TOP GEAR

[Chrishazle]

Forgot it was on so didn't get to it until about 8.30 - that stupid thing about bigfoot. 5 minutes later we were watching Discovery channel! That's the end of TG for me, although I might take a look at TG Extra tomorrow if I've nothing better to do.

 

[Mactech]

Well I rather liked the the flying ATV, very Bond!
I got to fly in (on?) something similar whilst we were at Wendover airport (featured on last weeks show) some years back.It would keep up with Dieselmax in low speed testing and allow me to take shots like the one below of the facilities.
The hangar we used is in the centre of the shot and just happened to be the place the 'Enola Gaye' was based prior to a a historic mission to Hiroshima at the end of the war......It was a bit spooky working in there!
Then it was time to debrief with the fastest man on earth....he's the somewhat taller (more aerodynamic?) one.
Top Banana!

 

[Mactech]

Was it just the camera angle that made CH look soooooooo awkward seated in both McLarens?

Chris likes the race driver position of sitting very low in the car for a feeling of security, lower C of G and not being able to see over the steering wheel! Actually race drivers rarely need to see the road for at least 50M ahead of them, they focus much further ahead. Given the speed they travel, reacting to something 50M ahead is already too late....

 

[Druk]

First time I’ve watched TG for years. Must say really enjoyed it. I want that Cat engined 6ton tow truck and an electric trail bike, if that really was Matt le Blanc riding that then kudos to him.

 

[grober]

Extra Gear was also worth a watch but it did turn into a bit of a paean for McLAREN.

 

[mat8n]

if that really was Matt le Blanc riding that then kudos to him.

That's what I was thinking! I ride enduro bikes and ride with good people, if that was him then he's at a pretty professional level!
The idea of no gears on an off road bike sounds like fun!

 

[brucemillar]

We watched it again (despite my reservations from last week) I just struggled to get anything out of it. The entire program now seems to filmed in the US and include long inserts of talking about stuff? any stuff? just not car stuff?

Shock horror? A new car goes almost as fast as an older car?? Oh really, we could have demonstrated this for a couple of quid down the Essex Arena and saved the license payers cash. Next week we will be expected to believe that V8's leak oil........

I just think it has dumbed down too much. Yes I liked the electric bikes but I doubt (happy to wrong) that was actually them riding them and (as discussed on this forum) I used to have (in the very early sixties) a Fireball XL-5 Model that had it's own parachute WOW,,, yes in the early sixties, somebody had thought of strapping a parachute onto a space rocket!! But here we have TG discovering that if you tie a parachute onto a buggy and drive it off a cliff, it may just float? After you have driven it into a clearing a mile wide, to ensure that that the fundamental flaw of the design (it gets stuck in trees - shhhhhh) is not spotted.

Next weeks episode will feature revelations that include: Cars driven slowly, go slowly. More Germans are born in Germany than the Isle of Wight.

I just realised I cannot remember the name of the Star???? in the Car?????

 

[MancMike]

I enjoyed this week's episode much more than last weeks. Yeah, the big foot thing was a bit dull, but it was just to an excuse to show off those ATVs which was cool.

I think Chris and Matt are developing a bit of a bond, and that's nice to see.

I don't remember us all dissecting the Trio's Top Gear each week like this. I think TG now has a very tough crowd to please.

 

[BTB 500]

I think Chris and Matt are developing a bit of a bond, and that's nice to see.

I was trying to remember what Rory Reid did in last night's show and could only think of the stupid (and short) backwards driving bit??

 

[Mactech]

Well, Rory presented Extra Gear, and very well.
It did turn into a bit of a McLaren 'love in' but that's fine. The cars are good.
Just to emphasise the difference between a road car (a P1?!) and a race car....when I was down at Portamiao a few years ago with the Bentley GT3 car we were averaging times 10 secs a lap quicker than the P1 time.....with just half the power

 

[BTB 500]

Just to emphasise the difference between a road car (a P1?!) and a race car....when I was down at Portamiao a few years ago with the Bentley GT3 car we were averaging times 10 secs a lap quicker than the P1 time.....with just half the power

What would be the main reasons for that? Less weight? Racing tyres? Better brakes?

 

[Mactech]

What would be the main reasons for that? Less weight? Racing tyres? Better brakes?

The weight for GT3 is 1300kg, so no so different and around 500bhp. Tyres are racing slicks, built to last an hour at least and not melt within a lap and brakes are as good as the tyre grip available.
The big difference is that nasty word aerodynamics.
I used to explain that the Bentley GT3 had lost the equivalent of a whole VW polo during it's racing diet, but then that Polo was back again at Vmax....sitting on the roof, but only acting in the 'down' direction and not lateral or longitudinal ....in the form of downforce!

 

[ToeKnee]

Am I the only person who doesn't rate monkey Harris as a race driver? Drifter, fair enough but race driver??

 

[moog999]

He's a fairly accomplished race driver I think. Obviously he makes it look good for tv, I bet his quick laps in the maclarens were all tidy.

His seating position is pretty amusinf isn't it. Looks like little Doris on her way to bingo

I enjoyed this week, poles apart from ep1, which was dross. Easy to moan about TG and TGT but I'd rather they existed than not.

I do wish Clarkson would lose some weight though, I bet he's on quite a few folks 2018 celeb death list.

 

[mat8n]

I was looking down on Portamiao race circuit on Thursday from the surrounding hills, sat on top of a petrol enduro bike!

 

[BTB 500]

The weight for GT3 is 1300kg, so no so different and around 500bhp. Tyres are racing slicks, built to last an hour at least and not melt within a lap and brakes are as good as the tyre grip available.
The big difference is that nasty word aerodynamics.

Ah OK, more downforce so faster through the corners (but surely racing slicks are also a benefit here?). Presumably the P1 would be quicker in a straight line though?

 

[Mactech]

Ah OK, more downforce so faster through the corners (but surely racing slicks are also a benefit here?). Presumably the P1 would be quicker in a straight line though?

Yes, the P1 is much quicker in a straight line. Much more slippery. The GT3 cars won't get out of their own way on the straights maxing out at about 170mph towing a huge wing behind them, but that helps produce the downforce which makes them much quicker in all the turns.
The race car has no interest in going beyond 200mph when the longest straights allowed are less than a Kilometre. Yes, the slicks do help to the tune of maybe 2 to 3 secs/lap.
Horses for courses!

 

[Darrell]

I do wish Clarkson would lose some weight though, I bet he's on quite a few folks 2018 celeb death list.

He’s on mine.

 

[grober]

News today that JC is about to broaden his broadcasting portfolio, if I can put it that way , with the news he is to host a week-long revival of
Who Wants to be a Millionaire. I won't be tuning in.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire returns to ITV

 

[Deleted member 113659]

News today that JC is about to broaden his broadcasting portfolio, if I can put it that way , with the news he is to host a week-long revival of
Who Wants to be a Millionaire. I won't be tuning in.

I certainly will.