Guy Martin reminds me of someone you might come across in an old-style pub. Full of stories that are so astonishing that you can’t quite believe them until the pub landlord confirms that yes, he really did set a speed record on a wall of death shortly after breaking his spine in a motorcycling accident.
Thanks to his regular TV appearances, there are no doubts about whether Martin’s amazing tales are true.
The truck fitter and bike racer from Lincolnshire has developed a dedicated following with stunts that even the Top Gear guys would think twice about attempting.
In this, his third volume of memoirs (if that’s not too grand a term for the work of such a down to earth character) he describes a year of activity that will probably have you questioning whether you couldn’t fit a bit more in to life.
Lying in a hospital bed in August 2015 recovering from his second spinal fracture, Martin understandably decided to take a break from motorsport. You might think that would mean doing a spot of gardening, lying on a beach maybe, or just chilling in front of the TV. You might, but Guy Martin wouldn’t.
Whether he’s cycling the length of America, trying to become the fastest person ever on two wheels, or just visiting Latvia to look at his family tree, here is a man determined to live life to the full. While he acknowledges his good fortune to have fallen into a TV career, he also admits that when he leaves the cameras behind he gets no special treatment from his boss at the lorry yard.
If his boss has read any of Martin’s books and still doesn’t ask him what he has been up to while he’s been away, he’s clearly a very hard man to impress.
There's a book for that 