Martini Racing Team

Gijs van Lennep, Rudi Lins, Helmut Marko, Vic Elford and Gérard Larrousse present their new Martini-Porsche 917K at a deserted Hockenheim track, a cold winter day of testing, in 1970 (picture-above).

The Martini & Rossi brand came to prominence in the 1970 World Sportscar Championship, when the team of Hans-Dieter Dechent entered as “International Martini Racing Team”.

In 1971, the team entered two cars in varying Martini liveries, mostly the mighty Porsche 917, but also the nimble Porsche 908/3 on twisty tracks like at theTarga Florio and the Nürburgring 1000 km.

During the 1970s, Martini increased its notoriety thanks to its connection with Porsche in motorsport, sponsoring the works Porsche 917 that won the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep.

The Martini Porsche cars won Le Mans twice more in 1976 and 1977 with a Porsche 936, as well as in many other events in the 1970s for the factory Porsche team, with the RSR Turbo, 935 and 936. In 1978, Martini only sponsored the works team at Le Mans, while in 1980 they were associated with Joest Racing, once more only at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (picture-below).