After a vicious race through the Thwomp Ruins, Mario Circuit is a bit more straightforward. However, Goombas infest the track at multiple locations. This gravity-defying course twists in the sky over the land far below, so keep your eyes firmly on the road so you don’t get distracted by the scenery!
Kart of Champions
Nintendo’s Best Time Trial: 1:53.017 |
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Player: Addison K |
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Racer: Bowser |
Body: Sport Bike |
Wheels: Slick |
Glider: Bowser Kite |
Grand Prix
Turn 1 is a hairpin left, leading you straight into your first group of Goombas! During the early parts of the race, the battle for position among COM drivers can be very intense here, due to all the drivers being slowed down by the Goombas. Heavier racers have the advantage here.
The twisting bridge has Coins running down the center. If you’re out in front, collect them to deny your rivals their speed bonus.
Just beyond the bridge is another hairpin left. You can cut across the grass on the inside with a Mushroom, but make sure you still give the pipes a wide enough berth if you see Piranha Plants inside them.
In addition to providing a stomach-twisting view of the track aboveyou, the straightway here has three ramps to Jump Boost off of. A long right turn follows right after the last ramp, with Coins running down the center of the track. 5 The turn snaps back to the left and over another bridge, where the world thankfully starts to feel right-side-up again.
The final turn is a hard right, with Coins on the outside of the track, while the inside is potentially protected by more Piranha Plants in pipes.
The final stretch is a straightway that would be a clean break to the finish if not for the Goomba Towers scattered on the road. If you take the glide ramp at the center of the final stretch, you can fly over much of the danger, and even bounce off the head of an unlucky Goomba.
Time Trial Mode
It might be tempting to take this first turn wide initially to collect the Coins, but you can make up your Coin count later! Stick to the inside of the turn. If your tires are dragging across the red-and-white markers, you won’t lose speed, and you’ll be cutting the corners almost as tight as possible!
Goombas are still a problem in this Time Trial. Avoid them while lining up for Turn 2 onto the bridge.
Collect the four Coins on your way across the bridge during Lap 1, and start preparing to drift along the red-and-white markings on the inside of the upcoming long left turn.
Drifting through Turn 3 is complicated by the Piranha Plant that will pop up from one of the pipes on the side of the track. You can still take this turn pretty tight. Just be sure to adjust your position as you close in on the plant to avoid getting bit.
The three ramps on this twisting straightaway can be Jump Boosted for extra speed. The first two have one Coin apiece, while the last ramp has two. On Lap 2 and 3, it’s best to skip these jumps entirely.
After getting past the ramps, you have a long “uphill” S-curve leading towards the bridge. While you should still try to drift and Mini-Turbo, you should also make sure to collect the Coins here to make up for those you’ve passed up.
After crossing the bridge, you’ll see to your right another patch of sand filled with pipes for a Piranha Plant to strike from. Use a Mushroom to boost through this pipe forest, making sure to avoid the glide ramp at the center of the track.
Remember, hitting the glide ramp after using a Mushroom to boost through the sand is actually slower than just driving on the ground towards the finish line! If you do hit it, get on the ground as quickly as possible, making sure to evade the Goomba Towers.
TM & © 2014 Nintendo.