Guy's Thoughts

Guy Martin is publicly admired for his straightforwardness and honesty, but interviewing him is confusing and chaotic – particularly when he constantly refers to Brian, the monkey on his back, and Nigel, his beloved dog with a zeal for revolution. Great minds often reveal a hint of madness…

- George Barrow

Have you seen Fight Club? If you have, you’ll know that the first rule is not to talk about Fight Club – but indulge me for a moment. Ed Norton plays an unnamed character, the narrator, who befriends a soap maker called Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt.

The pair’s mutual interest, as the title suggests, is a secret underground fighting club that Norton and Pitt are at the centre of. It’s been nearly 20 years since the film was first released, so you’ll have to excuse the spoiler that is about to come, but Pitt’s character, the borderline psychotic Durden, is in fact a figment of Norton’s imagination. He’s the charming, macho, aggressive alter ego to Norton’s modest, quiet and anxious character, and is hell bent on civil unrest and anarchy.

Revolting canine

Why am I telling you this? Well, it’s not because I think Guy Martin has a Tyler Durden hidden inside of him, that is for sure, but it’s because Guy brought up the film while talking with us. He seems to think his dog has a touch of the Ed Norton about him – an alter ego with a zeal for revolution.

You’ll probably know the man from the television and his numerous Speed with Guy Martin programmes, where he helps design and build something fast for him to race to set a terrifying speed record. He’s been incredibly successful at it, bagging a number of world and British records.

Many of you may know him for his 17 podiums at the Isle of Man TT and his impressive career as a motorbike road racer, while some will know him simply as a truck mechanic who works for Mick Moody at Moody International in Grimsby.