Break time! How well can I race the first course of the game? I make a very comfortable distance between myself and the CPU cars.
Alas, this is one of those "go on forever" games. I am aware of Dimon12321's TAS, and the point where it stopped, the third time it collected the NINTENDO letters, seems to be a good spot. This sample should show what sort of improvements one can make over that TAS.
Let's see... Any tricks, uh... Here's one:
The game very slowly adjusts your momentum to match your facing, and while they are far apart, your maximum speed is reduced. But there is a limit to this difference, and turning past this limit instantly affects your momentum. So turn hard to make the curve, then steer back to straighten yourself to minimize lost speed.
I am curious if TAS can race these things indefinitely, or whether the supply of ammo will prove decidedly finite against the cheat-fast CPU cars later on. In any case, here's a small TAS while I stall my write-up for Gauntlet.