When most people imagine chariot racing in ancient Rome, they likely picture the thrilling race portrayed in the epic blockbuster "Ben-Hur." Yet it's unlikely the heavy chariot driven by Charlton Heston would ever win a real race.

That chariot wasn't just hopelessly huge and heavy - it did not have proper tires.

A study of a 2,000-year-old toy chariot found in the Tiber River in the early 1890's and now on display at the British Museum, has revealed a secret trick. To increase the winning chances in the Formula One of the ancient Romans, an iron rim was mounted on the right wheel only of the two-wheeled chariot.

"The basic wheels were always of wood, animal hide glue, and rawhide strips (at critical joints) that tighten upon drying, like clamps," explained author Bela Sandor, professor emeritus of engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. "Any iron tire for racing would be a very thin strip of iron on the outside of the wooden rim, best when heat-shrunk on the wood, to consolidate the whole wheel.

Adding the strip of iron to the right wheel improved a charioteer's chances of winning a race to roughly 80 percent, according to a study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Roman Archaeology.

"The solution makes full sense in engineering thinking, ancient or modern," Sandor told Seeker.

Unfortunately no actual Roman racing chariots have survived. The archaeological evidence for the single-tire configuration only comes from the small toy model now on display at the British Museum.