Name: Martijn van Bommel
Age: 37
Location: Spijkenisse, Netherlands
V-WTCC car: Seat Leon
V-WTCC achievement: Winner of the Seat Brand Cup Race at Brands Hatch
 

You won a Brand Cup event. Tell us your story of the races.
Well the first race wasn’t really that exciting for me. I couldn’t do much really and lost a bit of time in the beginning. After that I couldn't catch the leaders no more. The second race was much more exciting: lots of battles going on and a lot of close racing right down to the checkered flag. The most memorable moment was in the second race. I overtook on the outside at Clark curve as I was coming to the main straight.

How did you prepare for the races?
Well, I don’t think I did anything special. I really just made sure that I was ready at eight ‘o’ clock.

How did you become a simracer?
It started with GP2 a long time ago, followed by GP3, GP4 and later GTR ,GTR2 and GTL. I started off with a really cheep steering wheel, made of cheap plastic, which almost broke just by looking at it. Then again for €15 and no force feedback it was a start. Now I use the Momo wheel, made by Logitech, and have used it for 7 years now.The only reason why I haven’t got a G25 yet is because it has only two buttons on the steering wheel. Yes I know that it comes with a shifter stick with buttons on it, but in the heat of the battle I want to be able to look left/right or behind, hit neutral if needed, or switch the pit speed limiter in an instant with my hands on the wheel.

Are you a real racer as well?
If only that was true… But no, sorry, I’m no real life racer. I would be helpful as an engineer though, hehe!

What are your expectations for the Semi-Finals in Brno?
I expect it to be a lot of fun meeting some of the people who are just as crazy as I am! As for my chances: I really need to find a lot of time to be able to compete with some of the other drivers so I don’t think I'm a contender for the podium places but anything can happen at a race so who knows… I might get lucky!

Do you have any tips for new drivers?
Look at the faster drivers. Look at there top speeds and adjust the wings to match it. Look and listen where and when they change gear and compare it to your own setup and braking points. Of course you should also watch the drivers in the same car brand as you're driving in. I also suggest to check for sites with tips on how to make setups I need to find some for myself too, hehe!

Who will win the V-WTCC 2008?
No idea. It’s probably someone in a BMW.