You Don't Need Dirt To Get It Sideways: Garry McCoy, Sultan Of Slide

McCoy smokes the Kawasaki 990 through a right hander. Sadly, the back tyre was the only thing the dog of a machine ever smoked.

McCoy describes his drifting technique. You can get too into the nuts & bolts of it all, but his theory that by spinning the tyre, you cool it down, is certainly one of the more interesting notions and would have had the folk at Michelin & Dunlop scratching their heads.

Couldn't miss out this magic inward drift by McCoy's fellow Aussie Chris Vermeulen. McCoy did this as well, but maybe was never captured doing it quite this perfectly.

Utter genius...........

Ok, so Garry McCoy never won a world title. So what? He had GP wins at 125 & 500 cc, loads of podium finishes and a career that has covered just about all forms of bikesport (including speedway). The first time Channel 5 showed Moto GP on terrestrial TV, about ten years ago, I remember just thinking how great it was to have top level bike racing on the telly. By the end of the race, my jaw was on the floor. I'd sat down to watch Kenny Roberts, Max Biaggi and Loris Cappirossi bash it out. Instead, some short arsed, flyweight Aussie I'd never heard of, who couldn't keep his rear wheel in one place for ten seconds, hauled his way through the pack and won. I was instantly, and forever a fan.

On the down side, he's ridden some real dogs. Kawasaki's awful early Moto GP effort, the deathly slow Ilmor, some barren years riding in Supersport/Superbike...............

Not sure what he's up to this weather, but GP's haven't been much fun without him. It's all a bit dull, everyone keeps their wheels in line these days. As Mick Doohan points out,it's not the most efficient style of riding. Fair enough, but there was probably more entertainment in the 1999 Moto GP season than in the previous six combined.

The most imprtant thing I can say about Garry McCoy is that he gave me the first inkling that speedway might be what I was looking for in bike racing.

Garry McCoy exits a corner in his trademark stye. That was how he entered the corners too.........