Richard Hammond on re-watching footage from serious 2006 crash

entertainment
Richard Hammond On Re-Watching Footage From Serious 2006 Crash
Richard Hammond crashed a jet-powered dragster called Vampire at nearly 320mph while filming for Top Gear in 2006. Photo: PA Images
Share this article

Alex Green, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter

Richard Hammond has said he is now able to watch the footage of the 2006 high-speed crash that left him with serious injuries.

The presenter (52) crashed a jet-powered dragster called Vampire at nearly 320mph while filming for Top Gear at the former RAF Elvington airbase near York.

Advertisement

Although the incident left him with serious head injuries, he managed to make a full recovery and returned to the show in early 2007.

Chris Evans to host Top Gear
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May in their final Top Gear show together (Ellis O’Brien/BBC/PA)

Hammond recently got back in the reconstructed car as part of a video for the DriveTribe YouTube channel, which he co-founded with Jeremy Clarkson and James May.

Advertisement

Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Thursday, he addressed whether he was now able to watch footage of his crash or if he still found it difficult.

He said: “I think I did for a while but not so much now. Not really. I have now – but not a lot, no. It was quite bumpy.”

Hammond described getting back in the car as “genuinely weird”.

He added: “It came about (because) I had the guys from DriveTribe over at my place and we were trying to plan a look ahead to the year.

Advertisement

“And one of them said, ‘You do know that car has now been restored and rebuilt just down the road from where you live?’ And it seemed too good an opportunity, so we rang them.

“It was all a bit of fun until the moment came – and you can see it on the little video on the platform – and I got in and I did go a bit quiet. It was, ‘Oh, hang on’.

“It’s weird. I remember the last time I got into this, but I don’t remember the last time I got out of it. So technically I must still be in it. It was a strange feeling.”

Hammond admitted he had not told his wife, newspaper columnist Mindy, before getting back in the car and “just snuck off and filmed it”.

Advertisement

Read More

Message submitting... Thank you for waiting.

Want us to email you top stories each lunch time?

Download our Apps
© BreakingNews.ie 2024, developed by Square1 and powered by PublisherPlus.com