Ring Racers is a gem, the somewhat lengthy tutorial and the mostly fixed single player rubber-banding won't take that away from it.
This game joins CTR in the field of kart racers that just "get it", it's very technical with a lot of inter-woven mechanics making the game a blast to play and get better at. The ring-feeding being a variant of the F-zero boost mechanic adds a lot of strategy and intense moments compared to robo kart, I love that the devs went and honed such disruptive ideas, really ends up being a breath of fresh air in the kart racing field.
On the presentation side I think the game has a pretty strong themeing which really transpires in both visuals and soundtrack, there is a staggering amount of content (like 8 times the amount of tracks in a typical new mario kart) though the circuits still managed to be highly varied but still consistent with the core theme, of course the sonic (& some sega) IP helps with its long history but the fan-service is a given in such a project and if anything makes it easier to love.
I also want to mention the single player progression which I think is really well realized, it uses a similar system to the challenge wall in smash brawl, which lets you play the game as intended but keeping side objectives in mind, it really encourages you to play more of the game and feels good feeding you rewards regularly, also have the option to skip some of the challenges if you feel like it. I also like how many secrets are hidden among the tracks, it's really fun to explore familiar areas in a new light and discover all the effort that went into them (most of them being linked to unlocks too).
Overall this is an amazing fan-project that isn't afraid to push its genre forward, both in mechanics and how it handles progression, and a beautiful love-letter to the sonic IP.

I can sympathise with the casual crowd that was alienated by this, I understand SRB2 Kart was largely famous for being a game that people can quickly pick up and stream, and mod to have any character they like, so I understand that brutally difficult Kart racer was probably not something they had any interest in, but man, this pushes all the right buttons for me.

Is it flawed? Undeniably. I'm sure you've already read that the tutorial is dogshit, and the items and CPUs can definitely be a bit much to handle. But in my opinion, it's super compelling. Substantial and fun singleplayer content, countless secrets, incredibly engaging races (NONE of them feel like autopiloting which is what I find a lot of Kart racers fall into) all compliment an incredibly fun to control driving system that, while yes is poorly taught to you, clicks faster than you'd think.

If you are a casual who just wants this game to be Mario Kart but with any character then you've probably already made up your mind and that's fair, I get why that's a desirable experience. For anyone else who has perhaps grown a bit tired of modern kart racing offerings feeling samey I implore you to give this a shot. Try to do at least the first few cups. I honestly kind of wanted to put this down after the first cup but I absolutely got hooked after I tried another cup and things started to click. Also, don't be afraid of the easy mode, it's there for a reason!

SIGMA FEMALE ROUTINE
1. Wake up
2. Cry
3. 50 mg Depaz, for the body and the mind
4. Spread (in)correct political opinions on Tweeter
5. Daily grind at Dinder
6. Nail appointment
7. Recreational wrestling with grandma
8. Head down to BDSM dungeon
9. Let the guilt sink in
10. Kill myse

VAMOS!!!!
VAAAAMOOOOOOOOSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
VAMOS!!!!
"NOOO!!!!! NOOO!!!!!"
"E QUE YUZU E LEGAAAAAAL!!!!!"
UNA POOOLLA VAMOOOOOOOOOS!!!!!
"NOOOOO!!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
"NOO, ES EMULAAAAR, NO ES PIRATEAAAAR!!"
FFFFFUERA DE MI VISTAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!
LADROOOOON!!!!!
LADROOOOON!!!!!!
LADROOOOOOON!!!!!!
FUERA DE MI VISTAAA!
LADROOON!!!
No deciah, no deciah, no deciah que Yuzu!?
"AY NINTENDO! AY NINTENDO! ETO NO E ROBAR!"
"ETO NO E, ETO NO E ROBAR, ETO NO E PIRATERIA!"
"NINTENDO!!!! NINTENDO!!!!! NINTENDO!!!!!!"
LADROOOOOOOOOONNN!!!
SIEMPRE FUISTE UN
LADROOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNN!!!!!
SIEEEEEMPRE LO FUISTEEEE!!!!!!
SSSSSIEMPRE LO FUISTEEEE!!!!!!!
SSSIEMPRE LO FUISTE LADROOON!
LADRONAZOOOOOO!!
LLLLLADRONAZOOOOOO!!!!
TE QUEJA DE LO POLITICO!!!
Y ERES UN
LADROOOOOOOOOON!!!!
LADRON!!
LADRON!!
LAAAAADRON!!!
RRRRRRRRRRROBARRRRRR!!!! TE GUSTA!
"YO LO ROBARÍA"
"YO LO ROBARÍA"
"QUE BELLESA!!!"