MF GHOST (MFゴースト)

With the top three screwing up, I'm in a podium place after barely any effort.

I couldn't have asked for a better chance.

And I ain't complaining about getting to stare at the ample rear of a glamour babe.

This race has only just begun. Better to conserve my tires for now.

Shun here. You reading me, booth?

Where's Kanata right now? Over.

Katagiri Kanata rejoined the race in ninth.

Since then, he's passed two cars and is up to seventh.

For real?

Seventh place puts him two cars behind me.

I never would've guessed he'd be that close.

Forget about the 86. Focus on your own race!

What's this thing you have with Katagiri Kanata? Over!

What do you want from me? He's my boy.

And I know he's coming. I can tell.

I've never had a chance to battle him before.

But this time? It's on.

MF Ghost

Let's see. The thing I remember from summer break...

m 0 0 l 100 0 100 100 0 100

The Midair Feint

By the way, Marie-san...

You previously said you were going to diet over summer break, right?

Uh, w-well, that kinda turned out, um...

I forgot all about it, meow.

"Meow"?

Whatever. Go back to your seat.

Uehara-san, that's so mean.

I think he must be into me.

But I'm sorry. You're just not my type.

Sawatari, I've always had a high opinion of you.

But that doesn't mean I'm gonna just roll over in this race.

Let's give the fans a feast for the eyes.

Dogfights make races really shine, after all.

Having to overtake a Porsche isn't gonna be easy.

Its traction and braking mean I can't dive-bomb it.

But it has a weakness...

...that MFG exposes.

The 86 and the 12 are closing the gap to the 1 car in front of them!

Last year's champ will have to find a way to fend off the strongest train.

Let's watch!

And here comes Katagiri Kanata.

Out of all the drivers, you might be the most unpleasant to deal with.

At Peninsula, you smoked me with bizarre tricks that only work on public roads,

but this course requires a more orthodox racing technique.

You won't be able to pass my GT3.

This is where you lose.

Catching is one thing. Passing is quite another.

How are you going to handle this, Katagiri?

And as if trying to cast off the specter of the first lap,

Sawatari Koki goes on the attack!

Crazy bastard.

Didn't you screw up at this exact point on the first lap?

I don't make the same mistake twice.

I'm too smart for that.

The 8 car loses traction!

It avoided spinning out, but it clearly lost a lot of speed!

That was a surprise.

The Hydro Trap is wide at entry, and it curves around to the right...

...so you generally get people entering it on the left side.

But Sawatari angled himself to enter it on the right side,

and was able to get a good exit angle by making contact with the 8 car.

Was the contact accidental?

I seriously doubt it.

Since the Hydro Trap limits the driver's ability to steer,

he had to have gone in intending to trade paint.

He took advantage of how rear-heavy Porsches are.

Since the Gs are centered on the rear, they tend to rotate, like a spinning top.

And he did that after spinning out by being too aggressive there before.

What's going on in Sawatari's head?

Because he found the edge of adhesion the first time,

he can probably go right up to it with confidence now.

I get the feeling none of the others can match the 4 in the Hydro Trap now.

The leading group is entering the mountainous Sector 2!

And this 15-car field is gradually starting to spread out.

This driver has plenty of speed, but not enough experience.

It's crystal-clear he's lost all of his composure.

The damage to his tires will be like body blows in boxing,

gradually making him unable to fight.

Silly boy.

I must say, though, this MFG series...

Experiencing it firsthand, I can tell it has more depth than it seems.

No matter how skilled an athlete you are,

there are certain fundamentals that form the foundation of each sport.

Just like how Premier League stars dribble and pass to work on ball control,

there are certain fundamentals for racing drivers that can't be ignored.

And MFG is intentionally built around them.

These heavy chassis with so little downforce.

The poor acceleration. The slippery tires.

Each one of these factors demands fundamental skills from the driver.

And it all harks back to some kind of primordial enjoyment.

I think I understand why Fujiwara-sensei

sent Kanata to Japan to get him out of his slump now.

A car with such good brakes will make challenging it at the entry of a corner tough.

I'd rather not use up my tires just yet.

But MFG has its own way of doing these things.

Check out the air Emma Greene is getting!

She traces a beautiful parabola, as if enjoying the act of jumping itself!

I can't help regretting that this race is a one-off affair for her.

She already has me, Tanaka Yoji, wrapped around her little finger.

Now we turn to the group fighting over sixth as they head for the jump!

It's last year's champion versus the strongest train!

I'm going through. Let's see if you can keep up.

I don't have much choice.

Are you kidding me? You're making your move here?

You two have gotta be crazy.

You're off-balance. Do you really want to try this?

Wow! And the 86 attacks around the outside!

What just happened at the Jumping Spot?

The strongest train is bearing down on the 1 car!

Damn. So that's your play? But I'm not letting you all through!

Last year's champion drops back two places!

It looked like they got entangled mid-jump.

What happened there, Sudo-san?

The kind of thing that makes a commentator want to cry.

On the first lap, I said how you don't want to tilt too much in mid-air.

But Katagiri Kanata opted to do just that.

He intentionally aimed to land off-balance.

then used the momentum to execute a high-speed drift that took him to the edge.

It's a type of feint rally drivers like to use when they have low mu.

And he executed that in midair?

It's not the kind of thing most drivers would think to do.

And it left someone as talented as Ishigami-kun utterly helpless.

Once the opening was made, the strongest train was free to do as they pleased.

I'd say the 18 wasn't able to stick with them

because she didn't hit the jump at the same speed as the other two.

And frankly, asking that of anyone is absurd.

These two drivers are just built different.

I was giving everything I had to keep up with them,

but it looks like this is as far as I go.

It would've been nice to keep watching Kanata's driving.

You'd better win, Kanata.

Because I'm practically in love with you.

The 86 climbs to sixth.

And the 12 is now in seventh!

It's starting to look plausible now, folks!

These two might be back in contention for the win!

I wasn't sure whether or not to comment on it before,

but they're coming back at an uncanny pace.

Given the race is only on its second lap, they've got every chance.

They do?

Should the commentators really be saying that kinda thing?

I've been trying my hardest not to even think it.

Kanata and Beckenbauer might actually do it.

I mean, how many times have they done the impossible before?

I've lost count.

And now, a question for Moe-chan.

Since we've gone through the whole lineup, time for a more personal question.

What kind of person would you like to marry?

Gosh!

She's gonna give a calculated answer.

You're pushing your tires too hard, Sena! This is only the second lap! Over!

I know.

I know that, but I'm not about to let some chick look down on me.

She's gotta be pushing her tires just as hard.

The 885 is pushing on aggressively!

This rookie is going hard!

That's no good. He doesn't know how best to use his tires.

No way he holds out until the last lap.

The blonde behind him knows her stuff.

She's matching his pace, but putting less stress on her tires.

Can't we do something? Like call his booth to pass along a message?

They're bound to already be doing just that.

But if telling him was enough, we wouldn't be in this spot.

Boss, that seems kinda cold.

The kid's lucky.

He's tasting the pressure of leading in his second race.

That's not an experience just anyone gets, and it's invaluable.

We'll let this run its course.

And that blonde will likely turn up the heat.

I had no idea you were such a sadist, boss.

Yeah, you did.

MF Ghost.

MF Ghost.