[Melanie Moxon]

The vast majority of the money that the likes of Flight Chops etc. get go into the production costs to make the content that they do. Also bear in mind it is perfectly legal to buy somebody flying lessons, so when youtubers do segments on training it would be perfectly legal for somebody else (a Patron supporter for example) to finance that training for them.

Didn't James May do a Top Gear episode using his PPL?

The Veyron race was fairly cleverly filmed, Captain Slow, was the handling pilot, not the Captain - whom was an instructor and sitting in the LHS (which would explain why the hamster was in the back), if a thread on PPRUNE is to be believed.

[flybymike]

Looking at camera angles, also apparently a cameraman sitting in rear right seat?

[Melanie Moxon]

Looking at the video, quite possibly. Being four up and full of gear would also explain the somewhat blunted performance. The first leg (quick route drawn from Turin to LFMH on Sky Demon) gives the first leg of circa 300nm (down to the med coast and back up), given the '182 has a range of more than 3x that distance (based on a google search rather than PoH) on max fuel they must have been chock full of kit or had a very stiff headwind

But then it is entertainment as others have said, they were never going to allow the Veyron to be beaten in that race.