Charlie Martin secures double AM podium on last-minute debut in McLaren Trophy Europe in Monza
- RACERS
- 2 hours ago
- 8 min read
After securing a last-minute seat at Monza following an 18-month racing hiatus, Charlie Martin enjoyed a highly positive comeback weekend by rapidly adapting to the McLaren Artura Trophy EVO and claiming two AM-class podium finishes despite minimal preparation on her McLaren Trophy Europe debut.
Charlie Martin's appearance at the opening round of the 2026 McLaren Trophy Europe season at Monza was one of the most remarkable stories of the weekend. Arriving at the Italian circuit with no race seat and originally planning only to network in search of opportunities for later rounds, Martin unexpectedly found herself back on the grid after an 18-month absence from competitions.
The British racer had last competed in 2024 in Lamborghini Super Trofeo, where she scored an LC Cup podium at the prestigious Le Mans support event at La Sarthe among the others. Since then, Martin had been working to secure a return to racing, exploring various opportunities to get back behind the wheel.
The last minute chance came in the most unexpected circumstances. While attending Monza primarily to meet the series ahead of a hoped-for programme beginning at Spa-Francorchamps, a vacancy suddenly emerged when another driver on the entry list became unavailable. With a McLaren Artura Trophy EVO unexpectedly available, Martin seized the opportunity despite having no preparation whatsoever.
With no race suit, helmet or equipment of her own at the circuit, Martin borrowed everything she needed and was immediately thrown into the deep end. She had not raced at Monza since 2019, had missed pre-event testing, and was returning to competition after more than a year away from racing. Nevertheless, she embraced the challenge as an opportunity to learn both the car and championship ahead of a potential full campaign.
Reflecting on the weekend, Martin explained how unexpectedly the opportunity materialized: "It's been a baptism of fire in many ways because originally I was trying to put a last minute deal together to race and that fell through because of the other driver pulling out. McLaren kindly invited me to come out anyway and just experience the weekend."
"So I said I'll come do that, network a bit, try to set things up for Spa. I flew out on Thursday afternoon, and the person who's been helping me a bit said, can you come to the track now? there might be some kind of opportunity. One of the drivers for the team wasn't able to race, the car was available."
"Thursday evening with no equipment, we agreed a package to race. It's fantastic because I know Target from Super Trofeo. So it's nice coming into a team at least where you have already a bit of a relationship with people. And McLaren have been fantastic as well in terms of trying to accommodate everything last minute and helping a lot."
The rapidly expanding McLaren Trophy Europe championship continues to grow in competitiveness as part of the SRO Europe support package, and Martin joined familiar faces at Target Racing, a team she knew from her Lamborghini Super Trofeo days. Competing in the #96 McLaren Artura Trophy EVO, Martin would contest the weekend as a solo driver in the AM class.
With no prior running, Martin's primary objective throughout practice was simply to gain confidence and reduce the gap. She immediately got to work in the opening practice session, recording a best lap of 1:52.832 as she familiarized herself with the McLaren.
Further progress came during the second session on Friday, where she lowered her benchmark to 1:52.106.
By Saturday morning's third practice session, the improvement continued. Martin climbed to 14th fastest overall in the 20-car field, demonstrating significant gains as she became increasingly comfortable with the Artura Trophy EVO.
The progress translated directly into qualifying. In the first qualifying session, Martin continued her steady improvements and qualified 14th overall in the 20-car field and secured second position in the AM class, in a highly encouraging step of several seconds considering her lack of preparation before arriving at Monza.
"I didn't even do any sim practice or anything, the last time I raced here was 2019", Charlie explained. "I missed the Thursday practice, so it was a lot of catching up to do on Friday, but I built some good confidence in the car."
Saturday afternoon's opening race took place in extremely challenging conditions, with high temperatures, heat and humidity placing additional demands on drivers.
Starting 16th overall and second in the AM class, Martin executed a smart and composed opening lap.
At the rolling start she avoided any potential trouble into Turn 1, immediately gaining one position through the first chicane before picking up another place at the second chicane. It was a clean and confident opening lap that immediately showcased her racecraft despite the hiatus.
Settling into a good rhythm early on, Martin maintained second position in AM while battling closely with the #11 Artura driven by Millar.
Significant tyre debris from a damaged car was left at the exit of Ascari on the second lap, but the race remained green.
Millar eventually moved ahead for overall position, but Martin remained within a group of Pro-Am competitors. She defended effectively from Fenech while simultaneously staying close to Lake ahead, demonstrating good race management while comfortably maintaining her class position.
On lap seven, Alessandro Fabi and Edgar Pierre made contact entering the first chicane; the latter was spun around as a result, but both drivers were eventually able to continue and the race again stayed green.
Martin subsequently batted for overall position with Fenech, remaining second in AM. She continued running competitive pace with the surrounding group and gained a position when Fabi dropped down the order.
As the pit window opened, many of the Pro-Am entries headed to pit lane. Martin elected to stay out longer, maximizing track position. She cycled into the lead of the AM class when Leimer pitted on lap eleven. Eventually Martin made her mandatory stop with 21 minutes remaining, pitting from eighth overall.
Following the pit cycle, Piguet inherited the AM class lead while Martin rejoined in second place and 16th overall. As some of the Pro-Am entries worked their way back through the field, Martin remained consistent despite the challenging conditions and the demands of completing the entire race distance solo. The second half of the stint proved more difficult from a pace perspective, but she managed the situation effectively and brought the car home in second place in AM.
It was a podium finish on her return to racing and a notable achievement considering the circumstances of her last minute appearance.
"I was pretty happy with qualifying. I took a few seconds off and race one was really tough because of the heat. Driving solo, it's one of the toughest races I think I've done", the British racer said after the race. "I was a bit frustrated in a way because I was a bit rusty. But ultimately, just really happy to be back racing this weekend because I've missed it so much. And to come away from that race with the podium in AM, it was really an amazing result to just give you that kind of motivation that I'm on the right track and I can make the season happen."
Sunday morning's second qualifying session was initially delayed due to track damage from an earlier category, but once the session began, Martin immediately continued her progression.
Having already surpassed her initial benchmark during Race 1, she lowered her best lap even further, dipping below the 1:52 barrier for the first time with a 1:51.482.
A spin at Lesmo 2 prevented her from improving further during the session, but the overall trend remained positive: she secured another second-place starting position in the AM class and 18th overall.
Determined to continue improving and build upon the encouraging performance from Race 1, Charlie Martin lined up for Sunday's second 45-minute contest. At the green flag the field negotiated Turn 1 cleanly and Martin kept herself out of trouble, slotting into 19th overall.
Several cars ran through the escape road at the first chicane on lap two before rejoining, while Martin continued a clean opening phase, maintaining her class position ahead of Ben Mulryan.
However, as the race progressed, performance in the #96 McLaren began to deteriorate. Martin started losing a few seconds and eventually fell behind both Mulryan and Papanastasiou, although she remained second in the AM category.
Towards the end of the stint she reported the gears unexpectedly jumping into neutral on multiple occasions. As the pit window approached and competitors began making their stops, Martin cycled up to 15th overall before eventually pitting on lap eleven.
Unfortunately, an issue then struck the #96 machine; the engine cut out in the pit lane and would not restart, ending any hopes of completing the race distance under normal circumstances.
Meanwhile, the race itself became chaotic. The #50 McLaren of Coelho spun out and hit the barriers at Ascari, while Will Martin was involved in another heavy crash at Parabolica. The incidents triggered the Safety Car before race control ultimately displayed the red flag due to extensive barrier repairs being required.
With only eleven minutes remaining and repairs taking too long, the race was not restarted. Despite the mechanical issues that had left her stranded in pit lane, enough race distance had been completed for the classification to stand and Charlie Martin was still classified second in AM class, thus securing her second podium finish of the weekend and collecting another valuable haul of championship points.
"I got a good start", she summarized. "My objective in race two was to try and stay with the pack and try and fight for a few positions and just really improve on my performance from yesterday. And the first lap or so went pretty well. And then, I don't know, I just was dropping back. I just couldn't keep up. On the 11th lap, the car jumped out of gear two times. I had a low oil pressure alarm, brought it into the pits, and at which point the engine just cut out."
"But thankfully, because of the red flag and the race distance already completed, we came away with the points and the podium still. So all in all, it's been a pretty good start to the season, given the fact that I wasn't even coming out here planning to race. I've had a really good time. It's been amazing working with everyone."
From arriving at Monza without a race seat to leaving with two AM class podiums, Martin's weekend nevertheless represented one of the most remarkable stories of the season opener.
Thrown into competition with no preparation, no testing, borrowed equipment and 18 months away from racing, she adapted rapidly to a new championship and unfamiliar machinery while improving steadily throughout the weekend.
The double podium result places her among the AM class contenders and provides a strong foundation for the championship. With the next round taking place at Spa-Francorchamps on 24-27 June as part of the prestigious CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa support package, Martin heads to a circuit where she has previously enjoyed considerable success in Lamborghini Super Trofeo and one she knows better than Monza.
"I'm really gunning for Spa, to be honest, because that's a track I know very well", she continued, already lloking ahead to Spa where she aims to unluck further performance. "I think having extra time, proper preparation, even just getting the seat right, wearing my own helmet and equipment - it's little things, but it's a sport where little marginal incremental improvements count. I really can't wait to put everything together and come to Spa and try and build on this weekend."
