Speed Racer
 “Here
he comes, here comes Speed Racer, He’s a demon on wheels”
Young Speed
Racer (known as 'Go Mifune' in Japan) drives a special sports car,
the Mach 5, in races around the world.
The Mach 5, designed by his father, a retired racer, has
features that allow Speed to drive over any terrain and through
any obstacles.
Speed Racer originally started out in Japan in 1965 as a
comic strip by Tatsuo Yoshida and the original Japanese series was
entitled Mach-Go-Go.
Speed is often accompanied in his exploits by his girlfriend
Trixie , his kid brother Spridle, and Spridle’s pet chimp
Chim-chim.
Spridle and Chim Chim are an inseparable team and provide the
comic relief in Speed Racer. They have a habit of popping
up at just the right time to pull Speed out of a jam so that he
can go on to save the day. They often sneak on board the Mach 5 .
(So much for the effectiveness of the race scrutineers!).
Hot-headed but lovable race car designer Pops Racer and gangly,
awkward, but equally lovable mechanic Sparky were the two men who
kept things going behind the scenes.
The Mach 5 was equipped with a variety of special features,
which could all be activated via the buttons on the steering
wheel. The “A” button set off the automatic jacks to give the
Mach 5 jumping power, while button “B” controlled the
extra-grip tyres.
When button “C” was pushed, buzzsaws would appear that
could cut through any trees that happened to block the vehicle’s
path. “E” cranked the headlights up a notch for extra
illumination, while buttons “D” and “F” were for use
underwater (the former sealed off the cockpit to keep water out -
along with bullets and deadly gasses - while the latter
supplied 30 minutes’ worth of oxygen and a handy periscope).
Right in the middle of the wheel sat button “G,”
which was used to activate a remote-controlled bird that flew out
of the front of the car, carrying messages or other info to
whomever Speed chose. The robot’s flight was controlled by a
small joystick, and if all else failed, the accompanying “H”
button sent the bird straight to the Racer home.
In the world of Formula 1 racing, the least understood driver
of them all is the mysterious masked Racer X.
When the once unbeatable Racer X competes, everyone knows there
will be trouble. Rumours abound about a "jinx" which
follows Racer X to every competition. Whenever he's in a race,
there is a terrible crash.
A rivalry, based on mutual admiration, exists between Speed
Racer and the secretive Racer X.
Ironically, Racer X is not only Speed's greatest competitor, he
is also his secret protector. In reality, Racer X is actually Rex
Racer, Speed's older brother who left the family and now works
undercover as a top secret Interpol agent and races his car, The
Shooting Star.
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