While gliding through the air, take the path under the blue turtle shell if you need an item.
If you have a Fire Flower at this part of the track, you can shoot a Goomba to turn it into a Mushroom! Grab the Mushroom for an extra burst of speed and pass your opponents.
While traveling down the river, you may notice an occasional item box. Grab it and take advantage of the extra item!
If you haven’t managed to get an item box yet on the river, there is one directly to the left of the rock archway, right in front of a ramp. If you can, grab the item box and hop at the same time to get a Mini-Turbo boost!