Guy Martin
Martin was born on 4 November 1981 in a suburb of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England. He was named Guy in tribute to Guy Gibson of No. 617 Squadron RAF. His father Ian was a successful privateer motorbike racer who had competed in several Isle of Man TT events, but he was forced to supplement his income with a job as a lorry mechanic, additionally selling bikes. His mother, Rita Kidals, was of Latvian heritage, her father having come to Britain in 1947 as a political refugee. Soon after Martin's birth, the family moved to a house outside the town, where they remained, having four children in total.
Guy Martin
Martin was often joined by friends on his TV shows. In "The Boat that Guy Built" he was accompanied by friend Mark 'Mavis' Davies, who also appeared in two episodes of "How Britain Worked", as did his former girlfriend Stephanie when descending the museum's mine shaft with Martin in episode 4. In the Pike's Peak episode of "Speed" he is accompanied to the US by his friend Cameron Whitworth, a race mechanic with 17 TT wins, who declined to ride or even sit on the bike due to its power. Having never met before, Martin developed a friendship with David Coulthard while filming the F1 special of "Speed", leading to Couthard's later appearance as a guest in "Guy Martin's Wall of Death: Live." Also appearing was Martin's partner, Sharon alongside his family as did friend and mentor, Ken Fox.