Hoverbike racing

Hoverbike races were competitions sponsored by Megacorp in the Bogon Galaxy. Racers used the Hoverbike to beat the race as fast as they could. The two most popular Hoverbike races were on Barlow and on Joba. The Hoverbike races were extremely fast and quick paced. The Barlow race took the racer through tunnels and high bridges over the canyon, while also going through some plains and buildings. The Joba circuit was much more challenging, taking the race through much more difficult terrain (slick mud and narrow caves) as well as providing a lot more obstacles (sheer falls, bombs, and pillars). The race was more outdoors compared to the Barlow race.

Weapons
Like Hoverboard races in the Solana Galaxy, the racer was provided weapons to fight off other racers. Weapons available were rockets, although you could not pick up addition ammo and were given about six shots. A repeating blaster was available. The blaster only fired straight forward however. Another weapon was the shock blaster. This weapon created a wave of electricity arcing out from the front of Ratchet's Hoverbike, destroying anything in its path. In later races, other racers could use rockets against Ratchet, but never used them against other racers. To avoid being hit by a rocket, you had to steer sharply to the right or left when you realized you were being targeted by another racer.

Shortcuts
In the Barlow race there were two shortcut areas. These areas were only available in the last few races. The first was found straight after the room filled water. When the track started to curve left, you would notice an area that was a wall before which now had opened to reveal another track. The second Barlow shortcut was found just before the first. When the track started to curve left, there was an opening on the left wall, nearly invisible at top speed. This track took you straight to the suspension bridge and saved a lot of time.

In the Joba race there were three shortcuts. The first was the most obvious, and was also the only one available at the first race. Directly after the slick mud area, there was a ramp. There were two tunnels you can fall into. The top one cut a more direct route - saving a little bit of time. If you hit the ramp at boost-like speed, you would land in the top tunnel. The second shortcut was found at the part with the slick mud. To find it, Ratchet had to take a sharp turn to the right after going past the boost pad. This shortcut saved a lot of time. A Nanotech boost could be also aquired along the way. The third shortcut was directly after the turrets that produced three bombs. Right at the entrance to the narrow purple cave, there was a section of ground forming a ramp to an area. If you hit the ramp with boost speed, you would make it the the shortcut and also save some time.

Trivia

 * The Barlow Race was known as the 'number one recreational choice of Thugs-4-Less'.

Appearances

 * Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando