Top Gear - Ariel Atom V8 vs BMW1000R

[Timmeh:P]

Top Gear Tested the Aerial Atom V8 on their track... They also decided to race it against a BMW 1000R.

The BMW did very well, and was less than a second slower than the Atom. This also means it was the second fastest vehicle around their test track... EVER!!

Here is the vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqjgjRsjQhw

And an article on the matchup on MCN: http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Ne...op-gear-track/

Stick that in your pipe and smoke it (motorcycle hating) Jeremy Clarkson!!

[EJK]

TIFF!!!!! :-D

[pritch]

I've seen several of these things lately and this is the only one the car won.

One was a test between a Desmocedici and a late model Ferrari (don't ask).
The same guy owned both. He drove the car, I think a journo with race experience rode the bike. After much theorising about physics and the parts of the track where each would have the advantage it all came to nought. By the time the car got going the bike was gone.

[blackdog]

I would have liked to have seen the beamer get a shot at it with a clear track too

[Edbear]

If I sold the house, I could buy one!

[\m/]

Actually the S1000RR is the third fastest vehicle around the TG track, they had a Renault F1 around there under a minute a few years ago. I'd like to see how the Atom V8 would go against the Radical SR8LM, battle of the Hayabusa V8s.

[James Deuce]

Ask Niall McKenzie about the likelihood of that having been a fair and representative competition.

Same track, same vehicles, same pilots and no Top Gear label and I'm picking an embarrassingly defeated Atom.

[bogan]

Ask Niall McKenzie about the likelihood of that having been a fair and representative competition.

Same track, same vehicles, same pilots and no Top Gear label and I'm picking an embarrassingly defeated Atom.

is that the rider? I have a feeling he has been offer a large number of encouragements not to answer that question

[Cloggy]

What an awesome piece of machinery.

[James Deuce]

is that the rider? I have a feeling he has been offer a large number of encouragements not to answer that question

No, he did an earlier bike/car comparison for TG and I think it was only 2 years after he won the BSB. He didn't at any point get his knee down, lean further than 20 degrees and is said to have killed and eaten the first Stig before walking off vowing to use Clarkson's head as a pot scourer if the lanky sassenach ever came anywhere near him again.

[YellowDog]

I really did enjoy that. I was suprised at how well the bike did and as has already been said, without the 4 wheeled vehicle in the way, it may well have won the race.

Bang for Buck, bikes are streets ahead

[Jdogg]

so who else thinks that Tiff is the new stig...sure drives like Tiff

Edit: apparently is old news...http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/tv/20...5875-22788744/

[MD]

That was great viewing and I reckon the bike gave a great showing, power wheelies out of the turns but why so little lean angle? Which smells of foul play to me. The bike should have been allowed slicks and were the tires warmed up?

Still not a fair comparison. You can walk in to any BMW bike showroom in all major cities and towns around the world and buy a S1000RR. Hundreds of people have done so in the last 12 months. Can't say the same thing about the Atom V8. In fact I'm not sure where the Wgtn Atom showroom is, or Auckland or...

[AllanB]

I thought I read an article months back that Atom was making a V8 out of 2 R1 engines. Is this it?

[Flip]

Yes but saying that I haven't seen a BMW1000R in the flesh yet but I know of two Atoms around my side of Christchurch city probably not the new V8.

I wonder if that V8 is the same as the one in the Caterum 5000 which is two busa motors on a common crank.

Brilliant car, 1000hp per tonne. The car looked to be on road tires also.

Thinking about it logically, the bike did very well. The bike and the car had similar power to weight but almost any car can out brake any bike.