Drive it like a Grand Prix

On a touch screen: the kart accelerates by itself. Drag on the left half to steer; DRIFT is the hop & drift button, TAP the slide tap, ITEM uses items; drag the stick down to throw backwards.
Hop with RT (or RB / Space) while steering: the hop commits the side, so keep holding.
Steer while you drift: push into the drift for a hairpin (and faster sparks), leave the stick neutral for a medium arc, push out to slide wide, almost straight. Sparks go blue → orange → purple. Let go of RT to boost: the longer you drifted, the longer the boost (up to 1.6 s); the spark colour sets how strong it is.
Slide taps: mid-drift, the exhaust turns black and the ring enters the red zone. Tap LT (or LB / Shift) right then for a turbo, up to 3 per drift. A late tap backfires. Three perfects = Sacred Fire.
Rocket start: press A as the "1" fades; too early stalls. Trick: tap RT as you leave a ramp or crest, then land for a boost.
Items: drive through the spinning paint cubes. LB (or Y / E) uses it. Hold it to keep an Ink Blot, Seeker or Slick behind you as a shield; let go to throw, push the stick down to throw it backwards. The Eraser flies over everyone and erases whoever is leading; a Primer Coat blocks anything once.
Every track's art style changes the physics: grip, gravity, rails, bumps, boost length. The chip at the bottom left of the race screen tells you how.