Who do you think The Stig is? [Archive] - Ultimatecarpage.com forums

spi-ti-tout

12-19-2005, 04:31 AM

Alright - so till today nobody, not even the Top Gear guests, has ever been able to get the real identity of the 'new' Stig. Anyone watching Top Gear would admit he drives very, very nicely, controlling almost any car he gets. So I was thinking that since he has such a high level of skill, he's definelty a racing driver. Now whom? I was thinking Top Gear probably wanted the highest skilled driver in whatever motorsport. Funding came into my mind but then again if he was paid millions each year a bit of outing on a small track wouldn't hurt. So I came up with two possibilities - Either Loeb from rallying or Schumacher from F1. Loeb though went out because this new Stig came in '03, only Loeb's first year. And in last week's Top Gear they showed Stiggy driving round the Cardiff stadium right after the WRC event, which again disproved Loeb's involvement. So Schumacher then? Let's take up a poll (so please vote).

:Exige:

12-19-2005, 04:34 AM

They aren't going to be able to afford a famous racing driver.

Anyway, its Ben Collins http://www.bencollinsracing.com/

Clique

12-19-2005, 04:35 AM

if it was Leob or Schumacher i dont think TG would hide their indentites as they are respected drivers... I think it is Ben Collins... The guy that was in the epsiode when his mate tried to land in to Collin's moving car as he parauchuted from a plane...

spi-ti-tout

12-19-2005, 04:37 AM

They aren't going to be able to afford a famous racing driver.
True, but read what I wrote in the first post. IF he was a famous racing driver and earned millions it wouldn't hurt if he spent a day's outing on the TG track. Then again, it's a possibility which can swing both ways I guess.

Anyway, its Ben Collins http://www.bencollinsracing.com/
Sure on that?

Cyco

12-19-2005, 04:44 AM

Well JC was pretty horrified when Gerry Halliwell said she loved the training with Ben Collins.

Matra et Alpine

12-19-2005, 05:30 AM

I was thinking Top Gear probably wanted the highest skilled driver in whatever motorsport. Funding came into my mind but then again if he was paid millions each year a bit of outing on a small track wouldn't hurt.
Not going to be.

ANY top echelon racing driver has ZERO time available to give to Top Gear on a regular basis. I they aren't working with the team on setup and testing ( most of the time ) then they are doing corporate hospitality for their sponsors. The bigger the team the more money invested in looking after the sponsors and the more available they have to be. So their team wont' release them !!

Then lets assume they DO have some "spare time", then it will go to dinner speeches and corporate entertainment by paying customers.

THEN they DO have to relax away from cars and pressure occasionally :D

FINALLY, ONE silly little incident could injure a driver. ANY top echelon driver is worth FAR TOO MUCH for his team or his manager to allow him to take the risk of missing an event due to injury.

So, it then falls to the drivers who are "good" in the lower formulae and most likely at a plateau in their career when they dont' have to prove anything and have come off the career-climbing-ladder and can take things more sedately. THey also really need to be in Europe or travel logistics become a nightmare.

Hence why Ben Collins always surfaces as a top candidate :D
Porsche Cup, National GT championship, low event count European series.

henry_wattel

12-19-2005, 05:57 AM

Matra et Alpine

12-19-2005, 06:01 AM

Coventrysucks

12-19-2005, 06:32 AM

Hello,

for my point of vue, I am pretty sure it is Tiff Needell. I saw he walking once and he exactly walks like Tiff did when he was at TG. In addition to that, he seems to move his head when turning as Tiff does....

He's gifted and eveybody knows that!

Except Tiff is contracted to 5th Gear, and hates JC...

It isn't going to be a driver in any other series because they will not be covered on insurance.

A Top F1/ WRC/ etc team won't be happy if their "star" driver is prevented from racing after crashing a Suzuki Liana...

drakkie

12-19-2005, 08:01 AM

My first guess would either be Johnny herbert, Nigel Mansell or Damon hill. If you watched closely in the last season, you could once, only once in a 1 second period of time see a bit of skin.It was white with some hairs. Since Mansell followed almost exactly the lines of the Stig,he gets another point. Mansell has quite a lot of hait on his arms, another point for him. i think he could well be it. he only drives a few races a year, is/was a really respected driver and is OFF the career ladder.

Roy Visser

12-19-2005, 08:17 AM

Wouter loaned me out to topgear, thats why there wasnt a topgear yesterday, i had a race :cool:

spi-ti-tout

12-19-2005, 09:05 AM

Hence why Ben Collins always surfaces as a top candidate :D
SURE though?

m5child

12-19-2005, 09:47 AM

Again,

Why do JC and Tiff hate each other...? professional rivalry?

Coventrysucks

12-19-2005, 10:18 AM

Again,

Why do JC and Tiff hate each other...? professional rivalry?

I'd guess that Tiff is a "professional" race driver and is probably upset that a man who, by his own admission, is far from the best driver ever is rated more highly as an automotive journalist.

I have seen nothing to say it isn't Ben Collins.

It would be strange for him to keep appearing in TG's other features if it wasn't, unless he lives next-door to their studio...

6'bore

12-19-2005, 10:28 AM

Anyway, its Ben Collins http://www.bencollinsracing.com/

How can it be Ben Collins when it is my dad? :confused:

Matra et Alpine

12-19-2005, 10:33 AM

How can it be Ben Collins when it is my dad? :confused:
I thought THIS (http://www.jcbsong.co.uk/jcbvideo.asp)was you and your dad :D

6'bore

12-19-2005, 10:35 AM

I thought THIS (http://www.jcbsong.co.uk/jcbvideo.asp)was you and your dad :D

I wish it was, the JCB song is the greatest song ever, lyrical genious.

ScionDriver

12-19-2005, 11:04 AM

I Am The Stig.

Matra et Alpine

12-19-2005, 11:07 AM

I Am The Stig.
Yeah, I'm sure the Stig's a great fan of the Scion xB "box" -- NOT :D

henk4

12-19-2005, 11:12 AM

Yeah, I'm sure the Stig's a great fan of the Scion xB "box" -- NOT :D

could it be Fleet???

SlickHolden

12-19-2005, 11:16 AM

Tiff is nowhere near fast enough anymore.
This was proven last year when they entered him in the LoCost series.
He was off the pace and cused a few ruffled feathers with bad drivign causing incidents amongst the seasoned LoCosters :D
That is a bit harsh:), But to be honest Tiff likes it to sideways to be that clean a driver as the Stig is.

I think the Stig is Damon Hill or Mark Webber or what about Colin Mcrae??

m5child

12-19-2005, 11:35 AM

I'd guess that Tiff is a "professional" race driver and is probably upset that a man who, by his own admission, is far from the best driver ever is rated more highly as an automotive journalist.

I have seen nothing to say it isn't Ben Collins.

It would be strange for him to keep appearing in TG's other features if it wasn't, unless he lives next-door to their studio...

As a journalist, per say, JC is better... but that's not to say that Tiff isn't a good journalist, either... but I think Tiff has that aura of stuck-up-ness to him... while JC is more like the avg. guy that ppl can relate to more... especially when he's driving $100K+ supercars for a living

UCR

12-19-2005, 12:01 PM

Except Tiff is contracted to 5th Gear, and hates JC...

It isn't going to be a driver in any other series because they will not be covered on insurance.

A Top F1/ WRC/ etc team won't be happy if their "star" driver is prevented from racing after crashing a Suzuki Liana...
I dont think Tiff hates JC, there good mates apprentley and at MPH05 they decided to do a stunt of which they thought to do it after a piss up.

I think the sarky comments you get on FG and TG are just winding each other up a bit, like mates do.

Zondaboy1

12-19-2005, 01:14 PM

I actually think that its Jeremy Clarkson... or the guy that was driving the orange zonda when they did the F430 spider Pagani Zonda and Ford GT test

johnnyperl

12-19-2005, 01:25 PM

why does everyone assume the stig is one person for all shows?
don't you think theres a reason he's completely hidden?

my guess is that they have different drivers for different tests.

I actually think that its Jeremy Clarkson... or the guy that was driving the orange zonda when they did the F430 spider Pagani Zonda and Ford GT test
too short and too fat to go unnoticed.

Zondaboy1

12-19-2005, 01:27 PM

riiiiight

rev440

12-19-2005, 03:42 PM

I heard it was Matra et Alpine but thats what Ive heard.

johnnyperl

12-19-2005, 06:23 PM

one things for sure, the lady's love the stig:
http://www.elisetalk.com/gallery/files/2/Crystal-Stig-Cuppage.jpg

2ndclasscitizen

12-20-2005, 12:57 AM

why does everyone assume the stig is one person for all shows?
don't you think theres a reason he's completely hidden?

my guess is that they have different drivers for different tests
that would defeat the purpose of having the stig in the first place. Some recent clues put Nigel Mansell forward for me as The Stig, because he took the same line through the first corner as the stig normally does and got a 1.44, and JC said that the stig has always told them that the Liana would do a 1.44 round their track. And it makes sense for them to be giving a few clues away as to The Stig's identity if it is Mansell, as Mansell is involved in the GP Masters and may wanting to be focusing on that. Though, his build doesn't really match the Stig's I don't think.

On the issue of Top Gear and The Stig, did anyone else reckon The Stig could've gone much faster in the Marcos? He really seemed to be just hurling it sideways out of all the corners, it just sounded like he was flooring it instead of working the throttle to keep it straight

SlickHolden

12-20-2005, 04:22 AM

Isn't the Stig a little light? A bit like Mark Webber??

yalim10

12-20-2005, 04:24 AM

why does everyone assume the stig is one person for all shows?
don't you think theres a reason he's completely hidden?

my guess is that they have different drivers for different tests.

too short and too fat to go unnoticed.

The Stig ıs a person not dıfferent people ın every episode because the idea ıs to test cars not the drivers so, every time the same person should be driving. In that way people can see the difference between the cars. If dıfferent drivers were driving the cars it would become more complicated to compare each car because of each drivers style and talent.

By the way, I think they are hiding Stigs identıty in order to focus the attention into the whole program not on the driver.

I think the The Stig is Ben Collins. Obviously you can see that the new Stig is younger than the old Stig so he must be somewhere around 25-30.

Also, there are some rumours that The Stig could be Damon Hill because he didn't answer the question when audience asked him if he was Stig or not in Top Gear

spi-ti-tout

12-20-2005, 04:31 AM

why does everyone assume the stig is one person for all shows?
What would be the use then? The times wouldn't be fair according to one person and like that nothing to obviously judge by. Otherwise JC could come in an Adidas tshirt and Pajamas and drive round the track.

man 430gt

12-20-2005, 08:32 AM

Pando

12-20-2005, 12:57 PM

What would be the use then? The times wouldn't be fair according to one person and like that nothing to obviously judge by. Otherwise JC could come in an Adidas tshirt and Pajamas and drive round the track.
Don't be naïve, times are not a higher truth. They're just times. Personally I think the Stig is many persons, as rumoured, for practical reasons. Sometimes "he" has good runs, sometimes not. The times are done in various weather conditions aswell as we are well aware of. They aren't fair in any case. But they are entertaining and gives a hint of the cars relative overall performance around a track. Having a tame, mysterious racing driver spices it up even more and gives depth to the show. :)

Matra et Alpine

12-20-2005, 01:26 PM

Pando, your reasons for the Stig would seem to be valid even for Mark1 Stig and yet he was proven to be Perry McCarthy ALL THE TIME. That ususally alters the validity based on experience :D

GT F1

12-20-2005, 04:31 PM

I think the original stig was Perry McCarthy, not sure about the current one.

Matra et Alpine

12-20-2005, 05:02 PM

I think the original stig was Perry McCarthy, not sure about the current one.
No need to think it, you now know it for sure.
McCarthy confirmed it in his book :D

Pando

12-21-2005, 05:41 AM

No need to think it, you now know it for sure.
McCarthy confirmed it in his book :D
Hah, you know damn well *anyone* can write a book and "confirm" whatever they feel like... :D

Matra et Alpine

12-21-2005, 07:51 AM

Hah, you know damn well *anyone* can write a book and "confirm" whatever they feel like... :D
His first name's Perry, not Fleet :D

spi-ti-tout

12-21-2005, 08:15 AM

Don't be naïve, times are not a higher truth. They're just times. Personally I think the Stig is many persons, as rumoured, for practical reasons. Sometimes "he" has good runs, sometimes not. The times are done in various weather conditions aswell as we are well aware of. They aren't fair in any case. But they are entertaining and gives a hint of the cars relative overall performance around a track. Having a tame, mysterious racing driver spices it up even more and gives depth to the show. :)
Thing is they're judging the car according to how one person is driving it because then the times wouldn't be consistent within one another, thus meaning we don't know which car really is faster round a track. Having said that, if Schumacher drives and SLR and Loeb drives the CGT round the track we don't really need the power board anyway. Various weather conditions are OK because then if it's rain they add 4 seconds to the time and such.

Like we've proved in many of our own convo's - it comes down to opinion ;)

Matra et Alpine

12-21-2005, 08:35 AM

Thing is they're judging the car according to how one person is driving it because then the times wouldn't be consistent within one another, thus meaning we don't know which car really is faster round a track.
But its the closest you can ever get to the comparison, otherwise it's the DRIVER you're measuring :(
The only truly analytical way to do it woudl be to get 10-12 drivers of differing styles but top experience and then pick the quickest.

two issues with it, first is the cost and organisation makes it impossible ,
second is it's overkill as any top echelon driver alters their driving style to sute the car and conditions. So for example a commetn was made about Stig getting the Marcos sideways. The car has NO TRACTION CONTROL or ABS and so being right at the limit is variable on track conditions as it's not a perfectly swept and "rubbered-up" surface :D He wasn't sidesways because that is how HE drives he was sideways usign the throttle to alter the car direction to make the corner quicker.

Finally , it's a BIT OF FUN. Anyone who ever bought a car based on it's position on the chart is an idiot who should be parted from him money in my direction !!!