I thought he was still alive and just in hospital. I feel more sorry for the poor sap whos car it was that he smashed.

Wow. AWSOME!!!!!! LOL! I don't live in the UK but we get OLD 2005 episodes on this really bad channel called SBS. Anyway, LOL that's heaps funny.

What are you on SBS rocks it has all kinds of things like, nudity and south park and aboriginals telling about the stolen generation for like the 6000th time.

What are you on SBS rocks it has all kinds of things like, nudity and south park and aboriginals telling about the stolen generation for like the 6000th time.

We call is SBS Sex over here (they call themselves SBS Six :mrgreen: ).

I loved Top Gear, when I could see it. My cable provider dropped it. It was so completely about cars, without any pretense at anything else. Love cars? So do we, and here's a show about driving some of the best in the world. Can't fault that.

On another note, has anyone noticed a shocking lack of apostrophes on Daniweb recently?

Seriously, that's stupid that he was allowed in a car faster than an F1 car and those drivers need a special licence!

I agree 101%, the guy should never have been allowed into the thing.

The fact that it was done as part of his job, purely to help boost the ratings of a TV show, makes me think that the BBC need to be held to account here.

If anyone should have been driving that car for Top Gear it should have been The Stig, surely?

Whatever anyone says, drag racing at these speeds is pushing the envelope for anyone including so called professionals. we all know the risks, all we can do is minimise them as best possible.
besides the great northrun claims several lives each year, do you hear safety campaigners clamouring about that, will we ban it? i think not!

yeh very good point about the Great North Run! I think that Richard himself is also behind the campaign to keep Top Gear on the air!
Personally I don't think Top Gear shouild be stopped because although some people might say 'oh its dangerous' but its also very imformative as a programe.

Seriously, that's stupid that he was allowed in a car faster than an F1 car and those drivers need a special licence!

they don't need a special license at all. In fact there have been race drivers (at least in F3 and I think Nascar, not AFAIK in F1) who didn't have a driver's license.
All you need is an endorsement from a team (else you won't have a car) and a FIA race license (which is mostly about knowing the rules).

And driving a car like the one Hammond was in is easier than an F1 car. Not much need for steering, braking, etc.
It's flat out straight ahead until you hit a predetermined point at which time you hit the brakes to get it to stop before the end of the track. No corners, no other traffic, no pitstops or traffic rules.
Of course it takes some training to keep it straight, and he without doubt had that.
But suffering catastrophic mechanical problems can't be fully trained for, and at 300mph+ even a tiny unballance can be catastrophic.

Anyway, he was driving on private property. On private property the only one who says what goes and what doesn't is the owner.
I'll oppose ANY plan by the government to tell me what I can do in my own home (or my own garden, racetrack, or as in this case airfield), as that's the establishment of a total police state.

yeah i heared that he is ok now lets hope he is back filiming top gear soon becuase it is a really good show. i like the way the destroy cravans and the episode where the tried to destroy a toyata pick up truck. well top gear rules and i hope the hamster is back soon

yeah he was on the BBC waving and going into a helicopter not so long ago ppl are saying there rumours the bbc was negligent and that hammmond shouldnt of been driving but he ahd already done 3 laps in the thing and was an experienced driver so i dont see how

there is an investigation under way to determine who (if anyone) is responsible for the accident.
If anything the insurance companies will want someone to sue (yes, the UK is becoming ever more like the US).

To me though it looks like just a regrettable accident such as they are bound to happen when you're dealing with experimental and powerful machines.
The people using those machines know the risks and accept them, Hammond certainly is no different. He knew that an accident could kill him, he accepted that.
At those speeds a tiny fabrication flaw in a tyre that's too small to detect during QA can cause a blowout and a crash will inevitably result for example.

If people never had taken risks we'd still be living in the trees cowering from the predators roaming below.
In fact we're fast reverting to that state, just look at the space program.
We are now incapable of reaching the moon for heaven's sake, not because we don't know how to but because we're too scared to risk the journey as someone might get hurt in the process.