Perry McCarthy (born 3 March 1961, London) is a former British racing driver and the original black-suited ‘Stig’ from Top Gear. Early in his career, McCarthy worked his way through the junior categories of motor sport in Europe, such as Formula Ford, Formula 3 and F3000, gaining a reputation for being both talented and unpredictable.

 

In 1991, McCarthy was chosen to test for the Footwork Formula One team, where he got his break on the eve of the 1992 Formula One season. He then went on to test for both Williams and Benetton teams during the 1990s.

 

In 2002 McCarthy returned to sports car racing, appearing at Le Mans and numerous other events. In the same year, he released his autobiography where he spoke about his time in Formula One and his work for Top Gear as the mysterious driver ‘The Stig’. McCarthy is set to commentate on the BBC F1 coverage. Known for his great sense of humour, McCarthy now spends his time working as an after dinner speaker for large and small corporations all over the world.