Grand Theft Auto V Walkthrough: Shift Work

Character: Franklin

Location: Strawberry - Only available between 20:00 and 5:00

Unlocked After: Father/Son

Driving? Street racing, no less? With a guy like Franklin behind the wheel? Say no more.

- Head to the Strawberry area. You're specifically looking for a back alley a short ways beyond an underpass. The mission isn't far from Franklin's house.

- Talk to Hao, the guy beside the car. He'll talk about a racing competition.

- Secure a car if you don't already have one. There will probably be one parked on the street just beyond the alleyway. You'll want one with a high top speed but decent handling; anything heavier than a two-seater is probably insufficient for your needs.

- Drive out to Chamberlain Hills, following the guy in the yellow car. You'll come across a gathering of racers. Get into place at the rear of the pack.

- Race!

Racing is a familiar component of any Grand Theft Auto game, and this time you have a distinct advantage with Franklin's special ability. Nevertheless, this two-lap race is not easy if you are a poor driver - or an over-zealous one. Below are some tips to help you win.

- Your biggest problem in this race will be going too fast. It's important to run at top speed whenever possible to get to first place, but if you remain at top speed you're going to spin out. Tap the gas when you're in curvy territory (the first half of the run) and only really gun it when you reach the straightaway near the end.

- There are a ton of brutal corners in this race, especially early on. Use Franklin's ability to get around these corners, but be certain to shut the ability off the second you're out of the turn. You need to have access to slo-mo at virtually all times. Letting it run dry is foolish.

- Franklin's special ability is also fantastic for re-orienting your car if it starts to lose control. Enter slo-mo during a skid and you can correct it almost instantly. This is also true of recovering from a spin or even getting clear of some obstacles.

- If your slo-mo does run out, let off the gas on corners and lightly tap the brakes. You won't get ahead, but you shouldn't lose your position either.

- The game suggests sticking close to the back bumper of the racer ahead to get a slip stream boost. This is handy, but only if you're an extremely good driver. Otherwise you're more likely to crash.

- Avoid crashes at all costs! If you see a multi-car pileup ahead, put on Franklin's special ability and weave safely through or around the wreckage. For the most part you'll also want to avoid the temptation to ram the other racers - doing so will usually screw you up as well.

- Perhaps the most dangerous part of this race is near the middle. You arrive at a four-way intersection, and there are two very hairy turns to face. Worse, the second turn has a concrete barrier that's very easy to miss, and which will hurl Franklin from the car if you hit it. Watch out for a railroad crossing, as this is the sign that you're about to hit these turns.

- Another surprising danger is right at the end of the lap. You'll hit a small hill which can send your car careening into a nearby house. Slow down a tiny bit as you approach the residential section again to avoid zipping into the air.

Completing this race will net you $200. It will also unlock a variety of other street races around the city. Woo!

Gold Medal Completion

Fastest Lap - Complete a lap in 1:20. Abuse Franklin's special ability and you should be able to collect this achievement with little difficulty.

Underdog - Finish the race within 2:50. This is a touchy one; the above tips all apply to netting a good time. If you fail the race and retry, your time will not reset. You need to exit the mission and restart it. This is only recommended when you can access the mission via the menu.

Clean Race - Finish the race with less than five collisions. Very, very tough. To avoid getting in a lot of scrapes with the other races you'll have to steal an early lead, as well as maintain it throughout. After that your greatest hazard will be uninvolved drivers, as you never know when one will show up to ruin your day.