Driving guide
From your first finish to the top of the leaderboard: the techniques that make the difference in RALLY52, in the order most players learn them.
1. Finish first, then go fast
A finished run always beats a crashed one. On your first attempt at a new stage, drive at eight tenths, learn where the tight corners are and get a time on the board. Quitting or restarting a run still uses an attempt, so a clean finish is worth more than a fast first sector.
2. The basic drift
Drifting is the fastest way through almost every corner in RALLY52.
Turn in
Start steering into the corner a little earlier than feels natural.
Kick the back out
Tap the brake while you are turning. The rear of the car swings out.
Hold the angle
Stay on the throttle. The throttle keeps the car sliding; lifting off lets it rotate further.
Straighten up
Ease off the steering as the road straightens and the car gathers itself.
3. Braking
Brake in a straight line before the corner, not in it. Braking while sliding scrubs speed you will need on the exit. On ice and snow your braking distance is much longer, so start earlier. On tarmac you can brake late and hard.
4. Chaining corners
When two corners go opposite ways with a short gap between them, you do not need to straighten up in between. Steer the other way while still sliding and the car flicks across into the next drift. This is called a Scandinavian flick and it is how the fastest times are set on Welsh and Swiss stages.
5. Reading the stage
Use the briefing
The map shows where the hairpins cluster. The climb profile shows the crests where the road disappears.
Watch the surface
Colour changes on the road mean a change of grip, especially the ice patches in Monte Carlo.
Spot the crowds
Spectators gather at the best corners, usually hairpins and jumps. A crowd ahead means slow down.
Mind the walls
Stone walls, log piles, tyre walls and barriers are solid. Grass and gravel verges are not.
6. Jumps and crests
Keep the car straight when you take off. A car that leaves the ground sideways lands sideways. Lift off slightly before a big crest if the road turns just after it, and never brake in the air.
7. Learn from ghosts and replays
After each run the player just ahead of you on the leaderboard becomes your ghost for the next attempt. Race them to see exactly where they gain time. You can also save your own replays and watch them from the trackside cameras to check your lines.
8. Controls
Keyboard
W or up to accelerate, S or down to brake and reverse, A and D or the arrows to steer, space for the handbrake, C to change camera, R to restart.
Touch
Go and brake buttons on the right, steering arrows on the left. Hold your phone sideways for the widest view, or upright if you prefer.
Put it into practice
Read about today’s country, then race the stage. Check the fair play rules to see how every time is checked.