Top Gear Goes All-American for King of the Hammers
To begin episode five, the American host drives an American supercar. Then the Brits tackle King of the Hammers with varying success.
BBC’s Top Gear may ostensibly be a U.K. show made for U.K. viewers, but episode five of the new season is a uniquely American affair. First, the show’s American host, Matt LeBlanc, heads to California to wrangle the all-new Ford GT, making him the first to officially test the car. Then comes the real fun stuff, with most of the show dedicated to King of the Hammers.
Can we get a “Hell yeah!” from those in the back?
If you have been living under your Jeep instead of driving it, King of the Hammers is a wild off-road race that combines high-speed desert running with rock crawling. It’s a brutal test of man and machine, which is unlike anything else in the world.
Top Gear currently employs three professional racing drivers: Chris Harris, Sabine Schmitz, and of course, The Stig. Since it is widely accepted that The Stig is the fastest creature on any track, Harris and Sabine decide to fight for the honor of second place at King of the Hammers.
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Sadly, Chris and Sabine do not take part in the full, grueling race, but rather a Legends Class exhibition race. But with that, you still get a handful of laps around a closed circuit filled with a near-vertical rock climb, banked turns, and a few flat-out desert straights. The track looks amazing.
This section of the show also makes it absolutely, hilariously clear that Harris does not own a Jeep. And likely never owned anything like a Jeep. Throughout the entire KotH bit, he keeps talking about how worried he is about rolling over. He may be a pro circuit driver, but he is an amateur off-roader, at best.
We don’t want to ruin what happens, but rest assured, there is a pretty clear winner. You can watch part of the clip below, or check your local listings to find the next showing on BBC America.
