John Martin will race one of Wall Racing’s Honda Civic Type-R cars in the inaugural TCR Australia series in 2019, marking the experienced racer’s first foray into touring car racing.
Martin has taken on GT racing in recent years, but has also progressed through the single-seater ranks earlier in his career. The 34-year-old started out in Formula Ford in 2006, before moving into British Formula Ford and Formula 3 in 2007.
Since then, Martin has also taken on seasons in A1GP, Formula Renault 3.5 and the Superleague Formula, before moving into sportscar racing.
Now he will make a move into front-wheel drive touring car racing for the first time in the TCR Australia series, partnering Tony D’Alberto in the team.
“It’s going to be different, but I’m really looking forward to the new challenge,” said Martin. “Up until TCR got announced in Australia, I didn’t really picture myself racing in touring cars.
“But the more I spoke to people and the more hype that has been building, it now seems like the obvious next career choice.
“The category is massive in Europe. I was over there when it first started, and I’ve watched a fair bit of the racing. It’s very exciting, door to door battles and that’s what people want to see.
“The other lure for me is that it’s an international class. There’s nothing stopping us from going to Asia or Europe and racing these exact same cars on some of the world’s best circuits. That definitely played a part in my decision.
“I’ve had some dealings with David Wall and his team of late and they are a great team. There is no fuss with their racing. They enjoy it and they are good at it. I’m really looking forward to the season kicking off in Sydney.”
David Wall, Wall Racing Team Owner, is looking forward to working with the ambitious Queenslander in the coming season.
“John is hugely experienced and he has proven his ability in a variety of different cars – you name it, he has done it,” said Wall.
“His experience is definitely going to help our team get on the pace quickly, and he is really going to complement Tony in our other car.
“To have two very good professional drivers in our Hondas is a massive benefit. These cars are quite a bit different to what they are familiar with, but I feel that they will be able to get their heads around it really quickly.
“The Winton test is going to be an important day. It will be their only chance to drive the cars prior to Sydney Motorsport Park, so we’ll be looking to maximise every moment to ensure we are competitive straight out of the box.”
Martin will test the Civic at Winton Speedway on 30 April, ahead of the start of the season at Sydney Motorsport Park on May 17 – 19.