Final Lap (Famicom)/Walkthrough

In Match Race mode, you must defeat a computer controlled rival across twenty different tracks in several countries. You must come in first place, or you will lose the game, and you are only given one opportunity to continue throughout the entire game. After you lose a second time, you are returned to the title screen.

Winning strategies
There are two key tactics to winning the Match Race mode of Final Lap: taking a turn properly, and learning how to drive defensively (or offensively, depending on how you look at it.)

Taking a turn
All racing games are based on this principal: When taking a sharp turn, the best approach is to start on the outside lane of the turn, cut across the lanes to the inside at the peak of the turn, and then exit back out to the outside lane. The idea is to minimize the angle at which you have to turn your car. The sharper the turn, the more you either have to slow down, or the more you will lose your grip on the road and slide back off to the outside. Cutting from the outside to the inside and back to the outside decreases the sharpness of your turn, and makes it easier to take the turn without losing too much time.

In addition to know which line to take, it's also a good idea to have a good feel for when to stay on the gas, when to let off the gas, and when to actually apply the brake. Brakes should really only be applied as a last resort. Therefore, if you're taking a turn, and your car is starting to slide to the outside, it's a good idea to let off the gas, and allow your car to return to a controllable speed. You can also tap the gas intermittently to maintain a certain level of speed without going over the threshold that would make you start sliding again. Braking should be reserved when you are worried about crashing into a CPU controlled green car, or a sign on the edge of the road.

Driving defensively
Final Lap's focus on one particular rival opponent forces you to pay more attention to his particular vehicle, and do what you can to interfere with his ability to pass you. This can be done in a number of ways. The first is to simply drive directly in front of him. On straightaways, the computer will rarely try to pass you, and will usually stay parked right behind your bumper. However, this tactic will rarely result in any distance put between the two of you.

The next tactic is to use the CPU controlled green cars to your advantage. Driving in the proximity of a green car has an unfortunate slowing effect on a vehicle. If you can force the computer into a situation where you are passing a green car, and the computer, in an effort to try and pass you, ends up getting stuck behind the green car, you can temporarily slow down your opponent while you put a little distance between the two of you. Once again, while this tactic is useful, it still only briefly solves the problem.

Finally, you may choose to directly influence the direction of your opponent's car by driving right into it, and potentially forcing it off the road. Unfortunately, the effect of this is somewhat minimal, as it doesn't allow your opponent to pass you easily, but it doesn't necessarily slow them down either. However, this maneuver can set you up very well for the ultimate technique, which is to force your opponent to collide with a road sign. This actually stops your opponent very briefly, but this has a much greater impact on your ability to get ahead of your opponent than any other tactic listed here. In fact, if you wish to win the final three heats, you are almost required to employ this technique.