haha, if only i was able to compete with wotan...
knowing when/where to use your turbos is a good idea too. there are some places where, even though it may not be the 'fastest' way to use it, you'll find that they help you overtake any people ahead of you without any trouble whatsoever (within reason of course).
yeldar on BRs (again): to make up for my ABISMAL racing-lines, i tend to race every race like a time trial i.e. BR as much as possible.
my philosophy is: if you BR your way all the way to the front, you (might) not get eliminated
the only exception for me is if i run out of energy or if someone in front of me is stealing all the weapons and shitting on my ship.
probably not very helpful but you might be able to get something from my (not-so-wise) words