Top Gear test track

BBC motoring TV show Top Gear uses Top Gear to test the track. It is based at Dunsford Airport in Surrey, England.The track was designed by Lotus Motors as a testing facility, where many of its Formula 1 cars are tested. It's used to test cars and drivers that appear on shows, mostly in Power Laps and Star in a car.In the 23rd series of Top Gear, the track was expanded for the rally portion of the "Stars in Rally Cars" segment, but was abandoned at the end of the 23rd series.In December 2016, planning permission was granted for 1,800 homes to be built on the current site of the airport.As part of the reconstruction, it has been proposed to remove the runway (and associated airport infrastructure such as runway drag strips).

Layout 

The track is located on a former Royal Canadian Air Force air base built during World War II and later used by British Aerospace (and its predecessors) as a manufacturing and testing facility.The main course of the track was designed by Lotus' test drivers and is marked by painted lines and simple structures such as piles of tires.The layout of the track is designed to subject the cars to a variety of conditions, from inducing understeer to testing brake balance and tires.The track is approximately 1.75 miles (2.82 kilometers) long. It's considered the car's equalizer because, according to Richard Hammond, the 0-60 mph (0-96.6 km/h) time and top speed are completely meaningless.The track also contains a resistance band; while this is not used for timed segments, it does appear in some of the show's challenges and other features.

Lessons start on the perimeter road outside the Top Gear workshop.The first corner is a fast left and right corner called the "Croner Curves"."Willson Bend" is the first correct turn on the track,and the first you'll usually see when The Stig circles around."Chicago" is a long right turn around a tire wall into the main runway, designed by Lotus as a steady state corner to accentuate understeer or oversteer in the chassis.Next comes "Hammerhead", a left-to-right corner that again accentuates both understeer and oversteer.The track enters the right hand corner, and then the track turns right through a flat section called "Follow Through" (it's similar to Albert Park Circuit's turns 11 and 12).After the left-handed "Bentley Bend," named after first "discovery" Jeremy Clarkson and ex-Top Gear host Jon Bentley but often shortened to "Tire," class came to "Bacharach Bend," where, in the first Known as "the penultimate corner" or "the penultimate corner" after the series, it is often considered one of the most challenging corners on the course.The last turn before the finish line is 'Gambon' in honor of Sir Michael Gambon, who completed the turn on two wheels in Episode 8 of Series 1. Prior to this, the corner was known as "Carpenters Corner"".

Usage

The track is used routinely for the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car and Power Laps segments on Top Gear.It also serves myriad roles in other portions of the programme, especially in testing cars and in challenges.When testing cars, they are often driven around the airfield by the presenters. Afterwards, they are taken around the test track by The Stig to set a lap time.Occasionally, drag races and speed tests are held on the runway.Cars acquired during challenges must often post lap times (driven by either one of the presenters or The Stig) around the track against either a target time or a time set by The Stig in another vehicle. During many challenges, the track is used in more unorthodox fashions for instance, serving as a makeshift motorway lane during a challenge testing tailgating prowess with vans.

Power Laps

Power Laps is a segment of the programme in which The Stig completes a lap around the track in a reviewed car to compare its performance to previous contenders.To be eligible to appear on the Power Lap Times board, a vehicle must be a road-legal production vehicle and must have sufficient ride height to pass over standard speed bumps,although there are occasional ineligible vehicles.The ones on the list are still timed.Whenever a non-qualifying vehicle enters the race, the time is compared to the official Power Laps, but then removed from the board, such as the Ferrari FXX (1:10.7) owned by Michael Schumacher due to two He was removed from the board both times for failing to meet road code standards and use slick tires.All lap times are timed with adjustable settings provided by the automaker for optimum performance all adjustable suspensions are set to their most efficient, all shift maps are at their most aggressive and driving aids such as traction control Device disabled.Lap times don't provide a complete comparison between cars, mainly because wet or other adverse weather conditions (see time deduction below) can negatively affect lap times.

Due to the size of the list, only the top 20 are shown. For a complete list, see the Top Gear Test Track Power Lap Times list.The second most powerful production car ever produced by Top Gear, the 1001 PS (987 hp; 736 kW) Bugatti Veyron, after a 3-year wait, is brought to the track by Stig in Episode 4 of Series 12.However, it disappointed the team by finishing only fifth in the power table (currently 26th), an unexpectedly low position ultimately attributable to the car's 1,888 kg (4,162 lb) curb weight, More than any of the four faster cars.However, in Episode 5 of Series 15, Stig set a new lap record by driving the 1,200 PS Super Sport version around the track with a time of 1:16.8.For lap 1:17.6, the Koenigsegg CCX was fitted with an optional rear spoiler to provide downforce after The Stig spun the unmodified version off the track. The Stig is said to have recommended this modification, correctly predicting that the car would be the fastest car on the track,although Koenigsegg stated that the improvement was due to other tweaks.