3. The final jump / star can likely be completed in a single cycle, without the need to land, roll backwards, then gain enough momentum to grab the star. I have no idea how, but I definitely think some top-tier players could one-cycle this.

2. After the first slope, there's definitely a lot of room for tech and jank. The original design intended you to stop here but I can see people simply zooming straight through this check. You might even be able to bound off the ceiling / wall before the checkpoint. In my current ghost I try to wall ride into the checkpoint for maximum speed.

Just a note for speedrunners, Here are some optimizations that I think could be made: 1. At the beginning, I see some potential for Wheelie / Stoppie optimizations to get you great momentum at the beginning. When you bonk into the first star, you back wheel goes up which can be used to put you in a wheelie position once you press Z. Similarly, when you're falling off the first drop going toward the second star, you can tilt your front wheel downward then Z while falling to land in a wheelie.

GarrettStelly yep