Ambassador game was the GBA F-Zero Maximum Velocity.  This is the SNES version which won't have NintendoLand controls.  It is only 30 cents (plus small tax which probably brings it to around 40 cents) so you might as well pick it up!

Words of advice: A deliberate wall bump slows you down less than clearing the really tight corners without touching the rails. This comes in handy on tracks like Silence (the double 180°), both Red Canyons (first left turn) and especially Fire Field (several spots). It only takes a little practice, drive into the wall at an angle between 60-80° (full frontal would be 90°) and regain control after the bump. It's a loss of about 40kph, so you can basically clear all corners in the game with 430+kph. Except on Fire Field, because it has this damn double hairneedle section where you will always drop below 400kph, no matter what you do. Oh, and White Land 2 is a bitch too; really slow middle section, but instead of wall bumping you are better off by cutting through these strange rail extensions.

In general, it's also better to not use the L/R buttons much, but rather repeatedly tap the acceleration button in corners. The Fire Stingray (a.k.a. the pink hovercraft) understeers at max speed (478kph), but right below it you can still turn excellently. A loss of 3kph is nothing in comparison to the gains you'll make with this technique. I mostly use the L/R buttons on straights to shift my vehicle in front of incoming opponents, if necessary.

The Fire Stingray is by far the best vehicle in the game, although with enough practice you can finish every cup on master difficulty with every vehicle. Well, except for the Knight cup with the Golden Fox. Death Wind 1 is virtually impossible. I don't remember if I ever managed it.

Ambassador game was the GBA F-Zero Maximum Velocity.  This is the SNES version which won't have NintendoLand controls.  It is only 30 cents (plus small tax which probably brings it to around 40 cents) so you might as well pick it up!

The first left turn on Red Canyon isn't necessarily tricky, it all depends on how you come out of the first right turn. If you do it right, then you can clear the following left turn with the usual tapping method. A wall bump is the better choice, if you already anticipate that you would ride the wall otherwise. Using the turbo at the start line of Red Canyon is a bad idea. You either use it after the second right turn (if you lost a lot of speed at that point, although the jump plates give you free boosts) or near the end. On Red Canyon 1, that would be the straight with the dirt patches. The turbo allows you to cut through dirt and rails without worrying about speed. On Red Canyon 2, you just need to use it early enough to get its full effect in every lap. If you have trouble with the little S near the end, use the turbo afterwards.

As for jump plates in general, they give you a 40kph boost, provided you hold down on the d-pad when you land. Holding down while in the air also greatly extends your jump, allowing you to take shortcuts on certain tracks. The biggest and riskiest opportunity is the first plate on both Port Town tracks. You can cut off quite a big portion of the track by going about 90° to the right as fast as possible. You can practice this in Practice mode on Port Town 2. The use of a turbo makes it easier, but if executed perfectly at regular max speed, it's possible to make the jump and save the turbo. Note that this shortcut is only really useful if you play for time or are desperate to catch up. The game uses cheap AI. No matter how well you play, your opponents will never fall far behind you, so there's no such thing as extending your lead in this game.