After winning the Drift Mania Canadian Championship's ProAm division in 2011, Tomy Boisvert-Bellemare (better known as ‘Tom Tom’) moved up to the Pro ranks in 2012 to take on the veteran DMCC drivers. Piloting his 450-hp SR-powered #64 JDM 1992 Nissan Silvia S13, Tom Tom proved without a doubt that he's at the same level as the seasoned pros. The 24-year-old Trois-Rivières native was not only named the DMCC “Rookie of the Year” in 2012, he also finished the season in fourth place overall behind fellow Quebecker Francis Tasse. Given the talented field of drivers fighting for the title, this is no easy task. But his consistency kept him at the top of his game, impressing everyone in the DMCC. We caught up with Tom Tom to ask him a few questions about his season.
PAS: How was your first full DMCC season as a Pro driver?
TOM: My first season in the Pro ranks went pretty good, but I saw quickly that I had to adapt very fast if I wanted to be able to keep up.
PAS: Who was your toughest competitor?
TOM: Mike Pollard!
PAS: What were your personal highlights of the season?
The best moment for me was being able to go against Pat Cyr during the last round at Sanair. He got so close to me that his front tire was on my door. I lost the battle but it was a really fun tandem.
PAS: Do you have any new sponsors for this coming season?
TOM: My current sponsors are all coming back, and we’ve been working hard over the winter to get some new ones for next season.
PAS: Tell us about your car?
TOM: My car used to be my daily driver. I drove it for two years before turning it into a full-time drift car. Now it has around 420 hp at the wheels.
PAS: Are you going to be changing cars for the upcoming season?
TOM: I will be sticking with my ride. It’s just too expensive to swap out chassis.
PAS: Are you changing anything with the setup?
TOM: For next season, we will be working on the engine setup a little, but our main focus will be maximizing traction with the steering and suspension.
PAS: What were your best results this year?
TOM: My best event in 2012 was the last round where I finished third.
PAS: What was your most difficult point in the season?
TOM: I didn’t have a lot of trouble this season mechanically speaking, but I had some trouble when I hit the wall at St-Eustache. It was hard to get the car back to the previous setup. We also had three rocker arms blow apart in the engine, which caused a lot of damage too.
PAS: Was it hard to adapt to the Pro ranks?
TOM: It was more as a challenge. It was hard at the start of the year, but throughout the season we found solutions and setups that were more competitive. Next year we will be ready guaranteed.
PAS: Is there anybody you would like to thank?
TOM: Of course, I’d like to thank my team: Martin Langlois, Vincent Gagnon, Alex Fortin, Mathieu Inkel, Eric Desaulnier. Without all of them, none of this would have have been possible. I would also like to thank my sponsors for the great support throughout the whole season: Kustom Cars Shop, MChip Audio & Performance, JD Performance, Equipment Select Lift, Centre de location CAT, Prostreet Coating.
The 2013 DMCC season is shaping up to be a good one. With the experience and confidence Tom Tom gained last season year, we're expecting to see him battle at the top of the Pro championship ladder once again.
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