Tom Kalender scored his first career DTM podium on Sunday at the Nürburgring after an epic late charge to second place. A few weeks earlier, the 18‑year‑old also earned his Nordschleife Permit during the 6‑hour ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken‑Serie race. With momentum high, the Mercedes driver now has his sights set on fulfilling his long‑term goals.
The German driver achieved his Nordschleife A‑Permit during NLS7, sitting behind the wheel of the BMW M240i for SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm. Driving in the BMW M240i class, he finished fifth out of thirteen competitors together with Lennard Falk von Canal, Cedric Fuchs and Enrico Förderer.
The reason for doing it now and not earlier was simple:
“Because I just turned 18 in March, and there was no proper possibility that I could do it before the 24‑hour race, so I just decided to do it now.”
Mentioning to GT REPORT that the 24‑hour race was already on his mind comes as no surprise. “24 Hours of Nürburgring is quite nice to win,” he said earlier when asked which races he would like to win.
Now with the Permit secured, it’s the first step toward working on that goal. “For sure, but of course I want to drive in a GT3 car, so I’m really looking forward to that.”
When asked if we can expect the Mercedes Junior driver in the iconic, challenging endurance race, the record-breaker gives nothing away.
“Hopefully next year.”
But after scoring the first DTM podium of his career in impressive fashion on Sunday, the young driver is on the right path as he continues working toward lifting the championship trophy in the future and ticking off everything he wants to achieve with still many years ahead of him.
“That’s for sure the biggest point on my list!”
