The DB9 hieing swiftly over the English motorways.
The Race to Monte Carlo formed the main challenge for Episode 1 of Series 4. This was the first big race of the series, and served as inspiration for many which took place later on until the trio's disbandment in Series 22.
While doing the news, James and Richard mentioned how fast the trains of nowadays in France have become and how it could even be quicker than a plane to the South of France, let alone a car.
Jeremy rightfully replied dismissively, stating that no train can be faster than cars, which led to the challenge's creation.
Jeremy would drive the (then) new Aston Martin DB9, while Richard and James went on a series of buses and trains. The only rules were that Jeremy couldn't use any form of train (so the Eurostar was not an option, thus necessitating the usage of a ferry) and his opponents couldn't use form of car, thus rendering the pair unable to use taxis.
They started outside the studio at 8am. While walking with heavy bags for 2 miles to get to a bus stop, James and Richard talked to each other how he wouldn't stand a chance, while Jeremy set off and stormed past them, beeping the horn. During his drive over the smaller A and B roads, he lets us know how much he adores the interior, design, features and modernity of the car. By the time the boys got to the end of the lane, Jeremy had covered 40 miles with his Aston.
Jeremy proceeded to thunder along until he reached the outskirts of Dover, where he enlisted the services of the Seacat, a very fast ferry that takes 50 minutes to cross the channel.
TGV
Once in Dover, Jeremy's lead began to rapidly wane, due to things out of his control such as a Polish lorry with Latvian milk clogging up the roads. This allowed Richard and James to reach Guildford by bus in the time it had taken the Aston to get to the docks. Jeremy expressed worry that he could've missed the ferry, but made it on time.
Richard and James were baffled at how he was already at the Channel, but were still confident and James decided to show Jeremy some nerve by telling him they would be 240 kilometres ahead of him in a few hours.
Jeremy entered the ship and laughed at how they still thought they could win.
From Guildford station the pair took a small blue train that got to London Waterloo by 11:15, but due to the phenomenal speed of the ship, the DB9 already disembarked, and Jeremy's lead had started to grow anew.
While Jeremy drove off on smaller roads toward the French motorway, James and Richard got on to the Eurostar Train, still trusting in their belief that this is where they will catch up, since it was a far superior means of transport compared to what they had used earlier in the challenge. The Eurostar thundered off with great speed.
Jeremy entered the A26, where he opened the taps and made the Aston's high-revving V12 scream, accelerating and using its power to full effect, discovering that at the same time it runs smoothly when not running in high gear. After a while of this, his car was approached by a French police car. Though Jeremy thought he was in trouble, they were actively encouraging him to floor the car, leading Jeremy to call James under the impression he was getting pulled over in order to instill false hope in the opposing pair.
As this happens the Eurostar train pounds on, and Richard continues to explain why they will still be the victor, since he claims they will hit speeds of 320 km/h; 100 through the tunnel and 320 all the way across France.
Meanwhile Jeremy rings them up again, James replying in French, asking them where they are. They tell him they're in comfort on the Eurostar, and will have first class lunch.
At the map we can see that the Eurostar is still only close to Maidstone, but going rapidly towards the Channel. Jeremy's progress is shown far greater and in the time they went this far, the DB9 had already soared past Reims, but Jeremy now has to get some petrol at a filling station since the fuel warning light is on. He really rushes it, and even has trouble finding the fuel filler cap button. The train enters the tunnel at that moment, and Jeremy now stresses out, getting mad about the filler cap's location, and shouting 'come on' wanting the petrol to fill in more quickly.
With the Eurostar's arrival in France, James and Richard remain certain they're going to catch up and overtake for the lead, whilst Jeremy gets back on the motorway, finding it ridiculous to put a 60km/h sign at the end.
While the Eurostar develops speed and heads in the direction of Paris, James and Richard get their laptop to show the results of the tracking device of the DB9. It reveals that Jeremy sticks to 135 km/h. They will be doing more than double that speed at 320 km/h, so they think he hasn't got a chance.
In little time the train approaches the capital city, and they see how Jeremy is already 172 miles south of them, having got past Troyes and is now headed East, and they realize their cockiness is shortlived. Still the progress of the train seems bigger and the gap has shrunk somewhat.
In spite of this, Richard and James still have to go through the city in order to change trains. They're worrying about getting the next one on time, and fearing images of Jeremy arriving before them. While they walk across the station, Jeremy sees the time, it's late in the afternoon and knows they arrive in Paris. He calculates the fuel consumption, happy to see the DB9 is a proper drinker for being an Aston. In the meantime they face the rule of not using a taxi, so get and underground system, that isn't very comprehensible. They also have to get to the TGV within 50 minutes.
Jeremy drives further south. His rivals are having issues since their schedule is tight. Soon there's only 15 minutes left and they are still on the underground. James makes a conscious choice not to run whilst on camera, slowing the pair down and agitating Richard. Jeremy rings them up just to bother them and because he's curious. They have just minutes, and Jeremy mocks them, saying they will lose the race if they don't catch their connection.
It even comes so far that they lose each other, and Jeremy laughs while plowing ahead.
Eventually, they make it and are now aboard the fast train. Still full of smugness, Richard boasts they'll accelerate to 320 km/h and leave Jeremy in the dust. Jeremy tells them to get that out of their head, and Richard responds that they're going 300, which is 'not as fast as a DB9', according to Jeremy. Laughing, Richard replies 'a lot faster than you could be going'. After Richard expresses his desire for a Diet Coke, the train departs and quickly picks up speed.
While the TGV now flies quickly over the rails, James regales Richard with the story of Woolf Barnato, a Bentley Boy who raced a Blue Train from Cannes to London in a Bentley Speed Six, meanwhile mocking Jeremy's appearance compared to Barnato's. The battle increases in intensity as the speeds of both teams reach high amounts. It is shown that Jeremy has passed Dijon and the train is doing really well, having started to pull significantly away from Paris. Finally the train's sheer speed is beginning to make up the ground. But the car is now halfway into the journey, and Jeremy reviews how comfortable the Aston Martin is, also how great the gearbox works. He launches the car at great speed, dropping it into third gear.
At that point the car gains great distance. In the train, which is zipping by, the two guys are amazed by Jeremy's location on the map, wondering how he managed to do that, only saying that he must have absolutely kicked its tail and the car is going really fast, as if on fire, since Lyon.
Jeremy is also pleased with the heavy steering of the DB9, which 'flatters' the driver by making it feel like it's your job, not the machine's, and that you can feel there's a big lump of an engine in the front.
As the train is shown zooming over a blue bridge, it is now breathing down the car's neck. Inevitably, the train takes the lead due to the speed limits imposed on road traffic. This happened near Valence, a mere 200 miles from the finish line.
After having stayed in the lead for most of the race, Jeremy begins to question his ability to win in the midst of speed limits and the comparatively unlimited speed of the fearsome TGV. After getting past Orange, he realizes one last trick up his sleeve As the train continues to speed through France, stretching past Marseilles, he is aware that they have to go further than he needs to go, and the fact that they are on a train, which will similarly go as its route has determined, not where they personally want to go. Jeremy won't need fuel stops and can also proceed directly on the wide, empty three lane freeway on his way to the finish.
The map also shows that the Aston actually manages to get equal with the train at some point, in terms of being West from the target. Jeremy moves on to the twisty motorway, changing the character of the DB9 completely. The train has more corners to deal with than the straight stretches of freeway that the Aston is ploughing through, and with 100 miles to go, the train slows down whilst alongside the French coast, reducing the lead that the train had held.
Several moments later, the two arrive in Nice. James really gets impatient, pacing. They need to change train one final time before making it to the agreed destination.
Jeremy begins to hurry along and the battle looks very close indeed. The denouement of the challenge is in sight now. As the train reaches Monte Carlo and the two guys get out, the DB9 is on the N402, just minutes away on the outskirts of Monaco.
After reaching the small principality, he rapidly navigates through the city, the boys meanwhile are having trouble with their bags and still need to walk to Casino Square, where the Café de Paris is situated, whereas Jeremy continues to drive the rest of the way.
Richard wonders why he didn't bring a map, enticing James to get a move on, but to his disJames finds the DB9 parked up. James soon realizes that Jeremy's won as well, reacting with a disappointed 'oh cock'. It turns out Jeremy had beaten the train with just 15 minutes to spare.
In the end the Aston was able to secure victory, regardless of the restrictions imposed upon it. The race ends with a short conclusion from Jeremy about the DB9, and why he prefers it above its rivals, thus justifying his choice over another car that he could have used, owing to speed limits and fuel consumption.
Trivia[]
- During the scene which Richard & James show off the tracker website which shows them where Jeremy is, a date is visible; 14th April, 2004. Assuming the episode's content was fully unscripted and was not re-recorded later on for the sake of entertainment, this means the challenge began at 8am on the 14th and concluded around midnight on the 15th, as the Nice train station shows 22:48 before the pair's final train. With 25 minutes for an average SNCF train to take them to their destination, followed by a 15 minute 1km walk, it can be presumed the pair arrived at the Café de Paris at approximately 23:28, with Jeremy arriving at 23:13.