From the moment he first stepped into a kart at the age of eight, Martin Plowman showed race-winning prowess.
Martin’s second-place finish in the 1999 MSA British Cadet Karting Championship was recognized by renowned talent-spotter Martin Hines, who signed the youngster for his Ford Racing Young Guns team. Martin repaid that leap of faith by promptly winning the British Formula Yamaha Open title.
After tasting that success, Martin dominated the 2003 French International Open Championship with four wins and seven podiums in ten events, crediting him as the first Briton and youngest winner of the series. His potential was further acknowledged in 2004 when he was elected as a member of the British Racing Drivers’ Club’s Rising Star program.
Martin was selected as the sole factory driver for the newly formed Team Zanardi, and once again, he was quick to show results-winning the coveted CIK/FIA Asia Pacific Championship in only the team’s third outing.
Stepping up to single-seaters for 2006, Martin joined Prema Powerteam and Toyota’s Young Driver Program to contest Formula Renault Italia and the Formula Eurocup series. Finishing an impressive fifth overall in Formula Renault Italia, Martin was ranked Top Rookie and notched up his first podium at Hockenheim amid an encouraging string of top-six finishes.
Martin caught the eye of Volkswagen and signed for the closely-fought Formula 3 Euroseries with RC Motorsport for 2008, showing plenty of potential at elite events such as the Zolder F3 Masters. With VW’s blessing, Plowman joined Panther Racing to contest the Indy Lights Series in 2009.
A move into Indy Lights was more profound than just a change of class; 2009 would see Martin relocate to the United States and emerge himself into a year full of learning new tracks, cars, drivers, and of course, American culture.
The year went by with many high points. Martin’s most memorable performances came at Long Beach where he battled for the Pole Position in only his second-ever race where he eventually qualified sixth. An incident in the race forced him to make a pit-stop and finish down the order.
Martin impressed by taking a very strong top-5 in tricky conditions on his very first oval race at Kansas, backing up that result with a solid drive at the Mid-Ohio road course, where he held off strong competition to gift Panther racing their first road course top 5 for nearly two years.
By the close of the season Martin was invited to drive in a shoot out to compete for a ride with the championship-winning team Andretti Green Racing/AFS at Mid-Ohio. On the day, he successfully outpaced the other drivers and matched the times set by the reigning Indy Lights champion set at the previous race. He was subsequently offered a chance to drive for the team in 2010.
Joining forces with Michael Andretti, Martin’s 2010 career was even more successful than his rookie year in Indy Lights. He dominated at Mid-Ohio, where he won the Sunoco Pole Award, set the Indy Lights track record, and took the checkered flag for his first Indy Lights victory. His hard work and willingness to learn earned him podium finished at Iowa Speedway and Edmonton, along with a pole position at Chicagoland Speedway. Martin finished the season in third place in the championship.
The results spoke for themselves - Martin was ready to move into the IZOD IndyCar Series. During the off-season, Martin and “Team Plowey” worked tirelessly to secure a full-time ride in IndyCar. He tested in January with Dale Coyne Racing, getting up to speed in under 10 laps and continuously leading the time charts. Team owners took notice of Martin’s abilities in an IndyCar, and by mid-season Martin had signed to run three races with Sam Schmidt Motorsports. He will be driving the #17 car at Mid-Ohio, Sonoma, and Baltimore.
