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Lewis On Top Gear This Weekend.

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I rank 3 living drivers as the fastest in the world. Those drivers may have good and bad days, but overall their styles make them the fastest living drivers.

1) Michael Schumacher

2) Alain Prost

3) Nigel Mansell

I have seen published telemetry of all three and I can say that Nigel's is the most dynamic. With Nigel, there is not middle-ground...he's either flat on the throttle or hard on the brakes. His telemetry is all sharp cliffs and valleys that is the hallmark of an almost stupid kind of courage. He doesn't seem to realize that he's driving dangerously as well as quickly! Hamilton is perhaps one of three fastest in F1, but he doesn't have Mansell's 'stupid courage'. He'll split Button and Mansell on the board.

Cool. I never realised you rated him that highly, to be honest, Mike, that's why I was curious. I have to admit Mansell was my favourite when I started watching F1, mainly because he was British, but also because of that grim determination. Mansell with the bit between his teeth and on a charge was a sight to behold.

Everyone gets practice laps around the Top Gear track. The Stig, however, has had many, many more laps than just a few practice runs. While it's true that a good driver can know a track in a few laps of it, it's also true that a driver intimately familiar with a track, like Sato is with Suzuka, can often pull a tenth or two out of his arse. Sato is not faster than Button, but when the two were teammates at Honda, and they were both at Suzuka, Sato outpaced Button (in individual laps, not so much a full race distance). There's familiar and there's familiar.

Indeed. Even if the guest does a lot more practice laps, like Mansell may have done, then the Stig will have still done many, many more laps.

I disagree about the use of the word "almost" there.

Yep, a complete and utter crackpot when behind the wheel of a car. I think Kimi has that complete disregard for danger too, when he went through that crash at Eau Rouge a few years back without lifting the throttle you sort of get the idea that he's a complete nutcase too and for some reason that's a great quality in a driver! :lol:

When Webbo ran that time, Jeremy told him that they believe a wet time adds about four seconds to your time. To which Webbo replied something along the lines of "Nah mate. Not in that car on that track."

I trust the professional racing driver over the professional tall, ugly, angry man any day

That was quite funny and Webbo was adamant! :lol:

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Just look at the Race of Champions, a couple of years ago Kovalainen beat M Schumacher in the final, it doesnt mean anything, just like the F1 drivers' times on Top Gear really dont mean anything! They're just having a laugh

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Ah, I see what you were getting at. It still doesn't matter to my estimation of Mansell's speed. Webber's run was in the wet, so you can't really compare it (although I've heard that by using the Stig's time in similar conditions the presenters know to subtract 3 [or 4] sec. from the wet times to get a dry time....where would that place Webbo?).

As to your last, I think there is, if only attitude-wise.

If you take three seconds off Webber's time that puts him 1st, 3 tenths above the stig. I know Webber's supposed to be a one-lap specialist of sorts, but something tells me the presenters have it wrong, and as Jonny says, Webber has it right. I would say maybe 2.5 seconds is a better estimate. Maybe it's just the case that the Stig isn't that brilliant in the wet, or not as brilliant as Webber.

Big Mansell fan myself.

He would grab the car by the scruff of the neck and pull off moves that make you go wow, look at that.

Yep, when he could fit into the car he could be quite awesome.

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I rank 3 living drivers as the fastest in the world. Those drivers may have good and bad days, but overall their styles make them the fastest living drivers.

1) Michael Schumacher

2) Alain Prost

3) Nigel Mansell

I have seen published telemetry of all three and I can say that Nigel's is the most dynamic. With Nigel, there is not middle-ground...he's either flat on the throttle or hard on the brakes. His telemetry is all sharp cliffs and valleys that is the hallmark of an almost stupid kind of courage. He doesn't seem to realize that he's driving dangerously as well as quickly! Hamilton is perhaps one of three fastest in F1, but he doesn't have Mansell's 'stupid courage'. He'll split Button and Mansell on the board.

Interesting. Is that your list of overall ability, or just pure speed? Presumably the latter.

Also there's absolutely no point comparing F1 drivers to the Stig. Not only is the Stig far more familiar with the track, but he's far more familiar with racing that type of car. Probably any half decent touring car driver would trounce any F1 driver in those conditions.

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Interesting. Is that your list of overall ability, or just pure speed? Presumably the latter.

Also there's absolutely no point comparing F1 drivers to the Stig. Not only is the Stig far more familiar with the track, but he's far more familiar with racing that type of car. Probably any half decent touring car driver would trounce any F1 driver in those conditions.

Ah, but we must compare them to the Stig (although take in factors like track knowledge), he is the benchmark after all.

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It's a totally unfair comparison, so it doesn't tell us anything, like most things in Top Gear. One guy has huge familiarity with the car and (less importantly) the track, another guy had been retired for 5 years, some practised beforehand whereas others didn't so much, some didn't bother trying and instead gave us a funny commentary during their hotlap, they all have totally different weather conditions, and one guy even set his time in the rain! You'd have to be stark raving mad to read anything into those times.

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It's a totally unfair comparison, so it doesn't tell us anything, like most things in Top Gear. One guy has huge familiarity with the car and (less importantly) the track, another guy had been retired for 5 years, some practised beforehand whereas others didn't so much, some didn't bother trying and instead gave us a funny commentary during their hotlap, they all have totally different weather conditions, and one guy even set his time in the rain! You'd have to be stark raving mad to read anything into those times.

For you to even put a statement like that makes me wonder who is using your family's brain cell when you come here - of course we're all stark raving mad, do you not know us at all ???? :lol:

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It's a totally unfair comparison, so it doesn't tell us anything, like most things in Top Gear. One guy has huge familiarity with the car and (less importantly) the track, another guy had been retired for 5 years, some practised beforehand whereas others didn't so much, some didn't bother trying and instead gave us a funny commentary during their hotlap, they all have totally different weather conditions, and one guy even set his time in the rain! You'd have to be stark raving mad to read anything into those times.

Yeah I agree it doesn't really tell us much because of all the variables involved, a bit like Formula 1 really.

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I just think it's fascinating to see what pro drivers do with an ordinary road car. Like Button, for example, coming in and taking a whole new line to the first corner which they thought was crap but which turned out to give him a few tenths.

Anybody who's seen that video of Schumi in a Maserati spyder knows what I'm talking about - F1 drivers in a road car (even the Liana) are cool to watch.

That said, I hope Hamilton gets a wet lap and Webbo beats him hugely.

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Oh, also, has anybody else noticed how Top Gear is not so much about cars anymore but about those guys just doing dumb stuff for viewers?

We've got every season of Top Gear at home and in the earlier ones - even as far up as to 2005 - the show was definitely a car nut's best friend. Not only did they have the occasional mad challenge, but full road tests and reviews of both screaming supercars and also hot road models that people could actually aspire to. Now, though, it seems to be all about the viewers after Hammond's crash, and I'm getting really sick of it. If there's one more "Ultra Super Challenge Roadtrip Bigger than We've Ever Done!" I'm going to Fifth Gear. They're not funny, but at least they actually talk about cars.

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Yeah I agree it doesn't really tell us much because of all the variables involved, a bit like Formula 1 really.

Yeah agreed, but even F1 is a little better than Top Gear for comparisons.

Oh, also, has anybody else noticed how Top Gear is not so much about cars anymore but about those guys just doing dumb stuff for viewers?

Yeah, dunno whether that's a good thing or not. I'm not a huge fan of the show anyway.

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Oh, also, has anybody else noticed how Top Gear is not so much about cars anymore but about those guys just doing dumb stuff for viewers?

Yep I've noticed that too, and I don't like it, it's losing it's character lately.

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Hmmmm confusion sets in when I read whats on the next episode of Top Gear......

We take a sideways look at the dirty business of commuting in the capital, as Jeremy, Richard and James race each other across London.

Hammond's new hair-do gets tousled by the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster in a race against a man with a rocket-propelled rucksack.

The hotly tipped Caparo T1 arrives on the test track, but will the weight of expectation stop it from knocking the Koenigsegg from the top of the lap board?

And our star in a reasonably priced car is pop impresario <b>Simon Cowell</b>.

Sunday 11 November, 8pm BBC Two

Repeated Wednesday 14 November, 7pm on BBC Two

________________________________________________________________________

No mention of Lewis Hamilton though? Maybe its not this weekend and next weekend?

Jeremy and Lewis... Watch around 4mins onwards.

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Hmmmm confusion sets in when I read whats on the next episode of Top Gear......

We take a sideways look at the dirty business of commuting in the capital, as Jeremy, Richard and James race each other across London.

Hammond's new hair-do gets tousled by the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster in a race against a man with a rocket-propelled rucksack.

The hotly tipped Caparo T1 arrives on the test track, but will the weight of expectation stop it from knocking the Koenigsegg from the top of the lap board?

And our star in a reasonably priced car is pop impresario <b>Simon Cowell</b>.

Sunday 11 November, 8pm BBC Two

Repeated Wednesday 14 November, 7pm on BBC Two

________________________________________________________________________

No mention of Lewis Hamilton though? Maybe its not this weekend and next weekend?

Jeremy and Lewis... Watch around 4mins onwards.

I think when they have F1 drivers on, they don't put it in the actual program info, it is always a surprise. But this time Clarkson has revealed due to their meeting at NTA.

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If you take three seconds off Webber's time that puts him 1st, 3 tenths above the stig. I know Webber's supposed to be a one-lap specialist of sorts, but something tells me the presenters have it wrong, and as Jonny says, Webber has it right. I would say maybe 2.5 seconds is a better estimate. Maybe it's just the case that the Stig isn't that brilliant in the wet, or not as brilliant as Webber.

The 3 seconds in the wet is based on the benchmark set by the Stig in the varying conditions, not just the presenter's estimation. Take that how you will.

Interesting. Is that your list of overall ability, or just pure speed? Presumably the latter.

Just pure speed.

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Why can't Lewis just **** off and die. I don't want to see him on my TV more than I have too (in F1 races!). ****!

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Why can't Lewis just **** off and die. I don't want to see him on my TV more than I have too (in F1 races!). ****!

Then don't watch.

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Why can't Lewis just **** off and die. I don't want to see him on my TV more than I have too (in F1 races!). ****!

God Boy, forgive you. I understand he has stolen the light off your favourite driver as he did to Alonso. I understand how life must be being a Button Fan.

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The race across London should be great - I thought this would be one of the races as you saw in the Trailer the Stig on London Underground and Clarkson on the Thames in a speedboat (he goes through the Thames Barrier in it). I just wonder how they can make it a fair way to travel as I reckon the speedboat would win hands down each time. Plus where will they go from? The Barrier is past the Dome, so Stig cant exactly start at North Greenwich! :D

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Why can't Lewis just **** off and die. I don't want to see him on my TV more than I have too (in F1 races!). ****!

Go bum a few men and chill out.

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