Charlie Martin showcased outstanding speed at Circuit de Catalunya in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe, securing pole position and battling for the win, but was ultimately denied by a retirement and a penalty after strong recovery drives.
Charlie Martin's outstanding pace at Circuit de Catalunya went unrewarded in the penultimate round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe series, as the driver of the #49 Iron Lynx Huracan just missed out on her fifth class podium of the season after a remarkable recovery drive in Race 2, while a retirement in the first contest from the lead of the race denied her a second win this year.
Martin started the season—her second in the European series of the Lamborghini one-make championship—with Brutal Fish Racing, teaming up with Jason Keats, with whom she had already shared the car in the North American championship in 2022. The duo took a brilliant victory at the season opener in Imola in the LC Cup class, and Martin continued her streak of podiums at Spa Francorchamps and Le Mans, before moving to Iron Lynx following the withdrawal of Brutal Fish Racing.
In her first outing with Iron Lynx, Charlie Martin again climbed the podium at Nürburgring and aimed to continue her strong form at Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, in the penultimate round before the World Finals in Jerez in November. Martin would again share the #49 machine with John Seale, aiming for another success in LC Cup, and she proved early on in the weekend that the duo had good speed to contend for more podiums.
In the first practice session, Charlie Martin set the 5th fastest time in LC Cup, 38th overall, with a 1:48.387. She made more significant progress in the second session, with a solid run for both Seale and Martin, finishing second in LC Cup with a 1:47.626.
Qualifying was another superb step forward, with Charlie Martin establishing herself as the driver to beat around the 4.657 km Catalan circuit. On Saturday morning, Charlie, in Q1, immediately set a 1:48.884 that put her on top of the LC class, and then clocked a 1:45.496 to take pole position. John Seale drove in the second qualifying session on a wet track, managing a 2:03.664, securing second in LC Cup, in another strong run for the #49 Iron Lynx car.
After heavy rain earlier in the afternoon, the track was just barely dry for the first Lamborghini ST race of the weekend, the penultimate round before the world finals. Martin started the race from pole position in the LC Cup after a brilliant qualifying session in the morning.
Everyone made it through Turns 1 and 2, with Amaury Bonduel dropping to third after going a bit deep and handing the overall lead to Mattia Michelotto. Charlie was cautious through the tricky first corners, losing one place to Karim Ojjeh, who took the LC Cup lead, but she stayed second with some buffer to Shota Abkhazava, her closest class rival.
Charlie was pushing and staying close to Ojjeh, showing faster pace as she closed in. A few incidents ahead caused a safety car deployment on lap 5, with a few cars ending up in the gravel at Turn 1. Martin had a strong run just before the race was brought under caution.
The race restarted on lap 9, with 31 minutes to go. Karim Ojjeh picked up a puncture, allowing Martin to regain the class lead on lap 10. She now had a significant gap to the cars behind as the pit window opened. Charlie stayed out while the round of pit stops commenced, trying to maximize her driving time and continue climbing up the field. She managed the hectic stages well, despite being in traffic, keeping the lead from Donovan Privitelio before the pit stops.
Martin pitted on lap 13, having climbed to 11th overall after a strong stint despite the lengthy safety car period. With a 6-second advantage over second-placed Privitelio, she handed over to John Seale.
Unfortunately, on his out lap, Seale spun on cold tyres, was collected and sustained damage, forcing the team to retire from the race as the safety car was deployed again. It was a very unfortunate end to Race 1 after a brilliant first stint from Martin.
On Sunday morning, after a slight delay due to fog, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo second race took place in fully dry conditions. John Seale started from second in the LC Cup, aiming to make up for the unfortunate first race.
Seale however was immediately under investigation for completing only one formation lap. At lights out, Amaury Bonduel maintained the overall lead from Andrea Frassineti and Joran Leneutre, as the 44-car field safely navigated Turn 1. However, several cars went off-track, with Harmsen and Bailly ending up in the gravel. John Seale lost some positions, dropping behind Paolo Biglieri, and slotted into third in class as the safety car was deployed.
After the restart with 40 minutes to go, Seale unfortunately fell behind both Ojjeh and Hernandez Ortega in the LC Cup. When the pit window opened, Seale handed over to Charlie Martin on lap 10, from 4th in class and 38th overall.
Martin immediately set the fastest lap in class on her first out lap, a 1:48.397, cutting a 15-second gap to Ojjeh in half within a few laps. Charlie overtook Lovinfosse for overall position despite losing some time in the battle, then kept her focus on closing in on Ojjeh.
Martin obliterated the gap again, in a four-car battle for the LC Cup podium that also included Petar Matic and Dpmpvan Privitelio. Charlie managed to make a move stick on lap 23, but Ojjeh fought back – in a close duel that went on throughout the final lap. Martin eventually moved into third and crossed the finish line 0.7 short of second place – but unfortunately a penalty for the infringement at the start demoted her to fourth in class after a stellar recovery drive.
A third race was initially scheduled as a makeup event from the canceled Le Mans race, but since Martin had changed teams and was in a different entry, she was not allowed to take part in the final race of the day.
"The lesson I’m taking is that there will always be things you can’t control, but the one thing you can determine is your attitude" – Martin commented. "So push the frustrations to one side, focus on all the things that went right, regroup - then get back to it"
"There were plenty of positives at Barcelona, my pace and consistency are on point and I didn’t put a foot wrong"
"While this weekend scuttled any chance of a top three finish in class, I’m proud of everything I’ve achieved so far in my second weekend with a new team. Big thanks to everyone at Iron Lynx for all your hard work and to my teammate John [Seale] for the opportunity to drive together"
Although she couldn't continue her streak of class podiums, Charlie Martin's spectacular drives at Barcelona, which included a pole position, showcased her potential to win in class. Despite the unfortunate outcome, it was another superb performance for the British racer, who will aim to return to the podium at the season finale in Jerez on 14-15 November.
