Part One: Establish Yourself in the Racing Scene
Your first order of business is to text Jackie about the races. He directs you to Ace, a “friend of a friend” who is obsessed with racing. Call up Ace and challenge him. From there, exit the Undercover Police HQ, climb into the impounded race car that’s waiting for you, and drive to the meeting grounds for the racers.
After brief introductions, it’s time to race. You’ll start at the tail end of the grid in sixth place. The rules here are simple: finish in first place. The opposing cars are all within the same racing class as your new ride, and are not to be underestimated. They are all extremely resilient, so Ram Attacks will only slow them down at best. You’ll have to win this race more or less as fairly as possible.
For all races, you must follow the pre-determined route, which is marked both on your GPS and by roadside flares that you must pass between, found on either side of the course.
After the opening stretch on the freeway, the race takes an off-ramp into the city, passing by the Undercover Police HQ and tearing through the docks. This early, winding portion of the race is where it is won or lost. You can’t just hold down the accelerator and power your way through the curves here. If you try, you’re more likely to lose grip and crash into a wall, which can slow you down enough that it makes catching the top three cars nearly impossible. Concentrate on staying in the middle of the pack for the moment.
As you get farther on the docks, you’ll close in on the bridge leading to Top Glamour, where Jackie’s first heist with Wei ended up. This area is your chance to really open up a lead, as you’re returning back to wide-open stretches of road.
If you have the lead, but it’s still a close race, the twin hairpin turns are where you’re most likely to lose. Your racer bleeds off a lot of speed to make these turns, while your opponents are able to blitz these last curves with relative ease. Another long stretch opens up afterwards, however, and a chance to get back up to full speed.
The last stretch starts off with a narrow on-ramp, with long, easy curves that take you back to the freeway. At this point, just hold down the gas. If you have the lead, your racer will be nigh-uncatchable at this point.
With the race won, Wei’s reputation as an up and coming racer is firmly established. Ace doesn’t seem to mind the loss, as long as he gets a rematch. Another racer, Hotshot, insists you’re nothing compared to him and that he’s the best of the best, before driving off in his gaudy yellow ride.