Charlie Martin back on the Lamborghini Super Trofeo podium at the Nürburgring

Charlie Martin delivered a stellar run in race 2 to secure a class podium finish at the Nürburgring, marking her fourth LC Cup podium of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe season, and her first for Iron Lynx.

Photo credits: Iron Lynx

On her first outing under the banner of Iron Lynx, Charlie Martin was the protagonist of a stellar run to third place in race 2 at Nürburgring, collecting her fourth LC Cup class podium of the season in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe.

The series returned to the track after the Le Mans round, where Martin climbed the podium in race 1 with a brilliant second place finish on the legendary circuit of the 24 Hours race.

Tackling her second season in the European Lamborghini one-make series, Charlie teamed up again with Jason Keats at Brutal Fish Racing - and the duo immediately claimed a breakthrough class victory in the season opener at Imola.

Charlie followed up with a class podium at Spa, in a solo run at the Belgian circuit that forced her to recover from the back of the +50 car field in both races.

With the runner up finish at Le Mans, Charlie Martin entered the fourth round of the season at Nürburgring third in the championship standings, just four points behind Holger Harmsen and 8,5 adrift class leaders Paolo Biglieri/Petar Matic, in a tightly-contested LC Cup class as the season entered its second half.

On the eve of the fourth race meeting, Charlie Martin announced she would be competing under the banner of Iron Lynx, having teamed up with John Seale after Brutal Fish Racing pulled out of the series.

"Excited to be joining Iron Lynx this weekend for round 4 of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo at the Nürburgring", Martin said. "Big thanks to John Seale for the opportunity to race together and everyone at Iron Lynx for such a warm welcome into the team. Always a mega feeling to be racing at the Ring, let’s see what we can do this weekend!"

Typical Nürburgring weather characterized the weekend, with a wet practice day but the new driver duo clearly showed promising speed - with a realistic goal of a class podium.

Seale and Martin were fourth fastest in the LC Cup class in both practice sessions on Friday, despite a red flag-disrupted FP2.

Qualifying saw Charlie Martin set a time of 2:25.543 in very tricky conditions on Saturday morning, securing P4 in class in the rain. John Seale took over for the second session, posting a time of 2:17.126 and placing the #49 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan ST EVO2 in 33rd overall and again fourth in class.

Rain at the Eifel continued for Race 1 in the afternoon: the cold, wet track and poor visibility required for a start under the safety car, with 48 cars lined up on the grid. Charlie Martin, starting from P4 in the LC Cup class, faced the daunting task of navigating the treacherous conditions.

As the green flag waved with 40 minutes remaining, the field began to spread out. Bonduel took the lead overall, while Charlie maintained her position within the LC Cup.

However, as Martin attempted to advance through the field, she was hit by another car and spun at turn 1 on lap 3. This unfortunate incident dropped her all the way to the back of the pack and ultimately ended in retirement from the race.

It was a disappointing result, particularly as it was her debut race with Iron Lynx; nonetheless, Charlie remained optimistic about the second race, determined to bounce back with forecasts of improved weather conditions.

The second race of the weekend saw a complete turnaround in weather conditions, with a sunny and dry track greeting the drivers on Sunday. John Seale took the wheel for the start from P4 in the LC Cup class. Despite a solid start, Seale lost one position in class after the first lap, falling behind Holger Harmsen.

He found himself in P43 overall, engaging in a fierce battle to hold off Petar Matic while trying to clear some AM cars ahead to catch up with Harmsen.

As the pit window opened with 30 minutes remaining, Seale pitted after a commendable stint, and Charlie Martin took over. Rejoining the race in P42 overall, Charlie wasted no time in showcasing her pace.

She immediately set the car's fastest lap, a blistering 2:04.333, three seconds faster and, with her impressive speed, Charlie began to pick off competitors one by one. She quickly caught up to Biglieri and passed him on lap 16, moving up to P5.

Next in her sights was Luciano Privitelio: within a couple of laps, Martin was right on the tail of the Rexal Villorba Corse Huracan, eventually overtaking Privitelio to claim fourth place.

She continued to close the gap to Harmsen, who was 10 seconds ahead. With each lap, she reduced the distance by over two seconds, pushing hard for a podium finish.

Although she crossed the line just a few tenths short of third place, a post-race penalty for the #90 GT3 Poland car elevated her to third in class.

"I’m very satisfied with my performance from Sunday," Charlie Martin said. "Joining a new team without any testing upped the pressure, and I was keen to show my pace."

"Iron Lynx are a fantastic team and really welcomed me. I’m grateful to John Seale too for the chance to drive together. I threw everything at it during my stint, so to finish on the podium at our first weekend together is a mega feeling!"

On the final lap, Martin clocked an outstanding fourth-fastest overall time on that lap, further highlighting her impressive effort to secure a podium finish.

With her fourth top-three finish of the season in the LC Cup category, Charlie Martin remains firmly in the title hunt, maintaining her momentum and setting her sights on the upcoming round, scheduled for 11-13 October at Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona.