British endurance racer Charlie Martin’s passport has seen a lot of stamps from a number of places in her quest to move up the ranks in motorsports. This season, she’ll add a stamp from the United States of America.
Martin announced Wednesday that she will race in the Lamborghini Squadra Corse Super Trofeo North America series, teaming up with Canadian racer and OSOM Products CEO Jason Keats in a race-spec Lamborghini Huracán EVO2. The season opens April 30 at one of the cornerstones of American motorsport, Laguna Seca, near Monterey, Calif.
The announcement came after months of preparation in secrecy.
“I could not be more excited to making my racing debut this year on some of the US’s most legendary circuits,” she said on Instagram. “It’s been hard to keep this a secret for so long, I’m so excited to announce this and incredibly grateful to all involved for the opportunity.”
She will drive with a teammate who’s never-say-die spirit mirrors her own. Keats sees his firm, specializing in digital privacy solutions, as a small firm outhustling the big firms in the industry.
This ethic also extends to his company’s sponsorship of scrappy Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus’ dream of being the small American challenger that conquers the mighty manufacturers at the 24 Hours of LeMans, the race Martin dreams of competing in.
“Charlie and myself have a really good working relationship and I’m sure that will benefit us throughout the season,” Keats noted. “To see it all come together is exciting for all of us and we’re looking forward to a great season of racing together.”
Martin came out publicly as trans a few years ago, joining the Rainbow Laces campaign and hoping to be an inspiration for trans inclusion in auto racing.
The season ahead brings new challenges to a driver in who seems to thrive on challenge amid change. Two years ago with the COVID pandemic looming, Martin competed in a series based in the legendary 15-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife, learned fast and held her own. In 2021, she learned a completely new vehicle enroute to an overall third place season finish in the Praga Division of the Britcar Endurance Championship.
This year Martin will face the five U.S.-based tracks on the circuit for the first time. In addition to Laguna Seca, two other legendary American tracks are also part of the series: Watkins Glen, New York and Road America in Wisconsin. The season ends with the World Final round featuring drivers from the North America, European, and Asian series racing together at Portimao, Portugal November 2-4.
