Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Initial D Fan Fiction ❯ Initial D: Anything Goes Drift Racing ❯ Under his wing. The Ultimate Technique. ( Chapter 3 )

Initial D: Mt Furinken. Anything Goes Drift Racing.

Chapter 3. Under his wing. The Ultimate Technique.

Since his first run, Ranma had been back on the mountain every night with Edy Sakura and Neji. All of them had been amazed at Ranma's progression as he bettered his technique and dropped another few seconds from his time but it was clear both to Ranma and the others that he would soon hit his limit and it still wasn't as fast as it should have been.

It was Thursday night when Ranma finally asked Edy about it. -"Why can't I go any faster. You are still faster than me but I know if I push it any harder I'll loose control." Edy smiled at this. -"That is because of the technique you use. It is the same method everyone starts with and it is the most common but it has a limit. The problem comes in the braking, you have to loose too much speed to take the corners." Ranma nodded as he listened. -"Yes ok, but how do I go faster then. What technique do you use?" -"I use true drift. Like you and all the most skilled racers, I reached a point where I could go no faster the way I was driving, so a friend of mine showed me a different way. It is far more difficult and only those who can push the standard technique to the fullest can use it."

Edy knelt down on the tarmac in the almost deserted viewing platform car park and picked up a stone. -"It's like this. When you drift, you brake to shift the weight to the front of the car and spin the wheels as you turn into a corner to make the back end slide out. But you rely on acceleration to pull you through the corner and shifting to control the grip as you exit. But like this you loose a lot of speed braking but if you don't slow the moment with the weight will cause under steer and put you into the wall or the barrier." Edy demonstrated this with the stone.

-"However the technique I use works like this. You instead of braking, just pop the clutch, this will jolt the tramline and shift the weight forward briefly at which point you steer in and floor the gas throwing the back out. But because the weight equalises quicker the forward motion of the back kicks in sooner and harder so provided you have the back far enough around, the cars acceleration will push you round the corner and out at much greater velocity without hitting the wall. Of course this takes much greater balancing of the pedals and steering and you have to be in the right gear but if you get it right, you, could become practically unbeatable." Edy demonstrated with his stone again as he talked. -"Sakura said you picked up the basics watching her drive her car, so I'll drive down once and you can watch." Ranma's heart fluttered momentarily, the others had all said how fast Edy was but could he really be that much faster than himself. Ranma was desperate to learn to drive faster but this technique sound difficult he only hoped he could get it.

So Edy and Ranma climbed into the dark blue NSX and its engine burst into life. Ranma listened to is growl as the car trundled to the launch strip and stopped. -"Ready?" Edy asked. Ranma checked his harness was secure and nodded. The NSX left the line like someone had just shouted Boo. The first corners weren't hard enough to warrant a serious drift just the accel off technique everyone used but the first hairpin corner was coming up and Ranma realised that they'd passed the point where he started braking. Suddenly Ranma felt like his insides had been pulled inside out and then shoved in a blender as the car whipped round the hairpin the Gforces trying to yank him out of his seat and then it was over and the car was accelerating again and Ranma realised just how powerful and dangerous this technique would be in someone who couldn't control a drift. He also wondered about the strain on the drive tran but he figured Edy knew what he was doing.

It took two more corners before Ranma was actually able to concentrate on how Edy was driving instead of trying to hold his dinner in. But as the course passed by in a blur Ranma was able to see how it was done and in his mind began practicing the technique and before he knew it they were across the finish line. Ranma checked his watch, his fastest time to date was 3:08 but if his calculation was correct, they had just reached the bottom in 2:53.

Edy looked over at him. -"You ok?" Ranma nodded awe struck. -"Damn you're fast. How do you stop damage to the drive tran by the way?" -"Well, balancing the accelerator, you don't need to really jolt the thing, just give it a nudge so to speak. That and make sure to maintain the car. I checked it over and you've got a strong car there so it shouldn't be a problem. Also you don't need to use it every corner I did to show you, just use it when you need to. Right so shall we go back up and you can have a go. I would suggest you only do one run tonight, otherwise you might damage the tran.

So they drove back to the top so Ranma could get his car. Then with Edy following using regular drift they set off. As Edy had expected Ranma took the first few big corners badly but at least he hadn't crashed or scrapped. He remembered the first time Sakura had tried the technique and scrapped most of the paint off the left side of her car. Neji still hadn't learned the technique. However with each of the corners he took he gained more and more control. It marvelled Edy how someone could learn so fast just by watching and imitating, it had taken him a week to get to equal the skill of Ranma's most recent drift and months to really perfect the technique. By the bottom of the course Edy knew Ranma would have the technique down and the rest of the runs would be tweaks and perfections. -"Truly he is a wonder." He said to himself.

In fact by the last few corners, Edy found he had to use the technique himself again to keep up with Ranma and while his time was worse that usual Ranma knew if he tried again he could surpass his old time with ease. This Saturday he knew he could attend the races with no fear, for anyone who was likely to challenge him would surely be easy to defeat. Ranma was starting to get cocky and he knew it.

So that Saturday Ranma met with Edy, Sakura and Neji at the bottom of the mountain and waited till most were already gathered so they could make a suitable entrance, loud and visible, before pulling into the car park. There was a race already scheduled they knew and soon a green S14 and a black Integra were lining up. According to Sakura they were just a couple of the local young racers, drift kiddies as she called them, and not nearly on their skill level but it was still fun to watch them race.

Ranma suddenly noticed Kuno standing not to far away and even better Kodatchi appeared not to be present so Ranma walked over. -"Hello Kuno. I didn't expect to see you here." Ranma said casually. -"Ah! Soatome what are you doing here. What have you done with my beloved pig tailed girl, I haven't seen here in days. Not since we shared a…" Ranma cut Kuno off hurriedly. -"Nope, haven't seen her. So do you think you could beat those two." Ranma said pointing at the two racers getting ready to start. He was trying to bait Kuno into challenging him but he didn't want to be too obvious but then Kuno had never been one for much subtlety. -"Yes they would be easy. There are not many racers here who could challenge Tatiwaki Kuno the Blue Thunder or Furinken Mountain." There were a few laughs as Kuno spouted off in his usual high and mighty way.

-"I bet I could beat you." Ranma said abandoning subtlety completely. -"Ha. How could you beat me. You don't even have a car and besides I can tell you lack even the most basic skill." Ranma scowled. -"Ha, I do have a car." He said pointing to the green S15 and wondering if Kuno could and would put two and two together. -"Hmm, so you have a car though a rather poor one compared to my WRX. I would never be seen in such a car but then each to his own I guess." Ranma silently thanked Kuno's thick head as he continued to speak. -"Very well Soatome, if you think you're so fast let's find out. I challenge you to a race. Do you accept." Ranma smiled. -"Anytime pal. How bout when they're finished." He said pointing at the two cars on the launch strip. Ranma suddenly realised Edy was standing behind him and that the crowed seemed to be concentrating on them him and Kuno. Edy whispered into Ranma's ear. -"What are you doing. I know you wanted to race but didn't mean you to start against someone so difficult you're fast time."

Ranma felt the world slow around him. -"What do you mean someone so fast. I though Tatiwake Kuno over there was rubbish?" -"You know him? Obviously not well enough, he's one of the fastest on the mountain with that WRX. It's true he was pretty rubbish six months ago but since he got the WRX he hasn't lost a race." Ranma wasn't sure what to think, a moment ago he been so confident now he wasn't so sure of himself. -"Can I beat him?" -"Maybe. With a bit more training yeah no problem, I mean I can still beat him but you've never raced against anyone properly with your new technique only practice stuff against Sakura and Neji. You'll have to give it your all." Edy concluded.

Ranma looked over at Kuno who stood confidently opposite him and Ranma noticed not dressed in his Keno wear but in jeans and a t-shirt and looking much `cooler' than the Kuno he knew. Ranma wondered if maybe he'd misjudged him and whether this time he'd bitten off more than he could chew.

-"Well Soatome, shall we get ready. Once the other two are done, we'll go." And with that he walked off to his car to prepare for the race. Ranma walked back to his S15 with Edy and Sakura. -"Well Ranma, I hope you know what you're doing." Sakura said keeping one eye on Kuno's car. -"You know I've fought Kuno many time's in the past and always beaten him easily but this time, he might just beat me." Ranma gritted his teeth. -"No way, I won't loose. I won't!"