Maka Wuhu

Maka Wuhu (known as Wuhu Mountain Loop in the British English release) is the final race track of the Star Cup in Mario Kart 7, which takes place on Wuhu Island from . Like Wuhu Loop, the course's music is a remix of the title screen music of Wii Sports Resort. This is the second course to be a long course split into segments rather than laps, and the first course in the Mario Kart series to have the start and end point at different locations (followed by Mount Wario and Big Blue in Mario Kart 8).

The course's name originates from the large volcano on Wuhu Island, named Maka Wuhu.

Description
Unlike most other courses, Maka Wuhu has no laps, instead having a start and end point (which are in different areas, a trait specific to this track in 7) and is divided in three sections, similar to its counterpart, Wuhu Loop, and this game's variant of Rainbow Road. Unlike Mount Wario and Big Blue in 8, though, the track eventually loops back around. The race starts at the base of the island near the Red Iron Bridge at sunset, and crosses the Wuhu Loop track. After some twists and turns, the track heads into the caves on the mountain. Upon emerging from the cave, the track loops around the side of the mountain and passes Summerstone Castle before continuing to ascend the mountain, with racers dodging rolling boulders as they go. At the top of the mountain, players drive over a Dash Panel and then a Glide Ramp, and glide down to the ocean and the finish line.

Attempting to drive to the finish line from the start will result in players being counted out-of-bounds, and they will then be brought back to the starting line.

Course layout
The race begins on the beach of Maka Wuhu in the evening, where several trick ramps and dirt piles are found in the road. After this, the road forks in half until coming across a bridge, which opens to a large mud-filled turn that leads to the first checkpoint of the race. On the start of the second section, the player is led into a cave with several pits and trick ramps. After exiting the cave, the road will curve along a cliff side, with Duckling Lake on the other side. After a Dash Panel, the road turns to the right and the player will cross another bridge around Summerstone Castle. At the next turn there is another trick ramp and the second checkpoint.

The third section begins with a right turn on the side of a cliff, wrapping around the upper part of the mountain, as boulders fall onto the track that can knock racers off course. After the rock section, the road travels downhill slightly to a Glide Ramp. From here, there are two glide routes. The left gliding route has an intermediate stop at a platform similar to the ones from Pilotwings Resort suspended by balloons with a Dash Panel, while the right side has a ramp on top of the Cocoba Hotel and is located at a much lower altitude. After the hang gliding section, the player will land back on the beach, directly behind where they began the race. Racers land on one of two paths, the left one (right in Mirror Mode) traveling through Camel Rock and the other skirting around the side of the rock, before arriving at the finish line. After the finish line is a roundabout that the player (now controlled by the software) will go around, back to the branching paths. The player will take a left, leading back to the starting line.

When passing the first checkpoint to start the second section, Lakitu is shown on the right side of the player, holding the section two sign; when passing the second checkpoint to begin the third section, he is shown on the left side of the player instead, holding the section three/final section sign. The same applies to Wuhu Loop.

Shortcuts
Maka Wuhu has two shortcuts. The first one is a hidden underwater path through Duckling Lake in front of Summerstone Castle near the end of the second section, while the second one is through Summerstone Castle.

The course also has a glitch shortcut that can save at least 20 seconds, activated by jumping into the water on the right of the entrance to the cave or right next to the water, right after the second section begins. Lakitu then puts the player above the cave at the bottom of the hill before the third section begins. As of version 1.1, the glitch has been removed from Online Multiplayer, but it still works in the Single Player and Local Multiplayer modes.

Sponsors

 * Nintendo (Trackside banners)
 * Water Sports (Trackside banners)

Trivia

 * Maka Wuhu, along with its counterpart Wuhu Loop, are the only tracks from Mario Kart 7 that have yet to return as a classic course in a future Mario Kart installment.
 * It is also currently the only course in Mario Kart 7's Star Cup that has yet to make an appearance in Mario Kart Tour.

Wuhu-Bergland Monte Wuhu