Foggy forecast for Cumbria this September
Carl Fogarty, better known as ‘Foggy’ is probably the most successful superbike racer in the history of the sport. He quickly transformed from a young Blackburn lad to a legend when he won his first world championship at the age of 23. Carl will be sharing some of his stories on September 30 at the Solway Hall when he holds an Evening with Carl Fogarty.
Our editor, Danielle Murphy caught up with Carl, who was understandably exhausted after a huge trek across Iceland for the NSPCC, luckily he was in good spirits and cracked away about his upcoming appearance.
Having visited Cumbria on several occasions, Carl was looking forward to coming back. He said: “I have some friends in Whitehaven who have already booked tickets, claiming they’re going to be doing some heckling; I don’t mind though, hecklers make it more exciting.”
Anybody that knows of Foggy knows that this man is full of determination and his successful career reflects this drive. He said: “I have always loved bikes, it was a hobby for my dad but I wanted more. I wanted to be the best, and I would tell people, one day I will be world champion. My teachers used to laugh or roll their eyes; well I proved them wrong.”
There are two things that are an obvious passion for Carl, one is motorbikes the other is having a laugh. And if you don’t know Carl for his motorbike career, you’ll certainly know him from his appearance on the 2014 ITV series of ‘I’m a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here ’, which Carl went on to win. It was clear from the start that Carl just loved a laugh and we all fell a little bit in love with him.
So he packed up and headed for the land down under, he said: “It was amazing. I was apprehensive at first, thinking ‘can I really deal with the people? What if they do my head in?’ but I decided I would get through to the public votes, and everything after that was a bonus.”
He continued: “I hate being hungry, I get annoyed easily with people so my main goal was not walking out. However, I found I actually really enjoyed it. I made a great friend out of Jimmy Bullard and I won! I couldn’t believe it. I was so overwhelmed. It was a real experience.”
Although Carl spent many years racing, you might be surprised to know that by the end he wasn’t enjoying what he was doing. He explained: “I’m much happier now that I’m not racing for a job. It was a lot of pressure and I really wasn’t enjoying getting on the track, I love it now though. I can just get on my bike, get on the road and I can enjoy the freedom, it is more fun now.”
Carl finished off with some last minute advice for all aspiring motorcyclists looking to pursue a career in the sport. He said: “You have to decide, do you want to do it because it’s fun, or do you want to be the best. I started because it was fun and then the passion grew and I wanted to be the best. You have to push yourself, enjoy it but also be careful. Determination, dedication and passion will get you to where you want to be.”
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