British Rallycross boosted by Top Gear
Just before Christmas at Lydden Hill the highly popular BBC TV show Top Gear joined forces with stars from World Rallycross as well as some of those from British Rallycross to take part in a feature for the hit programme.
Among those present that joined James May competing behind the wheel of a Marklund Motorsport VW Supercar were, stars from World Rallycross Petter Solberg, Tanner Foust and Britain's Liam Doran.
British Rallycross was well represented with the likes of Kevin Procter, Ollie O'Donovan, Steve Hill and Julian Godfrey all joining in the action over the two days of filming.
Unfortunately, May only succeeded in living up to his moniker, and whilst there was a breathtaking wheel-to-wheel duel for supremacy in the race that took place at Lydden Hill – watched by more than five million TV viewers – he trailed some way behind the victory fight. Glory went the way of defending FIA World Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg, following a thrilling tussle with Top Gear USA host and multiple X Games medalist Tanner Foust.
Although May ultimately reinforced his 'Captain Slow' reputation, he was palpably blown away by the rallycross experience in his 'turbocharged tornado' RX Supercar. Both Clarkson and Hammond were similarly enthusiastic, endorsing the sport as 'brilliant' and 'fabulous' respectively – with all three inferring that it is more exciting than F1.
Solberg summed up May's performance: "I have to be honest - it's not easy to get into one of these cars and drive it with 600bhp. I didn't see much of James on the track, but you have to give him credit for coming and having a go. Maybe he should come to the first round of the 2015 series in Portugal. Or if he can't make it, why not send the man without any sponsors? You know, the man in the white suit…"
At the end of the feature, the camera reverted to the studio as the three presenters introduced the audience to the same VW Marklund Polo that May had driven at Lydden Hill.
"We have to say... rallycross is brilliant," declared Clarkson.
Hammond agreed, and added: "It is - it's fabulous to watch because from the start line to the finish line, the drivers drive as fast as they can."
"Yes - there's no conserving the tyres, no looking after fuel consumption…" concluded Clarkson.
Top Gear is broadcast in 214 territories worldwide with an estimated global audience of 350 million. The show holds the 2013 Guinness World Record as the world's most watched factual television programme.
If you enjoyed the action and are eager to see more of it, then you don't have long to wait, as the revitalised and eagerly-anticipated 2015 MSA British Rallycross Championship will rev into life at Croft this weekend – with many of the leading lights having participated in the making of the Top Gear spectacular, including Julian Godfrey, Ollie O'Donovan and Kevin Procter.
A fantastic field has been assembled for the Croft event, comprising more than 60 entries across seven different classes, from the headline-grabbing MSA Supercars to SuperNationals / Super 1600, Hot Hatch and BMW MINI, Suzuki Swifts, Suzuki Swift Juniors, RX150 Buggies and the ever-popular, blast-from-the-past Retro Rallycross.
Amongst the star names will be the likes of reigning British Champion Godfrey, former title-winner O'Donovan, fellow front-runners Steve Harris and Steve Hill and Grand Prix hero Procter, whilst British and European Rallycross legend Pat Doran will return to the competitive fray full-time in a Citroën DS3.
There is even an ex-World Rallycross Peugeot 208 Supercar for Andy Scott, and fans' favourite 'Mad' Mark Watson will be sure to please the crowds in his strikingly-liveried Citroën Xsara T16. Countless other Croft 'locals' are similarly primed to do entertaining battle on-and-off-road, leaving circuit manager Mike Cantelo to predict an exhilarating opener to the 2015 campaign.
"The British Rallycross Championship will kick-start Croft's 2015 racing calendar, and it is set to be an incredible event with the most competitive and mouth-watering line-up in years," he enthused. "It will be interesting to see if the guys who took part in the Top Gear filming managed to pick up any tips from their World Championship counterparts – they will certainly all be hoping their brush with 'Captain Slow' has not rubbed off on them!