British driver Tom Blomqvist will join BMW Motorsport in the 2015 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), replacing the outgoing Joey Hand in the final seat in the Munich-based manufacturer’s ranks.
The 21-year-old was one of those that headed to the test at Jerez de la Frontera in December last year, and is the driver that has been selected to drive the M4 DTM along with Marco Wittmann, Maxime Martin, Augusto Farfus, Bruno Spengler, Martin Tomczyk, Timo Glock and António Félix da Costa.
The other seven drivers had been officially announced at the traditional BMW Motorsport Season Review in early December, which saw Hand’s departure from the brand to Chip Ganassi Racing for the Tudor United Sportscar Championship.
Blomqvist, son of Swedish rally legend Stig, has shown impressive form over the past few seasons. The youngster decided to stick to the asphalt unlike his father, starting his racing career off in karting before moving into single seater racing. The Brit won the Formula Renault championship back in 2009, becoming the youngest in the series’ history to do so at the age of 16.
Having raced in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship over the past two seasons, including outings in the German Formula 3 Cup and F3 Championships, Blomqvist was the runner up in last year’s championship with Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, finishing second behind Lotus F1 junior driver Esteban Ocon. Blomqvist scored six wins during the season.
Having made an excellent impression on BMW Motorsport during the test late last year, Blomqvist is “delighted” to now be joining one of the three premium manufacturers in the DTM this coming season. He was impressed with the spirit that the team possesses, as well as being made to feel very welcome.
“After the test in Spain, I was able to envisage just how it would feel to be a BMW works driver and regularly push myself to the limit in the BMW M4 DTM,” he said. “Now I have the opportunity to do just that – and it’s just fantastic. I’m really proud to be a member of the BMW Motorsport family now. “
Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt welcomed the promising young rising star to the ranks of a squad that has a great combination of fast, young talent and experienced veterans that has helped the manufacturer to six titles in the DTM since it’s return in 2012.
“Tom was extremely impressive at the test in Jerez, and comes to us with a wealth of experience from Formula 3. I am confident he has everything he needs to find his feet quickly in the DTM,” explained Marquardt. “With his likeable personality he is definitely a great asset to our line-up. We have done well with our choice of rookies so far. We will support Tom to the best of our ability to be successful from the word go in 2015.”
All 24 seats in the DTM are now filled for all three manufacturers. The first race is due to take place on the first weekend of May at Hockenheim.