No.
All the cars that passed me...
I need to pass them again...
before this race ends.
Over.
My sweet little Kanata's gone all bad boy on me.
MF Ghost
Fireball
Here at the start-finish line, the leaders are completing another lap.
It's Beckenbauer in the 12 and Sawatari in the 4.
They start their fourth lap.
And alone in third is Akaba in the 2 car.
Am I the only one who thinks the music made by the Ferrari is getting louder over time?
The rest of the top-placed cars now enter their fourth lap.
In fourth, it's Ishigami in the 1 car. In fifth, it's Moroboshi in the 885.
This is a fierce clash between a former champ and an up-and-comer.
Behind them, it's Oishi in sixth, Yanagida in seventh,
Maezono in eight, and—Whoa!
A red car has appeared behind the 13 car! It's the 86!
What's this?
The gap separating these two was previously at seven seconds.
But in the transition from the peninsula to the inland roads, the 86 suddenly closed up!
Kanata.
There's something visceral about the smell of burning rubber.
I'm not sure I've ever been stationed so close to the course before.
He's taking those curves at incredible speeds in spite of how narrow the roads are.
MFG drivers really are amazing, Kanata.
What was it Kyoko-san said during the opener?
Romance isn't just about fun. There's plenty of hurt involved, too.
She was so right about that. I never knew how pitiful jealousy could make you feel.
But you can't develop as a person if you're afraid of getting hurt.
But if I avoid things because they're hard, I won't develop as a person.
And I've been avoiding something really important.
I'm an MFG Angel, but I haven't told Kanata.
I'll tell him. When this race is over, I need to tell him.
Is the 86 car going on the attack?
It's clear he's going too fast, but his tires are holding their grip as he turns.
Is the asphalt you're driving on different somehow?
How the hell are you doing that when the laws of physics are supposed to be universal?
He moves up!
The 86 regains some of the ground it lost!
Watch out, Takuya! The 86 is coming for you!
What? I thought he had transmission trouble.
I don't know the details, so I can't explain it,
but he's hurtling through like a fireball.
Don't do anything crazy, but keep him behind. Over.
Keep him behind? Are you serious?
Around the outside again?
Are all the rookies this year insane?
You've gotta be kidding me. If his tires are sliding like that,
shouldn't he have zero grip by now?
And he takes off!
After passing the 13 car, he overhauls the 6 in mere seconds!
A stunning display of power.
The 86 moves up another place!
That's gotta be rough.
It's none of my business, but I hope this won't traumatize you, Yanagida-kun.
He's absolutely off the leash! A regular red bullet!
Is he in the "zone" or something?
I don't think we've ever seen this kind of fighting spirit from Katagiri Kanata before!
Katagiri Kanata
I'm glad Katagiri-kun's doing better again.
And now for a chat with Mami-chan. What are your plans for the summer break?
Nothing at the moment, but...
I don't have a lot of money, and everywhere's so expensive.
So I'll probably just take it easy at a local café.
That's so boring. Plus, it feels like a waste of your trademark dynamite body.
What can I say? Even if I buy a cute swimsuit, I have no one to show it off to right now.
Sorry if that's boring.
We now go to the group battling for 11th in the Black and White section.
In the 16, it's Yashio.
In the 18, it's Kitahara.
And in the 9, we have Aiba.
This next right is where you make your move, Shun.
Ease up as you go in,
then as you take the tighter line, go full throttle before the other two can!
Let's do it.
Looking good, Shun!
You'll make good time down this straightway.
Don't view it as passing individual cars. You've got to pull in front of both. Over.
Right.
Bro, this doesn't look good. The 9's really picking up speed.
I know. Get in close, Nozomi. Don't let him sneak in between us.
Damn. That GTR really is fast.
Good work, Shun!
Keep it up in Eau Rouge! Test your mettle with a battle on the brakes!
With the stability it has even at high speed, the GTR should be able to stand up to any car.
That Alfa and Lotus are no match for it!
Don't forget, Shun! Your car is the best in the world: the Nissan GTR!
And through goes the 9!
He jumped up two positions in an instant!
The Kamikaze Outlaw is finally getting all fired up!
Aiba Shun
That's the way.
Looking good out there, Aiba Shun.
And now, a question for Big Sis Kyoko.
What are your plans for the summer break?
I'm not doing anything special over summer. I usually just go out for drinks.
And that's all?
That's right. Every day.
Aw, come on, Big Sis.
You're the leader of the Angels. You've gotta go with something more glamorous than that.
But it's unbearably hot, no matter where you go.
Well, of course. It's summer.
Guess they're pretty normal in their private time, huh?
We go back to the 86 car, which has just negotiated the hairpin.
He's rapidly gaining speed with no signs of slowing down!
Without doubt, he now has the use of second gear when shifting up.
But this brings into question why he was lagging behind earlier in the race.
How should we interpret this change, Akiyama-san?
I'm not sure.
I can't even give you a theory at the moment.
It'd be better to ask him directly once the race is over.
You doing okay, Kanata?
No problem.
Your arm isn't hurting? Over.
I feel no pain at all.
What the hell is going on?
I think I've seen something like this on TV before.
Maybe that's what this is? His brain releasing endorphins or whatever?
I've heard of that kind of thing before.
But this feels like something else.
Endorphins can't completely override pain that strong.
If they could blank it out entirely in spite of the damage done to the body,
something like that could potentially lead to taking fatal risks.
So I don't think that's what this is.
And here's the battle for fourth!
The 1 and the 885 are in an intense tussle for dominance.
Ishigami, the beleaguered top dog, refuses to give way to the rookie, Moroboshi.
Ishigami-kun can be pretty calculating in these situations.
You might describe him as a particularly tall hurdle.
He has some awesome traction.
I always figured the Matsumoto Concept Supra was the best,
but I'm one step behind in every phase.
It has awesome braking, too. I don't see a single gap in his armor.
I won't get anywhere with my regular driving style.
I'll find a way past in the peninsula section.
And the 2 car makes its move!
Akaba Kaito is turning up the wick!
Up in the lead, Beckenbauer is maintaining a conservative pace.
I get the feeling he may have some issue with pushing to the limit.
And because he's taking it so steady, the 2's taking advantage and homing in!
Akaba's joining us?
Good. I can use this.
The last piece I needed for my puzzle has just fallen into place.
Behind them is the group in fourth.
The rampaging rookie seems to be finding the 1 car difficult to pass.
The peninsula section is very stop-and-go.
He likely can't find a way past the GT3 due to its powerful traction and braking.
In spite of that, both are zipping along at a blazing pace.
It's clear to see things are starting to move up and down the field.
And as the race heats up, let's check in on the car at the heart of it all:
the 86, which is now chomping at the heels of the 3 car in sixth place!
Katagiri Kanata's comeback is proving to be a must-watch!
MF Ghost.
Did the 86 get its act together?
What's with this guy? He's yo-yoing up and down the leaderboard like crazy.
But I won't let him past me.
The Huracan's wide body makes it a mobile barricade.
Wow! And he attacks around the outside!
Excuse you? What the hell are you doing?
And he pulls in front. Katagiri Kanata claims sixth place!
He's been seizing positions from the Godly Fifteen like a bandit!
That Katagiri Kanata sure is something.
He smashes all the rules on how to race.
Could you run us through that overtake one more time, Akiyama-san?
It was godlike in its execution.
We've seen Katagiri Kanata slip around the outside of cars in corners before,
but it requires a particular set of skills and sensibilities.
Out-in-out is the standard when cornering,
so most drivers aren't careless enough to leave a gap on the outside.
That means you decelerate on the outer edge, and only leave a space mid-corner.
But Katagiri Kanata targets the tiny window where a car can fit into that gap.
And he's been hitting that target perfectly every time.
A fraction too slow or too fast equals failure.
Imagine a swordsman who's had years of practice,
and who can dodge, then counter an enemy with the initiative with incredible consistency.
It's like a guaranteed deathblow.
Katagiri Kanata might be English,
but more than a few times now, he's given off the air of a samurai.
There's the spot. I'm gonna nail him.
And the 885 goes on the attack!
Into Mitsuishi corner!
He keeps him behind, but only just!
The 885 successfully executed an overtake there on the previous lap, but not this time!
The 1 car stands defiant!
It seems the 911 GT3 with its heavy rear has incredible stopping power,
even when going downhill.
That's a painful lesson for a rookie like Moroboshi to learn.
You can almost hear Ishigami saying, "MFG ain't that easy."
I didn't make a single mistake back there. But that still wasn't enough to pass him.
What am I supposed to do now?
You're up, Number Seven.
Right.
Katagiri Kanata
I'm glad he's back up near the top.
Thank you, Kanata.
And now her task's complete, a question for Number Seven.
Can you tell us your plans for the summer break?
Well, it's something I've mentioned before.
I'm going to visit my grandma in Niigata.
That's pretty much it, though.
No trips to the beach?
I usually don't during the summer swimming season.
I'd rather go to the library...
...and study with friends. I try to stay active, even if it's just with ordinary stuff.
Is she, like, way younger than she looks?
I wonder if Number Seven will ever do a glamour shoot.
Now, back to the group in fourth.
It feels like the 885 has lost some of its fire.
The constant attacking may have worn him down.
His inability to pass the 1 may also make him feel stifled.
Sometimes, you need to take a step back and catch your breath.
The camera picks up the group in fourth at the Unisei hairpin.
And look! The red bullet has appeared!
He's blitzing the downhill stretch beyond the woods!
The 86 is gaining ground on the pair fighting over fourth!
Katagiri Kanata is making it look like he just suddenly warped to this spot!
Say what? He's back in the game?
All right, then. In that case, I'll worry about the Porsche later.
My main aim going into this race was to have it out with you, after all.
This time, it's happening for real!
Now that Katagiri Kanata's back in the race...
I didn't figure it'd happen so soon.
This proxy war between the two aces of Project D.
Who are you rooting for, Itsuki?
There's never been any doubt in my mind from the very beginning.
Takumi's my best friend.
Even if Moroboshi is a Shibukawa local,
there's no comparison in terms of investment for me.
What about the two of you?
Wasn't Takumi the star of the Akina Speed Stars?
When he raced, he represented all of us. To uphold the pride of Akina!
Against the Red Suns, the Night Kids... Even those maniacs in Emperor.
And he fought to hold the line!
How could we not root for his student?
Itsuki's right.
Takumi's the pride of Akina. And he's the icon of our youth.
Quit crying, Iketani.
You're crying, too, Kenji.
They round Aoi corner and head uphill.
But the Toyota 86 GT isn't letting these two cars that outclass it get away.
The 86 has way, way more fight in it now that second gear is usable again!
That part isn't surprising. Katagiri Kanata holds the record for the peninsula section.
Still, seeing him turn it around makes those early laps all the more regrettable.
An intense attack like this can also be a double-edged sword.
I imagine his tires are probably more worn than the other drivers.
It's hard to see him maintaining this kind of speed to the checkered flag.
Looks like the 86 is behind the other car now.
Works for me. I couldn't have asked for more.
The whole world's going to see me keeping these two superstar rookies behind me.
I was the champion two years in a row. I need to make sure people don't forget that.
Once across Manazuru Bridge, you arrive at the so-called Unbalanced corner.
Ishigami Fujin. Moroboshi Sena.
And Katagiri Kanata.
It's tough to take your eyes off this three-way battle!
Damn, being sandwiched like this is stressful as hell.
The battle for fourth enters Unbalanced corner.
And... there they go!
The course now plunges steeply downhill!
The 86 has altered its line!
This reeks of danger!
There he goes!
At a place like this?
I must apologize, folks. It's my job to talk you through the action...
...but I found myself speechless just then.
I'm having trouble processing what I just saw.
Akiyama-san, please help me out here.
That was an intense overtake.
The 86 forced its nose in at the narrowest point possible.
It's hard to imagine anyone doing that at that spot.
The 885 was effectively pushed out of the way,
but since his line wasn't actually blocked, I doubt there are grounds for a challenge.
What we just saw falls under what MFG considers to be fair racing.
But in spite of that, the 885 car was forced to hold its line as if paralyzed.
That kind of driving is out of the question in circuit racing,
so you could call it a monster that lurks within street racing, where you can't bail out.
And it takes a devilish driving sense to draw that monster to the surface,
as Katagiri Kanata just demonstrated.
He passed Sena like it was nothing?
Unbelievable.
I never figured he would beat Katagiri Kanata from the get-go.
This'll be a good lesson for that cocky kid.
There's a clear difference in experience between an MFG driver in his first race,
and one in his third.
Sena's biggest strength is how monstrously quickly he learns.
He has a prodigious talent for absorbing what he experiences and using it himself.
Did you tell Sena about the weakness in Katagiri Kanata's style the boss told us about?
Hell no. If he can't figure it while he's out there racing him, there's no point doing this.
He didn't tell him?
He's starting to act more and more like Ryosuke-san when it comes to stuff like this.
This is humiliating.
He overwhelmed me emotionally, and I couldn't do a damn thing.
When it comes to Gunma pride, Katagiri Kanata outdid me.
Katagiri Kanata is ahead now?
In all honesty, he strikes me as the bigger problem.
The stop-and-go nature of the peninsula section will keep him behind me.
But when we enter the high-speed section, there's no telling what he might try.
How are you going to get past that Porsche?
I couldn't pull it off, no matter what I tried, but I get the feeling you can.
Show me what you've got, so I can learn from it.
Take me into a zone I've never seen before!
Next time, Turn 27: Into the Final Lap.