Menu Book 5
Menu Book 5 is another car collection menu, and this time we are gathering Japanese FF Sports Cars. FF cars are front-engined, front-wheel-drive cars, and are a bit of a step up from the Japanese compacts we’ve been using up until this point. The three cars we are going to collect are the Suziki Swift Sport, the 1998 Honda Civic Type R, and the 1998 Honda Integra Type R. You should already have one of the three from the previous Menu rewards, so you don’t need to complete all three races here.
Once you have accepted the Menu Book, head back to your Garage and switch to whichever of the three aforementioned cars you now own. We won the Honda Integra, so we will be using that. You’ll need a Japanese FF car to enter the races, so this will be your best bet.
We also won a roulette ticked for completing our daily workout, so watch the video to see if we finally won a prize that wasn’t the smallest available. At this stage in the game, always claim your roulette tickets as the cars on offer could make progress significantly cheaper and easier.
Race 1 – Japanese FF Challenge 450 Tsukuba
Once you’re ready, head to Asia-Oceania, and to the Tsukuba Circuit. Here you’ll be entering the Japanese FF Challenge 450, and third or higher will see you walk away with a lovely new Suzuki Swift. Like many of the circuits we’ve visited so far, the Tsukuba Circuit is a simple enough track, with long banked corners, and no challenging sections. Drafting again will serve you well, and exiting the second to last corner is key to finishing a lap with a competitive time.
Fraga pops up again and suggests changing your car if you are struggling to win. He clearly doesn’t know about our guides…
The FF cars used in this race tend to understeer a lot, so on the tighter corners hold off the gas until you are sure you are going to make the exit. On the first lap, as you approach the final corner be careful not to run into the back of the AI, and on the second lap, make sure not to run wide and onto the gravel, as it will cost you a lot of time. If you watch the video you will see that we did exactly that, however, the race is easily won even with mistakes being made so if you mess up early on, don’t panic!
We didn’t get our clean race bonus here, so we collected 7,000 credits for 1st place and a delightfully bright Suzuki Swift.
Race 2 – Japanese FF Challenge 450 Suzuka
Next up is Suzuka, on the short East Course. This track may look simple, but there is a lot of time to be gained or lost in the esses. For now, your FF car should easily win the race without optimal lines, but it’s worth paying attention to how your approach to the corner can affect the exit speed. Utilise slipstreaming at the start of the race for a huge boost. Third place or higher here and you’ll walk away with the ‘98 Civic, in its rarely seen stock form.
If you are driving the Suzuki or the Civic and you are having trouble catching Fraga, come back after the next race in the Integra and you should find it a bit easier. Alternatively, pop by the tuning shop, buy a Sports ECU and new air filter and you should easily have enough power to gain tremendously on the straights. We won this event with no modifications and took home 10,500 credits (7,000 + 50% for clean race bonus) and the Civic gift car.
Race 3 – Japanese FF Challenge 450 High Speed Ring
For the third and final gift car, if you havent already collected all three, head to the High Speed Ring. Hopefully you are still familiar with this circuit from the previous Menu Book, and this time you are facing Fraga (still in the same yellow Civic) in a much faster car. After a short chat with Tomoaki Yamanaka (who gives you the same advice we give in the previous paragraph about tuning your car), pop into the race.
Remember to ease off the power if you find yourself heading towards a barrier on the outside of the banking, even a small lateral collision will scrub a lot of speed off and cost you time. Brake in a straight line wherever possible, and remember to be gentle with the power if you are struggling from understeer. We’re still running comfort tyres, and you want to avoid them squealing too much. Don’t be caught out as you brake for turn 2, as we are travelling at much higher speeds than last time we visited.
After this race, we collected 10,500 credits again and the Integra gift car. Head back to the Cafe to collect a 1-star roulette ticket and your next Menu book.
