Fans' favourite Guy Martin's unyielding reply when questioned about his commitment to road racing this season with local team Tyco Suzuki was: "Everywhere I race I want to win; of course I bloody do."

Last weekend Martin had a clean sweep of pole positions, wins and fastest laps en-route to lifting the Ian Watson Spring Cup with the TAS Racing boys at Scarborough's Oliver's Mount – but this weekend's KDM Hire Cookstown 100 throws up a whole new proposition.

On Sunday at Scarborough it was Michael Pearson, Dean Harrison and Jamie Hamilton who did their best to take the fight to enigmatic truck mechanic and TV star, but this weekend at Cookstown, the Dunlop brothers will be added to mix.

Michael is back from a disappointing, but character building, first-ever World Endurance race at Bol d'Or in France with the Honda TT Legends team, and William is chomping at the bit to 'get road racing' after two British Supersport races with Milwaukee Yamaha that didn't exactly rate highly on his enjoyment list.

Tyco Suzuki man, Martin, will arrive at Cookstown fresh from filming a new Television series for Channel 4, where he will attempt to break the land speed world record on a pushbike, which currently sits at a staggering 111mph.

The bi-product of that project – which he smiled wide and proud about when mentioned – was getting to ride and race with Olympic champion Laura Trott OBE.

"I've been training with Dave Le Grys for the project, and he's a former world champion many times over. But the fun part was getting a local Lincolnshire airport closed from 10pm to two in the morning and racing under the floodlights with Laura. Now that was right good," he chortled, recounting the experience.

Trying to pull him back to motorcycling, he quickly digressed, now on a roll.

"I also did the Strathpuffer 24-hour Mountain Bike race back in January. It was the first one on the British calendar, and it was the first time I'd done one solo. I did alright boy," he said, thinking out loud.

"I finished fourth, but I should have done better – only I had a mechanic problem when I was lying in second place at three in the morning.

"But I'll change my training and I can win that next year."

Directing him back to two wheels with mechanical horsepower, he flicked back on like a light switch. "Cookstown? Yeah Cookstown ... I like the place," he added. "Not so important to win and it wont be easy with those Dunlop boys around, but we'll give it a good go.

"We'll see how that goes then maybe we can push Philip on the Tandragee job; but we will see, although any sort of mileage at this stage of the year isn't going to hurt boy."

With mentions of man-powered flight record aspirations and a reconnaissance trip to St. Mortitz for other filming commitments, and the truck yard, which is never far from his mind – it would be fair to say, Guy Martin is in for another very busy year. But ask him what his number one goal is –and it remains firmly fixed on that little rock in the Irish Sea and a Superbike or Senior TT victory.


Of that there is no doubt.




Paul Lindsay
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