Team Cortex

Team Cortex is composed of Doctor Neo Cortex, Doctor N. Gin, Tiny Tiger and Doctor Nefarious Tropy (when he is unlocked). They are the anti-hero team of Crash Nitro Kart, and one the main teams that is possible to play as in Adventure Mode. The other opposing team is Team Bandicoot.

Racers

 * Doctor Neo Cortex (best at acceleration)
 * Doctor N. Gin (best at turning)
 * Tiny Tiger (best at speed)
 * Doctor Nefarious Tropy (best at acceleration) N. Tropy can be unlocked by beating all of his ghosts in Race Time Trial.

Mask

 * Uka Uka

Story
Their story begins on a average night. Inside Cortex Castle, Cortex is pacing in one room wondering how he could defeat the bandicoots and take over the world. Tiny mentions that he could squash bandicoots. Cortex sends Tiny to see if Doctor N. Gin needs assistance. While N. Gin is working on his race car, he tells Dingodile to throw the switch. Tiny arrived and squished Dingodile. Then, a strange bright light comes out the window. N. Gin asked "What did you break now?" Cortex also notices the light. Meanwhile, their castle gets abducted by Velo.

A little while later, Crash Bandicoot notices that he is somewhere different (by the fact that the light has stopped), so he takes off his sunglasses and gets up to find out where he is. When he opens his door, not only did he find that his door is broken, but he also finds out that he is in a colosseum on the top of a distant planet. He see's Cortex, N. Gin and Tiny walking around the planet's colosseum, also very confused on what just happened. Crash, Crunch, Coco, Neo, N.Gin and Tiny then start to fight, until they see a hologram of Emperor Velo the 27th. Velo claims that he has heard of the six's racing skills and wants them to race. If they refuse, Earth gets destroyed.

Upon choosing Team Cortex, Velo asks Cortex if he's willing to race. Cortex says "We'll win easily." After Team Cortex defeats the champions of all the worlds, Velo challenges Team Cortex to the Galaxy Championships, where Velo himself races them. After Team Cortex win, he will get so angry that he says that they cannot leave until you get all of the time relics and beat him once more.

After getting all of the time relics and beatting Velo again, he causes himself to explode, revealing himself to be a small gremlin-like version of himself in a robot suit. Cortex decides to steal Velo's scepter. After Tiny gives Velo a mean look, Velo decides to give the scepter to Cortex. Cortex used the scepter to get back to Earth but the scepter breaks and they get transported to Terra.