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The seventh series of BBC Two’s highly popular Top Gear is now ‘On Air’ on BBC 2 at 8 pm on Sundays, again featuring the popular ‘Star in a Reasonably Priced Car’ item.

More high profile, celebrity guests are again racing against the clock around a demanding circuit in a Suzuki Liana Sedan.

In the last series, nobody could match comedian Jimmy Carr’s outstanding 1m 46.9s. However, a new slant to the feature saw a pair of F1 drivers trying their hand around the Top Gear track. Damon Hill established a new course record with a lap time of 1m 46.3s, and Mark Webber, despite atrocious conditions, managed a very creditable 1m 47.52s.

The same car which has been used throughout all five previous series is being used again. To date it has clocked up over 7,000 track miles, a distance that the Suzuki Technical Department calculates could be equivalent to up to 140,000 normal road miles.

What’s more, the Liana has achieved this feat without any major faults, simply requiring – as one would expect – replacement clutches, wheels, tyres and regular services.

STAR

TIME

F1 Drivers  
1st:  
Nigel Mansell 1m 44.6
2nd:  
Damon Hill 1m 46.3
3rd:  
Mark Webber 1m 47.52 (very wet)

 

 

1st

 

Ellen MacArthur
1m 46.7
2nd  

Jimmy Carr

1m 46.9

3rd

 

Simon Cowell

1m 47

4th

 

Ronnie O'Sullivan

1m 47.3

   

Closely followed by...

 

Ian Wright
1m 47.8

Chris Evans

1m 47.9

Rory Bremner

1m 47.9

Justin Hawkins 1m 48

Rob Brydon

1m 48

Jay Kay

1m 48

Jodie Kidd

1m 48

Paul McKenna

1m 48

Patrick Kielty

1m 48

Trevor Eve 1m 48.4
Dr Stephen Ladyman 1m 48.8

Neil Morrissey

1m 49

Roger Daltrey

1m 49.6 (moist)

Jezza

1m 50

Jamie Oliver

1m 50

Gordon Ramsey

1m 50

Patrick Stewart

1m 50

Lionel Richie

1m 50

Martin Clunes

1m 50

Sir Cliff Richard

1m 50

Sir Ranulph Fiennes

1m 51

Sanjeev Bhaskar

1m 51 (wet)

Timothy Spall

1m 51.1

Carol Voderman

1m 51.2 (moist)

James Nesbitt

1m 51.3

Christian Slater

1m 51.4

Omid Djalili

1m 51.5

Joanna Lumley

1m 51.5

David Dimbleby

1m 52

Eddie Izzard

1m 52

Jordan

1m 52

Rick Parfitt

1m 52

Christopher Eccleston

1m 52.4

Sir Tim Rice

1m 52.7

Steve Coogan

1m 53 (wet)

Vinnie Jones

1m 53

Fay Ripley

1m 53 (mildly moist)

Johnny Vaughan and Denise Van Outen

1m 53.2

Bill Bailey

1m 53.4

Jack Dee

1m 53.5

Alan Davies

1m 54 (wet)

Stephen Fry

1m 54 (moist)

Rich Hall

1m 54

Martin Kemp

1m 54 (wet)

Ross Kemp

1m 54 (wet)

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson

1m 54 (wet)

David Soul

1m 54

Michael Gambon

1m 55

Geri Halliwell

1m 55

Boris Johnson

1m 56

Davina McCall

1m 56.9 (very wet)

Anne Robinson

1m 57

Jonathan Ross

1m 57

Johnny Vegas

1m 58

Harry Enfield

2m 01

Billy Baxter

2m 02

Terry Wogan

2m 04

Richard Whiteley

2m 06