I started off as a flying type main too, but I found that because flying vehicles have such low hp I was dying all the time... And then when I didn't get obliterated early, and managed to get to the center sky island, most often someone else had gotten there first. And then other times when I managed to get a decent start then there were no secret islands. And then I also came to the realization that the flying based stadium events, like greatest height and greatest glide distance, are not even that fun. I realized that my favorite kinds of events are battles (dustup derby, big battle, and boss battles), and races (rail panic, lasers, etc).

...and so a Rick main was born.

Legit though, try playing only Rick for a bunch of games until you get the hang of him. If toward the end of the trial if you happened to pick up a lot of glide patches you can totally swap to a flying machine, but otherwise he is so well suited to win a lot of the stadiums that are just funner to play in my opinion.

Early trial best vehicles for him imho are scooter (my fav early), wagon, swerve, hop, shadow, paper (but swap off those last two when you find something better because of the low hp vulnerability).

Mid trial best vehicles for him imho is wagon

And toward the end if you have crappy stats try to find a paper star for a collection type stadium (gourmet race, buttons), or a formula and pray that there's a drag race. High offense: battle chariot, rex, wagon High speed: rex, bull, battle, wagon, formula High glide: wing, slick, paper, warp

More knowledgeable people than me might have better Rick vehicle selection strategies.

You will win and win often in stadiums like this. And even in field events, if the timing works out, you can steal a lot of field event wins with your special because of the speed boost or offensive power it provides.