24h Le Mans
Martin Tomczyk was crowned DTM (German touring car championship) in 2011. After 16 years in that series, he made the switch to endurance and is getting ready to participate in his first 24 Hours of Le Mans next weekend.
Martin Tomczyk first hit the track at the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit for Test Day on 3 June, and he loved every minute of it. "I've seen the track on TV many times and always wondered how it was in real life. It's fantastic. The outing was extraordinary. The circuit is 70% regular roads with long straights where you can get up to 300 km/h. I really enjoyed my first laps, but I had to start focusing on the race very quickly. It was a great experience and I can't wait to get behind the wheel on Wednesday for the free practice."
Tomczyk will take the wheel of a BMW. The German manufacturer is returning to endurance this year with two M8 GTEs in the LMGTE Pro class. With a new car the work never ends for the drivers and other team members. "Everything went well during Test Day. We took full advantage of the eight hours of track time and are happy with it. Now our focus is on the race. The track is ideal for a BMW, I'll even say it's the best one for us of the entire Super Season."
Since the BMW's first laps date back only a few months, reliability is somewhat in question. "It's not a problem, we proved that at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. We've also conducted several endurance tests and are satisfied with the car and its reliability. We know our opponents well, we've been following them these last few years. It's true we're not making it easy on ourselves returning to endurance up against 15 LMGTE Pro cars (laughs, Ed.), but we're aiming for the podium."
Tomczyk will have to share the wheel of the M8 with Philipp Eng and Nicky Catsburg despite being used to solo sprint races. "I've been in the DTM for 16 seasons and I discovered endurance racing in the U.S. last year. I did the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans and this year the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. I love the team spirit and the idea of sharing the wheel with teammates."
PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), PLACE DE LA REPUBLIQUE, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SCRUTINEERING, SUNDAY 10 JUNE. The German driver will debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend.
