Guy Martin turned down an offer to co-host the new series of Top Gear fronted by Chris Evans, despite BBC pleading. The TV daredevil and motorbike racer was approached over the summer by BBC bosses and offered extraordinary leeway if he signed up for the new show, according to a book published this week.
In When You Dead, You Dead, Martin writes that he was contacted by the BBC and told that “Chris Evans wanted to talk to me and that I could do one show, do all the shows, do what I wanted as long as I was involved in Top Gear.
“I didn’t say no straight away, but the more I thought about it, the more I knew it wasn’t right for me. For one thing, if I did it, I’d always be compared with Clarkson, whereas the Channel 4 programmes are me doing my own thing — I’m not filling anyone’s shoes.”
Essex is worst county for lane hogs and tailgaters
Essex has been named the tailgater capital of the country, with more drivers there being convicted of antisocial driving than anywhere else in England and Wales.
New figures show the county has seen 3,630 people convicted of careless driving offences since police were given the power to issue fixed penalty notices for them two years ago. The new powers were aimed at cracking down on tailgating, middle-lane hogging and poor roundabout discipline.
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Essex was followed by Humberside (1,998), Nottinghamshire (1,139), Derbyshire (949) and Hampshire (929). The fewest offences were recorded in Durham (12).
Critics point out that the differences may be due to resources allocated to traffic policing, or guidance to officers on how laws should be enforced. Another factor may be that stopping drivers is becoming a lucrative source of revenue for police forces and councils. This is because, as with some speeding offences, drivers can be offered a retraining course instead of a fine and penalty points. These courses typically cost between £70 and £120, with the fee split between police and the course provider. Of the 3,630 motorists convicted in Essex, where courses cost £100, 2,985 opted for retraining, representing potential revenue of £298,500. Police say the money goes into a road safety fund.
Sarah Sillars, the chief executive of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, which compiled the figures, said: “While these offences fall under the lower end of the scale for motoring transgressions, such driving behaviour could easily have caused a serious accident. Tailgating is an aggressive action, while unpredictable lane-changing is both thoughtless and dangerous.”
Prancing Horse neigh-says ‘Holy Trinity’ challenge result
Ferrari has cried foul after coming last in a three-way test that pitted its most prestigious car against rivals from McLaren and Porsche.
The test saw the Ferrari LaFerrari up against the McLaren P1 and the Porsche 918 Spyder. The three have been nicknamed “the Holy Trinity” because they are the most advanced supercars on the market, with a combined value of almost £3m.
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Driven on the same circuit — the Silverstone National — by British Touring Car Championship race-winner Mat Jackson, the cars lapped within 0.34 seconds of each other, with the P1 topping the rankings, followed by the Porsche.
Ferrari has disputed the result, claiming the McLaren gained an unfair advantage thanks to its stickier, slicker Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tyres. The Ferrari was fitted with P Zero Corsa road tyres, which come as standard on the car.
Coming last is a severe blow to the pride of the Italian car maker, but the company seems to have a point: Jackson said after the test that tyre performance and traction were crucial to the result.
Car enthusiasts may have to wait a bit longer for a definitive verdict on the fastest car. As revealed in Driving last week, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have also pitched the three hypercars against each other in a test approved by the manufacturers, which supplied the vehicles and agreed on the type of tyres used. The film is due to be broadcast next year.
Chris Harris, of the web channel Chris Harris on Cars, has also run a factory-approved comparison and will reveal the outcome early next month.