The Driver – beat Hilary and learn the police race route

Starting, cars and the winning condition

“The Driver” belongs to the Malibu Club chain and becomes available after buying the club and completing “The Shootist”. Tommy receives a Sentinel; Hilary drives a Sabre Turbo. Success means collecting the required checkpoints and finishing first, rather than eliminating the driver you are recruiting. Save outside the mission before starting. A short drive in an ordinary Sentinel is useful preparation for its braking and steering behaviour. In particular, learn how much speed a sharp junction allows before the car slides out towards a kerb or passing traffic.

Learn route sections rather than watching Hilary

The course runs south from Malibu through Washington Beach and Ocean Beach, then north again. The numbered route descriptions in two separate walkthroughs agree on the important landmarks. Learn Rafael’s, Pole Position, the marina, hospital and northbound return as a sequence of sections. Look first at the next pink checkpoint and the clear exit beyond it. Hilary’s lead alone tells you little about how well you can negotiate the next bend. Sacrificing a little distance before a turn is easier to recover from than spinning and having to reverse away from a wall.

Steps through the complete course

These steps group several checkpoints together; they do not remove the requirement to pass through each marker.

1. Start at Malibu and accelerate south through the opening markers after the countdown. Avoid an immediate attempt to shove Hilary sideways: his heavier car can spin your Sentinel instead.
2. Approach the police station and follow the course as it bears right. The illegal-street-race announcement arrives early here, giving you a two-star wanted level.
3. Continue south and brake before the sharp left beside Rafael’s. Follow the short eastbound section, then take the right turn to head south again.
4. Reach the Pole Position Club area. Take the next sharp right towards the west under control, rather than sliding past the checkpoint entrance at full speed.
5. Follow the markers around the southern section: turn left beyond the Ocean View area, then right again towards the west. Use the street near Ammu-Nation and then the marina as orientation points.
6. At the end of the curved marina road, take the left towards the hospital section. Prepare for the following right and check the junction for police cars blocking it or approaching from the side.
7. Follow the course through the Washington Mall area towards Ken’s office. The longer northbound run follows this section: straighten the car before committing to full acceleration again.
8. Follow the northbound markers over the bridge by the hardware store and onwards past the construction site. Use clear straights without blindly moving into opposing traffic because of Hilary’s position.
9. Brake at the northern bridge turn, go right and collect the checkpoint near the pizza restaurant. Before attempting a shortcut, identify exactly where the following marker sits.
10. You can cut across the grass by the police bribe to reach the penultimate checkpoint if the gap between the trees is clear. Actually collect the marker and line up for the southbound finish.
11. Continue to the final checkpoint outside Malibu. Hold your line until the finish is confirmed: having a lead immediately before the last bend does not end the race.

Drive the Sentinel without relying on a collision

Hilary’s advantage is particularly noticeable in acceleration and corners; original-release guides describe useful opportunities for the Sentinel on unobstructed straights. That is not an automatic catch-up system. Preserve speed through a clean corner exit instead of accelerating again after every kerb impact. Brake with the car reasonably straight, release before the main steering movement and accelerate as it lines up with the exit. A brief handbrake application can help rotate through a tight turn, but holding it too long sheds momentum. For repeat attempts, establish dependable normal braking first. An uncontrolled spin remains expensive even if you began turning at the perfect point.

The two stars and the final shortcut

The police phase belongs to the race: it does not mean you made a special mistake before reaching the station. Expect ramming attempts and extra traffic afterwards, particularly around the hospital junction. One documented run encounters two police cars there, but their exact positions should not be treated as permanent scenery. Aim at a visibly open gap instead of waiting for an obstructing vehicle to move. The grass line into the penultimate marker can save time against Hilary’s road route. It remains optional: hitting a tree or missing the checkpoint loses more time than the shorter path gains.

Diagnosing a lost race

Identify a specific braking point or obstacle for the next attempt instead of slowing down everywhere.

Retrying and edition limits

In original releases, a save prepared near Malibu gives you a practical fallback. The Definitive Edition and different Mobile releases may offer other retry functions or input assistance; follow the prompts actually shown in your version. The sources do not support a blanket claim that every newer edition changes Hilary’s speed or police behaviour in your favour. Separate a different control scheme from an alleged difficulty fix. Keyboard, analogue stick and touch controls require different steering and braking inputs. For a new attempt, prioritise the location where your car last stopped moving rather than adding a different trick every time. The sequence of landmarks remains your route reference.

Frequently asked questions

Must I lead throughout? No. Finishing order decides the race; a small deficit can remain recoverable near the final turn, although victory is not guaranteed. Must I keep the Sentinel? Original guides document changing vehicles, but this route does not depend on preparing a replacement. Should I destroy Hilary’s car? That defeats the recruitment objective and is not the solution. Must I collect wanted stars before starting? No: the two stars arrive during the race. Is a particular record time required? Normal completion requires winning. Compare your progress at consistent landmarks instead of treating a supposedly universal finishing time as a mandatory target.