The Stig - 9781849905800

The official biography of Top Gear's tame racing driver, from the early years to present day.

The Stig is known to millions as Top Gear's tame racing driver, famed for his skillful driving and his legendary reluctance to speak. Other details of his life are the subject of much speculation, yet almost nothing of any substance is known about the man behind the visor. Where did he come from? What is his motivation? Did he really once punch a horse to the ground?

Simon du Marche (Princess Margaret -- Gin & Gentility; Keith Chegwin -- Tears of An Idiot) has devoted over two years to getting inside that trademark white helmet. He has pursued The Stig -- sometimes literally -- in a relentless quest to unearth the truth and now, at last, his findings can be revealed. Through extensive research and in-depth interviews with celebrities, motorsport experts and Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, du Marche has built up an unprecedented picture of what lies beneath the white suit.

His quest threw up many questions: can Stig-like characters really be seen in the hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt? Was The Stig present at some of the most pivotal moments in history? Why is a driver of The Stig's considerable ability not in Formula 1? Who was the mysterious figure in white seen leaving Angelina Jolie's hotel room? How can anyone not understand how stairs work? Happily, these questions -- and many, many others -- will be answered in Simon du Marche's landmark work, The Stig.