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Clarkson and co's Top Steer to France

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Clarkson heads out of Dover

Hammond's VW barge

Coastguards have slammed an audacious bid by Top Gear stars Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May to DRIVE across the Channel.

The daredevil trio all attempted to make the crossing across the world’s busiest shipping lane in three specially-adapted cars for the hit BBC TV show.

And, remarkably, one of the vehicles actually reached the French coast.

But coastguards at Dover have branded the exploits as ‘irresponsible’ and were left fuming claiming the TV crew failed to check in regularly as requested, as Clarkson led the charge to France.

The TV stars were attempting to match Virgin tycoon Sir Richard Branson’s record-breaking voyage three years ago. The millionaire wrote his name in the record books for the fastest crossing of the English Channel by an amphibious vehicle.

He made the crossing in one hour, 40 minutes and six seconds behind the wheel of a custom-built Gibbs Aquada.

Clarkson and his cohorts were not in quite such sophisticated machinery however as they launched into the Channel from the old hoverport at Dover’s Western Docks.

They spent two days practising. May was behind the wheel of a Triumph Herald equipped with a sail while Hammond chose a VW camper van with a propeller.

The Triumph tipped over and the VW sank. Both were recovered from the sea.

But on Thursday loud-mouthed Clarkson did stay afloat in a white Nissan 4x4 truck with a 225-horsepower outboard motor and made it to the continent.

A triumphant Clarkson reached the beach before he and his two co-stars, who wewre also aboard the pick-up, chose to come back to on a ferry.

One coastguard told the Saturday Observer: "We have been watching these people for a couple of days and laughing to be honest.

"First the car went down then the van always struggled - before the shaky looking truck set off.

"I know everything Jeremy Clarkson does is a stunt but this is a bit much. They should have been checking in every hour but they didn’t.

"Whoever would think trying to cross shipping lanes used by supertankers, giant cargo ships and ferries was a good idea?

"I think it is totally irresponsible.”

The bid to cross the Channel followed a previous stunt staged by the team in an earlier series.

Then they attempted to drive similar vehicles across a lake.

May and Hammond - who survived a terrifying 288mph jet car crash last September before making a miraculous recovery - sank while Clarkson capsized.

A member of the Top Gear team said: “These challenges are all a bit of fun. And if the boys have little to no knowledge of what they attempting, so much the better.”

The Top Gear episode dealing with the cross-Channel bid is set to be screened in the autumn.

POSTED: 20/07/2007 12:21:10

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