Ryosuke Takahashi, or Ry from the English adaptation, is one of the most skilled drivers in the series. He is the leader of the Akagi Red Suns, and he and his younger brother Keisuke were featured in racing magazines and are regarded highly by the other drivers. He is a very cerebral driver who frequently pores over technical data on his laptop; and he is able to tell what kind of modifications have been made to a car just by hearing it, and what a driver is capable of just by watching the car drift.

Mazda RX-7 is a sports car produced by the Japanese automaker Mazda from 1978 to 2002. The original RX-7 featured a 1146 cc twin-rotor Wankel rotary engine and a front-midship, rear-wheel drive layout. The compact and lightweight Wankel engine (rotary engine) is situated slightly behind the front axle, a configuration marketed by Mazda as "front mid-engine". It was offered as a two-seat coupé, with optional "occasional" rear seats in Japan, Australia, the United States, and other parts of the world. These rear seats were initially marketed as a dealer-installed option for the North American markets.