Yet another highly experienced WRC navigator has left the hot seat in the world's top rallying championship.
Marc Martí, who has navigated for Carlos Sainz, Oriol Gomez and Jesus Puras in his career, began navigating in the WRC in 1992 with Gomez, and became a full works navigator at Seat Sport WRT, again sitting with Gomez. Martí joined Puras at Citroen when the French manufacturer joined the WRC in 1999. He then left Puras to join Carlos 'El Matador' Sainz again at Citroen when Sainz navigator of over a decade, Luís Moya, in 2002.
Martí partnered Dani Sordo at Citroen in 2005 in the J-WRC in a C2 S1600. Starting with a fourth in the J-WRC on the Rallye Monte Carlo, the Spanish pairing went on to claim the J-WRC crown after taking four wins from six starts. Both Sordo and Martí then joined the Kronos Citroen World Rally Team in 2006.
Sordo then hit a bit of a downturn after joining Citroen, scoring no wins in four years with the French squad, but as claimed podium finishes 26 times, with 15 of these in second place. The Spaniard says that he needs a bit of a change in the car, so he has enlisted a highly experienced navigator to replace the equally experienced Martí.
"I need a change in the car. Marc has been an excellent partner for all these years, he’s someone I am grateful to and with whom I have learned a lot, but I finally concluded that the best thing is for us not to work together as a pilot and co-pilot.”
So he has chosen Diego Vallejo to replace Martí. Vallejo has previous WRC experiance as he has navigated for his brother, Sergio, in the J-WRC in 2001 in a Fiat Punto S1600, their best finish being 5th. Vallejo has the winning touch though, he has claimed two wins in the P-WRC with Ramón Ferreyros in 2002 and has navigated Sergio to the Spanish Tarmac Championship last year.
He is no stranger to Sordo however, he has been a crucial part of Sordo's gravel-note team on the tarmac events in the WRC.
"I know him personally for a long time, so the human relationship is very good. Furthermore, we did a test for me to check his work and how it fitted with my needs. I am convinced will be a good co-pilot for me at this crucial juncture."
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