Oxide Dragon Mines Time Trial (Plz Help!)

[redquarter872]

Ok...what do I have to do to beat Oxide's ghost in Dragon Mines?  I'm at my wit's end trying to do this Time Trial -- it's the only one I have left other than Sewer Speedway (and I'm pretty sure Sewer Speedway just comes down to getting the shortcut every lap, avoiding the barrels and not doing anything stupid).

 

Here's a list of things I've noticed while doing DM so far:

 -- You can significantly reduce the down time on the circular bridge by spamming R1/L1, and perhaps hitting Square to airbrake.  Yet, somehow, I lose a little bit of speed on this area, while Oxide shoots ahead almost immediately after coming to a dead stop there

 -- Oxide gets a jump boost after jumping off the tiny bump right before the finish line.  I can only get a boost here about 1% of the time

 -- You should only use the shortcut when you're sure you can beat the minecarts.  It MIGHT be possible to drift/jump boost there, but I'm not sure -- either way, the track will slow you significantly

 -- Drift boosting to the left over the turbo pad near the end seems to help a little but it's tricky to pull off

 

My record in DM is 1:35:92, and I'm not even sure how I got that time.  It's rare enough that I get below 1:40:00.  I tend to use the Drift Class, but I'm not sure it's well-suited for this track.  Does anyone have a few tips?  Any help would be appreciated.

[lemaestre]

Did you watch a Video on how to beat oxide on DM? I‘m no Veteran in this game but the time trials were  hard but fair i‘d say. Just keep up your drift boost air break is good to get through the circular Part and drive a good line. Crutial part is to get long enough SF from the boost pad to save enough time.

[RachelCharlotte]

I used the speed class and the shortcut; it took me a long time to get a feeling for the boosting and turning just before that section, but it still felt a lot easier than dealing with the bridge. So, if all else fails, you could try that strategy.

[FranciRoosters]

You won't be able to easily beat Oxide on this track if you don't learn how to u-turn first. U-turning is the key to beating Oxide on this track.

 

[redquarter872]

Thank you to everyone who replied.  Much appreciated!