Well that's good... we want you to join, too!

This page lays out some rules and guidelines for new members.

You must play Super Mario Kart Time Trials using any of the Official Nintendo Releases:

• An original Super Nintendo Entertainment System SNES (PAL / NTSC) / Super Famicom Console SFC
• Alternate console which as above, plays the original Cartridges of PAL or NTSC (various regions) or SFC. (check with Sami)
• The original Nintendo Wii Virtual Console version of SMK (Please specify PAL or NTSC region, check with Sami if not sure).
• The Nintendo 3DS / 2DS (standard and XL) Virtual Consoles Version of SMK.
• The Nintendo Wii U Virtual Console Version of SMK.
• The Nintendo SNES Classic Mini Console from any region.
• The original Nintendo Switch Online version of SMK. This does not include the SP version released on the 26th May 2021 for the moment. We still have yet to confirm that there are no changes to it other than the unlocking of Special Cup and 150cc. For the time being if you use Nintendo Switch Online, please only use the original SMK on it to set Time Trial records.

You are NOT ALLOWED to send Time Trial records using any sort of PC emulator such as ZSNES, Snes9x or similar. PAL Version Super Mario Kart cartridges must always be played in 50Hz and NTSC Super Mario Kart cartridges in 60Hz respectively.

You should NOT submit times for Grand Prix or Match Race mode, as they have different speed settings. Only 1 Player Time Trial mode. You are allowed to have one profile per person, but you can join both PAL and NTSC charts, where your times will be in one name as with many members of the site. Please can you also not request to keep changing identities and timesets several times as this confuses players and distorts the rankings and news updates.

When you are ready to send your Time Trial Records to us:

• All of your Time Trial records for Course and Best Lap on every track will be required (20 tracks, each with 5-lap and 1-lap = 40 times) for you to be listed on the rankings, along with:
• Your First and Last name (exactly as it appears on the site for current players). Please note, you are not required to provide your actual birth name if you do not wish to do so. Please choose an alternate first and last name if you wish, although keep them to real sounding names. You may wish to keep your real first name if it is very common and change the surname for example, or vice versa. Please ensure you provide a first and last name that you wish to be known as on the site, not just one single name.
• Which system you played on (PAL or NTSC). There is more detailed information below on the differences between PAL and NTSC. But generally if you are playing the original Consoles or the Original Wii Virtual Console, PAL is in Europe / Australia, while NTSC is in America / Japan. If you have purchased your console on ebay or somewhere and are unsure, please ask Sami. If you are playing on either the Wii U Virtual Console / 3DS Virtual Console / SNES Mini / Nintendo Switch Online version it is nice and easy, all of them are Globally NTSC only!
• For your very first records submission, you should also tell us your Country (and even town/state, if you want), so we can put that info in your profile and you can see where you rank locally (you may be a regional or City Champion for example). To help you decide which country to choose, the most common option is to write the Country you currently live in, or the second option is to represent the Country where you were born or have family / heritage. For example, you may be living abroad more recently, but may prefer to represent your country of origin or current location. Either option is fine, as long as you choose one only. If you have any questions, please send Sami an e-mail.
• The character you drove your time with (e.g. Bowser, Toad, etc).
• Your e-mail address is optional only. You do not have to provide this unless you wish to.

Please contact Sami Cetin directly via e-mail: samicetin at yahoo.com if you have further questions.

Check the Submit Records page to learn how to send your records.

What is PAL/NTSC?

PAL and NTSC are different TV standards. NTSC is used in Japan, and the majority of North and South America. There are also a few other smaller countries that use it. PAL is mainly used in Europe and Australia. NTSC TVs operate at 30fps (60Hz, 60 frames interlaced), while PAL run at 25fps (50Hz). To satisfy the frame output requirement of these standards, consoles between NTSC and PAL regions run some games at different speeds. Some games are adjusted, but not all. Super Mario Kart is not one of them. PAL runs a few seconds slower on most races. Some slight noticable differences are that the off-road terrain such as grass, sand and water slows the kart down more on the PAL version. Such important differences induce separate charts, and scores between the two versions are incomparable.

How will I know which version I use?

NTSC consoles usually have purple buttons on the controllers, while PAL has yellow/blue/green/red. If you are using an NTSC console, chances are you've got an NTSC game. PAL versions say that they are PAL on most games (check the game or its box). If there is any doubt, please contact us.

Other Information on Time Submissions

Please note that when you drive your records, you must not pause the game during your run at any time. This includes pausing in any way such as going to the menu screen on your SNES mini / Nintendo Switch / Nintendo Virtual console machine, or just using the pause button. Race times for any individual track must be completed in one go. Please also note that hoarding of records is not accepted in the Mario Kart community. Whilst there will be occasions where players have set new records and either forgot to send them in or a personal matter occurred that week leading to the same which is fine; but please could all players take responsibility for the records they are setting and ensure that they are sent in within that week's time frame when they are played and due for the following Monday update. Any players setting World Records must make it known as soon as possible within the week of the update.

As you reach higher standards and ranks we may ask you for some sort of proof. This can be in a number of different formats. Several of the top karters have made video recordings of their times and races. Some players send in pictures, and others have eyewitnesses of races. Going forward from the respective news update in 2020, if a Top 10 record has been set on either PAL or NTSC, there will be a video requirement in order for your record to be accepted. It will be the responsibility of the player to provide a video preferably with their record submission on the week of the update. However if there is any delay with creating the video that is out of your control, or more commonly if the record happened at the last moment just before the update, please let Sami know and we are happy to allow some flexibility.

If you are using a Virtual Console Version of SMK, or the Nintendo Switch Online Version, you are NOT ALLOWED to use Save States or the Rewind Feature at any time. If we suspect player doing so, we will request for live streaming to be done to prove their records and level of driving. As per the respective rule update effective from December 2024, any player using a Nintendo Console that has a Save State / Rewind Feature will now need to live record any run that reaches the Top 50 on any chart. A replay video will not be acceptable. We have an optional feature to have your video links (e.g on YouTube) attached to your records on the site. There is a detailed explanation on how to include either your existing record or new record videos within the instructions of this update: http://www.mariokartplayers.com/smk/archives/00000732.html. If a player would like to take Super Mario Kart Time Trials to the highest level with a view to also attend and compete at the annual World Championships, it would be strongly recommended that they purchase SNES / SFC console if they are nearer the Top 50 Worldwide and continue on there. It is known that the precision ability is easier on the original consoles with a CRT Television. Therefore it will be of benefit to the player.

There are some trick/glitch/shortcut methods of driving records, however these are not included in the normal driving methods or the rankings on this site. There are links on the main page for separate records/tables if you wish to send any times for this. For your normal times submission, please stick to driving the courses without tricks/glitches.

New Boosting Techniques (NBT) are also allowed on this site. These involve holding L and/or R round the corners and releasing them after sliding for a while, a mini boost is executed and this can be used near a corner with some sand or grass to cut across a bit of it without losing speed. These are very advanced techniques used by some of the top ranked karters but cuts off small amounts of time, so it is recommended at first to sticking to hopping round corners and learning racing lines to cut the corners as tight as possible before trying these techniques.

Track specific rules: Obstacles vs track limits.

• Ice Blocks on Vanilla Lake tracks are obstacles. And can be removed by normal driving or by the use of CPU ghost (Activated by pressing start twice on a second controller on driver select screen).
• On Ghost Valley tracks the blocks define track limits. It is not permitted to remove them to gain an advantage while cornering (for example, the Corner blocks). While it's not been formally proved that breaking a block can gain an advantage in a Course time run, please be aware that any attempts to circumvent the spirit of this rule will result in the time being inadmissible and the previous time will be kept in its place.
• Accidental best lap records can happen in a Course time attempt after breaking a block, we ask for you to take care and not submit these laps as they will not be accepted. Hopping over a broken tile immediately disqualifies the lap. Trust and common sense from and within players remains the key to keep this rule respected."
• Choco Island 1: The use of the Wall ride / Tractor is not allowed at any time in the Non-Shortcut Driving. This is only for the Shortcut Category charts.
• Mario Circuit 2: Infinite boost (IB) is not permitted at any time in the Non-Shortcut Charts. Long boosting (LB) is allowed however.

Submitting your times

When you have a full list of Time Trial course times and fastlaps, please submit them with your first and last name, character used, system and country/town to the address shown above. We always welcome new members to the site; if you find any other people who are interested in joining Super Mario Kart Time Trials, recruit them!

Updating Day / Time each week

The updates are processed every week on Mondays, usually by the night time GMT / BST, but sometimes earlier. Each week the deadline for sending in times is Sunday. If any times are sent after this, they are likely to be included on the following week's update. Thank you and we look forward to see all of your Time Trial Records and new PRs!

Conduct and Community Safety

The SMK Community aims to ensure that we have a safe environment where all members treat each other with respect. This is not just for the SMK ranking, but our SMK Championships, Discord, Forum, other social media, and any other SMK related meets. Should there be any abusive behaviour, this will not be tolerated by the SMK Community. Depending on the severity, this may result in a warning, a temporary ban or even permanent ban and exclusion from the SMK Community and Rankings. Please play SMK nicely and treat your fellow SMK friends respectfully. Thank you for your understanding.