- 3 months ago
In Season 10 Episode 9 of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May enter their biggest automotive endurance challenge yet: the Britcar 24-Hour Endurance Race at Silverstone, driving a modified diesel BMW 330d (fuelled by their own homemade biodiesel) against seasoned professionals and high-octane machines. Meanwhile James May travels to Budapest to test the new Fiat 500, racing it through the city streets against BMX riders. Jeremy takes the ultra-rare Ascari A10 for a power-lap and review, comparing it to a Daihatsu Materia and claiming it beats the fastest time on the board. Celebrity guest Keith Allen takes on the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car segment. High drama, endurance racing, urban car vs bike action and exotic supercar thrills make this episode unforgettable.
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Follow our channel for more car crazed mayhem. Alot more episodes to come that you don't want to miss. Like our videos and share with other car lovers!!
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MotorTranscript
00:00:00Tonight, we take part in our first-ever motor race.
00:00:16James tests the new Fiat 500 near some youths on bicycles.
00:00:21And the Ascari A10. Just how fast is this thing?
00:00:30Hello, hello and welcome. Thanks very much, thank you.
00:00:38Now, last year, you may remember, we borrowed some tractors
00:00:42and we planted 25 acres of oilseed rape.
00:00:46The idea was that we were going to harvest it
00:00:48and then turn the seeds into juicy, eco-friendly petrol
00:00:53full of natural, dupe-t, farm-fresh goodness.
00:00:57Unfortunately, James bought the wrong seeds.
00:01:03We ended up with 500 gallons of, and there's no other way of saying this, diesel.
00:01:11500 gallons of haemorrhoid cream would have been more useful, honestly.
00:01:15We hate diesel, so we decided to burn it.
00:01:18Even though the three of us have no racing experience,
00:01:21we entered the Brick Car 24-hour race at Silverstone with a diesel car.
00:01:25Don't laugh, because, well, although the idea of us three racing is clearly preposterous,
00:01:30the idea of a diesel isn't.
00:01:31Because this year, Audi won the Le Mans 24-hour race in a diesel car.
00:01:37And largely because it didn't have to waste so much time in the pits refuelling.
00:01:42All we needed was a car, so we got one.
00:01:44And then, while James was moonlighting on his wine programme,
00:01:47Jeremy and I went down to the Top Gear Technology Centre.
00:01:50Here it is, the crucible of all our great inventions.
00:01:58This is the car we've bought.
00:02:00It's a BMW 330D, four years old, done 45,000 miles.
00:02:05We paid 11 grand for it.
00:02:07And now we must turn it into a racing car by bolting lots of racing car bits to it.
00:02:14The director of the Top Gear Technology Centre, Steve, would do all the trivial jobs,
00:02:20like the brakes, the engine, the suspension, and the electronics,
00:02:24while we did the big stuff.
00:02:26I had to do the race seat.
00:02:29Jeremy, meanwhile, had to install a long-range fuel tank.
00:02:32With that not done, I checked on Hammond.
00:02:58Yes!
00:03:00The office.
00:03:01That feels business-like.
00:03:03Hammond.
00:03:04What?
00:03:05Do you understand endurance racing?
00:03:07Yeah.
00:03:0824-hour race, three drivers.
00:03:09Do you want to hop out?
00:03:11So let's just say you do the first stint.
00:03:13Here's the driver change.
00:03:14You get out, the car's been refuelled.
00:03:16It's my turn to get in.
00:03:18It will be a bit of a squeeze for you.
00:03:20I grant you, it will be a bit of a squeeze.
00:03:21No, it won't be a bit of a squeeze, mate.
00:03:22It will be...
00:03:23There you go.
00:03:25You're in!
00:03:25All the other cars, those are the noises of them.
00:03:30Meanwhile, back in the Top Gear pit,
00:03:32Jeremy, you'd have to get a saw.
00:03:36Well, yeah.
00:03:39Right, I'll put the seat on runners so it'll be more boring.
00:03:43Next, we needed a drinks delivery system.
00:03:46Most are rubbish, so I made ours battery-powered.
00:03:50OK, so when you want to drink, which you will,
00:03:53you put that in your mouth, OK, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
00:03:56I'm squeezing it!
00:03:59Does that work?
00:04:02It's not brilliant, if I'm honest.
00:04:04Oh.
00:04:05Yeah, it's flawed.
00:04:07To make it look like a racing car, we needed sponsors' names.
00:04:11But sadly, because of BBC rules, we couldn't get real ones,
00:04:15so we just sort of made some up.
00:04:17Look at that!
00:04:18That was a racing car already!
00:04:20It looks like a race!
00:04:21It needed that, didn't it?
00:04:22With the car almost ready, our thoughts turned to the race itself.
00:04:27You know I said, how hard can it be when we started this?
00:04:30Yes.
00:04:32If I'm honest, I think it's going to be really hard.
00:04:35I'm quite glad you said that, because it's crossed my mind.
00:04:37I'm getting a bit nervous.
00:04:39I don't want to win, but I want people to take us seriously.
00:04:43Yeah, I just think we're going to look ridiculous.
00:04:49We arrived at Silverstone,
00:04:51assuming the Brick Car 24 would be an amateur event for beginners like us.
00:04:56We were badly wrong.
00:04:58In fact, our diesel Beamer would be up against 200-mile-an-hour supercars.
00:05:09The other drivers were chisel-jawed and battle-hardened.
00:05:14They had blue-chip sponsors, tons of equipment.
00:05:18They'd turned up with laptops and luxury motorhomes with girls in them.
00:05:24Our motorhome wasn't quite as professional as that.
00:05:28Nor was our catering.
00:05:30Nor was our car.
00:05:32In fact, nothing was.
00:05:36And then there was the question of us three.
00:05:39You do realise we are the only people in this field,
00:05:43the only people with one of these on the back.
00:05:46I meant... I did mean to ask, what is it?
00:05:48That means novice.
00:05:51Everybody else has done at least six races.
00:05:53Worse still, Richard had never been round Silverstone.
00:05:57The sum total of our experience is you've done...
00:06:00I've done a charity race in the Honda Civic.
00:06:02And you've done five laps in this.
00:06:04You've done no racing at all.
00:06:06You've done some laps, but not in this.
00:06:08I've done a race in a 2CV.
00:06:10I've never driven this, and I've never, ever been round Silverstone.
00:06:13We're not in good shape.
00:06:14A walk down the pits didn't exactly cheer us up, either.
00:06:20We haven't done that.
00:06:21No, we haven't got that.
00:06:22We haven't got this.
00:06:23We haven't got that.
00:06:24No, we haven't got that.
00:06:25We haven't got these.
00:06:25We haven't got these.
00:06:26Is this a diesel?
00:06:27Yeah.
00:06:28No.
00:06:28What is it? An M3?
00:06:30So this is an M3 BMW with a...
00:06:32It's a lot better than ours.
00:06:34Is it a diesel?
00:06:35No, no.
00:06:36M3.
00:06:36Sorry.
00:06:37You're in an M3.
00:06:38Please be nice to us.
00:06:39No.
00:06:40How can we get out of it?
00:06:41I'm seriously thinking of sitting down just before the race
00:06:43and drinking a bottle of Ozzy.
00:06:45Soon, though, it was time for qualifying.
00:06:49What if I have to get out of somebody's way to let them go by?
00:06:53I don't know.
00:06:56I don't know.
00:06:58This is, without any question or shadow of doubt,
00:07:00the scariest thing I've ever done.
00:07:02Yes.
00:07:02I've broken his head.
00:07:06That's bad.
00:07:11For qualifying, we had to do a minimum of three laps each,
00:07:16and the quickest time from our team would decide
00:07:18our place on the starting grid.
00:07:22I went first.
00:07:29Back through a bridge.
00:07:30Don't lift.
00:07:30Don't lift.
00:07:31Don't lift.
00:07:32Don't lift.
00:07:32Don't lift.
00:07:33Don't lift.
00:07:33Don't lift.
00:07:35I've got another M3 coming up behind me.
00:07:38He's ruining my bloody lap.
00:07:40What an absolute f***.
00:07:42He ruined my lap.
00:07:43The lap's gone.
00:07:45Maybe Captain Slow would have better luck.
00:07:50Oh, my God.
00:07:519-11's everywhere.
00:07:53Don't be intimidated.
00:07:54Just keep going.
00:07:56May was back astonishingly quickly.
00:07:59In fact, too quickly.
00:08:01James, did you do three laps?
00:08:05Two.
00:08:06You haven't done a fast lap.
00:08:07Yeah, I just did a fast lap.
00:08:08You can't do it in two.
00:08:09I'm sure I did.
00:08:10You didn't.
00:08:12Right.
00:08:13How could you not count?
00:08:16Hammond, meanwhile, had no idea where he was going.
00:08:19This is maggot.
00:08:21Or beckett.
00:08:23Or veil.
00:08:24Or chapel.
00:08:26We'd planned to leave Richard out there so he could learn the track,
00:08:29but now we had to get him in so James could go back out.
00:08:33As cock-ups go, I've watched Formula One since I was that high.
00:08:37I've never seen anybody ever, ever forget to do a flying lap.
00:08:43Qualifying was turning into a shambles.
00:08:46And when we tuned into the circuit TV, that went wrong as well.
00:08:50We were a laughing stock, but we still had an ace up our sleeves.
00:08:57A fourth driver.
00:09:03Yeah, they weren't ready for that.
00:09:07Can you do 24 hours straight?
00:09:12With the stick at the wheel, we were in business.
00:09:152, 24.
00:09:22We're not bottom!
00:09:24Boston Bowl.
00:09:25Let's go down there and mop.
00:09:28Sadly, we couldn't.
00:09:30Because this was a 24-hour race,
00:09:33we also had to do three practice laps at night.
00:09:43Fears come back badly.
00:09:44Look, my fears come back, hideously.
00:09:46Yeah, it's really terrible.
00:09:47It's looking at you, it's making me more scared.
00:09:49I went first, and it turned out my fears were justified.
00:09:55People are trying to get round with us, lights everywhere.
00:09:59Jeez, and when?
00:10:00I don't remember anything.
00:10:02This really is all you can see.
00:10:04You have to aim for corners and just sort of hope they're still there.
00:10:08It's terrifying.
00:10:09I've got nobody to follow.
00:10:11Oh, God.
00:10:12Then it was Jeremy's turn.
00:10:20Holy cow, I can't see a thing.
00:10:21He tried to cure the lack of visibility with speed.
00:10:25I just took bridge corner, flat.
00:10:27First time out.
00:10:28Oh, s***, I'm off.
00:10:31People behind must be thinking, who is this clown?
00:10:34Amazingly, the Stig went faster at night than he had in the day, and put us an astonishing 42nd on the grid.
00:10:43Yeah!
00:10:46First race!
00:10:47Yeah!
00:10:47Don't touch him!
00:10:48James, it's Richard.
00:10:49James, it's Richard.
00:10:50What's happened? Tell us.
00:10:51No, throttle went mad. Gearbox seemed to explode. Everything. Hang on, I'm coming in.
00:11:05We now had a good starting spot on the grid, but nothing to start with. Our 11,000-pound Rettmobile was in serious trouble.
00:11:18That's made a mess of them.
00:11:20Our race chief reckoned we'd blown the turbo, the clutch, and the flywheel.
00:11:26But we never quit.
00:11:28Top gear technology centre, innit?
00:11:31While Steve set about the car, we set about our high-energy supper.
00:11:36I'm not worried that it's not going to be fixed.
00:11:39No, Steve won't fix it.
00:11:40The only worry I have is that if Steve has to work through the night tonight, to fix it, when we do the race tomorrow, he has to work through tomorrow night.
00:11:49It's a three-day.
00:11:50Hmm.
00:11:50Yeah.
00:11:52I'm not bothered about that either, as now I've come to think of it.
00:12:00So, to summarise, the car was broken, we were all rubbish, James' zip was stuck, and we'd accidentally written ass biscuits on the driver's door.
00:12:10Kind of par for the course, really, with Top Gear.
00:12:12We just expected the race to be the usual fare, you know, everything would catch fire, and then we'd all drown.
00:12:17We were quite looking forward to it.
00:12:19And then we went to visit the team that qualified last.
00:12:22Yeah, to laugh at them.
00:12:23Yeah, but they told us that they qualified last, the year before, as well.
00:12:27But by being consistent and not making any mistakes, their Golf Diesel finished 13th overall.
00:12:33They'd beaten M3s, 911s, and even the old Viper.
00:12:36Yeah, and this gave us an idea.
00:12:38We thought, if we take this seriously, maybe our BMW diesel could finish in the Top Ten.
00:12:46Hmm, well, we'll see how that pans out later on.
00:12:49But now it's time for the news, and there isn't any.
00:12:52And even if there were, we haven't got time for it because we've got such a packed programme.
00:12:55So, we must move on to the 1950s.
00:12:57James.
00:12:57Over the past few years, many car manufacturers have been reinventing their old models from the past.
00:13:06Where you live.
00:13:08Volkswagen has given us the new Beetle.
00:13:11BMW, of course, reinvented the Mini.
00:13:13And now, there's another one.
00:13:14And here it is.
00:13:20It's called the Fiat 500, and it's virtually a carbon copy of their legendary car from the 50s,
00:13:26which was called, uh, the Fiat 500.
00:13:31Now, the original car was small and ruthlessly simple.
00:13:35You could even buy spares from your local newsagents.
00:13:37It was the last word in cheap utilitarian transport for the masses.
00:13:46Now, let me say straight from the off that this is not small, cheap, utilitarian transport for the masses.
00:13:54Under this retro body, it's based on the current Fiat Panda.
00:13:59And without wishing to get all bar humbug about it, the Panda is bigger, it's more practical, and it's about a grand cheaper.
00:14:06So, with your beige trousers on, that's the one you'd buy.
00:14:10But the Panda is just a car, whereas this is a car and a fashion item.
00:14:16And you'd have to say that on the style front, Fiat's done rather a good job.
00:14:24I mean, everything in here wasn't on the original 500.
00:14:27It's got automatic air conditioning and electric windows and buttons on the steering wheel.
00:14:32But the feel of it, this pseudo-metal dash and these buttons and the big single instrument and so on, it even has a retro horn.
00:14:43Prices start at £8,000, which means although it is dearer than a Panda, it's a good three grand less than the cheapest Mini.
00:14:50And although it's about six inches shorter than a Mini, it's actually more spacious inside.
00:14:58But the thing about the Mini is that under its retro skin, it drives brilliantly.
00:15:04So the question now is, has Fiat pulled off the same trick?
00:15:08Well, it's home turf will be the city, so we've brought it to one, Budapest, in Hungary.
00:15:19I've come here because a couple of years ago I raced some parkour jumpers through Liverpool in a Peugeot 207 and lost.
00:15:27And now some blokes have been in touch and said, how do you fancy losing again?
00:15:31The difference this time is that they're not big, tough parkour jumpers.
00:15:38They're actually just scallywags on BMX bikes.
00:15:41These wasters just ride around aimlessly like those kids in the E.T. film.
00:15:46So to borrow the phrase of the ancient philosopher Clarksonius, 4th century BC, how hard can it be?
00:15:55The race covers eight miles and starts in the old part of the city, Buda.
00:16:00We go down the hill, across the bridge into Pest, onto the edge of the city and the giant industrial area,
00:16:06where we will finish in the biggest bicycle factory of the Soviet era.
00:16:13Three, two, one, go!
00:16:20And we're off.
00:16:24Hee, hee, hee!
00:16:26And I've lost sight of them already.
00:16:38But I'm going to last long doing that sort of thing.
00:16:42On the hairpins down the hill, the handling was classic Italian town car.
00:16:47Ooh, quite a bit of body roll, but it's fine.
00:16:50It just adds to the amusement value.
00:17:00Leaving the old town, heading towards the bridge, and the BMX bandits were struggling to keep up.
00:17:10Bloody hell.
00:17:10But the bandits are made of stern stuff.
00:17:14And on the snarled-up bridge, I lost my lead.
00:17:18But only for a moment.
00:17:20Right, this is a crucial overtaking opportunity.
00:17:23I know what I can do here.
00:17:25Then we hit red lights, which I couldn't get round.
00:17:28No!
00:17:29But they could.
00:17:30Oh, come on.
00:17:47Since I was losing, I got back to road testing.
00:17:50You can have this car with 1.2 or 1.4 litre petrol engines,
00:17:55or you can have the engine I have here, which is the diesel, which is rubbish.
00:18:00The whole point of a small Fiat is that you have a very small engine in it,
00:18:06powered by petrol.
00:18:07You rev it, and rev it, and rev it, until the valves come out and dance around on top of the bonnet.
00:18:12And then you change gear.
00:18:15I'd lost all sight of the bandits.
00:18:18Yet again, they'd gone to ground.
00:18:23Oh!
00:18:24Oh!
00:18:25Something I really like here is the rev counter and the speedometer.
00:18:41One is inside the other, so the speed chases the revs up and down the dial.
00:18:45It's terrific.
00:18:45On the edge of town, still close, we entered the great Soviet industrial park
00:18:53for the final stage of the race.
00:18:56Bicycles!
00:19:02Oh, crikey.
00:19:07Oh, diesel.
00:19:08Where the hell are those people?
00:19:24There they are.
00:19:27I can see them in the mirror.
00:19:30I'll watch this.
00:19:31I'm very skillful here.
00:19:32I can box them in a bit.
00:19:34They are parked on a lorry.
00:19:35Riproduzione continua attivata.
00:19:39What?
00:19:44No!
00:19:47Ah!
00:19:48I can see the flag.
00:19:50Oh, no, I can see them.
00:19:56No!
00:19:57Oh, cock.
00:19:59In Hungarian.
00:20:00Are you lost?
00:20:07Congratulations.
00:20:08Well done.
00:20:09Now go and get a proper bike.
00:20:12You get a proper car.
00:20:13Yeah, yeah.
00:20:19That wasn't really a race, was it?
00:20:21No.
00:20:23That was a road test of a Fiat 500, punctuated by some children on BMX bicycles leaping over
00:20:28things, for no apparent reason.
00:20:30Yeah, now the thing is, when you came back from Hungary, you said you prefer the Panda
00:20:33to this.
00:20:34Yes.
00:20:35The Panda is actually more fun to drive.
00:20:38And to be honest, this is a bit too oochie-coochie-coo.
00:20:40Who here would rather have a Panda than one of these?
00:20:43You see, no one.
00:20:44A hundred percent of the British population think you're wrong.
00:20:47But?
00:20:47But nothing.
00:20:49Because it's now time to put a star in our reasonably priced car.
00:20:52And I'm a guest tonight, has been a doctor, he's been murdered, he was recently appointed
00:20:57the Sheriff of Nottingham, and his real life is even more far-fetched.
00:21:01Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, Keith Allen!
00:21:03Now, where do we start with you?
00:21:17You've got eight children by seven women.
00:21:20No, not true.
00:21:20Seven children by six?
00:21:22No.
00:21:22How many?
00:21:23Don't know.
00:21:26Officially, you've got eight children by seven women.
00:21:28Well, of course...
00:21:29Six by four.
00:21:30Six by four, is it?
00:21:31I believe so, yes.
00:21:32You had a pet lion when you were squatting, you've been to a comprehensive school, public
00:21:35school, Borstel and detention centre.
00:21:37Yep.
00:21:38Was the Borstel fun?
00:21:39It was the best of the lot.
00:21:40Was it?
00:21:41Yeah.
00:21:41Wasn't it all marching, though, in Borstels?
00:21:43Yeah, but there's a great way to undermine marching.
00:21:45How?
00:21:46Well, you're supposed to march like that, aren't you?
00:21:48Yeah.
00:21:49But with enough work, you can go, one, two, three, squat, one, two, three, and then you
00:21:54can do that.
00:21:54And you get everybody doing that?
00:21:55Yeah, of course.
00:21:56It's fun.
00:21:56One of my highlights, having looked into your past, is why you got expelled from boarding
00:22:01school.
00:22:01Well, there were a lot of contributing factors, and the major one was, I went into the chapel
00:22:11and changed all the organ pipes.
00:22:15That is an amazing job.
00:22:17This is fantastic.
00:22:18And today, we will sing Jerusalem.
00:22:22What's that?
00:22:23What's that?
00:22:23That's a brilliant, you see, I've always loved intelligent vandalism.
00:22:28Well, I don't know, like an idiot, you know, when they all went off and everyone's going,
00:22:31who's that?
00:22:31It's me going.
00:22:31Now, your car history is, well, it's not exactly conventional money.
00:22:38I suppose we wouldn't have expected it to be conventional, to be honest.
00:22:40No, my first car was an A35, and then my second car was a Morris 1000, with a Riley 1444
00:22:47engine.
00:22:47Is that interesting?
00:22:50I thought that if you could cut this interview together in a certain way, at least it looked
00:22:55like it had something to do with the car.
00:22:56No, you are.
00:22:56I mean, are you a car fan?
00:22:58No, I'm not, because I've got to say, I keep my cars until they're dead, and then I'll
00:23:03buy another one.
00:23:03My car at the moment is a 1994 Jag XJ6 3.2.
00:23:103.2?
00:23:11I had one of those.
00:23:12And I'll keep that until I run it into the ground, because I'm quite into, believe it
00:23:15or not, Jeremy, saving the planet, and I believe you are as well.
00:23:18Oh, yeah.
00:23:18I think you're a much misunderstood man.
00:23:24You did keep a pig in your car.
00:23:26Yeah, I was doing a film in Wales, and my co-star was a piglet, and they thought it would
00:23:32be a really good idea if I went up to meet the piglet and took it home with me.
00:23:36Why did they think that was...
00:23:37Well, so that it gets used to you, that you get on with it.
00:23:40Oh, yeah.
00:23:41Stuff like that.
00:23:42So I did.
00:23:42I took it back to my partner, who really didn't want a pig in their house, so I kept it in the
00:23:48car.
00:23:49Mm-hmm.
00:23:50Not a very wise move.
00:23:53Because it's in the handbrake.
00:23:56Of course, I hadn't realised till the next sunny day, and it was...
00:24:00Yes.
00:24:02Well, there we are.
00:24:03You're in good shape with your 3.2 and your Riley Engine Mark II to take on our lap.
00:24:07Oh, God.
00:24:08Now, are you a thrill seeker in any way?
00:24:13What do you think?
00:24:14I think you probably aren't.
00:24:16I suspect that you do quite like a buzz.
00:24:18Yeah, I mean, there is a part of me...
00:24:20Basically, when you come and do this, I've got to say it's the most terrifying experience
00:24:25of your life.
00:24:27Right?
00:24:28You know when you see Ski Sunday, and they're coming down the mountain, you just think,
00:24:32I can do that.
00:24:33Do you know what I mean?
00:24:34Because what you do is you think it's going like that, but actually it's going like that,
00:24:37and you don't see that on television.
00:24:39What?
00:24:39The track does that.
00:24:40No.
00:24:41I swear to you, the first time you get in the car with that Tibetan Stig, and he starts
00:24:50going round the track, and I've got to say, he said it's the worst weather he'd ever experienced
00:24:53here.
00:24:54That's what he told me.
00:24:55Yeah.
00:24:55And you get on this straight, and there's a kind of some tyres there.
00:24:58You think, well, he's obviously not turning there.
00:25:01If you go straight on here at 100 miles per hour, what are you doing?
00:25:04And I swear to you, and then he turned it, and he lost it, and he was so apologetic.
00:25:09He lost it.
00:25:11I'm telling you, we skidded for 300 yards.
00:25:14Are you saying the Stig span?
00:25:16Well, hang on, Stig, what about me, innit?
00:25:21I'm genuinely starting.
00:25:22I've never, as I saw him hit the tyres in a Koenigsegg one.
00:25:25Honestly, I swear to you, at the end of it, he was going, I've never done that.
00:25:28I've never done that.
00:25:28Well, no.
00:25:29In Tibetan, I've never done that.
00:25:30Well, of course, you did eventually get into the car by yourself, and we have a clip
00:25:35of one of your early practice, sir.
00:25:38Who'd like to see that?
00:25:39And this is what happened.
00:25:43Here we go.
00:25:44Oh, that's an easy...
00:25:46And it's like, you lose it that way, then that way, then that way, then that way, then
00:25:49that way, and then spin, yes!
00:25:55That's the best spin.
00:25:57That is so much spin.
00:26:00Right, who would like to see Keith's real laugh?
00:26:03Okay, play the tape.
00:26:05Oh, I see what you mean about that.
00:26:07What's going on there?
00:26:08Look at the windscreen wipers.
00:26:09Okay, let's have this.
00:26:11That is a really wet day.
00:26:16That's like Steve Coogan came here once.
00:26:17I was telling you, it was horrendous.
00:26:19Well, that's properly our pleasure.
00:26:23Nevertheless, that's a good line.
00:26:26Here we go, Chicago.
00:26:28Aiming for the tyres.
00:26:29Look!
00:26:29One mile an hour.
00:26:30You would get...
00:26:31I promise you.
00:26:31I know.
00:26:32Oh, that's good.
00:26:33No, that is good.
00:26:35In those conditions, I wouldn't want to be going.
00:26:37Here we go.
00:26:37This is always a tricky one.
00:26:38Put the cone out so you can see where the corner is.
00:26:41It's nicely done.
00:26:42I went round.
00:26:44It's nicely done, Keith.
00:26:45You've got nothing to do.
00:26:46I tried to hit the cameraman here.
00:26:47I did.
00:26:48I did.
00:26:50Right, here we go.
00:26:51You missed that.
00:26:51Oh, that's dangerous.
00:26:52Going across the road.
00:26:53Look at that.
00:26:53Look.
00:26:54That's 100 miles an hour.
00:26:56I believe in you, Steve.
00:26:57I do believe in you.
00:26:58I came off much later then.
00:27:00I'm going for it.
00:27:01What did the 100s do there?
00:27:04And now getting even faster going down here.
00:27:10You're not enjoying the car, Chris.
00:27:11Oh, my God.
00:27:13And here we go.
00:27:13Round Gambon.
00:27:15Oh, nicely held.
00:27:16Bit of a slide there.
00:27:16And there we are across the line.
00:27:27Well, here we are.
00:27:28Now, obviously, that was pouring.
00:27:31It was pouring down.
00:27:31Standing water the lot.
00:27:32So, realistically, you've got to take four seconds, probably.
00:27:36Four seconds off.
00:27:37So, where do you reckon?
00:27:38Well, I'll tell you what.
00:27:39When you say, when you say one minute, if it has the word 40 in it, I don't care what
00:27:46else it is, I'll be pleased.
00:27:48Yeah, well, it can't because it's pouring with rain.
00:27:50No, I know that.
00:27:51So, you get to take four seconds off in your mind.
00:27:53You ready?
00:27:54So, it's 150.
00:27:55Oh.
00:27:55Nah.
00:27:57It's not embarrassing in the rain.
00:27:59151.7.
00:28:02Poor.
00:28:02So, you go.
00:28:06You.
00:28:06Oh, oh, oh.
00:28:08Oh, there.
00:28:11Oh, wait a minute.
00:28:13I'll give you a very wet, all right?
00:28:16So, if you took the four seconds off, I would actually have 147 points.
00:28:20Yeah, you would have been right up with the Trevor Eves and the Lawrence Delaglio.
00:28:24Oh, okay.
00:28:24Fair enough.
00:28:24And that is, I promise you, that was very good driving, and I'm not making that up.
00:28:29Does Lily want to come down and do it?
00:28:30Yeah, desperate.
00:28:31Does she?
00:28:31Oh, yeah, yeah.
00:28:32We've never had father and daughter before.
00:28:34Yeah, she desperately wants to do it.
00:28:35What if she beat you?
00:28:36I wouldn't mind her, as long as she's alive.
00:28:38Well, of course she's going to be alive.
00:28:41At the end of it.
00:28:42Yeah, Keith, it's been a pleasure to have you down here.
00:28:45Absolute star.
00:28:46Thank you so much for coming.
00:28:47Ladies and gentlemen, Keith Allen!
00:28:48Thank you very much.
00:28:49Thank you, Keith.
00:28:50Very good.
00:28:50And that's a good time.
00:28:53No, it's good.
00:28:54It's good.
00:28:57Now, bad news.
00:29:00Jeremy was summoned to the producer's office this week and told no more supercars on our
00:29:05test track for this series.
00:29:07He was, I know, he was most insistent.
00:29:09He said we'd had too many, and it was time Jeremy went out and reviewed a proper family car.
00:29:15So, here we go.
00:29:19This is a Daihatsu Materia.
00:29:22It's a small and easy to park five-door hatchback.
00:29:28Now, what I thought I'd do is compare it to a rival, a competitor product of some sort.
00:29:34The producer liked that idea very much.
00:29:36So, what I've done is brought along this.
00:29:47It's the Ascari A10.
00:29:49A carbon fibre powerhouse with a five litre V8 from an old BMW M5 in the back.
00:29:55I think it's better looking than the Daihatsu.
00:30:01And with 625 horsepower on tap, it's also much louder.
00:30:09Quicker too.
00:30:11In fact, it's quicker than almost anything.
00:30:17It is insanely fast.
00:30:23Put your foot down and instantly somewhere else.
00:30:28Very, very far away from where you were.
00:30:300 to 60, takes 2.8 seconds.
00:30:37Flat out, you'll be doing 215 miles an hour and sign language for the rest of your life.
00:30:45Because you'll be deaf.
00:30:47Of course, you might imagine that because it was conceived by a Dutch billionaire
00:31:13and built on an industrial estate in Banbury, that it's all a bit half-cocked.
00:31:22And sure, the interior is as luxurious and as well-finished as an army Land Rover.
00:31:29But the way this thing drives beggars belief.
00:31:32It's funny because it's not a heavy car, this.
00:31:45It doesn't weigh much more than a family hatchback.
00:31:48But it feels like it's running on coal.
00:31:52It feels like it's from the industrial revolution.
00:31:55It feels like I should really be sitting here with a dirty face and a davey laugh.
00:32:06I just love this sequential gearbox.
00:32:09It's as badly as Laurence Delaglio's jockstrap.
00:32:13And then there's the steering, which is even better.
00:32:24Because it's so good, it's so perfectly weighted.
00:32:29You have the confidence to take this car by the wedding bed.
00:32:36And go absolutely berserk.
00:32:39It's a staggering car, this.
00:32:55Like a Koenigsegg, only a million times more manageable.
00:33:02But how does it compare to the Daihatsu materia?
00:33:06Well, in a number of crucial areas, not well.
00:33:13The Daihatsu has a seedy auto-changer, an airbag, five seats and a big boot.
00:33:20The Asghari has none of these things.
00:33:23You can't even understand the dashboard.
00:33:25What's more, the Daihatsu is £339,000 cheaper than the A10, and much more economical.
00:33:39And then, there's the cornering.
00:33:45It's a cold November day, but trust me, I'm sweating in here now.
00:33:50No anti-lock brakes.
00:33:56No traction control.
00:33:58The only thing keeping this pointed in the right direction is me.
00:34:04Whoops.
00:34:05Now, look at this.
00:34:11Note how the Daihatsu gets round the same corner without crashing once.
00:34:16And what's more, in a straight line at 85 miles an hour, it'll easily overtake the Asghari when it's doing 70.
00:34:25Choosing between these two, then, is not easy.
00:34:28Certainly, the Daihatsu is very good, but I think, on balance, I'd choose the big, yellow, shouty car instead.
00:34:36You were supposed to test a family car.
00:34:51I did.
00:34:51Yeah, so look at this chart, OK?
00:34:53The Daihatsu is considerably cheaper.
00:34:55It's insurance group 8, not 20.
00:34:5746 miles per gallon, not 9 miles per gallon.
00:35:00More doors, more seats.
00:35:01Look at this.
00:35:02The Asghari, it doesn't even have inertial seatbelts.
00:35:06Yeah, no, I hear what you say, but the Asghari is much faster.
00:35:11And now we're going to find out exactly how fast by handing it over to our tame racing driver.
00:35:16Some say that he once lost a canoe on a beach in the northeast.
00:35:22And that he once did some time in a prison in Canterbury because his teddy is called the Baby Jesus.
00:35:29All we know is he's called the Stig.
00:35:33And he's off.
00:35:36Nice, clean start there.
00:35:38But listen to that noise.
00:35:40It's like Victorian Manchester is trying to escape from the exhaust.
00:35:43OK, now unleashing Grumillion Fury through there.
00:35:48Looking remarkably tidy.
00:35:49Mild drift maybe at the end.
00:35:51Oh, now no Stig audio nonsense this week because the Asghari has no stereo.
00:35:56And anyway, you wouldn't hear it over the sound of men in stovepipe hats furiously smelting.
00:36:01Hammerhead, this catches out some mid-engine cars, but not this one.
00:36:06Look at that.
00:36:07Now, Van Tulfit's superstonic steam train is off.
00:36:13Right, now a chance to really open up that BMW engine.
00:36:15Well, I say BMW, actually it feels more like it was made by James Watt.
00:36:20That is fast.
00:36:22OK, now two corners left.
00:36:23This could be a seriously good time.
00:36:26Just look how controlled it is through there.
00:36:28Now coming through Gambon.
00:36:30Again, controlled.
00:36:31And across the line.
00:36:32Now, because this has a hydraulic lifting nose, which we can see here, it is able to get over speed bumps.
00:36:45And that means it is a road carer and that means it can go on our board.
00:36:49But can it beat the Koenigsegg?
00:36:51Which is a what?
00:36:51117.6.
00:36:54Well, this did it in 117.3.
00:37:00It's the new lap record holder, the fastest car ever to go around our track.
00:37:09Now, earlier on, we entered a 24-hour race at Silverstone, and thanks to the Stig, we qualified 42nd out of 59 starters.
00:37:17But there were a few problems.
00:37:19We had no racing experience, I'd never even driven around Silverstone,
00:37:22and we were using a second-hand diesel BMW that we'd turned into a racing car ourselves.
00:37:27And at the end of the qualifying session, it was all badly broken.
00:37:32Still, we were confident that it would be fixed and ready for the off.
00:37:37So, race day.
00:37:39The crowds were flocking in, and we were summoned to the driver's briefing.
00:37:43The Stig will be supervised, and then you will be released.
00:37:46The Stig, however, found this a bit dreary.
00:37:49On the way to the penalty box or leaving the penalty box, neither can you stop in the refueling area on your way to the penalty box.
00:37:59You need to go to your pit or you need to go and refuel...
00:38:01Afterwards, there was a half-hour shakedown session.
00:38:10Now, we hoped that after a whole night in the workshop, our car would be fixed so Hammond could get out there and learn the track.
00:38:17But it was not to be.
00:38:18We've just discovered, having replaced the turbo, the inlet manifold, the clutch and the flywheel, all last night, is that now there's diesel in the sump, which is what, a pump or the injectors?
00:38:30We don't know yet.
00:38:34It turned out to be the fuel pump, which was a bit embarrassing for us three.
00:38:38What they're saying is that our farm fresh morning dew diesel has got too much methanol in it, which is eating the fuel seals and fuels getting out.
00:38:51So, how long is it going to take to fix the fuel pump? It's not five minutes, presumably.
00:38:54In theory, to do the job in a workshop, it's a six-hour job.
00:38:57So...
00:38:57No, six hours takes us to... We miss the stuff. We miss the race.
00:39:00We think there's a bit of work in it. We've got some guys to pick up some special tools now.
00:39:03Probably doing about two and a half.
00:39:04Well, where are they?
00:39:05Milton Keynes, our place, Milton Keynes.
00:39:06We haven't gone down to Milton Keynes to pick them up.
00:39:07There's a man the way there now.
00:39:08You're talking about it's impossible to have this car running until quarter past three.
00:39:13And we have to be on the grid at four o'clock, five to four.
00:39:16Five to four, yeah.
00:39:17And if we're not there, we have to start from the pit lane.
00:39:19Yeah.
00:39:22So, if the man didn't get back from Milton Keynes in time, we wouldn't be starting in 42nd place.
00:39:28We'd be starting from the pit lane in 59th place at the back.
00:39:33Still, we had to be optimistic, so we meant to decide who'd drive first.
00:39:37The fact of the matter is this.
00:39:41At the beginning of the race, it's really jammed up.
00:39:43You're going to get wedged in.
00:39:44You're going to be caught up in other people's accidents.
00:39:46It's a waste of time putting him out.
00:39:49Because if he goes out first, he's just going to get held back.
00:39:53So when it all strings out later in the 24 hours, you put him out.
00:39:56Let's, okay, go with your theory.
00:39:59So which one of us three goes first?
00:40:01In that case, it should be me.
00:40:02Yes, except you're on cold tyres.
00:40:04It's just literally, it's like driving on ice.
00:40:06And it's not you, because you're a car breaker.
00:40:09You have an aggressive driving style.
00:40:11Hang on, when it comes to aggression, it's on...
00:40:13Let's look at any of your power tests.
00:40:15Yeah.
00:40:16What?
00:40:17You're not exactly gentle on them, are you?
00:40:19No, you aren't.
00:40:19This was hopeless, so we used a more scientific method.
00:40:23We've got to decide which one of us drives first.
00:40:27Stig!
00:40:27Stig!
00:40:29Stig?
00:40:30Stig!
00:40:31Stig!
00:40:31Stig!
00:40:31Stig!
00:40:32Stig!
00:40:32Stig!
00:40:32Stig!
00:40:35With two hours to go, the other teams were pretty much ready.
00:40:39Us, however?
00:40:41Whatever you do, don't go downstairs and look at the car.
00:40:46It's got no front end.
00:40:48No lights, no radiator, no bumper, no splitter,
00:40:52no front of the engine, no bonnet.
00:40:54That fuel pump thing is right in the bowels of the thing.
00:40:57They've got the whole front off.
00:40:59I'm trying to think what it's like trying to repair something in France
00:41:01from this end of the channel tunnel.
00:41:03James will be exaggerated.
00:41:04James isn't exaggerating.
00:41:06And it's leaking.
00:41:09I watch Formula One a lot, and I've never in the whole time I've watched it
00:41:12seen a Formula One car two hours before a race looking like that.
00:41:23With an hour to go, finally, some good news.
00:41:27Excellent.
00:41:29Fuel pump is on.
00:41:30So you watch this, ready?
00:41:31Pop it in, and away he goes.
00:41:36Now he'll have the engine fixed in no time.
00:41:38Easy now.
00:41:39I don't want that back, Steve.
00:41:40It's fine.
00:41:41You can keep it.
00:41:42We were cheering up.
00:41:45But honestly, our second-hand rep-mobile was beginning to look like classic Top Gear.
00:41:50Ambitious, but rubbish.
00:41:52And so it turned out to be.
00:41:58Steve's team had done the fastest rebuild in history.
00:42:01But it wasn't fast enough.
00:42:09As the other cars lined up on the grid, ours was still in the garage.
00:42:14We missed it.
00:42:15We never made it.
00:42:16Now, we'd have to start from the back.
00:42:22And if we couldn't get it started in 30 minutes, we wouldn't be starting at all.
00:42:34Just 20 minutes to go, our super green eco car finally coughed into life.
00:42:39Nobody's going to overtake us with this coming out of the back.
00:42:42But then...
00:42:43Well, it's only running on five cylinders.
00:42:45Injected six isn't working.
00:42:46That could be a simple fix.
00:42:48It might be horrible.
00:42:55So how long have we got?
00:42:57Three minutes.
00:43:06They're on their parade lap.
00:43:09When they came back round again, the flag would drop and the race would start.
00:43:13We had just over two minutes.
00:43:20They're going to be back.
00:43:22Stig's in. Stig's getting in.
00:43:24Stig's getting in.
00:43:24The Stig had to be at the end of the pit lane before the last car crossed the line.
00:43:39I had never felt tension like it.
00:43:42Come on, come on, come on.
00:43:43They're past, though.
00:43:47Shit.
00:43:47That's dead.
00:43:48And we are racing.
00:44:03He done it!
00:44:05That's it.
00:44:05We're in the race.
00:44:08I cannot believe that.
00:44:10I really mind.
00:44:12No test on that car at all.
00:44:13Nope.
00:44:14It's out there now for 24 hours.
00:44:15Yep.
00:44:15It looked a bit smoky, but it had the Stig at the wheel.
00:44:20And this is what he does best.
00:44:30Type R's, Porsches, M3's, despite his diesel engine.
00:44:34He had the lot.
00:44:38Have you seen his time?
00:44:39He's just done a 217.
00:44:41No, I'm sorry, 260.
00:44:42Whoa!
00:44:43He's just taken another second off it.
00:44:45How many people he's faster than already?
00:44:49Look, all this is quicker than...
00:44:50Every single one he's faster than.
00:44:56Stig is now 13 seconds a lap quicker than the next diesel.
00:45:02Is that having started in 59th place, we are now in 39th place.
00:45:10So he's made up 20 places in...
00:45:12One hour and 20 minutes.
00:45:14But my worry is now that we're going too hard on it.
00:45:20Over the next 20 minutes, the state climbed another two places,
00:45:24but then James' negative waves hit home.
00:45:28And hit hard.
00:45:36That's not a good sign.
00:45:37Did it fill with smoke?
00:45:44Did it lose power?
00:45:47It would help, of course, if we could call to the driver and find out what actually happened out there,
00:45:52but it's just stopped working, like a TV on standby.
00:45:56We needed a tiny piece for the fuel injection system, and predictably we didn't have it.
00:46:01But mysteriously, ten minutes later, we did.
00:46:05This is it.
00:46:06Somebody in the car parts going home on five cylinders.
00:46:08The breakdown had cost us half an hour, and because the Stig had got out of the car,
00:46:16the rules said he couldn't get back in again until someone else had had a go.
00:46:21That meant he'd only done half his three-hour stint.
00:46:25We've lost an hour and a half of Stig racing time.
00:46:28Yeah, I agree.
00:46:29That's a shame.
00:46:29But let's get on with it.
00:46:32The Christian motorist was now in the hot seat.
00:46:36Absolutely everything going past, but never mind.
00:46:41Really desperate for a wee now.
00:46:42Oh, man, I'm struggling.
00:46:43I didn't know it would take you this long for him to get around.
00:46:48Doing the best.
00:46:512.30 is not bad.
00:46:54Come on, that's steady.
00:46:55That's what the cold guys are doing.
00:46:57Nice guy.
00:46:57A few minutes later, though, something amazing happened.
00:47:02I'm overtaking Sub 1.
00:47:05Don't need to get all daft and giddy, okay?
00:47:07You just did a 2.24.
00:47:09I'm f***ing loving this.
00:47:11Things were going well.
00:47:13James wasn't quite as slow as expected.
00:47:16And unlike the petrol cars,
00:47:17which needed a five-minute fuel stop every hour,
00:47:20our tank would last three times that.
00:47:30As night began to fall,
00:47:32the sheer effort required for endurance racing began to tell.
00:47:36James was tired out, too.
00:47:44His lap times were tumbling.
00:47:49Normally, I'd be on the phone to him now,
00:47:51being fatuous and stupid and telling him
00:47:52he's captain's low and he's got to hurry up.
00:47:54But honestly, the absolute last thing you want
00:47:57is anyone clowning around on your headphones, on your radio.
00:48:00There's so much to think about.
00:48:03You know, where's the corner?
00:48:04Where's the other car?
00:48:05What gear should I be in?
00:48:06When do I break?
00:48:06I can't think about being a TV presenter.
00:48:08You can't think about anything.
00:48:1090 minutes into his stint,
00:48:12the inevitable happened.
00:48:13Even though the car was good for another 90 minutes,
00:48:21we had to rest James.
00:48:24How slippery are new tyres?
00:48:26Really?
00:48:27Honestly, yeah.
00:48:28It's just...
00:48:28Good luck, mate!
00:48:32Please, God, don't let me mess this up.
00:48:34My nerves calmed as I realised
00:48:41that Steve, builder's crack or not,
00:48:43knew what he was doing.
00:48:45Steve, you've built one!
00:48:47Have a car here!
00:48:48It's so utterly joyous and lovely to drive.
00:48:52And he's already got a personality now
00:48:54of just having made the start and...
00:48:56Whoa!
00:48:58God, we're good under brakes.
00:49:00It didn't have much straight-line speed,
00:49:03but through the corners, it was astonishing.
00:49:05I even went on the offensive.
00:49:10I'm coming up behind those Italians
00:49:12in the 1 Series.
00:49:14Look at this.
00:49:15Neck of nose.
00:49:15He's come across my nose.
00:49:17We saved you from the Germans,
00:49:19and that's what I get.
00:49:21Don't wreck the car.
00:49:24As the night wore on,
00:49:25other cars were breaking down,
00:49:27but the little BMW pounded on.
00:49:31Thanks, mate.
00:49:33And when I finished my stint,
00:49:34we were up to 37th place.
00:49:40What a truly fantastic way
00:49:42of spending an evening.
00:49:44As my first ever racing lap of Silverstone
00:49:47would be in the dark,
00:49:48I couldn't say the same.
00:49:50No, that's maggots and beckets.
00:49:55This is now opening down to Abbey.
00:49:56No, to the bloody straight.
00:49:59Christ, you've got to concentrate.
00:50:01Still, even Jeremy was encouraging.
00:50:04Hammond's speed is not only good,
00:50:06but it's consistent now, mate.
00:50:07Excellent.
00:50:08I settled down for the night shift.
00:50:10And then...
00:50:29And then...
00:50:31So, will it move under its own power?
00:50:43I'd say it was game over.
00:50:44Steve and his magicians can't get this fixed.
00:50:55I'm sorry, lads.
00:50:57I'm sorry.
00:51:00Have you found out yet?
00:51:01Did I take somebody else off?
00:51:03Can you find out?
00:51:04I did.
00:51:05It was a white Mosler.
00:51:07Oh, bloody hell.
00:51:08I couldn't eat anything more expensive,
00:51:10could I?
00:51:10We've got to clear this s***.
00:51:17Right, everyone who's not involved, get back.
00:51:23The wishbone was broken,
00:51:25the disc brake was ruined,
00:51:26two wheels were smashed,
00:51:28the left headlight was shattered,
00:51:29the door was caved in,
00:51:31and the engine wouldn't turn over.
00:51:33If the boys can mend it,
00:51:34and if the scrutinier says
00:51:36the car is safe to go out again,
00:51:38you may use it again.
00:51:39So, you're not out of the race yet.
00:51:42As the car was being fixed,
00:51:44we watched the onboard footage
00:51:45to see how I'd managed to hit
00:51:47a half-million-pound Mosler
00:51:49that was fighting for the lead.
00:51:51You thought there was only one car there,
00:51:53because it's just a blur of light.
00:51:55It goes through, you move over,
00:51:56and there's someone else there.
00:51:57And I'm sure as hell wasn't your fault,
00:51:59because I thought I hit the 944
00:52:00doing exactly the same thing
00:52:02on the pit straight.
00:52:03I've got a little bolt right there.
00:52:04This is a shot I've just organised
00:52:08of Richard Hammond after the crash.
00:52:10Down round.
00:52:11A portrait.
00:52:12Cheers.
00:52:14It took nearly three hours
00:52:16to get the car running again,
00:52:18by which time we were stone dead last.
00:52:21Only one man could get us back in contention.
00:52:24The field was now spread out,
00:52:37but in the next three hours,
00:52:39the stig climbed eight places.
00:52:44Then, when it was my turn,
00:52:45the fog came.
00:52:49I was completely blind.
00:52:52F***ing Nora.
00:52:52Because the visibility
00:52:57had slowed James to a crawl,
00:52:59I thought I could get away
00:53:00with some fog-based japery.
00:53:02James, it's show me.
00:53:08Bad news is your jokes
00:53:09just have me straight off.
00:53:13Eventually, the fog became so thick,
00:53:15the race was halted.
00:53:17And when it resumed,
00:53:23we were in the grey light
00:53:24of a summer dorm,
00:53:26when the drivers are all a bit dopey,
00:53:28as James demonstrated.
00:53:31It would probably be rude
00:53:32to point out to him
00:53:33that he's pulled up
00:53:34in next door's pit.
00:53:34James just stops in front of there.
00:53:36Oh, sorry.
00:53:36This is the wrong pit, guys.
00:53:38Oh, never mind.
00:53:39It's close to us.
00:53:40Next door's pit was home
00:53:41to the Saxondale team,
00:53:43who were using a diesel BMW
00:53:45like ours.
00:53:46After the calamities,
00:53:47they were now our main rivals.
00:53:50As Jeremy G'd up
00:53:52the capacity crowd...
00:53:53Do a Mexican wave!
00:53:55Do a Mexican wave!
00:53:57Yay!
00:53:58The Stig made mincemeat off him.
00:54:03But then, 20 minutes later,
00:54:05disaster.
00:54:07The front splitter,
00:54:08which helps with aerodynamics,
00:54:10had come off.
00:54:12Oh, f***.
00:54:13And there was a monumental fueling.
00:54:17It was down on power.
00:54:18It's five seconds a lap.
00:54:20It was low.
00:54:21Then the splitter fell off.
00:54:22That we put on.
00:54:25Yeah.
00:54:26Don't tell James.
00:54:27Yeah.
00:54:28That's what they do that.
00:54:29That's a feature.
00:54:30The Stig stayed at the wheel,
00:54:31so after the leak was fixed,
00:54:32he could go out again.
00:54:34And even though the missing splitter
00:54:36was ruining the handling,
00:54:37nothing was gonna stop him.
00:54:39Nothing.
00:54:41Right now, at this very moment,
00:54:42computers tell us
00:54:43the Stig is having a wee in the car.
00:54:46And I'm next.
00:54:49This speeded the Stig up even more.
00:54:51It's now exactly 12 o'clock,
00:54:52as you can see midday.
00:54:53Four and a half hours left to run.
00:54:54The Stig's work is done.
00:54:55He's got us into third in class
00:54:56with the third fastest diesel.
00:54:57And now it's all up to Hammond,
00:54:58and then me.
00:54:59Should feel okay.
00:55:00The brakes have come off.
00:55:01It's just sheared a bolt.
00:55:02Nice.
00:55:03With the splitter coming off,
00:55:04the fuel leak, and now this,
00:55:05it was clear our little Trojan
00:55:06was starting to fall apart.
00:55:10It was also down on power,
00:55:11and with no front splitter,
00:55:12the handling wasn't great either.
00:55:13The car doesn't feel as fast as it fell last night.
00:55:14Even I can tell something's wrong.
00:55:15Oh, that Aston Martin just span out in front of me.
00:55:16Oh, that Aston Martin just span out in front of me.
00:55:17Oh, that Aston Martin just span out in front of me.
00:55:18The car doesn't feel as fast as it fell last night.
00:55:22Even I can tell something's wrong.
00:55:23Oh, that Aston Martin just span out in front of me.
00:55:26And having been up for 30 hours,
00:55:29I nearly followed him.
00:55:30Concentrate.
00:55:31Losing my concentration.
00:55:32Where are our bullets?
00:55:33Oh, that Aston Martin just span out in front of me.
00:55:36And having been up for 30 hours,
00:55:37I nearly followed him.
00:55:38Concentrate.
00:55:39Losing my concentration.
00:55:40Where are our bullets?
00:55:41Oh, now I've got five stars.
00:55:42So now I've got three stars.
00:55:43I've got four stars.
00:55:44That's a circle.
00:55:45But these things are starting to notice
00:55:46that are all that much smaller.
00:55:48I'm not gonna see.
00:55:49They're falling off.
00:55:50They're so much stronger.
00:55:51Oh, bollocks.
00:55:57To wake myself up, I organised a little present for Gerald.
00:56:01I'm having a pee right now.
00:56:03Oh.
00:56:05At the end of Richard's stint, we were still third in class,
00:56:09but I knew it would be hard to stay there.
00:56:12The problem is that the Saxondale one, that silver 330,
00:56:16the one like ours, is 30 laps behind.
00:56:18We're going to lose five laps in this next pit stop.
00:56:21They've got their quick driver in there against me.
00:56:25I'm telling you, in three hours driving,
00:56:27they're going to be right up my back bottom.
00:56:32So, this was it, the final stint.
00:56:36I was tired out.
00:56:37I was sitting in a puddle of wee, the car was sick,
00:56:40and we had our main rivals bearing down on us.
00:56:43Please, Carl.
00:56:49Please make it to the end of this race, I beg of you.
00:56:55To stay in third, Jeremy had to drive fast,
00:56:58but there was a problem with that.
00:57:00Tyres, he's got to do two hours and 20 minutes, yeah?
00:57:03Yes.
00:57:04I did that to these tyres and he's absolutely trashed.
00:57:07He's got to last two hours and 20 minutes on the same tyres.
00:57:11Jeremy, because there's no front to sit and there's no downpours at the front,
00:57:15and he's tearing the tyres to bit.
00:57:17So that we didn't need to waste time with another pit stop,
00:57:20Jeremy had to preserve his tyres.
00:57:23Unfortunately, though, this was Jeremy.
00:57:26Yeah!
00:57:28Please don't be cross with me if I'm lasting numbers a bit quick.
00:57:31If he's just at a 24, those will not last two hours, let alone 220.
00:57:35Just to let you know your presentation, you're going to be shredding those tyres.
00:57:43Sadly, he was too busy racing Team Saxondale to listen.
00:57:48And I've got him!
00:57:49Took him on the inside in snow, I mean caught.
00:57:52Jeremy, it's Richard, I know you're busy.
00:57:54Tell us about the tyres, do they feel OK?
00:57:58I've got Saxondale up my trumpet.
00:58:00I've got it! I've got a mistake here!
00:58:07Whoa!
00:58:08God!
00:58:10Jeremy had destroyed the tyres.
00:58:13Just heard from Steve, we have a tyre expert in the pit lane.
00:58:17He's looked at the other tyres and says,
00:58:18yours will last about another three minutes.
00:58:21We had to get him in.
00:58:24Saxondale would rack up five laps while our tyres were changed.
00:58:27But on fresh rubber, Jeremy could now get the hammer down.
00:58:46Lap update, Saxondale responding, 224.
00:58:49Get rubbing your rosaries, boys!
00:58:52Whoa!
00:58:53God!
00:58:54I just tried to take the jag on the inside in a corner.
00:58:57It went badly wrong.
00:58:58If you fall off in the last half hour of the race,
00:59:01there's no recovery service, which means that's the end of your race.
00:59:10Happily, we got some luck.
00:59:12The Saxondale team had hit problems,
00:59:14so now all I had to do was nurse the car home.
00:59:19Come on, car.
00:59:20Please make it.
00:59:27This has been one of the best top gear companions of the lot.
00:59:31A rep-mobile transformed in ten days into a racer.
00:59:3815 minutes to go.
00:59:39Five minutes to go, and for the first time I felt this pea-stained David among Goliaths
00:59:53was actually going to finish, and finish well.
00:59:59Who wants to make the finishing line?
01:00:02And I'm just winning it on.
01:00:03It's there!
01:00:13Yes!
01:00:19You brilliant little car!
01:00:22God, this is just brilliant!
01:00:27That's absolutely epic!
01:00:29That was the hardest thing we've ever done.
01:00:54Being nice to each other for 24 hours.
01:00:56Oh, I know, but you know when I pulled out the pitch and you said,
01:00:58good luck, mate, I nearly crashed.
01:00:59Oh, and I felt dirty saying it, mate.
01:01:01It was wrong.
01:01:02Still, we ended up coming third in our class.
01:01:06Out of five.
01:01:06Out of five, yes.
01:01:07And we finished 39th out of 46.
01:01:11Partly, actually, because you drove so slowly.
01:01:13Oh, now, come on a minute.
01:01:14Actually, hang on.
01:01:15You risked us not finishing at all by driving like an idiot in that last spin.
01:01:19No, but wait, we would have finished 10th.
01:01:21Mathematical certainty, if you hadn't hit that Mosler,
01:01:23we would have been 10th.
01:01:24You said it wasn't my fault.
01:01:26Oh, it was being nice.
01:01:27I didn't mean it.
01:01:28Hey, this is more like it, isn't it?
01:01:30Normal service has been resumed.
01:01:31It has, yes, and it will continue next week.
01:01:33Oh, no, not next week, because Billiards is on again.
01:01:37But we'll be back in two weeks with the Top Gear Awards,
01:01:40so we'll see you then.
01:01:40Thanks for watching.
01:01:41Good night!
01:01:42Good night!
01:01:43Match of the Day 2 is coming next on BBC Two,
01:01:50and the Vampire Slayers are on the scrounge in Titty Bang Bang 3.
01:01:53That's just starting on BBC Three.
01:01:55みたい now.
01:01:56Thanks again.
01:02:01Even if you can take some things you'veiksi,
01:02:06a 100% star of ч medal is on the show as it seems.
01:02:06I'm by bén.
01:02:07Alright,say, where am I?
01:02:08Tell says we're coming.
01:02:09Well done, Mario .
01:02:11You're welcome.
01:02:11Well done.
01:02:12Bye-bye.
01:02:13Bye-bye.
01:02:13Lo proves you today.
01:02:13Bye-bye.
01:02:14Teresa算.
01:02:14I'll see you here.
01:02:14Bye-bye.
01:02:15Bye-bye.
01:02:16Bye-bye.
01:02:16Bye-bye.
01:02:16Bye-bye.
01:02:17Bye-bye.
01:02:18Bye.
01:02:19Bye-bye.
01:02:19Bye-bye.
01:02:20Bye-bye.
01:02:21Bye-bye.
01:02:22Bye-bye.
01:02:22Bye-bye.
01:02:23Bye-bye.
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