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It feels like I have played nothing except Shovel Knight and Mario Kart 8 the last few weeks. After finally getting three stars on each Grand Prix cup, here are a few tips I discovered that were helpful:

• The horn power-up is one of the best items in the game, if only because it can neutralize the blue shell. If you get one early on and you’re not far from the lead, it’s worth trying to get into 1st and just holding onto it to fend off anything that comes your way – “the speed horse” strategy.
• If you’re in 1st, getting new items doesn’t matter unless your current item is a coin, in which case you should use it right away. If you have a banana or a green shell (the typical fare for someone in 1st place), hold onto it! Countless races have been lost because someone thought that it was clever to shoot a green shell backward or lay a banana on the final turn before the finish line. When you’re in first, all items are defensive items – you will need that banana or shell to block a red shell or snipe someone who tries to overtake you at the death.
• Still, always go through the item squares if you’re in 1st place, even if you don’t need one. You never know if there’s someone on your tail that would lose the race if denied a critical item.
• Know where you can chase the lead – not all courses are created equal. The following courses are extremely difficult to come back on if you fall too far back: 1) Donut Plains 3  2) Rainbow Road (N64 version) 3) Dolphin Shoals and 4) Water Park. On the other hand, it’s not hard to make a huge comeback on Piranha Plant Side, Toad Harbor, and Bowser’s Castle.
• Be wary of 2nd and 3rd place CPUs that are directly ahead of you with red shells. They will often fire them backward (which make no sense, but it happens). It’s useful to have a green shell on hand to fire forward and block the red one.
• Banana sniping it a thing. If you’re in 2nd or 3rd, it’s worth it to throw a banana forward since CPUs or even human players won’t always be able to move in time to get out of the way. Throwing bananas backward or using them defensively makes no sense unless you’re in 1st, anyway.
• Mushrooms are often misused. It’s usually not a good idea to just burn them while on a straight stretch of track. They’re most useful for: 1) boosting through a patch of slow territory (grass, stone, etc.) to get to a shortcut, such as on the first turn at Thwomp Ruins or near the end of Piranha Plant Slide 2) recovering right away after hitting a banana or getting hit with a shell 3) making a big turn, when many other players will brake or drift for too long.
• If you see a blue shell heading for the 1st place racer while you’re in 2nd or a near 3rd, use the brakes (slight tap on B). The explosion radius is wide and getting caught in it is as bad as getting hit directly.
• Sometimes there’s nothing you can do in the face of a blue shell. If it is about to hit you, use up any items you have on you since you’ll lose them afterward. Also, if possible, try steering yourself near to a booster strip. That way, once you start up again, you can get up to speed as quickly as possible.
• Drift wherever possible. Beginners often struggle with turns and making comebacks; drifting is the best way to address both of these issues.
• Use the jump button to get a boost when going over a ramp or precipice. It also doesn’t hurt to jump or quickly drift to change course when you see that a red shell is coming up from behind. Red shells can miss for all sorts of reasons, so it’s a good idea to make life as hard as possible on them.
• If you’re in the lead near the end and fear that someone is tailing you, vary your direction a bit so that you don’t create a slipstream from everyone behind you.
• Remember that you if you brush up against someone holding a mushroom(s), you get a free boost.
• The fireball power-up is unwieldy, but it’s devastating if you’re in the middle of the (closely packed) pack coming around a turn. Unleash it and watch the entire field go spinning.