Most of the WR times on this game are truly mind-boggling. A 1:30.86 on Greek Isles is, to me, almost unimaginable. I wish I had some idea of how this was done. My best time on that track (1:37.23) was done with Cut Throat. As someone mentioned above, when you use all of the short cuts and pick up all of the boosts, you are pretty much flat out with boost the entire time on this track. I can't imagine shaving another 6/7 seconds off of my time on that track.

I got my Lost Island time down to 134.23 with Rad Hazard (less than 2 seconds from WR). I can definitely get into the 133's.

I have tried the hover craft many times. It is very fast through the first and second sectors (\"best time so far\"), but I lose ground with it through the second half of the course. I will keep trying it.

Has anyone played this as part of the Midway Arcade Treasures 3 package? I understand that this version is taken from the Dreamcast, but is it just me or are some of the shortcuts missing? For example, on Greek Isle you're supoposed to be able to jump to a hidden waterway on the right just past the start (after you get your first boost) and in Lake Powell there's supposed to be a cave on the left of the jump just before the big drop to the finish (there's a helicopter that you can aim for if you take the ramp). I try to go for those and my boat hits an invisible wall. The cave is even more annoying since you can see it right there, plain as day, and you can't get to it. Can anyone confirm this?

All of the shortcuts you mentioned work in the arcade version.

Got my Lost Island time down to 1:34.06 with Rad Hazard, which would be the 8th fastest time in the world if it were official. I know it isn't official, but my machine is set to the applicable configuration for a record attempt. And my 1:34.06 run was an imperfect run. The WR time of 1:32.63 appears to me to be a perfect or near perfect time on this track on the arcade version of this game.

It is very difficult to get a \"perfect\" run on this track. In the first sector you need to hit the first ramp just right to clear the rock outcropping and get a quick time through the first sector. Then you need to enter the second short cut around the huts just right to get maximum speed through the 2nd sector. The last key is to come off of the upper area in the 3rd sector just right so that you get both the 9 second and 4 second bost AND hit the water below headed directly down river. If you are off by a hair on any one of these keys you drop at least 1-2 seconds. The first sector is short but if you hit it just right you make it through in around 12.50 seconds, but if you are off by a little you are in the 13-14 second range. A 1-1.5 second fluctuation in a 12-13 second sector is a lot.

I really think that even an \"expert\" who has done this track literally a thousand times could only get a time in the 1:32-1:33 range 1 out of 100 times. If you really know the track, you can put up a time in the 1:34-1:35 range reasonably consistently. I note that the 10th fastest official time in the world is 1:34.99. But to hit it just right so that you are in the 1:32-1:33 range is extremely difficult.