Charlie Martin: bringing the rainbow to motorsport

Like many boys (and girls) growing up in the 1980s, Charlie Martin was fascinated by the hit movie “Top Gun” and dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot. He soon realized that his grades in math and physics were not good enough, meaning that a career in aviation would never get off the ground, and so the plan was abandoned. However, that ‘need for speed’ already had the young boy in its thrall. So, when his best friend’s father, a racing driver, brought the two boys along with him to the track one day, Charlie was hooked. From then on, he took every opportunity to go to the track and be around the cars and crews. He replayed major races on his computer, biding his time until the day he himself could get behind the wheel. He quickly discovered that he was fast. Very fast! And rather good. At 19, he visited Le Mans for the first time and the die was cast. He remained in France and earned his first motorsport stripes – not on circuits but on hill climbs. Yet for all of that time and over all of those years, there was something else going on beneath the surface. From the age of seven, Charlie knew that he identified as female. The older he got the more he questioned whether the course he had taken in life was the right one. Until one day, it became blindingly obvious to him that he was living his life in the wrong body. Following conversations with other transgender people, he came to the decision to transition.

The greatest hurdle to overcome in returning to racing was not stereotypes or prejudice but insecurity, says Martin, as she buttons up her race suit. “At the beginning, I noticed that many people in the paddock who would have known me from before, were hanging back and I was really nervous back then. I often read this behavior as being passive-aggressive, even though it was really just an unusual situation. The vast majority of these people still hadn’t met someone who was transgender. As soon as I started a conversation and people started to understand my reasons, things went more smoothly. I realized that people’s reactions stemmed not from prejudice, just from a lack of information and fear of saying the wrong thing. But you really shouldn’t make your life unnecessarily difficult. I would prefer that someone just ask a question, regardless of how silly it might sound, as long as it is well-intentioned. Because how are we ever going to tear down those barriers otherwise?”

Time and again though Charlie Martin did experience real support. “There were some people who believed in me and who helped me to believe in myself.” This had a huge impact on her and contributed to her building self-esteem. Only one thing saddens the 39-year old: that her parents were not around to experience it all with her. Martin’s parents both died of cancer, her father when she was just a child and her mother when she was 23. “She gave me £400 towards my first race car. It means a lot to me that she was there to experience the start of what is now my great passion in life: motorsport.” Finance is always an issue when trying to break into motorsport and Martin counts it among her first personal victories that she managed to do it largely on her own.

Motorsport continues to be a male-dominated industry. What does she think can be changed or indeed must change if motor racing is to be more diverse? “I want to advance the cause of equality in this sport,” says Charlie Martin forming a triangle with both her hands. “Motorsport is like a pyramid with Formula 1 at its peak. You need a higher percentage of women coming in at the bottom if you want to see more professional female drivers at the top, and so it's about creating role models to show young girls what is possible. That way they grow up feeling empowered and able to do any career they like, it's about breaking down gender stereotypes and challenging perceptions, like the idea that motorsport has to be an exclusively male sport.”

But what draws her personally to this sport? Charlie Martin flings open her arms and turns to the pit lane, which is a hive of activity, and exclaims: “This! Right here! I love being part of a community of petrol heads, who do what they do out of a shared passion for the sport. It’s like a big family. When you walk into the pit lane on race day, you hear the engines roaring into life and feel your heart thumping in your chest ... you feel so alive, there is quite simply nothing to compare to that moment when the car is pushed onto the track. You are sitting in the car on the track with your foot on the accelerator and you know that now you have to give it your all – when I am fully focused in this moment nothing else in life matters. And I love that.”

Martin uses a break in the photo shoot to make a short video. She always has her smartphone to hand, allowing her social media followers to follow her story. Yes, there are trolls ready to spread their hate anonymously, but she doesn’t let it get to her – in as much as she can. “I have built up a thick skin over the years. People sometimes argue and say why do you need to make a point out of being transgender? If you're fast that's all that matters, you don't need to bring LGBTQ into motorsport. But the point they're missing is that if everyone role model who inspired you in the sport looked the same as you, then you've never questioned whether it was ever possible to succeed as your true self, this is why representation is so important. I never saw a single transgender person who was visible in any sport or career growing up, that has a huge impact on your entire belief system of what is possible in life. It's hard to argue with people about these things on Twitter though and I don't have time or the inclination, I'd rather just positive stories and speak with my actions.”

Charlie Martin still has certain reservations about the labels, ‘pioneer’ and ‘role model’. “Sometimes it’s hard for me to get my head around as, to me, I am simply making my way through life just like anyone else. But I am proud of what I have achieved. When I started speaking on YouTube about my transition, the aim was to inspire others to act, to search for what I had already found. Over the years I have received so much positive feedback; so many messages from people who, having watched my vlogs, found the courage to transition themselves. To know that I have contributed even just a little bit to the happiness of other people means a great deal to me.”

“Go? Go!” The start signal comes over the radio, Martin’s team rolls the BMW M240i Racing, start number 242, out of the garage. There’s an electric energy palpable in the air, this is serious; the qualification run for the 24-hour endurance race on the Nürburgring is about to start. Due to the pandemic, the race has been postponed to the end of September, meaning that it is getting darker earlier, and the night will last longer. Dark storm clouds are moving in over the course. She reaches for her helmet with the “Go Charlie” logo emblazoned across the back. Martin’s motto in life is to simply do what you do and keep looking forward. And it is this attitude that she wants to convey to others. Does she have a message for spectators and fans? “Yes. Believe in possibility, believe in your power to create your own future and you will be able to realize your dreams. Secondly: Stay true to yourself and your vision of the person you want to be, don’t compromise yourself to be what society expects of you. And just because something hasn’t been done before does not mean that it is impossible. It just means that no one has been successful yet and that you could be the one to prove everyone wrong.”