Chen Zhen: That age and experience have all passed by

Chen Zhen, 27 years old, owner of an auto repair shop and representative of the "13-min racer on the 37.2km Second Ring Road".

In February 2006, he was held up at a police checkpoint when racing cars on Beijing’s Second Ring Road. He was later detained on a public order violation for seven days, becoming the first person in Beijing to be put into custody for speeding.

Chen Zhen, 27 years old, owner of an auto repair shop and once representative of the "13-min racer on the 37.2km Second  Ring Road".

In the western suburb of Beijing, there is a yard hidden behind an orchard and a vegetable field. A small plate and four or five damaged jeeps indicate that this yard is an auto repair shop.

Chen Zhen is the owner of this auto repair shop.

He claims that he no longer drives fast

One day in May 2009, standing in front of the journalists and wearing a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, with yellowish hair, Chen looked refined and clean. He spoke fast, using the simplest expressions such as “Yes,” “No” or “I don’t know.” He seemed no different from the “ever-victorious general” who won 11 consecutive races on the Second Ring Road three years ago.

However, now he no longer drives fast. Nor does he race on the Second Ring Road. His smile is peaceful and in his eyes there is no trace of the unrestrained ego of the past.

He said that the changes do not come solely from his experience of detention. He believed that the changes are brought by time instead. “At that age, I liked to do that kind of thing, and loved the feeling of driving fast in the traffic stream. Now that is all gone.”