Pick a difficulty, pick how hard to push the graphics, and go. The ship holds a fixed height above the track and steers by leaning, which means cornering is about starting the turn early and trusting it rather than slowing down for the apex. Contact with a wall costs shield, and shield is also your fuel.
It is fast in the way the racing games of the mid nineties were fast, with a wide track, a horizon that moves too quickly and a sense that the machine is barely under control. There are a handful of circuits and a time to beat on each. Fifteen minutes gets you round. Twenty five gets you round quickly.