Martin Schanche

Six FIA European Rallycross Championship titles crown the achievements of Martin Schanche’s rallycross career, but to categorise him by that alone is a gross understatement. The Norwegian burst into the European Championship in 1977, gained his first title in 1978 and remained competitive until ending his driving career in 2001. A multi-dimensional character, Schanche earned his “Mr Rallycross” nickname for his flamboyant driving style on the track and his say-it-as-is approach to life off the track. Alongside his racetrack conquests there was a natural engineering flair that led him to develop his cars and often to set the technical pace. Famously his association with Mike Endean brought about the Xtrac Escort but prior to that he had pushed the development of MkII Escorts further than anyone else and would later design from scratch his own revolutionary four-wheel drive transmission.