Lewis to face his toughest test? (http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/157733-0/lewis_to_face_his_toughest_test.html)

Friday, 30th November 2007

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/5710/hamstigwi5.jpg

Britain's new hero takes on Top Gear's Stig - in 'reasonably priced car'......

Team-mate to double world champion Fernando Alonso? Four-way title fight - in your debut season - with Ferrari? Hard tasks no doubt, but Lewis Hamilton may just have met his match in another arena altogether.

Despite what is undoubtedly a hectic schedule for F1's most celebrated rookie since Michael Schumacher - and what appears to be an equally busy time off track if the tabloids are to be believed - Hamilton found enough of a gap to face off with the most mysterious man on the planet - BBC Top Gear's Stig - around the programme's bespoke circuit.

As well as having to sit and chat with chief presenter Jeremy Clarkson - maybe a more arduous task than driving after Clarkson's recent jibes about Hamilton's decision to relocate to Switzerland - Britain's new favourite (Nigel who?) will take to the track as he graces one of his favourite programmes for the first time this Sunday [2 December].

The action will also come as something of a shock to a man more used to a 200mph McLaren, as Hamilton takes on the Stig at the wheel of the programme's venerable Suzuki Liana, resurrected from the archives to provide an environment in which the 'golden boy' can also be compared to other F1 stars - Nigel Mansell, Jenson Button, Damon Hill and Mark Webber - have also completed a timed lap.

Although the Stig leads the way on 1m 44.4secs, Mansell came closest to beating the mark, recording 1m 44.6secs on his outing, while Button managed 1m 44.7secs and Hill 1min 46.3secs. Webber ran in the wet and posted a frustrated 1min 47.1secs - but, given the time of year, could it be the Australian that is largest in Lewis' sights?

With Hamilton expected on stage at the annual Autosport Awards at the same time the programme goes out on BBC2, he will have to set the video recorder (or digital TV recorder more probably) to find out how he did but, if you can't wait and want more clues, feel free to check here (http://www.topgear.com/blogs/planettopgear/087-hanging-with-hamilton/)

:corn

I bet his time is worse than Mansells.

I bet his time is worse than Mansells.

I just went and read the blog the article linked to. That's a safe bet, because when Lewis got his run it was a wet track, so he didn't have a chance to beat the Stig's time or anyone else who ran in the dry...but he's in competition with the other F1 driver to do this on a wet track, Mark Webber. They also talked about there being some oil spots on the track due to another car they ran earlier that day.

It's possibly a bit of typical promotional sensationalizing, but I thought this was intriguing:

Anyway, Lewis took his tuition from the Stig very seriously, then we set the stop watch and sent him off. The lap time you'll find out if you watch Sunday's show, but I will say I've been in the edit for two days since we recorded the show, and I still keep replaying his second to last corner, because I've never seen a piece of driving quite like it. The world is governed by the rules of physics, but he just seems to have his own set.

Should prove interesting to see what he pulled off for a lap time...and to see what in the hell happened on that corner. :)

roll on sunday:yes

They'll sensationalize it without a doubt. I mean they couldn't get more of a "gimme" for their home audience. And without a doubt his time will be faster than Webers, or they'll have some excuse.

I did love it when JC gave Jettison Button a tell off.

And Hamilton dude is a small child compared to Stiggy dude. Go Stig.