Speed - Season 1

First aired: 6/10/2001 6 episodes

Episodes

1. The Thrill of Speed

Aired: 6/10/2001

Why do some people love speed when some others don't? To find out Jeremy Clarkson takes his mother on a rollercoaster, rides with the British Army bobsleigh team and visits California to investigate dragboat racing. Formula One World Champion Damon Hill explains how he thrives on thrill-seeking, artificially creating pressure in situations. Clarkson learns that enjoying thrill-seeking is a result of dopamine, a hormone released by the brain to provide enjoyment and serotonin a chemical that causes a person to feel frightened. The amount of these chemicals released during an activity vary from person to person.

2. Superstars of Speed

Aired: 6/17/2001

What makes some people better at coping with high speed than the rest of us? Clarkson interviews Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher, World Rally Champion Colin McRae and tennis player Greg Rusedski.

3. Surviving Speed

Aired: 6/24/2001

How do our fragile bodies cope with high speed?

4. Nature Fights Back

Aired: 7/1/2001

Air resistance and how the human race tries to overcome this invisible enemy.

5. Superhuman Speed

Aired: 7/8/2001

Machines which achieve the greatest speed in the world.

6. The Century of Speed

Aired: 7/15/2001

What speed has done for humanity and what is the best machine speed has given us?