In order to understand the man, I guess you have to split him into two parts; On one side, you have the charisma and his outright ability of a racer, which although he's never won a TT, his career is pretty impressive, and he's been right up there on the Island before, just not quite clinched that win. On the other side though, there's the side of him that has seen to make enemies of those around him, and upset officials and his own team. He goes to these races fully understanding the rules, and then moans, very publicly, when they won't bend them for him (think the pit lane speed limiter incident, for example) I've now read both his books, and whilst I want to like him, there's too much arrogance and willingness to point the finger for my liking. As a race team, you take the victories as a team, and unfortunately, you also take the losses as a team. He seems to want to blame everyone but himself, and I'm sure it's by no coincidence that he's been through so many teams, and many wouldn't have him back You can argue that he likes to keep himself to himself, which is why he shy's away from all the media attention and people turning up wanted his autograph, and in some cases he's quite rude to them However, if you're prepared to take money from TV companies and sign very lucrative book deals, you're putting yourself in the public spotlight, so have to take the attention that comes as part and parcel of that cash His books go on and on about the fact that he's just a 'lorry mechanic' and that's the most important thing to him, but in reality, it sounds almost like he's trying to convince himself. I don't know the guy, so can't make a judgment myself, but a good friend, and someone whose opinion I trust worked as a mechanic for one of the other IOM teams one year, and said through meeting him a few times, that he just behaves like a spoilt little brat, and throws his toys out the pram when he can't get his own way - this seems consistent with how he comes across in his books and limited media spotlight Maybe his aspergers goes someway to explain those actions, but in terms of how he seems to have take to fame, well, you make your own bed when you cash the cheques, so he'll just have to take the life he's made for himself Personally though, I'd have loved to see him take a win at the IOM, and I think the sport will be poorer without him as I expect he'll not be coming back
A former colleague of mine met him at a mountain bike event a few years ago and said he was very open and more than willing to chat. I guess it just depends what mood he is in and what is on his mind at that point in time; a bit like all of us really.
But then what should the cut off be? Should it be 40mph +/- 5%? I bet they'd all be setting their limiters to 42mph!
I love all his programmes, love his ways and how excitable he is, he is a way better presenter than he thinks he is. However because of his well documented issues with the spotlight I think every headline gets amped up, sure it's a big deal he isn't doing the TT but last year he very publicly said he wasn't sure he would, yet the press will be desperately trying to get a 'controversial' quote out of him to run another 5 stories with! He can be a drama queen from the looks of things but honestly most of the races act pretty 'entitled'...
Yeah, it was 0.1 mph, but rules are rules, and as said above, if they put a tolerance to it, everyone would set at the upper tolerance level
My nephew has asphergers and everything is black or white there is no in between and social skills are very hard for him He can't read body language You can't lie to him either he is very intelligent He also talks with passion what he enjoys and knows every minute detail so you can't fool him He hates and social gatherings and tolerates with limited attention span family gatherings He gets angry moments but has been taught how to handle them I see this in Guy My nephew is a cool dude and I have a soft spot for Guy knowing how difficult it must be dealing and quite well with an uncomfortable situation for him Our Guy in Latvia - All 4 A good watch
Interesting article about Dr Hans Asperger on NPR today: Was The Discoverer Of Autism A Nazi? : Shots - Health News : NPR
I'm neither a total fan Guy Martin nor one of those people who can't stand him. I like him more as a TV presenter than as a racer. I particularly loved "Our Guy In India" as I could totally relate to the mix of wonder and horror he experienced as a 1st time visitor to India. He had, in my view, "the right attitude" to India, open-minded but not uncritical, and displayed a warmth and interest in those he met (e.g. his encounter with the middle-aged woman changing lorry tyres in old Delhi). Likewise with the Spitfire programme, his willingness to get his hands dirty and get stuck in, or in the bicycle speed record, the way he is not afraid of what he'd no doubt call "hard graft" is refreshing to see. Where something captures his attention and he throws himself into it 100% it makes for great viewing. However as a bike racer, he has always come across to me as a bit too prone to throwing his toys out of the pram when things don't go his way. Yes, he's got talent, but the racing world doesn't revolve around him the way he appears to think it does. In my eyes at least, he has not grown or matured as a racer or as a person in the way that Michael Dunlop has in the last few years. Yes, the 2016 TT won't be the same without him (if only because of the way he attracts media attention) but the racing will be every bit as good without him. I'd be much more concerned if someone said McGuinness wasn't going to race.
Some of my friends do the Strathpuffer (a yearly 24hr mountain bike race that's on this coming weekend) and Guy Martin has taken part in that for a few years now. They say he's open, friendly, very approachable and not at all up himself. I've never met him but there's nothing I've seen that would make me think otherwise. He just seems like a decent bloke.
Be a shame for him not to be there this year, and I think he will be winding his racing career down by the looks of it over next few years. I agree , maybe not everyone's cup of tea, however a fantastically skilled and fast rider , with the size of gonads required to race the IOM. Respect.
I think he got riled up because he asked how they calibrated it and to what margins and the organiser's couldn't explain themselves. So his argument was, one persons speed is not another person's speed. Most speedos are slightly different. It needs to be done properly with certificated equipment. Who's to say their measurements were right ? I get what he is saying to be honest. If they didn't have proper calibrated equipment for such an event that is seriously wrong.
Surely something the team should have asked before the race? Also he was the only 1 to be caught wasn't he? Could it have been operator error?
Who knows. For sure he threw his toys out of the pram. And he does have a bit of a track record for it. IIRC he lost his licence over a silly incident in bsb and slammed a certain someone's fingers in his laptop. But if I was caught speeding I would want to see calibration certification. I'm sure everyone would.
But if there was something wrong with the equipment surely everyone would have been over the limit. That would surely be enough proof of calibration. Seems to me there was nothing wrong with the timings. Why not just say 'I messed up'?
I'm not disagreeing with you pal. Just stating at such a minor margin I'd have expected proof as well. It is odd that the other front runners didn't get caught up in it. But such a fine margins and such highly strung bikes and riders. 0.1mph could even be a shift in the seat lol.
