Car of the Week | Week 75: Strong and Steady (Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX '00)

[05XR8]

I'm going to hold you to that, you know Surprised no one else seems to have tried to recreate it with the reintroduction of Grand Valley...

Oh, I looked into it alright and kept looking past it. I’ll move that goal post like Lucy moves the football away from Charlie Brown. If PD add some GT300 cars from the past then, yeah, then it’ll look more likely for me to do it with six cars!

 

[Alex p.]

Congratulations to @Skyrocket44 for managing to lap Tomahawk Xs in a freaking bone stock Aqua! Good shoutout to Vic too, for managing to beat an entire field of Gr.1 cars as well!

---

It's @Baron Blitz Red 's choice to pick this week, and he's consistently went for cars new to GT7 to try out. This week however, there's just a tiny bit of a change to that pattern.

Newly returning to the series in v1.48 after being late to the party for two years, let's welcome back to the Gran Turismo series the #16 Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX '00, otherwise known as the Honda NSX GT500 '00 in this game!

View attachment 1389398



Honda, one of the "Big Three" Japanese manufacturers, has been embroiled in the battle for supremacy in the fastest class of Super GT, GT500, since the category's infancy in 1996. However, being rear mid–engined, the NSX was subject to air intake and mass penalties solely for slinging its engine aft the cockpit, ultimately proving to be too much for teams fielding the NSX to overcome... that is, until the turn of the millennium, when the #16 car of Team Mugen x Dome Project consistently finished strongly over the 2000 season, snatching away the points lead from its competitors at the end of the season without winning a single race!

Needless to say, the #16 Castrol MUGEN NSX is one of the most historically significant cars in Honda's history, but its significance in Gran Turismo games should not be overlooked. With the 2000 NSX GT500 joining the 1997 Supra GT500 and 1999 GT-R GT500 in Gr.3, we finally have the completed trio of the JGTC GT500 cars of the Big Three in GT7, which has traditionally been the focus of late–game Gran Turismo careers. In short, it's just a sight for sore eyes! And it makes one hell of a sound as well!

With all that said, will you join us in racing this amazing car under BoP, or take part in the Single–Player Challenge featuring this car?

---

Join Us In Our Weekly Lobbies!​

Spoiler: Weekly Lobbies Information

Our weekly lobbies are ongoing as usual, and anyone (not a dick) is welcome to join us in racing bone stock NSX GT500s under BoP conditions!

Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!

The Americas Lobby​

• Tuesday. 17th September, 10 P.M. CST
• Host: Victory_Reign93

The Asia/Oceania also kinda European Lobby​

• Saturday, 21st September, 4 P.M. Singapore Time
• Host: XSquareStickIt

BoP/Settings Disabled: On (Gr.3)
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~5 mins practice, ~10 mins sprint)
PP Limit: No Limit
Car: Gr.3
Tyres: Racing Hard

---

~Single–Player Challenge!~​

I'm going to hold you to that, you know Surprised no one else seems to have tried to recreate it with the reintroduction of Grand Valley...

That's right: this week's Single–Player Challenge recreates a Gran Turismo hood classic event: the Grand Valley 300km Endurance Race! Can you win it in a NSX GT500 '00?

The event will take roughly 2 hours to complete. Your car can be in any state of tune, but do note that BoP is On, which will adjust the car's power and mass to current BoP settings.

Set up a Custom Race with the following parameters. Any parameter not specified can be adjusted to your own liking for more or less of a challenge.

Race Type/Length: Laps/59
No. Of Cars: 20
Starting Pos.: 10
Start Type: Rolling
Starting Interval: 20m (default)
BoP: On
Boost: Weak
Slipstream Strength: Real
Tyre Wear: 1x
Fuel Consumption: 1x
Refueling Speed: Default (3ℓ/s)

Weather: Custom, Random
Time of Day: Sunrise
Time Progression Rate: 5x

Rivals: Select from Garage

Grid Slots 1–9: Gr.3 cars, default setups
Grid Slot 10: Honda NSX GT500 '00 (You!)
Grid Slots 11–20: Gr.4 cars, default setups

Flag Rules: On

Bonus points for dressing up the cars to look like a Super GT grid! If you have the garage for it, you can also try this grid roughly mimicking the entry list of the JGTC Year 2000 season:

Spoiler: Grid Suggestion

1. GT-R GT500 '99
2. Supra GT500 '97
3. NSX GT500 '00
4. GT-R GT3 '18
5. NSX Gr.3
6. GR Supra Racing Concept '18
7. F1 GTR - BMW '95
8. FT-1 Gr.3
9. Viper SRT GT3-R '15
10. NSX GT500 '00 (You!)
11. Cayman GT4 Clubsport '16
12. Atenza Gr.4
13. GR Supra Race Car '19
14. Viper Gr.4
15. 86 Gr.4
16. Silvia spec-R Aero (S15) Touring Car
17. RC F Gr.4
18. WRX Gr.4
19. GT-R Gr.4
20. 458 Gr.4

There's no competition this week; I can't ask anyone to share a 2h replay. Just share your strats, car impressions, and maybe even photos or videos of your race here on this thread!

---

Of course, we always welcome opinions, tunes, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the car here on the thread!

Spoiler

After screaming "NS SEEEEEEX" so much in our PS chat, I'm actually sad no one got the foreshadowing for the NSX being this week's car. Like, actually how dare you levels of sad.

​

I just KNEW it was gonna be the Mugen NSX! That's why I cut and uploaded the 1km and Tsukuba comparisons yesterday. Wanted to release those two videos at the end of September, but just for you I released them both just now.

Managed a 06.26.888 on the Nords with it. YT review: "Returning from originally GT3, we're finally getting an early 00's GT500 NSX! This very model won the '00 season btw. But how does it drive? Pretty nicely I gotta say. Very fast, engaging, thrilling and fun. Pretty happy with the lap as well btw. Could shave off around another 0.5 - 1.0 seconds."



1km drag race and Tsukuba comparisons:




Verdict: unsurprising sleeper. It does what is expected of a season winner: drive rather well and be fast.

 

[SomePlayaDude]

 

[Alex p.]

Serious question: do you post songs, which you associate with the chosen cars? And if so, a little explanation would be nice as to why it is exactly song xy.

 

[XSquareStickIt]

So, hours before I was to put up the announcement post, Baron hit me up with a suggestion for this week's ~Single–Player Challenge~, which was to set a time with the Castrol MUGEN NSX in the qualifying time trial of whichever Daily Race was using Gr.3 machinery this week. I turned him down as Daily Race admission requires PS+, and I didn't want to exclude those without PS+ from participating in the SPC (but mostly because I already spent way too much time testing the Grand Valley custom race and psssshhh I'm not about'ta let all that go to waste!).

That said, I still want to accommodate him, given it's his week, so I've started us off on the unofficial SPC of this week officially with a time of 1:27.535 with a NSX on Medium tyres and otherwise stock settings. It's slow as heck, being about 2.5s off the top time even in the early stages, so go beat my time to a pulp!

You can tune the car if you wish, but do share your settings if you do!

 

[SomePlayaDude]

Serious question: do you post songs, which you associate with the chosen cars? And if so, a little explanation would be nice as to why it is exactly song xy.

Yes. Every week. But I don't post it unless I want to.

Usually it's personal preference, so if there's no relevance, there you go. Other times, it follows to what I listen, and I pile it up in a playlist of sorts. Usually the only hint you're getting is if I decide to write about the car.

It's not all like that though, as some cars automatically have theme songs for how they come exposed to me, like a quick example: The Lamborghini Murcielago would get Hot Action Cop - Going Down On It (NFS Hot Pursuit 2 Clean Version).

This week's NSX is a Gran Turismo 2 staple, so I yoinked something I vibe from Gran Turismo 2 that's not Sex Type Thing.

 

[Obelisk]

Congratulations to @Skyrocket44 for managing to lap Tomahawk Xs in a freaking bone stock Aqua! Good shoutout to Vic too, for managing to beat an entire field of Gr.1 cars as well!

---

It's @Baron Blitz Red 's choice to pick this week, and he's consistently went for cars new to GT7 to try out. This week however, there's just a tiny bit of a change to that pattern.

Newly returning to the series in v1.48 after being late to the party for two years, let's welcome back to the Gran Turismo series the #16 Honda Castrol MUGEN NSX '00, otherwise known as the Honda NSX GT500 '00 in this game!

View attachment 1389398



Honda, one of the "Big Three" Japanese manufacturers, has been embroiled in the battle for supremacy in the fastest class of Super GT, GT500, since the category's infancy in 1996. However, being rear mid–engined, the NSX was subject to air intake and mass penalties solely for slinging its engine aft the cockpit, ultimately proving to be too much for teams fielding the NSX to overcome... that is, until the turn of the millennium, when the #16 car of Team Mugen x Dome Project consistently finished strongly over the 2000 season, snatching away the points lead from its competitors at the end of the season without winning a single race!

Needless to say, the #16 Castrol MUGEN NSX is one of the most historically significant cars in Honda's history, but its significance in Gran Turismo games should not be overlooked. With the 2000 NSX GT500 joining the 1997 Supra GT500 and 1999 GT-R GT500 in Gr.3, we finally have the completed trio of the JGTC GT500 cars of the Big Three in GT7, which has traditionally been the focus of late–game Gran Turismo careers. In short, it's just a sight for sore eyes! And it makes one hell of a sound as well!

With all that said, will you join us in racing this amazing car under BoP, or take part in the Single–Player Challenge featuring this car?

---

Join Us In Our Weekly Lobbies!​

Spoiler: Weekly Lobbies Information

Our weekly lobbies are ongoing as usual, and anyone (not a dick) is welcome to join us in racing bone stock NSX GT500s under BoP conditions!

Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!

The Americas Lobby​

• Tuesday. 17th September, 10 P.M. CST
• Host: Victory_Reign93

The Asia/Oceania also kinda European Lobby​

• Saturday, 21st September, 4 P.M. Singapore Time
• Host: XSquareStickIt

BoP/Settings Disabled: On (Gr.3)
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~5 mins practice, ~10 mins sprint)
PP Limit: No Limit
Car: Gr.3
Tyres: Racing Hard

---

~Single–Player Challenge!~​

I'm going to hold you to that, you know Surprised no one else seems to have tried to recreate it with the reintroduction of Grand Valley...

That's right: this week's Single–Player Challenge recreates a Gran Turismo hood classic event: the Grand Valley 300km Endurance Race! Can you win it in a NSX GT500 '00?

The event will take roughly 2 hours to complete. Your car can be in any state of tune, but do note that BoP is On, which will adjust the car's power and mass to current BoP settings.

Set up a Custom Race with the following parameters. Any parameter not specified can be adjusted to your own liking for more or less of a challenge.

Race Type/Length: Laps/59
No. Of Cars: 20
Starting Pos.: 10
Start Type: Rolling
Starting Interval: 20m (default)
BoP: On
Boost: Weak
Slipstream Strength: Real
Tyre Wear: 1x
Fuel Consumption: 1x
Refueling Speed: Default (3ℓ/s)

Weather: Custom, Random
Time of Day: Sunrise
Time Progression Rate: 5x

Rivals: Select from Garage

Grid Slots 1–9: Gr.3 cars, default setups
Grid Slot 10: Honda NSX GT500 '00 (You!)
Grid Slots 11–20: Gr.4 cars, default setups

Flag Rules: On

Bonus points for dressing up the cars to look like a Super GT grid! If you have the garage for it, you can also try this grid roughly mimicking the entry list of the JGTC Year 2000 season:

Spoiler: Grid Suggestion

1. GT-R GT500 '99
2. Supra GT500 '97
3. NSX GT500 '00
4. GT-R GT3 '18
5. NSX Gr.3
6. GR Supra Racing Concept '18
7. F1 GTR - BMW '95
8. FT-1 Gr.3
9. Viper SRT GT3-R '15
10. NSX GT500 '00 (You!)
11. Cayman GT4 Clubsport '16
12. Atenza Gr.4
13. GR Supra Race Car '19
14. Viper Gr.4
15. 86 Gr.4
16. Silvia spec-R Aero (S15) Touring Car
17. RC F Gr.4
18. WRX Gr.4
19. GT-R Gr.4
20. 458 Gr.4

There's no competition this week; I can't ask anyone to share a 2h replay. Just share your strats, car impressions, and maybe even photos or videos of your race here on this thread!

---

Of course, we always welcome opinions, tunes, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the car here on the thread!

Spoiler

After screaming "NS SEEEEEEX" so much in our PS chat, I'm actually sad no one got the foreshadowing for the NSX being this week's car. Like, actually how dare you levels of sad.

​

So, hours before I was to put up the announcement post, Baron hit me up with a suggestion for this week's ~Single–Player Challenge~, which was to set a time with the Castrol MUGEN NSX in the qualifying time trial of whichever Daily Race was using Gr.3 machinery this week. I turned him down as Daily Race admission requires PS+, and I didn't want to exclude those without PS+ from participating in the SPC (but mostly because I already spent way too much time testing the Grand Valley custom race and psssshhh I'm not about'ta let all that go to waste!).

That said, I still want to accommodate him, given it's his week, so I've started us off on the unofficial SPC of this week officially with a time of 1:27.535 with a NSX on Medium tyres and otherwise stock settings. It's slow as heck, being about 2.5s off the top time even in the early stages, so go beat my time to a pulp!

You can tune the car if you wish, but do share your settings if you do!

I'm going to livestream both of these tonight. cheers.

 

[Alex p.]

So, hours before I was to put up the announcement post, Baron hit me up with a suggestion for this week's ~Single–Player Challenge~, which was to set a time with the Castrol MUGEN NSX in the qualifying time trial of whichever Daily Race was using Gr.3 machinery this week. I turned him down as Daily Race admission requires PS+, and I didn't want to exclude those without PS+ from participating in the SPC (but mostly because I already spent way too much time testing the Grand Valley custom race and psssshhh I'm not about'ta let all that go to waste!).

That said, I still want to accommodate him, given it's his week, so I've started us off on the unofficial SPC of this week officially with a time of 1:27.535 with a NSX on Medium tyres and otherwise stock settings. It's slow as heck, being about 2.5s off the top time even in the early stages, so go beat my time to a pulp!

You can tune the car if you wish, but do share your settings if you do!

For the Murcielago "Mercy" by Kanye would be fitting as well.

 

[Skyrocket44]

Just before I forget, here are the Aqua's stats.

Spoiler: STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATS

0-100 km/h​	10,05 s​
0-160 km/h​	25,95 s​
0-200 km/h​	65,85 s​
Top Speed​	203 km/h​
200-0 km/h​	5,75 s​
100-0 km/h​	2,983 s​
400m​	17,15 s @133 km/h​
1000m​	31,133 s @170km/h​
100-150 km/h​	12,067 s​

 

[XSquareStickIt]

For the Murcielago "Mercy" by Kanye would be fitting as well.

I think you quoted the wrong post.

Just before I forget, here are the Aqua's stats.

Spoiler: STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATS

0-100 km/h​	10,05 s​
0-160 km/h​	25,95 s​
0-200 km/h​	65,85 s​
Top Speed​	203 km/h​
200-0 km/h​	5,75 s​
100-0 km/h​	2,983 s​
400m​	17,15 s @133 km/h​
1000m​	31,133 s @170km/h​
100-150 km/h​	12,067 s​

View attachment 1389671
View attachment 1389674

That's amazing, how did you make those charts?

 

[Alex p.]

I think you quoted the wrong post.

That's amazing, how did you make those charts?

Lol indeed I did. My post was directed at you @SomePlayaDude

 

[RX8 Racer]

Didn’t get to save the replay cause the game crashed while I was trying to clear some memory.

 

[05XR8]

Nice. How long did it take to move up the field?

 

[RX8 Racer]

Nice. How long did it take to move up the field?

8 laps because I was on Mediums. Hards were too much of a pain to drive on and the fuel was about 4-6 laps short, so a stop on lap 29 was probably faster than trying to conserve.

 

[XSquareStickIt]

View attachment 1390041


Didn’t get to save the replay cause the game crashed while I was trying to clear some memory.

Nice! That was a super close finish between the 458 and you. How much trouble was it throughout the race? Obelisk was just telling me how fast it effed off into the distance when he tried it.

 

[RX8 Racer]

Nice! That was a super close finish between the 458 and you. How much trouble was it throughout the race? Obelisk was just telling me how fast it effed off into the distance when he tried it.

Was usually not more than a second off my tail even with lapped traffic, but could never mount a challenge. I did crash into a wall around where the track rejoins the short layout on lap 51, but that car had to pit anyway.

 

[SomePlayaDude]

 

[Skyrocket44]

That's amazing, how did you make those charts?

 

[ScottPuss20]

Here's the livery that I'm going to run on Saturday night:
DM Puss Racing NSX GT7 1 by Devin Macdonald, on FlickrDM Puss Racing NSX GT7 2 by Devin Macdonald, on Flickr

 

[Skyrocket44]

Practice done yesterday. This will be the qualifying order for today. I use the 4C as a stand-in for the MR-S, and I don't have multiples of each car, so you will eventually see me posting identical cars when I'm done. Notice how all the turbo'd cars are behind the NA ones, throttle "bug" (and I don't care if it's intentional, get rid of it) ruins everything.

 

[Skyrocket44]

And here's how we're lining up.

Spoiler: Qualifying times

QUALIFYING​	Driver​	Car​	Time​	Time 2​	Qualifying Time 1​	Time 3​	Qualifying Time Final​
1​	E. Yamada​	Dodge Viper GT3-R​	1:50,645​	1:49,999​	1:49,999​	1:50,502​	1:49,999​
2​	atom_bomb1953​	Honda NSX GT500​	1:50,404​	1:50,629​	1:50,404​	1:52,785​	1:50,404​
3​	H. Suga​	Dodge Viper GT3-R​	1:50,417​	1:50,456​	1:50,417​	1:50,887​	1:50,417​
4​	A. Nayaka​	McLaren F1 GTR​	1:50,982​	1:50,903​	1:50,903​	1:51,145​	1:50,903​
5​	M. Hitotsuyama​	McLaren F1 GTR​	1:51,043​	1:51,145​	1:51,043​	1:50,958​	1:50,958​
6​	K. Kaneishi​	Honda NSX GT500​	1:52,033​	1:53,295​	1:52,033​	1:51,804​	1:51,804​
7​	Y. Tachikawa​	Toyota Supra GT500​	1:52,123​	1:53,982​	1:52,123​	1:52,198​	1:52,123​
8​	M. Krumm​	Nissan GT-R GT500​	1:53,806​	1:54,436​	1:53,806​	1:52,125​	1:52,125​
9​	U. Katayama​	Nissan GT-R GT500​	1:54,006​	1:54,530​	1:54,006​	1:52,157​	1:52,157​
10​	M. Kondo​	Toyota Supra GT500​	1:52,603​	1:52,245​	1:52,245​	1:52,279​	1:52,245​
11​	J. Ikura​	Ferrari 458 Gr.4​	1:59,055​	1:59,735​	1:59,055​	1:58,918​	1:58,918​
12​	M. Tanaka​	Toyota 86 Gr.4​	1:59,069​	1:59,603​	1:59,069​	1:59,393​	1:59,069​
13​	T. Tasaki​	Dodge Viper Gr.4​	2:02,620​	1:59,505​	1:59,505​	2:00,299​	1:59,505​
14​	S. Shinbahara​	Porsche Cayman GT4​	1:59,991​	2:00,389​	1:59,991​	1:59,700​	1:59,700​
15​	H. Fukuyama​	Porsche Cayman GT4​	2:02,323​	1:59,948​	1:59,948​	1:59,806​	1:59,806​
16​	K. Kobayashi​	Subaru WRX Gr.4​	2:02,744​	2:01,298​	2:01,298​	1:59,855​	1:59,855​
17​	M. Nita​	Alfa 4C Gr.4​	2:01,346​	2:00,853​	2:00,853​	2:01,513​	2:00,853​
18​	S. Sodayama​	Nissan Silvia TC​	2:02,315​	2:01,032​	2:01,032​	2:01,595​	2:01,032​
19​	S. Takagi​	Alfa 4C Gr.4​	2:01,577​	2:01,413​	2:01,413​	2:01,655​	2:01,413​
20​	N. Ohyagi​	Nissan Silvia TC​	2:01,723​	2:01,678​	2:01,678​	2:01,565​	2:01,565​

Quali is done with 0x tyre/fuel to simulate fresh tyres and near-empty tanks. All 20 minute sessions. Session 2 reverses the fastest times from Session 1 so that slower cars can put in a faster lap time. Fastest times set the order for Session 3, and the fastest time overall sets the grid.

 

[lilcat89]

Honda can have its way with me, to be honest. I absolutely love driving every car they build. I drove this week’s Castrol Mugen NSX GT500 early in the week, but this NSX has a way of sticking with you. This will be a different kind of review from my usual comparison test layout this week.

I learned of this car’s significance long after I first fell in love with the Castrol NSX in Gran Turismo 3. It was the second such JGTC car only behind the SARD Supra to do so. Only recently I found out that this particular NSX was Honda’s first GT500 championship winning car.

During the NSX-GT’s lifespan, its rivals used multiple different engines while Honda stayed true to the C-series V6. Toyota started with a highly tuned 3S-GTE four and ended the era with 3UZ, out of the SC430. Nissan also went through both the RB and VG/VQ sixes and ended with the VK45 V8. That mechanical consistency certainly helped durability. There was clearly no more development to be done by the time the replacement HSV-010 came in.

Enough of the nerdy background minutiae, let’s head to the NSX’s home, the track. So, I headed to my home test circuit, Road Atlanta to see what’s what. Compared to last week’s starter trio, the NSX is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum. It honestly took a couple of laps to recalibrate my brain to the abilities of a racecar.

Once that happened, I was good and was just getting quicker each lap. The NSX just nudges you to do more laps, to the extent that you forget exactly how many laps you’ve done. There’s a small amount of understeer if you go in a corner with too much speed, but you are able to minimize your loses at corner exit. The NSX does require a bit of patience to avoid the aforementioned understeer, but you are rewarded for that patience with lap time. Speaking of lap time, I managed a 1:19.288, definitely the quickest COTW I’ve tested so far.

I know this write up is more appreciation post than review, but the Castrol NSX GT500 has a special place with me as it was always my GT500 choice. It can never be a beater in my mind. It truly is one of my favorites in GT history, even though I prefer the Loctite livery more!

Sleeper

 

[SomePlayaDude]

SPD Writes Gran Turismo 7's Car Of The Week: Week 27 (nearly a year too late, sans Analysis Segments) - Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD)

Perhaps one of the earliest cases of me associating a car with a fictional character in all the time of writing.. it's also one of my own personal JDM loves in the early days. Funny how times change a man to start loving American cars.


The eponymous Mazda.

You're a nobody in the car world if you have no idea what car this is.. or living under a rock.. jeez, what rock is that?

Anyhow, from all the way in the 60's with the Mazda Cosmo that I hope would find itself in game eventually, the RX-7 would what people would say is the best modern iteration of the Cosmo's great legacy in the rotary powered road sports machines.

Here we have the last of its kind. The RX-7 Spirit R Type A would be the culmination of what this name did to the brand's sports identity for the last 25 years, perhaps being the most prolific of the lot too.

Carrying over the turbocharged 13B rotary from the FC, the FD came out initially in 1991 with the codename 'ɛ̃fini RX-7', and the rest is history. Like really. I'm trying to find any interesting event that brought this beauty to stardom. Could it be the design of Tsutomu Matano who also penned the MX-5? Did they perfect that rotary turbo symphony? Is it because Mazda really put a lot into the car like adjustable suspension on stock and a bevy of aero kits that gave it that sublime drive you get usually out of more bougie rides of speed?

Initially never reaching the fabled 276 horsepower mark on first release, a subsequent model finally got to that agreement by 1998. But the Spirit R Type A is considered the send off of all RX-7 models, which is to be suceeded by the.. maybe I can say less than competent RX-8 to put in such grand shoes. Quite sure I covered that depth quite well in the Forza thread, but after all, that car came out after the greatest COTW tragedy ever, so to say it hurts is just icing on the cake.

Though, the numbers of the Type A look to be 292 horsepower bringing 1280 kilos of iconic JDM beauty. How it drives, well, just ask all the enthusiasts bringing it around race tracks, tuning for the daring Japanese roads, or better yet: drifting. It's an oversteery car, and I always have this sweet spot for the FD since I was just a tiny mini SPD. This model of car's just as old as I am. Nowadays, it's a collector's item, and considering its appearances of mentioned motorsports and media, why would it not be?

Let's head to a fiction's perspective. And it so happens that the FD RX-7 lands as the first ever car that hits that mythical Signature Car designation. To define this is simply what an in story character's most prominent car. An example in Candy's case it would be her GR Yaris, and Nirvana be her Diablo. I might reserve some form of treatment when these cars get nominated. But for this first week, I guess it'd be simple..

Landing on the young lass I've declared as the Rotary Queen back all the way in 2013, it's Ayumi Tanaka's time to shine today. Though, with current events, let's see how all that genki energy of hers gets around.. oh, and any signature car means I have to bring this back.. or forwards if it hits someone not yet introduced, let's see..

Spoiler: An electrifying rotary race pundit: Ayumi Tanaka (5)

An easily excitable young lady, who doubles as a young major art graduate and a master of Mazda's rotary cars, this energetic little bubble opened a small JDM tuner shop with her boyfriend to an initially mild, then great enough success, leading them to journey all over the world to expand their horizons.

Theme Song: The Bangles - Everything I Wanted
Racing Duel Music: Girlschool feat. Motorhead - Please Don't Touch
Gender: Female
Nationality: Japanese
Age: 25
Current occupation: Tuning shop owner
Distinct features: Medium-long, curly black hair tied as a ponytail. Semi sharp oval face. Large, wide green eyes, narrow aquiline nose and a small mouth that can truly expand when she gets excited. Average height, slightly underweight with average proportions.
Choice of clothing: Western influenced dailywear, usually in the form of a crop top and rolled up jeans. Colder climates prompt her to wear a single size winter jacket over it. Usually has a cap or beanie with the kanji Ayumi on it.
Cars: Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD), Mazda RX-7 GT-X (FC)

With an origin from Kyoto, Ayumi is an only child whose upbringing mainly comes from her family's traditionalist views. She didn't mind it at all, as it would mean her life would be family oriented as she grew up. Her father: a traditional calligraphy expert, endlessly suggested his only daughter to move on to the future, but always remember the past: a statement she can't let go of, as it moved towards her leaning for a certain car with a certain engine..

What set her inspiration for her hobbies was a visit to the Mazda Museum in Hiroshima, seeing the roster of Mazda's cars was a passion after the first visit, and it became an annual thing for her. She would eventually get her first Mazda from a wealthy and generous relative in the form of a classic FC RX-7 GT-X. Her peers in university would often see it shake up the track, as she learned to drive and race at the same time. Years in her freshman university days are appropriated to her winning similar class races of various scale, earning her the moniker of Rotary Queen.

With an on track name, she somehow got a bit of attention, good or other wise. Notably, she made a name when clashing with some local Kyoto racers over their heads. It went in her favor thanks to a man who stood up for her: her future boyfriend Hideki. While he didn't impress from the outside, his heart convinced her enough to connect them. Time passes, and with their art majors completed, they would head into finding work. If it weren't for a certain dark horse, who she would idolize and cement his fame in Japan through his unofficial fan club, it would never lead them to their small but eventually flourishing tuning garage based in Fuji.

While her boyfriend Hideki is quite the introvert, Ayumi is a most definitive opposite, having a booming voice, a metabolism for high speeds and gets excitable really easily. And her name as Rotary Queen starts to grow as she would try to get behind the wheel of every rotary powered car she can, eyeing on a new RX car Mazda has been conceptualizing.

Looks to me we're staying in Japan for an event I planned out all the way back in Week 1: sealing a couple in holy matrimony. I know, I really timed it well.. there are other weeks I'm pending a release, but this one's probably what takes the cake.

While this episode is meant to be released on the 2nd week of October 2023, I dropped it for more pressing issues Past SPD had to go through (don't remember what this was, but I'll detail the possible motivation behind it in the post script slash biographies segment), and haven't revisited the already written episode.. until recently where I found demand.

Small changes have been made since then and release, but shouldn't deviate from the original writeup at all.


This week's theme song:
Hero Takes A Fall
The Bangles
All Over The Place

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Episode: A Turbocharged Wedding Day

Spoiler: 1. Seasonal Shrines

A small Shinto shrine
Shizuoka prefecture, Japan
Morning

What started off as a serene morning in Shizuoka continued on as a couple finalized their bonds in matrimony.

Watching the crowds walking around the shrine from a good distance away from said events is Candy, munching through Pocky sticks while relaxing on a bench, as if she's been stress eating.

While she's been invited personally back in Week 23, her character didn't give her any favor with large crowds, as she commented to herself.


Candy: "Is it over? I suppose.. the time to tie that bond with.. whoever I can trust can wait. Ohh, Kami: please oh please make sure Boniface truly truly is.. the right man."


A set of wishful thinking from her end chose otherwise from her heart, as she feels her face suddenly soak from her eyes.

Startled, she then gathered..


Candy: "Tears? What's this.. no. Stop. Candy! You're better than this.. my baba too wouldn't mind a suitor.. one as swanky as that Bon Bon.. Ugh.."


Escaping her thoughts of holy matrimony then put her mind into a memory of her past: one she designates as abysmal.

A day in her younger adult days has her put through an arranged marriage with one of the sons of the Tokyo elite.

What followed after would be how she ended up in jail: an assault of these upper class jerks, as she puts it, and a desperate escape to Hokkaido by car.

She'd end up in jail for all those atrocities, but it shaped her enough to determine the path she would take to today.

Her sorrow emotions grew, as she mouthed away..


Candy: "Ohh.. They have to come back.. [sniffles] I won't let those clowns push me around no more."


Wiping her eyes clear, Candy turned to the crowds walking another way, and especially zooms her view towards the bride and groom.

The groom: the shy artist Hideki, showed a wholy satisfied, calm look as he tries to hide his own tears.

Ayumi however..


Candy: "Yumi-san.. looks sad? What on earth?! It's her big day, why should she even??"


With that, a hunch developed as the concerned little racer announced to herself.


Candy: "Something's not right, or my name's Linguine Diavolo Cioccolato. And it's not!"


As she tosses her rubbish aside, she readies to leave, only that the path ahead of her has an approaching pair.

Consisting of super soldier turned social influencer Maverick, and the shadow enveloped jazzy sniper Emile, Candy stopped at her tracks, allowing the two to slow walk towards her, overhearing a dispute..


Maverick: "Okay, should we get into the Winter Olympics for biathlon. The US got us as their choices, and it's us on the final. Who'd win it, Em?"

Emile: "I wouldn't hazard this guess, Sarge. You'd have the advantage in the races. The shooting is mine."

Maverick: "Shooting? Look, it's a game where it's the combination of them skills? I'd say it's me, but only if you get off your butt and live life.. much brighter, Em."

Emile: "..I didn't come to Japan to have this argument, Sarge."


And as the distance closes enough, Maverick sees the situation around them change, and loudly bellows..


Maverick: "TEN HUT! Rookie! Stand tall and straight!"


She quickly adhered, as Maverick starts to walk about..


Maverick: "Candy Lam. Good morning to you, boot stain! Now that I can't get it out of my mind for that time I mistook for canned tuna, what's your scent now, rookie?"

Candy: "C-citrus, Mack! You letting him fly this flag, Mister Emile?"


Claimed Candy, feeling insulted.

The dark sniper then made his introductions..


Emile: "Well met, Candy. Well met indeed. I can see.. with his drill sargeant speech, you compose like someone six feet under."

Candy: "Of course you're in cahoots. Well, this abrupt lack of manners is all quite uncalled for."

Maverick: "Uncalled? You cannot be prepared for what the world can throw at you. But you know what, Em?"

Emile: "Oh, I know how to follow, Sarge, but.. come on? 'Rookie'?"


Looking in the eye of the dark sunglasses, Maverick argued..


Maverick: "Look, I told her she's due a better nickname anyways. Don't be all roadkill about it, Em."

Emile: "Hmm.."


With her off the hook, she then wondered..


Candy: "So, what are you gents doing here?"

Maverick: "Wedding."

Emile: "NOT the wedding."


Answers not matching allowed her curiosity to continue as she then sparked interest, querying after..


Candy: "And would you say being and meeting here is coincidence, or.."

Maverick: "I'd take or. 'Or' is more suitable, ain't it, Em?"

Emile: "You said it."

Maverick: "I might be invited and all because of our connections, along that grand time in High Speed Ring, but, uhh.. we arranged this meetup. Me, Em, and.. umm.."

Candy: "Ahaha, 'Umm' isn't the right way to end your words, soldier boy."


Out of character, the super soldier begins to stammer..


Maverick: "Forgive me, just a sec."

Candy: "What's with the pause? I don't want to have to raise my voice, you know, considering we're on sacred ground."

Emile: "Perhaps I can fill: I would say he's doing this for the sake of dramatics. Isn't that so, Sarge?"


The game is up, Maverick thought, as he puts aside this false nervous look and divulged as soon he's saw what he wanted to see.


Maverick: "Affirmative. How about you take a look behind me and tell me what you see, rookie?."


Hearing him out, she turns back, seeing more people coming out.

However, it's a trio that approaches, and the one in the center sparked interest..


Candy: "That's.."


A trio of men from California come by, consisting of a menacing figure and his little brother, along with a certain someone that needs no introduction.

While a Bohemian Like You might've tuned in by now, they find themselves drenched in a heated set of banter..


Keith: "Whose side are you on then, big bro."

Jake Ross: "How did we turn to discussing this s[BLEEP] again?? This is all your fault, Son."

Sonny: "Bro, c'mon! It's not everyday you decide to talk about your virginity. Eh?"

Jake Ross: "Another tick on the list on why nobody likes you with a straight face."

Sonny: "You know that's bulls[BLEEP], Jake."


Not pleased, Jacob continued with fury in his words..


Jake Ross: "And yet I take pride in bringing you down to ash in more angles you can think of. If there was anyone who would call us friends and put this in the equation, that, my friend, is bulls[BLEEP]."


And he walked on, muttering in frustration..


Jake Ross: "Just too bad I like you too darned much about it.."


Keith saw this all develop, and looked to his best pal and announced..


Keith: "Now that's what I call a Ross branded brutalizing. Or would I say a fatality?"

Sonny: "Dude, say what you like, lor. This show of toughness only strengthens our bonds."


Seeing him unfazed, Keith's rebuffed his expectation, following with a palm to his face as he whined..


Keith: "He hears, yet he does not listen.."


The leader of this group arrives by the little lady, and greets..


Jake Ross: "Candy."


..with as little words as possible.

Still in shock about the whole situation, Candy then questioned..


Candy: "T-the dark one? Aren't you like.. in hiding?"

Jake Ross: "I figure now's the time to quit that. You remember what I said. I get off radar, they start looking for other players to wrangle. I figure that's what happened to Luce and Paul."


He makes his point as he holds his coat in a cool manner, followed with Keith continuing on..


Keith: "And if we don't hurry: we might lose Jess."

Jake Ross: "Baby brother gets it, why not you? So.. I'm sure you're familiar with Emile and Mack?"

Maverick: "She sure is, Juliet Romeo."

Emile: "I'd say it's time she sees us as a team, Gunny."


Intrigued by the men assembled, Candy put them in thought, then asked..


Candy: "You two did mention your allegiances with the dark one, sure.. what about THAT GUY?"


Pointing at Sonny Meng as he projects yet another fake explosion, Emile, unimpressed, chimed in.


Emile: "What about him?"

Sonny: "Hell yeah, what about me? [teeth glares]"

Keith: "You must mean how he's in a heap of trouble too? Look, we got my big bro's army gang here. Ain't no way some low cut wannabe crime club's gonna pinch somebody."


In her head, he's the least capable of the lot, and yet is able to complete the logic for her to figure.

She then mentioned..


Candy: "I, umm.. right. That confidence sealed the deal for me."

Maverick: "It's like she forgot who's she in company with this day. C'mon, rookie! You make my heart swell."

Emile: "Hmm..."


The little lady's nervousness isn't showing, but Jacob sounded out to ensure it won't, as he announced..


Jake Ross: "Easy on the language, Mack. You see here she's the only dame in the scene."

Maverick: "Yeah? I believe the rookie's tougher than that."

Sonny: "Rookie? Bro, that's not the words for her lah. Like seriously, in my world even."


The pressure on him, Maverick rebutted..


Maverick: "Ohh, man! I said moments earlier she's due a new nickname. From me. Truly, all that comes is rookie, private, cadet, and don't get me started on plebe."

Emile: "I... perhaps a change of imagination is what's to aim for, Sarge."


Jacob, now turned to the little racer, then stated..


Jake Ross: "By the way, I made sure you ain't gonna be the only lady today. Keith! Signal."

Keith: "Gotcha!"


A whistle followed from the little brother, but nothing stood out from anyone's eyes..


Candy: "Who you whistling off to, there? You Americans brought a pet eagle? Or could it be one of those robot eagles that can do ridiculous things, like in that show.."

Keith: "Not an eagle.. I know what show you mean though. That'd be so dang cool! But.."


However, the group do notice a trolley carrying a large well stacked pile of the wedding gifts come by.

For Candy, the destruction of this ordered pile comes in the form of a certain muscular Australian making her second appearance, as she crashes in and yammered..


Quinlan: "AAAANNDDD!! FWWOOOOOMMM, THE BITCH IS BACK!!"


And allowing her to process her arrival got Candy's composed self to turn to a myth, as she falls back and starts to retreat..


Candy: "Hhhhhuuu... HUUWWAAAAAHHHH!! HER?!"

Emile: "The one and only tungsten physique? Gunny, you know Quinlan Bradley?"


Questioned Emile, flustered as he raises his one brow up.

The man had the answer ready..


Jake Ross: "Who knew I got a cousin who so happens to be one of your greatest workers in the business, Em. The bit with the fact she's of that mythical status with Ginoa.. that's new for me."

Emile: "To say you're lucky is just.. as knowing you will win Russian Roulette."


Jovial like usual, Quinlan then chattered in her bright loud voice..


Quinlan: "G'day, mates! And Candy! Emm.. she's tearing up in joy or.."

Candy: "Oh! Hi.. Thanks for my wallet that day, but now I guess I bid.. ADIEU!!"


Even with her nicest kimono on, Candy knows escape like she's been doing last week.

However..


Maverick: "NOT so fast, rookie!"


Knowing it's his turn to stop her, he swiftly reached out and grabbed the little racer by the collar of her garment.

Helpless, she pleaded..


Candy: "M-mercy!!"

Maverick: "Stand down, rookie! If you can't take her, I'll hold her nice and tight for you.. not in a sexual form, I mean. Consider this a soldier's promise."


And Quinlan continues..


Quinlan: "Don't mind the dark look, lil shiela! Mr. Martinez seems like a trustworthy bloke."


Putting her attention aside, Quinlan then found another familiar face from her line of work, facing him and then began..


Quinlan: "Speaking of dark.. I see an Emile in the roll call! What's up, mate? Been a while!"

Emile: "Yes, it's been.. a long time. Still confident you remain as this.. impenetrable fortress?"

Quinlan: "What are you on about, bloke! Enough of me: how's Cali doing? Where's that little runt Secret?"

Emile: "Secret the cat is.. for the time being not with me."


With too much talk going on, the other big man then announced..


Jake Ross: "Don't rattle them too, Quinn."

Quinlan: "Back on you, Jakey.. I didn't hear you were in a heap of trouble that needs some heavy lifting. Not to mention I see Keith and that Singaporean mutt of yours. Where the bleeding heck's Jess? You said she's around, so.."

Jake Ross: "She needs to be found again. No, we didn't have yet another disagreement.. it's for safety reasons. Let's catch up. Excuse us."


With that pair leaving the scene, the little racer has only one thing to do, and it's to calm the heck down, reassuring..


Candy: "Okay, Candy. She's a friend it seems. I guess last week's all just.. a bad start. That's what it is?"

Keith: "Well, it's not like you're in trouble, right? I think I'll head that way.."

Sonny: "K-Man! Wait a bunch, bro."


While those other two exit the scene, Candy, left with Emile and Maverick to herself, then wonders..


Maverick: "Well, I heard right: rear of your neck's your one weakness.. or there might be more?"

Emile: "Perhaps if something else is amiss, I'll take action."

Candy: "Teach me to stand by her one day, okay? I now see the folly of.. a terrible first impression.."


However, the worries of a human-like inspiration of Rambo Lambo would disappear as Candy hears..


Candy: "Although.. any idea why is there funky music playing.."


The group looks about, until Maverick notices someone else approaching..


Maverick: "Look alive, rookie! You know this young man?"


Said young man makes an entrance strutting forwards, then swoops his leg, shifting to a crouching pose.


Hayato: "Do do rooo.. Come on now! Time to get down!"

Candy: "Moto-san?!"


Meaning no harm, he responds, joyfully getting up..


Hayato: "NYEEHEEHEE! It's me, again!"


But not even 2 seconds after..

POW!

..the former Yakuza enforcer receives a great push of force from infront of him, throwing him back on his butt a few feet.


Hayato: "GWUUAAAHH!"


Shot from a concealed revolving shotgun, the man firing the gun blew the smoke before hiding away the weapon.

As the Kiwami logo came and went, the crowd wasn't too pleased..


Candy: "MOTO-SANN!"

Maverick: "Jesus, Em!"

Emile: "It'd kill, but.."


Candy slid down to check on Hayato, moaning and groaning, despite surviving a shot.


Candy: "Talk about terrible first impressions. Are you alright?"


However, his was-pristine jacket caught a good chunk of the used shotgun shell filling, as he can't hold his nose from a sneeze, eventually..


Hayato: "Nyeeehhh NEEYYAAACHOOOO!"

Maverick: "Bless you."


Knowing he's in peak condition, Hayato gets up, then questions (surprisingly not using his 4th wall breaking senses this time)..


Hayato: "Ahh, goodness. What was that? Pepper? My jacket's a mess."

Emile: "Cayenne pepper. And you don't seem much worse for wear?"


To respond, Hayato takes off said ruined jacket, replying coyly as he shows underneath..


Hayato: "Heh.. ballistic vest. You never know when a Yakuza hit squad's come to claim. Teach them to strike at the head for maximum damage."

Emile: "You seem like quite the character. Emile Orson. Perhaps you know me as The Black Flash."

Hayato: "Nyehh.. they call me Moto-san, but I'm born Matsumoto Hayato. Nyeeh.. Rin-chan's mentioned a lot about you and that silly name. You're no joke."


Strangely, everyone forget about Candy's current state, as Maverick now tends to her, on the floor being knocked back from Hayato's nasty sneeze..


Maverick: "Sit rep, rookie?"

Candy: "UHHHAAAA! HOW DARE YOU, MOTO-SAN! Sneezing on me like that?!"


As she gets up, Hayato then answers back..


Hayato: "Hey, he shot first. You and your American friends are to blame."

Candy: "Startling these army veterans is YOUR undertaking!"


Having Candy to take this much temper out on sacred ground means Emile has to intervene..


Emile: "Enough. Fortunate I brought the pepper shells. It could've been the traditional 00 buckshots. Those would be.. a mess I'm afraid I don't wish to clean."

Hayato: "Don't worry about it, Emile-san. All is forgiven.. after you buy me a new jacket."

Maverick: "Perhaps I can help you with that. I know a good textile shop around that could patch these holes like new."

Hayato: "I would too.. what's your name?"

Maverick: "Maverick Martinez. I don't care if it rings a bell or not, but I was trending on socials a few weeks ago."


Recognizing that name, Hayato then puts on his smug face and talks back..


Hayato: "Aahh.. no wonder you seem a hint familiar. I would be impressed, but I look at my list of achievements often for that. Hahaha [clapping]."


And as if the timing wasn't good enough, a shadow comes over..


Jake Ross: "Ahh. Moto-san. I like bringing you over for your impeccable timing. How do you do it?"


Hearing his in-law's voice, Hayato turned and gladly greets..


Hayato: "Jake-san! You look dandy for someone's who's been off-grid for weeks. I assume you think what I think?"

Jake Ross: "That Jess, umm.. Rin, is here and watching."

Candy: "Big sis is here?"

Hayato: "And in hiding. Her kind of gimmick if she wants to keep discretion, but not out of the loop. Sometimes she stands out super easy, sometimes she's like a micro organism. Sounds like my kind of challenge."


By those words, Jacob holds the tip of his hat, followed by questioning..


Jake Ross: "Challenge. My beloved's life at stake, and that's what he thinks this is?"

Sonny: "Calm yourself, my dude. He don't mean ill, if you thnk about it."

Quinlan: "Yeah. Don't think he means to stop you or anything."


He knows Hayato more than those two combined, thus returning to his calmed style..


Jake Ross: "I doubt he would. Perhaps we get started. Now, Mack. About today's tentative plans."

Maverick: "So, what I know is that the just married couple's going for a whole day's celebration in Fuji, filled to the brim with racing all day. If your recon here's got nothing, I say your wife's going to be there, for sure."

Quinlan: "And not here?"

Emile: "As Hayato would say.. she either sticks out or can be quite the opposite. Should she be lurking like a shadow.. perhaps that latter fact's working nicely now."


A discreet killer like him normally won't add anything, but Keith then declares..


Keith: "Ahhh, I don't mean to take little attention towards this search for my sister-in-law and all, but getting around the track is just one way I live life to the best."

Candy: "Oh, yes! A day in Fuji for the couple and friends is.. something this recent me would love. Past me wouldn't like it one bit."


Walking to make apart from the gathering crowd, Jacob announces..

Jake Ross: "I suppose we don't mess around then. I'm going to see the fan club, and you're welcome to ride side saddle. Else, you all head for the track."

Spoiler: 2. Uninvited but it'd be a complete lie if he's unwanted

While he's announced a reason to keep the large group apart, Jacob leads this small group with a want to find the newly wedded.

The super soldier then spoke up with his usual laid back tone..


Maverick: "Well, Juliet Romeo.. it's us four, eh? I didn't even bother to dress for the occasion."

Jake Ross: "You ain't alone, Mack. Look at me and Moto-san."

Maverick: "Think we're guilty of something?"

Jake Ross: "Yeah, but come together, ain't nobody got the capability to f[BLEEP] with us. Candy?"


Panning to the little racer, Candy shares her displeasure..


Candy: "You two, I can tolerate, but.. oh Moto-san.. spirits will forever torment you with this kind of disrespect, you know."

Hayato: "Spirit, schmirit. Fat chance that crap's going to do anything, nyeeheehee.."


As the group walk further into the shrine's sacred grounds, Jacob paused..

Jake Ross: "Hmm.."


While he's the only one that noticed the well hidden car, the little racer by him also stopped, then queried..


Candy: "Something on your mind?"

Jake Ross: "Of course. But it remains irrelevant now. In due time it'll change."

Hayato: "Nyeeheehee! Trust him, Candy-chan. Not like you have another way to interpret it."


And as they slowly head forwards with a mild breeze blowing by, Jacob starts to wonder..


Jake Ross: "Tell me, my little Asian flower.. think the procession's all done?"

Candy: "Perhaps. I mean, even before your glamorous entrance, I don't see anything going on, so I figure we can just waltz in."

Hayato: "Waltz? Me? I have reservations against a straight up entrance, nyeehee.."

Maverick: "You into recon, eh? Actually, you do look the part, ninja guy.. I'll be on your six."


Thinking of the whole entering the front door notion, Jacob had thoughts he wants to share..


Jake Ross: "I wonder.."

Candy: "Of?"

Jake Ross: "That pair.. Hideki and Ayumi, expecting me. Funny thinking.. those two babbling is what brought you to me."

Candy: "All from just a random mention. I didn't expect to go this far into.. meeting new people."

[Jake Ross: "That so? I wonder how diehard fans react to seeing their idol.."

Candy: "You expect the lot of the Jacob Ross fan club to be among these people."

Jake Ross: "Main concern being the first I see of them in person."


An opportunity arose, as Candy made a tease..


Candy: "Ooohh.. Is the dark one nervous?"

Jake Ross: "A good first impression is what I need. So yes. I will admit that much."

Maverick: "Juliet Romeo's the last kind of person I would define a nerve wracking mess."

Jake Ross: "Don't let big Red hear you say that, Mack."

Maverick: "Haah! Wondering if Em still believes that statement.."


And once again out of the loop, she asks..


Candy: "Big Red? This isn't opposite me, isn't it?"

Maverick: "Heck no, dagnabbit! Just another of that A-Team bunch I told you about. So, it's me, Emile, JR, and the last one's the boss of the bunch. He's got a stature of the Gods with a selfless heart behind all that darkened ashed out skin from hell, but to us: we call him Big Red.. he's rather big, and dark skinned. You know what: opposite you ain't far off, rookie."


Realizing those words, Jacob then decided to add, so to sway away from Candy's increasing blood pressure.


Jake Ross: "He's running for senator in his home turf. Unimportant for you, but life goes on for him."

Candy: "Sounds like.. this is one character I gotta see personally."

Maverick: "I don't doubt ya, soldier, but.. chances of a meet.. I call that a near impossibility. Besides: guy's a pacifist. Won't kill for anything. Like he's some Star Trek commander. Phasers purely on stun stun stun."

Jake Ross: "He still got that 22B though, so if anything, he ain't a slouch in the racing department."


Hearing 22B can only mean one thing for the little racer, whose eyes begin to raise..


Candy: "22B? It must mean the rallying legend STI 22B? I wonder where he got that.. or even, if he can even push it to the limit."

Hayato: "Subaru? Red one? Oh, I think I overheard the same Big Red, was it? The one Rin-chan trusted to keep her safe and unknown?"

Jake Ross: "You still remember him, Moto-san? That's right, y'know."

Hayato: "It was during that time she did that great split with Jake-san. Her words to him was.. take me to my brother Moto-san. Nyeeheeheehee.. I can't forget that. No way."


However, with all thoughts on the eventual return of Jared 'Big Red' Sykes, they forget that they entered the wedding event through the front entrance.

The presence of these people however gave the crowd ample reason to make noise, and even take out their phone cameras..


Jake Ross: "Ahh, well.. that was clumsy. It seems we're getting quite a bit of attention."

Candy: "Predicted. Three, two, one.."


As soon as the countdown reaches nil, an ear popping shriek dominated their senses.

Even while in their formal clothing, the electrifying Ayumi dashed over as quick she could, with her husband unwillingly dragged along for the ride.


Ayumi: "That's him? It's really HIM!! [screams]"


The small group of four had an uneasy moment, but that all soon fled as Jacob announces..


Jake Ross: "Hmmhmm.. My congratulations to you both."

Hideki: "We really.. umm.. uhh.. aren't expecting you, Jake-san.."

Jake Ross: "Honestly, I wasn't expecting to be here too. Ain't safe for me, coming out like this. But I got agendas. One of em's to see you both like this."


While the couple are blinded by the sheer awe of this dark one's presence, they refuse to stay behind, as the little racer then asserts..


Candy: "Hey, what about us?"

Ayumi: "Oh, yes.. Of course I'm delighted to see you here, Candy-san. And Moto-san. A-and my! It's Rike. You're all very very welcome here as well."

Hayato: "Nyeeehh.. umm.. congratulations. Here!"


As if he has a dimensional pocket, Hayato pulls out a small well kept wooden case out his jacket.


Jake Ross: "Golly, was he just carrying that around?!"


Shouted a shocked Jacob, witnessing this impossible feat.

The man of the day receives, then opens to reveal..


Hideki: "Wow! A matching pair of ceremonial tantos. Made from blackened steel. I.. appreciate this!"

Hayato: "Of course you do. I hope you don't mind its Yakuza forged origins, but still: I aim to please, nyahaha!"

Maverick: "My turn! Well, I could get any old trinket from my travels all over the world, but.. I admit I can't decide! Instead, here's a little something.."


Grabbing a folded envelope, he unfolds and opens to release a collective of 10000 yen notes, while Jacob however objects..


Jake Ross: "Money, Mack? What happened to custom engraved dogtags?"

Maverick: "Did I just hear that, soldier? Doubt?? Step into my boots right now, and you agree it's all too much of a hassle, Gunny."

Hideki: "I don't care what it is; your gesture is appreciated."


All eyes then turn to Candy, but she had a question instead..


Candy: "I've a bouquet of flowers in the Yaris.. uhh, but something's nagging in the back of my braids, Yumi-san. Tell me.."

Ayumi: "Oh?"

Candy: "I saw you earlier, and trust me, I've seen sad faces from my good friend Lulu to no end. It's the same. This is the best day for you and him, and that would mean something's wrong."


Unable to hold her nervous face, Ayumi then revealed, losing control of her self slightly..


Ayumi: "Ehh? Impossible! N-no way.. HAHA! I refuse to just plainly ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU CAN SEE THAT!"

Jake Ross: "This is news. Tell me, superfan."

Ayumi: "Well, it's Rin-san."


To say the whole moment's turned grim can't be any truer.

Everyone around lay silent as the dark one glared a deathly sight as he calmly requests..


Jake Ross: "That I expect after seeing.. something. But darling.. before I knock you out one time, I hope you got another hand for me.."

Ayumi: "Eh? I-is something the matter?!"

Candy: "They're on their split apart phase..."


Before he can proceed with this psychological assault, Candy stepped up..


Candy: "Tsk.. slow down, oh dark one. That's quite odd for you to be.. hasty."


She wasn't acting strange, he thought, but all that power of fear suddenly evaporated as Jacob strangely wonders..


Jake Ross: "(She's bossing me??) urgh, I wasn't even shouting but.. well, let's hear it."


Prodding her fingers together, Ayumi starts to explain, worried..


Ayumi: "I saw her.. as we were preparing the wedding proceedings, but.. as I want to approach her to confirm and comfort, she just ran off.. Then after: weeping."

Candy: "B-big sis.. soft as always.."


With a thought from Week 2 coming back again in Big Sur, Candy recalls Rin's general mental psychology, etched strong still in her memory even though that was a long time ago.

However..


Hayato: "Rin-chan, so sloppy and predictable.. NYEEOOOWWW! NOT THE HAIR!"


Distraught by her foster brother's words, the little racer pulled down this wannabe ninja's great strand of hair from behind, angrily declaring..


Candy: "(Did he just read my mind, or..) Don't. You. Even."

Hayato: "And WHY is calling her soft fair game then?!"


Argued Hayato as he held his hair back.

The newly wedded one then continued, unfazed by the whole debacle of unrelated siblings.


Ayumi: "I wish I knew earlier, because afterwards.. I didn't notice her presence a second time, so I'm afraid that's that."


The two men that matter in her life then quickly came to a conclusion, as Hayato declared..


Hayato: "Ahh, Jake-san. She's expecting us. Typical Rin-chan's ready, but.. fair to say she's a little dazed, nyeeheehee."

Maverick: "Sounds like your wife's quite the go ahead scout."

Jake Ross: "Then I'll need her report on the field, Mack. That emotion of her showing is after all just more of her being unsure. She's always unsure.. and like she keeps tattling on how she be the light to my darkened soul.. I today will be her guide who casts her doubts aside."


He turns back, announcing after..


Jake Ross: "Well, I'm quite sure she won't be hiding any longer. I've a solver of secrets and information ready at Fuji. She's.. umm.. quite the enigma, but I'm sure with her help we can get down to bringing her back."

Hayato: "Ohh, we are also.."

Ayumi: "Headed there? I did tell Moto-san about it, and if they didn't know, THAT's when you should be surprised, Deki-san."

Hayato: "On to Fuji Speedway! CHAPTER TRANSITION!"


Umm, yes, here you go.

Spoiler: 3. The Japanese race themed after wedding party

Fuji Speedway
Oyama-cho, Sunto-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture
Noon


As if the bride and groom wanted, there aren't reports of any poor weather this time around.

Reaching to the back of Fuji Speedway's main hub, Candy noticed a menacing red devil standing by.

Deciding to stop in front of the Diablo, Candy comes out, then sniffs away at a foul stench..


Candy: "This.. elegant hint of tobacco in a non-smoking zone can only mean she's close.."


And a quick turn later, the brunette with a taste for tobacco stands about, smoking away another set.

Wanting to approach, the little racer didn't get much time unnoticed as Nirvana clarified..


Nirvana: "Don't play coy. You know it doesn't work on Nirvana."

Candy: "You of all people are just too suspect for me to act with a straight face, you know?"


The sour air continues, as Nirvana strikes..


Nirvana: "Nirvana sees the merit in your point, but Nirvana implores for you to have a hint of faith."

Candy: "Faith? I got faith alright. You and Sonny, together forever is something I do have quite an ounce of faith in."


Following that, she mistakenly drops her lit cigarette to the floor, regaining said composure quickly as she continues..


Nirvana: "Heh. Always gets Nirvana, that will. For that to come to pass, well, it's up to the brainless fool in leather to decide."


But not long after, the women notice a certain snake crawling by..

And at an instance, the man driving it comes out, and gets over quick.


Sonny: "Hey there you freaking 'insert derogatory phrase here'. Sonny Meng is ready for us to go even. Let's get this shindig going!"

Nirvana: "That's my cue. We will discuss your predicament later, Candy Lam.. ciao!"


The unlikely pair then exits, leaving Candy to mumble..


Candy: "Those two. Must've planned this all out. Honestly, they are just here to duke it out like they've always been rather than look outside their twisted game.."

Sitting about in one of the few waiting areas, the little racer gets together with a suited man, sighting through a pair of binoculars towards the track.


Candy: "You know.. ever since that day in Atlanta with Ginoa.. I can't help but fault myself for kicking my big sis too hard. I need some peace of mind, Emile."

Emile: "How benign of you to assume that was to follow."


She sees his dismissal, but one word stands out, as she puts to thought..


Candy: "Assume? Well, at least you helped me say it's somehow a fault. So how about you, Emile? Weren't you there too?"

Emile: "Any more I tell you what's on my mind, I might have to kill you myself."

Candy: "Oooh, terrifying. Where's that super social media soldier Maverick?"

Emile: "Mack's been looking to hone his Challenger on a road with a gigantic, near 1 mile straight. Especially with the bride's tuning firm at full attendance this date. But I.. bet he likes that designation. A little long, but perhaps it's the push to get that rookie out of his system."


And the next word: rookie, puts itself in, as Candy then expresses.


Candy: "You can tell him I don't mind it."

Jake Ross: "But I do."


Just as Jacob enters the room, following him is the one of tungsten, who then decided to proclaim..


Quinlan: "Boxes, bricks, stacks of tires.. they're just an accessory! Check this, you drongo.. BOO!"

Candy: "HEEEEEE!!!"


She squealed and crawled straight towards Emile's legs, who reacted..


Emile: "Oh dear."

Jake Ross: "Oh dear indeed. And I'm the one under threat from this new international syndicate, not her. Quin, think you can knock some sense into her?"

Quinlan: "Right. Mate, you look like you need a proper walloping!"


Her clashing of the knuckles didn't do anyone any favors, as Candy watches from underneath Emile's nicely suited legs, ready to pounce.


Jake Ross: "Don't mean it so literally, Quin."

Quinlan: "Well, SORRY! Didn't expect this pint sized sheila to act this spastic."


Not acting her usual bombastic self, Quinlan comes close to her target..


Quinlan: "There anything I can do to get you back in action, love? Tell you what: I've just the thing. Emile! You mind if I?"


She gestured him to move aside, and as he did, she quickly grabbed on a fleeing Candy's left leg.

With all kinds of accessories flying down, Candy starts to flail about..


Candy: "UGH! Let me down! HELP!!"

Quinlan: "You're a real featherweight.. Candy, was it? I could handle you and your granny colored hairdo like a ragdoll."


With great strength comes a quick toss that flipped the little racer back on her feet, but she couldn't react to the following lift that leads to a..


Candy: "Now you're... YOU'RE TICKLING ME!! AHAH-HEELLPP!! AHAHAHAA.."


Not wanting to get in her way, the men watch as they converse..


Jake Ross: "She's quite the something.. what says you, Emile?"

Emile: "I've nothing to say... Gunny, how is that ninja man Matsumoto. I.. shot him square in the chest.."

Jake Ross: "Unharmed. Sneezing a bunch but unharmed. Non lethal round?"

Emile: "Pepper loaded 12 gauge, dead on. Shall we move on?"


As Quinlan began to put down the Hong Kongese lady, the men come close and listen on..


Quinlan: "Now is all dandy, I wager?"

Candy: "Dandy or not.. well.. you really caught me at a bad time last week. Really. I had recurring nightmares!"


She had to compose something to a certain someone who looks like can kill in more ways she can imagine.

Humbled, Candy had to express, in a slight hint of shame..


Candy: "You might have attacked my friend, but I have a feeling.. truly, you're not bad. Just somehow scary. Guess I acted in a poor manner."


She then bowed..


Candy: "I-I hope I can get over yo-your massive.. identity eventually."


The dark one then stepped forwards..


Jake Ross: "I see you've chosen your words wisely. Quin?"

Quinlan: "Yup. She's in a better place now."

Emile "Death puns are my gimmick, Quin."

Quinlan: "Eh? It's been a real while, serious! Just that, it's a peculiar little gimmick you got there, Emile. Sorry, force of the habit."

Emile "I'm not due an apology, Quin."


The big question then remained, as Candy then went on to ask..


Candy: "Might I wonder why she's here? Was she on to me in Ginza for any particular reason or is it your doing, Jake?"


A quick scratch to his neck later, Jacob then answered..


Jake Ross: "No. This is the first I've heard of this."

Quinlan: "It's all just Guild work."

Emile "Not surprising. You are under constant surveillance by the Guild, Candy. There's a lot of reason to.. make sure we don't find you swimming with the fishies."

Quinlan: "Though, I'm not surprised should Jake here get to putting me into work."


The muscular tennis player's slow lean towards the other giant in the room had warranted an asking..


Candy: "What's the relation? I mean.. just honest here: I don't see where you two relate at all."

Jake Ross: "Cousin through my ma's side. So if you take Jess's definition of family, you and her are related."

Quinlan: "Sorta."

Jake Ross: "..sort of related, but related nonetheless."

Quinlan: "If you were Jess, she'd like, force out her joyful side and just accept it with an internal celebration."


To those two, Jess is another way of telling who's today's main agenda, which Candy did have thoughts of, as she wondered..


Candy: "About that. Might want to tell me how you plan to find Rin-san and get her back out of hiding."

Jake Ross: "I have a plan, alright. I always do. Today's workings in the mind does rely on you to take action."


She glanced hearing all that, as if the weight of the world began to shift on her shoulders.

Burdened mentally, she objected with an..


Candy: "Ehhh?!"

Jake Ross: "You think I don't know? Lena told me you stood up to finding me back in Sardegna. Now I want to see that personally. I'll raise any issues should they come."

Quinlan: "Me and me old buckaroo Emile's going to go scouting. And catch up while we're at it."

Emile "Oh. Good. I like this plan."


A sense of doubt flows in, but she's not willing to let them down.

It didn't stop the whining, though the little racer let up a snuff of courage as she declared..


Candy: "I'm not sure I'm ready for this, but I suppose I can think of something.. racing's the only thing I can think of. And Yumi-san's wedding. We can start there, hmm?"

Jake Ross: "I agree. Let's go see Ayumi if she's spotted sign of Jess around."

Candy: "Not to mention I do have a bouquet to hand her."

Jake Ross: "Any clue where to start, my little Asian flower?"

Spoiler: 4. The Ross Connection

This unlikely duo then began their search..

Upon reaching the first open area, a pair of cars came over..

To Candy, they couldn't be of note, but to the dark one, it's the other way round, as he gladly spoke..


Jake Ross: "Ah, good. Baby brother and Izzy's here."

Candy: "Izzy? You must mean Zumi-san?"


Her suspicions come to confirmation as the laugh happy Interpol double agent and Jacob's little brother came over.


Keith: "Ahh, I freaking LOVE Fuji, bro. Remind me to check my old crib sometime, okay?"

Jake Ross: "Not a lofty place, and yet.."


The men huddle with the men, and the ladies..


Izumi: "Pfft.. alright. calm, CALM! Well. good day to you too, Candy-san. And Jake-san."

Candy: "You're here because you're missing your plus one?"

Keith: "Right you are! I mean on her end. For me, my plus one's always a Cor-f[BLEEP]ing-vette. Exhibit A.."

Izumi: "I'm afraid you.. kch.. don't quite know what a plus one is."

Jake Ross: "That ain't the topic on hand. Missy."


Holding her laughter gets harder and harder the closer she gets along with the brothers, eventually..


Izumi: "HAHAAAH! I mean. Well, yes. Rin-san. I figure she's somewhere around, but her ways of stealth and mystery sure is.. umm.."

Candy: "A mystery?"

Izumi: "YES! AHAAAH! I mean, yes. It baffles the like of even her closest agent pals. Where did she learn that?"


Izumi's a serious character with an unserious trait built in her, Candy thought as she coped, but the dark one then proceeded..


Jake Ross: "Hell if I know. Definitely something she picked up on the time we got split for 7 years."

Candy: "Hold up. 7 years?! Apart?!"


He let out a sigh as he wanted to not follow, but had to..


Jake Ross: "You heard that right. This ain't our first rodeo when it comes to needing space. Though, it usually isn't the intent.. these days, it comes down to 'Jake, I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore', and keeps us away so we don't hurt each other. Or work.."

Keith: "Yeesh. That 7 year gap however was the worst. It wasn't that my big bro lost her. Don't mind me saying we sort of lost him too."

Izumi: "As The Outlaw, was it? I.. hehe.. don't like where that went."


A different man would mean a different opinion, as Jacob quickly shooed..


Jake Ross: "That's all the past. Let's look ahead. I want her back so we can get to work on Augur. And anyone I've passed don't got any objections."

Candy: "I agree."


The dark one then turned and look down on Candy, requesting an order..


Jake Ross: "Well, boss. What's the plan?"

Keith: "Boss? Her?"


Lucky for them, she didn't take long to explain..


Candy: "Umm.. well.. let's use the same tactic I had for luring you out at Sardegna. We get the people around excited on what we do best: A race."

Keith: "Did someone say race? Big bro, did she.."

Jake Ross: "What, assume your gender? That's hogwash. Use your ears, baby brother."

Izumi: "Hehee.. a race? If there's a chance to bring out Rin-san, that'll definitely work. I say I should go get myself p-p.. PREPPED!"


While Izumi makes her exit, Candy puts her eyes on the brothers Ross.

Seeing them argue however gave her question she wants answers, as Candy continues to the little brother..


Candy: "It's quite interesting."

Keith: "What might be?"

Candy: "Seeing you and your big brother.. who I dub the dark one, coming along but are just.. well.. fire and ice."

Keith: "Am I fire, or ice?"

Candy: "You're definitely fire."

Keith: "What? You expecting otherwise?"


Jacob though stepped up as he puts his phone back in his coat, announcing..


Jake Ross: "By the way, little miss.. just got a text: Ayumi wants you. Just arrived and I want Candy."

Keith: "Really, bro? Bow Wow Wow?"


The 80s summer hit did the brothers some favor for keeping themselves entertained for the time being, as Jacob uncharacteristically replies with a little coy smile..


Jake Ross: "Yeah.."

Candy: "Curious. For?"

Jake Ross: "Didn't say. I suggest you don't keep her waiting."


And as the little racer exit..


Keith: "She got this simple but effective way of working. I think we can call up the guys and get this track pumping with cars."

Jake Ross: "I for one want to see how Quin's driving been going. Ever seen an Urus go with the likes of our supercharged V8s?"

Spoiler: 5. Entering the passion of Dr. You-Know-Who

Not much further away from Izumi's Lancer, Candy stumbles by luck upon the energetic bride.

With her is the super soldier, and she feels this is the correct crowd for her, as she gets their attention with a quick shout..


Candy: "Yumi-san! There you are."

Ayumi: "Candy-sann!! Perfect timing! I was just done with Rike here."

Maverick: "Affirmative! But I don't mind hanging for a bit before getting some big boy monster laps in."

Candy: "You do you.. but is it between us? I mean the reason why you called me over?"

Ayumi: "Humm... to be honest, I am not sure. But what I am sure is why you haven't been picking up my calls!"


Candy's the usually more furious character, but when one not known for this kind of behavior puts that emotion into play, it can be jarring, as Candy reassures..


Candy: "Yumi-san, calm down! I just haven't unsilenced my phone. Wedding and al-HEYY!"


Receiving arms swinging it a rotating motion wasn't in the little racer's handbook, worse from someone as energetic as Ayumi.

Maverick, being the passive entity of this all, watches with concern, but mostly indifference, then mentioning..


Maverick: "You call this action? I just saw someone get annihilated by one of Em's shotguns. Don't mind her: she's all riled up getting HACHOO'd upon.."

Candy: "DON'T EVEN.. urhh, I had to take an extra shower before seeing any one of you.."


He wanted to get in the way, but Ayumi, exhausted, stops her assault.

However, Maverick then commented calmly..


Maverick: "Ahh, well. I think I'm going to see if I can convince Emile and that buff beauty if they want to get on track with me. Never raced against an Urus before.. Dismissed!"


..before making his exit.


Candy: "Well, phew.. I'd say you're not capable of violence, Yumi-san. But enough of your lack of martial skill.. let's get to it. What'll it be?"

Ayumi: "Oh, let's get to my car.. It'll help me explain."

Passing crowds of Ayumi's small tuning firm and fans of the Kuro Uma Autohaus, the girls arrive to a set of cars..

And before any more noise can be made, Candy comments in awe..


Candy: "Oooohh.. 90s rotary heaven. It's both the FD and FC, and.."


And on the side is a certain NB NSX, and a certain ninja wannabe meditating.

His eyes then open, allowing Candy to speak up..


Candy: "Moto-san.. I see you've gotten your jacket replaced."


The former Yakuza's uncanny uncomfortable smirk seems to know no end as he..


Umm.. that's a remote, and he's rewinding it a few seconds back. For..


You know what, I'll let him readjust the words. Go for it, Moto-san.


Candy: "Moto-san.. looking good as you always are.. wait? Wait, did something happen?"


Careful, my dude: I can't control if it it's more than you.


Hayato: "(Nyeeheehee, don't get your pants up in your ass, Narrator-chan. I got this!) Candy-chan! What's up? I'm always down for a nice run around Fuji."

Ayumi: "Oh! Moto-san! Hiii! You're not busy today or anything?"


With a sense to show off, he replies as he crosses his arms..


Hayato: "No, not quite. It's not Moto-san cuts up another fool o'clock, if you know what I mean, Yumi-chan. Nothing like letting some steam from all that rumors and crap with a track to ourselves, right?"

Ayumi: "You bet! By the way, Candy.. remember when we first met in Kyoto? You remember my FC, riiight? RIGHT?!"


She knew it was the same FC RX-7, but that eagerness took her off guard, giving her a more dulled response..


Candy: "Uhh.. that was how long ago now?"

Ayumi: "Don't care. What I do care about is that I've pumped up the FC with a whole load more juice. There's aftermarket EVERYWHERE, and you can say it rivals the likes of what might we see out there."

Candy: "You're putting a lot of smack for a car that still looks like your usual, well refurbished FC."

Ayumi: "And how about I show it instead? Excuse me.."


She heads for the car's cockpit and pulls a lever that unlocks the hood.

And the owner then moves to open it, Hayato marks an impression..


Hayato: "[whistles] This is engineering.. hahahaahaa [claps hands slowly]"

Candy: "I'm guessing with something like this turbo, that's easily up to.. 4, maybe even 500 horsepower?"


After letting out a breather, Ayumi then explains further..


Ayumi: "And more importantly, I've spent a boat load of credits. We'd be writing up the bad documents if not for the business we've gotten recently. What's left is a test drive.."

Candy: "Let me guess: that's my cue? I'm more curious with the FC, actually."


She knew the little racer was about to mention the FC, but Ayumi had another idea brewing..


Ayumi: "BEEPPPPP! Wrong answer! But you're so close! In fact, I want a rotary on rotary action! I want in the FC, and for you: you get to drive my FD."


Rattled Ayumi as she points to her yellow Signature Car.

An ounce of surprise developing within, Candy felt the want to decline, replying shyly..


Candy: "That's.. pretty darn generous, Yumi-san. I've always wondered a lot about you Takahashi styled FD for a long while now. Though, I'm not so sure if I'm flattered. Why not let someone else do this?"

Ayumi: "Between us.. well, my workshop has been treating my car like the midas hand. Nobody touches it, even Deki-san is afraid!"


Hayato, with a mood to lighten the air, follows..


Hayato: "I'd do it, but she wouldn't let me. How sad! Is there anyone else?"

Ayumi: "Well.. if she were here.. I mean, Rin-san."


She beckoned her head saying that name, and Candy didn't want to leave that as she queried..


Candy: "I didn't know you two were close before, but.. I guess now I've a hint how close."


Ayumi: "Why, yes. She really wanted to have a run with the FD one day. But right now, Jake-san has described the circumstances, and it appears what I've heard about her paranoia is in full force, eh?"

Candy: "Paranoia.. big sis, you have to tell me more of this one day.."


With her good friend slash unrelated sister still on the focus for the episode, a new resolve comes by as Candy mentions..


Candy: "I think I'll take that quick drive now, Yumi-san. We'll find her.."

Spoiler: 6. What happens when two tornados collide? (SUPPOSEDLY ANALYSIS SEGMENT)

A planned excursion onto a fully reserved Fuji Speedway begins with two of Mazda's flagship sports cars duking it out.

Whatever comfort Candy had with the car however turns to dust as the well tuned FC makes a statement.


Candy: "Well, she's no fluke. That FC's now really a terror on these roads."


But in Ayumi's fabled yellow FD was a driver fired up like a wolf thirsty for blood, proclaiming with fury..


Candy: "But ohh, it chose the wrong car and driver to f[BLEEP] with! They don't call me Le Glace Pacer for nothing!"

ANALYSIS SEGMENT [REDACTED]

Spoiler: 7. The Great Split

The mountain is no volcano, but to say the location is not heating up would be unheard of.

Under the shadow of the Ross brother's signature rides, the little racer inspects, but she wasn't alone as the unlikely couple passes by.

Her eyes on the fabled Ford GT, Candy though had a wonder needing clarification, halting this couple and then initiating..


Candy: "Just a second. You two. Tell me about the Great Split."


This pair, having a moment of personal enjoyment after a race, looked briefly at each other, before..


Sonny: "Are you asking me, or that freaking Nirvana, sis?"

Nirvana: "Nirvana knows a good portion of this split you ask about. But there are holes that fool can assist in filling in."

Sonny: "Fool? Baby, who won this round? I'll clue for you: you're looking right at him."


He shone the best he could, but the ladies didn't take a hint.

Unphased by his ignored state, he then stated..


Sonny: "Huh? I'm still behind, but a 3 win streak is just super duper on my part."

Nirvana: "Nirvana does not concede so easy. I, Nirvana, will get her way soon."

Candy: "Right! Hello! Mama and baba! Hello?! The Great Split?"


Those words however are enough to enable Nirvana a lesson in pain.

Winding a quick uppercut, she then shouted..


Nirvana: "Shoryuken."


Hit square on the chin, the little lady flies back, while the enigma wipes her hands.

Her rival, standing by, smiles his wise ass smile as he quotes..


Sonny: "Ooooohh.. Deadpool uppercut. That was clean, lor. I like."

Nirvana: "Nirvana appreciates that."


Crashing on the asphalt without incident, Candy though..


Candy: "IITAAAH!"


...of course it hurt.

She gets up fast and ran quickly back into position, but this time with an assertion..


Candy: "Hey! How dare you! What's that for?"

Nirvana: "For reigniting that memory. And might I, Nirvana remind you that igniting is the next step of pain. You'll find out why I'm sure."


Ominously hinting Week 53's lesson in pain (she didn't have to know this, haha, ohh I'm glad this is a rewrite), Candy's frustrations lead to the punchable man besides her..


Candy: "Uuuggh! Sonny, say something?"

Sonny: "I'm glad it's not me doing the smacking around here. Else she can sue me, and you'd want that, don't you?"

Nirvana: "Nirvana cannot comment, but Nirvana can at least tell you it will be good."

Candy: "Can we get back on topic before I show you how I killed a man that day?!"


The duo then looked at each other, then..


Sonny: "No joke?"

Nirvana: "No joke."


..upon finishing that moment, Sonny thinks the time for nonsense is over, as he heads back to the point and began explaining..


Sonny: "Right, well, it all started when I brought those 2 lovebirds together. We were studying abroad, see.. We had driving lessons, and only child Rin meets also only child me in Nash's driving school. I fell in love, but I feel she was a better match for my good pal Jake. Needless to say, I arranged everything, and thus begin the time he owes me for so much, lor!"


He delved far enough, as he then clarified..


Sonny: "I thought that'd be the end of that. Good old 'they lived happily ever after'. But well.."

Nirvana: "Jessica's past is of inclusion within criminal elements. Nirvana unearths that these would culminate under one roof. A motley crew with the name Harbingers."


That name got Sonny talking more than he should, as he enthusiastically comments..


Sonny: "Heyy.. there's a sound for deaf ears. That's Clark's old gang. But they're not just some basic ass criminal organization. They're hell bent on taking advantage of fixing street racing, wherever they find themselves snooping."


Unsure with these facts flooding in, Candy tries to make sense..


Candy: "Why does Rin-san get involved with this harbi.. whatever.. umm.."


But the key word 'street racing' then developed a scary thought.


Candy: "It's.. Nishimura-sensei?!"


A street racer this legendary would answer all her questions, as Sonny then follows..


Sonny: "She catches on quick."

Nirvana: "Ehh.. you get two points. But it matters not."

Candy: "Though, is there a reason it's her they want?"


And Sonny was ready for this, though Nirvana kicked him off with some support..


Nirvana: "Oh, this will be interesting."

Sonny: "Yep. One Step Ahead! So, I had a read on Nash's dissertation. It's real boring; thank me later, but a specific portion mentions is that genetics is not only unique, but has the potential to, get this, be artificially inserted into somebody else so that they can reap the benefits, thanks to today's many unknown innovations. And of course, there's good and there's even better. If they had a score rating, Rin's so happens to score like WALAO it's super high on that."

Candy: "Super.. high? As if in.. her genetic code is the closest thing to perfect? I doubt that! Like really! She's a crybaby! AHAHA!"

Nirvana: "Nirvana follows this sentiment, but has no doubt she's a much higher talent than any of us, just she hasn't any realization."


The delving of Rin's 'perfect genetic code' was however already a derailing to what they were to discuss, as Candy then attempted to put back..


Candy: "Just no. Just.. I.. should race with her one day. Until then.. I'm festering all kinds of evil thoughts.. but.. about the split?"

Sonny: "The split had to happen thanks to 3 elements. Rin's paranoia. Badguy McBadguys executing their plan. And Jake."


Everyone knows this is about Jacob Ross, but Candy instead had more to ask..


Candy: "Jake? Umm.. there's no way."

Nirvana: "Nirvana sees that he even once was young and brash."

Sonny: "Don't forget missing a plate of hair on top!"

Nirvana: "Irrelevant, but Nirvana's point stands. You know he street races?"


She nodded, confirming..


Candy: "Yes with a capital Y."

Nirvana: "Younger him was caught racing a high stakes race event, not realizing it was all a trap to get his dearest to a vulnerable position. And then.. tragedy struck with a nasty head on collision."


It was indeed the most dramatic part of the talk, but then someone casually intervenes..


Keith: "Ahah! You two talking about the Great Split?"

Sonny: "Of course, K-Man! Back me up. Can't leave this young lady alone on it, lor."

Keith: "Hey, what the heck. I'm eager to get back on track, so we gotta make it brief. Where were we?"

Sonny: "The Mustang on Mustang accident."


Being the one family member Jacob trusts, Keith though didn't like describing this part of the story, as he hesitates to describe.


Keith: "Yeesh, the worst part? Alright.. So, after that.. Umm.. Big Red was the closest friend he got at the time. He was all: Jake asked me to take her far away, she's obviously a target for something nasty."


And with mention of Big Red..


Candy: "And went to Moto-san. I heard this Big Red name earlier today. One of the dark one's army pals: a senator-to-be who's also a pacifist."

Keith: "That's exactly him. You got good ears, y'know. I miss the dude, bee-tee-dubs. He's a friend."

Candy: "What's a wolf without her big ears to hear?"


He then gathered his thoughts briefly to let out..


Keith: "So, Rin ended up in Tokyo with a new identity as Kate-Lynne Yamada, and she did well to hide for the long 7 years. Like had contingencies against her own parents, even! Jake though? We didn't see him for that long too, because he hides behind the mask of.. The Outlaw."


It's well documented, but the self proclaimed badass had more fun ideas with that reveal..


Sonny: "Dun dun DUNNNNN!"

Nirvana: "Oh please!"

Sonny: "What, the moment's just right!"

Nirvana: "Nothing is ever right with you."


Despite a small chuckle sourced from this argument, Candy though had much to process, and thus implied..


Candy: "And that's the gist of how it started?"

Keith: "Sure as sure can be. That's how the Split started off.. The ending part is much more interesting. Though.. I remember these eras of his quite fondly, and.. The Outlaw of today is actually much worse."

Candy: "Worse? As if in.."

Keith: "The machete. The chemical warfare. The desire to kill. Actually going behind a good Metallica song from the legendary Master Of Puppets.. It's a whole new him. But the reasons remain sketchy for that. I hear if we going to get into that avenue, a 'nomination' for his widekit Mustang or his Ford GT would do that.. whatever that malarkey means."


Knowing this, she mumbled..


Candy: "Peculiar.."

Keith: "Oh, peculiar is right. By the way.. is there any reason you need to delve into the past of someone else completely irrelevant? I mean, to yourself."


That word in play, Candy however argued back..


Candy: "Your big brother is not irrelevant. Not anymore. I trust him and he trusts me. It's that.. what good is that trust if all I can think of him is.. to put it poetically: evil?"

Nirvana: "Nirvana has advice: do not heed the man made designation. That man is wicked, but indeed your ears tell he was never like that all his life."

Sonny: "She's right, sis. But you might think this is all nonsense, kan?"

Nirvana: "Trust Nirvana. As Nirvana knows more than the fact he is The Outlaw. Just say the word, and I, Nirvana, can make him crumble."

Candy: "Crumble? Ohh noo. I'll think about that when that's coming. Well, I figure we'd need to scram for a small moment. You remember what I said, right?"


And like clockwork, he spoke with gusto..


Sonny: "Yup. On track by 12. Sonny Meng's going to be the shining example, ooh yeah! [teeth glares]"

Nirvana: "Disgusting."


It did give leeway for this duo to take flight, leaving Candy and whom she calls the lesser Ross brother.


Candy: "I suppose I have something else to relay."

Keith: "And.. is it the autograph?"


He received however the biggest hell no expression a short statured Hong Kongese racing champ would ever give, and she's not being coy or anything, leading to him sadly expressing..


Keith: "That face is an easy no.. awwwhh. Alright, what's up?"

Candy: "I figure that long 7 years is why Rin is so soft. She's never had anyone to support her. And the one that could.. well.. he's has a terrible alter-ego that's caught him."


Despite all these findings, Keith, being in the mud of it for however his adult life took him, was rather indifferent, as he jested..


Keith: "That's what's up? Cool!"

Candy: "I start to understand Rin's soft side now. These thoughts living rent free in my head of her. They fade like that.."


Relating to her confusion, Keith then felt sorry, as he questioned..


Keith: "Candy, you don't sound okay.."

Candy: "I'm much worse than that. I was always at it alone. I'm more like your brother, just.. not the kind that puts his soul behind power armor."


The stars align for him to give some advice, as he continued..


Keith: "Yeah, well, I ain't the guy that provides advice, but.. you can't be like Jake. Nuh-huh. You're your own element! Means that you're definitely not as bad as he can be."

Candy: "I know. But thanks for the assurance. You never know that Rin-san might be snooping about."


She then didn't want any more sour thought and lead to the first thing that's come up: a certain Blue Devil painted silver..


Candy: "It's a car many Nippon racers swear by, but honestly.. I've never gotten a sweet spot with Corvettes. What makes yours so interesting?"

Keith: "To anyone it's nothing, but to the owner of a Vette, it probably is the most interesting one of them all! One I got for show is a C6, ZR-Freaking-1! It's my first real dream car, paid nicely after a season of Super GT, and what a hoot it's been! It's a menacing car handled by me: its kickass menacing driver."

Candy: "I'm sure you're quite the man to bring these to your social events, right?"

Keith: "They call my pa' the Corvette Captain for something. I aim to please him. And me. Corvettes aren't priced high, but the love for them's much more as a result, after all!"


He's priding his family name over his selling of his very own Signature car.

Though, he then noticed someone observing the car, strangely wondering why she didn't even raise her voice despite her character.

It seems he's the one to break that quiet mood.


Keith: "Yumi-kun? That's her, ain't it?"

Ayumi: "BWAAH! You got me, partner! Ehehe.. I suspected you have to be here, Kei-san."

Keith: "Yes I am! Oh, and major congrats to your binding of the knot."

Ayumi: "Thankss.. but I'm here for Candy-san."


Candy, who has been watching this unfold, then wondered..


Candy: "I knew she would.. what's it about? The FD?"

Ayumi: "Sure, let's start with that. I mean.. how was it? It's all my sweat and tears in car form, after all!"


There's no stopping the incoming smile this little racer had with the Takahashi styled RX-7, which further bolsters her incoming thoughts about it..


Candy: "It's an experience for sure. A really good one. To even have me consider a purchase off Brand Central, even.."

Ayumi: "Nothing can resist the perfect car and the love I provide within! Guaranteed, or that's the 250 thousand credit deposit back.."


And nagging in the back of her head was her used NSX, garnering a mention because of such..


Candy: "Now I think about it, the NA2 also feels that way."

Ayumi: "You sense it too? It's how I do the springs."

Candy: "Ohh, I can't object."


Sensing an inner courage today, Keith chimed in..


Keith: "Maybe you'd like a taste of some American muscle to put work in?"

Ayumi: "Hmm.. I would.. but my experience with them's rather limited around here.."

Keith: "Not to worry! I'm going to be around here for some time. Reminiscing the good old Super GT days, seeing what's new and stuff like that.. Say the word, and my Cor-freaking-vette's yours to play with."

Ayumi: "Oh, I must decline. I've a world wide trip to get through.. though, though.. maybe next time.. you and your aniki's car, surely.."


She turned back, hiding an attraction towards the car she sees now: the black Ford GT.

Unable to hold it in, she then expresses bashfully..


Ayumi: "I-I mean.. it's my very special day, but I don't want to just claim anything from anyone for no reason.."


She moved forwards, eyes shut, but then collided..


Ayumi: "Ara?"

Jake Ross: "Just say yes, damn it."


He spoke with his strict, objective voice.

Ayumi though was not ready, except for a fall as she shouted..


Ayumi: "GAHAAAH!"

Candy: "Always with the sudden appearances, eh?"


He turned to her, replying what's been said before..


Jake Ross: "Spunky brat. Wonder how many times I gotta say it ain't in character of me to come around and say hello."

Keith: "Where are you going with this, Jake?"


Taking his hat off, he then spoke with a hint of heart that..


Jake Ross: "Let's.. say this is my wedding gift. She can have a drive with the GT for a hefty amount of time."

Keith: "You hear that, Yumi-kun?"


No way he's lying, would be one of the torrent of notions that suddenly brewed in Ayumi's head, as she malfunctions..


Ayumi: "A.. A... AAAAAAAHH!! THAT'S JUST.. UUuuuuhhhh..."


..followed by a quick drop to the floor.

Fortunate for her, Jacob was just in position for a soft catch.


Candy: "Oh my. She's pretty bad at hiding her excitement, eh?"

Jake Ross: "Trust me, her periods of fainting are rather brief. Shall we get going?"

Spoiler: 8. Just Married (TUNER'S ANALYSIS SEGMENT)

By the time noon looms, the noise on track start to let loose.

As scheduled, the track finds itself packed with the current group, as well as a good roster of Ayumi's tuning firm racing.

While there are many cars that stand out, Ayumi looks ahead with a emblazed spirit..

Ayumi: "I must prove to everyone I deserve! Today is MY day."


Hero Takes A Fall
The Bangles
All Over The Place


TUNER'S ANALYSIS SEGMENT (REDACTED)

The combo of her signature car on her favorite test track eventually led to what she's been looking for..

..her idol, and keeping up with him.


Ayumi: "YYAATTTTAAAA!! THERE YOU AREE!!"

Jake Ross: "I bet she's screaming along with that nice ride of hers.."

Spoiler: 9. This is no ordinary scream machine

Putting aside her phone after reading a text, Candy had to pass a certain location she dreaded..

It wasn't the Urus, but rather the owner who she can't escape from if she needs to reach someplace.

Seeing her flex about, Candy couldn't help herself but..


Candy: "Uhh-uhh-uhhhaaa.. Miss Quinn.."

Quinlan: "Well g'day to you, little miss. That was some racing, might I add? Your itty bitty spider can bite!"

Candy: "It's what I do. Never raced against an Urus before.. What's gotten.. tennis playing you into racing?"

Quinlan: "That? I don't got an answer surely, but ever since I've been hooking up with Maverick, I've been dabbling. Then the fact I got family in the man you know as the Outlaw."


A nearby Emile, readying a melody through saxophone, moved in, overhearing the brief talk, as he spoke up..


Emile: "So there's where the racer's killer instinct come from, huh?"

Quinlan: "Sure is! You aren't a slouch in this off brand department, Emile?"

Emile: "I get by. I too have been a student of The Outlaw's school of racing. For good reason. Ginnie told me she's getting into car chases. I might want to take advantage of that should.. the need arises."


After Week 26's (not yet written) clash, Quinlan spoke out..


Quinlan: "Oh bugger that! I prefer we NOT talk about her.."


And not even seconds later, the little brother came over, greeting..


Keith: "Looks like a gang's piled up here. Can I join?"

Candy: "Sure, I guess. Where's you-know-who?"


And with such precise timing, the answer comes from a certain V8 supercar powering through the main straight..

The sound was distinct enough for even Quinlan to mention..


Quinlan: "That's Jake's GT. He's having a best lap scramble with the newly wedded."

Candy: "He mentioned this actually. Look at her socials, and I can see Yumi-san's having the time of her life."

Keith: "Oh yep. Also.. look!"


What followed behind was another supercar, but it shone in white, and had a scream rather than a grunt..

A note like that isn't unfamiliar to Candy, who exclaimed excitedly..


Candy: "It's not a rotary, but THAT scream! That's an LFA, isn't it? Who's car is that?"

Everyone else: "Jess."


And the rest would follow on as Candy stays stunnedm, with a realization that her big sis has such a car about..


Emile: "So, her killer ride's finally out of the shop?"

Candy: "This has to be the first time I've seen big sis's car in.. ever!"

Keith: "Would you believe that's her second LFA?"


Snapping out of that trance, the little racer then answered back with disbelief..


Candy: "No, of course not, how can anyone have the capacity to own 2 of them!"

Quinlan: "Trust me, wishing personally I had one of them. By the way, this special one is personally funded by Jake. His way of saying sorry to her after the bloke's guilty of a.. umm, poor choice of spending, from what I hear, that is."

Candy: "I wonder what that could be?"

Keith: "That'll come soon enough. Let's see how he plans on saying sorry this time around."

Spoiler: 10. There is no darkness without its light

She waited and waited for the moment..

And that moment came as soon as a certain Ford makes its entrance.


Candy: "There. The dark one's Dark Horse. Looking good."

And as the driver of said car exits, he had no time to breathe as Candy comes by..


Candy: "Well, Jacob.. whatever you have in that head of yours, I want to help get my big sis back to your side."

Jake Ross: "Despite your help.. Jess usually gets harder and harder to convince back to my side every time we split. Don't ask why."


Securing the car as it remains idle, Candy then follows up..


Candy: "So, umm.. what's your game plan on getting Rin-san back to us? I saw her.. heard her car, I mean."

Jake Ross: "That one's easy. She's probably hearing us at this very moment, so I have to.. agitate her."


What could agitate my big sis, thought Candy.

But not long later, she had a dirty thought that led to..


Candy: "Umm.. I.. umm.. you know I'm not that morally bankrupt to.. to.."

Jake Ross: "Fall in love with me?"

Candy: "I.."


And while she's not exactly an angel, to say she's evil is out of the question for the time being, as she retorts..


Candy: "I can't. I wouldn't betray my big sis like this."

Jake Ross: "This is part of the ruse, my little Asian flower. But.. since she hears it all.. I.. want to admit."


Her body starts to tense and her heartbeat began to pace up, with Jacob's approach at such an unusual way.

He then spoke somberly..


Jake Ross: "I got this gut feeling, see.. you.. probably are going to one day be one of the most important women to me in my whole life. This.. I don't say lightly."


Kneeling down to level his head so she sees him down, he then confesses..


Jake Ross: "When things go wrong, I know someone else I wish to lean on. Swear to the bottom of my.. tainted heart. Can I count on that?"

Candy: "Okay, after hearing about The Great Split.. I can't fail you as fate failed you. We're more than just an accessory for my big sis. P-promise?"

Jake Ross: "For her sake, I promise."


Her perception towards this serious dark man who has no qualms with killing or developing dangerous illegal chemicals shattered from then on.

She couldn't stay idle though, as she goes back to the objective, asking..


Candy: "(Wow, he is such a character) b-but what's the point of admitting such a.."


A pause followed as Candy heard that V10 scream approaching..

And stops right on cue..


Jake Ross: "We talked one time. This be one moment Jess wants to see in person."

Candy: "That's what I call hook line and sinker. It's like.. me and macarons."

Jake Ross: "Hmm.."


Though, what Candy did expect to see from her big sis wasn't what came, as what she saw was a cautious but horrendously afraid look.

She remained silent, obviously to Candy that she's battling with two thoughts in her head.

Knowing her for a good chunk of his life, Jacob sternly announced..


Jake Ross: "I don't cotton to you keeping up the silent treatment, Jess. We're done hiding around. Candy?"

Candy: "Yessir?"

Jake Ross: "Back me up. The wrong words, and she's gone."


And through that, a thought came..


Candy: "R-right.. (way to put the pressure on ME, big guy..)"


Her game plan now harkens back to Week 2, but things are in a more sensitive spot, she deduced.

Unlike then, their bond has grown, and Candy puts that to the test, with a jovial greet.


Candy: "B-big sis! Hey!! I'm sorry.. about that day in Atlanta.."


However, before even finishing, a retreat followed, which the man then predicted right.


Jake Ross: "(It's that bad this time..) Of course."

Candy: "What do we do n-"

Jake Ross: "Watch and see."


Not even a couple steps back, what's to watch came in the form of the Silver Tongued Devil and Moonlight..

And their drivers are ready for action as they exit at an instant..


Keith: "BOOYEAHH! Surprise attack!"

Hayato: "Rin-chan, nyeeheehee! No getting away anymore!"

Rin: "Erghh!"


She turns to the other clear direction, passing her husband, who asked sinisterly..


Jake Ross: "Where are you going, darling?"

Candy: "Up front's all clear, so.."


And once again, the setup progresses on..

Candy: "..or not."


This time with a pair of Japanese sports machines.

And their drivers too were prepared..


Izumi: "AHAHAHA! Partner.. you're in.. in.. TROUBLE NOWW!"

Ayumi: "Rin-san.. how dare you! HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME ALL TEARY EYED AND.. AND-I'm gonna make you pay for missing my wedding!"


Watching from a good distance, the little racer then noted..


Candy: "Surrounded! But-"

Jake Ross: "Not quite done yet. My beloved's a swift animal.."


And the truth would spark her action as she weaves about, leading to Keith's intended tackle attack to miss, and..


Keith: "God dar-AAAHH IZZY LOOK OUTT!!"

Izumi: "AHAHA!! Ohh noo.."


After the chaos erupting, their inaction goes to question.


Jake Ross: "Like I said.."

Candy: "That's my big sis for you! Should we go, or.."


Candy though then noticed a group of tires both out of place and acting strange..


Candy: "That's rumbling, isn't it.. Rin-san! Big sis, LOOK OUTT!!"


And this surprise attack would come to fruition, as a certain tennis queen smashed through the rubber, proclaiming greatly..


Quinlan: "OH YEAHH!"

Rin: "EHH?!"


Stunned for one moment, she was to run, but it was long enough for Quinlan to set the net.


Quinlan: "WHAMMO! You're up, you drongo!"


And a man leaped off her shoulders, leaping forwards to an Eddie Guerrero tribute in his signature Frog Splash.

This man however was a certain someone who needs no introduction.


Sonny: "VIVA LA RAZA! [teeth glares]"


And soon after: a perfect hit followed by the skater girl downed.


Rin: "GUWAAAHHH!! LET. ME. GO!!"


As everyone closed in, Candy though thought..


Candy: "That was intense!"


..and the loving husband, despite causing all the ruckus as he strategized so, calmly described..


Jake Ross: "Like a cat in hostile land. Though, that ain't the thing about animals and you, dear. You're still my lovely birdie."


He comes by his paranoid wife, kneeling down..


Jake Ross: "We. Are. Not. Fighting. So why? Why continue the running, Jess?"

Keith: "Need some backup, Jake?"

Jake Ross: "Thanks, but no. Watch or leave. Your choice."


As if he's scripted that all, the people don't budge, allowing him to follow..


Jake Ross: "Look see, Jess. They all don't budge. That means they care for your being."

Rin: "But I care more about you all, not coming after me!"


Able to reach her headset on her neck, she pushed a button..

Out of nowhere, it would expunge a cloud of smoke.

Knowing it's one of his experiments, Jacob exclaimed his surprise..


Jake Ross: "T-this concoction.. it can't be!"


And the majority of the crew too would find themselves helpless as Rin pushed them aside..


Sonny: "Haiyaa, what just happen, beh?!"

Hayato: "Whoa.. whoa.. funky freaky stuff.."

Izumi: "AAAHAAHAAH! I admit, that took me by surprise.."


With everyone weakened like Candy was back in week 2, Jacob has one last plan to bypass this, quickly speaking to an immune Candy..


Jake Ross: "Candy.. you ever play Call of Duty: Zombies?"

Candy: "Oh yes.. I know exactly what line you want to say, oh dark one.."


And with the start of another round, he announces akin to the enemies of the Ultimis..


Jake Ross: "FETCH ME HER SOUL!"


Taking her sandals off, Le Glace Pacer then sped off to a great speedy dash..


Candy: "ALL RIGHT!!"


A chase on foot ensued, but however, the exhausted Rin would go not much far on as she gets grabbed from the side..


Rin: "UWAAH!!"

Ayumi: "Gotcha!"


As Candy puts on her brakes, she notes..


Candy: "I heard she is genki indeed.."


Not exposed to the smoke, Ayumi then pins her friend to the wall, and holds on tight to her arm, ready to let off all her worries with a single proclamation..


Ayumi: "You BETTER be sorry about missing my BIG BIG BIG DAY! I don't care who you're running from or hiding, or whatever: the Jake Ross and Nishimura Rin dream team must stay together! I want it that way! Everyone wants it that way! Make it my request to accept whatever apology you have ready, Rin-san!"

Rin: "Urk.. Yumi-san.. I.. I.."


As tears began to flow out, realizing her errors, a song then played, reminiscing the moment they ended The Great Split..


Rin: "UWAAAAAAHHH! JAKE! I REALLY MESSED UP! I AM SUCH A FOOL!"


He came by, with a smile so uncharacteristic, I can confidently say it's him from a past age.

This fabled heroic side came by for one more declaration..


Jake Ross: "No. We messed up. And now we're back where we belong, let's end this split."

Rin: "[sniffs] Alright!"


Now with Candy and Ayumi watching this long lasting couple embrace, there was only praise left for her, as the little racer patted..


Candy: "Way to go, Yumi-san. Here.."


And the genki girl then watches her actions recorded on phone..

She wasn't ready, thus the following outburst..


Ayumi: "IYAAAAHAAA! You share that, and it's the end of me! THE. END!"


And the two then moved to planning ahead, as Rin questions..


Rin: "Anything that needs my attention, just say the word, Jake.."

Jake Ross: "We begin by.. how about getting you back on our social circle, hmm? I got us an idea we can work with Quin."

Rin: "Quin? That was her with the tires, was it?"

Jake Ross: "Yeah. Don't know where she is now, but apparently she's one of the Trinitia your agency's got a great interest in, and.."


A great surprise had Rin follow up with a suitable exclamation..


Rin: "WHAT?! Talk about good AND bad news.."

Jake Ross: "It's good with a capital G, Jess. But.. for now, you have some words to share."


The focus now goes to the other Asian women around, as Rin spoke..


Rin: "Oh! Umm.. we're together again! No more hiding, okay! Okay! Way to go, Yumi-san. And hi, little sis!"

Candy: "Hii.. (Yeesh, chaotic is correct.. talk about a change in face in such short notice)"


Ayumi though had another thought..


Ayumi: "Hold on a minute! After that big beefy run in your car, Jake-san.. I want a drive in that LFA! Can I? Please? PRETTY PLEASE?!!"

Jake Ross: "Well?"

Rin: "Why, of course! Fresh out of servicing, it demands some action!"


Excited, they split from Candy, who can only watch on, though not alone for long, as Hayato waltzes in..


Candy: "You know, Moto-san.. you've been instrumental in her well being during that.. time.. why give her up?"

Hayato: "My bond with Rin-chan has always never reached amorous levels, Candy-chan. I could've pursued it, but.. nyeeehhh.. I can never betray Yoko-chan. Nor do I even measure up to Jacob Ross.."

Candy: "Though.. I have a feeling one of these days, we might have to.."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

Spoiler: A quick wonder on past SPD's dropping of the ball. Also biographies for this week's episode

Well, well, well.. something left dormant that has demand coming back. And here it be. Can it mean.. I can do Week 36? Another Signature Car week. Though, I really am having trouble narrating this. Like it's taking me twice as long than usual. Is it me putting my heart on the whole rewrite?

But then.. I wonder.. how did this happen? The lack of an analysis, the amount of pictures, and maybe the content in general.. I saw this decline of performance from my own, and probably decided it wasn't meant to be, thus the scrapping.

That led to what I'm doing now: writing over cars I want to write rather than every week.

It made me think: How do I get my enthusiasm back to when I started off?

Maybe I should let you guys put some input in, like characters, signature cars.. the whole shebang?

They call it crossovers, but with nothing to establish, I don't know how to start this. Not to mention the passion in general of you all to what I do here.

Try as I may to figure the convoluted mess behind all that, my guess is that.. it all comes down truly to this ugly revelation: Everyone thinks of me as a joke, and that might connect to what I do too, which perhaps is what caused my decline. That's what I think Past SPD was going through. It was a phase, and it's unfortunate as I try to forget, I can't, because even today the reasons persist.

Lookie here: I may be an egoist, but that doesn't mean I don't know self worth, and if this is what I'm worth, being the man that only contributes what's to truly remember, then it's better for myself to find a better avenue to walk through.

Maybe that's the phase then that's all miffed away. Thinking about it makes me feel bad. Selfish is a part of me that I want gone, honest. But maybe it could be the better move for me to move on, and find my writing to a place that I can be satisfied at. I dunno. Like I said: all too selfish.

Too much inner SPD monologue bugging you? How about content wise for a post script? Umm..

So, whaddaya know? That the Lexus LFA did come out, and eventually I'm writing it in. If you go back to Rin's biography, you can see the LFA being there for the longest time. Guess I can put that 'fingers crossed' away.

There are a ton of hints that I bolstered further into the story. Supposedly, I'd like to write a pair of analyses like I always would. There's also cars that can't actually appear due to when this was supposedly originally released, specifically Quinlan's Urus and Izumi's Lancer Evolution IX. Also.. rewrites. That came in little things, but also on the 10th chapter on the whole, being a throwback to some form on how my writing ended in Gran Turismo 5. I.. umm.. don't think it's worth sharing what the original was like on that.

Let's not sour the mood: I'm happy that I finally get a Signature Car written in. I'm not going to share what's on this list, but should one be nominated, I'll try to get a nice little entry done, with the analysis intact, mind you, unlike this car's week. I'm sorry, alright. I do have a lot of words to say for the car. It's indeed a Sleeper, but further down the line, wa have to accept there are better Sleepers. From the year's nominee of the M3, the MINI Cooper S, the Jimny.. It's not about the slower car that determines this; I say the Alfa Romeo Gr.3 race car is a better Sleeper, honest!

For the heck of it, the next time I write, Ayumi and Rudeboy are guaranteed appearances. In addition, maybe I'll use a random wheel every time I gotta write to spice things up a bit.

Spoiler: MAIN CHARACTER - The infamous sweet toothed Lone Wolf: Candy Lam (Sport)

As the main character, Candy Lam is bound to appear in every segment, be it either as the lead role, or as a small mention.

The infamous Sweet Toothed Lone Wolf of Asia, or known worldwide as Le Glace Pacer. While her social presence is significantly poor, her presence on the track hasn't been short of perfection, now under the pressures of being a monetary source of higher powers, as well as her role being the most prime form of woman racers.. But don't let her hear that.

Theme Song: Def Leppard - Bad Actress
Racing Duel Music: Def Leppard - Nine Lives
Gender: Female
Nationality: Hong Kongese
Age: 30
Current occupation: Professional racecar driver
Distinct features: Long, clean, straight ashen hair tied to a ponytail via traditional red braids. A stiff, stoic Asian beauty that starts to show sign of wrinkling, covered by heavy layers of makeup. Thin, rounded diamond face, with various beauty signs of it being worked on unnaturally, especially her unblemished small snub nose, heavily lipsticked mouth and thin brown Asian eyes. Short body with small proportions.
Choice of clothing: Typical modern glossy sleveless Hong Kong dress, but 90% she will have her favorite on, that's in blood red with a white bauhinia pattern on, with matching sandals. Most of her clothes and themes come in red or white.
Cars: Toyota GR Yaris 1st Edition RZ "High Performance", MINI Cooper S, Honda NSX Type R '02, Mazda Demio XD Touring

Even though she's a proud Hong Kongese, Candy is actually born in high society Tokyo, and more exposed to living in a usual Japanese lifestyle. An only child, it was easy to find herself spoiled rotten from a young age, getting what she wants and not caring how it got there, thanks to wealth she inherits strongly. Her father notably was an executive in Toyota's racing division.

A target in her younger ages, Candy's early life was full of trouble from others that are against her being a Hong Kong native in Japan. She never made any friends as a result, and this loner habit of hers remained even after changing schools, going so far to even give her a new alias. While her parents have a strong standing in the society she lived in, she remained in their shadow, because she couldn't find comfort out of it.

Upon reaching her adult days, Candy's first 'milestone' would come when an incident in a high class event caused her to run, leading to a manic police car chase spanning several weeks before she was arrested. The victim of these events would have deep ties with various Yakuza families. While her parents retreated to Hong Kong, Candy stayed in Japanese prison, learning that if nothing needs to come her way, she needs to learn something she initially dreaded to do: manipulate the human mind, a state of thought she was once a victim of.

After her sentence, she regained her freedom, and it didn't take long that was noticed by the city's largest street racing community. Still with her inherited wealth, she started off strong in the streets. Years then pass, in which she eventually proves herself as a top competitor for racing in many top endurance races worldwide.

While her fans are out there in many parts around for being a woman dominating a man's sport, she's not exactly a great social interactor, and is a nobody outside the racing community. With many questions still left unanswered, maybe there are more ulterior motives with the unsanctioned blue MINI project..

Spoiler: Shy, but crafty artistic tuning youngster: Hideki Minami (5)

A shy but determined prospective artist with a variety of talents thanks to his smarts and willingness to learn. Now handling a tuning shop, he's eager to keep his craft fresh by travelling around the world.

Theme Song: Gorillaz - O Green World
Racing Duel Music: Cheap Trick - Everything Works If You Let It
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese
Age: 24
Current occupation: Tuning shop co-owner
Distinct features: Short spiky black hair above an oval face. Small, brown wide set eyes, thin almond nose and unpronounced mouth. Faint presence of freckles under the eyes. Always with a skin repair bandage on some part of his face due to acne. Bright skin. Average height and build.
Choice of clothing: Always with large rounded glasses, but is transitioning to contacts due to racing more often. Usually with a combo of a tight t-shirt with a buttoned up jacket/thick jacket based on the season. The lower body is always covered with sports slacks and sneakers.
Cars: Toyota 86 GRMN

Kyoto native Hideki was born into the world without much of a tale. Him and his two sisters lives has been mostly within the city, specifically nearby the cherry blossoms of the temples and shrines around. His early life come to following the footsteps of his scientist father: a man with dreams to make it big within the fields of life preservation. But a quick look concludes that he really only inherited his father's geeky and fast learning nature.

Despite that, the children were more into the arts, inspired by the natural beauty of japan. The sisters moved to being a pop star and actress respectively. Hideki took on arts and crafts, coming from his interest in doodling from a very young age, and reading manga. Strangely, his favorite manga consists of those with cars in them, especially Speed Racer. This doodling eventually gave way to his skills in precision sketching he uses today.

Coming into university with a stellar portfolio, Hideki's time on the side came to bolstering his interests. He bought a guitar and started earning on the side performing for small venues, and took on requests for sketching. And the moment he could, he earned his driver's license. While his muse and art are doing great, he gained a desperation to fill in his want to drive, not willing to save for a car. This led him to the racing community of university undergraduates, often mistaken for stalking the woman leading it: Ayumi Tanaka.

A small scuffle between local hotshots and universities wanting to show dominance in the racing groups caused the otherwise unremarkable and shy Hideki to raise his voice. A challenge was coming, and he had weeks to prepare. This is where it started with meeting and eventually bonding with future girlfriend Ayumi. In the end, he overcame it barely, and earned an inner drive to race, and respect in the local racing scene.

Over time, he graduated, and started a tuning shop with his girlfriend. Still together, and also strong on his side hustles, Hideki's main thought today stemmed from a pivotal meeting with an American in Gion, whose dark side seems to keep getting darker.

Spoiler: An electrifying rotary race pundit: Ayumi Tanaka (5)

An easily excitable young lady, who doubles as a young major art graduate and a master of Mazda's rotary cars, this energetic little bubble opened a small JDM tuner shop with her boyfriend to an initially mild, then great enough success, leading them to journey all over the world to expand their horizons.

Theme Song: The Bangles - Everything I Wanted
Racing Duel Music: Girlschool feat. Motorhead - Please Don't Touch
Gender: Female
Nationality: Japanese
Age: 25
Current occupation: Tuning shop owner
Distinct features: Medium-long, curly black hair tied as a ponytail. Semi sharp oval face. Large, wide green eyes, narrow aquiline nose and a small mouth that can truly expand when she gets excited. Average height, slightly underweight with average proportions.
Choice of clothing: Western influenced dailywear, usually in the form of a crop top and rolled up jeans. Colder climates prompt her to wear a single size winter jacket over it. Usually has a cap or beanie with the kanji Ayumi on it.
Cars: Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD), Mazda RX-7 GT-X (FC)

With an origin from Kyoto, Ayumi is an only child whose upbringing mainly comes from her family's traditionalist views. She didn't mind it at all, as it would mean her life would be family oriented as she grew up. Her father: a traditional calligraphy expert, endlessly suggested his only daughter to move on to the future, but always remember the past: a statement she can't let go of, as it moved towards her leaning for a certain car with a certain engine..

What set her inspiration for her hobbies was a visit to the Mazda Museum in Hiroshima, seeing the roster of Mazda's cars was a passion after the first visit, and it became an annual thing for her. She would eventually get her first Mazda from a wealthy and generous relative in the form of a classic FC RX-7 GT-X. Her peers in university would often see it shake up the track, as she learned to drive and race at the same time. Years in her freshman university days are appropriated to her winning similar class races of various scale, earning her the moniker of Rotary Queen.

With an on track name, she somehow got a bit of attention, good or other wise. Notably, she made a name when clashing with some local Kyoto racers over their heads. It went in her favor thanks to a man who stood up for her: her future boyfriend Hideki. While he didn't impress from the outside, his heart convinced her enough to connect them. Time passes, and with their art majors completed, they would head into finding work. If it weren't for a certain dark horse, who she would idolize and cement his fame in Japan through his unofficial fan club, it would never lead them to their small but eventually flourishing tuning garage based in Fuji.

While her boyfriend Hideki is quite the introvert, Ayumi is a most definitive opposite, having a booming voice, a metabolism for high speeds and gets excitable really easily. And her name as Rotary Queen starts to grow as she would try to get behind the wheel of every rotary powered car she can, eyeing on a new RX car Mazda has been conceptualizing.

Spoiler: Chaotic burning heart that lights up the darkness: Rin Nishimura/Jessica Ross (5)

Tech savvy geek with a forte in extreme sports. While her chaotic nature always gets her into situations unwanted, her overall innocent and kind upbringing gets her to be responsible of being the only one capable of lighting up the complete darkness in her husband's inner struggles for a final identity.

Theme Song: Muse - Guiding Light
Racing Duel Music: Eurythmics - Would I Lie To You?
Gender: Female
Nationality: Japanese
Age: 29
Current occupation: Interpol special operative
Distinct features: Medium, layered bob burgundy hair. Athletic, slightly wide diamond face. Brown hooded eyes, thin almond nose and a small mouth. A natural beauty with a small layer of makeup that exists only to hide her eyebags. Thin profile with an average height, and above average proportions.
Choice of clothing: Always wears a bespoke pair of sporty earphones. Never with a distinct fashion style due to her clinging as a master of disguise, even though she's more of a master of imitation. Most of a time she's with a sporty crop top, denim skirt with tight sporty arm socks, leggings and sports shoes.
Cars: Lexus LFA, Lexus RC F, Daihatsu Copen

Rin started off life in Tochigi. Not even years in, she has been diagnosed with a minor mental defect which hampered her thought processes. While it didn't get in the way of her everyday living, it prompted her parents to remain her a single child. It did get her to do the occasional odd and unusual behaviour. Aspiring to be the family's model child, she didn't let her setbacks bring her down. A top grading student with impressive feats in athleticism, and to remain incredibly pretty; you can say all these good things about her, it's supposedly impossible.

With her mother, love was unconditional, but her father seems held back. Further on in her teen life, she would find out aside his day job that he's a well known, on and off street racer. The relationship would sour further, but that changed in the aftermath of when she decided it's time to see if she can do better. Acing her driver's test was one thing, but immediately sneaking out and winning a Clubman Cup event in Motegi was the next.

Rin would head to the UK instead of local institutes for higher education, but it was a guise as her father wanted to protect her from local troubles stirred by his actions. Away from home, this would be a pivotal era for her development. An old friend became her starting point in racing. She would meet certain individuals, including her husband to be. But also came a criminal group that wanted to exploit her near perfect genetics, with these events causing mental damage, and giving way to her chaotic shifts in mood.

She would make her escape in marriage, prompting her to stay in California. The paranoia didn't stop there. On the first chance she could, she started working as a police officer, even deciding to adopt identities and learn imitation. But her fears did arrive. They staged an accident, and before she got taken away, she escaped, leaving everything behind for a long 7 years. This time was used for her to anonymously hone her racing to a whole new high, protected by Interpol.

And gladly, that time is over. But a lot has changed. Most importantly: her father has died. Initially succeeding him by joining FIA GT racing, she failed to inquire an investigation on how he left a legacy behind in the form of Candy..

Spoiler: Once hailed a hero, now drowned in shadow: Jacob Ross (5)

They said if there was a God in the worldwide street racing scene, Jacob Ross' moniker as The Outlaw was the very thing He and anyone else in said scene would be unequivocally afraid of.

Theme Song: Metallica - Disposable Heroes (Remastered)
Racing Duel Music: Gary Numan - I Am Dust
Gender: Male
Nationality: American
Age: 33
Current occupation: Rookie racer, in guise of his top street racer moniker
Distinct features: Balding marked, medium swept up brown hair. Roughened up with a few cut scars, but smooth, thin chiseled, and somewhat attractive diamond face. Aggressive, azure down turned eyes, thick grecian nose and serious, semi-thick lips. Tall build, with a fit build carrying developed muscles. Those muscles would artificially expand further when he becomes The Outlaw.
Choice of clothing: Black is the name of the game, usually with a custom tailored suit vest under a dark long wool jacket. Never seen without a black bespoke pinch front cowboy hat, with an engraving: 'Oderint dum metuant'. As The Outlaw, he would add on a thick special bulletproof attire, and a breathing apparatus that steams out an unusual drug should he need it.
Cars: Ford GT '06, Ford Mustang Boss 429, Ford Mustang Gr. 3 Road Car (as The Outlaw)

As the firstborn of a rich Californian racing legend, racing was definitely in his blood and Jacob had that opportunity for succeeding his father, joyous and determined this is the future for him.

But in his youth, something happened to his young psyche, and to say it changed him would seriously put it mildly.

The details remain sketchy, and it remained a sensitive topic within his family even to today. It drove a wedge between him and his parents far enough that he wouldn't be the same after his teens. These events harbors the influence of him becoming a fearless, serious somber man with said fear as a weapon of his own.

Now that the weight of succession is beared to someone else, Jacob carved his own destiny. Mixing his passions of the past with his more darkened methods, he toughed through the many grueling years to become the self proclaimed, undisputed fastest street racer of the US, through being a founding member of The List, aliased as The Outlaw: a drug enhanced, nigh unbeatable driver with a penchant for deceit, destruction, disrespect and fire, usually all combined. It's said that there are unspeakable tales of terror that happens to those who oppose The Outlaw: the identity he protects dearly, so much that over time, he's developed a vengeance to those that threaten this visage and those close to him.

Eventually, he married someone: a youthful Japanese girl who would be the greatest ray of sunshine he could ever get. But even that was a marriage that wouldn't last, as both became a target from greater powers. After a long 7 years, that threat now extinguished, he resumed the bumpy, happy life, hoping to outrun the past he knew wouldn't catch up. These days, Jacob has recently registered as a rookie FIA racer, with initial plans in his head saying to take it slow. All seems dandy, until certain events including the rise of his wife's old enemies resurface, enveloping him in the darkness where he then believes is the only place he belongs.

And if his fans and followers are familiar with his talents that developed his legacy, know that his history with a clenching darkness has caught up to him. It's unsure whether his known heroic side has fallen, merged, or even co-exists with his persevering dark side.

Spoiler: The omnipotent Asian American Badass that needs no introduction: Sonny Meng Xian Zhen (5)

Bohemian Like You plays

Once part of the greatest street racing crew in the UK, Sonny's now a key player in The List's day to day finances. While these days, he's started a long running racing career, leading to a gigantic bounty of success. This egotistical, proven all around badass comes forward as the most divisive top racing figure in the USA.

Theme Song: Rush - Vapor Trail, The Dandy Warhols - Bohemian Like You
Racing Duel Music: A Silent Truth - Chariot (Daycore)
Gender: Male
Nationality: Half Singaporean, half American
Age: 32
Current occupation: As he would state it: a mother[BLEEP]ing racing celebrity
Distinct features: Curled, black medium long hair, always semi-shiny. Handsome, diamond Asian like face and skin tone, with a long stubble combined with a Zappa. Narrow angled grey eyes that shine when he wants to, subtle upturned nose, and hair surrounded mouth. Overcompensating perfect teeth that glares when he wants to. Slightly taller, semi slim build, with mild developed muscle.. also that gleam when he wants to.
Choice of clothing: Usually in biker style clothing, including leather all around with an undershirt.
Cars: Dodge SRT Viper GTS, Chevrolet Camaro Z28, Ferrari 288 GTO, GT By Citroen Road Car

While he might have a Singaporean father, his work as a presidential bodyguard means Sonny's an all American citizen. Birthed in Washington, he moved to California when he was still very young. There, he would meet the eventual leader of The List, and befriend him, being his social contact that would relate with him as that man would darken. On the contrary, Sonny remained as optimistic as he always has been.

But his optimism didn't carry over to his education, where he was often the main culprit of racism as an issue there. It was then he would learn, then utilize his famous mantra of always being one step ahead. By using his birthday gift: a 69 Camaro, he would cause what he would dub as the best graduation day ever: getting just about every nemeses in his school driver license suspensions, while he gets away scot free. Due to this epic win, his egoist side would rise from then onwards, possibly never reaching a ceiling.

It wouldn't stop there. Applying to study in London found itself to be a costly move, and he would bring said Camaro over the Atlantic to begin street racing in those streets just to break even. And past that, UK's top street racing crew known as the Prophecy would take attention, and adopt him as the first ever mentored student, known as a Chosen. Even though Sonny did graduate with middling honours and is ready for adult life, he chose to spend his earnings to chase his hobbies, and to everyone's surprise: it would end up being his life's work, with his unshakeable ego and skill would put him in the podium spot of any racing field he touches.

In addition to his successful racing career, he took on the role as The List's main income source, internally codenamed "Chimera". In recent years, Sonny's momentum has been halted when his mother passed, and now has a mission to find the Mrs. Meng to succeed even further than just his wealth and fame. These days, while he might be the badass he claims, he's also bound to lure in all sorts of trouble, such as the bad luck he's known for among his divisive peers, alongside his, what he dubs: 'favorite hostile secret admirer' in Nirvana.

Spoiler: All knowing, all seeing and all enigmatic: Nirvana Kellen (6)

A definition of the mysterious benefactor to the American dark side, nobody truly knows who, where, what or how this Nirvana person came to be. Aside being one of California's biggest earners within its black market, the only thing people know about her is that you never want to be on her bad side..

Theme Song: Nirvana - All Apologies
Racing Duel Music: Peaches - Boys Wanna Be Her (Tommie Sunshine's Brooklyn Fire Retouch)
Gender: Female
Nationality: Unknown, presumably American
Age: Unknown, presumably in her late 30s
Current occupation: Black market information broker
Distinct features: Medium long straight brunette hair, with the left side slightly longer on the front. Broad and tall diamond shaped face, with heavy eyeshadow and deep red lipstick. Wide and narrow green eyes, thick button nose and lip sticked mouth. Eyes always covered with a bespoke pair of sunglasses. Wears a pair of ruby gemmed earrings. Tall, slender figure.
Choice of clothing: Isn't one for a certain clothing style, but her daily go to includes a designer cropped jacket and blouse. Underneath usually is seen with dark, long skinny jeans, with tall leather boots underneath. Never without her prized golden necklace, carrying the iconic Nirvana grunge band smile.
Cars: Lamborghini Diablo GT, Honda Civic Type R (EK), Lamborghini Countach LP400

If there's a dark American secret or two worth knowing, there's a very good chance it either came from, or is already been privy by the mysterious, unusually beautiful chain smoker known as Nirvana. While she's not hiding any association with it, it's unclear why she took up the name of a once popular 90's grunge icon.

Despite being in the game for approximately a decade, Nirvana's role as an information broker has been volatile for involved parties. Regardless of the risk, it's a very fruitful business that allowed her to make up a luxurious, albeit mysterious way of living. Every day passes with her face on at least one association wanting her death, be it from minor greivances or major groups, with rumors saying even involving the darkest organizations within national governments. But by being directly connected to the Assassin's Guild means that threat is non-existant for her. It's strongly rumored she is the one completely external individual with the unstoppable, absolute Trinita L'Assassina on speed dial, as various wealthy crime bosses that had her targeted once had their groups dissolved in a week.

Anyone knows Nirvana is one mysterious figure that probably intentionally overdelivers her speech with speaking in third person, combined with odd lingual skills and backed with an odd accent. While it's obvious she's hiding everything about her, there's no hiding her services mainly being stationed in Los Angeles. There's also no hiding that she likes to drive an old Lamborghini Diablo, and it's seen frequently street racing at night. Her presence often causes the racing at night to be mostly calm, a sign of her connection with the local police.

A worker of secrets, Nirvana also knows how to keep them, and over the years, she begun to even use them for her own benefits. While not exactly the most expensive of secrets, using The Outlaw's identity allows her to blackmail her way into The List, now part of them as code name "Enigma". But running with the self proclaimed fastest crew isn't the goal. She uses it as soon as she found out racing celebrity Sonny Meng serving as the group's backbone, and also being directly related to its leader. To her, Sonny is the one person she deems her nemesis. Nobody but the just as similarly egotistical Nirvana only knows why this grudge came to be.

Spoiler: Part Senna, part Deadpool, part Shinobi, all ways swift and deadly: Hayato Matsumoto (6)

Fourth wall breaking fan favorite racer of the current Super Formula era, Hayato's achievements haze the many dilemmas and twists he's found himself in. A former Yakuza enforcer that doubles as an just as silent and swift ninja wannabe with a unfavorable young personality to back up his race track talents.

Theme Song: The Crystal Method - Play For Real (feat. The Heavy)
Racing Duel Music: The Crystal Method - Play For Real (feat. The Heavy, Dirtyphonics Remix)
Gender: Male
Nationality: Half Japanese, half Brazilian
Age: 30
Current occupation: Race car driver
Distinct features: Dyed dark purple hair in the shape of a ponytail. Wide, diamond shaped face with pale skin. White tinted eye contacts, flat thin nose and a slim mouth exhuming a dangerous smirk. Average height, slightly thin build. Heavily tattooed body due to his past within the yakuza.
Choice of clothing: Dark colored, and always covering his skin. Commonly wears trendy clothing, nowaday's its a designer sweater hoodie with 3 quarter denim pants, tall shoes and a belt. Never seen without his traditional made ornamental katana and its sheath behind, presumed a fake to just about anyone who don't investigate.
Cars: Honda NSX (NB), KTM X-BOW R

History was shady, but first records show Hayato was born in Nagoya with a mixed Japanese Brazilian bloodline. Notably, his family carries strong ties to the shinobi warriors of Sengoku Japan, giving him an idea on what kind of person he was going to grow as. However, he was a rebellious soul who could hardly get anything going in curriculum. That journey as a ninja would have to wait until one day, he would personally go on a journey to retrieve an old relic hidden in a deathtrap shaped like a home. He might have succeeded, but the problems started. Said relic was a priceless katana, and word got out, his family and clan were slain or went missing, including his family, who had an abrupt but heartfelt goodbye, not knowing where to go.

After reaching adulthood, Hayato made his way through life with a girl he met. It was thanks to her he got involved in Yakuza affairs, being the sole daughter of a top family enforcer. He would learn their ways, brandish their stripes and worked his way up the ladder. On the side, he applied for a junior Red Bull course in racing, again because his girlfriend said so. That eventually grew as he was noticed by two important individuals: an infamous street racing delinquent, and the head of the multi million organization known as the Kirkham Foundation. With their offers, Hayato had a new goal: to be deemed an icon, as someone significant.

Years pass, and Hayato leaned back to the criminal element strong. But as he grew in strength, that went to the test as the family he served was the same one that terrorized his teenage days. As his connections to the relic he used came to light, blood flooded rivers as he fought his way up to get the answers he needed. All was said and done, but one final test remained: the woman that lived with him all those years pledged her allegiance against him, and in a final struggle, he cut her where she stood. Past all the heartbreak, he would remember her by selling the relic katana to the government, then having a master blacksmith forge a whole new sword: the same one he carries at all times on his back. He branded the sword as 'Yoko': the girl he lived with all his adult life til then.

Now with those bloody ties severed, Hayato stands now a strong contender for the Honda Racing Corporation. While his focus lies on Super Formula nowadays, he's been seen testing out Honda's Group 3 division. And there's a good chance he might be travelling the world, eager to be showing his honed racing skills.

Spoiler: Patriotic American social influencer, still a soldier at heart: Maverick Martinez (Sport)

Prime model US Marine that has served his nation in so many ways, you'd lose count. A known adrenaline junkie and jack-of-all-trades, Maverick's always on the prowl for new experiences to add to this growing dossier of his, racing now the newest target on his sights.

Theme Song: Celldweller - Louder Than Words
Racing Duel Music: Motörhead - Runaround Man
Gender: Male
Nationality: American
Age: 35
Current occupation: U.S. Marine
Distinct features: Blonde upswept, short spiky hair. Wide diamond face. Scruffy, thin 5 o'clock shadow. Sleek round blue eyes, thin straight nose and small, straight mouth. Tattoos on his arms with army based symbols. Slightly tall build with a fit, well built body.
Choice of clothing: He's never without a shoulder mounted radio and his dogtags around. But in the public, he's often with a leather jacket, thick leather cap and combat boots, wearing a combo of a tight t-shirt or tank top, with khakis or jeans under.
Cars: Dodge Challenger R/T

Born Mack Martinez of Alabama, Maverick was the runt child of a small, well handled family that stands strong in the persisting cultural Alabaman historical preservation society, specifically on the Civil Rights movement. As white and blonde as any white skinned supremacy is, Mack as a child is often targeted by those who oppose his family's work defending the American racial equality, while being a child of semi Hispanic descent. If there was one thing Mack was taught, it was to defend his rights and thus it's known that he as a youth was violent and rather unforgiving in defense of his beliefs.

Though, all this trouble enabled an inner violent self, one day he went too far and got involved in vigilantism, attacking known racists and related to those who would torment him in his youth. Nothing was subtle, leading to an arrest, and the officer in charge gave him a proposition rather than jail time: forced servitude to the US Marines. Changing his name to Maverick, he would later find himself positioned in the army to escape the stresses of his home, even though they hailed his presence as a hero rather than a villain. These initial years, Maverick underwent therapy, keeping that inner violence in check with discipline taking it over: a milestone to his favorable, supportive personality he adopts to today.

While life was rough, Maverick would be paired up with some other volunteers, eventually being the closest thing he has as good friends. These would include a dark skinned senator to be, a keen virtuoso doubling as all American patriot, and a young mentally traumatized man of shade. By the end of their service, they would part ways, with Maverick opting to stay in the marines, believing that the rights of his nation were the most important thing to him. A long decade has passed since, and after being discharged honorably as the greatest sergeant around, he returned home as a hero.

Now married to an international flight pilot, Maverick's often alone and in peace with his violent past, but as a result, gets easily bored. After trying out various hobbies to test his fitness and agility, he would get into motorized sports, such as stunt flying, paragliding, and various other sports and activities. Known around his local neighborhood as a jack-of-all-trades, Maverick's newest venture would be in racing cars, usually behind the wheel of a Challenger with roots in Trans Am. However, this all stems mainly from him finding out one of his squadmates eventually became The Outlaw of infamy.

Spoiler: Laugh happy Interpol agent, escaping her past as a double agent: Izumi Yamazaki (5)

A.K.A. Jing Mei Chunhua. An Interpol agent who's once a disgraced worker, now looking to regain what honor she has lost. A sassy, habitually laughing clown who keeps together a thin line on keeping apart the worldwide authorities and the underworld she once made her name with.

Theme Song: Nero - My Eyes
Racing Duel Music: Pendulum - Plastic Eyes (feat. Fats and TC)
Gender: Female
Nationality: Half Japanese, half Chinese
Age: 30
Current occupation: Interpol agent
Distinct features: Yellowish pale skin. Black, medium well kept hairdo with hair buns. Thin triangular face, with angled, unnerving asian brown eyes, small nose, and a large, curved mouth that can expand greater than it looks. Small beauty mark on her chin. Slightly taller height, with a slim, thin build.
Choice of clothing: Always with a cheongsam, but what color it is depends on her mood, with matching hair bun ribbons, chinese makeup, embroidered slippers/sandals and dark leg high stockings.
Cars: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X Final Edition Gr. B Road Car

Izumi's started off being born as Jing Mei Chunhua within the many wards of Yokohama. She might've grown up with a brother, but their differences set them apart, most notably in terms of their ancestry. Naturally Izumi would be more towards her mother's side, who's a Japanese industry worker in the growing electronics market. While despite their differences in skin, the family's managed to keep together well.

Up until their parents moved on to retire, Izumi would end up studying to become a politician. However, upon realizing the desk work wasn't for her, like her brother, she would instead go for policework. However, after years of work and sacrifice paying off, Izumi became one of the best undercover policewomen within the Tokyo region. As she moves ahead that step and goes international, she then found of her brother's growings as the Vulture of infamy, who built a gigantic financing corporation that usually plays a dangerous game with the large Yakuza families within Tokyo.

She's never thought of him as someone to love, but while she thought to protect her brother, she would often find herself in that stressful divide of being an upstanding officer, and a loving family member of her small family. As it goes on, she would develop pseudobulbar affect with the many risks and pulls she has to manage, causing her to laugh in random and violent tendencies. This would continue until one day her greatest fears would come true: her arrest is due, and also reveals that she's been in contact with larger criminal players around the world as an accomplice within Interpol: particularly the Assassin's Guild before their hostile takeover.

While her brother serves in prison, Izumi was granted a special kind of parole in which she would continue her work, but would face life in prison should that she's found to return to her roots. Thanks to a man she's met dealing with a Yakuza family before, she would move on and mentor a small Interpol team, of which includes her savior's wife. That was 2 years ago, and while not much has changed in terms of her personality, she believes going the straight and narrow is the way to reforge the binds of family with her brother.

Spoiler: A quiet, somber fellow, now a saxophone playing hitman: Emile Orson (Sport)

A former marine, with the deadly combination of being a silent, two-faced sneak and an all American underworld justicar, laying down verdicts he so chooses with either the soothing tunes of jazz, or a high powered sniper rifle.

Theme Song: Soundgarden - Hands All Over
Gender: Male
Nationality: American
Age: 37
Current occupation: Hitman for hire
Distinct features: Unkempt, scruffy medium black hair. Face is mostly shrunk like, with notably small brown eyes, tiny nose, and unpronounced mouth. Thin mustache and chin strap beard. Often mistaken as Asian, but actually Caucasian. Slightly tall, thin muscular build with semi-long proportions on his limbs.
Choice of clothing: Hides his eyes behind well spent large teardrop sunglasses. A black fedora to match his overall dark suits and their grey hints. Strong penchant for classy, black tie clothing, and it's always seen dark.
Cars: Chevrolet Camaro SS

A man with arms bonded for handling the heft of 50 calibre rifles, and moreso for nicer suits. Before going as Emile in the underworld, he would be known as The Black Flash, named as a play of his Boston Massachusetts origin, and also of his origins as a major player in the killing fields. But it never truly started there. Emile wasn't smart, or notably talented. But he was fit. So he went to the military the first chance he got in his late teens, helped by his semi wealthy, but all around patriotic family and upbringing.

Becoming a peerless man with a sniper rifle, Emile's focus was true and his shots probably truer. He would earn his military honors along with his squadron that included a traumatic youth, a defender of the American way, and a soon to be senator. But one year, after a tour in the Middle East, he came home with his family brutally slaughtered and his home savaged. With all the resources at his grasp, his well honed focus was turned to an even finer slice of vengeance. His unrelenting force would bring those responsible to their graves, and he would leave no stone unturned, bringing a small hint of his intents to anyone else involved: through death.

It was by the end of that rampage that Emile grew to be permanently somber. His pride for the all red white and blue was turned to a shadow, and he would believe that if nobody was to help others to becoming him, he would be the one to do it. With a reputation in the criminal world, the now renowned Black Flash has a creed: a self regarded 'good guy', only accepting contracts against notably terrible figures. Some would say he would rival the Trinitia, of which one he learned of her ways personally as fellow mates: a cybernetically enhanced femme fatale known as the Killer of Killers.

Always based in California, should he have to leave the States, it must mean serious business.

Spoiler: Successor of a great family's legacy with doubt in his role: Keith Ross (5)

The current era successor of the well known Ross racing family of Ventura Bay, California. A casual player who takes his journey step by step and reeling in the experiences to be this future force of nature his brother already is..

Theme Song: Airbourne - Ready To Rock (Black Dog Barking)
Racing Duel Music: AC/DC - Rock Your Heart Out
Gender: Male
Nationality: American
Age: 26
Current occupation: Race car driver
Distinct features: Partially scruffy, blonde combed back hair. Diamond face with rough edges. Blue eyes, hard edged grecian nose, and wide, deep mouth. Average height with slightly thin build.
Choice of clothing: Wears a zipped up sports jacket at all times, but contents vary from racing teams, anime or American football logos. Under all that's always a t-shirt with blue denim jeans and matching sports shoes.
Cars: A whole collection of them, but is 95% of the time seen with his Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (C6)


Like his brother, Keith too was born in the sunny side of coastal California. But there, the similarities end. However, while his brother distanced himself from his family after a certain event, Keith was the only exception to that rule.

Carrying a nice flowing blonde hairdo, Keith grew up as if he was more normal than that of his only other sibling: not in military school and instead in your usual elementary. Considering his father's reputation, Keith became a strong contender for the family's legacy as soon as he was bred into it, from entering racing schools as soon as he was able, to even forcing, then growing an interest in his father's signature car: the Corvette. It's not unusual for Keith to show this interest strong towards his friends and classmates, wearing racing memorabilia as his usual fashion statement.

Befriending a certain Asian American Badass and a small fat nerd with a flair for the young internet imagery, the once wimpy Keith took his influences from their actions, coming out into adulthood with his geeky yet cool flair of his, and took his future to the track after high school. While initially flourishing in the amateur leagues, an opportunity came for him to take part in Super GT for Honda. Unknowingly, alongside his nerdy friend, he's accompanied by a set of characters whom his brother set up with to watch him, eventually befriending them. Said group includes an Italian Interpol agent, his German hot head sweetheart, and the Bristol Harbinger.

Despite scoring high overall, and eventually getting into GT racing, rumors spread of Keith being too pampered, and the presence of his brother's intervention to the racing scene bound to come. Then, it all came down to Keith officially named the successor of his family's racing heritage: a name he strongly objected to at first, but then he didn't relent to represent when encouraged by his brother who he endeared so much all his life. And due to recent events, the Ross brothers dream start to flourish after today..

Spoiler: Abs of tungsten, smasher of walls, breaker of molds: Quinlan Bradley (7 COTW)

Hailed as the Sports Diva from Down Under, Quinlan's a bona fide master in the physical contest of contests. A recent graduate of the world racing league's B License, her great muscles isn't the only secret of hers she's keeping tabs on.

Theme Song: Judas Priest - Hard As Iron
Racing Duel Music: Toyah - Thunder In The Mountains
Gender: Female
Nationality: Australian
Age: 33
Current occupation: Sports personality, prominently as a tennis player
Distinct features: Long bright orange hair, often tied in a pair of split braids. Wide almond shaped pale blue eyes, thin but thick skinned slab nose and small mouth. Her caucasian skin's always shiny. Semi-tall and has a defined muscular, built body.
Choice of clothing: 'A show of her greatly honed skin when she can' is her motto on this, usually wearing a sporty tank top with tight sports shorts, with a jacket either worn or wrapped around her waist. There are sporty shoes and sports sunglasses to complement.
Cars: Lamborghini Urus, Renault Sport Mégane R.S. Trophy, Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, Suzuki Jimny XC


Gold Coast born Quinlan was the second of a whole horde of children. She never had an issue getting past the ropes of life with her siblings, who frequent the beaches there. Thanks to her father's role as a pro surfer, and her mother being a lifeguard of one of the many beaches there, Quinlan had no issue with meeting people and also getting to know the active lifestyle she gets frequent exposure from. Reaching puberty, she however gained one other interest due to her body somehow developing muscular. Compounded by how ridiculed she was in school of her size, she knew this was the calling she needed to stand out and shield her ego: through strength.

Without a remarkable education, Quinlan went straight into sports, getting scholarships for various sports academies and fields. However the result, her jolly character seems to be a perseverant one where she never has a notion to give up in any slight. Though, behind all this muscle was still this psychologically inept woman, who would be taken advantage of by certain criminal elements in Australia. It didn't take long for her to think enough is enough, leading to a mental snap and a new aggression began from there. To the public, it gave them a positive role model to follow, and for the underworld a new killer threat thanks to her behind the scenes actions towards.

In one clash, she was put in a bind, but was saved and proceeded to clean up a large sports corruption scandal thanks to the Assassin's Guild, specifically from a feminist cool cyborg, with another sadistic blood knight. Joining in as an athletic powerful giant, these women would end up being known as the Trinitia: a triple threat of women that would be deemed unstoppable should they come together, though in their heads and ideals that's not quite the case, enough to cause a hostile rift.

Jumping from sport to sport, she recently gotten her hands into racing cars. Though, her growth seemed to be drastically larger than your run of the mill racer. Rumors report that she seems to have contact with the infamous Outlaw, though no direct reasoning has been confirmed.

Quick dump on cars I didn't give a score


Porsche 917 Living Legend — A retro themed proof of concept for Porsche that's also blast to drive. Hell on the curves, but heaven on the straights. Due to these traits, it doesn't offer more than a niche waiting for anyone to exploit. Neutral.


BMW Z8 — I'm a blonde bimbo girl in a fantasy world. Dress me up, make it tight, I'm your dolly. An incredible must experience muscle sensation, trading bad ass brakes and a responsive, pure sounding V8 for a hard top roof. Truly not enough for the world, so.. let's go party! Sleeper.


Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition — What comes as a twitchy rear happy hatchback comes also with a package that can challenge indeed a wide collection of cars it shouldn't even be able to keep up with, and more. Most importantly: it's a fun car in a reasonably priced package. Sleeper.


Toyota Aqua — Outpaced by its competition, unable to keep up in the heat of the action, and just a real shame of what it's able to offer. Easily the starter to stay away because of the limitations set. Beater.


Honda NSX GT500 — The perfect example on how I like my Grouped additions: the old school fan favorite who can run with the big boys in today's roster of stacked competition. Carries an understeery profile that understandably isn't everyone's cup of tea, but you cannot ignore its drivability being very high. Sleeper.

 

[Skyrocket44]

Wanna see something cursed?

Spoiler

As for the NSX? Must-buy. Driving this car makes you ask for more JGTC cars from the era before it got ruined. (in 2003 with the spaceframe rules, 2010 with the mandated V8, 2012 with the GT3 integration, and 2014 with the unified 2-liter DTM rules.) It refuses to launch out of corners in low-2nd gear. When you let go of the brakes too much, it turns into Jamahal Hill. But when you slam forward on that slanted gear leaver, with the shrill bark of five hundred howler monkeys slamming directly through your spinal column, you'll thank whatever higher deity is out there that Gran Turismo is Japanese. Just don't drive it with BOP on.