Some (probably redundant) stuff about getting gold in the time trials:
- Boosting in the air is not just pointless, it also occupies fingers better used for positioning the quad in the air in order to make a perfect landing: pointed in the right direction and ready to hit the boost once you've landed.
- Boosting doesn't have to cause understeer; initiate the turn, then immediately apply boost, and you actually turn better. However, sharp turns at low speed + boost can cause a little powerslide that tends to turn you 180 degrees, facing the wrong way. Takes practice...
- Learn. The. Course. Every course has places where you can save a LOT of time by picking the perfect line. Places where laying off the boost gains time because you can avoid being knocked off course by bumpy terrain. Placers that call for a full-boosted huge jump over time-wasting nastiness. And so forth. Knowing what's coming and having a plan helps a bunch.
- Think as many gates ahead as you can, depending on the part of the course you're on.
- Don't be "penny wise and pound foolish." That is, don't focus too closely on squeezing every bit of speed out of a section, only to find yourself unprepared and off of your line for the NEXT section, which usually leads to a mistake that drops you out of contention for a gold.
As for late-spawning gates, well...nothing really to be done other than wait to get lucky and hit a time when the problem isn't in evidence. I've always found that to be variable and completely unpredictable...