Top Gear: Paddy McGuinness attempts to train two inexperienced drivers to race in prestigious GT Cup
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Top-level motorcycle racing is pretty much a closed shop for everyone without a lot of money and a few good connections.
So Paddy McGuinness, 49, invited two young drivers with no real track racing experience, and two youthful mechanics, with the aim of pitting them against two well-funded racers who have been in the game for years, with just eight weeks of training. .
Episode four of Top Gear’s new series, airing on Sunday, features comedian Paddy helping to cast four people after receiving thousands of applications.
Challenge: Paddy McGuinness, 49, invited two young drivers with no real track racing experience and two young mechanics to train for the GT Cup for Sunday’s Top Gear
He was given just eight weeks to train the aspiring racers and mechanics ahead of the prestigious GT Cup at Donington, where they would drive a McLaren.
Fortunately, television star Paddy was able to enlist some help from F1 ace, Lando Norris, 23.
Paddy told his team: “If you want to be the best you have to learn from the absolute best, so I’ve got a special guest for you to beat today: current McLaren F1 driver and all-round superstar Lando Norris.”
Expert: Paddy enlisted the help of F1 ace, Lando Norris, 23 (pictured), as he attempted to train two young inexperienced track drivers and two mechanics for a race
After meeting the team, Lando recalled his first F1 race and said to Paddy when questioned about what was going through his mind, ‘Oh, so much! I was so nervous then.
“A lot of it is just pressure you put on yourself, but you know you’ll do well if you just do your job.”
Paddy asked Lando, ‘You ran a race, you didn’t do a particularly good job. How do you shake that off?’
Words of Wisdom: Lando spoke to the aspiring racers and mechanics as they prepared for their eight weeks of training
He replied, “You can’t do it by yourself. You have to ask the people who are there for you, “How can I do better next time?”
“Once you watch it, just put it behind you and look ahead to the next one.”
It comes after Paddy’s Top Gear co-host Chris Harris had to undergo surgery following a go-kart accident while filming for the current series.
Good cheer: The driver smiled as he chatted to the group the day after the hopefuls practiced on a pair of go-karts
The 47-year-old broadcaster is ‘still broken’ and will have to go under the knife after racing against Paddy in a Formula Hmong race in Thailand for the BBC One show.
Paddy told the Daily mirror newspaper: ‘It’s still broken. His right hand is still not good.
“When he raises his hand, I’m not sure if it’s his finger or thumb, but one of them is pointing the other way. He’ll need surgery.’
Warm welcome: Paddy gave a warm welcome to Lando, with the sportsman wearing an official McLaren hoodie as he appeared on camera
In the incident – seen earlier in the series – the two whizzed down a hill in the wooden cars, clad in helmets and body armor.
Chris labeled it “basic” as racing can be.
He said, “This is as grassroots as motorsports can get. The steering is on foot, the only fuel is gravity and the machines themselves are, let’s say, sustainably produced.’
Challenge: It comes after Paddy’s Top Gear co-host Chris Harris required surgery following a go-kart accident while filming for the current series
Paddy noted that the cameras don’t accurately capture Chris’ “reasonable speed” and the way he crashed “hard”.
He said, “When Chris came off he was going at a decent speed and he hit the ground hard
“There are no engines – there wasn’t even really a brake. When you’re done, you think, “I’m glad we were able to walk away”. Chris got away with it lightly.’
During the race, Chris was heard yelling, “I can’t steer. I have absolutely no control.’
Before his collision, he said ‘oh no’ and skidded down a dirt road before flipping over.
When Paddy saw his friend, Chris said, “My hand really hurts.”
Top Gear airs on BBC One on Sundays at 8pm.
Dangerous: Paddy McGuinness (right) is seen co-hosting with Freddie Flintoff (center) and Chris Harris (left). Top Gear airs on BBC One on Sundays at 8pm