The loveable larrakin of Top Gear Richard Hammond has just been critically injured in a high speed crash at 450km/h while testing a jet powered car

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Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond was fighting for his life last night after an attempt to break the land speed record ended in disaster.

Hammond, who was filming for a forthcoming episode of the BBC2 show, crashed at speeds of up to 280mph, overturning his jet-powered car several times.

The 36-year- old presenter was flown by air ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary after the accident at an airfield near York.

Witnesses at Elvington Airfield said he had been on his last run of the day in the 5,000 bhp Vampire jet car when tragedy struck.

The car veered off the track in a cloud of smoke, turning over more than once and landing upside down, leaving Hammond trapped inside.

Dave Ogden, from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, who was on standby at the airfield, said the car's roll cage had saved Hammond's life.

'The car was propelled by a Red Arrows engine,' he said.

'It was the final run of the day and he had got up to speeds of 280mph.

'I don't know quite what happened but the parachute deployed, there was quite a lot of smoke and the car veered off to the right onto the grass. It turned over a couple of times.

'The car was upside down. The roll cage had dug in and Richard was upside down with his head down into the soil. We opened his visor and fortunately he was still breathing.

'The ambulance came across and the paramedic and his partner managed, with help from the film crew, to right the car.'

He said Hammond was placed on a stretcher board and airlifted to hospital. Last night he was in a critical condition.

Hammond, who lives near Cheltenham with his wife Amanda, 41, and two daughters, started his television career on cable and satellite channel Men & Motors.

He became a household name when he joined Jeremy Clarkson and James May on a revamped version of Top Gear in 2002.

Last night May was said to be devastated at the news. His agent, Annie Sweetbaum, said: 'He's really shocked, his words to me tonight were "he's such a good mate, I'm so upset". He said as soon as he's allowed, he wants to go and see Richard.'

Former Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson said one of Hammond's best qualities is that he has 'no fear'.

He told BBC News 24: 'It does sound very serious. It is a huge, huge tragedy. He is a wonderful, unique and distinctive Top Gear presenter.

'He has brought an awful lot to the programme and his indefatigable energy, the fact that he tries absolutely anything once, may have been the reason that he has overstepped the mark a bit.

'Richard has no fear and that is his most wonderful quality.' As his popularity increased, Hammond began to present several daytime television programmes in his own right, including Should I Worry About? on BBC 1.

He is also a columnist on a national newspaper. Outside television, he enjoys buying old cars and reconditioning them.

He is believed to have been driving the same car that set the British land speed record of 300.3 mph six years ago.

It is thought he may have been trying to break this record for the show. The Vampire is theoretically capable of going 370mph and is powered by a Rolls-Royce Orpheus jet engine.

It can accelerate from 0 to 272 mph in just six seconds.

The car was driven by Colin Fallows, a drag racer from Northampton, when the record was set.

Last night a spokesman at Leeds General Infirmary confirmed Hammond was in a critical condition.

A BBC spokesman said: 'The incident happened quite recently and the focus of our attention is on Richard at this stage.'