In order to win the race, you're going to have to move as quickly as possible. To do that, make your turns as soft as possible, and minimize the number of turns that you have to take. Watch the speed meter at the top of the screen and use it to make sure that you are maximizing your speed. Ignore coin trails, avoid excessive tight turns and avoid hitting obstacles.

If you just want to collect coins, though, then forget about winning the race. Go to the race and follow all of the coin trails. Pick up the question marks and there's a chance you'll get a magnet. If you do get a magnet, you won't have to actually run over any of the coins; for about thirty seconds or so, the coins will automatically be drawn to you, earning you a significant amount of money.

You can unlock more characters in this game than just Tom. Go to your area of the beach and start constructing things in order to constantly increase the bar that leads to earning a new character. You can eventually unlock Angela, Hank, Ginger, and Ben and use them in races.

Be sure to open as many chests as you can because not only do you have a chance at unlocking new jet skis, you can also upgrade your current ones. Handling is always the same, but the acceleration and top speed are the variable stats, so pick your favorite combination of acceleration and top speed. This depends on your playing style.

Pay attention to the start meter when you are just beginning a race. The closer you get to the starting icon being completely filled in with green, the better your start will be. If you go overboard, though, the start will be a bad start and you'll begin the race much slower than you would have otherwise.