Rainbow Road is the final course of the Special Cup. It reappears in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as the last track of the Lightning Cup.
History[]
Mario Kart 64[]
In Mario Kart 64, Rainbow Road is hammered by Chain Chomps as they bite the tracks in the opposite direction you are going. In this version, neon portraits of the character are visible all around the course, but that welcomed distraction doesn't pull the player away from the harsh reality that this is well over two kilometers long, and has borders all around the edge, meaning few shortcuts can be taken. One of these shortcuts, however, can be taken by jumping over the borders after coming over a hill. Effective completion can shave a minutes off of the player's lap time. Without it, this track can take almost six minutes. There is also a shortcut at the very end which is really difficult, which is similar to the shortcut in Frappe Snowland at the beginning. What you do is get a Red Shell and hit yourself while you are going fast enough to go past the finish line while falling. You will receive a lap, making Rainbow Road about a minute long or less.
Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[]
The track returned in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and this time, it has three sections instead of three laps, making it much shorter, making races shorter than most other tracks. The track has Chain Chomps rolling and bouncing at the same time, causing waves on the track that are viable for tricks.
A train drives by the course. The train's passengers will toss coins to the track as it passes by. The course's design is now inspired by LED lights, and the star barriers take their design from Grand Stars. As for the star barriers, most have been removed. The course map has been rotated 135 degrees, with an 8 forming in the final section.