Eh, that game gets too much hate. Then again most of those issues are fixed on the Gamecube and PC remasters. Even then I find the tank controls tolerable, it's still a racing game, just that people try to play it like a 3D platformer.
Honestly I wish that game got a spiritual succesor, with controls closer to a regular 3D platformer. Kinda like Sonic Rivals but in 3D. Especially considering the amount of side-characters with different abilities the series had gathered since.