- Charlie Martin becomes the latest Girls on Track UK Ambassador.
- Girls on Track creates events to inspire girls and women into seeing and believing that there is a rightful and valuable place for them in the motorsport industry.
- Announcement comes just before Martin’s 2023 race season in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe gets underway.
- Martin has already made LGBTQ+ history in sportscar racing since transitioning mid-way through her motorsports career.
Motorsport UK is delighted to announce British racing driver and LGBTQ+ activist Charlie Martin as the latest Ambassador for its highly successful Girls on Track UK programme.
She has already made LGBTQ+ history in sportscar racing, finishing fourth in class at the 2020 ADAC TOTAL 24 Nürburgring-Rennen on the notorious Nordschleife in a BMW M240i, and has scored podium finishes in various championships including Dutch Supercar Challenge, Britcar Endurance Championship and Germany’s ADAC GT4 series.
Since coming out as transgender in 2018 and transitioning mid-way through her motorsports career, which started in European hillclimbing, Martin has overcome adversity to become a leading figure - and a trusted voice - within the LGBTQ+ community. She frequently appears in the media to raise transgender awareness and inclusion, not only within the sport but on a wider scale as well.
Stonewall, the largest LGBTQ+ rights charity in Europe, named her as the first of their ‘Sports Champions’ and she also works with Mermaids, Athlete Alley, Racing Pride and is a BMW ‘Friend of the Brand.’ Additionally, Martin was featured in British Vogue’s ‘Vogue 25’ in 2021 as an inspirational woman who shaped 2021 and beyond.
Martin aspires to be the first transgender driver to compete at the world-renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the biggest races on the planet and the highlight round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Having most recently competed in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, finishing second in the LB Cup class with team-mate Jason Keats last year, Martin will continue to race a Lamborghini this season, moving to the European championship which kicks off at Paul Ricard (France) on 02-04 June.
Martin joins a select group of inspirational women within motorsport as a Girls on Track UK Ambassador. From team principals to mechanics, presenters to engineers, our Ambassadors cover the breadth of the sport and provide invaluable insight, support and knowledge.
Girls on Track UK is proud to be an inclusive environment and welcomes all trans, non-binary, intersex and genderfluid people who would like to be part of our community.
Charlie Martin:
"I'm very excited to be working with Girls on Track UK and inspire future generations of young women to find careers in motorsport. While there are more pathways opening up to women, there are still barriers that we need to break down, and I'm proud to share my own knowledge and experience to help play a constructive role in this process."
Hugh Chambers, CEO of Motorsport UK:
“I’m delighted to welcome Charlie as a Girls on Track UK Ambassador. Her story of breaking down barriers and overcoming adversity to achieve great on-track success is an inspirational one, and to be such a profound voice for the LGBTQ+ community within motorsport makes her an obvious choice to be involved as an Ambassador. Charlie’s knowledge, experience and courage will no doubt be a great asset to the more than 7,000 girls now engaged with our UK programme. We thank Charlie for her commitment and wish her the best of luck for the upcoming season.”
About Girls on Track UK
The Girls on Track UK programme is a joint initiative between the FIA and Motorsport UK. Uniting Susie Wolff’s ‘Dare to be Different’ initiative (founded in 2016) with the FIA’s ‘Girls on Track’ programme (founded in 2019), Girls on Track UK creates events to inspire girls and women into seeing and believing that there is a rightful and valuable place for them in the motorsport industry.
In addition to running events to inspire the younger generation of females, Girls on Track also has a free to join online community for women of all ages. The ability to meet other members, both online and at networking events, allows members to connect with other women who have a passion for motorsport, ask advice from one another and showcase their successes to inspire others.