Madrid Drive
| Madrid Drive | |||||||||||
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 View inside the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium | |||||||||||
| Information | |||||||||||
| Appears in | Mario Kart Tour (2023) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Booster Course Pass, Wave 6) (2023) | ||||||||||
| Cup | Spiny Cup | ||||||||||
| Tours |
Madrid Drive:
Summer Tour (2023) Madrid Drive 2: Summer Tour (2023) Madrid Drive 3: Anniversary Tour (2023) | ||||||||||
| Based on | Madrid, Spain | ||||||||||
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Madrid Drive is a race course in Mario Kart Tour. It is named after and inspired by the city of Madrid, Spain. It is the fourteenth and last real world city course added to the game. The course takes racers through many landmarks of the city such as the Puerta del Sol and the Puerta de Alcalá. The course has three routes, Madrid Drive, Madrid Drive 2, and Madrid Drive 3; the first two debuted together in the 2023 Summer Tour while the third route debuted two tours later in the 2023 Anniversary Tour - Madrid Drive is the third city course in a row to not debut in a tour named after its respective city and is also the city to have the shortest gap between separate releases of routes. The first route takes racers to the Gran Vía and Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the second route features Retiro Park, Plaza Mayor, and the Market of San Miguel, and the third route features the Prado Museum and Atocha station. Additionally, the second route starts in the opposite direction compared to the other two. The course is the seventh course set in a European city. The course features Shoe Goombas playing soccer, Big Wigglers, and Thwomps. The fences seen across this course use the same color scheme as the ones seen in Berlin Byways, albeit in a slightly different pattern. The starting line for the course resembles the gate for the Royal Palace of Madrid.
The course's music heavily utilizes acoustic guitars and claps, reminiscent of traditional Spanish flamenco musical form, or palo. It is the second city course after Singapore Speedway to feature an alternative version of its theme—namely, when entering the stadium in its first layout, the theme is replaced with a version based on a cheering crowd (although this is absent in Coin Rush). A third version of the music is used when players enter the Prado Museum.
Madrid Drive returns in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as the first course of the Spiny Cup in the Booster Course Pass. It is one of the courses spotlighted in the Booster Course Pass credits, during which an arrangement of its theme plays.
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
Madrid Drive[edit]
The first route for the course begins in the Puerta del Sol. After a very brief straightaway, racers progress through the Calle de Preciados, and driving beneath the Segovia Viaduct, racers take a left turn that goes round almost 270 degrees, passing the Market of San Miguel and avoiding a pair of Goombas. They then drive along the top of the viaduct towards Gran Vía, passing the streets own landmarks before heading into the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Avoiding Shoe Goombas and soccer balls, racers drive through the pitch before driving through a goal, taking them to Calle de Alcalá, taking a right turn to return to the Puerta del Sol. One last slight right bend is taken before racers reach the finish line.
The course also appears as Madrid Drive R (reversed), Madrid Drive T (with ramps), and Madrid Drive R/T (reversed with ramps). In all three variants, Shoe Goombas appear in different locations and have different behavior. In the T and R/T variants, there is a glide ramp near the Segovia Viaduct, and the nearby Goombas are gone. The T variant also has drivers go around the track in reverse for a brief moment at the start, making it the only non-R/T variant in Tour to have racers drive in the opposite direction of the non-trick variant.
Appearances[edit]
For this course's tour appearances, see List of Madrid Drive tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour § Madrid Drive.
Top-tier and middle-tier items[edit]
Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for which Madrid Drive and its variants are always favored or favorite courses. For instances in which additional drivers, karts, and gliders temporarily had this course and its variants as favored or favorite courses, see List of Madrid Drive tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.
