Alex Martin fights through the pain barrier on debut

Team Parker Racing’s Alex Martin has revealed he’s been battling through the pain barrier on his maiden weekend in touring cars, driving with two slipped discs in his back.

Martin qualified 21st in the ex-Motorbase Performance Ford Focus ST yesterday, in a session which featured a big moment at Paddock Hill which he was able to recover from.

Despite his back issue, the 27-year-old is confident of making forward progress in the races, feeling there was untapped performance left in the car.

Speaking to TouringCarTimes, Martin said: “I’m actually OK in the car. Fortunately it’s a clockwise circuit but around the left handers it hurts a bit. We’ve got a very good physio here keeping me mobile.

“Now that I’ve done a quali and the two practices it’s such a weight off my shoulders. I could have done a better job, I’m more disappointed with my own performance.

“Some laps I was fast in the first sector and slow in the second, and some laps it was the other way around. If I put the two together, my ideal lap would have been quite a lot further up the grid, which means we’ve got the opportunity to move forward tomorrow.”

Looking ahead to the races, Martin said he was looking to make the most of the car’s strengths over a race distance.

“It’s common knowledge that the car finishes races. Mat [Jackson] finished every single race in the points last year. Once the tyres are warm the car comes into its own. It’s got a lot of longevity and whenever I’ve done the long runs, it’s really shown,” said Martin.