Martin Whitaker is an English businessman who is best known for his involvement within motorsport. Born into a farming family, Whitaker started a career in journalism before working in press relations. He subsequently joined Ford, working within major areas of motorsport, before leaving in 2003. In 2004, Whitaker was appointed CEO of the

Bahrain International Circuit The Bahrain International Circuit () is a motorsport venue opened in 2004 and used for drag racing, GP2 Series (now FIA Formula 2 Championship, FIA Formula 2), and the annual Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix. The 2004 Formula One season, 2004 Gr ...

and worked as CEO of the Australian

V8 Supercars The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...

series from 2010.

Life and career

Whitaker was born to a fruit farming family from the West of England. As a child, he played

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

, later developing an interest in

motor racing An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gene ...

. Whitaker's first venture into motor racing was becoming a junior reporter for the weekly racing magazine '' Motoring News'', eventually becoming their touring car reporter. In March 1985, he applied for the job of a press officer at the

Royal Automobile Club The Royal Automobile Club is a British private Club (organization)#Country or sports club, social and athletic club. It has two clubhouses: one in London at 89 Pall Mall, London, Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, ne ...

Motor Sports Association until 1988. FIA president

Jean-Marie Balestre Jean-Marie Balestre (; 9 April 1921 – 27 March 2008) was a French motorsport administrator and journalist. From 1978 to 1991, Balestre served as president of the '' Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile'' (FISA); from 1985 to 1993, he ...

, who was searching for an English-speaking press relations man for the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA), approached Whitaker for the job and accepted it in a meeting at the FIA Headquarters in Paris in 1988. A year later, Whitaker ran media operations for FISA before joining FOCA television in 1990. In mid-1996, Whitaker was appointed as Ford's head of the European Motorsport Program, succeeding Gillitzer whose contract was not renewed. Whitaker covered the areas of

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

, the

World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is an international rallying series owned and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA. Inaugurated in 1973, it is the oldest FIA world championship after Formula One. E ...

and local touring car series. He left in October 1999. Martin Whitaker worked for FIA Presidents Jean-Marie Balestre and Max Mosley for Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management, McLaren International and as Director of Motorsport for Ford Motor Company. In June 2004, Whitaker was appointed as the General Manager of the

. He worked in this capacity until after the 2010

Bahrain Grand Prix The Bahrain Grand Prix (), officially known as the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix for sponsorship reasons, is a Formula One motor racing event in Bahrain. The first race took place at the Bahrain International Circuit on 4 April 2004. It made hist ...

. In April 2010, Whitaker became the CEO of the Australian

series. He relinquished the CEO role in September 2011 to focus on managing the series' races outside Australia. In 2012, Whitaker moved back to Bahrain and set up a consultancy business. In 2015, Martin Whitaker was appointed Lead Consultant and Chief Executive Officer of Circuit of Wales, a project to construct a motorsport venue in Blaenau Gwent, Wales. He continues to manage his successful business consulting firm Sportique88 WLL. In 2009, ArabianBusiness.com listed Whitaker as the 31st most powerful businessman in Bahrain.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitaker, Martin Living people Year of birth missing (living people) English businesspeople Auto racing executives Formula One people World Rally Championship people