Gas on Green...
All Mario Kart games have a "fast start" that enables you to jump with a boost of full speed as soon as the race begins. Watch Lakitu's hand as he mans the lights. He raises his hand as the lights count down, then drops his hand at the green light. Hit the gas the very instant that Lakitu swings his arm down.

It will take practice to learn the timing and anticipation of Lakitu's arm. If you have a bit of trouble getting the fast start, just head to Time Trials mode. Keep starting a race just for the purpose of practicing your takeoff, then quit and restart.

Master the Mini-Turbo...
This little boost technique is something from Mario Kart 64. You can slide around any corner using the 'L' or 'R' button. This allows you to cut into a turn without losing speed. But you can also earn a small boost while sliding... Which is why you'll want to try and get as many of these mini-turbos as possible, because they really add up to a lot of boosting, and a lot of time saved. Corners are the easiest places to pull off mini-turbos.

This guide will show you how to pull off a mini turbo on a left turn.
* For a right turn, just reverse the directions.
1. A mini-turbo begins with a powerslide, using either the 'L' (or 'R') shoulder trigger button.
2. While your kart is sliding, push the control stick to the right, then to the left, then back right again. The sparks behind your kart should turn red.
3. While still holding the 'L' button for your slide, push the control stick right, then left, and right once more. The sparks behind your kart should turn blue, and you can now get a boost if you let go of 'L'.

Shown to the left are the blue sparks behind the kart, and to the right is the boost that follows. It takes practice to be able to consistently pull off this move, but it's well worth it. After you gain some experience, you can pull off a mini turbo in a fraction of a second, and perform several of them just in one turn.

Mini-Turbo on a Straight-away...
While mini-turbos are traditionally known as a cornering strategy, it's also possible to perform them on a straightaway. It helps to have mastered the corner mini-turbo first, that way you can move your hands quickly for this more difficult maneuver.

The sequence is exactly the same, but it's made more challenging by the space factor. Slide too long, and you can crash into a wall. But if you're quick on the stick, you can slide just a few feet before getting a mini-turbo boost. A wide section of track is the best place for this type of mini-turbo, because it gives you more room to play with.

Avoid The Traps...
It's good to know how to evade your own traps, as well as the banana peels and fake items dropped by other karts. Always take frequent glances at the road ahead, to quickly scan for hazards. If you find yourself on a collision course, the power slide can be very useful to "sidestep" these problems.

The powerslide tactic is put to use here during an extreme situation on the bridge of DK Mountain. This is an incredibly dangerous maneuver to attempt here, and could easily result in certain death. The shot was snapped from a video I recorded of DK Mountain. I just needed to react, and was lucky enough to be driving a light kart to actually pull this off.

Avoid The Incoming...
When a homing red shell is closing in on you, you'll get a visual warning along with an 'alarm' sound. When a red shell has your name on it, you can start a power slide in one direction as it closes in, then just before it hits, slide in the other direction to make it miss you. Instead of that second slide in the opposite direction, you can also use a perfectly placed mini turbo to boost out of it's way.

It takes timing to master both techniques, so practice up. Of course it's best to try and block the shell with an item if you have one, but that's not always the case.

Cheating Death...
While there's a known strategy for avoiding red shells, the dreaded Spiked Shell is an unstoppable missile that strikes whoever is in first place. Although it's supposed to be impossible to avoid the Spiked Shell, I've come up with an evasive maneuver that's saved my ass a few times... There's not a lot of time to react, but with the right moves and a bit of luck, you could watch and laugh as the Spiked Shell just misses you...

As shown in the screenshots above, as soon as I find out about the incoming Spiked Shell, I immediately powerside toward the nearby wall with as much speed as possible. Without crashing into the wall, I let my kart slide and get my ass end right up against (but not touching) wall. If you're traveling fast enough, and slide close enough to the wall without hitting it, the incoming Spiked Shell will often hit the wall instead of you. This isn't a built in strategy, but rather a glitch that can be used to your advantage.