Rush 2 - Extreme Racing USA (e)

RUSH 2: EXTREME RACING USA (NINTENDO 64)
SECETS,SHORTCUTS, and TIPS

by John Culbert 
March 1999
version 1.0

This Guide and all others are available at:

http://riffraffracing.thot.net
http://www.gamefaqs.com

___________________________________________________________________________

Introduction
___________________________________________________________________________

I'm pleased to see they made a sequel to the popular San Fransisco Rush. 
Although this game is not the best in terms of realism, this game is just 
sickening fun and there's tons of playability with 2 player competition, finding 
more and more alternate routes and secret paths, and of course, playing around 
on the stunt track ;). Rush improves over the first game with more cars, that 
also give you the ability to play around with suspension and handling, in minor 
ways. The courses are even more complex and challenging to find the different 
routes, and the Circuit mode allows for 1 or 2 player tournament with a points 
system, which can be a fun challenge.

So anyways, this FAQ is not a complete "walk-thru" of sorts, and it doesn't tell 
you where every key is (though if I stumbled upon a key while doing this, I 
stated it)--this FAQ outlines the cars, each track's secrets and alternate 
routes and a little about the driving itself (some of which is taken from my 
original SF Rush FAQ). 

For the cars, I have listed their strengths and weaknesses in the game, and 
their most obvious real-world counterparts. I have also listed their 
specifications in real life to compare to the game cars, for any personal 
interests. Any additions to secret routes are greatly appreciated.


___________________________________________________________________________

MARGINS
___________________________________________________________________________

1234567890
..........

MONOSPACE, DAMMIT! :) If the dots above line up with the numbers above them,
then you can read this document with ease. If they aren't lined up, the
margins will be all screwy and generally make this a bitch to read. It was
created using EditPad, and as such it is best viewed by this.


___________________________________________________________________________

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
___________________________________________________________________________

I'm getting sick of the bullshit going around with others stealing FAQ
writer's hard work without permission or credit. A certain unmentionable
gaming mag stole A2 stuff from me a while ago (*ahem*EGM*cough*hack), and
on-line people who don't want to put effort into doing this stuff also
copied from me (this means you, Davis!!) So here it is:

All work and information contained within this document Copyright 1999
John Culbert  unless otherwise stated.

 This FAQ is for private and personal use only.  It can only be
 reproduced electronically, and if placed on a web page or site, may be
 altered as long as this disclaimer and the above copyright notice
 appears in full. Any information used from this document, quoted or no,
 should have this author's name somewhere clearly as acknowledgement. Feel
 free to distribute between others, but this FAQ is not to be used for
 profitable/promotional purposes; this includes being used by publishers of
 magazines, guides, books, etc. or being incorporated into magazines, etc.
 in ANY way. This document was created by John Culbert
 . Give credit where it is due.

San Fransisco Rush and RUSH 2: Extreme Racing USA are copyright Midway games 
1998/1999.


___________________________________________________________________________

TECHNIQUES
___________________________________________________________________________

I use many words to describe the Manual Transmission, being "manual", "stick", 
"stick-shift" and "standard". Automatic is referred to as Automatic or simply 
auto.


SLIDE
=====

Fairly obvious; this is when the car slides sideways, usually only in the turns 
:).


COUNTERSTEER
============

I may refer to this as "counter(ing)", "bringing it out/back"
or "correcting". This is when you counteract the affects of a slide by steering 
into it. For example, if you were to take a hard right turn, the back end of the 
car would slide out to the left--in order to "correct" this, turn the wheels to 
the left; this will bring the back end around in the right direction (hopefully 
in time :). The amount you have to turn
the wheel in correction depends on the severity of the slide
and the handling of your specific car.


OUTSIDE/INSIDE
==============

Referring to the "outside" or "inside" of a turn--pretty
straight-forward, the "outside" of, say, a left turn would be the right side of 
the turn; the "inside" of that turn would be the left side.


APEX
====

Apexing the turn refers to taking the fastest and shortest possible
line around the corner. This is usually accomplished by starting on
the outside of the turn, diving to the inside, and coming out on the
outside again. Thus:

         ______________c___
        |
        |
        |
        |      b___________        In this example, the idea is to get from
        |      |                   point a to point c, but THROUGH b, taking
        |      |                   the shortest route around the corner.
        |      |                   Obviously, apexing a corner is easier the
        |      |                   bigger, wider and more gradual the turn
        |a     |                   is.
        |      |
        |      |


LOOSE
=====

It easier to slide the car the looser it is, but it is also often
more difficult to correct once in the slide.


TIGHT
=====

Sometimes indicates it handles well, but usually "tight" refers to an 
understeering condition, where the nose of the car wants to drift up in the 
corner instead of turning.


NOTE ON THE ABORT BUTTON
========================

The  button can be quite the savior if you're in trouble. When hit, your 
car will be instantly returned to the track, a short distance ahead of where you 
hit it; this is, of course, most useful when you've screwed up big time and 
crashed, returning you to the race without the hastle of finishing the crash, 
and maybe even having to get in reverse or turn around, etc... (which can lose 
you some time). Note however that you still have to build your speed back up. On 
the one hand, this is obviously useful in that you can recover from crashes 
easily, or get yourself out of a secret tunnel that may be leading you where you 
don't want to go... Unfortunately, you don't get to see your crash, which can 
sometimes be spectacular :).
TIP: If you are running out of time and your near the finish line press the 
 button for a boost to the finish, since it lands you a little further up 
the track. (Thanks to  and  for 
this tip).


TRANSMISSIONS
=============

Automatic: good for beginners obviously, as it does all the shifting for you.

Manual: far more versitile, you should learn to use the standard ASAP. The 
Standard transmission allows for TONS more acceleration off the start and coming 
off the corners, and because you can shift manually, it allows you to keep the 
transmission in a lower gear during cornering if desired, to keep the revs up. 
Overall much more versitile. The only thing you need to know about using the 
stick is to remember to shift when the engine reaches around redline, and 
downshift when you slow the car.


LANDING FROM JUMPS
==================

To prevent a serious loose condition when landing from a jump, let off the 
throttle until a moment after you land, so the wheels don't spin when they 
contact the ground.


CORNERING
=========

When going into a gradual corner, you usually don't have to slow at all, you 
simply have to turn the wheel, and if the car starts to slide significantly, 
counter-steer accordingly. However in more severe turns, you will crash or 
otherwise go off the outside of the corner if you do not slow down enough or 
slide properly; in most cases, the BRAKE IS NOT USED. Braking at high speeds 
usually results in uncontrollable sliding. My father's a stocker driver, and his 
philosophy on cornering is fairly simple: "If the wheels aren't rotating, you 
have no no control", meaning that if the wheels are not rotating because you 
have applied the brakes, they will follow the intertia and slide in the 
direction the car is going, frequently towards the outside of the corner.

NOTE: THE BRAKES SHOULD NOT BE USED _IN_ THE CORNER, BUT FOR MANY CORNERS
IT IS IMPORTAWNT TO BRAKE BEFORE YOU GET TO THE CORNER TO SLOW DOWN ENOUGH.

Now, for car's that drift, it simply involves starting into the turn earlier 
WHILE braking, to slide the ass-end out, then get back on the throttle when 
pointing in the proper direction. This can take some practice for sharp 90 
degree turns, but it will usually get you around the corners as fast as slow 
apexing.

As far as apexing goes, for both standard and automatic cars, you should start 
on the outside of the corner and let off the gas, earlier depending on the 
severity of the turn, and brake as needed. As you brake, begin to nose the car 
into the center of the corner--if it gets loose, counter-steer through the 
center of the corner, then get back on the throttle. For the standard 
transmission it's essentially the same thing, except downshifting as you slow 
down.

___________________________________________________________________________

THE CARS
___________________________________________________________________________


PICKUP TRUCK:
=============

Appears to be a Ford Lightning F-150, out of all the trucks in a similar style. 
Default colors are light blue with black accents. The truck has excellent 
acceleration and works well in drifting situations, but has poor top speed. 
Since the back end is extremely light, it tends to get VERY loose under braking, 
and nose-heavy in the jumps.

COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: Seeing as how it's supposed to be high-performance in 
this game, I'm going to assume this is Ford Lightning F-150 (Even though the 
Lightning has a flare side box).

-Make/Model/Year:        1999 Ford SVT F150 Lightning
-Wheel Base:             119.8 inches
-Curb Weight:		 4696 lb
-Stock Engine:           cast-iron Eaton-Supercharged, Intercooled 5.4 litre 	
		 Triton V-8, aluminum heads
-Horsepower:             est. 325 hp @ 4750 rpm
-Torque:                 est. 440 ft.lbs @ 3000 rpm
-Drivetrain:             Front Engine/RWD
-Manual Transmission:    none
-Automatic Transmussion: 4-speed automatic w/lockup torque converter
-Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 6.5 seconds
-Real Life Top Speed:	 139 mph
-Real Life 1/4-mile Time: 15.2 seconds


COMPACT:
========

Acura Integra, assuming Type-R. Default colors are green and white. This is a 
good all-around car that handles extremely well due to its short wheelbase. It's 
acceleration is decent, but falters in the top speed race to the faster cars. 
Great beginner car.

COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: can't say an Integra is QUITE this fast, but yes it can 
be basically the same, the Integra Type-R is already a pretty quick car for its 
class, however they can't keep up with any of the high-end cars in this game. 
And of course, the real-life Integra is Front Wheel Drive :P.

-Make/Model/Year:        1998 Acura Integra Type-R
-Wheel Base:             101.2 inches
-Stock Engine:           Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injected, 1.8 litre 
			 Double-Overhead Cam, VTEC, inline 4-cylinder
-Compression:            10:1
-Horsepower:             195 bhp @7600 rpm
-Torque:                 130 ft.lbs @ 6200 RPM
-Drivetrain:             Front Engine/Front Wheel Drive
-Manual Transmission:    5 speed close-ratio
-Automatic Transmussion: none
-Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 6.6 seconds
-Real Life 1/4-mile Time: 15.4 seconds

MUSCLE CAR:
===========

1967-68 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Default color is Red. HUGE horsepower from 
the aluminum 427 engine, which makes it quite loose in the turns, but workable 
with drifting. However it accelerates quite well, and has a decent top speed 
too.

COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: speed-wise this is pretty much accurate, these cars were 
damn fast for their time, even though there's no way it would accelerate faster 
than most of the new sports cars. Handling wise it's pretty much true, there's 
no way you can manuever this car at high speeds without excessive drifting.

-Make/Model/Year:        1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
-Stock Engine:           427 cid carburated overhead valve, aluminum v-8
-Compression:            11.0:1
-Horsepower:             425 hp @ 5600 rpm
-Torque:                 460 ft-lbs @ 4000 rpm
-Drivetrain:             front engine/rear wheel drive
-Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 5.9 seconds
-Real Life 1/4-mile Time: 14.1 seconds


MOBSTER:
========

Looks to be Mercury from the 40s or so. Default color is black. This car has 
high drifting ability, but due to its immense size cannot accelerate that well, 
and the control his horrid.


SEDAN:
======

A BMW 750il. Default colors are blue with white stripes. Also an excellent all-
around car, good for beginners with GREAT handling and decent acceleration.

COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: this is a pretty heavy car, and in real life is 
electronically limited in top speed, so this car would have to be modified.

-Make/Model/Year:        1997 BMW 750il
-Wheel Base:             120.9 inches
-Stock Engine:		 5.4 Litre V12
-Compression:            10.0:1
-Horsepower:             322 hp @ 5500 rpm
-Torque:                 361 @ 3900 rpm
-Drivetrain:             front engine/rear wheel drive
-Manual Transmission:    none
-Automatic Transmission: ZF5 HP30 EH 5 speed
-Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 6.7 seconds
-Real Life Top Speed:    128 mph


BANDIT:
=======

1999 Camaro Z28. Default color is purple with white stripes. This car is a good 
all-around car that is best drifted in the corners. It has great acceleration 
and a decent top speed.

COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: from its appearance it seems to be a 96 model or earlier, 
since it doesn have the new open nose, however I'll use the new specs. This car 
could certainly keep up, but in order to compete with the high-end sports cars 
it would have to be modified.

-Make/Model/Year:        1999 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28
-Wheel Base:             101.1 inches
-Stock Engine:		 Sequential-port Fuel Injected, Naturally Aspirated 	
		 5.7 litre, overhead 16-valve, cowl inducted small 			 
block V-8
-Compression:            10.0:1
-Horsepower:             305 hp @ 5200 rpm (actually dynoed at 322 hp ;)
-Torque:                 325 ft-lbs @ 2400 rpm
-Drivetrain:             front engine/rear wheel drive
-Manual Transmission:    6-speed close-ratio
-Automatic Transmission: none
-Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 5.3 seconds
-1/4-mile time: 	 13.8 sec @ 104 mph


COUPE:
======

1997 Supra RZ. Default color is black with cream stripes. This car has quite a 
bit of torque which makes for good acceleration, and due to its shorter 
wheelbase, also handles pretty good too, though it prefers to be drifted.

COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: this is defintely a car that could keep up--in real life 
it supposedly has a bit of an oversteer, but it can certainly keep up with these 
cars in most cases.

-Make/Model/Year:        1997 Toyota Supra
-Wheel Base:             100.4 inches
-Stock Engine:           3.0 litre (183 cid) Twin Turbo intercooled,
                         Double-Overhead Cam, 24 valve, Sequential-Port Fuel
                         Injected, inline 6-cylinder
-Horsepower:             320 hp @ 5800 rpm
-Torque:		 220 ft-lbs 4000 rpm
-Drivetrain:             front engine/rear wheel drive
-Manual Transmission:    6 speed close-ratio
-Automatic Transmission: 4 speed
-Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 4.9 seconds


EXOTIC:
=======

Exotic: appears to be a Lamborghini Countache. Default colors are black with a 
single white stripe. This is a very fast car on top end speed, and great on 
acceleration too. It must be drifted in the corners due to the high speed, it 
tends to oversteer easily.

COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: these engine specs are for the Diablo, but considering 
this doesn't appear to be one specific car, I'll just generalize. Truly a fast 
car in real life, either way ;).

-Make/Model/Year:        1992 Lamborghini Countach
-Wheel Base:             107 inches
-Stock Engine:           Electronic Fuel Injected 5.7 litre 48-valve V12
-Compression:            10:1
-Horsepower:             492 hp @ 7000 rpm
-Torque:                 428 @ 5200 rpm
-Drivetrain:             mid-engine/rear-wheel drive
-Manual Transmission:    5-speed manual overdrive
-Automatic Transmission: none
-Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 4.3 seconds
-Real Life Top Speed:    202 mph


VAN:
====

Classic Volkswagon Minibus. Default colors are green and white. This minibus is 
much faster than any minibus in real life to be sure. Despite its insane height 
and long wheelbase, it is one of the best handling cars in the game, though it 
lacks in top speed. Also a good beginner car.

COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: I still haven't been able to find any specs on this 
minibus, though I know it's most likely an inline 4-cylinder that MIGHT put out 
about 60 hp... obviously highly modified.


SPORTSTER:
==========

Dodge Viper RT/10. Default colors black with orange stripes. This has excellent 
acceleration and can be drifted well due to its high torque. It also has half-
decent top end as well--good all-around car. Due to its low stance and width, it 
is less prone to sideways rolling as well.

COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: probably stock, the Viper is quite fast in real life. 
It's a good thing reliability or price wasn't a factor in this game though, or 
this car would sucK :P.

-Make/Model/Year:        1997 Dodge Viper RT/10
-Wheel Base:             96.2 inches
-Stock Engine:           8 litre (488 cid), 20 valve V-10
-Horsepower:             450 hp @ 5200 rpm
-Torque:                 490 ft-lbs @ 3700 rpm
-Drivetrain:             front engine/rear wheel drive
-Manual Transmission:    6-speed close ratio
-Automatic Transmission: none
-Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 4.3 seconds
-Real Life Top Speed:    192 mph


SUBCOMPACT:
===========

Volkswagon Beetle. Default colors white with light blue. Again, this is insanely 
more powerful than a real life Beetle. This car has EXCELLENT acceleration but 
must be drifted in order to handle properly--it understeers badly.

COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: Obviously highly modified, the maximum horsepower ever 
put out by the old Beetle was 60 hp...

-Make/Model/Year:        1971 Volkswagon Beetle
-Stock Engine:           1600 in-line 4-cylinder
-Compression:            7.5:1
-Horsepower:             60 hp
-Drivetrain:             rear engine/rear wheel drive


CONCEPT:
========

This car appears to be a cross between a maybe Vector and A Ferrari... anyone 
confirm what this may be? Default colors are yellow and white. Anyways, this is 
basically the fastest car in terms of top speed, and like the Exotic must be 
drifted in order to corner properly.


HATCHBACK:
==========

Honda Civic 3-door coupe. Default color is purple. Due to its EXTREMELY short 
wheelbase, this car has excellent handling, and can basically outcorner any 
other car. The acceleration is decent due to its light weight, but it is 
pitifully slow for top speed. Excellent Beginner car.

COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: I suppose a Honda Civic might handle this well, but 
either way it would take some SERIOUS modifications to make this go even as fast 
as it does in the game. Of course, the real Honda Civic is front wheel drive, 
and FWD cars tend to have a serious understeer, so it wouldn't handle quite this 
well either way.

-Make/Model/Year:        1998 Civic 3-door
-Wheel Base:             103.2 inches 
-Stock Engine:           Electronic Fuel Injected 1.6 litre in-line 		
	 4-cylinder
-Compression:            9.6:1
-Horsepower:             127 hp @ 6600 rpm
-Torque:                 107 hp @ 5500 rpm
-Drivetrain:             Front Engine/Front Wheel Drive
-Manual Transmission:    5 speed
-Automatic Transmussion: 4 speed
-Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 9.3 seconds
-Real Life 1/4-mile Time: 16.9 @ 84 mph


CRUISER:
========

Cruiser: early sixties Cadillac. Default color pink and white :). This has piss-
poor acceleration due to its weight, but it handles half-decent and has a good 
top speed.

COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: no doubt it wouldn't be able to go quite this fast, but 
those old Cadillac engines could put out a lot of power.


STALLION:
=========

99 Mustang GT. Default color is blue with white stripes. Good all-around car 
like the Camaro, it handles half-decent with drifting, decent top speed and 
great acceleration.

COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: like the Camaro, this could probably hang half-decent 
with the other cars, though it couldn't keep up with the top end cars without 
some modification... and the Mustang is still slower than the Camaro in real 
life... ;)

-Make/Model/Year:        1999 Ford Mustang GT
-Wheel Base:             101.3 inches
-Stock Engine:           4.6 litre, single-overhead cam, sequential-port 	
		 fuel injected v8
-Compression:            9.0:1
-Horsepower:             260 bhp @ 5250 rpm
-Torque:                 302 ft-lbs @ 4000 rpm
-Drivetrain:             Front Engine/Rear-Wheel Drive
-Manual Transmission:    5 speed close-ratio
-Automatic Transmission: none
-Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 5.6 seconds
-Real Life 1/4-mile Time: 14.1 @ 100 mph


4x4
===

Appears to a Chevrolet Suburban, but due to its short wheelbase, I'll say Tahoe, 
and for sake of argument, I'll assume it's Police Package ;). Default color is 
black. This has a good top speed but the acceleration is slow due to its weight. 
It must also be drifted at high speeds, so all around it's not a very good 
vehicle.

COMPARED TO REAL LIFE: no doubt the engine would have to be modified even to go 
as fast as it does here, and SIGNIFICANT weight reduction.

-Make/Model/Year:        1998 Chevrolet Tahoe Police Package
-Wheel Base:             117.5 inches
-Stock Engine:           Electronic fuel-injected 5.7 litre V-8
-Compression:            9.4:1
-Horsepower:             255 hp @ 4600 rpm
-Torque:                 330 ft-lbs @ 2800 rpm
-Drivetrain:             Front Engine/All-wheel drive
-Manual Transmission:    none
-Automatic Transmission: 4-speed
-Real Life Acceleration: 0-60 8.2 seconds
-Real Life 1/4-mile Time: 16.2 @ 81 mph


___________________________________________________________________________

SETTING UP THE CARS:
___________________________________________________________________________


Transmission: this selects manual or automatic transmission.

Main Color: this chooses the main body color of your vehicle

Accent Color: this chooses the color of ground effects, and styling

Stripe: this chooses the type of stripes, if any

Stripe Color: this chooses the color of the stripes, if any

Tire Rims: this chooses the style of wheels--does not affect performance.

Horn: selects type of horn

Engine: this chooses type of engine--NOTE: as far as I can see, this is for 
	the sound of the engine only, it does not seem to affect performance 	at 
all.

Torque: this chooses the level of torque the engine puts out--if you have 
	high torque, you'll tend to spin the wheels more in the corner for 
	sliding, but also increases your overall acceleration off the line.

Suspension: controls drifting ability and handling by stiffening or 	    	    
softening the suspension.

Tires: changes many characteristics from speed or handling

Durability: chooses tire compound--the softer the tire is, the more grip it      
	    has and therefore acceleration.


___________________________________________________________________________

TIPS/SECRETS: THE COURSES
___________________________________________________________________________


NEW YORK-UPTOWN
===============

1. Off second turn you'll see an alleyway to the right. Follow it to a ramp and 
insure that your speed is no more than 115 mph, and take it DIRECTLY centered. 
You'll fly off into a building, crash through an office window, and come out the 
other side. If you slow down dramatically you can drop back off onto the normal 
track, but if you keep your speed up and head straight, you'll fly over onto 
another lowered roof and into another alleyway, which then empties onto the main 
track right at large double straightaway, through some window glass. EXTREMELY 
fast shortcut if you can pull it off.

2. After the first right turn following this alleyway (should you choose not to 
take it) there's an alternate street on the right, however do not enter because 
it just empties out into a big dead end.

3. As you enter the "Channel to East 46 St", bring the car to right, and angle 
your jump off to the left as you exit. You'll land off to the side of the main 
route. From here you can take the left path to go around and rejoin the main 
route after the dual tunnels. If you go right, you can enter into the subway 
station (the floor is green). If you get a good head of steam as you enter and 
head off to the right, you can land on a stationary subway car with Key on it. 
If you wait, another car will enter the station and pause or a brief second or 
two, a good jump will get you on top and recieve a Mountain Dew can.
You can exit the subway station through the tracks. Stay to the far right (where 
you can run over the rats) to avoid the train car, and you'll come to another 
terminal. From here you can exit back onto the main track. IF YOU FOLLOW THE 
MAIN TRACKS FURTHER THEY LEAD TO A DEAD END.

4. Coming through the first set of country roads you'll eventrully come across a 
cement bridge; you can venture beneath the bridge and locate another Key.

5. After exiting this first country road, launch your car STRAIGHT off the steps 
on the building to the left. If you land it properly, it will bring you to an 
early start in the next country road segment, cutting off the turn taken off the 
main street to it.

6. Upon entering the second country road segment, look to the left to see a 
small dirt clearing with a few trees. Head through that and it will launch you 
onto a small golf course. To the FAR right against the wall you can find a Key 
hidden behind a tree. Head through the golf course (it can slow you down speed-
wise) and it will cut the corners of the country road and bring you near the end 
of it.

7. After the second country road segment you'll see an opening into the fence on 
the left of the straightaway. DO NOT ENTER! This is a dead end, without even a 
Key or Mountain Dew can.

8. Immediately at the end of this straightaway, there's a shallow left onto 
another straight, where there's a tall red left arrow sign. If you keep to the 
right there's another subway entrance. Once down in the terminal, take the 
tracks in the right direction (the opposite direction leads to another dead 
end). These tracks will bring you to another terminal (watch for the subway car 
in here)--from here, you can exit back out to the main track (beside the exit 
sign), or you can take the rat-infested tunnel to another terminal--from here 
you have to go straight into the NEXT track tunnel, which has rounded walls. You 
must use these walls to avoid the car inside it, and the final terminal you 
enter has an exit which dumps you back at the start/finish line.

9. If you choose to head left on the normal route, and the end of this straight 
there is a large pink building with a park in front. If you head through the 
park you can go right and around the side of the building into a walkway 
containing a key.

10. As you come back to the start/finish line, head left to hit the entrance 
steps to the big park, which contains a key.


LOS ANGELES
===========

1. After the shallow left turn on the beginning straightaway, look for an empty 
parking lot on the left with a red brick wall (underneath the "Yaper TRX" (?) 
billboard). Behind the small building in the middle of this lot is a Key, and 
follows back out onto the main track.

2. Almost immediately after the first secret, look to the left for an open bay 
in the buildings. At the end of this bay is a Key, but this is not a shortcut.

3. After entering the country roads, look to the left to see a sign over a gate 
that says "Famous". Directly underneath at the gate there's another Key, but you 
cannot enter the gate.

4. After the steep downhill following the gate with the sign that says "Rich" on 
it, head far left to the dirt path. This will take you to a small dirt path and 
then onto a sealed-off back road. Wether you go through the road cones, or head 
straight and then left, you will go up through another dirt path to join the 
main track. There is a Key located on the right at the back underneath the 
broken freeway. Distance-wise this shortcut will put you ahead, but you must 
maintain a full head of speed to get through the mud/dirt as fast as possible.

5. Following the hard left turn after #4, you will exit back on to a main 
street. To the right is a ramp that will take you over a billboard sign with a 
Key--this will not slow you down if taken properly, however in order to jump low 
enough to get the KEY, you must be going quite slow.

6. As you progress down the street you'll come to a blue arch on the right 
followed by a green arch. You can enter behind the green arch to get a Key, 
which is best done by slipping in between the building and the rock that holds 
the arch in place just BEFORE the arch.

7. After coming through the second country path with bushes on either side, you 
have a few options when coming upon the hard left turn into the city streets 
again. You can turn left a block earlier which will rejoin the main route, or 
you can take the regular hard left, with the red left turn sign. When these two 
routes meet, you can again head right instead of the right hand turn a block 
ahead. Both of these routes are just alternatives, they don't seem to give any 
advantage.

8. A much better shortcut occurs right at the corner of the main route, and the 
first left turn described in #7. Take the small white ramp that is inclined up 
from the corner (it is flanked by small danger signs). Once at the top, if 
you're going slowly, you can drop down to the left into an allyway, with a Key 
close to the wall. If you carried a little more speed, you may land on the level 
just above, or clear the buildings altogether. Either way you will rejoin the 
main route after this. A good shortcut.

9. If you take the second alternate route in #7 (the right hand turn off the 
main route) you'll come through a sidestreet. To the right there's a display 
window with a car on a pedastal. To its right is a key. In case you're curious, 
the car on the stand is a Ford GT90 ;).

10. On the opposite side of the street from the car on display, you'll see a 
white ramp leading into an alley. This is a shortcut for the reverse track which 
will dump you back onto the main route.

11. After the curving tunnels on the freeway and exiting the left turn offramp, 
you'll see wooden fence off to the right. This will lead to a water  canal--you 
can either stay on the ledge to the left or drop down into the water. If you 
choose the ledge, it will then lead to a long dug-out (a Key is located in the 
small mud portion here) which will dump you back out onto the main track. If you 
choose to jump right into the canal, it will take you  through an underground 
water tunnel and exit you back out in virtually the same place--both are 
EXCELLENT shortcuts.

12. Just before the start/finish line, there's a movie theatre to the left. It 
is extremely difficult but possible to manuever your car in behind the ticket 
booth, where a Mountain Dew can is located. This is NOT a shortcut.


LAS VEGAS
=========

1. Just after the start/finish line to the right there's a small downhill 
tunnel. This contains a Key and will dump you back on to the main track--GOOD 
shortcut.

2. Just coming up on the golden tower, you have three options, straight, left or 
right.

RIGHT: After a winding left turn you can turn to the left into a path leading to 
a park area--you can drive through the lake in this portion with a Key 
underwater at its centre, and there's a Mountain Dew can on the far side, and 
another can hanging in the air by the trees, though I have no idea how to get to 
it. This park is a dead-end and not a shortcut. Continuing straight on the 
right-hand route leads to the rest of the track.

LEFT: This leads to an offramp that rejoins the main route--this is also where 
the alleyway from the parking lot in the STRAIGHT route exits. You can also 
sneak behind the left turn sign out onto the STRAIGHT route. When this route 
takes you back to the golden tower, do not continue straight or you will be 
going backwards--veer off into the RIGHT route.

STRAIGHT: just to the left shortly after starting this route, there's an ident 
with a san fransisco rush sign. Behind this there's a Key.
Just after this sign, to the left there's the entrance to a parking lot. To the 
far left in the corner there's a Key. If you continue to the right of the lot it 
will lead to a small alleyway that dumps you back onto the main route. 
The straight route will carry you to a right-hand offramp. You can also head 
left right at the danger sign, where a corner store glass window contains a Key. 
This should be to get the Key only and is not a shortcut. The Straight Route 
loops back around to join the RIGHT route.

CONCLUSION: The right hand route is basically the fastest, since the main route 
loops back on to it anyways.

3. After looping through this stuff, you'll come to a small residential section 
(a bit after the park entrance) on a right turn. If you continue straight you'll 
enter someone's backyard. From here, you can take the left path or the right--
the left simply loops you back around, so don't bother. The right path continues 
into the backyard (watch for the trees) and onto a back road--the ramp on the 
left goes in the opposite direction, however it gives you access to many Keys 
and Mountain Dew cans on the rooftops. Other than that, this is just a quick 
shortcut that rejoins the main route.

4. After leaving this area, you'll enter a right hand tunnel. When you exit the 
tunnel, there's a left turn sign onto another off-ramp. To the right of this 
turn sign is an alternate path. This is a definite shortcut that gets you a Key 
and dumps you back onto the final straightaway.


NEW YORK-DOWNTOWN
=================

1. Right off the start, you have three options--the main route, up the ramp on 
the bridge, or the left-hand road. If you take the centre ramp, it leads to the 
top pillars of the bridge. Be sure to brake slightly before the initial jump to 
avoid smashing into the pillar. After coming around it, you'll continue down 
another ramp to an identical pillar (behind this pillar is a Key). After this 
the downward ramp carries back on to the main route.
The left route is basically identical to the main route as far as the bridge--
from here however, it changes and heads left into the streets. However this 
appears to just bring you in to the main track going in opposite directions, so 
leave it be, you'll come by this anyway.

2. After heading back on to to the main route, you'll eventually see a parking 
garage with road cones blocking it to the left. After exiting it on the far side 
you'll enter an alleyway. Once you exit this, you can hang a far right and 
you'll see a Key in the enclosed corner. The exit to this lot is to the far 
left, an upward tunnel. Take this as fast as possible, and it will shoot you 
over many buildings to land farther on to the track at the park. HUGE SHORTCUT.

3. When you come to the park (where you land from the jump in #2), you can 
continue straight on the main route, or head through the park--one block to the 
left of the main route after exiting the park is another route that is a small 
shortcut back onto the main route.

4. After the sweeping left turn following the park, the subway entrance is 
located to the left. Upon entering the station, jump on the tracks and follow 
them forward, making sure to hug to the right to avoid the subway train. Jump 
into the next subway station and jump up the exit onto the main road.

5. After the exit from the subway on the main route, you can take the main route 
to the right off to the uphill, or you can head left to the dead-end. At the far 
front side of the dead-end, you can actually go up the stairs heading right. 
There is also a Mountain Dew can to the alleyay off to the right when you first 
hit this roof. You can also access this rooftop by entering through the steel 
grating beside the right turn sign. If you take this ramp behind the grating at 
full speed, you'll fly over the rooftops and possibly grab the floating Mountain 
Dew can, and land on the other side of the building on the main track.

6. After leaving this portion, the main track comes to a steep downhill into a 
wide tunnel. Immediately to its right, there is a small ramp--if you take this 
slightly to the left, you can land on the ridge of the tunnel and grab the 
Mountain Dew can. If continue straight on this path to the right (on the red 
bricks) it will empty you back at the start-finish line. If you take the left 
lane, either on the other side of the main tunnel or veering left FROM the right 
path, you will enter a park area. To the immediate right there's a small stone 
house with a Key in it. At the blue/grey pillars in the centre of the park, 
there is also another Key.

7. Just after the start/finish line you can head right underneath the blocked 
freeway--shortly after you can head left to an alternate route that rejoins the 
streets of the main route.

8. After the Start/finish line and into the streets, there are two seperate 
subway entrances that lead to the same station--from here, the downward stairs 
lead to a Key (and a dead-end). Follow the tracks forward and it will take you 
to the second station--the exit will dump you back out to an alleyway leading to 
the main route at the big Mountain Dew billboard.


HAWAII
======

1. After the initial main straightaway, you'll begin to enter an upwill with 
grass and tress to the left. Head through the trees and enter the tunnel in the 
rocks--this leads to an underground volcano tunnel--if you take it slow enough, 
you'll fall into a pit of lava, but there's a Key hanging there in mid-air. If 
you take it at full speed, you'll hop the pit, and jump back out onto the main 
track--good shortcut.

2. Following the turn immediately after the exit of the #1 tunnel, you have 
three options. The two left routes carry on to the main track, but you can also 
sneak through the danger signs on the right. From there, you'll jump over some 
buildings and land on a totally alternate road. Continue along this and you'll 
reach a steep uphill. Angle the car's jump off to the right, and you'll avoid 
landing on the rounded level on the ground below that may cause you to crash. 
From the landing, veer off to the left and go up the uphill parking lot to the 
left of the big building, and this will jump you back on to the main route--GOOD 
shortcut if you take the whole thing at best possible speed.

3. Just after landing from the big jump in #2, you can break the wood fence to 
the left and enter a corn field. Keep heading straight through this and you 
eventually land near the stadium. If you head immediately right at the big brick 
building, you'll exit back on to the main track at a downhill. You can also keep 
going straight through the stadium grounds to find a ramp, that will jump you 
high, near the main route. You can also head straight and it will bring you 
eventually back to the track on an offramp. GOOD shortcut if done right.

4. When entering the big offramp with danger signs to the left, slip behind the 
danger signs and take the fast offramp. FAST shortcut.

5. Immediately at the the corner where you land from the stadium jump, you'll 
see an airport to the right, and if you look closely, a glass corner to the 
building on the far right. Break through the glass and you'll hit the air field. 
Hit the jump and you'll land on an aircraft carrier, and from there jump to 
another air craft carrier. FROM THERE you'll land on a small island, where 
you'll AGAIN jump off to land on the wooden dock. This leads to the beach, where 
I recommend you veer to the left as soon as possible since the sand slows you 
down. This will joing the main route right at the start/finish line. AFAIK this 
is a pretty good shortcut if you can actually pull the whole thing off. There is 
a key located on the second aircraft carrier. You can continue through the beach 
around the buildings, but it is horribly slow in the sand.


SEATTLE
=======

1. Immediately after the first left turn off the start/finish line, veer left 
and take the uphill ramp into a tunnel. This will jump you back out onto the big 
freeways--GOOD shortcut. To the left in this tunnel you'll also find another 
route that will take you onto a seperate freeway.

2. When you reach the freeway, you can split left or right. The left then splits 
into two more freeways--all lead to the same place, except the far left has a 
yellow jump ramp to get to the upper freeway.

3. Immediately after exiting the freeways, you can see little blocks with 
advertising signs on them, and a hard right red sign behind. Sneak through them 
and it'll take you through a back street to eventually rejoin the main route at 
the left offramp. GOOD shortcut.

4. After the left-turn offramp and beginning the big uphills, you can turn left 
on the second hill (at the San Fransisco Rush sign). This takes you to a 
different set of uphills that rejoins the main track.

5. After the long downhills, you'll come to a right offramp. There's a small 
opening on the left side of the right-turn sign. This will take you to a small 
grass area and then a ramp. At top speed, this ramp will launch you WAY over 
many buildings (there's a Mountain Dew can off slightly to the left in the air) 
and if you land it, it makes a HUGE shortcut. Depending on the speed you hit the 
ramp at, you can land on higher or lower roofs--the lowest contains a Key. At 
the highest level, provided you don't clear the entire set of buildings, you can 
land on a big roof (where a Key is located). The small hole where the pylons are 
located drops you back out on the main track.


ALCATRAZ: THE ROCK
==================

1. On the second main straightaway, there's a small tunnel opening in the 
mountainside on the left of the track. You'll probably have to slow down to 
enter it, it's a very small opening, just big enough for your car, so you don't 
want to hit the walls. If successful, it'll take you through some  twists and 
turns and back out on the main course. Good shortcut if you can manage not to 
wreck.

2. After the first really heavy left turn, you will come upon the jump that
leads to the roof of the main building of Alcatraz. If you take it at top
speed you will land on the roof. If you take it pretty slow, you can drop
down off the jump and land underneath, following a route through the
building to rejoin the track where you land from the roof of the complex.
In addition to these routes, there is also a loop-de-loop just off to the
right of the jump leading to the roof. If you can navigate this successfully
it will bring you to an alternate route through the building; take this
route very carefully, as there are a couple of quick turns through the
building before rejoining the main track.

3. A small distance from the exit of the loop-de-loop, you will go under
another overhang on the main track. You can instead, hang a small right and
go out onto a sort of banked awning just on top of the cliff. This is not too 
big a shortcut, but there will probably be less traffic and it can give you a 
little more speed because of the banking.


___________________________________________________________________________

CREDITS
___________________________________________________________________________


Thanks to Jason Jamieson  and Tyler Stewert 
(viper_600@geocities.com) for competition and testing.

You can access this FAQ and many others at:

http://www.gamefaqs.com
http://riffraffracing.thot.net

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RACECARS, AND MUCH MORE, INCLUDING AN INTRODUCTION TO SHORTTRACK RACING!
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