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Top Gear denies encouraging illegal stunts

Exclusive: Following a wild 'hoon' video aired on A Current Affair, Freehand Australia denies it encouraged any illegal activies from prospective 'Stig' applicants.

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EXCLUSIVE: In a developing story following a ‘hoon video’ airing on A Current Affair, and subsequently Today Tonight, producers of Top Gear Australia have denied encouraging illegal behaviour as part of their call for auditions in 2008.

A driver seen “drifting” on public roads as part of his video audition was soundly blasted on both programmes. But there has been some contention over use of the word ‘Exclusive’, whether his identity was known by Nine and the targetting of Top Gear in Seven’s story.

Today media website Crikey also wanted to know whether Top Gear Australia had liaised with Nine over the release of the tape.

Producer Peter Abbott from Freehand, today told TV Tonight from Washington DC the show’s SBS audition call had never encouraged such behaviour.

“When Freehand held auditions for Top Gear Australia in 2008, in no way did we encourage reckless or dangerous stunts, particularly on public roads,” he said. “High-performance cars on Top Gear Australia are always tested in a controlled and safe environment, and stringent safety procedures are always observed for both cast and crew.”

For filming purposes, The Stig’s speed tests are all conducted on closed circuits.

Freehand claims to have destroyed all unsuccessful audition submissions and denies any involvement in YouTube clips.

TV Tonight also understands A Current Affair declined to use the driver’s name in order to protect his identity from the kind of angry YouTube readers who had left furious comments. However it still packaged the footage on Tuesday night as part of a public hunt.

Top Gear will air for the first time on Nine from February 16th but the network is yet to outline its plans for Top Gear Australia.

8 Responses

  1. The Stig is part humanoid, part robot and travelled here from a different planet. The Stig eats Kryptonite…….so it was hardly an audition what this kid did..eh?

  3. Clearly this guy thought he was the lead role in Tokyo Drift.. but with a video like that, there is no way he could have become a stig! They would only ever consider professional drivers, not some regular guy off the streets. And they go on about how dangerous it was.. stupid Ian Luff commenting even though he was the worst sports driver in the World.. did he not notice the guys filming from the side of the street? Wonder why there were no other cars around the blind spots? Sure he might be an idiot for even filming it in the first place, but these guys have arent that stupid, they closed the road off or had some sort of communcation in place to warn him of danger.

    This whole thing makes my blood boil.

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