Latest news with #Stig
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The Weird British Electric Sucker Car Is Faster Than An F1 Car Around The Top Gear Track
Just over twenty years ago Top Gear's famed Stig drove Fernando Alonso's Renault R24 Formula 1 car around the show's test track in a blistering 59 seconds. That lap was over 20 seconds clear of the Ferrari Enzo, Porsche Carrera GT, and Mercedes SLR McLaren, which had previously held the fastest times of the era. Just a few weeks ago the non-race-car record at Dunsfold was set when Stiggy took an Aston Martin Valkyrie for a rip in 1:09.6. This week, however, the outright lap record has been stolen, again by a British supercar manufacturer, but of a completely different kind. What kind of supercar could possibly be quicker than an F1 car? How about the single-seater electric sucker car from startup McMurtry Automotive, named after an Irish thunderstorm? Yeah, that one. With more than enough downforce to drive upside-down, and all the electric power needed to run a quarter mile in the sevens, McMurtry's Spéirling pretty much redefines fast when it comes to seven-figure hypercars. There's nothing else on the planet like this lilliputian face-melting high-speed mech suit, and this Top Gear track record simply extends the car's already prodigious legend status. If Formula One is the pinnacle of speed, then McMurtry has climbed to the top and planted its flag in just a few short years. If this had happened at Top Gear's peak Clarkson would have lost his tiny mind and assaulted a producer. Read more: These Are The Cheap Cars That Consumer Reports Actually Recommends Buying Nobody in 2004 could ever have predicted that the F1 car record would be surpassed, nay obliterated, by an electric car. Think back to 2004 and try to imagine what the world of electric cars looked like. There was no Tesla, no Nissan Leaf even. The idea of using electricity to make a car faster was still a long ways off. The sportiest hybrid available at the time was a Honda Accord. If you took a time machine back 21 years and told them an electric car was quicker than an F1 car around any race track, you'd be carted off to the stocks and pelted with rotten fruit in the public square. The Renault R24 was among the fastest Formula 1 cars of all time, fighting with Ferrari and Michael Schumacher in their prime and pushing Jarno Trulli to a Monaco Grand Prix victory. Its V10 scream was signature and for two decades it has reigned over the Top Gear track as its king. Today that throne is in shambles, pulverized by a tiny zippy electric machine that sounds like a weasel wearing a jet pack. We're in the golden age of performance, and the McMurtry Spéirling is the new benchmark. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
BBC News
26-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Hamster abandoned near Milton Keynes bins recovering RSPCA says
An elderly hamster abandoned next to communal bins is being nursed back to good health. The hamster, now named Stig, was found in a cage by a member of the public in Troutbeck, Milton Keynes, in Buckinghamshire on 24 to his condition and age, Stig now lives at Hartwells Homeless Small Animal Sanctuary and has been treated for fur little Syrian hamster, thought to be around three years old, has been showing signs of improvement since arriving at the sanctuary and is steadily gaining weight, the RSPCA said. Louise Norman, who runs the sanctuary, said: "We believe he is quite elderly as he tends to only dotter around in his cage - but even in just a week his personality is starting to shine through - which is lovely to see, as he was so shut down when he first arrived."He is having treatment for his mange and this poor boy had more skin showing than he had fur."Animal rescue officer, Rebecca Frost, said: "It is heartbreaking to think that this poor little hamster was just left abandoned by some bins and treated like rubbish."Ms Frost urged anyone who saw someone acting suspiciously on the day he was found, or has information about his owners, to contact the RSPCA. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Who Played The Stig On Top Gear (Was It Really Michael Schumacher?)
There are a few great mysteries in this world: how did Mesolithic man build Stonehenge, what the heck happened to flight MH370 and who the hell played The Stig on Top Gear? Thankfully, that third one is much easier to answer and won't lead you down a conspiracy theory nightmare full of aliens, monsters and government cover ups. The Stig was a staple on 'Top Gear' for most of its 20-year run on our screens. In that time, the Tame Racing Driver put in all kinds of incredible laps around the show's test tracks in everything from a Koenigsegg CCX and a Ford Focus RS to an actual Formula One car. By now, we know that it wasn't the same Stig that set all of those lap times, most notably because there was Black Stig for the first two years and then a White Stig replaced it. But, did you know the iconic race suit was actually worn by three different drivers over The Stig's 20-year sting on our televisions? The first incarnation of The Stig appeared on our screens in 2002 and 2003. The Black Stig, as it's known, was portrayed by British racing driver Perry McCarthy, who previously raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1996 and 2003. McCarthy donned the black race suit for two series of the hit show, but his cover as the Tame Racing Driver was blown by a British tabloid and his character was killed off. Black Stig was then replaced by the first White Stig, which was played by touring car racer Ben Collins. Collins donned the suit for seven years, from 2003 up until 2010. During that time, there was even an episode where 'Top Gear' promised to reveal the character's true identity, but when the helmet was taken off it was seven-time Formula 1 world champion, Michael Schumacher. Schumacher sadly wasn't ever really the show's Tame Racing Driver and after completing a lap of the 'Top Gear' track, Clarkson even told the audience 'I don't think Michael Schumacher is The Stig.' Fans didn't have to wait long to find out who was actually under the mask, however, as the real identity of the character was revealed in 2010 when Collins elected to burst his own bubble. The racing driver wanted to release a book about his career, which identified him as The Stig, and this meant he was soon kicked off the show. Collins was replaced by a second White Stig, and the identity of this driver remained secret for more than a decade. Clarkson revealed the name of the third and final Tame Racing Driver during a Q&A at the British pub that he owns just last year. When asked about the identity of The Stig, Clarkson said: 'The original Stig was Perry McCarthy, followed by Ben Collins, followed by Phil Keen. There isn't a current 'Top Gear' so there isn't a current Stig, but the last one was Phil Keen.' Keen is yet another British racing driver, and he cut his teeth driving in series like British GT and the European Le Mans series. During his career, he won the British GT Championship in 2009 and picked up 24 race wins. Still, he might not be any quicker than Rubens Barrichello so does all that silverware really matter? So, there you have it, The Stig was once Perry McCarthy, Ben Collins and Phil Keen. It was never really Michael Schumacher. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
