Racing Strategy: Beginner's Guide
A community-generated strategy guide for racing beginners, created by Riot Racers Discord members @NinjaPanda and @rhyspjones
Introduction to Racing
Once you have a car and driver, it is time to hit the racetrack! Races are split into two different categories:
Racing School Races
Paid Races
Racing School Races are free to enter and award small amounts of RIOT tokens to the top 3 racers of each race. The pool of $RIOT tokens awarded increases with the Class of the race, with Rookie being the lowest and Legendary awarding the highest amount of RIOT tokens.
Paid Races require a fee of a varying amounts of $RIOT tokens to be paid upon entering the race. These races award $RIOT tokens to the top 3 racers of each race, with larger prize pools than Racing School races. The higher the entry fee, the larger the $RIOT reward prize pool for that race.
The outcome of races is determined by:
Racing Strategy (51%)
Car Upgrades (29%)*
Driver Traits (20%)
*As of March 2022, Car Upgrades have not yet been released, so Racing Strategy and Driver selection are pivotal to your success on the track.
General Advice
With Racing Strategy contributing the most to the outcome of each race, honing in on developing and learning the preferred strategy in different conditions is an integral part of the game.
When starting out, and while you are still in the process of developing your racing strategies, it is recommended that you:
Gather race data by testing strategies in Racing School and low $RIOT entry fee Paid Races
Record data on all your races: strategy selections, driver, and race results
Look to join a team, where you can discuss strategies with other players
Drivers
There are currently 11,111 Genesis Drivers in total. Every Driver is unique and carries their own individual visual and race-impacting properties.
Race-Impacting Driver traits are:
Type - Earth, Water, Wind, or Fire
Individual Skills Ratings - Braking, Endurance, Handling, Speed, and Vision—each with a range from 50 to 100 (the average being 75)
Overall Rating - The sum of each individual skill, ranging from 323 to 433 (the average being 375)
The different driver Types have varied performance in different Race Conditions, and can have the most significant impact on the race outcome of the driver properties. In Season 1, Earth is one of the most versatile driver Types and performs solidly across many Race Conditions.
Race Conditions
Each race will have its own set of race conditions. These conditions consist of Weather, Track, and Pit Conditions.
In Season 1, the combinations of Weather and Track Conditions are:
Within each of these combinations, there are four different Pit Conditions:
Fast & Efficient
Fast & Error Prone
Slow & Efficient
Slow & Error Prone
The optimal driver and strategy selection depend on the combination of all of the Weather, Track, and Pit Conditions.
Racing Strategy
When you enter a race, or even beforehand, it is important to look at the Race Conditions before making your selections, including Weather, Track Conditions, and Pit Conditions. It then helps to make an assessment, based on the Race Conditions, on the level of risk and aggression you want to use in your race. Aggressive options should be used in “safe and calm” conditions, while more cautious options should be used in more “risky and dangerous” conditions.
There are 6 different strategy options to select, in addition to your Driver and Car:
Racing Posture – largely impacted by the Weather and Track Conditions. Consider
aggression in calm conditions, and a more cautious approach if you might need to
react quickly to danger in the race
Racing Line – Wide is a more cautious approach, and more useful in more
dangerous conditions. Tight is more aggressive and more useful in calmer
conditions
Engine Strategy – Generally, Over-Tuning is the more aggressive approach and
more suited for calmer conditions, while Under-Tuning is better for poorer conditions
Braking Technique – Bulk Braking is useful in calmer conditions when track traction is good. Soft Braking is useful when a lighter touch is needed, and traction may not
be great on the track
Tire Strategy* – Standard tires have tread, which is better for slippery and wet
conditions. (*Not as relevant until Car Upgrades are released)
Acceleration Strategy – Endurance is the more cautious approach and better for
more risky and dangerous conditions, while Fast Break is the opposite and is the more aggressive approach
Racing Strategy Optimization
After you have made your strategy selections and the race has completed, review your results. While you may or may not have achieved the result you wanted, learning and improving is all possible with practice.
Tracking your race performance in particular race conditions is key to long-term success and consistent results. So, it is recommended that:
If a strategy lands you at the back of the pack, try to mix things up the next time
those conditions reappear
If a strategy lands you in the middle of the pack, try to tweak just one selection at a
time, rather than mixing up all of the selections. For example, if you used Universal
Braking previously, try Bulk Braking, or vice versa
If a strategy lands you a win, congratulations! Try repeating that strategy to see if
you obtain consistent results. If not, you can try to tweak one selection at a time to optimize your strategy
Documenting and Sharing Strategies
While everyone will have their own methods for developing their strategies and recording race data, a Google Sheets template for recording race data can be found here. Please note:
You will need to create a copy of the file clicking on File, then Make a copy
For shared team data, it is recommended that the Team Captain be designated as
the file owner
To share access of your file, click on Share and select from the options there. Any
co-contributors will require “Editor” level of access
Finally...
Throughout your racing journey, it is important to remember:
Racing Strategy is the largest (51%) determining factor of the race outcome; and
learning this is a fundamental part of the game
Start small and race your way up to the larger prize pool races as you gain
confidence in your strategies
To succeed in a wide range of Racing Conditions, you will want to use Drivers with
different Types (Earth, Water, Wind, Fire)
Learning from your past performance is the best way to improve your performance in
the future
Have fun!
This strategy guide was put together by:
NinjaPanda - Discord: NinjaPanda#7686 | Team: Five Eyes Alpha Racing (FEAR)
rhyspjones - Discord: rhyspjones#6784, Team: Zoo Nitro Racing (ZNR)
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