Business School student speeds ahead in Chinese motor racing championship

Martin Xie, an MSc Management student, has won two races in the latest China Touring Car Championship.

Martin graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a BEng Motorsport Engineering before joining Imperial College Business School last September. During his studies he has forged a career as a professional racing driver for the Dongfeng Honda Factory Team and as a Formula E Race commentator for Chinese Central Television (CCTV).

Watch highlights from Martin's recent race on the video below.

He spoke to Laura Singleton about his life-long passion for motor racing and his future career ambitions.

When did you decide to become a professional racing driver?

I’ve dreamed of becoming a racing driver since I was eight years old when I started doing kart racing for fun.  Later I was entered for radio control model racing competitions at school, being one of only three children in my school to take part as it wasn’t a very common hobby for primary school kids at that time.

After graduating from middle school at 16, I really wanted to make motor racing my career and found a race called the National Young Karting Driver programme. I entered the competition and did really well, so when I was 17 years old I managed to secure part sponsorship to race in the Formula motor racing competitions such as Formula Ford.

I’ve been racing in touring car championships for the past seven years and became the youngest annual champion in China for the China Touring Car Championship in 2012. I’m now signed up with the Honda team as a professional racing driver. Our team car was designed by JAS, the manufacturer behind Honda’s world touring car teams in Italy and the engine came from Mugen Japan, so it’s a top flight racing car.

How did your other role as a racing commentator come about?

I started my part-time broadcasting career last year as a commentator for the Formula Electric London race with CCTV. Both CCTV and Formula Electric were impressed by my performance and I’ve been invited to become a regular commentator for them after I graduate.

How is the automobile industry growing in China?

Motor racing is still a relatively new industry in China, although the country has the largest consumer car market in the world. A car is no longer a luxury for Chinese families, besides basic function as transport, but now consumers are demanding more from their cars, such as aesthetic design and comfort which inspires them to enjoy driving.

Many manufacturers now emphasise the ‘sportiness’ of their products to help boost sales. There are now eight manufacturers that make cars for the China Touring Car Championship, where World Touring Car Championship only have four, which reflects the speed at which the motor sport industry is growing.

What skills and experience do you need to succeed in the world of motor racing?

Passion and determination are really important if you want to progress in this industry.

To become a successful racer, you need discipline, concentration and a humble attitude, as well as good communications skills so you can work properly with your team and engineer.

You also need to practice really hard – the more races you enter, and perhaps crashes you experience, the better equipped you are to understand how to push your car to its limits. You also need to understand how your car works and how you can set it up to go faster than your rivals. Good marketing skills are also essential and you need to be able to speak well in public to create value for your manufacturer and sponsors. You also need to be physically fit and able to keep calm during the race!

If you want to progress into other areas of motorsport, it’s important to have a good understanding of business so you can forge a career beyond just being a racing driver. This is where skills such as management and marketing can open up more doors in this competitive industry.  It’s also important to be able to spot gaps in the market, and understand about the latest trends in technology.

How has studying at Imperial helped you in your career journey?

As an engineering graduate, I had hardly any knowledge of business, which I felt was important for my future career. The MSc Management programme at Imperial gave me vital skills in areas such as leadership, economics and human resources, which I’m currently using for a project for the Wuhan government, where they are looking to construct an international racing circuit. I’ve been given an opportunity to manage the racing circuit there in future to promote motorsport culture in the city and let more people have the opportunity to participate in racing or become race engineers.

What are your future career plans?

I want to build my motorsport “empire” step by step in the future. My dream is to build my own motorsport firm which will cover business from race track and race team management to motorsport media, a driving academy and courses in race car design and engineering.

I would also love to create my own brand of miniature racing cars to inspire young children. Ultimately, I want to help bring motorsports closer to Chinese people and provide more opportunities for more people to get involved in this exciting industry.

I feel very lucky that I got help from my close family and friends - they’ve supported me on my journey so far. There are many opportunities out there so I feel I was born at the right time.