Racing

Racing is a game feature that allows the Player to test the performance of their cars with one of several point-to-point races. Races are initiated by visiting road signs around the Player's Garage on the Island as well as some on the mainland. When a race is activated, the game will active a racing UI with checkpoint beacons, as well as track times.

## Race Procedure

### Starting

Racing is initiated by visiting one of the road signs, some of which can be found nearby the Player's Garage. All races are time attack point-to-point circuits, with a starting point and ending point. Some tracks have a set list of checkpoints the Player must pass through, whereas others have only a specified destination, allowing the Player to choose their route.

When the Player visits one of the signs, a prompt for participating in the race will appear at the bottom of the screen. When accepted, a racing UI will appear, displaying current, previous, and best track times, as well as illuminating a nearby beacon in front of the starting line. Once the Player enters the beacon in their vehicle of choice, a timer will count down, and the race will start.

### Racing

As soon as the counter has reached "go", you are free to reach the finish line in your own route, however you want, as long as you pass checkpoints if that applies. Regardless of the type of race, a blue beacon will be illuminated to the next checkpoint the Player must drive to.

If the race is a point-to-point or circuit race, a series of blue checkpoints will appear as the Player passes through, ending with a blue beacon with a checkered flag pattern signaling the finish line.

If the race is a destination race, the destination will be illuminated with a blue checkered flag beacon during the entirety of the race. In this scenario, the Player can use any route they wish.

### Completion

Upon race completion, the Player's time will be displayed (along with their best and previous times) until the Player exits the race by hitting Enter. Once the race is over, gameplay returns to normal, and another race can be started if desired. Near finish line, a table usually appear with a cash reward of $1500 and a trophy. The trophy does not serve a purpose other than a reminder of your accomplishment.

### Restarting

When racing, it is common practice to reload the game upon a crash. However, to do so, the Player *must* first abandon the race by hitting P before quitting. Even if the game is quit without saving, the game will still recognize the Player as being in a race, and will not allow additional races to be restarted until the game is exited and reloaded entirely.

## Available Races

The start sign for the island race.The start sign for the junkyard race.The start sign for the highway race.
### Island Race

The Island Race is a circuit race located entirely on the Island. It is a checkpoint race, requiring the player to follow a series of checkpoints around the map. It can be played without the Map Expansion loaded.

The race consists of a loop around the island, starting at the intersection near the Player's Garage. The race continues clockwise around the map. The entire race occurs on the same road, except for the second-to-last checkpoint (pictured above), where the course takes the left turn down towards the start/finish line.

### Junkyard Race

The Junkyard Race is a destination race located entirely on the Island. The goal is to reach the Junkyard by any route. Since there is no set route, the Junkyard checkerboard beacon will be lit during the entire race.

The Player can choose any route they wish, but so far, the direct route to the Junkyard seems the fastest, as it is the least distance of any route. There might be faster routes, however, especially ones not marked on the Island Map.

### Highway Race

The Highway Race is a point-to-point circuit starting on the Island near the bridge to the Mainland. The entirety of the race takes place on the bridge and the mainland. It is a checkpoint race, requiring the player to follow a series of checkpoints on the mainland.

The route heads Northeast for the entirely of the race, using the long straight past the bridge, the curved road North of the Airport, and ends on the Northeastern corner of the mainland as seen on the map. It is the only race so far that requires the Map Expansion to use.