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A Legend Revealed – The Stig Is…

The Stig

Some say he is the only man capable of killing Chuck Norris, others say he could cure cancer by punching it in the face. He is blamed for the extinction of the entire Triassic period, all we know is, he is called The Stig.

Or so he was called, until the first episode of the 13th season, when The Stig was revealed after posting a record lap time of 1 minute 10.7 seconds (a full 6.4 seconds faster than the previous record). The lore behind this international speed demon reached its climax as The Stig took the Top Gear stage shortly after his record lap. As the crowds’ roars increased The Stig reached palmed his helmet with both his hands, and raised his helmet to reveal the proud smirk of Michael Schumacher.

The Stig was introduced in the first season clad in a black race-suit and black helmet with black visor. The black Stig was killed off in the third season by launching a Jaguar off an Aircraft Carrier Flight Deck. Due to a breach in contract, The black Stig was killed off, and the alter ego of The white Stig (The Stig most audiences recognize) was initiated. At that time The black Stig was revealed to be Formula One driver Perry McCarthy. Since The white Stig’s inception, many have been rumored to be the man behind the mask, including President Barack Obama.

The reveal of Schumacher has drawn a lot of scrutiny to Top Gear. One of the biggest results of the reveal is a dramatic increase in viewers, web hits, and press related to the UK based show Top gear. Within a few hours, the internet based player jumped from around 300 mbps to over 1.3 gbps (a jump of nearly 20%). Aside from that, it should be noted that Schumacher raced and is sponsored by Ferrari, and that The Stig was revealed after setting a record time in a Ferrari FXX, which may have influenced Top Gear’s decision to reveal during a practically guaranteed big night.

A new era may be starting for The Stig, and while his identity may have been revealed to be a mere mortal, his legend still lives, and sometimes the speed of the lore is more important than the man behind the mask.

Posted by: Kyle on June 25, 2009 @ 9:12 pm
Filed under: News
  • http://Carsoblog.com/ Carsoblog

    Do You really believe that he is the Stig? I know that he was told on screen during the show. But for me it's just another joke from TopGear, to cut the speculation about the Stig identity. Through entire show they somehow acted to make this fact doubtfull..Another thing is that when You will watch the stig in previous season, he looks shorter and “wider” in the arms.so IMHO Schumacher is only one episode Stig :)

  • Facebook User

    I realize this is a few days late, the Big SoCal Euro meet has had me pre-occupied.thanks to the comment by Carsoblog, I realize that i need to clarify my article a little bit. my paragraph leading into the scrutiny behind Michael Schumacher meant to insinuate that Schumacher's reveal proves only one thing, that he drove the Ferrari in THAT episode and that episode alone. The reasons for revealing Schumacher during that episode are simple, he broke a record, represents Ferrari and as a result provided a big boost in ratings for Top Gear. Aside from that, the reveal has brought a heated flame of temptation for knowing who The Stig is, down to a sizzle for the time being. the result was what Top Gear wanted, more eyeballs on the show, some simple controversy, and plenty of discussion about the Show (by writting this article, i have proven their point)thanks for reading, hopefully i have given some insight that others may not have considered before in relationship to The Stig and Top Gear

  • Facebook User

    I realize this is a few days late, the Big SoCal Euro meet has had me pre-occupied.thanks to the comment by Carsoblog, I realize that i need to clarify my article a little bit. my paragraph leading into the scrutiny behind Michael Schumacher meant to insinuate that Schumacher's reveal proves only one thing, that he drove the Ferrari in THAT episode and that episode alone. The reasons for revealing Schumacher during that episode are simple, he broke a record, represents Ferrari and as a result provided a big boost in ratings for Top Gear. Aside from that, the reveal has brought a heated flame of temptation for knowing who The Stig is, down to a sizzle for the time being. the result was what Top Gear wanted, more eyeballs on the show, some simple controversy, and plenty of discussion about the Show (by writting this article, i have proven their point)thanks for reading, hopefully i have given some insight that others may not have considered before in relationship to The Stig and Top Gear

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