About Mar-Train Racing

Mar-Train Racing is a nationally acclaimed motorcycle team, born out of Lisburn in Northern Ireland. Team owners, Tim and Sonya Martin are also directors of their long-standing family-run business, Mar-Train Heavy Haulage Ltd. The husband and wife duo have spearheaded Mar-Train Racing towards a great deal of success within various national championships and road races over a 20-year period.

Mar-Train Racing first entered official competition in 2007 and from early on began laying the foundation for their vision of today.

The team’s initial success came in the shape of title-challenging form in the Irish Supersport championship.

With rider Alistair Kirk, Mar-Train Racing secured their first title in only their second year as a team, coming out on top as the Irish Supersport champions of 2008. The team also made several fruitful appearances in selected road races, highlighting their ability to compete as front runners at events such as the Dundrod 150 Cup challenge.

After continued success, their sights were set on entering the British championship in 2012, competing in the National Supersport 600 series with Irishman Jack Kennedy.

Mar-Train Racing created a lasting first impression on British soil, clenching victory on their first outing out at Brands Hatch and going on to finish the season as championship runners-up in their debut season. A first British title would come their way the following year, with Stuart Easton leading them to the 2013 British Supersport championship crown.

While competing with Alistair Seeley in British Supersport for 2014,
the team also focused their efforts on contesting various road races with newly signed rider, Dean Harrison. The year concluded with multiple victories at the Scarborough Gold Cup, Cock O’ The North and Southern 100 events.

As well as achieving great success on the road racing scene, the team also assembled a successful Supersport campaign, finishing the season as runners-up for the second time.

Having proved themselves to be a race-winning crew, they were offered official support from Yamaha Motor UK for 2015 and 2016 and became the Official Yamaha road racing team.

Competing aboard the all-new Yamaha R1, Dean Harrison led Mar-Train Racing to a spectacular podium finish at the Isle of Man TT. Extending their racing CV even further, Harrison and the team also set what would be a long-standing lap record for the fastest lap around the Mountain Course aboard a Yamaha.

The late Dan Kneen took the team to a commendable deal of success throughout 2016, including victories at the Cookstown and Tandragee road races, before an unrelated injury prevented their participation in several events. The team returned with Kneen later that year, securing a podium finish in the Superstock category of the Ulster Grand Prix.
Following this, Mar-Train Racing announced they’d withdraw from the sport at the end of 2016. This absence would last until 2018, when they returned to road racing to focus their efforts on supporting the late William Dunlop, before his tragic death during at the Skerries 100 race event.

In the years following, the Mar-Train team began offering support to the rising talent in Korie McGreevy in British Supersport before a full return to racing in 2022, again in British Supersport with Jack Kennedy.

Dominant success throughout the 2022 season sparked the inspiration to enter new waters for 2023, where the team began a new chapter in pursuit of two-wheel glory within the British Superbike Championship.

A dominant, title-winning campaign sparked desire for a new challenge and having wrapped the Supersport title up with two rounds to go, the team made their debut in the British Superbike championship in the final two rounds of the 2022 season.

This would be a prelude to the team’s first full BSB season in 2023 with Jack Kennedy taking the R1 to tenth overall with a best finish of fourth.

Proving themselves worthy of great support, Mar-Train Racing has attracted the title sponsorship of McAMS for their 2024 campaign, and with former World Champion, Danny Kent at the reins, the team’s prospects for the future are looking bright.