Top Gear

sharkman

Anyone got an idea who the Stig is ????

oneweb

Don't know. I heard them mention at one stage in the last series that he was French. Great show, really got into it with the new format Clarkson's wit is just second to none

RicardoSmith

Clarkson's an idiot. Personally I can't stand him. 5th gear has all the best people of Top Gear and is a much better program for car nuts.

Silvera

Agreed. Don't really like the new format. Too much waffle.Little info on used cars/classic cars.
Quentin Willson was very good on the old Top Gear - believe he is on Fifth gear now. He knows his stuff, he is actually a car dealer, or used to be anyway.

aidan_dunne

The Stig is a French racing driver called Nicolas Minassian. He raced in the ASCAR series (a UK version of American NASCAR) in the UK last year and has previously raced in ChampCars in the States and in Formula 3000.

I could tell you how I know all this, but then I'd have to kill you!

pugwall

Clarkson's wit is just second to none

Clarkson's an idiot.

I actually like him and his wit althought he came across as an ass on a couple of occasions last season.

They were dewciding which cars were 'cool'. Which cars had that certain 'cool factor'. Clarkeson took complete control and if he thought a car was cool even though others disagreed well then tough luck, the car was 'cool'.

The thing is, he has no credability whatsoever in determining the cool factor. Dont get me wrong, I see him as a car expert but he cant tell coolness to save his life!

Come on! He's a middle aged fat cat..........and those jeans that he wears...........:eek:

RicardoSmith

Sounds like a riveting show alright......glad I missed it Its Max Power for people in loafers...with big heads :eek: Actually thats a unintended slur on the Max power brigade, who at least have some (misguided) passion for cars. Unlike Clarkson who only has passion for Clarkson.

oneweb

Originally posted by aidan_dunne
I could tell you how I know all this, but then I'd have to kill you!

Google, 10th result down. I didn't post it 'cos I wasn't sure of its validity.

aidan_dunne

I didn't Google for it, I swear! I found out through "other sources" which I can't disclose!

Anyway, you're right oneweb, if you do do a Google search most of the forums and stuff that result tend to throw up the same answer.

weemcd

true about the jeans there was asyndrome named after him which ruined jeans sales for years hes hardly very cool then- i dont like many of those car journalist guys theyre middle class pricks most of them and still go on about hating germany and even talk about the war. Fith gear is much better they talk about cars not all this ****e surrounding the cars like torque and specs. i liked the nos system beating the supercars though. fith gear did a james bond style car chace once and the car blew up way before it ran into the back of the lorry then they compared their stunts to xXx and james bond!!

RicardoSmith

I thought Clarkson was much better a few years back, he was more enthuastic about cars and motoring. But hes become a real mouthpiece recently. The guys/gals on 5th gear (basically everyone else from the old Top Gear) seem to be more genuine petrol heads, and what I like is that each of them are very specialised in their own areas. Theres also a good natured banter and interaction between the presenters. They are critical where needs be, unlike Clarkson who just moans about everything. Which gets old real quick. He also raves on and on about stuff, and you almost have to step back from the screen to avoid the spittle, hes practically foaming at the mouth half the time.

Silvera

The new Top Gear is actually starting to grow on me.

Last Sunday's programme was excellent. A good mix of items both new, old and unusual i.e. the guy who built a car in his kitchen and had to pull down the house wall to get it out !

Silvera.

mike65

Clarkson Rules OK?

Mike.

RicardoSmith

That really short bloke is a bit lightweight if you ask me. Its a real little and large routine. A guy building a a car in his kitchen was light entertainment. I thought top gear used to be the premier motoring show on TV. But yeah its moved in to "light" entertainment alright. Along the lines of Kirsty's home videos....

spuddy

i'm a huge fan of clarkson & have been watching TG for as long as I can remember, but I dont like him in the new show, he def was better a few years ago (anyone remember the slaughtering he gave to the then 'new' ford scorpio with the big red nose! priceless)

fifth gear is the business, they did a men vs women programme a few weeks ago, gave a group a series of tests...parallel parking, collision avoidence. the men & women were pretty much even till it came to the last test...map reading!

wont go into too great detail (the women ended up going in the opposite direction) but it was hillarious to watch tiff & vicky battle for each others side.

Silvera

haven't seen fifth gear - yet.
heard it's good alright.

Do many people have channel 5 in Ireland ?

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by Silvera
haven't seen fifth gear - yet.
heard it's good alright.

Do many people have channel 5 in Ireland ?

None its on the discovery channel here.

Mossy Monk

Channel 5 can be received via satellite and a FTV card

weemcd

you can get it in he north

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by Mossy Monk
Channel 5 can be received via satellite and a FTV card

Excuse the dumb ques but what a FTV card?

Mossy Monk

it is a viewing card that gives you the 5 UK terrestrials for free

go to the satellite section of ICDG to learn more

rabbitinlights

Proof about who the stig is:

http://www.sfxsports.co.uk/biogs_other.asp?BiogID=202

Read the bottom part.


Sean

NewFrockTuesday

I like the little guy...Richard Hammond I think his name is. Very funny. Also a good foil for clarkesons "alpha male" syndrome.

aidan_dunne

Yeah, turns out Perry McCarthy was the original (black) Stig. Because of the rumours and talk about "who's the Stig" at the time, it seems the BBC decided to have a little fun at the public's expense and deliberately put out some misinformation and false clues leading everyone to beleive it was Nicolas Minassian. Even my so-called "very reliable source" gave me out that information. Bastard!

So, Perry was the original Stig but....... nobody knows who the new one (white) is. It's believed that it's someone different this time around, though. In fact, I remember reading somewhere months ago that the producers on "Top Gear" have confirmed that it is, indeed, a different Stig this time around alright.

There's a lot of speculation going around on various websites, though, that it may be Damon Hill. Reasons being that he was a guest presenter/reviewer a couple of seasons ago (did a comparison test with Clarkson between an Aston Martin and a Ferrari) and that when Renault gave "Top Gear" a Formula 1 car to thrash around the test track at the end of the last series, that Renault wouldn't put such a valuable piece of kit into the hands of anyone but an experienced F1 driver. Plus Damon Hill has a lot of history behind him with Renault, winning the World Championship driving a Renault-powered car and all.

So, whilst most people's money seems to be on Damon Hill being the current Stig, for now, the real identity of the Stig remains a mystery.

aidan_dunne

purdee wrote:

I like the little guy...Richard Hammond

Yeah, all the girlies seem to like "The Hamster"! I wonder why? :rolleyes:

Have to admit, he's pretty good on "Brainiac", though.

acri

i really really really think they should either get rid of hammond or make him speak properly. he takes a sharp breath before EVERY sentence! its the most irritating noise in the world. next to a solitary fly in a quiet room

Lump

Yea they killed off the old one cause people found out who he was. Drove him off a Aircraft carrier I believe.

John

Guy:Incognito

aidan_dunne wrote:

Yeah, turns out Perry McCarthy was the original (black) Stig. Because of the rumours and talk about "who's the Stig" at the time, it seems the BBC decided to have a little fun at the public's expense and deliberately put out some misinformation and false clues leading everyone to beleive it was Nicolas Minassian. Even my so-called "very reliable source" gave me out that information. Bastard!

So, Perry was the original Stig but....... nobody knows who the new one (white) is. It's believed that it's someone different this time around, though. In fact, I remember reading somewhere months ago that the producers on "Top Gear" have confirmed that it is, indeed, a different Stig this time around alright.

There's a lot of speculation going around on various websites, though, that it may be Damon Hill. Reasons being that he was a guest presenter/reviewer a couple of seasons ago (did a comparison test with Clarkson between an Aston Martin and a Ferrari) and that when Renault gave "Top Gear" a Formula 1 car to thrash around the test track at the end of the last series, that Renault wouldn't put such a valuable piece of kit into the hands of anyone but an experienced F1 driver. Plus Damon Hill has a lot of history behind him with Renault, winning the World Championship driving a Renault-powered car and all.

So, whilst most people's money seems to be on Damon Hill being the current Stig, for now, the real identity of the Stig remains a mystery.

Would someone not notice the fact that Damon Hill is always knockign around the studio/driving into the circuit, on filming days/

Lump

The track isn't near the studio.


John

Guy:Incognito

yeah I know, but I'd say just like at football training sessions, you get people milling around trying to get a look at some new sports cars getting ripped around a track. Someone would put 2 and 2 together when Damon Hill kept showing up, surely.

aidan_dunne

Well, what if he just showed up every day wearing all his Stig gear and went around all day with it on him? Nobody would be able to tell then, would they?

Okay, okay, I know, improbable but it might just be something to think about. Besides, I just mentioned him because of the speculation surrounding his name and the Stig that I've seen on other websites. But I think the idea that it must be an ex-F1 driver/test driver has to be right, though. And must be a fairly recent one, too, given the fact it was a modern day F1 car Renault gave them. They're unlikely to put it into the hands of someone who hasn't got experience of modern F1 cars and F1 technology (semi-automatic paddle shift gearchanges, grooved tyres and, most importantly, fly-by-wire throttles which require a very, very delicate touch).

Would love to know who it is, though.

Lump

I'll ask some one.

John