Cloudtop Cruise

The Special Cup opens with a very fast course. Cloudtop Cruise rewards racers who are aggressive in their execution of Mini-Turbos off any turn, and Jump Boosts off of anything that can trigger them. At 150cc and Mirror settings, this is easily one of the fastest courses of all sixteen brand-new tracks, and it rewards the most aggressive drivers.

Kart of Champions

Nintendo’s Best Time Trial: 2:11.595
Player Jeff C. M.
Racer: Wario	Body: Sport Bike	Wheels: Cyber Slick	Glider: Parafoil

Grand Prix

A dash panel ramp launches you onto a bounce pad as the track begins. You can score Jump Boosts both off the ramp itself and the bounce pad.

The upcoming turns right after the first bounce pad can be raced through like normal, however there is another bounce pad that can be used if you take up a proper racing line, aiming for it and the section of track beyond. Scoring another Jump Boost here, and off the ramp that follows, is a good way to stay ahead of the pack.

After a sharp right turn, you’re dropped onto an airship with two paths around the central propeller. Neither path is particularly faster. Both feature Barrels that can slow you down if you don’t have the speed or the assistance of items to break through.

At the bow of the airship is a cannon that shoots you through the clouds to reach another section of the course. Dash panels litter the track, and you want to use these. However, lightning strikes these panels in an alternating pattern. Watch for a strike to start building up so you can avoid that panel altogether.

As you shoot out of the clouds, the final turn leading to the finish line can be seen. More importantly, there’s a pair of leaves to the right of the track, suspended in mid-air. You can use these leaves to cut that corner. Be VERY careful using that shortcut if other racers are around. If you’re a lightweight racer and make contact with someone heavier, you’ll fall into the abyss!

Time Trial Mode

Jump Boost off the dash panel ramp and the bounce pad right after the race starts.

The follow-up S-curve lines you up for the first major shortcut of the race. Collect the two Coins on the inside lines of the S-curve while making tracks for the short cloud ramp that launches you onto another bounce pad. Drift aggressively through the S-curve to try and score Mini-Turbos in between collecting the Coins, and make sure you Jump Boost off the cloud ramp, the bounce pad, and the ramp that you land on beyond the bounce pad.

Just past the gauntlet of Jump Boosts is another sharp right. You have a choice of drifting on the outside of this turn to collect three Coins, or cutting the corner close and snagging only one Coin on the inside line. Be sure to Jump Boost off the ramp that follows!

The track split on the airship contains Coins on both sides. For Lap 1, take the right side split to pick up two more Coins. Drift and Mini-Turbo through this turn, then do a drift and Mini-Turbo hard to the right to launch yourself forward towards the cannon at the front of the ship. For the right route, you can collect one Coin while sticking to the inside line. Take this route for future laps.

After getting launched into the clouds, you must use the dash panels to speed through this section while also avoiding the lightning that strikes them. However, during Lap 1 you’ll want to favor the far left side of the track to collect two more Coins. This will cost you some speed as you’ll miss dash panels to collect both Coins, but you can make up for this using a Mushroom in between panels. You can use two Mushrooms on Lap 1 to ensure you collect two Coins, saving a third Mushroom for the final lap.

The final shortcut is absolutely required to score top lap times, and contains one more Coin for your trouble. When hopping from each leaf, be sure you Jump Boost, and when leaping from the second leaf, make sure you’re lined up with the finish line!

TM & © 2014 Nintendo.