Girl Daredevil (Part 1)

 is the eighteenth episode of Speed Racer. It first aired in Japan on July 30, 1967 on Fuji TV.

Plot
On their way to the Nitona Handicap race, at the base of a tall building, Speed and company watch Twinkle Banks, star of the Universal Circus, dive off the top. Speed is instantly enamored with Twinkle, much to Trixies jealousy, so when Speed suggests they see her at the circus, she refuses. Spritle and Chim Chim start to cry, so Trixie relents.

Then, at the circus, they watch Twinkle drive a race car and perform daredevil stunts. She drives her car in a circle in the air, staying on due to centripetal force. The ride breaks, trapping her.She worries about maintaining the car's momentum and faints. Speed, who noticed from the audience the set piece was broken, climbs up the tent pole and jumps into the car to rescue Twinkle. They jump to safety. The car explodes, scattering the audience.

While the girl daredevil rests in bed, a clown (her father) tells Speed that because of a money shortage, he's having difficulty keeping the track in good repair. He explains they used to keep animals, but because they kept feeding them the best cuts of meat, they ran out of money and had to downsize to car acrobatics. Speed and Trixie make a donation and wish them well.

The next day, Speed and Trixie take the Mach 5 from Sparky while he’s repairing it to visit the circus. The circus is gone! Dejected, they return back to their temporary garage where Sparky continues repairing the car. Speed ignores his mechanic’s advice that taking out an unfinished car is dangerous and the Mach 5 might not be ready for the Nitona race.

During these repairs, Speed and Trixie learn on the radio that Twinkle will drive a car, balanced on two ropes, over Niagara Falls. Because of the strong winds Speed and Trixie try to stop Twinkle, taking the still unfinished car away again.

Meanwhile, Cornpone Brush, who financed the stunt, tells the clown that Twinkle will perform regardless of the hazardous weather. When Speed and Trixie arrive, Twinkle is already making her way across the Falls. Away from the crowd, Brush reads an old map. It identifies a secret cave in the back of the Falls made by Native Americans that contains fabulous treasure.His thugs lower a gigantic pipeline into the Falls and Brush drives into it to discover the cave's entrance.

Back at the stunt show, the wind causes Twinkle's car to plunge into the Falls, leaving her hanging onto one of the ropes. Speed and Sparky, who apparently chased after them in his own car, remove the wheels so the Mach 5  can drive across the tightrope to save Twinkle. Speed drives across and grabs her. One of the rope breaks, but they continue on two wheels, balancing the car. But then, the last rope snaps and they plunge into the Falls. Attempting to drive along the bottom, Speed gets caught in a series of whirlpools. Speed shows Twinkle there is only one minute left of oxygen in the tank (a problem that might not have happened if he let his mechanic prepare the car, though this is not mentioned in the show). With little oxygen left in the cockpit, Speed and Twinkle pass out.

Background

 * Rock Force teaches Speed to drive on two wheels in episode 30, The Snake Track Race. How he forgets this skill is unknown.

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

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.

Episode
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