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The first episode of the eighteenth series of Top Gear aired on the 29th of January, 2012. It was presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig. will.i.am (humourously referred to by Clarkson as "Will Dot, I Dot, Am Dot"), was the guest star.

Segments[]

Film[]

The presenters head to Italy for a roadtrip in three of the latest and greatest supercars as an alternative to the Ferrari 458 Italia: the Lamborghini Aventador, the McLaren MP4-12C, and the Noble M600. Their trip includes a few surprising breakdowns, stops by police and a meeting with the Stig's Italian cousin. The climactic challenge is a timed lap challenge at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola – the track where both Roland Ratzenberger and the great Ayrton Senna died during the 1994 San Marino GP (Ratzenberger during qualifying, Senna on Lap 7).

In the film Hammond ended up using two Noble M600's as when driving from Nardo to Rome along the motorway the first car broke it's clutch. Clarkson and May abandoned him to continue their journey to Rome while Hammond was left to await a recovery truck which would take him and the car to Rome. Unfortunately for Hammond after two hours waiting for the first recovery truck to arrive it was discovered that the car was too big for the truck, the driver of which didn't speak with Hammond only briefly saying it was too big for the truck before driving off and leaving him to wait for another to arrive. He ended up having to wait until almost nightfall before a truck large enough to take his car finally arrived, it being long after midnight when he finally arrived in Rome. Upon discovering the amount of damage to the cars gearbox he swapped his red Noble for a grey Noble, this second car also being right hand drive rather than left hand drive as before.

SIARPC[]

Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am takes to the track.

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