Background
He first dabbled in motor racing at the age of 14, racing motocross bikes across England. He was an immediate success, eventually becoming one of the top-ranked riders in Britain, winning a few championships. At the age of 17 he made the switch to four wheels in Britain's Formula Ford. Again, he was rewarded with instant success, and in his first season he placed second in both British Junior Formula Ford Championships (despite 25 wins and 24 poles). The following year, Mark won both the Esso British and Snetterton FF1600 crowns. The next year, he upgraded his ride to the more powerful FF2000 category, and promptly won the BBC Grandstand series. He even returned to FF1600 for the European Championship racing, taking pole, and finishing fourth overall. With 1986 came another championship in FF2000, this time the European title.
At this point in his career, Blundell decided it was time to take his continuing success, and move on to international racing. He bypassed the traditional stepping stone of Formula Three and joined TOMS-Toyota in Formula 3000. Despite having to cope with an underfunded and underpowered car, he showed incredible talent and strung together a series of promising results, including a number of race wins. He even started a few races at Formula Three, showing ability there as well. 1987 meant a switch to the works Lola team in F3000, at that time one of the biggest teams in the series. In a closely contested season, Blundell managed a very respectable sixth place in the final standings.
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