Blomqvist wins as MB Partners’ talent shines at Daytona

MB Partners’ Tom Blomqvist and Mike Conway took centre stage at the 60th edition of the revered Rolex 24 at Daytona - as Tom Blomqvist battled to an emphatic victory with reigning FIA WEC world champion Mike Conway finishing just six seconds further back in 4th place.

Lining up with the #60 Meyer Shank Racing outfit for the first time, Tom made his debut at the showpiece event and thoroughly impressed throughout the race. Pulling off a number of daring overtakes on his DPi rivals, Tom was able to take the Acura ARX-05 DPi to the lead of the race on multiple occasions.

Concluding his efforts with a stellar triple-stint, Tom paved the way for team mate Helio Castroneves to take the car to the chequered flag to claim victory.

In the three-man #31 Whelen Engineering Racing machine, Mike led the race with five hours to go and continued to push the team towards the podium places in the closing stages.

Before long, Mike & Tom were locked in a tight battle for the race victory with just under two-and-a-half hours remaining. Dicing for several laps whilst also simultaneously scything past traffic, the pair put on a thrilling display, with Tom eventually getting past his MBP stablemate.

Poised for a sprint finish in the final 30 minutes of the race, it was too close to call between the top four of the DPi class with Tom and the #60 crew heading the field to win closely followed by Mike and the #31 crew in fourth place just six seconds behind.

Tom Blomqvist, #60 Meyer Shank Racing: “I’m over the moon to have won the Rolex 24. It’s one of the biggest races in the world, up there with Le Mans, and it’s the biggest win of my career so far. I loved every second of it and particularly enjoyed my battle with Mike - firm but fair, it was great to share the track and dice with him.”

Mike Conway, #31 Whelen Engineering Racing: “We gave it our absolute best and came very close to the win. It was an exciting race with plenty of battles up and down and the field ran incredibly close right to the very end. It’s always a great race at Daytona and this year was no exception.”

Mark Blundell, CEO of MB Partners: “I’m incredibly proud of both Tom and Mike for their excellent results at this year’s Rolex 24. It’s a privilege to manage two of the best sportscar drivers in the world, they raced brilliantly and showed the full depth of their talent. Watching them battle on-track was equally nerve-wracking and exciting. The whole team at MB Partners congratulates them both on a terrific weekend.”

Images courtesy of Meyer Shank Racing & bcpix.com