Introducing: Charlie Martin.
A mountain to climb.
British racing driver Charlie Martin stands for a profound change not only in motorsport, but in contemporary culture as a whole. With her success in one of the toughest endurance races in the world, the ADAC Total 24h race at the Nürburgring, behind the wheel of a BMW M240i, she opened a new chapter in the endeavour to promote diversity and inclusion in professional motorsport. The road to becoming a professional racing driver was - not only literally - a very winding one for Charlie. However, her early beginnings followed a familiar path. As a teenager (prior to transition), she discovered her passion for motorsport after a friend's father took her to the racetrack; from then on, she never missed an opportunity to attend car races and mingle with the motorsport community. At the age of 24, she made her way into motorsport and enjoyed her first successes in British Hillclimb.
Charlie Martin: mentors and inspirations.
RACING FULL CIRCLE.
At 30, Charlie publicly acknowledged a fact she had felt since the age of seven; that she had always identified as female. She took the brave decision to transition and live authentically, while simultaneously realising that this would mean giving up motorsport.
The reason why Charlie left what she loved was the traditional self-image of motorsport: it is a male domain. The few women already have a hard time in motorsport. And Charlie feared that as a transgender woman, she would never be accepted by her male colleagues. In fact, many of them hung back, visibly uncomfortable around her. But in an amazing display of allyship, some of her old teammates from the paddock stuck by her unwaveringly. And so she realised that a woman who has the bravery to transition midway through her career has nothing to fear.
Charlie Martin returned to motorsport and has since collected laurels in a wide variety of racing series, including the British Endurance Championship, the Michelin Le Mans Cup and the Nürburgring Endurance Series. She is also an LGBTQ+ activist, using her visbility in the media - both traditional and social - to campaign for greater awareness and acceptance of non-binary and trans people in all areas of life.
DIVERSITY IN MOTORSPORT.
A NEW CHAPTER IN MOTORSPORT HISTORY.
Despite having achieved amazing things, Charlie sees no reason to take a break. Today, she is part of the BMW ‘Friends of the Brand’ network and continues to work hard on her racing career – because her greatest challenge is yet to come. Her goal is to one day be the first transgender driver to take part in the world's most iconic and biggest endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and make LGBTQ+ history in the process. Charlie's story is one of a woman and the unshakeable belief in herself.
