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Top Gear test track

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Siripswich (talk | contribs) at 21:55, 2 March 2008 (→The Power Board: Koenigsegg CCX lap is DRY! see link http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NNeRr4VX3y4). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Top Gear Test Track
Test Track Map
LocationSurrey, United Kingdom
Time zoneGMT
Coordinates51°06′59″N 0°32′29″W / 51.116428°N 0.541463°W / 51.116428; -0.541463
Major eventsN/A
Road Circuit
Length2.81 km (1.75 miles)
Turns9
Race lap record0:59.0 (The Stig, Renault R24, 2005, F1)
Drag Strip
Length1.87 km (1.16 miles)
Turns0

The Top Gear test track is the test track used by the British automotive television programme Top Gear. Located in Dunsfold Park, it was designed by Lotus engineers and is used to both test cars seen on the programme and in two segments of the show (Power Laps and Star in a Reasonably Priced Car). A digital version of the track is set to appear in the upcoming videogame Gran Turismo 5.

Layout

The track is a rough "figure of 8" layout, and is located in Dunsfold Park in Surrey, England. It was a World War II airbase and British Aerospace manufacturing and test facility. The track has a "road" course, and a drag strip, although this is never used for timing purposes. Designed by Lotus,[1][2] the layout of the track is designed to put the car through various conditions, ranging from provoking understeer to testing brake balance and tyres. It is under 2 miles (3.2 km) in length, and the track is considered to be an equaliser for cars, since both 0-60 times and top speed are totally meaningless to the programme according to Richard Hammond.[2]

The corners have all been named, with only "Gambon", the final turn before the start/finish line, being named after the track was put to use. In episode 8 of Series 1, actor Michael Gambon almost rolled the Suzuki Liana used in the show's Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car segment, and did so in such a spectacular fashion that the corner was henceforth named in his honour by host Jeremy Clarkson.

Usage

The track has been used for the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car, but also makes appearances in the Power Laps section. The track is also used for testing cars in the programme, and drag races have been held on the runway section of the track. Several Formula One drivers have driven the "Reasonably-Priced Car" on the show.

Power Laps

Power Laps is a segment of the programme in which The Stig completes a lap around the track to compare the performance of various cars. The car tested has usually been reviewed by one of the presenters in the current episode, but sometimes is a carry-over from a previous one.

The qualification for the board is that the vehicle being tested must be a road-legal production car, and must have sufficient ride-height to clear a standard speed-hump,[3] although occasionally vehicles that cannot appear in the list are still timed. Whenever a non-qualifying vehicle is raced, the time is compared to the official Power Laps and then removed from the board. An example is the Renault R24 Formula One car which holds the car lap record, after completing a lap in 59.0.[4]

All the laps were timed with the car's manufacturer-provided adjustable settings configured for maximum performance. That is to say, all adjustable suspensions were set at their most efficient, all gear shift maps were at their most aggressive, and driving aids such as traction control were deactivated. These lap times do not offer entirely reliable comparisons between the cars, most obviously because the track is often wet (see Lap times loss below).

The Power Board

Notes: The most powerful production car ever featured on Top Gear, the 1001 bhp (746 kW) Bugatti Veyron, has not yet been taken around the track by the Stig. According to Hammond[9] and Clarkson[10], this is because Bugatti has not given Top Gear permission to run the car through a power lap.

The Koenigsegg CCX at the top of the board was fitted with an optional rear spoiler to provide downforce, after the Stig spun the original version off the track. The Stig allegedly recommended this modification, correctly predicting that the car would then be the fastest ever round the track,[11] although Koenigsegg themselves state that the improvement was due to adjustments other than the spoiler.[12]

Lap times of non-qualifying vehicles

A "non-qualifying" vehicle is one that does not meet the presenters' requirements to remain on the board, that is, one that is not a "road car". This means being fully road-legal (lights, indicators, registration, etc.), as well as being street-worthy (i.e. able to negotiate a speed bump) and in Full Production(ie not a prototype car, Total Race mode (Radical SR3) or exercise car (Aston Martin DBR 9)).Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name (see the help page).[13][14][15][16][17]

  1. 0:31.2 – BAE Sea Harrier[18]
  2. 0:59.0 – Renault R24 Formula One car[4]
  3. 1:08.6 – Aston Martin DBR9
  4. 1:10.6 – Caparo T1
  5. 1:19.1 – Radical SR3
  6. 1:22.6 – Westfield XTR2

The Stig did not personally operate the Harrier, normally a prerequisite for an officially timed lap.[18]

Non-televised laps

Occasionally attempts at the Power Lap record are made without the support of the BBC. The following laps of Dunsfold were recorded, filmed and promoted independently of the Top Gear television programme.

  1. 1:12.8 - Ultima GTR720 sponsored by Ultima Sports, anonymous driver.[19]
  2. 1:17.4 - Caterham CSR 260 sponsored by Dunlop - Injection, driven by Rob Jenkinson.[20]

Ultima claim that their motive for running a non-televised lap was that they felt that the GTR was being specifically ignored by the producers of Top Gear.[21] Why Dunlop - Injection chose to run a lap of of the Dunsfold circuit is not stated.

Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car

Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car is a recurring segment on Top Gear. During most programmes, a celebrity — usually of British fame — is interviewed by Jeremy Clarkson. Discussion is normally amusing, and focuses on car-related matters, such as the celebrity's car history. Then Clarkson, the guest and the studio audience watch the guest's fastest lap on the Top Gear test track.

Suzuki Liana

For the first seven series of its current incarnation, the car driven was a Suzuki Liana. The car used is stock, except a roll cage and racing seats have been added as safety measures. Each guest first practices with The Stig and is then allowed a number of attempts to make his or her way around the test track in the fastest time. However, the star doesn't learn of his or her lap time until they are interviewed. Practice laps, crashes and the drivers' facial expressions are also shown for amusement.

The two slowest laps on the Liana celebrity list are held by Terry Wogan and Richard Whiteley, both of whom were beaten by Billy Baxter, a Bosnian war veteran who is completely blind. He wrenched the Liana through the track under directions from Clarkson in the passenger seat in a time of 2 minutes 2 seconds, which was 1.4 seconds quicker than Terry Wogan, and 4 seconds faster than Richard Whiteley.

The fastest non-professional driver was Ellen MacArthur. Unlike most contenders she made no comments to the camera during her lap. She completed the lap in 1 minute 46.7 seconds, beating Jimmy Carr by 0.2 seconds

The Liana endured considerable abuse from the stars when undertaking their laps. In one incident actor Michael Gambon clipped the final corner almost rolling the car. It was done in such a spectacular fashion that the corner was henceforth named "Gambon Corner". When Lionel Richie drove the car, one of the front wheels fell off. Trevor Eve also lost a wheel, invoking Clarkson to coin the term "pulling a Lionel." British transport minister Stephen Ladyman added further injury to the Liana by denting the boot when he lost control during practice and slid backwards into a tyre wall. David Soul managed to destroy the clutch of two Lianas during his time on the show due to his unfamiliarity with manual cars. Christopher Eccleston was the only celebrity to use a Liana with an automatic transmission, because a hesitant Eccleston admitted he was "only qualified to drive an automatic." To accommodate his needs, Top Gear succeeded in borrowing an automatic Liana, of which only 40 existed in the UK. As a reference to his role in Doctor Who, the automatic Liana was shown materialising onto the racing track, with a TARDIS materialisation sound effect played over it.

The Liana has also been modified on several occasions. David Soul's Liana featured a red police light and a white stripe in reference to his Starsky and Hutch role. Johnny Vegas was provided with 'L' plates as he hadn't passed his driving test at the time. When Justin Hawkins came on the show, the Liana he drove had flame decals pasted on it. Actor Sanjeev Bhaskar had an ornate tissue box placed in the back, as an homage to Asian drivers.

In its service, the Liana covered 1600 laps of the circuit, and its tyres and brakes were changed 400 times.[22]

In July 2005, Formula One driver Damon Hill appeared on the show for the first time as the star. This was kept a surprise to the audience and the viewing public, and when Nigel Mansell came on the show, it was covered up in magazines and on the internet by saying that the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car would be Alan Titchmarsh.

For some of the laps more than one person has been present in the car. This was the case for Clarkson's run when he had both Hammond and Jason Dawe in the car. Trinny and Susannah were both in the car for each other's runs. Denise Van Outen was in Johnny Vaughan's when he did his lap, Van Outen never did a lap driving the car. Clarkson was also present as a navigator for Billy Baxter's laps.

F1 leader board

All Formula One drivers are put into their own list with regard to lap times because of their exceptional skill level. When the Liana was pulled out from retirement to allow Jenson Button to make a time, Clarkson noted that the Liana would be pulled out for use by Formula 1 drivers in the future. The most recent F1 driver to drive the Liana was Lewis Hamilton on the 2 December 2007 show.

Both Stigs, the original black Stig and the current white Stig have done laps around the track in the Suzuki Liana. Topping the list for the Liana was the second Stig (1:44.4), who took the car out for its last run (for celebrities as F1 drivers still use the Liana,) during the Episode 2 of Series 8.

  1. 1:44.4 – The Stig (II)
  2. 1:44.6 – Nigel Mansell
  3. 1:44.7 – Jenson Button

Liana leader board

  1. 1:46.7 – Ellen MacArthur
  2. 1:46.9 – Jimmy Carr
  3. 1:47.1 – Simon Cowell
  4. 1:47.3 – Ronnie O'Sullivan
  5. 1:47.8 – Ian Wright
  6. 1:47.9 – Chris Evans
  7. 1:47.9 – Rory Bremner
  8. 1:48.0 – Justin Hawkins
  9. 1:48.0 – Jodie Kidd
  10. 1:48.0 – Paul McKenna
  11. 1:48.0 – Trevor Eve
  12. 1:48.0 – Patrick Kielty
  13. 1:48.3 – Jay Kay[23]
  14. 1:48.6 – Rob Brydon
  15. 1:48.8 – Stephen Ladyman
  16. 1:49.0 – Neil Morrissey
  17. 1:49.6 – Roger Daltrey (Moist)
  18. 1:50.0 – Jeremy Clarkson
  19. 1:50.0 – Patrick Stewart
  20. 1:50.0 – Martin Clunes
  21. 1:50.0 – Jamie Oliver
  22. 1:50.0 – Gordon Ramsay
  23. 1:50.0 – Lionel Richie (Credited as Rich tea)

Chevrolet Lacetti

Starting with the eighth series, the Liana was replaced by a Chevrolet Lacetti, with a new blank scoreboard. The format was changed so that each star would have five practice laps, and then a final timed lap, with no allowance being given for mishaps.

As a starter for the new car and format, an open day was held for any celebrity who wanted to take part. Seven stars recorded times that day: James Hewitt, whom the presenters claimed not to recognise and called "well spoken man", comedians Alan Davies and Jimmy Carr, rock stars Rick Wakeman and Justin Hawkins, footballer Les Ferdinand, and actor Trevor Eve who topped the time at 1 minute 47.0 seconds. Jimmy Carr, who held second place in the Liana behind Ellen McArthur, span off while doing his timed lap and got the slowest time ever around the track at 2 minutes, 8.91 seconds.

On 28 January 2007, Jamie Oliver posted a time of 1:47.70 in melted snow and standing water. Given the rivalry Oliver felt towards fellow celebrity chef and Top Gear driver Gordon Ramsay, Oliver asked that the 4-second allowance normally granted for wet laps be used to put him at the top of the leaderboard "just for a day, please."

Billie Piper posted a time of 1:48.3 but was deemed by The Stig to have failed to complete a lap properly, as she failed to negotiate some corners. The Stig suggested a three second time penalty, but after Clarkson consulted the audience, it was decided to let the time stand, which David Tennant tried to over turn on the 23 December 2007 show, however it was revealed that Billie was wearing a see-through top and if he had done so "would have been faster than Simon Cowell"

In the 11 November 2007 episode, Simon Cowell retook his fastest lap with a time of 1:45.90 - the Stig saying he had a natural ability.[24]

Clarkson has referred to the part of the board with times of 1:51 and over as the "Thespian Zone" due to the propensity for actors and comedians to post slow times.

Lacetti leader board

  1. 1:45.9 – Simon Cowell
  2. 1:46.1 – Jennifer Saunders
  3. 1:46.3 – Gordon Ramsay
  4. 1:47.0 – Trevor Eve
  5. 1:47.4 – Lawrence Dallaglio
  6. 1:47.4 – Les Ferdinand
  7. 1:47.6 – James Hewitt (Credited as 'Well Spoken Man')
  8. 1:47.7 – Jamie Oliver (Melted snow)
  9. 1:47.7 – Hugh Grant
  10. 1:48.0 – Ewan McGregor
  11. 1:48.3 - James Blunt (Wet)
  12. 1:48.3 – Billie Piper
  13. 1:48.4 – Justin Hawkins
  14. 1:48.5 – Simon Pegg
  15. 1:48.8 - David Tennant
  16. 1:49.6 – Ronnie Wood
  17. 1:49.9 – Jools Holland
  18. 1:50.3 – Sir Michael Gambon
  19. 1:50.3 – Alan Davies
  20. 1:50.9 – Steve Coogan (HOT)
  21. 1:51.4 – Ray Winstone (HOT)
  22. 1:51.7 – Keith Allen (Very wet)
  23. 1:52.8 – Dame Helen Mirren
  24. 1:54.0 – Kristin Scott Thomas
  25. 1.54.3 – Philip Glenister (Wet)
  26. 1:55.3 – Rick Wakeman
  27. 2:01:0 – Brian Cox
  28. 2:08.9 – Jimmy Carr

Time deductions

Sometimes an additional term is written next to the time (such as Hot). This indicates that the Stig and the Top Gear team consider that the prevalent weather conditions have affected the time. The time on the board is not adapted: e.g. 1:50 MM (Mildly Moist) is deemed to be equivalent to 1:48 on a normal dry track. The following list describes how many seconds it costs a car or gives a car an advantage

Term Adjustment
HOT -2 seconds
Mildly Moist (MM) -2 seconds
Wet (W) / Melted snow (MS) -4 seconds
Very wet (VW) -6 seconds

Maps

Appearance in Electronic Media

This track has been recreated as modifications to numerous existing racing games.

The official "debut" of this track is in the upcoming Gran Turismo 5 game along with other excerpts from the show, however it will not appear in the prequel Gran Turismo 5 Prologue [25][26]

References and notes

  1. ^ Vijay, Pattni (2007-10-30). "Ultima GTR smashes Top Gear lap record". www.autotrader.co.uk. Trader Media Group. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  2. ^ a b Top Gear Series 1, Episode 1 2002.10.20
  3. ^ "Top Gear Power Laps". Retrieved 2006-11-13. In order to qualify for the power laps board, a car must be road legal, and be a car. For this reason the F1 car (0.59.0), Aston Martin DBR9 (1.08.6) and Sea Harrier (0.31.2) do not appear.
  4. ^ a b Top Gear Series 5, Episode 8 2004.12.19
  5. ^ http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NNeRr4VX3y4
  6. ^ Top Gear Series 8, Episode 4 2006.05.28 – Jeremy Clarkson: "This, 1:20.4, the old Koenigsegg lap, we don't need it anymore." – Removed from board
  7. ^ Top Gear Series 7, Episode 2 2005.11.20 – Jeremy Clarkson: "You know we put it around the track this morning, with the Stig driving it, OK, 1:25-point-something." – Actual lap not shown
  8. ^ Top Gear Series 5, Episode 4 2004.11.14 – Richard Hammond: "Where does it compare to the old one?" Jeremy Clarkson: "It's at 1:36.2 but it was the wettest day we've ever had so you can't do anything about that..."
  9. ^ Top Gear Series 8, Episode 2 2006.05.14 – Richard Hammond: "You know, I think the only time that the Zonda F is gonna get knocked off the board is when Bugatti finally let us put a Veyron round our track."
  10. ^ Top Gear Series 9, Episode 2 2007.02.04 - Jeremy Clarkson: "The problem is that Bugatti is happy to have one here, happy for you to do that, but they won't lend The Stig one."
  11. ^ Top Gear Series 8, Episode 2 2006.05.14 – Jeremy Clarkson: "After the accident, Stig said he reckons this car would be 4 seconds faster than it was if it had a big wing on the back."
  12. ^ Svensson, Gunnar. "Koenigsegg får Top Gear-vinge", Bilsport, 2006-06-05. Retrieved on March 12, 2007.
  13. ^ Top Gear Series 5, Episode 8 2004.12.19 - Renault R24 Formula One car. Jeremy Clarkson: The thing is though, this is only for cars with ashtrays and noses that you can get over the... uh, speed bumps, it's only for road cars.
  14. ^ Top Gear Series 5, Episode 9 2004.12.26 - Ariel Atom review. Jeremy Clarkson: You can use it on the road because... the test that we have for our Power Board, 'cause only road cars can go on this, is whether they can get over a speed bump."
  15. ^ Top Gear Series 6, Episode 6 2005.07.03 - Aston Martin DBR9. Jeremy Clarkson: "You can't buy this car so it has no place on our board." James May: "But he's right though, those are the rules."
  16. ^ Top Gear Series 10, Episode 5 2007.11.11 - Caparo T1 review. Jeremy Clarkson: "You know the rules James, if a car can't get over a sleeping policeman it can't go on that board."
  17. ^ Top Gear Series 10, Episode 9 2007.12.09 - Ascari A10 review. Jeremy Clarkson: "Now because this has a hydraulic lifting nose, which we can see here, it is able to get over speed bumps and that means it is a road car and that means it can go on our board."
  18. ^ a b Top Gear Series 3, Episode 3 2003.11.09 – James May: "The pilot did go a bit wide in some of the corners, didn't he?" Jeremy Clarkson: "He did say, with a Harrier, it would be possible to actually follow the confines of the track and it would still be faster than the car. But we said no no no, go for it."
  19. ^ Autotrader ["http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/news/37372.html"]
  20. ^ Dunlop - Injection, Episode 11 ["http://www.injection.tv/site.php?domain=uk"]
  21. ^ http://www.ultimasports.co.uk/laprecord.html
  22. ^ Top Gear Series 8, Episode 1 2006.05.07 - As mentioned by Jeremy Clarkson while introducing the new car.
  23. ^ Top Gear Series 2, Episode 8 2003.07.06 - Original time of 1:48 was prior to recording fractional seconds. Jeremy Clarkson to Jodie Kidd: "We don't have points on this, but actually you were point three of a second faster than Jay Kay."
  24. ^ Top Gear Series 10, Episode 5 2007.11.11
  25. ^ "BBC Top Gear goes virtual on PS3". BBC News. 24 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ "Top Gear on GT5". TopGear.com. 24 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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