[13x01] June 21st, 2009

[Crazzysimon]

A very high 9 from me. A thoroughly fantastic episode. Fan-bleeding-tastic.

The race is one of the best on TG I reckon for a while. Don't know what's happening to me, normally I'd root for the car... This race however, I was more rooting for the Tornado to win. =S Something's wrong with me. Jeremy's face getting darker and darker throughout the race = win.

The only average aspect of this episode is the Lotus review. Felt a bit too short and lacks... something. I would still love to see how it did on the track though.

As for the Schtig -- it's obviously a red herring anyways. And a good one at that. =D

(Am I the only one to see Stig's helmet on the table and couldn't stop thinking, "Oh dear, the Stig's head's come off"?)

Can't wait for next week when Stephen Fry comes on. =DDDD

[zetruz]

I think it was a better-than-average episode, although the news bit was very poor indeed. Bit of a surprise. Nevertheless, Top Gear is BACK and I'm a HAPPY CAMPER! YAYS! 9/10!

[settler]

Nice beginning of a new series. Another race but concept was great and at last Jeremy wasn't in a car and winning.

It's obvious that Shumi isn't the Stig (he just drove his FXX). Little disappointment because of no lap in Liana.

And wow, FXX is so much faster then I thought. Michael driving it made it even faster but the time is impressive.

[salguod]

Don't know what it was about the episode, but I didn't quite enjoy it as much as I did watching James May's programme which followed it, or actually thinking about it, not as much as I have done previous episodes. Really liked the race though, it was pretty epic, Hammond 'riding' his dream and singing in his helmet, Clarkson and his bacon and, well... May.

Maybe I didn't like it as much because people had built this series up so much and I'd got my hopes up too much, don't know, bit of an anti-climax?. Something just didn't seem right. It did also seem as though it was going back to the similar sort of ways of series 9 where they had one big segment, 1 car review etc.

Can't believe I'm not praising TG as I normally am but still.

[l0ngc4t]

Did anyone notice MSchumacher blinking with one eye as he takes off his helmet? I don't know if thats a common gesture but in Germany blinking with one eye often suggests a joke ... maybe thats a hint ...

[bartboy9891]

Edo Competition can convert an FXX or MC12 Corsa to be road legal (in certain countries anyway). Apparently the slick tires it comes with are road legal already, but the windshield and exhaust need to be changed and lights have to be added. Though I'm not sure if these are the only changes or if these changes greatly affect the performance of the car.

+ YouTube Video

[ahpadt]

Originally Posted by braintumor

just to add ... great lap of the FXX, what a machine ... and the lotus looks a bit like the tesla

That's cos the Tesla looks like an Elise, on which its based on.

[Reboot]

I admit to laughing at Hammond's intro to the second part of the race. I am such a child.

Originally Posted by Ziggy Shadow-Dust

Oh an great news for license payers. Thirty-thousand pounds worth of camera equipment was destroyed by a Stig.

Oh come off it - I very, VERY much doubt there was a working camera on that tripod.

Originally Posted by ahpadt

Also, they broke their own rules about racingcars on the board. The FXX is a 100% racingcar. Where the tail lights go on the normal Enzo, the FXX has the exhaust outlets.

Even when they don't mention that "rule" (and they have the "excuse" of the MS-Stig turning up here), the car's time usually disappears from the board the following week.

Originally Posted by l0ngc4t

Did anyone notice MSchumacher blinking with one eye as he takes off his helmet? I don't know if thats a common gesture but in Germany blinking with one eye often suggests a joke ... maybe thats a hint ...

Yes, we call that "winking".

[EJ25RUN]

Well let me just say i am a die hard Schumacher fan. Have been since i began watching F1 more than a decade ago. Seeing him in the FXX was really special. I knew it was the fastest car but i had no idea they'de get Schumi to put it up top.

To add, the race was great. I'm really happy that motorbikes are slowly making their way into the Top Gear world. Maybe a Desmo RR will have at it on the power board some day.

Music was excellent as well and this is really my first chance seeing the Evora outside the GT5P and picture world as i missed it when it came to a local Lotus dealer here in Atlanta.

Schumi = 10/10 for me.

Originally Posted by l0ngc4t

Did anyone notice MSchumacher blinking with one eye as he takes off his helmet? I don't know if thats a common gesture but in Germany blinking with one eye often suggests a joke ... maybe thats a hint ...

That's a Schumi trademark. Check the advert he did in the Shell gas station.

[Kiskaloo]

The "rule" is just that it can get over a "sleeping policeman", correct? Not that it needs to be road legal and pass an MOT.

If so, perhaps an FXX can do this?

[Spitfire1500]

A good episode, and what looks a very promising series.
The main feature was very good, the car, bike and train were all fantastic machines, and the filming top quality.
The Stig/MS interview was surprisingly good, (though clearly MS is not actually the stig other than the FXX test)
FXX lap great stuff (though it shouldnt be on the powerlap board given its not a road car (and the cars are all kept by Ferrari and only ever let out on track.)

The bad: The lotus segment was a little on the dull side, and no lap of the reasonably priced car by MS

A solid 9 out of 10. (Cant wait for the road trip to the alps!)

[controlspecimen]

Originally Posted by Kiskaloo

The "rule" is just that it can get over a "sleeping policeman", correct? Not that it needs to be road legal and pass an MOT.

If so, perhaps an FXX can do this?

They always said that road cars that you can actually use on public streets (eg, get over a speed bump) are the only ones allowed on the board. That was of course until last year when they started going for laughs instead of integrity.

[Barakov]

Great episode. The race and the Lotus segment were just fantastic. All that plus Schumacher made this one of the best season openers. I was dying at the last bit after the race concluded with the Liana.

[corradoboy]

Originally Posted by Wiki

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

[PettR]

Originally Posted by Reboot

I admit to laughing at Hammond's intro to the second part of the race. I am such a child.

Yeah, me too. I actually laughed in a really weird way I've never heard before :p

[dj.TAKA]

Great first Episode. Can't really give a opinion on the Stig atm. Could be, may not be.... who cares. It's still the Stig.

Nice to see James actually win a race for once.

The FXX lap was insane.

The Lotus was so cute playing out in the field.

It's just good to have TG back, preview looked awesome.

[qaz0101]

Originally Posted by PettR

Yeah, me too. I actually laughed in a really weird way I've never heard before :p

Your AV makes me laugh in much the same way

[kuhni]

Hey!

The new episode is absolutely fantastic!!!
and right at the start of the big train vs. car vs. bike race, I already spotted something familiar:

The Vincent Black Shadow might have belonged before to an Austrian vintage motorcycle enthusiast, Professor Fritz Ehn, who just recently put around 100 extremely rare and hugely expensive bikes at auction.

I'm sure I read about a Vincent Black Shadow as well, being auctioned and since there are not too many of this old classics around, so I'm pretty sure, the bike was bought at that auction, which was held in the last six months or so.

If you don't believe me: look out for that red, almost triangular highway sticker on the very front of the front mud guard of the bike. It is compulsory on Austrian highways.
It's called a Vignette and looks exactly like the sticker I spotted in the episode. On the upper half, it has a white circle with an "A" in it (for Austria) and it has a trapezoid form.

Either the bike is a British one and has at some point been driven on Austrian Autobahns (which is very unlikely...) or it actually was formerly and recently owned by this Austrian bike collector.

Please let me know if you spotted that same badge or if you disagree with my theory.

Bye, Kuhni

P.S. Hammond should have watched Jay Leno's Garage, because, as far as I remember, Jay owns a another Vincent Black Shadow, and demonstrates rather nicely how to kick start that bike by positioning his whole body weight on the kick start. But still only just manages to start it...

[sparkle]

Really good season starter, and by the looks of the teaser there's lots more to come.

James was a bit weird though. I had the feeling he was just too "happy" and loud (in the studio). Hamster speaking into his helmet was odd, too. It sounded like they recorded it afterwards in a recording studio, also because his gestures didn't match.

[FordGT]

I solid 9/10! I really enjoyed it!
I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but I wish Jezza had asked Schumey some "real" questions. Like him or hate him he's an interesting guest.

So they revealed one of The Stig's...