Is it possible to ride a motorbike on a lake?

Guy Martin is a professional motorbike racer. In this video, he tries to ride a motorbike on water. Can he ride fast enough to do it?

Do the preparation task first. Then watch the video and do the exercises. You can also read the transcript.

Preparation

Transcript

Well, loads of people have done it. I think you get loads of, oh, like, they've got, like, 'rad' Americans, you know, the far-out dudes. They all … they all have a go.

(Biker from YouTube video: Yes!)

They're trying to ride their motorbikes across water. But when you look at it really, all right they are riding their motorbikes across water but it's only, like, shallow puddles. And they’re all, like, high-fiving each other and it's all 'rad' and 'gnarly' and what have you. But it's … no one's actually gone for a record, just for distance. So we thought, 'That’s what we're going to do.'

Hundred metres before, yep, just about to set off on the bike. Hundred per cent, dead positive, everything was going right. At that point … all these rescue teams to pull the bike if it went wrong: 'We don’t need them boys, I'm getting to the other side of the lake. No problem. No problem.' And I just ... I got to, I think, to third or fourth gear, maybe doing sixty mile[s] an hour. Just at that moment, when I hit the water, I just thought, 'Guy, what are you doing? Guy, what are …?'. I did genuinely … And I know you think this is all for TV and all that. And it's not, I genuinely … Up until that point, everything was hunky-dory. And then as soon as I hit the water, 'Guy, what are you doing? Guy, what are you doing?'

(Guy crashes into the water) Over the handlebars. Bang! I was just a bit dazed. I was a bit dazed. Listen, I bet I was twenty foot away from the bike and ten foot in the air, upside down. But at that time, I couldn't hear anything. I couldn't hear anything. Just that deathly silence and I was just waiting for the impact of the water. For me, that was … yeah. You'd think, 'Oh, he's only landing in water.' But I'll tell you, you try landing in water at fifty mile[s] an hour. You know about it, I'll tell you!

But still, we had a right good craic doing it. We had a good … we had a good craic. (Laughs)

© Channel 4

Task 1

Task 2

Discussion

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Submitted by Miguelitorico1996 on Wed, 02/02/2022 - 03:19

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I think Guy is crazy, but he is an ambitious and risky man because he wants to set a new record. In my country almost half of the population rides a motorcycle, actually I ride a motorcycle.

Submitted by Leila77 on Thu, 27/05/2021 - 20:17

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It was very difficult for me to understand what Guy Martin was saying. Even with the transcript, I couldn't follow him!

Submitted by nikoslado on Sun, 03/05/2020 - 16:26

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Dear Team, if I was a native speaker like Gay, or a translator of Hollywood's rescue films, I could surely listen and understand everything about this video..., only if..., but then I wouldn't have to learn English to B2 level... Respectfully and with humorous angle Nikoslado
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Submitted by Andres Felipe … on Tue, 21/04/2020 - 06:28

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Great exercise! I love watching videos to practice English.

Submitted by thutrangtong on Mon, 10/06/2019 - 08:47

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What is a adventurous guy!

Submitted by concha62 on Wed, 07/11/2018 - 08:47

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Hello, this history it was a little bit difficult for me specially to undertand Guy. I think ,he is crazy, motorbikes are made for the road and not for the water. If you do something like that, you kill alot of animals.

Submitted by Alvaro A on Fri, 02/11/2018 - 02:13

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He is crazy but also nice and even funny. His accent from Lodon is definitely a challenge. I really like him. Therefore, motorbikes don't exist in my region.
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Submitted by Persefoni Zeri on Thu, 01/11/2018 - 12:27

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I found it great. It helps me to understand the difficult English speaking