Wastegate 2

West Gate: Part 2 (ウエストゲート2, Uesuto Gēto 2, "Wastegate 2") is an extra chapter of Initial D. It follows Ryosuke Takahashi driving Fumihiro down Akagi to a hospital after he suddenly falls ill.

Plot
Ryosuke and Fumihiro visit the top of Mt. Akagi. The two comment on the weather, and Ryosuke explains that they came up because he wants a change of scenery. Fumihiro tells Ryosuke that he's worried about him, as both Project D and medical school must be stressful. Ryosuke says not to worry about him, as everyone else is pushing themselves to the limit for the team. He feels like Project D is developing into something much bigger than he had imagined, thanks to both the drivers and the support staff. He says that he needs to know he can count on Fumihiro to back him up. Fumihiro tells him that of course he can count on him, saying that everyone is working with the team because they want to. Fumihiro gets a shooting pain from his gut, and doubles over onto his knees. He tells Ryosuke that he's fine and he'll just rest a little, but Ryosuke asks him to describe his pain. Hearing his symptoms, he believes there is swelling on his stomach lining, like he has a gastrointestinal perforation.

The two of them start down the mountain in the FC, heading for Gunma University Hospital. Ryosuke says that they have to make good time, and tells Fumihiro to hold on tight, before picking up his speed. Ryosuke goes all out, with several spectators commenting that he's driving as though he was in a race.

At the same time, a couple in a Porsche 911 964 are driving down the mountain. The man brags to his passenger that all of his family drive German cars. Suddenly a car appears in the rearview. The man says that driving is to have fun, not being the fastest. He continues, saying he's gonna show him the power of his car, bragging that he was going to become a professional driver (although he had only ever thought about it). Their "battle" is short, with Ryosuke blowing past the car almost instantly. The passenger says that the car was Japanese, but the driver is in denial, insisting it must have been some Italian car.

Further down the mountain, Fumihiro feels relieved despite his sickness, as he is on an endorphin high. He's glad to have Ryosuke with him, an elite future doctor, the best driver in Gunma, and his friend. He thinks that he would rather be in that car than an ambulance, and that they could crash and he wouldn't care.

Japan

 * September 1st 2001 (Young Magazine GT)
 * August 4th 2006 (Tankōbon, Volume 33)

Chinese

 * October 21st 2006	(Tankōbon, Volume 33, Sharp Point Press)

English

 * January 13th 2009 (Tankōbon, Volume 33, Tokyopop)
 * April 17th 2019 (Digital re-release, Volume 33, Kodansha USA)

French

 * September 21st 2016 (Tankōbon, Volume 33, Kazé)

Characters (in order of appearance)

 * Ryosuke Takahashi
 * Fumihiro

Cars (in order of appearance)

 * Mazda SAVANNA RX-7 Infini III (FC3S)
 * Eunos Roadster (NA6CE)
 * Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6 (964)

Tokyopop/Kodansha USA version

 * English title is mistranslated. ウエストゲート can be translated to mean both Westgate and Wastegate, however this chapter is named after the Wastegate, a valve that is part of a turbocharged engine.
 * Removes or translates several sound effects
 * Pages are cropped differently, cutting off part of the artwork

Kazé version

 * The French title translates to "Bonus Story 2"
 * Translates all sound effects into French
 * Pages are cropped differently, cutting off part of the artwork

Notes & Trivia

 * The chapters title is taken from the Wastegate, a valve that controls the flow of exhaust gases to the turbine in a turbocharged engine.
 * This chapter marks the first appearance of the Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6 (964) in the series (as well as the first appearance of the Porsche brand overall). The 964 would later appear in Initial D The Arcade.
 * The same car is famously known to be driven by Tatsuya Shima as the 'Blackbird ' in the Wangan Midnight series.
 * This is the last chapter that Tokyopop ever published, as they would lose their publishing rights to the Initial D series soon after the release of Volume 33.
 * Because of this, every subsequent chapter in the Kodansha USA uses a completely original translation.