drivers with the highest achievements were never inducted into the Hall of Fame prematurely; awards were only presented after retirement. This had been an unchanging tradition in GP's nearly hundred-year history, and now this tradition seemed to be broken.
Damn, this is big news, I almost forgot to take pictures.
After watching for a while, some reporters finally reacted and started snapping photos furiously.
"Lin, congratulations on breaking GP's century-old deadlock. Your talent is the strongest I've seen in my decades of work."
As he personally placed the medal around Lin Yan's neck, the old man spoke some formal words in English.
Of course, his formal words were also true to a certain extent.
"I hope you can continue to work hard and not disappoint the board's expectations."
After the old man finished speaking, Lin Yan subtly glanced at the medal. As expected, there was no ranking. The Hall of Fame had rankings; induction was based on achievements, records, and the number of championships. Since he hadn't retired yet, there was no ranking for him.
This major news of Lin Yan's induction into the Hall of Fame hit the trending searches in China in less than half an hour, with international reporters contributing a large part to this.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, sitting in the back seat of a rented Cullinan, Lin Yan looked at the news on his phone with a wry smile. It was too fast; half an hour, not even time to react.
Lin Yan had a strange feeling that this trending topic was something he had bought.
"Where are we going?"
Putting away his phone, Lin Yan looked out the window and asked with a smile.
"To that mountain park we went to last time."
Hearing Lin Yan's question, Su Moqin, sitting beside him, replied and leaned her body against Lin Yan, resting her head on his shoulder. When they came to Valencia before, they had climbed a mountain, and there was a small park halfway up the mountain with a good view. So, she wanted to bring her parents to see it, considering it a side trip.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yan nodded and didn't ask further. It was good for the family to go out and explore.
The car slowly drove along the mountain road. Lin Yan reached out and opened the car window, letting the wind blow through the gap and onto his face.
"Cold?"
Lin Yan patted the top of the little girl's head.
"Not cold. Stop patting my head, I won't grow any taller."
Leaning on his shoulder, Su Moqin looked up and glared at Lin Yan, her lips pouting. With the two children not around, Su Moqin reverted to being the little girl who clung to Lin Yan and acted spoiled.
Looking at her hair blowing in the wind, Lin Yan reached out and put his arm around Su Moqin's shoulder.