An introduction to Martin Tomczyk : No.81 BMW Team MTEK

Martin, what are your feelings ahead of the 2018/19 FIA WEC season?
“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.  

“We come as a big team, as a manufacturer, BMW, to the WEC and to Le Mans after some years of a break.  There are still a few screws to tighten a bit more before the season starts, but in the end we are really looking forward to it and we hope we can compete right from the start with the other manufacturers.”
 
How do you think you will perform?
“Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Ford all represent very strong competition. 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 nearly all 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 and if you know BMW you know it competes to win so that’s our goal. I have some great team-mates alongside me, and I am confident that we have a chance of doing well.” 

How much are you looking forward to 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, and I can hardly wait for it to get started.”

Written interview from BMW Motorsport and WEC, video from WEC TV Production