Keisuke Takahashi vs Kobayakawa

The battle between Keisuke Takahashi and Kobayakawa is the fortieth battle of Initial D, as well as the first battle of Initial D: Fifth Stage.

Prior to the Battle
Project D arrives in the Kanagawa area, and prior to their first battle, Takumi Fujiwara and Matsumoto scout out Yabitsu in preparation for the battle against Satoshi Omiya.

During the Battle
At the start of the battle, Keisuke starts in the lead position. The race drags on and continues uneventfully as Keisuke holds back and waits until the last sections of the course to make an attempt to lose Kobayakawa. After noticing Keisuke suddenly speeding away, Kobayakawa picks up his pace and tries to keep up with him. Keisuke successfully evades Kobayakawa and wins with a wide gap of seven seconds.

After the Battle
As the episode the battle takes place in is ended with Keisuke's successful dash, the aftermath of the battle is covered in the next episode, which covers the battle of Satoshi Omiya and Takumi Fujiwara.

Fifth Stage

 * Runaway - Leo River