I just discovered who 'The Stig' is .....

[datasafe]

I've often wondered who The Stig is - from BBC's Top Gear programme! It's a bit of an anti-climax now that I know, a bit like someone telling you how that magic trick is done!

Anyone know who The Stig is?

JC

[mullerr]

I seem to recall that Circuit Driver let the cat out the bag a few editions back

[LongQ]

datasafe said:

I've often wondered who The Stig is - from BBC's Top Gear programme! It's a bit of an anti-climax now that I know, a bit like someone telling you how that magic trick is done! Anyone know who The Stig is? JC

A cousin has posted somewhere on PH naming a name - one which has been touted before around the time said name filmed another item for TG.

[coxm]

Perry McCarthy was the early Stig, but I gather that they have used a number of different drivers when PM started to garner publicity. The BBC obviously wanted The Stig to be the cult, not the person behind it.

MC

[badge70]

Perry McCarthy used to be the Stig and I've been told that he owns the rights to "Stig".

The new Stig is Ben Collins, he's an ASCAR champion and racing in the British GT championship this year.

www.bencollinsracing.com/

Ben has also done some bits on Top Gear under his own name.

I guess if someone else owns the rights to the Stig name the acting Stigs have to keep quiet about their moonlighting as a part of the contract.

There has also been rumours of the occasional guest stig, Damon Hill, Richard Burns, but never proven.

Ju

[benyeats]

In Perry McCarthy's autobiography (flat out, flat broke, formula 1 on a shoestring) he metions that TG originally wanted to call the Stig 'the Gimp' which was a deal breaker as far as he was concerned.

Ben

[John Lloyd]

No you have not!