Career

Born in Billericay

Billericay

Billericay is a town and civil parish in the Basildon borough of Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin, has a population of 40,000, and constitutes a commuter town east of central London. The town has three secondary schools and a variety of open spaces...

, Essex

Essex

Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

, McCarthy grew up to work for his father's company servicing North Sea

North Sea

In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...

 oil rig

Oil platform

An oil platform, also referred to as an offshore platform or, somewhat incorrectly, oil rig, is a lаrge structure with facilities to drill wells, to extract and process oil and natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can be brought to shore for refining and marketing...

s. Unlike most Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

 drivers, McCarthy did not start racing in karts. He worked his way through the junior categories of motor sport in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, such as Formula Ford

Formula Ford

Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....

, Formula 3, eventually F3000 and various touring and sports car races in America, including drives for Spice Engineering

Spice Engineering

Spice Engineering was a British racing team founded by driver Gordon Spice with his brother Derek Spice in the early 1980s, later becoming a successful sports car constructor in 1986...

.

In 1991, McCarthy was chosen to test for the Footwork

Footwork Arrows

Footwork Arrows was the name of a Formula One motor racing team, competing during the mid-1990s. Japanese businessman Wataru Ohashi, who was the president of Footwork Express Co., Ltd., a Japanese logistics company, began investing heavily in the Arrows team in 1990, the deal including requiring...

 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

Andrea Moda Formula

Andrea Moda Formula was a Formula One team, created by Andrea Sassetti, a shoe manufacturer from Italy. In September 1991 he bought the Coloni F1 team after it had failed to pre-qualify a car for every single race that year....

 team run by Andrea Sassetti who thought that entering Formula 1 would be a good way to advertise his shoe business. The team was uncompetitive, disorganized and poorly managed, and after a lengthy battle to gain an FIA Super Licence

FIA Super Licence

The FIA Super Licence is a qualification allowing the licence holder to take part in Formula One Grands Prix as a driver. The licence is issued by the FIA upon request....

 the season soon descended into farce. McCarthy, frequently denied more than a handful of laps in which to prepare, failed to qualify for any Grand Prix. His Grand Prix debut at Spain lasted eighteen meters down pit lane in prequalifying. 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

WilliamsF1

Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...

 and Benetton

Benetton Formula

Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for...

 teams during the 1990s. He was denied a permanent role as test driver at Benetton because he was covering for their normal test driver, Alessandro Zanardi, who was unwell. He had little success at Williams because he did not see eye to eye with the engineers and the position was then given to a young David Coulthard

David Coulthard

David Marshall Coulthard, MBE, , sometimes known as DC, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland.Coulthard, who was born in Dumfries and raised nearby in Twynholm, made his Formula One debut in 1994 and won 13 Grands Prix in a career spanning 15 seasons...

.

Top Gear

After a brief retirement, McCarthy returned to sports car racing, appearing at Le Mans

24 Hours of Le Mans

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...

 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 and, in the second edition, his work for the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

's Top Gear

Top Gear (current format)

Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...

motoring show as The Stig

The Stig

The Stig is a character in the British motoring television show Top Gear. The character plays on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, with the running joke that nobody knows who, or indeed what, is inside the character's racing suit. The character was the creation of presenter Jeremy...

, a masked, anonymous, racing driver who evaluated the latest high performance cars. McCarthy was the original, black-suited Stig, who left after the first two series. He is set to commentate on the BBC F1 coverage, commentating on CBBC feed. McCarthy now spends his time working as a corporate ambassador and after dinner speaker for large and small corporations all over the world.

Complete International Formula 3000 results

Year	Entrant	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	DC	Points
1988	GA Motorsports	JER Circuito Permanente de Jerez Circuito de Jerez , formerly known as Circuito Permanente de Jerez, is a 4,428 m racing circuit located close to the city of Jerez de la Frontera, deep within the sherry-producing south of Spain...	VAL ACI Vallelunga Circuit The Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi is a racing circuit situated north of Rome, Italy, near Vallelunga of Campagnano. Vallelunga was built as a sand oval in 1959. From 1963 the circuit held the Rome Grand Prix, and in 1967 a new loop was added when the track became the property of the...	PAU	SIL Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...	MNZ Autodromo Nazionale Monza The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception....	PER Autodromo di Pergusa The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna....	BRH Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events...	BIR Birmingham Superprix The Halfords Birmingham Superprix was a motor racing meeting held on a street circuit at the heart of Birmingham, England, from 1986 to 1990. Until 1990 the principal event was a round of the European Formula 3000 Championship, but support races included BTCC and Formula Ford 1600 rounds, as well... DNQ				NC	0
	Team Ralt Ralt RALT was a manufacturer of single-seater racing cars, founded by ex-Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham to Bernie Ecclestone. Ron and his brother had built some specials in Australia in the 1950s under the RALT name...									BUG Ret	ZOL Zolder The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlaemen, is an undulating motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1980 Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix. The F1 circus... Ret	DIJ Dijon-Prenois Dijon-Prenois is a motor racing circuit located in Prenois, near Dijon, France. The undulating track is noted for its fast, sweeping bends.... 16
1989	Cowman Racing	SIL Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...	VAL ACI Vallelunga Circuit The Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi is a racing circuit situated north of Rome, Italy, near Vallelunga of Campagnano. Vallelunga was built as a sand oval in 1959. From 1963 the circuit held the Rome Grand Prix, and in 1967 a new loop was added when the track became the property of the...	PAU	JER	PER Autodromo di Pergusa The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna....	BRH Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events...	BIR Birmingham Superprix The Halfords Birmingham Superprix was a motor racing meeting held on a street circuit at the heart of Birmingham, England, from 1986 to 1990. Until 1990 the principal event was a round of the European Formula 3000 Championship, but support races included BTCC and Formula Ford 1600 rounds, as well... DNQ	SPA Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. It is also home to the all Volkswagen club event, 25 Hours of Spa, run by the Uniroyal Fun Cup. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its... 7	BUG 15	DIJ Dijon-Prenois Dijon-Prenois is a motor racing circuit located in Prenois, near Dijon, France. The undulating track is noted for its fast, sweeping bends....		NC	0

Complete Formula One results

Yr	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	WDC	Points
1992 1992 Formula One season The 1992 Formula One season was the 43rd FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 1, 1992, and ended on November 8 after sixteen races...	Andrea Moda Formula Andrea Moda Formula Andrea Moda Formula was a Formula One team, created by Andrea Sassetti, a shoe manufacturer from Italy. In September 1991 he bought the Coloni F1 team after it had failed to pre-qualify a car for every single race that year....	Moda Andrea Moda Formula Andrea Moda Formula was a Formula One team, created by Andrea Sassetti, a shoe manufacturer from Italy. In September 1991 he bought the Coloni F1 team after it had failed to pre-qualify a car for every single race that year....  S921	Judd Judd (engine) Judd is a name brand of engines produced by Engine Developments Ltd., a company founded in 1971 by John Judd and Jack Brabham in Rugby, Warwickshire, England...  V10 V10 engine A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion...	RSA 1992 South African Grand Prix The 1992 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on March 1, 1992. It was the first round of the 1992 Formula One season.- Classification :- Notes :...	MEX 1992 Mexican Grand Prix The 1992 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Mexico City on March 22, 1992. It was the second round of the 1992 Formula One season.- Classification :- Notes :*Lap leaders: Nigel Mansell 69...	BRA 1992 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1992 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Interlagos on April 5, 1992. It was the third round of the 1992 Formula One season.- Classification :- Notes :*Lap leaders: Riccardo Patrese 31 , Nigel Mansell 40... DNP	ESP 1992 Spanish Grand Prix The 1992 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 3, 1992 at the Circuit de Catalunya. It was the fourth round of the 1992 Formula One season.__FORCETOC__-Race:The race was also advertised as the Grand Prix of the Olympic Games... DNPQ	SMR 1992 San Marino Grand Prix The 1992 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Imola on May 17, 1992. It was the fifth round of the 1992 Formula One season.-Qualifying:... DNPQ	MON 1992 Monaco Grand Prix The 1992 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 31, 1992 at the Monaco. It was the sixth round of the 1992 Formula One season. The race, contested over 78 laps was won by Ayrton Senna after a close battle for the lead in the final three laps with pole sitter Nigel Mansell... DNPQ	CAN 1992 Canadian Grand Prix The 1992 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 14, 1992. It was the seventh round of the 1992 Formula One season.- Qualifying :... DNP	FRA 1992 French Grand Prix The 1992 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Magny-Cours on July 5, 1992. It was the eighth round of the 1992 Formula One season.-Race:A lorry driver blockade meant the Andrea Moda Formula team did not appear at this race... DNA	GBR 1992 British Grand Prix The 1992 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on July 12, 1992. It was the ninth round of the 1992 Formula One season... DNPQ	GER 1992 German Grand Prix The 1992 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Hockenheimring on July 26, 1992. It was the tenth round of the 1992 Formula One season.-Background:... EX	HUN 1992 Hungarian Grand Prix The 1992 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Hungaroring on 16 August 1992. It was the eleventh round of the 1992 Formula One season... DNPQ	BEL 1992 Belgian Grand Prix The 1992 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on August 30, 1992. It was the twelfth round of the 1992 Formula One season. The race was won by Benetton's Michael Schumacher, it was the first of his record 91 Grand Prix wins... DNQ	ITA 1992 Italian Grand Prix The 1992 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 13, 1992. It was the thirteenth round of the 1992 Formula One season.- Qualifying :... DNP	POR 1992 Portuguese Grand Prix The 1992 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Autódromo do Estoril on September 27, 1992. It was the fourteenth round of the 1992 Formula One season. Nigel Mansell won the race, breaking the record for most wins in one season. However, the race is best remembered for the...	JPN 1992 Japanese Grand Prix The 1992 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Suzuka on 25 October 1992. It was the fifteenth race of the 1992 Formula One season.- Before the race :...	AUS 1992 Australian Grand Prix The 1992 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Adelaide on November 8, 1992. It was the sixteenth and final round of the 1992 Formula One season. The most significant moment was a collision between Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell as the Brazilian attempted to overtake the...	NC	0

The Andrea-Moda team was refused entry to the Italian Grand Prix, being excluded from the Championship. So, this can not be considered as a Grand Prix entry for Perry McCarthy.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Result	Team	Car	Class
1996 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 64th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 15 and 16 1996.-Race:The 1996 race was won by a car that was considered by Porsche to not be a factory-backed entry, instead run by Joest Racing...	Ret	Viper Team Oreca	Chrysler Viper GTS-R	LM GT1
1997 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 65th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 and 15 1997.-Pre-race:The Dunlop chicane was modified slightly in order to slow speeds again but also accommodate larger gravel traps as runoff area for the protection of motorcycle riders using the Bugatti...	Ret	David Price Racing	Panoz Esperante GTR 1	GT1
1999 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 67th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 12 and 13, 1999.-Pre-race:1999 saw another increase in manufacturers involvement. Although Porsche did not send a team to contest, Toyota retained their three updated GT-Ones, now moved to the LMGTP class due...	Ret	Audi Sport UK	Audi R8C Audi R8C The Audi R8C was a Le Mans Prototype automobile built by Audi for the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans designed by Peter Elleray. It was developed alongside the open Audi R8R spyder, prior to being replaced by the all-new Audi R8 in 2000.-Development:...	LM GTP
2002 2002 24 Hours of Le Mans The 2002 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 70th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 15 and 16 2002.-Pre-race:Following a reconstruction of the Bugatti Circuit, the Le Mans circuit was changed between the Dunlop Bridge and Esses, with the straight now becoming a set of fast sweeping turns...	Ret	DAMS	Leader Panoz LMP-1 Roadster	LMP 900
2003 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans The 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 71st Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 and 15 2003.-Race:After three consecutive wins, the Audi factory team officially did not field a team, although several privateers did use R8 chassis...	Ret	Audi Audi Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....  Sport UK	Audi R8 Audi R8 Race Car The Audi R8 is a sports-prototype race car introduced in 2000 for sports car racing as a redevelopment of their Audi R8R and Audi R8C used in 1999...	LMP 900