SNES Mario Circuit 3

Mario Circuit 3 is the fifth and final course of the Flower Cup in Super Mario Kart. It subsequently reappears in Mario Kart: Super Circuit as the second course of the Extra Lightning Cup, Mario Kart Wii as the first course of the Lightning Cup, Mario Kart Tour after being introduced in the 2019 Paris Tour, and the Booster Course Pass of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as the second course of the Turnip Cup. It is a tarmac circuit set in a grassland. If one counts Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as the same game, is tied with  for the most frequently appearing classic course in the series, having a total of five individual appearances.

Overview
Mario Circuit 3 is a long, almost symmetrical track with many twists and turns (even bearing a faint resemblance to both the Sepang International Circuit, located in Malaysia and Circuito de Jerez, located in Spain), but no obstacles other than pipes and oil slicks scattered throughout the track. There is a very sharp hairpin turn mid-circuit. At the end of the track, there is one zipper which can be used to take the lead or catch up at the last minute. There is also a shortcut: after the hairpin, a long straightaway and a wide right-hand curve lies a right-left turn sequence, leading into another right-hander to the finishing straight. The two sides of the right-left sequence are separated by a wall with a hole in it, which can be taken as a shortcut. It is best to use a mushroom or a star here, to avoid slowing down.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Mario Circuit 3 appeared in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and is the second race of the Extra Lightning Cup. It uses the background from that game's own Mario Circuit. The pipe and oil hazards were removed from the track, along with the zipper, and an extra item box can be found on the straight shortly after the sharp turn.

The sharp bend can be used to perform a Mini-Turbo by drifting and holding it for a second or more.

Mario Kart Wii
Mario Circuit 3 reappears in Mario Kart Wii as the first course of the Lightning Cup where it remains unchanged, aside from getting a new starting banner like the other SNES and GBA courses that reappear in the game, and receiving a graphical update and slightly larger scale overall. It is one of two courses in the game where players cannot perform tricks, the other being. When the player crosses the finish line to begin the next lap, Lakitu is shown on the left side of the player, holding the lap count signs.

Tournaments
A tournament took place on this track. The track was an Arena. Players had to collect every coin that was in the area. It was a karts only tournament, and it was the second tournament of September 2008 and the first tournament of October 2010, with the same restrictions. It was later repeated as the second tournament of February 2012 and the first tournament of May 2013, without restrictions.

Mario Kart Tour
Mario Circuit 3 returns in Mario Kart Tour, introduced in the 2019 Paris Tour. It retains its appearance from Mario Kart Wii, though the sand is now a light orange color. The Dash Panel behind the starting line is changed to the current Dash Panel design. This course is a favorite of Toad (Pit Crew), Yellow Toad (Pit Crew), White Yoshi, Mario (Musician), Peach (Vacation), Mario (Swimwear), Mario (Halloween), and Donkey Kong Jr. (SNES). It is also a favorite of Mario (Classic) and Mario (Chef) if they are at level 6. As with other courses in the game, Mario Circuit 3 has an R version, a T version, and an R/T version referred to as Mario Circuit 3R, Mario Circuit 3T and Mario Circuit 3R/T respectively; the former two were introduced alongside the regular version in the 2019 Paris Tour, while the latter was added in the Vancouver Tour. The R/T variant has a Chain Chomp.

For this course's tour appearances, see List of SNES Mario Circuit 3 tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Circuit 3 returns as the second course of the Turnip Cup in the Booster Course Pass DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It is based on its appearance in Mario Kart Tour, though with updated graphics, with the sand becoming a dark yellow color and the background hills reverting to their more saturated, lime green color scheme from the original Super Mario Kart. Floating Brick Blocks, staircases, pipes with Piranha Plants, and flagpoles have been added in the background as decoration, and Toads and Shy Guys have been added as spectators. Traffic cones also now appear in front of the oil slicks. The music is slightly rearranged, with the drum-line being dramatically altered, but retains its SNES-styled sound. Due to the lighting on the course, some vehicles appear golden. Like in Mario Kart Wii, when the player crosses the finish line to begin the next lap, Lakitu is shown on the left side of the player, holding the lap count signs (when holding the start signal, he’s also shown on the left side of the player).

Mario Kart Wii

 * European website bio: "Hairpin turns and oil slicks make this tight little course treacherous. Successfully steering into the boost on the final straight could mean the difference between victory and defeat."