Captain Slow heads carefully towards NZ

<i>Top Gear Live</i> co-presenter James May has replaced the Hamster. Photo / Herald on Sunday

When the Top Gear Live show returns to Auckland this month, fans will find the Hamster (Richard Hammond) has been replaced by the laconic James May.

For many watchers of the BBC television show, May is far removed from Jeremy Clarkson's enthusiastic ADHD-boy-racer-keen-on-lighting-up-the-tyres approach. "Captain Slow" takes a more measured and thoughtful look at all things motoring.

May graduated from Lancaster University with a music degree, which could go some way to explaining his choices of cars on the hugely popular show - a case of form over matter, possibly.

"I've always thought there's a great deal of art in the science of engineering, and science and engineering can dignify art," said May.

"There's a lot of beauty in cars and I quite like the noise they make. I'm a bit of a nerd, really.

"Cars and musically instruments are similar in the fact they both have to be mastered. Without the human element cars are inert and dead. They're just metal. What people don't understand about performance is that it's the nature of performance, not about the absolute performance figures."

The Weekend Herald spoke to May after his arrival in Johannesburg for this weekend's show in South Africa. The rainbow nation's largest city has a reputation for carjacking, and as Top Gear Live is all about cars it could be construed they may become a target.

"We in Britain think of Jo'burg as 50 per cent on fire and the rest full of tin shacks," said May. "But it's all garden centres and neat lawns, happy people and clean cars. It's lovely and it feels a bit mythical, all this carjacking stuff."

Before Oz Clarke took the beer-drinking May in hand on a wine-tasting road trip, his only comment on a wine was that it was either nice or nasty. After being educated by one of the best in business, May is now a confirmed convert and is looking forward to arriving in New Zealand.

"I drink a lot of sauvignon blanc in Britain because I like it, it's dependable. When I see Marlborough Estate on the label I know I understand that one. I also know the Marlborough Estate is about as big as England."

This is May's first trip to New Zealand and he's really looking forward to it. Over the years he has made numerous Kiwi friends in the UK and at one stage had a Kiwi girlfriend.

Top Gear Live is at Auckland's ASB Showgrounds from February 18-21.