I've noticed this in TMUF too. Whenever I build a track I can easily finish it in test-drive mode, but when it comes time to record the media tracker ghost the track becomes almost impossible (and don't even get me started on validation).

Anyone else notice this or is it just me and I'm going insane?

Sounds like the problem exists somewhere between the chair and keyboard

I know it happens to me only because I drive my hardest during a validation run, taking more risks. I want a good author time, after all

Bucky says:
Sounds like the problem exists somewhere between the chair and keyboard

I knew it! My gamepad!

Bucky says:
I know it happens to me only because I drive my hardest during a validation run, taking more risks. I want a good author time, after all

I guess I'm not the only one then, although for me it just seems harder to stay in control of the car on loops and wall-rides.

So many good times I've set by testdriving Validation and MT ghosts

I have no problems owning the track until I have to validate it, then I crash and crash and crash.

protip: Before you validate, save the track with the name (formatting included) that you want. Be sure that there's nothing else you wan to edit. Drive your author time, and save the replay (if you don't trust autosaves). Save the track again, without making any other changes. Upload this copy to TMX, and you will be able to upload your validation replay

Don't know how many times people got mad that their author times were rejected by TMX because they made changes to something as simple as the track title.

I did notice if you change the track title your MT ghost disappears, your shadows disappear and I think my validation time disappeared too.