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Wacky Racing: Difference between revisions
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[[File:TG_Double_Race.jpg|link=Top Gear|frame|[[It Makes Sense in Context|Don't ask]].]]
In [[Real Life]], the racing of any kind of vehicle is very dangerous, and many people have died or suffered serious injury while doing so. Things have gotten better, but it is still a potentially deadly sport truly only kept in the reigns of safety by [[Badass Driver|the skill of the drivers]]. However, there is also the fact that in real life, except for off-road rallies and endurance races, most races simply involve going from point A to point B, or driving in a circle for 500 or so laps. Because of this, writers tend to spice things up a bit. The result is a Wacky Race, a race so improbable, so outrageous, so dangerous, that it makes [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7amgj1DpSA Pikes Peak] look like a Sunday drive.
The race often has rules [[Unnecessary Roughness|more akin to a Demolition Derby than a normal race]], and often takes place on an improbable course. Courses built around entire cities, courses with rollercoaster-like architecture, Courses floating in midair, courses [[Phantom Zone|existing only in an alternate racing dimension]], and courses in locations where it's generally not safe to be standing, let alone ''racing'', are common. In addition, the vehicles themselves are often specialized. If they're cars, expect them to have weapons and other modifications.
If they're go-karts, expect a lot of [[Power-Up|Power Ups]] to be littering the course- if not, plain old [[Car Fu]] will be highly encouraged. And if they aren't normal vehicles, expect them to be some amazing sci-fi vehicle capable of pretty much defying the laws of physics. The Vehicles are often [[Thememobile|themed after their drivers]] ([[Gang of Hats|who are just as wacky as the race itself]]). The [[Rules of the Road]] may be altered arbitrarily. And of course, expect the prize to be some sort of [[MacGuffin]].
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* ''[[Gundam|SD Gundam]]'' did a ''[[Wacky Races]]'' homage episode, complete with ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ|Gundam ZZ]]'' villains Yazan Gable and Gemon Bajack as transparent parodies of Dick Dastardly and Muttley. Sadly, due to licensing issues, this short couldn't be included in a recent DVD collection.
* ''[[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure|Steel Ball Run]]'' is basically the horse racing version. It's a race across the whole United States in a alternate history Wild West, featuring competitors with flamboyant clothing and special powers. One even eschews the horse and runs on his own two feet.
* The TV series of ''[[Future GPX Cyber Formula]]'' has this with more wacky racing courses like a track with ice hills and roads with time-floods, with booster-equipped cars as the racing machines. In the OVAs however, this aspect has been largely abandoned.
* The manga ''[[Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle]]'' has the dragonfly races in the world of Piffle with all the racers being cameo characters from other [[CLAMP]] series.
* ''[[Red Line]]'' takes this to ridiculous levels. Tailenders, too.
* This is serious business for ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's]]'' where everybody plays card games while riding motorcycles. If it wasn't for the autopilot, we'd have some serious wreckage here...
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== Comics ==
* The shortlived comic book ''[[Chassis]]'' centered around aircar racing in an [[Alternate History]] where World war II never happened.
* A story in ''[[Superboy]]'' had Roxy enter Cadmus's Whiz Wagon in a super-powered cross-country car race called the Demolition Run, organised by a mysterious crime-boss called Mr Big.
* ''Archie's RC Racers'' was one of the stranger entries in the [[Archie Comics]] franchise. In it, two teams of Riverdale teenagers, led by Archie and Reggie, travel across the United States racing radio-controlled cars, while foiling the dastardly schemes of the villainous Babette and her bungling henchmen.
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== Video Games ==
* Every ''[[Mario Kart]]'' style game qualifies. Courses with cannons that launch you to the top of mountains aren't exactly common in real life.
** Even games that don't actually use karts are subject to this, such as ''[[Kirby]]'s Air Ride'' or ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog|Sonic]] Riders''.
** On which note, before there was ''Sonic Riders'', there was ''[[Sonic R]]''. And before ''that'' there was ''Sonic Drift''.
*** And after ''Sonic Riders'', there is the most acclaimed of the ''Sonic'' racers (and the closest one to ''Maro Kart'', natch), ''[[Sega Superstars|Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing]]''.
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*** It probably wasn't ''Werewolf,'' as when Hanna-Barbera took out its two-full-page ad in Variety in 1987 announcing the Superstars 10 project, that feature was among the ten listed, as well as the Wacky Races feature. If memory serves, ''Yogi & The Space Bears'' was not among the original ten, so that may have been the substitute.
** The [[Grand Finale]] for ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'' has a scene where all the villains drive racecars (with Mojo Jojo's tank resembling the Mean Machine) to race to the Mayor's office where the Key to the World is being hidden. Upon insistence from the Professor, the Girls drive a dune buggy (which looked like a pink [[Shout-Out]] to Speed Buggy).
* Disney's ''[[The Replacements]]'' had an homage [[Affectionate Parody]] of ''Speed Racer''.
** So did ''[[The Fairly Odd Parents]]'' "Channel Chasers".
* Pretty much every cartoon inspired by Hot Wheels. (''[[Accele Racers]]'' in particular, is where the Alternate Racing Dimension thing comes from.)
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== Multimedia ==
* It's a tradition in ''[[Transformers]]'' to have at least one such race per franchise, except during the Beast Era when such things would have been ridiculous.
** Yes, having ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise|bullet trains]]'' participate in a rally race [[Sarcasm Mode|isn't ridiculous at all]].
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