Speed with Guy Martin - new series
Discussion
thegreenhell said:
rustyuk said:
It wasn't just money though, he built the van himself.
Did he though? We saw him cut a hole in the floor for the engine, then the next time we saw it it had a full spaceframe with completely new rear suspension and a fancy Quiafe gearbox. Did he really design and fabricate that all by himself?To my mind, I like the way he goes about things - doesn't hog the limelight, and is happy to acknowledge those who gave help and advice - and the way that not all attempts are successful or plain sailing makes it all the more interesting.
Digga said:
Hell, it's entertainment, for TV, what's it really matter?
and the way that not all attempts are successful or plain sailing makes it all the more interesting.
I find it frustrating that his earlier stuff was better prepared and generally successful and he was happier as a result.and the way that not all attempts are successful or plain sailing makes it all the more interesting.
It's becoming more like top gear which is a shame IMO
V8RX7 said:
I find it frustrating that his earlier stuff was better prepared and generally successful and he was happier as a result.
It's becoming more like top gear which is a shame IMO
You make it sound like they failed. They went to the 'ring to beat the van record, and they beat the van record, I make that a success. Yes, they could have gone at it like an F1 team and spent months and months of expensive development and gone much faster, but I quite like the 'eccentric Brit' aspect which Guy Martin projects. It makes for better telly IMHOIt's becoming more like top gear which is a shame IMO
The Surveyor said:
You make it sound like they failed. They went to the 'ring to beat the van record, and they beat the van record I make that a success. Yes, they could have gone at it like an F1 team and spent months and months of expensive development and gone much faster, but I quite like the 'eccentric Brit' aspect which Guy Martin projects. It makes for better telly IMHO
On that basis he could have just driven it straight from the last programme, it was already far superior to the T5 Dale drove.AlexS said:
That was covered in the first programme featuring the van.
The original engine was, the complete custom suspension setup and why sticking with the same engine considering the scope of the modifications wasn't...Nevermind the complex charge cooling etc set up now the engine is effectively in a metal box with no direct air flow.
They basically said, modified the van by moving the engine and uprated the brakes. There's probably a whole series of programs they could make on the van, would love to watch.
thegreenhell said:
Unfortunately, most of Channel 4's Sunday evening audience probably wouldn't love to watch that.
Yeah, but I bet they have all of the footage already in b roll, slight bit of editing and put it up on the 4OD app. (It doesn't need a broadcast slot, as yes, there aren't that many petrolheads/people who would appreciate the technical bits) Like they did for the short piece about Guys Merlin engine for example. V8RX7 said:
The Surveyor said:
You make it sound like they failed. They went to the 'ring to beat the van record, and they beat the van record I make that a success. Yes, they could have gone at it like an F1 team and spent months and months of expensive development and gone much faster, but I quite like the 'eccentric Brit' aspect which Guy Martin projects. It makes for better telly IMHO
On that basis he could have just driven it straight from the last programme, it was already far superior to the T5 Dale drove.The Surveyor said:
V8RX7 said:
The Surveyor said:
You make it sound like they failed. They went to the 'ring to beat the van record, and they beat the van record I make that a success. Yes, they could have gone at it like an F1 team and spent months and months of expensive development and gone much faster, but I quite like the 'eccentric Brit' aspect which Guy Martin projects. It makes for better telly IMHO
On that basis he could have just driven it straight from the last programme, it was already far superior to the T5 Dale drove.mat205125 said:
People need to understand the difference between an entertainment programme which has been created to appeal to a mass audience, which has the subject matter of a man, a van, a track, and a record, compared to a legitimate attempt at a Guiness record, with an absolute devotion to performance. The latter is not necessarily conducive to a mass audience entertainment show, no matter how much more fascinating we'd find it!
I'm simply comparing this current programme to the earlier ones he made.In comparison this is s
t - failed on the salt due to tyres, 10 minutes on google would have told them that.V8RX7 said:
mat205125 said:
People need to understand the difference between an entertainment programme which has been created to appeal to a mass audience, which has the subject matter of a man, a van, a track, and a record, compared to a legitimate attempt at a Guiness record, with an absolute devotion to performance. The latter is not necessarily conducive to a mass audience entertainment show, no matter how much more fascinating we'd find it!
I'm simply comparing this current programme to the earlier ones he made.In comparison this is s
t - failed on the salt due to tyres, 10 minutes on google would have told them that.I did think why the heck did you go all that way without doing some research? It must have cost umpteen thousands to get it out there just to fail on something simple like that. Surely they could have sourced some wheels whilst they were there too.
227bhp said:
V8RX7 said:
mat205125 said:
People need to understand the difference between an entertainment programme which has been created to appeal to a mass audience, which has the subject matter of a man, a van, a track, and a record, compared to a legitimate attempt at a Guiness record, with an absolute devotion to performance. The latter is not necessarily conducive to a mass audience entertainment show, no matter how much more fascinating we'd find it!
I'm simply comparing this current programme to the earlier ones he made.In comparison this is s
t - failed on the salt due to tyres, 10 minutes on google would have told them that.I did think why the heck did you go all that way without doing some research? It must have cost umpteen thousands to get it out there just to fail on something simple like that. Surely they could have sourced some wheels whilst they were there too.
It's a TV show!!!
227bhp said:
Yes this ^^
I did think why the heck did you go all that way without doing some research? It must have cost umpteen thousands to get it out there just to fail on something simple like that. Surely they could have sourced some wheels whilst they were there too.
Well they were already in Nevada with the van to do that other race. It just seemed like an afterthought to go to Bonneville because they were so close anyway.I did think why the heck did you go all that way without doing some research? It must have cost umpteen thousands to get it out there just to fail on something simple like that. Surely they could have sourced some wheels whilst they were there too.
mat205125 said:
227bhp said:
V8RX7 said:
mat205125 said:
People need to understand the difference between an entertainment programme which has been created to appeal to a mass audience, which has the subject matter of a man, a van, a track, and a record, compared to a legitimate attempt at a Guiness record, with an absolute devotion to performance. The latter is not necessarily conducive to a mass audience entertainment show, no matter how much more fascinating we'd find it!
I'm simply comparing this current programme to the earlier ones he made.In comparison this is s
t - failed on the salt due to tyres, 10 minutes on google would have told them that.I did think why the heck did you go all that way without doing some research? It must have cost umpteen thousands to get it out there just to fail on something simple like that. Surely they could have sourced some wheels whilst they were there too.
It's a TV show!!!
mat205125 said:
Probably did cost umpteen thousand to do, however Channel 4 would have made many more umpteens back from the programme, and at the end of the day, if you were in the country and had the chance to have a go on the salt why wouldn't you?
It's a TV show!!!
Because I wouldn't want to look like a moron who hadn't done the slightest bit of research !It's a TV show!!!
Before I went: jet skiing, surfing, kayaking, enduro riding, green laning, towing... I researched them so that I wouldn't be a clueless idiot.
I wonder if anyone else on here is just being overly critical of it because we are not impressed with the result?
I guess it must be hard to get a van round there quickly but I was just expecting more from a specially engineered mid engine 700bhp van.
Its obviously TV made for the masses rather than us enthusiasts. They did well hiding how comparatively slow the van was. All the stuff at Cadwell they showed him piling past people, presumably on cool down laps. and the only reference times given for the Ring were the 10 mins for the other vans and the Porsche 919. So people have seen the van overtaking track cars and beating the lap record by half a min and think wow it must be awesome but in reality its comfortably slower than the Suzuki Swift he was practicing in.
For example my Mum (loves Guy) was watching it and texting me saying how good it was and that I should mid engine my Scoob
but was a bit deflated when I told her he is only going as fast as her old shopping car!
Also didn't really see the point in the brain training bit. He is a racer already and used to competing at speeds well in excess of the van and in more dangerous environments. Doing a 9 min lap of the ring you have plenty of time to look ahead and evaluate the situation.
I guess it must be hard to get a van round there quickly but I was just expecting more from a specially engineered mid engine 700bhp van.
Its obviously TV made for the masses rather than us enthusiasts. They did well hiding how comparatively slow the van was. All the stuff at Cadwell they showed him piling past people, presumably on cool down laps. and the only reference times given for the Ring were the 10 mins for the other vans and the Porsche 919. So people have seen the van overtaking track cars and beating the lap record by half a min and think wow it must be awesome but in reality its comfortably slower than the Suzuki Swift he was practicing in.
For example my Mum (loves Guy) was watching it and texting me saying how good it was and that I should mid engine my Scoob
but was a bit deflated when I told her he is only going as fast as her old shopping car! Also didn't really see the point in the brain training bit. He is a racer already and used to competing at speeds well in excess of the van and in more dangerous environments. Doing a 9 min lap of the ring you have plenty of time to look ahead and evaluate the situation.
It does seem to be turning into the program 'Guy fails at doing stuff'.
The reason is (as far as I can guess) is the bar has been set higher and he's spreading himself too thinly. If they chose simpler tasks like they used to or he'd carried on and had another go after failing it would work a lot better, but it isn't.
It's quite probable they've gone out there for 2 weeks and at the end he's had to say 'bugger this I'm going home, I have a job to go to, wife to satisfy, baby to see, motorbike to ride' etc.
You either do one thing properly or a lot of things badly.
The reason is (as far as I can guess) is the bar has been set higher and he's spreading himself too thinly. If they chose simpler tasks like they used to or he'd carried on and had another go after failing it would work a lot better, but it isn't.
It's quite probable they've gone out there for 2 weeks and at the end he's had to say 'bugger this I'm going home, I have a job to go to, wife to satisfy, baby to see, motorbike to ride' etc.
You either do one thing properly or a lot of things badly.
A friend did a trackday at Cadwell recently and Guy was there in the van, from the video it looked like it was a mobile chicane, but again you don't know who's on a slowing down lap, etc... 
https://www.facebook.com/sarah.howard.969/videos/2...
https://www.facebook.com/sarah.howard.969/videos/2...
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