The Champions Story of... Thomas Martens

SUN 04/04/21
The Champions Story of... Thomas Martens

Over the years, the GKS team, the home team of Karting Genk, has produced many champions. Of course we are very proud of this and we would like to introduce them to you. In this first episode, we talk to young rally talent Thomas Martens. His goal? To become the youngest world rallying champion ever!

On a stormy Saturday afternoon I meet Thomas and his father Koen for an interview. I personally don't think it would be a punishment to escape the rain for a while, but Thomas doesn't care. The 14-year-old talent from Hasselt loves nothing more than racing. "That has been his whole life," Koen begins. "In friends books of classmates back in the day, there was often a question about what you want to be later. Thomas's answer was clear: the youngest world rally driving champion ever."

Father Koen has loved motorsport - and rally in particular - all his life. So this passion was transferred to Thomas at an early age. Thomas was only 4 years old when he stepped into a kart for the first time. "That was at Karting Genk," says Koen. "Thomas wanted to go karting and that's how we ended up at Karting Genk. We got into a conversation with Koen Lemmens (CEO of Karting Genk) and he indicated that he would like to guide Thomas with the GKS team. Thomas drove a Micro Max kart for the first time, under the watchful eye of Edgar. This was on the Fun-circuit and not yet on the Pro-circuit, that came later. The kart was actually still a bit too big, so we had to adjust it a bit. Otherwise Thomas couldn't reach the pedals properly".

Hoe het voor Thomas allemaal begon op Karting Genk.

Many laps were driven at Genk. "I actually bet that of all the drivers, Thomas drove the most laps at Genk," laughs Koen. Thomas agrees, "I was here more often than at home. We used to come here every Monday and Thursday afternoon, just during school hours. The teachers would then turn a blind eye, putting me on the list as "present" while I was actually riding in Genk." From the time he was 6, he also came to ride on weekends and on the big circuit. In the years that followed, he also drove many competitions in karting. Until he was 11 years old, then it was time for a move towards rallying. He went to Finland and drove his first meters with a real rally car. He also complemented this with driving a cross car of Lifelive, the team of Thierry Neuville.

Thomas has been in Finland and Latvia a lot over the past year to train. He has his own car to train with: a Ford Fiesta R2, built entirely for rallying. The car belonged to WRC Junior talent Sami Pajari. This is a very good car to learn to rally in since it is a front-wheel-drive car. Drivers who previously trained a lot with a front-wheel-drive car will benefit later in their career, Koen tells me. You learn different techniques that often make you faster than drivers who quickly switched to a four-wheel-drive car. This is why Thomas plans to continue training with this car for as long as possible. Recently, Thomas did drive a WRC2 car for the first time. "That was great!", he says beaming. "I really enjoyed every second of that. That definitely tastes like more".

The Ford Fiesta R2 that Thomas drives

As a rally driver, Thomas always drives with a co-pilot. And that's not just anyone, it's Robin Buysmans. As co-pilot he took place next to Freddy Loix, among others. A very experienced co-pilot from whom Thomas can learn a lot during his training sessions. In addition to a co-pilot, he also works closely with his coach. "We make long training days," Thomas says of his training sessions. "We start around 7 in the morning and don't finish until around 7 in the evening either. Physically, rally driving may not be as tough as karting, but mentally it is definitely tougher. I drive over 130 kilometers per hour (top speed: 143 km/h) in the snow, between the trees. Then I really can't let my attention lapse for a moment". When I ask if it has ever gone wrong, he replies that a deer did cross right in front of him. "Oh, and I've rolled over once," he says as if it's nothing.

It can't always go well...

His goal for 2021is clear: mileage! "Rally is really a sport where experience is decisive, so the goal for next season is to train as much as possible. I also want to do some rallies in Latvia and Finland. In addition, I am planning to ride a BNL race one day. I also need to train a lot to stay in shape physically and mentally. I do a lot of fitness training, mainly cycling, and train several times a week with a personal trainer". So gaining experience is key for Thomas in the coming years. For now still in his Ford Fiesta R2, but in a few years in the WRC2. And then, in 10 years or so, hopefully world champion in the WRC. For now, the record for youngest world rallying champion is still held by Colin McRae. He was 27 when he won his first world title in 1995. Thomas hopes to break this record at age 24. A goal that is certainly not unattainable, according to experts. For example, Thomas once got into a conversation with 14-time rallycross champion Kenneth Hansen about the setup of the car. Kenneth indicated that Thomas knew "too much" for his age, has a lot of feeling and knows how to communicate this to his mechanics. So expectations are high, but Thomas remains exceptionally level-headed. He is determined to become the youngest world rallying champion and nothing will stop him. I am convinced of that. ;)