Race
Racing
How a race works, how to launch, shift and use the nitro, what the driving grade means and how to improve.
A race in 30 seconds#
You and a rival line up under a Christmas tree of lights. When the lights go green you go. You have no steering and no brakes: the whole race is three inputs. First across the line wins. Races are short, from a quarter mile (402 m) on the first stages up to one full mile on the last boss.
There are no dice in a race: the same inputs give the same result, so there is no luck in who wins. Your skill and your car decide it.
The three inputs#
| Input | Keyboard | Touch |
|---|---|---|
| Rev / throttle (hold) | Space | on-screen button |
| Shift up | Up arrow, W or E | on-screen SHIFT button |
| Nitro | N | on-screen NITRO button |
M mutes the sound during a race.
1. The launch#
Before green, hold the throttle to rev the engine. A needle rises and falls. Release the throttle so the needle sits in the middle of the blue zone, and you will launch cleanly. Too high and the wheels spin ("WHEELSPIN"); too low and the engine bogs. A bad launch also wears your tyres more.
You get a "PERFECT LAUNCH", "GOOD LAUNCH", "WHEELSPIN" or "ENGINE BOGGED" message so you learn quickly.
2. The shifts#
Your car has six gears. After green, press shift up when the rev needle reaches the green zone.
| Shift | What it means |
|---|---|
| PERFECT | Right at the end of the rev range. Short gap and a little power boost. |
| GOOD | Slightly early. Fine. |
| EARLY | Too soon. You lose some acceleration. |
| LATE | You hit the limiter. The longest gap. |
You cannot shift for a tiny moment right after green. Try to use every gear.
3. The nitro#
You have one nitro shot per race, and it lasts under two seconds. Fire it when the car can use it: not on the rev limiter, and not so late that the race ends while it is still burning. A good moment is in a higher gear, with road left ahead. The results screen tells you if you used it in the "Perfect window", fired it too early, or ran out of road.
The driving grade#
After every race you get a driving grade from S (best) through A, B and C to D. It looks at three things:
- Launch: how close the needle was to the sweet spot.
- Shifts: how many you made and how clean they were.
- Nitro: how much of the burn you used well.
The grade matters beyond pride: cleaner driving scores more race points on a win (see The daily pot). The results screen shows a Tip about the single thing that would improve your run most.
After the race#
The results screen shows your time, the gap to the rival, your trap speed, the wear on your car, any parts you won, and (on a win) your points. If the car is low on fuel or tyres, the game suggests a service.
Tips for better runs#
Rivals#
Every stage has a fixed rival with a fixed car, getting a bit sharper as you go further. A good driver in a car of equal PI wins most of the time on normal stages. Bosses are tougher: a good driver wins about half the time unless the car is a little ahead.