Who do you think The Stig is?

[spi-ti-tout]

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:]

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

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

[Clique]

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]

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]

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

[Matra et Alpine]

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

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
Porsche Cup, National GT championship, low event count European series.

[henry_wattel]

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!

[Matra et Alpine]

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

[Coventrysucks]

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]

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]

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

[spi-ti-tout]

Hence why Ben Collins always surfaces as a top candidate

SURE though?

[m5child]

Again,

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

[Coventrysucks]

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]

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

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