Some Say He Is Called The Stig....Others Say He Is Ben Collins!

Some say that he thought Star Wars was a documentary, and others will say that he is illegal in 17 US states.  All we know is that he is called Ben Collins.

Collins, a former NASCAR and Le Mans driver, now turned stuntman was revealed on Wednesday afternoon as the face of The Stig, the mystery driver on the BBC2 hit motoring show, Top Gear.  This was after the BBC failed to get a court injunction at the high court which prevented Collins from publishing his autobiography.  The reason for this is unclear, as the judge will give a private reason for the refusal of the injunction in a fortnight’s time. 

Collins was the stunt driver on the recent James Bond movie, ‘Quantum of Solace.’  The mystery of ‘The Stig’ has always been unclear to viewers, as he is dressed in white racing overalls, with a darkened visor and helmet.  His role is to test fast sports cars and new road models around the Top Gear testing track.  He also has appeared in some of Top Gear’s most famous challenges alongside regulars Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

There has been speculation that Damon Hill, president of the BRDC (British Racing Drivers Club) had been secretly holding the role in his spare time.  Last year, seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher appeared as ‘The Stig,’ in a publicity stunt for one episode, in an attempt to fool the intrigued viewers.  Ben Collins, who is from Bristol, has actually held the role as ‘The Stig,’ since 2003.  He is only the second ‘Stig’ on Top Gear, with the first being the ex-Grand Prix pre-qualifier Perry McCarthy.  McCarthy held down the role for two years, but was sacked after his identity was revealed.  You can only imagine that Collins will be heading in the same direction.

In response to the disappointing outcome, the BBC said this in a statement:

"The BBC brought this action as we believe it is vital to protect the character of the Stig which ultimately belongs to the licence fee payer.

"Today's judgement does not prevent the BBC from pursuing this matter to trial and the BBC will not be deterred from protecting such information from attack no matter when or by whom it should arise."

Whether a new ‘Stig’ will be around come the time of the new series in January 2011, alongside Clarkson, May and Hammond is unclear.  In the meantime, Ben Collins autobiography is to be released on September 16^th and will be published by Harper Collins.