Richard Hammond "followed safety rules and wasn't trying to break a record"
Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond has suffered a "significant brain injury" after crashing a jet-powered car at speeds of up to 300mph during filming.
Doctors at Leeds General Infirmary said they were "reasonably optimistic" the 36-year-old would make a good recovery.
The BBC, which is likely to face close scrutiny, has begun an inquiry. The police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are also investigating.
Event organisers insisted that proper safety precautions were taken.
Hammond's wife Mindy was at his bedside in the Leeds hospital and he was also visited by Top Gear co-hosts Jeremy Clarkson and James May.
Referring to Hammond by his nickname, Clarkson said in statement: "Both James and I are looking forward to getting our 'hamster' back."
The presenter had been driving a jet-powered dragster similar to the Vampire - used by Colin Fallows to set the British land speed record of 300.3mph.
Primetime Land Speed Engineering, which is jointly run by Fallows, organised the event.
A spokesman for the firm said the vehicle Hammond was driving "had been prepared and was being operated to the highest of standards".
Keith King, an inspector for the HSE, said it was a "very unusual case", adding that the executive would look at the preparation and planning of the event and contingencies for an emergency.
Meanwhile, Supt Martin Deacon of North Yorkshire police, said his officers would initially focus on the road and the vehicle.
On Thursday afternoon, the dragster was lifted on to the back of a lorry and taken away for forensic examination at an undisclosed location.
2 votes
