Super Mario Kart Time Trial Championship — Pre-Season Preview: Where It All Begins
Where It All Begins
Eight drivers. Twenty circuits. More than 30 years of Mario Kart history. And one enormous challenge.
I've had some ambitious ideas for Video Game Legacy over the years, but this one might just be the biggest undertaking of the lot.
We're about to embark on a journey through the history of Mario Kart, starting with the original Super Mario Kart on the SNES and working our way through the console games that followed.
Not just a few favourite tracks. Not a quick look back at the games we remember most fondly. I want to give every game, every circuit and every driver their opportunity to shine.
And I want you to be part of it.
This isn't something we'll be finishing in a few weeks or even a few months. We're looking at a project that will take years, spanning more than three decades of Nintendo gaming history.
Championships will be won, rivalries will develop, records will fall, and hopefully we'll see plenty of new names appearing in the Video Game Legacy Hall of Fame along the way.
But before we start worrying about everything that lies ahead, we've got a rather important matter to attend to.
Eight drivers are waiting on the grid, twenty circuits need conquering, and there's a Super Mario Kart championship trophy up for grabs.
Let's get this thing started!
Back to 1992: Super Mario Kart
It's hard to imagine Nintendo without Mario Kart these days.
The series has become one of gaming's most recognisable names, with increasingly elaborate circuits, huge character rosters, online competition and more chaos than anybody could reasonably ask for.
But back in 1992, things were rather different.
The original Super Mario Kart arrived on the Super Nintendo with just eight playable drivers, four cups and twenty circuits.
There were no motorbikes, no gliders, no anti-gravity sections and certainly no enormous online lobbies.
What we got instead was a wonderfully addictive racing game that could be surprisingly unforgiving.
Those little karts could be an absolute nightmare to control. Corners needed genuine concentration, the slightest mistake could ruin an otherwise excellent lap, and some of those circuits were considerably more challenging than their colourful appearance suggested.
And that's precisely why I still love it.
Super Mario Kart has something that I think gets overlooked when people compare it with the newer games. It demands that you actually learn how to drive.
You need to understand the corners, know when to push your luck and, perhaps most importantly, recognise when you're about to make a complete mess of things.
And believe me, across twenty circuits and hundreds of attempts, I'm expecting plenty of those moments.
Twenty circuits, four cups, one championship
Our opening season takes us through all four original cups: Mushroom, Flower, Star and Special.
From the relatively straightforward opening corners of Mario Circuit 1 to the terrifying lack of barriers on Rainbow Road, every circuit presents its own problems.
We'll be tackling the grassy hazards of Donut Plains, the slippery surfaces of Choco Island, the icy conditions of Vanilla Lake and the unpredictable waters of Koopa Beach.
Then there are the Ghost Valley circuits, where one careless corner can send an excellent run straight into oblivion.
And that's before we start talking about Bowser Castle.
There's an awful lot of racing ahead of us.
In fact, with eight drivers completing two full attempts on all twenty circuits, this opening championship alone will feature 320 timed runs and 1,600 individual laps.
And remember, that's just Super Mario Kart.
We haven't even reached Mario Kart 64 yet!
How Our Championship Works
We're taking the original game's Time Trial mode and turning it into a proper championship.
The rules are straightforward, but there's a rather interesting twist.
Each of our eight drivers gets two attempts on every circuit. Every attempt consists of five laps, with the fastest overall times determining the finishing order.
That gives us sixteen results per circuit, all competing against one another for championship points.
And here's where things get interesting.
Both attempts can score points.
If a driver produces the fastest and second-fastest times, they'll take the points for both positions. On the other hand, two poor attempts could leave them walking away with absolutely nothing.
The ten fastest attempts score as follows:
| Finishing position | Championship points |
|---|---|
| 1st | 25 |
| 2nd | 18 |
| 3rd | 15 |
| 4th | 12 |
| 5th | 10 |
| 6th | 8 |
| 7th | 6 |
| 8th | 4 |
| 9th | 2 |
| 10th | 1 |
| 11th–16th | 0 |
That means one driver could potentially take home 43 points from a single circuit.
Across twenty rounds, that's a massive opportunity to build a championship lead. It's also an opportunity to throw one away.
There won't be any conveniently timed blue shells to blame, either.
Super Mario Kart's Time Trial mode has no items or coins. It's just five laps, the circuit, the driver and the clock.
We're keeping track of every result, every championship point, the overall standings and our fastest times.
By the time we reach Rainbow Road, we'll finally find out which of these eight original drivers can call themselves our very first champion.
Meet the Eight Championship Contenders
Now, choosing a driver in the original Super Mario Kart is rather more important than you might remember.
Nintendo divided the eight characters into four performance groups, with each pair sharing the same driving characteristics.
Some have excellent acceleration, others have superior top speed, while a couple are simply much easier to steer around those awkward corners.
And yes, the circuit itself matters.
Nintendo's original performance guide even identifies which driver groups are particularly suited to certain track types.
So before I make my predictions, let's meet everyone lining up for this opening championship.
Mario: The Reliable All-Rounder
Class: Standard Performance
You couldn't really have the first Mario Kart championship without Mario himself, could you?
The face of Nintendo's biggest racing series takes his place on the grid with a nicely balanced kart.
Mario offers average acceleration, good top speed and predictable handling. He doesn't have the explosive acceleration of Yoshi or the outright speed of DK Jr., but he doesn't come with their more obvious weaknesses either.
Nintendo's original performance chart rates Mario's class particularly highly on Vanilla Lake, which could make those icy circuits rather interesting.
He's a sensible championship contender, capable of putting together consistent performances without needing everything to go perfectly.
But will consistency be enough against the heavyweights?
I'm not convinced.
Luigi: Always Something to Prove
Class: Standard Performance
Poor Luigi.
Even when he gets exactly the same kart performance as his brother, you just know he'll somehow end up being compared with Mario.
Luigi shares Mario's balanced acceleration, speed and handling, meaning there's absolutely nothing separating them mechanically.
If Luigi finishes ahead, he gets the bragging rights. If he finishes behind, he can't exactly blame the equipment.
Like Mario, he's well suited to the slippery Vanilla Lake circuits, and his all-round performance should make him a fairly dependable choice throughout the season.
I'd quite like to see Luigi put together a proper championship challenge.
After all, he's spent more than enough years standing in his brother's shadow.
Princess: Racing for Something More
Class: Fast Acceleration
Princess shares her driving characteristics with Yoshi, giving her some of the fastest acceleration in the game.
That should be useful on circuits where recovering speed quickly matters, although her less forgiving steering could make tight corners a real problem.
Nintendo's original guide rates her class particularly highly on Donut Plains, so there are certainly opportunities for some excellent results.
But for me, Princess is much more than another championship contender.
There's a deeply personal reason why I want to see her succeed, and I'll come back to that shortly.
All I'll say for now is that, regardless of what the statistics suggest, nobody on this grid has my support quite like Princess.
Yoshi: My Old Favourite
Class: Fast Acceleration
I've always had a soft spot for Yoshi.
He's been my favourite driver in the original Super Mario Kart for as long as I can remember, and there's something wonderfully satisfying about sending that little green dinosaur racing around the circuit.
Like Princess, Yoshi benefits from superb acceleration. Get something wrong, lose speed, and he's generally much quicker to get moving again than the heavier drivers.
The downside is his handling. Those awkward corners can become a real problem, and good acceleration doesn't automatically make up for a lower top speed.
Donut Plains could play to his strengths, but he'll need to make the most of every opportunity if he's going to stay in championship contention.
Would I love to see Yoshi win?
Absolutely.
Do I actually expect him to?
Unfortunately, no.
Toad: Small Kart, Big Ambitions
Class: The Small Guys
Never underestimate the little fellow with the enormous mushroom on his head.
Toad might not have the highest top speed, but what he lacks on the straights he makes up for with excellent handling and strong acceleration.
In a game where one badly judged corner can destroy an entire lap, those qualities could prove extremely valuable.
Nintendo's original guide gives Toad's class its highest rating on Choco Island, where the difficult surface conditions can punish less manageable karts.
I suspect Toad could be one of those drivers who quietly picks up points while everyone else is busy trying to break speed records.
And if he starts producing consistently clean laps, don't be surprised if he becomes a much bigger championship threat than his size suggests.
Koopa Troopa: The Quiet Outsider
Class: The Small Guys
Koopa Troopa shares exactly the same performance characteristics as Toad, which should make their championship battle particularly interesting.
Excellent steering, good acceleration and a comparatively low top speed mean Koopa is going to need precision rather than brute force.
On tracks like Choco Island, that could work very much in his favour.
He might struggle to match the heavyweights when they get a clear run on faster sections, but there's a lot to be said for a driver who can actually make it around a corner without ending up in the scenery.
I wouldn't necessarily make Koopa a championship favourite.
But I certainly wouldn't dismiss him.
Donkey Kong Jr.: The Man to Beat
Class: High Top Speed
Here he is.
My overwhelming favourite for the championship.
Donkey Kong Jr. shares the highest top-speed class in Super Mario Kart with Bowser, and when you consider that we're competing against the clock, that's an enormous advantage.
The downside is his poor acceleration. A mistake that costs him speed can be expensive, particularly on circuits that demand constant braking and careful cornering.
But give DK Jr. a reasonably clean run and enough room to build speed, and I think the rest of the field could have a serious problem.
The original performance guide also rates the heavyweights especially highly on Koopa Beach, so there are circuits beyond the straightforward tarmac tracks where he should be competitive.
I fully expect DK Jr. to win this championship.
In fact, I'll go further than that. I'll be genuinely surprised if anybody manages to stop him.
Now, naturally, having made such a confident prediction before the opening race, I've probably guaranteed he'll spend the season finding increasingly creative ways to disappoint me.
Bowser: The Heavyweight Challenger
Class: High Top Speed
If anyone has the machinery to challenge DK Jr., it's Bowser.
The two heavyweights share identical driving performance, with the highest top speed in the game and some rather less impressive acceleration.
On a good lap, Bowser should be every bit as quick as DK Jr.
The real question is whether he can put enough of those good laps together.
This is a driver who needs clean lines, carefully judged corners and the ability to keep momentum through difficult sections.
That could make him extremely dangerous on some circuits and frustratingly inconsistent on others.
I certainly expect Bowser to be fighting near the front.
Whether he can turn that raw speed into a championship-winning campaign is another matter entirely.
And given that I've already backed DK Jr. so strongly, I rather hope he doesn't.
My Heart Says Princess. My Head Says DK Jr.
I've already made my championship prediction.
DK Jr. is the driver I expect to lift the trophy. I've looked at the original game's driving characteristics, thought about the circuits ahead and I simply can't see past him.
But if you ask me which driver I actually want to win, the answer is Princess.
And that has absolutely nothing to do with acceleration, top speed or cornering.
This particular Mario Kart championship is going to be difficult for me in ways that have nothing to do with the racing.
Princess carries a very personal meaning for me because of Kerry.
Every time she takes to the track, I'll be doing it for Kerry. Every good lap will mean something. Every mistake will hurt that little bit more. And every time Princess crosses the finishing line, I'll be hoping it's enough.
I know it's only a video game. I know we're talking about a little character racing around circuits on a Super Nintendo.
But sometimes a game, a character or a simple moment can mean far more to somebody than anyone watching might realise.
And this is one of those times.
More than anything, I want Princess to win this championship.
I don't know whether she can. I certainly don't think she's the favourite.
But I'll be cheering her on through every single circuit.
For Kerry. I love you, Princess. RIP.
The Circuit I'm Looking Forward to Most
If I had to pick just one circuit from the original Super Mario Kart, it would be Mario Circuit 2.
I've always loved this one.
It's got a brilliant mixture of corners, straights and obstacles, and then there's that wonderful section towards the end where you hit the boost strips and launch across the circuit.
There's something about that jump that still makes me smile.
Unfortunately, there's also a final corner waiting for you after you land.
And I can already picture exactly what's going to happen.
Four excellent laps. A really promising fifth. A lovely clean jump.
Then I'll completely mess up that final left-hander and watch a potentially brilliant time disappear.
I genuinely expect that corner to ruin more than a few runs during this championship.
Still, that's part of the appeal of these older Mario Kart circuits. They're short enough to make you think you've got everything under control, and then one little mistake reminds you otherwise.
Mario Circuit 2 might be my personal favourite, but I'm looking forward to seeing how all twenty circuits shape this championship.
Will the high-speed drivers dominate? Will the more manageable karts spring a few surprises? And who is going to cope best when we finally reach Rainbow Road?
I've got my predictions.
I'm just not entirely convinced the game is going to agree with them.
The Video Game Legacy Hall of Fame: Now It's Your Turn
Here's the part of this whole project I'm particularly excited about.
This championship isn't just for us. It's for you too.
I don't want Video Game Legacy to become somewhere people simply watch us play games, look at our results and then move on.
I want people getting involved.
I want to see somebody watch one of our runs and think, "I can beat that."
And then I want them to prove it.
Every circuit in our championship will have its own fastest overall time and fastest single-lap records, giving you the opportunity to challenge our performances.
Think you can beat us?
Get your Super Nintendo fired up, choose the same driver, record your full five-lap attempt and show us what you can do.
Eligible submissions must show the complete run and finishing time, without save states or gameplay modifications.
If you beat one of our qualifying benchmarks, you could earn your place in the Video Game Legacy Hall of Fame, where verified performances compete for positions on our Top 10 leaderboards.
And that's where I think things could become really interesting.
Because getting into the Hall of Fame isn't necessarily the end of the challenge.
Somebody else might come along and beat your time.
Then perhaps you'll come back and reclaim your place.
Before long, we could have players from different parts of the world competing against one another on circuits that first appeared more than thirty years ago.
That's exactly the sort of community I want to build.
You don't have to be a professional speedrunner. You don't need to hold a world record. You don't even need to consider yourself a particularly brilliant Mario Kart player.
You just need to enjoy the game, have a go and see whether you can beat one of our times.
Who knows? You might end up being the person everybody else is trying to catch.
And the best part?
This opportunity isn't going away when our Super Mario Kart championship finishes.
The records, challenges and Hall of Fame are intended to become a lasting part of Video Game Legacy, giving people the opportunity to revisit these games and compete long after we've moved on to the next championship.
I'd love to see that community grow across every Mario Kart game we cover.
Players sharing their favourite circuits, comparing performances, remembering the games they grew up with and discovering just how good some of these older titles still are.
That's what Video Game Legacy should be about.
Not just preserving gaming history, but keeping it alive.
One Championship Down the Road. Years of Racing Ahead.
Eventually, we'll reach the end of our Super Mario Kart season.
One of these eight drivers will be crowned champion. We'll have a complete record of every circuit, every attempt, every championship point and all the memorable moments along the way.
Then we'll turn our attention to Mario Kart 64.
And after that?
There's an entire series waiting for us.
New games, different mechanics, bigger driver rosters, new circuits and a completely different set of challenges to overcome.
I have no idea how many years it'll take us to complete everything I've got planned.
I do know that I want to do it properly.
Every championship should have its own story. Every game deserves attention, and every driver deserves their opportunity to compete.
Some seasons will probably be predictable. Others might produce champions we never saw coming.
There will be brilliant performances, frustrating mistakes and undoubtedly a few moments when I wonder why I ever thought this was a good idea.
But I wouldn't have it any other way.
This is exactly the kind of long-term gaming project I want Video Game Legacy to be known for.
And I hope that, years from now, some of you will still be here, challenging our records and following the championships as we work our way through Mario Kart history.
The Starting Grid Is Ready
Our first championship begins with Mario Circuit 1 on Saturday 24 October.
Eight drivers will each get their two attempts, the first championship points will be awarded, and we'll finally find out whether my confidence in DK Jr. is justified.
I'll be hoping Yoshi puts together a good performance.
I'll be keeping a very close eye on Bowser.
And I'll be cheering Princess on every single lap.
But I want to hear your predictions too.
Who do you think will win our first championship? Which of the original eight drivers was your favourite? And which classic Super Mario Kart circuit are you most looking forward to seeing again?
Most importantly, are you ready to get involved and take on our times?
Thirty-four years after Super Mario Kart first arrived, we're about to start something that I hope will keep its legacy alive for many more years to come.
