Perry McCarthy (The Original Stig)

Topics:

• Motivation & Teamwork
• Sport

Perry McCarthy is quite simply unique. He combines his experience as a Formula One driver with becoming 'The (original) Stig’ (from BBC Top Gear) to delight audiences at home and abroad with either hilarious after dinner speeches or captivating motivational addresses.

'Comedian Inside a Racing Driver's Body'

Perry’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 driver’s body.’

Corporate Events

Event organisers and their guests like meeting and working with Perry: If the requirement is fun and laughter ... that’s what you get. If the requirement is a little more serious, again, that’s what you get.

Perry literally clawed his way to the top with very little backing but, with talent, dedication, determination and that famous sense of humour he always gets everyone’s attention. The fact that he was the original ‘Stig’ has a crowd cheering before he’s even started talking!   

Motor Racing

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.

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 recently chosen as a works driver for Audi UK’s high profile assault on the famous Le Mans 24 Hour race.

After Dinner Speaking

Throughout his entire motor racing career, Perry was renowned not just for his speed and determination, but for his sense of humour and sideways look at life. His quick wit and ability to deride himself, and others, has entertained spectators, race guests and even rival teams and drivers, in pit lanes, paddocks and bars across the world.

Perry first officially ventured into corporate speaking when he was chosen to join the Andrea Moda Formula One Team and was immediately in demand to amuse the clients of various Grand Prix tour operators.

His popularity has since catapulted him into being in high demand as an after dinner speaker for large and small corporations all over the world. With his unique and alluring style, Perry engages audiences with hilarious anecdotes and tales of highs and lows. 

Like his driving, Perry’s speeches are fast paced and include stories about his role as the original Stig (from Top Gear), his rise to Formula One, some misadventurers at 200 miles per hour, Le Mans 24 hours and comic sketches on Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen, Nigel Mansell,  Damon Hill, Murray Walker and of course, Jeremy Clarkson.

Perry happily invites audiences to ask him questions about cars, driving, Top Gear and Formula One before signing autographs (if required).

Motivational Speaking

“I have constant admiration how he turns a no hope situation into some form of triumph” Damon Hill, 1996 World Champion Formula One Driver

Perry is in high demand to give inspirational and motivational speeches which link his background, experience and attitude to the business world and its requirements.  It has been said that he talks with the same passion and conviction he displayed in his own career.

“Those that have seen him race know he is F1 material … his hunger is as great as Senna and Mansell’s … F1 needs Perry as much as Perry needs F1” Chequered Flag Magazine

Motor racing shares many of the same elements and requirements of commerce and industry. Perry writes bespoke speeches to echo a client’s key messages and can include the themes of

• Team work, organisation, communication
• Building from success and building from failure
• The power of the individual and personal performance
• Risk and reward
• Commitment, excellence, performance, achievement

Perry talks from vast and varied experiences and his presentations revolve around what he expects in his own life and how he gets the best from himself and others he works with. The speech is not delivered to tell an audience how to run their business, but it is for an audience to draw on for inspiration and use it in the way they see fit for their own future. And, as always, Perry still provides plenty of opportunities to laugh in-between the key points.

Client 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?"
 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"
Audi

‘Very entertaining speech by Perry.  Great that he used short stories to entertain.  It was good to see Perry mingling with the guests afterwards so they had the change to ask him questions on an informal basis.  Much appreciated and would recommend him for future work’
HBOS

"Perry McCarthy received very positive feedback from the delegates who attended the conference such as ‘Perry McCarthy lifted the event for the afternoon’ and ‘Perry’s speech was fun and inspiring’.  Perry was incredibly friendly and approachable; we enjoyed having him at the conference"
University of Northampton

"Perry was a fantastic speaker, extremely animated and made the event.  His speech was very entertaining and basically made everyone laugh – a really great choice!"
Metis

"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!"
 Auto Express & Evo

" Perry McCarthy, race driver, author, raconteur and after dinner
speaker’’ are but a few of his skills - believe everything you hear about him, and more! Perry is a larger than life character who has proved time and again that life holds no fears for him, he tackles each new hurdle with his own unique blend of tenacity and irreverent humour. I think he should run for Prime Minister!’’
Mount Stuart

"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."
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." 
Automobili Lamborghini

“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!” 
Grand Prix Tours

"Perry was very well received by our audience. He did a great presentation that they could all relate to."
Pavilion Technologies

"A good, lively speaker. who went down well and was very popular with the audience. A lot of time before, between and after shows were spent talking and having photos taken with people."
P&O

For further information or to book Perry McCarthy, call us on +44 (0) 20 8365 3200 or email info@speakerscorner.co.uk