Filed under: Coupes, Sedans/Saloons, Videos, Supercars, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dodge
VIDEO: GM's Chris Berube could school Clarkson on burnouts
Click above to view videos from the latest Top Gear after the jump
Top Gear is widely regarded as the best television show ever produced about cars. The production values are outstanding, the hosts are amusing and their tamed racing driver, "the Stig", is amazing to watch as he improves his mind while hustling cars around the test track. A few months back we all got wind that Jeremy, Richard and James had returned to the U.S. for another road trip. This time around they headed to the West Coast to drive a new Corvette ZR1, Cadillac CTS-V and Dodge Challenger SRT-8 from San Francisco to the Bonneville Salt Flats. Along the way, Jezza decided to stop at some desolate spot somewhere in Nevada or Utah to lay down some black lines on the pavement. Now while we generally love to watch Mr. Clarkson playing with fast cars, he doesn't quite seem to have mastered the art of the burnout. If you start about 9 minutes into the first clip after the jump and continue to the second and third videos, you'll see our favorite limey trio attempting to shred their tires during last night's second episode of Series 12 (Download via bittorrent here). Compared to Clarkson in the ZR1, Hammond and May were utterly hopeless in their Challenger SRT-8 and Cadillac CTS-V, respectively. After that, watch the last video with GM's Chris Berube showing us all how it's done properly in both the ZR1 Vette and Caddy CTS-V.
[Source: YouTube]
Top Gear Season 12, episode 2 part 4
Top Gear Season 12, episode 2 part 4
2009 Cadillac CTS-V burnouts during testing at GM'
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ben 10:38AM (11/10/2008)
Leave it to the Americans to make it an overachieving event than to have fun! =]
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Pdexter 10:39AM (11/10/2008)
Loved this episode! First episode of season 12 got me worried, but it all seems good now.
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Franz 1:01PM (11/10/2008)
Well I enjoyed the first one, but this one was better. I find it hilarious that Chrysler actually refused to give them a Challenger to test. LOL
pd 10:52AM (11/10/2008)
I wonder who tipped them to these vids hmm....
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ryan 10:55AM (11/10/2008)
The best shots of that clip were of Jezza powersliding the ZR1 through some of the twisty mountain roads anyway, any idiot can do a burnout. The level to which you do that burnout depends on your tire budget, and obviously Jezza didn't have the luxury of a tire machine and spare tires at his disposal in the middle of the desert. Anyone who watches the show knows he can melt a set of tires with the best of them. This was a dumb post, written to cause a debate no doubt, but a good opportunity to watch people burn tires with some awesome cars.
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vkchu 11:21AM (11/10/2008)
dead on. clarkson trashes tires w/ the best of em. those 11's were just for fun. i point the writer of this post to the bentley brooklands test where he shreds the tires until they burst. no, clarkson is fully aware of how to lay down some stripes. being in the middle of nowhere w/ probably no tire replacements, i too would have been easy on the burnout.
nist7 11:30AM (11/10/2008)
Agreed. Sam Abuelsamid seems woefully ignorant of what Clarkson and Hammond can do (May is truly hopeless in terms of burnounts) when they are back at the Top Gear test track, where they have full repair and medical services....as opposed to out in the middle of no where with a borrowed ZR1 and a camera crew.
The Doctor 12:11PM (11/10/2008)
Surely I can't be the only one who remembers Clarkson getting the Viper to write its own name...
why not the LS2LS7? 12:46PM (11/10/2008)
Right. If Clarkson can't do it, it can't be done and probably wasn't worth doing anyway.
I heard he single-handedly defeated facism on the European continent.
tankd0g 11:30AM (11/10/2008)
I really expected May to slam into the vette, budget constraints I guess..
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Nick 11:54AM (11/10/2008)
Glad to see Clarkston hates the playstation trans as much as I do..
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LoneWolf 12:04PM (11/10/2008)
Love this video - especially the Frank Klepacki Song when the Challenger startetd doing the twisties
(Klepacki is more known for making the soundtrack for Command&Conquer)
The sound of an american V8 can never be matched.
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Justin 12:08PM (11/10/2008)
They were just trying to burn out on hitting the gas and dropping the clutch alone. To show off torque.
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sean collins 12:14PM (11/10/2008)
On a related issue: didn't one of the timing bods inform Clarkson that he'd broken the production car record but he was too busy being frustrated to pay attention. Can anyone confirm if this was in fact true and therefore his final run broke the record again.
For three middle aged blokes 'at the cutting edge of cocking about' what they've achieved whilst doing so is pretty impressive. Who else has been to the North Pole, crossed the astonishingly beautiful Makgadikgadi, launched the largest non-commercial rocket in Europe, and set the indoor world speed record?
And they get paid handsomely to do so whilst apparently thorougly enjoying themselves. Jammy barstewards.
BTW - what's the story with Hammonds Challenger? Did he actually buy it - if so, will be bringing it over or is it shortly to appear as your eBay find of the day?....
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xraymind 12:40PM (11/10/2008)
finalgear.com reported that the topgear.com had a post offering to sell Richard Hammond’s Dodge Challenger. But since had remove that post. BTW, it said the car is still in US.
why not the LS2LS7? 12:50PM (11/10/2008)
Astonishingly beautiful Makgadikgadi?
I for one am glad I bypassed it and went right from Savuti to Moremi. If I wanna see miles of flat, I can drive 50 miles past Reno.
They haven't been to the North Pole. The North Pole is at 90 degrees north.
sean collins 2:32PM (11/10/2008)
The sunset view near Lekhubu Island looked pretty damn good to me and as far as I know there isn't an analogue anywhere near Reno.
It was called the Polar special. When Clarkson calls Hammond he says "..we're at the North Pole...". You may be right, and assuming they weren't lying completely I guess they meant magnetic North.
Now ask me whether I care or it negates the point I was making
Franz 2:47PM (11/10/2008)
That episode is my favorite, & I'm pretty sure they did say long before they set off that their aim was to reach the magnetic north pole. It's kinda splitting hairs arguing about whether or not they were actually at the geographic north pole or not when that clearly wasn't their aim. I think your point is pretty darn valid, Sean... not that it matters too much anyways. ;)
Amien 12:28PM (11/10/2008)
Aside from this post being completely pointless, im sure Mr. Clarkson will appreciate this "tutorial".
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sean collins 2:58PM (11/10/2008)
Thanks, Franz. You are of course right, this is ephemera.
But if it's correct that the ZR1 set a record it tickles me: only they could set out to do road test and accidentally set a record along the way....