Strictly Come Dancing, The X Factor, The Apprentice? The modern world is awash with fevered competitors birling, bawling and, ahem, business-ing.
Ross Martin could probably commission his own series to join this particular genre. What about ‘I’m a racing driver, get me into there’?
This weekend in the US, the 18-year-old from Jackie Stewart country will attempt to take another step up the ladder when he takes part in the Mazda Road to Indy Scholarship Shoot-out at the Bondurant Racing School near Phoenix.
The state of Arizona is well used to blazing, roaring confrontations, of course. Forget the Gunfight at the O.K Corral, though. This 17-man showdown would have Wyatt Earp cowering behind the saloon bar. On offer to the winner is a $200,000 contract for a year in the US F2000 Series and a chance to make inroads towards the famed IndyCar Series.
For Dunbartonshire youngster Martin, opportunity has come knocking again during an eventful 12 months or so which has included, well, a few knocks.
Having won the Kart Stars Series in 2015, a development platform which helped the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Paul di Resta on their way, Martin earned a Formula Four seat with the renowned Fortec Motorsport team only for his £200,000 contract to be ripped up when the Kart Stars company that was paying him went bust. In the flick of a flappy-paddle gear stick Martin was shunted to the back of the grid.
“After that, I didn’t have a clue what to do,” he reflected. “I was in and out of kart races to keep focussed and fit but wasn’t sure what I’d be doing in 2017. That was a huge worry knowing that I’d spent seven years in motor racing and had no idea where I was going.
“There were a lot of emotions going through me when I got the call to say my contract was being torn up. Being the 16-year-old I was at the time, I had to grow up quickly and face the fact that I might not be racing again. That was the reality. But I’d had these dreams since I was a boy and I didn’t want to give up.”
Martin’s head-down and plough-on approach saw him shine in 2017 and he was eventually crowned the Scottish Formula Ford 1600 champion, an accolade which gave him a shot at the Road to Indy scholarship.
“It’s been a dream this year,” said the Scot, who is mentored by triple Le Mans 24 Hour winner Allan McNish. “I’ve been given a chance and I’ve worked hard for it. Tough things happen all the time in motorsport but I bounced back. It made me a better person and I grew up a lot more. I didn’t take criticism well when I was younger but now that I’m 18 I can take it much better. I’m more rounded. These ups and downs have helped me become that.”
This weekend’s competition will test all aspects of Martin’s abilities, both on and off the track, as he gets to showcase his bountiful qualities.
“There’s driving, a test of fitness where we get put through our paces and a media day where we will be representing Mazda,” he explained. “It’s not necessarily the best or quickest driver who wins. They look at the whole package. They are looking for someone to represent them and be a professional. All the drivers will stay together, we will eat together but we won’t have much contact with the outside world for a couple of days.”
In this sport of thrills and spills, Martin has learned to shrug off the set-backs and get on with it. “In June I had the biggest crash of my career when I rolled the car eight times at 80mph and it was a write off,” he said.
“I closed my eyes and hoped for the best and I don’t fancy doing that again. But there’s no point weeping and moaning about those things. That’s not going to rebuild a car. You just have to get back into it as quickly as possible.
“If I win the scholarship, then I’ll be out in the US for a year. It’s a huge weekend, to be up against some of the best young drivers in the world getting the chance to earn a contract with Mazda in a series where there is progression.
“If I don’t earn that, I’ll come back to single seaters again. It’s not the end of the world if I don’t make it but it’s another opportunity and one I want to grasp. I’ve been to New York on holiday before but I have never raced in the US.”
Forget the Big Apple. It’s crunch time in Phoenix for Martin this weekend.
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