Description
In pole position for the drive of your life.
Self-confessed petrol-head Idris Elba (Luther, The Wire, Pacific Rim) embarks on an epic journey to uncover the colourful origins and secret history behind the world’s most popular motor sports. In this revelatory, adrenaline fueled documentary for BBC Two, Idris travels from his door step in London to the racetracks of America, via the Arctic plains of Finland, all on a quest to answer one age old question... exactly why are we obsessed with pushing the boundaries of speed? For Idris, this is a personal journey, as he attempts to understand why he enjoyed driving fast cars from an early age and he meets people across the globe who share his addiction to speed.
Idris will discover that motor sports watched by millions have their roots in the mysterious world of smuggling, under age driving and underground racing... from NASCAR’s origins in whiskey bootlegging during Prohibition to illegal drifting in Japan, Idris will find out that, more often than not, today’s biggest motor sports began on the streets. During his quest, Idris will meet everyone from squeaky-clean NASCAR drivers, who honed their skills on the track, to the boy-racers of Detroit who learn their skills on the streets.
When it comes to finding out about the fastest sports on earth there is only one way to really understand why people are willing to risk life and limb for the thrill of speed... driving the cars. Under the tuition of some of the greatest drivers of all time, Idris will put his life on the line; rallying the dirt tracks of Finland, pushing a super-fast NASCAR to its limits and driving the infamous Metro 6R4, a car that is so fast, it was banned.