Challenge of the Masked Racer (Part 1)

Challenge of the Masked Racer (Part 1) is the third episode of Speed Racer. It first aired in Japan on April 16, 1967 on Fuji TV.

Plot
Speed Racer and Trixie are now driving to a shipyard, both see the Masked Racer's car being held there for an upcoming Trans Country Race. Trixie suggests that Speed should enter the race and he agrees. At the Racer Homestead, Pops watches TV and learns that Speed is entering the next upcoming race. Now, Pops blows a gasket and has a remembrance on the time his oldest son, Rex, entered and joined a race without any permission from him. Almost close to victory, Rex crashed the car that was built for him by Pops. Although Rex wasn't injured, Pops forbids his son to drive again due to Rex's lack of experience. Rex made a vow to never return home. The Alpha Team is on a conference, discussing many cheating ways to win the race. Later that evening, while Spritle and Chim-Chim are playing outside, they encounter the Masked Racer, who asks Spritle a favor: to deliver a letter that the Masked Racer had wrote himself for Speed.

Mr. Wiley suggested Mr. Fixer and the Alpha Team driver Zoomer Slick to pull the dirty trick first. With determination to beat the Masked Racer, Speed sneaks out in the middle of the night and goes to the track. With the heavy rains, Speed isn't soaked. Out of nowhere, the Masked Racer warns Speed to stay off the race. He declines and says he wants to beat him and the only way to do it is to race blindly into the night. Speed mysteriously crashes when an unknown person cuts a rope, causing a cascade of logs to block the track. Now tumbling off the car, Speed feels very conscious.

Characters
Note: All characters are listed in order of their first appearances in the episode. The time they appear is the time from the Japanese dub.

Cast

 * Peter Fernandez: Speed Racer, Racer X
 * Corinne Orr: Trixie, Spritle Racer, Mom Racer
 * Jack Grimes: Sparky, Chim Chim
 * Jack Curtis: Pops Racer, Inspector Detector