"New" New York Speedrun Strats [8+ years later] [LAP 1 ONLY]

For the past 8+ years, many tracks in this game haven't had the treatment of getting refined down to a science. New York falls into this category because it stayed the same for many years, and the strategies were consistent and easy to do on pace.

10 months have passed, captains log, and New York now has new strategies. Before you get too excited, these strategies are not for the faint of heart and can be hard to master and time correctly, but, if performed properly can result in a faster time not only on the track but potentially beat the current USA% record!

While it's not surprising due to the sheer amount of precision that's needed to optimally position the car here, I'll show a breakdown of what's different:

Entire Map: LAP 1

N = Nitro Spot

Bumps = wait 2 seconds and Boost, when you are in the middle of both. You should be able to keep 228 MPH on the downhill when entering LAP 2 -> https://www.speedrun.com/top_gear_2/guides/qmy9n

![](/static/blob/5e1914qz.png)![](/static/blob/kzwogore.png)

"New" New York Speedrun Strats [8+ years later] [LAP 2 ONLY]

100% Guide - A Take on Playing Top Gear 2

So, you'd like to try out the 100% category for Top Gear 2. Or, you're considering it. Or, you're just reading this as for fun.

Regardless, welcome, and thanks for reading this template of sorts.

Top Gear 2, at the end of the day, is a racing game, and with speedrunning (would it be... speeddriving?) the entirety of this game, you're going to have to better speed and efficiency of your run, bit by bit. But how do you go about that? The way I see it, you have to approach the game in two sections: early game, and the rest of it. I'll separate the guide from hereon by these sections.

==============================
Early Game
--------------------
If you're truly considering going for this run, you have to learn the first 8-10 tracks, from the track layouts and where to turn, to where and when you want to boost (nitro efficiency will be covered later in another guide). Moreover, you can't get hit by other cars (as damage to your armor causes a dip in your top speed, and maintaining proper top speed is definitely more important than later in the game), and you can't get anything lower than first place in these races (you'll need as much money as you can salvage to keep upgrading your car). 

My current upgrade path for this run starts off by getting the 2nd tier Gearbox after the first race, getting the 3rd tier Nitro and the best Wet Tires before Sydney, getting the 3rd tier Engine and the best Dry Tires after Sheffield (Britain), then the best gearbox, and then the best nitro. From here, you're probably close to the second track of Egypt, which will definitely require some form of side armor (the first and second left turns, as well as the weird rights, are awful on this track). After that, you'll probably get the best Engine, the best Front Armor, and (if you need it), any form of rear armor. Unless you're getting rammed from behind all the time (in which case, you're either you're going too slow from other armor bumps, or you've gotten yourself squeezed between a few cars) (Pro tip: don't get yourself squeezed between a few cars), you shouldn't need rear armor until the after Greece. By this point, you've reached...
--------------------


Late Game
--------------------
Welcome to Meteora. Have you hit the wall yet? For your sake, I hope you haven't hit the wall yet. Don't go any faster than 180 MPH until after the second tunnel. Once your marker reaches the straightaway before the left turn, go to the left lane, make your left turn, and once you've gone through the bridge, then you can boost, and then boost again about 10-15 seconds after the first one burns out. Those fake turns occur occasionally in other tracks from here on out, and I don't know if it was a sick prank by the developers to do that, but it's there. It's not a run killer by any means, so if you hit it, just laugh it off, recover, and don't make the same mistake again. :D

But yeah, from here on out, dodge cars, don't hit walls, and dodge past cars. In fact, you could break down every track from this perspective...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Phases During Any Given Track
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Beginning: 
	-Get in front of the pack. Try your hardest to do this without using your precious nitro (and 90% of the time, you should be able to). 
	-Get a feel for the track, and figure out where you should boost (again, nitro optimization is explained later in this guide).
	-Don't ever look back. Just wanted to rhyme here, but don't get hit, and try not to hit anything on or outside of the road.
	
Middle:
	-Don't make mistakes on the road. It's smooth sailing after you've passed everyone, so get comfortable with the track, and keep up with nitro optimization, up until...
	
Finishing:
	-You'll start lapping cars, depending on the track size, the number of laps, and quickly you've been driving during the beginning and middle sections, and how quickly you passed every car to get into first. This phase usually occurs anywhere between 15 seconds to about a minute after you've passed almost every car. These cars are now obstacles that can ruin any built up speed you have going, whether you run into them, or you hit something on the road by attempting to dodge them.
	-Dodge cars.
	-Keep dodging cars.
	-Don't spin/tumble on the road.
	-Consider saving a boost for if/when you lose speed.
	-Pray that more cars don't come with how fast you're going.
	
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Snowing tracks are ~~the worst. Unless it's a straightaway, don't boost, and depending on the turn, don't go any faster than about 200-205 MPH, as you'll slip and slide around (I think the idea is that the track will be icy), adding the potential of losing speed by hitting objects on the side of the road~~ actually a bit easier, now that we've found that you can keep high speeds while maintain a large amount of steering control by performing the [Turn Throttling](https://www.speedrun.com/top_gear_2/guide/584iu) tech, which you can find here. Don't feel like clicking it? I'll sum it up in one sentence: mash the direction you're trying to steer around corners where you'd normally slide after turning at high speeds for too long. Okay? Okay. 

Is a stage raining? You'll likely find puddles on the road, which acts as another hazard for dodging cars, as puddles can both push you randomly towards the left or the right and cause you to hydroplane (which causes the same effect as going too fast around a turn on a snowing stage) if you drive over too many of them before or during a turn. Raining stages are not as much of a problem, so long as you have the wet tires. :D

Can you dodge cars, and recover if you've hit something that caused you to slow down dramatically? This is definitely something that will separate a good run from a not-so-good run. 

Oh, and keep an eye out for nitrous, red speedups, and yellow money pickups. Those will always be in the center of the road. However, make sure you don't run the risk of crashing into cars or losing speed to pick them up (with the exception of Rome in Italy, which might require intentionally hitting into the left side of the road to pick up the nitrous before the three straightaways).

--------------------

**Tl;dr:** Consider your upgrade path, because you'll have to deal with it early game. Don't hit cars and objects on the road. Dodge cars, prepare early for turns, Meteora is the devil that opens the hells of fake turns, snow levels are evil if you go too fast, and watch for puddles and puddle RNG, don't hit cars and objects on the road, dodge more cars, watch for pickups on the road, dodge more cars, don't forget to dodge cars, and definitely dodge cars.

All Tracks Guide

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qp9kJWrlrIXT3-eL8Oz9E0c2DFI3AMsXuRRi86vZ-Tg/edit?usp=sharing

All Tracks Speedruns: Wall Glitch Track Guide [Google Doc]

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dPfX0Arxfp0Ld05XRxuMVCmcCvN68FsQTKrrzWsWywg/edit?usp=sharing

This is the 100% Wall Glitch Track Guide for Speedrunning Top Gear 2.  Here is a list of tracks with wall glitches, whether it be positive wall glitches, or negative wall glitches.  Each and every wall glitch is listed in this Google Doc.

Nitro Optimization and the Extended Speed Trick (Tech For USA%/100%)

Hello, and welcome to my guide on optimizing your nitro use. This guide will be separated into two parts: early game nitro optimization and late game nitro optimization. Some of this guide is theory based on math, and some of it involves some newfound tech. Hey-o!

=====================
Early Game Nitro (100% Runs)
-------------------------
At this stage in the game, you'll be going worlds slower than during the late game. When starting a track, I don't usually boost to begin with (the idea here is that the boost will get you to your top speed more efficiently than if you didn't boost). However, because the different in speed between your max normal speed and max nitro speed is not too vast (it's not more than 20-30 MPH during the start of the game), I try not to do so. Moreover, you could get a speed boost in the form of a bump from a CPU. Instead, I try to pool nitro usage to be closer together. 

I'll give an example. In Auckland (the first track), your max speed without nitro will be around 130 MPH, and around 160 MPH with nitro. With these numbers, let's instead imagine we're on an flat terrain that stretches infinitely.  If we define a boost to last exactly 10 seconds (from 0.0 to 10.0, and we define acceleration and deceleration to be 5 MPH/sec, we find that someone that uses his or her second boost at a point where the speed is between both the max normal speed and max nitro speed gets more efficiency out of a nitro than someone that waited until after they decelerated to their max normal speed. This person is also more efficient than someone who uses a nitro immediately after their first one ended.

Still don't understand? Check out this [spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/127rGkTJ_eHM5BQhSnZPsnBKBk6egXmSKo0uoh8qPi70/edit?usp=sharing) (link on the word "[spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/127rGkTJ_eHM5BQhSnZPsnBKBk6egXmSKo0uoh8qPi70/edit?usp=sharing)", including this word) I made exactly for this purpose. It's a bit more clear than just words. I've made the [spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/127rGkTJ_eHM5BQhSnZPsnBKBk6egXmSKo0uoh8qPi70/edit?usp=sharing) so that the period of time stretches over a minute, and that someone uses three boosts over that very minute. Again, this is a theoretical, but very implementable in practice and runs. :D

-------------------------
Late Game Nitro (Both Any%/100%)
-------------------------
By late game, I'm assuming that you have the best engine, the best gearbox, and some form of a nitro upgrade. At this point, the range between your max normal speed and max nitro speed should be a lot larger. Keep using nitro in the manner above. However, there's something that I've noticed that occurs at certain speeds that I'm going to call...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Extended Speed Tech
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Once you have the best engine, the best gearbox, and some form of a nitro upgrade (second-best or best, especially), you'll also obtain a benefit where your deceleration slows at a certain speed. This point where your deceleration slows down almost dramatically is around 228-235 MPH, or around 276-286 KM/H. Once you decelerate below the lower cap for these numbers, you'll see that your deceleration quickens once again. You can use this to your advantage by having your nitro expire as you're on a high point on the map, allowing you to keep at these speed ranges as you're going downhill and abuse the slow deceleration that exists as you go at these speeds.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Keep the Extended Speed tech in mind during your late game, as well as the nitro optimization that you've been implementing during your early game, and you'll definitely find an improvement in your runs. :D
-------------------------

=====================

Thanks for giving this guide a read, and happy speedrunning!

The Password Select Glitch/Upgrade Path

The Any% speedrun uses a password glitch, which is done by completing the following:

-Select the country of choice
-Select "end" to receive an "Invalid Password" error, and escape the menu by hitting the start button while the error is still present on the screen. If done correctly, you'll go straight to the main menu.
-Select the "Continue Game" option at the main menu, and - if done correctly - you should be at the country of your choice. 
-From there, start and quit the race, and then continue the country to get the starting cash for the country.

-Required Upgrades: 
-Best Engine 
- Best Wet Tires 
-3rd Best Dry Tires
-Best Gearbox
-3rd Best Nitro
- Best Nitro at San Francisco (if you get first 3 times in a row)

Required Transmission: 
- Manual (faster overall by about 20 seconds)

Turn Throttling (Tech for USA%/100%)

Yo!

A bit ago, I told myself that unless there was a way to maintain high speeds in New York (much like with what the EX Speed Tech provides for the Any% run), there would really be no way to improve the time past 1:56. In fact, most tracks that are snowing/have snow on it (Banff, Munich, Helsinki, and Zurich come to mind in the 100% run) have the same problem that plagues New York: keeping EX speed around turns due to car sliding. And then, a few days later, I found what I'm going to call "Turn Throttling", and it's rather simple to perform, so long as you're paying attention to your speed and the turns in which you can and can't perform this tech on.

"Turn Throttling" works as follows: on ¤most¤ semi-sharp turns where you would normally slow down to deal with car sliding (e.g. most snow levels, including the ones mentioned above), quickly tap the input for the direction you're heading instead. By doing this, you are effectively abusing the turn timer that triggers your car to slide if you're holding a turn at too high of a speed for too long.

...and that's pretty much it. Well, almost...

This doesn't work on every turn. This trick certainly doesn't work on turns for "dry" tracks (but, in some cases, you can throttle or let go of your gas while holding your turn input to make those turns without sacrificing too much speed, or worse, hitting a car/obstacle that would cause you to spin out), and on tracks you would hope to use this trick on, there are just some turns that you can't use trick on, on account of the turn being too sharp to begin with. 

New York, for example, has two turns that you definitely can't apply this tech to. See here:

http://i.imgur.com/36RQHqW.png

I've labeled the two turns that occur on the minimap that you DEFINITELY can't do this trick on, simply because the turns would cause you to spin out on an obstacle. For the first red circle (the first right turn that you encounter from the start), you may want to take that turn going no faster than about 195-200 MPH. The second red circle requires an even slower speed, right around 175-180 MPH to take that turn properly, so make sure you're already prepped to take those turns from their respective opposite sides. You can boost going through each of those turns, so long as you don't overdo it. I've also made a gray/grey circle in the picture above as another important spot; trying to just turn throttle here while going over 240 MPH, nine times out of ten, will cause you to crash into the side as well. I tend to let throttle of the gas button in the same way I would perform the turn throttle. You gain a larger turning radius by turning and momentarily letting go of the gas at high speeds, comparable to simply turning alone (turn throttling included). 

I'll have to see if this works on raining tracks as well, but I don't think it would have too much use in a 100% run, other than to travel around Sydney without Wet Tires (but that would be too risky in itself, wouldn't it?). If it does, I'll update this guide as well.

As always, thanks for reading this guide. Good luck, and happy speedrunning!

-Rally

USA% Setup Guide

USA% requires the player to play the last 4 tracks within the game as quickly as possible with or without glitches 

How to: 

Menu 1: https://i.gyazo.com/ea07eb5b517d61b8177e63705bbd2e0b.png

Options: https://i.gyazo.com/4a809d868e7875a72a157012727a1547.mp4

Continue Country: https://i.gyazo.com/0441967a28a2ac7cbff112a05cea6aca.png

Country Selection: https://i.gyazo.com/9c51bb86d18bde57cb18573814a0f855.mp4

Continue Game: https://i.gyazo.com/cb65d9f2c844395f117871f3791b3b65.png

Password Screen: https://i.gyazo.com/59a20ce3ac666f3ae83e5f5f0db0c128.png

Press END on the Password Screen 

Player 1 Setup: https://i.gyazo.com/2fd0cef7f8f20c1369e2e641e81e030f.png

Switching Gears: https://i.gyazo.com/8946ae38ffad6457bdb34717913077ad.mp4

Race Header: https://i.gyazo.com/c08ea8086d8aa42d4577f2123ecb39d9.mp4

PRESS START on RACE BOOT UP and PRESS L + R to QUIT RACE: https://i.gyazo.com/1cc2dde3247f9bbaf17418be94e83420.png | https://i.gyazo.com/4d5590fbcfc480e7f39ea2a24fc84b86.png

Continue Country: https://i.gyazo.com/302ec6f1e27aa41288efa524a39a4740.png (Again)

Country Selection: https://i.gyazo.com/5c6bc1bc11a67ba65259e590d9c61d22.mp4

RACE 

Buying Upgrades

Engine: https://i.gyazo.com/5ce62bf794bf3de850f04ad3888748e1.mp4

Wet Tires: https://i.gyazo.com/392ea787071d96d66a048b7b8cab22ee.mp4

Dry Tires: https://i.gyazo.com/a70844aba0308e35938dd38091f89f03.mp4

Gearbox: https://i.gyazo.com/556549fa5d6915ba1e606fcc3443c20c.mp4

Nitro: https://i.gyazo.com/573f1c442eff20e38a0d1eadf77a8fce.mp4

Paint Shop (Optional) - https://i.gyazo.com/02ac1093848198caa9edf1024de5dbbe.mp4

World Tour Upgrade Guide

- Auckland = $0
- Loch Ness = $10K (buy Gearbox)
- Banff = $20K (buy Gearbox and Nitro)
- Abu Sunbul = $30K (buy Gearbox and Nitro level 2)
- Bordeaux = $40K (Buy Gearbox and Nitro Level 4)
- Bavaria = $50K (Buy Wet Tires Level 4, Gearbox 3, Nitro 3)
- Athens = $60K (Buy Engine 3, Gearbox 2)
- Amber Port = $70K (Buy Gearbox 3, Nitro 3)
- Dublin = $80K (Buy Engine 3, Nitro 4)
- Florence = $90K (Buy Engine 3, Gearbox 2, Nitro 4) 
- Hiroshima = $100K (Buy Engine 3, Gearbox 2, Nitro 4) (Dry Tires = Optional)
- Copenhagen = $110K (Buy Engine 4, Gearbox 2, Nitro 3)
- Chile = $120K (Buy Engine 4, Gearbox 2, Nitro 4)
- Andalusia = $130K (Buy Engine 4, Gearbox 3, Nitro 3) (Dry Tires = Optional) (Sharp Turn might need)
- Geneva = $140K (Buy Engine 4, Gearbox 4, Nitro 2)
- Las Vegas = $150K (Buy Engine, 4, Wet Tires, 4, Gearbox 4, Nitro 3)
- Los Angeles (nothing)
- New York (make sure to pick up the money)
- San Francisco (Buy Dry Tires 4, Nitro 4)

Technickle_

RallyFTW

Top Gear 2

Australasia: Auckland

Australasia: Ayers Rock

Britain: Sheffield

Britain: Stonehenge

Canada: Niagara Falls

Super Nintendo

DrCarfrei

Tacizu

USA / NTSC

Glitchless

All Tracks

Hard

Glitched

Standard

Normal

Easy

USA%

Breaks?

Glitches

Difficulty

Continue Type

Does your run contain breaks? 
Option A: Yes
Option B: No

### ALL RUNS THAT ARE PART OF TWITCH USING THE HIGHLIGHT SYSTEM NO LONGER WILL BE A VALID METHOD OF VERIFICATION OR HISTORY PRESERVATION DUE TO ITS 100-HOUR STORAGE POLICY BY TWITCH. 

### 

### This takes effect on May 19th from Twitch and will Automatically delete any highlights past the 100-hour 

Nome	Autore
"New" New York Speedrun Strats [8+ years later] [LAP 1 ONLY]	Technickle_ 5 months ago
"New" New York Speedrun Strats [8+ years later] [LAP 2 ONLY]	Technickle_ 5 months ago
100% Guide - A Take on Playing Top Gear 2	RallyFTW 8 years ago
All Tracks Guide	Technickle_ 4 years ago
All Tracks Speedruns: Wall Glitch Track Guide [Google Doc]	Technickle_ 5 years ago
Nitro Optimization and the Extended Speed Trick (Tech For USA%/100%)	RallyFTW 8 years ago
The Password Select Glitch/Upgrade Path	RallyFTW 7 years ago
Turn Throttling (Tech for USA%/100%)	RallyFTW 8 years ago
USA% Setup Guide	Technickle_ 5 years ago
World Tour Upgrade Guide	Technickle_ 5 months ago