How to Drift on Mario Kart for the Wii

With practice, you can effortlessly drift around curves and obstacles.

The competition you will receive from other kart racers such as Donkey Kong, Waluigi and other gamers playing alongside you will be fierce. Banana peels will be tossed, Fake Item Boxes will be swerved around at the last moment, and tensions will rise. Do yourself a favor and learn about "drifting." It is an invaluable technique that will help you to turn corners easier and will reward skilled racers with a speed boost.

Things You'll Need

• Wii Wheel controller accessory

Instructions

1. Select a game mode, character and vehicle. Drifting works with both karts and bikes. Before you start the race, you must choose either "Automatic" or "Manual" drifting. Automatic mode will allow you to drift with no added effort or useful turbo-boosting when you make wide turns.

2. Drive full-speed into a wide curve that will allow your vehicle to slide for a short distance in a diagonal in the direction you are speeding. In "Manual" mode, you will need to press and hold the "B" and "2" buttons at the same time to start drifting. You can change the direction of the drift by turning with the Wii Wheel.

3. Continue to drift for a few moments and blue sparks will fly from the tires. Release the "B" button for a "Mini-Turbo" boost that will give you a short helpful burst of speed. An even longer drift will create orange sparks and an even larger turbo boost.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice drifting and earning mini-turbo boosts in Time Trial so there is no pressure from other characters.

• Drifting is an essential technique to learn if you wish to win the higher-level kart tournaments later in the game.

• Keeping on the road and holding your position is more important than a mini-turbo in many cases. Consider the mini-turbo a bonus for great drifting.

• Not every curve in the road is for drifting--sharp and difficult turns are difficult to drift through.

• Drifting at the wrong place and time can result in driving out of bounds and into walls and the traps of other racers.

References

• Mario Kart Homepage
• GameFaqs: Mario Kart Wii

Resources

• Nintendo: Mario Kart Wii