![]() In the Ancient Olympics, chariots raced 12 times around the tracks. As the sound of the trumpet heralded the start of the race, the clamor of the audience would grow louder as the chariots and their drivers entered the arena. Races were held in a Hippodrome, the Greek equivalent of the Circus Maximus. The four-horse chariot race received the most fanfare, making it the most prestigious and the longest-lasting event. Since then, chariot racing became one of the most highly anticipated events in the games. It proved to be a huge success for the demanding audience who were instantly enthralled with the gripping, visceral, and dangerous nature of the sport. The first chariot racing event was introduced in the Ancient Olympic Games in 680 BC. It didn’t only serve as a stadium to hold chariot races, but it also served as a central venue for ludi publici or the Roman public games. In the times of the ancient Romans, Circus Maximus was as iconic as the sport itself. It still stands in Rome today, albeit in ruins. It was constructed in the 6th century BCE, and nestled between the Palatine and Aventine hills.Ĭircus Maximus was a stadium built for chariot racing. Spectators that numbered hundreds of thousands congregated in a specially-built arena called the Circus Maximus. Over time, it was organized as a form of show business where exceptional racers catapulted into “stardom” status. But it also proved to bring in huge profits. Getting thrown from overturned or broken chariots entailed possible injuries - or worse, death - for the participants as they could get trampled by the charging horses or get caught in the reins.Ĭhariot racing was very expensive, and it could only be witnessed by the wealthy and those who were deemed with high regard in the society - especially the emperor. This meant danger for the racers, also known as charioteers, who mostly consisted of slaves or freedmen. The horses were often beautifully decorated, adorned with gems of various colors braided into their manes or tails.Īs the chariots need to be as fast as possible, they were built to be light and aerodynamic. The chariots were color-coded in red, white, green, and blue to represent the four principal teams.ĭrivers would enter the race track perched on two-wheeled, open-backed chariots made of wood that provided little to no protection. Races usually lasted for seven laps, and included as many as 12 chariots at a time. It was a race that pitted small, two-wheeled vehicles drawn by two-, four-, or six-horse-teams. Time, 1.1¾.Chariot racing is less violent than the gladiator games, but it doesn’t mean that it’s not as extreme and dangerous. Heat 3: Constable Riley 1, Constable Langham 2. Heat 2: Constable Langham 1, Constable Riley 2. Check that out here.Īnd for the record, there was going to be two heats (two laps each), but a third was needed to determine the winner: The National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) have a great write up about the NSW Police Carnival day, together with a longer video showing more of the events, which is totally worth watching. Here’s just some of the articles I found about itĪnd to top it off there’s even a short video up on YouTube of the race. With an estimated crowd of 50,000 this was AN EVENT!! It was one of many events that were held at Sydney Showgrounds for the New South Wales Police Carnival on Saturday, 29 February 1936. Sure enough, the motorcycle chariot race did happen. I was intrigued, I wanted to know if this was for real, so I headed to google. The caption read “Motorcycle Chariot Race in New South Wales, Australia, 1936”. Two men in Roman style outfits, in chariots, with two motorbikes pulling them along. I recently saw the photo above, on the History in Pictures Facebook page, and couldn’t believe what I saw. Yes, for real! And Australia even got in on the act. Chariots are something from the Roman era, and not something to you associate (or see) these days, or even in the relatively recent past, but back in 1920s-1930s chariot motorcycle racing was a thing.
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