First off, you'll want to be 'in control' of your vehicle when you attack. Choosing to attack when you're wildly swerving all over the track increases the chance of hitting a wall, or sending your own machine off the course. Smoothly approaching and executing a controlled attack is the best way to dispose and damage your rivals. The best position to attack another vehicle is when they're right beside you. By ramming them sideways, you can send them into a wall, or better yet, off the track completely.

In the right screenshot, I'm beside the Mad Wolf, in perfect position to make my attack. The left screenshot was taken a split second later, as our machines collided, sending the Mad Wolf to a 'better place'...

Curves are good places to attack other machines. Whenever you're on a curve, you can cut into the turn and use your attack to clip machines inside the curve. Your machine will have momentum when turning inside a curve, making your attack a bit more powerful. You can actually turn around a corner simply by using the X attack repeatedly. You won't turn nearly as sharp as you would with L or R, so it's best to use the attack with L or R, depending on how sharp the turn is. If a machine tries to pass you or accidentally hits you on a curve when you're repeatedly attacking with X, they'll take damage. It's best to use L or R to take corners though, and use the X attack when you're in a cluster of machines, or when a machine is on your tail and trying to pass you.

In this screenshot, I'm driving the Blue Falcon and approaching the Golden Fox on the inside track. I'm going to move in a bit closer, then smash him into the wall.

High Speed attacks are much more devastating than normal attacks. If you're closing in on an opponent who's ahead of you, boost to catch up, then attack when you're right beside him as the last bit of your boost wears off. Your extra speed will work to your advantage as your machine slams into your target.

Here, I've just caught up to the Fire Stingray using a boost (you can still see a bit of boost from my jets). Side by side with him now, I'm just in the middle of executing my attack.

Loops or upside down parts of the track present excellent opportunities to retire opponents. However, A badly judged attack can send your own machine off course, so proper timing is essential. The Lightning Loop Cross has both loops and upside down portions of track, so there are many areas where you can send rivals flying.

On this part of the course, nearly every attack is fatal. You can pick off enemy machines like fish in a barrel. Here, I'm using the Black Bull to crunch Night Thunder.

(The four screenshots below were taken using REPLAY mode, with the camera focussed on a particular opponent. In this case, it was the Black Bull)

The Cosmo Terminal course (Diamond Cup) is one of the best tracks to sabotage opposing machines... But it's also one of the most dangerous. You'll need to be an experienced attacker to have success here. Since there are no siderails, you need to be extremely careful when attacking. But with practice, knocking enemies off this course proves to be quite easy. A very important thing to mention though, is the handling of your machine. Vehicles with poor grip will have a much harder time attacking while staying on the track themselves. I personally prefer machines with decent grip, regardless of which course I'm on. Using machines with decent grip can definitely improve your effectiveness for attacking on this deadly track.

As you approach another machine, pull right up beside it. In this screenshot, I'm piloting the Little Wyern (machine furthest to the right), and preparing to attack the Black Bull (machine in the middle). Being side by side is the best position for an attack. If you attack a machine from behind, chances are you'll knock it forward, even further ahead of you.

You can use the X attack (left or right on the joystick + X) whenever you're beside an opponent. Be warned though, if you oversteer the attack, you'll find yourself falling off the course as well. That's why you don't need to hit other machines very hard on this track. All it takes is a little nudge to destroy another machine on this course, so you just need to use a slight movement of the control stick, either left or right. Make sure you're not too close to the edge when you make your attack, otherwise you'll fly off the course along with the machine you attacked.

After being nailed by the Little Wyvern, the Black Bull falls downward and catches fire. Since Cosmo Terminal is the first course in the Diamond Cup, it's not a devastating loss if you accidentally fall off the course. Just quit and start a fresh GP, that way you won't lose any lives.

On Grand Prix mode, I personally make a point of scoring at least 5 kills here, that way I'm rewarded with an extra life to help me on my way. While you have a bunch of lives on Novice difficulty, you're only given a couple lives on the Master Class. Every little bit helps...

Since you're putting your own machine at risk when you attack, it's best not to go overboard. Attack whenever you have a good opportunity, and don't go too far out of your way to smash another vehicle.

Every machine can potentially finish the race with a high ranking, but some of them are more prone to scoring points than others. That's why it can be a good idea to target specific machines, rather than spending time destroying machines that don't pose a major threat.

Keep an eye on the total point rankings at the end of each race. You'll be able to see which machines have the highest scores, so you'll know which ones to target if the opportunity arises. Taking out the 'rival' machines and finishing in good standing really helps you keep the lead in the point standings.

This screenshot shows a bunch of foes that I wiped out on the Lightning Loop Cross course. Among them, are a few of the key contenders...

At first, it can be hard to tell the difference between other machines. But if you're playing Grand Prix mode with the intention of capturing the championship on the higher difficulty levels, you'll surely start to recognize some of the problem machines. Hutz and I have compiled a list of machines that pose the biggest threat to stealing your championship...

* The Fat Shark does not appear in Grand Prix Mode right of the bat. By finishing Chapter 4 of Story Mode (Challenge of the Bloody Chain) on the Very Hard difficulty level, the Fat Shark will appear for sale in the machine shop. Once you start unlocking machines in story mode, they'll randomly appear within the fleet of 30 racers competing in the Grand Prix.