Last Puzzle Piece Frustration / Rage (Help Wanted)

[Lasaga Eater]

I have recently went on the search for every puzzle piece in the game hoping to get them all. Most of them were not too much of a challenge and quite easy if you take a few seconds to look. I had thought I would be able complete all art within a day of the challenge, oh how wrong I was...

It all started just like any other map. I drove through it the first time and I actually got quite lucky with the RNG to get multiple springs so I could get the first 2 pieces on the map. I already knew where the first one was so I anticipated I would collect the last piece when I start next round. Since the piece is so near the actual start of the map it becomes hard to get the spring then do the jump. And as I learned the hard way, it takes more then a simple jump to reach anywhere near what's needed to enter the hit-box. Even a simple attempt of trying to reach the piece can ruin the odds for that round because the piece is so close to the fu*king boarder that it would be impossible to attempt without getting out of bounds.

each time this happens I get sent back basically losing my first place each time meaning there is no chance for me to get a spring to do the jump. Every attempt means I need to get back into first place to try. I have probably done about 40 rounds of this exact map for this reason alone. After attempting the same jump for an amount of times I don't even want to admit I finally decided to use Youtube to see how others did it. The Youtuber I watched got all the other pieces accordingly just with simple jumps but when it came to the one that I was personally stuck on the guy managed to get 2 items, first the perfume and second the spring. This means that this madlad waited till he was in last place or close to it then avoided all the other candy till he eventually could eventually get into first just so he can get a chance of getting the spring. Somehow he managed to do it and collect the final piece. I was truly amazed.

However things did not go as smoothly as what was shown. Even when I did get the winning combo (which was very rare) there were still things that could stop me. At this point I couldn't care less about place I get in the race, that was meaningless to me. But when I needed to make a jump over water. The AI (especially Odie) would have no mercy for me and my attempt. Odie like some kind of German Luftwaffe would always shoot me down over the water making me lose all my items each time. I have probably lost the winning combo 3 times to this dog alone. It was around the 4th time of losing the winning combo that I decided I would try some other levels and collect the pieces there. Unsurprisingly I did so and completed the same day. I felt pleasure in completing the other levels and got to see the beautiful artwork I have earned but I could not get the thought of the other missing piece that I left. I would head to work and would not be able to stop thinking about the piece that I have left behind. I would visit my wife and kids but that thought of that missing piece was on my mind 24/7. The mere sight of a puzzle triggered shell shock for me. It was at this point that I start to question reality as a whole. such a simple game and yet it has taken me so long to complete it.

Now I spent most of my days playing the same map not even completing rounds. I start rush to the first candy, reach first place and if I don't get a spring immediately I restart. It's a vicious cycle of getting the candy then restarting. Even when I do manage to get the spring and I trigger my drift boost, the satisfaction is short lived and even with me doing everything correct I still cannot reach the piece. So close yet so far...

Any tips?

[Unga Bunga Muscle Tower]

Oh, this is Blazing Oasis yes? Equip the Elasto Hat for that first piece