Guy Martin gets to make like Steve Mcqueen on a very famous Triumph
The TV presenter and former TT racer attempts to recreate the iconic film stunt – but on a very different Triumph
He looks at the bike which Bud Ekins flew over the fence on and smiles as he takes it all in. “It’s spot on, man. Spot on. In fact, for me it’s too perfect. Dick has done such a good job of it. My father has restored AJS and Matchless singles and they’re too nice as well – too nice to ride. I like to see a few dints and some paint missing,” says lorry mechanic, motorcycle racer and TV presenter Guy Martin. And then he looks at the exhaust pipes before adding: “OK, there are a few dints in it!”
He helped long-time Triumph staffers Nick Wilson and Dean Arnott prepare the Triumph Scrambler 1200 for North One Television’s latest programme, Guy Martin’s Great Escape. “The Scrambler has twice as much power as the motocross racer I’ve been practising the jump on, but the power is much more useable,” he says. “There’s so much low-down torque, it’s really userfriendly. Almost like riding an old plodder!”
One of the reasons he wanted to jump the 12ft fence was because he wanted to understand the physics behind making it a success. “I wanted to know how to work out the angle and speed to get the height and distance we needed. We started with the ramp at a 26° angle, but I was coming down almost vertically and – bang! I was landing like a sack of shite.” Reducing the angle meant he flew further and carried the momentum forward, making landing much more bearable. He’d soon had enough of practising – after too many hard landings, his ankle was playing up. The stunt co-ordinators had finished the centre section of the fence. “It’s time for shit or bust,” said Guy. “I’m only doing this once.”
See if Guy succeeded in Guy Martin’s Great Escape, which will be shown on Channel 4 on December 8