Top Gear challenges

Top Gear challenges are a segment of the Top Gear television programme where the presenters are tasked by the producers, or each other, to prove or do various things related to vehicles.

Novelty challenges and short stunt films are typically based on absurd premises, such as jumping a bus over motorcycles (instead of the more typical scenario of a motorcycle jumping over buses), or a nun driving a monster truck. These features have become much less prominent over the life of the programme (they were much more regular during the first four series); they have been superseded in later series by the "How hard can it be?" and Cheap car challenges, which are much larger in scope.

A common theme on Top Gear is an approach to reviewing cars that combines standard road tests and opinions with an extremely unusual circumstance, or with a challenge to demonstrate a notable characteristic of the vehicle.

A recurring feature on Top Gear involves the hosts undertaking a number of bizarre challenges involving cars. The segments involving the challenges are usually preceded by Jeremy Clarkson, though sometimes Richard or James, asking the audience and viewers: "How hard can it be?"

Series Five, Episode Five

Clarkson took a diesel Jaguar S-Type to the Nürburgring with the aim of completing a lap in less than 10 minutes. Clarkson was being coached by Sabine Schmitz, a noted German racer. After consecutive unsuccessful tries, Clarkson managed to lap the Nürburgring in 9 minutes and 59 seconds, with Clarkson celebrating enthusiastically and showing the results proudly to his coach. Schmitz was still unimpressed, proclaiming that she could do that time in a van, and then lapped the Jaguar 47 seconds faster than Clarkson's time.

Series Six, Episode Seven

To celebrate the Ford Transit's 40th birthday, Hammond went to the Nürburgring to see if Clarkson's mentor from the previous Nürburgring challenge, Sabine Schmitz, could live up to her claim and do a lap in a diesel 2005 Ford Transit van in less than 9 minutes and 59 seconds. Despite all the modifications made to the van - removal of the passenger seat, spare tyre, tools, windscreen wipers, Hammond himself, and using a Dodge Viper driving in front allowing the Transit to slipstream behind it, Schmitz was unable to do a lap time of less than 10 minutes, achieving a lap time of 10 minutes and 8 seconds.

...
Wikipedia