Who is the Stig?

Snograt · 1 Jan 2009 at 21:35

How disappointing - I was hoping it was Stig Blomqvist.

yantorsen · 1 Jan 2009 at 21:39

How do people know it is Ben Collins?

ins0mn1ac · 1 Jan 2009 at 21:42

yantorsen said:
How do people know it is Ben Collins?

Your question is answered like 2 posts ago.

Jon1818 · 1 Jan 2009 at 21:43

Snograt said:
How disappointing - I was hoping it was Stig Blomqvist.

Wernt we all.

lol

Bennah · 1 Jan 2009 at 21:44

Its been common knowledge for a while now.

It was to do with the health and safety report when Hammond crashed.

PyroboyUK · 1 Jan 2009 at 21:51

Class 04 said:
Also, was watching best of top gear tonight on Dave, where he went off the end of an aircraft carrier in that car - what happened to him? The show didnt mention it because it was a highlight show.

If i remember correct....That was pretty fake, you could see all of the compressed cold air coming from the edge of the carrier where the car was "fired" from, im sure it was the same rig they used to play car darts in one episode.

Fr0dders · 1 Jan 2009 at 22:01

Skeeter said:
Perry McCarthy was the black stig, but he wrote a book called "I am the stig" and so the BBC fired him (hence killing off the black stig.

The new Stig is Ben Collins and this is only comon knowledge because of the Hammond crash and his name being on the Health and Safety form (or something).

This is most likely however only the people who are the Stig for the power laps. For the other uses they are random people. For example, the Stig in the Renault F1 car round the track was Kovalienen, and the ones where the Stig does nothing but stand around, like the race accross london, are most likely just a spare crew member who happened to fit into White overalls.

and you can be that ben collins didnt do the snow mobile jump in the winter olympics special either.

But if you've got a good memory, ben collins is features in a previous series of top gear, and is helping them in something or other ( cant remember now) and comes up on screen as professional racing driver.

Think he was helping with one of the challenges or something.

gareth.e · 1 Jan 2009 at 22:24

It's the F1 championship winrar obviously..

peterattheboro · 1 Jan 2009 at 22:33

MrLOL said:
and you can be that ben collins didnt do the snow mobile jump in the winter olympics special either.

But if you've got a good memory, ben collins is features in a previous series of top gear, and is helping them in something or other ( cant remember now) and comes up on screen as professional racing driver.

Think he was helping with one of the challenges or something.

He was a player in one of the 5 a side games. Think it was in the Aygos.

Overlag · 1 Jan 2009 at 22:40

is this guy the new ibot?

Booner! · 1 Jan 2009 at 22:48

Skeeter · 1 Jan 2009 at 23:06

Snograt said:
How disappointing - I was hoping it was Stig Blomqvist.

The word Stig comes from a name new kids were called at Jeremy Clarksons school, which stood for Student Til I Graduate. The original name concept was for him to be called the Gimp.

Mad_Jay · 1 Jan 2009 at 23:57

Ben Collins is the Stig most of the time,

When they tested the Renault F1, Heikki Kovalainen drove the car.

When they drove the Toyota F1 indoors, it was Olivier Panis.

Dunno who the American stig, African stig or Trucker stig was though.

Tomsk · 2 Jan 2009 at 08:24

Rotty said:
I'm the "fat stig" from the Florida show

Then R420LA6X2/4MNA must be Truck Driver Stig.

thepharcyde · 2 Jan 2009 at 08:52

Who cares?!?

G|mp · 2 Jan 2009 at 09:54

Skeeter said:
The word Stig comes from a name new kids were called at Jeremy Clarksons school, which stood for Student Til I Graduate. The original name concept was for him to be called the Gimp.

K.C. Leblanc · 2 Jan 2009 at 10:56

A friend of mine works at an airfield where some top gear filming is done. He did see the Stig take his helmet off. Last time I said who it was no one believed me (touring car driver who invented the plate). Although in my mind it reinforces then view that there is more then one Stig.

Wicksta · 2 Jan 2009 at 11:03

K.C. Leblanc said:
A friend of mine works at an airfield where some top gear filming is done. He did see the Stig take his helmet off. Last time I said who it was no one believed me (touring car driver who invented the plate). Although in my mind it reinforces then view that there is more then one Stig.

What would be the point of using Plato though? He would almost certainly be more expensive than other drivers because he is well known (almost a celebrity) and yet that would be no benefit at all. If anything using Plato would be a disadvantage as most petrol heads would recognise him if he ever took his helmet off.

FrankJH · 2 Jan 2009 at 11:08

There are three or so Stigs - one of which is a family friend

K.C. Leblanc · 2 Jan 2009 at 11:25

Wicksta said:
What would be the point of using Plato though? He would almost certainly be more expensive than other drivers because he is well known (almost a celebrity) and yet that would be no benefit at all. If anything using Plato would be a disadvantage as most petrol heads would recognise him if he ever took his helmet off.

I'm wondering if part of the reason for the Stig concept is because companies lending high value cars want to use their own drivers to the fast laps rather then trust someone else with the car.

Has JP driven for any teamed associated with someone like ProDrive or TWR?

I agree it's very odd,