Charlie Christina Martin is a British
racing driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
and
transgender rights activist
The transgender rights movement is a movement to promote the legal status of transgender people and to eliminate transgender inequality, discrimination and List of unlawfully killed transgender people, violence against transgender people regardi ...
, who competes in endurance racing and last raced in the
Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe
The Lamborghini Super Trofeo is an international motor racing series. The Lamborghini Super Trofeo is the one-make championship organized by Lamborghini Squadra Corse. The series involves exclusively Huracán Super Trofeo Evo model cars in 3 co ...
, moving from the North America tournament. In 2021, she participated in the
Britcar
Britcar is an endurance sports car racing and touring car racing series in the United Kingdom.
It was formed in 1997, as a result of a discussion in a Nürburgring bar between Willie Moore and James Tucker. Folklore has it that James Tucker and J ...
Championship, and has raced in the
Nürburgring 24 Hours
The Nürburgring 24 Hours is a 24-hour annual touring car racing, touring car and Grand tourer, GT Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing event that takes place on a combination of the Nordschleife ("North Loop") and the GP-Strecke ("Gr ...
. She was born in Leicester, United Kingdom.
Career
European Hillclimb
Martin graduated from
Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is a public research university located in Nottingham, England. Its origins date back to 1843 with the establishment of the Nottingham School of Design, Nottingham Government School of Design, which still opera ...
in 2004. Martin began her career in 2006 in the Hillclimb Leaders Championship, part of the
British Hill Climb Championship
The British Hillclimb Championship (BHC) is the most prestigious hillclimbing championship in Great Britain. The British Hill Climb Championship was held every year from 1947 to 2019, and resumed in 2021. The 2020 season was cancelled due to the ...
racing a
Peugeot 205
The Peugeot 205 is a four-passenger, front-engine, supermini ( B-segment) car manufactured and marketed by Peugeot over a sixteen-year production run from 1983 to 1999, over a single generation. Developed from ''Projet'' M24 and introduced on 2 ...
before moving on to race in the
European Hill Climb Championship
The FIA European Hill Climb Championship (FIA EHC) is an FIA-run motorsport competition held across Europe on closed public road courses.
Unlike circuit racing, each driver competes alone, starting from a point at the base of a mountain and rea ...
in 2014, driving a
Formula Renault
Formula Renault are classes of formula racing popular in Europe and elsewhere. Regarded as an entry-level series to auto racing, motor racing, it was founded in 1971, and was a respected series where drivers can learn advanced racecraft before mov ...
and a
Norma Auto Concept
Norma Auto Concept is a French constructor of racing cars. It was founded in 1984 by Norbert Santos and Marc Doucet.
History
Hillclimbing and initial Le Mans entries
Norma was founded by Norbert Santos and Marc Doucet in 1984 and initially desi ...
M20FC prototype. Martin has competed in the Trophee Tourisme Endurance in November 2017 alongside French racer
Nicolas Schatz, claiming third place on her debut endurance outing at
Bugatti Circuit
The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe (after the 1906 French Grand Prix triangle circuit) located in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, is a semi-permanent motorsport Race track, race course, chiefly known as the venue fo ...
.
In 2017, she raced in the annual
Race of Remembrance, an endurance event that raises money for the Mission Motorsport charity. Racing as part of the PT Sportscars team, Martin finish second in Class B.
Ginetta GT5 Challenge
In 2018, Martin joined the Richardson Racing team to compete in the
Ginetta GT5 Challenge
The Ginetta GT5 Challenge, currently known as the Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge for sponsorship reasons (it has also been previously known as the Ginetta 20 Challenge), is a one-make racing series based in the United Kingdom. The seri ...
, the official support category to the
British GT Championship
The British GT Championship is a sports car racing series based predominantly in the United Kingdom. The series was originally created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and, for its first two seasons, was known as the National Sports G ...
.
During the season she also completed her first test of
LMP3
A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is a type of sports prototype race car used in various races and championships, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series, and Asian Le M ...
endurance racing machinery at
Circuit de Chambley with the Racing Experience team in a
Ligier
Ligier () is a French automobile and minibus maker created by former racing driver and rugby player Guy Ligier (1930–2015), specialized in the manufacturing of microcars.
Ligier is best known for its involvement in the Formula 1 World Cham ...
JSP3 car.
In July 2018, Martin was announced as a member of the Electric Production Car Series Drivers’ Club.
Michelin Le Mans Cup
On 28 February 2019, Martin announced that she will be competing in the 2019
Michelin Le Mans Cup
The Le Mans Cup, previously the GT3 Le Mans Cup and currently known as the Michelin Le Mans Cup under sponsorship, is an international sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club ...
. This marks her prototype racing debut, joining Luxembourgish brothers Gary and David Hauser on the Racing Experience team. Martin will compete in a 5-litre 420 bhp Norma M30 LMP3 car.
She and her team finished in 4th place in her series debut at
Circuit Paul Ricard
The Circuit Paul Ricard () is a French motorsport race track built in 1969 at Le Castellet, Var, near Marseille, with finance from pastis magnate Paul Ricard. Ricard wanted to experience the challenge of building a racetrack. The circuit has ...
VLN
On 18 March 2020, Martin announced that she would compete in the
German VLN Championship, which will include her first 24-hour race, during the
2020 24 Hours of Nürburgring
The 2020 ADAC 24 Hours of Nürburgring (also known as ADAC Total 24h Race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife for sponsorship reasons) was the 48th running of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. It took place on 24–27 September 2020. Although it was pre ...
. She drove a BMW M240i in the series for the Adrenalin Motorsport team and became the first transgender person to compete in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring - securing a fourth-place finish in her class on her debut in the race. Martin's car completed a total of 70 laps with an average speed of 73.600 km/h during the race.
Britcar
On 23 September 2020, it was announced that Martin had signed to race with
Praga
Praga is a district of Warsaw, Poland. It is on the east bank of the river Vistula. First mentioned in 1432, until 1791 it formed a separate town with its own city charter.
History
The historical Praga was a small settlement located at the e ...
to participate in the
2021 Britcar Endurance Championship, racing their R1 Mk5 prototype car.
Formula E
On 15 April 2020, Martin took part in
FIA Formula E
Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is an open-wheel single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The racing series is the highest class of competition for electrically powered single-seater racing cars ...
's online press conference to announce the “Race at Home Challenge”
eSports
Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...
Championship, which will see drivers from the all-electric series lining up in a competition against gamers to raise money for
UNICEF
UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
.
She will be a permanent guest driver for the “Race at Home Challenge” series, which will offer the winner a chance to test a Formula E car at a future real-world race event. The Challenge will take place on the
rFactor 2
''rFactor 2'' is a computer racing simulator developed by Image Space Incorporated (taken over by Studio 397 in 2016) and released for Windows in 2013. Like its predecessor '' rFactor'', ''rFactor2'' is designed to be modified and used by profe ...
platform.
As such, Martin is the first transgender driver to be affiliated with FIA Formula E and joins a host of other female drivers who have either competed in the series or who have participated in test events.
British Vogue Magazine
Martin was included in the 2021 Vogue 25, celebrating the extraordinary women shaping 2021 and beyond.
She subsequently appeared in Vogue Magazine's Forces For Change campaign with BMW, in the November 2023 issue of the magazine.
Personal life
Martin is the great-granddaughter of engineer
Percy Martin
Percy Martin (1871-1958) was an American-born British engineer and automobile manufacturer. Born in Columbus, Ohio 19 June 1871 he obtained a degree in mechanical engineering, specializing in electrical engineering, from Ohio State University in 1 ...
, and is a part-owner of the machine tool company that he founded in 1921.
Martin is transgender and has used her status as a prominent racing driver to raise awareness of
LGBT
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
and
transgender
A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth.
The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...
rights. She was influenced by trans model
Caroline Cossey
Caroline Cossey (born 31 August 1954), also known as Tula, is a British model, actress, activist, and author. She appeared in the 1981 James Bond film '' For Your Eyes Only'' as an extra. Following her appearance in the film, she was outed as ...
, saying "She was a real trailblazer for the trans community and I remember it clear as day. It was a huge 'eureka' moment of 'this is what I need to do'. I was only about seven."
During the 2018
Ginetta GT5 Challenge
The Ginetta GT5 Challenge, currently known as the Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge for sponsorship reasons (it has also been previously known as the Ginetta 20 Challenge), is a one-make racing series based in the United Kingdom. The seri ...
and
British GT
The British GT Championship is a sports car racing series based predominantly in the United Kingdom. The series was originally created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and, for its first two seasons, was known as the National Sports G ...
round at
Silverstone
Silverstone is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The village is about south-southwest of Towcester and northeast of Brackley, both accessed via the A43 road, A43 main ...
, she led a campaign for drivers to run with rainbow stickers on their cars in order to mark
Pride Month
Pride Month, sometimes specified as LGBTQ Pride Month, is a List of month-long observances, month-long observance dedicated to the celebration of LGBTQ pride, commemorating the contributions of lesbian, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender a ...
and to show support for equality and diversity in the industry.
She has called for the normalisation of LGBT representation in motorsport as part of the greater drive towards gender equality in racing. Speaking to ''
Motor Sport
Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and powered aircraft. For each of these vehicle types, the more specific terms ''automobile ...
'' in June 2018 about her bid to become the first transgender racing driver to race in
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
she commented: "People will say it shouldn’t be a big deal that a driver is transgender but I think it’s important that people in those positions should be visible. People from the
LGBT community
The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ people, LGBTQ individuals united by LGBTQ culture, a common culture and LGBTQ movements, social movements. These Community, comm ...
are in all sports and all walks of life, and they inspire and encourage others."
Martin was announced as
Stonewall’s first Sports Ambassador as part of the charity’s Rainbow Laces campaign, joining celebrity ambassadors such as
Alan Carr
Alan Graham Carr (born 14 June 1976) is an English comedian, broadcaster, and writer. His breakthrough was in 2001, winning the '' City Life'' Best Newcomer of the Year and the BBC New Comedy Awards.
In the ensuing years, Carr's career burgeo ...
,
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Scherzinger ( ; ; born June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2010. With ...
and
Paris Lees
Paris Lees is an English author, journalist, presenter and campaigner. She topped ''The Independent on Sunday''s 2013 Pink List, came second in the 2014 Rainbow List, and was awarded the Positive Role Model Award for LGBT in the 2012 National ...
in representing the charity.
She also became the first-ever racing driver to join
Athlete Ally
Athlete Ally is a nonprofit LGBTQ athletic advocacy group based in the United States. The group aims to make athletic communities more inclusive and less discriminatory and help athletes to advocate for LGBT movements, LGBTQ equality.
History
...
’s ambassador programme, partnering with the charity in May 2019 and saying: "I hope to show that a career in motorsport is possible regardless of gender identity. There is a place for everyone in the sporting community and that is as much the case in the pitlane as on the golf course or on a football field."
In June 2019, Martin was announced as an ambassador for
Racing Pride – an initiative developed in partnership with Stonewall UK to promote LGBT+ inclusivity within the motorsport industry and among its technological and commercial partners.
Martin has been an active vlogger on
transgender rights
The legal status of transgender people varies greatly around the world. Some countries have enacted laws protecting the rights of transgender individuals, but others have criminalized their gender identity or expression. In many cases, transg ...
on her YouTube Channel, Girl For All Seasons (now rebranded to GoCharlie). She has collaborated with other vloggers, such as Fox Fisher and Owl and My Genderation to support their #TransAND campaign, as well as partnering with
Childline for their Voice Box series.
In 2017, Martin competed in Series 3 of ''
Ninja Warrior UK
''Ninja Warrior UK'' (also known as ''Ninja Warrior UK: Race for Glory'') is a British physical obstacle assault course game show, created for ITV (TV network), ITV that ran from 2015 to 2022. The show is based upon the format of the Japanese ga ...
'', completing the course with a time of 03:03. The show aired on 28 January 2017, drawing an audience of 3.87 million viewers.
Sponsors
Charlie Martin is sponsored by
NGK
is a public company established in 1936 and based in Nagoya, Japan. Formerly known as NGK Spark Plug Co. Ltd., the company’s automotive business (with its brands NGK Ignition Parts and NTK Vehicle Electronics) revolves around the manufacturin ...
.
Martin is supported by Naomi Panter and her PR agency, Navigate Partners, who have been responsible for building her profile in the media.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Charlie
Living people
Sportspeople from Leicester
English racing drivers
English female racing drivers
English LGBTQ rights activists
LGBTQ racing drivers
British hillclimb drivers
Alumni of Nottingham Trent University
Transgender sportswomen
English transgender women
English transgender sportspeople
Contestants on British game shows
Britcar drivers
21st-century English LGBTQ people
21st-century English sportswomen