Day 3: Go-carting, fitness - and the pub

Zeron: Today was a long day. We arrived at an indoor go-cart centre which had been given over to us for the whole day (a boy's dream come true). Our first test was to get wired up and undergo an hour's intense go-cart race. I was relatively confident as Mike kept telling everyone he had never driven a go-cart before. Green light, and we were off. I cut across Mike and sheared his front wheel off. It took 40 minutes to get a new cart - and reset the cameras and sound equipment. We started the race again. Mike (the lying SOAB) took off like a bat out of hell. In the hour long race he lapped me four times! He later confessed (off camera) that he did dirt biking and was a sponsored motorsports racer. That hurt.

Then we started on an endurance fitness test. Face to face with arms stretched out holding go-cart wheels. As expected Mike kicked my sorry ass. I was 2 nil down on the day! Then we had a blood test - a real pain in the arm.

Mike: After the go-carting we drove to a pub in Reading, which took ages. There we had a laugh with a gang of locals doing reaction test games. I ended up having a few pints and countless vodka Red Bulls.

Zeron: We tested our reactions against the locals as a pilot had to think and react with super human speed. Mike could smell alcohol so he was in his element; I could see beautiful women so I was in mine! We played reaction games and I came out of that test clearly the top, while Mike got steadily oiled.

Mike: We left the pub, hungry, at ten, and then drove to a hotel near Gatwick airport. It was about midnight and Alison, the programme researcher who was to travel with us to America, had sorted some food and beer, but the day wasn't over. We still had video diaries to film. We finally finished at two in the morning. The tragedy was that after working for twenty hours and filming for about six of them, not one minute of footage from the day was used in the final programme due to a lack of time. Sometimes working in TV is maddening!

Day 4: BBC movie stars

Zeron: Flying only induces one thing in me, the desire to sleep. As soon as the engines are throttled up for take off my eye lids close and I'm out of it. Unlike poor Mike, he really doesn't like being up above the clouds.

Mike: On landing in Albuquerque I couldn't help being happy the weather had been cold and damp when I entered Heathrow airport but here it was perfect. I couldn't see a cloud in the deep blue sky and the temperatures were well up in the eighties even though it was autumn. The sky alone was worth the trip.

Zeron: Wow! America - Albuquerque - heat! We were filmed as we boarded the plane in the UK and were relatively ignored. When we were filmed on the flight we raised some amusement for the air stewards and some of the passengers. But in the US Mike and I became big stars as soon as the cameras were rolling.

Mike: As usual, the American hotel showed how badly the UK does hotels. The room was beautiful, spacious, clean and had everything: bath, shower, cable TV, writing desk and massive bed. All for half the price of a poxy box at Gatwick, complete with peeling wall paper, a dribbling shower, woodlice and dirty windows.

Zeron: We were presented with a warm complimentary cookie as we booked into the hotel - now you're talking! I tried to book in twice for more cookies but got found out. I guess my English accent gave it away.

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Content last updated: 25/08/2005