Sunshine Airport

Sunshine Airport
Information
Appears in	Mario Kart 8 (2014) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017)
Cup(s)	Star Cup
Based on	Super Mario Sunshine
Staff Ghost	2:24.429 by Nin★Leonel (8) (as Rosalina) 2:20.447 by Nin★Leonel (8 Deluxe) (as Rosalina) (150cc) 1:45.437 by Nin★Sho (8 Deluxe) (as Luigi) (200cc)
WFC	Available (Wii U, Switch)
Music sample Atsuko Asahi
Course map Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Sunshine Airport is the first course of the Star Cup in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and is the first airport course in the Mario Kart series. It takes place in an airport on an unknown island. Airplanes can be seen parked and taking off. Sunshine Airport is themed and named after Super Mario Sunshine. Shine Sprites are visible throughout the course. The course physics are altered in 200cc, with the ramps with Dash Panels propelling racers at a shorter distance. The aircraft standing around the airfield are based on a variety of different aircraft, ranging from the Boeing 737 to 747, to 777 or even 787 jets, alongside Airbus A320, A330 and other aircraft.

Course layout

The course as seen from the starting line

The course begins in the terminal. After a hairpin turn, players will exit the terminal by taking a jump onto the apron. After this, there is a small jump over a conveyor belt, after which the track proceeds under a plane. Once passing under it, a ramp leads to a raised track which then turns left. The track then splits into two alternate paths; one where a jump can be taken onto the wing of another plane, proceed through it and come out on the other wing, or one where the jump is not taken, leading the player to drive under the plane. Shortly after, players will take a left turn, and then hit some Dash Panels leading to a Glide Ramp, where a plane flies over the lead racer. This plane changes every lap. The gilding section travels up into an anti-gravity platform suspended in the air, which loops around a three-quarter turn. Several Spin Boost Pillars are present here. Afterwards, racers hit a Glide Ramp and enter another gliding section. Players descend, land on a helicopter pad outside the terminal, then turn left and re-enter the terminal. There is one last right turn to the finish line.

At the finish, a departure board can be seen on the right, including names of various other tracks. Posters of Water Park, Dry Dry Desert and Sweet Sweet Canyon can also be seen.

When under a flying plane, sounds in the game become muffled.

Shortcuts

• One can cut off the left turn before the first gliding section by using a speed item and jumping off a small ramp situated in the water.
• If taking the lower route under the second plane, there is a large patch of grass to the right that serves as an offroad shortcut.
• The left turn into the terminal can be cut off if one boosts through the grass.
• One can drive through an area with conveyors carrying luggage cutting off the final turn. The crates may contain Mushrooms or Green Shells.

Staff ghost

The staff ghost for this track is Rosalina on the Circuit Special, and the time is 2:24.429. The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 200cc staff ghost is Luigi with a time of 1:45.437.

References to the Mario series

• At one point, a couple of Koopa rock formations reminiscent of the one from Koopa Troopa Beach in Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart 7 can be seen in the background.
• There are some storage crates in Sunshine Airport with the serial number "55402MS". This serial number is a possible reference to the European release date for Super Mario Sunshine (October 4, 2002; MS, possibly standing for "Mario Sunshine.")
• There is an intercom in the airport that makes references to Birdo, Sweet Sweet Canyon, and Dolphin Shoals. These are the voice lines that can be heard within the station:
  • "This is the final boarding call for Boomerang Bros. International Airline, Flight 117a to Sweet Sweet Canyon, departing from Gate 3."
    • This is inconsistent with the signboard before the finish line, which says flight "Sweet Sweet Canyon BBIA 4300."
  • "Passengers departing on Galaxy Airlines, Flight 2580, bound for Dolphin Shoals, should proceed to customs and immigration at this time."
  • "Paging Galaxy Airlines, Flight 2218, passenger Ms. Birdo, please proceed to the information counter on Floor 2."
• Some of the crates on the conveyor belts have panels that resemble ? Blocks, Empty Blocks and Brick Blocks.

Sponsors

• Boomerang Bros. International Airlines (Planes, posters, trackside banners, departures boards)
• Galaxy Air (Planes, posters, images on screens, departures boards, trackside banners)
• Mario Kart TV (Vans)
• Mario Motors (Stickers)
• Mushroom Piston (Stickers)
• Paratroopa Airlines (Posters, departures boards)
• Peach & Daisy Royal Patisserie (Stickers, trackside banners)
• Princess Orange (Trackside banners, stickers)
• Propeller Toad Transport (Crates, planes, departures boards, trackside banners)
• Red Shell Strike Equipment (Stickers)
• Star Cup (Banners, ramps, trackside banners)
• Super Marine World (Trackside banners)
• Toad Harbor (Stickers)
• Waluigi Sea Bed (Stickers)
• Wild Yoshi Sanctuary (Stickers)

Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack liner notes

"This was the first track on Mario Kart 8 I was responsible for, and I had a great time working on it. The combination of the gorgeous graphics and the sheer silliness of racing around an airport made it really exciting. I was aiming to create music with a fresh, airy feel, to give you a taste of southern seas and tropical sky."

Gallery

• 

  The course icon

• 

  Characters taking off from a Glide Ramp, as a jetliner takes off above them

• 

  Luigi, gliding on Sunshine Airport

• 

  The starting line

• 

  Mario jumping out of the airport terminal and onto the airport apron

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  Mario on the Propeller Toad Transport airplane

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  Mario spin boosting on the anti-gravity portion of the track

• 

  Mario glides off of the final gliding point in the course. The Koopa Troopa rock formations can be seen in the background.

• 

  Rosalina on the anti-gravity section

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  A released screenshot of the course, revealing the name of the course

• 

  The stamp obtained for beating the staff ghost at this course

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  The front of the flying plane, which has Mario's mustache

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  The flying plane's left side

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  The flying plane's right side

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  Texture of the storage crates

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	サンシャインくうこう Sanshain Kūkō	Sunshine Airport
Chinese (Simplified)	阳光机场 Yángguāng Jīchǎng	Sunshine Airport
Chinese (Traditional)	陽光機場 Yángguāng Jīchǎng	Sunshine Airport
Dutch	Sunshine Airport	-
French	Aéroport Azur	Azure Airport
German	Sonnenflughafen	Sun Airport
Italian	Aeroporto del Sole	Sun Airport
Korean	선샤인 공항 Seonsyain Gonghang	Sunshine Airport
Portuguese	Aeroporto Alvorada	Sunrise Airport
Russian	Солнечный аэропорт Solnechnyy aeroport	Sunny Airport
Spanish	Aeropuerto Soleado	Sunny Airport

Trivia

• A Sunshine Airport patch appears on the back of the Racing Outfit in Super Mario Odyssey.