Background
Welcome to the second edition of the MKWLeaderboards Player Spotlight! This time, we have a very special player, that many people will be very eager to hear from: Kasey! Speaking with Kasey was very interesting, and he has a very insightful perspective on the game, which he shares in this interview.
Kasey has been a top player for many years, achieving his first Worldwide Top 10 time, then 2nd place time in 2019, on Luigi Circuit. He would set his first WR in 2021 on GCN Peach Beach, beating Cole’s legendary run there. Since then, Kasey has become one of the best players in the game, implementing Flame Runner strategies on DS Peach Gardens, setting the first 1:12.5 on GCN Peach Beach, multiple WRs on GBA Shy Guy Beach, and a few WRs on Moo Moo Meadows, SNES Mario Circuit 3, and N64 Sherbet Land; not to mention countless high Worldwide Tops times.
Introduction
Who are you, how old are you, and where are you from?
Kasey: I'm Kasey, I'm 22 years old, and I'm from Iowa.
What interests and activities are you involved in outside of Mario Kart?
Kasey: Outside of Mario Kart, I like to work on various coding projects. I’ve had a lot of fun creating Roblox games that mimic time trials on different MKW tracks, like Moonview Highway and GBA Bowser Castle 3. The Moonview Highway game actually got quite popular, even people in other MK communities were playing it. A clip of it was even shown at the end of a Lounge highlights video, which was pretty funny. Unfortunately, it spread far enough that Roblox eventually took it down for copyright infringement. Other than that, I enjoy watching speedruns in other games, like Minecraft and SM64.
When did you start seriously grinding the game?
Kasey: January 5th, 2019. This is the day I saw that 200cc was released. I installed CTGP a few weeks prior to check out the custom tracks, but I didn’t have a reason to grind the game. After 200cc released, I decided to try some TTs and see how high I could get on the leaderboards. To my surprise, I was actually able to snag a few records, which gave me motivation to sink a lot more time into the game. Since I was mainly competing against players at my skill level on 200cc, it was extremely fun to defend and set records on new tracks. I have been actively playing the game ever since.
What got you into competitive time trials?
Kasey: 200cc was my introduction into competitive TTs. I started grinding for 200cc BKTs the day it was released on CTGP. As time went on, I battled for 200cc CT BKTs, then 200cc RTs, then 150cc CTs, and finally 150cc RTs. With every step, I was battling better and better players. Without 200cc, I don’t know if I would’ve gotten into competitive TTs, period.
Who, if anyone, did you look up to when just starting out?
Kasey: I definitely looked up to Troy the most at the very beginning. I watched all of his videos as a kid and he was always a huge inspiration for me. One that’s more TT related is Cole, I was always awed by his spear expertise and creativity. The insane standard he set on LC and his ability to change the meta this late into the game’s history still inspires me to this day.
When you were starting out, was there a moment that made you realize that you had potential to be one of the best?
Kasey: Not a specific moment that I can recall. It was never my goal to be one of the best, so I never thought about it. I played for the love of the game and naturally improved because I was constantly competing with other players.
In the community, who or what group are you closest with? Any player(s) that stand out in particular?
Kasey: Abhilash is my closest friend in the community, we’ve known each other for 7 years. We’ve had like a hundred calls where we’ve battled on CTs, grinded RTs, and played other games. I’ve seen his progress first-hand on tracks like rYF and rBC. I’ve also set some high ranking times in front of him, like my current rDH PB.
Journey
Once you started playing seriously, where did you get your motivation to improve from?
Kasey: Competing with others is what mainly motivated me to improve. A large portion of my time playing this game was spent battling for custom track BKTs. Whenever someone beat my time, I felt a surge of motivation to beat them back. Obviously, I ran into players that were much better than me back then. When you battle a better player, you either accept defeat or grind to get on their level. I always chose the latter, which subsequently caused me to consistently improve at the game.
On your YouTube channel, there are a couple 200cc and custom track runs from before you uploaded your first public LC times. What made you decide to switch away from maining them?
Kasey: I felt like I wasn't being challenged anymore. It started to take very little effort to get 200cc records, so I stopped taking them seriously and focused on 150cc where the best players were.
During your time playing, were there ever any times when you needed to take an extended break, or almost quit for good?
Kasey: The day Guy got his 357 on MC, somebody sent a pretty rude message to me. I was already feeling sad and defeated, so that one message really screwed with my head. I ultimately became convinced that everyone was rooting against me, which made me want to disappear from the community.
A week or so later, Aaron W messaged me asking for advice on LC. We ended up talking for a while, and I revealed that I was playing rPB again. I was hoarding all my progress at the time, but I decided to share everything with him because he was cheering me on. Thanks to him, I was able to finally pull through with my first WR. After revealing the run, the outpour of joyful and celebratory messages throughout the community proved that I was completely wrong about people rooting against me. I haven’t felt compelled to quit the game since.
For a long time, you were a very high level player, despite not even having set a WR yet. Can you describe how, back then, it felt to be so close, so many different times?
Kasey: It was rough, especially since there were so many people watching me and anticipating a record from me at the time. It added a ton of pressure, which wasn't good for my mental. Sometimes I would try to stay quiet about my progress, but that didn't work very well because people stalked my chadsoft profile for new uploads. Most of my near misses were on MC, and unfortunately I was never able to clutch out a record there. It would hurt my confidence whenever Guy improved before I could get it. Getting an 868 on MC in April 2021, only for Guy to improve to his 357 the very next day was especially heartbreaking for me.
What was your biggest heartbreak moment / disappointment you've had in time trials?
Kasey: Guy setting his 357 the day after I improved on MC was my biggest heartbreak moment by far. Other than that, I had a massive rPB BKP in 2021 when the record was a 733. I was on pace for a mid .6 into the last turn, but I got an unlucky slip. It actually stood as my best pace for nearly 5 years, up until the new shroom was discovered a few months ago.
How do you deal with getting nervous on extremely good runs?
Kasey: I actually struggle a lot with nerves on good runs. Whenever I am nervous enough on lap 3 to lock in, but not nervous enough to lose composure and drive poorly, that's when I am really good at clutching runs out. This is why almost all of my WRs are either reverse chokes or sandwich chokes. I know that I can get a WR with those types of runs, so I'm able to lock in and clutch it out, but I am obviously not as nervous as being on my best pace ever.
On your timesheet, there is a notable lack of attention to technique heavy tracks, such as DK Summit, GCN Waluigi Stadium, Dry Dry Ruins, and Grumble Volcano. What is it about these tracks that push you away from giving them a serious shot?
Kasey: I just don't enjoy playing tech tracks, especially the tracks where you're doing a lot of tricks and/or riding a zipper. I prefer to be on the ground and push my raw driving to my limit, instead of trying to optimize tracks where you're in the air half the time.
What do you look for in a track you’d like to play?
Kasey: I look for what I am best at, chains and basic driving. These are what I enjoy the most on a track and where I can gain the most time over others. With the tech-heavy tracks, I know that I'm not going to be good at them, and I know I'm not going to enjoy them, so I avoid them.
In Bickbork's Player Spotlight, he mentioned that sometimes, seeing other players' activity on a track can motivate him to play it. Do you feel the same way?
Kasey: Yes. Up until recently, the largest motivator for me playing a track was seeing someone else play it, especially if they were streaming attempts. This is still true today, although to a lesser extent. I’m currently the most motivated to play a track if there are new strats. My motivation dries up quickly when I’m doing strats that I’ve already grinded for years, even if there is a bunch of activity. New strats, like rSL Baby Daisy and the rPB new shroom, keep the game fresh and fun for me.
During every player's time trial journey, getting their first regionals and worldwide tops is a major milestone. Can you talk about those, and what they meant to you?
Kasey: I got my first regionals on LC with a 1:09.460. Very shortly after, I improved to WW tops with a 1:09.295. While achieving regionals and tops gave me a nice confidence boost, it didn’t feel overly special to me. I knew I could do way better and I only wanted more, so I proceeded to push all the way to 2nd WW in a week or two.
Was there a first time when you started believing you could set a WR? Or, did you believe in yourself the whole time?
Kasey: I realized I could set a WR when I had my first WR fail on LC in 2019. I was ahead of Cole into lap 3 but missed the MT on the first turn. I knew I still had a very long way to go, but it planted a seed in mind that I could do it someday. When I got an 881 in March 2020, I felt pretty confident that I could get it with enough time and effort. But what really solidified my belief is when I got my first 1:20 on MC out of nowhere in May 2020, when WR was a 912. At that point, I knew for sure that I was skilled enough for a WR.
Give us an overview of your journey to your first WR.
Kasey: My journey started with LC in mid 2019. This was the track that I, and many others, thought that I’d get my first WR on. I was rapidly improving until I reached a mental block after getting a 051. A few months later, Cole got his 774. This obviously made the WR way more difficult to achieve, so I started to explore other tracks.
In May 2020, I fluked a 1:20.992 on MC with 3 fast ramps. I then improved to a 921 shortly thereafter. At this point, I was sure that my first WR would be on MC, but I unfortunately wasn’t able to clutch anything before Guy improved to an 839.
In late 2020, I picked up rPB and very quickly got 3rd WW with an 832. I was happy with this run and thought that WR wasn’t realistic for me, so I stopped. In hindsight, I was stupid and should have kept playing. I’m confident that I would’ve gotten the record if I didn’t stop.
It wasn’t until April 2021 when I had another realistic shot at a record. I made some progress on MC and improved to an 868. I knew Guy was on the verge of getting a huge run, so I decided to make a push for record before it would inevitably get destroyed. What I was not expecting was for my return to suddenly light a fire under him, causing him to play for 9 hours straight, and then improve to a 357 the very next day. This run crushed my confidence, and I began having doubts that I would ever set a WR.
A few weeks later, I saw Guy playing rPB. The lap 2s he was hitting by going inside the cataquack lap 2 motivated me to try it out again. After playing for a few days, I quickly realized that I was skilled enough for WR and that this was a massive opportunity. After making several improvements over the course of a week, I finally clutched my first ever WR by beating Cole with a 761.
Describe how you felt when you finally set your first WR. Was it just purely euphoric, or more of a relief?
Kasey: Setting my first WR was one of the happiest moments I’ve ever experienced. Finally pulling through after enduring countless failures and the heartbreak on MC less than a month prior was both euphoric and extremely relieving. The massive mental barrier was finally toppled, and it felt like a massive weight was lifted off my shoulders. I remember laughing in disbelief after I got the last chain, I knew it was WR.
Unlocked
Since getting your first WR in 2021, you have absolutely flourished in terms of your ability, claiming many different unique tracks in the process. What do you think was “unlocked” in you after doing it the first time?
Kasey: What was unlocked was the belief that I could do it again. I also wasn't feeling the pressure of setting my first WR anymore, which helped a ton. Interestingly, I was dealing with a mental block earlier this year because I hadn't set a record in so long. I sort of forgot how it felt to set a record, and the fact that it had been years since my last one made me less confident and more nervous on good runs.
Despite having claimed many tracks since your first WR, you have only had one notable “WR Battle”, with Sosis on SGB. What was your mentality like during that period, and how did you deal with the competition?
Kasey: At that time, I was trying to run from him and try to push the record out of his reach. However, Sosis just never stopped improving, and it felt inevitable that he would beat me no matter what time I got. However, I also suspected that he was going to lose motivation after reclaiming it, and would not bother pushing further. So, I stopped playing soon after I got my 401. After he beat me, I waited a few weeks to see if he would push it further. He stopped, so I came back and got a 363, which is still the record today. Even if I initially pushed all the way to a .2, he likely still would've gotten it, which would have made it much harder for me to reclaim. So I basically battled with him by letting him reach his goal so that I had an easier time reclaiming afterwards.
While you have been setting WRs on lots of different tracks, on many of them, you seem to be content with setting one and then moving on to your next venture. Is this a deliberate “one-and-done” mindset, or do you just prefer to keep it fresh and move on?
Kasey: Yeah, I like to keep it fresh nowadays. I have tried getting rSL back, but I quickly ran out of motivation when I started playing it. I simply have more fun hopping on other tracks instead of grinding the same track for a long time. I also don't care as much about getting beat anymore. The motivation to battle with others isn't quite as strong as it once was, I mostly just want to play other tracks and implement new strats.
During your time playing, of all the tracks that you claimed, which single WR or player was the hardest to beat?
Kasey: Cole's LC and it's not even close. If I ever got MC, then maybe that would be the new hardest I've beaten. No other record that I've beaten has pushed me to my limits like the 774 did.
In your opinion, what is your most impressive accomplishment thus far?
Kasey: The 733 on LC is my most impressive accomplishment on paper, but I think subbing on rPG was more impressive given some context. While the 733 is a better time, it took me 4 years to get it. It took me around 30 hours across 7 days to learn Flame Runner and get 1:58. I’ve never been more excited and motivated to play the game than during those 7 days. Considering the fact that it took over 3 years for another person to sub with Flame Runner, I feel that this is the most impressive thing I’ve ever done in this game.
In order to compete at a high level in this game, a strong mentality is a must-have. What is your mentality towards goal-setting and competition in general, and how has it changed over time?
Kasey: My mentality regarding competition comes down to this: If someone is playing better than me, I take it as motivation to fix whatever I am doing wrong and find things that I can do better than them. If I feel that I am not the best player on a track, then I don’t deserve to have the WR. Therefore, I’m not bothered by not having WR. Conversely, if I feel that I am the best player on a track, then I know I can beat anyone with enough time. At the end of the day, I try to keep a strong and positive mentality no matter the situation I'm in. Over time, I've simply gotten better at adopting this mentality and not putting myself down.
Some players view you as a bit more “closed-off”, at least compared to other top players in the community, many of whom stream on twitch to commentate their attempts, and some even active in public time trial chats. What makes you prefer to be a little more reserved than others?
Kasey: I've just always preferred to stay under the radar and be in my own bubble. I do want to start changing this though. I feel like the community deserves to know a little more about me after so long, which is a large reason why I agreed to do this interview and share my story!
What goals do you have in time trials right now?
Kasey: I would like to improve some of my WW tops times that have been slowly falling down the ranks, and maybe try to get on a couple new tops. Other than that, I try not to set specific goals anymore. I learned my lesson from 2022 where I set three ambitious goals and didn’t achieve a single one.
What were those ambitious goals?
Kasey: 1:19 MC, 1:12.5 rPB, and LC WR. The main issue was that I wanted to achieve all three of those goals before 2023.
What does an average time trial session look like for you? Do you have any special practice routines?
Kasey: Most of my sessions are an hour long, and I have one or two sessions a day. I play until I get bored or fatigued. Years ago when I played the most, I was doing three, sometimes four sessions a day. I had a fresh mental at the start of every session, which is a large reason why I improved so quickly. I don’t have practice routines because I just want to do runs. If I’m learning a strat for the first time or I’m really struggling with something, I boot up Dolphin or SP for a bit and figure it out.
You recently set your first WR in Mario Kart World! Can you give us an overview of that journey?
Kasey: I got MKWorld in July, and I made it a goal to set a WR. I tried a bunch of different tracks, and ultimately had the most success on Koopa Troopa Beach, achieving 2nd WW very quickly. Unfortunately for me, Alberto had the WR, and he was ruthless. I could never beat him because he would improve whenever he saw me PB. I remember one time I randomly improved by less than a frame when Alberto hadn't set a record for months. Apparently he saw it though, and he came back to the game a few days later to improve his WR. There was honestly no chance of me getting record unless I either hoarded or played all day.
Fast forward to the DLC release, I wanted to see if I liked any of the new tracks, and I ended up enjoying Vanilla Lake a lot. So, I decided to grind it out and I was able to snag the WR while it was still pretty unoptimized.
What are your thoughts on Mario Kart World, coming from Mario Kart Wii?
Kasey: I enjoy playing MKWorld, but not as much as MKWii. I feel like MKWii physics are more fun and satisfying, and the skill ceiling is much higher. In addition, MKWorld doesn't have the tools that MKWii has. No input display, no ghost comparisons, etc. All this makes me prefer grinding MKWii a lot more.
Wrap-up
After the game being relatively inactive in 2025, 2026 has been a great bounce back year. How do you find the state of the game and community right now?
Kasey: The state of the community right now is awesome. The amount of activity and new strat discoveries is really exciting to see. I hope the game continues to thrive in the coming years!
Who do you think is the most promising up and coming player?
Kasey: Marcus. I had a feeling he would be a top player on LC when he first entered regionals. I can see him becoming a multi-WR holder and the next spear GOAT in the coming years if he keeps playing.
What do you think is the strongest WR right now?
Kasey: It's either N64 Bowser’s Castle or Moonview Highway. It's really tough to choose because both WR holders have crazy leads, but both tracks also have unused strats. You can do more double tricks on MH, and you can do my grass hop strat on rBC. The double tricks save more than the grass hop does, but getting a run with multiple double tricks is much harder than getting a run with multiple grass hops. So I honestly don't know which one is stronger.
What player would you most like to see on one of these interviews?
Kasey: I'd love to see a Cole interview. I imagine he has great stories and incredible wisdom from his decades of experience setting WRs in MKWii and many other MK games.
Who do you think is the most underrated player?
Kasey: Abhilash. People mainly know him for CT time trials and online, but he is capable of doing a ton of damage on RTs if he puts the time in. His recent success on rBC is just a sliver of his potential in TTs as a whole.
On Discord and YouTube, you have your profile picture as Yoshi sitting on a ledge, and your Discord display name is "bleh". Is there any special connection or meaning behind the profile picture and/or the name?
Kasey: There's no deeper meaning behind the profile picture or the name. I saw someone using the profile picture in a Zoom call during Covid and I really liked the aesthetic, so I stole it. "bleh" has been my username since I created my account in 2016. I saw the word somewhere and thought it was funny so I made it my name. Never had a reason to change it so I never did. It's also become kind of iconic which is all the more reason to keep it.
Last night, Braixen set the first ever WR featuring rapid fire hop abuse performed in real-time. What is your initial reaction to this?
Kasey: That was shocking, it's so cool that you can rapid fire hop RTA now. However, I feel like it doesn't belong in no-glitch since it seems to only be possible on the Classic Controller. There's also a chance that someone masters the rolling technique and becomes capable of extending the RFH beyond 3 frames. If that happens, virtually any track with a ramp will be massively impacted. I don't think you should be forced to switch to Classic to compete for no-glitch WRs, so it should either be put in Unrestricted or a third category.
What is your favorite memory that relates to this game?
Kasey: I have quite a few fond memories. I remember being in a group chat with Abby and Supreme, where we grinded tracks with Wario and played random categories for fun. At one point I was playing LC Flame Runner shroomless with a MrBeast Mii. There was also a time when a bunch of people got together to fill a top 10 leaderboard with my Mii, which is one of the craziest things I’ve ever woken up to.
But honestly, setting my first WR just trumps everything. It’s the only moment in this game that I can vividly replay in my head. I can go back to that moment and see myself crossing the line, seeing the digits, and bursting with excitement as it sank in that all my effort, every failure and every heartbreak that I endured, was worth it in the end. It meant so much to me, I’ll never forget it.
Do you have anything else you’d like to add before we end off this interview?
Kasey: Thank you for having me, I had a lot of fun reflecting on my journey and sharing it with the world. I can’t wait to see who you will interview next!