Daytona USA/Hidden content

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Model 2 version

Override music

All music can be overridden in game by holding one of the VR buttons during the "Gentlemen start your engines" screen. VR1 plays "The King of Speed", VR2 plays "Lets Go Away", VR3 plays "Sky High" and VR4 plays the secret bonus track, "Pounding Pavement". The latter can be accessed in the Saturn game by holding on this screen.

Race in reverse

While the game will initially yell at you for doing so, it is fully possible to drive around tracks in reverse. A reverse lap is treated legitimately, and you'll still get time extensions. You can even finish the race while driving in reverse, though you will always be placed in last position.

Return to track

If you are off-road and stopped, pressing  START  will return you to the track.

Time attack mode

Time attack mode can be enabled by holding  START  in the transmission select screen.

Fifth view

By holding VR2, VR3 and VR4 at once, a secret fifth birds eye view is enabled.

Three-Seven Speedway slot machine

Three-Seven Speedway contains strange slot machine banners, which can be manipulated by pressing the  START  button. Getting three 7s will give you seven seconds of extra time, with three BARs giving you an extra five. Three cherries will give you a random amount of extra time. The game only allows you to do this once during a race, though with multiplayer games every user can trigger it.

You Just Lost Your Sponsors

In Dinosaur Canyon, take the first left from the starting position and persue the road backwards. The road bends to the right and leads to a dead end, where the player will be greeted with a sign that reads "CONGRATULATIONS You Just Lost Your Sponsors!".

Upside-down Jeffry

Jeffry Mcwild from Virtua Fighter appears as a statue in Sea-Side Street Galaxy. Travel in the wrong direction for more than two laps, and he'll appear upside-down.

Make Jeffry Dance

If the player comes to a stop nearby and repeatedly presses  START , Jeffry will breakdance (or at least, spin on the spot and flip upside-down).

High score jingles

Like some of Sega's other games, giving specific initials in the results screen will trigger jingle tracks from previous Sega titles:

NAG	Virtua Racing	MAS	???	GOS	???	MIT	???
ARI	???	YAS	Virtua Racing	DEK	???	OSA	???
GOM	???	D.K	???	MAC	???	KAG	???
MIY	???	KEN	???	H.O	Hang-On	S.H	Space Harrier
O.R	OutRun	A.B	After Burner	P.D	Power Drift	V.R	Virtua Racing
V.F	Virtua Fighter	SHO	Super Hang-On	SMG	Super Monaco GP	G.F	Galaxy Force
R.M	Rad Mobile	S.C	Stadium Cross	EXN	F1 Exhaust Note	S.F	Strike Fighter
GLC	G-Loc: Air Battle	TOR	Turbo OutRun	ORS	OutRunners	GPR	GP Rider
F.Z	Fantasy Zone	E.R	Enduro Racer	SDI	SDI	QTT	Quartet
VMO	Vermillion	T.B	Thunder Blade

Saturn version

You Just Lost Your Sponsors

In Dinosaur Canyon, take the first left from the starting position and persue the road backwards. The road bends to the right and leads to a dead end, where the player will be greeted with a sign that reads "CONGRATULATIONS You Just Lost Your Sponsors!".

Make Jeffry Dance

If the player comes to a stop nearby and repeatedly presses ( in the Saturn version), Jeffry will breakdance (or at least, spin on the spot and flip upside-down).

Karaoke mode

When using a normal number of laps, holding and selecting a track using enables "karaoke mode", with the lyrics of the music being shown in-game.

Maniac Mode

Entering the code makes the opponent cars far more faster and aggressive. The mode is depicted by a small "M" in the top-left hand corner of the screen.

Switch between metric and imperial

The Japanese/PAL versions of the game use kph as a measurement of speed while the US version uses mph. This can be reversed by holding ++ on the second Control Pad and pressing  START  on the first.

Race as a horse

While the horse is unlocked by landing in first place on every track, holding ++++ on the title screen, then pressing  START  will make it immediately available. The "automatic" horse is brown, while the "manual" horse is grey and both can travel as fast on grass as they can on tarmac. They also cannot take damage and so can use the pit lanes like normal roads.

(Officially) race in reverse

While in Saturn mode, holding  START  and selecting a track with allows players to officially race tracks in reverse.

High score jingles

Like the arcade version, certain high score initials will play jingles from older Sega games.

• .KK: Virtua Racing(?)
• A.B: After Burner
• A.Y: Virtua Fighter (Akira)
• AKI: ???
• ANI: ???
• AO.: ???
• ASA: ???
• BNB: Bonanza Bros.
• DEK: Virtua Racing
• DST: Dunk Shot
• E.R: Enduro Racer
• EXN: F1 Exhaust Note
• G.F: Galaxy Force
• GDA: Golden Axe
• GLC: G-LOC: Air Battle
• GPR: GP Rider
• H.O: Hang-On
• H.S: Dynamite Dux
• HSB: Galaxy Force
• IGA: ???
• ISO: ???
• J.B: Virtua Fighter (Jacky)
• J.M: Virtua Fighter (Jeffry)
• JIM: Alien Syndrome
• K.M: Virtua Fighter (Kage)
• KAG: After Burner
• KAO: ???
• KAZ: ???
• KEN: ???
• KOS: Daytona USA (The King of Speed)
• KOU: Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
• LAU: Virtua Fighter (Lau)
• LGA: ???
• M.M: Super Hang-On
• MAS: Enduro Racer
• MIT: ???
• MMM: SDI
• NAG: G-LOC: Air Battle
• NAK: ???
• O.R: OutRun
• OKA: ???
• ORS: OutRunners
• OSI: Turbo OutRun
• P.D: Power Drift
• P.P: Daytona USA (Pounding Pavement)
• PAI: Virtua Fighter (Pai)
• QTT: Quartet
• R.M: Rad Mobile
• S.B: Virtua Fighter (Sarah)
• S.C: Stadium Cross
• S.F: Strike Fighter
• S.H: Space Harrier
• SAO: ???
• SDI: SDI
• SHO: Super Hang-On
• SKH: Daytona USA (Sky High)
• SMG: Super Monaco GP
• T.B: Thunder Blade
• TAK: ???
• TET: Tetris
• TOR: Turbo OutRun
• TRS: ???
• V.F: Virtua Fighter
• V.R: Virtua Racing
• VFT: Virtua Fighter 2
• VMO: Sword of Vermillion
• W.H: Virtua Fighter (Wolf)
• YAM: ???
• YAN: Columns
• YOJ: Bonanza Bros.
• YUI: ???

High score censorship

Attempt to put "SEX" as a high score and the game will change it to "SEA".

Windows PC version

The PC version of Daytona USA hard codes the extra Saturn buttons required for these codes to the gamepad. It does not appear to be possible to perform these codes using the keyboard as these actions are not mapped there. These codes were tested using an x-box one pad with the following mappings:

Saturn Button / X-Box One pad Button

X /

Y /

Z /

L /  SELECT 

R /  START 

Start / Left Stick Press

The x-box buttons are listed in the codes below

Unlock bonus cars and the horse

On the title screen hold ++++ and press Start (left stick press). It’s easiest to do this by holding the buttons and pressing start on the intro screen, then keeping the buttons held and pressing start again on the title screen.

Now go to PC mode and the following new vehicles have been unlocked, first colour is automatic, second colour is manual. The Blue/Red car, Green/Pink Car, Black/Orange Car, Cyan/Yellow Car and the Horse. The "automatic" horse is brown, while the "manual" horse is grey and both can travel as fast on grass as they can on tarmac. They also cannot take damage and so can use the pit lanes like normal roads.

Time trial mode

On the transmission select screen, hold down Start (left stick press) and select a transmission type to enable time trial mode. The words ‘Time Lap Mode’ and a stopwatch will appear at the bottom of the screen and you will now be racing against the clock.

Mirror mode

On the circuit select screen in PC mode, hold down Start (left stick press) and select a track to enable mirror mode. The words ‘mirror mode’ will appear at the bottom of the screen and the track will now be mirrored left to right.

Maniac mode

Restart the game or wait on the title screen until the sega/am2 logos to appear. When they do, quickly press , , , , , , , , , , . A sound effect will immediately play if entered correctly.

Now when you start a new race it will be in maniac mode, an extra hard difficulty level. A letter ‘M’ will appear in the top left corner when this mode is enabled.

Karaoke mode (bugged?)

On the select course screen, hold and select a course to enable a karaoke mode where the lyrics to the background music appear at the bottom of the screen.

Note - In my testing, this mode appears to be bugged. Depending on the track, what actually appears at the bottom of the screen does not match up with the music or nothing appears at all.

Slower AI

Hold down at any time during a race to instantly slow the lead car down. Releasing will restore the lead car to its previous position.

View credits

After finishing first in a race, press Start (Left stick press) during the victory lap/replay to view the credits

Easter eggs

All Saturn easter eggs are present in the PC version too.

• Slot Machine on beginner course (press to stop the reels)
• Hidden message up the ramp on the intermediate course
• Jeffry statue on the expert course (press to get him to move)
• High score jingles using specific initials are present

See the Saturn section for more info on these