After completing a Time Trial race (When it says Retry, Change Track, etc,), press L,R,L,R,X,Y,X,Y,Z. The code that pops up was for a Japanese contest. Totally useless, but it's interesting that they forgot to take that out.
If the Goombas on Mario Circuit are hit with a turtle shell, they will be squished into the ground and a boost will fly off them. If a thunderbolt is used on the course, it will squish them all and there will be several boosts lying in that area. It doesn't work the same as the mushroom cars; if you hit a goomba they stay solid and you spin around a bit. Turtle shells are you're best bet.