AIRBORNE ANTICS VS ASPHALT ASSAULT: HAMMOND & MAY REIGNITE THEIR MOST LEGENDARY RACE – IN EVS!
Two decades after their legendary Veyron vs. Cessna showdown, Richard Hammond and James May have reignited the rivalry - but this time, it's electric. In a nostalgic-yet-futuristic twist on one of their most iconic Top Gear escapades, the dynamic duo staged a new-age showdown for the DriveTribe YouTube channel. Swapping out jet fuel for electrons, May took to the skies in a Pipistrel Velis Electro - one of the world’s first certified electric aircraft - while Hammond hit the tarmac in Porsche’s brutally fast Taycan Turbo GT. The pair launched from Henstridge Airfield on the Somerset/Dorset border, heading east towards hallowed ground - Dunsfold Aerodrome. Yes, that Dunsfold: former Top Gear test track, TV goldmine, and the site of many a Stig-powered drift. The distance? 174 km by road - or 129 km as the battery-powered crow flies. On paper, the match-up was surprisingly even. May's Pipistrel, though limited to around 50 minutes of flight time, could cruise over traffic, speed limits and roadworks - albeit with a necessary mid-airfield charging stop at Thruxton. Hammond’s Taycan Turbo GT, on the other hand, did not need to plug in mid-race, with up to 555 km of range and blistering pace on tap. And when plugged into an ultra-fast charger, it can rocket from 10–80% SoC in just 18 minutes, thanks to 320 kW of charging power. Taking full advantage of the empty runway launch, Hammond unleashed the Taycan’s ballistic 1,240 Nm of torque with Launch Control. The result? 0–100 km/h in 2.3 seconds and a thundering 1,108 PS under Overboost – more than the Bugatti Veyron he famously raced back in 2005. Yeah, things have escalated.
And this isn’t raw power with no polish. Thanks to Porsche’s Active Ride chassis system - standard on the Turbo GT - the Taycan can dance as well as it can sprint. From leaning into corners like a motorbike to soaking up bumps so effortlessly the tyres seem glued to the road, it’s as much a luxury cruiser as it is a track weapon.
Meanwhile in the sky...
May’s airborne journey benefited from a healthy 20–30 knot tailwind, putting him on the front foot - though not enough to skip the all-important recharge and, of course, a few cups of tea at Thruxton. Surprisingly, the Pipistrel’s pre-flight checks were minimal, a reminder that electric flight might just be simpler than we think.
Too close to call...
As the race edged toward Dunsfold, both machines were running neck-and-neck. Hammond, ever the showman, used the Taycan’s panoramic Variable Light Control roof to scan the skies for what he described as “a small electric plane with a spaniel in it.” Typical. In true Clarkson-era fashion, the race was calculated to be close, but no fakery was involved - it was real, raw competition between man, machine, and a metric ton of nostalgia. So, who won – the sky or the street? We won't spoil the ending - you’ll have to watch the film for that. But one thing’s for certain: whether you're flying or driving, the future of electric mobility just got a lot more fun.
Take a look at the YouTube video over at Richard Hammond's DRIVETRIBE as they document this awesome EV race that takes place on land and in the air - which is your money on?: Richard Hammond VS James May – Plane vs Car RACE! | DRIVETRIBE
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