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John Martin was born in Gosford, N.S.W, Australia on the 8th July, and a love of anything that goes fast soon grew on the young star.
Living in outback Queensland in a town called Blackwater, Martin spent much of his childhood riding trail bikes and jet-ski's before his racing career began at the Rockhampton Kart Track in 1998 when he began to race a C.R.G in the junior national and light class.
Racing came easily to the young star and began to win races in his first year behind the wheel.
In just a few short years, Martin was moving up the ranks and soon racing in the Resa category where pole positions, race wins and podiums became the norm.
By 2001 Martin was in the top 5 of the Resa category and the following year he won the Resa QLD State Championship.
Martin again moved up in class and showed he had talent to burn.
In 2002 Martin ran a full season in the ICA series racing a Trulli kart and then stepped up to the prestigious Ford Kartstars series for a number of events. By 2003 he had set pole at Geelong in the Ford Kartstars before placing second and was also racing in the CIK series.
In his final year of kart racing (2004), Martin picked up the highly sought Arrows factory drive and rewarded the team with a number of wins.
Like many before him, Martin chose to race Formula Fords as his next step in building a racing career and competed in both the Victorian and NSW State Formula Ford Championships.
In a remarkable year in a Spectrum, Martin amassed an incredible 20 race wins, seven 2nd places and three 3rd places from 42 starts in rookie season, including 2 national race wins and national round win in the 2005 Australian Formula Ford Championship at Sandown.
John Martin was suddenly the Victorian Formula Ford Champion and Victorian Rookie of the Year and also came 2nd in the NSW Formula Ford Championship and NSW Rookie of the Year.
Raw speed was also evident with the up and coming star claiming 9 pole positions from 13 qualifying sessions in 2005.
Rewarded with the CAMS Rising Star award, Martin raced in the National Formula Ford series in 2006, racing a Spectrum011 with Borland Racing.
In the all-new Fiesta powered engines, Martin continued to his meteoric rise by winning the opening round at the Adelaide Street Circuit. A string of race wins and podium results followed and coupled with another round win at Oran Park, Martin claimed the Rookie of the Year title with a round to go.
Heading into the final round he was one of only two drivers who could win the Australian Formula Ford Championship and held the championship lead longer than any other driver.
A win in race two of the final round of the championship at Philip Island was the pivotal race result that netted Martin the 2006 Australian Formula Ford Championship along with his Rookie title.
Impressive as Martin's career had been in Australia, the racing world took notice when he went to England to compete in the highly competitive British Formula Ford Championship.
Qualifying in the top five at Brands Hatch, Martin went on to become the first Australian to win on debut in an Australian built Spectrum, signaling his arrival on the international scene and opening up some opportunities for a international drive for 2007.
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| International career highlights - Formula Ford |
| Oct 2006 |
4th and 5th at Castle Combe (Rounds 19 and 20 of the UK Formula Ford Championship) |
| Sep 2006 |
2nd at Silverstone (Round 15 of the UKFFC) |
| Aug 2006 |
1st and 3rd at Brands Hatch on debut (Rounds 11 and 12 of the UKFFC) |
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| National career highlights – Formula Ford |
| 2006 |
1st Australian Formula Ford Championship |
| 2006 |
Rookie of the Year Australian Formula Ford Championship |
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| Dec 2006 |
2nd at Phillip Island in Round 8 of the AFFC |
| Nov 2006 |
3rd at Symmons Plains in Round 7 of the AFFC |
| Sep 2006 |
1st at Sandown in Round 5 of the AFFC |
| Aug 2006 |
2nd at Oran Park in Round 4 of the AFFC |
| May 2006 |
3rd at Barbagallo in Round 2 of the AFFC |
| Mar 2006 |
1st at Clipsal 500 in Round 1 of the AFFC |
| Nov 2005 |
1st at Eastern Creek Raceway in Formula Ford Cup |
| Sep 2005 |
1st at Sandown in Round 8 of AFFC |
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| State career highlights – Formula Ford |
| 2005 |
1st Victorian Formula Ford Championship |
| 1st Victorian Rookie of the Year |
| 2nd NSW Formula Ford Championship |
| 2nd in 2005 NSW Rookie of the Year |
20 race wins, seven 2nd places and three 3rd places from 42 starts in rookie season, including 2 national race wins and national round win 2005 AFFC (Round 8 Sandown).
9 pole positions from 13 qualifying sessions in 2005. |
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| National career highlights – Go Karts |
| 2004 |
Pole and 2nd at Resa nationals |
| 2003 |
Pole at Geelong Ford Kartstars championships |
| 2001 |
5th in Resa nationals |
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| State career highlights – Go Karts |
| 2004 |
2nd in Rotax light, 2nd in clubman heavy and 4th in senior national heavy |
| 2002 |
1st in Resa Qld state championship |
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| Motor Sport awards |
| 2006 |
Nominee CAMS Motor Sport Personality of the Year |
| 2006 |
National CAMS Rising Star |
| Sept 2005 |
Winner 2005 Xcellerate Sports Management / Tasman Motor Sport Search for a V8 Superstar |
