0 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,000 Downloaded From www.AllSubs.org 1 00:00:13,138 --> 00:00:16,183 Tonight we take part in our first ever motor race... 2 00:00:17,226 --> 00:00:21,605 James tests the new Fiat 500 near some youths on bicycles, 3 00:00:22,606 --> 00:00:24,733 and the Ascari A10. 4 00:00:24,816 --> 00:00:27,027 Just how fast is this thing? 5 00:00:31,657 --> 00:00:33,617 (Cheering) 6 00:00:34,660 --> 00:00:37,204 Hello. Hello and welcome. 7 00:00:37,287 --> 00:00:38,580 Thanks very much. Thank you. 8 00:00:39,456 --> 00:00:43,669 Now, last year, you may remember, we borrowed some tractors 9 00:00:43,752 --> 00:00:47,297 and we planted 25 acres of oilseed rape. 10 00:00:47,381 --> 00:00:49,550 The idea was that we were going to harvest it, 11 00:00:49,633 --> 00:00:54,680 and then turn the seeds into juicy, eco-friendly petrol, 12 00:00:54,763 --> 00:00:58,225 full of natural, dew-picked, farm-fresh goodness. 13 00:00:59,142 --> 00:01:02,980 Unfortunately, James bought the wrong seeds. 14 00:01:04,189 --> 00:01:08,861 We ended up with 500 gallons of... and there's no other way of saying this... 15 00:01:09,820 --> 00:01:11,613 ...diesel. 16 00:01:12,364 --> 00:01:16,201 500 gallons of hemorrhoid cream would have been more useful, honestly. 17 00:01:16,285 --> 00:01:18,787 We hate diesel, so we decided to burn it. 18 00:01:18,871 --> 00:01:21,832 Even though the three of us have no racing experience, 19 00:01:21,874 --> 00:01:26,712 we entered the Britcar 24-hour race at Silverstone with a diesel car. 20 00:01:42,045 --> 00:01:44,005 All we needed was a car, so we got one, 21 00:01:44,089 --> 00:01:47,092 and then, while James was moonlighting on his wine program, 22 00:01:47,175 --> 00:01:50,804 Jeremy and I went down to the Top Gear Technology Centre. 23 00:01:53,181 --> 00:01:56,768 Here it is, the crucible of all our great inventions. 24 00:01:58,437 --> 00:02:00,605 This is the car we bought. 25 00:02:00,689 --> 00:02:05,110 It's a BMW 330d, four years old, done 45,000 miles. 26 00:02:05,193 --> 00:02:07,112 We paid eleven grand for it. 27 00:02:07,154 --> 00:02:09,990 And now we must turn it into a racing car, 28 00:02:10,073 --> 00:02:14,202 by bolting lots of racing car bits to it. 29 00:02:15,078 --> 00:02:20,041 The director of the Top Gear Technology Centre, Steve, would do all the trivial jobs, 30 00:02:20,125 --> 00:02:24,171 like the brakes, the engine, the suspension and the electronics, 31 00:02:24,254 --> 00:02:26,715 while we did the big stuff. 32 00:02:26,798 --> 00:02:28,759 I had to do the race seat. 33 00:02:29,801 --> 00:02:33,054 Jeremy, meanwhile, had to install a long-range fuel tank. 34 00:02:47,110 --> 00:02:49,070 Got a hammer? 35 00:02:55,494 --> 00:02:58,914 (Jeremy) With that not done, I checked on Hammond. 36 00:02:58,997 --> 00:03:01,541 Yes! The office! 37 00:03:01,625 --> 00:03:03,376 That feels businesslike. 38 00:03:03,460 --> 00:03:04,836 Hammond. 39 00:03:04,878 --> 00:03:07,464 - What? - Do you understand endurance racing? 40 00:03:07,506 --> 00:03:09,508 - Yeah. - 24-hour race, three drivers. 41 00:03:09,549 --> 00:03:11,259 Do you want to hop out? 42 00:03:11,343 --> 00:03:14,304 So let's just say you do the first stint, here's the driver change. 43 00:03:14,387 --> 00:03:17,933 You get out, the car's been refueled, it's my turn to get in. 44 00:03:18,016 --> 00:03:20,727 Yeah, it will be a bit of a squeeze for you, I grant you. 45 00:03:20,811 --> 00:03:23,188 It won't be a bit of a squeeze, mate. It will be... 46 00:03:23,271 --> 00:03:26,066 There you go. You're in. 47 00:03:26,149 --> 00:03:30,070 Vroom vroom vroom, all the other cars, those are the noises of them. 48 00:03:30,153 --> 00:03:35,408 Meanwhile, back in the Top Gear pit, Jeremy... You'd have to get a saw. 49 00:03:36,451 --> 00:03:38,662 Well... Yeah. 50 00:03:38,745 --> 00:03:42,707 Right, I'll put the seat on runners, so it'll be more boring. 51 00:03:42,791 --> 00:03:45,627 (Jeremy) Next, we needed a drinks delivery system. 52 00:03:45,710 --> 00:03:49,172 Most are rubbish, so I made ours battery powered. 53 00:03:49,256 --> 00:03:50,924 (Crackling) 54 00:03:51,007 --> 00:03:53,635 OK, so when you want a drink, which you will, 55 00:03:53,718 --> 00:03:55,345 you put that in your mouth. 56 00:03:55,429 --> 00:03:58,390 - Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze. - (Muffled) I am squeezing it! 57 00:03:59,558 --> 00:04:01,393 Aha! Does that work? 58 00:04:01,476 --> 00:04:04,563 Well, it's not brilliant, if I'm honest. 59 00:04:04,646 --> 00:04:07,149 - Oh. - Yeah, it's flawed. 60 00:04:07,232 --> 00:04:11,361 To make it look like a racing car, we needed sponsors' names. 61 00:04:11,403 --> 00:04:14,865 But sadly, because of BBC rules we couldn't get real ones. 62 00:04:14,906 --> 00:04:17,367 So we just sort of made some up. 63 00:04:17,409 --> 00:04:20,412 Look at that! That looks like a racing car already. 64 00:04:20,495 --> 00:04:22,831 - It looks like a racing car. - It needed that, didn't it? 65 00:04:22,914 --> 00:04:26,585 With the car almost ready, our thoughts turned to the race itself. 66 00:04:27,586 --> 00:04:30,589 You know I said, "How hard can it be?" When we started this? 67 00:04:30,630 --> 00:04:32,090 Yes. 68 00:04:32,132 --> 00:04:35,093 If I'm honest, I think it's going to be really hard. 69 00:04:35,135 --> 00:04:39,055 I'm quite glad you said that, cos it's crossed my mind. I'm getting a bit nervous. 70 00:04:39,097 --> 00:04:42,684 I don't want to win, but I want people to take us seriously. 71 00:04:42,768 --> 00:04:45,187 I just think we're going to look ridiculous. 72 00:04:49,649 --> 00:04:54,154 We arrived at Silverstone assuming the Britcar 24 would be an amateur event 73 00:04:54,237 --> 00:04:56,281 for beginners like us. 74 00:04:56,364 --> 00:04:58,366 We were badly wrong. 75 00:05:02,579 --> 00:05:08,627 In fact, our diesel Beemer would be up against 200 mph supercars. 76 00:05:09,711 --> 00:05:13,715 The other drivers were chisel-jawed and battle-hardened. 77 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,761 They had blue chip sponsors, tonnes of equipment. 78 00:05:17,803 --> 00:05:23,100 They'd turned up with laptops and luxury motorhomes with girls in them. 79 00:05:24,309 --> 00:05:27,437 0ur motorhome wasn't quite as professional as that. 80 00:05:27,479 --> 00:05:30,190 And nor was our catering. 81 00:05:30,273 --> 00:05:32,025 And nor was our car. 82 00:05:32,109 --> 00:05:33,944 In fact, nothing was. 83 00:05:36,321 --> 00:05:38,657 And then there was the question of us three. 84 00:05:39,324 --> 00:05:45,580 You realize we are the only people in this field, the only people, with one of these on the back? 85 00:05:45,664 --> 00:05:48,041 I meant... I did mean to ask, what is it? 86 00:05:48,125 --> 00:05:50,085 That means "novice". 87 00:05:50,919 --> 00:05:53,672 Everybody else has done at least six races. 88 00:05:54,339 --> 00:05:57,467 Worse still, Richard had never been round Silverstone. 89 00:05:57,551 --> 00:06:00,178 The sum total of our experience is, you've done? 90 00:06:00,262 --> 00:06:02,013 I've done a charity race in a Honda Civic. 91 00:06:02,097 --> 00:06:04,474 - And you've done five laps... - Five laps in this. 92 00:06:04,516 --> 00:06:07,978 And you've done no racing at all. You've done some laps, but not in this. 93 00:06:08,061 --> 00:06:12,983 I've done a race in a 2CV, I've never driven this and I've never, ever been round Silver... 94 00:06:13,024 --> 00:06:14,818 We're not in good shape. 95 00:06:14,860 --> 00:06:18,488 A walk down the pits didn't exactly cheer us up, either. 96 00:06:20,740 --> 00:06:22,492 - We haven't got that. - No, we haven't. 97 00:06:22,576 --> 00:06:25,036 - We haven't got this. - We haven't got that. 98 00:06:25,078 --> 00:06:27,414 - We haven't got these. - Is this a diesel? 99 00:06:27,497 --> 00:06:30,125 - No. - What is it, an M3? 100 00:06:30,208 --> 00:06:33,962 - So this is an M3 BMW with a... - It's a lot better than ours. 101 00:06:34,045 --> 00:06:37,340 - Is it a diesel? - No, no. It's a bit quicker than an M3. 102 00:06:37,382 --> 00:06:40,010 - Please be nice to us. - No. 103 00:06:40,051 --> 00:06:41,219 How can we get out of it? 104 00:06:41,303 --> 00:06:44,848 I'm seriously thinking of sitting down before the race and drinking a bottle of vodka. 105 00:06:45,682 --> 00:06:48,310 Soon, though, it was time for qualifying. 106 00:06:49,394 --> 00:06:52,606 What if I have to get out of somebody's way to let them go by? 107 00:06:52,689 --> 00:06:54,649 I don't know. 108 00:06:56,276 --> 00:06:58,111 I don't know. 109 00:06:58,195 --> 00:07:02,115 This is, without any question or shadow of doubt, the scariest thing I've ever done. 110 00:07:02,199 --> 00:07:04,159 - Yes. - I've broken me zip. 111 00:07:06,077 --> 00:07:07,037 That's bad? 112 00:07:12,501 --> 00:07:16,046 For qualifying, we had to do a minimum of three laps each, 113 00:07:16,129 --> 00:07:21,301 and the quickest time from our team would decide our place on the starting grid. 114 00:07:21,384 --> 00:07:24,262 I went first. 115 00:07:29,101 --> 00:07:32,938 Flat through Bridge. Don't lift, don't lift, don't lift, don't lift. 116 00:07:35,273 --> 00:07:37,567 I've got another M3 coming up behind me. 117 00:07:38,568 --> 00:07:42,239 He's ruining my bloody lap. What an absolute (bleep)! 118 00:07:42,322 --> 00:07:44,574 He ruined my lap. The lap's gone. 119 00:07:44,616 --> 00:07:47,452 Maybe Captain Slow would have better luck. 120 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:52,999 Oh, my God. 911s everywhere. 121 00:07:53,083 --> 00:07:56,002 Don't be intimidated. Just keep going. 122 00:07:56,962 --> 00:07:59,423 May was back astonishingly quickly. 123 00:07:59,464 --> 00:08:02,259 In fact, too quickly. 124 00:08:02,342 --> 00:08:04,803 James, did you do three laps? 125 00:08:04,886 --> 00:08:07,514 - Two. - Well, you haven't done a fast lap. 126 00:08:07,597 --> 00:08:09,683 - I just did a fast lap. - No, you can't do it in two. 127 00:08:09,766 --> 00:08:11,726 - I'm sure I did. - You didn't. 128 00:08:11,810 --> 00:08:15,188 - All right. - How could you not count? 129 00:08:16,273 --> 00:08:19,609 Hammond, meanwhile, had no idea where he was going. 130 00:08:19,693 --> 00:08:22,446 This is Maggotts. Or Becketts. 131 00:08:22,529 --> 00:08:25,574 Or Vale. Or Chapel. 132 00:08:25,657 --> 00:08:29,161 We'd planned to leave Richard out there so he could learn the track, 133 00:08:29,244 --> 00:08:32,956 but now we had to get him in so James could go back out. 134 00:08:33,999 --> 00:08:38,920 As cock-ups go, I've watched formula One since I was that high and I've never seen anybody... 135 00:08:39,004 --> 00:08:41,089 - Forget to do a flying lap. ...forget a flying lap. 136 00:08:42,841 --> 00:08:45,969 Qualifying was turning into a shambles. 137 00:08:46,052 --> 00:08:49,973 And when we tuned into the circuit TV, that went wrong, as well. 138 00:08:50,015 --> 00:08:53,018 A chest of drawers and a table! 139 00:08:53,101 --> 00:08:57,397 We were a laughing stock, but we still had an ace up our sleeves... 140 00:08:57,481 --> 00:08:59,357 ...our fourth driver. 141 00:09:03,361 --> 00:09:05,947 Yeah, they weren't ready for thatl 142 00:09:08,283 --> 00:09:10,035 Can it do 24 hours straight? 143 00:09:12,537 --> 00:09:16,792 With The Stig at the wheel, we were in business. 144 00:09:21,088 --> 00:09:24,508 - 2.24. - We're not bottom! 145 00:09:24,549 --> 00:09:27,177 Boston Bowl, let's go down there and mock! 146 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:30,597 Sadly, we couldn't. 147 00:09:30,680 --> 00:09:37,229 Because this was a 24-hour race, we also had to do three practice laps at night. 148 00:09:42,609 --> 00:09:45,320 - My fear's come back badly. - My fear's come back hideously. 149 00:09:45,403 --> 00:09:49,032 It's looking at you that's making me more scared. 150 00:09:49,116 --> 00:09:52,786 (Richard) I went first, and it turned out my fears were justified. 151 00:09:55,872 --> 00:09:58,875 People are trying to get round me, there's lights everywhere. 152 00:09:58,917 --> 00:10:02,212 Jeez! I don't remember anything. 153 00:10:02,254 --> 00:10:04,381 This really is all you can see. 154 00:10:04,464 --> 00:10:08,260 You have to aim for corners and just sort of hope they're still there. 155 00:10:08,343 --> 00:10:09,845 It's terrifying. 156 00:10:09,928 --> 00:10:13,014 I've got nobody to follow. Oh, God! 157 00:10:15,725 --> 00:10:17,436 Then it was Jeremy's turn. 158 00:10:19,729 --> 00:10:21,231 Holy cow, I can't see a thing! 159 00:10:21,314 --> 00:10:24,401 He tried to cure the lack of visibility with speed. 160 00:10:24,443 --> 00:10:27,487 I just took Bridge Corner flat, first time out. 161 00:10:27,571 --> 00:10:29,531 Oh (bleep), I'm off! 162 00:10:31,116 --> 00:10:34,119 People behind must be thinking, "Who is this clown?" 163 00:10:35,829 --> 00:10:39,958 Amazingly, The Stig went faster at night than he had in the day, 164 00:10:40,041 --> 00:10:43,295 and put us in an astonishing 42nd on the grid. 165 00:10:44,838 --> 00:10:47,007 - Yeah! - The great! 166 00:10:47,090 --> 00:10:48,884 Yeah! Don't touch him. 167 00:10:52,804 --> 00:10:56,933 With James' qualifying in the bag, everything looked good for the race. 168 00:10:57,017 --> 00:10:58,685 But then... 169 00:10:58,769 --> 00:11:01,271 James, this is Richard. What's happened? Tell us. 170 00:11:01,354 --> 00:11:05,192 Throttle went mad, gearbox seemed to explode, everything. Hang on, I'm coming in. 171 00:11:06,818 --> 00:11:10,572 We now had a good starting spot on the grid but nothing to start with. 172 00:11:10,655 --> 00:11:15,243 0ur L11,000 repmobile was in serious trouble. 173 00:11:17,788 --> 00:11:20,791 That's made a mess of them. 174 00:11:20,874 --> 00:11:26,421 0ur race chief reckoned we'd blown the turbo, the clutch and the flywheel. 175 00:11:26,505 --> 00:11:30,759 But we never quit. Top Gear Technology Centre, innit? 176 00:11:30,842 --> 00:11:35,972 While Steve set about the car, we set about our high energy supper. 177 00:11:36,056 --> 00:11:40,644 - I'm not worried that it's not going to be fixed. - Perhaps he won't fix it. 178 00:11:40,727 --> 00:11:46,316 The only worry I have is that if Steve has to work through the night tonight to fix it, 179 00:11:46,358 --> 00:11:48,985 when we do the race tomorrow, he has to work through tomorrow night. 180 00:11:49,069 --> 00:11:51,196 - That's a three day... - Yeah. 181 00:11:52,823 --> 00:11:55,033 I'm not bothered about that either, now I think of it. 182 00:12:00,664 --> 00:12:03,834 So to summarize, the car was broken, 183 00:12:03,917 --> 00:12:07,003 we were all rubbish, James' zip was stuck 184 00:12:07,087 --> 00:12:10,048 and we'd accidentally written "Arse Biscuits" on the driver's door. 185 00:12:10,715 --> 00:12:12,342 Kind of par for the course with Top Gear. 186 00:12:12,426 --> 00:12:17,764 We just expected the race to be the usual affair, everything would catch fire and we'd all drown. 187 00:12:17,848 --> 00:12:19,433 We were quite looking forward to it, 188 00:12:19,516 --> 00:12:22,310 and then we went to visit the team that qualified last. 189 00:12:22,394 --> 00:12:24,187 - To laugh at. - Yeah. 190 00:12:24,229 --> 00:12:27,190 But they told us that they qualified last the year before, as well. 191 00:12:27,232 --> 00:12:29,943 But by being consistent and not making any mistakes, 192 00:12:30,026 --> 00:12:32,988 their Golf diesel finished 13th overall. 193 00:12:33,071 --> 00:12:36,783 They'd beaten M3s, 911s and even the odd Viper. 194 00:12:36,867 --> 00:12:38,326 Yeah, and this gave us an idea. 195 00:12:38,410 --> 00:12:41,830 We thought, if we take this seriously, 196 00:12:41,913 --> 00:12:46,668 maybe our BMW diesel could finish in the top ten. 197 00:12:46,752 --> 00:12:48,795 We'll see how that pans out later on. 198 00:12:48,879 --> 00:12:51,631 But now it's time for the news, and there isn't any. 199 00:12:51,715 --> 00:12:54,926 Even if there were, we haven't got time for it, because we've got a packed program. 200 00:12:55,010 --> 00:12:57,679 So we must move on, to the 1950s. James. 201 00:12:57,763 --> 00:12:59,598 - (Gasps) - (Laughter) 202 00:13:00,724 --> 00:13:03,059 Over the past few years, many car manufacturers 203 00:13:03,143 --> 00:13:06,605 have been reinventing their old models from the past. 204 00:13:06,646 --> 00:13:08,315 - Where you live. - Thank you. 205 00:13:08,398 --> 00:13:10,817 Volkswagen has given us the new Beetle. 206 00:13:10,901 --> 00:13:13,028 BMW, of course, reinvented the Mini. 207 00:13:13,111 --> 00:13:14,988 And now there's another one. 208 00:13:19,159 --> 00:13:22,871 And here it is. It's called the Fiat 500, 209 00:13:22,954 --> 00:13:26,500 and it's virtually a carbon copy of their legendary car from the '50s, 210 00:13:26,583 --> 00:13:29,544 which was called, erm... the Fiat 500. 211 00:13:31,254 --> 00:13:35,050 Now, the original car was small and ruthlessly simple. 212 00:13:35,133 --> 00:13:37,844 You could even buy spares from your local newsagent's. 213 00:13:37,928 --> 00:13:42,808 It was the last word in cheap utilitarian transport for the masses. 214 00:13:46,686 --> 00:13:48,313 Now, let me say straight from the off, 215 00:13:48,396 --> 00:13:53,318 that this is not small, cheap, utilitarian transport for the masses. 216 00:13:53,860 --> 00:13:59,324 Under this retro body, it's based on the current Fiat Panda. 217 00:13:59,366 --> 00:14:01,451 I don't wish to get all bah humbug about it, 218 00:14:01,535 --> 00:14:06,498 but the Panda is bigger, it's more practical and it's about a grand cheaper. 219 00:14:06,581 --> 00:14:10,127 So with your beige trousers on, that's the one you'd buy. 220 00:14:10,168 --> 00:14:12,337 But the Panda is just a car, 221 00:14:12,421 --> 00:14:15,841 whereas this is a car and a fashion item. 222 00:14:15,924 --> 00:14:20,345 And you'd have to say that on the style front, Fiat's done rather a good job. 223 00:14:24,141 --> 00:14:27,269 I mean, everything in here wasn't on the original 500. 224 00:14:27,352 --> 00:14:32,691 It's got automatic air conditioning and electric windows and buttons on the steering wheel. 225 00:14:32,732 --> 00:14:38,196 But the feel of it, this pseudo-metal dash and these buttons and the big single instrument... 226 00:14:38,238 --> 00:14:40,949 - It even has... - (Parps) 227 00:14:41,032 --> 00:14:42,367 ...a retro horn. 228 00:14:43,326 --> 00:14:47,330 Prices start at L8,000, which means that although it is dearer than a Panda, 229 00:14:47,414 --> 00:14:51,293 it's a good three grand less than the cheapest Mini. 230 00:14:51,376 --> 00:14:54,337 And although it's about six inches shorter than a Mini, 231 00:14:54,379 --> 00:14:56,423 it's actually more spacious inside. 232 00:14:58,091 --> 00:15:03,180 But the thing about the Mini is that under its retro skin it drives brilliantly. 233 00:15:04,222 --> 00:15:08,560 So the question now is, has Fiat pulled off the same trick? 234 00:15:12,647 --> 00:15:15,066 Well, its home turf will be the city, 235 00:15:15,150 --> 00:15:19,529 so we've brought it to one, Budapest in Hungary. 236 00:15:19,571 --> 00:15:21,865 I've come here because a couple of years ago 237 00:15:21,948 --> 00:15:27,162 I raced some parkour jumpers through Liverpool in a Peugot 207, and lost. 238 00:15:27,245 --> 00:15:29,539 And now some blokes have been in touch and said, 239 00:15:29,581 --> 00:15:31,833 "How do you fancy losing again?" 240 00:15:33,710 --> 00:15:37,756 The difference this time is that they're not big, tough parkour jumpers. 241 00:15:37,839 --> 00:15:41,510 They're actually just scallywags on BMX bikes. 242 00:15:41,593 --> 00:15:46,139 These wasters just ride around aimlessly, like those kids in the ET film. 243 00:15:46,223 --> 00:15:51,103 So to borrow the phrase of the ancient philosopher Clarksonius, 4th century BC, 244 00:15:51,186 --> 00:15:52,896 how hard can it be? 245 00:15:55,565 --> 00:16:00,028 The race covers eight miles and starts in the old part of the city, Buda. 246 00:16:00,112 --> 00:16:03,323 We go down the hill, across the bridge into Pest, 247 00:16:03,406 --> 00:16:06,326 on to the edge of the city and the giant industrial area, 248 00:16:06,409 --> 00:16:10,831 where we will finish in the biggest bicycle factory of the Soviet era. 249 00:16:13,917 --> 00:16:17,504 Three, two, one, go! 250 00:16:20,924 --> 00:16:22,467 Now we're off. 251 00:16:24,761 --> 00:16:26,721 (Chuckles) 252 00:16:29,724 --> 00:16:31,560 I've lost sight of them already. 253 00:16:33,103 --> 00:16:34,980 (Tires squeal) 254 00:16:38,275 --> 00:16:40,610 They're not going to last long doing that sort of thing. 255 00:16:42,612 --> 00:16:46,700 0n the hairpins down the hill, the handling was classic Italian town car. 256 00:16:47,826 --> 00:16:50,328 Quite a bit of body roll, but it's fine. 257 00:16:51,288 --> 00:16:53,248 Just adds to the amusement value. 258 00:17:00,922 --> 00:17:03,341 Leaving the old town, heading towards the bridge, 259 00:17:03,383 --> 00:17:06,344 and the BMX bandits were struggling to keep up. 260 00:17:09,973 --> 00:17:10,932 Bloody hell. 261 00:17:11,016 --> 00:17:13,143 But the bandits are made of stern stuff. 262 00:17:14,478 --> 00:17:17,355 And on the snarled up bridge, I lost my lead. 263 00:17:18,815 --> 00:17:20,108 But only for a moment. 264 00:17:20,192 --> 00:17:23,987 Right, this is a crucial overtaking opportunity. I know what I can do here. 265 00:17:24,070 --> 00:17:25,071 Ha ha! 266 00:17:25,155 --> 00:17:28,283 Then we hit red lights, which I couldn't get round. 267 00:17:28,366 --> 00:17:29,326 No! 268 00:17:29,367 --> 00:17:31,912 But they could. 269 00:17:40,170 --> 00:17:41,671 Oh, come on. 270 00:17:47,677 --> 00:17:50,764 Since I was losing, I got back to road testing. 271 00:17:50,847 --> 00:17:54,893 You can have this car with 1.2 or 1.4 liter petrol engines, 272 00:17:54,976 --> 00:17:58,188 or you can have the engine I have here, which is the diesel, 273 00:17:58,271 --> 00:17:59,856 which is rubbish. 274 00:18:02,776 --> 00:18:07,322 The whole point of a small Fiat is that you have a very small engine in it, powered by petrol. 275 00:18:07,405 --> 00:18:11,952 You rev it and rev it and rev it until the valves come out and dance on top of the bonnet, 276 00:18:12,035 --> 00:18:13,745 and then you change gear. 277 00:18:15,372 --> 00:18:17,916 I'd lost all sight of the bandits. 278 00:18:17,999 --> 00:18:20,127 Yet again, they'd gone to ground. 279 00:18:37,686 --> 00:18:40,730 Something I really like here is the rev counter in the speedometer. 280 00:18:40,814 --> 00:18:46,153 One is inside the other, so the speed chases the revs up and down the dial. It's terrific. 281 00:18:48,029 --> 00:18:52,868 0n the edge of town, still close, we enter the great Soviet industrial park, 282 00:18:52,951 --> 00:18:55,245 for the final stage in the race. 283 00:18:56,288 --> 00:18:58,415 Bicycles... 284 00:18:59,166 --> 00:19:01,251 Yaah! 285 00:19:02,753 --> 00:19:04,921 Oh, crikey! 286 00:19:07,299 --> 00:19:08,675 Come on, diesel! 287 00:19:16,933 --> 00:19:19,728 Where the hell are those people? 288 00:19:24,316 --> 00:19:26,359 There they are. 289 00:19:27,235 --> 00:19:29,154 I can see 'em in the mirror. 290 00:19:29,696 --> 00:19:33,825 But watch this. If I'm very skillful here, I can box them in a bit. 291 00:19:33,909 --> 00:19:35,619 There you are, parked on a lorry. 292 00:19:37,329 --> 00:19:40,207 - (Hungarian voice) - What? 293 00:19:44,002 --> 00:19:45,754 No! 294 00:19:47,005 --> 00:19:48,799 Dah! 295 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:50,092 I can see the flag. 296 00:19:50,175 --> 00:19:52,469 Oh, no, I can see them. 297 00:19:56,014 --> 00:19:57,682 No! 298 00:19:57,766 --> 00:19:59,184 Oh, (bleep)! 299 00:19:59,267 --> 00:20:01,728 In Hungarian. 300 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:09,402 - You lost. - Congratulations. Well done. 301 00:20:09,486 --> 00:20:11,947 Now go and get a proper bike. 302 00:20:12,030 --> 00:20:14,282 - You get a proper car. - Yeah, yeah. 303 00:28:57,576 --> 00:29:00,121 Now, bad news. 304 00:29:00,204 --> 00:29:03,374 Jeremy was summoned to the producer's office this week 305 00:29:03,457 --> 00:29:07,878 and told no more supercars on our test track for this series. 306 00:29:07,962 --> 00:29:09,922 - (All) Aaw! - I know. He was most insistent. 307 00:29:10,005 --> 00:29:15,052 He said we'd had too many and it was time Jeremy went and reviewed a proper family car. 308 00:29:15,136 --> 00:29:17,096 So, here we go. 309 00:29:20,391 --> 00:29:22,685 This is a Daihatsu Materia. 310 00:29:22,768 --> 00:29:27,314 It's a small and easy to park five-door hatchback. 311 00:29:29,233 --> 00:29:32,069 Now, what I thought I'd do is compare it to a rival, 312 00:29:32,153 --> 00:29:35,072 a competitor product of some sort. 313 00:29:35,156 --> 00:29:36,824 The producer liked that idea very much, 314 00:29:36,907 --> 00:29:39,618 so what I've done is brought along this. 315 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:50,212 It's the Ascari A10, 316 00:29:50,296 --> 00:29:56,302 a carbon fiber powerhouse with a five-liter V8 from an old BMWM5 in the back. 317 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:02,600 I think it's better-looking than the Daihatsu. 318 00:30:05,019 --> 00:30:10,608 And with 625 horsepower on tap, it's also much louder. 319 00:30:11,358 --> 00:30:13,319 Quicker, too. 320 00:30:14,570 --> 00:30:17,907 In fact, it's quicker than almost anything. 321 00:30:19,325 --> 00:30:22,411 It is insanely fast. 322 00:30:24,455 --> 00:30:28,375 Put your foot down and instantly you're somewhere else, 323 00:30:28,459 --> 00:30:31,629 very, very far away from where you were. 324 00:30:32,671 --> 00:30:36,425 Naught to sixty takes 2.8 seconds. 325 00:30:38,552 --> 00:30:42,640 Flat out, you'll be doing 215 mph, 326 00:30:42,723 --> 00:30:47,770 and sign language for the rest of your life because you'll be deaf. 327 00:30:47,853 --> 00:30:49,939 (Engine roars) 328 00:30:49,980 --> 00:30:51,607 (Silence) 329 00:30:51,649 --> 00:30:53,025 (Engine snarls) 330 00:31:09,625 --> 00:31:14,422 0f course, you might imagine that because it was conceived by a Dutch billionaire 331 00:31:14,505 --> 00:31:17,800 and built on an industrial estate in Banbury, 332 00:31:17,842 --> 00:31:20,261 that it's all a bit half-cocked. 333 00:31:22,346 --> 00:31:28,602 And sure, the interior is as luxurious and as well finished as an army Land Rover. 334 00:31:29,395 --> 00:31:33,232 But the way this thing drives beggars belief. 335 00:31:42,366 --> 00:31:45,745 It's funny, because it's not a heavy car, this. 336 00:31:45,828 --> 00:31:49,206 It doesn't weigh much more than a family hatchback, 337 00:31:49,290 --> 00:31:53,127 but it feels like it's running on coal. 338 00:31:53,210 --> 00:31:55,671 It feels like it's from the Industrial Revolution. 339 00:31:58,007 --> 00:32:02,845 It feels like I should really be sitting here with a dirty face and a Davy lamp. 340 00:32:07,099 --> 00:32:09,643 I just love this sequential gearbox. 341 00:32:09,727 --> 00:32:14,356 It's as manly as Lawrence Dallaglio's jockstrap. 342 00:32:21,447 --> 00:32:23,240 And then there's the steering, 343 00:32:23,324 --> 00:32:25,284 which is even better. 344 00:32:25,367 --> 00:32:29,205 Because it's so good and so perfectly weighted... 345 00:32:30,706 --> 00:32:35,252 you have the confidence to take this car by the wedding veg, 346 00:32:36,879 --> 00:32:40,382 and go absolutely berserk. 347 00:32:46,764 --> 00:32:48,057 Whoa! 348 00:32:54,313 --> 00:32:59,735 It's a staggering car, this, like a Koenigsegg, only a million times more manageable. 349 00:33:03,614 --> 00:33:06,951 But how does it compare to the Daihatsu Materia? 350 00:33:09,328 --> 00:33:12,998 Well, in a number of crucial areas, not well. 351 00:33:13,916 --> 00:33:17,837 The Daihatsu has a CD autochanger, an airbag, 352 00:33:17,920 --> 00:33:20,506 five seats and a big boot. 353 00:33:21,549 --> 00:33:24,051 The Ascari has none of these things. 354 00:33:24,135 --> 00:33:26,762 You can't even understand the dashboard. 355 00:33:29,473 --> 00:33:35,020 What's more, the Daihatsu is L339,000 cheaper than the A10, 356 00:33:35,104 --> 00:33:37,189 and much more economical. 357 00:33:40,067 --> 00:33:42,736 And then there's the cornering. 358 00:33:45,990 --> 00:33:48,909 It's a cold November day, but trust me, 359 00:33:48,993 --> 00:33:51,203 I'm sweating in here now. 360 00:33:53,414 --> 00:33:55,916 No anti-lock brakes. 361 00:33:56,751 --> 00:33:58,294 No traction control. 362 00:33:58,377 --> 00:34:02,339 The only thing keeping this pointing in the right direction is me. 363 00:34:04,842 --> 00:34:05,843 Whoops. 364 00:34:10,306 --> 00:34:15,478 Now look at this. Note how the Daihatsu gets round the same corner without crashing once. 365 00:34:16,353 --> 00:34:20,316 And what's more, in a straight line at 85 miles an hour 366 00:34:20,399 --> 00:34:23,778 it'll easily overtake the Ascari when it's doing 70. 367 00:34:25,863 --> 00:34:28,699 Choosing between these two, then, is not easy. 368 00:34:28,783 --> 00:34:30,826 Certainly the Daihatsu is very good, 369 00:34:30,868 --> 00:34:36,624 but I think, on balance, I'd choose the big yellow shouty car instead. 370 00:34:45,716 --> 00:34:47,676 - Ahem! - What? 371 00:34:49,345 --> 00:34:51,514 You were supposed to test a family car. 372 00:34:51,597 --> 00:34:53,265 - I did. - Yes, and look at this chart. 373 00:34:53,349 --> 00:34:57,228 OK, the Daihatsu is considerably cheaper. Its insurance group 8, not 20. 374 00:34:57,311 --> 00:35:02,024 46 miles per gallon, not 9 miles per gallon. More doors, more seats. 375 00:35:02,108 --> 00:35:07,071 Look at this, the Ascari, it doesn't even have inertia reel seat belts. 376 00:35:07,154 --> 00:35:10,783 I hear what you say, but the Ascari is much faster. 377 00:35:10,866 --> 00:35:13,661 And now we're going to find out exactly how fast, 378 00:35:13,744 --> 00:35:16,497 by handing it over to our tame racing driver. 379 00:35:16,580 --> 00:35:21,377 Some say that he once lost a canoe on a beach in the northeast, 380 00:35:23,087 --> 00:35:26,966 and that he once did some time in a prison in Canterbury, 381 00:35:27,049 --> 00:35:30,386 because his teddy is called the Baby Jesus. 382 00:35:30,469 --> 00:35:31,762 (Laughter) 383 00:35:31,846 --> 00:35:34,348 All we know is, he's called The Stig. 384 00:35:35,683 --> 00:35:39,687 And he's off. Nice clean start there. But listen to that noisel 385 00:35:39,770 --> 00:35:44,024 It's like Victorian Manchester is trying to escape from the exhaust. 386 00:35:44,108 --> 00:35:47,695 0K, now, unleashing Brunelian fury through there. 387 00:35:48,446 --> 00:35:52,366 Looking remarkably tidy. Mild drift, maybe, at the end. 388 00:35:52,450 --> 00:35:56,579 0oh, now, no Stig audio nonsense this week, cos the Ascari has no stereo. 389 00:35:56,620 --> 00:36:02,001 Anyway, you wouldn't hear it over the sound of men in stovepipe hats furiously smelting. 390 00:36:02,084 --> 00:36:05,254 Hammerhead. This catches out some mid-engine cars. 391 00:36:05,296 --> 00:36:07,798 But not this one. Look at that. 392 00:36:07,882 --> 00:36:11,051 Now, van Telford's supersonic steam train is offl 393 00:36:13,304 --> 00:36:16,307 Right, now, a chance to really open up that BMW engine. 394 00:36:16,390 --> 00:36:20,811 Well, I say BMW. Actually, it feels more like it was made by James Watt. 395 00:36:20,895 --> 00:36:22,688 That is fastl 396 00:36:22,772 --> 00:36:26,233 0K, now, two corners left. This could be a seriously good time. 397 00:36:26,317 --> 00:36:28,402 Just look how controlled it is through there. 398 00:36:29,069 --> 00:36:32,156 Now, coming through Gambon. Again, controlled. 399 00:36:32,239 --> 00:36:34,200 And across the line. 400 00:36:35,451 --> 00:36:36,702 Now... 401 00:36:37,870 --> 00:36:43,334 Now because this has a hydraulic lifting nose, which we can see here, 402 00:36:43,375 --> 00:36:46,128 it is able to get over speed bumps. 403 00:36:46,170 --> 00:36:49,965 And that means it is a road car, and that means it can go on our board. 404 00:36:50,007 --> 00:36:54,386 But can it beat the Koenigsegg, which is a 1.17.6? 405 00:36:54,470 --> 00:37:00,810 Well, this did it in 1.17.3. 406 00:37:00,851 --> 00:37:04,647 It's the new lap record holder, 407 00:37:04,730 --> 00:37:08,192 the fastest car ever to go round our track. 408 00:37:09,527 --> 00:37:13,656 Now, earlier on, we entered a 24-hour race at Silverstone, 409 00:37:13,739 --> 00:37:17,785 and thanks to The Stig, we qualified 42nd out of 59 starters. 410 00:37:17,868 --> 00:37:19,245 But there were a few problems. 411 00:37:19,328 --> 00:37:23,082 We had no racing experience, I'd never even driven round Silverstone 412 00:37:23,165 --> 00:37:28,546 and we were using a secondhand diesel BMW that we'd turned into a racing car ourselves. 413 00:37:28,587 --> 00:37:32,591 And at the end of the qualifying session, it was all badly broken. 414 00:37:32,675 --> 00:37:36,554 Still, we were confident that it would be fixed and ready for the off. 415 00:37:38,055 --> 00:37:40,349 (Jeremy) So, race day. 416 00:37:40,391 --> 00:37:45,187 The crowds were flocking in and we were summoned to the drivers' briefing. 417 00:37:45,229 --> 00:37:47,273 ...supervised and then you will be released. 418 00:37:47,356 --> 00:37:50,693 The Stig, however, found this a bit dreary. 419 00:37:50,776 --> 00:37:54,739 ...on the way to the penalty box or leaving the penalty box. 420 00:37:54,822 --> 00:38:00,035 Neither can you stop in the refueling area on your way to the penalty box. 421 00:38:00,077 --> 00:38:02,705 If you need to go to your pit or you need to go and refuel... 422 00:38:07,418 --> 00:38:10,212 Afterwards, there was a half hour shake-down session. 423 00:38:10,254 --> 00:38:14,175 And we hoped that after a whole night in the workshop our car would be fixed, 424 00:38:14,258 --> 00:38:17,052 so Hammond could get out there and learn the track. 425 00:38:18,095 --> 00:38:19,597 But it was not to be. 426 00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:24,351 We've just discovered, having replaced the turbo, the inlet manifold, 427 00:38:24,435 --> 00:38:28,731 the clutch and the flywheel, all last night, that now there's diesel in the sump. 428 00:38:28,773 --> 00:38:30,775 Which is what, a pump or the injectors? 429 00:38:30,858 --> 00:38:33,319 We don't know yet. 430 00:38:35,029 --> 00:38:40,076 It turned out to be the fuel pump, which was a bit embarrassing for us three. 431 00:38:40,159 --> 00:38:45,831 What they're saying is, our farm-fresh, morning dew diesel has got too much methanol in it, 432 00:38:45,915 --> 00:38:49,460 which is eating the fuel seals and fuel's getting out. 433 00:38:51,837 --> 00:38:54,256 So, how long's it going to take to fix the fuel pump? 434 00:38:54,340 --> 00:38:56,967 In theory, to do the job in the workshop, it's a six hour job. 435 00:38:57,051 --> 00:39:00,638 - So... - Six hours takes us till... We miss the race. 436 00:39:00,721 --> 00:39:04,308 We've got some guys picking up some special tools. We'll probably do it in two and a half. 437 00:39:04,391 --> 00:39:06,477 - Well, where are they? - Milton Keynes. 438 00:39:06,560 --> 00:39:09,396 - We haven't gone to pick them up? - There's a man on the way there now. 439 00:39:09,480 --> 00:39:13,567 You're talking about it's impossible to have this car running until quarter past three. 440 00:39:13,651 --> 00:39:18,155 - We have to be on the grid at five to four. - Five to four. 441 00:39:18,239 --> 00:39:21,242 - If we're not, we start from the pit lane. - Yeah. 442 00:40:35,945 --> 00:40:41,409 With two hours to go, the other teams were pretty much ready. Us, however? 443 00:40:41,492 --> 00:40:45,747 Whatever you do, don't go downstairs and look at the car. 444 00:40:46,539 --> 00:40:52,295 It's got no front end, no lights, no radiator, no bumper, no splitter, 445 00:40:52,378 --> 00:40:54,589 no front of the engine, no bonnet. 446 00:40:54,672 --> 00:40:59,344 That fuel pump thing is right in the bowels of the thing. They've got the whole front off. 447 00:40:59,385 --> 00:41:03,264 It's like trying to repair something in France from this end of the Channel Tunnel. 448 00:41:03,348 --> 00:41:06,684 James will be exaggerating... James isn't exaggerating. 449 00:41:08,061 --> 00:41:09,812 And it's leaking. 450 00:41:09,896 --> 00:41:13,066 I watch Formula One a lot and I've never, in the whole time I've watched it, 451 00:41:13,149 --> 00:41:18,196 seen a Formula One car two hours before a race looking like that. 452 00:41:24,619 --> 00:41:27,580 With an hour to go, finally, some good news. 453 00:41:27,622 --> 00:41:31,376 Excellent! The fuel pump is on. 454 00:41:31,417 --> 00:41:33,419 Watch this. Ready? 455 00:41:34,212 --> 00:41:36,923 Pop it in, and away he goes. 456 00:41:37,006 --> 00:41:40,009 - Now he'll have the engine fixed in no time. - Easy now. 457 00:41:40,093 --> 00:41:42,929 I don't want that back, thanks, Steve. You keep it. 458 00:41:43,429 --> 00:41:45,890 We were cheering up. 459 00:41:45,932 --> 00:41:50,311 But honestly, our secondhand repmobile was beginning to look like classic Top Gear. 460 00:41:50,395 --> 00:41:53,439 Ambitious, but rubbish. 461 00:41:56,276 --> 00:41:58,319 And so it turned out to be. 462 00:41:58,403 --> 00:42:02,365 Steve's team had done the fastest rebuild in history, 463 00:42:02,448 --> 00:42:04,659 but it wasn't fast enough. 464 00:42:09,747 --> 00:42:14,752 As the other cars lined up on the grid, ours was still in the garage. 465 00:42:14,836 --> 00:42:16,796 We missed it. We never made it. 466 00:42:20,216 --> 00:42:22,302 Now we'd have to start from the back, 467 00:42:22,385 --> 00:42:27,432 and if we couldn't get it started in 30 minutes, we wouldn't be starting at all. 468 00:42:35,064 --> 00:42:40,153 With just 20 minutes to go, our super-green eco-car finally coughed into life. 469 00:42:40,653 --> 00:42:42,780 Nobody's going to overtake us with this coming out the back. 470 00:42:42,822 --> 00:42:43,948 But then... 471 00:42:43,990 --> 00:42:47,327 It's only running on five cylinders. Injector six isn't working. 472 00:42:47,410 --> 00:42:49,579 It could be a simple fix. It might be horrible. 473 00:42:56,294 --> 00:42:58,338 - So, how long have we got? - Three minutes. 474 00:43:06,763 --> 00:43:08,556 They're on their parade lap. 475 00:43:09,515 --> 00:43:13,311 When they came back round again, the flag would drop and the race would start. 476 00:43:13,394 --> 00:43:15,980 We had just over two minutes. 477 00:43:20,944 --> 00:43:23,071 They're going to be back. 478 00:43:23,154 --> 00:43:25,823 Stig's in. Stig's getting in. Stig's getting in. 479 00:43:34,624 --> 00:43:39,212 The Stig had to be at the end of the pit lane before the last car crossed the line. 480 00:43:39,295 --> 00:43:42,507 I have never felt tension like it. 481 00:43:43,049 --> 00:43:45,093 Come on, come on, come on! They're past Stowe. 482 00:43:47,762 --> 00:43:49,722 (Bleep) That's them. 483 00:44:04,070 --> 00:44:07,448 - He's done it! - That's it, we're in the race! 484 00:44:09,242 --> 00:44:10,868 I cannot believe that. 485 00:44:10,910 --> 00:44:14,289 - Bearing in mind, no test on that car at all... - No. 486 00:44:14,372 --> 00:44:16,708 ...it's out there now for 24 hours. - Yep. 487 00:44:16,749 --> 00:44:20,003 It looked a bit smoky, but it had The Stig at the wheel, 488 00:44:20,086 --> 00:44:23,214 and this is what he does best. 489 00:44:31,222 --> 00:44:36,811 Type Rs, Porsches, M3s, despite his diesel engine, he had the lotl 490 00:44:38,396 --> 00:44:41,566 Have you seen his time? He's just done a 2.17. 491 00:44:41,608 --> 00:44:43,735 - No, I'm sorry, 2.16! - Whoa! 492 00:44:43,776 --> 00:44:45,987 He's just taken another second off it. 493 00:44:48,114 --> 00:44:50,617 Look how many people he's faster than already. 494 00:44:50,700 --> 00:44:53,036 Every single one he's faster than. 495 00:44:56,789 --> 00:45:01,419 Stig is now 13 seconds a lap quicker than the next diesel. 496 00:45:02,503 --> 00:45:06,924 Having started in 59th place, 497 00:45:06,966 --> 00:45:10,637 we are now in 39th place. 498 00:45:10,720 --> 00:45:15,099 - So he's made up 20 places in... - One hour and twenty minutes. 499 00:45:15,141 --> 00:45:17,602 But my worry now is that we're going too hard on it. 500 00:45:21,397 --> 00:45:24,776 0ver the next 20 minutes, The Stig climbed another two places, 501 00:45:24,817 --> 00:45:28,112 but then James's negative waves hit home. 502 00:45:28,196 --> 00:45:30,365 And hit hard. 503 00:45:30,448 --> 00:45:32,408 (Explosion) 504 00:45:36,496 --> 00:45:37,830 That's not a good sign. 505 00:45:42,919 --> 00:45:44,420 Did it fill with smoke? 506 00:45:45,463 --> 00:45:48,925 - Did it lose power? - You're wasting your breath. 507 00:45:49,008 --> 00:45:52,428 It would help if we could talk to the driver and find out what actually happened. 508 00:45:52,512 --> 00:45:56,557 But it's just stopped working, like a TV on standby. 509 00:45:56,641 --> 00:46:01,980 We needed a tiny piece for the fuel injection system and, predictably, we didn't have it. 510 00:46:02,063 --> 00:46:05,733 But mysteriously, ten minutes later, we didl 511 00:46:05,817 --> 00:46:09,654 This is it. Somebody in the car park's going home on five cylinders. 512 00:46:12,490 --> 00:46:14,951 The breakdown had cost us half an hour. 513 00:46:15,034 --> 00:46:17,245 Because The Stig had got out of the car, 514 00:46:17,328 --> 00:46:22,292 the rules said he couldn't get back in again until someone else had had a go. 515 00:46:22,375 --> 00:46:25,920 That meant he'd only done half his three-hour stint. 516 00:46:26,004 --> 00:46:28,548 We've lost an hour and a half of Stig racing time. 517 00:46:28,631 --> 00:46:31,301 Yeah, I agree, that's a shame. But let's get on with it. 518 00:46:32,844 --> 00:46:36,347 The Christian motorist was now in the hot seat. 519 00:46:36,431 --> 00:46:39,183 Absolutely everything going past, 520 00:46:39,225 --> 00:46:41,519 but never mind. 521 00:46:41,561 --> 00:46:44,689 - Really desperate for a wee now. - Oh, man, I'm struggling. 522 00:46:44,772 --> 00:46:46,899 I didn't know it would take you this long to get round. 523 00:46:48,568 --> 00:46:50,862 Thank you. Doing my best. 524 00:46:52,405 --> 00:46:54,324 2.30's not bad. 525 00:46:54,407 --> 00:46:57,952 - Come on, that's what the Golf guys... - You're a nice guy. 526 00:46:58,036 --> 00:47:02,206 A few minutes later, though, something amazing happened. 527 00:47:02,915 --> 00:47:05,418 I've overtaken someone! 528 00:47:05,501 --> 00:47:09,505 I don't want you to get all daft and giddy, OK? You just did a 2.24. 529 00:47:09,589 --> 00:47:11,424 I'm (bleep) loving this. 530 00:47:11,507 --> 00:47:16,137 (Richard) Things were going well. James wasn't quite as slow as expected, 531 00:47:16,220 --> 00:47:20,850 and unlike the petrol cars, which needed a five-minute fuel stop every hour, 532 00:47:20,933 --> 00:47:23,519 our tank would last three times that. 533 00:47:30,985 --> 00:47:37,075 As night began to fall, the sheer effort required for endurance racing began to tell. 534 00:47:42,288 --> 00:47:46,084 James was tired out, too. His lap times were tumbling. 535 00:47:49,587 --> 00:47:52,799 Normally, I'd be on the phone to him now, being fatuous and stupid, 536 00:47:52,882 --> 00:47:55,677 telling him he's Captain Slow and he's got to hurry up. 537 00:47:55,760 --> 00:48:01,224 The last thing you want is anyone clowning around on your headphones, on your radio. 538 00:48:01,307 --> 00:48:05,520 There's so much to think about. You know, where's the corner? Where's the other car? 539 00:48:05,603 --> 00:48:07,605 What gear should I be in? When do I brake? 540 00:48:07,689 --> 00:48:10,024 I can't think about being a TV presenter. 541 00:48:10,108 --> 00:48:13,820 90 minutes into his stint, the inevitable happened. 542 00:48:14,487 --> 00:48:15,989 (Crash) 543 00:48:16,030 --> 00:48:17,991 Bollocks! Sorry, I'm off. 544 00:48:19,075 --> 00:48:23,788 Even though the car was good for another 90 minutes, we had to rest James. 545 00:48:24,789 --> 00:48:26,916 How slippery are new tires? 546 00:48:27,000 --> 00:48:29,294 Bleeding awful. Honestly. 547 00:48:30,962 --> 00:48:33,047 Good luck, mate. 548 00:48:33,131 --> 00:48:35,466 Please, God, don't let me mess this up. 549 00:48:39,762 --> 00:48:45,935 My nerves calmed as I realized that Steve, builder's crack or not, knew what he was doing. 550 00:48:46,019 --> 00:48:48,605 Steve, you've built one hell of a car here. 551 00:48:49,480 --> 00:48:52,150 It's so utterly joyous and lovely to drive. 552 00:48:53,026 --> 00:48:55,153 And it's already got a personality now, 553 00:48:55,236 --> 00:49:00,158 just having made the start and... Whoa! God, we're good on the brakes! 554 00:49:01,701 --> 00:49:06,331 It didn't have much straight line speed, but through the corners it was astonishing. 555 00:49:06,372 --> 00:49:08,374 I even went on the offensive. 556 00:49:10,877 --> 00:49:14,172 I'm coming up behind those Italians in the 1 series. 557 00:49:14,756 --> 00:49:17,800 Look at this. Neck and... No, he's come across my nose! 558 00:49:17,884 --> 00:49:21,804 We saved you from the Germans and that's what I get! 559 00:49:21,888 --> 00:49:23,598 Don't wreck the car. 560 00:49:24,641 --> 00:49:27,644 As the night wore on, other cars were breaking down, 561 00:49:27,727 --> 00:49:29,729 but the little BMWpounded on. 562 00:49:31,898 --> 00:49:33,232 Thanks, mate. 563 00:49:33,316 --> 00:49:37,779 And when I finished my stint, we were up to 37th place. 564 00:49:41,240 --> 00:49:44,118 What a truly fantastic way of spending an evening. 565 00:49:44,202 --> 00:49:49,165 (Richard) As my first ever racing lap of Silverstone would be in the dark, 566 00:49:49,248 --> 00:49:51,125 I couldn't say the same. 567 00:49:53,753 --> 00:49:55,380 No, that's Maggotts and Becketts. 568 00:49:55,463 --> 00:49:59,175 This is now opening down to Abbey. No, to the bloody straight! 569 00:49:59,634 --> 00:50:01,386 Christ, you've got to concentrate. 570 00:50:01,469 --> 00:50:03,763 Still, even Jeremy was encouraging. 571 00:50:04,597 --> 00:50:08,893 Hammond, your speed is not only good but it's consistent now, mate. Excellent. 572 00:50:08,977 --> 00:50:11,479 I settled down for the night shift. 573 00:50:29,622 --> 00:50:31,582 And then... 574 00:50:33,209 --> 00:50:35,169 Bollocks! 575 00:50:35,253 --> 00:50:37,714 Guys, I've binned it. 576 00:50:41,217 --> 00:50:43,136 Will it move under its own power? 577 00:50:43,803 --> 00:50:45,805 I'd say it was game over. 578 00:50:52,478 --> 00:50:55,481 Steve and his magicians can't get this fixed. 579 00:50:55,565 --> 00:50:59,235 I'm sorry, lads. I'm... I'm sorry. 580 00:51:01,029 --> 00:51:04,616 Have you found out yet, did I take somebody else off? Could you find out? 581 00:51:04,699 --> 00:51:07,035 You did. It was a white Mosler. 582 00:51:07,744 --> 00:51:11,581 Oh, bloody hell. I couldn't hit anything more expensive, could I? 583 00:51:12,081 --> 00:51:14,292 We've got to clear this (bleep). 584 00:51:18,087 --> 00:51:20,965 Right, everyone who's not involved, get back. 585 00:51:24,010 --> 00:51:27,138 The wishbone was broken, the disc brake was ruined. 586 00:51:27,180 --> 00:51:30,016 Two wheels were smashed, the left headlight was shattered, 587 00:51:30,099 --> 00:51:33,394 the door was caved in and the engine wouldn't turn over. 588 00:51:33,519 --> 00:51:35,021 If the boys can mend it, 589 00:51:35,104 --> 00:51:39,484 and if the scrutineer says the car is safe to go out again, you may use it again, 590 00:51:39,525 --> 00:51:42,320 so you're not out of the race yet. 591 00:51:42,362 --> 00:51:46,491 As the car was being fixed we watched the onboard footage, 592 00:51:46,532 --> 00:51:49,786 to see how I'd managed to hit a half million pound Mosler 593 00:51:49,869 --> 00:51:51,829 that was fighting for the lead. 594 00:51:51,871 --> 00:51:55,583 You thought there was only one car there, cos there was just a blur of light. 595 00:51:55,667 --> 00:51:58,252 It goes through, you move over, there's someone else there. 596 00:51:58,336 --> 00:52:03,758 It wasn't your fault. I thought I hit the 944 doing exactly the same thing on the straight. 597 00:52:07,053 --> 00:52:10,556 This is a shot I've just organized of Richard Hammond after the crash. 598 00:52:10,640 --> 00:52:12,475 - Pan round. - A portrait. 599 00:52:12,558 --> 00:52:14,811 Cheers. 600 00:52:14,894 --> 00:52:18,314 (James) It took nearly three hours to get the car running again, 601 00:52:18,398 --> 00:52:22,360 by which time we were stone dead last. 602 00:52:22,402 --> 00:52:25,697 0nly one man could get us back in contention. 603 00:52:36,291 --> 00:52:38,042 The field was now spread out, 604 00:52:38,126 --> 00:52:41,754 but in the next three hours, The Stig climbed eight places. 605 00:52:45,008 --> 00:52:47,468 Then, when it was my turn, the fog came. 606 00:52:50,430 --> 00:52:52,390 I was completely blind. 607 00:52:52,432 --> 00:52:54,434 (Bleep) Nora! 608 00:52:56,269 --> 00:52:59,397 (Jeremy) Because the visibility had slowed James to a crawl, 609 00:52:59,439 --> 00:53:02,483 I thought I could get away with some fog-based japery. 610 00:53:02,567 --> 00:53:05,403 James, it's Jeremy. Whoo hurghl 611 00:53:08,948 --> 00:53:11,909 The bad news is, your joke's just had me straight off. 612 00:53:13,536 --> 00:53:17,999 (Richard) Eventually the fog became so thick, the race was halted. 613 00:53:22,337 --> 00:53:26,382 And when it resumed, we were in the gray light of a summer dawn, 614 00:53:26,466 --> 00:53:30,595 when the drivers are all a bit dopey, as James demonstrated. 615 00:53:32,055 --> 00:53:36,559 It would probably be rude to point out to him that he's pulled up in next door's pit. 616 00:53:37,644 --> 00:53:40,355 - This is the wrong pit. - Never mind, it's close enough. 617 00:53:40,438 --> 00:53:43,816 Next door's pit was home to the Saxondale team, 618 00:53:43,900 --> 00:53:46,778 who were using a diesel BMW like ours. 619 00:53:46,819 --> 00:53:50,239 After the calamities, they were now our main rivals. 620 00:53:51,157 --> 00:53:54,243 As Jeremy geed up the capacity crowd... 621 00:53:54,327 --> 00:53:56,454 Do a Mexican wave. 622 00:53:58,665 --> 00:54:01,125 ...The Stig made mincemeat of them. 623 00:54:04,170 --> 00:54:06,965 But then, 20 minutes later, disaster. 624 00:54:08,675 --> 00:54:12,637 The front splitter, which helps with aerodynamics, had come off. 625 00:54:12,679 --> 00:54:14,430 Oh, (bleep)! 626 00:54:14,514 --> 00:54:16,766 And there was a monumental fuel leak. 627 00:54:18,810 --> 00:54:21,646 It was down on power. He was five seconds a lap slow. 628 00:54:21,688 --> 00:54:24,274 Then the splitter fell off... that we put on. 629 00:54:25,900 --> 00:54:27,193 - Yeah. - Don't tell James. 630 00:54:27,277 --> 00:54:29,904 Detachable. They do that. That's a feature. 631 00:54:29,988 --> 00:54:34,659 The Stig stayed at the wheel, so after the leak was fixed, he could go out again. 632 00:54:34,742 --> 00:54:38,037 And even though the missing splitter was ruining the handling, 633 00:54:38,121 --> 00:54:40,164 nothing was going to stop him. 634 00:54:40,248 --> 00:54:41,874 Nothing. 635 00:54:41,958 --> 00:54:46,421 Right now, at this very moment, computers tell us that Stig is having a wee in the car. 636 00:54:46,504 --> 00:54:48,506 - (Laughter) - And I'm next. 637 00:54:50,258 --> 00:54:53,177 (Jeremy) This speeded The Stig up even more. 638 00:54:57,098 --> 00:55:01,686 OK, it's now exactly 12 o'clock, as you can see. Midday. Four and a half hours left to run. 639 00:55:01,769 --> 00:55:06,482 The Stig's work is done. He's got us into third in class, we're the third fastest diesel, 640 00:55:06,566 --> 00:55:09,861 and now it's all up to Hammond, and then me. 641 00:55:11,237 --> 00:55:14,866 It should feel OK. The brakes have come off. It's just sheared a bolt. 642 00:55:14,949 --> 00:55:16,200 Nice! 643 00:55:17,327 --> 00:55:20,580 (Richard) With the splitter coming off, the fuel leak and now this, 644 00:55:20,663 --> 00:55:24,917 it was clear our little Trojan was starting to fall apart. 645 00:55:28,087 --> 00:55:33,509 It was also down on power, and with no front splitter, the handling wasn't great, either. 646 00:55:34,552 --> 00:55:37,388 The car doesn't feel as fast as it felt last night. 647 00:55:38,348 --> 00:55:40,934 Even I can tell something's wrong. 648 00:55:41,976 --> 00:55:45,063 Ooh, that Aston Martin just span out in front of me. 649 00:55:45,146 --> 00:55:48,316 And having been up for 30 hours, I nearly followed him. 650 00:55:48,399 --> 00:55:50,693 Concentrate. I'm losing my concentration. 651 00:55:50,777 --> 00:55:52,737 Where... Oh, bollocks. 652 00:55:58,117 --> 00:56:01,704 To wake myself up, I organized a little present for Jeremy. 653 00:56:01,788 --> 00:56:03,790 I'm having a pee right now. 654 00:56:03,873 --> 00:56:06,334 Aah! 655 00:56:06,417 --> 00:56:09,754 (Jeremy) At the end of Richard's stint we were still third in class, 656 00:56:09,837 --> 00:56:12,924 but I knew it would be hard to stay there. 657 00:56:13,341 --> 00:56:19,097 The problem is that the Saxondale one, that silver 330, the one like ours, is 30 laps behind. 658 00:56:19,180 --> 00:56:22,433 We're going to lose five laps at this next pit stop. 659 00:56:22,475 --> 00:56:26,312 They've got their quick driver in there, against me. 660 00:56:26,396 --> 00:56:30,316 I'm telling you, in three hours' driving, they're going to be right up my back bottom. 661 00:56:32,860 --> 00:56:35,405 So, this was it, the final stint. 662 00:56:36,739 --> 00:56:40,743 I was tired out, I was sitting in a puddle of wee, the car was sick, 663 00:56:40,827 --> 00:56:44,205 and we had our main rivals bearing down on us. 664 00:56:47,583 --> 00:56:52,839 Please, car, please make it to the end of this race, I beg of you. 665 00:56:55,508 --> 00:56:58,970 (Richard) To stay in third, Jeremy had to drive fast. 666 00:56:59,012 --> 00:57:00,722 But there was a problem with that. 667 00:57:00,805 --> 00:57:04,225 Tires. He's got to do two hours twenty minutes, yeah? 668 00:57:04,309 --> 00:57:08,271 I did that to these tires in two fifteen and they're absolutely trashed. 669 00:57:08,354 --> 00:57:11,649 He's got to last two hours and twenty minutes on the same tires. 670 00:57:11,691 --> 00:57:15,570 Jeremy, because there's no front splitter there's no down force at the front, 671 00:57:15,653 --> 00:57:17,655 and it's tearing the tires to bits. 672 00:57:17,739 --> 00:57:20,325 So that we didn't need to waste time with another pit stop, 673 00:57:20,366 --> 00:57:22,994 Jeremy had to preserve his tires. 674 00:57:23,077 --> 00:57:26,039 Unfortunately, though, this was Jeremy. 675 00:57:26,998 --> 00:57:28,750 Yeah! 676 00:57:28,833 --> 00:57:32,295 Please don't be cross with me if that last lap was a bit quick. 677 00:57:32,378 --> 00:57:36,674 If he's just done a 24, those will not last two hours, let alone two twenty. 678 00:57:36,758 --> 00:57:40,803 Just to let you know, at your present pace you're going to be shredding those tires. 679 00:57:44,015 --> 00:57:48,019 Sadly, he was too busy racing Team Saxondale to listen. 680 00:57:48,102 --> 00:57:49,854 And I've got him! 681 00:57:49,938 --> 00:57:52,565 Took him on the inside at Stowe. I mean Copse. 682 00:57:52,649 --> 00:57:54,651 Jeremy, it's Richard. I know you're busy. 683 00:57:54,734 --> 00:57:57,111 Tell us about the tires. Do they feel OK? 684 00:57:59,238 --> 00:58:01,074 I've got Saxondale up my trumpet. 685 00:58:01,157 --> 00:58:02,825 I've got... Oh, missed a gear! 686 00:58:07,705 --> 00:58:10,291 Whoa! God! 687 00:58:10,375 --> 00:58:13,503 (Richard) Jeremy had destroyed the tires. 688 00:58:14,253 --> 00:58:17,465 Just heard from Steve. We have our tire expert in the pit lane. 689 00:58:17,548 --> 00:58:21,886 He's looked at the other tires and says yours will last about another three minutes. 690 00:58:21,970 --> 00:58:24,013 We had to get him in. 691 00:58:24,097 --> 00:58:28,476 Saxondale would rack up five laps while our tires were changed. 692 00:58:30,395 --> 00:58:33,648 But on fresh rubber, Jeremy could now get the hammer down. 693 00:58:46,661 --> 00:58:50,081 Lap update. Saxondale responding, 2.24. 694 00:58:50,123 --> 00:58:52,667 Get rubbing your rosaries, boys. 695 00:58:52,750 --> 00:58:54,335 Whoa, God! 696 00:58:54,419 --> 00:58:59,048 I just tried to take the track on the inside of the corner and it went badly wrong. 697 00:58:59,132 --> 00:59:03,344 If you fall off in the last half hour of the race, there's no recovery service. 698 00:59:03,428 --> 00:59:05,263 That's the end of your race. 699 00:59:10,977 --> 00:59:13,104 (Jeremy) Happily, we got some luck. 700 00:59:13,187 --> 00:59:15,231 The Saxondale team had hit problems, 701 00:59:15,315 --> 00:59:18,776 so now all I had to do was nurse the car home. 702 00:59:20,153 --> 00:59:22,947 Come on, car. Please make it. 703 00:59:28,369 --> 00:59:31,623 This has been one of the best Top Gear companions of the lot, 704 00:59:31,664 --> 00:59:36,461 a repmobile, transformed in ten days into a racer. 705 00:59:39,088 --> 00:59:41,215 15 minutes to go. 706 00:59:42,842 --> 00:59:46,262 Starting to get a bit sloppy now. We're getting a few mistakes. 707 00:59:48,181 --> 00:59:50,892 (Jeremy) Five minutes to go and for the first time, 708 00:59:50,975 --> 00:59:54,020 and for the first time, I felt this pee-stained David among Goliaths 709 00:59:54,103 --> 00:59:57,607 was actually going to finish, and finish well. 710 00:59:59,692 --> 01:00:04,238 It wants to make the finishing line. I'm just willing it on. 711 01:00:09,118 --> 01:00:11,663 It's there! 712 01:00:15,541 --> 01:00:19,003 Y-e-e-e-e-s! 713 01:00:20,463 --> 01:00:22,757 You brilliant little car! 714 01:00:22,840 --> 01:00:25,218 God, this is just brilliant. 715 01:00:28,346 --> 01:00:30,473 It's absolutely epic. 716 01:00:31,473 --> 01:00:41,473 Downloaded From www.AllSubs.org