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BBC asked to fire Clarkson for admitting to 186 mph joyride in Veyron
Here's a news flash: Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear fame sometimes drives really fast. But it isn't a speeding ticket that has landed Mr. Clarkson in hot water, it's a recent admission during an interview at the Hay Festival in Powys, Wales that he drove the insanely fast Bugatti Veyron 186 mph on public roads. The overly honest answer to the question "what's the fastest you've ever driven" has public safety activists asking for Clarkson's curly locks on a platter. Mary Williams of Brake called the TV star "offensive and irresponsible," and said that the BBC should fire him.
While we're big fans of Clarkson, driving 186 on public roads is incredibly dangerous both to himself and for others on the road. And doesn't Clarkson have an airport runway for going as fast as he wants whenever he wants? Having said that, he obviously didn't get caught doing anything wrong, and hasn't had a speeding ticket in 20 years, so calls for his job are more or less annoying and wishful thinking.
[Source: Mailonsunday]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
catgirlshyla 7:35PM (5/29/2008)
slowpoke.jpg
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Vintage 9:20AM (5/30/2008)
The BBC has sand in it's vagina, and so does Autoblog. Wahh! Driving fast on public roads is dangerous! Wahhh! I've driven very fast on public roads many many times, without any incident. The key is to find a road without entrances, and do it when no traffic is around.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:17AM (5/30/2008)
did you read the article?
The BBC was asked to fire him. Note that the BBC has (so far) not fired him.
It isn't the BBC that has sand in its vagina, it's Mary Williams. And you do too, getting worked up over nothing.
rouse42 7:39PM (5/29/2008)
was he on the autobahn?
and was the speedo calibrated? or was it really like 179? haha
not like he was doing 186 in a school zone, or was he?
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SPG 8:48PM (5/29/2008)
Contrary to popular belief much of the Autobahn has speed limits.
Hoyun 9:04PM (5/29/2008)
As you said MOST of the autobahn has speed restrictions. So he still could've been going 186 legally.
BKadalur 9:06PM (5/29/2008)
am i right saying that 2/3 of the autobahn has limits and the remaining 1/3 doesn't?
or is it the other way around?
why not the LS2LS7? 9:27PM (5/29/2008)
I'd say less than 15% of the autobahn has no speed limit. I bet wikipedia has a figure on this (of questionable accuracy).
rouse42 9:40PM (5/29/2008)
between the german and swiss autobahn there are over 8500 miles of highway.
something around half is unrestricted.
speed limits are imposed in areas where there are interchanges.
undercover cops patrol those areas in unmarked exotic's.
i remember seeing a show about it and one of the police departments had a fleet of blue lambo's for patrol and first response for accidents, they had coolers in the trunk for emergency organ transplants. thats pretty crazy,
what do they do hack your heart out on the side of the road? then race to a hospital at 300kph?
rouse42 9:48PM (5/29/2008)
here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IA40tgM98M
and before anybody says anything about the trunk i know its in the front.
Doug 12:28AM (5/30/2008)
Um, whatch that video again. They don't have a fleet. Lambo donated ONE to the Itallian Polizia. Read here:
http://www.italiaspeed.com/2004/cars/lamborghini/05/police_gallardo.html
Justin 9:27PM (5/30/2008)
I think the speed limit is only on about 1/3 of the German Autobahn. But the speed limit can also change depending on the weather and traffic congestion. The autobahn is so much better than our interstate system it's depressing.
Germany has about 80 million people and the US has about 300 million. Yet we had 42,636 deaths on the interstate in '04 and Germany only had 694 in '04. Granted Germany has a lot fewer roads but I think those numbers speak for themselves.
Arpad 2:02PM (5/31/2008)
> The autobahn is so much better than our interstate system it's depressing.
The roads themselves are not much better. They are for the most part well-maintained, but it's the drivers that are so much better... People actually *gasp* stay on the right unless they're passing, and *gasp* check their mirrors before passing, and *gasp* don't cut you off or brakecheck you to prevent you from passing.
If everybody would follow a few basic rules, people would quickly realize that it's possible to safely drive at high speeds.
Mike 7:47PM (5/29/2008)
150mph in a 335i is my record.
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zamafir 8:14PM (5/29/2008)
160 in a chipped jetta is mine, on the '90 in washington. surely a 335i can do better then that. (speedo indicated 160, garmin conf 147)
Mike 8:21PM (5/29/2008)
It was still pulling hard but I got a bit nervous when I saw the speedo.
Chris 9:09PM (5/29/2008)
You're saying you went 160 when your navi told you it was 147? I don't get it.
TwinTurbo3000GT 10:14PM (5/29/2008)
the faster you go the less accurate the speedo is. I hit 145 in my vr-4. car wanted to keep going, but i chickened out :P
at least i slaughtered that jag i was racing ;)
why not the LS2LS7? 10:40PM (5/29/2008)
If your NAV said you were doing 147, you were doing 147, not 160. A chipped Jetta is unlikely to reach 160, btw. You'd need over 250HP, and a chip won't do that for you I don't think. A chip and a bigger turbo/injectors sure would.
Yar 2:09AM (5/30/2008)
158 on GPS in the Goat, thats when it was stock. Haven't run it since.