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.
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.
Katagiri Kanata
And now that she's available, let's chat with Marie-chan—
I-Is there some reason you look so eager to be asked about this?
I feel like your plans for summer won't amount to much, but I'll ask anyway.
So mean. Aren't you being a little harsh, Uehara-san?
My plans for summer...
involve a strategy for losing weight!
Whether I like it or not, I'll go to the gym and sweat a bunch
until my body is perfect for a cute swimsuit,
and then, I'll seduce you, Uehara-san.
I see.
I won't get my hopes up, but I wish you luck.
Now, head back to your position, yeah?
You're so mean, Uehara-san!
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.
MF Ghost
Into the Final Lap
The trio negotiate City Hall corner.
They're almost done with the peninsula section for a fourth lap.
The 885 car has fallen back a place after a failed overtake on the 1 car,
and almost as if taking up the baton from his fellow rookie,
the 86 is now in position to strike and pass the 1!
Don't look away, folks.
Since a fire was lit under Katagiri Kanata, he's shot through the field
with the precision of a sniper.
Will the former champ manage to prevent the red bullet from hitting its mark?
Katagiri Kanata has this uncanny knack that must frighten other drivers.
Ishigami-kun's probably in a cold sweat, even if he'd never admit it.
They blast past the post office at full throttle.
And once again, the scent of danger is in the air!
This is it. He's gonna try something.
The 86 is pulsing with aggression right now.
And there he goes! The 86 makes its move!
And he's through!
The 86 pulls ahead of the 1 car!
Another split-second kill! Even Ishigami Fujin couldn't stop him!
What in the world did we just see, Akiyama-san?
A surprise, for sure.
I never even considered that kind of maneuver.
He took advantage of an inherent weakness in European supercars.
There's a pronounced height difference in the roads on that second hairpin,
meaning a car with lower ground clearance can't take the shortest line.
The 86 isn't that much higher off the ground, but relative to the 911 GT3,
it had enough to daringly cut inside.
The chassis struck the road. Will that be a problem?
I even saw sparks.
Holy cow.
I don't think it'll be a problem.
Kanata's playing rough today.
And onto the back straightaway!
This is the stretch with the second-highest recorded speeds.
Can the 1 car with its superior horsepower come back at him?
This stretch until the Nushiya corner allows them to open the throttle,
but due to the undulating nature of the road, there's only one ideal line.
I'm very impressed with Katagiri Kanata.
He's positioning his car perfectly to stop the 1 from getting past.
I think we can now be sure that the 86 has received a substantial upgrade
under the hood for this third race.
Otherwise, no matter how perfect his line was,
he wouldn't be able to fend off the 1 car on this back straight.
They enter the Nushiya corner.
He first pulls the kinda tricks you only see in street racing,
and now he's showing the experience of a seasoned racing driver.
Nice. The stronger the enemy, the more satisfying it is to beat 'em.
Now I'm really fired up!
Getting old is no fun at all.
Incredible.
He's displaying a different kind of prowess from the first two races.
Something must've awakened inside Katagiri Kanata.
Was this otherworldy sprinting prowess nurtured by that genius downhill racer?
Our lead group finishes up its fourth lap and heads into the final lap.
Michael Beckenbauer. Sawatari Koki. And Akaba Kaito.
With the 2 leading the way, it's a three-way brawl for first.
And six seconds back is the 86, fresh from its latest skirmish!
He's all the way back up to fourth, and is showing no signs of slowing down.
The super rookie is really earning that title today!
Katagiri Kanata's awesome!
Knock Beckenbauer off his perch!
Ishigami in the 1 car is in fifth, with Moroboshi's 885 in sixth.
Oishi in the 3 is seventh. Yanagida in the 6 is eighth.
Maezono's 13 car is in ninth. Sakamoto's 14 is in tenth.
Aiba in the 9 runs 11th.
Yashio's 12 is in 12th. Kitahara in the 18 car is 13th.
Taylor in the 8 is 14th.
And Otani's 7 car in 15th.
These 15 sprinters will now go flat-out...
to gain as much ground as they can.
I'd like to ask about something that's been on my mind, Akiyama-san.
Shoot.
Is there a reason the lights in the three tunnels have been turned off?
This might be a good chance to explain.
MFG as a racing series was originally started
with the intention of reviving areas affected by the eruption of Mount Fuji.
I'm sure fans are aware that a significant portion of the proceeds
is donated to the areas that were hardest hit.
The natural disaster resulted in a protracted period
where infrastructure shut down, leaving residents without electricity for a time.
Shutting off the lights in the tunnel is a reminder of those events
by MFG's organizers.
It's also for this very same reason
that all five MFG courses include hazards that reflect the Fuji eruption.
I can see why the organizing committee chose you as a spokesman, Akiyama-san.
You have a wealth of fascinating insights into their vision.
And now, back to the race. Into the Black and White they go!
He's left the most enticing line open. I'm not sure what he's planning,
but if there's space to overtake, my policy is to go for it.
Go on, horsepower honcho. Give him a taste of your top speed.
The 2 moves out from the 12's slipstream.
And the 4's right behind him!
You were aiming for that pocket of air all along?
Well played, Sawatari.
How d'ya like me now?
You enjoying your taste of that monstrous 670 horsepower?
The Midnight Straight on this final lap is turning into an test of strength.
The acoustics of the tunnel enhance the music of the Ferrari.
And he passes both cars!
First down to third have all switched places!
There's the lead group.
Will I be able to catch them?
Fujiwara-sensei always told me:
"When you want to achieve something, don't frame it like a question."
"Make it a statement in the future tense."
I can do this. I will catch them.
MF Ghost.
And through he goes!
The 885 finally blasts past the 1 car!
He passed him around the outside.
I believe he imitated Katagiri Kanata in the line he took.
Despite only seeing it two or three times,
he seems on the verge of getting that ability down pat.
It's a real surprise. He's proving to be a fearsome rookie.
He's a different type of driver than Katagiri Kanata,
but I sense huge potential for growth, albeit on a path that's hard to predict.
Aiba Shun. So you've made it this far up.
But I'll stop you in your tracks if it's the last thing I do!
Here we have two drivers who seem to butt heads regularly.
Both are heavyweights with comparable power.
Is this going to be another clash between the pair?
And back to the lead group!
The 2 car's superior power is on full display.
The two cars behind can't catch him.
I can't keep up. What's this guy's deal?
The 2 car charges onward, with the 4 and the 15 giving chase.
Akaba-kun's taken the lead,
and I reckon the peninsula section is where he'll win or lose it.
His previous best there is nowhere near Beckenbauer's or Sawatari-kun's.
So if Akaba-kun is still in the lead at the end of that section,
I'd say he has one hand on the winner's trophy.
The two cars behind won't make it easy, though.
Those two have proven they're the cream of the crop in this season of MFG.
And there they go.
Next up, the peninsula section, and the course is named after it for good reason.
But we can't forget about this car that's chasing them down!
The holder of the record for this section: Katagiri Kanata.
The fastest man on the peninsula is coming their way!
Katagiri-kun is particularly fast in this stretch.
You could even say, given his previous trouble in this area,
Akaba-kun being in the lead presents an opportunity for Katagiri-kun.
How much ground can he gain on them?
You'll wanna keep your eyes glued to this race, folks!
This is bad. I'm so tense, my stomach's killing me.
I'm gonna puke.
Please don't. Not in here.
At this point, there's not a whole lot we can do from this end.
Feel free to go to the bathroom to take care of business.
I can't.
I can't leave the booth. Not now.
We're on the final lap, and my partner's out there on a miracle run.
They're closing up!
The gaps between the top three are shrinking!
But these peninsula roads are narrow, and overtaking will be a tall order.
Akaba Kaito is spurred on by his pride as last year's second-placed driver.
The prancing horse is determined to get away!
What's wrong? Shake a leg, Sawatari.
Passing the 2 should be child's play for us.
I'm letting you make the first move.
All three cars are bumper to bumper,
and it's hard to ignore the feeling that something's about to happen.
The one advantage this car has over the Ferrari is that it's lighter.
If I wanna make the most of that advantage...
a downhill battle on the brakes seems the best way!
I've never liked guys like you,
who chase any girls that cross their path.
Where's the beauty in that?
My Seventeen Complex, on the other hand...
is the embodiment of my aesthetic!
And the 4 car takes the lead!
Sawatari Koki is now in first place!
If you ask me, a womanizer with no standards could never be as cool...
as a fetish enthusiast.
Sawatari Koki is a beast!
His overflowing fighting spirit led to a fearsome overtake.
Now try to hold that snotty German back for as long as you can, Akaba-san.
That way, I can build up a decent margin.
And wait, is that the 12 making its move?
The 2 crosses behind the 12 in an attempt to go on the attack.
He's relying on horsepower alone to pass him around the outside.
But he fails! The first fork on the course ends up blocking his path!
Akaba Kaito drops to third!
Damn it.
Aw, crap. Michael's already on my tail.
Unbelievable. What are you doing back there, Akaba-san?
This is every bit as shocking as it is brutal!
Akaba Kaito has been crushed.
Out of respect for Akaba-kun...
I'll point out that he made no mistakes and there were no issues with his driving.
It's just the two drivers he's up against are driving at a truly absurd level.
They're fundamentally built different.
That was evident when they both set course records in qualifying.
This is really turning into a wild season.
The new generation is improving too fast for the veterans and journeymen to keep up.
They've been left behind.
Those maniacs. They don't even hesitate at the thought of trading paint,
nor think twice about the kind of roughhousing that can get them flagged.
I'll never forget how frustrating this feels.
Katagiri Kanata? Where'd he spring from?
The Mitsuishi corner!
Here he goes!
The 86 is making a move down the inside!
They're side-by-side! It's getting tight!
And he's through!
An overtake!
Katagiri Kanata reclaims third place!
That was razor-sharp.
And a reminder that all three of these drivers set new course records!
And lest we forget, Katagiri Kanata set the record for this peninsula section!
He's driving like he wants to remind us of that fact!
I exited on a slightly wider line than I visualized.
I'm starting to understeer.
What an incredible race.
The Odawara studio is buzzing.
Our leaders are now zooming through the coastal area.
Look at the distances! The 86 has really dug in deep!
There's no telling what the outcome of this race might be at this point.
And this tricolor group of cars continue to duke it out!
On any other day, Aiba's tires would be so worn, he'd be slowing down by now.
So why the hell isn't the same true today?
If anything, it's my front that's starting to feel jumpy.
Can't believe my mid-engine 4x4 handicap has come to bite me so late in the game.
The two cars fighting over ninth are approaching the third fork!
We've seen such drama at this point of the course already,
and now, it looks like Aiba in the 9 has something up his sleeve!
But can he pull it off?
Whoa!
He didn't go for it. Not even an attempt.
Don't go getting your hopes up. I'm not a technical racer.
And now...
It's the 86!
The king, Beckenbauer, has just been usurped by a rookie!
That pass was so smooth...
...it was like magic!
I'm having trouble believing what I just saw.
What the heck was that, Akiyama-san?
The gutter.
He used the height difference between the asphalt and the shoulder.
But boy, that really takes me back.
That was actually one of Fujiwara Takumi's favorite tricks.
I have to say, this kid never runs out of surprises.
Is it because of his tires?
He never tried anything like that in any of the other races,
so if he was forced to do it here,
are his tires starting to run out of grip?
Next time, Turn 28: Their First Kiss.