Notoriously competitive, there are few sporting championships across the globe that can claim to be more closely fought than the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM). The tightness of the championship makes it even more difficult for a young driver attempting to make inroads into the professional driving ranks to make a lasting impression – but that is exactly what Tom Blomqvist has managed to do in his first two seasons in the German touring car series.
The Cambridge-born driver, who grew up in New Zealand, entered the DTM last year in 2015 following several successful years in the single-seaters of Formula 3. Although Tom has made the transition seem all but effortless, he admits that it took some time to adapt to the habits and quirks of the DTM.
“It was a bit of a change coming from a single-seater background and trying to adapt to the style of racing, the way championship conducts itself, as well as its professionalism in terms of having a heavy involvement on the side of the manufacturer. So at first it took a bit of time to get used to but I think I have adapted well now and am fairly confident in the surroundings.”
It is no wonder that Blomqvist feels confident in the series after he has followed up an impressive debut season, with further progress in his second outing this year. Finishing his debut season 14th in the Drivers’ championship, Tom claimed the unofficial ‘Rookie of the Year’ title as well as becoming BMW’s youngest ever race winner in his debut season. As an ambitious young driver, the DTM had always been one of the championships that Tom had looked to compete in.
“It was always on my mind because simply it is such a tough and competitive championship. It is one of the only championships out there where you can be a fully professional driver and the heavy manufacturer involvement means I get to spread my wings a little and race for BMW in other events such as the Blancpain GT.”
At only 23 years of age, Tom now finds himself lining up against some of motorsport’s most experienced and respected campaigners including fellow MB Partners client Gary Paffett and former Force India F1 driver Paul di Resta. The growing strength of the DTM field has only added to the competitiveness of the series which Tom admits is something that he embraces even if at times it can be slightly frustrating!
“I don’t know whether the intense competition in the series is the best thing about it or the most annoying! In all seriousness, though, it means you must work your socks off to get a result which makes it even more rewarding when you do. The sheer professionalism of the series makes it feel like you are part of something special and it is that unpredictability in every single round which makes it so exciting to be a part of.”
All of which makes Tom’s second season in the championship even more impressive. Having secured 59 championship points last year, Tom more than doubled that tally in 2016. Whilst this pleases the BMW driver, he is relentless in his search for further improvements.
“It’s only my second year and I ended the year as the second best-placed BMW driver in the standings as well as finishing sixth in the Drivers’ championship so I feel fairly satisfied. But I know I still need to make another step in my performance. I need to be consistently on it all the time, ironing out some of the mistakes. When we have the ‘ups’, we do it really well but I still need to be able to get points on the days we are struggling.”
The youngest of any of the drivers in the top ten of this year’s standings, Tom has plenty of time on his side as he seeks to move closer towards the pinnacle of the series but he remains happy with the way his second season has unfolded.
“I had my own personal expectations at the start of the year. I wanted to be higher up in the standings, I wanted to be more consistent, I wanted to get more podiums and I have achieved all of those, so that really sums up a fantastic year.”
Tom’s level-headedness is very clear and so is his ambitious nature as he looks towards next year with renewed expectation.
“Hopefully we can improve again and continue our current trend. I want to be a real championship contender year in, year out.”
In association with MBP
