Perry McCarthy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Perry McCarthy
Nationality	British
World Championship Career
Active years	1992
Team(s)	Andrea Moda
Races	11 (0 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podium finishes	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First race	1992 Brazilian Grand Prix


Last race	1992 Italian Grand Prix

Perry McCarthy (born March 3, 1961) is a British racing driver. Born in London, McCarthy did not have the typical beginnings of a Formula One driver. Forced to work for his father's company servicing North Sea oil rigs in order to survive, his early career was a constant struggle against wealthy opponents who were able to dedicate themselves entirely to motor sport.

Working his way through the junior categories of motor sport in Europe, such as Formula Ford, Formula 3 and eventually F3000, McCarthy gained a reputation for being both talented and unpredictable.

In 1991, McCarthy was chosen to test for the Footwork (previously and subsequently Arrows) Formula One team. Although he impressed the team his break did not come until the eve of the 1992 Formula One season, when he was signed by the independent Andrea Moda team. Sadly the team was both uncompetitive and poorly managed, and after a lengthy battle to gain an FIA Super Licence the season soon descended into farce. McCarthy, frequently denied more than a handful of laps in which to prepare at each event, failed to qualify once. The team folded before the end of the season in controversial circumstances and McCarthy was left without a drive.

McCarthy never raced in Formula One after 1992, but tested for both Williams and Benetton teams during the 1990s.

After a brief retirement, McCarthy returned to sports car racing, appearing at Le Mans in 2002 and numerous other events. In 2002, he released his autobiography entitled Flat Out, Flat Broke, in which he spoke candidly about his time in Formula One.

Perry McCarthy appeared in 2002 and 2003 on the BBC's Top Gear motoring show as The Stig, a masked, anonymous, racing driver who evaluated the latest high performance cars. McCarthy was the original, black-suited Stig, who was "killed off" at the start of the 3rd series, because he revealed being the Stig in his autobiography.

McCarthy remains a popular figure in motor sport and is often cited as an example of someone who never got the break he deserved in Formula One. He often does after-dinner speaking, a role in which he is highly popular.