SNES Mario Circuit 1

Mario Circuit 1 is the first course of the Mushroom Cup in Super Mario Kart and as such, the first course in the Mario Kart series in general. It was later reused as the first Extra Course in Mario Kart: Super Circuit and the first Retro Course in Mario Kart DS, being the first Retro Course in the series. Later, it reappeared in Mario Kart Tour's New York Tour, with added Reverse and Trick variants.

The only hazard in this level are the Warp Pipes that appear near the second turn of the course. After the player passes the pipes, they find the only set of item boxes in the course. There is also a shortcut a racer can take by driving through the dirt right after passing the item boxes. The player needs either a Mushroom or a Star to successfully implement the shortcut without slowing down. However, taking the shortcut without an item does not take more time than following the course.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit
The course reappears in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and is the first track in the Extra Mushroom Cup. It uses the background from Peach Circuit. The pipe hazards were removed from the track, but an item box can be found in the shortcut.

Mario Kart DS
Mario Circuit 1 is the first course in the Shell Cup in Mario Kart DS, as well as the first retro course in the series overall. However, the course is slightly longer this time. Mission 1-8 (Perform 4 power-slide turbo boosts in 1 lap!) in this game takes place here. This course was available in Wi-Fi.

Official descriptions

 * Official website and Mario Kart DS instruction booklet: “Pulled straight from the SNES version of Super Mario Kart, this narrow track is further complicated by the pipes that protrude from its surface.”
 * Official European website: “The one that started it all. The first track from the original Super Mario Kart has a simple layout but don’t let that fool you. Veteran racers know that pixel-perfect precision is needed to negotiate this track’s turns without hitting the pipes jutting from the ground.”

New York Tour
In the New York Tour, Mario Circuit 1 appears as the third course in the Mario Cup, the second course in the Dry Bones Cup, the location of the challenge in the Donkey Kong Cup, and the location of the challenge in the Baby Mario Cup. It also has a Reverse version which shows up as the first course in the Peach Cup, and a Trick version which shows up as the first course in the Baby Mario Cup.

Paris Tour
In the Paris Tour, Mario Circuit 1 appears as the second course in the Baby Daisy Cup, the third course in the Daisy Cup, and the location of the challenge in the Peach Cup. It also has a Reverse variant which appears as the first course in the Baby Luigi Cup, and a Trick variant which appears as the third course in the Waluigi Cup.

Winter Tour
In the Winter Tour, Mario Circuit 1 appears as the first course in the Koopa Troopa Cup, the second course in the Baby Peach Cup, and the location of the challenge in the Donkey Kong Cup. There is also a Reverse variant which appears as the third course in the Wario Cup, and a Trick variant which appears as the second course in the Metal Mario Cup.

Holiday Tour
In the Holiday Tour, Mario Circuit 1 has a Reverse and Trick variant which appears as the second course in the Baby Luigi Cup and the first course in the Peachette Cup.

Trivia

 * In the Super Mario Kart instruction booklet, the course map is upside down. This also applies to the Battle Course 1 map.
 * Mario Circuit 1 almost has the same track shape as Mushroom Bridge.
 * In the Mario Kart DS website when showing the video, it shows GBA Peach Circuit instead.
 * The music for Mario Circuit (and subsequent Mario Circuit courses) was arranged in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U as a track that can be heard on the Mario Circuit stage.
 * A sped-up arrangement of the music can be heard in the 1994 arcade game Super Mario Kart Dokidoki Race, accompanied by new background notes and an ending note.
 * Mario Circuit 1 is one of three retro tracks that appears in Mario Kart Tour, but not Mario Kart 7.