GCN Yoshi Circuit

Yoshi Circuit is the third racecourse of the Star Cup in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! It reappeared as the fourth of the Lightning Cup in Mario Kart DS. It also appears in the first DLC pack for Mario Kart 8 in the Egg Cup.

The course is unique in that it is shaped like Yoshi himself, making it the only track in the Mario Kart series to be shaped after a playable character. Many turns are in the course, including a particularly sharp hairpin turn located at Yoshi's "tail". There is a straight area in the middle of the course, that is perfect for item traps. There are also a lot of Piranha Plants at the side of the road, nipping at racers who get too close.

Course layout
The race first starts at the straight road under Yoshi's "shoe." As the racer progresses for a little bit, the player will make a slow curve to the right. Piranha Plants are present on the grass on the right of the course, and to the left, there is water that will stop the player in their tracks if fallen off. Past the curve is a short straight road and a turn left. After the turn left is another straight road and soon, another curve to the right, which would be going around Yoshi's "hands". After the "hand" curve is a straight road, and another turn to the right that leads to an overhang, which starts a large curve around Yoshi's nose.

Inside the curve in Yoshi's nose, the player is protected by walls to the right to prevent them from falling into the water. Past the long curve to the right in Yoshi's "nose" is a sign that the player will see to turn left, obviously initiating for the player to turn left. The player will then make a shorter curve to the right around Yoshi's "eyes". Past Yoshi's "eyes" are his "scales", which are basically small and short curves around circular flowerbeds which won't pose the player much of a problem if the player correctly drives straight.

Past the orange flowers is a Piranha Plant, and past that Piranha Plant is a slight downhill change of terrain and a U-turn to the left. Past the U-turn is a small incline and a straight road, as one is progressing the "tail." On the tip of the "tail" is a U-turn to the right and a straight road. The straight road leads to a turn to the left and three Piranha Plants. Past the Piranha Plants is a turn to the right and a straight road, indicating that the finish line is just in front of the player and starting the cycle of the course again, but on the next lap.

There are two shortcuts. After the first left turn, if a player gets a Mushroom from an Item Box, he or she can use the Mushroom to jump over the moat, not having to maneuver around Yoshi's "hand". It is also possible to do this without a mushroom, instead using a well-placed powerslide. In the DS version, however, the shortcut can be done with a well placed jump over the moat if the player is using a high acceleration kart. The second shortcut comes right after the tunnel, and it requires the player to use another Mushroom to propel themselves from the course into a tunnel, which emerges into a straightway. There are also Double Item Boxes in the tunnel. This second shortcut is removed in the DS version.

Mario Kart DS
Some edits have been made to the course for its reappearance in Mario Kart DS. The most significant change is that the Piranha Plants are no longer in Warp Pipes and bite at racers that drive too close, instead being the small, constantly-biting variation that is seen throughout other courses. Another somewhat significant change is that the number of spikes on the back of Yoshi's head have been reduced from three to two. Some minor graphical changes that do not impact gameplay include Yoshi's "fingers" not being there, the windows in the tunnel being larger, Yoshi's "cheek" being made of sand instead of water, the helicopter not being present, the second shortcut being removed, and the banners near the finish line being removed.

Mario Kart 8
Yoshi Circuit is set to appear a second time as a retro track included with the The Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8 downloadable content in Mario Kart 8 in the Egg Cup. The course now features a small town near the starting line, with several small islands and sailboats nearby. Many changes have been made in this version of the track: There are fewer Piranha Plants (although the ones that do remain have been re-positioned), the Yoshi Helicopter has been replaced by a generic green Mario Kart TV helicopter, and the second shortcut appears to have been removed entirely similar to the DS version, while the first shortcut has a waterfall which players must drive through.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

 * Official website: “Yoshi Circuit is a spine-tingling, mind-bending course filled with dangerous curves and high ocean cliffs. This track is not for the feint of heart.”
 * Official European website: “A circuit in the shape of the cute green dinosaur. See if you can spot Helicopter Yoshi from Yoshi’s Island in a guest appearance.”

Mario Kart DS

 * Official European website: "You wouldn't know it unless you looked at the track from above, but Yoshi Circuit is shaped like the lovable green dino himself. Tight turns, tunnels and treacherous waters about in one of the toughest courses of the tournament. But by now, you're ready for that, right?"

Trivia

 * Daisy Cruiser, which is another Mario Kart: Double Dash!! course, can be seen in the background of this course, but only in the GameCube version.
 * Before the finish line, there is a Yoshi helicopter vehicle flying in the sky. It is also seen in Baby Park.
 * The music in the DS version has fewer instruments than the version in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
 * A graffiti 'M' from Super Mario Sunshine can be seen on the first sign on the course, just after the first turn.
 * This is the first track in the series not to be from Super Mario Kart to appear more than twice.
 * Oddly, in the Mario Kart 8 version of the track, the Mario Kart logo on the starting banner is the modern design, instead of the classic one used for the retro courses between SNES and GCN in the game.