Mia stood inside the pit garage, staring at the central computer.
Numbers scrolled across the screen—she understood each English word individually,
but when they were combined into specialized racing data… she was completely lost.
The only thing she truly understood was the time.
"How is it? How many minutes?" Leon walked in, removing his gloves.
"Five minutes and eighteen seconds. Not bad at all," Mia said with approval.
The track was roughly ten kilometers per lap.
Unlike traditional F1 circuits, CF tracks were built with environmental variety in mind—
not just grass and asphalt, but forests, coasts, valleys, and slopes.
The terrain was unpredictable and complex.
For a first attempt, Leon's lap time was already excellent.
"Once I'm fully familiar with the track, I should be able to push it below five minutes," Leon said confidently.
In formula racing, every second mattered—
even shaving off one second could completely change a racer's standing.
"I wonder how much better the Tyrant will perform after these new components?" Mia looked expectantly at the rebuilt machine.
The Tyrant had already been fully reassembled—
the speed was outrageous.
Every adjustment was done according to Momo's optimal calculations.
With full mechanized assistance,
everything from disassembly to reassembly happened at blinding speed.
"Let's try it and find out," Leon said, putting his helmet back on.
The Tyrant rolled back onto the track—
a new round of testing began.
Saturday arrived—
a big day, and not just for the racing world.
Two major news stories were spreading across both Japan and the U.S.
First, word got out that Jordan Belfort—the Wolf of Wall Street—had invested one billion dollars into Leon.
Unfortunately, Japanese media had already labeled Leon as
"the least likely to win,"
and possibly someone who wouldn't even place within the top ten.
Numerous Japanese racing analysts reviewed his habits and style and reached the same conclusion:
Leon was destined to fail CF.
"Leon likes drifting the tight inside line when cornering—that's a disaster in F1."
"He never uses the brakes. With standardized regulations, he'll crash for sure."
"Formula racing relies entirely on steering-wheel control—sports cars don't work like that."
"Belfort's investment is doomed. He's throwing his money into the ocean."
Mockery filled the Japanese airwaves.
Not only did they dismiss Leon—
they also ridiculed Belfort as making the worst investment of the century.
And because of the controversy, Belfort's stock holdings began to fall sharply.
His company's stock—and the shares held by his associates—
all plummeted, triggering panic among investors.
People rushed to sell, creating a chain reaction.
Yet strangely—
no matter how many shares were dumped, mysterious "big hands" kept buying all of them.
Investors were puzzled and uneasy.
The second major event was the CF qualifying race held today.
Though hosted in Japan,
Leon's participation had drawn massive attention from the U.S. and Europe as well.
Everyone was watching this race—
because the fate of Belfort's stock revival
depended entirely on whether Leon could secure a top qualifying position.
If Leon succeeded, the stock price would rebound violently.
This was no longer just a race—
this was a global financial storm.
Even though qualifying wasn't the main race,
it had become the most emotionally loaded event of the entire weekend.
CF Qualifying Format
Qualifying was divided into two stages.
Saturday 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. → First Qualifying Round
Sunday morning → Second Qualifying Round
To gain a prime spot on the starting grid for the main race,
a driver had to pass both time-trial stages.
During the one-hour session, each racer was allowed only one timed lap.
For the first qualifying round:
Drivers appeared in reverse order of previous season results—
the best driver from last time would run last.
For the second qualifying round:
Drivers appeared in reverse order of first-round lap times.
The driver with the fastest combined time earned Pole Position (P.P.)—
known as the "pole" or "the spear."
On narrow tracks where overtaking was difficult,
qualifying order could directly determine the race outcome.
Formula racing already made overtaking difficult—
give a narrow track, and starting near the front almost guaranteed victory.
Though, of course, legends like Schumacher had broken such rules—
winning seven championships in a row.
Round One Begins
Only one car was allowed on track at a time.
Once a lap was completed, the time appeared on the big screen,
and drivers were ranked accordingly.
Newcomers were always scheduled first.
Last year's champion went last—
bearing the heaviest pressure.
Because if the drivers ahead achieve incredible lap times,
the final racer often cracks mentally trying to surpass them.
The First Driver: Leonhardt
Nicknamed the Wild Barbarian Kid.
He had joined a key team this year,
and his fierce, aggressive driving quickly put him among the top rookies.
His machine was the Meteorstar MS—
a beast-like design with a front nose shaped like a feral animal.
Three rear thrusters.
Dual stabilizing wings.
Its performance outclassed most race machines.
Leon Hart climbed in, gave a thumbs-up to Edyly,
and moved slowly to the starting line.
A 30-second countdown began.
Five red lights lit up in sequence.
When all five went dark—
the Meteorstar exploded forward.
0–100 km/h in two seconds.
Relentlessly building speed—
300 km/h in just fifteen seconds.
Not a myth—pure reality.
The roar of the Meteorstar's engine electrified the crowd.
It was a black comet streaking across the course.
Though he had withdrawn from ten of his twelve races,
his technique remained solid.
With no opponents blocking him,
his corner-entry speeds climbed to insane levels—
150 km/h through tight curves,
then accelerating back up to 300 on exit.
A black bolt of lightning flashed across the circuit.
His final time: 4 minutes 46 seconds.
He wasn't considered a top-tier racer,
yet he had posted a terrifyingly strong time.
The racers waiting behind felt their hearts sink.
Pressure crashed onto them instantly.
Leon's earlier test lap—five minutes flat—
now felt laughably insufficient.
"Next driver: U.S. guest racer—Leon!"
Leon's turn had come.
~~----------------------
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