Velo Time: 2:11:19
My Time: 1:59:12

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No sense in sugarcoating it: this one is Brew-Tull. While you may have been able to skate by with minimal knowledge of CTR's mechanics when facing Oxide, Velo requires an intimate familiarity with not only advanced mechanics and techniques but the track itself. And if you thought stringing together a clean Ultimate Sacred Fire (USF) run on Hot Air Skyway was difficult, you haven't seen anything yet. Cortex Castle will test your proficiency in air braking like no other track in the game, including the U-turn section in Turbo Track. Thankfully, you're not required to keep USF for the duration of the race, as Velo runs out of it himself a couple times. However, even without pinpoint execution of air brake, Velo's trial is arduous for all but the best CTR players. Strap in, because this will take practice.

Since you won't come close to besting Velo without knowing how to air brake, first things first. As this technique is better illustrated than described, see the link below for how to do it. He has the controller inputs embedded in the video that light up in timing with his movements on screen, so it's super easy to see what's going on. The video shows a PS4 controller but I'm on Xbox One and I can confirm it works with either the joystick or the D-pad. I personally prefer the joystick due to the Xbox One controller's layout, but use whichever feels more natural to you.

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Velo puts in an epic first lap, so don't fret if you're still neck and neck heading into lap 2; it's the final two laps where you have ample opportunity to make gains. From the starting line, you can string together four perfect boosts before the first boost pad. This is critical to keeping SF throughout lap 1, so if you miss a prompt, restart straight away. At the split paths, I go left and air brake U-turn hard toward the approaching hill, landing in a left-facing power slide to maintain SF.

On lap 1, you can continue power sliding up the hill and around the next corner. On laps 2 and 3 with USF intact, you'll need to hard air brake around the corner at the top of this hill, ideally landing in a power slide as I do in this clip. Ignore the second boost pad.

This next section is what will make and break most runs. If you have insufficient reserves heading into the castle here, you'll run out of SF/USF mid-jump. The same general concept applies for all three laps: provided you have enough in reserve, you should be able to hard air brake U-turn your way inside without depleting USF. Don't toss your controller if you can't nail this section your first few tries; this is the part that will truly test your air braking skills due to the tight quarters. The only thing that will save you here is practice as you gradually learn how sharp you can cut the jump around the corner and the best ways to build USF reserves on your way to it. You'll have to experiment to find the safest places to power slide leading up to the jump that also give you the smoothest approach angle for the jump itself.

Up top, you can safely ignore the SF boost pad (unless it's lap 1 and you've lost SF somewhere along the way, in which case be sure to pick it back up). For the spiral staircase, air brake around the castle wall. At the bottom, you may need to air brake again to make the adjustments necessary for lining up the shortcut. Pick up USF after the shortcut and say a little prayer as you drop down to the track below. Your speed on each lap will determine the locations of the spiders, and you'll naturally get a feel for where they'll be based on your performance. It's easy enough to slide around them no matter where they are, but if the one on the right is out of your way you can shave time by hugging that right corner.

As you round the corner towards the lap marker, string together two perfect power slides. With USF, make sure you don't jump off the very top of the ramp or you'll hit your head on the archway, and ruin your run in the process. As before, the location of the next spider will depend on your performance in the previous lap. If you're keeping pace with this clip, you'll need to navigate around the spider, sans power sliding. From here, it's a matter of retracing your steps, this time at much higher speed.

Remember, to beat Velo you don't *need* to keep USF for two whole laps. I did it here only to show that I could, and also because I really wanted to turn in a sub-2 minute run. If you can manage to hold onto it for a lap and a half (while not completely bungling lap 1), that should be enough to clear the trial. No matter how you do it, it's a victory that was no doubt hard-won, so pat yourself on the back.

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