Yeah, if you have noticed his lines for his videos, you'll notice one thing in particular that he excels at is knowing WHICH barrel rolls to land. That is my primary problem when going from Flash to Phantom. On Flash, I land every one I can because there is usually enough distance to get the full effect of the boost and there is little reason not to. In Phantom however, there are so many spots where you would have to brake immediately after the roll in which case having a different racing line without rolling is actually faster. You also are more likely to take more damage for wall swipes. In addition, that extra lap really makes a difference in tight races and ship energy management is more of a concern.

For me the trick is that balance. In general though, I've found my Time Trial laps are much faster when I focus more on lines than barrel rolls. But Yeldar is Yeldar afterall, and I don't doubt he could probably beat me without using them at all just sticking to his lines. Thus is not the case with all Phantom pilots. But as a general statement, Barrel rolls don't play into Phantom races nearly as much since the top speeds are higher. On Flash it is a significant boost from rolls, whereas Phantom the boost (though still considerable) is not quite as gamechanging. I lose races on Phantom because of lines, I lose races on Flash because of failed rolls.