Latest news with #TheStig
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
I drove pure electric Elroq vRS at Sweet Lamb rally complex – it corners tidily & is mega comfy but there's one downside
The Czechs will tell you it's the fastest Skoda yet - but they aren't quite right ELROQ 'N' ROLL STAR I drove pure electric Elroq vRS at Sweet Lamb rally complex – it corners tidily & is mega comfy but there's one downside Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) EVERYONE knows The Stig. He's the chatterbox racing driver from Top Gear. But did you know there's another Stig who makes him look a bit slow? Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Stig Blomqvist is the man who cemented Skoda's motorsport credibility Credit: Supplied 7 The cabin is nicely appointed with microsuede upholstery Credit: Supplied 7 It'll do 0-62mph in 5.4 seconds, one second quicker than a petrol Octavia vRS Credit: Supplied 7 What impresses most about this car is the handling Credit: Supplied Stig Blomqvist. Absolute rally god. He won the 1984 World Rally Championship at the wheel of an Audi Quattro. He's also the man who cemented Skoda's motorsport credibility by finishing third on the 1996 Network Q Rally, in the snow, in a front-wheel drive Felicia, up against fire-spitting four-wheel drive Imprezas, Celicas and Sierra RS Cossies. Proper giant-killing performance. I remember sitting on a frozen tree stump in Kielder Forest watching the master in full flow. Some bloke called Colin McRae piloted a Fabia WRC in 2005 and, for the last 15 years or so, Fabia has been hoovering up trophies in the second-tier WRC2 and other international championships. The reason I'm telling you all this is because Skoda has properly earned the vRS — victory Rally Sport — badge it sticks on its spicy road cars. It's not a marketing gimmick. It has years of motorsport expertise behind it. So we thought we'd try the latest vRS, the pure electric Elroq vRS, at the famous Sweet Lamb rally complex in Llanidloes, mid-Wales. 5 Things you need to know about the new Skoda Elroq It was a lot of fun. We bolted on some all-terrain tyres, added underbody protection (we're not animals), and dialled down the traction control systems and, er, that was about it. Pull the pin. Elroq vRS is plenty quick enough off the line. The Czechs will tell you it's the fastest Skoda yet. But it's actually joint-fastest alongside the Enyaq vRS. Two e-motors, one on each axle for all-wheel drive, pump out a meaty 340hp. It'll do 0-62mph in 5.4 seconds, one second quicker than a petrol Octavia vRS, and top out at 111mph. But what impresses most is the handling. For a heavy vehicle (batteries weight a bit), it corners tidily. The steering is light but accurate. The body is well tied-down, neither rolling on corners or floating when the road crests and dips. We tried the very green Elroq vRS on smoother, less dusty B-roads and it was just as pleasing. Fast or slow. It should easily do 280 miles on a full tank and can recharge to 80 per cent in a 26-minute tea-and-pee break. 7 I remember sitting on a frozen tree stump in Kielder Forest watching the master in full flow Credit: Supplied 7 Skoda has properly earned the vRS — victory Rally Sport — badge Credit: Supplied The cabin is nicely appointed. Microsuede upholstery. Lime green stitching. The seats are mega comfy and will warm and rub your back. The door pockets are carpeted. So nothing rattles. That 13in touchscreen is fast and easy to use. Mind you, I'm a big fan of the regular £31,510 Elroq, so the all-singing vRS was always going to be good. My only grumble is the price. We're talking £46,560. That's Mercedes CLA money. But at least you can release your inner Stig. SKODA unveils an Octavia-sized electric estate called 'Vision O' next month. But it's exactly that, a vision. The real car's still three years away and it will co-exist alongside today's petrol and diesel Octavias for as long as they're allowed to continue. There's a dinky £22k EV called 'Epiq' coming in 2026, followed by a seven-seat EV that's previewed by the 'Vision 7S' concept. 7 Skoda's Octavia-sized electric estate called 'Vision O' Credit: Supplied
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Stig on Clarkson's Farm episodes? New mystery cast member teased
Fans have joked about The Stig being the mystery guest who could be reuniting with Jeremy Clarkson after a new cast member was announced for Clarkson's Farm series four. Mr Clarkson presented Top Gear on the BBC from 2002 until 2015 with the character of The Stig a regular feature throughout. Joined by James May and Richard Hammond, The Stig was dressed all in white with his identity rarely revealed and largely kept a mystery. Taking part in racing laps, the character was a play on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, created by Mr Clarkson and producer Andy Wilman. READ MORE: First look at Clarkson's Farm series four as trailer released The Clarkson's Farm cast. (Image: Prime Video) The famous trio later left the show and The Stig behind and began The Grand Tour on Prime Video which concluded last year. Mr Clarkson has since turned his attention to agriculture with the hugely popular Prime Video show Clarkson's Farm. Taking place at his Diddly Squat Farm in Chadlington, the documentary shows the TV host getting to grips with farming. With three seasons already released, a fourth instalment will be available to fans from Friday, May 23 on Amazon's streaming service. READ MORE: Embarrassed Ellen DeGeneres left stranded in garden of Cotswolds mansion Former Top Gear presenter Chris Evans with The Stig. The trailer for the new season was released earlier today (Thursday, May 8) and an accompanying write-up teased a new cast member. A teasing statement said: "The welcome arrival of a new farmhand not only gets the farm shipshape in record time - it also gives Jeremy time to think." Fans have been quick to speculate if it would be a familiar face reuniting with Mr Clarkson such as Mr May or Mr Hammond. One superfan, who lives in Oxford and asked not to be named, told us: "It would be great if it was The Stig but I can't imagine him getting any new lap records with that tractor."
BBC News
12-04-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Top Gear driver The Stig breaks 20-year-old lap record in Surrey
Top Gear's anonymous racing driver The Stig has broken a 20-year-old record for the fastest lap around the BBC motoring show's test track in Stig completed the 1.75-mile (2.8km) figure of eight circuit at Dunsfold Aerodrome in 55.9 seconds in a McMurtry Speirling Pure VP1 electric track car, beating the previous record by 3.1 new lap time broke the 2004 record of 59 seconds in a Renault R24 Formula One car, also set by The Stig, who has been portrayed by a number of Rix, editor of Top Gear, said: "Being there to witness a 20-year-old lap record being shattered – one we thought was untouchable – was an incredible moment." He added: "It's a record that might never be broken, unless any F1 teams are feeling brave?"The lap record is part of BBC Studios' new Top Gear YouTube series Stig Laps, where the unknown racer attempts to break lap records on the Top Gear test track in some of the world's fastest and rarest Yates, co-founder and managing director of McMurtry Automotive, added: "Achieving the fastest lap ever on this legendary circuit is an immense achievement." Additional reporting by PA Media.
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.
