OHMYGOSSIP — ‘Top Gear’s The Stig has broken a world record in a vintage dodgem.
The racing driver has secured a new Guinness World Record after he managed to take a restored clapped-out 1960s bumper car to breaking point by driving it over 100mph.
The fictional character took on the challenge at Bentwaters Airfield in Suffolk on March 23 after YouTube sensation Colin Furze was asked to turn the slow battered bumper car, which reached a speed of around 5 mph, into a revamped fast motor.
Colin had just three weeks to transform the vehicle, which was documented on his YouTube account, and did so by adding a 600cc Honda motorbike engine.
Colin said: “Stig’s at his happiest when he’s making the slow, fast – so what better way to celebrate the new series of ‘Top Gear’ than by taking a rusty old bumper car and coverting it into the ultimate fairground speed machine!”
Lucia Sinigagliesi, Guinness World Records Adjudicator, added: “We’re all used to seeing The Stig driving at high speeds – but he’s usually in a sports car and usually on a race track. To see him hurtle past in a classic bumper car at 100mph was surreal, but hugely impressive. Equally as impressive are the engineering expertise of Colin Furze – the combination of their skills makes for record-breaking fun.”
Meanwhile, the new series of ‘Top Gear’ has seen ‘Friends’ actor Matt LeBlanc take over the reins following Chris Evans’ shock departure last year over failed ratings.
And Matt’s co-host Chris Harris thinks the radio DJ – who walked away from the show just 12 months into his three-year contract – did them a favour by leaving because more people are tuning in to the show now that it’s become more about cars.
He said: “It’s a bit more car-orientated so the petrolheads are enjoying it. It’s never going to satisfy the full petrolhead audience but the car is at the centre of the show.”