Guy Martin: Top Gun, airing on Channel 4 this Sunday, features the former motorbike racer constructing a jet engine in his shed. His aim is to comprehend the technology's original inventor, Sir Frank Whittle.
Given the significant impact of jet travel on climate change, Guy seeks less harmful alternatives before embarking on a journey to the Swiss Alps to pilot a fighter jet through the mountains. Guy's adventurous life and fascination with motors began at the tender age of 12.
As a youngster, he was captivated by engines, often dismantling lawnmowers to discover ways to enhance their speed. While serving his apprenticeship as a lorry mechanic, he began racing motorbikes during his leisure time.
At just 18, he relocated to Ireland to join Team Racing, eventually becoming a well-known figure in motorsport. The 42-year-old from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, was named Guy in honour of Guy Gibson of No.617 Squadron RAF, reports Grimsby Live.
Wing Commander Guy Gibson was a renowned bomber pilot in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
Guy's father, Ian, was a successful privateer motorbike racer who competed in Isle of Man TT events. However, needing to earn more, he took up work as a lorry mechanic and bike salesman.
His mother, Rita Kidals, was of Latvian descent, her father having arrived in Britain in 1947 as a political refugee.
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TV presenter Guy has opened up about his family dynamics, including a brother who is not only a truck mechanic but also a motorbike racer, and a sister who made motorsport history as the first female mechanic in the BSB paddock. The siblings grew up immersed in the world of racing, attending every Isle of Man TT with their father until a severe accident in 1988 put an end to his racing career post-recovery.
Despite this, Guy credits his unyielding work ethic to his dad's influence.
Currently, Guy resides near Grasby in North Lincolnshire with his partner Sharon and their daughter Dottie. In his best-selling book, We Need to Weaken the Mixture, Guy humorously reveals disagreements over Dottie's future career choices.
He shared: "I keep telling people I would like Dot to be a welder, because women are supposed to make better welders than men. Shazza doesn't agree with my career plans. She says Dot will be whatever she wants to be."
