In fact, so fast is the cute little fella on screen that the technicians applying sound effects to Five's new kids' TV programme had to take the noise of a full-size machine... and then speed it up.
So it might come as something of a surprise to learn that Roary and his little pals are brought to life through a painstaking process which is far, far slower. In fact, it takes an entire day to film just 13 seconds of racing footage!
Every second of film entails the Cosgrove Hall Films animation team shooting 25 separate frames. They move each of the characters ever so slightly, take a picture, make another slight movement, and so on.
Roary is the latest high-profile project to be handled by Chorlton's world famous Cosgrove Hall Films studios.
He's being made by the Manchester company on behalf of Bob The Builder creator Chapman Entertainment and is following in the hallowed tyre tracks of animation classics such as Chorlton And The Wheelies in having being brought to life here.
Chapman has ordered 52 10-minute episodes which will keep the Cosgrove Hall Films team busy for the next two years.
The concept, which is said to pre-date the Disney Pixar hit Cars, was originated by David Jenkins, who spent four years working in senior management at Brands Hatch Race Circuit and the Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit with ex-Formula 1 driver Peter Gethin.
He was watching the Grand Prix on television with his 18-month-old son, Tom, and hit upon the idea of a car-based character whose enthusiasm and curiosity often leads him into trouble. Some of the top names to have lent their voices to the show include Bolton's Peter Kay, who provides the voice of Big Chris, and racing legend Sir Stirling Moss, who is the narrator.
It really is a team effort. John Wright Studios in Bristol created the model cars, McKinnon Saunders in Manchester the human and animal puppets and The As and When Men, made the sets.
Stirling Moss
The sound of Peter Kay, Stirling Moss and Roary's racy little engine was added along with the music and other sound effects by the people at Hullabaloo Studios, which has office space within Cosgrove Hall's facility.
Computer-generated elements of Roary's story were created by Studio Liddel and it was down to the animation team at Cosgrove Hall to produce the "stop frame" - or puppet - parts of Roary's story. Cosgrove Hall Films is a hive of activity as I'm shown around the different parts of the model-making process.
Anthony Fallows works in what has been christened the McKinnon Saunders "puppet hospital" and is responsible for ensuring that the "human" stars of Roary The Racing Car look their best.
He shows me how each character is based on a fully-flexible metal skeleton which is covered in silicon rubber flesh.
Such are the rigours of the filming process that five models of each character are made and kept spick and span with a supply of spare hands, eyes, mouths and blinks.
"We need to make a lot of spares because the animators are always losing bits and pieces," Anthony says.
Next door to the puppet hospital is the puppet wardrobe, where costume designer Andrea Lord is waiting in front of a washing line bearing tiny jackets, trousers and shirts.
The clothes she makes are hand-designed, stitched and ironed using a tiny quilting iron.
Five models
She has to make identical outfits for each of the five models of each character which might be used for filming at any one time.
And it isn't always straight forward.
"The Italian leather jacket I'll make for car designer Hugo Amarillo will be made out of glove leather," she says. "I have to consider how items of clothing will look under extreme close ups."
But it's perhaps Darren Gillingham who has the best job on Roary The Racing Car.
A self-confessed petrol head, Darren is in charge of ensuring that Roary and motoring pals are in good working order for the animators in the studio.
Even if that entails putting plastic bumps and scratches onto the tiny cast's bodywork whenever the onscreen action requires it.
He's working on battered panels CiCi the little French car when we visit his workshop and he says: "I love working on Roary The Racing Car. This really is a dream job.
"My favourite car is Roary because I spend so much time with him."
And if my experience is anything to go by, lots of little children will soon be doing just the same.
For all the latest news from the world of television, check out Ian Wylie's blog, The Life of Wylie .
Tweet
