Star Cup

The Star Cup is one of the cups in the Mario Kart series and its symbol is a Star. In most Mario Kart games, the completion of this cup is required to unlock the Special Cup. This cup usually consists of courses that are better suited for Mario Kart veterans as there are more gimmicks in the courses. The tracks are usually as long as the ones from the Flower Cup.

Mario Kart Wii trading card info
"The action REALLY starts to heat up when you tackle the Star Cup. Four new tracks will test your racing mettle. Daisy Circuit is a very scenic track, while the others (Koopa Cape, Maple Treeway, and Grumble Volcano) offer up some serious challenges and difficult racing conditions."

Mario sports games
The cup appeared also in certain Mario sports games like Super Mario Strikers and Mario Superstar Baseball.

Mario Tennis series
The Star Cup makes regular appearances in the Mario Tennis series. Usually, it is the third, last cup of the Open Tournament. When players clear the Star Cup, they receive a star ranking, which rewards them with stronger stats while allowing them to participate in the Special Tournaments. In Mario Tennis Open, however, the Star Cup is called the Final Cup, and it is the last cup of the Special Tournaments, making it the eighth and last cup. Meanwhile, the Champions Cup replaces the Star Cup as the fourth, last cup of the Open Tournament.

Super Mario Strikers
In Super Mario Strikers, the Star Cup has eight teams, seven rounds, and uses the table system. When the player finishes in the top three, the Bowser Cup and The Battle Dome are unlocked. A similar cup is the Super Star Cup.

Mario Sports Mix
The Star Cup also appeared in Mario Sports Mix as a harder difficulty, like the other series. The Star Cup in Mario Sports Mix includes the final match against the Final Fantasy team and Behemoth or Behemoth King after the players have completed the cup. Star Road is also found on this cup, which is an alternate path available once players clear the Star Cup.

Trivia

 * Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart DS are the only games in the series that have a Mario Circuit in the Star Cup.
 * Mario Kart 64's Star Cup is the only Star Cup that has two courses that share the same background music with other courses.
 * Mario Kart: Super Circuit is the only game that has a desert-themed course in Star Cup.
 * The first 3 Mario Kart games and Mario Kart 7 all have a Bowser-themed track in the Star Cup.
 * Mario Kart: Double Dash!! is the only game whose Star Cup contains no dash panels whatsoever.
 * Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7 are the only games in which the Star Cup doesn't contain a snow-themed course. The snow-themed courses in those games are in the Flower and Special Cups, respectively.
 * The Mario Kart 7 Star Cup's PAL version has all different names than the USA version.