After failing to score any points due to strategy issues or DNFs over the last 12 months, it was a welcome relief for the 2011 Champion to rack up a welcome 10 points after his great drive in the adverse conditions at the Nürburgring this afternoon, having not scored a solitary point since the race last year, where he ended up on the podium along with the winner of last year’s title, Bruno Spengler.
Martin Tomczyk’s 12-year career in the DTM has seen its fair share of highs and lows, but the welcome return to a points place after such a long drought at the spiritual home of BMW M, gave the Bavarian something to smile about this weekend: “It is particularly nice for it to have happened at BMW Team RMG’s home race. The first lap alone was awesome. I was able to move up to ninth place. It was great fun driving in the rain. The car was really quick in the wet conditions.”
For his teammate, Andy Priaulx however, it was another successive lacklustre result for the 3-time WTCC Champion, who made up a lot of ground in the early goings, before he eventually placed 16th: “I made a good start and had a good first lap, at the end of which I was up to twelfth. Then I just went backwards on the wet tyre. I had no grip at all for the whole race. It is disappointing.”
Team RMG’s Team Principal, Stefan Reinhold, said that the team will take a lot of confidence from their efforts this time around, as their home event will help to spur the team on towards Oschersleben in 4 weeks’ time: “The Nürburgring seems to bring us luck. This is probably the happiest I have ever been with a fifth place. The curse has finally been broken and Martin Tomczyk has finished in the points again after a real barren streak. He produced a very impressive race, and our team was rewarded for its fighting spirit.”
Tomczyk was very aware of the fact that when the track started to dry out, he said that he “was not entirely able to match the pace of the others and eventually crossed the finish line fifth. When you consider I started the race from 20th on the grid, I am very happy with that result.”
This could be the boost that the father-of-one need to help his motivation towards further points finishes, podiums and eventually wins in the very near future, but his hopes for any title glory were already dashed from the early goings on in the season. Here’s hoping he is able to make good on his intentions for the rest of the year and keep the points coming…
