lando norris is max verstappen's "best friend on the grid" and carlos sainz's go-to "golf buddy" and oscar piastri's big brother/mentor figure and daniel ricciardo's little brother and lewis hamilton's favorite brit and fernando alonso's chaos grid kid of choice and george russell and alex albon's fellow 2019 rookie 4 life, on publicly good terms with esteban ocon and yuki tsunoda, told by sebastian vettel to “keep your smile” in a special helmet exchange after seb’s retirement, once referred to as a "puppy" by ted kravitz, adored by the journalists to the point where even they’re worriedly telling him to stop being so hard on himself and asking for their “happy bubbly lando” back, with a freakishly close relationship to every teammate he's ever had, padel partners with the twitch quartet + max, besties with over half the grid, beloved by the older generation, adored by his quadrant/non-f1 friends, picks up hobbies like there's no tomorrow, most driver of the day wins in 2023, the people's princess and the paddock's princess all at once
which is all to say i cannot wait for him to win a race (or, knocking on wood, a championship) and watch half the grid running at him and just bowling him over in excited congratulations the moment he steps out of that car. he'll be absolutely swarmed and you can bet i'll be freaking out on the internet about it too
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Ride 749: The last Straight Road*
(NdT.: same pun Kinaka always makes with his name and the word for straight road)
Pag 1
1: I....
3: Imaizumi-san!!
4: Go- good work!!
Good work!!
You were taking a long time for this lap
Pag 2
1: Yes, teh, I got a fl-fl-flat- my bike!!
Yessir!!
2: It's the tire!!
4: Only tires can get a flat
Ah- damn, yes, that's right
Right!!
6: I thought something like this might have happened, so I brought these
Replacement tubes, tire levers, and a pump. Use them
Pag 3
2: This is unusual!! I never thought Imaizumi-san was the attentive type – is it just for us!?
Yeah!! I thought first and second years were just not important to him....
3: You don't want to use the,?
We'll use them, thank you so much!!
4: You saved us, teh....!!
That's true
6: Ah, uhm... but..... Imaizumi-san
Earlier you said that
7: Sugimoto-san won't come”, what did you mean?
Pag 4
1: He retired
Pag 5
1: He's still displayed on the board, but
3: There's still time until midnight
If Sugimoto-kun....
4: Please leave the possibility open in case Sugimoto-kun wants to come back!!
5: Onoda insisted
6: Re... tired.....
Sugi..... moto-san....
Pag 6
1: He used up all his stamina and mental strength in his fight against Danchiku, and he was defeated
2: You didn't notice because you've been on the course the whole time
4: Ah... actually, when it got dark, Sugimoto-san and Danchiku-san passed us various times... teh
Huh!? That? So at that time-!?
5: You have no time to talk about unimportant things
As soon as you're done with the repairs, run, first years
6: Soon
Pag 7
1: Waa, ye-yes, teh, thank you for the tools
Yeah, there's still 40km
2: If we join our strengths....
Don't cooperate
5: Teh!?
7: From now on, you can't allow yourselves to run like friends
8: Huh....
Our “buddies” stickers.....!?
You have to fight
Pag 8
1: And win the last spot to be an Inter High member!!
Pag 9
1: Fa.... ight....
2: Against.... Kinaka-kun
3: Against.... Rokudai
4: 35km left!!
Gooo!! Kinakaa, Rokudaii!!
Do your best...!!
5: I feel like they'll be able to run the 1000km!!
Amazing!
Ah, but there was no distance between them just now?
Pag 10
1: Fight....
2: The spot as a regular in the two-times national champion, Sohoku....
3: I can't take it by just being friendly....!!
4: And also
5: There's Sugimoto-san's wish!!
Pag 11
1: Wa- wait, please, Imaizumi-san
But.... if in this training camp the condition to become the sixth regular was to finish the 1000km first....
2: Then why did Sugimoto-san and Danchiku-san race!?
4: I came here to give you a message from Sugimoto
5: I think, I think it's necessary, you know
Sohoku is a team that connect and support each other
6: Just like during our first year, you, Naruko, and Onoda, connected your wishes and aimed for the goal
7: And last year Kaburagi ran with Aoyagi-san and carried the team until the mountains on the third day
8: So I think we need it
9: Our third year Inter High members
Pag 12
1: Definitely need a “first year”!!
3: Even if he knew he was making his own situation worse, he thought about the best shape for the team would be
4: He accepted it, and fought
Pag 13
1: For the fifth place
3: Among the first years, those two are left, I look forward to see what they do!!
That's too much food
4: Danchiku probably understood it, too
That's why he fought with all his strength
6: Now you two have to run with the weight of those expectations on your back!!
7: Fight, against your opponent and against yourself!! Use all your strength
Pag 14
1: And pull to yourself that last jersey!!
2: Straaa-
Pag 15
1: Straight roaaad!!
2: - traight!!
3: …. ngh
Ugh.....
4: Kinaka-kun.....
5: Don't cry, Rokudai!!
Pag 16
1: What are you doing, oi!! I'll leave you behind like this!! I'll tear you off!!
If you give up, then it's lucky for me!!
2: My goal has always been the Inter High jersey!!
To get back at those senpai who made fun of me!!
3: To show it to the Onii-san who taught me how to ride bikes!!
So, for that....
6: So I'm telling you not to cry!!
Pag 17
1: But, Kinaka-kun....
It's that your “Straitgh road”, wasn't fast at all....!!
4: You knee? It's your knee, right?
Since when? Since a while ago?
5: Since when we were at about 800km
Pag 18
1: It's a race, Rokudai
2: You should have told me, teh
I didn't notice, teh!!
3: I'm such an incapable former manager, teh....
4: Since when I lost to you in the first years' race
6: I've been thinking that I would definitely not lose the next time we race
7: Even though the truth is that I don't really care about that anymore
So, once again...
Pag 19
1: It's a race, Rokudai!!
3: Let's do it, Rokudai!!
I can't, teh
4: Race me, pedal!!
I don't want to, teh....
5: Fight me!!
I won't pedal, teh
Pag 20
1: Because, if I fight you now, Kinaka-kun, I'll end up winning, teh
Pag 22
1: With that kindness of yours, support our senpai during the Inter High
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Ride 740: Sugimoto driven in a corner
Pag 1
3: Pinch and crush him, Danchiku!! Crush Sugimoto-san!!
Pag 2
1: As easy as crushing dry leaves!!
Yeah, Issaa!!
Pag 4
3: You're slow
Pag 5
1: You're slow, Sugimoto-san – Bamboo Hop Shot!!
2: He's fast!!
4: He got even faster.... than the second day...
But
5: But!!
Pag 6
1: It's not so easy to crush my heart, Danchiku!!
Kuaaaaagh
Pag 7
2: The battle between those two has started!!
3: The last battle of the training camp's fourth day!! The rule is simple, whoever crosses the sensor line first wins!!
4: The serious battle between Danchiku and Sugimoto, betting the spot in the Inter High!!
5: Sugimoto....!!
6: Danchiku!!
7: But.... this battle....
Pag 8
1: That's right, Onoda
4: He.... Sugimoto understands everything
And he's fighting upon understanding that
6: He's running with that resolution
And he has no intention whatsoever of stepping aside!!
Pag 9
2: What....
I really settled this with one attack
3: It was easy
5: Kuaaagh
8: Kuaaaagh
9: …. no
Pag 10
1: Kuaaaaagh
He's still chasing after me!!
Pag 11
1: Sugimoto-san
2: Dan.... chikuu!!
3: I wonder what's this feeling
I was thinking I could win against you, and it's true that I said I could defeat you with one attack
4: But, I don't know why, but my heart is beating fast
And for some reason the corners of my mouth are pulling up
5: Maybe it's because I know we've practiced and desperately ran together until now, but when earlier I turned back and I didn't see you, I though “ah of course”, but there was also another feeling....
Pag 12
1: I thought- there's no way that that Sugimoto-san was beaten by just one attack!!
Pag 13
1: Ha
2: Kuaaagh
3: He chased me and kept going until he passed me!!
5: Dammit, even though I couldn't defeat him in one blow, right now I feel so good!!
6: I'm thinking that this is the spirit!!
Pag 14
1: Sugimoto-san!!
2: It's so hard....!!
Danchiku really got stronger than on the second day
3: But this is the basis of road racing: don't let your opponent understand how it is for you!!
4: Looks like you're having a hard time, Sugimoto-san
Pag 15
1: He noticed!!
2: But there's no way I'm giving up the lead position
Until my breath calms down, I'll keep just the right pace....
3: He jumped ahead!!
4: Can you follow!?
6: Mh
7: Easily!!
Pag 16
2: Well you're so reliable!!
Danchiku used his “Hop Shot” again
Pag 17
1: Garuaah!!
2: He left me behind!!
3: Kuaaaaagh
Keep up, Sugimoto Terufumi!!
4: Sugimoto-san, you followed!! I'm happy that we're clashing seriously now
5: Issa told me not to tell you
But I'll tell you, Sugimoto-san
6: There's another secret to my special technique “Panda Shout”
Panda Shout is....
Pag 18
1: A breathing technique
2: When humans breathe, oxygen weaves into their lungs
3: And when they work out, they need a lot of fresh oxygen
And they become conscious of their “inhaling”
4: But if they do it too much, their breathing becomes uneven and shallow, and they inhale the oxygen around their mouth that it's not “fresh air”
5: Exhaling is more important than inhaling!!
“Actively pushing out the air in your lungs”!!
6: That way, you can naturally take in a lot of “fresh air”!!
Panda Shout uses the abdominal pressure to squeeze out all the air from my lungs
Pag 19
1: It's the ultimate technique to intake oxygen!!
3: Technique to intake....!!
4: If he can accelerate even more....!!
5: I'll use it right away
Ah, and there's one more thing
Huh
6: When I use this
Pag 20
1: My acceleration with Hop Shot becomes twice as fast!!
2: Two.... ice
Please hold on tight and follow me, Sugimoto-san!!
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