Martin Schanche

1998: Martin Schanche and his long-time arch rival Kenneth Hansen

1992: "Mister Rallycross" and his 650 hp Ford RS 200 E2

1981: The first published mention of the nickname "Mister Rallycross" in Motorsport aktuell

Martin Schanche (pronounced: Skanke ) (born January 1, 1945 in Trondheim ) is a former Norwegian racing driver . His athletic achievements were the six Rallycross - European title he could win from 1978 to 1995. His nickname is "Mister Rallycross", which a German rallycross journalist coined in the early 1980s and who then established himself worldwide.

Career

The at his adoptive parents in the village Leirpollskogen ( Austertana ) in Finnmark grew Martin Schanche, son of a in the April 3, 1945 Trondheim downed German sergeant and Air Force - pilots and a Norwegian, counted during his relatively late started motor racing career (his first race he was only 27 years old) according to the Norwegian daily VG ( Verdens Gang ) in his own country among the ten most famous Norwegians. For years, his popularity there was roughly comparable to that of Michael Schumacher in Germany, after the end of his racing career he was replaced by his friend Petter Solberg as Norway's most important motor sportsman.

Schanche contested a total of 232 races for the European Rallycross Championship between Italy in 1977 and Germany in 2001 as a professional racing driver, of which he was able to win 74 (still a record). He secured six FIA European championship titles for rallycross drivers (1978, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1991 and 1995). In addition, he was eight times vice European champion and twice EM third. Even many years after his retirement from motorsport, he is still considered the flagship of this discipline, which is also evident from his nickname "Mister Rallycross". In addition to his rallycross activities, he competed in the World Sports Car Championship for four years, including three years with his own Group C2 vehicle and team . He also took part in a number of rallies with his own Ford Escort RS from Group 4 , such as the Rally Sweden in 1980 and Rally Great Britain in 1982. In 1984 he tried to do this with his 560 hp Ford Escort Mk3 Xtrac / Zakspeed Improving the course record of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climbs (PPIHC) in the USA, which was made impossible after about a third of the distance due to a puncture at the front right. Up until then, the Norwegian’s split times had been measured faster than the times of eventual winner Michèle Mouton (Audi Sport quattro).

Schanche, who previously lived in Stavanger for many years , has lived with his German-born wife and their daughter in Drøbak ( Viken province ) on the Oslofjord since the early 1980s . From his first marriage, Schanche has a son and another daughter. After retiring from motorsport , he was also active for a number of years as a local politician for the Frp in his municipality of Frogn .

Rallycross results

FIA European Rallycross Cup

year	team	vehicle	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	10	11	placement	Points
1977	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford Escort RS1800	AUT1 DNS	NED1 DNS	ITA DSQ	SWE1 DNS	FIN NC	BEL1 NC	SWE2 DNS	NED2 DNS	BEL2 DNS	GER 3	AUT2 DNS	18th	12
1978	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford Escort RS1800	AUT 6	ITA 2	SWE 2	FIN NC	BEL 1	NED 1	FRA 1	GBR 1	GER 2			1.	131

FIA European Rallycross Championship

TouringCars

year	team	vehicle	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	10	11	placement	Points
1979	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford Escort RS1800	AUT 2	ITA 3	FIN 4	SWE 5	FRA 1	BEL 1	NED 4	GBR 1	GER 2			1.	130
1980	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford Escort RS1800	AUT 16	ITA 1	SWE 1	FIN 3	THE 5	BEL 3	NED 1	NOR 5	GBR 3	FRA 6	GER 1	2.	138
1981	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford Escort RS1800 Turbo	AUT NC	SWE 2	FIN 1	THE 2	BEL 11	NED 1	FRA 1	NOR 4	GBR 1	GER 10		1.	121

Division 2

year	team	vehicle	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	10	11	12	placement	Points
1982	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford Escort RS1800 Turbo	AUT 7	SWE 6	FIN 3	FRA 9	BEL 6	NED 1	NOR 1	GBR 1	GER 3				1.	121
1983	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford Escort RS1800 Turbo	AUT 10	SWE 1	FIN NC	FRA 5	BEL 3	NED 1	NOR 5	GBR NC					4th	69
1984	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford Escort XR3 T16 4x4	AUT 5	SWE 2	FIN 1	FRA 1	BEL 1	NED 1	GBR NC	GER 1	NOR 1				1.	149
1985	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford Escort XR3 T16 4x4	AUT 6	FIN 6	SWE 6	FRA 2	BEL 2	NOR 1	GBR 1	GER 1	NED 6				2.	138
1986	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford Escort XR3 T16 4x4	AUT 7	FIN 1	FRA 1	BEL 4	NED 1	NOR 1	GBR NC	GER DNS	SWE 6				2.	114
1987	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford RS200 E2	AUT NC	SWE DNS	FIN NC	SPA NC	FRA 12	IRE DNS	BEL 1	NED 1	NOR 22	GBR 1	GER 4		6th	78
1988	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford RS200 E2	SPA 5	AUT 2	SWE (DSQ)	VIN (7)	IRE 2	FRA 6	BEL 1	NED (10)	NOR (6)	GBR 1	GER 5		2.	109
1989	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford RS200 E2	SPA (3)	AUT 1	SWE (6)	FiN 2	IRE 2	FRA 1	BEL 2	NED 2	NOR (6)	GBR (9)	GER 2		2.	125
1990	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford RS200 E2	AUT (6)	SWE 4	FIN 2	IRE 3	FRA (6)	BEL 1	NED 1	NOR (11)	GER 1	GBR 1			2.	125
1991	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford RS200 E2	POR 1	AUT 1	FIN 1	FRA (2)	IRE (DSQ)	SWE (6)	BEL (6)	NED 1	NOR 1	GBR 1	GER 1		1.	140
1992	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford RS200 E2	GBR 1	AUT DNS	POR 1	FIN DSQ	SWE SUS	FRA SUS	IRE SUS	BEL NC	NED 5	NOR 1	GER 1		4th	92
1993	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford Escort RS2000 T16 4x4	AUT 3	POR 6	FRA (NC)	IRE 5	SWE (NC)	FIN DNS	BEL 1	NED 6	NOR 4	GER 3			5.	90
1994	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford Escort RS2000 T16 4x4	AUT (16)	POR 2	FRA 2	IRE 3	GBR 1	SWE (5)	FIN 1	BEL 4	NED 1	NOR (6)	GER (5)		2.	122
1995	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford Escort RS2000 T16 4x4	AUT (DSQ)	POR (6)	FRA 1	SWE 2	GBR 2	IRE (3)	BEL 1	NED 1	NOR 1	FIN 1	CZE 1	GER (6)	1.	154
1996	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford Escort RS2000 T16 4x4	AUT 7	POR 7	FRA 15	SWE DNS	IRE DNS	GBR (NC)	BEL 9	NED (NC)	NOR 4	CZE 1	GER 4		9.	76

Division 1 ^*

year	team	vehicle	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	10	placement	Points
1997	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford Escort RS2000 T16 4x4	AUT 1	FRA 1	POR 5	GBR DSQ	SWE (6)	FIN 1	BEL (NC)	NOR 1	CZE (6)	GER 3	3.	107
1998	Martin Schanche Racing	Ford Escort RS2000 T16 4x4	AUT 4	POR (6)	FRA 3	SWE 3	GBR DNS	FIN 1	BEL 2	NOR (5)	GER 1	CZE 4	3.	113
1999	Martin Schanche Racing	Opel Astra G T16 4x4	CZE DNS	FRA (NC)	POR 7	SWE 15	FIN 11	BEL 12	NED 10	NOR 9	GER NC		11.	38
2000	Martin Schanche Racing	Opel Astra G T16 4x4	POR 5	FRA 5	CZE (NC)	SWE 7	BEL (NC)	NED 6	NOR 1	POL 4	GER 5		5.	90
2001	Martin Schanche Racing	Opel Astra G T16 4x4	FRA (5)	POR 2	AUT (6)	CZE 1	SWE 4	BEL 2	NED 5	NOR 3	POL (7)	GER (10)	4th	94

^* Division 2 was renamed Division 1 in 1997.

Le Mans results

For 1985 Martin Schanche was registered with his compatriot Torgjer Kleppe and the Swede Stanley Dickens in a TOJ-Porsche 934 Flat-6 of the Swedish team Strandell Porsche. But there was no start because the team had to throw in the towel during training after an engine failure.

year	team	vehicle	Teammate	Teammate	placement	Failure reason
1986	Lucky Strike Schanche Racing	Argo JM19 C2	Martin Birrane	Torgjer Kleppe	Failed 1st lap (Birrane)	Engine failure
1987	Team Lucky Strike Schanche	Argo JM19 C2	Will Hoy	Robin Smith	failure	accident
1988	Team Lucky Strike Schanche	Argo JM19 C2	Robin Donovan	Robin Smith	Rank 25

See also

• List of European rallycross champions

Web links

• Martin Schanche Racing (English)

Publications

• Sverre Amundsen: Martin Schanche . Racing Revyen, 1979, ISBN 82-990531-0-2 .
• Rolf Nordberg: Martin Schanche - i fyr og flame . Cappelens Forlag, 1981, ISBN 82-02-09490-9 .
• Sverre Inge Apenes: Martin Schanche - så glad, så sint, så fort… Godbok, 1986, ISBN 82-7398-000-6 .
• Asle T. Johansen: Martin - Historien han aldri har fortalt . Fri Flyt AS, 2016, ISBN 978-82-93090-46-5 .

documentation

• TV Media Produksjon AS: 25 år med Mr. Rallycross , DVD with 90 minutes running time documenting Martin Schanche's rallycross career from 1978 to 2001 (only Norwegian commentary)