Top Gear Challenge Takes Place In Dover

The three presenters of the popular BBC television programme Top Gear were in Dover today to attempt another of their race challenges against each other.

Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond are famous for their strange races where they try to out-do each other with their modes of transport, and for reaching their destination first.

Today, it was a case of trying to cross the Channel from Dover to Calais in a vehicle, adapted for the water.

Richard Hammond had chosen a VW Camper van, cunningly disguised as a boat and complete with propeller. James May opted for his trusty Triumph Herald, which had a sail attached to it, and Jeremy Clarkson took the wheel of a Nissan 4x4 pick-up truck equipped with a 225-horsepower outboard motor.

Underwater search and rescue divers stood by as the trio lined up their vehicles on the disused hoverpad at Dover's Western Docks, and safety boats were positioned nearby ready to escort them on their proposed 21- mile journey.

But it didn't quite go according to plan, with James May's vessel having to almost immediately be assisted by a rescue boat to prevent a collision with the nearby ferry berth, only to capsize minutes later, a short distance from the hoverpad. Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond also took to the water, although neither made it as far as the breakwater, with Hammond's camper van breaking down as he reached the end of the Prince of Wales pier.

The programme featuring the cross-Channel challenge is due to be screened on BBC 2 in the autumn.