The Real Stig?

“Some say he never blinks, and that he roams around the woods at night foraging for wolves… all we know is, he’s called the Stig.”

The identity of the famously mute and surprisingly quick driver known as The Stig on Top Gear is a closely guarded secret, as his anonymity is a crucial part of his appeal.

There are known to have been at least 3 Stigs, 2 having thus far been revealed to be Perry McCarthy and Ben Collins, and the third being the current, not yet identified, Stig.

But how many racing enthusiasts are aware that  there is a real Stig in the world of motorsport?

He is a Swedish rally driver named Stig Blomqvist. He’s not just any rally driver. Stig Blomqvist had a long and distinguished career that included winning the World Rally Championship in 1984. In that year, he won an incredible five out of eight rallies.

Racing is obviously the Blomqvist family business. Stig’s son Tom has just been signed to McLaren’s Driver Development Program. Aged only 17, Tom is already re-writing the record books. In 2010, aged 16, he became the youngest ever Formula Renault UK champion. His rise through karting and single seaters has been compared to that of Lewis Hamilton by McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh.

How’s about a race between Stig and The Stig? Maybe get Tom in there too.