Is there any benefit to "small mode" in Super Mario Kart?
Solution 1:
There are not really any benefits to being small in Super Mario Kart. The idea behind the lightning bolt is to slow other drivers down. You can also become small when you hit a poison mushroom from Toad or Princess Toadstool (Peach). Hitting a poison mushroom or being hit with a lightning bolt while small will reverse the effects and make you big again.
Running over small drivers also causes them to lose time driving and therefore can cause them to be placed further back into the race.