I’ve put over 400 hours into Racing Master since its global launch, and I’ve tested every game mode from ranked competitive to casual drift challenges. But nothing has hooked me quite like master chef racing, the silly, reward-heavy limited-time mode that recently became a permanent staple in the event rotation. When I first tried it, I thought it was just a silly April Fools’ gimmick—until I walked away with three rare turbo kits and a limited-edition character skin after just three wins. I’ve played close to 200 rounds of this mode now, and I’ve picked up enough tricks to make the top 3 almost every time I queue up. Whether you’re a brand new player still learning the controls or a veteran racer who’s never touched this mode before, these tips will help you get the most out of every race.
What Makes Master Chef Racing Different From Standard Races?
If you’ve only ever played standard circuit or sprint races in Racing Master, you’re going to be very confused your first time loading into this mode. The core goal of reaching the finish line first still applies, but there’s a huge twist: you have to collect cooking ingredients scattered across the track as you drive. Finishing first doesn’t guarantee a top rank, in fact, I’ve finished first before and ended up in 8th place overall because I barely collected any ingredients. Collected ingredient count makes up 60% of your final score, while your finish position only makes up 40%.
That means it’s often better to finish 2 seconds later with 25 ingredients than cross the line first with 10. The tracks are also packed with silly obstacles like rolling shopping carts, giant vegetable barriers, and slippery puddles of sauce that will make you spin out if you hit them. Every time you crash into an obstacle or another player, you drop 15-20% of your current ingredients, so you have to balance speed with careful driving far more than you do in standard races. Most rounds only last 2-3 minutes, so it’s easy to jump in for a few runs when you don’t have time for a full ranked series.
Best Car Setups for Master Chef Racing Success
One of the biggest mistakes I see new players make is bringing their maxed-out ranked race car to this mode. Those cars are tuned for top speed and stability on clean tracks, and they’re terrible for the tight, obstacle-filled master chef racing courses. I’ve tested 17 different car models and setups across 50+ rounds to find what works best, and these are the non-negotiable rules I follow now:
- Prioritize high acceleration and handling over top speed: Most master chef racing tracks have very short straightaways, and you’ll spend most of your time swerving to grab ingredients or avoid obstacles. A car that can go from 0 to 60 in 2 seconds will serve you far better than one that can hit 220 mph on a straight.
- Remove all heavy performance add-ons: Extra weight slows down your turns and makes it harder to adjust your path quickly to grab rare ingredients. Skip the heavy reinforced chassis, large turbo kits, and wide body kits for these races—you don’t need them, and they’ll only slow you down.
- Stick to compact or hatchback models: Larger vehicles like muscle cars and SUVs have much wider hitboxes that make it almost impossible to avoid hitting obstacles or other players by accident. I’ve tested everything from a Dodge Challenger to a Honda Fit, and the Fit wins almost every time in this mode.
Compact hatchbacks are the meta pick for 90% of master chef racing tracks, so if you have a low-weight, high-acceleration hatchback in your garage already, start there. You don’t need to spend a ton of coins tuning it either—just max out acceleration and handling, leave top speed at stock, and you’re good to go. I spent less than 10,000 coins tuning my base model Honda Fit for this mode, and it’s beaten maxed-out supercars more times than I can count.
Track Strategy Tricks to Grab More Ingredients Fast
Once you have the right car setup, the next step is learning how to navigate the track to get as many high-value ingredients as possible without wasting time or crashing. First, do 1-2 practice runs on any new track before you join a ranked event round. Ingredient spawn points are fixed, so you can memorize where the rare ones are after just a couple of runs. Rare golden ingredients are worth 5x the points of common ingredients, so always prioritize grabbing those if they’re on your path. A single golden truffle is worth the same as 5 regular tomatoes, so it’s worth adjusting your line a little to grab one.
So what if there are three other players all swarming the same rare ingredient? Don’t waste time fighting them for it. I used to do that all the time, and I’d end up crashing into another player, dropping half my ingredients, and walking away with nothing. If there’s competition for a rare ingredient, just take the side path and grab 3-4 common ingredients instead—you’ll end up with more points total, and you won’t risk losing the ingredients you already have.
Avoid head-on collisions with other players at all costs. Even a small bump will make you drop 15% of your ingredients, and a head-on crash can make you drop almost half. If someone is driving aggressively and trying to knock you off course, just let them pass. It’s not worth losing all your ingredients over one position. You can also use the special mode-specific items to your advantage: the ingredient magnet will pull all nearby ingredients to you for 5 seconds, and the protective cover will stop you from dropping ingredients if you crash for 10 seconds. Save the magnet for sections of the track with lots of ingredients, and use the protective cover if you’re driving through a crowded area with lots of other players.
Common Master Chef Racing Mistakes to Avoid
Even with the right setup and strategy, it’s easy to fall into common traps that will tank your score. I’ve made all of these mistakes myself, so I know exactly how frustrating they are. First, don’t risk going off track for a single common ingredient. Never risk a track reset for a single common ingredient—if you drive off the edge, you’ll be reset to the track, but you’ll lose 30% of your ingredients and 3-5 seconds of time. That’s never worth one single common ingredient, no matter how close it looks.
Another common mistake is hoarding ingredients and wasting time trying to grab every single one. Once you hit 25 ingredients, you’re almost at the maximum possible score for ingredient count. After that, you should focus entirely on finishing the race as fast as possible, not grabbing more ingredients. I’ve seen so many players with 30 ingredients waste 10 seconds swerving to grab more, only to get passed by 3 other players and end up with a worse rank.
The last mistake I see all the time is ignoring the event challenges. Every master chef racing event has bonus challenges like “collect 3 golden ingredients in one race” or “finish top 3 without crashing once” that give you extra rewards like rare tuning parts and limited-edition cosmetics. Even if you don’t win the race, completing these challenges will give you way more value than a random win. I usually prioritize completing the challenges first before I start grinding for top ranks, and I’ve walked away with way more rewards that way.
At the end of the day, master chef racing is supposed to be fun, so don’t get too stressed if you don’t win every round. It’s a nice break from the intense pressure of ranked races, and the rewards are some of the best you can get in any casual mode in Racing Master. Follow these tips, and you’ll be landing on the podium and grabbing all those rare rewards before you know it. If you have your own secret tricks for this mode, feel free to drop them in the comments below—I’m always looking for new ways to up my game.