Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Guide: All Track Shortcuts

Beenox’s Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled is full of tracks, each with their own winding shortcuts and secrets. How do you best take advantage of them to gain an edge on your foes? Worry not – we’ll break down every shortcut in each track. It’s good to practice all of these beforehand and go exploring when you can.

Tiger Temple

When exiting the first tunnel on the track, you’ll see a stone head with a gold wall on the left. Damaging this with Bowling Bombs, Masks and Power Shields will cause it to open up, revealing a secret shortcut. Just make sure you have the item in question and save it for the entrance.

Papus Pyramid

Papus Pyramid has a whopping three shortcuts to travel through. The first is after the part with the piranha plants – you’ll take a right, then a left before reaching a straightway. If you look at the left-hand turn closely, you’ll find Papu Papu’s face on a pillar. Jump to it via the hole on the right turn’s outside.

For the second shortcut, you’ll notice some steps that drop down when the track starts. At the top of these steps on the right is a Turbo Pad – jump off the top step on the left side. This will lead to a road with Wumpa Fruit and to the letter “T” in the CTR Challenge.

The third shortcut occurs on the track’s last turn. Make your way to the ramp and then hit a Power Slide on the ramp itself. This will take you past the red wall on the right side – if you keep going right, then the U-turn can be completely skipped.

Crash Cove

A wooden ramp can be seen fairly early on – head towards it and jump. Take a left from the lake and use the turbo boost from landing to hop off the shoreline. This will lead you to the top of a cliff and contains a CTR Challenge letter. Even better is that you can avoid the wooden bridge entirely.

Roos Tubes

Right before the skeleton prior to the last turn, jump left off the ramp. Use a Power Slide Turbo and surge on through. Note that it’s worth going this way when fully Juiced Up.

Mystery Caves

First, make sure you have a Mask Pickup (which is only really likely if you’ve fallen behind). Right past the turtle-filled pool, when making the turn with the stalactites, you should see a narrow shortcut on the inside. Use the Mask Pickup when hitting the dirt.

Sewer Speedway

Once past the area with red lights, the track will turn into a half-pipe veering left. You’ll see an opening on high – speed up the half-pipe and jump to access it. This will lead to a walkway and U section. However, right before the U section, drop off to the right of the walkway for the quickest shortcut.

Polar Pass

The first shortcut can be obtained by jumping off the first Turbo Ramp island and onto a straight. Use a Power Slide Turbo before hitting the Turbo Pads right before the jump to get enough speed.

The second shortcut occurs when entering the cave with seals. Right before the S turn, jumping off the ramp’s edge can take you past the wall and even get you to the Turbo Pad across.

Cortex Castle

Remember those stained glass windows right before the track ends? There’s a ramp to this section that you can jump off of while oriented left – this will land you on a walkway (though you might need some Turbo to make it). It skips the U-turn part of this section entirely.

N. Gin Labs

Instead of hitting the Turbo Ramp near the track’s end, jump off the ledge to its right. This will land you on an earlier section. Drive to the pit area accordingly to save time.

Hot Air Skyway

Right before the track ends, you’ll come across a very tight turn. You need to be at high speed (Yellow Turbo works well here) to jump over the barrier with a Brake Slide in mid-air.

Turbo Track

Two very straightforward shortcuts can be found in the turn before the triple hairpin and the track’s last turn. Simply race through the grass to save time.

Retro Stadium

Much like Turbo Track, look for the spots before the triple hairpin and last track corner to speed through the grass and save time.

Slide Coliseum

Use a Power Slide Turbo or Turbo Pick-up to speed right through the grass on the first corner. Jumping off the slope will also allow you to skip past the heaps of tires inside. Brake Slides while in the air might be necessary for orienting yourself properly.

Another shortcut can be found right before the 180 degree turn (a tire pile will precede it). Hop over the divider and the hair-raising turn can be skipped.

Nitro Kart Tracks

Inferno Island

At the start of the track, right after the bridge, is a ramp that can be used to jump up to another area. This allows for immediate access to the next bridge, saving time.

Coco Park

Power Slide Turbos and Turbo Pickups can be used from the a corner at the beginning for a simple shortcut through the field. Another one can be found via a path between the flower bulbs. However, only take this if you can effectively Power Slide Turbo or have a Mask Pickup.

Blizzard Bluff

If three shortcuts in the last course wasn’t enough, Blizzard Bluff has four to offer. The first shortcut can be seen in the initial corner of the track. You’ll notice a gap between the rocks that can be raced through, though a Mask or Turbo Pickup is required for more speed.

For the second, look for the first ice lake. Check on the left side for a snowy bank to effectively jump past the river. The catch is that Turbo Pickups or Power Slide Turbos are necessary to make the jump due to the snow.

After the bridge but right before the U-turn on the track, you’ll notice some wooden fences on the left. Using a Mask or Turbo Power-Up lets you jump over them. These represent the final shortcuts of the game.

Dragon Mines

Following a left turn after the lake, you’ll find a mine cart track near the wooden walkway. Using a Mask Pickup makes it possible to race through the mine cart track and eventually into a hole. Just make sure you use the Pickup right before hitting the track. This lets you skip the walkway entirely

Jungle Boogie

Located at the beginning turn, the first shortcut on this track appears when dropping down to the second step. On your right is a ledge that will curve around the wall – driving on this will allow you to get past the various pools quickly.

You can find the second shortcut after the first turn. Hit the first ramp and you’ll see a second ramp with various “?” boxes. Jump left off this ramp on to another bridge – it’s very narrow but saves time on a long corner at the end.

Clockwork Wumpa

Again, you’ll find two shortcuts here. Once past the second obstacle, you’ll see a big yellow arrow sign. Instead of going left, drive under it and speed across the gears. You’ll end up at a Turbo Ramp and skipping numerous annoying turns.

The second shortcut can be found after that first Turbo Ramp. There’s a ramp on the right side that can be used to jump onto a driveway on the left. It goes right to the second Turbo Ramp. Just make sure you’re traveling at full speed to effectively get to the driveway.

Android Alley

Upon hitting the spiral road, search for a gap in the wall. Drive through it – and the accompanying glass – to wind up in the cleaner-bot section.

Electron Avenue

This one is slightly complicated so practice it first. In the part with the first set of laser walls, there’s a ramp on the right. Jump off that while heading right and perform a Brake Slide in mid-air. This leads right on to some Turbo Pads and skips the U-turn.

Deep Sea Driving

Exit the room with the tentacles to spot some dirt roads with Turbo Ramps – jump left after the third ramp. This will take you to a foggy landing zone which helps in skipping a big corner.

Assembly Lane

The first shortcut is located right before the hairpin turn in the direct section. You’ll see a ramp which can be jumped off of to reach the top of the wall. This allows for skipping the hairpin turn.

You’ll find the second shortcut in the part with the raised middle section and lower lanes (right after the factory). If you check the left fence, you’ll spot a hole that goes to some Turbo Pads. These can be used for accessing the side of the building to save some major time.

Hyper Spaceway

Upon reaching the rock-filled portion of the track, right after exiting the portal, turn left. Jump down and then jump to the next section. As you head right, jump at the end with the lasers, skipping the entire section.

Twilight Tour

Three shortcuts lay waiting to be discovered but the first is pretty easy to find. It’s right at the initial turn – there’s a gap in the wall on the left. Jump through it onto a stone ramp and skip the corner entirely.

In the daytime Arabian portion, upon reaching reaching the second Turbo Ramp, jump off the left. There’s a raised portion that you can land on. Use a Brake Slide in mid-air to exit without bonking into anything.

The third shortcut can be found in the same section, following 90 degree turn. There’s a drop in the middle that leads to a marketplace. You’ll see a Turbo Pad and accompanying ramp on the right for jumping onto the stalls in the middle. Upon reaching there, you can make use of a Super Turbo Pad for a larger boost.

Tiny Temple

There’s a stone section following the electric puddles where you can jump off from the left side. This leads to a walkway and subsequently to a Turbo Ramp.

Barin Ruins

Upon exiting the half-pipe tunnel near the track’s end, there’s a row “?” boxes and a ramp. If you jump off of the right side of the ramp, you’ll end up in a fairly narrow area that leads to a Turbo Pad.

Meteor Gorge

Following the “!” box and the ramp at the track’s end, you’ll spot an arrow sign after the turn. Look for a gap in the wall – jump through this to reach an island and bypass a corner.

Out of Time

The first shortcut on this track can be access by Power Sliding and jumping off the ramp in the first straight road. This added speed helps in tearing through the dirt. The second shortcut can be found immediately after the first – you’ll find come a U-turn. Speed up the raised part of this road to jump over the railing (a Brake Slide in mid-air helps in avoiding the wall across).

The third shortcut can be found after leaving the frozen clock tower. As you jump off of the stone ramp and reach a ramp on the road, you jump left off of it. It’s good for bypassing some U-turns.

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