Lewis Hamilton on Top Gear this weekend

[TonyHetherington]

There's more than one stig.

[Munter]

TonyHetherington said:

There's more than one stig.

And heres a thought. If the stig never says a word. How does he instruct the "STAR" in the car? Mind meld?

[RobM77]

Munter said:

TonyHetherington said:

There's more than one stig.

And heres a thought. If the stig never says a word. How does he instruct the "STAR" in the car? Mind meld?

In keeping with Top Gear, the "stars" never have the slightest interest in motor racing anyway, so I expect he chats away with them and it doesn't matter as they'd forget his face instantly!

[shadowninja]

RobM77 said:

Munter said:

TonyHetherington said:

There's more than one stig.

And heres a thought. If the stig never says a word. How does he instruct the "STAR" in the car? Mind meld?

In keeping with Top Gear, the "stars" never have the slightest interest in motor racing anyway, so I expect he chats away with them and it doesn't matter as they'd forget his face instantly!

Maybe he uses a computer like a certain Cambridge professor who also works in a 4-wheeled vehicle.

[jacobyte]

shadowninja said:

RobM77 said:

Munter said:

TonyHetherington said:

There's more than one stig.

And heres a thought. If the stig never says a word. How does he instruct the "STAR" in the car? Mind meld?

In keeping with Top Gear, the "stars" never have the slightest interest in motor racing anyway, so I expect he chats away with them and it doesn't matter as they'd forget his face instantly!

Maybe he uses a computer like a certain Cambridge professor who also works in a 4-wheeled vehicle.

You mean Stephen Hawking is the Stig?

[woof]

There's several stigs - as mentioned elsewhere
Pretty sure that was Tim last night - big old guy on him - LOL
def not ben collins last night

Tom Chilton does it sometimes as well

sniff petrol said:

rubystone said:

woof said:

off topic - but I'd put money on that being Tim Harvey as the Stig on tonights show

Can't see it myself. No way Tim'd fit in a Liana

He's already been revealed as Ben Collins.

[jellison]

woof said:

There's several stigs - as mentioned elsewhere
Pretty sure that was Tim last night - big old guy on him - LOL
def not ben collins last night

Tom Chilton does it sometimes as well

sniff petrol said:

rubystone said:

woof said:

off topic - but I'd put money on that being Tim Harvey as the Stig on tonights show

Can't see it myself. No way Tim'd fit in a Liana

He's already been revealed as Ben Collins.

Tom Chilton does it sometimes as well

YOU ARE PISSING ME - HE IS UTTERLY USELESS.

[rev-erend]

It's a real shame the Stig did not do a lap in the same conditions for comparision purposes.. what a shame.

Unbelieveably quick lap though.

[TonyHetherington]

jellison said:

HE IS UTTERLY USELESS.

Have you seen some of the stig laps? Some might look quick but "he" goes more sideways then he does forwards.

[RobM77]

TonyHetherington said:

jellison said:

HE IS UTTERLY USELESS.

Have you seen some of the stig laps? Some might look quick but "he" goes more sideways then he does forwards.

I believe that the clips shown aren't necessarily from the lap that set the time. In fact, on one or two occasions the car's different halfway round They just string together some impressive looking clips from a whole lapping session.

[TonyHetherington]

Actually that's a good point. On Mansell's lap it even had different number plates I seem to recall

"He" does always appear a bit of a raggity driver though; certainly not clean, which scrubs away speed horrendously. This is all said from my arm chair though I must stress, and an arm chair of jealousy at that

[RT106]

TonyHetherington said:

"He" does always appear a bit of a raggity driver though; certainly not clean, which scrubs away speed horrendously.

I can't stand this obsession with smoothness that every armchair motorsport enthusiast goes on and on about these days. Of course a smooth style is theoretically quickest, but that only works if you're in a perfect car that does exactly what you ask it to. Most road cars aren't perfect; so it's hardly surprising to see the Stig chucking them around the track.

Only the very best drivers have the ability to know exactly how much grip there is before they get to a corner. For us plebes being aggressive with a car allows the limit to be felt, and although you may scrub away a little speed as a consequence you'll still being going a whole load faster than someone who's poncing about smoothly at 80%. And it's much more fun, which - unless you're trying to win the World Championship - is all that matters.

[Ahonen]

TonyHetherington said:

"He" does always appear a bit of a raggity driver though; certainly not clean, which scrubs away speed horrendously. This is all said from my arm chair though I must stress, and an arm chair of jealousy at that

A friend of mine who knows (and I mean really knows, rather than hearing it in the pub) told me that the TV lap is deliberately a bit wild and showboaty. The actual timed lap is much neater.

Someone on another thread told me I was wrong about the above. His opinion was mistaken.

[another 3 points]

Ahonen said:

TonyHetherington said:

"He" does always appear a bit of a raggity driver though; certainly not clean, which scrubs away speed horrendously. This is all said from my arm chair though I must stress, and an arm chair of jealousy at that

A friend of mine who knows (and I mean really knows, rather than hearing it in the pub) told me that the TV lap is deliberately a bit wild and showboaty. The actual timed lap is much neater.

Someone on another thread told me I was wrong about the above. His opinion was mistaken.

" Thats entertainment , thats entertainment" as Paul Weller would sing..

Its gonna come to a big show down sometime : is F1 sport? or is F1 entertainment?

[TonyHetherington]

RT106 said:

I can't stand this obsession with smoothness that every armchair motorsport enthusiast goes on and on about these days.

Hang on hang on, I think you're confusing smooth vs untidy with hanging the arse out on the hammerhead. All the way round. That's the untidyness.

It's nothing to do with picking up on a buzz word and banding it around. There's a difference between driving a car fast (be that smooth or slightly on the edge) and driving a car with the bum out at every opportunity.

Yes, you're absolutely right that due to the nature of the lap that the amount of grip and ability of the car are way too variable fo rit to be 100% smooth like an F1 driver on a qualifying lap. But look at the F1 driver in the Liana (Hamilton)...you didn't see him hanging the arse out at every corner, but you did see him applying corrective movements through every single metre of the corner. Maybe not smooth, but certainly fast.

That said, the footage we see is not the single complete lap and so this may well be a fruitless conversation. The lap that the Stig hangs the car sideways for 20mins may look good for cameras and may be the only point that the camera crew were on that piece of the track, which is why that makes the final edit.

[megy]

Ahonen said:

TonyHetherington said:

"He" does always appear a bit of a raggity driver though; certainly not clean, which scrubs away speed horrendously. This is all said from my arm chair though I must stress, and an arm chair of jealousy at that

A friend of mine who knows (and I mean really knows, rather than hearing it in the pub) told me that the TV lap is deliberately a bit wild and showboaty. The actual timed lap is much neater.

Someone on another thread told me I was wrong about the above. His opinion was mistaken.

I can remember a fair few years back before Top Gear went to the studio format it is now they had a piece where the (then) current touring car drivers went to a track and did laps in the road going versions of their race cars, it was said then that for legal reasons they were not allowed to film the timed laps and the ones that were filmed were done with added showboating. Not sure its available on YouTube, I cant search it at work.

[jellison]

megy said:

Ahonen said:

TonyHetherington said:

"He" does always appear a bit of a raggity driver though; certainly not clean, which scrubs away speed horrendously. This is all said from my arm chair though I must stress, and an arm chair of jealousy at that

A friend of mine who knows (and I mean really knows, rather than hearing it in the pub) told me that the TV lap is deliberately a bit wild and showboaty. The actual timed lap is much neater.

Someone on another thread told me I was wrong about the above. His opinion was mistaken.

I can remember a fair few years back before Top Gear went to the studio format it is now they had a piece where the (then) current touring car drivers went to a track and did laps in the road going versions of their race cars, it was said then that for legal reasons they were not allowed to film the timed laps and the ones that were filmed were done with added showboating. Not sure its available on YouTube, I cant search it at work.

A fair few of these on JC's vids

[woof]

Re laps
Yes - they cut the best laps together to make the best TV
The Lewis interview was actually 30mins or so - and apparently very entertaining - but of course that gets edited as well
The magic of television - can't see we have much to complain about - it's not a guide to perfect driving - it is an entertainment show

Still bloody good TV as far as I'm concerned - 8pm to 10pm on Sundays TG and A Long way down - 2 hrs of good licience money well spent (shame a long way down is finished now)

[TonyHetherington]

Aye

[jellison]

Oh come on the Long way down was SH*T compared to the first one - it was painful to wacth when that annoy old bag (McGrgors wife) was ever on screen. You could tell Charlie just wanted to Fill Ewan in every time he mentioned her.