Stage 4, Episode 1
Short summary
Project D is a team formed by Ryosuke Takahashi. They race outside of their prefecture and find challengers through their website. They have yet to lose. The first opponent in Fourth Stage is a team called the Seven Star Leaf. Tohru plans to take the downhill with Atsurou taking the uphill. In need of new tires, Tohru asks his girlfriend, Nao, for money, and she gives it to him only if he agrees to quit racing if he loses. Project D is not a regular racing team, using only 2 cars: Takumi's Hachi Roku and Keisuke's FD. These are the team's "double aces" who are being coached by Ryosuke. They use one night as practice and have the battle the next. The night of the battle, the Seven Star Leaf ask that the downhill be first. It's not a side-by-side race. One car will go first with the other following. If the car in the back gets left behind, it's a loss. Takumi will be in the rear. Ryosuke explains to his team that the deciding point will be towards the end where the gutters are left uncovered. They're deep and getting stuck in them would cause trouble, but something can be done if the driver has mastered weight-shifting techniques. He believes both Takumi and Keisuke can do it.
Longer summary
The first episode of Fourth Stage starts with an explanation of Project D. It is a team formed by Takahashi Ryosuke that races out of their prefecture. They have their own website and finds challengers through it. The results of the battles are also posted. They have yet to lose.
At Tochigi, Tohru talks with his team, the Seven Star Leaf, about the arrival of Project D. He plans on taking the downhill, leaving the uphill to Atsurou and his 34.
The next day, Tohru talks with his girlfriend, Nao, about lending him money for a new set of tires. Nao is upset though. She thinks he spends too much money on his car and tells him, at this rate, they'll never be able to get married. However, she agrees to lend him the money, but on one condition: if he loses the race, he quits being a racer. If he doesn't keep this promise, she'll break up with him.
It's the night that Project D arrives, and they come led by Keisuke's FD and Takumi's Hachi Roku, and followed by 3 Project D vans. Ryosuke is in one of the vans and has been concentrating during the ride. Hiroshi is still the spokesperson and talks to the Seven Star Leaf about using this night as a practice, with the race the next night. The Hachi Roku will handle the downhill. The FD will handle the uphill. These are the team's "double-aces." Atsurou realizes that this isn't a normal racing team since it's only composed of two racers, and Tohru is doubtful of what they can accomplish with only one night as practice.
Ryosuke is talking with Matsumoto about the settings on Takumi's Hachi Roku. He tells him to show it to Takumi and get him to think about it. At the moment, getting Takumi to think about things is important. He then walks over to coach both Takumi and Keisuke. Prior to this, he had given them a tape of the course to watch. He tells them to start slow to correct the differences between the video and the actual course. Picking up the pace comes afterwards. Keisuke and Takumi then go off to practice. Tohru follows suit.
In the morning, it's as usual, Takumi takes a cup of water from Bunta and does the tofu delivery. Later, at the gas station, Itsuki and Iketani are working, except Itsuki is working full time now instead of part time. Once he gets his first paycheck, he plans on buying a turbo for his Hachi Go. During this, Takumi is at his other job, working for a moving company. He catches a glimpse of the fast food place Mogi used to work at and memories of her start coming back.
Later at the Seven Star Leaf's mountain pass, Hiroshi and Takumi inspect the gutter on the side. It's very deep and not covered by anything. Falling into it would cause trouble. Takumi recalls Ryosuke mentioning that how one overcomes them could mean a win or a loss in the battle. Hiroshi convinces Takumi to believe in Ryosuke. Tohru, at this time, is doing final touches and modifications to his car.
Bunta is having dinner with Yuichi. Their conversion goes into Project D, and Bunta says that eventually, they'll lose.
It's the night of the race, and the downhill will be first. One car will go first, and the other will follow. If the car in the back gets left behind, it's a loss. In this race, Takumi will be in the back. The race hasn't started yet, and Tohru's already shaking. He's both frightened and happy at the same time from the high tension from this race.
The race begins with Tohru's Roadster in the front. It is more compact than the Hachi Roku with light footwork being it's strongest weapon. Tohru, the "daredevil kamikaze downhiller", drives with a rough style and starts every turn with as much speed as he can. He attacks each corner with an inertial drift. Ryosuke explains to his team that the end of the course is the where the match will be decided, where the gutter is uncovered. Only those who have mastered weight-shifting techniques will be able to do it, and he believes that both Takumi and Keisuke can.
