[15x04] January 26th, 2009

[SL65]

This week, Jason is starstruck at the annual Race of Champions; Vicki meets a 17-year-old rally sensation; Tim reviews the performance of super diesel fuel; Tom finds out whether the latest 7 series is as user-friendly as BMW claims; Jonny puts Renault’s Mégane through its paces; and there is another classic shootout – this time involving a monster truck.

Each year, 18 racing and rally drivers are selected to take part in the prestigious Race of Champions. Contestants from the Formula One, NASCAR and World Rally Championship series compete against each other in identical vehicles for a chance to be crowned the king of the track. This time round, Jason has the honour of not only attending the race at Wembley Stadium but going behind the scenes to chat with some of the contenders – including Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button and David Coulthard.

Elsewhere, Vicki is pressing the flesh with a star of the future – 17-year-old Tom Cave. The teen is the first British minor to compete on the international rally circuit and the youngest ever competitor in Rally GB. However, Tom’s slot in Rally GB was by no means guaranteed – first he had to obtain his driving licence! Despite having participated in several international meets using a competition licence, Tom needed a full road permit to take part in the home round of the world championship. Once it was granted, Tom went on to come first in his class. With the win now under his belt, Tom faces a difficult challenge – a track race against Vicki in a Subaru Impreza...

Meanwhile, Tim fills up two well-known diesel vehicles with the new super version of the fuel now being offered by most service stations. Will this pumped-up juice offer the enhanced performance promised on the box?

Tom is also putting a manufacturer’s claims to the test this week as he gets behind the wheel of BMW’s latest 7 Series. With the help of a computer gamer, Tom finds out whether the luxury car’s dashboard controls are more userfriendly than those of previous models. Has BMW got the recipe right this time?

The Renault Mégane is the subject of Jonny’s attention this week, as he sets out to test its sturdiness. Although the older model was awarded an impressive five stars in the European New Car Assessment Programme rating system, the latest offering promises even more safety features. Jonny takes the novel approach of enlisting an army of paintballers to do as much damage as possible to the Mégane. How will the car fare against this pelting of projectiles?

Finally, another Fifth Gear shootout sees Tiff and Jason get behind the wheel of the mighty Red Dragon – a 1,700 horsepower monster truck that manages just 50 yards to the gallon. Will the duo be able to master the grunty beast’s controls?

[Aiolos]

Ho-hum. Maybe the Impreza race and the monster segment will be good, but they'll prob be too short to matter

[Koenig]

Every time I think to myself that Fifth Gear couldn't possibly get any worse, they some how find a way to prove me wrong.

[nouseferaname90]

2 diesel segments in 2 weeks = way too many.


The ideas have run out and now fifth gear is just getting lazy.

[EsPpY]

Originally Posted by nouseferaname90

2 diesel segments in 2 weeks = way too many.


The ideas have run out and now fifth gear is just getting lazy.

Yeah, we dont drink from the black pump here at FG.

[Viper007Bond]

http://forums.finalgear.com/fifth-ge...-2009-a-33526/