The Stig tests V8 Supercar
Holden Racing Team recruits new talentHe was unofficially outed as Top Gear's famous tamed racing driver 'The Stig' but British driver Ben Collins is also track tester for British motor racing magazine Autosport. In was in the latter role that he recently sampled a V8 Supercar for the Holden Racing Team recently.
Collins (pictured with HRT star Garth Tander) was reportedly 'in Australia on business' in February this year (coincidentally the same time the new series of Top Gear Australia was being filmed) when the prospect of the test came up. Through a "friend of a friend" Holden offered Collins the chance to drive the car and the story appears in the April 16 issue of Autosport which is on sale now. A special test was organised for Collins at Victoria's Winton Raceway in February.
Having raced Formula Three, Prototype sportscars and the British version of NASCAR in his professional career Collins is highly respected for his track testing abilities. Previous features for Autosport included runs in the Audi R10 TDI Le Mans winner and a Toyota Camry NASCAR.
HRT personnel were reportedly very impressed with his performance in the team's T2 ride car. A Holden spokesman says he provided "exceptional feedback" and his lap times were on par with regular drivers Tander and Will Davison in the same car. Collins was impressed with the car too calling them "challenging; the kind that separate the men from the boys over the long distance."
Although The Times newspaper claimed to have "outed" Collins as The Stig in January this year, it is believed he is actually one of several drivers to have donned the white suit and helmet. He has also made several appearances on Top Gear without his helmet to help out with some of the more 'out there' challenges; like racing a Bowler Wildcat off-road racer down a hill against a mountain-boarder. Collins was also mentioned several times in the enquiry into Richard Hammond's near-fatal accident while testing a rocket-car.
"There are some people who believe he is The Stig but we only know him as Ben Collins," says the Holden spokesman.
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