Thwomp Ruins

History:

An ancient civilization thrived millennia ago on DK Island, leaving scores of ruins across the country. Even though Thwomps aren't native to the Island, they were introduced as travel between the realms increased as Donkey, Diddy, and even Kremlings like Kritter and K. Rool found themselves more often hanging out in the Mushroom Kingdom. The Thwomps found a natural home in the Monkey Mines and took over the ruins deep within the jungle. Obviously off put by this foreign influence, Kong sought to fund a Race Course through the ruins, to both expel the Thwomps, and to bring attention away from his Jungle Home.

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It is unclear whether or not the ruins were caused by the Thwomp presence, the ruins of the actual Thwomp civilization, or if they simply intruded upon the wreckage after whatever incident doomed the people living there. Considering the course's similarity to Millstone Mayhem, and obscure Donkey Kong Country level, I suggest the latter. I'd say this is also why Kong is the Ghost here, although it being a pretty jungly track also supports this idea.

The layout is simple enough, although the addition of deadly Thwomps, millstone wheels, and a wide section with multiple paths complicates things. There are nice anti-gravity sections along the walls to avoid a lot of this junk, as well as underwater portions that could be avoided if your Kart / Wheel combination can't handle it. It's therefore a course well-suited to many different playing styles, and with a wide track and lots of off-road portions to boost over and other secrets to find, there's a lot to open up here.

The Ghost, as mentioned, is Kong in the Varmint, using Monster Wheels and the Super Glider in 2:11.157 . There's a lot of speed there as long as he stays on the ground, but everything else almost counters each other, with handling suffering a bit while the traction stays up. Speed, speed, speed here, and with a lot more anti-gravity sections than water sections, wheels that favor that like the Slim, Slick, or Metal families will be great. Then again, if you just stay on the road, that's probably going to be a faster path.

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.

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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.

Yoshi

History:

Yoshi Originated from Yoshi's Island, a part of Dinosaur Land discovered by Mushroom Kingdom Explorers in 1843. Yoshi's Island itself was not found until 1969 when a young Mario stumbled upon it during an early adventure. He found Yoshi there who knew no English but had a strong sense of loyalty and courage. Mario took Toshi as a pet and after Mushroom People introduced Shoes to the Island in 1975 the Yoshi Race warmly became an ally to them in the Wars Against the Dark Land. The Yoshis have no King or Leader but as Yoshi himself seems to be one of the only Dinosaurs who understands English, along with his strong relationship as a pet to Mario, an influential figure in the Court of the Mushroom Kingdom, he has emerged as their de facto Head of State.

Super:

Toasted, nicely toasted.

Yoshi was classified in SMK as "The Dino and the Lady" with stats identical to Princess Peach. He thus has comparable weight, this time in the Middle Class, along with very high acceleration, low speed and moderate handling. Yoshi's Kart History is a lot like Peach's actually. He has switched between Light and Medium Weight Classes as different games have called for it. The Rival Order for Yoshi, a system in SMK that determined who would finish where if Yoshi was in First Place was Koopa, DK Jr, Peach, Bowser, Mario, Toad, and Luigi. The Koopa rivalry may be some Reptile Feud. As a computer player Yoshi would sometimes throw Eggs, an ability human players did not have.

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Yoshi was again identical to Toad and Peach in this game. As a lightweight player he possessed great speed and acceleration but some sloppy handling and low weight, making him liable to getting knocked around. His signature course, Yoshi Valley, really had nothing to do with him but did feature a giant Egg. Which is cool. His kart was green. Yippee. Like Peach and Toad he's one of the better drivers in the game.

Super Circuit:

Super Circuit is one of the few games that really differentiated Yoshi. While Peach and Toad had great speed offset by very low weight, Yoshi only had slightly above average speed at the cost of being a bit bigger than the other two. This game also featured the Yoshi Desert, which would be the only Yoshi course ever not set someplace tropical.

Double Dash:

Double Dash wasn't focused so much on the Drivers as it was the Karts. Yoshi was bumped to a Middleweight here and his Kart, the Turbo Yoshi always kind of sucked. It has a low top speed for a Medium Kart, fair acceleration (10th Overall), but was very bouncy but with a tight turn speed. It's pretty heavy for a Medium Kart, only the Turbo Birdo is heavier, but it's Offroad speed was towards the bottom of the barrel. I think its biggest fault though was its width. It's just very difficult to dodge things, especially with its clunky handling.

This was of course also in the Birdo Era and she as Yoshi's strange girlfriend of some kind shared all the same stats and abilities save for the cosmetic difference that her Birdo Egg was pink. Yoshi's Green Egg was at equal times a good and poor Super Item. It was handy to get because it acted like a Red Shell and would seek out the Kart ahead. Upon hitting the Kart, it would break open revealing any number of items, sometimes a Star or a Mushroom. It's a double whammy to knock out the Driver ahead of you and then pick up the Star that falls out while you're in a high place. There was also the possibility though, that a shell, banana or even a Bob-omb would pop out, which is awful. Furthermore there's the possibility that the opponent hit would pick up the beneficial Item that popped out. Yoshi Egg is strange like that, it's always a risky Item, but also one of the only good ones to have when fighting for First Place from that Second or Third Position.

There are also Secret Staff Ghosts in Double Dash. Yoshi is in the Turbo Yoshi for both, first behind Birdo in Dry Dry Desert with a time of 1:50:755 and then with Birdo in tow during the Yoshi Circuit at 1:59:886. This continues Yoshi's Desert Association, although technically Birdo is the lead there.

DS:

DS gave each driver three individual Karts of varying statistics. The major difference between characters is weight, and Yoshi adds 0.5 to the weight of all his vehicles, making him bigger than Toad, Dry Bones, and Shy Guy but pretty lighter than Peach and Daisy. Generally each character has a Standard Kart with average stats, an exceptional Kart that has a weak Item Rating and a poorer Kart with an excellent Item Ranking perfect for the Grand Prix and Time Trials, where he or she starts with Three Mushrooms. Here are Yoshi's Stats:

As you can see, the Cucumber should be Yoshi's Grand Prix Kart and the Egg 1 should be used for Time Trials. It's also worth noting that like Peach again, Yoshi was downgraded to a Light Driver from his position as a Medium in Double Dash. He has quite a few Time Trial Ghosts with courses he's associated with. With the Egg 1 on Yoshi Falls he clocks in at 0:57:677, one of the shortest tracks in any Kart Game. There are Yoshi Ghosts on two Retro Tracks as well. Apparently he's the closest they could find for someone on Koopa Beach 2 from SMK, which is again a very short track at 0:54:847. He breaks from the Egg 1 to the Standard YS for the final Retro Track, the Yoshi Circuit from Double Dash at 1:48:793. Yosh is one of the only characters to have such a variety of tracks bear his name or association. They range from Deserts to Circuits to Jungles to deep Valleys, it's crazy how adaptable he is.

Wii:

In Wii each of the six available Karts and six available Bikes have their own very specific stats. Furthermore each Character adds certain bonuses to each Stat, making the game very unpredictable and customizable. Yoshi is back to being a Middleweight in this game and adds a bit of weight and drift to each of his rides, but a good amount of Offroad speed. After all, he's a wild animal, he belongs off the track. Here are the Yoshi-Specific Stats for each Vehicle in Wii:

Yoshi is most associated with the Classic Dragster, as it closely resembles his Cucumber from DS. He is also the promotional guy for the Turbo Blooper, though I can't figure out why. The Dragster is probably his best Kart. His Ghost rides in in Dry Dry Ruins in 02:30.949. The Dry Dry Ruins connection is there because it's the spiritual successor to both Dry Dry Desert and Toshi Desert. Yoshi also has a Ghost on the Retro Yoshi Falls in 01:16.461 with the Rapide. The Expert versions of these are 02:14.286 with the Nitrocycle and 01:09.175 with the Turbo Blooper respectively.