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-Did you see the -BLEEP -attack me? | 0:01:18 | 0:01:20 | |
The menace of moped gangs is something | 0:01:20 | 0:01:22 | |
we've reported on many times over the past year. | 0:01:22 | 0:01:25 | |
It's mainly mobile-phone snatches. | 0:01:25 | 0:01:28 | |
The Met has been stopped from pursuing criminals on scooters | 0:01:28 | 0:01:32 | |
because of the risk to the rider or the public. | 0:01:32 | 0:01:34 | |
Two of them go into the store, one of them has a sledgehammer. | 0:01:34 | 0:01:38 | |
The defenceless owner is hit and kicked. | 0:01:38 | 0:01:41 | |
A woman is dragged along by her hair. | 0:01:41 | 0:01:44 | |
A motorcyclist is surrounded by four mopeds, | 0:01:44 | 0:01:48 | |
a fire extinguisher let off in his face. | 0:01:48 | 0:01:50 | |
I'm Livvy Haydock and, like most people, I've watched | 0:01:51 | 0:01:54 | |
in shock as this new violent crimewave has hit British cities. | 0:01:54 | 0:01:59 | |
The internet is full of videos showing crimes. | 0:02:01 | 0:02:04 | |
Some are uploaded by the thieves themselves, | 0:02:04 | 0:02:07 | |
bragging on anonymous Instagram accounts. | 0:02:07 | 0:02:09 | |
Who are these criminals? | 0:02:15 | 0:02:17 | |
And why do they do it? | 0:02:17 | 0:02:18 | |
What is the value of what you've robbed here? | 0:03:18 | 0:03:20 | |
..you know what I'm saying? | 0:03:31 | 0:03:33 | |
And do you always bring your phones here? | 0:03:46 | 0:03:48 | |
So you take these to Nigeria? | 0:04:15 | 0:04:17 | |
Yeah, so... | 0:04:17 | 0:04:18 | |
..you know what I'm saying? So... | 0:04:31 | 0:04:33 | |
Oh, they're all counterfeit phones? | 0:04:44 | 0:04:46 | |
When are you next going to Nigeria? | 0:04:50 | 0:04:53 | |
Very soon? | 0:04:55 | 0:04:56 | |
So you're in demand in Nigeria right now. | 0:04:59 | 0:05:01 | |
Is that why these robberies are going through the roof? | 0:05:08 | 0:05:10 | |
Most thieves are teenage boys, | 0:05:29 | 0:05:31 | |
operating in streets near where they live, | 0:05:31 | 0:05:34 | |
and their favourite time to strike is evening rush hour. | 0:05:34 | 0:05:37 | |
I'd arranged to meet Mr X to find out what his story is. | 0:05:39 | 0:05:44 | |
When did you start getting involved with what you're doing now? | 0:05:45 | 0:05:48 | |
I know loads of people who are working their arses off | 0:06:03 | 0:06:07 | |
in legitimate jobs, and they're still struggling | 0:06:07 | 0:06:12 | |
to feed their family, pay rent and everything, but they don't go | 0:06:12 | 0:06:15 | |
out and do that, so how would you justify what you do? | 0:06:15 | 0:06:20 | |
Don't you think that's quite a scummy thing to do? | 0:06:35 | 0:06:37 | |
COMMENTATOR: As the lights go out and the race begins... | 0:06:53 | 0:06:55 | |
Mr X told me that he has a sideline | 0:06:55 | 0:06:58 | |
as a professional online racer. | 0:06:58 | 0:07:00 | |
At some of the biggest tournaments, | 0:07:08 | 0:07:09 | |
the winner can take home over 100 grand. | 0:07:09 | 0:07:12 | |
But Mr X hasn't won any prize money yet. | 0:07:14 | 0:07:17 | |
Mr X took me to one of his favourite hunting grounds | 0:07:31 | 0:07:34 | |
for stealing phones - | 0:07:34 | 0:07:36 | |
Upper Street in north London. | 0:07:36 | 0:07:37 | |
It was only a mile away in 2016 that Cavell Hutson, a north-London thief, | 0:07:39 | 0:07:45 | |
stole 21 mobile phones in one hour. | 0:07:45 | 0:07:48 | |
Now Mr X is going to show me how he chooses his targets. | 0:07:53 | 0:07:56 | |
What makes pedestrian crossings a good spot? | 0:08:23 | 0:08:26 | |
And would you go straight through the lights? | 0:09:04 | 0:09:06 | |
Do you think people are stupid, | 0:09:23 | 0:09:25 | |
walking around with their phones out like that? | 0:09:25 | 0:09:27 | |
But it's so normal. | 0:09:30 | 0:09:32 | |
You just take it out of his hand? | 0:10:44 | 0:10:45 | |
In this area, as we've been driving around, I've seen a lot of police. | 0:11:00 | 0:11:04 | |
-..you know what I'm saying? -Why not? | 0:11:06 | 0:11:08 | |
Have you ever? | 0:11:23 | 0:11:25 | |
We're in London. There are a lot of cameras. | 0:11:27 | 0:11:30 | |
Won't they catch you? | 0:11:30 | 0:11:31 | |
Larbi is a moped driver who has witnessed | 0:12:02 | 0:12:05 | |
so much crime on the streets he started filming it to post online. | 0:12:05 | 0:12:10 | |
So, Larbi, can you talk me through this footage? | 0:12:10 | 0:12:13 | |
-I was at the traffic lights. -Yeah. -We saw two groups on scooters. | 0:12:13 | 0:12:17 | |
Wow, and they're going on the pavement. | 0:12:18 | 0:12:20 | |
They're going on the pavement. | 0:12:20 | 0:12:22 | |
-And they've actually gone past that red light. -Oh, my goodness. | 0:12:22 | 0:12:25 | |
What made you pursue them? | 0:12:27 | 0:12:28 | |
They were all balaclavaed up | 0:12:28 | 0:12:30 | |
and remember, it was really warm. | 0:12:30 | 0:12:31 | |
-Uh-huh. -So when you see that, it's obviously a tell-tale sign | 0:12:31 | 0:12:35 | |
that something is definitely going down. | 0:12:35 | 0:12:37 | |
-There was a guy who was standing there on his phone... -Right. | 0:12:39 | 0:12:42 | |
That was the victim. | 0:12:42 | 0:12:43 | |
I thought, "Come outside, get a bit of fresh air." | 0:12:44 | 0:12:47 | |
I had to do a bit of bank transfers on my phone, | 0:12:48 | 0:12:51 | |
so I started doing that when, all of a sudden, | 0:12:51 | 0:12:53 | |
my phone just actually went straight out of my hand. | 0:12:53 | 0:12:55 | |
And it took me about a second to register. | 0:12:56 | 0:12:59 | |
And then I started giving chase. | 0:13:02 | 0:13:04 | |
Get that licence plate! | 0:13:05 | 0:13:06 | |
-What did they do? -Got my phone! | 0:13:10 | 0:13:11 | |
Larbi chased the thieves to try and get a look at their numberplate. | 0:13:13 | 0:13:16 | |
-And then there was a car here that kind of blocked it. -Yeah, yeah. | 0:13:21 | 0:13:25 | |
So, when they figured out that I still followed them, | 0:13:30 | 0:13:32 | |
one went straight ahead... | 0:13:32 | 0:13:34 | |
-Yeah. -And one decided to take a right. | 0:13:34 | 0:13:37 | |
-Oh, so you're... They split. -Yeah, so they split. | 0:13:37 | 0:13:40 | |
No-one bats an eyelid. | 0:13:43 | 0:13:45 | |
The thieves got away but, when Larbi reviewed his footage, | 0:13:46 | 0:13:49 | |
he realised he'd got the shot he wanted, | 0:13:49 | 0:13:52 | |
and there was something unusual about the numberplate. | 0:13:52 | 0:13:55 | |
What was the numberplate? | 0:13:55 | 0:13:58 | |
ON MY JOB. | 0:13:58 | 0:14:00 | |
What does that say to you? | 0:14:00 | 0:14:01 | |
-Taking the piss. -It does appear that way. -Exactly. -Yeah. | 0:14:02 | 0:14:05 | |
What would it take for me to protect myself and to be able | 0:14:07 | 0:14:11 | |
to walk around Islington and use my phone and feel safe? | 0:14:11 | 0:14:15 | |
Aren't you just going to want to snatch my bag? | 0:14:28 | 0:14:30 | |
It's rare to find an active phone thief | 0:14:44 | 0:14:47 | |
willing to talk so openly about his crimes. | 0:14:47 | 0:14:50 | |
So how does Mr X feel about his victims? | 0:14:50 | 0:14:53 | |
If I was walking down the street and someone stole my phone, | 0:14:55 | 0:14:58 | |
that would shake me up - I'd be scared from that. | 0:14:58 | 0:15:01 | |
Like, do you ever feel for the people you steal from? | 0:15:01 | 0:15:04 | |
..you know what I'm saying? | 0:15:10 | 0:15:12 | |
And would you say it's quite addictive? | 0:15:15 | 0:15:17 | |
So GTA, so Grand Theft Auto? | 0:15:24 | 0:15:26 | |
Wow! | 0:15:28 | 0:15:29 | |
-It gives you a buzz? -MR X CHUCKLES | 0:15:33 | 0:15:36 | |
Guys, this is an emergency. | 0:16:10 | 0:16:11 | |
There's been an acid attack in Bethnal Green. | 0:16:11 | 0:16:14 | |
Anyone there, please? | 0:16:17 | 0:16:19 | |
These messages were recorded by working motorcycle delivery drivers. | 0:16:21 | 0:16:25 | |
They're distributed through a secret WhatsApp group | 0:16:30 | 0:16:33 | |
that alerts other bikers to danger. | 0:16:33 | 0:16:35 | |
The group is run by delivery driver Jabed Hussain, | 0:16:38 | 0:16:41 | |
victim of a horrific acid attack by two bike thieves | 0:16:41 | 0:16:45 | |
on this east-London street. | 0:16:45 | 0:16:47 | |
Where's it hurting, mate? Your eyes? | 0:16:47 | 0:16:49 | |
The acid was thrown by this teenager, 17-year-old Derryck John. | 0:16:49 | 0:16:53 | |
So the sole reason that these guys throw acid in your face | 0:16:57 | 0:17:01 | |
was because they wanted to steal your bike? | 0:17:01 | 0:17:03 | |
Yeah. Most probably. I don't know, I'm not sure, because they've | 0:17:03 | 0:17:06 | |
got a lot of different options if they want to take my bike. | 0:17:06 | 0:17:09 | |
Why do they have to destroy my face? | 0:17:09 | 0:17:12 | |
Jabed's face was saved by a quick-thinking policeman, | 0:17:12 | 0:17:15 | |
who poured water over him. | 0:17:15 | 0:17:17 | |
But the mental scars are longer lasting. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:21 | |
-Does it bring it back a lot, being here? -Yeah, because... | 0:17:23 | 0:17:27 | |
I feel, like, scared to come back here. Going past this way. | 0:17:27 | 0:17:30 | |
Now Jabed is trying to start a union for other delivery drivers | 0:17:31 | 0:17:36 | |
to provide financial support | 0:17:36 | 0:17:37 | |
for members whose bikes have been stolen. | 0:17:37 | 0:17:39 | |
Jabed wanted me to come to one of their first meetings. | 0:17:44 | 0:17:47 | |
-Hello. -Hello. -Hi. | 0:17:50 | 0:17:53 | |
So, can I ask a couple of questions? Is that OK? OK. | 0:17:54 | 0:17:59 | |
So who here is a delivery driver? If you put your hand up. | 0:17:59 | 0:18:02 | |
So, everybody's a delivery driver. | 0:18:02 | 0:18:05 | |
Who here has experienced somebody trying to steal your bike? | 0:18:05 | 0:18:09 | |
Almost everybody. | 0:18:10 | 0:18:13 | |
And who here has experienced violence | 0:18:13 | 0:18:17 | |
when someone's trying to steal your bike? | 0:18:17 | 0:18:19 | |
OK. Wow. | 0:18:22 | 0:18:23 | |
It says a lot. | 0:18:25 | 0:18:26 | |
So, you guys feel that the government haven't got your back. | 0:19:01 | 0:19:04 | |
Who has got your back? | 0:19:04 | 0:19:05 | |
I caught up with Mr X | 0:19:46 | 0:19:48 | |
a few days later in central London. | 0:19:48 | 0:19:50 | |
He wanted to introduce me to a fellow thief named Ghost. | 0:19:50 | 0:19:54 | |
So, what about delivery bikes like this? | 0:19:56 | 0:19:59 | |
Would you chance robbing those? | 0:19:59 | 0:20:02 | |
-..and they'll come. -What, you get them to bring the bike to you? -Yeah. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:16 | |
And what do you do when the bike arrives? | 0:20:19 | 0:20:21 | |
-Just like that - kick them off the bike? -Yeah. | 0:20:24 | 0:20:26 | |
-And you know the bike's working. -I just drive it off. | 0:20:37 | 0:20:40 | |
-And the food. -And the food. -So you'd even rob the pizza. | 0:20:45 | 0:20:49 | |
But you're going to have some kind of conflict there with the driver. | 0:20:52 | 0:20:55 | |
We move into my car. | 0:21:03 | 0:21:05 | |
I want to challenge Mr X and Ghost | 0:21:05 | 0:21:07 | |
about stealing bikes from delivery drivers. | 0:21:07 | 0:21:09 | |
So it don't bother you at all | 0:21:09 | 0:21:12 | |
that you're taking someone else's property? | 0:21:12 | 0:21:15 | |
So you don't feel any, like, remorse or nothing | 0:21:19 | 0:21:21 | |
for the people you're robbing? | 0:21:21 | 0:21:23 | |
You talked about nicking bikes to sell. | 0:21:23 | 0:21:27 | |
How do you hide the fact it's stolen | 0:21:27 | 0:21:29 | |
from someone that's going to buy it from you? | 0:21:29 | 0:21:32 | |
Yeah. How do you get round that? | 0:21:40 | 0:21:41 | |
So that's why you've got to change it? | 0:21:50 | 0:21:52 | |
But then how do I become Jessica? | 0:21:55 | 0:21:57 | |
Yeah, but where do you get a new name tag from? | 0:22:00 | 0:22:03 | |
Do you ever feel bad for what you do? | 0:22:08 | 0:22:09 | |
Now that the streets are a bit quieter, we go out again. | 0:22:23 | 0:22:27 | |
I want to ask about bike security, because, looking at the videos | 0:22:27 | 0:22:31 | |
online, it seems like bikes aren't safe anywhere. | 0:22:31 | 0:22:34 | |
Last summer, one moped gang even broke into a showroom | 0:22:36 | 0:22:39 | |
and stole a superbike worth 28 grand. | 0:22:39 | 0:22:43 | |
What do you see when you see these bikes? | 0:22:47 | 0:22:49 | |
Like, how easy would it be to steal this bike? | 0:22:49 | 0:22:52 | |
And how would you get it away? | 0:23:04 | 0:23:06 | |
So you take it in a van? | 0:23:14 | 0:23:15 | |
Vans are used to remove the bikes as quickly as possible. | 0:23:18 | 0:23:21 | |
The thieves will store them out of sight and if, after a few days, | 0:23:21 | 0:23:25 | |
no-one comes looking for them, the bikes belong to the thieves. | 0:23:25 | 0:23:29 | |
And are there any bikes here that you wouldn't try and steal? | 0:23:31 | 0:23:35 | |
Really? Why? | 0:23:36 | 0:23:38 | |
What about the chain...? Looks like it's... | 0:23:48 | 0:23:50 | |
Many gangs strike repeatedly until they're caught. | 0:24:16 | 0:24:20 | |
This gang broke into 17 mobile-phone stores across north and east London. | 0:24:20 | 0:24:25 | |
Moped driver Larbi also managed to film a gang | 0:24:28 | 0:24:32 | |
when they were on their way to a smash and grab. | 0:24:32 | 0:24:34 | |
So, Larbi, tell me what actually happened here. | 0:24:35 | 0:24:38 | |
So I was coming down Park Lane. | 0:24:38 | 0:24:40 | |
Three bikes passed me. | 0:24:40 | 0:24:42 | |
The last person in the group had a big sledgehammer at the back, | 0:24:42 | 0:24:45 | |
wrapped around his back, so... | 0:24:45 | 0:24:47 | |
What did you think when you saw that? | 0:24:47 | 0:24:49 | |
So, when I saw that, something is definitely going to happen. | 0:24:49 | 0:24:51 | |
There's going to be a smash and grab and, obviously, | 0:24:51 | 0:24:54 | |
if they're going to be heading down this way, | 0:24:54 | 0:24:56 | |
they're going to be heading towards Knightsbridge. | 0:24:56 | 0:24:59 | |
So that's when alarm bells rang. | 0:24:59 | 0:25:01 | |
I put my GoPro camera on and then I followed them all the way | 0:25:01 | 0:25:04 | |
down there and I saw a community support police officer there. | 0:25:04 | 0:25:09 | |
-So, like, as you can... -Oh, wow, yeah, you're signalling. | 0:25:09 | 0:25:11 | |
Yeah, I'm signalling him. And these are... | 0:25:11 | 0:25:14 | |
-These are the criminals here. -Right. | 0:25:15 | 0:25:17 | |
And they're actually going past the red light. | 0:25:17 | 0:25:19 | |
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, there they go. | 0:25:19 | 0:25:21 | |
Larbi was right to be suspicious - | 0:25:28 | 0:25:31 | |
the thieves went to do a smash and grab | 0:25:31 | 0:25:33 | |
at Boodles jewellery store in Knightsbridge. | 0:25:33 | 0:25:36 | |
And what happened is I was with the police officers | 0:25:36 | 0:25:38 | |
and about 15, 16 minutes later, they came back around again. | 0:25:38 | 0:25:43 | |
-The same gang? -The same gang. | 0:25:43 | 0:25:44 | |
-A taxi driver flagged us down. -Yeah. | 0:25:45 | 0:25:48 | |
And he said there was a big machete dropped underneath the taxi. | 0:25:48 | 0:25:52 | |
-That... That was the machete. -Yeah. | 0:25:53 | 0:25:55 | |
In the last year, jewellery stores have been hit hard all over London. | 0:25:59 | 0:26:04 | |
I've found an armed robber called Topkat, | 0:26:13 | 0:26:16 | |
who specialises in jewellery stores. | 0:26:16 | 0:26:19 | |
What kind of shops do you look for in particular? | 0:26:21 | 0:26:23 | |
Topkat uses mopeds to steal from high-street jewellers. | 0:26:32 | 0:26:35 | |
We're in west London to see how an armed robbery is planned. | 0:26:37 | 0:26:41 | |
Is it essential that you scout somewhere before you go for it? | 0:26:43 | 0:26:46 | |
What's your role? | 0:27:03 | 0:27:05 | |
CCTV footage shows that the easiest way to rob a jewellery store | 0:27:09 | 0:27:13 | |
is to go in through the front door during trading hours. | 0:27:13 | 0:27:16 | |
We took Topkat to check out some jewellers | 0:27:16 | 0:27:19 | |
to see if they're properly protected. | 0:27:19 | 0:27:21 | |
So, with a place like this, how would you rob this one? | 0:27:22 | 0:27:27 | |
Yeah. | 0:27:34 | 0:27:35 | |
A-ha. | 0:27:35 | 0:27:37 | |
So that... We found a shop that, actually, | 0:27:54 | 0:27:56 | |
you wouldn't bother trying to rob? | 0:27:56 | 0:27:58 | |
The next-best way to smash your way into a shop is through the window. | 0:28:03 | 0:28:07 | |
And it wasn't long before Topkat found a new target. | 0:28:07 | 0:28:10 | |
-So that's a target there, yeah? -Yeah. | 0:28:15 | 0:28:17 | |
I mean, they've got the metal kind of, er, bars there. | 0:28:30 | 0:28:36 | |
Is that not a deterrent? | 0:28:36 | 0:28:37 | |
And how would you do that one? | 0:28:50 | 0:28:52 | |
Through the glass? | 0:28:54 | 0:28:55 | |
So you'd all split? | 0:29:03 | 0:29:05 | |
So you wouldn't even try to get past that metal bar? That's enough? | 0:29:05 | 0:29:08 | |
Surely a place like that would be alarmed. | 0:29:10 | 0:29:12 | |
I mean, they've got high-value products. | 0:29:12 | 0:29:14 | |
Why would a moped be essential to doing this robbery here? | 0:29:25 | 0:29:29 | |
Get me? | 0:29:41 | 0:29:42 | |
And, I mean, do you go armed? | 0:29:59 | 0:30:00 | |
Yeah. | 0:30:00 | 0:30:01 | |
-Acid? -Yeah. | 0:30:08 | 0:30:09 | |
And have you ever used acid on anybody? | 0:30:09 | 0:30:11 | |
You get me? | 0:30:26 | 0:30:27 | |
But instead, I mean, I imagine they're scarred for life. | 0:30:27 | 0:30:30 | |
Yeah, I guess. | 0:30:30 | 0:30:31 | |
Say someone in a jewellery shop just, you know, | 0:30:33 | 0:30:36 | |
earning, like, minimum wage, going about their work, and then you come | 0:30:36 | 0:30:40 | |
-running in and throw acid at them. -Mm. | 0:30:40 | 0:30:42 | |
Like, how does that make you feel? | 0:30:42 | 0:30:44 | |
What goes through your mind when you're doing smash and grab? | 0:31:00 | 0:31:03 | |
-Do you get a lot of adrenaline? -Yeah. | 0:31:03 | 0:31:05 | |
Like, can you explain to me the feelings you experience? | 0:31:05 | 0:31:08 | |
Yeah, no, please. | 0:31:10 | 0:31:12 | |
Why especially do you feel you need to make money? | 0:31:27 | 0:31:31 | |
And what got you into it, if you mind me asking? | 0:31:46 | 0:31:49 | |
-So when the riots stopped, you continued? -Yeah. | 0:31:57 | 0:32:01 | |
-There's a lot of people like yourself... -Yeah. | 0:32:01 | 0:32:04 | |
..who haven't got a job, who are struggling and that, | 0:32:04 | 0:32:06 | |
but you don't see them, you know, | 0:32:06 | 0:32:08 | |
riding out as a moped gang doing such a violent crime. | 0:32:08 | 0:32:14 | |
-Yeah. -What do you feel gives you the excuse to do that? | 0:32:14 | 0:32:18 | |
Is there one? | 0:32:20 | 0:32:21 | |
-So... -That's life, though, no? | 0:32:31 | 0:32:33 | |
To be honest, I was pretty disgusted by Topkat's attitude. | 0:32:41 | 0:32:45 | |
Throwing acid in the face of innocent people | 0:32:45 | 0:32:48 | |
is as low as you can get. | 0:32:48 | 0:32:50 | |
Serious armed robbers like him | 0:32:50 | 0:32:53 | |
could face a life sentence in prison if they're caught. | 0:32:53 | 0:32:56 | |
But many of these guys start out in much lower-level crime. | 0:32:57 | 0:33:01 | |
I started this investigation by meeting mobile phone thief Mr X. | 0:33:02 | 0:33:06 | |
He's 21 years old but I worry | 0:33:08 | 0:33:10 | |
that he could get into more serious crime. | 0:33:10 | 0:33:13 | |
I wanted to know if there was anything | 0:33:13 | 0:33:15 | |
that could turn his life around. | 0:33:15 | 0:33:17 | |
I knew he had tried his hand as a professional online gamer. | 0:33:17 | 0:33:21 | |
But he told me something else off-camera. | 0:33:21 | 0:33:24 | |
His real ambition was to race cars. | 0:33:24 | 0:33:27 | |
What's it going to take for you to stop doing this? | 0:33:27 | 0:33:29 | |
Could your way out of this life be racing? | 0:33:38 | 0:33:40 | |
-So that's the dream? -Yeah. | 0:33:42 | 0:33:44 | |
I decided to see if I could encourage Mr X | 0:33:46 | 0:33:49 | |
to quit his life of crime by calling up a contact in motor racing. | 0:33:49 | 0:33:54 | |
Jay Marshall has trained drivers who've raced in Formula One. | 0:33:54 | 0:33:57 | |
He's also a talent spotter looking for the next world champion. | 0:33:57 | 0:34:02 | |
Normally, this is a lot... Got a lot more cars in it. | 0:34:02 | 0:34:05 | |
The guys are away testing at the moment. | 0:34:05 | 0:34:08 | |
We effectively only pretty much run | 0:34:08 | 0:34:10 | |
what are effectively baby Formula One cars. | 0:34:10 | 0:34:13 | |
-Yeah. -So... | 0:34:13 | 0:34:14 | |
Yeah, Renault Sport, yeah, Formula Three. | 0:34:16 | 0:34:19 | |
We're doing F2 this year. | 0:34:19 | 0:34:20 | |
And basically we're a service provider | 0:34:20 | 0:34:22 | |
-to anyone who wants to go racing. -OK. | 0:34:22 | 0:34:25 | |
And I'm involved with the driver evaluation and development. | 0:34:25 | 0:34:29 | |
This is one of the Formula Renaults that you just mentioned. | 0:34:29 | 0:34:32 | |
-All cars nowadays, formula cars, gears are on the paddles. -Yeah. | 0:34:32 | 0:34:37 | |
Jay's not letting Mr X in a race car until he's proved himself worthy. | 0:34:37 | 0:34:42 | |
So, first, he must pass some psychometric tests | 0:34:42 | 0:34:46 | |
to check his ability. | 0:34:46 | 0:34:48 | |
Right, so, if you wanna sit down... | 0:34:48 | 0:34:51 | |
The perception speed test, which is | 0:34:51 | 0:34:53 | |
the balls bouncing around in the sphere. | 0:34:53 | 0:34:55 | |
You have to either count them consciously or guess. | 0:34:55 | 0:34:59 | |
It's the subconscious parts of the brain that are doing the guessing. | 0:34:59 | 0:35:04 | |
This is a little bit more abstract. | 0:35:04 | 0:35:06 | |
It sort of measures your spatial awareness. | 0:35:06 | 0:35:08 | |
Yeah, no, it goes faster. | 0:35:13 | 0:35:15 | |
Next one's learning efficiency. | 0:35:15 | 0:35:17 | |
How you might remember things in order. | 0:35:17 | 0:35:19 | |
This test is more about your characteristics | 0:35:20 | 0:35:23 | |
than it is your abilities - | 0:35:23 | 0:35:25 | |
so are you competitive? Are you a team player? That kind of thing. | 0:35:25 | 0:35:28 | |
OK. So if you've got the... You've got the idea of it, | 0:35:28 | 0:35:31 | |
so what we'll do is we'll leave you to get on with those | 0:35:31 | 0:35:33 | |
and then we'll come back in sort of 15 or 20 minutes, all right? | 0:35:33 | 0:35:37 | |
So, Jay, you've allowed a guy who's involved in crime, | 0:35:39 | 0:35:44 | |
with a mask on, to come and complete your test. | 0:35:44 | 0:35:47 | |
Yeah, the idea's that we open up the doors to as many people as possible. | 0:35:47 | 0:35:51 | |
I've already looked at one of the tests | 0:35:51 | 0:35:53 | |
and one of the perception speed tests, | 0:35:53 | 0:35:55 | |
-he's already in the top 99% of human beings. -Wow! | 0:35:55 | 0:36:00 | |
We already know that part of his brain is racing-driver-shaped, | 0:36:00 | 0:36:04 | |
-if you like. -Wow! | 0:36:04 | 0:36:05 | |
Do you think it's possible for someone like our friend here to get | 0:36:05 | 0:36:10 | |
into the world of racing even though he's got this sort of criminal past? | 0:36:10 | 0:36:15 | |
It's not impossible. It'd be difficult. | 0:36:15 | 0:36:18 | |
And, again, it depends how fast he is. | 0:36:18 | 0:36:21 | |
Mr X has done enough to get into the simulator. | 0:36:21 | 0:36:24 | |
OK, are you comfortable? | 0:36:24 | 0:36:26 | |
This is a replica of a Formula Renault car, | 0:36:26 | 0:36:29 | |
and is used for professional driver assessments. | 0:36:29 | 0:36:32 | |
OK, off you go. When you get into the rhythm, | 0:36:33 | 0:36:35 | |
it'll be the third gear here. | 0:36:35 | 0:36:37 | |
Use all the road you can, man, at any given point. | 0:36:37 | 0:36:40 | |
Bit more on the throttle, then down to third and brake. | 0:36:40 | 0:36:43 | |
Mr X is racing round part of Silverstone - | 0:36:48 | 0:36:51 | |
home of the British Grand Prix. | 0:36:51 | 0:36:53 | |
Most drivers who start professional training here | 0:36:53 | 0:36:56 | |
will lap this section in about 54 seconds. | 0:36:56 | 0:37:00 | |
But Mr X just beat that, clocking at 52.8. | 0:37:00 | 0:37:04 | |
-All right, then, I'm going to stop you there. -OK. | 0:37:04 | 0:37:06 | |
And he thinks he can do better. | 0:37:06 | 0:37:08 | |
-It's seven. -52.7? -Yeah. | 0:37:10 | 0:37:14 | |
Now Mr X is going to try and beat the lap record. | 0:37:14 | 0:37:18 | |
Don't forget to breathe, all right? Breathing's really important. | 0:37:18 | 0:37:21 | |
If you imagine it as a pendulum, | 0:37:21 | 0:37:23 | |
where you just stop slightly at each end and then breathe out, | 0:37:23 | 0:37:27 | |
and you breathe out a little bit quicker than you breathe in. | 0:37:27 | 0:37:30 | |
OK? | 0:37:30 | 0:37:31 | |
If you come off the brakes too quickly, | 0:37:38 | 0:37:41 | |
the front will pop up quicker, | 0:37:41 | 0:37:42 | |
which means the weight will come off the front wheels. | 0:37:42 | 0:37:46 | |
Another ten laps. Are you all right, you fit? Cool. | 0:37:46 | 0:37:48 | |
So, how is he doing? | 0:37:52 | 0:37:54 | |
Yeah, he's doing very well. | 0:37:54 | 0:37:56 | |
We've compared his data with a young driver | 0:37:56 | 0:38:00 | |
-who is already on an F1 programme. -Wow! | 0:38:00 | 0:38:03 | |
And he's already... He's already... He's already beaten that. | 0:38:03 | 0:38:06 | |
-He's already beaten? -He's already beaten that, yeah. | 0:38:06 | 0:38:08 | |
That's incredible, isn't it? | 0:38:08 | 0:38:10 | |
He's already got what it takes to be a racing driver, yeah. | 0:38:10 | 0:38:12 | |
That's amazing. | 0:38:12 | 0:38:13 | |
HE CHUCKLES Come on! | 0:38:17 | 0:38:19 | |
-All right? -MR X CHUCKLES | 0:38:26 | 0:38:28 | |
-Good job, man, good job. -Thank you. | 0:38:28 | 0:38:30 | |
So, Jay, what does that mean, then? You're both celebrating. | 0:38:32 | 0:38:36 | |
Yeah, well, it means he's beaten the guy that we normally use | 0:38:36 | 0:38:40 | |
to develop the simulator, who's a competent racing driver. | 0:38:40 | 0:38:43 | |
-Wow! -Within four sessions, he's beaten his time. | 0:38:43 | 0:38:46 | |
He smashed his record. | 0:38:46 | 0:38:47 | |
By a full tenth, which is, you know, on a track that's only | 0:38:47 | 0:38:50 | |
two corners long... Sorry, three corners long. | 0:38:50 | 0:38:53 | |
It's impressive, yeah. | 0:38:53 | 0:38:55 | |
-So, good job. -Thank you very much. -Well done. | 0:38:55 | 0:38:58 | |
Did you expect him to come and beat your titleholder | 0:38:59 | 0:39:04 | |
-on the...simulator? -No. | 0:39:04 | 0:39:05 | |
From a skill point of view, you know, he's a unique individual, | 0:39:06 | 0:39:11 | |
you know, with a unique story and a unique position in life. | 0:39:11 | 0:39:14 | |
You know, we've got to go... | 0:39:14 | 0:39:15 | |
-We've got to get him on track. -Yeah. | 0:39:15 | 0:39:17 | |
And if I was a manager, if I was a driver manager, | 0:39:17 | 0:39:20 | |
and he had the money, I would be... | 0:39:20 | 0:39:22 | |
I'd be one of the people at his door. | 0:39:22 | 0:39:24 | |
Mr X HAS got the skills to be a professional race-car driver. | 0:39:25 | 0:39:30 | |
But to have a career he would need an investor, because the price | 0:39:30 | 0:39:33 | |
to keep a racing team on the road starts at about 200 grand per year. | 0:39:33 | 0:39:38 | |
Even Lewis Hamilton, the current world champion, | 0:39:41 | 0:39:44 | |
was supported by his dad, who worked three jobs. | 0:39:44 | 0:39:47 | |
So, walking away today, | 0:39:48 | 0:39:50 | |
what are you going to take with you, do you think? | 0:39:50 | 0:39:52 | |
..to be honest with you. | 0:40:56 | 0:40:58 |