Timo Bernhard (GER)

Born: 24 February 1981
Where: Homburg/Saar (Germany)
Lives: Bruchmühlbach-Miesau (Germany)
Marital status: Married to Katharina, sons Paul and Ben
Height/Weight: 1.74 m/60 kg
Hobbies: Fitness, music, rally, running

He has won all major sports car endurance races: Daytona, Sebring, and the Nürburgring 24 Hours – no less than five times. Loaned to Audi in 2010, he clinched outright victory at Le Mans with Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller. At the end of 2015, he was crowned World Endurance Champion. But still, his greatest dream is to net an outright victory at Le Mans with Porsche.

He talks about his first race for Porsche at the Sarthe. It was back in 2002 winning the GT class at his first attempt. “Back then, Porsche fans were incredibly enthusiastic and they wanted to know when Porsche would return to the premier class. It’s then I realised: Porsche and Le Mans go hand in hand like no other. Overall victory with this marque is the crowning glory.”

Bernhard is the longest-serving Porsche works driver. He began his successful Porsche career in 1999 as a Junior, and is the only works driver to date to be crowned champion in all categories of the Porsche pyramid: In 2001 he won the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, in 2004 the GT title of the American Le Mans Series, and in 2007 and 2008 he became LMP2 champion of the ALMS with the RS Spyder. Privately, however, he enjoys rallying, in Porsches, of course. As a side-line job, he and his father Rüdiger manage the ‘Team 75 Bernhard,’ which also campaigns Porsche cars.

Bernhard was there in the early days of the LMP1 programme, which proved difficult at times. He also guided the driver trio with newcomers Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber through this tough initial phase. The three became very close. Bernhard took the first 919 Hybrid through its paces at the rollout on 12th June 2013. “An honour,” he said, and explains: “This was not just a new Le Mans racing car, it was a Porsche.”

Timo Bernhard competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), including the Le Mans 24 Hours, in a Porsche 919 Hybrid for the Porsche Team.

Career

Source: Porsche