Do other bikers have "feelings" towards me depending on how I treat them?

Question

I broke out my 3DO and started up some Road Rash. Years ago, I never bothered to do anything else in the game but race. Today, I noticed that inside the Der Panzer Klub, using the "Schmooze" option allows you to talk to the other characters in the game. The description for the "Schmooze" options states:

Let a fellow rider bend your ear a bit. Find out who's your friend and who hates your guts.

After talking with some other bikers, one of them said that they plan to hit me so hard, that "they'll be scrubbing the pavement out of you" (you meaning me).

This leads me to believe that depending on how I treat the other bikers during races (punching or kicking them) can alter how they feel towards me. Is this true in this game or are some bikers just more prone to hating you while others couldn't care less?

Answer 1

Yes, how you treat other bikers during the race supposedly does affect how they feel about you and treat you in return. This video mentions how bikers that you schmooze with will be more hostile toward you if you beat up on them more, and the Fighting section in the manual supports this. It states:

The more you rag on your opponents, the more they're gonna want to take you down. Go easy on 'em and you might pick up some riding tips or dirt on the courses, so to speak, next time you drop in at Der Panzer Klub.

So if you're less aggressive toward other riders in the race, when you meet up with them in Der Panzer Klub instead of insulting you they will actually give you tips and secrets about different courses.