Ask.com's 9th most asked question: Who is the Stig?
Telegraph.uk....
According to the search engine Ask.com,"Who is The Stig?" was among the 10 most frequently-posted questions by users of its service this year.
For viewers of the popular BBC car show, The Stig never gives any clues to his identity because his face is permanently obscured by a crash helmet with a mirror-tinted visor and he never speaks a word.
The riddle has led to a cult following for the character, who test drives supercars on the programme alongside presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.
The conundrum of his identity was ranked ninth in a table topped by girls asking the question: "Am I pregnant?"
Other queries which made it into the top 10 for 2008 - "What is the minimum wage?" and "Where can I get a cheap loan?" - were telling of the waning economic climate.
Ask.com's European MD, Cesar Mascaraque, said: "There are serious and not-so-serious matters dominating the answers our users are searching for.
"The Stig seems to be a cult figure whose identity is so sought after that thousands are turning to the internet to try and find an answer."
However, it seems there is no definitive solution available to Stig fans.
Ask.com refers questioners to sites which speculate on a string of possible candidates, including racing drivers Perry McCarthy and Ben Collins and former Formula 1 champion Damon Hill.
It is also rumoured that there has been more than one Stig used on the programme over the past few years.
Mr Mascaraque added: "People are now using search engines and the internet for the kind of advice they would once have got from friends, relatives and professionals."
American pop singer Britney Spears recently topped the list of the most popular search terms in the Yahoo search engine for 2008, ahead of X-Factor and Big Brother.
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