WHO IS: Martin Tomczyk

37-YEAR OLD German driver Martin Tomczyk is the first in our series of ‘Who is’ – profiling some of the key international drivers visiting the race this year.

Tomczyk – pronounced ‘Tom-check’ – is one of the best credentialed Touring Car and GT drivers around with a glittering career, principally in the DTM series in Germany.

He will join Supercars star Chaz Mostert and Brazilian ace Augusto Farfus in a BMW Team Schnitzer M6 GT3 this year – arguably one of the early favourites for the race.

Following a junior open wheel career, he commenced his lengthy career in Germany’s top Touring Car series in 2001 driving for the junior Abt-Sportsline Audi team, finishing 13th on debut.

He won his first DTM race the following season and would establish himself as a regular on the podium over the next several years.

He had to wait three years for his next win – in Spain in 2006 – but won two more races the following season to finish third in the championship for Audi in 2007.

2011 would prove to be his best season, however – winning three times and finishing on the podium in eight of the ten rounds to win his first championship after eleven seasons of trying.

After one more year with Audi, Tomczyk switched to BMW in 2012 and linked with his current team, the famous Schnitzer outfit – in 2014.

Since finishing his DTM tour at the end of the 2016 season, Tomczyk has gone on to represent BMW in several of their key endurance racing enterprises, including the FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car series and key GT3 endurance races, including the Nurburgring 24 Hour.

2019 will mark his first start in the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

BMW Team Schnitzer has a long history at Mount Panorama, dating back to 1987 when the famous Bathurst 1000 doubled as a round of the World Touring Car Championship.

The team made a popular return to Bathurst last year with their BMW M6 GT3, Chaz Mostert qualifying the car on pole position in the Pirelli Top-10 shootout on Saturday.