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Wikipedia

Guy Martin

January 17, 2024

For the French chef, see Guy Martin (chef).

Guy Martin (born 4 November 1981) is a British former motorcycle racer and heavy vehicle mechanic who became a television presenter.[2] In July 2017, Martin retired from motorcycle racing.

Guy Martin
Martin at the 2014 Bol d'Or
NationalityBritish
Born (1981-11-04) 4 November 1981 (age 42)
Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Isle of Man TT career
TTs contested14 (2003–2015, 2017)
TT wins0
TT podiums17 [1]

Martin started racing in 1998 and in 2004 competed on a road circuit for the first time at the Isle of Man TT.[3] He has a total of 17 podium finishes at TT events over several years.[1] He has broken his back twice in racing accidents,[4] in the 2010 TT and the 2015 Ulster Grand Prix.

In August 2017, Martin joined Formula 1 car team Williams' pit-crew for the Belgian GP.[5] Martin returned to road racing in May 2019 at the Tandragee 100 in Northern Ireland.[6]

Martin starred in Closer to the Edge, a 2011 documentary on TT racing. He has since presented programmes on various engineering topics and the Channel 4 series Speed with Guy Martin when he set speed records in a variety of human and engine powered vehicles. He has written four books, and competed in mountain bike pedal-cycle races.

Early life edit

Martin was born on the 4th of November, 1981, in a suburb of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England.[7] He was named Guy in tribute to Guy Gibson of No. 617 Squadron RAF.[8] His father Ian was a successful privateer motorbike racer who had competed in several Isle of Man TT events, but he was forced to supplement his income with a job as a lorry mechanic, additionally selling bikes. His mother, Rita Kidals, was of Latvian heritage, her father having come to Britain in 1947 as a political refugee. Soon after Martin's birth, the family moved to a house outside the town, where they remained.

Martin has two sisters and a brother. His brother, Stuart, is also a truck mechanic and motorbike racer. His younger sister, Kate, was the first female mechanic in the BSB paddock before leaving to start a family with two-times TT sidecar winner, Patrick Farrance. Martin and his siblings attended every Isle of Man TT from their births, until their father Ian crashed his Yamaha FZ750 whilst racing at Oliver's Mount, Scarborough in 1988, when Guy was aged 7.[9] After recovering from the resulting broken hip, Martin's father did not race again, but worked as a mechanic in classic bike racing.[10]

Martin attended Kirmington Church of England Primary School and The Vale Academy school, leaving at age 16.

Career edit

Mechanic edit

Martin had shown an interest in working on trucks as early as age 12.[7] As a child he was fascinated by engines, and would take apart lawnmowers to try to make them go faster.[11]

Post-school he enrolled in North Lindsey College on a motor vehicle engineering course, but on recognising further education without pay was not for him, he secured an apprenticeship as a truck fitter with a Volvo centre, John Hebb Volvo.[12] He also worked for his father, who at the time was self-employed, running a truck maintenance business.[12] Due to the filming commitments for The Boat that Guy Built, he ended up losing his job working for his father, but immediately went into town to apply for another truck job.[13] He currently works for Moody International, a Scania centre in Grimsby.[14] He only takes short periods off to race or do television work.[7]

He also earns money by tuning fellow racers' bikes in the evenings,[15] and also takes casual work during TT race weeks.[11] Eager to keep his options open, he has even bought a tractor, using it on biomass farms for seasonal muck-spreading at night.[16]

Racing edit

While completing his apprenticeship as a lorry mechanic, Martin raced motorbikes in his spare time.[7] Martin returned to the Isle of Man at age 16; overhearing lorry driver and amateur racer Baz Kirk discussing his plans to race in the 1997 Manx Grand Prix with his father, he was offered the chance to assist him as a race mechanic.[12]

Martin decided to take up racing after a crash on public roads at age 18.[17] He moved to Ireland to join Team Racing. In 2004 he moved to the Uel Duncan Racing team, staying with them until 2005. In 2006 Martin raced for Alistair Flanagan's AIM Yamaha race team, replacing John McGuinness. In the search for a more competitive team, Martin joined Hydrex Honda for the 2007 season.

The end of 2009 saw Martin leave Hydrex for Northern Ireland-based Wilson Craig Honda, but since November 2010, Martin has raced for TAS Racing (known as Relentless Suzuki, then Tyco Suzuki from 2012 to 2014, and Tyco BMW from 2015 to present), the team run by the Neill family also based in Northern Ireland, and with a long TT heritage. This switch to what was effectively a factory team meant the end of tuning his own equipment – for TAS he would simply be riding pre-prepared machines.[18]

Martin agreed a new deal for 2015 with TAS after the team agreed a new equipment deal with BMW Motorrad, to ride the BMW S1000RR alongside William Dunlop.[19] Martin was prepared to retire had TAS not chosen to switch to BMW, believing he had raced the Suzuki as hard as he could.[8][20] With the new bike, he ran his fastest ever lap of the TT circuit in June 2015 – 132.398 mph – just outside the outright lap record.[21]

Martin suffered a serious crash in the Dundrod 150 Superbike event, part of the Ulster Grand Prix races in August 2015.[22] Following the crash, Martin only got back on his racing motorbike in March 2016, for the filming of the F1 special for his Speed series.[23]

Since 2011, he has also got into bicycle racing, in 24-hour events.[11][24] For the 2016 season Martin decided not to race in the TT for the first time in 11 years, opting instead for a mountain bike race. He was uncertain if the decision would lead him to retire from road racing, mountain bike racing, or if he would go on to do something else, but said "if I do race on the roads it will be with TAS".[21]

Martin signed a new deal with Honda Racing on 18 January 2017 to ride the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2, rekindling his ambition to win the Isle of Man TT and renewing his focus on his road racing career.[25]

Television edit

Martin first came to the attention of TV executives in 2009 when he appeared in an ITV4 programme intended primarily for fans of that year's TT race. The then film-producer, Andy Spellman, filmed with Martin at the TT. Spellman shot some additional test material of Martin back at home in the summer and the boss of North One Television showed the clips to a BBC executive.[7]

Having engaged Andy Spellman as his advisor and agent in 2009, Martin worked with North One Television producers James Woodroffe and Ewan Keil, as he has done to the present day. Martin's first appearances on TV documentaries were on programmes based around his passion for engineering rather than his love of adrenaline sport, The Boat that Guy Built airing on the BBC in 2011, and How Britain Worked on Channel 4 in 2012.[7] His thrill-seeking side later emerged with the production of the series Speed with Guy Martin, first airing on Channel 4 in 2013.[7] Uncomfortable with presenting to camera or working from a script, his preferred style is to improvise his dialogue, and work by responding to questions from crew off camera.[8]

He later turned down an invitation from Chris Evans to join the new presenting team of the BBC's motoring show, Top Gear.[4]

Writing edit

Martin has written three books about his life, releasing his autobiography, Guy Martin: My Autobiography, on 8 May 2014.[26] It reached No. 1 in the Sunday Times bestseller list and remained there for at least six weeks,[27] and eventually became the second best selling autobiography of 2014.[7] This was followed by Guy Martin: When You Dead, You Dead, released on 22 October 2015, and covering the previous year in diary format, from the 24-hour Solo World Mountain Bike Championship to the Isle of Man TT.[28] It was listed No. 1 in Amazon's sales figures for celebrity autobiographies in November 2015, with his main autobiography being No. 10.[29] October 2016 saw the release of Guy Martin: Worms to Catch featuring Martin's thoughts on the past year and upcoming challenges. He has subsequently published further titles, We Need to Weaken the Mixture (2019) and Dead Men Don't Tell Tales (2022).

Martin is also listed as the author of companion books for some of his television shows: How Britain Worked, published on 4 October 2012[30] and Speed, published on 1 December 2013.[31]

Martin also writes for the driving section of The Sunday Times newspaper.[32] He has written reviews of the 2015 Aston Martin Vanquish Carbon,[33] the 2015 Range Rover Sport SVR,[34] the 2015 Ford Transit L2 H2, and the 2016 Ford Mustang V8 GT,[35] as well as writing about his own Volvo Vöx[36] and his Wall of Death show.[37]

Speed records edit

Martin has set the following speed records.

Record Issuer Speed Location Date Previous holder Ref.
Fastest speed on a gravity powered snow sled Guinness World Records 134.368 km/h (83.49 mph) Grandvalira, Andorra 10 January 2014 62.25 mph (Rolf Allerdissen, 2010) [38]
Fastest speed in a soapbox Guinness World Records 137.78 km/h (85.61 mph) Mont Ventoux, France 16 October 2014 [39]
Highest speed on a Wall of Death Guinness World Records 125.77 km/h (78.15 mph) Manby Airfield, UK 28 March 2016 created for the attempt [39]
Fastest hovercraft British record 121.04 km/h (75.21 mph) Loch Ken, UK 8 October 2014 [40]
Fastest tractor Guinness World Records 217.568 km/h (135.191 mph) Elvington Airfield, York, UK 23 October 2019

In July 2015 it was confirmed that Martin was to pilot Triumph Motorcycles' attempt on the motorcycle land speed record (World's Fastest Motorcycle), at the time standing at 376.363 mph (605 km/h), set by Rocky Robinson in 2010. The attempt was originally scheduled for August during the FIM event at Bonneville Salt Flats in the United States. Competing in the Division C (streamlined motorcycle) category, the Triumph Rocket Streamliner is 25.5 feet long, powered by two turbocharged, methanol fuelled, Triumph Rocket III engines, enclosed in a carbon Kevlar monocoque.[41][42] A documentary about the attempt was made for Channel 4.[43] His August 2015 crash at the Ulster GP caused the attempt to be postponed until September 2016.[22]

Martin's quest to set a new two-wheeled world land speed record was called off due to conditions on the course. The attempt, on the purpose-built 400 mph motorcycle, suffered a number of setbacks at the track at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

The streamliner tipped over when it passed over a rut in the track as it was being towed to the start line. Triumph said rain meant it was not possible to create the required-consistency across the 11-mile course necessary to undertake the attempt. On 18 September 2016, Martin had hoped to complete a required 300 mph trial run before attempting to set a new world record.

A mile into the run the machine lost traction on the damp surface, veering off the steered path and tipping over on the course. Martin was confirmed to be "completely uninjured" and the record attempt was postponed once more.

Views edit

Work ethic edit

Martin attributes his strong work ethic to his father's example.[16] He has also retained his truck job in part due to the financial security it offered over racing.[13] Describing it as "like an ingrained, default setting",[7] he prioritises his mechanic job over other work, even cancelling complicated film shoots at short notice if needed.[16] He also seeks out casual work as a way to switch off during TT events (practice only being in the evenings).[11]

Television and fame edit

Martin is not comfortable with being a public figure and rejects any notion that he is a celebrity, turning down offers such as Top Gear's Star in a Reasonably Priced Car segment.[14] After struggling to come to terms with the fame brought about by his media work, Martin was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.[7] About his psychiatrist's findings, he says "It hasn't changed anything, it just confirms why I do certain things in a certain way."[16] As a result of his BBC work, he had begun to be recognized by non-racing fans even before the release of the TT3D film.[15] He would be quite happy if nobody watched his shows, as it would mean he would never get recognized.[16] While not wanting to seem unappreciative of the public's support, he tries to cope with fame by avoiding crowded situations.[14] He prefers to live out of his van while racing or on television shoots.[4]

He does not see TV work as a job in itself and would not miss it if it were to end; he views it as a means to do things he otherwise could not,[7][13] gaining invaluable sources of information and experiences from the people it allows him to meet.[11] As such, he frequently turns down offers of television work if they do not interest him, and has said his existing TV workload was already becoming an issue.[4][7] He fears being seen as inauthentic if he became a full-time presenter, seeing some in the industry as "passionate about anything that they're told to be passionate about".[24] He had only watched one of his shows, the Pike's Peak episode of Speed,and only on the recommendation of a usually unimpressed friend.[8] In Guy Martin's Best Bits (2020) he provided commentary whilst watching several of his shows.[44]

Motorcycle racing seasons edit

Early years edit

A successful debut year on the roads that saw him win the Cock o' the North and International Gold Cup races at Oliver's Mount, Scarborough as well as the Irish 750cc Support Championship.

2006 season edit

The International road race meetings had mixed results: the North West 200 never went particularly well, The Isle of Man TT looked promising but problems soon led to it being another disappointment. At the final international of the year, the Ulster Grand Prix, he took 4 race wins and a 2nd making him the Man of the Meeting.

 
Guy after winning the 2007 Ulster Grand Prix Supersport race

2007 season edit

In the early season Martin took part in British Superbike and Supersport rounds to prepare for the road racing season. The first major international of the year was the North West 200 in which he finished with an eighth, a fourth, two thirds and a second. In the CP Hire Superstock race after a bad start Martin finished third. The Isle of Man TT was the next major race on the calendar and he got a third, two seconds and a DNF after running out of fuel with fewer than three miles to go until his first pit stop. In the Senior race he just missed out on becoming only the second rider, at the time, to have lapped at more than 130 mph, his best lap falling short at 129.816 mph. Later video footage showed him run wide on the entry to Windy Corner and it was this mistake that led him to miss out on the magical 130 mph lap.

Martin continued to race on the English scene and he regained his Cock o' the North title at the Scarborough circuit before going to Ireland for the Kells Road Races in which he took one race win. This was preparation for the Ulster Grand Prix and in the first race Martin brought home a fifth position, in race two a win, and in the superbike race, which was shortened due to weather, a second. After this red flag the day's racing was cancelled due to bad weather and that meant for the second year in a row Martin was the Man of the Meeting. The Scarborough Gold Cup meeting ended with him winning all the races on the final day including the Gold Cup and the second 600 race of the day after a good battle with John McGuinness and Ian Lougher who were also both on the same Hondas as Martin.

2008 season edit

As well as contesting a full season in the British Superbike Championship, in 2008 Martin again competed in the three International road races but was denied his first TT win when he broke down whilst comfortably leading the opening Superbike race. He was eleven seconds in the lead when an electrical problem forced him out on the fourth lap. He claimed a podium, third, in the Superstock race but suffered further retirements in the Senior and second Supersport races. In September 2008 it was back to Oliver's Mount for the International Gold Cup. Martin won the feature event and now has won 6 Gold Cups in a row, a new record, and also has the lap record for the 1000cc bikes at Scarborough with a time of 1:45.3.

2009 season edit

In 2009 Martin contested all three Internationals as well as selected British Championship and Irish National races. In a move from previous seasons, Martin moved away from the main Hydrex team, preferring instead to run a smaller, close knit team and after a steady North West 200 meeting, confidence was high going into the TT, his number one event of the year, as he sought to win a race at the 37.73 mile circuit on the Isle of Man.

2009 was expected to be the year he broke the seal, but after claiming two seconds and a third on the Superstock, Superbike and Supersport bikes early in the week Martin's engine gave up after coming onto the pit lane in the 2nd 600 race. More grief was to come when putting the bike into gear at the end of his 2nd pit stop during the Senior race his chain snapped, meaning he ended up with another DNF.

Martin regrouped to claim the Southern 100 Championship on the Billown road course in July, after finishing second on no less than three occasions – 2005, 2006 and 2007 – before heading to the third International race of the season, the Ulster Grand Prix. After taking third in the Dundrod 150 Superbike race, Martin repeated the result in the feature UGP Superbike race, held over eight laps, but he ensured he would not be without an International win in 2009 when he won a thrilling second Superbike race, just over a tenth of a second in front of fellow Lincolnshire rider Gary Johnson. He also placed fourth and fifth in the equally close Superstock and Supersport races. At the 2009 Gold Cup at Oliver's Mount, Martin won the Steve Henshaw Gold Cup feature race, becoming the first rider to win seven consecutive meetings.

2010 season edit

 
Martin at the 2010 Isle of Man TT

In 2010 he failed to take a podium at the North West 200, with his best result being fourth in the second Superbike race. He went to the Isle of Man TT, looking to achieve his first TT victory. However, the meeting was dominated by Ian Hutchinson, who took a record-breaking five victories in all the solo races, and Martin suffered serious injuries in a major crash in the final race.[45]

Prior to that crash, during the Superbike race, Martin received a 30-second penalty for exceeding the posted pit lane speed limit of 60 km/h by just 0.112 km/h. Had he not received the penalty, his overall time would have been 1:46:48.05 and put him in 2nd place, behind Ian Hutchinson who finished with a time of 1:46:31.82.

His performance at the TT was criticised by Simon Buckmaster, whose Performance Technical Racing built the bikes which Martin was running. He accused Martin of not listening to his race advice, arguing "He needs to stop being distracted and lift his professionalism. Instead of being a TV star and courting publicity 24x7, he should be concentrating on racing and what's needed to win. Get his focus and concentration into racing, not promoting his name and money-spinning deals." He also cited disrespectful behavior during the race and bad language and criticism directed toward a member of PTR in a magazine interview.[46] Martin received considerable public support over both the nature and timing of Buckmaster's comments, coming as Martin was still recovering from the crash, but in a subsequent interview Buckmaster defended what he had said, arguing he was not slating him and stating Martin had no issue with the comments.[47]

2010 TT crash edit

In the final race, the Senior TT, Martin was a challenger to stop Hutchinson achieving the clean sweep, but was involved in an incident on the third lap of the race at Ballagarey, having led the race just before the first pit stop.[48]

Recollecting the crash in 2012, Martin recounted how he has been pushing too hard going into the corner at 160–170 mph, having willingly crossed the line [which if you push beyond you might crash] in order to win. He recalled being thrown from the bike and accepting he was not going to survive the approaching high speed impact with a wall, attributing it to luck that he hit it at the right angle to get away with it.[49]

Airlifted to Noble's Hospital in Douglas with chest injuries, he was later diagnosed as suffering bruising to both lungs and minor fractures to his upper spine.[48]

2011 Ulster GP edit

A superbike race 2 win at the Ulster Grand Prix followed for Martin after his consistent TT. He finished second in the opening superbike race behind Bruce Anstey on the Padgetts racing Honda Fireblade.

2012 season edit

 
Martin at the 2013 Isle of Man TT

Martin made his first 2012 appearance at the Cookstown 100 meeting in preparation for the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT. Martin brought his race season to a close winning five races at Scarborough's Oliver Mount Gold Cup. He also took part in the Ryan Farquhar Parade lap on one of Ryan's own KMR Kawasaki's.

2012 North West 200 edit

Following on from the Cookstown meeting, Martin was set to campaign in all the main races at the North West 200, as a prelude to working up for the Isle of Man TT. However, during the Supersport race he crashed. As a consequence, he was left with a suspected head injury, which resulted in his team manager, Philip Neill, withdrawing Martin from the remainder of the racing programme.[50]

This led to rumours of a 'bust-up' with the Suzuki Team, and resulted in Martin's team boss, Hector Neill, being interviewed on Manx Radio TT 365 prior to the TT, during which Neill scotched such rumours as; "Media inspired skulduggery. Paddock tittle-tattle and unfounded hear-say".[51]

2012 TT edit

Martin's start to the 2012 TT Festival saw him competing – in a private capacity – at the Pre-TT Classic races at the Billown Circuit, Castletown. Martin was lucky to escape injury while competing in the superbike race, and was battling for the lead of the race on a Suzuki XR69 with Jamie Coward, when he crashed on the final lap. This again led to reports of tension, as the Pre-TT races do not form any part of the main TT racing programme, and posed a potential injury risk to Martin before the TT had begun in earnest. During the practice week for the 2012 Isle of Man TT, Martin made steady progress – albeit amid rumours of differing opinions with his team's management regarding machinery set-up and the team's choice of Pirelli tyres.

Martin made a good start to the Superbike TT, and at the end of the first lap he was lying in third place behind John McGuinness and Cameron Donald. He continued to hold station during the following three laps, but a problem during his final pit stop at the end of lap four, resulted in the team being unable to replace his rear tyre.[52] As a consequence of diminishing grip from a fading tyre, Martin was overtaken on corrected time by Bruce Anstey by the end of lap five, although he did hold on to finish fourth with a time of 1hr.47.20 at an average speed of 126.54 mph.[53] This was followed by fifth place in the Superstock race, a retirement in the first Supersport race and 8th place in the second Supersport outing.[54]

Rumours continued to circulate throughout the week about Martin's differences with his team, perhaps instigated by Martin's lateness of signing a contract at the start of the season, although as practice week went on, it was obvious the rumours regarding Martin's split from his team were untrue. The Senior race was scheduled to take place on its traditional Friday – 8 June. However, following adverse weather, the race was postponed until Saturday, 9 June. As a consequence of continued poor weather, the decision to cancel the Senior TT was taken. This was the first time in the race's 105-year history that the Senior had been cancelled due to weather.

2013 season edit

 
Martin at the 2013 Isle of Man TT

2013 Ulster Grand Prix edit

The 2013 Ulster Grand Prix was Martin's most successful campaign at the event, and which saw him secure a hat trick of victories at the meeting winning the Supersport 1, UGP Superbike and Superbike categories.

2015 season edit

Martin joined his teammates in early March 2015, for pre-season testing. This initially took the form of a four-day test programme at Cartagena and following this the squad deployed to the BMW Motorrad test camp at Almeria in Spain for the next three days.[55]

2015 early season edit

Martin opened his 2015 season at the Oliver's Mount Circuit on Saturday 11 April,[56] at which he recorded a maiden victory on his BMW S1000RR Superstock at the Scarborough venue.[56] Finishing fourth the following day in treacherous conditions, Martin went on to lift the main prize of the meeting, the Spring Cup.[56]

Following their success at Scarborough, the Tyco Team headed to the opening event in the Irish Racing Calendar, the Cookstown 100. Martin continued his fine early season form by winning the opening Royal Hotel Superbike Race, and then sealing a brace of superbike wins at the feature race, the KDM Cookstown 100, again accomplished on Superstock machinery.[57]

2015 Northwest 200 edit

Martin was introduced to his factory BMW S1000RR Superbike during a day's testing at Kirkistown on 7 May, in preparation for the team's campaign at the Vauxhall International North West 200 for the opening practice session on 12 May. Martin's arrival at the triangle circuit generated the usual media interest, however the attention continued following some controversial comments concerning the circuit by Martin. On return from a practice lap on his Supersport machine, Martin was briefly interviewed by BBC Sport presenter Stephen Watson.[58] Struggling to qualify, Martin said he was "bored" riding the course, citing the number of chicanes which had been introduced in an effort to improve safety.[58] As on previous occasions this resulted in Martin's team boss, Hector Neill, again having to rally to his rider's defence. Interviewed by the BBC and other assorted media Neill downplayed the comments, merely alluding to the fact that Martin was becoming concerned that the course was starting to resemble more a purpose-built racing track as opposed to a pure road circuit.[58] This brought reaction from various commentators and competitors, with Philip McCallen questioning Martin's commitment to the sport as well as his indiscreet criticism of the course.[59]

In a further interview with BBC Sport, again conducted by Watson and with event director Mervyn Whyte in attendance,[60] Martin apologized for his comments and whilst he was supportive of the event, describing it as a "mega event," he continued that he was not too stuck on the circuit, and that he simply didn't like chicanes.[60] Watson drew Martin's attention to the fact that the comments by this time had been seen by over 300,000 people on Facebook. Martin made light of the situation, stating that he was "caught in the heat of the moment, and simply let rip."[60] He then questioned why he was generating such attention for his comments, when the main attention should not have been directed towards him but rather directed towards the racing, and to the fact that Alastair Seeley had qualified on pole position and had subsequently gone on to win the opening race.[60]

The 2015 Vauxhall International North West 200 was blighted by a series of incidents resulting in races being red flagged.[61] Martin did not make an impression in any of the races, and failed to finish in the top six.[61]

2015 TT edit

Martin's 2015 Isle of Man TT provided mixed results. Opening his account with a retirement in the Superbike Race, he followed this up by taking a respectable 5th place astride the Smiths Triumph in the opening Supersport TT.[62] Switching back to his BMW S1000RR Superstock machine, Martin came home in 7th place in the Superstock TT.[62] Brought in as a late replacement for the injured William Dunlop in the TT Zero Race, and with negligible practice time, Martin took his electrically powered Victory Racing machine to 4th place in his first participation in the class.[62] He then secured his only podium place of the meeting, again on board the Smiths Triumph Daytona, when he claimed 3rd place in the second Supersport outing.[62] Martin rounded off his 2015 campaign when he took the factory BMW S1000RR Superbike to 4th place in the Senior TT with an average race speed of 129.602 mph, but with a fastest lap average of 132.398 mph, a personal best for Martin and just two seconds slower than race winner and outright lap record holder John McGuinness.[62][63]

2015 Southern 100 edit

 
Guy Martin leads Dan Kneen and Michael Dunlop into Church Bends during the 2015 Diamond Jubilee Southern 100

Martin arrived back on the Isle of Man in July in order to compete in the Southern 100 Races which were celebrating their Diamond Jubilee. Poor weather initially hampered the racing programme with the Corlett's Trophies 1000/600cc race red flagged in wet conditions.[64] The race was re-run two days later, with Dan Kneen taking the lead for the opening two laps. However, Martin edged him out, taking the lead on lap 3 and thereafter dicing for the lead with Kneen and Michael Dunlop.[64] Leading at Stadium Corner on the final circuit, Martin looked favourite to take the honours. However, getting maximum drive out of the final corner, Dunlop snatched victory at the line by 0.087 seconds.[64]

Martin then began to take hold of the meeting. On board his BMW S1000RR Martin took to the grid for the finale to the event, the Southern 100 Solo Championship.[64] Pushed hard during the 9-lap race by Dan Kneen, Martin led the pack by the end of the opening lap and continued to hold station at the end of lap 2. Lap 3 saw Martin maintain his lead, however Dunlop low sided at Ballabeg Hairpin putting him out of the race.[64] The ensuing melee enabled Martin and Kneen to break free from the chasing pack and their two-way battle ensued into the following lap.[64] As the race went into the final two laps, the rear echelon of the field started to have an effect on the front running riders, with Kneen being held up in an overtaking manoeuvre at Iron Gate.[64] This enabled Martin to stay clear on the final circuit taking the Southern 100 title for the third year in succession.[64]

 
Martin at Church Bends during the 2015 Southern 100.

Following his victory, Guy Martin joined the late Joey Dunlop as the only riders to have won the Southern 100 Solo Championship Race for three years in succession.

2015 Ulster GP crash edit

Martin crashed at high speed when leading the 2015 Dundrod 150 Superbike race (part of the Ulster GP) in August. On the final lap, being pursued by Bruce Anstey, he left the course at Ireland's Corner, fracturing thoracic vertebrae, his sternum and a number of ribs and his throttle hand, requiring steel rods to be inserted into his back and a pin in his hand. He signed himself out of hospital four days later.[22]

Having no memory of the incident, being shown footage of the crash for the first time (as depicted on Guy Martin's Wall of Death: Live) confirmed his suspicion that he had been pushing hard for a perfect corner, due to the pressure from Anstey. He stated that while he had accidents that looked worse, this was the one that caused the most damage. The programme also detailed his recovery period at home, revealing his ice bath treatments in an outdoor pool to relieve the pain, which was affecting his sleep.

2016 season edit

In January 2016 Martin confirmed he would not be racing the 2016 Isle of Man TT as it clashed with a mountain bike race he wanted to compete in, and he would also not be racing the prior North West 200 due to the mountain bike training.[21]

It was hoped that Martin would be participating at the Southern 100 motorcycle races, defending his solo title and increasing the event's profile. However following his participation in the Tour Divide it was subsequently announced that Martin would not be competing at the Southern 100.[65]

2017 season edit

It was uncertain whether Martin would retire from racing or return for the 2017 season, but it was announced on 18 January that he had signed for the Honda Racing, based in Louth, Lincolnshire, and would compete alongside teammate John McGuinness at various national and international meetings including the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT Races.[66]

In addition, it was confirmed on 20 March that Martin would compete at the 2017 Tandragee 100 and the Cookstown 100 events.[67]

Tandragee 100 edit

Martin's first competitive appearance since 2015 was his debut for Honda at the Tandragee 100 on 22 April, riding the new Honda Fireblade Superstock-class machine. During the first lap of the Open Superbike race, Martin was involved in a collision with another rider at Marlacoo corner. Both were unhurt, but retired from the race.[68][69] Due to an incident involving an Italian rider and poor weather conditions, the rest of the meeting was cancelled.

Spring Cup edit

After the Tandragee races, Martin travelled overnight to make the start at Oliver's Mount for the annual Spring Cup races. Although he had been successful previously at the Scarborough circuit, this low key appearance was more about gaining race-time on the new Honda.

Cookstown 100 edit

Martin's next outing of the season was on the Superstock Fireblade SP2 at the Cookstown 100, additionally riding for the Wilson Craig Team in the Supersport class.[70] After practice, Martin was qualified fifth fastest in the Supersport, but failed to start in the race. Martin took the big Honda to fifth place in the first Superbike Race, however he again failed to start in the second race.[70]

North West 200 edit

As at the Cookstown 100, it was confirmed Martin would ride for both the factory-supported Honda team, and in the Supersport 600 cc class for the Wilson Craig Team. Interviewed by BBC Sport,[71] Martin was in upbeat mood, saying he hadn't pushed the machine too hard, and was quite happy with a "steady ride round." Martin's criticism of the course in regard to the chicanes was mentioned.[71] When queried on a previous statement made after the 2015 meeting that he would not return to the triangle circuit, Martin commented that the primary reason was to get the necessary race-time to enter the Isle of Man TT Races. He also confirmed that he enjoyed riding at the Northwest 200 and that he had development work to do with the new Honda.[71] When queried why he did not renew his association with the Irish Tyco BMW Team, Martin stated that after the 2015 accident, he had decided to retire from racing but still had respect for Tyco BMW, concluding during the Tour Divide cycle race that he no longer had passion for racing.[71] A reason Martin gave for signing for Honda, was that he could fulfill an ambition, as Honda had promised him he could race a vintage Honda RC181.[71]

Practice produced mixed results for Martin. Following an accident in practice injuring teammate John McGuinness at Primrose Hill on 11 May, a decision was made by Honda Racing to withdraw Martin from that evening's Superstock race. Honda Racing, after further appraisal of the incident involving McGuinness, also withdrew from the remaining events.[72]

On the Wilson Craig Honda 600 Martin qualified 16th fastest during first practice for the Supersport race, recording a fastest lap of 109.614 mph,[73] slipping to 27th fastest in the second qualifying period,[73] which led to Martin starting the race from the ninth row on the grid, bringing his machine home in 23rd place.[74]

Isle of Man TT edit

Following the North West 200 incident involving John McGuinness riding the new Honda SP2, tests were carried out by the Honda Racing Team prior to the bike arriving at the TT races. The 2017 Isle of Man TT qualifying week was disrupted by poor weather and Martin had little track time. The weather improved towards the end of the week, enabling a full practice session to take place on Friday 2 June. Due to the lack of practice, the first race day was postponed with the time allotted to additional practice. On 3 June, in ideal conditions, Martin completed four practice laps recording the 26th fastest time, around the road course of 37.73 miles (60.72 km) in a time of 18 minutes 11.69 seconds at an average speed of 124.403 mph (200.207 km/h).

The opening race, the Superbike TT, was rescheduled for Sunday 4 June but Martin only got 8 miles into the race before he crashed at Doran's Bend.[75] In an interview afterwards, Martin stated that as he attempted to change down the gearbox after Ballig Bridge in order to negotiate the 4th gear left handed Doran's Bend, he hit a false neutral.[76] Martin was unable to offer an opinion as to whether the bike would be safe to ride in the Senior TT, merely describing the SP2 as a "Jonah".[clarification needed] Despite crashing at around 135 mph (217 km/h), Martin only sustained a bruised wrist.[75] Following his spill in the opening race, Martin also failed to start in both the Supersport race and the Superstock event.

Southern 100 edit

At the start of the season Martin confirmed his intention to compete at the 2017 Southern 100 races on the Isle of Man. However following the problems with the Honda CBR1000RR SP2 at the TT races, Martin decided not to participate at the event.[77]

Ulster Grand Prix edit

On 21 July 2017, Honda Racing, an English company based in Louth, Lincolnshire also known as Honda Racing CBR,[78][79] issued a statement to the effect that Guy Martin would not be competing at the 2017 Ulster Grand Prix; the decision was described by an event organiser as "Naturally I'm disappointed...but it's not altogether surprising given the difficulties the team has experienced throughout the season".[80]

Retirement from motorcycle racing edit

On 26 July 2017, it was officially announced that Guy Martin had retired from motorcycle racing. In an exclusive interview with the Motorcycle News Martin said:

Racing's been good to me, but I'm bored of it. You spend the early part of the year preparing for the season – testing, racing, talking about it, and then doing it all over again. It's like Groundhog Day. It's time to stop.[81]

Martin returned to road racing in May 2019 at Tandragee, winning the 1000 cc class on a BSA Rocket, finishing second on the road to outright winner Dean Stimpson on a 500 cc machine with both classes run together. He had provisionally entered the earlier Cookstown event but failed to appear.[6][82]

Race results edit

Isle of Man TT edit

2009 edit

Race Position Time Speed Replica
Superbike 3rd 01:46:59.69 126.948 Silver
Supersport Race 1 2nd 01:13:03.39 123.948 Silver
Superstock 2nd 01:11:06.31 127.349 Silver
Supersport Race 2 DNF DNF DNF DNF
Senior DNF DNF DNF DNF
Source: [83]

2010 edit

Race Position Time Speed Replica
Superbike 4th 1:47:18.05 126.586 Silver
Supersport Race 1 2nd 1:12:40.78 124.591 Silver
Superstock 5th 1:11:50.06 126.057 Silver
Supersport Race 2 4th 1:13:00.31 124.035 Silver
Senior DNF DNF DNF DNF
Source: [84]

2011 edit

Race Position Time Speed Replica
Superbike DNF DNF DNF DNF
Supersport Race 1 3rd 0:54:56:06 123.628 Silver
Superstock 3rd 1:11:36.59 126.452 Silver
Supersport Race 2 3rd 1:13:29.28 123.220 Silver
Senior 2nd 1:45:53:00 128.281 Silver
Source: [85]

2012 edit

Race Position Time (HH:MM:SS) Speed (Mph) Replica
Superbike 4th 01:47:20.18 126.544 Silver
Superstock Race 5th 01:12:06.85 125.567 Silver
Supersport Race 1 DNF DNF DNF DNF
Supersport Race 2 8th 01:15:17.95 120.256 Silver
Senior Race Cancelled
Source:[54]

2013 edit

Race Position Time (HH:MM:SS) Speed (Mph) Replica
Superbike 4th 01:46:58.894 126.964 Silver
Superstock Race DNF DNF DNF DNF
Supersport Race 1 6th 01:13:17.846 123.540 Silver
Supersport Race 2 8th 01:14:07.563 122.159 Silver
Senior 5th 01:46:14.371 127.851 Silver
Source:[54]

2014 edit

Race Position Time (HH:MM:SS) Speed (Mph) Replica
Superbike 2nd 01:46:06.954 128.000 Silver
Supersport Race 1 6th 01:13:44.591 122.794 Silver
Superstock DNF DNF DNF DNF
Supersport Race 2 10th 01:14:30.161 121.542 Silver
Senior 3rd 01:45:56.962 128.201 Silver
Source:[54]

2015 edit

Race Position Time (HH:MM:SS) Speed (Mph) Replica
Superbike DNF DNF DNF DNF
Supersport Race 1 5th 01:12:58.110 124.097 Silver
Superstock 7th 01:11:10.217 127.233 Silver
TT Zero 4th 20:37.287 109.717 Silver
Supersport Race 2 3rd 01:12:30.775 124.877 Silver
Senior 4th 01:09:52.148 129.602 Silver
Source:[54]

2017 edit

Race Position Time (HH:MM:SS) Speed (Mph) Replica
Superbike DNF DNF DNF DNF
Supersport Race 1 DNS DNS DNS DNS
Superstock DNS DNS DNS DNS
TT Zero 2nd
Senior DNS DNS DNS DNS
Source:[54]

Southern 100 edit

2015 edit

Race Position Time Speed
Corlett's Trophies 600/1000cc 2nd 16:06.033 110.866 mph
Ellan Vannin Fuels Senior Race 1st 16:17.148 109.605 mph
Manx Gas Southern 100 Solo Championship Race 1st 20:32.654 111.710 mph
Source:[86]

Mountain bike racing and pedal cars edit

Martin has successfully raced mountain bikes in cross country, downhill races and endurance races. In June 2011, after two years of training, he raced in the Salzkammergut Trophy in Austria. With a time of 14 hours 40 minutes, he was the first British non-professional rider to finish.[87] He achieved his goal of a podium-finish during a 2013 British Championship event in Fort William, Scotland.[88][11]

He placed second in the male solo rider category at the Strathpuffer 24-hour mountain bike race (held at Strathpeffer, Scotland) in both 2014 and 2015.[89][90]

 
Martin racing an Apollo racing pedal car at Shenington

Martin achieved an ambition and competed in the 2016 Tour Divide mountain bike race, which runs from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, negotiating the Rocky Mountains, beginning on 11 June.[21] He completed the course, taking 18 days, six hours and 23 minutes, with an average of 150 miles a day.[91]

Martin also competed as part of a Pedal Car Racing team in the 24-hour, 2015 British Pedal Car Championship event at the Shenington Kart circuit on 27/28 June, as part of the Team JMC/Hope Factory Racing Team.

He also competed in the 2019 Arizona trail race (AZTR), however he struggled to finish and he said " I was looking for something to break me, and this did". He averaged 25–30 miles a day which showed how much he struggled compared to the tour divide's 150

Film and television edit

Filmography edit

Programme Format Episodes Subject Original broadcast
From To Channel
The Boat that Guy Built Documentary (TV) 6[92] Maritime (narrowboat Reckless) 2 March 2011[92] 6 April 2011[92] BBC One
TT3D Closer to the Edge Documentary (film) n/a The 2010 Isle of Man TT
How Britain Worked Documentary (TV) 6 (1 series)[93] The Industrial Revolution 21 October 2012[94] 25 November 2012[94] Channel 4
Speed with Guy Martin Documentary (TV) 14 (3 series of 4 episodes, plus two Formula 1 specials) Vehicular speed record attempts 29 December 2013[95] 9 October 2016[95]
Guy Martin's Spitfire Documentary (TV) 1 Aviation (Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Ia serial N3200) 12 October 2014[96] n/a
Guy Martin's Passion for Life Documentary (TV) 1 Autobiographical 27 December 2014[97] n/a
Our Guy In India Documentary (TV) 2 Travelogue (journey on a Royal Enfield (India) motorcycle) 1 February 2015[98] 8 February 2015[98]
Guy Martin: Last Flight of the Vulcan Bomber Documentary (TV) 1 Aviation (Avro Vulcan XH558 jet bomber) 29 November 2015[99] n/a
Our Guy in Latvia Documentary (TV) 1 Autobiographical 14 December 2015[100] n/a
Guy Martin's Wall of Death: Live Documentary (TV) 1 Wall of Death 28 March 2016[101] n/a
Our Guy in China Documentary (TV) 3 Exploring China and record-attempt crossing of the Taklamakan Desert 21 November 2016[102] 5 December 2016
Guy Martin's WWI Tank Documentary (TV) 1 Participating in creating a working replica of WWI Mark IV tank now on display at the Norfolk Tank Museum 19 November 2017[103] n/a
Guy Martin vs the Robot Car Documentary (TV) 1 Investigates autonomous vehicles 26 November 2017[104] n/a
Our Guy in Russia Documentary (TV) 3 Exploring Russia and visiting Chernobyl 16 July 2018[105] 30 July 2018[105]
Guy Martin: The World's Fastest Van? Documentary (TV) 1 Martin rebuilds his transit van and tries to break the van lap record at the Nürburgring in Germany. 4 November 2018[106] n/a
Guy Martin's D-Day Landing Documentary (TV) 1 Martin restores a Douglas C-47 Skytrain, and trains with the Red Devils. 2 June 2019[107] n/a
Our Guy in Japan Documentary (TV) 2 Exploring Japan 24 November 2019[108] 1 December 2019
Guy Martin: World's Fastest Tractor Documentary (TV) 1 Martin Attempts to build the Worlds fastest tractor and set a speed record of over 100 mph. 17 November 2019[109] n/a
Guy Martin's Great Escape Documentary (TV) 1 Recreating the iconic scene from the movie with the same name 8 December 2019[110] n/a
Guy Martin's Best Bits Documentary (TV) 4 Martin looks back at some of his greatest achievements 10 October 2020[111] 31 October 2020
Guy Martin's Battle of Britain Documentary (TV) 2 Martin trains as a Second World War fighter pilot 18 April 2021[112] 25 April 2021
Guy Martin: The World's Fastest Electric Car? Documentary (TV) 1 Martin attempts to set a new world record for the fastest road-legal battery vehicle 9 August 2021[113] n/a
Guy's Garage Documentary (TV) 4 Martin transforms some of Europe's most iconic road vehicles into extreme racing machines 22 November 2021[114] n/a
Guy Martin's Lancaster Bomber Documentary (TV) 1 Martin pays homage to the World War II bomber and explores if he has the capability to become a Lancaster crewman. 19 December 2021[115] n/a
Guy Martin's Great British Power Trip Documentary (TV) 3 With rising energy costs, Martin investigates how Britain's power is made, including how the industry is moving away from fossil fuel to sustainable energy. 5 February 2023[116] 19 February 2023
Our Guy In Colombia Documentary (TV) 2 Martin travels to Colombia to see, first-hand the effect cocaine is having on the country. 23 July 2023[117] 30 July 2023

Engineering edit

The Boat that Guy Built edit

This six-part series sees Martin and his friend, Mark 'Mavis' Davies, renovate a narrowboat, called Reckless, while travelling on the canal network using the inventions of the Industrial Revolution. The programme includes reconstructions of early industrial processes such as smelting iron.[118]

How Britain Worked edit

This six-part series examined some of the important engineering advances at the time of the Industrial Revolution. Feeling the country had lost its reputation as the workshop of the world and "went soft" under the auspices of health and safety culture, through replicating original working methods in various practical projects, the series was to highlight the ordinary workers who were experiencing long hours while working to remarkable precision, "within a couple of thousandths of an inch".[49]

Episode list[94]
Episode Title Original broadcast
1 Severn Valley Railway 21 October 2012
2 Yorkshire Saw Mill 28 October 2012
3 Victorian Seaside Resort 4 November 2012
4 Newcomen Beam Engine 13 November 2012
5 Brixham Sailing Trawler 18 November 2012
6 Birmingham Botanical Gardens (United Kingdom) 25 November 2012
Severn Valley Railway edit

In this episode, Martin helps to overhaul and later drives a steam locomotive on the Severn Valley Railway, Shropshire, in the process working on its boiler, safety valves and a wheel. Using Victorian methods, he also lays some track, forges a coal shovel out of wrought iron, and repairs a 100-year-old train driver's pocket watch.

Yorkshire Saw Mill edit

In this episode, Martin helps to repair the world's oldest surviving water turbine used to power Gayle Mill, a saw mill in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire. Felling a tree by hand, he transports the lumber to the mill by steam traction engine, to build a replica of the first pedal-powered bicycles. Also covered is the migration of farm workers to city factories, displaced by mechanisation.

Victorian Seaside Resort edit

In this episode, Martin helps with winter maintenance on attractions in the Welsh resort of Llandudno, working on the pier, a helter-skelter ride, and the Great Orme Tramway. He also participates in a promenade concert, and covers the Victorian craze of sea bathing.

Newcomen Beam Engine edit

In this episode, Martin helps to restore the Newcomen beam engine in the Black Country Living Museum, including making fire bricks using the original methods, restoring the timber frame, renovate the mechanical parts and clean the boiler. Covering Victorian mining methods Martin goes down the museum's mine shaft.

Brixham Sailing Trawler edit

In this episode, Martin helps to restore the oldest surviving Brixham sailing trawler, using traditional carpentry and rope making techniques (on rope making machines used for HMS Victory), as well as testing a self-made period life jacket. Examining the growth in popularity for fish and chips, he takes a trip on a deep sea trawler.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens edit

In this episode, Martin helps to restore Birmingham Botanical Gardens (United Kingdom), learning the Victorian method for glassblowing for the greenhouse panes, rebuilding the very first lawnmower, and for building a rockery. He covers the engineering behind the Victorian fashion for collecting plants from around the world, to be shown off in extravagant botanical gardens.

Guy Martin's Spitfire edit

Guy Martin joins the two-year restoration of an early model of Supermarine Spitfire (Spitfire Mark Ia), N3200, squadron code 'QV', that had buried in a French beach for 46 years after being shot down during the Dunkirk evacuation, and tells the "Boy's Own"-style story of its pilot, Squadron Leader Geoffrey Stephenson. Saltwater corrosion ensured very little (if anything) was safely usable on the end aircraft.

Guy Martin: Last Flight of the Vulcan Bomber edit

In this feature length one-off special, Martin follows the final flights of the Cold War era Avro Vulcan Delta winged jet bomber XH558 Spirit of Great Britain. Having been restored to flight in 2007 by a charitable trust, it had been the last flying Vulcan, performing displays every year, until it was decided 2015 would be its last season due to its age and associated insurmountable engineering issues. Its last flight occurred on 28 October 2015. Martin joins the team with four months left, and once certified by the team's chief engineer, is permitted to assist in preparing it for a 1,000 mile farewell tour, as it is jacked up for a vertical alignment test. Examining the design and history, he also meets former Vulcan pilots and the Red Arrows, who display with the aircraft, and aerial footage tracks it on the tours. Since in-flight cockpit access is only granted to Vulcan crew, he also flies alongside it in a formation with other aircraft. He also takes the controls of one of the other surviving Vulcans in taxiable condition, for a fast taxi manoeuvre (ground run to the point of nose lift).

Racing and speed edit

TT3D: Closer to the Edge edit

Main article: TT3D: Closer to the Edge

TT3D: Closer to the Edge is a documentary film about the Isle of Man TT races. The film examines what motivates the riders who race the TT and risk everything to become "King of the Mountain". Filmed in 3D, the film is a story about freedom of choice and the strength of human spirit. The film follows the leading riders in the 2010 race meeting, in particular Martin and Ian Hutchinson.

Speed with Guy Martin edit

Main article: Speed with Guy Martin

In this series, Martin attempts various challenges based on speed using a variety of vehicles, mostly featuring record attempts. Three series of four hour-long episode were broadcast, along with three special episodes. This was despite Martin's reluctance to film a third series, saying that he would prefer to "move on while we are ahead", continuing with a few one-off specials.[8]

Episode list edit

Source for episode titles and broadcast dates:[119]

Series No. Episode Vehicle Original broadcast
1 1 Britain's Fastest Cyclist bicycle 29 December 2013
2 Hydroplaning Bike motorcycle 5 January 2014
3 Human Powered Aircraft aircraft 12 January 2014
4 World's Fastest Toboggan gravity powered sled 19 January 2014
2 1 Tandem bicycle (tandem) 29 October 2014
2 Pike's Peak motorcycle 2 November 2014
3 Hovercraft hovercraft 9 November 2014
4 Gravity Racer soapbox 16 November 2014
specials F1 Special motorcycle (against Red Bull RB8 Formula One car) 17 March 2016
3 1 Transit Van Transit van 4 September 2016
2 Pedal Power Airship airship 25 September 2016
3 World's Fastest Human-Powered Boat boat 2 October 2016
4 World's Fastest Motorbike motorbike 9 October 2016
specials F1 Challenge pit crew at 2017 Belgian Grand Prix 17 September 2017
specials Classic F1 Special Williams FW08C, Williams FW08B 27 August 2018
specials Guy Goes Back to School Planned 1 September 2021

Guy Martin's Wall of Death: Live edit

In this live special, Martin attempted to set a world speed record on a purpose-built version of the wall of death fairground attraction.[120] It also featured recordings of Martin being trained by experienced rider Ken Fox on an existing wall to overcome dizziness, and being given aerial training to overcome the chief limiting factor, the effect of G-force on the human body. The science was explored by Hugh Hunt of Cambridge University, revealing the equation G=S2/(25*D), where G is G-Force, S is speed in mph, and D is diameter of the wall, in metres. This revealed the chosen location, a hangar on Manby Airfield, would be too small for Martin's desired target of 100 mph, but with a revised target of 80 mph while remaining below 7G, the 37.5 metre wall that was ultimately built would suffice. This would allow Martin to challenge a previous claimed record of around 70 mph, which the programme believed was wrong, determined through video analysis as having been 45 mph. For the show, Guinness World Records created a new record, Highest speed on a Wall of Death, and set an initial qualifying benchmark of 60 mph in one of two attempts. On a first attempt, using an Indian Scout motorcycle, Martin managed to achieve 70.33 mph, while on a second run, on a bike purposely built by Martin (a 1972 Rob North T160 Trident triple), he extended the record to 125.77 km/h (78.15 mph). Prior to Martin's attempt, on the smaller wall cyclist Shanaze Reade also set the Guinness record for Highest bicycle speed on a Wall of Death, at 42.94 km/h (26.68 mph).[8][39][121]

Autobiographical edit

Guy Martin's Passion for Life edit

This one-off half hour programme explored various aspects of Martin's life. It was a repackaging of material previously released as four 7 minute long online only episodes, under Channel 4's Shorts brand, on their online platform 4oD. Episodes "Prized Possession" and "TT Racer" were released on 18 August 2014, followed by "Inside the Mind of a Racer" and "Proud Mechanic" on 1 October 2014. Proud Possession focuses on his Merlin engine.[122]

Our Guy in Latvia edit

Guy travelled to Latvia to investigate the history of the Latvian side of his family – his deceased maternal grandfather, Walter Kidals, was a Latvian who had come to Britain in 1947 as a refugee from World War II. The family knew little about his story, even his wife had been unaware he was an orphan. Born Waldemars Kidals, the programme found that in 1941 he had been conscripted into the Latvian Legion, part of the Axis Forces when Nazi Germany had occupied Latvia, and later spent two years in a Belgian prisoner-of-war camp. Having been exonerated by the post-war trials, and with Latvia now part of the Soviet Union, all surviving former Latvian conscripts were allowed to settle in the United States and Britain as political refugees – Walter opted for the UK, travelling to Hull.[4][123]

In the programme, Martin met surviving members of his family and visited the now cleared site of his family's former farmhouse. Travelling in a 1982 Lada 1300S, he also visited an immersive Cold War Russian prison experience, and watched a reenactment of a battle between the Legion forces and the Soviet Red Army.[4][123]

Our Guy In India edit

Martin is shown embarking on a 1,000-mile motorbike trip, as he explores rarely seen aspects of modern India en route to Rider Mania, described as "one of the world's maddest bike races".[124]

Our Guy In China edit

Martin's love of industry and endeavour leads him to China, where he reveals the unseen side of its innovation, technological development and gigantic manufacturing.[125]

Personal life edit

Martin lives in Kirmington[126] with his partner Sharon and their daughter Dottie.[127]

In 2017, Martin purchased the pub in his home village. It is run by his elder sister.[128]

Personal machinery edit

Martin owned a Merlin aero engine from a 1942 Lancaster bomber, and a Scania 144 530 truck engine. He also has a 1915 Amanco Chore Boy stationary engine with original low tension magneto in his kitchen.[17]

Martin owns a 2013 Ford Transit van and a unique Volvo Vöx supercar.[129] The van is for general transport while the Vöx is just for special occasions,[129] however he does his daily commute to his truck job on his mountain bike.[11] He has owned various Vauxhall Astra vans, until a bad example put him off the type.[14] He now swears by the reliability of the Transit,[33] driving it around 40,000 miles a year.[17]

He bought the Vöx in 2012 from Koenigsegg engineer Mattias Vöcks. Based on a 1967 Volvo Amazon, it was upgraded and customised by Vöcks into an E85 biofuel powered 788 bhp vehicle, which Martin claims has reached 205 mph on a racetrack.[129] The Vöx followed a string of high performance cars Martin bought for special occasions (only ever owning one at a time, and sometimes only owning his van).[130] At age 21 he bought a BMW E46 M3 CSL,[129] followed by a Porsche GT3 RS at age 24,[14] then a new BMW E92 M3 V8,[130] and lastly before the Vöx, a 2010 Aston Martin V12 Vantage bought new at age 28.[130]

Martin also owns a large collection of bicycles and motorcycles, including a Bimota.[17] In bicycles, he has owned a Raleigh Chopper, then a Raleigh Mustang, Falcon Fattrack, but describes his first proper bike as being a Whyte 46 bought in 2005, followed by an Orange 224, Scott Ransom 10, Alpine 160, finally settling on a Cotic.[15]

Legal issues edit

By late-2011, he had accrued 21 penalty points on his standard UK driving licence, having been caught speeding several times in his Ford Transit van. He avoided a driving ban when on 18 points, being given another three in lieu of a ban, after the judge showed leniency due to the effect it would have on his livelihood, had he lost it.[129][15] After a period of "driving like a saint" he was expecting to have regained a clean record by April 2015.[14]

Following claims made in his 7 April 2015 Sunday Times review of the Aston Martin Vanquish, in which he recounted testing the car on an early morning lap of the TT course, police opened an investigation. Driving almost the full length of the TT course (joining at Quarterbridge garage and finishing at Governor's Bridge), he said he was impressed at how fast it really was, reaching 180 mph down Sulby Straight and becoming airborne at Ballacrye corner, resulting in "something like a 22-minute lap".[33] On 27 May, police confirmed that after taking advice from the Attorney General's Chambers, they would be taking no further action, while reminding residents and visitors that "Where there is no upper speed limit, road users must at all times be aware that there is a fine line between what is fast and what is dangerous."[131] A few days later in a radio interview, Martin repeated the claims, and stated he had not broken the law as he had only reached high speeds on derestricted roads (i.e., those with no upper speed limit).[132]

In November 2018, Martin appeared at Lincoln magistrates' court in relation to Irish documentation submitted as part of an application for a UK driving licence. The matter was escalated to Lincoln Crown Court as he pleaded not guilty, opting for a jury trial. After an initial hearing in December 2018, the matter was referred for trial in July 2019.[133][134][135]

Due to stand trial on 6 January 2020, in late-December 2019 the two charges were dropped, citing that Martin believed his licence from Northern Ireland was genuine, giving him HGV-entitlement and that his autism made him "vulnerable enough for others to see him as an easy target" and that he "may well have been taken in by somebody".[136]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Race results: Guy Martin IoM tt.com official website. Retrieved 19 February 2018
  2. ^ Guy Martin: He's most comfortable fixing lorries but TV has propelled the charming road racer to fame and fortune Belfast Telegraph, 15 August 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2018
  3. ^ "Guy Martin on his Volvo: the fastest car in Britain". Sunday Times Driving. 15 October 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Guy Martin: my grandfather fought for the Nazis". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  5. ^ Guy Martin to join Williams Martini Racing Pit Crew for the Belgian GP williamsf1.com, 23 August 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017
  6. ^ a b Tandragee 100: Guy Martin wins classic race as McLean taken to hospital and McGee takes four-timer BBC Sport Northern Ireland, 4 May 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Guy Martin profile: Jeremy Clarkson's perfect replacement on Top Gear". The Independent. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "No one has ever done 100mph on the wall of death, so we are going to give it a go". Motorcycle News. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  9. ^ Martin, Guy (2014). My Autobiography. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-7535-5502-6.
  10. ^ Martin, Guy (2014). My Autobiography. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-7535-5502-6.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g "Sideburns and spanners: Guy Martin interview". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  12. ^ a b c Martin, Guy (21 May 2015). Guy Martin: My Autobiography. Virgin Books. pp. 52–54. ISBN 9780753555033.
  13. ^ a b c "How Britain Worked, Channel 4, Preview". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  14. ^ a b c d e f "Guy Martin on his Indian motorbike adventure". Sunday Times Driving. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  15. ^ a b c d "Guy Martin: Riding with the Isle of Man TT ace – MBR". MBR. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  16. ^ a b c d e Fox-Leonard, Boudicca (10 November 2015). "Guy Martin believes if he reaches age 40 he'll 'have done alright'". mirror. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  17. ^ a b c d "About Guy". Channel 4. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  18. ^ "Guy Martin: Riding with the Isle of Man TT ace – MBR". MBR. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  19. ^ "BBC Sport – TAS team set to link up with BMW for road race season". BBC Sport.
  20. ^ "BBC Sport – Isle of Man TT 2015: Guy Martin 'excited' by BMW TT package". BBC Sport.
  21. ^ a b c d "End of the road for Guy Martin as he skips North West 200 and Isle of Man TT – BelfastTelegraph.co.uk". Belfasttelegraph. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  22. ^ a b c Guy Martin's world record bid shelved until 2016 following Ulster Grand Prix crash Belfast Telegraph 14 August 2015, Retrieved 22 August 2015
  23. ^ Sweeting, Adam (14 March 2016). "David Coulthard and Guy Martin, interview: the boy racers who turned down Top Gear". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  24. ^ a b Lamont, Tom (7 December 2014). "'I love racing because it can kill you,' says bike racer Guy Martin". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  25. ^ "Guy Martin signs with new team for TT". Commercial Motor. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  26. ^ Martin, Guy (8 May 2014). Guy Martin: My Autobiography. Random House. ISBN 9780753549957.
  27. ^ . Thesundaytimes.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  28. ^ Martin, Guy (22 October 2015). Guy Martin: When You Dead, You Dead. Ebury Publishing. ISBN 9780753556764.
  29. ^ "Bestselling celebrity autobiographies of 2015". Evening Standard. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  30. ^ Martin, Guy (1 January 2012). How Britain Worked. Ebury Publishing. ISBN 9780753540848.
  31. ^ Martin, Guy (1 December 2013). Speed: How to Make Things Go Really Fast. Ebury Publishing. ISBN 9780753541067.
  32. ^ "Guy Martin, Contributors, Sunday Times Driving". Sunday Times Driving. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  33. ^ a b c "Guy Martin drives Aston Martin Vanquish Carbon Edition (2015)". Sunday Times Driving. 7 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  34. ^ "Guy Martin drives Range Rover Sport SVR (2015)". Sunday Times Driving. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  35. ^ "Guy Martin reviews the 2016 Ford Mustang GT". Sunday Times Driving. February 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  36. ^ "Guy Martin on his Volvo: the fastest car in Britain". Sunday Times Driving. 15 October 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  37. ^ "The Wall of Death: Guy Martin's biggest challenge yet". Sunday Times Driving. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  38. ^ "Video: Watch Guy Martin speed to sled world record". Guinness World Records. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  39. ^ a b c "British motorcycle racer Guy Martin smashes Wall of Death world record after reaching 78 mph". Guinness World Records. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  40. ^ McNair, Andrew (14 November 2014). "Speedster comes up short in record attempt". dailyrecord. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  41. ^ "Guy Martin to attempt 400mph land speed record". BBC News. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  42. ^ "Guy Martin Joins Triumph in Attempt to Reclaim Land Speed Record – Motorcycle.com News". 9 July 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  43. ^ "Guy Martin and Triumph Attempt to Bring the Record Back Home – Channel 4 – Info – Press". Channel4.com. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
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  45. ^ . Isle of Man TT. ACU Events Ltd. 11 June 2010. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
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  47. ^ "Buckmaster tells fans to get courage or shut up". crash.net. Crash Media Group. 7 July 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
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  57. ^ "COOKSTOWN 100 DOUBLE FOR GUY MARTIN & TYCO BMW". tycobmw.com.
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  59. ^ "North West 200: Guy Martin should question himself, not the track, says Phillip McCallen". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk.
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  61. ^ a b "BBC Sport – Seeley matches Dunlop's NW 200 record after two more wins". BBC Sport.
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  64. ^ a b c d e f g h Isle of Man Examiner p.32 July 14–20, 2015
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  66. ^ "Honda confirms Guy Martin and John McGuinness for IoM TT 2017". Itv.com. 18 January 2017.
  67. ^ "Guy Martin to return to Cookstown 100 and Tandragee 100 road races in April". Bbc.co.uk. 20 March 2017.
  68. ^ "Guy Martin escapes injury as he crashes out of opening race at Tandragee 100". Bbc.co.uk. 22 April 2017.
  69. ^ "Guy Martin crashes out of Tandragee comeback race". ITV News. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  70. ^ a b "Cookstown 100: William Dunlop edges Supersport thriller". Newsletter.co.uk. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
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  73. ^ a b "Supersport Race" (PDF). Northwest200.org. May 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  74. ^ "2017 Results & Timings". Northwest200.org. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  75. ^ a b desk, Road racing (4 June 2017). "TT 2017: Bruised wrist for Martin after Superbike crash". Bikesport News.
  76. ^ "TT 2017: Tough start for Honda and Guy Martin". Motorcyclenews.com. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  77. ^ "No Southern comfort for Guy!". Grimsbytelegraph.co.uk. 4 July 2017.
  78. ^ Honda Racing, calendar 2017 Retrieved 29 August 2017
  79. ^ Honda Racing at Autosport Directory Retrieved 29 August 2017
  80. ^ "Guy Martin out of Ulster Grand Prix". Visordown.com. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  81. ^ Exclusive: Guy Martin calls time on road racing. Motor Cycle News. Authors – Oli Rushby and Matt Wildee. Published 26 July 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  82. ^ Guy Martin no-show for Cookstown 100 Belfast Newsletter, 25 April 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019
  83. ^ http://www.iomtt.com/en/TT-2009[permanent dead link]
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  90. ^ Macleod, John (23 January 2015). "Snow, ice, blue skies – and darkness – make for the perfect Puffer at Strath". Ross-shire Journal. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  91. ^ Guy Martin finishes world's toughest mountain bike race Motorcycle News, 1 July 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2017
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  104. ^ "Guy Martin vs the Robot Car". Channel 4. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  105. ^ a b "Our Guy in Russia – All 4". Channel4.com. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
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  108. ^ "Our Guy in Japan: Our Guy in Japan". Channel 4. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  109. ^ "Guy Martin: World's Fastest Tractor". Channel 4. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  110. ^ "Guy Martin's Great Escape: Guy Martin's Great Escape". Channel 4. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  111. ^ "Guy Martin's Best Bits". tvmaze.com. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  112. ^ "Guy Martin's Battle of Britain". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  113. ^ "Guy Martin: The World's Fastest Electric Car?". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  114. ^ "Channel 4 commissions Guy's Garage from North One TV". channel4.com/press. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  115. ^ "Guy Martin's Lancaster Bomber". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  116. ^ "Guy Martin's Power Trip". channel4.com. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  117. ^ "Our Guy In Colombia". channel4.com. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  118. ^ . BBC History Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  119. ^ "Speed with Guy Martin". Channel 4. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  120. ^ Thorpe, Vanessa (26 March 2016). "Guy Martin attempts to beat wall of death speed record on live TV". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  121. ^ Hunt, Hugh (31 March 2016). "Science behind remarkable new Wall of Death motorcycle world record". The Conversation. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  122. ^ "Channel 4 announces one-off Guy Martin show for Christmas – Channel 4 – Info – Press". Channel4.com. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  123. ^ a b "Our Guy in Latvia, Channel 4, review: 'the magic was missing'". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  124. ^ "Our Guy in India". Channel 4.
  125. ^ "Our Guy in China". Channel 4.
  126. ^ Guy Martin reveals his North Lincolnshire home is where his heart is in new book, When You Dead, You Dead, Scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk, Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  127. ^ Guy Martin is a dad as partner Sharon gives birth to daughter – and the baby's name is ace! Grimsby Telegraph, 25 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017
  128. ^ Speed star Guy Martin 'breathes life back into' village where he grew up by buying the local pub Mirror, 24 December 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2017
  129. ^ a b c d e "Guy Martin on his Volvo: the fastest car in Britain". Sunday Times Driving. 15 October 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  130. ^ a b c "Guy Martin and his Aston Martin V12 Vantage". Evo. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  131. ^ "Guy Martin will face no police action over 180mph claim". BBC News. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  132. ^ . Scunthorpe Telegraph. Archived from the original on 8 November 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  133. ^ Guy Martin in court accused of dodgy driving licence offences Grimsby Live, 17 November 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018
  134. ^ Guy Martin appears in court on fake licence charges – and interrupts judge TWICE Grimsby Live, 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018
  135. ^ Guy Martin pleads not guilty over false driving licence charges BBC News 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018
  136. ^ Fake licence charges against Guy Martin dropped BBC News Lincolnshire, 27 December 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2019

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guy Martin.
  • Official website
  • Guy Martin at www.iomtt.com
  • Guy Martin at IMDb

January 17, 2024
martin, french, chef, chef, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, contain, excessive, amount, intricate, detail, that, interest, only, particul. For the French chef see Guy Martin chef This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience Please help by spinning off or relocating any relevant information and removing excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia s inclusion policy May 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article may be written from a fan s point of view rather than a neutral point of view Please clean it up to conform to a higher standard of quality and to make it neutral in tone June 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article contains content that is written like an advertisement Please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view June 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message Guy Martin born 4 November 1981 is a British former motorcycle racer and heavy vehicle mechanic who became a television presenter 2 In July 2017 Martin retired from motorcycle racing Guy MartinMartin at the 2014 Bol d OrNationalityBritishBorn 1981 11 04 4 November 1981 age 42 Grimsby Lincolnshire EnglandMotorcycle racing career statisticsIsle of Man TT careerTTs contested14 2003 2015 2017 TT wins0TT podiums17 1 Martin started racing in 1998 and in 2004 competed on a road circuit for the first time at the Isle of Man TT 3 He has a total of 17 podium finishes at TT events over several years 1 He has broken his back twice in racing accidents 4 in the 2010 TT and the 2015 Ulster Grand Prix In August 2017 Martin joined Formula 1 car team Williams pit crew for the Belgian GP 5 Martin returned to road racing in May 2019 at the Tandragee 100 in Northern Ireland 6 Martin starred in Closer to the Edge a 2011 documentary on TT racing He has since presented programmes on various engineering topics and the Channel 4 series Speed with Guy Martin when he set speed records in a variety of human and engine powered vehicles He has written four books and competed in mountain bike pedal cycle races Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2 1 Mechanic 2 2 Racing 2 3 Television 2 4 Writing 3 Speed records 4 Views 4 1 Work ethic 4 2 Television and fame 5 Motorcycle racing seasons 5 1 Early years 5 2 2006 season 5 3 2007 season 5 4 2008 season 5 5 2009 season 5 6 2010 season 5 6 1 2010 TT crash 5 6 2 2011 Ulster GP 5 7 2012 season 5 7 1 2012 North West 200 5 7 2 2012 TT 5 8 2013 season 5 8 1 2013 Ulster Grand Prix 5 9 2015 season 5 9 1 2015 early season 5 9 2 2015 Northwest 200 5 9 3 2015 TT 5 9 4 2015 Southern 100 5 9 5 2015 Ulster GP crash 5 10 2016 season 5 11 2017 season 5 11 1 Tandragee 100 5 11 2 Spring Cup 5 11 3 Cookstown 100 5 11 4 North West 200 5 11 5 Isle of Man TT 5 11 6 Southern 100 5 11 7 Ulster Grand Prix 6 Retirement from motorcycle racing 7 Race results 7 1 Isle of Man TT 7 1 1 2009 7 1 2 2010 7 1 3 2011 7 1 4 2012 7 1 5 2013 7 1 6 2014 7 1 7 2015 7 1 8 2017 7 2 Southern 100 7 2 1 2015 8 Mountain bike racing and pedal cars 9 Film and television 9 1 Filmography 9 2 Engineering 9 2 1 The Boat that Guy Built 9 2 2 How Britain Worked 9 2 2 1 Severn Valley Railway 9 2 2 2 Yorkshire Saw Mill 9 2 2 3 Victorian Seaside Resort 9 2 2 4 Newcomen Beam Engine 9 2 2 5 Brixham Sailing Trawler 9 2 2 6 Birmingham Botanical Gardens 9 2 3 Guy Martin s Spitfire 9 2 4 Guy Martin Last Flight of the Vulcan Bomber 9 3 Racing and speed 9 3 1 TT3D Closer to the Edge 9 3 2 Speed with Guy Martin 9 3 2 1 Episode list 9 3 3 Guy Martin s Wall of Death Live 9 4 Autobiographical 9 4 1 Guy Martin s Passion for Life 9 4 2 Our Guy in Latvia 9 4 3 Our Guy In India 9 4 4 Our Guy In China 10 Personal life 10 1 Personal machinery 11 Legal issues 12 References 13 External linksEarly life editMartin was born on the 4th of November 1981 in a suburb of Grimsby Lincolnshire England 7 He was named Guy in tribute to Guy Gibson of No 617 Squadron RAF 8 His father Ian was a successful privateer motorbike racer who had competed in several Isle of Man TT events but he was forced to supplement his income with a job as a lorry mechanic additionally selling bikes His mother Rita Kidals was of Latvian heritage her father having come to Britain in 1947 as a political refugee Soon after Martin s birth the family moved to a house outside the town where they remained Martin has two sisters and a brother His brother Stuart is also a truck mechanic and motorbike racer His younger sister Kate was the first female mechanic in the BSB paddock before leaving to start a family with two times TT sidecar winner Patrick Farrance Martin and his siblings attended every Isle of Man TT from their births until their father Ian crashed his Yamaha FZ750 whilst racing at Oliver s Mount Scarborough in 1988 when Guy was aged 7 9 After recovering from the resulting broken hip Martin s father did not race again but worked as a mechanic in classic bike racing 10 Martin attended Kirmington Church of England Primary School and The Vale Academy school leaving at age 16 Career editMechanic edit Martin had shown an interest in working on trucks as early as age 12 7 As a child he was fascinated by engines and would take apart lawnmowers to try to make them go faster 11 Post school he enrolled in North Lindsey College on a motor vehicle engineering course but on recognising further education without pay was not for him he secured an apprenticeship as a truck fitter with a Volvo centre John Hebb Volvo 12 He also worked for his father who at the time was self employed running a truck maintenance business 12 Due to the filming commitments for The Boat that Guy Built he ended up losing his job working for his father but immediately went into town to apply for another truck job 13 He currently works for Moody International a Scania centre in Grimsby 14 He only takes short periods off to race or do television work 7 He also earns money by tuning fellow racers bikes in the evenings 15 and also takes casual work during TT race weeks 11 Eager to keep his options open he has even bought a tractor using it on biomass farms for seasonal muck spreading at night 16 Racing edit While completing his apprenticeship as a lorry mechanic Martin raced motorbikes in his spare time 7 Martin returned to the Isle of Man at age 16 overhearing lorry driver and amateur racer Baz Kirk discussing his plans to race in the 1997 Manx Grand Prix with his father he was offered the chance to assist him as a race mechanic 12 Martin decided to take up racing after a crash on public roads at age 18 17 He moved to Ireland to join Team Racing In 2004 he moved to the Uel Duncan Racing team staying with them until 2005 In 2006 Martin raced for Alistair Flanagan s AIM Yamaha race team replacing John McGuinness In the search for a more competitive team Martin joined Hydrex Honda for the 2007 season The end of 2009 saw Martin leave Hydrex for Northern Ireland based Wilson Craig Honda but since November 2010 Martin has raced for TAS Racing known as Relentless Suzuki then Tyco Suzuki from 2012 to 2014 and Tyco BMW from 2015 to present the team run by the Neill family also based in Northern Ireland and with a long TT heritage This switch to what was effectively a factory team meant the end of tuning his own equipment for TAS he would simply be riding pre prepared machines 18 Martin agreed a new deal for 2015 with TAS after the team agreed a new equipment deal with BMW Motorrad to ride the BMW S1000RR alongside William Dunlop 19 Martin was prepared to retire had TAS not chosen to switch to BMW believing he had raced the Suzuki as hard as he could 8 20 With the new bike he ran his fastest ever lap of the TT circuit in June 2015 132 398 mph just outside the outright lap record 21 Martin suffered a serious crash in the Dundrod 150 Superbike event part of the Ulster Grand Prix races in August 2015 22 Following the crash Martin only got back on his racing motorbike in March 2016 for the filming of the F1 special for his Speed series 23 Since 2011 he has also got into bicycle racing in 24 hour events 11 24 For the 2016 season Martin decided not to race in the TT for the first time in 11 years opting instead for a mountain bike race He was uncertain if the decision would lead him to retire from road racing mountain bike racing or if he would go on to do something else but said if I do race on the roads it will be with TAS 21 Martin signed a new deal with Honda Racing on 18 January 2017 to ride the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 rekindling his ambition to win the Isle of Man TT and renewing his focus on his road racing career 25 Television edit Martin first came to the attention of TV executives in 2009 when he appeared in an ITV4 programme intended primarily for fans of that year s TT race The then film producer Andy Spellman filmed with Martin at the TT Spellman shot some additional test material of Martin back at home in the summer and the boss of North One Television showed the clips to a BBC executive 7 Having engaged Andy Spellman as his advisor and agent in 2009 Martin worked with North One Television producers James Woodroffe and Ewan Keil as he has done to the present day Martin s first appearances on TV documentaries were on programmes based around his passion for engineering rather than his love of adrenaline sport The Boat that Guy Built airing on the BBC in 2011 and How Britain Worked on Channel 4 in 2012 7 His thrill seeking side later emerged with the production of the series Speed with Guy Martin first airing on Channel 4 in 2013 7 Uncomfortable with presenting to camera or working from a script his preferred style is to improvise his dialogue and work by responding to questions from crew off camera 8 He later turned down an invitation from Chris Evans to join the new presenting team of the BBC s motoring show Top Gear 4 Writing edit Martin has written three books about his life releasing his autobiography Guy Martin My Autobiography on 8 May 2014 26 It reached No 1 in the Sunday Times bestseller list and remained there for at least six weeks 27 and eventually became the second best selling autobiography of 2014 7 This was followed by Guy Martin When You Dead You Dead released on 22 October 2015 and covering the previous year in diary format from the 24 hour Solo World Mountain Bike Championship to the Isle of Man TT 28 It was listed No 1 in Amazon s sales figures for celebrity autobiographies in November 2015 with his main autobiography being No 10 29 October 2016 saw the release of Guy Martin Worms to Catch featuring Martin s thoughts on the past year and upcoming challenges He has subsequently published further titles We Need to Weaken the Mixture 2019 and Dead Men Don t Tell Tales 2022 Martin is also listed as the author of companion books for some of his television shows How Britain Worked published on 4 October 2012 30 and Speed published on 1 December 2013 31 Martin also writes for the driving section of The Sunday Times newspaper 32 He has written reviews of the 2015 Aston Martin Vanquish Carbon 33 the 2015 Range Rover Sport SVR 34 the 2015 Ford Transit L2 H2 and the 2016 Ford Mustang V8 GT 35 as well as writing about his own Volvo Vox 36 and his Wall of Death show 37 Speed records editMartin has set the following speed records Record Issuer Speed Location Date Previous holder Ref Fastest speed on a gravity powered snow sled Guinness World Records 134 368 km h 83 49 mph Grandvalira Andorra 10 January 2014 62 25 mph Rolf Allerdissen 2010 38 Fastest speed in a soapbox Guinness World Records 137 78 km h 85 61 mph Mont Ventoux France 16 October 2014 39 Highest speed on a Wall of Death Guinness World Records 125 77 km h 78 15 mph Manby Airfield UK 28 March 2016 created for the attempt 39 Fastest hovercraft British record 121 04 km h 75 21 mph Loch Ken UK 8 October 2014 40 Fastest tractor Guinness World Records 217 568 km h 135 191 mph Elvington Airfield York UK 23 October 2019In July 2015 it was confirmed that Martin was to pilot Triumph Motorcycles attempt on the motorcycle land speed record World s Fastest Motorcycle at the time standing at 376 363 mph 605 km h set by Rocky Robinson in 2010 The attempt was originally scheduled for August during the FIM event at Bonneville Salt Flats in the United States Competing in the Division C streamlined motorcycle category the Triumph Rocket Streamliner is 25 5 feet long powered by two turbocharged methanol fuelled Triumph Rocket III engines enclosed in a carbon Kevlar monocoque 41 42 A documentary about the attempt was made for Channel 4 43 His August 2015 crash at the Ulster GP caused the attempt to be postponed until September 2016 22 Martin s quest to set a new two wheeled world land speed record was called off due to conditions on the course The attempt on the purpose built 400 mph motorcycle suffered a number of setbacks at the track at the Bonneville Salt Flats The streamliner tipped over when it passed over a rut in the track as it was being towed to the start line Triumph said rain meant it was not possible to create the required consistency across the 11 mile course necessary to undertake the attempt On 18 September 2016 Martin had hoped to complete a required 300 mph trial run before attempting to set a new world record A mile into the run the machine lost traction on the damp surface veering off the steered path and tipping over on the course Martin was confirmed to be completely uninjured and the record attempt was postponed once more Views editThis section is written like a personal reflection personal essay or argumentative essay that states a Wikipedia editor s personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style June 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Work ethic edit Martin attributes his strong work ethic to his father s example 16 He has also retained his truck job in part due to the financial security it offered over racing 13 Describing it as like an ingrained default setting 7 he prioritises his mechanic job over other work even cancelling complicated film shoots at short notice if needed 16 He also seeks out casual work as a way to switch off during TT events practice only being in the evenings 11 Television and fame edit Martin is not comfortable with being a public figure and rejects any notion that he is a celebrity turning down offers such as Top Gear s Star in a Reasonably Priced Car segment 14 After struggling to come to terms with the fame brought about by his media work Martin was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome 7 About his psychiatrist s findings he says It hasn t changed anything it just confirms why I do certain things in a certain way 16 As a result of his BBC work he had begun to be recognized by non racing fans even before the release of the TT3D film 15 He would be quite happy if nobody watched his shows as it would mean he would never get recognized 16 While not wanting to seem unappreciative of the public s support he tries to cope with fame by avoiding crowded situations 14 He prefers to live out of his van while racing or on television shoots 4 He does not see TV work as a job in itself and would not miss it if it were to end he views it as a means to do things he otherwise could not 7 13 gaining invaluable sources of information and experiences from the people it allows him to meet 11 As such he frequently turns down offers of television work if they do not interest him and has said his existing TV workload was already becoming an issue 4 7 He fears being seen as inauthentic if he became a full time presenter seeing some in the industry as passionate about anything that they re told to be passionate about 24 He had only watched one of his shows the Pike s Peak episode of Speed and only on the recommendation of a usually unimpressed friend 8 In Guy Martin s Best Bits 2020 he provided commentary whilst watching several of his shows 44 Motorcycle racing seasons editThis section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page especially if potentially libelous Find sources Guy Martin news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience Please help by spinning off or relocating any relevant information and removing excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia s inclusion policy May 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Early years edit This section needs expansion You can help by adding to it July 2018 A successful debut year on the roads that saw him win the Cock o the North and International Gold Cup races at Oliver s Mount Scarborough as well as the Irish 750cc Support Championship 2006 season edit The International road race meetings had mixed results the North West 200 never went particularly well The Isle of Man TT looked promising but problems soon led to it being another disappointment At the final international of the year the Ulster Grand Prix he took 4 race wins and a 2nd making him the Man of the Meeting nbsp Guy after winning the 2007 Ulster Grand Prix Supersport race2007 season edit In the early season Martin took part in British Superbike and Supersport rounds to prepare for the road racing season The first major international of the year was the North West 200 in which he finished with an eighth a fourth two thirds and a second In the CP Hire Superstock race after a bad start Martin finished third The Isle of Man TT was the next major race on the calendar and he got a third two seconds and a DNF after running out of fuel with fewer than three miles to go until his first pit stop In the Senior race he just missed out on becoming only the second rider at the time to have lapped at more than 130 mph his best lap falling short at 129 816 mph Later video footage showed him run wide on the entry to Windy Corner and it was this mistake that led him to miss out on the magical 130 mph lap Martin continued to race on the English scene and he regained his Cock o the North title at the Scarborough circuit before going to Ireland for the Kells Road Races in which he took one race win This was preparation for the Ulster Grand Prix and in the first race Martin brought home a fifth position in race two a win and in the superbike race which was shortened due to weather a second After this red flag the day s racing was cancelled due to bad weather and that meant for the second year in a row Martin was the Man of the Meeting The Scarborough Gold Cup meeting ended with him winning all the races on the final day including the Gold Cup and the second 600 race of the day after a good battle with John McGuinness and Ian Lougher who were also both on the same Hondas as Martin 2008 season edit As well as contesting a full season in the British Superbike Championship in 2008 Martin again competed in the three International road races but was denied his first TT win when he broke down whilst comfortably leading the opening Superbike race He was eleven seconds in the lead when an electrical problem forced him out on the fourth lap He claimed a podium third in the Superstock race but suffered further retirements in the Senior and second Supersport races In September 2008 it was back to Oliver s Mount for the International Gold Cup Martin won the feature event and now has won 6 Gold Cups in a row a new record and also has the lap record for the 1000cc bikes at Scarborough with a time of 1 45 3 2009 season edit In 2009 Martin contested all three Internationals as well as selected British Championship and Irish National races In a move from previous seasons Martin moved away from the main Hydrex team preferring instead to run a smaller close knit team and after a steady North West 200 meeting confidence was high going into the TT his number one event of the year as he sought to win a race at the 37 73 mile circuit on the Isle of Man 2009 was expected to be the year he broke the seal but after claiming two seconds and a third on the Superstock Superbike and Supersport bikes early in the week Martin s engine gave up after coming onto the pit lane in the 2nd 600 race More grief was to come when putting the bike into gear at the end of his 2nd pit stop during the Senior race his chain snapped meaning he ended up with another DNF Martin regrouped to claim the Southern 100 Championship on the Billown road course in July after finishing second on no less than three occasions 2005 2006 and 2007 before heading to the third International race of the season the Ulster Grand Prix After taking third in the Dundrod 150 Superbike race Martin repeated the result in the feature UGP Superbike race held over eight laps but he ensured he would not be without an International win in 2009 when he won a thrilling second Superbike race just over a tenth of a second in front of fellow Lincolnshire rider Gary Johnson He also placed fourth and fifth in the equally close Superstock and Supersport races At the 2009 Gold Cup at Oliver s Mount Martin won the Steve Henshaw Gold Cup feature race becoming the first rider to win seven consecutive meetings 2010 season edit nbsp Martin at the 2010 Isle of Man TTIn 2010 he failed to take a podium at the North West 200 with his best result being fourth in the second Superbike race He went to the Isle of Man TT looking to achieve his first TT victory However the meeting was dominated by Ian Hutchinson who took a record breaking five victories in all the solo races and Martin suffered serious injuries in a major crash in the final race 45 Prior to that crash during the Superbike race Martin received a 30 second penalty for exceeding the posted pit lane speed limit of 60 km h by just 0 112 km h Had he not received the penalty his overall time would have been 1 46 48 05 and put him in 2nd place behind Ian Hutchinson who finished with a time of 1 46 31 82 His performance at the TT was criticised by Simon Buckmaster whose Performance Technical Racing built the bikes which Martin was running He accused Martin of not listening to his race advice arguing He needs to stop being distracted and lift his professionalism Instead of being a TV star and courting publicity 24x7 he should be concentrating on racing and what s needed to win Get his focus and concentration into racing not promoting his name and money spinning deals He also cited disrespectful behavior during the race and bad language and criticism directed toward a member of PTR in a magazine interview 46 Martin received considerable public support over both the nature and timing of Buckmaster s comments coming as Martin was still recovering from the crash but in a subsequent interview Buckmaster defended what he had said arguing he was not slating him and stating Martin had no issue with the comments 47 2010 TT crash edit In the final race the Senior TT Martin was a challenger to stop Hutchinson achieving the clean sweep but was involved in an incident on the third lap of the race at Ballagarey having led the race just before the first pit stop 48 Recollecting the crash in 2012 Martin recounted how he has been pushing too hard going into the corner at 160 170 mph having willingly crossed the line which if you push beyond you might crash in order to win He recalled being thrown from the bike and accepting he was not going to survive the approaching high speed impact with a wall attributing it to luck that he hit it at the right angle to get away with it 49 Airlifted to Noble s Hospital in Douglas with chest injuries he was later diagnosed as suffering bruising to both lungs and minor fractures to his upper spine 48 2011 Ulster GP edit A superbike race 2 win at the Ulster Grand Prix followed for Martin after his consistent TT He finished second in the opening superbike race behind Bruce Anstey on the Padgetts racing Honda Fireblade 2012 season edit nbsp Martin at the 2013 Isle of Man TTMartin made his first 2012 appearance at the Cookstown 100 meeting in preparation for the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT Martin brought his race season to a close winning five races at Scarborough s Oliver Mount Gold Cup He also took part in the Ryan Farquhar Parade lap on one of Ryan s own KMR Kawasaki s 2012 North West 200 edit Following on from the Cookstown meeting Martin was set to campaign in all the main races at the North West 200 as a prelude to working up for the Isle of Man TT However during the Supersport race he crashed As a consequence he was left with a suspected head injury which resulted in his team manager Philip Neill withdrawing Martin from the remainder of the racing programme 50 This led to rumours of a bust up with the Suzuki Team and resulted in Martin s team boss Hector Neill being interviewed on Manx Radio TT 365 prior to the TT during which Neill scotched such rumours as Media inspired skulduggery Paddock tittle tattle and unfounded hear say 51 2012 TT edit Martin s start to the 2012 TT Festival saw him competing in a private capacity at the Pre TT Classic races at the Billown Circuit Castletown Martin was lucky to escape injury while competing in the superbike race and was battling for the lead of the race on a Suzuki XR69 with Jamie Coward when he crashed on the final lap This again led to reports of tension as the Pre TT races do not form any part of the main TT racing programme and posed a potential injury risk to Martin before the TT had begun in earnest During the practice week for the 2012 Isle of Man TT Martin made steady progress albeit amid rumours of differing opinions with his team s management regarding machinery set up and the team s choice of Pirelli tyres Martin made a good start to the Superbike TT and at the end of the first lap he was lying in third place behind John McGuinness and Cameron Donald He continued to hold station during the following three laps but a problem during his final pit stop at the end of lap four resulted in the team being unable to replace his rear tyre 52 As a consequence of diminishing grip from a fading tyre Martin was overtaken on corrected time by Bruce Anstey by the end of lap five although he did hold on to finish fourth with a time of 1hr 47 20 at an average speed of 126 54 mph 53 This was followed by fifth place in the Superstock race a retirement in the first Supersport race and 8th place in the second Supersport outing 54 Rumours continued to circulate throughout the week about Martin s differences with his team perhaps instigated by Martin s lateness of signing a contract at the start of the season although as practice week went on it was obvious the rumours regarding Martin s split from his team were untrue The Senior race was scheduled to take place on its traditional Friday 8 June However following adverse weather the race was postponed until Saturday 9 June As a consequence of continued poor weather the decision to cancel the Senior TT was taken This was the first time in the race s 105 year history that the Senior had been cancelled due to weather 2013 season edit nbsp Martin at the 2013 Isle of Man TT2013 Ulster Grand Prix edit The 2013 Ulster Grand Prix was Martin s most successful campaign at the event and which saw him secure a hat trick of victories at the meeting winning the Supersport 1 UGP Superbike and Superbike categories 2015 season edit Martin joined his teammates in early March 2015 for pre season testing This initially took the form of a four day test programme at Cartagena and following this the squad deployed to the BMW Motorrad test camp at Almeria in Spain for the next three days 55 2015 early season edit Martin opened his 2015 season at the Oliver s Mount Circuit on Saturday 11 April 56 at which he recorded a maiden victory on his BMW S1000RR Superstock at the Scarborough venue 56 Finishing fourth the following day in treacherous conditions Martin went on to lift the main prize of the meeting the Spring Cup 56 Following their success at Scarborough the Tyco Team headed to the opening event in the Irish Racing Calendar the Cookstown 100 Martin continued his fine early season form by winning the opening Royal Hotel Superbike Race and then sealing a brace of superbike wins at the feature race the KDM Cookstown 100 again accomplished on Superstock machinery 57 2015 Northwest 200 edit Martin was introduced to his factory BMW S1000RR Superbike during a day s testing at Kirkistown on 7 May in preparation for the team s campaign at the Vauxhall International North West 200 for the opening practice session on 12 May Martin s arrival at the triangle circuit generated the usual media interest however the attention continued following some controversial comments concerning the circuit by Martin On return from a practice lap on his Supersport machine Martin was briefly interviewed by BBC Sport presenter Stephen Watson 58 Struggling to qualify Martin said he was bored riding the course citing the number of chicanes which had been introduced in an effort to improve safety 58 As on previous occasions this resulted in Martin s team boss Hector Neill again having to rally to his rider s defence Interviewed by the BBC and other assorted media Neill downplayed the comments merely alluding to the fact that Martin was becoming concerned that the course was starting to resemble more a purpose built racing track as opposed to a pure road circuit 58 This brought reaction from various commentators and competitors with Philip McCallen questioning Martin s commitment to the sport as well as his indiscreet criticism of the course 59 In a further interview with BBC Sport again conducted by Watson and with event director Mervyn Whyte in attendance 60 Martin apologized for his comments and whilst he was supportive of the event describing it as a mega event he continued that he was not too stuck on the circuit and that he simply didn t like chicanes 60 Watson drew Martin s attention to the fact that the comments by this time had been seen by over 300 000 people on Facebook Martin made light of the situation stating that he was caught in the heat of the moment and simply let rip 60 He then questioned why he was generating such attention for his comments when the main attention should not have been directed towards him but rather directed towards the racing and to the fact that Alastair Seeley had qualified on pole position and had subsequently gone on to win the opening race 60 The 2015 Vauxhall International North West 200 was blighted by a series of incidents resulting in races being red flagged 61 Martin did not make an impression in any of the races and failed to finish in the top six 61 2015 TT edit Martin s 2015 Isle of Man TT provided mixed results Opening his account with a retirement in the Superbike Race he followed this up by taking a respectable 5th place astride the Smiths Triumph in the opening Supersport TT 62 Switching back to his BMW S1000RR Superstock machine Martin came home in 7th place in the Superstock TT 62 Brought in as a late replacement for the injured William Dunlop in the TT Zero Race and with negligible practice time Martin took his electrically powered Victory Racing machine to 4th place in his first participation in the class 62 He then secured his only podium place of the meeting again on board the Smiths Triumph Daytona when he claimed 3rd place in the second Supersport outing 62 Martin rounded off his 2015 campaign when he took the factory BMW S1000RR Superbike to 4th place in the Senior TT with an average race speed of 129 602 mph but with a fastest lap average of 132 398 mph a personal best for Martin and just two seconds slower than race winner and outright lap record holder John McGuinness 62 63 2015 Southern 100 edit nbsp Guy Martin leads Dan Kneen and Michael Dunlop into Church Bends during the 2015 Diamond Jubilee Southern 100Martin arrived back on the Isle of Man in July in order to compete in the Southern 100 Races which were celebrating their Diamond Jubilee Poor weather initially hampered the racing programme with the Corlett s Trophies 1000 600cc race red flagged in wet conditions 64 The race was re run two days later with Dan Kneen taking the lead for the opening two laps However Martin edged him out taking the lead on lap 3 and thereafter dicing for the lead with Kneen and Michael Dunlop 64 Leading at Stadium Corner on the final circuit Martin looked favourite to take the honours However getting maximum drive out of the final corner Dunlop snatched victory at the line by 0 087 seconds 64 Martin then began to take hold of the meeting On board his BMW S1000RR Martin took to the grid for the finale to the event the Southern 100 Solo Championship 64 Pushed hard during the 9 lap race by Dan Kneen Martin led the pack by the end of the opening lap and continued to hold station at the end of lap 2 Lap 3 saw Martin maintain his lead however Dunlop low sided at Ballabeg Hairpin putting him out of the race 64 The ensuing melee enabled Martin and Kneen to break free from the chasing pack and their two way battle ensued into the following lap 64 As the race went into the final two laps the rear echelon of the field started to have an effect on the front running riders with Kneen being held up in an overtaking manoeuvre at Iron Gate 64 This enabled Martin to stay clear on the final circuit taking the Southern 100 title for the third year in succession 64 nbsp Martin at Church Bends during the 2015 Southern 100 Following his victory Guy Martin joined the late Joey Dunlop as the only riders to have won the Southern 100 Solo Championship Race for three years in succession 2015 Ulster GP crash edit Martin crashed at high speed when leading the 2015 Dundrod 150 Superbike race part of the Ulster GP in August On the final lap being pursued by Bruce Anstey he left the course at Ireland s Corner fracturing thoracic vertebrae his sternum and a number of ribs and his throttle hand requiring steel rods to be inserted into his back and a pin in his hand He signed himself out of hospital four days later 22 Having no memory of the incident being shown footage of the crash for the first time as depicted on Guy Martin s Wall of Death Live confirmed his suspicion that he had been pushing hard for a perfect corner due to the pressure from Anstey He stated that while he had accidents that looked worse this was the one that caused the most damage The programme also detailed his recovery period at home revealing his ice bath treatments in an outdoor pool to relieve the pain which was affecting his sleep 2016 season edit In January 2016 Martin confirmed he would not be racing the 2016 Isle of Man TT as it clashed with a mountain bike race he wanted to compete in and he would also not be racing the prior North West 200 due to the mountain bike training 21 It was hoped that Martin would be participating at the Southern 100 motorcycle races defending his solo title and increasing the event s profile However following his participation in the Tour Divide it was subsequently announced that Martin would not be competing at the Southern 100 65 2017 season edit It was uncertain whether Martin would retire from racing or return for the 2017 season but it was announced on 18 January that he had signed for the Honda Racing based in Louth Lincolnshire and would compete alongside teammate John McGuinness at various national and international meetings including the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT Races 66 In addition it was confirmed on 20 March that Martin would compete at the 2017 Tandragee 100 and the Cookstown 100 events 67 Tandragee 100 edit Martin s first competitive appearance since 2015 was his debut for Honda at the Tandragee 100 on 22 April riding the new Honda Fireblade Superstock class machine During the first lap of the Open Superbike race Martin was involved in a collision with another rider at Marlacoo corner Both were unhurt but retired from the race 68 69 Due to an incident involving an Italian rider and poor weather conditions the rest of the meeting was cancelled Spring Cup edit After the Tandragee races Martin travelled overnight to make the start at Oliver s Mount for the annual Spring Cup races Although he had been successful previously at the Scarborough circuit this low key appearance was more about gaining race time on the new Honda Cookstown 100 edit Martin s next outing of the season was on the Superstock Fireblade SP2 at the Cookstown 100 additionally riding for the Wilson Craig Team in the Supersport class 70 After practice Martin was qualified fifth fastest in the Supersport but failed to start in the race Martin took the big Honda to fifth place in the first Superbike Race however he again failed to start in the second race 70 North West 200 edit As at the Cookstown 100 it was confirmed Martin would ride for both the factory supported Honda team and in the Supersport 600 cc class for the Wilson Craig Team Interviewed by BBC Sport 71 Martin was in upbeat mood saying he hadn t pushed the machine too hard and was quite happy with a steady ride round Martin s criticism of the course in regard to the chicanes was mentioned 71 When queried on a previous statement made after the 2015 meeting that he would not return to the triangle circuit Martin commented that the primary reason was to get the necessary race time to enter the Isle of Man TT Races He also confirmed that he enjoyed riding at the Northwest 200 and that he had development work to do with the new Honda 71 When queried why he did not renew his association with the Irish Tyco BMW Team Martin stated that after the 2015 accident he had decided to retire from racing but still had respect for Tyco BMW concluding during the Tour Divide cycle race that he no longer had passion for racing 71 A reason Martin gave for signing for Honda was that he could fulfill an ambition as Honda had promised him he could race a vintage Honda RC181 71 Practice produced mixed results for Martin Following an accident in practice injuring teammate John McGuinness at Primrose Hill on 11 May a decision was made by Honda Racing to withdraw Martin from that evening s Superstock race Honda Racing after further appraisal of the incident involving McGuinness also withdrew from the remaining events 72 On the Wilson Craig Honda 600 Martin qualified 16th fastest during first practice for the Supersport race recording a fastest lap of 109 614 mph 73 slipping to 27th fastest in the second qualifying period 73 which led to Martin starting the race from the ninth row on the grid bringing his machine home in 23rd place 74 Isle of Man TT edit Following the North West 200 incident involving John McGuinness riding the new Honda SP2 tests were carried out by the Honda Racing Team prior to the bike arriving at the TT races The 2017 Isle of Man TT qualifying week was disrupted by poor weather and Martin had little track time The weather improved towards the end of the week enabling a full practice session to take place on Friday 2 June Due to the lack of practice the first race day was postponed with the time allotted to additional practice On 3 June in ideal conditions Martin completed four practice laps recording the 26th fastest time around the road course of 37 73 miles 60 72 km in a time of 18 minutes 11 69 seconds at an average speed of 124 403 mph 200 207 km h The opening race the Superbike TT was rescheduled for Sunday 4 June but Martin only got 8 miles into the race before he crashed at Doran s Bend 75 In an interview afterwards Martin stated that as he attempted to change down the gearbox after Ballig Bridge in order to negotiate the 4th gear left handed Doran s Bend he hit a false neutral 76 Martin was unable to offer an opinion as to whether the bike would be safe to ride in the Senior TT merely describing the SP2 as a Jonah clarification needed Despite crashing at around 135 mph 217 km h Martin only sustained a bruised wrist 75 Following his spill in the opening race Martin also failed to start in both the Supersport race and the Superstock event Southern 100 edit At the start of the season Martin confirmed his intention to compete at the 2017 Southern 100 races on the Isle of Man However following the problems with the Honda CBR1000RR SP2 at the TT races Martin decided not to participate at the event 77 Ulster Grand Prix edit On 21 July 2017 Honda Racing an English company based in Louth Lincolnshire also known as Honda Racing CBR 78 79 issued a statement to the effect that Guy Martin would not be competing at the 2017 Ulster Grand Prix the decision was described by an event organiser as Naturally I m disappointed but it s not altogether surprising given the difficulties the team has experienced throughout the season 80 Retirement from motorcycle racing editOn 26 July 2017 it was officially announced that Guy Martin had retired from motorcycle racing In an exclusive interview with the Motorcycle News Martin said Racing s been good to me but I m bored of it You spend the early part of the year preparing for the season testing racing talking about it and then doing it all over again It s like Groundhog Day It s time to stop 81 Martin returned to road racing in May 2019 at Tandragee winning the 1000 cc class on a BSA Rocket finishing second on the road to outright winner Dean Stimpson on a 500 cc machine with both classes run together He had provisionally entered the earlier Cookstown event but failed to appear 6 82 Race results editIsle of Man TT edit 2009 edit Race Position Time Speed ReplicaSuperbike 3rd 01 46 59 69 126 948 SilverSupersport Race 1 2nd 01 13 03 39 123 948 SilverSuperstock 2nd 01 11 06 31 127 349 SilverSupersport Race 2 DNF DNF DNF DNFSenior DNF DNF DNF DNFSource 83 2010 edit Race Position Time Speed ReplicaSuperbike 4th 1 47 18 05 126 586 SilverSupersport Race 1 2nd 1 12 40 78 124 591 SilverSuperstock 5th 1 11 50 06 126 057 SilverSupersport Race 2 4th 1 13 00 31 124 035 SilverSenior DNF DNF DNF DNFSource 84 2011 edit Race Position Time Speed ReplicaSuperbike DNF DNF DNF DNFSupersport Race 1 3rd 0 54 56 06 123 628 SilverSuperstock 3rd 1 11 36 59 126 452 SilverSupersport Race 2 3rd 1 13 29 28 123 220 SilverSenior 2nd 1 45 53 00 128 281 SilverSource 85 2012 edit Race Position Time HH MM SS Speed Mph ReplicaSuperbike 4th 01 47 20 18 126 544 SilverSuperstock Race 5th 01 12 06 85 125 567 SilverSupersport Race 1 DNF DNF DNF DNFSupersport Race 2 8th 01 15 17 95 120 256 SilverSenior Race CancelledSource 54 2013 edit Race Position Time HH MM SS Speed Mph ReplicaSuperbike 4th 01 46 58 894 126 964 SilverSuperstock Race DNF DNF DNF DNFSupersport Race 1 6th 01 13 17 846 123 540 SilverSupersport Race 2 8th 01 14 07 563 122 159 SilverSenior 5th 01 46 14 371 127 851 SilverSource 54 2014 edit Race Position Time HH MM SS Speed Mph ReplicaSuperbike 2nd 01 46 06 954 128 000 SilverSupersport Race 1 6th 01 13 44 591 122 794 SilverSuperstock DNF DNF DNF DNFSupersport Race 2 10th 01 14 30 161 121 542 SilverSenior 3rd 01 45 56 962 128 201 SilverSource 54 2015 edit Race Position Time HH MM SS Speed Mph ReplicaSuperbike DNF DNF DNF DNFSupersport Race 1 5th 01 12 58 110 124 097 SilverSuperstock 7th 01 11 10 217 127 233 SilverTT Zero 4th 20 37 287 109 717 SilverSupersport Race 2 3rd 01 12 30 775 124 877 SilverSenior 4th 01 09 52 148 129 602 SilverSource 54 2017 edit Race Position Time HH MM SS Speed Mph ReplicaSuperbike DNF DNF DNF DNFSupersport Race 1 DNS DNS DNS DNSSuperstock DNS DNS DNS DNSTT Zero 2ndSenior DNS DNS DNS DNSSource 54 Southern 100 edit 2015 edit Race Position Time SpeedCorlett s Trophies 600 1000cc 2nd 16 06 033 110 866 mphEllan Vannin Fuels Senior Race 1st 16 17 148 109 605 mphManx Gas Southern 100 Solo Championship Race 1st 20 32 654 111 710 mphSource 86 Mountain bike racing and pedal cars editMartin has successfully raced mountain bikes in cross country downhill races and endurance races In June 2011 after two years of training he raced in the Salzkammergut Trophy in Austria With a time of 14 hours 40 minutes he was the first British non professional rider to finish 87 He achieved his goal of a podium finish during a 2013 British Championship event in Fort William Scotland 88 11 He placed second in the male solo rider category at the Strathpuffer 24 hour mountain bike race held at Strathpeffer Scotland in both 2014 and 2015 89 90 nbsp Martin racing an Apollo racing pedal car at SheningtonMartin achieved an ambition and competed in the 2016 Tour Divide mountain bike race which runs from Banff Canada to Antelope Wells New Mexico negotiating the Rocky Mountains beginning on 11 June 21 He completed the course taking 18 days six hours and 23 minutes with an average of 150 miles a day 91 Martin also competed as part of a Pedal Car Racing team in the 24 hour 2015 British Pedal Car Championship event at the Shenington Kart circuit on 27 28 June as part of the Team JMC Hope Factory Racing Team He also competed in the 2019 Arizona trail race AZTR however he struggled to finish and he said I was looking for something to break me and this did He averaged 25 30 miles a day which showed how much he struggled compared to the tour divide s 150Film and television editThis section contains content that is written like an advertisement Please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view June 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Filmography edit Programme Format Episodes Subject Original broadcastFrom To ChannelThe Boat that Guy Built Documentary TV 6 92 Maritime narrowboat Reckless 2 March 2011 92 6 April 2011 92 BBC OneTT3D Closer to the Edge Documentary film n a The 2010 Isle of Man TTHow Britain Worked Documentary TV 6 1 series 93 The Industrial Revolution 21 October 2012 94 25 November 2012 94 Channel 4Speed with Guy Martin Documentary TV 14 3 series of 4 episodes plus two Formula 1 specials Vehicular speed record attempts 29 December 2013 95 9 October 2016 95 Guy Martin s Spitfire Documentary TV 1 Aviation Supermarine Spitfire Mk Ia serial N3200 12 October 2014 96 n aGuy Martin s Passion for Life Documentary TV 1 Autobiographical 27 December 2014 97 n aOur Guy In India Documentary TV 2 Travelogue journey on a Royal Enfield India motorcycle 1 February 2015 98 8 February 2015 98 Guy Martin Last Flight of the Vulcan Bomber Documentary TV 1 Aviation Avro Vulcan XH558 jet bomber 29 November 2015 99 n aOur Guy in Latvia Documentary TV 1 Autobiographical 14 December 2015 100 n aGuy Martin s Wall of Death Live Documentary TV 1 Wall of Death 28 March 2016 101 n aOur Guy in China Documentary TV 3 Exploring China and record attempt crossing of the Taklamakan Desert 21 November 2016 102 5 December 2016Guy Martin s WWI Tank Documentary TV 1 Participating in creating a working replica of WWI Mark IV tank now on display at the Norfolk Tank Museum 19 November 2017 103 n aGuy Martin vs the Robot Car Documentary TV 1 Investigates autonomous vehicles 26 November 2017 104 n aOur Guy in Russia Documentary TV 3 Exploring Russia and visiting Chernobyl 16 July 2018 105 30 July 2018 105 Guy Martin The World s Fastest Van Documentary TV 1 Martin rebuilds his transit van and tries to break the van lap record at the Nurburgring in Germany 4 November 2018 106 n aGuy Martin s D Day Landing Documentary TV 1 Martin restores a Douglas C 47 Skytrain and trains with the Red Devils 2 June 2019 107 n aOur Guy in Japan Documentary TV 2 Exploring Japan 24 November 2019 108 1 December 2019Guy Martin World s Fastest Tractor Documentary TV 1 Martin Attempts to build the Worlds fastest tractor and set a speed record of over 100 mph 17 November 2019 109 n aGuy Martin s Great Escape Documentary TV 1 Recreating the iconic scene from the movie with the same name 8 December 2019 110 n aGuy Martin s Best Bits Documentary TV 4 Martin looks back at some of his greatest achievements 10 October 2020 111 31 October 2020Guy Martin s Battle of Britain Documentary TV 2 Martin trains as a Second World War fighter pilot 18 April 2021 112 25 April 2021Guy Martin The World s Fastest Electric Car Documentary TV 1 Martin attempts to set a new world record for the fastest road legal battery vehicle 9 August 2021 113 n aGuy s Garage Documentary TV 4 Martin transforms some of Europe s most iconic road vehicles into extreme racing machines 22 November 2021 114 n aGuy Martin s Lancaster Bomber Documentary TV 1 Martin pays homage to the World War II bomber and explores if he has the capability to become a Lancaster crewman 19 December 2021 115 n aGuy Martin s Great British Power Trip Documentary TV 3 With rising energy costs Martin investigates how Britain s power is made including how the industry is moving away from fossil fuel to sustainable energy 5 February 2023 116 19 February 2023Our Guy In Colombia Documentary TV 2 Martin travels to Colombia to see first hand the effect cocaine is having on the country 23 July 2023 117 30 July 2023Engineering edit The Boat that Guy Built edit This six part series sees Martin and his friend Mark Mavis Davies renovate a narrowboat called Reckless while travelling on the canal network using the inventions of the Industrial Revolution The programme includes reconstructions of early industrial processes such as smelting iron 118 How Britain Worked edit This six part series examined some of the important engineering advances at the time of the Industrial Revolution Feeling the country had lost its reputation as the workshop of the world and went soft under the auspices of health and safety culture through replicating original working methods in various practical projects the series was to highlight the ordinary workers who were experiencing long hours while working to remarkable precision within a couple of thousandths of an inch 49 Episode list 94 Episode Title Original broadcast1 Severn Valley Railway 21 October 20122 Yorkshire Saw Mill 28 October 20123 Victorian Seaside Resort 4 November 20124 Newcomen Beam Engine 13 November 20125 Brixham Sailing Trawler 18 November 20126 Birmingham Botanical Gardens United Kingdom 25 November 2012Severn Valley Railway edit In this episode Martin helps to overhaul and later drives a steam locomotive on the Severn Valley Railway Shropshire in the process working on its boiler safety valves and a wheel Using Victorian methods he also lays some track forges a coal shovel out of wrought iron and repairs a 100 year old train driver s pocket watch Yorkshire Saw Mill edit In this episode Martin helps to repair the world s oldest surviving water turbine used to power Gayle Mill a saw mill in Wensleydale North Yorkshire Felling a tree by hand he transports the lumber to the mill by steam traction engine to build a replica of the first pedal powered bicycles Also covered is the migration of farm workers to city factories displaced by mechanisation Victorian Seaside Resort edit In this episode Martin helps with winter maintenance on attractions in the Welsh resort of Llandudno working on the pier a helter skelter ride and the Great Orme Tramway He also participates in a promenade concert and covers the Victorian craze of sea bathing Newcomen Beam Engine edit In this episode Martin helps to restore the Newcomen beam engine in the Black Country Living Museum including making fire bricks using the original methods restoring the timber frame renovate the mechanical parts and clean the boiler Covering Victorian mining methods Martin goes down the museum s mine shaft Brixham Sailing Trawler edit In this episode Martin helps to restore the oldest surviving Brixham sailing trawler using traditional carpentry and rope making techniques on rope making machines used for HMS Victory as well as testing a self made period life jacket Examining the growth in popularity for fish and chips he takes a trip on a deep sea trawler Birmingham Botanical Gardens edit In this episode Martin helps to restore Birmingham Botanical Gardens United Kingdom learning the Victorian method for glassblowing for the greenhouse panes rebuilding the very first lawnmower and for building a rockery He covers the engineering behind the Victorian fashion for collecting plants from around the world to be shown off in extravagant botanical gardens Guy Martin s Spitfire edit Guy Martin joins the two year restoration of an early model of Supermarine Spitfire Spitfire Mark Ia N3200 squadron code QV that had buried in a French beach for 46 years after being shot down during the Dunkirk evacuation and tells the Boy s Own style story of its pilot Squadron Leader Geoffrey Stephenson Saltwater corrosion ensured very little if anything was safely usable on the end aircraft Guy Martin Last Flight of the Vulcan Bomber edit In this feature length one off special Martin follows the final flights of the Cold War era Avro Vulcan Delta winged jet bomber XH558 Spirit of Great Britain Having been restored to flight in 2007 by a charitable trust it had been the last flying Vulcan performing displays every year until it was decided 2015 would be its last season due to its age and associated insurmountable engineering issues Its last flight occurred on 28 October 2015 Martin joins the team with four months left and once certified by the team s chief engineer is permitted to assist in preparing it for a 1 000 mile farewell tour as it is jacked up for a vertical alignment test Examining the design and history he also meets former Vulcan pilots and the Red Arrows who display with the aircraft and aerial footage tracks it on the tours Since in flight cockpit access is only granted to Vulcan crew he also flies alongside it in a formation with other aircraft He also takes the controls of one of the other surviving Vulcans in taxiable condition for a fast taxi manoeuvre ground run to the point of nose lift Racing and speed edit TT3D Closer to the Edge edit Main article TT3D Closer to the Edge TT3D Closer to the Edge is a documentary film about the Isle of Man TT races The film examines what motivates the riders who race the TT and risk everything to become King of the Mountain Filmed in 3D the film is a story about freedom of choice and the strength of human spirit The film follows the leading riders in the 2010 race meeting in particular Martin and Ian Hutchinson Speed with Guy Martin edit Main article Speed with Guy Martin In this series Martin attempts various challenges based on speed using a variety of vehicles mostly featuring record attempts Three series of four hour long episode were broadcast along with three special episodes This was despite Martin s reluctance to film a third series saying that he would prefer to move on while we are ahead continuing with a few one off specials 8 Episode list edit Source for episode titles and broadcast dates 119 Series No Episode Vehicle Original broadcast1 1 Britain s Fastest Cyclist bicycle 29 December 20132 Hydroplaning Bike motorcycle 5 January 20143 Human Powered Aircraft aircraft 12 January 20144 World s Fastest Toboggan gravity powered sled 19 January 20142 1 Tandem bicycle tandem 29 October 20142 Pike s Peak motorcycle 2 November 20143 Hovercraft hovercraft 9 November 20144 Gravity Racer soapbox 16 November 2014specials F1 Special motorcycle against Red Bull RB8 Formula One car 17 March 20163 1 Transit Van Transit van 4 September 20162 Pedal Power Airship airship 25 September 20163 World s Fastest Human Powered Boat boat 2 October 20164 World s Fastest Motorbike motorbike 9 October 2016specials F1 Challenge pit crew at 2017 Belgian Grand Prix 17 September 2017specials Classic F1 Special Williams FW08C Williams FW08B 27 August 2018specials Guy Goes Back to School Planned 1 September 2021Guy Martin s Wall of Death Live edit In this live special Martin attempted to set a world speed record on a purpose built version of the wall of death fairground attraction 120 It also featured recordings of Martin being trained by experienced rider Ken Fox on an existing wall to overcome dizziness and being given aerial training to overcome the chief limiting factor the effect of G force on the human body The science was explored by Hugh Hunt of Cambridge University revealing the equation G S2 25 D where G is G Force S is speed in mph and D is diameter of the wall in metres This revealed the chosen location a hangar on Manby Airfield would be too small for Martin s desired target of 100 mph but with a revised target of 80 mph while remaining below 7G the 37 5 metre wall that was ultimately built would suffice This would allow Martin to challenge a previous claimed record of around 70 mph which the programme believed was wrong determined through video analysis as having been 45 mph For the show Guinness World Records created a new record Highest speed on a Wall of Death and set an initial qualifying benchmark of 60 mph in one of two attempts On a first attempt using an Indian Scout motorcycle Martin managed to achieve 70 33 mph while on a second run on a bike purposely built by Martin a 1972 Rob North T160 Trident triple he extended the record to 125 77 km h 78 15 mph Prior to Martin s attempt on the smaller wall cyclist Shanaze Reade also set the Guinness record for Highest bicycle speed on a Wall of Death at 42 94 km h 26 68 mph 8 39 121 Autobiographical edit Guy Martin s Passion for Life edit This one off half hour programme explored various aspects of Martin s life It was a repackaging of material previously released as four 7 minute long online only episodes under Channel 4 s Shorts brand on their online platform 4oD Episodes Prized Possession and TT Racer were released on 18 August 2014 followed by Inside the Mind of a Racer and Proud Mechanic on 1 October 2014 Proud Possession focuses on his Merlin engine 122 Our Guy in Latvia edit Guy travelled to Latvia to investigate the history of the Latvian side of his family his deceased maternal grandfather Walter Kidals was a Latvian who had come to Britain in 1947 as a refugee from World War II The family knew little about his story even his wife had been unaware he was an orphan Born Waldemars Kidals the programme found that in 1941 he had been conscripted into the Latvian Legion part of the Axis Forces when Nazi Germany had occupied Latvia and later spent two years in a Belgian prisoner of war camp Having been exonerated by the post war trials and with Latvia now part of the Soviet Union all surviving former Latvian conscripts were allowed to settle in the United States and Britain as political refugees Walter opted for the UK travelling to Hull 4 123 In the programme Martin met surviving members of his family and visited the now cleared site of his family s former farmhouse Travelling in a 1982 Lada 1300S he also visited an immersive Cold War Russian prison experience and watched a reenactment of a battle between the Legion forces and the Soviet Red Army 4 123 Our Guy In India edit Martin is shown embarking on a 1 000 mile motorbike trip as he explores rarely seen aspects of modern India en route to Rider Mania described as one of the world s maddest bike races 124 Our Guy In China edit Martin s love of industry and endeavour leads him to China where he reveals the unseen side of its innovation technological development and gigantic manufacturing 125 Personal life editMartin lives in Kirmington 126 with his partner Sharon and their daughter Dottie 127 In 2017 Martin purchased the pub in his home village It is run by his elder sister 128 Personal machinery edit Martin owned a Merlin aero engine from a 1942 Lancaster bomber and a Scania 144 530 truck engine He also has a 1915 Amanco Chore Boy stationary engine with original low tension magneto in his kitchen 17 Martin owns a 2013 Ford Transit van and a unique Volvo Vox supercar 129 The van is for general transport while the Vox is just for special occasions 129 however he does his daily commute to his truck job on his mountain bike 11 He has owned various Vauxhall Astra vans until a bad example put him off the type 14 He now swears by the reliability of the Transit 33 driving it around 40 000 miles a year 17 He bought the Vox in 2012 from Koenigsegg engineer Mattias Vocks Based on a 1967 Volvo Amazon it was upgraded and customised by Vocks into an E85 biofuel powered 788 bhp vehicle which Martin claims has reached 205 mph on a racetrack 129 The Vox followed a string of high performance cars Martin bought for special occasions only ever owning one at a time and sometimes only owning his van 130 At age 21 he bought a BMW E46 M3 CSL 129 followed by a Porsche GT3 RS at age 24 14 then a new BMW E92 M3 V8 130 and lastly before the Vox a 2010 Aston Martin V12 Vantage bought new at age 28 130 Martin also owns a large collection of bicycles and motorcycles including a Bimota 17 In bicycles he has owned a Raleigh Chopper then a Raleigh Mustang Falcon Fattrack but describes his first proper bike as being a Whyte 46 bought in 2005 followed by an Orange 224 Scott Ransom 10 Alpine 160 finally settling on a Cotic 15 Legal issues editBy late 2011 he had accrued 21 penalty points on his standard UK driving licence having been caught speeding several times in his Ford Transit van He avoided a driving ban when on 18 points being given another three in lieu of a ban after the judge showed leniency due to the effect it would have on his livelihood had he lost it 129 15 After a period of driving like a saint he was expecting to have regained a clean record by April 2015 14 Following claims made in his 7 April 2015 Sunday Times review of the Aston Martin Vanquish in which he recounted testing the car on an early morning lap of the TT course police opened an investigation Driving almost the full length of the TT course joining at Quarterbridge garage and finishing at Governor s Bridge he said he was impressed at how fast it really was reaching 180 mph down Sulby Straight and becoming airborne at Ballacrye corner resulting in something like a 22 minute lap 33 On 27 May police confirmed that after taking advice from the Attorney General s Chambers they would be taking no further action while reminding residents and visitors that Where there is no upper speed limit road users must at all times be aware that there is a fine line between what is fast and what is dangerous 131 A few days later in a radio interview Martin repeated the claims and stated he had not broken the law as he had only reached high speeds on derestricted roads i e those with no upper speed limit 132 In November 2018 Martin appeared at Lincoln magistrates court in relation to Irish documentation submitted as part of an application for a UK driving licence The matter was escalated to Lincoln Crown Court as he pleaded not guilty opting for a jury trial After an initial hearing in December 2018 the matter was referred for trial in July 2019 133 134 135 Due to stand trial on 6 January 2020 in late December 2019 the two charges were dropped citing that Martin believed his licence from Northern Ireland was genuine giving him HGV entitlement and that his autism made him vulnerable enough for others to see him as an easy target and that he may well have been taken in by somebody 136 References edit a b Race results Guy Martin IoM tt com official website Retrieved 19 February 2018 Guy Martin He s most comfortable fixing lorries but TV has propelled the charming road racer to fame and fortune Belfast Telegraph 15 August 2015 Retrieved 4 June 2018 Guy Martin on his Volvo the fastest car in Britain Sunday Times Driving 15 October 2014 Retrieved 31 March 2016 a b c d e f Guy Martin my grandfather fought for the Nazis Telegraph co uk Retrieved 1 April 2016 Guy Martin to join Williams Martini Racing Pit Crew for the Belgian GP williamsf1 com 23 August 2017 Retrieved 23 August 2017 a b Tandragee 100 Guy Martin wins classic race as McLean taken to hospital and McGee takes four timer BBC Sport Northern Ireland 4 May 2019 Retrieved 8 June 2019 a b c d e f g h i j k l Guy Martin profile Jeremy Clarkson s perfect replacement on Top Gear The Independent 9 May 2015 Retrieved 31 March 2016 a b c d e f No one has ever done 100mph on the wall of death so we are going to give it a go Motorcycle News Retrieved 2 April 2016 Martin Guy 2014 My Autobiography p 47 ISBN 978 0 7535 5502 6 Martin Guy 2014 My Autobiography p 52 ISBN 978 0 7535 5502 6 a b c d e f g Sideburns and spanners Guy Martin interview Telegraph co uk Retrieved 7 April 2016 a b c Martin Guy 21 May 2015 Guy Martin My Autobiography Virgin Books pp 52 54 ISBN 9780753555033 a b c How Britain Worked Channel 4 Preview Telegraph co uk Retrieved 7 April 2016 a b c d e f Guy Martin on his Indian motorbike adventure Sunday Times Driving 2 February 2015 Retrieved 8 April 2016 a b c d Guy Martin Riding with the Isle of Man TT ace MBR MBR 29 November 2011 Retrieved 8 April 2016 a b c d e Fox Leonard Boudicca 10 November 2015 Guy Martin believes if he reaches age 40 he ll have done alright mirror Retrieved 9 April 2016 a b c d About Guy Channel 4 Retrieved 9 April 2016 Guy Martin Riding with the Isle of Man TT ace MBR MBR 29 November 2011 Retrieved 9 April 2016 BBC Sport TAS team set to link up with BMW for road race season BBC Sport BBC Sport Isle of Man TT 2015 Guy Martin excited by BMW TT package BBC Sport a b c d End of the road for Guy Martin as he skips North West 200 and Isle of Man TT BelfastTelegraph co uk Belfasttelegraph Retrieved 9 April 2016 a b c Guy Martin s world record bid shelved until 2016 following Ulster Grand Prix crash Belfast Telegraph 14 August 2015 Retrieved 22 August 2015 Sweeting Adam 14 March 2016 David Coulthard and Guy Martin interview the boy racers who turned down Top Gear The Telegraph Retrieved 8 April 2016 a b Lamont Tom 7 December 2014 I love racing because it can kill you says bike racer Guy Martin The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 8 April 2016 Guy Martin signs with new team for TT Commercial Motor 18 January 2017 Retrieved 18 January 2017 Martin Guy 8 May 2014 Guy Martin My Autobiography Random House ISBN 9780753549957 Grimsby biker s bestseller puts a spanner in the literati Thesundaytimes co uk Archived from the original on 1 July 2014 Retrieved 31 March 2016 Martin Guy 22 October 2015 Guy Martin When You Dead You Dead Ebury Publishing ISBN 9780753556764 Bestselling celebrity autobiographies of 2015 Evening Standard 14 December 2015 Retrieved 31 March 2016 Martin Guy 1 January 2012 How Britain Worked Ebury Publishing ISBN 9780753540848 Martin Guy 1 December 2013 Speed How to Make Things Go Really Fast Ebury Publishing ISBN 9780753541067 Guy Martin Contributors Sunday Times Driving Sunday Times Driving Retrieved 8 April 2016 a b c Guy Martin drives Aston Martin Vanquish Carbon Edition 2015 Sunday Times Driving 7 April 2015 Retrieved 8 April 2016 Guy Martin drives Range Rover Sport SVR 2015 Sunday Times Driving 26 May 2015 Retrieved 8 April 2016 Guy Martin reviews the 2016 Ford Mustang GT Sunday Times Driving February 2016 Retrieved 8 April 2016 Guy Martin on his Volvo the fastest car in Britain Sunday Times Driving 15 October 2014 Retrieved 8 April 2016 The Wall of Death Guy Martin s biggest challenge yet Sunday Times Driving 19 October 2015 Retrieved 8 April 2016 Video Watch Guy Martin speed to sled world record Guinness World Records 20 January 2014 Retrieved 2 April 2016 a b c British motorcycle racer Guy Martin smashes Wall of Death world record after reaching 78 mph Guinness World Records 29 March 2016 Retrieved 2 April 2016 McNair Andrew 14 November 2014 Speedster comes up short in record attempt dailyrecord Retrieved 4 April 2016 Guy Martin to attempt 400mph land speed record BBC News 13 July 2015 Retrieved 2 April 2016 Guy Martin Joins Triumph in Attempt to Reclaim Land Speed Record Motorcycle com News 9 July 2015 Retrieved 2 April 2016 Guy Martin and Triumph Attempt to Bring the Record Back Home Channel 4 Info Press Channel4 com Retrieved 2 April 2016 Guy Martin s Best Bits All3mediainternational com Retrieved 10 March 2022 History man Hutchinson makes it a clean sweep at the 2010 TT Isle of Man TT ACU Events Ltd 11 June 2010 Archived from the original on 13 June 2010 Retrieved 14 June 2010 Buckmaster launches scathing attack on Martin crash net Crash Media Group 21 June 2010 Retrieved 22 June 2010 Buckmaster tells fans to get courage or shut up crash net Crash Media Group 7 July 2010 Retrieved 7 July 2010 a b Ian Hutchinson clinches five timer at Isle of Man TT BBC Sport BBC 11 June 2010 Retrieved 11 June 2010 a b How Britain Worked Channel 4 Preview Telegraph co uk Retrieved 6 April 2016 Guy Martin s North West 200 Crash 2WheelTuesday 21 May 2012 Retrieved 21 October 2012 Manx Radio The Isle of Man s Premier Radio Station www manxradiott365 com Archived from the original on 2 January 2014 Retrieved 22 May 2022 Isle of Man TT ITV Sport Itv com 27 May 2011 Retrieved 21 October 2012 Isle of Man TT Races Fuelled by Monster Energy Positions at the end of Lap One Iomtt com Archived from the original on 26 October 2012 Retrieved 21 October 2012 a b c d e f 2012 TT Results Archived from the original on 14 June 2012 Almeria next up after positive test for TYCO BMW at Cartagena tycobmw com a b c SPRING CUP VICTORY FOR MARTIN amp TYCO BMW tycobmw com COOKSTOWN 100 DOUBLE FOR GUY MARTIN amp TYCO BMW tycobmw com a b c BBC Sport North West 200 Chicanes a pain says frustrated Guy Martin BBC Sport North West 200 Guy Martin should question himself not the track says Phillip McCallen BelfastTelegraph co uk a b c d BBC Sport Guy Martin explains his North West 200 chicanery BBC Sport a b BBC Sport Seeley matches Dunlop s NW 200 record after two more wins BBC Sport a b c d e Race Results Guy Martin Isle of Man TT official website iomtt com Guy Martin joins 132mph club iomtt com a b c d e f g h Isle of Man Examiner p 32 July 14 20 2015 Guy Martin pulls out of Southern 100 Energyfm net Retrieved 10 March 2022 Honda confirms Guy Martin and John McGuinness for IoM TT 2017 Itv com 18 January 2017 Guy Martin to return to Cookstown 100 and Tandragee 100 road races in April Bbc co uk 20 March 2017 Guy Martin escapes injury as he crashes out of opening race at Tandragee 100 Bbc co uk 22 April 2017 Guy Martin crashes out of Tandragee comeback race ITV News 22 April 2017 Retrieved 10 March 2022 a b Cookstown 100 William Dunlop edges Supersport thriller Newsletter co uk 28 April 2017 Retrieved 10 March 2022 a b c d e North West 200 practice Bbc co uk 2 May 2017 TT Honda in crisis after McGuinness crash Motorcyclenews com Retrieved 10 March 2022 a b Supersport Race PDF Northwest200 org May 2017 Retrieved 10 March 2022 2017 Results amp Timings Northwest200 org Retrieved 10 March 2022 a b desk Road racing 4 June 2017 TT 2017 Bruised wrist for Martin after Superbike crash Bikesport News TT 2017 Tough start for Honda and Guy Martin Motorcyclenews com Retrieved 10 March 2022 No Southern comfort for Guy Grimsbytelegraph co uk 4 July 2017 Honda Racing calendar 2017 Retrieved 29 August 2017 Honda Racing at Autosport Directory Retrieved 29 August 2017 Guy Martin out of Ulster Grand Prix Visordown com Retrieved 10 March 2022 Exclusive Guy Martin calls time on road racing Motor Cycle News Authors Oli Rushby and Matt Wildee Published 26 July 2017 Retrieved 30 July 2018 Guy Martin no show for Cookstown 100 Belfast Newsletter 25 April 2019 Retrieved 8 June 2019 http www iomtt com en TT 2009 permanent dead link 2010 TT Results Isle of Man TT ACU Events Ltd 11 June 2010 Archived from the original on 16 June 2010 Retrieved 14 June 2010 http www iomtt com en TT 2011 2011 TT Results aspx permanent dead link Untitled Document southern100 com Archived from the original on 22 July 2015 Retrieved 19 July 2015 Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing s Guy Martin left his leathers at home last weekend to tackle the toughest one day Mountain Bike race in the world the Salzkammergut Trophy in Austria Sunday Life Belfast Northern Ireland Archived from the original on 4 May 2016 Retrieved 9 April 2016 Guy Martin My Autobiography p 167 at Google books Retrieved 21 November 2017 The King And The Joker Guy Martin And Jason Miles Singletrack 5 January 2016 Retrieved 8 April 2018 Macleod John 23 January 2015 Snow ice blue skies and darkness make for the perfect Puffer at Strath Ross shire Journal Retrieved 8 April 2018 Guy Martin finishes world s toughest mountain bike race Motorcycle News 1 July 2017 Retrieved 21 November 2017 a b c The Boat That Guy Built BBC One BBC Retrieved 31 March 2016 How Britain Worked Channel 4 Retrieved 5 April 2016 a b c Watch How Britain Worked Season 1 Full Episodes OVGuide Archived from the original on 18 April 2016 Retrieved 5 April 2016 a b Speed with Guy Martin Channel 4 Retrieved 5 April 2016 Guy Martin s Spitfire Channel 4 Retrieved 5 April 2016 Guy Martin s Passion for Life Channel 4 Retrieved 5 April 2016 a b Our Guy in India Channel 4 Retrieved 5 April 2016 Guy Martin Last Flight of the Vulcan Bomber Channel 4 Retrieved 5 April 2016 Our Guy in Latvia Channel 4 Retrieved 5 April 2016 Guy Martin s Wall of Death Live Channel 4 Retrieved 2 April 2016 Our Guy in China Channel 4 Retrieved 21 November 2016 Guy Martin s WWI Tank Channel 4 Retrieved 19 November 2017 Guy Martin vs the Robot Car Channel 4 Retrieved 26 November 2017 a b Our Guy in Russia All 4 Channel4 com Retrieved 3 August 2018 Guy Martin The World s Fastest Van Channel 4 Retrieved 4 November 2018 Guy Martin s D Day Landing Channel 4 Retrieved 2 June 2019 Our Guy in Japan Our Guy in Japan Channel 4 Retrieved 1 January 2020 Guy Martin World s Fastest Tractor Channel 4 Retrieved 17 November 2019 Guy Martin s Great Escape Guy Martin s Great Escape Channel 4 Retrieved 2 January 2020 Guy Martin s Best Bits tvmaze com Retrieved 5 September 2021 Guy Martin s Battle of Britain radiotimes com Retrieved 12 April 2021 Guy Martin The World s Fastest Electric Car radiotimes com Retrieved 2 August 2021 Channel 4 commissions Guy s Garage from North One TV channel4 com press Retrieved 13 November 2021 Guy Martin s Lancaster Bomber radiotimes com Retrieved 10 December 2021 Guy Martin s Power Trip channel4 com Retrieved 20 February 2023 Our Guy In Colombia channel4 com Retrieved 18 July 2023 The Boat that Guy Built BBC History Magazine Archived from the original on 24 September 2015 Retrieved 23 February 2010 Speed with Guy Martin Channel 4 Retrieved 23 October 2018 Thorpe Vanessa 26 March 2016 Guy Martin attempts to beat wall of death speed record on live TV The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 2 April 2016 Hunt Hugh 31 March 2016 Science behind remarkable new Wall of Death motorcycle world record The Conversation Retrieved 2 April 2016 Channel 4 announces one off Guy Martin show for Christmas Channel 4 Info Press Channel4 com Retrieved 5 April 2016 a b Our Guy in Latvia Channel 4 review the magic was missing Telegraph co uk Retrieved 1 April 2016 Our Guy in India Channel 4 Our Guy in China Channel 4 Guy Martin reveals his North Lincolnshire home is where his heart is in new book When You Dead You Dead Scunthorpetelegraph co uk Retrieved 14 February 2018 Guy Martin is a dad as partner Sharon gives birth to daughter and the baby s name is ace Grimsby Telegraph 25 October 2017 Retrieved 26 October 2017 Speed star Guy Martin breathes life back into village where he grew up by buying the local pub Mirror 24 December 2016 Retrieved 15 September 2017 a b c d e Guy Martin on his Volvo the fastest car in Britain Sunday Times Driving 15 October 2014 Retrieved 4 April 2016 a b c Guy Martin and his Aston Martin V12 Vantage Evo Retrieved 10 April 2016 Guy Martin will face no police action over 180mph claim BBC News 27 May 2015 Retrieved 8 April 2016 Isle of Man TT 2015 Guy Martin confirms driving at up to 180mph in Aston Martin supercar but did not break the law Scunthorpe Telegraph Archived from the original on 8 November 2015 Retrieved 8 April 2016 Guy Martin in court accused of dodgy driving licence offences Grimsby Live 17 November 2018 Retrieved 17 December 2018 Guy Martin appears in court on fake licence charges and interrupts judge TWICE Grimsby Live 17 December 2018 Retrieved 17 December 2018 Guy Martin pleads not guilty over false driving licence charges BBC News 17 December 2018 Retrieved 17 December 2018 Fake licence charges against Guy Martin dropped BBC News Lincolnshire 27 December 2018 Retrieved 27 December 2019External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guy Martin Official website Guy Martin at www iomtt com Guy Martin at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Guy Martin amp oldid 1193740264, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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