Super Mario Kart 64

Drafting

If you can't pass an opponent, try drafting him. Line your kart up behind another racer. You'll see wisps of air come off your kart and you'll speed up slightly. Not much, but enough to pass whomever you're following.

Banana Trick

Hit the brakes as soon as you hit a banana peel. Hold the brakes for 1 second, then release and hit the gas. This will prevent you from skidding or losing a balloon in Battle Mode.

Ghost Riders

You're probably familiar with the standard ghost racers (the ones you create in Time Trial mode), but did you know the course was haunted before you arrived?

To play against the official course ghosts, enter Time Trial mode and complete a track within the time shown below. After beating this time, immediately RETRY and you'll be see the message, "Now Meet the Course Ghost."

Course           Time to Beat
Mario Raceway    1'30"00
Luigi Raceway    1'52"00
Royal Raceway    2'40"00

Mario 64 Castle

On the Royal Raceway after the big jump there will be a yellow road to the right. If you follow it, it will bring you to the Mario 64 castle.

Mirror Mode

To race the tracks in mirror mode, you must win a gold cup in all 150cc events. Good luck!

Short Cuts

Koopa Troopa Beach: Many people believe this is only accessible with a mushroom power-up, but this is false. Gamers can make the jump off the ramp without a power-up. Just aim straight into the cave, use jump (the right shoulder button) make sure not to hit the walls, and jump right out from under the waterfall.

Just before you get to the first rock arch, instead of going under the arch go to the right of arch. After making the turn, head slightly to the right and the water parts giving you land to ride on cutting off some of the route. Be careful as you finish this part; there are a lot of crabs to slip on.

Wario Stadium: Move to the right wall at the very begining. As you approach the third hill on the ground, start to turn left. Drive up the fourth hill and toward the wall. Right before you hit the wall jump. You should fly over the wall and skip half the course!

For an even better shortcut, perform the trick above and after you land go along the normal course until you get to the first turn after the shortcut. Instead of turning right turn left. Head toward the wall and aim yourself a little to the right of the finish line. Drive toward the wall and jump immediately before you hit the wall. If you can pull this off you'll finish a lap in under 30 seconds!

Hydro Pond -- After driving through about half the course, your driver will enter the ghost house. Upon entering, take a right, but not as sharp as normal, and you'll pass by a wall on your left. Instead of aiming toward the bats, you'll aim slightly left and pass on the left side of the wooden pole. This might look like suicide, but jump over the edge of the star-shaped pool and you'll pass up that first-place player.

Rainbow Road -- Right at the start of the race there is a large hill from which each racer makes a slight jump. Oftentimes if you're aiming too far left or right your racer will fly off the course, which is not a short-cut. Here's the deal: just as the slope begins to descend, press JUMP and you'll fly much higher and farther than ever. This shaves seconds, and in the second and third laps, your racer should jump right over the heads of those difficult-to-see Chomps.

For a bigger boost, turn to the left as soon as you jump. If you're quick enough you should land on the track about halfway through the lap!

Yoshi Valley -- This course is a tangle, as shown in the introductory map, but here are a few short cuts that will enable you to beat just about anybody. Follow the course until you hit the mazey part. Immediately go left and stay left. The first part of the short-cut is to stay left and on the narrow part of the course.

After managing to do that, you'll hit a little checkered ledge, and you'll see a big red and white sign on the left pointing right. This is the hard part. Accelerate as fast as possible and stay to the far right. As soon as the rail on the left side ends pull a hard left powerslide off the road. You'll continue the powerslide onto the upcoming road after you land, and if you do it right, you'll have shaved off at least 10 seconds or lead the pack. Of course, this one takes a lot of practice, but once mastered, it can't be beat.

Donkey Jungle Park -- Near the beginning of the race is a self-propelling ramp which sends your racer across a giant river. This one is quite simple. Instead of jumping straight off it, aim to the far left and you'll be ahead of the crowd by a few seconds. It works.

Second, this course is full of sharp turns. Use the mushroom power-ups as you pass across the jungle terrain and though you'll be hit by coconuts, you'll still end up farther ahead than if you didn't.

Third, there is one cave on this course that disrupts many players because of its weird angles and hard-to-follow path. But look at the ground and there is a light-colored path, which makes it far easier to follow

Fourth, upon entering the cave, accelerate to the maximum and aim towards the steep slope. If your racer is going fast enough then pull a hard left powerslide and you'll slide right up the slope, shaving a few seconds ..