"I like sports car racing a lot!"
A chat with 2004 GT Champion Timo Bernhard of Alex Job Racing
By Margot Orenchuk
Photos courtesy Margot Orenchuk
VANCOUVER, BC (October 24, 2004) -- Freshly crowned GT Champion Timo Bernhard comes off the 2004 season on a huge high. He managed to beat Those Darn Lizards (it was a close battle, right down to the very last race, for sure!) and secure his first GT ALMS Championship. He didn’t share the crown with team member Jörg Bergmeister, as poor Jörg had the flu in Sebring so bad he had to sit the race out; but you can be sure they will be doing battle and attempting to share the honours next year. (Jörg, take your vitamins!!)  RFM sat down with Timo immediately after his stunning qualifying run at Laguna Seca for the first time in ages, to reflect on one of the most beautiful tracks in North America, and about what was the 2004 season. 

Margot Orenchuk: Timo, how many times have you qualified in the ALMS this year? 

Timo Bernhard: This is my 5^th time. 

MO: How do you make the decision on that? 

TB: Nobody decides; we share. 

MO: What do you mean, you take turns? 

TB: The problem is, there isn’t an even number of races. Jörg doesn’t care, and I said, OK, I wanted to do the Laguna Seca race; it’s my favourite track.

MO: Really? 

TB: Yes. 

MO: Why? 

TB: I like the landscape, the track – it’s short. It’s nothing too special, but when you get deeper into it, it seems easy but it’s more complicated. I came here in 2001 after Bob [Wollek] died; I joined up with Petersen’s that year. It was tough to lose Bob, but it was a break for me after being with the Porsche Junior team. 

MO: This night time race should be interesting. You won’t get out in the night, though. 

TB: It depends on how many yellows we have. But it could be I get out in the night. You never know, you may get quite a bit of yellows; you might get a bit of action. 

MO:  Timo; tell us about your record shattering qualifying lap. How you improved on Sascha [Maassen]’s time from last year over .5 second. 

TB: It’s a different car. Porsche made an improvement, for sure! It’s an RSR.  In 2003 it was the RS. 

MO: Do you feel you have a good shot of winning the GT Championship? Do you think about it? (Editor’s note, he won! Sorry, Lizards!) 

TB: No, I don’t think much about it.  

MO: Are you a nervous driver in that regard? 

TB: No, not really. I have a feeling for it and when I’m not nervous, and actually, I feel pretty good. I’m relaxed. 

MO: We were really disappointed to hear there were Team Orders at Petit Le Mans. 

TB: There were no Team Orders.  

MO: Alex (Job) said there were, right on TV. I saw it. 

TB: There was not a “Team Order”, it actually was not to take a risk anymore, but not a “Team Order”. Not to risk the car, but if we see an opportunity, great, but don’t risk the car. 

MO: It just seemed to us that Romain had always-such a fast car all year, but they never produced the results. Just like last year, that #24 car seems to be cursed. 

TB: We always kept the #23 car under pressure last year, for sure. They are both equal cars. We were really competitive last year. But we couldn’t show it every time. That was the problem. We won 3 races, and we could have won more last year. For sure I have to say that we are all so close, we are all so competitive. It has to do with so many different things. I think most of the teams work on race set-up, and that makes a big difference.

MO: Is it because you guys race so much more than a typical ALMS driver?  

TB: It’s hard to say. They are a very competitive bunch. You see the Petersen’s car. They were very competitive in Portland, Sears Point. And at Mid-Ohio. 

MO: But as Porsche factory drivers, you drive a lot more than the average ALMS driver. Do you think driving “more” makes you a better driver? 

TB: For sure. 

MO: Is this your favourite series? 

TB: I like it. It would also be nice to see some of the racing in Europe. To get the ALMS feeling over to Europe. I like Sports Car racing a lot. 

MO: What is your favourite track in the world? 

TB: I like the Nürburgring in Germany best. I was leading there for a while. We came in 3^rd overall. It was good because there were 2 factory BMW’s. The ALMS spec. And the Factory DTM Opel and DTM Audis.

MO: DTM is a huge series over there, isn’t it? 

TB: It’s huge; it’s very big in Germany.  

MO: Do you drive in that series at all? 

TB: No, I don’t. 

MO: Are you allowed? 

TB: No, I’m a Porsche Factory Driver. I have the opportunity to show my talent. You have to drive to get better.  

And on that note, my sincerest thanks go to Kyle Chura, and to “Our Boy Timo” for giving us his precious time. RFM congratulates Timo on his 1^st Championship win, and all the best in 2005!