 MARTIN
BRUNDLE
Martin
Brundle
started
racing
1973
aged
12,
driving
a
self-built
Ford
Anglia
grass
track
car
near
his
home.
Moving
to
Hot
Rod
short
oval
racing
1975,
the
70mph
quarter
mile
tracks
generated
many
wins
and
'Star
grade'
status,
preparing
him
for
circuit
racing.
Throughout
this
time,
school
and
technical
college
life
were
not
ignored,
Martin
gaining
12
'O'
levels
and
a
distinction
in
Business
Studies.
Pole
position
for
his
first
proper
circuit
race
at
Oulton
Park
in
1977
in
his
Toyota
Celica,
was
followed
by
many
races
learning
the
circuits
of
Great
Britain,
until
1978.
1979
offered
his
first
single
seater
opportunity,
sponsored
in
Formula
Ford
2000
by
a
local
company.
One
win
and
several
placings
followed.
Martin
wrote
a
letter
to
Tom
Walkinshaw
seeking
the
opportunity
to
drive
one
of
his
cars
in
the
BMW
Championship
at
Snetterton.
He
agreed
and
Martin
lined
up
on
the
front
row
against
an
international
field,
eventually
finishing
second.
16
years
later
Brundle
still
drives
for
Walkinshaw.
1980-
more
BMW,
winning
the
Championship,
and
Formula
Ford
2000.
Lack
of
sponsorship
forced
Martin
back
to
saloon
cars,
partnering
Stirling
Moss
in
the
BP/Audi
team
1981.
BP
sponsorship
took
him
into
F3
1982
-
five
pole
positions,
two
wins
and
the
Grovewood
Award
as
most
promising
Commonwealth
driver.
1983
took
Martin
to
Eddie
Jordan's
fledgling
team
taking
on
Ayrton
Senna
in
Formula
3,
Senna
taking
the
Championship
from
Brundle
in
the
final
laps
of
the
final
race.
Both
were
immediately
elevated
to
Formula
One,
Martin
spending
1984-1986,
with
the
Tyrell
team,
collecting
a
second
at
Detroit
in
1984
behind
Piquet
and
many
World
Championship
points.
Broken
ankles
and
feet
sustained
during
a
high
speed
crash
in
Dallas
were
a
setback.
1987
was
a
difficult
season
at
the
German
Zakspeed
team,
producing
a
fifth
place
at
Imola.
Martin's
Jaguar
link
started
1982
driving
the
Tom
Walkinshaw
Racing
XJS
in
the
European
Touring
Car
Championship;
a
winning
debut
at
Donnington
Park.
More
XJS
1983
and
1984
with
many
wins,
Martin
was
chosen
as
lead
driver
when
Jaguar
returned
to
the
World
Sportscar
Championship
at
Mosport,
Canada
in
1985.
Winning
1987
at
Spa
in
Belgium,
for
1988
Martin
left
F1
for
Jaguar
in
the
USA
IMSA
and
the
World
Group
C
Championships.
Starting
January
with
a
win
in
the
Daytona
24
hours,
the
World
Championship
was
also
his
by
October.
A
test
schedule
for
the
Williams
GP
team
and
standing
in
for
an
unwell
Mansell
at
the
Spa
GP
completed
an
exhausting
year.
Two
years
with
the
Brabham
Grand
Prix
team
in
1989
&1991
had
limited
success,
divided
by
another
season
with
Jaguar,
the
highlight
of
which
was
winning
the
Le
Mans
24
hours
1990.
Martin
made
history
by
finishing
1s
and
2nd
in
the
same
race
at
Monza
1991,
driving
both
of
the
stunning
Jaguar
XJR
14s.
1992
was
Martin's
most
successful
F1
season
alongside
Michael
Schumacher
in
the
Benetton
Ford
team,
scoring
points
in
11
of
the
final
12
races,
including
5
podiums.
To
everyone's
surprise
he
was
then
replaced
by
Italian
Ricardo
Patrese
and
so
moved
to
the
French
Ligier
team
for
1993
finishing
seventh
in
the
World
Championship,
highlighted
by
a
podium
finish
in
the
San
Marino
Grand
Prix.
Early
1994
saw
some
brinkmanship
as
Brundle
gambled
on
and
claimed
the
Number
8
McLaren
seat
vacated
by
Senna.
Second
and
third
in
Monaco
and
Australia
were
the
highlights,
poor
reliability
were
the
very
public
low
points,
although
again
finishing
seventh
in
the
World
Championship.
With
Walkinshaw
now
involved
at
Ligier,
Brundle
has
returned
'home'
to
the
Ligier
team
for
the
1995
Grand
Prix
season.
Other
awards
include
the
British
Racing
Drivers
Club
Gold
(1988)
Silver
Stars
(1983),
Segrave
Trophy
(1988)
for
'Courage,
Imagination,
Initiative'
by
land,
air
or
water.
He
is
now
a
familiar
voice
and
face
on
ITV’s
F1
racing
coverage
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