[TV] Top Gear - Season 8

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by avsfan733

Because we don't get it stateside, I have been catching up in any spare moments I have had this summer (usually while doing homework) after I found a source online for old episodes. I must say my two favorite moments are:

[Desperation] Link please[/Desperatoin]

[Hazard]

Erm, that was insane! Caravanning holiday my ____...that was a travelling destruction derby

[Knowlesy]

Fantastic! I bet there will be floods of complaints from caravanners now!

[Suze]

Agree there! They're not going to like that one

[SALEEN S7R]

Oh dear, what a pity...............

[Rockmunky]

Oh my, i was howling with laughter!
That makes up for the gap of top gears!

Loved James' Joint comment

[garcon]

Brilliant!

I look forward to all the complaints about their "recklessness" and idiocy from people who don't have the wit to realise it's a fictional comedy not a documentary.

Have to agree with Clarkson's conclusions though. Anyone who derives enjoyment from caravanning should be sectioned. And have their caravan ceremonially burnt (Jeremy's quite good at that, don't you think? )

One serious point... how the hell did a 1.5 diesel Kia win Caravanning Monthly Tow Car of the Year? It's dangerously underpowered before you hitch a van to it...

[ensign14]

OK, that was the funniest bit of television since Boris hosted HIGNFY the most recent time.

Why in the name of a little blue pig would someone spend £12,000 for the right to spend £200 per week to hitch to a post in a field somewhere near Tywyn? For that sort of money you can get about 8 very very good quality hollygogs for two anywhere in the blinking world - and you then have to replace the worn-out caravan anyway so there is less than zero saving.

[Sheila M]

I've only just stopped laughing! May's attempts to reverse the van into it's allocated space had me

As for the driving there, it occurred to me that had they had the sense to fit a stabliser then the dog probably wouldn't have been sick!

Seeing all the broken crockery reminded me of a trip I once had to Oulton Park (yes, I used to be a caravan owner but I also lived in Yorkshire and travelled to Donington, Silverston and Oulton to marshal most weekends, so needed the cheap accommodation ). On the trip in question, I'd loaded the food into the cupboards as usual but hadn't closed one of the doors properly. A pack of biscuits fell out somewhere en route and the gas bottle rolled over and over it several millon times. When we got to Oulton and opened the van door, the carpets were covered in biscuit dust

Anyway, I digress - what will they do next?

[Craig]

Driving my camper back from Mondello we had a blow out halfway through Wales which cost us four hours of our lives! In an attempt to make up time we dropped the hammer (read: were doing 75 flat down the back roads) when we crested a hill and took off. As we landed one of the overhead locker thingies sprung open and a bottle of Smirnoff and a bottle of JD tumbled out. The Smirnoff smashed the TV that was sat on the floor and the JD almost killed my passenger... thankfully both bottles surprived though.

I hate caravanning...

[The STIG]

funnily enough, on our way to mondello, we went over the most viscious speed hump known to the western roads, which emptied all the shelves lockers and left me with interesting back pains...

I hate carravaning too, which is why we have a motorhome!

[Craig]

That'll be the little narrow hump back bridge about a mile from the track! the one that we found one of the VLR trucks wedged in...

[zac510]

Originally Posted by garcon

One serious point... how the hell did a 1.5 diesel Kia win Caravanning Monthly Tow Car of the Year? It's dangerously underpowered before you hitch a van to it...

It's got me beat. I was expecting footage of a Kia and Caravan careening down a hill with the front brakes on fire.. but I guess the Kia can't get to the top of the hill in the first place!

[Truckosaurus]

A quick internet search finds that the small Kia one "Best Tow Car" in the "under £13,500" category.

[The STIG]

Originally Posted by Craig

That'll be the little narrow hump back bridge about a mile from the track! the one that we found one of the VLR trucks wedged in...

nope, it was further up than that, near a church in a small village about half a mile from the circuit, we got over the bridge with about 2 inches on either side...!

[Craig]

Yeah, likewise. After they attached a large rope to the second transporter and towed the first one back... And, yes, I know the place you mean.

Still hate caravanning though. Motorhomes are fine, tents are fine, but a caravan... WTF? Stupid dangerous things.

I have just put the repeat into my EPG so I can watch it again tomorrow hehe

[safc_fan89]

Those 'caravan holiday' clips had me in stitches, great stuff. The one concern I have with Top Gear though is that it is moving away from a car show too much. But yesterday's episode *did* show that that stupid Kia car is no good if you plan on going on caravanning holidays.

And I know how they feel over such holidays. They really are dull

[Craig]

It ceased to be a car show when the 'old' Top Gear finished a few years ago. The new format is exactly that, new. It is now an entertainment show with cars as a general theme. And I like it.

[Stuart Hill]

Originally Posted by safc_fan89

Those 'caravan holiday' clips had me in stitches, great stuff. The one concern I have with Top Gear though is that it is moving away from a car show too much. But yesterday's episode *did* show that that stupid Kia car is no good if you plan on going on caravanning holidays.

Even as a caravan owner, that was still a funny (contrived) show. It almost looked as if they had actually made those mistakes. We all know that it was all staged but still, had a damn sight more entertainment than the "Race?" in France that took place earlier in the day. (F1 GP for those of you who missed the parade).

Originally Posted by safc_fan89

And I know how they feel over such holidays. They really are dull

This all depends on why you buy a caravan and I am not about to try to convince anyone to buy one. This is just about why we have one.

After nearly 20 yrs marshalling, having to put-up with a tent in a field and peeing behind it at 02:00 in the morning, we decided to splash out and get a "Van". It has completely changed our views of Two or more Day Meetings.
Whereas before; we would arrive with our tent, set-up, get sorted and then try to find the facilities, if there were any............
we now:
arrive, set-up and are then ready to not only enjoy the evening sunshine (or rain) but are able to entertain our fellow marshals with freshly cooked food and warm surroundings. (we have central heating in our van!!) you just feel more comfortable in a 'Van.

But it doesn't stop there.......
Yes; our marshalling accommodation has improved but this is also available for any other time we chose to use it. Much as we enjoyed our camping, our very large tent was only really used to facilitate our marshalling at far-flung events. With the 'van, not only can we do these same events, in luxury, but we also tend to use the 'Van for other week-ends as well. This is not something we ever did when camping.

So, are "Caravan holidays dull??".................

it all depends on whomsoever is taking them.

what is our "BIG" caravan holiday this year?????? (after having marshalled F1 at Indianapolis and NASCAR at Chicagoland)............

one week south of the M4, in any area we have never visited before (vacation wise), followed by 4 days surrounded by Hillclimb Marshals and Drivers in a stunning location. Exciting racing, great company and then......
a steady drive home on the Bank Holiday as all those others are fighting for a space on the Ocean's rubbish. (sorry, beach).

You can knock Caravans all you like, and many will, but it is without doubt the very best purchase (as Marshals and People) that we ever made.

but I will add, as an HGV driver, I have been held-up more times by slow car drivers than I have ever been by anyone towing anything!!

[Craig]

I have been held-up more times by slow car drivers than I have ever been by anyone towing anything!!

Especially 15 year olds towing shiny silver caravans on the back of transits vans who persist on doing 80mph whilst looking for a field to break into.

[safc_fan89]

Originally Posted by Craig

It ceased to be a car show when the 'old' Top Gear finished a few years ago. The new format is exactly that, new. It is now an entertainment show with cars as a general theme. And I like it.

I've never seen the 'old' Top Gear, only the most recent few series'. I'm not complaining at all, I think it is great TV and probably my current favourite show, just some things they do seem to have no relevance to cars at all.

[Slippy Diff]

Originally Posted by eclectic

Not the same one over and again, surely?

For example, the rocket mini on the ski jump was fundamentally the same joke/stunt as the rocket car fired into a quarry aimed at a caravan.

It has got repetitive and needs freshening up, some new creative input is urgently needed, it used to be fun............

Yours
Disgruntled of Tunbridge Wells

[Woolley]

It was a great laugh. I couldn't conceive buying a caravan for holidaying, but as Stuart says, it's a fantastic thing for marshalling multi-day meetings.

I shall have to invite them on an alternative motorsports caravanning holiday:

Head south at fairly decent speed until held up by slow moving car (without caravan - my feeling is that people who pootle around with a caravan do the same without it, it's not the caravan that causes the hold-ups, its the type of driver who usually pulls one, and they're more than capable of causing the hold-up without it). Eventually overtake said car on single carriageway road! Later manage to get flashed by speed camera (no ticket - phew!). Then two nights of beer, barbecue, good food and company interspersed with great motor racing, then home on BH monday while everyone else has got where they're going and not yet coming back, so 148 miles is covered in just 3 hours. I suspect they'd enjoy that slightly more!

Oh, and I can't reverse the thing properly either. Getting better, but still pretty rubbish.

The caravan thing still wasn't as funny as the 'turn a people carrier into a convertable' sketch, though.

[Notso Swift]

I find this thread incredibly frustrating.
In Australia we just had the "new series" of TG start last night... only a year behind... (actually its like 15 months)
Did get to see the Aygo soccer though, too funny for words.

[SALEEN S7R]

Originally Posted by knowlesy

Fantastic! I bet there will be floods of complaints from caravanners now!

Yep, funnily enough I just found this story on my local Daily Echo's website. http://www.thisisbournemouth.co.uk/d...o_top_here.php To a extent I have to agree with what the people there are saying, dont get me wrong Im not a fan of caravanning but I myself have been as a kid and it is usually nothing like as bad as Clarkson and co made it out to be. As for the traffic jams, oh please, had they actually got a car that was suitable for towing they would have had very little in the way of the problems they had towing the caravan and they certainly woudnt have had massive ques of traffic behind them. Any normal family size car of around 1.8ltr + should be fine, we had a Ford Granada 2.9 and my dad was saying that if you had a car like that which is good for towing you hardly realised the caravan was there. Im not sure about the exact speed limit differnces whilst towing a caravan but I know it isnt much, sometimes you do get a small que behind you but generally it is nothing like as bad as what Top Gear made it out to be. IMO of course.