There's unlockable characters in MKWii?

Huh, go figure.

(I'm losing my edge in this gaming world!)

i am only 7 cups away from having 3 stars next to my name, i noticed that its possible to get 3 stars even if you fall of the road once, leaving bananas and fake ? box's in strategic places helps a lot, good luck

Serious? Every time I fell off I just turned it off because I thought it was automatic fail. >_<

I also really liked the Nitro Bike, it's not as maneuverable as the Bowser Bike but it is faster and has slightly better acceleration.  Good for cups where there are tracks with long straights, it allows you to get in the lead from the start and barring major errors, stay there.

I also have to disagree with the controller choice, it might work for you but having used all (except CC) extensively, i've settled on the Wii-mote nunchuk combo as the best.  The problem with the GC controller comes from having to move your hand from the analogue to the d-pad.  It makes it harder to quickly and repeatedly perform wheelies, especially coming out of corners or on slight bends.  Also it's very difficult to avoid POW blocks on anything other than a straight for the same reason.

edit: I also have a feeling that the star rating is heavily determined by % of time in first place, as it's the only stat given in your profile that seems consistent with my experience of earning stars.  Not sure if anyone else agrees.

seriously yes, falling down once is ok, i got few of my 3 stars like that

i just use gamecube controller.

I got bored before I got all my 3 stars.

when i play multi, i'm not allowed to choose mushroom gorge (my friends won't let me) cuz it's too hard for GC controllers to perform tricks and control their bike at the same time and in Mushroom gorge pretty much the whole course is a bunch of jumps and tricks.

I have 4 wiimotes but only 2 nunchucks, and 2 gamecube cintrollers... i would say wiimote+nunchuck > GC controller > wii wheel, but that's just me :)

@hsrob.
I think Bowser bike has slightly better accel than Nitro... or at least I remember it that way.
Of the best bikes: (included Torpedo though it's only good in time trials)
Top speed: Torpedo >> Nitro > Bowser >> Mach

Accel: Mach >> Bowser > Nitro >> Torpedo

Turning circle: (tighter is better)
Mach > Bowser >> Nitro > Torpedo.

----
For single player In my opinion they rank:
Nitro > Bowser > Mach >>>> others

For more competitive play:
Mach >> Bowser > Nitro >>>> others.
Simply because Mach bike is easier to handle in rough situations, which there are a lot more of against real people.

I will get there eventually you guys. Wish me luck =]