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Max Hurst was part of the support crew on the
infamous Top Gear Patagonia special, where the cast and crew had to make a
dramatic dash for the Chilean border after being confronted by an angry mob.
Max, a mechanic for James May’s car in the
show, spoke exclusively to the Toyota Blog about his experience in Argentina
and shares some never-before-seen photos of the Toyota Hilux vehicles that were
used to ferry some of the crew to the Chilean border during their escape.
“I was employed as a mechanic to look after the
Lotus Esprit that James May had chosen to drive on the show,” Max explained.
During the second episode of the two-part
special, Jeremy informed viewers that: “We received word that there was some
kind of protest about our visit,” as the three presenters prepared to enter
Ushaia.
As the situation escalated, the decision was
made to make the 184-mile journey to the Chilean border in the town of San
Sebastián. A police escort was employed to ensure the crew’s safety.
“The Hilux was a fantastic vehicle and never
missed a beat”
While passing through a small Argentine town,
the crew were ambushed by protesters.
“We were attacked with eggs, rocks and lumps of
paving slabs (which smashed the windows of the crew’s cars) but had to continue
our convoy regardless as the road which we were travelling on was the only one
heading north.
“A decision was taken to abandon the Porsche,
Lotus and Mustang in the hope that they would avert unwanted attention, but as
we headed towards Rio Grande, we were receiving reports that an even larger mob
was assembling.”
At this point, the crew decided to drive cross
country, a brave decision were it not for the crew’s combination of Toyota
Hilux and Land Rover Discovery vehicles.
“I have to say,” said Max, “the Hilux was a
fantastic vehicle and never missed a beat.”
The decision to tackle the cross-country route
represented something of a gamble for the crew as not only did it mean driving
across inhospitable terrain, it would require the team to use a deep-water
river crossing in order to reach Chile.
“The border crossing is only open when its use
is arranged in advance,” explained Max. “We drove while negotiating with the
Argentinian and Chilean authorities and could not be sure that we would be
allowed to cross, but with the threat of more violence looming over us we had
no alternative.”
“We arrived at the river border crossing in the
early hours of the morning to find that it was closed – there was no sign of
life”
“We arrived at the crossing in the early hours
of the morning to find that it was closed – there was no sign of life at the
border post,” said Max.
In what must have been an almost unbearably
tense few hours, Max explained that some of the crew bedded down in their cars
“…while others kept look-out to see if we had been followed.” He added:
“Negotiations with the authorities (r.e. the opening of the crossing)
continued.”
“At sunrise, we were able to assess the damage
to the vehicles and make temporary repairs to the many broken windows,” Max
continued. The photo below shows the extent of the damage inflicted on the
Hilux by the protesters.
“The river crossing was very difficult…we
ended up towing one another with four four-wheel drive vehicles tied together,
led by a Hilux”
“A while later – which probably felt a lot longer than it
actually was – the Argentinian border authorities arrived and started the
process of allowing us to leave the country.”
Later that day, after much wrangling, the crossing was
opened and the crew made their exit.
According to Max, this was the hardest part of the crew’s
ordeal. “The river crossing was very difficult. We had crossed the river before
(in the second episode the boys cross from Chile back into Argentina via this
pass) but on that occasion we had had the assistance of a local with a
bulldozer and a large four-wheel-drive lorry – this time we were on our own. We
ended up towing one another with four four-wheel-drive vehicles tied together,
led by a Hilux.”
After a lengthy bureaucratic process, Max and the crew
arrived at the Chilean border post. “We were made very welcome,” Max pointed
out, adding: “The journey resumed and we drove for the rest of the day over predominantly
unmade roads, eventually arriving at our Chilean hotel very late in the
evening.”
Arriving at the hotel, Max and the crew enjoyed their first
proper meal in 48 hours and “…A couple of well-deserved drinks!”
Reflecting on the trip, Max says that his experience can be
summed up by an off-the-cuff comment from Top Gear’s security advisor, who Max
has requested remains anonymous. “He said that ‘You make your our own luck,’
laughs Max, “And that’s exactly what we did.”
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