NEW RELEASE: FLAT OUT, FLAT BROKE by Perry McCarthy, the original Stig!

Sunday, March 22, 2015

NEW RELEASE: FLAT OUT, FLAT BROKE by Perry McCarthy, the original Stig!

Hi everybody! Today we've got a special treat--the re-release of Perry McCarthy's autobiography! I've been a fan of the BBC's "Top Gear" for many years, so I'm really enjoying getting to know more about the original "Stig"! (If you don't know who the Stig is, he's "the tame racing driver" the show uses for any number of segments. He's been played by several drivers, but Perry is the first and the original!)

10 Facts about Perry McCarthy THE ORIGINAL STIG

Autobiography: Flat Out, Flat Broke
(Foreword by 1996 World Formula One Champion Damon Hill)

1. Perry McCarthy did not start racing until the very late age of 19.

2. Perry worked on North Sea oil rigs to initially fund his start in the junior categories of motor sport. He had success very early and became Formula Ford before a huge crash broke his back and sidelined him for a year.

3. Using every moment he had, Perry relentlessly pushed to gain sponsorship and support to move up the notoriously difficult motor racing ladder. Gradually, his talent and determination was recognised and against all odds he went on to compete in Formula 3 and International F3000 before moving across to America where he set the US scene on fire with spectacular performances in the prestigious IMSA racing championship.

4. In 1992, Perry received the call he’d been working towards for over 10 years and joined the new Andrea Moda Formula One team to compete in the F1 World Championship. However ... the team made headlines for the wrong reasons and Perry narrowly avoided serious injury, at the very least, when his steering jammed at 170mph.

5. After Grand Prix racing, Perry was chosen by top level works manufacturers such as Lotus, Chrysler, Panoz and Audi to race in the sports cars and GT World Championship including the famous Le Mans 24 hours and the USA’s Sebring 12 hours and Daytona 24 hours.

6. In 2002, Perry McCarthy made motoring history by becoming the very first masked driver known as THE STIG with BBC’s "Top Gear" television program. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, "Top Gear" is the most widely watched factual television program in the world. "Top Gear" plays in 214 territories worldwide and has an estimated global audience of 350 million. It set viewer records for an unscripted series on BBC America in 2013. “Who is the Stig” became the second highest search term on Google.

7. After leaving Formula 1 and just prior to becoming the STIG, Perry McCarthy wrote a hilarious autobiographical account of his racing fortunes and his many misfortunes fittingly titled Flat Out, Flat Broke. This was later followed by paperback editions which brought his amazing and inspirational story up to date with a behind the scenes look at life as The Stig! Flat Out, Flat Broke is now inside the Top 20 bestselling motorsports books of all time.

8. Following two seasons of establishing the STIG’s identity on BBC’s "Top Gear," Perry left the show in dramatic style. Viewers were shown him racing along the runway of the British Aircraft Carrier HMS Invincible whilst at sea. But, his brakes apparently failed and the car was filmed "flying" off the end of the ship at over 100mph and into the sea. RIP STIG (presumed dead) before being reincarnated as The White STIG. A YouTube clip of The STIG's departure from "Top Gear," viewed in excess of 2 million times, can be found here: https://youtu.be/_eiJkQzpzRc

9. With Kindle and eBooks becoming ever so popular, Perry McCarthy has re-covered his highly acclaimed autobiography, added several new pictures from his private collection, and released the book onto Amazon Kindle.

10. Perry McCarthy currently writes humorous and informative articles for the world’s foremost motor racing magazine. He also travels the world as a leading inspirational, motivational and after-dinner speaker for major corporations.