FANS of the Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond have raised so much cash for an air ambulance charity after his near-300mph (480km/h) high-speed dragster crash that he could have a new helicopter named after him.

As Hammond, 36, continues to recover in hospital in Leeds, an appeal for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA), which flew him there within minutes after the accident last Wednesday, topped £140,000 thanks to a flurry of donations. One person has made a gift of £50,000.

The appeal was set up by contributors to an internet forum based at the online motoring magazine pistonheads.com and initially expected to raise only a few thousand pounds.

Martin Eedes, the air ambulance’s chief executive, said, however, that so much money had been raised that it would be used to help to buy a second helicopter for the service. That would cost about £500,000.

Mr Eedes said on the appeal website: “YAA will be designating Richard’s fans’ donations for ‘Hammy’s Heli’ . . . We thought this was the right way to mark the response.”

The BBC said yesterday that it was too early to say when Top Gear, due to begin again on Sunday week, would return.