Emotional Homecoming: Hammond And May Race To The TopGear Track In EVs

We join former TopGear and The Grand Tour presenters Richard Hammond and James May on the runway of Henstridge Aerodrome in Southern England for a race. But unlike the many cross-continental escapades that both have been part of over the past two decades, this one is a bit more modest. Just over a 100-mile dash east, to Dunsfold Airfield, which is familiar ground for Hammond and May. Why? Because it houses the old hangar and studio where TopGear was filmed, and who can forget the iconic 1.75-mile race track and runway, which has been the backdrop for some of the most sensational features ever shot in motoring television.

Coming back to the current race on DriveTribe, where some James May’s Gin & Tonic was up for grabs, Hammond is in an all-electric Porsche Taycan Turbo GT (Non-Weissach as it has the rear seats in place), and James is in a Pipistrel Velis Electro. While the plane may appear to have an advantage on paper, owing to the 24.8 kWh battery, it can only stay in the air for 50 minutes. This would require May to make a brief charging pitstop midway in Thruxton. Hammond, meanwhile, doesn’t have to worry about range anxiety, as even the top-spec 1,000+ horsepower Turbo GT variant packs a 97.9 kWh battery pack, offering around 300 miles of range. However, Richard would have to contend with road works and traffic. This was going to be close.

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An emotional homecoming: James May and Richard Hammond stand on an airstrip beside a purple car and a small white airplane, having raced to the Top Gear track in EVs on a cloudy day.

An emotional homecoming: James May and Richard Hammond race to the Top Gear track in EVs, as a small white airplane and blue sports car await on the runway, windsock billowing against an open landscape under a cloudy sky.

Two people sit inside the cockpit of a small white aircraft, while another stands outside inspecting equipment—capturing the anticipation of An Emotional Homecoming: James May and Richard Hammond Race to the Top Gear Track in EVs.

Three people examine the controls inside a helicopter cockpit, with one person in a yellow jacket leaning in closely—capturing the anticipation of an emotional homecoming like James May and Richard Hammond racing to the Top Gear track in EVs.

Two men stand on an empty runway talking as a crew films them; a blue car, part of An Emotional Homecoming: James May And Richard Hammond Race To The Top Gear Track In EVs, is parked nearby on the tarmac under a cloudy sky.

An Emotional Homecoming: James May and Richard Hammond stand beside a blue Porsche Taycan and a small white airplane on an airstrip, cloudy skies overhead, as they race to the Top Gear track in EVs.

An emotional homecoming: James May leans against a white airplane while Richard Hammond stands by a blue car holding a wheel on an airstrip under overcast skies, as they race to the Top Gear track in EVs.

An Emotional Homecoming: James May and Richard Hammond stand on a wet runway—one leaning on a blue electric car, the other by a small white propeller plane—as they race to the Top Gear track in EVs under a cloudy sky.

A small white aircraft is parked on an airstrip, while in the background, a blue sports car—part of An Emotional Homecoming: James May And Richard Hammond Race To The Top Gear Track In EVs—drives away on a cloudy day.

An Emotional Homecoming: James May and Richard Hammond stand on an airstrip in front of a white small airplane and a blue car under a cloudy sky, ready to race to the Top Gear track in EVs.

A blue sports car is parked on a runway as a small white airplane descends to land, evoking an emotional homecoming as James May and Richard Hammond race to the Top Gear Track in EVs beneath cloudy skies.

Spec-check and route check complete, the two set off from Henstridge. Now, this isn’t the first time that we’ve seen a plane Vs car battle featuring Richard and James. The duo reminisce about the past: James recalls their epic race to Monaco with Clarkson in a DB9, while Richard brings up the Bugatti Veyron and how the Taycan GT has more power at launch than the Bugatti. The Veyron, of course, has been part of many special features on TopGear. Be it the race against the Eurofighter or the feature where Clarkson placed his faith in the 8.0-liter W16 and famously took on Hammond and May, flying on a Cessna 182 in a race from Alba in Northern Italy to London.

Halfway into this EV duel, James was in the lead, and after a spot of lunch and the battery pack replenished, he was back in the air. Hammond, while a bit behind, was also making swift progress. With both now on the homestretch, emotions were running high, particularly for Richard, as the duo returned to the TopGear test track after nearly a decade.

So who won? You’ll have to watch the video below to find out.