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Written by:
Marshall Pruett
08/22/2008 - 07:23 PM
Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada
Veteran Audi Sport/Champion Racing technician Greg 'Kiwi' Martin spends ALMS weekends caring for an R10, and his free weekends running Audi R8's, Porsche 962's, Bentley's... (Photo: Marshall Pruett) » More Photos
Greg Martin’s Love of Sportscars is Unrivaled.
Take a peek into Audi’s tent and you’ll see Greg Martin, one of the lead technicians on the #1 car of Emanuele Pirro and Dindo Capello. If happen to find yourself at a vintage racing event, you’ll likely see the same face working on cars of similar speed and technology. Compared to the average sportscar racing fan, Martin’s on an entirely different level.
“It's something I love doing. I really enjoy it. You know, getting the opportunity to work on those cars is just fantastic. The cars are really cool and there's something about the people, being around the racing community. It's something that people do because they love to do it. It's really fun to be around and a great way to spend the weekend.”
For the soft spoken New Zealander, the experiences earned while working for Champion Racing throughout their Audi R8 and R10 programs has made him a sought after technician for owners of older sportscars.
A familiar feeling for the New Zealander--despite switching to diesel prototypes, Martin still turns wrenches on the mighty R8. (Photo: Greg Martin) » More Photos
“A lot of the cars I've worked on, I’ve actually worked on in their day. You know, the Porsche 962s; I did a little bit of work on 962s, and a lot of Spices in their day. And then I got to work on some cars like the Nissan R90C that I never had anything to do with and got to work on that. And now the R8 is a vintage car and the Bentley’s a vintage car. And I had a lot to do with those cars with Audi and so it's really great to get the opportunity to work on them again.”
Martin’s accustomed to the levels of perfection his bosses at Audi demand, and although vintage racing is no less serious, international championships aren’t at stake.
“There's not the same pressure that there is in a big professional team like Audi. My main job here is looking after the mechanical side of the engine, but I do the general mechanics of the car as well, so that’s somewhat limited over what’s needed in my vintage racing work. And the other thing is when you work with someone like Audi, you're doing your part -- you’re a part of a big puzzle. But when you do vintage car racing you are a much bigger part. You know, you do it all, basically. So you get to be much more involved in a lot of different things and it makes it really fun”
Martin rates the ex-factory Porsche 962 from the 1988 Le Mans 24 Hours as one of his favorite vintage cars to work with. (Photo: Greg Martin) » More Photos
The Kiwi says his passion for older sportscars varies. “One, is I love the mechanical side of things. And the racing side, as well, is really -- especially if you're contending -- it's really exciting. Whether it's vintage car racing or racing with Audi, if you know you can get to the front it makes it really exciting. But just to be around the cars too; I think that's a really
With his calendar packed with ALMS-related activities, Martin still finds time to look after prototypes whenever he’s free. “I get out to five or six events a year, and there’s other stuff I’ll do for the gentleman that owns the cars. I've flown away and we did complete restorations on some of the cars. And then, you know, I fly for the weekend but if we need to go and put an engine in something, I’ll fly to the shop and we’ll put the engine in the car.”
Martin noted that while some of the vintage cars he works on are decades old, some, like the Audi R8’s, have caused him a bit of déjà vu. “We try and run them, and the vintage cars, like with Audi, like we did here [in the ALMS]. Because if you don't keep on top of things, crack check everything from, you know, when the mileage is up, I mean, just as fast as they ever were so you need to keep on top of them. Sometimes when I’m working on an R8 I have to remind myself that it’s not 2002 or 2006 for that matter.”
The 2001 Bentley Le Mans coupe is also one of Greg's favorites. In a single weekend of vintage racing, Martin can have $5M of priceless prototypes under his care. (Photo: Greg Martin) » More Photos
After years of working on what most of us consider to be dream machines, Martin admits to having two favorites—both of which he still works on. “I think for me, until I started working on the R8, I always loved the Porsche 962s. But the R8 is just such an incredible race car. It's such an honor to get to work on it again.”
Some of the manufacturers in the ALMS might not welcome one of their senior technicians to spend his free time working on classic sportscars, but Audi isn’t one of them. For a company that’s become the global face of prototype racing, it’s good to see their support of Kiwi’s extracurricular activities.
The fact that he’s working on Audi R8’s also can’t hurt…
SPEEDtv.com, the American Le Mans Series, and Radio Le Mans have teamed up to deliver the first ever live streaming Series qualifying session online this Saturday from Mosport.
Visit http://gms.speedtv.com/Online/?SID=*3 at 2:35 PM ET (11:35 AM PT) to witness the sights and sounds of the fastest Prototype and GT cars in the world as they vie for pole position at the daunting Canadian track. The live streaming feed is 1 hour long.
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