It is considered one of the most iconic moments in motorcycle movie history and now 56 years on Guy Martin is going to try and recreate it – the fence jump from The Great Escape!
Never one to shy away from a challenge, whether it’s tackling the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course, taking anything to new speed records or making the best possible brew you could taste, so replicating a movie stunt should be just in a day’s work for our Guy.
For this week’s endeavour, to be shown on Channel 4’s aptly titled The Great Escape, Martin will attempt to match the feat achieved by the character played by Steve McQueen and leap the barbed wire fences that surrounds the Nazi camp he is being held.
If you haven’t watched The Great Escape and plan to do so (you’ve had more than five decades though…) then we suggest maybe skipping this next part… but if you have, here’s a little reminder for you.
So, a little background, Captain Virgil Hilts "The Cooler King is – after a few failed attempts – making good on his escape aboard a ‘BMW R75’ he has stolen from the Nazi and is being rounded up by guards unless he can make the ‘jump’ over a 12ft barbed wire fence.
He succeeds in a move that looks so effortless it’s hard to believe it’s difficult. But as we say, that’s 12ft… it’s not mean feat.
For the record though, as daredevil as McQueen famously was, it isn’t him on the motorcycle at this moment. Instead it is Bud Ekins who performs the stunt and – importantly – he’s actually doing aboard a Triumph TR6 Trophy which has been mocked up to look like a BMW because, you know, Germany…
And this is what brings us to Guy Martin for he will attempt the same stunt himself on a custom Triumph Scrambler 1200. He will also attempt to clear both fences though this time.
We don’t have any spoilers to discover whether he achieves it but let’s just say we’re confident… and it’ll be done in Guy’s inimitable style!
It is being televised on Channel 4’s The Great Escape on Sunday 8 December so set the TV box to record and make sure you catch it…
