Yamato, meanwhile, does have a trick up his sleeve.

Since he's so close behind Altax, it's easy enough to angle his ship to get caught in the other pilot's slipstream, letting Altax's own momentum drag him down through the atmosphere.

When he eventually fires his own afterburners, the result is a huge burst of speed, the cumulative result of his own top speed plus Altax's, rocketing him ahead of Altax.

He is moving very quickly towards the ground now, though.