Q & A with John Martin of G-Drive Racing
The sole Australian racing in the FIA WEC this year, John Martin has made a seamless transfer to international sportscar racing after a number of successful years in single-seaters.
The 2011 Superleague champion is driving the No.26 G-Drive Racing ORECA Nissan with Roman Rusinov and Mike Conway and the trio will be looking to boost their points tally after provisionally losing their third place finish in LMP2 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans due to a technical infringement. The team appealed against the decision, and the hearing is scheduled for 10 September. Martin, 29, now looks forward to better things in the second half of the season.
1. How have you kept race fit during the summer?
I have been training quite hard during this summer break doing lots of miles on my road bike to keep my cardio fitness at its peak whilst also spending some days in the gyms to keep my strength up.
2. Which track are you most looking forward to racing at in the second half of the WEC season?
Austin! I am really looking forward to getting on track here. It’s a brand new circuit that I haven't been to before with some new challenges and the place looks awesome!
3. With five races on three continents in the next few months, how do you cope with the travelling and jet lag?
As someone from Australia I have been racing in Europe for a number of years now and have learnt deal with it pretty well. I think the trick is to stay awake until the night time in the country you are visiting and not be tempted to have a nap during the day. With the WEC races been well spread out it allows you to arrive early to adjust and prepare. For Fuji and Shanghai I will fly back to Australia in between so that I am almost in the same time zone. It also allows me a quick visit to the family.
4. What is the best thing about racing in Sao Paulo?
The weather and the people. I love the atmosphere and the passion that the Brazilians bring to racing. They always make such an effort to make us feel welcome and put on a great event.
Fiona Miller