PERRY MCCARTHY
Perry McCarthy F1 driver
Perry McCarthy is one of Britain’s top racing drivers and is already part of motor racing folklore.
When he is not racing for Audi or appearing on television, Perry McCarthy uses his experiences as a top international racing driver to deliver highly entertaining speeches for numerous blue chip organisations. His bubbly personality and sense of humour make him the number one choice in his field for a broad range of corporate communication requirements.
McCarthy’s rise through the ranks along with close friends Damon Hill, Johnny Herbert and Mark Blundell, has been against all odds and in a sport dominated by finance he recalls how he ‘started with nothing and then lost it all!’
Perry’s 10-year fight to reach the sport’s elite paid off in 1992 when he was chosen to drive for the fledgling Andrea Moda Formula One organisation. The dream however turned into a nightmare as the team stumbled from one disaster to the next and in recent years he has turned his attention away from Grand Prix to Le Mans and the demands of Sports Prototype racing.
As always, Perry’s exploits are well chronicled but when he is on the track his talent and determination shine through. His sense of humour is legendary and is frequently aired in his articles for leading publications and in his work as a TV commentator and programme presenter.
McCarthy’s bubbly personality and absolute refusal to concede defeat have made him popular with the press; The Telegraph headlined him as ‘a new cult hero’
The Times called him ‘the world’s unluckiest racing driver’ and America’s
Sunday Express described him as a ‘comedian locked inside a racing drivers body’.
In a career spanning over twenty years, McCarthy is still smiling and still fighting. Along with Germany’s Frank Biela and Finland’s Mika Salo, Perry was
chosen as a works driver for Audi UK’s high profile 2003 assault on the famous Le Mans 24 Hour race. However, away from the track, Perry has used his experiences to become a superb
after dinner and motivational speaker who gives a highly amusing insight to the world’s most glamorous sport.
Comments:
Bang & Olufsen UK have used Perry McCarthy on many occasions as a guest speaker for our highly discerning customer network. Perry's talks never fail to impress, amuse and delight the audience ... is there no end to this man's library of tales?
Graeme Taylor, Marketing Manager, Bang & Olufsen
With Perry you can always guarantee that your guests are going to have a fun time. His ability to grab everyone's attention and make them laugh has ensured that we book him on a regular basis
David Ingram - Audi PR Manager
If Perry's motor sport successes mirrored his guest speaking acumen he would have been a world champion many times over! I have been delighted to work with Perry on a number of very high profile events for Auto Express magazine and he's always delivered the goods professionally and above all entertainingly, prepared to do that little bit extra to make things work. We'll be working together again soon and I look forward to it!
Phil Parker, Group Publishing Director, Auto Express & Ev
Dear Perry,
I just wanted to drop you a line to thank you so much for the brilliant drivers' briefing you did for the Revival. You had everyone in stitches and as far as Stirling Moss was concerned, it was definitely the highlight of his whole weekend - he talked about nothing else. Your future as an entertainer is definitely assured!
Thanks so much for bringing such a light touch to the proceedings and very much hope to see you soon.
Charles March - Goodwood.
Perry is a one-off when it comes to TV. He's one of life's bubbly characters and is a real plus for a programme maker. Add to the mix his knowledge of Motor Racing, and he was certainly one of the stars of our show.
Charles Balchin
Executive Producer
Sky Sports F1 Digital +,
“Thanks Perry: like all good men, you rose to the occasion on the night! A spot-on speech, beautifully crafted with just the right amount of humour. Not only did an international audience welcome having you there as 'anchor-man', but our client appreciated the way you understood the message they wanted to deliver, and integrated this with top audience entertainment. And from our point of view, you were a (diamond) pleasure to work with."
Juliet Jarvis, Director of RSM ref Automobili Lamborghini event
“Grand Prix Tours offers complete packages for race fans to go and see the races and includes cocktail parties hosted by race celebrities as part of the race weekend. Perry has hosted many of our race preview parties and is always very candid, informative and extremely entertaining. Perry’s talks are always a highlight of the race weekend and our clients love him!”
Cherry Cooper – Grand Prix Tours
Book:
His hilarious autobiography Flat Out, Flat Broke, launched in July 2002,
became a motor racing best seller and received rave reviews:
‘Perry McCarthy does for Formula One what Bill Bryson did for travel writing. But beneath the black humour and wisecracks – funny enough to make you laugh out loud in public – lies an inspiring and at times poignant tale of that rarest kind of racer: one who never gave up and was, literally, prepared to die trying.’
The Independent on Sunday
‘Perry McCarthy has always been excellent at describing his career in a series of memorable anecdotes, and here they are, strung together in book form. The reader is frequently left racked with sympathy at the author’s outrageous misfortune, or in convulsive sobs of laughter. This is an utterly fantastic read.’ MotorSport magazine
‘Sometimes books, like cigarette packets, should come with a surgeons health warning. Flat Out Flat Broke is a case in point, not just because it contains photographs of the author in the long forgotten days of his early childhood, but because it will make your stomach ache from laughing.’ F1 Magazine
‘…. A fantastic funny story (book of the week) The London Evening Standard
‘His engaging story of a less-than-smooth life in motor racing exudes his own cockney energy and enthusiasm and is a charming feel good tale that shows you can get what you want if you want it badly enough’ Scottish Sunday Express
‘The James Hunt impressions, the Ayrton Senna pizza delivery, the Rat Pack stories - the laughs come thick and fast in Perry McCarthy’s fantastic new book, Flat Out Flat Broke …’ Daily Express
Communications Experience
TV Presenter /Journalist/commentator: Over 120 events as: After Dinner Speaker, Motivational Speaker, Master of Ceremonies, Question & Answer sessions, Guest Interviewer, Guest Interviewee, Presentations, Corporate Videos
A few examples of major companies he has worked with:
Angel Trains/Lombard
Motivational
IBM
After Dinner and Master of Ceremonies
Bang & Olufsen
After Dinner/Q&A
Grant Thornton
After Dinner/Q&A
Hilton Hotels
After Dinner/Q&A
Lamborghini
M of C to 40th Anniversary in Italy
Honda
After Dinner
BMW
After Dinner and Q&A
Alfa Romeo
After Dinner
Mercedes
Motivational
Audi
After Dinner/Q&A/Interviews
TV and Media Experience TV Presenter For:
Young driver of the year.
BBC1
1995
Pulling Power
Carlton
1997
Pulling Power
Carlton
1998
Formula 3
Sky Channel
1998
Sky Sport
Sky Channel
1998
FIA GT Championship
Eurosport
1998
F3 ON 4
C4 1999
GT ON 4
C4
1999
Sky Sport
Sky Channel
2000
Sky Sport
Sky Channel
2001
F1 Digital +
F1 and Sky
2002
Top Gear
BBC2
2002/2003