Motorcycle chariot racing is a modern take on one of the most popular sports in ancient Greece, Rome, and the Byzantine Empire.

We’ve featured our fair share of unusual sports here on Oddity Central, but motorcycle chariot racing is undoubtedly one of our most unique entries. Replacing the horses of old with some real horsepower in the form of two motorcycles, this unusual sport is making a comeback in the Land Down Under. Originally invented in the early 1900s in Australia, motorcycle chariot racing eventually spread to Europe and the USA before gradually being banned because of the danger to the riders. However, the adrenaline-fueled sport is currently making a comeback in Australia, thanks to a professional stunt rider.

Motorcycle chariot racing was featured at this year’s Sydney Royal Easter Show and made quite an impact both on the audience in the stands and on the millions watching videos of the race online. It definitely looks like a cool mix of Ben Hur and Mad max, with two riders trying to steer their chariots while controlling a couple of Husqvarna motorcycles churning up close to 100 horsepower.

The contraptions seen in the videos doing the rounds on social media these days are reportedly the creation of Australian professional stunt rider and freestyler Jack Field. Inspired by the motorcycle chariots of the 1920s and 1930s, Field designed a more advanced version with the two motorcycles connected by a number of steel bars, and a pair of long sticks attached to each of the handlebars to control the throttles.

It’s unclear how the gear shifter and rear break can be controlled from the chariot, but the contraptions seem to work just fine without them. There’s clearly some risk to racing in one of these things, so it should be left to professionals, but there’s no denying the visual appeal of the sport.

To be fair, watching old videos of motorcycle chariot racing from the early 1900s, the modern version looks much tamer.