John Martin secures TCR Australia drive

Experienced racer John Martin will make the switch to touring car racing for 2019 after inking a deal to join Wall Racing for the inaugural TCR Australia Series season.

The 34-year-old will partner former Supercars racer Tony D’Alberto at the wheel of a JAS Motorsport-built Honda Civics Type R when the campaign kicks off in Sydney next month.

Martin is well known for his success in single-seaters, having previously won the Formula Ford title before going on to race in the likes of British F3, A1GP and Formula Renault 3.5.

Recent seasons have seen him running in sportscars, but he said he was excited by the challenge of now racing in TCR.

“It’s going to be different, but I’m really looking forward to the new challenge,” he said. “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.”

Team owner David Wall was delighted to bring Martin into the team.

“John is hugely experienced and he has proven his ability in a variety of different cars – you name it, he has done it,” he said. “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.”