Richard Hammond Tests Three MINIs
We have a very special MotoringFile video Friday this week. For those that may not know, Richard Hammond (presenter on our favorite motor show in the world, Top Gear) recently sustained serious injuring while driving at 300mph in something called a Vampire Jetcar. So we thought that there would be no better way to honor the man known affectionately as “hamster” than to show you one of our favorite Top Gear highlights of him testing the original 200bhp JCW MCS (2003) along side two other tuner MINIs.
Currently doctors are saying Hammond has sustained a serious brain injury however they were “reasonably optimistic” that he would “make a good recovery.” For updates on his condition, be sure to check the Jalopnik.
i hope hammond gets better soon, i don’t know how much james may i can take.
This is one of my favorite episodes! Hope all is well with Richard “hamster†Hammond…
When I heard the news I was completely shocked. “Hamster” is such a car and driving enthusiast and comletely dedicated to his lifelong dream of working on Top Gear. Frequently the butt of many jokes on the show he completely ties the show together with Jeremy Clarkeson and James May.
I think the funiest show they ever did was propelling a classic mini down the ski jump at Lillehammer powered by…. rockets! Search for TOP GEAR MINI SKI JUMP on YouTube.
The jet car he was driving was a Vampire capable of 0 – 272 in 6 seconds and was attempting to beat the 300.3 mph record set by Colin Fallows in 2000. We all wish Richard a very speedy recovery with the emphasis on ‘speedy’
Been in to Top Gear for a long time, even when was what is essentially Fifth Gear. I’m also partial to a little show you can catch on G4 from time to time called Brainiac. It’s also co-hosted by Hammond and he has actually destroyed more caravans on that show than they have on Top Gear.
If Richard Hommond doesn’t recover we may need to have Clarkson put down, Hammond seems to be the only person who could keep him in check these last two seasons!
<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/north_yorkshire/5369512.stm" rel="nofollow">BBC story on Hammond</a>
Says the BBC:
<blockquote><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5367516.stm" rel="nofollow">The news that Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond has been seriously injured after crashing a jet-powered car during filming is bound to raise questions about the show’s future.</a></blockquote>
First I must say I too was shocked about this news and I can only second what others have said about Hammond’s contribution to the show, giving compensation for Clarkson’s sometimes very big head.
I do feel that TopGear has started to become increasingly crazy about the stunts they pull. So much so, that I’ve thought on numerous occasions, “Guys, please, you really don’t need this crap.” Apparently, I am one of the very few people that actually <i>didn’t</i> very much enjoy that bit about the Mini going off the ski ramp (being a classic Mini enthusiast doesn’t help), which was part of a “winter special”, that was exclusively filled with the “bullshit” stuff that seems to take more and more the lead in the show (which, admittedly, was fun when they started mixing a little of it in here and there – it just seems they have gone overboard a little, and filling an entire “special” with it is a prime example). The “bullshit” now seems to have come to a tragic climax.
Just tell me the latest car news, in your own style, have the Stig do a few laps of the circuit in the latest and greatest (or not) sports car, do one of your second to none driving impressions with a new model (but do keep it about the car and don’t turn it into an ego trip). Cool wall is also usually very entertaining, as is the star in a reasonably priced car. And if you really have to blow up a few caravans along the way, by all means do so, but don’t let it become the definition of the show.
Okay so, I know this makes four posts in a row, but <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/" rel="nofollow">The Scotsman</a> has <a href="http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1394772006" rel="nofollow">a slightly more detailed story</a> than the BBC at this point, with some interesting quotes from former Top Gear presenter Quentin Wilson:
<blockquote>“He is irreplaceable. He has turned Top Gear into a gang show with Jeremy and James and the three of them have wowed audiences all over the world and he is an international personality.”
“But this [accident] underscores the danger of raising the game, as shows like Top Gear have. Richard has no fear and that is his most wonderful quality.” </blockquote>
According to one eye witness Hammond may have broken the British land speed record of 300.3mph:
<blockquote>“We were down there with Top Gear, who were filming him trying to break the British land-speed record. On the previous run, the car had just gone over 300mph but I am not sure if it had broken the record.”</blockquote>
Like Avitor, I’m a fan of Hammond’s work on Brainiac. Great show. I hope he’s back up to full speed (pun intended) very soon.
hope hammond is ok and recovers well. the show is the best out there, although i see to not beable to find it on american tv anymore.
Top Gear is a fantastic show and that was a great clip. Excellent post.
One of my fave episodes was the challenge of reaching the south coast of France, two presenters using public transport and Clarkson in an Aston Martin.
A few folks wondered why Richard tried to do the run again, it is my understanding that any speed record must be completed twice, out and back, hence his second run, which was the one that screwed up.
My personal favorite: They give each host 2000 GBP to buy any used sportscar they wish and they race them (along with a host of other challenges). Hammond finds an old BMW 5-series, Clarkson gets a Mitsubishi racer of some sort and James got a Jag 12 cyl. They then gave ’em another 2000 GBP to modify the car in any way they saw fit… Clarkson gets a used turbo (and destroys the engine with it), James uses his cash for needed repairs (it was gushing more oil than it was using gas) and Hammond, in classic form, gets a cheap fiberglass tuner body kit and does a bunch of graphic work! Unfortunately for the hosts, they were prepping for a track race but the directors of the show enter them in a dirt-track free-for-all…
Get well soon, Richard!
Enjoy the show and hope the man is going to be OK.
Maybe Top Gear should just borrow a US Top Fueler or one of John Forces rockets, might be safer.
Clarkson… e’s something ain’t e!
I just re-watched this clip, but the best part was missing at the end! Clarkson said something like “that looked suspiciously like a crash” (the last one clearly went off on an agricultural excursion), and Hammond replied “no, that was just ‘parking vigorously’.”