Mario Kart Stadium

History:

After anti-gravity technology was developed, the core Grand Prix Committee sought to create some kind of flagship course to debut this, their crowning achievement. It was Mario that spearheaded the Mario Kart Stadium project, and despite protests from his brother, Luigi, who had often been granted the opening track, he created this course. Located in the heart of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario placed himself as the primary beneficiary of Mario Kart Stadium promotions and profits, although since the Grand Prix's name is on the course, there is some heavy revenue sharing involved with its operation.

8:

Mario Kart Stadium is a tremendous break in tradition for many reasons. Of the previous seven opening tracks in the Mushroom Cup, three had been named for Luigi, and DS's Figure-8 Circuit was very aesthetically similar. Even though Mario Kart Stadium is by definition a Circuit track, it's the only opener not to be called so, besides 64's Luigi Raceway. It's also the only opening track to take place at night.

As far as the layout goes, it's fairly basic, even though it introduces players to the antri-gravity element in 8 with a huge vertical section leading to an air jump near the finale of the race. Much of the other parts of the race are reminiscent of Wii's Luigi Circuit, from the sandy patches near the curves to the large stadium seating sections full of cheering crowds.

The Ghost here is Mario in the Sports Coupe with Standard Wheels and Super Glider in 1:59.781. It's a fast car, but if you can match that with some faster tires like the Slick Wheels you can surpass him.

Red Fire

History:

When it was decreed that each character would be able to provide his or her own personal Vehicle for the 2003 Grand Prix, Mario quickly developed the Red Fire. Reflecting his inherent conservatism and predilection for moderation, he intended the Kart to contain neither a major advantage or disadvantage.

Double Dash:

The Red Fire is a Middle Kart, meaning that it must be used by at least one of the following racers paired with either another Middleweight or a Lightweight: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Waluigi, Yoshi, or Birdo.

As far as Middle Karts go, its stats do generally lie in the middle. It has average speed and acceleration, although atrocious Offroad and turn speed. Its suspension and width aren't great, but again are actually pretty average for Middle Karts. In relation to every available Kart, its bounciness, turn speed, Offroad, and acceleration are on the lower end while its Speed is generally good. It's really a better Kart for beginners on nice, simple tracks without a lot of craziness, Offroad, or difficult turns.

The Red Fire appears as a Secret Staff Ghost on three tracks, the most of any Kart. Mario and Luigi drive it on both the Mario Circuit and the Luigi Circuit (where Luigi takes the lead), and then Mario teams up with Peach in the Red Fire for Rainbow Road.

Fireball / Fire Flower

History:

The Fire Flower was indigenous to the Mushroom Kingdom, and its thorough study by Mushroom Scientists transformed it into one of the more potent weapons of use against the Koopa Hordes. They found, however, that it was a wildly unwieldy weapon, which in untrained hands often led to catastrophic friendly fire incidents. Mario and later, Luigi, were among the first to suitably master the Firebrand, and through their expertise, eventually the power of the Fire Flower was adapted for use as an Item in the Grand Prix.

Double Dash:

Each Racer has his or her own Special Item in Double Dash, and both Mario and Luigi use the Fireball, Mario's being Orange and Luigi's Green. They may be released either forwards or backwards, thus used offensively or defensively, and cover a wide portion of the track. All these racing balls don't last that long, though, and they tend to be bigger, slower, and bouncier than shells, which makes them easy to doge. Still, they are deadly in tight corridors. Since King Boo and Petey Pirhania use every character's Special Item, they too have access to these Fireballs, but they only use the Orange Variety.

7:

The Fireball returns, in a sense, through the Fire Flower in 7. When a Racer activates the Flower, he or she has either ten seconds or ten fireballs to shoot. Again they may be thrown forwards or backwards. While they have the same disadvantages as the Double Dash Fireballs in that they are slow and bouncy, it's the most effective assault weapon in this game, as you may fire off ten rapid shots to make up for any errors, making them a bit more valuable than shells.They also bounce off walls like shells and form an assault most effective in tight corridors with many other hapless Racers around.

Super Circuit Battle Course 1

History:

Mario always overextended himself, attempting to be a pioneer in Battle Stages as well as Racetrack Ownership. He retooled his Battle Course 4 from the Original Kart Games into Battle Course 1, largely simplifying it in the interest of accelerating the mayhem. It worked and this has been one of the more successful Battle Stages yet.

Super Circuit:

This track is really similar to Battle Course 4 from SMK, but drastically shrunk and simplified. Instead of twenty coloured barriers there are only eight. The course keeps its sandy pit in the middle to slow down wandering battlers and make them more susceptible to chaos. Other than that it's awfully simple, which means it has great potential to let Battlers be Battlers.

The Stage returned in 7 as a Retro Battle Course. Not much changed besides the addition of Rocky Wrenches to assault players. There isn't much of a reason for this other than to spice up an otherwise uninteresting course. Still, courses like this that fill themselves with the hectic mania of Battle tend to be the better ones.

Rainbow Road

History:

The original Grand Prix Racers struggled to come up with a culmination of their collective efforts. They eventually found a solution in the Sky - using their combined powers and the almost unlimited potential of Stars, they created the first Rainbow Road. They continued to operate in tandem for years, creating a truly non-partisan final course. After the turn of the Century though, this became unwieldy. With the growing popularity of Racers' personal tracks and investments it became difficult for them to join together to create the Rainbow Road. Still using Star Power, they decided to delegate its construction to a smaller committee.

SMK Rainbow Road in Mario Kart 7

In 2001 Bowser's presence was felt in Rainbow Road and he oversaw construction closely from his Floating Castle. In 2003 this fell to Mario and Peach who worked together using their formidable resources to construct the track floating over Mushroom City. Other parties, notably Bowser, resented this and in the next Tournament it fell to R.O.B. who had less of a bias. As R.O.B. did not participate in any other Grand Prix, Rosalina used her vast Galactic Powers to construct the next track in the fringes of the Mushroom World's Atmosphere. Finally, the latest track was overseen by the Honey Queen, who stepped in and used her wide sphere of influence to construct a track across the planets themselves. Lakitu, after decades of his species officiating the races also stepped in to revive the Original Rainbow Road course.

SMK:

Rainbow Road has been one of the most consistent conventions of the Mario Kart series. It always concludes the Special Cup and serves as the Final Course in the game and usually one of the more difficult. No Rainbow Road has any Offroad and they are always suspended in space or the sky, which means that there is a constant danger of falling into the abyss. SMK's Rainbow Road doesn't have the most difficult turns in the game and is completely flat, but its trickiness is precisely that: It is full of 90° turns that come right after long straightaways and with exactly zero guardrails the course is perilous indeed. There are also thwomps that smash players and a few narrower portions where it's easy to get knocked around (and off). Its rainbow portions make up a sort of tile on the track.

Like every course from SMK, this was re-made in Super Circuit. The course also returned in Mario Kart 7 to conclude the Lightning Cup, the Final Retro Cup. It is largely similar although now when the thwomps pound the shockwave makes the track bouncy. It is also one of only two courses (the other being N64 Luigi's Raceway) to have no Air or Sea portions. The Ghost is Lakitu. Using the Pipe Frame, Slim Wheels, and Super Glider, the Normal Staff Ghost goes 01:34.459. This could be advantageous, as his Drift, Mini-Turbo, and Handling are top-notch at the expense of speed.The Expert Ghost goes 01:21.994 using the Cloud 9, Roller Wheels, and Paraglider. The Roller Wheels play into both the Cloud 9's strengths and weaknesses. Still, neither Ghost has all that much speed. If you can get going and not fall off, it should be a cinch.

64:

I consider 64's incarnation of Rainbow Road to be the grandest of them all. It is by far the longest course in Mario Kart history, usually taking around six minutes to complete. It is the only Rainbow Road completely surrounded by guardrails but there is danger both from errant shells bouncing around forever on the course as well as from the hungry chain chomps that roll by to ruin a Driver's day. More than that though, with its grand hills, long straightaways, and extremely tight turns, the course offers a bit for every playing style. Without a tremendous amount of interruptions, it allows these playing styles to play out. That is, whoever wins Rainbow Road a true driving champion. It is also so extravagantly long that players have time to catch up if they get the right items, or conversely based on skill, time to create an impressive lead.

The track is in the reaches of space, like the version from SMK. There are neon images hovering above the track of each Racer, as well as some items like Boo and the Mushroom. The track itself is much smoother than SMK, comprised of horizontal bands of every major colour in the Rainbow.

This course returned to close out the Lightning Cup in Mario Kart 8. There are some other major differences, including the presence of air jumps near the start and finish as well as large portions of the track now transformed into anti-gravity sections. It's really a bastardized version, though, because it has been transformed from taking three laps to only one, similar to Mount Wario, the Wuhu Tracks, or the Rainbow Road from 7. This makes the course much easier, although there are now spots lacking guardrails, which makes things slightly tougher. The Chain Chomps also no longer roam like maniacs but merely bounce up and down, shaking up the course. The only other major geographical difference is that it now takes place over a city, similar to Double Dash, instead of in the middle of space. The rainbow itself is also tiled more similar to SMK than the clean strips we saw in 64. All in all, despite the anti-gravity sections being pretty awesome, it's a big step down.

The Ghost this time around is Metal Mario, a signifier of his other-worldly nature, but also very in line with both Mario and ROB being previous Ghosts of these tracks. He uses the Standard ATV for some insane reason, with Monster Tires and Super Glider. There's no reason to need that level of traction and almost anything is going to get you going faster. Handling is an issue here, use lighter weights sparingly.

Super Circuit:

The Super Circuit incarnation combines some elements from both SMK and 64. Its pattern is similar to 64 but with a brighter tone and it shares a large amount of tight turns, but the whole course is flat. There is also a fair amount of both guardrails and gaps to endanger Racers. There are boost panels for the first time, which tend to hinder novices but excite veterans. Some of these, as well as Mushrooms, can provide some significant shortcuts to blast through this course.

For the first time, too, the track is not in space but clearly in the night sky. Players drive by clouds, which can land on players, shrinking them down. Bowser's Castle is also a constant presence in the background.

Double Dash:

Rainbow Road started getting really crazy in Double Dash, living up to its status as the Ultimate Test of a Mario Karter's Mettle. Like Super Circuit it contains both stretches with guardrails and very dangerous unguarded portions that can lead to certain doom. It also brings back Dash Panels, the course is full of them, which can be dangerous or a benefit depending on a Player's skill level. While looking down on the course from above it may not seem like much but there are extreme changes in elevation that can make the course very difficult as it is full of spiral turns that require excellent driving to get through. There is also an enormous vertical boost, the only one of its kind.

The Track itself is suspended over Mushroom City, making it another course that is in the Sky and not Space. The course is almost panel like, and it glistens in faded Rainbow Colours that merge, blend, and reflect with each other. The track is also very bumpy, and green shells are virtually useless. There is the occasional Star that lands, however. Still, items like the Star or Golden Mushroom can prove more fatal than beneficial. Like 64 there are objects suspended across the course, this time each characters' Special Item. They are more three-dimensional than the 2-D Neon Glow of 64, though.

Double Dash only had one set of Staff Ghosts. The pair here are Mario and Peach, the only such Ghost Team of unnatural pairs. Using Mario's Red Fire they pull a 3:16:476. This makes it the longest course in the game. It is again a course that can fit many playing styles and mastering drifting while staying on the middle of the track will lead to success.

DS:

What appears as a simple Figure-8 is much more. The DS version of Rainbow Road features the only full Loop in Mario Kart History, as well as a difficult Spiral Track. In the vein of recent Rainbow Roads this track is full of Dash Panels and mixes guarded sections with difficult sharp turns that offer no protection. The key here though, is both the Loop and the Spiral and players must be cautious about being hit with Blue Shells or Thunderbolts as they'll plummet to their doom.

The Track is back in Space although it has a blue rather than black hue, suggesting it may still be somewhere in the Upper Atmosphere. The course itself has vertical rather than horizontal bands of Rainbow Colours and looks more similar in tone to SMK than the brighter, faded hues of Double Dash or Super Circuit.

The Ghost here is R.O.B. in the R.O.B.-BLS who goes 2:16:246. R.O.B. is a weird robot and so fits the weirdness or the ultimateness of this course. This version requires good drifting ability as most of the straightaways are full of dash panels anyway, and the toughest parts in Time Trials are surely the turns and not the Loop. Many of DK's Karts such as the Wildlife and Rambi Rider have both high speed and drift and may be a good option. It is actually by a good margin not the longest track in the game, that distinction goes to Waluigi Pinball.

Wii:

This perhaps the craziest Rainbow Road, almost an unbelievable judgment. Like the courses from 64 and Double Dash it begins with a steep drop, although in this incarnation the drop is no hill but a sheer cliff. There are Boost Panels everywhere, along with spots to pull some tricks and many unguarded sections besides a few turns and the starting point. Its most distinctive feature may be the wavy section that drops down into a wide section of track punctured by two massive holes that lead to oblivion. Following this is a Star Warp that sends the players high above and across a great distance to the final third. It's similar to the Vertical Boost from Double Dash, but it travels horizontally a great deal as well.

The Course finds a median between Sky and Space and is clearly positioned very high in the Earth's Atmosphere. Players who fall off will begin to burn up in re-entry. Visible though, are moons, planets, bits of debris, and star bits floating around the cosmos. The track itself is similar to Double Dash, a reflective shimmering rainbow, although it is not as opaque or bleached out.

The Ghost here is Rosalina, reflective of her Galactic Status. The Normal Ghost appropriately uses the Shooting Star in 03:05.895 while the Expert switches to the Jetsetter in 02:44.734. Both do well in the hands of Rosalina. Karts are a bit more stable and perform better than Bikes here. Funky's speed applied to the Flame Flyer is a great option, but again, the course has bits to fit any playing style. In terms of length, the course barely beats Bowser's Castle to be the longest Original Track in the game but it is actually still shorter than the N64 version of Bowser's Castle, which closes out the Retro Tracks.

7:

The Final Rainbow Road to date is truly Galactic. 7 introduced the idea that courses could be only one lap, albeit a very long one. After Wuhu Loop and Maka Wuhu the last one-Lap track is this game's installment of Rainbow Road.  There are not as many drastic elevation changes, but there are extended Air Portions, multiple path choices, and a wavy road full of holes reminiscent of the Wii version. This time, however, players drop down to the surface of a Moon. Dash panels abound again, and one of the course's more distinct features may be a long Rainbow Tube that doesn't quite do what the Spiral in DS did.

The Course is truly in space. For the first time Players can drive not only on bits of Rainbow but the rings of a Saturn-like Planet as well as what appears to be the surface of a moon. There a a few places to catch some Air, the longer of which is full of Asteroids to dodge and Star Boosts to hit to keep up Air Travel. Failing to hit these can lead a Driver to either the course below or death. The track itself is a swirl of colours that evokes the vertical pattern of DS but gives it a greater swirl like Wii.

The Ghost here is the Honey Queen, perhaps due to her status as Intergalactic Royalty. The Normal uses the Birthday Girl, Slim Wheels, and Peach Parasol in 02:10.090 . This is a pretty good choice, but the Peach Parasol is egregiously slow in the air. The Expert switches to her own Bumble V, Standard Wheels, and Flower Glider in 01:52.077. This is again solid, although the Glider can definitely be upgraded. There are more turns, gaps, and last-minute decisions to be made her than a need for raw speed. The greatest straightaways are through the air, so pick someone with good handling and drift that maintains velocity in the Air. Something like the Bumble V, Cloud 9, or Pipe Frame, along with the Sponge or Wood Tires ought to do the job.

8:

The Rainbow Road here returns to much of what made the Wii Rainbow Road great - set high in space with the Earth down below, with insane, impossible turns, split sections, and a massive air boost. Like 7, though, there is also some significant sections where no rainbow is traveled on, instead there exists a massive orbiting space station with shifting directional paths. It's also notable for being the only Rainbow Road with a small patch of Off-Road, though. It's completely allergic to barriers, and very easy to fall off when zooming along with anti-gravity. Anti-gravity, by the way, was made for this course, and it employs them perhaps better, or at least more extensively than any other course in 8.

Depending on your comfortability with that, you'll surely want someone with proper handling that won't fall into the abyss. The Ghost here is Pink Gold Peach, who uses the Comet, Slim Tires, and Super Glider. That's a damn fast combination but you can use the Slick Tires to get that anti-gravity speed up and perhaps someone with less weight for better handling during those deadly turns. The use of Peach in her Pink Gold diecast here may be a reference to her Ghost from Double Dash, along with the use of Metal Mario in the 64 Rainbow Road.

Mario Circuits

History:

The Mario Circuit was completed in 1956 by the Italian Motor Architect Enzo Gorlomi. After Enzo disappeared shortly after the Raceway fell into disrepair until purchased by a Plumber who had won tremendous amounts of coin through adventuring in the Mushroom Kingdom in the mid-1980s. It is widely believed that the Toadstool People did not believe in the same capitalist system as the portly Westerner did, so while their coins lay idle across the land, Mario felt no reason not to collect them, making himself fabulously wealthy. This combined with his immense political influence allowed him to become a de facto figurehead in the Kingdom as well as provided plenty of leisure time for pursuits like this. Mario beefed up the track and through its many incarnations has always served as a classy track in the Mario Kart Series.

Super:

The 3rd Mario Circuit

There are no less than four Mario Circuits in Super Mario Kart, each with an increasing degree of complication and difficulty but they all adhere to the same basic Raceway principle. They are the only Raceway-style tracks in SMK and actually the only ones with real roads. Circuit 1 leads off the Mushroom Cup and Circuit 2 closes it. Circuit 3 closes the Flower Cup and Circuit 4 closes the Star Cup. In this sense, besides Rainbow Road, a cup always finishes with a Mario Circuit, a trend that repeated in 64 but no where else. These tracks are pretty simple and have appeared in many other Kart games. Super Circuit recreated the entire SMK experience although it re-organised the tracks from five each in four cups to four each in five cups so their positioning is a little screwy.

Circuit 1 also appears in DS where the Ghost is Mario in the Standard MR at  0:50:688, the shortest in the game. Circuit 3 comes back in Wii where the Ghost this time is instead Baby Mario with a 01:38.880 in the Standard  Kart S. The Expert Ghost with the same Character switches to the Bullet Bike and pulls a 01:26.659. Finally, to round things out, Circuit 2 comes back in 7 with some added air time for the big mid-course jump boost. The Ghost here is Mario again, who uses the Pipe Frame, Standard Wheels, and Super Glider in 01:28.106, which is a fairly basic combination, although there is no underwater advantage for the Pipe Frame. The Expert goes 01:17.777 using the B Dasher, Slick Wheels, and Super Glider, which is an excellent combination for this course. Its only major disadvantage is handling and off-road, neither of which has a huge impact. Using a heavyweight though will push that speed up.

64:

Mario Raceway appears in 64 at the end of the Flower Cup. It is actually a pretty twisty track although there aren't many hazards besides grass, sand and a giant unscalable hill. Mario's personal fetishisation of Pipes is on display here, with a giant one appearing prior to the starting point. It is located in a pleasant part of the Kingdom, with rolling fields, low brick walls to prevent escape and a spot of trees. There are also a few fearsome Piranha Plants that threaten to munch on the more retarded of the drivers (possibly D.K.). It is likely that the Sand was imported from one of the many nearby beaches. This also returned in Wii where the Ghost is again Baby Mario, at 02:14.799 with the Nano Bike, the Expert goes 01:59.053 in the Mini Beast.

Super Circuit:

There is again only one Mario Circuit in the main game here. It actually follows the trend from 64 pretty well. There are a couple tight turns but overall it's relatively short and buffered by pleasant trees and sandy banks. Again, the sand was most likely imported. For both this course and 64 it's tough to choose a racer who may be suited best, there is no clear advantage here for anyone, there are both tight turns and long straightaways, no need for Off-road work or shortcuts. Everyone is fair game.

This course returns in 8 as a Retro Track in the Shell Cup. It has a few major revisions, including some subtle gradients and hills that were absent in the Super Circuit version. Most importantly, though, that long stretched out turn in the northwest corner has been transformed into an anti-gravity section, which makes for slightly crazier gameplay. The Staff Ghost in Time Trials is Baby Mario pulling a 1:49.158 using the Yoshi Bike, Standard Tires, and Super Glider. It's a fun callback to Yoshi's Island, but with a faster Heavyweight this combo can be surpassed.

Double Dash:

The Mario Circuit again makes an appearance here, this time smack in the Middle of the Flower Cup. Most Mario Circuits are Flower Cup circuits for some reason. It's all part of Mario being the most average Driver ever. The Flower Cup is just advanced enough that it's not a total blowover like the Mushroom Cup is, but it's still pretty simple. The Mario Circuits fit this bill perfectly. We get to drive around Peach's Castle in this one, although it's protected by some high walls, hills and a moat, which make entry difficult. There is again a long sandy stretch, ravenous Piranha Plants, a long tunnel and some tricky but wide curves. There's also a captive Chain Chomp, the second in the game after the one on the Luigi Circuit.

Double Dash also featured some Secret Staff Ghosts. Here Mario and Luigi use the Red Fire in 1:41:384. This track also returned for Wii, the third Mario Circuit to do so, and this time has a Ghost of Mario alone at 01:59.771 in the Standard Bike M. The Expert Ghost once unlocked uses the Wild Wing in 01:49.939. I think handling is the key to winning this track, there are some edges to cut with Offroad boosts with only grass to worry about as well as a tricky bit at the end with mini-hills and Goombas. I think a small combination with the Toad or Toadette Kart (probably Toad due to its slightly better speed) would be key.

DS:

DS is the only game to feature a Flower Cup without a Mario Circuit, it's instead in the Star Cup, almost out of place sandwiched between bizarrely unique courses like Tick-Tock Clock and Airship Fortress. Then again, this Mario Circuit is one of the more convoluted of its incarnations. The first half is pretty typical, wide straightaways, some slight curves, the sand, the goombas, the pipes. Then the second half goes kind of nutty with a big overhead spiral, a clear shot at Peach's Castle and some hairpin turns. It's interesting that the Mario Circuit eventually became home to Peach's Castle instead of incarnations of the Royal Raceway. Is this Mario trying to show off for the Princess? Or is it rather him attempting to assert his masculinity and dominance after she had to save him for once? I actually think with his decent handling, speed and acceleration Luigi's Poltergust 4000 or Streamliner can handle this track. The Ghost, though is Mario in the Shooting Star at 1:56:533.

Wii:

The Wii Edition is actually relatively simple. There are some gentle curves throughout the Castle Court (this game features Peach's Castle extremely prominently, it engulfs the entire horizon for a good portion of the back half of the track, clearly just another example of Mario's futile attempt at courtship. Or perhaps economic dominance of the Mushroom Kingdom isn't satisfying the Italian any more and he's vying for greater political influence? Perhaps even the title of...King Mario? It's always the ones with the moustache). Anyway, the Chain Chomp returns although he's much more fearsome with a longer reach, still a nice callback to Double-Dash and outside the Castle Court is a nice romp through the requisite sand, trees and Goombas. I think the flexibility of the Mario Circuits is interesting while maintaining the same basic themes. The courses can be in any shape of the imagination but only adhere to the same motifs.

The Ghost here obviously is Mario. He uses the Zip Zip in 01:44.777 while the Expert goes 01:33.702 in the B Dasher Mk 2. While Funky on most bikes dominates courses (in this case the Spear), this is one of the few courses in which Daisy driving the Wild Wing is your best Kart Option. According to this Records Chart there are only a handful of characters to recommend on a given course. I say like any of the Mario Circuits this can be won with just about any competent driver.

7:

The rendition of the Mario Circuit in 7 breaks with tradition somewhat while also sticking with a lot of the core elements. There are Goombas and Pipes, including a bendy one to drive through, and of course, Peach's Castle makes an appearance. For the first time though, Drivers actually race through the interior of the castle, tho not all that far and also participate in some huge jumps and valleys, incorporating 7's new air gliding. It also seems very Peach-like with pink trees and pretty flowers every where. The loop is simple enough, but this is also the only Mario Circuit to feature a major water hazard.

The Normal Ghost here is Mario, who uses the Standard Kart, Standard Wheels, and Super Glider in 02:25.001. This is possibly the most boring combination ever. You should be able to find something that fits a more specific playing style to beat him. The Expert, however, upgrades to the B Dasher using the Slick Wheels and Super Glider in 02:10.018. The only thing faster in the game would be the Gold Tires, that match the speed, or a heavier weight class that will have a stronger base. Go for it.

8:

Mario Circuit is a posterchild for Mario Kart 8, and perhaps best exemplifies what that game was trying to do with its anti-gravity elements. It's an impossible mobius strip that's none too complicated, save for its trippy upside down-sections. Peach's Castle is still there, but fully inaccessible. Goombas also make an appearance, this time stacked during an optional air-time section for maximum irritation. There are also plenty of Piranha Plants, although 8 seems full of Piranha Plants, so that's perhaps less a notable trait, but at least reminiscent of a staple of many previous Mario Circuits.

Similar to his Ghost in 7, Mario here drives the Standard Kart, Standard Wheels, and Super Glider. That's about the most balanced, typical combo you're going to get, and even though a lot of this is crazy and upside-down, someone heavier with a higher speed ought to be enough. There isn't a vehicle combo with speed boosts for both Ground and Anti-Gravity travel, and this course is really equal parts both. Some Slick Wheels, though, will help those stats. Beat a 2:07.436 and it's yours.

Mario

History:

Mario has always been the go-to-guy in the Mushroom Kingdom. From rescuing Princesses to defeating Giant Turtles, this guy can do everything. Well, he can do both of those things. Throughout his adventures and continuous Coin Collection Mario was eventually able to purchase an old Racetrack built in 1956 and re-shape it in his image, the Mario Circuit. It was once the proudest of all Raceways. Mario began his life as a simple plumber, but after he realised he was one of only a handful of Humans in a Kingdom populated by Tiny Talking Mushrooms he found a chance for Glory. In these Racing Games he's typically the first choice in the Menu and one of the more well-rounded Drivers.

Super:

Just happy to be alive.

Mario is statistically identical to his brother, Luigi and classified as one of "The Bros." SMK ranked its eight drivers in four categories - Acceleration, Top Speed, Handling and Weight. Mario is in the middle of all these categories, neither having an advantage or disadvantage. Through the Rival System of SMK Mario's chief opponents in order of fastest to slowest are: DK Jr, Peach, Yoshi, Luigi, Toad, Bowser, then Koopa Troopa. Clearly there is some bad blood leftover between him and DK Jr after what he did to his father. It's interesting that he doesn't have much of a rivalry with Bowser. As a computer player he uses the Invincible Star a ton.


64/Super Circuit: 

Mario also appeared here and his Kart was red. Yippee. He's identical in both of these games, a Middleweight, a distinction he again shares only with his brother, Luigi. He's average in just about everything. His primary goal, obviously, is to win the Gold in each Cup, thus allowing him an easy segue into Peach's castle so he can bury his shroom in her garden, if you get my drift. C'mon, a Cake for all that work? Gimme a break. This man's got a Moustache Ride with that Blonde's name on it.

Double Dash:

Double Dash is a unique Mario Kart game not only for the obvious reason that you picked two drivers, but the only difference between the 20 Characters was the weight class. Otherwise Karts made up the distinction, along with what Special Item you'd be likely to receive. Mario's Item is the Red Fireball, which can be used equally effectively as an Offensive Weapon thrown in front or a Defensive one thrown behind. Its advantage over shells is the same as its disadvantage: It attacks a wide path but there is equally wide gaps in between each. So while there's a ton, there's a ton that isn't difficult to dodge. They also don't survive that long.

That's more like it.

Mario uses Middleweight vehicles except when paired with Kong, Wario, Bowser, Petey and Boo. Thus the fastest Karts he may use are the Green Fire, DK Jumbo, Koopa King and Piranha Pipes, the Best Accelerating Karts he may use are the Boo Pipes, and the Best Offroad he may find is the Waluigi Racer and Boo Pipes. The Least bounciest he may use is also the Boo Pipes, the narrowest is the Bloom Coach, and the most Turn Speed is the DK Jumbo.

Mario's Signature Kart is the Red Fire. For a Middle Kart it's one of the fastest, but also the second-slowest to accelerate. It also has the slowest Offroad of all the Middle Karts. It has one of the worst Turn Speeds of all the Middle Karts, and is one of the more bouncier Karts overall, but is still beaten by the Waluigi Racer, Turbo Yoshi and Turbo Birdo in this regard. It's size is average. In general it's only beneficial nature is really its speed, overall it's not that great, and handles more towards a Heavy Kart would but without the necessary weight.

There were secret Staff Ghosts in Double Dash, through which Mario is involved on three tracks. He's a passenger on Luigi Circuit with Luigi in 1:26:277, he drives Luigi on his own Mario Circuit in 1:41:384 and comes back on Rainbow Road with Peach in the back at 3:16:476. He steers the Red Fire for all of these.

DS:

DS further pushed the idea of Karts making the ride, not the driver. Mario's specific Karts include the B Dasher, the Shooting Star and of course the Standard MR. The only stat that varies between drivers is their weight. Mario adds about 1.8 to the weight of all his vehicles. The stats for his signature Karts are as follows:

DS started this idea of having something for everyone. While the Standard MR is just about in the middle the Shooting Star has much better Speed, Acceleration and Handling at the expense of a terrible Item ranking. The B Dasher is the other side of the spectrum. While it looses stats from the MR in every category, its Item goes way up. If only the Shooting Star looked cooler, it'd be a hot Kart to pick. It also suffers from very low weight while the B Dasher is a bit heavier.

His Ghost Courses are the Figure-8 Circuit in the Standard MR in  1:36:481, the Mario Circuit in the Shooting Star in  1:56:533 as well as the SMK Retro Mario Circuit 1 in  0:50:688.

Wii:

Cruisin' on his Turf

The Wii took DS' simple Kart-specific idea and went absolutely insane with it. Whereas characters made the difference in games like SMK, 64 and SC, and Karts made the difference in DD and largely DS (besides weight factors), Wii races are decided by both Drivers and Karts. Each Kart has a very specific stat and each Driver adds different bonuses to each. Mario adds a lot of weight to each Kart (he needs to lay off the cannolis), along with modest Acceleration, Handling and Drift boosts. Here is a nifty Mario-Specific Chart to memorize for you Plucky Plumber Fans out there:

His fastest vehicle is the B Dasher Mk 2, he gets best Acceleration out of the Classic Dragster, best handling out of the Sugarscoot, best drift and Mini-Turbo from the Mach Bike, best weight from the Wild Wing and the best Off-Road from the Zip-Zip. All of these Best Stats are in the high fifties or low sixties, so there's no Kart for Mario that's terrible in all areas. I think the Classic Dragster, despite its low speed is the best fit for Mario.

For Normal Staff Ghosts, Mario is feature on the Mario Circuit with the Rapide at 01:44.777 and on the GCN Version with the Standard Bike M at 01:59.771. The Expert Staff Ghosts upgrade to the B Dasher Mk 2 at 01:33.702 and Wild Wing at 01:49.939 respectively.