Chapter 038

The Secret Lives of Racers (さりげなく 文太の底力!!, Sarigenaku Bunta no Sokojikara!!, "Casually, Bunta's real power!!") is the thirty-eighth chapter of Initial D.

Plot
At the top of Mount Akina, Yuichi asks Bunta if he'd been intending to make Takumi a racer when he'd sent him up to do the tofu deliveries five years prior. Bunta explains that it was just about the tofu in beginning, but as Takumi improved he would change parts of the car, guiding his development. Yuichi asks what he wants from Takumi, and Bunta says that he just likes seeing him improve, and that eventually he'll be better than even him, and can go on to do the things that he couldn't. Yuichi comments that the view of Shibukawa from up on the mountain hasn't changed since they were young.

The two set off down the mountain, and Bunta asks to test some changes he had made to the Eight-Six. As a terrified Yuichi grips the handles, Bunta speeds into a corner and enters a drift, only then taking his hands off of the wheel and lighting a cigarette. The car completes the corner perfectly, and Bunta places his back on the wheel, and continues down the mountain, despite Yuichi's complaints.

The next day at the gas station, Yuichi thinks about the night before. Takumi asks Itsuki what the displacement of a rotary engine is, but he's unsure so they both ask Iketani. He tells them that it can't be more than 1500cc, much to their shock. He explains to them that because of their different structure, they can generate more power from a smaller displacement.

Japan

 * April 22nd 1996 (Weekly Young Magazine, 1996 Volume 18)
 * August 6th 1996 (Tankōbon, Volume 04)

Chinese

 * April 1st 1998 (Tankōbon, Volume 04, Sharp Point Press)

English

 * October 22nd 2002 (Tankōbon, Volume 04, Tokyopop)
 * April 17th 2019 (Digital re-release, Volume 04, Kodansha USA)

French

 * August 27th 2009 (Tankōbon, Volume 04, Kazé)

Italian

 * March 28th 2023 (Tankōbon 2-in-1, Volume 02, J-Pop)

Polish

 * April 2023 (Tankōbon 2-in-1, Volume 02, J. P. Fantastica)

Characters (in order of appearance)

 * Bunta Fujiwara
 * Yuichi Tachibana
 * Takumi Fujiwara
 * Itsuki Takeuchi
 * Koichiro Iketani

Cars (in order of appearance)

 * Toyota Sprinter Trueno 3door GT-APEX (AE86)