Game Character:
Keiji Matsunaga
Character Bio
BACKGROUND:A skilled billiards expert, Keiji is a patient man who will take as much time as he can get to make a decision. It's this last-minute mentality that makes him an astounding pilot. He also manages to freak out his competitors as well, as he is prone to dodge walls and hazards just before colliding! His years as a Master Formula test pilot have paid off well, giving him superior training for the Sky Step class tournament. As the Master Formula was created long before the Sky Step, once Keiji jumped to the SS tournament he became the very first official Sky Step pilot. Touted as the "dominator," he is said to be the "fastest in the orient," an honor that isn't too far from the truth. The soft-spoken man has amazing stamina and control over most any vehicle he pilots though he could never overcome the Master Formula and win the championship.
ABOUT THE TEAM AND THE MACHINE:
Team Yokozuka holds a special honor being the only team backed by an entire city, not just a corporation. The basic structure for a ship that could handle the Sky Step class was developed years before any other manufacturer, but the International Formula Association hadn't given out the specs on the bioreactor engines so the body was put aside. The team had always desired to create a "pure" Aeromachine and finally did so with the Dominator. Ogata, the team leader, finally acquired Keiji as the test pilot and, after seeing his astounding skill with the vehicle, pushed and pushed for him to become the official driver. Keiji finally accepted and began his road to victory. The vehicle itself is powered by a "rapid generator engine system" that
is amazing at minimizing energy loss as well as streamlining energy consumption.
THE SKY STEP CHAMPIONSHIP:
As the future continued to expand in 2063 with the advent of hover technology, the International Formula Association (IFA) created and sponsored the Master Formula Series, known as F-MAr. This organization developed a variety of vehicles for races ranging from standard motor vehicles to boats, planes and most every other type. The forerunners in hover technology, IFA decided that the best way to show off its capabilities to the public was to create a new racing class -- the Sky Step (SS).
The first machines developed were all drastically unique and looked rather ragged as no strict regulations had yet been instated. Safety was also an issue still in the works, resulting in several bioreactor failures and crashes despite the intense steel frames of the Aeromachines. Only a few terms were officially defined, those being "Aeromachine" and the "AeroGauge." An Aeromachine was officially defined as "A vehicle without wheels that is equipped with at least one bioreactor, and can float in the stratosphere." The AeroGauge was the general area of the stratosphere where the races took place. It would generally lie a few hundred feet off of the ground, but racers often took their vehicles to thousands of feet or blasted across the ground, scraping over metal and concrete.
Officially underway in 2065, the Sky Step races took place exclusively in Asia on tracks that were, more or less, vague pathways through rural and urban areas. Such tracks helped recreate that classic illegal street race feeling, even though these races were sponsored. Winding above city streets, through complicated support legs, under and over bridges, and across the water's surface were only a few of the concerns that Aeromachine pilots had to overcome while racing at speeds nearing 1,000 miles per hour!
GAME APPEARANCES:
AeroGauge
SOURCES:
AeroGauge instruction booklet ~ Shawn Sackenheim, All Game Guide
