GRIDCRASHER

Jay Kay is Top Gear’s new fastest celeb (with video)


Move over Simon Cowell…

We don’t know why Jay “The twat in the hat” Kay is still considered a celeb - he hasn’t made a good record since… er, we’ll get back to you on that - but he’s just about famous enough to get a second chance at being a “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car” on the latest series of Top Gear.

The main reason he was asked back was as a ringer - Simon “Codpiece” Cowell had been No.1 for ages, and the production team wanted a petrolheaded star who could bring about a change at the top of the leaderboard. In Kay, they got their man.

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Posted: August 1st, 2008 by Ollie Irish

Top Gear’s The Stig identity revealed! (with video)


The biggest mystery in motorsport, solved?

This video claims that Ben Collins is The Stig. Englishman Collins has driven in NASCAR and F3, and worked as a consultant on Top Gear.

We have to admit, The Stig’s voice does sound remarkably similar to that of Collins. And Scottish racing driver Susie Stoddart said in an interview that she knew for a fact that Collins was The Stig.

So there you have it. Case closed. The Stig IS Ben Collins. Er, maybe.

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Posted: July 29th, 2008 by Ollie Irish

The Stig must be an ex-F1 driver, says Fernando Alonso


Spanish star is NOT the masked Top Gear test driver

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It has been rumoured that Nando Alonso is The Stig. But those rumours were quashed when The Stig made an appearance at the British Grand Prix recently - watched by Alonso!

The mystery driver performed a few laps of Silverstone at the wheel of a two-seater F1 car, accompanied by a fan who had paid £35,000 for the honour in a charity auction.

Alonso watched the Stig in action, and was impressed by what he saw: “Whoever’s in that car is a seriously good driver,” the former double world champion is quoted as telling Top Gear’s website. “I’ve no idea who he is, but he’s definitely ex-F1,” Alonso added.

A couple of pics of The Stig at Silverstone below:

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Posted: July 14th, 2008 by Ollie Irish

Top 10 introductions to The Stig on Top Gear


Our favourite intros to TV’s No.1 mystery driver

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1. “Some say he has a digital face, and that if he felt like it, he could fire Alan Sugar…”

2. “Some say 61 years ago he accidently introduced Her Majesty, the Queen, to a Greek racialist…”

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Posted: July 7th, 2008 by Ollie Irish

Be a star in Top Gear’s reasonably priced car!


Can you beat Simon Cowell and celeb chums?

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If you are not a real celebrity, but want to behave like one in the comfort of your own worldwide web, then here’s a way. This simple game, a new addition to Top Gear’s website, recreates the infamous “Star in a reasonably priced car” feature. Steer your car through the tricky Hammerhead, then accelerate out of Gambon to see how you match up with the likes of Simon Cowell (the fastest star yet) and actor Brian Cox (the slowest).

We’re not very good, so far anyway. Our best time is a frankly shit 2:05:11, which we have no doubt that you can beat with some ease.

Play the game

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Posted: June 18th, 2008 by Ollie Irish

Is Fernando Alonso The Stig?


Does Top Gear clip give clue to Stig’s identity?

Who lives in a white helmet like this? Let’s look at the clues:

1. In the above clip, The Stig reads a copy of Metro newspaper with a story about Lewis Hamilton on the back page. On seeing the story, Stig throws down the paper in disgust. Alonso is Hamilton’s great rival and enemy - you do the maths.

2. Alonso has a home in Oxford. So does Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear’s main presenter.

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Posted: May 7th, 2008 by Ollie Irish

The Stig identity update: there are loads of them!


Top Gear test driver seen working for BMW Sauber

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Check out this promotional poster, spotted on the side of BMW Sauber’s motorhome, currently parked up in Barcelona. It seems the we’re a step closer to solving the mystery that is the identity of The Stig – there’s more than one of them!

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Posted: April 24th, 2008 by Ollie Irish

Who is Top Gear’s The Stig?


Identity of BBC show’s masked driver remains unknown

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Like some undefeated Mexican wrestler, Top Gear’s masked test driver, aka The Stig, has managed to preserve his identity. But as the BBC motoring show’s popularity goes through the roof, more and more people are taking an interest in the man beneath the white Simpson Diamondback helmet. We do know that the first Stig, who wore black overalls and a black helmet, was “played” by Perry McCarthy, a journeyman F1 driver (slight oxymoron that, but you get the idea) who tested for Williams and Benetton in the 1990s. However, McCarthy’s “black Stig” was killed off at the beginning of the third series of the show.

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Posted: April 10th, 2008 by Ollie Irish