Appare-Ranman! (manga)

The time is the 19th century. Eccentric mechanic boy Appare Sorano sets off on an adventure along with his samurai minder, Kosame Isshiki, only to be cast adrift on the Pacific Ocean. A passing steamship rescues them...and delivers the two not back to familiar Japan, but to the far-flung land of America! Trapped in Los Angeles with no easy way to return home, the pair decide to enter the world's first trans-American automobile race.

However, with vast sums hinging on the dangerous event's outcome, they may find the odds are stacked against them...