The Stig revealed

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Michael Schumacher revealed as TV show Top Gear's 'Stig'
AFP June 22, 2009, 6:50am
LONDON (AFP) - Formula One legend Michael Schumacher was on Sunday unveiled as "the Stig", the mystery man who test drives cars on British cult motoring show "Top Gear".

The identity of the white-clad driver is kept a closely guarded secret, but Schumacher, who was Formula One world drivers' champion seven times, finally revealed himself in the first of a new series of the show on Sunday night.

Presenter Jeremy Clarkson pretended not to recognise him at first, asking him what he used to do before he became famous as the Stig, but then excitedly shouted to the studio audience: "It's Michael Schumacher!"

Former Formula One driver Perry McCarthy was Top Gear's original Stig, who dressed all in black during the first two series.

But some fans are questioning whether or not Schumacher is the real stig, and whether or not the revelation was just a joke. The Times Online reports that footage at the end of the programme showed the champion driving ineptly around the track.
The show is shown in more than 100 countries worldwide.

Top Gear's The Stig 'played by eight drivers' Eight different people including Lewis Hamilton's Formula One team-mate have been employed as Top Gear's mystery test driver The Stig, it has been claimed.
By Matthew Moore
Published: 7:30AM GMT 28 Jan 2009
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."