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 ever in the entire Mario Kart series. It was later reused in Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario Kart DS.

Super Mario Kart
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 will 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 will need either a Mushroom or a Star to successfully implement the shortcut without slowing down. Taking the shortcut without an item does not take more time than following the course though.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit
The course reappeared 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. However, this time the pipes are back on the second bend. 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.

Staff ghost
0:50.688 using Mario in Standard MR.

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.”

Trivia

 * 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.