Roving Racers

The Roving Racers are a quartet of Koopa Troopas that appear in the game Super Mario Odyssey. They wear caps that correspond to their shell color and race Mario across the different kingdoms in a minigame called Koopa Freerunning.

Super Mario Odyssey
During the Koopa Freerunning minigame, each Roving Racer takes a different path to the finish. Mario must come in first place to obtain a Power Moon. After hitting the Moon Rock, he can rematch them for another Power Moon, with a gold Koopa replacing the purple Koopa. This new racer tends to take shortcuts and can perform moves that Mario can, such as the Cap Throw and capturing enemies, and can ride Jaxis.

The Roving Racers race Mario in a similar vein to Cosmic Mario from Super Mario Galaxy, and their role is reminiscent of Koopa the Quick from Super Mario 64. In order to participate in the race, Mario must find the green Racing Rover. If Mario goes near the green Racing Rover while capturing an enemy, he will complain about how he does not have time to deal with it.

Mario Kart Tour
The red Roving Racer, named "Red Koopa (Freerunning)", appears as a playable character in Mario Kart Tour, first introduced during the London Tour. He is a Super-level driver, and his special item is the Fire Flower. The gold Roving Racer, named "Gold Koopa (Freerunning)", appears as a playable character during the New Year's Tour. Unlike the red Roving Racer, he is a High-End-level driver, and his special item is the Coin Box.

Red Koopa (Freerunning)

 * Mario Kart Tour Twitter: "This Koopa Troopa is decked out in all red, making for a hot look! It's the perfect outfit to pair with his special item, the Fire Flower. Get out there and heat up the track!"

Gold Koopa (Freerunning)

 * Mario Kart Tour Twitter:
 * "The hat, the shell, he's got it all! Gold Koopa (Freerunning) is here to prove that all that glitters is gold! His special item is the Coin Box, and subscribers to the blue Gold Pass can earn him by collecting Grand Stars during the New Year's Tour!"
 * "Gold Koopa (Freerunning) is going for the gold in the Gold Blooper! They're together in a set available now."

Trivia

 * Two years before Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Maker and its Nintendo 3DS port feature red Koopa Troopas wearing backwards caps when Mario uses the Big Mushroom, similar to the red Roving Racer.
 * The Roving Racers are the first and so far only characters introduced in Super Mario Odyssey that appeared as playable characters in another Mario game.
 * The Roving racers notably have longer arms and legs then other Koopa Troopas in order to match Mario’s body proportions.