Top Gear: Test Track

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We would like to present to you the Top Gear Test Track. The Top Gear test track is the test track used by the British automotive television programme Top Gear. Located in Dunsfold Park, it was designed by Lotus engineers and is used both to test cars seen on the programme and in two segments of the show (Power Laps and Star in a Reasonably Priced Car). The course is just under 2 miles (3.2 km) in length and is a rough figure 8 layout.

Layout

The track is a rough ‘figure of 8′ layout, and is located in Dunsfold Park in Surrey, England. It was a World War II airbase and British Aerospace manufacturing and test facility. The track has a “road” course, and a drag strip, although the latter is never used for timing purposes. Designed by Lotus, the layout of the track is designed to put the car through various conditions, ranging from provoking understeer to testing brake balance and tyres. It is about 1.75 miles (2.82 km) in length, and the track is considered to be an equaliser for cars, since both 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) times and top speed are totally meaningless to the programme according to Richard Hammond.

The course starts on the Perimeter Road outside the Top Gear studio. The first bend is a fast left-hander into a short service road with a double apex, named “Crooner Curves”, followed quickly by “Chicago”, a long right-hand around a tire wall onto the main runway, at the end of which is the “Hammerhead”, a right-hander back on the Perimeter Road which is followed through a left hand curve until “Wilson Bend” turns the course right, back onto the service road and the section called the “Follow Through”, which, after the left hand “Bentley Bend”, returns to the main runway. The course now comes to “Bacharach Bend”, which, after the first series, has been referred to as the “Second to Last Corner” and is often regarded as one of the most challenging on the course. The final turn before the start/finish line, is “Gambon”, the only bend named after the track was put to use. In episode 8 of Series 1, actor Michael Gambon almost rolled the Suzuki Liana used in the show’s Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car segment, and did so in such a spectacular fashion (briefly going airborne before navigating the remainder of the corner on two wheels) that the corner was henceforth named in his honour by host Jeremy Clarkson. Before this, the corner was known as “Carpenters’ Corner”.

Usage

The track has been used for the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car, but also makes appearances in the Power Laps section. The track is also used for testing cars in the programme, and drag races have been held on the runway section of the track. Several Formula One drivers have driven the “Reasonably-Priced Car” on the show.

Power Laps

Power Laps is a segment of the programme in which The Stig completes a lap around the track to compare the performance of various cars. The car tested has usually been reviewed by one of the presenters in the current episode, but sometimes is a carry-over from a previous one.

The qualification for the board is that the vehicle being tested must be a road-legal production car, and must have sufficient ride-height to clear a standard speed-hump, although occasionally vehicles that cannot appear in the list are still timed. Whenever a non-qualifying vehicle is raced, the time is compared to the official Power Laps and then removed from the board. An example is the Sea Harrier jump jet which holds the all time best lap record, after completing a lap in 0.31.2.

All the laps were timed with the car’s manufacturer-provided adjustable settings configured for maximum performance. That is to say, all adjustable suspensions were set at their most efficient, all gear shift maps were at their most aggressive, and driving aids such as traction control were deactivated. These lap times do not offer entirely reliable comparisons between the cars, mainly because of wet or otherwise poor weather conditions (see time deductions below).

The Power Board

1. 1:17.1 – Gumpert Apollo Se
2. 1:17.3 – Ascari A10
3. 1:17.6 – Koenigsegg CCX (with The Top Gear Wing)
4. 1:17.8 – Pagani Zonda F Roadster
5. 1:17.9 – Caterham Seven R500 (cold tyres)[6]
6. 1.18:3 – Bugatti Veyron 16.4
7. 1:18.4 – Pagani Zonda F
8. 1:18.9 – Maserati MC12
9. 1:19.0 – Ferrari Enzo
10. 1:19.5 – Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4
11. 1:19.5 – Porsche 911 GT2
12. 1:19.5 – Ariel Atom 2 300 [7]
13. 1:19.7 – Nissan GT-R
14. 1:19.7 – Ferrari 430 Scuderia
15. 1:19.8 – Lamborghini Murciélago LP640
16. 1:19.8 – Porsche Carrera GT
17. 1:20.4 – Koenigsegg CCX (without Spoiler )[8][9]
18. 1:20.7 – Ascari KZ1 (damp)
19. 1:20.9 – Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
20. 1:21.2 – Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
21. 1:21.9 – Ford GT
22. 1:22.3 – Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale
23. 1:22.3 – Porsche 911 GT3 RS (996 mk.II)
24. 1:22.4 – Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06
25. 1:22.5 – Noble M15
26. 1:22.9 – Ferrari F430 F1[10]
27. 1:23.2 – Ferrari F430 Spider F1[10]
28. 1:23.6 – Westfield XTR
29. 1:23.7 – Lamborghini Murciélago (retested)+
30. 1:23.8 – Pagani Zonda C12 S 7.3 (partly damp)
31. 1:23.9 – Aston Martin DBS
32. 1:23.9 – Koenigsegg CC8S
33. 1:24.0 – Ariel Atom 1 220[11]
34. 1:24.2 – Veritas RS III
35. 1:24.3 – Prodrive P2 (concept)
36. 1:24.4 – Audi R8 (damp)
37. 1:24.6 – TVR Sagaris
38. 1:24.8 – Mitsubishi Evo VIII MR FQ-400
39. 1:24.8 – TVR Tuscan Mk.II
40. 1:25.0 – Noble M12 GTO-3R
41. 1:25.1 – Lotus Exige S
42. 1:25.3 – BMW M3 E92 Coupe
43. 1:25.7 – Audi RS4[12]
44. 1:25.7 – Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder
45. 1:25.8 – Lamborghini Gallardo (wet)
46. 1:25.9 – Morgan Aero 8 GTN[13]
47. 1:26.0 – Mercedes CLK 63 AMG Black series
48. 1:26.0 – Mitsubishi Evo VIII MR FQ320[14]
49. 1:26.2 – BMW M5[15]
50. 1:26.2 – Porsche 911 Carrera S (997)
51. 1:26.2 – Brabus S Biturbo Roadster
51. 1:26.4 – Lotus Exige (mildly moist)
52. 1:26.7 – Porsche Cayman S[16]
53. 1:26.8 – Chevrolet Corvette C6 LS2
54. 1:26.8 – Ferrari 575M Maranello GTC[17]
55. 1:26.9 – Lexus IS-F
56. 1:26.9 – Mercedes-Benz CLS55 AMG
57. 1:27.1 – Aston Martin Vanquish S
58. 1:27.1 – Aston Martin DB9
59. 1:27.2 – Tesla Roadster (mildly moist)
60. 1:27.2 – Porsche 911 GT3 RS (996) (WET)
61. 1:27.3 – Spyker C8 Spyder[18]
62. 1:27.5 – TVR T350C
63. 1:27.9 – Wiesmann MF 3[19]
64. 1:28.0 – BMW M3 CSL (DAMP, near-slick tyres)
65. 1:28.0 – Roush Mustang
66. 1.28.2 – Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X FQ-300
67. 1:28.2 – Marcos TSO GT2[20]
68. 1:28.2 – Lotus Elise Sport 190
69. 1.28.2 – Subaru Impreza WRX STI
70. 1:28.5 – Dodge Viper SRT-10 (very wet)
71. 1:28.6 – MG XPower SV
72. 1:28.7 – Porsche Boxster S
73. 1:28.7 – Audi TT MTM Bimoto (cold tyres)[21]
74. 1:28.9 – Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR FQ-300
75. 1:28.9 – Porsche 911 Carrera S (997) (wet)
76. 1:29.0 – Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG
77. 1:29.0 – Lamborghini Murciélago (partly damp)[1]
78. 1:29.0 – Alpina Z8 Roadster
79. 1:29.4 – AS One
80. 1:29.4 – Subaru Impreza WRX STI WR1[14]
81. 1:29.6 – Volkswagen Golf GTI W12-650 Concept
82. 1:30.0 – Autodelta Alfa Romeo 147 GTA 3.7
83. 1:30.0 – Ford Shelby GT500
84. 1:30.1 – Subaru Impreza WRX STi
85. 1:30.1 – Vauxhall Monaro VXR
86. 1:30.4 – Aston Martin DB7 GT
87. 1:30.4 – Volkswagen Golf R32 mk.V
88. 1:30.9 – Audi S4 quattro 4.2
89. 1:31.0 – Porsche 911 Turbo (996) (very wet)
90. 1:31.3 – Vauxhall VX220
91. 1:31.3 – Vauxhall VXR8 (wet)[5]
92. 1:31.4 – Audi TT Mk.II 2.0T
93. 1:31.6 – Honda NSX-R[22]( very wet)
94. 1:31.8 – BMW M3 E46
95. 1:31.8 – BMW 535d
96. 1:31.8 – Nissan 350Z
97. 1:31.8 – Mazda RX-8
98. 1:31.9 – BMW 130i
99. 1:32.2 – Ford Focus RS
100. 1:32.2 – Mazda 6 MPS
101. 1:32.5 – Renaultsport Mégane 225 Cup[15]
102. 1:32.5 – Lotus Esprit V8 (cold tyres)
103. 1:32.7 – Audi TT 3.2 quattro
104. 1:32.8 – Jaguar E-Type (modernised)[23]
105. 1:32.8 – Honda Civic Type-R (EP3-2004 Facelifted)[24]
106. 1:32.9 – SEAT León Cupra R[24]
107. 1:32.9 – Mercedes-Benz SLK350[25]
108. 1:33.0 – Audi RS6[26](actual lap not shown)
109. 1:33.0 – Vauxhall Astra VXR[15]
110. 1:33.0 – Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG (very wet)(Jeremy Clarkson’s)
111. 1:33.1 – Noble M12 GTO (wet)
112. 1:33.3 – Volkswagen Golf Mk.IV R32
113. 1:33.4 – Cadillac CTS-V (very wet)
114. 1:33.5 – Honda Civic Type-R (FN2-2007)
115. 1:33.5 – SEAT Leon Cupra 240ch (177 kw)
116. 1:33.7 – MG ZT 260[27]
117. 1:33.7 – Volkswagen Golf Mk.V GTI[24]
118. 1:33.7 – 2002 Honda NSX (very wet)[28]
119. 1:33.8 – Clio Renault Sport 182[29]
120. 1:33.9 – Holden Monaro (wet)
121. 1:34.0 – Renault Mégane 225[24]
122. 1:34.2 – MINI Cooper S Works[24]
123. 1:34.2 – Ford Mondeo ST220
124. 1:34.7 – Jaguar XKR (melted snow)
125. 1:34.9 – Ford Focus ST (foggy)
126. 1:35.0 – Volvo S60 R
127. 1:35.2 – Ferrari 575M Maranello (very wet)
128. 1:35.3 – Vauxhall Vectra VXR
129. 1:35.4 – Renault Avantime (tuned by presenters)
130. 1:35.5 – Fiat 500 Abarth Essesse SS
131. 1:35.6 – Alfa Romeo 147 GTA
132. 1:35.6 – Lotus Elise (wet)
133. 1:35.8 – Citroën C4 VTS[24]
134. 1:36.2 – Aston Martin V12 Vanquish (very wet)[30]
135. 1:36.2 – Renaultsport Clio V6 (very wet)
136. 1:36.5 – Honda Civic Type-R (EP3)
137. 1:36:8 – Subaru Impreza WRX
138. 1:36.9 – Alfa Romeo Brera 2.2
139. 1:37.0 – Mercedes-Benz SL500 (Ronnie O’Sullivan’s)(wet)
140. 1:37.0 – Porsche Boxster (very wet)[31]
141. 1:37.3 – BMW Z4 3.0i (very wet)[31]
142. 1:37.4 – Honda S2000 (very wet)[31]
143. 1:37.9 – Saab 9-5 Aero
144. 1:38.0 – Maserati Coupé Cambiocorsa (very wet)
145. 1:38.2 – Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione (very wet)
146. 1:39.4 – Bowler Wildcat
147. 1:40.8 – Bentley Arnage T (wet)
148. 1:42.5 – Renault Avantime(later modified by producers, posting a time of 1:35:4)
149. 1:44.0 – Overfinch 580 S (very wet)
150. 1:44.4 – Suzuki Liana(driven by The Stig in the 8th series, put on the F1 board, but not put on the studio lap time board)
151. 1:46.0 – Aston Martin DB5

The most powerful production car ever featured on Top Gear, the 1001 hp Bugatti Veyron, was taken around the track by the Stig on Series 12, Episode 4, after 2 years of waiting. However, it slightly disappointed the team by only managing 5th place on the power board at that time, an unexpectedly low position ultimately attributed to the sheer mass of the car, which has a listed curb weight 750 kg (1,700 lb) higher than any of the cars that posted a faster time.

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