148 Toyota Sponsorship (Chapter 7)
Listening to Uncle Lu’s statement, Zhang Yifei felt very uncomfortable. Uncle Lu was not only his elder, but also his career mentor.
If possible, he wanted Uncle Lu to witness his success and watch himself step by step on the podium of the championship.
But equally, he could understand the difficulty and pain in Uncle Lu's heart now.
More than ten years of professional racing career have caused him to lose his closest navigator and his daughter's trust and reliance. His long retirement career has also eroded his blood and impulse. He is no longer the king of Chinese cars, but just an ordinary Hong Kong kart coach.
Faced with the rebellion of the daughter and the wife's bond, it is a very normal behavior to let go of everything and devote yourself to your career again, and it is also a responsibility that a father and husband should have.
Apart from the accident and shock at the beginning, after a few words, Zhang Yifei actually felt that in a sense, Uncle Lu made the right choice.
"Uncle Lu, you don't have to say sorry to me. Actually, I respect and support your decision very much. You should do this. It's because I thought it was too simple before."
"Yifei, I..."
Lu Ningping wanted to say a few more words, but he felt a little sorry for Yifei, as if he had abandoned him.
"Uncle Lu, don't let your mother-in-law and mother. After all, we are the king of China's car and the big figure of the flag!"
"Ningjing and aunt need you more. Just as you said, it will be the world of young people in the future. It is time for you older generations to rest."
"By the way, Uncle Lu, how about the visa for Brother Zhi and Hu Zi, the first stop will be in Italy, and the visa should be relatively easier."
Lu Ningping knew that Zhang Yifei changed the topic, and he was not a particularly accustomed person. Since he had already decided, then turn this page over and start talking about serious matters.
"Visa is complicated, because there will be seven events in this Renault 2000 European Cup, and it is not realistic to apply for a visa for each country. Moreover, they are not considered formal employees of Toyota team, and it is difficult to get a work visa."
"I found Mr. Huo from Hong Kong Island. He is very supportive of the national sports industry and is willing to help them with visa issues. It is not a problem to solve the work visa, so that the 26 Schengen countries in Europe can be free to enter and exit freely."
Zhang Yifei knew Mr. Huo’s name. He is not only a top rich man in Hong Kong, but also has extremely close ties with the central government. More importantly, he is a red capitalist and has always strongly supported the sports industry.
But Zhang Yifei didn't expect that Uncle Lu could actually talk to Mr. Huo, who is a legendary figure.
"If this happens, it should be fine. I will meet Zhige and the others in Europe at that time."
"Well, people should pay more attention when they are abroad in the future."
"Don't worry, Uncle Lu, I'm not a tender bird now."
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yifei devoted himself to the track practice as usual, and was not saddened by the decisions of the old man and Uncle Lu. What he said before was not a guest talk, but a rational thought. Their decision was more reasonable than his previous plan.
The number of trainees on the track is less than before the simulation event, and this phenomenon has been going on for some time.
Not everyone can achieve self-discipline and persistence like Zhang Yifei. Many of the youth training students have no persistence and perseverance. If they can’t get the quota for competition, they will lose the energy. So they can easily paddle and wait until the quota for the next event to work harder.
But they never thought that when the next event comes, will they definitely win against the drivers who are still training on the track?
The answer is obvious. This is also the philosophy that Zhang Yifei has always believed in. Most people work so low that they have never had time to compete for talent.
However, Zhang Yifei was not surprised by this phenomenon. The big waves were washed away by the sand, and only the drivers who were both talented and hardworking could survive. There were not many adults with great perseverance, so could they require teenagers to persevere?
There are many people in any industry at the basic stage, and there are very few people who can really reach the end. Not to mention the primary equation stage, even at the level of gp3 and gp2, Europe has a lot of champions. They may be only one step away from f1, but it is precisely this step that many drivers may not be able to get through in their lifetime.
At the end of the track practice, Junko Takeda and Ukyo Yamamoto came to Zhang Yifei and discussed with him the sponsorship of Renault's European Cup.
"Yifeijun, this time, there are seven sub-stops in Renault's 2000 European Cup, with a time span of five months. The time is one month shorter than the previous European Cup, which means that the schedule is more intensive and the challenges are greater."
"The first race will be held at the Monza Track in Italy, with more than 30 drivers participating, including ten European teams. Among them, prea, Cram, and Mano should pay special attention to it. They are regular visitors to the Formula Renault champions."
Listening to Junko Takeda's introduction, Zhang Yifei kept nodding. Compared to the familiarity of the rally track, he knew very little about equations, especially the Renault European Cup 20 years ago. It can be said that his understanding is zero.
If there is no professional team manager, then I will definitely be distorted and rely entirely on on-the-spot performance.
"For the time being, I will only tell you a general overview. I will wait until Europe to discuss the details. This time I will mainly talk to you about the sponsorship of Toyota team."
"Manager Junko, please speak."
To put it more realistically, Zhang Yifei can find ways to overcome the difficulties in the race, and the money is the key point at the moment. Just the one million given by the old man before, it is not enough to run Renault 2000 in Europe, and even half of it can't be completed at your own expense.
"The Renault 2000 European Cup, because of different relationships with car manufacturers, you can only participate in the name of paid drivers, which means that every race requires renting Renault's cars and delivering various fees."
"However, Toyota will provide you with technical support, and the expenses within the scope of the event, as well as your personal travel expenses, and other expenses outside the scope will be solved by you."
"no problem."
Although Zhang Yifei has not run into Formula races, he still knows the racing process. The team will only sponsor the event expenses. After all, they are not philanthropists. It is impossible for you to bring your family to travel, and all kinds of shopping expenses will be reimbursed.
"Since you're sure that there's no problem, we'll book your flight to Milan International Airport and you'll soon have the first official Formula game."
"Thanks."
Zhang Yifei nodded and thanked him. The Toyota team is indeed very kind to the training of youth training drivers.
"By the way, there is another thing I want to tell you. This time I will be your team assistant to help you handle matters related to the event. In addition, Ukyo Sang is still your data analyst, helping you perform data analysis and formulate game strategies."
"What, I have the team assistant and the competition engineer?"
Chapter completed!