After playing this for a bit and reading the SNES manual for the game I figured out what the different stats and collectible gems mean. None of this is explained in the game, so here's a breakdown of how the game works to help you play faster. Good luck out there!

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To start playing the game press the SELECT button at the title screen. If you press the START button you will be taken to the Training Mode race, which is what the Any% category uses.

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The controls are:

• B — Turbo speed. This uses up energy.
• A — Brake.
• X — Jump.
• Y — Jump.

Energy is the white bar next to your player icon that is drained by using turbo.

Braking is important for effective cornering, especially on ice.

Jumping into other racers will prevent your racer from being stunned on contact.

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These are the four stats represented by single letters:

• (A) Acceleration — How quickly your racer gets up to top speed.
• (S) Speed — The top speed your racer can run.
• (G) Grip — How well your racer controls on the track.
• (F) Fitness — How effective turbo is (higher fitness means energy drains more slowly).

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The six different gems you can collect during the race are:

• White — Currency that is spent between races to increase stats.
• Blue — Temporary boost of (S) Speed.
• Yellow — Temporary boost of (A) Acceleration.
• Green — Temporary boost of (G) Grip.
• Red — Temporary boost of energy level.
• Black — Virus that can be transmitted by touch. If infected you cannot pickup gems.

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Between each race you can spend your White Gems on increasing stats by pressing one of the following buttons:

• X — Increase (A) Acceleration.
• Y — Increase (S) Speed.
• B — Increase (G) Grip.
• A — Increase (F) Fitness.
• L — Convert some energy into a White Gem.
• R — Increase energy bar.

You should try to spend all of your gems between races on increasing your stats. (A) Acceleration and (G) Grip are a good starting point, but where you should first focus your gems will depend on the characteristics of your racer.

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Each of the racers has different characteristics:

• Top Cat — Good grip. Average elsewhere.
• Quick Draw McGraw — Best top speed. Slow acceleration.
• Yogi Bear — All around. Low fitness.
• Snagglepuss — Best acceleration. Low grip.
• Hong Kong Phooey — High acceleration and fitness.
• Huckleberry Hound — Best fitness. Good grip. Low top speed.

Thank you for the guide!