derBayerische March/April 2023 - 23

In the wet at NCC's October 2022 HPDE
on the Summit Point Main Circuit.
Photo by FormerInstants.com
Stories
as The Stig
and the Sage Advice of Paul Gerrard
A Retrospective on NCC's 2022 AX/HPDE
Prep Session
By Todd M. Bacastow | Images by Todd M. Bacastow and as credited
F
ocus on the driver, not the car.
For BMW enthusiasts, spring
marks the start of the season for
Autocross (AX) and HighPerformance
Driver Education
(HPDE) events. This is a great time
to think about getting ready. As we
look to this upcoming season, it's
worth sharing a retrospective from an
outstanding virtual event hosted in
April 2022 by the National Capital
Chapter of BMW CCA and RRT, a
leading automotive service and
performance center in the region.
Auto enthusiasts tend to focus on
performance modifications and
upgrades to their cars, while we often
overlook the most critical element -
the driver. NCC's " Prep Yourself for
AX/HPDE Season, Presented by
RRT, " took a unique approach to this
March I April
topic with special guest speaker Paul
F. Gerrard, perhaps best known for
being the man behind the famous
plain white helmet and racing suit as
The Stig on Top Gear USA.
NCC President Paul Seto
kicked off the event followed by
program overviews from AX Chair
Fraser Dachille and HDPE Chair Joe
Geadrities. Fraser and Joe described
how to get involved with AX and
HPDE, requirements to participate,
and upcoming dates. Next, Matt
Olson, President of RRT, introduced
his friend and our special guest Paul
Gerrard to share his wisdom on
becoming a great driver, along with
some favorite memories from his
career. Following Gerrard's presentation,
participants had the chance
for Q&A.
Besides having the envious
role as the Stig, Paul Gerrard is a
champion professional race car
driver, stunt driver, driving instructor/coach
including previously
serving as the Chief of Special
Projects for Skip Barber. He is the
author of Optimum Drive, a book
focused on a holistic process of
what it takes to become a truly great
driver. Gerrard served as The Stig
from 2008-2016 on the popular TV
show Top Gear. He was primarily on
the US show, though he traveled to
the UK occasionally when needed;
he works for Top Gear UK and as a
driver for the Grand Tour. As one
might expect, Gerrard said working
for Top Gear was a " cool job, " and
he felt very lucky to have the
opportunity.
Gerrard said the hardest things
about being The Stig were that he
got virtually no practice to prepare
for the stunts and he had to keep his
role on the show a secret for several
years. " They just gave me a car and
instructions over a radio telling me
to do something. It was always a car
I had never driven and there were no
practice runs. " Gerrard said he had
to nail the stunts the first time which
made it " very high pressure, and
extremely satisfying at the same
time. " No one on the set knew who
he was, and he couldn't talk to anyone
- including famous guests on
the show. He admitted it could be a
bit lonely but knew that was part of
the gig. Such unique experiences
created a bond amongst current and
previous Stigs, including Paul
23
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derBayerische March/April 2023

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