This seems to change a little every year, so I'm updating a post I made for the old [item=33306] item for what seems to be a pretty good route for 2015 at least. With this route I consistently get 20 trips for 40 tickets. It relies on three main interface elements for optimization:
- Binding Action Bar -> Extra Action Button 1 to a convenient key. I use the Backtick key (to the left of the 1 key), and rebind the Tilde key (Shift Backtick) for Toggle Character Pane.
- Steering the mount with the right mouse button. Or both left and right mouse buttons.
- Steering the camera with the left mouse button.
The main thing with the mouse buttons is you'll use right button (or both buttons) to aim where you want the mount to go, then while it continues running in whatever direction you pointed it you'll use (only) the left button to swing the camera around and face yourself head-on. Then to instantly make a 180 degree turn, you hit the right mouse button again.
The only two barrels used are the northern middle barrel at 54.6, 43.4 next to the signpost just past the bridge over the frozen river, and the southern middle barrel at 54.5, 47.5 just to the west of Steelgrill's Depot. You hit the northern one when headed south and both of them while headed north.
- When starting at Neill, face toward the northern barrel, aiming between the Ironforge banners on the left and the pine trees on the right. Your facing direction will be the one you start moving in when the event starts.
- Mash your Extra Action Button 1 key to get up to full speed as fast as possible, then tap away at it once a second or so, to maintain full speed.
- Run directly at the northern barrel.
- As soon as you hit the barrel, use your mouse to quickly turn roughly 30 degrees to your right, and aim straight for the scrawny little bush as the north edge of a rock wall on the west (right) side of the road.
- While continuing to tap the reins, let go of the right mouse button and swing your camera around with the left button, so you are looking at yourself head-on.
- As soon as pass the north end of the rock wall by the beer throwers, which is the wall between the inn and the forge, immediately press both buttons and start heading back the way you came. Turn slightly right to head for the southern barrel, passing to the left of the trees on the small hill. Usually your beer will reach you as you are passing the trees.
- After hitting the south barrel, run (mostly) straight to the north barrel.
- After hitting the north barrel, adjust your course slightly to the left to aim between the Ironforge banner on your right and the trees on the left, back to where Neill is.
- Swing your camera around again to face yourself.
- As soon as you pass the Brewfest banner that is in front of Neill, hit both buttons again to instantly 180 back toward the north barrel.
- Back to step 1.
Using this route and never letting up on full speed you end up hitting the south barrel at 90 exhaustion and the north barrel, when headed south again, at 75 exhaustion.
Good luck, and happy racing!