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Martin Berry

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Not to be confused with Martin Barry.

Martin Berry
Berry in 2025
NationalityAustralia Australian
Born (1977-06-09) 9 June 1977 (age 48)
Melbourne, Australia
Racing licence FIA Bronze
Championship titles
2017Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific - Trofeo Pirelli 458

Martin Edward Berry[1] (born 9 June 1977 in Melbourne) is an Australian businessman and racing driver competing for Iron Lynx in the LMGT3 class of the European Le Mans Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Born in Melbourne, Berry moved to South Korea during his time as a Banker before founding Gong Cha Korea in 2012 and buying Gong Cha outright in 2017 to expand it worldwide. During Gong Cha's global expansion, Berry relocated to Singapore and began his racing career the same year. Racing with a Singaporean licence since then, Berry won the Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific series in the Trofeo Pirelli 458 class in 2017 and is a Michelin Le Mans Cup race winner.

Business career

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Berry initially worked for Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore and later South Korea,[2] but left the company in late 2012 to estabilish Gong Cha Korea.[3] Five years later, Berry bought the main company and founded Gong Cha Global, as he expanded the company's operations abroad as its chairman.[4] Berry is also the founder of Launcho Ventures and BeMe Wellness.[5][6]

Racing career

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Berry made his racing debut in 2017, by competing in the Trofeo Pirelli 458 class of the Ferrari Challenge Asia-Pacific series.[7] After winning ten out of the 13 races contested, Berry clinched the title two rounds early and also was runner-up in the same class, at that year's Finali Mondiali.[8][9]

Returning to Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific for 2018, Berry finished fifth in the Trofeo Pirelli Am class.[10] At the end of 2018, Berry made a one-off outing in the 24H GT Series for HB Racing at the final round of the season at Circuit of the Americas,[11] before joining Absolute Racing for the last round of the Audi R8 LMS Cup at Sepang,[12] finishing fifth and eighth in the two races.[13][14]

Berry transitioned over to Europe for 2019, joining Rinaldi Racing to compete in the Am class of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup alongside Pierre Ehret, José Manuel Balbiani and Rory Penttinen.[15] In his only season in the championship, Berry scored a class podium at Paul Ricard and finished seventh in the Am standings. During 2019, Berry also returned to the 24H GT Series, competing for Rinaldi Racing in the Mugello and Spa rounds,[16] whilst also making one-off appearances for Car Collection Motorsport and Toksport WRT at Dubai and Circuit of the Americas respectively.[17]

In 2020, Berry was set to compete with Optimum Motorsport in both the British GT Championship and GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup,[18][19] but both deals fell through, leaving Berry on the sidelines as he was stuck in Singapore.[20]

After spending two years out of racing, Berry entered the ST-X class of the 2022 Super Taikyu Series with his team, Grid Motorsport alongside Haruki Kurosawa, Shinichi Takagi, Daisuke Yamawaki and later Shaun Thong.[21] Competing in all but one races for his team, Berry took pole for the Fuji 24 Hours on debut and finished second in the longest race of the season,[22][23] before winning at Sugo and Motegi on his way to second in the ST-X points.[24][25]

Berry made his return to GT3 competition in 2023, joining Bullitt Racing to compete in the Asian Le Mans Series alongside Aston Martin juniors Jacob Riegel and Valentin Hasse-Clot.[26] After taking a best result of 13th in the season-ending race at Yas Marina,[27] Berry joined JMW Motorsport to compete in the European Le Mans Series' LMGTE class alongside Lorcan Hanafin and Jon Lancaster, driving a Ferrari 488 GTE Evo on his European return.[28] In the six-race season, Berry took pole on debut and finished third in Barcelona,[29][30] before taking another pole at Aragón and finishing sixth in the standings with two more top fives to his name.[31]

Staying in the European Le Mans Series for 2024 in the rebranded GT3 class, Berry joined Grid Motorsport by TF alongside Hanafin and Jonathan Adam, switching to an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo for his sophomore season in the series.[32] In the penultimate round at Mugello, Berry scored his lone podium of the season by finishing second, which contributed to his seventh place in the standings at season's end.[33] During 2024, Berry also competed in the Road to Le Mans alongside Hanafin in the GT3 class for Blackthorn. In the two races on the 24 Hours of Le Mans' support bill, Berry finished tenth in race one and won race two.[34]

Berry remained in the now-LMGT3 class of the European Le Mans Series for 2025, switching to Iron Lynx for his third season in the series as the team switched from Lamborghini to Mercedes-AMG.[35] Alongside his ELMS commitments, Berry also joined EBM to race in GT World Challenge Asia.[36] During 2025, Berry also made his debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship as he replaced Christian Ried ahead of the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.[37]

Personal life

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Berry is married to Gong Cha Korea co-founder Kim Yeo-jin,[38] with whom he has one son, Joshua, who currently competes in the Formula 4 South East Asia Championship for BlackArts Racing Team.[39]

Racing record

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Racing career summary

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Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2017 Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific - Trofeo Pirelli 458 13 10 11 11 11 242 1st
2018 Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific - Trofeo Pirelli Am ItalAuto Singapore 14 0 0 0 2 92 5th
Audi R8 LMS Cup Absolute Racing 2 0 0 0 0 14 14th
24H GT Continental Series – A6 Am HB Racing 1 0 0 0 0 27 NC
2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Rinaldi Racing 5 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup – Am 0 0 0 1 58 7th
24H GT European Series – A6 Am 2 0 0 0 0 26 11th
24H GT Continental Series – A6 Am Car Collection Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 9 NC
Toksport WRT 1 0 0 0 0
2022 Super Taikyu - ST-X Grid Motorsport 6 2 1 0 3 127‡ 2nd‡
Prototype Cup Germany Rinaldi Racing 2 0 0 0 0 20 16th
2023 Asian Le Mans Series – GT Bullitt Racing 4 0 0 0 0 0 21st
European Le Mans Series – LMGTE JMW Motorsport 6 0 2 0 1 47 6th
2024 European Le Mans Series – GT3 Grid Motorsport by TF 6 0 0 0 1 54 7th
Le Mans Cup – GT3 Blackthorn 2 1 0 0 1 16.5 10th
2025 European Le Mans Series – LMGT3 Iron Lynx 2 0 1 0 1 19* 6th*
FIA World Endurance Championship – LMGT3 2 0 0 0 0 8* 19th*
GT World Challenge Asia EBM 4 0 0 0 0 0* NC*
GT World Challenge Asia – Am 1 1 0 3 58* 6th*
Sources:[40][41]

Complete GT World Challenge Europe results

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GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup

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Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pos. Points
2019 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 Am MON
33 		SIL
Ret 		LEC
31 		SPA
6H
47 		SPA
12H
44 		SPA
24H
41 		CAT
27 		7th 58

Complete Asian Le Mans Series results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 Pos. Points
2023 Bullitt Racing GT Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 DUB
1
Ret 		DUB
2
17 		ABU
1
Ret 		ABU
2
13 		21st 0

Complete European Le Mans Series results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points
2023 JMW Motorsport LMGTE Ferrari 488 GTE Evo Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 CAT
3 		LEC
6 		ARA
5 		SPA
Ret 		ALG
11 		ALG
4 		6th 47
2024 Grid Motorsport by TF LMGT3 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8 CAT
7 		LEC
7 		IMO
5 		SPA
5 		MUG
2 		ALG
8 		7th 54
2025 Iron Lynx LMGT3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 CAT
Ret 		LEC
2 		IMO
 SPA
 MUG
 ALG
 6th* 19*

Complete GT World Challenge Asia results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DC Points
2025 EBM Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Am SEP
1
3 		SEP
2
2 		MAN
1
 MAN
2
 BUR
1
1 		BUR
2
Ret 		FUJ
1 		FUJ
2 		OKA
1 		OKA
2 		BEI
1 		BEI
2 		6th* 58*

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rank Points
2025 Iron Lynx LMGT3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 QAT
 IMO
 SPA
11 		LMS
8 		SÃO
 COA
 FUJ
 BHR
 19th* 8*

* Season still in progress.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

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Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2025 Italy Iron Lynx Netherlands Lin Hodenius
Belgium Maxime Martin 		Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo LMGT3 337 44th 12th
Source:[42][43]

References

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  1. ^ "Martin Edward Berry". Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  2. ^ "열정갖고 사는 삶 가장 행복…한국 패자부활 기회 늘어야". news.mk.co.kr. 24 December 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  3. ^ "Gong Cha Korea's co-founder can navigate both Ferrari race cars and K-pop culture". cnaluxury.channelnewsasia.com. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  4. ^ "Driven by Passion: Martin Berry". portfoliomagsg.com. 10 September 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  5. ^ "A Strong (Re)Opening". portfoliomagsg.com. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  6. ^ "WEC | Martin Berry to replace Christian Ried at 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps". p300.it. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Ferrari Challenge driver Martin Berry races for Make-A-Wish Singapore". torque.com.sg. 18 February 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  8. ^ "Challenge APAC - And the winners are Prette, Seto, Fujiwara and Berry!". ferrari.com. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  9. ^ "Ital Auto and Martin Berry take home honours at Finali Mondiali". sgcarmart.com. 5 November 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  10. ^ "Singapore's Martin Berry nabs Ferrari Challenge podium finish". sgcarmart.com. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  11. ^ "24H COTA : HB Racing confirme l'équipage de sa Ferrari". endurance-info.com. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  12. ^ "GT3 Title Goes Down to the Wire in Sepang". sportscar365.com. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  13. ^ "Haryanto Wins Sepang Night Race Thriller". sportscar365.com. 24 November 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  14. ^ "Haryanto Crowned Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup Champion". sportscar365.com. 25 November 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  15. ^ "24H Spa : Rory Penttinen chez Rinaldi Racing". endurance-info.com. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  16. ^ "12H Mugello : trois Ferrari 488 GT3 pour Rinaldi Racing". endurance-info.com. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  17. ^ "24H COTA, Qualifs : Black Falcon et Mercedes en pole". endurance-info.com. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  18. ^ "Optimum Bring McLaren 720S GT3 To British GT With Aussie Duo". dailysportscar.com. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  19. ^ "Optimum Adds Second McLaren in The Bend Partnership". sportscar365.com. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  20. ^ "British GT : une nouvelle livrée pour Optimum Motorsport". endurance-info.com. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  21. ^ "スーパー耐久ST-Xクラスに『Grid Motorsport』が新規参戦。メルセデスAMGパフォーマンスドライバーの起用も予定". as-web.jp. 2 February 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  22. ^ "2022年富士24時間の総合ポールはAドライバー予選でのタイム更新争いを制したGrid Motorsport AMG GT3が獲得". as-web.jp. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  23. ^ "HELM Motor Sports Wins Their First Fuji 24 Hours". dailysportscar.com. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  24. ^ "スーパー耐久第3戦SUGOでGrid Motorsport AMGがチーム初優勝「総合力」で勝てたと高木真一". as-web.jp. 10 July 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  25. ^ "Grid Motorsport AMGが勢いに乗る2勝目。2022スーパー耐久第5戦もてぎを制す". as-web.jp. 4 September 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  26. ^ Euwema, Davey (15 December 2022). "Aston Martin Squad Bullitt Confirms Drivers for Asian Debut". sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  27. ^ Lehr, Horst (2 March 2023). "Jacob Riegel schwärmt von der Asian Le Mans Serie Trotz Unfallpech". dorstenerzeitung.de. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  28. ^ "ELMS Barcelona Prologue: Wednesday Paddock Notes". Dailysportscar. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  29. ^ "De Gerus Storms to Barcelona Pole". sportscar365.com. 22 April 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  30. ^ "(Updated) Racing Team Turkey Claims Dramatic 4H Barcelona Win". dailysportscar.com. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  31. ^ "Hanson on Pole for 4H Aragon After Lopez Time Deleted". sportscar365.com. 26 August 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  32. ^ "Adam Completes Grid Motorsport By TF Line-Up". Dailysportscar. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  33. ^ "ELMS - Iron Lynx-Proton ouvre son compteur au Mugello". endurance-info.com (in French). 29 September 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  34. ^ Zalavari, Michael; O'Connell, RJ (15 June 2025). "Rinaldi, MV2S Win Road to Le Mans Races". dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  35. ^ Rehman, Mo (8 March 2025). "Iron Lynx Brings Schiller Into Mercedes-AMG ELMS LMGT3 Line-Up". dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  36. ^ O'Connell, RJ (26 March 2025). "Capacity 33 Car Grid For 2025 GT World Challenge Asia". dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  37. ^ Euwema, Davey (2 May 2025). "Berry to Make Series Debut With Iron Lynx LMGT3 Squad". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  38. ^ "김여진 전 대표, 끝나지 않은 '공차' 투자금 회수". dealsite.co.kr. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  39. ^ Intan, Maiya (5 May 2025). "F4 South East Asia: 2025 season guide". Feeder Series. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  40. ^ "Martin Berry Results". motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  41. ^ "Martin Berry | Racing career profile | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  42. ^ "Pilote des 24 heures du Mans: Martin Berry". 24h-en-piste.com (in French). Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  43. ^ "Martin Berry". 24h-lemans.com. Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
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