Tom Blomqvist sealed an impressive double pole position and stormed to double race victory at his cameo appearance in Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia at Mantorp Park.
Having never driven the Porsche 911 GT3 prior to the weekend, Tom joined the series for a one-off appearance aiming to enjoy his guest showing and pick up some silverware along the way.
Immediately on the pace in the first qualifying session, Tom stormed his way to the top of the timesheets to take pole position for the first two races by a tenth of a second from series champion Lukas Sundahl.
In the second qualifying session, the 26-year-old impressed once again by claiming second place on the grid for the third race of the weekend, just 0.164s behind fellow guest driver Johan Kristoffersson.
With limited experience of the Porsche, the getaway from the start line would be crucial for Tom to maintain his front-row position in the opening race.
Challenged by Sundahl at the start, Tom held his own and retained the lead through the opening tour of the 1.942-mile circuit. Managing to build a gap to the squabbling Sundahl and Kristoffersson behind, Tom was able to pull away at the front of the field and crossed the finish line to win the race by a clear three seconds.
Starting from pole position once again in the second race of the weekend, Tom was once again pitted against Kristoffersson for the race win. Losing the lead to the Swedish driver, Tom didn’t lose sight of victory and kept within striking distance, ready to make a move.
Entering the final stages of the race, Tom followed Kristoffersson closely and launched a successful move on the two-time Carrera Cup champion to reclaim the lead and record his second victory of the weekend.
Lining up from second on the grid for the final race of the weekend, Tom immediately turned to attack mode and began to challenge Kristoffersson and pulled off another successful pass for the lead. With his charge halted by a safety car following a collision further back, Tom now found himself defending from Kristoffersson. A small mistake from Tom through the gravel opened the door, allowing Kristoffersson through into the lead and relegating the Brit to tenth place.
“I’ve had great fun this weekend,” Tom said. “Winning in Sweden, in a car liveried with my dad’s colours, was pretty special and the racing itself was really enjoyable. Having very limited experience of both the car and the track, it was a learning curve but one that I thoroughly enjoyed and made the most of. Battling with Kristoffersson was a real highlight of the weekend too, we certainly gave each other a run for our money. A huge thank you to Porsche for offering me the chance to take part!”
Image courtesy of Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia.
In association with MBP
