Chocobo Racing- Times?

[Zephayra]

So I wanted to check out chocobo racing. My chocobo has just turned 29 days old today, and I got the Chocobo Racing form. However, everytime I talk to the Racing NPC, he informs me that there is no races scheduled. I get the same message everytime I try trading the form as well.

I'm curious: Is there a certain time when races are held, or am I doing something wrong? I checked out FFXI Wikipedia but have found nothing.

 

[Skaw]

There are no scheduled races. Everything right now is just mission style races against made up chocobos.

 

[Zephayra]

How do you sign up to do those? I have no idea ><

I thought trading the racing form to the NPC would register my chocobo to race, and then I would get a list of mission races. Do you need to trade the VCS as well? I'm still trying to raise the stats of my chocobo, so I'm kind of iffy about getting one for him. I read that you only needed to trade one or the other, but maybe this isn't the case, since guides have been wrong before.

 

[Skaw]

VCS cards are different from Chococards. You get a VCS card upon retirement.

Are you sure you're trading to the correct guy? The one standing to the left is the one that handles race stuff. The one to the right handles Chocobuck purchases. Alternatively, the single guys standing in zones that don't contain stables work as well. Such as the guy standing by the fountain near the bridge in Port Bastok.

 

[chrono fantasy]

I had that same problem too the first time I went to try it on my laptop... but I didn't have ToAU installed on my laptop, so thought maybe that was the problem... went on my ps2 and PC where ToAU is installed, and it worked fine from there...

So do you have ToAU too?

 

[Zephayra]

I've been talking to the NPC Alangriche standing on the right side of the Chocobo Racing Arena in San d'Oria. I know that the elvaan woman beside him is the one that deals with Chocobuck purchases.

However, I don't have ToAU installed, which might be the problem. However, I wasn't aware that you needed the expansion installed to race, since all races are conducted in the starting nations, and you didn't need the expansion to raise a chocobo. Ah well. I guess racing will have to wait until I can mooch cable access from a friend to install ToAU ((I have awesome dial-up because I live in the middle of no where, yay).

 

[Skaw]

The track is a ToAU zone.

 

[Zephayra]

That explains it then. Thanks for all your help!