Martin Schanche

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Martin Schanche (born January 1, 1945) "Mister Rallycross" is a former Norwegian motorsport contestant. He debuted in 1972 when he was 27 years old. In 1975 he won a silver medal in the Norwegian Ice Racing Championships. Between 1976 and 2001 he competed in rallycross, and became European champion in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1991 and 1995.

Schanche was born in Trondheim but grew up at Leirpollskogen in Tana in Finnmark. Today he lives at Drøbak in Frogn in Akershus. Together with his wife (Birgit from Germany) and his daughter Melissa.

Since retiring from motorport he has embarked on a second career as a municipality politician in Frogn for Fremskrittspartiet. In 2003 he was the subject of a lot of nationwide attention because he slapped his political opponent Torgeir Micaelsen of the Norwegian Labour Party during a school debate in Drammen. That attention made him an often imitated character in the radioprogram Petremorgen on NRK P3.