DTM

Audi factory driver Martin Tomczyk in profile

At 25 already on of the old campaigners in the DTM Secret of success: Mix of fun and pure concentration Big weak spot for every type of electronic gadget Such a consensus of opinion is seldom found in a DTM paddock. As Martin Tomczyk crossed the ...

Edited: May 18, 2007, 12:25 AM

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At 25 already on of the old campaigners in the DTM Secret of success: Mix of fun and pure concentration Big weak spot for every type of electronic gadget Such a consensus of opinion is seldom found in a DTM paddock. As Martin Tomczyk crossed the finish line at the wheel of the Red Bull Audi A4 DTM as winner last year in Barcelona there was probably not a single person who begrudged the Audi youngster's first ever DTM victory. No question: The man from Rosenheim has firmly established himself in the DTM family through a combination of ambition, hard work, performance and a personable manner away from the track.

"You shouldn't completely block out the fun in spite of the huge challenge and responsibility in the DTM," says Martin Tomczyk, who lives this guiding principle every race weekend: The 1.88 metre tall Bavarian is well-known and popular with every team member for his pranks, fun and jokes. At the same time, the ability to switch between fun and absolute concentration in an instance is also one of the secrets of his success: Before qualifying and the race Tomczyk shuts out everything around him, retraces every metre of the track with his eyes closed and deep in thought to find the decisive hundredths-of-a-second.

Hardly any other new driver in the DTM caused as much hot gossip on their debut as Martin Tomczyk. He arrived in the DTM in 2001 at the tender age of 19, at that time the youngest DTM driver ever, and without a single racing lap in a touring car. It lasted only a few weeks before the gossip died down: He started from the front row in only his third race. In the meantime, at 25-years of age, Tomczyk is one of the 'old hands' in the most popular international touring car race series. From the current crop of drivers only record champion Bernd Schneider and Christian Abt have competed in more new DTM seasons than the FC Bayern Munich fan.

The 2004 season numbers among his greatest moments to date, when he "escorted" team mate Mattias Ekström to the DTM title. A great friendship off-track grew from the perfect on-track teamwork. No surprise considering the many passions they share, such as, for example, electronic gadgets in every form. Video, TV, HiFi, PlayStation, mobile telephones, surround sound systems - if things were not running quite as well in motorsport Tomczyk could immediately start work as consultant. "I simply couldn't imagine being anything other than a racing driver - although I'd like to do a period of practical training in a Kindergarten."

Martin Tomczyk also like things to be sporty between races - with a 420 hp Audi RS 4 as company car it could hardly be different. He only relaxes when he straddles his beautifully detailed Harley Davidson. "I ride a maximum of 80 km/h, at this speed it's the best way to enjoy everything around me," he says. Tomczyk is not fond of hustle and bustle. He feels happy in Rosenheim, the city where he was born and lives, a live in Monaco is out of the question. After all, friends and family would be missing for a poker night, wild races on the PlayStation in his personal hobby room or a relaxed evening at the Italian.

In his spare time, which remains between races after fitness training and PR appointments, Tomczyk likes to play mechanic himself: Together with his brother and manager Tobias he tinkers around trying to find the perfect set-up for radio-controlled DTM cars or speedboats, which are - as a matter of course - produced from high-tech carbon fibre. However, this coming weekend he prefers to rely on his race engineer Dave Benbow of Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline. The well-versed team aim high at the EuroSpeedway - after all, the DTM championship lead has to be defended.

-credit: audi

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