So far, I've enjoyed the two racing games that I've played for 3DS.
Mario Kart 7 is by far the best racing game on 3DS right now, but Ridge Racer 3D sufficiently scratches my racing itch, too.

But why is there lack of good racing games for 3DS?
It seems like a great platform for them. Racing games have always lent themselves very well to whatever the "3D" graphics were at the time; be it Mode 7, or 3D polygons, etc. So now that we have autostereoscopic 3D, you'd think that we'd have more high-quality racing games.

What are your thoughts on this? And what racing games have you enjoyed the most on 3DS?

I'm not a big racing games fan, but I'm looking forward to AiRace: SPE3D.

I also love racing games, the fun ones like Mario kart and blur but also the more realistic ones like project cars, iRacing and such. Unfortunately the 3ds lacks analogue triggers which makes it really hard to replicate the more realistic racers.

For you though there still is asphalt 3d and need for speed the run, I don't know though how good those games are. There's also F1 racing 2011 - which looks awesome but is said to have terrible KI and of course there is sonic racing coming which is similar to mariokart.

For the future I'd love to have something like blur, unfortunately bizarre creations game studio got canned and the planned blur 2 never saw the light of the day. Maybe there's some Indie devs brewing something up!!

I've heard good things about F1 2011, and I'm interested to try Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed on 3DS when it comes out.

All 3DS racing games ranked from best to worst for each category(cartridges, not eshop):

Straight up racing: NFS: The Run, F1 2011, Asphalt 3D, Ridge Racer 3D, Nascar Unleashed.
Kart racing: Mario Kart 7, Dream Works Super Star Kartz, Ben 10 Galactic Racing, Face Racers Photo Finish.
Car combat racing Spy Hunter, Driver Renegade, Transformers Dark of the Moon: Stealth Force Edition Vehicle Combat Racing Game.

If you have any specific questions about any of the games, let me know: and I'll be happy to answer them. Hope this helps everybody!

I'm a big fan of F1 2011 - it's in my 10 most played 3DS games. Never understood the criticism is was slammed with.

It'd be nice if they released an F-Zero game on either Nintendo platform. An Excite game would be cool too, especially if it revolves around a new vehicle like Excite Boat or Excite Plane. Excite Buggy or Excite ATV or Excite Bike 3D would work too though...

My favorite racing games are the TrackMania series; I was really impressed by the DS versions, I think it would work really well on 3DS. I'm more of a fan of arcade-style racing games as opposed to realistic ones.

@Gioku The system is still (relatively) new. Give it a little time. If by the end of next year we don't see good racer games, then I'd express some concerns...

we need something more realistic. like forza or GT

still having fun with mk7 and ridge racer 3d

Project Cars - since Im teammember following its development - is coming around awesomely well on PC, it is also slated for a Wii U release so maybe there's a chance for 3DS too if the reception is well? Only thing Im really concerned about is how to make the more realistic kind of racer without a good analogue input option (no triggers neither on Wii U nor on 3DS).

I have MK7 which of course is probably the best racing game out for the 3DS at the moment. But i also have and constantly play NFS: The Run. I like the racing and challenges it has. One challenge has you playing as the cops to take down the racers. Graphics are awesome, sound is top-notch and the replayability is lasting. When i'm on the go, NFS: The Run is the game i usually have on my 3DS. Sometimes MK7 too though. Just depends what mood i'm in to race.

Looking forward to see the reviews to the upcoming ATV Wild Ride 3D from Renegade Kid, the developer of Mutant Mudds and Moon, Dementium and others. Looks promising and with a release date just two months away, it may be one to watch.

Oh, NFS: The Run also has multiplayer but i've only been able to find four matches to play. I guess no one really plays that game online anymore. Single player story and challenges are still fun and entertaining.

How does F1 2011 control with digital buttons? Is it more of a dumbed-down experience compared to the PC version?

Other Mario Kart there's Ridge Racer,and F1 2011,both are pretty fun little racers that can be found for under a tenner these days,but if you want racing perfection wait till Sonic and All Stars Racing Transformed,cause if it's anything like the other versions,it'll be miles better than MK7.

I've never heard of F1 2011, I might have to look at that.

I do have my eye on the Sonic racing game; hopefully it turns out good!

Mario kart is awesome that will be all.

I'm happy with Mario Kart 7