Page 16 - MotorTrend (March 2020)

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‘Well, we can probably get that AN INTERVIEW
down to eight minutes.’ I spent
WITH THE STIG
two years trying to make it do
that. The first attempt, I think orget any American
I did an 8:12, and then every cousin you may have
time I went back after that, it seen, The Stig has landed
broke. One time, it got stuck in in California to film Top
fourth gear and I had to drive FGear America alongside
it back from western Germany Dax Shepard, Rob Corddry,
to my home in Northampton- and Jethro Bovingdon.
shire, north of London.” We cornered the reclusive
With two racers on the show, driver and TV personality
you can bet there will be rivalry during a photo shoot in
between them whenever they hopes of gaining some
get behind the wheel.
insights on the new show.
“I think there’ll be a lot of
We know The Stig is a driver
competition between Jethro
of huge talent but few words,
and I, in a loving way,” Shepard
so we hoped bringing a Ford
said. “Obviously, he’ll win, and
Mustang Shelby GT500, a
sometimes I’ll win, and it’ll
mid-engine Corvette, and
be devastating when I lose,
and I think that’ll be fun for a McLaren 720S into the
everyone to watch. Jethro’s studio would open things up.
definitely got the seat-time Instead, we found The Stig
advantage on me, and I’ve not staring at a lamp.
driven any of these cars. I’ve
never driven a McLaren or half MT: Welcome back to the
the [cars] that he’s driven.” office! Don’t worry about the
Whatever contests Jethro, mess from last time. It’s all been
Dax, or the producers cook up, taken care of.
you can be sure Corddry will be
The Stig: …
stirring the pot. MT: I hope the A/C is on high
“It’s not going to be my role enough in here. I know it’s a
to talk about the technical bit warmer than you’re used to
[stuff],” Corddry said, also outside. Does it ever get a little
working blue, “as much as it’s warm under all that gear?
going to be to just go, ‘Ooh,’
and ‘Aah,’ and then pit Jethro
and Dax against each other,
because I want to watch those
nerds fight it out.”
But behind his “I just fell And just get psyched about
into this gig” schtick, Corddry cars, in general. Yeah, I know
is far more than the setup what the different sizes of
man. He knows his cars. Long engines are and I understand
before he was driving exotics why, but I don’t bug myself
on HBO’s Ballers and traveling with that.
through time in a hot tub, “I told them, when they
the four-time Emmy Award called me, you know, I was
winner cut his teeth on a ’75 a big fan of Top Gear, the
Ford Pinto Wagon with no original,” he continued, “and I
floorboards. These days, it’s a said, ‘Look, I’m none of those
Porsche 911 Carrera S. guys. I’m an enthusiast. I’m,
“Early on, in my experiences if anything else, the audi-
with cars at a young age,” he ence.’ ... What I love about
said, “I made a choice to not get the original is the interaction
all bogged down in the details. between the three hosts. The

16 MOTORTREND.COM MARCH 2020