FAQ V 1.0, June 18th, 2002

By Korasoff (


FAQ history:

1.0 (June 18th, 2002): FAQ created! The sections are Introduction, Which 
Driver To Choose, Which Ride To Choose, The Upgrades, The Races, Racing Tips, 
and Conclusion.


1) Introduction
2) Which Driver To Choose
3) Which Ride To Choose
4) The Upgrades
5) The Races
6) Racing Tips
7) Conclusion


1) HEADIN' OUT ON THE HIGHWAY... (Introduction)

Rock N' Roll Racing may very well be my favorite racing game of all time. 
Created in 1993 by Silicon and Synapse (the guys who also made Lost Vikings 
1 & 2 for the SNES, and who turned out to be Blizzard Entertainment, makers 
of Warcraft I, II, & III, Diablo I & II, and Starcraft for PC), it boasts 
colorful graphics, a split-screen two-player mode, and probably the most 
awesome soundtrack a SNES game ever got. It's not a very complicated game, 
not by a long shot, but there are a few secrets, tricks, and general advice 
anyone could benefit from. Hence, this FAQ.

Controls are quite simple. The B button is your throttle - get to know it, 
intimately. I find the best way to drive is t hold B with my thumb and to 
crook my index above so I can reach the other three main buttons: Y is your 
main weapon, X your boost (which can be Jump Jets or Nitros), and A lays down 
mines. Start will pause the game (giving you the option to chicken out of 
the current race if you're losing). The left arrow on the control pad will 
make your car turn left (its left, not yours), ditto for the right arrow. 
L and R are "hard turns" you can make if you're in danger of hitting something 
or if you missed a power-up or turn. You can use L or R in addition with the 
left or right arrow for controlled spin-outs! Finally, the down arrow on the 
control pad allows you to brake - but to quote the manual, "Who brakes in 
Rock N' Roll Racing?"

I strongly suggest you play this game on a good old SNES system, or, barring 
that, with a Joypad on your PC. The controls will be much more intuitive. 
Also, I can't get the Olaf trick (See Section 2 below) to work on a PC keyboard.

One weakness of RNRR is that you can't save your game. Instead, you have to 
note a lengthy password, which you can find in the F/X menu on the main screen.

There are two different modes to RNRR. The first, New Game, lets you drive 
in a championship. You amass points and prize money to get better cars and 
improve them. When you collect enough points, you move on to a new planet, 
where you'll face new terrain and a new local driver. After you complete the 
required numbers of planets, you'll win the game. The second mode is VS Mode. 
The goal is not to get money, since you can buy new cars for free, and they 
come to you *fully* upgraded. Points are also of no importance whatsoever, 
since you can move between the 5 first planets freely (there's a trick to 
get to the sixth). The only real role points serve is as a measure of your 
talent: play with a friend and see who can amass the most points in a set 
number of races!


2) PEOPLE THINK I'M INSANE (Which Driver To Choose)

All drivers have different abilities. Choose one who fits your style or who 
compensates for your own weaknesses. It's important to understand that no 
driver sucks totally, but once you get the Havac those with Jumping are at 
a disadvantage - although before that, they need to spend almost zero money 
on shock absorbers.

1 - Snake Sanders (Homeland: Terra)
Acceleration +1, Top Speed +1

Verdict: Snake is all speed, baby. His lack of Cornering makes him a tough 
choice for Rookies, but I highly recommend him once you've mastered the basics 
and know the tracks inside and out. The driver of choice for skilled Veteran 
players and the grizzled Warrior.

2 - Cyberhawk (Homeland: Serpentis)
Acceleration +1, Jumping +1

Verdict: I said no driver sucked, but Cyberhawk is the least good of them. 
And it's a shame, such cool art... I'm not saying you can't win with this 
driver, just that you better have some experience under your belt before you 
pick him. He doesn't give you much of an edge on any level of difficulty.

3 - Ivanzypher (Homeland: Fleagull)
Jumping +1, Top Speed +1

Verdict: He's better than Cyberhawk. An average driver, but I kinda like him. 
Very good on the early tracks.

4 - Katarina Lyons (Homeland: Panteros V)
Jumping +1, Cornering +1

Verdict: Also an average driver. She's all about control: choosing Katarina 
will give you one smooth race. Oh yeah, and she's the only woman driver you 
can choose, so girls who play RNRR usually pick her. An alternate choice for 
the Rookie who's afraid of high speeds - but if that's your case, maybe you're 
playing the wrong game, pal.

5 - Jake Badlands (Homeland: Xeno Prime)
Acceleration +1, Cornering +1

Verdict: Now we're talking. Probably the best choice for a Rookie just 
starting out. Acceleration means you can recover quicker from mistakes, and 
Cornering means less of them. He's not bad at higher difficulty levels.

6 - Tarquinn (Homeland: Aurora)
Top Speed +1, Cornering +1

Verdict: The opposite of Cyberhawk: doesn't look like much, but packs quite 
a punch. The combination of Top Speed and Cornering owns big time. After 
you've finished the Rookie level with Jake, consider switching to Tarquinn 
for Veteran and Warrior.

7 - Olaf (Homeland: Valhalla)
Acceleration +1, Top Speed +1, Cornering +1

Verdict: He's got three abilities (and the best ones!), so of course he's 
the top driver. Still, he's hard to get... At the driver selection screen, 
hold down L, R, and Select, then scroll to the end of the list. The last driver 
will be Olaf. I feel as if I'm cheating whenever I pick him, though. A good 
choice for any level of difficulty. (In case you were wondering, Olaf is a 
character from Silicon and Synapse's other hit SNES game, Lost Vikings.)


3) NOBODY'S GONNA STEAL MY CAR (Which Ride To Choose)

Fast Eddie, a furry-toothed slick salesman, will provide you with new 
vehicles to race. New cars cost quite a bit, but they all have different 
armaments (except for the Marauder and the Dirt Devil) and even special 

Dirt Devil (18,000$)
VK Plasma Rifles, Locust Jump Jets, BF's Slipsauce
Availability: Chem VI, Drakonis.

Verdict: One of your initial two choices. Has better handling than the 
Marauder but isn't as fast. Basically, if you have someone with Cornering 
abilities, pick the Marauder. And even if you don't have Cornering, try to 
stay away from the Devil as a general rule - although one wicked bit of fun 
is choosing the DD in VS mode and going to NHO. Atlas Power Claws? Let the 
party begin!

Marauder (18,000$)
VK Plasma Rifles, Locust Jump Jets, BF's Slipsauce
Availability: Chem VI, Drakonis, Bogmire, New Mojave.

Verdict: My favorite initial car, way above the Dirt Devil (isn't that a 
vacuum cleaner, by the way? No wonder it sucks!). It has the exact same 
armaments as the DD, slightly looser handling, but definitely better speed. 
Highly recommended for your first ride.

Air Blade (70,000$)
Rogue Missiles, Lightning Nitros, Bear Claw Mines
Availability: Chem VI, Drakonis, New Mojave, NHO, Inferno.

Verdict: Your second vehicle. An all-around better ride than the two initial 
choices, plus with better armaments (Yee-Haw, Nitro!). Veterans and Warriors 
have two different strategies with this one: either upgrade your 
Marauder/Dirt Devil and skip the Air Blade completely on your way to the 
Battle Trak, or save your money and get the Air Blade ASAP with few upgrades 
for your initial vehicle. Rookies should upgrade their initial vehicle, then 
switch to the Air Blade once they get to Drakonis, and even then, if you won 
quite a few races and got a good engine, you can keep that Marauder/Dirt Devil 
a little longer.

Battle Trak (110,000$)
Rogue Missiles, Lightning Nitros, K.O Scatterpacks
Availability: Bogmire, New Mojave, NHO, Inferno.

Verdict: Holy crap. Now there's a good ride. Two advantages over the Air 
Blade: better mines (Scatterpacks beat Bear Claws any time of the day), and 
*insane* handling, without having to invest even one dollar in tires! The 
first few races, you'll hit corners head on 'cause you're too used to 
slipping! (Watch out for water puddles and the like, though, they still affect 
the Battle Trak). When you get a better engine, though, the Battle Trak starts 
to slip a little... Friendly advice: don't get the Atlas Power Boss on this 
one. The Battle Trak is a life-saver on New Mojave, but loses its cornering 
power once you get to NHO because of the ice. At that point you can get the...

Havac (130,000$)
Sundog Beams, Lightning Nitros, K.O Scatterpacks
Availability: NHO, Inferno.

Verdict: One nice vehicle for NHO's frozen tracks. Completely ignores terrain 
and traction (although the banks of snow on NHO and the green slime on Drakonis 
will still affect you). Its Sundog Beam is a great weapon: the little red 
spheres home in on the closest competitor without any need of aiming! On top 
of that, you don't have to invest any money in tires or shock absorbers. I 
like to upgrade my Battle Trak on Bogmire and New Mojave until I have level 
three upgrades for everything. Then, I start saving money for the Havac. This 
usually happens halfway through New Mojave's Division B - but hey, I'm real 



Gordo the slimeball is always ready to make improvements to your ride... for 
a price. I don't need to go into great detail about armaments upgrades: 
upgrading weapons, boosts, or mines once will give you one more charge during 
a race, that's all, up to a maximum of 7 (initial 1 + 6 possible upgrades). 
There's no way to make armaments more effective other than getting a new car 
with better ones. Oh yeah, and in case you hadn't noticed, during a race, 
your armaments will recharge completely every time you finish a lap - talk 
about quick pit stops! Here are the costs for upgrades (x1):

VK Plasma Rifles: 14,000$
Locust Jump Jets: 6,000$
BF's Slipsauce: 20,000$
Rogue Missiles: 20,000$
Lightning Nitros: 24,000$
Bear Claw Mines: 20,000$
KO Scatterpacks: 24,000$
Sundog Beams: 20,000$

Upgrading your ride is *vital*. Each car has its own characteristics, and 
the driver you choose also impacts its performance, but even if you have Snake 
Sanders you won't win unless you get a better engine to increase your speed.

Engine upgrades:
Cobra Mark VII (Start), War Hammer (40,000$), Super Charger (70,000$), Atlas 
Power Boss (110,000$).

Your engine influences the acceleration and top speed of your car. One of 
the first upgrades you should get with a new vehicle you just bought and intend 
to soup up. They are the costliest, though, and higher speed means a decrease 
in your car's handling capacities.

Body upgrades:
Defender (Start), Rhino Skin (24,000$), Saber Tooth (48,000$), Atlas 
Powerplate (64,000$).

Upgrading the body gives your ride more toughness (the colored dots in the 
top-right corner of the racing screen indicate how many hits you can take). 
I'm unsure if it makes you deal more damage to someone you ram, though. Quite 
useful, and once you leave Chem VI you'll need at least Rhino Skin to survive 
for long.

Shock absorbers upgrades:
Grasshoppers (Start), Hydrosprings (20,000$), Hydro Twinpacks (40,000$), 
Atlas Power Lifts (60,000$).

As their name implies, shocks absorb the impact of landing. The least 
important upgrade... Get Hydrosprings last of the first round of upgrades 
and stick with those for a while. Don't waste cash on Atlas Power Lifts unless 
you're *swimming* in dough. If your driver has Jumping +1, ignore those. Note 
that you cannot upgrade shock absorbers on the Havac (it's hovering!).

Tires upgrades:
Track Masters (Start), Road Warriors (30,000$), Super Mudwhumpers (50,000$), 
Atlas Power Claws (70,000$)

Handling's the game. With better tires, you'll slip and slide less. Watch 
out: when you upgrade tires, your car's handling will improve noticeably, 
so loosen your driving a tad in the first few races (i.e. let the car slip 
a little further - your new tires will compensate) to get used. The first 
upgrade you should get if you don't have Cornering. Note that you can only 
upgrade tires on the Marauder, the Dirt Devil, and the Air Blade. The Battle 
Trak has perfect handling, and the Havac hovers.



The two twins of the bad hairdo, Rip and Shred, follow you from planet to 
planet. Rip's car is gray and Shred's is brown - but both drive last year's 
model and aren't too sharp. The fourth competitor is planet-specific, and 
usually much better than Rip and Shred. That guy has the latest car (colored 
deep purple - get it?) and isn't afraid to use its "gadgets"...

When you start on a new planet, you'll be in Division B. To get past the rugged 
Captain Braddock and into Division A (which slightly increases the level of 
difficulty and sometimes changes one of the twin's cars to the current model), 
you need to amass a certain amount of points. Points and prize money are 
awarded to the first three drivers to finish a race as such:

First place nets you 400 points and 10,000$
Second place nets you 200 points and 7,000$
Third place nets you 100 points and 4,000$

(There are other ways to get cash. If you blow up a "fellow" competitor with 
weapons or K.O. Scatterpack mines, you'll get 1000$. Picking up the gold 
ingots laying about the track by driving over them will net you 1000$ for 
each one. Finally, if you're in first place and pass the driver in last place, 
you'll get a lapping bonus worth 5000$!)

Once you get enough points in Division A (same amount as you needed for 
Division B) you can move on to the next planet. Sit down, strap in, and watch 
the animation. I suggest you finish all the races you can to amass as much 
dough as possible. Cash = cool rides and upgrades. Don't forget it!

The following is a list of the planets, local drivers and their cars, and 
info about the races. On Rookie level, you'll get to race on planets 1 to 
3. On Veteran, it's 1-5, and only Warriors can compete on all 6 planets.

1- Chem VI
Local Driver: Viper MacKay (Marauder)
# of races per Division: 8
Points needed to advance to Division A/Move to the next planet: 1600

Viper isn't too dangerous. He knows how to use his Plasma Rifles, though. 
The tracks here are quite simple and don't have any obstacles. Basically, 
if you have trouble here, read the FAQ and you should get better.

2 - Drakonis
Local Driver: Grinder X19 (Air Blade)
# of races: 10
Points needed: 2000

Grinder X19 is Cyberhawk's arch-nemesis. If you don't have an Air Blade yet, 
Grinder will take the lead with his Nitros. Drakonis' races are a bit more 
twisty and feature the first true puddle, the infamous green slime that will 
slow you down to a crawl. Puddles never change places (unlike power-ups), 
so learn where they are - and learn to avoid them. You'll also encounter the 
first red arrow, which gives you a super speed boost if you drive on it. Until 
you get to Inferno, use them!

3 - Bogmire
Local Driver: Ragewortt (Battle Trak)
# of races: 12
Points needed: 2900

He's a threat in his Battle Trak. Let him ahead and then blast him to bits! 
I like the tracks on Bogmire: not too complicated and with plenty of speed. 
Blue noxious puddles will cause you to slip and wipe-out.

4- New Mojave
Local Driver: Roadkill Kelly (Battle Trak)
# of races: 14
Points needed: 3200

Roadkill is a lot like Ragewortt, only insane. The tracks here are intricate 
at times, but I love them! (Especially the cross, you'll know it when you 
see it.) Black oil causes you to slip, exactly like on Bogmire.

5 - NHO
Local driver: Butcher Icebone (Havac)
# of races: 14
Points needed: 3200

Butcher is one of the most frustrating drivers out there. He starts out with 
the Havac and its homing Sundog Beam... Better get a Havac of your own to 
compete. One piece of advice: stay put until he runs out of ammo. Banks of 
snow replace puddles here, but they serve the exact same purpose as the green 
slime on Drakonis: slow you the hell down. Tracks here become real mazes. 
Don't feel ashamed if you get screwed the first time you race them.

6 - Inferno     (I haven't had time to reach Inferno )
Local driver:   (yet, working on it, but I don't have)
# of races:     (the codes with me... And I prefer to)
Points needed:  (go through the whole Warrior level. )

(Note: you can get to Inferno in VS mode by using the same trick you use to 
get Olaf: when you're at the planet selection screen, just hold down L,R, 
and Select, and then scroll to the end of the list. Inferno will appear.)



1 - The Late Start (Veteran and Warrior)

Many beginners just hit the throttle as soon as the race starts. Instead, 
wait a split second for the others to take a small lead - one length of a 
car, no more. Then, hit the gas, and fire your weapons! If you have enough 
shots, you'll blow up a car (netting you a cool 1000$) and basically take 
one competitor out of the race for a while. There's also a chance the two 
others will waste their weapons on each other so that you can pass them safely. 
If they don't, just tail them for a lap and repeat the above process, or use 
your mines.

2 - Mines

Mines are nifty little gadgets. They lack the simplicity of weapons but can 
shake those bothersome drivers sticking to your six. BF's Slipsauce will 
cause them to, well, *slip* out of control, if you have good aim. The second 
downside to Slipsauce is that it stays on the track, meaning you'll have to 
deal with it too in one lap - so be smart and use only what you absolutely 
need. Bear Claw Mines drop down and explode when someone runs over them, and 
like Slipsauce, you need to aim well. They also stay on the track if no one 
comes in contact with them, but are overall easier to avoid. If you have 
someone right behind you, Bear Claws will give them a nice jolt, causing a 
slight loss of control - although blowing up someone with those gives you 
no attack bonus. Finally, KO Scatterpacks, when let loose, expand into a mine 
field right behind you, which means you can be a little less careful about 
aiming. Extremely powerful when someone is tailing you, but they don't remain 
on the track for long - which, in a way, is a plus, because you won't have 
to deal with them next lap. (If you're quick, you've already understood that 
during the last lap you should use *all* your mines: since the race will be 
over soon, you won't have to avoid them, and let's not waste anything, right?)

Sometimes you run out of weapons when the guy just in front of you is 
smoking... Time to use them mines! (Of course, this trick only applies to 
Bear Claws and Scatterpacks). Cut the next corner short to get in front of 
him, and hit A... Boom! One less competitor to worry about, and an attack 
bonus if you used K.O. Scatterpacks.

3 - Nitros

Nitro owns you. Bursts of Nitros increase your top speed for a while, but, 
more importantly, they make you accelerate *real* fast. Use them after 
blowing up to get back in the race, after you screwed up a corner, or after 
you stepped in some Slipsauce. Use them when coming out of turns to get back 
to top speed. Contrary to popular opinion, using a Nitro burst just *before* 
a corner will make it easier to turn! Something about aerodynamics and drag, 
I believe. But for the love of Jesus, don't use them when there are bumps 
and climbs! Aim straight or you'll fly right off the track!

It's definitely worth it to get more than 1 Nitro. In fact, for my Battle 
Trak, I stop at level three upgrades (for engine, body, and shocks) and then 
get only Nitros. If you can get an Air Blade on Chem VI, you'll see the 
difference they make.

4 - The Shortest Way

There are two ways to turn 90 degrees corners. The first is for people with 
little handling (bad tires or okay tires with no Cornering ability). Follow 
the center of the track, and when the turn is almost on you, turn hard so 
that you'll slip the rest of the way, but facing the new direction. This works 
best with drivers who have Acceleration +1. If you have good handling (good 
tires or okay tires + Cornering), then use the pro method: stick a little 
more to the outside, and cut the corner at about a 45 degrees angle. Once 
you've passed the turn resume direct course. These two methods assume there 
are no obstacles in your way or power-ups you want to grab.

5 - How To Upgrade Your Ride (Veteran and Warrior)

So, you want to make it a killer racing machine - in that order? Sure. Start 
with getting the Rhino Skin upgrade for 24,000$ so you'll be able to actually 
survive for more than ten seconds. Remember, you can ram opponents to cause 
damage, and the bonus to your own car's resistance is excellent. Next get 
Road Warriors tires for 30,000$, it's handling you dearly need, especially 
if you don't have Cornering. You now have a choice: get one weapon upgrade 
or the War Hammer engine for 40,000$. You don't need more than 1 Jump Jet, 
but you can get a few more Nitros and mines too (2-3). If you can get Nitro, 
consider getting one extra charge before getting the War Hammer. If you got 
Scatterpacks, you can get as many as 4-5. Alternate with weapon upgrades and 
other ones, depending on your needs and the track. Get Hydrosprings last of 
all, and possibly not until you get the Super Mudwhumpers tires. Shocks aren't 
useless, but they're not as good as the other upgrades. As I said above, if 
you have Jumping +1, completely ignore shocks.

If you're upgrading your Marauder/DD or an Air Blade, you should start saving 
money at some point for your next car (I suggest after getting the first 
upgrade for tires, engine, body, and one weapon). If it's a Battle Trak or 
a Hovercraft, you can further customize it for deadly power - with the Atlas 
Engine and Top Speed +1, you'll be the fastest thing on wheels (or air 


6)  Conclusion

Well, that's it! Thanks for reading. I hope this FAQ helped you a bit. If 
you have further questions THAT ARE NOT COVERED IN THIS FAQ (read it first), 
or just want to drop me a line to thank me, then you can email me at Also, if you have any information or tips you want 
to submit, feel free. Check out the codes on before you submit 
any to me, though. Just go to the Rock N' Roll Racing section where you found 
this and click on Cheats and Codes. They have many interesting passwords I 
didn't include in this FAQ.


Legal mumb-jumbo:

All original material in this FAQ is copyrighted to me, Korasoff. The name 
Rock N' Roll Racing and the names of games, characters, vehicles, locations, 
etc... I used are copyrighted to Silicon and Synapse/Blizzard Entertainment. 
This FAQ can be distributed freely and in its entirety without my expressed 
consent but only for personal, non-profit purposes. All other distributions 
are prohibited.