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Mario (Dash Panel)

Mario gaining a turbo on a large Boost Pad in DS Yoshi Falls.

Throughout the tracks in Mario Kart, Boost Pads have been laid out to give players a spurt of acceleration when they are driven on. Equal to about a Mushroom, the net Speed that these panels give off can greatly effect your placement and time. However, to less skillful players, Boost Pads can be really treacherous, as the added speed can shoot them off the map...

Variants of Boost Pads have been included in every Mario Kart game so far in the series, and its one of the defining traits of the franchise.

Usage[]

Waluigi (Bowser Castle -Wii-)

Two Boost Pad strips lay ahead of Waluigi on Bowser's Castle.

Obviously, Boost Pads speed up racers the already outrageous Mario Kart races. Some of them (such as the tunnel exit in Toad's Factory) span the entire width of the track, making it almost impossible NOT to drive over them. Therefore, every one benefits from the Boost Pad.

But in other tracks, Boost Pads sometimes only go over a small portion, and players can go on them to gain an advantage over opponents who don't (such as the near end of Rainbow Road). Also, some are just simply on an alternate path to take (the dirt road in Mushroom Gorge is a good example), which doesn't affect the players time that much at all. They are simply just different options.

Description[]

Mario Kart Wii[]

Basically big rectangles lying on the ground, Boost Pads circle through a cycle of colors- red, pink, yellow, and orange, and they have a white, zig-zagging pattern on them. Their size can vary though.

Zippers[]

The retro tracks SNES Ghost Valley 2 and SNES Mario Circuit 3 bring back the original Super Mario Kart Zippers. They are essentially the same thing as Boost Pads (they give speed), but they look like flat, large yellow arrows.

Mario Kart Wii Trivia[]

  • In the previous game, Mario Kart DS, Boost Pads were called "Dash Panels". They had the same effect, but they were all colors of the rainbow.
    • Although Mario Kart Wii included classic zippers from Super Mario Kart, it did not bring back the colorful appearance of Dash Panels.
    • Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart DS are the only games that don't have them labeled as Boost Pads.
  • The Jump Pads on GBA Bowser castle 3 are commonly mistaken for Boost Pads; however, they originate from the golden barred Jump Pads in Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Super Circuit.
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