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| Series | Sonic the Hedgehog (“SatAM”), ABC |
| Season | Season 1 (1993) |
| Episode | Season 1, episode 7 (guide and DVD order) · aired 13th · WildBrain no. 106 |
| First aired (US) | 11 December 1993 · ABC |
| Written by | Len Janson |
| Directed by | Dick Sebast |
| Story editor | Len Janson |
| Opening theme | “Sonic the Hedgehog” main title – Noisy Neighbors Productions |
| Previous episode | Super Sonic (S01E06) |
| Next episode | Harmonic Sonic (S01E08) |
Season 1 broadcast finaleSpeed BotRobotropolis blackout
Sonic Racer is episode 7 of Season 1 of Sonic the Hedgehog, the ABC cartoon fans call SatAM, in the order of our original episode guide and the Shout! Factory DVDs. It was the thirteenth Season 1 episode to air, on 11 December 1993. It was written by Len Janson and directed by Dick Sebast.
Synopsis
Robotnik knows exactly how to bait a hedgehog: he announces a race through Robotropolis to settle who is the fastest on Mobius. Sally warns that it is obviously a trap, but Sonic will not be talked out of it, so she turns the race into cover. With Robotnik’s attention on the course, she, Bunnie and Antoine will take out the backup generator that keeps the city’s lights on.
Sonic’s rival is the Speed Bot, a sleek four-legged machine built not only to beat him but to catch him, and Snively lines the course with traps from laser grids to swooping Hover Units. Inside the backup generator plant the saboteurs struggle without their speedster, and Antoine ends up on a conveyor belt carrying him towards a set of crushing gears.
With the finish line in sight, Sonic sees Sally’s distress flare and abandons the race. He jams a Power Ring into the gears, saving Antoine and seizing up the whole generator, and Robotropolis is plunged into darkness while Robotnik fumes. That night Knothole celebrates around a bonfire – a giant step, Sally says, towards freeing Mobius.
Sonic, Sally, and Antoine are on another scouting mission in Robotropolis, when they manage to deactivate one of Robotnik’s generators. When they find that his backup generator kicks in, they decide to destroy that one as well. Sonic learns of a race being held by Robotnik, which is a trap, unknown to him, and offers to race, as a cover for Sally and Antoine.
— From Luke’s original SatAM episode guide on Sonic Scene
Key Moments
- Robotnik’s race through Robotropolis and the four-legged Speed Bot.
- Sonic gives up victory to answer Sally’s distress flare.
- A Power Ring jams the backup generator and blacks out Robotropolis.
From the Vault: Model Sheets
Production model sheets for Sonic Racer from Luke’s SatAM Vault. More are on the Season 1 page and in the SatAM Vault.
Hoover Racer (Sonic Racer)
Antenna Relay (Sonic Racer)
Generator Computer (Sonic Racer)
Trivia
- The last Season 1 episode to premiere, on 11 December 1993 (Sonic Retro, Wikipedia); Sonic Wiki Zone gives 23 October.
- Three props – the Hoover Racer, an antenna relay and the generator computer – have model sheets in the Vault below.
- Title episode of Buena Vista’s 1994 VHS Sonic Racer.
Watch the Episode
The full episode, uploaded by WildBrain’s official Sonic The Hedgehog – WildBrain channel (checked 5 November 2026).
Part of our SatAM Season 1 guide. See the SatAM series page for the show’s history, cast and credits.
Sources: air date, writer and director from Sonic Retro (Wayback copies), Wikipedia and Sonic Wiki Zone, cross-checked; synopsis written for Sonic Scene from the episode and the official DiC description; title card and screenshots via Sonic Wiki Zone, copied to our media library.