Top Gear host Richard Hammond has taken part in another high-speed stunt for the BBC show, less than a year after the crash that almost killed him.

The 37-year-old, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, drove a Bugatti Veyron as it raced a Typhoon fighter jet at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire.

In September 2006 he was treated for swelling to the brain after his jet-powered car crashed.

The BBC said it was confident that “stringent” safety rules had been met.

The stunt, part of filming for a new series in October, saw Hammond behind the wheel of a car capable of speeds of more than 250mph, and which can travel from 0 to 60mph in 2.5 seconds. It is said to be the world’s fastest production car.

One eyewitness told the Lincolnshire Echo’s website that it was an “awesome sight”.

The stunt saw Hammond drive the Bugatti for one mile each way down the runway, while the Typhoon flew one mile over the runway, headed vertically for another mile and then turn around.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive after last year’s crash found there had been “failings in BBC management systems” before the accident. But it concluded that nobody should be prosecuted.

The accident, caused by a tyre blow-out at 288mph, sent the car spinning off the runway and left the presenter upside down and dug into a grass verge at Elvington airfield near York.

Hammond was airlifted to hospital, where he was treated for swelling to the brain and bruising, but eventually made a complete recovery.

He received a hero’s welcome when he returned to the TV show in January.

Source: news.bbc.co.uk
Images: news.bbc.co.uk

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