Delfino Square

History:

After the intrusion of Princess Peach and Daisy on the Isle of Delfino the popularity of Kart Racing soared with the Piantas. Through the guidance of Peach the Piantas built the Delfino Square track around Delfino Plaza. It has managed to be a popular track, mostly because the experienced Driver Peach was able to manage its construction. It is now operated independently of the Royal Family, making it one of the few publicly-owned courses.

DS:

Delfino Square is a moderately simple course in the Flower Cup of DS. It is basically a contiguous loop although it does have some alternate paths as well as a massive drawbridge which is either a huge jump or a great straightaway, depending on whether or not it is lifted. It's not a very forgiving course, either. There are plenty of right-angle turns boxed in by buildings, meaning that high handling and acceleration are a necessity. Because of this it's a course that tends to give Heavyweights some trouble. Other than that there are some patches with Offroad possibilities, but nothing to give up a huge shortcut.

The DS Staff Ghost here is Peach in the Royale with a time of 1:54:601. This track returned in Wii where the Staff Ghost is Wario for some reason. The Normal Ghost turns in 2:41.807 using the Wario Bike while the Expert Staff Ghost switches to the Honeycoupe in 2:24.169.

R.O.B.

History:

R.O.B. the robot is an interesting case. Scholars in the Mushroom Kingdom are unsure of where exactly he came from but sources indicate that it is possible that he is a temporarily displaced in his own space-time, similar to how Master Hand is able to assemble fighters for the Super Smash Tournaments. R.O.B. does not originate from the Mushroom Dimension and so has no real ties or relationships to anyone else. He exists only to race, although he had some kind of natural connection to Rainbow Road, perhaps using his temporal displacement to help construct the similarly otherwordly track.

DS:

R.O.B. appears only as an unlockable character in DS for some reason. He really has no purpose being here but nevertheless he provides another good heavyweight character. The system in DS provides three unlockable signature Karts for each character, although every character may use any Kart. These include a standard, one with better stats but a weak Item rating and one with worse stats but a high Item rating. R.O.B. generally has excellent Speed, along with the best Acceleration and Handling of any Heavyweight. He is also tied with Bowser as the Heaviest driver, adding 3.5 to the weight of each Vehicle. This all comes at the expense, however, of his Drift, which is the worst in the game. Take a look:

There are also Staff Ghosts in DS. R.O.B. owns the Desert Hills track for some reason, with a time of 1:31:262 using the ROB.-LGS along with Rainbow Road in the ROB-BLS in 2:16:246. The Rainbow Road here makes sense, R.O.B. is a weird character for that weird track, but the Desert Hills is awfully random. Needless to say, R.O.B. did not make a comeback after this game.

Wario Colosseum

History: 

The construction and use of Wario Colosseum in the Grand Prix has been controversial. In the days of Ancient Mushroom Kingdom, the Colosseum was the site of grand games surveyed over by the King, but in the centuries since its popularity it has feel into ruin and disrepair. Wario was able to use his cash and influence to outfit the Ruins to fit a contemporary sport - Kart Racing. Similar to his insistence on Stadium Tracks where he can sell more tickets for a bigger profit, his Colosseum was meant to house a great number of spectators. This has come as an ire to preservationists in the Kingdom who did not want to see their heralded ruins damaged. Wario also built a track so long and complex that it was decreed by the Grand Prix organizers to be set at two laps rather than three. This is the only track in Mario Kart History to be so adjusted, which Wario always viewed as a slight to his entrepreneurship. This track has not appeared again due to this handful of issues.

Double Dash:

There is a lot to this course. It's similar in theme to Wario Stadium in that it has many twists and turns and curves and is also extremely long. It could actually be interpreted as a three-dimensional version of that course. There are many straightaways, boost pads and a wide collection of 90° turns. It's a jumbled mess and a difficult track to come back on if you fall behind. Someone maneuverable is vital but it is also a pain to lose a close photo finish on that final straightaway.


There are also Secret Staff Ghosts on every track in Double Dash. For Wario Colosseum the Staff Ghost is Wario with Waluigi in tow cruising around in the Wario Car. They finish with a time of 2:21:106.