Overtake! Episode 11 Review

Komaki Motor’s New Sponsors

Overtake! Episode 11 goes back to how things were at the start of the series. This episode has a little bit of drama. But, for the most part, it’s about racing and it’s about explaining things surrounding the act of racing.

You may remember that back in Episode 1, the series explained the different colored flags. Well, that’s the kind of stuff we’re back to. It explains things about racing that your average person doesn’t know. And, in this episode, the big thing being explained is car upkeep.

Previously in the series, tires were a big deal. Because Komaki Motors doesn’t have as much money as other teams do, they can’t afford as many sets of tires. And, that means they either can’t practice as much. Or, they won’t have as many sets of fresh tires as their competition.

Well, tire talk is back in Episode 11 thanks to how well Haruka performed in the last race. If it hadn’t been for his tires wearing out, he might have won the race. But, because of Komaki Motors’ tire situation, he ended up in seventh. So, once again, the team talks about how more money could help.

But, tires aren’t the only thing a racing team needs to regularly replace. The brake pads, brake fluid, and other parts need replacing as well. How frequently they’re replaced depends on the specific part. But, top teams are able to replace parts more often, giving them an edge.

This is where the team’s new sponsor(s) come in. The shopping district businesses decided to band together and support their local team. They saw how much better Komaki Motors was able to perform with their previous sponsor. And, this proved that their money could make a difference for the team.

Satsuki’s Return to Racing

I wasn’t expecting Satsuki to return to racing so soon. If he hadn’t returned at all this season, that wouldn’t have been odd. He suffered some pretty bad injuries in his crash. The fact that he’s already driving again is surprising.

But, what isn’t surprising is Satsuki’s desire to get back out on track. He knows that every day he sits on the sidelines, his chance of returning shrinks. His rivals are able to keep training and getting better while his skills decline from lack of use.

Why shouldn’t Satsuki drive at this stage of his recovery, though? He said the only reason he still wears a cast and uses a crutch is so he doesn’t injure his foot further. According to him, his foot is good enough that he can use it to drive. So, what’s the problem?

Well, the problem is that his foot wasn’t the only part of his body injured in the crash. He also broke some ribs and may have had other injuries I’m forgetting, as well. But, it looks like it’s his ribs that are still giving him trouble.

There’s nothing he can do to make his ribs heal faster. You can’t exactly put a cast on them to keep them in place or do anything like that. All you can do is not strain them further. And, straining them further is exactly what racing does.

As Satsuki points out, the G-forces his body experiences in the car are higher than his body can handle right now. When he hits the brakes, he has to deal with high G-forces. When he goes around a fast turn, he has to deal with high G-forces. And an F4 race is 30 minutes of that.

The Battle for the Number One Seat

Satsuki might be able to handle a few laps in his current condition. But, a full race seems out of the question, to me. I mean, he puked, was in pain, and had to recover after doing only a few laps during practice. And yet, he wants to race.

Ena, the Belsorriso team boss, is fine with letting Satsuki race if he says he’s up for it. But, he’s not entirely convinced that Satsuki will be able to perform at his full potential. And thus, he doesn’t want to give Satsuki the number one seat automatically.

Instead, he has Belsorriso’s four drivers compete in a five-lap race during practice. Whichever driver wins will be the number one driver for the upcoming race. And, presumably, whichever driver comes in second will get the second seat. There are only two seats, after all.

In the end, Satsuki loses to Toshiki but beats the other two. So, I assume that means he’ll be the number two driver in the next race. But, it’s also possible that he backs out and lets one of the others drive in his place.

I kind of get the feeling that he only pushed himself to participate in the practice race for Toshiki. He seems pretty aware that completing a full race in his condition isn’t feasible. And, he’s always been pushing Toshiki to improve. So, I could see this being one of those moments.

Satsuki put pressure on Toshiki, as expected. But when Toshiki didn’t crack and managed to hold him off, Satsuki congratulated him. It’s as if he was testing Toshiki’s resolve to be the number one driver all along. I guess we’ll just have to wait to see if Satsuki actually races next week.

Final Thoughts

What do you think about Overtake! Episode 11? Are you glad the series went back to teaching viewers about the intricacies of racing? Do you think Satsuki’s going to participate in the final race? And, how high up the podium are you expecting Haruka to end up? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 12 is available now.