Markko Märtin (born 10 November 1975 in
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...
) is a retired
rally
Rally or rallye may refer to:
Gatherings
* Political demonstration, a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade
* Pep rally, an event held at a North American school or college sporting event
Sport ...
driver from
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
, who competed in the
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is an international rallying series owned and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA. Inaugurated in 1973, it is the oldest FIA world championship after Formula One. E ...
from
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
until
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
.
Career
Märtin, as understudy to then-team mates
Colin McRae
Colin Steele McRae, (5 August 1968 – 15 September 2007), was a British rally driver. He was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion, and in 1995 became the first British driver to win the World Rally Championship Drivers' title.
At 27, ...
and
Carlos Sainz, rose to prominence with the
Ford World Rally Team in the
2002 season. He was leading that year's
Acropolis Rally Greece
The Acropolis Rally of Greece () is a rally competition that is part of the World Rally Championship (WRC). The rally is held on very dusty, rough, rocky and fast mountain roads in mainland Greece, usually during the Greek hot summer period. Th ...
until he suffered two punctures and fell behind the more experienced McRae. He won the equivalent event in Greece the following year as well as being only the third driver in the history of the WRC to break the
Nordic stranglehold on the
Neste Rally Finland. In addition to this, Märtin was inaugural winner, again with Ford, of the
Corona Rally Mexico in the
2004 season. He also won the tarmac rallies of
Corsica
Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
and
Catalunya in the same year. These victories were the last for the Märtin/
Michael Park partnership.
For
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
Märtin departed the team for former constructors' champion
Peugeot
Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis.
The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...
and its
307 car. He and
co-driver
A co-driver is the navigator of a rally car in the sport of rallying, who sits in the front passenger seat. The co-driver's job is to navigate, commonly by reading off a set of pacenotes to the driver (what lies ahead, where to turn, the severity ...
Park had still notched up four podium finishes for their new employers by the time they had arrived in
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
to contest the
Wales Rally Great Britain. On the final
leg
A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element cap ...
of the event, two kilometres from the start of Stage 15 at
Margam Park, Märtin's Peugeot crashed into a tree. Although the Estonian driver was left unhurt by the crash, co-driver
Michael Park was immediately killed in the accident, the first fatality for a competitor at WRC-level for over a decade. As a result, Märtin announced that he would pull out of the last four events of the 2005 season.
Shaken by the death of Park, Märtin effectively left the WRC stage. He went on to manage a junior rallying team in the Estonian rally scene, indicating that he would likely refuse any offers to drive at the top level again. He has since spoken out against the
FIA's treatment of the WRC, claiming that the series had lost much of its lustre and calling for a far-reaching rules overhaul.
However, Märtin made a limited return to competitive rallying in March 2006 at the 2006 Rally of Portugal. The invitational event was held as a candidate for full WRC status. Märtin competed in a
Subaru Impreza, his first outing in an
FIA-spec
Group N
In relation to international motorsport governed by the FIA, Group N refers to regulations providing "standard" large-scale series production vehicles for competition. They are limited in terms of modifications permitted to the standard specifi ...
car in nearly a decade. He was co-driven by
David Senior, who formerly worked with
Alister McRae. Märtin also partook in the 2006
Danish Touring Car Championship with Hans Hartmann's Honda Racing.
Märtin signed a deal to become the official test driver for the
Subaru World Rally Team in 2008. He has since test-driven for Ford and Mini.
Life after WRC
In 2009, Märtin was hired by Ford to work as a R&D factory driver. He helped to train WRC rookie
Ken Block
Kenneth Paul Block (November 21, 1967 – January 2, 2023) was an American professional Rallying, rally driver with the Hoonigan Racing Division, formerly known as the Monster World Rally Team. Block was also one of the co-founders of DC Shoe ...
for the 2010 WRC season. On 7 June 2010, it was announced that Märtin would race in
Rally Estonia, which took place on 16–18 July 2010 and which was also an IRC candidate event. Märtin drove a Ford Focus RS WRC 03, which he referred to as "the best rally car in the world."
Märtin won all twelve stages, second place,
Ott Tänak lost 2.50,3.
Together with his father, Märtin runs a haulage company in Estonia. He also rents out land and property, most prominently a piece of land to Autospirit, an Estonian car dealership. In 2005 he also created
MM Motorsport, which won several Estonian Rally Championship titles. The team also has numerous
Ford Fiesta R5 for rent.
Personal life
Märtin lives in
Monaco
Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
with Miss Model Estonia 2004 Mari-Liis Sallo and they welcomed their first child together in summer 2007.
Märtin also appeared in the 2019 documentary film ''
Ott Tänak: The Movie'' and in the 2023 film ''
Legends of the Winding Roads'' as one of the interviewees.
Martin was a good friend of ''
Richard Burns'' and was in the car at the time when Burns collapsed at the wheel on a UK motorway, Märtin managed to steer the car to the hard shoulder to avoid any incident.
Burns collapse was a result of an aggressive brain tumour that eventually killed him.
Complete World Rally Championship results
(
key)
WRC victories
:
References
External links
Article on Märtin's intention to retireArticle on Märtin's joiningwith
DTC
Statsa
Statsa
ewrc-results.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Markko
1975 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Tartu
Estonian rally drivers
Danish Touring Car Championship drivers
World Rally Championship drivers
People from Monte Carlo
Estonian expatriate sportspeople in Monaco
Motorsport team owners
Peugeot Sport drivers