0:00:02 > 0:00:03When I was six years old
0:00:03 > 0:00:05I used to sit in the back of my dad's Cortina
0:00:05 > 0:00:07with a hanger and drive,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09pretending that hanger to be a steering wheel.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15By the time I was 14 I realised I had an obsession for speed.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20I bought myself a car, and that was it, I haven't looked back.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22TYRES SCREECHING
0:00:26 > 0:00:29'Now I'm going to race and rally across the world,
0:00:29 > 0:00:31'meet legends....'
0:00:31 > 0:00:32You always liked speed.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34Could never get enough of it.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36'..professional drivers...'
0:00:36 > 0:00:38It is like a drug, and you want to do more.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41'..people obsessed with speed.'
0:00:43 > 0:00:44Like me.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Now, I don't know what your title is over here...
0:00:46 > 0:00:49- King of Speed, bruv, King of Speed. - Whooo!
0:00:51 > 0:00:52Where's the ejector button?
0:00:52 > 0:00:55I've wanted to eject out these things every now and then.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59'Achieving boyhood dreams.'
0:00:59 > 0:01:01I'm learning from you.
0:01:01 > 0:01:02'Making life-long friends.'
0:01:04 > 0:01:09'Understanding how speed shaped the cars we drive.'
0:01:09 > 0:01:13The underground scene, the drag racing, the kids love it.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16'I'm going to uncover how smugglers, law-breakers
0:01:16 > 0:01:20'and underage drivers created the world's most popular motorsports.'
0:01:22 > 0:01:25'And we learn about my own personal relationship with speed...
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Rusty's airborne!
0:01:27 > 0:01:30'..and why people risk their lives to go faster.'
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Mum. I'm OK, all right? Don't worry about this.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57I'm in East London,
0:01:57 > 0:01:59where my relationship with the car first started.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04I'm here in Forest Gate, which is sort of adjacent
0:02:04 > 0:02:09to sort of Manor Park and Stratford and Hackney and Leytonstone,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13and I used to literally work down the street at a tyre fitters.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16'Tyre fitting was my first proper job
0:02:16 > 0:02:18'and I'm dropping in to meet an old rival.'
0:02:22 > 0:02:24HE SNIFFS AND SIGHS
0:02:26 > 0:02:28'Tony Hunter manages this place.'
0:02:29 > 0:02:33'The guy that runs it, he used to work here'
0:02:33 > 0:02:36when I was, you know, a tyre fitter in Forest Gate.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Down the street,
0:02:39 > 0:02:41just down the road, Robin used to own the old...
0:02:41 > 0:02:43Yeah, with the Mini sticking out the front.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46- The Mini sticking out the front, yeah.- Yeah, yeah.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Was that competition for you lot here?
0:02:48 > 0:02:50No, man. No, nothing!
0:02:50 > 0:02:52We all used to just run around with each other.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Like, on a Saturday, if I didn't have a tyre
0:02:55 > 0:02:57or they didn't have a tyre, we'd call each other up,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59"What you got, can I come and get it?"
0:02:59 > 0:03:01Boom-boom-boom, borrow it off each other, and boom.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Ah, this old bad boy.
0:03:03 > 0:03:04HE LAUGHS
0:03:04 > 0:03:06And then what you'd do is go in here...
0:03:06 > 0:03:07In here.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09OK, right, that's it.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11There you go.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14We had, like, busy, we had a big shop, you had a lot of people
0:03:14 > 0:03:17coming in, and you'd whip these on and off in no time, man.
0:03:22 > 0:03:23Boom.
0:03:23 > 0:03:24Yeah, I learnt a lot.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26I learnt a lot about motors, cars, first time I learnt to...
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Well, I was allowed to drive, really, cos, like,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31sometimes the customer would come in, drop the car off
0:03:31 > 0:03:33and go, "Oh, I'll be back in minutes,"
0:03:33 > 0:03:35and then you'd do his car and he wasn't back
0:03:35 > 0:03:37so I used to zip it out. I loved it. Loved it.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39It was a job. It was a great place.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41You made good money, good tips.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43You met a lot of people and you got to know the community.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45You'd be walking and it'd be like,
0:03:45 > 0:03:46"All right, Idris? We know you."
0:03:49 > 0:03:53We'll start him back on a Saturday, it's not a problem!
0:03:53 > 0:03:56On old-time recommendation.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58- Seen this?- Go on.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Oooh!
0:04:02 > 0:04:03Wow!
0:04:03 > 0:04:04Yeah, it's all right, isn't it?
0:04:04 > 0:04:07XR2! Wow!
0:04:07 > 0:04:10That is in perfect nick, as well.
0:04:10 > 0:04:11Original interior.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13How old is this? C-reg?
0:04:13 > 0:04:14'86.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Wow.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18That's practically the same thing I had.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22I had the first Fiesta, the box shape, XR2...
0:04:22 > 0:04:24- Mark 1.- Mark 1.- Yeah.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26And then I stepped up to one of these.
0:04:26 > 0:04:27That's a 16 CVH.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30- Wow.- XR2, yeah.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33This was like the boy racer's dream at the time, wasn't it?
0:04:33 > 0:04:34- Yeah.- Having one of these.
0:04:34 > 0:04:35Yeah. It's a pretty one.
0:04:37 > 0:04:38Whoa.
0:04:38 > 0:04:39HE GIGGLES
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Nothing's changed. Nothing's changed round here.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49'When I was 20, I bought a Fiesta XR2, just like this one.'
0:04:51 > 0:04:54'his motor was my first decent ride...
0:04:54 > 0:04:55Wow!
0:04:55 > 0:04:57'.and driving it now brings it all back.'
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Whoo-hoo-hoo-hooo!
0:04:59 > 0:05:02I tell you what, man, this was me!
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Riding round Forest Gate, East London in this thing.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11'There's no better way to start my journey than in East London
0:05:11 > 0:05:16'with this drop dead gorgeous, rude boy Fiesta XR2.'
0:05:16 > 0:05:18It was the boy-racer's car, so...
0:05:18 > 0:05:22It was a status car, cos if you had a Ford Fiesta,
0:05:22 > 0:05:27you know, that was a decent car to have at that age, you know?
0:05:27 > 0:05:28It was a rude boy's car.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34I tell you what, I used to watch my uncles and my dad
0:05:34 > 0:05:37drive all the time, you know, like, sitting in the back seat
0:05:37 > 0:05:40where the camera is, watching the steering wheel.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42I used to love watching the steering wheel
0:05:42 > 0:05:46with the dash-board and, you know, like how a steering wheel moved.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48And then, as soon as I was old enough,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51which was probably about 14, 15,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53I had a car.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55I used to be along these roads all the time.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57I used to have a girlfriend that actually lived there.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Look, Cherry Tree Road, boom, she used to live down there,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02in the flats round the back.
0:06:02 > 0:06:03Older woman she was, as well.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15At age 19, I left Hackney to go visit America.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17I'd had enough of working in the garages.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20I worked for Ford in Dagenham for a while,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24but I wanted to be an actor, so I explored the USA.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29And this is where the Story of Speed really begins.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32You know, when you're flying in an aeroplane
0:06:32 > 0:06:34and you look down and see all these cars whizzing around,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37it's not too dissimilar to looking at ants as they travel
0:06:37 > 0:06:39on their journeys, but the difference is that,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42human beings, we've created
0:06:42 > 0:06:44a mechanism for getting around,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47and these mechanisms are beautiful on their own, you know,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49and they're as complex as they can get.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52And then, the idea behind that is that we want to get
0:06:52 > 0:06:55to where we want to go faster, so I think that's why...
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Why I wanted to explore this, is to...
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Why are we so obsessed with that, you know what I mean?
0:07:01 > 0:07:03It's one thing to build a motor car
0:07:03 > 0:07:05but it's another thing to race the thing, you know what I mean?
0:07:07 > 0:07:11One car builder who revolutionised mass car production
0:07:11 > 0:07:15wasn't initially convinced that the public really wanted fast cars.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17If a young man makes up his mind to work,
0:07:17 > 0:07:18there's no limit to what he can do.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Henry Ford saw his basic Model T as a simple,
0:07:23 > 0:07:28affordable way to get from A to B at a respectable 45 mph.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33NEWSREEL: By 1919, it seems as if everybody is driving a model T.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Ford sells nearly a million of them a year.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Its low price made owning a car affordable for everyone,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46and the Model T dominated the market for many years.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Ford never dreamed people would want anything faster
0:07:54 > 0:07:56than his reliable Model T.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02They continued to manufacture the car for nearly two decades.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Eventually, the inevitable happened -
0:08:07 > 0:08:10sales dropped as people began to plump for the better-looking,
0:08:10 > 0:08:11faster cars now being built
0:08:11 > 0:08:14by Chevrolet, Chrysler and General Motors.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26I'm heading to Detroit, the home of Ford,
0:08:26 > 0:08:27to discover how the manufacturer
0:08:27 > 0:08:30eventually brought speed to the masses.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35In the '30s, Ford was forced into thinking of something new
0:08:35 > 0:08:39to beat off the competition and keep his company alive.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44NEWSREEL: Again, the great River Rouge plant
0:08:44 > 0:08:47of the Ford Motor company is a beehive of activity
0:08:47 > 0:08:49as the new Ford V8 goes into production.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53He developed and mass-produced a new engine -
0:08:53 > 0:08:55the V8, capable of doing 75 mph.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00And there, ladies and gentlemen, is the new Ford V8.
0:09:00 > 0:09:01No wonder Henry and Edsel Ford
0:09:01 > 0:09:04observe their handiwork with approval.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Now anyone with money could buy a fast car,
0:09:07 > 0:09:11and anyone who needed to make a quick getaway could, too.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Federal Agents smash illegal breweries,
0:09:14 > 0:09:18but they cannot stem the flow of bootleg liquor.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20In the '20s, Prohibition created organised gangs
0:09:20 > 0:09:23of whisky smugglers all over the USA,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26and the V8 was the bootlegger's car of choice.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28It left the cops standing.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34The smugglers retuned and modified their cars to perfection,
0:09:34 > 0:09:38and the drivers became infamous for their encounters with the police.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42One legendary driver was Junior Johnson.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45He drove his first V8 at age 14,
0:09:45 > 0:09:49and now I'm going to meet the man they call the last American hero.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54So you were always... You always liked speed, basically?
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Basically. Could never get enough of it.
0:09:57 > 0:09:58HE LAUGHS
0:10:01 > 0:10:05These heads here, you'd take them off in the manifold
0:10:05 > 0:10:07and you'd put three carburettors on.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10'Johnson was so good at getting away from the cops that,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12'in 1955, he became a stock car racer.'
0:10:14 > 0:10:17'Some say one of the greatest in the history of NASCAR -
0:10:17 > 0:10:19'America's most popular motorsport.'
0:10:20 > 0:10:24COMMENTATOR: Johnson's 1959 Chevrolet gets the chequered flag
0:10:24 > 0:10:26to capture first place for the Daytona 500.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31You used to do all the modifications yourself?
0:10:31 > 0:10:33- I mean, did you...? - Yeah, yeah.
0:10:33 > 0:10:34Were you a mechanic?
0:10:34 > 0:10:36You had to be a mechanic to be a bootlegger.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41If you weren't a good mechanic, you couldn't survive,
0:10:41 > 0:10:47cos you had to have fast cars to haul your whisky to the people,
0:10:47 > 0:10:51and you'd need them to get away from the revenuers and ABC officers
0:10:51 > 0:10:53and the Federal officers.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55- Did you ever get caught?- No.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57- No. That's why you're here. - Yeah.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06'It's nearly 60 years since Junior owned a car like this.'
0:11:08 > 0:11:12ENGINE REVS AND PURRS
0:11:12 > 0:11:13She sounds nice, don't she?
0:11:13 > 0:11:14Yeah, she does.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19When the V8 came into the picture it changed everything,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22and this is one of the fastest production engines ever, right?
0:11:22 > 0:11:23Right.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27Everybody kept making better parts and better pieces for the motor.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31SWITCHES ENGINE OFF
0:11:31 > 0:11:35How many bottles of...could you get, could you get into...?
0:11:35 > 0:11:38You could get 22 cases of whisky.
0:11:38 > 0:11:4022 cases in there?
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Yeah, and put five in the front,
0:11:44 > 0:11:46two down the floorboard,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48and three standing on the edge.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52In your seat, one of them'll sit right against your side,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55and when you go round a kerb to the left
0:11:55 > 0:11:59it kept you from coming out from underneath the steering wheel!
0:11:59 > 0:12:00LAUGHING: So...
0:12:00 > 0:12:04That must have made it much more heavy, right, to drive?
0:12:04 > 0:12:08Yeah, but you had the springs and, like I said, big tyres,
0:12:08 > 0:12:13big shocks and stuff, wheels to hold it up.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16So, at the transition where, you know,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19you guys started racing these cars for fun,
0:12:19 > 0:12:20what was that time like?
0:12:20 > 0:12:24You couldn't hardly find a race track
0:12:24 > 0:12:28that somebody didn't have his fingers in the whisky business.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30- In the whisky business, right, right.- Yeah.
0:12:31 > 0:12:36So, really, whisky is behind the beginnings of NASCAR, if you like?
0:12:36 > 0:12:40If it hadn't been for whisky, NASCAR wouldn't be formed.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43That's, that's a fact.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44Wow.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Johnson's NASCAR career was put on hold for a year in '56
0:12:50 > 0:12:53when he was jailed for running an unlicensed whisky distillery.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59He was granted an official pardon in 1986
0:12:59 > 0:13:01by the then President, Ronald Regan.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06You get the impression that Junior misses the old days.
0:13:12 > 0:13:13V8s in this condition are rare,
0:13:13 > 0:13:17and it's great to experience what it must have felt like for Junior.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23She's a beauty, man, beautiful little rider.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25Feels like a cabriolet,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28because you've got the windscreen that's got a gap in it.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Should wear some goggles or something.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34OLD-FASHIONED POLICE SIREN
0:13:37 > 0:13:38Sitting in this old V8,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41I've got almost twice the power of the cop behind me.
0:13:53 > 0:13:54HE CHUCKLES
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Wow.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Get the alcohol to the people.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15It's easy to see how this little motor left the cops standing.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24This beauty helped Ford realise that speed could sell cars.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31It wasn't long before Detroit was booming.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38By the '60s, the city was churning out 11 million cars a year.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Today, I'm meeting up with Detroit Police Inspector Daryl Brown.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45'He's going to show me the historical heart of Motor City
0:14:45 > 0:14:49'and introduce me to some of the city's illegal street races.'
0:14:54 > 0:14:57The underground scene, the drag racing, the night life -
0:14:57 > 0:15:00kids love it, they got money in these cars.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03They got Forgiato wheels, Asantis,
0:15:03 > 0:15:0722s, 24s, got all their money invested in a car.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09THEY LAUGH
0:15:09 > 0:15:11I mean, seriously, they've got every dime.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12It's a big, it's a big scene.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Where we're going to, the guys are, for the most part,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17responsible for the illegal scene.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19They work on a lot of the guys' cars.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21When we get over here you're going to see
0:15:21 > 0:15:23some amazing vehicles over here.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26How are they going to react to you coming today?
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Um, since I'm with you, I'm going to be OK!
0:15:34 > 0:15:36- This is Tommy.- How you doing?
0:15:36 > 0:15:38'These underground racers go head-to-head on the streets
0:15:38 > 0:15:42'and are willing to break the law, all in the name of speed.'
0:15:42 > 0:15:43I'm coming to stand next to you, man.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46- So this is where, where it all happens, yeah?- Yeah.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52Street racing is simple -
0:15:52 > 0:15:54two cars in a straight line.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57The fastest over a set distance wins.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04TYRES SCREECHING
0:16:06 > 0:16:08If you're lucky enough to win big,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11you can spend the money on a showpiece ride.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17Tuned up, classic low-riders are the trophy car of choice,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21and many cost more than a brand-new, top-of-the-range F-type Jag.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32This is Show And Go, a one-stop shop for extreme rides.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37If you want your car to stand on end, you come here.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39If you want to be the fastest, you come here.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44How much money do you think you have on this lot right now?
0:16:44 > 0:16:46'Tommy runs this place, which has been serving
0:16:46 > 0:16:49'the local underground scene for the last 20 years.'
0:16:49 > 0:16:52- Probably about 800,000 sitting out here.- 800,000?!- Yeah.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Those two right there, those are 100,000 apiece.
0:16:55 > 0:16:56- These?- Yeah.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- The work done on them?- The work done to them and what it is.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02You know, with the low-riders, everything on them's custom,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04everything's candy painted, they're chrome-plated,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06everything, you know.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Everything's old, that's where the classics, where the style's at.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Yeah. What is the history of, you know, doing up cars in Detroit?
0:17:12 > 0:17:15- I think ever since the second car was made!- Really?
0:17:18 > 0:17:20I built this. This car's ten years old now.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24I just, I saw one, probably 13 years ago.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26A friend of mine had one.
0:17:26 > 0:17:27It was a beautiful car, candy painted
0:17:27 > 0:17:30and it was the first time I'd ever seen a low-rider,
0:17:30 > 0:17:31and I saw it and I'm like,
0:17:31 > 0:17:33"Oh, my God, I have to have one of those."
0:17:33 > 0:17:35The SS Impala.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Whoo!
0:17:39 > 0:17:41SUSPENSION SQUEAKS
0:17:44 > 0:17:46Where did this come from?
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Where did this flip in the suspension come from?
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Just started with guys wanting to ride low,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54but needed to lift them back up for bumps and to get into driveways,
0:17:54 > 0:17:58and they got the idea of taking a hydraulic pump off of a lift gate,
0:17:58 > 0:18:00I believe, something like that's how it started,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02and they put it on and made the car be able to go up and down.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05You want to sit in it and we'll lift it up and go out and three wheel?
0:18:05 > 0:18:06Come on, let's do it.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16There you go!
0:18:18 > 0:18:19HE LAUGHS
0:18:30 > 0:18:34HE LAUGHS
0:18:34 > 0:18:35I need my seatbelt on!
0:18:35 > 0:18:37ENGINE FIRES UP
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Inspector Brown, I'll be back!
0:18:45 > 0:18:46Wow.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54I'm not sure this car would work in Hackney.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56It's a bit too flash.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58These guys spend everything they have on their cars
0:18:58 > 0:19:01and the one I'm in kind of works, as long as you're not shy
0:19:01 > 0:19:03and you like trampolining.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09It's actually a very smooth ride.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11I mean, as crazy as it looks, it rides beautifully.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15- I'm going to have one of these one day.- Oh, man!
0:19:15 > 0:19:17There's no feeling like it, man.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20You listen to some oldies, cruising down the road.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Yeah, man!
0:19:22 > 0:19:24- Does it have seatbelts?- No.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26No seatbelts, you just need to hold on.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30But it's this powerful Malibu
0:19:30 > 0:19:32that is the car of choice for street racing.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37ENGINE ROARS
0:19:51 > 0:19:52I got, like, ten grand saying
0:19:52 > 0:19:55I could beat anybody right now on the streets.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57- Bring it on.- Come on, ready?
0:19:57 > 0:20:01These guys right here, these are real street racers right here.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03They're out here all the time.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05No-one from London yet, though, huh?
0:20:05 > 0:20:07- Huh?- No-one from London.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10London, bring it on. Come on, all in. Bring it on.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12'This guy hasn't lost a race yet.'
0:20:12 > 0:20:14- We want that pound. - I'm taking dollars.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16I mean, if I brought my car out here,
0:20:16 > 0:20:18you lot wouldn't have a clue, you wouldn't...
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Right now, I'm 15 and oh, I ain't lost nothing.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22- 15 and oh?- 15 and oh and ain't lost nothing.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25- What you driving? - Street cars.- Malibu.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27- Fifteen and oh. - Fifteen and oh.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30You got guys come from Ohio, up north, you know.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34If they can't beat that person, they'll call on another person
0:20:34 > 0:20:36and then he come down with a pocket full of money,
0:20:36 > 0:20:38then he go home broke.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42He's running... He's on the street 15 and oh, not the track.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45- Chicago, Oklahoma...- Chicago comes here once a year.- Yeah.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48If I bring a car down here tonight..
0:20:48 > 0:20:49OK.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53..I'll race you from Kent to Harper.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Well, if you want to run from Kent to Harper...
0:20:56 > 0:20:57That's like an eighth.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58..I'm going to whoop you, sir.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00HE LAUGHS
0:21:00 > 0:21:01Let me tell you, I don't waste no time.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04I'm going to shake your hand, but when we line up...
0:21:04 > 0:21:06- Tell him your name.- ..it's nothing personal, it's big do.
0:21:06 > 0:21:07We King Of The Street now.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Now, I don't know what your title is over there...
0:21:10 > 0:21:11King of Speed, bruv, King of Speed.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13- Oh, King of the Speed? - Yeah.- Whooo!
0:21:13 > 0:21:15- Speed versus Street. - I tell you what,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18we'll get you five cars and you leave whenever you want.
0:21:18 > 0:21:19You've got to explain what that means.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Five cars in front, and you leave whenever you want,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24and I'll start the car, but I'll come get you.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Oh, come on, man, no way! Are you kidding me?
0:21:26 > 0:21:28- Do it all the time. - Not to me, you don't!
0:21:28 > 0:21:30I'm not going to come all the way from London
0:21:30 > 0:21:32and get beat like that, no way.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34'Luckily, I'm not going to take him on today,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36'but I thought I sounded convincing.'
0:21:41 > 0:21:43The City of Detroit has changed dramatically
0:21:43 > 0:21:45in the last half a century.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Today it's in deep trouble.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51This is Motor City. This is, you know,
0:21:51 > 0:21:55one of the industrial capitals of America at one stage, right?
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Do you think because America has been introduced to foreign cars
0:21:59 > 0:22:03in such a massive way, do you think that had anything to do with
0:22:03 > 0:22:06the, you know, the destruction of the motor industry here?
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Oh, yes, definitely, I think that when Toyota
0:22:08 > 0:22:12and other low-car companies start bringing in the smaller,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14more efficient, more reliable vehicles,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17I think it did a lot of damage, you know,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20to the big three auto makers here - GM, Ford and Chrysler.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23I used to work for Ford, back in the day.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27- My dad, my dad was a shop steward for about 25 years.- Wow.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29And before I became an actor I worked at Ford's.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32My dad lived that life, you know what I mean?
0:22:32 > 0:22:35And I can just imagine, you know, if...
0:22:35 > 0:22:38When that Ford plant in Dagenham died,
0:22:38 > 0:22:40a lot of people lost jobs in there,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43it was crippling, it was just crippling for people.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44So I kind of have, you know,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47a real sort of close affiliation to it, in a weird way.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50I kind of feel at home in Detroit, in a weird way.
0:22:54 > 0:22:59This area here, this was rich people just everywhere.
0:22:59 > 0:23:00Gone.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04- It's like a ghost town now, isn't it?- It's like a ghost town.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07You actually haven't seen ghost town yet.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09This was a thriving business area
0:23:09 > 0:23:14that was supported by thousands of workers here at the Packard plant.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15Wow.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18This is considered to be
0:23:18 > 0:23:21one of the largest abandoned factories in the world.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27In its heyday, this Packard factory employed 30,000 people.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Its cars outsold Cadillac.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33One of their adverts of the time read
0:23:33 > 0:23:36"Built like a Packard means built to last."
0:23:40 > 0:23:41Wow, man.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Look at it, it's just abandoned fields.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47When the auto industry left here, it tore us out the frame.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55The demise of the motor industry caused people to abandon Detroit.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Since 1950, over a million people have moved out of the city.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12We're on our way to New Jersey, a ten-hour drive from here.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19For the last few years I've travelled continuously.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22I'm not complaining, it's just part of the job.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25It looks a bit dreary, doesn't it? Reminds me of England.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31(This is Aranday.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33(Aranday's still sleeping.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35(God knows how.)
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Everyone needs something other than work, you know?
0:24:39 > 0:24:40And in my spare time, I DJ.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Music, to me is, um...
0:24:47 > 0:24:49I keep saying it, man, it's a re-set button for me.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53You know, running around acting and all of that is great,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56but, you know, you're oftentimes outside of who you are
0:24:56 > 0:24:59cos, you know, you're sort of being other people, you know,
0:24:59 > 0:25:01it's what you do for a living.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04And so, with music, man, like, I love making it
0:25:04 > 0:25:08and, you know, putting my playlist together to DJ
0:25:08 > 0:25:10because, you know, that's more me.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14There is a school of thought, people go,
0:25:14 > 0:25:16"Oh, well, it waters down who you are as an actor,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18"if you're doing music."
0:25:18 > 0:25:22But, again, I tend not to overthink it like that,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24you know what I mean?
0:25:24 > 0:25:26It turns out that I've been doing music longer
0:25:26 > 0:25:30than I've been doing acting, but no-one would really know that.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44Raceway Park in New Jersey - home of drag racing.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46I've come to find out how street racers
0:25:46 > 0:25:49like the ones I met in Detroit are behind the largest
0:25:49 > 0:25:52motorsport organisation in the world.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56As racing goes, it doesn't get any more basic than this.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Two cars, flat out over a quarter of a mile.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05The first past the post wins.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09The cars at this event were all built for the road,
0:26:09 > 0:26:11but they're anything but normal.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Some have as much as 1,000bhp under the hood.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24It's no wonder that drag cars
0:26:24 > 0:26:26regularly make it into the record books.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31NEWSREEL: There they go.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33In the '50s, illegal street racing was out of control.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36By the end of the decade it had killed
0:26:36 > 0:26:38dozens of drivers and spectators.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41A man called Wally Parks created the Government-backed
0:26:41 > 0:26:45National Hot Rod Association to take racing off the streets.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49Here they compete under strict rules designed for safety and fair play.
0:26:49 > 0:26:54Automatic expulsion faces any member who races on the public highways.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57As a result, the juvenile nuisance problem
0:26:57 > 0:27:00has been reduced as much as 90% in some communities.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07Tonight is a practice night where anyone can tune and test their cars.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12These rides are worth anything from a few thousand
0:27:12 > 0:27:14to half a million dollars.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16They call this Grudge Racing -
0:27:16 > 0:27:21personal battles between racers, often with big money bets attached.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Showing me around is Justin Humphries,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27illegal street racer turned professional.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30This is something that, I mean, it happens everywhere.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33I mean all local drag strips always have a test and tune night
0:27:33 > 0:27:35for people just to bring their stuff out.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38I want to race. I've got a coach.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42I want to use my coach to come race.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Betting on these guys is a serious business,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58so they ask the organisers to keep their practice times a secret.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23And the man to beat at the moment is this guy, Jason.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35- Word?- Yeah.
0:28:35 > 0:28:36What's his fastest time?
0:28:44 > 0:28:47He's got to be eight seconds, somewhere, isn't he?
0:28:48 > 0:28:49What?!
0:28:53 > 0:28:54Wow.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56'It's really easy to see
0:28:56 > 0:28:59'why racers spend their hard-earned cash on these cars.'
0:29:00 > 0:29:01This your boy right here?
0:29:02 > 0:29:04Well done, King. How you feeling, all right?
0:29:04 > 0:29:06'For them, it's a way of life.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10'They're addicted to the competition and the banter that goes with it.'
0:29:21 > 0:29:22THEY LAUGH
0:29:22 > 0:29:24Is that true, man? Is that true?
0:29:24 > 0:29:26Yeah.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28You took him out?
0:29:33 > 0:29:34You talking too much!
0:29:34 > 0:29:37You ain't sexy enough for a movie, man, leave it alone!
0:29:37 > 0:29:41He's talking too much, he ain't sexy enough for a movie, man!
0:29:41 > 0:29:44This fat girl right here, that's all this girl do, is talk.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49'This is bringing back memories when I was hanging out as a kid
0:29:49 > 0:29:51'shouting about whose car was the fastest,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53'but it never really got this serious.'
0:29:53 > 0:29:55- I mean this is, it's common stuff. - Big, big bragging.
0:29:55 > 0:29:56- Oh, yeah.- Big bragging.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59Mouths are always running, shit's always being talked.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02I mean, it's always going on.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04But that's why they love it.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06That's what brings them out here every night.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08- Street racing - love it. - That's right. That's right.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Like I said, these same guys will be here every time
0:30:11 > 0:30:13there's a test and tune, they look forward to it.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16They go to work and this is what they're waiting for.
0:30:16 > 0:30:17'And after all that bragging,
0:30:17 > 0:30:20'it's time to see Jason sling his car down the track.'
0:30:20 > 0:30:22ENGINE ROARS
0:30:28 > 0:30:29SHOUTING
0:30:31 > 0:30:33'The worst drug in the world is drag racing.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35'Once you do it, you're hooked for life
0:30:35 > 0:30:38'and it's the most competitive motorsport in the world.'
0:30:38 > 0:30:41Our class, 30 cars can show up at a race
0:30:41 > 0:30:43and they'll all run within five hundreds of a second.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46Yeah, I bet you've got a speed addiction that's worse than mine.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48Ah, it's terrible.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50ENGINE SCREAMS
0:30:56 > 0:30:58I wouldn't say that it's necessarily dangerous.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01I mean, this is the only track I've ever crashed at in my life.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04I hit the wall at the finish line, 190, 200 mph,
0:31:04 > 0:31:06and I was out on my phone, on my cell phone
0:31:06 > 0:31:10talking to my pregnant wife before the EMTs even got to me, so...
0:31:10 > 0:31:13I mean, yeah, all motorsports are dangerous,
0:31:13 > 0:31:14anything can happen at any time.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17Unfortunately, this race track has taken the lives of two
0:31:17 > 0:31:20of our top drivers within the past four or five years
0:31:20 > 0:31:23but, hey, that's the risk you take when you go racing.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25Yeah.
0:31:28 > 0:31:29According to some sources,
0:31:29 > 0:31:33drag racing has killed over 400 drivers since 1950.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37Even with rules and regulation, it's still extremely dangerous.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39It's no surprise that, over the years,
0:31:39 > 0:31:42we've attempted to balance the thrill of the car's raw power
0:31:42 > 0:31:43with our own safety.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49In the '60s, over 30,000 people a year were killed
0:31:49 > 0:31:51in road traffic accidents.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56The US Government was soon under pressure to act.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00Cars like the Chevrolet Corvair
0:32:00 > 0:32:03were produced with anything but safety in mind.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05This great-looking motor was a death trap
0:32:05 > 0:32:08to anyone unlucky enough to crash in it.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14It wasn't long before a protest movement against the car emerged,
0:32:14 > 0:32:17led by a campaigner called Ralph Nadar.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19If General Motors wishes to know
0:32:19 > 0:32:24why I spent an inordinate amount of time on the Corvair,
0:32:24 > 0:32:27it is because the Corvair is an inordinately dangerous vehicle.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30Nadar wanted to introduce safety tests
0:32:30 > 0:32:34and lower the Interstate speed limits from 70 to 55.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36Talk of speed restrictions
0:32:36 > 0:32:40soon attracted major opposition from car enthusiasts.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44One man determined to prove Nadar wrong was Brock Yates.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46Now, Yates wanted to show that, in the right hands,
0:32:46 > 0:32:49cars could be driven at speed and safely,
0:32:49 > 0:32:53so he created a protest event that became a global phenomenon.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56The Cannonball Run wasn't just a movie,
0:32:56 > 0:32:59it was an illegal street race that really happened.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08I'm meeting Brock's son, who accompanied him on that first race.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11- You're Brock, right? - I am Brock.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13- Brock Junior? - I am Brock Junior.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15And your dad started the Cannonball Run.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18He started the Cannonball Run. He started the Cannonball
0:33:18 > 0:33:20Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22What was the Cannonball about? I mean, what started it?
0:33:22 > 0:33:24Cannonball was started for two reasons -
0:33:24 > 0:33:27to prove that good drivers could traverse long distances
0:33:27 > 0:33:29at high speed safely, and the other one was
0:33:29 > 0:33:30an opportunity to say, "Speed limits?
0:33:30 > 0:33:32"We don't need no stinking speed limits."
0:33:32 > 0:33:34It was a protest against the 55.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37Remember that the West was empty, there was not a soul out there.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41You'd leave St Louis and you wouldn't see anybody else until California.
0:33:41 > 0:33:42Right, yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45- Is this, is this the car you drove in?- This is the car.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48No, I didn't drive in it. Brock ran it in '72 and '75.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50Can you call him Dad, please?
0:33:50 > 0:33:52Cos it just freaks me out when you say "Brock".
0:33:52 > 0:33:53Oh, I'm sorry.
0:33:53 > 0:33:57My father got this car new, sent it down to Cotton Owens,
0:33:57 > 0:34:02NASCAR builder, and this was built specifically for the Cannonball.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05For a little extra range there's this small fuel cell here.
0:34:05 > 0:34:06Wowzer.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10And when he went to a gas station, one pump went in there,
0:34:10 > 0:34:14one pump went in there, dollar bills flew across the floor.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16I mean, this car was made for high-speed driving.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20The front end was lowered, the car would run about 150 mph.
0:34:20 > 0:34:21So, what would you take?
0:34:21 > 0:34:23I mean, you've got no room for luggage.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27Oh, I mean, you've got a bag, you've got some water.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31My mother very carefully packed fruit juices and vitamin C...
0:34:33 > 0:34:35..stacks of one dollar bills,
0:34:35 > 0:34:38and some...stuff.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40- Chocolate?- Chocolate. Well...
0:34:40 > 0:34:42- Why do you have so much chocolate? - Energy.
0:34:42 > 0:34:47I mean, 36 hours of non-stop, full-attention driving
0:34:47 > 0:34:49- is a serious endurance test. - Yeah.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52- Not only on the car, but on the drivers.- I can imagine.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54- Dude, can I drive it? - Yeah, we can drive it.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56- Come on, let's go. - I'm ready.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00Many believe that the Cannonball Run became one of the most
0:35:00 > 0:35:03glamorous and exciting demonstrations of the '70s.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09It was named after Cannonball Baker,
0:35:09 > 0:35:14who set a record in 1933 for driving across the USA in 53 hours.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18Driving as fast as they could get away with,
0:35:18 > 0:35:22the Cannonballers of '71 aimed to do it in just 36 hours.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27- So, you did the first one? - I did the first one.
0:35:27 > 0:35:28- How old were you?- 14.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30- 14 years old.- I was the navigator.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32There was supposed to be more cars,
0:35:32 > 0:35:34but they all dropped out at the last minute,
0:35:34 > 0:35:37and then everybody found out how much fun we had.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42- So, did someone win?- Oh, sure.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45Brock and Dan Gurney in a Ferrari Daytona
0:35:45 > 0:35:49won in fall of '71 in 35 hours, which was pretty quick.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52- 35 hours, eh?- Yeah. - That's pretty good.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54Dan Gurney was interviewed at the finish line,
0:35:54 > 0:35:58and he said, "Well, I never went over 175."
0:36:03 > 0:36:05The Cannonballers claimed the biggest accident
0:36:05 > 0:36:08they ever had involved a spilt lasagne.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12Brock's taking me to meet a couple of veterans of the race.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18- What car did you drive? - I had a Lotus Esprit S1.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20- Oh, wow!- So, it was fun.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22- That was a nice car.- That was.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25We sold all our cars, pooled our money together,
0:36:25 > 0:36:26I took out a personal loan.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28The car was like 17,000, which...
0:36:28 > 0:36:30- Which is a lot of money.- Yeah.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34What was your concentration fuel?
0:36:34 > 0:36:38I mean, Brock, I think, ate a lot a chocolate and fruits and vitamin C.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40What might have been yours?
0:36:40 > 0:36:44Well, we got down to maybe ten minutes at the wheel a stint,
0:36:44 > 0:36:47and then get out, change over.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49We had cruise control on the car
0:36:49 > 0:36:52and the co-driver could set the speed.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54I'd go, "OK, give me 106 mph.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57"I'm a little tired, take it down to 105.
0:36:57 > 0:36:58"OK, that's good."
0:36:58 > 0:37:00Most of the cars had CBs.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02Did you use yours?
0:37:02 > 0:37:04- Yeah.- Yeah?- Oh, all the time.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06You had to apologise to the truckers,
0:37:06 > 0:37:08"We're the car coming up behind you with the white lights,
0:37:08 > 0:37:11"we're going to blow past your left door if you'll let us."
0:37:11 > 0:37:14We're really asking permission to go by, cos they own the road.
0:37:14 > 0:37:15Right, OK.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18When we were crossing the Ohio border,
0:37:18 > 0:37:21there was a plain police car sitting off to the side with its lights off.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23And he comes over on the CB and he goes, "Blue Lotus."
0:37:23 > 0:37:26And I ignore him, and he goes, "Blue Lotus." I ignore him again.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28So finally, the third time, I said "Yeah?"
0:37:28 > 0:37:30He goes, "Are you number three?"
0:37:30 > 0:37:32And I said, "Number three in what?"
0:37:32 > 0:37:34And he goes, "Cannonball."
0:37:34 > 0:37:36I'm going like, "What's that?"
0:37:36 > 0:37:38THEY LAUGH
0:37:38 > 0:37:42When we were going into New Mexico, I remember thinking,
0:37:42 > 0:37:45"God, we're getting away with this!"
0:37:45 > 0:37:49Because, really, it's an act of civil disobedience.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52But we never got stopped. We never got a speeding ticket.
0:37:52 > 0:37:53Wow.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56The Cannonball protest failed to prevent
0:37:56 > 0:37:58the introduction of the 55 speed limit.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02It was the '70s oil crisis and the need to save fuel
0:38:02 > 0:38:05that finally ushered in a new speed limit.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07- MAN ON CB RADIO: - 'What's your handle?'
0:38:07 > 0:38:09You've got the Silver Bullet. Come back.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13'Silver Bullet, this is Black Bird. You can find me in a 56 T-Bird.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15'Can I join up with you guys?'
0:38:15 > 0:38:18You're always welcome, see if you can stay with us.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21So we're going to get into a Cannonball Run, huh?
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Ow!
0:38:25 > 0:38:31- WOMAN ON CB RADIO:- 'What is that sexy car coming down the road?
0:38:31 > 0:38:33'Can I hop in that seat?'
0:38:33 > 0:38:34Sure, we'll give you a ride.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36'Well, you know, I don't get in cars
0:38:36 > 0:38:40'unless I know the gentlemen's names.'
0:38:40 > 0:38:43This is Seven Wallace and Silver Bullet, you'll be safe.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45'We got ourselves a convoy.'
0:38:45 > 0:38:48All right, pedal fast. Let's go.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59Do you think when your dad started Cannonball,
0:38:59 > 0:39:01did he think it was going to grow as big as it did?
0:39:01 > 0:39:04When Cannonball happened, I mean, yes, it was a lark,
0:39:04 > 0:39:07yes, it was stupid, yes, it was all kinds of things,
0:39:07 > 0:39:09but it captured the American imagination.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13I mean, there hasn't been a Cannonball for 30 years,
0:39:13 > 0:39:15- but still, that's what people think about.- Yeah.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18Any time somebody's out having fun with a car,
0:39:18 > 0:39:20or driving quickly, it's the Cannonball.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25The Cannonballers drove from coast to coast
0:39:25 > 0:39:28in the first ever supercars.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30It's the world of Starsky and Hutch,
0:39:30 > 0:39:33Dukes of Hazzard, Smokey And The Bandit.
0:39:40 > 0:39:45This nation helped the car become a global star in it's own right.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58At last, a chance to fulfil a dream
0:39:58 > 0:40:01at the Holy Grail of American racing -
0:40:01 > 0:40:02NASCAR.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10Founded by bootleggers like Junior Johnson,
0:40:10 > 0:40:14the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing
0:40:14 > 0:40:18was formed in 1947, and the American public loved it.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21COMMENTATOR: Here they come, off the fourth corner,
0:40:21 > 0:40:23Ernie Irvine leads them down now.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26Superstar drivers in everyday-looking vehicles
0:40:26 > 0:40:29driving perilously fast.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32They're in deep trouble.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35Oh!
0:40:37 > 0:40:38Into the pack!
0:40:39 > 0:40:41Whoa, whoa! Oh, no!
0:40:41 > 0:40:42Oh, my gosh!
0:40:42 > 0:40:46No national motorsport in America's history has had more accidents,
0:40:46 > 0:40:49or more drawn more sponsorship money or viewing figures.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13The track at Watkins Glen is steeped in history,
0:41:13 > 0:41:17and tomorrow I'll be driving round it in a race-spec NASCAR.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25'But today I'm joining a top NASCAR team in the pits.'
0:41:25 > 0:41:27Yeah, that's me!
0:41:30 > 0:41:32That steering wheel's right up on your neck.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38Let me ask you something - if this car goes over, how do you get out?
0:41:38 > 0:41:41- Either wait for them to come get you or...- Same way!
0:41:41 > 0:41:43- Cut.- Out the windows, no matter what.
0:41:43 > 0:41:44- Get out the windows?- Yeah.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46- It's just quick-release on the thing?- Yeah.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48How does the helmet come off quick, cos you can't...
0:41:48 > 0:41:51- They'll get out with the helmet. - They usually leave the helmet on.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55If they're upside down, they'll release the belts and you'll fall.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59Having seen my name on a quarter of million dollars' worth
0:41:59 > 0:42:03of racing car, I want to meet the man who's going to be driving it.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07Jamie McMurray is a former world karting champion
0:42:07 > 0:42:09and a seven-times NASCAR winner.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14NASCAR requires endurance, as well as driving skill,
0:42:14 > 0:42:18with 40 races across the season and hundreds of laps in each race.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22- COMMENTATOR: Daytona 500 to Jamie McMurray!- Yes!
0:42:22 > 0:42:24Little Jamie-baby!
0:42:24 > 0:42:26This is strictly for the pros.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28Hook, line and sinker.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32What's the fastest you've ever been, like, in a car?
0:42:32 > 0:42:34In a car, fastest?
0:42:34 > 0:42:35Probably about 220.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38But what I'll tell you about speed is that
0:42:38 > 0:42:40to go fast is not a big deal.
0:42:40 > 0:42:45The speed sensation is not a big deal at all, but if you have control.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48It's when you spin or, or you lose control,
0:42:48 > 0:42:50- a tyre blows out...- Yeah.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53That's when it becomes an issue and, for me, you know,
0:42:53 > 0:42:57some of your hardest hits weren't at tracks that were the fastest,
0:42:57 > 0:42:58it's just...
0:42:58 > 0:43:01Speed is not a big deal. It's when you don't have control at it.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05Crazy how many checks they have to do. They've got...
0:43:05 > 0:43:09Like, this is one check and then for a whole hour before they even
0:43:09 > 0:43:12start racing they have to go through all these different checkpoints,
0:43:12 > 0:43:16checking the specifications of the car before they can race.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18Weigh it, everything.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25What is extraordinary is the access the public seem to have here.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28While all the cars are checked for raceworthiness,
0:43:28 > 0:43:30the teams and drivers mingle with their fans -
0:43:30 > 0:43:32unlike the elite world of Formula One,
0:43:32 > 0:43:34NASCAR totally embraces its followers.
0:43:36 > 0:43:40WOMAN SINGING "STAR-SPANGLED BANNER"
0:43:51 > 0:43:53And you have a good reason to win today,
0:43:53 > 0:43:55cos you've got my name on the side of that car,
0:43:55 > 0:43:57- you know what I'm saying? - LAUGHTER
0:43:57 > 0:43:58- Exactly right. - Go for it, man, let's win.
0:43:58 > 0:44:00All right, get some, on three.
0:44:00 > 0:44:01- One, two, three... ALL:- Get some!
0:44:03 > 0:44:07ENGINES REVERBERATE
0:44:12 > 0:44:18As 43 200mph machines line up for the rolling start,
0:44:18 > 0:44:22the noise is like thunder vibrating through your body.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28And as they pass I'm hooked, just the same as the fans.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46- SHOUTING OVER ENGINES: - We're in 6th place.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53If I had the skills enough to drive, I would race this.
0:44:53 > 0:44:55Yeah, I mean, it's dangerous, of course it is,
0:44:55 > 0:44:59but the thrill of it, you know, would be amazing.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01Tomorrow I'm going to be on that very track.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04Doing 100 miles, 150.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08I mean, you know, I wouldn't want to be a race driver,
0:45:08 > 0:45:10you know, I love what I do...
0:45:10 > 0:45:12- SCREAMS OVER PASSING CARS: - ..but I would do this!
0:45:14 > 0:45:17HE MOUTHS, ENGINES ROAR PAST
0:45:21 > 0:45:22Hey, can I...?
0:45:22 > 0:45:25Am I allowed to...? I used to be a tyre fitter.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27Oh, yeah? Yeah, when I was 16.
0:45:27 > 0:45:28I used to zip, zip, zip, zip.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31- Can I practise?- Let me see if we have a practice tyre.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36You've got some nuts!
0:45:36 > 0:45:39PNEUMATIC GUN ZIPS
0:45:47 > 0:45:49That's harder than it looks, too.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52Jamie has slipped back to 9th,
0:45:52 > 0:45:55and the team stand by to bring him in for fuel and tyres.
0:46:05 > 0:46:07A frantic harmony descends over the team.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09Everyone's on auto pilot,
0:46:09 > 0:46:12but you get a sense of the power and the danger.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15Tomorrow I'm going to be in one of the cars just like Jamie's,
0:46:15 > 0:46:17and, if I'm honest, I can't wait.
0:46:26 > 0:46:28- What was that stop? - 15 seconds.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32- What was it?- 15 five.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35That's a crappy stop.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37So the fuel guy in the end,
0:46:37 > 0:46:40so he was stuck with the thing still in the...?
0:46:40 > 0:46:42Yeah, cos it was completely full,
0:46:42 > 0:46:44so sometimes the vacuum seal will start to go,
0:46:44 > 0:46:48and if he doesn't pull it out before the driver takes off,
0:46:48 > 0:46:50- it can get wedged in there. - Yeah, yeah.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52He did a good job of just getting it out of the car.
0:46:52 > 0:46:57It suddenly dawned on me why NASCAR generates billions of dollars.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01These cars resemble the ones the fans drive every day to work,
0:47:01 > 0:47:03yet under the bonnet they're monsters.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06It's a fine balance of speed and strategy.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09It's something the team are going to have to get right
0:47:09 > 0:47:12if Jamie is to improve on his current position.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14Jamie's about 25th right now, and they pitted early
0:47:14 > 0:47:16because there's a whole stack of cars
0:47:16 > 0:47:19that still have to come in and pit.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22So the thinking is, if everyone's coming in and pitting,
0:47:22 > 0:47:25they pit early, they're going to sit it somewhere between five and one.
0:47:28 > 0:47:29You see all the cars coming in now, look.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39So, all those cars have come in now, which means my guy's
0:47:39 > 0:47:41going to be on the road and just...
0:47:41 > 0:47:44Right to 30 more laps and finish.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49'These guys are like modern-day gladiators
0:47:49 > 0:47:52'going toe-to-toe in front of baying fans.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54'Times are still tough here,
0:47:54 > 0:47:56'but who cares when you've got a beer in one hand
0:47:56 > 0:47:58'and NASCAR thunder in your ears?'
0:47:59 > 0:48:02I sound like I know what I'm talking about, don't I?
0:48:02 > 0:48:03HE LAUGHS
0:48:05 > 0:48:08Jamie crossed the line in 11th place,
0:48:08 > 0:48:11but he still netted over 100,000 dollars.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16Having experienced the highs and lows of race day,
0:48:16 > 0:48:18tomorrow it's my turn to drive.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23My guide will be NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26As a member of the NASCAR Hall Of Fame,
0:48:26 > 0:48:29Rusty knows only too well how dangerous this sport can be.
0:48:29 > 0:48:34In 1993 he walked away from this crash.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37- COMMENTATOR:- ..and flips wildly right at the start-finish line,
0:48:37 > 0:48:39very reminiscent of his accident...
0:48:39 > 0:48:41'Today, Rusty is retired
0:48:41 > 0:48:44'and enjoys his first love from the safety of the commentary booth.'
0:48:44 > 0:48:46Rusty, we're going to see you tomorrow, yeah?
0:48:46 > 0:48:48- That's right. - And I'll drive round a little bit.
0:48:48 > 0:48:50- Yeah, we'll have fun, won't we? - Yeah.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52- He goes fast, man, he goes fast. - I go fast, too!
0:48:52 > 0:48:54Do you? OK, good to hear.
0:48:54 > 0:48:58The fastest part of the track is in the back straightaway.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00You might reach about 170 back there.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02160, 170.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04How many are we going to do tomorrow?
0:49:04 > 0:49:06- Tomorrow, we'll do...- 75!
0:49:06 > 0:49:08We'll do as much as that car will give us tomorrow.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11- Oh-ho-ho!- No! No 75mph stuff, let's get it on, man!
0:49:11 > 0:49:14- 65 is good.- OK, 65. - What?!- You know why?
0:49:14 > 0:49:16Cos we don't have drivers' uniforms and helmets tomorrow, right?
0:49:16 > 0:49:19- I do. Oh, man, I'm kitted out. - I don't have all that.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22- Oh, right, OK. - OK, well, I don't need that.
0:49:22 > 0:49:24If I catch on fire, I'll just jump out.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35Today I ride to the track with Rusty.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39He's offered to give me a quick driving lesson
0:49:39 > 0:49:42along the route of the original Watkins Glen circuit,
0:49:42 > 0:49:45which went right through the centre of town.
0:49:47 > 0:49:50ENGINE ROAR APPROACHES
0:50:17 > 0:50:19Whoo!
0:50:34 > 0:50:37Not only is it illegal to drive a modern NASCAR on the streets,
0:50:37 > 0:50:40you'd be arrested if you drove at this speed.
0:50:41 > 0:50:45Luckily, we've been given special permission, just for today.
0:50:52 > 0:50:53SIREN
0:50:54 > 0:50:56Whoo!
0:50:56 > 0:50:57HE LAUGHS
0:50:57 > 0:50:59You're a wild man, Rusty.
0:50:59 > 0:51:00You're a wild man.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07I really think you'll like it. I really do.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10I don't think you're going to have a problem, but I would tell you,
0:51:10 > 0:51:13just ease into it. Don't go out there and charge the corners
0:51:13 > 0:51:14real hard, real fast.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16The tyres need to get some temperature in them.
0:51:16 > 0:51:19The more temperature you get, the better grip you get.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21- But this car, man, it's fast.- Yeah.
0:51:21 > 0:51:23It's a... Like I say, it's a 200mph car,
0:51:23 > 0:51:26and it should stop good and...
0:51:26 > 0:51:28So my biggest advice to you is just ease into it
0:51:28 > 0:51:31and, I really promise, you'll be fine.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35So, on the brakes, how different are they from car brakes?
0:51:35 > 0:51:37There's no power assist whatsoever,
0:51:37 > 0:51:39- so you've got to push on them hard. - Really hit them.
0:51:39 > 0:51:40Yeah, but you'll feel them.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43People ask me that a lot, and there's no power assist
0:51:43 > 0:51:46because all that power assist stuff is too heavy, too much weight.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49So this is what they call the master cylinder right to the brakes.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52And so when you press them, you're going to really feel
0:51:52 > 0:51:57that car stop and you'll be able to modulate your feet to feel it so.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00- Where's the ejector button? - "The ejector button!"
0:52:00 > 0:52:02I've wanted to eject out of these things every now and then.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05You get a car that doesn't handle good in a race, you want to get out!
0:52:05 > 0:52:07You're tired of it, you know? You really are.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10Oh, yeah!
0:52:10 > 0:52:12(And the crowd goes wild!)
0:52:18 > 0:52:20There comes a point in everyone's life
0:52:20 > 0:52:23when you feel unsure of what you're about to do.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27And, for me, getting into a race-prepared NASCAR
0:52:27 > 0:52:29is one of those moments.
0:52:30 > 0:52:32ENGINE ROARS TO LIFE
0:52:32 > 0:52:35Yep, I've come a long way from riding around in my XR2.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58I think he's going to be nervous right now.
0:52:58 > 0:53:02I think he's trying to figure out his braking and down-shifting.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04That's what he's thinking about right now.
0:53:04 > 0:53:08When I was nine years old, my mum and dad bought me a BMX, right?
0:53:08 > 0:53:10And it had all the padding and everything.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12And my mum used to say, "I know what BMX's do,
0:53:12 > 0:53:14"but you don't use it for that."
0:53:14 > 0:53:15OK, Mum.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18What's the point of having a BMX if I can't jump over a few hills?
0:53:18 > 0:53:20And that was it for me, man.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22- Like, that's part of my spirit, - you know?
0:53:22 > 0:53:24It's like, you're not going to put me in that car
0:53:24 > 0:53:26and tell me to drive slow. That's just stupid.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28I'm going to push it as hard as I can,
0:53:28 > 0:53:30just because, you know, it's my opportunity to do it.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34Sounds good right now. ENGINE IN THE DISTANCE
0:53:34 > 0:53:37Shifting a little bit aggressive. Hear the motor rev up real hard?
0:54:03 > 0:54:06That was a good downshift. That sounded good.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08He's going to keep in third gear right there now.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10He's accelerating out real smooth.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31'There's no way I'm looking at the speedometer,
0:54:31 > 0:54:33'but on the straights it feels like I'm flying.'
0:54:47 > 0:54:50I guarantee he's going to come in with a big smile on his face.
0:54:50 > 0:54:51I promise he will.
0:54:51 > 0:54:52I know he'll come in all happy,
0:54:52 > 0:54:55going, "Man, this is the deal! I love this!"
0:55:06 > 0:55:08What did you think?
0:55:08 > 0:55:09Hoo-hoo-hoo!
0:55:09 > 0:55:11You looked good out there, man.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13I can't even get out of the car, I'm so excited.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16That was great. That was great!
0:55:17 > 0:55:19Oh, man!
0:55:19 > 0:55:21Hey, that sounded good back there. I heard a couple of shifts
0:55:21 > 0:55:24- you missed, but you got the rest of them right, though.- Yeah.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27- You were sailing going down through here.- I was, whooom...
0:55:27 > 0:55:29Through here, you were all over the rev limiter,
0:55:29 > 0:55:31- I mean, you were cranking through here.- It was good.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33- Did you like it? - Honestly, that was amazing.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36You've got a little sweat on your face, man - that means you've been digging.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38Me and her started to, started to bond a little bit
0:55:38 > 0:55:41on that, this last round. I was like, OK,
0:55:41 > 0:55:42just getting those corners really good,
0:55:42 > 0:55:45and, you know, just as you said, you know, just come in,
0:55:45 > 0:55:48kiss the corners a little bit then get out of there, accelerate.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50I was coming down there I didn't want to stop.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53- That motor's got some power, doesn't it?- Dude, beautiful.
0:55:53 > 0:55:57You know, one day when I die, you know, I want to tell people,
0:55:57 > 0:56:01"Yeah, man, I rode around Watkins Glen, 200mph."
0:56:01 > 0:56:02I'll push it up every year.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08It'll be 150, then 160, then 200.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12- That's addicting, isn't it? - No doubt. There's just no doubt.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15When you get a car that's really handling good and driving good...
0:56:17 > 0:56:19Next, I will head to Europe
0:56:19 > 0:56:22where I will learn about the British story of speed...
0:56:22 > 0:56:25John Cooper put a little Formula Junior engine in it
0:56:25 > 0:56:26and that was the Mini Cooper.
0:56:28 > 0:56:32..before heading to Finland to tackle the world's toughest
0:56:32 > 0:56:35and deadliest motorsport - rally driving.
0:56:41 > 0:56:45I'm going to learn from the very best - Ari Vatanen...
0:56:48 > 0:56:51'..and do things the Finnish way.'
0:56:51 > 0:56:54- You said you weren't going to mention that.- This is part of it.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56But you're mentioning it now and you said you wouldn't.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58'I'm going to need more than my knowledge and skill
0:56:58 > 0:57:01'if I'm going to survive my next encounter with speed.'
0:57:03 > 0:57:05You have to calm down now, you know?
0:57:05 > 0:57:08To have a calm attitude, otherwise, really, we'll go off.