Creator of Aravete motocross track dies after years-long dispute with local municipality

Tuljo Martin, the founder of the Aravete motocross track, passed away in March this year following a prolonged conflict with the local municipality. His partner says the dispute felt like a 'knife in the back' to a man who had dedicated his life to the track. The story gained wider attention after Martin appeared on the investigative TV show 'Kuuuurija' in 2024.

Tuljo Martin, the passionate creator and owner of the Aravete motocross track in Estonia, died in March 2025 after years of stress caused by an escalating dispute with the local municipality. His partner described his death as the tragic conclusion of a battle that had worn him down completely.

«It was like a knife in the back for him — he felt that the whole thing was one big conspiracy,» his partner told journalists, reflecting on the toll the conflict took on Martin. The Aravete track had been the defining project of his life, something he had poured his heart and energy into for years.

The dispute between Martin and the local government came to national attention in 2024, when he spoke about it on the popular Estonian investigative television programme Kuuuurija. At the time, he described feeling abandoned and undermined by the very authorities that should have supported the development of a local sporting venue.

For those who knew him, Martin embodied the spirit of grassroots motorsport culture in Estonia. The Aravete track was not merely a business venture — it was a labour of love that served a community of motocross enthusiasts. Friends and family say the prolonged institutional conflict proved insurmountable for a man who had already given everything to his vision.

His death has reignited questions about how Estonian local governments handle disputes with private landowners and sports facility operators. Those close to Martin hope that his story will prompt a broader conversation about supporting, rather than undermining, community-driven sporting infrastructure in rural Estonia.