Ask.com reveals top search terms

To TV viewers his identity is hidden by a helmet and never revealed by the Top Gear team, but that hasn't stopped surfers searching online for the true identity of The Stig.

According to Ask.com, 'Who is the Stig?' is the ninth most popular search term for 2008.

The Stig regularly appears on Top Gear to compete in challenges and put new cars through their paces but never says a word.

>>Last.fm's top playlist 2008

"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," said Cesar Mascaraque, Ask.com's European managing director.

Those rumoured to be behind the helmet include rally drivers Perry McCarthy and Ben Collins as well as former F1 champion Damon Hill.

>>Yahoo's top search terms 2008

It is also rumoured that there has been more than one Stig used on the programme over the past few years.

Ask.com revealed that the most common query for 2008, as reported in Issue 200 of Web User, was 'Am I pregnant?' followed by money-related questions: 'What is the minimum wage?' and 'Where can I get a cheap loan?'.

>>Google's top search terms 2008

Intriguingly, 'Why is the sky blue?' is at number four. Two queries that narrowly missed out making the top ten list included 'How can I improve my libido?' and 'What's the weather like tomorrow?'.

Mascaraque said that 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, coming in ahead of X-Factor and Big Brother.

www.ask.com

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