High-stakes bidding on million-dollar race cars.
Frantic bets placed in secret as the cars race around
the track. And to the victor, the biggest payout of all.
In the world of motor racing, the margin between
victory and defeat can be a single moment: a steep
banked turn, tires screaming and spitting out smoke, and the
downforce, pressing you down in your seat and keeping you
on the track as you make your move inside to pull ahead.
COMPONENTS
1 Double-Sided Game Board 6 Power Cards
6 Race Car Pawns 6 Driver Plaques
42 Regular Speed Cards 1 Pad of Score Sheets
6 Speed-8 Speed Cards (additional sheets can be downloaded
at www.restorationgames.com)
SET-UP
1 Place the game board in the center of the table on
either side. (Each side has a unique track.) 2 Give each player a score sheet and
something to write with (not included).
3 Shuffle the six Speed-8 speed cards and the
six power cards separately and make two
4 Shuffle the 42 regular speed cards and deal
them out, face down, equally to each player.
(In 4- and 5-player games, there will be 2
face down piles. cards left over - return those to the box.)
5 Place the driver plaques
by the side of the board. 6 Randomly put all six cars onto the starting spaces
on the board.
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PLAYING THE GAME AUCTION EXAMPLE
The green car and the Cunning power
A game of Downforce has three parts: card are revealed for auction.
1. The Auction: The cars are auctioned off to the highest bidder.
2. The Race: The cars race around the track. n on
e your cars, eve
You always mov s.
3. The Betting, which takes place during the race, when players bet other people’
s turn
on who the winning car is going to be.
After the race is over, players add up all their money to see who wins.
All four players choose and reveal a
card from their hand.
THE AUCTION
After players look at their hands of cards, the cars are auctioned off Player 1 plays a card
with no green on it. She
one at a time. passes on the auction.
Flip over the top Speed-8 card and the top power card from the decks.
The car color shown and the power listed are up for bid.
Player 2 plays
To bid, each player chooses a card from their hand and places it face a card with a
down on the table. After everyone has chosen a card, flip over the green 6.
cards. The number on the card matching the color of the car up for bid
is how much you bid for that car (in $M).
The player whose speed card has the highest value of the car color Player 3 plays a
card with a green 4.
shown wins the bid and pays that much, noting the amount on their
score sheet.
If two or more cards have the same value, the card Player 4 plays
with more cars on it wins. a card with a
green 6.
If both tied cards have the same number of cars, the
one without the wild symbol wins.
Players 2 and 4 are tied at 6, but
When a player wins a bid, they: Player 2’s card has more cars on it, so
• write the amount of their bid on their score sheet he gets the car and power card.
• add the matching Speed-8 card to their hand
• put the power card face up in front of them He marks his score
• take the matching driver plaque and place it in front of them sheet with a 6,
places the Speed-8
All bid cards are returned to players’ hands and can be used again to card in his hand,
bid for another car in the auction. and takes the
A new car and power card are revealed and bidding continues, each green driver plaque
time with a new car and power card. and the Cunning
power card.
Every player must have at least one car. When the number of cars
remaining equals the number of players without cars, only players
without cars can bid. When only one car is left, if there is a player
without a car, they reveal the card in their hand with the lowest value
of that color and bid that much. , even on
e your cars
You always mov s.
s turn
other people’
After all cars are auctioned off, any player who has more than one
power card selects one and returns the others to the box. The power
card they keep applies to all of their cars.
For unlikely-but-still-possible auction events, see page 7. All players return their cards to
their hand.
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THE RACE
The player who controls the car on the space takes the first turn. During the race, each player will play one speed
card from their hand and resolve it. Then the player to their left takes the next turn. Play continues until all the cars have
finished the race or no more cards can be played.
PLAYING SPEED CARDS:
Each car whose color appears on the card
is moved the number of spaces indicated You play the card
on the card. Cars are always moved in pictured. First, you
order from top to bottom (unless the player move the red car 6
spaces. Then, you
has the Tricky power). The player who
move the yellow car
played the card moves all of the cars on 4 spaces, then black
the card, even if the cars belong to other 2 spaces, and finally
players (unless the car is controlled by blue 1 space.
someone with the Cunning power). Then you put the card
After the card is resolved, place it face up in the discard pile.
in the discard pile.
WILDS:
White cars are wild. The player who played
You play the card pictured. First, you
the card may pick any color car to move,
move the blue car 6 spaces forward,
other than a color that is already on the card
then the orange car 4 spaces. Now you
(unless that player has the Unpredictable may move the red, green, or black car
power). They may pick a color of a car that 2 spaces using the wild car. (You cannot
has already finished the race or one that can’t choose the blue, orange, or yellow car
move because it is blocked by other cars. because they are already on the card.)
Finally, move the yellow car 1 space.
If a player plays a card with two wild cars on
it, they must choose two different color cars.
MOVING CARS ON THE TRACK:
Cars move forward on the track to the next adjacent space,
either straight or diagonally. A car may not move sideways
or backwards. Cars may not move through other cars,
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though they may move diagonally between two cars that
are adjacent diagonally. A space is considered “forward” 2 1
if the front end of the new space is further ahead than the
front end of the space they moved out of.
Each car must be moved the full number of spaces if
possible, or as far as possible if they cannot move the full Blue moves 4 spaces. It can move into space 1
because it is diagonally forward. It cannot move into
amount. If there is a legal move for a car, the player must
space 2 because that space is sideways. It can
move it. But they may move a car strategically so it is move into space2 3 , but it would not be able to move
blocked by other cars and can’t move the full amount. farther because it would be blocked.
4
4 5
2 3
Yellow moves 5 spaces. It’s only option for its first move Orange moves 6 spaces. Because blue is blocking
is to move to space 1 , which works because the front the path, orange can only move 3 spaces and loses
end lies ahead of the front end of the space where it the rest of its movement.
started. Likewise, the rest of the path shows the only
possible movement options for yellow.
Green may not move into space 2 or space 3 4 since the
front end of those spaces are not farther ahead than the
space started on. Green’s first move must either be to
2 3 or space 5 .
space
Players can choose to move a car so that it deliberately
gets “jammed up” and can’t complete the full move.
THE BETTING
There are three lines on each race track indicating when
betting occurs. Once a car first crosses the first betting
LINE
BETTING
line and after all of the movement on the card has been
resolved, each player secretly marks on their score sheet
which of the six cars they think will finish the race in first
place. Players may bet on their own cars or on other players’
cars. Bets are made in the same way after the first time a car
crosses the second and third betting lines. Players may bet
on the same car more than once or on all different cars.
At the end of the race, players gain money for each of their
bets as indicated on the score sheet if the cars they bet on
finished first, second, or third.
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POWER CARDS:
Each player has a power card that can affect
movement or one of the other rules. When a power
FINISHING THE RACE
contradicts a rule, the power takes precedent over As soon as a car crosses the finish line, it is placed in the
the rule. appropriate winner’s space near the race track. It does
not matter how far past the finish line a car goes. When
all of a player’s cars have finished the race, they discard
AGGRESSIVE the rest of their hand without effect and play no more
Example: If you control the cards in the race. It is possible that some cars will not
red car and play this card, you cross the finish line. These cars stall out, do not finish the
can move the red car 7 spaces
race, and do not collect any money.
instead of 6.
Note: This power does not work if
a wild is first on the card, even if
you use it for your car. WINNING THE GAME
After all cars have finished the race, players mark on their
CUNNING score sheets how much money they earn for each of their
You get to decide where your cars move, cars based on how they finished.
even on other people’s turns, but it is up They then circle any money they won through betting.
to you to remember to move your cars
This money is added up, and the initial bid money is
during other people’s turns!
subtracted from it.
The money remaining is their winnings.
DETERMINED
To use this power, the car must enter only The player with the most winnings wins the game.
rectangular spaces during regular movement. The In the case of a tie, the player whose car finished higher
starting space, and the bonus movement spaces, wins the tie.
may be straight or curved. Move the additional
spaces immediately after your car is moved, even
if there are other cars on the card after yours.
STRATEGIC
Example: If you play this card,
you could choose to ignore any
one of the cars. Just skip that
car and move on to the next car.
TRICKY
Example: If you play this card,
you could move the cars as
follows: orange 1, then yellow 2,
then red 4, then black 6. Or you
could move them the regular
order - you decide.
UNPREDICTABLE
Example: If you play this card,
you can choose to use the wild
to move the blue, orange or
yellow car 2 spaces (in addition
to the regular choices of red,
black, and green).
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ALTERNATE WAYS TO PLAY
Beginner’s Game
For a simpler game for younger players, make the following changes:
• Do not auction off the cars. Instead, randomly deal the Speed-8 cards (and their matching driver plaques) to each
player so that everyone has the same number of cars. Any leftover cards remain out of play, and their corresponding
cars are not controlled by any player.
• Do not use team powers.
• Do not deal all the cards at the start of the game. Each player gets a hand of three cards. The rest go in a common
draw pile. After a person plays a card, they draw a new card from the draw pile.
• Do not play with the betting rules.
• The car of the player that finishes first wins the game.
Two Player Game
For two players, make the following changes:
• Players do not put the Speed-8 cards into their hands, but instead leave them face up in front of them.
• After the auction, each player shuffles their speed cards to form a draw pile and draws a hand of 7 cards.
• On their turn, players may play a card from their hand or use one of their unused (face-up) Speed-8 cards.
• If a player plays a card from their hand, they draw a replacement card from their draw pile.
Long Distance Races
For those with stamina, play the Long Distance race! In this version you ignore the finish line and keep going until all of
the speed cards have been played. The winner is the player who controls the car that finished farthest ahead. If two or
more cars are tied, whoever is on the inside track wins.
World Tour Game
Can’t get enough Downforce? Play two games in a row - one on each of the two tracks - and add the two
scores together.
RARE AUCTION RULES
If no one bids on a car/power combination, set it aside. At the end of the auction, if any players are without
cars, they will bid, one at a time on any set aside cards. Otherwise these cars race with no one owning
them. They may still be bet on.
If a player has no cards matching the color of a car up for bid, they may use a wild card to bid on that car.
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Feeling creative? Customize your cars with paint or stickers.
(This might also help if you have a player with a color vision deficiency.)
If you do, post it to social media and let us know with the hashtag
#DownforceCustom.
GAME HISTORY
1996 was a pretty great year for legendary game designer Wolfgang Kramer. He didn’t have
just one, but two of his games recommended for the pinnacle of all game awards, the Spiel
des Jahres. One was El Grande, which won the award. The other game was Top Race.
Back in 1974, Top Race began as Tempo, a themeless race game on a straight track
and Kramer’s first published game. In 1980, he brought it back as Niki Lauda’s
Formel 1, now licensed and featuring the race car theme that would garner
it so much attention. Over the next decade, it would see print under a
number of different names and licenses, including Daytona 500, put out
by Milton Bradley in 1990. It was this version that Rob had so much
fun playing with his kids around the family table.
Then, suddenly, gone. For more than 20 years, the game has
been largely unavailable. So we decided to bring it back.
You would be hard pressed to find a game with as
many different versions, each one so highly rated.
For this restoration, we knew we did not have
to do much with the game play itself. We
made a few tweaks here and there to rev CREDITS
it up, but mostly this was about finally Restored from: Top Race, designed by Wolfgang Kramer
giving this game the upgrade it so and published by ASS Altenburger Spielkarten.
richly deserves. Restoration Team:
Game Restoration: Rob Daviau and Justin D. Jacobson
Graphic Design: Jason Taylor
Cover Illustration: Tavis Coburn
Game Board Illustration: Michael Crampton
Plastics Design: Hakan Diniz
Project Manager/Production Artist: Lindsay Daviau
Playtesters: Kevin Adams, Seth Axen, Hannah Carr, Jason Carr, Kevan Baker, Sean Baker, BGG.con
playtesters, BJ Break Games (Beth Heile and John Knoerzer), John Bowe, David Briel, Christina Brunelle, Eric
Brunelle, Christian Busch and family, Lee Butler, Jason Carr, Dave Chalker, Thomas Comber, Constance Comber,
Andy Comber, John Cooper, Will Creech, Audrey Dakin, Jacob Davenport, Marc Diamante, Nora Diamante, Ariel
Diaz-Nanasca, Michelle Diaz-Nanasca, Burke Drew, Josh Drobina, Reise Frederick, Rian Frederick, Paul Frische-Mouri,
Chris Herndon, Becca Highest, Colton Hoerner, Andrew Hopkins, Christian Hopkins, Dawn Hopkins, Max Hopkins, Will
Hopkins, Jean Hoskins, Jimmy Huang, Matt “Turbo Lover” Hughey, Aaron “Speed” Hurt, Braeden Jackson, Collin Jackson,
Mark Jackson, Jadyn Jacobson, Jara Jacobson, Jeff Jacobson, Chris Kirkman, Michael Lahl, Mark LoSacco, Erik LoSacco,
Graham Macnamara, Ben Madow, Chris “Carl” Martin, Levi Mestler, Grant Mestler, Nathan Mestler, Metatopia playtesters, James
Meyers, Paul Mitchell, Ben Nissen, Janine “BCP” Phelps, Jeff Piroozshad, all our friends at Rabbitcon, Mark Rickard, Michael Ruiz, Bill
Shube, Sarah Shube, Adam Skelding, Matthew Slagle, Stephanie Slagle, Lucas Smith, John Sowerby, Tim Spurling, Bill Thaw, Gregory
J Thomas, Greg Thorne, Trek Thorne, Tim Tjarks, Jim Williamson, Nick Winn, Matt Wolfe, Aaron Woodford, Courtney Woodford, Mike Youtz
©2017 Restoration Games, LLC. The following are trademarks of Restoration Games, LLC: Restoration Games, the Restoration
Games logo, Downforce, the Downforce logo, the Every Game Deserves Another Turn tagline, and all associated trade dress.
Restoration Games, LLC is located at 12717 W SUNRISE BLVD, #244, Sunrise, FL 33323. Actual components may vary from those
shown. Made in China. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT A TOY. NOT INTENDED FOR USE BY PERSONS 13 YEARS OF AGE OR YOUNGER.
