Editing Dragon Driftway

{{race course infobox

|image=[[File:Dragon Driftway MK8 overview.png|300px]]

|cups=[[Egg Cup]]

|based_on=[[Gobblegut]]

|map=''Mario Kart 8'' / ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe''

<div style="white-space: nowrap;">[[File:MK8 Dragon Driftway Map.png|frameless|upright=0.65]][[File:MK8DX Dragon Driftway Map.png|frameless|upright=0.65]]</div>

'''Dragon Driftway''' is a race course included with [[The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8|''The Legend of Zelda'' × ''Mario Kart 8'']] downloadable content in ''[[Mario Kart 8]]'', as well as the base content of ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'', as the third course of the [[Egg Cup]]. The course is Chinese-themed, taking place in and around a statue of a dragon that is based on [[Gobblegut]], though it has legs. Throughout the course, various statues and murals of [[Lakitu]] appear. The dragon structure in this race course never actually ends with its tail, as it loops back to the start. This may be a reference to the ancient cultural symbol of the {{wp|ouroboros}}, depicting a snake eating its own tail.

==Course layout==

[[File:MK8 Dragon Driftway Starting Line.jpg|thumb|240px|left|The course as seen from the starting line]]

At the beginning of the race, racers drive into the mouth of the dragon and go down a winding hall, modeled after Chinese temples. Throughout the tunnels, images from the original ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' can be seen at the top of the walls. After a set of zigzagging turns, players exit the dragon, although they continue to drive on its exterior. Following this is another series of winding turns, though there are shortcuts placed between them (one acting as an offroad ramp and the other serving as a patch of offroad). After this is a bridge twisting racers fully upside-down, before a prolonged left turn followed by a right turn. There are some [[Spin Boost Pillar]]s found here, which have a unique design resembling hyōtan gourds. Then, racers are faced with a series of descending bumps in the road that function as [[ramp]]s, giving racers an opportunity to perform [[trick]]s. There is then one final turn with another patch of offroad taking up the track to the right (forcing racers without speed items to go to the left) before a final dropoff ramp, ending the anti-gravity section and leading towards the finish line.

The track features several references to Lakitus and Chinese culture. The starting line is a {{wp|paifang}}, a type of gate widely found in Chinese culture, with two golden [[Cheep Cheep]]s on top of it. This is also seen in the ''[[Super Mario 3D World]]'' stage [[Hands-On Hall]]. Three Chinese characters ("朱盖木 - ''Zhūgàimù''") referencing Lakitu's name in simplified Chinese can be found on the lanterns above the starting line or on the murals. One of the Lakitu images in the tunnel depicts one holding a staff and riding a cloud. This is similar to {{wp|Sun Wukong}}, a character who rides a cloud and uses a staff in the Chinese novel ''{{wp|Journey to the West}}''. Before a part with multiple Spin Boost Pillars, there are six unique lanterns with the design of the [[Lakitu]] Card from the [[Club Nintendo (rewards program)|Club Nintendo]] Hanafuda Cards reward.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20171018131809/https://d3esbfg30x759i.cloudfront.net/ss/zlCfzSphzd4ImTiEeM]</ref>  

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==Gallery==

<gallery widths=150px>

</gallery>

==Names in other languages==

{{foreign names

|ChiS=龙盘之路

|ChiSR=Lóngpán Zhī Lù

|Dut=Drakendreef

|DutM=Dragon Road

|Ger=Große Drachenmauer

|GerM=Great Dragonwall

|RusM=Dragon Road

|Spa=Ruta Dragón

}}

*The course has a unique sound effect during the opening sequence; high-pitched Chinese gongs can be heard after the introduction fanfare ends.

==References==