"You get to the end of each week and realise you weren’t actually better, and it goes on and on.

"Whole periods have just gone. I had a 22-second memory, very confusing for weeks (but) I can daydream now, it’s all fixed.

"It was frightening, a real lesson for me. Damage can mend, it’s a big bowl of porridge that revives itself if you’re very lucky ... which I was."

Hammond was left fighting for his life after a 315mph smash in a rocket-powered car last year.


Hammond laughs off latest ’crash’ - Sept 12 2007
Top Gear’s Richard Hammond has dismissed his second crash as "a bit of a collision".

The presenter, who was nearly killed in a 288mph crash less than a year ago, was involved in another incident while filming.

The 38-year-old skidded off the track while taking part in a 24-hour Le Mans-style race at Silverstone, but then rejoined the race.

But Richard, dubbed The Hamster, said: "Reports of my shunt this weekend have been greatly exaggerated.

"We were competing in a 24-hour race at Silverstone in a BMW. During one of my driving stints, a much faster car tried to overtake and there was a bit of a collision.

"It was nobody’s fault - it was what they call a ’racing incident’. I managed to limp the car to the side of the track and wait for a truck to take me back to the pits, where it was quickly fixed."

He added: "Most importantly, no, Jeremy and I did not enjoy a ’comforting’ hug.

"I would rather be hugged by a threshing machine and he would rather hug a chainsaw. He called me a twat for crashing and I told him his race suit made him look like a hot air balloon and we got back to the race."

A BBC spokesman said: "The three presenters and The Stig were racing a car ... at Silverstone over the weekend. During the race, at night, Richard was driving and another car shunted him off the track.

"Richard wasn’t hurt at all but the car was damaged."


Hammond crash report published - June 23 2007
An investigation into the crash that almost claimed the life of Richard Hammond has identified "failings in the BBC’s safety management systems" - but concluded nobody should be prosecuted over the incident, a report has revealed.

The crash occurred at Elvington airfield last September while Hammond was driving a Vampire, a jet-powered modified drag racer capable of nearly 300mph.

The Top Gear presenter suffered a serious head injury but has made a good recovery.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) report has concluded the crash was caused by a "catastrophic failure" of the Vampire’s front offside tyre at 288mph.

It identified failings in the BBC’s safety management systems relating to risk assessment and the procurement of services from others, and by Northants-based Primetime Landspeed Engineering (PTLE), who owned the car and provided Hammond’s training.

Principal Inspector Keith King said the investigation identified several safety features, which in combination, almost certainly saved Hammond’s life. They included the structural integrity of the Vampire, driver restraint arrangements, the crash helmet and emergency rescue services.

He went on: "The investigation also identified failings in the BBC’s safety management systems relating to risk assessment and the procurement of services from others, and by PTLE in their risk assessment for the services they provided to the BBC at Elvington."

He added: "However, when viewed against HSE’s enforcement criteria, none of these failings merit prosecution."