Exclusive by Tom Howard
A Kent motorsport team is in talks to sign sports car racer Ben Collins – widely reported to be ‘The Stig’ from the BBC television show, Top Gear.
British Touring Car team Motorbase Performance, based in Wrotham, have confirmed they are in talks with Collins, who has also been a stunt double for Daniel Craig in the James Bond film ‘A Quantum of Solace’, and is believed to be the man behind Top Gear’s mysterious test driver ‘The Stig’. The identity of Top Gear’s racing driver has never been confirmed, but a simple Google search of ‘Ben Collins’ reveals a number of stories linking him to the post.
Collins is an experienced former NASCAR and GT racer, but has never raced in the British Touring Car Championship. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2004 European ASCAR Championship and third place overall finish in the 2001 FIA World Sportscar Championship.
With barely a month before the opening round of the championship, Motorbase owner David Bartrum is holding talks with a host of names, including Collins, former independent touring car racer Mat Jackson and Steven Kane to fill the two vacant seats.
He said: “We’re talking to everyone we can. It’s a really difficult time at the moment. We can’t sort out the driver line up until we have secured funding and it is really difficult to find backers. Ben has been helping us out over the winter and has been really good for us. He is someone we’re considering.”
Collins has been linked to the team since December, when he completed a test in the Motorbase BMW at Kent’s Brands Hatch.
An impressed Bartrum at the time said: “Ben was the consummate professional and he was very good. He’s a bit older and would do an excellent job in touring cars.”
The Motorbase boss is expecting to announce his driver line-up for the new season - which begins at Hampshire’s Thruxton circuit on April 4 - on Wednesday.
While the team’s touring car plans are awaiting completion, Motorbase have confirmed they will be launching a six-car attack on the Porsche Carrera Cup.
The team have a rich history in the series which stretches back to 2004 and this year’s squad bidding for the title is the biggest the championship has ever seen. A mixture of youth and experience will fill the seats with Charles Bateman, Michael Caine, Liam Griffin, Steve Parish, Ollie Jackson and George Richardson ready to get to grips with the Porsche Carrera Cup car.
Bartrum said: “We’re set for a busy year and this is a fantastic opportunity for Motorbase to really establish itself in the Carrera Cup. We’ve got two strong teams and the right people to engineer the cars. We’ve got a good mix of drivers across the team; they are all at different stages of their careers.”
POSTED: 07/03/2010 10:00:00
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