The Iron Dames are back in the Michelin Le Mans Cup with French driver Celia Martin teamed up with silver rated Swiss driver Karen Gaillard in the GT3 class Lamborghini Huracan.
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Originally from Bordeaux, Celia Martin moved to Adenau in Germany to pursue her love of racing, with the 31-year-old becoming a specialist on the awesome Nürburgring Nordschleife. In 2021 she won the SP8 category at the ADAC 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, also finishing 3rdin SP3T in 2020 and 2ndlast year in SP8T.
Celia Martin now moves onto the next stage of her career path, moving up to GT3 machinery in the Michelin Le Mans Cup.
So why did she choose to race in the 2024 Michelin Le Mans Cup? “Having been in GT4 cars for the last 3 years and competed in my first national GT4 championship last year with GT4 Germany, the MLMC is a perfect next step for me moving up to a European level championship as well as GT3 machinery,” Celia Martin said. “Both steps were my goal for the future so with the MLMC and Iron Dames I am combining both those goals.”
The opening race of the season in Barcelona last month wasn’t the fairy tale start for Martin, finishing 7th in class in the 110-minute race. However, there were some positives to take away from Spain to apply to the race here in Le Castellet.
"It went quite well! We made good progress throughout the entire race week, and I could show already in quali that I had the pace,” she said. “We confirmed this during the race, but I made some mistakes which cost us some time and we couldn’t recover our position. Preparation is key and small details can have big consequences, so we made sure to learn from this for this next race here in Le Castellet."
What does it mean for Celia Martin’s career to be part of the Iron Dames project? "Being part of the Iron Dames is like winning the lottery for me. I have been given a huge chance and opportunity to step up in the highest GT class.
“I have been working for this to happen as the next step in my career. What comes after I don’t know and for now, I want to focus on my development and giving good results to the whole Iron Dames team. Participating in the MLMC is also a great step in terms of championship and I am looking forward to leave a good impression there."
The race here is Le Castellet is the first of two Michelin Le Mans Cup events in France, the second being the Road To Le Mans on probably the most famous track in the world.What does it mean to Celia Martin to race on these two famous circuits as a French driver? "Last time I raced in France was in Paris during Formula E and I had a very good race and result there. The atmosphere there was amazing so I cannot wait the Le Mans race weekend. Racing there will for sure be something even more special! As a spectator it’s such a big event so as a driver I can’t imagine what it would be!"
"I never raced in Le Castellet but tested there. So, it’s a very nice track which allows you to develop some good confidence. I especially like the last sector of the track, so I am really looking forward to race there."
So, who is Celia Martin and what does she do when she is not racing? “I grew up in Bordeaux and finished university with a master in Law and private wealth management. I always wanted to race, but it wasn’t until 2017 that I decided to go all in, moved to the Nürburgring and started racing. It was a huge gamble, but I always believed it possible.
“When I am not racing, I like to hang out with my friends, go to the gym, mountain biking, cooking and play any kind of games. I am also working as an instructor and test prototype cars for manufacturers at various proving grounds including the Nordschleife and sometimes you can also see me in the F1 Paddock Club.”
CLICK HERE TO READ THIS INTERVIEW IN THE OFFICIAL EVENT PROGRAMME
