Flying down the track like a bolt of red lightning, powered by a turbo engine and the soul a racer, is Roary the Race Car. This popular children’s icon is the figurehead for a UK animated television programme of the same name. It chronicles the adventures of Roary and his friends as they live their lives in the Silver Hatch racing unit. The show features cutting edge animation technology, including stop motion animation and CGI. However, the true appeal is in its characters, who delight and amuse children and adults alike. Roary himself, a grand prix-type racing car can be recognized by preschoolers across the UK. He’s not the only one that makes the series a hit, though. Roary the Race Car features a lineup of other talking vehicles, all of which are Roary’s friend’s, making the show more whole.

        Maxi

Roary is the number one race car at Silver Hatch, but he’s also the newest, which means he had to replace another car to get to the top. That car is Maxi, the character that represents Roary’s rival, though being a children show the rivalry is healthy and the two can be considered friends. Maxi is an older Formula 1 race car, sporting sunglasses, a blue cap, and a proud number 5 (as opposed to Roary’s number 1). He is a temperamental race car that doesn’t like the idea of no longer being the best he is. Therefore, he demands to have first use of everything in pit. The show represents him as Italian, making his catchphrase, “Mama Mia!,” all the more appropriate.

         Cici

While Maxi is Roary’s top rival, Cici is his best friend. She is a bright pink stunt car who happens to be the most flirtatious of the vehicular crew at Silver Hatch. She’s also the only female with wheels. Cici is constantly flying down the track, yelling at Roary to catch her, if he can. She speaks with a French accent and has the number 3 painted on the front of her frame.

          Drifter

Out of the all the cars that live at Silver Hatch, the most technologically advanced race car is Drifter. He’s inspired by some of the more innovative technology seen in racing cars today, namely cars that are used in street racing. He is a high tech drift racing car with more toys installed than any of the other racers. He has an onboard computer and a heads up display installed in his dash, as well as blue neon race lights underneath. His catch phrase is “Go-go nitro boost!,” hinting to where he gets his bursts of speed.

           Tin Top

Tin-tin is a large, powerful stock car saloon that represents the best display of comic relief in the programme. He’s constantly taking turns at too wide an angle, as large, bulky vehicles usually do. Most of the time Tin Top ends up stuck in the sand pit or the tyre wall. Then he’s sent right to the shop to get fixed up. Just like the other cars in the show, Tin Top has a catchphrase, too, which is used when he’s in shop for repairs: “Tape me up, hammer me in, and send me out!”

           Plugger

While most of the vehicles in Silver Hatch are thrilled by high speed races, there’s one that too laid back to worry about all of that. Plugger, the off road vehicle most commonly referred to as a mud-plugger. He never gets worked up and is always there to use his telescopic winch to get Roary and Maxi out of the trouble their rivalry causes. He speaks slowly and in a slight Caribbean accent, uttering his catch phrase: “No need to race, Plugger’s on the case!”

Rusty the Caravan

Rusty the Caravan is the elder of the group at Silver Hatch. His name suggests what he is perfectly, and that’s a rusty caravan. He can’t move anymore, and instead is used as a home for the mechanic, Big Chris. Usually, Rusty can be seen sleeping, but the other cars usually wake him up and are told stories of when Rusty was younger and could move around. Usually, he gives out great advice to Roary and his friends. The funny thing is, he doesn’t even know he’s giving any advice at all.

These are the group of friend’s at Silver Hatch, all brandishing gears, wheels, and racy attitudes (for the most part). While not all of Roary’s friends are vehicles, they’re the ones he can relate to most. Roary couldn’t be Roary without the support of his friends, even Maxi, who helps to push Roary to be the best he can be, and as a result stay at the top of his game. Without the help and support of his friends, Roary wouldn’t be the race car he has become.