17-year-old F3 rookie Tom Blomqvist once again demonstrated his raw speed and tenacity as he scored another podium in round six of the ATS Formula 3 Cup at Sachsenring, Germany on 15 May 2011. Tom, who is the reigning Formula Renault UK champion, looked set to challenge for his maiden F3 victory in round five, but for a cruel electrical gremlin which forced the talented young Brit to pit from the lead.
“It was very gutting to have a problem with the master switch in race one. It’s been a tough start to the season, but I’m sure our luck will change. The key point is that I was quick and felt comfortable having taken the lead into turn one, so the potential for race wins is clearly there,” said Blomqvist. “The second race was thankfully a little less eventful. I was in the leading pack, but the pace between us was too close for me to challenge. It’s good to get back on the podium and we can build from here…”
Both F3 qualifying sessions at the physically intensive Sachsenring circuit were marred with traffic, incidents and yellow flags, making it difficult for all 16 competitors to find a clean run. In the session which decided the grid for round five, Tom found space for just one flying lap in the dying stages of the 30-minute qualifying which was good enough to put him P2. In a chaotic second qualifying session, more flags, including one as championship leader Ritchie Stanaway crashed heavily meant opportunities to set a valid time were at a premium. This combined with traffic on his best lap meant Tom had to settle for a second row grid slot for round six, albeit setting a time less than two tenths off pole position.
In round five, Tom, who is the son of World Rally Champion Stig, made a good getaway and took the lead from Stanaway into the first corner. As he started to pull away from the chasing pack, an electrical problem developed, forcing the 17-year-old Briton to pit at the end of the first lap. By the time Tom returned to the track, he was running dead last. Despite the setback the Performance Racing run driver charged-on and displaced several drivers, setting the fastest lap of the race en-route to a disappointing and unfamiliar 13th position.
In round six, the Saffron Walden based driver, made a superb start from fourth place and was sizing up the leading duo into turn one. Given a distinct lack of tarmac to pass safely, Tom wisely backed off and settled for third. From there he put in a solid performance, exchanging times with race-leader Klaus Bachler and F3 veteran Marco Sörensen as the trio pulled away from the following drivers. Following the untimely failure in round five which has left Tom some 32 points off the championship lead, a third-place finish capped a resolute drive in which he demonstrated his focus on stringing together a run of podiums and closing the points gap.
Following a two-weekend break Tom and his fellow competitors will travel to the Assen Circuit, Holland for the next round of the ATS Formula 3 Cup on 4/5 June 2011.
Reigning Formula Renault UK Champion Tom Blomqvist wasted no time in demonstrating he has the speed and talent to claim back-to-back drivers’ championships as he set a
searing pace throughout much of his debut weekend in the 2011 ATS Formula 3 Cup. Tom, son of former World Rally Champion Stig, opened his F3 account by taking a maiden pole and podium at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben on 24/25 April 2011.
“On the whole it has been a good opening weekend. Obviously we are all a bit disappointed not to have come away with two victories, but we have shown some very strong pace. Honestly, I think we could have topped every timesheet. I’ve made a few mistakes this weekend but learnt an awful lot!” said Blomqvist. “I’m confident that we will be quick at Spa, where we are looking to get a couple of winners’ trophies and put our title charge back on track.”
17-year-old Tom made an immediate impact in Formula 3 by leading the way in both practice sessions which took place in warm German sunshine, outpacing his rivals by up to a quarter of a second. Carrying the form into qualifying for race one, Tom took pole position for his first F3 race by an impressive 0.357 seconds. But for a mistake in qualifying two where he ran wide in the last sector, Tom would have almost certainly collected a double pole having been up on the delta time at sector two.
From grid slot one in the opening round, Tom made a decent getaway, but was out-dragged into turn one by Ritchie Stanaway, who ironically had the territorial advantage into the first corner despite starting from P2. From there, the race was set, given the narrow nature of the Oschersleben circuit, which has few if any opportunities to safely pass. Tom put in a mature drive to finish second and collect a trophy on his debut.
In round two, the Saffron Walden based driver, who started from fifth on the grid made a strong start and took fourth place into the first corner. From there he reigned in third place Dutch driver Hannes Van Asseldonk. Having got a run on the Dutchman into the final corner, the two went down the pit straight side-by-side as they crossed the line to start lap three. Tom who had the inside line into turn one made a move in attempt to take third place, but tangled with a resilient Van Asseldonk. Despite coming in for a front nose change and rejoining the field, Tom’s race was cut short with a gearbox failure on lap six, which prematurely halted any ambitions of charging back through the pack.
The ATS Formula 3 Cup will travel to Belgium for the next round on 6/7 May 2011. Tom and his fellow competitors will race at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps Grand Prix circuit, which is notorious for its changeable weather conditions and action packed races.
--ENDS—
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