Breaking News: Michael Schumacher is the Stig?!!!!!!?!!!!!

[jonny hurlock]

omg!

[Robinho]

while they are using the Ferrari FXX he is, quite good guest i thought, a good laugh

[Daika]

Yeah Schumacher. I'm all excited and don't know why. Could you explain it a bit more. How long has he been doing it etc, what is the Stig? heard bits about it but never cared much about it.

[HenryM]

maybe was he in the fxx lap...
but he is probably not "the stig", maybe there isn't ONE stig.

[ioan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQtSlnatbH0

BTW, it was obvious who he was when he put one leg over his knee in his well known style (1:14).

[themo]

Michael Schumacher the stig,no this is top gear trying to make you think the stig is michael schumacher

[ioan]

Michael Schumacher the stig,no this is top gear trying to make you think the stig is michael schumacher

Exactly, but they finally got a real driver in their show. :D

[btcc-thunder]

it was obviously just a joke, he was just there driving the FFX and they milked it as much as they could

case in point as well - they said the stig had never done a lap in the reasonably priced car, yet im sure the stigs has a lap time down one the f1 drivers laps chart, and doesnt the stig help the celebs with the laps?

[wedge]

Hilarious!

Well played Schumi!

Anyone else think Clarkson was sucking up to Ferrari for not fully being his White Van Man self-rightousness and attacking Schumi's credibility?

[DazzlaF1]

it was obviously just a joke, he was just there driving the FFX and they milked it as much as they could

case in point as well - they said the stig had never done a lap in the reasonably priced car, yet im sure the stigs has a lap time down one the f1 drivers laps chart, and doesnt the stig help the celebs with the laps?

The real Stig did a lap in the suzuki liana just after they retired it for the lacetti, he did a 1:44.4, just over 2 seconds quicker than the fastest celebrity.

Its an obvious joke lol

[jonny hurlock]

i would love to know what was the time for schumacher

[Daniel]

i would love to know what was the time for schumacher
He didn't drive the Liana. He is contracted by Fiat to drive only Fiat Group cars.

[AndyL]

He didn't drive the Liana. He is contracted by Fiat to drive only Fiat Group cars.

The real revelation was that his main car is a Fiat Croma :eek:

[Rollo]

I'm calling Shenaningans on the BBC... Shenaningans, Shenaningans!

The dates are wrong for M Schumacher to be the Stig.

Series 4 went from 9 May, 2004 - 1 August, 2004, Series 6 went from 22 May, 2005 - 7 August, 2005 and Series 8 went from 7 May, 2006 - 30 July, 2006.

Are they seriously trying to tell us that Schmacher flew in some cases half-way around the world several times a week for the filming of Top Gear and then back to whereever the F1 circus was? Sorry, but there just aint enough days in the week; even if you are seven times world champion.

[gloomyDAY]

Relax. I think everyone knows that Mike isn't actually this Stig.

Just a one-off for the season opener.

[markabilly]

Now when does MS go jumping off the carrier in his ferrari and swimming for his life, just like the last guy, Black Stig, when his ID cloak dispeared

[Mark]

The real funny thing here is that people actually believe that Schumacher is the The Stig :laugh:

[Knock-on]

The real funny thing here is that people actually believe that Schumacher is the The Stig :laugh:

What, you mean he isn't :( :bigcry:

I would have though he doesn't have anything to do with his life and would be thankfull for the opportunity to drive Terry Wogan round a disused harrier test airfield in deepest darkest Surrey.

[Ranger]

Relax. I think everyone knows that Mike isn't actually this Stig.

You'd be surprised!

[ioan]

The real funny thing here is that people actually believe that Schumacher is the The Stig :laugh:

Many people desperately need to believe in something:

God, Lewis Hamilton :D , Jenson Button :p : etc
Just goes to show the lack of self belief humanity has. :)

[CNR]

The real funny thing here is that people actually believe that Schumacher is the The Stig :laugh:

how many time have they said that it was michael schumacher over the years

but i think you will find that this was a joke



Top Gear’s The Stig ‘played by eight drivers’ (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/4364873/Top-Gears-The-Stig-played-by-eight-drivers.html)
There has been frenzied speculation about the true identity of the character since he was named in press reports as 33-year-old Bristol-based Le Mans racer and stuntman Ben Collins.
Last week it was claimed that he is played by four different men, but the Daily Mail now claims to have has tracked down no fewer than eight drivers who have slipped into the white racing overalls.
They include 27-year-old Heikki Kovalainen, who partners F1 world champion Hamilton for the McLaren-Mercedes team. The Finn stood in as The Stig to test drive a Renault F1 car in 2004, according to the newspaper.
Other Stigs include Chris Goodwin, 41, a former GT world championship racing driver, and Julian Bailey, 47, a former Tyrell and Lotus F1 driver, both from London.
Two experienced stunt drivers – Terry Grant from Bushey in Hertfordshire and Russ Swift – have also donned helmet for the popular BBC Two motoring show.
And Dan Lang, a Swedish snowmobile racing champion, played The Stig in a stunt where he jumped a snowmobile off a ski jump, it is alleged.
The newspaper claims it tracked down the drivers based on information provided by the eighth Stig, who they identified only as Will. He was the man who appeared as the character at the National Television Awards last year.
The BBC refuses to comment on speculation about the identity of the anonymous driver, but the paper quoted a show source as saying: “Since the Stig first drove on the show, it has never been practical to have one single driver taking care of all the Stig’s many commitments.”

[wedge]

He didn't drive the Liana. He is contracted by Fiat to drive only Fiat Group cars.

Isn't Suzuki now part of Fiat?

[markabilly]

Just goes to show the lack of self belief humanity has. :)


And history provides an infinite number of reasons to show the justification for that lack............

[Daniel]

Isn't Suzuki now part of Fiat?

Nope. They share the SX4/Seidici but that's about all.

[ioan]

And history provides an infinite number of reasons to show the justification for that lack............

:?:
Nothing justifies lack of self belief.

[Wilderness]

The real funny thing here is that people actually believe that Schumacher is the The Stig :laugh:
If MS had been the "original" Stig, he would have worn Schubert helmets all along...

[UltimateDanGTR]

great article up there provided by thunderbolt-the stig must be many drivers-unfortunatly I think schumi was the stig only once-in the FXX.

I wasnt surprised to see a former international GT driver in the list, after all who else could have drove that BMW M3 GT thing at the britcar 24 hours as hard as stiggy did, aswell as beating tim schrick in the top gear vs the germans challenge.

different people is the obvious answer-after all im not sure ben collins a stunt driver would have been so fast in races like at silverstone in britcar.

however this was just an excuse to have michael schumacher on the show wasnt it-and make a publicity stunt out of it-even if the fact that michael schumacher on top gear wasnt big enough already.

but we can all take a really important message out of this frenzy (obviously the publicity stunt has worked): Michael Shumacher doesnt know anything,...............(long jeremy clarkson pause)............................................ .........about ducks.

oh, and the train v car v bike race was great-loved clarksons way of throwing away his egg sandwich!

[Rollo]

The real funny thing here is that people actually believe that Schumacher is the The Stig :laugh:

What about the reverse? Is the Stig, Michael Schumacher?

How do we honestly know that Michael Schumacher wasn't just some Ferrari engineer who was merely used as a ruse and a pawn so that the Stig could drive in F1 without anyone knowing?
It's more plausible that The Stig won seven World Championships rather than Michael Schumacher.

The last question is would the Stig beat Michael Delaney in a race?

[Mark]

Of course the Stig is many people. So Micheal Schumacher is just as much the stig as any of the others who have played the role, including Heikki Kovalinen.

[UltimateDanGTR]

does anyone else really want to see a race between schumi and hamilton both in suzuki leanas at the TG test track? Id love to see that..........(maybe they could do it on PS3 when gran turismo 5 comes out?)

[ioan]

does anyone else really want to see a race between schumi and hamilton both in suzuki leanas at the TG test track?

Not really. I prefer they do it in a serious race car on a serious race track.

[emporer_k]

The stig would never remove his helmet and reveal his identity so by doing just this Schumi has prooved that he cannot possibly be the stig.

[woody2goody]

I wasnt surprised to see a former international GT driver in the list, after all who else could have drove that BMW M3 GT thing at the britcar 24 hours as hard as stiggy did, aswell as beating tim schrick in the top gear vs the germans challenge.

different people is the obvious answer-after all im not sure ben collins a stunt driver would have been so fast in races like at silverstone in britcar.

Ben Collins' Resume in Racing:

Racing

1995 - Formula Vauxhall Jr: 3rd overall. 2 wins, 8 podiums. Collins was nominated for the BRDC Autosport driver of the year award.

1995 - Formula Opel Winter Series: placed 2nd overall driving for Sir Jackie Stewart who commented in Autosport Magazine, "When you see the likes of Ben Collins in Formula One, remember you saw them here first".

1996 - 2000 Formula Three: 7 Wins, 2nd Marlboro Masters, 7th Macau Grand Prix. Indy Lights: 5 top Six finishes in Championship (2nd at Fontana by 0.001 sec). Formula Opel: 2nd opening round. Team mates included Takuma Sato, Scott Dixon, Brian Smith and Shingo Tachi. Teams included Fortec Motorsport, Carlin and Intersport.

2001 - FIA World Sportscar Championship with Ascari (LMP1): 3rd overall - 1 Win, 3 Podiums - Fastest driver at Le Mans 2001 for four hours in rain. Team mate was Werner Lupberger.

2002 – ALMS LMP1 (Ascari), Daytona 24 Hrs, 6th Sebring 12 Hrs. Ascar race: 3rd.

2003 - ASCAR European Oval Champion with Ray Mallock Racing - Led every race to the pit-stop, 6 Wins, 3 Podiums, 6 Poles, 2 Laps Records at Rockingham and Lausitz Speedways (still standing), Nine Fastest Laps. Collins' points tally was a series record.

2004 - Ascar Series with Team Turn Four: placed 4th overall (Missed 2 Rounds). 1 Win, 2 Pole Positions, 2 Fastest Laps. ASA Series round at Charlotte. British GT Round: 2nd (Corvette GT2)

2005 - FIA/British GT Series with Embassy Racing: 3rd overall in Porsche RSR GT2 with 2 Wins, 4 Podiums. FIA GT 24-Hours of Spa: 5th overall. FIA GT Zuhai: Nissan GT2 (mechanicalDNF). Team mate was Neil Cunningham.

2006 - FIA GT3 with Ascari: Led every race until driver change, Pole Position Mugello (by over 1 second). 3rd in FIA GT round at Silverstone. Competed in Le Mans Endurance Series in LMP1 category with Reynard (Nurburg) and carried out LMP1 testing duties for Zytek motorsport in addition to Formula One Testing with Ascari.

2007 – FIA GT3 (Ascari): Pole Position at Romania where Collins was injured during an accident in Qualifying caused by a spinning car. Collins tested a Nascar Nextel Cup car at Lakeland Speedway with Red Bull Racing. Placed 1st & 3rd at Silverstone and conducted Testing in an LMP2 Radical

2008 - American Le Mans Series with Eco Racing in an LMP1 radical with a diesel engine. The car failed to start at Sebring and was only seen again in racing form towards the latter part of the season.

So, single seaters, GTs, stock cars, even tested a NASCAR Cup car, I think he's more than qualified. I knew he was because I remember him from the British GTs a few years ago.

[UltimateDanGTR]

Ben Collins' Resume in Racing:

Racing

1995 - Formula Vauxhall Jr: 3rd overall. 2 wins, 8 podiums. Collins was nominated for the BRDC Autosport driver of the year award.

1995 - Formula Opel Winter Series: placed 2nd overall driving for Sir Jackie Stewart who commented in Autosport Magazine, "When you see the likes of Ben Collins in Formula One, remember you saw them here first".

1996 - 2000 Formula Three: 7 Wins, 2nd Marlboro Masters, 7th Macau Grand Prix. Indy Lights: 5 top Six finishes in Championship (2nd at Fontana by 0.001 sec). Formula Opel: 2nd opening round. Team mates included Takuma Sato, Scott Dixon, Brian Smith and Shingo Tachi. Teams included Fortec Motorsport, Carlin and Intersport.

2001 - FIA World Sportscar Championship with Ascari (LMP1): 3rd overall - 1 Win, 3 Podiums - Fastest driver at Le Mans 2001 for four hours in rain. Team mate was Werner Lupberger.

2002 – ALMS LMP1 (Ascari), Daytona 24 Hrs, 6th Sebring 12 Hrs. Ascar race: 3rd.

2003 - ASCAR European Oval Champion with Ray Mallock Racing - Led every race to the pit-stop, 6 Wins, 3 Podiums, 6 Poles, 2 Laps Records at Rockingham and Lausitz Speedways (still standing), Nine Fastest Laps. Collins' points tally was a series record.

2004 - Ascar Series with Team Turn Four: placed 4th overall (Missed 2 Rounds). 1 Win, 2 Pole Positions, 2 Fastest Laps. ASA Series round at Charlotte. British GT Round: 2nd (Corvette GT2)

2005 - FIA/British GT Series with Embassy Racing: 3rd overall in Porsche RSR GT2 with 2 Wins, 4 Podiums. FIA GT 24-Hours of Spa: 5th overall. FIA GT Zuhai: Nissan GT2 (mechanicalDNF). Team mate was Neil Cunningham.

2006 - FIA GT3 with Ascari: Led every race until driver change, Pole Position Mugello (by over 1 second). 3rd in FIA GT round at Silverstone. Competed in Le Mans Endurance Series in LMP1 category with Reynard (Nurburg) and carried out LMP1 testing duties for Zytek motorsport in addition to Formula One Testing with Ascari.

2007 – FIA GT3 (Ascari): Pole Position at Romania where Collins was injured during an accident in Qualifying caused by a spinning car. Collins tested a Nascar Nextel Cup car at Lakeland Speedway with Red Bull Racing. Placed 1st & 3rd at Silverstone and conducted Testing in an LMP2 Radical

2008 - American Le Mans Series with Eco Racing in an LMP1 radical with a diesel engine. The car failed to start at Sebring and was only seen again in racing form towards the latter part of the season.

So, single seaters, GTs, stock cars, even tested a NASCAR Cup car, I think he's more than qualified. I knew he was because I remember him from the British GTs a few years ago.

oh, er, i was wrong. I just assumed ben collins was just a stunt driver and had never been a proper racer, erm, well i was ignorant.......


Not really. I prefer they do it in a serious race car on a serious race track.

fair point. maybe both, i dunno, im only dreaming.