The Stig is still the Champ…Kind of…

The big billing on last night’s Top Gear was Lewis Hamilton vs. The Stig. While it was packed full of hype it still left you with some questions. The Stig runs the Top Gear track in 1.44.4 minutes which is really quick in their “reasonably priced car” but that’s in perfect weather conditions and The Stig knows the track better than anyone else on the Planet. Lewis Hamilton went out and lapped the track in a quick 1.44.7 minutes however it was on a wet track with some oil, so who’s really the winner?

I suppose if you figure in the slick track you could mathematically calculate the seconds or milliseconds lost. That just doesn’t feel right though, since we’re talking about a skilled driver who could possibly compensate for a slick track easily since the speeds aren’t terribly fast (it’s a reasonably prices car after all). Until I see the rematch on equal grounds I can’t pass judgment.

Even though it was a let-down there was one bit that was quite good, Richard Hammond drives the ’05 Renault F1 championship car. The ’05 F1 cars were the last of the V10 monsters as the FIA declared them to be too powerful. The newer models can now only sport 8 cylinders.

Richard Hammond in a Formula One car