Martin Tomczyk is fired up for the start of the FIA World Endurance Championship as BMW return to the series with its eye on securing the 24 Hours of Le Mans win along the way.
After 16 years in DTM, Tomczyk raced in North America last season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for BMW Team RLL in their BMW M6 GTLM, three podium finishes and a victory took the German to seventh in the GTLM championship.
For 2018 his focus switches to the WEC and the new BMW M8 GTE, “For me, it is a great honour to compete in the WEC. We put a lot of effort into developing the new BMW M8 GTE which made its debut at Daytona two weeks ago. The 24-hour marathon showed how reliable the car is. I am really looking forward to the new challenge.”
While Tomczyk comepeted at the 24 hours of Daytona, it was in with the Turner Motorsports team in their M6, so the German is still to experience the new car in a competitive race.
“Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Ford all represent very strong competition.” said Tomczyk.
“You can add Corvette to that list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We are familiar with these manufacturers from other series and know that they will have competitive cars out on the track.
“I know the drivers very well too. They are all very fast so it will be anything but easy to make a mark in the WEC. We are well prepared and the BMW M8 GTE is a fantastic race car.
“I also have some great team-mates alongside me. I am confident that we have a chance of doing well.”
With the door firmly shut on DTM, Tomczyk is looking forward to his second year of endurance racing, “After 16 years in the DTM, I am grateful that I now have the opportunity to concentrate fully on endurance racing.
“I competed in North America last year, in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. That was a great experience for me.
“I have also been in action a few times at the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife – and I really like this race. I will compete in the 24 hours of Le Mans this year, the most important endurance race in the world.
“I am looking forward to this new challenge. The tension is rising, especially as I will be up against my closest rivals in Paris. I can hardly wait for it to get started.”
