‘Top Gear’ is getting to be repetitive, but the young uns loved it

Zama Mtshali and Claire Tomlinson 

at the Top Gear Festival at Moses Mabhida Stadium 

in Durban.(Photo: Ian Carbutt)

SHELL did not sell any seashells on the seashore over the weekend, but sponsored lots of Top Gear fun. The Witness sent three hip 20-somethings and a bloke twice their age to see what the world’s most popular motoring programme is all about.

The 20-somethings

Kyle Venktess:

THE most memorable thing about the Top Gear shows is the red tape that surrounds it.

While the public can post any footage for as long as they want, the media cannot. More than that we cannot say, for the agreement we sign to cover Top Gear is entirely confidential. Without the schlep, the festival is entertaining enough. But go as a member of the public, is all I can advise.

Alexandra Patrick:

SATURDAY was my second Top Gear event. For me it was by far my most adventurous year yet and I just cannot wait to see what next year brings. There were the usual activities. The road leading to the stadium was blocked off to create a racing track. I got to try my hand at changing an F1 tyre, I am told that the pros take no longer than five seconds to change and refuel an F1 car, it took me about 14 seconds to pick up the heavy drill.

The actual show was fun, there were the usual Top Gear antics.

I had a lot of fun laughing and sitting at the edge of my seat while the professional drivers did amazing stunts. But for me the highlight of the day was watching the little boy and his father in front of me.

They would high-five each other and laugh and it was clear that they were sharing a special moment together. That for me was so special, next year I hope to have a special moment like that with my father.

YashEn Moodley:

IF inhaling fumes from exhaust pipes and burnt rubber is your thing, then Top Gear Live 2013 was the place to be.

The petrol head trio of May, Hammond and Clarkson made their way back to the sunny shores of SA to deliver their latest offering in the Top Gearlive show at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Masses of car lovers swarmed the city to get their kicks from the latest and classic sports vehicles. The show itself didn’t live up to the hype and expectations of last year’s show, as it was repetitive and in some places just boring. With the usual synchronised driving with Ford Focus STs and the fire breathing girls dressed in tight leather, the show didn’t offer much difference from last year.

The highlight, however, was the Stig doing donuts in the Red Bull F1 car on the tarmac track to the “oohs” and “yays” of the crowd. The sound of the engine managed to be louder than even the PA sytem at the stadium. If we have to see repetitive spinning, this is how we want to see it, not with SS Luminas and pyrotechnic girls on high heels.

The old bloke
Alwyn Viljoen:

A SECRET all car nuts know is that it is never too late to have a happy childhood.

Top Gear producer Rowland French obviously knows this, which is why both the 10-year-running programme on telly and his 2008 format for the live shows have three uncles putting on a show for their adoloscent nephews.

From the poster-wall line-up of dream cars to three-wheeled cars rolling over, repeatedly, to the jokes about Jeremy Clarkson’s penis, the show is deliberately puerile. And my, is puerile ever so profitable.

Top Gear is listed in the 2013 Guiness World Book of Records as “the most widely watched factual TV show in the world”, being broadcast to 350 million viewers per week in 170 different countries, not to mention three programmes that ape the Top Gear formula in Australia, Korea and the U.S.

And it is not just on telly either. The Top Gear live shows have toured 15 countries, with the four shows at last weekend’s festival in Durbs all sold out.

Of course, catching up on a happy childhood requires lots of energy and less friction, which is why main sponsor Shell sees Top Gear as a natural fit for its slogan that is all about keeping fit and strong.

Debbie Fowley, who manages the retail and fuel marketing sides at Shell, told The Witness the point of sponsoring Top Gear Festival is to show the assembled crowds that the same fuel that goes into an F1 racing car goes into mom’s taxi.

Apart from fuel, the company lubricates adventurous lifestyles, as is shown by their online game to accompany the “driven to extremes” challenge. Those who like their trips muddy can still win a grand tour until next week (closing date is June 30). Buy five litres of oil at participating stores or enter on Facebook for a trip of a lifetime.