SNES Donut Plains 3

Donut Plains 3 is the first course in the Special Cup in Super Mario Kart. It features a giant lake, a peninsula jutting far into the water, and two broken bridges without side-rails. The racers must hop or feather over the crack in the second bridge to avoid falling into the lake. Monty Moles live on this stage as well; both on land, and in water.

The course reappears in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and is the fourth track in the Extra Star Cup. It uses the background from Riverside Park. The track was improved with an added bump on the second bridge to jump over the crack, making the track easier to pass. The Monty Mole hazards were removed. If the player uses a Mushroom before the jump on the second bridge and turns left, they can skip half the course and land near the finishing line.

Mario Kart 8
Donut Plains 3 reappears in Mario Kart 8 as the second track in the Banana Cup and the only retro track from Super Mario Kart outside the DLC Cups. It now features a starting banner composed of Super Mario Bros. 3 styled blocks. One notable difference is that the graphics don't resemble the original SNES style, unlike Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Wii, and Mario Kart 7, instead featuring bushes, Toad Houses, Brick Blocks, and ? Blocks in the background, as well as a lesser number of hills, which only one is brown. A Super Mario World styled fortress with Toads and Yoshis is also added, beside the first bridge. The trees are now on the track itself, in the second half of the course. MK8-Course-SNES DonutPlains3-startingline.png

One of the new features included is the ability to race underwater in the lake below the bridges. The breaks in the bridges are encountered a bit earlier than they originally were, and the end of the second bridge has collapsed. The lake is much smaller than it used to be, and there is no water on the other side after the second bridge; thus, the peninsula no longer exists. Monty Moles now act as they do in Moo Moo Meadows, moving underground before popping out, instead of just hiding inside holes and popping out. The Monty Moles in the lake are now replaced by Cheep-Cheeps. Thus, there are only two Monty Moles present, rather than nineteen. The mud patches in the last half of the course are now wide puddles. In the game, the whistles and beeps from the original soundtrack will play with the soundtrack when the player is in first place, alongside the normal first-place beats.

Official descriptions
Mario Kart Facebook Page: Drive the vast vistas of Donut Plains in Mario Kart 8, a favorite getaway for Toads and Yoshis alike.

Trivia

 * This track and DK Jungle are the only tracks that have been in both the Special and Banana Cup as retro tracks. Coincidentally, both are the first tracks of their original games' Special Cups, and both return in the same game, Mario Kart 8.
 * This track and Dry Dry Desert are the only non-DLC retro courses in Mario Kart 8 to not involve air gliding. Coincidentally, both take place in the Banana Cup.
 * In Mario Kart 8, one of the Yoshis in the audience will occasionally hum Totaka's Song. This also occurs in other courses featuring Yoshis in the audience (Sweet Sweet Canyon, N64 Yoshi Valley,  GCN Yoshi Circuit, and Super Bell Subway).