Three motor racing drivers caused carnage when they competed in a TV show described as Mad Max meets Wacky Races.

Pete Osborne, Gordon Coull and Joe Brookes, three friends from Brighton, had the race of a lifetime when they starred in Sky One show Carnage.

The trio, who have spent years racing on oval circuits up and down the country, faced new challenges driving in the extreme heat of a South African desert during the filming of the new high-octane TV show.

Carnage, co-presented by former cricketer Freddie Flintoff and rapper Lethal Bizzle, sees teams of engineers and mechanics from across the UK come together to turn regular cars into battle machines, ready to fight it out – Mad Max Style.

The intention is to cause enough damage to your opponents’ vehicle that it renders them immobile.

In episode three, viewers will see the team, more used racing around the Arlington Stadium in Eastbourne, competing in their Mad Max-inspired vehicle Big Bertha, which even includes a paint cannon.

Pete, 29, said: “We were approached about the show at a large event last summer, after a typical example of my ‘entertaining driving’ where I took no prisoners.

“We were only given the briefest details by the TV company, namely build a car and then race it in the desert.

“We all thought it would be a lot of fun and so around our scheduled trip to race in Barbados we set about designing and building our car.

“Inspired by the Mad Max films, the end result was a fully armoured, three litre Toyota 4x4, complete with a couple of weapons, including a paint cannon.”

The six episode series features over-the-top cars, hurtling around various

obstacle courses while trying to take out the other competitors.

“The name of the game was to destroy your opponent’s car before they destroy yours,” said Pete. “With years of national banger racing experience under my belt, the concept was second nature to me and a lot of fun.

“The events were not just about speed, but also driving ability and agility.

“Without giving away any spoilers, ‘Big Bertha’ the car that Gordon and Joe built, was an absolute beast which proved to be very effective.”

Pete would not reveal how they got on but said: “Let’s put it this way, we certainly represented Sussex and oval racing very well.”

You can watch the trio in Carnage on Sky One which continues tomorrow at 8pm.