SNES Mario Circuit 3
Mario Circuit 3 | ||
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Information | ||
Appears in | Super Mario Kart (1992) Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) Mario Kart Wii (2008) Mario Kart Tour (2019) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Booster Course Pass, Wave 2) (2022) Mario Kart World (2025) | |
Cup(s) | Flower Cup (Super Mario Kart) Extra Lightning Cup (Super Circuit) Lightning Cup (Wii) Turnip Cup (8 Deluxe) | |
Tour(s) | ||
Online play | No longer available (Wii) Available (Switch) | |
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Mario Circuit 3 is the fifth and final course of the Flower Cup in Super Mario Kart. It is a tarmac circuit set in a grassland.
It 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 starting from the 2019 Paris Tour, and the Booster Course Pass of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as the second course of the Turnip Cup. This track also returns in Mario Kart World, albeit merged with the previous two Mario Circuits to create the course simply named "Mario Circuit".
If Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are counted as the same game, Mario Circuit 3 has appeared more times throughout the Mario Kart series than any other course, being the only course to appear in six separate games. If counted separately, it is tied with Rainbow Road, also from Super Mario Kart.
Mario Circuit 3 was the first course coded into Super Mario Kart.[1]
Super Mario Kart
Course layout

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), and its obstacles include pipes and oil slicks scattered throughout the track. The course begins with the only set of ? Panels followed by a right turn and a left turn. Racers then take a gradual U-turn to the right and drive along a brief straightaway before reaching a sharp U-turn to the left. Afterwards there is another brief straightaway followed by another gradual right U-turn. There is then a right turn, a left turn, and a right turn which leads racers to the finish line shortly after. At the end of the last turn is a zipper on the right side of the track.
Shortcuts
A notable shortcut can be found after the second gradual right U-turn. Instead of taking the subsequent right turn, the player can use a Mushroom or Star to drive through the off-road to the left of the track, passing through a gap in the wall and cutting off the last left turn.
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 pipes 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 mostly 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. The sharp turn is wider. It is one of two courses in the game where players cannot perform tricks, the other being N64 DK's Jungle Parkway.
Tournaments
September 2008's second tournament required players to collect 40 coins scattered along the track. Immediately after starting, players are able to hit a lone Item Box which will contain Triple Mushrooms. Vehicles were restricted to karts only. The tournament was later repeated as the second tournament of February 2012 and the first tournament of May 2013, without vehicle restrictions.
Mario Kart Tour
Mario Circuit 3 returns in Mario Kart Tour, starting from the 2019 Paris Tour alongside Paris Promenade. The layout is mostly identical from its previous iterations, although using the visuals of the two other SNES Mario Circuits present in the game. The most noticeable change is the Dash Panel behind the starting line being changed to the current Dash Panel design. Some of the wall blocks inside the sharp turn are removed. Additionally, the course uses the Mario Kart 7 arrangement of the SNES Mario Circuit music used in SNES Mario Circuit 2.
The course also appears as Mario Circuit 3R (reversed), Mario Circuit 3T (with ramps), and Mario Circuit 3R/T (reversed with ramps). The former two were introduced alongside the regular version in the 2019 Paris Tour, while the latter was added in the Vancouver Tour. In the T variant, a glide ramp allows all players to take the shortcut at the end of the track. In the R/T variant, there is a Chain Chomp near the aforementioned shortcut, and a glide ramp instead appears just before the hairpin turn.
Appearances
For this course's tour appearances, see List of SNES Mario Circuit 3 tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.
Top-tier and middle-tier items
Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for which SNES Mario Circuit 3 and its variants are always favored or favorite courses. For instances in which additional drivers, karts, and gliders temporarily had this course and its variants as favored or favorite courses, see List of SNES Mario Circuit 3 tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.
Bonus challenges
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. This course and SNES Bowser Castle 3 are the only courses from Super Mario Kart to appear in the Booster Course Pass. 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, Yoshis 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.[4]
Mario Kart World
This section is referring to a subject in an upcoming or recently released game. When the game is released, or more information about this subject is found, this section may need major rewriting.
This notice should be removed after a month has passed since the game was first released.
Mario Circuit 3 returns for the third time in a row in Mario Kart World. Here, the course is combined with Mario Circuits 1 and 2 to create the Mario Circuit course, which appears as the second course of the game's final cup.
Mario Circuit 3 is the third and final section of the course, and features the course's finish line. It is the only one of the three Mario Circuits to keep its red trims, as the trims have been recoloured in the other two courses, and is also the only one to not be making its second home console appearance overall here. The music is now a jazzy composition.
Mario Circuit 3's appearance in Mario Kart World marked its sixth appearance in the series overall: making it the course to appear the most throughout the series, counting Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe together.
Profiles
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."
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Nintendo Switch News app (US):
- This course first appeared in the Super Mario Kart™ game for Super NES™.
- Iconic items from the Super Mario series―such as blocks and pipes―are featured on this course. Don't miss the hills in the background as well!
- Mario Circuit 3 has many tight corners, so practice on being precise with your positioning, drifting, and Mini-Turbo skills.
- Nintendo Switch News app (UK): Drift your way to victory in Mario Circuit 3!
Now, we'd like to present to you a course released as part of the second wave, which is available now: Mario Circuit 3.
This course first appeared in the Super NES game Super Mario Kart. It features a colourful design with lots of blocks and pipes that might look familiar if you're a fan of the Super Mario series, but don't let the course's charming exterior fool you - its twists and turns may pose quite a challenge. Try to follow the racing line and make good use of drifting, because those Mini-Turbo boosts just might be the key to victory!
Gallery
Super Mario Kart
Mario Kart Wii
The Zipper near the goal
Mario Kart Tour
Course icons
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mario Kart Tour race course icons (SNES courses) § Mario Circuit 3.
Screenshots
Builder Mario gliding over the R/T variant
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Koopa Troopa and others driving on the course
Naming
Internal names
Game | File | Name | Meaning
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Mario Kart Wii | old_mario_sfc | Old Mario Super Famicom |
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
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Japanese | マリオサーキット3[?] Mario Sākitto 3 |
Mario Circuit 3 | |
Chinese (simplified) | 马力欧赛道3[?] Mǎlìōu Sàidào Sān |
Mario Speedway 3 | |
Chinese (traditional) | 瑪利歐賽道3[?] Mǎlìōu Sàidào Sān |
Mario Speedway 3 | |
Dutch | Mario's Circuit 3[?] | Mario's Circuit 3 | |
French | Circuit Mario 3[?] | Mario Circuit 3 | |
German | Marios Piste 3[?] | Mario's Track 3 | |
Italian | Circuito di Mario 3[?] | Mario's Circuit 3 | |
Korean | 마리오 서킷 3[?] Mario Seokit 3 |
Mario Circuit 3 | |
Portuguese (NOA) | Circuito Mario 3[?] | Mario Circuit 3 | |
Portuguese (NOE) | Circuito do Mario 3[?] | Mario's Circuit 3 | |
Russian | Трасса Марио 3[?] Trassa Mario 3 |
Mario's Track 3 | |
Spanish (NOA) | Circuito Mario 3[?] | Mario Circuit 3 | |
Circuito de Mario 3[?] | Mario's Circuit 3 | Mario Kart Wii | |
Spanish (NOE) | Circuito Mario 3[?] | Mario Circuit 3 |
References
- ^ The Cutting Room Floor
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g TheMadWeazel (February 26, 2020). Mario Bros Tour “Luigi Cup” - Mario Kart Tour. YouTube. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Crunchzeit (April 27, 2020). Mario Kart Tour 💻 (S16E012) - Trick Tour - Dry Bowser Cup [2K]. YouTube. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Gold vehicles
show Race courses from the Mario Kart series |
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show Super Mario Kart |
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show Mario Kart: Super Circuit |
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show Mario Kart Wii |
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show Mario Kart Tour courses |
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show Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe |
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