Comments on this piece of driving?

[whitevanman88]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLebmoXOukc

Just wondering on a general reaction really?

[BertBert]

Glad top gear has got more interesting.
Bert

[whitevanman88]

I was more interested in the techniques, when the front view camera was being used.

[vonhosen]

What about it ?

[whitevanman88]

vonhosen said:

What about it ?

That's what I'm asking!?

[BertBert]

Looks like some regular driving to me. The camera position and angle is such that you can't get a real view of where the car was positioned. It felt he was using a lot of the road, but with visibility etc that's fine. JC seemed to see the car coming the other way quite promptly.

What are you thinking WVM?

Bert

[whitevanman88]

Well I'm stuck between two thoughts.

Initially that piece of driving looks pretty textbook, but I've seem some shocking driving from JC before (as I'm sure all of us have).

Does anyone know if JC has undertaken any advanced driving courses?

[BertBert]

well he's clealy done some drifting practice!
Bert

[whitevanman88]

BertBert said:

well he's clealy done some drifting practice!
Bert

His sideways action has never looked terribly neat to me at all :/

[RobM77]

whitevanman88 said:

BertBert said:

well he's clealy done some drifting practice!
Bert

His sideways action has never looked terribly neat to me at all :/

Most of it's cut very cleverly to look better. Check out Chris Harris' "expose" video on the Autocar website where he shoes how it's done. JC really isn't that good a driver sadly; great presenter though.

[Vaux]

whitevanman88 said:

Does anyone know if JC has undertaken any advanced driving courses?

Wot, like IAM or RoADAR?
Doubt it.

[BertBert]

RobM77 said:

whitevanman88 said:

BertBert said:

well he's clealy done some drifting practice!
Bert

His sideways action has never looked terribly neat to me at all :/

Most of it's cut very cleverly to look better. Check out Chris Harris' "expose" video on the Autocar website where he shoes how it's done. JC really isn't that good a driver sadly; great presenter though.

Having watched Tiffany Dell at Bedford reviewing the Mclaren SLR, his drifting looked a bit naff too. However, he took the time out (nice chap) to explain to us how the drift shots work and how much timing and precision was needed to drift past the back of the van with the camera in it. He didn't look quite so rubbish at it after that.

Bert

[RobM77]

BertBert said:

RobM77 said:

whitevanman88 said:

BertBert said:

well he's clealy done some drifting practice!
Bert

His sideways action has never looked terribly neat to me at all :/

Most of it's cut very cleverly to look better. Check out Chris Harris' "expose" video on the Autocar website where he shoes how it's done. JC really isn't that good a driver sadly; great presenter though.

Having watched Tiffany Dell at Bedford reviewing the Mclaren SLR, his drifting looked a bit naff too. However, he took the time out (nice chap) to explain to us how the drift shots work and how much timing and precision was needed to drift past the back of the van with the camera in it. He didn't look quite so rubbish at it after that.

Bert

As a side point, and I'm sure we're all aware of this, none of this is drifting, it's powersliding. Drifting takes a lot more skill and it's a shame we don't see more of it, along with proper fast driving and an actual evaluation of how good the car is at it! Just me on my soapbox about TG, 5th Gear etc..

I long to see Tiff or Jason actually driving a car fast and commenting on how it reacts. The most we ever get is a timed lap with the odd comment, but timing's banned on track days (as is drifting), so really it's got bugger all relevance to potential buyers of cars like us!

[Starfighter]

I recall a conversation about JC at an IAM all groups conference, at that time the answer was no and it is alleged he was rather insulting about advanced methods. I am also told that he had a warning from a previous Gloucester CC relating to his use of public roads.

Regarding the video clip, some of the offsiding was into blind areas including righ-handers where the camera had a better view than the driver. Not a good example...

[ninja-lewis]

When filming these kind of segments, do the drivers have any external information such as another car ahead warning of traffic? I presume they must have some sort of communication with the filming vehicle.

[vonhosen]

Starfighter said:

I recall a conversation about JC at an IAM all groups conference, at that time the answer was no and it is alleged he was rather insulting about advanced methods. I am also told that he had a warning from a previous Gloucester CC relating to his use of public roads.

Regarding the video clip, some of the offsiding was into blind areas including righ-handers where the camera had a better view than the driver. Not a good example...

I wouldn't trust that the camera gives a view equal to that of the driver because of it's fixed position & limited field of view.

[vonhosen]

ninja-lewis said:

When filming these kind of segments, do the drivers have any external information such as another car ahead warning of traffic? I presume they must have some sort of communication with the filming vehicle.

When I passed Clarkson in the camera fitted Vantage there wasn't.

[Starfighter]

vonhosen said:

Starfighter said:

I recall a conversation about JC at an IAM all groups conference, at that time the answer was no and it is alleged he was rather insulting about advanced methods. I am also told that he had a warning from a previous Gloucester CC relating to his use of public roads.

Regarding the video clip, some of the offsiding was into blind areas including righ-handers where the camera had a better view than the driver. Not a good example...

I wouldn't trust that the camera gives a view equal to that of the driver because of it's fixed position & limited field of view.

Agreed up to the point that the camera is fitted to the left of the vehicle and the limit of visiion is from a hillside to the right. The angle of view then becomes irrelvent, the camera can see futher around the fixed obstruction. Same principle as positioning for view around a bend.