Drift

Powersliding, or Drifting, is an ability in all the Mario Kart games that allows the player to slide around a corner. Doing this eliminates any loss of speed that would occur had the player simply turned. Beginning with Mario Kart 64, powersliding allowed players to gain a short burst of speed known as a Mini-Turbo. It is possible to Mini-Turbo in every MK game after Super Mario Kart. However, the technique varies slightly from game to game. For example, in Mario Kart Wii, if B, 1, or R is held down while drifting, blue sparks will appear under the wheel(s) of the kart/bike, and the player will get a Mini-Turbo when letting go of one of those buttons. (Note that only karts can perform Super Mini-Turbos by drifting for a slightly extended period.) In Mario Kart DS, one must rapidly press left and right on the d-pad while drifting until a red flame appears.