AUGUST 6, 1999
TIME: AROUND 8:30 PM
Kenta, Ryousuke, and Keisuke were heading to Shomaru Pass. While driving, Keisuke said "I am sure Kenta is right about this. May is racing a Porsche 911 at Shomaru Pass."
Ryousuke said "When I last saw her this morning, she still wasn't used to the new R34. But a race is different. The veil of secrecy around the new engine is coming off."
At Yuichi's gas station. Kenji and Max were talking about May going to Shomaru Pass.
Kenji said "Man I just can't stay calm."
Max said "Me neither. But I have to work. Maybe you can go and check it out."
Yuichi then came. He said "Just go while I'm looking the other way."
Max then said "OKAY! Ready, Kenji?" & Kenji said "Yeah." Kenji and Max then left for Shomaru Pass.
Yuichi then said "If I was a little younger, I leave work too see it, too." Then a Mini came and Yuichi filled it up.
At a red light, Kenji said "DAMN IT! We're in a hurry." Max said "I hope May wins because she's my sister. I know can beat a Porsche 911. After all the races she has been in, she can beat any car at any place."
Meanwhile in Saitama, Zoey was waiting for May to come and Dawn was with Zoey as well. May then came in her R34 with Drew. Zoey then noticed May coming and May pulled behind Zoey. When he got out of May's car, Drew was shocked to see Dawn.
He said "What are you doing here, Dawn?" and Dawn said "A lot has happened since last night."
May then got out of her R34 and Zoey went to talk with her. Zoey said "You're the one who chose this course. Dawn, I want you two to wait here."
Dawn wanted to know why and Zoey told her "You can catch a bus or a train from here in the morning. If anything should happen to our cars, at least you won't be stuck here."
Drew then said "WHAT? MAY!"
Dawn then said "Let me guess. You two are racing at Shomaru Pass. It's too extreme for Drew's friend, so don't do it! Pick another place!"
Zoey told Dawn "Be quiet, Dawn. Stay out of this."
Zoey then said to May "Just so you know, the pass we're about to race on is very tricky and narrow. I will take the lead first. Since this is your first time, we should take some precautions. We'll alternate positions and keep going until one pulls away or passes the other. It's a sudden death race. If we're equally skilled, another element will be the factor."
Drew said "Another element?" & Zoey then said "Luck, stamina, compatibility with the car, that sort of thing. Let's go. When we get there, I will turn on my hazard lights and we will start the race."
Both May and Zoey then got in their cars and headed off to Shomaru Pass.
Drew then said "MAY! Did May know that Dawn would be here, too?
May and Zoey left the station and headed out for Shomaru Pass.
Drew then asked Dawn "Is Shomaru Pass really that dangerous?"
Dawn said "It's a really old road. It's not that long, but you go uphill first, then downhill from the middle."
Drew said "It's half uphill, then."
Dawn then said "That's not all. It's narrow and has poor visibility, which has resulted in many accidents. The guardrails are all rusted out. The road's uneven and slippery. Zoey has been lucky though not to have any accidents. She never even had one when she drove an SW20. She said it's a touch pass to race on.
Drew said "WHAT? This is May's first time! It's too risky!"
Before the race started, May said "I guess my necklace is going to come in handy. I will need all the luck in the world to win."
May then saw Zoey turn on her hazard lights. May then said "Her hazard lights! Here we go!"
Zoey then said "Ready? Don't crash your precious car yet.
May and Zoey then went full throttle to the first corner.
May then noticed the course felt a little different. She then said "It's uphill."
Zoey then said "WHAT?"
Zoey noticed May was right behind her. She then said "I told you so. It's a great engine. You can even stay with me on this hill. No need to take it easy, then!"
May was able to stay with Zoey for the corners ahead.
Zoey then said "I drive a Porsche because defeating an opponent with this somewhat heavy car is so satisfying. But this time, it's different. I absolutely can't lose to an R34! I've never felt this much pressure in a race before! I can see the aura that radiates from your R34!"
At the midpoint, Kenta, Ryousuke, and Keisuke were waiting for the cars.
Kenta said "Is this a good sport, Keisuke? & Keisuke said "The course is so narrow that there's no other place to watch it from.
Then Keisuke heard the cars coming towards them. Zoey's 911 then got a sudden power boost from its turbo.
Zoey felt a big boost from her turbo. She said "HERE WE GO! That sudden boost of power is to die for!"
When the cars passed them, Keisuke said "That was the 911 using an obsolete boom turbo."
Kenta said "Keisuke, I know both May's R34 and Zoey's 911 have 6 cylinders and are rear wheel drive, but May has a straight-6 engine and Zoey has a flat-6 engine. Not only that, May's R34 is front engine and Zoey's 911 is rear engine. Tell me what the difference between those engine designs is plus why they run so differently."
Keisuke then said "Well that's because… I should have my brother explain it to you. I understand it in my head, but I'm not good at explaining it."
Ryousuke said "The difference between a flat and straight 6 cylinder engine is a straight-6 engine has all 6 cylinders lined up while a flat-6 engine is horizontally placed lowering the center of gravity. May's engine is 2.6 litres while Zoey's engine is 3.6 litres. With the smaller engine, May can make more power at a higher RPM while Zoey has to deal with a lower RPM due to the engine's size and weight. With the car so heavy at the rear, it causes the car to understeer worse than a normal FR car. Because of the way her engine is set up, May uses the accelerator to control the RPM. Even after entering a corner and nearly top speed, she makes further adjustments to her attack. It's because of that she can attack more aggressively. Cars like her R34 excel at entering corners. In contrast, Zoey's 911 Turbo is rear engine, rear-wheel drive. It may be a step slower at corners, but its acceleration on straightaways covers that. Cars like that excel at coming out of corners.
Kenta then asked Ryousuke "Okay, so what about the 911's fishtailing, then?
Ryousuke said "The boom turbo tends to lag, so once the boost pressure goes down, it takes time to get it back up. That's why she keeps her foot on the gas when exiting corners and controls it using counter-steer only. She probably mastered that fishtailing technique to deal with the peculiarities of her car.
Keisuke then said "Got it, Kenta? Pass racing is very complex."
Kenta then said "Yes, I get it now.
Meanwhile, May was trying her to not let Zoey pull away from her. May was trying to use all 510 horsepower to stay with Zoey. May then realized there was something in the way and had to do something to avoid crashing. May then got in some mud from a mudslide. She nearly hit the guardrail. "She said "What's up with that?" May followed Zoey to the finish line
At the finish line, Kenji and Max were waiting for May and Zoey. Max said "Are you sure this is the place?"
Kenji said "Yeah, I guess so."
Max then heard something and said "What's that?
May and Zoey came to the finish line. Max said "MAY!
Both May and Zoey did 180 degree turns so they could start the second race. This time May would be leading and Zoey would be chasing her. Zoey then flashed her high beams to start the second race.
Max said "It's so unstable at full throttle. It turns sideways when it goes over a small bump."
When they saw the two girls drive off, Kenji said "WOW! That's a boom turbo."
Max said "That car almost looks out of control. She's barely staying on this narrow road.
Kenji then told Max "But when she's on, she's super fast. She's a different kind of opponent who breaks all the conventional rules."
While racing, Zoey said "This is round 2. From behind, I will be observing your undefeated Gunma-grown talent. "
May then said "This corner is hard to get through!"
Kenta, Ryousuke, and Keisuke all watched for the cars again.
Ryousuke then said "Right now, all the elements are against May. It's a tricky course where she has no experience, and the 911's irregular pace breaks her rhythm. But more than anything, she has been feeling uneasy with her new and unfamiliar R34. That's her biggest handicap.
May then said to herself "The bad condition of this road is make my car shake! The inner edge of the road is unusable! If the tires catch it, they'll slip! I can't use the outer edge coming out of corners, either. There's less usable area on this than there appears to be.
In Haruna, Ash was standing outside his house. He then said "May, the suspension settings change based on the engine power. After I installed the new engine, you kept saying you couldn't corner like before, which is logical. The car was set up that way.
Meanwhile at Shomaru Pass, May was doing her best trying to pull away from Zoey.
Ash then said "Only by revving up to a high RPM will you be able to corner at a higher speed. Notice that, May. Unseal the car's capabilities."
While racing, May then said "What's this? Did I imagine it?"
At the bus stop, Drew decided to get Dawn and himself a Diet Coca-Cola. Drew then looked at Dawn. Dawn then remembered when Zoey told Dawn about her 911.
Zoey was saying "The turbo is so fast that I'm kind of scared. This car is like nothing I have ever driven. It needs more detailed maintenance. I also have to watch the gauges while I'm racing. It costs money and takes effort, but I have no regrets. I've gained the power I was craving. See, Dawn, it's no good if you stop growing. If you keep running away from things you are bad at, you'll never be good at anything. You just have to keep searching and moving forward on your own two feet. This Porsche is a heck of a lot better than the SW20."
Dawn then said "Listen, Drew. I have made up my mind. I don't think I will be going back to Gunma. I guess this is probably good-bye for us. My sister, Kyoko found out about my night out the other day so she's upset with me. But that's not the reason. I was thinking in the car that if I try harder, I can become #1 in Saitama. I want to be as good as Zoey because she has been the fastest ever since she first raced at Shomaru Pass. She used to have an MR-2 before she got her 911. She was fast even with a 4-cylinder car like an MR-2. She had a turbo in it and impressed the leader of the Northwestern Saitama Alliance, Wataru Akiyama. That Porsche was a gift for Zoey when she turned 19 last year. I already told I'm 19 years old. I celebrated my birthday on April 8th. I have been racing for about a year and a half. I also told you that when I got my license, my sister Kylie bought me my Eight-Six. I have been racing with Zoey ever since I started. I now realize I have to choose my own path because I won't advance if I keep on following her. Even though I'm #2 in Saitama, I still feel like I need to work harder to move myself up. The only way I will do that is if I find my own technique."
Drew then said "I hear that. I used to live in Myogi. I traveled with my brother who drives an R32 but I never really admired him that much. He taught me a lot but then I knew I had to step out of his shadow and develop my own technique. I've only been racing since December when I won the lottery and bought my GC8F. I also feel like I have a ways to go."
Back at Shomaru Pass, May and Zoey were still fighting it out.
Keisuke then heard their engines and said "It's the second round!"
Ryousuke then said "She's getting used to it."
Keisuke and Kenta wanted to know what Ryousuke was saying.
Ryousuke then said "It's time for the new R34 to wake up."
Meanwhile May seem to be having a better feel for her car. She said "It did get easier to control. I was struggling with it just yesterday. Is it because of this power? I can now control it. All right. I just might be able to pull it off!"
Zoey was following May and noticed something. She then said in her head "I was planning to just observe her in this round, but that won't work. She's adapting to this tricky course at an amazing rate. No other first-timer could race this fast here! I'm impressed! Racers like you do exist! I can't lose on my home turf! This will be a touch race!"
May then remembered that Ash told her to rev the engine up to 13,000 RPM. May then pulled away with a little turbo boost. Zoey followed suit when her turbo gave her 911 an extra boost of speed.
Zoey then said to herself "Good pass racers are the coolest. You're not bad, May Chan. Your sharp technique could convince anyone. I can go for broke in my 993 Turbo!"
May and Zoey drifted through a couple of corners.
Zoey then said "I wanted excitement like this. I'm the luckiest girl alive!"
May and Zoey were fast approaching the finish point. They stopped at the point where they started the first race. Zoey would once again lead and May would chase her. Zoey then took off and May followed her."
Zoey said "At the end of the last round, I was going full blast. I will finish you in this round! You're a great opponent. You've set my spirit on fire!"
May and Zoey would now be racing harder than before.
