When it comes to Mario Kart, you can always count on two things. The first: an overabundance of "Nintendo Fairness," wherein race-leaders endure firestorms of powerful item attacks, while lagging competitors are showered with said items -- and brandish them with reckless abandon. This inexorably results in an embattled first-place spot, and guarantees even the least-competent players a decent shot at claiming a last-second lead.
The 3D-powered Mario Kart 7 thankfully dials this down a bit from the artificial-fairness excess last seen in Mario Kart Wii, but damn, is it ever annoying. I've learned to live with this, though.