Richard Hammond has crashed into the 2008 Who’s Who of notable Britons, joining fellow Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson

Richard Hammond has crashed into the 2008 Who’s Who of notable Britons, joining fellow Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson.

But while the Hamster enjoys his time in the sun it’s bad news for co-host James May who failed to make the cut.

The most notable automotive omission from the list is F1 sensation Lewis Hamilton, however at just 22 we would expect it will be just a matter of time.

Another new entry is the immensely talented racing driver Andy Priaulx who has just won his third World Touring Car Championship in a row.

British automotive design guru Ian Callum joins the party too. He was on the team responsible for the brilliant Ford Escort RS Cosworth and RS200 and went on to design the Aston Martin DB7 and Aston Martin Vanquish.

He has been the director of design at Jaguar since 1999 in which time he has penned the beautiful Jaguar XK and the forthcoming Jaguar XF saloon.

The last new automotive entrant is Renault and Nissan’s boss Carlos Ghosn. A Frenchman of Brazilian birth, Ghosn was recently made an honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire thanks to his contribution to relations between the UK and Japan.

Motoring favourites who hold onto their positions in the 160th edition include: Bernie Ecclestone, Ford boss Bill Ford Jnr, Damon Hill, Eddie Jordan, Nigel Mansell, Morgan chief Charles Morgan, Sir Stirling Moss, McLaren designer Gordon Murray, Michael Schumacher, Sir Jackie Stewart and Sir Frank Williams.