SUSO

FLY GUY

“THERE'S NO REASON WHY NOT, I'VE GOT ARMS AND LEGS LIKE THE NEXT MAN - IT'S ALL DOWN TO WHAT'S UPSTAIRS.”
GUY MARTIN

Crowd favourites usually adhere to certain characteristics: The plucky lad who came from nothing, or the practical joker, or the enigmatic genius with a weakness for booze and women. Occasionally though, one comes along that breaks the mould. Guy Martin ticks all the right boxes - lad next door, joker, raconteur, prodigious talent. But what’s this? No scandal? No self-destruction? No. A healthy liver, no evidence of a leather-clad role-play dungeon, no gambling addiction. Just a lunatic virtuoso with skill beyond his years and unflinching courage in his convictions.

This weekend sees the start of the 2008 Isle of Man TT race. A total of 226 people have died at the event that attracts crowds of over 60,000 to the small, self-governing island off the north-west coast of England. The highest average speed around the 37 mile course is 130 mph. Thats average speed. Riders reach 200 mph plus in places. I get a speed wobble on my push-bike when I hit about 20 mph, clearly I’m not cut out for this level of extraordinary pace. It takes men like Guy Martin. At 26 he is young for the event. Most riders are well into their 30’s before they have learnt and mastered the unforgiving circuit. Yet beneath the jocular story-telling, youthful zest and effervescent exterior lurks a restless soul fuelled by ruthless single-mindedness. “I’m there to win everything. I’m not going to my grave till i’ve won a TT.”

In a sport where the margins are decided not by hit or miss but by life or death, the personalities mean that little bit more because every fan, every journalist, every watching family knows that death lies around each corner, and each undulation is potentially fatal.

Let’s hope they get round in one piece. As for Guy, he seemed pretty relaxed before the recent North West 200 race and no doubt will carry that attitude through to the TT:

Categories Sport Tags Bikes determination north west 200 Sport

By on 30/5/08