Chapter 37
As the next two weeks quickly passed the Takahashi Racing Team practiced even harder than before; even the pit crew was running drills while the drivers weren't even near the cars. Ryosuke was keeping close tabs on the health of his team, and Fumihiro and Natsuki were keeping an eye on everything else. Two days before they were to go to Suzuka for the opening race of the season Ryosuke gave his whole team two days off to rest while the support staff went to the track and started setting things up. When the team arrived at Suzuka the paddock was already crowded with people from multiple racing series. Hardly any of them could contain their excitement since this would be their debut race.
Just after open practice had ended for the Super GT series on the first day of the race weekend, the drivers of the team were in their motor home watching their laps of the course. Mikio was helping Kyoko and Wataru get the cars ready for qualifying the next day. When there was a knock at the door Gavin paused the film and called whoever it was in.
"Good to see you're making good use of your off track time," an older man with short jet black hair said with a chuckle from just inside the doorway.
"Hiro-san, Ryosuke-san said you might be dropping in on this race," Tatsuo said with a polite bow after recognizing the man.
"Well, Motegi gets kind of boring when there is nothing going on," Hiro replied with a chuckle, "I'd like to officially introduce you to someone."
The black haired man motioned towards the taller brown haired man behind him who'd been silent up till then.
"I do hope you recognize me from when we met in Motegi last year," the man said with a smile, "I believe it was Reynolds-kun here that pulled me into second place after he took the lead."
"You drove the blue SC430 then?" Gavin asked trying to remember the team's name.
"Glad to see I'm remembered for something even though I was on last year's championship team," the brown haired man replied with a chuckle before he continued, "My teammate and I weren't exactly pleased with losing, it was our press officer that was rather rude during the post race press conference," he added with a slightly apologetic tone.
"Well since names seem out of your reach, Gavin Reynolds, Reiko Sasa…sorry Reynolds, Nika Mahara and Tatsuo Sasaki," Hiro said with a chuckle as he pointed out each of the members of the Takahashi Racing Team that were present, "This is Kanzaki-san."
"Well, how are things with your team?" Tatsuo asked once Hiro had left them to take a phone call.
"Not too bad," Kanzaki replied with a small smile, "I read the profiles in that magazine a couple weeks ago, said that the two GT500 drivers of this team were married, so I figured I'd come by and congratulate you two," he said with a kind smile towards Reiko and Gavin.
"Thanks, I read in the same magazine that your wife is pregnant with your…" Reiko paused trying to think of the number.
"Second child," Kanzaki supplied with a warm tone and a happy smile of his own.
"Well congratulations to you as well then," Tatsuo said shaking the older man's hand.
"Listen, I know it's not exactly a good thing to wish luck to an opponent but," the brown haired man paused for a moment, "Good luck to you all on race day."
"Thank you Kanzaki-san, good luck to you and your wife as well," Tatsuo said with a sly smile that caused everyone to laugh.
Kanzaki left the motor home allowing the team to get back to watching the track videos. Gavin cooked a good size meal for the whole team in the motor home's galley kitchen before everyone turned in for the night. Gavin and Reiko were spending the weekend in their separate bedrooms as per the team rules even though they were married. Natsuki and Izumi spent the night in one of the trackside hotels along with the few non-essential personnel on the team.
When Gavin got onto the track for the first qualifying laps, he noticed a few slick spots in the track surface as he made his way through the first lap. Taking note of each of the spots he dodged them without losing time through his second and third laps. Reiko did the same through all three of her laps and that managed to get them in fifth place in the starting grid for the GT500 after the other drivers had done their qualifying laps. Tatsuo and Nika managed a respectable fifth in the GT300 since Nika hit one of the slicker spots on the track and lost just enough time to lose both third and fourth as the qualifying went on.
"You did well for your first time in a huge crowd. Just remember what you've learned in your training and you'll be just fine tomorrow," Ryosuke said looking over his drivers as they seemed to sulk about the motor home.
After Ryosuke left them to oversee the work the mechanics were doing, Gavin and Nika turned in so they'd be ready to start the race the next day. Reiko and Tatsuo sat at the small table in front of the berths that the mechanics would use once they stopped working. Mikio was still with the mechanics and he was rather enjoying the job.
"I'm nervous about tomorrow brother," Reiko said quietly as she sat across from her brother.
"I am too sister, we have the race on us tomorrow, but we'll be fine as long as we keep our heads," Tatsuo replied in the same quiet tone.
"I just hope things go as well as they did in Motegi," the black haired girl said playing with one of the many curls in her hair, "I'm going to turn in."
Reiko got up and walked towards the room where Gavin was sleeping before she realized what she was doing and turned towards the other door. Tatsuo sat for a few more minutes until turning in himself. He was able to hear the mechanics come in before he fell into a peaceful sleep. The next morning all of the drivers were pulled into the pre-race meeting and were only slightly annoyed to hear that it would be raining by the time the race was to start.
"Reynolds-kun, my wife had the idea of inviting you and your wife to dinner after the race. She wants to meet the people who beat the reigning champions," Kanzaki said with a slight chuckle as the two men walked out of the building behind a few other drivers.
"I'm sure she'd enjoy it Kanzaki-san, I'll talk it over with her before starting time and have the team's press officer let your wife know," Gavin said with a smile.
Once everything was settled and the cars were on the starting line the first signs of rain showed. It was only a drizzle that would not delay the start, but it set all the teams on edge. Gavin and Nika weaved back and forth getting what feel they could for the wet track surface any chance they could. When the cars were lined up in their places along the starting grid once again the rain started getting a little heavier.
'I get the feeling this is going to be a hell of a start,' Gavin thought as he sat waiting for the lights to turn green.
Nika was in the GT300 pack as the two drivers felt their adrenaline levels begin to rise. When the lights turned green it was a mad dash to the first corner. Gavin managed to get by the fourth place driver on the outside of the right handed corner before flying into the next tighter right hander. Nika found herself stuck behind two cars that were so busy blocking her in they were starting to lose ground against the rest of the pack as they flew through the five s-curves.
"This is ridiculous, I can't open up the throttle," Nika said with a determined scowl on her face.
"Make a hole then, just like you'd do with an opponent in the mountain, push them into a mistake," Takumi replied through the radio.
When the FD hit the long Dunlop curve, the NSX was entering Degner curve just behind the third place SC430. Gavin was fighting off his own nerves as well as the black NSX he'd stolen fourth place from. When they flew into the ninth corner and through the short underpass the sky let loose and began raining buckets. Gavin saw a small opening and decided to give his luck a shot. At the tenth corner, a quick right hander, the SC430 hit a slick spot and slid out allowing the NSX just enough room to slide by right before the left handed hairpin putting him in third.
As Nika reached the underpass she could barely see through all the water spraying off the tires of the two cars in front of her. But Takumi was on the ball and gave her exactly what she needed to slide by through the very apex of the tenth corner and start chasing the rest of the cars in front of her. She managed to spot Gavin's NSX flying up the other side of the hairpin as she floored the throttle in an attempt to keep her own third position and to try and catch her teammate.
'Come on FD let's show them what we've got,' Nika thought as the two cars of the Takahashi Racing Team flew through the extremely long right handed curve before the Spoon Curve.
The FD managed to close the gap on her opponent through the long curve but was unable to get by no matter what she tried as they got closer and closer to the Spoon Curve. The NSX was just entering the thirteenth corner, first of the Spoon Curve's corners, as the fourth place SC430 managed to retake its position putting Gavin back into the fourth position.
"Damnit!" Gavin shouted as they pushed through the fourteenth corner and into the long straight.
"It's only the first lap, no need to worry yet Gavin-kun," Keisuke's voice said through the radio.
Gavin remembered his place and let off the throttle allowing only a small gap to open up before the Casino Triangle. Nika got the same reminder as she was passed on the straight by one of the cars that had been so intent on blocking her in. As the laps began to rack up Gavin managed to get into the second position before the driver change out; Nika managed to hold onto her fourth position. When Reiko took her place in the NSX she was still in second position as she rejoined the track. Something went wrong during Nika and Tatsuo's change out; one of the tire changers spun the lugs off of the new tire by accident. This slip up put them near the back of the GT300 pack.
Tatsuo fought hard for the first couple laps to stay out of last place before he was finally able to start making his way through the pack one at a time chasing an invisible NSX through the field. Reiko on the other hand wasn't faring so well, she was under the constant attack of Kanzaki and his blue SC430. Eventually she was passed cleanly on the inside of the fifth s-curve. She didn't see the second NSX but Keisuke's warning kept her from driving right over it trying to get on the SC430's rear bumper.
"Think they'll pull this off?" Izumi asked as the two cars' positions were clearly marked on the screen in front of her and Gavin.
"No idea, even if they don't it's going to put us on the map after those first laps of mine and Tatsuo's," the buzz cut blonde said tugging at his dog tags a little as he watched his new wife fly around the hairpin.
"I'm sure you've got more confidence in Reiko-san than that, she is holding fourth place right now," the auburn haired woman said with a small smile.
"I do, but this is the real thing and this race falls on her shoulders, what's worse is she knows that."
"You think her nerves will cause a problem?"
Gavin didn't reply as they watched Reiko try to pass the third place car along the outside of the fifteenth corner, a long left hander. She failed but managed to hang onto her fourth place even though there was another SC430 right on her back bumper.
Tatsuo had managed to fight his way back up to fourth place in the last corners of the penultimate lap. Reiko was holding onto hers as well. When Reiko flew through her last lap nothing could touch her from behind and the third place GT500 car, a black NSX, simply refused to give up its spot before the finish line. Tatsuo was pushing hard to catch the third place GT300 car, a bright red FD. As they came into the Casino Triangle in the last lap the blue and gold FD lost all power causing Tatsuo to panic for a moment.
"Fujiwara-san I think something's wrong, I've got my foot on the floor but she's not going anywhere fast," the black haired young man said through the radio.
"You're out of it then, move over and let the faster cars by and get into pit lane," Takumi responded with a serious tone.
"It's probably an Apex seal, I can still finish," Tatsuo said pushing his foot all the way to the floor as he came out of the seventeenth corner.
"Don't tear up my car Tatsuo-kun," Takumi's voice said sounding more serious than before, forcing the younger man to let out and pull into pit lane and since their pit box was after the finish line they actually maintained a finishing spot of two spots shy of last place.
When the race came to its official end the Takahashi Racing Team wasn't even on the podium. A few journalists came by the boxes to wish them well and congratulate them on a superb race as well as ask a few questions about the rookie team on the field. It wasn't until almost an hour later that the rain started to let up enough for all the teams to start packing up their cars and tools.
"We lost pretty spectacularly today huh?" Gavin asked no one in particular, holding his head low as the mechanics worked around him.
"There is nothing for you to be ashamed of, you ran your race, just the way you've always done," Ryosuke's voice came through the garage, "You shouldn't feel ashamed if you put up your best fight Mr. Reynolds."
"I'm not ashamed, just disappointed that I let myself get pulled along the way I did, especially in this rain," the buzz cut blonde replied seriously, "If I had waited as we all did in Motegi, we could have won."
"The future is unpredictable, the past is set in stone, learn from the past to make the future yours Reynolds-kun," Kanzaki said stepping around the corner of the garage door, "My wife is right behind me so if you and yours are ready to go, we'll go to dinner and talk about all this."
"Ryosuke-san?" Gavin said looking at his team's owner.
"Go ahead, we shouldn't need you or Reiko for the rest of the loading process," Ryosuke replied kindly, "Do you need a car?" he asked with a small smirk.
"Couldn't hurt, Reiko and I left ours at the training grounds," Gavin replied with a slightly embarrassed look.
Ryosuke simply reached into his pocket, pulling his keys out and throwing them to the younger blonde.
"Not a scratch Mr. Reynolds," the brown haired man said with a chuckle before walking out of the garage area.
"Why do I feel like I just asked my Dad for the keys to his car just to take a girl out on Saturday night?" the young blonde asked with a chuckle as he looked at the keys in his hand.
Kanzaki simply shrugged with a smile of his own before Gavin went to retrieve Reiko so they could go to dinner with one of their opponents. When they got back to the garage area Gavin had the smarts to ask which car the keys went to before trying to leave. Ryosuke surprised everyone within earshot when he told him they were the keys to his FC and that as long as he respected the car and didn't try racing it, it would be open to use after races to any of the drivers who were without a vehicle and wished to leave.
"Aniki, why did you really let Reynolds-kun borrow your FC? You barely ever let me drive that thing," Keisuke asked once everyone had gotten back to their jobs.
"He and his wife had a date with another driver and their wife, said driver and wife weren't returning to the track afterwards by my understanding, Gavin-kun and Reiko-chan are leaving with us tomorrow, meaning they'd be back at the track tonight," Ryosuke replied as though he were explaining it to a child making his brother pout just a little, "Gavin-kun left his car at the school, therefore he needed a car."
"You didn't have to be so patronizing about it you know," the spiky blonde replied with a snarky tone before going back to his own work.
Just outside the track at a small, but rather fancy restaurant Gavin and Reiko were formally introduced to Kanzaki's wife before they went inside and sat down. She was a fair appearing woman who, even though just shy of three months pregnant with her second child, was still rather slim and wearing her shoulder length black hair with a slight curl.
"Kanzaki-san, my team wanted me to extend their congratulations to you on your second place finish," Gavin said just as the waiter brought their drinks.
"Why don't we just call each other by our first names? honorifics optional since there are two married couples here," the brown haired man said with a chuckle, "Mine is Takeshi, my wife's is Kumiko, though I guess you knew that after reading the profile on me."
"Sounds like a plan to me, if you don't mind it that is Mrs. Kanzaki," the buzz cut blonde replied with utmost respect.
"It's fine young man, no need to get confused over which person someone is trying to talk to," the black haired woman replied with a kind smile.
"Now then, since that is settled what have you and your teammates been up to since Motegi?" Takeshi asked with an interested tone.
"Training mostly, we've got nearly two weeks off starting tomorrow when we get back to our training facility, what we'll do with that amount of time off who knows?" Reiko replied with a small giggle.
"I know I'm going to be making phone calls for a while tomorrow trying to track down where my folks are," Gavin said with a slightly saddened tone.
"I'm guessing they weren't at the race then," Takeshi said with a half worried tone.
"Dad got reposted, right around the time the race started he and Mom were getting on a plane to go back to America," the buzz cut blonde said with a calm tone, "Kinda hated missing the send off, want to be sure they got there okay."
"Well I'm sure they hated missing this race too, I know my father hated that he had to miss my first race as a professional," Takeshi said with a chuckle.
The two couples talked for a couple hours, Gavin and Takeshi mostly about the race while Reiko and Kumiko talked about things more interesting to the pregnant woman. When Gavin and Reiko got back to the track they noticed most of the equipment for the GT500 NSX, as well as the car itself, were already on the truck and one of the pit crew members was buttoning everything up. The main line FD was still sitting in the garage area with Wataru and Kyoko working away at it.
"What's going on?" Gavin asked after the couple was inside the garage area.
"Just trying to figure out what happened to the engine, Tatsuo said it had a power fall off along with a pretty severe racket after the fall off," Kyoko answered from under the hood.
"Couldn't this wait till after we got it back to the school?" the buzz cut blonde asked leaning over the car's engine as well, Reiko shrugging the situation off and turning in for the night.
"Could have, but now it won't even turn over," the dirty blonde haired woman replied, "And the transmission is stuck in gear so we can't move it."
Gavin stepped around to the driver's door and climbed in to the cramped seat and pressing the clutch in, he figured out which gear it was stuck in before giving the shifter a solid punch in the direction of the neutral position. He gave a slight victorious huff when the shifter moved into the neutral position.
"Let's try pushing it now," he said once he'd freed himself from the car.
Wataru looked at Gavin with a confused stare as he tried to figure out what the younger man knew that they seemed not to. Kyoko closed the hood but didn't put the pins in to keep it down before Gavin let her into the driver's seat so she could steer the car. The car moved freely and was on the truck and strapped into its proper place within ten minutes.
"Okay, what did you do?" Wataru asked still staring at the FD as the gate on the truck was closing.
"Racing transmissions are sometimes a little stubborn it would seem, one solid thump and it came out of gear," Gavin said with an honest tone and a shrug, "I honestly didn't think it would work."
Wataru shook his head before telling the younger man to turn in for the night. Gavin found Mikio and Izumi in his bed already asleep so he took a couple short steps and went into Reiko's room and passed out next to his already sleeping bride.