3 days Ago By Jack Mortimer
It has been a whole decade since Top Gear as we all knew it was hauled off the airwaves. It was a move that disappointed, confused, and enraged many; but whilst Top Gear continued and The Grand Tour was crafted, the BBC's automotive programme would never be quite the same again. One of Top Gear's key elements was always the programme's famed test track, which was used on nearly every episode to test the latest performance cars, put models used for 'ambitious, but rubbish' challenges through their paces, and showcase the driving talents of celebrities from all walks of life.
Without a doubt, the master of the circuit is the Stig, the programme's 'tame racing driver': the Stig. Three professional racing drivers played the role over the programme's 20-year run; however, the man who arguably defined the role was Ben Collins , who played the white-suited racer from 2003 until revealing his identity in 2010. So, when the vehicle diagnostic scanning service Carly kindly invited me to meet Ben for a few laps around Dunsfold Aerodrome , home of the Top Gear circuit, I could hardly refuse.
Getting into a new BMW M2, a coupe capable of making 453bhp, Ben asked how fast I wanted to go. 'As much as you've got', I responded, in a rare lapse of judgement. A man who has likely driven the circuit thousands of times in everything from a Ferrari SF90 Stradale to a 1988 Volvo 760 that cost Jeremy £1 to buy, there is no doubt that Ben knew exactly how fast he could take each corner and how much gas could be applied on every straight.
In the space of taking around 10 journalists around the track three times each, the BMW guzzled through almost an entire 52-litre fuel tank and tore a significant amount of tread from the tyres. It definitely took a lot of getting used to, as I swung from one edge of the seat to the other, my seatbelt doing its best to keep me somewhat grounded. Looking out of the windscreen, it was actually quite difficult to register the many famous corners seen on TV each week, though I could certainly feel the particularly tight Hammerhead bend before reaching the Follow-Through.
Completely unperturbed by the drifting rear end and smell of burning rubber, Ben was in his element enough to reminisce about how Top Gear developed during his time with the show. Whilst the programme was a near-instant hit in the UK, he noted that it took a number of years to become internationally renowned, sharing an unnerving incident that happened in America. He explained: "It was pretty much always popular over here, but when people started watching it in America, that's when it really blew up.
I remember filming over there, on the Groom Lake, and all of a sudden, these black Chevrolet Suburbans pulled up, and men with guns came out. "We explained that we were from Top Gear, and they had absolutely no clue what we were on about. That was probably the last time we ever had to explain it to anyone.
" However, in addition to his power laps on the Dunsfold test track and elsewhere in the world, Ben's role as the Stig also saw him teaching a wide range of celebrities, with many famous faces sticking in his mind. He recalled: "Pretty much all of the celebrities really gave it all they had, but I was particularly impressed with Jennifer Saunders. Ronnie Wood was really good around the track as well.
"And I'll never forget having to teach Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. The thing about Tom is that he always wants to be the best at everything he touches, so was a really good student." With constant rumours that Dunsfold Aerodome will be closed in order to build a new housing development, my visit to the old Top Gear test circuit seemed particularly timely.
Top Gear as we know it is long gone, but remnants of the show remain. In addition to the many abandoned aeroplanes, hinting back to a time in which harrier jets were produced there, visitors can still see the tatty production offices that many classic moments were crafted in and the huge warehouse the show was filmed in. For petrolheads, a visit to the old Top Gear circuit felt just about as poignant fans of The Beatles visiting The Cavern, and going for a lap with Ben Collins was like meeting George Martin - the fifth (or, in this case, fourth) wheel that kept the show in motion.
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