Top Gear teams need to compete in the Dakar Rally!

[EJ25RUN]

Everyone knows that top gear presenters have set among themselves, some of the greatest challanges against car and nature. Whether endurance, speed, time, has gotten in the way, the boys were able to pull through. Here is a list of reasons i think this is possible.

For starters the boys are used to driving long distance on their motoring holidays.
Covering most of europe and 5 U.S. states.

They were even able to conquer the North Pole with the Winter Sports HI-lux.... an incredible feat by itself. A challange of some of the most ruthless terrain on earth.



the african cheap car challange, crossing the Makgadikgadi Pan, that was no easy feat with cars as bad as those. (except oliver: reaks of awesomeness).


and last is the britcar 24 _ that is racing at its purist....24 hours round the clockk endurance test. With that i think they really helped their driving skills and would prepare them better for the dakar rally.



So here it is.... the Dakar Rally, the most difficult and dangerous test of stamina for a driver and automobile. this will eb the great test for the top gear team.

here is the rally and how it should be done.

the car (with bbc money, i dont see how finding sponcer will be an issue.)


James May- Jeremy Clarkson in Bowler 1
Richard Hammond - Stig in Bowler 2

to keep everything good, just have a caravan of about 3-4 camera cars to help boys and like 1 unimog truck with parts and service.

Im sure this would make for a great top gear special.

*discuss*

[fallen angel]

Going in to the Dakar Rally is way too expensive, something around 125 thousand € (just speculating maybe more) just think you need license, fuel (lots of it [or go for diesel]) tyres, assistançe, engine (and if you run in trouble lots of spare parts...)

BTW: Im from Portugal, i´m not seeing this edition of Lisbon-Dakar because I just went last year but if Top Gear would enter the rally I would be in the front seat
(sorry for bad English)

[anti-net]

I thought about this - May and Clarkson in the car and Hammond on the bike. However I don't think any of them would make it nor would the BBC give them the cash to do it.

[TomCat]

How about something smaller then. Like the Baja 1000.

[vegasrebel29]

For those of you unaware, the BBC really does explicitly prohibit sponsorship. Otherwise, the license fee would be paying for adverts, which isn't in any way, shape or form just, because it's the people's money.

Still, I like the idea. Maybe the could do the Isle of Man rally?

[jayhawk]

I myself think it is a bad idea. One of them could be killed or seriously injured, it is not a controlled enviroment like the 24 hour race was.

[vikiradTG2007]

Originally Posted by vegasrebel29

For those of you unaware, the BBC really does explicitly prohibit sponsorship. Otherwise, the license fee would be paying for adverts, which isn't in any way, shape or form just, because it's the people's money.

That's why the BBC were unsure about taking on F1 broadcasts in the early days... but still, good thing they did and good thing they got the right commentators. On the topic, I don't think the Health-and-Safety-Executives would allow them to compete because the route has recently been attacked by terrorists. And we wouldn't want to lose our beloved form of car-based entertainment, now would we?

[Zwaplat]

Originally Posted by vegasrebel29

For those of you unaware, the BBC really does explicitly prohibit sponsorship. Otherwise, the license fee would be paying for adverts, which isn't in any way, shape or form just, because it's the people's money.

Still, I like the idea. Maybe the could do the Isle of Man rally?

Uhm, what ? If a company puts adverts on cars, they pay to do it. Not the other way round. The BBC would be getting money, instead of spending it.

[No Boss]

Weren't there reports of Hammond being in this past Dakar?

[anti-net]

Originally Posted by jayhawk

I myself think it is a bad idea. One of them could be killed or seriously injured, it is not a controlled enviroment like the 24 hour race was.

The Arctic wasn't controlled either, atleast on Dakar you can be tracked. But they will drop out. Dakar is bloody tough! You have to be completely insane to do it.

[Cobol74]

I'd love them to do it but I fear that it would not be allowed for all the reasons above and then some - pity, it could be ruddy awesome. I would go for one of the Trucks actually if I were going to do it.

[The_Finn]

the paris dakar kills people hell the pope even denounced it. somehow i think the BBC would be less than enthusiastic about letting james jeremy and richard try it.

[Scott]

Originally Posted by Zwaplat

Uhm, what ? If a company puts adverts on cars, they pay to do it. Not the other way round. The BBC would be getting money, instead of spending it.

I think you mis-read something here. The BBC PROHIBITS sponsorships or adverts, which means they could not get any sponsors to offset the costs involved.

[Bugatti's Aftershave]

Originally Posted by No Boss

Weren't there reports of Hammond being in this past Dakar?

It was a different Hammond. Whoever wrote up the news on the Dakar listing website let wishful thinking get in the way.

[vegasrebel29]

Double post delete plz?

[vegasrebel29]

Actually, now that I think about it this COULD be a good documentary by any one of them, but I think it wouldn't really work in the Top Gear mold.

Originally Posted by Zwaplat

Uhm, what ? If a company puts adverts on cars, they pay to do it. Not the other way round. The BBC would be getting money, instead of spending it.

But the issue is entirely unrelated to that. The entire idea behind the BBC (and nearly all public broadcasting) is unbiased, uninfluenced portrayal of whatever it is they seek to portray. The viewers/license fee holders have a sort of stakeholder relationship with the BBC (and public broadcasting): they both (hypothetically) heighten the stance of each other.

The idea of advertising is antithetical to the aforementioned ideals.

[TomCat]

Unbiased and uninfluenced? That's great, but this is TopGear we're talking about.

[emil_t]

i don't think they can't affoard makeing a segment, or a special on the dakar, they had the money for tractor/farming/biodiesel film so why wloudn't they have enough money for this ?

[maateuszz89]

Probably they would afford to participate in Dakar, but it's too tough rally for them. It's something completely different from Britcar. I just don't want them to die somewhere in wild Africa

Moreover, they couldn't drive one in car. 3 cars with guys behind the wheels and filming crews at dakar, is it possible?

Originally Posted by emil_t

i don't think they can't affoard makeing a segment, or a special on the dakar, they had the money for tractor/farming/biodiesel film so why wloudn't they have enough money for this ?

I am sure that they just rented the tractors.

[vyllu]

Originally Posted by maateuszz89

Moreover, they couldn't drive one in car. 3 cars with guys behind the wheels and filming crews at dakar, is it possible?

Race to dakar managed to make a decent programme with three bikes with a supportcrew going basically the same route.