Death Race is a 1973 American TV movie, originally broadcast as an ABC Movie of the Week.
In November 1942, in the African desert, two Allied pilots in separate planes are sent to blow up a minefield. They come across a small German column, and attack it. A tank captained by an officer shoots down one of the Allied planes forcing the pilot, McMillan, to bail out. The other pilot, Culpepper, lands to rescue him as the tank closes in. Culpepper's plane is damaged, and can only taxi. A deadly pursuit ensues.
In the Los Angeles Times, Kevin Thomas labeled it "a good suspense drama" which "is scarcely original enough to be anywhere near profound, but it does make its point emphatically in a way that's entertaining, especially for action fans".