BUMP
Sorry about this, I've just been searching for, and reading, Stig-related threads in here for the last hour or so, and although everyone is apparently fed up with the discussion, this seemed like the "accepted" one. I'll also say before I get stuck in that I know the old (black) Stig was Perry McCarthy, when I say "The Stig" from now on I mean the current, white one.
Has nobody here mentioned that The Stig might be Johnny Herbert? I've just Googled and people seem to be thinking that elsewhere. My assumption wasn't based on that, though, it was two main things:
1. Herbert is small/short like The Stig (look at him being wheeled by Jeremy on the airport luggage trolley in the last episode for evidence - I know Clarkson is 6'4" but The Stig still looks really small, and he's wearing racing boots and a helmet!).
2. Herbert used to drive for the Benetton Renault F1 team (during the 1995 season), so he would have still had contacts at the current Renault F1 team - most notably Flavio Briatore himself, boss back then, and indeed now. I'm obviously referring to the fact that people have disputed the fact that "The Stig", if he is one driver, would have been allowed to drive the Renault F1 car. He also worked as some kind of PR bloke for Jordan during this F1 season just gone so he would still have definitely been very much in the F1 loop.
Him being employed in a PR position at Jordan shouldn't have got in the way, that could possibly be the reason why it was so important to keep his identity on TG a secret. He'd also have made the time to do it, I hardly think an ex-F1 driver, who only retired very recently, would be completely satisfied working in F1 but not ever getting the chance of a drive.
So what does everyone think? I can certainly believe it's not always Herbert, and that they just get someone like Hill in when he can't make it. I can't believe Frank Mountain did the "hot lap" in his MC12, considering it's in the No. 1 spot - didn't they also say that "The Stig" said that it was the difference between the ABS systems of the MC12 and Enzo that made the Mazerati faster? If Frank Mountain was that good/intuitive a driver then surely he'd have some proper racing credentials? Mountain would let TG have a few fast laps, as someone said earlier, he drove the same car aggressively on a wet/icy track on FG. I think he made some comment like "Well, that's how the car is supposed to be driven..." too. I'm not disputing the fact that the MC12 on TG was owned by Mountain, though.
I didn't Google around for Herbert/Stig discussion that much, but as I said, I just spent about an hour searching around in this forum for Stig-related stuff so I didn't bump an unwanted thread, or start a new unwanted one, etc...
Phew, time to press the submit button.