THOMAS ERDOS

UK-based Brazilian Thomas Erdos has an impressive motorsport pedigree. All through his career he has established a reputation as someone who is able to post some of the fastest times around - whatever car he drives.

Erdos came to prominence in 1990 when he won his first major title - the British Formula Renault Championship. It was a comprehensive win, achieved with months to spare, and earned him great praise from none other than Nigel Mansell, who declared Tommy a "champion for the future".

At that time Tommy's prospects were in single-seaters, and Mansell saw the Brazilian going all the way to the top. Unfortunately, an accident in testing resulted in an injury that put Tommy out of action for several months, and cost him a promising drive in Formula 3. This, combined with a lack of sponsorship, forced Tommy to look elsewhere for his future in motorsport, and in 1995 he migrated into GT and sportscar racing. That summer he made his Le Mans debut with Team Marcos.

It was a highly emotive occasion, and the two-car blue and silver LM600 entry was a firm favourite with the crowd. Tommy's exploits in the rain - second quickest only to JJ Lehto in the winning McLaren F1 GTR - brought him to the attention of many in the industry, and his future in Le Mans and sportscar racing was assured. He has raced at Le Mans almost every year since, and went on to win the LMP2 class (with Mike Newton and RML) in 2005 and 2006.

Other career highlights include his Daytona 24 Hours debut in 2002, when he produced the fastest lap in class, and podiums for every race he finished in the British GT Championship of 1999. He went on to take the 2002 BGT title, co-driving a Saleen S7R with Ian McKellar. The pair delivered 8 wins and 3 second places in a twelve-race season. Erdos also secured the Top Gun Trophy, awarded to the most successful individual driver in the championship.

Tommy has vast experience of endurance racing, having competed eleven times at Le Mans as well as Daytona, Spa, Bathurst and Sebring. Most recently he has been starring aboard the various Lola sports prototypes campaigned by RML, taking class pole in the Le Mans 1000k of 2003, and achieving a string of excellent results in the LMES and LMS between 2004 and 2009 alongside long-term racing partner Mike Newton.

In 2005 Tommy and Mike missed the LMES driver's title by a single point. In 2006 they fronted the championship again after a remarkable win at Donington Park in late August, but then lost in the final round at Jarama when the engine died on the last lap. Thomas was leading LMP2 at the time. That devastating result cost the duo their title, although Tommy had the satisfaction of knowing that he'd been unbeaten to pole all year. That clean sweep included qualifying for the Le Mans 24 Hours, as well as every round of the Le Mans Series. In 2007, having been runner-up during the previous two seasons, Tommy finally clinched the Le Mans Series LMP2 title. Last season, 2010, he and Mike repeated that achievement, clinching the Driver and Team titles at the end of a highly competitive season.

In 2010 Tommy also added to his tally of Le Mans podiums by finishing third in LMP2, co-driving once again with Mike Newton and Andy Wallace. He qualified the team's Lola HPD in third, and that's where it finished. The race will perhaps be remembered for many years for the high attrition rate among LMP1 cars, with only three diesels finishing (and securing a one-two-three result for Audi) and the breaking of many distance and speed records. Tommy set fastest race lap for the #25 Lola of 3:37.921 along the way to 8th overall.

Tommy has been a regular competitor in the Daytona 24 Hours, sharing the Cheever Racing Fabcar Porsche with Eddie Cheever himself in 2007, and is also frequently invited to historic race cars for their owners in classic events both in the UK and Europe. Away from the track he carries out many professional duties for major motoring manufacturers, including Volvo, Mazda and Ford, and is a keen all-round sportsman.

Tommy is married with three young children and lives in Buckinghamshire.