Petey Piranha

History:

When he was just a small boy Bowser Jr. was strolling through the Bianco Hills on Isle Delfino on his way to plot against Mario. He stumbled upon a small Piranha Plant that seemed different than the rest. This one was ejected from the ground and covered his shame in a tiny Polka-Dot speedo. It whimpered and Bowser Jr. decided to breed it for his Army. Unlike the Piranha Plants that fed on just about anything though, this one, whom Bowser Jr. named Peter only fed on Blood, which Bowser Jr. supplied himself for a while before eventually sacrificing some of the hapless Piantas. Eventually Peter grew and grew and rebelled against his master. Petey wanted to make himself Lord of All Piranha Plants and as his power grew he refused to be subservient to Bowser Jr., although he was willing to work with him, if only because Bowser Jr. promised Mario to be a tasty treat.

Since those days Petey has grown into his own and although it's difficult to claim lordship over a Plant Army that can't move, Petey has still attempted to become the King of All Piranha Plants. He continues to work alongside Bowser, seeing that his is the true power in the Mushroom World, not his arrogant Son. Still, Petey's size, strength and appetite make him no pushover for the Koopa King to boss around. In this status as an ancillary opponent to the Mario Bros. he has also met King Boo and formed a close friendship with him over the years. After all, as a Mushroom Kingdom Plumber one of the Bros.' largest roles is to clean the thousands of Pipes that litter the land. Piranha Plants find these pipes to be a natural home, so the Bros. painfully clear them of Petey's own kind. This doesn't make the guy happy.

Double Dash:

Petey Piranha joins Paratroopa as the only Characters who appear only in Double Dash, where he's definitely a solid Driver. He's also the second Super Mario Sunshine character to appear here after Bowser Jr. Double Dash sorted its characters into three different Weight Classes although their individual stats didn't matter as much as their Karts did in determining Race Winners. Each character has his or her own Signature Kart and Special Item. Petey drives the Piranha Pipes.

The Pipes are solid. They are very fast, have great shocks, average turn speed and are the 2nd Heaviest Kart in the Game. It also has a very strong Offroad for its size, ranking 2nd among Heavy Karts. Its acceleration is its only lacking stat, 18th in the game overall, although it's 3rd among Heavy Karts. They're a good choice for a heavy vehicle that isn't as painfully slow to get going as the Koopa King or DK Jumbo. The Pipes were inspired by the more typical Piranha Plant that calls it home.

Petey partners with King Boo and they both have a random Item as their Special, which really is the best in the game. If they're falling behind they'll get a Chain Chomp or Golden Mushroom. If they're ahead they'll get a Giant Banana or Bob-omb. It's the best of every world. Once unlocked, Petey or King Boo often will win the 150 cc Grand Prix, and there's a good reason for that. The major drawback with using Petey is actually that the thing is so big, with a huge flower head that impairs visibility. You can literally miss a Green Shell heading straight for you because his head is in the way. The camera is noticeably farther back when using Petey though it doesn't really help that much. As a secret character he has no Secret Staff Ghosts.

Baby Park

History:

Once it became apparent that Baby Mario and Baby Luigi were trapped in the current time stream they found that they needed a place to live and figure things out. Yoshi, fondly remembering the two from his own youth, granted them a plot of land on Yoshi's Island. Being babies, they soon transformed the meager parcel into an Amusement park, dubbing it Baby Park. The Park features an extremely short track elevated over some of the other attractions that has become a popular spot both for Racing and Spectating.

Double Dash:

Baby Park is the third course in the Mushroom Cup and at first seems to be very welcoming and simple. It's the most basic and shortest of all Courses anywhere, the typical good lap should usually take around 11 seconds, 10 if you get a few Mushrooms. For this reason it's the only track ever to feature Seven Laps instead of the typical three. Its distraction-free nature quickly fades away in Grand Prix though once the Sixteen Drives start throwing Items all over the place. Its confined space is a lot more disheartening when there's three Giant Bowser Shells and fifteen Bananas in your path. It's also short enough that it's easy to fall behind if you screw up. The Secret Staff Ghost here is Baby Mario, with Baby Luigi riding shotgun in the Goo Goo Buggy at 1:11:108.

The Track returned in DS, although it only has five laps this time around. Since there are no babies in DS the Staff Ghost is the next best thing, Toad in the Mushmellow at 0:50:920.

Toadette

History:

Toadette is a ruthless provocateur who has slutted her way to the top of the Mushroom Kingdom through undeniable ambition and cunning political and personal tactics. She is very young but knew all the right people to sleep with to become a powerful influence on the rule of the Royal Family - namely, Toad. As a child she was a compulsive Musician and Softball Player. She practiced constantly, unhappy with being anything but the very best. She soon turned her whirling dynamo of motivation to the realm of politics and found it dominated by ineffective men like Toad and awkward rulers who had come into Power far before she was ready like Peach, who had no idea how to run a Kingdom. Toadette first flirted with Toad while he was seeking asylum in Yoshi's Island after a recent blunder that let Bowser enter the Kingdom and kidnap the Princess once again. Toad fell in love instantly and invited Toadette back to the castle to be his bride. She refused the wedding but accepted the Castle invite, and has been a Puppet Master ever since. Her guile and wits are matched only by her ability to sleep with anyone who she can't convince to change policy with her serpentine words. Through a systematic process of blackmail and deception she has managed to become more powerful in the Kingdom than Toad himself, whose own impotence politically and sexually has now long hindered his ability for real confidence of any kind.

Double Dash:

Toad is a very sweet girl in Double Dash, which is actually her first appearance ever. She partners with Toad automatically and was clearly shoe-horned into the game because no other Lightweight really meshed with the Mushroom Head. She's really identical to Toad in every way, Double Dash put more emphasis on Kart Selection than Drivers, who only determined the Weight Class of Karts available and Special Items. Each Character though, does have his or her own Signature Kart. Toadette, very creatively, drives the Toadette Kart.

The Toadette Kart is actually very similar to the Toad Kart, with some slight differences. Its real specialty is Acceleration, it reaches its Top Speed faster than any other Vehicle in the game, although the Toad Kart is only 4th. Despite this its speed is very slow, 55 mph, although it retains a good amount of Offroad Speed, one of the highest in the game. It's also the second-lightest in the game, so you've got to count on that Acceleration to get away fast. It handles very similar to the Toad Kart, it's not very bouncy and it loses an average amount of speed on its turns. In general it's pretty good but really with a low speed like that it's only good for Grand Prix, and with a weight like that it's going to get its ass kicked there.

Toadette shares the same Special Item as Toad, the Golden Mushroom, which gives you an infinite amount of Mushroom Boosts for a limited time. This seems awesome but really it can do more harm than good. It will only show up if you're near the back of the crowd, and if you get it on a course with plenty of turns or dangerous edges, it's basically useless as it makes the Kart nearly uncontrollable. On the simpler courses with lots of Offroad and no edges though, it can be handy...except for the fact that you shouldn't be in Last Place on these courses. She's really a better Character for beginners...except that she's a Secret Unlockable Character. Basically Toadette has no purpose in this game. Being a Secret Character she also appears as a Secret Staff Ghost on no tracks.

Wii:

Now here is where Toadette starts to really shine. Wii didn't base its stats on Individuals or on Karts. Instead all Eight Racers in each of the Three Size Classes has access to Six Bikes and Six Karts, all with varying stats. In addition each Racer adds certain Bonuses to each Stat, making for a dizzying number of possible combinations. Of course if you're Toadette, you're choosing the Magikruiser. Toadette gets a +6 Offroad Bonus, tied only with Dry Bowser as the best in the game, as well as a smaller Speed Bonus. When this combines with the Magikruiser, which already has the best Offroad of any Vehicle, you've got an unbeatable combination for taking the path less traveled. Take a look:

Power-hungry whore...

It's the only glaringly obvious choice in the game, so you had better go with it. She can make Moo Moo Meadows, Shy Guy Beach or Dry Dry Ruins the easiest courses you'll encounter. She only has one Staff Ghost though, and it's Mushroom Gorge, obviously a reference to her head. The Normal uses the Quacker in 02:16.110 and the Expert uses the Mini Beast in 02:01.011. Since she doesn't really have stats that support either of these Vehicles that well, it shouldn't be too difficult to beat either of these.

Ribbon Road

History:

All residents of the Mushroom Kingdom generally celebrate the birthdays of the Royal Family. Princess Peach was no different. She had literally mountains of presents stacked throughout the Kingdom and in an unprecedented move, decided to actually generate some public funds from the celebration. She used her Birthday Supplies to actually create a Grand Prix Race Course, the Ribbon Road. She used Star Magic to make the Ribbon suitable for motorists and then donated all proceeds of its exhibition to the State Department, which of course was mostly used to clear the land of all the garbage generated from her Birthday Celebration. Toad, speaking on behalf of the Mushroom Constituency, did not allow Peach to pull this kind of stunt again, as it was never that popular anyway.

Super Circuit:

Ribbon Road is another weird course, whose type only appears in Super Circuit, this time as the Second Track in the Star Cup. It is literally a big red ribbon with some somehow slower Ribbon Offroad that can bog Karts down on the twisty, turny track. There are lots of turns, jumps and boosts, one of which can lead to a massive shortcut. Toad is very good here because he won't lose a ton of speed on those edges. There is a long straightaway leading up to the starting point, but its really not worth a heavy weight who is going to get marred on the edges and lose everything on those turns. This is a strange course, it's never made an appearance outside of Super Circuit, it would be difficult to justify its existence geographically in a game of any higher amount of bits.

Waluigi

History:

Waluigi is one of the more vile humans in the Mushroom Kingdom. He abhors adventuring and so for many years while other graduates of the Mushroom Plumbing College like Wario and the Mario Bros. were out in the wilds unclogging the many Giant Warp Pipes throughout the land, Waluigi engaged many other pursuits. He founded a Motor Oil Company as well as an independent construction firm. Throughout the 90s he dabbled in Nazism until he met Princess Daisy, who he became obsessed with. His unrequited love of the Princess has both salvaged Waluigi's soul and separated him from his partner, Wario, who is obsessed with his own greed. It has also fueled much of his rage towards his nemesis and current Daisy beau Luigi. Since then he has still avoided adventures, but excelled in many Mushroom Sports Competitions 

I've looked into his eyes...he's pure evil.

Waluigi is much more rational than his only real friend in the Mushroom Kingdom, Wario. He was always fiercely independent and isn't motivated by greed or jealousy. Instead he gets his drive from lust, ambition and a distinct pleasure from causing harm in others. He's one to laugh at misery and exploit it using his own cunning mind. In addition to his Motor Oil Company he attemped and failed at the Waluigi Grand Prix, although the remnants remain on many courses throughout the Kingdom. Finally he has pioneered Waluigi Pinball, which began as a small string of Arcades and has now blossomed into enormous, dangerous Amusement Parks.

Double Dash:

Waluigi first appeared as a playable racer in Double Dash where he pairs with Wario. Double Dash placed emphasis on different Karts more than Characters, the Drivers only determined what Weight Class they could use and what Special Items became available. Individual Karts determined Racing Stats, and each Character has his or her own signature Vehicle.

Waluigi drives the Waluigi Racer, which he cannot use with his default partner, Wario because while Waluigi is a Middleweight, Wario is Heavy. The Waluigi Racer is a Kart of some extremes in some cases. It's on the faster end of Middle Karts, only slower than Luigi's Green Fire and also has the best Offroad Speed by far of any Middle Kart, in fact, it has the best in the game at 37 mph. Its turn speed isn't great among Middle Karts but pretty decent overall and it's smack int he middle of Acceleration (13th) and Weight (9th). All in all this seems great so far, but it also has the worst shocks in the game, making it the single bounciest Kart and most likely to lose speed on big hills. Therefore it's a great choice for maybe something generally flat but with lots of Offroad portions like Sherbert Land, Yoshi Circuit or Dino Dino Jungle.

The Wario/Waluigi partnership is the only Heavy/Middle partnership in the game, otherwise their Special Items are identical. Waluigi uses the Bob-omb, which is a better defensive than offensive weapon. When thrown behind it can be devastating for those on your tail, although be sure to be careful of it going off right behind you from a Red Shell or what not.The only problem is that it won't stay on the Track for long, exploding pretty soon after you drop it, so if you're very far ahead it's basically useless. When thrown ahead it is awful dangerous. There is a slim chance that you won't be involved in the explosion but it's difficult.

There are Secret Staff Ghosts to unlock in Time Trials here. Waluigi's personal course is Waluigi Stadium where he partners with Wario in the Wario Car at 1:59:658. For the later Wario Colosseum he rides behind his partner in the same Ride, this time pulling in at 2:21:106.

DS:

Only Waluigi and Daisy appear only in Double Dash, DS and Wii. Waluigi is still a Medium Weight Driver here, although by adding 2 to the weight of each Vehicle he is a bit heavier than Mario or Luigi. DS gave each Character three distinct Karts, each with specialized stats. Eventually every Character can use any Kart, with the only morphing stat being Weight. Generally Waluigi is one of the heavier Middleweights. Of the Three Karts initially available, there is basically a Standard, one with poorer stats but a better Item Rating and one with better stats but a poorer Item Rating. Here are Waluigi's Vehicles:

Waluigi generally has very good vehicles. The Zipper is clearly the precursor to the Bikes in Wii. None of his Rides have subpar stats. at worst his handling and drift are average with above average acceleration and pretty good speed. Waluigi also has a pair of Staff Ghosts in Time Trials. On his own Waluigi Pinball he goes 2:23:288 in the Gold Mantis. He also appears on the Retro Choco Island 2 from SMK. He uses the Zipper in 1:01:620. He's probably here as a reference to his Stadium Tracks as the Choco Islands are full of dirt.

Wii:

It's only a matter of time really.

In Wii Waluigi makes the upgrade to a Large Size Racer. Wii took its three different Size Classes and gave each Six Bikes and Six Karts to choose from, each with varying stats. In addition to this, each Character adds his or her own Bonuses to each Stat, making an incredible array of possible combinations. Waluigi is again a decent choice. His +6 Acceleration and +5 Drift are both at the Top among Large Racers and he adds a +3 Offroad as well. All of this makes him a good choice for those seeking Offroad Shortcuts or courses with tricky turns. Both is high acceleration and ability to use bigger vehicles also make him a nice choice for beginners. Here are Waluigi's Specific Stats, the maximum in any Category is 80:

Waluigi is most associated with the Offroader, it having comparable stats to the Wario Bike. It's also the Kart that best takes advantage of Waluigi's Stat Bonuses, likewise with the Wario Bike. These two Vehicles don't act much like typical Heavy Rides and since Waluigi doesn't really have typical Heavy Bonuses, he makes them work. It's also interesting that the default colour scheme on many of the Heavy Vehicles is Waluig's blue and gold, such as the Phantom and the Spear.

Waluigi only has one Staff Ghosts in this game. He drives on the Retro Waluigi Stadium with the Standard Bike L in 02:32.882. The Expert version, once unlocked, uses the very heavy Piranha Prowler in 02:12.367.

Cloud Tracks

History:

The Sky Garden course is one of the very few in Sarasaland, homeland of Princess Daisy. It floats on the skies high above the Capitol Kingdom of Chai. Using some of the Kingdom's own magical essence and the tall vines in the Kingdom the track is supported on the very clouds themselves. Its dangerous access and expensive upkeep led to no other tracks developing up here although this course has returned on a few subsequent Grand Prix under the administration of Daisy.

The blueprints of stable cloud and vine racing technology was eventually adapted in another location, off the Western Coast of the Dark Land, officially in neutral territory, but filled with many of Lord Bowser's Airships. Bowser and Baby Rosalina made a landmark deal to decommission a small portion of his fleet in the interests of the race course. It was one of Baby Rosalina's first moves upon entering the current timestream, and evidently Bowser held her Galactic Authority in high regard despite his attempts to upset her older counterpart.

Super Circuit:

This is the Second Track in the Lightning Cup, which appears only in Super Circuit. It's a bit difficult, almost Rainbow Road-esque with its lack of borders, although the course is wide enough with some cloudy Offroad meridians that slow Racers down. There are also plenty of boosts to avoid some close portions of track. It is basically a simple loop with a handful of tight turns. Control is very important here around the edges so someone like Peach or Yoshi would be valuable. In Grand Prix someone a bit heavier like Kong or Wario might be useful in order to avoid being knocked around.

This track returned in DS where the Staff Ghost is Daisy on one of her random appearances in this game. She utilises the Power Flower in 1:44:400. There is also a Luigi Blimp floating around, which suggests that it might be in the Mushroom Kingdom, but more likely it's Luigi staking his claim on Daisy's territory.

8:

It's great to see such the amalgamation here of two of Mario Kart's more bizarre courses - Super Circuit's Sky Garden and DS's Airship Fortress. Cloudtop Cruise has four major sections: Some curves on solid clouds, a brief overlay on to the deck of one of Bowser's Airships, an anti-grav section on a metal track inside of an active thunderstorm, and finally across a gargantuan vine growing out of a ? Box. It's pretty diverse but thematically sound. There aren't even a ton of spots to fall off of, unless you botch one of the two air jumps sandwiching the thundercloud or botch the supple slope of the vine.

The Staff Ghost is Baby Rosalina, in perhaps a nod to her other worldly or heavenly nature among the clouds. She uses the Biddybuggy, Standard Tires, and Super Glider, which means her speed is ridiculously low but she can handle like a dream. Handling isn't completely necessary here, the only really difficult turns would be on the Airship deck. Go with something crazy fast like the Mach 8 and Slick Tires and then adjust your handling needs by the Driver's weight class. All you need to beat is 2:26.347.

Bowser Jr.

History:

Bowser has sired children all over the Koopa Kingdom, very rarely with the same mother. He adores all his children however, and collectively the first seven, all born in the early-to-mid 80s are collectively known as the Koopalings. All of these youngsters, however, were generally spoiled, retarded, eccentric, lazy or generally just not how Bowser pictured his heir. Soon after the first Grand Prix though, Bowser sired an eighth child. Not seeking to see this one grow up spoiled and lazy in the castle, Bowser made him live on the Northern Fringes of Dark Land under the watch of the Silent Shy Guy Army and the ever-presence of Kamek, Bowser's most loyal Magician and Major Domo. Bowser Jr. grew to be ruthless and almost as adept at magic as his old man. When the time came on this Tenth Birthday, they struck against Mario together, with Bowser Jr. leading the charge. They failed but afterwards seeing his son coming in to his own, Bowser invited him into the Castle, eventually giving him the entire East Wing, or what remained of the Course from the 1997 Grand Prix.

Since then Bowser Jr. has always been at his father's side, although his influence has been largely laughable. He doesn't own any tracks wholly by himself, nor does he have much capital or political power to throw around. As long as Bowser lives, he will always exist in his shadow, but due to his Father's negligence for the first Decade of his life Bowser Jr. is always seeking to prove himself, creating one of Bowser's Most Loyal Servants. In his own twisted way Bowser created one of the more dangerous Weapons in his Army in his own son.

Double Dash:

After Bowser Jr. first appeared in Super Mario Sunshine he showed up here in Double Dash as a default partner for Bowser. It's interesting that although Bowser Jr. is certainly just a miniature version of Bowser, unlike Baby Mario or Baby Luigi he is a distinct Character, not just a baby version (although that exists as well). In fact, Bowser Jr. has much more in common than Baby Mario does with Mario. He is basically the Lightweight version of Bowser (as Diddy is to Donkey Kong). The major character distinction in Double Dash are only weight classes and Special Items. Differences in racing comes mostly from Karts, each character having his or her own Signature Ride.

Bowser Jr. drives the Bullet Blaster, which in general is awful. It acts very much like a Heavy Kart although it is in fact the Lightest Kart in the game, meaning it's going to get trashed. It has one of the highest Top Speeds at 58 mph, and as the 12th fastest Accelerating Kart it actually is the fastest to reach this speed, although only the Barrel Train accelerates slower among Light Karts. Despite this it has the worst Offroad, turn speed and shocks of any Light Kart, and is one of the worst overall in all these areas. I've never found a lot of use for this, but its decent Acceleration and excellent Speed should count for something even though it's severely lacking in every other area.

Bowser Jr. is one of three pairs to have the same item but exist in a different Weight Class (the others being Diddy and Donkey as well as Wario and Waluigi), which can be useful. His Item is the Bowser Shell, which shoots out just as large as his Father's. It's a dangerous Item to use. It's best on straightaways where it will decimate anyone ahead, but against a wall or on a curve there's a supremely good chance it will bounce back and hit you. It's also very effective when shot backwards, meaning it's a bit better to get while near the lead. It is avoidable though if misplaced, something like the Koopas' Triple Shells can be a bit more efficient.

Bowser Jr. is also the only character in the game not to have a personal track where he takes the lead during the Secret Staff Ghosts in Time Trials. He does ride behind Bowser on Bowser Castle though. Using the Koopa King they whip up a time of 2:44:690.

Wii:

In Wii, each Driver was separated into three different Size Classes and within those classes had access to Six Bikes and Six Karts, each with its own set of specific Stats. In addition, each Character added his or her own Bonuses to each Stat, creating a wide array of different possible Racing Styles. Bowser Jr., along with Diddy Kong, moved from a Lightweight to a Middle Class driver. He also has one of the poorest sets of Bonuses in the game, making him pretty useless. He gets +3 Mini Turbo that is met or beaten by Daisy, Diddy and Birdo in his Size Class as well as a +3 Offroad that is met or beaten by Birdo and Yoshi. Since Birdo gets superior Bonuses in the same categories as well as a +3 Weight Bonus she's basically a better version of Bowser Jr., meaning there is no reason to use him ever. Here are Bowser Jr.'s Specific Stats:

Bowser Jr. doesn't have any Karts explicitly associated with him. The closest may be the Super Blooper which changes to a different colour only when he rides it, or the Zip Zip, which has Stats similar to the Phantom, which is associated with Dry Bowser (I know, that might be stretching it, folks). Both of these Vehicles actually do well with his meager Bonuses. Other than that, he can succeed in the Dolphin Dasher, but in general he should just be avoided.

Bowser Jr. only appears as a Staff Ghost on one track in this game, but it's the Final Track, so that's something significant. He rides the Standard Kart M on the Retro N64 Bowser's Castle in 03:19.323. The Expert switches to the Sneakster and goes 02:55.933. Bowser Jr.'s logo also appears on Moonview Highway for some reason, although he doesn't really seem to have any connection with that track.

Cheese Land

History:

After he forcibly started advancing Koopa Kingdom technology in the late 90s, Lord Bowser developed Space Travel through the use of Dark Magic and a very focused use of resources. He first landed on the Mushroom World's Moon, which he found to be made entirely of Yellow Cheese. With a new Grand Prix looming he obviously saw an opportune moment to create the first track outside of the Mushroom World besides the Rainbow Road. He dubbed his new conquest Cheese Land, and despite its effectiveness as a course, the long journey and little popularity among racers or spectators caused Bowser to abandon it soon after the 2001 Cup. No one has claimed anything on the Moon since.

Super Circuit:

Cheese Land is a bizarre track that only appears in the Flower Cup in Super Circuit. The path seems to be all Cheese surrounded by some...staler browner cheese that slows Karts down. There are some moldy twists and gentle turns and one big jump over a portion of the course. Based on the fact that there is an Earth-like planet in the sky on this course as well as the notion that the Moon generally appears yellow (see Moonview Highway) has driven me to the idea that this place is on the Moon. Of course there are places like Cheese Bridge but there is no cheese there. This track has not returned since Super Circuit, nor has there ever been another incarnation of it. That's probably a good thing.

Diddy Kong

History:

Diddy is the nephew of Donkey Kong, though they aren't that different in age. Diddy's parents, Kong's brother and his wife, were killed by the Kremling Hordes shortly after Diddy was born. Therefore Diddy was raised mostly by Cranky and Wrinkly Kong along with Donkey, who matured a bit earlier. Diddy is still very much a young buck though and doesn't really own any tracks himself besides the Dino Dino Jungle, which due to its remote and dangerous location has never been very popular. He is still really a sidekick of Donkey Kong and hasn't really won that independence yet.

Double Dash:

Diddy appeared here as the default partner of Kong. Double Dash didn't place that much emphasis on Driver distinctions, more on Kart Differences. Characters only determined what Special Items they could use and ultimately what size Kart they could drive. Diddy is interesting because he's a Lightweight here while Kong is a Heavyweight, meaning that when partnered together they needed a Heavy Kart. In order for Diddy to drive his own Kart he needs to be paired with another Lightweight.

Diddy drives the Barrel Train, which stands out among Light Karts. It basically acts like a Heavy Kart, which is cool if you are in to that sort of thing. Unlike the Boo Pipes, though, which have the benefits of acting like a Light Kart while also being able to push people around, there is no real upside besides a greater ability to dodge hazards. In fact, the Barrel Train is the narrowest Vehicle in the game, which can be useful. It's also the heaviest Light Kart (12th Overall). Naturally it has the worst Acceleration of any Light Kart along with the Second-Highest Top Speed and a decent Offroad. It does have some of the best shocks and average turn speed. All in all it's okay if you're looking for a Light Kart with Speed, though it controls so stiffly you can't enjoy it that much.

Each Character in Double Dash has a personal Special Item. Diddy's is the same as Kong's - the Giant Banana. It's one of the better Items in the game for someone who likes to be in first, it creates a huge hazard for Racers coming from behind. Of course, if you're always the one in last place it's not going to help that much. Diddy is basically the Light Version of Donkey Kong, meaning he's great to be paired up with some other little guy with the Toad Kart, get in First Place early and dominate.

He is also the Secret Staff Ghost in two tracks. He leads on Dino Dino Jungle with DK in back in the Big Guy's DK Jumbo with a time of 2:00:908. For DK Mountain he switches with his Uncle in the same Kart with a time of 2:12:639.

Wii:

After missing DS Diddy returned in Wii. In this game each Character in three separate Size Classes each can drive up to Six Karts and Six Bikes. Naturally there are plenty of combinations. Diddy moved from a Lightweight to a Middleweight, although he's really not that much bigger physically. Each character also has their own Stat Bonuses to add to each Vehicle. Diddy gets a small Acceleration and Drift Bonus as well as a Mini Turbo Bonus tied with Birdo as the best among Middleweights. Therefore he's really pretty good for technical drivers on tricky courses that like to drift and boost a lot. Here are the Diddy-Specific stats:

The Classic Dragster best takes advantage of his bonuses, although he's also great in the Mach Bike. He's most associated with the Sugarscoot, which he can also be decent with. He only appears as a Staff Ghost in the Maple Treeway. It's actually a similar course to DK Mountain from Double Dash with the huge Barrel Cannon and it also takes place entirely on a system of trees. Diddy's Monkey Nature is perfectly suited for the association. The Normal Ghost pulls a 02:58.633 in the Classic Dragster, the Expert does 02:37.812 in the Sneakster.

Jungle Tracks

History:

There are many Jungles throughout the Mushroom Kingdom, many of which have seen the intrusion of Race Tracks, seemingly inescapable in any location. Riverside Park was developed by Wario during his many travels to the far reaches of the Kingdom. It exists through the Emerald Passage far beyond the Dry Dry Desert. Wario also sought to develop the Lakeside Park park track on DK Island, next to the Monkey Mountains. Eventually as tensions rose between him and Kong this track was shut down and no one has raced there in a decade.

Yoshi's Island is the location of Yoshi Falls and Dino Dino Jungle, both in the midst of lush water resources. Yoshi however, after overextending himself in numerous Desert Tracks was forced to sell the Dino Dino Jungle rights to Kong, who, with no interest in managing the course, gave it to his buddy Diddy.

Super Circuit:

There are two similar Jungle Tracks in Super Circuit that have never appeared in any other game. Riverside Park is as it sounds - a winding twisting track around and across a wide river. It is also possible to use some nasty shortcuts here. There are a few straightaways but nothing that dominates the course, and much more often there's tight turns with a lot of grassy off-road spots. Someone Lightweight is going to be the key here that can maintain speed while dealing with all that junk. For only being the third track in the Mushroom Cup it's a decently complex track, with jumps and twists and hazards.

Lakeside Park is the same kind of deal. It's a winding track around a bit wider water hazard, although it does have the distinction of transitioning from daylight to darkness after the huge volcano erupts. There is somehow both more of a straightaway and more sharp turns, making a clear-cut choice for who should race this more difficult. Since Toad and Peach by far the better Drivers in this game, they're always a safe choice. This course leads off the Special Cup, which is actually similar to D.K.'s Jungle Parkway leading off that Cup in MK64. It also features a big jump and lots of water danger, making it somewhat of a spiritual successor.

Double Dash:

Again in the Special Cup, Double Dash featured Dino Dino Jungle, which can be a very difficult course. It's a relatively simple Figure-8 but features an unstoppable gigantic Dinosaur over part of the course and then a dastardly wooden bridge without guardrails. There's also evil geysers that erupt from the ground but generally you can see them coming. There are a good amount of hills near the finish line that will decimate Kart without good shocks like the Waluigi Racer, probably at the time you need it most. This map actually does a nice job dividing the track into four quarter-sections: Jungle, Bridge, Cave and Mountain.

Double Dash had Secret Staff Ghosts for each track in Time Trials. The Ghost here is Diddy Kong taking the lead with his partner, Donkey Kong. They ride in the DK Jumbo because of Donkey's heavyweight status. Still, they put in a time of 2:00:908. I suppose they needed to give the Jungle Course to the Monkey since Donkey has DK Mountain.

This course returns in Mario Kart 7 where it is generally the same. There are some more Air boost panels and a few other small differences but other than that it hasn't changed a huge amount. The Staff Ghost here is Yoshi in a befitting way. The Normal Ghost goes 02:29.837 in the Egg 1 using Roller Wheels and the Parafoil. The Expert uses the Egg 1 again in Monster Wheels and Swoop Glider. He'll have decent speed and very good handling. The moderate amount of air travel doesn't make air speed a necessity, stick to something with good acceleration around those turns, such as sticking the Wood Wheels on the Soda Jet.

DS:

Yoshi Falls is one of the shortest courses in any Mario Kart game and is really a very simple loop. Therefore we see it in the Mushroom Cup, in fact, it's the Second Course of the game. The key here is getting the inside track, because the actual course is very wide. What makes this difficult is the occasional waterfall along the Inside Track that can be very hazardous for sloppy drivers. The first and third falls are the only ones that inexperienced drivers should attempt to cross, the middle is much steeper and more dangerous. Beyond that, plenty of gentle curves and nice straightaways, feel free to nab someone like Bowser who has some Speed.

DS also had Staff Ghosts. Here Yoshi clocks in at  0:57:677 driving the Egg 1. This course came back in Wii though with no major changes. That game had both Normal Ghosts and unlockable Expert Ghosts. The Ghost is Yoshi again, this time the Normal uses the Zip Zip in 01:16.461 and the Expert goes  01:09.175 in the Super Blooper. He uses the Super Blooper, really? It's the only Ghost use of that Kart in the game. It's easy now to switch to Funky, who tears through this thing.

8:

The Thwomp Ruins could be considered a Jungle Track but it was different enough that I considered it its own course. You can find more information about it here.