INLSA

The Stig is in Cape Town for the launch of the new Audi A6, which he will take for a drive around the Killarney Race Track on Thursday. The Stig has joined Fifth Gear since leaving Top Gear. Photo: Ross Jansen

After eight seasons as the masked hellraiser behind the wheel for the BBC’s Top Gear programme, Ben Collins is no longer anonymous.

The professional racing driver was unmasked in 2010 when the BBC went to court to stop the publication of his autobiography in which he revealed he was The Stig.

Tabloids had speculated about 18 months earlier that Collins was The Stig. When news of the legal battle broke, the London Sunday Times and then the Daily Mirror lifted the veil on his identity.

“Who is The Stig?” was among Google UK’s top-10 search terms, says Collins, who is in Cape Town for the launch of the new Audi A6.

“But then Google just said Ben Collins,” he jokes.

“I knew I would have to go one day, the subsequent court case with the BBC was a farce. It wasn’t just about a book, they wanted to ban my freedom of expression.”

Collins describes his departure as “a crap way to finish up”. He has since moved to rival programme Fifth Gear, which is broadcast in South Africa on the Discovery Channel.

When he’s not working for television or as a stunt driver in movies such as Casino Royale, he races in the Le Mans Series and Aussie V8 Supercars.

Asked about a possible Grand Prix being held in Cape Town, Collins - who tested F1 cars - said the city would be good setting, especially with the mountain as a backdrop.

He got his start in single-seat racing at the relatively old age of 18 through his father, and has not looked back.

“My father helped me start at 18, and unlike other drivers I never drove go-karts. My learning curve was steep, and I had lots of crashes.”

The ultimate dream of racing in F1 was not realised because of the expense of getting a drive, Collins says.

“It’s very hard getting into F1. It’s very expensive and it prevents genuine talent from rising to the top,” says Collins.

Would he want to drive in normal traffic in Cape Town? The father of three describes local driving as “interesting”, with minibus taxi drivers getting a special mention.

But on Wednesday, without the helmet and dressed in a sweater and jeans, Collins spoke about the fuss around his identity and the privacy concerns that had been heightened by the News of the World phone hacking scandal unfolding in London.

On Thursday he’ll be at the Killarney race track for the launch of the latest Audi luxury sedan, but Collins says visitors should not expect the sort of stunt driving seen on the Top Gear shows.

“We’ll be at the track, throwing around this car as fast as we can… all of it published on Facebook and Twitter,” says Collins.

Hardly a private affair. - Cape Times