Gutter Techniques

The Gutter Techniques are Takumi Fujiwara's specialty. Other characters, especially Project D's opponents, use this technique as well.

Entry Gutter Run
First Used: Takumi Fujiwara vs Keisuke Takahashi Second Used: Takumi Fujiwara vs Takeshi Nakazato Third Used: Takumi Fujiwara in the Eight-Five (Impromptu) Fourth Used: Takumi Fujiwara vs Shingo Shoji Fifth Used: Takumi Fujiwara vs Ryosuke Takahashi Sixth Used: Takumi Fujiwara vs Seiji Iwaki Seventh Used: Takumi Fujiwara vs Tomoyuki Tachi Eighth Used: Takumi Fujiwara vs the Two Guys From Tokyo

This is the technique Takumi is most famous for and has been used multiple times when racing on Akina. It's an entry-oriented method that doesn't let the driver understeer at the entrance. The inner tires are dropped into the gutter to withstand the centrifugal force of the turn. It allows the car to turn beyond the grip of its tires.

Exit Gutter Run
First Used: Takumi Fujiwara vs Ryosuke Takahashi Second Used: Takumi Fujiwara vs Seiji Iwaki Third Used: Takumi Fujiwara vs Bunta Fujiwara (Impromptu)

This is the same technique as above except it's the exit-oriented method. The timing to drop in the tires and release them is different. Instead of using the gutter when entering the turn, it's used when exiting. This technique is better than the one above, and Takumi uses it to turn the battle around when he's desperate. This version is rarely used. It was used once against Ryosuke (in First Stage) and again against Seiji. Bunta also uses this technique in his impromptu race against Takumi.

Reverse Gutter Run
First Used: Keisuke Takahashi vs Takeshi Nakazato This one is tried by Keisuke in his battle with Nakazato. In the final corner of Myogi uphill, he comes side by side with Nakazato from the outside, and when they both approach the corner Keisuke puts the edge of his rear wheels on top of a side walk, giving him the opposing force to the wheels which prevents him from crashing towards the outside.

Without Gutter
First Used: Takumi Fujiwara vs Kai Kogashiwa Second used: Takumi Fujiwara vs Dr. Toshiya Joshima

In Third Stage, Takumi used the height difference between the pavement and the ground to turn. It's basically the same technique as the first two above except without the gutter. The tires are dropped off of the road, and they hook onto the side of the road. This was used in the race against Kai at Irohazaka. The similar technique was used when Takumi tries to keep up with and overtake Dr. Joshima during his battle with the Purple Shadow in the Project D arc.

A small mention that during Takumi's battle against Nakazato, Takumi initially went off-road with his left wheels on the very inside of the hairpin, only to drop into the gutter to use the normal gutter technique to overtake Nakazato. Hence it can be implied that Takumi did use the gutter technique without the gutters against Nakazato initially for a split moment.

Wheel Lifting/Weight Shifting
First Used: Takumi Fujiwara vs Toru Suetsugu Second Used: Takumi Fujiwara vs Sakamoto Third Used: Keisuke Takahashi vs Kozo Hoshino Fourth Used: Takumi Fujiwara vs Kai Kogashiwa (Rematch)

This technique was used multiple times. On the Seven Star Leaf's home course, there were deep gutters that were left uncovered. The first two techniques would not work here. The gutter depth is bigger than the tires. Instead, this technique is the total opposite of those two. It requires shifting the weight to the rear tires, taking as much weight off of the inner front tire as possible. It allows the car to float the inner tire above the gutter while taking the corner at full speeds. This technique was first used against Toru when Takumi tries to overtake him in a corner with these deep gutters. Toru tries to emulate the move, but crashes in doing so as he couldn't shift the weight of his car properly. In Takumi's battle against Sakamoto, Takumi tries to counterattack the Sakamoto inspired by Kyoichi Sudo's counterattack style. However Takumi goes wide into the corner while overtaking Sakamoto and his rear wheels shift into the gutters across the corner, nearly causing Takumi to crash his car. He recovers the car nonetheless and Sakamoto retakes his lead. Later on when Project D was facing against the Purple Shadow, this technique was used against Keisuke and Takumi by Kozo Hoshino and Dr. Toshiya Joshima. Keisuke soon reuses the same technique against Kozo when he chases him in the first round. Similar can be said for Takumi while he tries to chase Dr. Joshima in the 7th and 8th round. The technique was once again used by Takumi during his rematch with Kai Kogashiwa at Nagao when he came across some uncovered gutters while staying in lead in the battle.

Trivia
The gutter techniques was rarely used after the second half of the Project D arc, notably after Project D's battle against Purple Shadow in Ibaraki, apart from the wheel lifting technique which was used twice while battling against Kai Kogashiwa at Nagao. It is presumed that it is mostly due to Takumi's fear of crippling his Eight-Six once again, after Takumi snaps his front suspension on using the 'without gutter technique' too much while chasing Dr. Toshiya Joshima.