Track FAQ
By: The Last Avenger
Email: lastavenger@yahoo.com

This guide covers strategies for beating the tracks, and I walk you 
through most of the levels (the really long ones I can't do.) I also 
have some boss strategies and list all the shortcuts I have discovered 
to date. This work is completely original and was made by the Last 
Avenger.
Please note that I will NOT list relic times and CTR token locations. 
It's too hard to do and explain, and you can find that information 
almost anywhere else. It deals with beating the tracks, in an adventure 
mode order. Slide Coliseum and Turbo Track, are listed, along with the 
standard 16 tracks. I'll give a gem cup walkthrough after Turbo Track 
as well. At the end, I'll give a brief summary, and what power-ups work 
best here.
VERSION UPDATES
1.0	Finished general FAQs. Decided to make a more walkthrough format.
1.1	Finished walkthrough. Submitted it to the site. I'm going to 
add something.
1.2	Added the Turbo Track and Slide Coliseum walkthrough
1.3	Added Gem Cups and the result of winning (i.e. new racers).
1.4	Added level summaries and usefulness of power-ups.

CRASH COVE
Right in the beginning, try to pull ahead and grab a power up, taking 
the left path to save the most time. Now, jump off the end of the 
wooden ramp, get a fruit crate, and continue on to the main course.
Alternately, drive into the pool of water. Toward the left, you'll see 
a grassy plateau. Drive toward it (still in the water) and close to it, 
you racer will be completely submerged. If you time a jump right, 
you'll get catapulted into the air and onto the plateau, where you can 
save a VERY small amount of time and get a power up crate besides. This 
shortcut isn't really effective and don't worry about it if you can't 
reach it.
In any case, you'll soon drive across a long wooden bridge. You'll get 
a power up crate at the end, then it's a straightaway. Do not drive up 
the pirate ship toward the end. It's not a shortcut, and besides 
providing a jump has no practical use. 
Turn left and take the two speed pads to the finish line.
SUMMARY
Difficulty: Very Easy
Shortcuts: Leap out of the water and onto the plateau
Things to remember: None really… don't take the pirate ship, and take 
the left fork at the beginning… also, the second speed pad sneaks up on 
you and can be missed easily.
Power-ups: Almost any sort, since this course is so all around. A good 
place to shoot a bowling bomb backwards is on the long bridge.

Now, drive up the dock to access Roo's Tubes. This is where you will 
fight the boss, so pay attention to the layout of this course.

ROO'S TUBES
This reminds me of the Test Track ride in Disney World… at least the 
first little section. Anyhow, there's a small jump in the beginning. 
You can get a really small boost. You'll now land on the next section, 
which is an underwater tube area (hence the name.) Stay to the right of 
the track and take the two speed pads. Again, you'll get another small 
jump. Stay in the center and take the speed pad, take the last 
underwater tube, and take one last jump into a big whale skeleton. 
Alternately, if you have a speed power up, you can take a side path. To 
the left of the skeleton if a dirt path. If you don't have a mask or 
boost, don't take it, it slows you down quite a bit. Otherwise, it can 
be quite useful.
SUMMARY
Difficulty: Very Easy
Shortcuts: Side trail next to skeleton
Things to remember: Don't take the shortcut without a speed boost. 
Also, stay to the right in the first tube area for speed pads. 
Power-ups: Well, you can use anything but potions. They're too easy to 
dodge, and there's no real blind area. TNT is only more useful because 
it's harder to dodge.

Now you can race at Mystery Caves. Go over there, and get ready for 
your first somewhat challenging race.

MYSTERY CAVES
Hit the two speed pads in the beginning. When you get to the turtles in 
the water, taking the one that ISN'T raised. They alternate every 
second and a half, so that should help your timing. If you succeed, 
you'll get a small boost upon landing/
Take the speed pad after the second set of turtles by staying to the 
left. Otherwise, you won't make it. Take the left path, it's shorter. 
The fireball jumps that follow look intimidating, but the game is 
pretty forgiving on whether you get hit or not. Jump toward the one 
that's in the air at the moment, and you should be okay. Now, it's back 
into the caves. There are a few more turtles and such before you circle 
back around to the finish and start line.
SUMMARY
Difficulty: Easy
Shortcuts: None really… 
Things to remember: The speed pad after the second turtle jump is all 
the way to the left. It's hard to see until you get right up to it. The 
fireball jumps are all a matter of location and timing, both easily 
alterable.
Power-ups: I would definitely take a mask here, for the speed boost and 
the invulnerability… missiles too since there isn't really any ways to 
dodge them except for the fireball jumps.

Now you can go race at Sewer Speedway. Be sure to be ready, since this 
course introduces a new kind of obstacle, rolling obstructions in the 
middle of the road.
SEWER SPEEDWAY
At first, you simply race through a section of metal platform. Pretty 
early on, you'll have a choice of what path you want to take. Choose 
the RIGHT path. Now, you'll get a speed pad jump. Leap onto the raised 
pipe on the LEFT and after exiting that tube, you'll be in a half pipe.
A very difficult shortcut is available. In the right wall, a hole is 
visible. You need a mask or speed boost. Or, if you're experienced 
enough, jump off the edge and do a one eighty spin. You'll get a boost 
of speed. Try to aim your last jump perpendicular to the hole. If you 
jump while boosted, there's a good chance you'll make it. If you 
succeed, you'll get a few rows of speed pads, power-up crates, and 
fruit crates. Otherwise, continue racing, take the speed pads, and soon 
you'll get to a rolling barrel in the middle of the road. Nothing you 
do can affect it, so avoid it. If you get squashed, you'll get a speed 
penalty for a little while.
Now, you're in a pipe. Jump off the ramp, and you'll be in yet another 
pipe. Dodge the barrel, and you'll be back onto the metal platform 
section. A series of small jumps ensues, and soon you'll be back at the 
finish.
SUMMARY
Difficulty: Easy
Shortcuts: Hole in the wall. Really hard to get to.
Things to remember: Jump from left to right or have a speed power up 
for the shortcut… don't get run over by barrels, and after the second 
rolling barrel don't run into the dividing pillar.
Power-ups: Don't leave anything in the shortcut, since no one but you 
takes it… otherwise, you might want to leave a Nitro or other contact 
obstacle immediately after the barrels to limit maneuvering space for 
your fellow racers. Aside from that, there's little I can help you 
with.
BOSS: RIPPER ROO
This boss is basically a complete psycho. Look at him! His eyes are 
screwed up, he bites his tongue, and his way of speech is an insane 
laugh. He says: "You crazy enough to race me? I'll show you wild 
driving! Last one across the finish line is a rotten brain!" This, of 
course, relates to himself. And also, if you look closely, you'll see 
that he steers with his feet. Weird.
Well anyhow, you're in Roo's Tubes. This really shouldn't be much of a 
surprise. Start out with a speed boost, and then Ripper Roo will catch 
up.
He's faster than everyone, and can lay down as much TNT as he feels 
like. He releases one every second or so except on tight turns. If you 
get three missiles (more likely than not) shoot them all at once since 
some are bound to hit the TNT he leaves behind. Oh, and also when the 
TNT Ripper Roo drops is out of sight, it vanishes. The shortcut is 
somewhat useful. Once you beat him:
"You are crazier than me! Here, take this key! Good luck, you'll need 
it." Still with that psycho laugh (his words appear as subtitles.) I 
actually think it's funny, especially while you're racing.
Go back and get some CTR tokens, then come back here and bother me some 
more.

COCO PARK
After driving through the spaceship level, you'll end up in an Aztec 
looking place. Drive straight ahead, and Coco Park should come into 
view.
Note: This level is boring. There is no shortcut, no jumps, and the 
scenery is very gaudy.
At first, you get to race over a few bumps. A couple of pathetic turns 
follow this, and then you'll see one of the only speed pads in this 
whole level. Take it and rush into the tunnel. Grab the fruit crate, 
and then continue on, through some more pathetic jumps and bad turns. 
One last bump leads to the other speed pad, and then the finish line.
If this seems like a short walkthrough, that's because it is. This 
course is really boring and really short. I really don't like it. Have 
fun anyway… heh heh…



SUMMARY
Difficulty: Average (since the course is hard to get through without 
sleeping, no shortcut, and boring course altogether.)
Shortcut: None. Yawn.
Things to remember: Take EVERY speed pad and grab EVERY fruit box. It's 
the only way you'll stay awake. 
Power-ups: I hate this level… stop making me think about it… hmm, an 
obstacle right after the first bump could be useful, or an obstacle on 
a speed pad. Find the rest yourself, this level stinks.

TIGER TEMPLE
This is actually the alternate level you can do instead of Coco Park. 
You still have to do both, but this level beats the Park by a long 
shot…
From the start, go downhill, leap off the stone ramp (getting a fruit 
crate) landing (giving you another fruit crate, thereby maxing you out) 
and then leap over every little bump, and one more stone ramp, before 
you enter a hallway. Along the sides are yellow faces that occasionally 
spit fire. If you run into those, you get spun out for a while. The 
flames don't stretch across the entire width of the tunnel, 
fortunately.
Now, if you have any attack power up besides missiles or warp orbs, you 
can take a handy little shortcut. There's a big stone head shortly 
after the first hallway. Shoot your power up (if you have a shield, 
shoot if off) and if you hit, the mouth will open and give you access 
to a secret passage. Fruit crates await you here if you're not already 
juiced up, and then it's a few more jumps and one more hallway before 
you complete the lap.
Note: The power-ups that work for the shortcut are: mask (run into,) 
shield (shoot if off), bowling bomb (shoot it forward) or potion (shoot 
forward.)
SUMMARY
Difficulty: Easy
Shortcut: The head after the first temple hallway.
Things to remember: Don't get torched by the fire spitters in the 
hallways. Leap off every single ramp and bump… you'd be surprised at 
the speed boosts you can get. 
Power-ups: The main area you should use them is in the hallways and for 
the shortcut. Let back bowling bombs in the hallways (they're hard to 
dodge) and also a Nitro or potion in the lane opposite the fire 
spitters forces your racers to get torched or to get blown up. If you 
have a choice, get torched (unless it's a green potion or TNT; the 
former isn't really all that bad, and you can just get the latter off 
your head.) Watch out for bowling bombs on you in the hallways though, 
because they're just as hard, if not harder, to dodge.

PAPU'S PYRAMID
Right at the start, veer right and jump off the ramp, hopefully 
grabbing a fruit crate. Now, there are four very sharp turns. I suggest 
power sliding BEFORE you actually turn, because the course is very 
narrow, and scraping against the walls if nerve grinding and slows you 
down. These turns take practice; don't worry if you can't master them 
at first. 
Now, you'll hit a speed pad. You'll be introduced to some unique 
enemies, carnivorous plants. Do not, repeat DO NOT drive onto the dirt 
areas in front of them. Sometimes you'll get lucky, but others the 
plant will strike suddenly and eat your car, making you lose lots of 
time. So again, don't go in front of them. It isn't worth it.
After a few turns and a crate, manage to have a mask or speed boost. 
You'll see two low walls with arrows pointing to the right; if you 
don't have a speed power-up, turn. Otherwise, activate the power up and 
jump BETWEEN the walls. You'll (hopefully) land on a column of land and 
will soon jump back down, putting you ahead of whoever was competing 
with you before.
If you can't take that shortcut, you can take another. When you get to 
the other speed pad, jump diagonally across it to the left, and into a 
small ledge. Three fruits are available, and it also intersects with 
the main road, allowing you to get one of the few crates in this level. 
Avoid some more plants, jump off the hill, and make a sharp turn to the 
right. You might run into the plant, especially if you have a speed 
boost or good speed to begin with. You'll get one big jump, then a 
little jump, and then you'll be back to the finish line.
SUMMARY
Difficulty: Hard (interesting turns and obstacles…)
Shortcut: Side ramp, pillar jump
Things to remember: Do not get eaten by the plants. Use power sliding 
to your advantage on the actual pyramid, or slow down on the 
accelerator to improve your turning. Also, use every speed pad, there's 
not a whole not around.
Power-ups: Well, masks and speed boosts for the shortcut… maybe an 
obstacle on the tight turns, because they'll be much harder to dodge.

DINGO CANYON
At the start, there's some stray fruit hanging around, grab them if you 
want. Avoid the blue thing rolling across the track, or you'll spin out 
of control.
Now, you'll be inside a tunnel. Grab a power up and fruit crate, then 
hop in the water. Occasionally, you'll be shot up high into the air, 
rewarding you with a speed boost once you land. The only places this 
works are right in front of islands (it uses the Slide Coliseum 
physics.) 
Now turn right and take the speed pad. Avoid the two blue guys rolling 
around (this can be difficult) and take the right path (for fruit, if 
you need or want it) or the left path (which is the shorter way.) They 
both open up into a final stretch, where there's a jump, ones last blue 
guy, and then the finish line. There are no shortcuts in this level.
Note: Place a Nitro or potion in the air so that those jumping cannot 
see it. By the time they see it, it'll be too late. Of course, if they 
do dodge it, then you might be the victim…
SUMMARY
Difficulty: Easy (no real challenge)
Shortcuts: Nope.
Things to remember: Well, I suppose I listed them up there already… 
dodge the blue things, jump in the water, and only take the right path 
for needed fruit.
Power-ups: As said before, in the air. Another good place for obstacles 
is right after the watery section with the turn, since there's a little 
blind spot they won't be able to see until it's too late.

BOSS: PAPU PAPU
I believe this guy was from the first Crash, since he isn't in the 
other two. He is this really fat guy who is hard to understand (I can't 
get his voice, sorry) and talks kind of primitive, bad grammar and all. 
Tsk, tsk…
When you start, you'll be racing at the pyramid. Papu usually gets a 
speed boost at the beginning, but I'll have to check that sometime. 
Right off the bat he'll drop red and green potions which are like 
Ripper Roo's TNT in that they disappear when you drive past them.
Again, shoot all three missiles (if you get them) to slow him down, 
because he's the fastest of the bosses, and catches up alarmingly 
quickly.
Any of the shortcuts are useful in this course. Papu doesn't take any.
If and when you manage to beat him, he complains about him not being 
himself and gives you a key, saying "Oxide much bigger problem than I." 
With these two spiffy looking keys, head over to the igloo place.
Brrrrrrrr… this must be the Minnesota level. Honestly, we get tons of 
snow…
Almost immediately, Blizzard Bluff will come into sight. 

BLIZZARD BLUFF
This is the only level where I haven't succeeded at taking the 
shortcut.
There's some stray fruit toward the beginning. If, after the first few 
seconds, you're not in first, the other racers will probably steal it 
all. You've been warned.
Race along the snowy path for a while, making a few turns. After a 
while, you'll run into a boulder. This is like the barrels in Sewer 
Speedway, but since you enter at an angle, it's a little harder to 
avoid. A few more jumps follow, then you'll be on a frozen pond. 
Turning and control is much harder on the ice, and here's where you can 
take a shortcut.
The impossible shortcut I mentioned earlier requires a heck of a lot of 
speed. Probably you need a speed boost AND a mask. After the first icy 
area, there's a short little side path which leads to a jump over the 
river. If you successfully take it, you cut off a few seconds, and that 
can be significant. It might be possible with an Aku, but only if you 
have above average speed (i.e. the best stat in the selection screen. 
Crash and Cortex do not have good speeds for purposes of this 
shortcut.)
Now, you'll get to a snow area and a sharp left turn. Grab the speed 
pad, race in the house bridge for a little while, then you're back on 
the snow. After some more turns, a couple of jumps will follow (don't 
jump on the hill before the speed pad, you'll miss it) and there's one 
more stretch of ice to race on before you reach the finish line.
SUMMARY
Difficulty: Hard (not really hard, but for some reason it seems more 
challenging.)
Shortcuts: Impossible river jump
Things to remember: Don't get hit by the boulder. Don't take the 
shortcut unless you're SURE you have the right amount of speed. Jump 
over every hill except for the one right before the final speed pad.
Power-ups: Well, attack power-ups are better here because obstacles are 
obvious and stand out (red against white….) Bowling Bombs begin getting 
harder to pull off because you're turning a lot.

DRAGON MINES
This is a hard level, one of the hardest in the game actually. It 
consists of four parts: an outside (where you start) a short stretch 
where you can get a few crates, a corkscrew, and a mine cart area.
Try to start out in first. Don't take the pool of water as it slows you 
down (you can "dip" into it to shave off a little time.) To my 
knowledge, the other racers ignore the fruit crate near the water, so 
get that for sure.
Next, we enter an insane turn. Even if you're Polar or Pura, you'll 
have a tough time negotiating this. Power slide the entire time, and do 
it over and over… I had to do this three times. I can only imagine what 
this must be like playing as Tiny. 
Lastly, we enter a stretch where mine carts cross the track several 
times. Getting run over by one slows you down, plus you lose almost all 
of your fruit, so try not to get hit. 
A shortcut can be found. When the mine track first intersects with the 
course, turn into the tunnel where the cart runs. It slows you down for 
a while, the mine cart will slow you down even more. Then, at some 
point you can jump back onto the main track. Getting a mask will 
prevent you from getting run over, but the sharp turn to get back onto 
the course will probably send you flying off the edge.
SUMMARY
Difficulty: Very Hard 
Shortcut: Mining tunnel
Things to remember: Don't get run over by the mine carts… power slide 
the wooden corkscrew… a lot of common sense mostly.
Power-ups: In spite of the turns, Bowling Bombs work quite well because 
the course tends to be rather narrow. Also, obstacles on the tracks 
limit maneuvering room.


POLAR PASS 
Another Minnesota level, but this time the turns are sharper, the 
obstacles are meaner, the jumps are bigger. Much more fun than Blizzard 
Bluff, if you ask me.
In the beginning, get a fruit crate but avoid the seal. Shortly after, 
you'll reach a fork. Take the right hand path, and when that ends take 
the other right hand path and take the speed. Grab a power-up (avoiding 
the seal) and take the speed pads until you get to a series of jumps. 
Get another fruit crate, and turn SHARPLY to make it to the last jump 
without falling off.
If you've been doing this faithfully, you should have maximum fruit by 
now. Take the wooden ramps for some small boosts, and then drive into 
the tunnel. Avoiding the two seals is a bit more challenging, but time 
it carefully and you'll make it fine
Right about now, you can find a shortcut. Notice that the end of the 
hill in the tunnel slopes upward. With a good speed and good jumping, 
you can leap OVER the wall and back onto the course… saves lots of 
time. If you fail however, you'll lose lots of time trying to recover. 
It's a risk.
Now, take the speed pad, race over the three frozen ponds, then either 
jump (if you don't want a power-up) or cruise up the hill at the end to 
land on the speed pad for the final jump. If you land correctly, you 
can hit a fruit crate.
SUMMARY
Difficulty: Hard (average once you're used to it)
Shortcut: Leap over the wall
Things to remember: Take your time on the sharp turns. There are plenty 
of chances to get maxed out on fruit, so don't stress about that. Watch 
out for the two seals in the tunnel. If you hit one, you won't be able 
to take the shortcut.
Power-ups: No speed ones here, especially masks, because they penalize 
your turning. Don't use on if you know there's a turn coming up, you'll 
just end up losing time.
TINY ARENA
This level's too big and monotonous to write a walkthrough for, sorry. 
Leap off every single hill and take every one of the few speed pads you 
encounter. Toward the beginning, there's a bit of mud to slow you down, 
but maximize your air time and you'll be fine. Get all the fruit crates 
you can and use every power-up to your advantage, because this level's 
very difficult to get ahead in. It lacks a shortcut as well.
Good luck.
SUMMARY
Difficulty: Very Hard
Shortcut: None at all. What a waste.
Things to remember: See walkthrough
Power-ups: Heh… I have no clue. Just Warp Orb your way is how I won.
BOSS: KOMODO JOE
At the beginning, Joe will hiss at you and say that you're too slow and 
he's sick of your parody of racing, or something like that. 
You're racing in Dragon Mines, so keep that in mind. Komodo Joe is fast 
and leaves Nitro (if you're close behind him) or tosses TNT behind him 
that explode on contact. They have a big blast radius, so watch out. 
Since this level's path is so narrow, avoiding his crates can be tough. 
Missiles again are the best way to go. Try to get all the fruit you 
can, and use Nitro crates to slow him down (but don't hurt yourself!) 
Do not shoot missiles on the wooden corkscrew, as they will always 
miss.
This was the first boss I lost to, but persevere and you'll make it 
through. The second time was much easier. He should have been hard, 
except for that he hit every single obstacle I left for him… bad AI. 
Ouch.
Komodo Joe will concede defeat, saying "Maybe your not sssso ssssslow," 
and will hand over a key. You can now race at the final four levels.

CORTEX CASTLE
Note: Many of the turns in this level are right angles, so power slide 
to your advantage.
In the beginning, turn left and grab a crate before jumping to the next 
section. A fruit crate is seemingly unguarded, but a spider from above 
drops down occasionally. Turn right. 
Now, take the left path and the next few jumps will be lined up 
perfectly for you. You'll soon end up on the roof of the castle. Stay 
to the inside and hit a speed pad, then down the steps you go, hitting 
a couple fruit crates to juice you up.
Now, you enter an area with Neo's face on stained glass. If you have a 
mask or speed boost, jump to the left after the hill and you'll land on 
a small ramp which cuts off a good bit of time. Otherwise, negotiate 
the right angle turns and after three such turns you'll be jumping off 
a ramp, landing back toward the beginning. If you jump at the right 
moment, you can grab the fruit crates if you need them.
Avoid the spiders and take the last speed pad to the finish line.
SUMMARY
Difficulty: Average
Shortcuts: Ramp jump
Things to remember: Getting maxed out is easy here, like in Polar Pass. 
Do not get seemingly unguarded single crates, because they're very 
probably guarded by a spider. Jump at the end of every turn.
Power-ups: Place a few on the speed pads to slow opponents down. 
Missiles are pretty useless, because all of the turns are "straight" 
and can easily block them. Potions and TNT are okay, I suppose. Masks 
are just as useful here as in others.

N. GIN LABS
Right at the start, turn left to get a concealed fruit crate. Now, hit 
the speed pad for a jump, where you can get a power up. Again, you'll 
hit another jump where you can pick up a crate, then it's one last to 
the next section. 
Grab a power-up (hopefully you're close to being in first by now) and 
go into the blue tunnel, which gives you a long lasting speed boost.  
This is a good place to leave obstacles, because the path is extremely 
narrow. You'll eventually exit onto a metal walkway and a moderate turn 
which curves right. You'll get to an area where large barrels move 
along the course. Stay on the side and take only the speed pads that 
aren't about to be run over. Usually, you can only get one but 
occasionally you'll get both (you can ignore the barrels if you have a 
mask.) 
Now, there's a set of right angle turns. You can leap over the corners 
to save time, and the last two have a fruit crate and power up 
respectively if you jump at the end of the ramps. Then, two more bumps 
await you before you run into a sharp right and back to the start line.
SUMMARY
Difficulty: Easy (seriously!)
Shortcuts: None…
Things to remember: Right after the barrel run, with the tight turns, 
leap across the corner to shave off a bit of time.
Power-ups: Obstacles in the blue tunnel are extremely effective. Speed 
power ups are good because of the lack of sharp turns. I would also 
think putting stuff on the speed pad jumps are good because of limited 
maneuvering space.

HOT AIR SKYWAY
This is a very long and hard level, and I will describe it as best I 
can…
Grab a power-up and fruit crate toward the beginning, and soon you'll 
enter a nightmarish turn. Worse than the one in Dragon Mines, belive it 
or not, but the track's wider so you get a little more maneuvering 
space. There's a speed pad on the outside of the track, so be sure to 
get that. 
When that's done, you get to do a jump. Either jump straight for the 
normal path, or jump slightly to the right for a bit of a shortcut. Be 
sure you have a good jumper, or you'll fall for sure.
Now, you have a lot more turns and jumps. There's one more corkscrew, 
but thankfully not as long as the first turn. When you enter the belly 
of the blimp, grab the last fruit crate and zoom over the finish line. 
This walkthrough is quite vague, but that's only because the course is 
long and hard to explain.
SUMMARY
Difficulty: Hard-Very Hard
Shortcuts: Alternate landing
Things to remember: Sharp turn all the time. Do not fall off here; it 
is entirely too easy. Take your time. It's better to lose a little time 
on the turns then to fall off entirely. Also, don't try the shortcut if 
you have a bad jumper.
Power-ups: Any obstacle or bowling bomb because the course is so 
narrow. When you get to the straightaway, throw a warp orb (non-juiced) 
and it'll hit anyone on the area. Cool.

OXIDE STATION
In my opinion, this is the most fun level in the game. It has fun 
turns, tons of speed pads, and really long and fun jumps.
Toward the beginning, you'll get a set of turns and speed pads. Power 
slide to negotiate this section of track. Go for fruit crates as 
they're more important right now. When you reach the jump, you'll get a 
short straightaway with a few speed pads before you get to a jump. Leap 
over and onto the next jump, which is incredibly long…. you'll get a 
bit of a boost before a long ramp covered in speed pads for another big 
jump. Don't try to land on the horizontal course, you can't. You'll 
fall just before it and back onto the main track, where you have more 
turns and speed pads. Power slide and boost every single time, and it's 
possible to stay boosted almost the entire time.
SUMMARY
Difficulty: Average
Shortcuts: None
Things to remember: Take all the speed pads you can to win. Also, jump 
over all hills, and power slide + boost to maximize your speed. This is 
a fun level. Oh, and before I forget, take fruit crates before power-
ups, as non-juiced power ups aren't nearly as useful.
Power-ups: Normal, but there's one really good place to use an N. Tropy 
clock… I'm thinking of the huge jump in space. While everyone is in the 
air, activate it. They'll spin out of control, and since there won't be 
any momentum, they'll all fall! I must have knocked out, oh, maybe four 
racers this way. Very useful. Warp orbs aren't as handy here because 
they strangely go backward for some reason and hit guys behind you 
before getting around to those in front. Weird.

BOSS: PINSTRIPE
As soon as you get the trophy in Oxide Station, the boss will confront 
you, saying to "forget about it," and that you'll "have to get past me 
first." He is obviously from New Jersey, as his speech indicates…
You're racing in Hot Air Skyway again, so get ready. Now, he throws 
unlimited Bowling Bombs behind him. Fortunately, they're easy to avoid; 
don't stay directly behind him for long. Also, he doesn't shoot them 
back on tight turns, so rest assured.
He is particularly vulnerable to missiles because his bombs can't 
intercept them. In fact, that's the reason why he's so much easier than 
he would otherwise be.
The first (and last) time I raced him, I left a Nitro on the speed pad 
of the final jump. He hit it and tumbled right into a pit… I was 
already ahead but now I had an enormous lead. I suggest doing the same 
thing. I found this boss wasn't as hard as the previous.
I can't remember what he says when you beat him, but in any case he 
forks over the last key.

FINAL BOSS: NITROS OXIDE
Now Nitros Oxide himself will appear, challenging you to a final race. 
This is quite a tough boss, understandably the hardest one of all. 
A few notes regarding Oxide: 
-he starts before the green light
-he throws behind all the previous obstacles the bosses used. In the 
case of potions, he leaves behind two. Also, he uses every power up in 
specific places.
-if he's hit by a missile, warp orb, or whatever, he'll only spin 
around for a short while and won't lose as much time as the car racers 
(he's in a UFO.)
Keeping these in mind, start with a turbo boost and avoid the power-ups 
as best you can, concentrating on taking every speed pad. Oxide can't 
take them (I don't think) or doesn't take all of them which gives you a 
slight advantage. You can't out race him outright. He stayed ahead of 
me for the first two laps, but not by much, before I got three bowling 
bombs. Since he was close by, I fired one, then the other, and then my 
last one, sending him spinning for a while. He didn't stay that way for 
long, but it was enough for me to get ahead. It was then a matter of 
taking EVERY SINGLE speed pad and beating him by less than a second.  
When you win, you'll see credits and the scrapbook. If you got 97% 
before you beat him, he'll provide the last 3% and you'll get to see an 
epilogue involving all the racers, the bosses, and the trophy girls. 
This will be followed by the scrapbook.

If you have all five gems and at least 10 relics, you can visit the two 
extra tracks in Oxide's little area. They are Turbo Track and Slide 
Coliseum. The former requires you to have all five gems, and the latter 
(the easier one to get to) requires that you have at least 10 relics 
(of any type.) This walkthrough focuses on the non-relic arenas. If 
you're playing in adventure mode, you can't access it (to my 
knowledge.) You can in vs. or arcade mode.

SLIDE COLISEUM
At the start, try to grab the fruit crate and take a sharp left turn, 
power sliding and getting a boost while doing so. Follow the track 
until you find a raised area with stacks of tires. If your timing is 
good, drive up the small ramp and jump at the right time. If you do it 
right, you'll go flying over the lowest tire; if you don't you'll hit 
grass and will be slowed down a bit. Now, continue on, getting a power 
up, and another, easier, jump will be presented. As soon as you're over 
the tire, though, make a sharp left and try to grab a power up.
Now, you should be in 1st place. If you're not, there's one last jump. 
It's like a line down the middle. There are tires, but don't jump over 
them, they're too close by. Just leap over it.
NOW you should be close to first. Use all the power ups you can. Masks 
can be useful, but be sure you're on a straightaway because your 
turning is severely hampered while you have one. It's also hard to 
dodge fired missiles. There's one more tire leap, and then it's a few 
fruit crates and turns before you're back at the start line.




TURBO TRACK
This level is nearly identical to Slide Coliseum, except for that it 
has speed pads, and lots of them. If you're doing Time Trial, go behind 
the walls of tires, there are often rows of 2 and 3 boxes.
If you're actually racing, then take all the speed pads you can… this 
level has by far the most. Don't go behind the tires, you're wasting 
your time. After getting a fruit crate and a few power ups, you'll be 
making 180 degree turns. Sharp turn like the end is coming, and 
hopefully you won't crash into the wall (if your character make a 
noise, he crashed.) You'll probably scrape against it, but you should 
be able to recover fairly easily. The rest is basically more of the 
same. To my mind, this is a dull and uninteresting course. On the other 
hand, it's the easiest to get a platinum relic on. You don't have to 
get all the boxes, and that helps a lot.

GEM CUPS
If you have four CTR tokens of a certain color, you have the option to 
race in a gem cup. The cups are not available until you have four boss 
keys.
RED GEM CUP
Courses: Crash Cove, Mystery Caves, Papu's Pyramid, Blizzard Bluff
You'll note that half of the courses are in the first area. That's 
because the character we're going to unlock is Ripper Roo.
Anyhow, since Crash Cove is such an easy course, you should get first 
in that. Mystery Caves is more or less the same. Since you should have 
16-18 points by now, you can afford to lose some at Papu's Pyramid, 
since it's a tough level… if you can beat it though, all the better.
If you've gotten first in all three races, you're assured of success.
Last one is Blizzard Bluff. I can't really say much, but try to get the 
best place possible. Do not take the shortcut unless you are absolutely 
positively sure you will make it.
Once you win, you get Ripper Roo.
GREEN GEM CUP
Courses: Roo's Tubes, Coco Park, Polar Pass, Cortex Castle
If you beat this cup, you'll unlock Papu Papu.
You can easily beat Roo's Tubes. It's not a hard level at all. Coco 
Park might be a little different, because the other racers are more 
competitive, and there is not surefire way to win. Polar Pass is easy; 
take the shortcut to cut off MAJOR time and you'll win. With this in 
mind, use all the skills you have (notable power sliding and boosting) 
and finish Cortex Castle in flying colors.
Papu Papu is now yours.
BLUE GEM CUP
Courses: Sewer Speedway, Tiger Temple, Dragon Mines, N. Gin Labs
Sewer Speedway is easy. Get first in the course. The shortcut, if you 
can get to it, does help, though it would seem to hamper you somewhat. 
Tiger Temple is a shorter course, but still isn't hard. The shortcut is 
very useful here, especially since it cuts off so much time and can be 
accessed so easily. Now we come to Dragon Mines. You might not place 
first in this, but the previous two courses should make up for any loss 
of points. And lastly, we have N. Gin Labs. Not too bad, right?
Oh yeah, you get Komodo Joe when you win. He has a great car and a 
funny voice to boot.


YELLOW GEM CUP
Courses: Dingo Canyon, Tiny Arena, Hot Air Skyway, Oxide Station
Dingo Canyon might be a trifle difficult, lacking a shortcut, but you 
should still be okay. Tiny Arena is a different story. It's a long and 
tedious course. Race very aggressively to place first, because the 
other cars play rough here. Hot Air Skyway… well, what can you do. Do 
what you can, and try not to fall. And lastly we have Oxide Station. 
You should have no trouble completing this level and placing first.
Assuming you won, you can now play as Pinstripe.
PURPLE GEM CUP
Courses: Roo's Tubes, Papu's Pyramid, Dragon Mines, Hot Air Skyway
This cup is a little different from the others. First, notice that all 
the tokens are received by beating the collect-a-crystal levels. 
Secondly, all the courses are boss levels. Thirdly, YOU'RE UP AGAINST 
ALL FOUR BOSSES AT ONCE!
Fortunately, they're slower than before, having stats that they 
normally do (i.e. if you played as them.) Additionally, they no longer 
have their infinite power up. 
This is a hard race. Papu was my biggest challenge here, because he's 
the fastest of the bosses. In fact, I only placed first because of a 
lucky mask and a shortcut… very close. Then, we have Papu's Pyramind. 
Simply take the shortcuts and you should be all right. No one else 
takes them. Next comes Dragon Mines. Have fun here; it's really hard, 
because of the obstacles and sharp turns. Papu doesn't do as well, 
though, because his turning hampers him on the wooden corkscrew. 
Lastly, you're once again racing at Hot Air Skyway. Again, Papu 
shouldn't pose too much of a threat, ceding to Ripper Roo and Komodo 
Joe, who have better turning. Of the two, Komodo Joe is faster, so try 
to stay ahead of him. 
Once you win, you get a weird racer, Fake Crash. 


This strategy guide was written by the Last Avenger in Januray-February 
of they year 2001, and has been updated four times from its original 
version. Feel free to use any information to help you in the game, but 
do not copy me, imitate me, or put my work anywhere else. As of yet, 
this is allowed on these and only these following sites:
GameFAQs
If you see this anywhere else, please contact me at 
lastavenger@yahoo.com . Thanks!
Copyright 2001 by Karl Schaumann