III
44: Last Races of the Year
III
I watched the headlights of Kenta's S14 and Takihiro's S13 as they descended together down Enna's hill. As I had a moment alone as Tomiguchi and Fumihiro were coordinating tuning together, I took out my laptop and loaded up a few simulations I had brought with me.
They all told me the same thing, if I was fast enough to beat Daiki Ninomiya with a downgraded version of the FC than there would only be a couple drivers who could possibly give me a good race, let alone have a chance of beating me.
Tomoyuki Tachi, Shinji Inui, Dr. Toshiya Joshima, and Sakamoto of the Northern Saitama Alliance.
My race against Tomoyuki Tachi on Happogahara's downhill would undeniably give me a win. The first few runs would be close, but heading into the fourth run I would be able to pull away. It wouldn't be easy facing a driver on Kyoichi Sudo's skill level, but as I had proven it was possible.
Shinji Inui was tough, but I couldn't complete the entire simulation until after I had raced Dr. Joshima of the Purple Shadow.
Joshima himself would take two weeks of nonstop research and practice to defeat. It would test me on every level, driving ability, logistically, and mentally.
That just left Sakamoto, one of the few drivers left in Kanto who had a cornering speed high enough to push me. Same as with Inui, I needed to cross that bridge when I came to it.
Skill-wise, the only person I considered a threat was Dr. Joshima. After farming experience points through the Gamer having the Red Suns train and win races, winning my own races, and breaking through level capping by improving every day, the results were great.
I was going to be at level 109 by the time I began the Suns' off-season in November. Bunta Fujiwara, the fastest driver in the entire series, was only at LV 113 when I checked last. Giving him two levels of leeway as this was a long time ago, I was six levels behind the best racer in the series, an actual driving god.
Joshima should be more or less at Bunta's skill level. Shinji Inui, Tomoyuki Tachi, and Sakamoto were all lower level. I was currently LV 109, and Tachi would be at LV 108.
The year was finished, I just had to remind the racing world one last time of just how fast the Akagi Red Suns were. How fast the Rotary Brothers were. The Takahashi name was already renowned throughout northern Kanto. Everyone from magazines to regular racing fans highly respected both Keisuke and myself.
We both received respect and popularity on a level some professional drivers didn't.
But it didn't matter. None of the praise and worship didn't matter if I couldn't beat the Todo School and finish the most successful starting season of any racing team in Japan's history.
I would need to outline the exact details of our race to the Todo School soon, but for now it was clear that we would win.
III
Seeing him just type on his laptop and drink from a canteen of coffee he had brought with him, Daiki looked at Ryosuke from afar.
'I can tell just by looking at him this guy isn't your average street racer. But even beyond that his whole team looked impressive too, I haven't seen their driving yet, but it probably isn't anything weak. But this guy is just strange. He became a legend in Gunma by just using an FC?'
Daiki looked at his own car. 'My EK9 came out just this year. It's one of the best cars made for the downhill, complete with all the new bells and whistles that make it what many consider a blessing to drive fresh off the assembly line.'
'But that FC looks completely stock, at least from the outside. The tires seem to be the only part of it that look upgraded at all. Not the muffler, not the hood, anything. How can a car so outdated run at the same level of my EK from what the boss told me?'
Daiki squinted.
'The tuning must be hidden from the eye. But it's the driver that bothers me. An outdated FR using a rotary engine shouldn't go far at all, and this guy's one of those at the top from what I hear. I have to stay focused, we can't lose a battle on our home turf. Not under any circumstance.'
He watched as Ryosuke put his laptop away and began to approach him.
III
Todo smoked quietly as I walked towards him.
"You all liking the course?" he wondered.
I put my hands in my pockets. "Our practice runs just started, so I wouldn't know. But first I thought it would be prudent to explain just how we want to set up these races."
Todo chuckled. "Your methods are almost more famous than your actual team. You clear the course, set up crew members throughout, and use the best time overall to determine the winner. It might be old school but it works classic time attack."
"It does work." I agreed. "However I want to start moving the Red Suns to a different method of racing. One based more on concentration and stamina as well as including pure speed."
"Oh." Todo tapped his cigarette. "I'm listening."
"We can still use the recorded times to help gauge the pace of different parts of the race," I said, hiding the still ongoing need for claiming course records. "But I hope to have each driver start in front and then behind at the beginning of each run. Then switch until it's clear who won. Using a coin toss or however else to determine positions for the first run, think a cat and mouse run of sorts but with recorded times involved."
Todo scratched his chin. "Combines the old and the new. I like it. So what're the details then? The tires, the runs themselves."
"Well the runs are basically repeated with switched positions until it's clear there's a winner, not exactly sudden death. But I'll always leave the question of tires up to the local team out of respect."
Todo scoffed. "You're probably gonna hear this a lot, but no thank you. Same tires for the whole match."
I smiled a bit at Todo's response. "Alright then. Thank you for your cooperation."
I walked back to the small circle of Red Suns the team had formed, mainly a group led by Yakuma and Aisuke.
III
Todo watched Ryosuke walk away. 'Look you all got enough money to bring support vans filled with mechanics and spare parts all over Gunma and now Tochigi. Letting you switch out tires gives you a massive advantage, we can't just give that to you. Why even ask something like that? No one would ever let you switch out tires between runs.'
Daiki approached. "What're you thinking boss?"
"That these guys are even smarter than they look. A classic time attack gives them a huge advantage as they could just settle this in one go like they always do. Instead, they went with the harder albeit more honorable approach. It's clear this Ryosuke Takahashi person doesn't mess around. He knows his stuff when it comes to racing."
Daiki crossed his arms. "I don't like this. Not at all."
"Neither do I. Beating the Emperor's wasn't just part of their expeditions. Takahashi wanted to send a message to me, the guy who trained Sudo. That if he could beat him, the Todo School was next. Bold, but smart as well." said Todo. "You don't often see street racer's that have strategies at all, let alone ones that include a psychological aspect to them in any way."
Hearing this Daiki ground his teeth a little. "The nerve on these Red Suns."
III
Yakuma smiled as I approached. "Ryosuke, we were just talking about the course. What do you think of it?"
"That it's very simple. The entire course is just mirroring sections of each other. Both the uphill and downhill sections consist of hairpins and straights that are nearly identical to one another. Yakuma, I want you to work on your braking. Your accelerator work is very strong, but your speed in the corners will improve the better you brake."
"You got it Ryosuke."
"Aisuke. I want you to improve your steering. Pick better and better angles, and you will see your corners improve as well."
Aisuke nodded.
"This course is very straightforward. The straightaways are long and the hairpins repetitive in both rhythm and nature. The only real opponent you will have are yourselves, specifically the times you had on each prior run. With that in mind, you should be able to have a very clear path to improve tonight."
I sighed, looking downhill. From what I expected, Takihiro should actually begin to give Kenta a fight on the downhill.
III
As they battled through the corners of the Enna Skyline, the third-ranked driver of the Red Suns saw the silver S13 pressure him on the straights.
'My car is a better version of his. How is he so close?'
Kenta opened up the throttle heading out of the turn only to find Takihiro was accelerating just a bit after he did but was still faster on the exit of the hairpin. With a horsepower advantage, the silver S13 was able to keep up on the straight.
Tackling the oncoming hairpin, Kenta's entry speed was superior to Takihiro's, but the speed difference wasn't wide enough to cause Takihiro to lose ground. Instead, he hit the gas harder, throttling well during the acceleration portion of the corner.
The CA18DET's pistons began to hum louder as Takihiro shifted from second to third gear and switch from pressing the clutch and then his accelerator.
His line stronger, Takihiro stopped worrying so much about trying to keep up as he normally did facing a superior downhiller and instead focused on his corners. On each turn, he distributed the S13's weight evenly across all four tires, not losing control at all during his turns.
Kenta was sweating bullets, his eyes flickering from the rearview to the Enna Skyline's downhill.
'It's like he's a completely different driver tonight.'
"Stop driving Taki's car Aisuke! Just stop!" whined Kenta.
Keeping his eyes peeled, Takihiro continued to push himself at full throttle, following Kenta downhill. He wasn't fast enough to even attempt an overtake but how well he held his line kept him well within the S14's rearview at all times.
Takihiro braked for the oncoming turn, improving the skill he had been known for since racing Ryosuke years prior. His grip racing.
Slowing down, Takihiro steered lightly as he maintained the grip in all four tires and cleared the corner. He wasn't as nervous, rather focused instead.
As Kenta drifted and cornered sideways as the S13 gripped, even the S14's high cornering speed wasn't enough to lose an inferior car with a driver who only kept improving.
Takihiro shifted up coming out of the hairpin, continuing to press his horsepower advantage on the straights. In the next corner, it was almost the same as the previous one, with the silver S13's entry speed slightly inferior to Kenta's S14, but its exit speed much higher.
As they continued to battle downhill.
III
I watched as Kenta and Takihiro pulled up to Enna's peak in their Silvias.
When I heard the SR20DE and the CA18DET switch off, both drivers emerged from their cars.
"Well?" I asked as Takihiro exited the driver's seat of his S13.
Takihiro approached both Matsumoto and I. "My speed while drifting is fine, but I could use more traction in the corners for better speed when I use grip. What would you guys do for that?"
I turned to Kenta. "Well, that depends. Kenta, how'd Takihiro look on the downhill?"
"I thought he was Aisuke back there for a second. The way he held his line like it was nothing, pressuring on every hairpin. I'd say he earned it."
I almost laughed seeing the look on Aisuke's face out of the corner of my eye.
"For better traction." I began to explain. "We'd need to improve the S13's suspension. And how did the gearbox feel?"
Takihiro shrugged. "Fine, but the clutch felt stiff at times."
Matsumoto stopped writing down on his clipboard. "We'll fix all of that the next time you use it." He gave a nod and a pair of mechanics got to work checking the S13's internals to prepare for the tuning we'd need later.
Kenta spoke. "You guys really know how to keep her in shape." He threw a thumb towards his orange S14. "Can't say any part of my car felt bad. I could just use some newer tires."
All it took was a nod from me and our mechanics outfitted new tires on Kenta's S14 using electrical tire guns in about a minute and a half.
I opened up my laptop to recheck my simulated track of the Enna Skyline. As always, all I needed was a layout of the course and a computer to calculate the best speeds possible on any mountain road. The problem was both applying it to the actual track as well as being able to actually reach those speeds. The problem was that these computer simulations were so precise that in reality, it was hard to reach exactly what it described, even for me.
Even on my best runs, I was always off by a couple of decimals worth of kilometers per hour or an entire kph. This wouldn't be a lot, but during a run against someone like Tomoyuki Tachi every second, and every fraction of a second counted.
After Daito and Yakuma's uphill run I would be safe to start my downhill run of the course and Keisuke's hill climb practice.
It wasn't getting too late, so all of us had another run left before we could call it a night.
I turned to my uphillers. "Keisuke, Daito, Yakuma. I want you all at full throttle the moment you feel you know the course well enough for it." then I spoke to the downhillers. "Takihiro, Aisuke, Kenta, you three will be at each checkpoint and time all of us."
All six Red Suns spoke instantly. "Roger that!"
As everyone got ready for the uphill runs, the engines to the 180SX, S13, S14, both FDs, and Yakuma's Supra all sprang to life. Revving it up a bit, Keisuke lead the team downhill quickly.
I turned to the mechanics. "As soon as I'm done with my first run I can send you all home with what you'll need to work on. Only one support van needs to stay in order to change tires and any parts we may need."
III
Keisuke spoke into his walkie. "Got it."
Daito's green FD was in front, Yakuma's white Supra behind him.
Keisuke began to yell. "You start in five! Four!"
Yakuma's 2JZ-GTE roared as Daito's 13B-REW hissed and whirred, both cars marking the air loudly with horsepower.
"Three! Two! One! Go!"
As Keisuke threw his hand down, Daito and Yakuma had already shifted into first gear, hitting the gas to begin to climb uphill.
Keisuke watched as the green FD and white Supra flew past him up Enna's hill in thought.
'Yakuma looked smoother coming uphill. Both the Supra and the FD are some of the most well-tuned cars I've ever seen and they could probably put a GT-R in its place. But if the uphill's taught me one thing, whoever can use the accelerator better tends to win.'
III
The Red Suns selectively mute uphill ace was as calm as ever, shifting from first to second as he pushed his green FD harder. Hitting the gas, Daito's speed increased so sharply Yakuma was already forced to accelerate much harder or be left behind.
As the Supra began to struggle to meet the FD's pace, Daito was sure that all he had to do was always set the pace a step ahead of Yakuma's and the uphill run would be his.
Braking for the hairpin turn, Yakuma flicked the rear of the Supra around the corner in a fast power slide. Daito had already cleared the hairpin noticeably beforehand and was already on the straight a second ahead while the Supra was still completing the corner.
With superior horsepower, Yakuma's Supra should've recovered the ground lost in the corner but Daito was well enough ahead that he was able to maintain the gap.
'His car is lighter than mine and his braking is really good. That's why he's faster than me in the turns!'
The white Supra's twin turbochargers began to hiss and stutter, the 2JZ's high performance allowing Yakuma to stay within sight of the FD but still very behind.
Yakuma was struggling in the turns, already seeing the FD flying uphill on the straights by the time Yakuma had upshifted and accelerated out of the turn.
Daito maintained his pace hitting the clutch and then the gas to strengthen his lead. As the Supra continued to lag behind, Daito was now hitting the gas at full throttle sufficiently accustomed to the course.
Yakuma continued to struggle, having to both keep up with the FD as well as learn the course.
Up the straights, as both their power output was similar and Daito was farther ahead, the gap stayed the same. Entering the corners, Daito's entry and exit speed was superior and Yakuma continued to lag behind.
'I forget. With both our cars tuned so much, it's our driving that sets us apart. But I know I can catch up!'
Yakuma began to sweat, trying to keep his eyes attached to the rear of the FD, acting as a mental marker to reach.
Seeing the FD's taillights glow red, Yakuma began to get close enough to read Daito's corner.
'He's braking from third, enters second for a split second, and goes back just before he needs to accelerate. It's the timing that throws me off because our cornering styles are similar. He can't be faster than me, I know he can't.'
Continuing to want to close the gap, Yakuma hit the gas ignoring the weight advantage Daito had while staying focused on his braking. Timing his brake well, Yakuma watched as the gap between the Supra and the FD began to close after each corner.
Daito didn't look into his rearview, knowing that Yakuma was getting closer from how much stronger his headlights appeared in his peripheral vision.
As the green FD's brakes screeched for the hairpin turn, Daito steered hard to the right keeping his feet off both pedals for a split second before almost flooring the gas.
Yakuma's exit speed on the corner was high enough to stay close, the Supra now on the same pace as the FD on the straights and slowly but surely the turns.
Kenta spoke into his walkie as peppy as always. "Alright! Yakuma's behind but he's pressing Daito hard on these hairpins!"
As the uphill practice run continued, the pace was so high that by the time Yakuma had successfully begun throttling at his maximum potential they were evenly matched. The speeds of the cars became so similar that Daito was unable to pull away like he could at the beginning of the run. And Yakuma also had no chance to attempt an overtake.
III
Aisuke's voice was heard over the walkies. "They're still on the same pace! Their times are good but they're dead even!"
Fumihiro turned to me. "Taki and Kenta had this problem too. Why are these four so even?"
I finished typing a paragraph for a paper for med school on my laptop. "Well, the tuning behind all four cars is more or less the same. But if Aisuke practiced with either Kenta or Takihiro he'd beat both of them. It's the same thing with Keisuke in Daito and Yakuma's case. These four are just very similar in skill level."
"How?" asked Fumihiro. "Kenta was always faster than Taki. And Daito and Yakuma have completely different racing backgrounds."
"Normally I'd agree with you. But their control of the throttle, brakes, and gearbox, and especially the steering is very similar in terms of skill." I said. "Yakuma being more used to street racing instead of the circuit should give him a disadvantage, but he's tenacious. There are very few drivers who could lose at first, then manage to keep up with Daito Ryoma on the uphill and then continue to race. He's strong mentally, a very nice person through and through, but beneath the surface as steadfast as possible."
I decided to not even bother trying to get used to Enna before going downhill at full throttle. I was so used to memorizing courses from my computer simulations that it was almost second nature to me to have to spend twenty minutes at the most on my computer before just driving as fast as I could.
The Gamer also accelerated the speed at which I learned new courses heavily. The Enna Skyline as well was just a very simple track anyway.
My FC was still at Spec III, I just had the new carbon fiber hood and rear wing removed temporarily to make the Todo School think I was on Tomoyuki Tachi's level.
I knew I was, but the morale shock to the Todo School would help seal my victory.
Fumihiro sighed. "Just one last thing. But speed-wise, regardless of skill, how can Taki's old S13 ever be as fast as Kenta's S14? The S14 is one of the best cars ever made for the downhill."
"The S13 isn't too shabby either. But Takihiro's always been good at grip racing. And you can't get around the fact that grip is faster than drift. Kenta, like most who use drift as well as he does, just understands it well enough to make it competitive.
Matsumoto approached. "You've got a fresh set of tires on for this downhill run Ryosuke. She's ready when you are."
I put my laptop away. "All right then."
Tuning the S13 for grip wasn't a bad idea. Cars similar to the S13 on tracks like the Nurburgring can reach the highest speeds downhill racing could allow, it was only a matter of ability.
I knew this run with a stock exterior on the FC would be one of my last. My race against Daiki Ninomiya of the Todo School.
The engine of the FC was more powerful than ever. Even without a turbocharger, the 13B-T was at its peak level of efficiency in the four years I had driven the car competitively. It's common knowledge that a car without a turbo revved up faster than one with one, but this was completely different.
Similarly to how a car with a supercharger doesn't need to wait for the turbine in a turbocharger to rev, as the supercharger draws power directly from the crankshaft, an engine without a turbo or any charger of any sort didn't need to wait for anything else to rev up at all.
Undoubtedly, it was on par with any engine you'd find in professional Group A or N racing for touring and rallying with the level that I maintained and tuned it.
I was going to hit it full throttle. But like always, not to the full extent of my driving ability. That was reserved for only a few opponents. Only Takumi Fujiwara made me go all out, and he was just close.
I opened the door to the FC and got inside.
Fumihiro waved me over to the starting line of Enna's downhill.
This would be my last chance when racing against Ninomiya. My last chance to remind people of the strength of rotary engines without the fancy upgrades to the FC's aerodynamics. Before it just became a Group A or N racing car on every level imaginable.
Waiting for the course to get cleared, I placed my hand on the steering wheel of the FC as I keyed the ignition.
The 13B-T's twin turbines sprang to life. It sounded livelier than when I raced Akina's 86.
One thing was clear to me right now. The same way Akagi's White Comet showed his face when I required, something about a track or a particular night told me I would have a good run.
A legend, of the man in search of the ultimate theory to quantify everything in racing, would silence the great and mighty Todo School in an FC. As far as this year was concerned, I would not have another chance to remind Tochigi, or anyone for that matter of just why I respected the rotary engine so much:
Its power.
As I saw Fumihiro begin the countdown, I kept the car in neutral.
Fumihiro raised his hand. "Countdown starts now! In five! Four! Three!"
I revved the 13B-T, knowing the entire team was getting ready to time this run. I shifted into first.
"Two! One! Go!"
I hit the gas opening up the throttle as I began my downhill run.
III
The FC's tires screeched when Ryosuke accelerated right off the line.
Ryosuke was hitting the gas hard, going into second gear while the FC's engine roared. On the first two straights, the FC was already approaching its top speed from how well Ryosuke could control it.
As the left hairpin approached Ryosuke braked, steering hard to clear the turn using a four-wheel drift.
The taillights of the FC glowed red as the downshift changed the tone of the engine's roar. With both 13B-Ts purring differently, Ryosuke made the car face the inside as the tires screeched.
At a strong speed already, the FC had already recovered from a previous corner. Using the split second of time he had left to shift right back down to second gear, Ryosuke let his tires cool for a quick second by staying off the gas and then slipping the front tires naturally.
His braking drift causing the FC to wheel around the turn loudly, Ryosuke was steering lightly to countersteer and using the gas pedal to corner.
After the FC zipped around the turn, Ryosuke moved to the inside as the road was curvy but not sharp enough to force him to slow down.
Ryosuke slammed the gas going back into the third exiting the hairpin.
The FC began flying downhill, Ryosuke centimeters away from the mountain wall as he accelerated downhill. The 13B-T's rotaries spun, hissing with power.
Sitting calmly in his bucket seat Ryosuke continued to clear the straight at high speeds steadily increasing his pace as he got more used to Enna's downhill.
Seeing the light left bend approach, Ryosuke only needed to slow down a bit and grip the inside to clear the turn. His grip racing perfect, Ryosuke cornered in seconds. When the FC whipped out of the turn, the FC was soaring downhill again and began accelerating.
The FC's rev tachometer crawling upwards, Ryosuke prepared to use the same cornering technique he had just used to clear the next turn.
Braking lightly, Ryosuke shifted back down to second gear before using another grip technique. The moment the turn started to end Ryosuke had to accelerate, quickly hitting the clutch and shifting to third gear, having already measured the highest speeds to clear the next corner.
In the first part of the straightaway, Ryosuke was throttling as hard as he could. In the midpoint, Ryosuke took his foot of the gas and used a heel and toe downshift to cut traction in the front tires.
As Ryosuke turned the steering wheel completely to the right, the FC's front tires screeched loudly and he began to countersteer lightly.
Exiting the turn again from second gear, Ryosuke throttled hard again, pressing the accelerator before using the clutch, upshifting, and accelerating again.
The upcoming left corner bordered between being medium and hard, so Ryosuke only slipped the front tires a little before steadying the FC through the turn.
Using the long straight to his advantage, Ryosuke was using the FC's powerful acceleration to slowly decrease the amount of throttle he applied, slowing down as the straight ended to clear the next hairpin.
Ryosuke was going so fast that the moment he hit the brakes the FC's front tires began to slip. He then turned hard to the right and lightly to the left, countersteering at the best angle the FC needed.
Takihiro watched the FC drive so close to the mountain wall Ryosuke almost scratched it. "Man can Ryosuke drift!" he said into his walkie. "His times are incredible tonight! They send my runs with Kenta out of the water!"
Using the same technique he had previously used to hold the inside and accelerate through the looping and curvy straightaway, Ryosuke opened the throttle as hard as he could. Ryosuke began to slow down for the oncoming turn, tapping the brakes to prepare for the corner.
Again Ryosuke used heel and toe to loop around a left hairpin in seconds. Ryosuke now shifted from second to third in thought.
'I'm ready to go all out. This course is even simpler than I thought.'
Ryosuke began to use grip racing again to clear hairpins faster and faster. The FC would fly down a straight at full speed before Ryosuke slowly let his foot off the gas before braking lightly. When he slowed down for the hairpin turn, it took a split second to clear the entry part of the corner.
On the exit, Ryosuke had upshifted early and started throttling.
Seeing how long the straightaway was, Ryosuke began to floor the accelerator at the beginning of the straight. Nearing the midpoint, Ryosuke was letting his foot off the gas, and in the last part, he had used the brake pedal.
The FC began to grip the inside lines at full speed in the corners like it was nothing.
Having his simulation memorized and the course down pat through reading its rhythm, Ryosuke's corners steadily became faster.
Able to switch from grip to drift instantly, Ryosuke braked, downshifted, and turned. The FC's taillights glowed again as the rear of the car began to back up for a split second flying downhill.
Ryosuke steered hard to the right countersteering with the perfect amount of pressure to corner.
As the drift had started to end, Ryosuke throttled, sending the FC flying out of the corner.
Again using a long straight to accelerate, Ryosuke opened up the throttle from third gear flooring the gas.
Having measured the straight properly, Ryosuke entered his rhythm. He was already a corner ahead in thought of where he actually was driving.
His teammates began to wonder if there was even a person behind the wheel of his FC. On the downhill, they heard the spin of the 13B-Ts rotaries, the screech of his tires, and he was gone.
Aisuke watched as Ryosuke's drift was flawless, its speed, its execution, the perfect whipping motion blew the street racing veteran away.
"If you guys thought Ryosuke was on fire before, then I don't know what he is now!" Aisuke said into his walkie. "That's a minute and twelve seconds between each section! This pace is insane, oh my god!"
Ryosuke pressed the gas flying out of the corner, applying so much throttle that he had appeared in Aisuke's vision passing the second checkpoint as fast as he left it.
The FC never lost any speed. The moment Ryosuke had to slow down to grip or drift through a corner he instantly shifted up and hit the gas.
When Ryosuke had to enter a corner he slowed down quickly and shifted into a lower gear for the first half. Ryosuke only had to measure the intensity of the curve for a split second and remember his simulation to time the upshift and throttle, and the corner was finished in about a second and a half.
On the more intense corners, Ryosuke began to slide the car a bit into the turn, but still maintaining complete control of all four tires. His grip-styled drift was so fast that corners were a breeze to him, despite his speed, he never lost control of the FC, even for a second.
Ryosuke's speed in the straights and the turns stayed the exact same throughout the rest of the run as he was already at his top speed.
The FC's brakes screeched as the tires burned asphalt. Its driver was completely calm, focused, keeping his eyes on one place. The pass.
Ryosuke saw how repetitive the course was, turns and straights all over the Enna Skyline were just smaller or larger versions of each other. The white FC was doing the exact same movements throughout the downhill run dependent on where exactly Ryosuke was.
On the curvy and looping straights, Ryosuke had to hug the inside as close to the mountain as possible while throttling. On the straights that weren't curvy at all, Ryosuke already knew the best line possible.
Any corner was simple. The FC had to use grip racing on any turn that wasn't sharp enough to make the car stop facing downhill. The harder turns required a full-speed four-wheel braking drift, and if they were fast enough needed a combination of both Ryosuke's grip racing and drift.
Ryosuke simply knew the course through repetition of the first third. Enna was so simple that he only needed a few corners to start driving as if he already knew it.
The Gamer, Akagi's White Comet, had mastered every part of the downhill and then some. His speed and his technique on every part of his run were impeccable.
Ryosuke shifted into third zooming out of a light left curve. The FC was humming loudly as Ryosuke accelerated toward the sharp right hairpin. Knowing it would be fast enough to maintain his times, Ryosuke used his very well leveled inertia drift.
To him, the Scandinavian flick was simple. Approaching the corner at full speed, Ryosuke began steering hard to the left and then the right to slip the tires. As the FC's drift caused a very loud screech, Ryosuke's inertia drift was executed properly in every step and its speed was above and beyond what he needed.
As Ryosuke accelerated down the next straight, the FC's rotaries spun louder. Ryosuke flew past the third checkpoint drifting the entire way as Kenta spoke. "His cornering speed is better than ever y'all! He just went past me faster than I've ever seen him go!"
Knowing four corners separated him from the finish line, Ryosuke was still calm. As he cleared the light right curve using grip, Ryosuke braced himself for the sudden speed change in the next left corner.
With how short the resulting straightaway was, he had very little time to brake and grip the inside.
Ryosuke hit the gas the second the curve began to end and upshifted. Again his speed on the straightaways was so high that even at his breakneck pace his braking and steering was strong enough to clear the right hairpin by just slowing down and gripping.
On the last corner of the downhill, a tight left hairpin, Ryosuke used a four-wheel drift at full speed and cleared the turn almost instantly.
He accelerated down the final straight approaching what was sure to be one of his best recorded times.
III
I parked my FC at the bottom of the hill and turned off the engine.
Keisuke kept his hands in the pockets of his old grey Efini sweatshirt. "So it is true what everyone says." he showed me his stopwatch. "Your pace was fast, even for you."
"I tried my best, or close to it I suppose," I said. "It's just the course that's so...easy. You could fold the map of it in half and most of the corners would match. It's just the length of the straights and the size of the curves that differ. The rest is the same."
"Huh. So it won't be as impressive then when I beat Daito's uphill time tonight?"
I shook my head. "Not as much as you think. He's still a great driver. The Todo School's uphiller will be the only challenge we face on this course. But you should be able to beat him. He's better than you're expecting, should make Seiji Iwaki look pretty easy by comparison."
Keisuke opened the door to his FD. "Then I better get to work."
There was no one else at the bottom of the hill. It was just me and an empty parking lot at the bottom of the Enna Skyline's hill next to a warehouse.
The Gamer had rewarded me for such a good run however, despite my dislike for Enna.
[You have gained +450,000 EXP!]
[You have gained +150,000 ¥!]
[You have gained +1 LV! You have increased your Driving Ability to LV 110!]
[You have increased Grip Racing to LV 119!]
[You have increased Drift Racing to LV 117!]
[You have increased Throttle Control to LV 123!]
There was a list of other skills I had leveled up. Including Observe and one I had developed as far back as my simulations on Akina, called [Course Mapping]. Course mapping was interesting, but it entailed any and all aspects of racing that including developing and using knowledge of any course.
I hadn't realized it back then, but my first races in the Gymkhana were helped greatly by how fast the Gamer let me learn new courses.
After tapping the screens, they went away.
I had broken through level capping, in a few months I should head into Saitama by February of next year well around LV 115, about where I estimated Bunta to be. This didn't mean I could beat him necessarily, but still.
I actually should start considering the real challenges left, more so than the four drivers I had identified who were actually a threat to the Red Suns. Five if I counted Kozo Hoshino who I knew Keisuke would beat still.
Bunta Fujiwara, and even Ken Kogashiwa. These two were living legends on par with Purple Shadow in terms of skill, although because they weren't active anymore I shouldn't consider them until after I had completed the Fastest in Kanto project.
Having the Gamer as well as being well, myself, I hadn't realized that there were only a few challenges left between here and Shinji Inui.
I expected Enna to be lit up like a Christmas Tree from how widespread the name of the Akagi Red Suns was becoming.
So far, I wasn't disappointed with anyone on the team. Keisuke was getting to be so fast on the uphill, I still considered only Kozo Hoshino to be trouble for him. Kenta, Aisuke, and Takihiro were now starting to draw closer to each other skillwise, but they were very good drivers for when they could race an opponent I knew they could handle.
As for Daito and Yakuma, they might be one of the fastest uphillers I'd ever met other than Keisuke. They were both so skilled that I was sure that other than Hoshino, the only challenge they could face on the hill climb would probably be each other. They both had great control of the accelerator, and especially the brakes and steering.
I checked my watch. The team would head home after another practice run, but for now I should enjoy this rare moment of time I had alone during a practice meet for the Red Suns.
III
As the rest of the team began to go home, the downhillers on the Red Suns met on one of Enna's galleries.
"Damn Taki, you almost kicked my ass today!" chirped Kenta.
Takihiro chuckled. "It was nothing pipsqueak."
"Hey, only Keisuke can call me that!"
Aisuke shrugged. "He's not wrong. You act a lot like he did when he first started racing. Except he wasn't as squeaky or annoying."
As Takihiro laughed again, Kenta grunted. "Dude you've been part of my dad's Nismo test facility since before I even got a license. And our times are super similar, why talk so much crap?"
Takihiro spoke before Aisuke could. "You both make good points."
Aisuke turned to him. "I was wondering. Since when are you so fast? What was up with you tonight man?"
"Oh I have no idea," admitted Takihiro. "But when we went back to Akina, I remembered the guys who used to race there, those Speed Stars. The guy with the S13, their leader, you know the one with stubble and the Nismo shirt. I just remembered what I felt like back when I started racing with you all here on the Suns. He reminded me of myself a little."
Aisuke and Kenta said nothing as Takihiro kept going, the S13 driver looking over the guardrail into Tochigi's night city skyline. "You all are incredible drivers. Every one of you. Of course, Ryosuke and Keisuke will always be better than us. But I always felt like I didn't belong. Like I was the odd one out."
"Until I remembered what the Speed Stars were like. If Ryosuke truly felt I was on their level, that I didn't respect the mountain beyond just being a fan of racing. Then why would he choose me?" he looked back at his silver S13, and the red sticker on it. "I always look at my Suns sticker as something to wear with pride. One of the people the one and only Ryosuke Takahashi chose to become the fastest in the entire Kanto region. For the rest of my life, I will never experience something as important as racing for the Red Suns. Nothing will give me as much pride. And..."
Takihiro smiled. "That's why I started driving better, I just stopped getting in my own head all the time. I remembered that I'm a Red Sun, and I have to start acting like it. So thanks guys, you're the best pair of dudes I could ask for to train on the downhill. Kenta, Aisuke." he bowed his head. "Thank you very much!"
Both Kenta and Aisuke didn't know how to react, but Kenta decided to break the ice by making a joke. "All right that's what I'm talking about! But if you want to be so great like you said, why don't you get a haircut? You've got the same long hair for over a year man!"
While Aisuke looked aside ashamed of how bad and a bit insulting Kenta's joke was, Takihiro began to laugh again. His laughter continued, and soon, it spread to all three drivers.
Takihiro sighed as he stopped laughing. "Honestly. Why do you think Ryosuke would risk his own life every day just to make a statement about street racing? I mean he has more to lose than any of us. He's a kickass doctor in training from what I hear, a rich family, and he's more popular with women than anyone I know."
"Even though he's such a good driver the danger is greatly lessened. I agree nonetheless." Aisuke rubbed his chin. "But still, I've always asked myself that. Back when he first started racing, everybody was too busy trying to figure out why this guy who some joked was paler than his own FC was so much faster than everyone else. None of us took a step back and wondered just why he was doing it. But, I do have a theory."
Kenta put his hands in his jean pockets. "Well, what is it?"
"I mean the guy is obviously the most skilled driver I've ever met, maybe the best of all time in terms of downhill racing. No doubt about that, everyone knows it. But my first time driving on the mountain I was terrified. It was nothing like driving on the road or even the track at work for that matter. But I was so scared that I doubted if I should even hit the gas or not, the downhill was frightening, my first instinct going quickly downhill was to pump the brakes."
Takihiro shrugged. "I get that. My first time on the downhill was tough, Akagi likes showing her teeth. But what's your point about Ryosuke?"
"I mean he's accomplishing all this with a rotary engine! Do you understand how crazy that is? Maybe, in the same way people think street racing is just a bunch of degenerate adrenaline junkies, is the same misconception people have about racing downhill. It's frightening, but only if you just don't trust it." Aisuke said.
Kenta sighed. "I mean I'd agree with you but it took like a couple runs for me to get used to it. I just like to drive."
"Having a dad who's big in Nismo and funded years of competitive go-karting probably didn't hurt your instincts about racing," Takihiro said making Aisuke chuckle.
Aisuke waved a hand as Kenta quickly looked on the verge of socking Takihiro in the arm. "I was just theorizing. For all I know Ryosuke just really feels rotary engines don't deserve to be so underrated."
"They don't in my opinion," Kenta said. "But I'm sure that's a part of it still."
"What you said about fear makes a lot of sense I guess now that I think about it." agreed Takihiro. "Ryosuke seems to train us in every way possible. But all these constant high speed runs are done for more than just building stamina. I think he wants us to get used to long drawn out battles built around focusing on doing your best for as long as possible."
Aisuke checked the time. "It's late guys. I got a big shift tomorrow."
"Later." Kenta got in his S14.
Aisuke watched as Takihiro waved a hand respectfully before leaving.
Entering the bucket seat of his 180SX's driver seat, Aisuke keyed the ignition, hearing his SR20DET purr for a moment before leaving with the other Red Suns.
'If Taki can drive as well as he did tonight he'll be better than Kenta. He'll be better than me. The guy might seem like a really lucky Nismo fan Ryosuke just knew from Akagi at first, but the moment he steps into his S13 and gets in the zone. He's great, and his thoughts on Ryosuke's training only prove how great his instincts are when it comes to racing.'
'This race against the Todo School will be in the bag if he drives like he did tonight. Still hard to believe Gunma's greatest racing superstar of all time is my own team leader after all these years.'
III
No one in Tochigi had ever seen a crowd as large gather on any mountain since the Red Suns had beaten the Emperors on their home turf. Word had gotten around that Ryosuke Takahashi and the Akagi Red Suns were having their last race in Tochigi and everyone had the date marked on their calendars.
Keisuke and Ryosuke had so many fans from Gunma that they flocked to the Enna Skyline in droves, filling the galleries in just a few hours.
A car from the Akina Speed Stars had arrived, a pale green S13.
Iketani got out of his car and looked around. "Great place to watch the action huh?"
"The course's packed," said Kenji. "People must've heard that this place might have the best seats in the house. Huge gallery with plenty of space, perfect view of both straights and the corner."
Takumi said nothing as Itsuki laughed loudly. "Watching the Red Suns race is the highlight of my week! Fastest in Gunma, fastest in Tochigi. Fastest anywhere!"
Iketani frowned. "I wouldn't go that far, but those Takahashi brothers are this popular for a reason." Iketani waved a hand at the packed galleries. "I thought Akina would be the one mountain left in Gunma where they could get put in their place. But we ended up being just another pair of course records for 'em."
Kenji got equally as sad. "Don't have to remind me..."
"It's them! They're here!"
A trio of rotary engines hummed loudly, Ryosuke's white FC leading both FDs up the hill. Yakuma's white Supra had an engine so powerful the entire starting line could hear it pass distinctively, a 2JZ-GTE packing more horsepower than a pair of any of the cars parked that night combined.
The three downhillers were all rolling behind them, the Nissans seeming sleeker than ever under the moonlight. The orange S14, silver S13, and white 180SX were all driving together in a straight line to the top of the mountain.
As Ryosuke emerged from his white FC as Keisuke left his FD, both brothers heard the usual cry of their fangirls.
Iketani sighed as he watched the trail the Red Suns left. "You'd think twice if you guessed guys like that were regular street racers like the rest of us. Even their engines sound strong as hell, and they weren't even pushing them at all."
"Again man, we can see that," complained Kenji. "Hear it too."
The Red Suns had dressed the same as they always did in their typical casual attire. Two Toyota Hi-Ace vans acting as support stopped at the back of all the cars.
III
As the Red Suns formed a small group behind me along with a couple of the mechanics, even the renowned Todo School wasn't looking too impressive. Besides Sakai's DC2, all Todo cars were EK9s, and it was clear which side the crowd at the top of the mountain was looking at.
That wasn't what interested me at all, it was the drivers themselves. I could pull away from Ninomiya in the second run with ease, but it would take some serious guts from Keisuke to beat Sakai.
I knew he beat him in canon, but it wouldn't be easy still.
Judging by the looks on their faces, only Todo and his top two students were looking confident at all of any victory. Both Smiley and Daiki were standing tall, but the moment they'd start driving against us this would change.
Fumihiro cleared his throat. "Thank you all for coming tonight. The first two matches are simple, just runs in pairs on the uphill and downhill from members of our team. Then Ryosuke will face Daiki Ninomiya, and Keisuke will race Smiley Sakai."
Kozo Ikkiyama rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we heard you before no need to remind us." As his uncle, Todo himself, shot him a look, Fumihiro put a hand respectfully on his own chest.
"My apologies. I hope you don't mind. But protocol means everything to us on the Red Suns. Between each run, any and all available team members from both sides must participate in officiating the race. On every corner where we wouldn't otherwise have eyes, crew members must report on the status of the race at all times. This will be done to both ensure the safety of all drivers, keep times accurate, and allow them to drive as freely as possible. Is all that alright?"
Todo shrugged. "You all might be the strangest group of street racers I've ever met with all this protocol stuff. But sure, seems fair."
"Perfect," said Fumihiro. "The rules for the runs tonight are simple. One driver starts ahead and the other follows. If by the end it isn't clear which driver has won, the positions are switched for the next run. The best recorded times may be used to help gauge the pace of each run by both teams."
"If that's all out of the way, I'd like to get started." Todo requested.
"Much obliged." Fumihiro smiled.
III
Daiki squinted at Fumihiro as he began to direct members of both teams to their posts around the mountain. 'All these repetitive rule outlines disguised as protocol is a load of crap. Don't these guys realize this is just a street race? Why go over it all the time like it's a damned boxing match?'
Fumihiro smiled. "We've got some time now until the first race starts. Why don't we start the night off right and get those packed galleries cheering?"
III
I turned to Keisuke, knowing this would be the last night of competitive street racing I would actually use the exterior of the FC as it appeared originally. "Little brother. Before we let the rest of the team warm up why don't we put on a little show?"
"Huh? What do you mean bro?"
"Drift. Flashy but fast. What do you say?"
Keisuke smiled. "I say that sounds alright."
Daiki Ninomiya was a LV 89 FF Braking specialist according to the Gamer. I was over twenty levels higher than him, even if I held back a lot, I would beat him quite badly.
III
"Look it's the Takahashi brother's RX-7s!"
"Keisuke!" a girl cried from the galleries.
"I'm your biggest fan Ryosuke!"
Both engines, the 13B-REW and 13B-T were humming loudly as Keisuke and Ryosuke approached the corner.
The yellow FD pulled off a reverse drift, turning to face the opposite direction of the turn for a moment before entry and then tackling the hairpin at full speed.
Keisuke's front tires screeched past dozens of cheering fans behind the guardrail, the FD's front tires screeching loudly.
"Here comes Ryosuke and he-"
As the FC's tires began to drift, Ryosuke had used his old strategy of beginning the slide early and using the entire curve to drift.
His entry and exit speed much superior to his brother's on the downhill, Ryosuke caught up easily to the FD but prepared to do a move from his home course of Akagi.
Both their tires squealing, the yellow FD and white FC entered the next hairpin together doing a twin drift, both RX-7s nearly touching each other throughout the turn.
A racing fan in the gallery fixed his cap. "Damn, they're both so fast! And they're only just getting warmed up too!"
III
The FC was lifted up using a car jack as all systems were checked prior to beginning the race. Ryosuke would've done it himself, but he chose to smoke a cigarette instead.
Daiki watched from afar, looking as the Red Suns mechanics looked over every inch of the FC and began to switch out tires.
'We might have a problem here if it takes just one practice session for them to determine the best tires to suit the road. But what bothers me is that they have the money to do stuff like this. No street racing team should have the resources to move about like a pit crew from the pro leagues.'
'Bringing a car over six years old to the race tonight and using an engine famous for being unreliable is pretty bold. Just everything about these guys bothers the hell out of me.'
Todo approached. "You alright? The Red Suns have started warming up the track with their lower-ranked guys, you need to stay focused Daiki."
"Huh? Oh, I am. Just get a really weird feeling from these guys. Especially him." Daiki threw his nose towards the Red Suns leader who was having a smoke break. "Why build a team around the rotary engine of all things? These guys have so much cash they can bring multiple vans, cars that look tuned beyond all hell. And drivers from what looks like Nismo and official Mazda racing."
"This downhill is yours Daiki," assured Todo. "Ignore these flashy rides and focus on what you know. Braking. And this race is yours too."
Daiki turned to his EK9. "I need a moment alone to think. Let me know when the race starts."
III
Fumihiro waved his hands forward, Ryosuke and Daiki approaching the starting line. The white FC was behind the yellow EK9.
"Race starts in five!" announced Fumihiro loudly. "Four!"
Ryosuke's 13B-T revved much louder than Daiki's B16B engine.
"Three! Two! One! Go!"
The FC shot off the line much faster than the EK9, but Daiki held the lead making Ryosuke follow him downhill.
As they entered the first straight, the power difference between the FC and the EK9 was noticeable instantly. Still, Ryosuke stayed close enough to observe the EK9 instead of tailgate it.
With both cars zipping down the first straight, Daiki glanced into his rearview, grunting quietly.
'I'm not liking how close he is this early on. First corner should tell me how fast he really is though.'
In the second straight, only with a bit of throttle, Ryosuke was able to remain comfortably behind the EK9, the FC accelerating down the hill quickly.
As they entered the first corner, Ryosuke used heel and toe, downshifting and making the FC face the inside of the wall as the EK9 used grip. Ryosuke still was able to close the tiny gap a bit entering the hairpin, and Daiki noticed this as he turned.
'Serious entry speed to keep with me like this.' Daiki began to leave the corner with the FC still very close to his EK9. 'And his recovery from the corner is insane. Is it the car or the driver? I can't tell about any of that from up here. Was leading on the first run a mistake!?'
Daiki upshifted in thought. 'No. This is my course. Like the boss said, I just need to focus on what I'm good at.'
Ryosuke continued to observe the EK9 silently, the FC's speed in the curvy straight leading to the next corner far superior to the EK9's but not enough to cause an overtake.
Entering a light bend, Ryosuke used grip as did Daiki, both cars slowing down and turning slightly for a split second before continuing to accelerate downhill.
Ryosuke kept his eyes attached to the EK9's rear bumper, thinking quietly while watching Daiki corner. 'Todo's done an excellent job with both the car and the driver. His braking is superb, but coming in and out of the turns, my FC is just smoother.'
As they flew out of the hairpin, Ryosuke's shifting was better than Daiki's, and the FC's exit speed far better than the EK9's. As they went down the next straight, Daiki accelerated, using the bit of time he had before the hairpin to think.
'He's just sitting there. Not attacking, not putting pressure on my line. Why? Even if his car has more power, everyone knows a lighter car with less power has better entry speed on the downhill.'
Daiki braked, his EK9 gripping the inside line to clear the turn. "What!?" he yelled.
Ryosuke tapped the brakes, the FC's front tires screeching as he entered the turn faster than Daiki, causing the gap to become nonexistent during his grip run.
As the FC waved left and right in the EK9's rearview, the driver's eyes were wide in surprise at his speed.
Ryosuke upshifted as the race continued. 'Even this early on I had no idea it would be this one-sided. As far as gathering info on the Todo school's braking style, there's no reason I can do it from this up close.'
A Todo School driver spoke into his walkie seeing the white FC tail the yellow EK9 downhill. "That FC is right on Daiki's bumper! Their times are great but there's no space of any kind between them!"
The crowd gasped at how fast Ryosuke's braking drift was, cheering as the Todo School member spoke into his walkie. "Daiki's getting tailed hard out here!"
Daiki tried to stay focused despite how nervous he started to get, increasing his pace as Ryosuke continued to follow him downhill calmly.
The EK9 accelerated quickly but every time it tried to run away on either the straights or the corners, the FC was so fast that Ryosuke remained on its tail at all times.
On the long straight leading up to the first checkpoint, Ryosuke was mentally taking notes on every time Daiki braked or shifted. He was searching for the EK9's responsiveness, how sensitive it was to accelerating or slowing down. And above all the ways in which Daiki hit the gas or the brakes.
Daiki had no clue Ryosuke was just taking really close mental pictures of his driving instead of actually racing, or rather beating him. The FC was so close to the EK9 that no one in the galleries watching had any idea how one of the best driving schools in the country was getting beaten so early on.
Takihiro used his walkie-talkie as the EK9 flew past the turn gripping as the FC did the same at the same speed. "There's still no distance at all between both of them! Ryosuke's just eating away on that EK's bumper!"
'What!?' wondered Daiki. 'How can an FR corner faster than an FF? It's common knowledge the opposite is always true actually. And he's using drift this quickly as well! Who is this guy?' Daiki wondered looking into his rearview.
Gripping or drifting made no difference, the FC's speed in the corners was just as fast as the EK9's. And because he held the advantage in the straightaways as well, as the race continued, Daiki already began to fall into a mental trap feeling as if he was being suffocated in his own car by nerves.
Daiki tried harder and harder to shake the FC off his tail. But every time he did so Ryosuke was one step ahead, having already increased his speed just before or after a hairpin where it seemed most likely to happen. The EK9 was unable to outspeed the FC at all, being completely outmatched.
Then Daiki just got more nervous, trying to lose the FC even more.
'I could drive this course in my sleep, and the boss himself admitted my braking is among the best he's ever seen. And yet this guy is right on my back.' The FC remained on his tail, Daiki gulping. 'How can I, the pride of the Todo School, a school dedicated to braking and precise pedal technique. Lose to some punk outsider driving an FC?'
In the hairpins, Ryosuke continued to have much superior technique. His control of the throttle and brakes was far better than Daiki's, and his cornering speed in all sections of the turns was better than the yellow EK9's.
The white FC appeared to be cruising down to a Sunday brunch despite its speed, and the EK9 was all over the place, struggling even though it held the lead.
Daiki fell deeper into the psychological hole Ryosuke had set for him. With increased efforts to gain even a bit of ground or shake him off the EK9s tail in the slightest, Daiki found that it became harder to outpace Ryosuke.
Its front tires screeching, Ryosuke's braking drift lost him nothing on his times even though the EK9 was using grip.
"Second checkpoint reporting in!" a Todo School member said into his walkie. "That FC looks like it's stuck to Daiki's bumper with some super glue or something!"
Ryosuke focused on the rear of the EK9 that was directly ahead of him. 'His cornering skills are great, but if Tachi simply uses a stronger version of it the real victory tonight was gathering info on the Todo School's technique. In that aspect, I've succeeded completely. I have all I need, but the next run seems like a better place to win this.' Upshifting, the FC's 13B-Ts spun faster under the hood. 'Otherwise, I'll be using a downhill course record where I spent most of it behind another car.'
The rest of the downhill became torturous for Daiki. Even as hard as he pushed his EK9, it felt like less of a race to and more of a slow destruction of his entire driving style. Every shift, every time he braked or accelerated, Daiki felt like he was just doing something wrong.
After each hairpin, the EK9 was at its top speed but the FC remained on its tail comfortably.
"This is the nineteenth corner!" a Todo school member said. "I don't think Takahashi has moved off Daiki's tail for more than a second here! That FC is on our EK like a magnet!"
Through the straights, Ryosuke needed far less throttle than Daiki to continue to follow him downhill. And still it was obvious to all who cheered in the galleries who was winning the race.
'We're a bit over halfway through the first run and it feels like it's already over.'
The crowd roared behind the guardrail, cheering as Ryosuke's outside drift let him angle in on the EK9 while sliding the car around the turn.
Leaving the hairpin, Ryosuke shifted up into third while accelerating. He was confident enough in Daiki's ability to be so close to the EK9, still collecting as much information on the Todo School as possible while staying attached to his rear bumper.
The FC's rotaries continued to whir as Ryosuke's throttle work was leagues ahead of Daiki's. Even his braking appeared to be superior, during particular hairpins, Ryosuke's grip racing far outmatched Daiki's, and the FC remained all over the EK9 as it had been from just before the first checkpoint.
Ryosuke pressed the gas, the FC revving up higher before its rev tachometer flicked back down and right back up as Ryosuke shifted.
Daiki gripped the steering wheel knowing how badly Ryosuke was beating him. 'I've been part of the Todo School for years. And this Akagi guy is making me look like some schoolboy without a license. Damn does this piss me the hell off! He's beating me and it's not even close!'
'Is he really as fast as everyone says he is? Again, I can't see a thing from up here but I'd say so.' the FC's headlights shone in his rearview. 'That's Akagi's White Comet indeed. The best downhiller I've raced. Wow did I lose this race. But I'm still gonna give it my all, I owe it to the Todo School!'
The Speed Stars and Takumi's attention flicked to the left when someone spoke at the third checkpoint's large gallery. "It's them!"
Everyone gasped seeing how close the FC was to the best downhiller the Todo School currently had, still on the yellow EK9's rear bumper. "Holy crap Ryosuke's shredding him to pieces!"
"This isn't a race it's a massacre!"
Takumi watched as Ryosuke showed off in front of the third checkpoint still being fast enough to not lose time, keeping the front bumper of the FC a centimeter from the guardrail as he drifted around the whole turn. His corner was so fast that the rear of the white FC swung a hair off the side of the EK9 while it gripped.
As Daiki upshifted and accelerated Ryosuke had already done the same just before, returning the FC to the EK9's rear bumper.
Takumi looked off as Ryosuke flew downhill continuing to beat Daiki. Itsuki was laughing once more. "Those Rotary brothers just can't stop winning can they!? I swear they just..."
Takumi ignored his best friend's fan-boyish rant while in thought. 'I still don't get it. How can Ryosuke get so much faster after every race he has? Even against that black Lan Evo with the all-wheel drive, he wasn't this fast. And the worst part is it looks like he was holding back here.'
"This was the third hairpin!" Aisuke said. "The EK9 can't shake Ryosuke off his tail for the life of him!"
On the straightaway, Ryosuke knew how close the finish line was, moving left and right in the EK9's rearview.
Through the last hairpins, the FC continued to corner faster than the EK9 could. When Ryosuke used grip, he tapped the brakes and steered hard to clear the turn. As the turn began to end Ryosuke upshifted and hit the gas.
The next straightaway was so fast both cars needed very little time to reach the next hairpin.
Entering the corner, Ryosuke had begun to drift earlier than Daiki had begun his own corner, the FC curving so fast that he caught up instantly despite braking sooner.
As they approached the finish line, everyone knew what the result of the next run had to be.
III
Todo sighed watching both cars roll up to Enna's peak. "So then, we've already lost."
Kozo kicked the guardrail a little. "This is ridiculous! I know this guy's good but Daiki's no pushover either."
Smiley crossed his arms, watching Keisuke talk to a few mechanics observing quietly. 'Everyone knows the younger Takahashi brother isn't as good as Ryosuke. But as long as I take the lead early on against him, I can avenge Daiki. Pure and simple.'
Both the FC and EK9 got into position for the next run the moment they arrived. Ryosuke was in front with Daiki following.
'I still don't get why this guy is so fast. But if he's leading for this run, I can at least get a good look at his technique.'
Fumihiro raised his hand. "Okay second run starts in five! Four! Three! Two! One!"
He threw his hand down. "Go!"
Ryosuke shot off the line reminding the crowd at the starting line of how Keisuke tended to start his races. It took two seconds for the FC to rev high enough for Ryosuke to reach second gear while Daiki was still in first.
The lead in the first straightaway became wider as the FC was just so much faster than the EK9 on the straights. In the first corner, Daiki gained no ground as Ryosuke was using a full-speed four-wheel drift to clear the hairpin.
An entire second ahead on the first corner, Ryosuke had moved to the inside and began to fly down the straight as Daiki was still leaving the hairpin turn.
Not even at full throttle, Ryosuke's FC was increasing the gap while Daiki was in second, nearly flooring the gas to gain no ground again.
The gap continued to widen on the straightaway, and in the corner, a light left bend, the EK9 was still unable to close the gap, struggling to see the white FC at all much less race it.
Using a quick grip technique, Ryosuke braked and turned the FC slightly before shifting back up into third and hitting the accelerator.
Daiki again was clearing the turn while Ryosuke was well ahead, gaining over a second of time over Daiki on each corner. Knowing how similar the hairpin was to the previous one, Ryosuke's grip racing was so refined the EK9 lost even more time to the FC.
Ryosuke was not giving it his all completely but was still racing at full throttle to get the best time possible to finish the run.
Daiki now lost sight completely of the FC, and as he pushed his EK9 downhill, he frowned in defeat. 'He beat me in the first four corners. What a driver.'
Takihiro used his walkie the moment Ryosuke arrived, the FC's tires squealing in the background of his voice over the line. "Ryosuke is by himself now! And the EK9 is..." Taking his finger off the walkie's button, Takihiro had to wait a moment for Daiki's yellow EK9 to reach the first checkpoint and announce what he saw. "Over five seconds behind! This race is over!"
Iketani shook his head at the third checkpoint when he heard this. "And we thought we stood a chance against these guys on Akina. Even the Todo School just got the crap beaten out of them and I believed we could show them what Akina was all about."
"There's no need to be so overly pessimistic as always Iketani!" said Itsuki. "You forget Takumi battled him when Gunma saw its fastest race ever! Right Takumi? Takumi?"
Takumi was looking uphill, gravely observing Enna's hill.
"Takumi are you alright?" asked Iketani.
'I wonder.' thought Takumi. 'Why do I regret turning down Ryosuke's offer so much now?'