Perry McCarthy aka The Stig

Perry McCarthy aka the original Stig from BBC Top Gear

At the age of 45, Perry McCarthy is one of Britain’s top racing drivers and is already part of motor racing folklore. His appeal however has been dramatically widened to car lovers everywhere after being disclosed as ‘The Stig’ (the secret racing driver in black) as seen on BBC Top Gear

McCarthy’s rise through the ranks along with close ‘Rat Pack’ friends Damon Hill, Johnny Herbert and Mark Blundell, has been against all odds and in a sport dominated by finance he recalls how he ‘started with nothing and then lost it all!’

Perry’s 10-year fight to reach the sport’s elite paid off in 1992 when he was chosen to drive for the fledgling Andrea Moda Formula One organisation. The dream however turned into a nightmare as the team stumbled from one disaster to the next and in recent years he has turned his attention away from Grand Prix to Le Mans and the demands of Sports Prototype racing.

As always, Perry’s exploits are well chronicled but when he is on the track his talent and determination shine through. His sense of humour is legendary and is frequently aired in his articles for leading publications and in his work as a TV commentator and programme presenter.

McCarthy’s bubbly personality and absolute refusal to concede defeat have made him popular with the press; The Telegraph headlined him as ‘a new cult hero’ The Times called him ‘the world’s unluckiest racing driver’ and America’s Sunday Express described him as a ‘comedian locked inside a racing drivers body’.

In a career spanning over twenty years, McCarthy is still smiling and still fighting. However, away from the track, Perry has used his experiences to become a superb ‘after dinner‘ and ‘motivational’ speaker who gives a highly amusing insight to the world’s most glamorous sport.

His hilarious autobiography Flat Out, Flat Broke, launched in July 2002, has already become a motor racing best seller and has received rave reviews:

Speech Testimonials

Bang & Olufsen UK have used Perry McCarthy on many occasions as a guest speaker for our highly discerning customer network. Perry's talks never fail to impress, amuse and delight the audience ... is there no end to this man's library of tales? - Graeme Taylor, Marketing Manager, Bang & Olufsen

With Perry you can always guarantee that your guests are going to have a fun time. His ability to grab everyone's attention and make them laugh has ensured that we book him on a regular basis - David Ingram - Audi PR Manager

If Perry's motor sport successes mirrored his guest speaking acumen he would have been a world champion many times over! I have been delighted to work with Perry on a number of very high profile events for Auto Express magazine and he's always delivered the goods professionally and above all entertainingly, prepared to do that little bit extra to make things work. We'll be working together again soon and I look forward to it! - Phil Parker, Group Publishing Director, Auto Express & Evo

Perry is a one-off when it comes to TV. He's one of life's bubbly characters and is a real plus for a programme maker. Add to the mix his knowledge of Motor Racing, and he was certainly one of the stars of our show. - Charles Balchin Executive Producer Sky Sports F1 Digital +

“Thanks Perry: like all good men, you rose to the occasion on the night! A spot-on speech, beautifully crafted with just the right amount of humour. Not only did an international audience welcome having you there as 'anchor-man', but our client appreciated the way you understood the message they wanted to deliver, and integrated this with top audience entertainment. And from our point of view, you were a (diamond) pleasure to work with." - Juliet Jarvis, Director of RSM ref Automobili Lamborghini event

Communications Experience

TV Presenter /Journalist/commentator

Over 300 events as

• After Dinner Speaker
• Motivational Speaker
• Master of Ceremonies
• Question & Answer sessions
• Guest Interviewer
• Guest Interviewee
• Presentations
• Corporate Videos

Comments on his book

• ‘Perry McCarthy does for Formula One what Bill Bryson did for travel writing. But beneath the black humour and wisecracks – funny enough to make you laugh out loud in public – lies an inspiring and at times poignant tale of that rarest kind of racer: one who never gave up and was, literally, prepared to die trying.’
The Independent on Sunday

• ‘Perry McCarthy has always been excellent at describing his career in a series of memorable anecdotes, and here they are, strung together in book form. The reader is frequently left racked with sympathy at the author’s outrageous misfortune, or in convulsive sobs of laughter. This is an utterly fantastic read.’
MotorSport magazine

• ‘Sometimes books, like cigarette packets, should come with a surgeons health warning. Flat Out Flat Broke is a case in point, not just because it contains photographs of the author in the long forgotten days of his early childhood, but because it will make your stomach ache from laughing.’
F1 Magazine

• ‘…. A fantastic funny story
(book of the week) The London Evening Standard

• ‘His engaging story of a less-than-smooth life in motor racing exudes his own cockney energy and enthusiasm and is a charming feel good tale that shows you can get what you want if you want it badly enough’
Scottish Sunday Express

• ‘The James Hunt impressions, the Ayrton Senna pizza delivery, the Rat Pack stories - the laughs come thick and fast in Perry McCarthy’s fantastic new book, Flat Out Flat Broke …’
Daily Express