Trackside: Who is the Stig? II

Who is hiding behind the Stig’s mask? We’ve added five top drivers who could be the Stig

We drew up a list of people who might be the Stig last year but since then five more likely suspects have emerged.

Trackside’s Keith Collantine investigates who is the Stig.

Last year we suggested six drivers who might the Stig: racing drivers Damon Hill and Ben Collins, presenters Jeremy Clarkson and Tiff Needell, stunt driver Russ Swift and round-the-world sailor Ellen MacArthur.

Twelve months on any of these drivers could still be hiding behind the Stig’s mask. Now we’ve added five more names of top drivers who could be the Stig.

We’ve also got bookmakers William Hill to supply the odds on each driver being unmasked as the Stig. But as their spokesperson Rupert Adams put it: “We think the Stig changes every year and if his times improve dramatically this year you can bet Schuey is a shoo-in.”

Read our latest picks for who is the Stig and have your say who you think it is on the Auto Trader Blog.

Lewis Hamilton

Pros: Britain’s latest F1 star is surely fast enough to be the Stig.

But does he have enough time between winning Grands Prix and buying enormous houses in Switzerland to drive a Chevrolet Lacetti around an airfield?

Cons: When Hamilton appeared on Top Gear he lapped the track 0.3 seconds slower than the Stig did.

Hamilton set his time on a wet track, so the wunderkind is probably too fast to be the Stig.

Williams Hill odds: 16/1

James May

Pros: All that ‘Captain Slow’ stuff sounds like a cover-up to me. What if the quiet one with the imaginative hair is actually a demon driver?

Maybe it’s all an elaborate conspiracy on Top Gear’s part to keep staff costs down.

Cons: If he is The Stig, then he’s also a good actor, because he does a very good impression of a rubbish racing driver.

William Hill odds: 8/1

Mark Blundell

Pros: Blundell is a veteran of 63 Grands Prix and won races in America’s hugely competitive Champ Car series. He not only survived a gigantic 200mph crash – he walked away from it.

These are the kinds of credentials the Stig must have on his CV.

Cons: Blundell still jets around the world commentating on F1 for ITV – and he manages young driving talent like Mike Conway – so he’s probably not available for Stig duties.

William Hill odds: 6/1

Julian Bailey

Pros: In the history of Top Gear there have been two Stigs. The first (black-suited Stig) was ‘killed off’ and later unmasked as Perry McCarthy – a little-known F1 driver.

Another rapid but little-known F1 driver who could be the new Stig is Julian Bailey.

Bailey made 20 Grand Prix starts but, like McCarthy, didn’t qualify for most of them because his cars were too slow. He stopped racing in F1 when he ran out of money, but he is definitely quick enough.

Cons: There are no obvious reasons why it couldn’t be him…

Williams Hill odds: 4/1

Simon Cowell

Pros: The X-Factor judge has proved his skills at the wheel whenever he’s appeared on Top Gear.

He was one of the fastest drivers on the original Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car segment in the Suzuki Liana and heads the current leaderboard at the wheel of the Chevrolet Lacetti.

In between dressing-down wannabe singers with his acerbic one-liners, could he also be moonlighting as the Stig?

Cons: The Stig never speaks - can Cowell really keep quiet that long?

William Hill odds: 100/1

Who is the Stig? Tell us what you think on the Auto Trader Blog.