Shy Guy Bazaar

History:

By 2011 the popularity of the Grand Prix had spread to nearly every corner of the Mushroom World. The Shy Guys, long spectators of the Races entered a Track they created in one of their towns on the Reaches of Dinosaurland, the Shy Guy Bazaar. The extensiveness of the track attests to the strong capital of the Shy Guy race and their ability to pool and share resources.

7:

Shy Guy Bazaar closes the Mushroom Cup as a Course with Desert elements reminiscent of Kalimari Desert from 64 or Double Dash's Dry Dry Desert, although it is significantly different from typical Desert Tracks. It is really a free-flowing track with many alternate paths, including wide portions with some singular obstacles, as in the image below. There is also some wide offroad sections along with some unforgiving gaps, and an air boost.

The Ghost here is Shy Guy, who does 02:31.167 using the Standard Kart, Roller Wheels, and Super Glider, which is a fairly basic combination, even though those wheels give him the handling required to dodge around this track. Still, there are other Karts such as the Cloud 9, Koopa Clown, or Royal Ribbon that can boost handling even further, and for all that his speed is terrible. The Expert on the same track uses the Pipe Frame, Monster Wheels, and Parafoil in 02:14.714, none of which really enhances any bonuses and a little more concise planning towards a racer's strength will give you the edge.

Mountain Tracks

History:

In the vast Northwest of the Mushroom Kingdom lay the Tall Tall Mountains, a place rarely traveled by the Mushroom Folk. It is full of dangerous enemies, steep cliffs, and enormous bouncy mushrooms that grow thousands of feet tall. Naturally as the stakes of the Grand Prix increased and more racers vied for their own signature tracks, newcomers were forced to stretch out into this harsh dominion.

Toadette, the power-hungry manipulator that she is, had long hidden in these mountains. It was no surprise then that she owned vast amounts of land to construct the Mushroom Gorge track, which she ran with an evil fungi fist. Lower in the Valley, Daisy established the Daisy Hills track with her own Mitt Romney-like personal wealth. Finally, higher in the mountains Wiggler, piecing together a rudimentary system of nerve impulses he used for a mind, converted his personal home into the Rock Rock Mountain. Along the same chain lay the Shy Guy Metal Mines, which these mysterious people had turned into a profitable business. With anti-gravity technology developed in 2014, the Shy Guys were able to convert this mine into another course, traveling up a previously inaccessible water fall

Wii:

Mushroom Gorge is a fairly simple loop. There are plenty of turns though none of them are that sharp. The greatest hazard here is the boost ramps and Bouncy Mushrooms, which without proper timing can disrupt even experienced drivers. The road also forks into two different paths on two different occasions, although in both cases sticking to the right is a faster option.

The staff ghost is Toadette with a time of 02:16.110 in the Quacker, while her expert goes 02:01.011 in the Mini-Beast. Neither of these vehicles takes advantage of Toadette's greatest strength, her offroad ability, so using just about anyone with good speed and moderate handling like Daisy or Rosalina can beat the pink toadie without a huge issue.

This track returns in 7, where the Ghost this time is Toad. The normal goes a 02:02.292 using the Cloud 9, Mushroom Wheels, and Parafoil, meaning that he'll have a decent mini-turbo and handling, although most of his other stats end up pretty average, especially his speed and acceleration, which is where you can beat him easily on this simple track. The Expert, though, pulls a 01:50.526 using the Pipe Frame, Monster Wheels, and Super Glider. This means Toad will have great offroad (useless here) and above average speed, but terrible handling. Counter that with some Roller or Wood wheels on something fast and you should succeed.

7:

There are two courses in 7 that seem to carry on this Mountain Theme that many Mario Kart Tracks have exhibited, mostly in DK Tracks. Daisy Hills is very reminiscent of Mushroom Gorge, from its steep inclines, wooden dock paths and large gaps.It's also in the Mushroom Cup again and provides the game's first big jump and introduction to the aerial driving that helps to define this game. Other than that, the course is wide, probably with more curves and boosts than a typical Mushroom Cup Track, but nothing intensely difficult.

The Staff Ghost here is Daisy on her eponymous course. She goes a 02:06.351 using the Royal Ribbon, Roller Wheels, and Peach Parasol, which gives her substantial boosts in just about everything except for both land and air speed. Those two crucial components are what can be used to beat her, because there isn't a great need for anything else on this course. The expert uses the same ride with the Sponge Wheels and Super Glider, which means she no longer has a disadvantage in the air and her mini-turbo becomes very good. Sticking with a strong land speed and moderate handling should be fine.

There is also Rock Rock Mountain in 7, which seems to lift directly some parts from Super Mario 64's Tall Tall Mountain. It is actually a relatively simple track with many straightaways, although some tough curves near the start. Rock Rock Mountain is actually the longest original track in the game, which is surprising for a track that closes the Flower Cup. It's also one of the most reliant on air speed. There are multiple big jumps, one of which is deadly - it is greatly beneficial if you survive, but getting hit will lead you to tumble to the path below while others whiz by. There is also a tough vertical track with boosts and rocks that is difficult to avoid, but mostly a straightaway.

The staff ghost is Wiggler at a 02:35.105 using the Standard with Red Monster Wheels and the Super Glider. It's a tough match but the speed can be beat easily by using something like the B Dasher or Bumble V with Wood Wheels and the same Glider. The expert isn't all that better, but he goes a 02:19.149 using the same combination but with the Flower Glider, which increases his air handling at the expense of speed. Stick with a Glider that doesn't slow down that big jump and you'll be fine.

8:

Shy Guy Falls closes out the Flower Cup and contains one of the more relentless vertical sections in the game. There are many tight turns where errors can lead to perilous cliff edges and of course, the eponymous water fall. Going up the falls is difficult if you miss the boost pads, but going down offers a speed increase like the river in Koopa Cape. After that there is an average-sized air section.

The Staff Ghost here is Shy Guy, of course, who goes 2:19.528 using the Flame Rider, Retro Off-Road Wheels, and the Super Glider. The Flame Rider is an excellent choice, but something with more anti-gravity handling such as the Sport Bike may be a good option. Shy Guy may be here because of his strong previous association with desert tracks, and Shy Guy Falls, despite its huge waterfall, seems like it's in some craggy desert canyon.

Shy Guy

History:

The Shy Guys are an interesting race. They inherently do not interact with many other races in the Mushroom Kingdom but do find employment in a wide variety of locales, both for good and evil. They are a cultish, secret people and as such their origins are foggy. They're first documented encounter with Mushroom People was in Dinosaurland in the mid-16th Century although it's possible they originated from Subcon. Their secret society has gone back for Millennia although it seems to be fairly loosely structured. There isn't much evidence of personality or a history of the Shy Guys who have raced in the Grand Prix a handful of times and it's even possible they aren't all the same one. For the 2011 Grand Prix the Mushroom Kingdom received some possible insight into their world with the unveiling of the Shy Guy Bazaar track, located in the reaches of Dinosaurland, although the Koopas previously intruded on Shy Guy Beach against the wishes of the Pirate Faction of Shy Guys. Unlike the lone Koopa Troopa who has entered himself in the Cup alongside Bowser, no single Shy Guy races and it is known that even in between races different members of the race substitute for each other.

DS:

There is a lot to explain here. Shy Guys have appeared in some way in almost every Mario Kart game, whether by simple crowd appearances in 64, to aggressors in Super Circuit to simple ice skaters and snowboarder obstacles in Double Dash and Wii. Shy Guy appears as a playable racer in DS, though only in Download Play. DS had the option to do multiplayer with another person who had a Nintendo DS but not th e Mario Kart game through temporarily downloading portions of the game. In this case and this case only, the gamer without the Mario Kart game cartridge would race as a randomly coloured Shy Guy.

Shy Guy's stats have been contentious. While many sources acknowledge that he is in the Light Weight Class, it is less clear what his actual Kart Stats are. Some sources place all of his stats at 6/10, meaning he is slightly above average in every way which gives neither a real advantage or disadvantage, making him a neutral character. Others say he is even more neutral, at 5/10. The Super Mario Wiki, which is one of the more reputable Mario Information Sources, however, claims that his stats are identical to Yoshi's Standard YS, giving it the following:

This is also backed up by some Angry YouTube users as well as other compilation sites. Needless to say, Shy Guy doesn't appear as a Ghost in any way. His weight is 0.5, also the same as Yoshi. He is basically just Yoshi.

7:

Shy Guy returns in Mario Kart 7 as an unlockable character, available to play anywhere. 7 has a staggering number of combinations with the amount of Characters, Karts, Wheels, and Gliders to mix and match. Shy Guy is part of the Feather Weight Class, the lightest in the game. His signature Kart is the Cact-X, which is generally pretty awful Feather Weights have a ton of advantages, including Acceleration, Handling, Offroad, Mini-Turbo, and Drift. The Cact-X negates the Acceleration and Mini-Turbo advantages while lowering the already low speed (especially underwater), although it makes its Handling and Offroad Top-notch. We can note that 7 is so complex that Shy Guy can use certain wheels to resolve the disadvantages of the Cact-X. For courses with more land travel the Slick Tires would be a good combination, otherwise the Wood Tires can help out its low Sea Speed and Acceleration. It doesn't have any tremendous disadvantages in the Air but the Swoop Glider can add some nice boosts.Here are Shy Guy's stats both with the Standard and Cact-X and just some of these combinations.

Needless to say, when every Kart is available there are many more that may fit Shy Guy's unique racing style, or the style of play of any casual gamer. This intense level of customization makes 7 a difficult game to claim a best combination. Shy Guy does have a signature track here as well, the Shy Guy Bazaar that closes out the Mushroom Cup.

Shy Guy has two Time Trial Staff Ghosts, as do all drivers. In his Bazaar he does a 02:31.167 using the Standard, Roller Wheels, and Super Glider, which is a fairly basic combination. The Expert on the same track uses the Pipe Frame, Monster Wheels, and Parafoil in 02:14.714, none of which really takes advantage of each other's bonuses. His second ghost is on the Retro Kalimari Desert. The Normal Ghost uses a good combo of his signature Cact-X, Wood Wheels, and Swoop Glider in 02:01.932 while the Expert does a 01:48.707 using the Bolt Buggy, Red Monster Wheels, and Ghastly Glider. There are better styles out there though, anything with fast land speed will take him down.

Desert Tracks

History:

There are many tracks in the vast Dry Dry Desert located in the Southeast of the Mushroom Kingdom, often similarly linked but owned by no single individual. Navigating the desert was extremely dangerous before the construction of an intricate railway system by Eduard Simpson in 1894. He named his train the K64 and it still runs to the Desert and Back and remains the major mode of transportation into the wastelands. Since the Mushroom Government eventually regulated the Rail Industry Toad was able to build the Kalimari Desert Track around an early loop by the K64. Over the years, though, it fell into Shy Guy hands as the influence of the K64 waned and the Shy Guys crept through the region. Also located in the Kalimari Desert is the Sunset Wilds, which is another public Track.

As more of the Dry Dry Desert was explored in the early 20th Century the Mushroom People discovered a vast lost civilisation. Naturally they were up for converting most of the beautiful ruins into Race Courses. It's just that popular. While maintaining its holdings in the Kalimari Desert, the Mushroom Government put vast stretches of the Dry Dry Desert up for Auction. Yoshi, using some winnings he had gathered from adventuring with Mario purchased a section of land that would eventually become the course known as Yoshi Desert. He also purchased a wide section around some quicksand that he would eventually give to Birdo as well as the rights for an intricate Temple System that would eventually become the Dry Dry Ruins track.

Deeper in the Desert is a track known as Desert Hills. It was first owned by Yoshi as part of the initial Desert Tracks Deal, but he was forced to sell it to Waluigi, possibly under infelicitous circumstances. As Waluigi was attempting to make it a signature track for the Waluigi Grand Prix, which never got off the ground, he upset the Angry Sun, who drove him out with a bombardment of Fire Snakes. The track fell into the temporary care of ROB before it became inhospitable to all by Dry Bones, who the Angry Sun had no real problem with.

Past the point where the K64 runs the Desert gets even more rugged. Beyond the Layer-Cake lay an enormous Dead Sea between the canyons, where Shy Guy Pirates and Dry Bones duke it out for supremacy. Morton Koopa Jr., being familiar with the desert environs sought to make his own personal track here after he was selected for the 2014 Grand Prix. It's one of the most inhospitable of regions, though, and when other tracks are full of ghosts or outer space, that's saying something.

64:

MK64 was the first to feature a Desert Track, but every game since then has followed suit, except for 7, where this course is merely re-made. The Kalimari Desert came at the end of the Mushroom Cup, a trend that only Double Dash continued. It's clearly based on the American Southwest rather than the Egyptian theme of some of the other tracks. It also doesn't have a whole lot that other Desert Tracks have repeated, although its train is distinctive enough to appear again in Paper Mario. It's pretty simple besides the occasional Train Crossing. Good characters are Toad or Peach, characters who can take advantage of some of the lean straightaways, although good Brakes are also important here.

This course returns in Mario Kart 7 where it leads off the Leaf Cup. MK64 courses lead off three of the four Retro Cups and this one has some significant changes. To utilize new Air Travel possibilities there are a few ramps where Drivers can fly over large sections of the track.  The Ghost here is Shy Guy, providing some kind of Desert Connection, possibly a reference to the Native American Shy Guys from Super Circuit. The Normal uses the Cact-X, Wood Wheels, and Swoop Glider in 02:01.932. The Expert goes 01:48.707 in the Bolt Buggy, Red Monster, and Ghastly Glider. There is no water here to worry about here, so sticking with just fast land Wheels and Gliders is key - something like Gold Wheels on the B Dasher with a Swoop Glider works great.

Super Circuit:

Sunset Wilds from the Lightning Cup is a really interesting track, there hasn't been another like it since. It is the only Mario Kart Track which features a noticeable time change, shifting from Sunset to Night by the third lap. It also features ancillary characters that interact with the Racers - Native American Shy Guys who pounce on a Driver if they disturb their Tee Pee. I guess I would do that too. Perhaps a commentary on the plight of the American Indian? I hope so. There are also inexplicable Dinosaur Tracks throughout the land, possibly leftover from some Giant Beast who once prowled those lands

Super Circuit also featured the first Egyptian Desert Course, and this one would have more influence over Future Desert Tracks than either Kalimari or Sunset Wilds. Yoshi Desert began the Association between Yoshi and Deserts as well as the Egyptian Motif. It also has Piranha Plants that will swallow wayward drivers, seen again in Double Dash's Dry Dry Desert, and a Giant Yoshi Sphinx, seen again in Wii's Dry Dry Ruins. It also has some Oases, later seen in DS' Desert Hills. It's interesting that it took this long for the template to really be set. It's also interesting that none of these tracks have ever been in a Retro Cup. Both these courses are very twisty and dangerous, I'd suggest racing with someone who has some kind of handling. This is the only Desert Track ever to be in the Star Cup.

Double Dash:

Double Dash returned the desert track as the Mushroom Cup Closer and this one is named after the Desert it's located in, Dry Dry Desert. There are plenty of Obelisks and Pokeys for the first time, which would reappear in every other Desert Track to come. There is also a terrible Sand Tornado which whips up Drivers, slowing them down immeasurably. Racers will avoid the Tornado only to find themselves on the edge of the Pit of Carkoon with a hungry Piranha Sarlacc in the middle. There are some very hill sections here on a long straightaway, meaning that if you're Kart isn't bouncing around it's a good time to catch up or get ahead. Try the Pipes or one of the Toad Karts for the best results. Double Dash also had a store of Secret Staff Ghosts. Continuing the Yoshi Association with Desert Tracks, the Ghost here is Birdo driving with Yoshi in tow, in the Turbo Yoshi with a time of 1:50:755.

DS:

The DS Flower Cup opens with Desert Hills, which is the only Desert Track to ever be in the Flower Cup, as well as the first opener that wasn't a Mushroom Track or a Mario Circuit since SMK. It's also more or less a simple loop unlike the twisted Super Circuit renditions. There are some nice wide straightaways as well as some gentle turns that aren't difficult for anyone with decent handling. Since you're looking for Handling and Speed I might bet on Luigi, ROB, Waluigi or Yoshi (most of whom actually have some ties to this track). Use their best rides.

Desert Hills is a strange track by association. Yoshi is busy with Yoshi Falls and without any other really appropriate Driver available the Ghost is ROB in the ROB-LGS with a time of 1:31:262 . This is the only Desert Track to ever get a remake, and the Wii Ghost is Dry Bone. The Normal Staff Ghost goes 02:10.233 in the Standard Bike S and the Expert does a  01:52.686 in the Tiny Titan. The Wii Version is also full of Waluigi Grand Prix signs for some reason as well a really pissed off Sun.

Wii:

By comparison this track seems so innocent leading off the Special Cup for the first time. Instead, this track is secretly insane. Besides the giant statues crumbling around you, there are some thread-the-needle Offroad Shortcuts, some inescapable sand, 90° Temple Turns and plenty of Pokeys and Bats to knock you around or at least ruin that final jump. There are tons of Wii courses whose maps look very friendly, indeed this is a simple loop, but full of so many obstacles as well as altitude changes, wide, slippery sandy track material and danger everywhere that it belongs in the Special Cup. Just think when you finish it gets tougher from there.

The Ghost here is back to Yoshi. The Normal goes a 02:30.949 in his signature Classic Dragster, while the Expert blasts off a 02:14.286 in the Nitrocycle. I had a tough time balancing the need for speed on this course with the obvious handling issues. I've actually had some luck with Daisy in the Dolphin Dasher, that'd be my recommendation.

8:

Bone-Dry Dunes is a callback to more a Kalimari / Sunset Wilds kind of craggy desert rather than the Egyptian-themed ruins that more modern games have featured. It's all shaded in a deep orange ochre with swirling vortexes of sand making tornadoes and rivers that can gobble racers up. There's a bit of a heady Mid-Eastern vibe here, too, possibly reminiscent of Shy Guy Bazaar with its caravans, tents, and craggily structures. It's possible to bypass anti-gravity sections entirely here, which is rare, so that could impact your Wheel selection. There is no water but a short air portion, along with some truly brutal turns towards the end of the track. The bone theme is apparent here, with Dry Bones who won't really upset your Kart but surely slow you down, along with Bone Piranha Plants, will mess you up completely.

The Staff Ghost here is Morton Koopa Jr., who uses the Tri-Speeder, Monster Tires, and Super Glider in 2:13.391. That's actually one of the better combos to handle both Speed and Traction, which is necessary in this awfully sandy course. Morton himself also has one of the higher base speeds. The handling will be completely wretched, though. You can pair the Monster Tires with something like the Standard ATV to maintain traction without losing speed or the Pipe Frame, which will lose a little bit of traction but gain handling without losing speed. Good luck, grasshopper.

Beach Tracks

History:

There is no one Beach Owner to all these tracks, but they're all pretty similar. Most of these are owned by the lesser underlings of the Koopa Kingdom. The Koopa Beaches are technically Bowser's property and exist on the fringes of Dark Land, out in the Ocean. They serve as relaxation homes for the Koopa Troop, a spot to get away as well as a small way to boost morale after countless defeats at the hands of the Mario Bros. The Koopas in their lone attempt at seeking some political power in Bowser's Harsh Regime have fully funded the construction of Race Courses out of these Islands, although the track construction is minimal.

Shy Guy Beach exists off the Coast of Yoshi's Island and as such are under a constant barrage from the Pirate Guys seeking to plunder the region's rich natural resources. The course was funded by Yoshi although recently sold to the Koopas, though the Pirate Guys have the same desire for booty. Cheep-Cheep Island also exists in Dinosaur Land, although this was constructed and maintained by the Koopas. Likewise with Cheep Cheep Cape. Peach Beach is on Isle Delfino in the Seas South of the Mushroom Kingdom, transformed into a course by the Princess herself. Cheep Cheep Beach is on the Southern Shores of the Mushroom Kingdom itself, originally on land owned by Peach again but sold to Kong in 2004 after she favoured her Isle Delfino Vacation Home. Kong used the Tropical Region as a hang-out from him and his Brood during their extended stays in the Mushroom Kingdom before eventually crafting a Course out of the grounds.

Super:

The idea for Koopa's Courses being beaches may have come from the Beach Koopa, which was the appearance of any Koopa without a shell. Koopa Beach 1 and 2 feature as early tracks in the Star and Special Cup. This is the latest any Beach Track would get and these are both more difficult in proportion to SMK's other tracks when compared to later Beach Courses. Beach 1 is nothing more than a string of Islands connected by water and a few grassy patches. It's possible to drive over shallow water and that can open up some extensive shortcuts. Koopa himself is really the best option here, although with sliding and hopping some of the bigger Drivers are usable. Koopa Beach 2 is the inverse of 1, instead of a string of islands around a big water interior it's simply one Massive Landmass with an inner full of slowy grass. There are also Cheep-Cheeps that pop up and wreck your Kart.

Both of these tracks reappeared in Super Circuit though it reshuffled the courses. Instead of 4 Cups of 5 Tracks each Super Circuit contained 5 Cups of 4 Tracks each. Koopa Beach 2 also came back in DS as a Retro Track. The Ghost is Yoshi in the Egg 1 at 0:54:847. Yoshi is here because DS didn't have a Koopa, tho it did have Dry Bones (he was associated with Creepy Tracks). Yoshi has always been in Tropical Island games, it's not a stretch to have him here.

64:

64 introduced the idea for the Mushroom Cup to have a Beach Circuit, which was followed all the way to Wii, which has no Beach Track in the vein of any of these (Koopa Cape is the closest, though with the underwater piping and waterfalls is really nothing like any other Course). Koopa Troopa Beach has a very infamous shortcut but is mostly a race around a giant rock, making it more similar to Koopa Beach 2 than later incarnations. It also adds the crabs, the underpass and palm trees that would appear many times later on. The only Koopa reference is the Giant Rocky Outcrop which is distinctive enough. There are tons of ramps on this course for some reason, but it's not really necessary or speedy to go over any of them unless you're taking a shortcut. Someone with lose handling who can handle the wide muddy track for shortcuts would be excellent, possibly Mario or Luigi besides the obvious Peach or Yoshi.

This track returns in Mario Kart 7 although it's almost unrecognizable. The ramps have all shifted and the major shortcut is now dependent on water level for Drivers to hit the ramp. There is heavy use of Air Travel to cover this shortcut and the other ramps, but the biggest change is the use of Sea Travel across previously unnavigable areas. If you have a strong desire to cut corners use someone with great Air and Sea speed such as the Egg 1 with Roller Wheels. The Ghost is Koopa Troopa using the Pipe Frame, Standard Wheels, and Super Glider in 01:54.274, which is a solid combo, but doesn't fully take advantage of water traveling shortcuts. The Expert uses the Soda Jet, Sponge Wheels, and Parafoil in 01:42.909, which hurts its underwater capabilities even more, and would seem a solid air option but the Parafoil kills that. Pick a means of transport and go after it.

Super Circuit:

Shy Guy Beach is a lot like Koopa Beach 1, it's a chain of islands connected by shallow water, which again means that there are plenty of shortcuts if you pick someone with good off-road. It also takes the Koopa Troopa Beach Route by appearing in the Mushroom Cup. The only real danger here are the Crabs again as well as the Pirate Guy Cannonade. It wasn't a stretch to move from Koopas to Shy Guys, the Pirate Guys are equally tropical. This course reappeared in Wii where the Normal Staff Ghost is Koopa in the Cheep Charger at 01:45.568. That's really the perfect merging of Beach tropes - Koopa, Cheep-Cheep and Shy Guy all in one. The expert goes 01:32.867 in the Magikruiser, which with its ridiculous Offroad is one of the best Vehicles to use here. I would pick Toadette, though.

Cheep-Cheep Island is also in Super Circuit, in the Lightning Cup. It's again natural that after the Cheep-Cheeps appeared in tons of these Beach Tracks they would get their own. It's almost the same kind of layout as Shy Guy Beach but the sandy paths are connected by boardwalks instead of shallow water. This makes Offroading less vital. Lots of straightaways with some subtle turns and hazards. Also, Giant Cheep-Cheeps.

Double Dash:

Peach Beach was put in just for the rhyming. It is more like Koopa Troopa Beach with its Big Rocky Arches and shallow pool of water that can become a nifty shortcut if you cut across the sandbar or the low tide. There are tons of Satanic Ducks on this course as well as a weird warp pipe after the start that wastes tons of time but gives you a Double Item.

Actually hitting this thing off the start and getting 8th Place Stars and Mushrooms isn't that bad in Grand Prix. Daisy's Cruiser is visible here as well as another Sunshine Cruiser, both of which are viewable on Yoshi Circuit later on the Star Cup. It's likely that both load somewhere off Delfino and then cruise around the Mushroom Seas. If you time this right and get Mushrooms across the shallow pool the course is basically two straightaways connected by some meandering turns. High Offroad is key, tho if the water is shallow enough the Bigger Karts are actually less affected than some of the smaller guys that just drown. I've done very well here using DK/Bowser/Boo Pipe somehow.

This came back in Wii where the Ghost is Peach who clocks in at 01:34.233 in the Royal Racer. The expert version goes 01:23.140 in the Dolphin Dasher. Isle Delfino? Dolphin Dasher? It's all coming together. This course actually broke some Beach Tradition, there's no Crabs and no Cheep-Cheeps but the Shallow Water and Arches are there.

DS:

The DS Beach Track is Cheep Cheep Beach (again, note the shifting punctuation). This thing has a bit of everything. The Crabs are back along with some big patches of shallow water connecting parts of the track and some tidal shortcuts. There is also the third Beach Arch after Koopa Troopa Beach and Peach Beach as well as a Boardwalk slightly reminiscent of Cheep-Cheep Island. Also for the first time ever there is an actual track that runs through a bit of Jungle during the last quarter. Kong is the Ghost here, in the Standard DK he pulls a 1:43:654. Again, this must just be the Tropical reference and the fact that this game lacks a Koopa and Shy Guy is Download Play Only. Since all the Beach Courses feature some water it's always good to have a light guy who won't sink but depending on the depth of shortcut you may also want a big guy who won't drown. They all also have very ill-defined tracks, which makes the Boardwalks here and on Cheep-Cheep Island stand out. Either way, Offroad is vital for shortcuts here.

7:

Mario Kart 7 adds Cheep Cheep Cape which mostly goes back to basics. It's the third course in the Mushroom Cup, holding an identical position as Koopa Troopa Beach and Cheep Cheep Beach. It's a pretty simple loop although this is mostly because it's the first track to show off the new gameplay in 7, with large underwater elements. There are portions of the track where drivers can go through either the air or sea, meaning that a Kart with decent stats through every medium is necessary. These would include the Cloud 9, Egg 1, Pipe Frame, and Royal Ribbon.

The benefits the Staff Ghost, Peach, perhaps a callback to Peach Beach. She goes a 01:53.758 in the Royal Ribbon with Roller Wheels and the Peach Parasol. The expert keeps the identical accessories but switches to the Tiny Tug in 01:42.011, which is a great combo. Using the Wood Wheels instead may give you a slight advantage on land and the chance to beat her.