Motorsport’s Super Talent – Full of Energy and Excitement

– The road there is expensive and demanding. Without the solid support I get from my sponsors like Møre Trafo, I would never be where I am now, says Marius Nakken, who is going all in on international asphalt racing.

Like Møre Trafo, the 24-year-old from Ålesund is full of energy and excitement in a crackling, high-speed and demanding sport where the super talent is one of Norway’s big hopes.

Only four years (!) old, he started driving go-karts and then went on to clean up in every age class. It was his dad Tore who got the kid hooked on motorsport. Last year Marius signed a major contract with the German Porsche team Molitor-Racing Systems, with a team of around 50 people around him. Despite around 30 new offers, he is staying with the same team and will race both the Porsche Carrera Cup and the Porsche Cup.

Costly

The contract means Marius has to put in a substantial amount of his own money, and the outgoing youngster with strong media coverage has been good at securing sponsors.

– The goal has always been to make a living from motorsport. I feel I’m very close now. In the whole motorsport circus – Formula 1 included – there are only 350 paid seats, meaning race car drivers who get a salary and can live off it. That’s where I want to be, explains Marius.

Small margins

– What does it take to become one of them?

– You have to be one of the best, prove you’re up to it, and on top of that you should have “the full package” – being visible and good with the media. It’s a sport with small margins, everything has to work and you need top mechanics and engineers who know their craft, Marius explains.

Impresses

Even though last season was marked by bad luck, incidents he couldn’t prevent, and a few near misses, Marius showed through lap times and test runs that he is among the very, very best. This year he hopes to show it in races and climb onto the podium.

– Marius is a pro on and off the track, and especially in how he handles the media. He is a young, trusted driver with great talent, a perfect combination for success in professional motorsport. He impresses, says German Porsche boss Oliver Köppen.

Marius works with a very clear goal to reach the top. For several years he has been part of Team Norway, the national team for the best Norwegian drivers in any class. That gives him access to elite sports culture with diet, physical and mental training. The best drivers today are very well-trained athletes.

Marius has never been closer to the big breakthrough – and even more autographs.

Own Watch Collection

He is also the only Norwegian motorsport athlete with his own watch collection. And that’s a big deal for an up-and-coming 24-year-old with crystal-clear goals and rock-solid belief that he will succeed.

The watches draw inspiration from the Art Nouveau city of Ålesund, feature Swiss movements, and carry the name of the driver who flies around German tracks at 280 kilometers an hour in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. The collection is the result of a collaboration with Marius and Von Doren – Fine Timepieces, created by Ålesund native Øyvind Vond Doren Asbjørnsen.

Wants to Be the Best

– You have 179 podium finishes and have won a number of championships – what drives you?

It’s an insane drive to be the best and succeed internationally. It’s hard to explain, but something happens to me when I put on the helmet. I go into my own bubble. My own world. Ready to be even better than I was yesterday.

– Never afraid?

– Not afraid, but always excited, says Marius.

Electric car

-With Møre Trafo as your sponsor, isn’t it time you switched to an electric car?

– Haha. There are electric car classes, but I haven’t tried that myself. But as far as I know, Porsche is about to launch an electric car – Porsche Mission E – which is planned to hit the market in 2019. So who knows, in a few years?