Keep it in the green

Hi folks!

I've talked about some racing basics in a previous post, so today, I'll elaborate a bit on the importance of "keeping it in the green"

RPM

For many types of race, you have to "rev up" at the start - keep the needle within a certain amount of RPM to get the best start.

A good start gets you:

• 250 cash
• an acceleration bonus
• a decent nitro fill

While this is a good-to-have package for any race, it's particularly useful for those difficult races where you're head-to-head with your opponents PR-wise, or even behind.

Get in front early

Imagine a tournament race - one-to-one, the other is driving a 750 PR Mercedes AMG against your 700 PR BMW M4. You know that, once she's in front, there's no way in hell you're going to win this.

But you get it green, and use the initial nitro charge to just boost straight past her. Now you're in front, and since you know that the AI players drive for shortest distance, you really close those corners in front of her.

She'll try to get past regardless, and either has to take the long way around, or you can "crash" her into the roadside. Now, just keep driving clean, and you've got this in the bag.

I've made it through quite some tournament stages that way.

Crowd control

Another situation where a good start comes in especially handy is the "four cars, rush hour, close spaces" kind of race. You can't afford to lose time by crashing into people, and you've got three against you, so getting ahead of the pack early and driving the race your way is really important.

Car choice

Depending on your car, you'll get one, two or three "sectors" of green, and a different "needle speed". For me, this is a defining factor of which car I pick to build on.

For example, while the Subaru Impreza is the best street car in all other regards, and would be a prime candidate for an early build, it only has one green sector, which makes it a secondary choice for me.