Mario Kart Stadium

Mario Kart Stadium is the introductory track of Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and is the first race of the Mushroom Cup. It is a basic circuit taking place in an autodrome stadium full of advertisements and banners of the players with fireworks in the background. The course also has a big city in the background. This is the first course to be named after the Mario Kart series itself. This course also makes Mario Kart 8 the second game in the series (excluding the arcade games) where the first course in the game is not named a "Circuit" (the first being Mario Kart 64), despite the overall design still being a circuit-type track.

Part of this course's music is reused for the theme of Mario Circuit, albeit in a different arrangement, making Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe the only games in the series where the first course does not share music with another course. This course's music reappears in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit as the music for Live Circuit.

Course layout
The course begins with a short pit straight followed by a right turn. The track then turns right with three colored paths that stay together: an inner blue path (with an apex), a yellow path in the center that says "Mushroom Cup" on it, and an outer red path with Dash Panels and coins. The track then approaches the anti-gravity part followed by a left turn. Next, the course goes up and down a raised hairpin turn, followed by a gliding area before ending with one more left turn to the finish line.

When Lakitu is holding the start signal, he is shown on the left side of the player. When crossing the finish line to begin the next lap, he’s also shown on the left side of the player, holding the lap count signs.

It is the only course in the Mushroom Cup to not have an underwater section.

Shortcuts

 * Just before the path splits in three, the player can use a boosting item to make a sharp turn between the pipes.
 * After the split path section, there is a dirt section that the player can boost through.
 * Right after the first anti-gravity strip, on the left, there is a ramp that cuts off the corner just before the huge turn.
 * Near the end of the course, just after the gliding ramp, a boost can be used across the gravel trap to cut the final turn. It is easy to notice the shortcut because there are pipes in the sand.

Staff ghost
The staff ghost for this track is Mario on the Sports Coupe, with a time of 1:59.781. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 200cc Time Trials, the staff ghost is Gold Mario with a time of 1:21.984.

Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack liner note
"The idea for this track was to make it sound like the type of music in the opening ceremony. It's worth paying special attention to the bassline. As I'm sure you'll notice, we based this track on the Mario Circuit music in the Flower Cup."

Names in other languages
Mario Kart-Stadion Stadio Mario Kart