Simply hitting the gas and spinning the steering wheel isn't enough to master this racing game. Take those corners too fast and you'll find yourself off the track and through a billboard! Also, mind the gears. You can't take the starting line in high gear if you expect to get anywhere fast. Then there's everything else on the track to worry about, including water puddles and all those other cars! So don't just drive fast. Drive safe!
At the start of a new game, your challenge is to drive one lap around the Fuji Speedway in the shortest possible time. Responsible use of your gear shifter, gas pedal and steering wheel (and brake, if your game has one) will help you master those sharp turns and weave through the other traffic on the course. If you finish really quickly, you'll qualify for the best position in a race, the pole position! But if you take too long, you'll miss out on the race, and get nothing except a few more seconds of driving aimlessly around the track.
If you qualify to race, you will then take a new position at the starting line, among seven other racers. Which position you take depends of course on how fast you finished the qualifying lap. Once the green light is lit, you're off. Pass other cars, mind those turns, avoid those billboards, and be wary of puddles, as you fight to reach the finish line. If you can survive four laps without the clock running down, you win! Good luck and good driving!