Looking for an excuse of "playing in the water too late last night, I caught a little cold and I was not feeling well", Stark did not go to the pre-match press conference held the next day.

Because of his absence, the enthusiasm of the reporters has been reduced a lot, especially the few media that have never reported on sports events and come to Stark alone, and even gave up asking questions directly and pretended to be at the press conference. Blockhead.

Of course, the popularity of the press conference was also affected, and it did not reach the expected height.

For such a result, the event organizers are really depressed.

It is worth mentioning that the other drivers who attended the press conference were not in a good mood either. For example, the three-time champion Burns was very annoyed - this is the scene of the game, isn't everything based on results? Obviously I am the champion, and I have won the overlord-level champion for three consecutive years. Why is it not as popular as you, an inexperienced novice?

Envy or jealousy, in short, the drivers were somewhat dissatisfied because the attention was taken away by Stark, who was not present.

A few of them have even put Stark on the enemy's side, secretly making up their minds 'If Stark encounters difficulties and needs help during the game, and happens to be met by himself, he will never Help out' idea.

In this way, in the chaos, another day passed.

March 3, D-Day.

Finally came the first game day.

Although there was light rain in the sky, there were still countless crowds gathered near the departure point.

Some people came early in the morning, and some were especially active, coming the night before, lined up in tents, and waited all night.

On the temporary stand, on the open space separated by yellow tapes, on the street lamps and big trees beside the road, on the hillside and buildings in the distance, there are people everywhere.

Under the gray sky with the drizzle, the umbrellas that are stretched open are like mushrooms growing under the rain curtain, colorful and uncountable.

Under the expectations of many people, the time passed minute by minute, and at about 9:00 in the morning, the departure ceremony finally officially started.

According to convention, the riders of the motorcycle group are the first to set off. Stark's car group came in second, and the biggest truck group came last.

There are only a few teams that only participate in the motorcycle group competition, and some only participate in the car group competition. There are only a few teams that participate in all the competitions. Without exception, they are either directly affiliated to a well-known car brand. , or with technical and financial support from well-known automakers.

In contrast, the vast majority of the teams from the non-governmental sector - precisely because they are from the non-governmental sector, they are subject to various restrictions in terms of funds, technology, and personnel, and their strength is relatively weak, so they cannot be comprehensive in all aspects. Not giving up the idea of ​​an all-out attack, only participated in one or two events.

Interestingly, at the starting ceremony, the cheers from the folks were even louder.

It doesn't make sense to think about it.

After all, the Dakar Rally is different from other races - the race is more than ten days long, and it passes through many special sections. There are no strict restrictions on the route of travel, leaving room for players to choose by themselves. These two points are the most distinctive places in the Dakar Rally.

Therefore, it does not mean that the players have better skills and the logistical support from the team is more powerful, so they will definitely be able to get better rankings. In this game, perseverance and luck will also play a crucial role.

No one does not like to watch the "Weak Attack" drama, and the Dakar Rally, which focuses on perseverance and luck, is precisely a stage where this kind of drama is likely to be staged.

Rather than letting those players from big-name teams win the championship, in the hearts of the audience who are watching the fun and not afraid of big things, they obviously want to see players from small teams go up against the wind and overtake the seeded players as dark horses. I hope to see a more ups and downs plot and a more dramatic result.

Of course, I'm talking about 'pure' melon eaters.

People like Shi Xiaolei have a close relationship with the contestants. It is said that the audience is actually equivalent to a group of relatives and friends, and their mentality and ideas are definitely different from those of ordinary spectators.

"Xiao Lei Xiaolei, when will Tony appear?" Kang Na asked sullenly while holding Shi Xiaolei's head.

Although Tostak came to the VIP area where the crowd was not so crowded, the little girl was too short to see the situation in the middle of the venue through the crowd. As a last resort, Shi Xiaolei had to be a Malaysian. , let her ride on his shoulders.

"It will be a while." Feeling the little girl's restlessness, Shi Xiaolei quickly supported her calf: "Kang Na, don't move around, be careful to fall."

"Oh~." With a reply, Kang Na sighed a little bored: "Oh, it's so hard to wait."

"There should only be half an hour left." 2B, who was standing beside him, also heard the little girl's complaint.

"Really?" She looked down at 2B, and suddenly, Kona laughed again: "Giggle giggle, Sylvia, you are so short~."

Shi Xiaolei's height is over two meters, and the little girl's upper body is counted... From the ground up, Kang Na's angle of view can be almost two meters five. From this height, to see 2B, who is only about 1.6 meters tall, isn't it a 'short'?

"Pfft~."

2B got a black line on Conna's forehead, but Bayonetta and Pepper couldn't help but laugh.

While he was talking, Happy came from out of nowhere.

"It's almost the boss's order." While reporting to Pepper, Happy raised his right hand and handed a cone to the little girl riding on Shi Xiaolei's neck: "I just confirmed with the staff, there are seven more in front of me. Group players, according to the average speed of four or five minutes, there will be at most half an hour before the boss will appear."

"Thank you, Happy." Nodding, Pepper took 2B's arm: "Silvia~lightnovelpub.net~ You guessed right."

Wanting to say 'I didn't guess, but calculated it with reason and evidence', but felt it was unnecessary, 2B nodded lightly: "Yeah."

Half an hour, whether it's long or short... Well, it's mainly because the little girl's attention was distracted by the cone, and she didn't continue to complain, and Shi Xiaolei's mood also relaxed.

Otherwise, the half hour may not be so easy to get through.

finally.

"Come here~."

A low humming sounded from the audience as another car left the podium. In the reporter interview area, the number of shutter flashes suddenly became more frequent.

"Next up is the 26th contestant in the car group of this event. Although he has never won a championship or even participated in a race, he is one of the most watched players in this event, haha, Well, it looks like you've guessed who he is. That's right, our great inventor, come on, let's welcome Anthony~~Edward~~~Stark~~!"