Road Racers

Road Racers is the seventh episode of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids. It first aired 20 October 1973.
== Summary ==
The Kids are on a white-water rafting vacation when Mr. Socrates calls them with the ring. He needs them to fly out to Italy and play for the opening day of the Road Race, but of course that's just the cover. Many valuable diamonds are being stolen right out of hotel rooms, and it's the Kids' job to find out why.
Once they get to Italy, their arrival takes back seat to the arrival of Mario Angelino, the famous Italian race car driver, who arrives at exactly the same moment (and immediately catches Steffy's eye). They reach their hotel and are greeted by the owner, Marino, who offers to take their suitcases up to their rooms while the Kids get lunch at a restaurant downtown. Once they're gone, his assistant, the bellhop, goes through their luggage.
As the Kids get their pizza, their contact, B-12, arrives disguised as a waiter and gives them a list of the stolen diamonds. As they take the list back to the hotel room to read it, it blows away from Butch's hand. Marino finds it and recognizes it as a list of the diamonds he and the bellhop have stolen. Butch runs into Marino and explains that he was chasing a paper that blew away. Giving it back, Marino expects the truth, they are undercover agents.
A while later, the Kids are rehearsing for their concert when one of the other hotel guests leaves her room. Marino and the bellhop immediately start ransacking her room and find a diamond in her perfume bottle. Once she comes back, she discovers the robbery and screams. The Kids hear her and chase the owner, who gets away. Later, the Kids are talking to the woman. She explains she had the diamond hidden in the bottle of perfume. Elvis uses his nose to smell the perfume on the bottle and the hand of Marino.
Convinced that Marino is their man, Butch and Merilee go upstairs to inform Mr. Socrates. Angelino the race car driver approaches Steffy and asks her to lunch. Marino asks about Angelino, Wally answers he's on a date with Steffy. Angry, Marino goes after him. Wally goes to Butch's room to tell him, running into Merilee disguised as an Italian flower peddler. Marino calls out Angelino and shows him the ring he had just stolen. Merilee approaches him "selling her flowers" and gets a picture. They chase her and Butch picks her up on a bike.
When Butch informs Mr. Socrates, he tells Butch he sent a race car to the Kids and they are to enter the race. Butch qualifies for the race. While he races in the car, Merilee rents a helicopter and flies Wally and Steffy over to the posts, where they will service Butch's car.
The race progresses, and Butch notices that Angelino has his car's tires changed at every stop, while his own are fine. Figuring it out, he calls Merilee and tells her to get the police and meet them at the service station. Angelino notices this and goes into the station. When the Kids and the police get there, the stolen diamonds are nowhere to be found. Marino gets Angelino's car to the car smasher and begins to set it on the conveyor belt. Butch, realizing that the diamonds are there, jumps onto the belt, finds the diamonds, and gets out before the car is squished. Marino, Angelino, and the bellhop are arrested.
== Gallery ==
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Category:Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids
Category:Cases set in Italy
Category:TV Episodes
Category:The Funtastic Index