Unlike the sturdier war chariots of the Egyptians and Hittites, Roman chariots were built for speed and spectacle, not battle, historical racer Mike Loades told Live Science. He likely competed in a total of 5,000 to 6,000 races in his 10-year career, "which meant he was probably racing 5 or 600 times a year," Jerry Toner, a fellow and director of studies with Churchill College at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, said in the documentary."He's out there risking his life on a very regular basis," Toner said.His feats were so risky because racing vehicles favored swiftness over safety. Scorpus' feats - and the pulse-pounding risks of charioteering - are featured in the Smithsonian Channel's new two-part documentary series "Rome's Chariot Superstar." A wild rideScorpus began racing as a teenager in the outer provinces of the Roman Empire, arriving at the Circus Maximus - Rome's biggest stadium and racetrack - in A.D. Flavius Scorpus began his career as a slave, but rose to heights of fame and fortune.Just how did he do it? And how dangerous were his races? To find out, experts built and test-drove a Roman-era racing chariot, finding that the chariots were designed to maximize the spectacle of racing, but did little to protect the driver. During the first century, people across Rome were obsessed with chariot races, which frequently produced horrific crashes.However, one charioteer steered his way to victory more than 2,000 times.
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